FORCE Tool Suite
The Framework for Optimization of Resources, Controls and Economics (FORCE) is a collection of software tools developed under the IES program to enable analysis of technical and economic viability of many IES configurations. Each of these tools is available for use.
FORCE is broken down into three functions:
- Library of physics-based models for nuclear reactors, heat transfer, mass transport, energy storage and chemical/electro-chemical process (also referred to as HYBRID, for hybrid energy systems composition)
- Capital and operating cost estimation and cash-flow investment analysis (referred to as HERON, for Holistic Energy Resources Optimization Network)
- Real-time decision and component controls (also described as Optimization of Real-time Capacity Allocation, or ORCA).
Collectively, these functions support the development and operation of economically optimized systems that satisfy the energy demands of a user or combination of energy users based on project life and fixed financial investment parameters.
HYBRID is a repository containing a collection of transient process models written in the Modelica language. This repository contains detailed models of various nuclear reactors, energy storage processes and ancillary processes (e.g., water desalination, hydrogen production) that researchers can use to understand the dynamic behavior, integration and control of integrated energy systems across various time scales. For more information and to access the repository, click here.
HERON (Holistic Energy Resource Optimization Network) is a modeling toolset and RAVEN plugin to accelerate stochastic technoeconomic assessment of the economic viability of grid energy system configurations. HERON provides tools to generate workflows for grid energy system portfolio optimization based on stochastically generated time series and dispatch optimization. The stochastic histories are generated using models developed in RAVEN and are based on historical behaviors in specific markets and geographical regions. For more information and to access the toolset, click here.
TEAL (Tool for Economic AnaLysis) is a RAVEN plugin that enables a workflow to compute the net present value, internal rate of return and the profitability index for a candidate IES using RAVEN. TEAL is primarily used as a resource for HERON but can also be used to analyze IES configurations with limited time resolution. For more information and to access the plugin, click here.
RAVEN (Risk Analysis Virtual ENvironment) is a flexible and multipurpose uncertainty quantification, regression analysis, probabilistic risk assessment, data analysis and model optimization framework. RAVEN is used as an engine for the other software tools, providing quality-assured workflows for robust optimization, synthetic history sampling, multi-code calculations and machine learning surrogate models. For more information and to access the framework, click here.
ORCA (Optimization of Real-time Capacity Allocation)is a modeling tool set to accelerate real-time control and optimization of digital twins, including virtual models of facilities, physical facilities and interconnections to allow optimal control of physical facilities using virtual models. ORCA is enabled by INL’s RAVEN and DeepLynx software codes. For more information and to access the plug-in, click here.
FARM (Feasible System Actuator) is a RAVEN plugin using a linear state-space representation of process models to predict the system state and output in the future time steps and to adjust actuation variables to avoid violation of implicit thermomechanical constraints for the individual subsystems and components. For more information and to access the plugin, click here.
