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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 541 records · Page 30

Development of Segregated Thermal-Hydraulics Solvers in MOOSE

The simulation of fluid flows is an essential part of the design and analysis of nuclear systems. Algorithms able to simulate flows at different fidelity levels are available in the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) and MOOSE-based applications such as Pronghorn \cite{novak2018pronghorn}, Pronghorn-Subchannel, RELAP-7, and SAM. Currently, significant effort is being invested in the development of coarse-mesh Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) capabilities within MOOSE and Pronghorn for the simulation of Generation IV nuclear reactors. Traditionally, the solution algorithms in MOOSE have relied on Newton or quasi-Newton methods (such as the preconditioned Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov method) where residuals and Jacobians (or approximations thereof) are constructed. Both Newton and quasi-Newton methods require the solution of a linear system at each nonlinear Newton iteration with the Jacobian as the system matrix. The Jacobian contains blocks originating from all variables in the problem (i.e., for thermal-hydraulics at least pressure, velocities, and temperature). Due to the formulation of the problem in a general multiphysics setting on unstructured mesh, creating a good preconditioner for the linear system can be challenging, thus many fluid applications have utilized direct solver-based methods such as LU factorization. However, with increasing system size and complexity in multi-dimensional problems, the direct solution of linear systems becomes computationally expensive both in execution time and and memory. For this reason, recent effort has focused on adapting segregated solution algorithms for CFD problems in MOOSE. These algorithms use fixed-point iteration between segregated systems whose assembly and preconditioning are easier those of the monolithic system. Initial results show that the segregated solution algorithm outperforms the monolithic approach in terms of memory usage and for large 3D problems in terms of CPU time as well.

42 ENGINEERING↗

End-to-end differentiable digital twin for the IOTA/FAST facility

As the design complexity of modern accelerators grows, there is more interest in using controllable-fidelity simulations that have fast execution time or can yield additional insights about accelerator state. One notable example of additional information are gradients of physical observables with respect to design parameters produced by differentiable simulations. The IOTA/FAST facility has recently begun a program to implement and experimentally validate an end-to-end digital twin to serve as a virtual accelerator test stand, allowing for rapid prototyping of new software and experiments with minimal beam time costs. In this contribution we will discuss our plans and progress. Specifically, we will cover the selection and benchmarking of both physics and ML codes for linac and ring simulation, the development of generic interfaces between surrogate and physics-based sections, and presenting the control interface as either a deterministic event loop or a fully asynchronous EPICS soft input/output controller. We will also discuss challenges in model calibration and uncertainty quantification, as well as future plans to implement larger proton accelerators like PIPII and Booster.

Kuklev, N. [Fermilab]↗

Supporting Real-Time Operations and Execution through Timeline and Scheduling Aids

Since 2003, the NASA Ames Research Center has been actively involved in researching and advancing the state-of-the-art of planning and scheduling tools for NASA mission operations. Our planning toolkit SPIFe (Scheduling and Planning Interface for Exploration) has supported a variety of missions and field tests, scheduling activities for Mars rovers as well as crew on-board International Space Station and NASA earth analogs. The scheduled plan is the integration of all the activities for the day/s. In turn, the agents (rovers, landers, spaceships, crew) execute from this schedule while the mission support team members (e.g., flight controllers) follow the schedule during execution. Over the last couple of years, our team has begun to research and validate methods that will better support users during realtime operations and execution of scheduled activities. Our team utilizes human-computer interaction principles to research user needs, identify workflow processes, prototype software aids, and user test these. This paper discusses three specific prototypes developed and user tested to support real-time operations: Score Mobile, Playbook, and Mobile Assistant for Task Execution (MATE).

scheduling↗

Run-time scheduling and execution of loops on message passing machines

Sparse system solvers and general purpose codes for solving partial differential equations are examples of the many types of problems whose irregularity can result in poor performance on distributed memory machines. Often, the data structures used in these problems are very flexible. Crucial details concerning loop dependences are encoded in these structures rather than being explicitly represented in the program. Good methods for parallelizing and partitioning these types of problems require assignment of computations in rather arbitrary ways. Naive implementations of programs on distributed memory machines requiring general loop partitions can be extremely inefficient. Instead, the scheduling mechanism needs to capture the data reference patterns of the loops in order to partition the problem. First, the indices assigned to each processor must be locally numbered. Next, it is necessary to precompute what information is needed by each processor at various points in the computation. The precomputed information is then used to generate an execution template designed to carry out the computation, communication, and partitioning of data, in an optimized manner. The design is presented for a general preprocessor and schedule executer, the structures of which do not vary, even though the details of the computation and of the type of information are problem dependent.

