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Arne Croell

Publications and source records attributed to Arne Croell.

14 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Crystal Growth in the SUBSA furnace in MSG: 2002 to 2022

In 2002, the investigation “Solidification Using a Baffle In Sealed Ampoules (SUBSA)” was the first investigation to utilize the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Facility on the International Space Station (ISS). The SUBSA furnace was designed for growth of indium antimonide. It features a transparent section, which allows a side view of the melt, the solid-liquid (SL) interface and the growing crystal. In 2002, four Te-doped and three Zn-doped InSb crystals were grown in microgravity. Subsequently, the SUBSA furnace was used in several materials science investigations, including growing the radiation detector materials, InI and Cs2LiYCl6:Ce from the melt and vapor phase (2017 to 2019) and “Brazing of Aluminum alloys in Space (BRAINS)”. A review of the SUBSA furnace features and parameters will be presented, including the design of the growth ampoules, charge preparation, and the procedures used to grow InSb (in 2002) and InI (in 2019).

Aleksandar Ostrogorsky↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Hot Hydrogen Testing of W-coated dUN Kernels for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

Tungsten-coated kernels of uranium nitride (UN) are a possible reactor fuel component for nuclear thermal propulsion. Hot hydrogen testing of such kernels (approx. 250μm diameter, coating thickness 5μm) has been performed at temperatures from 1800°C to 2300°C for 30min each, using depleted uranium nitride (dUN). In addition to direct observations and mass loss measurements, the samples were analyzed by XRD and SEM/EDS after each run. Decomposition of dUN and the formation of molten uranium happened at all temperatures tested with reaction rates increasing with temperature, despite the tungsten coating. At 2300°C, the kernels disintegrated and molten uranium seeped through the wall and bottom of the tungsten crucible employed. These hot hydrogen tests allowed to test the integrity of the tungsten coating and addressed the operating limits of the loose tungsten-coated dUN kernels. Improved results are expected upon consolidation of the tungsten-coated dUN kernels in a Mo-W alloy matrix.

nuclear fuels↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

What’s Going on with Compact Fuel Element Environmental Test (CFEET)

Recently, space nuclear propulsion has again become a concept of high interest for deep space missions. A nuclear thermal engine can offer numerous benefits including the option of a mission abort along with shorter transit times for crewed missions. The compact fuel element environment test (CFEET) facility was first introduced in 2012 as a low cost alternative to the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES) where materials of interest are exposed to prototypical conditions inside a nuclear thermal engine, including elevated temperatures in the presence of a hydrogen flow. CFEET has become a reliable and recognizable instrument to test the survivability of potential fuel material under hot hydrogen at high temperatures. The furnace has undergone several changes and improvements over the last years. This presentation will focus on new upgrades to improve the processing conditions, temperature measurement accuracy, and to qualify CFEET for reaching temperatures of up to 2900K.

Jamelle K.P. Williams↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Crystal Growth in the SUBSA furnace at the International Space Station (ISS)

In 2002, our investigation Solidification Using a Baffle In Sealed Ampoules (SUBSA) was the first investigation to utilize the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) Facility on the International Space Station (ISS). The SUBSA furnace was designed for growth of indium antimonide. It features a transparent section, which allows a side view of the melt, the solid-liquid (SL) interface and the growing crystal. In 2002, four Te- doped and three Zn-doped InSb crystals were grown in microgravity. Subsequently, the SUBSA furnace was used in several other materials science investigations, including growing the radiation detector materials InI and Cs2LiYCl6:Ce from the melt and vapor phase (2017 to 2019) and Brazing of Aluminum alloys in Space (BRAINS). A review of the SUBSA furnace features and parameters will be presented, including the design of the growth ampoules, charge preparation, and the procedures used to grow InSb (in 2002) and InI (in 2019).

A.G. Ostrogorsk↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Thermophysical Property Measurements of Indium Iodide Crystals

InI single crystals are a promising room temperature detector material for X-rays and γ-rays. To improve crystal growth of the material by simulations, knowledge of thermophysical properties is essential, and since InI is orthorhombic, the anisotropy has to be taken into account. The temperature dependence of several thermophysical properties have been measured for InI, including the anisotropic thermal expansion, specific heat, and the thermal diffusivity in the b direction. The anisotropic thermal expansion coefficients, determined by X-ray diffraction, were α11=1.03·10-5 K-1, α22= 3.77·10-5 K-1, and α33 = 6.26·10-5 K-1. The specific heat, measured by DSC, was 0.226 J g-1 K-1 at 335K, with a temperature dependence of 9.582·10-5 J g-1 K-2. In the course of the X-ray diffraction and DSC measurements, it was shown that supposed phase changes, reported in older literature, are actually not phase changes but oxidation effects. The thermal diffusivity in the b direction, measured by the Xenon Flash method, was 0.288·10-6 m2s-1 at RT, decreasing to 0.253·10-6 m2 s-1 at 450K. In addition, the volume increase upon melting and the thermal expansion of the melt have been determined.

Martin Volz↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Detached Melt and Vapor Growth of InI in SUBSA hardware

Indium iodide (InI) single crystals, grown by the Bridgman process, have shown a significant promise as room temperature detector material for X-rays and γ-rays due to the large, close to ideal, bandgap of Eg = 2 eV, and high electrical resistivity. Yet the transport properties of the charge and the detector performance remain inadequate. The Bridgman growth of semiconductor crystals in microgravity have typically resulted in partial dewetting and Marangoni convection, which disturbed the diffusion-controlled growth and produced nonuniform dopant distribution. However, unconfined or partially confined solidification drastically reduced the number of stress-induced defects compared to the confined growth in crucibles on Earth.The goal of the present investigation was to explore melt growth of a heavy metal halide in microgravity, focusing on dewetting, in order to improve the crystalline perfection, i.e., to reduce the number of stress-related defects. InI was chosen because it is non-toxic and has a low melting point of only 365 C (~150 C below the melting point of InSb, used in the SUBSA experiments in 2002). Furthermore, InI melts and evaporates congruently, making it suitable for both growth by directional solidification and growth from the vapor phase. In preparation for the flight experiments, ground-based experiments were conducted in the SUBSA ground unit, consisting of 4 melt growth and 2 vapor growth experiments. The crystals were grown by a gradient freeze method by lowering the setpoint of the furnace. The transparent section of the SUBSA furnace did not allow observations of the solid-liquid interface. Contrary to our expectations, the possible occurrence of dewetting during growth could not be observed. We will present i) the ampoule design and preparation, ii) the experiments conducted in the SUBSA ground unit, iii) the images obtained during the microgravity experiments and iv) the results of the characterization of the grown crystals and detector fabrication.

Crystal Growth↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Hot Hydrogen Testing of Uranium Nitride Cermet for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

This study investigated the thermochemical stability and performance characteristics of uranium mononitride tungsten molybdenum cermet (UN-Mo30W) as a potential fuel material for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) engines. Twelve monolithic cylinders were subjected to conditions simulating an active NTP engine. The tests demonstrated thermal variability within the test article and highlighted the dissociation of UN into U and N2 at elevated temperatures, affecting the microstructure and causing bonding between cermet wafers and cooling tubes. Findings indicate that while UN-Mo30W cermet exhibits some desirable properties for NTP applications, its suitability is limited by high-temperature thermochemical instability.

nuclear fuels↗