Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Testing Procedure”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,801 records · Page 100
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Release Notes for Whisper-1.1

Whisper is a statistical analysis package developed in 2014 to support nuclear criticality safety (NCS) validation [1-3]. It uses the sensitivity profile data for an application as computed by MCNP6 [4-6] along with covariance files [7,8] for the nuclear data to determine a baseline upper-subcritical-limit (USL) for the application. Whisper version 1.0 was first developed and used at LANL in 2014 [3]. During 2015-2016, Whisper was updated to version 1.1 [9] and is to be included with the upcoming release of MCNP6.2. This document describes the Whisper-1.1 package that will be included with the MCNP6.2 release during 2017. Specific details are provided on the computer systems supported, the software quality assurance (SQA) procedures, installation, and testing. This document does not address other important topics, such as the importance of sensitivity-uncertainty (SU) methods to NCS validation, the theory underlying SU methodology, tutorials on the usage of MCNP-Whisper, practical approaches to using SU methodology to support and extend traditional validation, etc. There are over 50 documents included with Whisper-1.1 and available in the MCNP Reference Collection on the MCNP website (mcnp.lanl.gov) that address all of those topics and more. In this document, however, a complete bibliography of relevant MCNP-Whisper references is provided.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2017

RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan: Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) Update and Code Verification Strategy

This document describes the recent progress of the RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan (SVVP). The RELAP-7 RTM has been updated by adding the validation requirement items, rearranging the requirement items, and introducing the classifier to better describe the RELAP-7 V&V status at a specified point in time. Also, from the perspective of nuclear system code validation, six items from the list of LWR safety-relevant phenomena were identified as validation data gaps. Lastly, motivated by the needs revealed from the previous RELAP-7 IV&V activities, the independent verification plan for RELAP-7 has been established. The verification method, procedure, and verification test coverage suite discussed in this document will be applied to the future work for the RELAP-7 independent verification.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Estimation of Respirable Aerosol Release Fractions through Stress Corrosion Crack-Like Geometries

The formation of a stress corrosion crack (SCC) in the canister wall of a dry cask storage system (DCSS) has been identified as a potential issue for the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel. The presence of an SCC in a storage system could represent a through-wall flow path from the canister interior to the environment. Modern, vertical DCSSs are of particular interest due to the significant backfill pressurization of the canister, up to approximately 800 kPa. This pressure differential offers a relatively high driving potential for blowdown of any particulates that might be present in the canister. In this study, the carrier gas flow rates and aerosol transmission properties were evaluated for an engineered microchannel with characteristic dimensions similar to those of an SCC. The microchannel was formed by mating two gage blocks with a slot orifice measuring 28.9 μm (0.0011 in.) tall by 12.7 mm (0.500 in.) wide by 8.86 mm (0.349 in.) long (flow length). Surrogate aerosols of cerium oxide, Ce0 2 , were seeded and mixed inside a pressurized tank. The aerosol characteristics were measured immediately upstream and downstream of the simulated SCC at elevated and ambient pressures, respectively. These data sets are intended to demonstrate a new capability to characterize SCCs under well-controlled boundary conditions. Separate modeling efforts are also underway that will be validated using these data. The test apparatus and procedures developed in this study can be easily modified for the evaluation of more complex SCC-like geometries including laboratory-grown SCC samples.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization and Analysis of the Energy-Reporting Accuracy of Connected Devices

