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At least 1,135 records · Page 63
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Successful In Situ Remediation of Cr(VI)-Impacted Deeper Vadose Zone Soils for Groundwater Protection - 18603

Shallow soil at a former industrial wood treating facility was impacted with chromium, arsenic, and copper above cleanup goals and shallow soil has been excavated for protection of direct contact exposure pathways. Deeper vadose zone soil was predominantly impacted with chromium and was undergoing remediation for long-term groundwater protection. The 920-meter (m) long Cr(VI) groundwater plume has undergone full-scale remediation with groundwater recirculation and in situ bioremediation. Following approximately 4 years of operation, the Cr(VI) groundwater plume, with former source area groundwater concentrations over 10,000 micrograms per liter (μg/L), has been reduced to below the laboratory method reporting limit (0.50 μg/L). Approximately 23,000 cubic meters (m{sup 3}) of deeper (4.5 m - 11 m below ground surface, bgs) vadose zone soil required Cr(VI) remediation. The remediation strategy relied on reduction of Cr(VI) and geochemical fixation as trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) and iron hydroxide precipitates. Chromium reduction was facilitated by a carbon source (corn syrup and methanol) to establish and maintain biogeochemical reducing conditions and ferrous iron to support direct Cr(VI) chemical reduction. Combined, the injected soil moisture, carbon source and ferrous iron supported fast and sustained ferrous/ferric iron cycling and Cr(VI) reduction. Remedy performance monitoring included time-series water quality data from a network of vacuum lysimeters and confirmation soil borings. Reagent was applied either through liquid injection wells and direct-push injection points, or by deep soil mixing methodology in areas with difficult geology (i.e., fine-grained soils and discontinuous iron-silica hardpan layer). Following both phases of deep soil remediation, soils met long-term protection of groundwater remediation action objectives. In situ treatment of soils provides a cost-effective remedial solution compared to excavation, specifically when impacts are deep and long-term protection of groundwater is a primary remediation goal. The delivery methods employed in this case study can be applied to sites impacted with a broad range of contaminants amendable to geochemical fixation (e.g., chromium, uranium, strontium, nitrate, etc.). (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

Mesocosm study of the Zone of Influence (ZOI) in sediment deposited over active caps - with and without bioturbation (ER-2427 SERDP Project)

Objectives: - Determine whether a Zone of Influence (ZOI) develops in contaminated sediment deposited over active caps; - Evaluate the effects of bioturbation on development of the ZOI; - Improve understanding of the relationships among surface sediment recontamination, remediated contaminated sediments, and biological receptors. Hypothesis: A Zone of Influence (ZOI) will develop in contaminated sediment deposited over active caps and bioturbation will enhance the remedial effectiveness. The effectiveness of the caps will be assessed by evaluating the spatial extent and chemical characteristics of the ZOI that develops in the sediment that accumulates over the caps. Bioturbation may be important in ZOI development by mixing accumulating sediments with cap materials. This study will include mesocosms both with and without bioturbating organisms. Biouptake in caged organisms within the mesocosms will be compared with results from diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) probes, which have the unique ability to detect fine vertical gradients in metal availability and speciation. Key Points: - Asian Clams were selected to create bioturbation in the experiment; - California Blackworms were selected to test toxicity and bioavailability; - Each mesocosm will receive 0.5 mL/min of synthetic fresh water; - Properties of the synthetic fresh water were measured and compared to Nanopure DI water; - Contaminated sediment will be added to each mesocosm throughout the experiment to determine whether a ZOI develops between the sediment and active cap; - Metal bioavailability and ZOI formation will be compared between mesocosms with and without bioturbation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evaluating the Feasibility of Measuring and Analyzing Strain Caused by Changes in Barometric Pressure in the Vadose Zone

