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At least 199 records · Page 11

Modernizing to an AI-Ready Control System

The Accelerator Controls Operations Research Network (ACORN) project will modernize the accelerator control system and upgrade power supplies to enable future operations of the Fermilab Accelerator Complex with megawatt proton beams. By focusing on MLOps, ACORN enables full integration of AI into the control system to allow safe and reliable improvements to accelerator beam operations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Using Separation-Enhanced Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry to Enable Increased Renewable Carbon Content in Transportation Fuels (CRADA 525)

Stable isotope ratio measurements of carbon atoms using isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) can be an effective tool for quantifying biogenic carbon in co-processed fuels, with results approaching the precision and accuracy of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The lower cost of an IRMS may enable deployment to refineries, improving access and analysis turnaround times (≤2 hours), and, by extension, provide data that can allow process optimization to maximize renewable carbon in desired refinery products. This project explored the integration of chemical separation with IRMS analyses to enable highly detailed tracking of biogenic carbon into fuel product streams separated by boiling point range, chemical class, or specific compound. Forty-nine fuels and fuel components of fossil and biogenic origin, spanning gasoline and diesel boiling point ranges, were received from three refiners and were analyzed for their δ 13 C values via IRMS. Results spanned a 13 C range from ca. 10‰ to 44‰ and reflect materials derived from sustainable sources (e.g., C4 or C3 plants, animal-based pathways, syngas) or from fossil-derived fuels. Common ranges are approximately 18‰ to 9‰ and approximately 30‰ to 20‰ for C4 and C3 plants, respectively, and approximately 34‰ to 24‰ and approximately 70‰ to 33‰ for petroleum-derived fuels and methane, respectively. Fuel-like standards were developed and tested using direct-injection elemental analyzer (EA) IRMS for liquid fuels. This method was compared with the published methods, yielding statistically similar results. Four blend curve sets were produced ranging from 0% to 100% of a fuel containing biogenic carbon, focusing on 0% to 10% biogenic carbon. Linear fits were the most applicable for two of the four blend curve sets; however, two sets were found to exhibit slightly quadratic behavior, which was more pronounced in low biogenic blend samples, necessitating second-order fits. The origin of the slight quadratic behavior remains unclear; however, the discussion points to possible interpretations. CanmetENERGY thoroughly characterized a majority of the samples using one- and two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC and GC×GC, respectively) and other analyses. Selected samples were subjected to solid phase extraction (SPE) for saturate, olefin, aromatic, and polar (SOAP) analysis, and the resulting solvent-diluted fractions containing saturates and aromatics were returned to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where the solvent was removed via evaporation or physical separation using GC techniques. Characterization and separations provided an understanding of saturate and aromatic content, as well as boiling point ranges for each sample and sample fraction. Samples resulting from SPE were examined using EA-IRMS and gas chromatography combustion IRMS (GC-C-IRMS) analyses. Both approaches suggest that the range in values between end-members can be increased by selecting the paraffinic or aromatic fraction of the end-member or by selecting among individual compounds resulting from GC separation of the paraffinic fractions. Considerable work remains to put these approaches into practice and statistically validate the benefit for using a fraction or individual compound over bulk analysis of a sample. However, initial results suggest that separations provide advantages for samples having blend ratios of less than 10% biogenic blendstocks. 13 C results showed statistically similar biofuel blend results to those obtained at PNNL, although additional work is needed to obtain better reproducibility. Select samples were sent to Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for IRMS measurements and Beta Analytics for AMS measurements. This work suggests that IRMS and AMS yield closely comparable results and in some circumstances, IRMS could serve as a surrogate for AMS. While additional work is needed to better resolve statistical advantages for separations and better show the comparable nature of IRMS and AMS in both the biogenic carbon analysis of bulk chemical classes, initial results from this study suggest that these should be pursued in order to proliferate this approach for quantifying biogenic carbon in transportation fuels to the refinery level, thereby potentially enabling process optimization in co-processing scenarios.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

