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Results for “PLASMA ARC”

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 1,063 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Electric field induced needle-pulsed arc discharge carbon nanotube production apparatus: Circuitry and mechanical design

A simple and low cost apparatus is reported to produce multiwall carbon nanotubes and carbon nano-onions by a low power short pulsed arc discharge reactor. The electric circuitry and the mechanical design details and a micro-filtering assembly are described. The pulsed-plasma is generated and applied between two graphite electrodes. The pulse width is 0.3 {mu}s. A strong dc electric field is established along side the electrodes. The repetitive discharges occur in less than 1 mm distance between a sharp tip graphite rod as anode, and a tubular graphite as cathode. A hydrocarbon vapor, as carbon source, is introduced through the graphite nozzle in the cathode assembly. The pressure of the chamber is controlled by a vacuum pump. A magnetic field, perpendicular to the plasma path, is provided. The results show that the synergetic use of a pulsed-current and a dc power supply enables us to synthesize carbon nanoparticles with short pulsed plasma. The simplicity and inexpensiveness of this plan is noticeable. Pulsed nature of plasma provides some extra degrees of freedom that make the production more controllable. Effects of some design parameters such as electric field, pulse frequency, and cathode shape are discussed. The products are examined using scanning probe microscopy techniques.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

First Wall Design of a Tokamak Pilot Plant Using a Monte Carlo Model for 3-D Heat Flux Deposition

We present a method for calculating the heat fluxes deposited on nonaxisymmetric tokamak first wall components, allowing for a first-of-its-kind model for power handling in the tokamak far scrape-off layer (SOL). The DIV3D Monte Carlo model features strict global power conservation and can calculate the finite cross-field plasma transport into magnetically-shadowed regions, which is significant when dealing with meter-scale shadows introduced by components such as poloidal limiters or antennas. As a case study, we apply the DIV3D model to inform the distribution of first wall poloidal limiters in an ARC-class reactor device. We demonstrate that discrete protection limiters can efficiently reduce peak heat fluxes on recessed breeder wall components in the presence of significant far-SOL plasma fluxes. By varying the toroidal periodicity and radial standoff depth of the limiters, we demonstrate one of the tradeoffs that must be considered in first wall design: more limiters provide greater protection, but at the cost of reduced breeding performance. We also present the impact that radial misalignments between limiters would have on first wall power loading.

Monte Carlo methods↗
DOE OSTI2012

Introduction of the MC3-II/GP system, medium current ion implanter with enhanced multi-charge beam current

The MC3-II/GP is a leading-edge single-wafer medium-current ion implanter, newly developed by SEN Corporation. It demonstrates exceptional productivity based on a high speed wafer-handling station and enhanced beam current. It covers a substantively wider energy range in order to fully meet advanced device requirements. Retaining the superior features of the MC3-II/WR, the MC3-II/GP provides a remarkable increase of multiply-charged beam current coupled with longer ion source lifetime. Another advanced feature of the MC3-II/GP is a 30 second or 14% reduction in auto beam setup time. These improvements enable a fabrication line to reduce the total number of ion implanters and dramatically reduce COO.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Reinvestigation of the charge density distribution in arc discharge fusion system

A continual arc discharge system has been setup and the light intensity of arc discharge has been profiled. The mathematical model of local energy density distribution in arc discharge fusion has been simulated which is in good qualitative agreement with light intensity profile of arc discharge in the experiments. Eventually, the local energy density distribution of arc discharge system is able to be precisely manipulated to act as heat source in the fabrication of fused fiber devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Power flow in magnetically insulated transmission lines with ion backscatter effects

Ion backscattering off of surfaces in magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITLs) is often ignored in kinetic simulations of MITL power flow. Backscattering reduces ion current losses and the surface impact heating, which dictates the rate at which surface-adsorbed contaminants are liberated into the anode–cathode gap. Backscatter probabilities are difficult to implement in a kinetic code because there are limited data for incident ion energies less than a few keV. This paper presents an analytic model based on the Rutherford scattering formula that reproduces the measured backscatter probabilities at high incident energies and transitions to the highly reflective behavior expected at low incident energies. The backscatter model is implemented in power flow simulations, which are validated with current loss experiments conducted on the 0.4 TW Mykonos accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories. This simulation setup is then used in a high-current Z-machine shot. In conclusion, backscatter effects are found to be unimportant in the low-current Mykonos regime but significantly reduce current losses at the Z-machine scale.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1974

Auroral displays near the 'foot' of the field line of the ATS-5 satellite

Summary of an extensive correlative study of ATS-5 particle and magnetic field data with all-sky photographs from Great Whale River which is near the 'foot' of the field lines passing through the ATS-5 satellite. In particular, an effort is made to identify specific particle features with specific auroral displays during substorms, such as a westward traveling surge, poleward expansive motion, and drifting patches. It is found that, in early evening hours, the first encounter of ATS-5 with hot plasma is associated with the equatorward shift of the diffuse aurora, but not necessarily with westward traveling surges (even when the satellite is embedded in the plasma sheet). In the midnight sector, an injection corresponds very well to the initial brightening of an auroral arc. Specific features of morning sector auroras are difficult to correlate with specific particle features.

