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At least 163 records · Page 9

Smart Contract-Defined Secondary Control and Co-Simulation for Smart Solar Inverters using Blockchain Technology

This paper proposes a cooperative control approach using blockchain technology for solar inverters in a photovoltaic system. Moreover, a co-simulation method for smart inverters and a blockchain network is studied. The blockchain assisted-smart inverter (BASI) consists of a solar inverter and an internet of things device as a client node of a blockchain network, which can fully utilize emerging blockchain technologies such as distributed ledger, security functions, and smart contract. The control includes a primary-level droop control in a BASI and smart contract-defined secondary-level supervisory control in a secured blockchain network. The concept of the proposed smart contract-defined control approach is validated by simulation studies using the cyber-physical co-simulation testbed built-in MATLAB/Simulink in a PC interfacing with a Hyperledger-Fabric blockchain software implemented in a PC.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

The definition of cross polarization.

Consideration of three alternate definitions of cross-polarization known to the author. The three definitions are expressed precisely in terms of the same antenna pattern coordinate system, and the relative merits of the various definitions are discussed. One of the definitions is shown to be the proper choice for describing source current polarizations, another is suitable for relating source current distributions to secondary patterns, and the third is the best choice for describing antenna patterns.

Ludwig, A. C.↗

How earthquakes organize stress

Stress is not uniform in the Earth. Therefore, we must use natural experiments to measure the distribution of stresses and related quantities, rather than single values. For instance, dynamic triggering shows that faults are uniformly distributed over their loading cycles in Southern California. The probability that a fault ruptures across a barrier measures the in situ energy distribution. Fault roughness reflects the distribution of strength. These natural experiments produce observable distributions that are surprisingly consistent and suggest some degree of self-organization in the Earth’s crust. Once established, the functional form of the distributions can be used to track changes in response to earthquakes as well as to distinguish fundamentally different fault systems. Transient fault locking before stress release in laboratory experiments can be interpreted as a consequence of self-organization of fault stress. The robust self-organization of multiple variables in earthquake systems suggests that the most consequential mechanical outcome of earthquakes may be the redistribution of stress and the strain energy associated with it. The low friction on a fault during seismic slip as inferred by temperature measurements of the Tohoku earthquake is consistent with dissipation playing a secondary role to this redistribution process. Through stress redistribution and interaction, subduction zone faults tend to synchronize, perhaps due to their geometric simplicity, while the continental system of Southern California cannot synchronize, perhaps due to the complexity of the fault network. Earthquakes organize stress in the crust and produce a suite of well-defined, consistent distributions.

earthquakes↗

Mars Entry Atmospheric Data System Modelling and Algorithm Development

The Mars Entry Atmospheric Data System (MEADS) is being developed as part of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI) project. The MEADS project involves installing an array of seven pressure transducers linked to ports on the MSL forebody to record the surface pressure distribution during atmospheric entry. These measured surface pressures are used to generate estimates of atmospheric quantities based on modeled surface pressure distributions. In particular, the quantities to be estimated from the MEADS pressure measurements include the total pressure, dynamic pressure, Mach number, angle of attack, and angle of sideslip. Secondary objectives are to estimate atmospheric winds by coupling the pressure measurements with the on-board Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data. This paper provides details of the algorithm development, MEADS system performance based on calibration, and uncertainty analysis for the aerodynamic and atmospheric quantities of interest. The work presented here is part of the MEDLI performance pre-flight validation and will culminate with processing flight data after Mars entry in 2012.

Karlgaard, Christopher D.↗

Impact of photoexcitation on secondary electron emission: A Monte Carlo study

Understanding the transport of photogenerated charge carriers in semiconductors is crucial for applications in photovoltaics, optoelectronics, and photo-detectors. While recent experimental studies using scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (SUEM) have demonstrated that the local change in the secondary electron emission induced by photoexcitation enables direct visualization of the photocarrier dynamics in space and time, the origin of the corresponding image contrast still remains unclear. Here, we investigate the impact of photoexcitation on secondary electron emissions from semiconductors using a Monte Carlo simulation aided by time-dependent density functional theory. Particularly, we examine two photoinduced effects: the generation of photocarriers in the sample bulk and the surface photovoltage (SPV) effect. Using doped silicon as a model system and focusing on primary electron energies below 1 keV, we found that both the hot photocarrier effect immediately after photoexcitation and the SPV effect play dominant roles in changing the secondary electron yield (SEY), while the distribution of photocarriers in the bulk leads to a negligible change in SEY. Our work provides insights into electron–matter interaction under photo-illumination and paves the way toward a quantitative interpretation of the SUEM contrasts.

