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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.

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At least 1,603 records · Page 89
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

A scalable real-time framework for Thomson scattering analysis: Application to NSTX-U

A detailed description of a prototype setup for real-time (RT) Thomson scattering (TS) analysis is presented and implemented in the multi-point Thomson scattering (MPTS) diagnostic system at the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U). The data acquisition hardware was upgraded with RT capable electronics (RT-analog digital converters and a RT server) that allow for fast digitization of the laser pulse signal of eight radial MPTS channels. In addition, a new TS spectrum analysis software for a rapid calculation of electron temperature ( T e ) and electron density ( n e ) was developed. Testing of the RT hardware and data analysis software was successfully completed and benchmarked against the standard, post-shot evaluation. Timing tests were performed showing that the end-to-end processing time was reproducibly below 17 ms for the duration of at least 5 s, meeting a 60 Hz deadline by the laser pulse repetition rate over the length of a NSTX-U discharge. The presented RT framework is designed to be scalable in system size, i.e., incorporation of additional radial channels by solely adding additional RT capable hardware. In conclusion, it is scalable in its operation duration and was continuously running for up to 30 min, making it an attractive solution for machines with long discharges such as advanced, non-inductive tokamaks or stellarators.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

DEReliction: A Cybersecurity Vulnerability Assessment Methodology for Distributed Energy Resources

With the increasing integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) into the electric grid, maintaining grid reliability and resilience requires that these devices remain secure. This paper discusses a cybersecurity vulnerability assessment methodology that incorporates best practices from Sandia National Laboratories, SANS Institute, OWASP Foundation, and other web and Internet of Things (IoT) penetration testing (“pen testing”) programs, courses, and frameworks for assessing the security posture of devices. The methodology involves five sequential steps: (1) Collect Public Information, (2) Extract Hardware Details, (3) Inventory Software Components, (4) Identify Vulnerabilities, and (5) Test Vulnerabilities. Each step uncovers potential weaknesses in both hardware and software components of DER devices, considering adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and potential attack vectors along the way. The results from the execution of this method on multiple residential- and small commercial-scale photovoltaic (PV) inverters reveled hardware and software vulnerabilities, which highlight the benefit of taking a methodical approach to discover vulnerabilities. While the specific vulnerability details are not shared here, a generalized overview of findings underscore the importance of robust security assessments for DER devices. Adoption of an assessment framework of this kind will identify and mitigate cybersecurity threats and bolster the resilience of DER-integrated electric grids.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS2011

REVEAL: Software Documentation and Platform Migration

The Research Environment for Vehicle Embedded Analysis on Linux (REVEAL) is reconfigurable data acquisition software designed for network-distributed test and measurement applications. In development since 2001, it has been successfully demonstrated in support of a number of actual missions within NASA's Suborbital Science Program. Improvements to software configuration control were needed to properly support both an ongoing transition to operational status and continued evolution of REVEAL capabilities. For this reason the project described in this report targets REVEAL software source documentation and deployment of the software on a small set of hardware platforms different from what is currently used in the baseline system implementation. This presentation specifically describes the actions taken over a ten week period by two undergraduate student interns and serves as an overview of the content of the final report for that internship.

Wilson, Michael A.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Connecting Research and Practice: An Experience Report on Research Infusion with SAVE