Akasofu, S.-I.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Hot plasma dynamics within geostationary altitudes

The reported investigation is based on observations made with the aid of the Explorer 45 satellite. Observations of protons during geomagnetic storms are discussed and attention is given to considerations of energy densities, hot-cold plasma interactions, stable and turbulent regions, the distribution function, charge exchange losses, the formation of stable auroral red arcs, and adiabatic and nonadiabatic responses. The behavior of energetic electrons is considered along with studies of quiet-time conditions and investigations of storm and poststorm behavior.

Williams, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

High energy density capacitors for vacuum operation with a pulsed plasma load

Results of the effort of designing, fabricating, and testing of a 40 joules/lb (88.2 joules/Kg) high voltage energy storage capacitor suitable for operating a pulsed plasma thruster in a vacuum environment for millions of pulses are presented. Using vacuum brazing and heli-arc welding techniques followed by vacuum and high pressure helium leak tests it was possible to produce a hermetically sealed relatively light weight enclosure for the dielectric system. An energy density of 40 joules/lb was realized with a KF-polyvinylidene fluoride dielectric system. One capacitor was D.C. life tested at 4 KV (107.8 joules/lb) for 2,000 hours before it failed. Another exceeded 2,670 hours without failure at 38.3 joules/lb. Pulse life testing in a vacuum exceeded 300,000 discharges with testing still in progress. The D.C. life test data shows a small decrease in capacitance and an increase in dissipation factor with time. Heat transfer from the load to the capacitor must also be considered besides the self-heat generated by the capacitor.

Guman, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Auroral electron distribution function

During a rocket flight over an active aurora, electron velocity distribution is studied in the 15-25 keV range. The results are then compared to optical observations made by all-sky cameras and a television system. A broad plateau produced by downcoming electrons was observed. Smaller plateaus were seen when the rocket was south of arcs evident in all-sky camera photographs. By extending to higher energies when the rocket passed out of auroral forms, the plateaus appeared to broaden. When the rocket left an arc or entered weak diffuse auroral structures, the plateaus shrank as the more energetic portions faded. When field-aligned rays were observed within the arcs, the plateau's high-velocity cutoff was found to fluctuate. The results indicate that the auroral plasma was very unstable above the rocket. It is suggested that plateaus are produced as an unstable plasma evolves toward a quasi-equilibrium state.

Kaufmann, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Space Environment Testing of Photovoltaic Array Systems at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center

To successfully operate a photovoltaic (PV) array system in space requires planning and testing to account for the effects of the space environment. It is critical to understand space environment interactions not only on the PV components, but also the array substrate materials, wiring harnesses, connectors, and protection circuitry (e.g. blocking diodes). Key elements of the space environment which must be accounted for in a PV system design include: Solar Photon Radiation, Charged Particle Radiation, Plasma, and Thermal Cycling. While solar photon radiation is central to generating power in PV systems, the complete spectrum includes short wavelength ultraviolet components, which photo-ionize materials, as well as long wavelength infrared which heat materials. High energy electron radiation has been demonstrated to significantly reduce the output power of III-V type PV cells; and proton radiation damages material surfaces - often impacting coverglasses and antireflective coatings. Plasma environments influence electrostatic charging of PV array materials, and must be understood to ensure that long duration arcs do not form and potentially destroy PV cells. Thermal cycling impacts all components on a PV array by inducing stresses due to thermal expansion and contraction. Given such demanding environments, and the complexity of structures and materials that form a PV array system, mission success can only be ensured through realistic testing in the laboratory. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a broad space environment test capability to allow PV array designers and manufacturers to verify their system's integrity and avoid costly on-orbit failures. The Marshall Space Flight Center test capabilities are available to government, commercial, and university customers. Test solutions are tailored to meet the customer's needs, and can include performance assessments, such as flash testing in the case of PV cells.

Phillips, Brandon S.↗
DOE OSTI2012

Transparent and conductive indium doped cadmium oxide thin films prepared by pulsed filtered cathodic arc deposition

Indium doped cadmium oxide (CdO:In) films with different In concentrations were prepared on low-cost glass substrates by pulsed filtered cathodic arc deposition (PFCAD). In this study, it is shown that polycrystalline CdO:In films with smooth surface and dense structure are obtained. In-doping introduces extra electrons leading to remarkable improvements of electron mobility and conductivity, as well as improvement in the optical transmittance due to the Burstein Moss effect. CdO:In films on glass substrates with thickness near 230 nm show low resistivity of 7.23 x 10 -5 Ωcm, high electron mobility of 142 cm 2 /Vs, and mean transmittance over 80% from 500-1250 nm (including the glass substrate). These high quality pulsed arc-grown CdO:In films are potentially suitable for high efficiency multi-junction solar cells that harvest a broad range of the solar spectrum.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Langmuir probe measurements in a time-fluctuating-highly ionized non-equilibrium cutting arc: Analysis of the electron retarding part of the time-averaged current-voltage characteristic of the probe

