AFERA Framework in Action: AI- Digital Twin Data Center Thermal Management and Optimization

National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)

NETL-PIP-2026-Guenther

The National Energy Technology Laboratory's (NETL's) record of success has been built on understanding the future of energy and the technologies required to make that future possible. We’ve long touted our success in developing the technologies that took on acid rain in the 1970s and mercury in the early 2000s.

• Develop skills and knowledge in their field of study
• Engage with new areas of basic and applied research
• Transition classroom theory into hands-on experience
• Network with world-class scientists
• Exchange ideas and skills with the Laboratory community
• Use state-of-the-art equipment
• Contribute to answers for today's pressing scientific questions
• Collaborate with the broader scientific and technical communities

Through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), this posting seeks a student researcher, recent Bachelor's graduate, or recent Master's graduate to engage in projects with the Research Innovation Center (RIC) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in the area of LDRD under the mentorship of Chris Guenther. This project will be hosted at the NETL Morgantown, WV campus.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is driving a transformative initiative to integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into scientific discovery, leveraging its capacity to accelerate complex physics-based modeling and analyze vast datasets at unprecedented speeds. Agentic AI further enhances this by enabling autonomous reasoning and execution of research objectives, fundamentally redefining research paradigms. The larger, over-arching project focuses on the Applied Federated Energy Research Accelerator (AFERA), a novel framework for end-to-end applied energy research integrating Agentic AI, Applied Energy Solvers, Digital Twins, and Control & Automation.

To demonstrate AFERA's feasibility, an initial use case involves developing a comprehensive digital twin for NETL’s Joule 3.0 Modular Data Center (MDC). The MDC, with its real-time and historical operational data and well-defined infrastructure for high-fidelity physics-based computer simulations, is an ideal testbed platform. Models of the MDC will be simplified into static and hybrid reduced-order models (ROMs) to create an integrated, predictive MDC Digital Twin.

This effort will showcase the ability of the new AFERA framework, informed by AI, to synthesize diverse data streams from process data to commercial/in-house simulation outputs, constructing precise MDC models for a dynamic digital twin. As a participant on this project, you will be introduced to AFERA and gain familiarity with its function, processes, and impact, accelerating scientific research. This validation will confirm AFERA's broader applicability, catalyzing research acceleration in other strategic DOE areas.

• Gain familiarity with the AFERA digital engineering approach
• Identify advantages of the AFERA digital engineering approach to accelerate research
• Synthesize and analyze diverse data streams and performance
• Collaborate with research scientists

• $788 per week for undergraduate students
• $1225.50 per week for recent Bachelor's graduates
• $1499 per week for graduate students and recent Master's graduates

To document the effectiveness of the program, participants are required to submit a pre-appointment and post-appointment survey, as well as a reflection on their appointment experience when they renew or end their appointment. The reflection should summarize their project(s), additional activities, and overall experience. Details are provided as the appointment end date…