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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 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

The Continuous Readout Stream of the MicroBooNE Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber for Detection of Supernova Neutrinos

The MicroBooNE Continuous Readout Stream is a parallel readout of the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) which enables detection of non-beam events such as those from a supernova neutrino burst. The low energies of these neutrinos and the intense cosmic-ray flux due to the near-surface detector location makes triggering on these events very challenging. Instead, MicroBooNE has pioneered a novel approach for detecting supernova neutrinos relying on a delayed trigger generated by SNEWS (the Supernova Early Warning System). The continuous readout of the LArTPC is achieved through the use of real-time compression algorithms (zero suppression and Huffman compression) implemented in an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) in the readout electronics. We present the results of the optimization of the data reduction algorithms, and their operational performance. In order to demonstrate the capability of the continuous stream to detect low-energy electrons, a sample of Michel electrons from stopping cosmic-ray muons is reconstructed and compared to a similar sample from the lossless triggered readout stream.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2019

Organizational Resilience; Business Continuity

In FY 19, the Sandia National Laboratories' "Laboratory Resilience and Continuity Management" Organization established the groundwork to create a business continuity program. The organization is leveraging best practices from established industry and ISO standards and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continuity guidance.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Integration of seismic-pressure-petrophysics inversion of continuous active-seismic monitoring data for monitoring and quantifying CO 2 plume (Final Report)

The overall objective of this project is to develop and validate an integrated package of joint seismic-pressure-petrophysics inversion (jSPPI) of continuous active-source seismic monitoring dataset capable of providing real-time monitoring of CO 2 plume during geologic carbon sequestration (GCS). The three specific developments include: (a) the methodologies for fast seismic full waveform inversion of continuous active source seismic monitoring, (CASSM) datasets for simultaneously estimating velocity and attenuation, and with data assimilation; (b) joint Bayesian petrophysical inversion of seismic models and pressure data for providing and updating CO 2 saturation models; (c) the methods using multiple datasets including (Crainfield and Frio-II borehole) synthetic, laboratory, and field CASSM datasets. The outcomes of jSPPI include (a) a workflow for processing CASSM data, (b) Bayesian inversion algorithms using CASSM data and pressure response data, and (c) integration with data assimilation algorithms for continuously updating site-specific models used for prediction and reservoir management. The validation of joint FWI will be conducted using synthetic models based on the Cranfield and Frio experiments as well as field CASSM datasets collected as part of the Frio-II pilot injection. To quantify and map the mass and distribution of CO 2 (saturation), we will jointly invert velocity and attenuation measurements from the FWI with a Bayesian approach using a rock physics model for attenuation (e.g., White’s attenuation model with two selected patch sizes (White, 1976; Dutta and Seriff, 1979)). The Bayesian inversion will be applied to each time step in the CASSM survey in an updating scheme, which integrates with an ensemble of reservoir simulations at each step. A more complete experimental validation dataset will be collected as part of a mesoscale (2-3 m) gas-CO 2 injection experiment utilizing a higher frequency version of the CASSM system developed for laboratory studies; the integrated inversion will be demonstrated using this dataset which will provide both a dense geometry as well as more precise secondary confirmation measurements (e.g. saturation) typically not available in the field. The resulting real-time map of CO 2 saturation is able to provide a deeper scientific understanding of the complex, time-varying dynamics of subsurface fluid flow migration path as well as the rapid detection of CO 2 leakage hazards.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Performance of Windows in Walls With Continuous Insulation

Window openings in walls are a significant contributor to poor thermal performance because of thermal bridging through the framing members (e.g., studs, joists, plates, bracing) and because windows lack the thermal properties of insulation. This report, Performance of Windows in Walls with Continuous Insulation , explores the common method for installing windows in walls with continuous insulation and presents acceptance criteria for evaluating the performance of windows installed in walls with and without continuous insulation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Sample-efficient verification of continuously-parameterized quantum gates for small quantum processors

Most near-term quantum information processing devices will not be capable of implementing quantum error correction and the associated logical quantum gate set. Instead, quantum circuits will be implemented directly using the physical native gate set of the device. These native gates often have a parameterization (e.g., rotation angles) which provide the ability to perform a continuous range of operations. Verification of the correct operation of these gates across the allowable range of parameters is important for gaining confidence in the reliability of these devices. In this work, we demonstrate a procedure for sample-efficient verification of continuously-parameterized quantum gates for small quantum processors of up to approximately 10 qubits. This procedure involves generating random sequences of randomly-parameterized layers of gates chosen from the native gate set of the device, and then stochastically compiling an approximate inverse to this sequence such that executing the full sequence on the device should leave the system near its initial state. We show that fidelity estimates made via this technique have a lower variance than fidelity estimates made via cross-entropy benchmarking. This provides an experimentally-relevant advantage in sample efficiency when estimating the fidelity loss to some desired precision. We describe the experimental realization of this technique using continuously-parameterized quantum gate sets on a trapped-ion quantum processor from Sandia QSCOUT and a superconducting quantum processor from IBM Q, and we demonstrate the sample efficiency advantage of this technique both numerically and experimentally.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Co-Continuous Phase Nanofiber Composites

