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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 343 records · Page 19

Determination of Process Parameters for High-Density, Ti-6Al-4V Parts Using Additive Manufacturing

In our earlier work, we described an approach for determining the process parameters that re- sult in high-density parts manufactured using the additive-manufacturing process of selective laser melting (SLM). Our approach, which combines simple simulations and experiments, was demon- strated using 316L stainless steel. We have also used the approach successfully for several other materials. This short note summarizes the results of our work in determining process parameters for Ti-6Al-4V using a Concept Laser M2 system.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Workshop on Integrated Sensor Systems for Manufacturing Applications (Workshop Report)

On January 25th and 26th, the Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) held the first in a series of workshops on different topics related to semiconductor research and development (R&D). This workshop focused on integrated sensor system R&D for manufacturing applications. As AMO is housed within the office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the workshop addressed not only industry needs and R&D opportunities, but also the impacts that improvements in sensor systems can have on energy efficiency and greenhouse gas production. The output of this workshop will inform AMO’s future portfolio of R&D investments, provide perspectives on trends, drivers, and challenges for next generation semiconductor sensor systems, and help the stakeholder community understand the opportunities on the horizon.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Designing Cellular Metal Structures for Thermal Insulation

This project focused on developing topology optimization software to design advanced metal thermal insulators. Initially, solid designs were created that matched the thermal performance of current baseline designs but were significantly heavier. To address this, cellular materials were incorporated, specifically the octet structure which is known for its high strength-to-weight ratio and thermal properties. By leveraging these cellular designs at various densities, superior thermal and mechanical performance was achieved without added weight. This novel approach enhances thermal management and structural integrity under extreme conditions, offering promising advancements for thermal protection systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Development of an Automated Software Reliability Tester for Digital I and C

Existing nuclear facilities are in the process of upgrading analog systems to new, software- based digital components; however, the qualification of these new systems has been a significant hurdle for their implementation in the United States. This paper describes the development of a Software Reliability Tester (SRT) that will provide a means to quantify the reliability and fault tolerance of digital instrumentation and control (I and C) systems used in nuclear facilities. The SRT is comprised of hardware and software that exercise digital equipment inputs and compare the outputs to expected values to quantify system reliability. Incorporation of fault injection techniques enables the SRT to evaluate the robustness of digital I and C in the presence of abnormal conditions. The integration of both quantitative reliability and fault tolerance measures will provide the nuclear industry with an automated and systematic approach to digital I and C qualification. This will enable safer, more reliable, and more cost effective implementations of a broad spectrum of digital I and C equipment in existing and next generation nuclear facilities. This paper includes a description of the design of the SRT, including software modules and the hardware interface. In addition, an example of using the SRT to automate functional testing of a digital timer relay is presented. The SRT described in this paper provides a means to conduct efficient and robust testing for a variety of digital devices. Future plans for the SRT include integrating fault injection testing so that devices can be evaluated in the presence of off-normal conditions. (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Urban Energy Systems: Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

In the coming decades, our planet will witness unprecedented urban population growth in both established and emerging communities. The development and maintenance of urban infrastructures are highly energy-intensive. Urban areas are dictated by complex intersections among physical, engineered, and human dimensions that have significant implications for traffic congestion, emissions, and energy usage. In this chapter, we highlight recent research and development efforts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the largest multipurpose science laboratory within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) national laboratory system, that characterizes the interactions between the human dynamics and critical infrastructures in conjunction with the integration of four distinct components: data, critical infrastructure models, and scalable computation and visualization, all within the context of physical and social systems. Discussions focus on four key topical themes: population and land use, sustainable mobility, the energy-water nexus, and urban resiliency, that are mutually aligned with DOE’s mission and ORNL’s signature science and technology capabilities. Using scalable computing, data visualization, and unique datasets from a variety of sources, the institute fosters innovative interdisciplinary research that integrates ORNL expertise in critical infrastructures including energy, water, transportation, and cyber, and their interactions with the human population.

