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At least 235 records · Page 13

Design Choices in Anomaly Detection for Industrial Control Systems: Insights from Gas Pipeline Data

Industrial control systems (ICS) remain vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, yet evaluating anomaly detection models in these environments is challenging due to temporal dependencies, missing-not-at-random patterns, and extremely imbalanced datasets. These factors make common practices—especially random data splits and naïve imputation—prone to severe temporal leakage, which can inflate reported performance and obscure real-world limitations. In this work, we systematically examine classical machine learning models, temporal deep learning architecture, and tensor-decomposition–based methods on a gas-pipeline dataset using a fully temporally separated evaluation pipeline designed to mimic realistic deployment conditions. Our findings show that proper temporal handling and MNAR-aware preprocessing significantly alter the relative performance of popular anomaly-detection methods, providing practical guidance for designing reliable, leakage-resistant ICS intrusion-detection systems.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Nine Canyon Long-Duration Energy Storage: A Feasibility Study

The Nine Canyon Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Feasibility Study explores the technical and economic viability of deploying advanced energy storage technologies at Energy Northwest's (EN) Nine Canyon (9C) Wind Project site in Benton County, Washington. Supported by the Washington State Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity under its LDES Voucher Program, the study represents a collaborative effort between EN, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and ARES North America. At the core of this effort is the development of a generalized techno-economic modeling framework and evaluation tool designed to assess the value proposition of LDES projects across a variety of contexts. The modeling tool is technology-agnostic and accommodates user-defined parameters such as rated power, energy duration, round-trip efficiency, capital and operational costs, and dispatch constraints. It also integrates economic inputs, including market prices, energy revenue structures, and financing parameters to evaluate performance through key metrics. The tool provides utilities with a transparent, adaptable platform to support decision-making, investment prioritization, and portfolio planning for various storage technologies. To guide scenario design and interpretation, the study first surveyed the LDES technology landscape, including lithium-ion batteries, flow batteries, non-hydro gravity storage, and thermo-mechanical systems, comparing cost trajectories, technical performance, safety and hazards, materials sourcing and recyclability, and spatial/siting considerations. This literature-grounded review highlights technology trade-offs and reinforces the need to align technology choice with site characteristics, use cases, and project objectives. A companion chapter examines ownership structures (EN ownership, third-party ownership, shared models) and offtake options (energy marketing, capacity/energy PPAs, time-of-use PPAs, block-delivery PPAs, and tolling), where PPAs (power purchase agreements) represent contractual arrangements for buying and selling electricity. The chapter also highlights implications for risk allocation, capital access, operational control, and revenue certainty. The study also evaluates supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and transmission interconnection pathways, options include upgrading the existing SCADA or deploying a dedicated LDES controller, with attention to protection schemes, data telemetry, cybersecurity, and regulatory coordination with BPA. In addition, an ARES-specific geotechnical and hydrology assessment presented in the appendix screens multiple corridors for slope stability, bearing capacity, cut-and-fill magnitude, and stormwater behavior.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Generalized Wigner theorem for noninvertible symmetries

In this article, we establish the conditions under which a conservation law associated with a non-invertible operator may be realized as a symmetry in quantum physics. As established by Wigner, all quantum symmetries must be represented by either unitary or antiunitary transformations. Relinquishing an implicit assumption of invertibility, we demonstrate that the fundamental invariance of quantum transition probabilities under the application of symmetries mandates that all non-invertible symmetries may only correspond to projective unitary or antiunitary transformations, i.e., partial isometries. This extends the notion of physical states beyond conventional rays in Hilbert space to equivalence classes in an extended, gauged Hilbert space, thereby broadening the traditional understanding of symmetry transformations in quantum theory. Our generalized theorem applies irrespective of the origin of the (non)invertible symmetry, holds in arbitrary spatial dimensions, and is independent of the Hamiltonian or action. We explore its physical consequences and, using simple model systems, illustrate how the distinction between invertible and non-invertible symmetries can sometimes be tied to the choice of boundary conditions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Repowering: The Other Side of the Reliability Coin

