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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 469 records · Page 26

Data Structures for Extreme Scale Computing

As computing problems of national importance grow, the government meets the increased demand by funding the development of ever larger systems. The overarching goal of the work supported in part by this grant is to increase efficiency of programming and performing computations on these large computing systems. In past work, we have demonstrated that some of these computations once thought to require expensive hardware designs and/or complex, special-purpose programming may be executed efficiently on low-cost commodity cluster computing systems using a general-purpose “latency-tolerant” programming framework. One important developed application of the ideas underlying this framework is graph database technology supporting social network pattern matching used by US intelligence agencies to more quickly identify potential terrorist threats. This database application has been spun out by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a Department of Energy Laboratory, into a commercial start-up, Trovares Inc. We explore an alternative application of the same underlying ideas to a well-studied challenge arising in engineering: solving unstructured sparse linear equations. Solving these equations is key to predicting the behavior of large electronic circuits before they are fabricated. Predicting that behavior ahead of fabrication means that designs can optimized and errors corrected ahead of the expense of manufacture.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Techno-Economic Analysis for Grid Edge Intelligence: A Preliminary Study on Smart Voltage Regulator Controls

Grid edge intelligence has been of interest in both industrial and academic research spaces as the penetration level of distributed energy resources increases. This paper discusses the application of a framework that can perform techno-economic analyses for integrating intelligent autonomous controls into the distribution grid. The framework has been used to provide cost-benefit studies for two smart voltage regulator control algorithms that come as black-box applications. These applications are evaluated within the framework using quasistatic time-series simulations. Results are presented in terms of performance metrics and costs incurred for these two smart voltage regulator control techniques.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Evaluation of Amorphous Oxide Coatings for High-Voltage Li-Ion Battery Applications Using a First-Principles Framework

Cathode surface coatings are widely used industrially as a means to suppress degradation and improve electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries. However, developing an optimal coating is challenging, as different coating materials may enhance one aspect of performance while hindering another. Furthermore, to elucidate the fundamental thermodynamic and transport properties of amorphous cathode coating materials, here, we present a framework for calculating and analyzing the Li + and O 2- transport and the stability against delithiation in such materials. Our framework includes systematic workflows of ab-initio molecular dynamics calculations to obtain amorphous structures and diffusion trajectories coupled with an analysis of critical changes of the active-ion local environment during diffusion. Based on these data, we provide an estimate of room-temperature diffusivities, including statistical error bars, and the evaluation of the coating suitability in terms of its ability to facilitate Li + transport while blocking O 2- transport. Finally, we add the thermodynamic stability analysis of the coating chemistry within the operating voltage of common Li-ion cathodes. We apply this framework to two commonly used amorphous coating materials, Al 2 O 3 and ZnO. We find that (1) in general, a higher Li + content increases both Li + and O 2- diffusivities in both Al 2 O 3 and ZnO. Also, Li + and O 2- diffuse much faster in ZnO than in Al 2 O 3 . (2) However, neither Al 2 O 3 nor ZnO is expected to retain a significant concentration of Li + at high charge. (3) ZnO performs much more poorly in terms of O 2- blocking, and hence, Al 2 O 3 is preferred for high-voltage cathode applications. These results will help to quantitatively evaluate amorphous materials, such as metal oxides and fluorides, for different performance metrics and facilitate the development of optimal cathode coatings.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

An Analytical Impact Assessment Framework for Wildlife to Inform the Siting and Permitting of Wind Energy Facilities

In the United States overall electrical generation capacity is expected to increase by 10-25 gigawatts (GW) per year to meet increases in demand. Wind energy is a key component of state and federal renewable energy standards, and central to the Department of Energy’s 20% by 2030 wind production goals. Increased wind energy development may present increased resource conflict with avian wildlife, and environmental permitting has been identified as a potential obstacle to expansion in the sector. ICF developed an analytical framework to help applicants and agencies examine potential impacts in support of facility siting and permitting. A key objective of our work was to develop a framework that is scalable from the local to the national level, and one that is generalizable across the different scales at which biological communities operate – from local influences to meta-populations. The intent was to allow natural resource managers to estimate the cumulative impacts of turbine strikes and habitat changes on long-term population performance in the context of a species demography, genetic potential, and life history. We developed three types of models based on our literature review and participation in the scientific review processes. First, the conceptual model was developed as a general description of the analytical framework. Second, we developed the analytical framework based on the relationships between concepts, and the functions presented in the scientific literature. Third, we constructed an application of the model by parameterizing the framework using data from and relevant to the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA), and an existing golden eagle population model. We developed managed source code, database create statements, and written documentation to allow for the reproduction of each phase of the analysis. ICF identified a potential template adaptive management system in the form of the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM) program, and developed recommendations for the structure and function of a similar wind-facility related program. We provided a straw-man implementation of the analytical framework based on assumptions for APWRA-wide golden eagle fatalities, and presented a statistical examination of the model performance. APWRA-wide fatality rates appear substantial at all scales examined from the local APWRA population to the Bird Conservation Region. Documented fatality rates significantly influenced population performance in terms of non-territorial non-breeding birds. Breeder, Juvenile, Subadult, and Adult abundance were mostly unaffected by Baseline APWRA-wide fatality rates. However, increased variability in fatality rates would likely have impacts on long-term population performance, and would result in a substantially larger loss of resources. We developed four recommendations for future study. First, we recommend establishment of concept experts through the existing system of non-profits, regulatory agencies, academia, and industry in the wind energy sector. Second, we recommend the development of a central or distributed shared data repository, and establish guidelines for data sharing and transparency. Third, we recommend development a forum and process for model selection at the local and national level. Last, we recommend experimental implementation of the prescribed system at broader scales, and refinement the expectations for modeling and adaptive management.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Adaptive Management of Computing and Network Resources for Spacecraft Systems

