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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2025

Considerations for Optimal Sensor Placement for Higher Accuracy Object Localization for Urban Air Mobility

Previous research into object localization has shown that sensor placement and alignment plays an important role in achieving higher accuracy levels of the estimated location of a tracked Urban Air Mobility Vehicle. In general, a near-orthogonal intersection between the ground node observation vectors results in the highest accuracy due to a smaller overlapping uncertainty region between both. This applies to triangulation by means of ground node camera angle observations as well as trilateration by means of ground node distance measurements. However, this simple concept is not easily fulfilled with a network of a limited number of static ground nodes and a moving object to be localized. This case study performs sensitivity analyses and explores practical ways on how to achieve higher estimate accuracy levels in this context.

sensor placement↗
DOE OSTI2021

A TTL-based Approach for Content Placement in Edge Networks

Edge networks are promising to provide better services to users by provisioning computing and storage resources at the edge of networks. However, due to the uncertainty and diversity of user interests, content popularity, distributed network structure, cache sizes, it is challenging to decide where to place the content, and how long it should be cached. In this paper, we study the utility optimization of content placement at edge networks through timer-based (TTL) policies. We propose provably optimal distributed algorithms that operate at each network cache to maximize the overall network utility. Our TTL-based optimization model provides theoretical answers to how long each content must be cached, and where it should be placed in the edge network. Extensive evaluations show that our algorithm significantly outperforms path replication with conventional caching algorithms over some network topologies.

Panigrahy, Nitish K.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Optimizing green infrastructure placement under precipitation uncertainty

Increased urbanization, infrastructure degradation, and climate change threaten to overwhelm stormwater systems across the nation, rendering them ineffective. Green Infrastructure (GI) practices are low cost, low regret strategies that can contribute to urban runoff management. However, questions remain as to how to best distribute GI practices through urban watersheds given precipitation uncertainty and the variable hydrological responses to them. We develop stochastic programming models to determine the optimal placement of GI practices across a set of candidate locations in a watershed to minimize the total expected runoff under medium-term precipitation uncertainties. Specifically, we first develop a two-stage stochastic programming model. Next, we reformulate this model using perturbed parameters to reduce the requisite computational time and extend it to multi-stage. In addition, we introduce constraints that allow for incorporating sub-catchment-level runoff reduction considerations. Furthermore, we account for hydrological connectivity in the watershed using an underlying acyclic connectivity graph of sub-catchments and incorporate various practical considerations into the models. In addition, we develop a systemic approach to downscale the existing daily precipitation projections into hourly units and efficiently estimate the corresponding hydrological responses. These advancements are brought together in a case study for an urban watershed in a mid-sized city in the U.S., where we perform sensitivity analyses, evaluate the importance of the considered constraints, and provide insights.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tuning the Placement of Pt “Single Atoms” on a Mixed CeO 2 –TiO 2 Support

Defect sites on the oxide supports can be used to anchor and activate "single-atoms" catalysts (SACs). By engineering the anchoring sites for supporting SACs, one can alter their electronic and atomic structures which, in turn, define their activity, selectivity, and stability for catalytic reactions. To create and tune unique sites for Pt SACs on CeO 2 support, in this work, we synthesized a system consisting of CeO 2 decorated on TiO 2 nano-oxides for supporting the Pt SACs and investigated the effect of Pt weight loading. Here, a combination of multiple structural characterization methods including diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) were employed to characterize the distribution of charge states of single atoms and evaluate the heterogeneity of their binding sites. We have found that the placement of Pt atoms can be tuned on a mixed oxide surface by changing the weight loading of Pt.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimizing Sensor Count and Placement to Detect Bond Wire Lift-Offs and Surface Defects in High-Power IGBT Modules Using Low-Cost Piezo-Electric Resonators

This manuscript presents the most recent results and findings to identify bond wire lift-offs and surface defects in high-power isolated gate bipolar junction transistor (IGBT) modules. The authors of this manuscript formerly proposed a low-cost, piezoelectric resonator-based measurement unit to detect bond wire related degradation in larger IGBT modules. Since high-power IGBT modules are expensive, it was apparent that evaluating our proposed method by inducing controlled damage to fresh (new) IGBTs may not be cost-effective especially when multiple sets of data need to be captured by inducing damage to different levels. In order to overcome this limitation, IGBT bond wires have been mimicked using a 3D printed enclosure, a PCB, and copper wires with dimensions very closely resembling a real IGBT. Using this method, multiple test devices can be built at the cost of a real IGBT, and the proposed technique could be fine-tuned without damaging expensive, real IGBTs. Our recent findings can be used to determine real IGBT degradation and bond wire lift-offs using only two sensors, as opposed to six transducers used in the first iteration of the setup. In addition to optimizing the sensor count, we have also identified the best possible locations of these sensors by attempting multiple placements inside the IGBT casing.

