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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 OSTI2023

First results on nucleon resonance electroexcitation amplitudes from ep → e'π + π – p' cross sections at W = 1.4–1.7 GeV and Q 2 = 2.0–5.0 GeV 2

The electroexcitation amplitudes or $\gamma_vpN^*$ electrocouplings of the $N(1440)1/2^+$, $N(1520)3/2^-$, and $\Delta(1600)3/2^+$ resonances were obtained for the first time from the $ep \to e'\pi^+\pi^-p'$ differential cross sections measured with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab within the range of invariant mass $W$ of the final state hadrons from 1.4–1.7~GeV for photon virtualities $Q^2$ from 2.0--5.0~GeV$^2$. A good description of the nine independent one-fold differential $\gamma_v p\to \pi^+\pi^-p'$ cross sections achieved within the data-driven Jefferson Lab-Moscow State University (JM) meson-baryon reaction model in each bin of ($W$,$Q^2$) allows for separation of the resonant and non-resonant contributions. The electrocouplings were determined in the fits of the $\pi^+\pi^-p$ cross sections within three overlapping $W$ intervals with a substantial contribution from each of the three resonances listed above. Consistent results on the electrocouplings extracted from the data in these $W$ intervals provide evidence for their reliable extraction. These studies extend information on the electrocouplings of the $N(1440)1/2^+$ and $N(1520)3/2^-$ available from this channel over a broader range of $Q^2$. The electrocouplings of the $\Delta(1600)3/2^+$, which decays preferentially into $\pi\pi N$ final states, have been determined for the first time. Here, the reliable extraction of the electrocouplings for these states is also supported by the description of the $\pi^+\pi^-p$ differential cross sections with $Q^2$-independent masses and total/partial hadronic decay widths into the $\pi\Delta$ and $\rho p$ final states.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS2005

Taking the Risk Out of Risk Assessment

The ability to understand risks and have the right strategies in place when risky events occur is essential in the workplace. More and more organizations are being confronted with concerns over how to measure their risks or what kind of risks they can take when certain events transpire that could have a negative impact. NASA is one organization that faces these challenges on a daily basis, as effective risk management is critical to the success of its missions especially the Space Shuttle missions. On July 29, 1996, former NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin charged NASA s Office of Safety and Mission Assurance with developing a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) tool to support decisions on the funding of Space Shuttle upgrades. When issuing the directive, Goldin said, "Since I came to NASA [in 1992], we've spent billions of dollars on Shuttle upgrades without knowing how much they improve safety. I want a tool to help base upgrade decisions on risk." Work on the PRA tool began immediately. The resulting prototype, the Quantitative Risk Assessment System (QRAS) Version 1.0, was jointly developed by NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center, its Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, and researchers at the University of Maryland. QRAS software automatically expands the reliability logic models of systems to evaluate the probability of highly detrimental outcomes occurring in complex systems that are subject to potential accident scenarios. Even in its earliest forms, QRAS was used to begin PRA modeling of the Space Shuttle. In parallel, the development of QRAS continued, with the goal of making it a world-class tool, one that was especially suited to NASA s unique needs. From the beginning, an important conceptual goal in the development of QRAS was for it to help bridge the gap between the professional risk analyst and the design engineer. In the past, only the professional risk analyst could perform, modify, use, and perhaps even adequately understand PRA. NASA wanted to change this by developing a PRA tool that would be friendlier, more understandable, and more useful to the broader engineering community. This concept ultimately led to the look, feel, and functionality that QRAS has today.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1997

