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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 397 records · Page 22
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Big Impacts and Transient Oceans on Titan

We have studied the thermal consequences of very big impacts on Titan [1]. Titan's thick atmosphere and volatile-rich surface cause it to respond to big impacts in a somewhat Earth-like manner. Here we construct a simple globally-averaged model that tracks the flow of energy through the environment in the weeks, years, and millenia after a big comet strikes Titan. The model Titan is endowed with 1.4 bars of N2 and 0.07 bars of CH4, methane lakes, a water ice crust, and enough methane underground to saturate the regolith to the surface. We assume that half of the impact energy is immediately available to the atmosphere and surface while the other half is buried at the site of the crater and is unavailable on time scales of interest. The atmosphere and surface are treated as isothermal. We make the simplifying assumptions that the crust is everywhere as methane saturated as it was at the Huygens landing site, that the concentration of methane in the regolith is the same as it is at the surface, and that the crust is made of water ice. Heat flow into and out of the crust is approximated by step-functions. If the impact is great enough, ice melts. The meltwater oceans cool to the atmosphere conductively through an ice lid while at the base melting their way into the interior, driven down in part through Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities between the dense water and the warm ice. Topography, CO2, and hydrocarbons other than methane are ignored. Methane and ethane clathrate hydrates are discussed quantitatively but not fully incorporated into the model.

methane↗
NASA NTRS2012

Three Dimensionally Interlinked, Dense, Solid Form of Single-Walled CNT Ropes

A 3D networked, dense form of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) has been made through isotropic shrinking of a gel-like SWNT-water paste by very slow evaporation. Approximately 35 g of Raw HiPco nanotubes were cleaned by the method of soft baking (250 C for 15 hours in air saturated with water vapor) in a glass beaker followed by leaching with concentrated hydrochloric acid. Typically, one liter of concentrated hydrochloric acid was added to the soft-baked voluminous mass in the same large beaker, and allowed to digest at room temperature with stirring overnight. The acid-digested SWNT slurry was filtered through a large porcelain Buchner funnel under atmospheric pressure. The slurry was continuously flushed, while still in the funnel, with a very slow but steady stream of deionized water employing a peristaltic pump. This process, referred to as gwashing, h continued until the filtrate water dripping from the Buchner funnel was clear, colorless, and neutral to a pH paper. This took about 15 liters of water to flow through the slurry over a day. At this point, the water pump was stopped and the SWNT-water slurry was allowed to drain the excess water for about 10 hours. The resulting thick paste of SWNT-neutral water was transferred to a beaker. The beaker was covered with aluminum foil with few holes and allowed to dry very slowly in a hood at room temperature. In about eight weeks, the sample gradually dried isotropically to a cylindrical dense mass referred to as a carbon nanotube block (CNB). There was no carbonaceous matter sticking to any of the glass surface where the SWNT-water paste made contact. The approximate dimensions of the cylindrical SWNT block that weighed 28 g were 1.5 in. (.3.8 cm) in diameter and 1.25 in. (.3.2 cm) in height. The bottom portion of the cylinder that was in contact with the beaker surface was slightly wider, indicating some resistance to shrinking. The cylindrical mass also consisted of several pores. The cylindrical mass was very tough and could not be broken with a small hammer using considerable force. The mass of the solid could be polished over a fine grain emery paper or even a smooth, stainless steel surface indicative of alignment at finer levels.

Smalley, Richard E.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Simulations of divertor designs that spatially separate power and particle exhaust using mid-leg divertor particle pumping

