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At least 1,189 records · Page 66

Strategies for on-chip digital data compression for X-ray pixel detectors

Here, the continued desire for X-ray pixel detectors with higher frame rates will stress the ability of application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) designers to provide sufficient off-chip bandwidth to reach continuous frame rates in the 1 MHz regime. To move from the current 10 kHz to the 1 MHz frame rate regime, ASIC designers will continue to pack as many power-hungry high-speed transceivers at the periphery of the ASIC as possible. In this paper, however, we present new strategies to make the most efficient use of the off-chip bandwidth by utilizing data compression schemes for X-ray photon-counting and charge-integrating pixel detectors. In particular, we describe a novel in-pixel compression scheme that converts from analog to digital converter units to encoded photon counts near the photon Poisson noise level and achieves a compression ratio of >1.5x independent of the dataset. In addition, we describe a simple yet efficient zero-suppression compression scheme called "zeromask" (ZM) located at the ASIC's edge before streaming data off the ASIC chip. ZM achieves average compression ratios of >4x, >7x, and >8x for high-energy X-ray diffraction, ptychography, and X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy datasets, respectively. We present the conceptual designs, register-transfer level block diagrams, and the physical ASIC implementation of these compression schemes in 65 nm CMOS. When combined, these two digital compression schemes could increase the effective off-chip bandwidth by a factor of 6-12x.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Wave transience in a compressible atmosphere. I - Transient internal wave, mean-flow interaction. II - Transient equatorial waves in the quasi-biennial oscillation

Analytical and numerical solutions are obtained in an approximate quasi-linear model, to describe the way in which vertically propagating waves give rise to mean flow accelerations in an atmosphere due to the effects of wave transience. These effects in turn result from compressibility and vertical group velocity feedback, and culminate in the spontaneous formation and descent of regions of strong mean wind shear. The numerical solutions display mean flow accelerations due to Kelvin waves in the equatorial stratosphere, with wave absorption altering the transience mechanism in such significant respects as causing the upper atmospheric mean flow acceleration to be very sensitive to the precise magnitude and distribution of the damping mechanisms. The numerical simulations of transient equatorial waves in the quasi-biennial oscillation are also considered.

Dunkerton, T. J.↗

Effect of grain-boundary θ-Al 2 Cu precipitates on tensile and compressive creep properties of cast Al–Cu–Mn–Zr alloys

Tensile and compressive creep tests were performed at 300 °C on high-temperature Al–Cu–Mn–Zr (ACMZ) alloys with 6 wt% Cu (6Cu) and 9 wt% Cu (9Cu) to evaluate the effect on creep properties of micron-size θ-Al 2 Cu intergranular precipitates. For compressive creep, the increased volume fraction of θ-precipitates at grain boundaries (from ~0.7% in 6Cu to ~ 6% in 9Cu) does not affect deformation rates across the investigated stress range of 15–110 MPa, consistent with creep being controlled by submicron θ'-Al 2 Cu precipitates within grains, whose size and fractions are the same in both alloys. In contrast, for tensile creep, 9Cu creeps faster than 6Cu at stresses above 20 MPa, and this difference increases with the stress level. Additionally, this discrepancy between tensile and compressive creep behavior is explained by cavitation during tensile creep, which is favored by higher volume fraction and larger size of intergranular θ precipitates in 9Cu. Conversely, larger precipitates impede cavity linkage resulting in improved creep ductility of 9Cu as compared to 6Cu at 300 °C.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Three-dimensional multigrid Navier-Stokes computations for turbomachinery applications

The fully three-dimensional, time-dependent compressible Navier-Stokes equations in cylindrical coordinates are presently used, in conjunction with the multistage Runge-Kutta numerical integration scheme for solution of the governing flow equations, to simulate complex flowfields within turbomechanical components whose pertinent effects encompass those of viscosity, compressibility, blade rotation, and tip clearance. Computed results are presented for selected cascades, emphasizing the code's capabilities in the accurate prediction of such features as airfoil loadings, exit flow angles, shocks, and secondary flows. Computations for several test cases have been performed on a Cray-YMP, using nearly 90,000 grid points.