We report on the development of a co-continuous phase composite with a polyacrylonitrile (PAN nanofiber network integrated into an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) matrix that offers improved mechanical strength. Homogeneous dispersion of nanomaterials in a matrix can be challenging and typically involves mechanical mixing or chemical modification. This work overcomes this obstacle by taking an inverse approach in that a nanoscale network is synthesized then infiltrated with polymer instead of attempting to disperse the nanomaterial in the polymer. This not only enables excellent homogeneity but also allows the nanoscale phase to be continuous throughout the composite. Here, PAN is electrospun to form a random network of nanofibers having diameters of roughly 200 nm, which is then infiltrated with ABS using solution processing. By optimizing the heat treatments and ABS concentrations, the tensile strength and elastic modulus were improved by 208% and 313%, respectively, as compared to the bare PAN nanofibers. Since there has been significant previous research efforts on electrospinning polymers, many different nanofiber and polymer systems can be made into composites using the methodology established in this work. Therefore, this research offers a new route to create a co-continuous composite with the aim to replace some existing fiber reinforced composites.

Bowland, Christopher↗
DOE OSTI2024

Continuous cropping of potato changed the metabolic pathway of root exudates to drive rhizosphere microflora

For potato production, continuous cropping (CC) could lead to autotoxicity buildup and microflora imbalance in the field soil, which may result in failure of crops and reduction in yield. In this study, non-targeted metabolomics (via liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS)) combined with metagenomic profiling (via high-throughput amplicon sequencing) were used to evaluate correlations between metabolomics of potato root exudates and communities of bacteria and fungi around potato plants to illustrate the impacts of CC. Potato plants were grown in soil collected from fields with various CC years (0, 1, 4, and 7 years). Metabolomic analysis showed that the contents and types of potential autotoxins in potato root exudates increased significantly in CC4 and CC7 plants (i.e., grown in soils with 4 and 7 years of CC). The differentially expressed metabolites were mainly produced via alpha-linolenic acid metabolism in plant groups CC0 and CC1 (i.e., no CC or 1 year CC). The metabolomics of the groups CC4 and CC7 became dominated by styrene degradation, biosynthesis of siderophore group non-ribosomal peptides, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of various plant secondary metabolites. Continuous cropping beyond 4 years significantly changed the bacterial and fungal communities in the soil around the potato crops, with significant reduction of beneficial bacteria and accumulation of harmful fungi. Correlations between DEMs and microflora biomarkers were established with strong significances. These results suggested that continuous cropping of potato crops changed their metabolism as reflected in the plant root exudates and drove rhizosphere microflora to directions less favorable to plant growth, and it needs to be well managed to assure potato yield.

Xing, Yanhong↗
DOE OSTI2020

Potential for Applying Continuous Directed Evolution to Plant Enzymes: An Exploratory Study

Plant evolution has produced enzymes that may not be optimal for maximizing yield and quality in today’s agricultural environments and plant biotechnology applications. By improving enzyme performance, it should be possible to alleviate constraints on yield and quality currently imposed by kinetic properties or enzyme instability. Enzymes can be optimized more quickly than naturally possible by applying directed evolution, which entails mutating a target gene in vitro and screening or selecting the mutated gene products for the desired characteristics. Continuous directed evolution is a more efficient and scalable version that accomplishes the mutagenesis and selection steps simultaneously in vivo via error-prone replication of the target gene and coupling of the host cell’s growth rate to the target gene’s function. However, published continuous systems require custom plasmid assembly, and convenient multipurpose platforms are not available. We discuss two systems suitable for continuous directed evolution of enzymes, OrthoRep in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and EvolvR in Escherichia coli, and our pilot efforts to adapt each system for high-throughput plant enzyme engineering. To test our modified systems, we used the thiamin synthesis enzyme THI4, previously identified as a prime candidate for improvement. Our adapted OrthoRep system shows promise for efficient plant enzyme engineering.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Liquid Core Detection and Strand Condition Monitoring in a Continuous Caster Using Optical Fiber

