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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,153 records · Page 64
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Oxygen interaction with space-power materials

Data from the space shuttle flights have established that many materials experience relatively rapid degradation when exposed to the low Earth orbit ambient atmosphere, which is predominately atomic oxygen. While much was learned from samples flown on the shuttle, laboratory simulations of the shuttle environment are necessary for a detailed understanding of the various interactions which contribute to the observed degradations. These laboratory experiments are particularly important for predicting the deterioration to be expected for materials aboard orbiting power systems, which will be exposed for long periods of time and could have components operating at very high temperatures. By using a mass spectrometer to synchronously detect molecules emitted from the surface as a result of amplitude modulated oxygen ion bombardment, quantum yields were obtained as a function of ion energy. A technique was developed to obtain preliminary yield data by slowly scanning the mass setting of the mass spectrometer; measurements were extended down to zero modulation frequency; yield data was obtained for the insulating materials (Nomex, Kevlar, and Teflon) used in the construction of electrodynamic tethers; a heated sample holder was constructed to investigate the effect of sample temperature on quantum yields; and the instrumentation was developed to observe the mass spectrometer signal as a function of time during and following bombardment of the sample by a brief (approximately 1 millisecond) pulse of ions.

Eck, T. G.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Real time thermal imaging of high temperature semiconductor melts

A real time thermal imaging system with temperature resolution better than + or - 1 C and spatial resolution of better than 0.5 mm was developed and applied to the analysis of melt surface thermal field distributions in both Czochralski and liquid encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) growth configurations. The melt is viewed in near normal incidence by a high resolution charge coupled device camera to which is attached a very narrow bandpass filter. The resulting image is digitized and processed using a pipelined pixel processor operating at an effective 40 million operations per second thus permitting real time high frequency spatial and temporal filtering of the high temperature scene. A multi-pixel averaging algorithm was developed which permits localized, low noise sensing of temperature variations at any location in the hot zone as a function of time. This signial is used to implement initial elements of a feedforward growth control scheme which is aimed at reducing disturbances to the melt caused by the batch nature of the growth process. The effect of magnetic melt stabilization on radial melt temperature distributions was measured using this technique. Problems associated with residual internal reflections and non-optimized path geometry are discussed.

Wargo, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Effect of Pt Doping on Nucleation and Crystallization in Li2O.2SiO2 Glass: Experimental Measurements and Computer Modeling

Heterogeneous nucleation and its effects on the crystallization of lithium disilicate glass containing small amounts of Pt are investigated. Measurements of the nucleation frequencies and induction times with and without Pt are shown to be consistent with predictions based on the classical nucleation theory. A realistic computer model for the transformation is presented. Computed differential thermal analysis data (such as crystallization rates as a function of time and temperature) are shown to be in good agreement with experimental results. This modeling provides a new, more quantitative method for analyzing calorimetric data.

Narayan, K. Lakshmi↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Study of Uranus' Bow Shock Motions Using Langmuir Waves

During the Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus, strong electron plasma oscillations (Langmuir waves) were detected by the plasma wave instrument in the 1.78-kHz channel on January 23-24, 1986, prior to the inbound bow shock crossing. Langmuir waves are excited by energetic electrons streaming away from the bow shock. The goal of this work is to estimate the location and motion of Uranus' bow shock using Langmuir wave data, together with the spacecraft positions and the measured interplanetary magnetic field. The following three remote sensing analyses were performed: the basic remote sensing method, the lag time method, and the trace-back method. Because the interplanetary magnetic field was highly variable, the first analysis encountered difficulties in obtaining a realistic estimation of Uranus' bow shock motion. In the lag time method developed here, time lags due to the solar wind's finite convection speed are taken into account when calculating the shock's standoff distance. In the new trace-back method, limits on the standoff distance are obtained as a function of time by reconstructing electron paths. Most of the results produced by the latter two analyses are consistent with predictions based on the standard theoretical model and the measured solar wind plasma parameters. Differences between our calculations and the theoretical model are discussed.

