SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “virtual field testing”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 235 records · Page 13

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2024

Risk-informed Hierarchical Control of Behind-the-Meter DERs with AMI Data Integration (Final Technical Report)

This project addresses several key barriers to implement the next generation demand response applications and provides a clear understanding of implementing hierarchical and standalone control using AMI data. Through this program, Eaton has developed and tested a meter-as-a-controller prototype with the help of other partners--- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Pecan St Inc. (PSI), and Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC). The controller can utilize residential controllable loads such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioner (HVAC), electric water heater and distributed energy resources like solar PV and battery energy storage systems for off-setting the demand that is required from the grid, thus providing reliable grid-services for demand reduction or peak shaving. The controller is also capable of coordinating the resources of the premises for better management and energy efficiency while meeting the comfort bound of the premises owner as quality-of-service. The development has been demonstrated in a three virtual-home setup at system performance lab of NREL with real appliances (HVAC, electric water heater, solar PV, and battery). The technology has also been proved through laboratory and field demonstration with successful interconnectivity (e.g., end-to-end communication and data exchange) between the residential appliances and utility through the RF network at Delaware Electric Co-op (DEC) in Delaware.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

NASA NTRS2002

Training, transfer, and retention of three-dimensional spatial memory in virtual environments

Human orientation requires one to remember and visualize spatial arrangements of landmarks from different perspectives. Astronauts have reported difficulties remembering relationships between environmental landmarks when imagined in arbitrary 3D orientations. The present study investigated the effects of strategy training on humans' 1) ability to infer their orientation from landmarks presented ahead and below, 2) performance when subsequently learning a different array, and 3) retention of configurational knowledge over time. On the first experiment day, 24 subjects were tested in a virtual cubic chamber in which a picture of an animal was drawn on each wall. Through trial-by-trial exposures, they had to memorize the spatial relationships among the six pictures around them and learn to predict the direction to a specific picture when facing any view direction, and in any roll orientation. Half of the subjects ("strategy group") were taught methods for remembering picture groupings, while the remainder received no such training ("control group"). After learning one picture array, the procedure was repeated in a second. Accuracy (% correct) and response time learning curves were measured. Performance for the second array and configurational memory of both arrays were also retested 1, 7, and 30 days later. Results showed that subjects "learned how to learn" this generic 3D spatial memory task regardless of their relative orientation to the environment, that ability and configurational knowledge was retained for at least a month, that figure rotation ability and field independence correlate with performance, and that teaching subjects specific strategies in advance significantly improves performance. Training astronauts to perform a similar generic 3D spatial memory task, and suggesting strategies in advance, may help them orient in three dimensions.

Non-NASA Center↗

DOE OSTI2011

Proposal for GPD studies at COMPASS

The study of nucleon structure through Generalised Parton Distributions (GPD) is one major part of the future COMPASS-II physics program and can be performed using exclusive reactions like Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) and Meson Production. The high energy of the muon beam allows to measure the x{sub B}-dependence of the t-slope of the DVCS cross section. The use of positive and negative polarised muon beams allows to determine the Beam Charge and Spin Difference of the DVCS cross sections to access the real part of the Compton form factor related to the dominant GPD H. The sensitivity of both measurements is examined and confronted to existing models or global fits of the data. Preliminary beam test data were analyzed and demonstrated the feasibility of the identification of the DVCS reaction using the COMPASS experimental set-up.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2014

TU-C-BRE-10: A Streamlined Approach to EPID Transit Dosimetry

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of a simple and efficient transit dosimetry method using the electronic portal imaging device (EPID) for dose delivery error detection and prevention. Methods: In the proposed method, 2D reference transit images are generated for comparison with online images acquired during treatment. Reference transit images are generated by convolving through-air EPID measurements of each field with pixel-specific kernels selected from a library of pre-calculated Monte Carlo pencil kernels of varying radiological thickness. The kernel used for each pixel is selected based on the calculated radiological thickness of the patient along a line joining the pixel and the virtual source. The accuracy of the technique was evaluated in flat homogeneous and heterogeneous plastic water phantoms, a heterogeneous cylindrical phantom, and an anthropomorphic head phantom. Gamma criteria of 3%/3 mm was used to quantify the accuracy of the technique for the various cases. Results: An average of 99.9% and 99.7% of the points in the comparison between the measured and predicted images passed a 3%/3mm gamma for the homogeneous and heterogeneous plastic water phantoms, respectively. 97.1% of the points passed for the analysis of the heterogeneous cylindrical phantom. For the anthropomorphic head phantom, an average of 97.8% of points passed the 3%/3mm gamma criteria for all field sizes. Failures were observed primarily in areas of drastic thickness or material changes and at the edges of the fields. Conclusion: The data suggest that the proposed transit dosimetry method is a feasible approach to in vivo dose monitoring. Future research efforts could include implementation for more complex fields and sensitivity testing of the method to setup errors and changes in anatomy. Oncology Data Systems provided partial funding support but did not participate in the collection or analysis of data.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2017

