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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

New Developments and Capabilities Within WEC-Sim: Preprint

WEC-Sim is an open-source software for simulating wave energy converters, which has been actively developed and applied since its initial release in 2014 to simulate a wide variety of device archetypes. WEC-Sim is developed jointly by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) within the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. A general wave-to-wire model begins with a deployment site resource characterization, which is used to complete the hydrodynamic simulation of wave energy converters (WEC), with the power generation profile imported to a grid simulator to understand the influence on the local electrical network. While modeling the entire wave-to-wire is difficult and encompasses multiple time scales and physics, WEC-Sim is focused on the hydrodynamics simulation to predict, analyze, and optimize WEC dynamics and power performance. WEC-Sim simulations are performed in the time domain based on the radiation and diffraction method using hydrodynamics coefficients derived from boundary element method (BEM)-based frequency-domain potential flow solvers (e.g., WAMIT, NEMOH, Capytaine, or ANSYS-AQWA). With this level of modeling fidelity, WEC-Sim can handle floating body hydrodynamics, mechanical and electrical power generation methods, advanced control implementation, mooring systems, and other unique applications such as desalination. Additional WEC-Sim functionalities include pre-built Simulink blocks and MATLAB scripts that can simulate a wide range of floating systems and the corresponding auxiliary subsystems. The developers of WEC-Sim continue to release new versions of the software, at least annually, with our latest release in September 2022. These releases include bug fixes, updates to software documentation, as well as new features to expand WEC-Sim's capabilities to model a wide range of WEC concepts. This publication will highlight the new features added to WEC-Sim between versions 4.1.0 to 5.0.1 which spans over a two year period from June 2020 to September 2022. New features to be described will include topics such as continuous integration checks, revised Morison Element and nonlinear hydro implementations, run directly from Simulink (required for hardware-in-the-loop execution), BEMIO updates to import Capytaine BEM hydrodynamics, addition of cable blocks, and new wave visualization features.

TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Microgrid Tiered Circuits Effects for a Planned Housing Community in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico faced a double strike from hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The resulting damage required a comprehensive rebuild of electric infrastructure. There are plans and pilot projects to rebuild with microgrids to increase resilience. This paper provides a techno-economic analysis technique and case study of a potential future community in Puerto Rico that combines probabilistic microgrid design analysis with tiered circuits in building energy modeling. Tiered circuits in buildings allow electric load reduction via remote disconnection of non-critical circuits during an emergency. When coupled to a microgrid, tiered circuitry can reduce the chances of a microgrid's storage and generation resources being depleted. The analysis technique is applied to show 1) Approximate cost savings due to a tiered circuit structure and 2) Approximate cost savings gained by simultaneously considering resilience and sustainability constraints in the microgrid optimization. The analysis technique uses a resistive capacitive thermal model with load profiles for four tiers (tier 1-3 and non-critical loads). Three analyses were conducted using: 1) open-source software called Tiered Energy in Buildings and 2) the Microgrid Design Toolkit. For a fossil fuel based microgrid 30% of the total microgrid costs of 1.18 million USD were calculated where the non-tiered case keeps all loads 99.9% available and the tiered case keeps tier 1 at 99.9%, tier 2 at 95%, tier 3 at 80% availability, with no requirement on non-critical loads. The same comparison for a sustainable microgrid showed 8% cost savings on a 5.10 million USD microgrid due to tiered circuits. The results also showed 6-7% cost savings when our analysis technique optimizes sustainability and resilience simultaneously in comparison to doing microgrid resilience analysis and renewables net present value analysis independently. Though highly specific to our case study, similar assessments using our analysis technique can elucidate value of tiered circuits and simultaneous consideration of sustainability and resilience in other locations.