Bhaduri, Budhu↗

LANL Contributions to pyiron: An integrated development environment for computational materials science

To support and accelerate the development of simulation protocols in atomistic modelling, we introduce an integrated development environment (IDE) for computational materials science called pyiron (http://pyiron.org). The pyiron IDE combines a web based source code editor, a job management system for build automation, and a hierarchical data management solution. The core components of the pyiron IDE are pyiron objects based on an abstract class, which links application structures such as atomistic structures, projects, jobs, simulation protocols and computing resources with persistent storage and an interactive user environment. The simulation protocols within the pyiron IDE are constructed using the Python programming language. To highlight key concepts of this tool as well as to demonstrate its ability to simplify the implementation and testing of simulation protocols we discuss two applications. In these examples we show how pyiron supports the whole life cycle of a typical simulation, seamlessly combines ab initio with empirical potential calculations, and how complex feedback loops can be implemented. While originally developed with focus on ab initio thermodynamics simulations, the concepts and implementation of pyiron are general thus allowing to employ it for a wide range of simulation topics.

Janssen, Jan↗

Task-based Parallel Computation of the Density Matrix in Quantum-based Molecular Dynamics using Graph Partitioning

Quantum-based molecular dynamics (QMD) is a highly accurate and transferable method for material science simulations. However, the time scales and system sizes accessible to QMD are typically limited to picoseconds and a few hundred atoms. These constraints arise due to expensive self-consistent ground-state electronic structure calculations that can often scale cubically with the number of atoms. Linearly scaling methods depend on computing the density matrix P from the Hamiltonian matrix H by exploiting the sparsity in both matrices. The second-order spectral projection (SP2) algorithm is an O(N) algorithm that computes P with a sequence of 40 - 50 matrix-matrix multiplications. In this paper, we present task-based implementations of a recently developed data-parallel graph-based approach to the SP2 algorithm, G-SP2. We represent the density matrix P as an undirected graph and use graph partitioning techniques to divide the computation into smaller independent tasks. The partitions thus obtained are generally not of equal size and give rise to undesirable load imbalances in standard MPI-based implementations. This load-balancing challenge can be mitigated by dynamically scheduling parallel computations at runtime using task-based programming models. We develop task-based implementations of the data-parallel G-SP2 algorithm using both Intel's Concurrent Collections (CnC) as well as the Charm++ programming model and evaluate these implementations for future use. Scaling and performance results of our implementations are investigated for representative segments of QMD simulations for solvated protein systems containing more than 10,000 atoms.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Energy and physical resource impacts of quantum computing merit greater attention

Quantum computing research and development is growing worldwide; yet the energy and physical resource demands of future quantum-accelerated data centres are unknown. Planning for quantum computing requires strong collaboration between research communities across engineering, physics, environmental sciences, economics, policy, and energy systems and scenario modelling.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Science in 60 - The Forecast Calls for Flu

What if we could forecast infectious diseases the same way we forecast the weather, and predict how diseases like Dengue, Typhus, or Zika were going to spread? Using real-time data from Wikipedia and social media, Sara Del Valle and her team from Los Alamos National Laboratory have developed a global disease-forecasting system that will improve the way we respond to epidemics. Using this model, individuals and public health officials can monitor disease incidence and implement strategies — such as vaccination campaigns, communicating to the public and allocating resources — to stay one step ahead of infectious disease spread.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Software Dependability for Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants - Lessons Learnt from a DOE Sponsored Project

