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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

Phase-Length Optical Phase-Locked-Loop Sensor (PLOPS)

PLOPS system designed to provide high-resolution measurement of change in optical length from optical-system source to any optical reflector, including diffuse reflector. Serves as adjustable optical ruler, providing high resolution in measurements of small and large changes in distance to target. Use is broad and includes most measurement situations requiring information on length, vibration, and their derivatives. Applications include building dynamics, remote sensing of vibrations in such systems as turbine-based machinery, monitoring of structural dynamics, noncontacting sensing of surface contours, measurement of large strains as in earthquake monitoring, measurement of atmospheric dynamics and turbulence, high-resolution sensing of humidity, detection of surface acoustic waves by optical microscopy, and related areas.

Heyman, Joseph S.↗
DOE OSTI2024

helios: An R package to process heating and cooling degrees for GCAM

helios is an open-source R package that estimates population-weighted heating and cooling degree-hours (HDH and CDH) and degree-days (HDD and CDD) at various temporal (e.g., energy dispatch segments, monthly, yearly) and spatial scales (e.g., U.S. states, global political regions, countries). The degree hour and degree day outputs from helios are used to inform electricity demand load in the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM) as well as in GCAM-USA (which is the version of GCAM with U.S. state-level details). helios uses a workflow with four steps: processing raw data; calculating heating and cooling degrees; visualizing performance diagnostics; and outputing results in various formats. There are two sources of widely-used climate data compatible with helios: (1) hourly climate data with 12-km resolution that are dynamically downscaled with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and projected using a thermal global warming (TGW) approach; and (2) daily climate data with 0.5-degree resolution from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) that is bias-adjusted and statistical downscaled by the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP). In summary, helios is a model that standardizes methodology of heating and cooling degrees-hours and degree-days using publicly available data and advance the understanding of the impact of spatial and temporal temperature variability on building energy services.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Adjusting the Energy Profile for CH–O Interactions Leads to Improved Stability of RNA Stem-Loop Structures in MD Simulations

The role of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in biology continues to grow, but insight into important aspects of RNA behavior is lacking, such as dynamic structural ensembles in different environments, how flexibility is coupled to function, and how function might be modulated by small molecule binding. In the case of proteins, much progress in these areas has been made by complementing experiments with atomistic simulations, but RNA simulation methods and force fields are less mature. It remains challenging to generate stable RNA simulations, even for small systems where well-defined, thermostable structures have been established by experiments. Further many different aspects of RNA energetics have been adjusted in force fields, seeking improvements that are transferable across a variety of RNA structural motifs. In this work, the role of weak CH···O interactions is explored, which are ubiquitous in RNA structure but have received less attention in RNA force field development. By comparing data extracted from high-resolution RNA crystal structures to energy profiles from quantum mechanics and force field calculations, it is shown that CH···O interactions are overly repulsive in the widely used Amber RNA force fields. A simple, targeted adjustment of CH···O repulsion that leaves the remainder of the force field unchanged was developed. Then, the standard and modified force fields were tested using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with explicit water and salt, amassing over 300 μs of data for multiple RNA systems containing important features such as the presence of loops, base stacking interactions as well as canonical and noncanonical base pairing. In this work and others, standard force fields lead to reproducible unfolding of the NMR-based structures. Including a targeted CH···O adjustment in an otherwise identical protocol dramatically improves the outcome, leading to stable simulations for all RNA systems tested.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1992

SeaWiFS Technical Report Series. Volume 7: Cloud screening for polar orbiting visible and infrared (IR) satellite sensors

Methods for detecting and screening cloud contamination from satellite derived visible and infrared data are reviewed in this document. The methods are applicable to past, present, and future polar orbiting satellite radiometers. Such instruments include the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS), operational from 1978 through 1986; the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR); the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), scheduled for launch in August 1993; and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (IMODIS). Constant threshold methods are the least demanding computationally, and often provide adequate results. An improvement to these methods are the least demanding computationally, and often provide adequate results. An improvement to these methods is to determine the thresholds dynamically by adjusting them according to the areal and temporal distributions of the surrounding pixels. Spatial coherence methods set thresholds based on the expected spatial variability of the data. Other statistically derived methods and various combinations of basic methods are also reviewed. The complexity of the methods is ultimately limited by the computing resources. Finally, some criteria for evaluating cloud screening methods are discussed.

