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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 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Short wavelength limits of current shot noise suppression

Shot noise in electron beam was assumed to be one of the features beyond control of accelerator physics. Current results attained in experiments at Accelerator Test Facility in Brookhaven and Linac Coherent Light Source in Stanford suggest that the control of the shot noise in electron beam (and therefore of spontaneous radiation and Self Amplified Spontaneous Emission of Free Electron Lasers) is feasible at least in the visible range of the spectrum. Here, we present a general linear formulation for collective micro-dynamics of e-beam noise and its control. Specifically, we compare two schemes for current noise suppression: a quarter plasma wavelength drift section and a combined drift/dispersive (transverse magnetic field) section. We examine and compare their limits of applicability at short wavelengths via considerations of electron phase-spread and the related Landau damping effect.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Magnetic Energy Dissipation and γ-Ray Emission in Energetic Pulsars

Abstract Some of the most energetic pulsars exhibit rotation-modulated γ -ray emission in the 0.1–100 GeV band. The luminosity of this emission is typically 0.1%–10% of the pulsar spin-down power ( γ -ray efficiency), implying that a significant fraction of the available electromagnetic energy is dissipated in the magnetosphere and reradiated as high-energy photons. To investigate this phenomenon we model a pulsar magnetosphere using 3D particle-in-cell simulations with strong synchrotron cooling. We particularly focus on the dynamics of the equatorial current sheet where magnetic reconnection and energy dissipation take place. Our simulations demonstrate that a fraction of the spin-down power dissipated in the magnetospheric current sheet is controlled by the rate of magnetic reconnection at microphysical plasma scales and only depends on the pulsar inclination angle. We demonstrate that the maximum energy and the distribution function of accelerated pairs is controlled by the available magnetic energy per particle near the current sheet, the magnetization parameter. The shape and the extent of the plasma distribution is imprinted in the observed synchrotron emission, in particular, in the peak and the cutoff of the observed spectrum. We study how the strength of synchrotron cooling affects the observed variety of spectral shapes. Our conclusions naturally explain why pulsars with higher spin-down power have wider spectral shapes and, as a result, lower γ -ray efficiency.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Nonlinear Methods for Current Limit Constraint Satisfaction in Tokamak Plasma Shape Control

The DIII-D tokamak is capable of supporting a wide variety of plasma equilibria because of its relatively large number of coils and their proximity to the plasma. To support its advanced tokamak mission, the DIII–D experimental program continues to push the envelope of this capability, frequently encountering limits imposed by allowable currents in poloidal shaping coils. Violation of current constraints is presently dealt with by operator adjustment of control targets and gains between plasma discharges. At the same time, demands for more precise and stable control have motivated efforts to develop and install advanced multivariable algorithms for control of plasma shape in DIII-D and other devices. Further, there is currently no way to ensure respect of nonlinear current constraints in a multivariable linear controller design and no practical way to manually tune these fully coupled controllers between discharges after installation. Various linear minimization schemes can be implemented to encourage currents to remain within limits, but adherence to these limits cannot be guaranteed by linear methods alone. In this paper, we describe ongoing efforts to provide methods that guarantee currents will not exceed preset limits, and that simultaneously achieve the best obtainable quality of control subject to current limit constraints.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Reconfiguring photonic metamaterials with currents and magnetic fields

We demonstrate that spatial arrangement and optical properties of metamaterial nanostructures can be controlled dynamically using currents and magnetic fields. Mechanical deformation of metamaterial arrays is driven by both resistive heating of bimorph nanostructures and the Lorentz force that acts on charges moving in a magnetic field. With electrically controlled transmission changes of up to 50% at sub-mW power levels, our approaches offer high contrast solutions for dynamic control of metamaterial functionalities in optoelectronic devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition for Electrochemical Separation Experimentation

