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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 1,729 records · Page 96
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

First principle study of elastic and thermodynamic properties of FeB{sub 4} under high pressure

The elastic properties, elastic anisotropy, and thermodynamic properties of the lately synthesized orthorhombic FeB{sub 4} at high pressures are investigated using first-principles density functional calculations. The calculated equilibrium parameters are in good agreement with the available experimental and theoretical data. The obtained normalized volume dependence of high pressure is consistent with the previous experimental data investigated using high-pressure synchrotron x-ray diffraction. The complete elastic tensors and crystal anisotropies of the FeB{sub 4} are also determined in the pressure range of 0–100 GPa. By the elastic stability criteria and vibrational frequencies, it is predicted that the orthorhombic FeB{sub 4} is stable up to 100 GPa. In addition, the calculated B/G ratio reveals that FeB{sub 4} possesses brittle nature in the range of pressure from 0 to 100 GPa. The calculated elastic anisotropic factors suggest that FeB{sub 4} is elastically anisotropic. By using quasi-harmonic Debye model, the compressibility, bulk modulus, the coefficient of thermal expansion, the heat capacity, and the Grüneisen parameter of FeB{sub 4} are successfully obtained in the present work.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Numerical power balance and free energy loss analysis for solar cells including optical, thermodynamic, and electrical aspects

A method for analyzing the power losses of solar cells is presented, supplying a complete balance of the incident power, the optical, thermodynamic, and electrical power losses and the electrical output power. The involved quantities have the dimension of a power density (units: W/m{sup 2}), which permits their direct comparison. In order to avoid the over-representation of losses arising from the ultraviolet part of the solar spectrum, a method for the analysis of the electrical free energy losses is extended to include optical losses. This extended analysis does not focus on the incident solar power of, e.g., 1000 W/m{sup 2} and does not explicitly include the thermalization losses and losses due to the generation of entropy. Instead, the usable power, i.e., the free energy or electro-chemical potential of the electron-hole pairs is set as reference value, thereby, overcoming the ambiguities of the power balance. Both methods, the power balance and the free energy loss analysis, are carried out exemplarily for a monocrystalline p-type silicon metal wrap through solar cell with passivated emitter and rear (MWT-PERC) based on optical and electrical measurements and numerical modeling. The methods give interesting insights in photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion, provide quantitative analyses of all loss mechanisms, and supply the basis for the systematic technological improvement of the device.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Thermodynamic evaluation of hydrogen production via bioethanol steam reforming

In this article, a thermodynamic analysis for bioethanol steam reforming for hydrogen production is presented. Bioethanol is a newly proposed renewable energy carrier mainly produced from biomass fermentation. Reforming of bioethanol provides a promising method for hydrogen production from renewable resources. Steam reforming of ethanol (SRE) takes place under the action of a metal catalyst capable of breaking C-C bonds into smaller molecules. A large domain for the water/bioethanol molar ratio as well as the temperature and average pressure has been used in the present work. The interval of investigated temperature was 100-800°C, the pressure was in the range of 1-10 bar and the molar ratio was between 3-25. The variations of gaseous species concentration e.g. H{sub 2}, CO, CO{sub 2}, CH{sub 4} were analyzed. The concentrations of the main products (H{sub 2} and CO) at lower temperature are smaller than the ones at higher temperature due to by-products formation (methane, carbon dioxide, acetylene etc.). The concentration of H2 obtained in the process using high molar ratio (>20) is higher than the one at small molar ratio (near stoichiometric). When the pressure is increased the hydrogen concentration decreases. The results were compared with literature data for validation purposes.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Resummed thermodynamic perturbation theory for bond cooperativity in associating fluids

We develop a resummed thermodynamic perturbation theory for bond cooperativity in associating fluids by extension of Wertheim's multi-density formalism. We specifically consider the case of an associating hard sphere with two association sites and both pairwise and triplet contributions to the energy, such that the first bond in an associated cluster receives an energy −ε{sup (1)} and each subsequent bond in the cluster receives an energy −ε{sup (2)}. To test the theory we perform new Monte Carlo simulations for potentials of this type. Theory and simulation are found to be in excellent agreement. We show that decreasing the energetic benefit of hydrogen bonding can actually result in a decrease in internal energy in the fluid. We also predict that when ε{sup (1)} = 0 and ε{sup (2)} is nonzero there is a transition temperature where the system transitions from a fluid of monomers to a mixture of monomers and very long chains.

