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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 289 records · Page 16

Application of Advanced Metering Infrastructure Data to Advanced Utility System Operations: Cooperative Research and Development, CRADA Number CRD-17-00712 (Final Report)

The primary objective of the proposed project is to evaluate the capabilities of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) based controls for grid operations. This includes monitoring and control at the secondary transformer level using existing AMI infrastructure. In addition, some of the challenges of using a model-less control will also be identified. The lessons learned will be disseminated to other utilities around the country through peer-reviewed publications with the consent of SDG&E. The scope of the work includes using data from SDG&E's existing AMI infrastructure and working with third party vendors selected by SDG&E. The grid edge monitoring systems and controls provided by the selected vendors will perform grid operations using AMI data. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will perform a software and controller-based evaluation of the grid edge controller, intelligent devices and sensors, at the Energy System Integration Facility (ESIF) laboratory.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

A python package for analyzing Resilience of Complex Systems (pyRoCS) v.0.0

SAND2024-01040O PyRoCS software synthesizes mathematical equations from several domains—including information theory, ecology, and engineering sciences—to support resilience analysis for complex systems. Resilience is the ability of the complex system being analyzed to withstand, operate through, and recover from a disruption. The complex system can be a physical system such as an electric grid, an organization such as a company, or even a subfunction of an organization. Existing mathematical equations for resilience analysis are found within multiple domains including information theory, biological sciences, and complex systems. This package synthesizes and refactors equations from these various domains to make them more generalizable for application across different types of complex systems relevant for resilience analysis. Users will be able to apply these equations to characterize different components of complex systems based on available data. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Verzi, Stephen↗

Precursor Analysis Report: Ryuk Ransomware Attack on Universal Health Services 2020

The Ryuk Ransomware Attack on Universal Health Services (UHS) 2020 Precursor Analysis Report leverages publicly available information about the 2020 UHS cyber attack and catalogs anomalous observables for each technique employed in the attack. This analysis is based upon the methodology of the Cybersecurity for the Operational Technology Environment (CyOTE) program. UHS manages over 400 hospitals and is one of the largest healthcare providers in the United States with 3.5 million patients each year. On 27 September 2020, UHS suffered a widespread ransomware attack that resulted in a denial of service to critical internet-dependent healthcare systems including workstations, phones, and data centers. Employees resorted to filing patient details with pen and paper, while other facilities had to redirect ambulances and urgent patients to other facilities for adequate care. Adversaries carried out the attack with Ryuk, a ransomware that encrypts data and generates a RyukReadMe.txt ransom note with the ransom fee to decrypt the data, varying from 15 Bitcoin (BTC) to 50 BTC, equivalent to roughly $\$$353,892 to $\$$964,617. UHS did not pay the ransom and was able to recover data through backups, but still reported an impact of $\$$67 million dollars in recovery costs. On 29 October, one month after the attack, UHS made an official statement that their systems had been restored and they were resuming normal operations. Researchers and analysts identified 18 unique techniques (used in a sequence of 19 steps) utilized during the attack with a total of 185 observables using MITRE ATT&CK® for Industrial Control Systems. The CyOTE program assesses observables accompanying techniques used prior to the triggering event to identify opportunities to detect malicious activity. If observables accompanying the attack techniques are perceived and investigated prior to the triggering event, earlier comprehension of malicious activity can take place. Fourteen of the identified techniques used during the UHS cyber attack were precursors to the triggering event. Analysis identified 106 observables associated with these precursor techniques, 82 of which were assessed to have an increased likelihood of being perceived in the 30 days to two hours preceding the triggering event. The response and comprehension time could have been reduced if the observables had been identified earlier. The information gathered in this report contributes to a library of observables tied to a repository of artifacts, data sources, and technique detection references for practitioners and developers to support the comprehension of indicators of attack. Asset owners and operators can use these products if they experience similar observables or to prepare for comparable scenarios.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Multifidelity deep operator networks for data-driven and physics-informed problems

