SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Diffusion coefficient”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 649 records · Page 36

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2002

Controlling Electron Backstreaming Phenomena Through the Use of a Transverse Magnetic Field

DEEP-SPACE mission propulsion requirements can be satisfied by the use of high specific impulse systems such as ion thrusters. For such missions. however. the ion thruster will be required to provide thrust for long periods of time. To meet the long operation time and high-propellant throughput requirements, thruster lifetime must be increased. In general, potential ion thruster failure mechanisms associated with long-duration thrusting can be grouped into four areas: (1) ion optics failure; (2) discharge cathode failure; (3) neutralizer failure; and (4) electron backstreaming caused by accelerator grid aperture enlargement brought on by accelerator grid erosion. The work presented here focuses on electron backstreaming. which occurs when the potential at the center of an accelerator grid aperture is insufficient to prevent the backflow of electrons into the ion thruster. The likelihood of this occurring depends on ion source operation time. plasma density, and grid voltages, as accelerator grid apertures enlarge as a result of erosion. Electrons that enter the gap between the high-voltage screen and accelerator grids are accelerated to the energies approximately equal to the beam voltage. This energetic electron beam (typically higher than 1 kV) can damage not only the ion source discharge cathode assembly. but also any of the discharge surfaces upstream of the ion acceleration optics that the electrons happen to impact. Indeed. past backstreaming studies have shown that near the backstreaming limit, which corresponds to the absolute value of the accelerator grid voltage below which electrons can backflow into the thruster, there is a rather sharp rise in temperature at structures such as the cathode keeper electrode. In this respect operation at accelerator grid voltages near the backstreaming limit is avoided. Generally speaking, electron backstreaming is prevented by operating the accelerator grid at a sufficiently negative voltage to ensure a sufficiently negative aperture center potential. This approach can provide the necessary margin assuming an expected aperture enlargement. Operation at very negative accelerator grid voltages, however, enhances ion charge-exchange and direct impingement erosion of the accelerator grid. The focus of the work presented here is the mitigation of electron backstreaming by the use of a magnetic field. The presence of a magnetic field oriented perpendicular to the thruster axis can significantly decrease the magnitude of the backflowing electron current by significantly reducing the electron diffusion coefficient. Negative ion sources utilize this principle to reduce the fraction of electrons in the negative ion beam. The focus of these efforts has been on the attenuation of electron current diffusing from the discharge plasma into the negative ion extraction optics by placing the transverse magnetic field upstream of the extraction electrodes. In contrast. in the case of positive ion sources such as ion thrusters, the approach taken in the work presented here is to apply the transverse field downstream of the ion extraction system so as to prevent electrons from flowing back into the source. It was found in the work presented here that the magnetic field also reduces the absolute value of the electron backstreaming limit voltage. In this respect. the applied transverse magnetic field provides two mechanisms for electron backstreaming mitigation: (1) electron current attenuation and (2) backstreaming limit voltage shift. Such a shift to less negative voltages can lead to reduced accelerator grid erosion rates.

Foster, John E.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Hydrodynamics of simply spinning black holes & hydrodynamics for spinning quantum fluids

We find hydrodynamic behavior in large simply spinning five-dimensional Anti-de Sitter black holes. These are dual to spinning quantum fluids through the AdS/CFT correspondence constructed from string theory. Due to the spatial anisotropy introduced by the angular momentum, hydrodynamic transport coefficients are split into groups longitudinal or transverse to the angular momentum, and aligned or anti-aligned with it. Analytic expressions are provided for the two shear viscosities, the longitudinal momentum diffusion coefficient, two speeds of sound, and two sound attenuation coefficients. Known relations between these coefficients are generalized to include dependence on angular momentum. The shear viscosity to entropy density ratio varies between zero and 1/(4π) depending on the direction of the shear. These results can be applied to heavy ion collisions, in which the most vortical fluid was reported recently. In passing, we show that large simply spinning five-dimensional Myers-Perry black holes are perturbatively stable for all angular momenta below extremality.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Measuring Electron Diffusion and Constraining the Neutral Current $\pi^0$ Background for Single-Photon Events in MicroBooNE

Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPCs) are a rising technology in the field of experimental neutrino physics. LArTPCs use ionization electrons and scintillation light to reconstruct neutrino interactions with exceptional calorimetric and position resolution capabilities. Here, I present two analyses conducted in the MicroBooNE LArTPC at Fermilab: a measurement of the longitudinal electron diffusion coefficient, $D_L$, in the MicroBooNE detector and a constraint of the systematic uncertainty on MicroBooNE's single-photon analysis due to the dominant neutral current (NC) \piz{} background. Longitudinal electron diffusion modifies the spatial and timing resolution of the detector, and measuring it will help correct for these effects. Furthermore, current measurements of $D_L$ in liquid argon are sparse and in tension with one another, making the MicroBooNE measurement especially valuable. We report a measurement of $3.74^{+0.28}_{-0.29}$ cm$^2$/s. MicroBooNE is searchin g for si ngle-photon events as a potential explanation for the MiniBooNE low-energy excess (LEE) of electron neutrino-like events, which has been interpreted as evidence for low-mass sterile neutrinos. However, this search is overwhelmed by a large NC \piz{} background. By performing a sideband selection of NC \piz{} events, we apply a data-driven rate constraint to the single-photon analysis to reduce the systematic uncertainties. At present, this constraint improves the single-photon analysis' median sensitivity to the LEE-like signal from 0.9$\sigma$ to $1.5\sigma$. This sensitivity is expected to improve significantly as more data become available. Both of these measurements will not only benefit MicroBooNE, but also inform future LArTPC experiments.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

NASA NTRS1978

Stochastic acceleration of solar flare protons

The acceleration of solar flare protons is considered by cyclotron damping of intense Alfven wave turbulence in a magnetic trap. The energy diffusion coefficient is computed for a near-isotropic distribution of super-Alfvenic protons and a steady-state solution for the particle spectrum is found for both transit-time and diffusive losses out of the ends of the trap. The acceleration time to a characteristic energy approximately 20 Mev/nucl can be as short as 10 sec. On the basis of phenomenological arguments an omega/2 frequency dependence for the Alfven wave spectrum is inferred. The correlation time of the turbulence lies in the range .0005 less than tau/corr less than .05s.

Barbosa, D. D.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Stochastic acceleration of solar flare protons

The acceleration of solar flare protons by the cyclotron damping of intense Alfven wave turbulence in a magnetic trap is considered. The energy diffusion coefficient is computed for a near-isotropic distribution of super-Alfvenic protons, and a steady-state solution for the particle spectrum is found for both transit-time and diffusive losses out of the ends of the trap. The acceleration time to a characteristic energy of about 20 MeV per nucleon can be as short as 10 sec. On the basis of phenomenological arguments, it is inferred that the Alfven wave spectrum typically has an inverse square frequency dependence and that the correlation time of the turbulence lies in the range between 0.5 and 50 msec.

Barbosa, D. D.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Dissipation of ionospheric irregularities by wave-particle and collisional interactions

The nonlinear dissipation of plasma irregularities aligned parallel to an ambient magnetic field is studied numerically using a model which employs both wave-particle and collisional diffusion. A wave-particle diffusion coefficient derived from a local theory of the universal drift instability is used. This coefficient is effective in regions of nonzero plasma gradients and produces triangular-shaped irregularities with spectra which vary as f to the -4th, where f is the spatial frequency. Collisional diffusion acts rapidly on the vertices of the irregularities to reduce their amplitude. The simultaneous action of the two dissipative processes is more efficient than collisions acting alone. In this model, wave-particle diffusion mimics the forward cascade process of wave-wave coupling.

Bernhardt, P. A.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Igneous fractionation and subsolidus equilibration of diogenite meteorites

Diogenites are coarse-grained orthopyroxenite breccias of remarkably uniform major element composition. Most diogenites contain homogeneous pyroxene fragments up to 5 cm across of Wo2En74Fs24 composition. Common minor constituents are chromite, olivine, trolite and metal, while silica, plagioclase, merrillite and diopside are trace phases. Diogenites are generally believed to be cumulates from the eucrite parent body, although their relationship with eucrites remains obscure. It has been suggested that some diogenites are residues after partial melting. I have performed EMPA and INAA for major, minor and trace elements on most diogenites, concentrating on coarse-grained mineral and lithic clasts in order to elucidate their igneous formation and subsequent metamorphic history. Major element compositions of diogenites are decoupled from minor and trace element compositions; the latter record an igneous fractionation sequence that is not preserved in the former. Low equilibration temperatures indicate that major element diffusion continued long after crystallization. Diffusion coefficients for trivalent and tetravalent elements in pyroxene are lower than those of divalent elements. Therefore, major element compositions of diogenites may represent means of unknown portions of a cumulate homogenized by diffusion, while minor and trace elements still yield information on their igneous history. The scale of major element equilibration is unknown, but is likely to be on the order of a few cm. Therefore, the diogenite precursors may have consisted largely of cm-sized, igneously zoned orthopyroxene grains, which were subsequently annealed during slow cooling, obliterating major element zoning but preserving minor and trace incompatible element zoning.

