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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 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Study of Cathode and Cavity Geometries in Electropolishing (EP): Electric Field Simulation

Niobium (Nb) superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities require electropolishing surface treatment to reach high acceleration gradient. EP performed in the plateau region of an I-V curve [1] leads to a smooth finish of the cavity surface including the equator surface. The equator surface is vital because a rough equator surface leads to premature quench and limit the cavity performance. Previous experimental work was performed to optimize EP parameters for low-beta (LB) 650 MHz Nb cavity [1]. It was found that different cathode surface areas vary the plateau onset voltage. A lower onset voltage was achieved for HB650 cavity with an enlarged cathode surface area. The aim of the study is to perform electrostatic and electrochemical simulation to understand the impact of both cavity geometry and cathodes. This report covers an initial result on electric field simulation performed with HB and LB 650 MHz cavities.

Loer, Bereket↗
NASA NTRS1984

Particle acceleration parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field observed by DE-2

Observations by the instrument payload on DE-2 have been used to study the plasma and electrodynamic properties of the ionosphere when field-aligned currents approaching 100 microA/sq m flow at about 900-km altitude. In such a situation, it is found that the thermal ions may account for a substantial fraction of the current carriers and that the bulk of the energetic electron population has undergone a net acceleration of a few hundred electron volts. Large amplitude electrostatic waves that have a maximum near 100 Hz and an energetic ion population that shows evidence for both parallel and perpendicular acceleration to about 30 eV also accompany such events. The horizontal thermal ion drift (electric field) that accompanies these plasma phenomena has extremely large gradients over small spatial scales. Such a signature is consistent with a requirement for a large field-aligned current, and a limit to the available field-aligned potential difference that may be applied to the plasma.

Heelis, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Analyses of convective flows and spatial gradients in energetic ion observations

Based on the measured anisotropy of three-dimensional energetic ion distributions obtained from the Medium Energy Particle Instrument experiment of the ISEE 1 spacecraft, bulk flow, epsilon x B convection, and pressure gradients in magnetospheric plasmas are measured with two techniques. In the first technique, using a Compton-Getting transform into the appropriate rest frame in an iterative fashion and converging to the unique velocity that removes the first-order anisotropy from the flux angular distribution, the actual measured angular distribution, and spectrum at each angle, are employed. The second technique uses a first moment of the distribution function in which the shift in velocity space of the distribution function is obtained at two phase space density values. The convection contribution to the velocity shift is assumed to be perpendicular to the pressure gradient contribution if an MHD generator condition is assumed, rendering the two shifts separable, and a gradient scale and a lower limit to the convection electric field are derived in one calculation.

Mitchell, D. G.↗
DOE OSTI2022

[Presentation Slides] Code-to-Code Benchmark Study for Thermal Stress Modeling and Preliminary Analysis of the High-temperature Single Heat-Pipe Experiment

In the heat-pipe-cooled microreactor, heat pipes remove heat from the reactor core as a passive heat-transfer device, so the fluid circulation is not required for cooling, which can substantially simplify the overall reactor design. However, given the extremely high temperatures in the core region and potentially large temperature gradients across the structure materials, thermal stresses need to be well-analyzed to ensure structural integrity during normal operations and accident scenarios. This presentation slides discuss finite element method-based thermal-stress analysis for the high-temperature single heat-pipe test article in the Single Primary Heat Extraction and Removal Emulator (SPHERE) facility at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), using two commercial software packages, Abaqus and Star-CCM+. A code-to-code benchmark study was performed to crosscheck the model setup and capability of each code and to gain preliminary insights into the potential thermal stress concerns from the current experimental setup. It is observed the significant thermal stresses happen at the inner surface of the heat pipe hole surrounded by electric heaters where the largest temperature gradients appear. The temperature fields have good agreements between Abaqus and Star-CCM+, while the induced thermal stresses show modest deviations probably due to differences of meshing engines used in these two codes. It is found that the local maximum thermal stresses may reach close to the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of structural material depending on the heater power. Ultimately, the coupled thermal-structural analysis will help guide the current experimental plan and ensure the facility safety for future experimental study.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

