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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 667 records · Page 37
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Ultra-Long-Life Fast Reactor Cores having Axial Blanket-Driver-Blanket Burnup Strategy with Thorium and PWR Spent Fuels

The sustainable energy over a long-term period can be supplied by ultra-long-life fast reactor cores that are designed by fully utilizing breeding by fast neutrons to be operated over several tens of years without refueling. But the fast reactor cores of this type usually have high positive coolant void reactivity worth resulted from the high TRU (Transuranics) contents in the high burnup, which can degrade the inherent safety through high positive coolant expansion reactivity coefficient. Recently, the authors have designed new small ultra-long-life cores that can be operated over 50{approx}60 EFPYs (Effective Full Power Years) and satisfy the self-controllability conditions under the unprotected accidents. The cores use axial blanket-driver-blanket configuration to achieve ultra-long operational cycle length where the fuel burnup propagates from the outer core to the inner core and from the axially central driver to the outer blanket regions. The objective of this work is to suggest the different design options with thorium addition and TRU and uranium from PWR spent fuels for effectively utilizing the large PWR spent fuel stocks and to analyze the performances of the cores. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Extension of the high-resolution thermal-hydraulics code ESCOT to hexagonal core geometries for multi-physics calculations

The extension of the capabilities of the pin-level nuclear reactor core thermal-hydraulics (T/H) code ESCOT to analyze hexagonal fueled cores and its performance are presented. ESCOT is an accurate yet fast core thermal-hydraulics solution aiming at high-fidelity and high-resolution multi-physics core analysis in the framework of massively parallel computing platforms. Its algorithm solution is based on the four-equation drift-flux model for two-phase calculations, these are numerically solved by applying the Finite Volume Method (FVM) and the Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-Linked Equation (SIMPLE)-like algorithm in a staggered grid system. Constitutive models such as turbulent mixing, pressure drop, and vapor generation are employed to simulate key phenomena in subchannel-scale analysis. ESCOT is parallelized by a double (radial and axial) domain decomposition that enables its highly parallelized execution. The coupling of the code with the neutronics whole core solver for hexagonal geometries nTRACER is described. The newly implemented ESCOT features are validated by comparing single assembly and full core steady state nTRACER-ESCOT solutions with nTRACER standalone internal one-dimensional T/H solver results. The validation problems are based on the VVER 440 and VVER 1000 cores. ESCOT results show differences within an acceptable range with respect to the simple 1D nTRACER built-in solver. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Transition‐Metal Nitride Core@Noble‐Metal Shell Nanoparticles as Highly CO Tolerant Catalysts

Abstract Core–shell architectures offer an effective way to tune and enhance the properties of noble‐metal catalysts. Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of Pt shell on titanium tungsten nitride core nanoparticles (Pt/TiWN) by high temperature ammonia nitridation of a parent core–shell carbide material (Pt/TiWC). X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed significant core‐level shifts for Pt shells supported on TiWN cores, corresponding to increased stabilization of the Pt valence d‐states. The modulation of the electronic structure of the Pt shell by the nitride core translated into enhanced CO tolerance during hydrogen electrooxidation in the presence of CO. The ability to control shell coverage and vary the heterometallic composition of the shell and nitride core opens up attractive opportunities to synthesize a broad range of new materials with tunable catalytic properties.

Garg, Aaron↗
DOE OSTI2017

Thermal Modeling of the Injection of Standard and Thermally Insulated Cored Wire

Cored wire injection is a widespread method used to perform alloying additions during ferrous and non-ferrous liquid metal treatment. The wire consists of a metal casing that is tightly wrapped around a core of material; the casing delays the release of the material as the wire is immersed into the melt. This method of addition presents advantages such as higher repeatability and yield of cored material with respect to bulk additions. Experimental and numerical work has been performed by several authors on the subject of alloy additions, spherical and cylindrical geometries being mainly considered. Surprisingly this has not been the case for cored wire, where the reported experimental or numerical studies are scarce. This work presents a 1-D finite volume numerical model aimed for the simulation of the thermal phenomena which occurs when the wire is injected into a liquid metal bath. It is currently being used as a design tool for the conception of new types of cored wire. A parametric study on the effect of injection velocity and steel casing thickness for an Al cored wire immersed into a steel melt at 1863 K (1590 °C) is presented. The standard single casing wire is further compared against a wire with multiple casings. Numerical results show that over a certain range of injection velocities, the core contents’ release is delayed in the multiple casing when compared to a single casing wire.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Splitting tensile strength of shale cores: intact versus fractured and sealed with ureolysis-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (UICP)

