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NASA NTRS2004

Effects of Heat Flux, Oxygen Concentration and Glass Fiber Volume Fraction on Pyrolysate Mass Flux from Composite Solids

Experimental work on the effects of heat flux, oxygen concentration and glass fiber volume fraction on pyrolysate mass flux from samples of polypropylene/glass fiber composite (PP/G) is underway. The research is conducted as part of a larger project to develop a test methodology for flammability of materials, particularly composites, in the microgravity and variable oxygen concentration environment of spacecraft and space structures. Samples of PP/G sized at 30 x 30 x 10 mm are flush mounted in a flow tunnel, which provides a flow of oxidizer over the surface of the samples at a fixed value of 1 m/s and oxygen concentrations varying between 18 and 30%. Each sample is exposed to a constant external radiant heat flux at a given value, which varies between tests from 10 to 24 kW/sq m. Continuous sample mass loss and surface temperature measurements are recorded for each test. Some tests are conducted with an igniter and some are not. In the former case, the research goal is to quantify the critical mass flux at ignition for the various environmental and material conditions described above. The later case generates a wider range of mass flux rates than those seen prior to ignition, providing an opportunity to examine the protective effects of blowing on oxidative pyrolysis and heating of the surface. Graphs of surface temperature and sample mass loss vs. time for samples of 30% PPG at oxygen concentrations of 18 and 21% are presented in the figures below. These figures give a clear indication of the lower pyrolysis rate and extended time to ignition that accompany a lower oxygen concentration. Analysis of the mass flux rate at the time of ignition gives good repeatability but requires further work to provide a clear indication of mass flux trends accompanying changes in environmental and material properties.

Rich, D. B.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Pre-Transient Characterization of Historic EBR-II Pins for Transient Testing

Current interest in sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) designs, such as TerraPower’s Natrium Reactor, has highlighted the need for advanced reactor fuel technology development. Modern U-Zr and U- Pu-Zr pin designs are primary candidates to fuel SFRs and boast high fuel utilization capacity, increased fuel-cladding compatibility, and improved safety through inherent feedback mechanisms. Despite over 60 years of metallic fuel irradiation, uncertainties exist in the performance of the fuel system, particularly under transient overpower (TOP) and loss of flow (LOF) scenarios. Throughout historical testing within the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) and the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), fuel behavior has demonstrated benign response to transient reactor conditions; however, accurate predictions of failure thresholds to inform operational limitations rely heavily on fuel composition, burnup, and irradiation history. In expanding TOP and LOF testing, the Transient Heat sink Overpower Response (THOR) Capsule will be used to test modern fuel technologies in a static sodium environment in the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility. The THOR capsule is highly instrumented and will provide time-dependent thermal behavior of SFR fuel pins subjected to accident conditions within TREAT. The THOR-Metallic (THOR- M) campaign aims to validate and expand historical TOP and LOF testing on high burnup U-Zr and U-Pu- Zr fuel alloys previously irradiated in EBR-II by running the rods to failure. This contribution focuses primarily on the pre-transient engineering-scale destructive and non- destructive characterization that has been conducted on both the test and sibling pins used for the TOP and LOF tests. All pins underwent visual examination, neutron radiography, element contact profilometry, and precise gamma scan. The sibling pins used for each test were further analyzed using gas assay, sampling, and recharge analysis (GASR), and optical microscopy. The results from each technique confirmed that the fuel pins were intact and devoid of any atypical developments when compared to historical data. Additionally, the analyzed measurements establish a baseline for comparison to post-transient analysis. Key fuel behaviors quanitifed include axial elongation of the fuel column, diametral strain of the pin, patterns in fluff structure geometry, changes in axial isotope distribution, evolution of constituent redistribution, porosity, and fission gas release. The pre-transient measurements and changes attributed to transient behavior from post-transient measurement will be compared to historical data to capture the behavioral dependence on composition, burnup, and irradiation history. Results from this work advance the initiatives of the THOR-M campaign, which aid in informing fuel performance models and establishing safety criteria for SFR operational limits. The novel combination of test environment, in-situ instrumentation, and comprehensive suite of characterization methods provides greater understanding of transient fuel behavior. Overall, information on the time and condition of pin failure for high burnup U-Pu-Zr will greatly expand the limited existing TOP and LOF test data.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Pre-Transient Characterization of Historic EBR-II Pins for Transient Testing

