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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 1,135 records · Page 63
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Effects of the Spatial Extent of Multiple Harmonic Layers

An analytic model for single particle motion in the presence of a wave field and multiple cyclotron harmonics is developed and investigated. The model suggests that even in the absence of Doppler broadening, cyclotron harmonic layers have finite spatial extent. This allows for particles to interact with more than one harmonic layer simultaneously, provided the layers are tightly packed. The latter phenomenon is investigated in the context of the model using symplectic mapping techniques. Then the model behavior is compared with numerical simulations of neutral beam particle trajectories in NSTX using the full-orbit code SPIRAL.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

GLOBAL OPTIMIZATION METHODS FOR GRAVITATIONAL LENS SYSTEMS WITH REGULARIZED SOURCES

Several approaches exist to model gravitational lens systems. In this study, we apply global optimization methods to find the optimal set of lens parameters using a genetic algorithm. We treat the full optimization procedure as a two-step process: an analytical description of the source plane intensity distribution is used to find an initial approximation to the optimal lens parameters; the second stage of the optimization uses a pixelated source plane with the semilinear method to determine an optimal source. Regularization is handled by means of an iterative method and the generalized cross validation (GCV) and unbiased predictive risk estimator (UPRE) functions that are commonly used in standard image deconvolution problems. This approach simultaneously estimates the optimal regularization parameter and the number of degrees of freedom in the source. Using the GCV and UPRE functions, we are able to justify an estimation of the number of source degrees of freedom found in previous work. We test our approach by applying our code to a subset of the lens systems included in the SLACS survey.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

ALEPH2 - A general purpose Monte Carlo depletion code

The Monte-Carlo burn-up code ALEPH is being developed at SCK-CEN since 2004. A previous version of the code implemented the coupling between the Monte Carlo transport (any version of MCNP or MCNPX) and the ' deterministic' depletion code ORIGEN-2.2 but had important deficiencies in nuclear data treatment and limitations inherent to ORIGEN-2.2. A new version of the code, ALEPH2, has several unique features making it outstanding among other depletion codes. The most important feature is full data consistency between steady-state Monte Carlo and time-dependent depletion calculations. The last generation general-purpose nuclear data libraries (JEFF-3.1.1, ENDF/B-VII and JENDL-4) are fully implemented, including special purpose activation, spontaneous fission, fission product yield and radioactive decay data. The built-in depletion algorithm allows to eliminate the uncertainties associated with obtaining the time-dependent nuclide concentrations. A predictor-corrector mechanism, calculation of nuclear heating, calculation of decay heat, decay neutron sources are available as well. The validation of the code on the results of REBUS experimental program has been performed. The ALEPH2 has shown better agreement with measured data than other depletion codes. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Simulation of the passive condensation cooling tank of the PASCAL test facility using the component thermal-hydraulic analysis code CUPID

For the analysis of transient two-phase flows in nuclear reactor components, a three-dimensional thermal hydraulics code, named CUPID, has been being developed. In the present study, the CUPID code was applied for the simulation of the PASCAL (PAFS Condensing Heat Removal Assessment Loop) test facility constructed with an aim of validating the cooling and operational performance of the PAFS (Passive Auxiliary Feedwater System). The PAFS is one of the advanced safety features adopted in the APR+ (Advanced Power Reactor +), which is intended to completely replace the conventional active auxiliary feedwater system. This paper presents the preliminary simulation results of the PASCAL facility performed with the CUPID code in order to verify its applicability to the thermal-hydraulic phenomena inside the system. A standalone calculation for the passive condensation cooling tank was performed by imposing a heat source boundary condition and the transient thermal-hydraulic behaviors inside the system, such as the water level, temperature and velocity, were qualitatively investigated. The simulation results verified that the natural circulation and boiling phenomena in the water pool can be well reproduced by the CUPID code. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Final State Interactions in GENIE

Final state interactions (FSI) are an important part of all neutrino event generators because modern detectors are made of nuclei to maximize count rate. The incident neutrino will interact with one (or two) nucleons but the final state can be quite different because the hadrons will have further interactions in the residual nucleus. This has historically been one of the major differences between event generators. GENIE will now have 2 FSI codes which allow interesting comparisons for the first time.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2013

TURBULENCE IN THE INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM: SOLENOIDAL AND DILATATIONAL MOTIONS AND THE IMPACT OF NUMERICAL VISCOSITY

