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At least 199 records · Page 11

Soil Sampling Results for Closure of a Portion of Solid Waste Management Unit #16

The U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/ NNSA) and National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC (NTESS), the management and operating contractor for Sandia National Laboratories/California (SNL/CA), has prepared this soil sampling results report for closure of a portion of Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) #16. The entire network of SNL/CA sanitary sewer lines, including building laterals, was identified as SWMU #16 under a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Facility Assessment conducted for SNL/CA in April 1991 (DOE 1992). Along with the previous SWMU #16 investigation results (SNL/CA 2019), the results of this investigation are intended to support closure decisions by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), as discussed below. SNL/CA personnel completed upgrading its sanitary sewer discharge network in 2019. These upgrades included installing new sections of underground lines and decommissioning certain sections of the old piping system by capping in place. To date, several sections of the sewer line have been abandoned-in-place by capping as new sewer lines were installed or flow was rerouted to other existing lines. To formally close these abandoned sections of the sewer line, the RWQCB required that SNL/CA personnel collect soil samples to be analyzed for contaminants potentially released from the sewer lines. SNL/CA personnel hired Weiss Associates (Weiss) of Emeryville, California to prepare a sampling and analysis plan, implement the sampling plan and report the results of the investigation under Purchase Order #2166257. The Sampling and Analysis Plan for Partial Closure of Solid Waste Management Unit #16 (SAP) was submitted to the RWQCB on August 14, 2020 by Weiss on behalf of SNL/CA. The RWQCB approved the SAP on September 30, 2020 after Weiss updated the method detection limit and reporting limits for total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and individual aroclors. Soil sampling was conducted in accordance with the SAP except that fewer locations were sampled due to site constraints, as discussed below. This report presents the results of the sampling effort and documents all associated field activities including borehole clearing, soil sample collection, storage and transportation to the analytical laboratories, borehole backfilling and surface restoration, and storage of investigation-derived waste (IDW) for future profiling and disposal by SNL/CA waste management personnel.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Air data position-error calibration using state reconstruction techniques

During the highly maneuverable aircraft technology (HiMAT) flight test program recently completed at NASA Ames Research Center's Dryden Flight Research Facility, numerous problems were experienced in airspeed calibration. This necessitated the use of state reconstruction techniques to arrive at a position-error calibration. For the HiMAT aircraft, most of the calibration effort was expended on flights in which the air data pressure transducers were not performing accurately. Following discovery of this problem, the air data transducers of both aircraft were wrapped in heater blankets to correct the problem. Additional calibration flights were performed, and from the resulting data a satisfactory position-error calibration was obtained. This calibration and data obtained before installation of the heater blankets were used to develop an alternate calibration method. The alternate approach took advantage of high-quality inertial data that was readily available. A linearized Kalman filter (LKF) was used to reconstruct the aircraft's wind-relative trajectory; the trajectory was then used to separate transducer measurement errors from the aircraft position error. This calibration method is accurate and inexpensive. The LKF technique has an inherent advantage of requiring that no flight maneuvers be specially designed for airspeed calibrations. It is of particular use when the measurements of the wind-relative quantities are suspected to have transducer-related errors.

Whitmore, S. A.↗

The Aerodynamic Characteristics of Four Full-Scale Propellers Having Different Plan Forms

Tests were made of four propellers, with diameters of 10 feet, having different blade plan forms. One propeller (Navy design no. 5868-r6) was of the usual present-day type and was used as a basis of comparison for the other three, which had unusual plan forms distinguished by the inward (toward the hub) location of the sections having the greatest blade width. It was found that propellers with points of maximum blade width occurring closer to the hub than on the present-day type of blade had higher peak efficiencies but lower take-off efficiencies. This results was found true for a "clean" liquid-cooled engine installation. It appears that some modification could be made to present plan forms which would produce propellers having more satisfactory aerodynamic qualities. The propellers with the inward location of the points of maximum blade width had lower thrust and power coefficients and stalled earlier than the present-day type.

Hartman, Edwin P↗

Improvements to the Total Temperature Calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel

The ability to accurately set repeatable total temperature conditions is critical for collecting quality icing condition data, particularly near freezing conditions. As part of efforts to continually improve data quality in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT), new facility instrumentation and new calibration hardware for total temperature measurement were installed and new operational techniques were developed and implemented. This paper focuses on the improvements made in the calibration of total temperature in the IRT.

Arrington, E. Allen↗

Flight Tests of a Ministick Controller in an F/A-18 Airplane

In March of 1999, five pilots performed flight tests to evaluate the handling qualities of an F/A-18 research airplane equipped with a small-displacement center stick (ministick) controller that had been developed for the JAS 39 Gripen airplane (a fighter/attack/ reconnaissance airplane used by the Swedish air force). For these tests, the ministick was installed in the aft cockpit (see figure) and production support flight control computers (PSFCCs) were used as interfaces between the controller hardware and the standard F/A-18 flight-control laws. The primary objective of the flight tests was to assess any changes in handling qualities of the F/A-18 airplane attributable to the mechanical characteristics of the ministick. The secondary objective was to demonstrate the capability of the PSFCCs to support flight-test experiments.

