Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “neon”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 865 records · Page 48
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Investigation of two and three parameter equations of state for cryogenic fluids

Two-phase flows are a common occurrence in cryogenic engines and an accurate evaluation of the heat-transfer coefficient in two-phase flow is of significant importance in their analysis and design. The thermodynamic equation of state plays a key role in calculating the heat transfer coefficient which is a function of thermodynamic and thermophysical properties. An investigation has been performed to study the performance of two- and three-parameter equations of state to calculate the compressibility factor of cryogenic fluids along the saturation loci. The two-parameter equations considered here are van der Waals and Redlich-Kwong equations of state. The three-parameter equation represented here is the generalized Benedict-Webb-Rubin (BWR) equation of Lee and Kesler. Results have been compared with the modified BWR equation of Bender and the extended BWR equations of Stewart. Seven cryogenic fluids have been tested; oxygen, hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, argon, neon, and air. The performance of the generalized BWR equation is poor for hydrogen and helium. The van der Waals equation is found to be inaccurate for air near the critical point. For helium, all three equations of state become inaccurate near the critical point.

Jenkins, Susan L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Simultaneous high-P, high-T X ray diffraction study of beta-(Mg,Fe)2SiO4 to 26 GPa and 900 K

Attention is given to the lattice parameters of beta phase (Mg(0.84)Fe(0.16))2SiO4 determined by X-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation under simultaneous high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. The experiments were conducted up to a pressure of 26 GPa and a temperature of 900 K. High pressures were generated in a Mao-Bell type diamond anvil cell using neon gas as a pressure medium. The sample was heated with an external Ni80Cr20 wire heater. Gold was used as an internal high-pressure calibrant at high temperature. The experimental data indicated the anisotropic behavior of the beta phase at high pressure and temperature, i.e., the c axis is about 35-percent more expansible and about 25-percent more compressible than the a and b axes. A value of 5.1 +/-0.8 was found for the Anderson-Grueneisen parameter. The derived thermodynamic parameters for the beta phase are summarized.

Fei, Yingwei↗
NASA NTRS1992

Atlas of the spectrum of a platinum/neon hollow-cathode reference lamp in the region 1130-4330 A

The spectrum of a platinum hollow-cathode lamp containing neon carrier gas was recorded photographically and photoelectrically with a 10.7 m normal-incidence vacuum spectrograph. Wavelengths and intensities were determined for about 5600 lines in the region 1130-4330 A. An atlas of the spectrum is given, with the spectral lines marked and their intensities, wavelengths, and classifications listed. Lines of impurity species are also identified. The uncertainty of the photographically measured wavelengths is estimated to be +/- 0.0020 A. The uncertainty of lines measured in the photoelectric scans is 0.01 A for wavelengths shorter than 2030 A and 0.02 A for longer wavelengths. Ritz-type wavelengths are given for many of the classified lines of Pt II with uncertainties varying from +/- 0.0004 to +/- 0.0025 A. The uncertainty of the relative intensities is estimated to be about 20 percent.

Sansonetti, Jean E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

L-shell X-ray opacity of many-electron atoms

The study presents a formulation for obtaining the L-shell photoelectric cross section (sigma sub L) for many-electron atomic systems. A scaling law is suggested for the evaluation of the contribution to sigma sub L from 2s and 2p ejection from a general system in any ionization state. The formula is expressed in terms of the effective nuclear charge (Z sub 2s and Z sub 2p) seen by the corresponding bound electrons, with Z sub 2s and Z sub 2p, obtained from improved screening constants derived in a recent investigation. A comparison is made of Hartree-Fock and hydrogenic expressions for sigma sub L with experimental results for atomic neon at X-ray photon energies, providing the basis for the scaling law and an approximate energy dependence for the cross sections. The special case of sigma sub L for atomic Fe is considered in detail. This L edge has structure because of the different threshold for 2s and 2p photoejection; the latter has fine structure.

