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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 451 records · Page 25

Neural Network Predictive Controller for Grid-Connected Virtual Synchronous Generator

In this paper, a neural network predictive controller is proposed to regulate the active and the reactive power delivered to the grid generated by a three-phase virtual inertia-based inverter. The concept of the conventional virtual synchronous generator (VSG) is discussed, and it is shown that when the inverter is connected to non-inductive grids, the conventional PI-based VSGs are unable to perform acceptable tracking. The concept of the neural network predictive controller is also discussed to replace the traditional VSGs. This replacement enables inverters to perform in both inductive and non-inductive grids. The simulation results confirm that a well-trained neural network predictive controller illustrates can adapt to any grid impedance angle, compared to the traditional PI-based virtual inertia controllers.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Using a Research Simulator for Validating Control Room Modernization Concepts

The Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program is a research, development, and deployment program sponsored by the United States Department of Energy. The program is operated in close collaboration with industry research and development programs to provide the technical foundations for licensing and managing the long-term, safe, and economical operation of nuclear power plants that are currently in operation. Advanced instrumentation and control (I&C) technologies are needed to support the continued safe and reliable production of power from nuclear energy systems during sustained periods of operation up to and beyond their expected licensed lifetime. This requires that new capabilities to achieve process control be developed and eventually implemented in existing nuclear control rooms. It also requires that approaches be developed and proven to achieve sustainability of I&C systems throughout the period of extended operation. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is working closely with nuclear utilities to develop technologies and solutions to help ensure the safe life extension of current reactors. One of the main areas of focus is control room modernization. Current analog control rooms are growing obsolete, and it is difficult for utilities to maintain them. Using its reconfigurable control room simulator adapted from a training simulator, INL serves as a neutral test bed for implementing new control room system technologies and assisting in control room modernization efforts across.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Stall Flutter Control of a Smart Blade Section Undergoing Asymmetric Limit Oscillations

Stall flutter is an aeroelastic phenomenon resulting in unwanted oscillatory loads on the blade, such as wind turbine blade, helicopter rotor blade, and other flexible wing blades. Although the stall flutter and related aeroelastic control have been studied theoretically and experimentally, microtab control of asymmetric limit cycle oscillations (LCOs) in stall flutter cases has not been generally investigated. This paper presents an aeroservoelastic model to study the microtab control of the blade section undergoing moderate stall flutter and deep stall flutter separately. The effects of different dynamic stall conditions and the consequent asymmetric LCOs for both stall cases are simulated and analyzed. Then, for the design of the stall flutter controller, the potential sensor signal for the stall flutter, the microtab control capability of the stall flutter, and the control algorithm for the stall flutter are studied. The improvement and the superiority of the proposed adaptive stall flutter controller are shown by comparison with a simple stall flutter controller.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Online adaptive basis refinement and compression for reduced-order models via vector-space sieving

In many applications, projection-based reduced-order models (ROMs) have demonstrated the ability to provide rapid approximate solutions to high-fidelity full-order models (FOMs). However, there is no a priori assurance that these approximate solutions are accurate; their accuracy depends on the ability of the low-dimensional trial basis to represent the FOM solution. As a result, ROMs can generate inaccurate approximate solutions, e.g., when the FOM solution at the online prediction point is not well represented by training data used to construct the trial basis. To address this fundamental deficiency of standard model-reduction approaches, this work proposes a novel online-adaptive mechanism for efficiently enriching the trial basis in a manner that ensures convergence of the ROM to the FOM, yet does not incur any FOM solves. The mechanism is based on the previously proposed adaptive $h$-refinement method for ROMs, but improves upon this work in two crucial ways. First, the proposed method enables basis refinement with respect to any orthogonal basis (not just the Kronecker basis), thereby generalizing the refinement mechanism and enabling it to be tailored to the physics characterizing the problem at hand. Second, the proposed method provides a fast online algorithm for periodically compressing the enriched basis via an efficient proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method, which does not incur any operations that scale with the FOM dimension. We report these two features allow the proposed method to serve as (1) a failsafe mechanism for ROMs, as the method enables the ROM to satisfy any prescribed error tolerance online (even in the case of inadequate training), and (2) an efficient online basis-adaptation mechanism, as the combination of basis enrichment and compression enables the basis to adapt online while controlling its dimension.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Implementation of a Model Predictive Control Strategy to Regulate Temperature Inside Plug-Flow Solar Reactor With Countercurrent Flow

