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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 OSTI2021

Revisiting adiabatic fraction estimations in cumulus clouds: high-resolution simulations with a passive tracer

The process of mixing in warm convective clouds and its effects on microphysics are crucial for an accurate description of cloud fields, weather, and climate. Still, they remain open questions in the field of cloud physics. Adiabatic regions in the cloud could be considered non-mixed areas and therefore serve as an important reference to mixing. For this reason, the adiabatic fraction (AF) is an important parameter that estimates the mixing level in the cloud in a simple way. Here, we test different methods of AF calculations using high-resolution (10 m) simulations of isolated warm cumulus clouds. The calculated AFs are compared with a normalized concentration of a passive tracer, which is a measure of dilution by mixing. This comparison enables the examination of how well the AF parameter can determine mixing effects and the estimation of the accuracy of different approaches used to calculate it. Comparison of three different methods to derive AF, with the passive tracer, shows that one method is much more robust than the others. Moreover, this method's equation structure also allows for the isolation of different assumptions that are often practiced when calculating AF such as vertical profiles, cloud-base height, and the linearity of AF with height. The use of a detailed spectral bin microphysics scheme allows an accurate description of the supersaturation field and demonstrates that the accuracy of the saturation adjustment assumption depends on aerosol concentration, leading to an underestimation of AF in pristine environments.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Efficient Air Dehumidification Can Save 15%-50% of Cooling Energy in Commercial Buildings

Current approach to dehumidification in commercial buildings with chilled/hot water AHU systems is to overcool return + supply air to dewpoint, and then reheat before supply to zone. This is energy inefficient, with reheat often being gas-fired. To reduce energy consumption, building operators will often operate at little-to-no outside air, sacrificing IAQ. Decarbonizing commercial buildings requires solutions to reduce and fully electrify dehumidification energy consumption. The Altaire ADAPT and Conservant HEDS systems aim to solve this problem by decoupling humidity control from cooling reduces energy consumption while enabling improved IAQ management.

commercial buildings↗
DOE OSTI2024

Distributed Optical Fiber Sensor Systems: Application to Natural Gas Pipeline Monitoring

Distributed fiber optic sensing is a cutting-edge technology that has found extensive applications in the monitoring of pipelines. Considering the low backscattering level of standard single-mode fiber as fiber under test, a Rayleigh enhanced optical fiber embedded within the tight-buffered cable is demonstrated in field testing. We analyzed the increased backscattering fiber cable's vibration performance to the conventional single-mode telecom fiber using a custom-built Φ-OTDR interrogator system. Thereafter, using a 4-inch steel pipeline with a flow rate of 5, 10, 15, and 20 ft/s and a fixed pressure level of 1000 psi, we field-tested the sensor system for monitoring natural gas pipeline acoustic vibrations. We also field tested Brillouin optical time domain analysis (BOTDA) system for pipeline hoop strain monitoring under various pressure conditions. The pilot-scale testing results presented in this study suggested that pipeline operators can accurately perform flow monitoring, leak detection, and pressure monitoring for pipeline integrity monitoring.

Lalam, Nageswara↗
DOE OSTI2021

Diii-D Research Advancing The Physics Basis For Optimizing The Tokamak Approach To Fusion Energy

DIII-D physics research addresses critical challenges for operation of ITER and the next generation of fusion energy devices. This is done through a focus on innovations to provide solutions for high performance long pulse operation, coupled with fundamental plasma physics understanding and model validation, to drive scenario development by integrating high performance core and boundary plasmas. Substantial increases in off-axis current drive efficiency from an innovative top launch system for EC power, and in pressure broadening for Alfven eigenmode control from a co-/counter-Ip steerable off-axis neutral beam, all improve the prospects for optimization of future long pulse/steady state high performance tokamak operation. Fundamental studies into the modes that drive the evolution of the pedestal pressure profile and electron vs. ion heat flux validate predictive models of pedestal recovery after ELMs. Understanding the physics mechanisms of ELM control and density pumpout by 3D magnetic perturbation fields leads to confident predictions for ITER and future devices. Validated modeling of high-Z shattered pellet injection for disruption mitigation, runaway electron dissipation, and techniques for disruption prediction and avoidance including machine learning, give confidence in handling disruptivity for future devices. With this physics understanding and suite of actuators, a high poloidal beta optimized-core scenario with an internal transport barrier that projects nearly to Q=10 in ITER at 9 MA was coupled to a detached divertor, and a near Super H-mode optimized-pedestal scenario with co-Ip beam injection, was coupled to a radiative divertor. The Hybrid core scenario was achieved directly, without the need for internal flux pumping, using off-axis current drive actuators, and a controller to avoid mode locking and disruptions in the ITER baseline scenario, based on plasma response to probing 3D fields, was demonstrated. Finally innovative tokamak operation using a negative triangularity shape showed many attractive features for future pilot plant operation.

