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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.

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At least 199 records · Page 11

Heavy-ion total and absorption cross sections above 25 MeV/nucleon

Within the context of a double-folding optical potential approximation to the exact nucleus-nucleus multiple-scattering series, eikonal scattering theory is used to generate tables of heavy ion total and absorption cross sections at incident kinetic energies above 25 MeV/nucleon for use in cosmic ray high-energy heavy ion transport and shielding studies. Comparisons of predictions with nucleus-nucleus experimental data show excellent agreement except at the lowest energies, where the eikonal approximation may not be completely valid. Even at the lowest energies, however, agreement is typically within 20 percent.

Townsend, L. W.↗

First Measurement of Differential Charged Current Quasielastic–like $\nu_\mu$ -Argon Scattering Cross Sections with the MicroBooNE Detector

Current and future generation neutrino oscillation experiments aim towards a high-precision mea- surement of the oscillation parameters and that requires an unprecedented understanding of neutrino-nucleus scattering. Charged-current quasi-elastic (CCQE) scattering is the process in which the neutrino produces a charged lepton and removes a single intact nucleon from the nu- cleus without producing any additional particles. For existing and forthcoming accelerator–based neutrino experiments, CCQE interactions are either the dominant process or part of the signal.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

First Measurement of Differential Charged Current Quasi-Elastic-Like $\nu_{\mu}$ Argon Scattering Cross Sections with the MicroBooNE Detector

Current and future generation neutrino oscillation experiments aim towards a high-precisionmeasurement of the oscillation parameters, which requires an unprecedented understanding ofneutrino-nucleus scattering. Charged-current quasi-elastic (CCQE) scattering is the process inwhich the neutrino produces a charged lepton and removes a single intact nucleon from the nu-cleus without producing any additional particles. For existing and forthcoming accelerator–based neutrino experiments, CCQE interactions are either the dominant process or part of the signal.MicroBooNE is the first liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) commissioned as part ofthe Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program at Fermilab and its excellent particle reconstructioncapabilities allow the detection of neutrino interactions using exclusive final states, which will playa crucial role in the success of future kiloton LArTPC detectors such as DUNE. This talk willpresent the first measurement of exclusive νμ-Ar CCQE–like flux integrated total and differentialcross sections using single proton knock–out interactions recorded by the MicroBooNE LArTPCdetector, which has comparable acceptance to deuterium Bubble Chambers.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Theoretical studies of important processes in planetary and comet atmospheres

This is the fifth semi-annual progress report describing research on dissociative recombination reactions in planetary and comet atmospheres. The Appendix has two papers that describe NASA supported research. Both papers have been recently accepted for publication. The first paper, 'The Generation of O(S-1) from the Dissociative Recombination of O2(+)', describes in detail the Multichannel Quantum Defect (MQDT) theory used for the calculation of dissociative recombination (DR) cross sections and rates. The application to the generation of the upper state of the atomic oxygen green line emission is of great importance to the modelling of planetary atmospheres. The second paper in the Appendix, 'Dissociative Recombination of the Ground State of N2(+)', applies the methods described in the first paper to N2(+). We find remarkable agreement with the prior microwave afterglow experiments for both the total recombination rate and for its electron temperature dependence. However, the results disagree with recent merged beams results which gave cross sections that are a factor of five below the microwave afterglow experiments and the current results. DR of N2(+) is an important mechanism for generating energetic N atoms which can escape the atmosphere of Mars. Currently we are also continuing additional work on the DR of O2(+) which is aimed at calculating both the total DR rate as a function of ion vibrational level and the rate for production of O(D-1).

