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At least 865 records · Page 48

Electrodeposition and Properties of Composites Consisting of Carbon Nanotubes and Copper

Copper–matrix–carbon nanotubes (Cu–CNTs) composite films were prepared in a Cu plating solution with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using electrodeposition. The MWCNTs surface treatment method, electroplating solution system, electroplating conditions, heat treatment process and other parameters of this process are discussed. The results showed that MWCNTs purified by HCl treatment and dispersed by stearyltrimethylammonium bromide are more suitable as add-on materials for the preparation of the copper matrix composite films by electrodeposition. An appropriate heat treatment process was able to improve the structures and properties of the composite films. The final products showed that the MWCNTs were evenly distributed in the composite films and joined with the copper grains to form a mutually entangled mesh structure with excellent corrosion resistance (3.19 × 10{sup −8} Ω M) and a hardness of 53.5 HV. All this was possible through extensive optimization of the electrodeposition and post-treatment parameters.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Properties of Equivalent Source Distributions Useful for Inverse Thermal Analysis

A general approach for inverse thermal analysis of heat deposition processes is parametric modeling of such processes using effective or equivalent source distributions (ESDs). ESDs can be adjusted conveniently for calculation of temperature fields, which are constrained according to boundary and temperature constraint conditions. This study applies properties of ESDs useful for parametric modeling of heat deposition processes. Inverse thermal analysis of a friction stir weld is presented, which is prototypical of processes tending to be complex with respect to energy deposition morphology. This analysis demonstrates properties of ESDs providing relatively optimal parametric modeling of energy deposition processes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Analysis of microstructure in electro-spark deposited IN718 superalloy

The microstructure of electro-spark deposited (ESD) superalloy IN718 was studied by the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. In converse to general assumption, the extremely high cooling rate involved in the ESD process did not produce partitionless solidification that is devoid of second phase microconstituents in the material, nano-sized Laves phase and MC carbide particles were observed within the deposited layer. Notwithstanding the several thermal cycles involved in the process, the extremely low heat input of the process produced a deposited region that is free of the main strengthening phase of the alloy, γ″ phase precipitates, which is in contrast to what have been reported on laser deposition. Nevertheless, application of the standard full heat treatment of the alloy resulted in extensive formation of the γ″ phase precipitates and δ phase precipitates, the most stable secondary phase of the alloy, with nearly, if not complete, dissolution of the Laves phase particles. Furthermore, the XPS analysis done in the study revealed the formation of nano-oxides within the deposited layer, which increased the microhardness of the superalloy in the as-deposited condition and inhibited its grain growth during post-process heat treatment. The microstructure analysis done in this work is crucial to the understanding of properties of the superalloy processed by the ESD technique. - Highlights: •Electron microscopy analyses of electro-spark deposited IN 718 superalloy were performed. •Nano-sized secondary phase particles were observed within the deposited layer. •The study shows that the ESD did not produce partitionless solidification of the alloy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

The Development of Novel, High-Flux, Heat Transfer Cells for Thermal Control in Microgravity

In order to meet the future needs of thermal management and control in space applications such as the Space Lab, new heat-transfer technology capable of much larger heat fluxes must be developed. To this end, we describe complementary numerical and experimental investigations into the fundamental fluid mechanics and heat-transfer processes involved in a radically new, self contained, heat transfer cell for microgravity applications. In contrast to conventional heat pipes, the heat transfer in this cell is based on a forced droplet evaporation process using a fine spray. The spray is produced by a novel fluidic technology recently developed at Georgia Tech. This technology is based on a vibration induced droplet atomization process. In this technique, a liquid droplet is placed on a flexible membrane and is vibrated normal to itself. When the proper drop size is attained, the droplet resonates with the surface motion of the membrane and almost immediately bursts into a shower of very fine secondary droplets. The small droplets travel to the opposite end of the cell where they impact a heated surface and are evaporated. The vapor returns to the cold end of the cell and condenses to form the large droplets that are fragmented to form the spray. Preliminary estimates show that a heat transfer cell based on this technology would have a heat-flux capacity that is an order of magnitude higher than those of current heat pipes designs used in microgravity applications.