Darzi, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1993

Reducing video frame rate increases remote optimal focus time

Twelve observers made best optical focus adjustments to a microscope whose high-resolution pattern was video monitored and displayed first on a National Television System Committee (NTSC) analog color monitor and second on a digitally compressed computer monitor screen at frame rates ranging (in six steps) from 1.5 to 30 frames per second (fps). This was done to determine whether reducing the frame rate affects the image focus. Reducing frame rate has been shown to be an effective and acceptable means of reducing transmission bandwidth of dynamic video imagery sent from Space Station Freedom (SSF) to ground scientists. Three responses were recorded per trial: time to complete the focus adjustment, number of changes of focus direction, and subjective rating of final image quality. It was found that: the average time to complete the focus setting increases from 4.5 sec at 30 fps to 7.9 sec at 1.5 fps (statistical probability = 1.2 x 10(exp -7)); there is no significant difference in the number of changes in the direction of focus adjustment across these frame rates; and there is no significant change in subjectively determined final image quality across these frame rates. These data can be used to help pre-plan future remote optical-focus operations on SSF.

Haines, Richard F.↗
DOE OSTI2023

High-resolution (30-m) urban land cover projections for Los Angeles California Urban Area: 2010 to 2100 under SSP5

These data represent simulations of future land use and land cover (LULCC) for Los Angeles urban area (U.S. Census Bureau defined area) as raster tiff images at a 30-m pixel resolution and at decadal time steps from 2010 to 2100. LULCC classes in this product follow the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) classification. NLCD 21-24 correspond to open developed, low developed, medium developed, and high developed urban land classes, respectively. Only urban land cover classes (NLCD class 21, 22, 23, and 24) are dynamic over time; however, all NLCD classes are included in the final product. Therefore, NLCD classes that do not convert to an urban class will be similar to year 2000. The products were developed using a hybridized statistical and cellular automata approach. Linear mixed models (LMMs) were used to estimate future urban land budgets based on 1-km urban land fraction projections from Gao and Pesaresi (2021), whereas separate generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used to estimate shifts in urban land intensities based on retrospective shifts in NLCD urban class intensities over a 20- year period. Based on urban land allocations from the statistical models, a cellular-automata and downscaling routine was used to simulate dynamic urban land expansion at a 30-m resolution based on suitability criteria. Scenarios of future urban landcover change projections include variant solutions for the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5 (SSP5) based on different population assumptions, different land use intensification assumptions, variable land zoning constraints, and iterative adjustments to correct for over allocation of urban expansion across decadal time periods from 2010 to 2100. This results in 320 raster products.

Land↗
DOE OSTI2021

Landscape evolution under the southern Laurentide Ice Sheet

Subglacial landscapes, revealed in regions of recent ice-sheet retreat, provide a window into ice-sheet dynamics and interactions with evolving subglacial topography. Here, we document landscape evolution beneath the southern Laurentide Ice Sheet of North America since the end of the Pliocene, 2.6 million years (Ma) ago, by reconstructing the isostatically adjusted preglacial surface and modern bedrock topography at 250 m horizontal resolution. We use flow routing to reconstruct drainage networks and river longitudinal profiles, revealing the pattern and extent of their glacially forced reorganization. The overall mean Quaternary (2.6 Ma ago to present) erosion rate is 27 m/Ma, rising within ice-streaming corridors to 35 m/Ma (and locally reaching 400 m/Ma) and falling to 22 m/Ma in non–ice-streaming regions. Our results suggest that subglacial erosion was sufficient to lower the southern Laurentide Ice Sheet into warmer environments, thereby enhancing ablation and reducing ice-sheet extent over time.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

High-resolution (30-m) urban land cover projections for Los Angeles California Urban Area: 2010 to 2100 under SSP3 and SSP5 [Updated simulations based on population-driven urban intensity transitions]

