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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 19 records

The SONATA data format for efficient description of large-scale network models

Increasing availability of comprehensive experimental datasets and of high-performance computing resources are driving rapid growth in scale, complexity, and biological realism of computational models in neuroscience. To support construction and simulation, as well as sharing of such large-scale models, a broadly applicable, flexible, and high-performance data format is necessary. To address this need, we have developed the Scalable Open Network Architecture TemplAte (SONATA) data format. It is designed for memory and computational efficiency and works across multiple platforms. The format represents neuronal circuits and simulation inputs and outputs via standardized files and provides much flexibility for adding new conventions or extensions. SONATA is used in multiple modeling and visualization tools, and we also provide reference Application Programming Interfaces and model examples to catalyze further adoption. SONATA format is free and open for the community to use and build upon with the goal of enabling efficient model building, sharing, and reproducibility.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Networked HIL Simulation System for Modeling Large-scale Power Systems

This paper presents a networked hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation system for modeling large-scale power systems. Researchers have developed many HIL test systems for power systems in recent years. Those test systems can model both microsecond-level dynamic responses of power electronic systems and millisecond-level transients of transmission and distribution grids. By integrating individual HIL test systems into a network of HIL test systems, we can create large-scale power grid digital twins with flexible structures at required modeling resolution that fits for a wide range of system operating conditions. This will not only significantly reduce the need for field tests when developing new technologies but also greatly shorten the model development cycle. In this paper, we present a networked OPAL-RT based HIL test system for developing transmission-distribution coordinative Volt-VAr regulation technologies as an example to illustrate system setups, communication requirements among different HIL simulation systems, and system connection mechanisms. Impacts of communication delays, information exchange cycles, and computing delays are illustrated. Simulation results show that the performance of a networked HIL test system is satisfactory.

Xie, Fuhong↗

Large-scale experimental validation of thermochemical water-splitting oxides discovered by defect graph neural networks

Thermochemical water-splitting (TCH) based on 2-step thermal redox cycles in metal oxides is a promising approach to generating H 2 , but state-of-the-art (SOTA) CeO 2 has several practical limitations, which has motivated continued materials discovery efforts in this field. Here, in this study, we improve upon a SOTA defect graph neural network (dGNN) surrogate model's oxygen vacancy predictions and combine them with materials project phase diagrams to down-select and discover structurally diverse, experimentally known metal oxides whose TCH performance was previously unknown. Amongst twelve candidates selected based on our high-throughput screening and down-selection criteria, we achieved ∼80% accuracy in identifying materials with stable redox cycling and hydrogen production in stagnation flow reactor water-splitting experiments. Closer to 100% accuracy can be achieved if higher-accuracy, hybrid DFT-predicted vacancy formation energies were computed and used in lieu of the most uncertain dGNN-based screening predictions, as they correct false positives to true negatives. Notably, two discovered candidates, Sr 3 PrMn 2 O 8 and Ba 2 Fe 2 O 5 , display hydrogen yields greater than CeO 2 under specific redox conditions. In conclusion, these results demonstrate our ability to computationally predict and experimentally validate promising candidate TCH materials that have the potential to compete with CeO 2 .

08 HYDROGEN↗

Challenges and Solutions for Real-Time Phasor Modeling of Large-scale Distribution Network with High PV Penetration

The conversion process of a practical large-scale feeder data from a quasi-static time series (OpenDSS) model into a real-time phasor model (ePHASORSIM in Opal-RT) is discussed in the paper. The process is implemented using an open source Python software. Previous reported implementations for the conversion process lead to several errors when applied to a larger-scale system such as the one considered here. Hence in this work, we describe the common issues in this conversion and propose a customized solution to enhance the efficiency of the conversion and reduce the complexity in the process. A quantitative validation of the enhanced conversion process is presented in this work using an actual high PV penetration feeder model that consists of 2230 buses, and using actual load and PV profile data. After a detailed analysis, this customized conversion software will be made available as an open source tool and is expected to be helpful for researchers who want to pursue a similar conversion. Solutions to various observed issues such as identifying the lines due to islanded network, representation of full impedance model of transformer/lines as sequential models, complexity in the representation of single phase buses/lines as three phase buses/lines to make it compatible with the simulator platform are discussed. Comparison of power flow and time series simulation results obtained from both OpenDSS and ePHASORsim models show very low errors, validating the accuracy of the proposed conversion process.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Automated Detection of Instability-Inducing Channel Geometry Transitions in Saint-Venant Simulation of Large-Scale River Networks

