Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Examination”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Theoretical examination of nuclear spin diffusion in light-induced spin coherences in photosystem I

Microsecond coherence times are predicted in spin dynamics calculations of a donor–acceptor electron spin pair P + A 1A - created upon light excitation of photosystem I (PSI). The effects of nuclear spin diffusion (NSD) due to the anisotropic protein environment on the predicted coherence times T M are studied. Closely positioned pairs and triples of protons located 5–8 Å from the electron spin are shown to largely control T M . Additionally, knowledge of the crystal structure of PSI allows for spin dynamics calculations where specific cofactors and amino acid residues are removed or replaced and the identification of anisotropic environmental features controlling electronic decoherence. Finally, we show that NSD alone cannot explain the >3× shorter experimentally observed coherence times and suggest that methyl groups at key protein sites may explain this discrepancy.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

An Experimental and Theoretical Examination of Air Ingress Rates During Small- and Medium-Break Air Ingress Accidents

Here, air ingress measurements using the 1/20th-scaled Helium Air Ingress gas Reactor Experiment (HAIRE) facility show key geometric variables of interest and their effect on air ingress in small- and medium-sized breaks in High Temperature Gas cooled Reactors. These variables include but are not limited to break diameter, break angle, and break wall thickness. Differing wall thicknesses for the same break diameter can have order-of-magnitude changes to the air ingress rate, which is a key figure of merit in the air ingress accident scenario. Additionally, different break sizes can change the importance of the angle in the break scenario. With smaller breaks, the flow will not transition from intermittent flow, to countercurrent flow, to diffusive flow as the break rotates from vertically upward toward vertically downward. This would lead to less variability with smaller breaks, which in turn would make the accident scenario more predictable for smaller-sized breaks.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Examination of OH and H 2 O 2 production by uniform and non-uniform modes of dielectric barrier discharge in He/air mixture

In this work we have carried out a parametrical study of hydroxyl radical (OH) generation in nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in He/air mixture using a laser-induced fluorescence approach. Specifically, the foci of the study are the investigation of differences between uniform and non-uniform modes of the discharges and the difference in production of OH and H 2 O 2 Nanosecond-time scale imaging of the discharge shows transition from streamer to diffuse mode when applied electric field to the discharge gap approaches ~90 kV cm –1 . The results show that both OH production in the gas phase and downstream H 2 O 2 delivery rates to liquid depend on the discharge mode operation and are respectively 30% and 3 times higher for the non-uniform DBD compared to the diffuse discharge.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Feedback in the dark: a critical examination of CMB bounds on primordial black holes

Abstract If present in the early universe, primordial black holes (PBHs) would have accreted matter and emitted high-energy photons, altering the statistical properties of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). This mechanism has been used to constrain the fraction of dark matter that is in the form of PBHs to be much smaller than unity for PBH masses well above one solar mass. Moreover, the presence of dense dark matter mini-halos around the PBHs has been used to set even more stringent constraints, as these would boost the accretion rates.In this work, we critically revisit CMB constraints on PBHs taking into account the role of the local ionization of the gas around them. We discuss how the local increase in temperature around PBHs can prevent the dark matter mini-halos from strongly enhancing the accretion process, in some cases significantly weakening previously derived CMB constraints. We explore in detail the key ingredients of the CMB bound and derive a conservative limit on the cosmological abundance of massive PBHs.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2020

An atom probe tomography and inventory calculation examination of second phase precipitates in neutron irradiated single crystal tungsten

Tungsten is the prime candidate material for the plasma facing divertor system and first wall armor of future nuclear fusion reactors. However, the understanding of the microstructural and chemical evolution of pure tungsten under neutron irradiation is relatively unknown, in part due to a lack of experimental data on this topic. Here, single crystal tungsten has been irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory at a nominal temperature of 700–800 °C to damage levels of 0.1 and 1.8 displacements per atom (dpa). Inventory calculations of the neutron irradiation experiments have been used to track isotope generation and decay to inform atom probe tomography (APT) results in the determination of the transmutation-induced precipitate compositions. Furthermore, APT crystallography has been used to show the relationship between precipitates and matrix. The composition of the precipitates is shown to progress towards that of the σ-phase at the highest dose studied, with those precipitates lying along crystallographic planes similar to those of displacement-induced dislocations. This work also sets the framework for APT studies of materials that contain isotopic ratios far from those observed in the natural state.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Examination of stiff ion temperature gradient mode physics in simulations of DIII-D H-mode transport