High redshift quasars and high metallicities

A large-scale code called Cloudy was designed to simulate non-equilibrium plasmas and predict their spectra. The goal was to apply it to studies of galactic and extragalactic emission line objects in order to reliably deduce abundances and luminosities. Quasars are of particular interest because they are the most luminous objects in the universe and the highest redshift objects that can be observed spectroscopically, and their emission lines can reveal the composition of the interstellar medium (ISM) of the universe when it was well under a billion years old. The lines are produced by warm (approximately 10(sup 4)K) gas with moderate to low density (n less than or equal to 10(sup 12) cm(sup -3)). Cloudy has been extended to include approximately 10(sup 4) resonance lines from the 495 possible stages of ionization of the lightest 30 elements, an extension that required several steps. The charge transfer database was expanded to complete the needed reactions between hydrogen and the first four ions and fit all reactions with a common approximation. Radiative recombination rate coefficients were derived for recombination from all closed shells, where this process should dominate. Analytical fits to Opacity Project (OP) and other recent photoionization cross sections were produced. Finally, rescaled OP oscillator strengths were used to compile a complete set of data for 5971 resonance lines. The major discovery has been that high redshift quasars have very high metallicities and there is strong evidence that the quasar phenomenon is associated with the birth of massive elliptical galaxies.

Ferland, Gary J.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Degradation of Leakage Currents and Reliability Prediction for Tantalum Capacitors

Two types of failures in solid tantalum capacitors, catastrophic and parametric, and their mechanisms are described. Analysis of voltage and temperature reliability acceleration factors reported in literature shows a wide spread of results and requires more investigation. In this work, leakage currents in two types of chip tantalum capacitors were monitored during highly accelerated life testing (HALT) at different temperatures and voltages. Distributions of degradation rates were approximated using a general log-linear Weibull model and yielded voltage acceleration constants B = 9.8 +/- 0.5 and 5.5. The activation energies were Ea = 1.65 eV and 1.42 eV. The model allows for conservative estimations of times to failure and was validated by long-term life test data. Parametric degradation and failures are reversible and can be annealed at high temperatures. The process is attributed to migration of charged oxygen vacancies that reduce the barrier height at the MnO2/Ta2O5 interface and increase injection of electrons from the MnO2 cathode. Analysis showed that the activation energy of the vacancies' migration is ~ 1.1 eV.

acceleration factors↗
NASA NTRS2008

Disturb testing in flash memories

Non-volatile memory technology as defined by NAND architecture flash memory continues to lead the process scaling and device shrinking efforts of the entire integrated circuit industry. 45- nm technology nodes are now producing commercial 32Gb devices. These latest 32Gb devices are pioneering new charge trapping memory cell technologies using metal gates and high-k dielectric materials. These cells are called TANOS and consist of tantalum-nitride, aluminum oxide (high k material), nitride, oxide, and silicon. Such high-density memories continue to revolutionize commercial electronics in terms of new high-speed data architectures and significant reductions in overall power and weight consumption. In stark contrast, nearly all science-based interplanetary and earth-orbiting NASA spacecraft are still designing in and around mid-1980s-level non-volatile technology with 1Mb Electrically Erasable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) devices. NASA has typically shunned the use of modern flash devices because of radiation and reliability concerns due to the commercial-offthe– shelf (COTS) nature of the NAND flash technology. Given the significant potential increases in overall system capability these modern flash devices could bring to NASA missions, it is important to continue to investigate these devices. This report will investigate certain portions of the reliability performance of NAND flash devices, specifically the disturb properties. Understanding the possible limitations such new non-volatile memory technology presents to NASA is the goal of this report.

Freie, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2001

Inductive Measurement of Plasma Jet Electrical Conductivity (MSFC Center Director's discretionary Fund)

Measurement of plasma jet electrical conductivity has utility in the development of explosively driven magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) energy converters as well as magnetic flux compression reaction chambers for nuclear/chemical pulse propulsion and power. Within these types of reactors, the physical parameter of critical importance to underlying MHD processes is the magnetic Reynolds number, the value of which depends upon the product of plasma electrical conductivity and velocity. Therefore, a thorough understanding of MHD phenomena at high magnetic Reynolds number is essential, and methods are needed for the accurate and reliable measurement of electrical conductivity in high-speed plasma jets. It is well known that direct measurements using electrodes suffer from large surface resistance, and an electrodeless technique is desired. To address this need, an inductive probing scheme, originally developed for shock tube studies, has been adapted. In this method, the perturbation of an applied magnetic field by a plasma jet induces a voltage in a search coil, which, in turn, can be used to infer electrical conductivity through the inversion of a Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. A 1-in.-diameter probe using a light-gas gun. Exploratory laboratory experiments were carried out using plasma jets expelled from 15-g shaped charges. Measured conductivities were in the range of 4 kS/m for unseeded octol charges and 26 kS/m for seeded octol charges containing 2-percent potassium carbonate by mass.