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

DOE OSTI2026

Characterizing skyrmion flow phases with principal component analysis

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a powerful method that can identify patterns in large, complex data sets by constructing low-dimensional order parameters from higher-dimensional feature vectors. There are increasing efforts to use space-and-time-dependent PCA to detect transitions in nonequilibrium systems that are difficult to characterize with equilibrium methods. Here, we demonstrate that feature vectors incorporating the position and velocity information of driven skyrmions moving through random disorder permit PCA to resolve different types of disordered skyrmion motion as a function of driving force and the ratio of the Magnus force to the dissipation. Since the Magnus force creates gyroscopic motion and a finite Hall angle, skyrmions can exhibit a greater range of flow phases than what is observed in overdamped driven systems with quenched disorder. We show that in addition to identifying previously known skyrmion flow phases, PCA detects several additional phases, including different types of channel flow, moving fluids, and partially ordered states. Guided by the PCA analysis, we further characterize the disordered flow phases to elucidate the different microscopic dynamics and show that the changes in the PCA-derived order parameters can be connected to features in bulk transport measures, including the transverse and longitudinal velocity-force curves, differential conductivity, topological defect density, and changes in the skyrmion Hall angle as a function of drive. We discuss how asymmetric feature vectors can be used to improve the resolution of the PCA analysis, and how this technique can be extended to find disordered phases in other nonequilibrium systems with time-dependent dynamics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1997

Biogeochemistry of DMS in Surface Waters

Dimethylsulfide (DMS) is important in influencing the formation of aerosols in the troposphere over large areas of the world's oceans. Understanding the dynamics of aerosols is important to understanding the earth's radiation balance. In evaluating the factors controlling DMS in the troposphere it is vital to understand the dynamics of DMS in the surface ocean. The biogeochemical processes controlling DMS concentration in seawater are myriad; modeling and theoretical estimation are problematic. At the beginning of this project we believed that we were on the verge of simplifying the ship-track measurement of DMS, and we proposed to deploy such a system to develop a database relating high frequency DMS measurements to biological and physicochemical and optical properties of surface water that can be quantified by remote sensing techniques. We designed a system to measure DMS concomitantly with other basic chemical and biological data in a flow-through system. The project was collaborative between Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Bermuda Biological Station for Research (BBSR). The project on which we are reporting was budgeted for only one year with a one year no-cost extension. At WHOI our effort was directed towards designing traps which would be used to concentrate DMS from seawater and allow storage for subsequent analysis. At that time, GC systems were too large for easy long-term deployment on a research vessel like R/V Weatherbird, so we focused on simplifying the shipboard sampling procedure. Initial studies of sample recovery with high levels of DMS suggested that Carboxen 1000, a relatively new carbon molecular sieve, could be used as a stable storage medium. The affinity of Carboxen for DMS is several orders of magnitude higher than gold wool (another adsorbent used for DMS collection) on a weight or volume basis. Furthermore, Carboxen's affinity for DMS is also far less susceptible to humidity than gold wool. Unfortunately, further experiments with low level DMS indicated that recovery of DMS after storage was not quantitative. The material has proven to be completely acceptable for short term storage and has been incorporated into a micro-GC system. Since working on this project, we have collaborated with RVM Scientific in Santa Barbara in the design and construction of small portable micro-GC's that will make feasible at-sea measurement in moving ships, making rapid gas analysis and quantification feasible in a ship-track mode. Throughout this period at both WHOI and BBSR, we continued to analyze field data to understand that patterns of time and space variability in DMS and the processes that govern it. These insights will be crucial to determining the specifications for our automated sampling program. The data from this, the longest continuous sampling program for ocean DMS, provided insights into year to year and short-term variability.

