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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

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DOE OSTI2024

Stochastic Optimization and Uncertainty Quantification of Natrium-based Nuclear-Renewable Energy Systems for Flexible Power Applications in Deregulated Markets

Rapid integration of variable renewable energy sources (VRES) has made modeling and stochastic optimization of hybrid energy systems crucial for studying their long-term performance and viability. However, most studies have focused on just historical data, which may be unreliable for capturing short-term fluctuations, rare events, and long-term patterns of energy demand, price, and the variability of renewable energy sources. For this study, optimal synthetic time series models were developed using Wasserstein distance. The models were validated by comparing the key statistical measures against those of the historical data. They were then used to optimize the integrated Natrium-style advanced energy systems and their long-term (30 years) economics. The stochastic model performs bi-level optimization to find the optimal sizes for the balance of plant and thermal energy storage, while also optimizing energy dispatch to achieve the maximum net present value. In studies of two deregulated markets (California ISO and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas), the integrated Natrium-style system performed better in CAISO than in ERCOT, given higher and more consistent electricity prices during peak-demand periods. The potentially enlarged cost associated with the variable operation and maintenance of the TES system also plays a significant role in driving the system sizing, thus its impacts on the system are investigated in detail through comparison against a baseline case. The study also finds that the bi-level optimization results based on stochastic gradient descent closely match the grid search results. The uncertainty quantification of the stochastic signals provides further NPV-related insights and probability distributions for the case studies. The normal standard error of the mean of NPV for the case with and without TES VOM for CAISO were found to be 7.73M (plus-minus sign) 1.09M USD and 104.99M (plus-minus sign) 1.25M USD, respectively based on a 95% confidence. Given the relatively small NPV variance based on 150 samples, the analysis affords the most robust possible prediction of the techno-economic performance of the integrated Natrium-style energy systems.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Robustness of quasi-symmetry along parametric boundary variation

Quasi-symmetry is a guiding principle to modern stellarator optimization for improved plasma confinement. However, the robustness of optimized configurations, which can be crucial for maintaining performance under diverse engineering constraints and practical limitations, has received relatively little attention. Here, in this work, we present various case studies on this robustness, by investigating variations in 1/ v neoclassical transport when plasma configurations are smoothly altered across distinct optimized targets. These targets, optimized from different families—quasi-axisymmetric, quasi-helical, and quasi-isodynamic—are approximately matched in major radius as part of a flexible stellarator design. Our study shows that an optimized target does not always represent a local minimum in transport and that the robustness of a local minimum when present can vary significantly. Furthermore, there are configurations which belong to no established families but have transport levels as low as those of optimized targets. These results highlight the importance of conducting extended searches with key parametric variations around optimized configurations, to ensure its robustness as well as flexibility if desired.

neoclassical transport↗

DOE OSTI2026

BM3DORNL

BM3DORNL is a high-performance, open-source library for removing streak and ring artifacts from computed-tomography (CT) data, developed for neutron imaging at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Spallation Neutron Source (VENUS beamline) and applicable to X-ray CT as well. Ring artifacts — concentric rings in reconstructed slices caused by detector pixel-to-pixel response non-uniformities — appear as vertical streaks in the sinogram and degrade both image quality and quantitative analysis. BM3DORNL operates in the sinogram domain using an adaptation of the BM3D (block-matching and 3D collaborative filtering) algorithm (Dabov et al., 2007). It provides a dedicated streak-removal mode, a true multi-scale BM3D variant (after Mäkinen et al., 2021) that suppresses wide streaks single-scale methods miss, and an alternative Fourier–SVD method (~2.6× faster) combining FFT-based energy detection with rank-1 SVD. The computationally intensive core is implemented in Rust with parallel (Rayon) block matching, integral-image pre-screening, and optimized transforms, and is exposed through a simple Python API (with an optional GUI) so it integrates directly into existing tomography reconstruction pipelines. It processes both 2D sinograms and 3D sinogram stacks, is pip-installable for Linux and macOS, and is documented at https://bm3dornl.readthedocs.io.

