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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 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Analysis of the thermal environment and thermal response associated with thermal-acoustic testing

A method is developed for predicting the radiant heat flux distribution produced by a bank of quartz radiant heaters which accounts for the specular and diffuse effects of a flat reflector or the diffuse effects of individual parabolic reflectors. This analysis is experimentally verified for a single unreflected lamp and a single lamp with a flat reflector. Observations on the further development of this analysis and experimental validation are discussed.

Turner, T. L.↗
DOE OSTI2014

General volume sizing strategy for thermal storage system using phase change material for concentrated solar thermal power plant

With an auxiliary large capacity thermal storage using phase change material (PCM), Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is a promising technology for high efficiency solar energy utilization. In a thermal storage system, a dual-media thermal storage tank is typically adopted in industry for the purpose of reducing the use of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) which is usually expensive. While the sensible heat storage system (SHSS) has been well studied, a dual-media latent heat storage system (LHSS) still needs more attention and study. The volume sizing of the thermal storage tank, considering daily cyclic operations, is of particular significance. In this paper, a general volume sizing strategy for LHSS is proposed, based on an enthalpy-based 1D transient model. One example was presented to demonstrate how to apply this strategy to obtain an actual storage tank volume. With this volume, a LHSS can supply heat to a thermal power plant with the HTF at temperatures above a cutoff point during a desired 6 hours of operation. This general volume sizing strategy is believed to be of particular interest for the solar thermal power industry.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Characterization of ultralow thermal conductivity in anisotropic pyrolytic carbon coating for thermal management applications

Pyrolytic carbon (PyC) is an important material used in many applications including thermal management of electronic devices and structural stability of ceramic composites. Accurate measurement of physical properties of structures containing textured PyC layers with few-micrometer thickness poses new challenges. Here a laser-based thermoreflectance technique is used to measure thermal conductivity in a 30-μm-thick textured PyC layer deposited using chemical vapor deposition on the surface of spherical zirconia particles. Raman spectroscopy is used to confirm the graphitic nature and characterize microstructure of the deposited layer. Room temperature radial and circumferential thermal conductivities are found to be 0.28 W m –1 K –1 and 11.5 W m –1 K –1 , corresponding to cross-plane and in-plane conductivities of graphite. While the anisotropic ratio of the in-plane to cross-plane conductivities is smaller than previous results, the magnitude of the smallest conductivity is noticeably smaller than previously reported values for carbon materials and offers opportunities in thermal management applications. Very low in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivities are attributed to strong grain boundary scattering, high defect concentration, and small inter-laminar porosity. Lastly, experimental results agree with the prediction of thermal transport model informed by the microstructure information revealed by Raman spectroscopy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Influence of thermal history on the mechanical properties of carbon fiber-acrylate composites cured by electron beam and thermal processes

The mechanical properties of an acrylate resin and its carbon fiber composite, as well as the adhesion strength between them, were characterized in the case of thermal and electron beam curing. The thermal history during the cure was also recorded. It was shown that the properties of the matrix were similar but that the thermal history during the curing had a direct influence on the type of interactions that were generated at the interface, leading to different level of adhesion strength and level of performance for the associated composites. In the case of a thermal cure, the thermal profile allowed the generation of covalent bonding at the interface, leading to a high level of adhesion strength, which was not the case for electron beam curing. The thermal history during the cure appeared to be a determining parameter for the level of performance of composites cured by electron beam.

Vautard, Frederic↗
DOE OSTI2016

Thermal Pretreatment of a High Lignin SSF Digester Residue to Increase its Softening Point

Residues high in lignin and ash generated from the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of corn stover were thermally pretreated in an inert (N2) atmosphere to study the effect of time and temperature on its softening point. These residues are difficult to feed into gasifiers due to premature thermal degradation and formation of reactive liquids in the feed lines, leading to plugging. The untreated and treated residues were characterized by proximate and ultimate analysis, and then analyzed via TGA, DSC, 13C NMR, Py-GC-MS, CHNO/S, and TMA. Interpretation of the compositional analysis indicates that the weight loss observed during pretreatment is mainly due to the thermal decomposition and volatilization of the hemicelluloses and amorphous cellulose fractions. Fixed carbon increases in the pretreated material, mostly due to a concentration effect rather than the formation of new poly-aromatic material. The optimal processing time and temperature to minimize the production of carbonyl groups in the pretreated samples was 300°C at a time of 30 minutes. Results showed that the softening point of the material could be increased from 187°C to 250°C, and that pretreatment temperature plays a more important role than time. The increase in softening point was mainly due to the formation of covalent bonds in the lignin structures and the removal of low molecular weight volatile intermediates.

