Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Parameters optimization”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,711 records · Page 95

A Robust Design Methodology for Optimal Microscale Secondary Flow Control in Compact Inlet Diffusers

It is the purpose of this study to develop an economical Robust design methodology for microscale secondary flow control in compact inlet diffusers. To illustrate the potential of economical Robust Design methodology, two different mission strategies were considered for the subject inlet, namely Maximum Performance and Maximum HCF Life Expectancy. The Maximum Performance mission maximized total pressure recovery while the Maximum HCF Life Expectancy mission minimized the mean of the first five Fourier harmonic amplitudes, i.e., 'collectively' reduced all the harmonic 1/2 amplitudes of engine face distortion. Each of the mission strategies was subject to a low engine face distortion constraint, i.e., DC60<0.10, which is a level acceptable for commercial engines. For each of these missions strategies, an 'Optimal Robust' (open loop control) and an 'Optimal Adaptive' (closed loop control) installation was designed over a twenty degree angle-of-incidence range. The Optimal Robust installation used economical Robust Design methodology to arrive at a single design which operated over the entire angle-of-incident range (open loop control). The Optimal Adaptive installation optimized all the design parameters at each angle-of-incidence. Thus, the Optimal Adaptive installation would require a closed loop control system to sense a proper signal for each effector and modify that effector device, whether mechanical or fluidic, for optimal inlet performance. In general, the performance differences between the Optimal Adaptive and Optimal Robust installation designs were found to be marginal. This suggests, however, that Optimal Robust open loop installation designs can be very competitive with Optimal Adaptive close loop designs. Secondary flow control in inlets is inherently robust, provided it is optimally designed. Therefore, the new methodology presented in this paper, combined array 'Lower Order' approach to Robust DOE, offers the aerodynamicist a very viable and economical way of exploring the concept of Robust inlet design, where the mission variables are brought directly into the inlet design process and insensitivity or robustness to the mission variables becomes a design objective.

Anderson, Bernhard H.↗

Calculations of theoretical efficiencies for electrochemically-mediated tandem solar water splitting as a function of bandgap energies and redox shuttle potential

Tandem Z-scheme solar water splitting devices composed of two light-absorbers that are connected electrochemically by a soluble redox shuttle constitute a promising technology for cost-effective solar hydrogen production. In this work, efficiency limits of these devices are modeled by combining the detailed-balance model of the light-absorbers with Butler–Volmer electron-transfer kinetics. The impacts of the redox shuttle thermodynamic potential, light-absorber bandgaps, and electrocatalytic parameters on the solar-to-hydrogen conversion (STH) efficiency are modeled. We report that the thermodynamic potential of the redox shuttle with respect to the hydrogen and oxygen evolution potentials has a direct effect on both the STH efficiency and the optimal tandem light-absorber bandgaps needed to achieve the maximum possible STH efficiency. At 1 sun illumination and assuming ideal and optimally selective electrocatalytic parameters, the STH efficiency varies from a minimum of 21%, for a redox shuttle potential of 0 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), to a maximum of 34%, for a redox shuttle potential of either 0.36 V or 1.06 V vs. RHE. To attain the maximum possible STH efficiency of 34%, the light-absorber bandgaps must be 1.53 eV and 0.75 eV, yet the optimal redox shuttle potential depends on whether the hydrogen-evolving or oxygen-evolving light-absorber has the larger bandgap. Results also underscore the importance of optimizing the absorptance of the top light-absorber, which enables large STH efficiencies to be achieved with a wider range of bandgap combinations. Moreover, given the large overpotentials for the oxygen evolution reaction and reasonably low overpotentials for most redox shuttle reactions, the tandem design is more efficient than a single light-absorber design even when the potential of the redox shuttle exceeds 1.23 V vs. RHE. When the exchange current density of the redox shuttle reactions is as low as 10 -5 mA cm -2 , STH efficiencies as large as 22% are still achievable as long as selective catalysis and optimal redox shuttle potential are assumed, suggesting that even slow redox shuttle reactions may not limit the practicality of these devices.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Solving a trillion unknowns per second with HPGMG on Sunway TaihuLight