The L-CAPE Project at FNAL

The controls system at FNAL records data asynchronously from several thousand Linac devices at their respective cadences, ranging from 15Hz down to once per minute. In case of downtimes, current operations are mostly reactive, investigating the cause of an outage and labeling it after the fact. However, as one of the most upstream systems at the FNAL accelerator complex, the Linac’s foreknowledge of an impending downtime as well as its duration could prompt downstream systems to go into standby, potentially leading to energy savings. The goals of the Linac Condition Anomaly Prediction of Emergence (L-CAPE) project that started in late 2020 are (1) to apply data-analytic methods to improve the information that is available to operators in the control room, and (2) to use machine learning to automate the labeling of outage types as they occur and discover patterns in the data that could lead to the prediction of outages. We present an overview of the challenges in dealing with time-series data from 2000+ devices, our approach to developing an ML-based automated outage labeling system, and the status of augmenting operations by identifying the most likely devices predicting an outage.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Accelerator Physics at NSLS-II: Research Accomplishments in 2022

NSLS-II accelerator physicists are working on scientific support of the NSLS-II operations and start-up of the accelerator systems including Storage Ring, Injector, beam diagnostics, and top-off injection; improvement of beam stability and orbit feedbacks; commissioning of a superconducting wiggler for the HEX beamline; development of a new operation mode for time-resolved experiments. The routine lattice characterization is continued to keep tracking the machine, the storage ring lattice model including strong coupling is developed, and seasonal variations of the ring circumference are studied. The collaboration with the EIC project is ongoing. In the frameworks of three LDRD projects, the physicists are working on the lattice development, studies of collective effects, and specifications of alignment and stability for the NSLS-II accelerator upgrade; novel methods of lattice design and optimization; studies of free-electron laser options; ultrafast electron diffraction and microscopy. Research accomplishments achieved in 2022, are summarized in this report.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Abisko: Deep codesign of an architecture for spiking neural networks using novel neuromorphic materials

The Abisko project aims to develop an energy-efficient spiking neural network (SNN) computing architecture and software system capable of autonomous learning and operation. The SNN architecture explores novel neuromorphic devices that are based on resistive-switching materials, such as memristors and electrochemical RAM. Equally important, Abisko uses a deep codesign approach to pursue this goal by engaging experts from across the entire range of disciplines: materials, devices and circuits, architectures and integration, software, and algorithms. Here, the key objectives of our Abisko project are threefold. First, we are designing an energy-optimized high-performance neuromorphic accelerator based on SNNs. This architecture is being designed as a chiplet that can be deployed in contemporary computer architectures and we are investigating novel neuromorphic materials to improve its design. Second, we are concurrently developing a productive software stack for the neuromorphic accelerator that will also be portable to other architectures, such as field-programmable gate arrays and GPUs. Third, we are creating a new deep codesign methodology and framework for developing clear interfaces, requirements, and metrics between each level of abstraction to enable the system design to be explored and implemented interchangeably with execution, measurement, a model, or simulation. As a motivating application for this codesign effort, we target the use of SNNs for an analog event detector for a high-energy physics sensor.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Smart Building Start (SBS) (CRADA 480)

