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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 973 records · Page 54

Embedded Systems Hardware Integration and Code Development for Maraia Capsule and E-MIST

The cost of sending large spacecraft to orbit makes them undesirable for carrying out smaller scientific missions. Small spacecraft are more economical and can be tailored for missions where specific tasks need to be carried out, the Maraia capsule is such a spacecraft. Maraia will allow for samples of experiments conducted on the International Space Station to be returned to earth. The use of balloons to conduct experiments at the edge of space is a practical approach to reducing the large expense of using rockets. E-MIST is a payload designed to fly on a high altitude balloon. It can maintain science experiments in a controlled manner at the edge of space. The work covered here entails the integration of hardware onto each of the mentioned systems and the code associated with such work. In particular, the resistance temperature detector, pressure transducers, cameras, and thrusters for Maraia are discussed. The integration of the resistance temperature detectors and motor controllers to E-MIST is described. Several issues associated with sensor accuracy, code lock-up, and in-flight reset issues are mentioned. The solutions and proposed solutions to these issues are explained.

capsule↗

Magnetization reversal in magnetic dot arrays: Nearest-neighbor interactions and global configurational anisotropy

Various proposals for future magnetic memories, data processing devices, and sensors rely on a precise control of the magnetization ground state and magnetization reversal process in periodically patterned media. In finite dot arrays, such control is hampered by the magnetostatic interactions between the nanomagnets, leading to the non-uniform magnetization state distributions throughout the sample while reversing. In this paper, we evidence how during reversal typical geometric arrangements of dots in an identical magnetization state appear that originate in the dominance of either Global Configurational Anisotropy or Nearest-Neighbor Magnetostatic interactions, which depends on the fields at which the magnetization reversal sets in. Based on our findings, we propose design rules to obtain the uniform magnetization state distributions throughout the array, and also suggest future research directions to achieve non-uniform state distributions of interest, e.g., when aiming at guiding spin wave edge-modes through dot arrays. Our insights are based on the Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect and Magnetic Force Microscopy measurements as well as the extensive micromagnetic simulations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Analysis of first order reversal curves in the thermal hysteresis of spin-crossover nanoparticles within the mechanoelastic model

The recently obtained spin-crossover nanoparticles are possible candidates for applications in the recording media industry as materials for data storage, or as pressure and temperature sensors. For these applications, the intermolecular interactions and interactions between spin-crossover nanoparticles are extremely important, as they may be essential factors in triggering the transition between the two stable phases: the high-spin and low-spin ones. In order to find correlations between the distributions in size and interactions and the transition temperatures distribution, we apply the FORC (First Order Reversal Curves) method, using simulations based on a mechanoelastic model applied to 2D triangular lattices composed of molecules linked by springs and embedded in a surfactant. We consider two Gaussian distributions: one is the size of the nanoparticles and another is the elastic interactions between edge spin-crossover molecules and the surfactant molecules. In order to disentangle the kinetic and non-kinetic parts of the FORC distributions, we compare the results obtained for different temperature sweeping rates. We also show that the presence of few larger particles in a distribution centered around much smaller particles dramatically increases the hysteresis width.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Profile Images and Annotations for Vehicle Re-identification Algorithms (PRIMAVERA)