Benchmarks for supercomputers are important tools, not only for evaluating and ranking modern supercomputers, but also for providing hints for future architecture design. As a new benchmark, HPGMG (high performance geometric multigrid) solves a linear equation set with a full geometric multi-grid algorithm. It involves computation on different scales, data movement with various volumes, global communication and neighbor communication with both large and small messages, etc., and is more correlated to real world applications than traditional benchmarks such as LINPACK. Therefore, it is desirable to examine how well HPGMG can perform on leadership supercomputers such as Sunway Taihulight. Sunway Taihulight, the No. 1 supercomputer in the Top 500 list from June 2016 to June 2018, which uses a specially designed many-core architecture SW26010, is of great interest to the community of high performance computing. With careful analysis and code design, we came up with an efficient implementation of HPGMG on SW26010 processors. We not only employed traditional optimization techniques such as 2.5D partitioning, double buffering, and collective data load, but also introduced a micro-benchmark to help with the choice of optimization direction and parameter tuning. Another contribution is that we proposed a new procedure for the major operations, by granulating and reordering the smooth function and the ghost exchange operation, leading to reduced memory copy and accelerated communication process. Our optimized implementation of HPGMG on Sunway TaihuLight achieved a ground-breaking performance of 1.036 × 10 12 Degrees of Freedom per second at the finest level, which is No. 1 on the HPGMG list of Nov 2017.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

STAEBL/general composites with hygrothermal effects (STAEBL/GENCOM)

A computer code has been developed to perform structural optimization of turbine blades made from angle ply fiber composite laminates. Design variables available for optimization include geometric parameters such as blade thickness distribution and root chord, and composite material parameters such as ply angles and numbers of plies of each constituent material. Design constraints include resonance margins, forced response margins, maximum stress, and maximum ply combined stress. A general description of this code is given. Design optimization studies for typical blades are presented.

Rubenstein, Robert↗

STAEBL/General composites with hygrothermal effects (STAEBL/GENCOM)

A computer code has been developed to perform structural optimization of turbine blades made from angle ply fiber composite laminates. Design variables available for optimization include geometric parameters such as blade thickness disribution and root chord, and composite material parameters such as ply angles and numbers of plies of each constituent material. Design constraints include resonance margins, forced response margins, maximum stress, and maximum ply combined stress. A general description of this code is given. Design optimization studies for typical blades are presented.

Rubinstein, R.↗

Optimum Injector Parameters for Thermoacoustic Stability in a Multi-Nozzle Can Combustion System

Abstract High-frequency transverse instabilities are an important concern in can combustor configurations. In these configurations which are typically operated with multiple injectors around a central injector, each injector is subjected to different parts of the acoustic mode shape and thus respond differently for the same instability mode. Recent work by the author has modeled the response of premixed flames to excitation by natural high-frequency transverse modes in a can combustor both in the center and outer nozzles. The stability of these acoustically non-compact flames was assessed using the Rayleigh criterion (Rayleigh Integral denoted as RI) and not the overall unsteady heat release as is the case for compact flames. Several key control parameters were studied, namely — flame angle, swirling strength, nozzle location. For non-axisymmetric modes such as the commonly occurring 1-T mode, both radial and azimuthal offsets of the nozzle location affected stability. The framework was applied to an optimization study to identify the optimal combination of parameters that minimizes RI for the different nozzles in the multi-nozzle system. In this study, a N-around-1 configuration was studied, and the results indicated that the different nozzles needed to be operated at different flame angles and swirl numbers to result in an overall minimum RI. However, the specific response of the different injectors was not considered. The helical mode distribution at each injector varies as we azimuthally go around the combustor’s injector distribution and thus the most amplified mode and the resulting flame response would be different. To minimize RI, it is important to determine the injector configurations that result in a hydrodynamic profile that minimizes the individual RI for each nozzle. The resulting relationship between the injector’s flow and local hydrodynamics can then be used in a hydrodynamics study of an individual injector so that the most optimal injector is chosen depending on its location in the combustor dump plane.