Predictive design modeling of a Dissipation-Focused Divertor for future operation in DIII-D reveals that increasing the poloidal distance of the pump duct entrance from the target surface along the low-field side divertor baffle increases neutral compression and modifies the spatial distribution of power dissipation. With a divertor pump located mid-leg between the target and the X-point, SOLPS-ITER boundary plasma simulations without drifts predict the formation of a dense neutral cloud near the target with > 30x higher neutral compression in detachment, a more stable detachment front located further from the target, and ~25% lower outer midplane separatrix density required for detachment onset, compared to a pump located in the scrape-off layer at the target surface. Up to 19 MW of power flowing into the divertors is modeled using the following two numerical implementations for particle pumping: a specified fraction of particles incident on variable wall sections of the plasma grid is removed from the computational domain (so-called albedo pumping), and a pump duct is modeled which includes dynamics of kinetic neutrals in the duct. The simulations show that the detachment front is located between the divertor target and the X-point and is relatively stable near the pump entrance, without a strong dependence on gas puff rate or injected power. The mid-leg pump design spatially separates the two primary functions of a divertor (power handling and particle exhaust), with the majority of power dissipation occurring near the target plate and particle exhaust taking place further upstream. The benefit of enhanced dissipation using mid-leg pumping comes at the cost of a higher outer midplane separatrix density for a given amount of particle injection.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Faraday rotation study of plasma bubbles in GeV wakefield accelerators

We visualize plasma bubbles driven by 0.67 PW laser pulses in a plasma of density ne≈5×1017cm−3 by imaging Faraday rotation patterns imprinted on linearly polarized probe pulses of wavelength λpr=1.05 μm and duration τpr=2 or 1 ps that cross the bubble's path at right angles. When the bubble captures and accelerates tens to hundreds of pC of electron charges, we observe two parallel streaks of length cτpr straddling the drive pulse propagation axis, separated by ∼45 μm, in which probe polarization rotates by 0.3° to more than 5° in opposite directions. Accompanying simulations show that they result from Faraday rotation within portions of dense bubble side walls that are pervaded by the azimuthal magnetic field of accelerating electrons during the probe transit across the bubble. Analysis of the width of the streaks shows that quasi-monoenergetic high-energy electrons and trailing lower energy electrons inside the bubble contribute distinguishable portions of the observed signals, and relativistic flow of sheath electrons suppresses Faraday rotation from the rear of the bubble. The results demonstrate favorable scaling of Faraday rotation diagnostics to 40× lower plasma density than previously demonstrated.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Evidence of vapor shielding effect on heat flux loaded on flowing liquid lithium limiter in EAST

For this study, a lithium (Li) vapour layer was formed around a flowing liquid Li limiter to shield against the plasma incident power and reduce limiter heat flux in the EAST tokamak. The results revealed that after a plasma operation of a few seconds, the layer became clear, which indicated a strong Li emission with a decrease in the limiter surface temperature. This emission resulted in a dense vapour around the limiter, and Li ions moved along the magnetic field to form a green shielding layer on the limiter. The plasma heat flux loaded on the limiter, measured by the probe installed on the limiter, was approximately 52% lower than that detected by a fast-reciprocating probe at the same radial position without the limiter in EAST. Additionally, approximately 42% of the parallel heat flux was dissipated directly with the enhanced Li radiation in the discharge with the liquid metal infused trenches (LIMIT) limiter. This observation revealed that the Li vapour layer exhibited an excellent shielding effect to liquid Li on plasma heat flux, which is a possible benefit of liquid-plasma-facing components in future fusion devices.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2013

Enabling Microliquid Chromatography by Microbead Packing of Microchannels

The microbead packing is the critical element required in the success of on-chip microfabrication of critical microfluidic components for in-situ analysis and detection of chiral amino acids. In order for microliquid chromatography to occur, there must be a stationary phase medium within the microchannel that interacts with the analytes present within flowing fluid. The stationary phase media are the microbeads packed by the process discussed in this work. The purpose of the microliquid chromatography is to provide a lightweight, low-volume, and low-power element to separate amino acids and their chiral partners efficiently to understand better the origin of life. In order to densely pack microbeads into the microchannels, a liquid slurry of microbeads was created. Microbeads were extracted from a commercially available high-performance liquid chromatography column. The silica beads extracted were 5 microns in diameter, and had surface coating of phenyl-hexyl. These microbeads were mixed with a 200- proof ethanol solution to create a microbead slurry with the right viscosity for packing. A microfilter is placed at the outlet via of the microchannel and the slurry is injected, then withdrawn across a filter using modified syringes. After each injection, the channel is flushed with ethanol to enhance packing. This cycle is repeated numerous times to allow for a tightly packed channel of microbeads. Typical microbead packing occurs in the macroscale into tubes or channels by using highly pressurized systems. Moreover, these channels are typically long and straight without any turns or curves. On the other hand, this method of microbead packing is completed within a microchannel 75 micrometers in diameter. Moreover, the microbead packing is completed into a serpentine type microchannel, such that it maximizes microchannel length within a microchip. Doing so enhances the interactions of the analytes with the microbeads to separate efficiently amino acids and amino acid enantiomers.

