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At least 703 records · Page 39

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2024

Analysis and Grading of the Test Performance of PS Modules for the CMS Phase-2 Outer Tracker Upgrade

The Outer Tracker of the CMS experiment provides information about the trajectory of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions at the LHC. During the High Luminosity LHC upgrade, scheduled for the late 2020s, the Outer Tracker will be replaced with new modules capable of transmitting data to the L1 Trigger. These modules are being assembled at several facilities around the world, including Fermilab, necessitating coordinated standards of module quality. Here I discuss the development of POTATO (Phase-2 Outer Tracker Analyzer of Test Outputs), a C++ software which provides a standardized procedure for analyzing and grading test results of the Outer Tracker modules. The particular focus of this poster is on the analysis and grading of the PS (pixel-strip) modules in POTATO.

Riggall, Caroline↗

DOE OSTI2023

PACT Perovskite PV Module Outdoor Test Protocol (Version 0.1)

The purpose of this protocol is to define procedures and practices to be used by the PACT center for field testing of metal halide perovskite (MHP) photovoltaic (PV) modules. The protocol defines the physical, electrical, and analytical configuration of the tests and applies equally to mounting systems at a fixed orientation or sun tracking systems. While standards exist for outdoor testing of conventional PV modules, these do not anticipate the unique electrical behavior of perovskite cells. Further, the existing standards are oriented toward mature, relatively stable products with lifetimes that can be measured on the scale of years to decades. The state of the art for MHP modules is still immature with considerable sample to sample variation among nominally identical modules. Version 0.0 of this protocol does not define a minimum test duration, although the intent is for modules to be fielded for periods ranging for weeks to months. This protocol draws from relevant parts of existing standards, and where necessary includes modifications specific to the behavior of perovskites.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Assembly of CMS Endcap MIP Timing Detector Module at FNAL

The High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will enable a more detailed exploration of new phenomena thanks to an anticipated increase in collisions where pileup is expected to reach approximately 200 simultaneous interactions. Many CMS systems will be significantly upgraded to prepare for this new era, including the MIP Timing Detector (MTD) project. The MTD is designed to mitigate the effect of pileup and is set to provide a timestamp accurate to 30 ~ 40 picoseconds for every event, ensuring sustained detector performance at HL-LHC. The MTD is divided into two sections, Barrel Timing Layer (BTL) and Endcap Timing Layer (ETL) which utilize different sensor and ASIC technologies due to the difference in active surfaces, irradiation conditions, and installation schedules. The ETL, composed of two double-sided disks, employs the Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) sensor and the Endcap Timing Readout Chip (ETROC). More than 8,000 modules, each consisting of four LGAD sensors and ETROCs are required for the ETL detector. These modules will be assembled using an automated robotic gantry that guarantees precise placement at a level of 10 micrometers. In addition, the full assembly of ETL modules includes film application with the jig, wire-bonding, encapsulation with the automated dispensing robot for protecting the wire-bonding, and film curing with a vacuum oven. This talk reports on the successfully completed throughput test with mockup components using the gantry and the successful assembly of real functional modules for beam tests at CERN and FNAL, including the first official ETL module.

Apresyan, Artur↗

DOE OSTI2024

Analysis and Grading of the Test Performance of PS Modules for the CMS Phase-II Outer Tracker Upgrade

The Outer Tracker detector of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment provides information about the trajectory of charged particles produced in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). During the High Luminosity LHC upgrade, scheduled for the late 2020s, the Outer Tracker will be replaced with new modules capable of transmitting data to the L1 Trigger. These modules are being assembled at several facilities around the world, including Fermilab, necessitating coordinated standards of module quality. Here I discuss the development of POTATO (Phase-II Outer Tracker Analyzer of Test Outputs), a C++ software which provides a standardized procedure for analyzing and grading test results of the Outer Tracker modules. The particular focus of this paper is on the analysis and grading of the PS (pixel-strip) modules in POTATO.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Modeling and Scaling up of Membrane Modules Leveraging Dimensional Analysis