Acharya, Vishal↗

Parametric Optimization of Rigid Wheels for Planetary Surface Mobility Applications

Design-Build-Test approaches for spaceflight hardware are time and cost intensive, which can result in suboptimal mechanism designs. Optimization-based approaches that utilize high-fidelity models and physics simulation could overcome these limitations while simultaneously speeding up the mechanical design process and reducing cost. In this work, we present a toolchain that enables the multi-objective optimization of rigid rover wheels for planetary surface mobility applications. The toolchain uses Chrono’s Continuous Representation Model (CRM) functionality to simulate granular soil and performs multi-objective parametric optimization on candidate rover wheels to meet a desired performance criterion. The resulting wheel design is then evaluated experimentally using a single-wheel testbed. We end with a discussion of how the toolchain can be extended to simultaneously co-optimize other system parameters, such as system power consumption and feedback control gains.

Optimization↗

Physics makes the difference: Bayesian optimization and active learning via augmented Gaussian process

Abstract Both experimental and computational methods for the exploration of structure, functionality, and properties of materials often necessitate the search across broad parameter spaces to discover optimal experimental conditions and regions of interest in the image space or parameter space of computational models. The direct grid search of the parameter space tends to be extremely time-consuming, leading to the development of strategies balancing exploration of unknown parameter spaces and exploitation towards required performance metrics. However, classical Bayesian optimization (BO) strategies based on the Gaussian process (GP) do not readily allow for the incorporation of the known physical behaviors or past knowledge. Here we explore a hybrid optimization/exploration algorithm created by augmenting the standard GP with a structured probabilistic model of the expected system’s behavior. This approach balances the flexibility of the non-parametric GP approach with a rigid structure of physical knowledge encoded into the parametric model. The fully Bayesian treatment of the latter allows additional control over the optimization via the selection of priors for the model parameters. The method is demonstrated for a noisy version of a standard univariate test function used to evaluate optimization algorithms and further extended to physical lattice models. This methodology is expected to be universally suitable for injecting prior knowledge in the form of physical models and past data in the BO framework.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Additive Manufactured Ultra-Fine Lattice Structures for Propulsion Catalysts

Traditional mono-propulsion catalysts consist of coated ceramic or graphite foams that possess anisotropic mechanical and fluid properties limiting design, cost, availability, and operational use. Ultra-fine lattice structures are repeating unit cells with ligament thickness as small as 100 μm produced via Additive manufacture (AM). These lattice structures have the potential to replace coated foams used in a mono-propellant system catalysts. AM ultra-fine lattice structures are designed to mimic the operational intent of coated foams but with improved design flexibility, compressive strength, and flow behavior printed from into a single part directly from the preferred platinum metal alloy. The investigation objective was to conduct feasibility studies of AM ultra-fine lattice structures capable of replacing coated foams with superior functionality. NASA MSFC identified desired lattice characteristics and created designs while EOS developed optimized laser powder bed fusion AM parameters to manufacture Ti6Al4V and tungsten specimens. Optimized designs, computational tools, AM parameters, and post-process methods were developed. Specimens underwent x-ray micro-focus CT, metallographic inspection, compression testing, and flow testing. Results demonstrate that AM ultra-fine lattices improved geometric and performance repeatability with the potential for significantly increased availability while decreasing cost and lead time.

Omar R Mireles↗

Additive Manufactured Ultra-Fine Lattice Structures for Propulsion Catalysts

Traditional mono-propulsion catalysts consist of coated ceramic or graphite foams that possess anisotropic mechanical and fluid properties limiting design, cost, availability, and operational use. Ultra-fine lattice structures are repeating unit cells with ligament thickness as small as 100 μm produced via Additive manufacture (AM). These lattice structures have the potential to replace coated foams used in a mono-propellant system catalysts. AM ultrafine lattice structures are designed to mimic the operational intent of coated foams but with improved design flexibility, compressive strength, and flow behavior printed from into a single part directly from the preferred platinum metal alloy. The investigation objective was to conduct feasibility studies of AM ultra-fine lattice structures capable of replacing coated foams with superior functionality. NASA MSFC identified desired lattice characteristics and created designs while EOS developed optimized laser powder bed fusion AM parameters to manufacture Ti6Al4V and tungsten specimens. Optimized designs, computational tools, AM parameters, and post-process methods were developed. Specimens underwent x-ray microfocus CT, metallographic inspection, compression testing, and flow testing. Results demonstrate that AM ultra-fine lattices improved geometric and performance repeatability with the potential for significantly increased availability while decreasing cost and lead time.

