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At least 991 records · Page 55

Eliminating Impurity Traps in the Silane Process

Redistribution reaction section of silane process progressively separates heavier parts of chlorosilane feedstock until light silane product is available for pyrolysis. Small amount of liquid containing impurities is withdrawn from processing stages in which trapping occurs and passed to earlier processing stage in which impurities tend to be removed via chemical reactions.

Coleman, L. M.↗

Integration of environmental and spectral data for sunflower stress determination

Stress in sunflowers was assessed in western and northwestern Minnesota. Weekly ground observations (acquired in 1980 and 1981) were analyzed in concert with large scale aerial photography and concurrent LANDSAT data. Using multidate supervised and unsupervised classification procedures, it was found that all crops grown in association with sunflowers in the study area are spectrally separable from one another. Under conditions of extreme drought, severely stressed plants were differentiable from those not severely stressed, but between-crop separation was not possible. Initial regression analyses to estimate sunflower seed yield showed a sensitivity to environmental stress during the flowering and seed development stages. One of the most important biological factors related to sunflower production in the Red River Valley area was found to be the extent and severity of insect infestations.

Lillesand, T.↗

Orbital transfer vehicle oxygen turbopump technology. Volume 2: Nitrogen and ambient oxygen testing

The testing of a rocket engine oxygen turbopump using high pressure ambient temperature nitrogen and oxygen as the turbine drive gas in separate test series is discussed. The pumped fluid was liquid nitrogen or liquid oxygen. The turbopump (TPA) is designed to operate with 400 F oxygen turbine drive gas which will be demonstrated in a subsequent test series. Following bearing tests, the TPA was finish machined (impeller blading and inlet/outlet ports). Testing started on 15 February 1989 and was successfully concluded on 21 March 1989. Testing started using nitrogen to reduce the ignition hazard during initial TPA checkout. The Hydrostatic Bearing System requires a Bearing Pressurization System. Initial testing used a separate bearing supply to prevent a rubbing start. Two test series were successfully completed with the bearing assist supplied only by the pump second stage output which entailed a rubbing start until pump pressure builds up. The final test series used ambient oxygen drive and no external bearing assist. Total operating time was 2268 seconds. There were 14 starts without bearing assist and operating speeds up to 80,000 rpm were logged. Teardown examination showed some smearing of silverplated bearing surfaces but no exposure of the underlying monel material. There was no evidence of melting or oxidation due to the oxygen exposure. The articulating, self-centering hydrostatic bearing exhibited no bearing load or stability problems. The only anomaly was higher than predicted flow losses which were attributed to a faulty ring seal. The TPA will be refurbished prior to the 400 F oxygen test series but its condition is acceptable, as is, for continued operating. This was a highly successful test program.

Brannam, R. J.↗

Fracture in Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator

The thermal protection materials used for spacecraft heat shields are subjected to various thermal-mechanical loads during an atmospheric reentry which can threaten the structural integrity of the system. This paper discusses the development of a novel technique to understand the failure mechanisms inside the thermal protection material, Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA). PICA has successfully flown on the Stardust spacecraft and was the TPS material chosen for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), that will fly in 2011. Although PICA has good thermal properties, structurally, it is a weak material. To thoroughly understand failure in PICA, experiments were performed using FiberForm(Registered TradeMark) (precursor of PICA), virgin and furnace-charred PICA. Several small samples were tested inside an electron microscope to investigate the failure mechanisms. Micrographs were obtained before and after the failure in order to study crack initiation and growth. Videos were obtained to capture failure mechanisms in real time. Stress-strain data was obtained simultaneously for all the samples with the help of a data acquisition system, integrated to the mechanical stages. It was found that cracks initiated and grew in the FiberForm when a critical stress limit was reached such that the carbon fibers separated from the binder. However, both for virgin and charred PICA, crack initiation and growth occurred in the matrix (phenolic) phase. Both virgin and charred PICA showed greater strength values compared to FiberForm coupons, confirming that the presence of the porous matrix helps in absorbing the fracture energy.

