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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 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

HunStat2 – a simple and low-cost potentiostat with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy capability

We have developed a low-cost (30 USD), simple do-it-yourself (DIY) potentiostat with cyclic voltammetry (CV), open circuit potential (OCP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) capability. The HunStat2 potentiostat is based on Analog Devices' AD5941 Analog Front End chip, which significantly simplifies the construction of potentiostats for both direct and alternating current (DC and AC, respectively) techniques. Interested readers are provided with circuit diagrams and a bill of materials to build the potentiostat on their own. In addition, control software is also provided free of charge. The software enables acquisition and visualization of data. In summary, HunStat2 introduces a simple and low-cost DIY potentiostat recommended for both analytical and educational purposes.

Vamos, Istvan [Lajos Petrik Vocational Chemistry S↗
DOE OSTI2015

High pressure study of B{sub 12}As{sub 2}: Electrical transport behavior and the role of grain boundaries

Using a diamond anvil cell, the evolutions of alternate-current impedance spectra and direct- current resistivity in B{sub 12}As{sub 2} have been investigated up to 51.9 GPa. The results provide evidence for the existence of grain and grain boundary effects that are separated in the frequency region. The grain boundary resistance shows a relatively smaller contribution to the total resistance above 16.8 GPa. By using the double-Schottky barrier model, the space charge potential was obtained. A pressure-induced inversion of charge defect concentration in the space charge layer was found at 20.7 GPa. The high-temperature resistivity measurements indicate that the transport activation energy is determined by defect energy levels in the band gap.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

AC calorimetry of H 2 O at pressures up to 9 GPa in diamond anvil cells

If successfully developed, calorimetry at tens of GPa of pressure could help characterize phase transitions in materials such as high-pressure minerals, metals, and molecular solids. In this paper, we extend alternating-current calorimetry to 9 GPa and 300 K in a diamond anvil cell and use it to study phase transitions in H 2 O. In particular, water is loaded into the sample chambers of diamond-cells, along with thin metal heaters (1 μm-thick platinum or 20 nm-thick gold on a glass substrate) that drive high-frequency temperature oscillations (20 Hz to 600 kHz; 1 to 10 K). The heaters also act as thermometers via the third-harmonic technique, yielding calorimetric data on (1) heat conduction to the diamonds and (2) heat transport into substrate and sample. Using this method during temperature cycles from 300 to 200 K, we document melting, freezing, and proton ordering and disordering transitions of H 2 O at 0 to 9 GPa, and characterize changes in thermal conductivity and heat capacity across these transitions. Finally, the technique and analysis pave the way for calorimetry experiments on any non-metal at pressures up to ~100 GPa, provided a thin layer (several μm-thick) of thermal insulation supports a metallic thin-film (tens of nm thick) Joule-heater attached to low contact resistance leads inside the sample chamber of a diamond-cell.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Novel mechanisms for solid-state processing and grain growth with microstructure alignment in alnico-8 based permanent magnets

An estimated 750,000 new hybrid electric and plug-in battery vehicles, most with permanent magnet synchronous alternating current (PMAC) drive motors, took to the road in 2016 alone. Accompanied by 40% year over year growth in the EV market significant challenges exist in producing large quantities of permanent magnets (on the order of tens of millions) for reliable, low-cost traction motors [IE Agency, Energy Technology Perspectives (2017)]. Since the rare earth permanent magnet (REPM) market is essentially 100% net import reliant in the United States and has proven to have an unstable cost and supply structure in recent years, a replacement RE-free PM material must be designed or selected, fully developed, and implemented. Alnico, with its high saturation magnetization and excellent thermal stability, appears to be uniquely suited for this task. Further, while alnico typically has been considered a relatively low coercivity hard magnet, strides have been made to increase the coercivity to levels suitable for traction drive motors [W Tang, IEEE Trans. Magn., 51 (2015)]. If a simple non-cast approach for achieving near [001] easy axis grain aligned permanent magnets can be found, this would allow massproduced final-shape anisotropic high energy product magnets suitable for usage in compact high RPM rotor designs. Therefore, a powder metallurgical approach is being explored that uses classic compression molding with “de-bind and sinter” methods, where a novel applied uniaxial loading, and an applied magnetic field may create final-shape magnets with highly textured resulting microstructures by two different mechanisms. Results indicate a positive correlation between applied uniaxial load and resulting texture (Fig. 1), along with benefits from using an applied magnetic field for improved texture, as well. Lastly, the apparent mechanisms and resulting properties will be described using closed loop hysteresisgraph measurements, EBSD orientation mapping, and high-resolution SEM.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Pressure-induced suppression of Jahn–Teller distortions and enhanced electronic properties in high-entropy oxide (Mg 0.2 Ni 0.2 Co 0.2 Zn 0.2 Cu 0.2 )O

