Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Neon”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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

At least 991 records · Page 55
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

A dark-matter search using the final CDMS II dataset and a novel detector of surface radiocontamination

Substantial evidence from galaxies, galaxy clusters, and cosmological scales suggests that ~85% of the matter of our universe is invisible. The missing matter, or "dark matter" is likely composed of non-relativistic, non-baryonic particles, which have very rare interactions with baryonic matter and with one another. Among dark matter candidates, Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are particularly well motivated. In the early universe, thermally produced particles with weak-scale mass and interactions would `freeze out’ at the correct density to be dark matter today. Extensions to the Standard Model of particle physics, such as Supersymmetry, which solve gauge hierarchy and coupling unification problems, naturally provide such particles. Interactions of WIMPs with baryons are expected to be rare, but might be detectable in low-noise detectors. The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment uses ionization- and phonon- sensitive germanium particle detectors to search for such interactions. CDMS detectors are operated at the Soudan Underground Laboratory in Minnesota, within a shielded environment to lower cosmogenic and radioactive background. The combination of phonon and ionization signatures from the detectors provides excellent residual-background rejection. This dissertation presents improved techniques for phonon calibration of CDMS II detectors and the analysis of the final CDMS II dataset with 612 kg-days of exposure. We set a limit of 3.8x10$^{-}$44 cm$^{2}$ on WIMP-nucleon spin-independent scattering cross section for a WIMP mass of 70 GeV/c$^{2}$. At the time this analysis was published, these data presented the most stringent limits on WIMP scattering for WIMP masses over 42 GeV/c$^{2}$, ruling out previously unexplored parameter space. Next-generation rare-event searches such as SuperCDMS, COUPP, and CLEAN will be limited in sensitivity, unless they achieve stringent control of the surface radioactive contamination on their detectors. Low-penetrating radiation, such as alpha and beta particles, will mimic signal in these experiments. This dissertation also presents the design and prototyping of a novel detector for surface radiocontaminants, called the BetaCage --- a neon-gas time projection chamber built from radiopure materials and operated underground with shielding similar to CDMS II. The BetaCage will enable beta screening of materials at world-best sensitivity of 10$^{-5}$/cm$^{2}$/keV/day, providing a valuable tool to the physics community.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2017

Alternatives to argon for gas stopping volumes in the B194 neutron imager

In a recent experiment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the 40Ar(d,p)41Ar excitation function between 3-7 MeV was measured, confirming a previous estimation that there may be an intolerable radiation dose from 41Ar production by slowing to rest 6.74 MeV deuterons in the gas cell of the neutron imaging facility being constructed in B194. Gas alternatives to argon are considered, including helium, nitrogen (N2), neon, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), krypton, and xenon, as well as high atomic number solid backings such as tantalum.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2018

Tracking of Polycarbonate Films using Low-energy Ions Final Report CRADA No. TC-774-94

Ion tracking is performed almost exclusively using ions with energies near or above the maximum in electronic stopping. For the present study, we have examined the results of etching ion tracks created by ions bombarding polycarbonate films with energies corresponding to stopping well below the maximum and just above the anticipated threshold for creating etchable latent tracks. Low-energy neon and argon ions with 18-60 keV /amu and fluences of about 10 8 /cm 2 were used to examine the limits for producing etchable tracks in polycarbonate films. By concentrating on the early stages of etching (i.e., -20 nm < SEM hole diameter < -100 nm), we can directly relate the energy deposition calculated for the incident ion to the creation of etchable tracks. The experimental results will be discussed with regard to the energy losses of the ions in the polycarbonate films and to the formation of continuous latent tracks through the entire thickness the films. These results have significant implications with respect to the threshold for formation of etchable tracks and to the use of low-energy ions for lithographic applications.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