Physics↗

Inter- and intra-crystalline oxygen isotope distribution of fassaites in Allende CAI

Calcium, aluminum-rich inclusions (CAI's) from carbonaceous chondrite are believed to be among the first solids to have formed in the early solar system and thus to preserve a record of conditions and processes that prevailed early in the solar nebula. We have measured inter- and intra- crystalline oxygen isotope distribution of fassaite in Type B1 CAI of Allende meteorite. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) using negative Au primary ion was applied to in situ oxygen isotope ratio analysis on a polished thin section of the CAI. Present data indicate that O isotope composition is homogeneous inside of fassaite grains as well as among grains in the HN3-1 CAI, and that the delta(exp 18) O value (-24.14 percent relative to SMOW) determined previously could be applied to most fassaite grains. The results suggest that most fassaite grains are preexisting solids like spinel grains.

Yurimoto, Hisayoshi↗

Apparatus, method and system for imaging and utilization of SEM charged particles

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) system includes an SEM objective that emits an electron beam toward a sample, causing emission of charged particles including secondary electrons, Auger electrons, backscattered electrons, anions and cations. The SEM system includes electron optics elements that are configured to establish electric fields around the sample that accelerate charged particles toward a detector. A two-dimensional distribution of locations of incidence of the charged particles on the detector is indicative of energies of the charged particles and their emission angles from the sample. A three-dimensional spatial distribution of charged particles emitted from the sample is recovered by performing an Abel transform over the distribution on the detector. The energies and emission angles of the charged particles are then determined from the three-dimensional spatial distribution.

42 ENGINEERING↗

ISIS observations of auroral particles and large-scale Birkeland currents

Simultaneous electron and positive ion observations made with single-component magnetic perturbations on the ISIS-2 satellite are used to compare and contrast the relationships between primary and secondary auroral particle distributions at 5 eV-15 keV, and the large-scale Birkeland currents, in the pre- and post-midnight local time sectors. No unique relation is found between the regions of the Birkeland current system and regions of auroral particle distribution, though repeatable systematics in the region of upward-directed current are observed, and little evidence exists in either local time sector for the direct detection of the downward current-associated current carriers.

Klumpar, D. M.↗

Laboratory Evaluation of Commercial Utility Microgrid Controller Test Results

The functional requirements of many microgrid controllers (MGCs) are expanding and evolving to meet growing utility and community needs. At a high level, the utility microgrid controller serves resilience and reliability use cases by coordinating transitions between grid-connected and islanded states and by managing the system during island operations. This includes control scenarios that require the microgrid controller to use flexible microgrid boundaries, maintain energy balance, coordinate with peer systems, and manage grid-forming (GFM) and grid-following (GFL) distributed energy resources (DER). In order to evaluate these functional enhancements, microgrid controller test plans must also be developed to ensure that the implemented controllers provide adequate performance. This report provides MGC test plans for both island operation and transition functions. The functions covered in this report include feeder level energy management, island constraint management, secondary voltage and frequency control, black start, and synchronized reconnection. This second edition update also includes results from applying the tests to a commercial utility microgrid controller. These results evaluate the performance and reliability of the controller under various operational scenarios. It identifies specific areas where the controller excels and highlights gaps that need to be addressed for future enhancements. The application of these test plans on real-world system behavior provides insights on commercial equipment readiness for field deployment. These test cases can be applied to utility-managed microgrid controllers that exclusively manage utility-owned equipment; the tests also apply to third-party managed microgrid controllers that coordinate with utility- and customer-owned equipment. The report can also be used by technology developers and project developers in industry to evaluate control strategies and performance characteristics for community microgrid controllers.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

A Secondary Control Framework for Microgrid Interoperability With Vendor-Agnostic Grid-Forming Units: Design, Implementation, and Demonstration via Large-Scale Hardware Setup