Analyses of Field Test Data at the Atucha-1 Spent Fuel Pools

A field test was conducted at the Atucha-1 spent nuclear fuel pools to validate a software package for gross defect detection that is used in conjunction with the inspection tool, Spent Fuel Neutron Counter (SFNC). A set of measurements was taken with the SFNC and the software predictions were compared with these data and analyzed. The data spanned a wide range of cooling times and a set of burnup levels leading to count rates from the several hundreds to around twenty per second. The current calibration in the software using linear fitting required the use of multiple calibration factors to cover the entire range of count rates recorded. The solution to this was to use power regression data fitting to normalize the predicted response and derive one calibration factor that can be applied to the entire set of data. The resulting comparisons between the predicted and measured responses were generally good and provided a quantitative method of detecting missing fuel in virtually all situations. Since the current version of the software uses the linear calibration method, it would need to be updated with the new power regression method to make it more user-friendly for real time verification and fieldable for the range of responses that will be encountered.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗

DOE OSTI2016

A source-attractor approach to network detection of radiation sources

Radiation source detection using a network of detectors is an active field of research for homeland security and defense applications. We propose Source-attractor Radiation Detection (SRD) method to aggregate measurements from a network of detectors for radiation source detection. SRD method models a potential radiation source as a magnet -like attractor that pulls in pre-computed virtual points from the detector locations. A detection decision is made if a sufficient level of attraction, quantified by the increase in the clustering of the shifted virtual points, is observed. Compared with traditional methods, SRD has the following advantages: i) it does not require an accurate estimate of the source location from limited and noise-corrupted sensor readings, unlike the localizationbased methods, and ii) its virtual point shifting and clustering calculation involve simple arithmetic operations based on the number of detectors, avoiding the high computational complexity of grid-based likelihood estimation methods. We evaluate its detection performance using canonical datasets from Domestic Nuclear Detection Office s (DNDO) Intelligence Radiation Sensors Systems (IRSS) tests. SRD achieves both lower false alarm rate and false negative rate compared to three existing algorithms for network source detection.

Wu, Qishi↗

NASA NTRS2018

Transiting Planets from Kepler, K2 & TESS

NASA's Kepler spacecraft, launched in 2009, has been a resounding success. More than 4000 planet candidates have been identified using data from Kepler primary mission, which ended in 2013, and greater than 2000 of these candidates have been verified as bona fide exoplanets. After the loss of two reaction wheels ended the primary mission, the Kepler spacecraft was repurposed in 2014 to observe many fields on the sky for short periods. This new mission, dubbed K2, has led to the discovery of greater than 600 planet candidates, approximately 200 of which have been verified to date; most of these exoplanets are closer to us than the majority of exoplanets discovered by the primary Kepler mission. TESS, launching in 2018, will survey most of the sky for exoplanets, with emphasis on those orbiting nearby and/or bright host stars, making these planets especially well-suited for follow-up observations with other observatories to characterize atmospheric compositions and other properties. More than one-third of the planet candidates found by NASA's are associated with target stars that have more than one planet candidate, and such 'multis' account for the majority of candidates that have been verified as true planets. The large number of multis tells us that flat multiplanet systems like our Solar System are common. Virtually all of the candidate planetary systems are stable, as tested by numerical integrations that assume a physically motivated mass-radius relationship. Statistical studies performed on these candidate systems reveal a great deal about the architecture of planetary systems, including the typical spacing of orbits and flatness. The characteristics of several of the most interesting confirmed Kepler & K2 multi-planet systems will also be discussed.