A new sweep-search algorithm (SSA) is developed and tested to identify the channel geometry transitions responsible for numerical convergence failure in a Saint-Venant equation (SVE) simulation of a large-scale open-channel network. Numerical instabilities are known to occur at “sharp” transitions in discrete geometry, but the identification of problem locations has been a matter of modeler’s art and a roadblock to implementing large-scale SVE simulations. The new method implements techniques from graph theory applied to a steady-state 1D shallow-water equation solver to recursively examine the numerical stability of each flowpath through the channel network. The SSA is validated with a short river reach and tested by the simulation of ten complete river systems of the Texas–Gulf Coast region by using the extreme hydrological conditions recorded during hurricane Harvey. The SSA successfully identified the problematic channel sections in all tested river systems. Subsequent modification of the problem sections allowed stable solution by an unsteady SVE numerical solver. The new SSA approach permits automated and consistent identification of problem channel geometry in large open-channel network data sets, which is necessary to effectively apply the fully dynamic Saint-Venant equations to large-scale river networks or for city-wide stormwater networks.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Assignment of Freight Traffic in a Large-scale Intermodal Network under Uncertainty

This paper presents a methodology for freight traffic assignment in a large-scale road-rail intermodal network under uncertainty. Network uncertainties caused by natural disasters have dramatically increased in recent years. Several of these disasters (e.g., Hurricane Sandy, Mississippi River Flooding, and Hurricane Harvey) severely disrupted the U.S. freight transportation network, and consequently, the supply chain. To account for these network uncertainties, a stochastic freight traffic assignment model is formulated. An algorithmic framework, involving the sample average approximation and gradient projection algorithm, is proposed to solve this challenging problem. The developed methodology is tested on the U.S. intermodal network with freight flow data from the Freight Analysis Framework. The experiments consider three types of natural disasters that have different risks and impacts on transportation networks: earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods. It is found that for all disaster scenarios, freight ton-miles are higher compared to the base case without uncertainty. The increase in freight ton-miles is the highest under the flooding scenario; this is because there are more states in the flood-risk areas, and they are scattered throughout the U.S.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Traffic Signal Control for Large-Scale Urban Traffic Networks: Real-World Experiments using Vision-Based Sensors

Effective control of traffic signals plays a critical role in ensuring smooth vehicle flow in urban areas. Expertly engineered traffic signal controllers can considerably minimize travel delays and enhance sustainability. In this paper, the team proposes the Model Predictive Control (MPC) traffic signal control strategy using real-time traffic flow data from a vision-based camera as feedback information. Also, a realistic signal timing plan that considers National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) constraints has been developed to be applied to real-world scenarios. The primary aim is to reduce the number of vehicles across all links in the controlled area, thereby optimizing traffic flow and reducing energy consumption. To validate the proposed method, several real-life experiments were conducted at 24 intersections in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by collaborating with traffic field engineers. These experiments demonstrated significant performance improvements in comparison to the existing method.

data processing↗

Scaled-up Neuromorphic Array Communications Controller (SNACC) for Large-scale Neural Networks

Neuromorphic computing is one promising post-Moore’s law era technology, which takes inspiration from biological brains to perform computing tasks. The human brain contains billions of neurons with trillions of synapses and as neuromorphic hardware systems scale to larger and larger sizes, the communication system used to transfer information between neuromorphic elements and traditional computers must scale to keep up. In prior work, we describe the use of a separate neuromorphic array communications controller to support low-latency, high-throughput communication between our neuromorphic systems and a traditional computer. In this work, the neuromorphic array communications controller is used to support the scaling of a neuromorphic development system which uses multiple neuromorphic processors arranged in a two-dimensional array. The neuromorphic array communications controller, along with scalable local connections, is used to create a scalable neuromorphic platform to enable the development and testing of large neuromorphic network arrays.

