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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 37 records · Page 2

Window obscuration sensors for mobile gas and chemical imaging cameras

An infrared (IR) imaging system for determining a concentration of a target species in an object is disclosed. The imaging system can include an optical system including a focal plane array (FPA) unit behind an optical window. The optical system can have components defining at least two optical channels thereof, said at least two optical channels being spatially and spectrally different from one another. Each of the at least two optical channels can be positioned to transfer IR radiation incident on the optical system towards the optical FPA. The system can include a processing unit containing a processor that can be configured to acquire multispectral optical data representing said target species from the IR radiation received at the optical FPA. One or more of the optical channels may be used in detecting objects on or near the optical window, to avoid false detections of said target species.

Mallery, Ryan↗

Window obscuration sensors for mobile gas and chemical imaging cameras

An infrared (IR) imaging system for determining a concentration of a target species in an object is disclosed. The imaging system can include an optical system including a focal plane array (FPA) unit behind an optical window. The optical system can have components defining at least two optical channels thereof, said at least two optical channels being spatially and spectrally different from one another. Each of the at least two optical channels can be positioned to transfer IR radiation incident on the optical system towards the optical FPA. The system can include a processing unit containing a processor that can be configured to acquire multispectral optical data representing said target species from the IR radiation received at the optical FPA. One or more of the optical channels may be used in detecting objects on or near the optical window, to avoid false detections of said target species.

Mallery, Ryan↗

Window obscuration sensors for mobile gas and chemical imaging cameras

An infrared (IR) imaging system for determining a concentration of a target species in an object is disclosed. The imaging system can include an optical system including a focal plane array (FPA) unit behind an optical window. The optical system can have components defining at least two optical channels thereof, said at least two optical channels being spatially and spectrally different from one another. Each of the at least two optical channels can be positioned to transfer IR radiation incident on the optical system towards the optical FPA. The system can include a processing unit containing a processor that can be configured to acquire multispectral optical data representing said target species from the IR radiation received at the optical FPA. One or more of the optical channels may be used in detecting objects on or near the optical window, to avoid false detections of said target species.

Mallery, Ryan↗

Window obscuration sensors for mobile gas and chemical imaging cameras

An infrared (IR) imaging system for determining a concentration of a target species in an object is disclosed. The imaging system can include an optical system including a focal plane array (FPA) unit behind an optical window. The optical system can have components defining at least two optical channels thereof, said at least two optical channels being spatially and spectrally different from one another. Each of the at least two optical channels can be positioned to transfer IR radiation incident on the optical system towards the optical FPA. The system can include a processing unit containing a processor that can be configured to acquire multispectral optical data representing said target species from the IR radiation received at the optical FPA. One or more of the optical channels may be used in detecting objects on or near the optical window, to avoid false detections of said target species.

Mallery, Ryan↗

Window obscuration sensors for mobile gas and chemical imaging cameras

An infrared (IR) imaging system for determining a concentration of a target species in an object is disclosed. The imaging system can include an optical system including a focal plane array (FPA) unit behind an optical window. The optical system can have components defining at least two optical channels thereof, said at least two optical channels being spatially and spectrally different from one another. Each of the at least two optical channels can be positioned to transfer IR radiation incident on the optical system towards the optical FPA. The system can include a processing unit containing a processor that can be configured to acquire multispectral optical data representing said target species from the IR radiation received at the optical FPA. One or more of the optical channels may be used in detecting objects on or near the optical window, to avoid false detections of said target species.

Mallery, Ryan↗

Window obscuration sensors for mobile gas and chemical imaging cameras

An infrared (IR) imaging system for determining a concentration of a target species in an object is disclosed. The imaging system can include an optical system including a focal plane array (FPA) unit behind an optical window. The optical system can have components defining at least two optical channels thereof, said at least two optical channels being spatially and spectrally different from one another. Each of the at least two optical channels can be positioned to transfer IR radiation incident on the optical system towards the optical FPA. The system can include a processing unit containing a processor that can be configured to acquire multispectral optical data representing said target species from the IR radiation received at the optical FPA. One or more of the optical channels may be used in detecting objects on or near the optical window, to avoid false detections of said target species.