We use a suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, run by two fixed grid codes, to investigate the properties of solenoidal and dilatational motions of the intergalactic medium (IGM) and the impact of numerical viscosity on turbulence in an ΛCDM universe. The codes differ only in the spatial difference discretization. We find that (1) The vortical motion grows rapidly since z = 2 and reaches ∼10 km s{sup –1}-90 km s{sup –1} at z = 0. Meanwhile, the small-scale compressive ratio r{sub CS} drops from 0.84 to 0.47, indicating comparable vortical and compressive motions at z = 0. (2) Power spectra of the solenoidal velocity possess two regimes, ∝k {sup –0.89} and ∝k {sup –2.02}, while the total and dilatational velocity follow the scaling k {sup –1.88} and k {sup –2.20}, respectively, in the turbulent range. The IGM turbulence may contain two distinct phases, the supersonic and post-supersonic phases. (3) The non-thermal pressure support, measured by the vortical kinetic energy, is comparable with the thermal pressure for ρ{sub b} ≅ 10-100, or T < 10{sup 5.5} K at z = 0.0. The deviation of the baryon fraction from the cosmic mean shows a preliminary positive correlation with the turbulence pressure support. (4) A relatively higher numerical viscosity would dissipate both the compressive and vortical motions of the IGM into thermal energy more effectively, resulting in less developed vorticity, remarkably shortened inertial range, and leading to a non-negligible uncertainty in the thermal history of gas accretion. Shocks in regions outside of clusters are significantly suppressed by numerical viscosity since z = 2, which may directly cause the different levels of turbulence between the two codes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Relativistic Guiding Center Equations

In toroidal fusion devices it is relatively easy that electrons achieve relativistic velocities, so to simulate runaway electrons and other high energy phenomena a nonrelativistic guiding center formalism is not sufficient. Relativistic guiding center equations including flute mode time dependent field perturbations are derived. The same variables as used in a previous nonrelativistic guiding center code are adopted, so that a straightforward modifications of those equations can produce a relativistic version.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Study of applied magnetic field magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters with particle-in-cell code with Monte Carlo collision. I. Computation methods and physical processes

A two-dimensional axisymmetric electromagnetic particle-in-cell code with Monte Carlo collision conditions has been developed for an applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster simulation. This theoretical approach establishes a particle acceleration model to investigate the microscopic and macroscopic characteristics of particles. This new simulation code was used to study the physical processes associated with applied magnetic fields. In this paper (I), detail of the computation procedure and results of predictions of local plasma and field properties are presented. The numerical model was applied to the configuration of a NASA Lewis Research Center 100-kW magnetoplasmadynamic thruster which has well documented experimental results. The applied magnetic field strength was varied from 0 to 0.12 T, and the effects on thrust were calculated as a basis for verification of the theoretical approach. With this confirmation, the changes in the distributions of ion density, velocity, and temperature throughout the acceleration region related to the applied magnetic fields were investigated. Using these results, the effects of applied field on physical processes in the thruster discharge region could be represented in detail, and those results are reported.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Core loading pattern optimization of thorium fueled heavy water breeder reactor using genetic algorithm

In this work genetic algorithm was proposed to solve fuel loading pattern optimization problem in thorium fueled heavy water reactor. The objective function of optimization was to maximize the conversion ratio and minimize power peaking factor. Those objectives were simultaneously optimized using non-dominated Pareto-based population ranking optimal method. Members of non-dominated population were assigned selection probabilities based on their rankings in a manner similar to Baker's single criterion ranking selection procedure. A selected non-dominated member was bred through simple mutation or one-point crossover process to produce a new member. The genetic algorithm program was developed in FORTRAN 90 while neutronic calculation and analysis was done by COREBN code, a module of core burn-up calculation for SRAC. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2016

TU-AB-BRC-10: Modeling of Radiotherapy Linac Source Terms Using ARCHER Monte Carlo Code: Performance Comparison of GPU and MIC Computing Accelerators

Purpose: (1) To perform phase space (PS) based source modeling for Tomotherapy and Varian TrueBeam 6 MV Linacs, (2) to examine the accuracy and performance of the ARCHER Monte Carlo code on a heterogeneous computing platform with Many Integrated Core coprocessors (MIC, aka Xeon Phi) and GPUs, and (3) to explore the software micro-optimization methods. Methods: The patient-specific source of Tomotherapy and Varian TrueBeam Linacs was modeled using the PS approach. For the helical Tomotherapy case, the PS data were calculated in our previous study (Su et al. 2014 41(7) Medical Physics). For the single-view Varian TrueBeam case, we analytically derived them from the raw patient-independent PS data in IAEA’s database, partial geometry information of the jaw and MLC as well as the fluence map. The phantom was generated from DICOM images. The Monte Carlo simulation was performed by ARCHER-MIC and GPU codes, which were benchmarked against a modified parallel DPM code. Software micro-optimization was systematically conducted, and was focused on SIMD vectorization of tight for-loops and data prefetch, with the ultimate goal of increasing 512-bit register utilization and reducing memory access latency. Results: Dose calculation was performed for two clinical cases, a Tomotherapy-based prostate cancer treatment and a TrueBeam-based left breast treatment. ARCHER was verified against the DPM code. The statistical uncertainty of the dose to the PTV was less than 1%. Using double-precision, the total wall time of the multithreaded CPU code on a X5650 CPU was 339 seconds for the Tomotherapy case and 131 seconds for the TrueBeam, while on 3 5110P MICs it was reduced to 79 and 59 seconds, respectively. The single-precision GPU code on a K40 GPU took 45 seconds for the Tomotherapy dose calculation. Conclusion: We have extended ARCHER, the MIC and GPU-based Monte Carlo dose engine to Tomotherapy and Truebeam dose calculations.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Automated Calculation of Bulk-Stamping Matrices for Circular Blanks

