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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 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

ORNL Interim Progress Report on Static CIRFT Testing Curvature Data Update

Since the CIRFT tests reported in NUREG-7198 were generated, a number of factors that influence the recorded curvature measurement data were identified. In 2016, a data reanalysis task was undertaken to implement the lessons learned. This letter report provides the revised results of previous CIRFT tests, after implementing the following data reanalysis procedures: (A) experimental data smoothing and LVDT reset, (B) LVDT probe contact and sensor spacing correction for curvature data, and (C) LVDT probe dynamic vibration adjustment procedure development.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Research Performance Progress Report: Diverging Supernova Explosion Experiments on NIF

The aim of this project was to design a series of blast-wave driven Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The experiments of this kind are relevant to mixing in core-collapse supernovae (ccSNe) and have the potential to address previously unanswered questions in high-energy density physics (HEDP) and astrophysics. The unmatched laser power of the NIF laser offers a unique chance to observe and study “new physics” like the mass extensions observed in HEDP RT experiments performed on the Omega laser [1], which might be linked to self-generated magnetic fields [2] and so far could not be reproduced by numerical simulations. Moreover, NIF is currently the only facility that offers the possibility to execute a diverging RT experiment, which would allow to observe processes such as inter-shell penetration via turbulent mixing and shock-proximity effects (distortion of the shock by RT spikes).

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

FINAL Progress Report DOE Grant DE-FG02-04ER15587

Catalysis Program - Viviane Schwartz Program Manager This Final Report discusses several archival journal articles that have been published that present and discuss the results that were discovered through this DOE grant.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Mechanisms for Ductile Rupture - FY16 ESC Progress Report

Ductile rupture in metals is generally a multi-step process of void nucleation, growth, and coalescence. Particle decohesion and particle fracture are generally invoked as the primary microstructural mechanisms for room-temperature void nucleation. However, because high-purity materials also fail by void nucleation and coalescence, other microstructural features must also act as sites for void nucleation. Early studies of void initiation in high-purity materials, which included post-mortem fracture surface characterization using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-voltage electron microscopy (HVEM) and in-situ HVEM observations of fracture, established the presence of dislocation cell walls as void initiation sites in high-purity materials. Direct experimental evidence for this contention was obtained during in-situ HVEM tensile tests of Be single crystals. Voids between 0.2 and 1 μm long appeared suddenly along dislocation cell walls during tensile straining. However, subsequent attempts to replicate these results in other materials, particularly α -Fe single crystals, were unsuccessful because of the small size of the dislocation cells, and these remain the only published in-situ HVEM observations of void nucleation at dislocation cell walls in the absence of a growing macrocrack. Despite this challenge, other approaches to studying void nucleation in high-purity metals also indicate that dislocation cell walls are nucleation sites for voids.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Asymmetric Semiconductor Nanorod/Oxide Nanoparticle Hybrid Materials: Model Nanomaterials for Light-Activated Formation of Fuels from Sunlight. Formal Progress Report -- Award DE-FG02-05ER15753

Executive Summary on Project Accomplishments: We focused our efforts for this project on the synthesis and characterization of semiconductor nanomaterials composed of semiconductor nanorods (NRs - e.g., CdSe, CdSe@CdS, CdS) with metal (Au, Pt, Co) or metal oxide (CoxOy) nanoparticle (NP) “tips.” These systems are attractive model systems where control of spatial, energetic and compositional features of both NRs and NP tips potentially enhances the efficiency of photogeneration and directional transport of charges, and photoelectrochemical conversion of sunlight to fuels. Synthetic methods to control material dimensions (20-200 nm in length), topology (one vs. two NP tips) and NR/NP tip compositions have been developed in the current project period (Pyun). We also achieved, for the first time in heterostructured nanorod materials, estimates of both valence band energies (E VB ) and conduction band energies (E CB ), using unique combinations of in vacuuo ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS, Armstrong), and waveguide spectroelectrochemistry (Saavedra), respectively. The spectroelectrochemical measurements in particular provide a unique path to estimation of E CB , and the distribution in E CB brought about by modification of NR composition. The combination of both approaches promises to be universally applicable to the characterization of energetics in nanomaterials of interest both for photovoltaic and sunlight-to-fuel photoelectrochemical assemblies.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Final Research Performance Progress Report: Geothermal Resource Development with Zero Mass Withdrawal, Engineered Convection, and Wellbore Energy Conversion

