Results for “sensor selection” — Page 27

DOE OSTI2018

The STAR MAPS-based PiXeL detector

The PiXeL detector (PXL) for the Heavy Flavor Tracker (HFT) of the STAR experiment at RHIC is the first application of the state-of-the-art thin Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) technology in a collider environment. Here, custom built pixel sensors, their readout electronics and the detector mechanical structure are described in detail. Selected detector design aspects and production steps are presented. The detector operations during the three years of data taking (2014–2016) and the overall performance exceeding the design specifications are discussed in the conclusive sections of this work.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

High-performance silicon photonic single-sideband modulators for cold-atom interferometry

The laser system is the most complex component of a light-pulse atom interferometer (LPAI), controlling frequencies and intensities of multiple laser beams to configure quantum gravity and inertial sensors. Its main functions include cold-atom generation, state preparation, state-selective detection, and generating a coherent two-photon process for the light-pulse sequence. To achieve substantial miniaturization and ruggedization, we integrate key laser system functions onto a photonic integrated circuit. Our study focuses on a high-performance silicon photonic suppressed-carrier single-sideband (SC-SSB) modulator at 1560 nanometers, capable of dynamic frequency shifting within the LPAI. By independently controlling radio frequency (RF) channels, we achieve 30-decibel carrier suppression and unprecedented 47.8-decibel sideband suppression at peak conversion efficiency of –6.846 decibels (20.7%). We investigate imbalances in both amplitudes and phases between the RF signals. Using this modulator, we demonstrate cold-atom generation, state-selective detection, and atom interferometer fringes to estimate gravitational acceleration, g ≈ 9.77 ± 0.01 meters per second squared, in a rubidium ( 87 Rb) atom system.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2020

Fossil Power Plant Cyber Security Life-Cycle Risk Reduction, A Practical Framework for Implementation

Market conditions are forcing fossil electricity generation facility owners and operators to implement advanced digital technologies. These technologies enable efficiencies, operational flexibility, operations and maintenance efficiencies, and adapting to a transitioning workforce. These digital technologies, however, can increase the cybersecurity attack surface. The purpose of this research was to develop a holistic cybersecurity risk reduction framework for fossil generation facilities. The framework begins with assessing how cyber risk changes across facility life cycles, including plant, system, vendor, and business life cycles. The next phase performs consequence analysis to prioritize high consequence events. Focusing on high consequence events allows owners to use a graded, risk-informed approach to prioritize cybersecurity efforts. The final phase identifies the digital asset attack surface in sensors and instrumentation and control equipment. After the vulnerabilities are identified, the owner selects mitigating cybersecurity control measures (or countermeasures) based on the risk analysis from the previous phases. This report describes the current industry cybersecurity best practices in fossil generation that are based on the first principles for cybersecurity engineering. The report is divided into five sections that describe the implementation of the risk reduction framework and present identified research, methodological, and technology gaps that were identified through this course of research and development.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

DOE OSTI2023

Temperature and water vapor mixing ratio profiles retrieved from the MWR

The purpose of this study was to look at the thermodynamic and microphysical evolution the atmosphere during fog events at Summit. These cases were selected due to the presence of fog during a period when additional aerosol sensors where deployed on the colocated tower.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Fossil Power Plant Cyber Security Life-Cycle Risk Reduction: A Practical Framework for Implementation

Market conditions are forcing fossil electricity generation facility owners and operators to implement advanced digital technologies. These technologies enable efficiencies, operational flexibility, operations and maintenance efficiencies, and adapting to a transitioning workforce. These digital technologies, however, can increase the cybersecurity attack surface. The purpose of this research was to develop a holistic cybersecurity risk reduction framework for fossil generation facilities. The framework begins with assessing how cyber risk changes across facility life cycles, including plant, system, vendor, and business life cycles. The next phase performs consequence analysis to prioritize high consequence events. Focusing on high consequence events allows owners to use a graded, risk-informed approach to prioritize cybersecurity efforts. The final phase identifies the digital asset attack surface in sensors and instrumentation and control equipment. After the vulnerabilities are identified, the owner selects mitigating cybersecurity control measures (or countermeasures) based on the risk analysis from the previous phases. This report describes the current industry cybersecurity best practices in fossil generation that are based on the first principles for cybersecurity engineering. The report is divided into five sections that describe the implementation of the risk reduction framework and present identified research, methodological, and technology gaps that were identified through this course of research and development.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Fossil Power Plant Cyber Security Life-Cycle Risk Reduction: A Practical Framework for Implementation

