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Science &Technology Review October/November 2018

At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we focus on science and technology research to ensure our nation’s security. We also apply that expertise to solve other important national problems in energy, bioscience, and the environment. Science & Technology Review is published eight times a year to communicate, to a broad audience, the Laboratory’s scientific and technological accomplishments in fulfilling its primary missions. The publication’s goal is to help readers understand these accomplishments and appreciate their value to the individual citizen, the nation, and the world.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Science & Technology Review March 2019

At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, we focus on science and technology research to ensure our nation’s security. We also apply that expertise to solve other important national problems in energy, bioscience, and the environment. Science & Technology Review is published eight times a year to communicate, to a broad audience, the Laboratory’s scientific and technological accomplishments in fulfilling its primary missions. The publication’s goal is to help readers understand these accomplishments and appreciate their value to the individual citizen, the nation, and the world.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Wireless Channel Characterization in the Airport Surface Environment

Given the anticipated increase in air traffic in the coming years, modernization of the National Airspace System (NAS) is a necessity. Part of this modernization effort will include updating current communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) systems to deal with the increased traffic as well as developing advanced CNS technologies for the systems. An example of such technology is the integrated CNS (ICNS) network being developed by the Advanced CNS Architecture and Systems Technology (ACAST) group for use in the airport surface environment. The ICNS network would be used to convey voice/data between users in a secure and reliable manner. The current surface system only supports voice and does so through an obsolete physical infrastructure. The old system is vulnerable to outages and costly to maintain. The proposed ICNS network will include a wireless radio link. To ensure optimal performance, a thorough and accurate characterization of the channel across which the link would operate is necessary. The channel is the path the signal takes from the transmitter to the receiver and is prone to various forms of interference. Channel characterization involves a combination of analysis, simulation, and measurement. My work this summer was divided into four tasks. The first task required compiling and reviewing reference material that dealt with the characterization and modeling of aeronautical channels. The second task involved developing a systematic approach that could be used to group airports into classes, e.g. small airfields, medium airports, large open airports, large cluttered airports, etc. The third task consisted of implementing computer simulations of existing channel models. The fourth task entailed measuring possible interference sources in the airport surface environment via a spectrum analyzer.

Neville, Joshua T.↗

CyTRICS™ Assessment Report: Whole Home Battery Applications

This report examines the software supply chain security posture of mobile applications developed for consumer whole-house battery and energy-management products. While these applications are not currently integrated with critical infrastructure, their growing role in connected energy domain spaces underscores the importance of understanding the external dependencies, permission structures, and runtime behaviors that could introduce systemic risk; particularly, if adoption expands into more critical environments.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Computational model for predicting the performance of fluid-powered longiudinal piston modules and motors.

A Matlab-based computational model line code has been developed for predicting the performance of fluid-powered longitudinal piston modules and motors. A system of equations has been developed based upon applying the conservation of mass to a control volume defined by a reciprocating piston. The method results in a differential equation that predicts the pressure gradient in the control volume as a function of rotor rotation angle. The model uses an integration scheme to predict the pressure state in the control volume. The orifice equation is used to predict the flowrate in and out of the control volume. From the resulting solution the torque and speed characteristics of the motor configuration can be predicted, optimized, or tailored for a specific requirement.SAND2019-13983 M Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.

Taylor, Michael↗

Tomographic Reconstruction of the Neutron Time-Energy Spectrum from a Dense Plasma Focus

A dense plasma focus (DPF) nuclear fusion device is an attractive pulsed neutron source in many applications, due to its relatively large neutron yield, produced in a short time duration. In order to design a DPF that generates neutrons within a specified time profile, or generates a neutron energy spectrum with specific properties, it is necessary to be able to characterize and model the results of the fusion process releasing the neutrons. The time-energy spectrum of fusion neutrons is an ideal quantity to use to validate multiphysics codes that simulate the pinch and fusion processes, because it is a quantity that requires the physics of each of the stages leading up to and ending in the fusion reaction to be simulated correctly. In particular, since DPF fusion neutrons are not monoenergetic -- and there can often be several fusion pinches creating neutrons -- a computer simulation matching high quality neutron spectrum measurements provides great confidence in the fidelity of the simulation. In order to make such a comparison, it is first necessary to have quality measurements from which to infer the spectrum. In this work we pose neutron spectroscopy as the classical tomographic inverse problem from neutron time of flight data at multiple distances, but enhanced by using an additional measurement of the time profile of the fusion pinch near its source and by using detector pairs set up in a geometry that allows for scatter background subtraction. The detector pairs enhance the quality of the time of flight measurements, and the additional constraint posed by the measured time profile allows for reconstructions discretized as finely as the time measurements and in energy as finely as 100 keV, without the problem being underdetermined. We present results from a Deuterium-fueled DPF at the U.S. Department of Energy's Nevada National Security Site and show that we can infer the time-energy spectrum from our measurements for both single and multi-pinch fusion reactions with equal fidelity.

