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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 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

Conventional Neutrino Beam Experiments: Present and Future Generations

There are currently four conventional neutrino beams produced around the world serving a total of six different neutrino experiments devoted to a broad range of physics. In this article we discuss the current generation of experiments served by those beamlines, future plans for those beamlines, and plans for yet newer facilities, with a focus on lessons the current generation of experiments can pass on to future generations.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The NOνA experiment, the first 12 months of commissioning, operations and physics data

The NOνA experiment is a long baseline neutrino experiment designed to make precision measurements of the oscillation probabilities for ν{sub µ} → ν{sub e} and ν{sub µ} → ν{sub µ} for both neutrinos and anti-neutrinos. These measurements will provide new information on the neutrino mass hierarchy, improve our knowledge of whether θ{sub 23} is non-maximal and possibility provide information on the CP violating phase δ{sub CP} of the PMNS neutrino mixing matrix. We present the observations of the first neutrino event in the NOνA far and near detectors along with data obtained during the first year of detector commissioning and operations. We use the data to demonstrate the detector’s ability to identify electron and muon neutrino events and to reject cosmic ray induced backgrounds at a level of 4 × 10{sup 7}:1. New estimates for the signal and background sensitivities of the NOνA experiment during the first year of full detector running are presented.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

The Shock/Shear platform for planar radiation-hydrodynamics experiments on the National Ignition Facility

An indirectly-driven shock tube experiment fielded on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) was used to create a high-energy-density hydrodynamics platform at unprecedented scale. Scaling up a shear-induced mixing experiment previously fielded at OMEGA, the NIF shear platform drives 130 μm/ns shocks into a CH foam-filled shock tube (∼ 60 mg/cc) with interior dimensions of 1.5 mm diameter and 5 mm length. The pulse-shaping capabilities of the NIF are used to extend the drive for >10 ns, and the large interior tube volumes are used to isolate physics-altering edge effects from the region of interest. The scaling of the experiment to the NIF allows for considerable improvement in maximum driving time of hydrodynamics, in fidelity of physics under examination, and in diagnostic clarity. Details of the experimental platform and post-shot simulations used in the analysis of the platform-qualifying data are presented. Hydrodynamic scaling is used to compare shear data from OMEGA with that from NIF, suggesting a possible change in the dimensionality of the instability at late times from one platform to the other.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

TEX-Hf: Integral Experiment Execution of Thermal/Epithermal eXperiments using Highly Enriched Uranium with Polyethylene and Hafnium (IER-532 CED-3b Report)

This report documents the experimental configurations and measurements for IER-532, Thermal/Epithermal eXperiments (TEX) with highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuel and interstitial hafnium (Hf), moderated and reflected by polyethylene. TEX-Hf is a variation of and based on the TEX-HEU (IER-297) design, with the inclusion of hafnium. These configurations provide integral experiments for validation of hafnium in the thermal, intermediate, and fast neutron energy regimes by maximizing the sensitivity in k eff to the hafnium isotope cross sections. The experiment campaign was completed over seven weeks during the end of FY22 and beginning of FY23 at the National Critical Experiments Research Center at the Nevada National Security Site. The campaign produced seven experimental configurations, four reproducibility measurements, and many additional dimensional measurements that will be of use to the future benchmark evaluation of this experiment and other experiments using the same HEU fuel. Table 1 summarizes the TEX-Hf experimental configurations, including their physical parameters, calculated fission fractions, and estimated excess reactivities.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Understanding Small-Molecule Interactions in Metal-Organic Frameworks: Coupling Experiment with Theory

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have gained much attention as next generation porous media for various applications, especially gas separations/storage and catalysis. New MOFs are regularly reported; however, to develop better materials in a timely manner for specific applications, the interactions between guest molecules and the internal surface of the framework must first be understood. In this review, we present a combined experimental and theoretical approach that proves essential for the elucidation of small-molecule interactions in a model MOF system known as M 2 (dobdc) (dobdc 4– = 2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzenedicarboxylate; M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, or Zn), a material whose adsorption properties can be readily tuned via chemical substitution. Here, we additionally show that the study of extensive families like this one can provide a platform to test the efficacy and accuracy of developing computational methodologies in slightly varying chemical environments, a task that is necessary for their evolution into viable, robust tools for screening large numbers of materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Nuclear imaging of the fuel assembly in ignition experiments

First results from the analysis of neutron image data collected on implosions of cryogenically layered deuterium-tritium capsules during the 2011-2012 National Ignition Campaign are reported. The data span a variety of experimental designs aimed at increasing the stagnation pressure of the central hotspot and areal density of the surrounding fuel assembly. Images of neutrons produced by deuterium–tritium fusion reactions in the hotspot are presented, as well as images of neutrons that scatter in the surrounding dense fuel assembly. The image data are compared with 1D and 2D model predictions, and consistency checked using other diagnostic data. The results indicate that the size of the fusing hotspot is consistent with the model predictions, as well as other imaging data, while the overall size of the fuel assembly, inferred from the scattered neutron images, is systematically smaller than models' prediction. Preliminary studies indicate these differences are consistent with a significant fraction (20%–25%) of the initial deuterium-tritium fuel mass outside the compact fuel assembly, due either to low mode mass asymmetry or high mode 3D mix effects at the ablator-ice interface.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Time resolved electron microscopy for in situ experiments