Zhang, Chen [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL),↗

NASA NTRS1981

Near optimum delay-line detection filters for serial detection of MSK signals

A method for designing transversal delay-line filter approximations to the matched filter for the serial detection of minimum-shift keyed (MSK) modulated signals is given. Two configurations are characterized in terms of signal-to-noise ratio degradation at a bit error rate (BER) of 10 to the -6th. One is shown to depart less than 0.3 dB from the ideal matched filter performance when its parameter values are optimized. A lumped-element equivalent is also given and shown to provide a degradation of less than 0.4 dB at a BER of 10 to the -6th

Ziemer, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1991

GaAs (AlGaAs)/CuInSe2 tandem solar cells. Technology status and future directions

Mechanically stacked, high efficiency, lightweight, and radiation resistant photovoltaic cells based on a GaAs thin film top and CuInSe2 thin film bottom cells were developed, and are considered one of the most promising devices for planar solar array applications. The highest efficiency demonstrated so far using the 4 sq cm design is 23.1 pct. AM0, one sun efficiency when measured in four-terminal configuration. The current status of the GaAs(AlGaAs)/CuInSe2 tandem cell program is presented and future directions that will lead to cell efficiencies higher than 26 pct. Air Mass Zero (AM0). A new 8 sq cm cell design developed for a two terminal and voltage matched configuration to minimize wiring complexity is discussed. Optimization of the GaAs structure for a higher end-of-life performance and further improvement of tandem cells by utilizing AlGaAs as an top absorber are described. Results of environmental tests conducted with these thin film GaAs/CuInSe2 tandem cells are also summarized.

Kim, N. P.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Autonomous landing on Mars

Long communication times between earth and Mars demand autonomous landing capabilities. If high-resolution imagery acquired from an orbiter is available to select and certify a specific safe landing site or sites, navigational updates relative to the surface can be used to achieve the necessary accuracy to land within these certified sites. Autonomous registrations of the orbiter's imagery with photographs of the landing area taken by the lander during descent can provide the necessary accuracy and robustness. If orbital imagery is not available, autonomous hazard recognition and avoidance will be required to guide the lander to a hazard-free site. Feature extraction and matching algorithms, applied to visible light imagery and optimized to the terrain discovered by the Viking landers, can provide both an accurate surface-relative navigational update capability and a hazard recognition capability.

Stevenson, John↗

NASA NTRS1991

Design of phase-only, binary phase-only, and complex ternary matched filters with increased signal-to-noise ratios for colored noise

An algorithm is provided for treating nonwhite additive noise in determining regions of support for phase-only filters, binary phase-only filters, and complex ternary matched filters. It is analytically shown to be optimal in the signal-to-noise ratio sense. It extends earlier research that assumed white noise.

Kumar, B. V. K. V.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Power scaling of diode-pumped neodymium yttrium aluminum borate laser

Preliminary results are presented of the efficient diode-pumped operation of a neodymium yttrium aluminum borate (NYAB) laser at 531.5 nm using two 1-W diode-laser arrays for the pump. With 1380 mW of CW power incident on the crystal, as much as 51 mW of 532.5-nm laser radiation was obtained with the unoptimized cavity. The corresponding optical-to-optical conversion efficiency was 3.7 percent. A plot of the output 531.5 nm vs incident 807 nm pump power is shown. The crystal output power was critically dependent on the rotational and translational adjustment of the NYAB crystal inside the cavity. It is suggested that a crystal cut at the exact phase matching angle, placed in a cavity with proper optimal reflection and transmission mirror coatings, and pumped at proper wavelength can result in higher output power. Thus, the NYAB output power approaches that of a CW intracavity frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser.

Hemmati, Hamid↗

NASA NTRS1999

Superpolishing and Precision Metrology on a Metal Mandrel and Replicated Segments for Constellation-X

We have superpolished a diamond-turned aluminum mandrel (coated with electroless Ni) to an axial roughness of 6.34 nm rms. The mandrel is made to the Astro-E secondary mirror design for the 81st shell. Precision metrology at 100 mm to submicron scales has established the power spectral density of the mandrel and ultralightweight gold coated replicated segments. Predicted image quality of a set of optimally aligned replicated segments of this and a matching primary is substantially improved as compared to the flight mirrors for Astro-E. This approach using metal mandrels, superpolishing, and replicated ultralightweight foil mirrors, may represent a cost-effective approach to meeting the 15 arcsec half-energy width and weight requirements for the Constellation-X mission. Descriptions of the polishing apparatus, the precision metrology instruments, and the surface data analysis are presented. The general methods described are applicable to precision optics for both normal incidence and grazing incidence optics.

