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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
NASA NTRS2022

The Influence of surface binding energy on sputtering in models of the sodium exosphere of Mercury

We have simulated the sodium (Na) exosphere of Mercury to show how the exosphere is affected by the assumed surface binding energy (SBE) of Na in the sputtered component. We constrained ion precipitation onto the surface using distributions for the cusp regions that are consistent with measurements by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer instrument. We have simulated sputtering with SBEs of 0.27, 2.6, 4.4, and 7.9 eV, with the lowest value commonly used in exosphere models and the highest from recent molecular dynamics calculations for the Na-bearing feldspar end-member, albite. A gradual change in the exosphere is seen as the yield decreases and the ejecta energy increases with increasing SBE. We describe the corresponding exosphere source functions for ion sputtering (IS), as well as for the previously studied processes of micrometeoroid impact vaporization and photon-stimulated desorption (PSD), along with their release energy distributions and spatial distributions. We have summed the contributions of the various source processes to explain how and when the different sources can be distinguished by observations. The modeled exosphere scale heights range from 72 km for PSD to over 1000 km for IS using a SBE of 7.9 eV. We find that the processes responsible for generating Mercury's Na exosphere are separable by measuring line-of-sight column densities tangent to the planet at various altitudes and positions around the planet. Our initial results are consistent with the Na being sputtered from a high-SBE material such as feldspar, which has been predicted to be abundant on the Mercury's surface.

Rosemary M. Killen↗
DOE OSTI2020

Deterministic Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) Model for the EGS Collab Project on the 4850 Level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF)

The EGS Collab is conducting hydraulic fracture stimulation and fluid circulation experiments in the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) located in Lead, South Dakota. A total of eight ~60m-long subhorizontal boreholes were drilled from the 4850 Level (~1.5 km below the ground surface) into the crystalline rock of this former mine. Six of these holes are used for geophysical monitoring, one is used for hydraulic fracture stimulation, and the remaining hole was designed as a production borehole that receives water from the injection well via the induced and natural fracture system. The primary goal of creating the discrete fracture network model is to show that these modeling methods are critical for the development of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). This includes the prediction of rock behavior during fracturing and during an extended period of water flow between the parallel injection and production boreholes. Understanding the results from the induced fracturing and flow is complicated by the presence of significant natural fractures that interact with the stimulation and/or flow pathways. The delineation and characterization of natural fractures is thus an important part of the project, and therefore a model of the Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) was developed on a deterministic basis. The DFN was populated using observations and interpretations integrated from drift (horizontal passageways that allow access in the underground) fracture mapping, analysis of core recovered from the eight boreholes, borehole televiewer logs and videos, and observations of flow between and within boreholes and in the drift. The natural fracture system is dominated by a pervasive northwest-trending, steeply dipping shear system that is identifiable in the drifts and the core. Hydraulic fracture stimulation, flow/tracer circulation tests, and geophysical monitoring revealed that the behavior of the injected water, and perhaps the growth of induced fractures, has been significantly influenced by the existing fractures identified in the DFN.

40 EE - Geothermal Technologies Office (EE-4G)↗
NASA NTRS1998

Cell contact as an independent factor modulating cardiac myocyte hypertrophy and survival in long-term primary culture

Cardiac myocytes maintained in cell culture develop hypertrophy both in response to mechanical loading as well as to receptor-mediated signaling mechanisms. However, it has been shown that the hypertrophic response to these stimuli may be modulated through effects of intercellular contact achieved by maintaining cells at different plating densities. In this study, we show that the myocyte plating density affects not only the hypertrophic response and features of the differentiated phenotype of isolated adult myocytes, but also plays a significant role influencing myocyte survival in vitro. The native rod-shaped phenotype of freshly isolated adult myocytes persists in an environment which minimizes myocyte attachment and spreading on the substratum. However, these conditions are not optimal for long-term maintenance of cultured adult cardiac myocytes. Conditions which promote myocyte attachment and spreading on the substratum, on the other hand, also promote the re-establishment of new intercellular contacts between myocytes. These contacts appear to play a significant role in the development of spontaneous activity, which enhances the redevelopment of highly differentiated contractile, junctional, and sarcoplasmic reticulum structures in the cultured adult cardiomyocyte. Although it has previously been shown that adult cardiac myocytes are typically quiescent in culture, the addition of beta-adrenergic agonists stimulates beating and myocyte hypertrophy, and thereby serves to increase the level of intercellular contact as well. However, in densely-plated cultures with intrinsically high levels of intercellular contact, spontaneous contractile activity develops without the addition of beta-adrenergic agonists. In this study, we compare the function, morphology, and natural history of adult feline cardiomyocytes which have been maintained in cultures with different levels of intercellular contact, with and without the addition of beta-adrenergic agonists. Intercellular contact, communication, and transmission of contractile forces between myocytes appears to play a primary role in remodeling the 2-dimensional cell layer into a parallel alignment of elongated myocytes with highly developed intercalated disk-like junctions. This highly differentiated state is very stable, and cultures which achieve this state exhibit significantly greater longevity than more sparsely plated myocytes. These myocytes typically continue beating, and survive from 6 to more than 12 weeks in culture. When this level of contact and differentiation are not achieved, even among beta-adrenergic stimulated myocytes, contractile activity is not sustained, myofibrils atrophy, there is little or no development of junctional complexes, and the period of myocyte viability is typically no more than 5 weeks in vitro.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2021

