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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

CyOTE ASSET OWNER ENGAGEMENT – SIDE CHANNEL POWER ANALYSIS PROTOTYPE

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), through the Cybersecurity for the Operational Technology Environment (CyOTE) Program, worked with energy sector asset owners and operators (AOOs), partners, and Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to develop capabilities for AOOs to independently identify adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) within their operational technology (OT) environments. The CyOTE methodology seeks to identify adversarial techniques within an AOO OT environment that could result in physical disruptions to energy flow or damage to equipment. CyOTE provides a general roadmap for AOOs, starting from a triggering event, or the point in time and space they perceive an anomalous event or condition meriting investigation, and culminating when the AOO has sufficient confidence to make a business risk decision on the appropriate resolution. This paper outlines the results of one such engagement with the New York Power Authority (NYPA), where the CyOTE program partnered with an AOO to develop a design specification for a power side channel detector to identify anomalous changes to device load. It describes the goal of developing this capability, the development process, the challenges the technical teams faced and the future steps an AOO will need to take to install and use this detector in its OT environment.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Little Something on the Side: Exploration of Power Side-channels in Embedded Cryptography

Given the ubiquity of embedded devices in modern society, strong cryptographic solutions are a necessity to ensure privacy and security. In addition to the challenges that traditional cryptography faces, embedded cryptography is more vulnerable to side-channel attacks due to its location in the hands of the (un)trusted user. We propose that adjusting the mathematical properties of the cryptosystems can affect the information leakage through these side-channels. Our experimental results confirm that the information leakage from power side-channels is heavily affected by both the mathematical structure as well as discrete implementation choices.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Side-channel Leakage Assessment Metrics: A Case Study of GIFT Block Ciphers

Determination of an adequate level of security and providing subsequent mechanisms to achieve it, is one of the most pressing problems regarding embedded computing devices. While there are some solutions available for resource-rich computer systems, direct application of these solutions to resource-constrained environments are often unfeasible. The fundamental problem for such resource-constrained systems is the fact that current cryptographic algorithms utilize significant energy consumption and storage overhead. Both the cryptographic algorithm and its physical implementation affect the resilience of a cryptosystem against side-channel attacks. A side-channel attack represents a process that exploits leakages in order to extract sensitive information such as the key. This paper focuses on Correlation Power Analysis (CPA) which is side-channel attack based on the power consumption leakage. In 2016 the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) initiated the call for proposals of new cryptographic algorithms to strengthen the cryptographic defense of networked devices against cyberattacks and to protect the data created by those innumerable device. This work evaluates S-boxes used by NIST candidates PICCOLO, GIFT, and PRESENT, as well as several S-box variants that demonstrated sufficient weaknesses against classical cryptanalysis, for a quantitative comparison in terms of resiliency to CPA attack. Three well-known theoretical metrics are evaluated: transparency order (TO and RTO), nonlinearity, and signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, aiming to characterize the resistance of these S-boxes against adversaries exploiting physical leakages. Experimental results from attacks on an 8- bit XMEGA were obtained via the ChipWhisperer platform and of all the S-boxes evaluated, GIFT64 with a PICCOLO S-box was found to be the most susceptible to CPA. Results showed that variations in TO and RTO were not sufficient to ensure practical CPA resistance and that among S-boxes with equal non-linearity there were no significant differences in the TO and SNR variants.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Side-channel Leakage Assessment Metrics: A Case Study of GIFT Block Ciphers

Determination of an adequate level of security and providing subsequent mechanisms to achieve it, is one of the most pressing problems regarding embedded computing devices. While there are some solutions available for resource-rich computer systems, direct application of these solutions to resource-constrained environments are often unfeasible. The fundamental problem for such resource-constrained systems is the fact that current cryptographic algorithms utilize significant energy consumption and storage overhead. Both the cryptographic algorithm and its physical implementation affect the resilience of a cryptosystem against side-channel attacks. A side-channel attack represents a process that exploits leakages in order to extract sensitive information such as the key. This paper focuses on Correlation Power Analysis (CPA) which is side-channel attack based on the power consumption leakage. In 2016 the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) initiated the call for proposals of new cryptographic algorithms to strengthen the cryptographic defense of networked devices against cyberattacks and to protect the data created by those innumerable device. This work evaluates S-boxes used by NIST candidates PICCOLO, GIFT, and PRESENT, as well as several S-box variants that demonstrated sufficient weaknesses against classical cryptanalysis, for a quantitative comparison in terms of resiliency to CPA attack. Three well-known theoretical metrics are evaluated: transparency order (TO and RTO), nonlinearity, and signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio, aiming to characterize the resistance of these S-boxes against adversaries exploiting physical leakages. Experimental results from attacks on an 8- bit XMEGA were obtained via the ChipWhisperer platform and of all the S-boxes evaluated, GIFT64 with a PICCOLO S-box was found to be the most susceptible to CPA. Results showed that variations in TO and RTO were not sufficient to ensure practical CPA resistance and that among S-boxes with equal non-linearity there were no significant differences in the TO and SNR variants.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Detecting Hardware Trojans in PCBs Using Side Channel Loopbacks

