Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Volatility analysis”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2000

Space Resources Roundtable 2

Contents include following: Developing Technologies for Space Resource Utilization - Concept for a Planetary Engineering Research Institute. Results of a Conceptual Systems Analysis of Systems for 200 m Deep Sampling of the Martian Subsurface. The Role of Near-Earth Asteroids in Long-Term Platinum Supply. Core Drilling for Extra-Terrestrial Mining. Recommendations by the "LSP and Manufacturing" Group to the NSF-NASA Workshop on Autonomous Construction and Manufacturing for Space Electrical Power Systems. Plasma Processing of Lunar and Planetary Materials. Percussive Force Magnitude in Permafrost. Summary of the Issues Regarding the Martian Subsurface Explorer. A Costing Strategy for Manufacturing in Orbit Using Extraterrestrial Resources. Mine Planning for Asteroid Orebodies. Organic-based Dissolution of Silicates: A New Approach to Element Extraction from LunarRegohth. Historic Frontier Processes Active in Future Space-based Mineral Extraction. The Near-Earth Space Surveillance (NIESS) Mission: Discovery, Tracking, and Characterization of Asteroids, Comets, and Artificial Satellites with a microsatellite. Privatized Space Resource Property Ownership. The Fabrication of Silicon Solar Cells on the Moon Using In-Situ Resources. A New Strategy for Exploration Technology Development: The Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) Exploratiori/Commercialization Technology Initiative. Space Resources for Space Tourism. Recovery of Volatiles from the Moon and Associated Issues. Preliminary Analysis of a Small Robot for Martian Regolith Excavation. The Registration of Space-based Property. Continuous Processing with Mars Gases. Drilling and Logging in Space; An Oil-Well Perspective. LORPEX for Power Surges: Drilling, Rock Crushing. An End-To-End Near-Earth Asteroid Resource Exploitation Plan. An Engineering and Cost Model for Human Space Settlement Architectures: Focus on Space Hotels and Moon/Mars Exploration. The Development and Realization of a Silicon-60-based Economy in CisLunar Space. Our Lunar Destiny: Creating a Lunar Economy. Cost-Effective Approaches to Lunar Passenger Transportation. Lunar Mineral Resources: Extraction and Application. Space Resources Development - The Link Between Human Exploration and the Long-term Commercialization of Space. Toward a More Comprehensive Evaluation of Space Information. Development of Metal Casting Molds by Sol-Gel Technology Using Planetary Resources. A New Concept in Planetary Exploration: ISRU with Power Bursts. Bold Space Ventures Require Fervent Public Support. Hot-pressed Iron from Lunar Soil. The Lunar Dust Problem: A Possible Remedy. Considerations on Use of Lunar Regolith in Lunar Constructions. Experimental Study on Water Production by Hydrogen Reduction of Lunar Soil Simulant in a Fixed Bed Reactor.

Ignatiev, A.↗
NASA NTRS2018

The CAESAR New Frontiers Mission: Comet Surface Sample Acquisition and Preservation

NASA recently selected the Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return (CAESAR) mission for Phase A study in the New Frontiers Program. This mission will acquire and return to Earth for laboratory analysis at least 80 g of surface material from the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (hereafter 67P). CAESAR will characterize the surface region sampled, preserve the sample in a pristine state, and return evolved volatiles by capturing them in a separate gas reservoir. The system protects both volatile and non-volatile components from contamination or alteration thatwould hamper their scientific analysis. Laboratory analyses of comet samples provide unparalleled knowledge about the presolar history through the initial stages of planet formation to the origin of life.

CAESAR↗
NASA NTRS1975

Lunar sample analysis

Previous studies have shown that very small amounts of absorbed volatiles only removed by outgassing in high vacuum and elevated temperatures-drastically increase the internal friction in terrestrial analogs of lunar basalt. Recently room temperature Q values as high as 2000 were achieved by thorough outgassing procedures in 10 to the 8th power torr. Results are presented on Q measurements for lunar rock 70215.85, along with some data on the effect on Q of a variety of gases. Data show that substantially greater increases in Q are obtainable in a lunar rock sample than in the terrestrial analog samples studied, and that in addition to H2O other gases also can make non-negligible contributions to the internal friction.

