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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Vapor Growth of ZnSe-based Compound Semiconductors in Low Gravity environment on International Space Station

Six low-gravity experiments of crystal growth of ZnSe-based compound semiconductors by physical vapor transport (PVT) are scheduled to be processed inside Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) on Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR) in Material Science Laboratory (MSL) on International Space Station (ISS) starting from February 27th, 2023. The flight samples consist of three unseeded growths of ZnSe, Cr-doped ZnSe and ZnSeTe as well as growth of ZnSe on top of three single crystal ZnSe seeds with orientation of (100), (110) and (111). The main scientific objective of the flight experiments is to establish the effects of gravity-driven fluid flows on Earth to (i) the non-uniform incorporation of impurities and defects and (ii) the deviation from stoichiometry observed in the grown crystals caused by growth interface fluctuations and evolution as the results of buoyancy-driven convection and irregular fluid-flows. The investigation will also evaluate the effects of gravity on the PVT process by examining (i) the growth kinetics on various seed orientations, (ii) the dopant segregation and distribution in the Cr doped ZnSe, and (iii) the compositional segregation and distribution in the ternary ZnSeTe crystal grown by PVT. Additionally, from X-ray diffraction/topography and by measuring the density and distribution of various crystalline defects it will assess the self-induced strain effects developed during processing at elevated temperatures caused by the weight of the crystals. During the ground-based preparations, the following tasks have been accomplished: • Establish the thermodynamic properties of the ZnSe binary and related ternary systems by measuring the partial pressures of the vapor phase coexisting with the condensed phases and perform phase diagram calculations for comparison. • Evaluate the effects of gravity-driven convection in the growth process by performing experiments under various vapor transport orientations relative to gravity vector, i.e., horizontal, vertically stabilized and destabilized configurations. • Establish a quantitative correlation between growth parameters and the characteristics and properties of the grown crystals by characterizing the crystals using a variety of techniques. • Evaluate the fundamentals of the current theories on vapor transport and crystal growth kinetics by performing in-situ and real-time monitoring techniques during growth. • Develop a one-dimensional diffusion limited theory of mass transport and two- and three-dimensional numerical simulations of both mass transport and heat transfer and thus establish the microgravity requirements for the flight experiments and to predict the characteristics of the grown crystals such as the solid-vapor interface shapes… etc. and establish a fundamental understanding of the crystal growth process from the comparison with experimental results.

ZnSe↗
NASA NTRS2023

Modelling the Greenland Ice Sheet's Committed Contribution to Sea Level During the 21st Century

Mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet can be partitioned between surface mass balance and discharge due to ice dynamics through its marine-terminating outlet glaciers. A perturbation to a glacier terminus (e.g., a calving event) results in both an instantaneous response in velocity and mass loss and a diffusive response due to the evolution of ice thickness over time. This diffusive response means the total impact of a retreat event can take decades to be fully realized. Here we model the committed response of the Greenland Ice Sheet by applying perturbations to the marine-terminating glacier termini that represent recent observed changes, and simulating the response over the 21st century, while holding the climate forcing constant. The sensitivity of the ice sheet response to model parameter uncertainty is explored within an ensemble framework, and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment data is used to constrain the results using a Bayesian calibration approach. We find that the Greenland Ice Sheet's committed contribution to 21st century sea level rise is at least 33.5 [17.5 52.4] mm (25th and 75th percentiles in brackets), with at least 6 mm being attributable directly to terminus retreat that occurred between 2007 and 2015. The spread in our projections is driven by uncertainty in the basal friction coefficient. Our results complement the ISMIP6 Greenland projections, which report the ice sheet response to future forcing, excluding the background response. In this way, we can obtain estimates of Greenland's total contribution to sea level rise in 2100.

Isabel J. Nias↗
NASA NTRS1989

Chemical stratification in white dwarf atmospheres and envelopes

Theoretical arguments supporting a new mechanism maintaining a homogeneously mixed composition in white dwarf atmospheres with traces of helium are presented. Diffusion time scales, meridional circulation, mass loss, accretion of interstellar matter, convection, and radiative levitation are discussed. Theoretically, layered envelopes, with hydrogen on top of helium and an abundance profile in the transition layer determined by diffusion equilibrium, are expected. In cases with observed helium and hydrogen in the atmosphere this means that the total hydrogen mass must be very small. The empirical evidence for such atmospheres are assessed, using a new grid of model atmospheres with stratified element abundances and applying it to typical mixed abundance cases at the hot end of the white dwarf temperature sequence.

