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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 1,243 records · Page 69
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Thin Diamond Radiator Fabrication for the GlueX Experiment

The GlueX experiment at Jefferson Lab requires 20 m diamond radiators for photon beam production via coherent bremsstrahlung with mosaic spread on the order of 20 r rms. With current diamond thinning techniques, one can produce 20 m diamonds of sufficient area, but these diamonds have been shown to have rocking curve widths orders of magnitude worse than this figure. The UConn nuclear physics group has developed the capability to mill monocrystalline diamond to arbitrary thickness profiles using laser ablation with a high-power pulsed UV laser. Surface profiles and rocking curve measurements are presented which demonstrate that this process results in diamond radiators which meet the GlueX criteria for thickness, flatness, and crystal mosaic spread.

Pratt, Brendan↗
DOE OSTI2012

Simulation of the PBF-Candu test with coupled thermal-hydraulic and fuel thermo-mechanical responses

During a large loss-of-coolant accident (LLOCA), the fuel sheath temperature is influenced by thermal-hydraulic and thermo-mechanical phenomena. The thermal-hydraulic phenomena include the heat transfer from the sheath to the coolant and surroundings. Thermo-mechanical phenomena, such as creep and thermal expansion, influence the size of the fuel-to-sheath gap, and thus the heat transfer from the fuel to the sheath. Therefore, coupling the thermal-hydraulic and thermo-mechanical analysis of an LLOCA would result in more accurate predictions of sheath temperature. This is illustrated by comparing the sheath temperature predictions from coupled and decoupled simulations of the PBF-Candu Test with experimental measurements. The codes CATHENA and ELOCA were used for the thermal-hydraulic and thermo-mechanical analysis, respectively. The predicted sheath temperatures from both the coupled and decoupled simulations were higher than the measured values. However, after the initial power pulse, when the fuel-to-sheath gap was calculated as being opened, the sheath temperatures predicted by the coupled simulation were closer to the experimental measurements. Thus, under conditions of an open fuel-to-sheath gap, a coupled thermal-hydraulic and thermo-mechanical analysis can improve predictions of sheath temperatures. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

BISON modeling of reactivity-initiated accident experiments in a static environment

In conjunction with the restart of the TREAT reactor and the design of test vehicles, modeling and simulation efforts are being used to model the response of Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) concepts under reactivity-initiated accident (RIA) conditions. The purpose of this work is to model a baseline case of a 10 cm long UO{sub 2}- Zircaloy fuel rodlet in the Multi-SERTTA capsule in PWR conditions, using BISON and RELAP5 over a range of energy depositions and with varying reactor power pulse widths. The results provide an initial best estimate of fuel performance modeling during a RIA event in TREAT with a focus on the effect of varying the pulse width and energy deposition on both thermal and mechanical parameters that are important for predicting failure of the fuel rodlet. The combined BISON/RELAP5 model captures coupled thermal and mechanical effects on the fuel-to-cladding gap conductance, cladding-to-coolant heat transfer coefficient and water temperature and pressure that would not be capable in each code individually. These combined effects allow for a more accurate modeling of the thermal and mechanical response in the fuel rodlet and thermal-hydraulics of the test vehicle. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Clad to coolant heat transfer during RIA in PWR conditions

The power pulse during an insertion of reactivity accident (RIA) leads to a transient heating of the fuel. Heat transfer toward the coolant through the clad and associated temperature transient of the clad is of safety significance since it may largely impact the risk of clad failure. For sufficiently large enthalpy deposited within the fuel, clad temperature increases rapidly and this can lead to coolant boiling. This paper concerns the critical review of the present understanding and of the models for the clad to coolant heat transfer in RIA for PWR conditions. The results of past experiments are reviewed and the reliability of current models dedicated to these conditions is analyzed. It appears that the use of classical models for wall to fluid heat transfer does not allow predicting the clad temperature transient as measured in RIA-related experiments. The deviation is all the more large when film boiling conditions are reached. To reproduce the experimental data, some correlations of heat transfer can be fitted but the reliability of such model out of the range of conditions of the experimental data is low. It is mainly due to a rather low level of understanding of the heat transfer in very transient conditions (i.e. when the time scale of variation of the main heat transfer parameters, like a wall temperature, is less than the typical internal time scale of the heat transfer process itself). It results in a very large scattering in the numerical simulation of clad temperature when several fuel codes are considered. To improve the reliability of these calculations, it is believed that the study of transient boiling heat transfer thanks to devoted experimental facilities is required.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Thermal-hydraulic performance of the TREAT Multi-SERTTA for reactivity initiated accident experiments

