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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Can we detect the stellar differential rotation of WASP-7 through the Rossiter–McLaughlin observations?

ABSTRACT The Rossiter–McLaughlin (RM) effect is the radial velocity signal generated when an object transits a rotating star. Stars rotate differentially and this affects the shape and amplitude of this signal, on a level that can no longer be ignored with precise spectrographs. Highly misaligned planets provide a unique opportunity to probe stellar differential rotation via the RM effect, as they cross several stellar latitudes. In this sense, WASP-7, and its hot Jupiter with a projected misalignment of ∼90°, is one of the most promising targets. The aim of this work is to understand if the stellar differential rotation is measurable through the RM signal for systems with a geometry similar to WASP-7. In this sense, we use a modified version of soap3.0 to explore the main hurdles that prevented the precise determination of the differential rotation of WASP-7. We also investigate whether the adoption of the next generation spectrographs, like ESPRESSO, would solve these issues. Additionally, we assess how instrumental and stellar noise influence this effect and the derived geometry of the system. We found that, for WASP-7, the white noise represents an important hurdle in the detection of the stellar differential rotation, and that a precision of at least 2 m s−1 or better is essential.

Serrano, L. M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Three-dimensional elastic stress and displacement analysis of finite circular geometry solids containing cracks

A seminumerical method is presented for solving a set of coupled partial differential equations subject to mixed and coupled boundary conditions. The use of this method is illustrated by obtaining solutions for two circular geometry and mixed boundary value problems in three-dimensional elasticity. Stress and displacement distributions are calculated in an axisymmetric, circular bar of finite dimensions containing a penny-shaped crack. Approximate results for an annular plate containing internal surface cracks are also presented.

Gyekenyesi, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1972

On the dependence of information display quality requirements upon human characteristics and pilot/automatics relations

Present information display concepts for pilot landing guidance are outlined considering manual control as well as substitution of man by fully competent automatics. Display improvements are achieved by compressing the distributed indicators into an accumulative display and thus reducing information scanning. Complete integration of quantitative indications, outer loop information, and real world display in a pictorial information channel geometry constitutes an interface with human ability to differentiate and integrate for optimal manual control of the aircraft.

Wilckens, V.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Fluid manifold design for a solar energy storage tank

A design technique for a fluid manifold for use in a solar energy storage tank is given. This analytical treatment generalizes the fluid equations pertinent to manifold design, giving manifold pressures, velocities, and orifice pressure differentials in terms of appropriate fluid and manifold geometry parameters. Experimental results used to corroborate analytical predictions are presented. These data indicate that variations in discharge coefficients due to variations in orifices can cause deviations between analytical predictions and actual performance values.

Humphries, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Flow Induced Spring Coefficients of Labyrinth Seals for Application in Rotor Dynamics

Flow induced aerodynamic spring coefficients of labyrinth seals are discussed and the restoring force in the deflection plane of the rotor and the lateral force acting perpendicularly to it are also considered. The effects of operational conditions on the spring characteristics of these components are examined, such as differential pressure, speed, inlet flow conditions, and the geometry of the labyrinth seals. Estimation formulas for the lateral forces due to shaft rotation and inlet swirl, which are developed through experiments, are presented. The utilization of the investigations is explained and results of stability calculations, especially for high pressure centrifugal compressors, are added. Suggestions are made concerning the avoidance of exciting forces in labyrinths.

Benckert, H.↗
NASA NTRS2000

X-Ray Line Spectroscopy of Massive X-Ray Binaries

Spectra from ASCA have provided the most, detailed view to date of the X-ray spectral properties of stellar winds in massive X-ray binaries. Using detailed atomic models that account for recombination cascade kinetics, we have reexamined archival data from Vela X-1 and Cen X-3 in the context of simple models of their wind geometries and velocity distributions. Our approach emphasizes apparent differential emission measure (DEM) distributions, and their dependence on orbital phase and wind parameters. A grid of theoretical DEM distributions is used to generate model spectra, which are compared to the data. We obtain good fits, and derive constraints oil the stellar wind parameters. We provide a summary of the method, and show that, even though the companion stars in Vela X-1 and Cen X-3 have comparable mass-loss rates, the winds in these two systems are dramatically different, in character.

