Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “system code”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,387 records · Page 77

Security Enhancements for Distributed Energy Resource Systems Interconnected with Distribution Networks: Final Technical Report

The revised IEEE 1547 Standard defines new complex communication-adjustable voltage and frequency regulation and ride-through characteristics, while maintaining the general antiislanding requirement for unintentional islanding situations. Unintentional islanding is prohibited while intentional islanding is specifically allowed, thus effectively enabling microgrid operation mode. Further, IEEE 1547-2018 Standard introduces new requirements in terms of interoperability so that the DER plant/circuit segments may be seamlessly integrated with the utility networks but at the same time become vulnerable to a cyber-attack. Traditional cybersecurity measures including encryption, authentication and role-based access control may not be fully implementable to all communication protocols specified in the IEEE 1547 Standard. Therefore, in this project we have identified, researched, implemented and tested several cyberphysical approaches that rely mostly on the behavior of the DER circuit and may help with validating the incoming command and control action potentially coming through an insecure communications channel. Additionally, we have built semantic models and communications profiles for DER facilities and have implemented lightweight IEC 61850 based publisher-subscriber GOOSE messaging mechanism, with security extensions in terms of authentication and encryption. The project proposed information models for integration into UCA OpenFMB 2.0 profiles focusing on grid code compliance.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Exploring the scaling limitations of the variational quantum eigensolver with the bond dissociation of hydride diatomic molecules

Abstract Materials simulations involving strongly correlated electrons pose fundamental challenges to state‐of‐the‐art electronic structure methods but are hypothesized to be the ideal use case for quantum computing algorithms. To date, no quantum computer has simulated a molecule of a size and complexity relevant to real‐world applications, despite the fact that the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) algorithm can predict chemically accurate total energies. Nevertheless, because of the many applications of moderately sized, strongly correlated systems, such as molecular catalysts, the successful use of the VQE stands as an important waypoint in the advancement toward useful chemical modeling on near‐term quantum processors. In this paper, we take a significant step in this direction. We lay out the steps, write, and run parallel code for an (emulated) quantum computer to compute the bond dissociation curves of the TiH, LiH, NaH, and KH diatomic hydride molecules using the VQE. TiH was chosen as a relatively simple chemical system that incorporates d orbitals and strong electron correlation. Because current VQE implementations on existing quantum hardware are limited by qubit error rates, the number of qubits available, and the allowable gate depth, recent studies using it have focused on chemical systems involving s and p block elements. Through VQE + UCCSD calculations of TiH, we evaluate the near‐term feasibility of modeling a molecule with d‐orbitals on real quantum hardware. We demonstrate that the inclusion of d‐orbitals and the use of the UCCSD ansatz, which are both necessary to capture the correct TiH physics, dramatically increase the cost of this problem. We estimate the approximate error rates necessary to model TiH on current quantum computing hardware using VQE + UCCSD and show them to likely be prohibitive until significant improvements in hardware and error correction algorithms are available.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Dynamic System Scaling Applied to Zr-4 Cladding under RIA Conditions

The research and development lifecycle for new fuel designs currently has an ideal 20-25 year timeline. Efforts are currrently underway to accelerate fuel design and development using high performance fuel modeling codes and reduced scale experiments with new instrumentation techniques. However current tools available require a full scale prototype to be designed and tested for fuel qualification. The thermal-hydraulics community has leveraged scaling methodologies to use reduced scale integral effect test facilities (Westinghouse AP600/1000, NuScale Power Module) in lieu of building full scale prototypes for reactor design certification. Dynamic System Scaling (DSS) is a recent development to scaling methodologies that enable the tracking and quantification of dynamic scaling distortions experienced throughout a transient. Recent TREAT experiments performed reactivity initiated accident (RIA) pulses on UO2 fuel rodlets in Zr-4 cladding and were accompanied by BISON predictions for the cladding temperature. DSS is applied to pyrometer data of outer cladding temperatures and two BISON predictions after peak cladding temperature has been reached. One BISON case uses a constant gap conductance value between the fuel and cladding and the other using a conventional gap conductance model. Results from the DSS analysis show that there is good agreement between both BISON predictions and the experimental data and that there is not a significant distortion seen between using either gap conductance model.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Classical Non-Markovian Noise in Symmetry-Preserving Quantum Dynamics