Guberman, Steven L.↗

ONIX: An open-source depletion code

Open Source software enables innovative, community-based software development. ONIX brings this concept to the field of depletion calculations. It is an open-source depletion software to be used for nuclear reactor simulations, for fissile material production analysis as well as for nuclear arms control applications. ONIX provides a module to solve the depletion equation using a Chebyshev Rational Approximation Method. For the generation of one-group cross sections, it includes a coupling interface for the open-source neutron transport code, OpenMC, as well as a module to read pre-computed values in a stand-alone mode. ONIX has special features to optimize nuclear data libraries, to update isomeric branching ratio during burnup, and to support automation of simulations for nuclear archaeology. In conclusion, ONIX has been validated against results from numerical and experimental benchmarks, and its results agree with other methods within expected error ranges.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

A Molecular-MNIST Dataset for Machine Learning Study on Diffraction Imaging and Microscopy

An image dataset of 10 different size molecules, where each molecule has 2,000 structural variants, is generated from the 2D cross-sectional projection of Molecular Dynamics trajectories. The purpose of this dataset is to provide a benchmark dataset for the increasing need of machine learning, deep learning and image processing on the study of scattering, imaging and microscopy.

BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES,OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Status Report of Joint RPI/ORNL NCSP Task for Thermal Neutron Total Cross Section Measurements

A new cold neutron moderator system was developed and constructed at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Gaerttner Linear Accelerator. This system was then used to measure the neutron total cross section in the thermal energy range for polyethylene, polystyrene, Lucite, and yttrium hydride. In tandem with these measurements, a fitting procedure was developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to vary computationally simulated phonon density of states until a fit with differential and integral data was achieved. This model, combined with the new RPI total cross section data, was used to generate thermal scattering law files for the materials measured at RPI.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Extended Embedded Self-Shielding Method in SCALE 6.3/Polaris

The SCALE transport lattice code, Polaris, has been previously developed to generate few-group homogenized cross sections for whole-core nodal diffusion simulators in which the embedded self-shielding method (ESSM) is used for resonance self-shielding calculations to process cross sections. Although the ESSM capability has been very successful in light-water reactor analysis, it may require enhancements in computational efficiency; treatment of spatially dependent resonance self-shielding effects; and handling of interrelated resonance effects among fuel, cladding, and control rod materials. Therefore, this study focuses on improving computational efficiency by using a Dancoff-based Wigner–Seitz approximation combined with a material-based resonance categorization, through which a spatially dependent ESSM capability is developed to accurately estimate self-shielded cross sections inside the fuel. Benchmark results show that the new capability significantly enhances computational efficiency and accuracy for spatially dependent local zones within the fuel and through depletion.

ESSM↗

Fast generation of three-dimensional computational boundary-conforming periodic grids of C-type

A fast computer program, GRID3C, was developed to generate multilevel three dimensional, C type, periodic, boundary conforming grids for the calculation of realistic turbomachinery and propeller flow fields. The technique is based on two analytic functions that conformally map a cascade of semi-infinite slits to a cascade of doubly infinite strips on different Riemann sheets. Up to four consecutively refined three dimensional grids are automatically generated and permanently stored on four different computer tapes. Grid nonorthogonality is introduced by a separate coordinate shearing and stretching performed in each of three coordinate directions. The grids are easily clustered closer to the blade surface, the trailing and leading edges and the hub or shroud regions by changing appropriate input parameters. Hub and duct (or outer free boundary) have different axisymmetric shapes. A vortex sheet of arbitrary thickness emanating smoothly from the blade trailing edge is generated automatically by GRID3C. Blade cross sectional shape, chord length, twist angle, sweep angle, and dihedral angle can vary in an arbitrary smooth fashion in the spanwise direction.

Dulikravich, D. S.↗

Experimental determination of single-event upset (SEU) as a function of collected charge in bipolar integrated circuits

Single-Event Upset (SEU) in bipolar integrated circuits (ICs) is caused by charge collection from ion tracks in various regions of a bipolar transistor. This paper presents experimental data which have been obtained wherein the range-energy characteristics of heavy ions (Br) have been utilized to determine the cross section for soft-error generation as a function of charge collected from single-particle tracks which penetrate a bipolar static RAM. The results of this work provide a basis for the experimental verification of circuit-simulation SEU modeling in bipolar ICs.