The Python-based program is a laboratory automation tool designed to control and monitor electrochemical systems. The tool was developed for capacitive deionization (CDI) experiments, but it can be used for any system that requires controlled voltage or current segments and multi-parameter monitoring. The program integrates hardware components to run user-defined experimental parameters, providing operational control of a programmable power supply, peristaltic pump, and data acquisition devices. Currently, the program is structured with a workflow that includes an initialization (or pre-run) phase, a main loop, and a post-experiment stabilization (or post-run) phase. The initialization phase prepares and stabilizes the cell, ensuring that the electrodes and solution reach a baseline state before the experiment begins. The main loop consists of multiple voltage segments that repeat, controlling the experiment while recording key parameters such as time, voltage, current, pH, and conductivity. Finally, the post-experiment stabilization phase allows the system to stabilize after the experiment, returning the cell and solution to equilibrium conditions before ending the sequence. The program is designed with four variations, each tailored to different experimental needs. All variations include both the initialization and post-experiment stabilization stages, which run for a set amount of time, voltage, current, and flow rate before and after the main experiment block. The main loop runs for a set number of cycles, as defined by the user input, and each cycle is composed of 2 or 4 segments. The 4 program variations are described as follows: Program 1: The main program includes 2 segments. Each segment is defined to have a set duration, flow rate, voltage, and current. This program measures conductivity, flow rate, voltage, and current. Program 2: The main program expands Program 1 to include 4 segments. Each segment has a specified duration, flow rate, voltage, and current. Like Program 1, it measures conductivity, flow rate, voltage, and current. Program 3: The main program consists of 2 segments, each defined by time, flow rate, voltage, and current. In addition to conductivity, flow rate, voltage, and current, Program 3 collects pH and temperature data through a 4-channel data acquisition device. Program 4: This program independently controls two channels of a multi-channel power supply simultaneously. While conductivity can only be measured for one cell at a time, the dual-channel control makes it possible to operate two cells simultaneously under different voltage/current conditions. The main program includes 2 segments.For each program, all measurements are automatically logged and integrated into a single Excel output file. Data are displayed in numerical format and plotted, both in real time, to track system performance. A key feature of the program is its ability to synchronize all outputs so that every measurement shares a single timestamp, ensuring accurate alignment of voltage, current, pH, conductivity, and pH data.By combining hardware control, real-time monitoring, and unified data collection, this program significantly reduces manual workload and minimizes errors, making it a reliable platform for researchers, engineers, and laboratory technicians conducting CDI experiments, among other electrochemical tests.

Valentino, Lauren [Argonne National Laboratory (AN↗
DOE OSTI2020

Planar Hall Driven Torque in a Ferromagnet/Nonmagnet/Ferromagnet System

An important goal of spintronics is to covert a charge current into a spin current with a controlled spin polarization that can exert torques on an adjacent magnetic layer. Here we demonstrate such torques in a two ferromagnet system. A CoNi multilayer is used as a spin current source in a sample with structure CoNi/Au/CoFeB. Spin torque ferromagnetic resonance is used to measure the torque on the CoFeB layer. The response as a function of the applied field angle and current is consistent with the symmetry expected for a torque produced by the planar Hall effect originating in CoNi. We find the strength of this effect to be comparable to that of the spin Hall effect in platinum, indicating that the planar Hall effect holds potential as a spin current source with a controllable polarization direction.

ferromagnetic resonance↗
DOE OSTI2023

CYVET: A Cyber-Physical Assurance Framework Based on a Semi-Supervised Vetting Approach

The project is designed to directly address the needs described in the Topic Area 4 (“Cybersecurity Verification and Validation”) of the CEDS’19 Research Call. The proposed CYVET system directly addresses the need to elevate the current industry capabilities to verify and validate OT cybersecurity and associated control system infrastructure. Currently, there is a significant gap in the energy sector’s capability in that regard during infrastructure improvement, equipment procurement, and compliance certification. CYVET provides that needed capability. CYVET is device and architecture agnostic and thus broadly applicable across the energy sector. The goal of this project is to develop and deliver a cybersecurity verification and validation framework testing capability to verify and validate OT equipment, software, and the underlying control system architecture. The primary project objectives are (i) Verification: the synthesis and reconciliation of standards and vendor supplied features, (ii) Validation: the generation, execution, and presentation of testing scripts of verified security features, and (3) Demonstration: apply the developed technology capabilities for verification and validation at a relevant end-user facility in the energy sector.