building energy modeling↗

Large Language Models (LLMs) for Energy Systems Research

The integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) in energy systems research promises transformative results, as demonstrated in this work, particularly in the realms of information retrieval and legal document analysis. We have developed a chat-based interface, specifically designed to query an extensive corpus of technical reports from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This interface capitalizes on the natural language processing capabilities of LLMs, providing future consumers of NREL research with a user-friendly platform to access and extract valuable information from technical documents, thus enhancing the dissemination of research to the public. In addition to information retrieval, we have employed LLMs to extract renewable energy siting ordinances from a variety of legal documents, a task traditionally driven by significant human labor. This automated extraction not only supports the ongoing development of the high-impact NREL siting ordinance database but also ensures the database's accuracy and comprehensiveness. Crucially, we have augmented the performance of LLMs through the integration of a decision tree framework, resulting in a substantial improvement in extraction accuracy. Comparative analysis with manual efforts has shown that this approach not only rivals but also significantly surpasses human accuracy, heralding increased reliability in legal document analysis for energy systems research. To democratize access to these advancements and foster collaborative research, we introduce the "Energy Language Model" (ELM), an open-source software package. ELM encapsulates the methodologies and tools developed in this work, providing researchers and practitioners with a robust toolkit to conduct similar analyses within their respective domains. Through these contributions, this work underscores the immense potential of LLMs in revolutionizing energy systems research, improving accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility in the field.

automation↗

Predicting Instability and the Effect of Wind Loading on Single-Axis Trackers

As PV modules continue to trend toward larger, thinner, and more flexible forms they grow more susceptible to damage from dynamic wind loading. As a result, understanding the impact of wind on PV systems, particularly when mounted on solar-tracking hardware, and identifying robust, stable array layouts and stow strategies is becoming increasingly important for the PV community. In our ongoing DuraMAT project, we are developing an open-source software package, PVade (PV aerodynamic design engineering), to simulate the cascading fluid-structure interaction that occurs within solar-tracking arrays to enable researchers to test hardware, layout, and tracker control changes, leading to enhanced stability and a reduction in wind-driven damage. We will give an overview of the PVade software, highlighting recent user-interface and algorithm developments, before presenting the latest outcomes from our ongoing validation campaign in which we analyze and compare with experimental data obtained from a DuraMAT 1 project. From there, we will present simulated results from a larger, multi-row array and highlight relationships between varying tracker angles and stability as measured by different experimentally validated metrics.

fluid structure interaction↗

A Simulation and Optimization Framework for Managing Wind-Driven Loading on PV Systems

As PV modules continue to trend toward larger, thinner, and more flexible forms they grow more susceptible to damage from dynamic wind loading. As a result, understanding the impact of wind on PV systems, particularly when mounted on solar-tracking hardware, and identifying robust, stable array layouts and stow strategies is becoming increasingly important for the PV community. We are developing an open-source software package, PVade (PV aerodynamic design engineering), to simulate the cascading fluid-structure interaction that occurs within solar-tracking arrays to enable researchers to test hardware, layout, and tracker control changes, leading to enhanced stability and a reduction in wind-driven damage. We will give an overview of the PVade software and present the latest outcomes from our ongoing validation campaign in which we compare statistical structural responses with field data. From there, we will present simulated results from a larger, multi-row array and highlight the effect of varying tracker angles on stability as measured by both acceleration and deformation, focusing on the stability differences between positive and negative tilt angles.

fluid structure interaction↗

Simulating Wind-Driven Loading on PV Systems

As PV modules continue to trend toward larger, thinner, and more flexible forms they grow more susceptible to damage from dynamic wind loading. As a result, understanding the impact of wind on PV systems, particularly when mounted on compliant solar-tracking hardware, and identifying robust, stable array layouts and stow strategies is becoming increasingly important for the PV community. We are developing an open-source software package, PVade (PV aerodynamic design engineering), to simulate the cascading fluid-structure interaction that occurs within single-axis, solar-tracking arrays to enable researchers to test hardware, layout, and tracker control changes, leading to enhanced stability and a reduction in wind-driven damage. We will give an overview of the PVade software and present the latest outcomes from our ongoing validation campaign in which we compare time series and statistical structural responses with field data. From there, we will present simulated results from a larger, multi-row array and highlight the effect of varying tracker angles on stability and the differences between positive and negative tilt angles.