Zoutendyk, J. A.↗

Advantages of a round-body shuttle

A cylindrical fuselage cross-section SSTOV representing the design generation beyond the current NASA Space Shuttle has been projected capable of reducing the cost of payload delivery to orbit while increasing mission scope. Due to its intrinsically greater wetted-area and structural weight efficiencies, this cylindrical vehicle would carry 40 percent greater payload than the Space Shuttle system despite a 20-percent lower gross liftoff weight. A LOX/hydrocarbon fuel combination would be employed during the early portion of flight, thereupon shifting to LOX/hydrogen. The cylindrical SSTOV would have eight times the volume of the Space Shuttle Orbiter.

Arrington, James P.↗

Verification of the Serpent-Griffin Workflow using the SNAP 8 Experimental Reactor

The Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) program accumulated extensive experimental measurements over a span of 15 years. This work builds upon previous studies which validated Serpent against experimental data for various criticality configurations of the SNAP 8 Experimental Reactor (S8ER). A 2-stage sequence is applied here with Serpent used for the generation of few-group cross sections and Griffin as the transport eigenvalue solver. Sensitivity studies are performed to qualify the effect and uncertainty of various parameters, comparing against reference models for the S8ER. The results from this work will then be expanded to create a generalized methodology for the Serpent-Griffin 2-stage approach for microreactor applications.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Numerical Analysis of Novel Plate Type Heat Exchanger with Oval-Twisted Channels

The novel heat exchanger (HX) designs implementing geometrical and surface modification combinations are expected to perform better than traditional HX technologies. Applied enhancement techniques seek to achieve (1) higher overall heat transfer performance, (2) increased compactness, and (3) simplified or comparable manufacturability. One innovative enhancement technique is to generate swirling flow vortices induced by channel or tube twisting. The turbulence generated by the twisted cross-section greatly enhances the heat transfer rate with minimal increases in pressure drop. Plate-type HXs and Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers (PCHXs) are compact designs that achieve high heat transfer rates per unit volume by utilizing several small channels, which maximizes the heat transfer surface area between the hot and cold fluids. Currently, advanced manufacturing technologies enable the design and fabrication of compact-type units with complicated channel geometries to achieve the highest performance and meet the compactness criteria of innovative HX technology. The proposed HX design concept combines the compactness of plate-type HXs and twisted channels, which provide additional turbulence and flow swirl enhancement. The plate-type oval-twisted HX (PTOTHX) is a crossflow configuration, with 16 short channels on one side (for hot fluid) and 8 long channels on the perpendicular side (for cold fluid). The inlet plenums have flow guide vanes to redirect flow and produce uniformity across the various flow paths. The compact size and purportedly improved heat transfer performance of the PTOTHX investigated herein prove its viability in various applications. Some notable potential nuclear applications of the PTOTHX include reactor core, spent fuel cooling, and residual heat dissipation. To establish a reference case, circular channels (PTCHX) are also considered in the present study for comparison with (PTOTHX). This paper aims to outline the numerical analysis procedures for determining the viability of the PTOTHX by comparing its heat transfer performance with the PTCHX units. The computational study used STAR-CCM+, a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. Sensitivity analysis and model selection studies are conducted to determine the appropriate mesh density and turbulence model to provide the reported results. Numerical analyses comparing the Nusselt number (Nu) of the PTOTHX design with a comparable HX unit, including a circular cross-section and no twisting (PTCHX), show an overall heat transfer performance increase of 29-55% for balanced flow and 29-59% for imbalanced flow. Oval-cross-sectional twisted channels induce swirling flow vortices, enhancing the working fluid's convective heat transfer capabilities.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