These data (v3) are updated from previous versions (1 and 2) in that they include consider the effects of population on transitions in urban land intensity. This leads to more reasonable differences in urban land projections under variant SSPs. For the present dataset, both SSP3 and SSP5 are provided. These data represent simulations of future land use and land cover (LULCC) for Los Angeles urban area (U.S. Census Bureau defined area) as raster tiff images at a 30-m pixel resolution and at decadal time steps from 2010 to 2100. LULCC classes in this product follow the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) classification. NLCD 21-24 correspond to open developed, low developed, medium developed, and high developed urban land classes, respectively. Only urban land cover classes (NLCD class 21, 22, 23, and 24) are dynamic over time; however, all NLCD classes are included in the final product. Therefore, NLCD classes that do not convert to an urban class will be similar to year 2000. The products were developed using a hybridized statistical and cellular automata approach. Linear mixed models (LMMs) were used to estimate future urban land budgets based on 1-km urban land fraction projections from Gao and Pesaresi (2021), whereas separate generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used to estimate shifts in urban land intensities based on retrospective shifts in NLCD urban class intensities over a 20- year period. Based on urban land allocations from the statistical models, a cellular-automata and downscaling routine was used to simulate dynamic urban land expansion at a 30-m resolution based on suitability criteria. Scenarios of future urban landcover change projections include variant solutions for the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5 (SSP5) and SSP 3 based on different population assumptions, different land use intensification assumptions, variable land zoning constraints, and iterative adjustments to correct for over allocation of urban expansion across decadal time periods from 2010 to 2100. This results in 320 raster products.

Land↗
NASA NTRS1983

Arctic Sea ice by passive microwave observations from the Nimbus-5 Satellite

The results of a dynamic/thermodynamic numerical model of Arctic sea ice are compared with satellite images from the Nimbus 5 electrically scanning microwave radiometer. The model combines aspects of two previous sea ice models those of Parkinson and Washington and Ling, Rasmussen, and Campbell. A solid/fluid model basically follows the formulation of the Parkinson and Washington model with the addition of the constitutive equation and equation of state from the Ling model. The Parkinson and Washington model simulates the seasonal cycle of sea ice thicknesses and concentrations with a horizontal resolution of roughly 200 km and a timestep of 8 hours. The thermodynamics are calculated through energy balances at the interfaces between ice and air, water and ice, and water and air. The ice dynamics are calculated through a momentum equation balancing air stress, water stress, dynamic topography, and Coriolis force, with an adjustment for internal ice resistance.

Campbell, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The giant impact produced a precipitated Moon

The author's current simulations of Giant Impacts on the protoearth show the development of large hot rock vapor atmospheres. The Balbus-Hawley mechanism will pump mass and angular momentum outwards in the equatorial plane; upon cooling and expansion the rock vapor will condense refractory material beyond the Roche distance, where it is available for lunar formation. During the last seven years, the author together with several colleagues has carried out a series of numerical investigations of the Giant Impact theory for the origin of the Moon. These involved three-dimensional simulations of the impact and its aftermath using Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), in which the matter in the system is divided into discrete particles whose motions and internal energies are determined as a result of the imposed initial conditions. Densities and pressures are determined from the combined overlaps of the particles, which have a bell-shaped density distribution characterized by a smoothing length. In the original series of runs all particle masses and smoothing lengths had the same values; the matter in the colliding bodies consisted of initial iron cores and rock (dunite) mantles. Each of 41 runs used 3,008 particles, took several weeks of continuous computation, and gave fairly good representations of the ultimate state of the post-collision body or bodies but at best crude and qualitative information about individual particles in orbit. During the last two years an improved SPH program was used in which the masses and smoothing lengths of the particles are variable, and the intent of the current series of computations is to investigate the behavior of the matter exterior to the main parts of the body or bodies subsequent to the collisions. These runs are taking times comparable to a year of continuous computation in each case; they use 10,000 particles with 5,000 particles in the target and 5,000 in the impactor, and the particles thus have variable masses and smoothing lengths (the latter are dynamically adjusted so that a particle typically overlaps a few tens of its neighbors). Since the matter in the impactor provides the majority of the mass left in orbit after the collision, and since the masses of the particles that originated in the impactor are smaller than those in the target, the mass resolution in the exterior parts of the problem is greatly improved and the exterior particles properly simulate atmospheres in hydrostatic equilibrium.

