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At least 1,099 records · Page 61

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DOE OSTI2020

Anisotropic Characterizations of Electrospun PAN Nanofiber Mats Using Design of Experiments

This paper deals with the dielectric and mechanical characterizations of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-aligned electrospun nanofiber mats. A two factor three level full factorial experiment is conducted to understand the effect of various parameters on dielectric and mechanical responses. These responses are recorded against randomly oriented and aligned nanofiber mats. Improved properties of electrospun mats have applications in the field of energy storage and nanocomposite reinforcement. Dielectric and mechanical characterizations of PAN mats are vital, as the aligned electrospun mats were found to be useful in advanced energy and mechanical reinforcement applications. Therefore, it is paramount to understand the effects of system parameters to these properties. The design of experiment (DoE) includes two factors and three level full factorial experiments with concentrations of PAN solutions at 8 wt.%, 9 wt.%, and 10 wt.%, and speed of the rotating mandrel (collector) at 3 volt (V), 4 V, and 5 V inputs. The electric field intensity used in the experiment is 1 kV/cm. DoE is conducted to understand the nonlinear interactions of parameters to these responses. The dielectric and mechanical characterizations of 8 wt.%, 9 wt.%, and 10 wt.% with different speeds for the original and improved systems are discussed. It was observed that at 9 wt.% and at all mandrel speeds, the dielectric and tensile properties are optimum.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2016

Wind Turbine Wake Characterization from Temporally Disjunct 3-D Measurements

Scanning LiDARs can be used to obtain three-dimensional wind measurements in and beyond the atmospheric surface layer. In this work, metrics characterizing wind turbine wakes are derived from LiDAR observations and from large-eddy simulation (LES) data, which are used to recreate the LiDAR scanning geometry. The metrics are calculated for two-dimensional planes in the vertical and cross-stream directions at discrete distances downstream of a turbine under single-wake conditions. The simulation data are used to estimate the uncertainty when mean wake characteristics are quantified from scanning LiDAR measurements, which are temporally disjunct due to the time that the instrument takes to probe a large volume of air. Based on LES output, we determine that wind speeds sampled with the synthetic LiDAR are within 10% of the actual mean values and that the disjunct nature of the scan does not compromise the spatial variation of wind speeds within the planes. We propose scanning geometry density and coverage indices, which quantify the spatial distribution of the sampled points in the area of interest and are valuable to design LiDAR measurement campaigns for wake characterization. We find that scanning geometry coverage is important for estimates of the wake center, orientation and length scales, while density is more important when seeking to characterize the velocity deficit distribution.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

Rotating-Coil Measurement System for Small-Bore-Diameter Magnet Characterization

Rotating-coil measurement systems are widely used to measure the multipolar fields of particle accelerator magnets. This paper presents a rotating-coil measurement system that aims at providing a complete data set for the characterization of quadrupole magnets with small bore diameters (26 mm). The PCB magnetometer design represents a challenging goal for this type of transducer. It is characterized by an aspect ratio 30% higher than the state of the art, imposed by the reduced dimension of the external radius of the rotating shaft and the necessity of covering the entire magnet effective length (500 mm or higher). The system design required a novel design for the mechanical asset, also considering the innovation represented by the commercial carbon fiber tube, housing the PCB magnetometer. Moreover, the measurement system is based primarily on standard and commercially available components, with simplified control and post-processing software applications. The system and its components are cross-calibrated using a stretched-wire system and another rotating-coil system. The measurement precision is established in a measurement campaign performed on a quadrupole magnet characterized by an inner bore diameter of 45 mm.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Coming-of-Age Characterization of Soil Viruses: A User’s Guide to Virus Isolation, Detection within Metagenomes, and Viromics

