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At least 325 records · Page 18

Outburst of Comet Halley at 14.3 AU

Observations of comet Halley on February 15, 1991 showed that the comet had undergone a tremendous outburst in brightness sometime before the past month. At the time of the observation, the comet was at a heliocentric distance, R of 14.3 AU, and the expected nuclear magnitude was near 25.4 in the m sub R bandpass. The comet was observed to have an extensive dust coma, extending at least 300,000 km in diameter towards a position angle of 135 degrees. The anti-solar direction was at a position angle of 27 degrees. The brightness of the comet within a 5 arcsec aperture was approximately 20.2, and the total brightness of the nucleus and coma is estimated near 17. An effective exposure of 4.75 hours shows that the coma is well defined with a brightness enhancement at the outer edge. The last observations of the comet were obtained during April 1990 with the Cerro Tololo 4m telescope when the comet was at a distance, R of 12.75 AU. At that time the comet had reached its expected nuclear brightness of 24.9 and there was no evidence of activity. This new episode of activity in the comet is most likely caused by sublimation of a more volatile species than water, for example CO or CO2, which had built up sufficient pressure beneath the dust mantle to initiate an outburst. Continued monitoring of the comet is planned to observe the evolution of the dust coma. Measurements of the expansion velocity may suggest which volatile was responsible for the activity.

Meech, Karen J.↗

Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in orthostatic hypotension

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We sought to evaluate cerebral autoregulation in patients with orthostatic hypotension (OH). METHODS: We studied 21 patients (aged 52 to 78 years) with neurogenic OH during 80 degrees head-up tilt. Blood flow velocities (BFV) from the middle cerebral artery were continuously monitored with transcranial Doppler sonography, as were heart rate, blood pressure (BP), cardiac output, stroke volume, CO2, total peripheral resistance, and cerebrovascular resistance. RESULTS: All OH patients had lower BP (P<.0001), BFV_diastolic (P<.05), CVR (P<.007), and TPR (P<.02) during head-up tilt than control subjects. In control subjects, no correlations between BFV and BP were found during head-up tilt, suggesting normal autoregulation. OH patients could be separated into those with normal or expanded autoregulation (OH_NA; n=16) and those with autoregulatory failure (OH_AF; n=5). The OH_NA group showed either no correlation between BFV and BP (n=8) or had a positive BFV/BP correlation (R2>.75) but with a flat slope. An expansion of the "autoregulated" range was seen in some patients. The OH_AF group was characterized by a profound fall in BFV in response to a small reduction in BP (mean deltaBP <40 mm Hg; R2>.75). CONCLUSIONS: The most common patterns of cerebral response to OH are autoregulatory failure with a flat flow-pressure relationship or intact autoregulation with an expanded autoregulated range. The least common pattern is autoregulatory failure with a steep flow-pressure relationship. Patients with patterns 1 and 2 have an enhanced capacity to cope with OH, while those with pattern 3 have reduced capacity.

Non-NASA Center↗

Control of Cement Timing, Mineralogy, and Texture on Hydro-chemo-mechanical Coupling from CO2 Injection into Sandstone: A Synthesis

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) has been widely applied to enhance oil recovery (CO2-EOR). A thorough investigation of the impact of injecting CO2 into a heterogeneous reservoir is critical to understanding the overall reservoir robustness and storage performance. We conducted fifteen flow-through tests on Morrow B sandstone that allowed for chemical reactions between a CO2-rich brackish solution and the sandstones, and four creep/flow-through tests that simultaneously allowed for chemical reactions and stress monitoring. From fluid chemistry and X-ray computed tomography, we found that the dissolution of disseminated cements and the precipitation of iron-rich clays did not significantly affect the permeability and geomechanical properties. Minor changes in mechanical properties from Brazilian and creep tests indicated that the matrix structure was well-supported by early diagenetic quartz overgrowth cement and the reservoir’s compaction history at deep burial depths. However, one sample experienced a dissolution of poikilotopic calcite, leading to a permeability increase and significant tensile strength degradation due to pore opening, which overcame the effect of the early diagenetic cements. We concluded that the Morrow B sandstone reservoir is robust for CO2 injection. Most importantly, cement timing, the abundance and texture of reactive minerals, and the reservoir’s burial history are critical in predicting reservoir robustness and storage capacity for CO2 injection.