The idea of Smart Building Start (SBS) is to manage the on/off scheduling of HVAC equipment in buildings in an optimal way in order to achieve comfort conditions at the designated times with the minimal use of energy. This concept is also known as Optimal Start and it has typically been used in buildings to start up equipment based on predictions made for a representative (or average) zone in a building. This means that zones that could have waited longer to receive conditioned air are activated too early leading to unnecessary energy loss. The approach proposed in this project is to develop and implement a distributed version of optimal start that will consider the individual requirements of all treated zones. The developed control strategy will enable smart start of the central plant as well as further localized control over each individual zone by means of setpoint adjustment so that zones are not conditioned too early thereby reducing energy use compared to the current state of the art. This project is a collaboration between PNNL and Verdicity with the goal being to bring the research concept of SBS to commercialization. The SBS algorithm(s) will be implemented and hosted on the PNNL-developed open-platform VOLTTRON which will accelerate bringing the research to practice. It is anticipated that this project will lead to new IP surrounding the algorithm and its decentralized deployment. The project will also further demonstrate the success of VOLTRON as a flexible platform for implementation of innovative algorithms for improving energy efficiency in buildings. Previous studies on smart building start carried out by PNNL have indicated potential energy savings on the order of 10-15% for multi-zone buildings compared to conventional strategies. Verdicity currently has a number of customers who can benefit from the use of this technology. PNNL will work with Verdicity to identify any key gaps in the integrated software and jointly work to enhance and customize it for Verdicity and to integrate it with their existing products for use at their customers’ sites. The proposed work will help previously funded Federal research and development technology investments find their way into a viable commercial market.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Phase 1 NuScale SMR FOAK Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

The overarching objective of the Phase 1 NuScale SMR First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project was to enhance competitiveness of the U.S. nuclear industry by enabling timely deployment of the NuScale small modular reactor (SMR). The scope of this Phase 1 project continued to advance the licensing and design maturity, particularly in those areas related to supporting customer readiness, supply chain integration, cost competitiveness, and cost confidence. This investment provided by the Government has accelerated development of these designs and technologies so that the existing domestic fleet of nuclear power plants remains viable and the most mature in the nuclear industry. The intent is to have the new, advanced U.S. designs be deployed as early 2026, and be globally competitive. As a part of the First-of-a-Kind Nuclear Demonstration Readiness Project, NuScale has been developing an advanced reactor design, leading the path for other development projects or complex technology advancements for existing plants that have significant technical and licensing risk. The NuScale Power team (NuScale) is advancing licensing, engineering, supply chain development, testing, and other required activities to enhance the innovation and competitiveness of the U.S. nuclear industry by enabling timely deployment of the NuScale SMR. Specifically, NuScale is performing the following activities in Phase 1. Fully supporting the NRC review of the NuScale DCA to ensure approval of a final safety evaluation report by the end of 2020. Improving plant cost confidence and cost competitiveness through design and supply chain advancement, incorporation of constructability best practices, and margin recovery to increase plant power output. Accelerating design maturity, technology development, and operational program readiness to support a customer commitment for plant deployment. The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), a unit of the Office of Science, fulfills agency-wide responsibilities to collect, preserve, and disseminate both unclassified and classified scientific and technical information (STI) emanating from DOE-funded research and development (R&D) activities at DOE national laboratories and facilities and at universities and other institutions nationwide. This scientific and technical report provides summaries of the analyses and research that was performed by NuScale under this project that achieves the objective of disseminating information to the nuclear industry to ensure the innovations realized are shared for the benefit of the industry at large.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Installation and commissioning of the ion source systems for the new spallation neutron source 2.5 MeV injector

The U.S. Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is a state-of-the-art neutron scattering facility delivering the world’s most intense pulsed neutron beams to a wide array of instruments, which are used to conduct investigations in many fields of engineering, physics, chemistry, material science, and biology. Neutrons are produced by spallation of liquid Hg by the bombardment of short (∼1 µs), intense (∼35 A) pulses of protons delivered at 60 Hz by an accumulator ring which is fed by a high-intensity, 1 GeV, H− LINAC (linear accelerator). This facility has operated nearly continuously since 2006 but has recently undergone a 4-month maintenance period, which featured a complete replacement of the 2.5 MeV injector feeding the LINAC. The new injector was developed at ORNL in an off-line beam test facility and consists of an ion source, low energy beam transport, and a Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ). This report first describes the installed configuration of the new injector detailing the ion source system. The first beam current, RFQ transmission, emittance, and energy measurements from the injector installed on the SNS are reported. These data not only show a significant performance improvement for our existing facility but will also make accessible the higher beam current requirements for future SNS upgrade projects: the proton power upgrade and second target station.

