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At least 1,603 records · Page 89

Employment of CB models for non-linear dynamic analysis

The non-linear dynamic analysis of large structures is always very time, effort and CPU consuming. Whenever possible the reduction of the size of the mathematical model involved is of main importance to speed up the computational procedures. Such reduction can be performed for the part of the structure which perform linearly. Most of the time, the classical Guyan reduction process is used. For non-linear dynamic process where the non-linearity is present at interfaces between different structures, Craig-Bampton models can provide a very rich information, and allow easy selection of the relevant modes with respect to the phenomenon driving the non-linearity. The paper presents the employment of Craig-Bampton models combined with Newmark direct integration for solving non-linear friction problems appearing at the interface between the Hubble Space Telescope and its solar arrays during in-orbit maneuvers. Theory, implementation in the FEM code ASKA, and practical results are shown.

Klein, M. R. M.↗

Power System Network Reduction for Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation

This paper proposes single-port equivalent and two-port equivalent network reduction methods to respectively reduce single-port and two-port areas in a large power network. Parameters of the reduced systems are rigorously derived, which guarantees that the electrical quantities at the port(s) remain unchanged over the reduction, including voltage magnitude and phase and active and reactive power injections into the area to be reduced. The proposed techniques are applied to reduce a practical Maui grid, where the total numbers of buses, lines and transformers are respectively reduced from 212, 106 and 108 to 45, 30 and 13. Dynamic behaviors between the full model and the reduced model are compared in detail to illustrate the efficacy and accuracy of the proposed network reduction.

model reduction↗

What Is the Right Level of Activation of a High-Spin {FeNO} 7 Complex to Enable Direct N–N Coupling? Mechanistic Insight into Flavodiiron NO Reductases

Flavodiiron nitric oxide reductases (FNORs), found in pathogenic bacteria, are capable of reducing nitric oxide (NO) to nitrous oxide (N 2 O) to detoxify NO released by the human immune system. Previously, we reported the first FNOR model system that mediates direct NO reduction (Dong, H. T.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 13429-13440), but no intermediate of the reaction could be characterized. Here, we present a new set of model complexes that, depending on the ligand substitution, can either mediate direct NO reduction or stabilize a highly activated high-spin (hs) {FeNO} 7 complex, the first intermediate of the reaction. The precursors, [{Fe II (MPA-(RPhO) 2 )} 2 ] (1, R = H and 2, R = t Bu, Me), were prepared first and fully characterized. Complex 1 (without steric protection) directly reduces NO to N 2 O almost quantitatively, which constitutes only the second example of this reaction in model systems. Contrarily, the reaction of sterically protected 2 with NO forms the stable mononitrosyl complex 3, which shows one of the lowest N-O stretching frequencies (1689 cm -1 ) observed so far for a mononuclear hs-{FeNO} 7 complex. Here this study confirms that an N-O stretch & LE;1700 cm -1 represents the appropriate level of activation of the FeNO unit to enable direct NO reduction. The higher activation level of these hs-{FeNO} 7 complexes required for NO reduction compared to those formed in FNORs emphasizes the importance of hydrogen bonding residues in the active sites of FNORs to activate the bound NO ligands for direct N-N coupling and N2O formation. The implications of these results for FNORs are further discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Effect of Ionizing Radiation on the Redox Chemistry of Penta- and Hexavalent Americium

The recent development of facile methods to oxidize trivalent americium to its higher valence states holds promise for the discovery of new chemistries and critical insight into the behavior of the 5f electrons. However, progress in understanding high valent americium chemistry has been hampered by americium’s inherent ionizing radiation field, and its concomitant effects on americium redox chemistry. Any attempt to understand high valent americium reduction and/or disproportionation must account for the effects of these radiolytic processes. Fortunately, the effects of ionizing radiation on water and aqueous nitric acid solutions are well known. Values for the yields of the major radiolytically produced reactive species that could conceivably react with americium, and their rate coefficients, are available for use in radiation chemical modeling. Therefore, we present a complete, quantitative, mechanistic description of the radiation-induced redox chemistry of the americyl oxidation states in aerated, aqueous nitric acid, as a function of radiation quality (type and energy) and solution composition using multi-scale modeling calculations supported by experiment. The reduction of Am(VI) to Am(V) was found to be most sensitive to the effects of ionizing radiation, undergoing rapid reductions with the steady-state products of aqueous HNO 3 radiolysis, i.e., HNO 2 , H 2 O 2 , and HO 2 •, which dictated its practical lifetime under acidic conditions. In contrast Am(V) is only susceptible to radiolytic oxidation, mainly through its reactions with NO 3 •, and is notably radiation resistant with respect to direct one-electron reduction to produce Am(IV). Our multiscale modeling calculations predict that the lifetime of Am(V) is dictated by its rate of disproportionation, 2AmO 2 + + 4 Haq + → AmO 2 2+ + Am 4+ + 2H 2 O, with a fourth-order dependence on [H aq + ] in agreement with previous experimental findings, giving an optimized rate coefficient of $k$ = 2.27 × 10 -6 M -5 s -1 . This disproportionation initially produces Am(IV) and Am(VI) species, but the lack of any spectroscopic evidence in our study for Am(IV) suggests that solvent reduction of this cation occurs rapidly. The ultimate product of all the Am(VI)/Am(V) irradiations is Am(III), which shows great stability in an irradiation field.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Introducing the VRT gas turbine combustor