Balvin, Manuel↗
NASA NTRS2014

Enabling Microliquid Chromatography by Microbead Packing of Microchannels

The microbead packing is the critical element required in the success of on-chip microfabrication of critical microfluidic components for in-situ analysis and detection of chiral amino acids. In order for microliquid chromatography to occur, there must be a stationary phase medium within the microchannel that interacts with the analytes present within flowing fluid. The stationary phase media are the microbeads packed by the process discussed in this work. The purpose of the microliquid chromatography is to provide a lightweight, low-volume, and low-power element to separate amino acids and their chiral partners efficiently to understand better the origin of life. In order to densely pack microbeads into the microchannels, a liquid slurry of microbeads was created. Microbeads were extracted from a commercially available high-performance liquid chromatography column. The silica beads extracted were 5 microns in diameter, and had surface coating of phenyl-hexyl. These microbeads were mixed with a 200- proof ethanol solution to create a microbead slurry with the right viscosity for packing. A microfilter is placed at the outlet via of the microchannel and the slurry is injected, then withdrawn across a filter using modified syringes. After each injection, the channel is flushed with ethanol to enhance packing. This cycle is repeated numerous times to allow for a tightly packed channel of microbeads. Typical microbead packing occurs in the macroscale into tubes or channels by using highly pressurized systems. Moreover, these channels are typically long and straight without any turns or curves. On the other hand, this method of microbead packing is completed within a microchannel 75 micrometers in diameter. Moreover, the microbead packing is completed into a serpentine type microchannel, such that it maximizes microchannel length within a microchip. Doing so enhances the interactions of the analytes with the microbeads to separate efficiently amino acids and amino acid enantiomers.

Balvin, Manuel↗
DOE OSTI2026

Model Data Archive for Manuscript Titled "Evaluation of a Coupled Surface–Subsurface Hydrologic Model Using Dense Water‑Level Sensors in a Mixed Urban–Rural Watershed"

This archive provides scripts, input files, and datasets used for the implementation and evaluation of a fully coupled surface–subsurface hydrologic model in the Neches River Basin, southeast Texas. The study uses the Advanced Terrestrial Simulator (ATS) to simulate coupled surface–subsurface hydrologic processes over a mixed urban–rural watershed and evaluates model performance using a dense network of 136 in situ water-level sensors, nine U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauges, and SSEBop-derived evapotranspiration estimates during the period October 2014–June 2024. The workflow is implemented primarily in Python 3 using the Watershed Workflow package. The Jupyter notebooks can be executed using open-source software such as Anaconda JupyterLab or Visual Studio Code. Other data files include TXT, CSV, XML, SHP, TIF, NetCDF, HDF5, and ExodusII files, which can be processed using the provided Python scripts. ATS input files are provided in XML format and can be edited using any commonly used text editor. This archive contains: *Scripts and input files used to generate the ATS model setup, including watershed discretization, mesh generation, parameter mapping, and model configuration. *Jupyter notebooks used for preprocessing observational data, evaluating streamflow, water levels, and evapotranspiration, computing performance metrics, and generating the figures presented in the manuscript. *ATS simulation outputs and processed observational datasets, including OneRain and DD6 water-level sensors, USGS streamflow observations, GIS data, and supporting spatial datasets used throughout the study.

