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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

Regional and seasonal estimates of fractional storm coverage based on station precipitation observations

Simulated climates using numerical atmospheric general circulation models (GCMs) have been shown to be highly sensitive to the fraction of GCM grid area assumed to be wetted during rain events. The model hydrologic cycle and land-surface water and energy balance are influenced by the parameter bar-kappa, which is the dimensionless fractional wetted area for GCM grids. Hourly precipitation records for over 1700 precipitation stations within the contiguous United States are used to obtain observation-based estimates of fractional wetting that exhibit regional and seasonal variations. The spatial parameter bar-kappa is estimated from the temporal raingauge data using conditional probability relations. Monthly bar-kappa values are estimated for rectangular grid areas over the contiguous United States as defined by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies 4 deg x 5 deg GCM. A bias in the estimates is evident due to the unavoidably sparse raingauge network density, which causes some storms to go undetected by the network. This bias is corrected by deriving the probability of a storm escaping detection by the network. A Monte Carlo simulation study is also conducted that consists of synthetically generated storm arrivals over an artificial grid area. It is used to confirm the bar-kappa estimation procedure and to test the nature of the bias and its correction. These monthly fractional wetting estimates, based on the analysis of station precipitation data, provide an observational basis for assigning the influential parameter bar-kappa in GCM land-surface hydrology parameterizations.

Gong, Gavin↗

Evaluation of a vortex-based subgrid stress model using DNS databases

The performance of a SubGrid Stress (SGS) model for Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) developed by Misra k Pullin (1996) is studied for forced and decaying isotropic turbulence on a 32(exp 3) grid. The physical viability of the model assumptions are tested using DNS databases. The results from LES of forced turbulence at Taylor Reynolds number R(sub (lambda)) approximately equals 90 are compared with filtered DNS fields. Probability density functions (pdfs) of the subgrid energy transfer, total dissipation, and the stretch of the subgrid vorticity by the resolved velocity-gradient tensor show reasonable agreement with the DNS data. The model is also tested in LES of decaying isotropic turbulence where it correctly predicts the decay rate and energy spectra measured by Comte-Bellot & Corrsin (1971).

Misra, Ashish↗

Asymmetry Effects in Numerical Simulation of Supersonic Flows with Upstream Separated Regions

The present paper studies the numerical simulation of flows with shock/boundary-layer upstream interaction, under conditions of symmetry in geometry, boundary conditions, and grid. For this purpose, a series of two- and three-dimensional numerical test-cases were carried out. The tests showed that standard numerical schemes, which appear to be symmetry-preserving under most flow configurations, produce nonsymmetric perturbations when large separated regions are present. These perturbations are amplified when the core flow is under compression. If the flow-blockage due to separation is sufficiently large, the symmetry of the flow may collapse altogether. Experimental evidence of this numerical behavior is also considered.

Rodriguez, C. G.↗

Asymmetry Effects in Numerical Simulation of Supersonic Flows with Upstream Separated Regions

The present paper studies the numerical simulation of flows with shock/boundary-layer upstream interaction, under conditions of symmetry in geometry, boundary conditions, and grid. For this purpose, a series of two- and three-dimensional numerical test-cases were carried out. The tests showed that standard numerical schemes, which appear to be symmetry preserving under most flow configurations, produce nonsymmetric perturbations when large separated regions are present. These perturbations are amplified when the core flow is under compression. If the flow-blockage due to separation is sufficiently large, the symmetry of the flow may collapse altogether. Experimental evidence of this numerical behavior is also considered.

Riodriguez, C. G.↗

Sample IEEE123 Bus system for OEDI SI

Time series load and PV data from an IEEE123 bus system. An example electrical system, named the OEDI SI feeder, is used to test the workflow in a co-simulation. The system used is the IEEE123 test system, which is a well studied test system (see link below to IEEE PES Test Feeder), but some modifications were made to it to add some solar power modules and measurements on the system. The aim of this project is to create an easy-to-use platform where various types of analytics can be performed on a wide range of electrical grid datasets. The aim is to establish an open-source library of algorithms that universities, national labs and other developers can contribute to which can be used on both open-source and proprietary grid data to improve the analysis of electrical distribution systems for the grid modeling community. OEDI Systems Integration (SI) is a grid algorithms and data analytics API created to standardize how data is sent between different modules that are run as part of a co-simulation. The readme file included in the S3 bucket provides information about the directory structure and how to use the algorithms. The sensors.json file is used to define the measurement locations.