Cameron, A. G. W.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Conceptual Design and Dynamics Testing and Modeling of a Mars Tumbleweed Rover

The NASA Langley Research Center has been developing a novel concept for a Mars planetary rover called the Mars Tumbleweed. This concept utilizes the wind to propel the rover along the Mars surface, bringing it the potential to cover vast distances not possible with current Mars rover technology. This vehicle, in its deployed configuration, must be large and lightweight to provide the ratio of drag force to rolling resistance necessary to initiate motion from rest on the Mars surface. One Tumbleweed design concept that satisfies these considerations is called the Eggbeater-Dandelion. This paper describes the basic design considerations and a proposed dynamics model of the concept for use in simulation studies. It includes a summary of rolling/bouncing dynamics tests that used videogrammetry to better understand, characterize, and validate the dynamics model assumptions, especially the effective rolling resistance in bouncing/rolling dynamic conditions. The dynamics test used cameras to capture the motion of 32 targets affixed to a test article s outer structure. Proper placement of the cameras and alignment of their respective fields of view provided adequate image resolution of multiple targets along the trajectory as the test article proceeded down the ramp. Image processing of the frames from multiple cameras was used to determine the target positions. Position data from a set of these test runs was compared with results of a three dimensional, flexible dynamics model. Model input parameters were adjusted to match the test data for runs conducted. This process presented herein provided the means to characterize the dynamics and validate the simulation of the Eggbeater-Dandelion concept. The simulation model was used to demonstrate full scale Tumbleweed motion from a stationary condition on a flat-sloped terrain using representative Mars environment parameters.

Calhoun Philip C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Contour advection with surgery: A technique for investigating finescale structure in tracer transport

We present a trajectory technique, contour advection with surgery (CAS), for tracing the evolution of material contours in a specified (including observed) evolving flow. CAS uses the algorithms developed by Dritschel for contour dynamics/surgery to trace the evolution of specified contours. The contours are represented by a series of particles, which are advected by a specified, gridded, wind distribution. The resolution of the contours is preserved by continually adjusting the number of particles, and finescale features are produced that are not present in the input data (and cannot easily be generated using standard trajectory techniques). The reliability, and dependence on the spatial and temporal resolution of the wind field, of the CAS procedure is examined by comparisons with high-resolution numerical data (from contour dynamics calculations and from a general circulation model), and with routine stratospheric analyses. These comparisons show that the large-scale motions dominate the deformation field and that CAS can accurately reproduce small scales from low-resolution wind fields. The CAS technique therefore enables examination of atmospheric tracer transport at previously unattainable resolution.

Waugh, Darryn W.↗
DOE OSTI2021

A daily, 250 m and real-time gross primary productivity product (2000–present) covering the contiguous United States

Abstract. Gross primary productivity (GPP) quantifies the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) fixed by plants through photosynthesis. Although as a key quantity of terrestrial ecosystems, there is a lack of high-spatial-and-temporal-resolution, real-time and observation-based GPP products. To address this critical gap, here we leverage a state-of-the-art vegetation index, near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRV), along with accurate photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), to produce a SatelLite Only Photosynthesis Estimation (SLOPE) GPP product for the contiguous United States (CONUS). Compared to existing GPP products, the proposed SLOPE product is advanced in its spatial resolution (250 m versus >500 m), temporal resolution (daily versus 8 d), instantaneity (latency of 1 d versus >2 weeks) and quantitative uncertainty (on a per-pixel and daily basis versus no uncertainty information available). These characteristics are achieved because of several technical innovations employed in this study: (1) SLOPE couples machine learning models with MODIS atmosphere and land products to accurately estimate PAR. (2) SLOPE couples highly efficient and pragmatic gap-filling and filtering algorithms with surface reflectance acquired by both Terra and Aqua MODIS satellites to derive a soil-adjusted NIRV (SANIRV) dataset. (3) SLOPE couples a temporal pattern recognition approach with a long-term Cropland Data Layer (CDL) product to predict dynamic C4 crop fraction. Through developing a parsimonious model with only two slope parameters, the proposed SLOPE product explains 85 % of the spatial and temporal variations in GPP acquired from 49 AmeriFlux eddy-covariance sites (324 site years), with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 1.63 gC m−2 d−1. The median R2 over C3 and C4 crop sites reaches 0.87 and 0.94, respectively, indicating great potentials for monitoring crops, in particular bioenergy crops, at the field level. With such a satisfactory performance and its distinct characteristics in spatiotemporal resolution and instantaneity, the proposed SLOPE GPP product is promising for biological and environmental research, carbon cycle research, and a broad range of real-time applications at the regional scale. The archived dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1786 (download page: https://daac.ornl.gov/daacdata/cms/SLOPE_GPP_CONUS/data/, last access: 20 January 2021) (Jiang and Guan, 2020), and the real-time dataset is available upon request.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

