Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “High Dynamic”

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 883 records · Page 49

High temperature steam oxidation dynamics of U 3 Si 2 with alloying additions: Al, Cr, and Y

Uranium silicides are considered for advanced technology reactor fuels due to their enhanced thermal conductivity and high uranium density (U 3 Si and U 3 Si 2 ) compared to traditional UO 2 . Susceptibility to oxidation and wash out, in the event of a cladding breech, could limit the potential for deployment of silicides as accident tolerant fuels. Mitigating the water reaction for U 3 Si 2 could enable its use as an accident tolerant, high uranium density fuel or as a composite fuel constituent. Reported here is the impact of alloying additions of Al, Cr and Y on the high temperature, steam oxidation response of U 3 Si 2 . In addition to the thermogravimetric response, as melted microstructures, phase compositions and post oxidation analysis are also presented. Here, the investigation shows steam oxidation dynamics are altered, from non-alloyed U 3 Si 2 , under thermally ramped conditions. However, additional alloy development of these fuel forms is necessary for further consideration as candidate accident tolerant fuels in water-cooled reactor designs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

High-Field Magic Angle Spinning Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Using Radicals Created by γ-Irradiation

High-field magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization (MAS DNP) is often used to enhance the sensitivity of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments by transferring spin polarization from electron spins to nuclear spins. In this work, we demonstrate that γ-irradiation induces the formation of stable radicals in inorganic solids, such as fused quartz and borosilicate glasses, as well as organic solids, such as glucose, cellulose, and a urea/polyethylene polymer. The radicals were then used to polarize 29 Si or 1 H spins in the core of some of these materials. Significant MAS DNP enhancements (ε) of more than 400 and 30 were obtained for fused quartz and glucose, respectively. For other samples, negligible values of ε were obtained, likely due to low concentrations of radicals or the presence of abundant quadrupolar spins. These results demonstrate that ionizing radiation is an enticing alternative method for generating stable radicals that are suitable for high-field MAS DNP experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Suppression of Void Nucleation in High-Purity Aluminum via Dynamic Recrystallization

The process of ductile fracture in metals often begins with void nucleation at second-phase particles and inclusions. Previous studies of rupture in high-purity face-centered-cubic metals, primarily aluminum (Al), concluded that second-phase particles are necessary for cavitation. A recent study of tantalum (Ta), a body-centered-cubic metal, demonstrated that voids nucleate readily at deformation-induced dislocation boundaries. These same features form in Al during plastic deformation. This study investigates why void nucleation was not previously observed at dislocation boundaries in Al. Here, we demonstrate that void nucleation is impeded in Al by room-temperature dynamic recrystallization (DRX), which erases these boundaries before voids can nucleate at them. If dislocation cells reform after DRX and before specimen separation by necking, voids nucleation is observed. These results indicate that dislocation substructures likely plays an important role in ductile rupture.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

FLOWS AND WAVES IN BRAIDED SOLAR CORONAL MAGNETIC STRUCTURES

We study the high frequency dynamics in the braided magnetic structure of an active region (AR 11520) moss as observed by the High-Resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C). We detect quasi-periodic flows and waves in these structures. We search for high frequency dynamics while looking at power maps of the observed region. We find that shorter periodicities (30–60 s) are associated with small spatial scales which can be resolved by Hi-C only. We detect quasi-periodic flows with a wide range of velocities, from 13–185 km s{sup −1}, associated with braided regions. This can be interpreted as plasma outflows from reconnection sites. We also find short period and large amplitude transverse oscillations associated with the braided magnetic region. Such oscillations could be triggered by reconnection or such oscillations may trigger reconnection.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Local thermodynamic equilibrium in rapidly heated high energy density plasmas

Emission spectra and the dynamics of high energy density plasmas created by optical and Free Electron Lasers (FELs) depend on the populations of atomic levels. Calculations of plasma emission and ionization may be simplified by assuming Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE), where populations are given by the Saha-Boltzmann equation. LTE can be achieved at high densities when collisional processes are much more significant than radiative processes, but may not be valid if plasma conditions change rapidly. A collisional-radiative model has been used to calculate the times taken by carbon and iron plasmas to reach LTE at varying densities and heating rates. The effect of different energy deposition methods, as well as Ionization Potential Depression are explored. This work shows regimes in rapidly changing plasmas, such as those created by optical lasers and FELs, where the use of LTE is justified, because timescales for plasma changes are significantly longer than the times needed to achieve an LTE ionization balance.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Development of High-Temperature Bonding Techniques to Enable High-Temperature Static or Dynamic Strain Measurements

