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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Thermal Ripples in Model Molybdenum Disulfide Monolayers

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) monolayers have the potential to revolutionize nanotechnology. To reach this potential, it will be necessary to understand the behavior of this two‐dimensional (2D) material on large length scales and under thermal conditions. Herein, we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the nature of the rippling induced by thermal fluctuations in monolayers of the 2H and 1T phases of MoS 2 . The 1T phase is found to be more rigid than the 2H phase. Both monolayer phases are predicted to follow long wavelength scaling behavior typical of systems with anharmonic coupling between vibrational modes as predicted by classic theories of membrane‐like systems.

Remsing, Richard C.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Thermal evolution of the metastable r8 and bc8 polymorphs of silicon

The kinetics of two metastable polymorphs of silicon under thermal annealing was investigated. These phases with body-centered cubic bc8 and rhombohedral r8 structures can be formed upon pressure release from metallic silicon.We study these metastable polymorphs were formed by two different methods, via point loading and in a diamond anvil cell (DAC). Upon thermal annealing different transition pathways were detected. In the point loading case, the previously reported Si-XIII formed and was confirmed as a new phase with an as-yet-unidentified structure. In the DAC case, bc8-Si transformed to the hexagonal-diamond structure at elevated pressure, consistent with previous studies at ambient pressure. In contrast, r8-Si transformed directly to diamond-cubic Si at a temperature of 255⁰C. In conclusion, these data were used to construct diagrams of the metastability regimes of the polymorphs formed in a DAC and may prove useful for potential technological applications of these metastable polymorphs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Lattice Anharmonicity and Thermal Conductivity from Compressive Sensing of First-Principles Calculations

First-principles prediction of lattice thermal conductivity K L of strongly anharmonic crystals is a long-standing challenge in solid state physics. Using recent advances in information science, we propose a systematic and rigorous approach to this problem, compressive sensing lattice dynamics (CSLD). Compressive sensing is used to select the physically important terms in the lattice dynamics model and determine their values in one shot. Non-intuitively, high accuracy is achieved when the model is trained on first-principles forces in quasi-random atomic configurations. The method is demonstrated for Si, NaCl, and Cu 12 Sb 4 S 13 , an earth-abundant thermoelectric with strong phononphonon interactions that limit the room-temperature K L to values near the amorphous limit.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1976

Thermal expansion and thermal stress in the moon and terrestrial planets - Clues to early thermal history

The paper discusses how features of the surface geology of the moon and also Mars and Mercury impose constraints on the volumetric expansion or contraction of a planet and consequently provide a test of thermal history models. The moon has changed very little in volume over the last 3.8 b.y. Thermal models satisfying this constraint involve early heating and perhaps melting of the outer 200 km of the moon and an initially cold interior. Mercury has contracted by about 2 km in radius since emplacement of its present surface, so core formation must predate that surface. A hot initial temperature distribution is implied.

Solomon, S. C.↗
DOE OSTI2011

Tailoring thermal emission via Q matching of photonic crystal resonances

We develop a model for predicting the thermal emission spectrum of a two-dimensional metallic photonic crystal for arbitrary angles based on coupled-mode theory. Calculating the appropriate coupled-mode parameters over a range of geometrical parameters allows one to tailor the emissivity spectrum to a specific application. As an example, we design an emitter with a step-function cutoff suppressing long-wavelength emission, which is necessary for high-efficiency thermophotovoltaic systems. We also confirm the accuracy of the results of our model with finite-difference time-domain simulations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Degradation Characterization of Thermal Interface Greases: Preprint

