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At least 271 records · Page 15

Methanol Droplet Combustion in Oxygen-Inert Environments in Microgravity

The Flame Extinguishment (FLEX) experiment that is currently underway in the Combustion Integrated Rack facility onboard the International Space Station is aimed at understanding the effects of inert diluents on the flammability of condensed phase fuels. To this end, droplets of various fuels, including alkanes and alcohols, are burned in a quiescent microgravity environment with varying amounts of oxygen and inert diluents to determine the limiting oxygen index (LOI) for these fuels. In this study we report experimental observations of methanol droplets burning in oxygen-nitrogen-carbon dioxide and oxygen-nitrogen-helium gas mixtures at 0.7 and 1 atmospheric pressures. The initial droplet size varied between approximately 1.5 mm and 4 mm to capture both diffusive extinction brought about by insufficient residence time at the flame and radiative extinction caused by excessive heat loss from the flame zone. The ambient oxygen concentration varied from a high value of 30% by volume to as low as 12%, approaching the limiting oxygen index for the fuel. The inert dilution by carbon dioxide and helium varied over a range of 0% to 70% by volume. In these experiments, both freely floated and tethered droplets were ignited using symmetrically opposed hot-wire igniters and the burning histories were recorded onboard using digital cameras, downlinked later to the ground for analysis. The digital images yielded droplet and flame diameters as functions of time and subsequently droplet burning rate, flame standoff ratio, and initial and extinction droplet diameters. Simplified theoretical models correlate the measured burning rate constant and the flame standoff ratio reasonably well. An activation energy asymptotic theory accounting for time-dependent water dissolution or evaporation from the droplet is shown to predict the measured diffusive extinction conditions well. The experiments also show that the limiting oxygen index for methanol in these diluent gases is around 12% to 13% oxygen by volume.

Nayagam, Vedha↗

Determining the Optimum Post Spacing of LIDAR-Derived Elevation Data in Varying Terrain for Flood Hazard Mapping Purposes in North Carolina and Texas

The major flood events in the United States in the past few years have made it apparent that many floodplain maps being used by State governments are outdated and inaccurate. In response, many Stated have begun to update their Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps. Accurate topographic data is one of the most critical inputs for floodplain analysis and delineation. Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) altimetry is one of the primary remote sensing technologies that can be used to obtain high-resolution and high-accuracy digital elevation data suitable for hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) modeling, in part because of its ability to "penetrate" various cover types and to record geospatial data from the Earth's surface. However, the posting density or spacing at which LIDAR collects the data will affect the resulting accuracies of the derived bare Earth surface, depending on terrain type and land cover type. For example, flat areas are thought to require higher or denser postings than hilly areas to capture subtle changes in the topography that could have a significant effect on flooding extent. Likewise, if an area has dense understory and overstory, it may be difficult to receive LIDAR returns from the Earth's surface, which would affect the accuracy of that bare Earth surface and thus would affect flood model results. For these reasons, NASA and FEMA have partnered with the State of North Carolina and with the U.S./Mexico Foundation in Texas to assess the effect of LIDAR point density on the characterization of topographic variation and on H&H modeling results for improved floodplain mapping. Research for this project is being conducted in two areas of North Carolina and in the City of Brownsville, Texas, each with a different type of terrain and varying land cover/land use. Because of various project constraints, LIDAR data were acquired once at a high posting density and then decimated to coarser postings or densities. Quality assurance/quality control analyses were performed on each dataset. Cross sections extracted form the high density and then the decimated datasets were individually input into an H&H model to determine the model's sensitivity to topographic variation and the effect of that variation on the resulting water profiles. Additional analysis was performed on the Brownsville, Texas, LIDAR data to determine the percentage of returns that "penetrated" various types of canopy or vegetative cover. It is hoped that the results of these studies will benefit state and local communities as they consider the post spacing at which to acquire LIDAR data (which affects cost) and will benefit FEMA as the Agency assesses the use of different technologies for updating National Flood Insurance Program and related products.