This dataset contains 636,246 profile images of vehicles representing 13,963 unique vehicles. The data was collected by a set of roadside sensors over the course of three years. Each time a vehicle passed by one of the sensors, a series of images was collected. The images were processed to detect and localize each vehicle, and a license plate reader collocated with the sensor was used to provide a unique ID for the vehicle. Actual license plate numbers have been obfuscated by replacing with an arbitrary numerical ID for each vehicle. After localizing the vehicle in each image, the original RGB image was rotated, scaled, and shifted to produce a new RGB image of size 234x234 pixels such that the outermost two wheels are located at predetermined pixel locations in the image. In this way, all vehicle images are aligned to one another. This registration process occasionally results in a portion of certain vehicles being cutoff at the edges of the image. The dataset has been partitioned into two sets called training and validation. The two partitions no common vehicles, i.e., a vehicle present in one partition is guaranteed not to be present in the other. In this way, an algorithm can be validated against a set of new vehicles that were not seen during the training process. The training set contains 543,926 images from 64,440 vehicle passes representing 11,918 unique vehicles, while the validation set contains 92,320 images from 10,991 vehicle passes representing 2,045 unique vehicles. Vehicle images are organized by directories corresponding to unique vehicles. The file naming scheme is as follows: veh_{vehID}_tr_{passID}_{frameID}_{elevation}_{timeofday}.jpg where {vehID} is the vehicle ID (unique across the entire dataset), {passID} is an identifier for each tracked vehicle pass (unique across the entire dataset), {frameID} is the index of the frame within the given vehicle pass starting at 0, {elevation} is a two-letter string indicating whether the sensor was elevated (el) or at ground-level (gl), and {timeofday} is a two-letter string indicating whether the image was captured during daytime (dt) or nighttime (nt).

image↗

Ultrafast time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy of ferrioxalate photolysis with a laser plasma X-ray source and microcalorimeter array

The detailed pathways of photoactivity on ultrafast time scales are a topic of contemporary interest. Using a tabletop apparatus based on a laser plasma X-ray source and an array of cryogenic microcalorimeter X-ray detectors, we measured a transient X-ray absorption spectrum during the ferrioxalate photoreduction reaction. With these high-efficiency detectors, we observe the Fe K edge move to lower energies and the amplitude of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure reduce, consistent with a photoreduction mechanism in which electron transfer precedes disassociation. We provide quantitative limits on the Fe–O bond length change. Lastly, we review potential improvements to our measurement technique, highlighting the future potential of tabletop X-ray science using microcalorimeter sensors.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Robust Real-Time Modeling of Distribution Systems with Data-Driven Grid-Wise Observability (Final Technical Report)

The overall objective of this project is to leverage existing and emerging sensor measurements to develop data-driven observability enhancement algorithms as well as robust state estimation and parameter identification techniques to enable real-time grid-wise monitoring and modeling of loads and distributed energy resources (DERs). The project resulted in a holistic framework with the following key components: 1) data-driven and machine learning-based grid-edge visibility enhancement, 2) robust branch-current-based state estimation (BCSE), and 3) robust real-time steady-state and dynamic-state modeling of loads and DERs. The research outcomes have provided utility companies better network visibility, higher-fidelity load/DER models, and more accurate assessment of DERs’ impacts, thus, facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources. The synergistic collaborative project among Iowa State University (ISU), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Electric Power Research Center (EPRC), SIEMENS Industry, Alliant Energy, Cedar Falls Utilities (CFU), and Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) to leverage the team’s extensive expertise and experience in power distribution systems, state estimation, online modeling and identification, and DER integrations. The proposed frameworks have been verified with industry adopted software and attempted integrated with existing tool wherever possible

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Analysis of Pulsed Airborne Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric CO2 Column Absorption from 3-13 km Altitudes

