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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 649 records · Page 36

Development of non-linear finite element computer code

Recent work has shown that the use of separable symmetric functions of the principal stretches can adequately describe the response of certain propellant materials and, further, that a data reduction scheme gives a convenient way of obtaining the values of the functions from experimental data. Based on representation of the energy, a computational scheme was developed that allows finite element analysis of boundary value problems of arbitrary shape and loading. The computational procedure was implemental in a three-dimensional finite element code, TEXLESP-S, which is documented herein.

Becker, E. B.↗

Robotic space simulation integration of vision algorithms into an orbital operations simulation

In order to successfully plan and analyze future space activities, computer-based simulations of activities in low earth orbit will be required to model and integrate vision and robotic operations with vehicle dynamics and proximity operations procedures. The orbital operations simulation (OOS) is configured and enhanced as a testbed for robotic space operations. Vision integration algorithms are being developed in three areas: preprocessing, recognition, and attitude/attitude rates. The vision program (Rice University) was modified for use in the OOS. Systems integration testing is now in progress.

Bochsler, Daniel C.↗

Sensitivity analysis for the dynamic response of thermoviscoplastic shells of revolution

A computational procedure is presented for evaluating the sensitivity coefficients of the dynamic axisymmetric, fully-coupled, thermoviscoplastic response of shells of revolution. The analytical formulation is based on Reissner's large deformation shell theory with the effects of large-strain, transverse shear deformation, rotatory inertia and moments turning around the normal to the middle surface included. The material model is chosen to be viscoplasticity with strain hardening and thermal hardening, and an associated flow rule is used with a von Mises effective stress. A mixed formulation is used for the shell equations with the fundamental unknowns consisting of six stress resultants, three generalized displacements and three velocity components. The energy-balance equation is solved using a Galerkin procedure, with the temperature as the fundamental unknown. Spatial discretization is performed in one dimension (meridional direction) for the momentum and constitutive equations of the shell, and in two dimensions (meridional and thickness directions) for the energy-balance equation. The temporal integration is performed by using an explicit central difference scheme (leap-frog method) for the momentum equation; a predictor-corrector version of the trapezoidal rule is used for the energy-balance equation; and an explicit scheme consistent with the central difference method is used to integrate the constitutive equations. The sensitivity coefficients are evaluated by using a direct differentiation approach. Numerical results are presented for a spherical cap subjected to step loading.

Kulkarni, Makarand↗

Effects of leading and trailing edge flaps on the aerodynamics of airfoil/vortex interactions

A numerical procedure has been developed for predicting the two-dimensional parallel interaction between a free convecting vortex and a NACA 0012 airfoil having leading and trailing edge integral-type flaps. Special emphasis is placed on the unsteady flap motion effects which result in alleviating the interaction at subcritical and supercritical onset flows. The numerical procedure described here is based on the implicit finite-difference solutions to the unsteady two-dimensional full potential equation. Vortex-induced effects are computed using the Biot-Savart Law with allowance for a finite core radius. The vortex-induced velocities at the surface of the airfoil are incorporated into the potential flow model via the use of the velocity transpiration approach. Flap motion effects are also modeled using the transpiration approach. For subcritical interactions, our results indicate that trailing edge flaps can be used to alleviate the impulsive loads experienced by the airfoil. For supercritical interactions, our results demonstrate the necessity of using a leading edge flap, rather than a trailing edge flap, to alleviate the interaction. Results for various time-dependent flap motions and their effect on the predicted temporal sectional loads, differential pressures, and the free vortex trajectories are presented

Hassan, Ahmed A.↗

An Approach to Dynamic Human Reliability Analysis using EMRALD Dynamic Risk Assessment Tool

Research for dynamic human reliability analysis (HRA) (a.k.a., simulation-based or computation-based HRA) has been required, as many researchers have emphasized the importance of dynamic approaches to probabilistic safety assessment (PSA). This study proposes the PRocedure-based Investigation Method of EMRALD Risk Assessment – Human Reliability Analysis (PRIMERA-HRA) method, which is an approach to dynamic HRA using the Event Modeling Risk Assessment using Linked Diagram (EMRALD) software developed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). In this study, how to model human actions using the software and evaluate the error probabilities is suggested. The applicability of this approach will be also investigated through an extended loss of AC power (ELAP) scenario. Then, major insights from this dynamic HRA approach against the static one will be discussed in the paper.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

An operation verification strategy against network attack of DCS in nuclear power plant - 323

Digital Instrumentation and control (I and C) system serves as the 'senses and nervous system' of a nuclear power plant (NPP). It plays an important role in the safe and economic operation in the NPPs. Digital I and C system has a series of advantages compared with analogue ones, but the introduction of the operation system platform, the application software, and the network communication structure are causing security risk to the power plant. Different kinds of procedures have already been adopted against these risks such as the communication isolation, but the security attacks still occur from time to time in the industrial fields around the world. This paper presents two computer security methods based on the thought of software verification and validation with step-by-step operation identification. First, three scenarios of security attack are proposed according to the structure of a distributed control system (DCS). Then a method with two network bypasses and a security computer are adopted to obtain the operation commands, the actuation signal, and the operation feedback in case of the first two scenarios by identifying the consistency of the obtained data. Furthermore, the method is optimized by combining the operation procedure and the camera shot to identify the anomaly of the information flow, thus to improve the effectiveness against the computer security issues. In the end, the influence and feasibility of this method is discussed. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Efficient and robust stability analysis in the internal energy, volume, and moles (UVN) space

