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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 775 records · Page 43
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Allometric scaling laws linking biomass and rooting depth vary across ontogeny and functional groups in tropical dry forest lianas and trees

There are two theories about how allocation of metabolic products occurs. The allometric biomass partitioning theory (APT) suggests that all plants follow common allometric scaling rules. The optimal partitioning theory (OPT) predicts that plants allocate more biomass to the organ capturing the most limiting resource. In this work, whole-plant harvests of mature and juvenile tropical deciduous trees, evergreen trees, and lianas and model simulations were used to address the following knowledge gaps: (1) Do mature lianas comply with the APT scaling laws or do they invest less biomass in stems compared to trees? (2) Do juveniles follow the same allocation patterns as mature individuals? (3) Is either leaf phenology or life form a predictor of rooting depth? It was found that: (1) mature lianas followed the same allometric scaling laws as trees; (2) juveniles and mature individuals do not follow the same allocation patterns; and (3) mature lianas had shallowest coarse roots and evergreen trees had the deepest. It was demonstrated that: (1) mature lianas invested proportionally similar biomass to stems as trees and not less, as expected; (2) lianas were not deeper-rooted than trees as had been previously proposed; and (3) evergreen trees had the deepest roots, which is necessary to maintain canopy during simulated dry seasons.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Enhancing the platinum atomic layer deposition infiltration depth inside anodic alumina nanoporous membrane

Nanoporous platinum membranes can be straightforwardly fabricated by forming a Pt coating inside the nanopores of anodic alumina membranes (AAO) using atomic layer deposition (ALD). However, the high-aspect-ratio of AAO makes Pt ALD very challenging. By tuning the process deposition temperature and precursor exposure time, enhanced infiltration depth along with conformal coating was achieved for Pt ALD inside the AAO templates. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and small angle neutron scattering were employed to analyze the Pt coverage and thickness inside the AAO nanopores. Additionally, one application of platinum-coated membrane was demonstrated by creating a high-density protein-functionalized interface.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Climatology of Aerosol Optical Depth at Mid-Continental US Site: Ground-based Observations

The total aerosol burden in the atmosphere is typically represented by aerosol optical depth (AOD). To capture important and climate-relevant signatures of the aerosol burden, such as year-to-year and seasonal variability, continuous multi-year AOD observations are required. For more than two decades, these observations have been performed at the mid-continental Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) Central Facility (CF) using ground-based passive remote sensing. The partially overlapping and fragmentary AOD records at the ARM SGP CF have been provided by four individual instruments, namely two co-located (C1 and E13) Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometers (MFRSRs), a Normal Incidence Multifilter Radiometer (NIMFR), and a Cimel Sunphotometer (CSPHOT). Since these individual records are sporadic with instrument- and time-dependent data quality, development of a continuous multi-year high-quality AOD dataset is a challenging task. In this work, an initial development of a continuous 20-year (1997-2017) high-quality AOD product is introduced. The development involves (1) incorporation of the available data quality information and delivery of the historical time series of AOD with high quality from four individual instruments, (2) comparison of multiple AOD retrievals to identify potential instrument-related issues and/or retrieval problems, and (3) merging these individual time series, generation of a two-decade continuous climatology of high-quality AOD and reporting of the uncertainty estimations of the merged product.

Ground based remote sensing, Atmospheric Radiation↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-443: Developmental Technique for Proton Pencil Beam Measurements: Depth Dose