In quantum dynamics, symmetries are vital for identifying and assessing conserved quantities that govern the evolution of a quantum system. When promoted to the open quantum system setting, dynamical symmetries can be negatively altered by system-environment interactions, thus, complicating their analysis. Previous work on noisy symmetric quantum dynamics has focused on the Markovian setting, despite the ubiquity of non-Markovian noise in a number of widely used quantum technologies. Here, in this Letter, we develop a framework for quantifying the impact of non-Markovian noise on symmetric quantum evolution via root space decompositions and the filter function formalism. We demonstrate analytically that symmetry-preserving noise maintains the symmetric subspace, while nonsymmetric noise leads to highly specific leakage errors that are block diagonal in the symmetry representation. We support our findings with numerical studies of a transverse-field Ising model and a quantum error detecting code subject to spatiotemporally correlated multiaxis noise. Our results are broadly applicable, providing new analytic insights into the control and characterization of open quantum system dynamics.

decoherence↗

Pulsar Movement Animation and its Corresponding Signal Visualization for Timing Source

The global positioning system, widely used for synchronization in energy systems, faces vulnerabilities, while Pulsars—natural cosmic clocks—offer long-term stability as potential backup timing sources. Existing research lacks sufficient exploration of Pulsar signal animation under astrophysical factors, limiting practical applications. This study establishes a mathematical model based on the rotation dynamics of dual-beam Pulsars and implements dynamic signal visualization through MATLAB. The model dynamically illustrates the relative motion between Pulsar beams and observers via timeline calculations, beam intensity modeling, and rotation matrix derivation. A case study on the millisecond Pulsar J1939+2134 reveals that observer angles influence signal peak timing, while beam widths determine signal duration, highlighting the critical role of parameter calibration for timing accuracy. Open-source code and animation results are publicly shared, providing tools for interdisciplinary research. This study validates the feasibility of Pulsar-based timing in energy systems, offering new insights to enhance synchronization robustness.

Wu, Ori [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000326723410)↗

ILI Code

This R code consists of three scripts, described below. 1. ILI_LHC_sample.R The first script generate 10,000 samples from the total parameter space formed by the ranges of the following five parameters inputted into the ILI model: transmission rate (beta), per capita rate of progress from exposed to infectious state (gamma_1), per capita rate of progress through initial infectious state (gamma_2), per capita rate of progress through hospitalized state (gamma_3), and per capita rate of progress through non-hospitalized infectious state (gamma_4). The output is LHS_samples.csv, for input into the global sensitivity script, ILI_SEIR. 2. ILI_SEIR.R The second script solves a standard Susceptible-Exposed-Infected- Recovered (SEIR) model (a system of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs)), runs global sensitivity analyses, and generates plots showing the impact of the input variables on the response variables for each virus. 3. virus_sims.R The third script solves a standard Susceptible-Exposed-Infected- Recovered (SEIR) model (a system of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs)), aimed at modeling outbreaks for five common upper respiratory viruses within a contained population. The output of this code is an epidemic curve to show timing and magnitude of the epidemic peak for each virus. Note: for all three scripts, the parameter values must be hard-coded by the user or the output will not be accurate.

Spencer, Julie↗

CI/CD Efforts for Validation, Verification and Benchmarking OpenMP Implementations

Software developers must adapt to keep up with the changing capabilities of platforms so that they can utilize the power of High-Performance Computers (HPC), including exascale systems. OpenMP, a directive-based parallel programming model, allows developers to include directives to existing C, C++, or Fortran code to allow node level parallelism without compromising performance. This paper describes our CI/CD efforts to provide easy evaluation of the support of OpenMP across different compilers using existing testsuites and benchmark suites on HPC platforms. Our main contributions include (1) the set of a Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Development (CD) workflow that captures bugs and provides faster feedback to compiler developers, (2) an evaluation of OpenMP (offloading) implementations supported by AMD, HPE, GNU, LLVM, and Intel, and (3) evaluation of the quality of compilers across different heterogeneous HPC platforms. With the comprehensive testing through the CI/CD workflow, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of OpenMP (offloading) support in different compilers and heterogeneous platforms consisting of CPUs and GPUs from NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel.

