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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 613 records · Page 34

An April 1991 outburst from 4U0115+63 observed by BATSE

4U0115+63 is a recurrent transient X-ray pulsar in a moderately eccentric orbit with a Be star companion, V635 Cas. Many outbursts from this system have been reported over the past twenty years; yet despite the apparent relation between optical outbursts from the companion star and subsequent X-ray transient events, the physical mechanism for the mass transfer in the system remains unclear. In this paper, we present the preliminary results of analysis of observations made using BATSE during the 1991 April outburst from this system. This outburst does not fit the pattern of three year recurrence intervals previously suggested by Whitlock, Roussel-Dupre and Priedhorsky (1989). The orbital elements of the system have been updated and do not support the claim of Tamura et al., (1992) that apsidal motion was detected in this system based on the 1990 Ginga outburst.

Cominsky, Lynn↗

Compact Simultaneous-beam Optical Strain Measurement System, Phase 5

Recent advances on the laser speckle strain measurement system under development at NASA Lewis Research Center have resulted in a compact, easy-to-use measurement package having many performance improvements over previous systems. NASA has developed this high performance optical strain measurement system for high temperature material testing applications. The system is based on I. Yamaguchi's two-beam speckle-shift strain measurement theory, and uses a new optical design that allows simultaneous recording of laser speckle patterns. This design greatly improves system response over previous implementations of the two-beam speckle-shift technique. The degree of immunity to transient rigid body motions is no longer dependent on the data transfer rate. The system automatically calculates surface strains at a frequency of about 5 Hz using a high speed digital signal processor in a personal computer. This system is fully automated, and can be operated remotely. This report describes the designs and methods used by the system, and shows low temperature strain test results obtained from small diameter tungsten-rhenium and palladium-chrome wires.

Lant, Christian T.↗

Surface Instability of Liquid Propellant under Vertical Oscillatory Forcing

Fluid motion in a fuel tank produced during thrust oscillations can circulate sub-cooled hydrogen near the liquid-vapor interface resulting in increased condensation and ullage pressure collapse. The first objective of this study is to validate the capabilities of a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool, CFD-ACE+, in modeling the fundamental interface transition physics occurring at the propellant surface. The second objective is to use the tool to assess the effects of thrust oscillations on surface dynamics. Our technical approach is to first verify the CFD code against known theoretical solutions, and then validate against existing experiments for small scale tanks and a range of transition regimes. A 2D axisymmetric, multi-phase model of gases, liquids, and solids is used to verify that CFD-ACE+ is capable of modeling fluid-structure interaction and system resonance in a typical thrust oscillation environment. Then, the 3D mode is studied with an assumed oscillatory body force to simulate the thrust oscillating effect. The study showed that CFD modeling can capture all of the transition physics from solid body motion to standing surface wave and to droplet ejection from liquid-gas interface. Unlike the analytical solutions established during the 1960 s, CFD modeling is not limited to the small amplitude regime. It can extend solutions to the nonlinear regime to determine the amplitude of surface waves after the onset of instability. The present simulation also demonstrated consistent trends from numerical experiments through variation of physical properties from low viscous fluid to high viscous fluids, and through variation of geometry and input forcing functions. A comparison of surface wave patterns under various forcing frequencies and amplitudes showed good agreement with experimental observations. It is concluded that thrust oscillations can cause droplet formation at the interface, which results in increased surface area and enhanced heat transfer between the liquid and gas phases as the ejected droplets travel well into the warmer gas region.

Yang, H. Q.↗

Excited-State Charge Transfer in Push–Pull Platinum(II) π-Extended Porphyrins Fused with Pentacenequinone

Platinum(II) π-extended porphyrins fused with pentacenequinone and dihydropentacene have been successfully synthesized. These porphyrins were investigated using various techniques including absorption, steady-state, and time-resolved phosphorescence spectroscopy and differential pulse voltammetry. UV–vis absorption spectra of pentacenequinone-fused porphyrins (SW-Pt1 and SW-Pt2) showed unusually broad and nontypical absorption patterns. Phosphorescence spectra of SW-Pt1, SW-Pt2, and SW-Pt3 displayed similar emissions in the 704–706 nm region indicating electronic transitions of similar origin; however, the triplet lifetimes were found to be quenched in the case of both SW-Pt1 and SW-Pt2, suggesting the occurrence of excited-state events. Facile reductions were obtained for both the pentacene-quinone-fused monomer (SW-Pt2) and dimer (SW-Pt1) and were identified to be located at the pentacenequinone components. Here, the observed orbital segregations for SW-Pt2 and SW-Pt1 from DFT calculations supported the possibility of charge transfer in these push–pull systems. Interestingly, the established energy level diagram revealed that the charge transfer from the triplet excited Pt porphyrin is thermodynamically an uphill process. Systematic studies involving both femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption techniques revealed that the singlet excited Pt porphyrins undergo an intermediate charge transfer state prior to populating the triplet state, providing a plausible explanation for phosphorescence quenching. The lifetime of the intermediate charge transfer states was found to be 25.9 and 5.68 ps, respectively, for SW-Pt1 and SW-Pt2.