Mallery, Ryan↗

Spectrally resolved polarization angle across the motional Stark effect spectrum

A new diagnostic technique has been developed that couples a spectrometer and an image-intensified camera into the traditional motional Stark effect (MSE) system on DIII-D. The image-intensified camera syncs with the photo-elastic modulators to spectrally resolve the Stokes parameters across the Stark multiplet. Polarization dependent phase shift, likely from a plasma facing mirror, leads to the spectropolarimeter measuring a variation in the polarization angle across the MSE spectrum of ∼8°.

Victor, B. S. (ORCID:0000000212512922)↗

Installation and imaging of thousands of minirhizotrons to phenotype root systems of field-grown plants

Roots are vital to plant performance because they acquire resources from the soil and provide anchorage. However, it remains difficult to assess root system size and distribution because roots are inaccessible in the soil. Existing methods to phenotype entire root systems range from slow, often destructive, methods applied to relatively small numbers of plants in the field to rapid methods that can be applied to large numbers of plants in controlled environment conditions. Much has been learned recently by extensive sampling of the root crown portion of field-grown plants. But, information on large-scale genetic and environmental variation in the size and distribution of root systems in the field remains a key knowledge gap. Minirhizotrons are the only established, non-destructive technology that can address this need in a standard field trial. Prior experiments have used only modest numbers of minirhizotrons, which has limited testing to small numbers of genotypes or environmental conditions. This study addressed the need for methods to install and collect images from thousands of minirhizotrons and thereby help break the phenotyping bottleneck in the field. Over three growing seasons, methods were developed and refined to install and collect images from up to 3038 minirhizotrons per experiment. Modifications were made to four tractors and hydraulic soil corers mounted to them. High quality installation was achieved at an average rate of up to 84.4 minirhizotron tubes per tractor per day. A set of four commercially available minirhizotron camera systems were each transported by wheelbarrow to allow collection of images of mature maize root systems at an average rate of up to 65.3 tubes per day per camera. This resulted in over 300,000 images being collected in as little as 11 days for a single experiment. The scale of minirhizotron installation was increased by two orders of magnitude by simultaneously using four tractor-mounted, hydraulic soil corers with modifications to ensure high quality, rapid operation. Image collection can be achieved at the corresponding scale using commercially available minirhizotron camera systems. Along with recent advances in image analysis, these advances will allow use of minirhizotrons at unprecedented scale to address key knowledge gaps regarding genetic and environmental effects on root system size and distribution in the field.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Method and system for automated plant surveillance and manipulation

A method and a system for automated plant surveillance and manipulation are provided. Pursuant to the method and the system, images of target plants are obtained through a machine vision system having multiple cameras. The obtained images of the target plants are processed to determine tissue candidates of the target plants and to determine a position and an orientation of each tissue candidate. A tool is manipulated, based on the position and the orientation of each tissue candidate, to excise each tissue candidate to obtain tissue samples. The tissue samples are transported for subsequently manipulation including live processing of the tissue samples or destructive processing of the tissue samples.

Kalluri, Udaya C.↗

Final Scientific/Technical Report: Real Time Particle Size and Settling Velocity for In-Situ Monitoring of Deep-Sea Polymetallic Nodule Mining

In the coming decade, it is anticipated that deep-sea mining activities will commence throughout the deep ocean, at depths around 4000-6000m where vast deposits of baseball-sized rocks called polymetallic nodules lay on the seabed. These nodules contain resources such as cobalt, copper and nickel which are needed to produce batteries for electric vehicles. Collector machines driving on the seabed and gathering these nodules will stir up clouds of sediment, and there is concern about how the resulting concentration of sediment in the near-bottom ocean water will affect deep and mid-ocean biology. There is currently no technology capable of comprehensively monitoring the concentrations and properties of stirred up sediment in the deep. This project addressed this critical gap by developing a deep-sea particle measurement system (Real-Time Size and Settling Velocity, RTSSV) that uses a multi-camera high-resolution video imaging system, with accompanying image processing, to measure the concentration, size distribution and settling speed of sediment. Importantly, these measurements are made in-situ, so that delicate sediment aggregates will not be disturbed, as is the case when collecting samples at depth to be measured in the lab. The instrument can be mounted on a variety of established deep-sea platforms such as moorings, AUVs and ROVs, providing data in near real time, where the key measurements need to be made—from the source of the sediment disturbance and throughout the resulting plume—vital for determining if deep-sea mining can be done in an environmentally responsible manner. The developed system (RTSSV) will possess the only such capability worldwide, giving a US-based group a substantial competitive advantage as this newly evolving global industry develops. As added value, the technology will also have widespread application to the offshore oil and gas industry, dredging industry, and to sediment science research.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Event-Driven 3D Sensing Architecture