Welton, R. F.↗

Design and Prototyping of the 162.5 MHz PIP-II RF Reference-Line Station

The Proton Improvement Plan II (PIP-II) Reference Line distributes phase-stable radio-frequency signals so accelerating cavities transfer energy to the proton beam at the correct point in each RF cycle. The full system contains 162.5, 325, and 650 MHz sections; this project focuses on the 162.5 MHz station. Commercial filters, amplifiers, splitters, mixers, and hardware were assembled into a compact, serviceable heat-plate layout and tested to verify performance metrics at 162.5 MHz.

Subedi, Harsheet [Unlisted, US]↗

Reducing the Time and Cost of Testing Engines

Producing a new aircraft engine currently costs approximately $1 billion, with 3 years of development time for a commercial engine and 10 years for a military engine. The high development time and cost make it extremely difficult to transition advanced technologies for cleaner, quieter, and more efficient new engines. To reduce this time and cost, NASA created a vision for the future where designers would use high-fidelity computer simulations early in the design process in order to resolve critical design issues before building the expensive engine hardware. To accomplish this vision, NASA's Glenn Research Center initiated a collaborative effort with the aerospace industry and academia to develop its Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS), an advanced engineering environment for the analysis and design of aerospace propulsion systems and components. Partners estimate that using NPSS has the potential to dramatically reduce the time, effort, and expense necessary to design and test jet engines by generating sophisticated computer simulations of an aerospace object or system. These simulations will permit an engineer to test various design options without having to conduct costly and time-consuming real-life tests. By accelerating and streamlining the engine system design analysis and test phases, NPSS facilitates bringing the final product to market faster. NASA's NPSS Version (V)1.X effort was a task within the Agency s Computational Aerospace Sciences project of the High Performance Computing and Communication program, which had a mission to accelerate the availability of high-performance computing hardware and software to the U.S. aerospace community for its use in design processes. The technology brings value back to NASA by improving methods of analyzing and testing space transportation components.

Source record↗

Science Uses Deployment Operations-Advanced Wireless: Exploring Open Radio Access Network Technologies for Energy Science

Open Radio Access Network is emerging as a solution to the increasing demand for more flexible, cost-effective, and advanced mobile network infrastructures. This evolution is driven by advancements in wireless technologies and the growing complexity of deploying and managing these networks. O-RAN represents a significant shift in wireless technology, building upon the 3rd Generation Partnership Project framework to foster openness, flexibility, and interoperability. By decoupling hardware and software components, Open Radio Access Network enables a multi-vendor ecosystem that encourages innovation and diverse solutions. Open Radio Access Network's potential extends beyond traditional wireless applications, with growing interest in its role in advancing energy systems, particularly in the context of smart grids, microgrids, and the integration of renewable energy sources. While the role of open-wireless technologies in driving energy transformation is increasingly recognized, further exploration is needed. Vendors and utilities are investigating how Open Radio Access Network technologies can optimize energy use cases and improve the performance of 5G and beyond applications. This report outlines efforts under the Science Uses Deployment Operations Advance Wireless project, a collaboration between the National Laboratory of the Rockies' Cybersecurity Research Center, Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the Department of Energy's Energy Science Network research and operations staff. The focus of this project is on due diligence, through testing and evaluation, preparing for the deployment of advanced wireless infrastructure for scientific use cases, with an emphasis on Open Radio Access Network technology, its components, integrations, and its ability to support vertical stack application across the energy sector. Additionally, the report highlights the value cases for utilities, underscoring how adopting open wireless standards can accelerate the evolution of energy systems, foster innovation, and improve the integration of critical energy technologies.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Findings on Subtask 3.1 - Bakken Rich Gas Enhanced Oil Recovery Project

