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At least 37 records · Page 2

Assessment of Cementitious Composites for High-Temperature Geothermal Wells

High-temperature (HT) geothermal wells can provide green power 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Under harsh environmental and operational conditions, the long-term durability requirements of such wells require special cementitious composites for well construction. This paper reports a comprehensive assessment of geothermal cement composites in cyclic pressure function laboratory tests and field exposures in an HT geothermal well (300–350 °C), as well as a numerical model to complement the experimental results. Performances of calcium–aluminate cement (CAC)-based composites and calcium-free cement were compared against the reference ordinary Portland cement (OPC)/silica blend. The stability and degradation of the tested materials were characterized by crystalline composition, thermo-gravimetric and elemental analyses, morphological studies, water-fillable porosity, and mechanical property measurements. All CAC-based formulations outperformed the reference blend both in the function and exposure tests. The reference OPC/silica lost its mechanical properties during the 9-month well exposure through extensive HT carbonation, while the properties of the CAC-based blends improved over that period. The Modified Cam-Clay (MCC) plasticity parameters of several HT cement formulations were extracted from triaxial and Brazilian tests and verified against the experimental results of function cyclic tests. These parameters can be used in well integrity models to predict the field-scale behavior of the cement sheath under geothermal well conditions.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Construction of Nitrogen-abundant Graphyne Scaffolds via Mechanochemistry-Promoted Cross-Linking of Aromatic Nitriles with Carbide Toward Enhanced Energy Storage

The 2D graphyne-related scaffolds linked by carbon–carbon triple bonds have demonstrated promising applications in the field of catalysis and energy storage due to their unique features including high conductivity, permanent porosity, and electron-rich properties. However, the construction of related scaffolds is still mainly limited to the cross-linking of CaC 2 with multiple substituted aromatic halogens and there is still a lack of efficient methodology capable of introducing high-concentration heteroatoms within the architectures. The development of alternative and facile synthesis procedures to afford nitrogen-abundant graphyne materials is highly desirable yet challenging in the field of energy storage, particularly via the facile mechanochemical procedure under neat and ambient conditions. Here, in this study, graphyne materials with abundant nitrogen-containing species (nitrogen content of 6.9–29.3 wt.%), tunable surface areas (43–865 m 2 g -1 ), and hierarchical porosity are produced via the mechanochemistry-driven pathway by deploying highly electron-deficient multiple substituted aromatic nitriles as the precursors, which can undergo cross-linking reaction with CaC 2 to afford the desired nitrogen-doped graphyne scaffolds efficiently. Unique structural features of the as-synthesized materials contributed to promising performance in supercapacitor-related applications, delivering high capacitance of 254.5 F g -1 at 5 mV s -1 , attractive rate performance, and good long-term stability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

On the Constrained Attitude Control Problem

In this paper, we consider various classes of constrained attitude control (CAC) problem in single and multiple spacecraft settings. After categorizing attitude constraints into four distinct types, we provide an overview of the existing approaches to this problem. We then proceed to further expand on a recent algorithmic approach to the CAC problem. The paper concludes with an example demonstrating the viability of the proposed algorithm for a multiple spacecraft constrained attitude reconfiguration scenario.

semidefinite programming↗

Techno-economic evaluation of emission control configurations for AMP/PZ-based post-combustion CO 2 capture

Minimizing the environmental impacts of amine-based post-combustion carbon capture technologies is essential for regulatory compliance and public acceptance. Experimental campaigns at RWE's CO 2 capture pilot plant in Niederaussem using CESAR1 demonstrated that combining existing emission abatement technologies can substantially reduce the concentration of amines and degradation products in the CO 2 -depleted flue gas to below the detection limit of an infrared spectrometer. The campaign confirmed that a proprietary dry bed technology (OEASE aerozone™) or a second water wash can reduce AMP and PZ emissions to below 1 mg/Nm 3 . However, an acid or chemically active wash downstream of the water wash is necessary to reduce NH 3 emissions to very low levels (<2 mg/Nm 3 ). Combining a dry bed with an acid wash significantly reduces both the required acid solution and the resulting acid waste. The techno-economic analysis indicates that implementing emission mitigation technologies provides substantial environmental benefits for the CESAR1 process, with only a marginal increase (<1 €/tCO 2 ) in both the carbon capture cost (CCC) and CO 2 avoidance cost (CAC). The additional capital cost associated with extra column packing is offset by operational cost savings from reduced solvent losses. For stringent emission permits targeting NH 3 , a configuration combining a dry bed upstream of the water wash followed by an acid wash achieves the best balance between emission control and cost efficiency. This configuration results in a Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of 143 €/MWh, a CCC of 45.4 €/tCO 2 , and a CAC of 88.4 €/tCO 2 .