Berglund, Judith↗

Propellant-Flow-Actuated Rocket Engine Igniter

A rocket engine igniter has been created that uses a pneumatically driven hammer that, by specialized geometry, is induced into an oscillatory state that can be used to either repeatedly impact a piezoelectric crystal with sufficient force to generate a spark capable of initiating combustion, or can be used with any other system capable of generating a spark from direct oscillatory motion. This innovation uses the energy of flowing gaseous propellant, which by means of pressure differentials and kinetic motion, causes a hammer object to oscillate. The concept works by mass flows being induced through orifices on both sides of a cylindrical tube with one or more vent paths. As the mass flow enters the chamber, the pressure differential is caused because the hammer object is supplied with flow on one side and the other side is opened with access to the vent path. The object then crosses the vent opening and begins to slow because the pressure differential across the ball reverses due to the geometry in the tube. Eventually, the object stops because of the increasing pressure differential on the object until all of the kinetic energy has been transferred to the gas via compression. This is the point where the object reverses direction because of the pressure differential. This behavior excites a piezoelectric crystal via direct impact from the hammer object. The hammer strikes a piezoelectric crystal, then reverses direction, and the resultant high voltage created from the crystal is transferred via an electrode to a spark gap in the ignition zone, thereby providing a spark to ignite the engine. Magnets, or other retention methods, might be employed to favorably position the hammer object prior to start, but are not necessary to maintain the oscillatory behavior. Various manifestations of the igniter have been developed and tested to improve device efficiency, and some improved designs are capable of operation at gas flow rates of a fraction of a gram per second (0.001 lb/s) and pressure drops on the order of 30 to 50 kilopascal (a few psi). An analytical model has been created and tested in conjunction with a precisely calibrated reference model. The analytical model accurately captures the overall behavior of this innovation. The model is a simple "volume-orifice" concept, with each chamber considered a single temperature and pressure "node" connected to adjacent nodes, or to vent paths through flow control orifices. Mass and energy balances are applied to each node, with gas flow predicted using simple compressible flow equations.

Wollen, Mark↗

Implementation of an Unsteady PSP System in the NASA Transonic Dynamics Tunnel

An unsteady pressure-sensitive paint (uPSP) system has been developed to provide time-resolved pressure measurements in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT). Obtaining these measurements necessitated the development of environmental enclosures to protect the high-speed camera and ultraviolet lights required for uPSP from the harsh environment present during tunnel operation. Since the facility main drive was non-functioning during the testing window, performance of the uPSP system was demonstrated using an impinging jet with a passive oscillator attachment to provide unsteady flow with a known frequency independent of amplitude. Measurements were obtained for tunnel pressures ranging from 565 to 2116 psf, and model angles of attack between -4 degrees and 4 degrees. Results indicate that the system is capable of measuring surface pressure differentials on the order of 0.01 psi at full scale with a camera frame rate of at least 10 kHz. Spectral analysis shows that the fundamental frequency of the oscillating jet is captured by the uPSP system, as are the second and third harmonics. Dynamic mode decomposition highlights the dominant coherent spatial structures of the surface pressure, along with the associated frequency and growth rate of each mode, allowing for a de-noised reconstruction of the uPSP measurements. The experimental campaign outlined within this report also confirmed compatibility of the uPSP system with the TDT facility data acquisition system, and verified the successful integration with existing processing capabilities within the NASA advanced supercomputing environment.

