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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

R.U.N. Motion VR Boots: Realistic Unimpeded Natural (RUN) Motion Boots for VR gaming in the comfort of your home

Virtual reality (VR) gaming has experienced increasingly widespread adoption in recent years largely due to the development of affordable, consumer-grade headsets equipped with high quality, miniature displays and compact sensors for motion tracking. These devices are now able to provide users with immersive experiences that far surpass what traditional video games can achieve. However, despite these technological strides, a fundamental limitation remains: VR users are unable to move freely in their physical environment without the risk of colliding with real-world obstacles and hazards. This safety concern significantly restricts the level of immersion and natural movement possible in VR gaming.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Choppy Lite

The existing methodologies for gathering and computing zonal statistics from the combination of a raster image and a shapefile either require advanced programming knowledge in at least one language or the use of proprietary software such as ArcGIS. The software “Choppy Lite” offers several solutions for acquiring zonal statistics that can be used without proprietary software or programming knowledge. This software provides a Docker-based ecosystem, allowing users of any experience level to simply run a single line command in a terminal prompt independent of the operating system. Intermediate to advanced users can import the class provided by the software package into their own Python scripts.

Grant, JoshuaN.↗
DOE OSTI2025

LCLS Big Data Handling – How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Data Deluge

Advanced data and computing systems are vital to Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) operations, data interpretation and overall scientific productivity. The transition to MHz-era operation marks a fundamental change in scale that requires new infrastructure and architectures to link LCLS to the required scale of computing needed for scientific interpretation. The LCLS-II Data System meets big data challenges by implementing configurable data reduction that can adapt to multiple science areas, real-time analysis frameworks to provide visualization and fast feedback, and the ability to transfer data to local and remote computational facilities for near real time analysis at the appropriate scale. Feature extracted information generated in the data analysis pipeline - at the edge, local compute, or remote High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources - can be used to steer experiments and inform user decisions during beam time. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) techniques present new opportunities to rapidly analyse large datasets and direct experiments, but create new challenges in scaling, adaptability, complexity, and trustworthiness. We describe how the LCLS-II Data System architecture addresses its data-driven challenges in the areas of data acquisition, data processing, data management, and workflow orchestration to decrease the overall time-to-science and provide a vision for future developments.

artificial intelligence↗
DOE OSTI2020

NSUF Melt Wire Evaluations for BSU 8242 and GE Hitachi-10393 Irradiation Experiments

The Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) is the United States Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's only designated nuclear energy user facility. Its mission is to provide nuclear energy researchers access to world-class capabilities and to facilitate the advancement of nuclear science and technology. This mission is supported by providing access to state-of-the-art experimental irradiation testing, post-irradiation examination facilities, and high-performance computing capabilities as well as technical and scientific assistance for the design and execution of projects. Two NSUF irradiation experiments, Boise State University-8242 and General Electric Hitachi, used melt wire packs to determine peak temperatures reached during irradiation testing. This report will discuss the temperature evaluation process and present the associated data.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Graphical User Interface for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment Robotic Test Stand

In preparation for DUNE, Fermilab along with six other institutions are testing cold electronics for quality control before components placed in the far detector. We test them by using a robotic arm that places these chips into sockets on a computer board that will test their functionality. Up until now, the chips have been tested using a command line script that drives a state machine to conduct tests step-by-step. In order to lower the skill barrier to conduct tests and to speed up the quality control process, I was tasked to create a graphical user interface that would allow users to use buttons, text boxes, and drop-down menus to input information and tell the testing state machine how to operate. I had to learn about the Python package Tkinter to start the process of widget placement. I further developed a pause feature unused in the previous command line script that would allow the user to shut down testing gracefully, bring the robotic arm to go back to ground state, and go forward or backward a step in the testing process. After completing the basic functionality of the GUI, I started testing production chips with the GUI to debug. Some issues were found, which required me to further develop parts of the inherited state machine code. The code for the GUI has now been pushed into the copy the DUNE/FD_CE git repository and will soon be merged with the official DUNE/FD_CE repository so that the other institutions testing DUNE cold electronics can use and expand upon it.

