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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Practical Insights on Applying Simulation-Based Control Methods in Experimental Studies

Advanced nuclear reactors are crucial to the future of energy both in the United States and around the globe. In contrast to the current operating fleet, they are characterized as being deployable in remote locations and able to operate in semi-autonomous or autonomous fashion. This leap forward necessitates a new reactor control paradigm. Because advanced nuclear reactors are still under development in the United States, the creation of new control methods to achieve autonomous operations has been based on systems modeling and simulation. However, an important factor in successfully deploying these new control methods is the ability to seamlessly transition from simulation environments to real-world settings. Control methods tested in both simulation and experimental settings need to be investigated in the context of advanced reactor applications. This work developed a series of simple controllers for Idaho National Laboratory (INL)’s Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) microreactor operating in load-following scenarios. These controllers were tested in both simulation and experimental settings, and a comparative performance analysis was performed. The simulation tests leveraged the Control and Optimization Modular Modeling Application for Nuclear Deployment (COMMAND) software developed in a previous stage of the current effort, along with the MARVEL Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5-3D) and Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) models. The experimental tests leveraged the COMMAND software, MARVEL models, and the U.S. Department of Energy Microreactor Program’s Microreactor Automated Control System (MACS). MACS was developed to serve as a control method testbed. It was customized to mirror the MARVEL microreactor, and COMMAND enabled MACS to emulate the physics of MARVEL. The load-following controller was developed using the simulation platform, with efforts to emulate real systems by introducing actuator saturation and noise. These factors were incrementally accounted for in the controller design. After finalizing the controller design, it was implemented with the experimental setup. The experimental conditions tested included an initial test under conditions similar to the final simulation test, and two additional scenarios. The first scenario introduced additional actuator saturation to account for equipment aging over time, which was unknown to the controller. The second scenario introduced sensor delay, a phenomenon anticipated with the use of remote operations or wireless communication in advanced reactors. These tests revealed several notable differences. While the controller performed well in simulation, it exhibited several limitations when transitioning to hardware. The main challenges involved maintaining the steady-state target power, as evidenced by larger error values between the true reactor power and setpoint power, as well as persistent oscillations in controlled reactor power. These issues could lead to unacceptable transient conditions in real reactor testing. Introducing actuator aging and stochastic delays in the experimental setup significantly impacted controller performance, resulting in increased overshoot and undershoot, and exacerbated error and oscillations previously mentioned. These findings underscore the importance of experimental testbeds for testing and validating control methods, as controllers developed using only theory and/or simulation may perform unexpectedly when applied to actual hardware. This research emphasizes the need for an experimental testbed for achieving such validation.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗
DOE OSTI2024

Air quality impacts from the development of unconventional oil and gas well pads: Air toxics and other volatile organic compounds

Unconventional oil and natural gas development (UOGD) has expanded rapidly across the United States in recent decades and raised concerns about associated air quality impacts. While significant effort has been made to quantify methane emissions, relatively few observations have been made of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), especially during drilling and completion of new wells. Extensive air monitoring during development of several large, multi-well pads in Broomfield, Colorado, in the Denver-Julesburg Basin, provides a novel opportunity to examine changes in local air toxics and other VOC concentrations during well drilling and completions and production. These operations offer an especially useful case to study as several management practices were implemented to reduce emissions (e.g., electrified, grid-powered drill rigs and closed loop fluid handling systems to reduce truck traffic and limit fluid handling on the pad). With simultaneous measurements of methane and 50 VOCs from October 2018 to December 2022 at as many as 19 sites near well pads, in adjacent neighborhoods, and at a more distant reference location, we identify impacts from each phase of well development and production. Use of weekly, time-integrated canisters, a Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS), continuous photoionization detectors (PID) to trigger canister collection upon detection of VOC-rich plumes, and an instrumented vehicle, provided a powerful suite of measurements to characterize both transient plumes and longer-term changes in air quality. Prior to the start of well development, VOC gradients were small across Broomfield. Once drilling commenced, concentrations of oil and gas (O&G) related VOCs, including alkanes and aromatics, increased around active well pads. Concentration increases were clearly apparent during certain operations, including drilling, coil tubing/millout operations, and production tubing installation. Emissions of C 8 –C 10 n-alkanes during drilling operations highlighted the importance of VOC emissions from synthetic drilling mud chosen to reduce odor impacts. More than 90 samples were collected of transient plumes. Using composition measurements, meteorological data, and information about well pad activities, these plumes were connected with specific UOGD operations including drilling, flowback, and production equipment maintenance. The chemical signatures of these plumes differed by operation type (e.g., C 8 –C 10 n-alkanes constituted a larger fraction of measured VOCs in drilling-related plumes). Concentrations of individual, oil and gas-related VOCs in these plumes were often several orders of magnitude higher than in background air, with maximum ethane and benzene concentrations of 79,600 and 819 ppbv, respectively. Because these plumes typically impact a monitoring site for just several minutes, they are easily missed by slower-responding instruments. Study measurements highlight future emission mitigation opportunities during UOGD operations, including better control of emissions from shakers that separate drill cuttings from drilling mud, production separator maintenance operations, and periodic emptying of sand cans during flowback operations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of C P Violation Observables in D + → K − K + π + Decays

