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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,711 records · Page 95

A multi-criteria decision analysis-based approach for dispatch of electric microgrids

This paper presents a decision support system (DSS) for multi-objective dispatch of an electric microgrid con-sidering cost of operation, peak load reduction, and emissions. Discrete compromise programming (DCP) is used as the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) technique for providing the decision support to the distribution system operator (DSO) by ranking various alternatives based on preference of the objec-tives. Simulations are performed on a notional electric microgrid based on the IEEE 13-node test feeder and the results are pre-sented with appropriate visualization.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Absorption and Phase Contrast X-Ray Imaging in Paleontology Using Laboratory and Synchrotron Sources

X-ray micro-computed tomography (CT) is commonly used for imaging of samples in biomedical or materials science research. Owing to the ability to visualize a sample in a nondestructive way, X-ray CT is perfectly suited to inspect fossilized specimens, which are mostly unique or rare. In certain regions of the world where important sedimentation events occurred in the Precambrian geological time, several fossilized animals are studied to understand questions related to their origin, environment, and life evolution. This article demonstrates the advantages of applying absorption and phase-contrast CT on the enigmatic fossil Corumbella werneri, one of the oldest known animals capable of building hard parts, originally discovered in Corumba (Brazil). Different tomographic setups were tested to visualize the fossilized inner structures: a commercial laboratory-based CT device, two synchrotron-based imaging setups using conventional absorption and propagation-based phase contrast, and a commercial X-ray microscope with a lens-coupled detector system, dedicated for radiography and tomography. Based on our results we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the different imaging setups for paleontological studies.

Corumbella werneri↗

X-ray photoemission analysis of clean and carbon monoxide-chemisorbed platinum(111) stepped surfaces using a curved crystal

Surface chemistry and catalysis studies could significantly gain from the systematic variation of surface active sites, tested under the very same conditions. Curved crystals are excellent platforms to perform such systematics, which may in turn allow to better resolve fundamental properties and reveal new phenomena. This is demonstrated here for the carbon monoxide/platinum system. We curve a platinum crystal around the high-symmetry (111) direction and carry out photoemission scans on top. This renders the spatial core-level imaging of carbon monoxide adsorbed on a 'tunable' vicinal surface, allowing a straightforward visualization of the rich chemisorption phenomenology at steps and terraces. Through such photoemission images we probe a characteristic elastic strain variation at stepped surfaces, and unveil subtle stress-release effects on clean and covered vicinal surfaces. Lastly, these results offer the prospect of applying the curved surface approach to rationally investigate the chemical activity of surfaces under real pressure conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

In situ nanoscale imaging of moiré superlattices in twisted van der Waals heterostructures

Abstract Direct visualization of nanometer-scale properties of moiré superlattices in van der Waals heterostructure devices is a critically needed diagnostic tool for study of the electronic and optical phenomena induced by the periodic variation of atomic structure in these complex systems. Conventional imaging methods are destructive and insensitive to the buried device geometries, preventing practical inspection. Here we report a versatile scanning probe microscopy employing infrared light for imaging moiré superlattices of twisted bilayers graphene encapsulated by hexagonal boron nitride. We map the pattern using the scattering dynamics of phonon polaritons launched in hexagonal boron nitride capping layers via its interaction with the buried moiré superlattices. We explore the origin of the double-line features imaged and show the mechanism of the underlying effective phase change of the phonon polariton reflectance at domain walls. The nano-imaging tool developed provides a non-destructive analytical approach to elucidate the complex physics of moiré engineered heterostructures.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Molecular-gas-dynamics simulations of turbulent Couette flow over a mean-free-path-scale permeable substrate