CODE-TO-CODE BENCHMARK STUDY FOR THERMAL STRESS MODELING AND PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF THE HIGH-TEMPERATURE SINGLE HEAT PIPE EXPERIMENT

Microreactors are very small nuclear reactors with typical thermal-energy output of up to 20 MWth. The microreactor concept is gaining more and more attention for safe, robust, and reliable supply of electricity for remote locations and to meet industrial process heat needs. Heat-pipe-cooled microreactor is one of the microreactors being investigated at Idaho National Laboratory. In the heat-pipe-cooled microreactor, heat pipes remove heat from the reactor core as a passive heat-transfer device, so the fluid circulation is not required for cooling, which can substantially simplify the overall reactor design. However, given the extremely high temperatures in the core region and potentially large temperature gradients across the structure materials, thermal stresses need to be well-analyzed to ensure structural integrity during normal operations and accident scenarios for the heat-pipe-cooled microreactor designs. This paper discusses finite element method-based thermal-stress analysis for the high-temperature single heat-pipe test article in the Single Primary Heat Extraction and Removal Emulator (SPHERE) facility at Idaho National Laboratory, using two commercial software packages, Abaqus and STAR-CCM+. A code-to-code benchmark study was performed to crosscheck the model setup and capability of each code and to gain insights into the potential thermal stress concerns from the current experimental setup. It is observed the significant thermal stresses happen at the locations where the largest temperature gradients appeared between heat pipe and electric heater. The temperature fields have good agreements between Abaqus and STAR-CCM+, while the induced thermal stresses show modest deviations probably due to differences of meshing engines used in these two codes.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Transition from retrograde to prograde drift instabilities in a magnetron microdischarge

Rotating plasma structures, or “spokes,” in magnetized discharges characterized by perpendicular electric and magnetic fields have been seen in a growing number of studies and are believed to be the result of gradient-driven drift instabilities. Under certain conditions, we have shown the spoke’s rotation to be opposite to the E B direction, i.e., retrograde in its expected direction. Recently, we have linked such counter-intuitive rotation to a local inversion of the electric field. Here, we give further experimental evidence for this inversion and attempt to provide an explanation for a relatively distinct transition seen between retrograde and positive (prograde) drift. In the experiments, a partially magnetized plasma forms inside a magnetron device of mm radius operated with argon. Discharge current–voltage measurements are acquired for a range of argon fill pressure and inter-electrode spacing. We find two branches of operation—a low current branch of negative resistance, coinciding with the retrograde spoke rotation, and a higher current branch of positive resistance, coincident with prograde spoke rotation. We postulate that at low discharge currents, high magnetic field confinement leads to a large density gradient, causing more electron transport to the anode than that demanded by the external circuit. At higher currents, anomalous axial electron transport (across the magnetic field lines) becomes dominant, eliminating the conditions for field inversion. Here, the current thresholds for the field inversion are found to be sensitive to the argon pressure and inter-electrode spacing.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Magnetic field-induced non-trivial electronic topology in Fe3− x GeTe2

The anomalous Hall, Nernst, and thermal Hall coefficients of the itinerant ferromagnet Fe3−xGeTe2 display anomalies upon cooling that are consistent with a topological transition that could induce deviations with respect to the Wiedemann–Franz (WF) law. This law has not yet been validated for the anomalous transport variables, with recent experimental studies yielding material-dependent results. Nevertheless, the anomalous Hall and thermal Hall coefficients of Fe3−xGeTe2 are found, within our experimental accuracy, to satisfy the WF law for magnetic fields μ0H applied along its c axis. Remarkably, large anomalous transport is also observed for μ0H||a axis with the field aligned along the gradient of the chemical potential generated by thermal gradients or electrical currents, a configuration that should not lead to their observation. These anomalous planar quantities are found to not scale with the component of the planar magnetization (M||), showing instead a sharp decrease beyond μ0H||= 4 T or the field required to align the magnetic moments along μ0H||. We argue that chiral spin structures associated with Bloch domain walls lead to a field-dependent spin chirality that produces a novel type of topological transport in the absence of interaction between the magnetic field and electrical or thermal currents. Locally chiral spin structures are captured by our Monte Carlo simulations incorporating small Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya and biquadratic exchange interactions. These observations reveal not only a new way to detect and expose topological excitations, but also a new configuration for heat conversion that expands the current technological horizon for thermoelectric energy applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