NASA systems need to be highly dependable to avoid catastrophic mission failures. This calls for rigorous engineering processes including meticulous validation and verification. However, NASA systems are often highly distributed and overwhelmingly complex, making the software portion of these systems challenging to understand, maintain, change, reuse, and test. NASA's systems are long-lived and the software maintenance process typically constitutes 60-80% of the total cost of the entire lifecycle. Thus, in addition to the technical challenges of ensuring high life-time quality of NASA's systems, the post-development phase also presents a significant financial burden. Some of NASA's software-related challenges could potentially be addressed by some of the many powerful technologies that are being developed in software research laboratories. Many of these research technologies seek to facilitate maintenance and evolution by for example architecting, designing and modeling for quality, flexibility, and reuse. Other technologies attempt to detect and remove defects and other quality issues by various forms of automated defect detection, architecture analysis, and various forms of sophisticated simulation and testing. However promising, most such research technologies nevertheless do not make the transition from the research lab to the software lab. One reason the transition from research to practice seldom occurs is that research infusion and technology transfer is difficult. For example, factors related to the technology are sometimes overshadowed by other types of factors such as reluctance to change and therefore prohibits the technology from sticking. Successful infusion might also take very long time. One famous study showed that the discrepancy between the conception of the idea and its practical use was 18 years plus or minus three. Nevertheless, infusing new technology is possible. We have found that it takes special circumstances for such research infusion to succeed: 1) there must be evidence that the technology works in the practitioner's particular domain, 2) there must be a potential for great improvements and enhanced competitive edge for the practitioner, 3) the practitioner has to have strong individual curiosity and continuous interest in trying out new technologies, 4) the practitioner has to have support on multiple levels (i.e. from the researchers, from management, from sponsors etc), and 5) to remain infused, the new technology has to be integrated into the practitioner's processes so that it becomes a natural part of the daily work. NASA IV&V's Research Infusion initiative sponsored by NASA's Office of Safety & Mission Assurance (OSMA) through the Software Assurance Research Program (SARP), strives to overcome some of the problems related to research infusion.

Lindvall, Mikael↗
DOE OSTI2013

Developing Load Cell Monitoring on the Mock UF 6 Feed and Withdrawal System

A proof-of-concept load cell monitoring system has been developed for the Mock Feed and Withdrawal (F&W) System at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This system leverages industry-standard commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software in a modular and scalable design. The Mock F&W System was designed to simulate operations at a uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ) gas centrifuge enrichment plant F&W area. It provides a test bed for process-monitoring technologies. Water, used as a surrogate for UF 6 , is pumped from three feed tanks, through a process surge tank, and is then cut between two tails tanks and three product tanks. The weight of the each tank is continuously monitored using a load cell monitoring system. In addition to the F&W stations, large and small accountancy stations are monitored. The Mock F&W System allows ORNL to test and evaluate capabilities of industry-standard process monitoring hardware and software. A variety of commonly used weighing indicators are connected to the load cells to monitor the weight at each station. These weighing indicators are representative of the types likely found in operating facilities. A data center modeled after those currently used for international safeguards was installed to collect and manage the weight data. This data center provides a robust and flexible test bed for testing and developing software solutions. COTS software packages that leverage industry-standard communication protocols provide a data flow architecture that is modular, interoperable, and scalable. One software package provides communication drivers to collect the raw weight data from the weighing indicators. A data historian is used to store the raw data. Custom in-house algorithms have been developed using MATLAB to analyze the raw historical data and to automatically identify process information. This information includes the number of cycles completed and the mass of material transferred from stations to the process. The process information identified by the analysis is stored in a Microsoft SQL Server database. Visualization concepts have been developed that display the analyzed process information alongside visually compelling plots and animations of the raw data. The load cell monitoring system developed on the Mock F&W System was designed as a proof of concept that could be scaled to a field trial at an operating facility. This system, built with industry standard hardware and software, has allowed ORNL to develop capabilities that provide confidence in the ability to leverage existing operator load cell monitoring equipment with minimal impact on operations. The international safeguards community is evaluating the use of load cell monitoring as an additional safeguards measure; this system demonstrates a practical solution to collect, store, analyze, and visualize load cell weight data.

commercial off the shelf↗
NASA NTRS2008

Summary on the XRT Data Products and Pipeline Production

The new code to generate light curves for GRB observed with the XRT on Swift has been distributed with the latest software release. The code has been extensively tested compared with similar output from Penn State. Adjustments in both codes were made to best represent the latest calibration information and the latest software algorithms. In this talk will be highlighted the steps taken to produce the GRB light-curves, how it is been tested for non GRB sources and last the future adjustments to be made to include a better correction for the bad columns. In addition it will be presented as a new routine developed to automatically collect spectra at different phases of the GRB decay. This new routine will be included in the next software release. The XRT pipeline at GSFC will implement the production of the data files containing the level 3 products. The talk will discuss the current status and the additional data files planned.

