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At least 379 records · Page 21

Bubble Point Measurements with Liquid Methane of a Screen Capillary Liquid Acquisition Device

Liquid acquisition devices (LADs) can be utilized within a propellant tank in space to deliver single-phase liquid to the engine in low gravity. One type of liquid acquisition device is a screened gallery whereby a fine mesh screen acts as a bubble filter and prevents the gas bubbles from passing through until a crucial pressure differential condition across the screen, called the bubble point, is reached. This paper presents data for LAD bubble point data in liquid methane (LCH4) for stainless steel Dutch twill screens with mesh sizes of 325 by 2300 and 200 by 1400 wires per inch. Data is presented for both saturated and sub-cooled LCH4, and is compared with predicted values.

Jurns, John M.↗

Bubble Point Measurements with Liquid Methane of a Screen Channel Capillary Liquid Acquisition Device

Liquid acquisition devices (LADs) can be utilized within a propellant tank in space to deliver single-phase liquid to the engine in low gravity. One type of liquid acquisition device is a screened gallery whereby a fine mesh screen acts as a 'bubble filter' and prevents the gas bubbles from passing through until a crucial pressure differential condition across the screen, called the bubble point, is reached. This paper presents data for LAD bubble point data in liquid methane (LCH4) for stainless steel Dutch twill screens with mesh sizes of 325 by 2300. These tests represent the first known nonproprietary effort to collect bubble point data for LCH4.

Jurns, John M.↗

Volumetric 3D Display System with Static Screen

Current display technology has relied on flat, 2D screens that cannot truly convey the third dimension of visual information: depth. In contrast to conventional visualization that is primarily based on 2D flat screens, the volumetric 3D display possesses a true 3D display volume, and places physically each 3D voxel in displayed 3D images at the true 3D (x,y,z) spatial position. Each voxel, analogous to a pixel in a 2D image, emits light from that position to form a real 3D image in the eyes of the viewers. Such true volumetric 3D display technology provides both physiological (accommodation, convergence, binocular disparity, and motion parallax) and psychological (image size, linear perspective, shading, brightness, etc.) depth cues to human visual systems to help in the perception of 3D objects. In a volumetric 3D display, viewers can watch the displayed 3D images from a completely 360 view without using any special eyewear. The volumetric 3D display techniques may lead to a quantum leap in information display technology and can dramatically change the ways humans interact with computers, which can lead to significant improvements in the efficiency of learning and knowledge management processes. Within a block of glass, a large amount of tiny dots of voxels are created by using a recently available machining technique called laser subsurface engraving (LSE). The LSE is able to produce tiny physical crack points (as small as 0.05 mm in diameter) at any (x,y,z) location within the cube of transparent material. The crack dots, when illuminated by a light source, scatter the light around and form visible voxels within the 3D volume. The locations of these tiny voxels are strategically determined such that each can be illuminated by a light ray from a high-resolution digital mirror device (DMD) light engine. The distribution of these voxels occupies the full display volume within the static 3D glass screen. This design eliminates any moving screen seen in previous approaches, so there is no image jitter, and has an inherent parallel mechanism for 3D voxel addressing. High spatial resolution is possible with a full color display being easy to implement. The system is low-cost and low-maintenance.

Geng, Jason↗

Analysis of Screen Channel LAD Bubble Point Tests in Liquid Oxygen at Elevated Temperature

The purpose of this paper is to examine the key parameters that affect the bubble point pressure for screen channel Liquid Acquisition Devices in cryogenic liquid oxygen at elevated pressures and temperatures. An in depth analysis of the effect of varying temperature, pressure, and pressurization gas on bubble point is presented. Testing of a 200 x 1400 and 325 x 2300 Dutch Twill screen sample was conducted in the Cryogenics Components Lab 7 facility at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Test conditions ranged from 92 to 130K and 0.138 - 1.79 MPa. Bubble point is shown to be a strong function of temperature with a secondary dependence on pressure. The pressure dependence is believed to be a function of the amount of evaporation and condensation occurring at the screen. Good agreement exists between data and theory for normally saturated liquid but the model generally under predicts the bubble point in subcooled liquid. Better correlation with the data is obtained by using the liquid temperature at the screen to determine surface tension of the fluid, as opposed to the bulk liquid temperature.