Turner, M. W.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Encoding multistate charge order and chirality in endotaxial heterostructures

Abstract High-density phase change memory (PCM) storage is proposed for materials with multiple intermediate resistance states, which have been observed in 1 T -TaS 2 due to charge density wave (CDW) phase transitions. However, the metastability responsible for this behavior makes the presence of multistate switching unpredictable in TaS 2 devices. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of nanothick verti-lateral H -TaS 2 /1 T -TaS 2 heterostructures in which the number of endotaxial metallic H -TaS 2 monolayers dictates the number of resistance transitions in 1 T -TaS 2 lamellae near room temperature. Further, we also observe optically active heterochirality in the CDW superlattice structure, which is modulated in concert with the resistivity steps, and we show how strain engineering can be used to nucleate these polytype conversions. This work positions the principle of endotaxial heterostructures as a promising conceptual framework for reliable, non-volatile, and multi-level switching of structure, chirality, and resistance.

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

In Situ Reliability Investigation of All-Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries by a Stable Reference Electrode

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) have been studied over the past several decades as a promising candidate for stationary energy storage applications. It is therefore important to understand the reliability of RFBs and the mechanisms that cause degradation with time. Contributions from individual electrodes (cathode or anode) are difficult to separate especially for long-term cycle testing, due to the lack of a stable reference electrode. In our work, the reliability and degradation mechanisms of an all-vanadium RFB were investigated by a stable reference electrode based on the dynamic hydrogen electrode (DHE). With factor exploration and design optimization, the newly developed DHE reference electrode demonstrated high accuracy and long-term stability that enables in-situ monitoring of individual electrode signals (potentials and impedances) over hundreds of cycles in a vanadium RFB. This approach enables the full cell degradation to be separated and the degradation attributed to contributions from the cathode and anode. The cathode and anode were found to play quite different roles in the increase in overpotential of the vanadium RFB during long-term cycling. The anode reaction limited both the charge and discharge capacity over 100 cycles. In addition, the negative side also appeared to be the rate limiting factor throughout cycling as determined by EIS measurement. The cathode contributed to the performance degradation as cycling exceeded 50 cycles.

Huang, Qian↗
DOE OSTI2021

A control oriented comprehensive degradation model for battery energy storage system life prediction

In order to ensure that stationary battery energy storage systems (BESSs) provide reliable energy buffering, both for power quality and economic purposes, the degradation must be considered. Cell degradation involves various side reactions and is highly dependent on its operating conditions. To accurately track cell degradation and predict its impact on battery behavior, a comprehensive physics-based degradation model based on an electrolyte phase-enhanced single particle (SP) model is developed. Key degradation physics, namely solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formation and growth, Li plating on the graphite anode, and Mn dissolution on cathode of nickel-cobalt-manganese oxide (NMC622) are considered. The model is validated against experimental capacity data. The results reveal that the deposition rate of both SEI layer and Li metal increase as the charge voltage increases. At the cathode side, the solvent oxidation rate determines the Mn dissolution rate. As a result, the volume fraction of NMC622 in the cathode continually decreases at a gradually increasing rate.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Direct measurement of 59 Ni( n, p ) 59 Co and 59 Ni( n, α ) 56 Fe at fast-neutron energies from 500 keV to 10 MeV