This paper presents comparisons of predictions from two models of turbulent transport in tokamaks. The focus is on assessing how close a reduced but significantly less computationally demanding model (TGLF) does in matching the more detailed model (CGYRO) in predicting scalings with driving gradient ("stiffness"). The impacts of other physics mechanisms such as flow shear, fast ions, and electromagnetic fluctuations on these predictions is also studied. Overall, while there are clear differences in the scaling, these do not appear to significantly impact the fidelity of the reduced model in prediction the experimental conditions studied relative to the more advanced model.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Examining future changes in coastal low-level jet properties offshore California through dynamical downscaling

The coastal low-level jet, or coastal low-level jet (CLLJ), is a synoptically-forced meteorological feature frequently present offshore the western United States (U.S.). Characterized by a wind speed maximum that resides at the top of the marine boundary layer, the CLLJ is largely controlled by the location and strength of the North Pacific High (NPH) as well as the coastal geometry. Considering the rich wind resource available in this offshore region, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management identified wind energy lease areas offshore California and supported the deployment of two U.S. Department of Energy wind lidar buoys near Morro Bay and Humboldt. Despite our relatively good understanding of the fundamental mechanisms responsible for large-scale CLLJ properties offshore the western U.S., future changes in CLLJ characteristics are less clear. To address this research challenge, and ultimately to better inform future wind turbine deployments, we use simulations driven by three global climate models (GCMs). We apply self-organizing maps to the model outputs for a historical and two future climate periods to show the range of NPH regimes that support CLLJ conditions during the warm seasons, as well as the subtle contribution from land-falling cyclones approaching the mainland during the cold seasons. Compared to the historical period, the three GCM-driven simulations agree that CLLJ conditions will become more (less) prevalent from central California northward (southward). They agree less with respect to future changes in maximum CLLJ wind speeds and CLLJ heights. However, after considering model biases present during the historical period, wind speeds between the models are actually more similar during the 2070–2095 period than during the historical period. The potential combination of more frequent CLLJ conditions characterized by relatively consistent wind speeds occurring at lower heights across northern California suggests that the Humboldt lease area may be ideal for a long-term wind turbine deployment.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Re-examining urban rainfall enhancement over North America

Abstract Quantifying intensification/suppression of precipitation over urban areas relative to their rural surroundings can inform efforts to reduce urban flooding. Few studies have systematically addressed whether urban areas exhibit a higher/lower probability of precipitation and/or higher/lower annual total precipitation and/or intensification/weakening of intense precipitation events relative to nearby rural areas across a range of hydroclimatic conditions and urban contexts. Here we address this literature gap using the IMERG V07 data set and analyses of rural and urban samples drawn from 47 conurbations across North America. Specifically, we quantify whether/how precipitation regimes over the urban grid cells differ from those in rural grid cells located 100–250 km from the city center and at a similar elevation. As in previous research, there is evidence that both the probability of precipitation and annual total precipitation are typically higher in the urban grid cells. However, most conurbations have lower upper percentile precipitation rates in the urban sample and lower median precipitation rates above the 95th percentile than are present in samples drawn from rural grid cells. Thus, these conurbations are not, on average, intensifying high-magnitude precipitation events over urban grid cells. Further, the total volume of water accumulated at the surface during events of equivalent duration is not systematically higher over the urban areas, and 20 year return period values of 30 min and wettest pentad precipitation are also not systematically higher over the urban areas. The nature of urban modification of precipitation is a strong function of the prevailing hydroclimate. For example, the heaviest rainfall periods are enhanced over urban grid cells within regional hydroclimates where the overall probability of precipitation and annual total precipitation are low. Conversely, there is evidence for urban suppression of the highest percentile precipitation rates in wetter hydroclimates.

Pryor, Sara C. (ORCID:0000000348473440)↗
DOE OSTI2022

Examining the changes in the spatial manifestation and the rate of arrival of large tornado outbreaks

This study presents an assessment of the spatial and temporal characteristics of large tornado outbreak (LTOs) days, in which several counties were impacted by tornadoes rated F2(EF2) or greater on the Fujita (Enhanced Fujita) scale in one day. A statistical evaluation of changes in the LTO clusters for two periods, 1950–1980 and 1989–2019, has been performed. There is a geographical shift of the nucleus (central impact location) towards the southeast United States. This spatial shift is also accompanied by reduced spatial variance, suggesting LTOs have become less dispersed (or more localized) in the recent period. The overall inter-arrival rate of LTOs, and how it changed during successive 31-year climatological blocks between 1950–2019 was investigated using an exponential probability model. The arrival rate has changed from 124 days during 1950–1980 to 164 days during 1977–2007 and remained relatively constant during later periods, indicating that LTOs are becoming less frequent.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Examining a hadronic γ-ray scenario for the radiative shell and molecular clouds of the old GeV supernova remnant G298.6−0.0