Ureolysis-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (UICP) is a biomineral solution where the urease enzyme converts urea and calcium into calcium carbonate. The resulting biomineral can bridge gaps in fractured shale, reduce undesired fluid flow, limit fracture propagation, better store carbon dioxide, and potentially enhance well efficiency. The mechanical properties of shale cores were investigated using a modified Brazilian indirect tensile strength test. An investigation of intact shale using Eagle Ford and Wolfcamp cores was conducted at varying temperatures. Results show no significant difference between shale types (average tensile strength = 6.19 MPa). Eagle Ford displayed higher strength at elevated temperature, but temperature did not influence Wolfcamp. Comparatively, cores with a single, lengthwise heterogeneous fracture were sealed with UICP and further tested for tensile strength. UICP was delivered via a flow-through method which injected 20–30 sequential patterns of ureolytic microorganisms and UICP-promoting fluids into the fracture until permeability reduced by three orders of magnitude or with an immersion method which placed cores treated with guar gum and UICP-promoting fluids into a batch reactor, demonstrating that guar gum is a suitable inclusion and may reduce the number of flow-through injections required. Tensile results for both delivery methods were variable (0.15–8 MPa), and in some cores the biomineralized fracture split apart, possibly due to insufficient sealing and/or heterogeneity in the composite UICP-shale cores. Notably in other cores the biomineralized fracture remained intact, demonstrating more cohesion than the surrounding shale, indicating that UICP may produce a strong seal for subsurface application.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Optimization study of Ultra-long Cycle Fast Reactor core concept

An optimization of an Ultra-long Cycle Fast Reactor (UCFR) design with a power rating of 1000 MW(electric), UCFR-1000, has been performed. Firstly, geometric optimization has been performed in the aspects of core size and core shape in terms of thermal–hydraulic (TH) feedback. Secondly, fuel composition optimization has been performed by adopting pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel (SF) as a blanket material as well as natural uranium (NU). Thirdly, thorium has been loaded in the inner core for the optimization of radial power distribution. Lastly, a small-size UCFR with a power rate of 100 MWe has been developed with optimization of maximum neutron flux and fast neutron fluence limit for a short term deployable nuclear reactor. The equivalent diameter and the height of the optimized UCFR-1000 core are 5.9 and 2.4 m, respectively, while the equivalent diameter and the height of the optimized UCFR-100 core are 4.3 and 1.0 m, respectively. The size of the optimized UCFR-1000 has been enlarged in the radial direction and shortened in the axial direction from those of the initial UCFR design (Tak et al., 2013a) and this modification makes the burning speed of active core movement slower. It has been confirmed for both designs that a full-power operation of 60 years without refueling is feasible with respect to isotopics and criticality by a breed-and-burn strategy. The core performance characteristics of both designs have been evaluated in terms of axial/radial power shapes, neutron flux and nuclide distributions, breeding ratio, reactivity feedback coefficients, control rod worth, etc. By the design optimization study in this paper, the reductions of maximum neutron flux, fast neutron fluence, and axial/radial power peaking have been achieved, which are favorable for the safety of the UCFR.

Breed-and-burn↗
DOE OSTI2013

Facile approach to prepare hollow core–shell NiO microspherers for supercapacitor electrodes

A facile lamellar template method (see image) has been developed for the preparation of uniform hollow core–shell structure NiO (HCS–NiO) with a nanoarchitectured wall structure. The prepared NiO was found to be highly crystalline in uniform microstructures with high specific surface area and pore volume. The results indicated that ethanol interacted with trisodium citrate played an important role for the formation of hollow core–shell spheres. On the basis of the analysis of the composition and the morphology, a possible formation mechanism was investigated. NiO microspheres with hollow core–shell showed excellent capacitive properties. The exceptional cyclic, structural and electrochemical stability with ∼95% coulombic efficiency, and very low ESR value from impedance measurements promised good utility value of hollow core–shell NiO material in fabricating a wide range of high-performance electrochemical supercapacitors. - The hollow core–shell NiO was prepared with a facile lamellar template method. The prepared NiO show higher capacitance, lower ion diffusion resistance and better electroactive surface utilization for Faradaic reactions. - Highlights: • Formation of hollow core–shell NiO via a novel and facile precipitation route. • Exhibited uniform feature sizes and high surface area of hollow core–shell NiO. • Synthesized NiO has high specific capacitance ( 448 F g{sup 1}) and very low ESR value. • Increased 20% of long life cycles capability after 500 charge–discharge cycles.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Magnetoelectric effect in La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3}–BaTiO{sub 3} core–shell nanocomposite