Xue, S.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Salt-stone Oxidation Study: Leaching Method - 13092

Cementitious waste forms can be designed to chemically stabilize selected contaminants, such as Tc{sup +7} and Cr{sup +6}, by chemically reduction to lower valance states, Tc{sup +4} and Cr{sup +3}, respectively, and precipitation of these species in alkaline media as low solubility solid phases. Data for oxidation of this type of cementitious waste form cured under field conditions as a function of time is required for predicting the performance of the waste form and disposal facility. The rate of oxidation (oxidation front advancement) is an important parameter for predicting performance because the solubilities of some radionuclide contaminants, e.g., technetium, are a function of the oxidation state. A non-radioactive experiment was designed for quantifying the oxidation front advancement using chromium, as an approximate redox-sensitive surrogate (Cr{sup +6} / Cr{sup +3}) for technetium (Tc{sup +7} / Tc{sup +4}). Nonradioactive cementitious waste forms were prepared in the laboratory and cured under both laboratory and 'field conditions'. Laboratory conditions were ambient temperature and sealed sample containers. Field conditions were approximated by curing samples in open containers which were placed inside a plastic container stored outdoors at SRS. The container had a lid and was instrumented with temperature and humidity probes. Sub-samples as thin as 0.2 mm were taken as a function of distance from the exposed surface of the as-cast sample. The sub-samples were leached and the leachates were analyzed for chromium, nitrate, nitrite and sodium. Nitrate, nitrite, and sodium concentrations were used to provide baseline data because these species are not chemically retained in the waste form matrix to any significant extent and are not redox sensitive. 'Effective' oxidation fronts for Cr were measured for samples containing 1000, 500 and 20 mg/kg Cr added as soluble sodium chromate, Na{sub 2}CrO{sub 4}. For a sample cured for 129 days under field conditions, leachable Cr (assumed to be the oxidized form, i.e., Cr{sup +6} was detected in the top 15 to 20 mm of the sample spiked with 1000 mg/kg Cr. Below about 20 mm, the Cr concentrations in leachates were below the detection limit (< 0.010 mg/L) which indicates that the oxidation as the result of exposure to air was limited to the top 20 mm of the sample after exposure for 129 days and that the bulk of the waste form was not affected, i.e., the Cr was stabilized and insoluble. For samples cured in the laboratory, leachable Cr was detected in the top 8 mm of the Cr 1000 sample cured in the laboratory for 37 days. Between 8 and 14 mm, the concentration Cr in the leachate dropped by a factor of about 20 to just above the detection limit. These depth of penetration results indicate that the rate of advancement of the oxidation front for samples spiked with 1000 mg/kg Cr cured under 'field conditions' for 129 days is less than that for the sample cured in the laboratory for 37 days, i.e., 0.156 and 0.216 mm/day, respectively. Additional data are presented for samples spiked with 500 and 20 mg/kg Cr. In summary, cementitious waste forms are porous solids with a network of interconnected pores ranging in diameter from 10 E-10 m to greater than a few mm. The oxidation process is assumed to occur as the result of oxygen transport through the interconnected porosity which may be filled with air, aqueous salt solution, or both. Upon oxidation, the Cr becomes soluble and can be transported in solution through aqueous pore fluid or leachate. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2025

Geometric Interpretation of the Cluster Location Problem Part I: Theory

We present a new framing of the seismic location problem using principles drawn from differential geometry. Our interpretation relies upon the common assumption that travel times observed across a network are continuous, differentiable functions of source location. In consequence, travel‐time functions constitute a differentiable map between the source region and a Riemannian manifold. The manifold is said to be the image of the source region embedded in a generally high‐dimension travel‐time vector space. A cluster of events in the source region has an image of discrete points on the manifold, that, except in the simplest cases, cannot be viewed directly. However, it is possible to project the image of a cluster into a tangent space of the manifold for direct visualization. The projection operator can be computed directly from the data without a velocity model, but produces a distorted rendering of the cluster geometry. With a model we can predict the distortions and correct them to estimate cluster geometry. We develop these points with the simplest possible example, one for which direct visualization of the manifold is possible, using the example as an introduction to the relevant concepts from differential geometry in a familiar setting. The tangent space, a local linearization of the manifold, plays a key role. We develop a metric to estimate the limits of linearization, that is, to determine when the curvature of the manifold invalidates the linear assumption. We also examine the interplay of model error, inadequate network geometry, and pick error. We then generalize our results from the simple case to the general case of 3D source regions observed by general networks. Although we do suggest a new “project and correct” method for location, we do not develop it into a practical algorithm. In conclusion, our intention rather is to highlight new analytical methods grounded in differential geometry.