Dacey, J. W. H.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Thermal Model of the Promoted Combustion Test

Flammability of metals in high pressure, pure oxygen environments, such as rocket engine turbopumps, is commonly evaluated using the Promoted Combustion Test (PCT). The PCT emphasizes the ability of an ignited material to sustain combustion, as opposed to evaluating the sample's propensity to ignite in the first place. A common arrangement is a rod of the sample material hanging in a chamber in which a high pressure, pure oxygen environment is maintained. An igniter of some energetically combusting material is fixed to the bottom of the rod and fired. This initiates combustion, and the sample burns and melts at its bottom tip. A ball of molten material forms, and this ball detaches when it grows too large to be supported by surface tension with the rod. In materials which do not sustain combustion, the combustion then extinguishes. In materials which do sustain combustion, combustion re-initiates from molten residue left on the bottom of the rod, and the melt ball burns and grows until it detaches again. The purpose of this work is development of a PCT thermal simulation model, detailing phase change, melt detachment, and the several heat transfer modes. Combustion is modeled by a summary rate equation, whose parameters are identified by comparison to PCT results. The sensitivity of PCT results to various physical and geometrical parameters is evaluated. The identified combustion parameters may be used in design of new PCT arrangements, as might be used for flammability assessment in flow-dominated environments. The Haynes 214 nickel-based superalloy, whose PCT results are applied here, burns heterogeneously (fuel and oxidizer are of different phases; combustion takes place on the fuel surface). Heterogeneous combustion is not well understood. (In homogeneous combustion, the metal vaporizes, and combustion takes place in an analytically treatable cloud above the surface). Thermal modeling in heterogeneous combustion settings provides a means for linking test results more directly to detailed combustion mechanics, leading to improved data analysis, and improved understanding of heterogeneous combustion phenomena.

Jones, Peter D.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Heating and Sampling Efficiency Evaluation for the Nephele Venus Cloud Sampling Mission Concept

Nephele is a descent probe concept with a unique combination of entry (3D-CC+HEEET), sampling (flow-through passive impactors), and optics (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, or LIBS, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, or SERS), technologies with two key innovations. The first is the integration of the aerosol sampling inlet into the aeroshell body, allowing the possibility of sampling during passive descent without separation. The second is the use of the aerosol capture surface as an optical analysis substrate, allowing fast-cadence aerosol analysis via a dual optical spectrometer instead of mass spectrometry. Although this concept shares some features with other efforts such as Cupid’s Arrow (single-body sample capture system), DAVINCI and Venera-D (use of an optical spectrometer), Nephele is unique in its physical integration of the sonde body, aerosol and gas sampler, and analysis instrumentation. This innovation is designed to eliminate the need for a controlled descent to achieve a detailed atmospheric aerosol transect, which offers in situ planetary science in a small spacecraft envelope. Aeroshell designs with inlets for free-falling sondes are well-understood, though not yet assessed for aerosol capture efficiency. A HEEET aeroshell with a specialized nose inlet material comprised of Carbon-Carbon is proposed for this mission concept.