Total in-place oil for the Bakken petroleum system (BPS) (which includes the Bakken and Three Forks Formations) has been estimated to be 600 billion barrels (bbl). However, BPS wells have decline rates as high as 85% over the first 3 years of their lives, and primary recovery factors typically range from 3% to 10% of original oil in place. Given the low initial recovery rates, even small incremental productivity improvements could dramatically increase technically recoverable oil in the BPS. One potential solution is enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using gas injection, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) or hydrocarbon (HC) gases. While commonly used in conventional reservoirs, CO2 EOR in unconventional tight oil reservoirs has been limited to pilot tests. EOR using rich gas (mixture of methane, ethane, and propane) has also been employed in numerous pilots in several unconventional plays and has recently been successfully applied in the Eagle Ford play. If successful, large-scale gas-based EOR in the BPS could dramatically increase oil productivity and recovery factors and extend the life of the play for decades. While CO2 may be a technically suitable working fluid for EOR in the BPS, supplies are limited and costs for using CO2 in EOR pilots are prohibitively high. Meanwhile, produced gas flaring has presented challenges for BPS operators in North Dakota. Analysis conducted by the North Dakota Pipeline Authority indicates that the current gas-gathering infrastructure in North Dakota is insufficient to accommodate all of the associated gas that is produced from the BPS. The geographically isolated location of North Dakota relative to large natural gas markets, combined with suppressed natural gas prices, has made it economically challenging for industry to invest capital in expanding gas-gathering infrastructure in the state. These circumstances led to a research program conducted by the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) in partnership with Liberty Resources Management Company LLC (LR) to examine the potential to use rich gas injection for EOR and mitigate flaring. A rich gas EOR pilot test was designed and executed by LR at its Stomping Horse development area in Williams County, North Dakota. From July 2018 through May 2019, a total of 160 million standard cubic feet (MMscf) of rich produced gas was injected into the BPS using five different wells in a sequential injection strategy. LR’s Leon–Gohrick drill spacing unit (DSU) was used as the test site. Regulatory oversight was provided by the North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC). Technical support was provided by the EERC through a series of laboratory, modeling, and field-based activities, and additional post-pilot research activities incorporated learnings from the test, developed new laboratory data, improved fracture modeling methods, and developed machine learning and big data analytics. The results from the Stomping Horse rich gas EOR pilot activities indicate that developing an effective, economical EOR approach for the BPS will require more field tests. Another key lesson learned from the Stomping Horse tests is that detailed pre- and posttest data on reservoir conditions and fluids production are essential. Robust reservoir characterization provides information that is crucial to creating realistic geomodels and conducting valid dynamic simulations of potential EOR scenarios. A detailed understanding of the completions and production history of offset wells is also necessary for valid test result interpretations. This knowledge is essential to designing the operational parameters of injectivity tests and interpreting the results. A conformance control strategy is also essential to success. Laboratory-based examinations of rich gas interactions with reservoir fluids and rocks were conducted, with an emphasis on determining the ability to mobilize oil in the tight reservoir rocks and shales of the BPS. Injection fluid composition was shown to have a positive impact on reducing reservoir oil minimum miscibility pressure (MMP), reducing interfacial tension (IFT), and altering wettability. IFT and contact angle measurements demonstrated that wettability can be altered in the presence of rich gas, suggesting the potential to improve oil recovery. Iterative modeling of surface infrastructure and reservoir performance using data generated by the various project activities was conducted. A geologic model of the Stomping Horse area was built; history-matched oil, gas, and water production was used in simulations of various EOR scenarios. Early programmatic modeling results were used to support LR’s design and operation of the EOR pilot and to provide insight regarding optimization of future commercial-scale BPS EOR design and operations. Post-pilot modeling focused on alternative methods of understanding complex fracture networks and accelerating simulation time. These led to improved simulation run times and provide excellent history-matching results. Several of these iterative models were used as the bases for developing algorithms into machine learning and big data analytics. History matching in reservoir simulation is time-consuming and computer processing-intensive. Machine learning algorithms were created, and an automated history-matching tool was developed. A large set of synthetic reservoir simulations were created to generate well responses (oil, gas, and water production, well bottomhole pressure [BHP], and tracer or propane breakthrough) for a set of EOR operating parameters that included offset well status (open or closed), injectate (rich gas or propane), injection rate, and injection well BHP. A user interface was developed to provide real-time visualization. Machine learning-based models were developed to provide rapid forecasting of well performance given a set of user-defined EOR operating parameters. These predictive models allow the user to modify the offset well status, injection rate, and injection well BHP and rapidly forecast future production performance. The combination of real-time visualization tools with real-time forecasting tools provides a framework for real-time control—operational changes that the EOR site operator can enact (e.g., changing gas injection rates) to affect the observed performance and potentially improve the EOR outcome. There is great reason to be optimistic about the future of EOR in the Bakken. The results of the laboratory studies suggest significant potential for high rates of oil mobilization using produced field gas injection under the right conditions. The results of the lab studies, combined with rigorous statistical analysis of well production data and associated modeling efforts, confirm the notion that fluid mobility within the reservoir is controlled by fractures. As more knowledge is gained about the nature and distribution of fracture networks in the Bakken, the industry will be in a better position to predict and, ultimately, influence fluid mobility. New field tests are necessary to develop a more complete understanding of those conditions. Thoughtful and creatively engineered field tests within a well-characterized geologic setting will yield the fundamental knowledge needed to take Bakken oil production to the next level. This subtask was cofunded through the EERC–U.S. Department of Energy Joint Program on Research and Development for Fossil Energy-Related Resources Cooperative Agreement No. DE-FE0024233. Nonfederal funding was provided by the North Dakota Industrial Commission’s Oil and Gas Research Program and Computer Modelling Group.