Smith, Marc K.↗

Thermal analyses of a materials processing furnace being developed for use with heat pipes

A special materials processing furnace is being developed for the forthcoming Spacelab missions to study the solidification under closely controlled conditions of various sample materials in the absence of gravity. The samples are to be rod shaped and subjected to both heating and cooling simultaneously. The thermal model is based on a developed Thermal Analyzer computer program. The model was developed to be very general to enable the simulation of variations in the furnace design and, hence, serve as an aid in finalizing the design. The thermal model is described and a user's guide given. Some preliminary results obtained in testing the model are also given.

Mcanally, J. V.↗

Designing the Imaging and Breadboard System for FBCE-TL Project

This presentation outlines the support work done on designing the imaging and breadboard system of the Transfer Line (TL) project, which is the third module for the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) operating in the Fluids Integrated Rack on-board the International Space Station (ISS). The goal of the FBCE is to serve as a facility for flow boiling and condensation investigating two-phase flow and heat transfer data in microgravity. The TL module aims use existing FBCE hardware to study cryogenic chilldown, a large component of cryogenic propellant tank transfer research. The TL test module will perform chilldown studies with normal-perfluorohexane (nPFH), a cryogenic simulant, flowing through a super-heated line, which is heated through the process of Joule-heating. SolidWorks and Creo were used to create electrically conductive pipe junctions that connect and seal several Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) coated sapphire tube sections together to allow for low leak probability fluid flow and circumferentially uniform electrical current density. It is necessary to understand and calculate the thermal expansion of the tubing sections such that the junctions would not leak at anticipated operating temperatures and pressures, would maintain electrical contact, and not crack the crystalline tubes. Optical imaging techniques were used to build an experimentally validated image remapping process for flight-like setups of cylindrical tubes. Then MATLAB was used to create an algorithm that distorts an image based on the refraction of light passing through the mediums we were imaging through to accurately visualize the cryogenic chilldown that is of scientific interest. This research will assist NASA to move forward with long-duration spaceflight missions where knowledge of efficient heat transfer processes becomes more critical.

imaging system↗

Identifying the Parent Body of the Tagish Lake Meteorite and Characterizing its Internal Heating History and Surface Processes

This short (1-year) funded research encompassed laboratory measurements of the Tagish Lake meteorite samples, experiments of simulated space weathering on them, and comparison with D, T, and P asteroids in reflectance spectrum. In spite of its limited funding and period, we have performed said experiments here at Brown University and at University of Tokyo. Some of the major results were reported at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in Houston in March, 2004. The Tagish Lake meteorite shows a unique visible reflectance spectrum identical to that of the D and T type asteroids. After the present heating experiments at even the lowest temperature of 100 C, the characteristic spectral slope of the Tagish Lake meteorite sample increased. On the other hand, after irradiating its pellet sample with pulse laser, the slope decreased. As the result, the Tagish Lake meteorite and its processed samples have come to cover a wide range of visible reflectance spectra in slope from the C-type asteroids to some extreme T/D-type asteroids, including the P-type asteroids in between. Therefore, logically speaking, our initial affirmation that the Tagish Lake meteorite must have come from one of the D-type asteroids can be wrong if such a meteoritic material is hidden under a space-weathered surface regolith of a C-type asteroid. However, such a case is likely to have a small probability in general. Other major hits of this research includes the first spectral fitting of the P-type asteroids using reflectance spectra derived from the present research. This topic needs more experiments and analysis to be addressed uniquely, and thus further efforts will be proposed.