This work describes the application of Langmuir probe diagnostics to the measurement of the electron temperature in a time-fluctuating-highly ionized, non-equilibrium cutting arc. The electron retarding part of the time-averaged current-voltage characteristic of the probe was analysed, assuming that the standard exponential expression describing the electron current to the probe in collision-free plasmas can be applied under the investigated conditions. A procedure is described which allows the determination of the errors introduced in time-averaged probe data due to small-amplitude plasma fluctuations. It was found that the experimental points can be gathered into two well defined groups allowing defining two quite different averaged electron temperature values. In the low-current region the averaged characteristic was not significantly disturbed by the fluctuations and can reliably be used to obtain the actual value of the averaged electron temperature. In particular, an averaged electron temperature of 0.98 ± 0.07 eV (= 11400 ± 800 K) was found for the central core of the arc (30 A) at 3.5 mm downstream from the nozzle exit. This average included not only a time-average over the time fluctuations but also a spatial-average along the probe collecting length. The fitting of the high-current region of the characteristic using such electron temperature value together with the corrections given by the fluctuation analysis showed a relevant departure of local thermal equilibrium in the arc core.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2005

Solar Array Sails: Possible Space Plasma Environmental Effects

An examination of the interactions between proposed "solar sail" propulsion systems with photovoltaic energy generation capabilities and the space plasma environments. Major areas of interactions ere: Acting from high voltage arrays, ram and wake effects, V and B current loops and EMI. Preliminary analysis indicates that arcing will be a major risk factor for voltages greater than 300V. Electron temperature enhancement in the wake will be produce noise that can be transmitted via the wake echo process. In addition, V and B induced potential will generate sheath voltages with potential tether like breakage effects in the thin film sails. Advocacy of further attention to these processes is emphasized so that plasma environmental mitigation will be instituted in photovoltaic sail design.

Mackey, Willie R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Anode power in a quasi-steady MPD thruster

Local anode heat flux in a quasi-steady MPD thruster is measured by thermocouples attached to the inside surface of a shell anode. Over a range of arc currents J from 5.5 to 44 kiloamperes and argon propellant mass flows m from 1 to 48 g/sec, with the ratio J2/m held constant, the fraction of arc power deposited in the anode is found to decrease with increasing arc power. Specifically, this anode power fraction decreases from 50% at 200 kW arc power, to 10% at 20 MW. In an effort to account for this functional behavior, the current density, plasma potential, and electron temperature in the plasma adjacent to the anode are measured with probes, and the results are used in a theoretical anode heat flux model. The model asserts that energy exchange between electrons and heavy particles in the plasma near the anode occur over distances greater than the anode sheath thickness.

Saber, A. J.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Calculation of combined diffusion coefficients in SF{sub 6}-Cu mixtures

Diffusion coefficients play an important role in the description of the transport of metal vapours in gas mixtures. This paper is devoted to the calculation of four combined diffusion coefficients, namely, the combined ordinary diffusion coefficient, combined electric field diffusion coefficient, combined temperature diffusion coefficient, and combined pressure diffusion coefficient in SF{sub 6}-Cu mixtures at temperatures up to 30 000 K. These four coefficients describe diffusion due to composition gradients, applied electric fields, temperature gradients, and pressure gradients, respectively. The influence of copper fluoride and sulfide species on the diffusion coefficients is shown to be negligible. The effect of copper proportion and gas pressures on these diffusion coefficients is investigated. It is shown that increasing the proportion of copper generally increases the magnitude of the four diffusion coefficients, except for copper mole fractions of 90% or more. It is further found that increasing the pressure reduces the magnitude of the coefficients, except for the combined temperature diffusion coefficient, and shifts the maximum of all four coefficients towards higher temperatures. The results presented in this paper can be applied to the simulation of high-voltage circuit breaker arcs.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

A revolutionary concept to improve the efficiency of IC antennas

The successful design of an Ion Cyclotron (IC) antenna mainly relies on the capability of coupling high power to the plasma (MW), feature that is currently reached by allowing rather high voltages (tens of kV) on the unavoidable unmatched part of the feeding lines. This requirement is often responsible of arcs along the transmission lines and other unwanted phenomena that considerably limit the usage of IC launchers. In this work, we suggest and describe a revolutionary approach based on high impedance surfaces, which allows to increase the antenna radiation efficiency and, hence, to highly reduce the imposed voltages to couple the same level of power to the plasma. High-impedance surfaces are periodic metallic structures (patches) displaced usually on top of a dielectric substrate and grounded by means of vertical posts usually embedded inside a dielectric, in a mushroom-like shape. In terms of working properties, high impedance surfaces are electrically thin in-phase reflectors, i.e. they present a high impedance, within a given frequency band, such that the image currents are in-phase with the currents of the antenna itself, thus determining a significant efficiency increase. While the usual design of a high impedance surface requires the presence of a dielectric layer, some alternative solutions can be realized in vacuum, taking advantage of double layers ofmetallic patches. After an introductory part on the properties of high impedance surfaces, this work documents both their design by means of numerical codes and their implementation on a scaled mock-up.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