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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 109 records · Page 6

Moving from Information Assurance to Functional Assurance with Engineered Controls

Cyber threats to operational technology demand more than traditional IT defenses—they require full-spectrum mission assurance. Cyber-Informed Engineering (CIE) is an approach that embeds engineered controls into system design to ensure critical functions remain safe and reliable, even under attack. Unlike conventional cybersecurity tools, engineered controls act directly on physical processes to prevent unacceptable outcomes such as equipment damage or mission failure. This session will outline the CIE framework and share examples of consequence-based design that deliver true resilience, not just fail-safe behaviors. Attendees will learn how to integrate these principles into the engineering lifecycle to support resilient-by-design architectures and inform emerging standards. This talk sets the stage for the panel discussion on advancing CIE across sectors as digital and physical systems converge.

24 - POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Methods of Securing Chemical and Pharmaceutical Knowledge and Recommendations for International Institutions to Enhance Research Integrity

Here, this paper examines strategies for securing chemical and pharmaceutical expertise in a globalized research environment, focusing on safeguarding intellectual property and preventing the misuse of sensitive and potentially dual-use information. The product of collective efforts between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, and New Bulgarian University, highlights the challenges and opportunities posed by cross-border research collaborations, particularly in the context of differing regulatory frameworks and research cultures. It explores current mechanisms to prevent data loss and unauthorized access to sensitive information while assessing the effectiveness of existing security measures, frameworks, and international export control regimes. The approach examines the differing methodologies for promoting transparency, trust-building, and mutual accountability in joint research projects to cultivate secure data-sharing practices and intellectual property. It provides recommendations for international institutions to implement security guidelines in framing research priorities, encourages continual training and education programs, and the integration of processes for monitoring research compliance. This partnership aims to advance scientific innovation while maintaining global stability, ensuring compliance with international norms, and safeguarding valuable intellectual property as measures in chemical and pharmaceutical research security practices continue to expand due to international collaboration and knowledge exchange.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A Study on Co-existing Heterogeneous Wireless Networks for Data Transmission within a Nuclear Facility

Deployment of wireless technologies is a salient need for modernization, automation and improved operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs). As a single technology cannot support the ever-changing needs, it is required to have a heterogeneous wireless network architecture to address the different technical and economic challenges. However, the coexistence of these multiband heterogeneous wireless networks brings numerous challenges due to the factors including dissimilarity in their channel access mechanism, distance between nodes, transmit power level and many more. This paper develops real-world experiments and simulations of wireless coexistence for Wi-Fi, Fifth generation cellular (5G) and Zigbee in the unlicensed band to understand the challenges and opportunities. The experiments were conducted over the Platform for Open Wireless Data-driven Experimental Research (POWDER) testbed at the university of Utah. In addition, this paper is the first to propose a novel packet rate control technique at the network layer to create temporary opportunities for 5G or Zigbee signal transmissions focusing its application in a nuclear facility while using the shared band. The performance of the proposed coexistence solution is validated with experimental results and simulation.

5G↗

Machine learning-enhanced MPC for demand flexibility in small commercial buildings: An experimental study

Small- and medium-sized commercial buildings (SMCBs) represent the majority of U.S. commercial building stock and a significant share of peak electricity demand, yet they often lack centralized building automation systems, representing a significant untapped resource for urban energy management. This infrastructure gap makes advanced control implementation challenging, limiting the potential for widespread demand flexibility. Model Predictive Control (MPC) has shown strong potential for load shifting, peak demand reduction, and cost savings, but its effectiveness is hindered by unmeasured disturbances such as internal heat gains. This paper presents a Hybrid MPC framework that integrates a physics-based gray-box building thermal model, identified using a lumped disturbance (LD) approach, with a machine learning (ML) model for forecasting unmeasured disturbances. The hybrid approach is designed for buildings with multiple individually controlled heat pump and thermostat pairs, common in SMCBs, and aims to optimize coordinated scheduling of multiple heat pumps under dynamic electricity pricing while respecting comfort constraints. The methodology is validated through both simulations of case study buildings and experimental studies at a highly-instrumented test facility. Simulation results show that the Hybrid MPC achieves substantial load shifting and peak demand reduction, approaching the performance of an ideal MPC with perfect disturbance knowledge, and outperforming a conventional MPC without disturbance forecasting. In experiments, the Hybrid MPC reduced daily HVAC energy costs by 8.7%, peak-price time load (load shifting) by 41.7%, and peak demand by 29.2% compared to baseline control, demonstrating comparable benefits to the 11.6% cost savings, 42.9% load shifting, and 23.2% peak reduction of the ideal MPC. These results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid modeling approach can significantly improve MPC performance in real-world SMCB applications without requiring additional disturbance measurements.

