Scheduling double round-robin tournaments with divisional play using constraint programming
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Long time horizon normative models are frequently used for policy analysis, strategic planning, and system analysis. Choosing the granularity of the temporal or spatial resolution of such models is an important modeling decision, often having a first order impact on model results. This type of decision is frequently made by modeler judgment, specifically when the predictive power of alternative choices cannot be tested. In this paper, we show how the implicit tradeoffs modelers make in these formulation decisions, in particular in the tradeoff between the accuracy of representation enabled by the available data and model parsimony, may be addressed with established information theoretic ideas. The paper provides guidance for modelers making these tradeoffs or, in certain cases, enables explicit tests for assessing appropriate levels of resolution. Here, we focus on optimization based normative models in the discussion, and draw our examples from the energy and climate domain.
Background: Several studies proposed a relationship between environmental factors and semen quality, as well as the negative effect of air pollution on spermatogenesis and gonadal function. No specific studies evaluated the environmental influence on semen quality in a specific geographical area. Aim: to evaluate the environmental influence on male sperm parameters in a Northern Italian population referred for semen analysis in the National Health System. The objective of the study is the assessment of the relationship of both air pollution and environmental parameters with quality-related sperm variables, during the coldest months of the year when air is usually most polluted, due to low ventilation and poor rainfall. Study design: A retrospective, observational, cohort study was carried out in the province of Modena, located in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Methods: Semen analyses (n=406), environmental temperature, air humidity and air particulate matter (PM) measurements from the 1st of November 2014 to the 19th of February 2015 were acquired to the first database. Since spermatogenesis lasts over two months, a second, wider database was arranged, evaluating environmental exposure in the 3 months before semen collection (from August 1st 2014). All data included in the database were registered by geo-coding the residential address of the patients and the site of registration of environmental factors. The geo-codification of parameters was performed using Fusion Tables of Google available at (https://www.google.com/fusiontables/data? dsrcid=implicit), considering the exact time of measurement. Results: Average air temperature was inversely related to sperm concentration and to total sperm number (p<0.001). Semen volume was inversely related only to the minimum (p<0.001) and not to maximum recorded temperature (p=0.110). Air humidity was not related to sperm quantity and quality. PM{sub 2.5} was directly related to total sperm number (p<0.001). PM{sub 10} was directly related to both semen volume (0<0.001), and typical forms (p<0.001), inversely related to atypical forms (p<0.001), but related neither to sperm concentration (p=0.430) nor to sperm motility. The extended analyses considering environmental parameters in the 3 months before semen collection, confirmed the relationship between air temperature and sperm quantity, whereas no influence was found between PM and sperm quality. Conclusion: An influence of environmental temperature on semen quantity is suggested, without a clear effect of air pollution, as assessed through PM{sub 10} levels, on sperm parameter variations.
A new open source multi-GPU 2D flood model called TRITON is presented in this work. The model solves the 2D shallow water equations with source terms using a time-explicit first order upwind scheme based on an Augmented Roe's solver that incorporates a careful estimation of bed strengths and a local implicit formulation of friction terms. Here, the scheme is demonstrated to be first order accurate, robust and able to solve for flows under various conditions. TRITON is implemented such that the model effectively utilizes heterogeneous architectures, from single to multiple CPUs and GPUs. Different test cases are shown to illustrate the capabilities and performance of the model, showing promising runtimes for large spatial and temporal scales when leveraging the computer power of GPUs. Under this hardware configuration, communication and input/output subroutines may impact the scalability. The code is developed under an open source license and can be freely downloaded in https://code.ornl.gov/hydro/triton.
