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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 577 records · Page 32
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Damaging HMX/HTPB formulations: In-situ compression imaging using X-ray micro computed tomography

HMX (octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine) is a powerful high explosive that is routinely used in formulations such as PBX 9501. Much remains to be learned about the performance and mechanical properties of HMX formulations such as these, particularly after dynamic damage has occurred. We have prepared formulations with HMX using hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) binder in order to form an explosive that is relatively insensitive to mild stimuli, analogous to PBXB-110 (different only is substitution of dioctyladipate (DO) for isodecyl pelargonate).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

A Thermal Control System for an Isostatic Press

This paper proposes a concept of operation for an isostatic pressing capability using a proposed thermally controlled system developed using system engineering methodology. The concept utilizes a computer controlled fluid based heat exchange system capable of heating or cooling a pressure vessel in which high explosive (HE) is isostatically pressed. A press operator controls the system through a computer interface.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

LIHEM Failure Model Development

Previously, a factor of safety criterion for the IHEs (LX-17 and PBX 9502) was defined using the ultimate strength of the material based on uniaxial compression and tension data at various temperatures and strain rates and an experimentally derived failure surface. The probability of failure was subsequently calculated using this factor of safety, uncertainty data, and assumptions. This year, the methodology was extended to incorporate the effect of cyclic loading into the Livermore Insensitive High Explosives Mechanical (LIHEM) model. As mentioned in the previous section, we performed cyclic experiments on three-point-bend specimens in order to find cycles-to-failure as a function of failure load at various temperatures, frequencies, and amplitudes.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Project Trinity: The Myth, The Legend, The Legacy [Slides]

The Manhattan Project was established in June 1942. Its mission: beat the Nazis to the atomic bomb. Los Alamos was selected as the site for the weapons design laboratory. J. Robert Oppenheimer served as the Laboratory’s director. In the spring of 1944, Los Alamos scientists discovered plutonium would not work in a gun assembly. That summer, the Laboratory was reorganized to build an implosion bomb. Scientists were confident Little Boy, the uranium gun weapon, would perform in combat. Initially, however, scientists were skeptical its imploding plutonium counterpart would function. Eventually, due to improvements in the high explosives (HE), most scientists were confident the implosion bomb would work …but not confident enough to use it in combat without testing it first! Oppenheimer persuaded General Leslie Groves, Commander of the Manhattan Engineer District, to test.

Military Technology, Weaponry, & National Defense(↗
DOE OSTI2014

Evaluation of Select Heat and Pressure Measurement Gauges for Potential Use in the NRC/OECD High Energy Arc Fault (HEAF) Test Program

In an effort to improve the current state of the art in fire probabilistic risk assessment methodology, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Office of Regulatory Research, contracted Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to conduct a series of scoping tests to identify thermal and mechanical probes that could be used to characterize the zone of influence (ZOI) during high energy arc fault (HEAF) testing. For the thermal evaluation, passive and active probes were exposed to HEAF-like heat fluxes for a period of 2 seconds at the SNL's National Solar Thermal Test Facility to determine their ability to survive and measure such an extreme environment. Thermal probes tested included temperature lacquers (passive), NANMAC thermocouples, directional flame thermometers, modified plate thermometers, infrared temperature sensors, and a Gardon heat flux gauge. Similarly, passive and active pressure probes were evaluated by exposing them to pressures resulting from various high-explosive detonations at the Sandia Terminal Ballistic Facility. Pressure probes included bikini pressure gauges (passive) and pressure transducers. Results from these tests provided good insight to determine which probes should be considered for use during future HEAF testing.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2015

Far Field Modeling Methods For Characterizing Surface Detonations

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) analyzed particle samples collected during experiments that were designed to replicate tests of nuclear weapons components that involve detonation of high explosives (HE). SRNL collected the particle samples in the HE debris cloud using innovative rocket propelled samplers. SRNL used scanning electronic microscopy to determine the elemental constituents of the particles and their size distributions. Depleted uranium composed about 7% of the particle contents. SRNL used the particle size distributions and elemental composition to perform transport calculations that indicate in many terrains and atmospheric conditions the uranium bearing particles will be transported long distances downwind. This research established that HE tests specific to nuclear proliferation should be detectable at long downwind distances by sampling airborne particles created by the test detonations.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2015

JWL Equation of State

The JWL equation of state (EOS) is frequently used for the products (and sometimes reactants) of a high explosive (HE). Here we review and systematically derive important properties. The JWL EOS is of the Mie-Grueneisen form with a constant Grueneisen coefficient and a constants specific heat. It is thermodynamically consistent to specify the temperature at a reference state. However, increasing the reference state temperature restricts the EOS domain in the (V, e)-plane of phase space. The restrictions are due to the conditions that P ≥ 0, T ≥ 0, and the isothermal bulk modulus is positive. Typically, this limits the low temperature regime in expansion. The domain restrictions can result in the P-T equilibrium EOS of a partly burned HE failing to have a solution in some cases. For application to HE, the heat of detonation is discussed. Example JWL parameters for an HE, both products and reactions, are used to illustrate the restrictions on the domain of the EOS.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2016