Hartwig, Jason↗

Electrostatic Screen for Transport of Martian and Lunar Regolith

The Martian and Lunar Regolith contain fine particulate including those in the size range from 0.5 to 200 micron [1-2]. Martian dust can be transported and deposited by Aeolian processes, including "Dust Devils". Due to the ultra high vacuum (10e-12 Torr), transport of dust on the Moon is solely a result of collision/ballistic motion. Dust obscuration of solar cells is one of the primary factors limiting the duration of Martian missions, including the Mars Exploration Rovers. Dust contamination in vacuum seals is one of the primarily factors that limited lunar excursions during the Apollo missions. Controlled transportation of dust on Mars and the Moon is important for many reasons, including both contamination mitigation and in situ resource utilization (ISRU). Since both the monopole and dipole electrostatic moments result in non-trivial forces on particles in an electrostatic field, dust particles, whether charged or not, can be transported by electrostatic fields. In the electrostatic screen, alternating waveforms of voltage applied to patterned grids of electrodes will transport dust. The authors will show that the canonical methods for transporting dust via electrostatic screen can be readily applied to transport of Martian and Lunar regolith. Experiments have been performed in ambient, low humidity, Martian, and Lunar conditions. Screen parameters have been examined for application to each regolith, such as grid spacing, trace width, grid voltage, pulse pattern, pulse frequency, and coating type. The authors have also developed an electrostatic screen based on optically transparent conductors that can be placed over solar arrays, windows, visors, lenses, etc.

Immer, C.↗

An RF Sensor for Gauging Screen-Channel Liquid Acquisition Devices for Cryogenic Propellants

A key requirement of a low-gravity screen-channel liquid acquisition device (LAD) is the need to retain 100% liquid in the channel in response to propellant outflow and spacecraft maneuvers. The point at which a screen-channel LAD ingests vapor is known as breakdown, and can be measured several different ways such as: visual observation of bubbles in the LAD channel outflow; a sudden change in pressure drop between the propellant tank and LAD sump outlet; or, an indication by wet-dry sensors placed in the LAD channel or outflow stream. Here we describe a new type of sensor for gauging a screen-channel LAD, the Radio Frequency Mass Gauge (RFMG). The RFMG measures the natural electromagnetic modes of the screen-channel LAD, which is very similar to an RF waveguide, to determine the amount of propellant in the channel. By monitoring several of the RF modes, we show that the RFMG acts as a global sensor of the LAD channel propellant fill level, and enables detection of LAD breakdown even in the absence of outflow. This paper presents the theory behind the RFMG-LAD sensor, measurements and simulations of the RF modes of a LAD channel, and RFMG detection of LAD breakdown in a channel using a simulant fluid during inverted outflow and long-term stability tests.

microwave sensor↗

Product of the SNPP VIIRS SD Screen Transmittance and the SD BRDF (RSB) From Both Yaw Maneuver and Regular On-Orbit Data

To assure data quality, the Earth-observing Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) regularly performs on-orbit radiometric calibrations of its 22 spectral bands. The primary calibration radiance source for the reflective solar bands (RSBs) is a sunlit solar diffuser (SD). During the calibration process, sunlight goes through a perforated plate (the SD screen) and then strikes the SD. The SD scattered sunlight is used for the calibration, with the spectral radiance proportional to the product of the SD screen transmittance and the SD bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). The BRDF is decomposed to the product of its value at launch and a numerical factor quantifying its change since launch. Therefore, the RSB calibration requires accurate knowledge of the product of the SD screen transmittance and the BRDF (RSB; launch time). Previously, we calculated the product with yaw maneuver data and found that the product had improved accuracy over the prelaunch one. With both yaw maneuver and regular on orbit data, we were able to improve the accuracy of the SDSM screen transmittance and the product for the solar diffuser stability monitor SD view. In this study, we use both yaw maneuver and a small portion of regular on-orbit data to determine the product for the RSB SD view.

