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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 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Implementation of a C-1 triangular element based on the P-version of the finite element method

The implementation of a computer code CONE (for C(1) continuity) based on the p-version of the finite element method is described. A hierarchic family of triangular finite elements of degree p 5 is used. This family enforces C(1)-continuity across interelement boundaries, and the code is applicable to fourth order partial differential equations in two independent variables, in particular to the biharmonic equation. Applications to several benchmark problems in plate bending are presented. Sample results are examined and compared with theoretical predictions. In particular the analysis of the bending of a rhombic plate shows a significant improvement over othr published results.

Wang, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Passivity-based Robust Control of Aerospace Systems

This report provides a brief summary of the research work performed over the duration of the cooperative research agreement between NASA Langley Research Center and Kansas State University. The cooperative agreement which was originally for the duration the three years was extended by another year through no-cost extension in order to accomplish the goals of the project. The main objective of the research was to develop passivity-based robust control methodology for passive and non-passive aerospace systems. The focus of the first-year's research was limited to the investigation of passivity-based methods for the robust control of Linear Time-Invariant (LTI) single-input single-output (SISO), open-loop stable, minimum-phase non-passive systems. The second year's focus was mainly on extending the passivity-based methodology to a larger class of non-passive LTI systems which includes unstable and nonminimum phase SISO systems. For LTI non-passive systems, five different passification. methods were developed. The primary effort during the years three and four was on the development of passification methodology for MIMO systems, development of methods for checking robustness of passification, and developing synthesis techniques for passifying compensators. For passive LTI systems optimal synthesis procedure was also developed for the design of constant-gain positive real controllers. For nonlinear passive systems, numerical optimization-based technique was developed for the synthesis of constant as well as time-varying gain positive-real controllers. The passivity-based control design methodology developed during the duration of this project was demonstrated by its application to various benchmark examples. These example systems included longitudinal model of an F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) for pitch axis control, NASA's supersonic transport wind tunnel model, ACC benchmark model, 1-D acoustic duct model, piezo-actuated flexible link model, and NASA's Benchmark Active Controls Technology (BACT) Wing model. Some of the stability results for linear passive systems were also extended to nonlinear passive systems. Several publications and conference presentations resulted from this research.

Kelkar, Atul G.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Results of the KRUSTY Warm Critical Experiments

The Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY) was a prototypic nuclear-powered test of a 5-kW(thermal) Kilopower space reactor. This paper presents results from the KRUSTY warm critical experiments, which were completed prior to the final system test. The first set of criticals comprised cold or zero-power criticals; i.e., the core was not heated by fission power. These were followed by three warm criticals, where fission power heated the core to 200°C, 300°C, and 450°C, respectively. These criticals provided the data, confidence, and regulatory framework that were needed to proceed with the KRUSTY nuclear system test. The criticals also provided valuable data for the benchmarking of codes applicable to all nuclear systems. Finally, a comparison of KRUSTY results to pretest predictions is provided, and overall, the models matched the experimental results very closely.

David I. Poston↗
DOE OSTI2016

Evaluating OpenSHMEM Explicit Remote Memory Access Operations and Merged Requests

The OpenSHMEM Library Specification has evolved consid- erably since version 1.0. Recently, non-blocking implicit Remote Memory Access (RMA) operations were introduced in OpenSHMEM 1.3. These provide a way to achieve better overlap between communication and computation. However, the implicit non-blocking operations do not pro- vide a separate handle to track and complete the individual RMA opera- tions. They are guaranteed to be completed after either a shmem quiet(), shmem barrier() or a shmem barrier all() is called. These are global com- pletion and synchronization operations. Though this semantic is expected to achieve a higher message rate for the applications, the drawback is that it does not allow fine-grained control over the completion of RMA operations. In this paper, first, we introduce non-blocking RMA operations with requests, where each operation has an explicit request to track and com- plete the operation. Second, we introduce interfaces to merge multiple requests into a single request handle. The merged request tracks multiple user-selected RMA operations, which provides the flexibility of tracking related communication operations with one request handle. Lastly, we explore the implications in terms of performance, productivity, usability and the possibility of defining different patterns of communication via merging of requests. Our experimental results show that a well designed and implemented OpenSHMEM stack can hide the overhead of allocating and managing the requests. The latency of RMA operations with requests is similar to blocking and implicit non-blocking RMA operations. We test our implementation with the Scalable Synthetic Compact Applications (SSCA #1) benchmark and observe that using RMA operations with requests and merging of these requests outperform the implementation using blocking RMA operations and implicit non-blocking operations by 49% and 74% respectively.

