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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 OSTI2020

Data-driven Alignment of the Tracker for the Mu2e Experiment

An alignment of the Mu2e Tracker is investigated using the Mu2e Offline Software and Millepede-II. Simulated misalignments of Tracker planes were inserted between Monte-Carlo event generation and before reconstruction using randomly generated $(x,y,z)$-translations and rotations of the rigid-body planes in the detector model. Cosmic ray muons, with no magnetic field present in the Detector Solenoid, will follow a straight-line trajectory. A maximum-likelihood fit is used to reconstruct a track and determine its parameters. Tracks traversing at least four planes, with ten registered straw hits, and a maximum time residual of $20$ ns are selected to be used in an alignment sample. The cuts were chosen to discard tracks with low information content, such as those with high levels of multiple scattering or those with low numbers of measurements contributing to a single track fit. Millepede-II produces the resulting alignment constants according to a simultaneous least-squares fit of the alignment parameters and the track parameters for all input tracks. The improved alignment constants are used to repeat the process and recover an increased number of suitable tracks, further improving the estimate of the alignment constants in subsequent iterations. A performance study of the process was conducted on a misaligned Tracker in the case of translation-only, and translation plus rotational misalignments. In both cases, the correct alignment constants were recovered to within statistical error after three global fit iterations. Additionally, a continuous integration system was developed for the \texttt{Mu2e/Offline} GitHub repository, introducing a convenient automated testing process for all proposed changes (``pull requests"). The tests developed included a full build of the software, followed by tests of the validation routines, geometry overlap checking, and multi-threading mode. Additionally, code quality checks and low-statistics physics comparison checks a re also available.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1981

Lessons from NASA

Particular requirements related to the design and the operation of spacecraft have forced NASA to take a reliability approach that differs somewhat from that used in many other applications. NASA has found that some of the traditional tools of reliability engineering, such as life testing, reliability demonstration testing, maintainability analysis, and direct failure analysis, are impractical for spacecraft. In place of a statistical approach, the space agency uses an engineering approach to mission reliability. Reliability is to be obtained with the aid of three different approaches, including the application of effective design principles, the control and screening of all parts, and the testing of the entire spacecraft or its prototype for predicted capabilities. Attention is given to failure-mode analysis, the enhancement of Voyager reliability by autonomous operation, the redundancy in Shuttle design, the weeding out of bad hardware, and the preference for off-the-shelf devices.

Williams, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Pressure and temperature fields associated with aero-optics tests

The experimental investigation carried out in a 6 x 6 ft wind tunnel on four model configurations in the aero-optics series of tests are described. The data obtained on the random pressures (static and total pressures) and total temperatures are presented. In addition, the data for static pressure fluctuations on the Coelostat turret model are presented. The measurements indicate that the random pressures and temperature are negligible compared to their own mean (or steady state) values for the four models considered, thus allowing considerable simplification in the calculations to obtain the statistical properties of the density field. In the case of the Coelostat model tests these simplifications cannot be assumed a priori and require further investigation.

Raman, K. R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

An overview of the applications systems verification test on snowcover mapping

The capability of the LANDSAT and NOAA satellites to accurately measure snowcovered area on various size watersheds was demonstrated. Recent research has shown a highly significant statistical relationship between satellite-derived snowcovered area at the beginning of the snowmelt period and seasonal runoff. The decision was made to test the results of several satellite snowcovered area studies in an Applications Systems Verification Test (ASVT) Program where quasi-operational evaluations of total technical capability are performed. The objective of these ASVT's is to provide all the information necessary for a potential user to make effective decisions concerning the implementation of the new remote sensing technology in an operational applications system.

Rango, A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Physical concepts in the development of constitutive equations

Proposed viscoplastic material models include in their formulation observed material response but do not generally incorporate principles from thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and quantum mechanics. Numerous hypotheses were made for material response based on first principles. Many of these hypotheses were tested experimentally. The proposed viscoplastic theories and the experimental basis of these hypotheses must be checked against the hypotheses. The physics of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics, and the effects of defects, are reviewed for their application to the development of constitutive laws.

