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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 1,549 records · Page 86
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Silicon-Equivalent Neutron Dose Estimations

Radiation transport calculations are often used to estimate dose or exposure to components and personnel surrounding a radiation source. The sources for these calculations are decaying radionuclides within the various nuclear materials. Under long-term radiation exposure, some components may show signs of material damage such as hardening, cracking, discoloration, etc. resulting from the dose received from nearby radioactive sources. Radiation dose quantities are a useful means to correlate material damage or degradation to radiation interactions. The degradation is often dependent on how incident radiation interacts and deposits energy into the material. This dependence implies that radiation dose should be properly defined for the material effect of interest. Generic dose quantities, such as total energy deposited, may not necessarily correlate well for degradation of any given material.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1976

Temporal X-ray astronomy with a pinhole camera

Preliminary results from the Ariel-5 All-Sky X-Ray Monitor are presented, along with sufficient experiment details to define the experiment sensitivity. Periodic modulation of the X-ray emission is investigated from three sources with which specific periods have been associated, with the results that the 4.8 h variation from Cyg X-3 is confirmed, a long-term average 5.6 day variation from Cyg X-1 is discovered, and no detectable 0.787 day modulation of Sco X-1 is observed. Consistency of the long-term Sco X-1 emission with a 'shot-noise' model is discussed, wherein the source behavior is shown to be interpretable as about 100 'flares' per day, each with a duration of several hours. A sudden increase in the Cyg X-1 intensity by almost a factor of three on 22 April 1975 is reported, after 5 months of relative source constancy. The light curve of a bright nova-like transient source in Triangulum is presented, and compared with previously observed transient sources. Preliminary evidence for the existence of X-ray 'bursts' with duration less than 1 h is offered, with the caveat that there is not yet any supporting evidence to guarantee that the effect is truly astronomical.

Holt, S. S.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Chemical Processing of Non-Crop Plants for Jet Fuel Blends Production

The use of Biofuels has been gaining in popularity over the past few years due to their ability to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. Biofuels as a renewable energy source can be a viable option for sustaining long-term energy needs if they are managed efficiently. We describe our initial efforts to exploit algae, halophytes and other non-crop plants to produce synthetics for fuel blends that can potentially be used as fuels for aviation and non-aerospace applications. Our efforts have been dedicated to crafting efficient extraction and refining processes in order to extract constituents from the plant materials with the ultimate goal of determining the feasibility of producing biomass-based jet fuel from the refined extract. Two extraction methods have been developed based on communition processes, and liquid-solid extraction techniques. Refining procedures such as chlorophyll removal and transesterification of triglycerides have been performed. Gas chromatography in tandem with mass spectroscopy is currently being utilized in order to qualitatively determine the individual components of the refined extract. We also briefly discuss and compare alternative methods to extract fuel-blending agents from alternative biofuels sources.

Kulis, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Propagation of sound waves through a linear shear layer: A closed form solution

Closed form solutions are presented for sound propagation from a line source in or near a shear layer. The analysis was exact for all frequencies and was developed assuming a linear velocity profile in the shear layer. This assumption allowed the solution to be expressed in terms of parabolic cyclinder functions. The solution is presented for a line monopole source first embedded in the uniform flow and then in the shear layer. Solutions are also discussed for certain types of dipole and quadrupole sources. Asymptotic expansions of the exact solutions for small and large values of Strouhal number gave expressions which correspond to solutions previously obtained for these limiting cases.

Scott, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Propagation of sound waves through a linear shear layer - A closed form solution

Closed form solutions are presented for sound propagation from a line source in or near a shear layer. The analysis is exact for all frequencies and is developed assuming a linear velocity profile in the shear layer. This assumption allows the solution to be expressed in terms of parabolic cylinder functions. The solution is presented for a line monopole source first embedded in the uniform flow and then in the shear layer. Solutions are also discussed for certain types of dipole and quadrupole sources. Asymptotic expansions of the exact solutions for small and large values of Strouhal number give expressions which correspond to solutions previously obtained for these limiting cases.

Scott, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The X-ray log N-log S relation

Results from various surveys are reviewed as regards X-ray source counts at high galactic latitudes and the luminosity functions determined for extragalactic sources. Constraints on the associated log N-log S relation provided by the extragalactic X-ray background are emphasized in terms of its spatial fluctuations and spectrum as well as absolute flux level. The large number of sources required for this background suggests that there is not a sharp boundary in the redshift distribution of visible matter.