Abstract Solar-driven thermochemical energy storage systems are proven to be promising energy carriers (solar fuels) to utilize solar energy by using reactive solid-state pellets. However, the production of solar fuel requires a quasi-steady-state process temperature, which represents the main challenge due to the transient nature of solar power. In this work, an adaptive model predictive controller (MPC) is presented to regulate the temperature inside a tubular solar reactor to produce solid-state solar fuel for long-term thermal storage systems. The solar reactor system consists of a vertical tube heated circumferentially over a segment of its length by concentrated solar power, and the reactive pellets (MgMn2O4) are fed from the top end and flow downwards through the heated tube. A countercurrent flowing gas supplied from the lower end interacts with flowing pellets to reduce it thermochemically at a temperature range of 1000—1500 °C. A low-order physical model was developed to simulate the dynamics of the solar reactor including the reaction kinetics, and the proposed model was validated numerically by using a 7-kW electric furnace. The numerical model then was utilized to design the MPC controller, where the control system consists of an MPC code linked to an adaptive system identification code that updates system parameters online to ensure system robustness against external disturbances (sudden change in the flow inside the reactor), model mismatches, and uncertainty. The MPC controller parameters are tuned to enhance the system performance with minimum steady-state error and overshoot. The controller is tested to track different temperature ranges between 500 °C and 1400 °C with different particles/gas mass flowrates and ramping temperature profiles. Results show that the MPC controller successfully regulated the reactor temperature within ± 1 °C of its setpoint and maintained robust performance with minimum input effort when subjected to sudden changes in the amount of flowing media and the presence of chemical reaction.

Engineering↗

Hygrothermal analyses of the moisture control and energy efficiency potential of an adaptive water-resistive barrier for building envelopes

A water-resistive barrier (WRB) is a material installed on the exterior side of the sheathing to prevent water intrusion so that building components are not damaged by moisture. A membrane that can change its water vapor permeability between two states to control water vapor transport into and out of residential and commercial building wall systems is being developed. This simulation study assesses if this membrane used as a WRB reduces moisture levels and mold growth risk in exterior walls and building energy consumption. The developed membrane may require modifications to fully function as a WRB in contact with liquid water. Hygrothermal component simulations were conducted for different climate zones, different wall assemblies, different switching points and permeabilities to identify the most beneficial application cases and their required perm range and switching control. The study details the required simulation settings and suggests that the switchable membrane can reduce the water content in the sheathing and reduce the mold growth risk in the cavity in all climate zones. The effect on energy consumption of the switchable membrane is not significant. The study also includes recommendations on how to model the material characteristics of a switchable membrane and recommendations on practical applications for the switchable membrane.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Value Gradient Learning Approach in Power and Frequency Regulation of Grid-Connected Synchronverters

In this paper, a neural network adaptive critic design (ACD) method based on value gradient learning (VGL) is used to optimally control a grid-connected synchronverter. The main drawback of the traditional synchronverters is their infeasibility to face non-inductive grids. To be able to implement a synchronverter technique in any impedance angle, a neural network-based adaptive controller is used. The advantage of adaptive dynamic programing is its ability to adjust itself when it faces changes and uncertainties in the power system. The proposed VGL consists of two subnetworks: the critic network and the action network. The action network is trained during the operation, and the critic network can be pretrained offline or can be simultaneously trained with the action network. To compare the effectiveness of the traditional synchronverter to the VGL-based synchronverter, the simulation results are provided.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Effect of Water Vapor, Temperature, and Rapid Annealing on Formamidinium Lead Triiodide Perovskite Crystallization