Operator learning for complex nonlinear systems is increasingly common in modeling multi-physics and multi-scale systems. However, training such high-dimensional operators requires a large amount of expensive, high-fidelity data, either from experiments or simulations. In this work, we present a composite Deep Operator Network (DeepONet) for learning using two datasets with different levels of fidelity to accurately learn complex operators when sufficient high-fidelity data is not available. Additionally, we demonstrate that the presence of low-fidelity data can improve the predictions of physics-informed learning with DeepONets. We demonstrate the new multi-fidelity training in diverse examples, including modeling of the ice-sheet dynamics of the Humboldt glacier, Greenland, using two different fidelity models and also using the same physical model at two different resolutions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Deep Learning Experiments for Tropical Cyclone Intensity Forecasts

Reducing tropical cyclone (TC) intensity forecast errors is a challenging task that has interested the operational forecasting and research community for decades. To address this, we developed a deep learning (DL)-based multilayer perceptron (MLP) TC intensity prediction model. The model was trained using the global Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) predictors to forecast the change in TC maximum wind speed for the Atlantic basin. In the first experiment, a 24-h forecast period was considered. To overcome sample size limitations, we adopted a leave one year out (LOYO) testing scheme, where a model is trained using data from all years except one and then evaluated on the year that is left out. When tested on 2010–18 operational data using the LOYO scheme, the MLP outperformed other statistical–dynamical models by 9%–20%. Additional independent tests in 2019 and 2020 were conducted to simulate real-time operational forecasts, where the MLP model again outperformed the statistical–dynamical models by 5%–22% and achieved comparable results as HWFI. The MLP model also correctly predicted more rapid intensification events than all the four operational TC intensity models compared. In the second experiment, we developed a lightweight MLP for 6-h intensity predictions. When coupled with a synthetic TC track model, the lightweight MLP generated realistic TC intensity distribution in the Atlantic basin. Therefore, the MLP-based approach has the potential to improve operational TC intensity forecasts, and will also be a viable option for generating synthetic TCs for climate studies.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Estimating value of information for heliostat washing operations at solar thermal plants

Concentrating solar power (CSP) plants depend on thousands of heliostats whose reflectance declines as dust accumulates. Operators routinely measure reflectance to estimate soiling and, in turn, inform cleaning schedules, but the value of collecting more frequent or more accurate data has not been formally quantified. This study introduces a Monte Carlo discrete event simulation framework that integrates stochastic models of soiling, weather, and measurement error with a dynamic cleaning dispatch policy to estimate annual energy production and operations costs. Applied to two representative central-receiver field configurations, the results show that both the frequency and accuracy of reflectance measurements can meaningfully impact plant performance. In both case studies, reducing measurement intervals yields significant returns, with the energy gains greatly exceeding the cost of more frequent data collection. The simulation framework serves as a decision-support tool for CSP operators, allowing them to input site-specific soiling conditions, measurement accuracy, and survey frequency to evaluate the tradeoffs between data collection cost and energy recovery, and to identify measurement strategies that maximize plant profit.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Projective embedding of dynamical systems: Uniform mean field equations

Herein we study embeddings of continuous dynamical systems in larger dimensions via projector operators. We call this technique PEDS, projective embedding of dynamical systems, as the stable fixed point of the original system dynamics are recovered via projection from the higher dimensional space. In this paper we provide a general definition and prove that for a particular type of rank-1 projector operator, the uniform mean field projector, the equations of motion become a mean field approximation of the dynamical system. While in general the embedding depends on a specified variable ordering, the same is not true for the uniform mean field projector. We prove a variety of results on the relationship between the spectrum of the Jacobian for fixed points in the original and in the embedded system. Direct applications of PEDS can be non-convex optimization and machine learning.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