condition monitoring↗
DOE OSTI2022

Optimizing Multi-Robot Placements for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

Wire arc additive manufacturing is a metal additive manufacturing process in which the material is deposited using arc welding technology. It is gaining popularity due to high material deposition rates and faster build time. It is en-abled using robotic manipulators and can build relatively large-scale parts faster when compared with other metal additive manufacturing processes. However, the size of the large-scale parts is limited by the size of the industrial manipulator being used for the process. This limitation is overcome by using a fixed configuration multi-robot cell in which manipulators work cooperatively to build large-scale parts quickly. A fixed multi-robot cell with closely spaced industrial manipulators has high flexibility, but it restricts the part size that can be built. If the manipulators are spread out, the cell loses its flexibility but can build relatively larger parts. This issue can be avoided by using larger size manipulators, which are expensive, or by moving the modest size manipulators based on the part geometries. This paper presents a novel algorithm to generate multi-robot placements for different part geometries to be built using wire arc additive manufacturing. Furthermore, the algorithm hierarchically optimizes the build time and the inverse kinematics consistency in robot paths to improve the process efficiency and part quality. We compare the results with fixed multi-robot cells and provide insights to users to make an informed decision on whether to use a fixed or a flexible multi-robot cell for wire arc additive manufacturing.

Bhatt, Prahar↗
DOE OSTI2020

On the Computational Viability of Quantum Optimization for PMU Placement

Using optimal phasor measurement unit placement as a prototypical problem, we assess the computational viability of the current generation D-Wave Systems 2000Q quantum annealer for power systems design problems. We reformulate minimum dominating set for the annealer hardware, solve the reformulation for a standard set of IEEE test systems, and benchmark solution quality and time to solution against the CPLEX optimizer and simulated annealing. For some problem instances the 2000Q outpaces CPLEX. For instances where the 2000Q underperforms with respect to CPLEX and simulated annealing, we suggest hardware improvements for the next generation of quantum annealers.

hardware↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Scalable PDC Placement Technique for Fast and Resilient Monitoring of Large Power Grids

The wide-area measurement system (WAMS) is a key enabler of real-time monitoring of power grids. The essential goals of WAMS design are fast and resilient data transfer from phasor measurement units (PMU) to phasor data concentrators (PDC). We propose a scalable two-stage PDC placement technique for minimizing the end-to-end delay while maintaining resiliency. In the prescreening stage, the plausible candidates of PDC configurations are identified based on a graph theory-based multi-median function (MMF). Here, in this article, a computationally efficient meta-heuristic algorithm is used to address scalability. In the candidate selection stage, two different algorithms, namely, Suurballe's and Dijkstra's, are employed to identify the best of those plausible PDC configurations as the final design. This technique not only minimizes the hop paths between PMUs and PDCs, but also ensures network resiliency against single PMU, PDC, or communication link failure by incorporating the roles of PMUs in power grid observability into routing policy. Simulation results on the IEEE 57-bus test power system and the 2000-bus test power system demonstrate the effectiveness and scalability of the proposed technique.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Associative polymers with controlled sticker placement: How reversible bond distribution and density govern polymer dynamics

Associative polymers with precisely arranged stickers offer opportunities to program material properties with molecular precision. Yet, it remains unclear how the placement and fraction of stickers dictate structure, dynamics, and macroscopic properties. By developing a model unentangled polymer system with hydrogen-bonding stickers, we show that randomly distributed stickers neither form clusters nor change flow properties, whereas stickers placed at chain ends drive nanocluster formation even at low concentrations. Adding more end stickers produces a rubbery plateau spanning eight decades in frequency with two distinct relaxation timescales, in contrast to the single plateau predicted by the classic sticky Rouse model. These results demonstrate that sticker distribution dictates whether associative polymers undergo nanocluster formation or microphase separation, while substantial alterations in dynamics and viscoelasticity require both sticker aggregation and thermomechanical stability of associated domains. Our findings resolve a longstanding debate on associative polymer dynamics and provide molecular design rules for programmable soft materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Journey Over Destination: Differentiable Sensor Placement Enhances Generalization [Poster]

