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1,056 records · Page 59
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2010

Long Range Active Detection of HEU Based on Thermal Neutron Multiplication

We report on the results of measurements of proton irradiation on a series of targets at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s (BNL) Alternate Gradient Synchrotron Facility (AGS), in collaboration with LANL and SNL. We examined the prompt radiation environment in the tunnel for the DTRA-sponsored series (E 972), which investigated the penetration of air and subsequent target interaction of 4 GeV proton pulses. Measurements were made by means of an organic scintillator with a 500 MHz bandwidth system. We found that irradiation of a depleted uranium (DU) target resulted in a large gamma-ray signal in the 100-500 µsec time region after the proton flash when the DU was surrounded by polyethylene, but little signal was generated if it was surrounded by boron-loaded polyethylene. Subsequent Monte Carlo (MCNPX) calculations indicated that the source of the signal was consistent with thermal neutron capture in DU. The MCNPX calculations also indicated that if one were to perform the same experiment with a highly enriched uranium (HEU) target there would be a distinctive fast neutron yield in this 100-500 µsec time region from thermal neutron-induced fission. The fast neutrons can be recorded by the same direct current system and differentiated from gamma ray pulses in organic scintillator by pulse shape discrimination.

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL P↗
NASA NTRS1993

Energetic particle environment in the early solar system - Extremely long pre-compaction meteoritic ages or an enhanced early particle flux

Individual mineral grains from meteorites have been exposed to energetic particles prior to inclusion in the host meteorite matrix, an event which occurred quite early in solar system history. Spallation-produced noble gases in such grains are observed to be orders of magnitude greater in abundance than could be produced after meteorite formation and thus provide a record of precompaction irradiation by energetic particles. If attributed to the contemporary particle environment (current galactic and solar cosmic rays) a minimum exposure time for these grains in the CM parent-body regolith of 150 Myr is obtained, with more realistic models suggesting an active parent body regolith for 300 Myr. Constraints on when meteorite compaction occurred and current models for meteorite evolution suggest that this is unreasonably long, that the time available for exposure to energetic particles on the surface of the parent-body regolith is much less than this. Pre-compaction exposure, compressed into a shorter span of time by constraints on the compaction times of carbonaceous meteorites, would require energetic particle fluxes in excess of those in the contemporary solar system and point toward an active early (T Tauri) sun as its source.

Woolum, Dorothy S.↗
NASA NTRS2018

D/H Isotope Fractionation During H Diffusion Loss from Clinopyroxene Evidenced in Martian Nakhlites

Knowing the distribution and origin of water in terrestrial planets is crucial to understand their formation, evolution and the source of their atmospheres and surface water. Mantle D/H ratios may be used to determine what type of material contributed water to the terrestrial planets [1]. However, other processes, magmatic or surface alteration processes, can also modify D/H ratios, and for Mars, we only have samples from the crust, as meteorites. The D/H ratio of igneous phases of Martian meteorites is generally explained in terms of the mixing contributions of two reservoirs: surficial with high D/H (dD > 700 ‰) related to interaction with the martian atmosphere (dD ~ 5000‰), and mantle-derived with lower D/H (dD < 500 ‰ but the exact value is still debated)[2]. However, our present study evidences that H loss in clinopyroxene during degassing can significantly fractionate H isotopes and increase their D/H ratios. In situ analyses of H isotopes, and of water, major and trace element contents were performed on the pyroxenes of 5 nakhlites. Nakhlites are clinopyroxenites that likely originated from the same lava flow or shallow magma chamber. Water contents decrease (380 to <5 ppm H2O) with increasing dD (-268 to 4860 ‰). Significant influence from spallation, exchange with the martian atmosphere, shock, surface alteration, and hydrothermal processes is ruled out. Together with the evidence of less water at the edge of individual pyroxene grains compared to their interior, we interpret this correlation as the result of preferential diffusive loss of H relative to D from the already crystallized pyroxenes during ascent of the partially-crystallized magma. Similar H isotope fractionations have been observed in another nominally anhydrous mineral, garnet, during experimental dehydration [3]. These results emphasize that caution is warranted when interpreting H isotope analyses of igneous, nominally anhydrous minerals in terms of planetary processes.