In the current analysis, we study the separation performance using membrane modules through dimensional analysis (DA). We formulate the main process equations to identify relevant dimensionless numbers inherent in the physics. In particular, we identify that the critical step in the separation process is mass transfer through the selective layer. Remarkably, the dimensionless feed flow (DFfeed) emerges as a crucial factor in describing this process. Not only does DFfeed directly appear in the governing equations, but it also holds a physical significance associated with the time scales for the mass transfer across the feed side and through the selective layer. Regarding the output performance variables, we consider the recovery, stage cut, productivity and purity. In this context, we profit from experimental data and CFD simulations to evaluate the separation performance of the modules when varying the input flowrate, the scale of the module, and the CO2 permeance. These datasets enable us to establish correlations between performance metrics and the dimensionless feed flow. Using simple power functions of DFfeed, we obtain R2 coefficients exceeding 0.99, indicating the accuracy of the correlations built in the present work. In the future, we wish to use DA to understand key transport mechanisms, predict and control module performance, and challenge the universality of these findings by testing various gas separations across different membrane modules beyond our case study.

Pedrozo, Hector A.↗

DOE OSTI2025

PACT Perovskite PV Module Outdoor Test Protocol (Version 0.2)

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Beam Test Characterization of an Irradiated Pixel-Strip Module for HL_LHC CMS Tracker Upgrade

A new tracker, for the CMS detector at The Large Hadron Collider, will be built to address the demands of the High Luminosity upgrade which aims to achieve peak instantaneous luminosities from 5 up to 7.5 10^34 cm^-2 s^-1 and an integrated luminosity of 3000 4000 fb^-1 at a center of mass energy of 14 TeV. To meet the resulting challenges, the CMS experiment is changing its outer tracker silicon modules to include tracking capabilities at the Level-1 trigger. As part of this upgrade effort, a prototype module, combining both pixel and strip sensors (PS-module), was irradiated and subsequently tested at the Fermilab Test Beam and Irradiation facilities. These tests evaluated the module's ability to maintain precise tracking, effective particle momentum discrimination, and consistent performance when exposed to the radiation levels expected in the High Luminosity LHC environment. Results from these studies are presented with a focus on comparing the module's performance before and after irradiation.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Towards Commercialization of Low-Cost, Crack-Tolerant, Screen-Printable Metallization by Full-Size Module Testing and Field Characterization

This project is motivated by the need to develop a materials engineering solution to reduce solar module degradation caused by cell cracks. The cell-crack-induced power loss is a long-term degradation mechanism and one of the main causes of solar panel field failures. Cell cracks can occur during module fabrication, transportation, installation, and long-term operation due to thermomechanical stressors. Our team’s internal estimation – based on the national weather pattern, frequency of severe weather, and 39- GW asset survey by Heliolytics – reveals that the cell-crack-induced module degradation translates to lost revenues >$17B over an average 5-year period for solar farm owners and to reduced reliability (<25 years panel lifetime) for solar energy consumers. In response to this challenge, the prime recipient offers a metal matrix composite (MMC) silver paste that is tailor-engineered for screen-printing gridlines and busbars, which serve as the electrical contacts on solar cells. We formulate our MMC paste by adding low-cost (∼0.02¢/WDC for research grade), surface-engineered carbon nanotubes to commercially available silver paste. The MMC paste offers a drop-in, cost-effective solution to cell cracks for solar cell and module manufacturers. The main goal of this project was to conduct field-relevant, module-level analysis and qualification of MMC metallization.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2026

Module Testing Procedures and Results for the CMS Phase-2 Outer Tracker Upgrade at Fermilab

The High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will operate at significantly increased luminosities and is expected to deliver about 3000 $fb^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data at $\sqrt{s}=14$ TeV over a decade of operation. To maintain efficient tracking and triggering performance under high pileup and radiation conditions, the CMS experiment is upgrading its tracking detector for Phase-2 operations. The upgraded Outer Tracker (OT) will consist of Pixel-Strip (PS) and Strip-Strip (2S) silicon modules capable of providing tracking information to the Level-1 trigger at 40 MHz. Production and qualification of OT modules have been ongoing for about one year across several assembly and testing centers in the US, Europe, India, and Pakistan, requiring extensive testing to ensure stable operation in the HL-LHC environment. Fermilab is responsible for the production and testing of a significant fraction of the OT modules. The testing activities include IV characterization of silicon sensors, noise and pedestal measurements, verification of communication between module components, and burn-in studies using cold-box systems operated under controlled thermal conditions. Results from module testing and qualification studies performed during production will be presented.

