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At least 253 records · Page 14

The Necessity for Iteration in the Application of Numerical Simulation to EGS: Examples from the EGS Collab Test Bed 1

The United States Department of Energy, Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) is funding a collaborative investigation of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) processes at the meso-scale. This study, referred to as the EGS Collab project, is a unique opportunity for scientists and engineers to investigate the creation of fracture networks and circulation of fluids across those networks under in-situ stress conditions. The EGS Collab project is envisioned to comprise three experiments and the site for the first experiment is on the 4850 Level in phyllite of the Precambrian Poorman formation, at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, located at the former Homestake Gold Mine, in Lead, South Dakota. Principal objectives of the project are to develop a number of intermediate-scale field sites and to conduct well-controlled in situ experiments focused on rock fracture behavior and permeability enhancement. Data generated during these experiments will be compared against predictions of a suite of computer codes specifically designed to solve problems involving coupled thermal, hydrological, geomechanical, and geochemical processes. Comparisons between experimental and numerical simulation results will provide code developers with direction for improvements and verification of process models, build confidence in the suite of available numerical tools, and ultimately identify critical future development needs for the geothermal modeling community. Moreover, conducting thorough comparisons of models, modelling approaches, measurement approaches and measured data, via the EGS Collab project, will serve to identify techniques that are most likely to succeed at the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), the GTO's flagship EGS research effort. As noted, outcomes from the EGS Collab project experiments will serve as benchmarks for computer code verification, but numerical simulation additionally plays an essential role in designing these meso-scale experiments. This paper reviews specific numerical simulations supporting the design of experiments within Test Bed 1, a volume of phyllite rock under in-situ stress conditions off the western side of the West Access Drift on the 4850 Level, near Governor's Corner. Numerical simulations were executed prior to the start of hydraulic stimulation activities within Test Bed 1 following standard practices, using best estimates of principal stress conditions, thermal conditions, and the rock petrophysical properties, including geomechanical properties. These simulations indicated notching of the borehole would promote the initiation of transverse fractures, seismic magnitudes during the hydraulic stimulation would be below 0.1 magnitude on the Richter scale, a rock thermal conductivity of 5.0 W/m K yielded agreement with kISMET borehole temperature logs, back pressure on the production borehole would increase circulation across the test bed, and the production borehole would serve to halt propagation of the hydraulic fracture to the drift. Pre-existing natural fractures, heterogeneities in the rock properties, monitoring boreholes, and overlooked mine elements have prompted a second look at numerically modeling stimulation, fluid circulation, tracer migration, and thermal breakthrough. Numerical simulation is an invaluable tool for providing insight and understanding to complex physical processes. The success of simulations, however, often depends on including all of the salient features of the system in the founding conceptual model. This paper takes a retrospective look at examples where the conceptual model and simulation was sufficient to provide accurate forecasts and those where elements were missing, necessitating rethinking of the simulation.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

The Necessity for Iteration in the Application of Numerical Simulation to EGS: Examples from the EGS Collab Test Bed 1