It is likely that NASA's future spacecraft systems will consist of distributed processes which will handle dynamically varying workloads in response to perceived scientific events, the spacecraft environment, spacecraft anomalies and user commands. Since all situations and possible uses of sensors cannot be anticipated during pre-deployment phases, an approach for dynamically adapting the allocation of distributed computational and communication resources is needed. To address this, we are evolving the DeSiDeRaTa adaptive resource management approach to enable reconfigurable ground and space information systems. The DeSiDeRaTa approach embodies a set of middleware mechanisms for adapting resource allocations, and a framework for reasoning about the real-time performance of distributed application systems. The framework and middleware will be extended to accommodate (1) the dynamic aspects of intra-constellation network topologies, and (2) the complete real-time path from the instrument to the user. We are developing a ground-based testbed that will enable NASA to perform early evaluation of adaptive resource management techniques without the expense of first deploying them in space. The benefits of the proposed effort are numerous, including the ability to use sensors in new ways not anticipated at design time; the production of information technology that ties the sensor web together; the accommodation of greater numbers of missions with fewer resources; and the opportunity to leverage the DeSiDeRaTa project's expertise, infrastructure and models for adaptive resource management for distributed real-time systems.

Pfarr, Barbara↗

Sustainability assessment framework for scenarios – SAFS

To address current challenges regarding sustainable development and support planning for this form of development, new learning about different possible futures and their potential sustainability implications is needed. One way of facilitating this learning is by combining the futures studies and sustainability assessment (SA) research fields. This paper presents the sustainability assessment framework for scenarios (SAFS), a method developed for assessing the environmental and social risks and opportunities of future scenarios, provides guidelines for its application and demonstrates how the framework can be applied. SAFS suggests assessing environmental and social aspects using a consumption perspective and a life cycle approach, and provides qualitative results. SAFS does not suggest any modelling using precise data, but instead offers guidelines on how to carry out a qualitative assessment, where both the process of assessing and the outcome of the assessment are valuable and can be used as a basis for discussion. The benefits, drawbacks and potential challenges of applying SAFS are also discussed in the paper. SAFS uses systems thinking looking at future societies as a whole, considering both environmental and social consequences. This encourages researchers and decision-makers to consider the whole picture, and not just individual elements, when considering different futures. - Highlights: • The paper presents a new methodological framework for qualitative sustainability assessment of future scenarios with transformative changes. • The framework suggests qualitative assessment with consumption perspective and a life cycle approach. • The paper presents the framework and provides guidelines for its application. • The paper demonstrates on an example how the framework can be applied. • The benefits, drawbacks and challenges of the framework application and the need for further development are discussed.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

System and methods of resource usage using an interoperable management framework

Generic rights expression language allowing interoperability across different computing environments including resource usage of different applications. A formal framework for usage management provides scaffolding upon which interoperable usage management systems can be built. Certain features of the framework are standardized, such as the operational semantics, including areas free of standards that necessitate choice and innovation to achieve a balance of flexibility and usability for interoperability in usage management systems.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Automated ICRF heating surrogate modeling via machine learning

This work introduces automated machine learning workflows that address critical bottlenecks in surrogate model development for Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies (ICRF) heating applications. The automated framework includes data analysis tools that transform raw datasets into actionable insights in seconds, replacing weeks of manual exploratory effort and ensuring consistent, reproducible dataset characterization. By integrating advanced hyperparameter optimization (HPO) methods including Bayesian optimization via BoTorch and Tree-structured Parzen Estimators (TPE), the framework significantly reduces model development time from weeks to hours, decreasing computational cost and required expertise, while enabling high-accuracy surrogate models. Compared to traditional hyperparameter scanning (HPS) techniques such as methodical, randomized, and grid searches, HPO methods achieve superior convergence and predictive performance, even when compared to already well-tuned reference models. On NSTX High Harmonic Fast Wave (HHFW) heating datasets, both Random Forest Regressor (RFR) and neural network surrogates demonstrate improved accuracy, achieving R 2 values beyond 0.97 and 0.98, respectively. The results show that while HPO gains are modest for robust architectures like RFR, they become essential for more sensitive models such as neural networks, highlighting the trade-offs across optimization strategies. Through automated workflows that eliminate manual hyperparameter tuning and require minimal ML expertise, this work enables widespread adoption of high-fidelity surrogate models across the fusion community for real-time plasma control, uncertainty quantification, rapid experimental scenario development, and integrated system optimization.