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS↗

Status and Challenges in the MQXFB Nb 3 Sn Quadrupoles for the HL-LHC

The inner triplet (or low-β) quadrupole magnets are among the components to be upgraded in LHC interaction regions for the HL-LHC project. The new quadrupole magnets, called MQXF, are based on Nb 3 Sn superconducting magnet technology, with a conductor peak field of 11.3 T. CERN is in charge of the fabrication of the MQXFB variant, the longest Nb 3 Sn accelerator magnets designed and manufactured up to now, with a magnetic length of 7.2 m. Two magnets, MQXFBP3 and MQXFB02, reached the HL-LHC project requirements. However, they still exhibited a limitation at 4.5 K with a phenomenology similar to the one observed on the first two prototypes. After improvements on the cold mass (longitudinal welding) and magnet assembly (elimination of overstress on the conductor during loading) procedures, a series of modifications were implemented in MQXFB03 at the level of the coil fabrication to address and/or reduce weaknesses in the coils. The magnet was tested and was the first to achieve performance requirements at both 1.9 K and 4.5 K, with no signs of conductor limitation at 4.5 K. MQXFB is now in the series production phase, with around 2/3 of the coils completed and half of the magnets assembled. We provide in this paper an overview of the MQXFB program, with a summary of the main recent achievements and an overall status of the fabrication.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Hollow electron lenses for beam collimation at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC)

Electrons lenses produce a high-intensity electron beam and have a variety of applications to circular hadron accelerators. Electron beams of different transverse cross sections and distributions may be designed, depending on the desired application, and they are produced and steered along the orbit of the hadron beam, overlapping with it for typical distances of a few meters before being deflected away and disposed of. Hollow electron beams find applications to high-intensity beam collimation for machines like the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Such devices can be integrated in a collimation system to improve the halo-cleaning performance through an active control of the halo dynamics: the annular distribution of the electrons excites resonantly the beam tails surrounding the beam core, while the core itself remains unperturbed, as ideally it only “sees” the field-free “hole” in the electron distribution. Hollow electron lenses are part of the upgrade baseline of the High-Luminosity project of the LHC (HL-LHC) and will be installed in the machine during a long shutdown in 2025–2027 to mitigate effects from beam losses so to improve the collimation system performance. This paper describes the hollow electron lens project within the HL-LHC collimation upgrade.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