Hydrodynamic simulation of fluids in vessels is often based on the internal energy (U), volume (V), and the number of moles of all components ( re N = N 1 , N 2 , ..., N n ) as the working variables to determine the thermodynamic state by finding the global maximum of entropy. The procedure of finding the equilibrium state may be divided into two steps: stability analysis and phase-split computations. Stability analysis is performed first, and the phase-split computation proceeds if the system is unstable. Most of the past work on UVN space has been based on phase-split computations, while the stability analysis is barely investigated. Furthermore, previous studies for the stability analysis use only Newton's method to solve the non-linear algebraic equations. We present an efficient and robust approach for stability analysis where UVN is specified. The successive substitution iteration (SSI) is used to provide good initial guesses for Newton's method. The proposed approach results in a reduced number of unknowns and does not require a large number of iterations to achieve convergence in Newton's method. Overall, our proposed formulation is compatible with different equations of state and is applicable to both pure component and multi-components. The robustness and efficiency of the algorithm for stability analysis are demonstrated in various examples.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Methods of training the graduate level and professional geologist in remote sensing technology

Requirements for a basic course in remote sensing to accommodate the needs of the graduate level and professional geologist are described. The course should stress the general topics of basic remote sensing theory, the theory and data types relating to different remote sensing systems, an introduction to the basic concepts of computer image processing and analysis, the characteristics of different data types, the development of methods for geological interpretations, the integration of all scales and data types of remote sensing in a given study, the integration of other data bases (geophysical and geochemical) into a remote sensing study, and geological remote sensing applications. The laboratories should stress hands on experience to reinforce the concepts and procedures presented in the lecture. The geologist should then be encouraged to pursue a second course in computer image processing and analysis of remotely sensed data.

Kolm, K. E.↗

Paired Neural Network for Matching Experimental and Predicted Infrared Spectra

Here, we present a novel machine learning (ML)-based scoring technique for determining the similarity between experimental and predicted infrared (IR) spectra for identification purposes. IR spectroscopy is a powerful technique used to identify the molecular structure and composition of a sample by measuring the unique vibrational frequency pattern of the molecule’s functional groups. Molecular identifications are often made by comparing experimental and reference spectra. However, the limited number of reference spectra available in spectral libraries can confound the identification process. Alternative identification procedures rely on in silico techniques to simulate spectra for a wide range of molecules. However, scoring spectral similarity between an experimental query and computationally predicted reference remains a significant challenge. Our proposed ML-based scoring technique overcomes these barriers by accurately and efficiently determining spectral similarity.

Neural Network↗

Data Mining of Network Logs

The statement of purpose is to analyze network monitoring logs to support the computer incident response team. Specifically, gain a clear understanding of the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and its structure, and provide a way to breakdown a URL based on protocol, host name domain name, path, and other attributes. Finally, provide a method to perform data reduction by identifying the different types of advertisements shown on a webpage for incident data analysis. The procedures used for analysis and data reduction will be a computer program which would analyze the URL and identify and advertisement links from the actual content links.

Collazo, Carlimar↗

A structure preserving Lanczos algorithm for computing the optical absorption spectrum

We present a new structure preserving Lanczos algorithm for approximating the optical absorption spectrum in the context of solving full Bethe-Salpeter equation without Tamm-Dancoff approximation. The new algorithm is based on a structure preserving Lanczos procedure, which exploits the special block structure of Bethe-Salpeter Hamiltonian matrices. A recently developed technique of generalized averaged Gauss quadrature is incorporated to accelerate the convergence. We also establish the connection between our structure preserving Lanczos procedure with several existing Lanczos procedures developed in different contexts. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of our Lanczos algorithm.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Exact Bayesian computation using H-functions

In the Bayesian Statistics, the use of conjugate prior distributions allows to obtain exact posterior quantities, avoiding the use of approximate methods. However, there are only a few conjugate structures available, which limits the use in practical problems. In this work we propose a general procedure to obtain the posterior distribution in an exact form in non-conjugate location parameter models with known (possibly, heteroskedastic) variance. The theory is based on special functions, specifically the H-function, which embraces most of the probability distributions. We express explicitly in a computable form all the Bayesian tools for posterior inferences, that is the posterior and the posterior predictive distributions and their moments, as well as the cumulative posterior distribution. As an illustration we consider a problem in astronomy of estimating the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud, the largest galaxy now orbiting the Milky Way Galaxy.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Criticality Safety Validation of SCALE 6.1 with ENDF/B-VII.0 Libraries