AMP↗

Geologic mapping using thermal images

Thermal radiance data from the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) satellite has been used to measure surface reflectance data and to provide additional material composition information through remote sensing. The primary goal was to investigate the utility of HCMM data for geologic applications. Three techniques were used for displaying and combining thermal and visible near infrared (VNIR) data for two desert areas in southern California (Trona and Pisgah): color additive composites (CAC) for day and night IR and day VNIR, principal components, and calculation of thermal inertia images. The HCMM thermal data were more effective than Landsat data in producing separation of compositionally different areas including volcanic and intrusive rocks. The satellite CAC data produced an image for a 1 x 2 degree area, and the color picture was enlarged to a scale of 1:250,000. Playa composition, moisture content, presence of standing water, and vegetation cover were displayed in a variety of colors according to physical characteristics. Areas such as sand dunes were not distinguishable because of the coarse 500-mm HCMM resolution. HCMM thermal data have shown a new dimension to geologic remote sensing, and future satellite missions should allow the continued development of the thermal infrared data for geology.

Abrams, M. J.↗

Global temperature variations

Lower stratospheric temperature anomalies from MSU channel 4 were compared to ten years of radiosonde data to validate the satellite record, and the results were submitted for publication. Various assumed stratospheric weighting profiles were tested to determine whether the theoretical channel 4 weighting function had significant errors. It was found that the real weighting function is slightly sharper than the theoretical weighting function. We also found evidence for a step-function cooling in the radiosonde record during 1982, a period when two satellites were operating with no evidence of changes in the satellites. Lower tropospheric bulk temperature datasets continue to be sent to climate researchers and modelers, as well as to the Climate Analysis Center (CAC). The CAC is also implementing our MSU software to be able to do the MSU processing at their site. Drift in MSU channel 3 is being quantified and corrected to allow it to be used together with channel 2 for a better lowertropospheric gridpoint temperature product. A new global oceanic precipitation dataset has been produced from MSU channel 1 data, and compared to ten years of global raingage data.

Spencer, Roy W.↗

Association Between Increased Vascular Density and Loss of Protective RAS in Early-Stage NPDR

Our hypothesis predicts that retinal blood vessels increase in density during early-stage progression to moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). The prevailing paradigm of NPDR progression is that vessels drop out prior to abnormal, vision-impairing regrowth at late-stage proliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR). However, surprising results for our previous preliminary study 1 with NASA's VESsel GENeration Analysis (VESGEN) software showed that vessels proliferated considerably during moderate NPDR compared to drop out at both mild and severe NPDR. Validation of our hypothesis will support development of successful early-stage regenerative therapies such as vascular repair by circulating angiogenic cells (CACs). The renin-angiotensin system (RAS)is implicated in the pathogenesis of DR and in the function of CACs, a critical bone marrow-derived population that is instrumental in vascular repair.

Fractal↗

Techno-economic assessment of emissions mitigation technologies for post-combustion CO2 capture using AMP/PZ

Minimizing the environmental impacts of amine-based post-combustion carbon capture technologies is essential for meeting environmental permitting regulations and ensuring public acceptance. Experimental test campaigns at the CO₂ capture pilot plant in Niederaussem using CESAR1 demonstrated that integrating available emission abatement technologies can significantly reduce the concentration of amines and degradation products in CO₂-depleted flue gas to below the detection limit of an infrared spectrometer. The study confirmed that proprietary dry bed technology (OEASE Aerozone™) or a second water wash can lower AMP and PZ emissions to below 1 mg/Nm³. However, to achieve very low NH₃ emissions below 2 mg/Nm³, an acid or other chemically active wash downstream of the water wash is required. A configuration with a dry bed or a double water wash results in a carbon capture cost (CCC) of 44 €/tCO₂, and a CO₂ avoided cost (CAC) of 86 €/tCO₂. A configuration with an acid wash increases the CCC to 47 €/tCO₂ and the CAC to 90 €/tCO₂ due to the amine losses in the acid waste and its treatment.