Lissauer, Jack↗

NASA NTRS1995

Separation of crack extension modes in orthotropic delamination models

In the analysis of an interface crack between dissimilar elastic materials, the mode of crack extension is typically not unique, due to oscillatory behavior of near-tip stresses and displacements. This behavior currently limits the applicability of interfacial fracture mechanics as a means to predict composite delamination. The Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) is a method used to extract mode 1 and mode 2 energy release rates from numerical fracture solutions. The mode of crack extension extracted from an oscillatory solution using the VCCT is not unique due to the dependence of mode on the virtual crack extension length, Delta. In this work, a method is presented for using the VCCT to extract Delta-independent crack extension modes for the case of an interface crack between two in-plane orthotropic materials. The method does not involve altering the analysis to eliminate its oscillatory behavior. Instead, it is argued that physically reasonable, Delta-independent modes of crack extension can be extracted from oscillatory solutions. Knowledge of near-tip fields is used to determine the explicit Delta dependence of energy release rate parameters. Energy release rates are then defined that are separated from the oscillatory dependence on Delta. A modified VCCT using these energy release rate definitions is applied to results from finite element analyses, showing that Delta-independent modes of crack extension result. The modified technique has potential as a consistent method for extracting crack extension modes from numerical solutions. The Delta-independent modes extracted using this technique can also serve as guides for testing the convergence of finite element models. Direct applications of this work include the analysis of planar composite delamination problems, where plies or debonded laminates are modeled as in-plane orthotropic materials.

Beuth, Jack L.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Evaluation of Synthetic Vision Display Concepts for Improved Awareness in Unusual Attitude Recovery Scenarios

A recent study conducted by the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) determined 40 percent of all fixed-wing fatal accidents, between 2001 and 2011, were caused by Loss-of-Control (LOC) in flight (National Transportation Safety Board, 2015). Based on their findings, CAST recommended manufacturers develop and implement virtual day-visual meteorological conditions (VMC) display systems, such as synthetic vision or equivalent systems (CAST, 2016). In a 2015 simulation study conducted at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), researchers gathered to test and evaluate virtual day-VMC displays under realistic flight operation scenarios capable of inducing reduced attention states in pilots. Each display concept was evaluated to determine its efficacy to improve attitude awareness. During the experiment, Evaluation Pilots (EPs) were shown the following three display concepts on the Primary Flight Display (PFD): Baseline, Synthetic Vision (SV) with color gradient, and SV with texture. The baseline configuration was a standard, conventional 'blue over brown' display. Experiment scenarios were simulated over water to evaluate Unusual Attitude (UA) recovery over 'featureless terrain' environments. Thus, the SV with color gradient configuration presented a 'blue over blue' display with a linear blue color progression, to differentiate attitude changes between sky and ocean. The SV with texture configuration presented a 'blue over blue' display with a black checkerboard texture atop a synthetic ocean. These displays were paired with a Background Attitude Indicator (BAI) concept. The BAI was presented across all four Head-Down Displays (HDDs), displaying a wide field-of-view blue-over-blue attitude indicator. The BAI aligned with the PFD and showed through the background of the navigation displays with opaque transparency. Each EP participated in a two-part experiment series with a total seventy-five trial runs: Part I included a set of twenty-five Unusual Attitude Recovery (UAR) scenarios; Part II included a set of fifty Attitude Memory Recall Tasks (AMRT). At the conclusion of each trial, EPs were asked to complete a set post-run questionnaires. Quantitative results showed that there were no significant statistical effects on UA recovery times when utilizing SV with or without the presence of a BAI. Qualitative results show the SV displays (color, texture) with BAI On are most preferred for both UA recognition and recovery when compared with the baseline display. When only comparing SV display concepts, EPs performed better when using the SV with texture, BAI On, than any other display configuration. This is an interesting find considering most EPs noted their preference towards the SV with color gradient when the BAI was on.

