Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Resilient Networks”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2

Wai'anae Moku Resilience Hub Network ETIPP Deep-Dive Technical Assistance

In 2024, organizations representing communities in the Wai'anae moku, with support from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) and Hawai'i State Energy Office (HSEO) through an ETIPP Strategic Energy Planning engagement, developed the Wai'anae Moku Community Energy Plan, along with a companion report from NLR. The plan identified five priority focus areas and associated projects to support an energy vision of Wai'anae moku community representatives. The 2026 ETIPP Deep Dive Technical Assistance focuses explicitly on the project identified as highest priority in the plan: support for resilience hub network design and analysis. This fact sheet outlines the scope of technical assistance, benefits of participation the project, and roles and contact information for partners in the project.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Enhancing Cyber Resilience of Networked Microgrids using Vertical Federated Reinforcement Learning

This paper presents a novel federated reinforcement learning (Fed-RL) methodology to inject sufficient resiliency into the operations of the network of microgrids. We consider adversarial actions to the voltage and power control loop reference signals at the grid forming (GFM) inverters in the microgrids which are essential to integrate renewable resources. Therefore, we formulate a resilient reinforcement learning training setup that uses these adversarial injections to generate episodic trajectories and train the RL agents to alleviate their impact on performance. To circumvent the concerns about data-sharing and privacy for different owners of the microgrids in the networked setting, we bring in the aspects of the federated operation to propose novel Fed-RL algorithms. As the dynamics of each microgrid are coupled due to electrical interlinks, the conventional federated RL approaches using decoupled independent environments are not applicable, which leads us to propose a multi-agent vertically federated variation of actor-critic algorithms, namely federated soft actor-critic (FedSAC). We have performed numerical simulations on an IEEE 123-bus benchmark test feeder with three microgrids by creating a customized simulation setup by encapsulating the microgrid dynamic simulations in GridLAB-D/HELICS co-simulation platform with the OpenAI Gym environment and validated the proposed resilient and secured learning methodology.

Artificial Intelligence (AI), reinforcement learni↗

Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR)

The Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR) is an open source Python package designed to simulate and analyze resilience of water distribution networks. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories, developed WNTR to integrate critical aspects of resilience modeling for water distribution networks into a single software framework. The software includes capability to: • Generate water network models • Modify network structure and operations • Assign fragility and survival curves to network components • Model disruptive events such as power outages, earthquakes, fires, pipe breaks, and contamination incidents • Model response and repair strategies • Simulate hydraulics and water quality • Evaluate resilience using a wide range of metrics • Integrate dependency with other critical infrastructure and supply chains • Analyze results and generate graphics SAND2019-450 M

Villa, Daniel↗

Resilient Hierarchical Networked Control Systems: Secure Controls for Critical Locations and at Edge

Integration of information and communication technology (ICT) offers new opportunities in improving the management and operation of critical infrastructures such as power systems as it allows connection of different sensors and control components via a communication network, leading to the so-called networked control systems (NCS). However, the use of open and pervasive ICT such as the Internet or wireless communication technologies comes at a price of making NCS vulnerable to cyber intrusions/attacks which may cause physical damage. Here, this chapter presents control algorithms to ensure resilient and safe operation of NCS under unknown cyberattacks. Specifically, a variant of dynamic watermarking strategies is presented by embedding encoding/decoding components of chaotic signals into the NCS for secure control for critical locations where the measurement/control signals are transmitted to/from the control center via a communication network. In addition, resilient cooperative control algorithms are discussed to ensure safe operation at edge of the NCS which consists of a large number of distributed controllable devices. Several numerical examples are provided to illustrate the proposed control strategies.

96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION↗

Ripple-Type Control for Enhancing Resilience of Networked Physical Systems

Distributed control agents have been advocated as an effective means for improving the resiliency of our physical infrastructures under unexpected events. Purely local control has been shown to be insufficient, centralized optimal resource allocation approaches can be slow. In this context, we put forth a hybrid low-communication saturation-driven protocol for the coordination of control agents that are distributed over a physical system and are allowed to communicate with peers over a “hotline” communication network. According to this protocol, agents act on local readings unless their control resources have been depleted, in which case they send a beacon for assistance to peer agents. Our ripple-type scheme triggers communication locally only for the agents with saturated resources and it is proved to converge. Moreover, under a monotonicity assumption on the underlying physical law coupling control outputs to inputs, the devised control is proved to converge to a configuration satisfying safe operational constraints. The assumption is shown to hold for voltage control in electric power systems and pressure control in water distribution networks. Numerical tests corroborate the efficacy of the novel scheme.

distributed control↗

Ripple-Type Control for Enhancing Resilience of Networked Physical Systems: Preprint

