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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

Investigation of turbulent diffusion in the extreme lower atmosphere

Turbulent diffusion in the extreme lower layer of the atmosphere (up to 5 m) has been investigated. Turbulent flow was simulated under dry, stable and calm conditions by means of a 3.04 m diameter fan installed at a field site situated on flat grassland. The ambient wind was continuously monitored by means of a cup anemometer placed outside the wake, and the temperature distribution was measured by four thermometers placed on an 18 m tower, also outside the wake. Balloons and red smoke were used to visualize the wake flow and investigate the predominant sizes of turbulent eddies and their streamwise behavior. The mean and turbulent velocities along the turbulence line were measured using an array of hot-wire anomometers. Results provide substantial verification of a recently proposed model (Koper and Sadeh, 1975; Koper et al., 1978) relating the Lagrangian to the Eulerian turbulent velocity autocorrelation. In this model the Lagrangian autocorrelation is given by a domain integral over a set of ordinary Eulerian autocorrelations acquired simultaneously at all points within the flow field in question, which is viewed as a turbulence 'box'.

Koper, C. A., Jr.↗

Mixing and the dynamics of the deep chlorophyll maximum in Lake Tahoe

Chlorophyll-temperature profiles were measured across Lake Tahoe about every 10 days from April through July 1980. Analysis of the 123 profiles and associated productivity and nutrient data identified three important processes in the formation and dynamics of the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM): turbulent diffusion, nutrient supply rate, and light availability. Seasonal variation in these three processes resulted in three regimes: a diffusion-dominated regime with a weak DCM, a variable-mixing regime with a pronounced, nutrient supply-dominated DCM, and a stable regime with a deep, moderate light availability-dominated DCM. The transition between the first two regimes occurred in about 10 days, the transition between the last two more gradually over about 3 weeks. The degree of spatial variability of the DCM was highest in the second regime and lowest in the third. These data indicate that the DCM in Lake Tahoe is constant in neither time nor space.

Abbott, M. R.↗

The interaction of small metal particles with refractory oxide supports

Islands and continuous layers of Pd were grown in UHV on Mo and MoO subtrates. As-deposited Pd islands and layers exhibited bulk Pd adsorption properties for CO when the Pd had been deposited at RT and at thicknesses exceeding 3 ML. However, CO adsorption was drastically reduced upon annealing. This deactivation was interpreted in terms of substrate/support interaction involving the diffusion of substrate species toward the Pd surface, using AES, TPD, and work function measurement techniques. A study of the growth and annealing behavior of Pd on Mo(110) was made for thicknesses up to 12 monolayers and substrate temperatures up to 1300K, using AES, XPS, LEED, and work function measurements. At low tempertures Pd formed a monolayer without alloying. In thick layers (12 ML) annealed about 700 K, Mo diffusion into the Pd layer and alloying were noted. Such layers remained continuous up to 1100 K. Thinner Pd layers were less stable and started coalescing upon annealing to as little as 550 K. Significant changes in Pd Auger peak shape, as well as shifts of Pd core levels, were observed during layer growth and annealing.

Park, C.↗

On the morphological development of second-phase particles in elastically-stressed solids

We examine the equilibrium shape and the dynamics of the morphological evolution of a coherent misfitting particle in an elastically anisotropic medium. No a priori assumptions are made on the possible particle morphologies; the particle evolves in a manner consistent with both the diffusion and elastic fields surrounding the particle and the thermodynamics of interfaces in stressed solids. Through these calculations we find the thermodynamically stable equilibrium shape of a misfitting particle. By thermodynamically stable we mean that all the equilibrium conditions, elastic, chemical and interfacial are satisfied simultaneously, in contrast to previous treatments which determined the equilibrium shape by minimizing the sum of the elastic and interfacial energies for certain classes of particle shapes. We find that the equilibrium particle morphologies are not simple geometric shapes, have fourfold symmetry and a continuously varying interfacial curvature with position along the interface. Furthermore, the results show that the times required for a particle to evolve to its equilibrium morphology are likely to be within those which are accessible experimentally. In addition, we develop a general approach for determining the equilibrium shape of a particle in an elastically stressed solid.