Demand Flexibility↗

Standardizing UI/UX across accelerator labs

During February 26–28, 2025, the first-ever particle accelerator user interface/user experience (UI/UX) workshop was held at SLAC. Attendees had backgrounds ranging from software development to control systems management and human factors (HF) science. The workshop began with participants discussing the current state of UI/UX procedures and practices at their respective laboratories to share experiences and learn from one another. Additional discussions focused on how to effectively integrate UI/UX best practices into actionable goals for developers, managers, and operators when working on new or existing interfaces. The goal of the working group is to create a website that will guide developers, managers, scientists, and end users at accelerator laboratories in incorporating UI/UX best practices into software development. The working group continues to meet virtually toward this goal, and is planning a second workshop for next year.

Tran, Tiffany [SLAC]↗

Towards Universal Non-Dimensional Characterization of the Oscillatory Dynamics of Wind Turbine Rotors of Multiple Sizes

One concern in the field of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs) is what control strategies are needed to handle gust pulses in the wind to prevent extreme oscillations of the blades to reduce fatigue stress, prevent blade rupture, and extend the turbine’s operational life. In order to design innovative control strategies to modify the blade’s oscillatory response, it is crucial to establish the fundamental vibrational behavior of the blades when excited by gust pulses of different frequencies and amplitudes present in the fluctuating wind inflow. In a series of previous works, the authors presented a novel Reduced-Order Characterization (ROC) technique that provided an energy-based characterization of the fundamental modes of oscillation of wind turbine rotors when excited by combinations of wind gust pulses of different frequencies and amplitudes. The main focus of the present work is to extend these original notions of energy-based ROC to a universal technique expressed in terms of non-dimensional quantities that could be applied to turbines of any size, operating in any set of wind conditions, as long as they share geometrical and material similarity. The ROC technique provides a simple formula that is capable of predicting the dominant vibrational modes of a blade with sufficient precision to be useful in the determination of a control decision that can be computed in real time, an aspect of fundamental importance in dealing with rapid fluctuations in wind conditions.

Yates, North (ORCID:000900052204261X)↗

Streptococcus pneumoniae HtrA is a dynamic and monomeric virulence factor capable of forming larger oligomeric complexes

Abstract High‐temperature requirement A (HtrA) proteases are a conserved family of serine proteases central to protein quality control and bacterial virulence. While Gram‐negative and human HtrAs are structurally well studied, Gram‐positive homologs remain essentially uncharacterized. Here, we present the first integrated structural and mechanistic analysis of a Gram‐positive HtrA, from Streptococcus pneumoniae , a virulence factor essential for adhesion and infection in vivo. Proteomic profiling of an htrA knockout and cleavage assays demonstrate that S. pneumoniae HtrA is required for protein quality control, with the PDZ domain mediating substrate recognition. Biochemically, S. pneumoniae HtrA exists exclusively as a monomer in solution, a striking divergence from canonical trimeric HtrAs that we show is shared with other Gram‐positive homologs. NMR analyses reveal that the monomer dynamically samples open and closed conformations, while cryo‐EM of a catalytic mutant identifies a hexamer stabilized by a unique LoopA–PDZ interaction. Together, these findings define S. pneumoniae HtrA as a dynamic monomer with interdomain coupling between its protease and PDZ domains, establishing Gram‐positive HtrAs as a mechanistically divergent subgroup within the HtrA family.