fluid↗

Numerical Analysis of Water Harvesting from Saturated Vapor with the Electrospray Water Droplet Injection in The Solar-Driven Desalination Applications

Solar-driven seawater desalination systems provide freshwater through environmentally friendly and carbon-neutral processes. Air humidification and dehumidification desalination (HDD) systems extract water directly from moist air. This paper focuses on a new solar-driven seawater desalination system that shares some common traits with HDD systems but in which the air is eliminated from the process. Seawater is vaporized by solar thermal radiation in high-performance solar panels. Water vapor flows to a new electro-condensation chamber and passes through a series of electrosprays, which inject small nuclei of freshwater droplets into the vapor clouds. Here, due to dielectrophoresis and electrohydrodynamic flows, the vapor molecules are captured by the charged droplets, and vapor is condensed at the droplet surface. The water vapor condensation was modeled by using the multiphase flow numerical model. The CFD model, which was also experimentally validated, used SprayFoam solver modules available in the Open FOAM® CFD open-source software. In preliminary results, 802 grams/(hr-m2) (grams per hour per unit area) of water was harvested directly from moist air at 24C and 90% relative humidity. The simulation results indicated that freshwater productivity could increase up to 4,000 grams/(hr-m2) for fully saturated air conditions. This represents about 5 times the water productivity rate of current conventional HDD systems today. In addition, energy consumption could be reduced by 80 percent compared to conventional HDD systems.

Electrospray, electro-condensation, solar, droplet↗

An Image-Plane Approach to Gravitational Lens Modeling of Interferometric Data

Strong gravitational lensing acts as a cosmic telescope, enabling the study of the high-redshift universe. Astronomical interferometers, such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), have provided high-resolution images of strongly lensed sources at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. To model the mass and light distributions of lensing and source galaxies from strongly lensed images, strong lens modeling for interferometric observations is conventionally performed in the visibility space, which is computationally expensive. In this paper, we implement an image-plane lens modeling methodology for interferometric dirty images by accounting for noise correlations. We show that the image-plane likelihood function produces accurate model values when tested on simulated ALMA observations with an ensemble of noise realizations. We also apply our technique to ALMA observations of two sources selected from the South Pole Telescope survey, comparing our results with previous visibility-based models. Our model results are consistent with previous models for both parametric and pixelated source-plane reconstructions. We implement this methodology for interferometric lens modeling in the open-source software package lenstronomy.

Zhang, Nan [Illinois U., Urbana (main)] (ORCID:000↗

Implementation of fuel management multi-cycle optimization capabilities in RAVEN optimization framework

Optimization in nuclear fuel-management assists the core reload engineer with finding optimal out-of-core and in-core strategies. RAVEN is INL’s open source software that is equipped with fuel-management optimization capabilities including single-cycle, single- and multi-objective optimization of pressurized water reactors (PWRs) loading patterns (LP) of a fresh core using genetic algorithm (GA) and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). In practice, however, medium and long term planning of fuel-management needs a multi-cycle approach, where the history and availability of fuel assemblies is considered in the optimization process. In this paper, we present a description of an initial expansion of RAVEN fuel-management optimization capabilities for a multi-cycle optimization framework. N-th cycle optimization capabilities that account for the unique history of recycled fuel assembly in the core were added. The multi-cycle optimization approach taken is formulated as a cycle-wise optimization problem where out-of-core decisions are used to onset each cycle optimization. Out-of-core decisions are managed externally to the in-core optimization by a fuel inventory management module. A proof-of-concept optimization problem is also presented.

42 - ENGINEERING↗

TINES - Time Integration, Newton and Eigen Solver v. 1.0

SAND2021-1505 O. TINES is an open source software providing math infrastructure for solving many stiff time ordinary differential equations (ODEs) and/or differential algebraic equations (DAEs) using a batch hierarchical parallelism. The code is written using a parallel programming model (i.e., Kokkos) to future-proof the next generation parallel computing platforms such as GPU accelerators. This code is developed to support Exascale Catalytic Chemistry (ECC) Project. The code provides fundamental math helpers that can aid other research projects. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Kim, Kyungjoo↗

