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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Imaging and dosimetric characteristics of 67 Cu

In recent years the use of beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals for cancer therapy has expanded rapidly following development of therapeutics for neuroendocrine tumors, prostate cancer, and other oncologic malignancies. One emerging beta-emitting radioisotope of interest for therapy is 67 Cu (t 1/2 : 2.6 d) due to its chemical equivalency with the widely-established positron-emitting isotope 64 Cu (t 1/2 : 12.7 h). Here we evaluate both the imaging and dosimetric characteristics of 67 Cu, as well as producing the first report of SPECT/CT imaging using 67 Cu. To this end, 67 Cu was produced by photon-induced reactions on isotopically-enriched 68 Zn at the Low-Energy Accelerator Facility (LEAF) of Argonne National Laboratory, followed by bulk separation of metallic 68 Zn by sublimation and radiochemical purification by column chromatography. Gamma spectrometry was performed by efficiency-calibrated high-purity germanium (HPGe) analysis to verify absolute activity calibration and establish radionuclidic purity. Absolute activity measurements corroborated manufacturer-recommended dose-calibrator settings and no radionuclidic impurities were observed. Using the Clinical Trials Network anthropomorphic chest phantom, SPECT/CT images were acquired. Medium Energy (ME) SPECT collimation was found to provide the best image quality from the primary 185 keV gamma emission of 67 Cu. Reconstructed images of 67 Cu were similar in quality to images acquired using 177 Lu. Recovery coefficients were calculated and compared against quantitative images of 99m Tc, 177 Lu, and 64 Cu within the same anthropomorphic chest phantom. Production and clinical imaging of 67 Cu appears feasible, and future studies investigating the therapeutic efficacy of 67 Cu-based radiopharmaceuticals are warranted.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Proton reconstruction with the CMS-TOTEM Precision Proton Spectrometer

The Precision Proton Spectrometer (PPS) of the CMS and TOTEM experiments collected 107.7 fb$^{-1}$ in proton-proton (pp) collisions at the LHC at 13 TeV (Run 2). This paper describes the key features of the PPS alignment and optics calibrations, the proton reconstruction procedure, as well as the detector efficiency and the performance of the PPS simulation. The reconstruction and simulation are validated using a sample of (semi)exclusive dilepton events. The performance of PPS has proven the feasibility of continuously operating a near-beam proton spectrometer at a high luminosity hadron collider.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

A map of roadmaps for zero and low energy and carbon buildings worldwide

Formulation of targets and establishing which factors in different contexts will achieve these targets are critical to successful decarbonization of the building sector. To contribute to this, we have performed an evidence map of roadmaps for zero and low energy and carbon buildings (ZLECB) worldwide, including a list and classification of documents in an on-line geographical map, a description of gaps, and a narrative review of the knowledge gluts. We have retrieved 1219 scientific documents from Scopus, extracted metadata from 274 documents, and identified 117 roadmaps, policies or plans from 27 countries worldwide. We find that there is a coverage bias towards more developed regions. The identified scientific studies are mostly recommendations to policy makers, different types of case studies, and demonstration projects. The geographical inequalities found in the coverage of the scientific literature are even more extreme in the coverage of the roadmaps. These underexplored world regions represent an area for further investigation and increased research/policy attention. Our review of the more substantial amount of literature and roadmaps for developed regions shows differences in target metrics and enforcement mechanisms but that all regions dedicate some efforts at national and local levels. Roadmaps generally focus more on new and public buildings than existing buildings, despite the fact that the latter are naturally larger in number and total floor area, and perform less energy efficiently. A combination of efficiency, technical upgrades, and renewable generation is generally proposed in the roadmaps, with behavioral measures only reflected in the use of information and communication technologies, and minimal focus being placed on lifecycle perspectives. We conclude that insufficient progress is being made in the implementation of ZLECB. More work is needed to couple the existing climate goals, with realistic, enforceable policies to make the carbon savings a reality for different contexts and stakeholders worldwide.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Stochastic properties of ultralight scalar field gradients

Ultralight axion-like particles are well-motivated dark matter candidates that are the target of numerous direct detection efforts. In the vicinity of the Solar System, such particles can be treated as oscillating scalar fields. The velocity dispersion of the Milky Way determines a coherence time of about 10 6 oscillations, beyond which the amplitude of the axion field fluctuates stochastically. Any analysis of data from an axion direct detection experiment must carefully account for this stochastic behavior to properly interpret the results. This is especially true for experiments sensitive to the gradient of the axion field that are unable to collect data for many coherence times. Indeed, the direction, in addition to the amplitude, of the axion field gradient fluctuates stochastically. We present the first complete stochastic treatment for the gradient of the axion field, including multiple computationally efficient methods for performing likelihood-based data analysis, which can be applied to any axion signal, regardless of coherence time. Additionally, we demonstrate that ignoring the stochastic behavior of the gradient of the axion field can potentially result in failure to discover a true axion signal