East Pacific Ocean Islands↗
DOE OSTI2021

Temperature-dependent dynamic fouling on superhydrophobic and slippery nonwetting copper surfaces

Bioinspired, superhydrophobic and slippery liquid infused surfaces that offer nonwetting characteristics have been explored in recent years for fouling mitigation. However, most of the studies are in the context of biofouling or under static immersion at ambient temperature conditions that are not reflective of the dynamic flow environment in practice. This article presents, for the first time, a systematic study of dynamic fouling of superhydrophobic (SHS) and slippery lubricant-infused surfaces (LIS) over a range of flow and temperature conditions. In this work, copper metallic surfaces were textured via electrodeposition or etching and further functionalized to achieve SHS and, additionally, infiltrated with a lubricant to fabricate LIS. The nonwetting surfaces were studied for their fouling behavior in a rotating Couette flow of a supersaturated calcium sulfate solution at different rotational speed and temperature. Fouling mineral mass accumulation on the different surfaces was measured as a function of time over a period of days using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy and the fouled surfaces were investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Both SHS and LIS showed superior anti-scaling performance at all ranges of variables. An analytical Hill-Langmuir model is presented, for the first time, to describe the time evolution of scaling within 20% accuracy over the range of parameters studied. The study is the first to juxtapose two surface texturing methods, electrodeposition and etching, and two nonwetting surface types, SHS and LIS, subject to a common suite of experiments to elucidate fundamental understanding of mineral fouling on nonwetting surfaces.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Observation of substrate diffusion and ligand binding in enzyme crystals using high-repetition-rate mix-and-inject serial crystallography

Here, we illustrate what happens inside the catalytic cleft of an enzyme when substrate or ligand binds on single-millisecond timescales. The initial phase of the enzymatic cycle is observed with near-atomic resolution using the most advanced X-ray source currently available: the European XFEL (EuXFEL). The high repetition rate of the EuXFEL combined with our mix-and-inject technology enables the initial phase of ceftriaxone binding to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis β-lactamase to be followed using time-resolved crystallography in real time. It is shown how a diffusion coefficient in enzyme crystals can be derived directly from the X-ray data, enabling the determination of ligand and enzyme–ligand concentrations at any position in the crystal volume as a function of time. In addition, the structure of the irreversible inhibitor sulbactam bound to the enzyme at a 66 ms time delay after mixing is described. This demonstrates that the EuXFEL can be used as an important tool for biomedically relevant research.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1975

Exact solution of the Lifshitz equations governing the growth of fluctuations in cosmology

The exact solution of the Lifshitz equations governing the cosmological evolution of an initial fluctuation is presented. Lifshitz results valid for squares of the sound velocity equal to zero and 1/3 are extended in closed form to any equation of state where the pressure equals the total energy density times the square of the sound velocity. The solutions embody all the results found previously for special cases of the square of the sound velocity. It is found that the growth of any initial fluctuation is only an exponential function of time with an exponent of not more than 4/3 and is insufficient to produce galaxies unless the initial fluctuation is very large. A possible way to produce very large initial fluctuations by modifying the equation of state by including gravitational interactions is also examined. It is found that a phase transition can occur at baryonic density of 1 nucleon per cubic Planck length or equivalently, at a time of about 10 to the -43rd power sec. At those early times, the masses allowed by causality requirements are too small to be of interest in galaxy formation.

Adams, P. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Numerical analysis of flow and heat transfer in the VAFB LOX storage Dewar tank

The present report describes numerical simulation of three-dimensional transient distributions of velocity and temperature of liquid oxygen (LOX) in the LOX Dewar tank of Vendenberg Air Force Base (VAFB). The present analyses cover the replenish time period only. Four test cases have been considered. For all four cases, the input boundary conditions are comprised of LOX facility heat loads, drain flow rates, recirculation flow rates and dewar heating. All the quantities are prescribed as functions of time. The first two test cases considered sensitivity of results to the computational grid. In Case 3, system heat load was changed, while in Case 4, a lower LOX level was specified. Cases 1 and 2 showed that the temperatures were not sensitive to the grid refinement. This provided a basic check on the numerical model. Cases 3 and 4 showed that the thermal boundary layer motion near the tank surface becomes more significant at the late time, e.g., 5 1/2 hours from replenish start. Comparison between results of Cases 3 and 4 showed, as expected, that the smaller initial LOX volume given in Case 4, results in higher temperature level. All calculated velocity and temperature distributions were found to be plausible.