Dense water-level sensor network↗
NASA NTRS1984

Data analysis and model simulation of the initiation of convection on April 24, 1982

A combined modelling and data analysis is used to examine the initiation and development of a hail-producing mesoscale convective system which developed over the Texas panhandle near Amarillo, Texas, on April 24, 1982, and propagated east into Oklahoma. This event occurred during the NASA AVE-VAS IV experiment, as a dense upper air mesoscale network was collecting data at three-hour intervals. The results show that both synoptic and mesoscale processes separately and in concert help to force the convection. The destabilization of the atmosphere due to cold advection is important in removing any cap to deep convective development. The upper level moistening due to flow from the northwest also helps to increase the convective instability of the atmosphere. The mesoscale convergence due to cloud shading appears dominant over that of topography, but the latter cannot be ignored, especially in its sustained effect. The developing mesoscale circulation also appears to tap a surface supply of moisture feeding the convection.

Mcnider, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Propulsion System Testing for the Iodine Satellite (iSAT) Demonstration Mission

CUBESATS are relatively new spacecraft platforms that are typically deployed from a launch vehicle as a secondary payload, providing low-cost access to space for a wide range of end-users. These satellites are comprised of building blocks having dimensions of 10x10x10 cm cu and a mass of 1.33 kg (a 1-U size). While providing low-cost access to space, a major operational limitation is the lack of a propulsion system that can fit within a CubeSat and is capable of executing high delta v maneuvers. This makes it difficult to use CubeSats on missions requiring certain types of maneuvers (i.e. formation flying, spacecraft rendezvous). Recently, work has been performed investigating the use of iodine as a propellant for Hall-effect thrusters (HETs) 2 that could subsequently be used to provide a high specific impulse path to CubeSat propulsion. 3, 4 Iodine stores as a dense solid at very low pressures, making it acceptable as a propellant on a secondary payload. It has exceptionally high ρIsp (density times specific impulse), making it an enabling technology for small satellite near-term applications and providing the potential for systems-level advantages over mid-term high power electric propulsion options. Iodine flow can also be thermally regulated, subliming at relatively low temperature (less than 100 C) to yield I2 vapor at or below 50 torr. At low power, the measured performance of an iodine-fed HET is very similar to that of a state-of-the-art xenon-fed thruster. Just as importantly, the current-voltage discharge characteristics of low power iodine-fed and xenon-fed thrusters are remarkably similar, potentially reducing development and qualifications costs by making it possible to use an already-qualified xenon-HET PPU in an iodine-fed system. Finally, a cold surface can be installed in a vacuum test chamber on which expended iodine propellant can deposit. In addition, the temperature doesn't have to be extremely cold to maintain a low vapor pressure in the vacuum chamber (it is under 10(exp -6) torr at −75 C), making it possible to 'cryopump' the propellant with lower-cost recirculating refrigerant-based systems as opposed to using liquid nitrogen or low temperature gaseous helium cryopanels. An iodine-based system is not without its challenges. The primary challenge is that the entire feed system must be maintained at an elevated temperature to prevent the iodine from depositing (transitioning from the gas phase directly back into the solid phase), which will block the propellant feed lines. Furthermore, deposition will occur unless the temperature in the lines is not greater than the temperature of the propellant reservoir. The flow rate can be controlled by adjusting the heating applied to the reservoir, but as with any thermal control there is a relatively slow response to changes in the heating rate. In the present paper, we describe the propulsion and propellant feed system for the iodine satellite (iSAT) flight demonstration mission. The system is based around the Busek BHT-200 Hall thruster, which has been modified for chemical compatibility with iodine vapor. While the gross propellant flow rate is maintained by the heated propellant reservoir, the flow to the anode and cathode are adjusted using two heated Vacco proportional flow control valves (PFCV), which provide very fast response on the flow rate adjustment. The flight mission design layout will be presented, showing how the system will be packaged into the overall 12-U spacecraft and the techniques being employed to protect the remaining spacecraft hardware from the propulsion system (e.g., plasma impingement, iodine deposition, thermal loads). In addition to the flight system design, results of testing the thruster and cathode with both operating on iodine propellant are presented. The tests are conducted on a thrust stand (see Fig. 1) in a large vacuum chamber containing a beam dump chilled to below -100 C to 'cryopump' the propellant. The thruster performance during these tests is presented, with these data used to evaluate the feed system and guide further refinements. Results of relatively long duration testing are presented to demonstrate the capability to operate for the length of the iSAT mission and to perform a number of re-starts as will be required by the mission concept of operations.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Hardware in the Loop Testing of an Iodine-Fed Hall Thruster