Fenstermacher, M.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Experimental Evaluation of a High-Performance Cold-Climate Heat Pump Using Tandem Vapor-Injection Compressors

A high-performance cold-climate heat pump (CCHP) was developed and experimentally validated through comprehensive laboratory and field testing. The system utilized two equal-size tandem vapor-injection (VI) compressors with an inter-stage flash tank to improve efficiency and capacity retention under subfreezing conditions. Laboratory testing was conducted on a 3-ton prototype in a controlled environmental chamber equipped with calibrated thermocouples, refrigerant-side mass flow and pressure transducers, and precision airflow measurement for energy balance verification. The prototype achieved heating coefficients of performance (COPs) of 4.4 at 47 °F, 3.1 at 17 °F, and 2.0 at –13 °F, while maintaining 88% of its rated heating capacity at –13°F. These results confirm strong low-temperature performance and indicate the potential for significant reductions in electric resistance backup use. A field prototype was installed and monitored in a residential building in Fairbanks, Alaska, during a heating season. Instrumentation included real-time power, temperature, and refrigerant state measurements to evaluate performance under dynamic outdoor conditions. The heat pump operated reliably down to –30 °F, delivering 75% of its rated heating capacity with a COP of 1.8, while maintaining stable operation, effective defrost control, and indoor comfort without auxiliary heating. The combined laboratory and field results demonstrate that the tandem VI compressor configuration provides a practical and energy-efficient approach for residential heat pumps designed for cold and very cold climate regions.

Hu, Yifeng [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000242875185)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electron beam characterization via quantum coherent electric field imaging

We demonstrate an all-optical, minimally invasive electron beam (𝑒−beam) characterization using Rydberg electrometry. An 𝑒-beam passes through a localized detector volume containing thermal Rb atoms that are optically excited in a quantum superposition of ground and Rydberg states. The 𝑒-beam's electric field perturbs atomic coherence and modifies resonance fluorescence in a narrow spectral region near the two-photon optical transition. Imaging Rb fluorescence provides a map of the electric field from the 𝑒-beam via Rydberg state Stark shifts and allows us to reconstruct the 𝑒-beam width, centroid position, and current. For an 𝑒-beam of 20 keV and electron currents of 20–40 µ⁢A, we measured the centroid position with an accuracy of ≤ 8 µ⁢m and width to within 100 µ⁢m, limited by the experimental sensitivity of electric field reconstruction of ∼0.02 V/cm. This method is suitable for a wide range of electron energies and currents, and can be adopted for nuclear and high-energy experiments for minimally invasive real-time diagnostics and profiling of charged particle beams.

Behary, Rob [College of William and Mary, Williams↗
DOE OSTI2020

Programmable chiral states in flocks of active magnetic rollers

Inspired by nature, active matter exemplified by self-organization of motile units into macroscopic structures holds great promise for advanced tunable materials capable of flocking, shape-shifting, and self-healing. Active particles driven by external fields have repeatedly demonstrated potential for complex self-organization and collective behavior, yet how to guide the direction of their collective motion largely remains unexplored. Here, we report a system of microscopic ferromagnetic rollers driven by an alternating magnetic field that demonstrates programmable control of the direction of a self-organized coherent vortical motion (i.e., chirality). Facilitated by a droplet confinement, the rollers get synchronized and display either right- or left-handed spontaneous vortical motion, such that their moving direction determines the vortex chirality. Here, we reveal that one can remotely command a flock of magnetic rollers to switch or maintain its chiral state by modulating a phase shift of the sinusoidal magnetic field powering the active rollers. Building on our findings, we realize a self-assembled remotely controlled micro-pump architecture capable of switching the fluid transport direction on demand. Our studies may stimulate new design strategies for directed transport and flocking robotics at the microscale based on active colloids.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Extreme ultraviolet microscope characterization using photomask surface roughness

We demonstrate a method for characterizing the field-dependent aberrations of a full-field synchrotron-based extreme ultraviolet microscope. The statistical uniformity of the inherent, atomic-scale roughness of readily-available photomask blanks enables a self-calibrating computational procedure using images acquired under standard operation. We characterize the aberrations across a 30-um field-of-view, demonstrating a minimum aberration magnitude of smaller than λ/21 rms averaged over the center 5-um area, with a measurement accuracy better than λ/180 rms. The measured field variation of aberrations is consistent with system geometry and agrees with prior characterizations of the same system. In certain cases, it may be possible to additionally recover the illumination wavefront from the same images. Our method is general and is easily applied to coherent imaging systems with steerable illumination without requiring invasive hardware or custom test objects; hence, it provides substantial benefits when characterizing microscopes and high-resolution imaging systems in situ.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Field-resilient supercurrent diode in a multiferroic Josephson junction