Jahn–Teller distortions are often observed in Cu II -containing complex oxides resulting in remarkable changes of physical properties. Tuning the Jahn–Teller distortions with pressure has attracted considerable interest but is less studied in Cu II -containing high-entropy oxides (HEOs). We found that pressure can suppress the structural distortions originating from the Jahn–Teller effect of CuO 6 octahedra in the rock salt-type (Mg 0.2 Ni 0.2 Co 0.2 Zn 0.2 Cu 0.2 )O HEO and significantly modify its electronic properties. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction shows that the structural distortions arising from the Jahn–Teller effect of CuO 6 octahedra are progressively suppressed, and the distorted structure evolves into a nearly ideal form under compression. Alternating current impedance and ultraviolet-visible absorption measurements reveal a dramatic resistance drop by more than three orders of magnitude and an obvious bandgap decrease in ~0.1 eV, respectively, accompanied by the pressure-induced suppression of structural distortions. Our study presents a promising route for tuning the structural distortions and the electronic structures of Cu II -containing HEOs for optimizing materials functionalities.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electric-field–induced assembly and propulsion of chiral colloidal clusters

Chiral molecules with opposite handedness exhibit distinct physical, chemical, or biological properties. They pose challenges as well as opportunities in understanding the phase behavior of soft matter, designing enantioselective catalysts, and manufacturing single-handed pharmaceuticals. Microscopic particles, arranged in a chiral configuration, could also exhibit unusual optical, electric, or magnetic responses. In this paper, we report a simple method to assemble achiral building blocks, i.e., the asymmetric colloidal dimers, into a family of chiral clusters. Under alternating current electric fields, two to four lying dimers associate closely with a central standing dimer and form both right- and left-handed clusters on a conducting substrate. The cluster configuration is primarily determined by the induced dipolar interactions between constituent dimers. Our theoretical model reveals that in-plane dipolar repulsion between petals in the cluster favors the achiral configuration, whereas out-of-plane attraction between the central dimer and surrounding petals favors a chiral arrangement. It is the competition between these two interactions that dictates the final configuration. The theoretical chirality phase diagram is found to be in excellent agreement with experimental observations. We further demonstrate that the broken symmetry in chiral clusters induces an unbalanced electrohydrodynamic flow surrounding them. As a result, they rotate in opposite directions according to their handedness. Both the assembly and propulsion mechanisms revealed here can be potentially applied to other types of asymmetric particles. Lastly, such kinds of chiral colloids will be useful for fabricating metamaterials, making model systems for both chiral molecules and active matter, or building propellers for microscale transport.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Modeling of hot plasma in the solar active region core

Magnetically confined plasma with temperatures ⩾5 MK are a feature of hot coronal loops observed in the core of active regions. In this paper, using observations and MHD modeling of coronal loops, we investigate whether wave heating (Alternating Current) models can describe the high temperature loops observed in the active region of 2012 September 7. We construct three-dimensional MHD models for the Alfvén wave turbulence within loops with high temperature. We find that for the Alfvén waves to create enough turbulence to heat the corona, the rms velocity at the footpoints must be 5–6 km s{sup −1}. We conclude that the Alfvén wave turbulence model may be a candidate for explaining how the hot loops are heated, provided the loops have a high velocity at their photospheric footpoints.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Electron kinetics in a positive column of AC discharges in a dynamic regime