The EGS Collab Project: Status and Accomplishments

The EGS Collab project, supported by the US Department of Energy, is addressing challenges in implementing enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). This includes improving understanding of the stimulation of crystalline rock to create appropriate flow pathways, and the ability to effectively simulate both the stimulation and the flow and transport processes in the resulting fracture network. The project is performing intensively monitored rock stimulation and flow tests at the 10-m scale in an underground research laboratory. Data and observations from the field test are compared to simulations to understand processes and to build confidence in numerical modeling of the processes. In Experiment 1, we examined hydraulic fracturing an underground test bed at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, at a depth of approximately 1.5 km. We drilled eight sub-horizontal boreholes in a well-characterized phyllite. Six of the boreholes were instrumented with many sensor types to allow careful monitoring of stimulation events and flow tests, and the other two boreholes were used for water injection and production. We performed a number of stimulations and flow tests in the testbed. Our monitoring systems allowed detailed observations and collection of numerous data sets of processes occurring during stimulation and during dynamic flow tests. Long-term ambient temperature and chilled water flow tests were performed in addition to many tracer tests to examine system behavior. Data were rapidly analyzed, allowing adaptive control of the tests. Numerical simulation was used to answer key experimental design questions, to forecast fracture propagation trajectories and extents, and to analyze and evaluate results. Many simulations were performed in near-real-time in conjunction with the field experiments, with more detailed process study simulations performed on a longer timeframe. Experiment 2 will examine hydraulic shearing in a test bed being built at the SURF at a depth of about 1.25 km in amphibolite under a different set of stress and fracture conditions than Experiment 1. Five sets of fracture orientations were considered in design, and three orientations seem to be consistently observed.

EGS Collab↗
NASA NTRS1993

The role of cytokines in immune changes induced by spaceflight

It has become apparent that spaceflight alters many immune responses. Among the regulatory components of the immune response that have been shown to be affected by spaceflight is the cytokine network. Spaceflight, as well as model systems of spaceflight, have been shown to affect the production and action of various cytokines including interferons, interleukins, colony stimulating factors, and tumor necrosis factors. These changes have been shown not to involve a general shutdown of the cytokine network but, rather, to involve selective alterations of specific cytokine functions by spaceflight. The full breadth of changes in cytokines induced by spaceflight, as well as mechanisms, duration, adaptation, reversibility, and significance to resistance to infection and neoplastic diseases, remains to be established.

NASA Discipline Number 18-10↗
NASA NTRS1995

Collagen and Stretch Modulate Autocrine Secretion of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 and Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Proteins from Differentiated Skeletal Muscle Cells

Stretch-induced skeletal muscle growth may involve increased autocrine secretion of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) since IGF-1 is a potent growth factor for skeletal muscle hypertrophy, and stretch elevates IGF-1 mRNA levels in vivo. In tissue cultures of differentiated avian pectoralis skeletal muscle cells, nanomolar concentrations of exogenous IGF-1 stimulated growth in mechanically stretched but not static cultures. These cultures released up to 100 pg of endogenously produced IGF-1/micro-g of protein/day, as well as three major IGF binding proteins of 31, 36, and 43 kilodaltons (kDa). IGF-1 was secreted from both myofibers and fibroblasts coexisting in the muscle cultures. Repetitive stretch/relaxation of the differentiated skeletal muscle cells stimulated the acute release of IGF-1 during the first 4 h after initiating mechanical activity, but caused no increase in the long-term secretion over 24-72 h of IGF-1, or its binding proteins. Varying the intensity and frequency of stretch had no effect on the long-term efflux of IGF-1. In contrast to stretch, embedding the differentiated muscle cells in a three-dimensional collagen (Type I) matrix resulted in a 2-5-fold increase in long-term IGF-1 efflux over 24-72 h. Collagen also caused a 2-5-fold increase in the release of the IGF binding proteins. Thus, both the extracellular matrix protein type I collagen and stretch stimulate the autocrine secretion of IGF-1, but with different time kinetics. This endogenously produced growth factor may be important for the growth response of skeletal myofibers to both types of external stimuli.

