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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Design of Controller Hardware-In-the-Loop Model of Microgrid with Modular Building Blocks and Automated Design Script

The scalability of controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) simulation is critical for validating control coordination and energy management in microgrids with distributed energy resources, especially as these modern systems become more complex and decentralized. This paper presents a CHIL modeling methodology that combines modular building blocks with an automated design script to streamline the development of high-fidelity microgrid models. Standardized subsystem templates for resources, converters, and buses are integrated with a Python-based script that compiles structured JSON configuration files into simulation-ready initialization code. The proposed approach reduces development time, improves model consistency, and enhances simulation fidelity. The methodology is validated on a Typhoon HIL604 platform and is broadly applicable to real-time simulation of complex, networked microgrid systems. This framework establishes a foundation for automated, scalable CHIL validation and accelerates the design of next-generation distributed energy systems.

Kim, Namwon [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000200438489)↗
NASA NTRS2006

An Executable Choreography Framework for Dynamic Service-Oriented Architectures

Interoperability and loose coupling requirements are pushing the next generation of distributed applications towards more decentralized and more dynamic interaction schemes, which the classic requestJresponse communication paradigm can hardly accommodate. Hence, sound foundations and mechanisms for the establishment of unmticiptitteb peer-to-peer interactions across organizational boundaries are of significant importance to upcoming middleware platforms. The Executable Choreography Framework (ECF) is a middleware-level framework that targets dynamic and decentralized service compositions. The ECF combines transparent context propagation with aspect-oriented software composition techniques to dynamically refine the default control and data flow of service invocations. The framework provides a ground for experimentation with dynamic and distributed workflows, and a base to assess their safety and applicability when depioyed across organizational boundaries.

Akkawi, Faisal↗
NASA NTRS1992

Sensor fusion IV: Control paradigms and data structures; Proceedings of the Meeting, Boston, MA, Nov. 12-15, 1991

Various papers on control paradigms and data structures in sensor fusion are presented. The general topics addressed include: decision models and computational methods, sensor modeling and data representation, active sensing strategies, geometric planning and visualization, task-driven sensing, motion analysis, models motivated biology and psychology, decentralized detection and distributed decision, data fusion architectures, robust estimation of shapes and features, application and implementation. Some of the individual subjects considered are: the Firefly experiment on neural networks for distributed sensor data fusion, manifold traversing as a model for learning control of autonomous robots, choice of coordinate systems for multiple sensor fusion, continuous motion using task-directed stereo vision, interactive and cooperative sensing and control for advanced teleoperation, knowledge-based imaging for terrain analysis, physical and digital simulations for IVA robotics.

Schenker, Paul S.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A decentralized approach to vibration suppression in segmented reflector telescopes

The problem of vibration suppression in segmented reflector telescopes is considered. The decomposition of the structure into smaller components is discussed, and control laws for vibration suppression as well as conditions for stability at the local level are derived. These conditions and the properties of the interconnecting patterns are then utilized to obtain sufficient conditions for global stability.

Ryaciotaki-Boussalis, Helen A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Towards a State Based Control Architecture for Large Telescopes: Laying a Foundation at the VLT

Large telescopes are characterized by a high level of distribution of control-related tasks and will feature diverse data flow patterns and large ranges of sampling frequencies; there will often be no single, fixed server-client relationship between the control tasks. the architecture is also challenged by the task of integrating heterogeneous subsystems which will be delivered by multiple different contractors. Due to the high number of distributed components, the control system needs to effectively detect errors and faults, impede their propagation, and accurately mitigate them in the shortest time possible, enabling the service to be restored. The presented Data-Driven Architecture is based on a decentralized approach with an end-to-end integration of disparate, independently developed software components. These components employ a high-performance standards-based communication middle-ware infrastructure, based on the Data Distribution Service. A set of rules and principles, based on JPL's State Analysis method and architecture, are use to constrain component-to component interactions, where the Control System and System Under Control are clearly separated. State Analysis provide a model-based process for capturing system and software requirements and design, greatly reducing the gap between the requirements on software specified by systems engineers and the implementation by software engineers. The method and architecture has been field tested at the Very Large Telescope, where it has been integrated into an operational system.