Real-time monitoring of the liquid core position during the continuous casting of steel has been demonstrated using low-cost distributed optical-fiber-based strain sensors. These sensors were installed on the containment roll support structures in the segments of a production continuous caster to detect the position of the solid–liquid interface and monitor the strand condition during the continuous casting. Distributed Fiber Bragg Grating sensors (FBGs) were used in this work to monitor strain at six roll positions in the caster. The sensor performance was first validated by comparing optical strain measurements with conventional strain gauge measurements in the lab. Next, optical strain measurements were performed on an isolated caster segment in a segment maintenance facility using hydraulic jacks to simulate the presence of a liquid core under the roll. Finally, the sensors were evaluated during caster operation. The sensors successfully detected the load increase associated with the presence of a liquid core under each instrumented roll location. Incidents of bulging and roll eccentricity were also detected using frequency analysis of the optical strain signal. The liquid core position measurements were compared using predictions from computer models (digital twins) in use at the production site. The measurements were in good agreement with the model predictions, with a few exceptions. Under certain transient caster operating conditions, such as spraying practice changes and SEN exchanges, the model predictions deviated slightly from the liquid core position determined from strain measurements.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2019

Intensity-coupled Polarization in Instruments with a Continuously Rotating Half-wave Plate

In this work, we discuss a systematic effect associated with measuring polarization with a continuously rotating half-wave plate (HWP). The effect was identified with the data from the E and B Experiment, which was a balloon-borne instrument designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) as well as that from Galactic dust. The data show polarization fractions larger than 10%, while less than 3% were expected from instrumental polarization. We give evidence that the excess polarization is due to detector nonlinearity in the presence of a continuously rotating HWP. The nonlinearity couples intensity signals to polarization. We develop a map-based method to remove the excess polarization. Applying this method to the 150 (250) GHz band data, we find that 81% (92%) of the excess polarization was removed. Finally, characterization and mitigation of this effect are important for future experiments aiming to measure the CMB B-modes with a continuously rotating HWP.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Hemisphere partition function and analytic continuation to the conifold point

We show that the hemisphere partition function for certain U(1) gauged linear sigma models (GLSMs) with D-branes is related to a particular set of Mellin-Barnes integrals which can be used for analytic continuation to the singular point in the Kähler moduli space of an $h^{1,1}=1$ Calabi-Yau (CY) projective hypersurface. We directly compute the analytic continuation of the full quantum corrected central charge of a basis of geometric D-branes from the large volume to the singular point. In the mirror language this amounts to compute the analytic continuation of a basis of periods on the mirror CY to the conifold point. However, all calculations are done in the GLSM and we do not have to refer to the mirror CY. We apply our methods explicitly to the cubic, quartic and quintic CY hypersurfaces.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Quantification of oil and gas methane emissions in the Delaware and Marcellus basins using a network of continuous tower-based measurements

Abstract. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), emissions from oil and gas infrastructure contribute 30 % of all anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions in the US. Studies in the last decade have shown emissions from this sector to be substantially larger than bottom-up assessments, including the EPA inventory, highlighting both the increased importance of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector in terms of their overall climatological impact and the need for independent monitoring of these emissions. In this study we present continuous monitoring of regional methane emissions from two oil and gas basins using tower-based observing networks. Continuous methane measurements were taken at four tower sites in the northeastern Marcellus basin from May 2015 through December 2016 and five tower sites in the Delaware basin in the western Permian from March 2020 through April 2022. These measurements, an atmospheric transport model, and prior emission fields are combined using an atmospheric inversion to estimate monthly methane emissions in the two regions. This study finds the mean overall emission rate from the Delaware basin during the measurement period to be 146–210 Mg CH4 h−1 (energy-normalized loss rate of 1.1 %–1.5 %, gas-normalized rate of 2.5 %–3.5 %). Strong temporal variability in the emissions was present, with the lowest emission rates occurring during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, a synthetic model–data experiment performed using the Delaware tower network shows that the presence of intermittent sources is not a significant source of uncertainty in monthly quantification of the mean emission rate. In the Marcellus, this study finds the overall mean emission rate to be 19–28 Mg CH4 h−1 (gas-normalized loss rate of 0.30 %–0.45 %), with relative consistency in the emission rate over time. These totals align with aircraft top-down estimates from the same time periods. In both basins, the tower network was able to constrain monthly flux estimates within ±20 % uncertainty in the Delaware and ±24 % uncertainty in the Marcellus. The results from this study demonstrate the ability to monitor emissions continuously and detect changes in the emissions field, even in a basin with relatively low emissions and complex background conditions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1976

Stability analysis of combined continuous and discrete systems

A discrete, time-invariant system is represented by an equivalent continuous, periodic system. A combined continuous plant and discrete controller may then be formulated as a single continuous, periodic coefficient system. The exact stability solution for the combined system is obtained, as a matrix eigenvalue problem. Periodic system theory also gives some information about the type of instabilities which may be encountered in the combined plant and controller.

