Engineering topics

Cole, Brian

Publications and source records attributed to Cole, Brian.

5 records

DOE OSTI2025

Upgrades of the ATLAS Zero Degree Calorimeter System for Run 3 at the Large Hadron Collider

Experimental studies of ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) depend crucially on Zero Degree Calorimeters (ZDCs) that measure neutrons produced at near-beam rapidity in nucleus-nucleus collisions. In hadronic nuclear collisions these neutrons are mainly spectator neutrons, those that do not scatter from opposing nucleons during the collision. As a result, the ZDCs provide a vital probe of heavy ion collision geometry. The ZDCs are also essential in the study of ultra-peripheral collisions that are initiated by photons associated with the electric fields of one or both nuclei. Coherent photon emission typically leaves the photon emitter intact, making the observation of no ZDC signal, on one or both sides, a tag of such processes. The ATLAS ZDCs, built prior to Run 1 were substantially upgraded for LHC Run 3. The primary upgrades included replacement of the quartz Cherenkov radiator with $\text{H}_2$-doped fused silica rods; installation of fast air-core signal cables between the ZDC and the ATLAS USA15 cavern; new LED-based calibration system; and new electronics implemented for readout and fully-digital triggering. The ZDCs were also augmented with new "Reaction Plane Detectors" (RPDs) designed to measure the transverse centroid of multi-neutron showers to allow event-by-event reconstruction of the directed-flow plane in nuclear collisions. The Run~3 ZDC detectors, including the RPDs, are described in detail with emphasis on aspects that are new for Run~3.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Aerosol jet printing of surface acoustic wave microfluidic devices

Abstract The addition of surface acoustic wave (SAW) technologies to microfluidics has greatly advanced lab-on-a-chip applications due to their unique and powerful attributes, including high-precision manipulation, versatility, integrability, biocompatibility, contactless nature, and rapid actuation. However, the development of SAW microfluidic devices is limited by complex and time-consuming micro/nanofabrication techniques and access to cleanroom facilities for multistep photolithography and vacuum-based processing. To simplify the fabrication of SAW microfluidic devices with customizable dimensions and functions, we utilized the additive manufacturing technique of aerosol jet printing. We successfully fabricated customized SAW microfluidic devices of varying materials, including silver nanowires, graphene, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). To characterize and compare the acoustic actuation performance of these aerosol jet printed SAW microfluidic devices with their cleanroom-fabricated counterparts, the wave displacements and resonant frequencies of the different fabricated devices were directly measured through scanning laser Doppler vibrometry. Finally, to exhibit the capability of the aerosol jet printed devices for lab-on-a-chip applications, we successfully conducted acoustic streaming and particle concentration experiments. Overall, we demonstrated a novel solution-based, direct-write, single-step, cleanroom-free additive manufacturing technique to rapidly develop SAW microfluidic devices that shows viability for applications in the fields of biology, chemistry, engineering, and medicine.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Heavy-ion physics at the LHC

Heavy-ion collisions have been part of the programme of the LHC since its conception. The main nucleus–nucleus system is 208 82 + Pb + 208 82 + Pb . During the Runs 1 and 2, the LHC provided Pb+Pb collisions with centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √ s NN = 2.76 and 5.02 TeV, Xe+Xe with √ s NN = 5.44 TeV, and p+Pb with √ s NN = 5.02 and 8.16 TeV. The LHC performance with heavy-ion beams is described in Ref. 1. The ALICE detector was conceived to be dedicated to the study of heavy-ion collisions. The ATLAS and CMS experiments participated in the programme since the very beginning, and the LHCb experiment participated since the end of Run 1. Figure 1 shows event displays of Pb+Pb collisions from the four experiments.

Audurier, Benjamin↗

NASA NTRS2019

Characterization of Thermal Protection Systems: An Analysis of Optical & Thermal Properties

Thermal Protection System Materials & thermal control coatings were characterized by a variety of methodologies including heat flow meter method (HFM), dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Ultra-Violet & Visible light spectroscopy (UV-VIS). Physical properties were measured to aid in the construction of thermal response models for a number a projects including MEDLI and MEDLI2. Comparing pre-flight predictions with actual flight data can allow for a reduction of margins and improve designs. The models enable design of TPS for flight missions and analysis of flight data to understand aerothermal environments experienced on the mission. This presentation reveals critical information: heat capacity (cp vs T), thermal conductivity ( vs T), and emissivity (E vs T) for Super Lightweight Ablative (SLA), Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablative (PICA-D), & Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET). These properties were also measured for various thermal control coatings manufactured by AZ Technology. A portion of this work is incomplete and highlights questions to investigate in the future.

Cole, Brian↗

NASA NTRS2019

Charactarization of Thermal Protection Systems

In 2012, NASA's mission of landing the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) on Mars was successful. MSL was protected by an ablative heatshield of tiled low density material known as PICA (phenolic impregnated carbon ablator). The heatshield was instrumented with MEDLI (MSL Entry Descent Landing Instrument) a suite of sensors & thermocouples at discrete locations in order to monitor the in-depth ablator temperature response and surface pressure. MEDLI was designed and developed by NASA Langley, in partnership with NASA Ames Research Center for the purposes of probing Mars and evaluating the performance of the spacecraft upon entry into the Martian atmosphere. The flight data reduces the uncertainty in engineer models for predicting the response of a spacecraft towards the extreme heating environment of an entry into the Martian atmosphere. MEDLI2 is a part of the Mars 2020 mission and is the next-generation sensor suite for entry, descent, and landing. This data will again help engineers validate their flight models. Additionally, the atmospheric data, can help us understand atmospheric density and winds. This is a critical study for reducing risks to both robotic and future human missions to Mars. Engineered models for Mars 2020 are dependent upon parameters related to the materials response to heating and radiation. In this work, the thermal properties and other measurements of various ablative materials are analyzed to achieve greater utility of the 2012 MEDLI flight data and more accurately determine the parameters being used in Mars 2020. The purpose of this study was to measure specific heat, thermal conductivity, char yield, reflectance as a function of wavelength, and other thermal parameters and optical properties of various ablative materials. CO2(g) at extreme temperatures emits radiation impacting MEDLI2 flight predictions. Emissivity & absorptivity as a function of temperature were calculated from FTIR and UV-Vis data as a means of investigating whether these materials might absorb CO2 radiation upon entry into the Mars atmosphere.

HEEET↗