Perrone, Carmen E.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Lagged Wetland CH 4 Flux Response in a Historically Wet Year

While a stimulating effect of plant primary productivity on soil carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions has been well documented, links between gross primary productivity (GPP) and wetland methane (CH 4 ) emissions are less well investigated. Determination of the influence of primary productivity on wetland CH 4 emissions (FCH 4 ) is complicated by confounding influences of water table level and temperature on CH 4 production, which also vary seasonally. Here, in this work, we evaluate the link between preceding GPP and subsequent FCH 4 at two fens in Wisconsin using eddy covariance flux towers, Lost Creek (US-Los) and Allequash Creek (US-ALQ). Both wetlands are mosaics of forested and shrub wetlands, with US-Los being larger in scale and having a more open canopy. Co-located sites with multi-year observations of flux, hydrology, and meteorology provide an opportunity to measure and compare lag effects on FCH4 without interference due to differing climate. Daily average FCH4 from US-Los reached a maximum of 47.7 ηmol CH 4 m -2 s -1 during the study period, while US-ALQ was more than double at 117.9 ηmol CH 4 m -2 s -1 . The lagged influence of GPP on temperature-normalized FCH4 (T air -FCH 4 ) was weaker and more delayed in a year with anomalously high precipitation than a following drier year at both sites. FCH 4 at US-ALQ was lower coincident with higher stream discharge in the wet year (2019), potentially due to soil gas flushing during high precipitation events and lower water temperatures. Better understanding of the lagged influence of GPP on FCH 4 due to this study has implications for climate modeling and more accurate carbon budgeting.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Electrically driven photon emission from individual atomic defects in monolayer WS 2

Quantum dot–like single-photon sources in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) exhibit appealing quantum optical properties but lack a well-defined atomic structure and are subject to large spectral variability. Here, we demonstrate electrically stimulated photon emission from individual atomic defects in monolayer WS 2 and directly correlate the emission with the local atomic and electronic structure. Radiative transitions are locally excited by sequential inelastic electron tunneling from a metallic tip into selected discrete defect states in the WS 2 bandgap. Coupling to the optical far field is mediated by tip plasmons, which transduce the excess energy into a single photon. The applied tip-sample voltage determines the transition energy. Atomically resolved emission maps of individual point defects closely resemble electronic defect orbitals, the final states of the optical transitions. Inelastic charge carrier injection into localized defect states of two-dimensional materials provides a powerful platform for electrically driven, broadly tunable, atomic-scale single-photon sources.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1974

A remote operation quadrupole mass spectrometer using a custom radio-frequency link approach

A commercial quadrupole mass spectrometer (residual gas analyzer, RGA) system has been modified to operate at large separations of its electronics console and sensing head. The methods implemented have made practical applications, as well as operation, of such a system possible for the first time. This advance was stimulated by a need for placing sensors at remote (45 or 60 m) chamber locations for space simulation testing of orbital flight spacecraft. Emphasis is placed on instrument functional requirements and describing the hardware changes and adjustment techniques necessary to assure operation at the extended cable lengths.

Tashbar, P. W.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Broader Impacts and Outreach Videos on Ocean Physics and Biogeochemistry

This is just a preliminary NF1676 in advance of filming for a project....A convergent team of experts in biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, and computational modeling examine how dynamic and coupled phytoplankton-pathogen-particle-predator linkages coalesce to explain the observed high spatial variability in the efficiency of the export of particulate organic carbon (POC) to the deep ocean. They elucidate and quantify the linkages between viruses and ballast minerals to increase understanding of carbon cycling in the oceanic biological carbon pump and the impact of viruses within it. By providing knowledge than can be used to improve the parameterization of carbon export in Earth system models, the project will help reduce uncertainty in regional marine biogeochemical projections, potentially improving marine ecosystem and fisheries management on timescales from seasons to decades. The project includes activities that provide teaching resources and hands-on training to educators within a ‘Tools of Science’ program that provides a simple and succinct way to communicate the process of scientific research to students in a way that is useful to teachers. The project couples laboratory-based experiments on model host-virus-grazer systems with extensive field based observational and manipulative studies on natural populations of diatoms and coccolithophores, the two phytoplankton groups that account for most of the estimated particulate organic matter flux to the deep ocean. Experiments and measurements integrate diagnostic biological and chemical controls on infection and particle coagulation theory with microscale physics and grazing to quantify links to each hypothesized export mechanism under field-relevant turbulent conditions. Cutting-edge engineering and analytical tools are used to diagnose and track infection dynamics while characterizing and quantifying particle aggregation and disaggregation, mineral dissolution, sinking dynamics, grazing rates, and fecal pellet production at unprecedented resolution and under well-defined, microscale physical regimes. Field campaigns elucidate the relative efficiency of hypothesized mechanisms in stimulating POC export in natural blooms, while providing bulk and size-resolved estimates of POC flux.