CUBESATS are relatively new spacecraft platforms that are typically deployed from a launch vehicle as a secondary payload,1 providing low-cost access to space for a wide range of end-users. These satellites are comprised of building blocks having dimensions of 10x10x10 cm cu and a mass of 1.33 kg (a 1-U size). While providing low-cost access to space, a major operational limitation is the lack of a propulsion system that can fit within a CubeSat and is capable of executing high delta v maneuvers. This makes it difficult to use CubeSats on missions requiring certain types of maneuvers (i.e. formation flying, spacecraft rendezvous). Recently, work has been performed investigating the use of iodine as a propellant for Hall-effect thrusters (HETs) 2 that could subsequently be used to provide a high specific impulse path to CubeSat propulsion. Iodine stores as a dense solid at very low pressures, making it acceptable as a propellant on a secondary payload. It has exceptionally high ρIsp (density times specific impulse), making it an enabling technology for small satellite near-term applications and providing the potential for systems-level advantages over mid-term high power electric propulsion options. Iodine flow can also be thermally regulated, subliming at relatively low temperature ( less than100 C) to yield I2 vapor at or below 50 torr. At low power, the measured performance of an iodine-fed HET is very similar to that of a state-of-the-art xenon-fed thruster. Just as importantly, the current-voltage discharge characteristics of low power iodine-fed and xenon-fed thrusters are remarkably similar, potentially reducing development and qualifications costs by making it possible to use an already-qualified xenon-HET PPU in an iodine-fed system. Finally, a cold surface can be installed in a vacuum test chamber on which expended iodine propellant can deposit. In addition, the temperature doesn't have to be extremely cold to maintain a low vapor pressure in the vacuum chamber (it is under 10(exp -6) torr at -75 C), making it possible to 'cryopump' the propellant with lower-cost recirculating refrigerant-based systems as opposed to using liquid nitrogen or low temperature gaseous helium cryopanels. In the present paper, we describe testing performed using an iodine-fed 200 W Hall thruster mounted to a thrust stand and operated in conjunction with MSFCs Small Projects Rapid Integration and Test Environment (SPRITE) Portable Hardware In the Loop (PHIL) hardware. This work is performed in support of the iodine satellite (iSAT) project, which aims to fly a 200-W iodine-fed thruster on a 12-U CubeSat. The SPRITE PHIL hardware allows a given vehicle to do a checkout of its avionics algorithm by allowing it to monitor and feed data to simulated sensors and effectors in a digital environment. These data are then used to determine the attitude of the vehicle and a separate computer is used to interpret the data set and visualize it using a 3D graphical interface. The PHIL hardware allows the testing of the vehicles bus by providing 'real' hardware interfaces (in the case of this test a real RS422 bus) and specific components can be modeled to show their interactions with the avionics algorithm (e.g. a thruster model). For the iSAT project the PHIL is used to visualize the operating cycle of the thruster and the subsequent effect this thrusting has on the attitude of the satellite over a given period of time. The test is controlled using software running on an Andrews Space Cortex 160 flight computer. This computer is the current baseline for a full iSAT mission. While the test could be conducted with a lab computer and software, the team chose to exercise the propulsion system with a representative CubeSat-class computer. For purposes of this test, the "flight" software monitored the propulsion and PPU systems, controlled operation of the thruster, and provided thruster state data to the PHIL simulation. Commands to operate the thruster were initiated from an operator's workstation outside the vacuum chamber and passed through the Cortex 160 to exercise portions of the flight avionics. Two custom-designed pieces of electronics hardware have been designed to operate the propellant feed system. One piece of hardware is an auxiliary board that controls a latch valve, proportional flow control valves (PFCVs) and valve heaters as well as measuring pressures, temperatures and PFCV feedback voltage. An onboard FPGA provides a serial link for issuing commands and manages all lower level input-output functions. The other piece of hardware is a power distribution board, which accepts a standard bus voltage input and converts this voltage into all the different current-voltage types required to operate the auxiliary board. These electronics boards are located in the vacuum chamber near the thruster, exposing this hardware to both the vacuum and plasma environments they would encounter during a mission, with these components communicating to the flight computer through an RS-422 interface. The auxiliary board FPGA provides a 28V MOSFET switch circuit with a 20ms pulse to open or close the iodine propellant feed system latch valve. The FPGA provides a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to a DC/DC boost converter to produce the 12-120V needed for control of the proportional flow control valve. There are eight MOSFET-switched heating circuits in the system. Heaters are 28V and located in the latch valve, PFCV, propellant tank and propellant feed lines. Both the latch valve and PFCV have thermistors built into them for temperature monitoring. There are also seven resistance temperature device (RTD) circuits on the auxiliary board that can be used to measure the propellant tank and feedline temperatures. The signals are conditioned and sent to an analog to digital converter (ADC), which is directly commanded and controlled by the FPGA.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Engineering Model Propellant Feed System Development for an Iodine Hall Thruster Demonstration Mission