The study of soil viruses, though not new, has languished relative to the study of marine viruses. This is particularly due to challenges associated with separating virions from harboring soils. Generally, three approaches to analyzing soil viruses have been employed: (1) Isolation, to characterize virus genotypes and phenotypes, the primary method used prior to the start of the 21st century. (2) Metagenomics, which has revealed a vast diversity of viruses while also allowing insights into viral community ecology, although with limitations due to DNA from cellular organisms obscuring viral DNA. (3) Viromics (targeted metagenomics of virus-like-particles), which has provided a more focused development of ‘virus-sequence-to-ecology’ pipelines, a result of separation of presumptive virions from cellular organisms prior to DNA extraction. This separation permits greater sequencing emphasis on virus DNA and thereby more targeted molecular and ecological characterization of viruses. Employing viromics to characterize soil systems presents new challenges, however. Ones that only recently are being addressed. Here we provide a guide to implementing these three approaches to studying environmental viruses, highlighting benefits, difficulties, and potential contamination, all toward fostering greater focus on viruses in the study of soil ecology.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

Qualitative Characterization of the Aqueous Fraction from Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Algae Using 2D Gas Chromatography with Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry

Two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for identifying and quantifying components in complex mixtures. It has been used to analyze gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, bio-diesel and organic fraction of bio-crude/bio-oil. In these experiments, the first dimension of separation was non-polar, followed by a polar separation. Aqueous fractions of bio-crude and other aqueous samples have been examined with similar column combinations. However, sample preparation techniques such as derivatization, solvent extraction, and solid-phase extraction were necessary prior to analysis. In this study, aqueous fraction obtained from hydrothermal liquefaction of algae was characterized by two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry without prior sample preparation techniques using a polar separation in the first dimension followed by a non-polar separation. Two-dimensional plots from this analysis were compared with those obtained from the more traditional column combination. Results from qualitative characterization aqueous fractions of algal bio-crude are discussed in detail. The advantages of using a polar separation followed by a non-polar separation for characterization of organics in aqueous samples by two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry are highlighted.

aquatic biomass↗

DOE OSTI2019

Assembly and Characterization of Biomolecular Memristors Consisting of Ion Channel-doped Lipid Membranes

The ability to recreate synaptic functionalities in synthetic circuit elements is essential for neuromorphic computing systems that seek to emulate the cognitive powers of the brain with comparable efficiency and density. To date, silicon-based three-terminal transistors and two-terminal memristors have been widely used in neuromorphic circuits, in large part due to their ability to co-locate information processing and memory. Yet these devices cannot achieve the interconnectivity and complexity of the brain because they are power-hungry, fail to mimic key synaptic functionalities, and suffer from high noise and high switching voltages. To overcome these limitations, we have developed and characterized a biomolecular memristor that mimics the composition, structure, and switching characteristics of biological synapses. Here, we describe the process of assembling and characterizing biomolecular memristors consisting of a 5 nm-thick lipid bilayer formed between lipid-functionalized water droplets in oil and doped with voltage-activated alamethicin peptides. While similar assembly protocols have been used to investigate biophysical properties of droplet-supported lipid membranes and membrane-bound ion channels, this article focuses on key modifications of the droplet interface bilayer method essential for achieving consistent memristor performance. Specifically, we describe the liposome preparation process and the incorporation of alamethicin peptides in lipid bilayer membranes, and the appropriate concentrations of each constituent as well as their impact on the overall response of the memristors. As a result, we also detail the characterization process of biomolecular memristors, including measurement and analysis of memristive current-voltage relationships obtained via cyclic voltammetry, as well as short-term plasticity and learning in response to step-wise voltage pulse trains.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2016

PHYSICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF ∼2 m DIAMETER NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID 2015 TC25: A POSSIBLE BOULDER FROM E-TYPE ASTEROID (44) NYSA