Omar R Mireles↗

Additive Manufacture of Ultra-Fine Lattice Structures of Green Propulsion Catalysts

Traditional mono-propulsion catalysts consist of coated ceramic or graphite foams that possess anisotropic mechanical and fluid properties limiting design, cost, availability, and operational use. Ultra-fine lattice structures are repeating unit cells with ligament thickness as small as 100 μm produced via Additive manufacture (AM). These lattice structures have the potential to replace coated foams used in a mono-propellant system catalysts. AM ultrafine lattice structures are designed to mimic the operational intent of coated foams but with improved design flexibility, compressive strength, and flow behavior printed from into a single part directly from the preferred platinum metal alloy. The investigation objective was to conduct feasibility studies of AM ultra-fine lattice structures capable of replacing coated foams with superior functionality. NASA MSFC identified desired lattice characteristics and created designs while EOS developed optimized laser powder bed fusion AM parameters to manufacture Ti6Al4V and tungsten specimens. Optimized designs, computational tools, AM parameters, and post-process methods were developed. Specimens underwent x-ray microfocus CT, metallographic inspection, compression testing, and flow testing. Results demonstrate that AM ultra-fine lattices improved geometric and performance repeatability with the potential for significantly increased availability while decreasing cost and lead time.

Omar Mireles↗

Laser Powder Bed Fusion of Steels for Nuclear Applications

This report provides an update on laser powder bed fusion of steels for nuclear applications. This report is a Milestone 3 deliverable in FY2024, under work package CT-24AN130401 to support research and qualification activities supported by the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) program here at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Continuing from FY23, the focus of FY24 for ANL includes further optimization of process parameters for three alloys: A709, G91, G92. The work package also includes fabricating test samples to conduct a thorough microstructural analysis and perform preliminary mechanical testing. For the same, we have used CALPHAD-based thermodynamic kinetic modeling to optimize the experimental activities.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Geometry Optimization for Structural Reliability and Performance of a Thermoelectric Generator

The opposing requirements for the performance and reliability of a thermoelectric generator (TEG) are investigated with numerical finite element analysis simulations. The parameters that significantly influence the operational performance and structural reliability of a TEG are considered for simultaneous optimization. The design of experiments (DOE) based response surface optimization methodology in conjunction with results from finite element analysis was employed to identify optimal parameters from the structural reliability and performance (power output and efficiency) perspectives. A high temperature bismuth telluride based TEG couple was used in the studies to demonstrate the general applicability of the methodology. The response surface methodology is found to be a robust technique that can expedite the process of geometry optimization of a TE device during the research and development phase of TEG devices fabricated from new thermoelectric materials.

Karri, Naveen K.↗

Uncertainty in Soil Moisture Retrievals: an Ensemble Approach Using SMOS L-Band Microwave Data

