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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Los Alamos Scientists Support Planetary Defense Efforts Worldwide

Every two years the International Academy of Astronautics brings scientists, engineers, spacecraft developers, disaster specialists, and government officials together to share research and ideas, and to consider how to find, and ultimately deflect or destroy, an asteroid that might be threatening Earth. Attending these Planetary Defense Conferences are scientists from Los Alamos National Laboratory who contribute considerable expertise in the areas of computer modeling and asteroid mitigation technologies. Los Alamos scientists work with NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Office to assist in the location and tracking near-Earth objects, characterization of those objects to determine their orbit trajectory, size, shape, mass, composition, rotational dynamics and other parameters, and planning and implementation of measures to deflect or disrupt an object on an impact course, along with measures that can be taken on Earth to protect lives and property include evacuation of the impact area and movement of critical infrastructure. At the Planetary Defense Conferences scientists share research findings, collaborate on planetary defense strategies, and work on hypothetical scenarios that consider the many timelines and options that might occur during an asteroid threat. To be sure, that threat is rare, but these emergency exercises provide officials with valuable information that may one day protect us all during the real thing.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2021

CCE and Resilience Strategies

Consequence-driven Cyber-informed Engineering (CCE) is a methodology focused on securing the nation’s critical infrastructure systems. Developed at Idaho National Laboratory, CCE starts with the assumption that if a critical infrastructure system is targeted by a skilled and determined adversary, the targeted network can and will be penetrated. This think like the adversary approach provides critical infrastructure owners, operators, vendors and manufacturers with a disciplined methodology to: evaluate complex systems; determine what must be fully safeguarded; and apply proven engineering strategies to isolate and protect an industry’s most critical assets.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Novel capabilities for examining and summarizing hierarchical and geographic resiliency profiles

The geospatial research and development team in the National and Homeland Security Division at Idaho National Laboratory was tasked with providing tools to derive insight from the substantial amount of data currently available - and continuously being produced - associated with the critical infrastructure of the US. This effort is in support of the Department of Homeland Security, whose mission includes the protection of this infrastructure and the enhancement of its resilience to hazards, both natural and human. We present geovisual-analytics-based approaches for analysis of vulnerabilities and resilience of critical infrastructure, designed so that decision makers, analysts, and infrastructure owners and managers can manage risk, prepare for hazards, and direct resources before and after an incident that might result in an interruption in service. Our designs are based on iterative discussions with DHS leadership and analysts, who in turn will use these tools to explore and communicate data in partnership with utility providers, law enforcement, and emergency response and recovery organizations, among others. In most cases these partners desire summaries of large amounts of data, but increasingly, our users seek the additional capability of focusing on, for example, a specific infrastructure sector, a particular geographic region, or time period, or of examining data in a variety of generalization or aggregation levels. These needs align well with tenets of in-formation-visualization design; in this paper, selected applications among those that we have designed are described and positioned within geovisualization, geovisual analytical, and information visualization frameworks.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Essential Function Analysis Capability

The Essential Function Analysis Capability (EFAC) is an extension of the All Hazards Knowledge Framework (AHA) and is a dynamic analytical framework that enables critical infrastructure knowledge discovery and decision support across the five mission areas – prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery. EFAC provides the ability to store and model infrastructure systems as a linked multigraphs providing an intuitive and natural representation. These infrastructure systems can then be tied to the organizational and essential function breakdown of an entity. This capability provides the foundation to rapidly evaluate and understand the potential consequences of manmade and natural disaster on these infrastructure systems and essential functions.

Hoover, MichaelJ.↗
DOE OSTI2019

All Hazards Analysis Core

The All Hazards Knowledge Framework (AHA) is a dynamic analytical framework that enables critical infrastructure knowledge discovery and decision support across the five mission areas – prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery. AHA provides the ability to store and model infrastructure systems as a linked multigraphs providing an intuitive and natural representation. This capability provides the foundation to rapidly evaluate and understand the potential consequences of manmade and natural disaster on these systems.

