Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Smoke”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,801 records · Page 100
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

JSONize: A Scalable Machine Learning Pipeline to Model Medical Notes as Semi-structured Documents

The Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA) archives the largest corpora of clinical notes in their corporate data warehouse (CDW) as unstructured text data. Unstructured text easily supports keyword searches and regular expressions. Often these simple searches do not adequately support the complex searches that need to be performed on notes. For example, a researcher may want all notes with a Duke Treadmill Score less than 5 or people that smoke more than 1 pack per day. Range queries like this and more can be supported by modelling text as semi-structured documents. In this paper, we implement a scalable machine learning pipeline that models plain medical text as useful semi-structured documents. We improve on existing models and achieve a F1-score of 0.912 and scale our methods to the entire VA corpus.

Rush III, Everett↗
DOE OSTI2020

Chapter 22 - Chlorine. In: “Handbook of Toxicology of Chemical Warfare Agents, Third Edition”, Editor: Ramesh C. Gupta.

Chlorine gas is used widely by industry and as a disinfectant and bleach, and, due to its toxicity and ease of procurement, has been used as a chemical warfare agent. Chlorine is a strong oxidizer that hydrolyzes in water to form hydrochloric and hypochlorous acid. Upon chlorine inhalation, the respiratory tract is the predominant target organ in humans and animals as chlorine is a contact irritant. Exposure causes sensory irritation and pulmonary dysfunction, and at sufficiently high concentrations results in lung lesions and injury to other internal organs including the heart. Human and animal studies have shown that chlorine toxicity is influenced more by exposure concentration than duration, is gender-independent, and increases with age, cigarette smoking, and preexisting respiratory conditions such as asthma and airway hyperreactivity. Treatment is largely supportive, although animal studies are examining the utility of various compounds for chlorine-specific treatment based on its mechanism of action.

Milanez, Sylvia↗
DOE OSTI2021

Stove Solutions: Improving Health, Safety, and the Environment in Darfur with Fuel-Efficient Cookstoves

Nearly three billion people across the globe cook every day using open, three-stone fires, or rudimentary stoves that burn biomass such as wood, agricultural waste, animal dung, and charcoal. Cooking with these traditional cookstoves is inefficient and grossly polluting, harming health and the environment, and contributing to global warming. In many places worldwide, women must walk for hours to collect firewood, risking their safety and sacrificing energy and time that could be used to earn a living. While often overlooked as a major contributor to the global burden of disease, cooking over open fires indoors is the largest environmental health risk in developing countries, and exposes women (and the young children near them) to amounts of smoke equivalent to burning 1,000 cigarettes inside the home. In Darfur, Sudan, where about 2.7 million people have been displaced from their homes by conflict, the situation is particularly dire. Each day, Darfuri women face the difficult choice between risking sexual assault during treks to collect firewood or selling a portion of their family’s meager food rations for cash to purchase wood. Here, the Berkeley-Darfur Stove, developed by scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and volunteers from UC Berkeley and Engineers Without Borders, is a metal stove that reduces the need for firewood by more than half, owing to its improved combustion and heat transfer efficiencies. LBNL has partnered with a nonprofit organization, Potential Energy, and a number of aid organizations to disseminate more than 22,000 Berkeley-Darfur Stoves to Darfuri women. Several hundred thousand more are needed.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Feasibility Study of Millimeter Wave Radars For Safeguards Applications

Containment and surveillance are fundamental measures in nuclear safeguards. Techniques such as video surveillance and laser curtain for containment provide effective monitoring in areas where maintaining continuity of knowledge is required. These systems, however, can be susceptible to loss of monitoring capabilities under certain environmental conditions such as poor visibility (i.e. low light conditions, smoke, fog, etc.) or extended power loss past the duration that the backup power system is designed for. Brookhaven National Laboratory has been investigating the feasibility of millimeter waves (mmWave) as a new perimeter seal in which radio frequency waves in the range of 60-64 GHz are used to detect and monitor objects of interest. Signals in this frequency range are not susceptible to environmental conditions. For proof-of-concept tests, mmWave sensors from Texas Instruments (TI), specificallyIWR6843, are used in a test bed at BNL's Waste Management facility to simulate the operations at nuclear facilities. The unique design of TI mmWave sensors requires less memory and power consumption compared to counterpart systems. These devices are capable of exporting 3D point-cloud data, which is visualized graphically and compared to videos recorded at the same time to validate the performance of the mmWave sensor. A set of experiments were planned to test the feasibility of the mmWave in this application, including monitoring static containers in a storage area and detecting intrusions at the boundaries of the area. In addition, the experiments also identify potential blind spots relative to sensor position and utilize multiple operating sensors simultaneously to reduce or eliminate such blind spots. The optimal positioning of multiple sensors was determined for the experimental room configuration. In this paper, we will discuss the details of this novel perimeter sealing concept and present the test results.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
DOE OSTI2022

What does it take to “see” air leakage through a building envelope?

