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At least 631 records · Page 35

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DOE OSTI2022

Energetics of oxidation and formation of uranium mononitride

Uranium mononitride (UN) is an advanced nuclear fuel currently being considered for use in several generation IV fast and thermal neutron spectrum core designs, with additional applications to thermal and electric nuclear propulsion reactors. Here, to better understand the thermal behavior and thermodynamic stability of UN, we investigated the bulk thermal oxidation process and thermochemical reactions, including the enthalpy of oxidation and standard enthalpy of formation, by conducting thermalgravimetric analysis – differential scanning calorimetry coupled with mass spectrometry (TGA-DSC-MS), and high temperature transposed temperature drop and oxide melt drop solution calorimetry. The bulk oxidation of UN (containing a small amount of α-UN 1.5+x ) in air was found to follow a step-wise process characterized by consecutive oxidative reactions UN-UN 1.5+x -UO 2 → UO 2 -UO 3 —N k → UO 3 —N k → UO 3 → U 3 O 8 . TGA results support that the UO 2 – U 2 N 3+x passivating layer delays the onset of rapid bulk oxidation of UN in air up to 662 K. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analyses were performed to characterize UN and its final oxidized product. The standard enthalpy of formation (ΔH° f ) of UN was determined to be –144.4 ± 5.9 kJ/mol·atom, in good agreement with previously determined values from Pt encapsulation and bomb calorimetric experiments. Lastly, a negative linear correlation between ΔH° f and the N/U molar ratio was established based on the thermochemical data obtained in this work and previously reported enthalpies of formations of β-UN 1.5-x and α-UN 1.5+x .

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Nanopinhole-Enabled, Hole-Selective Poly-Si/SioxNy Passivating Contacts on Textured c-Si for Si Solar Cells

The next-generation silicon photovoltaics will be based on passivating electron- and hole-selective contacts with both very low interface recombination and contact resistivities. While the emerging mainstream TOPCon technology has developed excellent electron-selective poly-Si/tunneling SiOx contacts, hole-selective contacts, especially on textured surfaces, have remained a significant challenge. This contribution introduces novel high-performance hole selective poly-Si contacts on pyramid-textured Si, enabled by electrochemically produced hole transport nanopinholes in a 10 nm oxynitride passivating dielectric stack capped by p+ poly-Si. The highly passivating oxynitride layer is produced via atomic intermixing of O and N atoms in the initial SiOx/SiNy layer stack upon thermal annealing. Carrier transport is governed by nanopinhole density and size are tuned by Ag nanoparticle electrodeposition and surface attachment chemistries. This results in passivating hole contact resistivities in the m..omega..-cm2 range, while preserving interface recombination current prefactor around 5 fA/cm2.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

On the minimum transport required to passively suppress runaway electrons in SPARC disruptions

In Izzo et al (2022 Nucl. Fusion 62 096029), state-of-the-art modeling of thermal and current quench (CQ) magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) coupled with a self-consistent evolution of runaway electron (RE) generation and transport showed that a non-axisymmetric (n = 1) in-vessel coil could passively prevent RE beam formation during disruptions in SPARC, a compact high-field tokamak projected to achieve a fusion gain Q > 2 in DT plasmas. However, such suppression requires finite transport of REs within magnetic islands and re-healed flux surfaces; conservatively assuming zero transport in these regions leads to an upper bound of RE current ~1MA compared to ~8.7MA of pre-disruption plasma current. Further investigation finds that core-localized electrons, within r/a < 0.4 and with kinetic energies ~0.2–15 MeV, contribute most to the RE plateau formation. Yet only a relatively small amount of transport, i.e. a diffusion coefficient ~18 m 2 s -1 , is needed in the core to fully mitigate these REs. Properly accounting for (a) the CQ electric field's effect on RE transport in islands and (b) the contribution of significant RE currents to disruption MHD may help achieve this.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS2003

Design and Test of Passively Operated Heat Switches for 0.2 to 15 K

Heat switches have many uses in cryogenics, from regulating heat flow between refrigeration stages to thermally isolating components once they have cooled to low temperature. Among the techniques one can use for thermal switching, the gas-gap technique has the advantages of wide operating temperature range, high switching ratio, and no moving parts. The traditional gas-gap switch uses copper conductors separated by a small gap and an external getter. The switch is activated by heating and cooling the getter by moving gas into and out of the gap, turning the switch on and off. We have designed, built and tested heat switches that use an internal getter to passively turn off at temperatures between 0.2 and 15 K. The getter is thermally anchored to one side of the switch, and when that side of the switch cools through a transition region, gas adsorbs onto the getter and the switch turns off. The challenges are to make the transition region very narrow and tailorable to a wide range of applications, and to achieve high gas conductance when the switch is on. We have made switches using He-3, He-4, hydrogen, and neon gas, and have used charcoal and various metal substrates as getters. Switching ratios range from 1000 to over 10,000. Design and performance of these switches will be discussed in detail.