This paper discusses the lessons learnt from a sponsored study undertaken under the sponsorship of the Department of Energy by a team of scientists at the Ohio State University in collaboration with Technology Resources and experts around the world. This paper makes recommendations for future research and studies based on these lessons learnt. The purpose of the research was to provide a software dependability quantification framework that would allow its evaluation along the software development life cycle for safety critical instrumentation and control systems (I and C) such as those found in nuclear power plants. A typical example of safety critical system is the reactor protection system. The research funded by the Department of Energy built on preliminary research carried out for the US NRC that had focused solely on software reliability quantification. Quantification of software dependability is important for safety critical I and C because the regulatory framework in use in the United States for nuclear power plants is risk informed. Quantification of risk requires quantification of all contributors to risk and those include instrumentation and control systems. The purpose of the study was to help developers of software-based I and C with an early evaluation of the potential risk an application would represent at different stages of the software development life cycle by building gates at the end of each life cycle phase. Life cycle phases of software development comprehend phases such as requirements, design, coding and test. The gates' function would be to stop development from moving forward if the assessed dependability objective for that phase were not met. Gates thresholds were to be defined based on measurements collected during the life cycle phase under evaluation and phases that preceded it and an understanding of the mechanisms that would lead to threatening the dependability objectives. The information contained in the gates would in addition help steer the development towards areas that needed improvement. The following are four high level conclusions to our study. First the study demonstrates a lack of consensus on mechanisms that will threaten the dependability attributes. This lack of consensus should be resolved. The lack of consensus appears for all measures to the exception of reliability. Second, measures should be developed for software availability and safety. Third, for all dependability attributes (with the exception of reliability) consistency of the measurement threads should evaluated and measurement-based development gates derived. Finally our ability to perform such type of research depends in a significant manner on access to vendor and/or utility data. The licensing environment and the first-of-a-kind nature of current software-based applications for nuclear I and C make it difficult to collect the relevant data. An approach which would either increase access to data by providing 'immunity' to the vendor or utility or the development of a software-based I and C for the sole purpose of data collection for research should be investigated. (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Uncertainty-Driven Rapid Thermodynamic Assessment of Nb-Ta-Zr System and Effects of C impurities (L25GF9298S): Annual Progress Report

An integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) method is in development for rapid thermodynamic experimental investigation and high-fidelity computational modeling of refractory multi-principal element alloys (RMPEAs). These ultra-high-temperature (UHT) alloys are of interest for structural applications in extreme environments, but deficiency of reliable data, especially melting temperatures, impedes the prediction of alloys with favorable properties. The method leverages UHT capabilities and computational expertise of LLNL’s Materials Science Division and the McCormack Lab’s UHT conical nozzle levitation (CNL) system to iteratively map the Nb-Ta-Zr phase space, with focus on the liquidus surface, through targeted experiments selected by quantifying uncertainty in the thermodynamic model fitting parameters. This method will reduce the time to map uncharted RMPEA phase space and thereby accelerate discovery and development of advanced materials for applications in extreme environments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Colloidal nanocrystals for heterogeneous catalysis

Catalytic materials are an essential component of the chemical industry. They find applications in everything from fine chemical manufacturing to greenhouse gas mitigation. They are indispensable for developing a sustainable future. Their development has been continuous, from early trial and error efforts to the first fundamental insights gained through surface science, to modern in-situ characterization and computational predictions. The accumulation of knowledge on the working principles of catalytic surfaces allowed designing and producing better systems with improved performance. Even though tremendous progress has been made thanks to surface science techniques, these studies are usually performed under ultra-high vacuum and are therefore limited in their applicability to more relevant industrial conditions. The control over size, shape and composition in colloidal nanocrystals makes them formidable precursors for model heterogeneous catalysts. These model systems enable linking the insights from surface science studies via in-situ and operando studies to realistic catalytic reaction conditions. In this review, colloidal nanocrystals are presented as powerful building blocks for catalytic materials in the quest for fundamental understanding. A review of the principal methods to produce colloidal nanocrystals with a high level of control is reported, complemented by procedures for how to prepare active catalysts from these particles. Examples and guidelines for the catalytic applications of these materials revolve around the three guiding objectives in catalysis science: activity, selectivity and stability. This work will be limited to examples of this colloidal approach in the areas of thermal, electro- and photocatalysis. In conclusion, the exposed approaches can be used and extended to many other areas of catalysis science, thus providing a new avenue to explore fundamentals and applications of catalytic materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Data Federation Challenges in Remote Near-Real-Time Fusion Experiment Data Processing