The concentrations of radionuclides, heavy metals, and poloychlorinated biphenyls in field mice collected from regional background areas. Revision 3

Field mice are effective indicators of contaminant presence. This paper reports the concentrations of various radionuclides, heavy metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, high explosives, perchlorate, and dioxin/furans in field mice (mostly deer mice) collected from regional background areas in northern New Mexico. These data, represented as the regional statistical reference level (the mean plus three standard deviations = 99% confidence level), are used to compare with data from field mice collected from areas potentially impacted by Laboratory operations, as per the Environmental Surveillance Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Shock Detector for SURF model

SURF and its extension SURFplus are reactive burn models aimed at shock initiation and propagation of detonation waves in high explosives. A distinctive feature of these models is that the burn rate depends on the lead shock pressure. A key part of the models is an algorithm to detect the lead shock. Typically, shock capturing hydro algorithms have small oscillations behind a shock. Here we investigate how well the shock detection algorithm works for a nearly steady propagating detonation wave in one-dimension using the Eulerian xRage code.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2016

Results from Second Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing

High Explosives and Technology (M-7) completed the second round of formulation and testing of Remediated Nitrate Salt (RNS) surrogates on March 17, 2016. This report summarizes the results of the work and also includes additional documentation required under test plan PLAN-TA9-2443 Rev B, "Remediated Nitrate Salt (RNS) Surrogate Formulation and Testing Standard Procedure", released February 16, 2016. All formulation and testing was carried out according to PLAN-TA9-2443 Rev B. Results from the first round of formulation and testing were documented in memorandum M7-16-6042, "Results from First Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing."

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2016

Initial Results from the Third Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing

High explosives science and technology (M-7) is currently working on the third round of formulation and testing of Remediated nitrate salt (RNS) surrogates. This report summarizes the calorimetry results from the 15% sWheat mixtures. All formulation and testing was carried out according to PLAN-TA9-2443 Rev B, "Remediated Nitrate Salt (RNS) surrogate formulation and testing standard procedure", released February 16, 2016. Results from the first and second rounds of formulation and testing were documented in memoranda M7-16-6042 and M7-16-6053.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Summary of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing

High Explosives Science and Technology (M-7) completed all required formulation and testing of Remediated Nitrate Salt (RNS) surrogates on April 27, 2016 as specified in PLAN-TA9-2443 Rev B, "Remediated Nitrate Salt (RNS) Surrogate Formulation and Testing Standard Procedure", released February 16, 2016. This report summarizes the results of the work and also includes additional documentation required in that test plan. All formulation and testing was carried out according to PLAN-TA9-2443 Rev B. The work was carried out in three rounds, with the full matrix of samples formulated and tested in each round. Results from the first round of formulation and testing were documented in memorandum M7-J6-6042, " Results from First Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing." Results from the second round of formulation and testing were documented in M7-16-6053 , "Results from the Second Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Surrogate Formulation and Testing." Initial results from the third round were documented in M7-16-6057, "Initial Results from the Third Round of Remediated Nitrate Salt Formulation and Testing."

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

SPE5 Sub-Scale Test Series Summary Report

A series of 2 SPE5 sub-scale tests were performed to experimentally confirm that a booster system designed and evaluated in prior tests would properly initiate the PBXN-110 case charge fill. To conduct the experiments, a canister was designed to contain the nominally 50 mm diameter booster tube with an outer fill of approximately 150 mm diameter by 150 mm in length. The canisters were filled with PBXN-110 at NAWS-China Lake and shipped back to LLNL for testing in the High Explosives Applications Facility (HEAF). Piezoelectric crystal pins were placed on the outside of the booster tube before filling, and a series of piezoelectric crystal pins along with Photonic Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) probes were placed on the outer surface of the canister to measure the relative timing and magnitude of the detonation. The 2 piezoelectric crystal pins integral to the booster design were also utilized along with a series of either piezoelectric crystal pins or piezoelectric polymer pads on the top of the canister or outside case that utilized direct contact, gaps, or different thicknesses of RTV cushions to obtain time of arrival data to evaluate the response in preparation for the large-scale SPE5 test. To further quantify the margin of the booster operation, the 1st test (SPE5SS1) was functioned with both detonators and the 2nd test (SPE5SS2) was functioned with only 1 detonator. A full detonation of the material was observed in both experiments as observed by the pin timing and PDV signals. The piezoelectric pads were found to provide a greater measured signal magnitude during the testing with an RTV layer present, and the improved response is due to the larger measurement surface area of the pad. This report will detail the experiment design, canister assembly for filling, final assembly, experiment firing, presentation of the diagnostic results, and a discussion of the results.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Floodplain statement of findings for corrective actions in Potrillo Canyon technical area-36, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico

In 2014, baseline storm water monitoring samples for Potrillo Canyon Sample Management Area at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) exceeded the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Individual Permit No. NM0030759 target action level (TAL) of 15 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) for gross-alpha radioactivity (393 pCi/L) and a TAL of 30 pCi/L for radium-226 and radium-228 (95.9 pCi/L). Consequently, erosion control measures within the management area are proposed to minimize sediment migration, a corrective action under the permit that is a requirement of the New Mexico Environment Department consent decree and a good management practice to limit off-site sediment migration. The area proposed for erosion controls consists of portions of Technical Area 36 that were used as firing sites primarily involving high explosives (HE) and metal (e.g., depleted uranium, lead, copper, aluminum, and steel), small-explosives experiments and burn pits (burn pits were used for burning and disposal of test debris). In addition, underground explosive tests at an approximate depth of 100 feet were also conducted. These watershed-based storm water controls will focus on addressing erosion occurring within the floodplain through mitigating and reducing both current and future channelization and head cutting.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Guide to Using Onionskin Analysis Code (U)

This document is a guide to using R-code written for the purpose of analyzing onionskin experiments. We expect the user to be very familiar with statistical methods and the R programming language. For more details about onionskin experiments and the statistical methods mentioned in this document see Storlie, Fugate, et al. (2013). Engineers at LANL experiment with detonators and high explosives to assess performance. The experimental unit, called an onionskin, is a hemisphere consisting of a detonator and a booster pellet surrounded by explosive material. When the detonator explodes, a streak camera mounted above the pole of the hemisphere records when the shock wave arrives at the surface. The output from the camera is a two-dimensional image that is transformed into a curve that shows the arrival time as a function of polar angle. The statistical challenge is to characterize a baseline population of arrival time curves and to compare the baseline curves to curves from a new, so-called, test series. The hope is that the new test series of curves is statistically similar to the baseline population.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
DOE OSTI2016

Development and Execution of a Large-scale DDT Tube Test for IHE Material Qualification

Insensitive High Explosive (IHE) Materials are defined in Chapter IX of the DOE Explosive Safety Standard (DOE-STD-1212-2012) as being materials that are massdetonable explosives that are so insensitive that the probability of accidental initiation or transition from burning to detonation is negligible1. There are currently a number of tests included in the standard that are required to qualify a material as IHE, however, none of the tests directly evaluate for the transition from burning to detonation (aka deflagration-to-detonation transition, DDT). Currently, there is a DOE complex-wide effort to revisit the IHE definition in DOE-STD-1212-2012 and change the qualification requirements. The proposal lays out a new approach, requiring fewer, but more appropriate tests, for IHE Material qualification. One of these new tests is the Deflagration-to-Detonation Test. According to the redefinition proposal, the purpose of the new deflagration-todetonation test is “to demonstrate that an IHE material will not undergo deflagration-to-detonation under stockpile relevant conditions of scale, confinement, and material condition. Inherent in this test design is the assumption that ignition does occur, with onset of deflagration. The test design will incorporate large margins and replicates to account for the stochastic nature of DDT events.” In short, the philosophy behind this approach is that if a material fails to undergo DDT in a significant over-test, then it is extremely unlikely to do so in realistic conditions. This effort will be valuable for the B61 LEP to satisfy their need qualify the new production lots of PBX 9502. The work described in this report is intended as a preliminary investigation to support the proposed design of an overly conservative, easily fielded DDT test for updated IHE Material Qualification standard. Specifically, we evaluated the aspects of confinement, geometry, material morphology and temperature. We also developed and tested a thermally robust igniter system.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Parameterization of a Cookoff Model for LX-07

A thermal decomposition model for PBX 9501 (95% HMX, 2.5% Estane® binder, 2.5% BDNPA/F nitro-plasticizer) was implemented by Dickson, et. al. The objective in this study is to estimate parameters associated with this kinetics model so it can be applied to carry out thermal ignition predictions for LX-07 (90% HMX, 10% Viton binder). LX-07 thermal ignition experiments have been carried out using the “Sandia Instrumented Thermal Ignition Apparatus”, SITI. The SITI design consists of solid cylinders (1” diameter × 1” height) of high explosive (HE) confined by a cylindrical aluminum case. An electric heater is wrapped around the outer surface of the case. This heater produces a temperature heating ramp on the outer surface of the case. Internal thermocouples measure the HE temperature rise from the center to locations close to the HE-aluminum interface. The energetic material is heated until thermal ignition occurs. A two–dimensional axisymmetric heat conduction finite element model is used to simulate these experiments. The HE thermal decomposition kinetics is coupled to a heat conduction model trough the definition of an energy source term. The parameters used to define the HE thermal decomposition model are optimized to obtain a good agreement with the experimental time to thermal ignition and temperatures. Also, heat capacity and thermal conductivity of the LX-07 mixture were estimated using temperatures measured at the center of the HE before the solid to solid HMX phase transition occurred.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