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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 973 records · Page 54

A mineral precipitation model based on the volume of fluid method

A novel volume of fluid method is presented for mineral precipitation coupled with fluid flow and reactive transport. The approach describes the fluid-solid interface as a smooth transitional region, which is designed to provide the same precipitation rate and viscous drag force as a sharp interface. Specifically, the governing equation of mineral precipitation is discretized by an upwind scheme, and a rigorous effective viscosity model is derived around the interface. The model is validated against analytical solutions for mineral precipitation in channel and ring-shaped structures. It also compares well with interface tracking simulations of advection-diffusion-reaction problems. Here, the methodology is finally employed to model mineral precipitation in fracture networks, which is challenging due to the low porosity and complex geometry. Compared to other approaches, the proposed model has a concise algorithm and contains no free parameters. In the modeling, only the pore space requires meshing, which improves the computational effciency especially for low-porosity media.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

The Open High Throughput Computing Content Delivery Network

LHC experiments make extensive use of web proxy caches, especially for software distribution via the CernVM File System and for conditions data via the Frontier Distributed Database Caching system. Since many jobs read the same data, cache hit rates are high and hence most of the traffic flows efficiently over Local Area Networks. However, it is not always possible to have local web caches, particularly for opportunistic cases whereexperiments have little control over site services. The Open High Throughput Computing (HTC) Content Delivery Network (CDN), openhtc.io, aims to address this by using web proxy caches from a commercial CDN provider. Cloudflare provides a simple interface for registering DNS aliases of any web server and does reverse proxy web caching on those aliases. The openhtc.io domain is hosted on Cloudflare's free tier CDN which has no bandwidth limit and makes use of data centers throughout the world, so the average performance for clients is much improved compared to reading from CERN or a Tier 1. The load on WLCG servers is also significantly reduced. WLCG Web Proxy Auto Discovery is used to select local web caches when they are available and otherwise select openhtc.io caching. This paper describes the Open HTC CDN in detail and provides initial results from its use for LHC@Home and USCMS opportunistic computing.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Cracking during pyrolysis of preceramic polymers within glass microtubes

Abstract Cracking of preceramic polymers during pyrolysis under highly‐constrained conditions is examined by X‐ray computed tomography of fine glass microtubes containing the pyrolyzing material. The microtubes represent model geometries that mimic the long channels between fibers during production of ceramic composites by precursor impregnation and pyrolysis. Complementary fracture mechanics analyses of interface cracking and crack kinking are used to glean insights into the conditions under which periodic alternating cracks form. A key finding is that alternating cracks are an inherent feature of constrained pyrolysis . This feature is attributable in large part to the high energy release rates for interface cracks to kink into the pyrolyzing material under the hydrostatic tension developed during pyrolysis. It also requires interfaces with toughness comparable to that of the pyrolyzing material, to prevent large‐scale interface separation. The results further indicate the need for small uniform spaces for pyrolysis within fiber preforms in order to produce networks of fine periodic pyrolysis cracks; these networks in turn facilitate impregnation and pyrolysis in subsequent processing cycles.

Larson, Natalie M.↗

OpenDSS-wrapper (Distribution System Co-simulator with Distributed Energy Resource Controls)

Electric grid transformation with the proliferation of distributed energy resources (DER), such as solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, advanced energy storage technologies, and electric vehicles, and the growing use of communication technologies in both transmission and distribution systems are increasing the need to capture the interactions among these systems. Advanced modeling, control, and simulation tools that can perform co-simulation of electric power systems with other domains become indispensable to accurately model these interactions. To address this need, we have developed a codebase that integrates an electric power distribution system simulator, DER models, and DER controls. The codebase is based on OpenDSS, a distribution system simulator, and an existing open source co-simulation framework called HELICS. The contribution and uniqueness of the proposed codebase is that it tailors the generic HELICS framework specifically for distribution grid-related applications. The codebase includes an OpenDSS wrapper that controls the simulation, implements advanced DER controls, and extracts power flows, voltages, and other power system element information from the the distribution network modeled in OpenDSS. Sample HELICS federates, including a federate for OpenDSS, are provided that can communicate messages through the HELICS interface. Sample federates can be modified and additional HELICS federates can be added by the user depending on their use case requirements. SEE ALSO: https://github.com/NREL/dss-cosim

Blonsky, Michael↗

AiGERM: A logic programming front end for GERM

AiGerm (Artificially Intelligent Graphical Entity Relation Modeler) is a relational data base query and programming language front end for MCC (Mission Control Center)/STP's (Space Test Program) Germ (Graphical Entity Relational Modeling) system. It is intended as an add-on component of the Germ system to be used for navigating very large networks of information. It can also function as an expert system shell for prototyping knowledge-based systems. AiGerm provides an interface between the programming language and Germ.

