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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 1,045 records · Page 58
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

The double oval UV auroral distribution. 1: Implications for the mapping of auroral arcs

During the later stages of the auroral substorm the luminosity distribution frequently resembles a double oval, one oval lying poleward of the normal or main UV auroral oval. We interpret the double oval morphology as being due to the plasma sheet boundary layer becoming active in the later stages of the substorm process. If the disturbance engulfs the nightside low-latitude boundary layers, then the double oval configuration extends into the dayside ionospheric region. The main UV oval is associated with the inner portion of the central plasma sheet and can rapidly change its auroral character from being diffuse to discrete. This transition is associated with the substorm process and is fundamental to understanding the near-Earth character of substorm onset. On the other hand, the poleward arc system in the nightside ionosphere occurs adjacent to or near the open-closed field line boundary. This system activates at the end of the optical expansion phase and is a part of the recovery phase configuration in substorms where it occurs. These two source regions for nightside discrete auroral arcs are important in resolving the controversy concerning the mapping of arcs to the magnetosphere. The dayside extension of this double oval configuration is also investigated and shows particle signatures which differ considerably from those on the nightside giving clues to the magnetospheric source regions of the aurora in the two local time sectors. Near-Earth substorm onsets are shown to be coupled to processes occurring much further tailward and indicate the importance of understanding the temporal development of features within the double oval. Using 'variance images,' a new technqiue for the investigation of these dynamics is outlined.

Elphinstone, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Breakdown characteristics and conditioning of carbon and refractory metal electrodes

High voltage carbon and refractory metal electrodes employed in devices used in space, such as ion thrusters and traveling wave tubes, can be easily damaged by electrical breakdown and arcing events. Modification of the electrode surfaces due to these events can impact the voltage hold off capability of the surfaces, which could lead to additional arcing, further damage, and the potential for device failure. On the cathode-potential surface, the arc energy is deposited by all of the processes at the surface ultimately responsible for net electron emission, such as melting, vapor and particulate formation, sputtering, ion bombardment, etc. On the anode-potential surface, the energy is deposited from the plasma or electron stream that crosses the gap, which causes surface damage by local heating. In spite of this energy dependence on the damage, many systems that use arc discharges characterize the amount of material removed from the surfaces and the lifetime of the device for voltage hold-off by the amount of current that passes through the arc, or the 'Coulomb-rating'. The results of a series of tests that were preformed on the boltage hold off capability and damage to carbon-carbon composite surfaces and molybdenum surfaces due to induced arcing will be presented and discussed. Damage to the surfaces was characterized by the field emission performance after the arc initiation and SEM photographs for the different energy and coulomb-transfer arc conditions. Both conditioning and damage to the surfaces were observed, and will be related to the characteristics of the electrical breakdown.

high voltage breakdown↗
DOE OSTI2013

Electrical studies and plasma characterization of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet operated at low frequency

Low-temperature, high-pressure plasma jets have an extensive use in medical and biological applications. Much work has been devoted to study these applications while comparatively fewer studies appear to be directed to the discharge itself. In this work, in order to better understand the kind of electrical discharge and the plasma states existing in those devices, a study of the electrical characteristics of a typical plasma jet, operated at atmospheric pressure, using either air or argon, is reported. It is found that the experimentally determined electrical characteristics are consistent with the model of a thermal arc discharge, with a highly collisional cathode sheet. The only exception is the case of argon at the smallest electrode separation studied, around 1 mm in which case the discharge is better modeled as either a non-thermal arc or a high-pressure glow. Also, variations of the electrical behavior at different gas flow rates are interpreted, consistently with the arc model, in terms of the development of fluid turbulence in the external jet.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

3D high-fidelity automated neutronics guided optimization of fusion blanket designs