Crowley, Kay↗

Run-time scheduling and execution of loops on message passing machines

Sparse system solvers and general purpose codes for solving partial differential equations are examples of the many types of problems whose irregularity can result in poor performance on distributed memory machines. Often, the data structures used in these problems are very flexible. Crucial details concerning loop dependences are encoded in these structures rather than being explicitly represented in the program. Good methods for parallelizing and partitioning these types of problems require assignment of computations in rather arbitrary ways. Naive implementations of programs on distributed memory machines requiring general loop partitions can be extremely inefficient. Instead, the scheduling mechanism needs to capture the data reference patterns of the loops in order to partition the problem. First, the indices assigned to each processor must be locally numbered. Next, it is necessary to precompute what information is needed by each processor at various points in the computation. The precomputed information is then used to generate an execution template designed to carry out the computation, communication, and partitioning of data, in an optimized manner. The design is presented for a general preprocessor and schedule executer, the structures of which do not vary, even though the details of the computation and of the type of information are problem dependent.

Saltz, Joel↗

Spitzer Space Telescope Sequencing Operations Software, Strategies, and Lessons Learned

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) was launched in August, 2003, and renamed to the Spitzer Space Telescope in 2004. Two years of observing the universe in the wavelength range from 3 to 180 microns has yielded enormous scientific discoveries. Since this magnificent observatory has a limited lifetime, maximizing science viewing efficiency (ie, maximizing time spent executing activities directly related to science observations) was the key operational objective. The strategy employed for maximizing science viewing efficiency was to optimize spacecraft flexibility, adaptability, and use of observation time. The selected approach involved implementation of a multi-engine sequencing architecture coupled with nondeterministic spacecraft and science execution times. This approach, though effective, added much complexity to uplink operations and sequence development. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages Spitzer s operations. As part of the uplink process, Spitzer s Mission Sequence Team (MST) was tasked with processing observatory inputs from the Spitzer Science Center (SSC) into efficiently integrated, constraint-checked, and modeled review and command products which accommodated the complexity of non-deterministic spacecraft and science event executions without increasing operations costs. The MST developed processes, scripts, and participated in the adaptation of multi-mission core software to enable rapid processing of complex sequences. The MST was also tasked with developing a Downlink Keyword File (DKF) which could instruct Deep Space Network (DSN) stations on how and when to configure themselves to receive Spitzer science data. As MST and uplink operations developed, important lessons were learned that should be applied to future missions, especially those missions which employ command-intensive operations via a multi-engine sequence architecture.

missions operations↗

Separating essentials from incidentals: an execution architecture for real-time control systems

This paper describes an execution architecture that makes such systems far more analyzable and verifiable by aggressive separation of concerns. The architecture separates two key software concerns: transformations of global state, as defined in pure functions; and sequencing/timing of transformations, as performed by an engine that enforces four prime invariants. The important advantage of this architecture, besides facilitating verification, is that it encourages formal specification of systems in a vocabulary that brings systems engineering closer to software engineering.

execution architecture↗

Profiles of upcoming HPC Applications and their Impact on Reservation Strategies

With the expected convergence between HPC, BigData and AI, new applications with different profiles are coming to HPC infrastructures. Here, we aim at better understanding the features and needs of these applications in order to be able to run them efficiently on HPC platforms. The approach followed is bottom-up: we study thoroughly an emerging application from the neuroscience community (SLANT) to understand its behavior. Based on these observations, we derive a generic, yet simple, application model (namely, a linear sequence of stochastic jobs). We expect this model to be representative for a large set of upcoming applications that require the computational power of HPC clusters without fitting the typical behavior of large-scale traditional applications. In a second step, we show how one can manipulate this generic model in a scheduling framework. Specifically we consider the problem of making reservations (both time and memory) for an execution on an HPC platform. We derive solutions using the model of the first step of this work. We experimentally show the robustness of the model, even with very few data or with another application, to generate the model, and provide performance gains with regards to standard and more recent approaches used in the neuroscience community.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Estimating an executive summary of a time series: the tendency