Time series data provide a crucial window into infectious disease dynamics, yet their utility is often limited by the spatially aggregated form in which they are presented. When working with time series data, violating the implicit assumption of homogeneous dynamics below the scale of spatial aggregation could bias inferences about underlying processes. We tested this assumption in the context of the 2015–2016 Zika epidemic in Colombia, where time series of weekly case reports were available at national, departmental, and municipal scales. First, we performed a descriptive analysis, which showed that the timing of departmental-level epidemic peaks varied by three months and that departmental-level estimates of the time-varying reproduction number, R(t), showed patterns that were distinct from a national-level estimate. Second, we applied a classification algorithm to six features of proportional cumulative incidence curves, which showed that variability in epidemic duration, the length of the epidemic tail, and consistency with a cumulative normal density curve made the greatest contributions to distinguishing groups. Third, we applied this classification algorithm to data simulated with a stochastic transmission model, which showed that group assignments were consistent with simulated differences in the basic reproduction number, R0. This result, along with associations between spatial drivers of transmission and group assignments based on observed data, suggests that the classification algorithm is capable of detecting differences in temporal patterns that are associated with differences in underlying drivers of incidence patterns. Overall, this diversity of temporal patterns at local scales underscores the value of spatially disaggregated time series data.
Here, this study develops the sparse chronology method to enhance the representative period framework in capacity expansion models, enabling the effective integration of long-duration energy storage modeling. Traditional representative period methods cannot capture the state of charge of seasonal energy storage systems because they do not establish effective inter-day linkages to connect the state of charge between periods. The sparse chronology approach addresses this limitation by establishing inter-day linkages that allow state of charge to shift inter-seasonally. At the same time, it groups identical representative days into partitions, applying constraints sparsely and implicitly to reduce computational load further. Validation results demonstrate that this method successfully simulates long-duration energy storage patterns, achieving close alignment with a continuous yearly benchmark model, with seasonal trends and state of charge cycles clearly represented. The computational load analysis reveals that the sparse chronology method efficiently applies constraints on maximum and minimum state of charge limits within the representative day framework, eliminating the need for detailed constraints on each individual day. By partitioning representative days and constraining only the start and end of each partition, the method significantly decreases computational requirements. Simulation results show that sparse chronology closely approximates the continuous yearly method's accuracy, even with as few as 20 representative days, achieving correlation values with the benchmark of nearly 0.9 in state of charge plots. Furthermore, it maintains computational efficiency, requiring only 4 % of the solver time compared to the continuous yearly method with 20 representative days. This approach allows capacity expansion models to incorporate long-duration energy storage with high temporal, spatial, and technological resolution, enabling more detailed modeling for large-scale power systems.
For tight reservoirs/formations, flow in fracture and matrix obey different flow patterns. Pre-Darcy flow always exists in low permeability subsurface porous media while Darcy flow can be applied in fracture. It is an outstanding challenge to understand the flow behavior coupling different flow mechanisms. As numerical simulation can predict field-scale performance so the development of efficient simulation method becomes a key issue to evaluate the flow behavior. In this paper, we develop an improved discrete fracture model based on the widely used embedded discrete facture model (EDFM) to simulate the transport both in homogenous and heterogeneous porous media in the presence of Pre-Darcy flow. The conservation equations are derived for fracture and matrix firstly and then discretized by fully implicit method. The transmissibility of different connection types is defined and the detailed calculation workflow is presented as well. The proposed model is verified through the comparison with the model using local grid refined (LGR) method. It is discovered that our simulation method exhibits good accuracy when analyzing the effect of Pre-Darcy flow. Some examples are shown including 1D scalar transport, 2D heterogeneous, 3D flow, complex fracture system and multiple well system problems with fully-coupled flow in fracture and matrix. The pressure distribution and well flux are demonstrated to analyze the Pre-Darcy flow characteristics. Results indicate that the new model works robustly for different flow problems which provide further insight into the Pre-Darcy flow in low permeability media.