Hiroi, Takahiro↗

A Study of the Structure of the Source Region of the Solar Wind in Support of a Solar Probe Mission

Despite the richness of the information about the physical properties and the structure of the solar wind provided by the Ulysses and SOHO observations, fundamental questions regarding the nature of the coronal heating mechanisms, their source, and the manifestations of the fast and slow solar wind, still remain unanswered. The last unexplored frontier to establish the connection between the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, its extension into interplanetary space, and the mechanisms responsible for the evolution of the solar wind, is the corona between 1 and 30 R(sub s). A Solar Probe mission offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore this frontier. The uniqueness of this mission stems from its trajectory in a plane perpendicular to the ecliptic which reaches within 9 R(sub s), of the solar surface over the poles and 3 - 9 R(sub s), at the equator. With a complement of simultaneous in situ and remote sensing observations, this mission is destined to have a significant impact on our understanding of the fundamental processes that heat the corona and drive the solar wind. The Solar Probe should be able to detect remnants and signatures of the processes which heat the corona and accelerate the solar wind. The primary objective of this proposal was to explore the structure of the different source regions of the solar wind through complementary observational and theoretical studies in support of a Solar Probe mission.

Habbal , Shadia R.↗

Counterflow Regolith Heat Exchanger

A problem exists in reducing the total heating power required to extract oxygen from lunar regolith. All such processes require heating a great deal of soil, and the heat energy is wasted if it cannot be recycled from processed material back into new material. The counterflow regolith heat exchanger (CoRHE) is a device that transfers heat from hot regolith to cold regolith. The CoRHE is essentially a tube-in-tube heat exchanger with internal and external augers attached to the inner rotating tube to move the regolith. Hot regolith in the outer tube is moved in one direction by a right-hand - ed auger, and the cool regolith in the inner tube is moved in the opposite direction by a left-handed auger attached to the inside of the rotating tube. In this counterflow arrangement, a large fraction of the heat from the expended regolith is transferred to the new regolith. The spent regolith leaves the heat exchanger close to the temperature of the cold new regolith, and the new regolith is pre-heated close to the initial temperature of the spent regolith. Using the CoRHE can reduce the heating requirement of a lunar ISRU system by 80%, reducing the total power consumption by a factor of two. The unique feature of this system is that it allows for counterflow heat exchange to occur between solids, instead of liquids or gases, as is commonly done. In addition, in variants of this concept, the hydrogen reduction can be made to occur within the counterflow heat exchanger itself, enabling a simplified lunar ISRU (in situ resource utilization) system with excellent energy economy and continuous nonbatch mode operation.

Zubrin, Robert↗

Method for removing a foulant from a gas stream with minimal external refrigeration

A process for removing a foulant from a gas stream. The gas stream is cooled in a series of heat exchangers, causing a portion of the foulant to desublimate and become entrained in a cryogenic liquid. This foulant slurry stream is pressurized, cooled, and separated into a pressurized foulant solid stream and the cryogenic liquid stream. The pressurized foulant solid stream is melted to produce a liquid foulant stream. Heat exchange processes, both internal and external, are provided that close the heat balance of the process. In this manner, the foulant is removed from the gas stream.

Baxter, Larry↗

Numerical simulation of falling film sensible heat transfer over round horizontal tubes

Numerical simulations are performed to explore the heat transfer characteristics of falling films over horizontal round tubes with uniform heat flux imposed for a range of Reynolds numbers spanning the droplet, jet, and sheet regimes. Simulations results agree well with available experimental measurements. The study analyzes the local as well as average heat transfer behavior under the different flow modes. The numerical results show that the local Nusselt number (Nu) distribution depends on the flow features in each mode and varies substantially in all directions for the respective mode. In the droplet mode, the Nu value varies significantly as the droplet impinges and the remnant liquid-bridge retracts (peak instantaneous Nu near 6), followed by wave propagation over the tube surface with peak Nu around 0.25. For the jet modes, the local maximum in the heat transfer occurs off-center to the impingement location with magnitudes of peak Nu = 3.1 for the inline jet mode and Nu = 2.7 for the staggered jet mode, while on the rest of the tube surface, it has an inverse relation with the liquid film thickness. Substantial variations in the heat transfer value are also recorded in the middle of the two impinging jets with Nu = 0.95 in the inline jet mode where the neighboring jets do not interact, and Nu = 0.60 in the crest region of the staggered jet mode where the neighboring jets interact with each other. In the sheet mode, the Nu was seen to depend on the thickness of the liquid waves traversing over the tube surface. Lower Nu values were recorded beneath the crest location of the liquid waves, which increases (1.4–11.6% depending on circumferential location) abruptly in magnitude at the advancing fronts of the waves. The temperature distribution in the liquid film in each of the modes was examined to evaluate the mechanism of heat transfer process. This study also compares the local heat transfer coefficient distribution with the analytical heat transfer models derived to predict heat transfer performance over horizontal tube surfaces.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Strain-Based Design Methodology of Large Diameter Grade X80 Linepipe