Baradia, Sweta [UC, Davis (main)]↗

DOE OSTI2026

Pixel-Strip Module Testing and Performance Analysis for the CMS Phase-2 Outer Tracker Upgrade

In response to the demanding environment of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Experiment's Outer Tracker is being replaced with a lighter, higher-granularity, radiation-tolerant silicon detector capable of providing tracking information directly to the Level-1 trigger system. The new Outer Tracker consists of Pixel-Strip (PS) and Strip-Strip (2S) transverse momentum (pT) modules, which are assembled and tested at, among other centers, Fermilab's Silicon Detector Facility. PS modules consist of a pixel sensor, a strip sensor, and multiple application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). This poster studies the performance of MaPSAs, silicon macro-pixel sensors bump-bonded to 16 macro-pixel ASICS. It presents the testing procedures for MaPSAs and MaPSA-strip sensor sub-assemblies, as well as the results of calibration and performance studies of two PS modules before and after irradiation. These results assess the impact of irradiation on module performance, providing insight into the modules' expected performance in the HL-LHC environment.

Kimrey, Emerson [Scripps College]↗

DOE OSTI2026

Assembly and Testing of Scintillator Tile Modules for the CMS High-Granularity Calorimeter Upgrade

The High-Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL), part of the upgrade to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment, employs silicon and scintillator tile modules in the endcaps to maintain detector performance during the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) era, scheduled to operate from 2030 to 2040. The upgraded calorimeter will provide highly segmented three-dimensional imaging, energy measurements, and precise timing for particle shower reconstruction. Approximately half of the HGCal plastic scintillator tile modules (1,834 total) will be assembled at Fermilab using an automated pick-and-place (PnP) machine. Following assembly, each tile module undergoes quality control (QC) procedures such as electrical validation, thermal testing, and physics validation using cosmic rays. This poster/talk presents the QC procedures and results from the tile module production in 2026, demonstrating the performance and quality of the assembled tile modules.

Bazimya, Jean Luc [Grambling State U.]↗

DOE OSTI2021

Field Performance of South-Facing and East-West Facing Bifacial Modules in the Arctic

This paper presents the first systematic comparison between south-facing monofacial and bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules, as well as between south-facing bifacial and vertical east-west facing bifacial PV modules in Alaska. The state’s solar industry, driven by the high price of energy and dropping equipment costs, is quickly growing. The challenges posed by extreme sun angles in Alaska’s northern regions also present opportunities for unique system designs. Annual bifacial gains of 21% were observed between side by side south-facing monofacial and bifacial modules. Vertical east-west bifacial modules had virtually the same annual production as south-facing latitude tilt bifacial modules, but with different energy production profiles.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

Orbital Modulation of Gamma Rays from PSR J2339-0533

In this work, we report on orbital modulation of the 100–600 MeV gamma-ray emission of the P B = 4.6 hr millisecond pulsar binary PSR J2339-0533 using 11 yr of Fermi Large Area Telescope data. The modulation has high significance (chance probability p ≈ 10 -7 ), is approximately sinusoidal, peaks near pulsar superior conjunction, and is detected only in the low-energy 100–600 MeV band. The modulation is confined to the on-pulse interval, suggesting that the variation is in the 2.9 ms pulsed signal itself. Additionally, this contrasts with the few other known systems exhibiting GeV orbital modulations, as these are unpulsed and generally associated with beamed emission from an intrabinary shock. The origin of the modulated pulsed signal is not yet clear, although we describe several scenarios, including Compton upscattering of photons from the heated companion. This would require high coherence in the striped pulsar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2018

A production-tagged aerosol module for Earth system models, OsloAero5.3 – extensions and updates for CAM5.3-Oslo