Lopez Jr, Juan↗
DOE OSTI2014

Optimization of magnetic switches for single particle and cell transport

The ability to manipulate an ensemble of single particles and cells is a key aim of lab-on-a-chip research; however, the control mechanisms must be optimized for minimal power consumption to enable future large-scale implementation. Recently, we demonstrated a matter transport platform, which uses overlaid patterns of magnetic films and metallic current lines to control magnetic particles and magnetic-nanoparticle-labeled cells; however, we have made no prior attempts to optimize the device geometry and power consumption. Here, we provide an optimization analysis of particle-switching devices based on stochastic variation in the particle's size and magnetic content. These results are immediately applicable to the design of robust, multiplexed platforms capable of transporting, sorting, and storing single cells in large arrays with low power and high efficiency.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

OLED Fundamentals: Materials, Devices, and Processing of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

What is an organic light emitting diode (OLED)? Why should we care? What are they made of? How are they made? What are the challenges in seeing these devices enter the marketplace in various applications? These are the questions we hope to answer in this book, at a level suitable for knowledgeable non-experts, graduate students and scientists and engineers working in the field who want to understand the broader context of their work. At the most basic level, an OLED is a promising new technology composed of some organic material sandwiched between two electrodes. When current is passed through the device, light is emitted. The stack of layers can be very thin and has many variations, including flexible and/or transparent. The organic material can be polymeric or composed small molecules, and may include inorganic components. The electrodes may consist of metals, metal oxides, carbon nanomaterials, or other species, though of course for light to be emitted, one electrode must be transparent. OLEDs may be fabricated on glass, metal foils, or polymer sheets (though polymeric substrates must be modified to protect the organic material from moisture or oxygen). In any event, the organic material must be protected from moisture during storage and operation. A control circuit, the exact nature of which depends on the application, drives the OLED. Nevertheless, the control circuit should have very stable current control to generate uniform light emission. OLEDs can be designed to emit a single color of light, white light, or even tunable colors. The devices can be switched on and off very rapidly, which makes them suitable for displays or for general lighting. Given the amazing complexity of the technical and design challenges for practical OLED applications, it is not surprising that applications are still somewhat limited. Although organic electroluminescence is more than 50 years old, the modern OLED field is really only about half that age – with the first high-efficiency OLED demonstrated in 1987. Thus, we expect to see exciting advances in the science, technology and commercialization in the coming years. We hope that this book helps to advance the field in some small way. Contributors to this monograph are experts from top academic institutions, industry and national laboratories who provide comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the rapidly evolving field of OLEDs. Furthermore, this monograph collects in one place, for the first time, key topics across the field of OLEDs, from fundamental chemistry and physics, to practical materials science and engineering topics, to aspects of design and manufacturing. The monograph synthesizes and puts into context information scattered throughout the literature for easy review in one book. The scope of the monograph reflects the necessity to focus on new technological challenges brought about by the transition to manufacturing. In the Section 1, all materials of construction of the OLED device are covered, from substrate to encapsulation. In Section 2, for the first time, additional challenges in devices and processing are addressed. This book is geared towards a broad audience, including materials scientists, device physicists, synthetic chemists and electrical engineers. Furthermore, this book makes a great introduction to scientists in industry and academia, as well as graduate students interested in applied aspects of photophysics and electrochemistry in organic thin films. This book is a comprehensive source for OLED R&D professionals from all backgrounds and institutions.