Extreme weather, cracked backsheets, severe PID, poorly built modules, and installation flaws - all can compromise a solar plant's health and force repowering long before end of life. With more than 70% of U.S. PV capacity less than seven years old, the fleet is young, but its rapid expansion has introduced new materials and system designs that are still being tested under real-world conditions. As a result, reliability - not economics - is what most often drives repowering decisions. Repowering is frequently assumed to be an economically motivated choice, but our work shows that reliability concerns are the real trigger. Drawing from industry interviews, case studies, and modeling, we highlight the physical, electrical, and policy barriers owners face when deciding whether to repair, repower, or decommission. At the same time, repowering can create opportunities: renewed interconnection periods, improved energy yields, and strategic upgrades to extend system value. We present a quantitative framework using NLR's System Advisor Model (SAM) and PV in Circular Economy (PV ICE) tool to evaluate trade-offs across financial, material, and energy impacts. These findings provide practical guidance for navigating the realities of repowering today and underscore the critical role of reliability in shaping the future performance and sustainability of the PV fleet.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Hls4ml Synthesis Testing

HLS4ml (high level synthesis for machine learning) Is a Python package used to translate commonly used open-source machine learning models into HLS. This is useful in machine learning applications on FPGAs. Machine learning algorithms are only as fast as the hardware that they are used on, and some applications require high speed without sacrificing accuracy. In these situations, an FPGA is a good choice since it is faster than a CPU or a GPU, but programming an FPGA is difficult. This is where HLS4ml can be used to simplify the process, as a well-known learning model can be converted to HLS and more easily deployed onto an FPGA. There are many use cases for a machine learning algorithm running on an FPGA. For example, detectors in a particle accelerator cannot keep every event that they detect, and so a computer must decide which events to keep and which to discard. Using an FPGA with a machine learning algorithm would be a good way to keep as many events as possible.

Swanson, Caiden↗

hls4ml

hls4ml (high level synthesis for machine learning) Is a Python package used to translate commonly used open-source machine learning models into HLS. This is useful in machine learning applications on FPGAs. Machine learning algorithms are only as fast as the hardware that they are used on, and some applications require high speed without sacrificing accuracy. In these situations, an FPGA is a good choice since it is faster than a CPU or a GPU, but programming an FPGA is difficult. This is where hls4ml can be used to simplify the process, as a well-known learning model can be converted to HLS and more easily deployed onto an FPGA. There are many use cases for a machine learning algorithm running on an FPGA. For example, detectors in a particle accelerator cannot keep every event that they detect, and so a computer must decide which events to keep and which to discard. Using an FPGA with a machine learning algorithm would be a good way to keep as many events as possible.

Swanson, Caiden↗

Relaxing constraints on dark matter annihilation near the supermassive black hole in M87

The supermassive black hole at the center of M87 could redistribute dark matter particles within its sphere of influence, creating a high-density region known as a density spike. This spike can significantly enhance dark matter annihilation signals, making M87 a critical target for deriving stringent constraints on annihilation cross sections. In this work, we demonstrate that these constraints are highly sensitive to the choice of the halo density profile for M87. Motivated by recent kinematic studies of M87, we adopt a cored halo model and find that the constraints on dark matter annihilation are significantly relaxed. Specifically, in the cored halo scenario, the smooth part of the halo overwhelmingly dominates the annihilation signals, whereas the commonly assumed cuspy halo model attributes a major contribution to the spike. We demonstrate this effect using a dark matter model with a light mediator.

particle dark matter↗

X-BASE: the first terrestrial carbon and water flux products from an extended data-driven scaling framework, FLUXCOM-X

