Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “UTILITIES SYSTEM”

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 1,027 records · Page 57
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Efficient facemask decontamination via forced ozone convection

The COVID-19 crisis has taken a significant toll on human life and the global economy since its start in early 2020. Healthcare professionals have been particularly vulnerable because of the unprecedented shortage of Facepiece Respirators (FPRs), which act as fundamental tools to protect the medical staff treating the coronavirus patients. In addition, many FPRs are designed to be disposable single-use devices, creating an issue related to the generation of large quantities of non-biodegradable waste. In this contribution, we describe a plasma-based decontamination technique designed to circumvent the shortages of FPRs and alleviate the environmental problems posed by waste generation. The system utilizes a Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) to generate ozone and feed it through the fibers of the FPRs. The flow-through configuration is different than canonical ozone-based sterilization methods, in which the equipment is placed in a sealed ozone-containing enclosure without any flow through the mask polymer fibers. We demonstrate the rapid decontamination of surgical masks using Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) as model pathogens, with the flow-through configuration providing a drastic reduction in sterilization time compared to the canonical approach. We also demonstrate that there is no deterioration in mask structure or filtration efficiency resulting from sterilization. Finally, we show that this decontamination approach can be implemented using readily available tools, such as a plastic box, a glass tube, few 3D printed components, and the high-voltage power supply from a plasma globe toy. The prototype assembled for this study is portable and affordable, with effectiveness comparable to that of larger and more expensive equipment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Improved explosive collection and detection with rationally assembled surface sampling materials

Sampling and detection of trace explosives is a key analytical process in modern transportation safety. In this work we have explored some of the fundamental analytical processes for collection and detection of trace level explosive on surfaces with the most widely utilized system, thermal desorption IMS. The performance of the standard muslin swipe material was compared with chemically modified fiberglass cloth. The fiberglass surface was modified to include phenyl functional groups. When compared to standard muslin, the phenyl functionalized fiberglass sampling material showed better analyte release from the sampling material as well as improved response and repeatability from multiple uses of the same swipe. The improved sample release of the functionalized fiberglass swipes resulted in a significant increase in sensitivity. Various physical and chemical properties were systematically explored to determine optimal performance. The results herein have relevance to improving the detection of other explosive compounds and potentially to a wide range of other chemical sampling and field detection challenges.

Explosive detection↗
DOE OSTI2020

A low temperature unitized regenerative fuel cell realizing 60% round trip efficiency and 10 000 cycles of durability for energy storage applications

Unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFC) convert electrical energy to and from chemical bonds in hydrogen. URFCs have the potential to provide economical means for efficient long-term, seasonal, energy storage and on-demand conversion back to electrical energy. We first optimize the catalyst layer for discrete electrolyzer and fuel cell and then configure the URFC. The goal is to identify a cost competitive configuration for URFCs, and demonstrate it in terms of upper limit of round trip efficiencies (RTEs). Two possible configurations of URFCs are compared via experiments and techno-economic analysis (TEA), which emphasize the advantages of the unconventional constant-electrode (CE) URFC over the traditional constant-gas (CG) configuration. We also study the stability via accelerated stress tests (ASTs) and demonstrate steady state operation in a daily cycle for day to night energy shifting. From the investigations, the optimum composition of the URFC anode catalyst layer is 90 at% Ir-black balanced by Pt-black for both CE and CG configurations. At 80 °C and 1 A cm -2 , the optimized CE URFC achieves 57% and 60% RTE with air and O 2 as the reductant gases, respectively. We then evaluated the differences in durability using an AST over 10k charge–discharge cycles; the results reveal that the wider potential window at the anode in CE (0.05–1.55 V) has minimal effect on catalyst layer stability compared to CG (0.55–1.55 V). Furthermore, there was no degradation up to the range of 2k–5k cycles; beyond that the fuel cell (discharge) performance degraded while the electrolyzer (charge) performance was still stable. Finally, the observations here indicate substantial potential to employ URFCs as efficient and cost-effective bidirectional energy-conversion devices within energy storage and utilization systems after appropriate technological and operational optimizations.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Expression of interfacial Seebeck coefficient through grain boundary engineering with multi-layer graphene nanoplatelets