Gutierrez Villanueva, Jaziel [Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2023

Fast and Thermal Neutron Spectrum Dosimetry Measurements in the Advanced Test Reactor large-B and small-I Positions Following the Sixth Core Internals Change-out [Slides]

The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) has a wide variety of irradiation positions that have had experiments that were developed by users from around the world. Most experiment irradiations rely on thoroughly benchmarked numerical models. However, some irradiation positions in ATR are not as well- characterized and are complicated by spectral perturbations from control cylinder orientation. The “small I” and “large-B” irradiation positions are located nearby control cylinders and suffer from these flux perturbations from control cylinder orientations that change during an irradiation cycle to maintain the desired core power distribution. Models predicted that these types of position would exhibit both spectral shifts and amplitude changes in neutron flux, but few measurements have been conducted to benchmark these predictions. Recently, requalification testing was performed to confirm the operational readiness of the ATR following the completion of the Core Internals Change-out (CIC). These tests provided a unique opportunity to validate the analytical methods used to simulate the ATR because nearly all components in the reactor were in a clean as-built state, significantly reducing modelling uncertainties. One subset of the testing included characterization of the fast and thermal neutron flux in the “small-I” and “large-B” positions using silver, cobalt, and nickel neutron dosimetry. In contrast to typical irradiation cycles, the control cylinders were held in position during the post-CIC nuclear testing. The specific activity of these dosimeter wires was measured following two low-power tests with different control cylinder positions.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗
DOE OSTI2024

A317_Fast and Thermal Neutron Spectrum Dosimetry Measurements in the Advanced Test Reactor large-B and small-I Positions Following the Sixth Core Internals Change-out

The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) has a wide variety of irradiation positions that have had experiments that were developed by users from around the world. Most experiment irradiations rely on thoroughly benchmarked numerical models. However, some irradiation positions in ATR are not as well- characterized and are complicated by spectral perturbations from control cylinder orientation. The “small I” and “large-B” irradiation positions are located nearby control cylinders and suffer from these flux perturbations from control cylinder orientations that change during an irradiation cycle to maintain the desired core power distribution. Models predicted that these types of position would exhibit both spectral shifts and amplitude changes in neutron flux, but few measurements have been conducted to benchmark these predictions. Recently, requalification testing was performed to confirm the operational readiness of the ATR following the completion of the Core Internals Change-out (CIC). These tests provided a unique opportunity to validate the analytical methods used to simulate the ATR because nearly all components in the reactor were in a clean as-built state, significantly reducing modelling uncertainties. One subset of the testing included characterization of the fast and thermal neutron flux in the “small-I” and “large-B” positions using silver, cobalt, and nickel neutron dosimetry. In contrast to typical irradiation cycles, the control cylinders were held in position during the post-CIC nuclear testing. The specific activity of these dosimeter wires was measured following two low-power tests with different control cylinder positions.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗
DOE OSTI2021

Gaming the beamlines—employing reinforcement learning to maximize scientific outcomes at large-scale user facilities

Abstract Beamline experiments at central facilities are increasingly demanding of remote, high-throughput, and adaptive operation conditions. To accommodate such needs, new approaches must be developed that enable on-the-fly decision making for data intensive challenges. Reinforcement learning (RL) is a domain of AI that holds the potential to enable autonomous operations in a feedback loop between beamline experiments and trained agents. Here, we outline the advanced data acquisition and control software of the Bluesky suite, and demonstrate its functionality with a canonical RL problem: cartpole. We then extend these methods to efficient use of beamline resources by using RL to develop an optimal measurement strategy for samples with different scattering characteristics. The RL agents converge on the empirically optimal policy when under-constrained with time. When resource limited, the agents outperform a naive or sequential measurement strategy, often by a factor of 100%. We interface these methods directly with the data storage and provenance technologies at the National Synchrotron Light Source II, thus demonstrating the potential for RL to increase the scientific output of beamlines, and layout the framework for how to achieve this impact.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

ANS-8 Nuclear Criticality Safety Consensus Standards - Current Initiatives

The nuclear criticality safety (NCS) consensus standards are developed as using rigorous procedures of the Standards Board of the American Nuclear Society. These procedures have been accredited by the American National Standards Institute, Inc., as meeting the criteria for American National Standards. The Nuclear Criticality Safety Consensus Committee (NCSCC) that approved all 18 NCS consensus standards is balanced to ensure that competent, concerned, and varied interests have had an opportunity to participate. The ANS-8 subcommittee (ANS-8) consists of 17 NCS experts with many years of experience as end users of ANS standards who serve on standard working groups to develop and maintain standards. ANS-8 ensures that the technical content of the standards is adequate for NCS community use. Attempts are made to ensure that ANS-8 consists of NCS professionals with a diverse range of experience such that all standards are applicable to as many sites as possible. ANS-8 is a very active subcommittee, and some active projects in progress are discussed in this paper: basis statement development for all standards, development of a glossary for consistency of definitions across all ANS-8 standards, and Considering the Criticality Safety Support Group (CSSG) Recommendation 2016-04 to the ANS Standards Board for changes in several ANS-8 standards.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