The uncertainty of soil moisture (SM) retrievals from satellite brightness temperature (TB) observations depends primarily on the choice of radiative transfer model (RTM) parameters, prior SM information and TB inputs. This paper studies the sensitivity of several (quasi-)operational and experimental SM retrieval products from the Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission to these choices at 11 reference sites, located in 7 watersheds across the United States (US). Different literature-based RTM parameter sets cause large biases between retrievals. Whereas typical RTM parameter sets are calibrated for SM retrievals, it is shown that a parameter set carefully optimized for TB forward modeling can also be used for retrieving SM. It is also shown that the inclusion of dynamic prior SM estimates in a Bayesian retrieval scheme can strongly improve SM retrievals, regardless of the choice of RTM parameters, and that the use of multi-angular and multi-polarization TB does not necessarily lead to superior retrievals compared to retrievals based on TB data at a single incidence angle and polarization. The second part of this paper evaluates ensemble uncertainty metrics for SM retrievals obtained by propagating a wide range of RTM parameters through the RTM. As expected for bounded variables, the spread in the ensemble SM retrievals is smallest for wet and dry SM values and highest for intermediate SM values. After removal of the strong long-term mean bias associated with the RTM parameter values for individual ensemble members, the remaining anomaly ensemble SM spread of 0.037 cu m/cu m approximates the actual time series unbiased root-mean-square-difference of 0.042 cu m/cu m between ensemble mean retrievals and in situ reference data across the reference sites. However, the temporal variability in the anomaly ensemble spread reveals higher-order biases in the retrieval error, which should be accounted for when characterizing retrieval error.

Jan Quets↗

Diffusion, atomic transport, and ordering in Al-Zr alloys: FCC and liquid phases

Additive manufacturing of materials with controlled microstructure demands knowledge of atomic scale properties near the solid-liquid transition state. Many of these properties are not affordable by experimental techniques and computer modeling is the possible solution to the problem. In this paper, we present the results of an extended atomistic study of intrinsic atomic transport due to vacancy diffusion in FCC and L12 solid phases and diffusion in the liquid phase of Al-Zr alloys. A deceleration of the overall self-diffusion was observed when Zr was added to Al. The effect was stronger in the solid and weaker in the liquid. Additionally, the effect was strongly temperature dependent in the solid phases, but not in the liquid. Atomic transport was chemically biased: transport of Zr atoms was significantly slower than that of Al atoms, and this bias effect was stronger in the solid phases. The overall diffusion and chemical ordering processes in the liquid state were five to six orders in magnitude faster than in the solid. Chemical short-range order parameters in the liquid saturated at values close to those in the ordered L12 structure of Al3Zr. Chemical and structural ordering in the solid phases was negligible over the modeled microsecond time scale. Here, the results are discussed in view of optimizing additive manufacturing parameters for the controlled formation of metastable L1 2 precipitates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Dilute Source CO 2 Capture: Management of Atmospheric Coal-Produced Legacy Emissions (Final Technical Report)

This report presents the scientific and technical findings by Carbon Engineering Ltd (CE) resulting from the DOE sponsored research and development project on Direct Air Capture (DAC) process. The work was performed by CE under the Award DE-FE0026861 from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The work plan was centered on advancing the Recipient’s DAC technology, developing a better understanding of its performance and cost. The report outlines the results from two key activities that were performed under this award: Studying the performance characteristics of the DAC plant at both pilot and lab scale Techno-economic analysis (TEA) to study two implementations of CE’s proprietary DAC process: i) An early commercial DAC process that captures ~1 MT CO 2 /year of atmospheric CO 2 (Baseline case), and ii) A modified early commercial DAC process that captures 1 MT CO 2 /year of flue gas CO 2 downstream of a subcritical PC post-CCS power plant (Case 1 Option C). Within the first key activity of the project, significant operational improvements and learnings were realized, including for key equipment in the DAC process in addition to the overall system. Learnings included impact of equipment design on the capture, calcination and slaking processes, and operational parameter modifications for optimizing the pelletization process, along with the complex interactions and associated considerations of these on overall system performance. In parallel, benchtop scale equipment was successfully utilized to validate pilot scale data, such as, retention in the pellet reactor, and capture performance parameters of the air contactor. CE continues to conduct core research and development activities; the learnings from this DOE project will contribute to the design, testing and operation activities of CE’s fully integrated DAC validation plant, as well as the first commercial DAC plant. The second key activity incorporated the above learnings, as well as input from vendors and EPC experts, to produce the TEA report. More specifically, the TEA results were based on measured pilot plant performance data for all major unit operations, and on an energy and material balance for the process at commercial scale computed using an Aspen One® process simulation. The cost estimation methodology follows AACE International recommended practices; with an uncertainty range of -15%/+30%. Depending on financial assumptions, energy costs, and the specific choice of inputs and outputs, the levelized cost per ton CO 2 captured from the atmosphere for an early commercial plant for the baseline case ranges from 227 to 304 $/t-CO 2 . And, the levelized cost to capture 98% of the flue gas CO 2 emissions in a subcritical PC power plant (Case 1 Option C) through a combination of Cansolv carbon capture system and a modified DAC system was estimated to range from 109 to 160 $/MWh of net power generated. Process improvement opportunities identified during this work, in addition to cost reduction opportunities identified during the Value Engineering exercise associated with the Baseline case indicate that significant reductions in capital costs are available as CE scales up and proceeds through deployment of initial facilities.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Entanglement estimation in non-optimal qubit states

