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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 955 records · Page 53
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

AlInPSbAs/InAs Heterostructures for Thermophotoelectric Converters

Using the method of floating-zone recrystallization with a temperature gradient, AlInPSbAs/InAs heterostructures for thermophotoelectric converters operating in the wavelength range of 500–3200 nm are obtained. The use of the AlInPSbAs quinary solid solutions as an active region thermophotoconverters allows one to increase the external quantum yield up to 0.9 in the spectral range of 520–2800 nm.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Transport and Dynamics in Toroidal Fusion Systems

The study entitled, "Transport and Dynamics in Toroidal Fusion Systems," (TDTFS) applied analytical theory and numerical computation to investigate topics of importance to confining plasma, the fourth state of matter, with magnetic fields. A central focus of the work is how non-thermal components of the ion particle distribution affect the "sawtooth" collective oscillation in the core of the tokamak magnetic configuration. Previous experimental and analytical research had shown and described how the oscillation frequency decreases and amplitude increases, leading to "monster" or "giant" sawteeth, when the non-thermal component is increased by injecting particle beams or by exciting ions with imposed electromagnetic waves. The TDTFS study applied numerical computation to self-consistently simulate the interaction between macroscopic collective plasma dynamics and the non-thermal particles. The modeling used the NIMROD code [Sovinec, Glasser, Gianakon, et al., J. Comput. Phys. 195, 355 (2004)] with the energetic component represented by simulation particles [Kim, Parker, Sovinec, and the NIMROD Team, Comput. Phys. Commun. 164, 448 (2004)]. The computations found decreasing growth rates for the instability that drives the oscillations, but they were ultimately limited from achieving experimentally relevant parameters due to computational practicalities. Nonetheless, this effort provided valuable lessons for integrated simulation of macroscopic plasma dynamics. It also motivated an investigation of the applicability of fluid-based modeling to the ion temperature gradient instability, leading to the journal publication [Schnack, Cheng, Barnes, and Parker, Phys. Plasmas 20, 062106 (2013)]. Apart from the tokamak-specific topics, the TDTFS study also addressed topics in the basic physics of magnetized plasma and in the dynamics of the reversed-field pinch (RFP) configuration. The basic physics work contributed to a study of two-fluid effects on interchange dynamics, where "two-fluid" refers to modeling independent dynamics of electron and ion species without full kinetic effects. In collaboration with scientist Ping Zhu, who received separate support, it was found that the rule-of-thumb criteria on stabilizing interchange has caveats that depend on the plasma density and temperature profiles. This work was published in [Zhu, Schnack, Ebrahimi, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 085005 (2008)]. An investigation of general nonlinear relaxation with fluid models was partially supported by the TDTFS study and led to the publication [Khalzov, Ebrahimi, Schnack, and Mirnov, Phys. Plasmas 19, 012111 (2012)]. Work specific to the RFP included an investigation of interchange at large plasma pressure and support for applications [for example, Scheffel, Schnack, and Mirza, Nucl. Fusion 53, 113007 (2013)] of the DEBS code [Schnack, Barnes, Mikic, Harned, and Caramana, J. Comput. Phys. 70, 330 (1987)]. Finally, the principal investigator over most of the award period, Dalton Schnack, supervised a numerical study of modeling magnetic island suppression [Jenkins, Kruger, Hegna, Schnack, and Sovinec, Phys. Plasmas 17, 12502 (2010)].

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

On a Technique of Studying the Interface Kinetics and Anisotropy of Specific Interfacial Energy Based on Experiments on Migration of Liquid Cylindrical Inclusions in a Crystal under Stationary Thermal Conditions

A method for processing experimental data on the migration of liquid cylindrical inclusions in a crystal under a temperature gradient has been considered on the assumption that the experimental thermal conditions are stationary. Formulas are derived to calculate the degree of interfacial energy anisotropy and relative hindrance of the crystallization and dissolution processes at atomically smooth interface areas based on the shapes of cross sections of cylindrical inclusions migrated perpendicular to the close-packed crystal planes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Mathematical simulation of heat and mass transfer in a cylindrical channel versus the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient

The process of heat and mass transfer in a long cylindrical channel has been considered in terms of the mirror–diffuse model of the Maxwell boundary condition. The Hazen–Williams equation is used as a basic equation of the process kinetics. A constant temperature gradient is maintained in the channel. The heat and mass fluxes through the cross section of the channel versus the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient have been calculated in a wide range of the Knudsen number. The heat flux profiles have been constructed. A comparison with relevant published data has been carried out.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1954