Jarmusch, Aaron↗

QuDPy: A Python-based tool for computing ultrafast non-linear optical responses

Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy is a well-developed field with theoretical and experimental advances that have benefited multiple disciplines, including chemistry, biology, and physics. However, for the accurate interpretation of the corresponding multi-dimensional spectra, there is a need for precise quantum dynamical simulations based on model Hamiltonians. In this article, we present the initial release of our code, QuDPy (Quantum Dynamics in Python), which provides a robust numerical platform for performing quantum dynamics simulations based on model systems, including open quantum systems. Furthermore, a distinguishing feature of our approach is the ability to specify various high-order optical response pathways in the form of double-sided Feynman diagrams through a straightforward input syntax. This syntax outlines the time-ordering of ket-sided or bra-sided optical interactions acting on the time-evolving density matrix of the system. We utilize the quantum dynamics capabilities of QuTip to simulate the spectral response of complex systems, allowing us to compute virtually any $n$-th order optical response of the model system. To illustrate the utility of our approach, we provide a series of example calculations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

A review on the state of thermal hydraulics research on air ingress scenarios in High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors following a D-LOFC

With the expectation of near-immediate carbon neutrality, widespread implementation of proven High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs) embodies a viable solution pathway given their inherent, passive safety features and high thermal efficiency. This study provides an overview of the current state of research involving the thermal hydraulics associated with air ingress from a depressurized loss of forced cooling (D-LOFC) in HTGRs. Accurately characterizing and predicting the physical phenomena underlying air ingress is of paramount concern, as the integrity of the fuel and core graphite support structures are threatened by the presence of oxygen. Broadly speaking, the air ingress scenario can be delineated into three main stages: (1) Depressurization, (2) Density-Driven Flow, and (3) Natural Convection. In tandem with the underlying fundamental theory, this review collates and synthesizes the existing body of contemporary research concerning the air ingress scenario following a D-LOFC. As evinced by this review, our current understanding and predictive abilities have benefited from extensive research, predominantly concentrated on the rate of air ingestion into the core. Here, additional research is necessary to holistically capture the phenomenology of an air ingress scenario following a D-LOFC by considering an additional variable: the oxygen content of the ingressing air. The latter variable requires investigation into the complex interactions of the fully integrated system. Additionally, while numerical tools are evolving domestically through the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program, a sufficiently validated code remains absent.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Using extended MHD to explore lasers as a trigger for x-pinches

X-pinches have been shown to be a source of extremely intense x-ray emissions useful for diagnosing plasma dynamics and imaging biological objects. The most striking feature of an x-pinch is the hotspot, the point source from where all the x rays come from. Unfortunately, the exact timing and location of the hotspot are still unpredictable. Since an x-pinch hotspot forms from instabilities (like an m = 0 mode), we will computationally explore whether we can use a high-power laser to control the timing and location of these instabilities. Our goal is to reduce the temporal and spatial jitter associated with the x-ray burst. Using an extended MHD (XMHD) code, we explore the non-relativistic instability generation using a current profile of a 250 kA linear transformer driver system and laser characteristics of SLAC's Matter in Extreme Conditions laboratory. Our results include both laser-penetration results using a boundary-defined electromagnetic (EM) wave and instability results from a power-deposition method.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Analytical harmonic vibrational frequencies with VV10-containing density functionals: Theory, efficient implementation, and benchmark assessments

VV10 is a powerful nonlocal density functional for long-range correlation that is used to include dispersion effects in many modern density functionals, such as the meta-generalized gradient approximation (mGGA), B97M-V, the hybrid GGA, ωB97X-V, and the hybrid mGGA, ωB97M-V. While energies and analytical gradients for VV10 are already widely available, this study reports the first derivation and efficient implementation of the analytical second derivatives of the VV10 energy. The additional compute cost of the VV10 contributions to analytical frequencies is shown to be small in all but the smallest basis sets for recommended grid sizes. Here, this study also reports the assessment of VV10-containing functionals for predicting harmonic frequencies using the analytical second derivative code. The contribution of VV10 to simulating harmonic frequencies is shown to be small for small molecules but important for systems where weak interactions are important, such as water clusters. In the latter cases, B97M-V, ωB97M-V, and ωB97X-V perform very well. The convergence of frequencies with respect to the grid size and atomic orbital basis set size is studied, and recommendations are reported. Finally, scaling factors to allow comparison of scaled harmonic frequencies with experimental fundamental frequencies and to predict zero-point vibrational energy are presented for some recently developed functionals (including r2SCAN, B97M-V, ωB97X-V, M06-SX, and ωB97M-V).