Changes in barometric pressure propagate into the subsurface where they can affect water level measurements in wells and cause vertical strain. Previous strain sensors were developed to measure vertical strain, but they were limited to measurements at a single depth, making it difficult to evaluate strains from a migrating pressure wave. Technology known as Coherence-length-gated Microwave Photonics Interferometry (CMPI) uses optical fiber sensors to measure strain at multiple locations. It has the potential to detect strain caused by variations in barometric pressure at multiple depths in the subsurface. The goal of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using this technology to record the changes in vertical strain in the vadose zone from small fluctuations in air pressure. Propagation of these air pressure fluctuations is affected by hydrogeological properties such as water content and permeability. A second goal of this study is to evaluate how these properties affect the air pressure distribution, strain, and gas-phase diffusivity with a long-term goal of using strain to monitor the vadose zone. The focus of this study is on a suite of laboratory experiments that used a sand-filled column with an open head space. The CMPI fiber was packaged and embedded along the axis of the column to measure the strain at multiple locations while air pressure transducers were installed through the wall of the column. Small periodic fluctuations in air pressure, similar to barometric pressure fluctuations, were created in the head space of the column using an audio driven speaker driven at 4 Hz using a sinusoidal signal created by a function generator. Then, the fluctuations propagated along the column where they were measured by the transducers and recorded as functions of time. Initial tests were conducted using dry sand, but then additional tests were conducted after injecting water into the column, which changed the hydrologic and mechanical properties. Another experiment was conducted after creating a thin barrier to air flow, which was designed to simulate a thin layer of saturated ground during rainfall. A final experiment was conducted by changing the grain size of the material to create a heterogeneity in the upper half of the column. The suite of six experiments was conducted to highlight effects of variations in water content and heterogeneities on air pressure and vertical strain. Numerical simulations were also created to evaluate the laboratory data and to provide a baseline analysis for the results. The numerical simulations used the governing equations to linear poroelasticity and two-phase flow with boundary conditions representing the experiments. The conceptual model for strain caused by barometric pressure recognizes that a fluctuating barometric pressure causes fluctuations in the air pore pressure that decrease in amplitude and lag in time with increase depth. The pressure distribution results in two different loads that cause strain: 1.) a mechanical load as the barometric pressure acts on the ground surface; and 2.) pressure loading in the pore space. The results show that the total vertical strain is a contribution of both of these loads, and this is the strain that was observed in the laboratory. The lab experiments show that both air pressure and strain vary as sinusoids that propagate with depth. The amplitude of the air pressure and strain decrease as a function of depth in all the conditions that were evaluate. For example, in the dry sand, the amplitude of the air pressure decreases from 25 Pa at the head space to 5 Pa at a depth of 70 cm, whereas the amplitude of the strain decreases from 0.15 to 0.06 µε over the same depth interval. In many cases the amplitudes decrease is approximately negative exponential functions of depth. When water was injected into the sand and the saturation increased, the amplitude of the air pressure increased in the partially saturated sand but decreased sharply to zero where the soil was saturated. The strain decreased with depth, but the transition from partially to fully saturated conditions had little effect on the strain profile, even though it had a major effect on the air pressure. This apparently is because strain is caused by variations in both water and air pressure. The fluctuating air pressure caused the water pressure to fluctuate, which caused strain throughout the column. Phase delay of the air pressure and the strain both increase as linear to bi-linear functions of depth. The phase delays indicate that pressure propagates at a velocity of 7 to 8 m/s in dry or partially saturated sand, but it drops by more than an order of magnitude in the vicinity of the capillary fringe. The phase delays indicate the strain propagates faster than the pressure. The data indicate that the strain propagates from 1.2 to more than 4x faster than the pressure. Switching from sand to silt in the column caused the velocity of the pressure to drop by roughly half for both pressures, but curiously, it had little effect on the velocity of the strain.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Microwave Photonics Optical Fiber Method for Measuring Distributed Strain for Hydrologic Applications in the Vadose and Saturated Zones

Distributed strain measurements appear to hold significant potential for monitoring hydrologic processes. Coherence-length-gated Microwave Photonics Interferometry (CMPI) is a distributed sensing technique that measures strain in an optical fiber by reading optical interference phase changes in the microwave domain. The technique provides 10nε resolution when cm spatial resolution is applied. CMPI was used to measure the strain caused by small periodic variations in air pressure (25 Pa amplitude and 4 Hz) in a sand-filled laboratory column used to represent barometric loading in the vadose zone. The strain varied as a periodic function with an amplitude that decreased and a phase that increased with depth. The distribution of amplitude and phase of the strain depended on the water saturation, permeability, and presence of a barrier at the top of the sand. A theoretical analysis suggests that the air pressure diffusivity estimated from pressure data is similar to the diffusivity estimated from the distributed strain. These results indicated that the CMPI distributed strain measurement system could be used to improve monitoring and characterization of the vadose and underlying saturated zone.