An innovative annular combustor configuration is being developed for aircraft and other gas turbine engines. This design has the potential of permitting higher turbine inlet temperatures by reducing the pattern factor and providing a major reduction in NO(x) emission. The design concept is based on a Variable Residence Time (VRT) technique which allows large fuel particles adequate time to completely burn in the circumferentially mixed primary zone. High durability of the combustor is achieved by dual function use of the incoming air. The feasibility of the concept was demonstrated by water analogue tests and 3-D computer modeling. The computer model predicted a 50 percent reduction in pattern factor when compared to a state of the art conventional combustor. The VRT combustor uses only half the number of fuel nozzles of the conventional configuration. The results of the chemical kinetics model require further investigation, as the NO(x) predictions did not correlate with the available experimental and analytical data base.

Melconian, Jerry O.↗

Introducing the VRT gas turbine combustor

An innovative annular combustor configuration is being developed for aircraft and other gas turbine engines. This design has the potential of permitting higher turbine inlet temperatures by reducing the pattern factor and providing a major reduction in NO(x) emission. The design concept is based on a Variable Residence Time (VRT) technique which allows large fuel particles adequate time to completely burn in the circumferentially mixed primary zone. High durability of the combustor is achieved by dual function use of the incoming air. The feasibility of the concept was demonstrated by water analogue tests and 3-D computer modeling. The computer model predicted a 50 percent reduction in pattern factor when compared to a state of the art conventional combustor. The VRT combustor uses only half the number of fuel nozzles of the conventional configuration. The results of the chemical kinetics model require further investigation, as the NO(x) predictions did not correlate with the available experimental and analytical data base.

Melconian, Jerry O.↗

Acoustic Measurements of a Large Civil Transport Main Landing Gear Model

Microphone phased array acoustic measurements of a 26 percent-scale, Boeing 777-200 main landing gear model with and without noise reduction fairings installed were obtained in the anechoic configuration of the Virginia Tech Stability Tunnel. Data were acquired at Mach numbers of 0.12, 0.15, and 0.17 with the latter speed used as the nominal test condition. The fully and partially dressed gear with the truck angle set at 13 degrees toe-up landing configuration were the two most extensively tested configurations, serving as the baselines for comparison purposes. Acoustic measurements were also acquired for the same two baseline configurations with the truck angle set at 0 degrees. In addition, a previously tested noise reducing, toboggan-shaped fairing was re-evaluated extensively to address some of the lingering questions regarding the extent of acoustic benefit achievable with this device. The integrated spectra generated from the acoustic source maps reconfirm, in general terms, the previously reported noise reduction performance of the toboggan fairing as installed on an isolated gear. With the recent improvements to the Virginia Tech tunnel acoustic quality and microphone array capabilities, the present measurements provide an additional, higher quality database to the acoustic information available for this gear model.