PandAna: A Python Analysis Framework for Scalable High Performance Computing in High Energy Physics

Modern experiments in high energy physics analyze millions of events recorded in particle detectors to select the events of interest and make measurements of physics parameters. These data can often be stored as tabular data in files with detector information and reconstructed quantities. Current techniques for event selection in these files lack the scalability needed for high performance computing environments. We describe our work to develop a high energy physics analysis framework suitable for high performance computing. This new framework utilizes modern tools for reading files and implicit data parallelism. Framework users analyze tabular data using standard, easy-to-use data analysis techniques in Python while the framework handles the file manipulations and parallelism without the user needing advanced experience in parallel programming. In future versions, we hope to provide a framework that can be utilized on a personal computer or a high performance computing cluster with little change to the user code.

Groh, Micah↗
DOE OSTI2020

Using the Carbon Capture Simulation Initiative (CCSI) Tool to Design the Experiments in the Parametric Campaign of a Novel Compact Absorber for Carbon Capture

Gas absorption towers with structured packing and solvent have been used for Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) Capture for about many decades. To overcome process limitations and practical disadvantages for CO 2 capture from the stationary emitter (e.g. NG and coal power plant), many new designs have been proposed and explored at the various scales in the last decade with aim of either low energy penalty or low capital cost. To reduce the size of the absorption tower and hence the total cost of CO 2 capture, the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research Center (UK CAER) has designed and built a novel CO 2 capture absorption tower or Compact Absorber, integrated into an existing large-bench scale CO 2 capture unit. The Compact Absorber has three sections. The top of the column is a fogging section where the solvent is sprayed through a nozzle producing droplets flowing downward in a co-current fashion with the flue gas. The center of the column is a frothing section where the solvent and flue gas flow through regenerative frothing screens designed by Industrial Climate Solutions, Inc. The bottom of the column is a typical structured packing section were the flue gas and solvent flow in a counter-current fashion. The parametric campaign will be conducted in order to optimize the operating parameters for CO 2 capture including liquid/gas ratio, lean loading, and temperature, liquid residence time. A simulated flue gas with 14% CO 2 will be used along with a UK CAER developed proprietary solvent. The 100-hour parametric campaign is designed using a statistical approach of the Sequential Design of Experiments (sDOE). sDOE is one of the CCSI tools that provides an adaptive statistical approach for designing future experiments based on the results of previous experiments. Application of a typical DOE provides the user with the minimum number of experiments required to get the same data, but sDOE allows the user to make an informed choice of experiments based on the results of previous experiments. The complete absorption column has been constructed and has been partially commissioned. Initial data has been collected by operating using the fogging section and the frothing section. The fogging section produces solvent droplets of about 100 μm sauter mean diameter and as small as 25 μm using a hydraulic nozzle by BETE. The frothing section produces bubbles of about 5mm with high mixing of solvent promoting the higher mass transfer from gas to liquid. The absorber reaches the capture efficiency of about 50% with only two sections in operation. Based on the current results, it can be deduced that increasing the solvent feed temperature and including the packed section for absorption the capture efficiency will increase further. Initial data will be collected using all three sections of the absorber and will be used for sDOE. Non-Uniform Space Filling model of sDOE will be used to prioritize the input conditions resulting into maximum capture efficiency. sDOE is performed using the platform called Framework Optimization, Quantification of Uncertainty, and Surrogates (FOQUS). The method and results demonstrating the progress of the parametric campaign from the initial set of experiments to the final stage of obtaining optimized parameters using sDOE tool will be presented in detail.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Investigating the influence of latent lifestyles on productive travels: Insights into designing autonomous transit system

As a special case of multitasking, travel-based multitasking typically refers to conducting a set of in-vehicle activities while traveling. Travel-based multitasking has an indisputable influence on offering a pleasant travel experience to transit users during their rides, given that they can use their travel time to perform desirable activities and gain benefits in various form. For instance, the in-activities could help the rider free up time from his/her schedule for the day (i.e., a worthwhile use of travel time). In this study, we investigate how the worthwhileness of a travel-based multitasking could be under the influence of: (1) the transit user’s lifestyle, and (2) socio-demographics, and (3) the characteristics of the transit trip. Towards this, we conducted an intercept survey focusing on the transit trips in the Chicago metropolitan area and analyzed it using latent class modeling approach. Per the results, two classes of transit users could be identified: (1) worthwhileness seekers, productively travelers and (2) leisure seekers, occasional worthwhile travelers. The results also suggest travel time, waiting time and walking distance to the transit station, and the set of in-vehicle activities as significant predictors of worthwhile use of travel time. Finally, the findings provide insights to policymakers for improving public transit systems in the current form, as well as designing an autonomous mobility system as the future form of public transit.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