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Desmearing small-angle scattering data by central moment expansions of instrument resolution

This study introduces an enhanced numerical technique tailored specifically for refining 1D small-angle scattering (SAS) intensity profiles affected by smearing. Our primary objective is to address the resolution blurring commonly encountered in SAS data, particularly in systems with clearly defined correlation peaks whose spread aligns with the width of the resolution function at corresponding Q positions. Unlike previous approaches that expanded the SAS intensity using central moment expansion, the new method focuses on expanding the resolution function itself, thus eliminating artificial oscillations observed in smeared spectra due to limitations inherent in our earlier algorithm. This method is straightforward to implement, computationally efficient and consistently performs well in numerical benchmarking. To illustrate its effectiveness, we present a case study of a lamellar phase characterized by distinct peaks in its small-angle neutron scattering intensities.

central moment expansions↗
DOE OSTI2023

Aviation Mission Profile Performance Evaluation in a High Specific Power Surface Permanent Magnet Machine with Additively Manufactured Coils and Integrated Heat Pipes

The purpose of this paper is to accurately evaluate the performance and overall efficiency of an electrical machine driving a propeller (as a part of a hybrid or electric propulsion system) during the flight mission profile using electromagnetic-thermal simulations. The study focuses on a 250 kW, 5000 rpm, 1.25 kHz, 36/30 slot/pole surface permanent magnet (SPM) machine with additively manufactured (AM) hollow conductors and integrated heat pipes (HP). The machine drive parameters (frequency, and current) are tuned to maximize the efficiency for a given flight cycle, while providing the highest specific power (SP) during takeoff. Afterward using Multiphysics simulations, the transient thermal behavior of the machine is studied and temperature profile for different parts of the machine is extracted. Finally, steady-state temperatures during cruising are estimated and overall efficiency is re-evaluated.

additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2020

Model Validation and Demonstration of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Parcel Delivery Truck

With an emphasis on reducing fossil fuel consumption and emissions, major delivery service corporations have begun deploying and operating Class 6 battery electric delivery vans. Fuel cell hybrid delivery vans offer a zero emissions solution with extended range and route planning flexibility. This paper follows a prior publication [1] on the vehicle modeling and design and presents demonstration data and a validation of the prior modeling and design effort. Here, the validation exercise shows that the modeling tools predict performance and energy efficiency within 5% for most of the routes, while the demonstration data shows that in service operation fuel economy was over 14 km/kg of hydrogen gas. In addition, results from a range test showed the vehicle design and onboard hydrogen storage was able to surpass the design target range of 200 km.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integrated Large-Scale Data Management Platform for Photovoltaic Power Conversion Equipment (PCE) Reliability Data

To meet the demand for accuracy and real-time capability of PV system degradation evaluation, massive volume data is needed to run high-fidelity and high-efficiency simulations and perform advanced data analysis. However, PV farm operators have a series of difficulties with PV inverter data, such as data collection from multiple channels, massive data storage, data management and massive data analysis. To address these challenges, we developed an integrated data management platform capable of data acquisition, processing, storage, query, and performing big data analysis utilizing AI algorithms. The platform can also achieve data correctness verification and provide an effective distributed data management solution to retrieve massive data and establish a connection to distributed computational frameworks.

data management platform↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ocelot: An Interactive, Efficient Distributed Compression-As-a-Service Platform With Optimized Data Compression Techniques

Large volumes of data generated by scientific simulations, genome sequencing, and other applications need to be moved among clusters for data collection/analysis. Data compression techniques have effectively reduced data storage and transfer costs. However, users' requirements on interactively controlling both data quality and compression ratios are non-trivial to fulfill. Here, we propose a novel Compression-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform called Ocelot with four important contributions: (1) It offers real-time visualization, interactive compression, and transfer of scientific datasets. (2) It incorporates new strategies for compressing diverse types of datasets more effectively than traditional methods. (3) It provides an effective method for estimating the compression ratio and execution time of compression tasks. (4) Experiments on multiple real-world datasets on geographically distributed computers show that Ocelot can significantly improve data transfer efficiency with a performance gain of more than 10x in computing clusters with relatively slow networks.

compression as a service (CaaS)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Review of Ultrafast Switching Power Modules: Trends, Challenges, and Technical Solutions