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

Thermodynamic and mechanical stabilities of α- and β-Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3} via first-principles investigations

Recently, it has been predicted that Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3} is likely to exhibit an (α–β) polymorphic transformation at temperatures above 1873 K. However, recent X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy experiments suggest on the other hand that the α phase remains stable up to temperatures close to the limit of experimental capabilities and no transition has yet been observed. While the matter has already been settled experimentally, in this work, we re-investigate the phase stability problem in Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3} by using first-principles methods. The study was carried out by considering both thermodynamic and mechanical stabilities of the Ta{sub 4}AlC{sub 3} polymorphs. Particularly, finite-temperature Gibbs free energies and elastic properties of the polymorphs were calculated using density functional theory. Calculation results reveal that the α phase continue to be stable even at temperatures exceeding 1875 K, which is in agreement with experimental results reported in literature.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

On the thermodynamic stability of hydrogen hydrates in the presence of promoter molecules

Cage occupancies of hydrogen molecules in a clathrate hydrate have been examined by means of semi-grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations where hydrogen molecules enter into or leave from it in the presence of promoter species. This kind of simulation allows to evaluate the thermodynamic stability via the chemical potential of water at a given temperature and pressure. In order to make a better estimation of the chemical potential, we adopt a different standard state from the corresponding empty one. It is revealed that the present method is indeed effective to minimize errors associated with the numerical simulations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermodynamic stability of nanosized multicomponent bubbles/droplets: The square gradient theory and the capillary approach

Formation of nanosized droplets/bubbles from a metastable bulk phase is connected to many unresolved scientific questions. We analyze the properties and stability of multicomponent droplets and bubbles in the canonical ensemble, and compare with single-component systems. The bubbles/droplets are described on the mesoscopic level by square gradient theory. Furthermore, we compare the results to a capillary model which gives a macroscopic description. Remarkably, the solutions of the square gradient model, representing bubbles and droplets, are accurately reproduced by the capillary model except in the vicinity of the spinodals. The solutions of the square gradient model form closed loops, which shows the inherent symmetry and connected nature of bubbles and droplets. A thermodynamic stability analysis is carried out, where the second variation of the square gradient description is compared to the eigenvalues of the Hessian matrix in the capillary description. The analysis shows that it is impossible to stabilize arbitrarily small bubbles or droplets in closed systems and gives insight into metastable regions close to the minimum bubble/droplet radii. Despite the large difference in complexity, the square gradient and the capillary model predict the same finite threshold sizes and very similar stability limits for bubbles and droplets, both for single-component and two-component systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermodynamic analysis of cascade microcryocoolers with low pressure ratios

The vapor-compression cycle for refrigeration near ambient temperature achieves high efficiency because the isenthalpic expansion of the condensed liquid is a rather efficient process. However, temperatures are limited to about 200 K with a single-stage system. Temperatures down to 77 K are possible with many stages. In the case of microcryocoolers using microcompressors, pressure ratios are usually limited to about 6 or less. As a result, even more stages are required to reach 77 K. If the microcompressors can be fabricated with low-cost wafer-level techniques, then the use of many stages with separate compressors may become a viable option for achieving temperatures of 77 K with high efficiency. We analyze the ideal thermodynamic efficiency of a cascade Joule-Thomson system for various temperatures down to 77 K and with low pressure ratios. About nine stages are required for 77 K, but fewer stages are also analyzed for operation at higher temperatures. For 77 K, an ideal second-law efficiency of 83 % of Carnot is possible with perfect recuperative heat exchangers and 65 % of Carnot is possible with no recuperative heat exchangers. The results are compared with calculated efficiencies in mixed-refrigerant cryocoolers over the range of 77 K to 200 K. Refrigeration at intermediate temperatures is also available. The use of single-component fluids in each of the stages is expected to eliminate the problem of pulsating flow and temperature oscillations experienced in microcryocoolers using mixed refrigerants.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermodynamic ground state of MgB{sub 6} predicted from first principles structure search methods