The compact Fusion Pilot Plant (FPP) is defined in the recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report as the next step of fusion energy demonstration with a $50$ MWe peak net electricity production, $Q_e$ greater than $1$, and at least $3$ hours of continuous operation. This fusion pilot plant will be a test bed enabling materials, designs, and fuel management assessment, and it will represent an engineering challenge because of its high-fusion power and compact design targets. Previous reactor data is limited to experiments operating in different design space ranges. Therefore, design iterations and assessments should rely on high-fidelity first-principle theoretical and computational models. The high-fidelity integrated modeling of the plasma is a fundamental part of fusion energy research. However, the whole device modeling is often neglected, utilizing low-fidelity, system-level analysis. Recently, the need for high-fidelity multi-physics modeling was recognized, resulting in a selection of integrated tools. Further, autonomous design optimization requires a streamlined framework that perturbs the design point, reruns the analysis, and examines the outputs. However, high-fidelity analysis requires complex geometry specification that is difficult to perturb. This work presents the parametric CAD generation tool TRACER and a new neutronic workflow. TRACER allows the perturbation of the geometry representation, creating geometry files ready for further analysis. The streamlined neutronic workflow allows efficient and accurate calculations. The two new tools coupled together were used to perform a 3D high-fidelity multi-objective, multi-input optimization of an "ARC Class" compact tokamak design. The workflow was driven by an optimization driver for full automation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Negative hydrogen ion beam extraction from an AC heated cathode driven Bernas-type ion source

A plasma grid structure was installed to a Bernas-type ion source used for ion implantation equipment. A negative hydrogen (H{sup −}) ion beam was extracted by an AC driven ion source by adjusting the bias to the plasma grid. The extracted electron current was reduced by positively biasing the plasma grid, while an optimum plasma grid bias voltage for negative ion beam extraction was found to be positive 3 V with respect to the arc chamber. Source operations with AC cathode heating show extraction characteristics almost identical to that with DC cathode heating, except a minute increase in H{sup −} current at higher frequency of cathode heating current.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Quantitative characterization of arc discharge as vacuum interface

An arc discharge with channel diameters of 3 mm and 6 mm and lengths between 30mm and 60mm was experimentally investigated for its potential to function as plasma window, i.e., interface vacuum regions of different pressures. In this study, electron temperature of the plasma channel measured spectroscopically varied in the range of 7000K to 15000K, increasing with discharge current while decreasing with gas flow rate. The plasma window had a slightly positive I-V characteristics over the whole range of investigated current 30A–70 A. Measurements of pressure separation capability, which were determined by input current, gas flow rate, discharge channel diameter, and length, were well explained by viscosity effect and “thermal-block” effect. The experimental results of global parameters including temperature, gas flow rate, and voltage had a good agreement with the simulation results calculated by an axis-symmetry Fluent-based magneto-hydrodynamic model.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Numerical and Experimental Study of an Aircraft Igniter Plasma Jet Discharge

The spark discharge of an aircraft plasma jet igniter is studied using high-fidelity numerical simulations and X-ray radiography measurements. The target problem here features the thermal expansion of hot gas introduced by the electric spark within a confined igniter cavity, which eventually evolves into a pulsed jet of a high-temperature kernel. A comprehensive set of models adapted from existing strategies for internal combustion engine spark plug discharge is extended to the target problem, including the modeling of energy deposition, plasma reactions, thermodynamic properties, and heat losses. A series of validation and parameter studies are performed and presented. The kernel size is found to be sensitive to heat losses arising from radiation and hot gas remained within the discharge cavity, rather than heat conduction to the wall in the discharge cavity. Depending on the enforced shape of the post-breakdown electric arc, the spark kernel can be off-centered, tilted, and considerably asymmetric. These features have been previously not considered when studying such igniter configurations and may have a first-order impact on the ignition process. Provided a proper setup of the heat loss models and electric arc shape, the numerical results are quantitatively comparable to the experimental results in terms of the kernel size, shape, and velocity throughout different stages after the spark discharge.

Tang, Yihao↗
DOE OSTI2014

Development of a dual MCP framing camera for high energy x-rays

Recently developed diagnostic techniques at LLNL require recording backlit images of extremely dense imploded plasmas using hard x-rays, and demand the detector to be sensitive to photons with energies higher than 50 keV [R. Tommasini et al., Phys. Phys. Plasmas 18, 056309 (2011); G. N. Hall et al., “AXIS: An instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using ARC on the NIF,” Rev. Sci. Instrum. (these proceedings)]. To increase the sensitivity in the high energy region, we propose to use a combination of two MCPs. The first MCP is operated in a low gain regime and works as a thick photocathode, and the second MCP works as a high gain electron multiplier. We tested the concept of this dual MCP configuration and succeeded in obtaining a detective quantum efficiency of 4.5% for 59 keV x-rays, 3 times larger than with a single plate of the thickness typically used in NIF framing cameras.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Parametric Instability of Alfvén Waves and Wave Packets in Periodic and Open Systems