Energy filtering has been a long-sought strategy to enhance a thermoelectric material's figure of merit zT through improving its power factor. Here we show a composite of multi-layer graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and n-type Mg 3 Sb 2 leads to the expression of an energy filtering like effect demonstrated by an increase in the material's Seebeck coefficient and maximum power factor, without impact on the material's carrier concentration. We analyse these findings from the perspective of a heterogeneous material consisting of grain and grain boundary phases, instead of a more traditional and common analysis that assumes a homogeneously transporting medium. An important implication of this treatment is that it leads to the development of an interfacial Seebeck coefficient term, which can explain the observed increase in the material's Seebeck coefficient. The contribution of this interfacial Seebeck coefficient to the overall Seebeck coefficient is determined by the relative temperature drop across the grain boundary region compared to that of the bulk material. In Te doped Mg 3 Sb 2 we show the introduction of GNP increases the interfacial thermal resistance of grain boundaries, enhancing the contribution of the interfacial Seebeck coefficient arising from grain boundaries to the overall Seebeck coefficient. Without significant detriment to the electrical conductivity this effect results in a net increase in maximum power factor. This increased interfacial thermal resistance also leads to the synergistic reduction of the total thermal conductivity. As a result, we enhance zT of the Mg 3 Sb 2 to a peak value of 1.7 near 750 K. Considering the two-dimensional nature of the grain boundary interface, this grain boundary engineering strategy could be applied to a few thermoelectric systems utilizing various two-dimensional nanomaterials.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis of solid uranium particulates on cotton swipes with an automated microextraction-ICP-MS system

Here, an automated microextraction method coupled to an inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) was developed for the direct analysis of solid uranium particulates on the surface of cotton swipes. The microextraction probe extracts particulates from the sample surface, in a flowing solvent, and directs the removed analyte to an ICP-MS for isotopic determination. The automated system utilizes a mechanical XY stage that is software controlled with the capability of saving and returning to specific locations and a camera focused to the swipe surface for optimal viewing of the extracted locations (i.e., material present). Here, particulates (n = 135) were extracted and measured by ICP-MS, including 35 depleted uranyl nitrate hexahydrate (UN) (used for mass bias corrections), 50 uranyl fluoride (UO 2 F 2 ), and 50 uranyl acetate (UAc) particulates. Blank extractions were performed on the cotton swipes between triplicate sample analyses. Between each swipe extraction, the probe was sent between two wells containing 10% and 5% HNO 3 to clean the probe head and to eliminate any analyte carryover between particulates. The measured 235 U/ 238 U and 234 U/ 238 U isotope ratios for the UO 2 F 2 particulates were 0.00725(8) and 0.000054(4), a percent relative difference (% RD) of –0.041% and –1.7% from the reference isotope ratios determined in-lab through multi-collector ICP-MS analysis of dissolved aliquots of the U material. The UAc samples had a measured 235 U/ 238 U isotope ratio of 0.00206(7), a –0.96% relative difference from the reference value of 0.00208(1). The 234 U/ 238 U and 236 U/ 238 U isotope ratios were 0.000008(1) and 0.000031(4), –5.1% RD and –4.3% RD, respectively. The automated sample stage enabled seamless and rapid particle analysis, leading to a significant increase in throughput versus what was previously possible. Additionally, the saved location capability reduced user sampling error as sampling locations were easily stored and recalled. Analysis of U particles on the swipe surface – including blanks, mass bias, and triplicate extractions – was completed in less than an hour without any sample preparation necessary.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

A combined theoretical and experimental study of small anthracene–water clusters

Water-cluster interactions with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of paramount interest in many chemical and biological processes. Here we report a study of anthracene monomers and dimers with water (up to four)-cluster systems utilizing molecular beam vacuum-UV photoionization mass spectrometry and density functional calculations. Structural loss in photoionization efficiency curves when adding water indicates that various isomers are generated, while theory indicates only a slight shift in energy in photoionization states of different isomers. Calculations reveal that the energetic tendency of water is to remain clustered and not to disperse around the PAH. Theoretically, we observe water confinement exclusively in the case of four water clusters and only when the anthracenes are in a cross configuration due to optimal OH∙∙∙π interactions, indicating dependence on the size and structure of the PAH. Furthermore theory sheds light on the structural changes that occur in water upon ionization of anthracene, due to the optimal interactions of the resulting hole and water hydrogen atoms.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Development Of Chemical Reduction And Air Stripping Processes To Remove Mercury From Wastewater