123 bus↗

High-Performance Parallel Analysis of Coupled Problems for Aircraft Propulsion

This research program dealt with the application of high-performance computing methods to the numerical simulation of complete jet engines. The program was initiated in January 1993 by applying two-dimensional parallel aeroelastic codes to the interior gas flow problem of a bypass jet engine. The fluid mesh generation, domain decomposition and solution capabilities were successfully tested. Attention was then focused on methodology for the partitioned analysis of the interaction of the gas flow with a flexible structure and with the fluid mesh motion driven by these structural displacements. The latter is treated by a ALE technique that models the fluid mesh motion as that of a fictitious mechanical network laid along the edges of near-field fluid elements. New partitioned analysis procedures to treat this coupled three-component problem were developed during 1994 and 1995. These procedures involved delayed corrections and subcycling, and have been successfully tested on several massively parallel computers, including the iPSC-860, Paragon XP/S and the IBM SP2. For the global steady-state axisymmetric analysis of a complete engine we have decided to use the NASA-sponsored ENG10 program, which uses a regular FV-multiblock-grid discretization in conjunction with circumferential averaging to include effects of blade forces, loss, combustor heat addition, blockage, bleeds and convective mixing. A load-balancing preprocessor tor parallel versions of ENG10 was developed. During 1995 and 1996 we developed the capability tor the first full 3D aeroelastic simulation of a multirow engine stage. This capability was tested on the IBM SP2 parallel supercomputer at NASA Ames. Benchmark results were presented at the 1196 Computational Aeroscience meeting.

Felippa, C. A.↗

Parameterization of the Elevated Convection With a Unified Convection Scheme (UNICON) and Its Impacts on the Diurnal Cycle of Precipitation

To improve the simulation of nocturnal precipitation, we develop a parameterization for the elevated convection that is launched from the level of maximum grid-mean moist static energy, when grid-mean vertical flow is upward at the launching interface. The parameterized elevated convection is forced by both cold pool-driven and partially resolved external mesoscale organized flows. Properties of the external mesoscale flow are estimated from grid-mean vertical velocity and three dimensional advection tendencies of temperature and moisture. The new parameterization is implemented into a unified convection scheme (UNICON) and tested for both the single-column case at the Southern Great Plain (SGP) site in US and in global simulations. At the SGP site, the parameterized elevated convection strengthens nocturnal convection, increases nocturnal precipitation, and better simulates the observed diurnal cycle of precipitation. It appears that the elevated and surface-based convections interact with each other by stabilizing the atmospheric column, which affects subsequent convection. Global simulation shows that the elevated convection mostly occurs over the continents during the night, and also over the oceanic mid-latitude warm air advection and storm track regions during summer. Without degrading global mean climate, the elevated convection improves the simulation of nocturnal precipitation in the mid-US but simulates somewhat strong nocturnal precipitation in northeastern Asia. It seems that a key to simulate observed nocturnal precipitation is to appropriately parameterize the impacts of external organized flow on the elevated convection.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

A Comparative Study of Simulated and Measured Main Landing Gear Noise for Large Civil Transports

Computational results for the NASA 26%-scale model of a six-wheel main landing gear with and without a toboggan-shaped noise reduction fairing are presented. The model is a high-fidelity representation of a Boeing 777-200 aircraft main landing gear. A lattice Boltzmann method was used to simulate the unsteady flow around the model in isolation. The computations were conducted in free-air at a Mach number of 0.17, matching a recent acoustic test of the same gear model in the Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel in its anechoic configuration. Results obtained on a set of grids with successively finer spatial resolution demonstrate the challenge in resolving/capturing the flow field for the smaller components of the gear and their associated interactions, and the resulting effects on the high-frequency segment of the farfield noise spectrum. Farfield noise spectra were computed based on an FWH integral approach, with simulated pressures on the model solid surfaces or flow-field data extracted on a set of permeable surfaces enclosing the model as input. Comparison of these spectra with microphone array measurements obtained in the tunnel indicated that, for the present complex gear model, the permeable surfaces provide a more accurate representation of farfield noise, suggesting that volumetric effects are not negligible. The present study also demonstrates that good agreement between simulated and measured farfield noise can be achieved if consistent post-processing is applied to both physical and synthetic pressure records at array microphone locations.