Continuous growth in energy demand is driving oil and natural gas production to areas that are often located far from major markets where the terrain is prone to earthquakes, landslides, and other types of ground motion. Transmission pipelines that cross this type of terrain can experience large longitudinal strains and plastic circumferential elongation as the pipeline experiences alignment changes resulting from differential ground movement. Such displacements can potentially impact pipeline safety by adversely affecting structural capacity and leak tight integrity of the linepipe steel. Planning for new long-distance transmission pipelines usually involves consideration of higher strength linepipe steels because their use allows pipeline operators to reduce the overall cost of pipeline construction and increase pipeline throughput by increasing the operating pressure. The design trend for new pipelines in areas prone to ground movement has evolved over the last 10 years from a stress-based design approach to a strain-based design (SBD) approach to further realize the cost benefits from using higher strength linepipe steels. This report presents an overview of SBD for pipelines subjected to large longitudinal strain and high internal pressure with emphasis on the tensile strain capacity of high-strength microalloyed linepipe steel. The technical basis for this report involved engineering analysis and examination of the mechanical behavior of Grade X80 linepipe steel in both the longitudinal and circumferential directions. Testing was conducted to assess effects on material processing including as-rolled, expanded, and heat treatment processing intended to simulate coating application. Elastic-plastic and low-cycle fatigue analyses were also performed with varying internal pressures. Proposed SBD models discussed in this report are based on classical plasticity theory and account for material anisotropy, triaxial strain, and microstructural damage effects developed from test data. The results are intended to enhance SBD and analysis methods for producing safe and cost effective pipelines capable of accommodating large plastic strains in seismically active arctic areas.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Integrated Simulation Capabilities for Analysis of Experiments in the Versatile Test Reactor

The DOE-initiated Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) program aims to establish a domestic fast-neutron irradiation testing capability that meets a variety of domestic and international nuclear energy needs. Currently, integrated tools capable of mechanistic modeling of VTR and a test vehicle do not exist. To address this modeling and analysis deficiency, Argonne's SAS4A/SYSSYS-1 safety analysis code has been coupled with SAM (System Analysis Module) to provide a novel modeling capability that supports VTR and other fast test facilities. This report documents the design, implementation, and testing of this integrated capability. A coupling boundary has been identified at the test vehicle and primary coolant interface, where SAS4A/SASSYS-1 treats primary coolant thermal hydraulics outside the test vehicle, while SAM treats all thermal hydraulic behavior within the test vehicle, including the vehicle walls. Essential to this integrated tool is its newly developed capability to properly model the conjugate heat transfer process which ensures equality of temperatures and heat fluxes at the vehicle wall interface while ensuring energy conservation. A range of testing has been completed to support demonstration of this interface. The testing scope includes steady-state verification using a series of increasingly complex analytical solutions and transient demonstration for a range of design basis accident scenarios using prototypic VTR and test vehicle (i.e. cartridge loop) configurations. Results of this testing confirm verification of the steady-state solutions and provide reasonable and expected transient behavior. The coupling interface has been developed to be robust yet flexible. The implementation within SAS4A/SASSYS-1 supports coupling to any external software or module. The use of decomposed domains and the existing in-core thermal-hydraulic calculational framework within SAS4A/SASSYS-1 enable treatment of arbitrary test vehicle geometries with nonuniform meshing between SAS4A/SASSYS-1 and the coupled code. Modeling of multiple test locations is also supported. Furthermore, computational efficiency is enhanced by utilizing named pipes (or FIFOs), an interface for interprocess communication (IPC).