Content, D.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Superpolishing and Precision Metrology on a Metal Mandrel and Replicated Segments for Constellation-X

We have superpolished a diamond-turned aluminum mandrel (coated with electroless Ni) to an axial roughness of 0.34 nm rms. The mandrel is made to the Astro-E secondary mirror design for the 81st shell. Precision metrology at 100 mm to submicron scales has established the power spectral density of the mandrel and ultralightweight gold coated replicated segments. Predicted image quality of a set of optimally aligned replicated segments of this and a matching primary is substantially improved as compared to the flight mirrors for Astro-E. This approach using metal mandrels, superpolishing, and replicated ultralightweight foil mirrors, may represent a cost-effective approach to meeting the 15 arcsec half-energy width and weight requirements for the Constellation-X mission. Descriptions of the polishing apparatus, the precision metrology instruments, and the surface data analysis are presented. The general methods described are applicable to precision optics for both normal incidence and grazing incidence optics.

Content, D.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Superpolishing and Precision Metrology on a Metal Mandrel and Replicated Segments for Constellation-X

Content, D.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Design Process for High Speed Civil Transport Aircraft Improved by Neural Network and Regression Methods

A key challenge in designing the new High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) aircraft is determining a good match between the airframe and engine. Multidisciplinary design optimization can be used to solve the problem by adjusting parameters of both the engine and the airframe. Earlier, an example problem was presented of an HSCT aircraft with four mixed-flow turbofan engines and a baseline mission to carry 305 passengers 5000 nautical miles at a cruise speed of Mach 2.4. The problem was solved by coupling NASA Lewis Research Center's design optimization testbed (COMETBOARDS) with NASA Langley Research Center's Flight Optimization System (FLOPS). The computing time expended in solving the problem was substantial, and the instability of the FLOPS analyzer at certain design points caused difficulties. In an attempt to alleviate both of these limitations, we explored the use of two approximation concepts in the design optimization process. The two concepts, which are based on neural network and linear regression approximation, provide the reanalysis capability and design sensitivity analysis information required for the optimization process. The HSCT aircraft optimization problem was solved by using three alternate approaches; that is, the original FLOPS analyzer and two approximate (derived) analyzers. The approximate analyzers were calibrated and used in three different ranges of the design variables; narrow (interpolated), standard, and wide (extrapolated).

Hopkins, Dale A.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Cellular-based preemption system

A cellular-based preemption system that uses existing cellular infrastructure to transmit preemption related data to allow safe passage of emergency vehicles through one or more intersections. A cellular unit in an emergency vehicle is used to generate position reports that are transmitted to the one or more intersections during an emergency response. Based on this position data, the one or more intersections calculate an estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the emergency vehicle, and transmit preemption commands to traffic signals at the intersections based on the calculated ETA. Additional techniques may be used for refining the position reports, ETA calculations, and the like. Such techniques include, without limitation, statistical preemption, map-matching, dead-reckoning, augmented navigation, and/or preemption optimization techniques, all of which are described in further detail in the above-referenced patent applications.

Bachelder, Aaron D.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Surrogate Neural Architecture Codesign Package (SNAC-Pack)

Neural Architecture Search is a powerful approach for automating model design, but existing methods struggle to accurately optimize for real hardware performance, often relying on proxy metrics such as bit operations. We present Surrogate Neural Architecture Codesign Package (SNAC-Pack), an integrated framework that automates the discovery and optimization of neural networks focusing on FPGA deployment. SNAC-Pack combines Neural Architecture Codesign's multi-stage search capabilities with the Resource Utilization and Latency Estimator, enabling multi-objective optimization across accuracy, FPGA resource utilization, and latency without requiring time-intensive synthesis for each candidate model. We demonstrate SNAC-Pack on a high energy physics jet classification task, achieving 63.84% accuracy with resource estimation. When synthesized on a Xilinx Virtex UltraScale+ VU13P FPGA, the SNAC-Pack model matches baseline accuracy while maintaining comparable resource utilization to models optimized using traditional BOPs metrics. This work demonstrates the potential of hardware-aware neural architecture search for resource-constrained deployments and provides an open-source framework for automating the design of efficient FPGA-accelerated models.