The United States Department of Energy, Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) is funding a collaborative investigation of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) processes at the meso-scale. This study, referred to as the EGS Collab project, is a unique opportunity for scientists and engineers to investigate the creation of fracture networks and circulation of fluids across those networks under in-situ stress conditions. The EGS Collab project is envisioned to comprise three experiments and the site for the first experiment is on the 4850 Level in phyllite of the Precambrian Poorman formation, at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, located at the former Homestake Gold Mine, in Lead, South Dakota. Principal objectives of the project are to develop a number of intermediate-scale field sites and to conduct well-controlled in situ experiments focused on rock fracture behavior and permeability enhancement. Data generated during these experiments will be compared against predictions of a suite of computer codes specifically designed to solve problems involving coupled thermal, hydrological, geomechanical, and geochemical processes. Comparisons between experimental and numerical simulation results will provide code developers with direction for improvements and verification of process models, build confidence in the suite of available numerical tools, and ultimately identify critical future development needs for the geothermal modeling community. Moreover, conducting thorough comparisons of models, modelling approaches, measurement approaches and measured data, via the EGS Collab project, will serve to identify techniques that are most likely to succeed at the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), the GTO’s flagship EGS research effort. As noted, outcomes from the EGS Collab project experiments will serve as benchmarks for computer code verification, but numerical simulation additionally plays an essential role in designing these meso-scale experiments. This paper reviews specific numerical simulations supporting the design of experiments within Test Bed 1, a volume of phyllite rock under in-situ stress conditions off the western side of the West Access Drift on the 4850 Level, near Governor’s Corner. Numerical simulations were executed prior to the start of hydraulic stimulation activities within Test Bed 1 following standard practices, using best estimates of principal stress conditions, thermal conditions, and the rock petrophysical properties, including geomechanical properties. These simulations indicated notching of the borehole would promote the initiation of transverse fractures, seismic magnitudes during the hydraulic stimulation would be below 0.1 magnitude on the Richter scale, a rock thermal conductivity of 5.0 W/m K yielded agreement with kISMET borehole temperature logs, back pressure on the production borehole would increase circulation across the test bed, and the production borehole would serve to halt propagation of the hydraulic fracture to the drift. Pre-existing natural fractures, heterogeneities in the rock properties, monitoring boreholes, and overlooked mine elements have prompted a second look at numerically modeling stimulation, fluid circulation, tracer migration, and thermal breakthrough. Numerical simulation is an invaluable tool for providing insight and understanding to complex physical processes. The success of simulations, however, often depends on including all of the salient features of the system in the founding conceptual model. This paper takes a retrospective look at examples where the conceptual model and simulation was sufficient to provide accurate forecasts and those where elements were missing, necessitating rethinking of the simulation.

numerical simulation, EGS Collab, enhanced geother↗

Latent space mapping: Revolutionizing predictive models for divertor plasma detachment control

The inherent complexity of boundary plasma, characterized by multi-scale and multi-physics challenges, has historically restricted high-fidelity simulations to scientific research due to their intensive computational demands. Consequently, routine applications such as discharge control and scenario development have relied on faster but less accurate empirical methods. This work introduces DivControlNN, a novel machine-learning-based surrogate model designed to address these limitations by enabling quasi-real-time predictions (i.e., ~ 0.2 ms) of boundary and divertor plasma behavior. Trained on over 70,000 2D UEDGE simulations from KSTAR tokamak equilibria, DivControlNN employs latent space mapping to efficiently represent complex divertor plasma states, achieving a computational speed-up of over 10 8 compared to traditional simulations while maintaining a relative error below 20% for key plasma property predictions. During the 2024 KSTAR experimental campaign, a prototype detachment control system powered by DivControlNN successfully demonstrated detachment control on its first attempt, even for a new tungsten divertor configuration and without any fine-tuning. These results highlight the transformative potential of DivControlNN in overcoming diagnostic challenges in future fusion reactors by providing fast, robust, and reliable predictions for advanced integrated control systems.

Artificial neural networks↗

Network-Level Traffic Signal Cooperation: A Higher-Order Conflict Graph Approach

Traffic signal control and cooperation are extremely important to alleviate traffic congestion in a large traffic network. This study develops a higher-order conflict graph approach for network-wide traffic signal control and cooperation. A conflict graph is applied to model the traffic signal configurations, which identifies the conflict and unconflicted movements for each intersection. In conflict graph, the node represents each movement. The weight of each node can be defined as traffic volume, queue length, fuel consumption, or any weighted combinations of these measurements. The calculation of the optimal green light duration and green light sequence (for different movements) is equivalent to sequentially finding the maximum weight independent set (MWIS) in the conflict graph. The conflict graph also provides a uniform and efficient way to connect traffic signal operations among nearby intersections spatially. Then, we introduced the concept of the k -th order neighborhood to model the degree of connectivity between each movement to the movements at upstream or downstream intersections. The weight of each node in the higher-order conflict graph not only represents its own congestion level, but also relates to the traffic conditions of nearby intersections. Through this approach, the cooperation of multiple intersections can be realized by incorporating their spatial connectivity into conflict graph and solving the MWIS problem. A simulation network is built in SUMO to test the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results suggested that the proposed model outperformed other state-of-the-art signal control methods. Also, the scheme maintains good performance under varying traffic demands.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A Learning-based Supervisory Control Architecture for Electric Vehicle Charging System Paired with Energy Storages

