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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 1,531 records · Page 85
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Numerical study of He/CF{sub 3}I pulsed discharge used to produce iodine atom in chemical oxygen-iodine laser

The pulsed discharge for producing iodine atoms from the alkyl and perfluoroalky iodides (CH{sub 3}I, CF{sub 3}I, etc.) is the most efficient method for achieving the pulse operating mode of a chemical oxygen-iodine laser. In this paper, a one-dimensional fluid model is developed to study the characteristics of pulsed discharge in CF{sub 3}I-He mixture. By solving continuity equation, momentum equation, Poisson equation, Boltzmann equation, and an electric circuit equation, the temporal evolution of discharge current density and various discharge products, especially the atomic iodine, are investigated. The dependence of iodine atom density on discharge parameters is also studied. The results show that iodine atom density increases with the pulsed width and pulsed voltage amplitude. The mixture ratio of CF{sub 3}I and helium plays a more significant role in iodine atom production. For a constant voltage amplitude, there exists an optimal mixture ratio under which the maximum iodine atom concentration is achieved. The bigger the applied voltage amplitude is, the higher partial pressure of CF{sub 3}I is needed to obtain the maximum iodine atom concentration.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Parameterized complex dielectric functions of CuIn 1−x Ga x Se 2 : applications in optical characterization of compositional non‐uniformities and depth profiles in materials and solar cells

Abstract In‐situ spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) was employed to extract the complex dielectric functions ε = ε 1 + iε 2 over the spectral range of 0.75–6.5 eV for a set of polycrystalline CuIn 1− x Ga x Se 2 (CIGS) thin films with different alloy compositions x = [Ga]/{[In] + [Ga]}. For highest possible accuracy in ε for each CIGS thin film, specialized SE procedures were adopted including (i) deposition to a thickness of ~600 Å on smooth native oxide covered crystal silicon wafers, which minimizes the surface roughness on the film and thus the required corrections in data analysis, and (ii) measurement in‐situ , which minimizes ambient contamination and oxidation of the film surface. Assuming an analytical form for each of the ε spectra for these CIGS films, oscillator parameters were obtained in best fits, and these parameters were fit in turn to polynomials in x . With the resulting database of polynomial coefficients, the ε spectra for any composition of CIGS can be generated from the single parameter, x . In addition to enabling accurate contactless determination of bulk and surface roughness layer thicknesses of CIGS films by high speed multichannel SE, the database enables characterization of the composition and its profile with depth into these films, and even how the depth profile varies spatially within the plane of the films. In this study, depth profile parameters were found to correlate spatially with solar cell performance parameters. As a result, SE provides the capability of contactless compositional analysis of production‐scale CIGS photovoltaic modules at high speed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Aryal, Puruswottam↗
DOE OSTI2017

Galaxy Cluster Pressure Profiles as Determined by Sunyaev Zel’dovich Effect Observations with MUSTANG and Bolocam. II. Joint Analysis of 14 Clusters

We present pressure profiles of galaxy clusters determined from high-resolution Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) effect observations of 14 clusters, which span the redshift range of 0.25<z<0.89. The procedure simultaneously fits spherical cluster models to MUSTANG and Bolocam data. In this analysis, we adopt the generalized NFW parameterization of pressure profiles to produce our models. Our constraints on ensemble-average pressure profile parameters, in this study γ, C {sub 500}, and P {sub 0}, are consistent with those in previous studies, but for individual clusters we find discrepancies with the X-ray derived pressure profiles from the ACCEPT2 database. We investigate potential sources of these discrepancies, especially cluster geometry, electron temperature of the intracluster medium, and substructure. We find that the ensemble mean profile for all clusters in our sample is described by the parameters [γ,C{sub 500},P{sub 0}]=[0.3{sub −0.1}{sup +0.1},1.3{sub −0.1}{sup +0.1},8.6{sub −2.4}{sup +2.4}], cool core clusters are described by [γ,C{sub 500},P{sub 0}] =[0.6{sub −0.1}{sup +0.1},0.9{sub −0.1}{sup +0.1},3.6{sub −1.5}{sup +1.5}], and disturbed clusters are described by [γ,C{sub 500},P{sub 0}]=[0.0{sub −0.0}{sup +0.1},1.5{sub −0.2}{sup +0.1},13.8{sub −1.6}{sup +1.6}]. Of the 14 clusters, 4 have clear substructure in our SZ observations, while an additional 2 clusters exhibit potential substructure.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2022

Identification of Best Practices for Predicting Inlet Performance Using FUN3D Part 2: Installed Inlets.

