Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Field Operators”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,315 records · Page 73
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Advancing Superconducting Magnet Diagnostics for Future Colliders

Future colliders will operate at increasingly high magnetic fields pushing limits of electromagnetic and mechanical stress on the conductor [1]. Understanding factors affecting superconducting (SC) magnet performance in challenging conditions of high mechanical stress and cryogenic temperatures is only possible with the use of advanced magnet diagnostics. Diagnostics provide a unique observation window into mechanical and electromagnetic processes associated with magnet operation, and give essential feedback to magnet design, simulations and material research activities. Development of novel diagnostic capabilities is therefore an integral part of next-generation magnet development. In this paper, we summarize diagnostics development needs from a prospective of the US Magnet Development Program (MDP), and define main research directions that could shape this field in the near future.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Information-theoretic astrophysical uncertainties in the effective theory of dark matter direct detection

The impact of astrophysical uncertainties in direct detection searches can vary significantly across particle dark matter models and detector targets, due to the different velocity and momentum dependencies of the scattering cross section. We address these uncertainties for all operators of the nonrelativistic effective field theory of dark-matter/nucleon interactions, making use of the Kullback-Leibler (KL) information divergence to measure the deviation of the true dark matter velocity distribution from the Maxwell-Boltzmann form. This approach quantifies how astrophysical uncertainties affect each operator in the effective theory, without assuming any specific functional form for the velocity distribution. While for some operators the uncertainties are smaller than 1 order of magnitude for entropically motivated deviations from the Maxwell-Boltzmann form, for other operators, these uncertainties can be as large as three orders of magnitude near threshold. Furthermore, we identify the dependence of the scattering rate for various operators of the effective theory with different velocity-weighted moments of the velocity distribution, functionally analogous to the mean, variance, or skewness. This provides new analytic insight into which features of the velocity distribution are most relevant to detect a given particle dark matter model. Our technique is general and could be applied to a broader class of physics problems where a physical observable depends on the statistical moments of an uncertain theoretical distribution.

Herrera, Gonzalo [MIT, MKI; Harvard U.; Virginia T↗
DOE OSTI2011

Random matrix model for QCD{sub 3} staggered fermions

We show that the lowest part of the eigenvalue density of the staggered fermion operator in lattice QCD{sub 3} at small lattice coupling constant {beta} has exactly the same shape as in QCD{sub 4}. This observation is quite surprising, since universal properties of the QCD{sub 3} Dirac operator are expected to be described by a nonchiral matrix model. We show that this effect is related to the specific nature of the staggered fermion discretization and that the eigenvalue density evolves toward the nonchiral random matrix prediction when {beta} is increased and the continuum limit is approached. We propose a two-matrix model with one free parameter which interpolates between the two limits and very well mimics the pattern of evolution with {beta} of the eigenvalue density of the staggered fermion operator in QCD{sub 3}.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Record High Ramping Rates in HTS Based Superconducting Accelerator Magnet

Here we report results of experimental test of the High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) based fast-cycling prototype accelerator magnet capable to operate up to about 300 T/s field ramping rate with some 0.5 T B-field in the magnet gap. The measured upper limit for the cryogenic cooling power required to support magnet conductor operation at high ramping rates indicates great potential for such type of magnets in rapid cycling synchrotrons for neutrino research or acceleration of very short-lived muons. The test magnet design, construction and supporting cryogenic and power systems are briefly described. The magnet's power test results are discussed in terms of a possible upgrade of this magnet design to 2 T B-field, a maximum feasible with super-ferric magnet.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Middlesex FUSRAP Site - A Path to Site-Wide Closure - 13416

The road-map to obtaining closure of the Middlesex Sampling Plant FUSRAP site in Middlesex, New Jersey (NJ) has required a multi-faceted approach, following the CERCLA Process. Since 1998, the US ACE, ECC, and other contractors have completed much of the work required for regulatory acceptance of site closure with unrestricted use. To date, three buildings have been decontaminated, demolished, and disposed of. Two interim storage piles have been removed and disposed of, followed by the additional removal and disposal of over 87,000 tons of radiologically and chemically-impacted subsurface soils by the summer of 2008. The US ACE received a determination from the EPA for the soils Operable Unit, (OU)-1, in September 2010 that the remedial excavations were acceptable, and meet the criteria for unrestricted use as required by the 2004 Record of Decision (ROD) for OU-1. Following the completion of OU-1, the project delivery team performed additional field investigation of the final Operable Unit for Middlesex, OU-2, Groundwater. As of December 2012, the project delivery team has completed a Supplemental Remedial Investigation, which will be followed with a streamlined Feasibility Study, Proposed Plan, and ROD. Several years of historical groundwater data was available from previous investigations and the FUSRAP Environmental Surveillance Program. Historical data indicated sporadic detections of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), primarily trichloroethylene (TCE), carbon tetrachloride (CT), and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), with no apparent trend or pattern indicating extent or source of the VOC impact. In 2008, the project delivery team initiated efforts to re-assess the Conceptual Site Model (CSM) for groundwater. The bedrock was re-evaluated as a leaky multi-unit aquifer, and a plan was developed for additional investigations for adequate bedrock characterization and delineation of groundwater contaminated primarily by CT, TCE, and tetrachloroethene (PCE). The investigation was designed to accumulate multiple lines of evidence to determine the source and to delineate the extent of contamination, as required to complete the CERCLA Process and gain regulatory acceptance. Investigative techniques included in-well vertical flow tracing, borehole geophysics and packer testing of temporary test holes to characterize contamination in the bedrock fractures beneath the site, and to delineate likely source areas. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Improvement of the optical image reconstruction based on multiplexed quantum ghost images