Tittmann, B. R.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Isotope-Specific Analysis of Neutron-Irradiated Lithium Aluminate Ceramics by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

The effects of neutron irradiation on lithium aluminate targets and the permeation of tritium into surrounding components are primary concerns in the development of materials for use in tritium production. The high specific activity and volatility of the tritium in activated samples greatly increase the challenges of experimental analysis. This paper reports the determination of the chemical forms and quantities of H-3 and Li-6 in irradiated and non-irradiated LiAlO2 by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and demonstrates that measurements can be performed in a non-destructive, safe manner to obtain isotope-selective, quantitative information on highly hazardous materials.

Tritium, solid state nuclear magnetic resonance sp↗
DOE OSTI2023

Multivariate regression modelling for gender prediction using volatile organic compounds from hand odor profiles via HS-SPME-GC-MS

The efficacy of using human volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a form of forensic evidence has been well demonstrated with canines for crime scene response, suspect identification, and location checking. Although the use of human scent evidence in the field is well established, the laboratory evaluation of human VOC profiles has been limited. This study used Headspace-Solid Phase Microextraction-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) to analyze human hand odor samples collected from 60 individuals (30 Females and 30 Males). The human volatiles collected from the palm surfaces of each subject were interpreted for classification and prediction of gender. The volatile organic compound (VOC) signatures from subjects’ hand odor profiles were evaluated with supervised dimensional reduction techniques: Partial Least Squares-Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA), Orthogonal-Projections to Latent Structures Discriminant Analysis (OPLS-DA), and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). The PLS-DA 2D model demonstrated clustering amongst male and female subjects. The addition of a third component to the PLS-DA model revealed clustering and minimal separation of male and female subjects in the 3D PLS-DA model. The OPLS-DA model displayed discrimination and clustering amongst gender groups with leave one out cross validation (LOOCV) and 95% confidence regions surrounding clustered groups without overlap. The LDA had a 96.67% accuracy rate for female and male subjects. The culminating knowledge establishes a working model for the prediction of donor class characteristics using human scent hand odor profiles.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2014

High-Precision Measurement of Eu/Eu* in Geological Glasses via LA-ICP-MS Analysis

Elemental fractionation during laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis has been historically documented between refractory and volatile elements. In this work, however, we observed fractionation between light rare earth elements (LREEs) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) when using ablation strategies involving large spot sizes (greater than 100 millimeters) and line scanning mode. In addition: (1) ion yields decrease when using spot sizes above 100 millimeters; (2) (Eu/Eu*)(sub raw) (i.e. Europium anomaly) positively correlates with carrier gas (He) flow rate, which provides control over the particle size distribution of the aerosol reaching the ICP; (3) (Eu/Eu*)(sub raw) shows a positive correlation with spot size, and (4) the changes in REE signal intensity, induced by the He flow rate change, roughly correlate with REE condensation temperatures. The REE fractionation is likely driven by the slight but significant difference in their condensation temperatures. Large particles may not be completely dissociated in the ICP and result in preferential evaporation of the less refractory LREEs and thus non-stoichiometric particle-ion conversion. This mechanism may also be responsible for Sm-Eu-Gd fractionation as Eu is less refractory than Sm and Gd. The extent of fractionation depends upon the particle size distribution of the aerosol, which in turn is influenced by the laser parameters and matrix. Ablation pits and lines defined by low aspect ratios produce a higher proportion of large particles than high aspect ratio ablation, as confirmed by measurements of particle size distribution in the laser induced aerosol. Therefore, low aspect ratio ablation introduces particles that cannot be decomposed and/or atomized by the ICP and thus results in exacerbated elemental fractionation. Accurate quantification of REE concentrations and Eu/Eu* requires reduction of large particle production during laser ablation. For the reference materials analyzed in this work, the 100 millimeters spot measurements of Eu/Eu* agreed with GeoRem preferred values within 3 percent. Our long-term analyses of Eu/Eu* in MPI-DING glass KL-2G and USGS glass BIR-1G were reproducible at 3 percent (2 RSD).