CUBESATS are relatively new spacecraft platforms that are typically deployed from a launch vehicle as a secondary payload, providing low-cost access to space for a wide range of end-users. These satellites are comprised of building blocks having dimensions of 10x10x10 cu cm and a mass of 1.33 kg (a 1-U size). While providing low-cost access to space, a major operational limitation is the lack of a propulsion system that can fit within a CubeSat and is capable of executing high (Delta)v maneuvers. This makes it difficult to use CubeSats on missions requiring certain types of maneuvers (i.e. formation flying, spacecraft rendezvous). Recently, work has been performed investigating the use of iodine as a propellant for Hall-effect thrusters (HETs) 2 that could subsequently be used to provide a high specific impulse path to CubeSat propulsion. 3, 4 Iodine stores as a dense solid at very low pressures, making it acceptable as a propellant on a secondary payload. It has exceptionally high ρIsp (density times specific impulse), making it an enabling technology for small satellite near-term applications and providing the potential for systems-level advantages over mid-term high power electric propulsion options. Iodine flow can also be thermally regulated, subliming at relatively low temperature (< 100 C) to yield I2 vapor at or below 50 torr. At low power, the measured performance of an iodine-fed HET is very similar to that of a state-of-the-art xenon-fed thruster. Just as importantly, the current-voltage discharge characteristics of low power iodine-fed and xenon-fed thrusters are remarkably similar, potentially reducing development and qualifications costs by making it possible to use an already-qualified xenon-HET PPU in an iodine-fed system. Finally, a cold surface can be installed in a vacuum test chamber on which expended iodine propellant can deposit. In addition, the temperature doesn't have to be extremely cold to maintain a low vapor pressure in the vacuum chamber (it is under 10(exp −6) torr at −75 C), making it possible to 'cryopump' the propellant with lower-cost recirculating refrigerant-based systems as opposed to using liquid nitrogen or low temperature gaseous helium cryopanels. In the present paper, we describe the design and testing of the engineering model propellant feed system for iSAT (see Fig. 1). The feed system is based around an iodine propellant reservoir and two proportional control valves (PFCVs) that meter the iodine flow to the cathode and anode. The flow is split upstream of the PFCVs to both components can be fed from a common reservoir. Testing of the reservoir is reported to demonstrate that the design is capable of delivering the required propellant flow rates to operate the thruster. The tubing and reservoir are fabricated from hastelloy to resist corrosion by the heated gaseous iodine propellant. The reservoir, tubing, and PFCVs are heated to ensure the sublimed propellant will not re-deposit within the feed system. Heating is accomplished through a number of individual zones to control the overall power expended on heating the system and insulation is employed to minimize the amount of power used to heat the system prior to thruster operation.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Near-surface seismic anisotropy in Antarctic glacial snow and ice revealed by high-frequency ambient noise