Hua, Liwei↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance Assessment of a Dual-purpose HP-TES for a Typical Year Comparing Different Climate Zones

Complete electrification of heating and cooling systems in the United States would overload the existing electrical grid. To this end, recent research efforts have focused on energy storage as one way to reduce ever-increasing peak electricity demands. One such technology is heat pump integrated thermal-energy storage (HP-TES) systems, which can enable load-shifting and reduce demand during peak hours. In this work, a Modelica model of a 4-Ton, dual-mode (heating and cooling) HP-TES system using a room-temperature phase-change material (PCM) integrated through a secondary hydronic loop was developed and simulated for a typical meteorological year in Riverside, CA (ASHRAE Climate Zone 2B), and Chicago, IL (ASHRAE Climate Zone 5A), for a DOE small office prototype building. The COP improvement and demand reduction were analyzed during the time-of-use peak hours along with the required recharge cycle energy demand. A typical summer in Riverside, CA resulted in model-predicted peak COP increases of 50 – 100% compared to the baseline heat pump, especially at higher outdoor temperatures, coupled with maximum peak energy reductions of 22%. During shoulder and winter season simulations, heating energy savings were higher as outdoor temperatures dropped below the PCM phase change temperature. For Chicago, IL, backup heating was necessary to meet the required system capacity for very cold ambient conditions, resulting in winter peak energy savings between 16 – 60% when accounting for backup heating requirements. The recharge energy was found to be mostly below the baseline HP energy during the peak. With improved component selections and controls, the recharge energy may be reduced. The outcomes from the simulations can provide first-order estimates for potential peak energy savings, challenges, and required controls in any location before conducting any field testing.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Expanding the role of reactive transport models in critical zone processes

We report that models test our understanding of processes and can reach beyond the spatial and temporal scales of measurements. Multi-component Reactive Transport Models (RTMs), initially developed more than three decades ago, have been used extensively to explore the interactions of geothermal, hydrologic, geochemical, and geobiological processes in subsurface systems. Driven by extensive data sets now available from intensive measurement efforts, there is a pressing need to couple RTMs with other community models to explore non-linear interactions among the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere. Here we briefly review the history of RTM development, summarize the current state of RTM approaches, and identify new research directions, opportunities, and infrastructure needs to broaden the use of RTMs. In particular, we envision the expanded use of RTMs in advancing process understanding in the Critical Zone, the veneer of the Earth that extends from the top of vegetation to the bottom of groundwater. We argue that, although parsimonious models are essential at larger scales, process-based models offer tools to explore the highly nonlinear coupling that characterizes natural systems. We present seven testable hypotheses that emphasize the unique capabilities of process-based RTMs for (1) elucidating chemical weathering and its physical and biogeochemical drivers; (2) understanding the interactions among roots, micro-organisms, carbon, water, and minerals in the rhizosphere; (3) assessing the effects of heterogeneity across spatial and temporal scales; and (4) integrating the vast quantity of novel data, including “omics” data (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics), elemental concentration and speciation data, and isotope data into our understanding of complex earth surface systems. In conclusion, with strong support from data-driven sciences, we are now in an exciting era where integration of RTM framework into other community models will facilitate process understanding across disciplines and across scales.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Sample environment effects on synchrotron-measured temperature profiles in an approximant of optical floating zone crystal growth

Even though the growth of crystals using optical floating zone furnaces has had an immense scientific impact, the implementation of this method remains more of an art than a science due to the difficulty of obtaining quantitative information about the sample thermal profile during crystal growth. Building on recent work demonstrating that in situ synchrotron studies can be used to map sample rod temperatures during heating, investigations were carried out to better understand how the sample environment affects the sample temperature profile. Through a combination of experimental studies and modeling efforts, it is shown that the environment in the furnace can strongly influence the sample temperature at the lamp focus, the steepness of the vertical temperature gradient, and the timescale required for sample heating and cooling - effects which can combine to produce a strong history-dependence to sample temperature profiles. It is demonstrated that the furnace effects can be effectively captured in thermal models, allowing both the steady-state and time-dependent behavior of the sample to be accurately reproduced with predictive models, and providing a launching point for improved furnace designs that can more readily deliver desired thermal profiles.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Ripple Effects: Bed Form Morphodynamics Cascading Into Hyporheic Zone Biogeochemistry

