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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2023

Orbital Debris Shape Effect Investigations for Mitigating Risk

NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) and Hypervelocity Impact Technology (HVIT) team have coordinated to better understand the risks to upper stages and spacecraft from non-spherical orbital debris. It is well understood that fragmentation (collision or explosion) events in orbit produce fragments of various materials, sizes, and shapes. To further characterize these parameters, the ODPO is developing the next-generation Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) version 4.0 to include orbital debris shape distributions. Ground-based assets, such as radar and optical sensors, can provide size estimates and some insight into material based on radar return or optical filter photometry/spectroscopy, respectively. Characterizing an object’s shape requires more laboratory analyses to infer how shape affects these measurements. More importantly, in addition to size and material/density, the shape of fragments in orbit will alter the ballistic limit equations used in orbital debris risk assessments with NASA’s Bumper Code. The ODPO plans to release ORDEM 4.0 in the coming years. Performing ground-based laboratory impact tests on high-fidelity spacecraft mockups provides the means to directly measure size, mass, material/density, and shape of fragments, all key parameters needed to characterize real-world break up events. The DebriSat test, the results of which are provided, showcases the details of this type of experiment. The goal of this collaborative research between the ODPO and the HVIT team is to include a shape parameter in the environmental and breakup models used to assess risk for various space structures. This paper examines ground-based laboratory impact tests and the associated fragment shape categories. Provided these defined shapes, the approach is simplified by assuming a right circular cylinder (RCC) approximation with varying length-to-diameter ratios. Highlights of impact tests conducted by the HVIT team using non-spherical projectiles based on the RCC approximation are presented. Hydrocode simulations have also been performed to expand on the complexity of variations with non-spherical projectiles. Lastly, ray-tracing simulations of various RCCs of known material are provided to support the ongoing research on optical reflectance distributions with known shapes and to highlight how this may modify the current optical size estimation model. The status and plan forward are outlined for NASA's orbital debris shape effect investigation using a multidisciplinary approach by the ODPO and the HVIT team.

Heather Cowardin↗
NASA NTRS2001

Inductive Measurement of Plasma Jet Electrical Conductivity (MSFC Center Director's discretionary Fund)

Measurement of plasma jet electrical conductivity has utility in the development of explosively driven magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) energy converters as well as magnetic flux compression reaction chambers for nuclear/chemical pulse propulsion and power. Within these types of reactors, the physical parameter of critical importance to underlying MHD processes is the magnetic Reynolds number, the value of which depends upon the product of plasma electrical conductivity and velocity. Therefore, a thorough understanding of MHD phenomena at high magnetic Reynolds number is essential, and methods are needed for the accurate and reliable measurement of electrical conductivity in high-speed plasma jets. It is well known that direct measurements using electrodes suffer from large surface resistance, and an electrodeless technique is desired. To address this need, an inductive probing scheme, originally developed for shock tube studies, has been adapted. In this method, the perturbation of an applied magnetic field by a plasma jet induces a voltage in a search coil, which, in turn, can be used to infer electrical conductivity through the inversion of a Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. A 1-in.-diameter probe using a light-gas gun. Exploratory laboratory experiments were carried out using plasma jets expelled from 15-g shaped charges. Measured conductivities were in the range of 4 kS/m for unseeded octol charges and 26 kS/m for seeded octol charges containing 2-percent potassium carbonate by mass.

Turner, M. W.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Preface for frontiers of magnetic reconnection research in heliophysical, astrophysical, and laboratory plasmas

Magnetic reconnection—the topological rearrangement of magnetic field—underlies many explosive phenomena across a wide range of natural and laboratory plasmas.3 It plays a pivotal role in electron and ion heating, particle acceleration to high energies, energy transport, and self-organization. Reconnection can have a complex relationship with turbulence at both large and small scales, leading to various effects that are only beginning to be understood. In heliophysics, magnetic reconnection plays a key role in solar flares, coronal mass ejections, coronal heating, solar wind dissipation, the interaction of interplanetary plasma with magnetospheres, dynamics of planetary magnetospheres such as magnetic substorms, and the heliospheric boundary with the interstellar medium. Here, the magnetic reconnection is integral to the solar and planetary dynamo processes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Developing solid-surface plasma facing components for pilot plants and reactors with replenishable wall claddings and continuous surface conditioning. Part A: concepts and questions