Ravetta, Patricio A.↗

Quantifying the Impact of Lagged Hydrological Responses on the Effectiveness of Groundwater Conservation

Many irrigated agricultural areas seek to prolong the lifetime of their groundwater resources by reducing pumping. However, it is unclear how lagged responses, such as reduced groundwater recharge caused by more efficient irrigation, may impact the long-term effectiveness of conservation initiatives. Here, we use a variably saturated, simplified surrogate groundwater model to: 1) analyze aquifer responses to pumping reductions, 2) quantify time lags between reductions and groundwater level responses, and 3) identify the physical controls on lagged responses. We explore a range of plausible model parameters for an area of the High Plains Aquifer (USA) where stakeholder-driven conservation has slowed groundwater depletion. We identify two types of lagged responses that reduce the long-term effectiveness of groundwater conservation, recharge-dominated and lateral-flow-dominated, with vertical hydraulic conductivity (K Z ) the major controlling variable. When high K z allows percolation to reach the aquifer, more efficient irrigation reduces groundwater recharge. By contrast, when low K z impedes vertical flow, short term changes in recharge are negligible, but pumping reductions alter the lateral flow between the groundwater conservation area and the surrounding regions (lateral-flow-dominated response). For the modeled area, we found that a pumping reduction of 30% resulted in median usable lifetime extensions of 20 or 25 years, depending on the dominant lagged response mechanism (recharge- vs. lateral-flow-dominated). These estimates are far shorter than estimates that do not account for lagged responses. To conclude, results indicate that conservation-based pumping reductions can extend aquifer lifetimes, but lagged responses can create a sizable difference between the initially perceived and actual long-term effectiveness.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Rolling Process Modeling Report: Finite-Element Prediction of Roll Separating Force and Rolling Defects

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been investigating manufacturing processes for the uranium-10% molybdenum (U-10Mo) alloy plate-type fuel for the U.S. high-performance research reactors. This work supports the Convert Program of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) Global Threat Reduction Initiative. This report documents modeling results of PNNL’s efforts to perform finite-element simulations to predict roll separating forces and rolling defects. Simulations were performed using a finite-element model developed using the commercial code LS-Dyna. Simulations of the hot rolling of U-10Mo coupons encapsulated in low-carbon steel have been conducted following two different schedules. Model predictions of the roll-separation force and roll-pack thicknesses at different stages of the rolling process were compared with experimental measurements. This report discusses various attributes of the rolled coupons revealed by the model (e.g., dog-boning and thickness non-uniformity).

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Connecting Regional Aerosol Emissions Reductions to Local and Remote Precipitation Responses

The unintended climatic implications of aerosol and precursor emission reductions implemented to protect public health are poorly understood. We investigate the precipitation response to regional changes in aerosol emissions using three coupled chemistry-climate models: NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Coupled Model 3 (GFDL-CM3), NCAR Community Earth System Model (CESM1), and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies ModelE2 (GISS-E2). Our approach contrasts a long present-day control simulation from each model (up to 400 years with perpetual year 2000 or 2005 emissions) with 14 individual aerosol emissions perturbation simulations (160-240 years each). We perturb emissions of sulfur dioxide and/or carbonaceous aerosol within six world regions and assess the significance of precipitation responses relative to internal variability determined by the control simulation and across the models. Global and regional precipitation mostly increases when we reduce regional aerosol emissions in the models, with the strongest responses occurring for sulfur dioxide emissions reductions from Europe and the United States. Precipitation responses to aerosol emissions reductions are largest in the tropics and project onto the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Regressing precipitation onto an Indo-Pacific zonal sea level pressure gradient index (a proxy for ENSO) indicates that the ENSO component of the precipitation response to regional aerosol removal can be as large as 20% of the total simulated response. Precipitation increases in the Sahel in response to aerosol reductions in remote regions because an anomalous interhemispheric temperature gradient alters the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). This mechanism holds across multiple aerosol reduction simulations and models.

Westervelt, Daniel M.↗

Accelerating multilevel Markov Chain Monte Carlo using machine learning models

Here, this work presents an efficient approach for accelerating multilevel Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling for large-scale problems using low-fidelity machine learning models. While conventional techniques for large-scale Bayesian inference often substitute computationally expensive high-fidelity models with machine learning models, thereby introducing approximation errors, our approach offers a computationally efficient alternative by augmenting high-fidelity models with low-fidelity ones within a hierarchical framework. The multilevel approach utilizes the low-fidelity machine learning model (MLM) for inexpensive evaluation of proposed samples thereby improving the acceptance of samples by the high-fidelity model. The hierarchy in our multilevel algorithm is derived from geometric multigrid hierarchy. We utilize an MLM to accelerate the coarse level sampling. Training machine learning model for the coarsest level significantly reduces the computational cost associated with generating training data and training the model. We present an MCMC algorithm to accelerate the coarsest level sampling using MLM and account for the approximation error introduced. We provide theoretical proofs of detailed balance and demonstrate that our multilevel approach constitutes a consistent MCMC algorithm. Additionally, we derive the expression for cost reduction due to machine learning model to facilitate cost analysis of the hierarchical sampling algorithm. Our technique is demonstrated on a standard benchmark inference problem in groundwater flow, where we estimate the probability density of a quantity of interest using a four-level MCMC algorithm. Our proposed algorithm accelerates multilevel sampling by a factor of two while achieving similar accuracy compared to sampling using the standard multilevel algorithm.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Decarbonization of heat pump dual fuel systems using a practical model predictive control: Field demonstration in a small commercial building

