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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Theoretical analysis of key factors achieving reversed magnetic shear q-profiles sustained with lower hybrid waves on EAST

The phase space analysis technique is applied to provide new insights into the fully non-inductive lower hybrid current driven (LHCD) discharges on EAST (Garofalo et al 2017 Nucl. Fusion 57 076037). The analysis shows that there are bounded and unbounded topologies of lower hybrid (LH) waves in phase space. For typical parameters on EAST, the propagation domain for 4.6 GHz LH waves is bounded, while unbounded for 2.45 GHz LH waves and one of the conditions is recognized to be good for achieving an off-axis current profile driven by 4.6 GHz LH waves on EAST. The parametric analysis on the potential power deposition (PPD) region for those experiments demonstrates that the reversed magnetic shear dominates the wave behavior, and confines the LH power absorption to the far off-axis region as long as it occurs in the 4.6 GHz dominated LHCD discharge. GENRAY/CQL3D simulations also confirm this effect of reversed shear on the power absorption of 4.6 GHz waves. A bounded propagation domain and a positive feedback loop between magnetic shear reversal and off-axis LHCD profile could explain the LH-only-sustained strong reversed magnetic shear observed in experiments on multiple machines. In contrast, there is no such effect for 2.45 GHz waves on EAST since the PPD region is less sensitive to the change of reversed shear due to the unbounded propagation domain.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

How Topological Polymer Loops on the Nanoparticle Surface Control the Mechanical Properties of Nanocomposites

Carbon black (CB) and silica (SiO 2 ) filled elastomers are known to be the most successful polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) in industry, where “bound rubber (BR)” (i.e., polymer chains that are physically or chemically adsorbed on the nanofiller surface) plays a critical role in their reinforcement. Here, we report a molecular-scale mechanism underlying the “BR-induced reinforcement” by integrating neutron scattering experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. Simplified non-cross-linked SiO 2 -filled polybutadiene (PB) and CB-filled PB reveal the critical role of topological polymer loops in the BR for the enhanced mechanical performance. The average loop size on the SiO 2 surface modified with a silane coupling agent is much smaller than that on the CB surface and the loops on the SiO 2 surface are densely formed, preventing interdigitation with the matrix chains. On the other hand, the larger, uncrowded loops formed on the CB surface facilitate the interdigitation with the matrix polymer chains even near the filler surface. In this way, a strong connectivity is established between a matrix and a nanofiller, resulting in an adhesive filler–polymer interface. Furthermore, our findings shed light on rich and complex physics and materials design problems in PNCs, where the topological polymer structure on the nanofiller surface directly controls the macroscopic mechanical properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development of Enabling Technologies for Chemical Looping Combustion and Chemical Looping with Oxygen Uncoupling (Final Report)

This report summarizes results from the project, “Development of Enabling Technologies for Chemical Looping Combustion and Chemical Looping with Oxygen Uncoupling,” which evaluated several aspects of dual fluidized bed chemical looping combustion and chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling (CLOU). The objective was to provide tools and enabling technologies to help advance fluidized bed chemical looping technology to pilot, demonstration and commercial scale. One focus area is oxygen carriers, which are key to chemical looping combustion. The copper oxygen carrier-coal ash system was systematically evaluated through a combination of thermodynamic modeling and lab-scale experiments, taking into consideration different oxygen carrier support materials and coal types. A method of mapping “safe” and “risk” zones for different combinations was established, and recommendations for target conditions are provided. In addition, a simple solution for limiting negative influence of some coal ashes, namely adding small amounts of calcium to the system, is proposed. In addition, a novel process for recovering and recycling copper from spent oxygen carriers is proposed. A new approach for design and operation of loop seals in a CLOU system was developed, and involves distinct gas injection points and a short horizontal section to help control the fate of the fluidizing gases. For the air-to-fuel reactor loop seal, the upstream side is fluidized with air, ideally input into the side rather than into the bottom, which prevents uncoupling (reduction) of the oxygen carrier before entering the fuel reactor. Also, alternative for separating oxygen carrier particles and gas in circulating fluidized bed-based chemical looping system is proposed. A new reduced reaction scheme for conversion of coal in copper-based CLOU was developed and implemented into CPFD Software’s Barracuda VR package. The resulting model provides higher fidelity than the baseline, especially when it comes to minor reactions that are part of the overall combustion environment. For in-reactor heat extraction, it was determined in this project that the best way to do that in a dual circulating fluidized-bed system is through heat exchange low in the air reactor. The air reactor is the hotter of the two and for a fast-fluidized circulating bed, the lower, more dense section has a higher heat transfer coefficient and offers more consistent particle-wall contact since it doesn’t have the splashing behavior the top of the bed does. It was determined that just the wall surface area in the lower quarter to third of the air reactor is sufficient to control temperatures in both reactors. Finally, consideration was given to a new concept for CLC, which involves a staged fuel reactor with a different type of oxygen carrier in each stage.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗
DOE OSTI2025