Liedahl, D. A.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Logarithmic forms and differential equations for Feynman integrals

We describe in detail how a d log representation of Feynman integrals leads to simple differential equations. We derive these differential equations directly in loop momentum or embedding space making use of a localization trick and generalized unitarity. For the examples we study, the alphabet of the differential equation is related to special points in kinematic space, described by certain cut equations which encode the geometry of the Feynman integral. At one loop, we reproduce the motivic formulae described by Goncharov [1] that reappeared in the context of Feynman integrals in [2–4]. The d log representation allows us to generalize the differential equations to higher loops and motivates the study of certain mixed-dimension integrals.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Bootstrapping closed string field theory

The determination of the string vertices of closed string field theory is shown to be a conformal field theory problem solvable by combining insights from Liouville theory, hyperbolic geometry, and conformal bootstrap. We first demonstrate how Strebel differentials arise from hyperbolic string vertices by performing a WKB approximation to the associated Fuchsian equation, which we subsequently use it to derive a Polyakov-like conjecture for Strebel differentials. This result implies that the string vertices are generated by the interactions of n zero momentum tachyons, or equivalently, a certain limit of suitably regularized on-shell Liouville action. We argue that the latter can be related to the interaction of three zero momentum tachyons on a generalized cubic vertex through classical conformal blocks. We test this claim for the quartic vertex and discuss its generalization to higher-string interactions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1986

Observations of far-infrared line profiles in the Orion-KL region

Measurements of several far-infrared emission line profiles in the Orion-KL region are reported. The emission from the CO, OH, and forbidden O I emission lines toward the BN-KL and H2 peak 1 positions probably comes from dense, hot molecular gas in the Orion-KL shock. The CO and forbidden O I lines have similar profiles, suggesting that the high-velocity forbidden O I emission also arises in magnetohydrodynamic 'cloud' shocks. The velocity centroids of the lines are somewhat blueshifted. The far-infrared data thus support the interpretation that the blue asymmetry of the H2 2 micron lines is not mainly due to differential dust extinction, but rather to the kinematics and geometry of the shocked gas in the Orion-KL outflow. The forbidden O I and CO lines, however, have significantly less extreme blueshifted emission than the H2 lines. Both the forbidden O I 63 micron and forbidden C II 158 micron lines have features strongly supporting a common origin near the surface of the Orion molecular cloud.

Crawford, M. K.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Differential Heat of Adsorption and Isosteres

Heat of adsorption is a basic thermodynamic property extensively used not only for understanding thermal effects and heat management in industrial gas storage and separation processes but also for development and validation of adsorption models and materials force fields. Despite a long history of theoretical studies and a vast experimental literature, controversies often arise in the thermodynamic analysis of heat effects due to various assumptions used to describe gas adsorption and inconsistencies between direct calorimetric measurements and isosteric heat obtained from various adsorption isotherms. Here we present a rigorous theoretical procedure for predicting isosteric heat without any assumption about the geometry of porous adsorbents or operating conditions. Quantitative relations between the differential heat and various isosteres have been established with the grand-canonical Monte Carlo simulation for gas adsorption in amorphous as well as crystalline porous materials. The inconsistencies and practical issues with conventional methods for the analysis of the heat effect have been clarified in the context of the exact results for model systems. Via the resolution of a number of controversies about heat analysis, we hope that the new theoretical procedure will be adopted for both fundamental research and industrial applications of gas adsorption processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

Robust Approaches to Handling Complex Geometries with Galerkin Difference Methods

The Galerkin difference (GD) basis is a set of continuous, piecewise polynomials defined using a finite-difference-like grid of degrees of freedom. The one dimensional GD basis functions are naturally extended to multiple dimensions using a tensor product construction on quadrilateral elements. The GD basis can be used to define the solution space for a discontinuous Galerkin finite element discretization of partial differential equations. In this work we propose two approaches to handling complex geometries within this setting: (1) using nonconforming, curvilinear GD elements and (2) coupling affine GD elements with curvilinear simplicial elements. In both cases the (semidiscrete) discontinuous Galerkin method is provably energy stable even when variational crimes are committed. Additionally, for both element types a weight-adjusted mass matrix is used, which ensures that only the reference mass matrix must be inverted. We also present sufficient conditions on the treatment of metric terms for the curvilinear, nonconforming GD elements to ensure that the scheme is both constant preserving and conservative. Numerical experiments confirm the stability results and demonstrate the accuracy of the coupled schemes.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Glass-like energy and property landscape of Pt nanoclusters

Pt nanoclusters play an important role in catalysis-related applications. Essential to their activities are their geometries and energy landscapes. In this work, we studied the energy landscapes of Pt clusters using a parallel differential evolution optimization algorithm and an accelerated ab initio atomic relaxation method, which allowed us to explore unprecedentedly large numbers of geometry local minima at ab initio level. We found many lower-energy isomers with low symmetry in their geometry. The energy landscapes were demonstrated to be glass-like with a large number of local minimum structures close to the global minimum. The electronic and magnetic properties of most glass-like local minima were dramatically different from the global minimum, and they should be observed in the experimental measurements. The connections between these local minima were further analyzed using data mining techniques.