The water quality and ecosystem health of river corridors depend on the biogeochemical processes occurring in the hyporheic zones (HZs) of the beds and banks of rivers. HZs in riverbeds often form because of bed forms. Despite widespread and persistent variation in river flow, how the discharge- and grain size-dependent geometry of bed forms and how bed form migration collectively and systematically affects hyporheic exchange flux, solute transport, and biogeochemical reaction rates are unknown. As such, we investigated these linked processes through morphodynamically consistent multiphysics numerical simulation experiments. Several realistic ripple geometries based on bed form stability criteria using mean river flow velocity and median sediment grain size were designed. Ripple migration rates were estimated based primarily on the river velocity. The ripple geometries and migration rates were used to drive hyporheic flow and reactive transport models which quantified HZ nitrogen transformation. Results from fixed bed form simulations were compared with matching migrating bed form scenarios. We found that the turnover exchange due to ripple migration has a large impact on reactant supply and reaction rates. The nitrate removal efficiency increased asymptotically with Damköhler number for both mobile and immobile ripples, but the immobile ripple always had a higher nitrate removal efficiency. Since moving ripples remove less nitrogen, and may even be net nitrifying at times, consideration for bed form morphodynamics may therefore lead to reduction of model-based estimates of denitrification. The connection between nitrate removal efficiency and Damköhler number can be integrated into frameworks for quantifying transient, network-scale, HZ nitrate dynamics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Spatial Microbial Respiration Variations in the Hyporheic Zones Within the Columbia River Basin

Abstract While the hyporheic zone (HZ) accounts for a significant portion of whole stream CO 2 concentrations, HZ respiration modeling studies are lacking in quantifying their contributions to the total CO 2 at large watershed/basin scales. Quantifying the contribution of anaerobic respiration is also underappreciated. This study used a carbon‐nitrogen‐coupled river corridor model to quantify HZ aerobic and anaerobic respiration and determined the key factors controlling their spatial variability within the Columbia River Basin (CRB). The modeled respiration patterns showed high spatial variability. Among the nine sub‐basins composing the CRB, the Lower Columbia and the Willamette, which receive higher precipitation, had higher respiration. Medium‐sized rivers (fourth to sixth orders) produced the highest aerobic and anaerobic respiration among reaches of different sizes. At the basin scale, aerobic respiration is dominant, representing approximately 98.7% of the total respiration across the CRB. While most of the reaches were dominant with aerobic respiration, reaches in agricultural land showed a relatively higher anaerobic respiration (18%) ratio. A variable importance analysis showed that hyporheic exchange flux controlled most of the spatial variability of HZ respiration, dominating over other physical variables such as residence time, stream dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrate, and dissolved oxygen (DO). The influence of substrate concentration (DOC and DO) is larger in modeling anaerobic respiration than aerobic respiration. Future efforts will focus on improving the estimation of the HZ exchange flux and the implementation of spatially explicit parameterizations for the reactions of interest to reduce model uncertainty.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Measurement of Residual Stresses by X-ray Diffraction Near Simulated Heat Affected Zones in Austenitic Stainless Steels

Simulated heat-affected zones (HAZs) were made in austenitic stainless steel specimens using a Gleeble. The samples were heated to temperatures as high as 1100°C by computer controlled resistance heating. By controlling the heating rate, maximum temperature, and cooling rate, a wide range of residual stresses were introduced in the specimens. Stress measurements were made using X-ray diffraction. It was found that significant stress gradients were produced in the simulated HAZs, and that all stresses were compressive in nature, both in the longitudinal and transverse directions. These results are not representative of the residual stresses determined in the HAZs of real welds, thus calling into question some aspects of the role of the Gleeble in such simulations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Renewable Energy Zones: Delivering Clean Power to Meet Demand, Greening the Grid

Greening the Grid provides technical assistance to energy system planners, regulators, and grid operators to overcome challenges associated with integrating variable renewable energy into the grid. This document describes the renewable energy zone concept that has emerged as a transmission planning tool to help scale up the penetration of solar, wind, and other resources on the power system.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2016

Isosymmetric pressure-induced bonding increase changes compression behavior of clinopyroxenes across jadeite-aegirine solid solution in subduction zones