Here we report flow statistics and visualizations from molecular-gas-dynamics simulations using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method for turbulent Couette flow in a minimal domain where the lower wall is replaced by an idealized permeable fibrous substrate representative of thermal-protection-system materials for which the Knudsen number is O(10 -1 ). Comparisons are made with smooth-wall DSMC simulations and smooth-wall direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the Navier-Stokes equations for the same conditions. Roughness, permeability, and noncontinuum effects are assessed. In the range of Reynolds numbers considered herein, the scalings of the skin friction on the permeable substrate and of the mean flow within the substrate suggest that they are dominated by viscous effects. While the regenerative cycle characteristic of smooth-wall turbulence remains intact for all cases considered, we observe that the near-wall velocity fluctuations are modulated by the permeable substrate with a wavelength equal to the pore spacing. Additionally, the flow within the substrate shows significant rarefaction effects, resulting in an apparent permeability that is 13% larger than the intrinsic permeability. In contrast, the smooth-wall DSMC and DNS simulations exhibit remarkably good agreement for the statistics examined, despite the Knudsen number based on the viscous length scale being as large as O(10 -1 ). This latter result is at variance with classical estimates for the breakdown of the continuum assumption and calls for further investigations into the interaction of noncontinuum effects and turbulence.

42 ENGINEERING↗

SU-F-T-468: Efficient Scanning Data Analysis for TomoTherapy

Purpose: The standard TomoTherapy 2D scanning system requires manual analysis using spreadsheets or similar software. Manual analysis is time consuming and does not allow efficient use of the medical physicist or timely results that may indicate issues during the acquisition of data. The purpose of this study is to determine if an in-house solution can provide timely analysis of TomoTherapy scan data. Methods: A custom MATLAB program utilizing a streamlined graphical interface was developed to interpret the native scanning data acquired by the TomoTherapy Electrometer Measurement System (TEMS). The gold beam data provided by the manufacturer was used as a baseline for the acquired data. Two separate sets of scan data were used including longitudinal, transverse, and percent depth dose (PDD). The scan data were compared visually in an overlay and analytically for each beam width using the full width half max (FWHM) for longitudinal profiles and difference inside the field core for the transverse profiles as recommended by TG-148. A plot of the PDD percent error at each point along the curve was generated to show agreement. The time to analysis was measured on a laptop running an Intel i5 processor with 8GB of RAM. Results: The software program required on average less than 5 seconds to load and analyze the results. No conversion or reformatting of the data was required. This allowed real-time visualization of the comparison to the gold beam data as well as the parameters recommended by TG-148. The average percent difference was 0.3% for the longitudinal profiles and 0.1% for the transverse profiles. All PDD data was less than 1% different beyond dmax. Conclusion: We have developed a tool to analyze TomoTherapy scan data in real-time. This allows an efficient method to perform beam commissioning, annual QA, and adjust the beam parameters if necessary.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Urban Deployment Model (UDM) v1.0

The software, called the Urban Deployment Model (UDM), is an integrated set of tools for the simulation and analysis of static and mobile radiation detection systems in complex urban environments. The UDM includes a graphical user interface through which the workflow associated with setting up and executing a simulation may be established. The modular toolsets combine aspects of radiation transport, navigation, graph theory, optimization, and visualization to allow the complete end-to-end simulation of large scale, highly-distributed sensor networks.

Abgrall, Nicolas↗

Microbial Activity and Precipitation at Solution-Solution Mixing Zones in Porous Media (Final Report)