Agrawal, Parul↗

Distillation and Air Stripping Designs for the Lunar Surface

Air stripping and distillation are two different gravity-based methods, which may be applied to the purification of wastewater on the lunar base. These gravity-based solutions to water processing are robust physical separation techniques, which may be advantageous to many other techniques for their simplicity in design and operation. The two techniques can be used in conjunction with each other to obtain high purity water. The components and feed compositions for modeling waste water streams are presented in conjunction with the Aspen property system for traditional stage distillation models and air stripping models. While the individual components for each of the waste streams will vary naturally within certain bounds, an analog model for waste water processing is suggested based on typical concentration ranges for these components. Target purity levels for the for recycled water are determined for each individual component based on NASA s required maximum contaminant levels for potable water Distillation processes are modeled separately and in tandem with air stripping to demonstrate the potential effectiveness and utility of these methods in recycling wastewater on the Moon. Optimum parameters such as reflux ratio, feed stage location, and processing rates are determined with respect to the power consumption of the process. Multistage distillation is evaluated for components in wastewater to determine the minimum number of stages necessary for each of 65 components in humidity condensate and urine wastewater mixed streams. Components of the wastewater streams are ranked by Henry s Law Constant and the suitability of air stripping in the purification of wastewater in terms of component removal is evaluated. Scaling factors for distillation and air stripping columns are presented to account for the difference in the lunar gravitation environment. Commercially available distillation and air stripping units which are considered suitable for Exploration Life Support are presented. The advantages to the various designs are summarized with respect to water purity levels, power consumption, and processing rates.

Boul, Peter J.↗

SU-E-J-60: Evaluation of Temporal Lag in Radiotherapy Gating for Tumor Motion Trajectories

Purpose: Evaluating timing differences between LINAC beam ON/OFF and the estimation of tumor positioning using gating systems is essential for establishing confidence when treating with gating during radiotherapy, and is an annual requirement of TG-142. Temporal discrepancies between the trajectories of external marker surrogates and beam delivery may vary depending upon the type of external marker motion, which is quantified in this work for several trajectories. Methods: A precise robotic 3D motion stage performed several trajectories typically used for gating phantoms, including sinusoidal and Lujan-type motion; a commercial respiratory motion simulator was also employed. The true motions were monitored using variable resistors. The beam ON/OFF was controlled separately by two RPM (Varian) systems, an integrated version delivered by a Varian Truebeam LINAC and version 1.6 delivered by a Varian Trilogy, and measured using a diode. The resistor and diode signals were read by a multichannel digital oscilloscope, and timing differences between beam ON/OFF as measured by the diode and the phantom motion were determined using a peak detection algorithm. Results: Timing differences between beam ON/OFF and 3D stage motion peaks (diode—true motion timing) were computed to be 79.4 & 57.7ms for sinusoidal motion and 109.1 & 63.6ms for Lujan-type motion on the Truebeam LINAC, for beam ON and OFF, respectively. Timing differences for the Trilogy LINAC were 34.4 & 55.2ms for the sinusoidal motion and 29.0 & 26.3ms for the Lujan-type motion, for beam ON and OFF, respectively. With the commercial motion simulator, the timing differences were found to be −9ms and −78ms for beam ON/OFF, respectively, with the Truebeam, and −97.6ms and −60.9ms for beam ON/OFF, respectively, with the Trilogy. Conclusion: Setup-dependent temporal lags were found using this methodology. These discrepancies have the potential to influence quality assurance on gating systems and ultimately the treatment dose during radiotherapy. NIH National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering grant T32 EB002103-21.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Experimental study of flow past turbine blades

The requirements on gas turbines for aircraft power units, namely, adequate efficiency, operation at high gas temperatures, low weight, and small dimensions, must be taken into consideration during the design of the blading. To secure good efficiency, it is necessary that the gas flow past the blades as smoothly as possible without separation. This is relatively easily obtainable in the accelerated flow of turbine blading, if the blade spacing is chosen small enough. A small blade spacing, however, is detrimental to the other requirements outlined above. Operation at high gas temperatures usually calls for blade cooling. This cooling is associated with a power input that lowers the turbine efficiency. Since the amount of heat that must be carried off for coding a blade can be influenced rather little, the gross power input for a turbine stage can be reduced by keeping the number of blades to a minimum, that is, with blades of high spacing ratio. But here also a limit is imposed, the exceeding of which is followed by separation of flow. Hence the requirement of finding blade forms on which the flow separates at rather high spacing ratios .