unsteady pressure-sensitive paint↗

Implementation of an Unsteady PSP System in the NASA Transonic Dynamics Tunnel

An unsteady pressure-sensitive paint (uPSP) system has been developed to provide time-resolved pressure measurements in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT). Obtaining these measurements necessitated the development of environmental enclosures to protect the high-speed camera and ultraviolet lights required for uPSP from the harsh environment present during tunnel operation. Since the facility main drive was non-functioning during the testing window, performance of the uPSP system was demonstrated using an impinging jet with a passive oscillator attachment to provide unsteady flow with a known frequency independent of amplitude. Measurements were obtained for tunnel pressures ranging from 565 to 2116 psf, and model angles of attack between -4 degrees and 4 degrees. Results indicate that the system is capable of measuring surface pressure differentials on the order of 0.01 psi at full scale with a camera frame rate of at least 10 kHz. Spectral analysis shows that the fundamental frequency of the oscillating jet is captured by the uPSP system, as are the second and third harmonics. Dynamic mode decomposition highlights the dominant coherent spatial structures of the surface pressure, along with the associated frequency and growth rate of each mode, allowing for a de-noised reconstruction of the uPSP measurements. The experimental campaign outlined within this report also confirmed compatibility of the uPSP system with the TDT facility data acquisition system, and verified the successful integration with existing processing capabilities within the NASA advanced supercomputing environment.

unsteady pressure-sensitive paint↗

Implementation of an Unsteady PSP System in the NASA TDT

An unsteady pressure-sensitive paint (uPSP) system has been developed to provide time-resolved pressure measurements in the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT). Obtaining these measurements necessitated the development of environmental enclosures to protect the high-speed camera and ultraviolet lights required for uPSP from the harsh environment present during tunnel operation. Since the facility main drive was non-functioning during the testing window, performance of the uPSP system was demonstrated using an impinging jet with a passive oscillator attachment to provide unsteady flow with a known frequency independent of amplitude. Measurements were obtained for tunnel pressures ranging from 565 to 2116 psf, and model angles of attack between -4 degrees and 4 degrees. Results indicate that the system is capable of measuring surface pressure differentials on the order of 0.01 psi at full scale with a camera frame rate of at least 10 kHz. Spectral analysis shows that the fundamental frequency of the oscillating jet is captured by the uPSP system, as are the second and third harmonics. Dynamic mode decomposition highlights the dominant coherent spatial structures of the surface pressure, along with the associated frequency and growth rate of each mode, allowing for a de-noised reconstruction of the uPSP measurements. The experimental campaign outlined within this report also confirmed compatibility of the uPSP system with the TDT facility data acquisition system, and verified the successful integration with existing processing capabilities within the NASA advanced supercomputing environment. Note: this presentation is an MP4 video with sound, color with a run time of 10 minutes 37 seconds.

unsteady pressure-sensitive paint↗

Curved Waveguide Based Nuclear Fission for Small, Lightweight Reactors

The focus of the presented work is on the creation of a system of grazing incidence, supermirror waveguides for the capture and reuse of fission sourced neutrons. Within research reactors, neutron guides are a well known tool for directing neutrons from the confined and hazardous central core to a more accessible testing or measurement location. Typical neutron guides have rectangular, hollow cross sections, which are crafted as thin, mirrored waveguides plated with metal (commonly nickel). Under glancing angles with incoming neutrons, these waveguides can achieve nearly lossless transport of neutrons to distant instruments. Furthermore, recent developments have created supermirror surfaces which can accommodate neutron grazing angles up to four times as steep as nickel. A completed system will form an enclosing ring or spherical resonator system to a coupled neutron source for the purpose of capturing and reusing free neutrons to sustain and/or accelerate fission. While grazing incidence mirrors are a known method of directing and safely using neutrons, no method has been disclosed for capture and reuse of neutrons or sustainment of fission using a circular waveguide structure. The presented work is in the process of fabricating a functional, highly curved, neutron supermirror using known methods of Ni-Ti layering capable of achieving incident reflection angles up to four times steeper than nickel alone. Parallel work is analytically investigating future geometries, mirror compositions, and sources for enabling sustained fission with applicability to the propulsion and energy goals of NASA and other agencies. Should research into this concept prove feasible, it would lead to development of a high energy density, low mass power source potentially capable of sustaining fission with a fraction of the standard critical mass for a given material and a broadening of feasible materials due to reduced rates of release, absorption, and non-fission for neutrons. This advance could be applied to direct propulsion through guided fission products or as a secondary energy source for high impulse electric propulsion. It would help meet national needs for highly efficient energy sources with limited dependence on fossil fuels or conflict materials, and it would improve the use of low grade fissile materials which would help reduce national stockpiles and waste.