This project is intended to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility, and environmental and social attractiveness of a novel method of heat extraction from geothermal reservoirs. The emphasis is on assessing the potential for a heat extraction method that couples forced and free convection to maximize extraction efficiency. The heat extraction concept is enhanced by considering wellbore energy conversion, which may include only a boiler for a working fluid, or perhaps a complete boiler, turbine, and condenser cycle within the wellbore. The feasibility of this system depends on maintaining mechanical and hydraulic integrity of the wellbore, so the material properties of the casing-cement system are examined both experimentally and with well design calculations. The attractiveness depends on mitigation of seismic and subsidence risks, economic performance, environmental impact, and social impact – all of which are assessed as components of this study.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Progress Report on Computational Analyses of Water-Based NSTF

CFD analysis has been focused on important component-level phenomena using STARCCM+ to supplement the system analysis of integral system behavior. A notable area of interest was the cavity region. This area is of particular interest for CFD analysis due to the multi-dimensional flow and complex heat transfer (thermal radiation heat transfer and natural convection), which are not simulated directly by RELAP5. CFD simulations allow for the estimation of the boundary heat flux distribution along the riser tubes, which is needed in the RELAP5 simulations. The CFD results can also provide additional data to help establish what level of modeling detail is necessary in RELAP5. It was found that the flow profiles in the cavity region are simpler for the water-based concept than for the air-cooled concept. The local heat flux noticeably increases axially, and is higher in the fins than in the riser tubes. These results were utilized in RELAP5 simulations as boundary conditions, to provide better temperature predictions in the system level analyses. It was also determined that temperatures were higher in the fins than the riser tubes, but within design limits for thermal stresses. Higher temperature predictions were identified in the edge fins, in part due to additional thermal radiation from the side cavity walls.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

The BGC Feedbacks Scientific Focus Area 2016 Annual Progress Report

The BGC Feedbacks Project will identify and quantify the feedbacks between biogeochemical cycles and the climate system, and quantify and reduce the uncertainties in Earth System Models (ESMs) associated with those feedbacks. The BGC Feedbacks Project will contribute to the integration of the experimental and modeling science communities, providing researchers with new tools to compare measurements and models, thereby enabling DOE to contribute more effectively to future climate assessments by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

RELAP-7 Progress Report: A Mathematical Model for 1-D Compressible, Single-Phase Flow Through a Branching Junction

In the literature, the abundance of pipe network junction models, as well as inclusion of dissipative losses between connected pipes with loss coefficients, has been treated using the incompressible flow assumption of constant density. This approach is fundamentally, physically wrong for compressible flow with density change. This report introduces a mathematical modeling approach for general junctions in piping network systems for which the transient flows are compressible and single-phase. The junction could be as simple as a 1-pipe input and 1-pipe output with differing pipe cross-sectional areas for which a dissipative loss is necessary, or it could include an active component, between an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe, such as a pump or turbine. In this report, discussion will be limited to the former. A more general branching junction connecting an arbitrary number of pipes with transient, 1-D compressible single-phase flows is also presented. These models will be developed in a manner consistent with the use of a general equation of state like, for example, the recent Spline-Based Table Look-up method [1] for incorporating the IAPWS-95 formulation [2] to give accurate and efficient calculations for properties for water and steam with RELAP-7 [3].

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

International Collaboration on Spent Fuel Disposition in Crystalline Media: FY17 Progress Report

Active participation in international R&D is crucial for achieving the Spent Fuel Waste Science & Technology (SFWST) long-term goals of conducting “experiments to fill data needs and confirm advanced modeling approaches” and of having a “robust modeling and experimental basis for evaluation of multiple disposal system options” (by 2020). DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) has developed a strategic plan to advance cooperation with international partners. The international collaboration on the evaluation of crystalline disposal media at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in FY17 focused on the collaboration through the Development of Coupled Models and their Validation against Experiments (DECOVALEX-2019) project. The DECOVALEX project is an international research and model comparison collaboration, initiated in 1992, for advancing the understanding and modeling of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes in geological systems. SNL has been participating in three tasks of the DECOVALEX project: Task A. Modeling gas injection experiments (ENGINEER), Task C. Modeling groundwater recovery experiment in tunnel (GREET), and Task F. Fluid inclusion and movement in the tight rock (FINITO).