Lee, Eunjeong [Department of Biochemistry and Mole↗

Seeing is Believing: Autonomous Microscopy and the Data Revolution in Materials Science [Slides]

Machine intelligence has the potential to revolutionize materials science, enabling autonomous synthesis, self-driving characterization, and accelerated modeling. However, despite the promise, successful implementation of these methods in day-to-day research remains a challenge. This talk will delve into the reasons behind this, exploring how truly intelligent experiments are hindered by opaque experiment control, a lack of domain-specific models, and human-centric design. Through a focus on the characterization of next-generation microelectronics and energy storage materials, I will share insights from both successful and failed attempts to implement machine intelligence. We will then explore the next steps necessary to unlock the full potential of machine intelligence in materials science, creating a future where intelligent systems work seamlessly alongside researchers to drive innovation and discovery.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Rise of Intelligent Materials Science: Unleashing the Power of Machine Intelligence in Characterization

Machine intelligence has the potential to revolutionize materials science, enabling autonomous synthesis, self-driving characterization, and accelerated modeling. However, despite the promise, successful implementation of these methods in day-to-day research remains a challenge. This talk will delve into the reasons behind this, exploring how truly intelligent experiments are hindered by opaque experiment control, a lack of domain-specific models, and human-centric design. Through a focus on the characterization of next-generation microelectronics and energy storage materials, I will share insights from both successful and failed attempts to implement machine intelligence. We will then explore the next steps necessary to unlock the full potential of machine intelligence in materials science, creating a future where intelligent systems work seamlessly alongside researchers to drive innovation and discovery.

autonomous↗

Beyond Human Vision: Exploring Materials with Machine Intelligence

Machine intelligence has the potential to revolutionize materials science, enabling autonomous synthesis, self-driving characterization, and accelerated modeling. However, despite the promise, successful implementation of these methods in day-to-day research remains a challenge. This talk will delve into the reasons behind this, exploring how truly intelligent experiments are hindered by opaque experiment control, a lack of domain-specific models, and human-centric design. Through a focus on the characterization of next-generation microelectronics and energy storage materials, I will share insights from both successful and failed attempts to implement machine intelligence. We will then explore the next steps necessary to unlock the full potential of machine intelligence in materials science, creating a future where intelligent systems work seamlessly alongside researchers to drive innovation and discovery.

artificial intelligence↗

Upgrading Fermilab’s accelerator control system with ACORN

The Fermilab Accelerator Complex is the largest national user facility in the Office of High Energy Physics (DOE/HEP) program and the only national user facility operating at Fermilab. Fermilab serves as the host to the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE), the laboratory’s flagship project for neutrino science that is under construction. LBNF/DUNE will be powered by megawatt beams from an upgraded accelerator, the Proton Improvement Plan II (PIP-II) that will replace the laboratory’s aging linear accelerator with a new one based on superconducting radio-frequency cavities. The Accelerator Controls Operations Research Network (ACORN) Project will support LBNF/DUNE and PIP-II by modernizing the accelerator control system. The project is at the conceptual design phase and looking to achieve Critical Decision 1 (CD-1) later this year. The scope and structure of the project will be presented, along with an overview of how that has changed in the past year. Current design and technology choices will be shared. Specific challenges facing the project will be addressed, along with current thinking on solutions.

Roehrig, Christian [Fermilab]↗

MIND-MAC: Multi-Level In-memory Quasi Non-Destructive MAC Operation in Compact 2T-nC FeRAM for Efficient DNN Accelerator

We present MIND-MAC, a compact 2T-nC FeRAM architecture that performs multi-level, quasi-non-destructive in-memory multiply–accumulate (MAC) for deep neural networks. By exploiting voltage-controlled partial domain switching in MFM capacitors and read-transistor amplification, the cell stores multi-bit weights and gates bit-serial inputs to produce an accumulated current on shared lines. We combine TCAD-extracted parasitics with experimentally calibrated ferroelectric models in SPICE to validate device-/circuit-level behavior, and validate multi-level sensing and QNRO with measurements on a fabricated 2T-3C test vehicle. An analytical system model maps MIND-MAC to a 6-GB main-memory in-memory compute (IMC) architecture and benchmarks VGG13 inference in 61.08 ms at 964.99 mJ. Results indicate high density, reduced rewrite overhead, and energy efficiency, positioning 2T-nC FeRAM as a promising IMC candidate for next-generation AI hardware.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Insights and Impacts of Credentials: Energy Auditor, Quality Control Inspector, and Certification Updates

Join this session to learn about recent and upcoming Home Energy Professional credential and resource updates from the National Renewable Laboratory (NREL) in support of the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). NREL staff will provide an in-depth overview of improvements to the EA and QCI certification schemes. Be prepared to provide feedback and share new ideas in pursuit of continuous improvement within WAP. These certifications are critical to ensuring the highest standards of quality, safety, and efficiency within the Weatherization Assistance Program, helping to elevate the skills of professionals and drive the program's overall success.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