In this paper, we revisit the problem of decomposing a signal into a tendency and a residual. The tendency describes an executive summary of a signal that encapsulates its notable characteristics while disregarding seemingly random, less interesting aspects. Building upon the Intrinsic Time Decomposition (ITD) and information-theoretical analysis, we introduce two alternative procedures for selecting the tendency from the ITD baselines. The first is based on the maximum extrema prominence, namely the maximum difference between extrema within each baseline. Specifically this method selects the tendency as the baseline from which an ITD step would produce the largest decline of the maximum prominence. The second method uses the rotations from the ITD and selects the tendency as the last baseline for which the associated rotation is statistically stationary. We delve into a comparative analysis of the information content and interpretability of the tendencies obtained by our proposed methods and those obtained through conventional low-pass filtering schemes, particularly the Hodrik–Prescott (HP) filter. Our findings underscore a fundamental distinction in the nature and interpretability of these tendencies, highlighting their context-dependent utility with emphasis in multi-scale signals. Through a series of real-world applications, we demonstrate the computational robustness and practical utility of our proposed tendencies, emphasizing their adaptability and relevance in diverse time series contexts.

Time series analysis↗

Computer architecture for efficient algorithmic executions in real-time systems: New technology for avionics systems and advanced space vehicles

Improvements and advances in the development of computer architecture now provide innovative technology for the recasting of traditional sequential solutions into high-performance, low-cost, parallel system to increase system performance. Research conducted in development of specialized computer architecture for the algorithmic execution of an avionics system, guidance and control problem in real time is described. A comprehensive treatment of both the hardware and software structures of a customized computer which performs real-time computation of guidance commands with updated estimates of target motion and time-to-go is presented. An optimal, real-time allocation algorithm was developed which maps the algorithmic tasks onto the processing elements. This allocation is based on the critical path analysis. The final stage is the design and development of the hardware structures suitable for the efficient execution of the allocated task graph. The processing element is designed for rapid execution of the allocated tasks. Fault tolerance is a key feature of the overall architecture. Parallel numerical integration techniques, tasks definitions, and allocation algorithms are discussed. The parallel implementation is analytically verified and the experimental results are presented. The design of the data-driven computer architecture, customized for the execution of the particular algorithm, is discussed.

Carroll, Chester C.↗

Template Matching Approach to Signal Prediction

A new approach to signal prediction and prognostic assessment of spacecraft health resolves an inherent difficulty in fusing sensor data with simulated data. This technique builds upon previous work that demonstrated the importance of physics-based transient models to accurate prediction of signal dynamics and system performance. While models can greatly improve predictive accuracy, they are difficult to apply in general because of variations in model type, accuracy, or intended purpose. However, virtually any flight project will have at least some modeling capability at its disposal, whether a full-blown simulation, partial physics models, dynamic look-up tables, a brassboard analogue system, or simple hand-driven calculation by a team of experts. Many models can be used to develop a predict, or an estimate of the next day s or next cycle s behavior, which is typically used for planning purposes. The fidelity of a predict varies from one project to another, depending on the complexity of the simulation (i.e. linearized or full differential equations) and the level of detail in anticipated system operation, but typically any predict cannot be adapted to changing conditions or adjusted spacecraft command execution. Applying a predict blindly, without adapting the predict to current conditions, produces mixed results at best, primarily due to mismatches between assumed execution of spacecraft activities and actual times of execution. This results in the predict becoming useless during periods of complicated behavior, exactly when the predict would be most valuable. Each spacecraft operation tends to show up as a transient in the data, and if the transients are misaligned, using the predict can actually harm forecasting performance. To address this problem, the approach here expresses the predict in terms of a baseline function superposed with one or more transient functions. These transients serve as signal templates, which can be relocated in time and space against the signal background. One then has the ability to reconstruct a signal regardless of the precise timing of the transients. During operation, one applies the actual start times of spacecraft activities as they occur, and produces a reconstructed, accurate predict in real-time. This general approach is valid under two important conditions. First, the transients themselves must be time-invariant. Second, the transients must be reasonably consistent with respect to different operating points. Both of these assumptions are generally valid, but in the case of a complicated system with numerous types of overlapping transients, this approach may not be effective. Fortunately, there tend to be few transients in spacecraft telemetry of sensor quantities or low-level health and status information because these signals rarely reflect multiple different types of operation. Furthermore, if the predict is at least reasonably close to actual operation, the shift either in time, or in the operating point when the transient occurs - is likely to be small. The proposed approach considers three ways to recognize a transient. The first and most reliable is to use a different signal that identifies operating mode - often the transient will be correlated to a change in operating mode, and this change can usually be detected positively from discrete signals in spacecraft telemetry. If there is no useful mode signal, the second option is to identify the transient template by hand, and detect the onset of the transient using a curve-fitting approach. Finally, if one elects not to choose by hand, there is an option for automatic selection. This technique has been applied to sensor data from several JPL missions and industrial applications, demonstrating an improvement in accurate prediction of future behavior and early detection of system problems. This technique is applicable to practically any time-varying, quantitative sensor measurement.

