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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Pulsed Thermal Tomography Nondestructive Examination of Additively Manufactured Reactor Materials (Second Annual Progress Report)

Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emerging method for cost-efficient fabrication of nuclear reactor parts. AM of metallic structures for nuclear energy applications is currently based on laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process, which can introduce internal material flaws, such as pores and anisotropy. Integrity of AM structures needs to be evaluated nondestructively because material flaws could lead to premature failures due to exposure to high temperature, radiation and corrosive environment in a nuclear reactor. Thermal tomography (TT) provides a capability for non-destructive evaluation of sub-surface defects in arbitrary size structures. Thermal tomography is a computational method for heat diffusion-based imaging of solids, which provides 3D visualization of data from flash thermography measurements. We investigate thermal tomography imaging and nondestructive evaluation of stainless steel and nickel super alloy metallic structures produced with laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing (AM) process. Metallic structures produced with LPBF contain defects, and there are limited capabilities to evaluate these structures non-destructively. Thermal tomography reconstruction of 3D apparent spatial effusivity provides information about AM structure geometry and internal material flaws. We study performance of thermal tomography in imaging of metallic structures through COMSOL computer simulations of transient heat transfer, and through reconstruction of data obtained from experimental measurements. Reconstruction of internal defects is investigated using a stainless steel 316L specimen with flat bottom hole (FBH) indentations, and Inconel 718 plate produced with laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) method, which contains imprinted hemispherical shape low density regions containing non-sintered metallic powder. The FBH’s have the same sizes as the imprinted defects in the LPBF specimens, but offer better imaging contrast. Thermal tomography reconstructions provide visualizations of internal defects, and allow for estimation of their sizes and locations. Detection sensitivity of TT is limited by noises. We investigate separation of signal from noise in thermography images using several machine learning (ML) methods, including new spatio-temporal blind source separation (STBSS) and spatio-temporal sparse dictionary learning (STSDL) methods. Performance of the ML methods is benchmarked using thermography data obtained from imaging stainless steel 316L and Inconel 718 specimens produced LPBF method with imprinted calibrated porosity defects. The ML methods are ranked by F-score and execution runtime. Finally, we investigate TT of AM stainless steel 316L specimen with imprinted internal porosity defects using relatively low-cost, small form factor infrared (IR) camera based on uncooled micro bolometer detector. Sparse coding related K-means singular value decomposition (SVD) machine learning, image processing algorithms are developed to improve quality of TT images through removal of Additive white Gaussian noise without blurring the images. Following initial qualification of an AM component for deployment in a nuclear reactor, a compact TT can also be used for in-service nondestructive evaluation (NDE). With capability to perform in-service NDE of the AM component lifecycle, TT data can be used for development of a component digital twin.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Iterative reconstruction of magnetic induction using Lorentz transmission electron tomography

Intense ongoing research on complex nanomagnetic structures requires a fundamental understanding of the 3D magnetization and the stray fields around the nano-objects. 3D visualization of such fields offers the best way to achieve this. Lorentz transmission electron microscopy provides a suitable combination of high resolution and ability to quantitatively visualize the magnetization vectors using phase retrieval methods. In this paper, we present a formalism to represent the magnetic phase shift of electrons as a Radon transform of the magnetic induction of the sample. Using this formalism, we then present the application of common tomographic methods particularly the iterative methods, to reconstruct the 3D components of the vector held. We present an analysis of the effect of missing wedge and the limited angular sampling as well as reconstruction of complex 3D magnetization in a nanowire using simulations.

Phatak, C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Thermal tomography 3D imaging of additively manufactured metallic structures

Thermal tomography is a computational method for heat diffusion-based imaging of solids, which provides 3D visualization of data from flash thermography measurements. We investigate thermal tomography imaging and nondestructive evaluation of stainless steel and nickel super alloy metallic structures produced with the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing (AM) process. Metallic structures produced with LPBF contain defects, and there are limited capabilities to evaluate these structures non-destructively. Thermal tomography reconstruction of 3D apparent spatial effusivity provides information about AM structure geometry and internal material flaws. We study performance of thermal tomography in imaging of metallic structures through COMSOL computer simulations of transient heat transfer and through reconstruction of data obtained from experimental measurements. Thermal tomography reconstructions of structure shape and dimensions are shown for the Inconel 718 AM structure which has variations in the horizontal plane but is uniform along the depth dimension. Reconstruction of internal defects is investigated using a stainless steel 316L specimen with flat bottom hole (FBH) indentations, and the Inconel 718 plate is produced with the LPBF method, which contains imprinted hemispherical shape low density regions containing non-sintered metallic powder. The FBHs have the same sizes as the imprinted defects in the LPBF specimens but offer better imaging contrast. Thermal tomography reconstructions provide visualizations of internal defects and allow for estimation of their sizes and locations. Results of this study demonstrate that thermal tomography can be used for visualization and quality control in AM.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Pushing the limits: Resolving paleoseawater signatures in nanoscale fluid inclusions by atom probe tomography