Distributed control agents have been advocated as an effective means for improving the resiliency of our physical in-frastructures under unexpected events. While purely local control has been shown to be insufficient, centralized optimal resource allocation approaches can be slow. In this context, we put forth a hybrid low-communication saturation-driven protocol for the coordination of control agents that are distributed over a physicalsystem and are allowed to communicate with peers over a 'hot-line' communication network. According to this protocol, agents act upon on local readings unless their control resources have been depleted, in which case they send a beacon for assistance to peer agents. Our ripple-type scheme triggers communication locally only for the agents with saturated resources, and is proved to converge. Moreover, under a monotonicity assumption on the underlying physical law coupling control outputs to inputs, the devised control is proved to converge to a configuration satisfying safe operational constraints. The assumption is shown to hold for voltage control in electric power systems and pressure control in water distribution networks. Numerical tests on both networks corroborate the efficacy of the novel scheme.

distributed control↗

Grid-Ready Flexible Transformers for Resilient Transmission Networks

Today’s transmission networks extend for hundreds of kilometers, transferring significant amounts of electrical energy. For every country, there are sort of “back- bone” lines, where a massive failure of transformers would create serious challenges to sustain a reliable energy supply. Natural phenomena and human driven actions could be triggers of such catastrophic events. For large utilities, or groups of utilities, it would be highly convenient to count with “flexible transformers”, which could be used as replacements for different voltage levels and with impedance adjustable to match optimum local requirements of impacted substations. Currently applied “emergency transformers” are fixed-impedance devices. In this contribution, a new concept of flexible, “future-grid ready” type of power transformers, specially devised for transmission networks is explained. This transformer has adjustable impedance features, which could be on-line operated. The concept has been proven to be functional and stable in the factory lab and in the field, by means of a prototype autotransformer of of 100 MVA, 165/69 Kv.

impedance of transformers↗

Grid Friendly Appliance Controllers to Increase the Dynamic Stability of Networked Resiliency-based Microgrids

Microgrids provide the ability to maintain service to critical end-use loads when utility service is not available. Despite their ability to increase resiliency, they can have high capital and operating costs; this can be compounded by the complexities associated with low inertia systems. One option to mitigate the costs is to more effectively engage the assets within the microgrids, specifically the end-use loads. Previous work has shown that by using Grid Friendly™ Appliance controllers, it is possible to increase the dynamic stability of multiple microgrids during switching transients, without the need to oversize generation assets or to install energy storage devices. Building on the previous work, this paper will present a method for determining the set-points of decentralized controllers, accounting for the different characteristics and sizes of loads, to facilitate multiple microgrid switching operations. By effectively engaging the end-use load as a resource, the switching operations necessary to network low inertia microgrid for resiliency applications can be supported without the need to oversize generation assets or for energy storage.

GridLAB-D, Distribution Analysis↗

Resilient NdFeB magnet recycling under the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic: Stochastic programming and Benders decomposition

Neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets are the most powerful magnets per unit volume sold in the commercial market. Despite the increasing demand for clean energy applications such as electric vehicles and wind turbines, disruptive events including the COVID-19 pandemic have caused significant uncertainties in the supply and demand for NdFeB magnets. Therefore, this study aims to alleviate the risk of supply shortage for NdFeB magnets and the containing critical materials, rare-earth elements (REEs), through the development of a resilient reverse supply chain and logistics network design. We develop scenarios to model the unique impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the proposed business, incorporating both disruption intensity and recovery rate. We formulate a chance-constrained two-stage stochastic programming model to maximize the profit while guaranteeing the network resiliency against disruption risks. To solve the problem in large-scale instances, we develop an efficient Benders decomposition algorithm that reduces the computational time by 98.5% on average compared to the default CPLEX algorithm. When applied to the United States, the model suggests the optimal facility locations, processing capacities, inventory levels, and material flows for NdFeB magnet recyclers that could meet 99.7% of the demand. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to incorporate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to design a resilient NdFeB magnet recycling supply chain and logistics network, leveraging risk-averse stochastic programming.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Multi-Objective Optimization for Size and Resilience of Spiking Neural Networks

Inspired by the connectivity mechanisms in the brain, neuromorphic computing architectures model Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) in silicon. As such, neuromorphic architectures are designed and developed with the goal of having small, low power chips that can perform control and machine learning tasks. However, the power consumption of the developed hardware can greatly depend on the size of the network that is being evaluated on the chip. Furthermore, the accuracy of a trained SNN that is evaluated on chip can change due to voltage and current variations in the hardware that perturb the learned weights of the network. While efforts are made on the hardware side to minimize those perturbations, a software based strategy to make the deployed networks more resilient can help further alleviate that issue. In this work, we study Spiking Neural Networks in two neuromorphic architecture implementations with the goal of decreasing their size, while at the same time increasing their resiliency to hardware faults. We leverage an evolutionary algorithm to train the SNNs and propose a multiobjective fitness function to optimize the size and resiliency of the SNN. We demonstrate that this strategy leads to well-performing, small-sized networks that are more resilient to hardware faults.