Jung, Young-Dae↗
NASA NTRS1992

Characterisation of Q-gases and other noble gas components in the Murchison meteorite

Noble gases in several HF/HCl resistant residues of the CM2 chondrite Murchison were measured by closed-system stepped etching, in order to study the planetary gases in their major carrier 'Q'-an ill-defined minor phase, perhaps merely a set of adsorption sites. Neon, Ar, Kr, Xe, and probably also He in 'Q' of Murchison have the same isotopic and nearly the same elemental abundances as their counterparts in Allende (CV3). The isotopic composition of Ne-Q is consistent with mass-dependent fractionation of either solar wind Ne or Ne from solar energetic particles. Unlike Allende, Murchison during HNO3 attack release, besides Q-gases, large amounts of two other Ne-components, Ne-E and Ne-A3, a third subcomponent of Ne-A. This work confirms that Q-gases of well-defined composition were an important noble gas component in the early solar system an are now found in various classes of meteorites, such as carbonaceous chondrites, ureilites, and ordinary chondrites. Ne-Q may have played a role in the formation of noble gas reservoirs in terrestrial planets.

Wieler, Rainer↗
NASA NTRS1992

The conductive propagation of nuclear flames. I - Degenerate C + O and O + Ne + Mg white dwarfs

The paper determines the physical properties - speed, width, and density structure - of conductive burning fronts in degenerate carbon-oxygen (C + O) and oxygen-neon-magnesium (O + Ne + Mg) compositions for a grid of initial densities and compositions. The dependence of the physical properties of the flame on the assumed values of nuclear reaction rates, the nuclear reaction network employed, the thermal conductivity, and the choice of coordinate system are investigated. The occurrence of accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf is found to be critically dependent on the velocity of the nuclear conductive burning front and the growth rate of hydrodynamic instabilities. Treating the expanding area of the turbulent burning region as a fractal whose tile size is identical to the minimum unstable Rayleigh-Taylor wavelength, it is found, for all reasonable values of the fractal dimension, that for initial C + O or O + Ne + Mg densities above about 9 x 10 exp 9 g/cu cm the white dwarf should collapse to a neutron star.

Timmes, F. X.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Theoretical calculations on the electron absorption spectra of selected Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and derivatives

As a theoretical component of the joint effort with the laboratory of Dr. Lou Allamandola to search for potential candidates for interstellar organic carbon compound that are responsible for the visible diffuse interstellar absorption bands (DIB's), quantum mechanical calculations were performed on the electron absorption spectra of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and derivatives. In the completed project, 15 different species of naphthalene, its hydrogen abstraction and addition derivatives, and corresponding cations and anions were studied. Using semiempirical quantum mechanical method INDO/S, the ground electronic state of each species was evaluated with restricted Hartree-Fock scheme and limited configuration interaction. The lowest energy spin state for each species was used for electron absorption calculations. Results indicate that these calculations are accurate enough to reproduce the spectra of naphthalene cation and anion observed in neon matrix. The spectral pattern of the hydrogen abstraction and addition derivatives predicted based on these results indicate that the electron configuration of the pi orbitals of these species is the dominant determinant. A combined list of 19 absorptions calculated from 4500 A to 10,400 A were compiled and suggested as potential candidates that are relevant for the DIB's absorptions. Continued studies on pyrene and derivatives revealed the ground state symmetries and multiplicities of its neutral, anionic, and cationic species. Spectral calculations show that the cation (B(sub 3g)-2) and the anion (A(sub u)-2) are more likely to have low energy absorptions in the regions between 10 kK and 20 kK, similar to naphthalene. These absorptions, together with those to be determined from the hydrogen abstraction and addition derivatives of pyrene, can be used to provide additional candidates and suggest experimental work in the search for interstellar compounds that are responsible for DIB's.

Du, Ping↗
NASA NTRS1993

Seasonal variation in the structure of red reflectance of leaves from yellow poplar, red oak, and red maple

The light scattered from leaves was measured as a function of view angle in the principal plane for yellow poplar, red oak, and red maple. The source was a parallel-polarized helium-neon laser. Yellow poplar leaves had the highest reflectance of the three species, which may have been due to its shorter palisade cells and more extensive spongy mesophyll. Prior to senescence, there was a significant decrease, but not total extinction, in the reflectance of the beam incident at 60 deg from nadir on the adaxial side of the leaves of all three species. Low-temperature SEM observations showed differences in the surface wax patterns among the three species but did not indicate a cause of the reflectance changes other than possibly the accumulation and aging of the wax.