New insight into the geochemistry of ancient environments can be gained through structural and chemical analyses of nanometer-scale features within minerals. Here, we present recent developments using atom probe tomography (APT) enabling direct visualization of nanoscale fluid inclusions trapped within pyrite (FeS 2 ) and thereby chemical characterization of remnant seawater. Pyrite framboids (spherical clusters of nanocrystals) were sampled from the Middle Devonian Leicester Pyrite Member (New York). Scanning transmission electron microscopy shows low density regions distributed within the pyrite consistent with nanoscale pores (<4 nm in size). APT 3D visualization and compositional mapping reveals that the nanopores are filled with water. The inclusions appear to preserve the elemental signature of the water column in which the framboids formed, specifically seawater components including Na, K, Mg, and Ca. Mg/Ca ratios within the pyrite were generally measured to be within 0.6±0.2 – consistent with calcite-dominated seawater conditions existing in the Middle Devonian. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the potential for a novel approach to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions from coupled elemental and structural analyses of nanoscale fluid inclusions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

A 3D contact analysis approach for the visualization of the electrical contact asperities

The electrical contact is an important phenomenon that should be given into consideration to achieve better performance and long term reliability for the design of devices. Based upon this importance, the electrical contact interface has been visualized as a “3D Contact Map” and used in order to investigate the contact asperities. The contact asperities describe the structures above and below the contact spots (the contact spots define the 3D contact map) to the two conductors which make the contact system. The contact asperities require the discretization of the 3D microstructures of the contact system into voxels. A contact analysis approach has been developed and introduced in this paper which shows the way to the 3D visualization of the contact asperities of a given contact system. For the discretization of 3D microstructure of contact system into voxels, X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) method is used in order to collect the data of a 250 V, 16 A rated AC single pole rocker switch which is used as a contact system for investigation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2016

Contour interpolated radial basis functions with spline boundary correction for fast 3D reconstruction of the human articular cartilage from MR images

Purpose: The aim of this work is to demonstrate a new image processing technique that can provide a “near real-time” 3D reconstruction of the articular cartilage of the human knee from MR images which is user friendly. This would serve as a point-of-care 3D visualization tool which would benefit a consultant radiologist in the visualization of the human articular cartilage. Methods: The authors introduce a novel fusion of an adaptation of the contour method known as “contour interpolation (CI)” with radial basis functions (RBFs) which they describe as “CI-RBFs.” The authors also present a spline boundary correction which further enhances volume estimation of the method. A subject cohort consisting of 17 right nonpathological knees (ten female and seven male) is assessed to validate the quality of the proposed method. The authors demonstrate how the CI-RBF method dramatically reduces the number of data points required for fitting an implicit surface to the entire cartilage, thus, significantly improving the speed of reconstruction over the comparable RBF reconstruction method of Carr. The authors compare the CI-RBF method volume estimation to a typical commercial package (3D DOCTOR), Carr’s RBF method, and a benchmark manual method for the reconstruction of the femoral, tibial, and patellar cartilages. Results: The authors demonstrate how the CI-RBF method significantly reduces the number of data points (p-value < 0.0001) required for fitting an implicit surface to the cartilage, by 48%, 31%, and 44% for the patellar, tibial, and femoral cartilages, respectively. Thus, significantly improving the speed of reconstruction (p-value < 0.0001) by 39%, 40%, and 44% for the patellar, tibial, and femoral cartilages over the comparable RBF model of Carr providing a near real-time reconstruction of 6.49, 8.88, and 9.43 min for the patellar, tibial, and femoral cartilages, respectively. In addition, it is demonstrated how the CI-RBF method matches the volume estimation of a typical commercial package (3D DOCTOR), Carr’s RBF method, and a benchmark manual method for the reconstruction of the femoral, tibial, and patellar cartilages. Furthermore, the performance of the segmentation method used for the extraction of the femoral, tibial, and patellar cartilages is assessed with a Dice similarity coefficient, sensitivity, and specificity measure providing high agreement to manual segmentation. Conclusions: The CI-RBF method provides a fast, accurate, and robust 3D model reconstruction that matches Carr’s RBF method, 3D DOCTOR, and a manual benchmark method in accuracy and significantly improves upon Carr’s RBF method in data requirement and computational speed. In addition, the visualization tool has been designed to quickly segment MR images requiring only four mouse clicks per MR image slice.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dimensionality effect of conductive carbon fillers in LiNi 1/3 Mn 1/3 Co 1/3 O 2 cathode