Peslier, A. H.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Mid-Infrared Reflectance Imaging of Thermal-Barrier Coatings

An apparatus for mid-infrared reflectance imaging has been developed as means of inspecting for subsurface damage in thermal-barrier coatings (TBCs). The apparatus is designed, more specifically, for imaging the progression of buried delamination cracks in plasma-sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings on turbine-engine components. Progression of TBC delamination occurs by the formation of buried cracks that grow and then link together to produce eventual TBC spallation. The mid-infrared reflectance imaging system described here makes it possible to see delamination progression that is invisible to the unaided eye, and therefore give sufficiently advanced warning before delamination progression adversely affects engine performance and safety. The apparatus (see figure) includes a commercial mid-infrared camera that contains a liquid-nitrogen-cooled focal plane indium antimonide photodetector array, and imaging is restricted by a narrow bandpass centered at wavelength of 4 microns. This narrow wavelength range centered at 4 microns was chosen because (1) it enables avoidance of interfering absorptions by atmospheric OH and CO2 at 3 and 4.25 microns, respectively; and (2) the coating material exhibits maximum transparency in this wavelength range. Delamination contrast is produced in the midinfrared reflectance images because the introduction of cracks into the TBC creates an internal TBC/air-gap interface with a high diffuse reflectivity of 0.81, resulting in substantially higher reflectance of mid-infrared radiation in regions that contain buried delamination cracks. The camera is positioned a short distance (.12 cm) from the specimen. The mid-infrared illumination is generated by a 50-watt silicon carbide source positioned to the side of the mid-infrared camera, and the illumination is collimated and reflected onto the specimen by a 6.35-cm-diameter off-axis paraboloidal mirror. Because the collected images are of a steady-state reflected intensity (in contrast to the transient thermal response observed in infrared thermography), collection times can be lengthened to whatever extent needed to achieve desired signal-to-noise ratios. Each image is digitized, and the resulting data are processed in several steps to obtain a true mid-infrared reflectance image. The raw image includes thermal radiation emitted by the specimen in addition to the desired reflected radiation. The thermal-radiation contribution is eliminated by subtracting the image obtained with the illumination off from the image obtained with the illumination on. A flat-field correction is then made to remove the effects of non-uniformities in the illumination level and pixel-to-pixel variations in sensitivity. This correction is performed by normalizing to an image of a standard object that has a known reflectance at a wavelength of 4 microns. After correction, each pixel value is proportional to the reflectance (at a wavelength of 4-microns) at the corresponding location on the specimen. Mid-infrared reflectance imaging of specimens that were thermally cyc led for different numbers of cycles was performed and demonstrated t hat mid-infrared reflectance imaging was able to monitor the gradual delamination progression that occurs with continued thermal cycling . Reproducible values were obtained for the reflectance associated w ith an attached and fully delaminated TBC, so that intermediate refle ctance values could be interpreted to successfully predict the numbe r of thermal cycles to failure.

Edlridge, Jeffrey I.↗
DOE OSTI2011

Recent Developments in Fast Neutron Detection and Multiplicity Counting with Liquid Scintillator