McGillivary, KentE.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Protecting water and wastewater utilities from cyber‐physical threats

Abstract Recent events have highlighted the need to address cybersecurity threats to systems supporting critical infrastructure and federal information systems which are evolving and growing. These threats have become ubiquitous in the United States, and throughout the world. Many information and communications technology (ICT) devices and other components are interdependent so that disruption of one component may have a negative, cascading effect on others. In the United States, the Federal role in cyber‐security has been debated for more than a decade but creating a policy is complicated because in the United States, State and local governments are the major institutions responsible for providing services to their populations. It is important that critical infrastructure such as Publically Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) and Public Water Systems (PWSs) adopt suitable countermeasures to prevent or minimise the consequences of cyber‐attacks. This paper discusses both technological and procedural techniques that can be used to protect against cyber‐threats.

Clark, Robert M.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Multi-Scenario Use Case based Demonstration of Buildings Cybersecurity Framework Webtool

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the cybersecurity and software capabilities of Buildings Cybersecurity Framework (BCF) webtool. The webtool is designed based on BCF document and existing NIST standards. It’s capabilities and features are depicted through a building usecase with four different investment scenarios geared towards improving the cybersecurity posture of the building. BCF webtool also facilitates implementation of the goals outlined in Presidential Executive Order (EO) on Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure (May 2017. In realization of the EO goals, BCF includes five core elements: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover, to help determine various policy and process level vulnerabilities and provide mitigation strategies. With the BCF webtool, an organization can perform a cybersecurity self-assessment; determine the current cybersecurity posture; define investment based goals to achieve a target state; connect the cybersecurity posture with business processes, functions, and continuity; and finally, develop plans to answer critical organizational cybersecurity questions. In this paper, the webtool and its core capabilities are depicted by performing an extensive comparative assessment over four different scenarios.

Gourisetti, Sri Nikhil G.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cyber-Physical Power Systems Protection: The Byzantine Cybersecurity Framework

Cybersecurity of smart grids have been topic of much interest in recent years. As this critical infrastructure operation increases dependency on automated processes and controls, exposure to cyber-physical threats become inevitable. Considering cyber-physical security of the grid, much focus of attention has been made towards smart grids real-time monitoring solutions, including the state estimation process. Analyzing the relevant literature, one can note though that seldom research has been done on cyber-physical security of smart grids protection systems. Protection systems have intangible value towards grid reliability. This paper presents a cybersecurity framework for smart grids protection systems. A physics-based inspired machine learning solution is at the core process of the framework. Processed relay inputs and outputs are used by a deep predictive coding network. Formal models, a quasi-static state estimator, provides an oracle when low confidence decision is reached. Evolving knowledge is derived through reinforcement learning. Implementation aspects considering the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Electricity Infrastructure Operations Center are presented. Built as an extra control layer to protection systems, without hard-to-derive parameters, highlights potential aspects towards real-life applications.

Bretas, Arturo Suman↗
DOE OSTI2018

Cybersecurity Framework Tool and Training Game Help Utilities ID Cyber Attack Vulnerabilities

PNNL cybersecurity experts developed two novel cyber tools to help utilities and organizations that serve them combat malicious cyber attacks. The first is the Cybersecurity Framework Tool, or CFT. This patented tool provides a way for utilities and their associated vendors to identify, protect, detect, respond to, and recover from emerging cyber threats or vulnerabilities to critical infrastructure. CFT provides an easy-to-follow set of best practices, policies, and procedures to improve the cybersecurity postures of critical infrastructure. The second tool is the Cybersecurity Training Game Simulator, a dynamic “train the trainer” tool. The game provides interactive training scenarios based on major cyberattacks that happened in the U.S. during the past decade. Both innovations are available for commercialization. Contact Commercialization Manager Peter Christensen at peter.christensen@pnnl.gov to learn more.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2016