Tam, L. T.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Saltstone Oxidation Study: Leaching Method

Cementitious waste forms can be designed to chemically stabilize selected contaminants, such as Tc{sup +7} and Cr{sup +6}, by chemically reduction to lower valance states, Tc{sup +4} and Cr{sup +3}, respectively, and precipitation of these species in alkaline media as low solubility solid phases. Data for oxidation of this type of cementitious waste form cured under field conditions as a function of time is required for predicting the performance of the waste form and disposal facility. The rate of oxidation (oxidation front advancement) is an important parameter for predicting performance because the solubilities of some radionuclide contaminants, e.g., technetium, are a function of the oxidation state. A non-radioactive experiment was designed for quantifying the oxidation front advancement using chromium, as an approximate redox-sensitive surrogate (Cr{sup +6} / Cr{sup +3}) for technetium (Tc{sup +7} / Tc{sup +4}). Nonradioactive cementitious waste forms were prepared in the laboratory and cured under both laboratory and ?field conditions.? Laboratory conditions were ambient temperature and sealed sample containers. Field conditions were approximated by curing samples in open containers which were placed inside a plastic container stored outdoors at SRS. The container had a lid and was instrumented with temperature and humidity probes. Subsamples as thin as 0.2 mm were taken as a function of distance from the exposed surface of the as-cast sample. The subsamples were leached and the leachates were analyzed for chromium, nitrate, nitrite and sodium. Nitrate, nitrite, and sodium concentrations were used to provide baseline data because these species are not chemically retained in the waste form matrix to any significant extent and are not redox sensitive. ?Effective? oxidation fronts for Cr were measured for samples containing 1000, 500 and 20 mg/kg Cr added as soluble sodium chromate, Na{sub 2}CrO{sub 4}. For a sample cured for 129 days under field conditions, leachable Cr (assumed to be the oxidized form, i.e., Cr{sup +6} was detected in the top 15 to 20 mm of the sample spiked with 1000 mg/kg Cr. Below about 20 mm, the Cr concentrations in leachates were below the detection limit (< 0.010 mg/L) which indicates that the oxidation as the result of exposure to air was limited to the top 20 mm of the sample after exposure for 129 days and that the bulk of the waste form was not affected, i.e., the Cr was stabilized and insoluble. For samples cured in the laboratory, leachable Cr was detected in the top 8 mm of the Cr 1000 sample cured in the laboratory for 37 days. Between 8 and 14 mm, the concentration Cr in the leachate dropped by a factor of about 20 to just above the detection limit. These depth of penetration results indicate that the rate of advancement of the oxidation front for samples spiked with 1000 mg/kg Cr cured under ?field conditions? for 129 days is less than that for the sample cured in the laboratory for 37 days, i.e., 0.156 and 0.216 mm/day, respectively. Additional data are presented for samples spiked with 500 and 20 mg/kg Cr. In summary, cementitious waste forms are porous solids with a network of interconnected pores ranging in diameter from 10E-10 m to greater than a few mm. The oxidation process is assumed to occur as the result of oxygen transport through the interconnected porosity which may be filled with air, aqueous salt solution, or both. Upon oxidation, the Cr becomes soluble and can be transported in solution through aqueous pore fluid or leachate.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Energy density and spectrum of single-cycle and sub-cycle electromagnetic pulses

Based on the exact solution of the Maxwell equations in the form of a collapsing spherical vector wave specified by an arbitrary function of time, we have calculated the maximum energy density that can be achieved when focusing extremely short pulses of various shapes. It is shown that our earlier formula expressing the maximum energy density in terms of the spectrum parameters for Gaussian quasi-monochromatic pulses is approximately (with an accuracy of ±40 %) valid for the main types of extremely short pulses. (extremely short laser pulses)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