Wu, Zhidi (ORCID:0000000338869492)↗

Thin Water Films Enable Low-Temperature Magnesite Growth Under Conditions Relevant to Geologic Carbon Sequestration

Injecting supercritical CO2 (scCO2) into basalt formations for long-term storage is a promising strategy for mitigating CO2 emissions. Mineral carbonation can result in permanent entrapment of CO2; however, carbonation kinetics in thin H2O films in humidified scCO2 is not well understood. We investigated forsterite (Mg2SiO4) carbonation to magnesite (MgCO3) via amorphous magnesium carbonate (AMC; MgCO3·xH2O, 0.5 < x < 1), with the goal to establish the fundamental controls on magnesite growth rates at low H2O activity and temperature. Experiments were conducted at 25, 40, and 50 °C in 90 bar CO2 with a H2O film thickness on forsterite that averaged 1.78 ± 0.05 monolayers. In situ infrared spectroscopy was used to monitor forsterite dissolution and the growth of AMC, magnesite, and amorphous SiO2 as a function of time. Geochemical kinetic modeling showed that magnesite was supersaturated by two to three orders of magnitude and grew according to a zero-order rate law. The results indicate that the main drivers for magnesite growth are sustained high supersaturation coupled with low H2O activity, a combination of thermodynamic conditions not attainable in bulk aqueous solution. This improved understanding of reaction kinetics can inform subsurface reactive transport models for better predictions of CO2 fate and transport.

Kerisit, Sebastien N.↗

Monitoring global vegetation using Nimbus-7 37 GHz data - Some empirical relations

The difference of the vertically and horizontally polarized brightness temperatures observed by the 37 GHz channel of the SMMR on board the Nimbus-7 satellite are correlated temporally with three indicators of vegetation density, namely the temporal variation of the atmospheric CO2 concentration at Mauna Loa (Hawaii), rainfall over the Sahel and the normalized difference vegetation index derived from the AVHRR on board the NOAA-7 satellite. SMMR 37 GHz and AVHRR provide complementary data sets for monitoring global vegetation, the 37 GHz data being more suitable for arid and semiarid regions as these data are more sensitive to changes in sparse vegetation. The 37-GHz data might be useful for understanding desertification and indexing Co2 exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere.

Choudhury, B. J.↗

Southeast Regional CO 2 Utilization and Storage Acceleration Partnership (SECARB-USA): Preliminary Regional Assessment of Potential Storage Complexes, Including Capacities and Costs, Based on Application of NRAP and SCO2T (Deliverable 3.3) Storage Complexes

The Recipient will assist with the field validation of one or more risk assessment toolsets through: 1) collaborative research; 2) sharing of relevant datasets, information, and technical insights from field efforts; and 3) other modeling and simulation toolsets as they are developed. Collaborative research could include, but is not limited to: 1) demonstrating use of field data for improved leakage pathway characterization, uncertainty reduction, and risk management and uncertainty workflows; 2) testing and validation of a specific National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) tool using site specific data; and 3) improved modeling or reduced-order modeling of geophysical monitoring.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Carbon Utilization and Storage Partnership of the Western United States

This technical report documents research conducted under DOE Award No. DE-FE0031837 focused on evaluating the feasibility of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) systems in the central and western United States. The project integrated geologic characterization, reservoir simulation, infrastructure modeling, and economic analysis to assess CO₂ storage potential near industrial sources and develop strategies for transport and sequestration. The work included subsurface modeling, risk assessment, monitoring and verification (MRV) planning, and evaluation of regulatory pathways such as EPA Underground Injection Control (UIC) Class VI permitting and IRS 45Q tax credit eligibility. Results demonstrate the viability of multiple storage approaches, including saline formations, enhanced coalbed methane recovery, and basalt mineralization, supported by data-driven workflows and regional analyses. The project also produced permitting templates, technology transfer activities, and stakeholder engagement efforts to support deployment readiness. These findings contribute to the development of scalable, economically viable CCUS systems and provide a repeatable framework for future carbon management projects.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Carbon Dioxide Washout Testing Using Various Inlet Vent Configurations in the Mark-III Space Suit