Subramanian, S. V.↗

Iterative spectral methods and spectral solutions to compressible flows

A spectral multigrid scheme is described which can solve pseudospectral discretizations of self-adjoint elliptic problems in O(N log N) operations. An iterative technique for efficiently implementing semi-implicit time-stepping for pseudospectral discretizations of Navier-Stokes equations is discussed. This approach can handle variable coefficient terms in an effective manner. Pseudospectral solutions of compressible flow problems are presented. These include one dimensional problems and two dimensional Euler solutions. Results are given both for shock-capturing approaches and for shock-fitting ones.

Hussaini, M. Y.↗

End-to-end quality measure for transmission of compressed imagery over a noisy coded channel

For the transmission of imagery at high data rates over large distances with limited power and system gain, it is usually necessary to compress the data before transmitting it over a noisy channel that uses channel coding to reduce the effect of noise introduced errors. Both compression and channel noise introduce distortion into the imagery. In order to design a communication link that provides adequate quality of received images, it is necessary first to define some suitable distortion measure that accounts for both these kinds of distortion and then to perform various tradeoffs to arrive at system parameter values that will provide a sufficiently low level of received image distortion. The overall mean square error is used as the distortion measure and a description of how to perform these tradeoffs are included.

Korwar, V. N.↗

Electrolyte Assisted Hydrogen Storage Reactions (Final Technical Report)

The goal of this project is to address critical deficiencies of hydrogen storage systems design based on hydride materials, as originally identified by the DOE Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence (HSECoE). Baseline hydrogen storage technology presently relies on compressed gas operating at ~700 bar pressure, which imposes huge demands on fuel delivery, fuel storage and system cost. For onboard storage applications, Type IV composite overwrapped pressure vessels and associated balance-of-plant components are necessary to ensure safe and effective fuel delivery. However, such compressed gas technology falls well-short of volumetric targets even at 700 bar, given the density of gaseous molecular hydrogen is only 40 g·H2/l at ambient temperatures. One alternative is to utilize hydride materials which accommodate hydrogen in atomic form. Certain hydrides can attain volumetric densities that exceed the density of liquid H2 (71 g·H2/l) while also offering advantageous thermodynamic properties. However, such material systems presently rely on solid-state diffusion for hydrogen release, which has a very high activation barrier for atom mobility and, thus, requires impractically-high temperatures for operation. The initial focus of our research effort is to employ and demonstrate an electrolyte system to mediate the diffusion of species at lower temperatures relevant to transportation applications, with the goal of establishing the critical factors necessary to obviate the need for high-temperature release of hydrogen. A parallel goal of this exploratory effort is to determine the effectiveness of modest electrochemical potentials in overcoming any endothermic requirements for hydrogen release in a similar electrolyte-promoted scenario.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Growth and Morphology of Supercritical Fluids, a Fluid Physics Experiment Conducted on Mir, Complete

The Growth and Morphology of Supercritical Fluids (GMSF) is an international experiment facilitated by the NASA Glenn Research Center and under the guidance of U.S. principal investor Professor Hegseth of the University of New Orleans and three French coinvestigators: Daniel Beysens, Yves Garrabos, and Carole Chabot. The GMSF experiments were concluded in early 1999 on the Russian space station Mir. The experiments spanned the three science themes of near-critical phase separation rates, interface dynamics in near-critical boiling, and measurement of the spectrum of density fluctuation length scales very close to the critical point. The fluids used were pure CO2 or SF6. Three of the five thermostats used could adjust the sample volume with the scheduled crew time. Such a volume adjustment enabled variable sample densities around the critical density as well as pressure steps (as distinct from the usual temperature steps) applied to the sample. The French-built ALICE II facility was used for these experiments. It allows tightly thermostated (left photograph) samples (right photograph) to be controlled and viewed/measured. Its diagnostics include interferometry, shadowgraph, high-speed pressure measurements, and microscopy. Data were logged on DAT tapes, and PCMCIA cards and were returned to Earth only after the mission was over. The ground-breaking near critical boiling experiment has yielded the most results with a paper published in Physical Review Letters (ref. 1). The boiling work also received press in Science Magazine (ref. 2). This work showed that, in very compressible near-critical two-phase pure fluids, a vapor bubble was induced to temporarily overheat during a rapid heating of the sample wall. The temperature rise in the vapor was 23-percent higher than the rise in the driving container wall. The effect is due to adiabatic compression of the vapor bubble by the rapid expansion of fluid near the boundary during heatup. Thermal diffusivity is low near the critical point, so getting heat out of the compressed bubble is observably slow. This gives the appearance of a backward heat flow, or heat flow from a cold surface to a warm fluid.