ChatGrid: Power Grid Visualization Empowered by Large Language Model

This paper presents a novel open framework, ChatGrid, for easy, intuitive, and interactive geospatial visualization of large-scale transmission networks. ChatGrid uses state-of-the-art techniques for geospatial visualization of large networks including 2.5D views, animated flows, hierarchical and level-based filtering, and aggregation to provide visual information in an easy, cognitive manner. The highlight of ChatGrid is a natural language query based interface powered by large language model (ChatGPT) that offers an enhanced interactive experience whereby the user asks a question and ChatGrid provides the information both in text and visual. We discuss the architecture, implementation, design decisions, and usage of large language model for ChatGrid.

Jin, Sichen↗
DOE OSTI2020

Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR). User Manual, Version 0.2.3

The Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR, pronounced winter) is a Python package designed to simulate and analyze resilience of water distribution networks. Here, a network refers to the collection of pipes, pumps, valves, junctions, tanks, and reservoirs that make up a water distribution system. WNTR has an application programming interface (API) that is flexible and allows for changes to the network structure and operations, along with simulation of disruptive incidents and recovery actions. WNTR is based upon EPANET, which is a tool to simulate the movement and fate of drinking water constituents within distribution systems. Users are encouraged to be familiar with the use of EPANET and/or should have background knowledge in hydraulics and pressurized pipe network modeling before using WNTR. EPANET has a graphical user interface that might be a useful tool to facilitate the visualization of the network and the associated analysis results. Information on EPANET can be found at https://www.epa.gov/water-research/epanet. WNTR is compatible with EPANET 2.00.12 [Ross00]. In addition, users should have experience using Python, including the installation of additional Python packages. General information on Python can be found at https://www.python.org/.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Summary of GNU Octave Lady Godiva Simulator

A pseudo real-time interactive reactor simulator for the Lady Godiva reactor has been developed using the GNU Octave software package. The simulator tracks the time-dependent power and fuel temperature behavior of the Lady Godiva reactor during sub-prompt critical transients. Users interact with the simulator by controlling reactivity input. This input occurs through users repositioning a control rod as desired during simulator operation. Various reactor parameters are displayed graphically in near “real time,” facilitating user assessment and feedback input. The reactor model consists of a lumped-fuel core, a single control rod, and a simple heat transfer mechanism that allows heat to be rejected from the core. The goal of the simulator is to demonstrate in real-time the system response to reactivity perturbations, the effect of reactivity feedback, and the effect of temperature-dependent equilibrium conditions. The dynamic behavior of the reactor is primarily driven by the relative characteristic time-constants between the delayed neutrons and the overall heat transfer parameter. The simulator will allow users to gain experience performing standard reactor operations, such as establishing steady-state at different fuel temperatures and making power level changes

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2021

White Box Access to Quantum Testbeds for Co-Design

At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), we operate and maintain the Quantum Device and Integration Testbed (QuDIT) facility, a small quantum testbed that supports about 10 active research teams (including our own) and over 50 internal and external collaborators. This testbed is designed to give remote white box access to users for research, training, and outreach. A guiding principle behind the development of our testbed infrastructure, software and user interfaces is to empower users to perform experiments at the cutting edge of quantum information science at any level of abstraction, from materials studies, device physics and control and characterization techniques to algorithm development and quantum operating system design. Our testbed targets a multilevel quantum system (qudit) to expand the accessible Hilbert space of a simple-to-manufacture quantum device and focuses on quantum simulation, typically implemented through custom gates designed with quantum optimal control methods, rather than on a universal computing framework with a fixed gate set. We leverage the Lab’s high-performance computing (HPC) program and related expertise to simulate quantum systems, develop hybrid algorithms, and generate gates optimized for given simulations. Additionally, we have adopted a co-design philosophy from the HPC community in designing new hardware, so that the systems we develop are optimized for the specific physics simulations we plan to use them for.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Elucidating Aromatic Catabolic Pathways in White-Rot Fungi: An EMSL-NREL Collaborative Effort

In this presentation, Davinia Salvachua shares her experience as a user of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility, to study the aromatic catabolic pathways in white-rot fungi. The presentation includes an overview of the research project, benefits of collaborating with EMSL, and tips for a successful EMSL proposal.

aromatic catabolic pathways↗
DOE OSTI2021

NSUF BRR Cask Shipment Summary Report

On September 16, 2021 the Idaho National Laboratory shipped a Battelle Research Reactor (BRR) cask loaded with five Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) experiments and one Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) experiment from the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) to the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF) at the INL Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) for post-irradiation examination.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