Cassenti, B. N.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Uncertainty Quantification of Calculated Temperatures for the AGR 5/6/7 Experiment

This report documents the quantification of uncertainty of the calculated temperature data for the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) 5/6/7 fuel irradiation experiment conducted in the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory in support of the Advanced Reactor Technologies? research and development program. Recognizing uncertainties inherent in physics and thermal simulations of the AGR 5/6/7 capsules, the results of the numerical simulations are used in combination with statistical analysis methods to improve qualification of measured data. The calculated fuel temperatures for AGR tests are also used for validation of the fission product transport and fuel performance simulation models. These crucial roles of the calculated fuel temperatures in ensuring achievement of the AGR experimental program objectives require accurate determination of the model temperature uncertainties. This report covers temperature uncertainty results for each of the five AGR 5/6/7 capsules. To quantify the uncertainty of calculated temperatures determined using the ABAQUS finite element heat transfer code, this study identifies and analyzes model parameters of potential importance to the calculated temperatures of fuel compacts and thermocouples. The selection of input parameters for uncertainty quantification is based on the ranking of their influences upon temperature predictions. Thus, selected input parameters include those with high sensitivity and those with the largest uncertainty. Propagation of model parameter uncertainty and sensitivity is then used to quantify the overall uncertainty of calculated temperatures. Measurement uncertainty, analysis of modeling assumptions, and expert judgment are used as the basis to quantify the uncertainty range for selected input parameters. The input uncertainties are dynamic, accounting for the effect of unplanned events and changes in thermal properties of capsule components over extended exposure to high temperatures and fast neutron irradiation. The sensitivity analysis performed in this work went beyond the traditional local sensitivity. Using experimental design, analysis of pairwise interactions of model parameters was performed to establish sufficiency of the time dependent first order (linear) expansion terms in constructing the temperature response surface. To achieve completeness, uncertainty propagation made use of pairwise noise correlations of model parameters. Furthermore, using an interpolation scheme over the input parameter domain, the analysis obtains time dependent sensitivity over the test campaign duration. This allows computation of uncertainty for the calculated fuel temperatures and the calculated graphite temperatures at thermocouple locations during the entire irradiation period.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2026

FolpsD: combining EFT and phenomenological approaches for joint power spectrum and bispectrum analyses

We present a theoretical model for the power spectrum and bispectrum of galaxy clustering that exploits the complementarity between small-scale power spectrum information and large-scale bispectrum measurements. We extend the FOLPS code by combining its one-loop EFT galaxy power spectrum with a tree-level galaxy bispectrum projected onto the tripolar spherical harmonics (Sugiyama) basis. To access additional small-scale information, we also consider a line-of-sight damping factor in both statistics, mirroring approaches commonly used in studies of redshift-space distortions. We test the model using DESI DR2 galaxy mocks. Even without damping, the joint analysis of the EFT power spectrum and bispectrum significantly improves constraints and reduces parameter degeneracies relative to power spectrum analyses alone. For LRG-like samples, including the damping further extends the range beyond $k\sim 0.3 \,h \text{Mpc}^{-1}$ in the power spectrum and $k \sim 0.24 \,h \text{Mpc}^{-1}$ in the bispectrum without introducing statistically significant parameter biases. This leads to up to $\sim 30\%$ tighter constraints on $A_s$ and $ω_{cdm}$. For low signal-to-noise tracers such as QSOs, however, the damping parameters are weakly constrained and can absorb noise fluctuations, leading to shifts in inferred parameters. Similar limitations may arise in models where cosmological information is encoded in power-spectrum shape features degenerate with the damping, such as scenarios with massive neutrinos. In contrast, for $w_0w_a$CDM we obtain $15\%$ and $21\%$ tighter constraints on $w_0$ and $w_a$, respectively, yielding a deviation from constant dark energy at slightly more than the $1σ$ level using full-shape information alone. The code is publicly available at https://github.com/cosmodesi/FolpsD