On relaxations of the max k -cut problem formulations

Here, a tight continuous relaxation is a crucial factor in solving mixed integer formulations of many NP-hard combinatorial optimization problems. The (weighted) max k-cut problem is a fundamental combinatorial optimization problem with multiple notorious mixed integer optimization formulations. In this paper, we explore four existing mixed integer optimization formulations of the max k-cut problem. Specifically, we show that the continuous relaxation of a binary quadratic optimization formulation of the problem is: (i) stronger than the continuous relaxation of two mixed integer linear optimization formulations and (ii) at least as strong as the continuous relaxation of a mixed integer semidefinite optimization formulation. We also conduct a set of experiments on multiple sets of instances of the max k-cut problem using state-of-the-art solvers that empirically confirm the theoretical results in item (i). Furthermore, these numerical results illustrate the advances in the efficiency of global non-convex quadratic optimization solvers and more general mixed integer nonlinear optimization solvers. As a result, these solvers provide a promising option to solve combinatorial optimization problems. Our codes and data are available on GitHub.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Federated benchmarking of medical artificial intelligence with MedPerf

Medical artificial intelligence (AI) has tremendous potential to advance healthcare by supporting and contributing to the evidence-based practice of medicine, personalizing patient treatment, reducing costs, and improving both healthcare provider and patient experience. Unlocking this potential requires systematic, quantitative evaluation of the performance of medical AI models on large-scale, heterogeneous data capturing diverse patient populations. Here, to meet this need, we introduce MedPerf, an open platform for benchmarking AI models in the medical domain. MedPerf focuses on enabling federated evaluation of AI models, by securely distributing them to different facilities, such as healthcare organizations. This process of bringing the model to the data empowers each facility to assess and verify the performance of AI models in an efficient and human-supervised process, while prioritizing privacy. We describe the current challenges healthcare and AI communities face, the need for an open platform, the design philosophy of MedPerf, its current implementation status and real-world deployment, our roadmap and, importantly, the use of MedPerf with multiple international institutions within cloud-based technology and on-premises scenarios. Finally, we welcome new contributions by researchers and organizations to further strengthen MedPerf as an open benchmarking platform.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Supporting Resource Adequacy via the ReEDS-India Model [Slides]

ReEDS-India is an open-access tool for mid- and long-term capacity expansion modeling that finds the mix of generation, transmission, and storage technologies that meet the anticipated requirements of the electric sector at least cost.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Non-intrusive data-driven model reduction for differential–algebraic equations derived from lifting transformations

In this paper we present a non-intrusive data-driven approach for model reduction of nonlinear systems. The approach considers the particular case of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) that form systems of partial differential–algebraic equations (PDAEs) when lifted to polynomial form. Such systems arise, for example, when the governing equations include Arrhenius reaction terms (e.g., in reacting flow models) and thermodynamic terms (e.g., the Helmholtz free energy terms in a phase-field solidification model). Using the known structured form of the lifted algebraic equations, the approach computes the reduced operators for the algebraic equations explicitly, using straightforward linear algebra operations on the basis matrices. The reduced operators for the differential equations are inferred from lifted snapshot data using operator inference, which solves a linear least squares regression problem. The approach is illustrated for the nonlinear model of solidification of a pure material. The lifting transformations reformulate the solidification PDEs as a system of PDAEs that have cubic structure. The operators of the lifted system for this solidification example have affine dependence on key process parameters, permitting us to learn a parametric reduced model with operator inference. Numerical experiments show the effectiveness of the resulting reduced models in capturing key aspects of the solidification dynamics.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Multiscale simulation of integrated energy system and electricity market interactions

