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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Microgrid Tiered Circuits Effects for a Planned Housing Community in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico faced a double strike from hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The resulting damage required a comprehensive rebuild of electric infrastructure. There are plans and pilot projects to rebuild with microgrids to increase resilience. This paper provides a techno-economic analysis technique and case study of a potential future community in Puerto Rico that combines probabilistic microgrid design analysis with tiered circuits in building energy modeling. Tiered circuits in buildings allow electric load reduction via remote disconnection of non-critical circuits during an emergency. When coupled to a microgrid, tiered circuitry can reduce the chances of a microgrid's storage and generation resources being depleted. The analysis technique is applied to show 1) Approximate cost savings due to a tiered circuit structure and 2) Approximate cost savings gained by simultaneously considering resilience and sustainability constraints in the microgrid optimization. The analysis technique uses a resistive capacitive thermal model with load profiles for four tiers (tier 1-3 and non-critical loads). Three analyses were conducted using: 1) open-source software called Tiered Energy in Buildings and 2) the Microgrid Design Toolkit. For a fossil fuel based microgrid 30% of the total microgrid costs of 1.18 million USD were calculated where the non-tiered case keeps all loads 99.9% available and the tiered case keeps tier 1 at 99.9%, tier 2 at 95%, tier 3 at 80% availability, with no requirement on non-critical loads. The same comparison for a sustainable microgrid showed 8% cost savings on a 5.10 million USD microgrid due to tiered circuits. The results also showed 6-7% cost savings when our analysis technique optimizes sustainability and resilience simultaneously in comparison to doing microgrid resilience analysis and renewables net present value analysis independently. Though highly specific to our case study, similar assessments using our analysis technique can elucidate value of tiered circuits and simultaneous consideration of sustainability and resilience in other locations.

building energy modeling↗
DOE OSTI2025

Graph decomposition techniques for solving combinatorial optimization problems with variational quantum algorithms

The quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) has the potential to approximately solve complex combinatorial optimization problems in polynomial time. However, current noisy quantum devices cannot solve large problems due to hardware constraints. In this work, we develop an algorithm that decomposes the QAOA input problem graph into a smaller problem and solves MaxCut using QAOA on the reduced graph. The algorithm requires a subroutine that can be classical or quantum—in this work, we implement the algorithm twice on each graph. One implementation uses the classical solver Gurobi in the subroutine and the other uses QAOA. We solve these reduced problems with QAOA. On average, the reduced problems require only approximately 1/10 of the number of vertices than the original MaxCut instances. Furthermore, the average approximation ratio of the original MaxCut problems is 0.75, while the approximation ratios of the decomposed graphs are on average of 0.96 for both Gurobi and QAOA. With this decomposition, we are able to measure optimal solutions for ten 100-vertex graphs by running single-layer QAOA circuits on the Quantinuum trapped-ion quantum computer H1-1, sampling each circuit only 500 times. This approach is best suited for sparse, particularly k-regular graphs, as k-regular graphs on n vertices can be decomposed into a graph with at most $\frac{nk}{k+1}$ vertices in polynomial time. Further reductions can be obtained with a potential trade-off in computational time. In conclusion, while this paper applies the decomposition method to the MaxCut problem, it can be applied to more general classes of combinatorial optimization problems.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Highly Efficient Ternary Solar Cells with Efficient Förster Resonance Energy Transfer for Simultaneously Enhanced Photovoltaic Parameters

Introducing a third component into organic bulk heterojunction solar cells has become an effective strategy to improve photovoltaic performance. Meanwhile, the rapid development of non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) has pushed the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs) to a higher standard. In this study, a series of fullerene-free ternary solar cells are fabricated based on a wide bandgap acceptor, IDTT-M, together with a wide bandgap donor polymer PM6 and a narrow bandgap NFA Y6. Insights from the morphological and electronic characterizations reveal that IDTT-M has been incorporated into Y6 domains without disrupting its molecular packing and sacrificing its electron mobility and work synergistically with Y6 to regulate the packing pattern of PM6, leading to enhanced hole mobility and suppressed recombination. IDTT-M further functions as an energy-level mediator that increases open-circuit voltage ( V OC ) in ternary devices. In addition, efficient Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between IDTT-M and Y6 provides a non-radiative pathway for facilitating exciton dissociation and charge collection. As a result, the optimized ternary device features a significantly improved PCE up to 16.63% with simultaneously enhanced short-circuit current ( J SC ), V OC , and fill factor (FF).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Leveraging Qubit Loss Detection in Fault-Tolerant Quantum Algorithms

