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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 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Multiplexing and Demultiplexing Signals for Radiography Application Using the Discrete Fourier Transform

Our goal is to develop an X-ray phase-contrast imaging system that can provide excellent soft tissue contrast of phase, attenuation, and small-angle scatter. We propose to replace the common system of G0, G1, and G2 gradings with a biprism array to replace the G1 grading and introduce a novel X-ray tube designed to replace the motion of the phase stepping grading G2. The proposed X-ray tube uses temporal multiplexing to provide simultaneous virtual “electronic phase stepping.” In this work the discrete Fourier transform is used to separate from the composite measurement individual X-ray phase contrast measurements sampled at different frequencies. The method performs a discrete Fourier transform of a composite refence sequence to obtain using the frequency amplitudes calibration factors needed to extract the X-ray phase contrast measurement amplitudes from the composite image. The composite reference sequence is the sum of the individual sequences, at different frequencies, with amplitudes of one. The method takes the discrete Fourier transform of this composite reference sequence; whereby, the amplitude of each frequency component is compared with the total sum of its stand-alone sequence amplitude. A calibration factor is determined so that the amplitude of this composite reference frequency times the calibration factor must equal the total sum of the sequence amplitude—the zero-frequency amplitude of the discrete Fourier transform of its stand-alone sequence. To demultiplex the composite measured signal these calibration factors are multiplied by the amplitudes of the frequency components of the discrete Fourier transform of the composite X-phase-contrast measurement to obtain the amplitude of each frequency encoded measurement. Using these calibration factors, we demonstrate with the discrete Fourier transform in Mathematica the extraction of individual images from a composite image that one would expect obtaining from our proposed new X-ray phase contrast imaging system. We then demonstrate as an example how using images from X-ray phase contrast data one can calculate phase, attenuation and the dark field images using grading phase step data supplied to use from Microworks, GmbH in Karlsruhe, Germany.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Determining Infrared Optical Constants for Dolomite using Single Angle Reflectance and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

The optical constants, namely the real (n) and imaginary (k) parts of the complex refractive index, are of particular interest to generate the infrared (IR) spectra of liquid and solid materials in different morphologies. To obtain n/k, however, most materials are typically not found in the monolithic forms necessary to easily measure n/k, and thus require the use of other methods such as pressing powders to form planar, specularly-reflective pellets. In this work dolomite crystals are measured using fixed-angle IR reflectance spectroscopy in both 1) a monolithic form with the crystal fixed in epoxy and polished, but data are also recorded from 2) pressed-pellet forms of powders of the same mineral using the same spectroscopic protocols. First results for the two methods are compared. It was found that the measured reflectance can vary by as much as a factor of two between the dolomite crystals and the pressed powder forms. For the two-sample preparation approaches the preliminary spectra are compared and the implications and limitations of each method for determining the optical constants of given materials are discussed. Comparison to literature data suggest that polarization effects likely account for the differing amplitude results for reflectance (and hence the k -vectors): Dolomite is known to be biaxial with significantly differing ordinary and extraordinary rays; the pressed pellet method measures an ensemble of microcrystals in randomly oriented positions, whereas the single crystal maintains just one orientation relative to the optical axis.

ellipsometry, dolomite, complex refractive index, ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Subcritical Californium Source Drive Noise Analysis Measurements With Unreflected Uranium (93.15) Hydride