Purpose: Measurements of depth dose distribution (DDD) of pencil beam in proton therapy can be challenging and time consuming. We have developed a technique that uses two Bragg peak chambers to expedite these measurements with a high accuracy. Methods and Material: We used a PTW water tank and two PTW 10.5 cm3 Bragg peak chambers; one as a field chamber and the other as a reference chamber to measure DDDs for 100–250 MeV proton pencil beams. The reference chamber was positioned outside of the water tank upstream with respect to field chamber. We used Geant4 Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) to model the ProTom proton beam to generate DDDs. The MCS generated DDDs were used to account for halo effects of proton pencil beam that are not measureable with Bragg peak chambers. We also used PTW PEAKFINDER to measure DDDs for comparison purpose. Results: We compared measured and MCS DDDs with Continuous Slowing Down Approximation (CSDA) ranges to verify the range of proton beams that were supplied by the manufacturer. The agreements between all DDD with respect to CSDA were within ±0.5 mm. The WET for Bragg peak chamber for energies between 100–250 MeV was 12.7 ± 0.5 mm. The correction for halo effect was negligible below 150 MeV and was in order of ∼5-10% for 150–250 MeV. Conclusion: Use of Bragg Peak chamber as a reference chamber can facilitate DDD measurements in proton pencil beam with a high accuracy. Some corrections will be required to account for halo effect in case of high energy proton beams due to physical size of chamber.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-589: A Comparison of Field Size Dependence of Electron Depth Dose From Different Linacs

Purpose: For accurate dose calculation in electron beam therapy, it is important to know the percentage depth dose (PDD) for each beam. This can vary depending on the machine make and model and the field size. Three different linear accelerators were compared in this study. Methods: PDD data was collected for different output beam energies and different field sizes for three different linear accelerators (Siemens Primus, Varian 2300ix, Varian Truebeam). Data was compared for the same energy with the same field size to see if the PDD differed among manufacturers. Furthermore, PDD was compared for different field sizes of the same machine at the same energy. Results: For the same beam energy and the same field size, the PDD curves were comparable for the three linacs with variations within 13%. PDD curves for different field sizes and beam energies were compared to verify this result. At higher beam energies, the disagreement between PDD curves is more pronounced between different field sizes for all three of the linacs compared. Conclusions: For the same energy and field size, the variation between different machines was within 13%. For the same manufacturer (Varian Clinac 2300ix and Truebeam), the agreement is within 3% with a standard deviation of less than 2.5%. PDD curves for different field sizes for the same energy were also investigated for the three linacs.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Degradation of proton depth dose distributions attributable to microstructures in lung-equivalent material

Purpose: The purpose of the work reported here was to investigate the influence of sub-millimeter size heterogeneities on the degradation of the distal edges of proton beams and to validate Monte Carlo (MC) methods’ ability to correctly predict such degradation. Methods: A custom-designed high-resolution plastic phantom approximating highly heterogeneous, lung-like structures was employed in measurements and in Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the degradation of proton Bragg curves penetrating heterogeneous media. Results: Significant differences in distal falloff widths and in peak dose values were observed in the measured and the Monte Carlo simulated curves compared to pristine proton Bragg curves. Furthermore, differences between simulations of beams penetrating CT images of the phantom did not agree well with the corresponding experimental differences. The distal falloff widths in CT image-based geometries were underestimated by up to 0.2 cm in water (corresponding to 0.8–1.4 cm in lung tissue), and the peak dose values of pristine proton beams were overestimated by as much as ~35% compared to measured curves or depth-dose curves simulated on the basis of true geometry. The authors demonstrate that these discrepancies were caused by the limited spatial resolution of CT images that served as a basis for dose calculations and lead to underestimation of the impact of the fine structure of tissue heterogeneities. A convolution model was successfully applied to mitigate the underestimation. Conclusions: The results of this study justify further development of models to better represent heterogeneity effects in soft-tissue geometries, such as lung, and to correct systematic underestimation of the degradation of the distal edge of proton doses.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Dataset: Inferring Thermal Comfort using Body Shape Information Utilizing Depth Sensors