We report Tritium Migration Analysis Program version 8 (TMAP8), the latest version of TMAP, was developed within the framework of the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE). Created at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), MOOSE is an open-source, dimension-agnostic, fully coupled, and fully implicit multiphysics platform featuring massively parallel computation capabilities. Using TMAP8, tritium transport in a divertor monoblock was analyzed to elucidate the effects of pulsed operation (up to fifty 1,600 s plasma discharge and cool-down cycles) on the tritium in-vessel inventory source term and ex-vessel release term (i.e., tritium retention and permeation) for safety analysis. With its built-in Message Passing Interface capability, TMAP8 can, in under 2 h, simulate tritium transport in three different layered materials (i.e., tungsten, copper, and copper-chromium-zirconium alloy) in 2D geometry, using a single device/computer with 10 cores. The MOOSE-based TMAP8 code can leverage other MOOSE tools developed under the Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation program to perform tritium and thermal transport in complex geometries and multiphysics environments. And via its massively parallel computation, MOOSE will enable the fusion pilot plant designers to conduct high-fidelity multiphysics modeling for the design of the divertor and blanket systems as well as for the safety analysis.
Multiphysics modeling of liquid metal fusion blankets, which produce tritium and convert energy of neutrons created via fusion reactions into heat, is crucial for predicting performance, ensuring structural integrity, and optimizing energy production. While traditional blanket modeling of liquid metal flows during normal steady operating conditions commonly employs the inductionless approximation of the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations, transient scenarios, when the plasma-confining magnetic field varies on millisecond time scales, require a full-induction MHD approach that dynamically evolves the magnetic field via the time-dependent induction equation. This paper presents the formulation, implementation, and initial verification of a full-induction MHD solver integrated within the open-source Vertex-CFD framework, which aims to achieve tight multiphysics coupling, a flexible software design enabling easy extension and addition of physics models, and performance portability across computing platforms. The solver utilizes finite element spatial discretization, implicit Runge–Kutta time integration, and an inexact Newton method to solve the resulting discrete nonlinear system, leveraging Trilinos packages for efficient computation. Verification against selected benchmark problems demonstrates accuracy and robustness of the solver. Furthermore, when the solver is applied to an idealized blanket model in 2.5D and full 3D, results obtained with Vertex-CFD are in good agreement with recently published quasi-2D simulations. These findings establish a computational foundation for future simulations of transient MHD phenomena in liquid metal blankets with Vertex-CFD, and open avenues for future extensions and performance optimizations.
In situ processing aims to alleviate the growing gap between computation and I/O capabilities by performing data processing close to the data source. In situ processing is widely used to process data generated by multiple data sources, including observation data from edge devices or scientific observational facilities and the simulation data generated by scientific computation on a high-performance computing (HPC) platform. For a scientific workflow that is run on an HPC platform and composed of a simulation program and an in situ data analytics or visualization (abbreviated as ana/vis) task, there is an implicit assumption that the computing resources assigned to the workflow keep static during the workflow execution. However, with the converging trend between the HPC and cloud computing platform, running the in situ ana/vis task in an elastic way is promising to decrease its overhead and improve its resource utilization rate. Resource elasticity represents the ability to change resource configurations such as the number of computing nodes/processes during workflow execution. An elastic job may dynamically adjust resource configurations; it may use a few resources at the beginning and more resources toward the end of the job when interesting data appear. However, it is hard to predict a priori how many computing nodes/processes need to be added/removed during the workflow execution to adapt to changing workflow needs. How to efficiently guide elasticity operations, such as growing or shrinking the number of processes used for in situ analysis during workflow execution, is an open-ended research question. In this article, we present adaptive elasticity policies that adopt workflow runtime information collected during workflow execution to predict how to trigger the addition/removal of processes in order to minimize in situ processing overhead. Taking in situ visualization tasks as an example, we integrate the presented elasticity policies into a staging-based elastic workflow and evaluate its efficiency in multiple elasticity scenarios. Compared with the situation without elasticity or with a static elasticity policy that uses a fixed number of processes for each rescaling operation, the adaptive elasticity policy can save overhead in finding a proper resource configuration and improve resource utilization efficiency. Furthermore, one experiment illustrates that the adaptive elasticity policy saves 41% of core-hours compared with the situation without the resource elasticity.