The use of biological and chemical processes that degrade or immobilize contaminants in subsurface environments is a cornerstone of remediation technology. The enhancement of biological and chemical processes in situ, involves the transport, displacement, distribution and mixing of one or more reactive agents. Biological and chemical reactions all require diffusive transport of solutes to reaction sites at the molecular scale and accordingly, the success of processes at the meter-scale and larger is dictated by the success of phenomena that occur at the micron-scale. However, current understanding of scaling effects on the mixing and delivery of nutrients in biogeochemically dynamic porous media systems is limited, despite the limitations this imposes on the efficiency and effectiveness of the remediation challenges at hand. We therefore proposed to experimentally characterize and computationally describe the growth, evolution, and distribution of microbial activity and mineral formation as well as changes in transport processes in porous media that receive two or more reactive amendments. The model system chosen for this project was based on a method for immobilizing 90 Sr, which involves stimulating microbial urea hydrolysis with ensuing mineral precipitation (CaCO 3 ), and co-precipitation of Sr. Studies at different laboratory scales were used to visualize and quantitatively describe the spatial relationships between amendment transport and consumption that stimulate the production of biomass and mineral phases that subsequently modify the permeability and heterogeneity of porous media. Biomass growth, activity, and mass deposition in mixing zones was investigated using two-dimensional micro-model flow cells as well as flow cells that could be analyzed using synchrotron-based x-ray tomography. Larger-scale flow-cell experiments were conducted where the spatial distribution of media properties, flow, segregation of biological activity and impact on ancillary constituents (i.e., Sr) was determined. Model simulations accompanied the experimental efforts. The research contributed towards defining the key physical, chemical, and biological processes influencing the form and mobility of DOE priority contaminants (e.g., 60 Co, 90 Sr, U) in the subsurface. The work conducted and reported herein, will in the future (i) contribute to controlling the juxtaposition of microbial activity, contaminants and amendments, (ii) promote new strategies for delivering amendments, and (iii) allow new approaches for modifying permeability and flow in porous media. We feel that the work has already translated directly to improving the efficiency of amendment based remediation strategies. The results of the project have been published in a number of peer reviewed journal articles. The abstracts and citations to those articles, given in section 2.0 below, make up the bulk of this final report.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Visualizing Macro-Dataflow Graph Final Report CRADA No. TSB-0725-93

The goal of this collaborative effort was to develop a data-flow graphics tool (DFG) to visualize the execution of macro-dataflow graphs. LSI incorporated DFG into their graphic user interface to support parallel code development_ and text handling for natural language applications. The CRADA applied LLNL' s expertise in high-performance parallel programming systems based on the dataflow paradigm.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Fission Product Volatility and Off-Gas Systems for Molten Salt Reactors

The overall objective of the Department of Energy investigation into off-gas technology for molten salt reactors (MSR)s is to develop a list of functional requirements for an effective and reliable system. In collaboration with other elements of the Advanced Reactor Campaign ( denoted in italics ), the off-gas work package will address the following questions: 1. What is the composition of the gas stream going to the off-gas system ( chemistry and source term work package )? 2. What is the function of each off-gas treatment component, and how do they work? How efficient are they at removing or delaying fission and activation products? 3. What are the maintenance requirements of the off-gas system? 4. Is the system able to effectively detect and respond to off-normal events ( off-gas, source term, and simulation work packages )? 5. What measurement capabilities are possible now? What are the gaps? The objective of the off-gas project in fiscal year 2019 was to address the second, fourth, and fifth questions above. Thus, project has proceeded along two fronts: one focused on scrubber development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the other focused on spectroscopic detection of simulant fission product iodine at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. A molten hydroxide scrubber was proposed for removal of both acidic gases, entrained mists, and particulates from a sparged molten salt off-gas. Hydroxide solutions are well known for their scrubbing ability and have been used in the off-gas systems of salt processing facilities. For the current project, a NaOH–KOH eutectic is being evaluated as a gettering medium. A laboratory-scale prototype glass scrubber was designed and built for the removal of aerosol simulants. The glass allows visualization of the scrubber operation, which is important for designing the stainless-steel housing for the NaOH–KOH eutectic. In parallel, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has been developing optical sensors for detecting fission products and aerosol or mist species that could be entrained in the off-gas flow of an MSR. Efforts include Raman spectroscopy to identify and quantify iodine species such as I2 and ICl and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy and laser-induced fluorescence for mists. Next year, these optical methods will be added to the hydroxide scrubber instrumentation to determine its effectiveness against airborne vapors and mists of concern.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