Market conditions are forcing fossil electricity generation facility owners and operators to implement advanced digital technologies. These technologies enable efficiencies, operational flexibility, operations and maintenance efficiencies, and adapting to a transitioning workforce. These digital technologies, however, can increase the cybersecurity attack surface. The purpose of this research was to develop a holistic cybersecurity risk reduction framework for fossil generation facilities. The framework begins with assessing how cyber risk changes across facility life cycles, including plant, system, vendor, and business life cycles. The next phase performs consequence analysis to prioritize high consequence events. Focusing on high consequence events allows owners to use a graded, risk-informed approach to prioritize cybersecurity efforts. The final phase identifies the digital asset attack surface in sensors and instrumentation and control equipment. After the vulnerabilities are identified, the owner selects mitigating cybersecurity control measures (or countermeasures) based on the risk analysis from the previous phases. This report describes the current industry cybersecurity best practices in fossil generation that are based on the first principles for cybersecurity engineering. The report is divided into five sections that describe the implementation of the risk reduction framework and present identified research, methodological, and technology gaps that were identified through this course of research and development.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2026

A Chimeric LBT-GFP Biosensor Exhibits Antithetical Fluorescence Responses to Ca 2+ and Dy 3+ Binding

Rare earth elements (REEs) are critical components in emerging technologies, but their mining and refining processes are often laborious, costly, and environmentally damaging. Developing green and efficient separation methods for REEs is crucial. Biomolecular approaches using lanthanide-binding proteins and peptides show promise for selective REE extraction and separation. In this study, we present the design and characterization of a genetically encoded fluorescence indicator (GEFI) construct that combines a superfolder green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) with a dual lanthanide-binding tag (2×dLBT). The 2×dLBT insert induces conformational changes in sfGFP upon lanthanide binding, modulating the fluorescence intensity. The sfGFP-2×dLBT biosensor exhibited distinct fluorescence responses to different lanthanide ions, with the highest dynamic range observed for heavy REEs like dysprosium (Dy 3+ ). Interestingly, the sensor displayed an antithetical response, where low concentrations of lanthanides initially quenched the fluorescence, but higher concentrations led to a significant fluorescence increase (1.5-fold). The Ca 2+ ion on the other hand showed only a dose-dependent quenching of the fluorescence response. Based on these observations, the biphasic response of the biosensor to lanthanides was eliminated by pretreating the sensor with calcium, which further expanded the dynamic range up to 3-fold for Dy 3+ . The lanthanide-selective and concentration-dependent fluorescence changes of the sfGFP-2×dLBT biosensor demonstrate its potential as a platform for developing specific sensors for various REEs. These sensors could enable rapid and cost-effective determination of REE composition in complex mixtures, facilitating the separation and recovery of critical REEs from electronic waste and other REE-containing sources.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

A new Recoil Proton Telescope for energy and fluence measurement of fast neutron fields

The spectrometer ATHENA (Accurate Telescope for High Energy Neutron metrology Applications), is being developed at the IRSN / LMDN (Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete nucleaire / Laboratoire de Metrologie et de dosimetrie des neutrons) and aims at characterizing energy and fluence of fast neutron fields. The detector is a Recoil Proton Telescope and measures neutron fields in the range of 5 to 20 MeV. This telescope is intended to become a primary standard for both energy and fluence measurements. The neutron detection is achieved by a polyethylene radiator for n-p conversion, three 50{sub m} thick silicon sensors that use CMOS technology for the proton tracking and a 3 mm thick silicon diode to measure the residual proton energy. This first prototype used CMOS sensors called MIMOSTAR, initially developed for heavy ion physics. The use of CMOS sensors and silicon diode increases the intrinsic efficiency of the detector by a factor of ten compared with conventional designs. The first prototype has already been done and was a successful study giving the results it offered in terms of energy and fluence measurements. For mono energetic beams going from 5 to 19 MeV, the telescope offered an energy resolution between 5 and 11% and fluence difference going from 5 to 7% compared to other home standards. A second and final prototype of the detector is being designed. It will hold upgraded CMOS sensors called FastPixN. These CMOS sensors are supposed to run 400 times faster than the older version and therefore give the telescope the ability to support neutron flux in the order of 107 to 108cm{sup 2}:s{sup 1}. The first prototypes results showed that a 50 m pixel size is enough for a precise scattering angle reconstruction. Simulations using MCNPX and GEANT4 are already in place for further improvements. A DeltaE diode will replace the third CMOS sensor and will be installed right before the silicon diode for a better recoil proton selection. The final prototype with its new geometry will increase the telescopes efficiency by a factor of 1.5. It will also cover some of the most important points in metrology; repeatability, reproducibility and sustainability. (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2021