The parametric decay instability of Alfvén waves has been widely studied, but few investigations have examined wave packets of finite size and the effect of different boundary conditions on the growth rate. In this paper, we perform a linear analysis of circular and arc-polarized wave trains and wave packets in periodic and open boundary systems in a low- β plasma. We find that both types of wave are 3–5 times more stable in open boundary conditions compared to periodic. Additionally, once the wave packet width ℓ becomes smaller than the system size L , the growth rate decreases nearly with a power law γ ∝ ℓ / L . This study demonstrates that the stability of a pump wave cannot be separated from the laboratory settings, and that the growth rate of daughter waves depends on the conditions downstream and upstream of the pump wave and on the fraction of volume it fills. Our results can explain simulations and experiments of localized Alfvén waves. They also suggest that Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind, including sharp impulses known as switchbacks, can be more stable than traditional theory suggests depending on wind conditions.

Alfven waves↗
NASA NTRS1973

Quasi-steady plasma acceleration.

A coaxial plasma accelerator driven by protracted pulses of current in the range of 10,000 to 100,000 A and synchronized mass flows from 1.0 to 36 g/sec argon attains, after some tens of microseconds, a stable magnetoplasmadynamic acceleration mode. This 'quasi-steady' discharge form is characterized by constant terminal voltage and current, a diffuse, fixed current distribution within the discharge, and a steady plasma efflux at velocities of approximately 20 km/sec. Measured potential distributions reveal that the bulk of the arc voltage gradient, exclusive of the electrode falls, occurs within two diameters of the cathode, and is normal to it. The anode fall voltage varies inversely with local current density, implying substantially lower anode losses at higher power arc operation. Spectroscopic, potential, and velocity measurements indicate the existence of a characteristic mass flow rate for a given current, below which arc operation becomes erratic.

Jahn, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Increasing Importance of Material Electrical Interaction with the Space Environment

The electrical properties of materials have always been important for spacecraft in charging environments. However, in recent years consideration of interactions of materials and systems with the plasma environment has become more and more important in spacecraft design. This has primarily been driven by independent factors including increase in power and high voltage power systems, operation of tethered satellites, and science requirements for electrostatic clean spacecraft. Increased need for power has led to increased operating voltages for spacecraft. The Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS) was one of the first to operate at near 100 V solar array potential and demonstrate that the spacecraft floated nearly the entire voltage negative of the ionospheric plasma. The high voltage, 160 V, of the solar arrays on the International Space Station (ISS) led to the requirement to have a plasma contactor to control structure potential relative to the local plasma. Issues such as sputtering, dielectric breakdown, capacitive energy storage in the structure, space debris impact induced arcs and other arcing mechanisms had to be addressed. Recently commercial satellites, driven to higher voltages for efficiency, have experienced arcing problems which led to severe, permanent power degradation. The first tethered satellite, Tethered Satellite System (TSS), was deployed from the Space Shuttle. A conductive coating was developed which provided a low resistivity and also the required solar absorptivity and emittance. Other tether systems are being designed which will have similar requirements but also long life and "bare tether" designs are also being built for flight experiments. The wire requires an electrically conductive coating with proper thermal control properties, which a bare wire doesn't possess. Increasing sophistication of scientific instruments and measurements which scientists want to make have led to increasing requirements for conducting thermal control coatings to provide electrostatic cleanliness. These issues, which are increasing the importance of electrical interaction of materials to the space environment, will be discussed in this paper as well as research into material development to meet thermal and electrical requirements and research to understand phenomena regarding such interactions.

Carruth, M. R., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Results of a 2000 hour wear test of the NEXIS ion engine

The Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System (NEXIS) ion thruster was developed for potential outer planet robotic missions under NASA's Prometheus program. This engine was designed to operate at power levels ranging from 16 to over 20 kWe at specific impulses of 6000 to 7500 s for burn times of up to 10 years, satisfying the requirements of nuclear electric propulsion systems such as that on the proposed Prometheus 1 mission to explore the icy moons of Jupiter. State-of-the-art performance and life assessment tools were used to design the thruster. Following the successful performance validation of a Laboratory Model thruster, Development Model hardware was fabricated and subjected to vibration and wear testing. The results of a 2000-hour wear test are reported herein. Thruster performance achieved the target requirements and was steady for the duration of the test. Ion optics performance was similarly stable. Discharge loss increases of 6 eV/ion were observed in the first 500 hours of the test and were attributed to primary electron energy decreases due to cathode insert conditioning. Relatively high recycle rates were observed and were identified to be high-voltage-to-ground arcs in the back of the thruster caused by wire insulation outgassing and electron penetration through the plasma screen. Field emission of electrons between the accelerator and screen grids was observed and attributed to evolution of field emitter sites at accelerator grid aperture edges caused by ion bombardment. Preliminary modeling and analysis indicates that the NEXIS engine can meet mission performance requirements over the required lifetime. Finally, successful validation of the NEXIS design methodology, design tools, and technologies with the results of the wear test and companion performance and vibration tests presents significant applicability of the NEXIS development effort to missions of near-term as well as long-term interest for NASA.

Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System (NEXIS)Thruster ↗
NASA NTRS2005

Results of a 2000 Hour Wear Tof the NEXIS Ion Engine

The Nuclear Electric Xenon Ion System (NEXIS) ion thruster was developed for potential outer planet robotic missions under NASA's Prometheus program. This engine was designed to operate at power levels ranging from 16 to over 20 kWe at specific impulses of 6000 to 7500 s for burn times of up to 10 years, satisfying the requirements of nuclear electric propulsion systems such as that on the proposed Prometheus 1 mission to explore the icy moons of Jupiter. State-of-the-art performance and life assessment tools were used to design the thruster. Following the successful performance validation of a Laboratory Model thruster, Development Model hardware was fabricated and subjected to vibration and wear testing. The results of a 2000-hour wear test are reported herein. Thruster performance achieved the target requirements and was steady for the duration of the test. Ion optics performance was similarly stable. Discharge loss increases of 6 eV/ion were observed in the first 500 hours of the test and were attributed to primary electron energy decreases due to cathode insert conditioning. Relatively high recycle rates were observed and were identified to be high-voltage-to-ground arcs in the back of the thruster caused by wire insulation outgassing and electron penetration through the plasma screen. Field emission of electrons between the accelerator and screen grids was observed and attributed to evolution of field emitter sites at accelerator grid aperture edges caused by ion bombardment. Preliminary modeling and analysis indicates that the NEXIS engine can meet mission performance requirements over the required lifetime. Finally, successful validation of the NEXIS design methodology, design tools, and technologies with the results of the wear test and companion performance and vibration tests presents significant applicability of the NEXIS development effort to missions of near-term as well as long-term interest for NASA.

Thruster performance↗
NASA NTRS2021

The Dynamic Formation of Pseudostreamers

Streamers and pseudostreamers structure the corona at the largest scales, as seen in both eclipse and coronagraph white-light images. Their inverted-goblet appearance encloses broad coronal loops at the Sun and tapers to a narrow radial stalk away from the star. The streamer associated with the global solar dipole magnetic field is long-lived, predominantly contains a single arcade of nested loops within it, and separates opposite-polarity interplanetary magnetic fields with the heliospheric current sheet anchored at its apex. Pseudostreamers, on the other hand, are transient, enclose double arcades of nested loops, and separate like-polarity fields with a dense plasma sheet. We use numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations to calculate, for the first time, the formation of pseudostreamers in response to photospheric magnetic-field evolution. Convective transport of a minority-polarity flux concentration, initially positioned under one side of a streamer, through the streamer boundary into the adjacent, pre-existing coronal hole forms the pseudostreamer. Interchange magnetic reconnection at the overlying coronal null point(s) governs the development of the pseudostreamer above – and of anew, satellite coronal hole behind – the moving minority polarity. The reconnection dynamics liberate coronal-loop plasma that can escape into the heliosphere along so-called separatrix-web (“S-Web”)arcs, which reach far from the heliospheric current sheet and the solar equatorial plane, and can explain the origin of high-latitude slow solar wind. We describe the implications of our results for in-situ and remote-sensing observations of the corona and heliosphere as obtained, most recently, by Parker Solar Probe and Solar OrbiteR.