DiPirro, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS2026

Satellite Optical Remote Sensing of Clouds and Aerosols: From Particle Single-Scattering and Gaseous Absorption Through Radiative Transfer to Retrieval Products

Clouds and aerosols are fundamental regulators of Earth’s radiation budget and climate system, influencing both solar and terrestrial radiation through scattering, absorption, and emission processes. Accurate characterization of their physical and radiative properties from space requires a rigorous understanding of particle single-scattering, gaseous absorption, and radiative transfer in the atmosphere, as well as reliable inversion methods. This review synthesizes the physical foundations and algorithmic implementations of satellite-based passive optical remote sensing of clouds and aerosols, spanning the ultraviolet to thermal infrared spectral range. Beginning with electromagnetic scattering theory and state-of-the-art methods for computing single-scattering by nonspherical particles and computationally efficient methods for accounting for atmospheric absorption, we discuss the radiative transfer framework underpinning cloud and aerosol retrievals. The connection between single-scattering and multiple-scattering is rigorously formulated. We then summarize operational and research-grade retrieval techniques, including cloud masking and thermodynamic phase determination, CO₂ slicing for cloud-top pressure, the Nakajima-King shortwave bi-spectral, and infrared split-window approaches for cloud optical thickness and effective particle size, inversion algorithms for determining aerosol properties from multi-spectral and/or multi-angle radiometric and polarimetric measurements, and active-passive sensing synergy. Examples of the global cloud and aerosol climatologies are illustrated using observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). Furthermore, the unique strengths of active remote sensing techniques based on spaceborne lidar observations are briefly elaborated in the context of studying ice clouds composed of randomly and horizontally oriented ice crystals, which is a significant challenge for conventional passive remote sensing techniques. By connecting physical theory to practical retrievals, this review highlights both the maturity of current methodologies and the remaining challenges in reducing uncertainties in particle morphology, vertical structure, absorption, and aerosol-cloud interactions. Furthermore, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on atmospheric remote sensing is briefly addressed.

Aerosols↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Vacuum Operation of Consolidated Heat Pipe (CHP) for Fission Surface Power

Consolidated Heat Pipe (CHP) is a new technology that enables direct thermal power delivery to the hot-end of a Stirling engine using a heat pipe--a two phase passive heat transfer device. CHP was developed after the efforts of the Kilopower Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY) test where a heat pipe was used to deliver thermal power from a fission-basedreactor to a Stirling engine to produce 1 kWe of useable electrical power in 2018. Large thermal losses were noted during the KRUSTY test where a temperature drop of 145 °C was measured between the heat pipe’s condenser and the engine’s hot-end. The Consolidated Heat Pipe was designed to address and mitigate this temperature loss. CHP was designed, built and tested at the Glenn Research Center (GRC). The initial test was performed in ambient air conditions, and the results were presented in “Consolidation of a Sodium Heat Pipe and Stirling Engine for Fission Surface Power” at the Thermal Fluids Analysis Workshop in 2023. Researchers at GRC have tested this technology again in a vacuum environment in 2024. Results show that the heat pipe and the hot-end of the Stirling engine are isothermal with a minimal temperature differential of approximately 2.5 °C in varying operational states. The Consolidated Heat Pipe technology has proven to be an efficient way of delivering thermal power directly to Stirling engines.

Greeta J Thaikattil↗

DOE OSTI2022

Cost-efficient copper-nickel alloy for active cooling applications

It is recently proposed that active (Peltier) and passive (conductive) cooling could be combined to design highly-efficient thermal conductors as active heat sinks. Here we study the potential of low-cost copper-nickel alloys for active cooling applications. We show that for this application, copper-nickel alloys prepared using industrial-grade powders to lower the manufacturing cost, are as good as copper-nickel alloys made out of high purity metals. Furthermore, directed energy deposition, a type of additive manufacturing, can produce copper-nickel alloys which have about 10 percent lower thermoelectric power factor compared to mechanical-alloying methods but have larger thermal conductivity values, hence, possessing similar effective thermal conductivity values, reaching 403 W m -1 K -1 at 390K. Much larger values are expected at higher temperatures. The usage of additive manufacturing enables complex geometries and large-scale production.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

