Possible High Power Limitations From RF Pulsed Heating
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Pritzkau, D.↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
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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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Power Booster for Gate Pulses
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Gottschalk, B.↗
Binary Pulse Compression Techniques for MST Radars
In most mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) applications pulsed radars are peak power limited and have excess average power capability. Short pulses are required for good range resolution but the problem of range biguity (signals received simultaneously from more than one altitude) sets a minimum limit on the interpulse period (IPP). Pulse compression is a echnique which allows more of the transmitter average power capacity to be used without scarificing range resolution. Binary phase coding methods for pulse compression are discussed. Many aspects of codes and decoding and their applications to MST experiments are addressed; this includes Barker codes and longer individual codes, and then complementary codes and other code sets. Software decoding, hardware decoders, and coherent integrators are also discussed.
Woodman, R. F.↗
Proton pulse charge calculation algorithm in Beam Power Limiting System at Spallation Neutron Source
A proton pulse charge calculation algorithm in the Beam Power Limiting System (BPLS) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) was developed and implemented in an FPGA. The algorithm calculates one-minute running average of the pulse charges and issues a fault to the Personal Protection System (PPS) and the Machine Protection System (MPS) when a limit is reached. A bit-accurate model of the algorithm was first developed and tested in Matlab® and then implemented and simulated in VHDL using Vivado® design environment. Finally, the algorithm was verified on a µTCA-based hardware platform.
Bobrek, Miljko [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000332763451)↗
Electric field induced needle-pulsed arc discharge carbon nanotube production apparatus: Circuitry and mechanical design
A simple and low cost apparatus is reported to produce multiwall carbon nanotubes and carbon nano-onions by a low power short pulsed arc discharge reactor. The electric circuitry and the mechanical design details and a micro-filtering assembly are described. The pulsed-plasma is generated and applied between two graphite electrodes. The pulse width is 0.3 {mu}s. A strong dc electric field is established along side the electrodes. The repetitive discharges occur in less than 1 mm distance between a sharp tip graphite rod as anode, and a tubular graphite as cathode. A hydrocarbon vapor, as carbon source, is introduced through the graphite nozzle in the cathode assembly. The pressure of the chamber is controlled by a vacuum pump. A magnetic field, perpendicular to the plasma path, is provided. The results show that the synergetic use of a pulsed-current and a dc power supply enables us to synthesize carbon nanoparticles with short pulsed plasma. The simplicity and inexpensiveness of this plan is noticeable. Pulsed nature of plasma provides some extra degrees of freedom that make the production more controllable. Effects of some design parameters such as electric field, pulse frequency, and cathode shape are discussed. The products are examined using scanning probe microscopy techniques.
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
Tunable Laser-Plasma Amplifier (Final Report)
Exploration at the laser intensity frontier has always offered new avenues for physics and reaching beyond this frontier is a grand challenge. Present-day petawatt-class lasers provide focused intensities on target of 10 22 W/cm 2 , corresponding to electric fields of 200 TV/m, while laser-plasma amplification opens a route for focused intensities well above 10 23 W/cm 2 . Intensities in this range provide the ability to test quantum electrodynamics in the unexplored low-energy, strong-field regime where signatures for new physics may arise. The behavior of matter under such extraordinary conditions is a rich and fascinating subject, not only in its own right in fundamental plasma physics, but for the many potential applications that promise to enrich the natural sciences in the future, including compact electron-beam, ion-beam particle accelerators, and ultra-bright X-ray sources. Although laser systems are now under construction internationally to access intensities of 10 23 W/cm 2 , the current technologies used appear to be fundamentally limited to these intensities. The realization of intensities beyond 10 23 W/cm 2 using parametric amplification in plasmas promises a breakthrough in high-energy density physics. Parametric amplification using Raman scattering in a plasma could provide the enabling technology for the generation of ultra-high-power laser pulses, but a more complete understanding of the nonlinear optics of plasmas is required. There is a significant gap in well-diagnosed laser-plasma instability studies of nonlinear plasma-wave phenomena, which are critical to understand for future laser-plasma devices. To achieve an efficient laser-plasma amplifier, plasma waves must be driven to large amplitude where significant energy can be rapidly transferred from the pump to the seed over the pulse duration of the seed. Simulations suggest that this nonlinear pump depletion regime can be achieved in the “pi-pulse” amplification regime. While simulations show this optimal regime with efficient amplification, it has remained elusive in experiments and there is a growing consensus within the community that thermal effects and pump beam limitations prevent laser-plasma amplifiers from progressing through the linear regime into the nonlinear pump depletion regime. Previous experiments have been significantly limited by the laser power available at the necessary wavelengths for the seed laser; therefore, the amplification is required to start in the linear regime where it is sensitive to many deleterious effects. The enabling technology (currently unique to