Venus↗

DOE OSTI2022

Transport physics dependence of Bohm speed in presheath–sheath transition

We report the ion exit flow speed at the sheath entrance is constrained by the Bohm criterion, which is used as a boundary condition for simulations that do not resolve the sheath region. Traditional Bohm criterion analysis invokes the equation of state and, thus, ignores transport physics in the sheath transition problem. An expression for the Bohm speed away from the asymptotic limit is derived from a set of anisotropic plasma transport equations. The thermal force, collisional temperature isotropization, and heat flux enter into the evaluation of the Bohm speed. By comparison with kinetic simulation results, this expression is shown to be accurate in the presheath–sheath transition region rather than a single point at the sheath entrance over a broad range of collisionality.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Influence of Surface Defects on WO 3 Photoelectrodes for Catalyzing Chloride Oxidation in Water

Tungsten oxide (WO 3 ) is an n-type semiconductor due to oxygen vacancies (□ O •• in Kroger-Vink notation) or surface protonation as H x WO 3 . It is one of the few acid-stable oxides under large positive bias, which makes WO 3 ideal for interrogating the mechanism of the chloride oxidation reaction (COR). The large, positive valence band edge of ∼3 eV provides the overpotential necessary to carry out the COR, but the reaction competes with the oxygen-evolution reaction in water. The □ O •• defect density can be controlled by the atmosphere under which the material is annealed, so WO 3 films were prepared by a spin-coating method from an ammonium metatungstate precursor annealed at 500 °C under air, flowing O 2 , and flowing argon. Annealing the films in a flowing O 2 atmosphere hinders the formation of □ O ••, and annealing in Ar leads to greater surface W 6+ , likely due to expelling intercalated H + . The saturated photocurrent density (j ph ) is highest in films with the greatest concentration of W 5+ and greatest concentration of oxide defects: (0.66 mA/cm 2 annealed in air, 0.58 mA/cm 2 annealed in Ar, and 0.49 mA/cm 2 annealed in O 2 , reported at 1.5 V vs Ag/AgCl, pH 3 (before the onset of a dark reaction). The defect concentrations are determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In all cases the Faradaic efficiency for the COR is near unity. Finally, we demonstrate that W 5d states can be probed by ligand K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy via pre-edge (Cl 1s → W 5d) transitions, lower in energy than the ligand-centered (Cl 1s → 4p) transition. We use this analysis to show the presence of W─Cl covalent bonds on the WO 3 films post-COR, corroborated by DFT calculations. Furthermore, this result stands in contrast to the commonly assumed mechanistic proposal invoking outer-sphere electron transfer to a physisorbed chloride ion.

Cl K-edge↗

NASA NTRS2001

Application of Aeroelastic Solvers Based on Navier Stokes Equations

The propulsion element of the NASA Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) initiative is directed towards increasing the overall efficiency of current aircraft engines. This effort requires an increase in the efficiency of various components, such as fans, compressors, turbines etc. Improvement in engine efficiency can be accomplished through the use of lighter materials, larger diameter fans and/or higher-pressure ratio compressors. However, each of these has the potential to result in aeroelastic problems such as flutter or forced response. To address the aeroelastic problems, the Structural Dynamics Branch of NASA Glenn has been involved in the development of numerical capabilities for analyzing the aeroelastic stability characteristics and forced response of wide chord fans, multi-stage compressors and turbines. In order to design an engine to safely perform a set of desired tasks, accurate information of the stresses on the blade during the entire cycle of blade motion is required. This requirement in turn demands that accurate knowledge of steady and unsteady blade loading is available. To obtain the steady and unsteady aerodynamic forces for the complex flows around the engine components, for the flow regimes encountered by the rotor, an advanced compressible Navier-Stokes solver is required. A finite volume based Navier-Stokes solver has been developed at Mississippi State University (MSU) for solving the flow field around multistage rotors. The focus of the current research effort, under NASA Cooperative Agreement NCC3- 596 was on developing an aeroelastic analysis code (entitled TURBO-AE) based on the Navier-Stokes solver developed by MSU. The TURBO-AE code has been developed for flutter analysis of turbomachine components and delivered to NASA and its industry partners. The code has been verified. validated and is being applied by NASA Glenn and by aircraft engine manufacturers to analyze the aeroelastic stability characteristics of modem fans, compressors and turbines.

