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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 829 records · Page 46
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Mechanical seal with textured sidewall

The present invention discloses a mating ring, a primary ring, and associated mechanical seal having superior heat transfer and wear characteristics. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, one or more dimples are formed onto the cylindrical outer surface of a mating ring sidewall and/or a primary ring sidewall. A stationary mating ring for a mechanical seal assembly is disclosed. Such a mating ring comprises an annular body having a central axis and a sealing face, wherein a plurality of dimples are formed into the outer circumferential surface of the annular body such that the exposed circumferential surface area of the annular body is increased. The texture added to the sidewall of the mating ring yields superior heat transfer and wear characteristics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Gas flow path for a gas turbine engine

A duct arrangement in a can annular gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine has a gas delivery structure for delivering gases from a plurality of combustors to an annular chamber that extends circumferentially and is oriented concentric to a gas turbine engine longitudinal axis for delivering the gas flow to a first row of blades A gas flow path is formed by the duct arrangement between a respective combustor and the annular chamber for conveying gases from each combustor to the first row of turbine blades The duct arrangement includes at least one straight section having a centerline that is misaligned with a centerline of the combustor.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Advances in Metallic Fuels for High Burnup and Actinide Transmutation

Research and development activities on metallic fuels in the US are focused on their potential use for actinide transmutation in future sodium fast reactors. As part of this application, there is a desire to demonstrate a multifold increase in burnup potential. A number of metallic fuel design innovations are under investigation with a view toward significantly increasing the burnup potential of metallic fuels, since higher discharge burnups equate to lower potential actinide losses during recycle. Promising innovations under investigation include: 1) lowering the fuel smeared density in order to accommodate the additional swelling expected as burnups increase, 2) utilizing an annular fuel geometry for better geometrical stability at low smeared densities, as well as the potential to eliminate the need for a sodium bond, and 3) minor alloy additions to immobilize lanthanide fission products inside the metallic fuel matrix and prevent their transport to the cladding resulting in fuel-cladding chemical interaction. This paper presents results from these efforts to advance metallic fuel technology in support of high burnup and actinide transmutation objectives. Highlights include examples of fabrication of low smeared density annular metallic fuels, experiments to identify alloy additions effective in immobilizing lanthanide fission products, and early postirradiation examinations of annular metallic fuels having low smeared densities and palladium additions for fission product immobilization.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Overview of the U.S. DOE Fast Reactor Fuel Development Program

Research and development activities on fast reactor fuels in the US are focused on their potential use for actinide transmutation in future sodium fast reactors. As part of this application, there is a desire to demonstrate a multifold increase in burnup potential. A number of fuel design innovations are under investigation with a view toward significantly increasing the burnup potential of fuels, since higher discharge burnups equate to lower potential actinide losses during recycle. Promising innovations under investigation include: 1) lowering the fuel smeared density in order to accommodate the additional swelling expected as burnups increase, 2) utilizing an annular fuel geometry for better geometrical stability at low smeared densities, as well as the potential to eliminate the need for a sodium bond, and 3) minor alloy additions to immobilize lanthanide fission products inside the metallic fuel matrix and prevent their transport to the cladding resulting in fuel-cladding chemical interaction. This paper presents results from these efforts to advance fuel and cladding technology in support of high burnup and actinide transmutation objectives. Highlights include examples of fabrication of low smeared density annular metallic fuels, experiments to identify alloy additions effective in immobilizing lanthanide fission products, and early postirradiation examinations of annular metallic fuels having low smeared densities and palladium additions for fission product immobilization. Advanced cladding development activities include the investigation of high dose tolerant steel alloys. An overview of the U.S. Department of Energy fast reactor fuel research and development activities will be provided.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Friction stir welding bobbin tool

A bobbin tool is disclosed that includes a top shoulder, a bottom shoulder, and an axial pin that extends between the top and bottom shoulders. The bottom shoulder has an annular shoulder end surface, a back surface opposite the annular shoulder end surface, and a side surface that joins the annular shoulder end surface and the back surface. One or more and radially-extending blades may be disposed on the side surface of the bottom shoulder and/or one or more axially-extending blades may be disposed on the back surface. The one or more blades provide the bobbin tool with an ability to friction stir weld a variable thickness workpiece assembly, axially plunged through the workpiece assembly along an axis of rotation of the bobbin tool, and/or be extracted through the workpiece assembly along an axis of rotation of the bobbin tool.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Apparatus and method for generating medical isotopes

An apparatus for generating medical isotopes provides an annular fissile solution vessel surrounding a neutron generator. The annular fissile solution vessel provides for good capture of the emitted neutrons and a geometry that provides enhanced stability in an aqueous reactor. A neutron multiplier and/or a neutron moderator may be used to improve the efficiency and control the criticality of the reaction in the annular fissile solution vessel.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Combustion system with panel fuel injector