geological glasses↗
NASA NTRS1993

Model for the formation of silicon carbide from the pyrolysis of dichlorodimethylsilane in hydrogen. I - Silicon formation from chlorosilanes. II - Silicon carbide formation from silicon and methane

In the first part of this work, a model is developed for the deposition of silicon from the reduction of silicon tetrachloride with hydrogen in a tubular reactor at 700-1100 C, at atmospheric pressure. The model is based on gas chromatography of the volatile products of the reaction, followed by gravimetric analysis of total Si deposition on the tube. In the second part of this work, a model is developed for the case of SiC deposition from the pyrolysis of dichlorodimethylsilane in hydrogen under the same reactor conditions. The rate constants derived from a nonlinear regression analysis are reported.

Cagliostro, Domenick E.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Meteorite Ablation at the HYMETS ARC-JET Facility

One of the primary goals of the Asteroid Threat Assessment Program (ATAP) is to understand the ablation phenomena of meteors (e.g., spallation, evaporation, melt flow, etc.). Therefore, a test campaign was executed at the Hypersonic Material Test System (HYMETS) facility on samples of an ordinary chondrite (e.g., Tamdakht) and samples of basalt from the Columbia plateau. High melt viscosities and low ablation rates are predicted for basalt due to higher concentrations of silica and alumina in the matrix phase. However, high-speed video and post-test analysis reveal that basalt experiences greater rates of ablation than Tamdakht. Post-test analysis of emission spectra reveals the presence of volatile species that may explain the discrepancy between model predictions and observed phenomena.

Meteor↗
NASA NTRS2022

Mission Incredible: A Titan Sample Return Using In-Situ Propellants

An analysis of the use of in-situ volatile propellants for a sample return mission from Titan shows that this mission should be feasible. Such a mission would be invaluable for its science return, and its contribution to our understanding the origins of organic compounds in the solar system and our place in the universe.

Titan↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Investigating Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) Glovebox and Support Components Compared to Custom Curatorial Laboratories

There is a need envisioned to investigate the application of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems as tools that could be used within commercial preliminary curation as the expected space economy is supported and begins to take flight. NASA is involved with supporting and developing the space economy [1] and therefore it’s feasible that at some point, a commercial space company would bring back materials and either store initially, or permanently, within COTS equipment as a stand-in for custom curation laboratories. While utilizing opportunities to explore this capability at NASA-Johnson Space Center (JSC) during the establishment of other laboratories [2] it was realized that cleanliness and/or other properties could be evaluated for these COTS systems during their installation in advanced research facilities that are not ISO-class rated clean rooms. Several aspects of a COTS-Curation system were explored including various gloves for curation manipulation within a negative pressure glovebox (Fig.1), Balazs organic and inorganic contaminant levels testing prior to glovebox ever being used, mode swapping comparison of recirculation vs. single pass, constant monitoring of oxygen (O2) and moisture (H2O) levels in various conditions, etc. To acquire inorganic and organic compound loads inside the glovebox, Balazs wafer testing and gas sampling were implemented. These are standardized analytical tests provided by Balazs™ NanoAnalysis, a division of Air Liquide USA. Deployment of 8-inch silicon wafer witness plates for 24-hours in an undisturbed environment capture the organic compound load and inorganic trace metal contents which can be obtained by Vapor Phase Decomposition Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (VPD ICP-MS). Balazs gas sample analysis was also performed for better measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in glovebox air analyzed by Thermal Desorption Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (TD GC-MS). These analytical testings were carried out in a controlled ultra high pure (UHP) gaseous nitrogen (N2)-purged environment where oxygen and moisture contents were continuously monitored at certain temperature and pressure. The preliminary outcomes of these testings are promising. The COTS systems appear to maintain the steady-state controlled environment for days, if not weeks, with uninterrupted gaseous N2-supply which was operated from a standard medium pressure LN2 250L 230L dewar, exchanged as needed. The outgassing load can be maintained by selecting the glove materials that have the least outgassing and particle shedding performances. Further experiments will be considered to validate the preliminary findings. While this project is exploratory, it is not intended as an endorsement by NASA Curation for approved materials or usage for advanced curatorial activities. NASA does not endorse nor promote any one particular product or company. References: [1] McCubbin F. M. et al. (2019) Space Science Reviews 215:A48. [2] Lewis, E.K. et. al (2024) LPSC LV, Abstract #2457.