Experimental testing in the Multi-Static Environment Rodlet Transient Test Apparatus (SERTTA) will lead the rebirth of transient fuel testing in the United States as part of the Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) program. The Multi-SERTTA is comprised of 4 isolated pressurized environments capable of a wide variety of working fluids and thermal conditions. Ultimately, the TREAT reactor as well as the Multi-SERTTA test vehicle serve the purpose of providing desired thermal-hydraulic boundary conditions to the test specimen. The initial ATF testing in TREAT will focus on reactivity insertion accident (RIA) events using both gas and water environments including typical PWR operating pressures and temperatures. The heat transfer conditions during the high energy power pulses of RIA events remains a subject of large uncertainty and great importance for fuel performance predictions. To support transient experiments, the Multi-SERTTA vehicle has been modeled using RELAP5 with a baseline test specimen composed of fresh UO{sub 2} fuel in zircaloy cladding. The results show that for energy depositions less than 1380 J/g-UO{sub 2}, the vessel environment remains sub-supercritical. Two extremes of gap conductance show significant effect on event timing and peak cladding temperature but little effect on end state conditions. Inclusion of oxidation has increasing impact for increasing energy depositions. The effect of oxidation is non-negligible for planned TREAT experiments in the range of explored energy depositions. Pulse width has little impact on thermal hydraulic conditions under the assumptions used in this analysis. The model used in this work has been coupled to the fuel performance code, BISON, to accomplish best estimate predictive capability for Multi-SERTTA experiments. The results show the great flexibility and capacity of the TREAT Multi-SERTTA test vehicle to provide testing under a wide range of prototypic thermal-hydraulic conditions as never done before.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis of Reactivity Insertion Accidents using BISON Fuel Performance Code

The development of Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) has expanded into a considerable research program in the wake of the events at the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011. The ATF goal is to insert a test assembly into a commercial reactor by 2022. To support this, testing of the ATF design under off-normal conditions is needed to assess the 'enhanced accident tolerance' capability of the fuel rod design over standard UO{sub 2}-Zircaloy concepts. Transient testing capabilities are necessary for off-normal testing of events such as loss of coolant accidents (LOCA) and reactivity insertion accidents (RIA). A transient testing program has been developed to support the testing of ATF designs. The Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facility has been chosen as the site to perform the transient testing of the ATF designs. TREAT is a versatile test facility capable of subjecting fuel specimens to various off-normal conditions. Historic TREAT experiments were performed in a variety of experimental test vehicles including static environment capsules, once-through flowing systems, and also recirculating flowing systems. The planned TREAT experiments will be operated under PWR conditions. Therefore, a static capsule vehicle is under development to handle required temperatures and pressures. The static capsule, termed the Static Environment Rodlet Transient Test Apparatus (SERTTA), will be used for irradiation tests in TREAT to subject ATF fuel rodlets to a range of power pulse conditions and environments. To aid in the design and analysis of future tests in TREAT, the fuel performance code BISON is being used. Fuel performance codes capable of accident modeling have been developed for some time and they have shown an ability to reproduce experimental results with some degree of adequacy, but they still require extensive verification and validation. Future experiments in TREAT will add to a limited database of past transient tests performed in transient reactors to support LWR systems. These tests can be used for future verification and validation of fuel performance codes. Understanding the impact of the uncertainty of influential parameters is critical for not only analyzing the results of the experiment but also for modeling and validation of codes. For example, uncertainties associated with the initial manufactured state of the sample, instrument measurements, material property models, and planned experiment conditions can provide important insight into model performance, experimental data, and play an important role in experimental design. The objective of this work is to perform an uncertainty and sensitivity analysis on a simplified RIA case of a standard UO{sub 2}-Zircaloy sample using expected nominal conditions in the SERTTA capsule in TREAT. The BISON fuel performance code is used in conjunction with DAKOTA (Design Analysis Kit for Optimization and Tera-scale Applications) to perform the uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2016

High-Average-Power Diffraction Pulse-Compression Gratings Enabling Next-Generation Ultrafast Laser Systems