Open Source Subtitle Editor Software Study for Section 508 Close Caption Applications

This paper will focus on a specific item within the NASA Electronic Information Accessibility Policy - Multimedia Presentation shall have synchronized caption; thus making information accessible to a person with hearing impairment. This synchronized caption will assist a person with hearing or cognitive disability to access the same information as everyone else. This paper focuses on the research and implementation for CC (subtitle option) support to video multimedia. The goal of this research is identify the best available open-source (free) software to achieve synchronized captions requirement and achieve savings, while meeting the security requirement for Government information integrity and assurance. CC and subtitling are processes that display text within a video to provide additional or interpretive information for those whom may need it or those whom chose it. Closed captions typically show the transcription of the audio portion of a program (video) as it occurs (either verbatim or in its edited form), sometimes including non-speech elements (such as sound effects). The transcript can be provided by a third party source or can be extracted word for word from the video. This feature can be made available for videos in two forms: either Soft-Coded or Hard-Coded. Soft-Coded is the more optional version of CC, where you can chose to turn them on if you want, or you can turn them off. Most of the time, when using the Soft-Coded option, the transcript is also provided to the view along-side the video. This option is subject to compromise, whereas the transcript is merely a text file that can be changed by anyone who has access to it. With this option the integrity of the CC is at the mercy of the user. Hard-Coded CC is a more permanent form of CC. A Hard-Coded CC transcript is embedded within a video, without the option of removal.

Murphy, F. Brandon↗

Evaluation of Open-Source Hard Real Time Software Packages

Reliable software is, at times, hard to find. No piece of software can be guaranteed to work in every situation that may arise during its use here at Glenn Research Center or in space. The job of the Software Assurance (SA) group in the Risk Management Office is to rigorously test the software in an effort to ensure it matches the contract specifications. In some cases the SA team also researches new alternatives for selected software packages. This testing and research is an integral part of the department of Safety and Mission Assurance. Real Time operation in reference to a computer system is a particular style of handing the timing and manner with which inputs and outputs are handled. A real time system executes these commands and appropriate processing within a defined timing constraint. Within this definition there are two other classifications of real time systems: hard and soft. A soft real time system is one in which if the particular timing constraints are not rigidly met there will be no critical results. On the other hand, a hard real time system is one in which if the timing constraints are not met the results could be catastrophic. An example of a soft real time system is a DVD decoder. If the particular piece of data from the input is not decoded and displayed to the screen at exactly the correct moment nothing critical will become of it, the user may not even notice it. However, a hard real time system is needed to control the timing of fuel injections or steering on the Space Shuttle; a delay of even a fraction of a second could be catastrophic in such a complex system. The current real time system employed by most NASA projects is Wind River's VxWorks operating system. This is a proprietary operating system that can be configured to work with many of NASA s needs and it provides very accurate and reliable hard real time performance. The down side is that since it is a proprietary operating system it is also costly to implement. The prospect of replacing this somewhat costly implementation is the focus of one of the SA group s current research projects. The explosion of open source software in the last ten years has led to the development of a multitude of software solutions which were once only produced by major corporations. The benefits of these open projects include faster release and bug patching cycles as well as inexpensive if not free software solutions. The main packages for hard real time solutions under Linux are Real Time Application Interface (RTAI) and two varieties of Real Time Linux (RTL), RTLFree and RTLPro. During my time here at NASA I have been testing various hard real time solutions operating as layers on the Linux Operating System. All testing is being run on an Intel SBC 2590 which is a common embedded hardware platform. The test plan was provided to me by the Software Assurance group at the start of my internship and my job has been to test the systems by developing and executing the test cases on the hardware. These tests are constructed so that the Software Assurance group can get hard test data for a comparison between the open source and proprietary implementations of hard real time solutions.