Eckert, E.↗

EXCITATION CONDITIONS IN THE MULTI-COMPONENT SUBMILLIMETER GALAXY SMM J00266+1708

We present multiline CO observations of the complex submillimeter galaxy SMM J00266+1708. Using the Zpectrometer on the Green Bank Telescope, we provide the first precise spectroscopic measurement of its redshift (z = 2.742). Based on followup CO(1-0), CO(3-2), and CO(5-4) mapping, SMM J00266+1708 appears to have two distinct components separated by ∼500 km s{sup –1} that are nearly coincident along our line of sight. The two components show hints of different kinematics, with the blueshifted component dispersion-dominated and the redshifted component showing a clear velocity gradient. CO line ratios differ slightly between the two components, indicating that the physical conditions in their molecular gas may not be alike. We tentatively infer that SMM J00266+1708 is an ongoing merger with a mass ratio of (7.8 ± 4.0)/sin {sup 2}(i), with its overall size and surface brightness closely resembling that of other merging systems. We perform large velocity gradient modeling of the CO emission from both components and find that each component's properties are consistent with a single phase of molecular gas (i.e., a single temperatures and density); additional multi-phase modeling of the redshifted component, although motivated by a CO(1-0) size larger than the CO(3-2) size, is inconclusive. SMM J00266+1708 provides evidence of early stage mergers within the submillimeter galaxy population. Continuum observations of J00266 at the ∼1'' resolution of our observations could not have distinguished between the two components due to their separation (0.''73 ± 0.''06), illustrating that the additional velocity information provided by spectral line studies is important for addressing the prevalence of unresolved galaxy pairs in low-resolution submillimeter surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Biomass char gasification kinetic rates compared to data, including ash effects

This investigation provides both experimental and theoretical analyses of biomass char gasification kinetics over 1150–1350 °C in the environment of CO 2 , H 2 O and combinations of these reactants. The experimental data include continuous measurements of particle mass, external and internal temperatures, shape, and size with periodic but not continuous measurements of char porosity, pore size distribution, and pore surface area. The model describes heterogeneous char gasification for poplar wood, corn stover and switchgrass in different shapes and industrially relevant sizes (12.5 mm and smaller). Nonlinear least-squares regression produces optimized power-law model parameters for global kinetics that describe biomass char gasification with respect to both CO 2 and H 2 O separately and in combination. A single set of kinetic parameters describes reaction rates for all three fuels. Model simulations agree with measured data at all stages of char conversion even though the observed mass loss rates change significantly with conversion. In conclusion, the change in rate with conversion depends strongly on ash content, and this investigation provides a simple and theoretically based reaction rate expression that includes the effect of inert ash occupying an increasing portion of the reactive surface with increased conversion.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Photoelectron spectrometer for attosecond spectroscopy of liquids and gases

A new apparatus for attosecond time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of liquids and gases is described. It combines a liquid microjet source with a magnetic-bottle photoelectron spectrometer and an actively stabilized attosecond beamline. The photoelectron spectrometer permits venting and pumping of the interaction chamber without affecting the low pressure in the flight tube. This pressure separation has been realized through a sliding skimmer plate, which effectively seals the flight tube in its closed position and functions as a differential pumping stage in its open position. A high-harmonic photon spectrometer, attached to the photoelectron spectrometer, exit port is used to acquire photon spectra for calibration purposes. Attosecond pulse trains have been used to record photoelectron spectra of noble gases, water in the gas and liquid states as well as solvated species. RABBIT scans demonstrate the attosecond resolution of this setup.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Stimulated emission from aluminium anode oxide films doped with rhodamine 6G

The spectral and luminescent properties of the rhodamine 6G dye in a porous matrix of aluminium anode oxide are studied. The films with a highly-ordered porous structure are produced using the method of two-stage anodic oxidation. By means of raster electron microscopy it is found that the diameter of the pores amounts to nearly 50 nm and the separation between the adjacent channels is almost 105 nm. The thickness of the films is equal to 55 μm, and the specific surface area measured using the method of nitrogen capillary condensation is 15.3 m{sup 2} g{sup -1}. Fluorescence and absorption spectra of rhodamine 6G molecules injected into the pores of the aluminium anode oxide are measured. It is found that under the excitation of samples with the surface dye concentration 0.3 × 10{sup 14} molecules m{sup -2} by the second harmonic of the Nd : YAG laser in the longitudinal scheme with the pumping intensity 0.4 MW cm{sup -2}, a narrow band of stimulated emission with the intensity maximum at the wavelength 572 nm appears against the background of the laser-induced fluorescence spectrum. A further increase in the pumping radiation intensity leads to the narrowing of the stimulated emission band and an increase in its intensity. The obtained results demonstrate the potential possibility of using the porous films of aluminium anode oxide, doped with laser dyes, in developing active elements for quantum electronics. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Intrinsic and extrinsic factors interact during development to influence telomere length in a long‐lived reptile