Qubit loss errors constitute a dominant source of noise in many quantum hardware systems, particularly in neutral-atom quantum computers. We develop a theoretical framework to effectively detect and correct loss errors in logical algorithms and leverage such loss information in decoding. Considering general quantum error correction codes and logical circuits, we introduce a delayed-erasure decoder for experimentally motivated error models which leverages information from delayed loss detection to accurately correct loss errors, even when the precise moment of the error is unknown. Using this decoder, we identify strategies for detecting and correcting loss errors based on the logical circuit structure. For deep circuits prior to logical measurement, we explore methods to integrate loss detection into syndrome extraction with minimal overhead, identifying optimal strategies depending on the qubit loss fraction in the noise and hardware capabilities. In contrast, we find that many key algorithmic subroutines involve frequent gate teleportation, shortening the circuit depth before logical measurement and naturally replacing qubits with no additional experimental overhead. We simulate this setting using a toy model algorithm for small-angle synthesis and find a significant performance improvement as the loss fraction increases. These results provide a path forward for advancing large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computation in systems with loss error detection.

atoms↗
DOE OSTI2021

Efficiency Optimization of Dual Active Bridge Converter Based on dV/dt Snubber Capacitors

This paper presents a lossless regenerative dV/dt snubber circuit for PWM converters to achieve high-efficiency high power-density without significant cost and reliability penalties. The dV/dt snubber employs lossless capacitors for each MOSFET device in a converter to provide an additional path to store the switching energy during turn-off transient and decrease the actual turn-off loss of the MOSFET channel. A novel mathematical turn-off loss model is built to separate the actual turn-off loss of the MOSFET channel and the recycling switching energy stored in the total equivalent output capacitance including Coss, the dV/dt snubber, and etc. Necessary snubber optimization strategy is proposed in order to balance the turn-off loss with ZVS operation range and deadtime conduction loss, and thereby achieving an optimal efficiency performance. To prove the validity and accuracy of the novel turn-off loss model and optimization strategy, the dV/dt snubber has been incorporated into a 1.3kV/200kW DC/DC and a 1kV/70kVA DC/AC PWM converters. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the validity of the proposed dV/dt snubber capacitors and optimization strategy.

Xu, Wei↗
DOE OSTI2023

Self-consistent integrated modeling of combined hybrid discharge-laser produced plasma devices for extreme ultraviolet metrology

Discharge- and laser-produced plasma (DLPP) devices are being used as light sources for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) generation. A key challenge for both, DPP and LPP, is achieving sufficient brightness to support the throughput requirements of nanometrology tools. To simulate the environment of a hybrid DLPP device and optimize the EUV output, we have developed an integrated HEIGHTS-DLPP computer simulation package. The package integrates simulation of two evolving plasmas (DPP and LPP) and includes modeling of a set of integrated self-consistent processes: external power source and plasma energy balance, plasma resistive magnetohydrodynamics, plasma heat conduction, detailed radiation transport (RT), and laser absorption and refraction. We simulated and optimized DLPP devices using Xe gas as a target material. We synchronized the external circuit parameters, chamber gas parameters, and laser beam temporal and spatial profiles to achieve maximum EUV output. The full 3D Monte Carlo scheme was integrated for detailed RT and EUV output calculations in Xe using more than 3600 spectral groups. The modeling results are in good agreement with Julich Forschungszentrum experimental data. Theoretical models, developed and integrated into the HEIGHTS package, showed wide capabilities and flexibility. In conclusion, the models and package can be used for optimization of the experimental parameters and settings, investigation of DLPP devices with complex design, analyzing the impact of integrated spatial effects and working timeline arrangement on the final EUV output, and EUV source size, shape, and angular distribution.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

AutoTG: Reinforcement Learning-Based Symbolic Optimization for AI-Assisted Power Converter Design