Mittlefehldt, David W.↗

NASA NTRS1972

The coronal transport of the flare associated scatter free electrons

A total of 11 scatter-free electron events from McMath plage region 8905 were observed by IMP 4 during the period from 29 July to 3 August 1967. The transit times and duration of these electron events are examined in detail. The duration of 170- to 1000-keV electrons shows a strong dependence upon the heliolongitude of the associated flare. Typical values of the duration full width at half maximum vary from 4 min at 50 deg W to 12 min at 10 deg and 90 deg W heliolongitudes. In addition, the difference in times at which the maximum intensities of the 22- to 45-keV and 170- to 1000-keV electrons occur is observed to change from 18 min near 50 deg W to 13 min at 10 deg and 90 deg W heliolongitudes. An idealized two-dimensional diffusion model for the transport of these electrons in the solar corona is proposed. The 22- to 45-keV electrons escape promptly from flare site to the feet of the interplanetary magnetic field lines, whereas 170- to 1000-keV electrons suffer slight scattering. The diffusion coefficient for 170- to 1000-keV electrons is estimated to be 3 X 10 to the 18th power sq cm/sec. Finally, a possible relation between the scatter-free and the classical diffusive-type electron events is discussed.

Wang, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Oxidation of Carbon Fibers in a Cracked Ceramic Matrix Composite Modeled as a Function of Temperature

The oxidation model simulates the oxidation of the reinforcing carbon fibers within a ceramic matrix composite material containing as-fabricated microcracks. The physics-based oxidation model uses theoretically and experimentally determined variables as input for the model. The model simulates the ingress of oxygen through microcracks into a two-dimensional plane within the composite material. Model input includes temperature, oxygen concentration, the reaction rate constant, the diffusion coefficient, and the crack opening width as a function of the mechanical and thermal loads. The model is run in an iterative process for a two-dimensional grid system in which oxygen diffuses through the porous and cracked regions of the material and reacts with carbon in short time steps. The model allows the local oxygen concentrations and carbon volumes from the edge to the interior of the composite to be determined over time. Oxidation damage predicted by the model was compared with that observed from microstructural analysis of experimentally tested composite material to validate the model for two temperatures of interest. When the model is run for low-temperature conditions, the kinetics are reaction controlled. Carbon and oxygen reactions occur relatively slowly. Therefore, oxygen can bypass the carbon near the outer edge and diffuse into the interior so that it saturates the entire composite at relatively high concentrations. The kinetics are limited by the reaction rate between carbon and oxygen. This results in an interior that has high local concentrations of oxygen and a similar amount of consumed carbon throughout the cross section. When the model is run for high-temperature conditions, the kinetics are diffusion controlled. Carbon and oxygen reactions occur very quickly. The carbon consumes oxygen as soon as it is supplied. The kinetics are limited by the relatively slow rate at which oxygen is supplied in comparison to the relatively fast rate at which carbon and oxygen reactions occur. This results in a sharp gradient in oxygen concentration from the edge where it is supplied to the nearest source of carbon, which is where the oxygen is quickly consumed. A moving reaction front is seen in which the outlaying carbon is consumed before the next inner layer of carbon begins to react.

Halbig, Michael C.↗

NASA NTRS1988

The role of gravity wave generated advection and diffusion in transport of tracers in the mesosphere

The roles of advection and turbulent diffusion in controlling tracer transport in the meridional plane of the mesosphere are compared using a version of the global primitive equation model for the middle atmosphere developed by Holton and Wehrbein (1980). The results of model sensitivity tests demonstrated that transport in the mesosphere for long-lived species with large-scale heights, such as H2O, CO, and NO(x), is primarily an advective process; on a global scale, small-scale turbulent diffusion produced by gravity wave breaking plays a secondary role. It is concluded that, for such tracers, the eddy diffusion coefficient used in one-dimensional chemical models of the mesosphere should be regarded as a parameterization of the transport by the meridional circulation, not as a parameterization of mixing by small-scale diffusion.