Thermal comfort is very important for well-being and productivity of building occupants. It has been shown that body shape is a useful feature to determine thermal comfort of individuals [2]. It is because, the heat dissipation rate of individuals depends on the body surface area. As a result, a tall and skinny person can tolerate higher room temperature than a rounded body shape person [5]. In order to test this hypothesis, we performed a year-long experiment in 2017, where we recruited 77 participants and put each of them in a thermally controlled conference room in CMU for 3 hours and recorded their subjective responses regarding thermal comfort at different temperature ranging from 60°F to 80°F. In addition, we collected depth data of individuals using a vertically mounted Microsoft Kinect for XBOX One at the entrance of the conference room to capture their body shape. We also collected biometric features (e.g., Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), skin temperature) using a Microsoft Health Band worn by the subjects. The resulting dataset provides rich information regarding how different features can be used to infer thermal comfort of the individuals.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2016

Brady Well Coordinates and Observation Sensor Depths

Contains metadata associated with the wells used in the 2016 Spring Campaign led partially by UW - Madison, LBNL, and LLNL scientists. Included with the well coordinates are the depths to the pressure sensors used in observation and pumping wells. Read me files are included for each .csv file.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Utah FORGE: 16B(78)-32 RFS DSS Strain Change Rate vs. Depth During 16A(78)-32 Stimulation

This dataset contains strain change rate versus depth data acquired using a Rayleigh frequency shift (RFS) distributed strain sensing (DSS) system during hydraulic stimulation of well 16A(78)-32 at the Utah FORGE site in April 2024. The data were collected from an optical fiber installed in the annulus of production well 16B(78)-32, approximately 300 feet from the injection well. The dataset includes tabulated strain data and an explanation of the methodology used to generate the frac log, which integrates strain change rate signals over selected time windows to identify fracture events.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Wavelength Shifting Phoswich Detectors for Superior Depth-of-Interaction Resolution

In order to simultaneously achieve both high spatial resolution and high sensitivity in small Positron Emission Tomography (PET) systems, scintillation detectors must be long in the radial direction as well as able to provide depth-of-interaction (DOI) information. DOI information is typically provided by constructing detectors from two or more layers of scintillators that are identifiable due to their different decay times. This approach has worked well in tomographs such as the High Resolution Research Tomograph (HRRT, CTI PET Systems, Inc.) in which the emission and excitation bands of the scintillator layers do not overlap each other. However, many potentially important pairs of scintillator crystals exist in which the emission of one crystal is, in fact, absorbed and re-emitted by the second crystal, thus impacting the pulse shape discrimination process used to identify the scintillator layers. These potentially useful pairs of scintillators are unlikely to be implemented in phoswich detectors without a comprehensive understanding of the complex emission that results when the light of one crystal is absorbed by the second crystal and then reemitted. Our objective is to develop a fundamental understanding of the optical phenomena that occur in phoswich detectors and to exploit these phenomena to achieve improved spatial resolution in small high sensitivity PET scanners.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Aerosol Optical Depth Best Estimate Value-Added Product Report

Four aerosol optical depth (AOD) products are offered by four collocated ground-based instruments deployed at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) observatory (SGP Central Facility 1 [C1] and Extended Facility 13 [E13]) for more than two decades. Two of these instruments, the multifilter rotating shadowband radiometers (MFRSRs C1 and E13), are sensors with horizontal hemispherical receivers shaded by rotating shadowbands.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Depth of the Disintegrated Layer in the Abrasive Finishing of Single Crystals

The abrasive finishing of monocrystalline lithium niobate is considered. The action of abrasive grains on the surface of the workpiece creates a layer of disintegrated material. The depth F of the disintegrated layer may be calculated as F = 12h, where h is the height of the surface relief, corresponding to the roughness R{sub max}.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Time Variations of Observed H α Line Profiles and Precipitation Depths of Nonthermal Electrons in a Solar Flare