The present disclosure is directed to an annular combustion system. The annular combustion system includes an inner liner and an outer liner that define therebetween an annulus that circumscribes a centerline of the combustion system. The annulus includes a plurality of primary combustion zones defined at an upstream end thereof and further defines a plurality of secondary combustion zones downstream of the primary combustion zones. The annular combustion system further includes a plurality of fuel nozzles where at least one fuel nozzle discharges a combustible mixture into a respective primary combustion zone of the plurality of primary combustion zones. A plurality of panel fuel injectors is disposed between adjacent fuel nozzles. The plurality of panel fuel injectors extends in an axially downstream direction so as to separate adjacent primary combustion zones. Each panel fuel injector discharges a combustible mixture into at least one secondary combustion zone.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Apparatus and method for generating medical isotopes

An apparatus for generating medical isotopes provides an annular fissile solution vessel surrounding a neutron generator. The annular fissile solution vessel provides for good capture of the emitted neutrons and a geometry that provides enhanced stability in an aqueous reactor. A neutron multiplier and/or a neutron moderator may be used to improve the efficiency and control the criticality of the reaction in the annular fissile solution vessel.

Piefer, Gregory Richard↗
DOE OSTI2016

Two-phase Flow Regime Transition Study using Level-Set Method

In Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) the coolant exiting the core often has void fractions as high as 50%, resulting in high gas volume fraction two-phase flow regimes, such as annular or churn-turbulent flow. As the coolant boils along the subchannels it will experience flow regime transitions from bubbly to slug, slug to churn, and, finally, churn to annular. While these transition points are known to occur as a higher void develops along the flow path, the driving physics of the transition phenomenon is not well understood. Currently, experiment based correlations are the most reliable method for predicting where in the core the flow regime transitions will occur. However, experimentally, it's ever difficult to observe the details of the two-phase flow at prototypical pressures/temperatures, or, as with high fidelity experiments, the conditions differ from those in a reactor. Being able to predict these flow regime transitions is critical to safe and efficient reactor operations as well as maintaining fuel rod integrity by avoiding dryout. The characterization of flow regimes has been extensively studied, producing a wide set of flow regime maps based on characteristic parameters such as vapor and liquid superficial velocity, time dependent pressure drop, interfacial area density, etc. While these studies are useful in predicting the flow regime for certain geometry and flow conditions, they do not provide a universal predictive capability for any geometry under any conditions. Additionally, it is difficult to achieve reactor realistic pressure and temperature conditions in experiments. Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) coupled with Interface Tracking Methods (ITMs) becomes advantageous in this case because the simulations are not limited by the material properties or to the real world conditions. DNS allows for analysis of flows that would be impossible to achieve, or observe in detail, experimentally. The finite element based DNS code, PHASTA (parallel, hierarchic, higher-order accurate, adaptive, stabilized transient analysis flow solver), used in this work utilizes the level set ITM and has been previously shown to properly resolve bubbly, slug, and annular flows, but not transitions between the two-phase flow regimes. The present work uses PHASTA to analyze flow in a pipe for various void fractions and superficial velocities. Flow regime transitions were induced to demonstrate the transient behavior of this phenomenon. With the unique advanced analysis capabilities developed in PHASTA that allow for individual bubble tracking, it becomes possible to extract new localized information about the flow behavior that is currently not attainable from experiments. The potential of this capability is to uncover the underlying physics of the flow regime transition phenomenon. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Performance Analyses of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide-Based Parabolic Trough Collectors with Double-Glazed Receivers

Supercritical carbon dioxide is becoming a hot research topic as a potential heat transfer fluid in parabolic trough concentrators since it enables operating the solar system at high temperatures for a higher quality of energy. However, the corresponding inflated thermal losses necessitate alternative receiver designs. This work examines four double-glazed receivers, with each annular space being evacuated or non-evacuated, in terms of the absorber tube's diameter (53-80 mm) and the diameter ratios of the two glass shells (1.2-2.0). An analytical model is developed and validated for this purpose, and the four designs are further examined using ground-level solar and meteorological measurements. The results demonstrate higher performance in the case of fully evacuating the receiver and using the smallest possible diameters of the three concentric cylinders, where the energy and exergy efficiencies reach 65.3 and 40.3%, respectively. Yet, evacuating only the inner annular space is sufficient to achieve virtually the same performance level. This energy efficiency decreases to 62% in case of increasing the tube diameter to 80 mm. As the operating temperature increases from 423 to 850 K, the specific thermal losses increase by 3.98-4.34 folds, depending on the receiver design. Double glazing the receivers is favorable only at high operating temperatures of sCO2, where the reduction in thermal losses overcomes the drop in optical efficiency. For an inlet sCO2 temperature of 850 K, thermal losses are reduced by 33.64 and 53.92%, compared to evacuated and non-evacuated single-glazed receivers, respectively. Throughout the year, the fully evacuated and fully non-evacuated double-glazed receivers have energy efficiencies of 54.96 and 52.39%, exergy efficiencies of 33.64 and 32.06%, and thermal losses of 348.8 and 402.5 W/m, respectively.