Ambient seismic recordings taken at broad locations across Ross Ice Shelf and a dense array near West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide, Antarctica, show pervasive temporally variable resonance peaks associated with trapped seismic waves in near-surface firn layers. These resonance peaks feature splitting on the horizontal components, here interpreted as frequency-dependent anisotropy in the firn and underlying ice due to several overlapping mechanisms driven by ice flow. Frequency peak splitting magnitudes and fast/slow axes were systematically estimated at single stations using a novel algorithm and compared with good agreement with active source anisotropy measurements at WAIS Divide determined via active sources recorded on a 1 km circular array. The approach was further applied to the broad Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) array, where anisotropy axes were directly compared with visible surface features and ice shelf flow lines. The near-surface firn, depicted by anisotropy above 30 Hz, was shown to exhibit a novel plastic stretching mechanism of anisotropy, whereby the fast direction in snow aligns with accelerating ice shelf flow.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

ExaSGD: 2022 Kernel Thrust Activities

The Kernel Thrust milestone ADSE22-407 covers the development of device-capable optimization algorithms and solvers technologies required by the ExaSGD project’s software stack in order to solve security-constrained alternating current optimal power flow (SC-ACOPF) problems on emerging exascale architectures. To this extent, in FY22 the main objective of the Kernel Thrust was (i) provide sparse optimization solver that runs efficiently on hardware accelerator devices (i.e., NVIDIA and AMD GPUs) to perform intra-node computations, (ii) strengthen the reliability and increase the performance of the mixed-dense sparse (MDS) solver of HiOp for deployment on the FY22 target architectures, Summit and Crusher, and (iii) increase performance by improving the mathematical algorithm and refining the parallel MPI-based implementation of the coarse-grain parallel solver HiOp-PriDec for capabilities deployment on the FY22 target architectures, Summit and Crusher. This document presents the developments and contributions done by the Kernels Thrust Team in FY22 toward completion of the above-mentioned objectives. These contributions progressed along four main development (sub)thrusts: (1) Design and implementation of a sparse optimization solver for use on hardware accelerators; (2) Improvement of the mathematical algorithm and of the parallel implementation of HiOp-PriDec to ensure readiness and efficient coarse-grain parallelism for FY23 target exascale machine; and (3) Support Software and Application Development Thrusts of the exaSGD project in their deployment of the project’s software stack on AMD- and NVIDIA-based architectures. The development of the sparse optimization solver (thrust 1 above) was new in FY22 and resulted in a new sparse solver in HiOp (available as of version 0.6). The second development thrust was a continuation of the efforts from FY21 and improved the mathematical algorithm and the communication strategy of the HiOp-PriDec solver. The last developement thrust is a large collaborative effort. Namely, the project’s teams from multiple labs (LLNL, PNNL, ORNL, and NREL) performed large-scale demonstration of the ExaSGD software stack, namely the optimization solvers of HiOp interfaced with the modeling front-end ExaGO and the stochastic sampler PowerScenarios. These demonstration efforts solved large-scale instances of the SC-ACOPF challenge problem of medium network sizes (10, 000-bus system) and large number of contingencies on Summit (NVIDIA accelerators) and Crusher (AMD accelerators) systems at ORNL.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS2003

Western Rainier Seismic Zone Airborne Laser Swath Mapping

Airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM) of the Puget Lowland conducted by TerraPoint LLC for the Purget Sound Lidar Concortium (PSLC), has been successful in revealing Holocene fault scarps and lendsliders hidden beneath the dense, temperate rain forest cover and in quantifying shoreline terrace uplift. Expanding the PSLC efforts, NASA-USGS collaboration is now focusing on topographic mapping of seismogenic zones adjacent to volcanois in the western Cascades range in order to assess the presence of active faulting and tectonic deformation, better define the extend of lahars and understand their flow processes, and characterize landslide occurrence. Mapping of the western Rainier zone (WRZ) was conducted by TerraPoint in late 2002, after leaf fall and before snow accumulation. The WRZ is a NNW-trending, approx. 30 km-long zone of seismicity west of Mount Rainier National Park. The Puget Lowland ALSM methods were modified to accommodate challenges posed by the steep, high relief terrian. The laser data, acquired with a density of approx. 2 pulses /sq m, was filtered to identify returns from the ground from which a bare Earth digital elevation model (DEM) was produced with a grid size of 1.8 m. The RMS elevation accuracy of the DEM in flat, unvegetated areas is approx. 10cm based on consistency between overlapping flight swaths and comparisons to ground control points. The resulting DEM substantially improves upon Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and USGS photogrammetric mapping. For example, the DEM defines the size and spatial distribution of flood erratics left by the Electron lahar and of megaclasts within the Round Pass lahar, important for characterizing the lahar hydraulics. A previously unknown lateral levee on the Round Pass lahar is also revealed. In addition, to illustrating geomorfic feature within the WRZ, future plans for laser mapping of the Saint Helens and Darrington seismic zones will be described.