Crystalline structures of magnesium hexaboride, MgB{sub 6}, were investigated using unbiased structure searching methods combined with first principles density functional calculations. An orthorhombic Cmcm structure was predicted as the thermodynamic ground state of MgB{sub 6}. The energy of the Cmcm structure is significantly lower than the theoretical MgB{sub 6} models previously considered based on a primitive cubic arrangement of boron octahedra. The Cmcm structure is stable against the decomposition to elemental magnesium and boron solids at atmospheric pressure and high pressures up to 18.3 GPa. A unique feature of the predicted Cmcm structure is that the boron atoms are clustered into two forms: localized B{sub 6} octahedra and extended B{sub ∞} ribbons. Within the boron ribbons, the electrons are delocalized and this leads to a metallic ground state with vanished electric dipoles. The present prediction is in contrast to the previous proposal that the crystalline MgB{sub 6} maintains a semiconducting state with permanent dipole moments. MgB{sub 6} is estimated to have much weaker electron-phonon coupling compared with that of MgB{sub 2}, and therefore it is not expected to be able to sustain superconductivity at high temperatures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Misfit strain-temperature phase diagrams and domain stability of asymmetric ferroelectric capacitors: Thermodynamic calculation and phase-field simulation

Thermodynamic calculation and phase-field simulation have been conducted to investigate the misfit strain-temperature phase diagrams, dielectric property, and domain stability of asymmetric ferroelectric capacitors (FCs), with considering the effects of dissimilar screening properties and work function steps at the two interfaces. The distinct features of asymmetric FCs from their symmetric counterparts have been revealed and discussed. Polar states with nonzero out-of-plane polarization in parallel with the built-in field are found preferential to form in asymmetric FCs. Meanwhile, the built-in field breaks the degeneracy of states with out-of-plane polarization in anti-directions. This leads to the necessity of redefining phases according to the bistability of out-of-plane polarization. Moreover, the phase stability as well as the dielectric behavior can be significantly controlled by the properties of electrodes, misfit strain, and temperature. The phase-field simulation result also shows that polydomain instability would happen in asymmetric FCs as the equivalence of domain stability in anti-directions is destroyed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ab initio studies on phase transition, thermoelastic, superconducting and thermodynamic properties of the compressed cubic phase of AlH{sub 3}