Holton, James R.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Stormtime transport of ring current and radiation belt ions

This is an investigation of stormtime particle transport that leads to formation of the ring current. Our method is to trace the guiding-center motion of representative ions (having selected first adiabatic invariants mu) in response to model substorm-associated impulses in the convection electric field. We compare our simulation results qualitatively with existing analytically tractable idealizations of particle transport (direct convective access and radial diffusion) in order to assess the limits of validity of these approximations. For mu approximately less than 10 MeV/G (E approximately less than 10 keV at L equivalent to 3) the ion drift period on the final (ring-current) drift shell of interest (L equivalent to 3) exceeds the duration of the main phase of our model storm, and we find that the transport of ions to this drift shell is appropriately idealized as direct convective access, typically from open drift paths. Ion transport to a final closed drift path from an open (plasma-sheet) drift trajectory is possible for those portions of that drift path that lie outside the mean stormtime separatrix between closed and open drift trajectories, For mu approximately 10-25 MeV/G (110 keV approximately less than E approximately less than 280 keV at L equivalent to 3) the drift period at L equivalent to 3 is comparable to the postulated 3-hr duration of the storm, and the mode of transport is transitional between direct convective access and transport that resembles radial diffusion. (This particle population is transitional between the ring current and radiation belt). For mu approximately greater than 25 MeV/G (radiation-belt ions having E approximately greater than 280 keV at L equivalent to 3) the ion drift period is considerably shorter than the main phase of a typical storm, and ions gain access to the ring-current region essentially via radial diffusion. By computing the mean and mean-square cumulative changes in 1/L among (in this case) 12 representative ions equally spaced in drift time around the steady-state drift shell of interest (L equivalent to 3), we have estimated (from both our forward and our time-reversed simulations) the time-integrated radial-diffusion coefficients D(sup sim)(sub LL) for particles having selected values of mu approximately greater than 15 MeV/G. The results agree surprisingly well with the predictions (D(sup ql)(sub LL)) of quasilinear radial diffusion theory, despite the rather brief duration (approximately 3 hrs) of our model storm and despite the extreme variability (with frequency) of the spectral-density function that characterizes the applied electric field during our model storm. As expected, the values of D(sup sim)(sub LL) deduced (respectively) from our forward and time-reversed simulations agree even better with each other and with D(sup sim)(sub LL) when the impulse amplitudes which characterize the individual substorms of our model storm are systematically reduced.

Chen, Margaret W.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Sodium diffusion in heterogeneous porous media: Connecting laboratory experiments and simulations

Sodium has been suggested as a tracer for brine in reservoir formations where a significant amount of sodium ion is found mainly in the aqueous phase. Fortunately, the most abundant sodium isotope, 23 Na, is Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) active, making it possible to study the structure and dynamical properties of both bulk and pore confined fluid systems. We investigated the diffusion of key dissolved sodium species in bulk solution and porous media as a function of composition, ionic strength, and permeability of the carbonate samples using NMR relaxometry and pulsed-field gradient (PFG) NMR techniques. We use Indiana limestone as an example of natural porous media and water as a freely diffusible tracer and carrier. We demonstrate apparent diffusion measurement of sodium based on changes in spin–spin relaxation time (T 2 ) signal in pore confinement. The diffusion rate of sodium decreases with increasing counter-ion size. This effect is greater at higher ionic strengths and lower chemical potentials in porous media. The reactive transport code, CrunchFlow, was used to complement the NMR experiments to simulate diffusion behavior in porous media. Combining these two methods provides a powerful approach to estimating effective diffusion coefficients in heterogeneous matrices. The modeling considers the influence of physical properties (porosity and tortuosity) and chemical properties (geochemical composition and chemical gradients). The results presented in this work highlight the advantage of measuring apparent diffusivity using NMR T 2 relaxometry in conjunction with numerical simulation to derive effective diffusivity and the corresponding matrix properties (i.e., tortuosity) of the system.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1975

Calculations of the cosmic ray modulation in interplanetary space taking into account the possible dependence of the transport travel for the scattering of the particles and of the velocity of the solar winds on the angles they make with the helioequator plane: The case of isotropic diffusion

The modulation of galactic cosmic rays is studied by the magnetic heterogeneities stream on the assumption that the diffusion coefficient is reduced whereas the solar wind velocity is increased with the growth of the angle between the sun's rotation axis and the direction of solar plasma motion. The stationary plane problem of isotropic diffusion is solved as it applies to two cases: (1) with due account of particle retardation by the antiphermium mechanism; and (2) without an account of the above mechanism. This problem is solved by the grid method in the polar coordinate system. The results of the calculations are followed by a discussion of the method of solution and of the errors.