Angelini, Lorella↗
NASA NTRS1988

Static tensile and tensile creep testing of five ceramic fibers at elevated temperatures

Static tensile and tensile creep testing of five ceramic fibers at elevated temperature was performed. J.P. Stevens, Co., Astroquartz 9288 glass fiber, Nippon Carbon, Ltd., (Dow Corning) Nicalon NLM-102 silicon carbide fiber, and 3M Company Nextel 312, 380, and 480 alumina/silica/boria fibers were supplied in unsized tows. Single fibers were separated from the tows and tested in static tension and tensile creep. Elevated test temperatures ranged from 400 to 1300 C and varied for each fiber. Room temperature static tension was also performed. Computer software was written to reduce all single fiber test data into engineering constants using ASTM Standard Test Method D3379-75 as a reference. A high temperature furnace was designed and built to perform the single fiber elevated temperature testing up to 1300 C. A computerized single fiber creep apparatus was designed and constructed to perform four fiber creep tests simultaneously at temperatures up to 1300 C. Computer software was written to acquire and reduce all creep data.

Zimmerman, Richard S.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Method of Determining the Reliability of Real-Time In-reactor Monitoring of VVER

A methodological approach and the basic tenets for evaluating the reliability of in-reactor monitoring of VVER are presented. The method is based on the statistical analysis of indications in real time and includes methods for evaluating the admissible maximum error of the measurement channels used for monitoring as well as the average value and admissible deviation of indications in groups of parallel monitoring channels, as well as a method of evaluating reliability by comparing the values of a parameter with the regime values. In comparing the indications of a monitoring channel with the indications of other parallel channels, the median value is proposed as the baseline value. The developed method is implemented in the Diagnostika SVRK special software, which has been successfully tested during the commissioning of the No. 1 unit at the Novovoronezh NPP-2.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Development of a Data Acquisition System for Kinetic Inductance Detectors: Wide Dynamic Range and High Sampling Rate for Astronomical Observation

Microwave kinetic inductance detectors have a variety of potential applications in astronomical observations. We built a data acquisition system for kinetic inductance detectors combining a dedicated analog board and a commercially available digital board to meet the requirements of astronomical measurements, such as observation of the cosmic microwave background. This paper reports the status of the development of the data acquisition system. We have already achieved simultaneous readout through 120 channels using a direct down-conversion method to decode the signal. A variety of software has been developed and tested using the functionalities of the system and actual detectors.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Scalable branching on dual decomposition of stochastic mixed-integer programming problems

In this work, we present a scalable branching method for the dual decomposition of stochastic mixed-integer programming. Our new branching method is based on the branching method proposed by Caroe and Schultz that creates branching disjunctions on first-stage variables only. We propose improvements to the process for creating branching disjunctions, including (1) branching on the optimal solutions of the Dantzig-Wolfe reformulation of the restricted master problem and (2) using a more comprehensive (yet simple) measure for the dispersions associated with subproblem solution infeasibility. We prove that the proposed branching process leads to an algorithm that terminates finitely, and we provide conditions under which globally optimal solutions can be identified after termination. We have implemented our new branching method, as well as the Caroe-Schultz method and a branch-and-price method, in the open-source software package DSP. Using SIPLIB test instances, we present extensive numerical results to demonstrate that the proposed branching method significantly reduces the number of node subproblems and solution times.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Accuracy of automated measurement and verification (M&V) techniques for energy savings in commercial buildings

