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At least 163 records · Page 9

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2021

Intrinsic quality factor extraction of multi-port cavity with arbitrary coupling

In this work, we derived S-parameter based expressions for the intrinsic quality factor of an arbitrary coupled multiport microwave cavity and a non-ideal test fixture. Practical accuracy limitations of the obtained expressions specifically for superconducting accelerator cavities were evaluated both analytically and with the simulation software. The resulting formulas can be used to extract the intrinsic quality factor of normal-conducting and superconducting cavities directly from the calibrated S-parameter measurements.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Black-Box Optimization for Design of Concentrating Solar Power and Photovoltaic Hybrid Systems with Optimal Dispatch Decisions

The hybridization of concentrating solar power (CSP) and photovoltaics (PV) can enable dispatchable renewable electricity generation at a lower price than current stand-alone CSP systems. However, designing a CSP-PV hybrid system can be challenging because of the many degrees of freedom in design that affect the internal and external system interactions and trade-offs. We develop a methodology to determine optimal designs for CSP-PV hybrids by implementing NLopt's derivative-free, or “black-box,” algorithms around pre-existing CSP-PV hybrid simulation software that utilizes the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s System Advisor Model (SAM); we then employ a dispatch optimization model to determine operational decisions that maximize a plant’s profits. We present optimal designs for CSP-PV hybrid systems dispatching against four time-of-delivery (ToD) pricing structures. NLopt’s algorithms can improve the base case design’s power purchase agreement (PPA) price by 15% to 21%, depending on the ToD pricing structure. In addition, we present the resulting optimal CSP-PV hybrid design’s annual performance metrics, which tend to have capacity factors between 50% and 62%, but are able to generate electricity during the year’s highest-valued periods about 90% of the time. Lastly, we investigate the trade-offs between capacity factor and PPA price using Pareto fronts and demonstrate that, for some ToD pricing structures, the system capacity factor can increase by 20% but at the expense of a 2% increase in PPA price.

black-box↗

DOE OSTI2023

Defining a compact dry cooler design to reduce LCOE contribution in a CSP facility

Concentrating solar power (CSP), when coupled with a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO 2 ) power cycle and sensible heat storage, presents a renewable and clean alternative for utility-scale power generation. However, in order to be competitive in the current and future markets, CSP facilities must limit their levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) by minimizing capital costs and reducing operating costs over the lifetime of the plant. Targeting this goal, this study investigates the LCOE impact of the power cycle pre-cooler. This study considers a compact dry cooler with micro-channel technology on the CO 2 side and formed fin geometry on the air side, using directly-coupled centrifugal fans and a transition duct to improve air distribution across the fins as well as protect the fins from contaminants which may cause blockage, soiling, fouling, and damage. In an effort to better understand the dry cooler impact on LCOE, a sensitivity study was conducted using various combinations of end-to-end approach temperatures, air-side pressure drop values, CO 2 -side pressure drop values, fan types, cooler turndown control schemes, cooler module sizes, and design-point ambient temperatures. Furthemore, off-design cycle performance data was calculated for each dry cooler design using NPSS simulation software; cycle performance data were then input to System Advisor Model (SAM) along with the associated capital costs for LCOE prediction of a 100 MW system over a 30 year plant lifetime. Results of this study show the LCOE is most sensitive to air-side performance, followed by heat transfer effectiveness and capital cost. It was found that a power cycle with a mid- to high-performance dry cooler will produce the most competitive power-production costs. Designing at the extreme ends for approach temperature (or effectiveness), design-point ambient temperature, and compactness (footprint) produce higher LCOE values; mid-range values for these parameters balance performance, operating costs, and associated capital cost to optimize LCOE.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Systems Engineering and Analysis in Support of a US Federal Staging Facility for UNF