A series of studies were performed to assess the impacts of boundary condition type and placement, grid refinement, and modeling parameters such as turbulence model and flux limiter on the predicted inlet performance for installed inlet configurations using the FUN3D flow solver. Two configurations were considered for the study; a wall-mounted Boundary Layer Ingestion (BLI) inlet and the C607 propulsion model tested in the 8x6 Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The results of the studies were to be used to recommend best practices, as well as to assess the accuracy of FUN3D for inlet predictions. The results of BLI inlet stud-ies showed a minimal impact of grid refinement on the predicted inlet performance for a constant mass flow rate through the inlet. For the C607 propulsion model, the results showed that while the FUN3D predictions at the Aerodynamic Inter-face Plane (AIP) qualitatively agree with the experimental data, FUN3D showed a tendency to overpredict the circumferential distortion metric (IDCmax) and un-derpredict both the radial distortion metric (IDRmax) and the pressure recovery at the AIP (PRAIP ), with the differences between FUN3D and the experimental data increasing with increasing grid refinement and Mach number. Additionally, the outflow boundary location studies performed for both geometries showed that the solution at the AIP was not significantly impacted by the outflow boundary location as long as it was not placed at the location of the AIP. The modeling parameter studies did not indicate a path forward for improved predictions for either inlet con-figuration. Finally, comparisons between the mass flow plug and outflow geometry versions of the C607 propulsion model illustrated favorable agreement, which indi-cates that the differences observed are not caused by the outflow boundary model for this problem. This problem poses significant challenges to Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solvers due to the presence of shocks and flow separation in the inlet.

FUN3D↗
DOE OSTI2024

Solidification and crystallographic texture modeling of laser powder bed fusion Ti-6Al-4V using finite difference-monte carlo method

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing makes near-net-shaped parts with reduced material cost and time, rising as a promising technology to fabricate Ti-6Al-4V, a widely used titanium alloy in aerospace and medical industries. However, LPBF Ti-6Al-4V parts produced with 67° rotation between layers, a scan strategy commonly used to reduce microstructure and property inhomogeneity, have varying grain morphologies and weak crystallographic textures that change depending on processing parameters. Here, this study predicts LPBF Ti-6Al-4V solidification at three energy levels using a finite difference-Monte Carlo method and validates the simulations with large-area electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) scans. The developed model accurately shows that a <001> texture forms at low energy and a <111> texture occurs at higher energies parallel to the build direction but with a lower strength than the textures observed from EBSD. A validated and well-established method of combining spatial correlation and general spherical harmonics representation of texture is developed to calculate a difference score between simulations and experiments. The quantitative comparison enables effective fine-tuning of nucleation density (N 0 ) input, which shows a nonlinear relationship with increasing energy level. Future improvements in texture prediction code and a more comprehensive study of N 0 with different energy levels will further advance the optimization of LPBF Ti-6Al-4V components. These developments contribute a novel understanding of crystallographic texture formation in LPBF Ti-6Al-4V, the development of robust model validation and calibration pipeline methodologies, and provide a platform for mechanical property prediction and process parameter optimization.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Explosive attractor solutions to a universal cubic delay equation

New explosive attractor solutions have been found in a universal cubic delay equation that has been studied in both the plasma and the fluid mechanics literature. Through computational simulations and analytic approximations, it is found that the oscillatory component of the explosive mode amplitude solutions are described through multi-frequency Fourier expansions with respect to a pseudo-time variable. The spectral dependence of these solutions as a function of a system parameter, ϕ, is studied. The mode amplitude that is described in the explosive regime has two main features: a well-known envelope (t0−t)−5/2, with t0 the blow-up time of the amplitude, and a spectrum of discrete oscillations with ever-increasing frequencies, which may give experimental information about the properties of a system's equilibrium.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

SU(3) Polyakov Linear-Sigma Model: Magnetic Properties of QCD Matter in Thermal and Dense Medium