An experimental study of the existence regions and non-linear interactions of drift wave and Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities in a linear magnetized plasma

Experimental observations of the intrinsic excitation and non-linear interactions of drift wave (DW) and Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instabilities in a linear magnetized plasma column are presented. The experiments are carried out in the inverse mirror plasma experimental device (IMPED)—a cylindrical, magnetized, linear plasma machine designed to study low-frequency waves and instabilities in plasma. A novel feature of IMPED is the ability to control plasma profiles, such as the density n(r)⁠, electron temperature T e (r)⁠, and plasma potential V p (r) by varying the ratio Rm of the magnetic field in the main chamber to that in the source chamber. At high values of Rm, higher-density gradient scale length promotes the drift wave (DW) instability while lower Rm value results in a higher radial electric field, inducing a sheared poloidal flow that enhances the dominance of the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) mode. The background and fluctuating plasma parameters are characterized using various configurations of multiple in situ electric probes at different spatial locations to quantify the local gradients that excite the low-frequency primary instabilities. Statistical, spectral, and bispectral analysis of the density and potential signals help identify these modes in terms of wave number, frequency, phase, and amplitude and also delineate the nature of their non-linear interactions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1976

On the magnetic mirroring as the basic cause of parallel electric fields

Among the different proposed mechanisms for generating parallel electric fields, magnetic mirroring of charged particles seems to be the most plausible. In the present paper, it is suggested that magnetic mirroring is the basic cause of parallel electric fields in the magnetosphere and that the magnetic mirroring effect may be able to form the basis of an auroral theory that can remove a major portion of the ambiguity of observations. In the model proposed, the parallel electric field is due to a magnetic confinement of a negatively charged hot collision-free plasma. A transfer of electron gyroenergy into wave energy tends to weaken this confinement; if this energy transfer becomes too strong, the parallel potential gradient will break down. Hence, from this model, in contrast to certain other models of parallel electric fields, only a small fraction of the total auroral particle energy may be expected to be transformed into electromagnetic wave energy during the acceleration process.

Lennartsson, W.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental demonstration of externally driven millimeter-wave particle accelerator structure

We report the experimental demonstration of a mm-wave electron accelerating structure powered by a high-power rf source. We demonstrate reliable coupling of an unprecedented rf power—up to 575kW into the mm-wave accelerator structure using a quasi-optical setup. This standing wave accelerating structure consists of a single-cell copper cavity and a Gaussian to TM 01 mode converter. The accelerator structure is powered by 110 GHz, 10-ns long rf pulses. These pulses are chopped from 3 microsecond pulses from a gyrotron oscillator using a laser-driven silicon switch. We show an unprecedented high gradient up to 230MV/m that corresponds to a peak surface electric field of more than 520 MV/m. We have achieved these results after conditioning the cavity with more than 100,000 pulses. We also report preliminary measurements of rf breakdown rates, which are important for understanding rf breakdown physics in the millimeter-wave regime. Furthermore, these results open up many frontiers for applications not only limited to the next generation particle accelerators but also x-ray generation, probing material dynamics, and nonlinear light-matter interactions at mm-wave frequency.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRS1982

The effect of small temperature gradients on flow in a continuous flow electrophoresis chamber

Continuous flow electrophoresis employs an electric field to separate biological cells suspended in a flowing liquid buffer solution. Good separations based on differences in electrophoretic mobility are obtained only when a unidirectional flow is maintained. The desired flow has a parabolic structure in the narrow dimension of the chamber and is uniform acros the width, except near the edges where the no-slip condition prevails. However, because of buoyancy, very small laterall or axial temperature gradients deform the flow significantly. The results of experiments conducted with a specially instrumented chamber show the origin and structure of the buoyancy-driven perturbations. It is found that very small temperature gradients can disturb the flow significantly, as was predicted by earlier theoretical work.