A search for violation of the charge-parity ( C P ) symmetry in the D + → K − K + π + decay is presented, with proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb − 1 , collected at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV with the LHCb detector. A novel model-independent technique is used to compare the D + and D − phase-space distributions, with instrumental asymmetries subtracted using the D s + → K − K + π + decay as a control channel. The p value for the hypothesis of C P conservation is 8.1%. The C P asymmetry observables A C P | S ϕ π + = ( 0.95 ± 0.4 3 stat ± 0.2 6 syst ) × 10 − 3 and A C P | S K ¯ * 0 K + = ( − 0.26 ± 0.5 6 stat ± 0.1 8 syst ) × 10 − 3 are also measured. These results show no evidence of C P violation and represent the most sensitive search performed through the phase space of a multibody decay. © 2024 CERN, for the LHCb Collaboration 2024 CERN

Aaij, R. (ORCID:0000000305331952)↗
DOE OSTI2025

TEAMER – Harvesting Subsea Water Motion to Provide Clean Electrical Power (Abstract)

Power generation from vortex induced vibration (VIV) is an emerging field with new technologies that are just beginning to be field tested. In this TEAMER project, WITT Energy will be field testing the power production of its pendulum system in two different configurations to evaluate its performance. The amount of power produced by a VIV instrument depend on the frequency at which it vibrates. The vibrational frequency is controlled by the device shape and its interaction with the flow velocity. Computer models are used to predict vibration frequencies as a function of flow velocity but they may be inaccurate due to complicated bathymetry and bottom roughness that is not captures by the models. This project will test the WITT VIV device in the Sequim Bay channel over a range of tidal velocities. Two tests will be completed with different pipe lengths that are expected to vary the vibrational frequency and therefore the power produced. PNNL will use an acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) to monitor the flow conditions during the tests. These tests will help WITT Energy evaluate how closely field operations follow computer model predictions and how best to configure their device for electricity production.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrochemistry-induced deposition for controlled formation of metal–organic framework films on insulator and conductor substrates

A number of technological applications of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) require the formation of their thin films on insulator and/or conductor substrates at selected areas with desired thicknesses. However, fabrication of such MOF films often requires multi-step processes and/or sophisticated instruments. Herein, we discuss electrochemistry-induced MOF deposition, which permits the direct formation of a thin MOF film with controlled thickness at a desired area on various substrates. So far, we have reported the applicability of this deposition method for the formation of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) films. In this method, a ZIF-8 film is formed on an insulator or a conductor substrate upon applying a cathodic potential to a working electrode that is placed above the substrate. Importantly, the film is formed just below the cathodic working electrode, indicating that the position and lateral dimensions (on the mm- to μm-scale) of the film can be controlled by those of the working electrode. In addition, film thickness is controllable in the range of tens to hundreds of nanometers by adjusting potential application conditions at the cathodic working electrode. These results show that the electrochemistry-induced deposition method will provide a simple means for the fabrication of a patterned MOF film on various substrates without additional lithographic processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Project Presentation: Hardware-Based Demonstration of Temperature Control Functions for Reactor Systems