Some events happen too quickly to capture twice. Whether tracking satellites, monitoring aircraft, observing autonomous systems, or recording high speed industrial processes, imaging systems often have only one opportunity to collect the right information. If a camera is focused on the wrong distance, uses the wrong exposure, or cannot keep pace with rapid motion, important details may be lost forever. Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed an event-driven imaging architecture that preserves more information during data collection than a conventional camera. Instead of committing to a single image, the system captures data that can later be used to digitally adjust focus and exposure while reconstructing the scene in three dimensions. The result is a more flexible approach for imaging dynamic environments where conventional cameras can struggle.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Application of high-speed, species-specific chemiluminescence imaging for laminar flame speed and Markstein length measurements in spherically expanding flames

A high-speed chemiluminescence imaging diagnostic system has been developed and characterized for measuring species-specific properties of spherically expanding flames, with the objective of obtaining synchronized measurements of multiple flame properties from a single flame experiment. The imaging system comprises a high-speed camera coupled to a high-speed image intensifier and optical filters to isolate emission from desired excited species. Here this study validates the diagnostic scheme specifically for measuring laminar flame speed and Markstein length from chemiluminescence at three wavelength bands corresponding to OH*, CH*, and total chemiluminescence, respectively. Mixtures of methane-air and methane/ethane-air were tested at initial conditions of atmospheric pressure and room temperature. An under-utilized methodology for computing unburned Markstein length from burned Markstein length was implemented. Flame speed modeling of each mixture was conducted in Chemkin using AramcoMech 2.0. No significant differences were observed between the results derived from the three emission wavelength bands for the flame speeds nor the Markstein lengths. For both of these properties, excellent agreement was observed between the experimental results and the values reported in the literature. Because laminar flame speed and Markstein length show no dependency on the imaging wavelength, the present results imply that multiple flame properties, such as laminar flame speed, Markstein length, flame thickness, and excited-species intensity profiles, can all be acquired simultaneously for the same flame using this method.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NucD-25 Nuclear Diagnostics Development: NIS capability, Maximizing gamma ray dynamic range, (n,γ) measurements for carbon ρR [Slides]

The LANL Neutron Imaging team is preparing for NIS upgrades and novel capabilities with the advent of consistently higher yields at NIF. Novel scintillators, solid-state detectors, multiplexed imaging detectors, upgraded data acquisition systems, and camera testing are all areas in need of experimental study to further develop imaging capabilities and dynamic range at NIF.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Large field-of-view event-mode camera for high-precision epithermal neutron resonance imaging

A large-area event-mode camera system coupled with a 6 LiF-ZnS:Ag scintillator is applied for neutron resonance imaging (NRI) on the energy-resolved neutron imaging (ERNI) flight path, also known as Flight Path 5 (FP5), at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). This novel neutron imaging system, featuring a 120 x 120 mm 2 field of view, efficiently captures resonance information across the entire image in a single acquisition, significantly reducing beam time requirements compared to conventional energy-resolved neutron imaging systems. High-quality neutron radiographs with enhanced spatial resolution are achieved through the reconstruction of neutron events based on observations of individual photons emitted from the scintillator. The system demonstrates reduced background through neutron/gamma discrimination capabilities while maintaining sharpness across a large fields of view. In the measurements presented here, a spatial resolution of approximately 340 μm was achieved using center-of-gravity photon cluster centroiding. We demonstrate the system’s capability for quantitatively determining isotopic distributions in various thin samples, as well as automatically reconstructing complex scenes with overlapping resonances from diverse samples. These results are obtained using standard data analysis tools, despite the relatively slow 6 LiF-ZnS:Ag scintillator, which may not be optimal for absorption resonance detection. The capabilities demonstrated here offer a valuable, versatile, and cost-effective solution for high spatial and temporal resolution, large field-of-view energy-resolved neutron imaging, with potential applications across various scientific and industrial domains.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Rapid neutron and gamma-ray source localization using machine learning