Pulse compressors for ultrafast lasers have been identified as a technology gap in the push towards high peak power systems with high average powers for industrial and scientific applications. Gratings for ultrashort (sub-150fs) pulse compressors are metallic and can absorb a significant percentage of laser energy resulting in up to 40% loss as well as thermal issues which degrade on-target performance. We have developed a next generation gold grating technology which we have scaled to the petawatt-size. This resulted in improvements in efficiency, uniformity and processing as compared to previous substrate etched gratings for high average power. This new design has a deposited dielectric material for the grating ridge rather than etching directly into the glass substrate. It has been observed that average powers as low as 1W in a compressor can cause distortions in the on-target beam. We have developed and tested a method of actively cooling diffraction gratings which, in the case of gold gratings, can support a petawatt peak power laser with up to 600W average power. We demonstrated thermo-mechanical modeling of a grating in its use environment and benchmarked with experimental measurement. Multilayer dielectric (MLD) gratings are not yet used for these high peak power, ultrashort pulse durations due to their design challenges. We have designed and fabricated broad bandwidth, low dispersion MLD gratings suitable for delivering 30 fs pulses at high average power. This new grating design requires the use of a novel Out Of Plane (OOP) compressor, which we have modeled, designed, built and tested. This prototype compressor yielded a transmission of 90% for a pulse with 45 nm bandwidth, and free of spatial and angular chirp. In order to evaluate gratings and compressors built in this project we have commissioned a joule-class ultrafast Ti:Sapphire laser system. Combining the grating cooling and MLD technologies developed here could enable petawatt laser systems to operate at 50kW average power.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2013

Power limitations and pulse distortions in an Yb : KGW chirped-pulse amplification laser system

We have studied self-action effects (self-focusing and self-phase modulation) and stimulated Raman scattering in an Yb : KGW chirped-pulse amplification laser system. The results demonstrate that self-focusing in combination with thermal lensing may significantly limit the chirped pulse energy in this system (down to 200 μJ) even at a relatively long pulse duration (50 ps). Nonlinear lenses in the laser crystals in combination with thermal lenses bring the regenerative amplifier cavity in the laser system to the instability zone and limit the average output power at pulse repetition rates under 50 kHz. Self-phase modulation, a manifestation of self-action, may significantly distort a recompressed femtosecond pulse at energies near the self-focusing threshold. Stimulated Raman scattering in such a laser has a weaker effect on output parameters than do self-focusing and thermal lensing, and Raman spectra are only observed in the case of pulse energy instability. (nonlinear optical phenomena)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Study of the Effect of Reflections on High-Power, 110-GHz Pulsed Gyrotron Operation

The effect of reflection is studied experimentally and theoretically on a high-power 110-GHz gyrotron operating in the TE 22,6 mode in 3 μs pulses at 96 kV, 40 A. The experimental setup allows variation of the reflected power from 0 to 33% over a range of gyrotron operating conditions. The phase of the reflection is varied by translating the reflector along the axis. Operating at a higher efficiency point, at 4.40 T with 940kW of output power, reflected power exceeding 11% causes a switch from operation in the TE 22,6 to simultaneous operation in the TE 22,6 and TE 21,6 modes with a large decrease of the total gyrotron output power. This switching effect is in good agreement with simulations using the MAGY code. Operating at a more stable point, 4.44 T with 580kW of output power, when the reflection is increased, the output power remains in the TE 22,6 mode but it decreases monotonically with increasing reflection, dropping to 200kW at 33% reflection. Furthermore, at a reflection above 22%, a power modulation at 25 to 30MHz is observed, independent of the phase of the reflected wave. Such a modulated signal may be useful in spectroscopic and other applications.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

Improved long-term electrical stability of pulsed high-power diodes using dense carbon fiber velvet cathodes

The influence of fibrous velvet cathodes on the electrical stability of a planar high-power diode powered by a {approx}230 kV, {approx}110 ns pulse has been investigated. The current density was on the order of {approx}123 A/cm{sup 2}. A combination of time-resolved electrical and optical diagnostics has been employed to study the basic phenomenology of the temporal and spatial evolution of the diode plasmas. Additionally, an impedance model was used to extract information about this plasma from voltage and current profiles. The results from the two diagnostics were compared. By comparison with commercial polymer velvet cathode, the dense carbon fiber velvet cathode showed superior long-term electrical stability as judged by the change in cathode turn-on field, ignition delays, diode impedance, and surface plasma characteristics during the voltage flattop, a promising result for applications where reliable operation at high power is required. Finally, it was shown that the interaction of the electron beam with the stainless steel anode did not lead to the formation of anode plasma. These results may be of interest to the high power microwave systems with cold cathodes.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Submicrosecond linear pulse transformer for 800 kV voltage with modular low-inductance primary power supply