Power converters are pervasive in modern electronic component design. They can be found in all electronic devices from household appliances and cellphone chargers to vehicles. Currently, designing new circuit topologies is hard because it requires human expertise based on experience and is difficult to automate. However, artificial-intelligence-assisted design can significantly facilitate the development of new power converters and/or improve the final result. Intelligently designed highly efficient power converters can have a significant effect on many important attributes, such as power efficiency, layout size, cost, heat dissemination, energy requirements, etc. We propose Autonomous Topology Generator (AutoTG), a reinforcement-learning-based framework that generates power converter topology candidates based on user specifications, optimized for user preferences. By modeling power converter design as a symbolic optimization problem, we sequentially sample components in an autoregressive manner until new topologies are formed, providing both the topology specification and the sizing (magnitude of each component parameter) of the proposed power converter. Here, we provide an empirical evaluation and show that AutoTG is able to generate varied high-efficiency topologies within component restrictions based on user input and show that previously unknown topologies can be found for further evaluation.

(AI)-based design↗
DOE OSTI2024

Novel 4x4 SiPM array readout with integrated preamplification stage, optimized for the PWO detectors of the EIC EEEMCal

Here we are reporting on a new readout circuit developed for the lead tungstate (PbWO4) scintillation detectors for the Electron Ion Collider (EIC) Electron Endcap Electromagnetic Calorimeter EEEMCal. The high magnetic field region precludes the use of photomultiplier tubes while the detector requirements specify good spectral resolution performance and fast pulse integration over a large dynamic range. We selected a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) from Hamamatsu and produced a matrix of 4 x 4 sensors to cover the 20 mm x 20 mm scintillator coupling surface. Signal acquisition and amplification electronics boards were designed and integrated with the sensor board to produce a compact high performance readout package. A prototype detector was built and tested at Jefferson Lab with encouraging resolution and timing performance results.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Quantitative and Predictive Genetic Parts for Plant Synthetic Biology

Plant synthetic biology aims to harness the natural abilities of plants and to turn them to new purposes. A primary goal of plant synthetic biology is to produce predictable and programmable genetic circuits from simple regulatory elements and well-characterized genetic components. The number of available DNA parts for plants is increasing, and the methods for rapid quantitative characterization are being developed, but the field of plant synthetic biology is still in its early stages. We here describe methods used to describe the quantitative properties of genetic components needed for plant synthetic biology. Once the quantitative properties and transfer function of a variety of genetic parts are known, computers can select the optimal components to assemble into functional devices, such as toggle switches and positive feedback circuits. However, while the variety of circuits and traits that can be put into plants are limitless, doing synthetic biology in plants poses unique challenges. Plants are composed of differentiated cells and tissues, each representing potentially unique regulatory or developmental contexts to introduced synthetic genetic circuits. Further, plants have evolved to be highly sensitive to environmental influences, such as light or temperature, any of which can affect the quantitative function of individual parts or whole circuits. Measuring the function of plant components within the context of a plant cell and, ideally, in a living plant, will be essential to using these components in gene circuits with predictable function. Mathematical modeling will be needed to account for the variety of contexts a genetic part will experience in different plant tissues or environments. With such understanding in hand, it may be possible to redesign plant traits to serve human and environmental needs.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Large-Area (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se 2 Thin-Film Solar Cells with Increased Bandgap and Reduced Voltage Losses Realized with Bulk Defect Reduction and Front-Grading of the Absorber Bandgap

The 1.24 eV bandgap, 18.8% power conversion efficiency Ag-alloyed chalcopyrite (Ag,Cu)(In,Ga)Se 2 (ACIGS) solar cells are characterized to relate voltage and efficiency improvements to electro-optical (EO) characteristics. Shockley-Read-Hall recombination center defect density, identified and characterized through deep level transient spectroscopy and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), is reduced through potassium and copper treatment optimization. Concomitantly, longer minority carrier lifetimes are achieved, which increases open-circuit voltage (V OC ). Near-conduction band defects associated in earlier studies with light-induced current instability are also mitigated. Analysis of charge-carrier dynamics after single- and two-photon excitation is used to separate recombination at the front interface and in the absorber bulk. From TRPL decay simulations, the authors estimate ranges of key solar cell material characteristics: bulk carrier lifetime T bulk = 110-210 ns, charge-carrier mobility u = 110-160 cm 2 V -1 s -1 , and front interface recombination velocity S front = 700-1050 cm s -1 . This lowest-reported S front for ACIGS absorbers originates from the notched conduction band grading, which also makes the impact of the back interface recombination negligible. It is suggested in the results that solar cell performance enhancements can be made most readily with two distinct strategies: improving device architecture and reducing semiconductor defect densities. Using these approaches, power conversion efficiency in large-area solar cells is improved by 1.1% absolute.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Estimating QSVT angles for matrix inversion with large condition numbers