Ghost imaging allows one to obtain information on an object from the spatial correlation function between photons propagating through or reflected from the object and photons of the reference arm. In this case, detection in the object arm is performed over the entire aperture of the beam and, therefore, it does not give information on the object. The reference beam does not interact with the object, but is recorded with a scanning point detector or a CCD array permitting the measurement of the spatial correlation function of photons in two arms. The use of multimode entangled quantum light beams by illuminating the object by one beam and orienting other beams to reference arms makes it possible to obtain simultaneously several ghost images (GIs). Cross correlations of multiplexed GIs (MGIs) are determined by eighth-order field correlation functions. A special algorithm is developed for calculating higher-order correlations of Bose operators. The presence of GI cross correlations is used for improving the quality of the reconstructed object’s image by their processing using the measurement reduction method. An example of the computer simulation of the image reconstruction by MGIs formed in the field of four-frequency entangled quantum states is considered. It is found that in this case the reduced GI has a signal-to-noise ratio several times higher than that of GIs.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electromagnetic field limits set by the V-Curve.

When emitters of electromagnetic energy are operated in the vicinity of sensitive components, the electric field at the component location must be kept below a certain level in order to prevent the component from being damaged, or in the case of electro-explosive devices, initiating. The V-Curve is a convenient way to set the electric field limit because it requires minimal information about the problem configuration. In this report we will discuss the basis for the V-Curve. We also consider deviations from the original V-Curve resulting from inductive versus capacitive antennas, increases in directivity gain for long antennas, decreases in input impedance when operating in a bounded region, and mismatches dictated by transmission line losses. In addition, we consider mitigating effects resulting from limited antenna sizes.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Improving the performance of stainless-steel DC high voltage photoelectron gun cathode electrodes via gas conditioning with helium or krypton

Gas conditioning was shown to eliminate field emission from cathode electrodes used inside DC high voltage photoelectron guns, thus providing a reliable means to operate photoguns at higher voltages and field strengths. Measurements and simulation results indicate that gas conditioning eliminates field emission from cathode electrodes via two mechanisms: sputtering and implantation, with the benefits of implantation reversed by heating the electrode. We have studied five stainless steel electrodes (304L and 316LN) that were polished to approximately 20 nm surface roughness using diamond grit, and evaluated inside a high voltage apparatus to determine the onset of field emission as a function of voltage and field strength. The field emission characteristics of each electrode varied significantly upon the initial application of voltage but improved to nearly the same level after gas conditioning using either helium or krypton, exhibiting less than 10 pA field emission at -225 kV bias voltage with a 50 mm cathode/anode gap, corresponding to a field strength of ~13 MV/m. Finally, field emission could be reduced with either gas, but there were conditions related to gas choice, voltage and field strength that were more favorable than others.

BastaniNejad, M.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ab initio quantum dynamics of plasmonic charge carriers

Surface plasmons respond strongly to electric fields and generate energetic (hot) charge carriers that can be used in optoelectronic devices. However, utilization of hot carriers has to outcompete fast carrier relaxation in metals. Often, the reported efficiencies of nanoscale devices based on plasmon excitations are low and the mechanisms of device operation remain inconsistent within the field. Further developments hinge on fundamental understanding of the nature and kinetics of plasmon decay processes. In this work, we provide an overview of time domain ab initio modeling of hot carrier dynamics, demonstrating that atomistic details of the surface structure of plasmonic materials, and their chemical interaction with semiconducting and molecular charge acceptors and substrates, play key roles in governing the dynamics pathways. Considered case studies represent various dynamics channels and illustrate solar energy and optoelectronic applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Green functions in stochastic field theory