Koester, D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Influence of convection on microstructure

In eutectic growth, as the solid phases grow they reject atoms to the liquid. This results in a variation of melt composition along the solid/liquid interface. In the past, mass transfer in eutectic solidification, in the absence of convection, was considered to be governed only by the diffusion induced by compositional gradients. However, mass transfer can also be generated by a temperature gradient. This is called thermotransport, thermomigration, thermal diffusion or the Soret effect. A theoretical model of the influence of the Soret effect on the growth of eutectic alloys is presented. A differential equation describing the compositional field near the interface during unidirectional solidification of a binary eutectic alloy was formulated by including the contributions of both compositional and thermal gradients in the liquid. A steady-state solution of the differential equation was obtained by applying appropriate boundary conditions and accounting for heat flow in the melt. Following that, the average interfacial composition was converted to a variation of undercooling at the interface, and consequently to microstructural parameters. The results obtained show that thermotransport can, under certain circumstances, be a parameter of paramount importance.

Wilcox, William R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

In General, the Total Voltammetric Current from a Mixture of Redox-Active Substances will Not be the Sum of the Currents that Each Substance would Produce Independently at the Same Concentration as in the Mixture

At the potential range where both decamethylferrocene (dMeFc) and ferrocene (Fc) are oxidized with rates controlled by linear diffusion, electrogenerated Fc(+) radicals diffusing outwards from the electrode react quantitatively (K23 C=5.8 x 10(exp 8) with dMeFc diffusing towards the electrode and produce Fc and dMeFc. That reaction replaces dMeFc with Fc, whose diffusion coefficient is higher than that of dMeFc(+), and the total mass-transfer limited current from the mixture is increased by approximately 10%. Analogous observations are made when mass-transfer is controlled by convective-diffusion as in RDE voltammetry. Similar results have been obtained with another, and for all practical purposes randomly selected pair of redox-active substances, [Co(bipy)3](2+) and N - methylphenothiazine (MePTZ); reaction of MePTZ(+) with [Co(bipy)3](2+) replaces the latter with MePTZ, which diffuses faster and the current increases by approximately 20%. The experimental voltammograms have been simulated numerically and the role of (a) the rate constant of the homogeneous reaction; (b) the relative concentrations; and, (c) the diffusion coefficients of all species involved have been studied in detail. Importantly, it was also identified that within any given redox system the dependence of the mass-transfer limited current on the bulk concentrations of the redox-active species is expected to be non-linear. These findings are discussed in terms of their electroanalytical implications.

Leventis, Nicholas↗
NASA NTRS1984

Improved materials characterization for spacecraft applications

A material outgassing test consists of an effusion cell, mass spectrometer, and thermally controlled quartz crystal microbalance (TQCM). The material sample is placed in the effusion cell at a predetermined temperature, and the sample is outgassed in a vacuum of 0.000001 torr range. The total outgassing mass as a function of time is determined with the TQCM which is cooled to LN2 temperatures. Based on the view factor of the TQCM, the total outgassed mass can be determined. The technique can be verified by comparing the results to the actual mass loss of the sample which is determined by hanging the diffusion cell from the Cohn microbalance. The mass spectrometer can be used to determine if there are any low molecular weight components outgassing, such a nitrogen which does not condense on the TQCM. After the material outgasses to a point of saturation, the effusion cell is closed off, and the TQCM is slowly heated to allow the condensed film to be broken down into its components. As the temperature is increased, the components evaporate from the surface at a different rate and can be detected with the mass spectrometer. The relative amount of each component is found by the change in frequency of the TQCM as the component evaporates. Hence, from this test, not only is isothermal kinetic data obtained, but the primary components can also be identified in terms of their molecular weight.