Konig, Benedikt↗

Autoclave grid-to-rod fretting wear evaluation of a candidate cladding coating for accident-tolerant fuel

In pressurized water reactors (PWRs), water flow induced vibrations cause contact and rubbing between the fuel rods and the supporting grid, a phenomenon known as Grid-to-Rod-Fretting (GTRF). GTRF may produce progressive wear damage on the fuel claddings leading to subsequent leakage of radioactive fission products. Various accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) concepts are being developed for higher resistance to the high temperature steam and one approach is to apply a cladding coating. Here, fretting wear behavior of a candidate Cr-coating was investigated using a unique bench-scale autoclave testing rig mimicking the environment in an industrial full-assembly PWR simulator. The contact was under a realistically low load (~0.5 N) lubricated by deionized water at a temperature of 204 °C under a pressure of 20-23 bars. Results demonstrated that the Cr-coating significantly improved the cladding's wear resistance when tested against a commercial ZIRLO grid with or without pre-oxidization. In addition, the Cr-coating also reduced wear on the non-oxidized ZIRLO grid but slightly increased the wear on the pre-oxidized grid.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Multi-fidelity Fourier neural operator for fast modeling of large-scale geological carbon storage

Deep learning-based surrogate models have been widely applied in geological carbon storage (GCS) problems to accelerate the prediction of reservoir pressure and CO2 plume migration. Large amounts of data from physics-based numerical simulators are required to train a model to accurately predict the complex physical behaviors associated with this process. In practice, the available training data are always limited in large-scale 3D problems due to the high computational cost. Therefore, we propose to use a multi-fidelity Fourier neural operator (FNO) to solve large-scale GCS problems with more affordable multi-fidelity training datasets. FNO has a desirable grid-invariant property, which simplifies the transfer learning procedure between datasets with different discretization. Here, we first test the model efficacy on a GCS reservoir model being discretized into 110 k grid cells. The multi-fidelity model can predict with accuracy comparable to a high-fidelity model trained with the same amount of high-fidelity data with 81% less data generation costs. We further test the generalizability of the multi-fidelity model on a same reservoir model with a finer discretization of 1 million grid cells. This case was made more challenging by employing high-fidelity and low-fidelity datasets generated by different geostatistical models and reservoir simulators. We observe that the multi-fidelity FNO model can predict pressure fields with reasonable accuracy even when the high-fidelity data are extremely limited. The findings of this study can help for better understanding of the transferability of multi-fidelity deep learning surrogate models.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Space Electronic Test Engineering

The Space Power and Propulsion Test Engineering Branch at NASA Glenn Research center has the important duty of controlling electronic test engineering services. These services include test planning and early assessment of Space projects, management and/or technical support required to safely and effectively prepare the article and facility for testing, operation of test facilities, and validation/delivery of data to customer. The Space Electronic Test Engineering Branch is assigned electronic test engineering responsibility for the GRC Space Simulation, Microgravity, Cryogenic, and Combustion Test Facilities. While working with the Space Power and Propulsion Test Engineering Branch I am working on several different assignments. My primary assignment deals with an electrical hardware unit known as Sunny Boy. Sunny Boy is a DC load Bank that is designed for solar arrays in which it is used to convert DC power form the solar arrays into AC power at 60 hertz to pump back into the electricity grid. However, there are some researchers who decided that they would like to use the Sunny Boy unit in a space simulation as a DC load bank for a space shuttle or even the International Space Station hardware. In order to do so I must create a communication link between a computer and the Sunny Boy unit so that I can preset a few of the limits (such power, set & constant voltage levels) that Sunny Boy will need to operate using the applied DC load. Apart from this assignment I am also working on a hi-tech circuit that I need to have built at a researcher s request. This is a high voltage analog to digital circuit that will be used to record data from space ion propulsion rocket booster tests. The problem that makes building this circuit so difficult is that it contains high voltage we must find a way to lower the voltage signal before the data is transferred into the computer to be read. The solution to this problem was to transport the signal using infrared light which will lower the voltage signal down low enough so that it is harmless to a computer. Along with my involvement in the Space Power and Propulsion Test Engineering Branch, I am obligated to assist all other members of the branch in their work. This will help me to strengthen and extend my knowledge of Electrical Engineering.