The phase transition, thermoelastic, lattice dynamic, and thermodynamic properties of the cubic metallic phase AlH{sub 3} were obtained within the density-function perturbation theory. The calculated elastic modulus and phonon dispersion curves under various pressures at 0 K indicate the cubic phase is both mechanically and dynamically stable above 73 GPa. The superconducting transition temperature T{sub c} was calculated using the Allen-Dynes modification of the McMillan formula based on BCS theory. The calculations show that T{sub c} for the cubic phase AlH{sub 3} is 8.5 K (μ{sup *}=0.1) at the onset of this phase (73 GPa), while decreases to 5.7 K at 80 GPa and almost disappears at 110 GPa, consisting with experimental phenomenon that there was no superconducting transition observed down to 4 K over a wide pressure range 110–164 GPa. It is found that the soft phonon mode for branch 1, namely, the lowest acoustic mode, plays a crucial role in elevating the total EPC parameter λ of cubic AlH{sub 3}. And the evolution of T{sub c} with pressure follows the corresponding change of this soft mode, i.e. this mode is responsible for the disappearance of T{sub c} in experiments. Meanwhile, the softening of this lowest acoustic mode originates from the electronic momentum transfer from M to R point. This phenomenon provides an important insight into why drastic changes in the diffraction pattern were observed in the pressure range of 63–73 GPa in Goncharenko's experiments. Specifically, once finite electronic temperature effects are included, we find that dynamical instabilities can be removed in the phonon dispersion for P≥63 GPa, rendering the metastability of this phase in the range of 63–73 GPa, and T{sub c} (15.4 K) becomes remarkably high under the lowest possible pressure (63 GPa) compared with that of under 73 GPa (8.5 K). Our calculations open the possibility that finite temperature may allow cubic AlH{sub 3} to be dynamically stabilized even for pressures below 73 GPa. It is reasonable to deduced that if special techniques, such as rapid decompression, quenching, and annealing, are implemented in experiments, higher T{sub c} can be observed in hydrides or hydrogen-rich compounds under much lower pressure than ever before.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Structural and thermodynamic properties of Fe{sub 1.12}Te with multiple phase transitions

The parent compound of iron chalcogenide superconductors, Fe{sub 1+y}Te, with a range of excess Fe concentrations exhibits intriguing structural and magnetic properties. Here, the interplay of magnetic and structural properties of Fe{sub 1.12}Te single crystals have been probed by low-temperature synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, magnetization, and specific heat measurements. Thermodynamic measurements reveal two distinct phase transitions, considered unique to samples possessing excess Fe content in the range of 0.11≤y≤0.13. On cooling, an antiferromagnetic transition, T{sub N}≈57 K is observed. A closer examination of powder diffraction data suggests that the transition at T{sub N} is not purely magnetic, but accompanied by the commencement of a structural phase transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic symmetry. This is followed by a second prominent first-order structural transition at T{sub S} with T{sub S}<T{sub N}, where an onset of monoclinic distortion is observed. The results point to a strong magneto-structural coupling in this material.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

On equivalence of high temperature series expansion and coupling parameter series expansion in thermodynamic perturbation theory of fluids

The coupling parameter series expansion and the high temperature series expansion in the thermodynamic perturbation theory of fluids are shown to be equivalent if the interaction potential is pairwise additive. As a consequence, for the class of fluids with the potential having a hardcore repulsion, if the hard-sphere fluid is chosen as reference system, the terms of coupling parameter series expansion for radial distribution function, direct correlation function, and Helmholtz free energy follow a scaling law with temperature. The scaling law is confirmed by application to square-well fluids.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Resummed thermodynamic perturbation theory for bond cooperativity in associating fluids with small bond angles: Effects of steric hindrance and ring formation

In this paper we develop a thermodynamic perturbation theory for two site associating fluids which exhibit bond cooperativity (system energy is non-pairwise additive). We include both steric hindrance and ring formation such that the equation of state is bond angle dependent. Here, the bond angle is the angle separating the centers of the two association sites. As a test, new Monte Carlo simulations are performed, and the theory is found to accurately predict the internal energy as well as the distribution of associated clusters as a function of bond angle.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Polymorphism and thermodynamic ground state of silver fulminate studied from van der Waals density functional calculations