Abstract It is estimated that pilot plants and reactors may experience rates of net erosion and deposition of solid plasma facing component (PFC) material of 10 3 –10 5 kg yr −1 . Even if the net erosion (wear) problem can be solved, the redeposition of so much material has the potential for major interference with operation, including disruptions due to so-called ‘unidentified flying objects (UFOs)’ and unsafe dust levels. The potential implications appear to be no less serious than for plasma contact with the divertor target: a dust explosion or a major UFO-disruption could be as damaging for an actively-cooled deuterium-tritium (DT) tokamak as target failure. It will therefore be necessary to manage material deposits to prevent their fouling operation. This situation appears to require a fundamental paradigm shift with regard to meeting the challenge of taming the plasma–material interface: it appears that any acceptable solid PFC material will in effect be flow-through , like liquid–metal PFCs, although at far lower mass flow rates. Solid PFC material will have to be treated as a consumable , like brake pads in cars. ITER will use high-Z (tungsten) armor on the divertor targets and low-Z (beryllium) on the main walls. The ARIES-AT reactor design calls for a similar arrangement, but with SiC cladding on the main walls. Non-metallic low-Z refractory materials such as ceramics (graphite, SiC, etc) used as in situ replenishable, relatively thin—of order mm—claddings on a substrate which is resistant to neutron damage could provide a potential solution for the main walls, while reducing the risk of degrading the confined plasma. Separately, wall conditioning has proven essential for achieving high performance. For DT devices, however, standard methods appear to be unworkable, but recently powder droppers injecting low-Z material ∼continuously into discharges have been quite effective and may be usable in DT devices as well. The resulting massive generation of low-Z debris, however, has the same potential to seriously disrupt operation as noted above. Powder droppers provide a unique opportunity to carry out controlled studies on the management of low-Z slag in all current tokamaks, independent of whether their protection tiles use low-Z or high-Z material.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Blast Effects on Buildings (Final Report)

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has conservatively reduced the explosive safety standards suggested by the Small Quantities in Research Laboratories (SQRL) program testing by 60%. For this reason, further research into the detailed effects of small amounts of explosives in typically constructed rooms is needed in order to improve their factor of safety. The team was tasked with designing an experiment to investigate the effect of different variables on drywall under explosive blasts. In order to meet this objective, the team conducted a comprehensive literature review to gain an understanding of industry-standard construction practices and review previous tests conducted by the Army corp of engineers. Since the team used PBXN-5 rather than C4, as in SQRL, an initial shot was conducted to compare damage levels. From those results and the physical constraints of the testing chamber, the team redesigned multiple single-panel drywall frames to capture the entirety of the incurred damage. Proposed designs were narrowed down using a decision matrix. From the study of previous tests and literature review, variables were chosen that the team hypothesized to have an impact on drywall strength. The variables that were tested were chosen from the results of that work and specific variables the sponsor was interested in, and they were paint, humidity/moisture content, and explosive positioning relative to the studs. Detailed plans were made for each variable according to what conditions the team wanted to investigate. For humidity, this involved testing low, ambient, and high conditions by treating the panels in a chamber. Preliminary shots were performed to test the structural integrity of the frame and streamline the test diagnostics which involved a high-speed camera placed behind the drywall, outside of the chamber, and a pressure probe placed behind the drywall, inside the chamber. Once the instrumentation, diagnostics, and frame design were finalized, a quantitative damage criteria matrix was created to categorize the results of the main shot series. In conjunction with evidence from the high-speed video, the achieved damage levels indicate that high moisture content drywall is better able to withstand explosive blasts. Larger stud damage and lower drywall damage occurred when the explosive was located directly in front of a stud. Paint had no noticeable impact on strength. Ultimately, the team conducted a total of 17 tests, leaving the door open for future in-depth research into the impact of humidity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