Bansal, P. [Michigan U., MCTP; Michigan U.] (ORCID↗
DOE OSTI2018

Upgrading Limiting Peak-Power Analysis Techniques with Modern Validation and Uncertainty Quantification for the Advanced Test Reactor

Here, this work demonstrates the acceptability of the 2D deterministic transport code, HELIOS, to replace the legacy diffusion code, PDQ, for computing the peak-power performance parameters of the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). The 95% Confidence Rule, commonly used in the commercial reactor sector, is explored to develop the so-called “reliability factors” which provide statistical confidence that the peak-power limits within the hottest location along a fuel plate, referred to as the hot-stripe, will not be exceeded. Additionally, an alternative “legacy” methodology was explored that attempts to mimic the exact PDQ analysis process used for defining the peak-power limits. The legacy methodology, involves interpolating power between regions at azimuthal boundaries subtending the regions of interest. In order to apply the 95% Confidence Rule, a statistically significant calculation-to-measurement bias must first be established. Unlike the commercial world where thousands of power observations can be collected every cycle using on-line flux mapping instrumentation, the ATR power distribution must be measured during “depressurized” zero-power measurements using fission wires in polyethylene wands. In 2012, fission wire activation data was collected during a flux run in the Advanced Test Reactor – Critical facility. Also to improve statistical validity, archival data from ATR zero power flux runs from 1977, 1986, and 1994 were digitized from scanned reports and used to create new benchmark models. Borrowing from least-squares adjustment methods commonly used for neutron activation spectroscopy, adjusted fission wire powers were calculated for all four datasets. The mean and standard deviation of the bias between a priori calculated and adjusted wire-powers was then taken as the bias and uncertainty used in the 95% Confidence Rule.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Extreme variation in fatigue: Fatigue life prediction and dependence on build volume location in laser powder bed fusion of 17-4 stainless steel

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), a metal additive manufacturing technology, is well-suited for design optimization but fatigue life is limited by manufacturing defects. In this work, 17-4 stainless steel components were manufactured in densely populated build volumes, simulating at-scale LPBF production. Tests revealed extreme variability in fatigue life data, analyzed via rigorous statistical tools. The El-Haddad model, modified for finite-life, enabled defect-based life prediction. Specimen location within the build volume correlated to life, which was heteroscedastic. Investigating defect concentration over the build volume explained typical life and scatter. Finally, these findings argue for qualification approaches which acknowledge high material lot variability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

DECADE+ DES Y3 Weak Lensing Mass Map: A 13,000 deg $\^{} 2$ View of Cosmic Structure from 270 Million Galaxies

We present the largest galaxy weak lensing mass map of the late-time Universe, reconstructed from 270 million galaxies in the DECADE and DES Year 3 datasets, covering 13,000 square degrees. We validate the map through systematic tests against observational conditions (depth, seeing, etc.), finding the map is statistically consistent with no contamination. The large area covered by the mass map makes it a well-suited tool for cosmological analyses, cross-correlation studies and the identification of large-scale structure features. We demonstrate its potential by detecting cosmic filaments directly from the mass map for the first time and validating them through their association with galaxy clusters selected using the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect from Planck and ACT DR6.

Gatti, M.↗
DOE OSTI2016

TH-CD-209-12: Spatial Mapping of Scanned Proton Biologic Effect Using the High-Throughput Technique, Continued