Rapid localization of radiation sources is critical for applications including nuclear emergency response, safeguards, and security. However, conventional imaging systems such as neutron scatter cameras and Compton cameras depend on rare coincidence events, which often result in long acquisition times. In this work, we address the challenge of rapid source localization by developing a machine learning approach to predict the direction of a single radiation source using only count rates from an array of neutron and gamma-ray detectors. The proposed model is a fully connected neural network (FCNN) trained using Monte Carlo simulation data from a 252 Cf source. The model hyperparameters are optimized with a small set of routine 252 Cf measurements. We benchmarked the performance of the trained and optimized machine learning model using additional 252 Cf , 137 Cs , and PuBe measurements under laboratory conditions with varying source-detector configurations. For these measurements, the machine learning model achieved a mean localization error smaller than 30° with 3 x 10 3 system counts, corresponding to 8 s measurement time for the imaging system used in this work. In this low-statistics regime, the method outperformed traditional scatter-based imaging by more than 75% in localization accuracy for the evaluated measurement configurations. These results demonstrate that a machine learning-based approach can significantly reduce the time required for accurate single-source localization, providing a robust and computationally efficient alternative to traditional imaging systems in time-critical nuclear security and emergency response scenarios.

Gamma-ray imaging↗

Solar mirror soiling and heliostat inspection from a mobile imaging system and mobile platform

A system or method for an imaging system is provided for inspecting a heliostat. The imaging system includes a platform and a camera mounted on the platform and a heliostat having a plurality of mirrored facets. The camera is positioned to acquire a first image that serves as a reference image and a second image that is a reflected image from at least one facet. The camera stores image data associated with the first image and the second image, and wirelessly transmits the stored image data to a computing apparatus. The computing apparatus compares the first image with the second image and determines a performance parameter associated with the heliostat.

Yellowhair, Julius↗

A High Angular Resolution Survey of Massive Stars in Cygnus OB2: JHK Adaptive Optics Results from the Gemini Near-Infrared Imager

We present results of a high angular resolution survey of massive OB stars in the Cygnus OB2 association that we conducted with the Near-Infrared Imager camera and ALTAIR adaptive optics system of the Gemini North telescope. We observed 74 O- and early-B-type stars in Cyg OB2 in the JHK infrared bands in order to detect binary and multiple companions. The observations are sensitive to equal-brightness pairs at separations as small as [[Formula]], and progressively fainter companions are detectable out to △K=9 mag at a separation of 2″. This faint contrast limit due to read noise continues out to 10″ near the edge of the detector. We assigned a simple probability of chance alignment to each companion based upon its separation and magnitude difference from the central target star and upon areal star counts for the general star field of Cyg OB2. Companion stars with a field membership probability of less than 1% are assumed to be physical companions. This assessment indicates that 47% of the targets have at least one resolved companion that is probably gravitationally bound. Including known spectroscopic binaries, our sample includes 27 binary, 12 triple, and 9 systems with 4 or more components. These results confirm studies of high-mass stars in other environments that find that massive stars are born with a high-multiplicity fraction. The results are important for the placement of the stars in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram, the interpretation of their spectroscopic analyses, and for future mass determinations through measurement of orbital motion.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Multi phenomena melt pool sensor data fusion for enhanced process monitoring of laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing

Finding actionable trends in laser-based metal additive manufacturing process monitoring data is challenging owing to the diversity and complexity of the underlying physical interactions. A single monitoring solution that captures a particular process phenomenon, such as a photodiode that tracks melt pool intensity, is not alone capable of evaluating process stability or detecting flaw formation with sufficient precision for routine application in industry. In this work, to improve flaw detection performance, we adopted a data fusion approach that captures multiple process phenomena. To demonstrate this, we acquired data from laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) builds of cylindrical specimens produced with different laser spot sizes, emulating defocusing due to process faults such as thermal lensing. The resulting specimens had porosity of varying types and severity, quantified by post-build non-destructive X-ray computed tomography, Archimedes density measurements, and destructive metallographic characterization. During the build, the melt pool state was monitored with two coaxial high-speed video cameras and a temperature field imaging system. Physically intuitive low-level melt pool signatures, such as melt pool temperature, shape and size, and spatter intensity were extracted from this high-dimensional, image-based sensor data. These process signatures were subsequently used as input features in relatively simple machine learning models, such as a support vector machine, which were trained to detect laser defocusing, and in addition, predict porosity type and severity. The results show that the data fusion approach significantly enhanced system performance by reducing the overall false positive rate from ~ 0.1 to ~ 0.001 without sacrificing the true positive rate (~0.90). These results were at par with a black-box, deep machine learning approach (convolutional neural network).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