Abstract. We document model updates and present and discuss modeling and validation results from a further developed production-tagged aerosol module, OsloAero5.3, for use in Earth system models. The aerosol module has in this study been implemented and applied in CAM5.3-Oslo. This model is based on CAM5.3–CESM1.2 and its own predecessor model version CAM4-Oslo. OsloAero5.3 has improved treatment of emissions, aerosol chemistry, particle life cycle, and aerosol–cloud interactions compared to its predecessor OsloAero4.0 in CAM4-Oslo. The main new features consist of improved aerosol sources; the module now explicitly accounts for aerosol particle nucleation and secondary organic aerosol production, with new emissions schemes also for sea salt, dimethyl sulfide (DMS), and marine primary organics. Mineral dust emissions are updated as well, adopting the formulation of CESM1.2. The improved model representation of aerosol–cloud interactions now resolves heterogeneous ice nucleation based on black carbon (BC) and mineral dust calculated by the model and treats the activation of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) as in CAM5.3. Compared to OsloAero4.0 in CAM4-Oslo, the black carbon (BC) mass concentrations are less excessive aloft, with a better fit to observations. Near-surface mass concentrations of BC and sea salt aerosols are also less biased, while sulfate and mineral dust are slightly more biased. Although appearing quite similar for CAM5.3-Oslo and CAM4-Oslo, the validation results for organic matter (OM) are inconclusive, since both of the respective versions of OsloAero are equipped with a limited number of OM tracers for the sake of computational efficiency. Any information about the assumed mass ratios of OM to organic carbon (OC) for different types of OM sources is lost in the transport module. Assuming that observed OC concentrations scaled by 1.4 are representative for the modeled OM concentrations, CAM5.3-Oslo with OsloAero5.3 is slightly inferior for the very sparsely available observation data. Comparing clear-sky column-integrated optical properties with data from ground-based remote sensing, we find a negative bias in optical depth globally; however, it is not as strong as in CAM4-Oslo, but has positive biases in some areas typically dominated by mineral dust emissions. Aerosol absorption has a larger negative bias than the optical depth globally. This is reflected in a lower positive bias in areas where mineral dust is the main contributor to absorption. Globally, the low bias in absorption is smaller than in CAM4-Oslo. The Ångström parameter exhibits small biases both globally and regionally, suggesting that the aerosol particle sizes are reasonably well represented. Cloud-top droplet number concentrations over oceans are generally underestimated compared to satellite retrievals, but seem to be overestimated downwind of major emissions of dust and biomass burning sources. Finally, we find small changes in direct radiative forcing at the top of the atmosphere, while the cloud radiative forcing due to anthropogenic aerosols is now more negative than in CAM4-Oslo, being on the strong side compared to the multi-model estimate in IPCC AR5. Although not all validation results in this study show improvement for the present CAM5.3-Oslo version, the extended and updated aerosol module OsloAero5.3 is more advanced and applicable than its predecessor OsloAero4.0, as it includes new parameterizations that more readily facilitate sensitivity and process studies and use in climate and Earth system model studies in general.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1971

Delta Modulation

An optimum adaptive delta modulator-demodulator configuration is derived. This device utilizes two past samples to obtain a step size which minimizes the mean square error for a Markov Gaussian source. The optimum system is compared using computer simulations with the linear delta modulator and an enhanced Abate delta modulator. In addition the performance is compared to the rate distortion bound for a Markov source. It is shown that the optimum delta modulator is neither quantization nor slope-overload limited. The results show that the output signal-to-noise ratio is independent of the input signal power and is subject only to the limitations of the hardware employed. In addition, voice was recorded using these systems. The demodulated voice indicates negligible degradation is caused by the optimum system and by the enhanced Abate system while the linear delta modulator suffers significant degradation at a sampling frequency of 56 kilobits/sec.

Schilling, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Apollo experience report: Lunar module communications system

The development of the lunar module communications system is traced from the initial concept to the operational system used on manned lunar missions. The problems encountered during the development, the corrective actions taken, and recommendations for similar equipment in future programs are included. The system was designed to provide communications between the lunar module and the manned space flight network, between the lunar module and the command and service module, and between the lunar module and the extravehicular crewmen. The system provided the equipment necessary for voice, telemetry, and television communications; ranging information; and various communications links.

Dietz, R. H.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Response functions for sine- and square-wave modulations of disparity.

Depth sensations cannot be elicited by modulations of disparity that are more rapid than about 6 Hz, regardless of the modulation amplitude. Vergence tracking also fails at similar modulation rates, suggesting that this portion of the oculomotor system is limited by the behavior of disparity detectors. For sinusoidal modulations of disparity between 1/2 to 2 deg of disparity, most depth-response functions exhibit a low-frequency decrease that is not observed with square-wave modulations of disparity.

Richards, W.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Digital single-sideband modulation.

This paper considers digitized Weaver modulators for single-sideband modulation that can be used in radio communications and telemetering. A system of 12 such modulators to process 12 analog signals digitally is replaced by six multiplex modulators at the cost of additional computation at the input but with an overall reduction in computation time and a higher degree of accuracy. A unique digital filter is developed that can interpolate and output samples at multiples of the input sampling rate and exhibits a passband that occurs above the Nyquist frequency with no apparent distortion effects. A discussion of the Fortran simulation of a combined modulator-demodulator structure is included to verify the effectiveness of this scheme.

Singh, S.↗