Trustworthy savings calculations are critical to convincing investors in energy efficiency projects of the benefit and cost-effectiveness of such investments and their ability to replace or defer supply-side capital investments. However, today’s methods for measurement and verification (M&V) of energy savings constitute a significant portion of the total costs of efficiency projects. They also require time-consuming manual data acquisition and often do not deliver results until years after the program period has ended. The rising availability of “smart” meters, combined with new analytical approaches to quantifying savings, has opened the door to conducting M&V more quickly and at lower cost, with comparable or improved accuracy. These meter- and software-based approaches, increasingly referred to as “M&V 2.0”, are the subject of surging industry interest, particularly in the context of utility energy efficiency programs. Program administrators, evaluators, and regulators are asking how M&V 2.0 compares with more traditional methods, how proprietary software can be transparently performance tested, how these techniques can be integrated into the next generation of whole-building focused efficiency programs. This paper expands recent analyses of public-domain whole-building M&V methods, focusing on more novel M&V2.0 modeling approaches that are used in commercial technologies, as well as approaches that are documented in the literature, and/or developed by the academic building research community. We present a testing procedure and metrics to assess the performance of whole-building M&V methods. We then illustrate the test procedure by evaluating the accuracy of ten baseline energy use models, against measured data from a large dataset of 537 buildings. The results of this study show that the already available advanced interval data baseline models hold great promise for scaling the adoption of building measured savings calculations using Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) data. Median coefficient of variation of the root mean squared error (CV(RMSE)) was less than 25% for every model tested when twelve months of training data were used. With even six months of training data, median CV(RMSE) for daily energy total was under 25% for all models tested. Finally, these findings can be used to build confidence in model robustness, and the readiness of these approaches for industry uptake and adoption

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
DOE OSTI2023

An automated QC station for the calibration of the Mu2e calorimeter readout units

The Mu2e calorimeter will employ Readout Units, each made of two Silicon Photomultipliers arrays and two Front End Electronics boards. To calibrate them, we have designed, assembled and put in operation an automated Quality Control (QC) station. Gain, collected charge and photon detection efficiency are evaluated for each unit. Here, in this paper, the QC Station is presented, in its hardware and software aspects, summarizing also the tests performed on the ROUs and the first measurement results.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Three-dimensional flow contrast imaging of deep tissue using noncontact diffuse correlation tomography

This study extended our recently developed noncontact diffuse correlation spectroscopy flowmetry system into noncontact diffuse correlation tomography (ncDCT) for three-dimensional (3-D) flow imaging of deep tissue. A linear array of 15 photodetectors and two laser sources connected to a mobile lens-focusing system enabled automatic and noncontact scanning of flow in a region of interest. These boundary measurements were combined with a finite element framework for DCT image reconstruction implemented into an existing software package. This technique was tested in computer simulations and using a tissue-like phantom with anomaly flow contrast design. The cylindrical tube-shaped anomaly was clearly reconstructed in both simulation and phantom. Recovered and assigned flow contrast changes in anomaly were found to be highly correlated: regression slope = 1.00, R{sup 2} = 1.00, and p < 10{sup −5} in simulation and regression slope ≥ 0.97, R{sup 2} ≥ 0.96, and p < 10{sup −3} in phantom. These results exhibit promise of our ncDCT technique for 3-D imaging of deep tissue blood flow heterogeneities.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Transforming microseismic clouds into near real-time visualization of the growing hydraulic fracture