Malicious modifications to printed circuit boards (PCBs) are known as hardware Trojans. These may arise when malafide third parties alter PCBs premanufacturing or postmanufacturing and are a concern in safety-critical applications, such as industrial control systems. In this research, we examine how data-driven detection can be utilized to detect such Trojans at run-time. We develop a flexible and reconfigurable PCB test bed derived from the popular open-source programmable logic controller (PLC) platform “OpenPLC.” We then develop a Trojan detection framework, which utilizes and analyzes multimodal side channels (e.g., timing, magnetic signals, power, and hardware performance counters). We consider defender-configurable input/output (I/O) loopback test, comparison with design-document baselines, and magnetometer-aided monitoring of system behavior under defender-chosen excitations. Our approach can extend to golden-free environments. Golden (known-good) versions of the PCBs are assumed not available, but design information, datasheets, and component-level data are available. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach on a range of Trojans instantiated in the test bed.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Interleaved multi-channel, multi-level, multi-quadrant DC-DC converters

Direct-current-to-direct-current (DC-DC) power converters that include two or more multi-quadrant, multi-level, DC-DC, switching converter subcircuits, connected in parallel at respective input and output sides, so as to provide a multi-channel, multi-quadrant, multi-level configuration, are disclosed. The DC-DC power converters further include a control circuit configured to control the switching converter subcircuits so that corresponding switching semiconductors in each of the switching converter subcircuits are switched in an interleaved manner. In some embodiments, each of the switching converter subcircuits is a three-level, neutral-point-clamped, four-quadrant DC-DC converter circuit. In other embodiments, each of the switching converter subcircuits is a three-level, neutral-point-clamped, two-quadrant DC-DC converter circuit. In any of these embodiments, a filter capacitor may be connected between across a pair of output terminals at the output sides of the switching converter subcircuits.

Du, Yu↗
DOE OSTI2017

Semiconductor Structures with a one-dimensional quantum channel and in-plane side gates fabricated by pulse force nanolithography

Quasi-one-dimensional semiconductor structures with a variable longitudinal potential profile are fabricated by pulse power nanolithography, which is carried out using an atomic force microscope. Structures are fabricated on the basis of AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures with a deep (130 nm from the surface) twodimensional electron gas. The channel potential profile is formed with the help of sectioned in-plane gates formed on both channel sides. The electrical parameters of the structures measured at temperatures down to 1.5 K confirmed the efficiency of the applied method to fabricate insulating regions with lateral sizes of ~10 nm.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1986

Measurement of heat transfer and pressure drop in rectangular channels with turbulence promoters

Periodic rib turbulators were used in advanced turbine cooling designs to enhance the internal heat transfer. The objective of the present project was to investigate the combined effects of the rib angle of attack and the channel aspect ratio on the local heat transfer and pressure drop in rectangular channels with two opposite ribbed walls for Reynolds number varied from 10,000 to 60,000. The channel aspect ratio (W/H) was varied from 1 to 2 to 4. The rib angle of attack (alpha) was varied from 90 to 60 to 45 to 30 degree. The highly detailed heat transfer coefficient distribution on both the smooth side and the ribbed side walls from the channel sharp entrance to the downstream region were measured. The results showed that, in the square channel, the heat transfer for the slant ribs (alpha = 30 -45 deg) was about 30% higher that of the transverse ribs (alpha = 90 deg) for a constant pumping power. However, in the rectangular channels (W/H = 2 and 4, ribs on W side), the heat transfer at alpha = 30 -45 deg was only about 5% higher than 90 deg. The average heat transfer and friction correlations were developed to account for rib spacing, rib angle, and channel aspect ratio over the range of roughness Reynolds number.