The challenge of reconstructing spatial fields that change over time from limited sensor data has been a focal point for many research studies. Various machine learning methods have been used in attempts to address this complex issue, including convolutional neural networks. All of the proposed methods share a common requirement that the user needs to manually determine the sensor positions. This requirement remains a limiting factor in the ongoing quest for efficient learning and accurate field reconstruction. This study aims to present a method that enables a model to optimize sensor positions via backpropagation, thereby facilitating the model’s exploration of the spatial domain and enhancing sensor positioning effectively. Indexing naturally incorporates discrete decisions. This operation is nondifferentiable which is a requirement for the application of gradient-based optimization methods. We showcased its effectiveness by training an attention-based neural network, which achieved top-tier performance on two separate datasets. To our knowledge, this represents the first fully end-to-end differentiable workflow for enhancing sensor placement within a neural network model.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Storage Sizing and Placement Simulation: Quick-Start Case Study User’s Guide

The Storage Sizing and Placement Simulation (SSIM) application allows a user to define the possible sizes and locations of energy storage elements on an existing grid model defined in OpenDSS. Given these possibilities, the software will automatically search through them and attempt to determine which configurations result in the best overall grid performance. This quick-start guide will go through, in detail, the creation of an SSIM model based on a modified version of the IEEE 34 bus test feeder system. There are two primary parts of this document. The first is a complete list of instructions with little-to-no explanation of the meanings of the actions requested. The second is a detailed description of each input and action stating the intent and effect of each. There are links between the two sections.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Sensor Placement Optimization Study for the Built Environment: Next Steps Report

Systems of fixed-position radiation sensors can provide information that assists emergency responders following nuclear incidents. First responder organizations that implement systems of fixed-position sensors face numerous decisions regarding sensor selection, quantity, and placement. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have evaluated the performance of several hypothetical sensor systems during a simulated activation of a radiological dispersal device. Due to technical limitations, PNNL’s analysis was limited to a single location and number of scenarios. This document describes additional research and analysis that would result in improved guidance to first responder organizations considering installation of radiation monitoring systems.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Demonstration of Algorithm for Sensor Placement Optimization using Simulation Data

This deliverable reports FY26 progress in advancing a neural-network-based Green’s-function framework for reconstructing neutron-flux distributions from ex-core measurements and for translating reconstruction requirements into a practical detector-layout strategy. Building on the FY25 formulation, the present work had two main objectives: (1) refine and re-evaluate the reconstruction methodology on an updated Purdue University Reactor Number One (PUR-1) model, and (2) develop a systematic, Green’s-function-guided procedure for boundary detector placement.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Additive Manufacturing of C/C-SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites by Automated Fiber Placement of Continuous Fiber Tow in Polymer with Pyrolysis and Reactive Silicon Melt Infiltration

An additive manufacturing process for fabricating ceramic matrix composites has been developed based on the C/C-SiC system. Automated fiber placement of the continuous carbon fibers in a polyether ether ketone matrix was performed to consolidate the carbon fibers into a printed preform. Pyrolysis was performed to convert the polymer matrix to porous carbon, and then Si was introduced by reactive melt infiltration to convert a portion of the carbon matrix to silicon carbide. The densities and microstructures were characterized after each step during the processing, and the mechanical properties were measured. The C/C-SiC composites exhibited a porosity of 10–20%, characteristic flexural strength of 234.91 MPa, and Weibull modulus of 3.21. The composites displayed toughness via a significant displacement to failure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1973

Pole and zero placement in multivariable control systems

A method is proposed for designing multivariable systems based on an alternate derivation of Davison's theorem on pole placement and the solution of the nonlinear equations for the feedback gains by the least square error method. Output feedback is used to control a complex dynamical system. The freedom in design, after allocating poles, is used to place zeros and/or satisfy other design objectives. This method results in algorithms which are computationally attractive. However, this is done at a considerable sacrifice in terms of the design freedom available. For a system with m inputs and p outputs only m + p variables are available instead of mp variables.

Sridhar, B.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Application of pole-placement theory to helicopter stabilization systems.

This paper is concerned with the problem of designing a controller for a complex dynamical system using output feedback. The system selected for the study is the Boeing-Vertol CH-46 tandem rotor helicopter. Feedback gains are obtained by a least square solution of the nonlinear equations derived from pole-placement theory.

Sridhar, B.↗