This study evaluates the removal of mercury from wastewater using chemical reduction and air stripping using a full-scale treatment system at the Savannah River Site. The existing water treatment system utilizes air stripping as the unit operation to remove organic compounds from groundwater that also contains mercury (C ~ 250 ng/L). The baseline air stripping process was ineffective in removing mercury and the water exceeded a proposed limit of 51 ng/L. To test an enhancement to the existing treatment modality a continuous dose of reducing agent was injected for 6-hours at the inlet of the air stripper. This action resulted in the chemical reduction of mercury to Hg(0), a species that is removable with the existing unit operation. During the injection period a 94% decrease in concentration was observed and the effluent satisfied proposed limits. The process was optimized over a 2-day period by sequentially evaluating dose rates ranging from 0.64X to 297X stoichiometry. A minimum dose of 16X stoichiometry was necessary to initiate the reduction reaction that facilitated the mercury removal. Competing electron acceptors likely inhibited the reaction at the lower 1 doses, which prevented removal by air stripping. These results indicate that chemical reduction coupled with air stripping can effectively treat large-volumes of water to emerging part per trillion regulatory standards for mercury.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2011

Time- and angle-resolved x-ray diffraction to probe structural and chemical evolution during Al-Ni intermetallic reactions

We present novel time- and angle-resolved x-ray diffraction (TARXD) capable of probing structural and chemical evolutions during rapidly propagating exothermic intermetallic reactions between Ni-Al multilayers. The system utilizes monochromatic synchrotron x-rays and a two-dimensional (2D) pixel array x-ray detector in combination of a fast-rotating diffraction beam chopper, providing a time (in azimuth) and angle (in distance) resolved x-ray diffraction image continuously recorded at a time resolution of {approx}30 {micro}s over a time period of 3 ms. Multiple frames of the TARXD images can also be obtained with time resolutions between 30 and 300 {micro}s over three to several hundreds of milliseconds. The present method is coupled with a high-speed camera and a six-channel optical pyrometer to determine the reaction characteristics including the propagation speed of 7.6 m/s, adiabatic heating rate of 4.0 x 10{sup 6} K/s, and conductive cooling rate of 4.5 x 10{sup 4} K/s. These time-dependent structural and temperature data provide evidences for the rapid formation of intermetallic NiAl alloy within 45 {micro}s, thermal expansion coefficient of 1.1 x 10{sup -6} K for NiAl, and crystallization of V and Ag{sub 3}In in later time.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

First results from the J-TEXT high-resolution three-wave polarimeter-interferometer

A laser-based far-infrared polarimeter-interferometer system utilizing the three-wave technique has been implemented on the J-TEXT tokamak. The polarimeter determines the Faraday effect by measuring the phase difference between two collinear, counter-rotating, circularly polarized laser beams. The first results of the polarimeter-interferometer designed for J-TEXT have been obtained in the most recent J-TEXT experimental campaign. Simultaneous polarimetric and interferometric measurement is achieved, with phase resolution up to 0.1 Degree-Sign , at bandwidth of 50 kHz. The temporal resolution, which is dependent on the laser's frequency offset, is {approx}1 {mu}s. Continual spatial measurement covering 45 cm (80% of the plasma cross-section) is realized by utilizing 1D parabolic beam expansion optics. Three initial test chords are installed and future plans call for expansion up to 30 chords with 1.5 cm chord spacing, providing high spatial resolution for measurement of electron density and current density profiles. Reliability of both polarimetric and interferometric measurement is confirmed by comparison with computation and data from a hydrocyanic acid (HCN) interferometer. With the high temporal and phase resolution, perturbations associated with the sawtooth cycle and MHD activity have been observed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

In situ broadband cryogenic calibration for two-port superconducting microwave resonators