We compare time variations of the H α and X-ray emissions observed during the pre-impulsive and impulsive phases of the C1.1-class solar flare on 2013 June 21 with those of plasma parameters and synthesized X-ray emission from a 1D hydrodynamic numerical model of the flare. The numerical model was calculated assuming that the external energy is delivered to the flaring loop by nonthermal electrons (NTEs). The H α spectra and images were obtained using the Multi-channel Subtractive Double Pass spectrograph with a time resolution of 50 ms. The X-ray fluxes and spectra were recorded by RHESSI . Pre-flare geometric and thermodynamic parameters of the model and the delivered energy were estimated using RHESSI data. The time variations of the X-ray light curves in various energy bands and those of the H α intensities and line profiles were well correlated. The timescales of the observed variations agree with the calculated variations of the plasma parameters in the flaring loop footpoints, reflecting the time variations of the vertical extent of the energy deposition layer. Our result shows that the fast time variations of the H α emission of the flaring kernels can be explained by momentary changes of the deposited energy flux and the variations of the penetration depths of the NTEs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A 4-D Climatology (1979-2009) of the Monthly Tropospheric Aerosol Optical Depth Distribution over the Mediterranean Region from a Comparative Evaluation and Blending of Remote Sensing and Model Products

Since the 1980s several spaceborne sensors have been used to retrieve the aerosol optical depth (AOD) over the Mediterranean region. In parallel, AOD climatologies coming from different numerical model simulations are now also available, permitting to distinguish the contribution of several aerosol types to the total AOD. In this work, we perform a comparative analysis of this unique multiyear database in terms of total AOD and of its apportionment by the five main aerosol types (soil dust, seasalt, sulfate, black and organic carbon). We use 9 different satellite-derived monthly AOD products: NOAA/AVHRR, SeaWiFS (2 products), TERRA/MISR, TERRA/MODIS, AQUA/MODIS, ENVISAT/MERIS, PARASOL/POLDER and MSG/SEVIRI, as well as 3 more historical datasets: NIMBUS7/CZCS, TOMS (onboard NIMBUS7 and Earth- Probe) and METEOSAT/MVIRI. Monthly model datasets include the aerosol climatology from Tegen et al. (1997), the climate-chemistry models LMDz-OR-INCA and RegCM-4, the multi-model mean coming from the ACCMIP exercise, and the reanalyses GEMS and MACC. Ground-based Level- 2 AERONET AOD observations from 47 stations around the basin are used here to evaluate the model and satellite data. The sensor MODIS (on AQUA and TERRA) has the best average AOD scores over this region, showing a relevant spatiotemporal variability and highlighting high dust loads over Northern Africa and the sea (spring and summer), and sulfate aerosols over continental Europe (summer). The comparison also shows limitations of certain datasets (especially MERIS and SeaWiFS standard products). Models reproduce the main patterns of the AOD variability over the basin. The MACC reanalysis is the closest to AERONET data, but appears to underestimate dust over Northern Africa, where RegCM-4 is found closer to MODIS thanks to its interactive scheme for dust emissions. The vertical dimension is also investigated using the CALIOP instrument. This study confirms differences of vertical distribution between dust aerosols showing a large vertical spread, and other continental and marine aerosols which are confined in the boundary layer. From this compilation, we propose a 4-D blended product from model and satellite data, consisting in monthly time series of 3-D aerosol distribution at a 50 km horizontal resolution over the Euro-Mediterranean marine and continental region for the 2003–2009 period. The product is based on the total AOD from AQUA/MODIS, apportioned into sulfates, black and organic carbon from the MACC reanalysis, and into dust and sea-salt aerosols from RegCM-4 simulations, which are distributed vertically based on CALIOP climatology.We extend the 2003–2009 reconstruction to the past up to 1979 using the 2003–2009 average and applying the decreasing trend in sulfate aerosols from LMDz-OR-INCA, whose AOD trends over Europe and the Mediterranean are median among the ACCMIP models. Finally optical properties of the different aerosol types in this region are proposed from Mie calculations so that this reconstruction can be included in regional climate models for aerosol radiative forcing and aerosolclimate studies.

1979-2009↗