Small near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) (<20 m) are interesting, because they are progenitors for meteorites in our terrestrial collection. The physical characteristics of these small NEAs are crucial to our understanding of the effectiveness of our atmosphere in filtering low-strength impactors. In the past, the characterization of small NEAs has been a challenge, because of the difficulty in detecting them prior to close Earth flyby. In this study, we physically characterized the 2 m diameter NEA 2015 TC25 using ground-based optical, near-infrared and radar assets during a close flyby of the Earth (distance 128,000 km) in 2015 October 12. Our observations suggest that its surface composition is similar to aubrites, a rare class of high-albedo differentiated meteorites. Aubrites make up only 0.14% of all known meteorites in our terrestrial meteorite collection. 2015 TC25 is also a very fast rotator with a period of 133 ± 6 s. We combined the spectral and dynamical properties of 2015 TC25 and found the best candidate source body in the inner main belt to be the 70 km diameter E-type asteroid (44) Nysa. We attribute the difference in spectral slope between the two objects to the lack of regolith on the surface of 2015 TC25. Using the albedo of E-type asteroids (50%–60%) we refine the diameter of 2015 TC25 to 2 m, making it one of the smallest NEAs ever to be characterized.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2017

Precision Stellar Characterization of FGKM Stars using an Empirical Spectral Library

Classification of stars, by comparing their optical spectra to a few dozen spectral standards, has been a workhorse of observational astronomy for more than a century. Here, we extend this technique by compiling a library of optical spectra of 404 touchstone stars observed with Keck/HIRES by the California Planet Search. The spectra have high resolution ( R ≈ 60,000), high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ≈ 150/pixel), and are registered onto a common wavelength scale. The library stars have properties derived from interferometry, asteroseismology, LTE spectral synthesis, and spectrophotometry. To address a lack of well-characterized late-K dwarfs in the literature, we measure stellar radii and temperatures for 23 nearby K dwarfs, using modeling of the spectral energy distribution and Gaia parallaxes. This library represents a uniform data set spanning the spectral types ∼M5–F1 ( T {sub eff} ≈ 3000–7000 K, R {sub ⋆} ≈ 0.1–16 R {sub ⊙}). We also present “Empirical SpecMatch” (SpecMatch-Emp), a tool for parameterizing unknown spectra by comparing them against our spectral library. For FGKM stars, SpecMatch-Emp achieves accuracies of 100 K in effective temperature ( T {sub eff}), 15% in stellar radius ( R {sub ⋆}), and 0.09 dex in metallicity ([Fe/H]). Because the code relies on empirical spectra it performs particularly well for stars ∼K4 and later, which are challenging to model with existing spectral synthesizers, reaching accuracies of 70 K in T {sub eff}, 10% in R {sub ⋆}, and 0.12 dex in [Fe/H]. We also validate the performance of SpecMatch-Emp, finding it to be robust at lower spectral resolution and S/N, enabling the characterization of faint late-type stars. Both the library and stellar characterization code are publicly available.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Characterization of Low-mass Companions to Kepler Objects of Interest Observed with APOGEE-N

We report the characterization of 28 low-mass (0.02 M ⊙ ≤ M 2 ≤ 0.25 M ⊙ ) companions to Kepler objects of interest (KOIs), eight of which were previously designated confirmed planets. These objects were detected as transiting companions to Sunlike stars (G and F dwarfs) by the Kepler mission and are confirmed as single-lined spectroscopic binaries in the current work using the northern multiplexed Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment near-infrared spectrograph (APOGEE-N) as part of the third and fourth Sloan Digital Sky Surveys. We have observed hundreds of KOIs using APOGEE-N and collected a total of 43,175 spectra with a median of 19 visits and a median baseline of ~1.9 yr per target. We jointly model the Kepler photometry and APOGEE-N radial velocities to derive fundamental parameters for this subset of 28 transiting companions. The radii for most of these low-mass companions are overinflated (by ~10%) when compared to theoretical models. Tidally locked M dwarfs on short-period orbits show the largest amount of inflation, but inflation is also evident for companions that are well separated from the host star. We demonstrate that APOGEE-N data provide reliable radial velocities when compared to precise high-resolution spectrographs that enable detailed characterization of individual systems and the inference of orbital elements for faint (H > 12) KOIs. The data from the entire APOGEE-KOI program are public and present an opportunity to characterize an extensive subset of the binary population observed by Kepler.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2024