We introduce an improved microwave calibration method for use in a cryogenic environment, based on a traditional three-standard calibration, the Thru-Reflect-Line (TRL) calibration. The modified calibration method takes advantage of additional information from multiple measurements of an ensemble of realizations of a superconducting resonator, as a new pseudo-Open standard, to correct errors in the TRL calibration. We also demonstrate an experimental realization of this in situ broadband cryogenic calibration system utilizing cryogenic switches. All calibration measurements are done in the same thermal cycle as the measurement of the resonator (requiring only an additional 20 min), thus avoiding 4 additional thermal cycles for traditional TRL calibration (which would require an additional 12 days). The experimental measurements on a wave-chaotic microwave billiard verify that the new method significantly improves the measured scattering matrix of a high-quality-factor superconducting resonator.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Development of frequency modulated continuous wave reflectometer for electron density profile measurement on the HL-2A tokamak

The frequency modulated continuous wave reflectometer was developed for the first time on the HL-2A tokamak. The system utilizes a voltage controlled oscillator and an active multiplier for broadband coverage and detects as heterodyne mode. Three reflectometers have been installed and operated in extraordinary mode polarization on HL-2A to measure density profiles at low field side, covering the Q-band (33–50 GHz), V-band (50–75 GHz), and W-band (75–110 GHz). For density profile reconstruction from the phase shift of the probing wave, a corrected phase unwrapping method is introduced in this article. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated. The density profile behavior of a fast plasma event is presented and it demonstrates the capability of the reflectometer. These diagnostics will be contributed to the routine density profile measurements and the plasma physics study on HL-2A.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Theoretical and experimental investigations of asymmetric light transport in graded index photonic crystal waveguides

To provide asymmetric propagation of light, we propose a graded index photonic crystal (GRIN PC) based waveguide configuration that is formed by introducing line and point defects as well as intentional perturbations inside the structure. The designed system utilizes isotropic materials and is purely reciprocal, linear, and time-independent, since neither magneto-optical materials are used nor time-reversal symmetry is broken. The numerical results show that the proposed scheme based on the spatial-inversion symmetry breaking has different forward (with a peak value of 49.8%) and backward transmissions (4.11% at most) as well as relatively small round-trip transmission (at most 7.11%) in a large operational bandwidth of 52.6 nm. The signal contrast ratio of the designed configuration is above 0.80 in the telecom wavelengths of 1523.5–1576.1 nm. An experimental measurement is also conducted in the microwave regime: A strong asymmetric propagation characteristic is observed within the frequency interval of 12.8 GHz–13.3 GHz. The numerical and experimental results confirm the asymmetric transmission behavior of the proposed GRIN PC waveguide.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

The role of electronic and ionic conductivities in the rate performance of tunnel structured manganese oxides in Li-ion batteries

Single nanowires of two manganese oxide polymorphs (α-MnO 2 and todorokite manganese oxide), which display a controlled size variation in terms of their square structural tunnels, were isolated onto nanofabricated platforms using dielectrophoresis. This platform allowed for the measurement of the electronic conductivity of these manganese oxides, which was found to be higher in α-MnO 2 as compared to that of the todorokite phase by a factor of similar to 46. Despite this observation of substantially higher electronic conductivity in α-MnO 2 , the todorokite manganese oxide exhibited better electrochemical rate performance as a Li-ion battery cathode. The relationship between this electrochemical performance, the electronic conductivities of the manganese oxides, and their reported ionic conductivities is discussed for the first time, clearly revealing that the rate performance of these materials is limited by their Li + diffusivity, and not by their electronic conductivity. This result reveals important new insights relevant for improving the power density of manganese oxides, which have shown promise as a low-cost, abundant, and safe alternative for next-generation cathode materials. Moreover, the presented experimental approach is suitable for assessing a broader family of one-dimensional electrode active materials (in terms of their electronic and ionic conductivities) for both Li-ion batteries and for electrochemical systems utilizing charge-carrying ions beyond Li + .

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Measurement of isosteric heat of gas adsorption and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area using a quartz crystal microbalance

