Sandia National Laboratories

About: Sandia National Laboratories is a facility organization based out in Livermore, California, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Laser & Combustion. The organization has 21501 authors who have published 46724 publications receiving 1484388 citations. The organization is also known as: SNL & Sandia National Labs.

Toward a common component architecture for high-performance scientific computing

Abstract: Describes work in progress to develop a standard for interoperability among high-performance scientific components. This research stems from the growing recognition that the scientific community needs to better manage the complexity of multidisciplinary simulations and better address scalable performance issues on parallel and distributed architectures. The driving force for this is the need for fast connections among components that perform numerically intensive work and for parallel collective interactions among components that use multiple processes or threads. This paper focuses on the areas we believe are most crucial in this context, namely an interface definition language that supports scientific abstractions for specifying component interfaces and a port connection model for specifying component interactions.

Unravelling combustion mechanisms through a quantitative understanding of elementary reactions

Abstract: This review of the role of reaction kinetics in combustion chemistry traces the historical evolution and present state of qualitative and quantitative understanding of a number of reaction systems. Starting from the H2–O2 system, in particular from the reaction between H and O2, mechanisms and key reactions for soot formation, for the appearance of NOx, and for processes of peroxy radicals in hydrocarbon oxidation are illustrated. The struggle for precise rate constants on the experimental and theoretical side is demonstrated for the example of the reaction H + O2 → OH + O. The intrinsic complexity of complex-forming bimolecular reactions, such as observed even in this reaction, also dominates most other key reactions of the systems considered and can be unravelled only with the help of quantum-chemical methods. The multi-channel character of these reactions often also requires the combination with master equation codes. Although kinetics provides an already impressive database for quantitative modelling of simple combustion systems, considerable effort is still required to quantitatively account for the complexities of more complicated fuel oxidation processes.

Grand challenges in the science of wind energy

Abstract: Harvested by advanced technical systems honed over decades of research and development, wind energy has become a mainstream energy resource. However, continued innovation is needed to realize the potential of wind to serve the global demand for clean energy. Here, we outline three interdependent, cross-disciplinary grand challenges underpinning this research endeavor. The first is the need for a deeper understanding of the physics of atmospheric flow in the critical zone of plant operation. The second involves science and engineering of the largest dynamic, rotating machines in the world. The third encompasses optimization and control of fleets of wind plants working synergistically within the electricity grid. Addressing these challenges could enable wind power to provide as much as half of our global electricity needs and perhaps beyond.

Comparative genomic analysis of the thermophilic biomass-degrading fungi Myceliophthora thermophila and Thielavia terrestris

Abstract: Thermostable enzymes and thermophilic cell factories may afford economic advantages in the production of many chemicals and biomass-based fuels. Here we describe and compare the genomes of two thermophilic fungi, Myceliophthora thermophila and Thielavia terrestris. To our knowledge, these genomes are the first described for thermophilic eukaryotes and the first complete telomere-to-telomere genomes for filamentous fungi. Genome analyses and experimental data suggest that both thermophiles are capable of hydrolyzing all major polysaccharides found in biomass. Examination of transcriptome data and secreted proteins suggests that the two fungi use shared approaches in the hydrolysis of cellulose and xylan but distinct mechanisms in pectin degradation. Characterization of the biomass-hydrolyzing activity of recombinant enzymes suggests that these organisms are highly efficient in biomass decomposition at both moderate and high temperatures. Furthermore, we present evidence suggesting that aside from representing a potential reservoir of thermostable enzymes, thermophilic fungi are amenable to manipulation using classical and molecular genetics.

Calculation of the surface segregation of Ni-Cu alloys with the use of the embedded-atom method

Abstract: The surface composition of Ni-Cu alloys has been calculated as a function of atomic layer, crystal face, and bulk composition at a temperature of 800 K. The results show that the composition varies nonmonotonically near the surface with the surface layer strongly enriched in Cu while the near-surface layers are enriched in Ni. The calculations use the embedded-atom method [M. S. Daw and M. I. Baskes, Phys. Rev. B 29, 6443 (1984)] in conjunction with Monte Carlo computer simulations. The embedding functions and pair interactions needed to describe Ni-Cu alloys are developed and applied to the calculation of bulk energies, lattice constants, and short-range order. The heats of segregation are computed for the dilute limit, and the composition profile is obtained for the (100), (110), and (111) surfaces for a variety of bulk compositions. The results are found to be in accord with experimental data.