We have developed a pulsed lidar technique for measuring the tropospheric CO2 concentrations as a candidate for NASA's ASCENDS space mission [1]. It uses two pulsed laser transmitters allowing simultaneous measurement of a CO2 absorption line in the 1575 nm band, O2 extinction in the Oxygen A-band, surface height and backscatter profile. The lasers are precisely stepped in wavelength across the CO2 line and an O2 line region during the measurement. The direct detection receiver measures the energies of the laser echoes from the surface along with the range profile of scattering in the path. The column densities for the CO2 and O2 gases are estimated from the ratio of the on- and off-line signals via the integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) technique. The time of flight of the laser pulses is used to estimate the height of the scattering surface and to reject laser photons scattered in the atmosphere. We developed an airborne lidar to demonstrate an early version of the CO2 measurement from the NASA Glenn Lear-25 aircraft. The airborne lidar stepped the pulsed laser's wavelength across the selected CO2 line with 20 wavelength steps per scan. The line scan rate is 450 Hz, the laser pulse widths are 1 usec, and laser pulse energy is 24 uJ. The time resolved laser backscatter is collected by a 20 cm telescope, detected by a NIR photomultiplier and is recorded on every other reading by a photon counting system [2]. During August 2009 we made a series of 2.5 hour long flights and measured the atmospheric CO2 absorption and line shapes using the 1572.33 nm CO2 line. Measurements were made at stepped altitudes from 3-13 km over locations in the US, including the SGP ARM site in Oklahoma, central Illinois, north-eastern North Carolina, and over the Chesapeake Bay and the eastern shore of Virginia. Although the received signal energies were weaker than expected for ASCENDS, clear CO2 line shapes were observed at all altitudes, and some measurements were made through thin clouds. The Oklahoma and east coast flights were coordinated with a LaRC/ITT CO2 lidar on the LaRC UC-12 aircraft, and in-situ measurements were made using its CO2 sensor and radiosondes. We have conducted an analysis of the ranging and IPDA lidar measurements from these four flights. Most flights had 5-6 altitude steps with 200-300 seconds of recorded measurements per step. We used a cross-correlation approach to process the laser echo records. This was used to estimate the range to the scattering surface, to define the edges of the laser pulses and to determine echo pulse energy at each wavelength. We used a minimum mean square approach to fit an instrument response function and to solve for the best-fit CO2 absorption line shape. We then calculated the differential optical depth (DOD) of the fitted CO2 line. We computed its statistics at the various altitude steps, and compare them to the DODs calculated from spectroscopy based on HITRAN 2008 and the column conditions calculated from the airborne in-situ readings. The results show the lidar and in-situ measurements have very similar DOD change with altitude and greater than 10 segments per flight where the scatter in the lidar measurements are less than or equal to 1ppm. We also present the results from subsequent CO2 column absorption measurements, which were made with stronger detected signals during three flights on the NASA DC-8 over the southwestern US in during July 2010.

Abshire, James B.↗

AMELIA CESTOL Test: Acoustic Characteristics of Circulation Control Wing with Leading-and Trailing-Edge Slot Blowing

Aeroacoustic measurements of the 11 % scale full-span AMELIA CESTOL model with leading- and trailing-edge slot blowing circulation control (CCW) wing were obtained during a recent test in the Arnold Engineering Development Center 40- by 80-Ft. Wind Tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center, Sound levels and spectra were acquired with seven in-flow microphones and a 48-element phased microphone array for a variety of vehicle configurations, CCW slot flow rates, and forward speeds, Corrections to the measurements and processing are in progress, however the data from selected configurations presented in this report confirm good measurement quality and dynamic range over the test conditions, Array beamform maps at 40 kts tunnel speed show that the trailing edge flap source is dominant for most frequencies at flap angles of 0deg and 60deg, The overall sound level for the 60deg flap was similar to the 0deg flap for most slot blowing rates forward of 90deg incidence, but was louder by up to 6 dB for downstream angles, At 100 kts, the in-flow microphone levels were louder than the sensor self-noise for the higher blowing rates, while passive and active background noise suppression methods for the microphone array revealed source levels as much as 20 dB lower than observed with the in-flow microphones,

Horne, Clifton↗

Development of Multi-Edge Slant Target for Unlocalized MTF Measurement of Airborne Imaging System Payloads