ANSI/ANS-8.1-1998;2007, Nuclear Criticality Safety in Operations with Fissionable Material Outside Reactors, and ANSI/ANS-8.24-2007, Validation of Neutron Transport Methods for Nuclear Criticality Safety Calculations, require validation of a computer code and the associated data through benchmark evaluations based on physical experiments. The performance of the code and data are validated by comparing the calculated and the benchmark results. A SCALE procedure has been established to generate a Verified, Archived Library of Inputs and Data (VALID). This procedure provides a framework for preparing, peer reviewing, and controlling models and data sets derived from benchmark definitions so that the models and data can be used with confidence. The procedure ensures that the models and data were correctly generated using appropriate references with documented checks and reviews. Configuration management is implemented to prevent inadvertent modification of the models and data or inclusion of models that have not been subjected to the rigorous review process. VALID entries for criticality safety are based on critical experiments documented in the International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments (IHECSBE). The findings of a criticality safety validation of SCALE 6.1 utilizing the benchmark models vetted in the VALID library at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are summarized here.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

On the computation of the transonic perturbation flow field around two- and three-dimensional oscillating wings

A finite difference method for solving the unsteady flow about harmonically oscillating wings is investigated. The procedure is based on separating the velocity potential into steady and unsteady parts and linearizing the resulting unsteady differential equation for small disturbances. Solutions are obtained using relaxation procedures. It is determined that there is a limit on reduced frequency, which is a function of Mach number and size of mesh region, above which the relaxation procedures will not converge. It is found that row line relaxation is more efficient than column relaxation and results are presented for a rectangular wing in harmonic pitch.

Weatherill, W. H.↗

Flyover-Noise Reduction of Commercial Aircraft via Reduced Slat Deflections and Modified Flight Procedures

Current regulation and operation of commercial aircraft result in flyover noise that generates public protest from residents well outside the recognized noise footprint of modern airports. This noise issue was recently exacerbated by the implementation of NextGen air-traffic control which uses GPS-navigation for predictable flight paths and improved efficiency. A side-effect of the narrow flight corridors is a perceived increase in noise level and annoyance experienced by the residents directly under the flight paths. As a possible solution to the community noise issue, the feasibility of a lower slat deflections and modified flight procedures were explored. To document the maximum potential noise reduction, field measurements were conducted on the ground at locations before and after slat deployment. For safety considerations, the stall margin of a lower slat deflection was computed for a realistic geometry based on a modern commercial aircraft. The logistics of setting lower slat angles on current aircraft were also investigated through discussions with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and aircraft manufacturers. The results suggest that community flyover noise could be reduced via lower slat deflections during early approach, but that modifying current aircraft would be difficult due to existing control systems and hurdles in certification. Alternatively, modifications to existing flight procedures could reduce the perceived noise of the NextGen flight patterns. For next generation commercial aircraft, reduced slat deflections could be considered if mandated by FAA noise requirements during early approach.

Storms, Bruce L.↗

Speculation and replication in temperature accelerated dynamics

Accelerated Molecular Dynamics (AMD) is a class of MD-based algorithms for the long-time scale simulation of atomistic systems that are characterized by rare-event transitions. Temperature-Accelerated Dynamics (TAD), a traditional AMD approach, hastens state-to-state transitions by performing MD at an elevated temperature. Recently, Speculatively-Parallel TAD (SpecTAD) was introduced, allowing the TAD procedure to exploit parallel computing systems by concurrently executing in a dynamically generated list of speculative future states. Although speculation can be very powerful, it is not always the most efficient use of parallel resources. In this paper, we compare the performance of speculative parallelism with a replica-based technique, similar to the Parallel Replica Dynamics method. A hybrid SpecTAD approach is also presented, in which each speculation process is further accelerated by a local set of replicas. Finally and overall, this work motivates the use of hybrid parallelism whenever possible, as some combination of speculation and replication is typically most efficient.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A continuous analogue of the tensor-train decomposition

We develop new approximation algorithms and data structures for representing and computing with multivariate functions using the functional tensor-train (FT), a continuous extension of the tensor-train (TT) decomposition. The FT represents functions using a tensor-train ansatz by replacing the three-dimensional TT cores with univariate matrix-valued functions. The main contribution of this paper is a framework to compute the FT that employs adaptive approximations of univariate fibers, and that is not connected to any tensorized discretization. The algorithm can be coupled with any univariate linear or nonlinear approximation procedure. We demonstrate that this approach can generate multivariate function approximations that are several orders of magnitude more accurate, for the same cost, than those based on the conventional approach of compressing the coefficient tensor of a tensor-product basis. Our approach is in the spirit of other continuous computation packages such as Chebfun, and yields an algorithm which requires the computation of “continuous” matrix factorizations such as the LU and QR decompositions of vector-valued functions. To support these developments, we describe continuous versions of an approximate maximum-volume cross approximation algorithm and of a rounding algorithm that re-approximates an FT by one of lower ranks. We demonstrate that our technique improves accuracy and robustness, compared to TT and quantics-TT approaches with fixed parameterizations, of high-dimensional integration, differentiation, and approximation of functions with local features such as discontinuities and other nonlinearities.

42 ENGINEERING↗