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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 1,063 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Influence of the concentration ratio on the thermal and economic performance of parabolic trough collectors

The thermal and economic performance of parabolic trough collectors (PTCs) and PTCs with double glass envelope (DGE-PTCs) are analyzed in this work. A model including thermal and optical effects is developed to evaluate the efficiency of vacuum and air-filled DGE-PTCs, while an economic model based on two commercial PTCs (SkyTrough and Ultimate Trough collectors) was developed to assess the economic performance. The efficiency and thermal output per unit cost of the proposed DGE-PTCs are analyzed as a function of the concentration ratio and are respectively compared with the thermal and economic performance of traditional and commercial PTCs. The optimum concentration ratio for maximum thermal performance varies from 11.0 to 23.3 for operation temperatures (T HTF ) between 100 degrees C and 400 degrees C, while the optimum concentration ratio for maximum economic performance ranges between 28.9 and 33.2 for the SkyTrough and between 40.0 and 43.8 for the Ultimate Trough collector designs. Finally, the DGE-PTCs present higher thermal and economic performance at high operating temperatures, which presents a valuable opportunity for implementation in new PTC designs pursuing higher operating temperatures to achieve superior thermal cycle efficiencies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2024

Thermal and dynamic partition of dumbbell interstitials in complex concentrated alloys

Complex concentrated alloys (CCAs) are promising candidates for applications in extreme conditions, such as irradiation where interstitial mediated diffusion is important. In CCAs with N principal elements, $\frac{N(N+1)}{2}$ types of dumbbell interstitials exist. Currently, there is no way to predict the thermal partition (fractional concentration at equilibrium) and the dynamic partition (fractional time an interstitial spends during diffusion) of each type of dumbbell interstitial. To mitigate this issue, this work proposes a theoretical model for computing the equilibrium concentrations and thermal partition of dumbbell interstitials in CCAs and validates the model using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. Lattice kinetic Monte Carlo simulations show that the thermal partition is equivalent to the dynamic partition, and both are governed by composition and formation energies of dumbbells. As a result, the model proposed provides a foundation for understanding radiation enhanced diffusion and induced segregation in CCAs under irradiation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Diverging polygon-based modeling (DPBM) of concentrated solar flux distributions

This paper presents an efficient and robust methodology for modeling concentrated solar flux distributions. Compared to ray tracing methods, which provide high accuracy but can be computationally intensive, this approach makes a number of simplifying assumptions in order to reduce complexity by modeling incident and reflected flux as a series of simple geometric diverging polygons, then applying shading and blocking effects. A reduction in processing time (as compared to ray tracing) allows for evaluating and visualizing numerous combinations of engineering and operational variables (easily exceeding 106 unique iterations) to ascertain instantaneous, transient, and annual system performance. The method is demonstrated on a linear Fresnel reflector array and a number of variable iteration examples presented. While some precision is sacrificed for computational speed, flux distributions were compared to ray tracing (SolTrace) and average concentration ratio generally found to agree within ~3%. Furthermore, this method presents a quick and very flexible coarse adjust method for concentrated solar power (CSP) field design, and can be used to both rapidly gain an understanding of system performance as well as to narrow variable constraint windows for follow-on high accuracy system optimization.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Hexavalent chromium at low concentration alters Sertoli cell barrier and connexin 43 gap junction but not claudin-11 and N-cadherin in the rat seminiferous tubule culture model