A Machine Learning-based predictive model is developed for optimal dispatching energy storage system integrated with Electric Vehicle battery charger. The model is effectively trained using transfer learning algorithm and successfully validated via measurement data to achieve high fidelity and accuracy. The study findings provide possibilities for future development of the presented approach to implement computational heavy predictive algorithms with multi-step predictions in emerging modular bidirectional charger topologies to realize vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. The online tuning can be explored using the new measurements obtained during the operation, henceforth, enhancing the controller performance for integrating multiple DERs into distribution power networks that shows huge interest for the utilities and regulatory agencies. Multiple operation scenatios have been evaluated and simulation results are discussed to verify intended performance of the proposed control solution.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

The Role of Numerical Simulation in the Design of Stimulation and Circulation Experiments for the EGS Collab Project

The United States Department of Energy, Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) is funding a collaborative investigation of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) processes at the meso-scale. This study, referred to as the EGS Collab project, is a unique opportunity for scientists and engineers to investigate the creation of fracture networks and circulation of fluids across those networks under in-situ stress conditions. The EGS Collab project is envisioned to comprise three experiments and the site for the first experiment is on the 4850 Level in phyllite of the Precambrian Poorman formation, at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, located at the former Homestake Gold Mine, in Lead, South Dakota. Principal objectives of the project are to develop a number of intermediate-scale field sites and to conduct well-controlled in situ experiments focused on rock fracture behavior and permeability enhancement. Data generated during these experiments will be compared against predictions of a suite of computer codes specifically designed to solve problems involving coupled thermal, hydrological, geomechanical, and geochemical processes. Comparisons between experimental and numerical simulation results will provide code developers with direction for improvements and verification of process models, build confidence in the suite of available numerical tools, and ultimately identify critical future development needs for the geothermal modeling community. Moreover, conducting thorough comparisons of models, modelling approaches, measurement approaches and measured data, via the EGS Collab project, will serve to identify techniques that are most likely to succeed at the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), the GTO’s flagship EGS research effort. As noted, outcomes from the EGS Collab project experiments will serve as benchmarks for computer code verification, but numerical simulation additional plays an essential role in designing these meso-scale experiments. This paper describes specific calculations and numerical simulation approaches conducted in support of the designs for the stimulation and circulation experiments, and their monitoring, including those for predicting seismic energies during stimulation, stimulation pressure requirements, impacts of borehole orientation on fracture development and trajectories, influence of notch shapes on hydraulic fracture initiation, and pressure limits on fluid circulation to avoid fracture growth.

Numerical Simulation, EGS Collab, EGS, Sanford Und↗

Fast and accurate reduced-order modeling of a MOOSE-based additive manufacturing model with operator learning

One predominant challenge in additive manufacturing (AM) is to achieve specific material properties by manipulating manufacturing process parameters during the runtime. Such manipulation tends to increase the computational load imposed on existing simulation tools employed in AM. The goal of the present work is to construct a fast and accurate reduced-order model (ROM) for an AM model developed within the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework, ultimately reducing the time/cost of AM control and optimization processes. Our adoption of the operator learning (OL) approach enabled us to learn a family of differential equations produced by altering process variables in the laser’s Gaussian point heat source. More specifically, we used the Fourier neural operator (FNO) and deep operator network (DeepONet) to develop ROMs for time-dependent responses. Furthermore, we benchmarked the performance of these OL methods against a conventional deep neural network (DNN)-based ROM. Ultimately, we found that OL methods offer comparable performance and, in terms of accuracy and generalizability, even outperform DNN at predicting scalar model responses. The DNN-based ROM afforded the fastest training time. Furthermore, all the ROMs were faster than the original MOOSE model yet still provided accurate predictions. FNO had a smaller mean prediction error than DeepONet, with a larger variance for time-dependent responses. Unlike DNN, both FNO and DeepONet were able to simulate time series data without the need for dimensionality reduction techniques. Finally, the present work can help facilitate the AM optimization process by enabling faster execution of simulation tools while still preserving evaluation accuracy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Communication network for decentralized remote tele-science during the Spacelab mission IML-2