The anaerobic fungus Caecomyces churrovis produces H 2 via a non-bifurcating NADH-dependent enzyme complex

ABSTRACT Hydrogenosomes are mitochondria-derived organelles that produce ATP and H 2 to support energy metabolism in anaerobic eukaryotes. H 2 production allows reoxidation of reduced cofactors generated during fermentative metabolism; however, the metabolic mechanisms for H 2 production in anaerobic eukaryotes remains incompletely understood. In particular, it remains unclear whether anaerobic fungi (AF) hydrogenosomes use a ferredoxin-dependent pathway or a distinct mechanism to regenerate NAD(P) + and link electron transfer to H 2 formation. Here, by combining genomic search, proteomic analysis, and enzymology, we reveal the molecular mechanism for H 2 production in the AF strain Caecomyces churrovis . Our enzyme assays on the organelle fraction of C. churrovis revealed the activity of H 2 :NAD + oxidoreductase but not pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase, which is usually linked to H 2 formation. We identified genes encoding [FeFe] hydrogenase (Hyd) and NADH dehydrogenase subunits E and F (NuoE, NuoF) in C. churrovis , and confirmed their expression in the isolated hydrogenosomal fractions by proteomic analysis. Combining the individually purified enzymes, we found Hyd and NuoEF proteins formed H 2 directly from NADH independently of ferredoxin, functioning as a non-bifurcating NADH-dependent enzyme rather than an electron-bifurcating enzyme. We identified homologs of hydrogenosomal NuoE, NuoF, and Hyd in many other AF, indicating this pathway is commonly shared among the AF. This work demonstrates the existence of a non-bifurcating NADH-dependent enzyme complex in eukaryotes. Moreover, this complex could potentially be exploited as a target for controlling AF H 2 production and altering fungal metabolism. IMPORTANCE H 2 production is a prominent feature of anaerobic energy metabolism, yet our understanding of eukaryotic mechanisms remains limited. Anaerobic fungi (AF) are key decomposers of lignocellulose and contribute to hydrogen flux in anaerobic environments. Although it has been more than 40 years since the H 2 production from AF was first reported, the molecular mechanism for hydrogenosomal H 2 production and redox balance remains unclear. We demonstrate that AF produce H 2 from NADH utilizing a non-bifurcating NADH-dependent enzyme complex rather than an electron-bifurcating, ferredoxin-dependent variant. We show that this enzyme complex is conserved across multiple AF lineages and thus demonstrate the occurrence of a non-bifurcating NADH-dependent enzyme in eukaryotes. This discovery expands our understanding of eukaryotic hydrogenosomal metabolism, reveals a previously unknown strategy for redox balancing, and highlights potential targets for manipulating H 2 production. These insights have broad implications for microbial energy metabolism, anaerobic ecosystems, and bioengineering of H 2 -producing systems.

Zhang, Bo [Department of Chemical Engineering, Uni↗

CG-Kit: Code Generation Toolkit for performant and maintainable variants of source code applied to Flash-X hydrodynamics simulations

CG-Kit is a new Code Generation tool-Kit that we have developed as a part of the solution for portability and maintainability for multiphysics computing applications. The development of CG-Kit is rooted in the urgent need created by the shifting landscape of high-performance computing platforms and the algorithmic complexities of a particular large-scale multiphysics application: Flash-X. To efficiently use computing resources on a heterogeneous node, an application must have a map of computation to resources and a mechanism to move the data and computation to the resources according to the map. Most existing performance portability solutions are focussed on abstracting the expression of computations so that a unified source code can be specialized to run on different resources. However, such an approach is insufficient for a code like Flash-X, which has a multitude of code components that can be assembled in various permutations and combinations to form different instances of applications. Similar challenges apply to any code that has composability, where a single specified way of apportioning work among devices may not be optimal. Additionally, use cases arise where the optimal control flow of computation may differ for different devices while the underlying numerics remain identical. This combination leads to unique challenges including handling an existing large code base in Fortran and/or C/C++, subdivision of code into a great variety of units supporting a wide range of physics and numerical methods, different parallelization techniques for distributed and shared memory systems and accelerator devices, and heterogeneity of computing platforms requiring coexisting variants of parallel algorithms. All of these challenges demand that scientific software developers apply existing knowledge about domain applications, algorithms, and computing platforms to determine custom abstractions and granularity for code generation. There is a critical lack of tools to tackle those problems. CG-Kit is designed to fill this gap by providing a user with the ability to express their desired control flow and computation-to-resource map in the form a pseudocode-like recipe. It consists of standalone tools that can be combined into highly specific and, we argue, highly effective portability and maintainability toolchains. Here we present the design of our new tools: parametrized source trees, control flow graphs, and recipes. The tools are implemented in Python. They are agnostic to the programming language of the source code targeted for code generation. In conclusion, we demonstrate the capabilities of the toolkit with two examples, first, multithreaded variants of the basic AXPY operation, and second, variants of parallel algorithms within a hydrodynamics solver, called Spark, from Flash-X that operates on block-structured adaptive meshes.