The linear-sigma model, in which information about confining gluons is included through the Polyakov-loop potential (PLSM), is considered in order to perform a systematic study for various magnetic properties of QCD matter under extreme conditions of high temperatures and densities and finite magnetic field strengths. The introduction of magnetic field to the PLSM Lagrangian requires suitable utilization of Landau quantization, modification in the dispersion relations, and momentum-space dimension-reduction. We observed that increasing the magnetic field leads to filling-up lower Landau levels first and decreasing the number of occupied levels. We conclude that the population of Landau levels is most sensitive to the magnetic field and to the quark charges. The influences of finite magnetic field on the temperature dependence of chiral and deconfinement order-parameter(s) are studied. We present estimations for the magnetization, the magnetic susceptibility, the permeability, and the catalytic properties of QCD matter as functions of temperature. The dependences of the resulting freeze-out parameters, temperatures, and baryon chemical potentials on the corresponding magnetic field strengths have been analyzed, as well. These calculations are compared with recent lattice QCD simulations, whenever available. We conclude that the QCD matter seems to have paramagnetic property at temperatures greater than the critical one. There is an evidence for weak diamagnetic property at low temperatures. Last but not least, we observe that the magnetic catalysis is inverse, namely, the critical temperatures decrease with increasing the magnetic field.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2020

A comprehensive conductivity model for drift and micro-tearing modes

The parallel electrical conductivity is a crucial parameter in the study of the linear stability of drift-modes like the micro-tearing mode (MTM). The conductivity enters by closing the electromagnetic tearing layer equations. Recent progress in the understanding of the pedestal suggests that the MTM could play an important role in its structure and evolution. For this reason, we revisit and improve previous model conductivities. This parameter is generally derived from the linearized drift kinetic equation. In the past literature, it has been computed using either simplified collision operators or neglecting the spatial dependence away from the rational surface. Here, a fully consistent expression for the conductivity that would accurately model the pedestal has not been available. By applying a novel variational procedure and with the full Fokker Plank collision operator, including electron–electron collisions, we compute a closed expression for the parallel electrical conductivity in the form of a rational function.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Response Surface Methodology As a New Approach for Finding Optimal MALDI Matrix Spraying Parameters for Mass Spectrometry Imaging

Automated spraying devices have become ubiquitous in laboratories employing matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI), in part because they permit control of a number of matrix application parameters that can easily be reproduced for intra- and interlaboratory studies. Determining the optimal parameters for MALDI matrix application, such as temperature, flow rate, spraying velocity, number of spraying cycles, and solvent composition for matrix application, is critical for obtaining high-quality MALDI-MSI data. However, there are no established approaches for optimizing these multiple parameters simultaneously. Instead optimization is performed iteratively (i.e., one parameter at a time), which is time consuming and can lead to overall non-optimal settings. In this report, we demonstrate the use a novel experimental design and the response surface methodology to optimize five parameters of MALDI matrix application using a robotic sprayer. Thirtytwo combinations of MALDI matrix spraying conditions were tested, which allowed us to elucidate relationships between each of the application parameters as determined by MALDI-MS (specifically, using a 15 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer). As such, we were able to determine the optimal automated spraying parameters that minimized signal de-localization and enabled high MALDI sensitivity. We envision this optimization strategy can be utilized for other MALDI-MSI applications, tissue types, and matrix application approaches.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Enhanced transportation of energetic electrons in dual-frequency atmospheric microplasmas

A comparative study of electron kinetics between single-frequency (SF) microplasmas and their equivalent dual-frequency (DF) microplasmas with matching effective frequencies in atmospheric-pressure helium discharges was performed using particle-in-cell simulation with a Monte Carlo collision. The effective-frequency concept helps in analyzing DF microplasmas in a fashion similar to SF microplasmas with effective parameters. In this study, the plasma characteristics such as the plasma potential, density, and electron energy probability functions of the SF microplasma and its DF counterpart were almost the same. However, the oscillating sheath edge was pushed further into the electrode for a substantial fraction of the time and the sheath width decreased in DF microplasmas. As a result, the transportation of the energetic electrons ({epsilon} > 4 eV) usable for tailoring the surface chemistry in atmospheric microplasmas is enhanced in DF microplasmas as compared to SF microplasmas.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1992