Abstract Based on the 13.7 yr Fermi-LAT data, Yeung, Bamba, and Sano (2023, PASJ, 75, 384) claimed detection of two γ-ray sources (namely Src-NE and Src-NW) associated with the supernova remnant (SNR) G298.6−0.0, and interpreted it as an old GeV SNR interacting with molecular clouds (MCs). In this follow-up study, we refine the flux measurements below 2 GeV with Fermi-LAT event types of better angular reconstruction. Then, we report our γ-ray spectral fittings and cosmic-ray phenomenology in a hadronic scenario, considering both the shell and MC regions of SNR G298.6−0.0. We confirm that the γ-ray spectra of both Src-NE and Src-NW exhibit spectral breaks, at $1.50_{-0.50}^{+0.60}$ and $0.68_{-0.11}^{+0.32}\:$GeV, respectively. Src-NW has a harder broad-band photon index than Src-NE, suggesting an appreciable difference between the physical separations of their respective emission sites from SNR G298.6−0.0. The cosmic-ray spectrum responsible for Src-NE starts with a minimum energy $E_\mathrm{CR,min}=1.38_{-0.16}^{+0.47}\:$GeV, and has a proton index $\Gamma _\mathrm{CR}=2.57_{-0.21}^{+0.18}$ below the exponential cutoff energy $E_\mathrm{CR,max}=240_{-150}^{+240}\:$GeV. Accordingly, we argue that Src-NE is dominated by the SNR shell, while only a minor portion of lower-energy emission is contributed by the MCs interacting with the SNR. The cosmic-ray population for Src-NW starts at a higher energy such that the ECR, min ratio of Src-NW to Src-NE is ≳2. The high ECR, min, as well as the high cosmic-ray energy density required (∼26 eV cm−3), supports the interpretation that Src-NW is predominantly the γ-ray emission from the farther MCs being bombarded by protons that had earlier escaped from SNR G298.6−0.0. By comparing the high-energy features of G298.6−0.0 with those of analogical SNRs, especially SNR W 28 and SNR W 44, we further constrain the age of SNR G298.6−0.0 to be 10–30 kyr, under the assumption of a purely hadronic scenario.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Microscopic examination of rf-cavity-quality niobium films through local nonlinear microwave response

The performance of superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities is sometimes limited by local defects. To investigate the rf properties of these local defects, especially those that nucleate rf magnetic vortices, a near-field magnetic microwave microscope is employed. Local third-harmonic response ( P 3 f ) and its temperature dependence and rf power dependence are measured for one Nb / Cu film grown by direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) and six Nb / Cu films grown by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) with systematic variation of deposition conditions. Five out of the six HiPIMS Nb / Cu films show a strong third-harmonic response that is likely coming from rf vortex nucleation due to a low- T c surface defect with a transition temperature between 6.3 and 6.8 K, suggesting that this defect is a generic feature of air-exposed HiPIMS Nb / Cu films. A phenomenological model of surface-defect grain boundaries hosting a low- T c impurity phase is introduced and studied with time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) simulations of probe-sample interaction to better understand the measured third-harmonic response. The simulation results show that the third-harmonic response of rf vortex nucleation caused by surface defects exhibits the same general features as the data, including peaks in third-harmonic response with temperature, and their shift and broadening with higher microwave amplitude. We find that the parameters of the phenomenological model (the density of surface defects that nucleate rf vortices and the depth an rf vortex travels through these surface defects) vary systematically with film deposition conditions. From the point of view of these two properties, the Nb / Cu film that is most effective at reducing the nucleation of rf vortices associated with surface defects can be identified. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Wang, Chung-Yang (ORCID:0000000184299633)↗
DOE OSTI2020

Examination of the inversion of isobaric analogue states in mirror nuclei

A recent study by Hoff and collaborators [Nature (London) 580, 52 (2020)] presented evidence that the ground-state spin of [Math Processing Error] is different from that of its mirror, [Math Processing Error], likely due to an inversion of the ground- and first-excited states. Here, we assess the likelihood of such an inversion arising from normal isospin-symmetry breaking and, more broadly, whether such phenomena challenge our understanding of charge-symmetry-breaking forces in atomic nuclei. By placing the result within the context of previous experimental and theoretical work we demonstrate that this inversion lies entirely within the bounds of normal isospin-symmetry-breaking behavior. We further note that, in the context of isospin, neither level inversions nor the nuclear ground state hold any special significance.