For many years, LLNL researchers have been developing time-correlated neutron detection techniques and algorithms for applications such as Arms Control, Threat Detection and Nuclear Material Assay. Many of the techniques have been developed specifically for the relatively low efficiency (a few percent) attainable by detector systems limited to man-portability. Historically, thermal neutron detectors (mainly {sup 3}He) were used, taking advantage of the high thermal neutron interaction cross sections. More recently, we have been investigating the use of fast neutron detection with liquid scintillators, inorganic crystals, and in the near future, pulse-shape discriminating plastics that respond over 1000 times faster (ns versus tens of {mu}s) than thermal neutron detectors. Fast neutron detection offers considerable advantages since the inherent ns production timescales of spontaneous fission and neutron-induced fission are preserved and measured instead of being lost by thermalization required for thermal neutron detectors. We are now applying fast neutron technology to the safeguards regime in the form of fast portable digital electronics as well as faster and less hazardous scintillator formulations. Faster detector response times and sensitivity to neutron momentum show promise for measuring, differentiating, and assaying samples that have modest to very high count rates, as well as mixed fission sources like Cm and Pu. We report on measured results with our existing liquid scintillator array and progress on the design of a nuclear material assay system that incorporates fast neutron detection, including the surprising result that fast liquid scintillator detectors become competitive and even surpass the precision of {sup 3}He-based counters measuring correlated pairs in modest (kg) samples of plutonium.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Where do $AMS-02$ anti-helium events come from?

We discuss the origin of the anti-helium-3 and -4 events possibly detected by AMS-02. Using up-to-date semi-analytical tools, we show that spallation from primary hydrogen and helium nuclei onto the ISM predicts a anti-helium-3 flux typically one to two orders of magnitude below the sensitivity of AMS-02 after 5 years, and a anti-helium-4 flux roughly 5 orders of magnitude below the AMS-02 sensitivity. We argue that dark matter annihilations face similar difficulties in explaining this event. We then entertain the possibility that these events originate from anti-matter-dominated regions in the form of anti-clouds or anti-stars. In the case of anti-clouds, we show how the isotopic ratio of anti-helium nuclei might suggest that BBN has happened in an inhomogeneous manner, resulting in anti-regions with a anti-baryon-to-photon ratio of one in a thousand of the baryon-to-photon ratio. We discuss properties of these regions, as well as relevant constraints on the presence of anti-clouds in our Galaxy. We present constraints from the survival of anti-clouds in the Milky-Way and in the early Universe, as well as from gamma-ray observations. In particular, these require the anti-clouds to be almost free of normal matter. We also discuss an alternative where anti-domains are dominated by surviving anti-stars. We suggest that part of the unindentified sources in the 3FGL catalog can originate from anti-clouds or anti-stars. AMS-02 and GAPS data could further probe this scenario.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Comparison of Surface Phenomena Created by Underground Chemical Explosions in Dry Alluvium and Granite Geology From Fully Polarimetric VideoSAR Data

Phase I of the Source Physics Experiment (SPE) series involved six underground chemical explosions, all of which were conducted at the same experimental pad. Research from the sixth explosion of the series (SPE-6) demonstrated that polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) is a viable technology for monitoring an underground chemical explosion when the geologic structure is Cretaceous granitic intrusive. It was shown that a durable signal is measurable by the H/A/α polarimetric decomposition parameters. After the SPE-6 experiment, the SPE program moved to the Phase II location, which is composed of dry alluvium geology (DAG). The loss of wavefront energy is greater through dry alluvium than through granite. In this article, we compare the SPE-6 analysis to the second DAG (DAG-2) experiment. We hypothesize that despite the geology at the DAG site being more challenging than at the Phase I location, combined with the DAG-2 experiment having a 3.37 times deeper scaled depth of burial than the SPE-6, a durable nonprompt signal is still measurable by a PolSAR sensor. We compare the PolSAR time-series measures from videoSAR frames, from the SPE-6 and DAG-2 experiments, with accelerometer data. We show which PolSAR measures are invariant to the two types of geology and which are geology dependent. We compare a coherent change detection (CCD) map from the DAG-2 experiment with the data from a fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensor to show the connection between the spatial extent of coherence loss in CCD maps and spallation caused by the explosion. Finally, we also analyze the spatial extent of the PolSAR measures from both explosions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Second Target Station Bunker Shielding with Populated and Unpopulated Neutron Beamlines: Preliminary Design