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Combinatorial sputter deposition of ultrathick Au-Bi alloy films

We report gold-bismuth alloys are of interest as catalysts and catalytic sensing systems, electrochemical sensors, superconductors, and hohlraums for magnetically assisted inertial confinement fusion implosions. Radiation-hydrodynamics simulations with the Lasnex code of laser-driven hohlraums predict higher x-ray drive from Au-Bi alloys compared with cases of Au-Ta or pure Au and Bi hohlraums. Here, we use direct current magnetron sputtering in Ar gas, with co-sputtering from two elemental targets, to deposit Au-Bi alloys with Bi content of 9–77 at.% and thicknesses up to ~20 µm. Films are characterized by a combination of x-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering, scanning electron microscopy, substrate-curvature-based residual stress, and electronic transport measurements. Experiments are complemented by Monte Carlo simulations of ballistic sputtering and gas phase transport of depositing species and Ar gas atoms. Results show that all films are polycrystalline, with three distinct compositional regimes dominated by Au, Au 2 Bi, and Bi crystallographic phases. A metallic behavior of the temperature dependence of electrical resistivity is observed for all the films. Films with Bi content above ~30 at.% exhibit porosity, which is tolerable to hohlraum x-ray drive based on Lasnex simulations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Handing off the outcome of binary neutron star mergers for accurate and long-term postmerger simulations

In this work, we perform binary neutron star (BNS) merger simulations in full dynamical general relativity with IllinoisGRMHD, on a Cartesian grid with adaptive-mesh refinement. After the remnant black hole has become nearly stationary, the evolution of the surrounding accretion disk on Cartesian grids over long timescales (~1s) is suboptimal, as Cartesian coordinates over-resolve the angular coordinates at large distances, and the accreting plasma flows obliquely across coordinate lines dissipating angular momentum artificially from the disk. To address this, we present the HandOff, a set of computational tools that enables the transfer of general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) and spacetime data from IllinoisGRMHD to harm3d, a GRMHD code that specializes in modeling black hole accretion disks in static spacetimes over long timescales, making use of general coordinate systems with spherical topology. We demonstrate that the handoff allows for a smooth and reliable transition of GRMHD fields and spacetime data, enabling us to efficiently and reliably evolve BNS dynamics well beyond merger. We also discuss future plans, which involve incorporating advanced equations of state and neutrino physics into BNS simulations using the HandOff approach.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Battery Lifecycle Framework

The Battery Lifecycle (BLC) Framework is an open-source platform that provides tools to visualize and share battery data from material characterization, cell testing, manufacturing, and field testing through the technology development cycle. BLC has three components: data importers, a front-end for querying the data and creating visualizations, and an application programming interface to provide access to the data from Python. BLC has been deployed for tracking the development of a battery from the lab to a manufacturing line and systems installed in the field and for comparing studies of multiple cells of the same battery chemistry and configuration. The code was developed around Redash, a robust open-source extract-transform-load engine. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525. SAND2021-4546 O