The research on supercurrent diodes has surged rapidly due to their potential applications in electronic circuits at cryogenic temperatures. To unlock this functionality, it is essential to find supercurrent diodes that can work consistently at zero magnetic field and under ubiquitous stray fields generated in electronic circuits. However, a supercurrent diode with robust field tolerance is currently lacking. Here, we demonstrate a field-resilient supercurrent diode by incorporating a 2D multiferroic material into a Josephson junction, and observed a pronounced supercurrent diode effect at zero magnetic field. More importantly, the supercurrent rectification persists over a wide and bipolar magnetic field range beyond industrial standards for field tolerance. By theoretically modeling a multiferroic Josephson junction, we unveil that the interplay between spin-orbit coupling and multiferroicity underlies the unusual field resilience of the observed diode effect. This work introduces multiferroic Josephson junctions as a new field-resilient superconducting device for cryogenic electronics.

Yang, Hung-Yu [Univ. of California, Los Angeles, C↗
DOE OSTI2021

Chiral Effective Field Theory and the High-Density Nuclear Equation of State

Born in the aftermath of core-collapse supernovae, neutron stars contain matter under extraordinary conditions of density and temperature that are difficult to reproduce in the laboratory. In recent years, neutron star observations have begun to yield novel insights into the nature of strongly interacting matter in the high-density regime where current theoretical models are challenged. At the same time, chiral effective field theory has developed into a powerful framework to study nuclear matter properties with quantified uncertainties in the moderate-density regime for modeling neutron stars. In this article, we review recent developments in chiral effective field theory and focus on many-body perturbation theory as a computationally efficient tool for calculating the properties of hot and dense nuclear matter. We also demonstrate how effective field theory enables statistically meaningful comparisons among nuclear theory predictions, nuclear experiments, and observational constraints on the nuclear equation of state.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Multifunctional Superconducting Nanowire Quantum Sensors

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) offer high-quantum-efficiency and low-dark-count-rate single-photon detection. In a growing number of cases, large magnetic fields are being incorporated into quantum microscopes, nanophotonic devices, and sensors for nuclear and high-energy physics that rely on SNSPDs, but superconducting devices generally perform poorly in large magnetic fields. Here, we demonstrate robust performance of amorphous SNSPDs in magnetic fields of up to ±6 T with a negligible dark-count rate and unchanged quantum efficiency at typical bias currents. Critically, we also show that the SNSPD can be used as a magnetometer with a sensitivity of better than 100μT/√Hz and as a thermometer with a sensitivity of 20μK/√Hz at 1 K. Thus, a single-photon detector integrated into a quantum device can be used as a multifunctional quantum sensor capable of describing the temperature and magnetic field on chip simply by varying the bias current to change the operating modality from single-photon detection to thermometry or magnetometry.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Uncovering extreme nonlinear dynamics in solids through time-domain field analysis

Time-domain analysis of harmonic fields with sub-cycle resolution is now experimentally viable due to the emergence of sensitive, on-chip techniques for petahertz-scale optical-field sampling. We demonstrate how such a time-domain, field-resolved analysis uncovers the extreme nonlinear electron dynamics responsible for high-harmonic generation within solids. Time-dependent density functional theory was used to simulate harmonic generation from a solid-state band-gap system driven by near- to mid-infrared waveforms. Particular attention was paid to regimes where both intraband and interband emission mechanisms play a critical role in shaping the nonlinear response. We show that a time-domain analysis of the harmonic radiation fields identifies the interplay between intra- and interband dynamical processes underlying the nonlinear light generation. With further analysis, we show that changes to the dominant emission regime can occur after only slight changes to the peak driving intensity and central driving wavelength. Furthermore, time-domain analysis of harmonic fields also reveals, for the first time, the possibility of rapid changes in the dominant emission mechanism within the temporal window of the driving pulse envelope. Finally, we examine the experimental viability of performing time-domain analysis of harmonic fields with sub-cycle resolution using realistic parameters.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Signal Processing in SBND with Calibrated and Validated Electronics and Field Responses

SBND is a liquid argon time projection chamber in Fermilab’s Short-Baseline Neutrino Program, located 110 m from the neutrino source and operating in a high-rate environment with unprecedented statistics. Charged particles from neutrino interactions ionize the argon, and the resulting electrons drift to the anode wires, inducing current signals recorded as raw waveforms. These waveforms are a convolution of deposited charge with the electronics and TPC field responses, making accurate signal processing essential for recovering the true charge distribution. Signal processing forms the starting point for SBND reconstruction, directly impacting hit finding, charge calibration, clustering, and the reconstruction of tracks and showers, and therefore playing a key role in energy reconstruction and particle identification. In this poster, we present an overview of the SBND signal processing chain, including noise removal, channel-by-channel electronics correction, signal identification, and deconvolution using measured electronics and TPC field responses. We demonstrate that the two kernel functions—electronics and field responses—achieve high precision when compared to data, ensuring that the SBND signal processing chain provides a robust and accurate foundation for event reconstruction and precision physics measurements.