Boehm, Swen↗
DOE OSTI2017

Benchmark Simulation of Natural Circulation Cooling System with Salt Working Fluid Using SAM

Liquid salt-cooled reactors, such as the Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor (FHR), offer passive decay heat removal through natural circulation using Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling System (DRACS) loops. The behavior of such systems should be well-understood through performance analysis. The advanced system thermal-hydraulics tool System Analysis Module (SAM) from Argonne National Laboratory has been selected for this purpose. The work presented here is part of a larger study in which SAM modeling capabilities are being enhanced for the system analyses of FHR or Molten Salt Reactors (MSR). Liquid salt thermophysical properties have been implemented in SAM, as well as properties of Dowtherm A, which is used as a simulant fluid for scaled experiments, for future code validation studies. Additional physics modules to represent phenomena specific to salt-cooled reactors, such as freezing of coolant, are being implemented in SAM. This study presents a useful first benchmark for the applicability of SAM to liquid salt-cooled reactors: it provides steady-state and transient comparisons for a salt reactor system. A RELAP5-3D model of the Mark-1 Pebble-Bed FHR (Mk1 PB-FHR), and in particular its DRACS loop for emergency heat removal, provides steady state and transient results for flow rates and temperatures in the system that are used here for code-to-code comparison with SAM. The transient studied is a loss of forced circulation with SCRAM event. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first application of SAM to FHR or any other molten salt reactors. While building these models in SAM, any gaps in the code’s capability to simulate such systems are identified and addressed immediately, or listed as future improvements to the code.

Ahmed, K. K.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Genetic algorithm based task reordering to improve the performance of batch scheduled massively parallel scientific applications

The growth in size of networked high performance computers along with novel accelerator-based node architectures has further emphasized the importance of communication efficiency in high performance computing. The world's largest high performance computers are usually operated as shared user facilities due to the costs of acquisition and operation. Applications are scheduled for execution in a shared environment and are placed on nodes that are not necessarily contiguous on the interconnect. Furthermore, the placement of tasks on the nodes allocated by the scheduler is sub-optimal, leading to performance loss and variability. Here, we investigate the impact of task placement on the performance of two massively parallel application codes on the Titan supercomputer, a turbulent combustion flow solver (S3D) and a molecular dynamics code (LAMMPS). Benchmark studies show a significant deviation from ideal weak scaling and variability in performance. The inter-task communication distance was determined to be one of the significant contributors to the performance degradation and variability. A genetic algorithm-based parallel optimization technique was used to optimize the task ordering. This technique provides an improved placement of the tasks on the nodes, taking into account the application's communication topology and the system interconnect topology. As a result, application benchmarks after task reordering through genetic algorithm show a significant improvement in performance and reduction in variability, therefore enabling the applications to achieve better time to solution and scalability on Titan during production.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2023

On Distribution Grid Optimal Power Flow Development and Integration

Due to changes in electric distribution grid operation, new operation regimes have been recommended. Distribution grid optimal power flow (DOPF) has received tremendous attention in the research community, yet it has not been fully adopted across the utility industry. Our paper recognizes this problem and suggests a development and integration procedure for DOPF. We propose development of DOPF as a three step procedure of 1) processing the grid, 2) obtaining a tractable solution, and 3) implementing multiple solution algorithms and benchmarking them to improve application reliability. For the integration of DOPF, we demonstrate how a DOPF federate may be developed that can be integrated in a co-simulation environment to mimic the real-world conditions and hence improve its practicality to be deployed in the field. To demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methods, tests on IEEE 123 bus system are performed where the usage of tractable formulation in DOPF algorithm development and its comparison to the benchmark solution are demonstrated.