Young, Aaron↗

Prevalence and scalable control of localized networks

The ability to control network dynamics is essential for ensuring desirable functionality of many technological, biological, and social systems. Such systems often consist of a large number of network elements, and controlling large-scale networks remains challenging because the computation and communication requirements increase prohibitively fast with network size. Here, we introduce a notion of network locality that can be exploited to make the control of networks scalable, even when the dynamics are nonlinear. We show that network locality is captured by an information metric and is almost universally observed across real and model networks. In localized networks, the optimal control actions and system responses are both shown to be necessarily concentrated in small neighborhoods induced by the information metric. This allows us to develop localized algorithms for determining network controllability and optimizing the placement of driver nodes. This also allows us to develop a localized algorithm for designing local feedback controllers that approach the performance of the corresponding best global controllers, while incurring a computational cost orders-of-magnitude lower. Here, we validate the locality, performance, and efficiency of the algorithms in Kuramoto oscillator networks, as well as three large empirical networks: synchronization dynamics in the Eastern US power grid, epidemic spreading mediated by the global air-transportation network, and Alzheimer’s disease dynamics in a human brain network. Taken together, our results establish that large networks can be controlled with computation and communication costs comparable to those for small networks.

42 ENGINEERING↗

PETSc DMNetwork: A Library for Scalable Network PDE-Based Multiphysics Simulations

We present DMNetwork, a high-level package included in the PETSc library for the simulation of multiphysics phenomena over large-scale networked systems. The library aims at applications that have networked structures such as those in electrical, gas, and water distribution systems. DMNetwork provides data and topology management, parallelization for multiphysics systems over a network, and hierarchical and composable solvers to exploit the problem structure. DMNetwork eases the simulation development cycle by providing the necessary infrastructure through simple abstractions to define and query the network components. This article presents the design of DMNetwork, illustrates its user interface, and demonstrates its ability to solve multiphysics systems, such as an electric circuit, a network of power grid and water subnetworks, and transient hydraulic systems over large networks with more than 2 billion variables on extreme-scale computers using up to 30,000 processors.

extreme-scale computing↗

Electric vehicle fast charging infrastructure planning in urban networks considering daily travel and charging behavior

Electric vehicles are a sustainable substitution to conventional vehicles. This work introduces an integrated framework for urban fast charging infrastructure to address the range anxiety issue. A mesoscopic simulation tool is developed to generate trip trajectories, and simulate charging behavior based on various trip attributes. The resulting charging demand is the key input to a mixed-integer nonlinear program that seeks charging station configuration. The model minimizes the total system cost including charging station and charger installation costs, and charging, queuing, and detouring delays. The problem is solved using a decomposition technique incorporating a commercial solver for small networks, and a heuristic algorithm for large-scale networks, in addition to the Golden Section method. The solution quality and significant superiority in the computational efficiency of the decomposition approach are confirmed in comparison with the implicit enumeration approach. Furthermore, the required infrastructure to support urban trips is explored for future market shares and technologies.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Redesigning large-scale multimodal transit networks with shared autonomous mobility services

Here, this study addresses a large-scale multimodal transit network design problem, with Shared Autonomous Mobility Services (SAMS) as both transit feeders and an origin-to-destination mode. The framework captures spatial demand and modal characteristics, considers intermodal transfers and express services, determines transit infrastructure investment and path flows, and generates transit routes. A system-optimal multimodal transit network is designed with minimum total door-to-door generalized costs of users and operators, satisfying transit origin-destination demand within a pre-set infrastructure budget. Firstly, the geography, demand, and modes in each zone are characterized with continuous approximation. The decisions of network link investment and multimodal path flows in zonal connection optimization are formulated as a minimum-cost multi-commodity network flow (MCNF) problem and solved efficiently with a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) solver. Subsequently, the route generation problem is solved by expanding the MCNF formulation to minimize intramodal transfers. The model is illustrated through a set of experiments with the Chicago network comprised of 50 zones and seven modes, under three scenarios. The computational results present savings in traveler journey time and operator cost demonstrating the potential benefits of collaboration between multimodal transit systems and SAMS.