Hashim, Safaa H.↗

Research review for information management

The goal of RICIS research in information management is to apply currently available technology to existing problems in information management. Research projects include the following: the Space Business Research Center (SBRC), the Management Information and Decision Support Environment (MIDSE), and the investigation of visual interface technology. Several additional projects issued reports. New projects include the following: (1) the AdaNET project to develop a technology transfer network for software engineering and the Ada programming language; and (2) work on designing a communication system for the Space Station Project Office at JSC. The central aim of all projects is to use information technology to help people work more productively.

Bishop, Peter C.↗

Evolutionary Telemetry and Command Processor (TCP) architecture

A low cost, modular, high performance, and compact Telemetry and Command Processor (TCP) is being built as the foundation of command and data handling subsystems for the next generation of satellites. The TCP product line will support command and telemetry requirements for small to large spacecraft and from low to high rate data transmission. It is compatible with the latest TDRSS, STDN and SGLS transponders and provides CCSDS protocol communications in addition to standard TDM formats. Its high performance computer provides computing resources for hosted flight software. Layered and modular software provides common services using standardized interfaces to applications thereby enhancing software re-use, transportability, and interoperability. The TCP architecture is based on existing standards, distributed networking, distributed and open system computing, and packet technology. The first TCP application is planned for the 94 SDIO SPAS 3 mission. The architecture enhances rapid tailoring of functions thereby reducing costs and schedules developed for individual spacecraft missions.

Schneider, John R.↗

Performance Evaluation in Network-Based Parallel Computing

Network-based parallel computing is emerging as a cost-effective alternative for solving many problems which require use of supercomputers or massively parallel computers. The primary objective of this project has been to conduct experimental research on performance evaluation for clustered parallel computing. First, a testbed was established by augmenting our existing SUNSPARCs' network with PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) which is a software system for linking clusters of machines. Second, a set of three basic applications were selected. The applications consist of a parallel search, a parallel sort, a parallel matrix multiplication. These application programs were implemented in C programming language under PVM. Third, we conducted performance evaluation under various configurations and problem sizes. Alternative parallel computing models and workload allocations for application programs were explored. The performance metric was limited to elapsed time or response time which in the context of parallel computing can be expressed in terms of speedup. The results reveal that the overhead of communication latency between processes in many cases is the restricting factor to performance. That is, coarse-grain parallelism which requires less frequent communication between processes will result in higher performance in network-based computing. Finally, we are in the final stages of installing an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switch and four ATM interfaces (each 155 Mbps) which will allow us to extend our study to newer applications, performance metrics, and configurations.

Dezhgosha, Kamyar↗

Collection Metadata Solutions for Digital Library Applications

Within a digital library, collections may range from an ad hoc set of objects that serve a temporary purpose to established library collections intended to persist through time. The objects in these collections vary widely, from library and data center holdings to pointers to real-world objects, such as geographic places, and the various metadata schemas that describe them. The key to integrated use of such a variety of collections in a digital library is collection metadata that represents the inherent and contextual characteristics of a collection. The Alexandria Digital Library (ADL) Project has designed and implemented collection metadata for several purposes: in XML form, the collection metadata "registers" the collection with the user interface client; in HTML form, it is used for user documentation; eventually, it will be used to describe the collection to network search agents; and it is used for internal collection management, including mapping the object metadata attributes to the common search parameters of the system.

Hill, Linda L.↗

High-Temperature RF Probe Station For Device Characterization Through 500 deg C and 50 GHz

A high-temperature measurement system capable of performing on-wafer microwave testing of semiconductor devices has been developed. This high temperature probe station can characterize active and passive devices and circuits at temperatures ranging from room temperature to above 500 C. The heating system uses a ceramic heater mounted on an insulating block of NASA shuttle tile material. The temperature is adjusted by a graphical computer interface and is controlled by the software-based feedback loop. The system is used with a Hewlett-Packard 8510C Network Analyzer to measure scattering parameters over a frequency range of 1 to 50 GHz. The microwave probes, cables, and inspection microscope are all shielded to protect from heat damage. The high temperature probe station has been successfully used to characterize gold transmission lines on silicon carbide at temperatures up to 540 C.