Developing advanced electrode architectures through modifying active materials, conductive fillers, binders, and electrolytes as well as processing methods has drawn significant research interest. Due to the insufficient electrical conductivity of many active materials, adding conductive carbon fillers to composite electrodes provides the necessary electrical conductivity. The dimensionality effect among different conductive fillers has a significant impact on electrochemistry, which can be associated with morphological and chemical heterogeneities of electrodes. In this study, synchrotron X-ray mosaic nanotomography and X-ray spectroscopy nanoimaging provided direct three-dimensional (3D) visualization and quantification capabilities to investigate the dimensionality effects of Super P (SP) and single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) fillers on the capacity retention of LiNi 1/3 Mn 1/3 Co 1/3 O 2 (NMC111). The results indicate that NMC/SWCNT electrodes, with a wrapping effect from the SWCNTs, exhibited more homogeneous particle size distributions, morphological changes, and chemical states than NMC/SP electrodes, without the wrapping effect. This work developed a framework of 3D quantification methods to study the capacity fading behavior associated with morphological and chemical heterogeneities and paved the way toward designing electrodes for high rate energy storage applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Rapid macrovoid characterization in membranes prepared via nonsolvent-induced phase separation: A comparison between 2D and 3D techniques

Optimizing the performance of asymmetric membranes prepared via nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) requires a quantitative understanding of how processing variables influence membrane morphology. Presently, the most useful structural quantification techniques require 3D visualization of the membrane structure and are best suited for studies seeking detailed information on small datasets. This study proposes and validates a rapid and accurate technique for quantifying macroporosity (i.e., D m ), a simple descriptor of sublayer macrovoid content in asymmetric membranes D m . values measured from segmented cross-sectional imaging performed via X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are presented and compared for three asymmetric membranes prepared from commercial polymers. Importantly, analyses of 3D XCT membrane reconstructions reveal that D m is described by a single, centralized mean, which demonstrates that macrovoid content is spatially homogenous. Thus, D m can be approximated from limited sampling of the 2D cross-sectional membrane structure via SEM. A proposed 2D SEM sampling method provides D m estimates within ±6% of corresponding 3D XCT values with 30 independent measurements for the three membranes. Further sensitivity is achieved using complementary descriptors such as macrovoid count density (i.e., C m ). This technique is thus a useful tool for characterizing macroporosity from a broad selection of membrane samples.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Review of planar laser-induced fluorescence measurements in the NASA Langley 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel

In 2003 a mobile planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) system was constructed at NASA Langley Research Center to visualize and quantify high speed flow fields containing fluorescent species such as nitric oxide (NO). Thereafter, a series of test entries utilizing NO PLIF were conducted in the NASA Langley Research Center’s 31 Inch Mach 10 air wind tunnel, which is a hypersonic blowdown wind tunnel located in Hampton, Virginia. This paper briefly reviews laser-based measurements previously performed in hypersonic blowdown wind tunnel facilities and then details NO PLIF measurement campaigns performed at this facility in the 20 years to date. Measurements were performed to develop 2D and 3D visualization capabilities and quantitatively measure velocity and temperature. Applications described herein include historical models (e.g., Apollo, X-33 and X-43), flight vehicles under development at the time (e.g., Mars Science Lab (MSL), Orion, and LOFTID), as well as fundamental research (e.g., flat plates with and without discrete roughness).