A continuum damage approach to spallation and the role of microinertia

Spall failure is of interest due to its prevalence in high strain rate problems in which the spallation is driven by the interaction of release waves. In this article, a porosity-based damage model that includes microinertial effects is used to examine spall failure. The model is successfully calibrated to plate impact-driven experiments and then used to evaluate experimental conditions producing more extreme strain rate conditions, such as those in laser-driven experiments. The incorporation of microinertia allows us to better understand the increase in apparent macroscopic spall strength seen at high strain rates. Correspondingly, we conclude that the incorporation of microinertial effects improves the model’s predictive capabilities. Microinertial effects result in more severe local tensile stresses that affect the damage evolution, and microinertia can play a significant role in the approach to the material’s ideal strength at extreme loading rates. Additionally, a preliminary parametric study is also carried out to investigate the role of microstructural aspects such as nucleation volume fraction and initial pore radius. One counter-intuitive result from the microinertial effects is that, for a given nucleation site volume fraction, having larger initial pore nucleation sites can lead to an improved macroscopic spall strength.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Effect of surface roughness on phase transition timing in megaampere pulsed-power–driven exploding conductors

An understanding of material phase transitions in megaampere pulsed-power–driven exploding conductors is important for predicting the growth of hydrodynamic instabilities in magneto-inertial fusion concepts. Here, this study analyzes phase transitions in electrical conductor explosions using 1D Lagrangian and 2D arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulations to show that micrometer-scale surface roughness can lead to the electrothermal instability (ETI), a feedback effect that concentrates resistive heating and leads to early melting and ablation. Simulations of the Mykonos electrothermal instability II (METI-II) experiment show melting begins 19% sooner for machined rods with micrometer-scale surface roughness than for rods without these features. The surface magnetic field is 41 T around the initial region of melt, representing a lower magnitude than both the 86 T from 1D simulations and the 85 T threshold reported elsewhere. In 2D simulations with micrometer-scale surface roughness, temperature measurements indicate the critical point temperature of aluminum is reached 17% faster in comparison with 1D simulations. Values from 2D simulations with surface roughness align with predictions from ETI theory, and the observed temperature redistribution further supports the ETI as an underlying mechanism. Simulation results are validated against experimental photonic Doppler velocimetry data. This study shows 1D simulations are adequate to model conductors with sub-micrometer-scale surface roughness in this high-energy-density regime; however, 2D or 3D simulations are required to capture the full range of physics for accurately describing phase transitions in conductors with micrometer-scale or larger surface roughness.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1994

Damage Mechanisms and Controlled Crack Propagation in a Hot Pressed Silicon Nitride Ceramic

The subcritical growth of cracks from pre-existing flaws in ceramics can severely affect the structural reliability of a material. The ability to directly observe subcritical crack growth and rigorously analyze its influence on fracture behavior is important for an accurate assessment of material performance. A Mode I fracture specimen and loading method has been developed which permits the observation of stable, subcritical crack extension in monolithic and toughened ceramics. The test specimen and procedure has demonstrated its ability to generate and stably propagate sharp, through-thickness cracks in brittle high modulus materials. Crack growth for an aluminum oxide ceramic was observed to be continuously stable throughout testing. Conversely, the fracture behavior of a silicon nitride ceramic exhibited crack growth as a series of subcritical extensions which are interrupted by dynamic propagation. Dynamic initiation and arrest fracture resistance measurements for the silicon nitride averaged 67 and 48 J/sq m, respectively. The dynamic initiation event was observed to be sudden and explosive. Increments of subcritical crack growth contributed to a 40 percent increase in fracture resistance before dynamic initiation. Subcritical crack growth visibly marked the fracture surface with an increase in surface roughness. Increments of subcritical crack growth loosen ceramic material near the fracture surface and the fracture debris is easily removed by a replication technique. Fracture debris is viewed as evidence that both crack bridging and subsurface microcracking may be some of the mechanisms contributing to the increase in fracture resistance. A Statistical Fracture Mechanics model specifically developed to address subcritical crack growth and fracture reliability is used together with a damaged zone of material at the crack tip to model experimental results. A Monte Carlo simulation of the actual experiments was used to establish a set of modeling input parameters. It was demonstrated that a single critical parameter does not characterize the conditions required for dynamic initiation. Experimental measurements for critical crack lengths, and the energy release rates exhibit significant scatter. The resulting output of the model produces good agreement with both the average values and scatter of experimental measurements.