Benefiting from the superior properties of wide-bandgap semiconductor materials, wide-bandgap power devices demonstrate exceptional switching performance, enabling more efficient and compact power electronics systems. However, ultrafast switching poses challenges to the reliability of the system in terms of severe oscillations and voltage overshoot, electromagnetic interference, and increased risk of partial discharge. By developing advanced power module packaging for fast-switching power devices, the above-mentioned challenges can be mitigated at the packaging level, enabling the full utilization of the fast-switching capability of wide-bandgap devices. Meanwhile, such technology also lays the groundwork for packaging next-generation power devices with even higher blocking voltage and faster switching speed. In this paper, a comprehensive review of ultrafast switching power modules has been made, including the benefits and status of ultrafast switching power modules, challenges brought by ultrafast switching, and promising technologies to address these challenges. In addition, future development trends and research gaps are also discussed in this paper. Furthermore, this review can serve as a reference for future wide-bandgap power module packaging design.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Distributionally Robust Decentralized Volt-Var Control With Network Reconfiguration

Here, this paper presents a decentralized volt-var optimization (VVO) and network reconfiguration strategy to address the challenges arising from the growing integration of distributed energy resources, particularly photovoltaic (PV) generation units, in active distribution networks. To reconcile control measures with different time resolutions and empower local control centers to handle intermittency locally, the proposed approach leverages a two-stage distributionally robust optimization; decisions on slow-responding control measures and set points that link neighboring subnetworks are made in advance while considering all plausible distributions of uncertain PV outputs. We present a decomposition algorithm with an acceleration scheme for solving the proposed model. Numerical experiments on the IEEE 123 bus distribution system are given to demonstrate its outstanding out-of-sample performance and computational efficiency, which suggests that the proposed method can effectively localize uncertainty via risk-informed proactive timely decisions.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Analysis and Compensation of Tx and Rx IQ Imbalances in Uplink IM-OFDMA Systems

Index modulation-based orthogonal division multiple access (IM-OFDMA) has recently been proposed as a potential technique for future wireless communication systems due to its superior spectral efficiency and error performance over conventional multiple access schemes. However, its performance is still under investigation by researchers in light of a variety of scenarios and assumptions. Following this direction, in this Article, the individual and joint effects of the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) in-phase and quadrature imbalances (IQI) on the bit-error-rate (BER) performance of the uplink IM-OFDMA scheme are investigated by considering whether each user's RF front-end is identical or not. Moreover, to reduce the detrimental effect of IQI, a preamble-based estimation and compensation method is proposed for IM-OFDMA. Closed-form expressions for the average BER of IM-OFDMA are obtained by considering the physical effect of the Tx and Rx IQI. Also, using Monte Carlo simulations, the derived expressions are verified under different system configurations. Furthermore, analytical and simulation results reveal that Tx and Rx IQI cause an error floor in the BER performance of IM-OFDMA schemes. However, the proposed estimation and compensation method not only reduces the impact of IQI but also leads to a better BER performance compared to the case of no IQI, which mainly refers to the frequency diversity caused by the IQI.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Europium-doped barium chloride storage phosphor plate synthesized by pulsed laser deposition

In computed radiography, scattering of the stimulation light by the storage phosphor crystals in the imaging plates negatively impacts spatial resolution. Storage phosphor plates with thinner phosphor layers have been developed to reduce scattering distance and increase spatial resolution, although at the expense of reduced x-ray absorption. The authors hypothesize that a transparent or translucent nanostructured film, containing a much higher percentage of storage phosphor crystals than achievable in bulk glass-ceramic materials made by conventional methods, may have acceptable photostimulated luminescence efficiency and imaging performance characteristics greater than commercial imaging plates. Films were produced via pulsed laser deposition by alternating target materials of the storage phosphor BaCl 2 :Eu 2+ and either silica or silicon. X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence characterization were conducted to confirm the presence of BaCl 2 :Eu 2+ crystallites. The films were able to store optical data and be read out to produce x-ray radiographs demonstrating 50-mu m spatial resolution. The performance of the experimental storage phosphor plates was compared to commercially available imaging plates. The authors demonstrate for the first time the synthesis of a glass-ceramic imaging plate for computed radiography by pulsed laser deposition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Tuning Multigrid Methods with Robust Optimization and Local Fourier Analysis

Local Fourier analysis is a useful tool for predicting and analyzing the performance of many efficient algorithms for the solution of discretized PDEs, such as multigrid and domain decomposition methods. The crucial aspect of local Fourier analysis is that it can be used to minimize an estimate of the spectral radius of a stationary iteration, or the condition number of a preconditioned system, in terms of a symbol representation of the algorithm. In practice, this is a “minimax” problem, minimizing with respect to solver parameters the appropriate measure of work, which involves maximizing over the Fourier frequency. Often, several algorithmic parameters may be determined by local Fourier analysis in order to obtain efficient algorithms. Analytical solutions to minimax problems are rarely possible beyond simple problems; the status quo in local Fourier analysis involves grid sampling, which is prohibitively expensive in high dimensions. In this paper, we propose and explore optimization algorithms to solve these problems efficiently. Finally, several examples, with known and unknown analytical solutions, are presented to show the effectiveness of these approaches.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Measurements of angle-resolved reflectivity of PTFE in liquid xenon with IBEX