Thermal interface materials (TIMs) are used in power electronics packaging to minimize thermal resistance between the heat generating component and the heat sink. Thermal greases are one such class. The conformability and thin bond line thickness (BLT) of these TIMs can potentially provide low thermal resistance throughout the operation lifetime of a component. However, their performance degrades over time due to pump-out and dry-out during thermal and power cycling. The reliability performance of greases through operational cycling needs to be quantified to develop new materials with superior properties. NREL, in collaboration with DuPont, has performed thermal and reliability characterization of several commercially available thermal greases. Initial bulk and contact thermal resistance of grease samples were measured, and then the thermal degradation that occurred due to pump-out and dry-out during temperature cycling was monitored. The thermal resistances of five different grease materials were evaluated using NREL's steady-state thermal resistance tester based on the ASTM test method D5470. Greases were then applied, utilizing a 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm stencil, between invar and aluminum plates to compare the thermomechanical performance of the materials in a representative test fixture. Scanning Acoustic microscopy, thermal, and compositional analyses were performed periodically during thermal cycling from -40 degrees Celcius to 125 degrees Celcius. Completion of this characterization has allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of thermal greases both for their initial bulk and contact thermal performance, as well as their degradation mechanisms under accelerated thermal cycling conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Reduced lattice thermal conductivity of Fe-bearing bridgmanite in Earth's deep mantle: Reduced Conductivity of Fe-Bridgmanite

Complex seismic, thermal, and chemical features have been reported in Earth's lowermost mantle. In particular, possible iron enrichments in the large low shear-wave velocity provinces (LLSVPs) could influence thermal transport properties of the constituting minerals in this region, altering the lower mantle dynamics and heat flux across core-mantle boundary (CMB). Thermal conductivity of bridgmanite is expected to partially control the thermal evolution and dynamics of Earth's lower mantle. Importantly, the pressure-induced lattice distortion and iron spin and valence states in bridgmanite could affect its lattice thermal conductivity, but these effects remain largely unknown. Here we precisely measured the lattice thermal conductivity of Fe-bearing bridgmanite to 120 GPa using optical pump-probe spectroscopy. The conductivity of Fe-bearing bridgmanite increases monotonically with pressure but drops significantly around 45 GPa due to pressure-induced lattice distortion on iron sites. Our findings indicate that lattice thermal conductivity at lowermost mantle conditions is twice smaller than previously thought. The decrease in the thermal conductivity of bridgmanite in mid-lower mantle and below would promote mantle flow against a potential viscosity barrier, facilitating slabs crossing over the 1000 km depth. Modeling of our results applied to LLSVPs shows that variations in iron and bridgmanite fractions induce a significant thermal conductivity decrease, which would enhance internal convective flow. Our CMB heat flux modeling indicates that while heat flux variations are dominated by thermal effects, variations in thermal conductivity also play a significant role. The CMB heat flux map we obtained is substantially different from those assumed so far, which may influence our understanding of the geodynamo.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterizing particle-based thermal storage performance using optical methods for use in next generation concentrating solar power plants

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) generation is an attractive option for low-emission power generation; however, the high costs of thermal storage associated with concentrating solar create a large barrier for their use and adaptation into modern life. Lowering their operation costs, while maintaining high thermal storage and transfer performance is essential. Solid particle-based heat exchange systems can reduce CSP cost but are often less efficient. Efforts to increase their performance have led to use of binary size particle mixes. Presented is an optical-based thermal analysis technique used to measure near-wall thermal conductivity of particle beds essential in determining their heat exchanger efficiency. Modulated Photothermal Radiometry is used to make dynamic temperature measurements, allowing for the extraction of the most relevant thermal properties like thermal conductivity, specific heat, and effusivity. The system uses a modulated laser source causing a damped periodic heat flux, resulting in a frequency and thermal property dependent surface temperature, of which is measured using radiometry. Lock-In techniques are used to extrapolate the amplitude of the signal. Plotting the amplitude against the root angular frequency allows for effusivity measurement by ratio to a known sample. Using specific heat measurements from literature and density measurements, the thermal conductivity of the particle mixes can be calculated. The simplicity of MPTR to probe through the depth of the bed is ideal for use in CSP for dynamic thermal performance monitoring.