Exposure to toxic metals, specifically those belonging to the nonessential group leads to human health defects and among them reprotoxic effects. The mechanisms by which these metals produce their negative effects on spermatogenesis have not been fully elucidated. By using the Durand's validated seminiferous tubule culture model, which mimics the in vivo situation, we recently reported that concentrations of hexavalent chromium, reported in the literature to be closed to that found in the blood circulation of men, increase the number of germ cell cytogenetic abnormalities. Since this metal is also known to affect cellular junctions, we investigated, in the present study, its potential influence on the Sertoli cell barrier and on junctional proteins present at this level such as connexin 43, claudin-11 and N-cadherin. Cultured seminiferous tubules in bicameral chambers expressed the three junctional proteins and ZO-1 for at least 12 days. Exposure to low concentrations of chromium (10 μg/l) increased the trans-epithelial resistance without major changes of claudin-11 and N-cadherin expressions but strongly delocalized the gap junction protein connexin 43 from the membrane to the cytoplasm of Sertoli cells. The possibility that the hexavalent chromium-induced alteration of connexin 43 indirectly mediates the effect of the toxic metal on the blood–testis barrier dynamic is postulated. - Highlights: ► Influence of Cr(VI) on the Sertoli cell barrier and on junctional proteins ► Use of cultured seminiferous tubules in bicameral chambers ► Low concentrations of Cr(VI) (10 μg/l) altered the trans-epithelial resistance. ► Cr(VI) did not alter claudin-11 and N-cadherin. ► Cr(VI) delocalized connexin 43 from the membrane to the cytoplasm of Sertoli cells.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Low concentrations of methylmercury inhibit neural progenitor cell proliferation associated with up-regulation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β and subsequent degradation of cyclin E in rats

Methylmercury (MeHg) is an environmental neurotoxicant. The developing nervous system is susceptible to low concentrations of MeHg; however, the effect of MeHg on neural progenitor cell (NPC) proliferation, a key stage of neurogenesis during development, remains to be clarified. In this study, we investigated the effect of low concentrations of MeHg on NPCs by using a primary culture system developed using the embryonic rat cerebral cortex. NPC proliferation was suppressed 48 h after exposure to 10 nM MeHg, but cell death was not observed. Western blot analyses for cyclins A, B, D1, and E demonstrated that MeHg down-regulated cyclin E, a promoter of the G1/S cell cycle transition. Cyclin E has been shown to be degraded following the phosphorylation by glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β). The time course study showed that GSK-3β was up-regulated 3 h after exposure to 10 nM MeHg, and cyclin E degradation 48 h after MeHg exposure. We further demonstrated that GSK-3β inhibitors, lithium and SB-415286, suppressed MeHg-induced inhibition of NPC proliferation by preventing cyclin E degradation. These results suggest that the inhibition of NPC proliferation induced by low concentration of MeHg was associated with up-regulation of GSK-3β at the early stage and subsequent degeneration of cyclin E. - Highlights: • NPC proliferation was suppressed by 10 nM MeHg, but cell death was not observed. • MeHg induced down-regulation of cyclin E, a promoter of cell cycle progression. • GSK-3β was up-regulated by 10 nM MeHg, leading to cyclin E degradation. • GSK-3β inhibitors suppressed MeHg-induced degradation of cyclin E.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Determination of phosphorus and sulfur in uranium ore concentrates by triple quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

The analysis of impurities in a uranium ore concentrate (UOC) could provide information regarding the source, production history, and potential intended use of the UOC. This study involves the analysis of UOC samples for phosphorus and sulfur. Here, concentrations were determined by triple quadrupole inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry and compared with results from a pyrohydrolysis method as well as previously reported results. The sulfur and phosphorus concentrations, determined by the mass spectrometer, were used to explore possible trends in a series of UOC material, and the uncertainties were calculated using GUM workbench software. The triple quadrupole inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometer method allows for the removal of interferences in the analysis of species.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2024

Anionic Effects on Concentrated Aqueous Lithium Ion Dynamics

In this article, the structural dynamics, chemical reactivity, anisotropy, diffusivity, viscosity, and density were measured for concentrated lithium salt solutions, including lithium chloride (LiCl), lithium bromide (LiBr), lithium nitrite (LiNO 2 ), and lithium nitrate (LiNO 3 ), with methyl thiocyanate as an infrared vibrational probe molecule, using two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy (2D IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and viscometry. 2D IR, NMR, and viscosity results show that LiNO 2 exhibits longer correlation times, lower diffusivity, and nearly four times greater viscosity when compared to the other lithium salt solutions of the same concentration, suggesting that nitrite anions may strongly facilitate structure formation via strengthening water-ion interactions, directly impacting bulk solution properties at sufficiently high concentrations. Additionally, the LiNO 2 and LiNO 3 solutions show significantly reduced chemical reactivity with respect to lithium cations coordinating with the methyl thiocyanate when compared to the lithium halide salts.