Autonomous thermal regulation in nuclear reactors remains crucial for maintaining stable operation and ensuring the integrity of fuel. To alleviate public skepticism of the safety of nuclear reactors, demonstrating control over this key factor is pivotal. Utilizing electric heat pads to simulate the heat released in a reactor core, thermocouples for temperature monitoring, and an Arduino micro programmable logic controller (PLC) with an embedded proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm for control, a hardware-based demonstration of a reactor heating system will validate the efficacy of reactor control over this key parameter. This report covers internship project presentation as well as relevant experience with nuclear and proposal for project upgrade.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utility and Industry Perceptions of Control Room Modernization Over the Last 10 Years

Within the current United States (U.S.) nuclear power fleet, main control room modernization (CRM) is an important step towards cost savings. In recent decades, plants have been engaged in upgrades to varying degrees. This process requires a nuanced, balanced, and timely approach that ensures continued safety and long-term sustainability. In 2012 a survey was issued to individuals from the nuclear industry to learn their perspectives on a range of CRM issues. The survey targeted the benefits and challenges for utilities undertaking this process, including the main drivers and barriers to technology upgrades, regulatory compliance, and the effects these factors have on concepts of operations, strategic approaches, and staffing. In 2022, the survey was issued again to understand whether CRM perceptions had changed in the last 10 years. Our findings identify changes in industry thinking from a decade ago. Here we reveal perspective shifts that represent increased optimism and, in some instances, increased doubt regarding the opportunities and challenges inherent in CRM and implementation. We also report nuanced differences in CRM perspectives between utility and surrounding nuclear industry respondents.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comparing Control Performance Between Simulation and Experiment using the Microreactor Automated Control System Testbed

In the advanced reactor domain, a flexible and scalable software/hardware infrastructure is crucial for integrating and validating various control technologies. This study used the Microreactor Automated Control System (MACS) hardware platform as a testbed. MACS was originally designed to mirror Idaho National Laboratory (INL)'s Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL), a 85-kW thermal fission microreactor. It features control drums for simulated reactivity control; lights that function as a surrogate reactor core, with the brightness being proportional to the reactor power; and light sensors that emulate neutron detectors. To transform MACS into a physical twin of MARVEL for evaluating control methods, the Control and Optimization Modular Modeling Application for Nuclear Deployment (COMMAND) software was employed. This software integrated the hardware with two models of the MARVEL core, based on Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5-3D) and Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) models. The study aimed to demonstrate the gap between control theory and actual practice—a gap that often necessitates empirical adjustments such as control gain retuning, filters, time discretization, and integrator anti-windup measures. Controllers were developed based on increasingly complex simulations without hardware, starting from the base MARVEL model and then introducing actuator saturation constraints and sensor noise. The final control strategy was then tested using MACS, and a comparative performance analysis was conducted.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗
DOE OSTI2024

PeakQC: A Software Tool for Omics-Agnostic Automated Quality Control of Mass Spectrometry Data

Mass spectrometry is broadly employed to study complex molecular mechanisms in various biological and environmental fields, enabling 'omics' research such as proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics. As study cohorts grow larger and more complex with dozens to hundreds of samples, the need for robust quality control (QC) measures through automated software tools becomes paramount to ensure the integrity, high quality, and validity of scientific conclusions from downstream analyses and minimize the waste of resources. Since existing QC tools are mostly dedicated to proteomics, automated solutions supporting metabolomics are needed. To address this need, we developed the software PeakQC, a tool for automated QC of MS data that is independent of omics molecular types (i.e., omics-agnostic). It allows automated extraction and inspection of peak metrics of precursor ions (e.g., errors in mass, retention time, arrival time) and supports various instrumentations and acquisition types, from infusion experiments or using liquid chromatography and/or ion mobility spectrometry front-end separations and with/without fragmentation spectra from data-dependent or independent acquisition analyses. Diagnostic plots for fragmentation spectra are also generated. Here, in this paper, we describe and illustrate PeakQC’s functionalities using different representative data sets, demonstrating its utility as a valuable tool for enhancing the quality and reliability of omics mass spectrometry analyses.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

5G-TSN Architecture Capable of Providing Real-time Situational Awareness to Fossil-Energy (FE) Generation Systems (Final Technical Report)