Requirements for using a space suit during ground testing include providing adequate carbon dioxide (CO2) washout for the suited subject. Acute CO2 exposure can lead to symptoms including headache, dyspnea, lethargy, and eventually unconsciousness or even death. Symptoms depend on several factors including inspired partial pressure of CO2 (ppCO2), duration of exposure, metabolic rate of the subject, and physiological differences between subjects. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis has predicted that the configuration of the suit inlet vent has a significant effect on oronasal CO2 concentrations. The main objective of this test was to characterize inspired oronasal ppCO2 for a variety of inlet vent configurations in the Mark-III suit across a range of workload and flow rates. Data and trends observed during testing along with refined CFD models will be used to help design an inlet vent configuration for the Z-2 space suit. The testing methodology used in this test builds upon past CO2 washout testing performed on the Z-1 suit, Rear Entry I-Suit, and the Enhanced Mobility Advanced Crew Escape Suit. Three subjects performed two test sessions each in the Mark-III suit to allow for comparison between tests. Six different helmet inlet vent configurations were evaluated during each test session. Suit pressure was maintained at 4.3 psid. Suited test subjects walked on a treadmill to generate metabolic workloads of approximately 2000 and 3000 BTU/hr. Supply airflow rates of 6 and 4 actual cubic feet per minute were tested at each workload. Subjects wore an oronasal mask with an open port in front of the mouth and were allowed to breathe freely. Oronasal ppCO2 was monitored real-time via gas analyzers with sampling tubes connected to the oronasal mask. Metabolic rate was calculated from the CO2 production measured by an additional gas analyzer at the air outlet from the suit. Real-time metabolic rate measurements were used to adjust the treadmill workload to meet target metabolic rates. This paper provides detailed descriptions of the test hardware, methodology and results, as well as implications for future inlet vent designs and ground testing.

Korona, F. Adam↗

A standard particle sizer-velocimeter

A standard particle sizer-cum-velocimeter is described, which was designed and built for the purpose of providing a standard source of aerosols of known size-distribution, moving with a known velocity, for the purpose of calibrating the continuous wave (CW) CO2-Laser Doppler Velocimeters at Marshall Space Flight Center. The instrument is designed with the capabilities of: (1) monitoring the size-distribution of particles of diameters larger than 1.0 microns; (2) measuring flow velocities in the range 0.05 - 100.0 cm/sec; (3) photographing particles of diameters above 0.2 microns moving at slow speeds (approximately 0.1 cm/sec); (4) measuring the size-distribution of particles settling in quiet air (or convection velocities of less than 0.15 cm/sec); and (5) use in the laboratory or in the field.

Deepak, A.↗

DIAL with heterodyne detection including speckle noise: Aircraft/shuttle measurements of O3, H2O, and NH3 with pulsed tunable CO2lasers

A parametric analysis of DIAL sensitivity with heterodyne detection is presented and comparisons with direct detection are discussed. Examples are given for monitoring vertical distributions of O3, H2O, and NH3 using a ground-, aircraft-, or shuttle-based pulsed tunable CO2 laser DIAL system. Results indicate that maximum sensitivity at minimum laser energy per measurement requires multiple pulse operation with the energy per pulse selected so that the measured photon rate is approximately equal to the detector IF bandwidth. Measurement sensitivities can be maximized and interference effects minimized by fine adjustment of measurement frequencies using the tunability of high pressure lasers. The use of rare isotope lasers minimizes loss due to CO2 atmospheric absorption.

Brockman, P.↗

Vertical structure and size distributions of Martian aerosols from solar occultation measurements

Phobos 2 spectrometer measurements of solar occultations close to the evening terminator have furnished data on the vertical structure of the Martian aerosols near the northern spring equinox. Since the thermal structure derived from saturated IR profiles of water vapor does not allow the reaching of the CO2 frost point at cloud altitudes, said clouds' particles may be formed by H2O ice. Dust was also monitored at two wavelengths; it is assumed that the dust particles are levitated by eddy mixing. A parallel is drawn between these thin clouds and the polar mesospheric clouds observed on earth.