On July 6, 1989, subcritical californium source-driven noise analysis (CSDNA) measurements were performed with bare uranium hydride cylindrical assemblies at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Critical Experiments Facility in KIVA 1. Three configurations of ~7.5 cm radius-enriched (93.15 wt. % 235 U) uranium hydride with a density of ~10 g/cm 3 cylinders were assembled with uranium hydride heights of ~11, ~14, and ~16 cm. The uranium hydride (~2 and ~3 cm high) was in thin-welded stainless steel cans. The neutron multiplication factors obtained on-line from the measured ratios of spectral densities were 0.942 ± 0.002, 0.917 ± 0.003, and 0.867 ± 0.004 for uranium hydride heights of ~16, ~14, and ~11 cm., respectively. Neutron multiplication factors for these three configurations calculated by Los Alamos National Laboratory Monte Carlo methods were 0.952 ± 0.005, 0.922 ± 0.005, and 0.860 ± 0.005, all of which are in good agreement with the measurements. The break frequency noise analysis data could be fitted to obtain the prompt neutron decay constant at all subcritical states. Some data presented in this report are from notes that are not in the logbooks. A discussion of the two different point kinetics theories of the measurements that illustrated the deficiencies of the rigorous theory at low neutron multiplication factors (k eff < 0.80) is given in an Appendix. These measurements may be the only configuration of unreflected, highly enriched uranium hydride configuration assembled. The presence of hydrogen diluted the uranium density, decreasing the reactivity, but this is offset by slowing down the neutron energy to the energy ranges of higher-fission cross sections. Extrapolations to delayed critical indicate that adding one more 3 cm can and one more 2 cm can would result in the unreflected cylindrical system being slightly above critical with a critical mass of ~37 kg, which is considerably less than the critical mass of an unreflected and unmoderated highly enriched uranium metal sphere. An unreflected, highly enriched uranium hydride sphere would have a critical mass less than 37 kg.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Extracting the asymptotic behavior of S-matrix elements from their phases

The asymptotic kinematic limits of S-matrices are dominated by large logarithms which, roughly speaking, fall into two categories: those which are controlled by a renormalization group (RG) scale, which we may think of as logs involving ratios of invariant mass scales, and those which are functions of ratios of rapidities, so called “rapidity logs”. It has been pointed out by Caron-Huot and Wilhlem [1] that RG anomalous dimension can be extracted from the phase of the S-matrix, which can greatly simplify calculations via unitarity methods. In this paper we generalize the results of [1] to show that the phase can be used to reconstruct rapidity anomalous dimensions, by performing a special type of complex boost. The methodology introduced allows one to calculate without the need for a rapidity regulator which can lead to significant simplifications. We demonstrate the use of this method to derive the rapidity anomalous dimensions in the Sudakov form factor and the two parton soft function at two loops order.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Preliminary investigation of an uncertainty budget for uranium isotope ratio analysis using a liquid sampling—atmospheric pressure glow discharge—orbitrap mass spectrometer system

The liquid sampling-atmospheric pressure glow discharge (LS-APGD) ionization source has proven to be an effective analysis tool for making uranium isotope ratio measurements when coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometers, such as the Orbitrap. While previous studies have shown the capabilities of the LS-APGD for isotope ratio determination, a systematic evaluation of the measurement uncertainty of the technique has not been conducted. To this end, the International Standards Organizations (ISO) guidelines to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM analysis) have been applied to generate an uncertainty budget. For this work, a preliminary assessment derived from the GUM analysis was performed. The uncertainty in the instrument blank determination has been identified as a primary factor contributing to measurement uncertainty for the LS-APGD-Orbitrap method. These findings for the specific test case of uranium isotopic analysis will be invaluable in applications across the breadth of isotope ratio mass spectrometry performed on this unique instrumental platform.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2024

STSR-INR: Spatiotemporal super-resolution for multivariate time-varying volumetric data via implicit neural representation

Implicit neural representation (INR) has surfaced as a promising direction for solving different scientific visualization tasks due to its continuous representation and flexible input and output settings. We present STSR-INR, an INR solution for generating simultaneous spatiotemporal super-resolution for multivariate time-varying volumetric data. Inheriting the benefits of the INR-based approach, STSR-INR supports unsupervised learning and permits data upscaling with arbitrary spatial and temporal scale factors. Unlike existing GAN- or INR-based super-resolution methods, STSR-INR focuses on tackling variables or ensembles and enabling joint training across datasets of various spatiotemporal resolutions. Here we achieve this capability via a variable embedding scheme that learns latent vectors for different variables. In conjunction with a modulated structure in the network design, we employ a variational auto-decoder to optimize the learnable latent vectors to enable latent-space interpolation. To combat the slow training of INR, we leverage a multi-head strategy to improve training and inference speed with significant speedup. We demonstrate the effectiveness of STSR-INR with multiple scalar field datasets and compare it with conventional tricubic+linear interpolation and state-of-the-art deep-learning-based solutions (STNet and CoordNet).