Transmission electron microscopy has functioned for decades as a platform for in situ observation of materials and processes with high spatial resolution. Yet, the dynamics often remain elusive, as they unfold too fast to discern at these small spatial scales under traditional imaging conditions. Simply shortening the exposure time in hopes of capturing the action has limitations, as the number of electrons will eventually be reduced to the point where noise overtakes the signal in the image. Pulsed electron sources with high instantaneous current have successfully shortened exposure times (thus increasing the temporal resolution) by about six orders of magnitude over conventional sources while providing the necessary signal-to-noise ratio for dynamic imaging. We describe here the development of this new class of microscope and the principles of its operation, with examples of its application to problems in materials science.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

The Q p Weak experiment

In May 2012, the Q p Weak collaboration completed a two year measurement program to determine the weak charge of the proton Q p W = (1 – 4sin²θ W ) at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF). The experiment was designed to produce a 4.0 % measurement of the weak charge, via a 2.5 % measurement of the parity violating asymmetry in the number of elastically scattered 1.165 GeV electrons from protons, at forward angles. At the proposed precision, the experiment would produce a 0.3 % measurement of the weak mixing angle at a momentum transfer of Q² = 0.026 GeV², making it the most precise stand alone measurement of the weak mixing angle at low momentum transfer. In combination with other parity measurements, Q p Weak will also provide a high precision determination of the weak charges of the up and down quarks. At the proposed precision, a significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction could be a signal of new physics at mass scales up to ≅ 6 TeV, whereas agreement would place new and significant constraints on possible Standard Model extensions at mass scales up to ≅ 2 TeV. This paper provides an overview of the physics and the experiment, as well as a brief look at some preliminary diagnostic and analysis data.

electron scattering↗
DOE OSTI2021

Modeling heat transport processes in enhanced geothermal systems: Validation study from EGS Collab Experiment 1

Heat recovery from enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) is a complex process involving heat transport in both fracture networks and rock formations. A comprehensive understanding of and the ability to model the underlying heat transport mechanisms is important for the success of EGS but remains challenging in practice due to the generally insufficient characterization of EGS reservoirs. In the present study, we analyze an extensively monitored intermediate-scale EGS field experiment performed in a well-characterized testbed. The high-resolution, high-quality measurements from the field experiment enable the development of a high-fidelity model incorporating a well-constrained fracture network. Based on the field experiment, we investigate the complex heat transport processes in an EGS-relevant environment and validate the capability of a numerical approach in simulating these inherently coupled heat transport processes. A series of numerical simulations were performed to study the effects of different heat transport mechanisms, including thermal convection with fracture flow, thermal conduction in rock formations, and the Joule-Thomson effect. The agreement of thermal responses between field measurements and simulation results indicates that our numerical approach can appropriately model the heat transport processes pertaining to heat recovery from EGS reservoirs.

Wu, Hui↗
DOE OSTI2020

The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment

We describe the design and assembly of the LUX-ZEPLIN experiment, a direct detection search for cosmic WIMP dark matter particles. The centerpiece of the experiment is a large liquid xenon time projection chamber sensitive to low energy nuclear recoils. Rejection of backgrounds is enhanced by a Xe skin veto detector and by a liquid scintillator Outer Detector loaded with gadolinium for efficient neutron capture and tagging. LZ is located in the Davis Cavern at the 4850’ level of the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. We describe the major subsystems of the experiment and its key design features and requirements.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2017

Flow-induced vibration analysis of a helical coil steam generator experiment using large eddy simulation

This paper describes a numerical study of flow-induced vibration in a helical coil steam generator experiment conducted at Argonne National Laboratory in the 1980s. In the experiment, a half-scale sector model of a steam generator helical coil tube bank was subjected to still and flowing air and water, and the vibrational characteristics were recorded. The research detailed in this document utilizes the multi-physics simulation toolkit SHARP developed at Argonne National Laboratory, in cooperation with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to simulate the experiment. SHARP uses the spectral element code Nek5000 for fluid dynamics analysis and the finite element code DIABLO for structural analysis. The flow around the coil tubes is modeled in Nek5000 by using a large eddy simulation turbulence model. Transient pressure data on the tube surfaces is sampled and transferred to DIABLO for the structural simulation. The structural response is simulated in DIABLO via an implicit time-marching algorithm and a combination of continuum elements and structural shells. Tube vibration data (acceleration and frequency) are sampled and compared with the experimental data. Currently, only one-way coupling is used, which means that pressure loads from the fluid simulation are transferred to the structural simulation but the resulting structural displacements are not fed back to the fluid simulation

CFD↗