We report nuclear reaction data for neutron induced reactions on unstable nuclei are critical for a wide range of applications spanning studies of nuclear astrophysics, nuclear reactor designs, and radiochemistry diagnostics. However, nuclear data evaluations of the reaction cross sections are largely based on calculations due to the difficulty in performing this class of measurements and the resulting lack of experimental data. For neutron induced charged particle reactions at fast neutron energies, at the MeV scale, these cross section predictions are predominately driven by statistical Hauser-Feshbach calculations. In this work, we present partial and total 59 Ni(n, p) and 59 Ni(n, α) cross sections, measured directly with a radioactive 59 Ni target, and compare the results to the present nuclear data evaluations. In addition, the results from this work are compared to a recent study of the 59 Ni(n, xp) reaction cross section that was performed via an indirect surrogate ratio method. The expected energy trend of the cross section, based on the current work, is inconsistent with that of the surrogate work. This calls into question the reliability of that application of the surrogate ratio method and highlights the need for direct measurements on unstable nuclei, when feasible.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Sub-pixel high-resolution imaging of high-energy x-rays inspired by sub-wavelength optical imaging

We have developed and demonstrated an image super-resolution method—XR-UNLOC: X-Ray UNsupervised particle LOCalization—for hard x-rays measured with fast-frame-rate detectors that is an adaptation of the principle of photo-activated localization microscopy (PALM) and stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), which enabled biological fluorescence imaging at sub-optical-wavelength scales. We demonstrate the approach on experimental coherent Bragg diffraction data measured with 52 keV x-rays from a nanocrystalline sample. From this sample, we resolve the fine fringe detail of a high-energy x-ray Bragg coherent diffraction pattern to an upsampling factor of 16 of the native pixel pitch of 30 μ m of a charge-integrating fastCCD detector. This was accomplished by analysis of individual photon locations in a series of “nearly-dark” instances of the diffraction pattern that each contain only a handful of photons. Central to our approach was the adaptation of the UNLOC photon fitting routine for PALM/STORM to the hard x-ray regime to handle much smaller point spread functions, which required a different statistical test for photon detection and for sub-pixel localization. A comparison to a photon-localization strategy used in the x-ray community (“droplet analysis”) showed that XR-UNLOC provides significant improvement in super-resolution. We also developed a metric by which to estimate the limit of reliable upsampling with XR-UNLOC under a given set of experimental conditions in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio of a photon detection event and the size of the point spread function for guiding future x-ray experiments in many disciplines where detector pixelation limits must be overcome.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Visualizing heterogeneous dipole fields by terahertz light coupling in individual nano-junctions

The challenge underlying superconducting quantum computing is to remove materials bottleneck for highly coherent quantum devices. The nonuniformity and complex structural components in the underlying quantum circuits often lead to local electric field concentration, charge scattering, dissipation and ultimately decoherence. Here we visualize interface dipole heterogeneous distribution of individual Al/AlO$_{x}$/Al junctions employed in transmon qubits by broadband terahertz scanning near-field microscopy that enables the non-destructive and contactless identification of defective boundaries in nano-junctions at an extremely precise nanoscale level. Our THz nano-imaging tool reveals an asymmetry across the junction in electromagnetic wave-junction coupling response that manifests as hot (high intensity) vs cold (low intensity) spots in the spatial electrical field structures and correlates with defected boundaries from the multi-angle deposition processes in Josephson junction fabrication inside qubit devices. The demonstrated local electromagnetic scattering method offers high sensitivity, allowing for reliable device defect detection in the pursuit of improved quantum circuit fabrication for ultimately optimizing coherence times.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Methods—Analyzing Electrochemical Kinetic Parameters in Deep Eutectic Solvents Using an Extended Butler-Volmer Equation

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are promising electrolytes for electrochemical redox reactions, which can be used in redox flow batteries (RFBs). However, in some systems like the Fe 2+/3+ redox reaction in ethaline, traditional Tafel-based kinetic analysis generates unreasonable kinetic parameters (i.e., large anodic/cathodic charge transfer coefficients ( α a , α c ) along with low exchange current densities ( i 0 )). This hinders a comprehensive kinetic and kinetic mechanism study. Here, we perform a detailed investigation of the Tafel analysis using a series of synthetic rotating disk electrode (RDE) data. We find the Tafel analysis only works well when i 0 < 0.57 i lim (limiting current density) in our scenario and leads to abnormal kinetic values once i 0 exceeds this limiting value. Thus, we propose an extended Butler-Volmer (ex-BV) analysis based on modern non-linear fitting techniques to obtain the actual kinetic parameters for such systems. The results show that this method fits the RDE data closely and generates reliable α a , α c and i 0 values, demonstrating that it is a good replacement for traditional Tafel analysis for kinetic studies in high-viscosity electrolytes such as DES systems.

