Mini-DAQ: A lightweight, low-cost, high resolution, data acquisition system for wave energy converter testing
Not Available
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
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Results for “engineering data”
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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Environmental life cycle impacts of small wastewater treatment plants: Design recommendations for impact mitigation
The objective of this study was to quantify potential mitigation of environmental impacts from the operation and construction of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) from implementing specific design recommendations. The study investigated small WWTPs, many of which are serving slow growing or declining populations. Life Cycle Assessment methodology was used to evaluate and compare the inventory and environmental impacts of nine small WWTP case studies. Detailed inventory data was collected from the facilities’ engineering design plans and utility bills. One recommended practice was to avoid significant overdesign by planning for no lower than a 75% capacity utilization by the facilities’ end-of-life. A theoretical correction to a 75% capacity utilization was estimated to mitigate 0.4% of lifetime electricity usage and 1% of secondary process concrete for every 1% reduction in design average flow rate. Relatedly, a 0.4% mitigation in the Carcinogenic and Global Warming impacts could be achieved for every 1% reduction in design average flow toward a 75% capacity utilization. Other suggested practices were focused on conveyance, namely, to minimize non-process facility area and to use polyvinyl chloride pipe instead of ductile iron pipe where possible. Furthermore, the latter practice was estimated to mitigate between 1.1 and 4.8% of the Carcinogenic impact in the nine case studies.
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
Consensus Equilibrium for Subsurface Delineation
Heterogeneity and insufficient site characterization limit our knowledge of the subsurface. Inversion techniques, which minimize the mismatch between observations and model predictions, have become an essential tool of subsurface characterization. Most optimization-based approaches fail to incorporate various implicit priors and capture the geological complexity. We overcome these limitations by deploying the plug-and-play and consensus equilibrium (CE) strategies, which provide a flexible framework for image reconstruction. Our CE methodology for spatial delineation of geologic formations consists of an image denoiser and a variational auto-encoder (deep learning-based emulator). The former ameliorates the reconstruction noise, yielding well-defined geological structures; its mathematical equivalence with the proximal operator allows the deployment of advanced denoisers (e.g., CNN-based denoiser) that do not correspond to a regularization objective. The latter defines a geology prior that imposes a geological constraint, for example, continuity and shape of geological features, onto the reconstructed image. Here, we conduct a series of numerical experiments dealing with transient two-dimensional flow driven by a pumping well and natural hydraulic head gradient. They demonstrate the CE framework's ability to delineate, both probabilistically and deterministically, complex subsurface environments with sufficient quality.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Capacity Design Method for Integrated Convective/Radiant Terminals to Guarantee Overall and Local Environment
To achieve energy efficiency in the operation of heating devices and ensure thermal comfort in indoor environments, the integrated convective/radiant terminals have become an important development direction for heating systems. This study selected a 14 m 2 bedroom hot summer and cold winter region in China as a case study. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methodology was used to investigate the design of integrated convective/radiant terminals to ensure thermal comfort for both the entire room and partial space. The results indicate that focusing on partial space during the steady-state stage can achieve energy savings of 31.1% compared to guaranteeing the entire room. Additionally, during the start-up stage, there is a significant reduction of convective unit capacity by 17.6% when the start-up time is 15 minutes. These findings provide data support for the design and engineering applications of products of integrated convective/radiant terminals. Besides, the excess convection ratios for the entire room and partial space are specified as 0.69 to 0.80 and 0.73 to 0.83, respectively.
Chi, Junjie↗
Reactivity worth measurements at the IPEN/MB-01 nuclear reactor
Researches that aim to improve the performance of neutron transport codes and quality of nuclear cross section databases are very important to increase the accuracy of simulations and the quality of the analysis and prediction of phenomena in the nuclear field. In this context, relevant experimental data such as reactivity worth measurements are needed. The objective of this work was to perform a series of experiments of reactivity worth measurements, using a digital reactivity meter developed at IPEN. The experiments employed small metallic and ceramic samples inserted in the central region of the core of the experimental IPEN/MB-01 reactor. The theoretical analysis was performed by the MCNP-5 reactor physics code, developed and maintained by Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the ENDF/B-VII.0 nuclear data library.