Daniel B Whitt↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utah FORGE 10-3726: Geothermal Multiset Straddle for High Temperature Applications - 2024 Annual Workshop Presentation

This is a presentation on the Geothermal Multiset Straddle (GMS) for High Temperature Applications by Welltec, presented by Ricardo Vasques. This video slide presentation discusses the development of (1) an annular multiset isolation system; (2) a stimulation straddle isolation system; and (3) a multi open-close flow system, for geothermal environments. This is to enable effective zonal isolation and stimulation with multiset capabilities, to implement downhole controlled EGS in any location, and to extend the productive life of the well. This presentation was featured in the Utah FORGE R&D Annual Workshop on August 15, 2024.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1999

Modeling of THz Lasers Based on Intersubband Transitions in Semiconductor Quantum Wells

In semiconductor quantum well structures, the intersubband energy separation can be adjusted to the terahertz (THz) frequency range by changing the well width and material combinations. The electronic and optical properties of these nanostructures can also be controlled by an applied dc electric field. These unique features lead to a large frequency tunability of the quantum well devices. In the on-going project of modeling of the THz lasers, we investigate the possibility of using optical pumping to generate THz radiation based on intersubband transitions in semiconductor quantum wells. We choose the optical pumping because in the electric current injection it is difficult to realize population inversion in the THz frequency range due to the small intersubband separation (4-40 meV). We considered both small conduction band offset (GaAs/AlGaAs) and large band offset (InGaAs/AlAsSb) quantum well structures. For GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells, mid-infrared C02 lasers are used as pumping sources. For InGaAs/AlAsSb quantum wells, the resonant intersubband transitions can be excited by the near-infrared diode lasers. For three- and four-subband quantum wells, we solve the pumpfield-induced nonequilibrium distribution function for each subband of the quantum well system from a set of rate equations that include both intrasubband and intersubband relaxation processes. Taking into account the coherent interactions between pump and THz (signal) waves, we calculate the optical gain for the THz field. The gain arising from population inversion and stimulated Raman processes is calculated in a unified manner. A graph shows the calculated THz gain spectra for three-subband GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells. We see that the coherent pump and signal wave interactions contribute significantly to the gain. The pump intensity dependence of the THz gain is also studied. The calculated results are shown. Because of the optical Stark effect and pump-induced population redistribution, the maximum THz gain saturates at larger pump intensities.

Liu, Ansheng↗
DOE OSTI2022

The EGS Collab Project – Stimulations at Two Depths

The EGS Collab project, supported by the US Department of Energy, is performing intensively monitored rock stimulation and flow tests at the 10-m scale in an underground research laboratory to address challenges in implementing enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). Data and observations from the field tests are compared to simulations to understand processes and build confidence in numerical modeling of the processes. We have completed Experiment 1 (of 3), which examined hydraulic fracturing in a well-characterized underground fractured phyllite test bed at a depth of approximately 1.5 km at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota. Testbed characterization included fracture mapping, borehole acoustic and optical televiewers, full waveform sonic, conductivity, resistivity, temperature, campaign p- and s-wave investigations and electrical resistance tomography. Borehole geophysical techniques including passive seismic, continuous active source seismic monitoring, electrical resistance tomography, fiber-based distributed strain, distributed temperature, and distributed acoustic monitoring, were used to carefully monitor stimulation events and flow tests. More than a dozen stimulations and nearly one year of flow tests were performed. Quality data and detailed observations were collected and analyzed during stimulation and water flow tests using ambient temperature and chilled water. We achieved adaptive control of the tests using real-time monitoring and rapid dissemination of data and near-real-time simulation. More detailed numerical simulation was performed to answer key experimental design questions, forecast fracture propagation trajectories and extents, and analyze and evaluate results. Data are freely available from the Geothermal Data Repository. Experiment 2 examines the potential for hydraulic shearing in amphibolite at a depth of about 1.25 km at SURF. This site has a different set of stress and fracture conditions than Experiment 1. The Experiment 2 testbed consists of nine subhorizontal boreholes configured in two fans of two boreholes which surround the testbed and contain grouted-in electrical resistance tomography, seismic sensors, active seismic sources and distributed fiber sensors. A “five-spot” set of test wells that extends from a custom mined alcove includes an injection well and four production/monitoring wells. The testbed was characterized geophysically and hydrologically, and three stimulations have been performed using the Step-Rate Injection Method for Fracture In-Situ Properties (SIMFIP) tool to measure strains, and a new strain quantifying tool (downhole robotic strain analysis tool -DORSA) was deployed in a monitoring hole during stimulation. Real-time data were broadcast during stimulations to allow real-time response to arising issues.