Generalized Disjunctive Programming (GDP) provides an alternative framework to model optimization problems with both discrete and continuous variables. The key idea behind GDP involves the use of logical disjunctions to represent discrete decisions in the continuous space, and logical propositions to denote algebraic constraints in the discrete space. Compared to traditional mixed-integer programming (MIP), the inherent logic structure in GDP yields tighter relaxations that are exploited by global branch and bound algorithms to improve solution quality. In this paper, we present a general GDP model for optimal control of hybrid systems that exhibit both discrete and continuous dynamics. Specifically, we use GDP to formulate a model predictive control (MPC) model for piecewise-affine systems with implicit switching logic. As an example, the GDP-based MPC approach is used as a supervisory control to improve energy efficiency in residential buildings with binary on/off, relay-based thermostats. A simulation study is used to demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach, and the improved solution quality compared to existing MIPbased control approaches.
Thermal security region (TSR) is a powerful tool for monitoring and controlling the thermal security of bulk power grid with high penetration of renewable energy. One of the major challenges of TSR in practical application is to obtain the exact analytical expression of the TSR boundary (TSRB) because TSRB is a nonlinear hypersurface described by an implicit function. For this reason, the TSRB is usually approximated by hyperplane instead of getting the exact analytical expression. Traditionally, the coefficients of the hyperplane are estimated with a set of original TSRB points using least square estimation (LSE). However, LSE is a point estimation method, which is incapable of evaluating the quality of the estimation. In addition, the accuracy and computational efficiency of the hyperplane approximation are influenced by the number of TSRB points significantly. Here, a bootstrap based confidence interval estimation is proposed to estimate not only the coefficients of TSRB approximation hyperplane, but also the standard deviations and confidence intervals of the coefficients for evaluating the quality and reliability of the approximation results. First, empirical distribution functions (EDFs) of the coefficients of TSRB approximation hyperplane are approximated from a set of original TSRB points by using residual resampling bootstrap method. Then, the EDFs of the coefficients are employed to estimate the coefficients of the approximation hyperplane. Meanwhile, the standard deviations and confidence intervals of the estimated coefficients of the hyperplanes are also calculated for evaluating the quality and reliability of the approximation. The proposed approach is tested on the China Southern Power Grid (CSG). Results of simulations validate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed approach in approximating the TSRB.
The current work presents experimental and computational investigations of fluid flow through a 37 element CANDU nuclear fuel bundle. Experiments based on Magnetic Resonance Velocimetry (MRV) permit three-dimensional, three-component fluid velocity measurements to be made within the bundle with sub-millimeter resolution that are non-intrusive, do not require tracer particles or optical access of the flow field. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of the foregoing experiments were performed with the hydra-th code using implicit large eddy simulation, which were in good agreement with experimental measurements of the fluid velocity. Greater understanding has been gained in the evolution of geometry-induced inter-subchannel mixing, the local effects of obstructed debris on the local flow field, and various turbulent effects, such as recirculation, swirl and separation. These capabilities are not available with conventional experimental techniques or thermal-hydraulic codes. Finally, the overall goal of this work is to continue developing experimental and computational capabilities for further investigations that reliably support nuclear reactor performance and safety.
The $k - ω$ Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) model is one of the industry standard approaches for modeling of turbulent flows. It performs better than the $k - ϵ$ model for low Reynolds number flows and is also more suitable for boundary layers with adverse pressure gradients. Major drawback of the model, however, is that the asymptotic value of $ω$ at the walls is singular, necessitating the use of a contrived “sufficiently” large value for $ω$ as the boundary condition for its transport equation. Here, this invariably leads to the solution being sensitive to near wall grid spacing. While an acceptable solution for low order (finite volume) methods, the excessive near wall gradients lead to persistent numerical stability issues in high order codes. To alleviate the problem, specifically in the context of the high order spectral element code Nek5000, a regularized $k - ω$ approach was formulated in our prior work (Tomboulides et al., 2018). The formulation, however, relies on the use of wall distance and its gradients for modeling the closure terms and can pose problems for simulations in complex geometries. This work presents a novel implementation of the $k - τ$ RANS model in Nek5000, where $τ = 1/ω$, eliminating the need for regularization, owing to the asymptotically bounded behavior of the source terms in the $τ$ transport equation, and also eliminating dependence on wall distance. Robustness and stability of the $k - τ$ model is ensured through implicit treatment of the source terms and their careful numerical implementation and demonstrated through several cases aimed at verification and validation. Studies include both canonical and engineering relevant problems, viz., turbulent channel flow, pipe flow, backward facing step, flow over NACA 0012 airfoil and flow in a T-junction. Results from the $k - τ$ model are shown to be consistent with regularized $k - ω$ model and also with the $k - ω$ SST model in OpenFOAM (for select studies). Comparison with experimental data is also shown, where available, to bolster validation efforts for the $k - τ$ model implementation through prediction of key turbulent quantities of interest.