Highlights: ► The BaTiO{sub 3} in the core–shell structure undergoes large compressive strain. ► The LSMO in the core–shell structure exhibits enhanced magnetic moment. ► The anomaly in magnetization data indicates inherent magnetoelectric coupling. ► Overall the nanocomposite shows good magnetoelectric voltage coefficient value. - Abstract: We report the magnetoelectric properties of La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3}–BaTiO{sub 3} core–shell nanostructure synthesized by sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction analysis suggests that the BaTiO{sub 3} undergoes large strain in the core–shell structure which can be attributed to lattice induced strain. Interestingly, the core–shell nanoparticle exhibits enhanced magnetization (143 emu/g) compared to the ferromagnetic La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} bare core (20 emu/g). The core–shell structure also exhibits inherent magnetoelectric coupling which is reflected as an anomaly at the ferroelectric transition in the magnetization measurement. The direct magnetoelectric measurement on La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3}–BaTiO{sub 3} nanocomposite revealed the magnetoelectric voltage coefficient value as 54.5 mV/cm Oe at 1 kOe, which is a promising result compared to the other perovskite based nanocomposites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Self-supported Zn/Si core-shell arrays as advanced electrodes for lithium ion batteries

Graphical abstract: Zn/Si core-shell arrays prepared by combined hydrothermal plus sputtering method show good performance with high specific capacity and excellent cycling stability. - Highlights: • Construct Zn/Si core-shell arrays via sputtering. • The Zn/Si core-shell arrays show high capacity and good cycles. • Core-shell arrays is favorable for fast ion/electron transfer. - Abstract: Silicon is considered as the most promising substitute for the commercial graphite anode of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high capacity and low working voltage. In this work, we realize the rational combination between Zn nanorods and Si forming self-supported Zn/Si core-shell arrays with the aid of hydrothermal and sputtering methods. Amorphous Si layer is well coated on the backbone of Zn nanorods with diameters of 70–80 nm. As a preliminary test, the Zn/Si core-shell arrays are used as the anode of LIBs and demonstrated with a high initial reversible capacity of 2795 mAh g{sup −1} at 0.1C, good high-rate capability with 1985 mAh g{sup −1} at 1C and stable cycling life. The good performance is due to the highly conductive Zn nanorod network and porous core-shell structure providing good mechanical support and fast transport of ions/electrons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Investigating the effect of B T direction on W source-to-core pathways during the SAS-VW campaign on DIII-D

Experiments using the V-shaped closed slot tungsten (W) coated SAS-VW divertor in DIII-D studied the effects of the BT direction on core contamination of eroded tungsten from a closed slot divertor configuration. Core W content is inferred using soft-X ray tomography (SXR) and vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy (SPRED), while W divertor erosion is inferred from visible spectroscopy of W emission (400.9 nm) measured by in-slot filterscopes (filtered photo-multipliers). Post-mortem analysis from the campaign discovered tile misalignment leading to suspected pronounced leading-edge erosion in the unfavorable BT direction (ion B ⃗×∇B ⃗ drift away from divertor) likely not captured by diagnostics. However, empirical findings show up to ~2-3x larger core contamination in the favorable BT direction even considering no additional W erosion from leading edges. A “source-to-core efficiency factor” is derived to estimate the effects of leading-edge erosion and compare W contamination for two pairs of H-mode discharges in opposite BT directions. While having differing absolute parameters, similar core impurity density gradients suggest comparable core impurity transport. These results show that favorable BT may have stronger source-to-core pathways for W impurities sourced from the outer divertor region. Possible explanations could include the effects of E ⃗×B ⃗ drifts on W transport in the scrape-off-layer (SOL) as well as previously determined fast SOL inner target directed flows in favorable BT.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Core design and performance of the Westinghouse lead fast reactor with UO 2 and MOX configurations