Lei, Ning↗

Beam Propagation Through Atmospheric Turbulence Using an Altitude-Dependent Structure Profile with Non-Uniformly Distributed Phase Screens

Modeling the effects of atmospheric turbulence on optical beam propagation is a key element in the design and analysis of free-space optical communication systems. Numerical wave optics simulations provide a particularly useful technique for understanding the degradation of the optical field in the receiver plane when the analytical theory is insufficient for characterizing the atmospheric channel. Motivated by such an application, we use a split-step method modeling the turbulence along the propagation path as a series of thin random phase screens with modified von Karman refractive index statistics using the Hufnagel-Valley turbulence profile to determine the effective structure constant for each screen. In this work, we employ a space-to-ground case study to examine the irradiance and phase statistics for both uniformly and non-uniformly spaced screens along the propagation path and compare to analytical results. We find that better agreement with the analytical theory is obtained using a non-uniform spacing with the effective structure constant for each screen chosen to minimize its contribution to the scintillation in the receiver plane. We evaluate this method as a flexible alternative to other standard layered models used in astronomical imaging applications.

Chahine, Yousef K.↗

Screening and Qualification of BME Feedthrough Capacitors for a Space Project

Surface mount technology feedthrough ceramic capacitors are gaining popularity in Hi-Rel systems due to small size and great filtering characteristics. In this work, BME feedthrough capacitors compliant with AEC-Q200 requirements have been evaluated, screened and qualified for a space project. Evaluation included analysis of the effect of post-soldering thermal shocks, temperature dependencies of leakage currents, distribution of breakdown voltages, assessments of high-current capability, and thermal resistance of the parts. The parts have been screened and qualified at conditions close to the military requirements for ceramic capacitors. No failures were detected during screening including burning-in, but two samples failed during monitored 2000 hour life testing at 125C and two times rated voltage. Failure analysis revealed manufacturing defects that required additional analysis of screening and qualification test conditions. Highly accelerated life testing (HALT) has been carried out to assess reliability acceleration factors and the probability of failure at the use conditions. An approach to selection of adequate burning-in and life test conditions is discussed.

Alexander Teverovsky↗

Screening and Qualification of BME Feedthrough Capacitors for a Space Project

Surface mount technology feedthrough ceramic capacitors are gaining popularity in Hi-Rel systems due to small size and great filtering characteristics. In this work, BME feedthrough capacitors compliant with AEC-Q200 requirements have been evaluated, screened and qualified for a space project. Evaluation included analysis of the effect of post-soldering thermal shocks, temperature dependencies of leakage currents, distribution of breakdown voltages, assessments of high-current capability, and thermal resistance of the parts. The parts have been screened and qualified at conditions close to the military requirements for ceramic capacitors. No failures were detected during screening including burning-in, but two samples failed during monitored 2000 hour life testing at 125C and two times rated voltage. Failure analysis revealed manufacturing defects that required additional analysis of screening and qualification test conditions. Highly accelerated life testing (HALT) has been carried out to assess reliability acceleration factors and the probability of failure at the use conditions. An approach to selection of adequate burning-in and life test conditions is discussed.

Alexander Teverovsky↗

High-Throughput Screening of Li Solid-State Electrolytes With Bond Valence Methods and Graph Neural Networks

Li-based solid-state electrolyte (Li-SSE) materials enable safer, all-solid-state batteries but the computational search for candidates with favorable stability and Li-ion conductivity is challenging due to the size of the search space and the cost of evaluating transport properties with ab initio methods. We present a high-throughput screening approach for Li-SSE materials using a combination of bond-valence methods and graph neural networks. We demonstrate the screening approach with a dataset containing tens of thousands of Li-containing compounds. Furthermore, we combine the machine-learning screening procedure with an isovalent substitution scheme to generate and screen additional Li SSE candidates beyond existing databases. Finally, we discuss relative importances of geometric and bond-valence quantities in the training of graph neural networks, providing insight for future modeling of ionic conductivity in Li-SSE materials.

Materials discovery↗

Screening of Li-Based Solid Electrolytes Using Bond-Valence Methods and Graph Neural Networks

Li-based solid-state electrolyte (Li-SSE) materials enable safer, all-solid-state batteries but the computational search for candidates with favorable stability and Li-ion conductivity is challenging due to the size of the search space and the cost of evaluating transport properties with ab initio methods. We present a high-throughput screening approach for Li-SSE materials using a combination of bond-valence methods and graph neural networks. We demonstrate the screening approach with a dataset containing tens of thousands of Li-containing compounds. Furthermore, we combine the machine-learning screening procedure with an isovalent substitution scheme to generate and screen additional Li SSE candidates beyond existing databases. Finally, we discuss relative importances of geometric and bond-valence quantities in the training of graph neural networks, providing insight for future modeling of ionic conductivity in Li-SSE materials.