plasma-wave amplification in the world) at the University of Rochester is the ability to provide a seed pulse with sufficient power (4 mJ/100 fs seed) to immediately drive nonlinear plasma waves into the pi-pulse regime and to tune its wavelength to optimize the efficiency of energy transfer. This in combination with the state-of-the-art OMEGA heater beams providing multiple kilojoules in a nanosecond to sufficiently heat the plasma make this system distinct from previous studies. These heater beams will provide, for the first time in Raman amplification studies, a homogeneous electron temperature high enough to prevent pump beam propagation issues that have plagued previous experiments. These systems will provide a platform for driving electron-plasma waves into the nonlinear regime where pump depletion and pulse shortening are predicted to lead to high amplification efficiencies (>30%). The Team has made significant progress through prior support from DOE Fusion Energy Sciences [DOE Office of Science Award Number DE-SC0016253 (2016-2022)]. This includes twenty-two peer-reviewed manuscripts, one patent, ten contributed talks presented at international conferences, and research that was highlighted as invited talks at fifteen international conferences. The broader impacts of this research are evident in the support of early career scientists, two Ph.D. theses, four current graduate students, a Masters Project, two undergraduate researchers, and an underrepresented minority student hired through the California Alliance for Minority Participation who now works as a Research Engineer in the group. This research met all of the funded research objectives and the highlights from primary Raman amplification thrust of this work are discussed below and form the foundation for the proposed research.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Synchronized pulse generator needs no external power
Simple circuit with high input and low output impedance generates a fast rise-time pulse synchronized with an input pulse of slower rise and fall times. Circuit requires no external power.
Cancro, C. A.↗
Analytical description of generation of the residual current density in the plasma produced by a few-cycle laser pulse
When a gas is ionized by a few-cycle laser pulse, some residual current density (RCD) of free electrons remains in the produced plasma after the passage of the laser pulse. This quasi-dc RCD is an initial impetus to plasma polarization and excitation of the plasma oscillations which can radiate terahertz (THz) waves. In this work, the analytical model for calculation of RCD excited by a few-cycle laser pulse is developed for the first time. The dependences of the RCD on the carrier-envelope phase (CEP), wavelength, duration, and intensity of the laser pulse are derived. It is shown that maximum RCD corresponding to optimal CEP increases with the laser pulse wavelength, which indicates the prospects of using mid-infrared few-cycle laser pulses in the schemes of generation of high-power THz pulses. Analytical formulas for optimal pulse intensity and maximum efficiency of excitation of the RCD are obtained. Basing on numerical solution of the 3D time-dependent Schrödinger equation for hydrogen atoms, RCD dependence on CEP is calculated in a wide range of wavelengths. High accuracy of analytical formulas is demonstrated at the laser pulse parameters which correspond to the tunneling regime of ionization.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Power Electronics Development for the SPT-100 Thruster
Russian electric propulsion technologies have recently become available on the world market. Of significant interest is the Stationary Plasma Thruster (SPT) which has a significant flight heritage in the former Soviet space program. The SPT has performance levels of up to 1600 seconds of specific impulse at a thrust efficiency of 0.50. Studies have shown that this level of performance is well suited for stationkeeping applications, and the SPT-100, with a 1.35 kW input power level, is presently being evaluated for use on Western commercial satellites. Under a program sponsored by the Innovative Science and Technology Division of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, a team of U.S. electric propulsion specialists observed the operation of the SPT-100 in Russia. Under this same program, power electronics were developed to operate the SPT-100 to characterize thruster performance and operation in the U.S. The power electronics consisted of a discharge, cathode heater, and pulse igniter power supplies to operate the thruster with manual flow control. A Russian designed matching network was incorporated in the discharge supply to ensure proper operation with the thruster. The cathode heater power supply and igniter were derived from ongoing development projects. No attempts were made to augment thruster electromagnet current in this effort. The power electronics successfully started and operated the SPT-100 thruster in performance tests at NASA Lewis, with minimal oscillations in the discharge current. The efficiency of the main discharge supply was measured at 0.92, and straightforward modifications were identified which could increase the efficiency to 0.94.
Hamley, John A.↗
Thermal analysis of an indirectly heat pulsed non-volatile phase change material microwave switch
We show the finite element simulation of the melt/quench process in a phase change material (GeTe, germanium telluride) used for a radio frequency switch. The device is thermally activated by an independent NiCrSi (nickel chrome silicon) thin film heating element beneath a dielectric separating it electrically from the phase change layer. A comparison is made between the predicted and experimental minimum power to amorphize (MPA) for various thermal pulse powers and pulse time lengths. By including both the specific heat and latent heat of fusion for GeTe, we find that the MPA and the minimum power to crystallize follow the form of a hyperbola on the power time effect plot. We also find that the simulated time at which the entire center GeTe layer achieves melting accurately matches the MPA curve for pulse durations ranging from 75–1500 ns and pulse powers from 1.6–4 W.