Abstract The mechanisms connecting environmental conditions to plasticity in biological aging trajectories are fundamental to understanding individual variation in functional traits and life history. Recent findings suggest that telomere biology is especially dynamic during early life stages and has long‐term consequences for subsequent reproduction and survival. However, our current understanding is mostly derived from studies investigating ecological and anthropogenic factors separately, leaving the effects of complex environmental interactions unresolved. American alligators ( Alligator mississippiensis ) are long‐lived apex predators that rely on incubation temperature during a discrete period during development and endocrine cues to determine sex, making them especially vulnerable to current climatic variability and exposure to anthropogenic contaminants interfering with hormone function. Here, we combine field studies with a factorial design to understand how the developmental environment, along with intrinsic biological variation contribute to persistent telomere variation. We found that exposure to a common endocrine disrupting contaminant, DDE, affects telomere length, but that the directionality is highly dependent upon incubation temperature. Variation in hatchling growth, underlies a strong clutch effect. We also assess concentrations of a panel of glucocorticoid hormones and find that contaminant exposure elicits an increase in circulating glucocorticoids. Consistent with emerging evidence linking stress and aging trajectories, GC levels also appear to trend with shorter telomere length. Thus, we add support for a mechanistic link between contaminants and glucocorticoid signalling, which interacts with ecological aspects of the developmental environment to alter telomere dynamics.

Bae, Junsoo↗

Title Coherent X-ray Studies of Surface Growth and Patterning Processes

X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (XPCS) is being developed as a tool to study nanoscale dynamics of fluctuations during thin film growth and surface patterning. XPCS examines the evolution of the X-ray scattering speckle pattern in reciprocal space to reveal dynamics information not accessible through any other means. Unlike low-coherence conventional X-ray scattering, which incoherently averages over different regions of a sample, coherent X-ray scattering is sensitive to the detailed structure of a given sample at that moment in time. In thin film growth processes, heterodyning, which occurs due to coherent mixing of two scattered signals, can be used to investigate the relationship between surface growth velocity and defect propagation. And, for polycrystalline thin film growth, the spatial coherence of the X-ray beam can substitute for the missing spatial coherence of the growth process to track layered growth in detail, even in a growth regime in which there are no conventional growth oscillations of the X-ray intensity. This has opened the door for detailed dynamics studies of individual atomic layers during real-world growth and patterning, not just in perfect single-crystal growth cases, which greatly expands the applicability of in-situ X-ray scattering methods. Step-flow dynamics in mounded polycrystalline growth has been studied separately for two thin film organic semiconductors deposited by thermal deposition in a vacuum environment, C60 and diindenoperylene (DIP). Highly oriented polycrystalline thin films are readily obtained in both systems, where mounds are composed of crystalline monolayer-height steps and terraces in a so-called wedding cake morphology. The formation of mounds is understood to be due to significant Ehrlich-Schwoebel step edge barriers that inhibit molecules from hopping down from one layer to the one below. The mounds exhibit local step flow, which can be monitored using coherent X-ray scattering. This is made possible due to heterodyning between scattering from the average mounds and the moving steps, which becomes visible in XPCS analysis. The effect of desorption, i.e. re-evaporation of deposited molecules is found to be important for understanding these processes. The impact of this work is to enable testing of models of step dynamics, the shape of mounds, and merging of mounds to form continuous thin films. Highly ordered polycrystalline thin films deposited on inexpensive substrates have applications in thin film solar cells and other organic electronic devices. In a separate set of experiments, speckle analysis during self-organized ion beam nanopatterning reveals memory stretching back to the beginning of patterning in the early stages and enables measurement of the velocity of self-organized patterns across surfaces providing the possibility of stringent new tests of the theory of pattern formation and motion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Classifying forest and nonforest land on space photographs

Although the research reported is in its preliminary stages, results show that: (1) infrared color film is the best single multiband sensor available; (2) there is a good possibility that forest can be separated from all nonforest land uses by microimage evaluation techniques on IR color film coupled with B/W infrared and panchromatic films; and (3) discrimination of forest and nonforest classes is possible by either of two methods: interpreters with appropriate viewing and mapping instruments, or programmable automatic scanning microdensitometers and automatic data processing.

Aldrich, R. C.↗

Limb-atmospheric infrared spectrum observed on the satellite Ohzora

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) launched the 9th scientific satellite Ohzora at 17:00 JST on February 14, 1984. This satellite bears the spectrometer, which measures the infrared spectrum of the solar radiation passing the limb atmosphere in the wavelength region of 2 to 10 m. The spectrometer is based on multichannel spectroscopy by using image sensors. Since the wavelength is scanned electronically, it can measure the spectrum unaffected by the satellite motion. A definite axis, i.e., the Z-axis of the satellite, which coincides to the optical axis of the spectrometer, is controlled to the direction of the Sun, and the finer control to introduce the solar light into the spectrometer is made with a 2-axes-controlled mirror. This solar tracking equipment is derived fast enough to measure the spectra in a moment after sunrise. The solar light introduced into the spectrometer is focused on the slits of the monochromators (f=100mm). For better altitude resolution, the horizontal slit is also used with the vertical slit, which is used for the separation of the dispersion. The dispersion light is detected with the pyroelectric array sensors. To obtain maximum dynamic range and spectral resolution, the three-stage polychromator is used.