Han, J. C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Modular, multi-channel, interleaved power converters

A multi-phase power converter includes two or more multi-phase, bi-directional, multi-level, switching power converter subcircuits, connected in parallel at respective AC and DC sides, so as to provide a multi-channel, bi-directional, multi-level configuration. The AC sides of the switching converter subcircuits are directly coupled to one another and to a multi-phase AC input via series interface reactors, and the DC sides of the switching converter subcircuits are directly connected to one another and to a common split-capacitor bank at each level of the multi-level outputs of the switching converter subcircuits. A control circuit is configured to selectively control one or more switching semiconductor devices in each of the switching converter subcircuits. In some embodiments, the control circuit includes a closed-loop zero-sequence controller and a zero-sequence generator configured to eliminate circulating current among the switching converter subcircuits and to balance voltages across levels of the common split-capacitor bank.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

A High-Power Density Segmented Traction Drive Inverter

High power density is one of the requirements for traction drive inverters for meeting increasing demand for higher power and performance electrical vehicles (EV). This paper presents design and preliminary experimental results for a 100 kW high-power density inverter for EV traction drive applications. The inverter design was based on the segmented inverter topology that can significantly reduce the inverter DC filter capacitor and employs low-profile planar double-sided cooled SiC MOSFET-based power modules, compact mini-channel heat sinks with fin-profile optimized using genetic-algorithms, and high-ripple current capacitors. The design produced a compact inverter package with a total volume less than 1 litter, exceeding the power density goal of 100 kW/L. Experimental results are included to demonstrate the cooling and electrical performance.

Su, Gui-Jia↗
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling a Water-Cooled Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger Condensing CO2 for use in SCO2 Cycle System Optimization Studies

This work describes a one-dimensional model of a water-cooled printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) condensing supercritical CO2. The model is developed for use in cycle optimization studies (e.g., minimizing levelized cost of electricity) as either the main heat rejection cooler and/or a compressor intercooler for recompression closed Brayton supercritical CO2 power cycles. Sensitivity and case studies are used to illustrate the impact of important model parameters, and this includes allowing for independent variation of zig-zag channel wave angles on the CO2 and water side. Results show that for a given CO2 design pressure (and thus saturation temperature), the PCHE design inlet water temperature has a significant impact on the PCHE size. Results also demonstrate that if wave angles are the same on the CO2 and water side, the water side pressure drop will have more influence on determining the optimum PCHE mass than the CO2 side pressure drop. Reducing the water side wave angle to near straight channel flow offers a more compact design for a similar water side pressure drop (and pump power requirement). Cases are also shown for further increasing the compactness and how the PCHE mass is affected along with water pump power.

Liese, Eric↗
DOE OSTI2015

In-Containment Signal Conditioning and Transmission via Power Lines within High Dose Rate Areas of Nuclear Power Plants

Signal conditioning and transmission for sensor systems and networks within the containment of nuclear power plants (NPPs) still poses a challenge to engineers, particularly in the case of equipment upgrades for existing plants, temporary measurements, decommissioning of plants, but also for new builds. This paper presents an innovative method for efficient and cost-effective instrumentation within high dose rate areas inside the containment. A transmitter-receiver topology is proposed that allows simultaneous, unidirectional point-to-point transmission of multiple sensor signals by superimposing them on existing AC or DC power supply cables using power line communication (PLC) technology. Thereby the need for costly installation of additional cables and containment penetrations is eliminated. Based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronic parts, a radiation hard transmitter is designed to operate in harsh environment within the containment during full plant operation. Hardware modularity of the transmitter allows application specific tradeoffs between redundancy and channel bandwidth. At receiver side in non-radiated areas, signals are extracted from the power line, demodulated, and provided either in analog or digital output format. Laboratory qualification tests and field test results within a boiling water reactor (BWR) are validating the proof of concept of the proposed system. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Flow reversal benchmark of a one-sided heated narrow rectangular channel with CATHARE and RELAP5