At the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Second Target Station (STS) beamline sources for preliminary design have been used to perform a shielding analysis of the bunker. Prompt total effective dose rates (i.e., neutron plus photon effective dose rates when the proton beam is on) were calculated on top of the bunker roof and outside the bunker wall. These areas outside the bunker will be generally accessible, so the prompt total dose rate in these areas should not exceed 2.5 μSv . h -1 (0.25 mrem . h -1 ). This paper presents the required shielding thicknesses to meet this dose rate limit. In one instance, this dose rate limit is not met: For a combination of populated and unpopulated beamlines, the prompt total dose rate outside the bunker across from the unpopulated beamline, which has less shielding because of the lack of beamline shielding, slightly exceeds 2.5 μSv . h -1 . In conclusion, once more details are known regarding the STS high-density concrete density and composition, a future analysis will investigate the shielding modifications required to reduce the calculated prompt total dose rates for this configuration to less than 2.5 μSv . h -1 .

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1994

What we have learned about Mars from SNC meteorites

The SNC meteorites are thought to be igneous martian rocks, based on their young crystallization ages and a close match between the composition of gases implanted in them during shock and the atmosphere of Mars. A related meteorite, ALH84001, may be older and thus may represent ancient martian crust. These petrologically diverse basalts and ultramafic rocks are mostly cumulates, but their parent magmas share geochemical and radiogenic isotopic characteristics that suggest they may have formed by remelting the same mantle source region at different times. Information and inferences about martian geology drawn from these samples include the following: Planetary differentiation occured early at approximately 4.5 GA, probably concurrently with accretion. The martian mantle contains different abundances of moderately volatile and siderophile elements and is more Fe-rich than that of the Earth, which has implications for its mineralogy, density, and origin. The estimated core composition has a S abundance near the threshold value for inner core solidification. The former presence of a core dynamo may be suggested by remanent magnetization in Shergottite-Nakhlite-Chassignite (SNC) meteorites, although these rocks may have been magnetized during shock. The mineralogy of martian surface units, inferred from reflectance spectra, matches that of basaltic shergottites, but SNC lithologies thought to have crystallized in the subsurface are not presently recognized. The rheological properties of martian magmas are more accurately derived form these metorites than from observations of martian flow morphology, although the sampled range of magma compositions islimited. Estimates of planetary water abundance and the amount of outgassed water based on these meteorites are contridictory but overlap estimates based on geological observations and atmospheric measurements. Stable isotope measurements indicate that the martian hydrosphere experienced only limited exchange with the lithosphere, but it is in isotopic equilibrium with the atmosphere and has been since 1.3 Ga. The isotopically heavy atmosphere/hydrosphere composition deduced from these rocks reflects a loss process more severe than current atmospheric evolution models, and the occurence of carbonates in SNC meteorites suggest that they, rather than scapolite or hydrous carbonates, are the major crustal sink for CO2. Weathering products in SNC meteorites support the idea of limited alteration of the lithosphere by small volumes of saline, CO2-bearing water. Atmospheric composition and evolution are further constrained by noble gases in these meteorites, although Xe and Kr isotopes suggest different origins for the atmosphere. Planetary ejection of these rocks has promoted an advance in the understanding of impact physics, which has been accomplished by a model involving spallation during large cratering events. Ejection of all the SNC meteorites (except ALH84001) in one or two events may provide a plausible solution to most constraints imposed by chronology, geochemistry, and cosmic ray exposure, although problems remain with this scenario; ALH84001 may represent older martian crust sampled during a separate impact.