Nicholas, Stephanie↗

DOE OSTI2012

The DVCS program in Hall A at Jefferson Lab

The DVCS Hall A/JLab experiments aim at providing data relevant to the '3-D structure of the nucleon' exploration by measuring precise absolute cross sections in the Deep Exclusive domain. Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering off the nucleon is the simplest process which is sensitive to the Generalized Parton Distribution functions. Currently, the DVCS in Hall A program is articulated in three steps. The first generation of experiments showed the power of precise measurement of absolute cross sections to test factorization of the DVCS amplitude. The second generation of experiments (data under analysis) will separate (at twist-2 order) all of the terms making up the unpolarized cross section. And the third generation of experiments (data to be taken with the 12 GeV beam at JLab) will provide measurements over an extended kinematic range. In this conference proceeding, the status of the DVCS in Hall A/JLab program is reviewed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS2000

Atomistic Method Applied to Computational Modeling of Surface Alloys

The formation of surface alloys is a growing research field that, in terms of the surface structure of multicomponent systems, defines the frontier both for experimental and theoretical techniques. Because of the impact that the formation of surface alloys has on surface properties, researchers need reliable methods to predict new surface alloys and to help interpret unknown structures. The structure of surface alloys and when, and even if, they form are largely unpredictable from the known properties of the participating elements. No unified theory or model to date can infer surface alloy structures from the constituents properties or their bulk alloy characteristics. In spite of these severe limitations, a growing catalogue of such systems has been developed during the last decade, and only recently are global theories being advanced to fully understand the phenomenon. None of the methods used in other areas of surface science can properly model even the already known cases. Aware of these limitations, the Computational Materials Group at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field has developed a useful, computationally economical, and physically sound methodology to enable the systematic study of surface alloy formation in metals. This tool has been tested successfully on several known systems for which hard experimental evidence exists and has been used to predict ternary surface alloy formation (results to be published: Garces, J.E.; Bozzolo, G.; and Mosca, H.: Atomistic Modeling of Pd/Cu(100) Surface Alloy Formation. Surf. Sci., 2000 (in press); Mosca, H.; Garces J.E.; and Bozzolo, G.: Surface Ternary Alloys of (Cu,Au)/Ni(110). (Accepted for publication in Surf. Sci., 2000.); and Garces, J.E.; Bozzolo, G.; Mosca, H.; and Abel, P.: A New Approach for Atomistic Modeling of Pd/Cu(110) Surface Alloy Formation. (Submitted to Appl. Surf. Sci.)). Ternary alloy formation is a field yet to be fully explored experimentally. The computational tool, which is based on the BFS (Bozzolo, Ferrante, and Smith) method for the calculation of the energetics, consists of a small number of simple PCbased computer codes that deal with the different aspects of surface alloy formation. Two analysis modes are available within this package. The first mode provides an atom-by-atom description of real and virtual stages 1. during the process of surface alloying, based on the construction of catalogues of configurations where each configuration describes one possible atomic distribution. BFS analysis of this catalogue provides information on accessible states, possible ordering patterns, and details of island formation or film growth. More importantly, it provides insight into the evolution of the system. Software developed by the Computational Materials Group allows for the study of an arbitrary number of elements forming surface alloys, including an arbitrary number of surface atomic layers. The second mode involves large-scale temperature-dependent computer 2. simulations that use the BFS method for the energetics and provide information on the dynamic processes during surface alloying. These simulations require the implementation of Monte-Carlo-based codes with high efficiency within current workstation environments. This methodology capitalizes on the advantages of the BFS method: there are no restrictions on the number or type of elements or on the type of crystallographic structure considered. This removes any restrictions in the definition of the configuration catalogues used in the analytical calculations, thus allowing for the study of arbitrary ordering patterns, ultimately leading to the actual surface alloy structure. Moreover, the Monte Carlo numerical technique used for the large-scale simulations allows for a detailed visualization of the simulated process, the main advantage of this type of analysis being the ability to understand the underlying features that drive these processes. Because of the simplicity of the BFS method for e energetics used in these calculations, a detailed atom-by-atom analysis can be performed at any point in the simulation, providing necessary insight on the details of the process. The main objective of this research program is to develop a tool to guide experimenters in understanding and interpreting often unexpected results in alloy formation experiments. By reducing the computational effort without losing physical accuracy, we expect that powerful simulation tools will be developed in the immediate future, which will allow material scientists to easily visualize and analyze processes at a level not achievable experimentally.