Computer aided design of digital controller for radial active magnetic bearings

A five degree of freedom Active Magnetic Bearing (AMB) system is developed which is controlled by digital controllers. The model of the radial AMB system is linearized and the state equation is derived. Based on the state variables feedback theory, digital controllers are designed. The performance of the controllers are evaluated according to experimental results. The Computer Aided Design (CAD) method is used to design controllers for magnetic bearings. The controllers are implemented with a digital signal processing (DSP) system. The control algorithms are realized with real-time programs. It is very easy to change the controller by changing or modifying the programs. In order to identify the dynamic parameters of the controlled magnetic system, a special experiment was carried out. Also, the online Recursive Least Squares (RLS) parameter identification method is studied. It can be realized with the digital controllers. Online parameter identification is essential for the realization of an adaptive controller.

Cai, Zhong↗
DOE OSTI2012

Synchrotron Light Options at Super-B

Super-B is a planned asymmetric high luminosity e{sup +}e{sup -} collider at the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance as PEP-II and KEKB, to be built in Italy. The Super-B High (HER, 7 GeV) and Low (LER, 4 GeV) Energy beams characteristics are comparable to NSLS-II and other state of the art synchrotron light sources. This suggests the use of this facility, either parasitically or in dedicated runs, as light source. In this paper we compare the characteristics of the synchrotron light generated at Super-B with existing, in construction and proposed facilities. We investigate different schemes to incorporate the generation of synchrotron radiation in the collider lattice design and look at different beam line layouts for users. In the past high energy particle colliders were designed to collide as many particle as possible. This was done by maximizing the beam current, using relative large emittances and squeezing the beam at the interaction point. During the operation of PEP II the limits of both raising the beam currents and squeezing the beam were experienced. Therefore the optics was modified to lower emittance. The successful test of the 'large Piwinski angle' and crab waist scheme, with extremely low design emittances, at the DAPHNE collider at Frascati made it the design choice for Super-B. Both HER and LER have been designed to meet these requirements and the design parameters relevant to our study, are shown in Table 1. As comparison the design parameters from NSLS II and other state of the art synchrotron light sources have been added to this table. From these parameters it is obvious that synchrotron radiation generated from both HER and LER is comparable to this last generation sources.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Parametric Study of Lithium-Ion Batteries using BatPaC (Final Report)

The Battery Performance and Cost Model (BatPaC) is a tool developed by Argonne National Laboratory to design lithium-ion battery (LIB) packs for automotive applications. The material demand and design specifications are used to estimate the cost of manufacturing the battery pack in a large volume production plant (5-50 GWh/year). With the option to select from various electrode chemistries and materials with their associated properties and prices, the resultant battery pack mass, volume, and cost can vary considerably. This report is the result of a parametric sensitivity study that helps identify the key parameters and prices that affect the battery metrics – the specific energy (Wh/kg) and the pack cost ($/kWh). The study was conducted with LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O 2 (NMC622) and graphite (G) electrodes as the baseline materials used in a battery pack for a 300-mile range battery electric vehicle (BEV300) and a 50-mile range plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV50).

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Crystal Structure and Phase Relations of the R{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B–Y{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B (R = Nd and Pr) Systems

The phase relations in the R{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B–Y{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B (R = Nd and Pr) systems have been investigated by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Crystal structure parameters for all studied alloys (R{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}){sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B (R = Nd and Pr) have been determined by Rietveld refinements. Their structures are similar to that of the Nd{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B phase with tetragonal structure (space group P4{sub 2}/mnm). The continuous solid solutions are formed in these systems. The lattice parameters and unit cell volumes of the (R{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}){sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B (R = Nd and Pr) solid solutions decrease gradually with increasing Y content. The DTA results present that the decomposition temperature of (R{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}){sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B (R = Nd and Pr) rises with x ranging from 0 to 1.0. The vertical sections of the R{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B–Y{sub 2}Fe{sub 14}B (R = Nd and Pr) systems are presented in this work.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Role of Viscosity in Causing the Plasma Poloidal Motion in Magnetic Clouds