Keith, Theo G., Jr.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Design improvements for a recirculating reactor: Enhanced temperature measurement and sample-isolated reactivity in steady-state kinetic studies

Building upon a previous recirculating reactor design [S.A. Tenney, K. Xie, J.R. Monnier, A. Rodriguez, R.P. Galhenage, S. Audrey, D.A. Chen, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 84, 104101 (2013)], we present significant improvements that address key limitations in steady-state kinetic measurements for heterogeneous catalysis. The enhanced reactor design features direct sample heating with a focused IR lamp and temperature measurement in direct contact with the sample, enabling more accurate temperature control and improved kinetic analysis. A critical advancement is the isolation of sample reactivity from reactor wall contributions, ensuring that only the sample contributes to measured reaction rates. This was a limitation in earlier designs where the entire reactor contributed to the observed reactivity. The system incorporates a bypass flow cell for direct comparison with powder catalysts under identical conditions using a standard plug-flow reactor configuration. We demonstrate these capabilities through CO oxidation experiments on Pt(111) single crystals and graphene-passivated Pt(111), highlighting the system's ability to differentiate catalytic activity in model systems and directly compare them with high surface area powder catalysts. This reactor is particularly suited for thin films and low surface area catalysts that are not effectively evaluated in traditional flow reactors, especially for samples with low numbers of active sites or slow reaction rates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Fatigue analysis of the Spallation Neutron Source 2 MW target design

Upgrades to the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are under way with two major projects. The first project is the Proton Power Upgrade (PPU), which will double the power capacity of the SNS accelerator system to enable the operation of a future second neutron source target station—the second project. PPU also will increase power to the SNS first target station – which currently operates at 1.4 MW with 1.0 GeV protons – to 2 MW with 1.3 GeV protons. Final design of the PPU 2 MW target module is finished, including all necessary design and analysis calculations. The fatigue evaluation described herein is an assessment of the fitness of the PPU 2 MW target mercury vessel to resist failure from cyclic loading from the pulsed 60 Hz proton beam and thermal changes from disrupted operation. In addition to the reliability predictions, the method, detail, and depth of this fatigue evaluation are superior to those of past target design assessments. Furthermore, the thermal fatigue life is predicted to exceed 3125 thermal cycles per 1250 h of operation for all load cases. The design also meets the (relative) fatigue design goal for combined thermal and pulse loading of greater than 0.5 times the minimum fatigue life calculated for a jet-flow target design operating at 1.4 MW—the most robust design to date in terms of resistance to fatigue failure. From the onset of the PPU, it has been known that pulse loading requires effective application of helium gas injection into the target mercury to reduce beam pressure loading. For the PPU 2 MW target, none of the pulse load cases requires a maximum strain reduction from gas injection of more than 50% (for base material) to meet the fatigue design goal. This level of reduction is achievable from gas injection, according to historical strain measurements from 1.4 MW target operation. Overall, the PPU 2 MW target design is predicted to have superior resistance to fatigue failure compared with past target designs.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2020

Sequential Electrochemical Flow Cell for Complex Multicomponent Electrocatalysis

A highly efficient flow cell for sequential electrolysis containing two complete electrochemical cells, capable of generating reactive species at the upstream working electrode and transporting them to the downstream working electrode, is demonstrated. Deconvolution of the intermixed electrode circuits is accomplished through analysis of the inherent resistance of the electrolyte, which allows for precise and independent control of the electrochemical potential at each electrode without altering concentrations of supporting or background electrolyte species. Sequential electrolysis involving oxidation of hydrogen and reduction of the generated protons downstream is demonstrated at nearly 100% efficiency on Pt-decorated dealloyed porous Nb catalysts. The conversion efficiency of the catalysts is discussed in terms of their geometries and active surface composition, elucidating strategies for use of sequential electrolysis cells for fundamental and applied studies.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS1989

Thermodynamic and fluid mechanic analysis of rapid pressurization in a dead-end tube