Voorhees, P. W.↗

Picometer-level metrology of test articles on the road to Habitable Worlds Observatory

The Habitable Worlds Observatory will revolutionize our understanding of the universe by directly detecting biosignatures on extrasolar planets and allow us to answer the question if we are alone in the universe. To accomplish the tight science goals associated with this mission, the development of an ultrastable observatory with a coronagraphic instrument is necessary. The observatory itself may need to stay stable on the order of 10 picometers over a wavefront control cycle, orders of magnitude more stable than what is required on current space missions. The metrology to verify stability requirements must be roughly a factor of ten more stable. The ultrastable laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has further stabilized its testbed to allow for dynamic measurements on diffuse and specular objects on the order of single picometers, and we are currently measuring drifts on the orders of tens of picometers over different temporal bands. This paper will discuss the mechanical updates to the testbed setup, the analysis performed on several test articles, and the path forward on the road to measuring achieving the required stability for Habitable Worlds Observatory.

Inteferometry↗

Picometer-Level Metrology of Test Articles on the Road to Habitable Worlds Observatory

The Habitable Worlds Observatory will revolutionize our understanding of the universe by directly detecting biosignatures on extrasolar planets and allow us to answer the question if we are alone in the universe. To accomplish the tight science goals associated with this mission, the development of an ultrastable observatory with a coronagraphic instrument is necessary. The observatory itself may need to stay stable on the order of 10 picometers over a wavefront control cycle, orders of magnitude more stable than what is required on current space missions. The metrology to verify stability requirements must be roughly a factor of ten more stable. The ultrastable laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has further stabilized its testbed to allow for dynamic measurements on diffuse and specular objects on the order of single picometers, and we are currently measuring drifts on the orders of tens of picometers over different temporal bands. This paper will discuss the mechanical updates to the testbed setup, the analysis performed on several test articles, and the path forward on the road to measuring achieving the required stability for Habitable Worlds Observatory.

Inteferometry↗

Picometer-Level Metrology on the Road to Habitable Worlds Observatory

The Habitable Worlds Observatory will revolutionize our understanding of the universe by directly detecting biosignatures on extrasolar planets and allow us to answer the question if we are alone in the universe. To accomplish the tight science goals associated with this mission, the development of an ultrastable observatory with a coronagraphic instrument is necessary. The observatory itself may need to stay stable on the order of 10 picometers over a wavefront control cycle, orders of magnitude more stable than what is required on current space missions. The metrology to verify stability requirements must be roughly a factor of ten more stable. The ultrastable laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has further stabilized its testbed to allow for dynamic measurements on diffuse and specular objects on the order of single picometers, and we are currently measuring drifts on the orders of tens of picometers over different temporal bands. This paper will discuss the mechanical updates to the testbed setup, the analysis performed on several test articles, and the path forward on the road to measuring achieving the required stability for Habitable Worlds Observatory.

Inteferometry↗

Pressure activated stability-bypass-control valves to increase the stable airflow range of a Mach 2.5 inlet with 40 percent internal contraction

The throat of a Mach 2.5 inlet with a coldpipe termination was fitted with a stability-bypass system. The inlet stable airflow range provided by various stability-bypass entrance configurations in alternate combination with several stability-bypass exit controls was determined for both steady-state conditions and internal transient pulses. Transient results were also obtained for the inlet with a choke point at the diffuser exit. Instart angles of attack were determined for the various stability-bypass entrance configurations. The response of the inlet-coldpipe system to internal and external oscillating disturbances was determined. Poppet valves at the stability-bypass exit provided an inlet stable airflow range of 28 percent or greater at all static and transient conditions.

Mitchell, G. A.↗

Overcoming the Entropy Penalty of Direct Air Capture for Efficient Gigatonne Removal of Carbon Dioxide

Atmospheric carbon poses an existential threat to civilization via global climate change. Hundreds of gigatonnes of carbon dioxide must be removed from earth’s atmosphere in the next three decades, necessitating a low-cost, energy-efficient process to extract low concentrations of carbon dioxide for conversion to a stable material permanently stored for thousands of years. In this work, the challenge of removing gigatonnes of CO 2 is described via the scale of effort and the thermodynamics of collecting and reducing this diffuse chemical, the accumulation of which imparts a substantial entropy penalty on any atmospheric carbon capture process. The methods of CO 2 reduction combined with upstream direct air capture (DAC) including absorption, membrane separation, and adsorption are compared with biomass torrefaction and permanent burial (BTB). A Monte Carlo model assesses the mass, energy, and economics of the full process of biomass torrefaction from biomass collection and transport to stable carbon burial to determine that 95% of scenarios could remove carbon for less than $200 per CO 2 -tonne-equivalent. Torrefied carbon is further discussed for its long-term stability and availability at the scale required to substantially mitigate the threat of climate change.