Rhodes, P. H.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Atmospheric wave-induced instability in the nighttime E-region.

Examination of the perturbed continuity equation when the perturbations are the result of an internal atmospheric gravity wave in the E region. The transient response of the ionization is interpreted as the gradient instability and the values of the vertical and horizontal wave numbers that will induce it are plotted for various heights. Only in the presence of westward directed electric fields, which are believed to occur only at night, will the gravity waves induce the gradient instability. Approximate analytic expressions are obtained for the permitted wave numbers as well as for the instability growth times. In the course of this analysis it is shown that in the D region all irregularities, even those that are field-aligned, will tend to move with the ion velocity.

Beer, T.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Observations of neutral wind profiles between 115- and 175-km altitude in the dayside auroral oval

Lithium trail neutral wind measurements have been made in the morning dayside auroral oval as a function of altitude. During all four experiments the winds displayed a large altitude shear. In the most extreme case the wind at 135-km altitude was toward the south at 210 m/s, and at 185-km altitude toward the northwest at 170 m/s. A one-dimensional numerical solution to the Navier Stokes equation including an initial steady-state wind profile, viscosity, pressure gradient, Lorenz force and the Coriolis force was made in order to study the effect of auroral processes on the neutral atmosphere. Since electric fields and plasma density were measured, the Lorenz force could be modeled with reasonable accuracy. The pressure gradient was determined in an iterative way as a best fit to the observations. Within the limitations of a one-dimensional model the numerical solution is in reasonable agreement with one of the observations, which is applicable to such a modeling, and indicates that both Lorenz forces and pressure gradients due to auroral processes are required to explain the observation.

Pereira, E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Modeling of the coupled magnetospheric and neutral wind dynamos

The solar wind interaction with the earth's magnetosphere generates electric fields and currents that flow from the magnetosphere to the ionosphere at high latitudes. Consequently, the neutral atmosphere is subject to the dissipation and conversion of this electrical energy to thermal and mechanical energy through Joule heating and Lorentz forcing. As a result of the mechanical energy stored within the neutral wind (caused in part by Lorentz--and pressure gradient--forces set up by the magnetospheric flux of electrical energy), electric currents and fields can be generated in the ionosphere through the neutral wind dynamo mechanism. At high latitudes this source of electrical energy has been largely ignored in past studies, owing to the assumed dominance of the solar wind/magnetospheric dynamo as an electrical energy source to the ionosphere. However, other researchers have demonstrated that the available electrical energy provided by the neutral wind is significant at high latitudes, particularly in the midnight sector of the polar cap and in the region of the magnetospheric convection reversal. As a result, the conclusions of a number of broad ranging high-latitude investigations may be modified if the neutral-wind contribution to high-latitude electrodynamics is properly accounted for. These include the following: studies assessing solar wind-magnetospheric coupling by comparing the cross polar cap potential with solar wind parameters; research based on the alignment of particle precipitation with convection or field aligned current boundaries; and synoptic investigations attributing seasonal variations in the observed electric field and current patterns to external sources. These research topics have been initiated by satellite and ground-based observations and have been attributed to magnetospheric causes. However, the contribution of the neutral wind to the high-latitude electric field and current systems and their seasonal and local time dependence has yet to be quantitatively evaluated. In this program, we are evaluating the coupled magnetospheric and neutral wind dynamos at high latitudes under various conditions. In addition to examining the impact of seasonal variations, we are investigating the consequences of the separate dynamos having pure current-source or voltage-source behaviors.