Abstract Liquid xenon particle detectors rely on excellent light collection efficiency for their performance. This depends on the high reflectivity of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) at the xenon scintillation wavelength of 178 nm, but the angular dependence of this reflectivity is not well-understood. IBEX is designed to directly measure the angular distribution of xenon scintillation light reflected off PTFE in liquid xenon. These measurements are fully described by a microphysical reflectivity model with few free parameters. Dependence on PTFE type, surface finish, xenon pressure, and wavelength of incident light is explored. Total internal reflection is observed, which results in the dominance of specular over diffuse reflection and a reflectivity near 100% for high angles of incidence.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Design-Technology Co-Optimization for NVM-based Neuromorphic Processing Elements

An emerging use-case of machine learning (ML) is to train a model on a high-performance system and deploy the trained model on energy-constrained embedded systems. Neuromorphic hardware platforms, which operate on principles of the biological brain, can significantly lower the energy overhead of a machine learning inference task, making these platforms an attractive solution for embedded ML systems. In this paper, we present a design-technology tradeoff analysis to implement such inference tasks on the processing elements (PEs) of a Non-Volatile Memory (NVM)-based neuromorphic hardware. Through detailed circuit-level simulations at scaled process technology nodes, we show the negative impact of technology scaling on the information-processing latency, which impacts the quality-of-service (QoS) of an embedded ML system. At a finer granularity, the latency inside a PE depends on 1) the delay introduced by parasitic components on its current paths, and 2) the varying delay to sense different resistance states of its NVM cells. Based on these two observations, we make the following three contributions. First, on the technology front, we propose an optimization scheme where the NVM resistance state that takes the longest time to sense is set on current paths having the least delay, and vice versa, reducing the average PE latency, which improves the QoS. Second, on the architecture front, we introduce isolation transistors within each PE to partition it into regions that can be individually power-gated, reducing both latency and energy. Finally, on the system-software front, we propose a mechanism to leverage the proposed technological and architectural enhancements when implementing a machine-learning inference task on neuromorphic PEs of the hardware. Evaluations with a recent neuromorphic hardware architecture show that our proposed design-technology co-optimization approach improves both performance and energy efficiency of machine-learning inference tasks without incurring high cost-per-bit.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

User-based I/O Profiling for Leadership Scale HPC Workloads

I/O constitutes a significant portion of most of the application run-time. Spawning many such applications concurrently on an HPC system leads to severe I/O contention. Thus, understanding and subsequently reducing I/O contention induced by such multi-tenancy is critical for the efficient and reliable performance of the HPC system. In this study, we demonstrate that an application’s performance is influenced by the command line arguments passed to the job submission. We model an application’s I/O behavior based on two factors: past I/O behavior within a time window and user-configured I/O settings via command-line arguments. We conclude that I/O patterns for well-known HPC applications like E3SM and LAMMP are predictable, with an average uncertainty below 0.25 (A probability of 80%) and near zero (A probability of 100%) within a day. However, I/O pattern variance increases as the study time window lengthens. Additionally, we show that for 38 users and at least 50 applications constituting approximately 93000 job submissions, there is a high correlation between a submitted command line and the past command lines made within 1 to 10 days submitted by the user. We claim the length of this time window is unique per user.

Yazdani, Ahmad Hossein [Virginia Tech, Blacksburg]↗
DOE OSTI2021

Addressing Spacer Channel Resistances in MCDI Using Porous and Pliable Ionic Conductors

Membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) is a unique electrochemical separations platform that allows for energy recovery during electrode regeneration. Similar to other electrochemical separation technologies producing deionized water (e.g. electrodialysis), ohmic resistances in the spacer channel significantly hampers the performance and energy efficiency of the process. This work devised a series of ionomer coated nylon mesh nets to address spacer channel resistances in MCDI. Under constant current operation, the ionomer coated nylon meshes displayed a 300 mV lower cell voltage rise during deionization while sustaining the same deionization rate. Furthermore, energy recovery was improved by 1.4x to 5.5x depending on the saline feed concentration. The lower cell voltage rise during deionization combined with the greater energy recovery with ionomer coated meshes resulted in energy normalized adsorbed salt (ENAS) values that were 2x to 3x greater. Addressing the spacer channel resistances in MCDI allowed for 8% to 19% increase in current density without the cell voltage exceeding 1.6 V—the upper bound set for mitigating parasitic reactions. Operating at higher current density leads to smaller MCDI units for a given deionization requirement and has implications for reducing the capital costs of the MCDI unit.

Palakkal, Varada Menon (ORCID:0000000317038323)↗