Silver fulminate (AgCNO) is a primary explosive, which exists in two polymorphic phases, namely, orthorhombic (Cmcm) and trigonal (R3{sup ¯}) forms at ambient conditions. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of pressure and temperature on relative phase stability of the polymorphs using planewave pseudopotential approaches based on Density Functional Theory (DFT). van der Waals interactions play a significant role in predicting the phase stability and they can be effectively captured by semi-empirical dispersion correction methods in contrast to standard DFT functionals. Based on our total energy calculations using DFT-D2 method, the Cmcm structure is found to be the preferred thermodynamic equilibrium phase under studied pressure and temperature range. Hitherto Cmcm and R3{sup ¯} phases denoted as α- and β-forms of AgCNO, respectively. Also a pressure induced polymorphic phase transition is seen using DFT functionals and the same was not observed with DFT-D2 method. The equation of state and compressibility of both polymorphic phases were investigated. Electronic structure and optical properties were calculated using full potential linearized augmented plane wave method within the Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson potential. The calculated electronic structure shows that α, β phases are indirect bandgap insulators with a bandgap values of 3.51 and 4.43 eV, respectively. The nature of chemical bonding is analyzed through the charge density plots and partial density of states. Optical anisotropy, electric-dipole transitions, and photo sensitivity to light of the polymorphs are analyzed from the calculated optical spectra. Overall, the present study provides an early indication to experimentalists to avoid the formation of unstable β-form of AgCNO.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Local thermodynamic equilibrium in rapidly heated high energy density plasmas

Emission spectra and the dynamics of high energy density plasmas created by optical and Free Electron Lasers (FELs) depend on the populations of atomic levels. Calculations of plasma emission and ionization may be simplified by assuming Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE), where populations are given by the Saha-Boltzmann equation. LTE can be achieved at high densities when collisional processes are much more significant than radiative processes, but may not be valid if plasma conditions change rapidly. A collisional-radiative model has been used to calculate the times taken by carbon and iron plasmas to reach LTE at varying densities and heating rates. The effect of different energy deposition methods, as well as Ionization Potential Depression are explored. This work shows regimes in rapidly changing plasmas, such as those created by optical lasers and FELs, where the use of LTE is justified, because timescales for plasma changes are significantly longer than the times needed to achieve an LTE ionization balance.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Reduced hierarchical equations of motion in real and imaginary time: Correlated initial states and thermodynamic quantities

For a system strongly coupled to a heat bath, the quantum coherence of the system and the heat bath plays an important role in the system dynamics. This is particularly true in the case of non-Markovian noise. We rigorously investigate the influence of system-bath coherence by deriving the reduced hierarchal equations of motion (HEOM), not only in real time, but also in imaginary time, which represents an inverse temperature. It is shown that the HEOM in real time obtained when we include the system-bath coherence of the initial thermal equilibrium state possess the same form as those obtained from a factorized initial state. We find that the difference in behavior of systems treated in these two manners results from the difference in initial conditions of the HEOM elements, which are defined in path integral form. We also derive HEOM along the imaginary time path to obtain the thermal equilibrium state of a system strongly coupled to a non-Markovian bath. Then, we show that the steady state hierarchy elements calculated from the real-time HEOM can be expressed in terms of the hierarchy elements calculated from the imaginary-time HEOM. Moreover, we find that the imaginary-time HEOM allow us to evaluate a number of thermodynamic variables, including the free energy, entropy, internal energy, heat capacity, and susceptibility. The expectation values of the system energy and system-bath interaction energy in the thermal equilibrium state are also evaluated.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Phase diagram of the CulnSe{sub 2}-CuGaSe{sub 2} pseudobinary system studied by combined ab initio density functional theory and thermodynamic calculation

The phase diagram of the CuInSe{sub 2}-CuGaSe{sub 2} pseudobinary system was determined using a combination of special quasirandom structure approach, ab initio density functional theory calculations, and thermodynamic modelling. It is shown that the CuIn{sub 1−x}Ga{sub x}Se{sub 2} solution phase has a tendency to phase separation at low temperature. The calculated consolute temperature is 485 K. It is found that both the binodal and spinodal curves are significantly asymmetric and on both curves there are a local maximum and a local minimum, which have not been reported in the previous studies. Our phase diagram can well explain the finding that the inhomogeneity of CuIn{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}Se{sub 2} is higher than that of CuIn{sub 0.75}Ga{sub 0.25}Se{sub 2} at the same temperature, while the previous phase diagrams cannot. Hence, our phase diagram should be more reliable and applicable.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