Chen, Zhanghui↗
DOE OSTI2016

Localized Radial Basis Functions for Radiation Transport in Slab Geometry

Meshing the spatial domain for the neutron transport equation can be computationally expensive and labor-intensive. Mesh-free methods, such as radial basis function (RBF) approximations, may alleviate these concerns by using a pointwise solution of the transport equation instead of the standard volume-integrated solution using cells or elements. This allows for the use of any geometric description that can provide the material at solution points and the boundary normal directions for boundary points. RBFs give spectral convergence when used to solve differential equations, but only if they are infinitely smooth. This occurs when the RBFs are effectively flat, creating an ill-conditioned, dense system of equations. One simple way to alleviate this issue is to use localized RBFs. Global RBFs have been applied previously to the monoenergetic radiative transport equation in X-Y geometry using source iteration. In this summary, localized RBFs are applied to the multigroup neutron transport equation in slab geometry using Krylov iteration. The results show agreement with benchmark solutions, provided the coefficients for the RBF basis are properly chosen. (authors)

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Strategies for advantageous differential transport of ions in magnetic fusion devices

In a variety of magnetized plasma geometries, it has long been known that highly charged impurities tend to accumulate in regions of higher density. This “collisional pinch” is modified in the presence of additional forces, such as those might be found in systems with gravity, fast rotation, or non-negligible space charge. In the case of a rotating, cylindrical plasma, there is a regime in which the radially outermost ion species is intermediate in both mass and charge. As a result, this could have implications for fusion devices and plasma mass filters.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Monte-Carlo Simulations of the Nuclear Energy Deposition Inside the CARMEN-1P Differential Calorimeter Irradiated into OSIRIS Reactor

The nuclear heating measurements in Material Testing Reactors (MTRs) are crucial for the study of nuclear materials and fuels under irradiation. The reference measurements of this nuclear heating are especially performed by a differential calorimeter including a graphite sample material. These measurements are then used for other experimental conditions in order to predict the nuclear heating and thermal conditions induced in the irradiation devices. Nuclear heating is a great deal of interest at the moment as the measurement of such heating is an important issue for MTRs reactors. This need is especially generated by the new Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR), under construction at CEA/Cadarache 'French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission'. This new reactor, that will be operational in late 2019, is a new facility for the nuclear research on materials and fuels. Indeed the expected nuclear heating rate is about 20 W/g for nominal capacity of 100 MW. The present Monte Carlo calculation works belong to the IN-CORE (Instrumentation for Nuclear radiation and Calorimetry On line in Reactor): a joint research program between the CEA and Aix- Marseille University in 2009. One scientific aim of this program is to design and develop a multi-sensors device, called CARMEN, dedicated to the measurements of main physical parameters simultaneously encountered inside JHR's experimental channels (core and reflector) such as neutron fluxes, photon fluxes, temperature, and nuclear heating. A first prototype was already developed. This prototype includes two mock-ups dedicated respectively to neutronic measurements (CARMEN-1N) and to photonic measurements (CARMEN-1P) with in particular a specific differential calorimeter. Two irradiation campaigns were performed successfully in the periphery of OSIRIS reactor (a MTR located at Saclay, France) in 2012 for nuclear heating levels up to 2 W/g. First Monte Carlo calculations reduced to the graphite sample of the calorimeter were carried out. A preliminary analysis shows that the numerical results overestimate the measurements by about 20 %. A new approach has been developed in order to estimate the nuclear heating by two methods (energy deposition or KERMA) by considering the whole complete geometry of the sensor. This new approach will contribute to the interpretation of the irradiation campaign and will be useful to improve the out-of-pile calibration procedure of the sensor and its thermal response during irradiations. The aim of this paper is to present simulations made by using MCNP5 Monte-Carlo transport code (using ENDF/B-VI nuclear data library) for the nuclear heating inside the different parts of the calorimeter (head, rod and base). Calculations into two steps will be realized. We will use as an input source in the model new spectra (neutrons, prompt-photons and delayed-photons) calculated with the Monte Carlo code TRIPOLI-4{sup R} inside different experimental channels (water) located into the OSIRIS periphery and used during the CARMEN-1P irradiation campaign. We will consider Neutrons- Photons-Electrons and Photons-Electrons modes. We will begin by a brief description of the differential-calorimeter device geometry. Then the MCNP5 model used for the calculations of nuclear heating inside the calorimeter elements will be introduced. The energy deposition due to the prompt-gamma, delayed-gamma and neutrons, the neutron-activation of the device will be considered. The different components of the nuclear heating inside the different parts of the calorimeter will be detailed. Moreover, a comparison between KERMA and nuclear energy deposition estimations will be given. Finally, a comparison between this total nuclear heating Calculation and Experiment in graphite sample will be determined. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tailoring Corrosion Resistance of Additively Manufactured Metals with Atomic Layer Deposition