Mapping in situ eddy covariance measurements of terrestrial land–atmosphere fluxes to the globe is a key method for diagnosing the Earth system from a data-driven perspective. We describe the first global products (called X-BASE) from a newly implemented upscaling framework, FLUXCOM-X, representing an advancement from the previous generation of FLUXCOM products in terms of flexibility and technical capabilities. The X-BASE products are comprised of estimates of CO 2 net ecosystem exchange (NEE), gross primary productivity (GPP), evapotranspiration (ET), and for the first time a novel, fully data-driven global transpiration product (ETT), at high spatial (0.05°) and temporal (hourly) resolution. X-BASE estimates the global NEE at −5.75 ± 0.33 Pg C yr −1 for the period 2001–2020, showing a much higher consistency with independent atmospheric carbon cycle constraints compared to the previous versions of FLUXCOM. The improvement of global NEE was likely only possible thanks to the international effort to increase the precision and consistency of eddy covariance collection and processing pipelines, as well as to the extension of the measurements to more site years resulting in a wider coverage of bioclimatic conditions. However, X-BASE global net ecosystem exchange shows a very low interannual variability, which is common to state-of-the-art data-driven flux products and remains a scientific challenge. With 125 ± 2.1 Pg C yr −1 for the same period, X-BASE GPP is slightly higher than previous FLUXCOM estimates, mostly in temperate and boreal areas. X-BASE evapotranspiration amounts to 74.7×10 3 ± 0.9×10 3 km 3 globally for the years 2001–2020 but exceeds precipitation in many dry areas, likely indicating overestimation in these regions. On average 57 % of evapotranspiration is estimated to be transpiration, in good agreement with isotope-based approaches, but higher than estimates from many land surface models. Despite considerable improvements to the previous upscaling products, many further opportunities for development exist. Pathways of exploration include methodological choices in the selection and processing of eddy covariance and satellite observations, their ingestion into the framework, and the configuration of machine learning methods. For this, the new FLUXCOM-X framework was specifically designed to have the necessary flexibility to experiment, diagnose, and converge to more accurate global flux estimates.

Nelson, Jacob A.↗

Universal Electronic‐Structure Relationship Governing Intrinsic Magnetic Properties in Permanent Magnets

An electronic-structure-centered perspective is presented on permanent-magnet (PM) design, highlighting two key levers, that is, saturation magnetization (M s ), governed by 3d-band filling and exchange physics, and magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE), arising from spin-orbit coupling (SOC) on anisotropic orbital populations. Reviewing current practices, including DFT-based MAE/J ij extraction, atomistic-spin and micromagnetic modeling, and high-throughput machine learning (ML) pipelines, three bottlenecks limiting predictive discovery is identified that is i) electronic-structure accuracy for small MAE (sensitive to functional choice, Hubbard U, and many-body effects), ii) finite-temperature and kinetic realism (phonon/magnon renormalization, ordering kinetics), and iii) descriptor and multiscale decoupling (lack of SOC-weighted and orbital-resolved fingerprints). Deep dives into the electronic-structure of Nd─Fe─B and Fe─N show how these fingerprints govern magnetic performance, motivating DFT- and quantum-mechanics-based descriptors for discovery. Unbiased, structure-driven exploration, coupled with high-throughput simulations, ML, generative AI, and reasoning models, accelerates candidate identification and propagates insights across scales. Addressing supply-chain risks, on future needs of designing “critical-element-free” magnets with tailored microstructure and high energy products is emphasized. By integrating electronic fingerprints, AI reasoning, and multiscale modeling, a practical roadmap is provided for rare-earth-lean or rare-earth free, high-performance, sustainable PMs.

Singh, Prashant [Ames Laboratory, and Iowa State U↗

A Unified Scaling Framework for Comparative Analysis of Major Electrical Machine Topologies

This paper presents a unified framework for comparing major electrical machine topologies under identical output and thermal constraints, with emphasis on supply-chain-aware selection among rare-earth-intensive, reduced-rare-earth, and rare-earth-free solutions. Using power factor and air-gap flux density as the principal descriptors, the framework links topology choice to relative size, copper demand, magnet dependence, cost sensitivity, and inertia. To support robust early-stage screening, the deterministic scaling model is combined with uncertainty representation, Monte Carlo scenario propagation, and hesitationaware ranking. The results show that rare-earth-rich machines remain compact and dense, whereas reduced-rare-earth and rare-earth-free alternatives become more attractive under specific material-risk and cost scenarios.

Kumar, Praveen [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000291877857)↗

Powering Data Centers with Clean Energy: A Techno-Economic Case Study of Nuclear and Renewable Energy Dependability