Bozzolo, Guillermo H.↗

DOE OSTI2021

Multiphysics and Multiscale Modeling of Coupled Transport of Chloride Ions in Concrete

Chloride ions (Cl−)-induced corrosion is one of the main degradation mechanisms in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. In most situations, the degradation initiates with the transport of Cl− from the surface of the concrete towards the reinforcing steel. The accumulation of Cl− at the steel-concrete interface could initiate reinforcement corrosion once a threshold Cl− concentration is achieved. An accurate numerical model of the Cl− transport in concrete is required to predict the corrosion initiation in RC structures. However, existing numerical models lack a representation of the heterogenous concrete microstructure resulting from the varying environmental conditions and the indirect effect of time dependent temperature and relative humidity (RH) on the water adsorption and Cl− binding isotherms. In this study, a numerical model is developed to study the coupled transport of Cl− with heat, RH and oxygen (O2) into the concrete. The modeling of the concrete microstructure is performed using the Virtual Cement and Concrete Testing Laboratory (VCCTL) code developed by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The concept of equivalent maturation time is utilized to eliminate the limitation of simulating concrete microstructure using VCCTL in specific environmental conditions such as adiabatic. Thus, a time-dependent concrete microstructure, which depends on the hydration reactions coupled with the temperature and RH of the environment, is achieved to study the Cl− transport. Additionally, Cl− binding isotherms, which are a function of the pH of the concrete pore solution, Cl− concentration, and weight fraction of mono-sulfate aluminate (AFm) and calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H), obtained from an experimental study by the same authors are utilized to account for the Cl− binding of cement hydration products. The temperature dependent RH diffusion was considered to account for the transport of Cl− with moisture transport. The temperature and RH diffusion in the concrete domain, composite theory, and Cl− binding and water adsorption isotherms are used in combination, to estimate the ensuing Cl− diffusion field within the concrete. The coupled transport process of heat, RH, Cl−, and O2 is implemented in the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) developed by the U.S. Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The model was verified and validated using data from multiple experimental studies with different concrete mixture proportions, curing durations, and environmental conditions. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to identify that the water-to-cement (w/c) ratio, the exposure duration, the boundary conditions: temperature, RH, surface Cl− concentration, Cl− diffusion coefficient in the capillary water, and the critical RH are the important parameters that govern the Cl− transport in RC structures. In a case study, the capabilities of the developed numerical model are demonstrated by studying the complex 2D diffusion of Cl− in a RC beam located in two different climatic regions: warm and humid weather in Galveston, Texas, and cold and dry weather in North Minnesota, Minnesota, subjected to time varying temperature, RH, and surface Cl− concentrations.

composite theory↗

NASA NTRS1995

High Performance Parallel Computational Nanotechnology

At a recent press conference, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin encouraged NASA Ames Research Center to take a lead role in promoting research and development of advanced, high-performance computer technology, including nanotechnology. Manufacturers of leading-edge microprocessors currently perform large-scale simulations in the design and verification of semiconductor devices and microprocessors. Recently, the need for this intensive simulation and modeling analysis has greatly increased, due in part to the ever-increasing complexity of these devices, as well as the lessons of experiences such as the Pentium fiasco. Simulation, modeling, testing, and validation will be even more important for designing molecular computers because of the complex specification of millions of atoms, thousands of assembly steps, as well as the simulation and modeling needed to ensure reliable, robust and efficient fabrication of the molecular devices. The software for this capacity does not exist today, but it can be extrapolated from the software currently used in molecular modeling for other applications: semi-empirical methods, ab initio methods, self-consistent field methods, Hartree-Fock methods, molecular mechanics; and simulation methods for diamondoid structures. In as much as it seems clear that the application of such methods in nanotechnology will require powerful, highly powerful systems, this talk will discuss techniques and issues for performing these types of computations on parallel systems. We will describe system design issues (memory, I/O, mass storage, operating system requirements, special user interface issues, interconnects, bandwidths, and programming languages) involved in parallel methods for scalable classical, semiclassical, quantum, molecular mechanics, and continuum models; molecular nanotechnology computer-aided designs (NanoCAD) techniques; visualization using virtual reality techniques of structural models and assembly sequences; software required to control mini robotic manipulators for positional control; scalable numerical algorithms for reliability, verifications and testability. There appears no fundamental obstacle to simulating molecular compilers and molecular computers on high performance parallel computers, just as the Boeing 777 was simulated on a computer before manufacturing it.