Abstract We have performed hybrid kinetic-fluid simulations of a positive column in alternating current (AC) argon discharges over a range of driving frequencies f and gas pressure p for the conditions when the spatial nonlocality of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) is substantial. Our simulations confirmed that the most efficient conditions of plasma maintenance are observed in the dynamic regime when time modulations of mean electron energy (temperature) are substantial. The minimal values of the root mean square electric field and the electron temperature have been observed at f/p values of about 3 kHz Torr −1 in a tube of radius R = 1 cm. The ionization rate and plasma density reached maximal values under these conditions. The numerical solution of a kinetic equation allowed accounting for the kinetic effects associated with spatial and temporal nonlocality of the EEDF. Using the kinetic energy of electrons as an independent variable, we solved an anisotropic tensor diffusion equation in phase space. We clarified the role of different flux components during electron diffusion in phase space over surfaces of constant total energy. We have shown that the kinetic theory uncovers a more exciting and rich physics than the classical ambipolar diffusion (Schottky) model. Non-monotonic radial distributions of excitation rates, metastable densities, and plasma density have been observed in our simulations at pR > 6 Torr cm. The predicted off-axis plasma density peak in the dynamic regime has never been observed in experiments so far. We hope our results stimulate further experimental studies of the AC positive column. The kinetic analysis could help uncover new physics even for such a well-known plasma object as a positive column in noble gases.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2014

Efficient algorithm for locating and sizing series compensation devices in large power transmission grids: I. Model implementation

We explore optimization methods for planning the placement, sizing and operations of Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) devices installed to relieve transmission grid congestion. We limit our selection of FACTS devices to Series Compensation (SC) devices that can be represented by modification of the inductance of transmission lines. Our master optimization problem minimizes the l 1 norm of the inductance modification subject to the usual line thermal-limit constraints. We develop heuristics that reduce this non-convex optimization to a succession of Linear Programs (LP) which are accelerated further using cutting plane methods. The algorithm solves an instance of the MatPower Polish Grid model (3299 lines and 2746 nodes) in 40 seconds per iteration on a standard laptop—a speed up that allows the sizing and placement of a family of SC devices to correct a large set of anticipated congestions. We observe that our algorithm finds feasible solutions that are always sparse, i.e., SC devices are placed on only a few lines. In a companion manuscript, we demonstrate our approach on realistically-sized networks that suffer congestion from a range of causes including generator retirement. In this manuscript, we focus on the development of our approach, investigate its structure on a small test system subject to congestion from uniform load growth, and demonstrate computational efficiency on a realistically-sized network.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2014

Efficient algorithm for locating and sizing series compensation devices in large power transmission grids: II. Solutions and applications

In a companion manuscript, we developed a novel optimization method for placement, sizing, and operation of Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) devices to relieve transmission network congestion. Specifically, we addressed FACTS that provide Series Compensation (SC) via modification of line inductance. In this manuscript, this heuristic algorithm and its solutions are explored on a number of test cases: a 30-bus test network and a realistically-sized model of the Polish grid (~ 2700 nodes and ~ 3300 lines). The results on the 30-bus network are used to study the general properties of the solutions including non-locality and sparsity. The Polish grid is used as a demonstration of the computational efficiency of the heuristics that leverages sequential linearization of power flow constraints and cutting plane methods that take advantage of the sparse nature of the SC placement solutions. Using these approaches, the algorithm is able to solve an instance of Polish grid in tens of seconds. We explore the utility of the algorithm by analyzing transmission networks congested by (a) uniform load growth, (b) multiple overloaded configurations, and (c) sequential generator retirements.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2014

Pressure-enhanced superconductivity in Eu 3 Bi 2 S 4 F 4

The pressure effect on the newly discovered charge-transferred BiS 2 -based superconductor, Eu 3 Bi 2 S 4 F 4 , with a T c of 1.5 K at ambient pressure, is investigated by transport and magnetic measurements. Accompanied with the enhancement of metallicity under pressures, the onset superconducting transition temperature increases abruptly around 1.0 GPa, reaching ~10.0 K at 2.26 GPa. Alternating current magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that a new superconducting phase with a higher T c emerges and dominates at high pressures. In the broad pressure window of 0.68GPa≤p≤2.00 GPa, the high-T c phase coexists with the low-T c phase. Hall effect measurements reveal a significant difference in electronic structures between the two superconducting phases. As a result, our work devotes the effort to establish the commonality of pressure effect on the BiS 2 -based superconductors, and also uncovers the importance of electron carrier density in the high-T c phase.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Crystal structure and partial Ising-like magnetic ordering of orthorhombic D y 2 Ti O 5