PLIF↗
NASA NTRS2017

NASA's Solar System Treks: Online Portals for Planetary Mapping and Modeling

NASA's Solar System Treks are a suite of web-based of lunar and planetary mapping and modeling portals providing interactive visualization and analysis tools enabling mission planners, planetary scientists, students, and the general public to access mapped lunar data products from past and current missions for the Moon, Mars, Vesta, and more. New portals for additional planetary bodies are being planned. This presentation will recap significant enhancements to these toolsets during the past year and look ahead to future features and releases. Moon Trek is a new portal replacing its predecessor, the Lunar Mapping and Modeling Portal (LMMP), that significantly upgrades and builds upon the capabilities of LMMP. It features greatly improved navigation, 3D visualization, fly-overs, performance, and reliability. Additional data products and tools continue to be added. These include both generalized products as well as polar data products specifically targeting potential sites for NASA's Resource Prospector mission as well as for missions being planned by NASA's international partners. The latest release of Mars Trek includes new tools and data products requested by NASA's Planetary Science Division to support site selection and analysis for Mars Human Landing Exploration Zone Sites. Also being given very high priority by NASA Headquarters is Mars Trek's use as a means to directly involve the public in upcoming missions, letting them explore the areas the agency is focusing upon, understand what makes these sites so fascinating, follow the selection process, and get caught up in the excitement of exploring Mars. Phobos Trek, the latest effort in the Solar System Treks suite, is being developed in coordination with the International Phobos/Deimos Landing Site Working Group, with landing site selection and analysis for JAXA's MMX (Martian Moons eXploration) mission as a primary driver.

Day, Brian↗
NASA NTRS2013

Flight Deck Weather Avoidance Decision Support: Implementation and Evaluation

Weather related disruptions account for seventy percent of the delays in the National Airspace System (NAS). A key component in the weather plan of the Next Generation of Air Transportation System (NextGen) is to assimilate observed weather information and probabilistic forecasts into the decision process of flight crews and air traffic controllers. In this research we explore supporting flight crew weather decision making through the development of a flight deck predicted weather display system that utilizes weather predictions generated by ground-based radar. This system integrates and presents this weather information, together with in-flight trajectory modification tools, within a cockpit display of traffic information (CDTI) prototype. that the CDTI features 2D and perspective 3D visualization models of weather. The weather forecast products that we implemented were the Corridor Integrated Weather System (CIWS) and the Convective Weather Avoidance Model (CWAM), both developed by MIT Lincoln Lab. We evaluated the use of CIWS and CWAM for flight deck weather avoidance in two part-task experiments. Experiment 1 compared pilots' en route weather avoidance performance in four weather information conditions that differed in the type and amount of predicted forecast (CIWS current weather only, CIWS current and historical weather, CIWS current and forecast weather, CIWS current and forecast weather and CWAM predictions). Experiment 2 compared the use of perspective 3D and 21/2D presentations of weather for flight deck weather avoidance. Results showed that pilots could take advantage of longer range predicted weather forecasts in performing en route weather avoidance but more research will be needed to determine what combinations of information are optimal and how best to present them.

CWAM↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Autonomous Spacecraft Inspection with Free-Flying Drones

This paper describes a proof-of-concept mission demonstrating a multi-agent system performing visual inspection of damage sustained by a spacecraft. Free-flying satellites, simulated by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), autonomously fly around a mock space module maximizing the search space for damage detection. The free-flyers are responsible for independently coordinating their flights to avoid collision with the space module and each other, while executing mission tasks. Damage analysis on the surface of the mock space module is performed in real-time using video from each free-flyer. Three-dimensional modeling is deployed offline to supplement and improve damage detection. This approach demonstrates the feasibility of deploying real space systems for damage detection, where 2D analysis can quickly determine region of interest and 3D visualization can produce a human-navigable virtual environment with depth perspective for further investigation.

unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)↗
DOE OSTI2026

ACDC (Automated Campbell Diagram Code) [SWR-26-042]