Weitz, Jason [UC, San Diego] (ORCID:00090004631535↗

DOE OSTI2024

Fractal Nanostructured Solar Selective Surfaces for Next Gen Concentrating Solar Power (Final Report)

This project reports a novel coating with enhanced solar absorptance and reduced thermal emittance with high efficiency at elevated temperature for next-generation concentrated solar power (CSP) plants, with targeted operating temperatures around 750°C. Highly textured single and multimetallic oxide coatings were electrodeposited onto Inconel substrate by systematically varying the composition and process parameters. The optimized coating exhibited micro-to-nano structures designed to match the wavelengths in the visible region of the solar spectrum. These structures facilitate resonant absorption of solar radiation, significantly boosting solar absorption and accommodating thermal stress during high temperature exposure. A high solar absorptance exceeding 0.985 and a low thermal emittance below 0.5, yielding a thermal efficiency near 95%, was achieved for the optimized coatings without any anti-reflective overcoat, that remained robust after 750 h of isothermal exposure to 750°C in air. The coatings are also robust to severe mechanical and environmental stressors. The innovative approach presented in this study demonstrates the potential for tailoring air-stable solar absorber coatings to achieve high absorption, low emittance, and excellent high-temperature endurance, meeting the rigorous demands of next-generation CSP systems. A technoeconomic analysis reveals the economic advantage of the coatings for Gen3 CSP installations in different geographical zones globally.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Accelerate M-TIP on GPUs and deploy to Summit and NERSC-9 (against simulated data) WBS 2.2.4.05 ExaFEL, Milestone ADSE13-199

We evaluated the orientation matching step in the M-TIP SPI workflow for potential offloading to accelerators. We ported the code to GPUs, benchmarked it, optimized and down-selected the best versions. The accelerated version of the orientation matching code that was developed at LANL (LANL GPU v3) is 34-55X faster than sequential, 2.4-4.9X faster than the fastest OpenMP open source version we found (FAISS OpenMP) and 1.5-4X faster than the fastest GPU open source version we found (FAISS GPU). Summit single-node GPU versions were somewhat faster than Cori GPU. Image size plays a role; mid-range image sizes take more time. The LANL CUDA multi-node, multi-GPU implementation shows mostly linear strong scaling. I/O also plays a large role; splitting data into parts improves read time and burst buffers dramatically improve read times. This work will be integrated into the M-TIP workflow as part of the next milestone ADSE13-193.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2021

A fitting algorithm for optimizing ion implantation energies and fluences

In this work we describe a method to automatically generate an ion implantation recipe, a set of energies and fluences, to produce a desired defect density profile in a solid using the fewest required energies. We simulate defect density profiles for a range of ion energies, fit them with an appropriate function, and interpolate to yield defect density profiles at arbitrary ion energies. Given Ν energies, we then optimize a set of Ν energy-fluence pairs to match a given target defect density profile. Finally, we find the minimum Ν such that the error between the target defect density profile and the defect density profile generated by the Ν energy-fluence pairs is less than a given threshold. Inspired by quantum sensing applications with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, we apply our technique to calculate optimal ion implantation recipes to create uniform-density 1 μm surface layers of 15 N or vacancies (using 4 He).

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Investigation of Aerodynamic Matching Sensitivities for Conceptual Design

A methodology for aerodynamic matching was implemented in the Higher fidelity Conceptual Design and structural optimization (HCDstruct) tool to support transonic flutter simulations. The Enhanced Factor Correction Technique was implemented in HCDstruct to correct the Nastran doublet lattice method using data from corresponding computational fluid dynamics simulations. In this paper, sensitivities associated with this aerodynamic matching technique were investigated using HCDstruct and a Boeing 737-200-like aircraft configuration. Specifically, sensitivities of the aerodynamic matching method were investigated with respect to changes in flight conditions, such as changes in Mach number and angle of attack, and also in key design variables for the main wing, such as changes in aspect ratio and sweep angle. The variations in flight conditions and design parameters were mapped to estimated prediction error in sectional lift for the main wing, which helps to demonstrate the extent to which a user may expect a given aerodynamic correction matrix to provide suitable aerodynamic predictions for a realistic aircraft wing.

Jesse R. Quinlan↗