Electrochemistry↗
NASA NTRS1994

Computational modelling of Er(3+): Garnet laser materials

The Er(3+) ion has attracted a lot of interest for four reasons: (1) Its (4)I(sub 13/2) yields (4)I(sub 15/2) transition lases in the eyesafe region near 1.5 micron; (2) the (4)I(sub 13/2) transition lases near 2.8 micron, an important wavelength for surgical purposes; (3) it displays surprisingly efficient upconversion with lasing observed at 1.7, 1.2, 0.85, 0.56, 0.55, and 0.47 micron following 1.5 micron pumping; and (4) it has absorption bands at 0.96 and 0.81 micron and thus can be diode pumped. However, properties desirable for upconversion reduce the efficiency of 1.5 and 3 micron laser operation and vice versa. Since all of the processes are influenced by the host via the crystal field induced stark splittings in the Er levels, this project undertook modelling of the host influence on the Er lasinng behavior. While growth and measurement of all ten Er(3+) doped garnets is the surest way of identifying hosts which maximize upconversion (or conversly, 1.5 and 3 micron performance), it is also expensive - costing approximately $10,000/material or approximately $100,000 for the materials computationally investigated here. The calculations were performed using a quantum mechanical point charge model developed by Clyde Morrison at Harry Diamond Laboratories. The programs were used to fit the Er:YAG experimental energy levels so that the crystal field parameters, B(sub nm) could be extracted. From these radial factors, rho (sub n) were determined for Er(3+) in garnets. These, in combination with crystal field components, Anm, available from X-ray data, were used to predict energy levels for Er in the other nine garnet hosts. The levels in Er:YAG were fit with an rms error of 12.2/cm over a 22,000/cm range. Predicted levels for two other garnets for which literature values were available had rms errors of less than 17/cm , showing the calculations to be reliable. Based on resonances between pairs of calculated stark levels, the model predicts GSGG as the best host for 1.5 micron laser operation, GSGG or YSAG as the best host for a 2.8 micron operation, and LuGG as the best host for an upconversion material.

Spangler, Lee H.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Extraction and validation of a new set of CMS pythia8 tunes from underlying-event measurements

New sets of CMS underlying-event parameters ("tunes") are presented for the PYTHIA8 event generator. These tunes use the NNPDF3.1 parton distribution functions (PDFs) at leading (LO), next-to-leading (NLO), or next-to-next-to-leading (NNLO) orders in perturbative quantum chromodynamics, and the strong coupling evolution at LO or NLO. Measurements of charged-particle multiplicity and transverse momentum densities at various hadron collision energies are fit simultaneously to determine the parameters of the tunes. Comparisons of the predictions of the new tunes are provided for observables sensitive to the event shapes at LEP, global underlying event, soft multiparton interactions, and double-parton scattering contributions. In addition, comparisons are made for observables measured in various specific processes, such as multijet, Drell-Yan, and top quark-antiquark pair production including jet substructure observables. The simulation of the underlying event provided by the new tunes is interfaced to a higher-order matrix-element calculation. For the first time, predictions from PYTHIA8 obtained with tunes based on NLO or NNLO PDFs are shown to reliably describe minimum-bias and underlying-event data with a similar level of agreement to predictions from tunes using LO PDF sets.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Mu2e crystal calorimeter