Coker, Robert↗

Thermophoretically augmented mass transfer rates to solid walls across laminar boundary layers

Predictions of mass transfer (heavy vapor and small particle deposition) rates to solid walls, including the effects of thermal (Soret) diffusion ('thermophoresis' for small particles), are made by numerically solving the two-dimensional self-similar forced convection laminar boundary-layer equations with variable properties, covering the particle size range from vapor molecules up to the size threshold for inertial (dynamical nonequilibrium) effects. The effect of thermophoresis is predicted to be particularly important for submicron particle deposition on highly cooled solid surfaces, with corresponding enhancement factors at atmospheric conditions being over a thousand-fold at T(w)/T(e) equal to about 0.6. As a consequence of this mass transfer mechanism, the particle size dependence of the mass transfer coefficient to a cooled wall will be much weaker than for the corresponding case of isothermal capture by Brownian-convective diffusion.

Gokoglu, S. A.↗

A compressible Navier-Stokes solver with two-equation and Reynolds stress turbulence closure models

This report outlines the development of a general purpose aerodynamic solver for compressible turbulent flows. Turbulent closure is achieved using either two equation or Reynolds stress transportation equations. The applicable equation set consists of Favre-averaged conservation equations for the mass, momentum and total energy, and transport equations for the turbulent stresses and turbulent dissipation rate. In order to develop a scheme with good shock capturing capabilities, good accuracy and general geometric capabilities, a multi-block cell centered finite volume approach is used. Viscous fluxes are discretized using a finite volume representation of a central difference operator and the source terms are treated as an integral over the control volume. The methodology is validated by testing the algorithm on both two and three dimensional flows. Both the two equation and Reynolds stress models are used on a two dimensional 10 degree compression ramp at Mach 3, and the two equation model is used on the three dimensional flow over a cone at angle of attack at Mach 3.5. With the development of this algorithm, it is now possible to compute complex, compressible high speed flow fields using both two equation and Reynolds stress turbulent closure models, with the capability of eventually evaluating their predictive performance.

Navier-Stoke solver↗

Geodata Modeling and Query in Geographic Information Systems

Geographic information systems (GIS) deal with collecting, modeling, man- aging, analyzing, and integrating spatial (locational) and non-spatial (attribute) data required for geographic applications. Examples of spatial data are digital maps, administrative boundaries, road networks, and those of non-spatial data are census counts, land elevations and soil characteristics. GIS shares common areas with a number of other disciplines such as computer- aided design, computer cartography, database management, and remote sensing. None of these disciplines however, can by themselves fully meet the requirements of a GIS application. Examples of such requirements include: the ability to use locational data to produce high quality plots, perform complex operations such as network analysis, enable spatial searching and overlay operations, support spatial analysis and modeling, and provide data management functions such as efficient storage, retrieval, and modification of large datasets; independence, integrity, and security of data; and concurrent access to multiple users. It is on the data management issues that we devote our discussions in this monograph. Traditionally, database management technology have been developed for business applications. Such applications require, among other things, capturing the data requirements of high-level business functions and developing machine- level implementations; supporting multiple views of data and yet providing integration that would minimize redundancy and maintain data integrity and security; providing a high-level language for data definition and manipulation; allowing concurrent access to multiple users; and processing user transactions in an efficient manner. The demands on database management systems have been for speed, reliability, efficiency, cost effectiveness, and user-friendliness. Significant progress have been made in all of these areas over the last two decades to the point that many generalized database platforms are now available for developing data intensive applications that run in real-time. While continuous improvement is still being made at a very fast-paced and competitive rate, new application areas such as computer aided design, image processing, VLSI design, and GIS have been identified by many as the next generation of database applications. These new application areas pose serious challenges to the currently available database technology. At the core of these challenges is the nature of data that is manipulated. In traditional database applications, the database objects do not have any spatial dimension, and as such, can be thought of as point data in a multi-dimensional space. For example, each instance of an entity EMPLOYEE will have a unique value corresponding to every attribute such as employee id, employee name, employee address and so on. Thus, every Employee instance can be thought of as a point in a multi-dimensional space where each dimension is represented by an attribute. Furthermore, all operations on such data are one-dimensional. Thus, users may retrieve all entities satisfying one or more constraints. Examples of such constraints include employees with addresses in a certain area code, or salaries within a certain range. Even though constraints can be specified on multiple attributes (dimensions), the search for such data is essentially orthogonal across these dimensions.