The US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) Office of Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste Disposition is examining a set of system options and conducting supporting analyses to inform the development of an integrated waste management system, which may include one or more federal staging facilities (FSFs) for used nuclear fuel (UNF ) sited using a collaborative siting process. This paper focuses on the ongoing activities in two systems engineering and analysis work areas: (1) data and tools development, validation, and maintenance and (2) systems engineering execution. Within the first work area, the STANDARDS 5.0 UNF data and analysis tool, formerly known as UNF-ST&DARDS, is being developed as a foundational resource to assist in the management of UNF data. It has the key capability to model UNF throughout the entire back end of the fuel cycle. STANDARDS also includes several compatible analysis tools for the time-dependent characterization of UNF and related systems by interfacing with the SCALE code system for nuclear analysis and COBRA-SFS for thermal analysis. Also, within the data and tools area is the Next Generation System Analysis Model (NGSAM), which is an agent-based simulation software tool expressly designed to be capable of modeling the waste management system, including the transportation of UNF to and from a FSF. NGSAM has been developed to enable informed decision-making by providing the capability to analyze various potential system options for the management of UNF and high-level radioactive waste. Finally, in the systems engineering execution area, the team has begun to apply a disciplined systems engineering approach at the system level along with supporting analysis to guide the development of the FSF project requirements (including associated transportation infrastructure). Systems engineering principles and practices and their adaptation/application to design and development activities will ensure that the waste management system is effectively implemented as work proceeds. Other activities include investigating the implications of changes in various assumptions and parameters related to waste management systems, such as UNF acceptance rates, receipt logic, facility capacities and capabilities, use of standardized canisters, and different assumed facility operation start dates. Keywords: federal staging facility (FSF), used nuclear fuel (UNF), integrated waste management (IWM) system, Next Generation System Analysis Model (NGSAM), STANDARDS, systems engineering

Joseph, Robert↗

DOE OSTI2025

Study of deeply virtual Compton scattering at the future electron-ion collider

This study presents the impact of future measurements of deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) with the ePIC detector at the electron-ion collider (EIC), currently under construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The considered process is sensitive to generalized parton distributions (GPDs), the understanding of which is a cornerstone of the EIC physics program. Our study marks a milestone in the preparation of DVCS measurements at EIC and provides a reference point for future analyses. In addition to presenting distributions of basic kinematic variables obtained with the latest ePIC design and simulation software, we examine the impact of future measurements on the understanding of nucleon tomography and DVCS Compton form factors, which are directly linked to GPDs. We also assess the impact of radiative corrections and background contribution arising from exclusive π 0 production.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Device Feasibility Analysis of Multi-level FeFETs for Neuromorphic Computing

As an emerging non-volatile memory device technology, Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistors (FeFETs) can enable low-power, adaptive intelligent system design. However, device dimension and operating voltage dependent reliability issues of scaled FeFETs can ultimately lead to degraded performance in solving machine learning tasks. In this article, detailed experimental characterization of FeFET devices of different dimensions have been carried out to explicitly evaluate the non-ideal behavior in device conductance programming properties like number of programming states, cycle-to-cycle (C2C) variations, device-to-device (D2D) variations, and state retention. A hardware-aware software simulation approach has been adopted to capture the adversarial effects of the non-idealities on recognition accuracy through algorithm-level performance assessment by including them in NeuroSim, a popular neural network hardware simulator, to execute a neural network model considering all other hardware constraints. With the added non-idealities, significant accuracy degradation has been observed compared to the ideal scenarios where D2D variations play the most critical role. Thereafter, feasibility of a variation-aware training method has been evaluated to tackle the accuracy drop.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2020

A Sensorless Coil Detection Scheme based on Dead-Time Effect in Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer Systems

The detection of electric vehicles in dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT) systems is important to reduce the standby losses and comply with the electromagnetic-field emission guidelines recommended by the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. This paper discusses a novel sensorless coil detection scheme, which exploits the phenomenon of voltage-polarity reversal/notches caused by the dead-time effect in the full-bridge inverter. The variations in the system impedance and dead-time effects are collectively exploited to detect the receiver coil in the DWPT system. The proposed coil detection scheme is accomplished at low excitation voltage, which reduces the inverter standby losses. The theoretical analysis of the notch occurrence and open-loop simulation results are presented using a DWPT model developed in the piecewise linear electrical circuit simulation software.