Gasification, Lignin rich feedstocks, high lignin ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Influence of metallic contaminants on the electrochemical and thermal behavior of Li-ion electrodes

Emerging nondestructive (direct) recycling techniques for lithium-ion batteries may introduce metallic impurities into recycled electrodes. In the present work, the impact of such nonionic contaminants on the practical performance of both anode and cathode materials is evaluated using a synergistic combination of electrochemical and thermal analysis. The impurities under study have been selected through evaluation of industrially shredded batteries, and include Fe0, Al0, Mg0, Cu0, and Si0. The electrochemical behavior of materials containing each individual contaminant at either the anode or the cathode is evaluated in both half-cell and full-cell format. Further, the first-cycle thermal signatures of full cells are used to validate and complement electrochemical signatures, and the two techniques are used in conjunction to suggest distinct mechanisms of electrochemical reactivity for the various impurities. At the anode, metallic contaminants are found to disrupt performance through direct reaction with Li and may serve as weak catalysts to accelerate electrolyte degradation. At the cathode, metallic contaminants show evidence of crossover during formation cycling to disrupt SEI formation. We suggest that coupled electrochemical and thermal analysis may be used to both identify the presence of contaminants and to elucidate specific mechanisms of reactivity for metallic impurities under anodic and cathodic conditions.

Contaminant↗
DOE OSTI2021

Prediction of the Thermal Runaway Limit and Optimal Operation of Heat Transfer-Limited, Fixed-Bed Reactor Systems

Here, we derive a new prediction for thermal runaway starting from the alpha model for fixed-bed reactor systems. This method accounts for thermal resistance internal to the reactor tube and the radial temperature gradients that result. To showcase our method, we compare its predictions to other common criteria for thermal runaway using o-xylene oxidation as the example chemistry. Even in systems where internal heat transfer is negligible, the empirical practical design criterion for thermal runaway is inaccurate. For cases where internal heat transfer is relevant, our runaway limit is more stringent than limits derived from simpler 1-D models. To augment our work, we optimize the product yield with the thermal runaway constraint using orthogonal collocation. Using the alpha model, the results illustrate that the thermal runaway limit can be accurately determined using either numerical or analytical methods.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Electronic, thermal, and structural properties of graphene oxide frameworks

Here, we report a theoretical study of the electronic, thermal, and structural properties of a series of graphene oxide frameworks (GOFs) using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The molecular structure of GOFs is systematically studied by varying the nature and concentration of linear boronic acid pillars, and the thermal stability is assessed using ab initio molecular dynamics. The results demonstrate that GOFs are thermally stable up to 550 K and that electronic properties, such as their band gap, can be modified controllably by an appropriate choice of pillaring unit and pillar concentration. The tunability of the electronic structure using nonchemical means, e.g., mechanical strain, is also quantified. Overall, this class of materials is predicted to offer highly tunable materials electronic properties ranging from metallic to semiconducting.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Mitigation of nonthermal plasma production to measure the pulsed magnetic field threshold for the thermal formation of plasma from thick aluminum surfaces

Untangling the roles of different plasma formation mechanisms in high-current electrical discharges requires controlling each mechanism and isolating its effects. Recent experiments use this method to find that thermal formation of plasma occurs from 6061-alloy Al conductors by ohmic heating when the surface field reaches a magnetic field threshold of 2.2 MG (independently of {partial_derivative}B/{partial_derivative}t ranging from 30 to 80 MG/{mu}s) [T. J. Awe et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 035001 (2010)]. The experiments pulse 1.0 MA peak current on the surface of thick ({approx}1.0 mm diameter) aluminum rods in 100 ns. Strong electric fields are necessarily introduced, and precursor plasma may form (e.g., from arcing electrical contacts). To ensure plasma formation is predominantly thermal, a systematic study of multiple combinations of high-current electrodes and central-rod profiles was completed. Data from multiple diagnostics show that the time and location of plasma formation strongly correlate with the hardware combination used. An extensive dataset (greater than 100 shots) enabled numerous hypotheses to be tested regarding plasma formation mechanisms. For hardware with compressed, large-diameter current joints, plasma formation is a predominantly thermal process driven by ohmic heating.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Tunneling-enabled spectrally selective thermal emitter based on flat metallic films

Infrared thermal emission from metals has important energy applications in thermophotovoltaics, radiative cooling, and lighting. The emissivity of flat metal films is close to zero because the screening effect prevents metals' fluctuating currents from emitting to the far field. As a result, metal films are often used as reflecting mirrors instead of thermal emitters. Recently, nanostructured metals, such as metamaterials, have emerged as an interesting way to enhance and to spectrally control thermal emission based on plasmonic resonant effects. However, they require sophisticated lithography. Here, we proposed and experimentally demonstrated a completely different mechanism to achieve spectrally selective metallic emitters based on atunneling effect. Furthermore, this effect allows a simple flat metal film to achieve a near-unity emissivity with controlled spectral selectivity for efficient heat-to-light energy conversion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