Roger B. Scott↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of Langmuir and Spatially Resolved OES Diagnostics for Arc Jet Shock and Boundary Layer Measurements Relevant to Atmospheric Re-Entry Environments

The second-generation miniature Arc Jet Research Chamber (mARC) ground testing facility at NASA Ames requires physical characterization of its supersonic plasma flow to verify numerical models and material sample testing. Two types of plasma diagnostics will be utilized: Langmuir probes and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). Several single and triple Langmuir probes have been constructed and will be inserted parallel to the flow via a sweep arm to measure post-shock electron temperature and number density along radial profiles at different axial distances. Due to the high heat flux (200-3000 W/cm2) sweep durations are necessarily short (< 0.1 s). Measuring these properties near the probe surface provide characterization of the post-shock environment. This is an important metric for validating coupled CFD-material codes, and will provide insight into longstanding thermocouple anomalies attributed to charging of heatshield surfaces. An OES system has also been assembled to obtain spatially resolved density and temperature for various flow species. The system consists of a convex lens that forms an image of the plasma onto a 16-channel linear fiber array, which will simultaneously capture the spectra from sixteen different locations. The light emission from the plasma is then focused by a spherical mirror into a spectrometer and recorded with a camera. These measurements non-intrusively provide a new spatially resolved flow characterization capability. This will initially be used to resolve issues with shock radiation interference in pyrometer measurements of material surface temperature. The design of each diagnostic and any initial results will be discussed.

Ethan Main-Loam Leong↗
DOE OSTI2015

Mechanism of cathode spot splitting in vacuum arcs in an oblique magnetic field

Experiments in the last decade showed that for cathode spots in a magnetic field that obliquely intercepts the cathode surface, the current per spot increased with the transverse component of the magnetic field and decreased with the normal component. The present work analyzes the nature of cathode spot splitting in an oblique magnetic field. A physical model for cathode spot current splitting was developed, which considered the relation between the plasma kinetic pressure, self-magnetic pressure, and applied magnetic pressure in a current carrying cathode plasma jet. The current per spot was calculated, and it was found to increase with the tangential component of the magnetic field and to decrease with the normal component, which agrees well with the experimental dependence.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS2010

Integration Assessment of Visiting Vehicle Induced Electrical Charging of the International Space Station Structure

The International Space Station (ISS) undergoes electrical charging in low Earth orbit (LEO) due to positively biased, exposed conductors on solar arrays that collect electrical charges from the space plasma. Exposed solar array conductors predominately collect negatively charged electrons and thus drive the metal ISS structure electrical ground to a negative floating potential (FP) relative to plasma. This FP is variable in location and time as a result of local ionospheric conditions. ISS motion through Earth s magnetic field creates an addition inductive voltage up to 20 positive and negative volts across ISS structure depending on its attitude and location in orbit. ISS Visiting Vehicles (VVs), such as the planned Orion crew exploration vehicle, contribute to the ISS plasma charging processes. Upon physical contact with ISS, the current collection properties of VVs combine with ISS. This is an ISS integration concern as FP must be controlled to minimize arcing of ISS surfaces and ensure proper management of extra vehicular activity crewman shock hazards. This report is an assessment of ISS induced charging from docked Orion vehicles employing negatively grounded, 130 volt class, UltraFlex (ATK Space Systems) solar arrays. To assess plasma electron current collection characteristics, Orion solar cell test coupons were constructed and subjected to plasma chamber current collection measurements. During these tests, coupon solar cells were biased between 0 and 120 V while immersed in a simulated LEO plasma. Tests were performed using several different simulated LEO plasma densities and temperatures. These data and associated theoretical scaling of plasma properties, were combined in a numerical model which was integrated into the Boeing Plasma Interaction Model. It was found that the solar array design for Orion will not affect the ISS FP by more than about 2 V during worst case charging conditions. This assessment also motivated a trade study to determine acceptable plasma electron current levels that can be collected by a single or combined fleet of ISS-docked VVs.

Kramer, Leonard↗
DOE OSTI2013

Cathode fall model and current-voltage characteristics of field emission driven direct current microplasmas

The post-breakdown characteristics of field emission driven microplasma are studied theoretically and numerically. A cathode fall model assuming a linearly varying electric field is used to obtain equations governing the operation of steady state field emission driven microplasmas. The results obtained from the model by solving these equations are compared with particle-in-cell with Monte Carlo collisions simulation results for parameters including the plasma potential, cathode fall thickness, ion number density in the cathode fall, and current density vs voltage curves. The model shows good overall agreement with the simulations but results in slightly overpredicted values for the plasma potential and the cathode fall thickness attributed to the assumed electric field profile. The current density vs voltage curves obtained show an arc region characterized by negative slope as well as an abnormal glow discharge characterized by a positive slope in gaps as small as 10 μm operating at atmospheric pressure. The model also retrieves the traditional macroscale current vs voltage theory in the absence of field emission.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