Functional representations are reviewed for the generating function of Green functions of stochastic problems stated either with the use of the Fokker-Planck equation or the master equation. Both cases are treated in a unified manner based on the operator approach similar to quantum mechanics. Solution of a second-order stochastic differential equation in the framework of stochastic field theory is constructed. Ambiguities in the mathematical formulation of stochastic field theory are discussed. The Schwinger-Keldysh representation is constructed for the Green functions of the stochastic field theory which yields a functional-integral representation with local action but without the explicit functional Jacobi determinant or ghost fields.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

NCRP Program Area Committee 2: Operational Radiation Safety

Program Area Committee 2 of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements provides guidance for radiation safety in occupational settings in a variety of industries and activities. The committee completed three reports in recent years covering recommendations for the development and administration of radiation safety programs for smaller educational institutions, requirements for self-assessment programs that improve radiation safety and identify and correct deficiencies, and a comprehensive process for effective investigation of radiological incidents. Ongoing work includes a report on sealed radioactive source controls and oversight of a report on radioactive nanomaterials focusing on gaps within current radiation safety programs. Future efforts may deal with operational radiation safety programs in fields such as the safe use of handheld and portable X-Ray fluorescence analyzers, occupational airborne radioactive contamination, unsealed radioactive sources, or industrial accelerators.

Operational Radiation Safety↗
DOE OSTI2018

CarbonSAFE Phase I: Integrated CCS Pre-Feasibility – Northwest Gulf of Mexico (Final Research Performance Progress Report)

Offshore storage achieves two major objectives for the US commercial large scale CCS deployment: 1. Adding large capacity to serve local regional, and potentially broader objectives 2. Lowering risk by providing storage with one public owner, away from population, with no conflict with water resources and reduced concern about induced seismicity. A high-concentration CO 2 source was identified as the top candidate for the project and going forward with the CarbonSAFE Phase II proposal. The top-rated source is the NET Power facility in Houston (La Porte), Texas. A manuscript based on analysis of results from the two-stage survey conducted in eight selected Texas counties was submitted to the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control on August 21, 2018. A primary confining interval (seal) is associated with MFS9 (biochronozone Amphistegina B) which can reach a thickness of up to 250 m. However, the Amphistegina B confining interval thins considerably in the onshore direction. Consequently, the most suitable portion of the Miocene section for future CO 2 sequestration in the study area is considered to be the offshore area where Amphistegina B is thickest. Based on three models for capacity assessment, the study proposes a base case for the High Island 10-L Field in which 9 wells operated for 12 years each completed into 4 zones will emplace a total of 150MMT of CO 2 with wells placed in the water leg where all the plume will slowly migrate into the structural trap is feasible in terms of geology and engineering. The 10-L Field was assessed in more detail than other examined oil and gas fields in the study area in order to look at some specifics about how initial future CCS projects might be accomplished in the favorable GoM of the US region and expand the sites to a larger set to experiment with matching all the possible sources to sinks. The 10-L site is large enough to accept CO 2 from multiple sinks; the expanded sinks are estimated to be large enough to accept all the CO 2 from the region plus some from outside the region. A number of uncertainties were identified. The largest and most consequential uncertainty is the cost of offshore pipelines in the study setting, which impacts the conditions where CO 2 transport would be by ship versus the cases where pipeline would be preferred. Ships are preferred for small volumes and short durations; pipelines for larger volumes and long duration. Additional work is needed to advance the maturity of multiple sinks available, to continue outreach to industries and the public, and to develop realistic source opportunities. The study demonstrates that industrial source clusters connected to a transport hub delivering CO 2 to a nearby storage complex is the most cost-effective and improved way to de-carbonize industrial activities, particularly, in an expected low-carbon and increasing carbon price environmental. The feasibility of the new business models should be based on the best use of the existing infrastructure and strategically build on new supporting infrastructure to drive down the costs of large-scale CCS deployment. Assessing the pre-feasibility of the commercial implementation of a CCS cluster and hub in the GoM energy ecosystem, our study links these elements successfully through an optimized combination (minimum cost) of CO 2 sources on land with offshore storage. Offshore storage achieves two major objectives for the US commercial large scale CCS deployment: 1. Adding large capacity to serve local regional, and potentially broader objectives 2. Lowering risk by providing storage with one public owner, away from population, with no conflict with water resources and reduced concern about induced seismicity.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Results and techniques for higher order calculations within the gradient-flow formalism

We describe in detail the implementation of a systematic perturbative approach to observables in the QCD gradient-flow formalism. This includes a collection of all relevant Feynman rules of the five-dimensional field theory and the composite operators considered in this paper. Tools from standard perturbative calculations are used to obtain Green's functions at finite flow time $t$ at higher orders in perturbation theory. The three-loop results for the quark condensate at finite $t$ and the conversion factor for the "ringed" quark fields to the $\overline{\mbox{MS}}$ scheme are presented as applications. We also re-evaluate an earlier result for the three-loop gluon condensate, improving on its accuracy.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

What is the geometry of effective field theories?