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Applications of thermal energy storage to waste heat recovery in the food processing industry

A study to assess the potential for waste heat recovery in the food industry and to evaluate prospective waste heat recovery system concepts employing thermal energy storage was conducted. The study found that the recovery of waste heat in canning facilities can be performed in significant quantities using systems involving thermal energy storage that are both practical and economical. A demonstration project is proposed to determine actual waste heat recovery costs and benefits and to encourage system implementation by the food industry.

Wojnar, F.↗

Stagnation-point heat-transfer rate predictions at aeroassist flight conditions

The results are presented for the stagnation-point heat-transfer rates used in the design process of the Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) vehicle over its entire aeropass trajectory. The prediction methods used in this investigation demonstrate the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques to a wide range of flight conditions and their usefulness in a design process. The heating rates were computed by a viscous-shock-layer (VSL) code at the lower altitudes and by a Navier-Stokes (N-S) code for the higher altitude cases. For both methods, finite-rate chemically reacting gas was considered, and a temperature-dependent wall-catalysis model was used. The wall temperature for each case was assumed to be radiative equilibrium temperature, based on total heating. The radiative heating was estimated by using a correlation equation. Wall slip was included in the N-S calculation method, and this method implicitly accounts for shock slip. The N-S/VSL combination of projection methods was established by comparison with the published benchmark flow-field code LAURA results at lower altitudes, and the direct simulation Monte Carlo results at higher altitude cases. To obtain the design heating rate over the entire forward face of the vehicle, a boundary-layer method (BLIMP code) that employs reacting chemistry and surface catalysis was used. The ratio of the VSL or N-S method prediction to that obtained from the boundary-layer method code at the stagnation point is used to define an adjustment factor, which accounts for the errors involved in using the boundary-layer method.

Gupta, Roop N.↗

An Experimental Study on Low Pressure Frost Formation for Lunar Polar Water Capture

In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is a vital component of NASA’s mission to the Moon and beyond, as the extraction of resources from the environment can reduce payload weight and the frequency of resupply missions. Since the discovery of water in the regolith of the permanently shadowed regions (PSR) of the Moon, its extraction and transport has become an area of increasing interest for NASA. One proposed method is heating icy regolith to free the water before desublimating and transporting it as ice in a tanker. However, little is known regarding the dynamics of frost growth at low pressures, and an understanding of the heat transfer process is required to properly size the heat exchanger for the tanker. To investigate this phenomenon, a cold plate was placed in a vacuum chamber with water vapor directed at its surface. The chamber pressure (300 and 500 Pa) and cold plate temperature (–18 to –5 °C) were kept below the triple point and varied throughout the experiment to examine their impact on frost layer heat transfer. As water flowed into the chamber and deposited on the cold plate surface, the heat flux and temperature were measured along with the frost layer thickness and/or mass. Density calculated at the conclusion of each test suggests the frost layer is denser than that of frost grown at atmospheric pressure. The results demonstrate unexpected density and heat transfer characteristics and require development of a new model of frost growth for lunar conditions.

In situ Resource Utiliztion↗

An Experimental Study on Low Pressure Frost Formation for Lunar Polar Water Capture

In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is a vital component of NASA’s mission to the Moon and beyond, as the extraction of resources from the environment can reduce payload weight and the frequency of resupply missions. Since the discovery of water in the regolith of the permanently shadowed regions (PSR) of the Moon, its extraction and transport has become an area of increasing interest for NASA. One proposed method is heating icy regolith to free the water before de-sublimating and transporting it as ice in a tanker. However, little is known regarding the dynamics of frost growth at low pressures, and an understanding of the heat transfer process is required to properly size the heat exchanger for the tanker. To investigate this phenomenon, a cold plate was placed in a vacuum chamber with water vapor directed at its surface. The chamber pressure (300 and 500 Pa) and cold plate temperature (–18 to –5 °C) were kept below the triple point and varied throughout the experiment to examine their impact on frost layer heat transfer. As water flowed into the chamber and deposited on the cold plate surface, the heat flux and temperature were measured along with the frost layer thickness and/or mass. Density calculated at the conclusion of each test suggests the frost layer is denser than that of frost grown at atmospheric pressure. The results demonstrate unexpected density and heat transfer characteristics and require development of a new model of frost growth for lunar conditions

Lunar polar↗