Embedding Sensors in 3D Printed Metal Structures

The Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR) program is leveraging recent advances in modeling and simulation, materials, and additive manufacturing (AM) technologies to design a modern nuclear reactor. Some of the main TCR technologies include in situ monitoring and the integration of sensors during the manufacturing of quality-significant nuclear reactor components. This report describes the general procedure and process optimization for embedding sensors within generic stainless steel 316 (SS316) components using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). A more detailed, quality-significant test plan and supporting procedures are available upon request (ORNL/TM-2021/2127). LPBF involves the use of a scanning laser to selectively melt regions of a powder bed, additively building a part layer by layer. This report describes the LPBF processing technique and discusses the effects of LPBF processing parameters on the success of the sensor embedding process. Experiments used machined cavities in the form of channels in an SS316 base for the sensors to lay in while material is additively built over the top, thereby embedding them in an SS316 matrix. A preliminary investigation involved using empty SS316 sheaths as surrogates to explore the effects of various LPBF processing parameters and the dimensional requirements of the machined channels. Microstructural investigations showed that a smaller channel width/depth combination closer to the sensor’s diameter was best for the embedding process. After the desired parameters were selected, Type-K thermocouples were embedded and evaluated post-embedding using nondestructive thermal testing, as well as destructive sectioning and microscopy. Post-build characterization showed that the thermocouples were well-bonded to the SS316 matrix and were fully functional after embedding. During thermal testing to temperatures up to 500 °C, the embedded thermocouples read consistently with one another and deviated only slightly from the readings of a nonembedded thermocouple located within the furnace. This slight discrepancy was most likely due to differences in the thermal time constants for a nonembedded thermocouple vs. a thermocouple embedded in a solid SS316 block. The results presented in this report will serve as the foundation for future work that will focus on embedding sensors in relevant TCR reactor components and eventually testing those components under neutron irradiation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2014

EBR-II Data Digitization

1. Objectives To produce a validation database out of those recorded signals it will be necessary also to identify the documents need to reconstruct the status of reactor at the time of the beginning of the recordings. This should comprehends the core loading specification (assemblies type and location and burn-up) along with this data the assemblies drawings and the core drawings will be identified. The first task of the project will be identify the location of the sensors, with respect the reactor plant layout, and the physical quantities recorded by the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) data acquisition system. This first task will allow guiding and prioritizing the selection of drawings needed to numerically reproduce those signals. 1.1 Scopes and Deliverables The deliverables of this project are the list of sensors in EBR-II system, the identification of storing location of those sensors, identification of a core isotopic composition at the moment of the start of system recording. Information of the sensors in EBR-II reactor system was summarized from the EBR-II system design descriptions listed in Section 1.2.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

DOE OSTI2019

Collaborative Research On Ecophysiological Controls on Amazonian Precipitation Seasonality And Variability