Rising data demands from artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) generating images, videos, and text have prompted increased need for larger and more robust data centers in the United States. Major companies interested in these larger data centers face the choice of linking them to existing regional grids, building stand-alone power supplies onsite, or a combination of both. The request, review, and approval process for new transmission lines to grids in the United States, however, has grown in recent years to times spans rivaling those of new construction for nuclear power plants. Building an islanded power supply for each data center is therefore becoming a prominent option. In this case study, several technologies are modeled in techno-economic simulations for long-term system costs subject to fixed electricity demand from a singular data center. A 250 MWe data center is assumed with additional 50 MWe for resiliency. Techno-economic simulations are conducted using the Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network (HERON) software, which is a part of the Framework for Optimization of Resources and Economics (FORCE) tool suite. Technologies considered include solar, wind, lithium-ion batteries, and several types of nuclear reactors: large-scale reactors, small modular reactors, and microreactors. A low- and high-cost estimate for each technology is assumed to develop a range of expected economic performance. Low-cost estimates included several clean energy production tax credits. Different combinations of renewable energy generators with nuclear reactors are considered, ranging from a fully renewable-powered data center to a fully nuclear-powered data center. Historic time series of wind and solar availability from the Texas grid are used to train a reduced order model; this model then generates unique time series with similar characteristics of the training dataset. Multiple scenarios of weather and subsequent operations are simulated for each renewable-nuclear combination to determine total costs throughout the project lifetime. Fully renewable-powered configurations required large amounts of installed capacity (GW scale) in the simulations to meet the fixed demand of the data center. This is due to some scenarios in the historical dataset which captured low-wind and low-solar days, requiring over-building of these technologies as well as batteries to compensate for the low amounts of electricity generation. Fully nuclear-powered configurations outperformed the fully renewable and mixed renewable-nuclear configurations in terms of cost, with ranges between $1B and $10B in 2023 USDs compared to $40B+ for fully renewable configurations. Of the nuclear technologies, small modular reactors performed better economically than large-scale nuclear models due to lower projected capital costs, and both performed better than the microreactor models. These results demonstrate the applicability of firm, dispatchable electricity resources from baseload generators like nuclear power plants for operating facilities that run at constant power without daily variability.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Re-evaluating probable maximum precipitation estimates: sensitivity to transposition domains and storm rotation using modern datasets

This study examines the sensitivity of Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) estimates to key methodological decisions embedded in the legacy approach adopted in the U.S. National Weather Service Hydrometeorological Reports No. 51 and No. 52. Although widely used for infrastructure design and risk regulation, fundamental aspects of PMP estimation—such as storm sample size, transposition domain, maximization procedures, and storm rotation—remain poorly constrained and lack formal guidance. Using the Red Rock watershed in Iowa as a case study, and leveraging the 2002–2023 NOAA Analysis of Record for Calibration (AORC) precipitation dataset, we systematically evaluate how each methodological choice, individually and in combination, influences PMP estimates. Our findings demonstrate that PMP is not a fixed physical upper bound but rather a modeling construct shaped heavily by user-defined assumptions. Notably, PMP values derived from modern gridded rainfall datasets can be substantially higher than the legacy estimate used in the original spillway design for Red Rock Dam. Decisions regarding storm sample size, domain extent, climatological window, and particularly storm rotation all contributed to higher PMP estimates. Storm rotation alone—a loosely constrained element in the current PMP practice—can amplify PMP by more than 25%. These results reveal the lack of standardized bounds in current PMP workflows and the need for systematic sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. As PMP estimation shifts toward probabilistic approaches, incorporating physically meaningful storm attributes will be key to developing more transparent, defensible methods for dam safety and climate-resilient infrastructure.

Probable maximum precipitation↗

Wind Turbine Aeroelastic Stability in OpenFAST

Wind turbines are growing in size and increasingly suffer from aeroelastic instabilities. Unfortunately, numerical models often show inconsistent results during verification studies. We address this gap by first introducing novel linearization capabilities within the open-source aero-hydro-servo-elastic framework OpenFAST. Next, a code-to-code benchmark study is presented that compares modal parameters between OpenFAST and HAWCStab2 for a land-based version of the International Energy Agency 15-MW reference wind turbine modeled with quasi-steady aerodynamics. The two solvers are in strong agreement except for discrepancies in the second rotor flapwise modes. The differences are attributed to the torsional flexibility of the tower, which is assumed torsionally stiff in the OpenFAST model. Work is ongoing to close this modeling gap. The aeroelastic stability of a low-specific-power land-based wind turbine is also investigated. The impact of design choices is discussed, high-lighting how narrow the margins are between a stable design and an unstable design.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Virtual Time III, Part 3: Throttling and Message Cancellation