This final report highlights the comprehensive achievements of the project focused on developing and validating a 5G-Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) architecture tailored for real-time operational awareness in fossil energy systems. The initiative successfully advanced through a series of technical milestones, including the integration of EMI-aware network models, deployment of advanced simulation frameworks, and real-world performance characterization at key sites such as UTEP and Fabens. Through the strategic use of NetSim® software, the team created and validated network configurations for wired and wireless environments, tested under varying congestion conditions, and verified network slicing implementations for URLLC-specific applications. Major accomplishments include the migration of simulation tools to the latest NetSim® version to support accurate modeling of TSN and network slicing, extensive EMI measurement campaigns, and the development of a robust simulation model for end-to-end SCADA system integration. Simulations compared both TDD and FDD duplexing modes, revealing insights into their performance under congested conditions. The wireless network was benchmarked for throughput, jitter, and delay metrics, aligning with 3GPP Release 15/16 and IEEE 802.1-TSN standards. A peer-reviewed conference paper was accepted and published, contributing to the broader academic and industrial discourse on 5G-TSN integration in energy systems, in addition to a journal article. Despite minor delays due to software limitations, the project achieved its objectives and delivered validated architecture ready for deployment in advanced energy network environments.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2025

Smokeless Chimney using Smoke Opacity as a Combustion Control Parameter (CRADA Final Report)

If operated poorly, wood burning heaters can produce large amounts of particulate matter (PM). Although several instruments are available to monitor PM, most require dilution air and are unable to sample directly from a flue due to the high PM concentrations and temperatures. Opacity sensors can measure color, opacity and smoke density from wood heater stacks. They operate by transmitting a light beam through the emission source and measuring the amount of light intensity lost (opacity) and light not reflected (color). Although opacity sensors are used in several areas, none have been thoroughly evaluated or optimized for measuring smoke from wood heaters.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Opportunities for gas-phase science at short-wavelength free-electron lasers with undulator-based polarization control

Free-electron lasers (FELs) are the world's most brilliant light sources with rapidly evolving technological capabilities in terms of ultrabright and ultrashort pulses over a large range of photon energies. Their revolutionary and innovative developments have opened new fields of science regarding nonlinear light-matter interaction, the investigation of ultrafast processes from specific observer sites, and approaches to imaging matter with atomic resolution. A core aspect of FEL science is the study of isolated and prototypical systems in the gas phase with the possibility of addressing well-defined electronic transitions or particular atomic sites in molecules. Notably for polarization-controlled short-wavelength FELs, the gas phase offers new avenues for investigations of nonlinear and ultrafast phenomena in spin-orientated systems, for decoding the function of the chiral building blocks of life as well as steering reactions and particle emission dynamics in otherwise inaccessible ways. This roadmap comprises descriptions of technological capabilities of facilities worldwide, innovative diagnostics and instrumentation, as well as recent scientific highlights, novel methodology, and mathematical modeling. The experimental and theoretical landscape of using polarization controllable FELs for dichroic light-matter interaction in the gas phase will be discussed and comprehensively outlined to stimulate and strengthen global collaborative efforts of all disciplines. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

Ilchen, Markus↗
DOE OSTI2024

Passive high explosive neutron inspection (PHENIX): a new method to confirm the presence or absence of high explosives for nuclear treaty verification

Advanced instruments and methods need to be developed now to create a technical basis to support the negotiation of future nuclear arms control treaties. One new capability that is anticipated is the ability to confirm either the declared presence or declared absence of high explosive (HE) material in the presence of special nuclear material (SNM). Towards this goal, Passive HE Neutron Inspection (PHENIX) has been developed and demonstrated as a method for confirming the presence or absence of HE in the presence of plutonium. The method exploits the inherent presence of neutrons associated with the decay of plutonium as an internal probe source for performing prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA), searching for the presence of HE as revealed by the emission of characteristic gamma rays following neutron absorption in hydrogen and nitrogen which are building blocks of present-day, military-grade HE. Tests using stoichiometrically-correct hemishells of mock HE with plutonium show that a system can be expected to positively confirm the presence or absence of these signatures, supporting determination of HE presence or absence with Pu, in a few hours. To protect other potentially sensitive gamma-ray signatures from a treaty accountable item, an analog information barrier has been conceptualized and tested which physically prevents the collection of gamma-ray spectral data outside of user selected energy windows strategically chosen to view only narrow spectral regions corresponding to the hydrogen (2223.2 keV) and nitrogen (9807.2 keV, 10,318.2 keV, and 10,829.2 keV) PGNAA signatures.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

VISION: a modular AI assistant for natural human-instrument interaction at scientific user facilities