Stoliker, Patrick C.↗

A Method for In-Situ Q₀ Measurements of High-Quality SRF Resonators

Accelerator projects such as LCLS-II naturally require low-loss superconducting (SRF) cavities. Due to strong demand for improving intrinsic quality factor (Q₀), importance of accurate cavity characterization increases. We propose a method to measure Q₀ in situ for an SRF resonator installed in its cryogenic module and connected with a RF feed source via a fixed RF coupler. The method exploits measurements of a response for an SRF resonator fed by an amplitude-modulated signal. Such a signal can be synthesized as a beat-wave composed of two frequencies that are close to the resonant frequency. Analyzing the envelope of the reflected signal, one can find the difference in reflection for the chosen frequencies and use them to compute the intrinsic Q. We also develop the methodology to carry out measurements of Q₀ at the nominal cavity operating voltage. We verified our method in experiments with a room temperature copper resonator and with two SRF resonators including Fermilab’s 650 MHz cavity and JLab’s 1500 MHz cavity.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Thermal analysis of RHIC arc dipole magnet cold mass with EIC beam screen

The existing RHIC storage rings – including their superconducting magnet arcs – will be used for the hadron storage ring of the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). The vacuum chamber of these magnets was not designed for the EIC hadron beams, with shorter bunches and of higher average current than the RHIC beams. With the current stainless steel beam pipe, the resistive-wall (RW) heating will exceed the dynamic heat load budget. Limiting the RW heating is important to prevent the superconducting magnets from quenching and to maintain a low screen temperature necessary to impede the rise of RW heating (higher resistance at higher temperature) as well as to achieve desired ultra-high vacuum. In addition, simulations predict the formation of electron cloud which would further contribute to the dynamic heat load and could compromise the quality and stability of the beam. To reduce the resistive-wall heating and suppress electron cloud, a beam screen will be installed in the vacuum chamber of the RHIC SC magnets. The screen will have a high RRR copper layer at its inner face – useful to reduce the resistive-wall impedance thanks to its high conductivity especially at cryogenic temperatures – and will be coated with a thin layer of amorphous carbon, a material with low secondary electron yield to suppress the formation of electron clouds. The baseline solution envisages a screen that will be cooled by thermal contact to the 4.55 K beam pipe. Detailed thermal analysis have been conducted in ANSYS 2020 for an arc dipole cold mass equipped with a beam screen in order to study the feasibility of a passively-cooled screen and guide its design. Temperature-dependent thermal conductivity properties of all materials in the operating (cryogenic) temperature range are considered. Suitable assumptions and simplifications are made to model the magnet coil and calculate its homogenized thermal conductivity. Sensitivity studies with respect to layer thicknesses and area of contact are carried out and results are presented.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Tenth-scale powered model test of a tilt-nacelle V/STOL airplane

Wind tunnel and ground static tests of a tenth scale powered model of a lift/cruise fan airplane have been conducted to define its low speed performances and handling qualities. The model was powered by three 5.5-in diameter turbopowered simulators; one located in the forebody while the remaining two were installed in tilting nacelles mounted on the aft body. Results are presented for static hover tests in ground effects with the model configured for VTOL operations and at forward speeds with the model configured for loiter, short takeoff, and VTOL operations.

Omar, M. E.↗

New capabilities and recent research programs of the NASA/Army CH-47B variable-stability helicopter

The CH-47B is the third in a series of variable-stability helicopters developed and operated by NASA since 1952 to investigate helicopter and VTOL handling qualities. Recently, several new capabilities were added to this helicopter to enable it to better support new and evolving research requirements. The installation of a programmable force-feel system for the evaluation pilot's conventional cyclic stick, and a four-axis side-stick controller permit a range of in-flight investigations concerning manipulator characteristics and augmentation system features that had not been possible with earlier NASA research helicopters. A recently installed color electronic display system with a programmable symbol generator will permit the investigation of display formats for a variety of VTOL and helicopter missions. Finally, a powerful new general-purpose flight computer is now in operation. It is programmable in high-level languages and will provide more efficient support of research programs. In addition to these new hardware capabilities, flight-control software has been developed to improve the in-flight simulation capability of the aircraft. A brief description of the CH-47B's variable-stability research equipment is provided, recent research programs are summarized, and some remarks concerning the potential of the helicopter are presented.