In the transition from fossil fuel to electrified heating, a concerning trend is emerging in certain regions of the US. Owners of buildings with gas-based systems leave them in place after adding heat pumps (HPs). Existing control solutions for these hybrid (dual fuel) systems are rudimentary and fall short of realizing the full carbon reduction potential of these systems. Model predictive control (MPC) is often regarded as the benchmark for achieving optimal control in integrated systems. However, in the case of small-medium commercial buildings (SMCBs), the control and communication infrastructure required to facilitate the implementation of such advanced controls is often lacking. This paper presents a field implementation of easy-to-deploy MPC for a dual fuel heating system consisting of HPs and a gas-fired furnace (GF) for SMCBs. The control system is deployed on an open-source middleware platform and utilizes low-cost sensor devices to be used for real SMCBs without major retrofits. Here, we demonstrated this MPC in a real office building with 5 HPs and 1 GF for 2 months. The test results showed that MPC reduced 27% of cost while completely eliminating GF usage by shifting 23% of the thermal load from occupied-peak time to non-occupied-non-peak times.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

A Scalable Space-Time Domain Decomposition Approach for Solving Large Scale Nonlinear Regularized Inverse Ill Posed Problems in 4D Variational Data Assimilation

We address the development of innovative algorithms designed to solve the strong-constraint Four Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation (4DVar DA) problems in large scale applications. We present a space-time decomposition approach which employs the whole domain decomposition, i.e. both along the spacial and temporal direction in the overlapping case, and the partitioning of both the solution and the operator. Starting from the global functional defined on the entire domain, we get to a sort of regularized local functionals on the set of sub domains providing the order reduction of both the predictive and the Data Assimilation models. The algorithm convergence is developed. Performance in terms of reduction of time complexity and algorithmic scalability is discussed on the Shallow Water Equations on the sphere. The number of state variables in the model, the number of observations in an assimilation cycle, as well as numerical parameters as the discretization step in time and in space domain are defined on the basis of discretization grid used by data available at repository Ocean Synthesis/Reanalysis Directory of Hamburg University.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

ROM-Based Surrogate Systems Modeling of EBR-II

We report the System Analysis Module (SAM), developed and maintained by Argonne National Laboratory, is designed to provide whole-plant transient safety analysis capabilities for a number of advanced non-light water reactors, including sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR), and molten salt reactor (MSR)/fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR) designs. SAM is primarily constructed as a systems-level analysis tool, with the potential to incorporate reduced order models from three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to improve characterization of complex, multidimensional physics. It is recognized that the computational expense associated with CFD can be intractable for various engineering analyses, such as uncertainty quantification, inference, and design optimization. This paper explores the reducibility of a SAM model using recent advances in randomized linear algebra techniques, which attempt to find recurring patterns in the various realizations generated by a model after randomly perturbing all its input parameters. The reduction is described in terms of fewer degrees of freedom (DOFs), referred to as the active DOFs, for the model variables such as input model parameters and model responses. The results indicate that there is significant room for additional reduction that may be leveraged for additional computational gains when employing SAM for engineering-intensive analyses that require repeated model executions. Different from physics-based reduction approaches, the proposed approach allows one to estimate upper bounds on the reduction errors, which are rigorously developed in this work. Finally, different methods for surrogate model construction, such as regression and neural network-based training, are employed to correlate the input and output active DOFs, which are related back to the original variables using matrix-based linear transformations.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Polysulfide reduction and Li 2 S phase formation in the presence of lithium metal and solid electrolyte interphase layer