Unwanted air leakage in buildings can cause health and comfort issues for the building occupants and contribute to rot and mold growth in building materials. Leakage also contributes to unnecessary energy consumption ~4 quads (1172 TWh) per year in the buildings sector in the United States. Finding and repairing leaks through the building envelope can improve the energy efficiency, comfort, air-quality, and moisture durability of the building stock. Typical methods of locating air leakage, such as infrared imaging or smoke tracing, rely on concurrent blower door operation which also measures the total leakage rate of the building. These methods can be disruptive to occupants and can’t measure the contribution of individual leaks to prioritize sealing efforts. ORNL is working on a refraction-based fluid flow imaging technique that can measure the leakage rate of individual leaks from the outside of the building. The working principle of this device is based on the refraction of light caused by the exfiltration because there is a small difference in density between the exfiltration and ambient air. We will discuss the operation of the air leak detector and key variables that affect its performance. We will also present preliminary results showing the visualization capability of this new air leak detector under different conditions. Experiments were completed with different claddings, air temperatures, and lighting conditions.

Boudreaux, Philip↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Leptonic Model for Neutrino Emission From Active Galactic Nuclei

It is often stated that the observation of high-energy neutrinos from an astrophysical source would constitute a smoking gun for the acceleration of hadronic cosmic rays. Here, we point out that there exists a purely leptonic mechanism to produce TeV-scale neutrinos in astrophysical environments. In particular, very high-energy synchrotron photons can scatter with X-rays, exceeding the threshold for muon-antimuon pair production. When these muons decay, they produce neutrinos without any cosmic-ray protons or nuclei being involved. In order for this mechanism to be efficient, the source in question must produce very high-energy photons which interact in an environment that is dominated by keV-scale radiation. As an example, we consider the active galaxy NGC 1068, which IceCube has recently detected as a source of TeV-scale neutrinos. We find that the neutrino emission observed from this source could potentially be generated through muon pair production for reasonable choices of physical parameters.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

In Situ Atmospheric Plume Thermometry via Carbon Monoxide Spectral Profile: Laboratory and Field Validation

For small molecules with large rotational constants, knowing the relative intensities of the ro-vibrational transitions can be used to determine the temperature within a gas plume. We demonstrate the use of carbon monoxide (CO) as an in situ spectroscopic probe of gas plume temperature by application of both laboratory and standoff Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to monitor the CO spectral response at different temperatures. Here, the measured CO rotational contours were analyzed using a simple Boltzmann model to deduce the population distribution of the J-levels, from which the in-plume temperature is deduced. The method was vetted by comparing deduced temperatures in both static laboratory measurements of known temperatures, as well as field measurements using a simulated smokestack release. For the smokestack experiments, spectroscopically deduced temperatures were compared to readings from a series of thermocouples placed at strategically sampled distances along the plume trajectory. Both the spectroscopically-derived and thermocouple-measured temperatures revealed an expansion-induced (mixing) rapid cooling of the plume, with the infrared thermometry values displaying greater temperature values which are believed to better represent the actual plume temperatures.

Analysis of rotational structure↗
DOE OSTI2024

Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Emissions: Laboratory Measurement of Aerosol and Trace Gas from Combustion of Manufactured Building Materials

Wildfires are increasing in intensity and more often threatening the wildland urban interface (WUI) where buildings and homes coexist with the natural environment. WUI emissions have not been as well-studied as emissions from vegetation. Thus, there is a need to quantify the emissions of building materials used in home construction under flaming and smoldering conditions to study their impacts to human health, visibility, air quality, and climate. Here, in a controlled laboratory setting, we quantify emissions of aerosols and trace gases including formaldehyde, particulate matter, and black carbon. We focus on the combustion of traditional single-source wood-based construction fuels. Our results indicate that, similar to natural fuels, the aerosol optical properties were more related to combustion conditions than the fuel type. Overall, we observed significant variability in the gas and particle emissions. Consistent trends include high formaldehyde (HCHO) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions for smoldering conditions and higher carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), and black carbon for flaming conditions. Finally, these observations highlight the need to better characterize emissions for materials in the built environment to assess large-scale climate and human health impacts of fires at the WUI.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Fire Predictions and Impacts

Megafires are increasing in the Western US due to sustained drought and prolonged fire exclusion. LANL uniquely positioned to lead in both modeling (fine scales, coupled fire-atmosphere, 3D fuels) and observations (CAFÉ).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Surplus Plutonium Disposition Sphincter Seal Development & Testing

The Surplus Plutonium Disposition Project (SPD, Project Y744) requested the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to perform a series of leak and durability tests on sphincter seals that were designed to process blend cans and shield cans into an SPD glovebox. Each sphincter seal assembly consisted of a stainless-steel outer sleeve weldment that was bolted onto the test enclosure and an aluminum inner sleeve that housed seven to nine Neoprene seals. All tests were executed to determine long term effects from processing approximately a year’s worth of blend and shield cans through the sphincter seals.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Climate Forcing & Feedbacks by Fires, Forests, Fossil Energy & Food Production: Observations are Key to Predictions [Slides]