Purpose: To investigate the biologic effects of scanned protons by evenly sampling dose-averaged LET (LETd) values. Methods: Our previous high-throughput clonogenic study demonstrated a distinct relationship between RBE and LETd. However, our initial experimental design resulted in over-sampling the low LETd values in the plateau region of the Bragg curve while under-sampling in the region proximal to the Bragg peak as well as the high LETd values in the distal edge of the Bragg curve. To further examine the relationship between RBE and LETd, we refined the experimental design to more evenly sample proton LETd values from 1 to 20 keV/µm by optimizing the thicknesses of the irradiation jig steps. We used the clonogenic survival as the biological endpoint for the H460 lung cancer cell line cultured in 96-well plates (12 columns by 8 rows). In the irradiation, the 8 wells in each column received a uniform dose-LETd pair. The dose-LETd pairs of the 12 different columns were sampled along the Bragg curve of 81.4 MeV scanned protons. Five peak dose levels from 1.5 Gy to 7.5 Gy were delivered with an increment of 1.5 Gy in the preliminary test. Two 96-well plates were irradiated simultaneously to decrease the statistical uncertainties. Results: In the proximal region, for LETd = 5 keV/µm and 8 keV/µm, we did not observe any distinct differential biologic effects between the survival curves. At the Bragg peak (LETd = 9.5 keV/µm) and in the distal edge, irradiation with increasing LET values resulted in decreasing cell survival. Conclusion: The survival curves from the new experimental design support our previous findings that below 10 keV/µm, the LET effect in cell kill is obscured, but above 10 keV/µm, the biologic effects increase with LETd. Funding Support: U19 CA021239-35 and R21 CA187484-01.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Database Performance Monitoring for the Photovoltaic Systems

The Database Performance Monitoring (DPM) software (copyright in processes) is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories to perform quality control analysis on time series data. The software loads time indexed databases (currently csv format), performs a series of quality control tests defined by the user, and creates reports which include summary statistics, tables, and graphics. DPM can be setup to run on an automated schedule defined by the user. For example, the software can be run once per day to analyze data collected on the previous day. HTML formatted reports can be sent via email or hosted on a website. To compare performance of several databases, summary statistics and graphics can be gathered in a dashboard view which links to detailed reporting information for each database. The software can be customized for specific applications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

VitriEdge: Repairable & Durable Vitrimer Coatings for Wind Turbine Blade Leading Edges

The primary goal of this Level 1b incubator project was to explore the use of vitrimer coatings for repair of leading-edge erosion on end-of-life wind turbine blade surfaces, beyond coating strength of adhesion which has previously been demonstrated in the Level 1a project. Uniform vitrimer coatings (thickness: 400 µm) were applied to two end-of-life wind turbine blades for flexural, fatigue, and laminate tensile testing where the addition of the coating did not produce any statistical variation in tensile properties with minor drops in flexural strength for some laminate formulations. However, a <2% variation in storage modulus was measured for laminate structures (i.e., blade samples with vitrimer coatings) across 100,000 flexural cycles and upon laminate tensile failure, the vitrimer coatings displayed no visible signs of delamination. In addition, three methods to heal vitrimer coating damage was displayed: oven heating, addition of hot water, and a forced convection heat gun. All three heating and healing mechanisms demonstrated significant healing with scratch depths decreasing between 79-91% at healing times ranging between 1-min and 10-minutes. Finally, a water jet machine was used to simulate rain erosion for both the blade surfaces and vitrimer-coated blade surfaces where the diameter and depth of the damage was recorded as a function of exposure time, water pressure, height of exposure, and angle of exposure. Of interest, while the vitrimer coating did not significantly lessen the damage experienced during rain erosion, the addition of vitrimer composite coatings(5 wt.% mica addition) did result in a crack-resistant, durable coating capable of self-healing behavior and in all cases the angle of rain exposure was the most critical parameter explored. It is crucial to continue exploring this space where vitrimer coatings are of interest for both their self-healing properties and potential use as reversible adhesives.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Multi-Fidelity Active Subspaces for Wind Farm Uncertainty Quantification