Quantum Singular Value Transformation (QSVT) is a state-of-the-art, near-optimal quantum algorithm that can be used for matrix inversion. The QSVT circuit is parameterized by a sequence of angles that must be pre-calculated classically, with the number of angles increasing as the matrix condition number grows. Computing QSVT angles for ill-conditioned problems is a numerically challenging task. Here, we propose a numerical technique for estimating QSVT angles for large condition numbers. This technique allows one to avoid expensive numerical computations of QSVT angles and to emulate QSVT circuits for solving ill-conditioned problems.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Scalable open-air deposition of compact ETL TiO x on perovskite for fullerene-free solar cells

We report a scalable, low-temperature TiO x electron transport layer (ETL) produced directly on top of perovskite in an inverted architecture device by an open-air chemical vapor deposition (OA-CVD) process. The OA-CVD pyrolysis of a titanium ethoxide precursor forms a fully inorganic, conformal, and compact TiO x film. The resultant film is mechanically robust and exhibits a fracture toughness 30-fold higher than commonly used fullerene-based ETL films. The TiO x is an effective barrier layer against environmental degradation—unencapsulated devices with the TiO x ETL retain 60% of their initial efficiency after 1000 hours in ambient aging conditions—compared to devices with a fullerene ETL which were inoperable after 144 hours. Inverted architecture devices with an optimized TiO x ETL thickness of 70 nm exhibited high open-circuit voltages of 1.08 V. We comment on the photocatalytic properties of TiO x and the influence of an amorphous film on maximum power point stability.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Direct pulse-level compilation of arbitrary quantum logic gates on superconducting qutrits

Advanced simulations and calculations on quantum computers require high-fidelity implementations of quantum operations. The universal gateset approach builds complex unitaries from a small set of primitive gates, often resulting in a long gate sequence, which is typically a leading factor in the total accumulated error. Compiling a complex unitary for processors with higher-dimensional logical elements, such as qutrits, exacerbates the accumulated error per unitary, since an even longer gate sequence is required. Optimal control methods promise time- and resource-efficient compact gate sequences and, therefore, higher fidelity. These methods generate pulses that can directly implement any complex unitary on a quantum device. In this work, we demonstrate that any arbitrary qubit and qutrit gate can be realized with high fidelity, which can significantly reduce the length of a gate sequence. We generate and test pulses for a large set of randomly selected arbitrary unitaries on several quantum processing units (QPUs): the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Quantum Device and Integration Testbed’s (QuDIT’s) standard QPU and three of Rigetti’s QPUs: Ankaa-2, Ankaa-9Q-1, and Aspen-M-3. On the QuDIT platform’s standard QPU, the average fidelity of random qutrit gates is 97.9 ± 0.5% measured with conventional QPT and 98.8 ± 0.6% from QPT with gate folding. Rigetti’s Ankaa-2 achieves random qubit gates with an average fidelity of 98.4 ± 0.5% (conventional QPT) and 99.7 ± 0.1% (QPT with gate folding). On Ankaa-9Q-1 and Aspen-M-3, the average fidelities with conventional qubit QPT measurements were higher than 99% (see Appendix). Here we show that optimal control gates are robust to drift for at least 3 h and that the same calibration parameters can be used for all implemented gates. Our work promises that the calibration overheads for optimal control gates can be made small enough to enable efficient quantum circuits based on this technique.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

A High-Current Pulsed Prototype Power Supply

The Accelerator Controls Operations Research Network (ACORN) project aims to modernize the accelerator control system and replace aging power supplies at Fermilab. As part of this effort, outdated RF ferrite bias power supplies will be redesigned. These power supplies are essential for tuning the resonant frequency of RF cavities by delivering programmable current outputs of up to 2500 A and voltages ranging from −10 V to +35 V. They operate at a repetition rate of 15 Hz in the Booster ring, and 1 Hz at the Main Injector ring. The power supplies utilize a bank of transistors in the linear region, connected in parallel with the load, to actively regulate the output current from a 12-pulse SCR bridge. To support this upgrade, a new bias power supply topology was developed as proof of concept. The design utilizes an IGBT Hbridge operating in Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) mode, controlled by a microcontroller. A prototype, constructed using spare components, successfully delivered an output current of 500 A at a repetition rate of 15 Hz during initial testing. The circuit's bandwidth was measured at 480 Hz, highlighting opportunities for further optimization in the controller design to achieve the target bandwidth of 2 kHz.