Current light-water nuclear reactors rely on a variety of different sensors and sensor applications to meet their structural health monitoring needs throughout the entirety of the reactor primary, secondary, and containment systems. Optical fiber–based sensor technologies could provide solutions to reduce the sensor system footprint while enhancing the measurement fidelity and spatial resolution by leveraging distributed monitoring techniques. Moreover, advanced reactors may require optical fiber–based sensors for structural health monitoring because their operating temperatures will exceed the limits of conventional transducers used to acquire dynamic strain or acoustic data in nuclear power plants. Therefore, this report describes experiments targeting the development of high-temperature bonding techniques that would allow for potentially long lengths of fibers to be bonded to metallic reactor components in advanced reactor systems. The high temperatures experienced within target application, next-generation nuclear reactors, necessitate a high-temperature resistant bond to limit the amount of tension on the fiber at the target application temperature. The primary bonding method investigated in this work is brazing; hot-rolling has also been investigated to a lesser extent. Both techniques are well-suited to bonding optical fibers to large reactor components such as primary coolant piping, pressure vessels, or heat exchangers. Optical frequency domain reflectometry was used to monitor the strain in metal-coated optical fibers before, during, and after the high-temperature bonding process. On select optical fibers that were successfully bonded, additional thermal cycling was performed to assess the extent to which the fiber remained bonded based on the expected thermal expansion of the test specimen material. The results of the various experiments yielded the following general conclusions: (1) brazing is a viable technique for bonding and allows significant compressive strain to be applied to the fiber at room temperature; (2) hot-rolling is a viable technique as well, which has been more optimized than the brazing technique for bonding, but less residual compressive strain has been observed with this technique; and (3) both techniques will need further development and optimization to demonstrate bonding of a long length of fiber that can provably operate at relevant temperatures for an advanced nuclear reactor application.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Sorption, Structure and Dynamics of CO2 and Ethane in Silicalite at High Pressure: A Combined Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

Silicalite is an important nanoporous material that finds applications in several industries, including gas separation and catalysis. While the sorption, structure, and dynamics of several molecules confined in the pores of silicalite have been reported, most of these studies have been restricted to low pressures. Here we report a comparative study of sorption, structure, and dynamics of CO2 and ethane in silicalite at high pressures (up to 100 bar) using a combination of Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The behavior of the two fluids is studied in terms of the simulated sorption isotherms, the positional and orientational distribution of sorbed molecules in silicalite, and their translational diffusion, vibrational spectra, and rotational motion. Both CO2 and ethane are found to exhibit orientational ordering in silicalite pores; however, at high pressures, while CO2 prefers to reside in the channel intersections, ethane molecules reside mostly in the sinusoidal channels. While CO2 exhibits a higher self-diffusion coefficient than ethane at low pressures, at high pressures, it becomes slower than ethane. Both CO2 and ethane exhibit rotational motion at two time scales. At both time scales, the rotational motion of ethane is faster. The differences observed here in the behavior of CO2 and ethane in silicalite pores can be seen as a consequence of an interplay of the kinetic diameter of the two molecules and the quadrupole moment of CO2.

Gautam, Siddharth (ORCID:0000000314435382)↗

Method to improve the repeatability of dynamic contact resistance measurement test results for high-voltage circuit breakers

Dynamic contact resistance measurement (DRM) is an effective technique to evaluate the contact condition in substations without dismantling circuit breakers. However, performing DRM tests with unsuitable test parameters will cause low repeatability of the test results, and even lead to the misdiagnosis of contact condition. Performing the DRM tests at high DC injected current can improve the repeatability. This paper studies the mechanism of the DC injected current on the repeatability of the DRM test results, and it also promotes a new determination method of the DC injected current amplitude. The impact of the DC injected current on DRM test results is reviewed. The mechanism of the DC injected current on DRM test results is investigated by analysing the chemical composition of the contact surface, the force exerted on the contacts, and the temperatures of a-spots on the contacts' surface. Results indicate that not the Lorentz force, but the temperature of a-spots is the primary influencing factor. The amplitude of the DC injected current can be determined by calculating the temperatures of the a-spot on the contacts' surface. And this method can also be used for other SF6 circuit breakers.