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
Microturbulence study of the isotope effect
The influence of the ion mass on the dynamics of magnetized plasmas is an important challenge in fusion research. The discrepancies between the improvement of the magnetic confinement with the ion mass in tokamak experiments and diffusive turbulent transport predictions have remained unexplained for several decades. We refer to this phenomenon as the isotope effect. In this paper, we study this effect with gyrokinetic theory using the GENE code. We find several sets of plasma parameters that correspond to low wavenumber turbulence for which the isotope effect is present, although the intensity is smaller than the experimental observations. We also relate these results to the zonal flow intensity of the system, which is characterized by the average shear flow rate.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Mechanical properties as an indicator of interstitials in niobium for superconducting accelerator cavities
A preliminary investigation was conducted into the feasibility of using simple mechanical properties experiments to evaluate interstitial impurity uptake from processing environments. Two types of tests were examined: tensile tests and complex modulus measurements using a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). For the tensile tests, samples were cut from a single crystal of niobium, with the same orientation, and then prepared following different procedures. Significant differences were observed during tensile tests, with yielding strength and strain-to-failure clearly related to interstitial uptake. When the strain rate was reduced by an order of magnitude, the strain-to-failure was reduced by 18 % indicating that interstitial hydrogen is responsible for this behavior. For the complex modulus measurement, polycrystalline samples from different locations of two different ingots were examined at a frequency of 1.0 Hz while the temperature was increased at the rate of 1.0 °C per minute. Anaelastic peaks were found for C, N, and O in all samples, but the lower limit of the system did not allow for detection of a peak for H. It is concluded that mechanical properties could be developed as a measurement tool to guide the development of processing methods for producing reduced interstitial content material, but additional research, and uncertainty analysis, is required for these tools to be reliable in this application.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
The role of magnetic anisotropy in the magnetoresistance of Cr 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 thin film antiferromagnets
The magnetic states of antiferromagnetic insulating thin films are a promising medium for information storage, but characterization of these states has proven to be challenging. One approach is via magnetotransport measurements in an adjacent heavy metal layer. To this end, we synthesized and characterized a series of Cr 2 O 3 films and bilayers on Al 2 O 3 substrates with three different orientations: m-plane, a-plane, and c-plane. X-ray diffraction results demonstrated orientation control of the Cr 2 O 3 thin film, with m-plane films displaying a higher degree of mosaic spread than the a- and c-plane films. Reciprocal space maps showed that the films are mostly relaxed, although there was a small and different degree of strain in each orientation. The m-plane films were under 2% compressive strain, the a-plane film was under 0.5% compressive strain, and the c-plane film was completely relaxed to bulk values. To probe the magnetic state of the films, we measured the angular dependent magnetoresistance of Cr 2 O 3 /Pt bilayers for each orientation. We found a nontrivial temperature dependence of the sign of the magnetoresistance, pointing to the complex interplay between the exchange and anisotropy energies that vary with orientation. We propose that strain and mosaic spread may contribute to a difference in magnetic anisotropies among the samples and the resulting temperature dependence of the magnetoresistance. This work demonstrates the importance of considering the competition between antiferromagnetic exchange and magnetic anisotropy when storing information in the spin state of an antiferromagnetic insulator.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Shape effects on the local dynamics of suspensions of spheroidal particles
The effect of shape on the dynamics of suspensions of non-spherical heavy particles is examined by fully resolved numerical simulations of oblate and prolate spheroids, as well as spheres, for a density ratio of ten, volume fractions ranging from 0.5% to 5%, and Reynolds numbers between 20 and 30. The dynamics is determined both by the interactions of the particles with the fluid as well as by collisions, with the number and importance of collisions increasing with volume fractions. A single isolated oblate or prolate spheroid falling under gravity generally falls broadside on, for the governing parameters examined here, and at low-volume fractions, the majority of particles in a suspension fall that way. At higher-volume fractions, the orientation is more random. The slip velocity decreases as the volume fraction increases for all shapes, as expected, but the effect of the shape is much less than seen for a single particle. Furthermore, this seems to be due to two effects. For all volume fractions, the most deformed particles cluster more than spheres and less deformed particles, which increases their slip velocity. As the concentration increases, the increased particle interactions also causes more particles to fall short side-on, which reduces the frontal area and the resulting drag, increasing the slip velocity. This second effect is, of course, absent for spherical particles.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Causal discovery from data assisted by large language models
Knowledge-driven discovery of novel materials necessitates the development of causal models for property emergence. While in the classical physical paradigm, the causal relationships are deduced based on physical principles or via experiment, the rapid accumulation of observational data necessitates learning causal relationships between dissimilar aspects of material structure and functionalities based on observations. For this, it is essential to integrate experimental data with prior domain knowledge. Here, we demonstrate this approach by combining high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy data with insights derived from large language models (LLMs). By applying ChatGPT to domain-specific literature, such as arXiv papers on ferroelectrics, and combining the obtained information with data-driven causal discovery, we construct adjacency matrices for directed acyclic graphs that map the causal relationships between structural, chemical, and polarization degrees of freedom in Sm-doped BiFeO 3 . This approach enables us to hypothesize how synthesis conditions influence material properties and guides experimental validation. Furthermore, the ultimate objective of this work is to develop a unified framework that integrates LLM-driven literature analysis with data-driven discovery, facilitating the precise engineering of ferroelectric materials by establishing clear connections between synthesis conditions and their resulting material properties.