Highlights: • Quantum Fisher Information. • Entanglement Estimation. • Squeezed States. • Husimi Function. - Abstract: In the last years, a relationship has been established between the quantum Fisher information (QFI) and quantum entanglement. In the case of two-qubit systems, all pure entangled states can be made useful for sub-shot-noise interferometry while their QFI meets a necessary and sufficient condition (Hyllus et al., 2010). In M-qubit systems, the QFI provides just a sufficient condition in the task of detecting the degree of entanglement of a generic state (Pezzé and Smerzi, 2009). In our work, we show analytically that, for a large class of one-parameter non-optimal two-qubit states, the maximally entangled states are associated with stationary points of the QFI, as a function of such parameter. We show, via numerical simulations, that this scenario is maintained for the generalisation of this class of states to a generic M-qubit system. Furthermore, we suggest a scheme for an interferometer able to detect the entanglement in a large class of two-spin states.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Generation-based Evolutionary Tool for the Optimization of Constellations (GenETOC)

With the rapid growth in the capabilities of smaller satellites, satellite architectures that replace a single, extremely capable spacecraft with multiple, cheaper ones are gaining in popularity. Unfortunately, the orbit design process for constellations can be significantly more involved, especiallywhen the relative placement of the individual spacecraft within the constellation is not constrained by mission and/or science objectives. Optimizing a satellite constellation in the presence of multiple, competing objectives is a highly complex problem to which many traditional mathematical optimization methods cannot be applied and few tools exist to help mission designers search for promising candidate mission designs. The Generation-based Evolutionary Tool for the Optimization of Constellations (GenETOC) has been created to search for near-optimal constellation design options. GenETOC combines a modified version of the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA II) with STK Components libraries (a 3rdparty .NET package created by Analytical Graphics Inc.) to create a framework that enables a mission designer to generate a simulation that models the design problem and obtain a family of potential, near-optimal solutions that can be investigated more in detail. GenETOC was developed in C# using the .NET framework with Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) serving as the framework from which to create the graphical user interface (GUI). GenETOC user inputs can be categorized into three major data components: definition of the problem (areas of interest, satellite decision parameters, and sensor configurations), definition of performance objectives, and specification of the genetic algorithm (GA) parameters. In the problem definition component, the user is prompted to define the areas of interest against which the performance metrics will be computed, define the sensor parameters and attach them to specific spacecraft, select which satellite orbital parameters will be added to the decision space of the GA, and specify the range of desired values for each optimization parameter. For performance objectives, the user is presented with a list of available coverage and revisit performance based calculation options from which two metrics are chosen to serve as the objective functions that the GA will use to evaluate solutions during the optimization process. Finally, the definition of the GA parameters provides user control over the number of generations (number of optimization iterations), the population size (number of candidate constellations created in each generation), and the adaptive mutation and crossover threshold values (control parameters for how frequently each process occurs during the optimization). GenETOC has been extensively tested to verify the individual components of the optimization process. The GA has been tested against a suite of GA test problems to confirm convergence to the known two and three-dimensional Pareto fronts. The coverage and revisit performance metrics obtained in GenETOC are compared with STK desktop scenarios, confirming the constellations are being appropriately modeled within GenETOC simulations. A walkthrough of a simple, example problem is provided to illustrate the workings of GenETOC and to demonstrate the output available to the mission designer.

mission design↗