The reliable operation of islanded microgrids increasingly depends on secondary controls that restore voltage and frequency to nominal values and ensure accurate active and reactive power sharing. Centralized secondary control architectures achieve high accuracy through global coordination at the cost of single-point failures and limited scalability compared with decentralized/distributed approaches. But a critical gap remains in addressing the interoperability and vendor-agnostic operation of secondary controls in real-world microgrids where heterogeneous diesel generator(s) and grid-forming (GFM) inverter(s) from multiple manufacturers always coexist. Practical and vendor-agnostic interoperability guidelines for the secondary control architecture of microgrids with multiple GFM units have not yet been developed; therefore, this paper proposes an interoperable and vendor-agnostic secondary control framework that operates seamlessly across GFM units from different vendors without relying on proprietary controls and protocols, hardware, or lock-ins. The framework leverages existing communication infrastructures (e.g., Modbus TCP/IP) to enable cost-effective deployment while addressing practical challenges, such as packet loss and quantization errors. Mitigation strategies-including data averaging, situational event-triggered control, and finite-iteration execution-are introduced to enhance reliability under real-world conditions. A generalized modeling and design framework is also presented, supported by robustness analysis to demonstrate independence from vendor-specific implementations. The proposed framework is validated through a large-scale hardware demonstration using a 3-$\phi$, 480-V, 60-Hz, 713-kVA laboratory hardware microgrid involving a heterogeneous diesel generator and multiple GFM inverters, showcasing its effectiveness in achieving stable voltage and frequency restoration and accurate power sharing under practical constraints. The results highlight the framework's potential as a scalable and practical solution for next-generation microgrids requiring openness, standard framework, and interoperability.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Distribution and significance of chromium in meteorites

Chromium is present as a minor element in all meteorite types. Depending on the meteorite type it is lithophile (most frequent), chalcophile (less frequent), or siderophile (rare). Chromium is an indicator of physical and chemical conditions of meteorite formation, especially of the state of oxidation. The Cr contents of meteoritic chromites are related to classification and can be used to distinguish among meteorite types that contain this mineral. The distribution of Cr between coexisting pyroxenes may indicate the degree of equilibration of this mineral pair. Siderophile Cr appears to result from primitive condensation processes rather than secondary reduction processes. The lack of much experimental data on Cr in silicate systems limits the interpretation of the occurrences of Cr-silicate phases, ureyite and krinovite, in the meteorite type in which they occur.

Bunch, T. E.↗

Impacts of Experimentally Obtained Harmonic Spectrums of Residential Appliances on Distribution Feeder: Preprint

This paper focuses on the harmonic load flow study for a set of residential loads and the impacts of the harmonic contents on the distribution feeder. Owing to the increased use of the power electronic based appliances and energy efficient home equipment like the lighting loads, the percentage of non-linear loads has increased in the distribution system which can impact the system performance, loss, and stability. Thus a comprehensive knowledge of their power quality and harmonic analysis is essential to improve the load models, voltage stability assessment, determining possible interactions at harmonic frequencies, protection planning, and the effect of the system impedance. For this study, the household appliances include the lighting, power electronics, resistive, and motor loads with a nominal supply voltage of 120 V single-phase or 240 V split-phase at a nominal frequency of 60 Hz. The harmonic spectrum as obtained from the experimental data is used to solve the harmonic load flow for a detailed secondary network including the distribution transformer extracted from a real distribution feeder's model. Additionally, the impact of the voltage harmonic on a three phase test load is presented through experimental results. The harmonic data of the transformer terminal voltage as obtained from the former load flow study is scaled to generate the source voltage for the three phase configuration of the grid simulator to make the test setup very similar to a real scenario.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

The impact of energy-efficiency upgrades and other distributed energy resources on a residential neighborhood-scale electrification retrofit