Adam, Nabil↗

Thermo-Mechanical Processing in Friction Stir Welds

Friction stir welding is a solid-phase joining, or welding process that was invented in 1991 at The Welding Institute (TWI). The process is potentially capable of joining a wide variety of aluminum alloys that are traditionally difficult to fusion weld. The friction stir welding (FSW) process produces welds by moving a non-consumable rotating pin tool along a seam between work pieces that are firmly clamped to an anvil. At the start of the process, the rotating pin is plunged into the material to a pre-determined load. The required heat is produced by a combination of frictional and deformation heating. The shape of the tool shoulder and supporting anvil promotes a high hydrostatic pressure along the joint line as the tool shears and literally stirs the metal together. To produce a defect free weld, process variables (RPM, transverse speed, and downward force) and tool pin design must be chosen carefully. An accurate model of the material flow during the process is necessary to guide process variable selection. At MSFC a plastic slip line model of the process has been synthesized based on macroscopic images of the resulting weld material. Although this model appears to have captured the main features of the process, material specific interactions are not understood. The objective of the present research was to develop a basic understanding of the evolution of the microstructure to be able to relate it to the deformation process variables of strain, strain rate, and temperature.

Schneider, Judy↗

Experimental evaluation of a Mach 3.5 axisymmetric inlet

Wind tunnel test results for a large scale inlet model designed for Mach 3.5 are presented and compared with analytical predictions. The inlet is an axisymmetric mixed-compression type with a lip diameter of 49.723 cm. The inlet design was developed using analytical procedures. Data are shown for freestream Mach numbers from 0.6 to 3.5. The test results indicate that boundary layer bleed requirements can be accurately predicted. Good agreement was obtained with analytical predictions of the flowfield structure and boundary layer development in the supersonic diffuser yielding high performance at the design Mach number. The highest engine face total pressure recovery at Mach 3.5 was 85.8%; this was obtained at 0.05 Mach tolerance with only 2.8% total pressure distortion and 13.4% bleed. In the started Mach number range from 1.6 to 3.5, the total pressure recovery in the throat, downstream of the terminal normal shock, ranged between 91% and 95%. Total pressure losses in the subsonic diffuser varied from 3% to 13%. The higher losses occuring between Mach 2.5 and 3.2 were believed to be caused by the rapid rate of increase in the area of the diffuser just downstream of the throat, possibly coupled with inadequate centerbody throat bleed. In the unstarted mode at transonic speeds, the maximum inlet flow was over 99% of the theoretical maximum capture mass-flow.

Syberg, J.↗

Atomic Simulation of Complex DNA DSBs and the Interactions with the Ku70/80 Heterodimer

DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) induced by ionizing radiation (IR) usually contain modified bases such as 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG) and thymine glycol, apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites, 2-deoxyribonolactone, or single-strand breaks (SSBs). The presence of such lesions in close proximity to the DSB terminus makes the DNA nicks more difficult to repair and rejoin than endogenously induced simple DSBs, and as such a major determinant of the biological effects of high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation as encountered in space travel. In this study we conducted molecular dynamics simulations on a series of DNA duplexes with various complex lesions of 8-oxoG and AP sites, in an effort to investigate the effects of such lesions to the structural integrity and stability of DNA after insulted by IR. We also simulated the interaction of such complex DSBs with the Ku70/80 heterodimer, the first protein in mammalian cells to embark the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) DNA repair pathway. The results indicate, compared to DNA with simple DSBs, the complex lesions can enhance the hydrogen bonds opening rate at the DNA terminus, and increase the mobility of the whole duplex, thus they present more deleterious effects to the genome integrity if not captured and repaired promptly in cells. Simulations also demonstrate the binding of Ku drastically reduces structural disruption and flexibility caused by the complex lesions, and the interactions of Ku with complex DSBs have a different potential energy landscape from the bound structure with simple DSB. In all complex DSBs systems, the binding of DSB terminus with Ku70 is softened while the binding of the middle duplex with Ku80 is tightened. This energy shift may help the Ku protein to secure at the DSB terminus for a longer time, so that other end processing factors or repair pathways can proceed at the lesions before NHEJ repair process starts. These atomic simulations may provide valuable new insight into the selective action of repair proteins on damaged DNA.

Hu, Shaowen↗

Using High Spatial Resolution Satellite Imagery to Map Forest Burn Severity Across Spatial Scales in a Pine Barrens Ecosystem

As a primary disturbance agent, fire significantly influences local processes and services of forest ecosystems. Although a variety of remote sensing based approaches have been developed and applied to Landsat mission imagery to infer burn severity at 30 m spatial resolution, forest burn severity have still been seldom assessed at fine spatial scales (less than or equal to 5 m) from very-high-resolution (VHR) data. We assessed a 432 ha forest fire that occurred in April 2012 on Long Island, New York, within the Pine Barrens region, a unique but imperiled fire-dependent ecosystem in the northeastern United States. The mapping of forest burn severity was explored here at fine spatial scales, for the first time using remotely sensed spectral indices and a set of Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) fraction images from bi-temporal - pre- and post-fire event - WorldView-2 (WV-2) imagery at 2 m spatial resolution. We first evaluated our approach using 1 m by 1 m validation points at the sub-crown scale per severity class (i.e. unburned, low, moderate, and high severity) from the post-fire 0.10 m color aerial ortho-photos; then, we validated the burn severity mapping of geo-referenced dominant tree crowns (crown scale) and 15 m by 15 m fixed-area plots (inter-crown scale) with the post-fire 0.10 m aerial ortho-photos and measured crown information of twenty forest inventory plots. Our approach can accurately assess forest burn severity at the sub-crown (overall accuracy is 84% with a Kappa value of 0.77), crown (overall accuracy is 82% with a Kappa value of 0.76), and inter-crown scales (89% of the variation in estimated burn severity ratings (i.e. Geo-Composite Burn Index (CBI)). This work highlights that forest burn severity mapping from VHR data can capture heterogeneous fire patterns at fine spatial scales over the large spatial extents. This is important since most ecological processes associated with fire effects vary at the less than 30 m scale and VHR approaches could significantly advance our ability to characterize fire effects on forest ecosystems.

Meng, Ran↗

Self-Consistent Implementation of a Zero-Equation Transport Model Into a Predictive Model for a Hall Effect Thruster

The performance of an axisymmetric multi-fluid Hall thruster code that incorporates a self-consistent, data-driven closure model for the anomalous electron transport is investigated. Five different operating conditions of the H9 magnetically shielded Hall thruster are simulated with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Hall2De. In order to capture the inherent uncertainty associated with the closure model, O(100) simulations are run for each condition, each of using a coefficient set sampled randomly from a probability distribution. The results of these simulations provide probabilistic predictions of thruster performance quantities including thrust, and discharge current, as well as several component efficiencies and centerline plasma properties. The model is found to yield converged solutions at all conditions, with large 10 kHzrange oscillations and performance trends with voltage and flow rate similar to experiment. The model under-predicts the thrust by 15-25% and over-predicts the discharge current by 20% on average compared to experiments at the same discharge voltage and mass flow rate. This performance discrepancy is due to lower beam utilization, mass utilization, and divergence efficiency than experiment, resulting from high Hall parameters in the acceleration region, which lead to a protracted ion acceleration region. The physical processes underlying this result are discussed in the context of future data-driven modeling efforts.