Calibration of imaging instruments is a critical step in effectively characterizing imaging data. A comprehensive characterization of an imaging system provides valuable insight into the overall uncertainties in the results derived from the raw data collected. The Scientifically Calibrated In-Flight Imagery (SCIFLI) team (based at NASA Langley Research Center) has designed, built, tested, and successfully flown the optical payload known as the SCIFLI Airborne Multispectral Imager (SAMI). SAMI is a multispectral imaging payload, complete with sensor configurations for the Ultraviolet-Visible spectrum as well as Near- Infrared, Shortwave Infrared, and Midwave Infrared bands and is fitted with various optical hardware designed to turn, split, and focus light beams to the respective in-band sensors. Radiometric calibrations are performed for SAMI such that the accuracy and uncertainty of thermal and spectral measurements are effectively characterized. However, SAMI does not regularly undergo spatial characterizations to evaluate the performance of the imager at high spatial frequencies. This is essential, as understanding the spatial sensor response of discrete sensors is just as important as the spectral sensor response. The payload currently utilizes a calibration cart for lab testing. Equipped with a modular setup and several radiation sources, it is perfect for performing high-quality radiometric calibrations. This work focuses on using the calibration cart to perform spatial calibrations. A custom designed calibration target is being used to evaluate the optical performance of SAMI. Specifically, the target is designed to measure the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of the imager in discrete locations around the focal plane. The results of this characterization will provide insight into the spatial resolution capabilities of the SAMI payload in practice. Future work includes using the results of the study to correct optical imperfections in imagery taken with SAMI.

SAMI↗

Study of optical and structural properties of CdSe quantum dot embedded in PVA polymer matrix

To enhance the properties and applicability of devices it is essential to incorporate semiconductor nanoparticles into polymer matrix. This introduces a new branch of science which includes device fabrications such as gas sensors, nonlinear optics, catalysis etc. Herein, we have synthesized CdSe/PVA nanocomposite (NC) material using wet chemical synthesis technique. The XRD studies revealed the formation of crystalline structure of CdSe nanoparticles (NP’s) and PVA NC’s with an average size of 100 nm and 5 nm respectively. Energy band gap is determined using UV-VIS Spectroscopy. A red shift in the absorption edge of CdSe/PVA NC is observed with respect to CdSe Np’s, The photoluminescence spectra also show red shift for CdSe/PVA NC as compared to CdSe NP’s Thus the use of CdSe/PVA for solar cell application would be more preferable than CdSe NP’s.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Basic Research Needs for Microelectronics

Since the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958, advances in microelectronics have followed Moore’s law and other scaling laws. These have led to over a billion-fold increase in the number of transistors on a chip. The Department of Energy’s Office of Science (DOE-SC) programs have always been at the cutting edge of microelectronics, making major contributions to the scientific understanding, materials, and advanced instrumentation that enabled innovations to promote scaling. This has driven transformative advances in microelectronics for the challenging demands of DOE’s high performance computing and science facilities. Now, strong evidence exists that scaling is approaching its physical and economic limits, and yet, the growth of data-centric computing and sensor networks is redefining computing workloads and microelectronics needs. In addition, greatly improved microelectronics are needed for the nation’s electricity grid if it is to be energy-efficient, resilient to natural phenomena and intentional attack, and agile in adapting to fluctuations in demand and power generation. Sustained and rapid progress in microelectronics science and technology from millivolt to megavolt scales is thus essential if we are to continue pushing the boundaries of science within DOE, and more significantly, to continue to lead the global information and power technology revolution. In October 2018, DOE-SC convened a workshop to address Basic Research Needs for Microelectronics by a “co-design” approach. Participants focused on scientific issues associated with advanced microelectronics technologies for applications relevant to the DOE mission, including computing, power grid management, and science facility workloads. (Topics of direct relevance to quantum information science and quantum computing were outside the scope of this workshop.) The workshop was organized around microelectronics needs for three areas: 1) future DOE-SC facilities, 2) high performance computing beyond exascale (a billion billion calculations per second), and 3) power control, conversion, and detection for a modernized electrical grid and related high power applications. Panels were formed around each of these areas, with a fourth panel formed to address Crosscutting Research. Workshop participants were asked to focus on a co-design innovation ecosystem in which materials, chemistries, devices, systems, architectures, algorithms, and software are researched and developed in a closely integrated fashion, with feedback and interdisciplinary collaboration at each interface in this microelectronics technology hierarchy. The panels identified the five Priority Research Directions on the following page.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Effects of temperature-dependent molecular absorption coefficients on the thermal infrared remote sensing of the earth surface