The ESA communication network for decentralized remote telescience during the Spacelab mission IML-2, called Interconnection Ground Subnetwork (IGS), provided data, voice conferencing, video distribution/conferencing and high rate data services to 5 remote user centers in Europe. The combination of services allowed the experimenters to interact with their experiments as they would normally do from the Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) at MSFC. In addition, to enhance their science results, they were able to make use of reference facilities and computing resources in their home laboratory, which typically are not available in the POCC. Characteristics of the IML-2 communications implementation were the adaptation to the different user needs based on modular service capabilities of IGS and the cost optimization for the connectivity. This was achieved by using a combination of traditional leased lines, satellite based VSAT connectivity and N-ISDN according to the simulation and mission schedule for each remote site. The central management system of IGS allows minimization of staffing and the involvement of communications personnel at the remote sites. The successful operation of IGS for IML-2 as a precursor network for the Columbus Orbital Facility (COF) has proven the concept for communications to support the operation of the COF decentralized scenario.

Christ, Uwe↗

Simplified Transactive Distribution Grids for Bulk Power System Mechanism Development

As distributed energy resources and smart devices become omnipresent in the electrical power grid, transactive energy control mechanisms are evolving. From real-time to day-ahead markets, these transactive energy algorithms involve more and more agents, whose behavior is going to affect the transmission and generation network. In order to study the interaction between the wholesale and retail energy markets, extensive co-simulations are performed. To be able to redesign, evaluate, and verify new control algorithms, the simulations need to provide results in a fast and reliable manner. This work has built and tested a transactive distribution grid model, the DSO-Stub, meant to offer a configurable distribution retail market while ensuring the computational burden is not significantly increased.

Transactive Energy, , Distribution System Operator↗

Geophysical Retrievals in an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Framework for Illuminating Processes Controlling Water Cycle

Focal Area(s): This white paper responds to Focal Area #3: Insight gleaned from complex data (both observed and simulated) using AI, big data analytics, and other advanced methods, including explainable AI and physics- or knowledge-guided AI. Science Challenge: This white paper addresses the water-cycle and data-model integration grand challenge. It leverages data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility, and Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiment (NGEE), and Science Focus Area (SFA). The white paper focuses on controlling cloud, precipitation, and radiative properties as observed and simulated by the Earth System Models (ESM). The described framework can be readily applied to any other ensemble of instruments, including satellites and other ground-based networks.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Optimization control technology for building energy conservation

A simulation processor generates and stores a simulation model based on conditions associated with a physical structure, such as a building. A neural network processor implements a neural network, having an input layer coupled to receive sensor data from the structure and having an output layer coupled to supply control signals to the at least one electrically operable environmental control device. The neural network is trained using the simulation model. A particle swarm optimization processor programmed to receive the simulation results and perform particle swarm optimization, ascertains optimal parameters for controlling the at least one electrically operable environmental control device and supplies these optimal parameters to the neural network processor. The neural network processor uses the optimal parameters supplied by the particle swarm optimization processor to further train the neural network.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Distributed deep learning training using silicon photonic switched architectures

The scaling trends of deep learning models and distributed training workloads are challenging network capacities in today’s datacenters and high-performance computing (HPC) systems. We propose a system architecture that leverages silicon photonic (SiP) switch-enabled server regrouping using bandwidth steering to tackle the challenges and accelerate distributed deep learning training. In addition, our proposed system architecture utilizes a highly integrated operating system-based SiP switch control scheme to reduce implementation complexity. To demonstrate the feasibility of our proposal, we built an experimental testbed with a SiP switch-enabled reconfigurable fat tree topology and evaluated the network performance of distributed ring all-reduce and parameter server workloads. The experimental results show up to 3.6× improvements over the static non-reconfigurable fat tree. Our large-scale simulation results show that server regrouping can deliver up to 2.3× flow throughput improvement for a 2× tapered fat tree and a further 11% improvement when higher-layer bandwidth steering is employed. The collective results show the potential of integrating SiP switches into datacenters and HPC systems to accelerate distributed deep learning training.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

MaLTESE: Large-Scale Simulation-Driven Machine Learning for Transient Driving Cycles