Catenacci, Jared↗

PV Cyber Security Research (Final Report)

Extensive deployment of interoperable distributed energy resources (DER) on power systems is increasing the power system cyber security attack surface. National and jurisdictional interconnection standards require DER to include a range of autonomous and commanded grid support functions which can drastically influence power quality, voltage, and bulk system frequency. This project was split into two phases. The first provided a survey and roadmap of the cybersecurity for the solar industry. The second investigated multiple PV cybersecurity research and development (R&D) concepts identified in the first phase. In the first year, the team created a roadmap for improving cybersecurity for distributed solar energy resources. This roadmap was intended to provide direction for the nation over the next five years and focused on the intersection of industry and government and recommends activities in four related areas: stakeholder engagement, cyber security research and development, standards development, and industry best practices. At the same time, the team produced a primer for DER vendors, aggregators, and grid operators to establish a common taxonomy and describe basic principles of cyber security, encryption, communication protocols, DER cyber security recommendations and requirements, and device-, aggregator-, and utility-level security best practices to ensure data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This material was motivated by the need to assist the broader PV industry with cybersecurity resilience and describe the state-of-the-art for securing DER communications. Lastly, an adversary-based assessment of multiple PV devices was completed at the Distributed Energy Technologies Laboratory at Sandia National Laboratories to determine the status of industry cybersecurity practices. The team found multiple deficiencies in the security features of the assessed devices. In the second year, a set of recommendations was created for DER communication protocols— especially with respect to the state-of-the-art requirements in IEEE 2030.5. Additionally, several cybersecurity R&D technologies related to communications-enabled photovoltaic systems were studied to harden DER communication networks. Specifically, the team investigated (a) using software defined networking to create a moving target defense system for DER communications, and (b) engineering controls that prevent misprogramming or adversary action on DER devices/networks by disallowing setpoints that will generate unstable power system operations.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Design of Defensive Cybersecurity Architectures for Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors

This report presents the design of defensive cybersecurity architectures (DCSAs) for Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs). A DCSA is a cybersecurity design feature that places systems into security zones in a graded approach according to the importance of the functions performed by the systems. DCSA design efforts for advanced reactors may commence as early as the system-level design phase. This design approach is consistent with the draft regulatory guide for advanced reactor cybersecurity programs (DG-5075) and enables advanced reactor designers to consider the effects of security-by design (SeBD) features on their DCSAs. Integration of DCSA design and other cybersecurity activities with the traditional design process as part of a SeBD framework may enable advanced reactor designers to improve the security posture of their plants while reducing implementation and operating costs. This report provides a DCSA template for an exemplar SFR and how the template may be optimized for a given SFR design.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Incentivizing Cyber Security Investment in the Power Sector Using An Extended Cyber Insurance Framework

Collaboration between the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and public- sector partners has revealed that a dearth of cyber- incident data combined with the unpredictability of cyber attacks have contributed to a shortfall in first-party cyber insurance protection in the critical infrastructure community. This research explores the foundations of insurance theory and adopts behavioral manipulation methods to incentivize cyber-security investment. We validate the model by applying power industry performance data from 2013-2015 to assess risk facing the industry. Results show that the model can successfully discriminate between individual power companies as well as geographic regions on the basis of risk and can recommend cyber risk- management strategies tailored to individual risk profiles. Here, the adoption of this framework could invite more market participation, which will create a more robust cyber- incident reporting environment, contributing directly to the DHS goal of creating a national cyber- incident data repository.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Predictive Data-driven Platform for Subsurface Energy Production