Mcsween, Harry Y., Jr.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Advancing the STS Neutron Moderator Design with an Automated Optimization Workflow and Unstructured Mesh Modeling

With the Second Target Station approaching its final design phase, a detailed neutronics evaluation of its critical components is necessary. Optimizing the dimensions of the two cold-source moderators that are at the heart of this facility presents a multi-objective optimization problem for which an accurate geometric description is crucial. We have applied a fully automated optimization workflow in which a detailed unstructured mesh geometry is automatically generated with Attila4MC, starting from a parametrized CREO geometry followed by preprocessing with SpaceClaim. With this geometry, a MCNP run is performed to calculate the brightness metrics, which are subsequently provided to the optimization algorithm in DAKOTA that provides new parameters and drives the optimization loop until convergence. In this paper, we show the results of the analysis that are used for the final design of the cylindrical and tube moderator. The optimization simulations provide a refinement to and confirmation of the conclusions of the previous design iteration. Additional to the optimization, a sensitivity study is performed to study the effect of minor geometry changes, which is important for the final engineering design. In conclusion, with these studies, we demonstrate that the automated workflow and high-fidelity unstructured mesh modeling are efficient tools for a thorough design evaluation.

DAKOTA↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Recent Advancements in the PATO Material Response Code

Introduction: Predicting the complicated multiphysics phenomena during atmospheric entry requires high-fidelity modeling tools to refine estimates of mission risks during entry. To this end, new capabilities are being added to the Porous-material Analysis Toolbox based on OpenFOAM (PATO). PATO is an open-source software for Computational Material Response (CMR) of reactive porous materials submitted to high-temperature environments. The objective of this work is to highlight current efforts to add to and improve upon the modeling capabilities of PATO. These include efforts to loosely couple PATO with other discipline specialized codes including hypersonic Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), to assess the interaction effects between pyrolysis gas blowing and the boundary layer, and Computational Solid Mechanics (CSM), to address modeling of mechanical erosion. Other refinements include surface phenomena modeling capabilities to address the effects of silicone-based coatings applied to the TPS during flight preparation, and a unified multiphase solver for a mixed porous-material and plain-fluid domain. Coupling CMR with CFD (CMR/CFD): A loose coupling between PATO and the Data Parallel Line Relaxation (DPLR) CFD code has been achieved by making use of a blowing boundary condition at the heatshield surface available in DPLR. Starting with heat flux estimates with no pyrolysis gas blowing at the surface, blowing gases are computed by the CMR and passed to the CFD such that aerothermal properties of the environment can be recomputed for a new CMR computation. This leads to an iterative process which is supplemented with an estimate of the radiative heat flux using the Nonequilibrium air radiation (NEQAIR) program. The entire iterative process is illustrated in Figure 1. This coupling strategy has been utilized in computing the MSL material response. The goal is to compare the coupled CMR/CFD results with material response results obtained using traditional blowing corrections. Coupling CMS with CMR: A mechanical erosion model is currently being implemented in PATO to account for the additional mass removal induced by high shear conditions. The modeling process at each timestep consists of updating the mechanical properties as a function of temperature and computing the stress tensor and displacement fields of the material. Then, a failure criteria model determines the regions in which the stress exceeds the ultimate strength values resulting in mesh movement to account for mass removal. This model allows the material response simulation to compute the recession due to both oxidation and shear-induced erosion. The model is demonstrated by computing material response of sphere-cone arc jet samples. Surface Modeling Capabilities: NuSil, a silicone-based coating, was sprayed onto the MSL and Mars 2020 heatshields to mitigate shedding of phenolic dust. To better understand the effects of the NuSil coating on the material response, a novel model has been implemented in PATO. In this model, the equilibrium of the charred NuSil surface is modeled as pure silica, and a constant offset, inspired by the classical spallation model, is added to the the char blowing rate and wall enthalpy to reproduce HyMETS experimental results. The model has also been used to estimate the 3D material response of the MSL heatshield. Unified Solver: In addition to the iterative loose coupling approach mentioned above, a multiphase unified solver is being developed to couple the environment (plain-fluid phase) and the porous-material phase. The solver is based on the volume averaged conservation of mass, momentum, and energy for the macroscale with closure models which include microscale effects through effective physicochemical properties. The unified solver has been used to compute flow through a porous plug and solve the Beavers and Joseph problem. Since the strong coupling between phases is inherent to this solver, modeling assumptions present in other coupling methods of material response are mitigated. This strategy also makes it feasible to capture the competition between surface and volume ablation in the same computational domain, which is usually not possible with other coupling approaches.