biomass↗

Stability Criteria for Self-Propagating Reaction Waves in Co/Al Multilayers

The propagation of self-sustained formation reactions in sputter-deposited Co/Al multilayers is known to exhibit a design-dependent instability. Multilayers having thin bilayers (<55 nm period) exhibit stable propagating waves, whereas those with a larger period react unstably. The specific two-dimensional (2D) instability observed involves the transverse propagation of a band in front of a stalled front commonly referred to as a “spin band.” Previous finite-element studies have shown that these instabilities are thermodynamically driven by the forward conduction of heat away from the flame front. However, the magnitude of that loss is inherently tied to the bilayer design in traditional bimetallic multilayers, which couples any proposed stability criteria to a varying critical diffusion distance. Here, this work utilizes a recently developed class of materials known as “inert-mediated reactive multilayers” to decouple the thermodynamic and kinetic contributions to propagating wave stability by reducing the stored chemical energy density in normally stable bilayer designs. By depositing an inert product phase (B2-CoAl) within the mid-plane of Co and Al reactant layers, spin instabilities arise as a function of both diluted volume and critical diffusion distance. From there, a stability criterion is determined for Co/Al multilayers based on enthalpy loss from the reaction zone, and its physical significance is explored.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Chlorine stable isotopes in sedimentary systems: does size matter?

Stable isotope abundances vary because of size differences. The chlorine stable isotope system was one of the first described theoretically, but had a slow, disappointment strewn development, relative to other elements. Method improvement gave only small, but significant, differences in compositions of geological materials. Eventually, brines and groundwater chlorides gave larger differences. Physical processes like diffusion and adsorption, probably are the main controls of groundwater compositions. Recent work on anthropogenic groundwater contaminants shows variations resulting from manufacturing processes; implying possibilities of tracing sources.

chlorine stable isotopes↗

Diffusion of alloying and fission atoms in α-U investigated by first-principles calculation

Stability and diffusion of small defect clusters containing alloying or fission atoms (“F” is used to represent both atoms) in an α-uranium (U) crystal are investigated using first-principles calculations. Here, results indicate that different stable defect structures are observed for an interstitial defect and a cluster (F n V m ) containing different alloying or fission atoms and vacancies. An interstitial defect is found to be most stable either at the center of a pyramid pentahedron or in a 〈010〉 mixed dumbbell configuration and the latter one is reported for the first time. Formation energy of a small F n V m cluster depends on the distribution of vacancies. Based on these stable defects, new migration energies and paths have been explored in this work. Anisotropic migration of an interstitial defect by jumping between nearest centers of two pyramid pentahedrons or jumping between two mixed U-Zr dumbbells has been suggested. Furthermore, a new migration-rotation mechanism has been explored for the first time for a FV 2 cluster, resulting in a 3D diffusion. Finally, the effect of substitutional Pu atoms on the migration of a FV 2 cluster suggests that optimizing the Pu concentration may prohibit the diffusion of some alloying or fission atoms, increasing the safe performance of metallic fuels.

3D diffusion↗

Oxygen‐Assisted Supercapacitive Swing Adsorption of Carbon Dioxide

Abstract We report on the supercapacitive swing adsorption (SSA) of carbon dioxide at different voltage windows in the presence of oxygen using activated carbon electrodes, and deliquescent, aqueous electrolytes. The presence of O 2 in the CO 2 /N 2 gas mixture results in an up to 11 times higher CO 2 adsorption capacity with 3 M MgBr 2 (at 0.6 V) and up to 4–5 times higher adsorption capacity with 3 M MgCl 2 (at 1 V). A tradeoff between high CO 2 adsorption capacities and lower coulombic efficiencies was observed at voltages above 0.6 V. The energetic and adsorptive performance of the electrodes in the presence of oxygen below 0.5 V was similar to the performance with a CO 2 /N 2 mixture without oxygen at 1 V. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of the electrodes demonstrate that the specific capacitance increases while the diffusion resistance decreases in the presence of oxygen. Oxygen concentrations ranging between 5–20 % give similar energetic and adsorptive performance. The electrodes exhibit stable performance for up to 100 cycles of operation.