Flow reversal in narrow coolant channels can be a crucial phenomenon for the safety of research reactors with a downward nominal flow direction. During a loss of forced flow accident, the downward flow stagnates briefly before transitioning into an upward natural circulation flow. The fuel may be damaged if dryout occurs and threshold fuel and/or cladding temperatures are exceeded. A comprehensive study is provided for flow reversal in narrow rectangular channels by examining experimental data and conducting software model analyses. The literature on flow reversal was reviewed, and selected experimental datasets were used to benchmark against CATHARE and RELAP5 models and also compare the code calculations with each other. The experimental data comes from flow reversal tests conducted with a narrow rectangular channel with one-sided heating. The results were compared with experimental data for successful flow reversal tests and predicted dryout power for dryout conditions. Also, the study examined the effects of the pump coastdown period, inlet liquid temperature, system pressure, and localized pressure drops. The experimental results showed that shorter coastdown periods, reduced pressure drops, and lower coolant inlet temperatures increased the dryout power. However, the system pressure did not noticeably affect the results. The simulation results showed that both CATHARE and RELAP5 agreed with experimental data, capturing the trends of the experimental results. Slight differences between each code calculation, as well as the predicted and measured dryout powers, were attributed to experimental uncertainties and the modeling of physical phenomena such as wall nucleation, interfacial heat transfer, drag coefficients, and critical heat flux. Overall, this study provides an understanding of flow reversal and the prediction capabilities of thermal-hydraulics software models. In conclusion, a future study of the flow reversal benchmark of a narrow rectangular channel with two-sided heating may provide additional valuable insights.

CATHARE↗
NASA NTRS1992

Rate 8/9 coded 8-PSK system for downlink applications

An advanced Coded Trellis Modulation (CTM) System which achieves a 2 bits/s/Hz bandwidth efficiency at an information rate of 200 Mbit/s while minimizing satellite power requirements, was developed for downlink earth station applications. The CTM system employs a high-speed rate 8/9 convolutional code with Viterbi decoding and an 8-Phase Shift Keying (PSK) modem. The minimum Euclidean distance between the modulated waveforms corresponding to the information sequences are maximized in order to maximize the noise immunity of the system. Nyquist filters with a square-root of 40 percent roll-off are used at the transmit and receive sides of the modem in order to minimize intersymbol interference, adjacent channel interference, and distortion at the nonlinear satellite power amplifier. The use of a coded system here also minimizes the effects of co-channel interference. The developed performance of the hardware system was measured to achieve within 1.5 dB from theory at a bit error rate of 5 x 10(exp -7) over an additive white Gaussian noise channel.

Fang, Russell↗
DOE OSTI2019

Analysis of the NorthStar Inconel 718 Window

NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC, is planning to produce the important medical radioisotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) through photonuclear reactions in molybdenum-100 (Mo-100). In this approach, a target comprising multiple thin disks of enriched molybdenum metal will be bombarded with a 40-MeV electron beam. Because enriched Mo-100 is expensive, there is a desire to utilize as much beam power as possible to achieve maximum production yield and minimize the size of the target. This requirement leads to very high beam power density (heat deposition in the target), which sets challenging requirements for cooling of the target. In the latest concept developed by NorthStar, a stack of target (sintered molybdenum) disks is irradiated from two sides by a 40-MeV electron beam, with a total power of 240 kW (120 kW from each side). As shown in Figure 1, the target disks are cooled by pressurized helium gas flowing through channels between the disks. A housing encloses the target disks and helium coolant. Thinned regions on opposite sides of the housing act as windows, forming the pressure boundary between the helium within the housing and the evacuated beam tube. A pulsed (50-Hz) 40-MeV electron beam is used, with 120 kW total power and a 10% duty cycle. The pulsing beam creates a corresponding cyclic thermal load within the window material. To examine the effects of the cyclic thermal load on the window, a combination of analyses was performed, including computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA). The analyses presented in this report were primarily performed using the finite element method. However, because of the curved surface of the window, CFD analysis was used to calculate the convective cooling boundary included in the FEA model. Transient thermal and structural models were used to explore the window geometry, including thickness, radius of curvature, and diameter, while staying within the temperature and stress limits of the material as well as maintaining mechanical stability (i.e., avoiding buckling). Additionally, variations in the size and location of the electron beam were evaluated. Multiple parameters for the window and the electron beam were examined throughout the analysis. Upper and lower bounds were established for the window geometry parameters, and limitations were established for the size and position of the electron beam.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2025