Dimovska, Mihaela↗

Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR). User Manual, Version 0.2.3

The Water Network Tool for Resilience (WNTR, pronounced winter) is a Python package designed to simulate and analyze resilience of water distribution networks. Here, a network refers to the collection of pipes, pumps, valves, junctions, tanks, and reservoirs that make up a water distribution system. WNTR has an application programming interface (API) that is flexible and allows for changes to the network structure and operations, along with simulation of disruptive incidents and recovery actions. WNTR is based upon EPANET, which is a tool to simulate the movement and fate of drinking water constituents within distribution systems. Users are encouraged to be familiar with the use of EPANET and/or should have background knowledge in hydraulics and pressurized pipe network modeling before using WNTR. EPANET has a graphical user interface that might be a useful tool to facilitate the visualization of the network and the associated analysis results. Information on EPANET can be found at https://www.epa.gov/water-research/epanet. WNTR is compatible with EPANET 2.00.12 [Ross00]. In addition, users should have experience using Python, including the installation of additional Python packages. General information on Python can be found at https://www.python.org/.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Assessing heat resilience coordination in networks of plans

Networks of plans coordinating on hazard mitigation can limit losses. We offer a novel network analysis methodology to investigate how networks of plans explicitly coordinate, and the purpose and nature of coordination. We illustrate the method using networks of plans shaping heat resilience in seven Arizona cities. The network analysis can help planners to identify influential plans that need to be high quality, peripheral plans, and potential governance silos. Furthermore, investigation into plan roles offers an ontological lens into how plans network, consult, and share information. The nature of coordination varies by purpose. General plans are cited for goals, while hazard mitigation plans are referenced for heat fact base. Transportation plans cite goals and fact base in other transportation plans, but rarely cite other plan types. Furthermore, these findings will help planners to consider the roles and merits of different plans while integrating hazards across the next generation of networks of plans.

coordination↗

Hydra Network Automatic Configuration (Hydra Autoconfig) v1

Hydra Autoconfig is an algorithm and software program to automatically configure a resilient network of independent ASICs that are capable of being connected as a Hydra network. The Hydra network itself is described in an invention disclosure titled: "Ad-Hoc Networks of Readout ASICs for Reliable Detector Instrumentation" (2020-091). The Hydra Autoconfig software works by first configuring a Hydra node. Then it recursively builds a Hydra network by attempting to link to each available upstream node in succession, keeping links that are verified. It then repeats on each newly generated node until no possible links remain. Once it is so configured, a reliable Hydra network of ASICs remains that can be reconfigured later to respond to damage or malfunction of one or more of the constituent ASICs.

Grace, Carl↗

Resilient Operations of Networked Microgrids (RONM)

Objective: Improve the resiliency of power systems with optimization-based methods that leverage advanced microgrid technologies to reduce system recovery times after extreme event induced outages. Outcome: First-of-kind, high-fidelity physics-based optimization method for modeling networked microgrids which includes key engineering constraints associated with system recovery after extreme events.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Virtualizing Industrial Control Networks for Cyber Resilience Experiments

Industrial control systems (ICS) networks are undergoing constant shifts to accommodate new security measures. It is challenging to test varying network configurations and security tools with physical systems as they typically include large, expensive equipment. Not only this, but researchers often do not have access to this type of equipment for development of new security tools and techniques. As a solution to these issues, this work presents a set of tools for utilizing GNS3 and Docker as a virtual ICS network. Additionally, the virtual network can be attached to physical devices including network switches, hardware simulations, and intelligent electronic devices (IEDs). Two case studies showcase a relatively complex automatically generated network and an attack on a simple ICS network with an example mitigation.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Resilient Cooperative Voltage Control for Distribution Network with High Penetration Distributed Energy Resources

Here, this paper considers the problem of designing a resilient distributed voltage control algorithm for distribution systems with high penetration of distributed energy resources in the presence of an unknown cyber-attack. The purpose of the attack is to force the system to violate the operating voltage limit by intercepting its communication channels and inserting exogenous signals to perturb and/or modify the information being exchanged. We first review the cooperative voltage control proposed in our previous work and provide a new stability analysis for it. Next, we present a resilient cooperative voltage control algorithm by introducing a virtual system interconnected with the original system such that the voltage can be maintained within the operational limit under unknown attacks. The resiliency of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated via simulations on the IEEE 8500-node system when subjected to an attack which consists of corrupting the data being exchanged in the communication network between two generation units.

cooperative control↗