Wind plants operate in stochastic environments characterized by complex turbulent flow dynamics and high-dimensional random variables. A key step in uncertainty quantification studies is sensitivity analysis and dimension reduction that can facilitate the development of surrogate models to be used for forward and inverse propagation or optimization under uncertainty. Prior work has shown active subspaces are an effective tool for identifying important directions in the space of stochastic inputs; however, they have only been applied to single-fidelity wind plant models. In this study, we investigate the efficacy of a multi-fidelity active subspace method for analyzing the uncertainty in wind plant power output. The multi-fidelity active subspace estimator offers the promise of increased accuracy in identifying active subspaces as compared to a single-fidelity estimator for the same computational cost, or a reduction in cost for the same accuracy. This makes the study of uncertainty in larger wind plants and with higher fidelity physics tractable. The multi-fidelity active subspace method is applied to gridded and existing wind plant layouts with single and multiple inflow conditions and its performance for surrogate modeling and uncertainty propagation is compared against a single-fidelity active subspace method. This multi-fidelity approach yields substantial computational speedups of 2x - 3.4x across the test cases along with acceptable accuracy in surrogate modeling and computing statistical moments.

active subspace↗
DOE OSTI2018

Teaching Computational Reproducibility for Neuroimaging

We describe a project-based introduction to reproducible and collaborative neuroimaging analysis. Traditional teaching on neuroimaging usually consists of a series of lectures that emphasize the big picture rather than the foundations on which the techniques are based. The lectures are often paired with practical workshops in which students run imaging analyses using the graphical interface of specific neuroimaging software packages. Our experience suggests that this combination leaves the student with a superficial understanding of the underlying ideas, and an informal, inefficient, and inaccurate approach to analysis. To address these problems, we based our course around a substantial open-ended group project. This allowed us to teach: (a) computational tools to ensure computationally reproducible work, such as the Unix command line, structured code, version control, automated testing, and code review and (b) a clear understanding of the statistical techniques used for a basic analysis of a single run in an MR scanner. The emphasis we put on the group project showed the importance of standard computational tools for accuracy, efficiency, and collaboration. The projects were broadly successful in engaging students in working reproducibly on real scientific questions. We propose that a course on this model should be the foundation for future programs in neuroimaging. We believe it will also serve as a model for teaching efficient and reproducible research in other fields of computational science.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Detection of supernova magnitude fluctuations induced by large-scale structure

The peculiar velocities of supernovae and their host galaxies are correlated with the large-scale structure of the Universe, and can be used to constrain the growth rate of structure and test the cosmological model. In this work, we measure the correlation statistics of the large-scale structure traced by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument Bright Galaxy Survey Data Release 1 sample, and magnitude fluctuations of type Ia supernova from the Pantheon+ compilation across redshifts z < 0.1. We find a detection of the cross-correlation signal between galaxies and type Ia supernova magnitudes. Fitting the normalised growth rate of structure f sigma_8 to the auto- and cross-correlation function measurements we find f sigma_8 = 0.384 +0.094 -0.157, which is consistent with the Planck LambdaCDM model prediction, and indicates that the supernova magnitude fluctuations are induced by peculiar velocities. Using a large ensemble of N-body simulations, we validate our methodology, calibrate the covariance of the measurements, and demonstrate that our results are insensitive to supernova selection effects. We highlight the potential of this methodology for measuring the growth rate of structure, and forecast that the next generation of type Ia supernova surveys will improve f sigma_8 constraints by a further order of magnitude.

Nguyen, A. [Swinburne U., Ctr. Astrophys. Supercom↗
NASA NTRS1973

Accelerated testing of space batteries

An accelerated life test program for space batteries is presented that fully satisfies empirical, statistical, and physical criteria for validity. The program includes thermal and other nonmechanical stress analyses as well as mechanical stress, strain, and rate of strain measurements.

Mccallum, J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Investigation of vibration characteristics of electric motors

The vibration characteristics of electric motors were analyzed using mathematical statistics methods. The equipment used and the method of conducting the test are described. Curves are developed to show the visualization of the electric motor vibrations in the vertical direction. Additional curves are included to show the amplitude-phase frequency characteristic of dynamic rotor-housing vibrations at the first lug and the same data for the second lug of the electric motor. Mathematical models were created to show the transmission function of the dynamic rotor housing system.

Bakshis, A. K.↗