Singh, Prabhjot [Louisiana State U.] (ORCID:000000↗
DOE OSTI2022

2.3.3.404 - National Lab and University Collaboration for MHK Instrumentation and Data Processing Tools

Field and laboratory validation, testing, demonstration, and operation are critical steps for increasing the technology readiness level of marine energy (ME) converters because they provide high-quality testing and performance data that are critical information used to feed all aspects of technology development. This project, in partnership with industry, enables the marine and hydrokinetic energy (MHK) community to reliably and efficiently collect, process, manage, and share quality data by facilitating access to and development of instrumentation, guidelines and data processing/QA tools. Under this project, open-source data processing code (MHKiT) and tools (ME Data Pipeline, MRE Code Hub, PRIMRE Code Catalog), instrumentation (loads measurements), data acquisition systems (miniDAQ), and measurement guidance tools (Telesto, high EMI guidance) were developed to facilitate the collection and processing of quality laboratory and field data. Overall, this project is intended to improve the quality of the data collected during laboratory and field demonstration projects by standardizing the collection and processing techniques, as well as by improving access to instrumentation, code, and measurement guidance. Quality data will, in turn, lead to improved knowledge capture following ME device testing.

data processing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Slow spin dynamics and quantum tunneling of magnetization in the dipolar antiferromagnet DyScO 3

Here, we present a comprehensive study of static and dynamic magnetic properties in the Ising-like dipolar antiferromagnet (AFM) DyScO 3 by means of DC and AC magnetization measurements supported by classical Monte Carlo calculations. Our AC-susceptibility data show that the magnetic dynamics exhibit a clear crossover from an Arrhenius-like regime to quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM) at T*=10K. Below T N =3.2K, DyScO 3 orders in an antiferromagnetic GxAy-type magnetic structure and the magnetization dynamics slow down to the minute timescale. The low-temperature magnetization curves exhibit complex hysteretic behavior, which depends strongly on the magnetic field sweep rate. We demonstrate that the low-field anomalies on the magnetization curve are related to the metamagnetic transition, while the hysteresis at higher fields is induced by a strong magnetocaloric effect. Our theoretical calculations, which take into account dipolar interaction between Dy 3+ moments, reproduce essential features of the magnetic behavior of DyScO 3 . We demonstrate that DyScO 3 represents a rare example of an inorganic compound, which exhibits QTM at a single-ion level and magnetic order due to classical dipolar interaction.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

A two-directional vibrational probe reveals different electric field orientations in solution and an enzyme active site

We report the catalytic power of an electric field depends on its magnitude and orientation with respect to the reactive chemical species. Understanding and designing new catalysts for electrostatic catalysis thus requires methods to measure the electric field orientation and magnitude at the molecular scale. We demonstrate that electric field orientations can be extracted using a two-directional vibrational probe by exploiting the vibrational Stark effect of both the C=O and C–D stretches of a deuterated aldehyde. Combining spectroscopy with molecular dynamics and electronic structure partitioning methods, we demonstrate that, despite distinct polarities, solvents act similarly in their preference for electrostatically stabilizing large bond dipoles at the expense of destabilizing small ones. In contrast, we find that for an active-site aldehyde inhibitor of liver alcohol dehydrogenase, the electric field orientation deviates markedly from that found in solvents, which provides direct evidence for the fundamental difference between the electrostatic environment of solvents and that of a preorganized enzyme active site.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Realistic Ion Dynamics through Charge Renormalization in Nonaqueous Electrolytes

While many practically important electrolytes contain lithium ions, interactions of these ions are particularly difficult to probe experimentally because of their small X-ray and neutron scattering cross sections and large neutron absorption cross sections. Molecular dynamics (MD) is a powerful tool for understanding the properties of nonaqueous electrolyte solutions from the atomic level, but the accuracy of this computational method crucially depends on the physics built into the classical force field. In this study, we demonstrate that several force fields for lithium bistriflimide (LiTFSI) in acetonitrile yield a solution structure that is consistent with the neutron scattering experiments, yet these models produce dramatically different ion dynamics in solution. Such glaring discrepancies indicate that inadequate representation of long-range interactions leads to excessive ionic association and ion-pair clustering. We show that reasonable agreement with the experimental observations can be achieved by renormalization of the ion charges using a “titration” method suggested herewith. This simple modification produces realistic concentration dependencies for ionic diffusion and conductivity in <2 M solutions, without loss in quality for simulation of the structure.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