Kavimandan, Utkarsh↗

DOE OSTI2024

Thermal Analysis of a Polypropylene Capacitor for Resonant Tuning Networks in WPT Applications

This study presents the thermal analysis of polypropylene capacitors operating at high frequencies and high currents used in the resonant tuning networks for electric vehicle (EV) wireless charging systems. The thermal analysis and performance results of the CELEM polypropylene capacitors are presented at different currents for a polyphase wireless power transfer (WPT) system while the study can be expanded to other capacitors by different manufacturers. Thermal equivalent circuit of the capacitor is derived and required cold plate size and design calculations are conducted by modeling the polypropene capacitor in MATLAB. The polypropene capacitor's finite element analysis (FEA) model is developed using COMSOL Multiphysics simulation software, and the thermal characteristics and analysis of the capacitor are presented in this paper.

Aktas, Ahmet↗

DOE OSTI2021

Segmented Energy Routing for a Modular AC/DC Hybrid System

This article presents a modular ac/dc system with both distributed and centralized power ports for energy router (ER) applications. In each module of the described system, photovoltaic (PV) power generation units, battery-type energy storage (ES) units, and critical loads are connected to the cascaded H-bridge (CHB)-organized medium-voltage (MV) dc links, with fully distributed low-voltage (LV) dc power ports. Copies of modules share the centralized load bus and interact with an MV ac grid in parallel. Hybrid power port (HPO) assigns flexibility to the system but makes energy routings a necessity for stable operation. In this article, a segmented energy management strategy for the HPO-ER is proposed. In terms of the grid-side power transferring, the system ratings are intentionally designed to match significant power imbalance. Focally, a segmented energy management strategy is proposed to realize fully autonomous energy routing involving MV ac grid, distributed PV generations, distributed battery storages, and LV load. The system is proven to be stable using the derived impedance-based model considering the interaction between power blocks. The feasibility of the topology and control strategy is also verified through software simulation, laboratorial hardware prototype experiment, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) emulation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2022

Data-Driven PMU Noise Emulation Framework using Gradient-Penalty-Based Wasserstein GAN

Availability of phasor measurement unit (PMUs) data has led to research on data-driven algorithms for event monitoring, control and ensuring stability of the grid. Unavailability of infrequent critical event field PMU data with component failures is driving the need to generate realistic synthetic PMU data for research. The synthetic data from power system simulation software often neglect noise profiles of received phasors, thus creating some discrepancies between real PMU data and synthetic ones. To address this issue, this work presents an initial study on the noise characteristics of PMUs, as well as presenting models for recreating their unique noise signatures. The proposed method, utilizing the Wasserstein generative adversarial network with gradient penalty (WGAN-GP) architecture, provides an excellent benchmark for matching the noise distribution. One can use a well-learned GAN model to draw noise signatures from a distribution that seemingly mirrors the real PMU noise distribution, while also being able to be detached from the PMU data once the training is done. Based on the observed results and employed data-driven methodology, it is expected that the proposed methods can be adapted to replicate the behavior of other sensors, providing research and other applications with a tool for data synthesis and sensor characterization.

PMU↗

DOE OSTI2022

Performance Debugging and Tuning of Flash-X with Data Analysis Tools

State-of-the-art multiphysics simulations running on large scale leadership computing platforms have many variables contributing to their performance and scaling behavior. We recently encountered an interesting performance anomaly in Flash-X, a multiphysics multicomponent simulation software, when characterizing its performance behavior on several large-scale HPC platforms. The anomaly was tracked down to the interaction between the use of dynamic allocation of scratch data and data locality in the cache hierarchy. In this paper we present the details of unexpected performance variability of Flash-X, its extensive analysis using the performance measurement tool TAU to collect the data and Python data analysis libraries to explore the data, and our insights from this experience. In this process, we discovered and removed or mitigated two additional performance limiting bottlenecks for performance tuning.