Saini, Subhash↗

DOE OSTI2011

Prospects for DVCS measurements using the COMPASS spectrometer at CERN

The study of exclusive reactions like Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) and Deeply Virtual Meson Production (DVMP) is one major part of the future COMPASS program to investigate nucleon structure through Generalized Parton Distributions (GPD). The high energy of the muon beam allows to measure the x{sub Bj}-dependence of the t-slope of the DVCS cross section and to study nucleon tomography. The use of positive and negative polarized muon beams allows to determine the Beam Charge and Spin Difference of the DVCS cross sections to access the real part of the Compton form factor related to the dominant GPD H. As a second phase a transversely polarized proton target will be used to collect data to constrain the GPD E. In preparation of the future measurements two DVCS test runs were performed in 2008 and 2009.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS2000

System Being Developed to Measure the Rotordynamic Characteristics of Air Foil Bearings

Because of the many possible advantages of oil-free engine operation, interest in using air lubricated foil-bearing technology in advanced oil-free engine concepts has recently increased. The Oil-Free Turbomachinery Program at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field has partially driven this recent push for oil-free technology. The program's goal of developing an innovative, practical, oil-free gas turbine engine for aeropropulsion began with the development of NASA's high-temperature solid-lubricant coating, PS304. This coating virtually eliminates the life-limiting wear that occurs during the startup and shutdown of the bearings. With practically unlimited life, foil air bearings are now very attractive to rotating machinery designers for use in turbomachinery. Unfortunately, the current knowledge base of these types of bearings is limited. In particular, the understanding of how these types of bearings contribute to the rotordynamic stability of turbomachinery is insufficient for designers to design with confidence. Recent work in oil-free turbomachinery has concentrated on advancing the understanding of foil bearings. A high-temperature fiber-optic displacement probe system and measurement method were developed to study the effects of speed, load, temperature, and other environmental issues on the stiffness characteristics of air foil bearings. Since high temperature data are to be collected in future testing, the testing method was intentionally simplified to minimize the need for expensive test hardware. The method measures the displacement induced upon a bearing in response to an applied perturbation load. The early results of these studies, which are shown in the accompanying figure, indicate trends in steady state stiffness that suggest stiffness increases with load and decreases with speed. It can be seen, even from these data, that stiffness is not expected to change by orders of magnitude over the normal operating range of most turbomachinery; a promising sign for their eventual integration into oil-free turbomachines. Planned future testing will generate similar plots for stiffness changes with temperature and geometry, as well as damping data. The data collected by this method represent a critical step toward understanding how to successfully apply foil air bearings to future oil-free turbomachinery systems.

Howard, Samuel A.↗

DOE OSTI2015

Mock-Up activities for the extraction of samples from a salt-stone disposal unit - 15502

Mock-up testing with respect to the core-drilling of simulant salt-stone grout was conducted to support the future retrieval of field-emplaced salt-stone samples from salt-stone Disposal Unit (SDU) Cell 2A. The primary objectives of extracting samples from SDU Cell 2A are to enable measurement of field-emplaced samples with respect to properties that influence long-term performance, such as saturated hydraulic conductivity, and to compare the measured properties for field-emplaced and comparable samples prepared in the laboratory. Initial mock-up activities (Phases 1 and 2) were conducted in Fiscal Years (FY) 2013 and 2014 in order to demonstrate the viability of standard core-drilling techniques that are typically employed for sampling concrete structures. The primary requirement for the core-drilling technique was that it should minimize the potential of physical or chemical sample changes that would artificially degrade key grout properties. Mock-up activities were aimed at optimizing the techniques for core-drilling, and subsequent sample extraction, using a set-up that mimicked, to the extent practical, both the physical characteristics, and operational complexities, of core-drilling salt-stone grout from the roof of the SDU. Samples extracted from the grout monolith were subsequently characterized with respect to saturated hydraulic conductivity and compressive strength, and compared to data for cast samples prepared using the same simulant salt-stone material. The comparison of these properties for the two sample types was expected to highlight potential flaws (e.g., micro-cracking) introduced by the core-drilling process. While the data for saturated hydraulic conductivity were virtually identical (approximately 2 E-09 cm/sec), the compressive strength of the core-drilled samples (approximately 3.5 MPa (500 psi)) was on average half that measured for the cast samples. It was suspected that increased water saturation and surface scoring of the core-drilled samples might account for the disparate compressive Strength data. During Phases 1 and 2 it was determined that cores could be successfully drilled and extracted to a depth of approximately 0.9 meters (3 feet) below the grout surface. Phase 3 (FY 2105) has been initiated and is primarily directed at demonstrating the ability to core-drill through approximately 1.8 meters (6 feet) of overlying grout to retrieve the desired sample from the SDU. The original drill depth of 0.6 - 0.9 meters (2-3 feet) was based on an SDU fill height of 5.6 meters (18.5 feet) and sample location of approximately 4.9 meters (16 feet); recently the allowable fill height in the SDUs has been increased to 6.5 meters (21.25 feet); hence the increased depth of overlying grout above the samples to be retrieved. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2013