INTEGRATED WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT FOR PARTICLE ACCELERATOR SIMULATION

Supercomputing systems are used for a wide range of computationally demanding tasks in many fields of science and engineering. They play a key role in numerical simulation, in which mathematical models are computed in order to simulate the behavior of physical systems. Scientists and engineers that use supercomputers for numerical simulation often have their productivity limited by the need to manually organize and manage extremely large amounts of data that are often produced and consumed by the software programs run on these systems. Recognizing these limitations, Kitware Inc. (Clifton Park, NY) and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (Menlo Park, CA) are developing an advanced software platform that can reduce the cognitive overhead required by knowledge workers when using supercomputers for numerical simulation. Phase I of the project is complete and includes the development of new capabilities for organizing simulation project files, improvements to the user interface and overall usability, and deployment of a “middle tier” server to sit between user desktop machines and supercomputers to offload much of the data management workload. The project also developed prototype software for executing sequences of numerical simulations, and a prototype for migrating supercomputing software to cloud-based computing systems to provide a potential alternative to supercomputers with different logistical and price-to-performance tradeoffs.

Tourtellott, John↗

The NSF/RANN FY 1975 program for geothermal resources research and technology

The specific goal of the NSF geothermal program is the rapid development by industry of the nation's geothermal resources that can be demonstrated to be commercially, environmentally and socially acceptable as alternate energy sources. NSF, as the lead agency for the federal geothermal energy research program, is expediting a program which encompasses the objectives necessary for significant utilization. These include: acceleration of exploration and assessment methods to identify commercial geothermal resources; development of innovative and improved technology to achieve economic feasibility; evaluation of policy options to resolve environmental, legal, and institutional problems; and support of experimental research facilities for each type of geothermal resource. Specific projects in each of these four objective areas are part of the NSF program for fiscal year 1975.

Kruger, P.↗

Consensus International Solar Resource Standards and Best Practices Development: Preprint

Standardization and best practices of data sets and models enable the industry to develop widely accepted protocols for various stages of solar project development and operations. In collaboration with the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme Task 16, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed and regularly updates the Best Practices Handbook for the Collection and Use of Solar Resource Data for Solar Energy Applications. In collaboration with ASTM members on the radiometry subcommittee, NREL assists in and leads the development of radiometric standards that contribute to increased accuracy in the measurement of solar resources available to conversion systems and to the development and improvement of models. These models can then provide long-term geographic distribution of solar resources for areas where measured solar data are not available. Further, these standards play a preeminent role in all aspects of solar energy projects, including standard conditions, methods and instrumentation, accelerated testing, and service lifetime of materials.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

Analysis of Benefits Associated With Projects and Technologies Supported by the Clean Transportation Program

The California Energy Commission's Clean Transportation Program (CTP) supports a wide range of alternative, low-carbon fuel and vehicle projects. This report improves upon the 2014 Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) Benefits Report(the former name of the Clean Transportation Program), which focused on two components of benefit calculation: expected benefits and market transformation benefits. The "expected benefits" are defined as benefits that accrue because of the direct displacement of petroleum-based fuels or vehicle technologies. The "market transformation benefits" accrue because of CTP funding shifting the underlying market dynamics and accelerating the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles. This report documents the updated methods used in the benefits analysis in 2014 and applies them for this 2021 Clean Transportation Program Benefits Report. The project team used data collected from CTP projects funded from 2009 to the third quarter of 2021 to estimate the benefits between 2021 and 2030. CTP projects valued at $\$898.3 million$ were assessed (out of $\$1.04 billion$ funded) to estimate expected benefits of 249 million gallons per year petroleum reduction and 2.79 million metric tons per year of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction in 2030. Market transformation benefits are additive to the expected benefits and were estimated with high and low ranges for the 315 relevant projects evaluated. The market transformation benefits' GHG reductions are estimated as 2.2 million to 6.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year and the petroleum reductions as 145.3 million to 671.5 million gasoline gallon equivalents per year in 2030. Combining both benefit types, the CTP projects can make significant progress toward meeting California's long-term GHG and petroleum fuel use reduction goals.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