Kinetic Study of Mass Transfer by Sodium Hydroxide in Nickel Under Free-convection Conditions /by Don R. Mosher and Robert A. Lad

An investigation was conducted using static capsules fabricated from "L" nickel tubing to determine the effect of temperature level, temperature gradient, and test duration on corrosion and mass transfer by molten sodium hydroxide under free-convection conditions. A base temperature range from 1000 degrees to 1600 degrees F with temperature differences to 500 degrees was studied. The rate of mass transfer was found to be strongly dependent on both temperature level and gradient. The rate shows little tendency to decrease for test durations up to 200 hours, although the concentration of nickel in the melt approaches a limited value after 100 hours.

MATERIALS, PROPERTIES - CORROSION RESISTANCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effect of graphite properties in thermal analysis of CHTR: A parametric study

Compact High Temperature Reactor (CHTR) is a {sup 233}U-Thorium fuelled, lead-bismuth cooled reactor. The CHTR core mainly consists of graphite and beryllium oxide (BeO). The CHTR core consists of nineteen prismatic beryllium oxide (BeO) moderator blocks. These 19 blocks contain centrally located graphite fuel tubes. The BeO moderator blocks are surrounded by reflector blocks (partially graphite and partially BeO). The nuclear heat from the core is removed passively by natural circulation of the coolant between top and bottom plenums, upward through the fuel tubes and returning through the downcomer tubes at the periphery. The temperature gradient in fuel tubes, downcomer tubes and BeO is very high and therefore, to take care of the differential thermal expansion, gaps are provided in the core between the tubes and other core components. These gaps affect the heat transfer through the core in radial direction. In addition, there is a large variation in thermal properties of graphite which in turn affects the thermal behaviour of the core in various operating conditions. The fuel of CHTR is TRISO coated particle fuel. These particles are packed in with graphite powder as matrix and made into cylindrical compacts these compacts are packed in the bores of fuel tube. In this study, the effect of the thermal conductivity variation of the graphite on the temperature distribution of the core and density variation of the matrix graphite material in fuel compact on the maximum fuel kernel temperature is studied along with the overall role of graphite properties variation in heat transfer.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ni-Mn-Ga shape memory nanoactuation

To probe finite size effects in ferromagnetic shape memory nanoactuators, double-beam structures with minimum dimensions down to 100 nm are designed, fabricated, and characterized in-situ in a scanning electron microscope with respect to their coupled thermo-elastic and electro-thermal properties. Electrical resistance and mechanical beam bending tests demonstrate a reversible thermal shape memory effect down to 100 nm. Electro-thermal actuation involves large temperature gradients along the nanobeam in the order of 100 K/μm. We discuss the influence of surface and twin boundary energies and explain why free-standing nanoactuators behave differently compared to constrained geometries like films and nanocrystalline shape memory alloys.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Thermal creation of electron spin polarization in n-type silicon

Conversion of heat into a spin-current in electron doped silicon can offer a promising path for spin-caloritronics. Here, we create an electron spin polarization in the conduction band of n-type silicon by producing a temperature gradient across a ferromagnetic tunnel contact. The substrate heating experiments induce a large spin signal of 95 μV, corresponding to 0.54 meV spin-splitting in the conduction band of n-type silicon by Seebeck spin tunneling mechanism. The thermal origin of the spin injection has been confirmed by the quadratic scaling of the spin signal with the Joule heating current and linear dependence with the heating power.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Drift effects on electromagnetic geodesic acoustic modes

A two fluid model with parallel viscosity is employed to derive the dispersion relation for electromagnetic geodesic acoustic modes (GAMs) in the presence of drift (diamagnetic) effects. Concerning the influence of the electron dynamics on the high frequency GAM, it is shown that the frequency of the electromagnetic GAM is independent of the equilibrium parallel current but, in contrast with purely electrostatic GAMs, significantly depends on the electron temperature gradient. The electromagnetic GAM may explain the discrepancy between the f ∼ 40 kHz oscillation observed in tokamak TCABR [Yu. K. Kuznetsov et al., Nucl. Fusion 52, 063044 (2012)] and the former prediction for the electrostatic GAM frequency. The radial wave length associated with this oscillation, estimated presently from this analytical model, is λ{sub r} ∼ 25 cm, i.e., an order of magnitude higher than the usual value for zonal flows (ZFs)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Unsteady laminar flow with convective heat transfer through a rotating curved square duct with small curvature