A method for assessing economic, environmental, and reliability tradeoffs of interregional transmission connecting ERCOT (the Texas grid) to the eastern and western grids

Reliable development of the power grid is an evolving concern for humanity due to extreme weather that frequently threatens power sector infrastructure. The state of Texas is a uniquely structured testbed for grid planners to study when looking for solutions to development, innovation, and overcoming such challenges. Because of its size and islanded structure, Texas is small enough to model, but big enough to matter. Texas is a global leader in energy production, energy consumption, and maintains an unusually diverse fuel mix. In addition, the state has experienced winter freezes, heat waves, wind storms, droughts and floods that have threatened power sector infrastructure or caused recent blackouts and calls for demand side conservation. One of the most devastating of these events was the North American winter storm, dubbed “Winter Storm Uri” by the Weather Channel, that froze the region in February 2021 and led to an extended power outage event that put the majority of Texan residents in darkness for days. While preparing to avoid such outage events in the future, various tools have been proposed to improve grid reliability, including energy efficiency, demand response, and distributed energy resources. An additional option would be to develop interregional transmission that connects the Texas grid to other national grids. To assess the merits of this idea, we developed a novel, universally-applicable and internationally-relevant framework to study how the Texas grid would evolve alongside access to various interregional ties. This method allows us to stress the synthetic grid structure and analyze how it would respond to the shock of a simulated winter storm event. Our method leverages open-source modeling tools, such as PowerGenome, pyGRETA, and GenX to synthesize unique zonal grid data, construct a consolidated network of model regions, and simulate different developmental pathways of capacity expansion and operational dispatch. We demonstrate our method with an analysis connecting the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the grid that serves most of Texas, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), the grid that serves the western half of the contiguous U.S., and the Eastern Interconnect, the grid that serves the eastern half of the contiguous U.S. Our results indicate that the cost-optimal capacity of interregional transmission connecting the ERCOT grid to other grids lies between 9–13 GW assuming baseline conditions. Building this amount of connecting capacity in one or multiple directions lowers the costs and emissions of development and operation by up to $16 billion and 257 million metric tonnes (MMT) respectively. Additionally, our results show that the interregional connections between ERCOT and other national grids reduce the amount of total load shed required through mild winter storm events. However, our results also show that there is a threshold of very extreme winter storm conditions, spanning multiple service areas, above which the connections exacerbate resource adequacy problems. Therefore, the results indicate that the connections need to be carefully planned alongside the rest of the grid infrastructure to avoid over-reliance on specific resources or technology options.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Defining a compact dry cooler design to reduce LCOE contribution in a CSP facility

Concentrating solar power (CSP), when coupled with a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO 2 ) power cycle and sensible heat storage, presents a renewable and clean alternative for utility-scale power generation. However, in order to be competitive in the current and future markets, CSP facilities must limit their levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) by minimizing capital costs and reducing operating costs over the lifetime of the plant. Targeting this goal, this study investigates the LCOE impact of the power cycle pre-cooler. This study considers a compact dry cooler with micro-channel technology on the CO 2 side and formed fin geometry on the air side, using directly-coupled centrifugal fans and a transition duct to improve air distribution across the fins as well as protect the fins from contaminants which may cause blockage, soiling, fouling, and damage. In an effort to better understand the dry cooler impact on LCOE, a sensitivity study was conducted using various combinations of end-to-end approach temperatures, air-side pressure drop values, CO 2 -side pressure drop values, fan types, cooler turndown control schemes, cooler module sizes, and design-point ambient temperatures. Furthemore, off-design cycle performance data was calculated for each dry cooler design using NPSS simulation software; cycle performance data were then input to System Advisor Model (SAM) along with the associated capital costs for LCOE prediction of a 100 MW system over a 30 year plant lifetime. Results of this study show the LCOE is most sensitive to air-side performance, followed by heat transfer effectiveness and capital cost. It was found that a power cycle with a mid- to high-performance dry cooler will produce the most competitive power-production costs. Designing at the extreme ends for approach temperature (or effectiveness), design-point ambient temperature, and compactness (footprint) produce higher LCOE values; mid-range values for these parameters balance performance, operating costs, and associated capital cost to optimize LCOE.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