Boldt, Elihu↗
NASA NTRS2013

Improving Photometry and Stellar Signal Preservation with Pixel-Level Systematic Error Correction

The Kepler Mission has demonstrated that excellent stellar photometric performance can be achieved using apertures constructed from optimally selected CCD pixels. The clever methods used to correct for systematic errors, while very successful, still have some limitations in their ability to extract long-term trends in stellar flux. They also leave poorly correlated bias sources, such as drifting moiré pattern, uncorrected. We will illustrate several approaches where applying systematic error correction algorithms to the pixel time series, rather than the co-added raw flux time series, provide significant advantages. Examples include, spatially localized determination of time varying moiré pattern biases, greater sensitivity to radiation-induced pixel sensitivity drops (SPSDs), improved precision of co-trending basis vectors (CBV), and a means of distinguishing the stellar variability from co-trending terms even when they are correlated. For the last item, the approach enables physical interpretation of appropriately scaled coefficients derived in the fit of pixel time series to the CBV as linear combinations of various spatial derivatives of the pixel response function (PRF). We demonstrate that the residuals of a fit of soderived pixel coefficients to various PRF-related components can be deterministically interpreted in terms of physically meaningful quantities, such as the component of the stellar flux time series which is correlated with the CBV, as well as, relative pixel gain, proper motion and parallax. The approach also enables us to parameterize and assess the limiting factors in the uncertainties in these quantities.

Kolodzijczak, Jeffrey J.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Strategizing emission cuts in China to mitigate short-term warming from clean air policies

Aerosol-cloud interactions remain one of the largest sources of uncertainty in estimates of anthropogenic climate forcing. Reducing aerosols to achieve air quality improvement and climate goals can cause unintended warming due to the weakening of aerosol cooling. Here we investigate the climate impacts of spatially optimized sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emission reduction under a carbon-neutral pathway in China. We find that targeting reduction in highly polluted regions in China significantly suppresses the rise in effective radiative forcing due to aerosol-cloud interactions (ERF aci ) during 2020–2060. Owing to the nonlinear aerosol-cloud interaction, the optimized emission reduction strategy limits the regional average increase in ERF aci of more than 0.89 W m −2 to less than 0.13 W m −2 in the short-term future during 2020–2040 and weakens the ERF aci increase by two-thirds in 2060 over China. These findings demonstrate the critical role of targeted emission control in mitigating short-term climate risks while pursuing air quality goals.

Zhu, Yitong [Nanjing Univ. of Information Science ↗
NASA NTRS2009

Biofuels as an Alternative Energy Source for Aviation-A Survey

The use of biofuels has been gaining in popularity over the past few years because of their ability to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels. As a renewable energy source, biofuels can be a viable option for sustaining long-term energy needs if they are managed efficiently. We investigate past, present, and possible future biofuel alternatives currently being researched and applied around the world. More specifically, we investigate the use of ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel (palm oil, algae, and halophytes), and synthetic fuel blends that can potentially be used as fuels for aviation and nonaerospace applications. We also investigate the processing of biomass via gasification, hydrolysis, and anaerobic digestion as a way to extract fuel oil from alternative biofuels sources.

McDowellBomani, Bilal M.↗
NASA NTRS2021

The sensitivity of runoff generation to spatial snowpack uniformity in an alpine watershed: Green Lakes Valley, Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research station

Seasonal water storage in high-elevation alpine catchments are critical sources of water for mountainous regions like the western U.S. The spatial distribution of snow in these topographically complex catchments is primarily governed by orography, solar radiation, and wind redistribution. While the effect of solar shading is relatively consistent from year-to-year, the redistribution of snow due to wind is more variable–capable of producing snowpacks that have varying degrees of uniformity across these hydrologically-important catchments. A reasonable hypothesis is that a warmer climate will cause snowfall to become more dense (i.e. wetter and heavier), possibly leading to less wind redistribution and thus produce a more uniformly distributed snowpack across the landscape. In this study, we investigate the role of increasingly uniform spatial snowpack distributions on streamflow generation in the Green Lakes Valley Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research station, within the headwaters of the Boulder Creek watershed in Colorado. A set of idealized hydrologic simulation experiments driven by reconstructed snowpacks spanning 2001–2014 show that more a more uniform spatial snowpack distribution leads to an earlier melt-out of31 days on average and tends to produce less total streamflow, with maximum decreases as large as 7.5%. Isolating the role of snowpack heterogeneity from melt-season precipitation, we find that snowpack uniformity reduces total streamflow by as much as 13.2%. Reductions in streamflow are largely explained by greater expo-sure to solar radiation in the uniformly distributed case relative to a more heterogeneous snowpack, with this exposure driving shifts towards earlier snowmelt and changes in soil water storage. Overall, we find that the runoff efficiency from shallower snowpacks is more sensitive to the effects of uniformity than deeper snowpacks, which has potential implications for a warming climate where shallower snowpacks and enhanced sensitivities may be present.