The rigorous stochastic matrix multiplication scheme for the calculations of reduced equilibrium density matrices of open multilevel quantum systems

Understanding the roles of the temporary and spatial structures of quantum functional noise in open multilevel quantum molecular systems attracts a lot of theoretical interests. I want to establish a rigorous and general framework for functional quantum noises from the constructive and computational perspectives, i.e., how to generate the random trajectories to reproduce the kernel and path ordering of the influence functional with effective Monte Carlo methods for arbitrary spectral densities. This construction approach aims to unify the existing stochastic models to rigorously describe the temporary and spatial structure of Gaussian quantum noises. In this paper, I review the Euclidean imaginary time influence functional and propose the stochastic matrix multiplication scheme to calculate reduced equilibrium density matrices (REDM). In addition, I review and discuss the Feynman-Vernon influence functional according to the Gaussian quadratic integral, particularly its imaginary part which is critical to the rigorous description of the quantum detailed balance. As a result, I establish the conditions under which the influence functional can be interpreted as the average of exponential functional operator over real-valued Gaussian processes for open multilevel quantum systems. I also show the difference between the local and nonlocal phonons within this framework. With the stochastic matrix multiplication scheme, I compare the normalized REDM with the Boltzmann equilibrium distribution for open multilevel quantum systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Hole dynamics in a photovoltaic donor-acceptor couple revealed by simulated time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Theoretical and experimental methodologies that can characterize electronic and nuclear dynamics, and the coupling between the two, are needed to understand photoinduced charge transfer in molecular building blocks used in organic photovoltaics. Ongoing developments in ultrafast pump-probe techniques such as time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy, using an X-ray free electron laser in combination with an ultraviolet femtosecond laser, present desirable probes of coupled electronic and nuclear dynamics. In this work, we investigate the charge transfer dynamics of a donor-acceptor pair, which is widely used as a building block in low bandgap block copolymers for organic photovoltaics. We simulate the dynamics of the benzothiadiazole-thiophene molecule upon photoionization with a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) pulse and study the potential of probing the subsequent charge dynamics using time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The photoinduced dynamics are calculated using on-the-fly nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations based on Tully's Fewest Switches Surface Hopping approach. We calculate the X-ray absorption spectrum as a function of time after ionization at the Hartree-Fock level. The changes in the time-resolved X-ray absorption spectrum at the sulfur K-edge reveal the ultrafast charge carrier dynamics in the molecule occurring on a femtosecond time scale. These theoretical findings anticipate that ultrafast time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy using an X-ray probe in combination with a VUV pump offers a new approach to investigate the detailed dynamics of organic photovoltaic materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Layer Time Control for Large Scale Additive Manufacturing Using High Performance Computing

This work proposes to optimize an additive manufacturing AM process to reduce energy and printing cost. The polymer AM process is inherently dependent on the time-temperature history of each layer to maintain geometric tolerances and mechanical integrity. Our preliminary study shows that regression-based layer time control model using thermal images could result in up to 30% build time reduction for simple geometries. This proposed work would use high-performance computing (HPC) to couple the data-driven model with thermal simulation for better predicting layer temperature profiles, improving throughput of large-scale additive manufacturing, and reducing its energy cost. We have developed a method to optimize a layer deposition time (a.k.a. layer time) for large-scale AM via physics-based simulations. A long layer time leads to an over-cooled surface on which a new layer is deposited, and therefore, it may result in a weak bonding or debonding between layers, cracking, or warping. A short layer time leads to a high temperature of the structure due to insufficient cooling, and therefore, the structure may not be stiff enough and may collapse during manufacturing. Therefore, it is important to estimate the optimal layer time in additive manufacturing for a high-quality product. The temperature of a top layer right before deposition is recommended to be slightly higher than the glass temperature of the material. A temperature cooling was approximated to an exponential function of time, and the optimized layer time was obtained based on a target temperature while maintaining a minimal printing time. The material used is carbon fiber-reinforced polycarbonate (CF/PC), and the large-scale deposition system used is LSAM TM from Thermwood Corporation. Three different layer time cases were used for experiments, and a series of thermal images were obtained via an infra-red (IR) camera during the entire AM processes. AM process simulations were performed using a finite element method and the temperature profiles from the simulation were in good agreements with those from experiments. The layer time optimization was performed based on the temperature profiles from the simulations. A layer temperature with the optimal layer time was confirmed as the target temperature through simulation. In addition to the development of a layer time optimization method, we have developed a numerical framework for AM simulation with element activations in sync with toolpath, based on an open source finite element framework, DEAL.II. A major portion of this work was presented at SAMPE 2022 Conference and Exhibition on May 2022, and published in Proceedings of SAMPE 2022.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1993