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Multidisciplinary Approaches to Radiation Balanced Lasers (MARBLe): 1st Annual Progress Report

The initial main modifications of the existing μPD crystal-growth system at LANL have been completed. This now gives us the new capability to develop the growth of crystalline RBL materials by both the μPD and the Bridgman method. Quantitative mass spectrometry of the growth atmosphere was conducted to identify possible sources of gaseous trace species (primarily hydrogen) that could cause the undesired reduction of Yb 3+ to Yb 2+ during the crystal growth. Hydrogen was found to be at sufficiently low levels to not be a respective concern. Studies on the thermal decomposition of YbF 3 to form Yb 2+ are currently underway in collaboration with MARBLe team member Prof. Pauzauskie. First samples of Yb 3+ -doped YLiF 4 (YLF:Yb) and undoped LiLuF 4 (LLF) were grown, and MARBLe team member Prof. Sheik-Bahae has performed measurements of laser-induced heating (YLF:Yb) and background absorption coefficient (LLF). We discovered that one or several of the YF 3 , LiF, and YbF 3 precursors contains organic impurities that chemically reduce to black residue during the high-temperature growth in oxygen-free argon atmosphere. A process for removal of these residues prior to growth is being considered. Comparing the results from incongruently melting YLF with those of congruently melting LLF indicate that a congruently melting material is preferred for Bridgman growth. Crystal-growth experiments with LLF are currently underway. The results of these studies on Yb 3+ doped materials will be directly applicable to the future growth of Er 3+ and Tm 3+ doped as well as Yb 3+ , Nd 3+ co-doped RBL crystals. There was no activity on the parallel effort of developing rareearth- doped chalcogenide glasses. The primary reason was a lack of manpower due to a delayed hiring of a student. In September 2017, we have hired a Postdoctoral Researcher who will be able to contribute to the growth (at LANL) and optical characterization (at UNM) of RBL materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

PBX 9502 Gas Generation Progress Report FY17

The self-ignition (“cookoff”) behavior of PBX 9502 depends on the dynamic evolution of gas permeability and physical damage in the material. The time-resolved measurement of product gas generation yields insight regarding the crucial properties that dominate cookoff behavior. We report on small-scale laboratory testing performed in FY17, in which small unconfined samples of PBX 9502 were heated in a small custom-built sealed pressure vessel to self-ignition. We recorded time-lapse video of the evolving physical changes in the sample, quasi-static long-duration pressure rise, then high-speed video and dynamic pressure rise of the cookoff event. We report the full pressure attained during the cookoff of a 1.02g sample in a free volume of 62.5 cm 3 .

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2017

Mid-Award Progress Report for Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program

The purpose of the work proposed for this study is to investigate the behavior and transport mechanisms for cesium-137 in soils collected from contaminated sites with distinct source release scenarios. More specifically, this study aims to determine with which elements and minerals cesium-137 associates in these various environments to more reliably predict its migration in the subsurface. This will be achieved using a state-of-the-art analysis technique available at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) known as NanoSIMS. Nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry, or NanoSIMS, is a destructive surface analysis technique in which positive secondary ions are generated from the surface of a sample and then quantified based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) using mass spectrometry. The data collected about the secondary ions can then be used to create isotope-specific spatial maps with a resolution of a few hundred nanometers and depth profiles that show the variation of the secondary ion intensity with sputtering time. This should be an ideal technique for locating cesium-137 in a sample, as cesium is an easily ionized element, meaning the yield of secondary cesium (Cs) ions produced should be high and making the identification of cesium-137 straight forward.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Mercury Remediation Technology Development for Lower East Fork Poplar Creek - FY 2016 Progress Report

Mercury remediation is a high priority for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM), especially at and near the Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) where historical mercury use has resulted in contaminated buildings, soils, and downstream surface waters. To address mercury contamination of East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC), the DOE has adopted a phased, adaptive management approach to remediation, which includes mercury treatment actions at Y-12 in the short-term and research and technology development (TD) to evaluate longer-term solutions in the downstream environment (US Department of Energy 2014).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Performance and Reliability of Bonded Interfaces for High-temperature Packaging: Annual Progress Report

As maximum device temperatures approach 200 °Celsius, continuous operation, sintered silver materials promise to maintain bonds at these high temperatures without excessive degradation rates. A detailed characterization of the thermal performance and reliability of sintered silver materials and processes has been initiated for the next year. Future steps in crack modeling include efforts to simulate crack propagation directly using the extended finite element method (X-FEM), a numerical technique that uses the partition of unity method for modeling discontinuities such as cracks in a system.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Power Electronics Thermal Management Research: Annual Progress Report

The objective for this project is to develop thermal management strategies to enable efficient and high-temperature wide-bandgap (WBG)-based power electronic systems (e.g., emerging inverter and DC-DC converter). Reliable WBG devices are capable of operating at elevated temperatures (≥ 175 °Celsius). However, packaging WBG devices within an automotive inverter and operating them at higher junction temperatures will expose other system components (e.g., capacitors and electrical boards) to temperatures that may exceed their safe operating limits. This creates challenges for thermal management and reliability. In this project, system-level thermal analyses are conducted to determine the effect of elevated device temperatures on inverter components. Thermal modeling work is then conducted to evaluate various thermal management strategies that will enable the use of highly efficient WBG devices with automotive power electronic systems.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