Sanchez-Villar, Alvaro [Princeton Plasma Physics L↗

Cost Risk Analysis Framework (CRAFT): An Integrated Risk Analysis Tool and its Application in an Industry Use Case

This report presents the initial application design of the Cost Risk Analysis Framework Tool (CRAFT). The initial concept was formulated from a need to perform financial risk analysis that can be quickly deployable through the nuclear industry to evaluate the risk associated to capital projects and asset management. The design evolved into a framework that can integrate several forms of risk (e.g., not just financial, but also safety related) into a single analysis. In order to reduce the research and development and deployment time, we have decided to use the Risk Analysis Virtual environment (RAVEN) statistical framework as a basis for the CRAFT architecture.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Role of Ammonium Hydroxide on Glucose Oxidase Immobilized in Metal–Azolate Framework-7 Enzyme Activity

Enzymes are nature’s catalysts, but their instability outside native environments limits practical applications. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) offer a promising platform for enzyme immobilization, enhancing stability, and reusability through their tunable porosity and crystallinity. While ZIF-based MOFs have been extensively studied, metal azolate framework-7 (MAF-7) remains largely unexplored for biomimetic mineralization. Its hydrophilic character makes it a promising alternative for enzyme encapsulation; however, the role of essential basic modulators such as ammonium hydroxide (NH 4 OH) on enzyme structure and function has not been investigated. Here, in this study, we examine the NH 4 OH mediated synthesis of glucose oxidase within MAF-7 using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), and enzyme assays. Our results show that NH 4 OH modulates crystal morphology, enzyme activity, and nucleation behavior, with higher concentrations leading to partial enzyme denaturation and reduced catalytic performance. By integrating time-resolved cryo-TEM with activity assays, we uncover how modulator concentration impacts early stage crystallization and enzyme folding, a mechanistic insight not previously demonstrated in MOF systems. These findings highlight modulator chemistry as a critical, underexplored variable in MOF synthesis, advancing rational design strategies for enzyme@MOFs (E@MOF) beyond ZIFs and toward more tunable, biocompatible frameworks like MAF-7.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Integrating Risk in Humanoid Robot Control for Applications in the Nuclear Industry - 18230

This paper discuss the integration of risk into a robot control framework for decommissioning applications in the nuclear industry. Our overall objective is to allow the robot to evaluate a risk associated with several methods of completing the same task by combining a set of action sequences. If the environment is known and in the absence of sensing errors each set of actions would successfully complete the task. In this paper, instead of attempting to model the errors associated with each sensing system in order to compute an exact solution, a set of solutions are obtained along with a prescribed risk index. The risk associated with each set of actions can then be compared to possible payoffs or rewards, for instance task completion time or power consumption. This information is then sent to a high level decision planner, for instance a human teleoperator, who can then make a more informed decision regarding the robots actions. In order to illustrate the concept, we introduce three specific risk measures, namely, the collision risk and the risk of toppling and failure risk associated with grasping an object. We demonstrate the results from this foundational study of risk-aware compositional robot autonomy in simulation using NASA's Valkyrie humanoid robot, and the grasping simulator HAPTIX. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Extended isogeometric analysis of multi-material and multi-physics problems using hierarchical B-splines

Here, this paper presents an immersed, isogeometric finite element framework to predict the response of multi-material, multi-physics problems with complex geometries using locally refined discretizations. To circumvent the need to generate conformal meshes, this work uses an extended finite element method (XFEM) to discretize the governing equations on non-conforming, embedding meshes. A flexible approach to create truncated hierarchical B-splines discretizations is presented. This approach enables the refinement of each state variable field individually to meet field-specific accuracy requirements. To obtain an immersed geometry representation that is consistent across all hierarchically refined B-spline discretizations, the geometry is immersed into a single mesh, the XFEM background mesh, which is constructed from the union of all hierarchical B-spline meshes. An extraction operator is introduced to represent the truncated hierarchical B-spline bases in terms of Lagrange shape functions on the XFEM background mesh without loss of accuracy. The truncated hierarchical B-spline bases are enriched using a generalized Heaviside enrichment strategy to accommodate small geometric features and multi-material problems. The governing equations are augmented by a formulation of the face-oriented ghost stabilization enhanced for locally refined B-spline bases. We present examples for two- and three-dimensional linear elastic and thermo-elastic problems. The numerical results validate the accuracy of our framework. The results also demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework to large, geometrically complex problems.