Ellipsometric study of ambient-produced overlayer growth rate on YBa2Cu3O(7-x) films

An ellipsometric study of ambient-reaction-produced BaCO3 overlayer growth on laser-ablated YBCO is presented as a function of time. The effects of the anisotropy of YBCO on the ellipsometric data inversion process are discussed, and it is concluded that with certain restrictions on the data acquisition method, the anisotropic substrate can be adequately modeled by its isotropic pseudodielectric function for the purpose of overlayer thickness estimation. It is found that after an initial period of rapid growth attributed to the chemical reaction of the exposed surface bonds, the BaCO3 overlayer growth is linear at 1-2 A per day. This slow growth rate is attributed to the complexity of the BaCO3-forming reaction, together with the need for ambient reactants to diffuse through the overlayer.

Sieg, Robert M.↗
DOE OSTI2022

THE DESIGN OF LAYER TIME OPTIMIZATION IN LARGE SCALE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING WITH FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITES

In this study, we have developed a method to optimize a layer deposition time (a.k.a. layer time) for large-scale additive manufacturing (AM) via physics-based simulations. A long layer time leads to an over-cooled surface on which a new layer is deposited, and therefore, it may result in a weak bonding or debonding between layers, cracking, or warping. A short layer time leads to a high temperature of the structure due to insufficient cooling, and therefore, the structure may not be stiff enough and may collapse during manufacturing. Therefore, it is important to estimate the optimal layer time in additive manufacturing for a high-quality product. The temperature of a top layer right before deposition is recommended to be slightly higher than the glass temperature of the material. A temperature cooling was approximated to an exponential function of time, and the optimized layer time was obtained based on a target temperature while maintaining a minimal printing time. The material used is carbon fiber-reinforced polycarbonate (CF/PC), and the large-scale deposition system used is LSAM TM from Thermwood Corporation. Three different layer time cases were used for experiments, and a series of thermal images were obtained via an infra-red (IR) camera during the entire AM processes. AM process simulations were performed using a finite element method and the temperature profiles from the simulation were in good agreement with those from experiments. The layer time optimization was performed based on the temperature profiles from the simulations. A layer temperature with the optimal layer time was confirmed as the target temperature through simulation.

Jo, Eonyeon↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of time-of-flight and point spread function modeling on detectability of myocardial defects in PET

Purpose: A study was designed to investigate the impact of time-of-flight (TOF) and point spread function (PSF) modeling on the detectability of myocardial defects. Methods: Clinical FDG-PET data were used to generate populations of defect-present and defect-absent images. Defects were incorporated at three contrast levels, and images were reconstructed by ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) iterative methods including ordinary Poisson, alone and with PSF, TOF, and PSF+TOF. Channelized Hotelling observer signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was the surrogate for human observer performance. Results: For three iterations, 12 subsets, and no postreconstruction smoothing, TOF improved overall defect detection SNR by 8.6% as compared to its non-TOF counterpart for all the defect contrasts. Due to the slow convergence of PSF reconstruction, PSF yielded 4.4% less SNR than non-PSF. For reconstruction parameters (iteration number and postreconstruction smoothing kernel size) optimizing observer SNR, PSF showed larger improvement for faint defects. The combination of TOF and PSF improved mean detection SNR as compared to non-TOF and non-PSF counterparts by 3.0% and 3.2%, respectively. Conclusions: For typical reconstruction protocol used in clinical practice, i.e., less than five iterations, TOF improved defect detectability. In contrast, PSF generally yielded less detectability. For large number of iterations, TOF+PSF yields the best observer performance.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