A new approach to both high safety and high performance of lithium-ion batteries

We present a novel concept to achieve high performance and high safety simultaneously by passivating a Li-ion cell and then self-heating before use. By adding a small amount of triallyl phosphate in conventional electrolytes, we show that resistances of the passivated cells can increase by ~5×, thereby ensuring high safety and thermal stability. High power before battery operation is delivered by self-heating to an elevated temperature such as 60°C within tens of seconds. The present approach of building a resistive cell with highly stable materials and then delivering high power on demand through rapid thermal stimulation leads to a revolutionary route to high safety when batteries are not in use and high battery performance upon operation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2024

Methodological guidelines on concrete degradation based on predictive models and the release of MOSAIC for industry use

In light-water reactors (LWRs), the concrete biological shield (CBS) designates the concrete structure directly facing the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). The primary function of the CBS is to protect equipment and personnel from the neutron and gamma radiation exiting the RPV. Most CBSs in operation in the United States also provide structural support to the RPV. Based on a long-term structural analysis, the structural integrity of the CBS to transfer the in-service passive load to the foundation, dynamic loading during an earthquake, and thermal loading during a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) must be maintained. Based on test reactor data for accelerated conditions, the mechanical properties of irradiated concrete are affected when exposed to neutron fluence higher than ≈ 10 19 n.cm -2 (E > 0.1 MeV). At 80 years of operation, the fluence estimates at the surface of the CBS range between 1×10 19 and 7×10 19 n.cm -2 (E > 0.1 MeV): the fluence value depends mostly on the design. Although fluence attenuates through the CBS by virtue of the shielding properties of concrete, about 5% to 10% of the CBS wall depth is affected by high fluence. The main degradation mechanism is the so-called radiation-induced volumetric expansion (RIVE) caused by the amorphization of aggregate-forming minerals. RIVE causes large deformation of up to 18% in pure quartz, and it also reduces the structural properties of concrete. The structural effects of long-term exposure to fast neutron irradiation in LWRs was studied in the report entitled “Assessment of the Effect of the Irradiation-Induced Degradation on the In-Service Structural Performance of the Concrete Biological Shields” (M3LW-23OR0403013). This report illustrates that (1) irradiation-induced damage expands further than the region subject to a cumulative fluence of 10 19 n.cm -2 (E > 0.1 MeV) to reach the steel reinforcement location, and (2) the irradiation-induced damage region shows no substantial residual bearing capacity and should not be accounted for in the integrity assessment of the CBS.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

NASA NTRS1987

Space science/space station attached payload pointing accommodation study: Technology assessment white paper

Technology assessment is performed for pointing systems that accommodate payloads of large mass and large dimensions. Related technology areas are also examined. These related areas include active thermal lines or power cables across gimbals, new materials for increased passive damping, tethered pointing, and inertially reacting pointing systems. Conclusions, issues and concerns, and recommendations regarding the status and development of large pointing systems for space applications are made based on the performed assessments.

Lin, Richard Y.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Observational results of microwave temperature profile measurements from the airborne Antarctic ozone experiment

The Microwave Temperature Profiler, MTP, is installed on NASA's ER-2 aircraft. MTP measures profiles of air temperature versus altitude. Temperatures are obtained every 13.7 seconds for 15 altitudes in an altitude region that is approximately 5 km thick (at high flight levels). MTP is a passive microwave radiometer, operating at the frequencies 57.3 and 58.8 GHz. Thermal emission from oxygen molecules provides the signal that is converted to air temperature. MTP is unique in that it is the only airborne instrument of its kind. The MTP instrument was used during the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment, AAOE, to enable potential vorticity to be measured along the flight track. Other uses for the MTP data have become apparent. The most intriguing unexpected use is the detection and characterization of mountain waves that were encountered during flights over the Palmer Peninsula. Mountain waves that propagate into the polar vortex may have implications for the formation of the ozone hole. Upward excursions of air parcels lead to a brief cooling. This can begin the process of cloud formation. It is important to determine how much additional formation of polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) material is possible by the passage of air parcels through a mountain wave pattern that endures for long periods. Other mountain wave effects have been suggested, such as a speeding up of the vortex, and a consequent cooling of large air volumes (which in turn might add to PSC production).

Gary, Bruce L.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Cryogenic propellant prestart conditioning for NLS

An overview is presented of a candidate National Launch System (NLS) passive cryogenic propellant prestart conditioning system that offers a stable propellant thermal environment and minimum system complexity. A 2D, multinode model utilizing real fluid properties was developed. This model predicts flow recirculation due to thermal gradients by assuming vertical cold and warm opposing flow streams produced by density differential.