Brakke, Thomas W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

A flux-limited treatment for the conductive evaporation of spherical interstellar gas clouds

In this work, we present and analyze a new analytic solution for the saturated (flux-limited) thermal evaporation of a spherical cloud. This work is distinguished from earlier analytic studies by allowing the thermal conductivity to change continuously from a diffusive to a saturated form, in a manner usually employed only in numerical calculations. This closed form solution will be of interest as a computational benchmark. Using our calculated temperature profiles and mass-loss rates, we model the thermal evaporation of such a cloud under typical interstellar medium (ISM) conditions, with some restrictions. We examine the ionization structure of the cloud-ISM interface and evaluate column densities of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, and silicon ions toward the cloud. In accord with other investigations, we find that ionization equilibrium is far from satisfied under the assumed conditions. Since the inclusion of saturation effects in the heat flux narrows the thermal interface relative to its classical structure, we also find that saturation effects tend to lower predicted column densities.

Dalton, William W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Solar wind composition from sector boundary crossings and coronal mass ejections

Using the Ion Composition Instrument (ICI) on board the ISEE-3/ICE spacecraft, average abundances of He-4, He-3, O, Ne, Si, and Fe have been determined over extended periods. In this paper the abundances of He-4, O, Ne, Si, and Mg obtained by the ICI in the region of sector boundary crossings (SBCs), magnetic clouds and bidirectional streaming events (BDSs) are compared with the average abundances. Both magnetic clouds and BDSs are associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs). No variation of abundance is seen to occur at SBCs except for helium, as has already been observed. In CME-related material, the abundance of neon appears to be high and variable, in agreement with recent analysis of spectroscopic observations of active regions. We find that our observations can be correlated with the magnetic topology in the corona.

Ogilvie, K. W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Solar-flare implanted He-4/He-3 and solar-proton-produced Ne and Ar concentration profiles preserved in lunar rock 61016

Depth profiles for Ne-21, Ne-22, and Ar-38 isotopes from oriented lunar rock 61016 are reported. Concentration profiles of cosmogenic GCR+SCR (Galactic cosmic ray and solar cosmic ray-produced) isotopes are determined, quantitatively resolving neon and argon produced by energetic solar flares from that produced by Galactic cosmic rays. The SCR component is resolved from the GCR component as a function of shielding, and excellent agreement is found between experimental SCR production profiles for the isotopes and theoretically calculated values. A characteristic SW He-4/He-3 ratio of 3450 +/- 81, representing energies down to as few keV/amu. In slightly deeper samples an SRF He-4/He-3 ratio of 3450 +/- 725 is found for He particles with E larger than about 1 MeV/amu. These results indicate that the isotopic composition of SF He, averaged over the long term, is energy-dependent. An implanted Ne-20/Ne-22 ratio of 12.4 is measured in unetched samples, representing E greater than 1 MeV/amu, and a ratio of 11.6 is inferred in the samples, representing E larger than about 5 MeV/amu.

Rao, M. N.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Cryogenic monocrystalline silicon Fabry-Perot cavity for the stabilization of laser frequency

A 1.6 kg silicon monocrystal was used to make a Fabry-Perot optical cavity operated at cryogenic temperatures. High-resolution thermal expansion measurements were made as the silicon cooled to 4.2 K, in order to characterize the cavity as a length reference standard. A helium-neon laser was then locked to a transmission resonance at liquid-helium temperatures, and the laser frequency tracked the cavity resonance with error fluctuations at the level of 10 Hz/sq rt Hz in the bandwidth dc to 1 Hz. Implications of the combined set of data, thermal expansion plus frequency-tracking fluctuations, for using such a system as a frequency standard are discussed.