Harding, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Shielding Characteristics Using an Ultrasonic Configurable Fan Artificial Noise Source to Generate Modes - Experimental Measurements and Analytical Predictions

An Ultrasonic Configurable Fan Artificial Noise Source (UCFANS) was designed, built, and tested in support of the NASA Langley Research Center's 14x22 wind tunnel test of the Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) full 3-D 5.8% scale model. The UCFANS is a 5.8% rapid prototype scale model of a high-bypass turbofan engine that can generate the tonal signature of proposed engines using artificial sources (no flow). The purpose of the program was to provide an estimate of the acoustic shielding benefits possible from mounting an engine on the upper surface of a wing; a flat plate model was used as the shielding surface. Simple analytical simulations were used to preview the radiation patterns - Fresnel knife-edge diffraction was coupled with a dense phased array of point sources to compute shielded and unshielded sound pressure distributions for potential test geometries and excitation modes. Contour plots of sound pressure levels, and integrated power levels, from nacelle alone and shielded configurations for both the experimental measurements and the analytical predictions are presented in this paper.

Artifical Noise↗
DOE OSTI2022

Faster ablative Kelvin–Helmholtz instability growth in a magnetic field

Shear flows along a plasma interface will quickly grow unstable due to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. If there is a concurrent temperature gradient across the interface, higher modes are stabilized by the thermal diffusion. These ablative effects must be considered in, for example, jet features in inertial confinement fusion hot-spots, or plasma plumes in young supernovae. We show that magnetization of the plasma can greatly affect the instability, even if magnetic pressure is small. This is because electrons are localized by their gyromotion, reducing the heat flux and material ablation. We use a two-dimensional numerical extended-magnetohydrodynamics approach to assess this effect for dense fusion conditions. In comparison with the unmagnetized case, self-generated Biermann fields make only a minor difference to growth rates. However, simulations with a large 50 kT external field found that the growth rate of the least stable mode increased by 40%. In conclusion, this has implications for mix processes in Z-pinches and magnetized inertial confinement fusion concepts.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Latent space dynamics identification for interface tracking with application to shock-induced pore collapse

Capturing sharp, evolving interfaces remains a central challenge in reduced-order modeling, especially when data is limited and the system exhibits localized nonlinearities or discontinuities. Here, we propose LaSDI-IT (Latent Space Dynamics Identification for Interface Tracking), a data-driven framework that combines low-dimensional latent dynamics learning with explicit interface-aware encoding to enable accurate and efficient modeling of physical systems involving moving material boundaries. At the core of LaSDI-IT is a revised autoencoder architecture that jointly reconstructs the physical field and an indicator function representing material regions or phases, allowing the model to track complex interface evolution without requiring detailed physical models or mesh adaptation. The latent dynamics are learned through linear regression in the encoded space and generalized across parameter regimes using Gaussian process interpolation with greedy sampling. We demonstrate LaSDI-IT on the problem of shock-induced pore collapse in high explosives, a process characterized by sharp temperature gradients and dynamically deforming pore geometries. The method achieves relative prediction errors below 9% across the parameter space, accurately recovers key quantities of interest such as pore area and hot spot formation, and matches the performance of dense training with only half the data. This latent dynamics prediction was 10 6 times faster than the conventional high-fidelity simulation, proving its utility for multi-query applications. These results highlight LaSDI-IT as a general, data-efficient framework for modeling discontinuity-rich systems in computational physics, with potential applications in multiphase flows, fracture mechanics, and phase change problems.

Gaussian process↗