AGR-1 Irradiation Test Final As-Run Report

This document presents the as-run analysis of the AGR-1 irradiation experiment. AGR-1 is the first of eight planned irradiations for the Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR) Fuel Development and Qualification Program. Funding for this program is provided by the US Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the Next-Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) project. The objectives of the AGR-1 experiment are: 1. To gain experience with multi-capsule test train design, fabrication, and operation with the intent to reduce the probability of capsule or test train failure in subsequent irradiation tests. 2. To irradiate fuel produced in conjunction with the AGR fuel process development effort. 3. To provide data that will support the development of an understanding of the relationship between fuel fabrication processes, fuel product properties, and irradiation performance. In order to achieve the test objectives, the AGR-1 experiment was irradiated in the B-10 position of the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for a total duration of 620 effective full power days of irradiation. Irradiation began on December 24, 2006 and ended on November 6, 2009 spanning 13 ATR cycles and approximately three calendar years. The test contained six independently controlled and monitored capsules. Each capsule contained 12 compacts of a single type, or variant, of the AGR coated fuel. No fuel particles failed during the AGR-1 irradiation. Final burnup values on a per compact basis ranged from 11.5 to 19.6 %FIMA, while fast fluence values ranged from 2.21 to 4.39 x 10 25 n/m 2 (E >0.18 MeV). We’ll say something here about temperatures once thermal recalc is done. Thermocouples performed well, failing at a lower rate than expected. At the end of the irradiation, nine of the originally-planned 19 TCs were considered functional. Fission product release-to-birth (R/B) ratios were quite low. In most capsules, R/B values at the end of the irradiation were at or below 10 -7 with only one capsule significantly exceeding this value. A maximum R/B of around 2 x 10 -7 was reached at the end of the irradiation in Capsule 5. Several shakedown issues were encountered and resolved during the first three cycles. These include the repair of minor gas line leaks; repair of faulty gas line valves; the need to position moisture monitors in regions of low radiation fields for proper functioning; the enforcement of proper on-line data storage and backup, the need to monitor thermocouple performance, correcting for detector spectral gain shift, and a change in the mass flow rate range of the neon flow controllers.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2014

AGR-2 Daily As-run Thermal Analyses

This report documents the daily as-run thermal analyses performed on Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) experiment AGR-2 in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) for capsules 2,3,5, and 6. Capsule 1 (French) results are in Appendix F, while Capsule 4 (South African) results are in Appendix G. Appendix F, and G are separate documents Several fuel and material irradiation experiments, which support the development of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), are planned for the Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program. The goals of these experiments are to provide irradiation performance data to support fuel process development, to qualify fuel for normal operating conditions, to support development and validation of fuel performance and fission product transport models and codes, and to provide irradiated fuel and materials for post-irradiation examination (PIE) and safety testing. AGR-2 was the second in this series of planned experiments to test tristructural-isotropic (TRISO)-coated, low enriched uranium oxycarbide (LEUCO) fuel. The AGR-2 experiment was intended to serve as a follow-on to the AGR-1 experiment. The AGR-2 experiment is a high temperature fuel particle test. The test train planned for AGR-2 is based on the experience gained from previous irradiations in the ATR, using instrumented lead experiments. Instrumented lead experiments are used for irradiations requiring a controlled environment and monitored parameters. The experiment test train positions the fuel within the test location and contains sweep gas lines and thermocouple wiring that is routed through access ports to external support systems. The AGR-2 experiment is comprised of six individual capsules, approximately 1.375-in. in diameter by 6-in. long, stacked on top of each other to form the test train. Each capsule contains 12 fueled compacts that are approximately 0.5-in. in diameter by 1-in. long. The compacts are composed of fuel particles bound together by a carbon matrix. Each compact contains approximately 4,150 fissile particles (35 vol% particle packing fraction). Each capsule will be supplied with a flowing helium/neon gas mixture to control the test temperature and to sweep any fission gases that are released to the fission product monitoring system. Temperature control is accomplished by adjusting the gas mixture ratio of the two gases (helium and neon) with differing thermal conductivities. Many similarities exist between this thermal analysis for AGR-2 with the AGR-1 daily as-run report in [1]. Gas gaps were taken from as built drawings in Reference [2]. The finite element heat transfer code ABAQUS [3] was used to perform the thermal analysis. The AGR-2 experiment was placed in the B-12 position in the ATR core as shown in Figure 1. The AGR-2 experiment capsule assembly consists of six capsules axially stacked. Each capsule contains a graphite holder with three equally spaced fuel compact holder openings as shown in Figure 2. Each holder opening accommodates four axially stacked fuel compacts. Thus, each capsule has three stacks by four fuel compacts per stack for a total of 12 fuel compacts per capsule. So, within the entire AGR-2 experiment capsule assembly, there are six capsules by 12 fuel compacts per capsule for a total of 72 fuel compacts. Six finite element heat transfer models were created (one for each capsule), each with a corresponding gas gap.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Towards a Next Generation Search for Time-Reversal Violation Using Optically Addressable Nuclei in Cryogenic Solids (Final Technical Report, September 2018 - August 2023)