Charge transfer↗

Structure, dynamics, and redox reactivity of an all-purpose flavodoxin

The flavodoxin of Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 (Rp9Fld) supplies highly reducing equivalents to crucial en- zymes such as hydrogenase, especially when the organism is iron-restricted. By acquiring those electrons from photodriven electron flow via the bifurcating electron transfer flavoprotein, Rp9Fld provides solar power to vital metabolic processes. To understand Rp9Fld’s ability to work with diverse partners, we solved its crystal structure. We observed the canonical fla- vodoxin (Fld) fold and features common to other long-chain Flds but not all the surface loops thought to recognize part- ner proteins. Moreover, some of the loops display alternative structures and dynamics. To advance studies of protein– protein associations and conformational consequences, we assigned the 19F NMR signals of all five tyrosines (Tyrs). Our electrochemical measurements show that incorporation of 3- 19 F-Tyr in place of Tyr has only a modest effect on Rp9Fld’s redox properties even though Tyrs flank the flavin on both sides. Meanwhile, the 19 F probes demonstrate the expected paramagnetic effect, with signals from nearby Tyrs becoming broadened beyond detection when the flavin semiquinone is formed. However, the temperature dependencies of chemical shifts and linewidths reveal dynamics affecting loops close to the flavin and regions that bind to partners in a variety of systems. These coincide with patterns of amino acid type conservation but not retention of specific residues, arguing against detailed specificity with respect to partners. We pro- pose that the loops surrounding the flavin adopt altered con- formations upon binding to partners and may even participate actively in electron transfer.

19F NMR↗

Electron Microscopy Transfer System to Protect Atmosphere‐Sensitive Materials for Scanning Electron Microscopy Characterization

Atmosphere- and/or moisture-sensitive materials can be challenging to characterize using electron microscopy techniques due to sample preparation workflows that generally require exposure to ambient conditions. Here, we describe a novel preparation method that uses aluminum foil in combination with a commercial cryo-EM transfer system to circumvent undesired exposure to the atmosphere. First, hygroscopic MgCl 2 was used as a model material, and prepared samples (both protected and unprotected) were placed in a controlled-humidity environment (> 80% relative humidity) for various exposure lengths (circa seconds to hours). Following this, the effectiveness of the sample preparation method was determined by comparing qualitative photos and quantitative X-ray diffraction patterns between the two sample subsets. The combined results of these experiments suggest that the outlined preparation method effectively protects MgCl 2 from atmospheric contamination compared to MgCl 2 samples that had no protective measures taken. Finally, the preparation method was utilized to protect a highly hygroscopic crystalline BaO thin film for characterization via scanning electron microscopy, thereby demonstrating a functional application of the outlined preparation technique and an additional use for the commercial cryo-EM transfer system beyond its intended application.

atmosphere-sensitive materials↗

Energy and Emission Prediction for Mixed-Vehicle Transit Fleets Using Multi-task and Inductive Transfer Learning

Public transit agencies are focused on making their fixed-line bus systems more energy efficient by introducing electric (EV) and hybrid (HV) vehicles to their fleets. However, because of the high upfront cost of these vehicles, most agencies are tasked with managing a mixed-fleet of internal combustion vehicles (ICEVs), EVs, and HVs. In managing mixed-fleets, agencies require accurate predictions of energy use for optimizing the assignment of vehicles to transit routes, scheduling charging, and ensuring that emission standards are met. The current state-of-the-art is to develop separate neural network models to predict energy consumption for each vehicle class. Although different vehicle classes’ energy consumption depends on a varied set of covariates, we hypothesize that there are broader generalizable patterns that govern energy consumption and emissions. In this paper, we seek to extract these patterns to aid learning to address two problems faced by transit agencies. First, in the case of a transit agency which operates many ICEVs, HVs, and EVs, we use multi-task learning (MTL) to improve accuracy of forecasting energy consumption. Second, in the case where there is a significant variation in vehicles in each category, we use inductive transfer learning (ITL) to improve predictive accuracy for vehicle class models with insufficient data. As this work is to be deployed by our partner agency, we also provide an online pipeline for joining the various sensor streams for fixed-line transit energy prediction. Here, we find that our approach outperforms vehicle-specific baselines in both the MTL and ITL settings.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Convective heat transfer measurements from a NACA 0012 airfoil in flight and in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel

Local heat transfer coefficients were measured on a smooth and roughened NACA 0012 airfoil. Heat transfer measurements on the 0.533 m chord airfoil were made both in flight on the NASA Lewis Twin Otter Icing Research Aircraft and in the NASA Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). Roughness was obtained by the attachment of uniform 2 mm diameter hemispheres to the airfoil surface in 4 distinct patterns. Flight data were taken for the smooth and roughened airfoil at various Reynolds numbers based on chord in the range 1.24 to 2.50 x 10 (exp 6) and at various angles of attack up to 4 deg. During these flight tests, the free stream velocity turbulence intensity was found to be very low (less than 0.1 percent). Wind tunnel data were acquired in the Reynolds number range 1.20 to 4.25 x 10 (exp t) and at angles of attack from -4 to 8 deg. The turbulence intensity in the IRT was 0.5 to 0.7 percent with the cloud generating sprays off. A direct comparison was made between the results obtained in flight and in the IRT. The higher level of turbulence in the IRT vs. flight had little effect on the heat transfer for the lower Reynolds numbers but caused a moderate increase in heat transfer at the high Reynolds numbers. Roughness generally increased the heat transfer.

Poinsatte, Philip E.↗

Study of the Rare Earth Effects on the Magnetic Fluctuations in RbLn{sub 2}Fe{sub 4}As{sub 4}O{sub 2} (Ln = Tb, Dy, and Ho) by Mössbauer Spectroscopy

In the current work, we report the investigation of RbLn{sub 2}Fe{sub 4}As{sub 4}O{sub 2} (Ln = Tb, Dy, and Ho) and RbFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} by {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Singlet pattern has been observed for all the samples, indicating the absence of static magnetic ordering down to 5.9 K on the Fe sublattice. The observed intermediate value of the isomer shift confirms the effective self charge transfer effect for the studied superconductors. Debye temperatures of these samples have been determined by the temperature dependence of the isomer shift. Most importantly, we observe different spectral line width broadening behaviors for samples with different rare earth elements, and no line width broadenings for samples Ln = Tb and Ho. These results suggest that the observed magnetic fluctuations at the Fe site might be sensitive to the magnetic behaviors of the rare earth magnetic moments.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Modelling of cracking during beam oscillation laser welding of a creep-resistant nickel alloy

During high power laser welding of Inconel 740H, horizontal solidification cracks form at locations between approximately 70–80% of the weld depth. With the integration of circular beam oscillation, the laser energy density distribution and underlying thermo-mechanical conditions were altered. By coupling three-dimensional heat transfer, fluid flow, and stress modelling tools, the role that circular beam oscillation plays in the formation of the strain rates and stresses driving this cracking phenomenon was identified. While the addition of a circular oscillation pattern appeared to lower the stress levels along the solidification front, it did not eliminate the appearance of horizontal cracking. Only when the beam amplitudes reached 1.6 mm did solidification cracking disappear, but the weld depths were also significantly reduced.

Gao, Mingze↗

Modeling of space vehicle propellant mixing

An experimental program was conducted to examine the liquid flow patterns that result from the axial-jet mixing of ethanol in 10-cm-diameter spherical and cylindrical containers under zero-, reduced-, and normal-gravity conditions. Dimensionless parameters were developed that characterized the observed liquid flow patterns and the bulk-liquid mixing phenomena. The correlations developed, were used to analyze a typical liquid hydrogen tank and internal thermodynamic vent system for a shuttle-compatible space tug similar to current orbit transfer vehicle concepts.