Mackey, Ryan↗

Parallel Simulation of Quantum Networks with Distributed Quantum State Management

Quantum network simulators offer the opportunity to cost-efficiently investigate potential avenues for building networks that scale with the number of users, communication distance, and application demands by simulating alternative hardware designs and control protocols. Several quantum network simulators have been recently developed with these goals in mind. As the size of the simulated networks increases, however, sequential execution becomes time-consuming. Parallel execution presents a suitable method for scalable simulations of large-scale quantum networks, but the unique attributes of quantum information create unexpected challenges. In this work, we identify requirements for parallel simulation of quantum networks and develop the first parallel discrete-event quantum network simulator by modifying the existing serial simulator SeQUeNCe. Our contributions include the design and development of a quantum state manager (QSM) that maintains shared quantum information distributed across multiple processes. We also optimize our parallel code by minimizing the overhead of the QSM and decreasing the amount of synchronization needed among processes. Using these techniques, we observe a speedup of 2 to 25 times when simulating a 1,024-node linear network topology using 2 to 128 processes. We also observe an efficiency greater than 0.5 for up to 32 processes in a linear network topology of the same size and with the same workload. We repeat this evaluation with a randomized workload on a caveman network. We also introduce several methods for partitioning networks by mapping them to different parallel simulation processes. We have released the parallel SeQUeNCe simulator as an open source tool alongside the existing sequential version.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A Discussion of Time Management Concepts and Time Constraint Equations for Multi-Rate Federation Executions

The High Level Architecture (HLA) is a simulation interoperability standard developed by the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) and published as the international standard IEEE 1516-2010 by the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). HLA is a widely used standard for the development and execution of collaborative distributed simulations. HLA provides a number of Management Services to simulation developers: Federation, Declaration, Object, Ownership, Data Distribution, and Time. Of those services, Time Management Services is probably one of the least understood and least used. However, Time Management Services are critical to technical simulations like those created for space systems using the Space Reference Federation Object Model (SpaceFOM). Time Management can be used to insure data coherence and execution repeatability in distributed simulations. When combined with real time execution policies, Time Management is being used to support real time execution of mixed software and hardware in the loop integration, verification, and validation simulations for active space systems development. This paper starts by providing an overview of the HLA Time Management Services. This provides the background to discuss the challenges associated with Time Management and its use, starting with simple common rate frame scheduled simulations, then simple multi-rate simulations, and ending with complex mixed rate simulations. The authors then formulate the significant time constraint relationships between identified frame scheduling parameters. The intent of the paper is to provide a concise discussion of how to use Time Management in both simple cases and in more complex mixed frame rate federation executions.

Simulation Interoperability↗

A Discussion of Time Management Concepts and Time Constraint Equations for Multi-Rate Federation Executions

The High Level Architecture (HLA) is a simulation interoperability standard developed by the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) and published as the international standard IEEE 1516-2010 by the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). HLA is a widely used standard for the development and execution of collaborative distributed simulations. HLA provides a number of Management Services to simulation developers: Federation, Declaration, Object, Ownership, Data Distribution, and Time. Of those services, Time Management Services is probably one of the least understood and least used. However, Time Management Services are critical to technical simulations like those created for space systems using the Space Reference Federation Object Model (SpaceFOM). Time Management can be used to insure data coherence and execution repeatability in distributed simulations. When combined with real time execution policies, Time Management is being used to support real time execution of mixed software and hardware in the loop integration, verification, and validation simulations for active space systems development. This paper starts by providing an overview of the HLA Time Management Services. This provides the background to discuss the challenges associated with Time Management and its use, starting with simple common rate frame scheduled simulations, then simple multi-rate simulations, and ending with complex mixed rate simulations. The authors then formulate the significant time constraint relationships between identified frame scheduling parameters. The intent of the paper is to provide a concise discussion of how to use Time Management in both simple cases and in more complex mixed frame rate federation executions.