For this work, Westinghouse partnered with Argonne National Laboratory to design, model and optimize UO 2 - and MOX-fueled core designs for a medium size (950 MWt) Lead Fast Reactor that was pursued by Westinghouse. Using Argonne’s suite of reactor analysis codes together with Westinghouse fuel cost economic models, thousands of candidate cores were considered to achieve the economics-optimized cores presented in this paper. This optimization process considered detailed reactor physics, fuel performance, transient performance, and fuel economics models. The reactor performance of the resulting optimized UO 2 - and MOX-fueled core designs are described and compared in this paper. Both cores show fuel performance and transient behavior that is considered acceptable for the optimization presented herein, while further testing campaigns on material performance in high-temperature liquid lead will be required to confirm acceptability at the operating conditions chosen. A multi-batch strategy was selected for the UO 2 core for best fuel utilization with minimum fuel inventory costs. A single-batch fuel management was instead selected for the MOX core to maximize cycle length and minimize the impact of the longer refueling outage resulting from the higher decay heat of the discharged MOX fuel relative to the discharged UO 2 fuel, requiring a longer cooling time before dry-lift of discharged fuel could take place.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Oligomerization State of Photosynthetic Core Complexes Is Correlated with the Dimerization Affinity of a Transmembrane Helix

In the Rhodobacter (Rba.) species of photosynthetic purple bacteria, a single transmembrane α-helix, PufX, is found within the core complex, an essential photosynthetic macromolecular assembly that performs the absorption and the initial processing of light energy. Despite its structural simplicity, many unresolved questions surround PufX, the most important of which is its location within the photosynthetic core complex. One proposed placement of PufX is at the center of a core complex dimer, where two PufX helices associate in the membrane and form a homodimer. Inability for PufX of certain Rba. species to form a homodimer is thought to lead to monomeric core complexes. In the present study, we employ a combination of computational and experimental techniques to test the hypothesized homodimerization of PufX. We carry out a systematic investigation to measure the dimerization affinity of PufX from four Rba. species, Rba. blasticus, Rba. capsulatus, Rba. sphaeroides, and Rba. veldkampii, using a molecular dynamics-based free-energy method, as well as experimental TOXCAT assays. We found that the four PufX helices have substantially different dimerization affinities. Both computational and experimental techniques demonstrate that species with dimeric core complexes have PufX that can potentially form a homodimer, whereas the one species with monomeric core complexes has a PufX with little to no dimerization propensity. Our analysis of the helix–helix interface revealed a number of positions that may be important for PufX dimerization and the formation of a hydrogen-bond network between these GxxxG-containing helices. Our results suggest that the different oligomerization states of core complexes in various Rba. species can be attributed, among other factors, to the different propensity of its PufX helix to homodimerize.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2014

The effects of the chemical composition and strain on the electronic properties of GaSb/InAs core-shell nanowires

The effects of the chemical composition and strain on the electronic properties of [111] zinc-blende (ZB) and [0001] wurtzite (WZ) GaSb/InAs core-shell nanowires (NWs) with different core diameters and shell thicknesses are studied using first-principles methods. The band structures of the [111] ZB GaSb/InAs core-shell NWs underwent a noticeable type-I/II band alignment transition, associated with a direct-to-indirect band gap transition under a compressive uniaxial strain. The band structures of the [0001] WZ GaSb/InAs core-shell NWs preserved the direct band gap under either compressive or tensile uniaxial strains. In addition, the band gaps and the effective masses of the carriers could be tuned by their composition. For the core-shell NWs with a fixed GaSb-core size, the band gaps decreased linearly with an increasing InAs-shell thickness, caused by the significant downshift of the conduction bands. For the [111] ZB GaSb/InAs core-shell NWs, the calculated effective masses indicated that the transport properties could be changed from hole-dominated conduction to electron-dominated conduction by changing the InAs-shell thickness.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Selenium semiconductor core optical fibers

Phosphate glass-clad optical fibers containing selenium (Se) semiconductor core were fabricated using a molten core method. The cores were found to be amorphous as evidenced by X-ray diffraction and corroborated by Micro-Raman spectrum. Elemental analysis across the core/clad interface suggests that there is some diffusion of about 3 wt % oxygen in the core region. Phosphate glass-clad crystalline selenium core optical fibers were obtained by a postdrawing annealing process. A two-cm-long crystalline selenium semiconductor core optical fibers, electrically contacted to external circuitry through the fiber end facets, exhibit a three times change in conductivity between dark and illuminated states. Such crystalline selenium semiconductor core optical fibers have promising utility in optical switch and photoconductivity of optical fiber array.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Microwave-induced dynamic switching of magnetic skyrmion cores in nanodots