Angular momenta, dynamical masses, and mergers of brightest cluster galaxies

Using the VIMOS integral field unit (IFU) spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope, we have spatially mapped the kinematic properties of 10 nearby brightest cluster galaxies (BCGs) and 4 BCG companion galaxies located within a redshift of z = 0.1. In the hierarchical formation model, these massive galaxies (10{sup 10.5} M {sub ☉} < M {sub dyn} < 10{sup 11.9} M {sub ☉}) are expected to undergo more mergers than lower mass galaxies, and simulations show that dry minor mergers can remove angular momentum. We test whether BCGs have low angular momenta by using the λ {sub Re} parameter developed by the SAURON and ATLAS{sup 3D} teams and combine our kinematics with Sloan Digital Sky Survey photometry to analyze the BCGs' merger status. We find that 30% (3/10) of the BCGs and 100% of the companion galaxies (4/4) are fast rotators as defined by the ATLAS{sup 3D} criteria. Our fastest rotating BCG has a λ {sub Re} = 0.35 ± 0.05. We increase the number of BCGs analyzed from 1 in the combined SAURON and ATLAS{sup 3D} surveys to 11 BCGs total and find that above M {sub dyn} ∼ 11.5 M {sub ☉}, virtually all galaxies, regardless of environment, are slow rotators. To search for signs of recent merging, we analyze the photometry of each system and use the G – M {sub 20} selection criteria to identify mergers. We find that 40% ± 20% of our BCGs are currently undergoing or have recently undergone a merger (within 0.2 Gyr). Surprisingly, we find no correlation between galaxies with high angular momentum and morphological signatures of merging.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

C3F: Collaborative Container-based Model Coupling Framework

Solving complex real-world grand challenge problems requires in-depth collaboration of researchers from multiple disciplines. Such collaboration often involves harnessing multiscale and multi-dimensional data and combining models from different fields to simulate systems. However, the progress on this front has been limited mainly due to significant gaps in domain knowledge and tools that are typically employed in silos of the domains. Researchers from different fields face considerable barriers to understanding and reusing each other’s data/models in order to collaborate effectively. For example, in solving the global sustainability problems, researchers from hydrology, climate science, agriculture, and economics need to run their respective models to study different components of the global and local food, energy and water systems while, at the same time, need to interact with other researchers and integrate the results of one model with another. Developing this kind of model coupling workflow calls for (1) a large amount of data being processed and exchanged across domains and organizations, (2) identifying and processing the output of one model to make it ready for integration into another model, (3) controlling the workflow dynamically so that it runs until a certain convergence condition or other criteria is met, and (4) close collaboration among the modelers to explore, tune, and test the configuration and data transformation needed to link the models. We have developed C3F, a flexible collaborative model coupling framework to help researchers accelerate their model integration and linking efforts by leveraging advanced cyberinfrastructure such as high-performance computing and virtual containers. In this paper, we describe our experience and lessons learned in developing this cyberinfrastructure solution to support the linking of Water Balance Model (WBM) and SIMPLE-G agricultural economic model in an NSF funded INFEWS project and a DOE-funded Program on Coupled Human and Earth Systems (PCHES) to study the implications of groundwater scarcity for food-energy-water systems. The C3F model coupling framework can be extended to facilitate other model linkages as well.

containerization↗