C. McParland

Open Automated Demand Response Communications Specification (Version 1.0)

The development of the Open Automated Demand Response Communications Specification, also known as OpenADR or Open Auto-DR, began in 2002 following the California electricity crisis. The work has been carried out by the Demand Response Research Center (DRRC), which is managed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This specification describes an open standards-based communications data model designed to facilitate sending and receiving demand response price and reliability signals from a utility or Independent System Operator to electric customers. OpenADR is one element of the Smart Grid information and communications technologies that are being developed to improve optimization between electric supply and demand. The intention of the open automated demand response communications data model is to provide interoperable signals to building and industrial control systems that are preprogrammed to take action based on a demand response signal, enabling a demand response event to be fully automated, with no manual intervention. The OpenADR specification is a flexible infrastructure to facilitate common information exchange between the utility or Independent System Operator and end-use participants. The concept of an open specification is intended to allow anyone to implement the signaling systems, the automation server or the automation clients.

Front end electronics for the STAR TPC

The Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR) is a large acceptance detector now being built to study high energy heavy ion collisions. It detects charged particles with a large time projection chamber. The 136,600 TPC pads are instrumented with waveform digitizers, implemented in custom low noise preamplifier/shaper and switched capacitor array/ADCs ICs. The system is highly integrated with all analog functions mounted on small cards that plug into the TPC. Detector mounted readout boards multiplex data from 1152 channels onto a 1.5 Gbit/sec fiber optic link to the data acquisition system.

Constructing the phase diagram of finite neutral nuclear matter

Author(s): Elliott, J.B.; Moretto, L.G.; Phair, L.; Wozniak, G.L.; Albergo, S.; Bieser, F.; Brady, F.P.; Caccia, Z.; Cebra, D.A.; Chacon, A.D.; Chance, J.L.; Choi, Y.; Costa, S.; Gilkes, M.L.; Hauger, J.A.; Hirsch, A.S.; Hjort, E.L.; Insolia, A.; Justice, M.; Keane, D.; Kintner, J.C.; Lindenstruth, V.; Lisa, M.A.; Matis, H.S.; McMahan, M.; McParland, C.; Muller, W.F.J.; Olson, D.L.; Partlan, M.D.; Porile, N.T.; Potenza, R.; Rai, G.; Rasmussen, J.; Ritter, H.G.; Romanski, J.; Romero, J.L.; Russo, G.V.; Sann, H.; Scharenberg, R.P.; Scott, A.; Shao, Y.; Srivastava, B.K.; Symons, T.J.M.; Tincknell, M.; Tuve, C.; Wang, S.; Warren, P.; Wieman, H.H.; Wienold, T.; Wolf, K.

OpenADR open source toolkit: Developing open source software for the Smart Grid

Demand response (DR) is becoming an increasingly important part of power grid planning and operation. The advent of the Smart Grid, which mandates its use, further motivates selection and development of suitable software protocols to enable DR functionality. The OpenADR protocol has been developed and is being standardized to serve this goal. We believe that the development of a distributable, open source implementation of OpenADR will benefit this effort and motivate critical evaluation of its capabilities, by the wider community, for providing wide-scale DR services.

The search for the scaling function in the multifragmentation of gold nuclei

Abstract It is shown that thermodynamic scaling when applied to systems with few (∼150) constituents, in accordance with the theory of critical phenomena, is observed in nuclear multifragmentation. Yields of different nuclear fragments, obtained over a wide range of excitation energies, collapse with some scatter onto a universal curve. This curve is the nuclear scaling function, which is intimately related to the free energy of the system. The determination of the scaling function forms the basis for quantitatively predicting the critical behavior in nuclei.

Individual fragment yields and determination of the critical exponent σ

Abstract We have studied the yield of individual fragments formed in the projectile fragmentation of gold nuclei at 1 AGeV incident on a carbon target as a function of the total charge multiplicity. The yields of fragments of different nuclear charge peak at different multiplicities. We show that this behavior can be used to determine the critical exponent σ. We obtain σ = 0.68±0.05, consistent with the liquid-gas value.

Results from the STAR TPC system test

A system test of various components of the Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR) detector, operating in concert, has recently come on-line. Communication between a major sub-detector, a sector of the time projection chamber (TPC), and the trigger, data acquisition and slow controls systems has been established, enabling data from cosmic ray muons to be collected. First results from an analysis of the TPC data are presented. These include measurements of system noise, electronic parameters such as amplifier gains and pedestal values, and tracking resolution for cosmic ray muons and laser induced ionization tracks. A discussion on the experience gained in integrating the different components for the system test is also given.

A TPC detector for the study of high multiplicity heavy ion collisions

Abstract The design of a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) detector with complete pad coverage is presented. The TPC will allow the measurements of high multiplicity (~200 tracks), relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions initiated with the heaviest, most energetic projectiles available at the LBL BEVALAC accelerator facility. The front end electronics, composed of over 15,000 time sampling channels, will be located on the chamber.

Software-Based Challenges of Developing the Future Distribution Grid

The software that the utility industry currently uses may be insufficient to analyze the distribution grid as it rapidly modernizes to include active resources such as distributed generation, switch and voltage control, automation, and increasingly complex loads. Although planners and operators have traditionally viewed the distribution grid as a passive load, utilities and consultants increasingly need enhanced analysis that incorporates active distribution grid loads in order to ensure grid reliability. Numerous commercial and open-source tools are available for analyzing distribution grid systems. These tools vary in complexity from providing basic load-flow and capacity analysis under steady-state conditions to time-series analysis and even geographical representations of dynamic and transient events. The need for each type of analysis is not well understood in the industry, nor are the reasons that distribution analysis requires different techniques and toolsboth from those now available and from those used for transmission analysis. In addition, there is limited understanding of basic capability of the tools and how they should be practically applied to the evolving distribution system. The study reviews the features and state of the art capability of current tools, including usability and visualization, basic analysis functionality, advanced analysis including inverters, and renewable generation and load modeling. We also discuss the need for each type of distribution grid system analysis. In addition to reviewing basic functionality current models, we discuss dynamics and transient simulation in detail and draw conclusions about existing software?s ability to address the needs of the future distribution grid as well as the barriers to modernization of the distribution grid that are posed by the current state of software and model development. Among our conclusions are that accuracy, data transfer, and data processingabilities are key to future distribution grid modeling, and measured data sources are a key missing element . Modeling tools need to be calibrated based on measured grid data to validate their output in varied conditions such as high renewables penetration and rapidly changing topology. In addition, establishing a standardized data modeling format would enable users to transfer data among tools to take advantage of different analysis features. ?

Λ hyperons in 2 a GeV Ni + Cu collisions

A sample of �s produced in 2 AGeV 58 Ni + nat Cu collisions has been obtained with the EOS Time Projection Chamber at the Bevalac. Low background in the invariant mass distribution allows for the unambiguous demonstration ofdirected flow. ThemT spectrum at mid-rapidity has the characteristic shoulder-arm shape of particles undergoing radial transverse expansion. A linear dependence ofmul- tiplicity on impact parameter is observed, from which a total � + � 0 production cross section of 112 ± 24 mb is deduced. Detailed comparisons with the ARC and RVUU models are made.