This application provides a web-based graphical user interface to generating Campbell Diagrams and visualizing mode shapes for OpenFAST turbine models. Determining the aeroelastic stability and dynamic characteristics of wind turbines is a critical step in turbine design and analysis. Historically, extracting natural frequencies and mode shapes from OpenFAST—the industry-standard whole-turbine simulation code—has been a fragmented and tedious process. It required manual model configuration, command-line linearization execution, and complex post-processing via proprietary scripts to handle rotating-frame dynamics. To address these workflow bottlenecks, we present the Automated Campbell Diagram Code (ACDC), an open-source graphical software tool developed by the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) under the DOE-funded Distributed Wind Aeroelastic Modeling (dWAM) project. ACDC streamlines the end-to-end linearization and stability analysis workflow into a single, intuitive cross-platform application. The software guides users through OpenFAST model configuration, definition of operating points, and the automated execution of steady-state trim and linearization simulations. Under the hood, ACDC automates the complex mathematical post-processing steps required for rotating systems, including Multi-Blade Coordinate (MBC) transformations, eigenanalysis, and advanced modal tracking utilizing the Modal Assurance Criterion (MAC) and spectral clustering. Finally, ACDC processes these results to automatically generate Campbell diagrams and features a robust 3D visualization engine to animate full-system mode shapes. By eliminating the reliance on external post-processing environments and manual data manipulation, ACDC significantly accelerates dynamic analysis and lowers the barrier to entry for wind energy researchers and engineers.

Summerville, Brent [National Laboratory of the Roc↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Updates on the Predictive Materials Modeling Software Tools

Updates on NASA‘s efforts to build a Predictive Material Modeling (PMM) framework from the micro-scale to the macro-scale are presented in this abstract. The PMM effort is part of the Entry Systems Modeling (ESM) project under NASA’s Game Changing Development (GCD) program. To reduce the need for extensive testing and accelerate the design cycle process, ESM is developing simulation and modeling tools that enable the characterization of the properties of thermal protection materials and their response to extremely hot plasma. The Porous Microstructure Analysis (PuMA) software has been developed to compute effective material properties and perform material response simulations on digitized microstructures of porous media. PuMA is able to import three-dimensional digital images obtained from X-ray microtomography or to generate artificial microstructures that mimic real materials. PuMA also provides a module for interactive 3D visualizations. Version 3, which was recently released as open-source, includes modules to compute simple morphological properties such as porosity, volume fractions, pore diameter, and specific surface area. Additional capabilities include the determination of effective thermal and electrical conductivity (both radiative and solid conduction - including the ability to simulate local anisotropy for the latter); effective diffusivity and tortuosity from the continuum to the rarefied regime; techniques to determine the local material orientation, as well as mechanical properties (elasticity coefficients), and permeability. Computed properties are then used to inform a macro-scale material response model, such as those implemented in the Porous material Analysis Toolbox based on OpenFOAM (PATO) software developed within ESM. The computational model in PATO is a generic heat and mass transfer model for porous reactive materials containing several solid phases and a single gas phase. The detailed chemical interactions occurring between the solid phases and the gas phase are modeled at the pore scale, assuming Local Thermal Equilibrium. Recent efforts include the development of a mechanical erosion model as well as a unified model allowing an intrinsic coupling between fluid and material. Comparison to flight data (Mars Science Laboratory [MSL] Entry Descent and Landing Instrument [MEDLI] and Mars 2020 MEDLI2) is critical in order to validate these computational tools. Examples of ablative material response using the code will be presented, including 3D simulations of the full-scale heatshield of the MSL capsule. The simulations demonstrated the ability of the modern material response code, PATO, to handle the material response of geometrically complex and large domains through the use of massively parallel computations.

material modeling↗
DOE OSTI2017

Evaluation of Coronary Artery Disease and Coronary Anomalies with a Handheld Smartphone

The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of an iPhone for evaluation of the coronary arteries on coronary CT angiography (CTA) in comparison to a standard clinical workstation. Fifty coronary CTA exams were selected to include a range of normal and abnormal cases including both coronary artery disease (CAD) of varying severity and coronary artery anomalies. Two cardiac radiologists reviewed each exam on a standard clinical workstation initially and then on an iPhone 6 after a washout period. Coronary stenosis was evaluated on a 4-point scale and presence of coronary anomalies was recorded. Two additional cardiac radiologists reviewed all cases in consensus on the standard workstation and these results were used as the reference standard. When reader results were compared to the reference standard, there was no significant difference in agreement for per-vessel stenosis scores using either the iPhone or standard clinical workstation. The intraobserver intertechnology agreement on a per-vessel basis for obstructive CAD were 97.4% (299/307, kappa = 0.777) and 97.5% (317/325, kappa = 0.804) for the two readers. All cases of coronary anomalies were identified by both readers regardless of the device used. Coronary CTA examinations can be interpreted on a smartphone with diagnostic accuracy comparable to a standard workstation. 3D visualization app on the iPhone may facilitate urgent coronary CTA review when a workstation is not available.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Inhibition of Notch signaling pathway using γ-secretase inhibitor delivered by a low dose of Triton-X100 in cultured oral cancer cells