An interesting phenomenon, plasma poloidal motion, has been found in many magnetic clouds (MCs), and viscosity has been proposed as a possible mechanism. However, it is not clear how significant the role of viscosity is in generating such motion. In this paper, we conduct a statistical study of the MCs detected by the Wind spacecraft during 1995–2012. It is found that, for 19% of all the studied MCs (186), the poloidal velocities of the MC plasma near the MC boundaries are well correlated with those of the corresponding ambient solar wind plasma. A non-monotonic increase from inner to outer MCs suggests that the viscosity does play a role, albeit weak, on the poloidal motion in the MC statistically. The possible dependence on the solar wind parameters is then studied in detail for the nine selected crossings, which represent the viscosity characteristic. There is an evident negative correlation between the viscosity and the density, a weak negative correlation between the viscosity and the turbulence strength, and no clear correlation between the viscosity and the temperature.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Analysis of Igniter/Promoter Material Effects on Burn Length Variability in Astm G124 Standard Testing

ASTM G124 refers to the “Standard Test Method for Determining the Combustion Behavior of Metallic Materials in Oxygen Enriched Atmospheres”. Major test parameters are well defined in the standard and a detailed description of how to set up and conduct the test is also included. However, one variable - the igniter/promoter system - is not clearly restricted or specified. Due to the fact that this igniter/promoter system is not definitively specified, multiple materials have been used. This lack of specificity in igniter/promoter material was identified as a potential source of variability in test results, and as such has been selected for this study as a parameter to analyze and identify if the igniters/promoters should be standardized. For that purpose, several igniter/promoter systems have been selected (that were currently in use at various laboratories) which would be tested via ASTM G124 with Inconel 718 test rods. Testing was conducted over two phases – the first for screening promoter effects in the transition region of the material, and the second for comparing measured flammability thresholds identified through testing by each igniter/promoter type. The results of this study have found that igniter/promoter material is not a statistically significant factor in the variability of burn length in test samples. Initial results showing variability was likely due to small sample size, as the issue became less pronounced once more samples were tested and more data generated. Each of the igniter/promoter systems tested were effective at determining flammability thresholds and so it is concluded that no specific igniter/promoter needs to be identified in the ASTM G124 test standard.

oxygen compatibility↗
DOE OSTI2017

On cracking of charged anisotropic polytropes

Recently in [1], the role of electromagnetic field on the cracking of spherical polytropes has been investigated without perturbing charge parameter explicitly. In this study, we have examined the occurrence of cracking of anisotropic spherical polytropes through perturbing parameters like anisotropic pressure, energy density and charge. We consider two different types of polytropes in this study. We discuss the occurrence of cracking in two different ways ( i ) by perturbing polytropic constant, anisotropy and charge parameter ( ii ) by perturbing polytropic index, anisotropy and charge parameter for each case. We conclude that cracking appears for a wide range of parameters in both cases. Also, our results are reduced to [2] in the absence of charge.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

An algorithmic calibration approach to identify globally optimal parameters for constraining the DayCent model

he accurate calibration of complex biogeochemical models is essential for the robust estimation of soil greenhouse gases (GHG) as well as other environmental conditions and parameters that are used in research and policy decisions. DayCent is a popular biogeochemical model used both nationally and internationally for this purpose. Despite DayCent’s popularity, its complex parameter estimation is often based on experts’ knowledge which is somewhat subjective. In this study we used the inverse modelling parameter estimation software (PEST), to calibrate the DayCent model based on sensitivity and identifi- ability analysis. Using previously published N2 O and crop yield data as a basis of our calibration approach, we found that half of the 140 parameters used in this study were the primary drivers of calibration dif- ferences (i.e. the most sensitive) and the remaining parameters could not be identified given the data set and parameter ranges we used in this study. The post calibration results showed improvement over the pre-calibration parameter set based on, a decrease in residual differences 79% for N2O fluxes and 84% for crop yield, and an increase in coefficient of determination 63% for N2O fluxes and 72% for corn yield. The results of our study suggest that future studies need to better characterize germination tem- perature, number of degree-days and temperature dependency of plant growth; these processes were highly sensitive and could not be adequately constrained by the data used in our study. Furthermore, the sensitivity and identifiability analysis was helpful in providing deeper insight for important processes and associated parameters that can lead to further improvement in calibration of DayCent model.

Corn yield↗