Chambers, Rodney D.↗

Networked HIL Simulation System for Modeling Large-scale Power Systems

This paper presents a network hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation system for modeling large-scale power systems. Researchers have developed many HIL test systems for power systems in recent years. Those test systems can model both microsecond-level dynamic responses of power electronic systems and millisecond-level transients of transmission and distribution grids. By integrating individual HIL test systems into a network of HIL test systems, we can create large-scale power grid digital twins with flexible structures at required modeling resolution that fits for a wide range of system operating conditions. This will not only significantly reduce the need for field tests when developing new technologies but also greatly shorten the model development cycle. In this paper, we present a networked OPAL-RT based HIL test system for developing transmission-distribution coordinative Volt-VAR regulation technologies as an example to illustrate system setups, communication requirements among different HIL test systems, and connection mechanisms. Impacts of communication delays, information exchange cycles, and computing delays are illustrated. Simulation results show that the performance of a networked HIL test system is satisfactory.

digital twin, distribution system, co-simulation, ↗

A gating grid driver for time projection chambers

A simple but novel driver system has been developed to operate the wire gating grid of a Time Projection Chamber (TPC). This system connects the wires of the gating grid to its driver via low impedance transmission lines. When the gating grid is open, all wires have the same voltage allowing drift electrons, produced by the ionization of the detector gas molecules, to pass through to the anode wires. When the grid is closed, the wires have alternating higher and lower voltages causing the drift electrons to terminate at the more positive wires. Rapid opening of the gating grid with low pickup noise is achieved by quickly shorting the positive and negative wires to attain the average bias potential with N-type and P-type MOSFET switches. The circuit analysis and simulation software SPICE shows that the driver restores the gating grid voltage to 90% of the opening voltage in less than 0.20 µs, for small values of the termination resistors. When tested in the experimental environment of a time projection chamber larger termination resistors were chosen so that the driver opens the gating grid in 0.35 µs. In each case, opening time is basically characterized by the RC constant given by the resistance of the switches and terminating resistors and the capacitance of the gating grid and its transmission line. By adding a second pair of N-type and P-type MOSFET switches, the gating grid is closed by restoring 99% of the original charges to the wires within 3 µs.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Grid-Forming Frequency Shaping Control for Low-Inertia Power Systems

As power systems transit to a state of high renewable penetration, little or no presence of synchronous generators makes the prerequisite of well-regulated frequency for grid-following inverters unrealistic. As such, there is a trend to resort to grid-forming inverters which set frequency directly. We propose a novel grid-forming frequency shaping control that is able to shape the aggregate system frequency dynamics into a first-order one with the desired steady-state frequency deviation and Rate of Change of Frequency (RoCoF) after a sudden power imbalance. The no overshoot property resulting from the first-order dynamics allows the system frequency to monotonically move towards its new steady-state without experiencing frequency Nadir, which largely improves frequency security. We prove that our grid-forming frequency-shaping control renders the system internally stable under mild assumptions. The performance of the proposed control is verified via numerical simulations on a modified Icelandic Power Network test case.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Residential Vehicle-to-Home Backup Power Capabilities: Key Findings from a ComEd Beneficial Electrification R&D Pilot