Watchdog Project

The Watchdog Project completed 100% of the project Statement of Project Objective (SOPO). The Watchdog project was a very aggressive project looking to accomplish commercialization of technology that had never been commercialized, as a result it took six years to complete not the original three that were planned. No additional federal funds were requested from the original proposal and SEL contributed the additional cost share required to complete the project. The result of the Watchdog Project is the world’s first industrial rated Software Defined Network (SDN) switch commercially available. This technology achieved the SOPOO and DOE Roadmap goals to have strong network access control, improve reliability and network performance, and give the asset owner the ability to minimize attack surface before and during an attack. The Watchdog project is an alliance between CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL), and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL). SEL is the world’s leader in microprocessor-based electronic equipment for protecting electric power systems. PNNL performs basic and applied research to deliver energy, environmental, and national security for our nation. CenterPoint Energy is the third largest publicly traded natural gas delivery company in the U.S and third largest combined electricity and natural gas delivery company. The Watchdog Project efforts were combined with the SDN Project efforts to produce the entire SDN system solution for the critical infrastructure. The Watchdog project addresses Topic Area of Interest 5: Secure Communications, for the DEFOA- 0000359 by protecting the control system local area network itself and the communications coming from and going to the electronic devices on the local network. Local area networks usually are not routed and have little or no filtering capabilities. Combine this with the fact control system protocols are designed with inherent trust the control system owners have very little choice on how to protect communications on the local network. The Watchdog project reduces security risks in electric sector control system local area networks (LANs) by providing: Network access control (NAC) Multi-Layer firewall (physical through transport layer) Containment of malware or unauthorized traffic spreading across the network White list protocols and application message types filtering Configurable, proactive traffic engineering The Watchdog project achieved all of the above by developing an SDN switch.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Regional Resiliency Assessment Program Dependency Analysis Framework

The purpose of this report is to develop a common understanding and consistent analytic approach for evaluating critical infrastructure dependencies and interdependencies that will inform the programs of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Protective Security Coordination Division (PSCD). The framework outlined here prioritizes a need to tie together top-down and bottom-up analyses to produce a comprehensive “system of systems” view of dependencies and interdependencies that integrates the best available data. Examples of dependency and interdependency analyses from recent Regional Resiliency Assessment Program (RRAP) projects are included to illustrate practical applications of these concepts in support of infrastructure resilience.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantifying the Protectability of Power Systems for Restoration Applications

With the increasing availability of distributed energy resources, controllable switches, and advanced metering infrastructure, distribution systems are exploring opportunities for improving system reliability through fault location, isolation, and service restoration. During permanent outages, this requires islanding microgrids and/or reconfiguration of the feeders; however, it is critical to assess the protection of the islanded/reconfigured networks before transition because the rated load and fault current conditions change. This paper presents a novel “protectability” metric that quantifies the protection performance and allows the operators to compare the effectiveness of the protection between two or more possible reconfiguration and islanding approaches. We present the mathematical formulation and assumptions for the metric. Multiple configurations of the Electric Power Research Institute J1 feeder, both in grid-connected and weak-sourced islanded operation, are used to demonstrate the performance of the metric with reference to overcurrent protection. Takeaways for future studies on system planning integration are provided.

distributed energy resources↗
DOE OSTI2018

Sea Level Rise Impacts on Wastewater Treatment Systems Along the U.S. Coasts

As sea levels rise, coastal communities will experience more frequent and persistent nuisance flooding, and some low-lying areas may be permanently inundated. Critical components of lifeline infrastructure networks in these areas are also at risk of flooding, which could cause significant service disruptions that extend beyond the flooded zone. Thus, identifying critical infrastructure components that are exposed to sea level rise is an important first step in developing targeted investment in protective actions and enhancing the overall resilience of coastal communities. Wastewater treatment plants are typically located at low elevations near the coastline to minimize the cost of collecting consumed water and discharging treated effluent, which makes them particularly susceptible to coastal flooding. For this analysis, we used geographic information systems to assess the exposure of wastewater infrastructure to various sea level rise projections at the national level. We then estimated the number of people who would lose wastewater services, which could be more than five times as high as previous predictions of the number of people at risk of direct flooding due to sea level rise. We also performed a regional comparison of wastewater exposure to marine and groundwater flooding in the San Francisco Bay Area. Overall, this analysis highlights the widespread exposure of wastewater infrastructure in the United States and demonstrates that local disruptions to infrastructure networks may have far-ranging impacts on areas that do not experience direct flooding.Plain Language Summary Wastewater treatment plants are susceptible to flooding resulting from sea level rise. Previous estimates of wastewater exposure have only considered the impacts of marine flooding at the local or regional scale. In this analysis, we quantify the exposure to marine flooding across the coastal United States and then consider the relative impacts of marine and groundwater flooding at the regional scale in the San Francisco Bay Area. We also estimate the number of people who may lose access to wastewater services if no actions are taken to prevent flooding at wastewater treatment plants. We find that the number of people impacted by sea level rise due to loss of wastewater services could be five times as high as previous predictions of the number of people who experience direct flooding of their homes or property. We also find that groundwater flooding poses a significant threat to wastewater plants in the San Francisco Bay region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Maintenance of Maywood Laboratory Operations Support During Contractor Transition and Replacement of the Project Databases - 16329