A universal implementation of radiative effects in neutrino event generators

Due to the similarities between electron-nucleus (eA) and neutrino-nucleus scattering (νA), eA data can contribute key information to improve cross-section modeling in eA and hence in νA event generators. However, to compare data and generated events, either the data must be radiatively corrected or radiative effects need to be included in the event generators. We implemented a universal radiative corrections program that can be used with all reaction mechanisms and any eA event generator. Our program includes real photon radiation by the incident and scattered electrons, and virtual photon exchange and photon vacuum polarization diagrams. It uses the “extended peaking” approximation for electron radiation and neglects charged hadron radiation. This method, validated with GENIE, can also be extended to simulate νA radiative effects. This work facilitates data-event-generator comparisons used to improve νA event generators for the next-generation of neutrino experiments. Program Title: emMCRadCorr CPC Library link to program files:https://doi.org/10.17632/hmsxg82vnf.1 Developer's repository link:https://github.com/e4nu/emMCRadCorr Licensing provisions: AGPLv3 Programming language:C++ Nature of problem: Radiative effects can significantly modify the event kinematics and the resulting cross-sections. Such effects must be accounted for when comparing event generators to eA data. Existing radiative correction codes are tailored to specific processes and topologies, and are limited to a restricted phase space defined by the spectrometer acceptance. Therefore, a more general approach is required to apply radiative corrections to semi-inclusive and exclusive eA measurements. Solution method: Our program incorporates real photon radiation from both the incident and scattered electrons, as well as virtual photon exchange and photon vacuum polarization effects. It employs the “extended peaking” approximation for electron radiation while neglecting contributions from charged hadron radiation. The code is fully decoupled from event generator codes and can be used for all event generators in the market.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

MicroBooNE Electron Neutrino Cross Sections without Visible Pions

MicroBooNE is an 85-tonne liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) at Fermilab. It collected data from two different beam lines between 2015 and 2020 and has since released a large number of neutrino cross section results on argon. These inform neutrino interaction modelling in view of next generation LArTPCs such as the upcoming DUNE experiment. We present new measurements of the electron neutrino charged current pionless cross section on argon in the MicroBooNE detector. These measurements are essential to DUNE’s oscillation analysis as they impact the predicted interaction rate of the main flavor appearance signal. Two measurements are presented, one that leverages the full on-axis MicroBooNE Booster Neutrino Beam dataset while the other uses about 30% of the 8° off-axis Neutrino at the Main Injector beam dataset. Two channels can be considered: with or without a visible pion in the final state. Both measurements consider events with visible protons and the BNB measurement also measures electron neutrinos across the proton visibility threshold. Differential cross sections are extracted in proton and electron kinematics. The relationship between the hadronic and leptonic systems is explored through the angle between the proton and electron directions. The resulting cross sections are compared to a variety of generator predictions using different models of neutrino interactions. We find overall good agreement with most models, especially in lepton kinematics.

Mellet, Lucile [Michigan State U.]↗

Updating the BNB Flux Prediction at SBND

Precise, accurate neutrino flux predictions for neutrino beam experiments are crucial for physics results. Flux uncertainties contribute significantly to the total systematic uncertainties seen in modern accelerator neutrino measurements such as cross sections, oscillations, and BSM studies.. For over a decade, experiments utilizing Fermilab’s Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) have relied on the 2009 MiniBooNE flux prediction. However, the high-statistics era of the Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program, with both SBND and ICARUS now operating, demands a modernized flux model and framework. While SBND is using the MiniBooNE flux model for its Generation 1 analyses, including many upcoming cross section measurements, future work will be based on a new flux model. In this talk, the ongoing work towards this new model will be outlined, including a new simulation framework (G4BNB), a new evaluation of model parameters from hadron scattering data, and a new framework for evaluating systematic uncertainties (BNBFP). Additionally, expansions to the flux model to include BSM contributions from neutral mesons will be discussed, as well as the PRISM capabilities of SBND to observe a wide range of off axis angles of the neutrino beam.

Paton, Josephine [Fermilab]↗