The structure and magnetic properties of orthorhombic Dy 2 TiO 5 have been investigated using x-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, and alternating current (ac)/direct current (dc) magnetic susceptibility measurements. In this paper, we report a continuous structural distortion below 100 K characterized by negative thermal expansion in the [0 1 0] direction. Neutron diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed that two-dimensional (2D) magnetic ordering begins at 3.1 K, which is followed by a three-dimensional magnetic transition at 1.7 K. The magnetic structure has been solved through a representational analysis approach and can be indexed with the propagation vector k = [0 1/2 0]. The spin structure corresponds to a coplanar model of interwoven 2D “sheets” extending in the [0 1 0] direction. The local crystal field is different for each Dy 3+ ion (Dy1 and Dy2), one of which possesses strong uniaxial symmetry indicative of Ising-like magnetic ordering. In conclusion, consequently, two succeeding transitions under magnetic field are observed in the ac susceptibility, which are associated with flipping each Dy 3+ spin independently.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Ferromagnetism versus slow paramagnetic relaxation in Fe-doped Li 3 N

We report on isothermal magnetization, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and magnetostriction as well as temperature-dependent alternating-current (ac) susceptibility, specific heat, and thermal expansion of single crystalline and polycrystalline Li 2 ( Li 1-x Fe x ) N with x = 0 and x ≈ 0.30 . Magnetic hysteresis emerges at temperatures below T ≈ 50 K with coercivity fields of up to μ 0 H = 11.6 T at T = 2 K and magnetic anisotropy energies of 310 K (27 meV). The ac susceptibility is strongly frequency-dependent (f = 10 – 10 000 Hz) and reveals an effective energy barrier for spin reversal of Δ E ≈ 1100 K (90 meV). The relaxation times follow Arrhenius behavior for T > 25 K . For T < 10 K , however, the relaxation times of τ ≈ 10 10 s are only weakly temperature-dependent, indicating the relevance of a quantum tunneling process instead of thermal excitations. The magnetic entropy amounts to more than 25 J mol -1 Fe K -1 , which significantly exceeds R ln 2 , the value expected for the entropy of a ground-state doublet. Thermal expansion and magnetostriction indicate a weak magnetoelastic coupling in accordance with slow relaxation of the magnetization. The classification of Li 2 ( Li 1-x Fe x ) N as ferromagnet is stressed and contrasted with highly anisotropic and slowly relaxing paramagnetic behavior.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Probing Microplasticity in Small-Scale FCC Crystals via Dynamic Mechanical Analysis

In small-scale metallic systems, collective dislocation activity has been correlated with size effects in strength and with a steplike plastic response under uniaxial compression and tension. Yielding and plastic flow in these samples is often accompanied by the emergence of multiple dislocation avalanches. Dislocations might be active preyield, but their activity typically cannot be discerned because of the inherent instrumental noise in detecting equipment. We apply alternate current load perturbations via dynamic mechanical analysis during quasistatic uniaxial compression experiments on single crystalline Cu nanopillars with diameters of 500 nm and compute dynamic moduli at frequencies 0.1, 0.3, 1, and 10 Hz under progressively higher static loads until yielding. By tracking the collective aspects of the oscillatory stress-strain-time series in multiple samples, we observe an evolving dissipative component of the dislocation network response that signifies the transition from elastic behavior to dislocation avalanches in the globally preyield regime. We postulate that microplasticity, which is associated with the combination of dislocation avalanches and slow viscoplastic relaxations, is the cause of the dependency of dynamic modulus on the driving rate and the quasistatic stress. We construct a continuum mesoscopic dislocation dynamics model to compute the frequency response of stress over strain and obtain a consistent agreement with experimental observations. The results of our experiments and simulations present a pathway to discern and quantify correlated dislocation activity in the preyield regime of deforming crystals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Optimal Network Topology for Node-Breaker Representations With AC Power Flow Constraints