Huck, Kevin↗

DOE OSTI2021

Spectral Effects in Albedo and Rearside Irradiance Measurement for Bifacial Performance Estimation

We investigate the impact of spectral dependence of ground surface reflectivity on albedo and rearside irradiance measurements necessary for bifacial photovoltaic (PV) module performance estimation and monitoring. Because PV modules are spectrally selective, albedo and irradiance measurements performed with common irradiance sensors may require spectral mismatch corrections when used for performance prediction. We investigate via simulation the differences in spectrally responsive albedo measured with thermopile pyranometers and crystalline silicon PV reference cells in comparison to a typical crystalline-silicon bifacial PV module. Simulations are performed for nine different representative ground surface materials using simulated solar spectra together with spectral reflectivity data distributed with the SMARTS simulation software. For the materials considered, the results show that albedo spectral mismatch relative to the bifacial module is distributed over a range of ±9.2% for thermopile pyranometers versus only ±3.7% for a typical PV reference cell. We consider the impact of this spectrally-responsive albedo mismatch on bifacial PV module rearside irradiance measurements. Using synthesized rearside spectral irradiance distributions, we find that for the nine different ground surface materials the predicted rearside irradiance measurement deviates from the effective irradiance observed by the PV module by on the order of 16.5 W/m 2 for the pyranometer and 3.6 W/m 2 for the PV reference cell. We discuss the implications for bifacial albedo and irradiance measurement.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

DOE OSTI2023

Open-Loop Control Co-Design of Semisubmersible Floating Offshore Wind Turbines Using Linear Parameter-Varying Models

Here, this paper discusses a framework to design elements of the plant and control systems for floating offshore wind turbines in an integrated manner using linear parameter-varying models. Multiple linearized models derived from aero-elastic simulation software in different operating regions characterized by the incoming wind speed are combined to construct an approximate low-fidelity model of the system. The combined model is then used to generate open-loop, optimal control trajectories as part of a nested control co-design strategy that explores the system’s power production and stability using the platform pitch tilt as a proxy in the context of crucial plant and control design decisions. The radial distance between the central and outer columns and the diameter of the outer columns of the semisubmersible platform are the plant design variables. The platform stability and power production are studied for different plant design decisions. The effect of plant decisions on subsequent power production and stability response of the floating wind turbine is quantified in terms of the levelized cost of energy. The results show that the inner-loop constraints and the plant design decisions affect the turbine’s power and, subsequently, the cost of the system.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Measurement of isotopic separation of argon with the prototype of the cryogenic distillation plant Aria for dark matter searches

The Aria cryogenic distillation plant, located in Sardinia, Italy, is a key component of the DarkSide-20k experimental program for WIMP dark matter searches at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy. Aria is designed to purify the argon, extracted from underground wells in Colorado, USA, and used as the DarkSide-20k target material, to detector-grade quality. In this paper, we report the first measurement of argon isotopic separation by distillation with the 26 m tall Aria prototype. We discuss the measurement of the operating parameters of the column and the observation of the simultaneous separation of the three stable argon isotopes: ${}^{36}\hbox {Ar}$, ${}^{38}\textrm{Ar}$, and ${}^{40}\textrm{Ar}$. We also provide a detailed comparison of the experimental results with commercial process simulation software. This measurement of isotopic separation of argon is a significant achievement for the project, building on the success of the initial demonstration of isotopic separation of nitrogen using the same equipment in 2019.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2024

Extracting and Interpreting Electrochemical Impedance Spectra (EIS) from Physics-Based Models of Lithium-Ion Batteries

This paper implements a highly efficient algorithm to extract electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) from physics-based battery models (e.g., a P2D model). The mathematical approach is different from how EIS is practiced experimentally. Experimentally, the voltage (current) is harmonically perturbed over a wide range of frequencies and the amplitude and phase shift of the corresponding current (voltage) is measured. The experimental approach can be implemented in simulation software, but is computationally expensive. The approach here is to determine locally linear state-space models from the full physical model. The four Jacobian matrices that are the basis of the state-space models can be derived by numerical differentiation of the physical model. The EIS is then extracted from the state-space model using computationally efficient matrix-manipulation techniques. The algorithm can evaluate the full EIS at an instant in time during a transient, independent of whether the battery is in a stationary state. The approach is also able to separate the full-cell impedance to evaluate partial EIS, such as for a battery anode alone. Although such partial EIS is difficult to measure experimentally, the partial EIS provides valuable insights in interpreting the full-cell EIS.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2023