Pyroxenes are among the most important minerals of Earth's crust and upper mantle and play significant role in controlling subduction at convergent margins. In this study, synchrotron-based single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments were carried out on a natural aegirine [NaFe 3+ Si 2 O 6 ] sample at ambient temperature and high pressures to 60 GPa, simulating conditions within the coldest part of a subduction zone consisting of old lithosphere. The diffraction data reveal no obvious sign of structural phase transition in aegirine within this pressure range; however, several relevant structural parameter trends change noticeably at approximately 24 GPa, indicating the presence of the previously predicted isosymmetric bonding change, related to increase of coordination number of Na + at M2 site. The pressure-volume data, fit with third-order Birch-Murnaghan (BM3) equation of state over the whole pressure range, yields K T0 = 126(2) GPa and K' T0 = 3.3(1), while separate BM3 fits performed for the 0–24.0 GPa and 29.9–60.4 GPa pressure ranges give K T0 = 118(3) GPa, K' T0 = 4.2(3) and K T0 = 133(2) GPa, K' T0 = 3.0(1), suggesting that the structure stiffens as a result of the new bond formation. Aegirine exhibits strong anisotropic compression with unit strain axial ratios ε 1 :ε 2 :ε 3 = 1.00:2.44:1.64. Structural refinements reveal that NaO 8 polyhedron is the most compressible and SiO 4 tetrahedron has the lowest compressibility. Lastly, the consequence of bonding transition is that the compressional behavior of aegirine below ~24 GPa and above that pressure is quite different, with likely consequences for relevant thermodynamic parameters and ion diffusion coefficients.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Greenhouse gas balance over thaw-freeze cycles in discontinuous zone permafrost

Peat in the discontinuous permafrost zone contains a globally significant reservoir of carbon that has undergone multiple permafrost-thaw cycles since the end of the mid-Holocene (~3700 years before present). Periods of thaw increase C decomposition rates which leads to the release of CO 2 and CH 4 to the atmosphere creating potential climate feedback. In this paper, to determine the magnitude and direction of such feedback, we measured CO 2 and CH 4 emissions and modeled C accumulation rates and radiative fluxes from measurements of two radioactive tracers with differing lifetimes to describe the C balance of the peatland over multiple permafrost-thaw cycles since the initiation of permafrost at the site. At thaw features, the balance between increased primary production and higher CH 4 emission stimulated by warmer temperatures and wetter conditions favors C sequestration and enhanced peat accumulation. Flux measurements suggest that frozen plateaus may intermittently (order of years to decades) act as CO 2 sources depending on temperature and net ecosystem respiration rates, but modeling results suggest that—despite brief periods of net C loss to the atmosphere at the initiation of thaw—integrated over millennia, these sites have acted as net C sinks via peat accumulation. In greenhouse gas terms, the transition from frozen permafrost to thawed wetland is accompanied by increasing CO 2 uptake that is partially offset by increasing CH 4 emissions. Finally, in the short-term (decadal time scale) the net effect of this transition is likely enhanced warming via increased radiative C emissions, while in the long-term (centuries) net C deposition provides a negative feedback to climate warming.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Aseismic Motions Drive a Sparse Seismicity During Fluid Injections Into a Fractured Zone in a Carbonate Reservoir

An increase in fluid pressure in faults can trigger seismicity and large aseismic motions. Understanding how fluid and faults interact is an essential goal for seismic hazard and reservoir monitoring, but this key relation remains unclear. We developed an in situ experiment of fluid injections at a 10 meter scale. Water was injected at high pressure in different geological structures inside a fault damaged zone, in limestone at 280 m depth in the Low Noise Underground Laboratory (France). Induced seismicity, as well as strains, pressure, and flow rate, was continuously monitored during the injections. Although nonreversible deformations related to fracture reactivations were observed for all injections, only a few tests generated seismicity. Events are characterized by a 0.5-to-4 kHz content and a small magnitude (approximately -3.5). They are located within 1.5 m accuracy between 1 and 12 m from the injections. Comparing strain measurements and seismicity shows that more than 96% of the deformation is aseismic. The seismic moment is also small compared to the one expected from the injected volume. Moreover, a dual seismic behavior is observed as (1) the spatiotemporal distribution of some cluster of events is clearly independent from the fluid diffusion (2) while a diffusion-type pattern can be observed for some others clusters. Furthermore, the seismicity might therefore appear as an indirect effect to the fluid pressure, driven by aseismic motion and related stress perturbation transferred through failure.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Determination of the Most Likely Wear Zones of Pipe Bends in the Pulsed Pneumatic Conveyor at the RT-1 Plant