Richard, J.-P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Laboratory spectra of gas-phase coronene at elevated temperatures

Gas-phase infrared spectra of coronene from 4000 to 400/cm are presented in emission and absorption at temperatures from 350 to 450 C. Peak positions are compared to KBr pellet data and to a previously published neon matrix-isolated coronene spectrum. Relative feature strengths are analyzed and used to estimate a temperature of interstellar PAHs assuming thermal emission.

Kurtz, J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Prediction of thermal acoustic oscillations (TAOs) in the CLAES solid CO2/neon system

Results are presented of a study initiated to investigate the possibility that the existence of thermal acoustic oscillations (TAOs) in the Cryogenic Limb Atmospheric Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) neon plumbing system ground configuration could be the cause of higher-than-predicted heat rates measured during thermal ground testing. Tests were conducted between warm boundary temperatures ranging from 40 to 100 K, which simulated the actual test conditions of the CLAES CO2/neon system. TAOs were observed between 6 and 106 Torr, which agreed with the analytical predictions, and verified the possible existence of TAOs in the CLAES system during ground testing. The presence of TAOs was eventually confirmed in the CLAES system during a subsequent thermal test and were determined to have caused the higher heat rates measured during the prior thermal test.

Spradley, I. E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Helium-3 from the mantle - Primordial signal or cosmic dust?

Helium-3 in hotspot magmas has been used as unambiguous evidence for the existence of a primordial, undegassed reservoir deep in the Earth's mantle. However, a large amount of helium-3 is delivered to the Earth's surface by interplanetary dust particles (IDPs). Recycling of deep-sea sediments containing these particles to the mantle, and eventual incorporation in magma, can explain the high helium-3/helium-4 ratios of hotspot magmas. Basalts with high helium-3/helium-4 ratios may represent degassing of helium introduced by ancient (probably 1.5 to 2.0 billion years old) pelagic sediments rather than degassing of primordial lower mantle material brought to the surface in plumes. Influx of IDPs can also explain the neon and siderophile compositions of mantle samples.

Anderson, Don L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Visual information processing II; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 14-16, 1993

Various papers on visual information processing are presented. Individual topics addressed include: aliasing as noise, satellite image processing using a hammering neural network, edge-detetion method using visual perception, adaptive vector median filters, design of a reading test for low-vision image warping, spatial transformation architectures, automatic image-enhancement method, redundancy reduction in image coding, lossless gray-scale image compression by predictive GDF, information efficiency in visual communication, optimizing JPEG quantization matrices for different applications, use of forward error correction to maintain image fidelity, effect of peanoscanning on image compression. Also discussed are: computer vision for autonomous robotics in space, optical processor for zero-crossing edge detection, fractal-based image edge detection, simulation of the neon spreading effect by bandpass filtering, wavelet transform (WT) on parallel SIMD architectures, nonseparable 2D wavelet image representation, adaptive image halftoning based on WT, wavelet analysis of global warming, use of the WT for signal detection, perfect reconstruction two-channel rational filter banks, N-wavelet coding for pattern classification, simulation of image of natural objects, number-theoretic coding for iconic systems.

Huck, Friedrich O.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Cellular track model for study of heavy ion beams

Track theory is combined with a realistic model of a heavy ion beam to study the effects of nuclear fragmentation on cell survival and biological effectiveness. The effects of secondary reaction products are studied as a function of depth in a water column. Good agreement is found with experimental results for the survival of human T-l cells exposed to monoenergetic carbon, neon, and argon beams under aerobic and hypoxia conditions. The present calculation, which includes the effect of target fragmentation, is a significant improvement over an earlier calculation because of the use of a vastly improved beam model with no change in the track theory or cellular response parameters.

Shinn, Judy L.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Helium in interplanetary dust particles

Helium and neon were extracted from fragments of individual stratosphere-collected interplanetary dust particles (IDP's) by subjecting them to increasing temperature by applying short-duration pulses of power in increasing amounts to the ovens containing the fragments. The experiment was designed to see whether differences in release temperatures could be observed which might provide clues as to the asteroidal or cometary origin of the particles. Variations were observed which show promise for elucidating the problem.

Nier, A. O.↗