Bilal, Muhammad↗

Oxygen‐Assisted Supercapacitive Swing Adsorption of Carbon Dioxide

We report on the supercapacitive swing adsorption (SSA) of carbon dioxide at different voltage windows in the presence of oxygen using activated carbon electrodes, and deliquescent, aqueous electrolytes. The presence of O 2 in the CO 2 /N 2 gas mixture results in an up to 11 times higher CO 2 adsorption capacity with 3 M MgBr 2 (at 0.6 V) and up to 4–5 times higher adsorption capacity with 3 M MgCl 2 (at 1 V). A tradeoff between high CO 2 adsorption capacities and lower coulombic efficiencies was observed at voltages above 0.6 V. The energetic and adsorptive performance of the electrodes in the presence of oxygen below 0.5 V was similar to the performance with a CO 2 /N 2 mixture without oxygen at 1 V. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of the electrodes demonstrate that the specific capacitance increases while the diffusion resistance decreases in the presence of oxygen. Oxygen concentrations ranging between 5–20 % give similar energetic and adsorptive performance. The electrodes exhibit stable performance for up to 100 cycles of operation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Research on high power, doped titanium-niobium oxide anodes

The main objective of this project is to synthesize titanium niobium oxide (TNO) that has a nanoporous structure with porous channels for rapid lithium diffusion, enabling extreme fast charging (XFC). The focus of this project is to improve the electronic conductivity and ion diffusion coefficient in TNO to achieve high capacities under extreme fast charge conditions. In addition, electrolytes with additives will be formulated to promote stable interphase formation on the NMC cathode surface to improve long cycling stability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Accretion of Gas Giants Constrained by the Tidal Barrier

After protoplanets have acquired sufficient mass to open partial gaps in their natal protostellar disks, residual gas continues to diffuse onto horseshoe streamlines under the effect of viscous dissipation, and to meander in and out of the planets' Hill sphere. Within the Hill sphere, the horseshoe streamlines intercept gas flow in circumplanetary disks. The host star's tidal perturbation induces a barrier across the converging streamlines' interface. Viscous transfer of angular momentum across this tidal barrier determines the rate of mass diffusion from the horseshoe streamlines onto the circumplanetary disks, and eventually the accretion rate onto the protoplanets. Here, we carry out a series of numerical simulations to test the influence of this tidal barrier on superthermal planets. In weakly viscous disks, the protoplanets' accretion rate steeply decreases with their masses above the thermal limit. As their growth timescale exceeds the gas depletion timescale, their masses reach asymptotic values comparable to that of Jupiter. In relatively thick and strongly viscous disks, protoplanets' asymptotic masses exceed several times that of Jupiter. Two-dimensional numerical simulations show that such massive protoplanets strongly excite the eccentricity of nearby horseshoe streamlines, destabilize orderly flow, substantially enhance the diffusion rate across the tidal barrier, and elevate their growth rate until their natal disk is severely depleted. In contrast, eccentric streamlines remain stable in three-dimensional simulations. Based on the upper falloff in the observed mass distribution of known exoplanets, we suggest that their natal disks had relatively low viscosity (α ~ 10 –3 ) and modest thickness (H/R ~ 0.03–0.05).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Magnetically Diffused Radial Electric-Arc Air Heater Employing Water-Cooled Copper Electrodes

A magnetically rotated electric-arc air heater has been developed that is novel in that an intense magnetic field of the order of 10,000 to 25,000 gauss is employed. This field is supplied by a coil that is connected in series with the arc. Experimentation with this heater has shown that the presence of an intense magnetic field transverse to the arc results in diffusion of the arc and that the arc has a positive effective resistance. With the field coil in series with the arc, highly stable arc operation is obtained from a battery power supply. External ballast is not required to stabilize the arc when it is operating at maximum power level. The electrode erosion rate is so low that the airstream contamination is no more than 0.07 percent and may be substantially less.

COPPER↗

Phosphate Reactions as Mechanisms of High-Temperature Lubrication

One of the major problems preventing the operation of advanced gas turbine engines at higher temperatures is the inability of currently used liquid lubricants to survive at these higher temperatures under friction and wear conditions. Current state-of-the-art organic liquid lubricants rapidly degrade at temperatures above 300 C; hence some other form of lubrication is necessary. Vapor-phase lubrication is a promising new technology for high-temperature lubrication. This lubrication method employs a liquid phosphate ester that is vaporized and delivered to bearings or gears; the vapor reacts with the metal surfaces, generating a solid lubricious film that has proven very stable at high temperatures. In this study, solid lubricious films were grown on cast-iron foils in order to obtain reaction and diffusion rate data to help characterize the growth mechanism. A phenomenological mathematical model of the film deposition process was derived incorporating transport and kinetic parameters that were coupled to the experimental data. This phenomenological model can now be reliably used as a predictive and scale-up tool for future vapor-phase lubrication studies.

Nagarajan, Anitha↗