The effect of temperature-dependent molecular absorption coefficients on thermal infrared spectral signatures measured from satellite sensors is investigated by comparing results from the atmospheric transmission and radiance codes LOWTRAN and MODTRAN and the accurate multiple scattering radiative transfer model ATRAD for different atmospheric profiles. The sensors considered include the operational NOAA AVHRR and two research instruments planned for NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS): MODIS-N (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer-Nadir-Mode) and ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer). The difference in band transmittance is as large as 6 percent for some thermal bands within atmospheric windows and more than 30 percent near the edges of these atmospheric windows. The effect of temperature-dependent molecular absorption coefficients on satellite measurements of sea-surface temperature can exceed 0.6 K. Quantitative comparison and factor analysis indicate that more accurate measurements of molecular absorption coefficients and better radiative transfer simulation methods are needed to achieve SST accuracy of 0.3 K, as required for global numerical models of climate, and to develop land-surface temperature algorithms at the 1-K accuracy level.

Wan, Zhengming↗

Functional Flight Test Report for Positive Systems' ADAR System 5500 Sensor SN8 Linear

This report describes results of the functional flight test conducted with the Positive Systems' ADAR 5500 sensor system (serial number 8, linear configuration) near Winslow, Arizona on June 30 and July 1, 1999. The in-flight test is one component of the NASA Scientific Data Purchase (SDP) Validation and Verification (V&V) process. It allows to measure characteristics of the entire sensor system affected by both performance of the sensor during a flight and post-flight image processing. The following characteristics were analyzed: changes of dark digital numbers (DN's), radiometric linearity, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), spatial resolution, and geolocation accuracy. The measured characteristics were compared with the image product specifications defined in the Positive Systems' SDP contract. Dependence of the dark DN's on several factors was analyzed, but no significant correlation was found. However, the observed changes in dark DN's were relatively small, which justifies usage of a constant value in the dark DN subtraction procedure during post-processing. Dependence of measured at-sensor, in-band radiance (in arbitrary units) on measured in-band ground reflectance is very well described by a linear function - The sensor fulfills the linearity requirement. Measured SNR values lower than the contract specifications, but accuracy of that test was possibly affected by non-uniformity of the employed gray-scale panels. The SNR values are generally sufficiently high for most applications. SNR can also be improved during standard flights by using longer exposure times. Full width at half maximum (FWHM) of an edge response derived line spread function was used as a measure of spatial resolution. FWHM was generally smaller than twice the ground sample distance (GSD), in agreement with the contract specifications. Accuracy of the geolocation information, which is provided for the particular images in a metadata file, was found to meet contract requirements as well.

Stanley, Tom↗

Thermoelectric Devices Cool, Power Electronics

Nextreme Thermal Solutions Inc., based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, licensed thermoelectric technology from NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This has allowed the company to develop cutting edge, thin-film thermoelectric coolers that effective remove heat generated by increasingly powerful and tightly packed microchip components. These solid-state coolers are ideal solutions for applications like microprocessors, laser diodes, LEDs, and even potentially for cooling the human body. Nextreme s NASA technology has also enabled the invention of thermoelectric generators capable of powering technologies like medical implants and wireless sensor networks.

Source record↗

An x-ray absorption spectroscopic study of the electronic structure and bonding of rare-earth orthoferrites