The goal of this work is to develop a scalable post-manufacturing capability at LANL that utilizes atomic layer deposition (ALD) for corrosion-resistant coatings onto additively manufactured (AM) metals. This will provide fundamentally new and essential capabilities towards the interchangeability of AM metals with traditionally wrought or machined material. This will be accomplished by (1) formulating novel ALD precursor doses and film thicknesses onto as-printed coupons of AM metals and (2) providing electrochemical characterization of corrosion susceptibility as a function of deposited film thickness. While ALD is well-established, the unique aspect (risk) of this work is application to rough AM surfaces. This risk is mitigated by repeating ALD deposition cycles, where thicker coatings laterally branch, resulting in a uniform coating. This risk will be assessed in the phase 1 feasibility study, wherein the application of ALD coatings to small AM coupon surfaces will be demonstrated using existing hardware and characterization tools at Sigma. This study alone will provide ground-breaking insight on the compatibility of ALD coating techniques with AM metals. Going beyond the phase 1 study, a standalone deposition chamber will be built, so full AM components can be coated and tested. While this MFR investment is focused on corrosion mitigation, it is critical to highlight external benefits of this technique outside the scope of this proposed study. ALD has extraordinary universality, whereby almost any material can be given almost any coating or graded density coating with atomic precision; and, the only limiting factors to scalability is the size of the dosing chamber. The self-limiting reactions intrinsic to ALD offers high conformity to part geometry and tolerance, even for internal surfaces where electroplating or conventional chemical vapor deposition falls short due to differential diffusion. This uniquely positions ALD at the forefront of post-manufacturing strategies for AM components, especially for those with complex geometry and internal surfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Acceleration of the Particle Swarm Optimization for Peierls–Nabarro modeling of dislocations in conventional and high-entropy alloys

Dislocations are among the most important defects in determining the mechanical properties of both conventional alloys and high-entropy alloys. The Peierls-Nabarro model supplies an efficient pathway to their geometries and mobility. The difficulty in solving the integro-differential Peierls-Nabarro equation is how to effectively avoid the local minima in the energy landscape of a dislocation core. Among the other methods to optimize the dislocation core structures, we choose the algorithm of Particle Swarm Optimization, an algorithm that simulates the social behaviors of organisms. By employing more particles (bigger swarm) and more iterative steps (allowing them to explore for longer time), the local minima can be effectively avoided. But this would require more computational cost. The advantage of this algorithm is that it is readily parallelized in modern high computing architecture. We demonstrate the performance of our parallelized algorithm scales linearly with the number of employed cores.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Eulerian Vlasov-Fokker–Planck algorithm for spherical implosion simulations of inertial confinement fusion capsules

Here, we present a numerical algorithm that enables a phase-space adaptive Eulerian Vlasov–Fokker–Planck (VFP) simulation of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule implosions. The approach relies on extending a recent mass, momentum, and energy conserving phase-space moving-mesh adaptivity strategy to spherical geometry. In configuration space, we employ a mesh motion partial differential equation (MMPDE) strategy while, in velocity space, the mesh is expanded/contracted and shifted with the plasma’s evolving temperature and drift velocity. The mesh motion is dealt with by transforming the underlying VFP equations into a computational (logical) coordinate, with the resulting inertial terms carefully discretized to ensure conservation. To deal with the spatial and temporally varying dynamics in a spherically imploding system, we have developed a novel nonlinear stabilization strategy for MMPDE in the configuration space. The strategy relies on a nonlinear optimization procedure that optimizes between mesh quality and the volumetric rate change of the mesh to ensure both accuracy and stability of the solution. Implosions of ICF capsules are driven by several boundary conditions: (1) an elastic moving wall boundary; (2) a time-dependent Maxwellian Dirichlet boundary; and (3) a pressure-driven Lagrangian boundary. Of these, the pressure-driven Lagrangian boundary driver is new to our knowledge. The implementation of our strategy is verified through a set of test problems, including the Guderley and Van-Dyke implosion problems — the first-ever reported using a Vlasov–Fokker–Planck model.

1D2V↗