Cull, R.↗
NASA NTRS1996

High Temperature Degradation Mechanisms in Polymer Matrix Composites

Polymer matrix composites are increasingly used in demanding structural applications in which they may be exposed to harsh environments. The durability of such materials is a major concern, potentially limiting both the integrity of the structures and their useful lifetimes. The goal of the current investigation is to develop a mechanism-based model of the chemical degradation which occurs, such that given the external chemical environment and temperatures throughout the laminate, laminate geometry, and ply and/or constituent material properties, we can calculate the concentration of diffusing substances and extent of chemical degradation as functions of time and position throughout the laminate. This objective is met through the development and use of analytical models, coupled to an analysis-driven experimental program which offers both quantitative and qualitative information on the degradation mechanism. Preliminary analyses using a coupled diffusion/reaction model are used to gain insight into the physics of the degradation mechanisms and to identify crucial material parameters. An experimental program is defined based on the results of the preliminary analysis which allows the determination of the necessary material coefficients. Thermogravimetric analyses are carried out in nitrogen, air, and oxygen to provide quantitative information on thermal and oxidative reactions. Powdered samples are used to eliminate diffusion effects. Tests in both inert and oxidative environments allow the separation of thermal and oxidative contributions to specimen mass loss. The concentration dependency of the oxidative reactions is determined from the tests in pure oxygen. Short term isothermal tests at different temperatures are carried out on neat resin and unidirectional macroscopic specimens to identify diffusion effects. Mass loss, specimen shrinkage, the formation of degraded surface layers and surface cracking are recorded as functions of exposure time. Geometry effects in the neat resin, and anisotropic diffusion effects in the composites, are identified through the use of specimens with different aspect ratios. The data is used with the model to determine reaction coefficients and effective diffusion coefficients. The empirical and analytical correlations confirm the preliminary model results which suggest that mass loss at lower temperatures is dominated by oxidative reactions and that these reaction are limited by diffusion of oxygen from the surface. The mechanism-based model is able to successfully capture the basic physics of the degradation phenomena under a wide range of test conditions. The analysis-based test design is successful in separating out oxidative, thermal, and diffusion effects to allow the determination of material coefficients. This success confirms the basic picture of the process; however, a more complete understanding of some aspects of the physics are required before truly predictive capability can be achieved.

Cunningham, Ronan A.↗
NASA NTRS1997

High Temperature Degradation Mechanisms in Polymer Matrix Composites

Polymer matrix composites are increasingly used in demanding structural applications in which they may be exposed to harsh environments. The durability of such materials is a major concern, potentially limiting both the integrity of the structures and their useful lifetimes. The goal of the current investigation is to develop a mechanism-based model of the chemical degradation which occurs, such that given the external chemical environment and temperatures throughout the laminate, laminate geometry, and ply and/or constituent material properties, we can calculate the concentration of diffusing substances and extent of chemical degradation as functions of time and position throughout the laminate. This objective is met through the development and use of analytical models, coupled to an analysis-driven experimental program which offers both quantitative and qualitative information on the degradation mechanism. Preliminary analyses using coupled diffusion/reaction model are used to gain insight into the physics of the degradation mechanisms and to identify crucial material parameters. An experimental program is defined based on the results of the preliminary analysis which allows the determination of the necessary material coefficients. Thermogravimetric analyses are carried out in nitrogen, air, and oxygen to provide quantitative information on thermal and oxidative reactions. Powdered samples are used to eliminate diffusion effects. Tests in both inert and oxidative environments allow the separation of thermal and oxidative contributions to specimen mass loss. The concentration dependency of the oxidative reactions is determined from the tests in pure oxygen. Short term isothermal tests at different temperatures are carried out on neat resin and unidirectional macroscopic specimens to identify diffusion effects. Mass loss, specimen shrinkage, the formation of degraded surface layers and surface cracking are recorded as functions of exposure time. Geometry effects in the neat resin, and anisotropic diffusion effects in the composites, are identified through the use of specimens with different aspect ratios. The data is used with the model to determine reaction coefficients and effective diffusion coefficients. The empirical and analytical correlations confirm the preliminary model results which suggest that mass loss at lower temperatures is dominated by oxidative reactions and that these reaction are limited by diffusion of oxygen from the surface. The mechanism-based model is able to successfully capture the basic physics of the degradation phenomena under a wide range of test conditions. The analysis-based test design is successful in separating out oxidative, thermal, and diffusion effects to allow the determination of material coefficients. This success confirms the basic picture of the process; however, a more complete understanding of some aspects of the physics are required before truly predictive capability can be achieved.

Cunningham, Ronan A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Diffusion freezeout in gas-loaded heat pipes.

Experimental diffusion freezeout rates in a gas loaded heat pipe are presented and compared with predictions of an analysis and computer program published earlier. The experimental approach was to pivot a heat pipe on knife edges and use an analytical mass balance to measure the rate of mass migration within the pipe. Diffusion freezeout rates in a water heat pipe were measured as a function of the condenser sink temperature and the condenser-to-sink thermal conductance. Measured rates varied between 19 and 270 mg/hr and yielded 64 to 99 percent agreement with predicted values. These results indicated that the analysis and computer program for predicting the behavior of gas loaded heat pipes are useful tools for designing such systems.