Mattei, Nicholas S.↗

Open-Source and FAIR Research Software for Proteomics

Scientific discovery relies on innovative software as much as experimental methods, especially in proteomics, where computational tools are essential for mass spectrometer setup, data analysis, and interpretation. Since the introduction of SEQUEST, proteomics software has grown into a complex ecosystem of algorithms, predictive models, and workflows, but the field faces challenges, including the increasing complexity of mass spectrometry data, limited reproducibility due to proprietary software, and difficulties integrating with other omics disciplines. Closed-source, platform-specific tools exacerbate these issues by restricting innovation, creating inefficiencies, and imposing hidden costs on the community. Open-source software (OSS), aligned with the FAIR Principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable), offers a solution by promoting transparency, reproducibility, and community-driven development, which fosters collaboration and continuous improvement. In this manuscript, we explore the role of OSS in computational proteomics, its alignment with FAIR principles, and its potential to address challenges related to licensing, distribution, and standardization. Drawing on lessons from other omics fields, we present a vision for a future where OSS and FAIR principles underpin a transparent, accessible, and innovative proteomics community.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Open Source Next Generation Visualization Software for Interplanetary Missions

Mission control is evolving quickly, driven by the requirements of new missions, and enabled by modern computing capabilities. Distributed operations, access to data anywhere, data visualization for spacecraft analysis that spans multiple data sources, flexible reconfiguration to support multiple missions, and operator use cases, are driving the need for new capabilities. NASA's Advanced Multi-Mission Operations System (AMMOS), Ames Research Center (ARC) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are collaborating to build a new generation of mission operations software for visualization, to enable mission control anywhere, on the desktop, tablet and phone. The software is built on an open source platform that is open for contributions (http://nasa.github.io/openmct).

software engineering↗

Utilizing Commercial Hardware and Open Source Computer Vision Software to Perform Motion Capture for Reduced Gravity Flight

Long duration space travel to Mars or to an asteroid will expose astronauts to extended periods of reduced gravity. Since gravity is not present to aid loading, astronauts will use resistive and aerobic exercise regimes for the duration of the space flight to minimize the loss of bone density, muscle mass and aerobic capacity that occurs during exposure to a reduced gravity environment. Unlike the International Space Station (ISS), the area available for an exercise device in the next generation of spacecraft is limited. Therefore, compact resistance exercise device prototypes are being developed. The NASA Digital Astronaut Project (DAP) is supporting the Advanced Exercise Concepts (AEC) Project, Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures (ExPC) project and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) funded researchers by developing computational models of exercising with these new advanced exercise device concepts. To perform validation of these models and to support the Advanced Exercise Concepts Project, several candidate devices have been flown onboard NASAs Reduced Gravity Aircraft. In terrestrial laboratories, researchers typically have available to them motion capture systems for the measurement of subject kinematics. Onboard the parabolic flight aircraft it is not practical to utilize the traditional motion capture systems due to the large working volume they require and their relatively high replacement cost if damaged. To support measuring kinematics on board parabolic aircraft, a motion capture system is being developed utilizing open source computer vision code with commercial off the shelf (COTS) video camera hardware. While the systems accuracy is lower than lab setups, it provides a means to produce quantitative comparison motion capture kinematic data. Additionally, data such as required exercise volume for small spaces such as the Orion capsule can be determined. METHODS: OpenCV is an open source computer vision library that provides the ability to perform multi-camera 3 dimensional reconstruction. Utilizing OpenCV, via the Python programming language, a set of tools has been developed to perform motion capture in confined spaces using commercial cameras. Four Sony Video Cameras were intrinsically calibrated prior to flight. Intrinsic calibration provides a set of camera specific parameters to remove geometric distortion of the lens and sensor (specific to each individual camera). A set of high contrast markers were placed on the exercising subject (safety also necessitated that they be soft in case they become detached during parabolic flight); small yarn balls were used. Extrinsic calibration, the determination of camera location and orientation parameters, is performed using fixed landmark markers shared by the camera scenes. Additionally a wand calibration, the sweeping of the camera scenes simultaneously, was also performed. Techniques have been developed to perform intrinsic calibration, extrinsic calibration, isolation of the markers in the scene, calculation of marker 2D centroids, and 3D reconstruction from multiple cameras. These methods have been tested in the laboratory side-by-side comparison to a traditional motion capture system and also on a parabolic flight.

Biodynamics↗