Customized open source renewable energy models validated through PHIL lab experiments

Energy models for power systems require ongoing updates to reflect advancements in equipment technology and the increasing complexity of power electronic devices. This study utilizes a Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) experimental setup to validate custom photovoltaic (PV) inverter models, aiming to enhance and expedite the development of advanced renewable energy models. The research compares the performance of a physical inverter with generic Renewable Energy Source (RES) models recommended by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC). As inverter-based renewable energy sources become more prevalent in modern electrical grids, it is crucial that dynamic models accurately represent their real-world behavior. Accurate models improve our understanding of these energy resources and their interactions with the grid. The proposed model enhancements are designed to better reflect real inverter performance, based on insights from PHIL experiments. These models are developed using the open source Modelica language and the OpenIPSL Modelica Library, allowing integration across various simulation tools without re-implementation. The paper concludes with a thorough assessment, comparing the enhanced models with PHIL experiments on a real PV inverter in a controlled laboratory setting. As a result, the study provides the enhanced WECC RES models and validation data as open source resources, facilitating further research and development.

Modelica↗
DOE OSTI2025

Synthesis, Stability, and Magnetic Properties of Antiperovskite Co 3 PdN

Experimental synthesis and characterization of theoretically predicted compounds are important steps in the materials discovery pipeline. Here, we report on the synthesis of Co 3 PdN, which was recently predicted to be a stable magnetic antiperovskite. The Co 3 PdN thin films were grown by reactive sputtering and were confirmed to form in an antiperovskite crystal structure. The thermal stability of the compound is demonstrated up to 600 K by in situ X-ray diffraction, though the phase persists at slightly higher temperatures (700 K) in an air-free magnetometer. Both ab initio calculations and magnetization measurements find Co 3 PdN to be ferromagnetic with an experimentally determined Curie temperature of T C = 560 ± 5 K. The saturation magnetization of 1.2 μ B /Co found in the experiment is slightly lower than the 1.7 μ B /Co value expected by theory. A narrow magnetic hysteresis loop with a coercive field of 100 Oe at low temperature suggests that Co 3 PdN might be useful in electronic applications requiring fast switching of the magnetization vector. While prior prediction of Co 3 PdN showed a gapped electronic band structure for each spin channel, we show that this was due to incomplete sampling of Brillouin zone paths and that band crossings exist along R-X|M and X|M-R paths. The metallic nature of Co 3 PdN is further confirmed by temperature-dependent transport measurements, which also show a considerable anomalous Hall effect. Altogether, this work represents an appreciable step toward understanding the synthesis, structure, stability, and properties of a new magnetic material.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF): World-Class Systems Integration Capabilities and Research

The Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF), located at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) South Table Mountain campus, is a world-renowned user facility for research and development of modern, advanced, and clean energy technologies. ESIF is distinguished by its continuously evolving, highly integrated systems that span throughout the building, connecting research capabilities across multiple laboratories and test areas. The primary ESIF research systems include: [1] data, cyber, and control networks, [2] research electrical distribution buses (REDB), [3] thermal integration infrastructure, and [4] hydrogen systems. The data, cyber, and control networks provide monitoring, control, communication, automation, visualization, and time series data storage and tagging capabilities for research projects and ESIF systems, including facility safety functions. The REDB system consists of four dedicated AC and DC electrical power networks that can connect devices located across the facility through versatile, automatic circuit configuration to support complex power electronics experiments up to the megawatt-scale. The thermal integration infrastructure consists of three temperature-conditioned water loops that provide heating and cooling interfaces and capabilities for thermal energy research. The hydrogen systems provide megawatt-scale hydrogen production, drying, compression, high-pressure storage, and delivery to laboratory end uses, including hydrogen fuel cell vehicle fueling. The ESIF research systems interconnect and extend throughout the various lab areas of the facility to create elaborate networks composed of diverse technologies for cutting-edge research. The ESIF capabilities are operated and stewarded by the ESIF Research Operations group, who also actively upgrade and advance the systems to ensure they remain ahead of anticipated research - enabling the success of many pioneering energy integration projects. The poster, created by members of the ESIF Research Operations team, highlights and summarizes the four core integrated systems at ESIF. The poster was first presented at the internal NREL Energize Forum on May 13th, 2024, and received the "Best Poster" award.

capabilities↗
DOE OSTI2022

Muon to Positron Conversion

Lepton-flavor violation (LFV) has been discovered in the neutrino sector by neutrino oscillation experiments. The minimal extension of the Standard Model (SM) to include neutrino masses allows LFV in the charged sector (CLFV) at the loop level, but at rates that are too small to be experimentally observed. Lepton-number violation (LNV) is explicitly forbidden even in the minimally extended SM, so the observation of an LNV process would be unambiguous evidence of physics beyond the SM. The search for the LNV and CLFV process μ−+N(A,Z)→e++N′(A,Z−2) (referred to as μ−→e+) complements 0νββ decay searches, and is sensitive to potential flavor effects in the neutrino mass-generation mechanism. A theoretical motivation for μ−→e+ is presented along with a review of the status of past μ−→e+ experiments and future prospects. Special attention is paid to an uncertain and potentially dominant background for these searches, namely, radiative muon capture (RMC). The RMC high energy photon spectrum is theoretically understudied and existing measurements insufficiently constrain this portion of the spectrum, leading to potentially significant impacts on current and future μ−→e+ work.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

A multiscale packed-bed reactor model for sustainable ethylene production via chemical looping oxidative coupling of methane

The rising global warming concerns and shale gas discovery have prompted research in the direction of greenhouse gas (GHG), such as methane, reduction and conversion. Oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) offers a pathway to low carbon-intense valorization of methane while producing ethylene, a chemical regarded as central to the petrochemical industry. Even after decades of OCM discovery, researchers keep understanding the process and underlying chemical reactions in a pursuit to achieve industrial viability for OCM. Here, in general, OCM suffers from low C 2 selectivity, yield and reactor temperature runaways due to highly exothermic nature of its reactions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools help analyze spatial gradients within the reactor to deeply understand the diffusion of species, mass and heat transfer phenomena. Furthermore, challenges associated with scaling up such as hot spot formation and parametric sensitivity can be addressed without having to expend on costly experiments. The current paper presents a multiscale packed-bed reactor CFD model coupled with a chemical kinetic model for the chemical looping OCM. The CFD model includes two scales i.e., macroscale for catalyst bed and microscale for individual pellets. Moreover, a chemical kinetic model based on 10 gas-phase reactions is integrated with the CFD model. An additional surface reaction for the formation of gas-phase oxygen from catalyst surface is added to account for the absence of feed oxygen. The model is calibrated against experimental results. The calibrated model captures trends in CH 4 conversion, C 2 selectivity and C 2 yield within a ± 4.35 % range across a temperature range of 700-900 °C. Moreover, model fidelity is evaluated by varying key computational parameters such as mesh resolution and time step size. The model is also verified by varying the inlet methane concentration and the gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) and comparing the results with literature. A sensitivity analysis and scale-up of the current model is undergoing.