Aydelott, J. C.↗

Detection of regional air pollution episodes utilizing satellite data in the visual range

A comparative analysis of satellite-observed haze patterns and ground-based aerosol measurements is carried out for July 20-23, 1978. During this period, a significant regional air pollution episode existed across the northeastern United States, accompanied by widespread haze, reduced surface visibility, and elevated sulfate levels measured by the Sulfate Regional Experiment (SURE) network. The results show that the satellite-observed haze patterns correlate closely with the area of reported low surface visibility (less than 4 mi) and high sulfate levels. Quantitative information on total aerosol loading derived from the satellite-digitized data, using an atmospheric radiative transfer model, agrees well with the results obtained from the ground-based measurements.

Bowley, C. J.↗

Development of medical electronic devices in the APL space department

Several electronic devices for automatically correcting specific defects in a body's physiologic regulation and allowing approximately normal functioning are described. A self-injurious behavior inhibiting system (SIBIS) is fastened to the arm of a person with chronic self-injurious behavior patterns. An electric shock is delivered into the arm whenever the device senses above-threshold acceleration of the head such as occur with head-bangers. Sounding a buzzer tone with the shock eventually allows transference of the aversive stimulus to the buzzer so shocks are no longer necessary. A programmable implantable medication system features a solenoid pump placed beneath the skin and refueled by hypodermic needle. The pump functions are programmable and can deliver insulin, chemotherapy mixes and/or pain killers according to a preset schedule or on patient demand. Finally, an automatic implantible defibrillator has four electrodes attached directly to the heart for sensing electrical impulses or emitting them in response to cardiac fibrillation.

Newman, A. L.↗

Evidence Report: Risk of Radiation Carcinogenesis

As noted by Durante and Cucinotta (2008), cancer risk caused by exposure to space radiation is now generally considered a main hindrance to interplanetary travel for the following reasons: large uncertainties are associated with the projected cancer risk estimates; no simple and effective countermeasures are available, and significant uncertainties prevent scientists from determining the effectiveness of countermeasures. Optimizing operational parameters such as the length of space missions, crew selection for age and sex, or applying mitigation measures such as radiation shielding or use of biological countermeasures can be used to reduce risk, but these procedures have inherent limitations and are clouded by uncertainties. Space radiation is comprised of high energy protons, neutrons and high charge (Z) and energy (E) nuclei (HZE). The ionization patterns and resulting biological insults of these particles in molecules, cells, and tissues are distinct from typical terrestrial radiation, which is largely X-rays and gamma-rays, and generally characterized as low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. Galactic cosmic rays (GCR) are comprised mostly of highly energetic protons with a small component of high charge and energy (HZE) nuclei. Prominent HZE nuclei include He, C, O, Ne, Mg, Si, and Fe. GCR ions have median energies near 1 GeV/n, and energies as high as 10 GeV/n make important contributions to the total exposure. Ionizing radiation is a well known carcinogen on Earth (BEIR 2006). The risks of cancer from X-rays and gamma-rays have been established at doses above 50 mSv (5 rem), although there are important uncertainties and on-going scientific debate about cancer risk at lower doses and at low dose rates (<50 mSv/h). The relationship between the early biological effects of HZE nuclei and the probability of cancer in humans is poorly understood, and it is this missing knowledge that leads to significant uncertainties in projecting cancer risks during space exploration (Cucinotta and Durante 2006; Durante and Cucinotta 2008).

Huff, Janice↗

The Mars Atmosphere Water Ice Aerosol Climatology by MRO/CRISM: 5 Mars Years of Observations

We use near-infrared spectra returned from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to provide retrievals of the column-integrated optical depth of water ice aerosols for more than 5 Martian years between Mars Year (MY) 28 at Ls = 112° (27 September 2006) and MY 33 at Ls = 213° (30 August 2016). We have developed a radiative transfer model for this purpose that retrieves aerosol opacity from the water ice aerosol feature near 3.3 μm using CRISM hyperspectral observations for the first time. The resulting retrievals well depict the main features in the water ice aerosol climatology with repeatable patterns every Martian year. The aphelion cloud belt (ACB) is observed between 10°S and 30°N, with peak optical depth around Ls = 90°. Apart from the global dust storm during MY 28, modest interannual variability in the water ice aerosol optical depth is observed in the ACB. The north polar hood is observed at latitudes poleward of 45°N throughout northern spring and summer seasons and reappears in northern winter. The south polar hood is observed in early to mid-southern autumn, reaching latitudes around 60°S, and re-emerging during southern winter between 45°S and 60°S. A lack of water ice aerosols is repeatedly seen in the southern hemisphere throughout southern spring and summer. High optical depth in the ACB is observed over the volcanoes of Olympus Mons, Elysium, and the Tharsis bulge, as well as over Hellas Basin.