Three models have been applied to very rapid compression of oxygen in a dead-ended tube. Pressures as high as 41 MPa (6000 psi) leading to peak temperatures of 1400 K are predicted. These temperatures are well in excess of the autoignition temperature (750 K) of teflon, a frequently used material for lining hoses employed in oxygen service. These findings are in accord with experiments that have resulted in ignition and combustion of the teflon, leading to the combustion of the stainless steel braiding and catastrophic failure. The system analyzed was representative of a capped off-high-pressure oxygen line, which could be part of a larger system. Pressurization of the larger system would lead to compression in the dead-end line, and possible ignition of the teflon liner. The model consists of a large plenum containing oxygen at the desired pressure (500 to 6000 psi). The plenum is connected via a fast acting valve to a stainless steel tube 2 cm inside diameter. Opening times are on the order of 15 ms. Downstream of the valve is an orifice sized to increase filling times to around 100 ms. The total length from the valve to the dead-end is 150 cm. The distance from the valve to the orifice is 95 cm. The models describe the fluid mechanics and thermodynamics of the flow, and do not include any combustion phenomena. A purely thermodynamic model assumes filling to be complete upstream of the orifice before any gas passes through the orifice. This simplification is reasonable based on experiment and computer modeling. Results show that peak temperatures as high as 4800 K can result from recompression of the gas after expanding through the orifice. An approximate transient model without an orifice was developed assuming an isentropic compression process. An analytical solution was obtained. Results indicated that fill times can be considerably shorter than valve opening times. The third model was a finite difference, 1-D transient compressible flow model. Results from the code show the recompression effect but predict much lower peak temperatures than the thermodynamic model.

Leslie, Ian H.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Progress in Integrated Fluid/Structure/Controls Computations Using High Fidelity Equations

Aeroelasticity that involves strong coupling of fluids, structures and controls is an important element in designing an aircraft. Computational aeroelasticity using low fidelity methods such as the linear aerodynamic flow equations coupled with the modal structural equations are well advanced. Though these low fidelity approaches are computationally less intensive, they are not adequate for the analysis of aircraft which can experience complex flow/structure interactions. Supersonic transports can experience vortex induced aeroelastic oscillations whereas subsonic transports can experience transonic buffet associated structural oscillations. Both aircraft may experience a dip in the flutter speed at the transonic regime. For accurate aeroelastic computations at these complex fluid/structure interaction situations, high fidelity equations such as the Navier-Stokes for fluids and the finite-elements for structures are needed. Using these high fidelity methods, design quantities such as structural stresses can be directly computed. Computations using these high fidelity equations require state-of-the-art large computational resources. This paper will describe the transition from potential equations to Euler/Navier-Stokes equations for fluids and from modal equations to finite element equations for structures. Complexities associated with grids for moving control surfaces will be discussed. All contents of the paper will be limited to those already presented at domestic conferences within U.S. such as those sponsored by AIAA. It will not include any materials related to HPCCP computational work.

Guruswamy, Guru P.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Investigating the Present Day Cosmic Dust Flux at the Earth's Surface: Initial Results from the Kwajalein Micrometeorite Collection