CO2 capture↗

Resonant interaction between phonons and PbTe/PbSe (001) misfit dislocation networks

Here this work aims at a quantitative and mechanistic understanding of the dynamic process of the phonon-dislocation interaction in PbTe/PbSe (001) heterostructures using the Concurrent Atomistic-Continuum (CAC) method as the simulation tool. The misfit dislocation network and the atomic-scale dislocation core structure obtained in the simulations are found to agree reasonably well with the experimental observations of the PbTe/PbSe (001) interface. Through visualizing the dynamic interaction between phonons and dislocations, as well as quantifying the dislocation vibration amplitude, the phonon energy transmission, and the thermal resistance of the misfit interfaces, this work has illustrated and quantified two mechanisms for phonon-dislocation interaction: (1) phonon scattering by the strain field of dislocations, and (2) phonon scattering by dislocations that vibrate via the local modes of a dislocation network; the latter, leads to resonant phonon-dislocation interaction, which is manifested as local maxima of out-of-phase vibration of the atoms on the two sides of the slip plane, leading to local minima of the energy transmission in the heterostructure that contains one interface. The local vibrational modes are found to be excited only by shear stress induced by transverse phonons. Among various resonant modes, the one with the lowest frequency has the strongest effect. This work has also demonstrated the collective motion of dislocations under ultrafast phonon pulses. In addition, the dynamic properties of the misfit dislocation network localized within one interface are found to be significantly altered by the presence of misfit dislocations at other interfaces, thus further confirming the cooperative dynamic nature of the motion of dislocations and phonons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Evolution of thermo-mechanical properties of concrete with calcium aluminate cement and special aggregates for energy storage

Highlights: • CAC Concrete with stable aggregates is suitable for high temperatures with cycles. • Concrete suffered performance changes after the first thermal cycle (dehydration). • Subsequent thermal cycles showed stabilization and slight performance decreases. With the ever-expanding presence of solar energy, the design of cost-efficient heat energy storage systems is becoming increasingly relevant. Concrete is a potential solid material for these systems but raises questions of its response at high temperatures in operating conditions. This work studies concrete designed with calcium aluminate cement and three types of aggregates that are stable at high temperatures. The designed concrete mixes were exposed to thermal cycles (290–550 °C), and their thermal fatigue response was evaluated with mechanical, cracking, thermal, and microstructural analyses at room temperature after heat cycles. The obtained results show that the main changes are mostly produced after the first thermal cycle and are stabilized during successive thermal cycles, with only a slight decrease in the thermo-mechanical properties. The results showed stabilization of cracking, crack widths between 10 and 80 μm, reduction of compressive strength, around 50–65%, and reduction of the thermal conductivity by 30%.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effect of a micro-scale dislocation pileup on the atomic-scale multi-variant phase transformation and twinning

In this paper, we perform concurrent atomistic–continuum (CAC) simulations to assess the contribution of the internal stress induced by the microscale dislocation pileup at an atomically structured interface to the atomic-scale phase transformations (PTs), reverse PTs, and twinning. The main novelty of this work is to unify the atomistic description of the interface and the coarse-grained (CG) description of the lagging dislocations away from the interface within one single framework. Our major findings are: (a) the interface dynamically responds to a pileup by forming steps/ledges, the height of which is proportional to the number of dislocations arriving at the interface; (b) the pileup-induced internal stress concentration profile follows neither the classical Eshelby model nor the super-dislocation model alone, but a combination of them; (c) when the pre-sheared sample is compressed, a direct square-to-hexagonal PT occurs ahead of the pileup tip and eventually grows into a wedge shape. The two variants of the hexagonal phases form a twin with respect to each other; (d) upon a further increase of the loading, part of the newly formed hexagonal phase transforms back to the square phase. The square product phase resulting from this reverse PT forms a twin with respect to the initial square phase. All phase boundaries (PBs) and twin boundaries (TBs) are stationary and correspond to zero thermodynamic Eshelby driving forces; and (e) the microscale dislocation pileup-induced internal shear stress and the structural change at the atomic-scale interface reduces the stress required for initiating a PT by a factor of 5.5, comparing with that in the sample containing no dislocations. This work is the first characterization of the behavior of PTs/twinning resulting from the reaction between a microscale dislocation slip and an atomically structured interface. In conclusion, the gained knowledge will advance our understanding of how the multi-phase material behaves in many complex physical processes, such as the synthesis of multi-phase high-entropy alloys or superhard ceramics under high-pressure torsion, deep mantle earthquakes in geophysics, and so on, which all involve dislocation slip, PTs, twinning, and their interactions across from the atomistic to the microscale and beyond.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Self-re-adhering alkali-activated cement composite and its ability to mitigate corrosion of carbon steel in 300 °C hydrothermal environment