Cheng, Tingting↗

LINE PROFILES OF CORES WITHIN CLUSTERS. II. SIGNATURES OF DYNAMICAL COLLAPSE DURING HIGH-MASS STAR FORMATION

Observations of atomic or molecular lines can provide important information about the physical state of star-forming regions. In order to investigate the line profiles from dynamical collapsing massive star-forming regions (MSFRs), we model the emission from hydrodynamic simulations of a collapsing cloud in the absence of outflows. By performing radiative transfer calculations, we compute the optically thick HCO{sup +} and optically thin N{sub 2}H{sup +} line profiles from two collapsing regions at different epochs. Due to large-scale collapse, the MSFRs have large velocity gradients, reaching up to 20 km s{sup -1} pc{sup -1} across the central core. The optically thin lines typically contain multiple velocity components resulting from the superposition of numerous density peaks along the line of sight. The optically thick lines are only marginally shifted to the blue side of the optically thin line profiles, and frequently do not have a central depression in their profiles due to self-absorption. As the regions evolve, the lines become brighter and the optically thick lines become broader. The lower-order HCO{sup +} (1-0) transitions are better indicators of collapse than the higher-order (4-3) transitions. We also investigate how the beam sizes affect profile shapes. Smaller beams lead to brighter and narrower lines that are more skewed to the blue in HCO{sup +} relative to the true core velocity, but show multiple components in N{sub 2}H{sup +}. High-resolution observations (e.g., with Atacama Large Millimeter Array) can test these predictions and provide insights into the nature of MSFRs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

High-resolution CH stretch spectroscopy of jet-cooled cyclopentyl radical: First insights into equilibrium structure, out-of-plane puckering, and IVR dynamics

First, high-resolution sub-Doppler infrared spectroscopic results for cyclopentyl radical (C 5 H 9 ) are reported on the α-CH stretch fundamental with suppression of spectral congestion achieved by adiabatic cooling to T rot ≈ 19(4) K in a slit jet expansion. Surprisingly, cyclopentyl radical exhibits a rotationally assignable infrared spectrum, despite 3N – 6 = 36 vibrational modes and an upper vibrational state density (ρ ≈ 40–90 #/cm –1 ) in the critical regime (ρ ≈ 100 #/cm –1 ) necessary for onset of intramolecular vibrational relaxation (IVR) dynamics. Such high-resolution data for cyclopentyl radical permit detailed fits to a rigid-rotor asymmetric top Hamiltonian, initial structural information for ground and vibrationally excited states, and opportunities for detailed comparison with theoretical predictions. Specifically, high level ab initio calculations at the coupled-cluster singles, doubles, and perturbative triples (CCSD(T))/ANO0, 1 level are used to calculate an out-of-plane bending potential, which reveals a C 2 symmetry double minimum 1D energy surface over a C 2v transition state. Here, the inversion barrier [V barrier ≈ 3.7(1) kcal/mol] is much larger than the effective moment of inertia for out-of-plane bending, resulting in localization of the cyclopentyl wavefunction near its C 2 symmetry equilibrium geometry and tunneling splittings for the ground state too small (<1 MHz) to be resolved under sub-Doppler slit jet conditions. The persistence of fully resolved high-resolution infrared spectroscopy for such large cyclic polyatomic radicals at high vibrational state densities suggests a “deceleration” of IVR for a cycloalkane ring topology, much as low frequency torsion/methyl rotation degrees of freedom have demonstrated a corresponding “acceleration” of IVR processes in linear hydrocarbons.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A high-precision instrument for analyzing nonlinear dynamic behavior of bearing cage