Unsteady laminar flow with convective heat transfer through a curved square duct rotating at a constant angular velocity about the center of curvature is investigated numerically by using a spectral method, and covering a wide range of the Taylor number −300≤Tr≤1000 for the Dean number Dn = 1000. A temperature difference is applied across the vertical sidewalls for the Grashof number Gr = 100, where the outer wall is heated and the inner wall cooled, the top and bottom walls being adiabatic. Flow characteristics are investigated with the effects of rotational parameter, Tr, and the pressure-driven parameter, Dn, for the constant curvature 0.001. Time evolution calculations as well as their phase spaces show that the unsteady flow undergoes through various flow instabilities in the scenario ‘multi-periodic → chaotic → steady-state → periodic → multi-periodic → chaotic’, if Tr is increased in the positive direction. For negative rotation, however, time evolution calculations show that the flow undergoes in the scenario ‘multi-periodic → periodic → steady-state’, if Tr is increased in the negative direction. Typical contours of secondary flow patterns and temperature profiles are obtained at several values of Tr, and it is found that the unsteady flow consists of two- to six-vortex solutions if the duct rotation is involved. External heating is shown to generate a significant temperature gradient at the outer wall of the duct. This study also shows that there is a strong interaction between the heating-induced buoyancy force and the centrifugal-Coriolis instability in the curved channel that stimulates fluid mixing and consequently enhances heat transfer in the fluid.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

SOLAR ATMOSPHERIC MAGNETIC ENERGY COUPLING: BROAD PLASMA CONDITIONS AND SPECTRUM REGIMES

Solar variability investigations that include magnetic energy coupling are paramount to solving many key solar/stellar physics problems, particularly for understanding the temporal variability of magnetic energy redistribution and heating processes. Using three years of observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory ’ s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly and Heliosemic Magnetic Imager, we measured radiative and magnetic fluxes from gross features and at full-disk scales, respectively. Magnetic energy coupling analyses support radiative flux descriptions via the plasma heating connectivity of dominant (magnetic) and diffuse components, specifically of the predominantly closed-field corona. Our work shows that this relationship favors an energetic redistribution efficiency across large temperature gradients, and potentially sheds light on the long-standing issue of diffuse unresolved low corona emission. The close connection between magnetic energy redistribution and plasma conditions revealed by this work lends significant insight into the field of stellar physics, as we have provided possible means for probing distant sources in currently limited and/or undetectable radiation distributions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

GLOBAL AND LOCAL CUTOFF FREQUENCIES FOR TRANSVERSE WAVES PROPAGATING ALONG SOLAR MAGNETIC FLUX TUBES

It is a well-established result that the propagation of linear transverse waves along a thin but isothermal magnetic flux tube is affected by the existence of the global cutoff frequency, which separates the propagating and non-propagating waves. In this paper, the wave propagation along a thin and non-isothermal flux tube is considered and a local cutoff frequency is derived. The effects of different temperature profiles on this local cutoff frequency are studied by considering different power-law temperature distributions, as well as the semi-empirical VAL C model of the solar atmosphere. The obtained results show that the conditions for wave propagation strongly depend on the temperature gradients. Moreover, the local cutoff frequency calculated for the VAL C model gives constraints on the range of wave frequencies that are propagating in different parts of the solar atmosphere. These theoretically predicted constraints are compared to observational data and are used to discuss the role played by transverse tube waves in the atmospheric heating and dynamics, and in the excitation of solar atmospheric oscillations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Study of thermosiphon cooling scheme for the production solenoid of the Mu2e experiment at Fermilab

A thermosiphon cooling scheme is envisioned for the Production Solenoid of the Mu2e experiment at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The thermosiphon cooling is achieved by indirect cooling with helium at 4.7 K. The siphon tubes are welded to the solenoid outer structure. The anticipated heat loads in the solenoid is presented as well as the cooling scheme design. A thermal model using ANSYS to simulate the temperature gradient is presented. The thermal analysis also makes provisions for including the heat load generated in the coils and structures by the secondary radiation simulated using the MARS 15 code. The impact of the heat loads from supports on the solenoid cooling is studied. The thermosiphon cooling scheme is also validated using pertinent correlations to study flow reversals and the cooling regime.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

ATCA survey of ammonia in the galactic center: The temperatures of dense gas clumps between Sgr A* and Sgr B2