Marcus, B. D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Interfacial layers in high-temperature-oxidized NiCrAl

The utility of Auger electron spectroscopy combined with ball cratering for depth analysis of oxide and diffusion layers produced in a Ni-14Cr-24Al alloy by oxidation in air at 1180 C for 25 hr is demonstrated. During postoxidation cooling, the oxide layers formed by this alloy spalled profusely. The remaining very thin oxide was primarily Cr2O3 with a trace of Ni. The underlying metal substrate exhibited gamma/gamma-prime and beta phases with a metallic interfacial layer which was similar to the bulk gamma/gamma-prime phase but slightly enriched in Cr and Al. These data are compared to electron microprobe results from a nominally identical alloy. The diffusion layer thickness is modelled with a simple mass balance equation and compared to recent results on the diffusion process in NiCrAl alloys.

Larson, L. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Experimental investigation of turbulent wall-jets in the presence of adverse pressure gradients in a rectangular diffuser

An experimental study of wall static pressure distributions and mean velocity profiles along a duct and diffuser downstream of wall-jet injection was conducted over a range of diffuser total angles from 15 to 40 deg at injection to core flow mass flux ratios from 0 to 6. Pressure recovery in the diffuser increased with injection ratio and decreased with diffuser total angle. Peak velocities in the wall-jet decayed along the flow and the inner shear layer and outer mixing region grew in thickness along the flow. The inner layer was near similarity condition, but non-similar variations were found in the outer layer. Estimated wall shear stresses depended upon injection mass fluxes, downstream distance and diffuser total angle. Greater decay of peak velocity and larger friction coefficients were found in the diffuser than indicated by correlations from data for a wall-jet without a pressure gradient. At the largest diffuser total angle and the highest injection ratio flow reversal occurred in the core region.

Back, L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Effect of inducer inlet and diffuser throat areas on performance of a low pressure ratio sweptback centrifugal compressor

A low-pressure-ratio centrifugal compressor was tested with nine combinations of three diffuser throat areas and three impeller inducer inlet areas which were 75, 100, and 125 percent of design values. For a given inducer inlet area, increases in diffuser area within the range investigated resulted in increased mass flow and higher peak efficiency. Changes in both diffuser and inducer areas indicated that efficiencies within one point of the maximum efficiency were obtained over a compressor specific speed range of 27 percent. The performance was analyzed of an assumed two-spool open-cycle engine using the 75 percent area inducer with a variable area diffuser.

Klassen, H. A.↗
NASA NTRS2012

NOR-USA Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica: Science and Logistics on a Three-Month Expedition Across Antarctica's Farthest Frontier

Dr. Albert's current research is centered on transfer processes in porous media, including air-snow exchange in the Polar Regions and in soils in temperate areas. Her research includes field measurements, laboratory experiments, and theoretical modeling. Mary conducts field and laboratory measurements of the physical properties of natural terrain surfaces, including permeability, microstructure, and thermal conductivity. Mary uses the measurements to examine the processes of diffusion and advection of heat, mass, and chemical transport through snow and other porous media. She has developed numerical models for investigation of a variety of problems, from interstitial transport to freezing of flowing liquids. These models include a two-dimensional finite element code for air flow with heat, water vapor, and chemical transport in porous media, several multidimensional codes for diffusive transfer, as well as a computational fluid dynamics code for analysis of turbulent water flow in moving-boundary phase change problems.

Albert, Mary R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Analytical Modeling of Operating Characteristics of Premixing-prevaporizing Fuel-air Mixing Passages

A model for predicting the distribution of liquid fuel droplets and fuel vapor in premixing-prevaporizing fuel-air mixing passages of the direct injection type is described. This model consists of three computer programs: a calculation of the two dimensional or axisymmetric air flow field neglecting the effects of fuel; a calculation of the three dimensional fuel droplet trajectories and evaporation rates in a known, moving air flow; and a calculation of fuel vapor diffusing into a moving three dimensional air flow with source terms dependent on the droplet evaporation rates. The air flow calculation can treat compressible swirling flows in arbitrary ducts with arbitrary distributions of temperature and velocity as initial conditions. The fuel droplets are treated as initial conditions. The fuel droplets are treated as individual particle classes each satisfying Newton's law, a heat transfer, and a mass transfer equation. The vapor diffusion calculation treats three dimensional, gas phase, turbulent diffusion processes with the turbulence level determined by the air flow calculations and the source terms determined by the droplet evaporation rates.