The bulk stamping of circular blanks is considered. There is a clear need for automatic stamping. The input and output data for calculating the working part of the bulk-stamping matrix are analyzed. Software for automated calculation of bulk-stamping matrices is developed. The program code and a possible interface for the calculation of matrix parameters and construction of 3D models by means of the Object Pascal language are presented.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Flow instabilities in helical-coil steam generators for small modular reactors: A review

Here, this study covers the research and discoveries in two-phase flow-boiling instabilities available in the literature—specifically for a helical-coil steam generator (HCSG), including experimental findings, theoretical research, computational models, and system code analyses—supporting research and development of representative small modular reactors (SMRs). Like other new and advanced reactor systems, water-cooled SMRs require experimental data from both integral and separate thermal-hydraulics test facilities for the verification and validation (V&V) of the computational models and computer codes in order to design and obtain regulatory approval. The complex dynamics of two-phase flow-boiling instabilities includes flow regimes physics phenomena, flow-channel geometries, heat-transfer behavior, and interactions among the solid–liquid-gas within the system boundary, all of which are pivotal for understanding the design and operational challenges of SMRs. This study focuses on identifying the relevant knowledge gaps on boiling instabilities—specifically for a HCSG—and provides insights about future research direction optimizing the transport of thermal energy, mass-flow rates, and boundary conditions that ensure the adequate heat-transfer performance, operational stability, and safety associated with SMR systems.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Trace Driven Data Structure Transformations

As the complexity of scientific codes and computational hardware increases it is increasingly important to study the effects of data-structure layouts on program memory behavior. Program structure layouts affect the memory performance differently, therefore we need the capability to effectively study such transformations without the need to rewrite application codes. Trace-driven simulations are an effective and convenient mechanism to simulate program behavior at various granularities. During an application s execution, a tool known as a tracer or profiler, collects program flow data and records program instructions. The trace-file consists of tuples that associate each program instruction with program internal variables. In this paper we outline a proof-of-concept mechanism to apply data-structure transformations during trace simulation and observe effects on memory without the need to manually transform an application s code.

cache locality↗
DOE OSTI2014

Security analysis of boolean algebra based on Zhang-Wang digital signature scheme

In 2005, Zhang and Wang proposed an improvement signature scheme without using one-way hash function and message redundancy. In this paper, we show that this scheme exits potential safety concerns through the analysis of boolean algebra, such as bitwise exclusive-or, and point out that mapping is not one to one between assembly instructions and machine code actually by means of the analysis of the result of the assembly program segment, and which possibly causes safety problems unknown to the software.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2011

CLARA: A Contemporary Approach to Physics Data Processing

In traditional physics data processing (PDP) systems, data location is static and is accessed by analysis applications. In comparison, CLARA (CLAS12 Reconstruction and Analysis framework) is an environment where data processing algorithms filter continuously flowing data. In CLARA's domain of loosely coupled services, data is not stored, but rather flows from one service to another, mutating constantly along the way. Agents, performing event processing, can then subscribe to particular data/events at any stage of the data transformation, and make intricate decisions (e.g. particle ID) by correlating events from multiple, parallel data streams and/or services. This paper presents a PDP application development framework based on service oriented and event driven architectures. This system allows users to design (Java, C++, and Python languages are supported) and deploy data processing services, as well as dynamically compose PDP applications using available services. The PDP service bus provides a layer on top of a distributed pub-sub middleware implementation, which allows complex service composition and integration without writing code. Examples of service creation and deployment, along with the CLAS12 track reconstruction application design will be presented.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-194: From Dicom-RT to Radiobiological Dose Metrics in 5 Minutes

Purpose: To develop a flexible and standalone framework for batch calculation of radiobiological dose metrics from Dicom-RT. Methods: Software has been developed which allows (1) The calculation of DVH data from DICOM dose and structure files (DVHgenerator), (2) Calculation of a wide range of radiobiological metrics from this data (CompPlanGui). Both these tools are run via graphical user interface (GUI), making them fast and simple. Part 1 is a new tool which has not previously been published, whilst part 2 is a GUI overlay for the previously published software ‘Comp-Plan’ (Holloway et. al., Medical Dosimetry, 2012), previously reliant on command line interface. The time taken for an experienced user to evaluate a test case of 6 plans with and without CompPlanGUI was quantified. Results: The DVH-generator has been found to be faster, more robust and require far less physical memory then using alternative software solutions for the same purpose. The Comp Plan GUI significantly reduces the amount of time required to set up a base directory, eliminates code crashes arising from typographical errors, and renders the code far more accessible to non-expert users. It took an experienced user of the code around 3 minutes to set up a base directory of 6 plans compared around 8 minutes without, indicating that using CompPlanGUI reduced setup time by over 50%. Conclusion: A standalone GUI based framework has developed which allows for the batch calculation of radiobiological dose metrics directly from Dicom-RT files. As with the original code, this work will be made freely available on request, as well as via matlab file exchange.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