This is Part 3 of a trio of papers that unify in a natural way the two historically distinct parallel discrete event synchronization paradigms, optimistic and conservative, combining the best properties of both into a single framework called Unified Virtual Time (UVT). In this part, we survey the synchronization effects that can be achieved by restricting to corner cases the relationships permitted among the control variables, GVT, CVT, TVT, and LVT, which were defined in Part 1. Here we also survey various throttling policies from the literature and describe how they can be implemented in UVT by controlling the value of TVT, including policies that can take advantage of rollback in addition to LP blocking. A significant result is a new category of efficient and higher precision throttling algorithms for optimistic execution that are based on optimistic lookahead, defined in a way that is symmetric to what we now call the conservative lookahead information that is traditionally used for conservative synchronization. Finally, we present a novel algorithm allowing the choice between lazy and aggressive cancellation to be made on a message-by-message basis using either external logic expressed in the model code, or policy code internal to the simulator, or a mixture of both.

throttling↗

Wormholes without averaging

After averaging over fermion couplings, SYK has a collective field description that sometimes has “wormhole” solutions. We study the fate of these wormholes when the couplings are fixed. Working mainly in a simple model, we find that the wormhole saddles persist, but that new saddles also appear elsewhere in the integration space — “half-wormholes.” The wormhole contributions depend only weakly on the specific choice of couplings, while the half-wormhole contributions are strongly sensitive. The half-wormholes are crucial for factorization of decoupled systems with fixed couplings, but they vanish after averaging, leaving the non-factorizing wormhole behind.

1/N Expansion↗

Powering Circularity Through Data Reporting and Collection

Sustainability and Circular Economy have many metrics for evaluation. Calculating mass intensity, energy return on investment, financial payback, and recycling rate for proposed technology changes and lifecycle management can support decision making. Robust data with modeling tools can perform these calculations, informing good decision making. Analyses show that reliability is more critical than recyclability. Improved data gathering and tool accessibility will support our industry to make more circular choices for PV lifecycle management.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Comparing matching prescriptions between pre-equilibrium and hydrodynamic models in high-energy nuclear collisions

Abstract State-of-the-art simulations of high-energy nuclear collisions rely on hybrid setups, involving in particular a pre-equilibrium stage to let the system evolve from a far-from-equilibrium initial condition towards a near-equilibrated state after which fluid dynamics can be applied meaningfully. A known issue is the mismatch between the equation of state in the fluid-dynamical evolution and the effective one in the previous stage, which leads to discontinuities at the interface between the two models. Here we introduce a new matching prescription at this interface, based on the entropy, and we compare it with the standard one relying on local energy conservation. We study the behavior of various quantities at the switching time between the models and investigate a number of final-state hadronic observables. For the latter, we show that they are not modified significantly by the choice of matching prescription, provided an appropriate normalization is chosen for the initial state. In turn, our approach reduces sizeably the ratio of bulk over thermodynamic pressure at the beginning of the fluid-dynamical stage.

Borghini, Nicolas (ORCID:0000000239063258)↗

Analysis and optimization of seismic monitoring networks with Bayesian optimal experimental design

SUMMARY Monitoring networks increasingly aim to assimilate data from a large number of diverse sensors covering many sensing modalities. Bayesian optimal experimental design (OED) seeks to identify data, sensor configurations or experiments which can optimally reduce uncertainty and hence increase the performance of a monitoring network. Information theory guides OED by formulating the choice of experiment or sensor placement as an optimization problem that maximizes the expected information gain (EIG) about quantities of interest given prior knowledge and models of expected observation data. Therefore, within the context of seismo-acoustic monitoring, we can use Bayesian OED to configure sensor networks by choosing sensor locations, types and fidelity in order to improve our ability to identify and locate seismic sources. In this work, we develop the framework necessary to use Bayesian OED to optimize a sensor network’s ability to locate seismic events from arrival time data of detected seismic phases at the regional-scale. This framework requires five elements: (i) A likelihood function that describes the distribution of detection and traveltime data from the sensor network, (ii) A prior distribution that describes a priori belief about seismic events, (iii) A Bayesian solver that uses a prior and likelihood to identify the posterior distribution of seismic events given the data, (iv) An algorithm to compute EIG about seismic events over a data set of hypothetical prior events, (v) An optimizer that finds a sensor network which maximizes EIG. Once we have developed this framework, we explore many relevant questions to monitoring such as: how to trade off sensor fidelity and earth model uncertainty; how sensor types, number and locations influence uncertainty; and how prior models and constraints influence sensor placement.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