Corona, Javier↗
DOE OSTI2015

GRB 131014A: A laboratory for studying the thermal-like and non-thermal emissions in gamma-ray bursts, and the new L{sub i}{sup nTh}−E{sub peak,i}{sup nTh,rest} relation

Over the past few years, evidence has been accumulated in support of the existence of a thermal-like component during the prompt phase of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). However, this component, which is often associated with the GRB jet's photosphere, is usually subdominant compared to a much stronger non-thermal one. The prompt emission of GRB 131014A—detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (hereafter Fermi)—provides a unique opportunity to trace the history of this thermal-like component. Indeed, the thermal emission in GRB 131014A is much more intense than in other GRBs and a pure thermal episode is observed during the initial 0.16 s. The thermal-like component cools monotonically during the first second while the non-thermal emission kicks off. The intensity of the non-thermal component progressively increases until being energetically dominant at late time, similar to what is typically observed. This is a perfect scenario to disentangle the thermal component from the non-thermal component. The initial decaying and cooling phase of the thermal-like component is followed by a strong re-brightening and a re-heating episode; however, despite a much brighter second emission phase, the temperature of the thermal component does not reach its initial value. This re-brightening episode is followed by a global constant cooling until the end of the burst. We note that there is a shallower low-energy spectral slope than the typical index value +1, corresponding to a pure Planck function, which better matches with the thermal-like spectral shape; a spectral index around +0.6 seems to be in better agreement with the data. The non-thermal component is adequately fitted with a Band function whose low- and high-energy power-law indices are ∼−0.7 and <∼−3, respectively; this is also statistically globally equivalent to a cutoff power law with a ∼−0.7 index. This is in agreement with our previous results. Finally, a strong correlation is observed between the time-resolved energy flux, F{sub i}{sup nTh}, and the corresponding spectral peak energy, E{sub peak,i}{sup nTh}, of the non-thermal component with a slope similar to the one reported in our previous articles. Assuming a universal relation between the time-resolved luminosity of the non-thermal component, L{sub i}{sup nTh}, and its rest frame E{sub peak,i}{sup nTh}, E{sub peak,i}{sup rest,nTh}, which we derived from a limited sample of GRBs detected by Fermi, we estimate a redshift of ∼1.55 for GRB 131014A, which is a typical value for long GRBs. These observational results are consistent with the models in which the non-thermal emission is produced well above the GRB jet photosphere but they may also be compatible with other scenarios (e.g., dissipative photosphere) that are not discussed in this article.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

A robust high sensitivity scanning thermal probe for simultaneous microscale thermal and thermoelectric property mapping

Scanning Thermal Microscopy (SThM) provides efficient thermal property measurement with micro- or nanoscale spatial resolution. However, the sensitivity and accuracy of state-of-the-art thermal probes have been limited by excessive thermal contact resistance between the probe and sample. Introduced herein is a robust thermal microprobe that can increase the probe-sample contact force by more than two orders of magnitude, thereby reducing the probe-sample thermal contact resistance by as much as 96% and increasing measurement sensitivity by more than 240% compared to a commercial thermal probe with the same dimensions and measurement principle. The relationship between the probe-sample thermal contact resistance, thermal exchange radius, and sample thermal conductivity is determined experimentally. Simultaneous measurement of thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient with unprecedented sensitivity is demonstrated using the enhanced scanning thermal microprobe on samples of an extended range of thermal conductivity up to 18 W/m K, increasing the range of samples applicable to SThM when compared to the conventional commercial probe with diminished measurement sensitivity above ~10 W/m K. The probe is further demonstrated by simultaneously mapping thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient as a function of depth from the irradiated surface of an ion-irradiated bulk nanostructured thermoelectric material. In addition to enabling microscale thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient measurement of materials previously not applicable to SThM, the probe can also facilitate high-throughput characterization of combinatorial materials to aid the rapid discovery of compositions and processing conditions that yield highly desired thermal and thermoelectric properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Experimental and numerical study of the effective thermal conductivity of silica nanocomposites with thermal boundary resistance