Hanif, Sarmad↗
DOE OSTI2015

Covariance Applications in Criticality Safety, Light Water Reactor Analysis, and Spent Fuel Characterization

A new covariance data library based on ENDF/B-VII.1 was recently processed for the SCALE nuclear analysis code system. The multigroup covariance data are discussed here, along with testing and application results for critical benchmark experiments. The cross section covariance library, along with covariances for fission product yields and decay data, is used to compute uncertainties in the decay heat produced by a burned reactor fuel assembly.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Investigation of Benchmark $k$ eff Sensitivity and Uncertainty for 239 Pu fission in Specific Energy Ranges

Nuclear data at intermediate energies (from 1 to 100s of keV) are evaluated based on scarce differential data and theory unable to capture physics’ expected structure. There is also a lack of integral data. This is a known deficiency and is challenging to address. Calculated effective multiplication factor, k eff , values for intermediate energy experiments are ~25× further from experiment than for fast energies and are often well outside the experimental uncertainties. The goal of the PARADIGM (PARallel Approach of Differential and InteGral Measurements) project is to significantly re duce the uncertainties of intermediate energy nuclear data for 239 Pu. To this end, PARADIGM simultaneously optimizes experiments at both the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) and National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC). The combined set of data will inform new intermediate-energy nuclear data. By execution of differential and integral experiments, establishment of new theory, and undertaking nuclear data evaluation in parallel, the timeline to deliver improved nuclear data to users will be reduced significantly that is to three years. For the PARADIGM project, it was decided to optimize an integral experiment for two neutron energy ranges, within the full intermediate energy range. The low energy range goes from 1 to 30 keV, while the higher energy range goes from 30 to 600 keV. This work focuses on nuclear data sensitivities and uncertainties for 239 Pu fission for existing experiments in the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP). When designing new experiments, it is important to understand what benchmarks currently exist. For a more traditional experiment design (in which a specific application model(s) exists), comparisons would be made between the application model(s) and existing benchmarks. For PARADIGM, there is no specific application model, but instead the specific nuclear data reaction and energy ranges of interest can be explored for existing benchmarks.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1997

Application of PML Absorbing Boundary Conditions to the Benchmark Problems of Computational Aeroacoustics

Accurate numerical non-reflecting boundary conditions are important in all the proposed benchmark problems of the Second Workshop. Recently, a new absorbing boundary condition has been developed using Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) equations for the Euler equations. In this approach, a region with a width of a few grid points is introduced adjacent to the non-reflecting boundaries. In the added region, Perfectly Matched Layer equations are constructed and applied so that the out-going waves are absorbed inside the layer with little reflection to the interior domain. It will be demonstrated in the present paper that the proposed absorbing boundary condition is quite general and versatile, applicable to radiation boundaries as well as inflow and outflow boundaries. It is also easy to implement. The emphasis of the paper will be on the application of the PML absorbing boundary condition to problems in Categories 1, 2, and 3. In Category 1, solutions of problems 1 and 2 are presented. Both problems are solved using a multi-domain polar grid system. Perfectly Matched Layer equations for a circular boundary are constructed and their effectiveness assessed. In Category 2, solutions of problem 2 are presented. Here, in addition to the radiation boundary conditions at the far field in the axisymmetric coordinate system, the inflow boundary condition at the duct inlet is also dealt with using the proposed Perfectly Match Layer equations. At the inlet, a PML domain is introduced in which the incident duct mode is simulated while the waves reflected from the open end of the duct are absorbed at the same time. In Category 3, solutions of all three problems are presented. Again, the PML absorbing boundary condition is used at the inflow boundary so that the incoming vorticity wave is simulated while the outgoing acoustic waves are absorbed with very little numerical reflection. All the problems are solved using central difference schemes for spatial discretizations and the optimized Low-Dissipation and Low-Dispersion Runge-Kutta scheme for the time integration. Issues of numerical accuracy and efficiency are also addressed.

Hu, Fang Q.↗
DOE OSTI2017

On the Scalability of Data Reduction Techniques in Current and Upcoming HPC Systems from an Application Perspective

We implement and benchmark parallel I/O methods for the fully-manycore driven particle-in-cell code PIConGPU. Identifying throughput and overall I/O size as a major challenge for applications on today’s and future HPC systems, we present a scaling law characterizing performance bottlenecks in state-of-the-art approaches for data reduction. Consequently, we propose, implement and verify multi-threaded data-transformations for the I/O library ADIOS as a feasible way to trade underutilized host-side compute potential on heterogeneous systems for reduced I/O latency.