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
Mathematical models for the reflection coefficients of lossy dielectric half-spaces with application to transient responses of chirped pulses
Reflection coefficients are found at normal incidence for a large class of homogeneous lossy half-spaces with a one-dimensionally inhomogeneous or stratified lossy layer on top. Solutions are in terms of Hankel functions of complex argument to decrease cancellation error at high frequencies. One special case is that of layers on a homogeneous half-space where the dielectric constant in each layer may vary in a quite general manner. A Wronskian is used to insure the critical computations are correct. The reflection of chirped pulses is considered. Solutions are obtained by applying the fast Fourier transform. It is found that for a typical relatively long normalized 'long' pulse the power reflected as a function of time is essentially the power reflection coefficient for the frequencies swept out, whereas for a relatively short 'long' pulse, with the same relative change in frequency and the same number of oscillations there is only the uniform attenuation by the power reflection coefficient of the center frequency. By a 'long' pulse we mean a pulse whose spatial length is long compared to the thickness of the reflecting layer.
Evans, D. D.↗
VLBI observations of the Crab nebula pulsar
Observations were made at meter wave-lengths using very long base-line interferometry techniques. At 196.5 MHz no resolution of the pulsar are observed; all the pulse shapes observed with the interferometers are similar to single dish profiles, and all the power pulsates. At 111.5 MHz besides the pulsing power there is always a steady component, presumably due to interstellar scattering. The pulsar is slightly resolved at 111.5 MHz with an apparent angular diameter of 0.07 sec ? 0.01 sec. A 50 percent linear polarization of the time-averaged power is noted at 196.5 MHz; at 111.5 MHz, 20 percent of the total time-averaged power is polarized, 35 percent of the pulsing power is polarized, and the steady component is unpolarized.
Vandenberg, N. R.↗
Self-induced gaseous plasma as high power microwave opening switch medium
Self-induced gaseous plasma is evaluated as active opening switch medium for pulsed high power microwave radiation. The self-induced plasma switch is investigated for N{sub 2} and Ar environments under pressure conditions ranging from 25 to 700 Torr. A multi-pass TE{sub 111} resonator is used to significantly reduce the delay time inherently associated with plasma generation. The plasma forms under the pulsed excitation of a 4 MW magnetron inside the central dielectric tube of the resonator, which isolates the inner atmospheric gas from the outer vacuum environment. The path from the power source to the load is designed such that the pulse passes through the plasma twice with a 35 ns delay between these two passes. In the first pass, initial plasma density is generated, while the second affects the transition to a highly reflective state with as much as 30 dB attenuation. Experimental data revealed that virtually zero delay time may be achieved for N{sub 2} at 25 Torr. A two-dimensional fluid model was developed to study the plasma formation times for comparison with experimental data. The delay time predicted from this model agrees well with the experimental values in the lower pressure regime (error < 25%), however, due to filamentary plasma formation at higher pressures, simulated delay times may be underestimated by as much as 50%.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Collaborative Research Proposal: Time Resolved Optical Emissions Spectroscopy and Laser Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Nanosecond Pulsed Discharges in a Gas-Liquid Water Film Reactor
Electrical discharge plasma formed in contact with liquid water is of interest for a wide range of applications in chemical, biomedical, agricultural, electrical, and materials science and engineering. Such plasma reactors are of very timely importance since they also have significant disinfection capability by inactivating bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Many types of plasma sources including those driven by AC, DC, RF, microwave, and pulsed electrical power supplies coupled to a wide range of different electrode configurations and reactor designs have been developed and explored which contact the plasma with liquid water. Recent roadmaps have recommended that further work is needed to develop our understanding of the fundamental chemical and physical process which occur at the interface of non-thermal plasma with liquid water solutions in order to advance this large diversity of applications which ultimately depend upon efficient production of key reactive chemical species. There is a wide range of interacting factors that affect the chemical reactions that occur in the plasma, in the liquid phase, and at the interface. These factors ultimately govern the key reactive chemical species formed and used in the various applications and they include a) the reactor design and input parameters, b) the discharge and transport processes, c) the plasma properties, and d) the resulting chemical reactions. For pulsed discharges, the power supply design and output parameters control the applied voltage, frequency, rise time, and width (duration) of the applied pulses. The reactor design involves specification of the gas-liquid contacting methods, electrode gap distance, reactor volume and shape, and gas and liquid flow rates achievable. The gas and liquid compositions as well as the liquid properties such as pH and conductivity are also of key importance in determination of the resulting chemical reactions. In addition, the important plasma properties include plasma gas temperature, electron density, electron energy (distribution), and size of the plasma channels which are all affected by the discharge and transport properties. Many studies have focused on specific aspects of these various processes. Of