Perovskite-based solar cells are one of the emerging candidates for radically lower cost photovoltaics. Herein, we report on the synthesis and crystallization of organic-inorganic formamidinium lead triiodide perovskite films under controlled atmospheric and environmental conditions. Using in situ (scanning) transmission electron microscopy, we make observations of the crystallization process of these materials in nitrogen and oxygen gas with and without the presence of water vapor. Complementary planar samples were also fabricated in the presence of water vapor and characterized by in situ X-ray diffraction. Direct observations of the material structure and final morphology indicate that the exposure to water vapor results in a porous film that is metastable, regardless of the presence of argon, nitrogen, or oxygen. However, the optimal crystallization temperature of 175 °C is unperturbed across conditions. Rapid modulation about the annealing temperature of 175 °C in ±25 °C steps (150-200 °C) promotes crystallization and significantly improves the film morphology by overcoming the presence of impregnated water trapped in the material. Following this processing protocol, we demonstrate substantial growth to micron-size grains via observation inside of an environmentally controlled transmission electron microscope. Adapting this insight from our in situ microscopy, we are able to provide an informed materials protocol to control the structure and morphology of these organic-inorganic semiconductors, which is readily applicable to benchtop device growth strategies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Leveraging Fine-Grained Occupancy Estimation Patterns for Effective HVAC Control

As occupancy sensing technologies become mature, various occupancy sensors are increasingly deployed in commercial buildings for pervasive occupancy monitoring. These sensors provide occupant-count data, which contains rich spatiotemporal information about occupancy patterns. With long-term occupant-count data collected from a commercial building, we design three different predictive models that capture the occupancy dynamics and examine how a model predictive control of the HVAC system benefits from actual occupancy count prediction. Our analysis reveals that mispredictions of occupancy states, especially false positives and false negatives, may introduce inefficient control that leads to energy waste or user discomfort. To address this issue, we take a step further to design an adaptive model predictive controller that minimizes inefficient control actions according to misprediction types and distributions. A comprehensive evaluation is performed in OpenBuild and EnergyPlus simulators to study the effectiveness of the proposed end-to-end control strategy. The evaluation shows that the proposed solution reduces energy consumption by 29.5% while improving the average weighted occupants comfort by 86.7% in Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) over the fixed schedule strategy.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Real-time machine-learning-driven control system of a deformable mirror for achieving aberration-free X-ray wavefronts

A neural-network machine learning model is developed to control a bimorph adaptive mirror to achieve and preserve aberration-free coherent X-ray wavefronts at synchrotron radiation and free electron laser beamlines. The controller is trained on a mirror actuator response directly measured at a beamline with a real-time single-shot wavefront sensor, which uses a coded mask and wavelet-transform analysis. The system has been successfully tested on a bimorph deformable mirror at the 28-ID IDEA beamline of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. It achieved a response time of a few seconds and maintained desired wavefront shapes (e.g., a spherical wavefront) with sub-wavelength accuracy at 20 keV of X-ray energy. This result is significantly better than what can be obtained using a linear model of the mirror’s response. The developed system has not been tailored to a specific mirror and can be applied, in principle, to different kinds of bending mechanisms and actuators.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Free piston linear motor compressor and associated systems of operation

A linear motor compressor including a compressor housing and a cylinder housing having a plurality of opposing compression chambers. A piston freely reciprocates within the cylinder housing using a linear electric motor. A piston position feedback control system provides adaptive current output as a function of position feedback and/or velocity feedback from the piston and/or the electric motor, to directly power and control the electric motor, wherein the piston reciprocates without assistance from a mechanical spring or other equivalent centering force.