De Angelis, Valerio↗

Impact of Increased Latent Generations on Sensitivity Calculations with SCALE

Analyses of cross section sensitivity data from systems with fissile material allow analysts to associate an importance for each material, nuclide, reaction, and neutron energy by simulating real world criticality scenarios. Although criticality safety validation efforts can be guided by the cross-section sensitivity and uncertainty data generated for a particular system, these calculations can often be computationally expensive and sometimes cumbersome without proper guidance. The TSUNAMI suite within the SCALE code package has several methods for generating sensitivity data, including multigroup and continuous energy (CE) capabilities. The release of SCALE 6.3 has three different CE methods for generating cross section sensitivity data: (1) the Iterated Fission Probability (IFP) method with the KENO Monte Carlo transport solver, (2) the IFP method with the Shift Monte Carlo transport solver, and (3) the Contributon-Linked eigenvalue sensitivity/Uncertainty estimation via Tracklength importance CHaracterization (CLUTCH) method with the KENO Monte Carlo transport solver. Although the CLUTCH method has additional parameters for generating sensitivity data files relative to the IFP method, all three methods use latent generations, which are the generations between an event (i.e., fission) and the assessment of importance based on the asymptotic population of progeny neutrons. Increasing the number of latent generations in a calculation leads to increased discrimination of the sensitivity coefficients but at the cost of the increased uncertainty associated with those generated values. Analysts must balance the accuracy of the sensitivity calculations and its uncertainty with the associated computational cost involved in generating the values. This paper discusses the impact of adjusting the latent generation parameter for a range of sensitivity values and how these changes compare with the direct perturbation values obtained from a change of ±0.5% Δ k in both benchmark and safety application models. Two benchmarks from the International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments and the MPC-32 dual purpose canister for spent nuclear fuel are used for analysis.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Investigation of Thermal-Hydraulic Effects of Dry Storage Canister Helium Backfill Loss Using the Horizontal Dry Cask Simulator

A previous investigation produced data sets that can be used to benchmark the codes and best practices presently used to determine cladding temperatures and induced cooling air flows in modern horizontal dry storage systems. The horizontal dry cask simulator (HDCS) was designed to generate this benchmark data and add to the existing knowledge base. The objective of the previous HDCS investigation was to capture the dominant physics of a commercial dry storage system in a well-characterized test apparatus for a wide range of operational parameters. The close coupling between the thermal response of the canister system and the resulting induced cooling air flow rate was of particular importance. The previous investigation explored these parameters using helium backfill at 100 kPa and 800 kPa pressure as well as air backfill with a series of simulated decay heats. The helium tests simulated a horizontal dry cask storage system at normal storage conditions with either atmospheric or elevated backfill pressure, while the air tests simulated horizontal storage canisters following a complete loss of helium backfill, in which case the helium would be replaced by air. The present HDCS investigation adds to the previous investigation by exploring steady-state conditions at various stages of the loss of helium backfill from a horizontal dry cask storage system. This is achieved by using helium/air blends as a backfill in the HDCS and running a series of tests using various simulated decay heats to explore the effects of relative helium/air molar concentration on the thermal response of a simulated horizontal dry cask storage system. A total of twenty tests were conducted where the HDCS achieved steady state for various assembly powers, representative of decay heat. The power levels tested were 0.50, 1.00, 2.50, and 5.00 kW. All tests were run at 100 kPa vessel pressure. The backfill gases used in these tests are given in this report as a function of mole fraction of helium (He), balanced by air: 1.0, 0.9, 0.5, 0.1, and 0.0 He. Steady-state conditions (where the steady-state start condition is defined as where the change in temperature with respect to time for the majority of HDCS components is less than or equal to 0.3 K/h) were achieved for all test cases.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Oregon Residential Energy Code Field Study

A research project in the state of Oregon identified opportunities to reduce homeowner utility bills in residential single-family new construction by increasing compliance with the state energy code. The study was initiated in November 2019; data collection began in November 2019 and continued through February 2020. Analysis of the data has led to a better understanding of the energy features present in homes and identified over $600,000 in potential annual savings to Oregon homeowners that could result from increased compliance with the 2017 Oregon Residential Specialty Code (2017 ORSC).

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Modeling Induction Stirring and Particle Tracking in Molten Uranium

Two independent numerical models have been developed to simulate the behavior of carbon impurities in molten uranium metal. Informed by experimental parameters, one model was created using the commercial software Star-CCM+ and compared with another developed using open-source codes, including OpenFOAM, Finite Element Method Magnetics (FEMM) and a First Passage Kinetic Monte Carlo (FPKMC) approach. The target experimental system features a 404g uranium metal charge containing an average carbon concentration of 139 ppm which was melted in a vacuum induction furnace at 1400° C then resolidified. The microstructures of the uranium and its impurities before and after melting have been characterized and reported separately. Prior to simulating the uranium-carbon system described, the numerical models were validated using a previously published nonradioactive experimental system to ensure agreement with expected output values. Focus has been placed on modeling velocity fields under induction stirring and impurity particle trajectories.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