Johnson, W.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Continuous and cyclic thermal exposure induced degradation in boron reinforced 6061 aluminum composites

Boron reinforced 6061 aluminum (B/Al) composite was continuously exposed at 728 K for up to 240 hours and cyclically exposed between 293 K and 728 K for up to 6000 three-minute cycles. Room temperature tensile strengths were measured and the specimens were metallographically examined. The data suggest that, in addition to AlB2 formation, magnesium in the matrix diffused to the reaction layer and formed (Al,Mg)B2. This formation could weaken the matrix and embrittle the reaction layer. Continuous exposure degraded the strength of the B/Al specimens about 28% in 240 hours. However, the fracture mode, one indicative of high strength interfaces, did not change. The strength degradation was attributed to crack initiation in the brittle reaction layer causing stress concentrations in the fibers. Cyclic exposure degraded the strength of the B/Al about 34% in 6000 cycles. The fracture mode of the cyclic exposure specimens showed transition toward a mode characteristic of low interfacial strength. The lower interfacial strengths were attributed to stress fields induced by differential thermal expansion. Cyclic exposure degraded the strength of the B/Al specimens more than continuous exposure for similar cumulative exposure times.

Olsen, G. C.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Continuous Czochralski growth: Silicon sheet growth development of the large area silicon sheet task of the Low Cost Silicon Solar Array project

The primary objective of this contract is to develop equipment and methods for the economic production of single crystal ingot material by the continuous Czochralski (CZ) process. Continuous CZ is defined for the purpose of this work as the growth of at least 100 kilograms of ingot from only one melt container. During the reporting period (October, 1977 - September, 1978), a modified grower was made fully functional and several recharge runs were performed. The largest run lasted 44 hours and over 42 kg of ingot was produced. Little, if any, degradation in efficiency was observed as a result of pulling multiple crystals from one crucible. Solar efficiencies observed were between 9.3 and 10.4% AMO (13.0 and 14.6% AMI) compared to 10.5% (14.7% AMI) for optimum CZ material control samples. Using the SAMICS/IPEG format, economic analysis of continuous CZ suggests that 1986 DoE cost goals can only be met by the growth of large diameter, large mass crystals.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1979

LSA Large Area Silicon Sheet Task Continuous Liquid Feed Czochralski Growth

A process for the continuous growth of crystals by the Czochralski method, suitable for producing single silicon crystals for use in solar cells was studied. Continuous growth is the growth of 100 Kg of single silicon crystals, 10 cm in diameter, from one container. A furnace with continuous liquid replenishment of the growth crucible, accomplished by a melt-down system and a liquid transfer mechanism, with associated automatic feedback controls was developed. Elements of the transfer system were further developed and tested during actual transfer runs. Considerable simplification of the heating element of the transfer tube was achieved. Accuracy and reliability of the temperature sensor, which is part of the power input control system for the transfer tube, was improved. Electrical and thermal effectiveness were increased while assembly of the transfer tube system was further simplified.

Fiegl, G.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Continuous Czochralski Growth. Silicon Sheet Growth Development of the Large Area Silicon Sheet Task of the Low Cost Silicon Solar Array Project

The JPL Continuous Czochralski Growth Facility is now essentially complete and is functional. In this reporting period, a silicon lump recharging device was designed, and a prototype was built which performed well in simulated recharge tests. The large chamber (designed to accommodate a 14-inch hot zone) was put into operation initially with the standard hot zone in order to compare performance with previous experience. Some modifications were made to the hot zones in the larger chamber due to considerably larger radiative heat losses. Several short (one-ingot) runs were performed and four continuous runs were attempted. The largest continuous run lasted 64 hours and produced 57 kilograms of ingot.

Merz, F.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Combined discrete network. Continuous control modelling of operator behavior

The situation in which an operator is faced with a continuous control task plus one or more discrete information processing tasks is discussed. A modelling approach which has the capability of realistically representing both types of tasks and the resulting interactions is sought. The modelling approach utilizes discrete network models for the cognitive tasks and elements of an open-loop - closed-loop control representation for the continuous task. the approach is demonstrated through its application to a simulated Digital Avionics Information System in which subjects were required to perform retrieval and processing tasks as well as flight control. This model differs from conventional model in that system status sampling is not necessarily continuous or periodic. Rather, the pilot is assumed to read system status displays only as time permits and operate in a so-called open-loop preprogrammed fashion between sampling.

Miller, R. A.↗