Dorman, L. I.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Pioneer 10 ultraviolet photometer observations of Jupiter - The helium to hydrogen ratio

Pioneer 10 UV photometric observations of solar He I 584-A emissions diffusely reflected from the atmosphere of Jupiter are discussed which establish the expected presence of He in the planet. The intensity and profile of the solar He line are remeasured and found to be more intense than originally supposed, implying a lower value for the diffuse 584-A reflectivity of Jupiter and less He than previously estimated. Other measurements of the solar He line are reviewed, resonance scattering by He is analyzed, and radiative-transfer calculations for Jovian model atmospheres are improved by including the anisotropic phase function for helium resonance scattering. The assumption of coherent scattering in the formation of the Jovian airglow line is shown to be an accurate approximation, and present estimates of the atmospheric temperature and eddy diffusion coefficient are examined. An atmospheric He/H abundance ratio greater than zero but less than approximately 28% is determined by assuming an isothermal atmosphere with a temperature of 150 K and the range of eddy-diffusion values given by Pioneer 10 Ly-alpha observations. The effect of higher temperatures on the He/H abundance is briefly evaluated.

Carlson, R. W.↗

NASA NTRS1961

Effect of Static Strains on Diffusion

A theory is developed that gives the diffusion coefficient in strained systems as an exponential function of the strain. This theory starts with the statistical theory of the atomic jump frequency as developed by Vineyard. The parameter determining the effect of strain on diffusion is related to the changes in the inter-atomic forces with strain. Comparison of the theory with published experimental results for the effect of pressure on diffusion shows that the experiments agree with the form of the theoretical equation in all cases within experimental error.

Girifalco, L. A.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Hindered segmental dynamics in associative protein hydrogels studied by neutron spin-echo spectroscopy

Transient binding between associating macromolecules can cause qualitative changes to chain dynamics, including modes of conformational relaxation and diffusion, through tethering effects imparted by long-range connectivity. Here, in this work, the role of binding on short-time segmental dynamics in associative polymer gels is investigated by neutron spin-echo (NSE) measurements on a class of model artificial coiled-coil proteins with a systematically varied architecture, probing timescales of 0.1–130 ns, and length scales close to the molecular radius of gyration. The results illustrate effects of transient cross-linking on chain dynamics on different timescales, manifested in changes in segmental relaxation behavior with variations in strand length, chain concentration, and sticker distribution (endblock- vs midblock-functionalized). In all gels, a short-time cooperative diffusion mode is seen over all wave vectors, analogous to a semidilute solution, with no transitions seen at any known structural length scale. However, the diffusion coefficients are found to decrease with increasing junction density across all gels, with the strand length and number of stickers per chain in each gel appearing to play a relatively minor role. The slowing of cooperative diffusion with junction density contrasts with classical predictions of a greater restoring force for fluctuation dissipation due to the increased elasticity, suggesting additional effects of the coiled-coil junctions such as an enhancement in local viscosity that slows dynamics. Notably, the relaxation rates for all gels can be rescaled by the interjunction spacing inferred from small-angle neutron scattering, where they collapse onto a master curve suggestive of self-similar dynamics even in networks with different strand lengths and chain architectures. On long timescales (but shorter than the junction exchange time), a slowing of network relaxation is observed, resulting in a nondecaying plateau in the spin-echo amplitude attributed to a freezing of chain dynamics due to tethering. A characteristic length scale corresponding to the extent of dynamic fluctuations is estimated for each gel, which appears to be smaller than the interjunction spacing but similar to the correlation blob size of the overlapping strands. The results indicate an important role of transient binding on molecular-scale dynamics in associative polymer gels, even on timescales shorter than the junction exchange time, in addition to its effects on long-range self-diffusion previously observed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1974

Analytic approximations in the study of the solar modulation of electrons

Numerical solutions to the transport equation of galactic cosmic rays in the interplanetary medium have been used to investigate the applicability of commonly used approximate analytic solutions for electrons (10 MeV to 10 GeV). We find that for a given cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient the force-field approximation is in reasonable agreement with the numerical solution at energies above 200 MeV, but deviates significantly at lower energies, depending on the shape of the interstellar electron spectrum. The diffusion-convection approximation agrees generally with the numerical solution within a factor of 2 over the entire energy range.

Cummings, A. C.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Diffusion tube

The diffusion tube was designed to operate below about 0.25 percent of water supersaturation. It is simply a long tube lined on the inside with a damp chamois cloth, and heated isothermally to a few degrees centigrade above the incoming air. The diffusion coefficient for water vapor is slightly larger than that for heat, making it possible to supersaturate the airflow. This is the same principle by which transient supersaturations may occur in parallel plate cloud chambers. Only the diffusion of vapor and heat from the walls into the moving air are considered.

Leaitch, R.↗