Accelerating the deep decarbonization of the world's electric grids requires the coordination of complex energy systems and infrastructures across timescales from seconds to decades. Here, we present a new multiscale simulation framework that integrates process- and grid-centric modeling paradigms to better design, operate, and control integrated energy systems (IESs), which combine multiple technologies, in wholesale energy markets. Traditionally, IESs are analyzed with a process-centric paradigm such as levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) or annualized net revenue, ignoring important interactions with electricity markets. This framework explicitly models the complex interactions between an IES's bidding, scheduling, and control decisions and the energy market's clearing and settlement processes, while incorporating operational uncertainties. Through two case studies, we show the importance of understanding and quantifying complex resource-grid interactions. In case study 1, we demonstrate that optimized bidding from one resource shifts the profit distribution for all energy systems in the market. This result suggests new and more flexible IES technologies can disrupt the economics of all market participants, possibly leading to accelerated retirements of less flexible resources. Interestingly, the optimized bidding has little impact on grid-level aggregate statistics, such as total generation costs and renewable penetration rate. While aggregate modeling strategies may remain valid under some IES adoption scenarios for analysis focused on regional outcomes, direct comparisons of IES technologies at specific locations without considering these interactions may lead to misleading or incorrect conclusions. In case study 2, we consider the design and flexible operation of IESs that hybridize conventional generators with energy storage. Through a sensitivity analysis, we find that as the size of the storage system increases, the total number of start-ups for coal- and natural gas-based IESs reduced by 25% and 33.6%, and the total thermal generator ramping (i.e., mileage) reduced by 86.5% and 62.5%, respectively. This shows the primary benefit of storage may not be reduced operational costs (which do not change significantly) but fewer start-ups and less ramping, which may greatly simplify the design, operation, and control of carbon capture systems. The new modeling and optimization capabilities from this work enable the coupling of rigorous, dynamic process models with grid-level production cost models to quantitatively identify the nuanced interdependencies across these vast timescales that must be addressed to realize clean, safe, and secure energy production. Moreover, the proposed general multiscale simulation framework is applicable to all IES technologies and can be easily extended to consider other energy carriers (e.g., hydrogen, ammonia) and energy infrastructures (e.g., natural gas pipelines).

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Business Case Analysis for Artificial Intelligence-Large Language Model Technology Integration

AI-assisted processes are expected to enhance operational efficiency and improve decision-making, supporting the long-term economic viability of nuclear power plants. However, detailed business analyses of AI-generated cost savings are rarely performed. Given the recent industry interest in Large Language Model (LLM), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program has conducted a comprehensive business case analysis of LLM Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation in nuclear plant engineering workflows. The research employed three complementary business case approaches to evaluate impact of an LLM, using three representative engineering processes as use-cases: Boric Acid Corrosion (BAC) Evaluations, Maintenance Rule Evaluations, and 10 CFR 50.59 Screenings. Through detailed workload analyses and structured interviews, the study quantified significant efficiency improvements ranging from 11% to 59% across these processes. The research further considers how these efficiency gains could translate into tangible reliability improvements through enhanced engineering capacity. Analysis of historical plant trip data indicates that enabling engineers to focus on proactive reliability activities could provide substantial financial benefits through avoided outages, potentially generating greater value than the direct efficiency improvements alone. By documenting successful applications, implementation challenges, and strategic opportunities, this research provides nuclear utilities with a practical framework for evaluating the value of AI technology to support long-term operations through advanced digital technologies.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Precursor Analysis Report: Conti Ransomware Attack on the Health Service Executive of Ireland 2021