2D IR↗
DOE OSTI2017

Partitioning of HCl Between Concentrated Brines and Supercritical CO 2 Under Geologic Reservoir Conditions

HCl is generated in subsurface brines exposed to high CO 2 pressures via reactions such as CO 2 + NaCl + H 2 O ↔ NaHCO 3 + HCl. The extent of partitioning of HCl between a concentrated chloride brine and supercritical CO 2 (scCO 2 ) has not been measured before and it cannot be estimated with the accuracy sufficient for predictive modeling of subsurface processes. The partitioning of HCl between 4.92 mol/kg aqueous solutions of NaCl and scCO 2 was measured at 100 and 150 °C and at pressures between 9 and 16.2 MPa. At P = 15 MPa, the concentrations of HCl in the scCO 2 phase were 7 × 10 –4 and 4 × 10 –3 mol/L at 100 and 150 °C, an increase by more than 5 and 3 orders of magnitude, respectively, relative to the concentrations in water vapor in the absence of CO 2 . Furthermore, these levels of HCl may accelerate reactions with reservoir rocks, natural seals (shale caprocks) and downhole materials, potentially enhancing or impairing operation and long-term performance of subsurface technologies such as geologic carbon sequestration/storage, enhanced geothermal systems using compressed CO 2 , and scCO 2 extraction of hydrocarbons, and other resources in the presence of chloride brines.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Extremely Stable Sodium Metal Batteries Enabled by Localized High-Concentration Electrolytes

Sodium (Na) metal is a promising anode for Na ion batteries. However, the high reactivity of Na metal with electrolytes and the low Na metal cycling efficiency have limited its practical application in rechargeable Na metal batteries. High concentration electrolytes (HCE, ≥4 M) consisting of sodium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (NaFSI) and ether solvent could ensure the stable cycling of Na metal with high coulombic efficiency, but suffer from high viscosity, poor wetting ability, and high salt cost. Here, we report that the salt concentration could be significantly reduced (≤ 1.5 M) by diluting with a hydrofluoroether (HFE) as ‘inert’ diluent, which maintains the solvation structures of HCE, thereby forming a localized high concentration electrolyte (LHCE). A LHCE (2.1 M NaFSI/DME-BTFE (solvent molar ratio 1:2)) has been demonstrated to enable the dendrite-free Na deposition with high coulombic efficiency of > 99%, fast-charging (20C) and stable cycling (90.8% retention after 40,000 cycles) of Na||Na3V2(PO4)3 batteries.

concentrated electrolyte↗
DOE OSTI2014

Determination of carrier concentration dependent electron effective mass and scattering time of n-ZnO thin film by terahertz time domain spectroscopy

We demonstrated a novel and widely accessible method for determining the electron effective mass and scattering time of ZnO films with different carrier concentrations by combining terahertz time-domain spectroscopy with Hall measurement. The terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) transmission spectra (0.1–2THz) were well described by Drude model. It is found that electron effective mass varied from 0.23m{sub 0} to 0.26m{sub 0} as the electron concentration changes from 5.9 × 10{sup 17} cm{sup −3} to 4.0 × 10{sup 19} cm{sup −3}. The carrier concentration dependent characteristic is ascribed to the non-parabolicity of conduction band. Free carrier localization mechanism explained the discrepancy in mobilities obtained from THz-TDS and Hall measurements.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermal conductivity control by oxygen defect concentration modification in reducible oxides: The case of Pr{sub 0.1}Ce{sub 0.9}O{sub 2−δ} thin films