TEM Characterization of Neutron Irradiated HfAl3-Al Composite Specimens

Particles comprised of a thermal neutron absorbing material (HfAl3) are dispersed in a metal matrix material with high thermal conductivity (aluminum) to conduct the heat generated by neutron capture away from the fuel and materials. This metal matrix composite is very promising for use as a conduction-cooled neutron absorber and has the potential to be useful as a shroud or heat sink for testing advanced fast reactor fuels and materials in an existing thermal reactor. To design and optimize the absorber block system for advanced reactor designs, fundamental understanding of the irradiation effect on material properties is necessary. This dataset contains TEM characterization results of neutron irradiated HfAl3-Al composite specimens. It is focused on the irradiation induced defects (dislocation lines and loops) characterization using the on-zone axis bright field STEM technique. This data was collected using a FEI Tecnai G2 F30 S/TEM at the Microscopy and Characterization Suite (MaCS), Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES).

Guillen, Donna↗

DOE OSTI2024

TEM Characterization of Neutron Irradiated HfAl3-Al Composite Specimens

Guillen, Donna↗

DOE OSTI2017

Technical note: Simultaneous fully dynamic characterization of multiple input–output relationships in climate models

We introduce system identification techniques to climate science wherein multiple dynamic input–output relationships can be simultaneously characterized in a single simulation. This method, involving multiple small perturbations (in space and time) of an input field while monitoring output fields to quantify responses, allows for identification of different timescales of climate response to forcing without substantially pushing the climate far away from a steady state. We use this technique to determine the steady-state responses of low cloud fraction and latent heat flux to heating perturbations over 22 regions spanning Earth's oceans. We show that the response characteristics are similar to those of step-change simulations, but in this new method the responses for 22 regions can be characterized simultaneously. Moreover, we can estimate the timescale over which the steady-state response emerges. The proposed methodology could be useful for a wide variety of purposes in climate science, including characterization of teleconnections and uncertainty quantification to identify the effects of climate model tuning parameters.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2019

Characterization of magnetic field lines in connection with the transport of field lines in Beltrami magnetic fields

Single and double curl Beltrami magnetic fields are studied numerically in connection with their transport properties and the results are compared and analyzed by characterizing the magnetic field lines. In the phase space of single curl Beltrami field, islands of regular field lines are embedded into the chaotic sea. Whereas the field lines for certain solutions of double curl Beltrami field are chaotic over the entire space. Due to the presence of regular islands in phase space, the chaotic trajectories show stickiness phenomena which is characterized by the distribution of a chaotic field line. The dynamical traps in chaotic orbits due to stickiness phenomena are also characterized by the distribution of finite distance Lyapunov exponents. Finally recurrence time distribution of chaotic trajectories is plotted to understand their global behaviour.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1971

Proposed characterization of tornadoes and hurricanes by area and intensity

Results of the 1968 through 1970 Tornado Watch Experiment conducted jointly by NASA and NOAA suggested the necessity of characterizing individual tornadoes in order to improve the identity of tornado-producing nephsystems. An attempt was made, therefore, to categorize each tornado by its intensity and area. Fujita-scale wind and corresponding damage categories were devised to classify tornadoes as Gale (F0), Weak (F1), Strong (F2), Severe (F3), Devastating (F4), and Incredible (F5). Additionally, individual tornado areas were also categorized as Trace (TR), Decimicro (DM), Micro (MI), Meso (ME), Marco (MA), Giant (GI), and Decagiant (DG), thus permitting characterizing of a tornado by a combination of intensity and area, such as weak decimicro tornado, severe meso tornado, or incredible giant tornado. A test characterization of 156 Japanese tornadoes in 1950-69 was accomplished for comparison with 893 U.S. tornadoes in 1965. Unexpectedly, the percentage distribution of intensity and individual area of U.S. and Japanese tornadoes is very similar except for large and/or intense ones. Intensity distribution within the Dallas and Fargo tornadoes of 1957 was also studied in detail. It was also found that the F-scale variation along the paths of family tornadoes shows an intensity oscillation with a 45-min interval.