Curation↗
NASA NTRS2017

Mass Spectra Deconvolution of Gaseous Mixtures Containing Volatile Organic Compounds

The Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor (S.A.M.) analyzes all gaseous pollutants in the 1-150Th mass-to-charge range based on their positive-ion mass spectra. Of particular interest is the Trace Gas Analysis (TGA) mode of operation in which S.A.M detects minute amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Pollutant component of the ambient air is sampled on demand in twenty full mass spectra per second. All spectra is accumulated in two-second intervals by an on-board Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) unit. Mass spectra represents the number of detected fragment ions in a given mass-to-charge ratio channel. Electron impact ionization of neutral molecules results in creation of numerous fragment ions and most of organic compounds will contribute several identical fragments. Despite the presence of these molecular isobars, we developed the deconvolution algorithm capable of identifying target species based on their characteristic fragmentation patterns. We investigate the efficiency of deconvolution algorithm as a function of mass resolution with which mass spectrum is acquired. Higher the mass resolution, better the chances are to distinguish between stereoisomers using their fragmentation propensities, but also results in higher data volumes to be processed by a set of small footprint software stacks hosted by an on-board computer. Finding the balance between deconvolution accuracy and generated data volume under time constrains and limited computing resources is the main topic of this study.

Darrach, M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Paralinear Oxidation of Silicon Nitride in a Water Vapor/Oxygen Environment

Three silicon nitride materials were exposed to dry oxygen flowing at 0.44 cm/s at temperatures between 1200 and 1400 C. Reaction kinetics were measured with a continuously recording microbalance. Parabolic kinetics were observed. When the same materials were exposed to a 50% H2O - 50% O2 gas mixture flowing at 4.4 cm/s, all three types exhibited paralinear kinetics. The material is oxidized by water vapor to form solid silica. The protective silica is in turn volatilized by water vapor to form primarily gaseous Si(OH)4. Nonlinear least squares analysis and a paralinear kinetic model were used to determine both parabolic and linear rate constants from the kinetic data. Volatilization of the protective silica scale can result in accelerated consumption of Si3N4. Recession rates under conditions more representative of actual combustors are compared to the furnace data.

Fox, Dennis S.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Secondary Organic Aerosol from OH Oxidation of Acyclic Terpenes Is More Viscous and Less Volatile than That of Their Cyclic Analogs

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), a dominant source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) globally, exhibit emission rates and composition that are plant species-specific and vary with environmental stressors. A common outcome of plant stress is increased emissions of acyclic terpenes. The paucity of information about acyclic terpene SOA chemistry contributes to uncertainties in predictions of SOA global loadings and impacts on Earth’s radiative budget, particularly in a changing climate where acyclic terpene emissions could become more prominent. This study compared properties of SOA derived from OH oxidation of acyclic and cyclic monoterpenes (ß-ocimene, a-pinene) and sesquiterpenes (ß-farnesene, ß-caryophyllene). Single particle mass spectrometry was used for assessing shape, density, and evaporation kinetics of size-selected SOA particles, and nanospray desorption electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (nano-DESI-HRMS) was used to measure molecular composition of SOA. Acyclic terpene SOA exhibited higher viscosity and lower volatility compared to cyclic terpene SOA, and had a greater volume fraction remaining (VFR) after ~24 hours of evaporation - approximately 1.3-1.6 times higher VFR than that of cyclic terpene SOA. Additionally, HRMS analysis revealed greater chemical diversity and higher fractions of extremely low volatility compounds (56-62% ELVOC/LVOC) in acyclic terpene SOA compared to cyclic counterparts (25-37% ELVOC/LVOC). Our findings highlight the potential importance of accounting for acyclic terpene aerosol chemistry under conditions of plant stress to improve predictions of SOA loadings and impacts.