particular important and relevance to the proposed work is the utilization of nanosecond pulses to generate plasma in gas-liquid systems, liquid bubbles, underwater, and in gases. Recent advances in nanosecond pulses provide significant advantages in utilization with liquid water. For example, fast rise time and short pulses are less sensitive to water conductivity, such short pulses may provide advantages in fast temporal quenching of the plasma, and fundamental analysis of pulse properties, including pulse shape and width, may be facilitated by investigation of single filamentary fast pulses. Many studies have also dealt with the role of the gas composition on formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (i.e., hydroxyl radicals – ·OH, hydrogen peroxide – H 2 O 2 , various atomic oxygen species, ozone-O 3 , hydroperoxyl radicals HO 2 ·) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) (i.e., nitrogen oxides – NO, NO 2 , N 2 O - collectively termed NO X , nitrite-NO 2 - , nitrate-NO 3 - , peroxynitrite-ONOO - ). The hydroxyl radical is the critical species in many chemical oxidation reactions for chemical degradation of toxic compounds in water and gases and for synthesis of some compounds. The mixture of various nitrogen oxide species is important for many biochemical and biological processes involved in biomedical and agricultural applications including disinfection and fertilizer production. The present proposal focuses on determination of the effects of time resolved electron density and hydroxyl radicals on plasma chemical reactions through collaboration with the Princeton Collaborative Low Temperature Plasma Research Facility (PCRF) at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). In order to further investigate the role of the plasma generated electrons and hydroxyl radicals on the overall formation of the key species including hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radicals, and nitrogen oxides, the proposed work, thus seeks to determine high resolution time resolved electron density by optical emissions spectroscopy and time resolved hydroxyl radicals using laser induced fluorescence in the nanosecond discharge reactor. The combination of data on electron density and hydroxyl radical concentration will be utilized in the present work to more fully characterize the chemical reaction processes in this system and to advance the design, development, and operation of such chemical reactors for a wide range of applications.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Collective effects on the wakefield and stopping power of an ion beam pulse in plasmas
A two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell simulation is carried out to study the collective effects on the wakefield and stopping power for a hydrogen ion beam pulse propagation in hydrogen plasmas. The dependence of collective effects on the beam velocity and density is obtained and discussed. For the beam velocity, it is found that the collective effects have the strongest impact on the wakefield as well as the stopping power in the case of the intermediate beam velocities, in which the stopping power is also the largest. For the beam density, it is found that at low beam densities, the collective contribution to the stopping power increase linearly with the increase of the beam density, which corresponds well to the results calculated using the dielectric theory. However, at high beam densities, our results show that after reaching a maximum value, the collective contribution to the stopping power starts to decrease significantly with the increase of the beam density. Besides, at high beam densities, the wakefield loses typical V-shaped cone structures, and the wavelength of the oscillation wakefield increases as the beam density increases.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Wireless Pulse-Width Modulation Control of Power Converters Using Ultra-Wideband Technology for Distributed High-Voltage Systems
In this study, we present a new approach for wireless pulse-width modulation (PWM) control of a power converter, applicable to numerous power converters within a complex electrical distribution system. This method eliminates the need for multiple physical connections of gating/PWM signals among distributed converter modules. By using ultra-wideband-based communication, the PWM control signals can be wirelessly transmitted from a central controller to multiple converters simultaneously and seamlessly. System stability is thoroughly analyzed, and experimental results validate the efficacy of the wireless control scheme for a buck converter operating at a 50-kHz switching frequency. The minimum latency obtained from this setup is 5.38 ..mu..s. This control concept offers easier implementation of distributed control in high-voltage power systems, especially in multilevel architectures, even under harsh conditions with ambient noise.
ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Reflection of a probe pulse and thermal emission of electrons produced by an aluminum film heated by a femtosecond laser pulse
It is shown that an experimental decrease in the reflection of a probe femtosecond pulse from an aluminum film heated by a higher-power femtosecond pulse can be quantitatively described taking into account the inhomogeneous distribution of the laser pulse field in the film and the evolution of the electron and lattice temperature during absorption of the heating inhomogeneous field. Analysis of the electron temperature evolution on the heated film surface combined with modern concepts about the influence of a surface volume charge on thermal emission gave the relation between the amount of emitted electrons and experimental data on the heating of the aluminum film by the femtosecond pulse.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Output power spectral densities for unipolar pulse frequency modulation with white noise input
Unipolar pulse frequency modulation system with white noise input, deriving output power spectral densities
Wiggert, D.↗