42 ENGINEERING↗

On the applicability of the Redlich-Kister framework for viscosity estimation of molten halide salt mixtures

For molten halide salt mixtures already being utilized or under consideration for carbon-free energy production systems, it is crucial that their viscosity is well understood so that system thermal hydraulics can be reliably assessed. Because of the difficulty in accurately measuring molten halide viscosity and the sheer size of the matrix of possible higher order salt mixtures that may be of interest to the energy industry, there are several gaps in the quantified understanding of molten halide viscosity across this matrix. As such, both first-principles and semi-empirical modeling techniques may be crucial for rapidly assessing this broad, complex compositional domain. Herein, the Redlich-Kister framework is applied to assess the feasibility of broadly interpolating and estimating the viscosity of several pseudobinary and pseudoternary molten halide salt systems that may be of key interest to the energy industry. The framework is based on the assumption that an ideal component and a nonideal component collectively describe the viscosity as a function of composition and temperature for a given molten halide system. Three different ideal models were considered for the ideal component, including Grunburg-Nissan, Katti-Chaudhri, and Gambill methods. Regarding the pseudobinary interpolations, the Redlich-Kister models with either the Grunburg-Nissan or Katti-Chaudhri models as the ideal component resulted in either highly (average error less than 5%) or reasonably (average error less than 15%) accurate interpolations of pseudobinary halide viscosity; BeF 2 - or UF 4 -bearing salts tended to result in reasonably accurate interpolations, whereas other pseudobinary mixtures tended to show high accuracy. Regarding the pseudoternary extrapolations, the Redlich-Kister framework shows reasonable success at estimating the extent to which a pseudoternary system may indicate deviations from ideal Grunburg-Nissan mixing, where discrepancies with comparative experimental data generally stay within 30%. Finally, the primary reasons identified for such discrepancies are (1) inaccuracy in the underlying experimental data, (2) different complexation behavior in the higher order systems compared to the pseudobinary subsystems, and (3) extrapolation into temperatures too far out of the domain, which is valid for the underlying experimental data feeding the Redlich-Kister model.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Wildfire Risk Evaluation Framework for Grid Operations and Planning

The United States (US) environmental protection agency's (EPA's) climate change indicators for wildfires show a long-term trend of increased annual wildfire activity, larger wildfire size, and more variable dynamics in wildfire behavior. This has caused more frequent preemptive public safety power shutoff (PSPS) events in the regions with recognized high wildfire risk. These preemptive power shutoffs attempt to prevent the ignition of a wildfire but it nonetheless renders the transmission line non-operational, which often sheds load of downstream communities. As wildfires and PSPS events become more frequent, it is crucial to find the communities most at risk of load shedding. To that end, this paper proposes the wildfire risk evaluation of the system (WiRES) framework, which is a performance-based framework that translates extreme weather-related and PSPS event probabilities into a cumulative probability of a non-operational transmission line. This study also provides a geospatial visualization tool that breaks down the entire western electrical coordinating council (WECC) region into 50 km grid cells which can be used to 1) filter out transmission lines with higher than a threshold outage probability, and 2) graphically discover the affected regions and their biophysical and socioeconomic metrics. %such as the social vulnerability index, population density, gross domestic product, etc. Lastly, an impact assessment study is conducted which connects the results of the proposed framework to python and powerworld-based contingency analysis to highlight the applicability of the framework.

Wildfire, Resilience, Extreme Events, Grid Reslien↗

Numerical calculation of protein-ligand binding rates through solution of the Smoluchowski equation using smooth particle hydrodynamics

We demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of a Lagrangian particle-based method, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), to study diffusion in biomolecular systems by numerically solving the time-dependent Smoluchowski equation for continuum diffusion. The numerical method is first verified in simple systems and then applied to the calculation of ligand binding to an acetylcholinesterase monomer. Unlike previous studies, a reactive Robin boundary condition (BC), rather than the absolute absorbing (Dirichlet) boundary condition, is considered on the reactive boundaries. This new boundary condition treatment allows for the analysis of enzymes with "imperfect" reaction rates. Rates for inhibitor binding to mAChE are calculated at various ionic strengths and compared with experiment and other numerical methods. We find that imposition of the Robin BC improves agreement between calculated and experimental reaction rates. Although this initial application focuses on a single monomer system, our new method provides a framework to explore broader applications of SPH in larger-scale biomolecular complexes by taking advantage of its Lagrangian particle-based nature.

Pan, Wenxiao↗