Schwartz, Zachary D.↗

Tower Mesonetwork Climatology and Interactive Display Tool

Forecasters at the 45th Weather Squadron and Spaceflight Meteorology Group use data from the tower network over the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) to evaluate Launch Commit Criteria, and issue and verify forecasts for ground operations. Systematic biases in these parameters could adversely affect an analysis, forecast, or verification. Also, substantial geographical variations in temperature and wind speed can occur under specific wind directions. To address these concerns, the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) developed a climatology of temperatures and winds from the tower network, and identified the geographical variation and significant tower biases. The mesoclimate is largely driven by the complex land-water interfaces across KSC/CCAFS. Towers with close proximity to water typically had much warmer nocturnal temperatures and higher wind speeds throughout the year. The strongest nocturnal wind speeds occurred from October to March whereas the strongest mean daytime wind speeds occurred from February to May. These results of this project can be viewed by forecasters through an interactive graphical user interface developed by the AMU. The web-based interface includes graphical and map displays of mean, standard deviation, bias, and data availability for any combination of towers, variables, months, hours, and wind directions.

Case, Jonathan L.↗

TruePAL – An AI Assistant for First Responder Safety

This paper presents the development of an AI assistant, Trusted and Explainable Artificial Intelligence for Saving Lives (TruePAL), to provide real-time warning of risks of potential crashes to the first responders. The TruePAL system employs an AI and deep learning technology for saving first responders and roadside crews lives in and around active traffic. A deep neural network (DNN) and a Non-Axiomatic Reasoning System (NARS) are implemented as an AI system. A mobile app with AI interface is developed to perform verbal communication with the first responders. The TruePAL team has developed an explainable AI approach by opening up the DNN blackbox to extract the activation filters of various features and parts of the targeted objects. The combination of DNN and NARS makes the TruePAL system explainable to the users. TruePAL ingests on-board cameras, radar, and other sensor signals, analyzes the environment and traffic patterns to generate timely warning to drivers and roadside crews to avoid crashes. The TruePAL team, in collaboration with the Miami/Dade Police Dept., has designed five use cases and multiple sub-scenarios in a CARLA driving simulator to test the capability of TruePAL in timely warning to the first responder drivers in potential crash scenarios. We have successfully demonstrated its capability of timely warning in over a dozen scenarios based on the use cases. The preliminary test simulation results show that TruePAL could provide the drivers and crew members advanced warning before a crash occurs.

Chow, Edward↗

Internet of things and operational technology detection and visualization platform

A computer-implemented method of monitoring activity of devices in a network is provided. The method comprises passively collecting data regarding how the devices access the network, and for each device on the network, identifying all other devices on the network with which the device communicates. All communication traffic from the devices to outside the network is identified. A determination is made if there are any required updates and if patches for the devices execute in a fashion defined as safe. A number of risk indicators for privacy risks are determined according to device communication within the network, device communication to outside the network, and update and patch execution. A visualization of any identified risk factors is displayed to a user through a user interface.

Urias, Vincent↗

Structure and Properties of Epoxy/Fly Ash System: Influence of Filler Content and Surface Modification

Epoxy resin composites filled with pristine and organomodified fly ash were prepared and examined. The fly ash used is CaO-rich due to the origin of lignite from the northern Greece area and the power plants in Kozani. As matrix, the epoxy system with curing agent triethylenetetramine was used. A combination of mechanical stirring and ultrasonication was used for highly dispersed fly ash composites. SEM, FTIR spectroscopy and XRD measurements were used to study dispersion homogeneity, structure, degree of aggregation/agglomeration and interface formation of the matrix with the fly ash particles. The properties E′, E″ and relaxations α-(T{sub g}) and β-(Τ{sub β}) of the composites were assessed by DMA. Also, DSC and TGA measurements were used to characterize the thermal properties. Interesting results concerning the effect of the surface organomodification of fly ash on the network formation and the thermomechanical properties of the composites were derived. XRD and FTIR measurements reveal that the functional groups present on the surface of fly ash particles play a dominated role to interface formation. DMA results show that the fly ash surface modification affects the thermodynamic properties of the composites. Additionally, there is evidence showing that the short-scale β-relaxation is also affected by the fly ash surface organomodification.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Toward more mechanistic representations of biogeochemical processes in river networks: Implementation and demonstration of a multiscale model