Chemical looping↗
DOE OSTI2024

Boiling-Water Reactor Testing Capability in the Advanced Test Reactor

I-Loop is an irradiation facility that is currently being installed at the Advanced Test Reactor. It is a two-loop test facility capable of performing Light Water Reactor (LWR) irradiations in prototypic coolant conditions. The two loops are being installed to be capable of both Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) and Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) pressure, temperature, and chemistry environments. Each loop is nominally dedicated as a BWR or PWR for simplicity of operations. In-reactor water loop testing that an I-Loop provides is key to the deployment of new accident tolerant fuel technologies and other advanced LWR fuel concepts. Currently, pressurized water loops are the only testing facilities available to test BWR fuel concepts. Their test environments are non-prototypic at higher pressure/temperature and at single-phase fluid flow conditions. This void in the LWR test bed capabilities is one that the I-Loop is uniquely situated to provide. This report discusses the mechanical design, thermal hydraulic calculations, and neutronic calculations of a proposed standard experiment of accident tolerant BWR fuel concepts. Mechanical design examines the geometry and features of the main components. Thermal hydraulic calculations examine the modeling and results of the two-phase flow options available. Lastly, neutronic calculations examine the Monte Carlo analysis of enrichment, heat rates, and flux spectrum.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Temperature and dose effects on dislocation loops in self-ion irradiated high-purity iron

Body-centered cubic (BCC) Fe-based alloys are promising candidate materials for advanced nuclear reactors. However, a detailed understanding of irradiation induced dislocation loop microstructure development remains unresolved. It is a widespread belief that 〈001〉 loops become increasingly favorable over ½〈111〉 loops as irradiation temperature rises above ∼300 C. Unfortunately, the temperature effects on 〈001〉 loop have been primarily examined in in-situ irradiation on TEM thin foils but poorly explored on bulk Fe due to exceedingly limited experimental studies on bulk specimens, raising concerns about the potential influence of TEM thin foil artifacts on observed results. Here, in this study, we conducted experiments on ultra-high purity BCC Fe specimens irradiated with 6.7–8 MeV Fe ions over a wide temperature range on bulk samples. We investigated the effects of temperature (T irr = 250–500 °C), dose rate (10⁻⁵ to 10⁻³ dpa/s), and dose (0.35 to 3.5 dpa) on the formation and evolution of 〈001〉 and ½〈111〉 loops as well as cavity (void) formation. Post-irradiation Burgers vector analysis via g•b method on dislocation segments and loops revealed that 〈001〉 loop fraction does not show a monotonic positive correlation with irradiation temperature. Combined with previous and current theoretical as well as experimental findings, we explore the temperature effects on all existing models of 〈001〉 loop formation. We conclude that the prevailing reports regarding the dominance of 〈001〉 loops in Fe at elevated temperatures are mainly attributable to the loss of glissile ½〈111〉 clusters in TEM thin foil experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Status of GTA Gear Inspection after Testing in Sodium

The Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) is an intermediate-scale liquid metal experimental facility that provides purified reactor-grade (R-grade) sodium to various experimental test vessels. In these test vessels, components that are required to operate in an advanced fast reactor can be tested in a prototypical sodium environment. Experiments conducted in METL significantly assist in the development and maturation of systems and components for advanced reactors. The METL facility consists of multiple test segments including: a purification and diagnostic loop (cold trap was designed after EBR-II), two 18” diameter test vessels with 150 L capacities capable of operating in static or dynamic flow at 538°C, two 28” diameter test vessels with 644 L capacities capable of operating in static or dynamic flow at 650°C, a 3,180 L dump tank with 21 instrumentation ports, and the infrastructure to expand capacity in the future.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterization of in-situ and ex-situ ion-irradiated additively manufactured 316L and 316H stainless steels