We demonstrate the impact on thermal conductivity of varying the concentration of oxygen vacancies and reduced cations in Pr{sub 0.1}Ce{sub 0.9}O{sub 2−δ} thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition. The oxygen vacancy concentration is controlled by varying the oxygen partial pressure between 1 × 10{sup −4} and 1 atm at 650 °C. Corresponding changes in the oxygen non-stoichiometry (δ) are monitored by detecting the lattice parameters of the films with high-resolution X-ray diffraction, while the thermal properties are characterized by time-domain thermoreflectance measurements. The films are shown to exhibit a variation in oxygen vacancy content, and in the Pr{sup 3+}/Pr{sup 4+} ratio, corresponding to changes in δ from 0.0027 to 0.0364, leading to a reduction in the thermal conductivity from k = 6.62 ± 0.61 to 3.82 ± 0.51 W/m-K, respectively. These values agree well with those predicted by the Callaway and von Baeyer model for thermal conductivity in the presence of point imperfections. These results demonstrate the capability of controlling thermal conductivity via control of anion and cation defect concentrations in a given reducible oxide.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of Tb{sup 3+} concentration on the optical and vibrational properties of YBO{sub 3} tri-doped with Eu{sup 3+}, Ce{sup 3+}, and Tb{sup 3+}

Structural and optical studies are reported of yttrium orthoborate YBO{sub 3} when tri-doped with Eu{sup 3+}, Ce{sup 3+}, and Tb{sup 3+}, focusing on the role of terbium concentration. Incorporation of Tb{sup 3+} affects emission properties for photoluminescence (PL) excited by near ultraviolet light. For constant cerium and europium concentrations, increasing the Tb{sup 3+} results in diminished PL from the Ce{sup 3+} and Tb{sup 3+} color centers. Simultaneously, the PL excitation bands related to both Ce{sup 3+} and Tb{sup 3+} increase in intensity for red emission from the Eu{sup 3+}. Results are consistent with a Ce{sup 3+} → (Tb{sup 3+}){sub n} → Eu{sup 3+} energy transfer scheme, where (Tb{sup 3+}){sub n} denotes a chain incorporating n terbium ions. A high red to orange PL intensity ratio is obtained, ranging from 1.34 to 2.09. Raman vibrational bands show a systematic change, with Tb{sup 3+} concentration, in the B{sub 3}O{sub 9} ring terminal oxygen bending mode coordinated with the yttrium site where dopant ions substitute. The structural changes are interpreted as variations in the local neighborhood of these sites in the YBO{sub 3}:Ce{sup 3+},Tb{sup 3+},Eu{sup 3+} crystal structure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

The relation of seismic activity and radon concentration

Radon, which is the largest source of natural ionizing radiation, reaches to surface as gas or dissolved form in the ground water. Emanation of radon can has a profile is disposed to increasing or decreasing depending on the effects of meteorological events or crust movements. In this work, the radon concentration in soil gas, which is transported from soil to AlphaGUARD, is continuously measured in Mytilene (Greece). A graph of radon concentration is prepared for comparison with simultaneous earthquake data. As a consequence of comparison, we determined that the radon concentration indicates anomalies before the earthquakes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effective closed form mathematical approach to determine kinetic constants of NR vulcanized with sulphur and accelerators at different concentrations

The basic reaction scheme due to Han and co-workers for NR vulcanized with sulphur is adopted and modified taking into account the single contributions of the different accelerators, focusing in particular on some experimental data ad hoc obtained at Pirelli’s laboratories, where NR was vulcanized at different temperatures (from 150 to 180 °C) and concentrations of sulphur, using TBBS and DPG in the mixture as co-agents. Typically, the chain reactions are initiated by the formation of macro-compounds that are responsible of the formation of the unmatured crosslinked polymer. This first reaction depends on the reciprocal concentrations of all components and their chemical nature. In presence of two accelerators, it was considered that the reactions between each single accelerator and the NR raw material occur in parallel, making the reasonable assumption that there are no mutual reactions between the two accelerators. From the kinetic scheme adopted, a closed form solution was found for the crosslink density, with the only limitation that the induction period is excluded from computations. Even kinetic constants are evaluated in closed form, avoiding a numerically demanding least-squares best fitting on rheometer experimental data. Two series of experiments available, relying into rheometer curves at different temperatures and different concentrations of sulphur and accelerator, are utilized to evaluate the fitting capabilities of the mathematical model. Very good agreement between numerical output and experimental data is experienced in all cases analysed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Determination of radon concentration in water using RAD7 with RAD H{sub 2}O accessories