Emerging energy-efficient building systems increasingly exhibit greater functionality, often requiring multiple operating modes (e.g. white-tunability for lighting products and data traffic for devices with networked, integrated sensors). This increased functionality makes energy consumption estimates more complex. Given that these functions consume energy, the energy performance of such building systems is dependent on what operating modes they use and how much time they spend in each mode. Devices and systems that can report their own energy consumption mitigate this energy-performance uncertainty. This study explores the energy-reporting accuracy of market-available connected electrical outlets. The study considers two residential-market products (five units each, one outlet per unit) and three commercial-market products (two units each, 18 to 24 outlets per unit) with the ability to report power drawn and/or energy consumed by devices connected to their receptacles. The products were purchased through typical market channels. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) conducted testing in December 2018 at its Connected Lighting Test Bed (CLTB), using a custom-developed test setup and method adapted from industry standards. The setup collected energy-consumption data reported by the outlet devices under test (DUTs) at one-minute intervals and compared that data with measurements taken by a reference meter over a range of test conditions. The residential products reported power draw but not interval or cumulative energy consumption. The commercial products reported both power draw and cumulative energy consumption. Relative reporting error (RRE) was calculated for all measurements, and analysis of the results revealed variations across devices and test conditions. The total number of measurements (50 for each residential product, 60 for each commercial product) offers an appreciable comparison of performance at the make/model level. The average RRE of the residential products derived from reported power draw was -0.02% and -1.20%. The average RRE for two of the three the commercial products derived from reported power draw was worse than those of the residential products (-2.40%, -2.72%, -0.36%). The internal integration of power over time, used to calculate cumulative energy consumption, typically occurs at current and voltage sampling rates much higher than once per minute. This suggests that the average commercial-product RRE derived from reported energy consumption should be very consistent and better than performance based on reported power draw. However, the RRE derived from reported energy consumption varied significantly across the three makes of commercial-market products and was uniformly less accurate than performance based on reported power draw. Subsequent analysis identified a number of root causes for this decrease in performance, most of which were related to reporting resolution. The goals of this study are to generate awareness of building systems capable of reporting their own energy consumption, further interest in the value of energy data for a variety of uses, draw attention to how the accuracy of reported metrics can be characterized, and quantify the performance variation found in marketavailable products. The results of this study and subsequent related work may be relevant to stakeholders in industry-specification and standards-development organizations. The methods this study employs could inform test and measurement procedures and performance classifications for connected outlets, lighting products, and other building systems capable of reporting their own energy consumption. The study concludes with stakeholder recommendations, including the following: • Energy-reporting device and system manufacturers developing products that report energy consumption should characterize the accuracy of reported metrics using a reference meter calibrated by an independent laboratory that was accredited by an ILAC MRA signatory (and whose scope of accreditation explicitly covers energy measurement), and should include this information on product data sheets. • Standards and specification development organizations should develop application-specific performance classifications that end users can understand and relate to their energy-data use needs (e.g., 2% accuracy class for utility streetlight energy billing needs, or 10% accuracy class for ESCO performance verification needs). • Current or potential owners, operators, and specifiers of energy-reporting building systems should rigorously analyze the dependency of current and planned energy-data use cases on accuracy, noting in particular the dependence (or lack thereof) on relative vs. absolute accuracy, and on trueness vs. precision (i.e., repeatability), and should communicate use-case needs to industry standards and specification organizations.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization and Analysis of the Energy-Reporting Accuracy of Connected Devices

Emerging energy-efficient building systems increasingly exhibit greater functionality, often requiring multiple operating modes (e.g. white-tunability for lighting products and data traffic for devices with networked, integrated sensors). This increased functionality makes energy consumption estimates more complex. Given that these functions consume energy, the energy performance of such building systems is dependent on what operating modes they use and how much time they spend in each mode. Devices and systems that can report their own energy consumption mitigate this energy-performance uncertainty. This study explores the energy-reporting accuracy of market-available connected electrical outlets. The study considers two residential-market products (five units each, one outlet per unit) and three commercial-market products (two units each, 18 to 24 outlets per unit) with the ability to report power drawn and/or energy consumed by devices connected to their receptacles. The products were purchased through typical market channels. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) conducted testing in December 2018 at its Connected Lighting Test Bed (CLTB), using a custom-developed test setup and method adapted from industry standards. The setup collected energy-consumption data reported by the outlet devices under test (DUTs) at one-minute intervals and compared that data with measurements taken by a reference meter over a range of test conditions. The residential products reported power draw but not interval or cumulative energy consumption. The commercial products reported both power draw and cumulative energy consumption. Relative reporting error (RRE) was calculated for all measurements, and analysis of the results revealed variations across devices and test conditions. The total number of measurements (50 for each residential product, 60 for each commercial product) offers an appreciable comparison of performance at the make/model level. The average RRE of the residential products derived from reported power draw was -0.02% and -1.20%. The average RRE for two of the three the commercial products derived from reported power draw was worse than those of the residential products (-2.40%, -2.72%, -0.36%). The internal integration of power over time, used to calculate cumulative energy consumption, typically occurs at current and voltage sampling rates much higher than once per minute. This suggests that the average commercial-product RRE derived from reported energy consumption should be very consistent and better than performance based on reported power draw. However, the RRE derived from reported energy consumption varied significantly across the three makes of commercial-market products and was uniformly less accurate than performance based on reported power draw. Subsequent analysis identified a number of root causes for this decrease in performance, most of which were related to reporting resolution. The goals of this study are to generate awareness of building systems capable of reporting their own energy consumption, further interest in the value of energy data for a variety of uses, draw attention to how the accuracy of reported metrics can be characterized, and quantify the performance variation found in marketavailable products. The results of this study and subsequent related work may be relevant to stakeholders in industry-specification and standards-development organizations. The methods this study employs could inform test and measurement procedures and performance classifications for connected outlets, lighting products, and other building systems capable of reporting their own energy consumption. The study concludes with stakeholder recommendations, including the following: • Energy-reporting device and system manufacturers developing products that report energy consumption should characterize the accuracy of reported metrics using a reference meter calibrated by an independent laboratory that was accredited by an ILAC MRA signatory (and whose scope of accreditation explicitly covers energy measurement), and should include this information on product data sheets. • Standards and specification development organizations should develop application-specific performance classifications that end users can understand and relate to their energy-data use needs (e.g., 2% accuracy class for utility streetlight energy billing needs, or 10% accuracy class for ESCO performance verification needs). • Current or potential owners, operators, and specifiers of energy-reporting building systems should rigorously analyze the dependency of current and planned energy-data use cases on accuracy, noting in particular the dependence (or lack thereof) on relative vs. absolute accuracy, and on trueness vs. precision (i.e., repeatability), and should communicate use-case needs to industry standards and specification organizations.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Magnification Determination for AGHCF Metallographic Images