Wilkinson, R. Allen↗

Piezoresistance and solar cell efficiency

Diffusion-induced stresses in silicon are shown to result in large localized changes in the minority-carrier mobility which in turn can have a significant effect on cell output. Evidence is given that both compressive and tensile stresses can be generated in either the emitter or the base region. Tensile stresses in the base appear to be much more effective in altering cell performance than do compressive stresses. While most stress-related effects appear to degrade cell efficiency, this is not always the case. Evidence is presented showing that arsenic-induced stresses can result in emitter characteristics comparable to those found in the MINP cell without requiring a high degree of surface passivation.

Weizer, Victor G.↗

Martensitic fcc-hcp transformation pathway in solid krypton and xenon and its effect on their equations of state

The martensitic transformation is a fundamental physical phenomenon at the origin of important industrial applications. However, the underlying microscopic mechanism, which is of critical importance to explain the outstanding mechanical properties of martensitic materials, is still not fully understood. This is because for most martensitic materials the transformation is a fast process that makes in situ studies extremely challenging. Noble solids krypton and xenon undergo a progressive pressure-induced face-centered cubic (fcc) to hexagonal close-packed (hcp) martensitic transition with a very wide coexistence domain. Here, we took advantage of this unique feature to study the detailed transformation progress at the atomic level by employing in situ x-ray diffraction and absorption spectroscopy. We evidenced a four-stage pathway and suggest that the lattice mismatch between the fcc and hcp forms plays a key role in the generation of strain. We also determined precisely the effect of the transformation on the compression behavior of these materials.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Finite Element Modeling for Compression Strength Prediction of Honeycomb Cores with Geometric Imperfections Measured using X-ray CT Imaging

Aluminum honeycomb cores have been used extensively in composite sandwich panels due to having high bending rigidity while maintaining low density. During manufacturing of the aluminum honeycomb, the thin metal walls are susceptible to imperfections that deviate from an ideal honeycomb shape. Computational tools to quantify imperfections and investigate their effects on quasi-static compression and impact response can inform design criteria to construct safer and lighter launch vehicle structures. This paper presents the results of a study on finite element modeling of metallic honeycomb cores (HCC) with geometric imperfections measured using X-ray Computer Tomography (CT), to predict the compression response. Finite element (FE) models are constructed with measured imperfections with appropriate boundary conditions. It is shown that the average behavior of larger 10x11 cell models can be predicted by sampling single cell models from the larger domain. Amplification of imperfections for cells at the center of sampled specimens are mode switched from the larger out-of-plane imperfection to the mode shape of the adjacent cells resulting in strengthening of the center specimens.

aluminum honeycomb↗

Viscoelastic propellant effects on Space Shuttle Dynamics

The program of solid propellant research performed in support of the space shuttle dynamics modeling effort is described. Stiffness, damping, and compressibility of the propellant and the effects of many variables on these properties are discussed. The relationship between the propellant and solid rocket booster dynamics during liftoff and boost flight conditions and the effects of booster vibration and propellant stiffness on free free solid rocket booster modes are described. Coupled modes of the shuttle system and the effect of propellant stiffness on the interfaces of the booster and the external tank are described. A finite shell model of the solid rocket booster was developed.

Bugg, F.↗

Compressive strength of damaged and repaired composite plates

Tests were performed assessing the effectiveness of repair in restoring the mechanical properties of damaged, solid composite plates made of Fiberite T300/976 graphite-epoxy. Some (75%) or all (100%) of the damaged zone was cut out, and the plate was repaired by plugging and patching the hole. The effectiveness of the repair was evaluated by measuring the compressive strengths of undamaged plates, damaged plates with no cutout, damaged plates with a cutout, and plates that had been repaired.