Hindson, W. S.↗

A validation tool for the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment nonscanning radiometers

Two data sets for one geographical scene are used as a comparative validation tool to verify the quality of radiometer measurements taken for NASA's Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). The measurements are taken from four independent nonscanning radiometers installed on the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite and two NOAA spacecraft. Two radiometers measure radiation in the 0.2-50-micron range, and two measure solar reflected energy in spectral band ranging from 0.2 to 5 microns. Calculated top-of-atmosphere flux-value measurements for day and night demonstrate significant correlation as well as consistency and stability over a three-year period. It is concluded that intercomparisons of intersections between the satellites are necessary over varied geographical scenes to utilize the subject method in validating the measurements of the ERBE nonscanning radiometer.

Bolden, William C.↗

SIM testbed 3 real-time control software

SIM System Testbed 3 (STB3) features three optical interferometers sharing a common baseline, as a dynamic representation of the SIM instrument. An artificial star feeding the interferometers is installed on a separate optics bench. All three interferometers use photons captured by avalanche photo diodes (APDs) to measure the position and quality of fringes, and additional pointing precision is achieved by fast steering mirrors (FSMs) that keep the star images centered on the beam combining optics using a CCD camera. Each interferometer uses internal metrology to measure changes in its optical pathlength. External metrology beams measure changes in the baseline vector. This system acquires and tracks white light fringes with one interferometer, while the other two acquire and track laser light fringes representing the bright guide stars that will be used by SIM. The white light source represents a dim star that cannot supply enough photons for the Science interferometer to lock onto fringes in closed-loop mode; instead it operates open-loop, using pathlength corrections fed to it from the two guide interferometers and the external metrology subsystem to reject disturbances and maintain the fringes. This tracking mode is known as Pathlength Feed Forward (PFF). The precise real-time behavior required to achieve this result is implemented by a complex set of interacting software control loops. This paper describes how these loops take advantage of the benefits of the RTC Core architecture, and how they work together to accomplish STB3's objectives.

interferometry↗

Towards Integrating Data Quality Assessments and Radiometer Uncertainty for Determining the Expanded Uncertainty of Three-Component Solar Radiation Measurements

Accurate solar irradiance data are fundamental for determining the design and performance characteristics of photovoltaic systems. The uncertainty of solar irradiance measurements depends on many factors including radiometer design, calibration, installation, maintenance, and operational environment. The key contributors to this uncertainty can be classified as the measurement uncertainty of a particular radiometer and the operational uncertainty determined for the time of measurement. Radiometer measurement uncertainty estimates (U R ) can be based on well-established methods used as part of the radiometer calibration process. Estimates of operational uncertainties (U o ) require consideration of additional site-specific factors that affect data quality. A method is needed for establishing the accuracy of solar irradiance data by integrating an existing data quality process and measurement uncertainty estimates for specific radiometers. An algorithm has been developed to integrate data quality analyses and measurement uncertainty estimates for three-component solar irradiance data: global horizontal (total hemispheric) irradiance, direct normal (beam) irradiance, and diffuse horizontal (sky) irradiance collected at one- to 60-minute intervals. The algorithm has been tested using one-minute irradiance measurements. The goal of the project is to distribute a user-friendly software package based on the new algorithm.

data integrity↗

Range Hood Use and Effectiveness in Reducing Indoor Air Pollution During Gas and Induction Cooking

The Cooking Energy and Ventilation Impacts on Children's Asthma (CEVICA) study measured cooking frequency, range hood use, indoor air quality and respiratory health indicators of children with asthma living in homes with gas stoves in California's San Joaquin Valley. The study installed electric induction stoves and repeated measurements over three 2-week intensive periods, at baseline and at the end of two consecutive 3-month study phases. Stove replacements occurred at the start of Phase 1 or Phase 2 by random assignment. There were 4184 cooking events identified by automated analysis of time-series data from temperature sensors mounted above the cooktops and 1038 related range hood usage events detected from data recorded by anemometers, smart plugs, or motor loggers. Analysis of 1-minute resolved PM2.5 and NO 2 data identified and quantified 2685 PM 2.5 events and 2606 NO 2 events. Range hood use was characterized as a binary variable (>3 min vs. <3 min use). Range hood use was more common during cooking events associated with particle emissions and longer cooking durations. PM 2.5 concentrations during events with range hood use were comparable to those without use, which could result from limited effectiveness or if range hoods were preferentially used during higher-emission cooking scenarios. In homes with gas cooking, integrated NO 2 concentrations were about 45 percent higher during cooking events with no range hood use compared to those range hood use. The lowest pollutant levels were observed when the range hood operated for more than half of the cooking duration. These findings show that operation of venting range hood during cooking can substantially reduce short-term indoor exposure NO 2 in homes with gas cooking.