Additively manufactured (AM) 316 stainless steel (SS) differs from its wrought counterpart in its unique dislocation cell structure and the presence of segregation and oxide particles at the cell walls. This work investigated the evolution of the microstructure in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 316L and 316H SS under in-situ 1 MeV Kr ion irradiation at 600 °C to 5 dpa, and ex-situ 4 MeV Ni ion irradiation at 300 °C and 600 °C from 0.2 dpa to 10 dpa, with a dose rate for all experiments of 10 -3 dpa/s. The results reveal that the dislocation cell structure results in heterogeneous formation of dislocation loops and voids, particularly at 600 °C, where loops tend to form within the cell interiors while voids form at the cell boundaries. LPBF 316H has a reduced level of swelling compared to LPBF 316L due to prolonged incubation. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) mapping indicates Ni and Si segregation at void surfaces due to radiation-induced segregation. At 300 °C, where voids are absent, the distribution of dislocation loops and stacking fault tetrahedra appears to be uniform. Dislocation cell structures mostly disappeared by 2 dpa for all conditions in this work. M 23 C 6 carbides were observed in LPBF 316H at 600 °C as early as 0.2 dpa, but not in LPBF 316L. Nanoindentation was performed to obtain the hardness of irradiated materials. In conclusion, this work illustrated the influence of additive manufacturing processes on microstructure evolution under irradiation, revealing the differences as well as the similarities as compared with wrought 316 SS, and the AM-related phenomenon that can potentially occur under neutron irradiation in nuclear reactors.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Failure investigation and mitigation after experimental research reactor fuel plate deformation in an irradiation device

Experimental research reactor fuel testing is conducted in the Belgian Reactor 2 (BR2) of the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN) in dedicated irradiation vehicles or rigs. One such vehicle allows flat full-size fuel plates to be irradiated by inserting them into slotted baskets that captures a narrow portion of the longitudinal edges of the plates. The motion of the fuel plates within the baskets is possible within the narrow slots and thus, the plate is considered to be unattached. The design intentionally omits fixing mechanisms of the fuel plates to the baskets to facilitate the inspection and repositioning of the plates between the irradiation cycles and the accommodation of thermal expansion of the plates in the lateral direction. However, loosely inserted fuel plates have weak structural boundary conditions allowing for larger out-of-plane deflections caused by hydrodynamic loads exerted by the flowing coolant, as compared to those of fixed plates. Unexpected large deformations of plates occurred in several irradiation cycles that further resulted in a loss of cladding integrity. These deformations could not be attributed to a single source. This triggered a series of thermal hydraulic, structural, and fluid-structure interaction analyses aiming at understanding the observed phenomenon. The analyses revealed that, for a certain combination of unfavorable manufacturing and assembly tolerances, fuel plate edges could escape out of the slots in the irradiation basket due to the hydrodynamic load. Subsequently, the plate could become wedged inside the basket coolant channel opening. This resulted in reduced coolant flow and accelerated temperature increase and thermal expansion of the plate while under irradiation. This unfavorable feedback loop could then lead to excessive plate surface temperatures, deformed plates and cladding failure, as was observed in the experiments. These analyses not only provided a probable cause of the fuel plate failures, but also resulted in a new and improved design of the irradiation basket to avoid these issues in the future. In conclusion, a series of recent successful irradiations confirm that the sources of failures were identified correctly, and the implemented mitigations were adequate.

BR2↗
DOE OSTI2026

In situ TEM annealing of neutron-irradiated Ti reveals a two-stage mechanism for elevated temperature radiation damage recovery

Understanding how irradiation-induced defects evolve at elevated temperatures is of critical importance to predicting materials' behavior under steady-state and accident scenarios. However, such mechanistic insight into microstructural evolution is limited by the nature of ex situ annealing and subsequent imaging. Here we show direct observation and quantification of defect recovery in neutron-irradiated Ti using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) annealing experiments. In agreement with our prior work, and at temperatures below the irradiation temperature (T irr = 300 °C), dislocation loops are observed to glide. At elevated temperatures (>500 °C), dislocation lines become mobile and promote significant recovery of the microstructure. These mechanisms challenge the established electron irradiation-based model for radiation damage recovery, which originally suggests dissolution of static defect clusters, and demonstrates the importance of in situ characterization in understanding defect evolution in irradiated materials.