European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT)↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Hybrid Fuel Cell and Battery Storage Power Management for Grid-Interactive EV Charging Station

With the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources in grid-interactive Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, the role of energy storage systems has become critical. While large energy storage systems have mitigated the intermittency of renewable energy, integrating multi-source energy management with prioritized charging can further enhance the reliability of charging stations (CS). This paper presents a decentralized energy management (DEM) approach combining battery energy storage (BES) and fuel cell (FC) systems using a rule-based line resistance correction droop (LRCD) control technique. The proposed droop control dynamically adjusts the gain to balance the state-of-charge (SoC) of the BES, enhancing power support longevity and improving battery life under varying capacity conditions by reducing current stress. Additionally, the paper addresses the challenges of using fuel cells in linear regions to optimize efficiency and manage various charging scenarios. The CS integrates unity power factor grid interaction, and power support for auxiliary loads, maintaining harmonic distortion within 5% during grid islanding. The approach evaluates DC bus voltage regulation under various scenarios of PV array power fluctuations and dynamic load variations, in both grid-connected and standalone operations. In conclusion, the proposed control strategy is validated on a laboratory prototype through various dynamic load variation and grid islanding scenarios.

Khalid, Mohd [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)↗
NASA NTRS1975

Diversification: Far term (2000 - )

Diversification, intended to underly the far term of the energy conservation program, was defined to imply conservation through substitution for scarce energy resources by maximizing the total number of viable energy system types in every sector. The following requirements or aspects of diversification that must be studied were given: fuel mix and end use patterns for various alternative diversification plans, current status of diversification, advantages and disadvantages of diversification, constraints and criteria, diversification actions and their controls, and means for implementing the chosen diversification strategy. The following advantages resulting from diversification were described: competition, crisis-related situations, local energy production, decentralized plant locations, long range energy policy, and environmental overloads. The major criteria by which a diversification program should be judged, the major constraints affecting the approaches, and the road to diversification, were elaborated.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

Figure control concepts for segmented reflector telescopes

Control analysis activities related to the development of figure control technologies for large space telescopes with precision segmented actively controlled primary reflectors are reviewed. The Precision Segmented Reflector (PSR) configuration is described along with the development and use of the PSR models. Geometric and dynamic models, characterization of figure estimation errors and optimal sensor placement, and the development of quasi-static and dynamic control concepts are outlined. The structure of a quasi-static controller is presented, that utilizes edge sensor measurements to estimate displacement errors at the actuator level and generates figure correction commands. The second approach considers decentralization of the reflector system at the panel level, while the third considers decentralization at the actuator level.

Boussalis, D.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Formations of Tethered Spacecraft as Stable Platforms for Far IR and Sub-mm Astronomy

In this paper we describe current research in tethered formations for interferometry, and a roadmap to demonstrating the required key technologies via on-ground and in-orbit testing. We propose an integrated kilometer-size tethered spacecraft formation flying concept which enables Far IR and Sub-mm astronomy observations from space. A rather general model is used to predict the dynamics, control, and estimation performance of formations of spacecraft connected by tethers in LEO and deep space. These models include the orbital and tethered formation dynamics, environmental models, and models of the formation estimator/controller/commander. Both centralized and decentralized control/sensing/estimation schemes are possible, and dynamic ranges of interest for sensing/control are described. Key component/subsystem technologies are described which need both ground-based and in-orbit demonstration prior to their utilization in precision space interferometry missions using tethered formations. Defining an orbiting formation as an ensemble of orbiting spacecraft performing a cooperative task, recent work has demonstrated the validity of the tethering the spacecraft to provide both the required formation rigidity and satisfy the formation reconfiguration needs such as interferometer baseline control. In our concept, several vehicles are connected and move along the tether, so that to reposition them the connecting tether links must vary in length. This feature enables variable and precise baseline control while the system spins around the boresight. The control architecture features an interferometer configuration composed of one central combiner spacecraft and two aligned collector spacecraft. The combiner spacecraft acts as the formation leader and is also where the centralized sensing and estimation functions reside. Some of the issues analyzed with the model are: dynamic modes of deformation of the distributed structure, architecture of the formation sensor, and sources of dynamical perturbation that need to be mitigated for precision operation in space. Examples from numerical simulation of an envisioned scenario in heliocentric orbit demonstrate the potential of the concept for space interferometry.