The Conti Ransomware Attack on the Health Service Executive (HSE) of Ireland 2021 Precursor Analysis Report leverages publicly available information about the attack and catalogs anomalous observables for each technique employed by the adversary. This analysis is based upon the methodology of the Cybersecurity for the Operational Technology Environment (CyOTE) program. The HSE provides public healthcare corporate services and operational services throughout Ireland, with critical functions including the acute national ambulance service, acute hospital service, and community healthcare service. On 14 May 2021, Conti ransomware encrypted 80 percent of the HSE’s Information Technology (IT) infrastructure across corporate, hospital, community, and electronic health record services. Conti is a ransomware-as-a-service operation that encrypts local files, uses double extortion against victims, and is facilitated by many intrusion tools. The attack forced the HSE to shut down its entire IT infrastructure to contain the ransomware, forcing employees to revert to pen and paper recordkeeping and leading to the cancellation of many appointments and procedures. The adversary also exfiltrated 700 GB of data, compromising the confidentiality of patients’ protected health information. Had the adversary targeted the COVID-19 cloud systems or operational technology assets, such as Internet of Medical Things medical devices or smart building management systems, the impact of the attack would almost certainly have been far more severe. Researchers and analysts identified 21 unique techniques (used in a sequence of 23 steps) likely utilized during the attack with a total of 1,185 observables using MITRE ATT&CK® for Industrial Control Systems. The CyOTE program assesses observables accompanying techniques used prior to the triggering event to identify opportunities to detect malicious activity. If observables accompanying the attack techniques are perceived and investigated prior to the triggering event, earlier comprehension of malicious activity can take place. Twenty-one of the identified techniques used during the attack on the HSE were precursors to the triggering event. Analysis identified 1,086 observables associated with these precursor techniques, 850 of which were assessed to have an increased likelihood of being perceived in the 57 days preceding the triggering event. The response and comprehension time could have been reduced if the observables had been identified earlier. The information gathered in this report contributes to a library of observables tied to a repository of artifacts, data sources, and technique detection references for practitioners and developers to support the comprehension of indicators of attack. Asset owners and operators can use these products if they experience similar observables or to prepare for comparable scenarios.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Identification of Performance Shaping Factor Lag and Linger Effects for Dynamic Human Reliability Analysis: Application of Experimental Data

Many researchers have emphasized the importance of dynamic probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), which highlights the necessity of studies for dynamic human reliability analysis (HRA). Dynamic HRA concentrates on a dynamic account of human actions or how performance shaping factors (PSFs) can dynamically modify the human error probability (HEP) over time. In contrast, existing static HRA does not consider human actions as changes over time or event progressions. Accordingly, previous research on dynamic HRA conceptually suggested PSF lag and linger effects to treat dependence between operator actions in dynamic HRA versus existing approaches. As follow-up research, this study attempted to identify PSF lag and linger effects for dynamic HRA on the basis of experimental data. Firstly, mathematical models for PSF lag and linger effects were developed based on a literature survey in the field of biology. Secondly, we analyzed experimental scenarios from a control room study to identify operator actions considered in PSA. Lastly, based on the experimental data, the effect of the stress PSF with lag and linger effects was compared to that without PSF lag and linger effects. This paper concludes with an overall discussion of PSF lag and linger effects based on the relation between the stress PSF and error occurrence.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Emergency Asset Positioning for Resilient Transmission Grid Operation

In this paper we study a problem of hurricane emergency preparedness via placement of emergency storage assets prior to its strike. We present a two-stage stochastic model for choosing locations and quantities of emergency storage to help support the power grid through a hurricane event. The expectation of losses in our two-stage model is estimated using the sample average approximation. We construct damage scenarios for sample average approximation using WIND Toolkit meteorological data and fragility curves of various electric grid components. We demonstrate the efficacy of our two-stage planning model by simulating operations during Hurricane Dolly on the 2000-bus transmission test system. Our model, coupled with our scenario selection strategy, is effective at mitigating loss of load when compared to a model without emergency storage assets placed prior to an extreme event.

emergency preparedness↗

Emergency Generation Asset Positioning for Resilient Transmission Grid Operation: Preprint

In this paper we study a problem of hurricane emergency preparedness via placement of emergency generation assets prior to its strike. We present a two-stage stochastic model for choosing locations and quantities of emergency storage to help support the power grid through a hurricane event. The expectation of losses in our two-stage model is estimated using the sample average approximation. We construct damage scenarios for sample average approximation using WIND Toolkit meteorological data and fragility curves of various electric grid components. We demonstrate the efficacy of our two-stage planning model by simulating operations during Hurricane Dolly on the 2000-bus transmission test system. Our model, coupled with our scenario selection strategy, is effective at mitigating loss of load when compared to a model without emergency generation assets placed prior to an extreme event.

emergency preparedness↗