Material Response↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Recent Advancements in the PATO Material Response Code

Introduction: Predicting the complicated multiphysics phenomena during atmospheric entry requires high-fidelity modeling tools to refine estimates of mission risks during entry. To this end, new capabilities are being added to the Porous-material Analysis Toolbox based on OpenFOAM (PATO) [1,2,3]. PATO is an open-source software for Computational Material Response (CMR) of reactive porous materials submitted to high-temperature environments. The objective of this work is to highlight current efforts to add to and improve upon the modeling capabilities of PATO. These include efforts to loosely couple PATO with other discipline specialized codes including hypersonic Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), to assess the interaction effects between pyrolysis gas blowing and the boundary layer, and Computational Solid Mechanics (CSM), to address modeling of mechanical erosion. Other refinements include surface phenomena modeling capabilities to address the effects of silicone-based coatings applied to the TPS during flight preparation, and a unified multiphase solver for a mixed porous-material and plain-fluid domain. Coupling CMR with CFD (CMR/CFD): A loose coupling between PATO and the Data Parallel Line Relaxation (DPLR) [4] CFD code has been achieved by making use of a blowing boundary condition at the heatshield surface available in DPLR. Starting with heat flux estimates with no pyrolysis gas blowing at the surface, blowing gases are computed by the CMR and passed to the CFD such that aerothermal properties of the environment can be recomputed for a new CMR computation. This leads to an iterative process which is supplemented with an estimate of the radiative heat flux using the Nonequilibrium air radiation (NEQAIR) [5] program. The entire iterative process is illustrated in Figure 1. This coupling strategy has been utilized in computing the MSL material response. The goal is to compare the coupled CMR/CFD results with material response results obtained using traditional blowing corrections. Coupling CMS with CMR: A mechanical erosion model is currently being implemented in PATO to account for the additional mass removal induced by high shear conditions. The modeling process at each timestep consists of updating the mechanical properties as a function of temperature and computing the stress tensor and displacement fields of the material. Then, a failure criteria model determines the regions in which the stress exceeds the ultimate strength values resulting in mesh movement to account for mass removal. This model allows the material response simulation to compute the recession due to both oxidation and shear-induced erosion. The model is demonstrated by computing material response of sphere-cone arc jet samples. Surface Modeling Capabilities: NuSil, a silicone-based coating, was sprayed onto the MSL and Mars 2020 heatshields to mitigate shedding of phenolic dust. To better understand the effects of the NuSil coating on the material response, a novel model has been implemented in PATO. In this model, the equilibrium of the charred NuSil surface is modeled as pure silica, and a constant offset, inspired by the classical spallation model, is added to the the char blowing rate and wall enthalpy to reproduce HyMETS experimental results. The model has also been used to estimate the 3D material response of the MSL heatshield [6]. Unified Solver: In addition to the iterative loose coupling approach mentioned above, a multiphase unified solver is being developed to couple the environment (plain-fluid phase) and the porous-material phase. The solver is based on the volume averaged conservation of mass, momentum, and energy for the macroscale with closure models which include microscale effects through effective physicochemical properties. The unified solver has been used to compute flow through a porous plug and solve the Beavers and Joseph problem [7]. Since the strong coupling between phases is inherent to this solver, modeling assumptions present in other coupling methods of material response are mitigated. This strategy also makes it feasible to capture the competition between surface and volume ablation in the same computational domain, which is usually not possible with other coupling approaches.

Thermal Protection Systems↗