OLED↗
DOE OSTI2012

Effects of the radial dependence of the fast electron diffusion coefficient on the current driven by lower-hybrid waves in tokamak

The lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) is one of the promising methods not only for driving the non-inductive current required for steady-state tokamak operation, but also for controlling the plasma current profile to improve confinement in tokamak experiments. A direct consequence of experimental imperfection is difficult to obtain reliable estimate of the radial diffusion coefficient (D{sub st}) of the lower hybrid driven current. In this paper, the radial profile of D{sub st} is estimated to investigate its effect on the current driven by lower hybrid wave (LHW) in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak. Compared with the case of the constant radial diffusion coefficient, the efficiency of LHW driven current with the radial dependent diffusion coefficient D{sub st} ({rho}) becomes either higher or lower with respect to the plasma parameters, such as the density and the magnetic fluctuation. It is also found that the profiles of the LHW driven current are different. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the radial dependence of D{sub st} in order to get an accurate and reliable result in the numerical simulation of LHCD.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Power Quality Improvement Utilizing Photovoltaic Generation Connected to a Weak Grid

Microgrid research and development in the past decades have been one of the most popular topics. Similarly, the photovoltaic generation has been surging among renewable generation in the past few years, thanks to the availability, affordability, technology maturity of the PV panels and the PV inverter in the general market. Unfortunately, quite often, the PV installations are connected to weak grids and may have been considered as the culprit of poor power quality affecting other loads in particular sensitive loads connected to the same point of common coupling (PCC). This paper is intended to demystify the renewable generation, and turns the negative perception into positive revelation of the superiority of PV generation to the power quality improvement in a microgrid system. The main objective of this work is to develop a control method for the PV inverter so that the power quality at the PCC will be improved under various disturbances. The method is to control the reactive current based on utilizing the grid current to counteract the negative impact of the disturbances. The proposed control method is verified in PSIM platform. Promising results have been obtained.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Advanced Control Techniques and High Performance Discharges on DIII-D

The advancement of plasma control techniques has enabled significant progress to be made toward the scientific understanding and realization of Advanced Tokamak operation on DIII–D. The Advanced Tokamak features fully noninductive current drive, operation at high plasma pressure and high energy confinement time. These features require efficient current drive systems, simultaneous control of plasma current and pressure profiles, and active feedback control of plasma instabilities. A number of key systems on DIII-D have been developed to provide this control capability. A versatile electron cyclotron heating and current drive system is routinely providing in excess of 2 MW of power for pulse lengths from 2 to 5 s. This system has been used to provide offaxis current drive, direct electron heating and pressure profile modification, and stabilization of the Neoclassical Tearing Mode instability. A combination of control of magnetic error fields, neutral beam induced plasma rotation, and active feedback stabilization using both external and internal nonaxisymmetric coil systems has been used to stabilize the Resistive Wall Mode at high values of plasma pressure. Control of the ELM instability has recently been demonstrated using the newly installed internal coil system. The higher speed and expanded realtime diagnostic capability of our recently upgraded plasma control system permits these various control techniques to be simultaneously integrated to achieve our high performance discharges. This has resulted in fully noninductively driven plasmas with β N = 3.5 and β T = 3.6% sustained for up to 1 s. Finally, upgrades and facility modifications to further enhance our control and scientific capabilities including rotation of a neutral beamline, expanded EC system power, and installation of a new lower divertor are discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Large-signal Stability Analysis of Grid-forming Inverters with Equivalent-circuit Models

Here, this paper proposes an energy function-based direct method for large-signal stability assessment of grid-forming (GFM) inverters leveraging an equivalent-circuit representation of all involved control- and physical-layer dynamics. Three different primary controls, a standard inner-current outer-voltage cascaded-control architecture, output LCL filter, and reference-current saturation limiting are featured in the modeling and analysis framework. A composite energy function for the GFM inverter is obtained by summing up individual energy contributions gleaned from the circuit representation. The approach can readily be generalized to different primary controls, output-filter arrangements, and current limiters since it is based on a circuit-theoretic foundation. Numerical simulations validate the efficacy of the approach in estimating the critical clearing time following a large-signal disturbance.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2020

DC Link Voltage Balancing of the Active Front-End for the Extreme Fast Charging Stations