Thayer, Jeff P.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Surface processing and discharge-conditioning of high voltage electrodes for the Ra EDM experiment

The Ra EDM experiment uses a pair of high voltage electrodes to search for the atomic electric dipole moment of 225 Ra. We use identical, plane–parallel electrodes with a primary high gradient surface of 200 mm 2 to generate reversible DC electric fields. Our statistical sensitivity is linearly proportional to the electric field strength in the electrode gap. We adapted surface decontamination and processing techniques from accelerator physics literature to chemical polish and clean a suite of newly fabricated large-grain niobium and grade-2 titanium electrodes. Three pairs of niobium electrodes and one pair of titanium electrodes were discharge-conditioned with a custom high voltage test station at electric field strengths as high as +52.5 kV/mm and –51.5 kV/mm over electrode gap sizes ranging from 0.4 mm to 2.5 mm. One pair of large-grain niobium electrodes was discharge-conditioned and validated to operate at ±20 kV/mm with steady-state leakage current ≤ 25 pA (1σ) and a polarity-averaged 98 ± 19 discharges per hour. These electrodes were installed in the Ra EDM experimental apparatus, replacing a copper electrode pair, and were revalidated to ±20 kV/mm. Here, the niobium electrodes perform at an electric field strength 3.1 times larger than the legacy copper electrodes and are ultimately limited by the maximum output of our 30 kV bipolar power supply.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1973

Equations for the kinetic modeling of supersonically flowing electrically excited lasers

The equations for the kinetic modeling of a supersonically flowing electrically excited laser system are presented. The work focuses on the use of diatomic gases, in particular carbon monoxide mixtures. The equations presented include the vibrational rate equation which describes the vibrational population distribution, the electron, ion and electronic level rate equations, the gasdynamic equations for an ionized gas in the presence of an applied electric field, and the free electron Boltzmann equation including flow and gradient coupling terms. The model developed accounts for vibration-vibration collisions, vibration-translation collisions, electron-molecule inelastic excitation and superelastic de-excitation collisions, charge particle collisions, ionization and three body recombination collisions, elastic collisions, and radiative decay, all of which take place in such a system. A simplified form of the free electron Boltzmann equation is developed and discussed with emphasis placed on its coupling with the supersonic flow. A brief description of a possible solution procedure for the set of coupled equations is then discussed.

Lind, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Correlations and linkages between the sun and the earth's atmosphere: Needed measurements and observations

A summary of needed measurements and observations is reported to identify the sequence of processes leading from change in solar input to change in tropospheric circulation and weather. Changes in the solar electromagnetic radiation have to be carefully monitored since variations over the solar cycle are small (less than one percent). It is suggested that changes in the ionization at the Pfotzer maximum could influence the formation of thunderstorms by changing the electric potential gradient. This could be checked by measuring the global atmospheric electric field. As an example of spacecraft observations, a worldwide distribution plot of nocturnal thunderstorms compiled from OSO-5 data shown; no obvious correlation with solar data had been found, but the time span of the data is rather limited and more sophisticated observation techniques could be used. Continuous and careful monitoring is recommended of the input of electromagnetic and particle radiation into the earth's atmosphere ozone distributions in the region above 30 km, and wind systems in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. In addition, special phenomena suspected to be important in the causal chain, such as cirrus cloud formation at high latitudes and thunderstorm activity, should be monitored on a global basis.

Kellogg, W. W.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Torques on the gyro in the gyro relativity experiment

Whether the Newtonian drifts on the gyro as conceived in the gyro relativity experiment can be reduced to a level such that the geodetic and motional earth precessions of general relativity can be detected is addressed. Torques due to gas drag, electrical charging, mass unbalance, cosmic ray impacts, magnetic fields, and gravity gradients in a inclined orbit are calculated and discussed. The conditions necessary for the required accuracy are given.

Eby, P.↗