The high-precision ball bearing is fundamental to the performance of complex mechanical systems. As the speed increases, the cage behavior becomes a key factor in influencing the bearing performance, especially life and reliability. This paper develops a high-precision instrument for analyzing nonlinear dynamic behavior of the bearing cage. The trajectory of the rotational center and non-repetitive run-out (NRRO) of the cage are used to evaluate the instability of cage motion. This instrument applied an aerostatic spindle to support and spin test the bearing to decrease the influence of system error. Then, a high-speed camera is used to capture images when the bearing works at high speeds. A 3D trajectory tracking software TEMA Motion is used to track the spot which marked the cage surface. Finally, by developing the MATLAB program, a Lissajous’ figure was used to evaluate the nonlinear dynamic behavior of the cage with different speeds. The trajectory of rotational center and NRRO of the cage with various speeds are analyzed. The results can be used to predict the initial failure and optimize cage structural parameters. In addition, the repeatability precision of instrument is also validated. In the future, the motorized spindle will be applied to increase testing speed and image processing algorithms will be developed to analyze the trajectory of the cage.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Dynamic Thermal Management for High-Performance Storage Systems

Thermal-aware design of disk drives is important because high temperatures can cause reliability problems. Dynamic Thermal Management (DTM) techniques have been proposed to operate the disk at the average case temperature, rather than at the worse case by modulating the activities to avoid thermal emergencies. The thermal emergencies can be caused by unexpected events, such as fan-breaks, increased inlet air temperature, etc. One of the DTM techniques is a delay-based approach that adjusts the disk seek activities, cooling down the disk drives. Even if such a DTM approach could overcome thermal emergencies without stopping disk activity, it suffers from long delays when servicing the requests. Thus, in this chapter, we investigate the possibility of using a multispeed disk-drive (called dynamic rotations per minute (DRPM)) that dynamically modulates the rotational speed of the platter for implementing the DTM technique. Using a detailed performance and thermal simulator of a storage system, we evaluate two possible DTM policies (- time-based and watermark-based) with a DRPM disk-drive and observe that dynamic RPM modulation is effective in avoiding thermal emergencies. However, we find that the time taken to transition between different rotational speeds of the disk is critical for the effectiveness of the DRPM based DTM techniques.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Dynamic Windows with Neutral Color, High Contrast, and Excellent Durability Using Reversible Metal Electrodeposition

Dynamic windows, which switch between transparent and opaque states upon application of a voltage, have applications in buildings, automobiles, and switchable sunglasses. Here, we describe dynamic windows based on the reversible electrodeposition of Cu and a second metal on transparent indium tin oxide electrodes modified by Pt nanoparticles. Three-electrode cyclic voltammetry experiments reveal that the system possesses high Coulombic efficiency (99.9%), indicating that the metal electrodeposition and stripping processes are reversible. Two-electrode 25-cm2 windows without bus bars uniformly switch between a transparent state (~80% transmission) and a color-neutral opaque state (<5% transmission) in less than 3 min. These devices switch at least 5,500 times without degradation of optical contrast, switching speed, or uniformity. Taken together, these results indicate that dynamic windows based on reversible metal electrodeposition are a promising alternative to those using traditional electrochromic materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Machine-learned closure of URANS for stably stratified turbulence: connecting physical timescales & data hyperparameters of deep time-series models

Stably stratified turbulence (SST), a model that is representative of the turbulence found in the oceans and atmosphere, is strongly affected by fine balances between forces and becomes more anisotropic in time for decaying scenarios. Moreover, there is a limited understanding of the physical phenomena described by some of the terms in the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations—used to numerically simulate approximate solutions for such turbulent flows. Rather than attempting to model each term in URANS separately, it is attractive to explore the capability of machine learning (ML) to model groups of terms, i.e. to directly model the force balances. We develop deep time-series ML for closure modeling of the URANS equations applied to SST. We consider decaying SST which are homogeneous and stably stratified by a uniform density gradient, enabling dimensionality reduction. We consider two time-series ML models: long short-term memory and neural ordinary differential equation. Both models perform accurately and are numerically stable in a posteriori (online) tests. Furthermore, we explore the data requirements of the time-series ML models by extracting physically relevant timescales of the complex system. We find that the ratio of the timescales of the minimum information required by the ML models to accurately capture the dynamics of the SST corresponds to the Reynolds number of the flow. The current framework provides the backbone to explore the capability of such models to capture the dynamics of high-dimensional complex dynamical system like SST flows.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Subdiffusive High-Pressure Hydrogen Gas Dynamics in Elastomers