A pulsed power source with voltage amplitude up to 800 kV for fast charging (350–400 ns) of the forming line of a high-current nanosecond accelerator is developed. The source includes capacitive energy storage and a linear pulse transformer. The linear transformer consists of a set of 20 inductors with circular ferromagnetic cores surrounded by primary windings inside of which a common stock adder of voltage with film-glycerol insulation is placed. The primary energy storage consists of ten modules, each of which is a low-inductance assembly of two capacitors with a capacitance of 0.35 μF and one gas switch mounted in the same frame. The total energy stored in capacitors is 5.5 kJ at the operating voltage of 40 kV. According to test results, the parameters of the equivalent circuit of the source are the following: shock capacitance = 17.5 nF, inductance = 2 μH, resistance = 3.2 Ω.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Systematic Approach for Estimating High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse Coupling onto Power Generation Facility Equipment

A systematic approach is presented to evaluate the effects of high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) signals on the equipment located inside a power generation facility. The approach uses a combination of practical measurement and simulation efforts to characterize the radio wave propagation behavior and the device immunity profile. Of particular interest in this work was estimating the vulnerability level of equipment that is connected to long cables. As an example application, a detailed study was conducted for one common class of facility equipment, and its frequency- and time-domain HEMP coupling properties were investigated as a function of terminal loading condition and cable attachment configuration. Overall, the proposed method can be generalized and applied to other electronic components and systems found in the facility environment.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Formation of nanosecond SBS-compressed pulses for pumping an ultra-high power parametric amplifier

Compression of pulsed Nd : glass laser radiation under stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in perfluorooctane is investigated. Compression of 16-ns pulses at a beam diameter of 30 mm is implemented. The maximum compression coefficient is 28 in the optimal range of laser pulse energies from 2 to 4 J. The Stokes pulse power exceeds that of the initial laser pulse by a factor of about 11.5. The Stokes pulse jitter (fluctuations of the Stokes pulse exit time from the compressor) is studied. The rms spread of these fluctuations is found to be 0.85 ns. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Pulsed Resonant Charging Power Supply for the Spallation Neutron Source Extraction Kicker PFN System

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory uses fourteen pulsed modulators in the extraction system to deflect the proton beam from the accumulation ring to the target. Each individual pulse modulator is a pulse-forming network (PFN) located in a service building external to the ring tunnel. SNS is in the planning and development phase of a proton power upgrade (PPU) to increase the beam energy from 1.0 to 1.3 GeV, and the extraction system is required to provide the same deflection at the higher beam energy. Increasing the magnet current, by charging the PFN to a higher voltage, by 20% will provide the required deflection. The existing capacitor charging power supply is incapable of charging the PFN to higher voltages between the 60 Hz pulses; therefore, a new resonant charging scheme has been developed to charge to the PPU higher voltage within the available time. This paper describes the resonant charging power supply design and presents test results from a prototype operating on a full system test stand.

Saethre, Robert↗
DOE OSTI2014

Development of a 33 kV, 20 A long pulse converter modulator for high average power klystron

Research, design, and development of high average power, long pulse modulators for the proposed Indian Spallation Neutron Source are underway at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology. With this objective, a prototype of long pulse modulator capable of delivering 33 kV, 20 A at 5 Hz repetition rate has been designed and developed. Three Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) based switching modules driving high frequency, high voltage transformers have been used to generate high voltage output. The IGBT based switching modules are shifted in phase by 120° with respect to each other. The switching frequency is 25 kHz. Pulses of 1.6 ms pulse width, 80 μs rise time, and 70 μs fall time have been achieved at the modulator output. A droop of ±0.6% is achieved using a simple segmented digital droop correction technique. The total fault energy transferred to the load during fault has been measured by conducting wire burn tests and is found to be within 3.5 J.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2013

Pulsed pyroelectric crystal-powered gamma source

A compact pulsed gamma generator is being developed to replace radiological sources used in commercial, industrial and medical applications. Mono-energetic gammas are produced in the 0.4 - 1.0 MeV energy range using nuclear reactions such as {sup 9}Be(d,n{gamma}){sup 10}B. The gamma generator employs an RF-driven inductively coupled plasma ion source to produce deuterium ion current densities up to 2 mA/mm{sup 2} and ampere-level current pulses can be attained by utilizing an array extraction grid. The extracted deuterium ions are accelerated to approximately 300 keV via a compact stacked pyroelectric crystal system and then bombard the beryllium target to generate gammas. The resulting microsecond pulse of gammas is equivalent to a radiological source with curie-level activity.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