In the last decade, the radon issue has become one of the major problems of radiation protection. Radon exposure occurs when using water for showering, washing dishes, cooking and drinking water. RAD7 and Rad H20 accessories were used in order to measure radon concentration in water sample. In this study, four types of water were concerns which are reverse osmosis (drinking water), mineral water, tap water and well water. Reverse osmosis (drinking water) and mineral water were bought from the nearest supermarket while tap water and well water were taken from selected areas of Pulau Pinang and Kedah. Total 20 samples were taken with 5 samples for each type of water. The measured radon concentration ranged from 2.9±2.9 to 79.5±17 pCi/L, 2.9±2.9 to 67.8±16 pCi/L, 15.97±7 to 144.25±24 pCi/L and 374.89±37 to 6409.03±130 pCi/L in reverse osmosis (drinking water), mineral water, tap water and well water. Well water has the highest radon compared to others. It was due to their geological element such as granite. Results for all types of water are presented and compared with maximum contamination limit (MCL) recommended by United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) which is 300pCi/L. Reverse osmosis water, mineral water and tap water were fall below MCL. However, well water was exceeded maximum level that was recommended. Thus, these findings were suggested that an action should be taken to reduce radon concentration level in well water as well as reduce a health risk towards the public.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Analysis of N-16 concentration in primary cooling system of AP1000 power reactor

Nitrogen-16 (N-16) is one of the radiation safety parameter on the primary reactor system. The activation product, N-16, is the predominant contributor to the activity in the reactor coolant system during reactor operation. N-16 is activation product derived from activation of O-16 with fast neutron based on {sup 16}O(n,p){sup 16}N reaction. Thus study is needed and it performs to determine N-16 concentration in reactor coolant (primary coolant) in supporting radiation safety. One of the way is using analytical methode based on activation and redecay princip to obtain N-16 concentration. The analysis was performed on the configuration basis and operational of Westinghouse AP1000 power reactor in several monitoring points at coolant reactor system. The results of the calculation of N-16 concentration at the core outlet, reactor vessel outlet, pressurizer line, inlet and outlet of steam generators, primary pumps, reactor vessels inlet and core inlet are: 281, 257, 255, 250, 145, 142, 129 and 112 µCi/gram respectively. The results of analysis compared with AP1000 design control document as standard values. The verification showed very high accuracy comparation between analytical results and standard values.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of Mo-doping concentration on the physical behaviour of sprayed ZnO layers

Mo-doped zinc oxide layers (MZO) have been prepared on cleaned glass substrates by chemical spray pyrolysis technique by varying Mo-doping concentration in the range, 0 – 5 at. %. The X-ray diffraction studies revealed that all the as prepared layers were polycrystalline in nature and exhibited wurtzite structure. The layers prepared with lower Mo-doping concentration (<2 at. %) were preferably oriented along the (100) plane, whereas in the case of higher Mo-doping concentration (>2 at. %), the films showed the (002) plane as the dominant peak. The optical analysis indicated that all the layers had an average optical transmittance of 80% in the visible region and the evaluated band gap varied in the range, 3.28 - 3.50 eV.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effect of antimony concentration on structural and transport properties of (Bi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} mixed crystal

Polycrystalline (Bi{sub 1-x}Sb{sub x}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} (0.60≤x≤0.68) alloys have been synthesized by solid state reaction method. Structural characterizations have been done using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Lattice parameter decreases with antimony (Sb) concentration. Sb doping leads to the modification in band structure and Fermi surface geometry. Band gap calculated from thermal variation of resistivity (ρ-T) data, decreases with Sb concentration. Sb concentration dependent power factor near room temperature have been calculated from obtained resistivity and thermopower data. Highest power factor obtained for (Bi{sub 0.40}Sb{sub 0.60}){sub 2}Te{sub 3} alloy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