This report summarizes key findings from a collaborative technical study of residential, non-grid-tied vehicle-to-home (V2H) backup power systems in Commonwealth Edison’s (ComEd’s) service territory. The work integrates (1) a feeder-level technoeconomic analysis (TEA) using historical outage-event data and simulated electric-vehicle (EV) driving/charging profiles to estimate potential reliability and customer interruption-cost impacts under V2H and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) adoption scenarios; (2) controlled laboratory performance testing of a representative V2H backup ecosystem to characterize transfer-to-backup behavior, sustained power delivery, efficiency trends, and repeatable reliability limitations; and (3) a cybersecurity assessment aligned with NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 and ISO/SAE 21434 to evaluate interface-level risk drivers and identify program-relevant mitigations. Results indicate that V2H can provide measurable resilience value, but outcomes are strongly context dependent on outage patterns and the share of events that are “V2H-applicable.” Typical transfer-to-backup behavior clustered on the order of minutes, but rare long-delay edge cases were observed (including an event approaching 30 minutes) and should be treated as a reliability risk. High-power testing showed that peak-rated output is not necessarily continuously deliverable; stable operation may require operation below nameplate ratings and attention to thermal and installation constraints. The cybersecurity assessment highlights a broad attack surface spanning commissioning, home networks, embedded services, and cloud/OTA pathways, motivating minimum controls for secure onboarding, signed updates, patch cadence, and coordinated vulnerability response for any scaled deployment.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Grid-Forming Frequency Shaping Control for Low-Inertia Power Systems

As power systems transit to a state of high renewable penetration, little or no presence of synchronous generators makes the prerequisite of well-regulated frequency for grid-following inverters unrealistic. Thus, there is a trend to resort to grid-forming inverters which set frequency directly. We propose a novel grid-forming frequency shaping control that is able to shape the aggregate system frequency dynamics into a first-order one with the desired steady-state frequency deviation and Rate of Change of Frequency (RoCoF) after a sudden power imbalance. The no overshoot property resulting from the first-order dynamics allows the system frequency to monotonically move towards its new steady-state without experiencing frequency Nadir, which largely improves frequency security. We prove that our grid-forming frequency-shaping control renders the system internally stable under mild assumptions. The performance of the proposed control is verified via numerical simulations on a modified Icelandic Power Network test case.

control systems↗

Tidal Turbine Benchmarking Project: Stage I - Steady Flow Blind Predictions: Preprint

This paper presents the first blind prediction stage of the Tidal Turbine Benchmarking Project being conducted and funded by the UK's EPSRC and Supergen ORE Hub. In this first stage, only steady flow conditions, at low and elevated turbulence (3.1%) levels, were considered. Prior to the blind prediction stage, a large laboratory scale experiment was conducted in which a highly instrumented 1.6m diameter tidal rotor was towed through a large towing tank in well-defined flow conditions with and without an upstream turbulence grid. Details of the test campaign and rotor design were released as part of this community blind prediction exercise. Participants were invited to use a range of engineering modelling approaches to simulate the performance and loads of the turbine. 26 submissions were received from 12 groups from across academia and industry using solution techniques ranging from blade resolved computational fluid dynamics through actuator line, boundary integral element methods, vortex methods to engineering Blade Element Momentum methods. The comparisons between experiments and blind predictions were extremely positive helping to provide validation and uncertainty estimates for the models, but also validating the experimental tests themselves. The exercise demonstrated that the experimental turbine data provides a robust data set against which researchers and design engineers can test their models and implementations to ensure robustness in their processes, helping to reduce uncertainty and provide increased confidence in engineering processes. Furthermore, the data set provides the basis by which modellers can evaluate and refine approaches.

benchmarking↗

Durability tests of a five-centimeter diameter ion thruster system.

A modified Hughes SIT-5 system is being tested for durability at the Lewis Research Center. As of Oct. 1, 1972, the thruster subsystem has logged over 8000 hours of operation. The initial 2023 hours were run with a translating screen thrust vector grid. The thruster is currently operating with an electrostatic type vector grid. Profiles and maps taken at widely separated intervals show that performance and operating characteristics have remained essentially constant. Overall efficiency is about 32 per cent and power to thrust ratio is 170 watts per millipound at a specific impulse of 2500 seconds. Telescopic examination of the vector grid shows some sputtering erosion due to charge exchange and direct impingement ions. An independent test of the propellant storage and cathode-isolator-vaporizer subsystem has demonstrated good reliability under simulated thruster operating conditions.

Nakanishi, S.↗