Materials discovery↗

A Screen Space GPGPU Surface LIC Algorithm for Distributed Memory Data Parallel Sort Last Rendering Infrastructures

The surface line integral convolution(LIC) visualization technique produces dense visualization of vector fields on arbitrary surfaces. We present a screen space surface LIC algorithm for use in distributed memory data parallel sort last rendering infrastructures. The motivations for our work are to support analysis of datasets that are too large to fit in the main memory of a single computer and compatibility with prevalent parallel scientific visualization tools such as ParaView and VisIt. By working in screen space using OpenGL we can leverage the computational power of GPUs when they are available and run without them when they are not. We address efficiency and performance issues that arise from the transformation of data from physical to screen space by selecting an alternate screen space domain decomposition. We analyze the algorithm's scaling behavior with and without GPUs on two high performance computing systems using data from turbulent plasma simulations.

Loring, Burlen↗

Using the Monte Carlo Method to Evaluate the Reliability of Screening Multifamily Housing for Radon

When screening for radon in a multifamily housing complex using a fixed sample density (e.g., testing 1 in 10 (10%) or 1 in 4 units (25%)), the statistical confidence is dependent upon the assumed elevated radon frequency. For example, testing 25% of units in a complex estimated to have eight units with elevated radon levels will provide 90% confidence. However, if it is assumed that, in the same complex, there are only three units with elevated radon levels, the confidence drops to around 58% for the same sample density. Furthermore, in the previous example, if elevated radon levels are not found during the screening, all that can be stated is that the screening provides 90% confidence that there are no more than seven units in the complex with elevated radon levels. To more fully illustrate this uncertainty, ten separate multifamily housing radon data sets with 1 to 10 units with radon levels ≥4 pCi/L (Table 1) were selected for analysis using the Monte Carlo statistical method. Unlike other mathematically based statistical approaches, the Monte Carlo statistical method relies on repeated analysis of randomly selected data. from a 100% sampled complex at various sample densities. Success for each simulation is defined as finding at least one unit with elevated radon levels. In this statistical method, confidence in the overarching conclusion can be greatly enhanced by repeating the simulated screening hundreds or even thousands of times. For this study, each of the ten data sets was simulated 1,000 times. For each simulation, the data set was randomized three times before the fixed percentage of data was selected.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

THERMAL ANALYSIS OF THE RHIC ARC DIPOLE MAGNET COLD MASS WITH THE EIC BEAM SCREEN

The EIC will make use of the existing RHIC storage rings with their superconducting (SC) magnet arcs. A stain-less-steel beam screen with co-laminated copper and a thin amorphous carbon (aC) film on the inner surface will be installed in the beam pipe of the SC magnets. The copper will reduce the beam-induced resistive-wall (RW) heating from operation with the higher intensity EIC beams, that if not addressed would make the magnets quench. Limiting the RW heating is also important to achieve an adequately low vacuum level. The aC coating will reduce secondary electron yield which could also cause heating and limit in-tensity. Among all the RHIC SC magnets, the arc dipoles present the biggest challenge to the design and installation of beam screens. The arc dipoles, which make up for 78% (2.5 km) length of all SC magnets in RHIC, expect the larg-est RW heating due to their smallest aperture. These mag-nets are also the longest (9.45 m each), thus experiencing the largest temperature rise over their length, and have a large sagitta (48.5 mm) that increases the difficulty to in-stall the beam screen in place. This paper presents a de-tailed thermal analysis of the magnet-screen system.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Screening and Spectral Summing of LANL Empty Waste Drums - 13226