59 ≤ A ≤ 89↗
DOE OSTI2021

Examination of the universal behavior of the η-to-π 0 ratio in heavy-ion collisions

We demonstrate that the pT dependence of the η/π 0 ratio at midrapidity is universal within a few percent for high-energy p+p, p+A, and d+A collisions, over a broad range of collision energies. The η/π 0 ratio increases with p T up to 4 to 5 GeV/c where it saturates at a nearly constant value of 0.487±0.024. Above p T =5 GeV/c, the same constant value is also observed in A+A collisions independent of collision system, energy, and centrality. At lower p T , where accurate η/π 0 data are absent for A+A collisions, we estimate possible deviations from the universal behavior, which could arise due to the rapid radial hydrodynamic expansion of the A+A collision system. For A+A collisions at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider we find that possible deviations are limited to the p T range from 0.4 to 3 GeV/c and remain less than 20% for the most central collisions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Examination of the sensitivity of quasifree reactions to details of the bound-state overlap functions

It is often stated that heavy-ion nucleon knockout reactions are mostly sensitive to the tails of the bound-state wave functions. In contrast, (p,2p) and (p,pn) reactions are known to access information on the full overlap functions within the nucleus. We analyze the oxygen isotopic chain and explore the differences between single-particle wave functions generated with potential models, used in the experimental analysis of knockout reactions, and ab initio computations from self-consistent Green's function theory. Contrary to common belief, we find that not only the tail of the overlap functions, but also their internal part is assessed in both reaction mechanisms, which are crucial to yield accurately determined spectroscopic information.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Examination of nucleon distribution with Bayesian imaging for isobar collisions

Relativistic collision of isobaric systems is found to be valuable in differentiating the nucleon distributions for nuclei with the same mass number. In recent contrast experiment of $^{96}_{44}$Ru + $^{96}_{44}$Ru versus $^{96}_{40}$Zr + $^{96}_{40}$Zr collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 200 GeV, the ratios of multiplicity distribution, elliptic flow, triangular flow, and radial flow are precisely measured and found to be significantly different from unity, indicating the difference in the shapes of the isobar pair. Here, in this work, we investigate the feasibility of nuclear structure reconstruction from heavy-ion collision observables. We perform Bayesian Inference with employing the Monte-Carlo Glauber model as an estimator of the mapping from nuclear structure to the final state observables and to provide the mock data for reconstruction. By varying combination of observables included in the mock data, we find it plausible to infer Woods–Saxon parameters from the observables. We also observe that single-system multiplicity distribution for the isobar system, rather than their ratio, is crucial to simultaneously determine the nuclear structure for the isobar system.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Examination of decay heat measurements and their relevance for understanding the origin of the reactor antineutrino anomaly

Measurements of the decay energy released as a function of time following the thermal neutron induced fission of 235 U and 239,241 Pu were performed in the 1970s at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the purpose of quantifying possible loss of coolant accident scenarios. The derivative of this decay energy with respect to time, known in technical parlance as decay heat, is mainly composed of two terms, that of the electrons produced together with antineutrinos in the $β$-minus decay of the neutron-rich fission products, and that of the $γ$ rays produced in the subsequent decay of excited nuclear levels. In this work we study if this extensive set of decay energy measurements can be used to assess the reactor antineutrino anomaly, that is, the approximately 5% deficit of electron antineutrinos produced by nuclear reactors, first deduced by Mention and collaborators in 2011, and observed by the major reactor antineutrino experiments since. Furthermore, with the assistance of nuclear databases, we are able to obtain the ratio of electron spectra under equilibrium conditions for 235 U to 239 Pu, in better agreement with the lower trend recently reported by Kopeikin and collaborators, as well as those for 235 U to 241 Pu and 241 Pu to 239 Pu, which do not agree well with those measured at the Institut Laue-Langevin in the 1980s. We conclude that a new experimental campaign is needed to measure the electron spectra utilizing a high resolution and signal-to-noise-ratio electron spectrometer and a highly precise fission normalization procedure.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Examining the justification for the introduction of a fermion localization function

Becke and Edgecombe suggested in 1990 a theoretical tool to describe electron localization in atoms and molecules, an idea which was borrowed by a large number of nuclear theorists since 2011 to describe nucleon localization in nuclear systems. I argue here that these arguments are highly questionable and cannot be used in interacting systems where effects beyond the naive mean field or the simple Hartree-Fock framework are important and the inclusion of correlations induced by particle interactions is necessary in order to introduce such a localization function. Furthermore, I also describe several aspects of the exchange and irreducible two-body density matrices, which depend on the character and strength of the two-particle interaction and which can be useful in justifying the derivation of an appropriate energy density functional.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