Alpine catchment↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fiberboard Properties and Degradation Rates for Storage of 9975 Shipping Package in KAC (2020 Status Report)

Savannah River Site (SRS) stores plutonium materials within model 9975 shipping packages in the K-Area Complex (KAC). The 9975 shipping package consists of a 35 gallon stainless steel drum, Celotex fiberboard insulation, lead shield, and primary and secondary containment vessels. The 9975 shipping package design, performance, and analysis for safe transport of radioactive material are described in the Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP). Celotex fiberboard provides three safety functions: thermal insulation to limit internal temperature during a fire, criticality control, and resistance to package crushing. The fiberboard material must retain its dimensions and density within certain ranges to provide the required impact resistance, criticality control, and fire resistance. The SRS Surveillance Program monitors material performance to establish a basis for service life and ensures the continued integrity of 9975 packages. Fiberboard samples, taken from multiple fiberboard assemblies fabricated from cane and softwood fiberboard, have been conditioning in elevated temperature environments since 2005. The samples are periodically examined to monitor thermal, mechanical, and physical properties, and assess degradation trends. Fiberboard properties of interest that are evaluated to demonstrate acceptable long-term performance include dimensional stability, density, compressive strength, thermal conductivity, and specific heat capacity. Duplicate samples from multiple package sources have been tested to identify the range of variability in fiberboard properties and degradation rates. Baseline and long-term testing of fiberboard material properties have been reported previously; reference 6 summarized experimental results of cane and softwood fiberboard through May 2019 and presented degradation models for the measured properties. This report presents the cumulative data collected through June 2020 and the corresponding updated aging models.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Coordinated Integration of Renewable Generation and Small Modular Reactors in Puerto Rico – an Initial Study

With a growing interest and awareness to support clean and sustainable sources of energy, several countries have ambitious plans to significantly increase the penetration of renewable energy in the grid. However, the sources of renewable energy, such as solar and wind, are highly intermittent and therefore can pose additional challenges to maintain reliable system operations; one such challenge being flexibility requirement. This paper addresses the concerns of increasing flexibility needs with high renewable penetration, and also study the coordinated integration of nuclear small modular reactor and inverter-based renewable generation sources in a system to achieve high levels of carbon-free and sustainable energy. In this paper, balancing reserve and short-term flexibility requirements were considered for the analysis purpose. Also, methodology was developed to calculate metrics for calculating short-term flexibility requirements in the time-scale of hours. Small modular reactors are considered as potential sources of generation flexibility to complement renewables.

Agrawal, Urmila↗
DOE OSTI2021

Local Explosion Detection and Infrasound Localization by Reverse Time Migration Using 3-D Finite-Difference Wave Propagation

Infrasound data are routinely used to detect and locate volcanic and other explosions, using both arrays and single sensor networks. However, at local distances (< km) topography often complicates acoustic propagation, resulting in inaccurate acoustic travel times leading to biased source locations when assuming straight-line propagation. Here we present a new method, termed Reverse Time Migration-Finite-Difference Time Domain (RTM-FDTD), that integrates numerical modeling into the standard RTM back-projection process. Travel time information is computed across the entire potential source grid via FDTD modeling to incorporate the effects of topography. The waveforms are then back-projected and stacked at each grid point, with the stack maximum corresponding to the likely source. We apply our method to three volcanoes with different network configurations, source-receiver distances, and topography. At Yasur Volcano, Vanuatu, RTM-FDTD locates explosions within ~20 m of the source and differentiates between multiple vents. RTM-FDTD produces a more accurate location for the two Yasur subcraters than standard RTM and doubles the number of detected events. At Sakurajima Volcano, Japan, RTM-FDTD locates the source within 50 m of the active vent despite notable topographic blocking. The RTM-FDTD location is similar to that from the Time Reversal Mirror method, but is more computationally efficient. Lastly, at Shishaldin Volcano, Alaska, RTM and RTM-FDTD both produce realistic source locations (<50 m) for ground-coupled airwaves recorded on a four-station seismic network. We show that RTM is an effective method to detect and locate infrasonic sources across a variety of scenarios, and by integrating numerical modeling, RTM-FDTD produces more accurate source locations and increases the detection capability.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1981

A comparison of stratified versus regression estimators

LANDSAT data acquired over an agricultural area along with ground enumeration of the same area are used to obtain crop acreage estimates which are better (as measured in terms of bias and variance) than can be obtained from either data source alone. Two basic approaches considered within the AgRISTARS program are a stratified crop acreage estimator and a regression estimator. A statement of the problem was mathematically formulated and some theorems were proved which relate to the variance of the two estimators. For a particular set of data, the regression and stratified estimators are compared in terms of certain easily computed parameters.