Causal inference↗
Antigen clasping by two antigen-binding sites of an exceptionally specific antibody for histone methylation
Antibodies have a well-established modular architecture wherein the antigen-binding site residing in the antigen-binding fragment (Fab or Fv) is an autonomous and complete unit for antigen recognition. Here, we describe antibodies departing from this paradigm. We developed recombinant antibodies to trimethylated lysine residues on histone H3, important epigenetic marks and challenging targets for molecular recognition. Quantitative characterization demonstrated their exquisite specificity and high affinity, and they performed well in common epigenetics applications. Surprisingly, crystal structures and biophysical analyses revealed that two antigen-binding sites of these antibodies form a head-to-head dimer and cooperatively recognize the antigen in the dimer interface. This “antigen clasping” produced an expansive interface where trimethylated Lys bound to an unusually extensive aromatic cage in one Fab and the histone N terminus to a pocket in the other, thereby rationalizing the high specificity. A long-neck antibody format with a long linker between the antigen-binding module and the Fc region facilitated antigen clasping and achieved both high specificity and high potency. Antigen clasping substantially expands the paradigm of antibody–antigen recognition and suggests a strategy for developing extremely specific antibodies.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Quantum Computing by Coherent Cooling
Interesting problems in quantum computation take the form of finding low-energy states of (pseudo)spin systems with engineered Hamiltonians that encode the problem data. Motivated by the practical possibility of producing very low-temperature spin systems, we propose and exemplify the possibility to compute by coupling the computational spins to a quantum coherent bath that serves as a heat sink. The quantum tunneling effect provides additional cooling channels to accelerate the cooling process. Here, we demonstrate both analytically and numerically that this strategy can achieve a quantum advantage in the unstructured search problem.
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Sparsity Based Approaches for Distribution Grid State Estimation - A Comparative Study
Not Available
97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Cohort Speed Control Optimization via Neuroevolution
Not Available
42 ENGINEERING↗
Cyber Dumpster Diving: Creating New Software Systems for Less
Modern scientific software is daunting in its breadth and complexity. From massively parallel simulations running on the world’s largest supercomputers to visualizations and user support environments that manage ever-growing, complex data collections, the challenges for software engineers are plentiful indeed.
software architecture↗
An Investigation on the Pollen-Induced Soiling Losses in Utility-Scale PV Plants
Soiling, the accumulation of dust and other contaminants on the surface of photovoltaic (PV) modules, is a common factor that can negatively impact the performance of PV systems. In this study, the authors aim to analyze the impact of pollen on soiling losses in PV systems located in North Carolina, USA, particularly during the spring season. The performance data of two utility-scale PV plants was collected and analyzed using the two soiling extraction methods. Environmental data, including croplands and vegetation was also collected and analyzed to identify correlations with soiling losses. The results of the study may help improve understanding of necessary operation and maintenance activities for PV plants and provide new insights into the phenomenon of pollen deposition on PV systems.
correlation↗
Degradation Modeling and Reliability Assessment of Capacitors
The degradation of capacitors under accelerated stress conditions occur in a monotonic and non-linear fashion. Several efforts have been made to model the degradation behavior of capacitor considering either physics-of-failure models or statistical models and subsequently estimate its reliability and lifetime parameters. But most of these models fail to reflect the physical properties of the degradation path, which varies according to several intrinsic and extrinsic factors. These factors introduce random and temporal uncertainty among the population of capacitors. The gamma stochastic process can model both type of uncertainties among the population of capacitors. In this paper, we model the capacitor degradation by non-homogeneous gamma stochastic process in which both the model parameters (shape and scale) are dependent on stress variables. The model parameters are estimated using the maximum likelihood estimation approach.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Optical information transfer through random unknown diffusers using electronic encoding and diffractive decoding
Free-space optical information transfer through diffusive media is critical in many applications, such as biomedical devices and optical communication, but remains challenging due to random, unknown perturbations in the optical path. We demonstrate an optical diffractive decoder with electronic encoding to accurately transfer the optical information of interest, corresponding to, e.g., any arbitrary input object or message, through unknown random phase diffusers along the optical path. This hybrid electronic-optical model, trained using supervised learning, comprises a convolutional neural network-based electronic encoder and successive passive diffractive layers that are jointly optimized. After their joint training using deep learning, our hybrid model can transfer optical information through unknown phase diffusers, demonstrating generalization to new random diffusers never seen before. The resulting electronic-encoder and optical-decoder model was experimentally validated using a 3D-printed diffractive network that axially spans <70λ, where λ = 0.75 mm is the illumination wavelength in the terahertz spectrum, carrying the desired optical information through random unknown diffusers. The presented framework can be physically scaled to operate at different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, without retraining its components, and would offer low-power and compact solutions for optical information transfer in free space through unknown random diffusive media.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