Fujita, T. T.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Entropy and chemical change. 1: Characterization of product (and reactant) energy distributions in reactive molecular collisions: Information and enthropy deficiency

Optimal means of characterizing the distribution of product energy states resulting from reactive collisions of molecules with restricted distributions of initial states are considered, along with those for characterizing the particular reactant state distribution which yields a given set of product states at a specified total energy. It is suggested to represent the energy-dependence of global-type results in the form of square-faced bar plots, and of data for specific-type experiments as triangular-faced prismatic plots. The essential parameters defining the internal state distribution are isolated, and the information content of such a distribution is put on a quantitative basis. The relationship between the information content, the surprisal, and the entropy of the continuous distribution is established. The concept of an entropy deficiency, which characterizes the specificity of product state formation, is suggested as a useful measure of the deviance from statistical behavior. The degradation of information by experimental averaging is considered, leading to bounds on the entropy deficiency.

Bernstein, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Characterizations of four specimens processed as a part of the M553 sphere forming experiment performed during the Skylab 1 and 2 flight

Four specimens identified as SL-1.3, SL-1.8, SL-1.9 and SL-2.5 were submitted for metallurgical characterization. These specimens had been processed in the M512 Facility as a part of the M553 Sphere Forming Experiment performed during the Skylab 1/2 flight. Three of these specimens, SL-1.3, SL-1.8, and SL-2.5 were designed to be melted completely by the electron beam and detach themselves from their support posts and resolidify while floating free in the near zero gravity and vacuum environment of space. Specimens SL-1.3 and SL-1.8 were completely melted, but it is believed they did not leave their posts before solidifying. Specimen SL-2.5 was only partially melted. Specimen SL-1.9 was to be completely melted and retained on a large sting which was accomplished as planned. The nominal composition of the four specimens was: (1) SL-1.3 - Ni 12% Sn; (2) SL-1.8 - Ni 30% Cu; (3) SL-1.9 - Pure Ni; and (4) SL-2.5 - Pure Ni. These four specimens have been examined according to the Phase B Characterization Plan. The results are discussed and compared with similar characterization analyses run on ground base specimens.

Hubbard, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Evaluation and characterization of the methane-carbon dioxide decomposition reaction

A program was conducted to evaluate and characterize the carbon dioxide-methane (CO2-CH4) decomposition reaction, i.e., CO2 + CH4 = 2C + 2H2O. The primary objective was to determine the feasibility of applying this reaction at low temperatures as a technique for recovering the oxygen (O2) remaining in the CO2 which exits mixed with CH4 from a Sabatier CO2 reduction subsystem (as part of an air revitalization system of a manned spacecraft). A test unit was designed, fabricated, and assembled for characterizing the performance of various catalysts for the reaction and ultraviolet activation of the CH4 and CO2. The reactor included in the test unit was designed to have sufficient capacity to evaluate catalyst charges of up to 76 g (0.17 lb). The test stand contained the necessary instrumentation and controls to obtain the data required to characterize the performance of the catalysts and sensitizers tested: flow control and measurement, temperature control and measurement, product and inlet gas analysis, and pressure measurement. A product assurance program was performed implementing the concepts of quality control and safety into the program effort.

Davenport, R. J.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Ten deg off-axis tensile test for intralaminar shear characterization of fiber composites

A combined theoretical and experimental investigation was conducted to assess the suitability of the 10 deg off-axis tensile test specimen for the intralaminar shear characterization of unidirectional composites. Composite mechanics, a combined-stress failure criterion, and a finite element analysis were used to determine theoretically the stress-strain variation across the specimen width and the relative stress and strain magnitudes at the 10 deg plane. Strain gages were used to measure the strain variation across the specimen width at specimen midlength and near the end tabs. Specimens from Mod-I/epoxy, T-300/epoxy, and S-glass/epoxy were used in the experimental program. It was found that the 10 deg off-axis tensile test specimen is suitable for intralaminar shear characterization and it is recommended that it should be considered as a possible standard test specimen for such a characterization.

Chamis, C. C.↗