Applications of reaction–diffusion systems in porous media pose a challenging problem for computational modeling approaches due to their multi-physics and multi-scale nature. The length scales usually span 3–4 orders of magnitude while physical phenomena involved include heat and mass transfer processes, and surface reactions. In this paper, a novel methodology that accounts for all the length scales and physical phenomena involved in a single framework is described. A length scale based dual approach is proposed – the larger pore channels (macro-pores) are resolved using conventional numerical techniques and a novel ‘sub-pore’ model is used to account for the unresolved pore channels (sub-pores) and the important physics therein. The porous network in the sub-pore system is composed of a fractal-like hierarchical system of straight cylindrical pores. Simplified governing equations for mass and energy transport are solved within the sub-pore system along with a reaction kinetics model to account for surface adsorption. An implicit coupling strategy is used to couple the macro-pore and the sub-pore systems so as to ensure conservation. The developed methodology is then applied to a few test cases and it is established that the proposed framework is necessary for problems where the adsorption time scale is much smaller than (diffusion-limited) or comparable to the diffusion time scale. Furthermore, it is also demonstrated that the framework can be potentially used to model the network of porous channels in its entirety thus significantly reducing computational costs.
The fluid dynamic and thermal performance of a circular cylinder with a slot parallel to the flow is numerically investigated. The study utilized the semi-implicit finite volume multi-material algorithm MPM-ICE, a component of the Uintah framework. The normalized slot width s/D ranges from 0.1 - 0.3, introducing an additional heat transfer surface area between ~ 10 and ~ 50%, and a mass reduction between ~ 13 and ~ 38% in the cylinder. We assumed two-dimensional incompressible flow and simulated a Reynolds number Re D between 100 and 1000. The slotted cylinders are found to have a total drag force reduction up to ~ 45%, compared to a solid cylinder despite the additional viscous drag force in the slot. Convection heat transfer is enhanced up to ~ 70%. Further, the slotted cylinder performance index, defined as the ratio of the heat rate to the drag force, increases up to maximum of ~ 3, indicating better overall thermal fluid performance. An entropy analysis showed the best performance index occurs at the highest Re D . Correlations for drag coefficient and Nusselt number are proposed along with an entropy optimization method.
This paper is concerned with experimental verification of a recently developed multi-scale simulation framework for plastic deformation of metallic materials from quasi-static to impact deformation conditions. The framework is a visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) polycrystalline model embedded in an implicit finite element method (FE-VPSC) to provide a microstructure-sensitive constitutive response at each material point. Each material point of the FEM model is a polycrystalline aggregate with crystallographic deformation mechanisms operating at the single crystal scale with their evolving activity based on a dislocation density-based hardening law and texture. Four beams and three cylinders machined in different orientations from a textured plate of high-purity zirconium are tested quasi-statically in 4-point bending and at speeds of 100 m/s, 170 m/s and 243 m/s during Taylor impact tests, respectively. The variation in dimensional changes resulting from different sample orientations in the plate with respect to loading directions is measured for each sample. Moreover, texture and twinning characterization is performed using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The deformation processes and underlying evolution of microstructure are successfully simulated using the FE-VPSC framework. In doing so, the model parameters are optimized and validated across a broad range of strain rates and temperatures. Simulation results in terms of geometrical changes and microstructural evolution are compared with the experimental measurements. The model predicts anisotropic material flow resulting from the hard-to-deform crystallographic directions, the development of gradients in texture and twinning through the geometries, tension–compression asymmetry, as well as the extent of plasticity under impact.