It has been demonstrated that network topology optimization (NTO) may change the topology of power system networks, and consequently, provide additional flexibility to reduce network congestion and violations. Most NTO problems are formulated based on the bus-branch model in which it is challenging to represent a realistic picture of all substation configurations. In this paper, we explore advantages of substation reconfiguration modeling based on node-breaker representations for NTO problem with full nonlinear alternating current power flow. It also proposes a tailored solution algorithm to solve this nonconvex mixed-integer nonlinear programming through the outer approximation method. The proposed solution approach iterates between a mixed-integer linear programming and a nonlinear subproblem. Additional enhancements to further accelerate the iteration process are illustrated. Numerical case studies demonstrate the relative economic and operational impact of optimal network topology with node-breaker representations.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

PowerModelsGAT-AI: Physics-Informed Graph Attention for Multi-System Power Flow With Continual Learning

Solving the alternating current power flow equations in real time is essential for secure grid operation, yet classical Newton–Raphson solvers can be slow under stressed conditions. Existing graph neural networks for power flow are typically trained on a single system and often degrade on different systems. We present PowerModelsGAT-AI, a physics-informed graph attention network that predicts bus voltages and generator injections. The model uses bus-type-aware masking to handle different bus types and balances multiple loss terms, including a power-mismatch penalty, using learned weights. We evaluate the model on 14 benchmark systems (4 to 6,470 buses) and train a unified model on 13 of these under contingency conditions with up to two branch outages, achieving an average normalized mean absolute error of 0.89% for voltage magnitudes and R 2 >0.99 for voltage angles. We also show continual learning: when adapting a base model to a new 1,354-bus system, standard fine-tuning causes severe forgetting with error increases exceeding 1000% on base systems, while our experience replay and elastic weight consolidation strategy keeps error increases below 2% and in some cases improves base-system performance. Interpretability analysis shows that learned attention weights correlate with physical branch parameters (susceptance: r=0.38 ; thermal limits: r=0.22 ), and feature importance analysis supports that the model captures established power flow relationships.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2024

On-Board AC Charging Topology Integrated with Electric Vehicle Motor Drive System

On-board AC charging is a convenient and widely adopted method for recharging electric vehicles (EVs) directly from standard alternating current (AC) power sources. This paper presents a novel topology for AC charging of EVs that utilizes EV 3-phase electric machine windings as the input inductors, thus eliminating the requirement for bulky grid interfacing inductors and resulting in a compact and cost-effective integrated motor drive and charger system. The proposed approach leverages the motor windings and parallel operating half-bridge inverter during the charging process by interconnecting the inverter phases with the motor windings in a mechanically interleaved and electrically paralleled manner. The implementation of this unique and innovative idea, achieved through precise control and arrangement of the motor winding as a series inductor, successfully eliminates the possibility of unintended motion of the electric machine during the charging process.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Design and Stability Analysis of Control System in Multiport Autonomous Reconfigurable Solar Power Plants (MARS)

The Multiport Autonomous Reconfigurable Solar Power Plant (MARS) is an integrated photovoltaic (PV) power generation and energy storage system (ESS), that is designed to connect to both alternating current (AC) transmission grids and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) links. It is a three-phase plant consisting of numerous components with a complex hardware and hierarchical control architecture. This paper presents an approach to decouple the multivariable system of MARS using a recursive reduced-order and boundary layer system methodology. This approach enables efficient computation of the control parameters for the Ll, L2, and L3 controllers. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy, cyclic tests in accordance with pre-defined performance criteria using controller Hardware-in-the-Loop (cHIL) experiments are conducted. The results demonstrate that the MARS system operates consistently under steady-state conditions. Furthermore, the dynamic response of the MARS system to various grid events is analyzed, underlining the resilience of MARS in presence of faults or loss of generation within the connected WECC system.

Xia, Qian↗