Calomino, Anthony Martin↗
DOE OSTI2025

Beyond Magic Barrels: Digital manufacturing for crystallization, process development and optimization of explosive materials: Part II Resveratrol Exemplar

This SAND report summarizes work supported by an Engineering Sciences Research Foundation (ESRF) Lab Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project entitled “Beyond Magic Barrels: Digital manufacturing for crystallization, process development and optimization of explosive materials.” This SAND report is written in two parts with Part 1 discusses recrystallization of our explosive exemplar and Part 2 summarizing our work with recrystallization of resveratrol. We have studied resveratrol recrystallization with a multiscale approach combining experiments, modeling and simulation. At the single crystal scale, microscopy experiments illuminate crystal time-dependent growth rates using advanced image analysis. Bench scale experiments were carried out to look at growth of multiple particles in a small reactor creating thousands of particles and analyzing the results with microscopy and μCT. For the modeling we combine kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) models with subscale information from density functional theory (DFT) or molecular dynamics. This work is discussed in Part 1 and can also be found in a paper from the project discussing a coarse-grained kMC model specifically developed for resveratrol. For well-mixed systems, we have population balance equations (PBE) linked with species mass conservation forming a set of ordinary differential equations that can be solved quickly. For more complicated geometries, such as the vat crystallization used throughout the complex, a coupled computational fluid dynamic (CFD)/PBE method was developed to account for gradients in temperature and concentration and differences in crystallization rates throughout the domain. These simulations are more complex and require high performance computing. We present results for two cases: 5% seed fast cool with parameters fit to the well-mixed case and 5% seed slow cool using the same parameters. We show reasonable agreement with experiments though are particles are significantly larger than the experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Comprehensive Data Analysis and Analytic Method Development for PBX9501 Material (FY2019 Annual Report of Aging and Lifetimes Program)

In the polymer bonded explosive (PBX) 9501, a binder consisting of 2.5 wt% nitroplasticizer (NP) and 2.5 wt% Estane R 5703 (Estane) is combined with 94.9 wt% of the high-explosive HMX and 0.1 wt% stabilizer. Because of its flexibility and tensile strength, this binder lowers the sensitivity and improves the manufacturability of PBX 9501. However, like many plasticizers comprised of low molecular weight components, NP has a tendency to diffuse out of the PBX 9501 matrix and can decompose at moderate temperatures into reactive byproducts, such as NO, NO 2 , H 2 O, and HNO x . Through oxidation and hydrolysis, these molecules can further degrade NP and Estane, ultimately degrading the properties of PBX 9501. While gaseous molecules can readily diffuse out of the PBX 9501 charges, the intermediates with lower volatility are more likely trapped in the condensed phase inside the charges and, in a closed system, will co-exist with Estane for an extended period of time creating an ongoing reactive environment. Understanding the rates of formation for these volatiles and intermediates during the NP degradation is therefore a critical prerequisite for understanding the long-term stability of polymeric binders used in munition systems. To work toward this ultimate goal, in the past year, we have conducted comprehensive studies on the physical properties of NP and finished three-year long aging experiment to understand the aging behavior of NP under thermal treatment. Important results are summarized in this annual report. Although NP is widely used in the DOE complex, their physical properties are rather scattered and inconsistent in the open literature. For example, there are at least two widely different values, 14.5°C and -15°C, for the melting point of NP. Although it is known that NP is a eutectic 50:50 mixture of BDNPA and BDNPF, their eutectic phase diagram is not well documented. Furthermore, the effect of temperature on the miscibility between water and eutectic BDNPA/F mixture is rarely reported. To fill these knowledge gaps, a large set of BDNPA/F mixtures with BDNPA concentration ranging from 0 to 100 wt% was analyzed using DSC techniques. In addition to determining the eutectic melt point as -25°C, a phase diagram of the BDNPA/F system was constructed from -30°C to 45°C. With this phase diagram, the phase transition temperatures and composition can be readily found for the BDNPA/F mixtures with various mass ratios.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Near-MHz temperature and H 2 O measurements in post-detonation fireballs of 25 g hemispherical explosives using scanned-wavelength-modulation spectroscopy