In December 2013, Cabrera Services (Cabrera) executed transition of the FUSRAP Maywood Superfund Site remediation project operations, including an on-site accredited environmental lab, from a large business that had established technology infrastructure in place for over a decade which required updating to support the expected remediation scope and client needs. As of November 2015, Cabrera has shipped over 116,000 yd{sup 3} of contaminated soil to disposal facilities. During the transition, the USACE FUSRAP Maywood Laboratory (UFML) continued to support project operations, providing the expected timely and reliable results and maintaining their New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection certification for all parameters of concern, while having to cope with new challenges and additional tasks having the potential to disrupt the laboratory's ability to support project operations. This case study examines the challenges with maintaining a certified radiochemistry laboratory and an aggressive remediation schedule during a period of prime contractor transition which included a complete IT infrastructure overhaul, and conversion of the existing Microsoft Access laboratory database and project Electronic Data Management System (EDMS) to a customized commercial solution. Challenges: I. Procurement of a new database subcontractor and working closely with them to achieve the following: a. Migration of all environmental (including radiological, chemical, and quality control), health and safety, and spatial data as well as reports, queries, and analytical instrument software processes from a MS Access data management system to a SQL server system; and b. Verification that the functionality and data integrity of the databases remained intact. II. The onsite laboratory was changed over to a new onsite network and the following tasks were completed with little or no interruption to site operations by January 10, 2014: i. Installation of new instrument personal computers (PCs) and making them fully operational; ii. Configuration of the lab domain and server to host the LIMS (replaced all servers/domain/workstations with Windows 7 and Server 2012 machines). iii. Networking of the laboratory building into the rest of the project site via fiber optic cabling across the site. iv. Upgrade of the wide area network (WAN) data connection to high-speed Fiber Optic service; v. Upgrade of the telephones into voice over internet protocol (VOIP) phones. vi. Splitting of the database into front ends and a centralized back-end hosted on the new server to allow simultaneous access for fixes and improvements. III. Phone service interruption; phone systems were operational by January 10, 2014. Additional Tasks: I. Revision of the USACE FUSRAP Maywood Laboratory (UFML) Quality Systems Manual Rev. 1 Submitted 01/16/14; II. Writing of the Uniform Federal Policy Quality Assurance Project Plan Rev. 1 (UFP-QAPP) submitted 1/21/14. This document replaced the prior project data quality plan, the Chemical Data Quality Management Plan. III. Support of USACE communications to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) on lab management and personnel transition to Cabrera. This work was important since it ensured a smooth transition and shows how critical project records infrastructure such as databases, can be upgraded with minimal interruption of project support. Such work may provide benefit to other similar projects, especially long term projects where database infrastructure upgrades may be beneficial in terms of improved efficiencies in data recording and transfer, and improved security in data storage. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Strengthening Cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems: Innovations in Protecting PLC-Based Infrastructure

In this paper, we propose two new approaches aimed at enhancing the security of industrial control systems (ICS) that utilize programmable logic controllers (PLCs) for the control of critical processes. The first approach involves the addition of a unique digital watermark to the PWM control that adjusts the motor speed to control the critical process. This enables efficient detection and identification of any unauthorized modifications to the sensor signals responsible for controlling the plant. The second approach focuses on monitoring the input current (i.e power) drawn by the PLC during the execution of critical process control tasks. Malicious intrusions to change the PLC parameters and/or unauthorized firmware updates can be rapidly detected. Both approaches demonstrate a substantial improvement in the security of ICS, effectively safeguarding against potential cyber-attacks. Experimental results from a laboratory scale water tank level controlled via PLC showcases rapid intrusion detection capabilities.