January 2022 Operational Highlights

The Indexing Lab is now complete and includes classified and unclassified computers, safes and work stations. Staff capture metadata and catalog materials, including classified reports, directors’ correspondence and Rocky Flats materials to ensure the holdings are discoverable and retrievable. Access protocols were updated for products related to the LANL Annual Assessment in the Online Vault (OLV) classified repository. The Annual Assessment is a yearly analysis of the weapons systems in the nation’s nuclear stockpile. The Standardization Quality Assessment (SQA) for the Online Vault (OLV) classified repository was completed and contained no findings. Beta testing, or customer validation, began for the metrics database that generates metrics reports and visualizations from NSRC customer projects.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

SCALE Newsletter (Number 52, Spring 2020)

SCALE Newsletter is published by the Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This issue, number 52 from Spring of 2020, holds information about the current state, planned updates, and previews of the SCALE system designed and maintained by ORNL staff. This issue contains employee spotlights for Dr. Kursat Bekar as well as Dr. Andrew M. Holcomb and displays data and charts from new/updated features of SCALE such as new data libraries, Fulcrum 3D visualizations, and interactions with ENDF/B-VIII.0 data.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Photometric and period investigation of the late F-type overcontact binary II UMa

II UMa is a late F-type (F5) contact binary with a close-in tertiary and a distant visual companion. According to the four-color (B V R{sub c}I{sub c}) light curves’ solutions of II UMa, it is a high fill-out (f = 86.6%) and low-mass ratio (q = 0.172) contact binary system, which indicates that it is at the late evolutionary stage of late-type tidal-locked binary stars. The masses of the primary star and secondary star are calculated to be M{sub 1}=1.99M{sub ⊙} and M{sub 2}=0.34M{sub ⊙}. The primary star has evolved from the zero-age main sequence, but it still appeared before the terminal-age main sequence, and the secondary star is even more evolved. Considering the mass ratio (M{sub 3}/M{sub 1}=0.67) obtained by spectroscopic observations, the mass of the close-in tertiary is estimated to be M{sub 3}=1.34M{sub ⊙}. The period variations of the binary system are investigated for the first time. According to the observed–calculated (O−C) curve analysis, a continuous period increase at a rate of dP/dt=4.88×10{sup −7} day yr{sup −1} is determined. The parabolic variation in the O−C curve may be part of a cyclic period of change, or the combined period of change of a parabolic variation and a cyclic one. More instances of minimum light are needed to confirm this. The presence of the tertiary component may play an important role in the formation and evolution of this binary system by drawing angular momentum from the central system during the pre-contact stage.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Nanocrystal Geometry Governs Phase Transformation Pathways in Palladium Hydride

Pathways and structural dynamics of phase transformations impact performance of materials in energy and information storage technologies. Palladium hydride (PdH x ) nanocrystals are an ideal model system for studying solute-induced phase transformations, where elastic energy from lattice mismatch between α-PdH x and β-PdH x phases is often considered a key to determining the transformation pathways. α/β-PdH x interfacial elastic energy is affected by the confined geometry of a nanocrystal. However, how nanocrystal geometry influences phase transformation pathways is largely unknown. Using in situ liquid phase transmission electron microscopy, we directly visualize hydrogenation in Pd nanocrystals with two geometries, a nanocube and a hexagonal nanoplate. Both follow similar sequences of an initially curved nucleus, interface flattening, and reverse-stage nucleation; however, their evolving α/β-PdH x interfaces exhibit geometry-dependent crystallographic alignments. In nanocubes, {100}-aligned configurations conform to static elastic energy ordering, representing a pathway that maintains a local mechanical equilibrium, whereas nanoplates display both {110}- and {211}-aligned interfaces. Theoretical simulations show that geometry determines the accessibility of alternative phase transformation pathways as the system is driven far from equilibrium during hydrogenation. In conclusion, these findings identify geometry as a fundamental parameter for directing phase transformation pathways, offering design principles for accessing atypical configurations and improving properties of intercalation-based devices.