A laser absorption spectroscopy diagnostic integrated within a hardened optical probe was used to measure temperature and water mole fraction at 500 kHz in post-detonation fireballs of explosives. In the experiments, an exploding-bridgewire detonator initiated a 25 g hemisphere of explosive (N5 or PETN). This produced a hemispherical fireball that traveled radially towards a hardened measurement probe. The probe contained a pressure transducer and optical equipment to pitch fiber-coupled laser light across a 12.6 cm gap onto a detector. Tunable diode lasers emitting near 7185.6 and 6806 c m − <#comment/> 1 were used to measure the absorbance spectrum of H 2 O utilizing peak-picking scanned-wavelength-modulation spectroscopy with a scan frequency of 500 kHz and modulation frequencies of 35 and 45.5 MHz, respectively. This enabled measurements of temperature and X H 2 O in the shock-heated air and trailing fireball at 500 kHz. Time histories of pressure, temperature, and H 2 O mole fraction were acquired at different standoff distances to quantify how the fireball evolved in space and time as well as to compare measured quantities between PETN and N5 fireballs. The standard deviation of temperature and X H 2 O during one representative test were found to be 17 K (1.3%) and 0.011 (5%), respectively. These measurements demonstrate this diagnostic’s ability to provide rapid and reliable measurements in harsh, highly transient post-detonation environments produced by solid explosives.

Schwartz, Charles J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

MACHINE LEARNING BASED CHEMICAL EXPLOSIVE MODE ANALYSIS (ML-CEMA)

The software consists of a Machine Learning based Chemical Explosive Mode Analysis (ML-CEMA) tool for advanced computational flame diagnostics. CEMA, originally based on eigen-analysis of the local thermochemical system, is capable of identifying reaction fronts and limit phenomena such as auto-ignition and extinction in practical combustion systems, such as internal combustion engines and gas turbine combustors. However, the original CEMA is computationally expensive for large reaction mechanisms that are typically needed to describe fuel chemistry of practical large-hydrocarbon fuels. This novel ML-CEMA tool employs a ML technique to accelerate the eigen-analysis of the basic CEMA approach by orders of magnitude, thus making it suitable for practical fuels. In ML-CEMA,zero-dimensional (0D) reactors and one-dimensional (1D) premixed flames are first used to generate a large number of data points for neural network based ML training. The trained ML model is then used to perform CEMA prediction. This ML-CEMA tool has been demonstrated in canonical 0D and 1D configurations as well as highly-transient three-dimensional spray flames exhibiting multi-mode turbulent combustion, showing promising results. ML-CEMA, as a standalone tool, can be used for computationally-efficient diagnostics of massive datasets generated from both experiments and simulations. For example, based on spatially resolved measurements of a small set of reactive scalars(such as temperature, hydroxyl radical and formaldehyde), ML-CEMA can effectively identify flame fronts and rare events. ML-CEMA also provides a robust online or offline flame feature detection tool. When used for on-the-fly simulations, ML-CEMA further enables zone-adaptive combustion modeling, in which the predicted eigenvalue is used as a robust mode indicator for judicious assignment of locally-valid combustion models. This ML-CEMA based zone-adaptive model can lead to substantial computational cost savings when used for large-scale simulations of multi-mode combustion systems. Third Party Code Web Page to Download Code Web Page Location of Third Party License

Xu, Chao↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spectroscopic observations of progenitor activity 100 days before a Type Ibn supernova

Obtaining spectroscopic observations of the progenitors of core-collapse supernovae is often unfeasible, due to an inherent lack of knowledge as to what stars experience supernovae and when they will explode. In this Letter we present photometric and spectroscopic observations of the progenitor activity of SN 2023fyq before the He-rich progenitor explodes as a Type Ibn supernova. The progenitor of SN 2023fyq shows an exponential rise in flux prior to core collapse. Complex He I emission line features are observed in the progenitor spectra, with a P Cygni-like profile, as well as an evolving broad base with velocities of the order of 10 000 km s −1 . The luminosity and evolution of SN 2023fyq is consistent with a Type Ibn, reaching a peak r -band magnitude of −18.8 mag, although there is some uncertainty regarding the distance to the host, NGC 4388, which is located in the Virgo cluster. We present additional evidence of asymmetric He-rich material being present both prior to and after the explosion of SN 2023fyq, which suggests that this material survived the ejecta interaction. Broad [O I ], C I , and the Ca II triplet lines are observed at late phases, confirming that SN 2023fyq was a genuine supernova, rather than a non-terminal interacting transient. SN 2023fyq provides insight into the final moments of a massive star’s life, demonstrating that the progenitor is likely highly unstable before core collapse.