Gaynor, T. L.↗

NASA NTRS2011

CIRS-lite, a Fourier Transform Spectrometer for Low-Cost Planetary Missions

Passive spectroscopic remote sensing of planetary atmospheres and surfaces in the thermal infrared is a powerful tool for obtaining information about surface and atmospheric temperatures, composition, and dynamics (via the thermal wind equation). Due to its broad spectral coverage, the Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) is particularly suited to the exploration and discovery of molecular species. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) developed the CIRS (Composite Infrared Spectrometer) FTS for the NASA/ESA Cassini mission to the Saturnian system. CIRS observes Saturn, Titan, icy moons such as Enceladus, and the rings in thermal self-emission over the spectral range of 7 to 1000 ell11. CIRS has given us important new insights into stratospheric composition and jets on Jupiter and Saturn, the cryo-geyser and thermal stripes on Enceladus, and the winter polar vortex on Titan. CIRS has a mass of 43 kg, contrasted with the earlier GSFC FTS, pre-Voyager IRIS (14 kg). Future low-cost planetary missions will have very tight constraints on science payload mass, thus we must endeavor to return to IRIS-level mass while maintaining CIRS-level science capabilities ("do more with less"). CIRS-lite achieves this by pursuing: a) more sensitive infrared detectors (high Tc superconductor) to enable smaller optics. b) changed long wavelength limit from 1000 to 300 microns to reduce diffraction by smaller optics. c) CVD (chemical vapor deposition) diamond beam-splitter for broad spectral coverage. d) single FTS architecture instead of a dual FTS architecture. e) novel materials, such as single crystal silicon for the input telescope primary.

Brasunas, J.↗

NASA NTRS2012

CIRS and CIRS-Lite as Designed for the Outer Planets: TSSM, EJSM, JUICE

Brasunas, J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Synergy of Satellite Radiation, Precipitation, and Other Meteorological Variable Observations for Global Mean Sea Surface Turbulent Heat Flux Estimation

Sea surface turbulent heat flux is one of the key components in global freshwater and energy balances and plays an important role in atmospheric dynamics, thermodynamics and general circulation. This turbulent heat flux is dominantly decided by sea surface latent heat release with some contribution from sensible heat exchange. The flux and its anomaly could significantly affect ocean heat storage and ocean circulation. They are part of and have great impacts on climate variability. Though the turbulent heat flux is extremely important for the climate and weather systems, only very limited ship and buoy observations of the flux are available over open oceans. There are no global, operational, direct measurements of this crucial meteorological variable. Global estimates are, basically, indirectly calculated from bulk turbulent flux parameterization with a combination of satellite column water vapor, sea surface water temperature, and wind speed observations. Critical parameters such as sea surface air temperature and humidity are estimated from empirical relations of theses variables with the water vapor and sea surface water temperature, respectively. Lacking accurate knowledge on surface air temperature and humidity, uncertainties in the parameterization and potential changes in the non-linear turbulent processes with long-term climate variations could cause large errors in estimated long-term turbulent fluxes from the indirect method as shown in current global sea surface turbulent flux datasets. This study uses synergized data of satellite global radiation, precipitation, and other meteorological variable observations to estimate sea surface turbulent heat fluxes. The radiation observations are made by the satellite Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) sensors, while the global precipitation data is from NASA’s satellite Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP). Other data includes satellite sea surface water temperature and wind speed observations. These datasets are obtained from a wide range of space sensors from passive to active instruments and from visible and near infrared to thermal infrared and microwave spectral sounders. One significant feature of these datasets is that they have multi-decades long climate records. Top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiation and its anomaly represents the net heat energy input to the climate system, and the oceanic precipitation and ocean-land moisture transport can be used to quantify sea surface latent heat release. Based on the synergized datasets and the principle of global water and energy balances, global mean turbulent heat fluxes are estimated. The turbulent heat anomalies for the first two decades of the 21st century are, then, obtained mainly from global CERES radiation and GPCP precipitation anomalies, along with CERES derived ocean-land heat transports. Analysis indicates that the uncertainties in the estimated turbulent flux anomalies may be reduced considerably. The results suggest a strong needs in synchronized and synergized observations of atmospheric radiation, precipitation, and oceanic meteorological variables for long-term climate studies.