Metallographic images generated in the Alpha Gamma Hot Cell Facility (AGHCF) have been used for quantitative and qualitative characterization of irradiated metallic fuel pins. Individual high-magnification images (micrographs) contained in AGHCF file folders and experimental notebooks are in the form of polaroid photographs labeled with AGHCF identification number, magnification, and surface condition (as-polished or etched). Low magnification composite images (photomosaics) are also available for fuel cross sections, for radial strips from the fuel center to the cladding outer diameter, and for circumferential strips of the cladding and outer fuel region. The individual images do not have scale bars. Only a few of the composite images contain scale bars. The purpose of this work is to describe and apply methods for checking the magnification (50X to 500X) of individual images and for determining the magnification (~25X to ~100X) of composite images. The metallographic images used to verify and/or determine magnification were generated during the 1989 to 1993 timeframe for cross sections of U-10Zr/HT9 fuel rods irradiated in EBR-II and for cross sections of irradiated U-10Zr/HT9 fuel-rod samples following elevated-temperature tests conducted in the out-of-pile AGHCF Fuel Behavior Test Apparatus (FBTA). Procedures are documented in the AGHCF Operations Manual for preparation of metallographic samples, for calibration verification, and for constructing composites from individual images. Calibration verification of magnification was performed at least semiannually. One standard used for calibration verification was a glass slide with vertical lines indicating distances of 1 mm, 0.1 mm and 0.01mm. Guidance is provided in the current work for determining magnification from images of the standard. In addition to the periodic calibration verification, consistency checks are recommended to verify the magnification of images taken between the routine calibration verifications. For cladding samples with or without significant fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI), images taken at different magnifications (e.g., 150X and 200X) of the unaffected cladding thickness can be compared. This process is independent of changes in cladding thickness due to swelling and creep. For images taken at only one magnification of cladding regions with no FCCI, the cladding thickness determined from the images may be compared to the nominal as-built cladding thickness (15.0 ± 0.5 mils for examples used in current work)). This procedure works best for cladding that has not experienced significant swelling and/or creep (e.g., ≤2% circumferential strain at the cladding outer surface). Composite images were constructed by pasting together higher magnification images and photographing the composite to generate a negative from which the hard-copy photograph was developed. The primary purpose of the composite images was to identify interesting areas of the fuel and cladding for imaging at higher magnification. However, procedures are recommended in the current work for determining composite magnifications to allow quantitative characterization of the fuel. Composites are not recommended for determining cladding thickness or FCCI depth because magnifications are too low (generally ≤110X) and image contrast is low. Fuel cross-section composites were created by pasting together 50X or 75X images. The nominal magnification for the photographed fuel cross-section composites is 25.4X. A more precise magnification can be determined by comparing the average cladding outer diameter measured from the composite to the average cladding outer diameter measured by profilometry. Radial-strip composites were constructed by pasting together high-magnification (150X or 250X) images. The nominal magnification of radial-strip composites photographs is about 100X. A more precise method for determining the magnification of radial strips is to compare the cladding thick

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Small-scale characterization of vine plant root water uptake via 3-D electrical resistivity tomography and mise-à-la-masse method