Huebl, Axel↗
NASA NTRS1998

Modeling the Benchmark Active Control Technology Wind-Tunnel Model for Active Control Design Applications

This report describes the formulation of a model of the dynamic behavior of the Benchmark Active Controls Technology (BACT) wind tunnel model for active control design and analysis applications. The model is formed by combining the equations of motion for the BACT wind tunnel model with actuator models and a model of wind tunnel turbulence. The primary focus of this report is the development of the equations of motion from first principles by using Lagrange's equations and the principle of virtual work. A numerical form of the model is generated by making use of parameters obtained from both experiment and analysis. Comparisons between experimental and analytical data obtained from the numerical model show excellent agreement and suggest that simple coefficient-based aerodynamics are sufficient to accurately characterize the aeroelastic response of the BACT wind tunnel model. The equations of motion developed herein have been used to aid in the design and analysis of a number of flutter suppression controllers that have been successfully implemented.

Waszak, Martin R.↗
DOE OSTI2024

JACC: Leveraging HPC Meta-Programming and Performance Portability with the Just-in-Time and LLVM-based Julia Language

We present JACC (Julia for Accelerators), the first high-level, and performance-portable model for the just-in-time and LLVM-based Julia language. JACC provides a unified and lightweight front end across different back ends available in Julia, enabling the same Julia code to run efficiently on many HPC CPU and GPU targets. We evaluated the performance of JACC for common HPC kernels as well as for the most computationally demanding kernels used in applications, HPCCG, a supercomputing benchmark test for sparse domains, and HARVEY, a blood flow simulator to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from vascular diseases. We carried out the performance analysis on the most advanced US DOE supercomputers: Aurora, Frontier, and Perlmutter. Overall, we show that JACC has a negligible overhead versus vendor-specific solutions, reporting GPU speedups with no extra cost to programmability.

Valero-Lara, Pedro↗
DOE OSTI2012

The Role of Mathematical Methods in Efficiency Calibration and Uncertainty Estimation in Gamma Based Non-Destructive Assay - 12311

Mathematical methods are being increasingly employed in the efficiency calibration of gamma based systems for non-destructive assay (NDA) of radioactive waste and for the estimation of the Total Measurement Uncertainty (TMU). Recently, ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) released a standard guide for use of modeling passive gamma measurements. This is a testimony to the common use and increasing acceptance of mathematical techniques in the calibration and characterization of NDA systems. Mathematical methods offer flexibility and cost savings in terms of rapidly incorporating calibrations for multiple container types, geometries, and matrix types in a new waste assay system or a system that may already be operational. Mathematical methods are also useful in modeling heterogeneous matrices and non-uniform activity distributions. In compliance with good practice, if a computational method is used in waste assay (or in any other radiological application), it must be validated or benchmarked using representative measurements. In this paper, applications involving mathematical methods in gamma based NDA systems are discussed with several examples. The application examples are from NDA systems that were recently calibrated and performance tested. Measurement based verification results are presented. Mathematical methods play an important role in the efficiency calibration of gamma based NDA systems. This is especially true when the measurement program involves a wide variety of complex item geometries and matrix combinations for which the development of physical standards may be impractical. Mathematical methods offer a cost effective means to perform TMU campaigns. Good practice demands that all mathematical estimates be benchmarked and validated using representative sets of measurements. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Model uncertainty in accelerator application simulations

Monte-Carlo nuclear reaction and transport codes are widely used to devise accelerator-based nuclear physics experiments; at the same time, many experiments are performed to validate the Monte-Carlo codes, which can be used for the design of full-scale nuclear power applications or the design of new benchmark experiments. Dedicated model benchmark studies investigate a broad range of nuclear reactions and quantities. Examples of these include isotope formation or secondary particle fluxes that result from the interactions of GeV-range hadrons with monoisotopic targets, which can be used to assess the respective systematic uncertainty of models. Such benchmark studies, as well as many nuclear application experiments and simulations carried out by various groups over the last few decades, enable us to draw methodological lessons. In this work, model uncertainty determined based on available experimental data allow us to identify the effects of practitioner expertise as well as the design of codes (user access to micro-scale parameters) on the range of uncertainties. We found that in cases when simulations are performed by code developers or users that are very experienced in performing simulations, the model to experiment quantity ratios generally agree with the limits determined by dedicated benchmark studies. In other cases, the ratios generally tend to be either smaller (underestimation of model error) or larger (overestimation of model error). A plausible explanation of the aforementioned effects is suggested.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