Huang, Peng-Hao↗
DOE OSTI2019

Methodologies for Evaluation of Corrosion Protection for Ductile Iron Pipe

Repairing the nation’s infrastructure and ensuring its future durability are key issues facing the United States. It is important that these critical issues are addressed with appropriate and economical solutions based on the best modern scientific information. For example, in 2013 the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), in its Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, gave the state of the critical water/wastewater infrastructure an overall grade of “D.” According to the ASCE, 6 billion gallons of drinking water disappear every day, mostly due to leaks in old pipes. Corrosion of water pipes plays a role in their durability and, for external pipe corrosion, the corrosivity of soils varies by location and is based on several factors, including soil resistivity. There is universal agreement that water pipes require some type of corrosion mitigation strategy (i.e., bare pipe is not installed). However, in specifying which strategy to employ for ductile iron pipe (DIP) in different soil types, the recommendations of the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Technical Memorandum 8140-CC-2004-1 were subject to considerable debate. So much so that in 2009, this report was the subject of a study by the National Academy, which did not resolve the debate about the most effective and affordable solutions. Zinc-coatings have been explored in other parts of the world. Despite being widely used in Europe for almost 60 years, zinc coating was barely mentioned in either the 2004 or 2009 studies, which appeared to focus on North American data.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT)

Project Overview This project is focused on developing technologies that enable construction of a Lunar Safe Haven type structure on the moon. A full scale architectural and structural design will be completed based on lunar conditions and Artemis mission needs. A scaled structure will be 3D printed in simulated lunar environments. Technical Approach Polymer bound regolith composite materials will be developed and characterized for lunar additive construction applications. A full scale architectural and structural design will be completed based on the latest scientific data on lunar environments including radiation, meteoroids, thermal conditions, reduced gravity, and moonquakes. The project will culminate with a demonstration of additive construction in simulated lunar vacuum, thermal, regolith, and UV conditions. Results/Summary Preliminary material specifications have been developed and an initial batch has been produced. A first iteration of the architectural and structural designs have been completed. Hardware for 3D printing in simulated lunar conditions is under development. Contributing Partners AI Space Factory – Winner of the NASA 3D Printed Habitat Centennial Challenge Infusion and Transition Plan On-surface construction of infrastructure is a critical capability of the sustainable phase of the Artemis Program and eventual sustainable human presence on Mars. It provides the ability to create protective shelters on-demand using local resources. The 3D-printing technology will achieve TRL 6 in 1g/vacuum tests with thermal/UV exposure in this project. CLPS missions will be pursued for infusion to demonstrate vertical construction with lunar regolith and conditions. Modeling and simulation will be used to define the pilot-scale shelter construction mission for long-term exposure on the lunar surface to validate the system for Artemis operational deployment.

Lunar Construction↗
DOE OSTI2018

Decision Tree Based Anomaly Detection for Remedial Action Scheme in Smart Grid using PMU Data

The advanced and persistent cyber threats facing the critical infrastructure such as the smart grid are exponentially rising which require sophisticated defense strategy. Remedial Action Scheme (RAS), also known as Special Protection Scheme (SPS), relies on the interconnected cyber physical system for automated protection which is exposed to the multitude of vulnerabilities. In this paper, we propose an innovative approach to develop an Intelligent Remedial Action Scheme (IRAS) which can detect and distinguish cyber attacks from the physical disturbances in smart grid and later take smart corrective actions as required to minimize the impact on system reliability and economy. Specifically, we have proposed the decision tree based anomaly detection methodology which can distinguish between the normal tripping during power line faults and malicious tripping attack on the physical relays in the context of RAS. The classification model is developed using differential features of voltage and current phasors. Next, as a proof of concept, we have implemented and validated the proposed methodology in cyber physical environment at Iowa State's PowerCyber testbed. Finally, the proposed methodology is tested on modified IEEE 39 bus system in offline and real-time mode. Our experimental results show that the proposed method is efficient in detecting attacks and performing corrective actions within an acceptable time frame.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