Bullman, Austin [ORNL]↗
DOE OSTI2023

Variational quantum simulation of the critical Ising model with symmetry averaging

Here we investigate the use of deep multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz (DMERA) circuits as a variational ansatz. We use the exactly solvable one-dimensional critical transverse-field Ising model as a test bed. Numerically exact simulation of the quantum circuit ansatz can in this case be carried out to hundreds of qubits by exploiting efficient classical algorithms for simulating matchgate circuits. We find that, for this system, the DMERA strongly outperforms a standard quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA)–style ansatz, and that a major source of systematic error in correlation functions approximated using the DMERA is the breaking of the translational and Kramers-Wannier symmetries of the transverse-field Ising model. We are able to reduce this error by up to four orders of magnitude by symmetry averaging, without incurring additional cost in qubits or circuit depth. Here, we propose that this technique for mitigating systematic error could be applied to noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) simulations of physical systems with other symmetries.

1-dimensional spin chains↗
DOE OSTI2020

Busbar Design and Optimization for Voltage Overshoot Mitigation of a Silicon Carbide High-Power Three-Phase T-Type Inverter

The silicon carbide (SiC) devices have faster switching speed than that of the conventional silicon (Si) devices, which however may cause excessive device voltage overshoot. Larger gate resistance can help to restrain the overshoot, it however slows down the switching speed and increases switching losses. There are other methods that can mitigate the voltage overshoot, e.g., using low-inductance busbars, adding snubber circuits, etc. In this article, the busbar design for a 250-kW SiC three-level T-type inverter is investigated. The current commutation loops (CCLs) are first analyzed using a single-phase equivalent circuit. Then the detailed busbar design methods, especially a 3-D busbar design concept, are proposed to select the optimal stacking order for the multilayer laminated busbar and to address constraints posed by the physical terminal arrangements of SiC modules and dc-link capacitors. The stray inductance in each CCL is extracted via a finite element analysis and validated on the actual inverter busbar prototypes using an impedance analyzer. To further minimize the busbar stray inductance, a hybrid busbar structure with printed circuit board based buffer circuit using high-frequency decoupling capacitors is designed and evaluated in this article. Lastly, the effectiveness of the designed busbars as well as the buffer circuit are validated using experimental studies.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Thermodynamic analysis and optimization of supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycles for use with low-grade geothermal heat sources

The transcritical carbon dioxide Rankine cycle has emerged as an alternative for power generation in low-grade heat applications. However, the low heat rejection temperatures required for condensing the carbon dioxide is almost prohibitive for many locations. A simple solution is the adoption of a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle which does not need such low temperature heat sinks. This power cycle has been poorly studied previously in low-grade heat applications. Therefore, with the aim of determining the performance and feasibility of the supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle from thermodynamic viewpoint, using a low-grade geothermal heat source, this paper presents a comparative thermodynamic analysis between four different supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycles. For this purpose, detailed models were developed and solved by coupling the thermodynamic model with the thermal-hydraulic model of a Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger. Subsequently, simulations of a base case, a parametric analysis, and an optimization using Genetic Algorithms, were carried out. Results show that there is a combination of operating conditions that maximizes the electrical output of the system. Besides, some values of the minimum pressure of the cycles can increase substantially the precooler cooling water pumping power. At the optimum design point, using a 20 kg/s geothermal brine stream at 150 °C as heat source with a minimum allowable reinjection temperature of 70 °C, the Intercooled Recuperated Brayton Cycle achieved the highest electric power output, energy and exergy efficiencies, obtaining values of 779.99 kW, 11.51%, and 52.49%, respectively. The other feasible alternatives were the Recuperated Brayton Cycle, the Simple Brayton Cycle and the Intercooled Brayton Cycle, ranked, in that order.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