We developed and deployed a robust and accurate instrumentation package for measurement of solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) from above a plant canopy. The sensor collects light from identical up and down facing hemispheric collectors. A fiber optic transmits the collected light (selected by a rotatable prism) to spectrometers located at the base of the tower. Spectra of the down welling and upwelling light were collected alternatively and stored for later analysis. SIF was retrieved by a spectral unmixing approach using high resolution spectra in the 730-760 nm band. Most other ground-based sensors base their analysis on O 2 -alpha band (760-780 nm) for SIF retrieval. We found that the former gave identical results when the atmosphere was clear, but the former was more stable in the cloudy conditions that often prevailed in the Amazon. The mechanical design and software developed for the system are available on request. The sensor was mounted near the top of an 80 m tower at K34 near Manaus in the Brazilian Amazon Forest. The sensor system proved weather-tight and functioned flawlessly over the time of deployment. Our experiment was cut short at 6 months by failure of air conditioning infrastructure at the tower. We found that SIF emitted by canopy was remarkably stable when scaled by the downwelling photosynthetically active radiation or the upwelling near infrared light. We detected a 3.4% increase in SIF over the course of the dry season. This finding is consistent with the observation that several trees in the field of view flushed new leaves in the dry season. We saw no evidence of drought stress or photo damage of the forest canopy during our study.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Enzymatic Laser-Induced Graphene Biosensor for Electrochemical Sensing of the Herbicide Glyphosate

Glyphosate is a globally applied herbicide yet it has been relatively undetectable in-field samples outside of gold-standard techniques. Its presumed nontoxicity toward humans has been contested by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, while it has been detected in farmers’ urine, surface waters and crop residues. Rapid, on-site detection of glyphosate is hindered by lack of field-deployable and easy-to-use sensors that circumvent sample transportation to limited laboratories that possess the equipment needed for detection. Herein, the flavoenzyme, glycine oxidase, immobilized on platinum-decorated laser-induced graphene (LIG) is used for selective detection of glyphosate as it is a substrate for GlyOx. The LIG platform provides a scaffold for enzyme attachment while maintaining the electronic and surface properties of graphene. The sensor exhibits a linear range of 10–260 µm, detection limit of 3.03 µm, and sensitivity of 0.991 nA µm -1 . The sensor shows minimal interference from the commonly used herbicides and insecticides: atrazine, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, dicamba, parathion-methyl, paraoxon-methyl, malathion, chlorpyrifos, thiamethoxam, clothianidin, and imidacloprid. Sensor function is further tested in complex river water and crop residue fluids, which validate this platform as a scalable, direct-write, and selective method of glyphosate detection for herbicide mapping and food analysis.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

DOE OSTI2013

Direct Growth of Vertically-oriented Graphene for Field-Effect Transistor Biosensor

A sensitive and selective field-effect transistor (FET) biosensor is demonstrated using vertically-oriented graphene (VG) sheets labeled with gold nanoparticle (NP)-antibody conjugates. VG sheets are directly grown on the sensor electrode using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method and function as the sensing channel. The protein detection is accomplished through measuring changes in the electrical signal from the FET sensor upon the antibody-antigen binding. The novel biosensor with unique graphene morphology shows high sensitivity (down to ,2 ng/ml or 13 pM) and selectivity towards specific proteins. The PECVD growth of VG presents a one-step and reliable approach to prepare graphene-based electronic biosensors.

NANOSTRUCTURES↗

DOE OSTI2015

Ultrathin gas permeable oxide membranes for chemical sensing: Nanoporous Ta 2 O 5 test study

Conductometric gas sensors made of gas permeable metal oxide ultrathin membranes can combine the functions of a selective filter, preconcentrator, and sensing element and thus can be particularly promising for the active sampling of diluted analytes. Here we report a case study of the electron transport and gas sensing properties of such a membrane made of nanoporous Ta 2 O 5 . These membranes demonstrated a noticeable chemical sensitivity toward ammonia, ethanol, and acetone at high temperatures above 400 °C. Furthermore, different from traditional thin films, such gas permeable, ultrathin gas sensing elements can be made suspended enabling advanced architectures of ultrasensitive analytical systems operating at high temperatures and in harsh environments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2018

Synthesis and gas sensing properties of NiO/SnO2 hierarchical structures toward ppb-level acetone detection