Optimal engine operation during a transient driving cycle is the key to achieving greater fuel economy, engine efficiency, and reduced emissions. In order to achieve continuously optimal engine operation, engine calibration methods use a combination of static correlations obtained from dynamometer tests for steady-state operating points and road and/or track performance data. As the parameter space of control variables, design variable constraints, and objective functions increases, the cost and duration for optimal calibration become prohibitively large. In order to reduce the number of dynamometer tests required for calibrating modern engines, a large-scale simulation-driven machine learning approach is presented in this work. A parallel, fast, robust, physics-based reduced-order engine simulator is used to obtain performance and emission characteristics of engines over a wide range of control parameters under various transient driving conditions (drive cycles). We scale the simulation up to 3,906 nodes of the Theta supercomputer at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility to generate data required to train a machine learning model. The trained model is then used to predict various engine parameters of interest, and the results are compared with those predicted by the engine simulator. Our results show that a deepneural-network-based surrogate model achieves high accuracy: Pearson product-moment correlation values larger than 0.99 and mean absolute percentage error within 1.07% for various engine parameters such as exhaust temperature, exhaust pressure, nitric oxide, and engine torque. Once trained, the deep-neural-network-based surrogate model is fast for inference: it requires about 16 mu s for predicting the engine performance and emissions for a single design configuration compared with about 0.5 s per configuration with the engine simulator. Moreover, we demonstrate that transfer learning and retraining can be leveraged to incrementally retrain the surrogate model to cope with new configurations that fall outside the training data space.

deep learning↗

GT-MSOCC - A domain for research on human-computer interaction and decision aiding in supervisory control systems

The Georgia Tech-Multisatellite Operations Control Center (GT-MSOCC), a real-time interactive simulation of the operator interface to a NASA ground control system for unmanned earth-orbiting satellites, is described. The GT-MSOCC program for investigating a range of modeling, decision aiding, and workstation design issues related to the human-computer interaction is discussed. A GT-MSOCC operator function model is described in which operator actions, both cognitive and manual, are represented as the lowest level discrete control network nodes, and operator action nodes are linked to information needs or system reconfiguration commands.

Mitchell, Christine M.↗

Simulation-trained machine learning models for Lorentz transmission electron microscopy

Understanding the collective behavior of complex spin textures, such as lattices of magnetic skyrmions, is of fundamental importance for exploring and controlling the emergent ordering of these spin textures and inducing phase transitions. It is also critical to understand the skyrmion–skyrmion interactions for applications such as magnetic skyrmion-enabled reservoir or neuromorphic computing. Magnetic skyrmion lattices can be studied using in situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM), but quantitative and statistically robust analysis of the skyrmion lattices from LTEM images can be difficult. In this work, we show that a convolutional neural network, trained on simulated data, can be applied to perform segmentation of spin textures and to extract quantitative data, such as spin texture size and location, from experimental LTEM images, which cannot be obtained manually. This includes quantitative information about skyrmion size, position, and shape, which can, in turn, be used to calculate skyrmion–skyrmion interactions and lattice ordering. We apply this approach to segmenting images of Néel skyrmion lattices so that we can accurately identify skyrmion size and deformation in both dense and sparse lattices. The model is trained using a large set of micromagnetic simulations as well as simulated LTEM images. This entirely open-source training pipeline can be applied to a wide variety of magnetic features and materials, enabling large-scale statistical studies of spin textures using LTEM.

McCray, Arthur R. C. (ORCID:0000000160774698)↗

Networked HIL Simulation System for Modeling Large-scale Power Systems

This paper presents a network hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation system for modeling large-scale power systems. Researchers have developed many HIL test systems for power systems in recent years. Those test systems can model both microsecond-level dynamic responses of power electronic systems and millisecond-level transients of transmission and distribution grids. By integrating individual HIL test systems into a network of HIL test systems, we can create large-scale power grid digital twins with flexible structures at required modeling resolution that fits for a wide range of system operating conditions. This will not only significantly reduce the need for field tests when developing new technologies but also greatly shorten the model development cycle. In this paper, we present a networked OPAL-RT based HIL test system for developing transmission-distribution coordinative Volt-VAR regulation technologies as an example to illustrate system setups, communication requirements among different HIL test systems, and connection mechanisms. Impacts of communication delays, information exchange cycles, and computing delays are illustrated. Simulation results show that the performance of a networked HIL test system is satisfactory.