The study of gas adsorption on a solid surface evaluates the affinity between sorbate gas and sorbent substrate and factors that contribute to this. This report presents a test platform for adsorption experiments of various gases on various solid surfaces. Controlled environmental conditions enable investigations in materials surface science and increase the consistency among adsorption data. The system utilizes a quartz crystal microbalance to perform gravimetric analysis of deposition and adsorption, enabling investigation of the interaction of gaseous molecules with solid surfaces. In this study, a quartz crystal microbalance as gas adsorption detector was integrated with an environmental chamber to create a versatile tool for gas adsorption experiments on thin films. Experimental operation of this apparatus was demonstrated via acquisition of the adsorption isotherms of cyclohexane vapor on a gold surface at 55 and 70 °C. The result indicated International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Type II adsorption. Consequentially, application of the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller model to the isotherm data subject to predefined criteria for linear region selection yielded a surface area of the sorbent of 0.53 cm2 at 55 °C. From the monolayer region of the isotherms, the isosteric heat of adsorption of the cyclohexane vapor on gold was calculated to be 37 kJ mol-1.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Monitoring Methods for Early Detection of Inadvertent Fission Product Release at the Advanced Test Reactor

Isotope effluent data obtained during three instances of experiment failures at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) are analyzed to provide an overview of the methods used to detect initial signs of unintended fission product release. The data is contextualized with the operational experience, including means of identification and subsequent mitigation strategies, gained during these events. General trends as well as variations in isotopic behavior between the three failures are explored. Background on the Real Time Monitor, a High Purity Germanium detector, and other fission product monitoring systems utilized at the Advanced Test Reactor is also provided. The presented analysis was used to establish administrative action levels which are currently utilized by ATR for early detection of experiment fission product release. Early identification provides time to make programmatic decisions before approaching safety and environmental limits.

21 - SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLAN↗
DOE OSTI2015

The CMS Tier0 goes cloud and grid for LHC Run 2

In 2015, CMS will embark on a new era of collecting LHC collisions at unprecedented rates and complexity. This will put a tremendous stress on our computing systems. Prompt Processing of the raw data by the Tier-0 infrastructure will no longer be constrained to CERN alone due to the significantly increased resource requirements. In LHC Run 2, we will need to operate it as a distributed system utilizing both the CERN Cloud-based Agile Infrastructure and a significant fraction of the CMS Tier-1 Grid resources. In another big change for LHC Run 2, we will process all data using the multi-threaded framework to deal with the increased event complexity and to ensure efficient use of the resources. Furthermore, this contribution will cover the evolution of the Tier-0 infrastructure and present scale testing results and experiences from the first data taking in 2015.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Integrated Zeff analysis on the DIII-D Tokamak

Determination of effective ion charge, or Zeff, from measurements of visible brems\-strahlung radiation made by multiple diagnostics is now integrated into a single analysis workflow within the plasma profile analysis module in OMFIT [Logan et al. Fus. Sci. Technol. 74 (2018) 125]. Measurements are made across the midplane of DIII-D with independent filterscope and spectrometer based diagnostics. Emission from 5215–5245 Å is measured by 16 filtered visible bremsstrahlung measurements (filterscopes) with a sampling rate of 20 kHz. The charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CER) system utilizes scanning spectrometers, and typically measures emission near 5291 Å with approximately 20 active spatial views. Both Abel inversion and least squares minimization analyses are performed on these chordal measurements to infer the plasma emissivity profile with respect to magnetic flux coordinate ρ. Zeff is derived from this emissivity profile from a calculation involving electron density and temperature from the Thomson scattering diagnostic. This analysis has been applied for a range of plasma conditions including L-mode, H- mode and H-mode with impurity seeding. The Zeff inferred from VB data is shown to be in good agreement with the Zeff computed from CER impurity density profile measurements when C6+ is assumed to be the dominant impurity species of the plasma. This new analysis is useful for cross checking diagnostics and measuring Zeff when all important impurities cannot be monitored directly with CER measurements.

Callahan, K. J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fingerprints of Triaxiality in the Charge Radii of Neutron-Rich Ruthenium

We present the first measurements with a new collinear laser spectroscopy setup at the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System, utilizing its unique capability to deliver neutron-rich refractory metal isotopes produced by the spontaneous fission of 252 Cf. We measured isotope shifts from optical spectra for nine radioactive ruthenium isotopes 106–114 Ru, reaching deep into the mid-shell region. The extracted charge radii are in excellent agreement with predictions from the Brussels-Skyrme-on-a-Grid models that account for the triaxial deformation of nuclear ground states. We show that triaxial deformation impacts charge radii in models that feature shell effects, in contrast to what could be concluded from a liquid drop analysis. This indicates that this exotic type of deformation should not be neglected in regions where it is known to occur, even if its presence cannot be unambiguously inferred through laser spectroscopy.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