We report elastomeric rubber materials serve a vital role as sealing materials in the hydrogen storage and transport infrastructure. With applications including O-rings and hose liners, these components are exposed to pressurized hydrogen at a range of temperatures, cycling rates, and pressure extremes. High-pressure exposure and subsequent rapid decompression often lead to cavitation and stress-induced damage of the elastomer due to localization of the hydrogen gas. Here, we use all-atom classical molecular dynamics simulations to assess the impact of compositional variations on gas diffusion within the commonly used elastomer ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM). With the aim to build a predictive understanding of precursors to cavitation and to motivate material formulations that are less sensitive to hydrogen-induced failure, we perform systematic simulations of gas dynamics in EPDM as a function of temperature, gas concentration, and cross-link density. Our simulations reveal anomalous, subdiffusive hydrogen motion at pressure and intermediate times. We identify two groups of gas with different mobilities: one group exhibiting high mobility and one group exhibiting low mobility due to their motion being impeded by the polymer. With decreasing temperatures, the low-mobility group shows increased gas localization, the necessary precursor for cavitation damage in these materials. At lower temperatures, increasing cross-link density led to greater hydrogen gas mobility and a lower fraction of caged hydrogen, indicating that increasing cross-link density may reduce precursors to cavitation. Finally, we use a two-state kinetic model to determine the energetics associated with transitions between these two mobility states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Optimal design at inner core of the shaped pyramidal truss structure

Sandwich material is a type of composite material with lightweight, high strength, good dynamic properties and high bending stiffness-to-weight ratio. This can be found well such structures in the nature (for example, internal structure of bones, plants, etc.). New trend which prefers eco-friendly products and energy efficiency is emerging in industries recently. Demand for materials with high strength and light weight is also increasing. In line with these trends, researches about manufacturing methods of sandwich material have been actively conducted. In this study, a sandwich structure named as “Shaped Pyramidal Truss Structure” is proposed to improve mechanical strength and to apply a manufacturing process suitable for massive production. The new sandwich structure was designed to enhance compressive strength by changing the cross-sectional shape at the central portion of the core. As the next step, optimization of the shape was required. Optimization technique used here was the SZGA(Successive Zooming Genetic Algorithm), which is one of GA(Genetic Algorithm) methods gradually reducing the area of design variable. The objective function was defined as moment of inertia of the cross-sectional shape of the strut. The control points of cubic Bezier curve, which was assumed to be the shape of the cross section, were used as design variables. By using FEM simulation, it was found that the structure exhibited superior mechanical properties compared to the simple design of the prior art.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Lifetime-resolved photon-correlation Fourier spectroscopy

The excited state population of single solid-state emitters is subjected to energy fluctuations around the equilibrium driven by the bath and relaxation through the emission of phonons or photons. Simultaneous measurement of the associated spectral dynamics requires a technique with a high spectral and temporal resolution with an additionally high temporal dynamic range. We propose a pulsed excitation-laser analog of photon-correlation Fourier spectroscopy (PCFS), which extracts the linewidth and spectral diffusion dynamics along the emission lifetime trajectory of the emitter, effectively discriminating spectral dynamics from relaxation and bath fluctuations . This lifetime-resolved PCFS correlates photon-pairs at the output arm of a Michelson interferometer in both their time-delay between laser-excitation and photon-detection T and the time-delay between two photons τ . We propose the utility of the technique for systems with changing relative contributions to the emission from multiple states, for example, quantum emitters exhibiting phonon-mediated exchange between different fine-structure states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Dynamic Hosts for High-Performance Li–S Batteries Studied by Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy and in Situ X-ray Diffraction

Developing a high-performance sulfur host is central to the commercialization and general development of lithium–sulfur batteries. Here, for the first time, we propose the concept of dynamic hosts for lithium–sulfur batteries and elucidate the mechanism through which TiS 2 acts in such a fashion, using in situ X-ray diffraction and cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy (cryo-STEM). A TiS 2 –S composite electrode delivered a reversible capacity of 1120 mAh g –1 at 0.3 C after 200 cycles with a capacity retention of 97.0% and capacities of 886 and 613 mAh g –1 at 1.0 C up to 200 and 1000 cycles, respectively. Finally, our results indicate that it is Li x TiS 2 (0 < x ≤ 1), rather than TiS 2 , that effectively traps polysulfides and catalytically decomposes Li 2 S.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