Fusion energy experiments and simulations provide critical information needed to plan future fusion reactors. As next-generation devices like ITER move toward long-pulse experiments, analyses, including AI and ML, should be performed in a wide range of time and computing constraints, from near-real-time constraints, between-shot analysis, and to campaign-wide long-term analysis. However, the data volume, velocity, and variety make it extremely challenging for analyses using only local computational resources. Researchers need the ability to compose and execute workflows spanning edge resources to large-scale high-performance computing facilities.We present Delta, a system to address data analysis challenges, including AI/ML, in fusion science, by leveraging the ADIOS I/O library and middleware, to support executing science workflows over the wide area network for near-real-time streaming. We discuss the data federation challenges in performing remote workflows, focusing on on-going research work in (1) managing, reducing, and streaming data to minimize I/O and data movement overheads, (2) decompressing and reorganizing data for analysis, and (3) executing workflows for automated data analysis. We introduce examples for deep-learning based data analysis for the fusion domain and demonstrate how we use Delta to construct end-to-end workflows for a fusion device in Korea, connecting a remote DOE facility in the USA. The capability demonstrated by this project is the basis for improving the state of the art for near-real-time data federation amongst remote facilities.

Choi, Jong Youl↗

Building in vitro transcriptional regulatory networks by successively integrating multiple functional circuit modules

The regulation of cellular dynamics and responses to stimuli by genetic regulatory networks suggests how in vitro chemical reaction networks might analogously direct the dynamics of synthetic materials or chemistries. A key step in developing genetic regulatory network analogues capable of this type of sophisticated regulation is the integration of multiple coordinated functions within a single network. In this study, we demonstrate how such functional integration can be achieved using in vitro transcriptional genelet circuits that emulate essential features of cellular genetic regulatory networks. By successively incorporating functional genelet modules into a bistable circuit, we construct an integrated regulatory network that dynamically changes its state in response to upstream stimuli and coordinates the timing of downstream signal expression. We use quantitative models to guide module integration and develop strategies to mitigate undesired interactions between network components that arise as the size of the network increases. This approach could enable the construction of in vitro networks capable of multifaceted chemical and material regulation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Exploiting Chemistry and Molecular Systems for Quantum Information Science

The power of chemistry to prepare new compositions of matter has driven the quest for new approaches to solve problems having global societal impact, such as renewable energy, healthcare, and information science. In the latter case, the intrinsic quantum nature of molecules offers intriguing new possibilities to advance the emerging field of Quantum Information Science (QIS). In this Perspective, we discuss how chemical systems and reactions can impact quantum computing, communication, and sensing. Hierarchical molecular design and synthesis, from small molecules to supramolecular assemblies, combined with new spectroscopic probes of quantum coherence and theoretical modeling of complex systems, offer a broad range of possibilities to realize practical QIS applications.

quantum computing, Spectrocopy, computational chem↗

Cloud Services Enable Efficient AI-Guided Simulation Workflows across Heterogeneous Resources

Applications which fuse machine learning and simulation are rarely best served by a single computing resource. Highly parallel simulation codes are best deployed on super- computers, while AI tasks used to decide which simulations to perform may be best suited to specialized accelerators. Here we present a Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) system for executing complex, distributed computational campaigns that achieves performance parity with conventional workflow systems without the complexities of secure network connections between compute providers. One innovation enabling high performance is a subsystem that directly moves task data between sites, separate from the cloud-hosted FaaS system used to distribute task instructions. We also introduce a flexible scheduling system that allows us access factor of 2 trade offs between the amount of resources required to solve a problem at each compute site. We anticipate that this system will upgrade multi-site applications from demonstration projects to routine practice in computational science.

Ward, Logan↗

The Influence of PV Module Materials and Design on Solder Joint Thermal Fatigue Durability

Finite element model (FEM) simulations have been performed to elucidate the effect of flat plate photovoltaic (PV) module materials and design on PbSn eutectic solder joint thermal fatigue durability. The statistical method of Latin Hypercube sampling was employed to investigate the sensitivity of simulated damage to each input variable. Variables of laminate material properties and their thicknesses were investigated. Using analysis of variance, we determined that the rate of solder fatigue was most sensitive to solder layer thickness, with copper ribbon and silicon thickness being the next two most sensitive variables. By simulating both accelerated thermal cycles (ATCs) and PV cell temperature histories through two characteristic days of service, we determined that the acceleration factor between the ATC and outdoor service was independent of the variables sampled in this study. This result implies that an ATC test will represent a similar time of outdoor exposure for a wide range of module designs. This is an encouraging result for the standard ATC that must be universally applied across all modules.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