Matsuzaki, A.↗

Trajectory Design for MoonRise: A Proposed Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return Mission

This paper presents the mission design for the proposed MoonRise New Frontiers mission: a lunar far side lander and return vehicle, with an accompanying communication satellite. Both vehicles are launched together, but fly separate low-energy transfers to the Moon. The communication satellite enters lunar orbit immediately upon arrival at the Moon, whereas the lander enters a staging orbit about the lunar Lagrange points. The lander descends and touches down on the surface 17 days after the communication satellite enters orbit. The lander remains on the surface for nearly two weeks before lifting off and returning to Earth via a low-energy return.

NASA's New Frontie↗

Use of Novel Diglycolamide Extractants in Liquid-liquid Separations of Light Rare Earths

Creation of a novel extractant that can improve rare earth separations both economically and environmentally will be pivotal for industry progression. Diglycolamide (DGA) extractants provide chemistries that support this goal by serving as an extractant with high affinity for lanthanides and improved separation factors for light rare earths as compared to current extractants like PC88A. Initial organic phase loading capacity and phase dispersion tests performed with various modified DGAs generated results that were unfavorable for industrial processing, but further modification of the DGA alkyl chain substituents have resulted in new structures with promising results. Dispersion time measurements taken in small scale batch contacts of the extractant with a simulated leach liquor containing La, Ce, Nd, and Pr support implementation in both mixer-settlers and centrifugal contactors for larger scale separations. Furthermore, this confirmation allowed for preliminary flowsheet design using extraction equilibria at various organic to aqueous flow ratios (O/A) for extraction, scrubbing, and stripping stages. These values along with expected product/effluent compositions for each section aid in the testing for specific distribution ratios and final flowsheet design. Implementation of the DGA extractant into solvent extraction equipment will provide essential information for the next steps of this project and how this extractant may be optimized for future applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Recovery of zinc and cadmium from spent batteries using Cyphos IL 102 via solvent extraction route and synthesis of Zn and Cd oxide nanoparticles

Highlights: • First time Cyphos IL102 explored for recovery of Zn/Cd from spent batteries. • Recovery of metals with high purity was achieved at room temperature. • Quantitative extraction was achieved in two stages for Zn and Cd. •Loaded organic phases were used to synthesize ZnO and CdO nanoparticles. •Simple strippants for stripping isotherm was used. - Abstract: The overall aim of this study is to separate and recover zinc and cadmium from spent batteries. For this purpose Cyphos IL 102 diluted in toluene was employed for the extraction and recovery of Zn and Cd from Zn-C and Ni-Cd batteries leach liquor. The influence of extractant concentration for the leach liquors of Zn-C (0.01–0.05 mol/L) and Ni-Cd (0.04–0.20 mol/L) batteries has been investigated. Composition of the leach liquor obtained from Zn-C/Ni-Cd spent batteries is Zn - 2.18 g/L, Mn - 4.59 g/L, Fe - 4.0 × 10{sup −3} g/L, Ni - 0.2 × 10{sup −3} g/L/Cd - 4.28 g/L, Ni - 0.896 × 10{sup −1} g/L, Fe - 0.148 g/L, Co - 3.77 × 10{sup −3} g/L, respectively. Two stage counter current extraction at A/O 1:1 and 3:2 with 0.04 mol/L and 0.2 mol/L Cyphos IL 102 for Zn and Cd, respectively provide more than 99.0% extraction of both the metal ions with almost negligible extraction of associated metal ions. A stripping efficiency of around 99.0% for Zn and Cd was obtained at O/A 1:1 using 1.0 mol/L HNO{sub 3} in two and three counter current stages, respectively. ZnO and CdO were also synthesized using the loaded organic phase and characterized using XRD, FE-SEM and EDX techniques. XRD peaks of ZnO and CdO correspond to zincite and monteponite, respectively. The average particle size was ∼27.0 nm and ∼37.0 nm for ZnO and CdO, respectively. The EDX analysis of ZnO and CdO shows almost 1:1 atomic percentage.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