Anderson, O. L.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Convective and Diffusive O2 Transport Components of Peak Oxygen Uptake Following Long-duration Spaceflight

Spaceflight reduces aerobic capacity and may be linked with maladaptations in the O2 transport pathway. The aim was to 1) evaluate the cardiorespiratory adaptations following 6 months aboard the International Space Station and 2) model the contributions of convective (Q (raised dot) O2) and peripheral diffusive (DO2) components of O2 transport to changes in peak O2 uptake (V (raised dot) O2PEAK). To date, 1 male astronaut (XX yrs) completed an incremental exercise test to measure V (raised dot) O2PEAK prior to and 2 days post-flight. Cardiac output (Q (raised dot) ) was measured at three submaximal work rates via carbon dioxide rebreathing. The Q (raised dot) :V (raised dot) O2 relationship was extrapolated to V (raised dot) O2PEAK to determine Q (raised dot) PEAK. Hemoglobin concentration was measured at rest via a venous blood sample. These measurements were used to model the changes in Q (raised dot) O2 and DO2 using Fick's principle of mass conservation and Law of Diffusion as established by Wagner and colleagues (Annu. Rev. Physiol 58: 21-50, 1996 and J. Appl. Physiol. 73: 1067-1076, 1992). V (raised dot) O2PEAK decreased postflight from 3.72 to 3.45 l min-1, but Q (raised dot) PEAK increased from 24.5 to 27.7 l min-1. The decrease in V (raised dot) O2PEAK post-flight was associated with a 21.2% decrease in DO2, an 18.6% decrease in O2 extraction, but a 3.4% increase in Q (raised dot) O2. These preliminary data suggest that long-duration spaceflight reduces peripheral diffusing capacity and that it largely contributes to the post-flight decrease in aerobic capacity.

Ade, Carl J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Mass Flux of ZnSe by Physical Vapor Transport

Mass fluxes of ZnSe by physical vapor transport (PVT) were measured in the temperature range of 1050 to 1160 C using an in-situ dynamic technique. The starting materials were either baked out or distilled under vacuum to obtain near-congruently subliming compositions. Using an optical absorption technique Zn and Se, were found to be the dominant vapor species. Partial pressures of Zn and Se, over the starting materials at temperatures between 960 and 1140 C were obtained by measuring the optical densities of the vapor phase at the wavelengths of 2138, 3405, 3508, 3613, and 3792 A. The amount and composition of the residual gas inside the experimental ampoules were measured after the run using a total pressure gauge. For the first time, the experimentally determined partial pressures of Zn and Se, and the amount and composition of the residual gas were used in a one-dimensional diffusion limited analysis of the mass transport rates for a PVT system. Reasonable agreement between the experimental and theoretical results was observed.

Sha, Yi-Gao↗
NASA NTRS1989

The mass spectrum of interstellar clouds

The abundances of diffuse clouds and molecular clouds in the inner Galaxy and at the solar circle are compared. Using results of recent low-latitude 21 cm absorption studies, the number of diffuse clouds per kiloparsec along the line of sight is derived as a function of the cloud column density, under two assumptions relating cloud densities and temperatures. The density of clouds is derived as a function of cloud mass. The results are consistent with a single, continuous mass spectrum for interstellar clouds from less than 1 solar mass to 1,000,000 solar masses, with perhaps a change of slope at masses where the atomic and molecular mass fractions are roughly equal.

Dickey, John M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Volatile species in halide-activated-diffusion coating packs

An atmospheric pressure sampling mass spectrometer was used to identify the vapor species generated in a halide-activated cementation pack. Pack powder mixtures containing a Cr-Al binary masteralloy powder, an NH4Cl activator salt, and either ZrO2 or Y2O3 (or neither) were analyzed at 1000 C. Both the equilibrium calculations for the pack and mass spectrometer results indicated that volatile AlCl(x) and CrCl(y) species were generated by the pack powder mixture; in packs containing the reactive element oxide, volatile ZrCl(z) and YCl(w) species were formed by the conversion of their oxide sources.

Bianco, Robert↗