Mars↗

Convective heat transfer measurements from a NACA 0012 airfoil in flight and in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel

Local heat transfer coefficients were measured on a smooth and roughened NACA 0012 airfoil. Heat transfer measurements on the 0.533 m chord airfoil were made both in flight on the NASA Lewis Twin Otter Icing Research Aircraft and in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel (IRT). Roughness was obtained by the attachment of uniform 2 mm diameter hemispheres to the airfoil surface in 4 distinct patterns. Flight data were taken for the smooth and roughened airfoil at various Reynolds numbers based on chord in the range 1.24 to 2.50 x 10(exp 6) and at various angles of attack up to 4 deg. During these flight tests, the free stream velocity turbulence intensity was found to be very low (less than 0.1 percent). Wind tunnel data were acquired in the Reynolds number range 1.20 to 4.25 x 10(exp 6) and at angles of attack from -4 to 8 deg. The turbulence intensity in the IRT was 0.5 to 0.7 percent with the cloud generating sprays off. A direct comparison was made between the results obtained in flight and in the IRT. The higher level of turbulence in the IRT vs. flight had little effect on the heat transfer for the lower Reynolds numbers but caused a moderate increase in heat transfer at the high Reynolds numbers. Roughness generally increased the heat transfer.

Poinsatte, Philip E.↗

Effect of Conductivity Type and Doping Level of Silicon Crystals on the Size of Formed Pore Channels during Anodic Etching in Hydrofluoric Acid Solutions

In this paper, we discuss causes of the multidirectional effect of changes in the concentrations of free charge carriers in silicon crystals of p- and n-type conductivity on the transverse dimensions of pores formed as a result of anodic etching in hydrofluoric acid solutions, as well as the effect of anodic current density on pore size. The observed dependences are explained based on the concepts of electrochemical pore formation in semiconductor crystals as self-organizing cooperative processes accompanied by the injection of electrons from the chemical reaction region at the pore advancement front. Differences in the size of pores forming at the same current density in crystals differing in type and concentration of free charge carriers are associated with the effective temperature of the front of the cooperative chemical reaction at the bottom of germinating pores. This temperature, in turn, correlates with the power density of thermal energy released in the near-surface region of the etching crystal, either due to recombination processes for a p-type semiconductor or direct or indirect energy transfer from hot electrons to lattice vibrations in the case of a n-type semiconductor. The characteristic relaxation times of injected nonequilibrium electrons were calculated depending on the concentrations of the majority charge carriers in silicon crystals of both types of conductivity and the corresponding thicknesses of the regions of relaxation energy release. The revealed patterns of concentration changes in the power density of heat release in the near-frontal region of etching silicon crystals of p- and n-type conductivity are in good agreement with observed changes in the size of germinating pores.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Constraining Inputs to Realistic Kilonova Simulations through Comparison to Observed r -process Abundances

Kilonovae, one source of electromagnetic emission associated with neutron star mergers, are powered by the decay of radioactive isotopes in the neutron-rich merger ejecta. Models for kilonova emission consistent with the electromagnetic counterpart to GW170817 predict characteristic abundance patterns, determined by the relative balance of different types of material in the outflow. Assuming that the observed source is prototypical, this inferred abundance pattern in turn must match r -process abundances deduced by other means, such as what is observed in the solar system. We report on analysis comparing the input mass-weighted elemental compositions adopted in our radiative transfer simulations to the mass fractions of elements in the Sun, as a practical prototype for the potentially universal abundance signature from neutron star mergers. We characterize the extent to which our parameter inference results depend on our assumed composition for the dynamical and wind ejecta and examine how the new results compare to previous work. We find that a dynamical ejecta composition calculated using the FRDM2012 nuclear mass and FRLDM fission models with extremely neutron-rich ejecta ($Y_e$ = 0.035) along with moderately neutron-rich ($Y_e$ = 0.27) wind ejecta composition yields a wind-to-dynamical mass ratio of $M_w$/$M_d$ = 0.47, which best matches the observed AT2017gfo kilonova light curves while also producing the bestmatching abundance of neutron capture elements in the solar system, though, allowing for systematics, the ratio may be as high as of order unity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