The investigation of plant roots is inherently difficult and often neglected.Being out of sight, roots are often out of mind. Nevertheless, roots play a key rolein the exchange of mass and energy between soil and the atmosphere, in addition tothe many practical applications in agriculture. In this paper, we propose amethod for roots imaging based on the joint use of two electricalnoninvasive methods: electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) andmise-à-la-masse (MALM). The approach is based on the key assumption that theplant root system acts as an electrically conductive body, so that injectingelectrical current into the plant stem will ultimately result in the injectionof current into the subsoil through the root system, and particularly throughthe root terminations via hair roots. Evidence from field data, showing thatvoltage distribution is very different whether current is injected into thetree stem or in the ground, strongly supports this hypothesis. The proposedprocedure involves a stepwise inversion of both ERT and MALM data thatultimately leads to the identification of electrical resistivity (ER)distribution and of the current injection root distribution in thethree-dimensional soil space. This, in turn, is a proxy to the active (hair)root density in the ground. We tested the proposed procedure on syntheticdata and, more importantly, on field data collected in a vineyard, where theestimated depth of the root zone proved to be in agreement with literature onsimilar crops. The proposed noninvasive approach is a step forward towards abetter quantification of root structure and functioning.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Test and Evaluation of Systems with Embedded Machine Learning Components

As Machine Learning (ML) continues to advance, it is being integrated into more systems. Often, the ML component represents a significant portion of the system that reduces the burden on the end user or significantly improves task performance. However, the ML component represents an unknown complex phenomenon that is learned from collected data without the need to be explicitly programmed. Despite the improvement in task performance, the models are often black boxes. Evaluating the credibility and the vulnerabilities of ML models poses a gap in current test and evaluation practice. For high consequence applications, the lack of testing and evaluation procedures represents a significant source of uncertainty and risk. To help reduce that risk, here we present considerations to evaluate systems embedded with an ML component within a red-teaming inspired methodology. We focus on (1) cyber vulnerabilities to an ML model, (2) evaluating performance gaps, and (3) adversarial ML vulnerabilities.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1967

Test and inspection for process control of monolithic circuits

Report details the test and inspection procedures for the mass production of high reliability integrated circuits. It covers configuration control, basic fundamentals of quality control, control charts, wafer process evaluation, general process evaluation, evaluation score system, and diffusion evaluation.

Spangenberg, E.↗
NASA NTRS1968

Survey of fracture toughness test methods

Comprehensive survey presents current methods of fracture toughness testing that are based on linear elastic fracture mechanics. General principles of the basic two dimensional crack stress field model are discussed in relation to real three dimensional specimens. Methods of test instrumentation and procedure are described.

Brown, W. F., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Definition study for an extended manned test of a regenerative life support system

A program was defined which consists of extended ground-based manned tests of regenerative life support systems. The tests are to evaluate prototypes of advanced life support systems under operational, integrated conditions, thus providing data for the design of efficient environmental control and life support systems for use in long-duration space missions. The requirements are defined for test operations to provide a simulation of an orbiting space laboratory. The features of Phase A and B programs are described. These tests use proven backup equipment to ensure successful evaluation of the advanced subsystems. A pre-tests all-systems checkout period is provided to minimize equipment problems during extended testing and to familiarize all crew and operating staff members with test equipment and procedures.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1971

The effects of gravity on flammability

The effects of weightlessness and increased gravity on flammability and flame propagation are discussed. The test equipment and procedures for determining gravity effects are described. Comparisons are made between flammability under normal gravity conditions and occurrences under altered gravity conditions

Pearce, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Summary of design and blade-element performance data for 12 axial-flow pump rotor configurations

A collection of noncavitating blade-element performance data for 12 axial-flow pump rotor configurations is presented in tabular form. Rotor design philosophy, test apparatus and procedure, and data reduction and evaluation are discussed. A data storage and recall computer program is described. All but one of the rotor configurations considered were composed of double-circular-arc blade sections and were designed for high inlet relative flow angles. Hub-tip radius ranged from 0.40 to 0.90.

Miller, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

A study of modal coupling procedures for the space shuttle

Various procedures for analytically coupling two or more substructures to obtain modal data for assembly, using data obtained from mode surveys of the individual components are discussed. Particular attention was paid to the applicability of the techniques investigated to the space shuttle, with the possible replacement of full scale mode surveys of the shuttle assembly by component mode surveys along with analytical coupling. The synthesis procedures formulated in this report can all handle redundant connections, although the presence of redundancies does add complication to one of the techniques. All of the procedures use the test data directly, without going through an intermediate analytical model, and no analytical stiffness data is required to supplement the mode survey data. The coupling precedures were initially verified and evaluated by applying them to analytical check problems.

Goldenberg, S.↗

Refine your search to explore more results.