One of the most important challenges of the extreme fast charging (XFC) stations is to balance the DC link voltages of the active front-end (AFE). The multilevel cascaded H-bridge (CHB) converter is a great topology for the AFE applications due to the high power density, low total harmonic distortion (THD), and a low number of active and passive components. In this paper, a technique is proposed for balancing DC-link capacitor voltages of a three-phase CHB converter, when a phase shiftPWM modulation technique is used on all cells of the converter. To reach this goal, the redundant states of the CHB converters are used for generating different AC voltage levels by sorting the voltages of the converters. The proposed voltage balancing technique uses the principles that are employed for the DC link voltage balancing of the low-frequency modulation techniques to balance the DC link voltages of the CHB converter. As shown in this paper, the DC link voltages of the CHB converter can accurately be balanced very fast without using PI controllers, which are used in the conventional DC link voltage balancing techniques. A controller also is proposed which will be used to control the dq currents of the CHB converter. To verify the advantages of the proposed technique, the simulation results of the proposed technique will be carried out in a three-phase 7-cell CHB AFE.

Grid-tied converters, cascaded H-bridge, DC link v↗
DOE OSTI2013

Digital Full-Scope Simulation of a Conventional Nuclear Power Plant Control Room, Phase 2: Installation of a Reconfigurable Simulator to Support Nuclear Plant Sustainability

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Light Water Reactor Sustainability program has developed a control room simulator in support of control room modernization at nuclear power plants in the U.S. This report highlights the recent completion of this reconfigurable, full-scale, full-scope control room simulator buildout at the Idaho National Laboratory. The simulator is fully reconfigurable, meaning it supports multiple plant models developed by different simulator vendors. The simulator is full-scale, using glasstop virtual panels to display the analog control boards found at current plants. The present installation features 15 glasstop panels, uniquely achieving a complete control room representation. The simulator is also full-scope, meaning it uses the same plant models used for training simulators at actual plants. Unlike in the plant training simulators, the deployment on glasstop panels allows a high degree of customization of the panels, allowing the simulator to be used for research on the design of new digital control systems for control room modernization. This report includes separate sections discussing the glasstop panels, their layout to mimic control rooms at actual plants, technical details on creating a multi-plant and multi-vendor reconfigurable simulator, and current efforts to support control room modernization at U.S. utilities. The glasstop simulator provides an ideal testbed for prototyping and validating new control room concepts. Equally importantly, it is helping create a standardized and vetted human factors engineering process that can be used across the nuclear industry to ensure control room upgrades maintain and even improve current reliability and safety.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Circulating Current Resonant Oscillation in Modular Multilevel Converters for Variable Frequency Operation and Its Suppression Method

This paper studies the phenomenon of resonant oscillation in Modular Multilevel Converters (MMCs) for variable frequency operation. Without proper control, it may easily induce huge MMC inner circulating currents and damage major power devices. A Laplace model is established to clarify the mechanism of resonant oscillation in MMCs, and Bode diagrams are used to study the frequency response over a wide frequency range. Meanwhile, a straightforward resonant suppression method based on circulating current control is used to damp out the resonant condition, and a cross comparison is conducted in terms of system losses, capacitor voltage ripples, and load voltage harmonics with and without the resonant oscillation. Both simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the MMC resonant oscillation theory and its suppression control method.

Modular multilevel converter, resonant oscillation↗
DOE OSTI2014

A New Linearization Method of Unbalanced Electrical Distribution Networks

Abstract--- With increasing penetration of distributed generation in the distribution networks (DN), the secure and optimal operation of DN has become an important concern. As DN control and operation strategies are mostly based on the linearized sensitivity coefficients between controlled variables (e.g., node voltages, line currents, power loss) and control variables (e.g., power injections, transformer tap positions), efficient and precise calculation of these sensitivity coefficients, i.e. linearization of DN, is of fundamental importance. In this paper, the derivation of the node voltages and power loss as functions of the nodal power injections and transformers' tap-changers positions is presented, and then solved by a Gauss-Seidel method. Compared to other approaches presented in the literature, the proposed method takes into account different load characteristics (e.g., constant PQ, constant impedance, constant current and any combination of above) of a generic multi-phase unbalanced DN and improves the accuracy of linearization. Numerical simulations on both IEEE 13 and 34 nodes test feeders show the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method.

linearization↗