Certain rare pear-shaped nuclei have unmatched sensitivity to new kinds of forces between subatomic particles that are not the same when the arrow of time is reversed. Such forces are believed to be responsible for the near absence of antimatter in the observable Universe. These rare isotopes, some for the first time, will be produced in large numbers at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams currently under operating at Michigan State University providing an unprecedented opportunity to probe for new physics. In anticipation, we are using abundant isotopes to develop new techniques to manipulate nuclei embedded inside an optically transparent solid at cryogenic temperatures. Implantation into a solid, such as neon and argon, is potentially an effective way to both efficiently capture and repeatedly probe the small number of rare nuclei, such as radium and protactinium. An optically transparent host medium at cryogenic temperatures would allow for the laser manipulation of the nuclei in a thermally quiet and stable environment for a wide variety of guest species such as polar molecules. In such systems, the nuclei are exposed to extraordinarily large electric fields and magnetic field gradients, which significantly amplifies the measurability of certain time-reversal violating effects. The potential sensitivity of this new approach could be at least a few hundred times greater than the current leading experiment which uses stable mercury atoms. We report on the design considerations and preliminary performance of an instrument used to produce and implant molecules into a frozen argon solid.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Airborne LiDAR to Improve Canopy Fuels Mapping for Wildfire Modeling

Increasing conflict between wildfire and the built environment has increased the need for more up-to-date and finer resolution canopy fuels data to improve wildfire modeling and associated risk forecasts. The US Forest Service and US Department of the Interior’s LANDFIRE product, which provides 30-m resolution canopy fuels data for the entire US, is one of the most widely used sources of fuels data. However, the last complete mapping effort for LANDFIRE is based on 2016 conditions, and subsequent updates reflect disturbances 1-2 years behind the release year. Airborne systems equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors can be deployed to actively sense canopy structure and estimate canopy fuels data (cover, height, base height, bulk density) at finer resolutions. Canopy base height (CBH) and canopy bulk density (CBD) are difficult to measure both in the field and in LiDAR point clouds. Still, they are important for accurately modeling crown fires, which are often intense and difficult to contain. Additionally, point cloud datasets are large, and calculations require efficient utilization of computational resources. To address these challenges, we are working on an approach that uses openly available National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) airborne LiDAR data, with calculations processed in the R programming language and parallelized through the lidR package. CBH and CBD are often derived from tree height, diameter at breast height, and species-specific allometries using the Fire and Fuels Extension of the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FFE-FVS). We aim to test if airborne LiDAR can estimate CBH and CBD without the use of empirical equations. Reliable estimates of canopy fuels data directly from airborne LiDAR could streamline quick, fine-resolution updates for use in wildfire behavior models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Basic Physical Processes Involving Dust in Fusion Plasmas

This report presents the main outcomes of our research focused on understanding the behavior and effects of dust particles in fusion plasmas, particularly in the edge regions of tokamaks and stellarators. We conducted computer modeling studies of burst injections of carbon and tungsten dust particles in DIII-D like divertor plasmas. The studies investigated effects of transient influx of the low- and high-Z material plasma contaminants in form of dust on the edge plasma dynamics in a modern mid-size tokamak. We also performed theoretical and computational studies of the forces acting on non-spherical dust grains in magnetized and nonmagnetized plasmas. In addition, we cooperated with General Atomics slag management group on development of DIII-D dust injection experiments to measure trajectories of dust grains in the divertor plasma and compare them with DUSTT code predictions for validation of the dust modeling capabilities. We collaborated with JET experimentalists on evaluation of radiative losses induced by injection of mixed neon-deuterium ice pellets for disruption and run-away electron generation mitigation during thermal and current quench phases. We also cooperated with experimentalists at LHD fusion device (Japan) on modeling support of experiments on injection of boron granules in fusion plasma discharges to assess their dynamics and effectiveness for in situ dynamic wall conditioning.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Improved Fuel Particle and Compact Matrix Fission Product Release Prediction with Improved Mass Transfer Model