Autonomous vehicles↗

Biologically-informed excitatory and inhibitory ratio for robust spiking neural network training

Spiking neural networks drawing inspiration from biological constraints of the brain promise an energy-efficient paradigm for artificial intelligence. However, challenges exist in identifying guiding principles to train these networks in a robust fashion. In addition, training becomes an even more difficult problem when incorporating biological constraints of excitatory and inhibitory connections. In this work, we identify several key factors, such as low initial firing rates and diverse inhibitory spiking patterns, that determine the overall ability to train in the context of spiking networks with various ratios of excitatory to inhibitory neurons. The results indicate networks with biologically-realistic excitatory:inhibitory ratios can reliably train at low activity levels and in noisy environments. Additionally, the Van Rossum distance, a measure of spike train synchrony, provides insight into the importance of inhibitory neurons to increase network robustness to noise. This work supports further biologically-informed large-scale networks and energy efficient hardware implementations.

bio-inspired computing↗

Multi-objective Eco-Routing Model Development and Evaluation for Battery Electric Vehicles

This paper develops a multi-objective eco-routing algorithm (eco- and travel time-optimum routing) for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) and investigates the network-wide impacts of the proposed multi-objective Nash optimum (user equilibrium) traffic assignment on a large-scale network. Unlike ICEVs, BEVs are more energy efficient on low-speed arterial trips compared with highway trips. Different energy consumption patterns require different eco-routing strategies for ICEVs and BEVs. This study found that single-objective eco-routing could significantly reduce the energy consumption of BEVs but also significantly increase their average travel time. Consequently, the study developed a multi-objective routing model (eco- and travel time-routing) to improve both energy and travel time measures. The model introduced a link cost function that uses the specification of the value of time and the cost of fuel/energy. The simulation study found that multi-objective routing could reduce BEV energy consumption by 13.5%, 14.2%, 12.9%, and 10.7%, as well as ICEV fuel consumption by 0.1%, 4.3%, 3.4%, and 10.6% for “not congested, “slightly congested,”“moderately congested,” and “highly congested” conditions, respectively. The study also found that multi-objective user equilibrium routing reduced the average vehicle travel time by up to 10.1% compared with the standard user equilibrium traffic assignment for highly congested conditions, producing a solution closer to the system optimum traffic assignment. The results indicate that the proposed multi-objective eco-routing strategy can reduce vehicle fuel/energy consumption effectively with minimum impacts on travel times for both BEVs and ICEVs.

Engineering↗

Multi-objective Eco-Routing Model Development and Evaluation for Battery Electric Vehicles.

This paper develops a multi-objective eco-routing algorithm (combined eco- and travel time-optimum routing) for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) and investigates the network-wide impacts of the proposed multi-objective Nash optimum (user equilibrium) traffic assignment on a large-scale network. Eco-routing is a technique that finds the most energy efficient route. ICEV and BEV energy consumption patterns are significantly different with regard to their sensitivity to driving cycles. Unlike ICEVs, BEVs are more energy efficient on low-speed arterial trips compared to highway trips. Different energy consumption patterns require different eco-routing strategies for ICEVs and BEVs. This study found that single objective eco-routing could significantly reduce the energy consumption of BEVs but also significantly increase their average travel time. Consequently, the study developed a multi-objective routing model (eco- and travel time-routing) to improve both energy and travel time measures. The model introduced a link cost function that uses the specification of the value of time and the cost of fuel/energy. The simulation study found that multi-objective routing could reduce the BEV energy consumption by 13.5%, 14.2%, 12.9%, and 10.7%, as well as ICEV fuel consumption by 0.1%, 4.3%, 3.4%, and 10.6% for “not congested, “slightly congested,” “moderately congested,” and “highly congested” conditions, respectively. The study also found that multi-objective user equilibrium routing reduced the average vehicle travel time by up to 10.1% compared to the standard user equilibrium traffic assignment for highly congested conditions, producing a solution closer to the system optimum traffic assignment. The results indicate that the proposed multi-objective eco-routing strategy can reduce vehicle fuel/energy consumption effectively with minimum impacts on travel times for both BEVs and ICEVs.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