Empty 55-gallon drums that formerly held transuranic (TRU) waste (often over-packed in 85- gallon drums) are generated at LANL and require radiological characterization for disposition. These drums are typically measured and analyzed individually using high purity germanium (HPGe) gamma detectors. This approach can be resource and time intensive. For a project requiring several hundred drums to be characterized in a short time frame, an alternative approach was developed. The approach utilizes a combination of field screening and spectral summing that was required to be technically defensible and meet the Nevada Nuclear Security Site (NNSS) Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC). In the screening phase of the operation, the drums were counted for 300 seconds (compared to 600 seconds for the typical approach) and checked against Low Level (LL)/TRU thresholds established for each drum configuration and detector. Multiple TRU nuclides and multiple gamma rays for each nuclide were evaluated using an automated spreadsheet utility that can process data from up to 42 drums at a time. Screening results were reviewed by an expert analyst to confirm the field LL/TRU determination. The spectral summing analysis technique combines spectral data (channel-by-channel) associated with a group of individual waste containers producing a composite spectrum. The grouped drums must meet specific similarity criteria. Another automated spreadsheet utility was used to spectral sum data from an unlimited number of similar drums grouped together. The composite spectrum represents a virtual combined drum for the group of drums and was analyzed using the SNAP{sup TM}/Radioassay Data Sheet (RDS)/Batch Data Report (BDR) method. The activity results for a composite virtual drum were divided equally amongst the individual drums to generate characterization results for each individual drum in the group. An initial batch of approximately 500 drums were measured and analyzed in less than 2 months in 2011. A second batch of approximately 500 more drums were measured and analyzed during the following 2 1/2 months. Four different HPGe detectors were employed for the operation. The screening and spectral summing approach can reduce the overall measurement and analysis time required. However, developing the technical details and automation spreadsheets requires a significant amount of expert time prior to beginning field operations and must be considered in the overall project schedule. This approach has continued to be used for characterizing several hundred more empty drums in 2012 and is planned to continue in 2013. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Radon Vapor Intrusion Screening Level Calculator - 17041

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has produced a web-based calculator for the assessment of cancer risk from radon in soil, soil gas, and pore water seeping into above-ground buildings. Like the chemical vapor intrusion screening level (VISL) calculator, the radon VISL (RVISL) provides screening levels in subsurface soil and water that are protective of preliminary remediation goals (PRGs) for radon in air that are based on either cancer risk or Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements (ARARs). In addition to the screening levels calculated, the RVISL can also calculate the risk from radon concentrations in soil, water, and air. The exposure routes evaluated in the RVISL are inhalation and external exposure from submersion in radon. Two source term options are provided for the user: one without radioactive decay and one with decay. Sources continually generating radon (Rn-222 and Rn-220), such as below ground uranium, would best be modeled with the 'without decay' models. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Radon is released from the normal decay of uranium, thorium, and radium in rocks and soil. It is an invisible, odorless, tasteless gas that seeps up through the ground and diffuses into the air. In areas without adequate ventilation, such as underground mines, radon can accumulate to levels that substantially increase the risk of lung cancer. Radon can enter homes through cracks in floors, walls, or foundations, and collect indoors. It can also be released from building materials, or from water obtained from wells that contain radon. Radon levels can be higher in homes that are well insulated, tightly sealed, and/or built on soil rich in the elements uranium, thorium, and radium. Basement and first floors typically have the highest radon levels because of their closeness to the ground. The RVISL will also allow for the calculation of screening levels for thoron (Rn-220) and Rn-219. The RVISL will be useful in assessing the final cleanup goals for subsurface soils where direct contact is not assumed. These sites can be landfills, buried waste cells or naturally occurring. By calculating protective levels of radon in subsurface soils, the likelihood of exceeding CERCLA protective standards (either risk range or ARARs) can be reduced. (authors)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Protein engineering of aldolase LbDERA for enhanced activity toward real substrates with a high-throughput screening method coupled with an aldehyde dehydrogenase

A new high-throughput method for screening 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase variants with a higher activity toward aldol reaction of unnatural aldehydes was established for the first time by coupling with an aldehyde dehydrogenase LeADH. The error-prone PCR and site-directed saturation mutagenesis libraries of aldolase LbDERA were constructed and screened using the high-throughput method. Two improved variants, LbDERA{sub T29L} and LbDERA{sub F163Y}, were identified and combined, giving a double mutant LbDERA{sub T29L/F163Y} which showed 7-fold higher activity than the native enzyme. The crystal structure of LbDERA{sub T29L/163Y} obtained by X-ray diffraction with 1.77 Å resolution revealed the structural changes responsible for the significant activity improvement. - Highlights: • A high-throughput method for screening aldolase variants was established. • A variant LbDERA{sub T29L/F163Y} with 7-fold improved activity was identified. • The crystal structure reveals structure changes responsible for activity improvement.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