Human emitted GHGs (long lived, cumulative) that trap more heat (IR) and aerosols (short lived, steady) that reflect sunlight (Vis) have altered Earth’s radiation budget and warmed our climate measurably and predictably. Our complex dynamic climate system has trapped 400 ZettaJ (10 21 ) and has many positive feedbacks. Regions are changing at unprecedented rates and crossing thresholds as BAU will lock us into 8.5 W m -2 in 2100.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1924

Air-flow Experiments

This report describes the apparatus used to take air-flow photographs. The photographs show chiefly the spiral course of the lines of flow near the tip of the wing. They constitute therefore a visual presentation of the phenomena covered by airfoil theory.

AERODYNAMICS↗
NASA NTRS1944

Wind Tunnel Investigation of the Effect of Jet-Motor Operation Stability

The effects of jet-motor operation on the stability and control characteristics of two fighter-type airplanes as determined by wind-tunnel tests of 1/5-scale models are presented. It is shown that the action of the jets is to cause a small loss in stick-fixed stability which is predictable from known theories.

WIND TUNNEL TESTS↗
NASA NTRS1993

Fuels and Combustion Technology for Advanced Aircraft Engines [Les Propergols et les Systèmes de Combustion pour les Moteurs d'Aéronefs]

The Conference Proceedings contains the 38 papers presented at the Propulsion and Energetics Panel 81st Symposium on "Fuels and Combustion Technology for Advanced Aircraft Engines" which was held from 10th-14th May 1993, in Fiuggi, Italy. The Technical Evaluation Report and the Keynote Address are included at the beginning, and discussions follow most papers. The Symposium was arranged in the following Sessions: Technology Overview Papers (2); Modelling: Pollutant Formation (4); Modelling: Combustor Design (5); High Temperature Fuels and Fuel Systems (6); Combustion Research: Performance (6); Combustion Research: Emissions (5); Fuel Atomization: Diagnostics and Modelling (5); and Combustion Research: Flowfleld and Mixing (4). The last paper is a contribution from Russia not allocated to a session. New technologies for low NOx combustors and advanced high-pressure/high temperature cycle engines result in unique problems in design and performance. There have been significant advances in modelling and diagnostics to aid the development of these technologies. The purpose of the Symposium was to bring together experts from industry, research establishments and universities to discuss fundamental and applied research in these areas as relevant to the development of advanced gas turbine engines, to exchange practical experience and to discuss the state of the art.

Fuels for aircraft↗
NASA NTRS1996

Estimation of Biomass Fire Temperature and Areal Extent from Calibrated AVIRIS Spectra

This paper describes an approach to derive a range of biomass fire parameters from spectra measured by NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). AVIRIS measures images of the upwelling spectral radiance from 400 to 2500 nm at 10nm intervals. Images are measured of 11 by up to 100 km with 20 by 20 m spatial resolution.

Biomass AVRIS biomass fire smoke cloud aerosol and↗
NASA NTRS2018

Agricultural Burning and Air Quality over Northern India: A Synergistic Analysis Using NASA's A-Train Satellite Data and Ground Measurements

In the recent years, New Delhi, the capital city of India, has ranked among the most polluted cities in the world regarding its air quality related to the submicron Particulate Matter (PM(sub 2.5)). Using NASA's A-train satellite data (MODIS, OMI, and CALIOP), ground-level PM2.5 measured in New Delhi (2013-2016), and back-trajectory calculations, we show that the PM(sub 2.5). over New Delhi is strongly affected by the agricultural fires in the northwestern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana during the post-monsoon season (October and November). The mass concentration of PM2.5 escalates from ~50 μg m(exp -3) measured prior to the onset of residue burning in early October to as high as 300 μg m(exp -3) (24-hour averaged, 7- day running mean) during the peak burning period in early November. A linear regression analysis reveals that the variations in PM(sub 2.5) over New Delhi can be attributed to the concurrent changes in the satellite retrievals of fire counts and aerosols over the crop burning area. The back-trajectory analysis shows that most clusters (> 80%) of the northwesterly flow near the ground intercepted the crop burning region before arriving at the receptor location in New Delhi; this further corroborates the transport patterns inferred from the satellite data. A 15-year long satellite record (2002-2016) reveals an increasing trend in agricultural fires (~617 per year) and aerosol loading (0.031 and 0.04 per year in aerosol optical depth and UV aerosol index) in November. Increasing levels of crop residue burning and resulting particulate matter pollution at an alarming rate over northern India is a pressing concern demanding corrective measures to substantially reduce or completely diminish the crop burning through an effective residue management system.

Crop Residue Fires↗

Refine your search to explore more results.