The thermal interface resistance at the macro scale is mainly described by the physical gap between two interfaces and constriction resistance due to this gap. The small gaps between the two material faces makes up the majority of thermal interface resistance at the macro scale. So, most of the studies have been focused on characterizing effect of surface geometry and material properties to thermal interface resistance. This resistance is more widely known as thermal contact resistance, represented with Rc. There are various models to predict thermal contact resistance at macro scale. These models predict thermal resistance Rc for given two materials by utilizing their bulk thermomechanical properties. Although, Rc represents thermal resistance accurately for macro size contacts between two metals, it is not suitable to describe interface resistance of particles in modern TIMs, aka particulate composites. The particles inside recently available TIMs are micron size and with effort to further increase surface area this particle size is approaching nano scale. At this small scale, Rc does not accurately predict thermal interface, as it is very difficult to characterize the surface topography. The thermal discontinuity at perfectly bonded interface of two dissimilar materials is termed as thermal boundary resistance (Rb) or Kapitza resistance. The macroscopic assumptions that thermal discontinuity only exists due to gaps and surface geometry leads to substantial error in determining interface thermal properties at micron and nano scale. The phenomenon of thermal boundary resistance is an inherent material property and arises due to fundamental mechanism of thermal transport. For metal-matrix particulate composites, Rb plays more important role than Rc. The free flowing nature of the polymer would eliminate most of the gaps between the two materials at their interface. This means almost all of the thermal resistance at particle/matrix interface would occur due to Rb. The current study presents experimental study of thermal boundary resistance for silica nano particles embedded inside epoxy resin. The bulk conductivity of the sample is measured and Rc is back calculated using Hasselman-Johnson s (H-J) equation. The numerical validation of the equation is also presented, including extrapolation study to predict effective conductivity of the nanocomposite TIM.

silica nanocomposites↗
NASA NTRS2016

Thermal Management and Thermal Protection Systems

During my internship in the Thermal Design Branch (ES3), I contributed to two main projects: i) novel passive thermal management system for future human exploration, ii) AVCOAT undercut thermal analysis. i) As NASA prepares to further expand human and robotic presence in space, it is well known that spacecraft architectures will be challenged with unprecedented thermal environments. Future exploration activities will have the need of thermal management systems that can provide higher reliability, mass and power reduction and increased performance. In an effort to start addressing the current technical gaps the NASA Johnson Space Center Passive Thermal Discipline has engaged in technology development activities. One of these activities was done through an in-house Passive Thermal Management System (PTMS) design for a lunar lander. The proposed PTMS, functional in both microgravity and gravity environments, consists of three main components: a heat spreader, a novel hybrid wick Variable Conductance Heat Pipe (VCHP), and a radiator. The aim of this PTMS is to keep electronics on a vehicle within their temperature limits (0 and 50 C for the current design) during all mission phases including multiple lunar day/night cycles. The VCHP was tested to verify its thermal performance. I created a thermal math model using Thermal Desktop (TD) and analyzed it to predict the PTMS performance. After testing, the test data provided a means to correlate the thermal math model. This correlation took into account conduction and convection heat transfer, representing the actual benchtop test. Since this PTMS is proposed for space missions, a vacuum test will be taking place to provide confidence that the system is functional in space environments. Therefore, the model was modified to include a vacuum chamber with a liquid nitrogen shroud while taking into account conduction and radiation heat transfer. Infrared Lamps were modelled and introduced into the model to simulate the sun's rays directly impinging on the system. Heating rate of the lamps were calculated by knowing fraction of emitted energy in a wavelength interval and the filament temperature. This version of the model can be used to predict performance of the system under vacuum with extreme cold or hot conditions. Initial testing of the PTMS showed promise, and the thermal math model predicts even better performance in thermal vacuum testing. ii) Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) are required for vehicles which enter earth's atmosphere to protect from aerodynamic heating caused by the friction between the vehicle and atmospheric gases. Orion's heat shield design has two aspects which needed to be analyzed thermally: i) a small excess of adhesive used to bond the outer AVCOAT layer to the inner composite structure tends to seep from under the AVCOAT and form a small bead in between two bricks of AVCOAT, ii) a silicone rubber with different thermophysical properties than AVCOAT fills the gap between two bricks of AVCOAT. I created a thermal model using TD to determine temperature differences that are caused by these two features. To prevent false results, all TD models must be verified against something known. In this case, the TD model was correlated to CHAR, an ablation modelling software used to analyze TPS. Analyzing a node far from the concerning features, we saw that the TD model data match CHAR data, verifying the TD model. Next, the temperature of the silicone rubber as well as the bead of adhesive were analyzed to determine if they exceeded allowable temperatures. It was determined that these two features do not have a significant effect on the max temperature of the heat shield. This model can be modified to check temperatures at various locations of the heat shield where the composite thickness varies.

Hasnain, Aqib↗