Simulation Interoperability↗

Sub-Second Parallel State Estimation

This report describes the performance of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) sub-second parallel state estimation (PSE) tool using the utility data from the Bonneville Power Administrative (BPA) and discusses the benefits of the fast computational speed for power system applications. The test data were provided by BPA. They are two-days’ worth of hourly snapshots that include power system data and measurement sets in a commercial tool format. These data are extracted out from the commercial tool box and fed into the PSE tool. With the help of advanced solvers, the PSE tool is able to solve each BPA hourly state estimation problem within one second, which is more than 10 times faster than today’s commercial tool. This improved computational performance can help increase the reliability value of state estimation in many aspects: (1) the shorter the time required for execution of state estimation, the more time remains for operators to take appropriate actions, and/or to apply automatic or manual corrective control actions. This increases the chances of arresting or mitigating the impact of cascading failures; (2) the SE can be executed multiple times within time allowance. Therefore, the robustness of SE can be enhanced by repeating the execution of the SE with adaptive adjustments, including removing bad data and/or adjusting different initial conditions to compute a better estimate within the same time as a traditional state estimator’s single estimate. There are other benefits with the sub-second SE, such as that the PSE results can potentially be used in local and/or wide-area automatic corrective control actions that are currently dependent on raw measurements to minimize the impact of bad measurements, and provides opportunities to enhance the power grid reliability and efficiency. PSE also can enable other advanced tools that rely on SE outputs and could be used to further improve operators’ actions and automated controls to mitigate effects of severe events on the grid. The power grid continues to grow and the number of measurements is increasing at an accelerated rate due to the variety of smart grid devices being introduced. A parallel state estimation implementation will have better performance than traditional, sequential state estimation by utilizing the power of high performance computing (HPC). This increased performance positions parallel state estimators as valuable tools for operating the increasingly more complex power grid.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Timing issues in the distributed execution of Ada programs

This paper examines, in the context of distributed execution, the meaning of Ada constructs involving time. In the process, unresolved questions of interpretation and problems with the implementation of a consistent notion of time across a network are uncovered. It is observed that there are two Ada mechanisms that can involve a distributed sense of time: the conditional entry call, and the timed entry call. It is shown that a recent interpretation by the Language Maintenance Committee resolves the questions for the conditional entry calls but results in an anomaly for timed entry calls. A detailed discussion of alternative implementations for the timed entry call is made, and it is aruged that: (1) timed entry calls imply a common sense of time between the machines holding the calling and called tasks; and (2) the measurement of time for the expiration of the delay and the decision of whether or not to perform the rendezvous should be made on the machine holding the called task. The need to distinguish the unreadiness of the called task from timeouts caused by network failure is pointed out. Finally, techniques for realizing a single sense of time across the distributed system (at least to within an acceptable degree of uncertainty) are also discussed.

Volz, Richard A.↗

Autonomous Real Time Requirements Tracing

One of the more challenging aspects of software development is the ability to verify and validate the functional software requirements dictated by the Software Requirements Specification (SRS) and the Software Detail Design (SDD). Insuring the software has achieved the intended requirements is the responsibility of the Software Quality team and the Software Test team. The utilization of Timeliner-TLX(sup TM) Auto- Procedures for relocating ground operations positions to ISS automated on-board operations has begun the transition that would be required for manned deep space missions with minimal crew requirements. This transition also moves the auto-procedures from the procedure realm into the flight software arena and as such the operational requirements and testing will be more structured and rigorous. The autoprocedures would be required to meet NASA software standards as specified in the Software Safety Standard (NASASTD- 8719), the Software Engineering Requirements (NPR 7150), the Software Assurance Standard (NASA-STD-8739) and also the Human Rating Requirements (NPR-8705). The Autonomous Fluid Transfer System (AFTS) test-bed utilizes the Timeliner-TLX(sup TM) Language for development of autonomous command and control software. The Timeliner-TLX(sup TM) system has the unique feature of providing the current line of the statement in execution during real-time execution of the software. The feature of execution line number internal reporting unlocks the capability of monitoring the execution autonomously by use of a companion Timeliner-TLX(sup TM) sequence as the line number reporting is embedded inside the Timeliner-TLX(sup TM) execution engine. This negates I/O processing of this type data as the line number status of executing sequences is built-in as a function reference. This paper will outline the design and capabilities of the AFTS Autonomous Requirements Tracker, which traces and logs SRS requirements as they are being met during real-time execution of the targeted system. It is envisioned that real time requirements tracing will greatly assist the movement of autoprocedures to flight software enhancing the software assurance of auto-procedures and also their acceptance as reliable commanders.

Plattsmier, George↗