Cement-steel interface is a weak point of cement sheath integrity under the environments of high-temperature geothermal wells. This paper presents carbon steel (CS) adherence behaviors of 300 °C-autoclaved alkali-activated Calcium-Aluminate-Cement (CAC)/fly ash F (FAF) (Thermal Shock Resistant Cement, TSRC), granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS)/SiO 2 , and Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)/SiO 2 blends. The composites’ ability to preserve the bond under the conditions of thermal shock (TS) and strong acid attack (pH 0.6 H 2 SO 4 /brine at 90 °C) as well as their ability to recover the damaged bond and provide steel corrosion protection after additional short-time 5-day curing at 300 °C were evaluated. GBFS/SiO 2 sheath underwent catastrophic failure in the first TS cycle; OPC/SiO 2 lost 78 % and TSRC 51 % of the bond strength in 6 cycles. Only TSRC-CS bond survived 30 days of strong acid exposure; OPC/SiO 2 bond failed after 18 days and GBFS/SiO 2 after 20 days. Addition of micro-glass fibers (MGF) to TSRC further improved its bond strength and CS corrosion protection. Samples of TSRC-CS cured for 30 days at 300 °C before the bond damage recovered 49 % of the damaged bond strength after additional short-time curing. The CS protected by the re-adhered TSRC showed low corrosion rate of 0.13 mm/year (TSRC-MGF), 0.2 mm/year (TSRC) vs. 0.64 mm/year for OPC/SiO 2 protected CS.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

AlCl 3 -Dosed Si(100)-2 × 1: Adsorbates, Chlorinated Al Chains, and Incorporated Al

The adsorption of AlCl 3 on Si(100) and the effect of annealing the AlCl 3 -dosed substrate were studied to reveal key surface processes for the development of atomic-precision, acceptor-doping techniques. This investigation was performed via scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. At room temperature, AlCl 3 readily adsorbed to the Si substrate dimers and dissociated to form a variety of species. Annealing the AlCl 3 -dosed substrate at temperatures below 450 °C produced unique chlorinated aluminum chains (CACs) elongated along the Si(100) dimer row direction. An atomic model for the chains is proposed with supporting DFT calculations. Al was incorporated into the Si substrate upon annealing at 450 °C and above, and Cl desorption was observed for temperatures beyond 450 °C. Al-incorporated samples were encapsulated in Si and characterized by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling to quantify the Al atom concentration, which was found to be in excess of 10 20 cm –3 across a ~2.7 nm-thick δ-doped region. Here, the Al concentration achieved here and the processing parameters utilized promote AlCl 3 as a viable gaseous precursor for novel acceptor-doped Si materials and devices for quantum computing.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Microstructure and bonding between calcium aluminate cement‐containing gahnite–alumina matrix and refractory aggregates