Rare-earth orthoferrites, REFeO{sub 3} (RE=rare earth; Y), are tremendously adaptable compounds that are being investigated for use in a wide variety of applications including gas sensors, vehicle catalytic converters, and solid-oxide fuel cells. They also exhibit interesting magnetic properties such as high-temperature antiferromagnetism, making them useful for data storage applications. The compounds adopt a distorted perovskite-type structure where the tilt angle of the octahedra increases (Fe-O-Fe bond angle decreases) as the size of the rare-earth atom decreases. Despite intensive study of the physical properties of these compounds, very few studies have investigated how the bonding and electronic structure of these systems change with substitution of the RE. X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) is a technique well-suited for such a study, and, in view of this, Fe L-, Fe K- and O K-edge spectra from a series of REFeO{sub 3} compounds (RE=La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Ho, Yb, Y) have been collected, and are presented here. Fe L-edge spectra show that Fe is octahedrally coordinated and that the Fe-centered octahedra do not appear to distort with changes in the identity of the RE. The Fe K-edge spectra contain an intersite hybrid peak, which is an ill-studied feature that is attributed to non-local transitions of 1s electrons to 3d states on the next-nearest-neighbor atom that are hybridized with 4p states on the absorbing atom through O 2p states. In this study, it is shown that the intensity of this feature is strongly dependent on the Fe-O-Fe bond angle; the lower the Fe-O-Fe bond angle, the less intense the intersite hybrid peak is.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Identification of multiple eigenmode growth rates in DIII-D and EAST tokamak plasmas

Here, the successful application of three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) spectroscopy in the stable DIII-D and EAST plasmas enables to directly extract the multi-mode plasma transfer function in tokamak experiments. The transfer function not only reveals the contribution of each dominant MHD eigenmode in the multi-model plasma response, but also quantifies the corresponding eigenvalue which is the critical stability index of MHD mode. The method performs the active detection of stable plasma by utilizing the upper and lower rows of internal coils to scan the frequency and poloidal spectrum of the applied 3D field, and reconstructing the multi-mode transfer functions model through the least square fitting of the plasma response measured by 3D-field magnetic sensors distributed at different poloidal locations. The results point to the potential development of an advanced strategy for tracking the plasma stability based on the extracted eigenvalues of stable modes. The improved understanding of the dominant eigenmodes' behavior in multi-mode plasma response through transfer function can also help to optimize the applied 3D fields for the purposes, such as the type-I edge localized mode suppression and the core stability control in future fusion reactors.

3D MHD spectroscopy↗

Prospects of federated machine learning in fluid dynamics

Physics-based models have been mainstream in fluid dynamics for developing predictive models. In recent years, machine learning has offered a renaissance to the fluid community due to the rapid developments in data science, processing units, neural network based technologies, and sensor adaptations. So far in many applications in fluid dynamics, machine learning approaches have been mostly focused on a standard process that requires centralizing the training data on a designated machine or in a data center. In this article, we present a federated machine learning approach that enables localized clients to collaboratively learn an aggregated and shared predictive model while keeping all the training data on each edge device. We demonstrate the feasibility and prospects of such a decentralized learning approach with an effort to forge a deep learning surrogate model for reconstructing spatiotemporal fields. Our results indicate that federated machine learning might be a viable tool for designing highly accurate predictive decentralized digital twins relevant to fluid dynamics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Experimental Study of the Structure of a Wingtip Vortex

A complete look at the near-field development and subsequent role-up of a wingtip vortex from a NACA 0015 wing section is investigated. Two separate but equally important surveys of the vortex structure in the region adjacent to the wingtip and approximately one chord length downstream of the trailing edge are performed. The two surveys provide qualitative flow-visualization an quantitative velocity measurement data. The near-field development and subsequent role-up of the vortex structures is strongly influenced by the angle-of-attack and the end-cap treatment of the wing section. The velocity field near the wingtip of the NACA 0015 wing section was measured with a triple-sensor hot wire probe and compared to flow visualization images produced with titanium tetrachloride smoke injection and laser illumination. The flat end-cap results indicate the formation of multiple, relatively strong vortex structures as opposed to the formation of a single vortex produced with the round end-cap. The multiple vortices generated by the flat end-cap are seen to rotate around a common ce te in a helical pattern until they eventually merge into a single vortex. Compared to a non-dimensional loading parameter, the results of the velocity and flow visualization data shows a "jetlike" axial velocity profile for loading parameter values on the order of 0.1 and a "wakelike" profile for much lower loading parameter values.

Anderson, Elgin A.↗