Highlights: • The NiO/SnO{sub 2} hierarchical structures with different Ni contents have been prepared by facile hydrothermal method. • The NiO/SnO{sub 2} sensors exhibit the enhanced gas sensing performances comparing with pure SnO{sub 2}. • The Ni{sub 1}Sn{sub 3} sensor exhibits higher response, fast response/recovery time for acetone detection. - Abstract: We have synthesized pristine SnO{sub 2} and NiO/SnO{sub 2} hierarchical structures by a facile hydrothermal method. Structural and morphological characterizations of the obtained NiO/SnO{sub 2} samples were systematically studied using XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS. Meanwhile, gas-sensing properties of the as-fabricated pristine SnO{sub 2} and NiO/SnO{sub 2} sensor devices were investigated toward ppb-level acetone detection. The measured results show that the Ni{sub 1}Sn{sub 3} gas sensor can reach a response of 20.18 toward 50 ppm acetone under optimum operating temperature (300 °C), which is about 3.3 times higher than that of pristine sensor. Moreover, the Ni{sub 1}Sn{sub 3} gas sensor also exhibits fast response/recovery time (2 s/9 s), low detection limit (10 ppb) and good selectivity. We attribute the enhanced gas-sensing properties of NiO/SnO{sub 2} hierarchical structures to the synergetic effect as well as p-n heterojunction between the NiO and SnO{sub 2} structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Improved Bayesian regularization of inverse problems in vibrations and acoustics using noise-only measurements

Here, this paper studies Tikhonov regularization (ridge regression) parameter selection for problems in vibrations and acoustics. The selection method is based on a popular Bayesian method, but it incorporates measurements of sensor noise. The regularization parameter is closely related to the ratio of system input energy to noise energy, so noise measurements inform the inference procedure and improve parameter identification. In cases where standard Bayesian regularization identifies zero as the optimal regularization parameter, noise measurements guarantee a unique nonzero optimum. Sufficient theoretical criteria are developed for this guarantee. The method is verified in even-determined and under-determined configurations in an acoustic source localization simulation and a vibration load identification experiment. It is shown to yield significant improvements over existing empirical Bayesian regularization. Improvements are larger in the even-determined case and smaller in the under-determined case, wherein the inverse solution is less sensitive to the regularization parameter.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2024

Understanding the Influence of Urban Form on the Spatial Pattern of Precipitation

Urban areas are known to modify the spatial pattern of precipitation climatology. Existing observational evidence suggests that precipitation can be enhanced downwind of a city. Among the proposed mechanisms, the thermodynamic and aerodynamic processes in the urban lower atmosphere interact with the meteorological conditions and can play a key role in determining the resulting precipitation patterns. In addition, these processes are influenced by urban form, such as the impervious surface extent. This study aims to unravel how different urban forms impact the spatial patterns of precipitation climatology under different meteorological conditions. We use the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor quantitative precipitation estimation data products and analyze the hourly precipitation maps for 27 selected cities across the continental United States from the years 2015–2021 summer months. Results show that about 80% of the studied cities exhibit a statistically significant downwind enhancement of precipitation. Additionally, we find that the precipitation pattern tends to be more spatially clustered in intensity under higher wind speed; the location of radial precipitation maxima is located closer to the city center under low background winds but shifts downwind under high wind conditions. The magnitude of downwind precipitation enhancement is highly dependent on wind directions and is positively correlated with the city size for the south, southwest, and west directions. This study presents observational evidence through a cross-city analysis that the urban precipitation pattern can be influenced by the urban modification of atmospheric processes, providing insight into the mechanistic link between future urban land-use change and hydroclimates.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

Tri-molybdenum phosphide (Mo 3 P) and multi-walled carbon nanotube junctions for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detection

Detection and analysis of volatile organic compounds' (VOCs) biomarkers lead to improvement in healthcare diagnosis and other applications such as chemical threat detection and food quality control. Here, we report on tri-molybdenum phosphide (Mo3P) and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) junction-based vapor quantum resistive sensors (vQRSs), which exhibit more than one order of magnitude higher sensitivity and superior selectivity for biomarkers in comparison to pristine MWCNT junctions based vQRSs. Transmission electron microscope/scanning tunneling electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies reveal the crystallinity and the presence of Mo and P elements in the network. The presence of Mo3P clearly enhanced the performance of vQRS as evidenced in sensitivity and selectivity studies. The vQRSs are stable over extended periods of time and are reproducible, making them a potential candidate for sensing related applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