Chassefiere, E.↗

Therma1 Conductivity and Durability of Advanced Thermal Barrier Coatings

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) will play a crucial role in advanced gas turbine engines because of their ability to further increase engine operating temperature and reduce cooling, thus helping to achieve engine emission and efficiency goals. Future TBCs must be designed with increased phase stability, lower thermal conductivity, and improved sintering and thermal stress resistance in order to effectively protect engine hot-section components. Advanced low conductivity TBCs are being developed at NASA by incorporating multi-component oxide dopants into zirconia-yttria or hafnia-yttria to promote the formation of thermodynamically stable defect clusters within the coating structures. This presentation will primarily focus on thermal conductivity and durability of the novel defect cluster thermal barrier coatings for turbine airfoil and combustor applications, determined by a unique CO2 laser heat-flux approach. The laser heat-flux testing approach emphasizes the real-time monitoring and assessment of the coating thermal conductivity under simulated engine temperature and thermal gradient conditions. The conductivity increase due to coating sintering (and/or phase change) and the conductivity decrease due to coating delamination have been determined under steady-state, cyclic, uniform or non-uniform heat-flux conditions. The coating radiation flux resistance has been evaluated by varying coating thermal gradients, and also by using a laser-heated radiative-flux source. Advanced multi-component TBC systems have been shown to have significantly reduced thermal conductivity and improved high temperature stability due to the nano-sized, low mobility defect clusters associated with the paired rare earth dopant additions. The effect of oxide defect cluster dopants on coating thermal conductivity, thermal stability and furnace cyclic durability will also be discussed. The current low conductivity TBC systems have demonstrated long-term cyclic durability at very high temperatures which is far beyond the baseline ZrO2-Y2O3 capabilities.

Zhu, Dong-Ming↗

Optical Fiber Sensors Capable of Monitoring Hydrogen in the Subsurface Hydrogen Storage Environment

Subsurface hydrogen storage is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly storage option in a large quantity. Hydrogen would be stored in subsurface storage reservoirs at high temperature/pressure under very humid condition. Monitoring hydrogen concentration in those harsh storage environments is crucial to ensure the integrity and safety of the hydrogen storage infrastructure. Thus, this project focuses on the development of optical fiber hydrogen sensors capable of monitoring hydrogen in the harsh environments that are representative of underground storage conditions. The optical fiber hydrogen sensor developed at NETL consists of a palladium-based sensing film with a filter layer which minimizes the environmental impacts on hydrogen sensing. The developed sensor has demonstrated significant improvement on hydrogen sensing at 80℃ under high humidity condition (99% RH) without the baseline drift. The hydrogen sensor also showed negligible cross-sensitivity to CO2 and CH4 which would be present as a cushion gas inside the underground hydrogen storage reservoir. Moreover, the sensor has demonstrated the stable monitoring of hydrogen concentration at high pressure (1000 psi) and 80 ℃ in the presence of biological samples. The optical fiber hydrogen sensor developed would enable reliable monitoring of hydrogen concentration in subsurface hydrogen storage facilities.

Kim, Daejin↗

A High-Precision, Fast-Response Airborne CO2 Analyzer for In Situ Sampling From the Surface to the Middle Stratosphere

Two in situ CO2 analyzers have been developed for deployment on the NASA ER-2 aircraft and on stratospheric balloons. The ER-2 instrument has had more than 150 flights during 21 deployments from 1992 to 2000, resulting in a dataset with nearly pole-to-pole coverage that includes data from all seasons in both hemispheres except austral summer. In-flight calibrations show that the typical long-term (i.e. flight-to-flight) precision of the instruments is better than plus or minus 0.1 ppmv. The flight standards are traceable to standards held by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory. The balloon instrument has had 8 balloon flights since September 1996, providing the first in situ observations of CO2 above approx. 21 km. In addition, the balloon instrument has been flown onboard a Cessna Citation II aircraft for sampling between the surface and 10 km. In this paper, the instrumentation and calibration procedures for both instruments are described in detail. An intercomparison of the two instruments during the Photochemistry of Ozone Loss in the Arctic Region In Summer (POLARIS) project showed that, on average, the instruments agreed to within 0.05 ppmv.