Scientific user facilities, such as synchrotron beamlines, are equipped with a wide array of hardware and software tools that require a codebase for human-computer-interaction. This often necessitates developers to be involved to establish connection between users/researchers and the complex instrumentation. The advent of generative AI presents an opportunity to bridge this knowledge gap, enabling seamless communication and efficient experimental workflows. Here we present a modular architecture for the Virtual Scientific Companion by assembling multiple AI-enabled cognitive blocks that each scaffolds large language models (LLMs) for a specialized task. With VISION, we performed LLM-based operation on the beamline workstation with low latency and demonstrated the first voice-controlled experiment at an x-ray scattering beamline. The modular and scalable architecture allows for easy adaptation to new instruments and capabilities. Development on natural language-based scientific experimentation is a building block for an impending future where a science exocortex—a synthetic extension to the cognition of scientists—may radically transform scientific practice and discovery.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design and commissioning of readout electronics for a $K$$^{0}_{L}$ and $μ$ detector at the Belle II experiment

The K-long and muon detector (KLM) constitutes the outer-most volume of the Belle II spectrometer at the interaction region of the SuperKEKB collider in Tsukuba, Japan. The KLM detector was partially upgraded since the Belle experiment by replacing many of its resistive-plate chambers with scintillators containing wavelength-shifting fibers and instrumenting it with silicon photomultipliers. Here, we describe the readout electronics, firmware, and software created to control and acquire data from the scintillators and resistive-plate chambers.

Belle II↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Automatic Reactor Control System (ARCS) Upgrade, version 2.0 for TREAT

The Transient REActor Test Facility (TREAT) recently underwent an upgraded to the Automatic Reactor Control System (ARCS). The purpose of the upgrade was to institute a new software architecture that is better suited for the programming environment, patched software bugs and applied two new segments for reactor control. This paper will focus on the new segments for reactor control. The two new control segments added to ARCS are called Generic Power and Generic Rods. The original version of ARCS provided only two power related functions, namely periods and ramps, that had to be spliced together to generate any power shape. The Generic Power segment allows the user to input data points to define the function and then the algorithm does its best to create the desired shape. The original ARCS program utilized two direct rod commands (i.e. open loop control), these were a rod stop and clip. A Generic Rod segment extends the ability of the computer to directly command any rod position. The functionality of these new segments was proven during the TREAT outage in 2024.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Production, quality assurance and quality control of the SiPM Tiles for the DarkSide-20k Time Projection Chamber

The DarkSide-20k dark matter direct detection experiment will employ a 21 m 2 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array, instrumenting a dual-phase 50 tonnes liquid argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC). SiPMs are arranged into modular photosensors called Tiles, each integrating 24 SiPMs onto a printed circuit board (PCB) that provides signal amplification, power distribution, and a single-ended output for simplified readout. Tiles are further grouped into Photo-Detector Units (PDUs). This paper details the production of the Tiles and the Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA-QC) protocol established to ensure their performance and uniformity. The production and QA-QC of the Tiles are carried out at Nuova Officina Assergi (NOA), an ISO-6 clean room facility at LNGS. This process includes wafer-level cryogenic characterisation, precision die attaching, wire bonding, and extensive electrical and optical validation of each Tile. The overall production yield exceeds 83.5%, matching the requirements of the DarkSide-20k production plan. These results validate the robustness of the Tile design and its suitability for operation in a cryogenic environment.

Acerbi, F. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler]↗
DOE OSTI2025

ESAC (EQ-SANS Assisting Chatbot): Application of large language models and retrieval-augmented generation for enhanced user experience at EQ-SANS

Neutron scattering experiments have played vital roles in exploring materials properties in the past decades. While user interfaces have been improved over time, neutron scattering experiments still require specific knowledge or training by an expert due to the complexity of such advanced instrumentation and the limited number of experiments each person may perform each year. This paper introduces an innovative chatbot application that leverages Large Language Models(LLM) and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technologies to significantly enhance the user experience at the EQ-SANS, a small-angle neutron scattering instrument at the Spallation Neutron Source of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Through a user-centric design approach, the EQ-SANS Assisting Chatbot (ESAC) serves as an interactive reference for users, thereby facilitating the use of the instrument by visiting scientists. By bridging the gap between the users of EQ-SANS and the control systems required to perform their experiments, the ESAC sets a new standard for interactive learning and support for the scientific community using large-scale scientific facilities.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