Brennan, S. J. (ORCID:0000000313256235)↗
DOE OSTI2025

Layers Can Be Deceiving: A Hopping Model for Small Molecule Diffusion in TATB Crystal

Sorption of small molecule gases in materials can play a significant role in their long‐term stability and compatibility within multi‐material assemblies. While many material properties of the insensitive high explosive TATB (1,3,5‐triamino‐2,4,6‐trinitrobenzene) are well understood, very little is known regarding its permeability to gases. TATB crystal exhibits a graphitic‐like layered packing structure that evokes a mental schema in which the layers form nanoscopic channels, but it is unclear whether this structure promotes gas transport. Here, we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to predict transport of small molecules through TATB single crystal. An approach to fit classical force fields is developed to model TATB interactions with H 2 O, He, Ne, and Ar, which is then combined with steered MD to probe gas transport along selected directions in the crystal. We find that small molecule transport occurs via a hopping mechanism that exhibits distinct jumps between interstitial sites and is substantially faster normal to the layers as compared to through them. This result stems from the finding that intralayer junctions between adjacent TATB molecules are the most stable interstitial sites and that energetic barriers are lower for hopping between adjacent layers. An empirical model for diffusion rate based on the MD data shows that the rate decays exponentially with increasing molecular radius and is negligibly small for all molecules larger than He, including common atmospheric gases. These findings have implications for the interpretation of experiments that measure surface area, material response to extreme conditions, and are expected to help constrain models for material aging.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Initial Atmospheric Transport of Particles

A new version of the Initial Atmospheric Transport (IAT) model has been developed. This report fully characterizes the new model. IAT is designed to model heat release into the atmosphere that contains contaminated particles. The heat release forms a buoyant puff or plume. Buoyancy is quickly dissipated in 10's to 100's of seconds through drag and entrainment of ambient air. The final location of contaminant particles in the atmosphere after dissipation of abnormal heat is an important input to long term transportation codes such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) code. Ultimately the settling of contaminants after long term transport provides a basis for estimating health consequences. In comparison to the old version, the new model includes explicit simulation of particles, newly formulated equations of motion for a rising puff, and a new plume model. The plume model releases many instances of a single puff along a single trajectory in a way that balances energy released over a longer period than would be appropriate for a single puff. The puff model has additions for vorticity, turbulence, virtual mass, drag, and entrainment. The particle model leads to direct interfacing between IAT and the long-term transport code HYSPLIT. Previously, particle locations were given a pattern based on IAT's puff trajectory with no particle simulation. Now, particles are explicitly simulated, and 3-D spatial distributions of particles are output based on final positions. Ballistic particles are thrown outward at high velocity from explosive events and tend to hit the ground before the end of the simulation. Non-ballistic particles tend to get pulled into the rising puff s ring of vorticity with some escaping to ambient conditions as buoyant energy dissipates. A new model verification and validation effort was made for the new plume model. The Wallops Island Solid Rocket Propellant (SRP) fire plume was extracted to a 3-D transient dataset. After calibration, the model performs better than previous single puff attempts. Even so, error levels in the process used to estimate location and ambient weather conditions approach 30%. This leads to the conclusion that unplanned photogrammetry evaluations of the IAT model are useful but not sufficiently accurate to quantify model parameters. Like previous attempts, the vertical motion entrainment parameters come out much too high in comparison to values for other studies in the literature. It is suspected that a new model of shear entrainment would alleviate this problem. Unfortunately, IAT already has more calibration parameters than the data comparisons thus far can resolve with statistical certainty. This underscores the need to verify and validate the IAT model using detailed CFD studies that allow ideal statistical comparison with the IAT model for hundreds of cases. Even so, validation by comparison to carefully planned experiments (i.e. with acceptable error levels) is also necessary because the dynamics of entrainment are at a sub-grid level for CFD. Though better validation and verification are most important, many new enhancements are still envisioned for future IAT development. These include particle rain out due to condensation and agglomeration of water, direct connection to the North American Mesoscale (NAM) weather dataset, dynamic weather conditions, including ambient particle entrainment into the puff, and detrainment at the puff to ambient mixing interface. In general, including detailed aerosol dynamics is the greatest coming challenge which will require an entire new sub-model in IAT. This is very important if contaminant particles change in such a way that they increase or decrease in their potential harm to the environment.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Preliminary Analysis of Source Physics Experiment Explosion-Triggered Microseismicity Using the Back-Projection Method