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Simultaneous shape and topology optimization of inflatable soft robots

Simultaneous shape and topology optimization is used to design pressure-activated inflatable soft robots. The pressure loaded boundary is meshed conformingly and shape optimized, while the morphology of the robot is topology optimized. The design objective is to exert maximum force on an object, i.e. to produce soft “grippers”. The robot’s motion is modeled using nearly incompressible finite deformation hyperelasticity. To ensure stability of the robot, the buckling load factors obtained via linearized buckling analyses are constrained. The finite element method is used to evaluate the optimization cost and constraint functions and the adjoint method is employed to compute their sensitivities. The numerical examples produce pressure-driven soft robots with varying complexity. We also compare our simultaneous optimization results to those obtained via sequential topology and then shape optimization.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Common risk segment mapping: Streamlining exploration for carbon storage sites, with application to coastal Texas and Louisiana

Large-scale deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will require a commensurately large number of sites. Efficient screening methods are needed to create investment assurance and focus efforts on the most promising sites. The problem is similar to petroleum exploration, for which there are well-developed (though seldom published) workflows, including Common Risk Segment (CRS) mapping. In brief, the process requires 1) defining the key play elements; 2) identifying candidate geologic intervals for each; 3) creating fact-based maps for those intervals; 4) determining minimum criteria for the success of each element; 5) reinterpreting the fact-based maps in terms of chance of success; and 6) combining the individual maps to form a composite, basin-scale view of prospectivity. We adapt the CRS process to screening for CO 2 storage sites. Critically, we redefine the process in terms of cost of characterization and development, rather than chance of success. For illustration, we apply the process to the example of the Lower Miocene on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. We show that the predictions are consistent with historic hydrocarbon production volumes and rates. The power of the CRS method is that it creates a systematic approach to geologic evaluation and translates complex, multidimensional analysis into clear, graphical and easily comprehended business inputs. The results highlight sweet spots and identifies critical risks, suggesting a focus for further data collection and analysis. Furthermore, the method developed here can be applied to both surface and subsurface factors anywhere that there is interest in geologic storage of CO 2 .

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Determination of energy correction coefficient for neutron albedo dosimeter. Three approaches

To accurately determine dose, albedo TLD dosimeters require application of a neutron energy correction factor (NECF). Here, in this paper, the results from three different methods were used to determine NECFs. In the first method, NECF values were calculated as a ratio of the known “conventional true” dose and the neutron dose reported by albedo dosimeter(s) irradiated on a phantom. The results from this direct method were utilized for verification of two other methods. The second method used a specially designed device called the Neutron Area Monitor (NAM) model 5. The third method of NECF determination was based on the response of a BF 3 tube under different levels of moderation. The results of this work showed that the Navy-developed Neutron Area Monitor (NAM) model 5 measures NECF values correctly when irradiated with 252 Cf (bare and D 2 O-moderated). This was an important result, because it validated the use of the NAM-5 in nuclear power and marine propulsion reactors, as their neutron energy spectrum is approximated by the field of a Cadmium-coated 30 cm diameter steel sphere of D 2 O moderated 252 Cf. In the case of a broad neutron energy spectrum the 6 Li response to the small amount of slow neutrons outweighs its response to the fast neutrons overwhelmingly responsible for the neutron dose rate. Based on the obtained results we can conclude that NAM-5 provides correct NECF determination if the fraction of slow neutrons in the neutron dose rate is more than 20%. A satisfactory correlation between the NECF determined by NAM-5 and the multi-moderated BF3 tube method was observed, but the multi-moderated BF 3 tube values were ~30% lower than those obtained by the NAM-5 at the same locations for broader neutron energy spectrum locations.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Progress in end-to-end optimization of fundamental physics experimental apparata with differentiable programming