FARM User Guidance and Instructions

The FARM (Feasible Actuator Range Modifier) module is a component of the RAVEN-based FORCE framework for the analysis of Integrated Energy Systems (IES). FARM aids HERON in the solution of the power dispatch problem by evaluating feasible set-point signals to be issued to the control systems of the different IES unit components. Set-points need to satisfy limits on both production variables (i.e., the variables to be optimized such as the electrical power, etc.) and process variables tied to the service life of equipment (e.g., steam flowrate, vessel pressure, turbine firing temperature, etc.). To enforce all these limits, a two-stage approach is adopted. First, the power dispatcher algorithm in HERON module estimates set-points that meet the constraints on the production variables, e.g., power levels and power ramp rate limits. These constraints are called explicit constraints. Then, if necessary, FARM adjusts these set-points to ensure the respect of the limits on the process variables of interest, given the knowledge of the system dynamics acquired through machine learning algorithms. These constraints are called implicit constraints. From this standpoint, FARM constitutes a bridge between the HERON power dispatcher that adopts a simplified description of the IES unit (low-resolution physics) and the HYBRID high-fidelity models (high-resolution physics). In this report, the general workflow and the software requirements of FARM module are summarized, and the detailed instructions for installing FARM software, running built-in example cases, deriving Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) state-space models, and using FARM for user-defined power dispatch problems are provided.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

FARM supervisory capabilities for thermal energy storage

The FARM (Feasible Actuator Range Modifier) module is a component of the RAVEN-based FORCE framework for the analysis of Integrated Energy Systems (IES). FARM aids HERON in the solution of the power dispatch problem by evaluating feasible set-point signals to be issued to the control systems of the different IES unit components. Set-points need to satisfy limits on both production variables (i.e., the variables to be optimized such as the electrical power, etc.) and process variables tied to the service life of equipment (e.g., steam flowrate, vessel pressure, turbine firing temperature, etc.). To enforce all these limits, a two-stage approach is adopted. First, the power dispatcher algorithm in HERON module estimates set-points that meet the constraints on the production variables, e.g., power levels and power ramp rate limits. These constraints are called explicit constraints. Then, if necessary, FARM adjusts these set-points to ensure the respect of the limits on the process variables of interest, given the knowledge of the system dynamics acquired through machine learning algorithms. These constraints are called implicit constraints. From this standpoint, FARM constitutes a bridge between the HERON power dispatcher that adopts a simplified description of the IES unit (low-resolution physics) and the HYBRID high-fidelity models (high-resolution physics). In this report, an overview of the major capabilities of the latest release of FARM is provided, along with a summary of the tool demonstration campaign conducted at the Dynamic Energy Technology and Integration Laboratory (DETAIL) facility. These results assess the performance of the control system architecture embedding FARM both as a Validator of the HERON power dispatcher and as a real time Supervisory control scheme. Additionally, the report outlines the areas that FARM might benefit from, along with proposed solutions.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Shape-Shifting Peptide Nanomaterials: Surface Asymmetry Enables pH-Dependent Formation and Interconversion of Collagen Tubes and Sheets

The fabrication of dynamic, transformable biomaterials that respond to environmental cues represents a significant step forward in the development of synthetic materials that rival their highly functional, natural counterparts. In this work, we describe the design and synthesis of crystalline supramolecular architectures from charge-complementary heteromeric pairs of collagen-mimetic peptides (CMPs). Under appropriate conditions, CMP pairs spontaneously assemble into either 1D ultraporous (pore diameter >100 nm) tubes or 2D bilayer nanosheets due to the structural asymmetry that arises from heteromeric self-association. Crystalline collagen tubes represent a heretofore unobserved morphology of this common biomaterial. In-depth structural characterization from a suite of biophysical methods, including TEM, AFM, high-resolution cryo-EM, and SAXS/WAXS measurements, reveals that the sheet and tube assemblies possess a similar underlying lattice structure. The experimental evidence suggests that the tubular structures are a consequence of the self-scrolling of incipient 2D layers of collagen triple helices and that the scrolling direction determines the formation of two distinct structural isoforms. Furthermore, we show that nanosheets and tubes can spontaneously interconvert through manipulation of the assembly pH and systematic adjustment of the CMP sequence. Altogether, we establish initial guidelines for the construction of dynamically responsive 1D and 2D assemblies that undergo a structurally programmed morphological transition.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advanced Computational Modeling of High-Level Waste Vitrification at the Hanford Site