digital twin, distribution system, co-simulation, ↗

Numerical Simulation Applications in the Design of EGS Collab Experiment 1

The United States Department of Energy, Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) is funding a collaborative investigation of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) processes at the meso-scale. This study, referred to as the EGS Collab project, is a unique opportunity for scientists and engineers to investigate the creation of fracture networks and circulation of fluids across those networks under in-situ stress conditions. The EGS Collab project is envisioned to comprise three experiments and the site for the first experiment is on the 4850 Level (4,850 feet below ground surface) in phyllite of the Precambrian Poorman formation, at the Sanford Underground Research Facility, located at the former Homestake Gold Mine, in Lead, South Dakota. Principal objectives of the project are to develop a number of intermediate-scale field sites and to conduct well-controlled in situ experiments focused on rock fracture behavior and permeability enhancement. Data generated during these experiments will be compared against predictions of a suite of computer codes specifically designed to solve problems involving coupled thermal, hydrological, geomechanical, and geochemical processes. Comparisons between experimental and numerical simulation results will provide code developers with direction for improvements and verification of process models, build confidence in the suite of available numerical tools, and ultimately identify critical future development needs for the geothermal modeling community. Moreover, conducting thorough comparisons of models, modelling approaches, measurement approaches and measured data, via the EGS Collab project, will serve to identify techniques that are most likely to succeed at the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE), the GTO's flagship EGS research effort. As noted, outcomes from the EGS Collab project experiments will serve as benchmarks for computer code verification, but numerical simulation additionally plays an essential role in designing these meso-scale experiments. This paper describes specific numerical simulations supporting the design of Experiment 1, a field test involving hydraulic stimulation of two fractures from notched sections of the injection borehole and fluid circulation between sub-horizontal injection and production boreholes in each fracture individually and collectively, including the circulation of chilled water. Whereas the mine drift allows for accurate and close placement of monitoring instrumentation to the developed fractures, active ventilation in the drift cooled the rock mass within the experimental volume. Numerical simulations were executed to predict seismic events and magnitudes during stimulation, initial fracture orientations for smooth horizontal wellbores, pressure requirements for fracture initiation from notched wellbores, fracture propagation during stimulation between the injection and production boreholes, tracer travel times between the injection and production boreholes, produced fluid temperatures with chilled water injections, pressure limits on fluid circulation to avoid fracture growth, temperature environment surrounding the 4850 Level drift, and fracture propagation within a stress field altered by drift excavation, ventilation cooling, and dewatering.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Design and optimization of Artificial Neural Networks for the modelling of superconducting magnets operation in tokamak fusion reactors

In superconducting tokamaks, the cryoplant provides the helium needed to cool different clients, among which by far the most important one is the superconducting magnet system. The evaluation of the transient heat load from the magnets to the cryoplant is fundamental for the design of the latter and the assessment of suitable strategies to smooth the heat load pulses, induced by the intrinsically pulsed plasma scenarios characteristic of today's tokamaks, is crucial for both suitable sizing and stable operation of the cryoplant. For that evaluation, accurate but expensive system-level models, as implemented in e.g. the validated state-of-the-art 4C code, were developed in the past, including both the magnets and the respective external cryogenic cooling circuits. Here we show how these models can be successfully substituted with cheaper ones, where the magnets are described by suitably trained Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for the evaluation of the heat load to the cryoplant. First, two simplified thermal-hydraulic models for an ITER Toroidal Field (TF) magnet and for the ITER Central Solenoid (CS) are developed, based on ANNs, and a detailed analysis of the chosen networks' topology and parameters is presented and discussed. The ANNs are then inserted into the 4C model of the ITER TF and CS cooling circuits, which also includes active controls to achieve a smoothing of the variation of the heat load to the cryoplant. The training of the ANNs is achieved using the results of full 4C simulations (including detailed models of the magnets) for conventional sigmoid-like waveforms of the drivers and the predictive capabilities of the ANN-based models in the case of actual ITER operating scenarios are demonstrated by comparison with the results of full 4C runs, both with and without active smoothing, in terms of both accuracy and computational time. Exploiting the low computational effort requested by the ANN-based models, a demonstrative optimization study has been finally carried out, with the aim of choosing among different smoothing strategies for the standard ITER plasma operation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