We report ambitious targets for carbon emissions reductions are highlighting new challenges for electrification strategies, leading to an increased focus on building load flexibility and energy management to complement the variability inherent in renewable energy generation. Over the next decade millions of existing homes could undergo electrification retrofits, and there is an urgent need to understand the potential impacts of electrifying major residential loads such as water and space heating on community load characteristics, resident energy bills, and the utility's distribution system. Behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DERs), including efficiency measures, photovoltaics (PV), battery storage, managed electric vehicle (EV) charging, and controls such as home energy management systems (HEMS), can significantly alter a neighborhood's load profile and provide benefits to both the residents and the grid. We present a novel approach to characterizing the impact of a hypothetical neighborhood-scale residential retrofit program on individual homes' energy use profiles, associated utility bills, and the local distribution system. We modeled a mixed-fuel community of 30 single-family homes in Denver, Colorado, and compared the effects of retrofit scenarios ranging from conventional energy-efficiency upgrades to full electrification with and without more advanced DER technologies. We analyzed which packages of DERs most reliably enable demand flexibility in response to a time-of-use (TOU) rate for this and similar neighborhoods. Our buildings-to-grid co-simulation framework includes a generic secondary distribution feeder model to capture voltage profiles, transformer loading, and other grid impacts in each case. We also calculated the carbon emissions associated with energy use in the community. The methodology developed here can be broadly applied to community-scale beneficial electrification studies in other regions, climates, utility infrastructures, and building typologies to make specific, targeted recommendations based on quantified projections of energy demand in any given community. Our findings indicate that residential electrification can be achieved without negatively impacting the monthly utility bill, and that a combination of conventional energy-efficiency measures, PV, battery, controls, and managed EV charging to maximize a community's demand flexibility is a promising strategy. Adding DERs (especially PV) as part of efficient electrification produces much bigger savings than efficient electrification without DERs. A key barrier is that upgrades require upfront costs, and modest utility bill savings result in long payback periods.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Cranked Arrow Wing (F-16XL-1) Flight Flow Physics with CFD Predictions at Subsonic and Transonic Speeds

The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling used has produced reasonably good global upper-surface pressure coefficient comparisons with measured flight data at both transonic and subsonic speeds at the angles of attack presented. Boundary layer comparisons showed the profiles to be reasonably well predicted inboard and under the primary vortex system. However, the secondary vortex profile was not well predicted either at the anticipated separation point or under the secondary vortex. Moreover, the flight data showed there to be a vortex/boundary-layer interaction that occurred in the vicinity of the secondary vortex. The spanwise distribution of local skin friction measured data was reasonably well predicted, especially away from the wing leading-edge. Lastly, predicted and measured flight-pressures, as well as flight-image data, for the F-16XL-1 airplane are now available via the World Wide Web.

Lamar, John E.↗

Cranked Arrow Wing (F-16XL-1) Flight Flow Physics with CFD Predictions at Subsonic and Transonic Speeds

The CFD modeling used has produced reasonably good global upper-surface pressure coefficient comparisons with measured flight data at both transonic and subsonic speeds at the angles of attack presented. Boundary layer comparisons showed the profiles to be reasonably well predicted inboard and under the primary vortex system. However, the secondary vortex profile was not well predicted either at the anticipated separation point or under the secondary vortex. Moreover, the flight data showed there to be a vortex/boundary-layer interaction that occurred in the vicinity of the secondary vortex. The spanwise distribution of local skin friction measured data was reasonably well predicted, especially away from the wing leading-edge. Lastly, predicted and measured flight-pressures, as well as flight-image data, for the F-16XL-1 airplane are now available via the World Wide Web.

Lamar, John E.↗

Hot electrons between cold walls

We consider electron cooling in a collisionless plasma slab between two cold and freely emitting walls. Numerical calculations suggest a counterintuitive behavior of this system: the cooling rate slows down and eventually stops, leaving the system with a significant fraction of its initial thermal energy. Analytical treatment within the Vlasov–Poisson model reveals a set of steady-states with a two-component distribution of electrons: the primary electrons trapped within the potential wells and the secondary electrons forming the counterstreaming beams. We show that such steady-states are linearly stable with respect to one-dimensional perturbations. Establishment of a particular steady-state depends on initial conditions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

HR 4511 - A probable Cepheid with a supergiant-like hot companion

IUE observations have shown HR 4511 to have an early B-type companion with a strong stellar wind. Fitting the energy distribution of the system from far-UV to middle-IR yields a difference of about 3.2 mag at the V passband. Since HR 4511 is in the small cluster Stock 14 and has M(V) = -7.8, M(V) for the secondary is about -4.6, which is only slightly more luminous than the known BO.5 III and B1 stars at the turnoff point. This implies an inconsistency between the deduced luminosity of the secondary and the nature of its UV spectrum, which mimics stars of considerably greater luminosity. It is suggested that the secondary may have been observed in a brief stage between core and shell H burning.