In this article we examine recent developments in the research area concerning the creation of end-to-end models for the complete optimization of measuring instruments. The models we consider rely on differentiable programming methods and on the specification of a software pipeline including all factors impacting performance — from the data-generating processes to their reconstruction and the inference on the parameters of interest — along with the careful specification of a utility function well aligned with the end goals of the experiment. Building on previous studies originated within the MODE Collaboration, we focus specifically on applications involving instruments for particle physics experimentation, as well as industrial and medical applications that share the detection of radiation as their data-generating mechanism. This report illustrates the most recent advancements in the area, and outlines, for each of the discussed applications as well as for automatic differentiation itself, ongoing and future work.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Formation trajectories of solution-processed perovskite thin films from mixed solvents

The engineering of mixed-solvent formulations and their evaporation conditions are key to reproducible perovskite coatings for high-performance photovoltaics. Here, we report a lumped-parameter evaporation model to predict the evolution of a perovskite ink liquid film over time (solvent ratio, solute concentration, and film thickness). The drying-rate model is validated via in situ film-thickness measurements, and the predicted transient liquid film state is mapped as a process path. These methods allow for the prediction of process sensitivity to local environmental factors and the understanding and visualization of a broader processing parameter space enabled through the coupling of process and ink engineering. Process maps are applied to create a new framework for scalable perovskite coating development with a goal of improving the reproducibility and transferability of perovskite fabrication. This approach is demonstrated with blade-coated FA 0.83 Cs 0.17 PbI 3 photovoltaic devices, improving the photovoltaic conversion efficiency from 17.5% ± 1.7% to 20.3% ± 0.6%.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

High-Precision Calculation of Nanoparticle (Nanocrystal) Potentials of Mean Force and Internal Energies

Thermodynamic stability assessment of nanocrystal systems requires precise free energy calculations. This study highlights the importance of meticulous control over various factors, including the thermostat, time step, potential cutoff, initial configuration, sampling method, and overall simulation duration. Free energy computations in dry (solvent-free) systems are on the order of several hundred $k_BT$ but can be obtained with consistent accuracy. However, calculation of internal energies becomes challenging, as they are typically much larger in magnitude than free energies and exhibit significant noise and reduced reliability. To address this limitation, we propose a new internal energy estimate that drastically reduces the noise. Here, we also present formulas that enable the optimization of the parameters of the harmonic bias potential for optimal convergence. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for the computation of free energies in nanocrystal clusters and superlattices.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Impact of further-range exchange and cubic anisotropy on magnetic excitations in the fcc kagome antiferromagnet IrMn 3

Here, this work investigates the effects of further neighbor exchange and cubic anisotropy on the magnetic excitations of the fcc kagome antiferromagnet IrMn 3 . Spin wave frequencies are calculated using the torque equation and the dynamical structure factor S(Q,ω) is determined by a Green's function method as an extension of our previous work [LeBlanc et al. Phys. Rev. B 90, 144403 (2014)]. These spin wave calculations are compared with inelastic neutron scattering data of polycrystalline IrMn 3 , where magnetic Mn ions occupy lattice sites of ABC-stacked kagome planes. The data are best explained by a spin wave model including exchange interactions up to fourth nearest neighbor and strong cubic anisotropy, as previously predicted by density functional theory calculations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Study of e + e − → π + π − π 0 at s from 2.00 to 3.08 GeV at BESIII