analytical model↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evidence for Coupling Between the Subseasonal Oscillations in the Southern Hemisphere Midlatitude Ocean and Atmosphere

Abstract A regional perspective is taken to investigate the intriguing ∼25‐day periodicity in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) baroclinic annular mode (BAM) and the possible underlying mechanisms. Results show that the 25‐day periodicity exists not only in the zonal average but also in the regional average of eddy activity as long as the domain of the average is wide enough to accommodate a wave packet. The favorable domain for the ∼25 days periodicity is located downstream of the largest baroclinicity in midlatitudes. The wave activity developed there can travel circumglobally several times with a typical group velocity of 25 m s −1 , and reenter the domain every 12.5 days, setting the base periodicity. A slower oceanic oscillation at a time scale of ∼100 days in the same region appears to select and reinforce the multiples of 12.5 days, giving rise to a pronounced ∼25‐day periodicity in the wave activity.

Xue, Daokai↗
DOE OSTI2014

Collaborative Research: Process-Resolving Decomposition of the Global Temperature Response to Modes of Low Frequency Variability in a Changing Climate

DOE-GTRC-05596 11/24/2104 Collaborative Research: Process-Resolving Decomposition of the Global Temperature Response to Modes of Low Frequency Variability in a Changing Climate PI: Dr. Yi Deng (PI) School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Georgia Institute of Technology 404-385-1821, yi.deng@eas.gatech.edu El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Annular Modes (AMs) represent respectively the most important modes of low frequency variability in the tropical and extratropical circulations. The projection of future changes in the ENSO and AM variability, however, remains highly uncertain with the state-of-the-science climate models. This project conducted a process-resolving, quantitative evaluations of the ENSO and AM variability in the modern reanalysis observations and in climate model simulations. The goal is to identify and understand the sources of uncertainty and biases in models’ representation of ENSO and AM variability. Using a feedback analysis method originally formulated by one of the collaborative PIs, we partitioned the 3D atmospheric temperature anomalies and surface temperature anomalies associated with ENSO and AM variability into components linked to 1) radiation-related thermodynamic processes such as cloud and water vapor feedbacks, 2) local dynamical processes including convection and turbulent/diffusive energy transfer and 3) non-local dynamical processes such as the horizontal energy transport in the oceans and atmosphere. In the past 4 years, the research conducted at Georgia Tech under the support of this project has led to 15 peer-reviewed publications and 9 conference/workshop presentations. Two graduate students and one postdoctoral fellow also received research training through participating the project activities. This final technical report summarizes key scientific discoveries we made and provides also a list of all publications and conference presentations resulted from research activities at Georgia Tech. The main findings include: 1) the distinctly different roles played by atmospheric dynamical processes in establishing surface temperature response to ENSO at tropics and extratropics (i.e., atmospheric dynamics disperses energy out of tropics during ENSO warm events and modulate surface temperature at mid-, high-latitudes through controlling downward longwave radiation); 2) the representations of ENSO-related temperature response in climate models fail to converge at the process-level particularly over extratropics (i.e., models produce the right temperature responses to ENSO but with wrong reasons); 3) water vapor feedback contributes substantially to the temperature anomalies found over U.S. during different phases of the Northern Annular Mode (NAM), which adds new insight to the traditional picture that cold/warm advective processes are the main drivers of local temperature responses to the NAM; 4) the overall land surface temperature biases in the latest NCAR model (CESM1) are caused by biases in surface albedo while the surface temperature biases over ocean are related to multiple factors including biases in model albedo, cloud and oceanic dynamics, and the temperature biases over different ocean basins are also induced by different process biases. These results provide a detailed guidance for process-level model turning and improvement, and thus contribute directly to the overall goal of reducing model uncertainty in projecting future changes in the Earth’s climate system, especially in the ENSO and AM variability.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

10 MW, L-Band Klystron for Accelerators

This program developed a 10 MW, pulsed, Annular Beam Klystron (ABK) for accelerator applications. This is an alternative RF source to multiple beam klystrons MBKs), which are more complex and considerably more expensive. The ABK uses a single, annular cathode and a single beam tunnel with fundamental mode cavities. The operating specifications (voltage, efficiency, power, bndwidth, duty, etc.) are the same as for comparable MBKs.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRS1952

Concerning the flow about ring-shaped cowlings of finite thickness Part I

It is shown how one may obtain, in a simple manner, the forms of ring-shaped bodies from existing tables of functions according to the customary method of superposition of flow due to singularities and parallel flow. A number of examples of the forms and pressure distributions of annular source bodies with and without hub body are given, and the inlet conditions of such ring-shaped cowlings are investigated. Furthermore, the annular bodies of finite length are indicated that correspond to Joukowsky profiles for the two-dimensional case. The examples are to give a basis for the design of cross-sectional forms of ring-shaped cowlings and a survey of the flows to be expected.