Subsurface energy activities such as unconventional resource recovery, enhanced geothermal energy systems, and geologic carbon storage require fast and reliable methods to account for complex, multiphysical processes in heterogeneous fractured and porous media. Although reservoir simulation is considered the industry standard for simulating these subsurface systems with injection and/or extraction operations, reservoir simulation requires spatio-temporal “Big Data” into the simulation model, which is typically a major challenge during model development and computational phase. In this work, we developed and applied various deep neural network-based approaches to (1) process multiscale image segmentation, (2) generate ensemble members of drainage networks, flow channels, and porous media using deep convolutional generative adversarial network, (3) construct multiple hybrid neural networks such as convolutional LSTM and convolutional neural network-LSTM to develop fast and accurate reduced order models for shale gas extraction, and (4) physics-informed neural network and deep Q-learning for flow and energy production. We hypothesized that physicsbased machine learning/deep learning can overcome the shortcomings of traditional machine learning methods where data-driven models have faltered beyond the data and physical conditions used for training and validation. We improved and developed novel approaches to demonstrate that physics-based ML can allow us to incorporate physical constraints (e.g., scientific domain knowledge) into ML framework. Outcomes of this project will be readily applicable for many energy and national security problems that are particularly defined by multiscale features and network systems.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Student Opportunities in 2022 - An XTD-SS Perspective [Slides]

Intended for remote presentations for student recruiting. Los Alamos National Laboratory’s mission is to solve security challenges through simultaneous excellence. It accomplishes this through the shared efforts of a diverse group of people from many backgrounds. A crucial subset of these people are students that make their contributions in mathematics, physics, engineering, and more. In this presentation, I will describe LANL, its student programs, my division XTD, my group XTD-SS, and several relevant topics for students. I conclude with the following statement: LANL is a great place to apply skills learned in academia and time spent here is valuable for wherever your future career may lead you.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Essence2.0 Development and Deployment (Final Report)

The objective of the project was to take two core technologies that have been developed under the Recipient’s solid laboratory products and integrate them into a single CyberPhysical awareness platform and complete development on current field-tested prototypes that will extend the integrated capability of the platform. During the final development phase, the Recipient development team and its selected industry partners tested and hardened the platform to ensure resilient and secure operation of the integrated platform. The team also executed substantial field testing and established the framework for defining the organization and/or commercial infrastructure needed to sustain operations and provide readiness for a national scale deployment. The focus of the project was (1) the improvement, refinement, and deployment of technology for the detection of cyber-attacks on utility operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) networks and assets, including Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA) systems; and (2) support for containment and remediation of adversarial threats and actions against those systems and environments.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

HEASARC - The High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center

The High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) is NASA's archive for high-energy astrophysics and cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, supporting the broad science goals of NASA's Physics of the Cosmos theme. It provides vital scientific infrastructure to the community by standardizing science data formats and analysis programs, providing open access to NASA resources, and implementing powerful archive interfaces. Over the next five years the HEASARC will ingest observations from up to 12 operating missions, while serving data from these and over 30 archival missions to the community. The HEASARC archive presently contains over 37 TB of data, and will contain over 60 TB by the end of 2014. The HEASARC continues to secure major cost savings for NASA missions, providing a reusable mission-independent framework for reducing, analyzing, and archiving data. This approach was recognized in the NRC Portals to the Universe report (2007) as one of the HEASARC's great strengths. This poster describes the past and current activities of the HEASARC and our anticipated developments in coming years. These include preparations to support upcoming high energy missions (NuSTAR, Astro-H, GEMS) and ground-based and sub-orbital CMB experiments, as well as continued support of missions currently operating (Chandra, Fermi, RXTE, Suzaku, Swift, XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL). In 2012 the HEASARC (which now includes LAMBDA) will support the final nine-year WMAP data release. The HEASARC is also upgrading its archive querying and retrieval software with the new Xamin system in early release - and building on opportunities afforded by the growth of the Virtual Observatory and recent developments in virtual environments and cloud computing.

Smale, Alan P.↗

Cybersecurity Attacks in Vehicular Sensors

Today's modern vehicles contain anywhere from sixty to one-hundred sensors and exhibit the characteristics of Cyber-Physical-Systems (CPS). There is a high degree of coupling, cohesiveness, and interactions among vehicle's CPS components (e.g., sensors, devices, systems, systems-of-systems) across sensing, communication, and control layers. Cyber-attacks in the sensing or communication layers can compromise the security of the control layer. This paper provides a detailed review of potential cyber threats related to the sensing layer. Notably, the focus is mainly towards two categories of sensors: vehicle dynamics sensors (e.g., Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS), magnetic encoders, and inertial sensors) and environment sensors (e.g., Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), ultrasonic, camera, Radio Detection and Ranging (Radar) systems, and Global Positioning System (GPS) units). Furthermore, the paper also offers perspectives through existing countermeasures from literature and stresses the need for data-driven cybersecurity solutions.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Tomographic Reconstruction of the Neutron Time-Energy Spectrum from a Dense Plasma Focus