A series of four chemical explosions were detonated in a deep borehole within the Yucca Flat Dry Alluvium Geology (DAG) at the Nevada National Security Site between 2018 and 2019. The two larger chemical explosions of 50 tons (DAG-2) and 10 tons (DAG-4) TNT equivalent yield triggered energetic aftershock sequences numbering 1392 and 347 microearthquakes, respectively, within the first 10 days. No significant aftershock activity was observed for the two smaller 1-ton explosions (DAG-1 and DAG-3). Here, we used a back-projection method based on travel-time migration and stacking of signal-to-noise ratio traces to detect, associate and locate aftershocks from a subset of 22-geophones within a larger 2 urn:x-wiley:21699313:media:jgrb54910:jgrb54910-math-0001 2 km seismic array surrounding the borehole. The aftershocks located within 300 m of the borehole and the depths were above the working points of 300 and 50 m depths of DAG-2 and DAG-4, respectively, ruling out triggering slip on geologic faults or disturbances beneath neighboring collapse craters. DAG-2 and DAG-4 aftershocks decayed at similar rates, with power-law exponents of p = 1.48 and p = 1.49, respectively. These decay rates are comparable to aftershocks sequences triggered by earthquakes and historical nuclear explosions at Yucca Flat. A smooth power-law aftershock decay within the first 10 days suggests a triggering mechanism from explosion generated stress relaxation due to the diffusion of high gas pressures in the cavity and radial fractures. A more random and episodic aftershock rate would be expected due to cavity collapse or falling rubble in chimney formation.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization and differentiation of aluminum powders used in improvised explosive devices – Part 1: Proof of concept of the utility of particle micromorphometry

Abstract Aluminum (Al) powders are commonly used in improvised explosive devices as metallic fuels, a component of explosive mixtures. These powders can be obtained readily from industrial‐scale and consumer products, and produced using unsophisticated “kitchen chemistry” techniques. This research demonstrates the potential of automated particle micromorphometry for comparisons between known source and questioned Al powders recovered from IEDs, as well as for insight into the method of Al powder manufacture. Al powder samples were obtained from legitimate manufacturers, and 56 samples were produced “in‐house” from Al‐containing spray paints and ball‐milled Al foils. Transmitted light microscope images of Al powder particles were acquired using an automated stage with automated z‐focus; 17 size and shape parameters were measured for all particles. Approximately 37,000–2,500,000 particles/sample were analyzed using an open‐source statistical package with customized code. Dimensionality reduction was required for processing the large datasets: eight of the 17 measured variables were selected based on inspection of the correlation matrix. Data from four subsamples from each of the 56 samples produced using “in‐house” methods were analyzed using ANOVA to assess the within‐ and between‐sample variation. High within‐sample variation was noted; however, ANOVA and post‐hoc Tukey's honestly significant difference (HSD) tests demonstrated that the between‐sample variation was substantially larger than the within‐sample variation. Each sample could be differentiated from all other samples in the test set. Future experiments will focus on ways to reduce the within‐sample variation, and additional statistical and microanalytical methods to classify sources and confidently constrain the method of Al powder manufacture.

Baldaino, JenaMarie↗
DOE OSTI2024

HIGH BURNUP FUEL-COOLANT INTERACTION ANALYSIS SUPPORTING FUEL SAFETY TESTING AT IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY

In the near future, experiments on HBu fuel under loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) and reactivity-initiated accident (RIA) conditions will be performed within the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). These experiments will be performed using the Transient Water Irradiation System for TREAT (TWIST) experiment vehicle. To support these experiments, analysis of fuel-coolant interaction (FCI) energetics is underway. This paper discusses FCIs in the context of light water reactor (LWR) safety, differentiating between the severe accident focus of commercial reactors and experimental RIA test programs where FCIs have occurred. However, it is highlighted that as the nuclear industry aims for increased burnup limits, the FCI events observed in RIA test programs may become relevant to commercial LWR safety analysis. The paper then presents developments to the UW-FCI computer program to enable simulation of FCIs initiated by solid fuel particles dispersing into the coolant during RIAs.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