Finn, Scott R.↗

Numerical Study of Liquid Piston Compression Using Large-Eddy Simulation and Volume-of-Fluid Approach

Efforts to increase the efficiency of residential and commercial air conditioners and heat pumps have demonstrated that the compressor accounts for most of the system’s electrical energy usage. Therefore, the efficiency of this component should be improved to reduce its energy usage. The US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a near-isothermal liquid piston compressor (LPC) that uses propylene glycol (PG) to compress CO2. This report presents numerical studies of the LPC in which the compression chamber fills with injected PG from the bottom inlet. Numerical simulations were performed using the large-eddy simulation (LES) with the wall-adapting local eddy-viscosity (WALE) subgrid-scale model coupled with the multiphase volume-of-fluid (VOF) model to simulate the transient interface between gas and liquid and to capture the heat and mass transfer within the compression chamber. In this effort, effects of boundary conditions applied to the LES-VOF calculations (e.g., no wall, an adiabatic wall, and a wall with a heat flux subscribed) to the overall pressure and temperature of CO2 gas as well as the transient evolution of flow and heat transfer evolution within the compression chamber are investigated and discussed. It was found that the LES calculation with no wall have shown no dynamical flow patterns and the volume-averaged temperature of CO2 increased from 305 to 392.7 K, while LES calculations with a constant wall temperature or a wall heat flux had similar increases of CO2 temperatures. Results of LES simulation using a wall heat flux showed different stages in the compression process and revealed dynamical formation and interaction of CO2 gas layers and circulation flow patterns within the chamber that contribute to the overall heat transfer between the solid wall, gas, and liquid surface in the compressor.

Nguyen, Thien D.↗

The evolutionary trend in airborne and satellite radar altimeters

The manner in which airborne and satellite radar altimeters developed and where the trend is leading was investigated. The airborne altimeters have progressed from a broad beamed, narrow pulsed, nadir looking instrument, to a pulse compressed system that is computer controlled, to a scanning pencil beamed system which produce a topographic map of the surface beneath the aircraft in real time. It is suggested that the airborne systems lie in the use of multiple frequencies. The satellite altimeters evolve towards multifrequency systems with narrower effective pulses and higher pulse compression ratios to reduce peak transmitted power while improving resolution. Applications indicate wide swath systems using interferometric techniques or beam limited systems using 100 m diameter antennas.

Fedor, L. S.↗

Application of Compressive Sensing to Gravitational Microlensing Experiments

Compressive Sensing is an emerging technology for data compression and simultaneous data acquisition. This is an enabling technique for significant reduction in data bandwidth, and transmission power and hence, can greatly benefit spaceflight instruments. We apply this process to detect exoplanets via gravitational microlensing. We experiment with various impact parameters that describe microlensing curves to determine the effectiveness and uncertainty caused by Compressive Sensing. Finally, we describe implications for spaceflight missions.

Compressive Sensing↗

Critical effects of downstream boundary conditions on vortex breakdown

The unsteady, compressible, full Navier-Stokes (NS) equations are used to study the critical effects of the downstream boundary conditions on the supersonic vortex breakdown. The present study is applied to two supersonic vortex breakdown cases. In the first case, quasi-axisymmetric supersonic swirling flow is considered in a configured circular duct, and in the second case, quasi-axisymmetric supersonic swirling jet, that is issued from a nozzle into a supersonic jet of lower Mach number, is considered. For the configured duct flow, four different types of downstream boundary conditions are used, and for the swirling jet flow from the nozzle, two types of downstream boundary conditions are used. The solutions are time accurate which are obtained using an implicit, upwind, flux-difference splitting, finite-volume scheme.

Kandil, Osama↗

Buckling and Failure of Compression-Loaded Composite Laminated Shells With Cutouts

Results from a numerical and experimental study that illustrate the effects of laminate orthotropy on the buckling and failure response of compression-loaded composite cylindrical shells with a cutout are presented. The effects of orthotropy on the overall response of compression-loaded shells is described. In general, preliminary numerical results appear to accurately predict the buckling and failure characteristics of the shell considered herein. In particular, some of the shells exhibit stable post-local-buckling behavior accompanied by interlaminar material failures near the free edges of the cutout. In contrast another shell with a different laminate stacking sequence appears to exhibit catastrophic interlaminar material failure at the onset of local buckling near the cutout and this behavior correlates well with corresponding experimental results.

Hilburger, Mark W.↗