Examination of impact craters on the Long Duration Exposure Facility satellite indicate a present day micrometeoroid flux of approx. 30,000 tonnes [1 after 2]. But what portion of this material arrives at the Earth's surface as micrometeorites? Studies of available micrometeorite collections from deep sea sediments [e.g. 3], Greenland blue ice [e.g. 4] and the South Pole water well [e.g. 1] may be complicated by terrestrial weathering and, in some cases, collection bias (magnetic separation for deep sea sediments) and poorly constrained ages. We have recently set up a micrometeorite collection station on Kwajalein Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, using high volume air samplers to collect particles directly from the atmosphere. By collecting in this way, the terrestrial age of the particles is known, the weathering they experience is minimal, and we are able to constrain particle arrival times. Collecting at this location also exploits the considerably reduced anthropogenic background [5]. Method: High volume air samplers were installed on top of the two-story airport building on Kwajalein. These were fitted with polycarbonate membrane filters with 5μm diameter perforations. The flow rates were set to 0.5m3/min, and filters were changed once a week. After collection, filters were washed to remove salt and concentrate particles [see 5] in preparation for analysis by SEM. Results and Discussion: A selection of filters have been prepared and surveyed. Due to their ease of identification our initial investigations have focused on particles resembling cosmic spherules. The spheres can be divided into three main groups: 1. Silicate spherules rich in Al, Ca, K and Na (to varying degrees), 2. Silicate spherules rich in Mg and Fe and 3. Fe-rich spherules. Group 1 spherules are often vesiculated and can occur as aggregates. They are similar in appearance and composition to volcanic microspheres [e.g. 6] and are thus likely terrestrial in origin (volcanic). Those of groups 2 and 3, however, typically exhibit quenched surface textures consistent with cosmic spherules. Initial results suggest there is significant variation in the abundance of these groups from filter to filter. Work is ongoing to fully characterize these spherules and to constrain their flux with time.

Wozniakiewicz, P. J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Heating and Sampling Efficiency Evaluation for the Nephele Venus Cloud Sampling Mission Concept

Nephele [1] is a descent probe concept with a unique combination of entry (3D-CC+HEEET), sampling (flow-through passive impactors), and optics (laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, or LIBS, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, or SERS), technologies with two key innovations (Figure 1). The first is the integration of the aerosol sampling inlet into the aeroshell body, allowing the possibility of sampling during passive descent without separation. The second is the use of the aerosol capture surface as an optical analysis substrate, allowing fast-cadence aerosol analysis via a dual optical spectrometer instead of mass spectrometry. Although this concept shares some features with other efforts such as Cupid’s Arrow [1] (single-body sample capture system), DAVINCI [2] and Venera-D [3] (use of an optical spectrometer), Nephele is unique in its physical integration of the sonde body, aerosol and gas sampler, and analysis instrumentation. This innovation is designed to eliminate the need for a controlled descent to achieve a detailed atmospheric aerosol transect, which offers in situ planetary science in a small spacecraft envelope. Aeroshell designs with inlets for free-falling sondes are well-understood, though not yet assessed for aerosol capture efficiency. A HEEET aeroshell with a specialized nose inlet material comprised of Carbon-Carbon is proposed for this mission concept.

Venus↗

DOE OSTI2021

A first and second law analysis of a thermoresponsive polymer desiccant dehumidification and cooling cycle

Herein, we present a theoretical description for a new desiccant air conditioning cycle that uses thermoresponsive polymers instead of traditional desiccants. We use a combined first and second law analysis to demonstrate that this new cycle has three major advantages relative to the traditional case: (i) it can regenerate at lower temperatures, (ii) it can harvest liquid water and (iii) it has significantly higher coefficients of performance (COPs). For example, this new cycle can achieve a COP of 5.1 when regenerated at 95 degrees C, whereas the traditional desiccant cycle is limited to a COP of ~ 1. The fundamental origins of these advantages can be traced to the method of regeneration. The traditional desiccant cycle regenerates by flowing hot air over the desiccant, which provides a medium for gaseous water desorption. However, this also generates entropy and places a minimum temperature constraint on the hot air. In contrast, the thermoresponsive polymer cycle regenerates through a polymer phase transition. The polymer absorbs water vapor in humid air, and then it expels liquid water when raised above its transition temperature. This regeneration method generates liquid water that can be harvested and relaxes constraints on entropy generation and minimum temperature. The minimum regeneration temperature of the thermoresponsive cycle is only limited by the transition temperature of the polymer, which can be tuned through materials science. Due to its liquid water harvesting capability, the new cycle potentially eliminates water consumption when used with evaporative cooling, or it can be directly used for atmospheric water harvesting.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