With the data samples taken at center-of-mass energies from 2.00 to 3.08 GeV with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, a partial wave analysis on the e + e − → π + π − π 0 process is performed. The Born cross sections for e + e − → π + π − π 0 and its intermediate processes e + e − → ρ π and ρ ( 1450 ) π are measured as functions of s . The results for e + e − → π + π − π 0 are consistent with previous results measured with the initial state radiation method within one standard deviation, and improve the uncertainty by a factor of ten. By fitting the line shapes of the Born cross sections for the e + e − → ρ π and e + e − → ρ ( 1450 ) π , a structure with mass M = 2119 ± 11 ± 15 MeV / c 2 and width Γ = 69 ± 30 ± 5 MeV is observed with a significance of 5.9 σ , where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second ones are systematic. This structure can be interpreted as an excited ω state. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Allocating Reserves in Active Distribution Systems for Tertiary Frequency Regulation

This paper proposes a cooperative game theory-based approach for reserve optimization to enable distributed energy resources (DERs) participate in tertiary frequency regulation. Tertiary frequency regulation schemes ensure that reserve requirements of primary and secondary frequency regulation are fulfilled with a minimum cost. While the available reserve from a single distribution system may not suffice tertiary frequency regulation, stacked reserve from several distribution systems can enable them participate in tertiary frequency regulation at scale. In this paper, a two-stage strategy is proposed to effectively and precisely allocate spinning reserve requirement from each DER in distribution systems. In the first stage, two types of characteristic functions are computed: worthiness index (WI) and power loss reduction (PLR). In the second stage, the equivalent Shapley values are computed based on the characteristic functions, which are used to determine distribution factors for reserve allocation among DERs. The effectiveness of the proposed method for allocating reserves among DERs is demonstrated through several case studies on modified versions of the IEEE 13-node and 33-node distribution systems.

Gautam, Mukesh↗
DOE OSTI2022

Multiarea Distribution System State Estimation via Distributed Tensor Completion

Here, this paper proposes a model-free distribution system state estimation method based on tensor completion using canonical polyadic decomposition. In particular, we consider a setting where the network is divided into multiple areas. The measured physical quantities at buses located in the same area are processed by an area controller. A three-way tensor is constructed to collect these measured quantities. The measurements are analyzed locally to recover the full state information of the network. A distributed closed-form iterative algorithm based on the alternating direction method of multipliers is developed to obtain the low-rank factors of the whole network state tensor where information exchange happens only between neighboring areas. The convergence properties of the distributed algorithm and the sufficient conditions on the number of samples for each smaller network that guarantee the identifiability of the factors of the state tensor are presented. To demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm and to check the identifiability conditions, numerical simulations are carried out using the IEEE 123-bus system and a large-scale real utility feeder.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Development of High Performance Medium Velocity Superconducting Elliptical Cavities for Hadron Linacs

There is a solid scientific need for continuous wave (CW) proton or heavy ion linear accelerators (linacs) in the energy range up to about 1 GeV per nucleon (GeV/u). Only superconducting (SC) cavities can provide cost-efficient acceleration in CW mode. While low velocity, bc < 0.5 (b is the relative velocity of a charged particle and c is the speed of light), and high velocity, bc > 0.9, SC accelerating structures are established, there is a need in high-performance medium velocity SC accelerating structures. Currently, no superconducting (SC) CW proton or ion accelerators operate in the medium velocity range. We have developed a robust technology for producing high-performance medium-velocity elliptical cavities operating in the frequency range between 600 and 700 MHz. The project was performed in collaboration with Fermi and Argonne National Laboratories. The 5-cell, βopt = 0.65, 644 MHz elliptical cavities built at MSU have been used for this research. An advanced surface treatment method based on nitrogen doping to achieve a high-quality factor and a high accelerating gradient has been demonstrated. The surface treatment has been performed at ANL, and nitrogen doping at FNAL. A stable resonance control with the slow and fast tuner system has also been verified. FNAL developed a dedicated resonance control system for the stable operation of the combined tuner.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