We elaborate on a recently proposed geometric framework for scalar effective field theories. Starting from the action, a metric can be identified that enables the construction of geometric quantities on the associated functional manifold. These objects transform covariantly under general field redefinitions that relate different operator bases, including those involving derivatives. We present a novel geometric formula for the amplitudes of the theory, where the vertices in Feynman diagrams are replaced by their geometrized counterparts. This makes the on-shell covariance of amplitudes manifest, providing the link between functional geometry and effective field theories.

effective field theory↗
DOE OSTI2017

Collinear factorization violation and effective field theory

The factorization of amplitudes into hard, soft and collinear parts is known to be violated in situations where incoming particles are collinear to outgoing ones. This conclusion was first derived by studying limits where noncollinear particles become collinear. We demonstrate that through an effective field theory framework with Glauber operators, these factorization-violating effects can be reproduced from an amplitude that is factorized before the splitting occurs.We confirm results at one loop, through single Glauber exchange, and at two loops, through double Glauber exchange. To approach the calculation, we begin by reviewing the importance of Glauber scaling for factorization.We show that for any situation where initial-state and finalstate particles are not collinear, the Glauber contribution is entirely contained in the soft contribution. The contributions coming from Glauber operators are necessarily nonanalytic functions of external momentum, with the nonanalyticity arising from the rapidity regulator. The nonanalyticity is crucial so that Glauber operators can both preserve factorization when it holds and produce factorization-violating effects when they are present.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Wind Loading on Parabolic Trough Collectors: Wind and Structural Loads Measurements at an Operational Powerplant

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is a promising method for using solar power for electricity generation with thermal energy storage for industrial applications. Solar collectors constitute almost 1/3 of the total cost of the power plant. One of the primary drivers of unrealiability of these collectors is wind-driven loading of mirrors, support structures, and drives. To date, the design of the solar collector structures has relied on data from wind tunnels that do not adequately capture the dynamic effects observed at scale. NREL initiated a field measurement campaign at the operational Nevada Solar One (NSO) parabolic trough powerplant. At this plant, parabolic trough solar collectors track the sun from east to west in the course of a day and face varying wind loads depending on the wind properties and the angle of the troughs. The aim of the project is a detailed characterization of prevailing wind and turbulence conditions and resulting operational loads on parabolic troughs, providing insights into structural dynamic response, and generating a comprehensive wind-loading dataset for validating simulations of wind loading on collector structures. The measurements at NSO consist of sonic anemometers on masts at different heights to characterize the incoming flow and conditions at four trough rows at the edge of the trough field. In addition, a Doppler Lidar scans the horizontal plane above the troughs. The wind measurements at NSO have been continuously collecting data since October 2021 and are combined with structural load measurements that started in November 2022. The load measurements were installed on the same four outermost trough rows and include support structure bending moments, drive torque moments, dynamic accelerations of the spaceframe, mirror displacement, and tilt angles. Measurements are planned to continue until May 2023, providing a first-of-a-kind, high-resolution multi-month dataset of combined wind and load measurements. In this presentation, we show first results of the measurement campaign. Based on the measurements, we identified three main factors altering the flow over the parabolic troughs: Wind speed, wind direction, and the angle of the parabolic troughs. Most interactions between incoming wind and the trough field are observed when the wind blows perpendicular to the trough rows. In this case, the first rows experience the highest wind speed and block the downwind rows, creating conditions with decreased wind speed and enhanced turbulence within the trough field. Also, turbulent length scales are smaller after the first row. This leads to the highest static loads (bending and torque moments) at the first row but potentially increased dynamic loads within the field. We illustrate our findings with case studies focused on different wind conditions and will present fatigue analysis to highlight the impact of wind-driven loads on collector structures.

CSP collectors↗
DOE OSTI2022

Learning two-phase microstructure evolution using neural operators and autoencoder architectures

Abstract Phase-field modeling is an effective but computationally expensive method for capturing the mesoscale morphological and microstructure evolution in materials. Hence, fast and generalizable surrogate models are needed to alleviate the cost of computationally taxing processes such as in optimization and design of materials. The intrinsic discontinuous nature of the physical phenomena incurred by the presence of sharp phase boundaries makes the training of the surrogate model cumbersome. We develop a framework that integrates a convolutional autoencoder architecture with a deep neural operator (DeepONet) to learn the dynamic evolution of a two-phase mixture and accelerate time-to-solution in predicting the microstructure evolution. We utilize the convolutional autoencoder to provide a compact representation of the microstructure data in a low-dimensional latent space. After DeepONet is trained in the latent space, it can be used to replace the high-fidelity phase-field numerical solver in interpolation tasks or to accelerate the numerical solver in extrapolation tasks.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