Lee, Daewon [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory↗

Scalable data management, analysis and visualization (SDAV) Institute. Final Scientific/Technical Report

The purpose of the SDAV institute is to provide tools and expertise in scientific data management, analysis, and visualization to DOE’s application scientists. Our goal is to actively work with application teams to assist them in achieving breakthrough science, and to provide technical solutions in the data management, analysis, and visualization regimes that are broadly used by the computational science community. Over the last 5 years members of our institute worked directly with application scientists and DOE leadership-class facilities to assist them by applying the best tools and technologies at our disposal. We also enhanced our tools based on input from scientists on their needs. Many of the applications we have been working with are based on connections with scientists established in previous years. However, we contacted additional scientists though our outreach activities, as well as engaging application teams running on leading DOE computing systems. Our approach is to employ an evolutionary development and deployment process: first considering the application of existing tools, followed by the customization necessary for each particular application, and then the deployment in real frameworks and infrastructures. The institute is organized into three areas, each with area leaders, who keep track of progress, engagement of application scientists, and results. The areas are: (1) Data Management, (2) Data Analysis, and (3) Visualization. Kitware has been involved in the Visualization area. This report covers Kitware’s contributions over the last 5 years (February 2012 – February 2017). For details on the work performed by the SDAV institute as a whole, please see the SDAV final report.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

FeederGAN: Synthetic Feeder Generation via Deep Graph Adversarial Nets

This paper presents a novel, automated, generative adversarial networks (GAN) based synthetic feeder generation mechanism, abbreviated as FeederGAN. FeederGAN digests real feeder models represented by directed graphs via a deep learning framework powered by GAN and graph convolutional networks (GCN). Information of a distribution feeder circuit is extracted from its model input files so that the device connectivity is mapped onto the adjacency matrix and the device characteristics, such as circuit types (i.e., 3-phase, 2-phase, and 1-phase) and component attributes (e.g., length and current ratings), are mapped onto the attribute matrix. Then, Wasserstein distance is used to optimize the GAN and GCN is used to discriminate the generated graphs from the actual ones. A greedy method based on graph theory is developed to reconstruct the feeder using the generated adjacency and attribute matrices. Furthermore, our results show that the GAN generated feeders resemble the actual feeder in both topology and attributes verified by visual inspection and by empirical statistics obtained from actual distribution feeders.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A simple technique to reduce evaporation of crystallization droplets by using plate lids with apertures for adding liquids

This article describes the use of evaporation control lids that are fitted to crystallization plates to improve the reproducibility of trials using as little as 5 nl. The plate lids contain apertures which are large enough for the transfer of protein containing droplets, but small enough to greatly reduce the rate of evaporation during the time needed to prepare the plate. A method is described for using plate lids to reduce evaporation in low-volume vapor-diffusion crystallization experiments. The plate lids contain apertures through which the protein and precipitants were added to different crystallization microplates (the reservoir was filled before fitting the lids). Plate lids were designed for each of these commonly used crystallization microplates. This system minimizes the dehydration of crystallization droplets containing just a few nanolitres of protein and precipitant, and results in more reproducible diffraction from the crystals. For each lid design, changes in the weight of the plates were used to deduce the rate of evaporation under different conditions of temperature, air movement, droplet size and precipitant. For comparison, the state of dehydration was also visually assessed throughout the experiment. Finally, X-ray diffraction methods were used to compare the diffraction of protein crystals that were conventionally prepared against those that were prepared on plates with plate lids. The measurements revealed that the plate lids reduced the rate of evaporation by 63–82%. Crystals grown in 5 nl drops that were set up with plate lids diffracted to higher resolution than similar crystals from drops that were set up without plate lids. The results demonstrate that plate lids can be instrumental for improving few-nanolitre crystallizations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