Calcium aluminate cement enhances the thermomechanical properties of refractory castables through the formation of acicular calcium hexaluminate (CaO·6Al 2 O 3 ), Ca 2 Mg 2 Al 28 O 46 (CAM-I), and CaMg 2 Al 16 O 27 (CAM-II) phases in MgO- or MgAl 2 O 4 -containing castables. The compatibility of CA 6 with gahnite (ZnAl 2 O 4 ), and acicular Ca 2 Zn 2 Al 28 O 46 (CAZ-I) and CaZn 2 Al 16 O 27 (CAZ-II) phases formation have been previously reported. Here, in this work, the interaction between a CAC binder containing ZnAl 2 O 4 -Al 2 O 3 matrix with commonly used refractory aggregates such as tabular alumina (TA), alumina-rich (AR90, AR78) and stoichiometric (SM72) MgAl 2 O 4 spinels, and fused and dead-burned magnesia (FM, DBM, respectively) were investigated at 1650°C for 5 h. Microstructural analysis, using digital microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy, revealed the formation of acicular CaZn 0.18 Al 11.82 O 18.91 , CAZ-I and CAZ-II grains, and strong interfacial bonding between the matrix and TA and spinel aggregates. FM and DBM were found to debond from the matrix. Thick interface layers were observed between the matrix and all the aggregates but TA. Null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) shows that the difference in the number of acicular grains between the interface zone and the bulk matrix (Z) is statistically significant for AR90/Z, SM72/Z, FM/Z, and DBM/Z interfaces, but not significant for TA/Z and AR78/Z. The role of the aggregates’ chemistry on the interfacial bonding and microstructure evolution is discussed.

Ramteke, Rajat Durgesh [Univ. of Alabama, Birmingh↗

Active High Assurance Authentication Protocol (AHAAP)

The AHAAP Maturation Project involves maturation and evaluation of a patented zero-trust tamper-resistant high-assurance session-less dynamic and active device authentication protocol that simultaneously authenticates identity and provides integrity verification in a single step, substantially reducing the risk of cyberattack, and eliminating the need for costly and complex conventional communication security systems requirements (i.e., cryptography, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and key management). These cybersecurity attributes of the technology must be preserved when applying the technology to different cybersecurity solutions, including Command & Control (C&C), Over-the-Air (OTA) update, Common Access Card (CAC), and distributed energy resource (DER) implementations, among others. The technology research objective is to test and verify that the cybersecurity attributes of the technology are not degraded in different cybersecurity applications. The primary technology development objective is to build minimum viable products to demonstrate the technology addresses today’s cybersecurity threats so that prospective investors, strategic partners, regulatory agencies, and commercial customers can interact with and assess the protection assured by the technology. The AHAAP Maturation Project goal is to develop, test, and validate one or more AHAAP implementations. The AHAAP Maturation Project tasks are: (i) engineer AHAAP implementation software, (ii) build a functional prototype that implements the AHAAP software for demonstration, testing, analysis, and evaluation purposes, and (iii) generate a report detailing the results of the AHAAP C&C software and hardware implementation. The final project deliverables are: (i) AHAAP software implementation and prototype, (ii) a report from Sandia National Laboratories detailing the results of the AHAAP implementations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Space simulation testing of the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS)

The Earth radiation budget components and dynamics and the interactions of this energy cycle, which influences our climate were investigated. The satellite package was subjected to space simulation testing. The size of the spacecraft dictated that the testing be conducted in the new BRUTUS Thermal Vacuum Facility. Computer aided control (CAC), quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and residual gas analysis (RGA) monitoring are combined with rigid contamination control procedures to protect the flight hardware from anomalous and potentially destructive out of scope test environments.

Magette, E.↗

Observations of stratospheric temperature changes coincident with the recent Antarctic ozone depletions

A high degree of correlation between the recent decline in Antarctic total ozone and cooling of the stratosphere during Austral spring has been noted in several recent studies (e.g., Sekiguchi, 1986; Angel, 1986). This study analyzes the observed temperature trends in detail, focusing on the spatial and temporal aspects of the observed cooling. Ozone losses and stratospheric cooling can be correlated for several reasons: (1) ozone losses (from an unspecified cause) will directly reduce temperatures due to decreased solar ultraviolet absorption (Shine, 1986), and/or (2) changes in both ozone and temperature structure due to modification of stratospheric circulation patterns (Mahlman and Fels, 1986). In order to scrutinize various ozone depletion scenarios, detailed information on the observed temperature changes is necessary; the goal is to provide such data. The data used are National Meteorological Center (NMC) Climate Analysis Center (CAC) derived temperatures, covering 1000 to 1 mb (0 to 48 km), for the period 1979 to 1987. Discussions on data origin and quality (assessed by extensive comparisons with radiosonde observations), along with other details of these observations, can be found in Newman and Randel (1988).

Randel, William J.↗