The results of an experimental investigation and numerical modeling of the most likely high-wear zones in 90° pipeline bends in the pulsed pneumatic conveyor system at the RT-1 plant of the Mayak Industrial Association are presented. The experimental studies were conducted on a model of a pulsed pneumatic conveyor system; the numerical modeling of the gas-dynamic flow in the pipeline channel was performed in a model of a two-dimensional non-stationary motion of a compressible medium. It was found on the basis of the experimental results obtained using the model and numerical modeling in the homogeneous approximation that local regions with high wear of walls in the 90° pipe bends in the pulsed pneumatic conveyor do indeed exist and their experimentally found positions agree with the calculations.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Radioecological State of the Agrosphere in the 30-km Zone of the Siberian Chemical Combine During the Pre-Startup Period of a Prototype Power Complex

The results of radioecological monitoring of agricultural activities within the 30-km impact zone of the Siberian Chemical Combine are examined. The surface activity of {sup 137}Cs in soil and the specific activity of {sup 137}Cs in plants with similar indicators characteristic for NPP sites are analyzed and compared. The obtained data make it possible to evaluate the impact of a prototype electric power complex (PEPC) on the soil-and-vegetation cover and the products of agricultural activity, since the data make it possible to differentiate information on two basic parts – that associated with the activity of the Combine, on the one hand, and the other with the possible contribution of PEPC, on the other.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of Cesium Substitution on the Superconducting Properties of Bi-2212 Samples Prepared Via Solid-State Reaction and Laser Floating Zone Technique

In this work, the effect of cesium substitution on the structural and superconducting properties of Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 1-x}Cs{sub x}Cu{sub 2}O{sub +y} (where x = 0.0, 0.025, 0.050, 0.075, 0.10, 0.125, and 0.15) samples prepared by the solid-state reaction route and by directional growth using the laser floating zone (LFZ) technique has been studied. X-ray diffraction has shown that both kinds of samples present the 2212 phase as the major one, with pseudo tetragonal structure, accompanied by minor amounts of (Sr,Ca)CuO{sub 2} and Bi{sub 2}(Sr,Ca){sub 4}O{sub 6 + d} secondary phases. SEM-EDX results indicate that Bi-2212 phase is the major one, with small amounts of secondary phases. Cs substitution diminishes the size and content of secondary phases. Magnetization measurements reflect different behavior for sintered and LFZ grown samples. Although the diamagnetic transition is very wide for the former samples, it is very sharp for the last ones. The critical onset temperatures, T{sub C}, are around 80 and 90 K, for sintered and LFZ grown samples, respectively. Moreover, M–H measurements indicate that LFZ grown samples exhibit larger areas than the sintered ones. The intragranular critical current, J{sub C}, calculated from the M–H loops and Bean’s formula, is maximum for x = 0.025Cs sintered and x = 0.05Cs LFZ grown samples. The maximum pinning forces, F{sub Pmax}, determined in these samples are higher than those obtained in undoped ones, reaching 9 × 10{sup 7} Oe*A/cm{sup 2} and 10 × 10{sup 8} Oe*A/cm{sup 2}, at 10 K, for sintered and LFZ grown samples, respectively.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Effect of Carbon Nanotube Addition on the Superconducting Properties of BSCCO Samples Textured via Laser Floating Zone Technique

In this research, the effect of carbon nanotube (CNT) addition on the structural and superconducting properties of Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub y} + x wt% CNT materials with x = 0, 0.5, 1, and 3 prepared by solid state method, followed by directional grown using the laser floating zone (LFZ) technique has been investigated. XRD measurements showed that all samples are composed of almost single Bi-2212 phase. SEM images proved that Bi-2212 phase is the major one, with minor amounts of (Sr,Ca){sub 3}BiO{sub x}, and Bi-2201 secondary phases. According to the magnetic results, carbon nanotubes decrease T{sub c} values and significantly reduce the magnetic hysteresis loops area and the magnetic critical current density.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