High-Fidelity Numerical Investigation on Elucidating Sodium Heat Transfer Characteristics for 37-Pin Wire-Wrapped Fuel Bundle in the PLANDTL Facility

This study involved a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes- (RANS-) based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis of the 37-pin wire-wrapped fuel bundle of the PNC Plant dynamics test loop (PLANDTL) facility. Previously, mainly the hydrodynamic phenomena of the wire-wrapped fuel bundle were analyzed, but the present study additionally included heat transfer analysis through conjugate heat transfer. The main purpose of the study was to benchmark the experimental data of the PLANDTL 37-pin wire-wrapped fuel bundle to investigate the heat transfer phenomena. In addition, the aim was to verify the accuracy of the RANS-based CFD analysis method using the STAR-CCM+ simulation software in comparison with the experimental data. The grid used for verification was an innovative grid system consisting of hexahedra using Fortran-based code. The development of the RANS-based CFD methodology included grid sensitivity analysis, turbulence model sensitivity analysis, and turbulent Prandtl number sensitivity analysis. Information on the temperature, mass flow rate, and area of the CFD results for each subchannel was provided for the top of the heated section and is expected to serve as a reference for future studies aiming to perform the validation and verification of a PLANDTL facility. In addition, the dependence of the peak temperature on the azimuth angle of each pin was analyzed.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Logic in Memory Emulator

Logic in Memory Emulator (LiME) is a hardware/software tool specially designed for memory system evaluation and experiment. Emerging memories display a wide range of bandwidths, latencies, and capacities, making it challenging for the computer architect to navigate the design space of potential memory configurations, and for the application developer to assess performance implications of using such memories. With the LiME framework, architectural ideas can be prototyped in great detail yet with sufficient performance to support realistic evaluation on long running applications. LiME consists of two fundamental components: 1) the hardware and OS infrastructure for the emulator, and 2) a suite of benchmark applications to assist in characterizing the performance of current and future computer architectures. Some of the applications have been collected from other open source projects. Uses: Logging, replay and analysis of an application's memory behavior Evaluate impact of emerging memory technology on application performance. Emulate complex memory interactions in whole applications orders of magnitude faster than software simulation. Emulate acceleration hardware co-located with the memory subsystem. Features: Capture and log external memory accesses to a separate off-chip memory device without affecting application execution. Memory traces include the address, length, timestamp, and optionally the data for each transaction. Captured trace data can be saved to an SD card for off-line analysis. Configure a wide range of memory latencies in sub-nanosecond increments that encompass highbandwidth and storage class memories. Specify regions of interest (ROI) in applications to reduce the amount of trace data captured for analysis. Currently supports execution on Xilinx Zynq SoC which integrates an ARM processor with FPGA logic on a single device. Applications can be run under Linux or in bare metal mode on the ARM cores.

Jain, AbhishekK↗

DOE OSTI2020

Tidal Disruption Event Galaxy Binner

This software simulates astronomical survey detections of tidal disruptions of stars by super-massive black holes. It begins with the synthetic galaxy catalogue described in van Velzen 2008 (https://arxiv.org/abs/1707.03458). The stellar disruption rate in each galaxy is estimated based on Stone & Metzger 2016 (https://arxiv.org/abs/1410.7772). Based on these rates, and the present-day stellar mass function in the galaxy, disruptions are randomly sampled, and the properties of the resulting flares are sampled based on empirical distributions. The code also accounts for obscuration by dust in the host galaxy. Finally, the survey selection effects are applied. The detectable simulated flares are stored in a database, allowing histograms of their properties to be created.

Roth, NathanielJ.↗