Bing Lin↗

NASA NTRS1996

Testing Protocol Proposal to Identify and Evaluate Candidate Materials to Substitute for Silverized Teflon in Thermal Control Applications

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) has been shown to be the primary cause of several glitches in spacecraft operations. It appears that charged particles encountered in the natural environment in certain orbits can collect on the outer surfaces of a spacecraft, building up a charge of several thousand volts. If the potential exceeds the breakdown voltage of the charged material, then an ESD will occur. ESD events involving relatively low voltages, on the order of 100 V, have been shown to damage electronic components. When ESD occurs, electronic and electrical components can be damaged, computer instructions can be garbled, and ablation of material from the spacecraft may occur; degrading both the performance of the thermal control blankets, and the cleanliness of any surfaces on which the detritus becomes deposited. There appear to be six ways to prevent or mitigate the effects of ESD: (1) Choose an orbit where charging is not a problem; (2) Carry extra electromagnetic shielding; (3) Provide redundancy in components and programming; (4) Provide for active dissipation of the charge, by generating a plasma with which to bathe susceptible surfaces; (5) Provide for passive dissipation from a plasma contactors on the susceptible surfaces; and (6) Provide thermal control blankets that do not hold a charge, i.e., that are conductive enough to bleed a charge off harmlessly. These six options are discussed in detail in Losure (1996). Of these six options, number 1 is not always practical, given other requirements of the mission; 2, 3, 4 and 5 will require that extra mass in the form of shielding, etc., be carried by the spacecraft. The most attractive option from a mass and energy point of view seems to be that of finding a material which matches the other performance characteristics of the current thermal control blankets without their tendency to build up an electrostatic charge. The goal of this paper is to describe and justify a testing program which will lead to the approval of materials of this kind.

Losure, Nancy S.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Innovating the next generation of commercial smart building software

Nearly 30% of commercial building energy use is wasted due to equipment faults and HVAC controls problems. The result is increased emissions, compromised comfort and productivity, and less reliable coordination of building power needs with a clean grid. The energy impact alone represents $17 billion in potential savings. Today’s smart building software provides a robust solution to address these operational deficiencies. Energy management and information systems (EMIS) are saving up to 9% on average, with two-year paybacks. They are being incorporated into energy management processes, commissioning services, and utility programs. As effective as they are, two barriers prevent even deeper benefits; limited personnel to fix problems once they are identified, and the expense and time to manually implement changes in control systems. In partnership with the research community, the EMIS industry is developing new capabilities to overcome these barriers. Moving beyond siloed products for either fault detection and diagnostics, or optimal control, these new capabilities empower users to not only automatically identify faults, but also to push corrective action, and control improvements to their buildings. In this paper, several areas for enhancements are documented: ‘one-time’ correction of faults such as setpoints, schedules, and economizer lockouts; short-term active testing for automated proportional integral derivative (PID) loop tuning and functional testing; and continuous supervisory control for demand flexibility and year-round efficiency. Results are presented from a pair of partner implementations out of a dozen providers integrating these enhancements into their products, including field tests from across the country, and insights into operator acceptance and integration into operations and maintenance practices.

Casillas, Armando↗

NASA NTRS2013

Lessons Learned During Instrument Testing for the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS)

The Themal InfraRed Sensor (TIRS) instrument, set to launch on the Landsat Data Continuity Mission in 2013, features a passively cooled telescope and IR detectors which are actively cooled by a two stage cryocooler. In order to proceed to the instrument level test campaign, at least one full functional test was required, necessitating a thermal vacuum test to sufficiently cool the detectors and demonstrate performance. This was fairly unique in that this test occurred before the Pre Environmental Review, but yielded significant knowledge gains before the planned instrument level test. During the pre-PER test, numerous discrepancies were found between the model and the actual hardware, which were revealed by poor correlation between model predictions and test data. With the inclusion of pseudo-balance points, the test also provided an opportunity to perform a pre-correlation to test data prior to the instrument level test campaign. Various lessons were learned during this test related to modeling and design of both the flight hardware and the Ground Support Equipment and test setup. The lessons learned in the pre-PER test resulted in a better test setup for the nstrument level test and the completion of the final instrument model correlation in a shorter period of time. Upon completion of the correlation, the flight predictions were generated including the full suite of off-nominal cases, including some new cases defined by the spacecraft. For some of these ·new cases, some components now revealed limit exceedances, in particular for a portion of the hardware that could not be tested due to its size and chamber limitations.. Further lessons were learned during the completion of flight predictions. With a correlated detalled instrument model, significant efforts were made to generate a reduced model suitable for observatory level analyses. This proved a major effort both to generate an appropriate network as well as to convert to the final model to the required format and yielded additional lessons learned. In spite of all the challenges encountered by TIRS, the instrument was successfully delivered to the spacecraft and will soon be tested at observatory level in preparation for a successful mission launch.

Peabody, Hume L.↗