Parsons, S. B.↗

An Updated Secondary Lunar Meteoroid Ejecta Model for Engineering Design

Introduction: The surface of the Moon is constantly being bombarded by a flux of meteoroids of various sizes. Impacts due to these meteoroids produce secondary ejecta material at much lower speeds but with a total mass larger than the original impactor. Details about the secondary ejecta are important for planning missions on the lunar surface. In this work, an updated ejecta model is presented called the Meteoroid Model of Secondary Ejecta (MeMoSeE), to re-place the Apollo-era ejecta model, NASA SP-8013 [1], in the SLS-SPEC 159 Design Specification for Natural Environments (DSNE) [2]. The model pro-duces secondary ejecta flux environments for a user-specified location on the lunar surface, and sorts the incoming secondary flux by angular direction and speed. Methods: MeMoSeE is separated into three parts: the inputs, the conversion step, and the integration of fluxes. Inputs to the model include the primary meteoroid fluxes and the primary near-Earth object (NEO) fluxes. Meteoroid fluxes, both asteroidal and cometary, are calculated using the Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM3) [3] for different locations on the Moon. For each surface location, an ephemeris is generated using the JPL HORIZONS System [4] that feeds into MEM3. The NEO fluxes are approximated by the high-density population of MEM3 (i.e., only the directionality), where the speed distribution of the NEO fluxes is renormalized to match observations [5]. The regolith properties are used as defined in the DSNE [2]. The conversion step utilizes scaling laws given by Housen & Holsapple 2011 [6] to convert the primary impactor flux to the total mass of secondary ejecta. The ejecta distribution, at the point-of-impact (POI), is separated into a zenith angle and azimuthal angle distribution. The zenith angle distribution follows a beta distribution where the peak depends on the impact altitude angle and the impact azimuth [7]. We employ an ejecta azimuth distribution that is based on Rival & Mandeville 1999 [8] which focuses ejecta in the downstream direction for more oblique impacts. Finally, during the integration step, we sum secondary ejecta number fluxes at a particular region-of-interest (ROI) that originated from many POI locations over the entire surface of the Moon. We keep track of both altitude and azimuth angle bins as well as a range of speed bins, following the igloo gridding as done in MEM3 [9]. The ejecta particle size distribution and density is assumed to be the same as the lunar regolith [10, 2]. Results: The primary fluxes are computed for one Metonic cycle (19 years) for various locations over the lunar surface with a fixed orientation. Both the angular and speed distributions of the primary fluxes are dependent on the latitude and longitude. The over-all primary fluxes show a roughly 13% increase from the eastern limb to the western limb. In general, the speed distribution of the secondary fluxes span from a user-defined minimum speed to the escape speed of the Moon (2.38 km/s), roughly following a power-law relation [6]. Different parts of the speed distribution come from different primary impact locations on the Moon. The secondary ejecta is dominated by the slowest speeds, where these particles originate nearby the ROI. For speeds around 71% of the escape speed, the secondary ejecta originates from locations near the antipodal point. On the other hand, for secondary ejecta speeds that exceed roughly 90% the escape speed, the ejecta particles come from all over the lunar surface to the ROI. Comparing the secondary ejecta fluxes from MeMoSeE with NASA SP-8013 [1], there is a reduction by about 2-3 orders of magnitude for secondary ejecta particles greater than 1 µg. These estimates agree with recent findings from Bjorkman & Christiansen 2019 [11]. The secondary ejecta fluxes are also compared with the primary fluxes, where the ejecta fluxes are roughly an order of magnitude greater than the primary fluxes. References: [1] Cour-Palais, B. G., (1969) NASA SP-8013. [2] NASA SLS-SPEC-159 Rev. H (2020). [3] Moorhead, A. V., et al. (2019) JS&R, 1-17. [4] Giorgini, J. D., (2015) IAUGA, 29, 2256293. [5] Moorhead, A. V., (2020) Memo OSMA/MEO/Lunar-001. [6] Housen, K. R., and Holsapple, K. A., (2011) Icarus, 211(1), 856-875. [7] Gault, D. E., and Wedekind, J. A., (1978) L&PSCP, 9, 3843-3875. [8] Rival, M., and Mandeville, J., (1999) Space Debris, 1(1), 45-57. [9] Moorhead, A. V., (2019) MEM3 User Guide. [10] Carrier, W. D., (1973) The Moon, 6(3-4), 250-263. [11] Bjorkman, M. D. & Christiansen, E. L., (2019) ODC

impacts↗