A recently introduced multiscale model for representing the effects of small-scale hyporheic-zone biogeochemical processes is extended from the reach scale to river network scales. The model uses advection-dispersion-reaction equations for the channel network and one-dimensional advection-reaction subgrid models for the hyporheic zone. We summarize implementation in the integrated surface/subsurface hydrology modeling system Amanzi-ATS. The extension uses topologically defined meshes to represent stream/river networks and associates a hyporheic subgrid model with each channel grid cell. Biogeochemical reaction modeling capability residing in community software is accessed through an application programming interface. The implementation is verified against independent numerical solutions on a single reach. Mesh convergence studies show that commonly used semi-distributed representations can introduce significant spatial discretization error. Denitrification of farm runoff in a subbasin of the Portage River Basin in Ohio, USA is used to demonstrate the general-purpose reactive transport capability.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Towards Informing an Intuitive Mission Planning Interface for Autonomous Multi-Asset Teams via Image Descriptions

Establishing a basis for certification of autonomous systems using trust and trustworthiness is the focus of Autonomy Teaming and TRAjectories for Complex Trusted Operational Reliability (ATTRACTOR). The Human-Machine Interface (HMI) team is working to capture and utilize the multitude of ways in which humans are already comfortable communicating mission goals and translate that into an intuitive mission planning interface. Several input/output modalities (speech/audio, typing/text, touch, and gesture) are being considered and investigated in the context human-machine teaming for the ATTRACTOR design reference mission (DRM) of Search and Rescue or (more generally) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). The first of these investigations, the Human Informed Natural-language GANs Evaluation (HINGE) data collection effort, is aimed at building an image description database to train a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN). In addition to building an image description database, the HMI team was interested if, and how, modality (spoken vs. written) affects different aspects of the image description given. The results will be analyzed to better inform the designing of an interface for mission planning.

Generative Adversarial Network (GAN)↗

Virtual Instrumentation for a Fiber-Optics-Based Artificial Nerve

A LabView-based computer interface for fiber-optic artificial nerves has been devised as a Masters thesis project. This project involves the use of outputs from wavelength multiplexed optical fiber sensors (artificial nerves), which are capable of producing dense optical data outputs for physical measurements. The potential advantages of using optical fiber sensors for sensory function restoration is the fact that well defined WDM-modulated signals can be transmitted to and from the sensing region allowing networked units to replace low-level nerve functions for persons desirous of "intelligent artificial limbs." Various FO sensors can be designed with high sensitivity and the ability to be interfaced with a wide range of devices including miniature shielded electrical conversion units. Our Virtual Instrument (VI) interface software package was developed using LabView's "Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench" package. The virtual instrument has been configured to arrange and encode the data to develop an intelligent response in the form of encoded digitized signal outputs. The architectural layout of our nervous system is such that different touch stimuli from different artificial fiber-optic nerve points correspond to gratings of a distinct resonant wavelength and physical location along the optical fiber. Thus, when an automated, tunable diode laser sends scans, the wavelength spectrum of the artificial nerve, it triggers responses that are encoded with different touch stimuli by way wavelength shifts in the reflected Bragg resonances. The reflected light is detected and a resulting analog signal is fed into ADC1 board and DAQ card. Finally, the software has been written such that the experimenter is able to set the response range during data acquisition.

Lyons, Donald R.↗

Metastable Clusters and Competitive Solvation Tune Ion Pairing at Liquid Interfaces

The balance of hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions underlies emergent phenomena in complex multicomponent chemical systems. Here, we show that a supposedly ‘non–interacting’ nonpolar phase can be used to competitively solvate amphiphilic molecules at an oil/aqueous interface. This solvation, as probed by surface specific nonlinear spectroscopy and simulations, results in a molecularly thin corrugated phase boundary featuring metastable assemblies that alter the hydrogen bonding networks of water and the apparent ‘hard/soft’ descriptors used to describe ionic interactions. We show that competitive solvation enhances amphiphile mobility, opening up otherwise energetically inaccessible complexes that transiently interact with aqueous phase ions. These transient species impact ensemble binding affinities and may represent the molecular agents responsible for aspects of ionic transport and function. In conclusion, the result of this work highlights how seemingly unrelated nonpolar interactions feedback onto aqueous phase chemical phenomena, providing a pathway to tune phase separation and self-assembly to access new reaction pathways using interfaces for a range of chemical and biological systems.

Anions↗