This study was motivated by the need to incorporate more physics-based mass transfer models in BISON in order to improve fuel particle and compact matrix fission product release prediction. This document details the integration of new modeling capabilities in BISON, including (1) development of sorption mass transfer models; improvement of thermal contact model by adding neon to the gas gap inventory, (3) implementation of PCEA and IG-110 graphite thermal models, (4) validation using Advanced Gas Reactor (AGR)-3/4 compact and capsule rings data. These new capabilities have been shown to enforce the desired physics with satisfactory accuracy. BISON’s predictions of fission product release of AGR-3/4 compacts compare favorably with PARFUME and the concentration profiles across capsule rings show reasonable trend to the experiment measurement.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

WREF field profiling lidar

The field profiling lidar #ZX300-1945 was deployed on the ground in an open field 880 m south of the NEON tower and tower profiling lidar (ZX300-1381). The zip files contain high frequency data. The excel files are 10-min averages.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

WREF tower profiling lidar

The tower profiling lidar #ZX300-1381 was deployed on top of the 74 m tall WREF NEON tower. The zip files contain high frequency data. The excel files are 10-min averages.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

MLBS tower profiling lidar

The tower profiling lidar #ZX300-1381 was deployed on top of the 30 m tall MLBS NEON tower in an Appalachian forest. Prior to being deployed at MLBS, this lidar was on top of the tower at WREF in Washington. The zip files contain high frequency data. The Excel files are 10-min averages.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

WREF Field Profiling Lidar-773 / Raw Data

The field profiling lidar #ZX300-773 was deployed on the ground in an open field 880 m south of the Wind River NEON tower in summer 2025. It was co-located with LLNL's Halo XR+ scanning lidar (z05) and Argonne's Waggle Node to capture mountain-valley flows during the warm summer season. The zip files contain high frequency data. The excel files are 10-min averages.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Attosecond Time Delay Trends across the Isoelectronic Noble Gas Sequence

The analysis and measurement of Wigner time delays can provide detailed information about the electronic environment within and around atomic and molecular systems, with one the key differences being the lack of a long-range potential after a halogen ion undergoes photoionization. In this work, we use relativistic random-phase approximation to calculate the average Wigner delay from the highest occupied subshells of the atomic pairings (2p, 2s in Fluorine, Neon), (3p, 3s in Chlorine, Argon), (4p, 4s, 3d, in Bromine, Krypton), and (5p, 5s, 4d in Iodine, Xenon). The qualitative behaviors of the Wigner delays between the isoelectronic pairings were found to be similar in nature, with the only large differences occurring at photoelectron energies less than 20 eV and around Cooper minima. Interestingly, the relative shift in Wigner time delays between negatively charged halogens and noble gases decreases as atomic mass increases. All atomic pairings show large differences at low energies, with noble gas atoms showing large positive Wigner delays, while negatively charged halogen ions show negative delays. The implications for photoionization studies in halide-containing molecules is also discussed.

Grafstrom, Brock↗
DOE OSTI2018

Evolution of Interatomic and Intermolecular Interactions and Polymorphism of Melamine at High Pressure

Melamine (C3H6N6; 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine) is an aromatic substituted s-triazine, with carbon and nitrogen atoms forming the ring body, and amino groups bonded to each carbon. Melamine is widely used to produce laminate products, adhesives, and flame retardants, but is also similar chemically and structurally to many energetic materials, including TATB (2,4,6-triamino-1,3,5- trinitrobenzene) and RDX (1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine). Additionally, melamine may be a precursor in the synthesis of superhard carbon-nitrides, such as β-C3N4. In the crystalline state melamine forms corrugated sheets of individual molecules, which are stacked on top of one another, and linked by intra- and inter-plane N-H hydrogen bonds. Several previous high-pressure X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies have claimed that melamine undergoes two or more phase transformations below 25 GPa. Our results show no indication of previously reported low pressure polymorphism up to approximately 30 GPa. High-pressure crystal structure refinements demonstrate that the individual molecular units of melamine are remarkably rigid, and their geometry changes very little despite volume decrease by almost a factor of two at 30 GPa and major re-arrangements of the intermolecular interactions, as seen through the Hirshfeld surface analysis. A symmetry change from monoclinic to triclinic, indicated by both dramatic changes in diffraction pattern, as well as discontinuities in the vibration mode behavior, was observed above approximately 36 GPa in helium and 30 GPa in neon pressure media. Examination of the hydrogen bonding behavior in melamine’s structure will allow its improved utilization as a chemical feedstock and analog for related energetic compounds.

Shelton, Hannah (ORCID:0000000218931730)↗