Quadrelli, Marco B.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multi-agent voltage control in distribution systems using GAN-DRL-based approach

Active distribution grids can experience voltage fluctuations and violations due to the high penetration of variable distributed energy resources (DERs). These problems might occur because of the uncertain and variable generation natures of these resources, especially solar photovoltaic resources, during panel shadowing scenarios. Volt-VAR control (VVC) is an efficient method that controls the reactive power set-points of the inverters to regulate the voltage of distribution grids. Although several VVC approaches have been proposed recently, the performance of these approaches degrades significantly if behind-the-meter solar generation data are unobservable/missing. Therefore, it is necessary to impute missing/unobservable PV data accurately to be utilized in VVC approaches. Further, this paper proposes a model-free, data-driven, centrally trained, and decentrally executed multi-agent deep reinforcement learning-based VVC architecture to regulate the voltage of distribution networks. A generative adversarial network (GAN) is incorporated to impute the unobservable PV data accurately, which improves the performance of the proposed control architecture. The proposed multi-agent-soft-actor–critic algorithm (MASAC)-based VVC technique utilizes the actual PV dataset as well as the imputed dataset from the GAN framework to learn the optimal coordinated control policy for controlling the optimal reactive power set-points of PV inverters. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is analyzed on a modified IEEE 34-bus test case with added PV inverters. The results are compared and analyzed with a base case model with no VVC and VVC with a local droop control approach, genetic algorithm optimization, and a centralized soft actor–critic-based approach. Moreover, the performance of the proposed approach is compared with that of a multi-agent VVC framework without using the PV generation data and load information as the system state. The results illustrate that the proposed method with more state input improves the voltage profile and reduces the power loss of the network across various loading and PV generation scenarios.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1982

Development of management technology for large power systems

Autonomous power management has been proposed as a method to perform optimization of power subsystem performance in connection with the management of multikilowatt space platforms. A concept for a 250-kW utility-type power subsystem was developed. A Cassegrain concentrator solar array primary source is conditioned by a solar array switching unit which supplies seventeen 220 +20 Vdc power channels. A power management subsystem provides the monitoring and control of the overall electrical power subsystem. The discussed system concept for autonomous management of high power space platforms utilizes on-board microprocessors in a decentralized data management architecture. A data bus protocol and a data bus contention resolution scheme were selected in conjunction with the dencentralized management architecture.

Decker, D. K.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Signal Whisperers: Enhancing Wireless Reception Using DRL-Guided Reflector Arrays

This paper presents a multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) approach for controlling adjustable metallic reflector arrays to enhance wireless signal reception in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios. Unlike conventional reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) that require complex channel estimation, our system employs a centralized training with decentralized execution (CTDE) paradigm where individual agents corresponding to reflector segments autonomously optimize reflector element orientation in three-dimensional space using spatial intelligence based on user location information. Through extensive ray-tracing simulations with dynamic user mobility, the proposed multi-agent beam-focusing framework demonstrates substantial performance improvements over single-agent reinforcement learning baselines, while maintaining rapid adaptation to user movement within one simulation step. Comprehensive evaluation across varying user densities and reflector configurations validates system scalability and robustness. The results demonstrate the potential of learning-based approaches for adaptive wireless propagation control.