Takacs, H. C.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Further probing of the X-ray source in NGC 4151 - New constraints on the nuclear geometry

We report on the results of new Ginga observations of the archetypal Seyfert galaxy, NGC 4151, performed over an 18-month period between early 1990 and mid-1991. The present program complements earlier extensive monitoring of this source in the medium-energy X-ray band by both EXOSAT and Ginga to give a combined data set of some 36 separate observations made over a period of 8 years. The new observations bring to light a remarkable transient change in the low-energy extinction and soft X-ray excess apparent in the X-ray spectrum of NGC 4151. The spectrum became systematically softer below about 4 keV from mid-1988, with the spectral softness peaking in mid-1990 and then reverting to its former state by late 1990. Interpreting this in terms of the partial covering model, the covered fraction of the source, which normally takes a value of 80-90 percent, underwent a sharp decline to about 20 percent over a 2-year period and then returned to the canonical level over the following six months. This observation favors the presence of a normally stable 'bulk' structure such as an edge-on accretion disk. A transitory change of azimuthal structure in the disk could then account for the apparent dip in the covered fraction. If the central X-ray source radiates isotropically then the medium producing the bulk of the iron-line emission must deviate from a spherically symmetric distribution.

Yaqoob, T.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Accumulation of microplastics in soil after long-term application of biosolids and atmospheric deposition

Land-applied biosolids can be a considerable source of microplastics in soils. Previous studies reported microplastics accumulation in soils from biosolid application, however, little is known about the contribution of atmospherically deposited microplastics to agricultural soils. In this study, we quantified and characterized microplastics in soils that have been amended with biosolids over the past 23 years. We also collected atmospheric deposition samples to determine the amount and type of plastics added to soils through atmospheric input over a period of about 2 years. Soil samples were taken from a replicated field trial where biosolids have been applied at rates of 0, 4.8, 6.9, and 9.0 t/ha every second crop. The biosolids were anaerobically digested and dewatered, and were applied by spreading onto the soil surface. Soil and atmospheric samples were extracted for microplastics by Fenton's reaction to remove organic matter followed by flotation in a zinc chloride solution to separate plastic from soil particles. Samples were analyzed for microplastics by optical microscopy and Laser Direct Infrared Imaging Analysis (LDIR). The mean number of microplastics identified from biosolids samples was 12,000 particles/kg dry biosolids. The long-term applications of biosolids to the soil led to mean plastics concentrations of 383, 500, and 361 particles/kg dry soil in the 0–10 cm depth for low, medium, and high biosolids application rates, respectively. These plastic concentrations were not significantly different from each other, but significantly higher than those found in non biosolids-amended soil (117 particles/kg dry soil). The dominant plastic types by number found in biosolids were polyurethane, followed by polyethylene, and polyamide. The most abundant plastics in soil samples were polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, and polyethylene. Atmospheric deposition contributed to 15 particles/kg dry soil per year and was mainly composed of polyamide fibers. In conclusion, this study shows that long-term application of biosolids led to an accumulation of microplastics in soil, but that atmospheric deposition also contributes a considerable input of microplastics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2018

Estimating CO2 Emissions Using Real and Simulated Total Column XCO2 Observations

Rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations necessitate deeper understanding of urban sources and sinks. Various sensor technologies and data assimilation strategies can be used to determine short- and long-term atmospheric trends. We seek to find the optimal synthesis of various measurement types in order to characterizing different types of sources in an urban environment.

Raheja, Garima↗
DOE OSTI2024

Analyzing the impact of design factors on solar module thermomechanical durability using interpretable machine learning techniques

Solar modules in utility-scale systems are expected to maintain decades of lifetime to rival conventional energy sources. However, cyclic thermomechanical loading often degrades their long-term performance, highlighting the importance of effective design to mitigate thermal expansion mismatches between module materials. Given the complex composition of solar modules, isolating the impact of individual components on overall durability remains a challenging task. In this work, we analyze a comprehensive data set that comprises bill-of-materials (BOM) and thermal cycling power loss from 251 distinct module designs to identify the predominant design factors and their impacts on the thermomechanical durability of modules. The methodology of our analysis combines machine learning modeling (random forest) and Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) to correlate design factors with power loss and interpret the model’s decision-making. The interpretation reveals that silicon type (monocrystalline or polycrystalline), encapsulant thickness, busbar numbers, and wafer thickness predominantly influence the degradation. With lower power loss of around 0.6% on average in the SHAP analysis, monocrystalline cells present better durability than polycrystalline cells. This finding is further substantiated by statistical testing on our raw data set. The SHAP analysis also demonstrates that while thicker encapsulants lead to reduced power loss, further increasing their thickness over around 0.6 to 0.7 mm does not yield additional benefits, particularly for the front side one. In addition, other important BOM features such as the number of busbars are analyzed. This study provides a blueprint for utilizing explainable machine learning techniques in a complex material system and can potentially guide future research on optimizing the design of solar modules.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