A dense plasma focus (DPF) nuclear fusion generator is an attractive pulsed neutron source in many applications, due to its relatively large neutron yield, produced in a short time duration. In order to design a DPF that generates neutrons within a specified time profile, or generates a neutron energy spectrum with specific properties, it is necessary to understand and be able to fully characterize the results of the fusion process releasing the neutrons. The time-energy spectrum of fusion neutrons is an ideal quantity to use to validate multiphysics codes that simulate the pinch and fusion processes, because it is a quantity that requires the physics of each of the stages leading up to and ending in the fusion reaction to be simulated correctly. In particular, since DPF fusion neutrons are not monoenergetic – and there can often be several fusion pinches creating neutrons – a computer simulation matching high quality neutron spectrum measurements provides great confidence in the fidelity of the simulation. In order to make such a comparison, it is first necessary to have quality measurements from which to infer the spectrum. In this work we pose neutron spectroscopy as the classical tomographic inverse problem from neutron time of flight data at multiple distances, but enhanced by using detector pairs designed to reduce the scatter background and with an additional measurement of the time profile of the fusion pinch near its source. The detector pairs enhance the quality of the time of flight measurements and the additional constraint posed by the measured time profile allows for temporal resolution in the spectrum reconstruction that is equal to the measurement resolution, which can be subnanosecond, and energy resolution in the 10’s of keV, without the problem being underconstrained. We present results from a Deuterium-fueled DPF at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nevada National Security Site and show that we can infer the time-energy spectrum from our measurements for both single and multi-pinch fusion reactions with equal fidelity.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A Passive Network Cyber Threat Intelligence Framework for Legacy Critical Control Systems using Machine Learning

The importance of Internet and communication networks in our daily life and in any organization’s daily operations is well known and cannot be overstressed. A nation’s economy is fully reliant on its critical infrastructure. Energy sector is one of the 16 Critical Infrastructure Sectors identified by the Department of Homeland Security. Securing these critical infrastructure sectors is challenging but is also of utmost priority in this day of constant and persistent cyber threats. Threat is any circumstance or event that has the potential to adversely impact an agency's assets and operations. Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) is the process of collection, analysis, and identification of potential cyber threats to the organization. This goal of current research performed at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), Aiken, SC, is to develop a Cyber Threat Intelligence framework for gathering Threat Intelligence passively from the network traffic from and to a real or simulated Critical Control Systems.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Materials Characterization: A Primer for Solid Phase Processing Applications

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) undertook the Materials Characterization, Prediction, and Control (MCPC) Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Project to advance understanding of nuclear material processing and enable multifold acceleration in the development and qualification of new material systems produced via advanced manufacturing methods, such as solid phase processing, for use in national security and advanced energy applications (Smith 2021). As a two-year LDRD investment requiring focused research, the MCPC project applied only a subset of the wide range of available destructive and nondestructive characterization methods to provide data to the predictive modeling and data analytics tasks. The purpose of this report is to review a wide range of destructive and nondestructive characterization methods that are relevant in solid-phase processing (SPP) applications, but not necessarily applied in the MCPC Project as a guide to the planning of characterization activities in future research. Particular attention is given to measured characteristics that can correlate to other material characteristics, with a particular interest in nondestructive evaluation (NDE) that can be applied to samples obtained in the MCPC Project. Destructive examinations include tensile tests, optical and electron microscopy, micro-hardness, and residual stress tests. NDE tests include surface visual inspection, eddy current examination for cracks, 4-point potential drop, ultrasound, x-ray, and computed tomography.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Advanced modeling of $\mathrm{DER}$s and $\mathrm{UPFC}$ devices with Sparse Tableau Formulation for $\mathrm{ACOPF}$

Distributed energy resources (DERs) are projected to be significant contributors in electric power grid modernization efforts. Yet many distribution and transmission system operators are concerned about potential reliability and security impacts of high penetration of DERs, and cite the need of greater visibility and controllability of decision variables associated with these DERs. Tractable modeling of DERs in AC optimal power flow (ACOPF) is one of the barriers to their integration into the existing operation, planning and market paradigm. Similarly, as more intermittent renewable resources are deployed, power flow control becomes more valuable, and accurate representation of Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) devices in ACOPF will likely grow in importance. Here this paper focuses on the detailed representation of substations with the high penetration of DERs, and on the Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) FACTS devices, in OPF. To this end, a novel Sparse Tableau Formulation (STF) for ACOPF is used to accurately model such features as substation reconfiguration to accommodate DERs, and to represent decision variables appropriate to the voltage source converters within UPFCs. Numerical studies are provided to demonstrate the impacts of detailed DER and UPFC representations on optimal operation, and the computational efficiency.

42 ENGINEERING↗