Lithium sulfur battery is an attractive next generation technology that can meet many demands of modern society. Unfortunately, the lithium sulfur battery faces unique issues related to the polysulfide shuttle effect, that is due to reduction products dissolving in the electrolyte and their subsequent reduction on the lithium metal electrode. This adds further problems to the already challenging needs of understanding and engineering a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer with desired properties. One of the most important SEI properties is its passivation of lithium metal which is critically important to the overall battery performance. Passivation is difficult to measure experimentally without the influence of many factors. This study reports an investigation of the reduction of the intermediate Li 2 S 8 over lithium already passivated with Li 2 O, Li 2 CO 3 , LiOH, LiF and Li 2 S along with exploration of Li 2 S 8 reduction over pristine lithium nanoclusters using first principles computational models. Significant formation of Li 2 S phase nucleation is found to stabilize the reduction products of the Li 2 S 8 . Here, the formation of Li 2 S is explored in-depth with lithium nanocluster-based models determining a 2 V potential increase for the reduction of polysulfides due to the formation of Li 2 S. This investigation demonstrates passivation effects of important SEI components including Li 2 S.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Effect of Leaf Water Potential on Internal Humidity and CO 2 Dissolution: Reverse Transpiration and Improved Water Use Efficiency under Negative Pressure

The pull of water from the soil to the leaves causes water in the transpiration stream to be under negative pressure decreasing the water potential below zero. The osmotic concentration also contributes to the decrease in leaf water potential but with much lesser extent. Thus, the surface tension force is approximately balanced by a force induced by negative water potential resulting in concavely curved water-air interfaces in leaves. The lowered water potential causes a reduction in the equilibrium water vapor pressure in internal (sub-stomatal/intercellular) cavities in relation to that over water with the potential of zero, i.e., over the flat surface. The curved surface causes a reduction also in the equilibrium vapor pressure of dissolved CO 2 , thus enhancing its physical solubility to water. Although the water vapor reduction is acknowledged by plant physiologists its consequences for water vapor exchange at low water potential values have received very little attention. Consequences of the enhanced CO 2 solubility to a leaf water-carbon budget have not been considered at all before this study. We use theoretical calculations and modeling to show how the reduction in the vapor pressures affects transpiration and carbon assimilation rates. Here, our results indicate that the reduction in vapor pressures of water and CO 2 could enhance plant water use efficiency up to about 10% at a leaf water potential of -2 MPa, and much more when water potential decreases further. The low water potential allows for a direct stomatal water vapor uptake from the ambient air even at sub-100% relative humidity values. This alone could explain the observed rates of foliar water uptake by e.g., the coastal redwood in the fog belt region of coastal California provided the stomata are sufficiently open. Lastly, the omission of the reduction in the water vapor pressure causes a bias in the estimates of the stomatal conductance and leaf internal CO 2 concentration based on leaf gas exchange measurements. Manufactures of leaf gas exchange measurement systems should incorporate leaf water potentials in measurement set-ups.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A comparison between backscattering models for rough surfaces

The ease of applicability of three scattering models is examined. This is accomplished by considering the time taken to numerically evaluate these models and by comparing their predictions as a function of surface roughness, frequency, incident angle and polarization with the moment-method solution in two dimensions. The complexity of the analytic models in three dimensions and their analytic reduction to high- and low-frequency regions are also compared. The selected models are an integral equation model (IEM), a full wave model (FWM), and the phase perturbation model (PPM). It is noted that in three dimensions, the full-wave model requires an evaluation of a tenfold integral and the phase perturbation model requires a fourfold and a twofold integral, whereas the integral equation model is an algebraic equation in like polarization under single scattering conditions. It is found that both the IEM and PPM agree with the moment-method solution from low to high frequencies numerically.

Chen, K. S.↗

Key advancements toward eliminating the “drive deficit” in ICF hohlraum simulations

This paper, extended from a Letter [Chen et al., Phys. Rev. E 110, L013201 (2024)] published in Phys. Rev. E in 2024, presents detailed results from a set of experiments studying the x-ray drive produced in laser-heated ignition-scale hohlraums at the National Ignition Facility. The results reveal that deficiencies in non-local thermodynamic equilibrium atomics physics calculations of gold emissivity lead to the overestimation of the “M-band” radiation and are responsible for discrepancies in drive predictions vs measurements in these hohlraums. These experiments were performed on ViewFactor targets with the same gas fill and laser pulse shapes as currently used in ongoing ignition experiments. The common hohlraum model with a magnetohydrodynamics heat transport model and a 10%–20% reduction to the M-band absorption and emission opacity can bring the simulations into agreement with several independent measurements, including the absolute radiation flux, the radiation flux in the 2–4 keV spectral range, and spectroscopic measurements of both K-shell dopant and L-shell gold. This new model is applicable to ICF and high-energy density experiments that use gold hohlraums as drivers.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