FLOW, INCOMPRESSIBLE↗
NASA NTRS2020

Downward Migration of the Zonal‐Mean Circulation in the Tropical Atmosphere

The annular modes of the extratropical atmosphere have received much attention for quantifying variability of the jet streams and storm tracks, despite the fact that the midlatitude circulation itself does not vary uniformly with longitude. While tropical fluctuations in geopotential height have lower amplitude than in the extratropics, they exhibit stronger zonal coherence, or dynamical annularity. A simple index is developed to characterize zonal‐mean anomalies of the tropical circulation. It reveals that anomalies in geopotential height and zonal wind migrate downward from the upper troposphere to the surface on a time scale of about 10 days. These features are distinguishable from known modes of tropical variability, the Madden‐‐Julian Oscillation in particular. Evidence from reanalysis and idealized model experiments confirms that this downward migration is quite generic and driven by mechanically forced variations in the strength of the Hadley circulation on subseasonal time scales.

Atmospheric dynamics↗
DOE OSTI2015

Controlled surface segregation leads to efficient coke-resistant nickel/platinum bimetallic catalysts for the dry reforming of methane

Surface composition and structure are of vital importance for heterogeneous catalysts, especially for bimetallic catalysts, which often vary as a function of reaction conditions (known as surface segregation). The preparation of bimetallic catalysts with controlled metal surface composition and structure is very challenging. In this study, we synthesize a series of Ni/Pt bimetallic catalysts with controlled metal surface composition and structure using a method derived from surface organometallic chemistry. The evolution of the surface composition and structure of the obtained bimetallic catalysts under simulated reaction conditions is investigated by various techniques, which include CO-probe IR spectroscopy, high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis, X-ray absorption near-edge structure analysis, XRD, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is demonstrated that the structure of the bimetallic catalyst is evolved from Pt monolayer island-modified Ni nanoparticles to core–shell bimetallic nanoparticles composed of a Ni-rich core and a Ni/Pt alloy shell upon thermal treatment. As a result, these catalysts are active for the dry reforming of methane, and their catalytic activities, stabilities, and carbon formation vary with their surface composition and structure.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Role of Gas in Determining Image Quality and Resolution During In Situ Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Experiments

As gas-solid heterogeneous catalytic reactions are molecular in nature, a full mechanistic understanding of the process requires atomic scale characterization under realistic operating conditions. While atomic resolution imaging has become a routine in modern high-vacuum (scanning) transmission electron microscopy ((S)TEM), both image quality and resolution nominally degrade when reaction gases are introduced. In this work, we systematically assess the effects of different gases at various pressures on the quality and resolution of images obtained at room temperature in the annular dark field STEM imaging mode using a differentially pumped (DP) gas cell. This imaging mode is largely free from inelastic scattering effects induced by the presence of gases and retains good imaging properties over a wide range of gas mass/pressures. We demonstrate the application of the ESTEM with atomic resolution images of a complex oxide alkane oxidation catalyst MoVNbTeOx (M1) immersed in light and heavy gas environments.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Material Profile Influences in Bulk-Heterojunctions

he morphology in mixed bulk-heterojunction films are compared using three different quantitative measurement techniques. We compare the vertical composition changes using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy with electron tomography and neutron and x-ray reflectometry. The three measurement techniques yield qualita-tively comparable vertical concentration measurements. The presence of a metal cathode during thermal annealing is observed to alter the fullerene concentration throughout the thickness of the film for all measurements. However, the abso-lute vertical concentration of fullerene is quantitatively different for the three measurements. The origin of the quantitative measurement differences is discussed. The authors thank Luna Innovations, Inc. for donating the endohedral fullerenes used in this study and Plextronics for the P3HT. They are gratefully thank the National Science Foundation Energy for Sustainability Program, Award No. 0933435. This work benefited from the use of the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center funded by the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences and Los Alamos National Laboratory under DOE Contract DE-AC52-06NA25396. This research was also supported in part by Laboratory Directed Research & Development program at PNNL. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-76RL01830.

blends↗