The nonlinear dynamic behavior of a magnetic skyrmion in circular nanodots was studied numerically by solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation with a classical spin model. We show that a skyrmion core reversal can be achieved within nanoseconds using a perpendicular oscillating magnetic field. Two symmetric switching processes that correspond to excitations of the breathing mode and the mixed mode (combination of the breathing mode and a radial spin-wave mode) are identified. For excitation of the breathing mode, the skyrmion core switches through nucleation of a new core from a transient uniform state. In the mixed mode, the skyrmion core reverses with the help of spins excited both at the edge and core regions. Unlike the magnetic vortex core reversal, the excitation of radial spin waves does not dominate the skyrmion core reversal process.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Temperature effect on vortex-core reversals in magnetic nanodots

We studied the temperature effect on vortex-core reversals in soft magnetic nanodots by micromagnetic numerical calculations within a framework of the stochastic Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert scheme. It was determined that vortex-core-switching events at non-zero temperatures occur stochastically, and that the threshold field strength increases with temperature for a given field frequency. The mechanism of core reversals at elevated temperatures is the same as that of vortex-antivortex-pair-mediated core reversals found at the zero temperature. The reversal criterion is also the out-of-plane component of a magnetization dip that should reach −p, which is to say, m{sub z,dip} = −p, where p is the original polarization, p = +1 (−1), for the upward (downward) core. By this criterion, the creation of a vortex-antivortex pair accompanies complete vortex-antivortex-annihilation-mediated core reversals, resulting in the maximum excess of the exchange energy density, ΔE{sub ex}{sup cri} ≈ 15.4 ± 0.2 mJ/cm{sup 3}. This work provides the underlying physics of vortex-core reversals at non-zero temperatures, and potentiates the real application of vortex random access memory operating at elevated temperatures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Influence of dimensionality and interface type on optical and electronic properties of CdS/ZnS core-shell nanocrystals—A first-principles study

Semiconducting nanocrystals (NCs) have become one of the leading materials in a variety of applications, mainly due to their size tunable band gap and high intensity emission. Their photoluminescence (PL) properties can be notably improved by capping the nanocrystals with a shell of another semiconductor, making core-shell structures. We focus our study on the CdS/ZnS core-shell nanocrystals that are closely related to extensively studied CdSe/CdS NCs, albeit exhibiting rather different photoluminescence properties. We employ density functional theory to investigate the changes in the electronic and optical properties of these nanocrystals with size, core/shell ratio, and interface structure between the core and the shell. We have found that both the lowest unoccupied eigenstate (LUES) and the highest occupied eigenstate (HOES) wavefunction (WF) are localized in the core of the NCs, with the distribution of the LUES WF being more sensitive to the size and the core/shell ratio. We show that the radiative lifetimes are increasing, and the Coulomb interaction energies decrease with increasing NC size. Furthermore, we investigated the electronic and optical properties of the NCs with different interfaces between the core and the shell and different core types. We find that the different interfaces and core types have rather small influence on the band gaps and the absorption indexes, as well as on the confinement of the HOES and LUES WFs. Also the radiative lifetimes are found to be only slightly influenced by the different structural models. In addition, we compare these results with the previous results for CdSe/CdS NCs, reflecting the different PL properties of these two types of NCs. We argue that the difference in their Coulomb interaction energies is one of the main reasons for their distinct PL properties.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

The carbon content of Earth and its core

Earth’s core is likely the largest reservoir of carbon (C) in the planet, but its C abundance has been poorly constrained because measurements of carbon’s preference for core versus mantle materials at the pressures and temperatures of core formation are lacking. Using metal–silicate partitioning experiments in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell, we show that carbon becomes significantly less siderophile as pressures and temperatures increase to those expected in a deep magma ocean during formation of Earth’s core. Based on a multistage model of core formation, the core likely contains a maximum of 0.09(4) to 0.20(10) wt% C, making carbon a negligible contributor to the core’s composition and density. However, this accounts for ~80 to 90% of Earth’s overall carbon inventory, which totals 370(150) to 740(370) ppm. The bulk Earth’s carbon/sulfur ratio is best explained by the delivery of most of Earth’s volatiles from carbonaceous chondrite-like precursors.

Geosciences↗