Algorithmic portability↗

Using containers to speed up development, to run integration tests and to teach about distributed systems

GlideinWMS is a workload manager provisioning resources for many experiments including CMS and DUNE. The software is distributed both as native packages and specialized production containers. Following an approach used in other communities like web development we built our workspaces, system-like containers to ease development and testing. Developers can change the source tree or check out a different branch and quickly reconfigure the services to see the effect of their changes. In this paper, we’ll talk about what differentiates workspaces from other containers. We’ll describe our base system composed of three containers. A one-node cluster including a compute element and a batch system. A GlideinWMS Factory controlling pilot jobs. And a scheduler and Frontend, to submit jobs and provision resources. Additional containers can be used for optional components. This system can easily run on a laptop and we’ll share our evaluation of different container runtimes, with an eye for ease of use and performance. Finally, we’ll talk about our experience as developers and with students. The GlideinWMS workspaces are easily integrated with IDEs like VS Code, simplifying debugging and allowing development and testing of the system also when offline. They simplified the training and onboarding of new team members and Summer interns. And they were useful in workshops where students could have first-hand experience with the mechanisms and components that, in production, run millions of jobs.

Mambelli, Marco↗

ChargeX OCPI Recommendations

The Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) is an open protocol that enables electric vehicle (EV) charging systems to work together across networks. It supports communication and data sharing between Charge Point Operators (CPOs), who manage charging stations, and e-Mobility Service Providers (eMSPs), who provide charging services to EV drivers. OCPI facilitates functions like user authorization, remote charge point control, charging session data exchange, and billing through Charge Detail Records (CDRs). This allows EV roaming, so drivers can charge at different networks without multiple accounts. As the EV market grows due to increased adoption and technological advancements, OCPI faces higher demands. This has revealed issues with CDR format consistency, timestamp standardization across regions, transmission of EV-side error codes for troubleshooting, and support for new use cases. These challenges can affect operations and user experience, particularly as the industry starts considering Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) systems, where EVs supply energy to the grid, and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technologies for broader energy interactions. Using feedback from the ChargeX Diagnostics taskforce discussions, industry 1-on-1 meetings, technical standards, and OCPI’s evolution through versions (e.g., OCPI 2.1.1, 2.2, and 2.2.1), this report identifies these issues and suggests practical recommendations. These aim to improve interoperability, streamline operations, and prepare OCPI for future trends in the EV charging ecosystem.

32 - ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZA↗

Using Containers to Speed Up Development, to Run Integration Tests and to Teach About Distributed Systems

GlideinWMS is a workload manager provisioning resources for many experiments, including CMS and DUNE. The software is distributed both as native packages and specialized production containers. Following an approach used in other communities like web development, we built our workspaces, system-like containers to ease development and testing. Developers can change the source tree or check out a different branch and quickly reconfigure the services to see the effect of their changes. In this paper, we will talk about what differentiates workspaces from other containers. We will describe our base system, composed of three containers: a one-node cluster including a compute element and a batch system, a GlideinWMS Factory controlling pilot jobs, and a scheduler and Frontend to submit jobs and provision resources. Additional containers can be used for optional components. This system can easily run on a laptop, and we will share our evaluation of different container runtimes, with an eye for ease of use and performance. Finally, we will talk about our experience as developers and with students. The GlideinWMS workspaces are easily integrated with IDEs like VS Code, simplifying debugging and allowing development and testing of the system even when offline. They simplified the training and onboarding of new team members and summer interns. And they were useful in workshops where students could have first-hand experience with the mechanisms and components that, in production, run millions of jobs.

Mambelli, Marco [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000294892681↗