Daube, B. C., Jr.↗

CO2 Washout Testing of the REI and EM-ACES Space Suits

When a space suit is used during ground testing, adequate carbon dioxide (CO2) washout must be provided for the suited subject. Symptoms of acute CO2 exposure depend on partial pressure of CO2 (ppCO2), metabolic rate of the subject, and other factors. This test was done to characterize inspired oronasal ppCO2 in the Rear Entry I-Suit (REI) and the Enhanced Mobility Advanced Crew Escape Suit (EM-ACES) for a range of workloads and flow rates for which ground testing is nominally performed. Three subjects were tested in each suit. In all but one case, each subject performed the test twice. Suit pressure was maintained at 4.3 psid. Subjects wore the suit while resting, performing arm ergometry, and walking on a treadmill to generate metabolic workloads of about 500 to 3000 BTU/hr. Supply airflow was varied between 6, 5, and 4 actual cubic feet per minute (ACFM) at each workload. Subjects wore an oronasal mask with an open port in front of the mouth and were allowed to breathe freely. Oronasal ppCO2 was monitored in real time by gas analyzers with sampling tubes connected to the mask. Metabolic rate was calculated from the total CO2 production measured by an additional gas analyzer at the suit air outlet. Real-time metabolic rate was used to adjust the arm ergometer or treadmill workload to meet target metabolic rates. In both suits, inspired CO2 was affected mainly by the metabolic rate of the subject: increased metabolic rate significantly (P < 0.05) increased inspired ppCO2. Decreased air flow caused small increases in inspired ppCO2. The effect of flow was more evident at metabolic rates . 2000 BTU/hr. CO2 washout values of the EM-ACES were slightly but not significantly better than those of the REI suit. Regression equations were developed for each suit to predict the mean inspired ppCO2 as a function of metabolic rate and suit flow rate. This paper provides detailed descriptions of the test hardware, methodology, and results as well as implications for future ground testing in the REI-suit and EM-ACES.

Mitchell, Kathryn C.↗

Adapted Cell Design for the Operando X‑Ray Absorption Study of a Structurally Evolving Cu Nanoparticle Ensemble during the CO2 Electroconversion to Multicarbon Products

An improved understanding of the materials that will sustain the future of energy production, storage, and delivery calls for better characterization tools. Operando characterization methods have thus become essential for investigating electrocatalytic materials. Without their resulting insights, the study of highly performing catalysts post-mortem cannot viably facilitate the further development of functional catalysts. Herein, we present an operando electrochemical cell designed for hard X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and specifically adapted to the study of an electrocatalytically active Cu nanoparticle ensemble. So far, this nanocatalyst has proven to pose quite a challenge to characterize due to its unique structural dynamics. Adopting a design comparable to the H-cell employed for all activity testing, we report the satisfactory translation of the active site formation into an XAS-compatible cell. The simultaneous collection of CO2-derived products during XAS characterization enabled the operando characterization of this CO2-reducing active structure. We report a Cu–Cu coordination number of the first scattering path higher than suggested in our previous studies, highlighting the importance of monitoring metastable nanoelectrocatalysts in operando. This study illustrates important caveats for the electrocatalysis community when considering the application of operando XAS. Our results highlight that the sample size, homogeneity, and stability determine how to interpret the measured signal. Considering these parameters carefully, the operando EXAFS results confirm the exceptional undercoordinated character of the Cu nanoparticle ensemble during CO2 reduction to C2+ products.

Louisia, Sheena↗

Microseismic Monitoring at the Farnsworth CO 2 -EOR Field

The Farnsworth Unit in northern Texas is a field site for studying geologic carbon storage during enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using CO 2 . Microseismic monitoring is essential for risk assessment by detecting fluid leakage and fractures. We analyzed borehole microseismic data acquired during CO 2 injection and migration, including data denoising, event detection, event location, magnitude estimation, moment tensor inversion, and stress field inversion. We detected and located two shallow clusters, which occurred during increasing injection pressure. The two shallow clusters were also featured by large b values and tensile cracking moment tensors that are obtained based on a newly developed moment tensor inversion method using single-borehole data. The inverted stress fields at the two clusters showed large deviations from the regional stress field. The results provide evidence for microseismic responses to CO 2 /fluid injection and migration.

02 PETROLEUM↗