We present a large-scale, interferometric survey of ammonia (1, 1) and (2, 2) toward the Galactic center observed with the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The survey covers Δℓ ∼ 1° (∼150 pc at an assumed distance of 8.5 kpc) and Δb ∼ 0.°2 (∼30 pc) which spans the region between the supermassive black hole Sgr A* and the massive star forming region Sgr B2. The resolution is ∼20'' (∼0.8 pc) and emission at scales ≳ 2' (≳ 3.2 pc) is filtered out due to missing interferometric short spacings. Consequently, the data represent the denser, compact clouds and disregards the large-scale, diffuse gas. Many of the clumps align with the 100 pc dust ring and mostly anti-correlate with 1.2 cm continuum emission. We present a kinetic temperature map of the dense gas. The temperature distribution peaks at ∼38 K with a width at half maximum between 18 K and 61 K (measurements sensitive within T {sub kin} ∼ 10-80 K). Larger clumps are on average warmer than smaller clumps which suggests internal heating sources. Our observations indicate that the circumnuclear disk ∼1.5 pc around Sgr A* is supplied with gas from the 20 km s{sup –1} molecular cloud. This gas is substantially cooler than gas ∼3-15 pc away from Sgr A*. We find a strong temperature gradient across Sgr B2. Ammonia column densities correlate well with SCUBA 850 μm fluxes, but the relation is shifted from the origin, which may indicate a requirement for a minimum amount of dust to form and shield ammonia. Around the Arches and Quintuplet clusters we find shell morphologies with UV-influenced gas in their centers, followed by ammonia and radio continuum layers.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Radiation effects on bifurcation and dual solutions in transient natural convection in a horizontal annulus

Transitions and bifurcations of transient natural convection in a horizontal annulus with radiatively participating medium are numerically investigated using the coupled lattice Boltzmann and direct collocation meshless (LB-DCM) method. As a hybrid approach based on a common multi-scale Boltzmann-type model, the LB-DCM scheme is easy to implement and has an excellent flexibility in dealing with the irregular geometries. Separate particle distribution functions in the LBM are used to calculate the density field, the velocity field and the thermal field. In the radiatively participating medium, the contribution of thermal radiation to natural convection must be taken into account, and it is considered as a radiative term in the energy equation that is solved by the meshless method with moving least-squares (MLS) approximation. The occurrence of various instabilities and bifurcative phenomena is analyzed for different Rayleigh number Ra and Prandtl number Pr with and without radiation. Then, bifurcation diagrams and dual solutions are presented for relevant radiative parameters, such as convection-radiation parameter Rc and optical thickness τ. Numerical results show that the presence of volumetric radiation changes the static temperature gradient of the fluid, and generally results in an increase in the flow critical value. Besides, the existence and development of dual solutions of transient convection in the presence of radiation are greatly affected by radiative parameters. Finally, the advantage of LB-DCM combination is discussed, and the potential benefits of applying the LB-DCM method to multi-field coupling problems are demonstrated.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Spark Plasma Extrusion and the Thermal Barrier Concept

Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is currently a major powder consolidation process with many advantages; however, it is still largely limited to the processing of simple shapes such as discs due to its geometric restrictions. Alternatively, spark plasma extrusion (SPE) is a recently developed process that has superiority over SPS in terms of faster consolidation, generating products of extended geometries and potential grain refinement capabilities under applied current. So far, work on SPE has resulted in large temperature gradients within the extruding material with microstructural and properties in-homogeneities. The present paper reports on a novel approach (thermal barrier concept) that allows the SPE of materials with enhanced uniformity in terms of microstructures and properties. Both aluminum and aluminum-carbon nanotube composites have been successfully processed using this new approach.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Penetration and scattering of lower hybrid waves by density fluctuations

Lower Hybrid [LH] ray propagation in toroidal plasma is controlled by a combination of the azimuthal spectrum launched from the antenna, the poloidal variation of the magnetic field, and the scattering of the waves by the density fluctuations. The width of the poloidal and radial RF wave spectrum increases rapidly as the rays penetrate into higher density and scatter from the turbulence. The electron temperature gradient [ETG] spectrum is particularly effective in scattering the LH waves due to its comparable wavelengths and parallel phase velocities. ETG turbulence is also driven by the radial gradient of the electron current density giving rise to an anomalous viscosity spreading the LH-driven plasma currents. The scattered LH spectrum is derived from a Fokker-Planck equation for the distribution of the ray trajectories with a diffusivity proportional to the fluctuations. The LH ray diffusivity is large giving transport in the poloidal and radial wavenumber spectrum in one - or a few passes - of the rays through the core plasma.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