Stair, Jason↗

A Neural Optimizer With Decision-Focused Learning for Optimal Energy Storage Operation

Here, this article introduces a neural optimizer-based framework for optimizing battery energy storage system (BESS) control for grid services, including demand charge and energy cost reduction. By leveraging decision-focused learning (DFL), the proposed framework ensures seamless integration and adaptation, significantly enhancing control performance. A patch time-series transformer is employed for peak load forecasting, incorporating aleatoric uncertainty quantification to account for forecasting uncertainties within the decision-making process. The framework utilizes a solver-in-the-loop approach to generate optimal BESS actions, which are then used to train the neural optimizer-based agent. By co-optimizing both BESS operational modes and output power within the NN, the system achieves improved performance and robustness. After initial training, the forecasting and control models are jointly fine-tuned to account for forecasting errors, further improving decision precision and efficiency through DFL. Case studies are performed to validate the performance of the framework using multiple real-world datasets, demonstrating superior performance in monthly peak load forecasting compared to state-of-the-art models. In addition, the results are compared against existing decision-making approaches. The results demonstrate a reduction in monthly peak forecasting error by approximately 15% across various performance measures and achieve an optimization gap for BESS operation that is about three times smaller compared to existing methods.

Kim, Hyeonjin [Pacific Northwest National Laborato↗

Strategy to Develop a Control Scheme for Core Thermal Performance Optimization

This report outlines a three-year research plan for optimizing reactor core thermal performance through use of a Digital Twin (DT) model and a set of neutron detectors to correspondingly adapt the reactor control strategy. It identifies reactor features and achievable neutron measurements that factor into this optimization task. It considers spatial effects that are important and how they can be managed by a real-time algorithm that controls reactivity actuators. The report presents a set of tasks, along with corresponding methods, for accomplishing this objective. The final task in this set is to validate the combined optimization procedure in the Purdue University’s PUR-1 reactor, for which we have an agreement of understanding. Additionally, we describe an alternative approach for overcoming some of the limitations inherent in the above approach, which includes the computational costs of high-fidelity simulations and achievable integration of neutron measurements into the DT. The proposed algorithms lower the technology readiness level (TRL) of the overall approach as some additional analysis and the development of a new neutron detector concept are necessary. In particular, a sensor measuring the gradient of the neutron flux is required, and the prototype is expected to be validated in the PUR-1 reactor. The potential benefits and the opportunity to significantly push forward the state-of-the-art make this approach worthy of further exploration in the upcoming years.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

A Data-Driven Voltage Control Strategy for Distribution Grids With Distributed Energy Resources

Traditionally, distribution system control approaches have been model-based. The deployment of advanced metering infrastructure has provided electric utilities with the capability of data-driven control with real-time measurements. The shift from model-based to data-driven control represents a significant advancement in the management of distribution systems, offering a more adaptive approach to system control because of the ability to dynamically adapt to changing conditions without the need for system modeling. Here, in this paper, a behavioral data-driven control method is developed to provide voltage regulation to an actual distribution system by controlling the legacy devices and distributed energy resource (DER) assets. The studied distribution system has a load tap changer and three capacitor banks as the legacy devices and photovoltaic systems as the DERs. The performance of the proposed control algorithm is validated using a laboratory test bed setup considering multiple scenarios. The results show that the proposed control achieved 99% voltage regulation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Adaptive model tuning studies for non-invasive diagnostics and feedback control of plasma wakefield acceleration at FACET-II

Beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA) achieves the same energy gain in a single meter, for which conventional accelerators require several kilometers, however much work is still required to match the beam quality of conventional accelerators. The PWFA processes to be studied at the FACET-II facility will utilize extremely short (down to a few fs) high energy (10 GeV), high charge (few nC) electron and eventually positron bunches. The PWFA process is extremely sensitive to the detailed longitudinal current profiles of these bunches and it would be of great benefit to have precise measurement and control of these profiles. We present an adaptive model tuning technique for FACET-II to adaptively tune online models based on real time accelerator and beam data to continuously provide a non-invasive diagnostic which predicts the longitudinal phase space (LPS) of extremely short and highly compressed electron beams, which otherwise require destructive X-band transverse deflecting cavity (XTCAV)-based measurements. Based on simulation studies, our method has the potential for: (1). The development of a non-invasive longitudinal phase space diagnostic by adaptively tuning models based on non-invasive measurements such as energy spread spectra which could be recorded at all of the bunch compressors in the facility. (2). Utilize these diagnostic to perform model-independent feedback-based to achieve desired longitudinal phase space distributions. (3). Utilize the model-independent feedback approach to maximize energy gain while minimizing emittance growth and energy gain variance of the PWFA process by tuning accelerator parameters, while monitoring what longitudinal phase space the algorithm has found, information that will be useful for further analytical and simulation studies.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Nonlinear Decoupling Control with ANFIS-based Unmodeled Dynamics Compensation for A Class of Complex Industrial Processes

Complex industrial processes are multivariable and generally exhibit strong coupling among their control loops with heavy nonlinear nature that make it very difficult to obtain an accurate model. As a result, the conventional and data driven control methods are difficulty to apply. Using a twin-tank level control system as an example, a novel multivariable decupling control algorithm with adaptive neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) based unmodeled dynamics (UD) compensation is proposed in this paper for a class of complex industrial processes. At first, a nonlinear multivariable decupling controller with UD compensation is introduced. Different from the general method, the decomposition estimation algorithm by ANFIS is used to estimate the UD, and the desired estimating and decoupling control effects are achieved. Secondly, the proposed method does not require the complex switching mechanism which has been commonly used in the literature. This simplifies the obtained decoupling algorithm and its realization. Thirdly, based on some new lemmas and theorems, the conditions on the stability and convergence of the closed-loop system are analyzed to show the uniform boundedness of all the variables. Finally, experimental tests on a heavily coupled nonlinear twin-tank system are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness and the practicability of the proposed method.

Complex industrial process, ANFIS, multivariable a↗

A digital optical phase-locked loop for diode lasers based on field programmable gate array

We have designed and implemented a highly digital optical phase-locked loop (OPLL) for diode lasers in atom interferometry. The three parts of controlling circuit in this OPLL, including phase and frequency detector (PFD), loop filter and proportional integral derivative (PID) controller, are implemented in a single field programmable gate array chip. A structure type compatible with the model MAX9382/MCH12140 is chosen for PFD and pipeline and parallelism technology have been adapted in PID controller. Especially, high speed clock and twisted ring counter have been integrated in the most crucial part, the loop filter. This OPLL has the narrow beat note line width below 1 Hz, residual mean-square phase error of 0.14 rad{sup 2} and transition time of 100 {mu}s under 10 MHz frequency step. A main innovation of this design is the completely digitalization of the whole controlling circuit in OPLL for diode lasers.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

We Need to Talk... Developing Communicating Power Supplies to Monitor & Control Miscellaneous Electric Loads

Plug loads represent 30percent of total electricity use in residential buildings. Significant energy savings would result from an accurate understanding of which miscellaneous electric devices are using energy, at what time, and in what quantity. Commercially available plug load monitoring and control solutions replace or limit the attached device's native controls - forcing the user to adapt to a separate set of controls associated with the monitoring and control hardware. A better solution is integration of these capabilities at the power supply level. In this paper, we demonstrate a method achieving this integration. Our solution allows unobtrusive power monitoring and control while retaining native device control features. Further, our prototype enables intelligent behaviors by allowing devices to respond to the state of one another automatically. The CPS enables energy savings while demonstrating an added level of functionality to the user. If CPS technology became widespread in devices, a combination of automated and human interactive solutions would enable high levels of energy savings in buildings.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