Fang, Yi↗

Design and development of Shuttle Get-Away-Special experiment G-0074

An experiment to investigate more versatile, lower cost surface tension propellant acquisition approaches for future satellite and spacecraft propellant tanks is designed to demonstrate a propellant off-load capability for a full-tank gallery surface tension device, such as that employed in the shuttle reaction control subsystem, and demonstrate a low-cost refillable trap concept that could be used in future orbit maneuver propulsion systems for multiple engine restarts. A Plexiglas test tank, movie camera and lights, auxiliary liquid accumulator, control electronics, battery pack, and associated valving and plumbing are used. The test liquid is Freon 113, dyed blue for color movie coverage. The fully loaded experiments weighs 106 pounds and is to be installed in a NASA five-cubic-foot flight canister. Vibration tests, acoustic tests, and high and low temperature tests were performed to quality the experiment for flight.

Orton, G. F.↗

STS-101: Crew Activity Report / Flight Day 6

The primary mission objective for STS-101 was to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, perform a space walk, and reboost the station from 230 statute miles to 250 statute miles. The commander of this mission was, James D. Halsell. The crew was Scott J. Horowitz, the pilot, and mission specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeffrey N. Williams, James S. Voss, Susan J. Helms, and Yuri Vladimirovich Usachev. This videotape shows the activities of the sixth day of the flight. The videotape begins with a shot of the Space Station. The narrator remarks that the transfer of supplies and equipment is continuing and the videotape shows the replacing of fans and smoke detectors. There is a group picture on board the station, after which a few questions were asked. The quality of the air inside the station is remarked on as being good. The quality of the air being a concern and one of the reasons for the mission. One of the new batteries was shown being installed in the Zarya Control Module.

Source record↗

Wavefront Sensing Analysis of Grazing Incidence Optical Systems

Wavefront sensing is a process by which optical system errors are deduced from the aberrations in the image of an ideal source. The method has been used successfully in near-normal incidence, but not for grazing incidence systems. This innovation highlights the ability to examine out-of-focus images from grazing incidence telescopes (typically operating in the x-ray wavelengths, but integrated using optical wavelengths) and determine the lower-order deformations. This is important because as a metrology tool, this method would allow the integration of high angular resolution optics without the use of normal incidence interferometry, which requires direct access to the front surface of each mirror. Measuring the surface figure of mirror segments in a highly nested x-ray telescope mirror assembly is difficult due to the tight packing of elements and blockage of all but the innermost elements to normal incidence light. While this can be done on an individual basis in a metrology mount, once the element is installed and permanently bonded into the assembly, it is impossible to verify the figure of each element and ensure that the necessary imaging quality will be maintained. By examining on-axis images of an ideal point source, one can gauge the low-order figure errors of individual elements, even when integrated into an assembly. This technique is known as wavefront sensing (WFS). By shining collimated light down the optical axis of the telescope and looking at out-of-focus images, the blur due to low-order figure errors of individual elements can be seen, and the figure error necessary to produce that blur can be calculated. The method avoids the problem of requiring normal incidence access to the surface of each mirror segment. Mirror figure errors span a wide range of spatial frequencies, from the lowest-order bending to the highest order micro-roughness. While all of these can be measured in normal incidence, only the lowest-order contributors can be determined through this WFS technique.

Rohrbach, Scott↗

Closed-Loop Control of Laser Surface Treatment via Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Current composite manufacturing rates need to be improved to meet the projected demand of on-demand mobility (ODM) and commercial aircraft transports. Some processes in the composite manufacturing chain require touch labor such as manual sanding of surfaces prior to bonding and installing thousands of mechanical fasteners in bonded primary structures to achieve Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification. The consequences are insufficient repeatability in bond quality resulting in increased manufacturing time. The FAA has indicated that robust process control is one potential means of certifying bondlines in primary structure. This work describes an integrated closed-loop control system between a laser machining system and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrumentation as a means of assuring bond performance and achieving certified composite bondlines. Preliminary results from in-situ treatment and inspection are presented. Results indicate that LIBS inspection and laser treatment can be conducted simultaneously to achieve high quality, reliable adhesive bonds.

Rodolfo Ledesma↗

Closed-Loop Control of Laser Surface Treatment via Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Current composite manufacturing rates need to be improved to meet the projected demand of on-demand mobility (ODM) and commercial aircraft transports. Some processes in the composite manufacturing chain require touch labor such as manual sanding of surfaces prior to bonding and installing thousands of mechanical fasteners in bonded primary structures to achieve Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification. The consequences are insufficient repeatability in bond quality resulting in increased manufacturing time. The FAA has indicated that robust process control is one potential means of certifying bondlines in primary structure. This work describes an integrated closed-loop control system between a laser machining system and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) instrumentation as a means of assuring bond performance and achieving certified composite bondlines. Preliminary results from in-situ treatment and inspection are presented. Results indicate that LIBS inspection and laser treatment can be conducted simultaneously to achieve high quality, reliable adhesive bonds.

Rodolfo Ledesma↗