EGS Collab, Enhanced Geothermal Systems, EGS, fiel↗
NASA NTRS1998

Normalization of periodontal tissues in osteopetrotic mib mutant rats, treated with CSF-1

The osteopetrotic mib mutation in rats causes defects in the skeletal bone tissue in young animals. These defects, i.e. slow bone remodelling, changes in both crystallinity and mineral content, are transient and undergo normalization, even without any treatment in 6-wk-old animals. Treatment with CSF-1 (colony stimulating factor-1) accelerates the normalization process in skeletal bones. The periodontal tissues around the apices of incisors show abnormalities caused by the slow remodelling process of the mandible bone tissue, the deficiency of osteoclasts and their abnormal morphology, as well as the disorganization of periodontal ligament fibres. In contrast to the skeletal tissues, these abnormalities would not undergo spontaneous normalization. Under treatment with colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1), the primitive bone trabeculae of mandible are resorbed and the normalization of the number of osteoclasts and their cytology occurs. The organization of the periodontal ligament fibres is partially restored, resembling the histological structure of the normal one.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spatio-spectral quantum state estimation of photon pairs from optical fiber using stimulated emission

Developing a quantum light source that carries more than one bit per photon is pivotal for expanding quantum information applications. Characterizing a high-dimensional multiple-degree-of-freedom source at the single-photon level is challenging due to the large parameter space as well as limited emission rates and detection efficiencies. Here, we characterize photon pairs generated in optical fiber in the transverse-mode and frequency degrees of freedom by applying stimulated emission in both degrees of freedom while detecting in one of them at a time. This method may be useful in the quantum state estimation and optimization of various photon-pair source platforms in which complicated correlations across multiple degrees of freedom may be present.

Kim, Dong Beom (ORCID:0000000346887375)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Utah FORGE 1-2410: Development of a Smart Completion and Stimulation Solution - Workshop Presentation

This is a presentation on the Development of a Smart Completion & Stimulation Solution project by Welltec in collaboration with the University of Oklahoma, presented by Yosafat Esquitin, a Senior Business Development Manager at Welltec. The project's objective was to develop an annular isolation system, a stimulation isolation system, and a multi-open-close flow system for geothermal environments. These systems were developed to enable effective zonal isolation and stimulation, implement downhole Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) in any location, and extend the productive life of the geothermal well. This presentation was featured in the Utah FORGE R&D Annual Workshop on September 7, 2023. The workshop provided a valuable opportunity to explore the progress made in each of the 17 Research and Development projects funded under Solicitation 2020-1 which aim to enhance our understanding of the crucial factors influencing the development EGS reservoirs and resources.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2010

Stimulus Characteristics for Vestibular Stochastic Resonance to Improve Balance Function

Stochastic resonance (SR) is a mechanism by which noise can enhance the response of neural systems to relevant sensory signals. Studies have shown that imperceptible stochastic vestibular electrical stimulation, when applied to normal young and elderly subjects, significantly improved their ocular stabilization reflexes in response to whole-body tilt as well as balance performance during postural disturbances. The goal of this study was to optimize the amplitude characteristics of the stochastic vestibular signals for balance performance during standing on an unstable surface. Subjects performed a standard balance task of standing on a block of foam with their eyes closed. Bipolar stochastic electrical stimulation was applied to the vestibular system using constant current stimulation through electrodes placed over the mastoid process behind the ears. Amplitude of the signals varied in the range of 0-700 microamperes. Balance performance was measured using a force plate under the foam block, and inertial motion sensors were placed on the torso and head. Balance performance with stimulation was significantly greater (10%-25%) than with no stimulation. The signal amplitude at which performance was maximized was in the range of 100-300 microamperes. Optimization of the amplitude of the stochastic signals for maximizing balance performance will have a significant impact on development of vestibular SR as a unique system to aid recovery of function in astronauts after long-duration space flight or in patients with balance disorders.

Mulavara, Ajitkumar↗