MPACT Verification and Validation Manual (rev 1)

The MPACT code provides the capability to calculate the steady-state and transient reactor core neutron distribution for operating nuclear power plant (PWR) conditions across multiple fuel cycles. As required in the CASL SQA plan, it is the responsibility of UM and ORNL as joint owners of MPACT to ensure that verification and validation activities are performed and documented in a V&V manual with supporting publications and CASL technical reports which can be distributed for reference and distribution within VERA. This document provides the first revision of the MPACT verification and validation (V&V) manual and describes the current state of MPACT V&V and updates the framework for future MPACT V&V activities. During FY16, MPACT V&V activities in the areas of code verification have continued to mature and work has progressed on code error evaluation using the Method of Manufactured Solutions (MMS). Several specific tasks have also been completed to improve MPACT code verification to include tasks to improve the unit and regression test coverage. A joint UM/ORNL task was completed to develop standardize coding standards and workflow for the continued collaborative development of MPACT. During the past year, MPACT validation work has continued in both the areas of measured data from critical experiments as well as measured data from operating nuclear power plants. Preliminary work was also performed in FY16 on the use of post-irradiation examinations for evaluation and validation of the isotopic depletion capability in MPACT. Based on the results of V&V efforts this past year, the confidence level has increased in the ability of MPACT to model an operational Pressurized Water Reactor. Areas were identified which require increased emphasis during FY17 to include updating all the V&V problems with the new 51-group library, the completion of cycle 2 of the BEAVRS benchmark, initial validation for BWR applications, the addition of Uncertainty Quantification results into the benchmark results, and the completion of specific validation tasks for the CASL Challenge problems.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2019

THE INFLUENCE OF CHANGES IN NUCLEAR COVARIANCE DATA ON THE CALCULATION OF Ck FOR HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM SOLUTION SYSTEMS

Since their initial development nearly 20 years ago, sensitivity/uncertainty (S/U) techniques have been increasingly applied to criticality safety validation. These techniques can generally be applied quickly and for a range of purposes after the initial investment of calculating sensitivities for a safety analysis model and a range of potential benchmark experiments. This paper discusses these applications and how they have been affected by changes in covariance data libraries.Critical experiment selection is the most prominent area in which S/U methods impact validation efforts. These methods allow for rigorous calculation of similarity between safety analysis models and potential benchmarks. The most widely used of these methods is the integral parameter ck, although other integral parameters such as E and some non-integral parameters have also been explored. The ck parameter calculates the fraction of nuclear data–induced uncertainty shared between an application and an experiment; this metric is predicated on the assessment that nuclear data errors are the most likely source of computational bias. Therefore, values of ck are inherently dependent on the nuclear covariance library used to calculate them and inevitably change when these data change.Past studies have shown how much the ck values can vary, especially in difficult validation cases like burnup credit. These significant changes are the result of differences in the relative uncertainties of nuclides with large sensitivities, and they imply differences in benchmark applicability to the safety analysis model. This paper demonstrates that more common criticality safety models involving single fissile species have significantly less variability of ck between covariance libraries, thus enhancing confidence in the application of S/U methods for experiment selection in these scenarios. This paper presents case studies examining the impact of these changes on some hypothetical safety analysis systems.

Clarity, Justin↗
DOE OSTI2014

Sensitivity Analysis and Data Assimilation in a Subcritical Plutonium Metal Benchmark

Here, this work presents the application of first-order adjoint sensitivity analysis, uncertainty quantification, and data assimilation to a subcritical plutonium benchmark experiment using a modified version of the discrete ordinates radiation transport code Denovo. Previous Monte Carlo simulations of this benchmark saw a consistent overprediction of the mean and variance of the measured neutron multiplicity distribution. It was observed that a small scalar reduction in the value of the 239 Pu-induced fission neutron multiplicity was capable of significantly reducing the discrepancies. This work extends those results by computing first-order sensitivities to each nuclide, reaction type, energy, and material region in the benchmark. The sensitivities are then used in a data assimilationmethodology to simultaneously calibrate all responses and multigroup nuclear data. The resulting best-estimate values for the energy group differential multiplicity $\bar{v}$(E g ) are 1σ to 2σ less than the nominal values found in ENDF/B-VII for energies less than 1.5 MeV.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