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected vitrification for stabilizing legacy tank waste at the Hanford site, where radioactive waste from plutonium production was historically stored in underground tanks. This waste will be separated into low-activity waste (LAW) and high-level waste (HLW) fractions and processed at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). At WTP, glass melters are used for the vitrification of radioactive tank waste, transforming it into a stable borosilicate glass form for safe long-term storage. The melter vessel is constructed from highly durable and heat-resistant materials, where the vitrification process occurs. The main regions that are modeled are the melt pool, plenum, cold cap, riser/discharge chamber, and surrounding structure with insulation layers. Forced convection induced by air bubblers at the base of the melter ensure uniform temperature distribution and provide heat to the cold cap layer. The cold cap is a region of reacting batch feed that floats on top of the molten glass and is where the batch-to-glass reactions occur. Joule heating provided by electrodes mounted along the vertical walls of the melter and immersed directly in the glass, generates the necessary heat for the net endothermic conversion processes that occur in the cold cap. The high temperatures, radioactivity, and opaque nature of the glass prevent direct observation inside the melters. Therefore, computational models are essential for providing insight into factors that affect melter throughput. Thermocouples in the plenum provide operators with plenum temperature measurements. Operational adjustments include bubbling rate, voltage supplied to the electrodes, feed adjustments, and glass removal rate. Different computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models have been developed, each serving a specific purpose. There are CFD models of different scale melters, as well as models that capture the two-phase flow interfaces of rising bubbles in the molten glass or models with a simplified molten glass region so that the surrounding structure and plenum can be feasibly incorporated. Pilot-scale melter models have been developed to serve as validation of the methods employed in the simulation of the full-scale WTP melters. Models incorporating resolved bubbling are used to develop momentum source terms to implement into a single phase, multi-region, steady-state flow model that is being validated by measured process parameters such as glass production rate, voltage, input power, plenum temperatures, etc. The resolved bubbling model uses the multiphase volume of fluid approach to model the system with a high-resolution interface capturing scheme to maintain sharp interfaces between the molten glass and the air phase. The suite of CFD models is continually being improved to incorporate more realistic physics and achieve faster turnaround time. For example, an incremental controller is implemented to automatically adjust electrode voltage within the simulation to a molten glass set point temperature of 1150°C. Newer models feature improved meshes to ensure conformal meshes between regions and eliminate unnecessary mesh refinement in areas that are not of interest (such as boundary layers in offgas ports). Instead of explicitly modeling the structural, refractory, and insulation layers of the melter, a thermal resistance approach is used with published correlations used for boundary conditions. The development of robust and efficient CFD models will be instrumental in enabling the WTP to successfully fulfill its mission of safely stabilizing legacy nuclear waste.

12 - MGMT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Phase Demodulation by Frequency Chirping in Coherence Microwave Photonic Interferometry

This paper presents a signal processing method to demodulate the optical interference phase of cascaded individual optical fiber intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (IFPI) sensors in a coherent microwave-photonic interferometry (CMPI) distributed sensing system. The new method utilizes the chirp effect of electro-optic modulator (EOM) to create a quasi-quadrature optical interference phase shift between two adjacent pulses which correspond to two adjacent reflection points in the time domain. The phase shift can be controlled by adjusting the bias voltage that is applied to the EOM. The interference phase is calculated by elliptically fitting the phase shift. The interference phase change is proportional to the optical path difference (OPD) change of the interferometer, and the sign can be used to differentiate the increase or decrease of the OPD. The method is demonstrated for distributed strain sensing, showing good linearity, high resolution and large dynamic range.

42 ENGINEERING↗