SOA physical properties↗
DOE OSTI2024

Beyond Binary: Automated PLC Memory Forensics through RGB Image Analysis and Deep Learning

The introduction of Industry 4.0 and the evolution of industrial control systems (ICS) to adopt Internet-based technologies enhanced productivity, but have inadvertently increased their vulnerability to cyber-based malicious attacks. When an ICS system is compromised, security analysts need to identify the root cause quickly to start the recovery process and develop mitigation strategies to safeguard against future instances. Memory forensics is critical in the analysis process to ascertain what occurred. To date, approaches to analyze the persistent memory in ICS devices are limited, and almost nonexistent for volatile memory. This paper proposes an automated methodology, COMA, for PLC memory dump analysis using computer vision and deep learning techniques. Specifically, COMA converts the sequences of bytes in a PLC memory dump to RGB pixels and creates a deep learning model that learns the underlying patterns and features of pre-labeled forensic artifacts in images and segments them into distinct regions. COMA then uses the trained model to automatically segment new memory images and extract forensic artifacts. We evaluate COMA on a Schneider Electric Modicon M221 PLC involving two cyber-based attack scenarios: (i) code injection and (ii) code modification. The empirical results show that COMA can successfully detect attack artifacts in memory dumps in both scenarios.

Asmar Awad, Rima↗
NASA NTRS1982

Release of volatiles from possible Martian analogs

Viking data suggest the presence of volatile-rich materials in the Martian regolith. The thermal stabilities of mineral phases and their volatile release profiles were studied in detail in our laboratory. Thermal analysis, combined with mass spectrometry, was applied to the study of the behavior of carbonates, sulfates, hydrates, and clays. The results indicate that these techniques are useful in the preliminary mineralogical characterizations of volatile-rich minerals. However, our results also indicate that great care must be taken in the incorporation into planetary probes of such methods as hearing rates, pressure, composition of atmospheres, grain size, etc., because these factors effect volatile release.

Kotra, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Major Volatiles from MSL SAM Evolved Gas Analyses: Yellowknife Bay Through Lower Mount Sharp

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) and Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instruments on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) analysed several subsamples of <150 μm fines from five sites at Gale Crater. Three were in Yellowknife Bay: the Rocknest aeolian bedform ("RN") and drilled Sheepbed mudstone from sites John Klein ("JK") and Cumberland ("CB"). One was drilled from the Windjana ("WJ") site on a sandstone of the Kimberly formation investigated on route to Mount Sharp. Another was drilled from the Confidence Hills ("CH") site on a sandstone of the Murray Formation at the base of Mt. Sharp (Pahrump Hills). Outcrops are sedimentary rocks that are largely of fluvial or lacustrine origin, with minor aeolian deposits.. SAM's evolved gas analysis (EGA) mass spectrometry detected H2O, CO2, O2, H2, SO2, H2S, HCl, NO, and other trace gases, including organic fragments. The identity and evolution temperature (T) of evolved gases can support CheMin mineral detection and place constraints on trace volatile-bearing phases or phases difficult to characterize with XRD (e.g., X-ray amorphous phases). They can also give constraints on sample organic chemistry. Here, we discuss trends in major evolved volatiles from SAM EGA analyses to date.

McAdam, A. C.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Automated Programmable Logic Controller Memory Forensics Using RGB Image Analysis and Deep Learning

The introduction of Industry 4.0 and Internet-based technologies has enhanced industrial control system operations but have inadvertently increased their vulnerabilities to cyber attacks. When an industrial control system is compromised, security analysts need to identify the root cause quickly to start the recovery process and develop mitigation strategies. Memory forensics is critical in the incident analysis process to ascertain what occurred. Approaches for analyzing the persistent memory in industrial control devices are limited and almost nonexistent for volatile memory. This chapter proposes an automated methodology for programmable logic controller memory dump analysis using computer vision and deep learning techniques. The methodology converts the sequences of bytes in a programmable logic controller memory dump to red-green-blue pixels and employs a deep learning model that learns the underlying patterns and features of pre-labeled forensic artifacts in images and segments them into distinct regions. The trained model is employed to automatically segment new memory images and identify forensic artifacts. Evaluation of the methodology on a Schneider Electric Modicon M221 programmable logic controller under code injection and code modification attacks demonstrates its ability to detect attack artifacts in memory dumps.

Asmar Awad, Rima [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000233407742)↗