The Mu2e experiment at Fermilab will search for the charged-lepton flavour violating conversion of negative muons into electrons in the coulomb field of an Al nucleus, planning to reach a single event sensitivity of about $3\cdot10^{−17}$, four orders of magnitude beyond the current best limit.The conversion electron has a clear monoenergetic signature at 104.967 MeV, slightly below the muon rest mass, and will be identified by a complementary measurement carried out by a high-resolution tracker and an electromagnetic calorimeter (EMC). The calorimeter is composed of 1348 pure CsI crystals, each read by two custom UV-extended SiPMs, that are arranged in two annular disks. The EMC should achieve better than 10% energy resolution and 500 ps timing resolution for 100 MeV electrons and maintain extremely high levels of reliability and stability and in a harsh operating environment with high vacuum, 1 T B-field and radiation exposures up to 100 krad and $10^{12} \rm{n}_\rm{1MeVeq}/\rm{cm}^{2}$.The calorimeter technological choice, along with the design of the custom front-end electronics, cooling and mechanical systems were validated through an electron beam test on a large-scale 51-crystals prototype (Module-0) and extensive test campaigns that characterised and verified the performance of crystals, photodetectors, analogue and digital electronics. This included hardware stress tests and irradiation campaigns with neutrons, protons, and photons.The production and QC phases of all calorimeter components is completed apart for the digital electronics that has been revised for improving its resilience to SEU and SEL. A series of vertical slice tests with the final electronics is being carried out on the Module-0 at LNF along with the implementation and validation of the calibration procedures. The first disk has been assembled in 2022 while the second disk is under assembly at the moment of writing. Status of construction will be summarised, along with plans for commissioning and first calibration of the fully assembled disks.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA's Initial and Sustained Artemis Human Landing Systems

On March 26, 2019, in keeping with President Trump’s Space Policy Directive-1, Vice President Pence charged NASA with landing the first woman and the next man on the South Pole of the Moon by 2024, followed by a sustained presence on and around the Moon by2028. NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) Program is responsible for the final mode of transportation in deep space that will carry humans to and from the surface of the Moon, to be designed and developed by American companies for NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program. This paper examines the approach for Artemis human landing systems for both the initial missions and future sustained missions. While achieving the 2024 goal requires a focus on speed and the use of mature technologies, planning toward sustained operations to and from the lunar surface requires a focus on reliability and reusability. The two approaches, however, are not mutually exclusive, as demonstrated by the HLS prime contractors’ integrated lander system proposals. On April 30, 2020, NASA announced that Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, Dynetics (a Leidos company) of Huntsville, Alabama, and SpaceX of Hawthorne, California, were the awardees for NASA’s Human Landing System contracts under Appendix H of the NextSTEP-2 Broad Agency Announcement. The companies began work in a 10-month base period during which NASA teams worked with the companies to streamline the review of required products and to share the agency’s expertise in human spaceflight systems development. Following the base period, NASA will determine which companies will develop the human landers for the initial missions, including the 2024 landing, and which companies will develop landers for future sustained missions toward the end of the decade.

Lisa Watson-Morgan↗
DOE OSTI2026

Operational Parameter Database for Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage Tank Modeling

The second generation of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants is characterized by the use of a central receiver (either cavity or external), two molten nitrate salt tanks (60 wt.% NaNO 3 and 40 wt.% KNO 3 ), and a steam Rankine power-generation cycle connected through a primary heat exchanger. Molten salt thermal energy storage (TES) tanks have been widely deployed in commercial CSP plants worldwide and have been essential for increasing plant dispatchability and capacity factor, while also reducing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). These systems enable energy storage at the gigawatt-hour scale, typically providing 6 to 17 hours of storage duration. Despite being a commercial technology, the multiple failures observed after only a few months or years of operation in plants around the world demonstrate the technology's relative infancy and highlight the need for further research to improve its reliability. The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), in collaboration with industry partners and academic and research institutions, has been leading multiple projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). These projects focus on addressing molten salt tank failures by improving tank design and welding fabrication practices, evaluating new alloys and weld fillers, and providing guidelines for tank commissioning and safe operation. In particular, this report presents modeling results on the effect of key tank operation parameters during 60 minutes of operation, including the mass flow rate and temperature of the salt inflow, tank salt inventory temperature, and inventory level for a representative molten salt tank design. These results form a database of tank operation behaviors that captures the effects of each specific parameter during charging, charging/discharging, and discharging processes.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