Jorns, Benjamin A.↗

Instrument for Solvent Extraction and Analysis (ISEE) of Organics from Regolith Simulant Using Supercritical Fluid Extraction and Chromatography

ISEE is an instrument with the potential to perform extractions from regolith found on the surface of asteroids and planets, followed by characterization and quantitation of the extracts using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and chromatography (SFC). SFE is a developed technique proven to extract a wide range of organic compounds. SFC is similar to High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) but has the advantage of performing chiral separations without needing to derivatize the chiral compounds. CO2 will be the solvent for both stages as it is readily available in the Mars atmosphere. ISEE will capture CO2 from the environment, and use it for SFE and SFC. If successful, this would allow ISEE to perform analysis of organic compounds without using consumables. This paper will present results on a preliminary, proof-of-principle effort to use SFE and SFC to extract and analyze lunar regolith simulant spiked with organic compounds representing a range of organics that ISEE would expect to characterize. An optimization of variables for the extraction of the organics from the spiked regolith was successfully developed, using 138 bar pressure and 40 C temperature. The extraction flow rate was optimized at 2% SLPM with 30% methanol modifier. The extractions were successful with a value of 77.3+/- 0.9% of organics extracted. However, the recovery of organics after the extraction was very low with only 48.5+/-14.2%. Moreover, three columns were selected to analyze multiple samples at a time; two of them are Viridis HSS C18 SB and Torus DIOL, and the third column, specific for chiral separations, has not yet been selected yet.

Franco, Carolina↗

Discovery of a possible X-ray triple - 4U 1915-05

The optical counterpart of the 50 minute binary and X-ray burst source 4U 1915-05 has been identified with a 21st mag blue object. Extensive CCD photometric observations show that the optical modulation of the system defines a period of 50.4567 minutes with high precision and is thus probably the true orbital period, whereas the range of X-ray ray dip period values (49.7-50.1 minutes) reported previously are excluded. A model is described whereby the optical modulation is due to partial eclipse of the rim of the accretion disk by a low-mass companion star and the X-ray dips are due to absorption and scattering by blobs of material above and below the disk plane and with density proportional to the current mass transfer rate from the companion star. The 1 percent difference in periods may suggest that the system is a hierarchical triple with a third companion star of low-mass orbiting the binary ion in an about 2.5 day retrograde orbit. The possible origin of such a system by tidal capture in a globular cluster, since disrupted, is briefly discussed.

Grindlay, J. E.↗

Modeling the effects of hydrogen and dose rate sensitivity in CMOS and bipolar technologies

Low dose rate (LDR) and high dose rate (HDR) experiments on field-oxide-field-effect-transistors (FOXFETs) and gated lateral pnp (GLPNP) bipolar transistors indicate that there is a dose rate enhancement factor (EF) associated with radiation-induced degradation. This EF is also affect by the presence of hydrogen in the oxide. In this work, we developed a one dimensional (1-D) numerical calculations code to investigate the key mechanisms that describe the dose rate sensitivity and the effect of hydrogen on dose rate effects. We used a finite-difference methodology for the numerical calculations that allow for computing solutions for the densities of the mobile species as well as for the electrostatic potential at nodes contained within a mesh superimposed on the solution domain. Results from calculations of damage EF indicate that oxide thickness, distribution of hole traps and hole capture cross-section affect dose rate sensitivity. In addition, calculations show that molecular hydrogen cracking at positively charged defects may be a key reaction relating hydrogen and dose rate response. Comparison to experimental data on bipolar and CMOS devices results in good agreement with the dose rate calculations of interface trap buildup

Barnaby, Hugh↗