deep reinforcement learning↗
DOE OSTI2025

Privacy-Protected Simultaneous Provision of Energy and Primary Frequency Control Reserve

This paper investigates a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model for simultaneous scheduling of energy and primary frequency control reserve. Given the model’s unique structure and growing concerns about privacy, we adopt Dantzig-Wolfe Decomposition (DWD) algorithm to solve the problem in a decentralized fashion while obfuscating the privacy of the energy and reserve resources. Additionally, we present a novel criterion for checking the model’s feasibility. Finally, simulation results are given and discussed.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2025

DISTRI: Distributed Multi-Facility HPC Simulator (DISTRI) v2.1

DISTRI is an advanced network simulator designed for multi-facility computational infrastructures with agentic behavior. It simulates HPC facilities where computational resources act as autonomous agents, making intelligent decisions about job scheduling, load balancing, and resource allocation. The simulator focuses on developing and testing decentralized algorithms that promote resilience and efficiency in multi-facility environments. Key Features: - Agentic Resource Behavior: Processors and DTNs act as autonomous agents with decision-making capabilities - Pheromone-Based Load Balancing: Decentralized load balancing inspired by ant colony optimization - Dual Topology Support: Mesh (normal operations) and Dumbell (network testing) topologies - Comprehensive TCP Simulation: Realistic TCP implementations with multiple congestion control algorithms - Failure Resilience Testing: Processor failure simulation with automatic job reassignment - Extensive Visualization: Detailed performance analysis and metrics collection - Research-Ready: Designed for algorithm development and benchmarking

Bez, Jean Luca [Lawrence Berkeley National Laborat↗
NASA NTRS2003

First Experiences Using XACML for Access Control in Distributed Systems

Authorization systems today are increasingly complex. They span domains of administration, rely on many different authentication sources, and manage permissions that can be as complex as the system itself. Worse still, while there are many standards that define authentication mechanisms, the standards that address authorization are less well defined and tend to work only within homogeneous systems. This paper presents XACML, a standard access control language, as one component of a distributed and inter-operable authorization framework. Several emerging systems which incorporate XACML are discussed. These discussions illustrate how authorization can be deployed in distributed, decentralized systems. Finally, some new and future topics are presented to show where this work is heading and how it will help connect the general components of an authorization system.

Lorch, Marcus↗
DOE OSTI2024

Decentralized Microgrid Protection Through Relative Fault Direction Classification: Preprint

Protection in inverter-based resources (IBRs) dominated microgrids generally face significant challenges due to the low fault current and inconsistent fault behaviors from IBRs. Recently, machine learning-based approaches have attracted considerable attention to address these challenges. This paper introduces a novel decentralized protection strategy for microgrids. The proposed method decomposes the protection challenge into several distributed learning tasks, enabling individual relays to autonomously determine the direction of faults using a binary classification framework based on support vector machine (SVM) algorithms. Following the distributed fault direction estimation, classifier outcomes are shared among neighboring relays, facilitating a local decision-making process to ascertain the presence of faults within the neighborhood. Finally, a tripping signal is generated based on the classifier results of each relay to operate the circuit breaker. To test and validate this approach, a 100% renewable microgrid model is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink. In the numerical analysis, the application of SVM classifiers in our approach yields impressive results: an average relay classification accuracy of 98%, and a 96% accuracy in circuit breaker control. These findings highlight the potential of machine-learning-based approaches in enhancing the efficiency and reliability of microgrid protection systems.

decentralized algorithm↗
NASA NTRS1973

Space shuttle program information control and retrieval system feasibility study report

The feasibility of having a common information management network for space shuttle data, is studied. Identified are the information types required, sources and users of the information, and existing techniques for acquiring, storing and retrieving the data. The study concluded that a decentralized system is feasible, and described a recommended development plan for it.

Lingle, C. P.↗