Hirst, Charles A. [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, M↗
DOE OSTI2022

Delivering real-time multi-modal materials analysis with enterprise beamlines

Contemporary advancements in low-cost automation and computation, reduced barrier to entry in developing artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), and increased ability to represent complex materials in digital form have led to a number of accelerated materials discovery platforms. However, many of these approaches operate with completely rigid vertical integration in an isolated feedback loop using limited modalities. In order to make a substantial impact on discovering new energy materials, AI-driven experiments must operate collaboratively with each other and researchers and over multiple measurement modalities. Herein, we describe the potential for an “internet of things” approach to self-driving enterprise beamlines that merges core information technologies, robotics, and multi-modal AI. The approach will enable full utility of light sources, collaborate effectively with other remote materials acceleration platforms, and help stride toward the world’s energy future.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Easy-Processable and Aging-Free All-Polymer Polysiloxane Composites

In this work, we report all-polymer polysiloxane composites that overcome the long-standing processing problems of silica-reinforced silicone rubbers. Polystyrene fillers are dispersed with styrene/dimethylsiloxane symmetric diblock and triblock copolymers that control the filler morphology, filler–matrix interactions, and filler–filler interactions. Surprisingly, the composites not only rival the traditional silica-reinforced polysiloxane in mechanical properties of cured materials but also have better processability and stability than the silica-filled compound before curing. Large amplitude oscillatory shear experiments demonstrate that the triblock copolymer addition strongly affects the rheological properties. We hypothesize that the bridges and entangled loops that were formed by the triblock copolymer can connect different PS domains to provide additional reinforcement. The aging effect that originates from PDMS chain adsorption on the filler particle surface is also avoided because of the thermodynamic repulsion between PS and PDMS phases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Studies of EC pre-ionization in DIII-D to support development of ITER plasma initiation

New experiments have been conducted at DIII-D to improve the physics understanding of plasma initiation assisted by electron cyclotron (EC) wave injection, allowing better extrapolation to ITER. This has been achieved by applying an EC pulse prior to start of the inductive plasma initiation (i.e. the generation of a loop voltage). A pre-plasma was formed during the EC pulse that was characterized in terms of the maximum density and temperature. Parametric scans were performed to study the influence of the EC injected power, EC injection angle, and pre-fill gas pressure on the pre-plasma creation process. These experiments showed that pre-ionized plasma of good quality can have a significant effect on the subsequent V loop induced plasma initiation process, i.e. a high density pre-plasma, increases the plasma current rise and speed at which ionization is achieved when the V loop is applied. Here, a good quality pre-plasma is one that achieved a significant degree of ionization, mainly obtained by providing sufficient ECH power in DIII-D of the order of 1 MW. It was found that a minimum EC power of 0.5 MW was required in DIII-D to create ionization, and this would scale to a minimum power of roughly 6.5 MW for ITER.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Introduction of the PELICAN loop, a Full-Scale Pressure Drop Test Facility

The Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) is a test reactor currently under development by the US Department of Energy. This reactor will rely on fast neutrons enabling novel and wide-ranging experiment to support the development of the various advanced reactor technologies. With the high flux achievable, accelerated testing of fluid and materials will be made possible. To support VTR design efforts [1], an experimental facility has been designed and constructed at Argonne National Laboratory to recreate the hydraulic flow conditions within the VTR’s primary heat transport system (PHTS). This facility, the Pressure drop Experimental Loop for Investigations of Core Assemblies in advanced Nuclear reactors, PELICAN, measures the pressure drop across a full-scale fuel assembly containing prototypic axial reflectors, fuel, and plena components. Here, we first describe the design considerations required to recreate aspects of the VTR. Then we discuss the design and construction of PELICAN to address these design requirements, the design and construction of the test articles placed inside PELICAN’s test section, and finally present some of the first experimental results.

Grannan, A. M.↗