SUMMARY Microseismic observations during unconventional reservoir stimulation are typically seen as a proxy for clusters of hydraulic fractures and the extent of the stimulated reservoir. Such straightforward interpretation is often misleading and fails to provide a physically reasonable image of the fracturing process. This paper demonstrates the application of a physics-based machine learning algorithm which enables a rapid and accurate fracture mapping from the microseismic data. Our training and validation data set relies on a history-matched geomechanical modelling workflow implemented in GEOS software for the Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site 1 (HFTS-1) project. For this study we augmented the simulated fracture growth through geostatistical modelling of induced seismicity, so that the synthetic microseismic catalogue matches the main statistical properties of the field observations. We formulated the problem of mapping the actual fracture in the clutter of events to parallel common video segmentation workflows: several past video frames (microseismic density snapshots) are passed through a deep convolutional network to classify whether a given voxel is associated with a fracture or intact rock. We found that for accurate fracture mapping, the network’s input and architecture must be augmented to incorporate the fluid injection parameters (pressure, rate, concentration of proppant, and location of the perforation within the cluster). The error rate for the network reached as little as 10 per cent of the fracture area, while a conventional microseismic interpretation approach yielded ∼300 per cent. Our approach also yields must faster predictions than conventional methods (minutes instead of weeks), and could enable engineers to make rapid decisions regarding engineering parameters (pumping rate, viscosity) in real time during stimulation.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Throughput Estimation of Data Transport Networks From Digital Twin Measurements

Digital twins of networked infrastructures, known as Virtual Infrastructure Twins (VITs), are increasingly used for software development, pre-deployment testing, and design space exploration. While VITs avoid the costs and potential disruptions associated with experiments on operational networks, their throughput measurements are typically not sufficiently accurate for performance profiling of wide-area networks that they emulate. Here, machine learning (ML) methods are developed to transform these inaccurate VIT network throughput measurements to closely match in peak and overall profile of those from a physical testbed or production network. First, a micro kernel network reflecting a physical network is utilized to collect one-time measurements on a host to support this ML transformation. Then, a generic multi-modal ML method is developed to learn a map that transforms measurements from subsequent VITs on the same host to match past, current and follow-on testbed and cloud networks. ML generalization equations are derived to establish its correctness and probabilistically guarantee its generalization accuracy. Experimental results are presented for a variety of VIT hosts with target testbed and cloud networks; they include a case study of a four-site science ecosystem wherein inaccurate convex VIT measurement profiles are transformed into accurate concave profiles of target networks.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Software-Defined Data Center Network Architecture using VXLAN-based BGP EVPN for Dynamic Workflows in a Supercomputing Environment (VXLAN-based BGP EVPN Fabric for HPC) v1

This software repository automates the deployment of a multi-vendor VXLAN-based BGP EVPN architecture, leveraging Containerlab to instantiate a stretched CLOS topology. It integrates Linux, Nokia SR Linux, and Arista cEOS, using BGP for underlay, overlay, and topology extension. The software enables rapid prototyping and testing of advanced network configurations. Its key advantage lies in providing a dynamic, programmable environment for research and development of critical technologies supporting dynamic workflows within supercomputing environments, surpassing the limitations of static, vendor-locked alternatives by fostering interoperability and agility.

Kumar, Ronal [Lawrence Berkeley National Laborator↗
DOE OSTI2018

Advanced TidGen Power System - ProteusDS Version 2.43.5 Files

The TidGen Power System generates emission-free electricity from tidal currents and connects directly into existing grids using smart grid technology. The power system consists of three major subsystems: shore-side power electronics, mooring system, and turbine generator unit (TGU) device. ProteusDS is a full featured dynamic analysis software capable of simulating vessels, structures, lines, and technologies in harsh marine environments. This simulation software that was used to test the Advanced TidGen Power System. This submission includes the supporting Proteus simulation files.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2013

Global Field Aligned Mesh and Gyrokinetic Field Solver in a Tokamak Edge Geometry (Final Technical Report)

This project was a collaboration between researchers at the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, Irvine to investigate the utility of a global field-aligned mesh and gyrokinetic field solver for simulations of the tokamak plasma edge region. Mesh generation software from UC Irvine was tested with specific tokamak edge magnetic geometry scenarios and the quality of the meshes and the solutions to the gyrokinetic Poisson equation were evaluated.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