Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Pointon, Timothy D.

Publications and source records attributed to Pointon, Timothy D..

At least 19 records

Time- and Energy-Resolved Coupled Saturn Radiation Environments Simulations Using the Integrated Tiger Series (ITS) Code

Using a newly developed coupling of the ElectroMagnetic Plasma In Realistic Environments (EMPIRE) code with the Integrated Tiger Series (ITS) code, radiation environment calculations have been performed. The effort was completed as part of the Saturn Recapitalization (Recap) program that represents activities to upgrade and modernize the Saturn accelerator facility. The radiation environment calculations performed provide baseline results with current or planned hardware in the facility. As facility design changes are proposed and implemented as part of Saturn Recap, calculations of the radiation environment will be performed to understand how the changes impact the output of the Saturn accelerator.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Characterization of the Redesigned Extended MITL for HERMES III

Modeling and simulation of the legacy HERMES III Magnetically Insulated Transmission Line (MITL) has been performed using EMPHASIS, an unstructured time-domain electromagnetic (UTDEM) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation software. This design when used lost roughly half of its current before the pulse reached the load. The cause of the current loss in the MITL was found to be the vacuum impedance changes along the MITL. The MITL was then redesigned to maintain constant impedance and simulated in EMPHASIS once again. Following predicting simulation results, the new MITL was then built, installed, and tested, showing minimal current loss and good agreement with simulation and theoretical results, all of which are reported here. Additionally, an analysis of experimental voltage calculation techniques using cathode and anode currents is performed and compared to simulation results.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

The Thermalization Verification Problem for EMPIRE-PIC and EMPIRE-Fluid

We report on the verification of elastic collisions in EMPIRE-PIC and EMPIRE-Fluid in support of the ATDM L2 V&V Milestone. The thermalization verification problem and the theory behind it is presented along with an analytic solution for the temperature of each species over time. The problem is run with both codes under multiple parameter regimes. The temperature over time is compared between the two codes and the theoretical results. A preliminary convergence analysis is performed on the results from EMPIRE-PIC and EMPIRE-Fluid showing the rate at which the codes converge to the analytic solution in time (EMPIRE-Fluid) and particles (EMPIRE-PIC).

42 ENGINEERING↗

EMPHASIS™/Nevada Unstructured FEM Implementaiton Version 2.1.3. Description, verification, and validation

EMPHASIS™/NEVADA is the SIERRA/NEVADA toolkit implementation of portions of the EMPHASIS TM code suite. The purpose of the toolkit implementation is to facilitate coupling to other physics drivers such as radiation transport as well as to better manage code design, implementation, complexity, and important verification and validation processes. This document describes the theory and implementation of the unstructured finite- element method solver, associated algorithms, and selected verification and validation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

EMPHASIS™/Nevada UTDEM User Guide Version 2.1.3

The Unstructured Time-Domain ElectroMagnetics (UTDEM) portion of the EMPHASIS suite solves Maxwell's equations using finite-element techniques on unstructured meshes. This document provides user-specific information to facilitate the use of the code for applications of interest.

42 ENGINEERING↗

November 2016 HERMES Outdoor Shot Series 10268-313: Spherical Compton Diodes

In November 2016, the High-Energy Radiation Megavolt Electron Source (HERIVIES)-III gamma simulator was used in a series of physics experiments. As part of the environmental characterization, six Spherical Compton Diodes (SCDs) were fielded in order to measure the dose rate at various locations. This report documents the locations, calibration, compensation, and analysis of these sensors. Several short studies are conducted of the SCD signals examining their change with respect to distance, comparison to other sensors and historical data, evaluation of the log-derivative, and signal behavior with a partially obscured converter. Recommendations for future work includes study and extension of SCD bandwidth, characterization of the HERMES-III output spectrum variability, and study of sensor signals with the courtyard shielded from the top of the Magnetically Insulated Transmission Line (MITL).

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

November 2016 HERMES Outdoor Shot Series 10268-313: Courtyard Dosimetry and Parametric Fits

A series of outdoor shots were conducted at the HERMES III facility in November 2016. There were several goals associated with these experiments, one of which is an improved understanding of the courtyard radiation environment. Previous work had developed parametric fits to the spatial and temporal dose rate in the area of interest. This work explores the inter-shot variation of the dose in the courtyard, updated fit parameters, and an improved dose rate model which better captures high frequency content. The parametric fit for the spatial profile is found to be adequate in the far-field, however near-field radiation dose is still not well-understood.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