Highlights: • A novel method is developed to deliver γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT using a low dose of Triton-X100. • This approach effectively blocks the cleavage of Notch1 receptor. • The elimination of Notch1 intracellular domain from cell nuclei is confirmed. • Notch1 signaling blockade in mRNA level is demonstrated upon applying this delivery system. How to effectively delivering therapeutic agents, including γ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs), into live cells, remains a significant challenge. This study assessed the effect of Notch signaling inhibition by examining levels of the Notch1 intracellular domain (N1ICD) in cultured oral cancer cells analyzed with random stitched images (2D) and 3D visualizations using confocal microscopy and quantitative gene analysis. Substantially, we have developed a novel method to assist the delivery of γ-secretase inhibitor, DAPT, into live cells in the presence of an effective minimum concentration of Triton-X100 (0.001%) without damaging cell activity and membrane integrity assessed with cell proliferation assays. The images obtained in this study showed that DAPT alone could not block the γ-secretase inhibitor despite inhibiting cell growth. Further analysis of quantitative gene expressions of Notch signaling canonical pathway to verify the effectiveness of the novel method for delivering inhibitor into live cells, displayed deregulation of Notch1, Delta-like ligand 1 (DLL1) and hairy and enhancer of split 1 (Hes1). Our data suggest that Notch1/Hes1 signaling pathway is deactivated using DAPT with a low dose of Triton-X100 in this cancer cells. And the finding also suggests that Notch1 could be engaged by DLL1 to promote differentiation in oral cancer cells. Using this approach, we demonstrate that Triton-X100 is a promising and effective permeabilization agent to deliver γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT into live oral epithelial cells. This strategy has the potential to implicate in the treatment of cancer diseases.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Heuristic algorithms for design of integrated monitoring of geologic carbon storage sites

Designs for Risk Evaluation and Management (DREAM) is a tool developed under the National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) to enhance geologic carbon storage safety and efficiency. Using potential leakage scenarios generated externally by the users preferred history-matching approach, DREAM constructs ideal combinations of sensor locations in the right place at the right time to detect as many leaks as possible, detect them as early as possible, and minimize cost. This user-friendly tool, developed in Java, features a window-based GUI for input and a 3D visualization tool for viewing the domain space and optimized monitoring plans. DREAM's latest version accommodates real-world usage by allowing for joint optimization of wellbore point sensor placements and surface geophysics survey geometries, and by using more efficient multi-objective optimization algorithms. We show an example where, these two improvements combined allow us to support containment assurance and go from detecting 80–90 % of the potential CO 2 leakage to +99.7 %, a step-change improvement that can make the deciding difference in whether a site is suitable for geologic carbon storage. Though developed for geologic carbon storage, this tool would be equally applicable in many surface or offshore environmental monitoring projects.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Three-dimensional (3D) analysis of white etching bands (WEBs) in AISI M50 bearing steel using automated serial sectioning

Dark etching regions (DER) and white etching bands (WEB) form in the subsurface stressed regions of bearing raceways and rolling elements. Also, “butterfly” formations form around non-metallic inclusions and large carbides. The formation of WEBs, DERs and butterfly are dependent on operating conditions, material alloying elements and heat treatment. The DER, WEB and butterfly formations are well studied in two dimensions (2D). The objective of this study was to analyze WEB formation in three dimensions (3D) that will allow better understanding of material transformation after stress cycling. Three rolling contact fatigue (RCF) tested vacuum induction melted vacuum arc re-melted (VIM-VAR) AISI M50 samples (from a bench test, sub-scale test and commercial gas turbine engine) were analyzed using automated serial sectioning to map WEB networks and a butterfly formation in 3D. Automated serial sectioning and 2D optical microstructural data for 3D reconstructions and analysis was done using a fully automated serial sectioning system – Robo-Met.3D®. 3D analysis was performed using Image-Pro Premier 3D. The data set allowed 3D visualization and analysis of the evolution and propagation of WEB and butterfly in M50 bearing steel, including the positive microscopic identification of a ceramic inclusion that was the source of a WEB.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