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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

Design of a Doppler reflectometer for KSTAR

A Doppler reflectometer has been designed to measure the poloidal propagation velocity on the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) tokamak. It has the operating frequency range of V-band (50-75 GHz) and the monostatic antenna configuration with extraordinary mode (X-mode). The single sideband modulation with an intermediate frequency of 50 MHz is used for the heterodyne measurement with the 200 MHz in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) phase detector. The corrugated conical horn antenna is used to approximate the Gaussian beam propagation and it is installed together with the oversized rectangular waveguides in the vacuum vessel. The first commissioning test of the Doppler reflectometer system on the KSTAR tokamak is planned in the 2014 KSTAR experimental campaign.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Survey and adjustment methods applied on an 11 axes high performance reflectometer for synchrotron radiation

At BESSY-II a new UV-and XUV optics beamline [1] has recently been setup with an in-house developed versatile reflectometer [2], [3], [4] for at-wavelength metrology on reflective and diffractive optical elements up to 4 kg mass. High precision measurements of the reflection and polarization properties are feasible by a 360° azimuthal rotation of the sample around the beam of light, where samples can be adjusted reproducibly with a novel UHV-Tripod within arc sec and μm precision. The azimuthal rotation requires an extremely high precision adjustment of the goniometer axis with respect to the incident light beam. Here we describe sophisticated methods with which we achieve nearly perfect agreement of the azimuthal rotation axis and the synchrotron beam in the 30 arc sec range. By using geodetic instruments (lasertracker, theodolite, autocollimator) the quality of the reflectometer UHV-mechanics has been characterized with respect to stiffness and radial run out with highest precision [5].

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Design of a correlation reflectometer radiometer diagnostic and measurements of the electron density–temperature cross-phase angle in the H-mode pedestal with small edge localized modes at ASDEX Upgrade

This work presents the hardware design and first results from a newly commissioned correlation reflectometer radiometer diagnostic that measures the cross-phase angle between electron density and temperature fluctuations in ASDEX Upgrade plasmas. This diagnostic employs cross correlations between signals measured by a tunable, continuous wave, perpendicular incidence, fluctuation reflectometer, and a 24-channel radiometer sharing the same line of sight. Novel measurements in the pedestal of a helium H-mode plasma with small edge localized modes show changes in the cross-phase angle between the electron density and temperature fluctuations from ∼90° to 120°, suggesting changes in the properties of the turbulence driving transport in the plasma edge.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Real time reflectometer

A real time reflectometer with the particular utility of measuring fairly rapid (transient) changes in the specular reflectance of a sample which is continuously exposed to a perturbing environment is described. A fixed radiation source, a fixed detector, a uniformly rotating sample wheel, and a uniformly rotating optical wheel protect against misalignment problems. The reflectometer operates by comparing the measurings of a reflected signal with that of a reference signal made within fractions of a second of one another. Reflectance is measured in the infrared, visible, and vacuum ultraviolet regions.

Zwiener, J. M.↗

Microwave reflectometer ionization sensor

The development of the Microwave Reflectometer Ionization Sensor (MRIS) Instrument for use on the Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) spacecraft is described. The instrument contract was terminated, due to cancellation of the AFE program, subsequent to testing of an engineering development model. The MRIS, a four-frequency reflectometer, was designed for the detection and location of critical electron density levels in spacecraft reentry plasmas. The instrument would sample the relative magnitude and phase of reflected signals at discrete frequency steps across 4 GHz bandwidths centered at four frequencies: 20, 44, 95, and 140 GHz. The sampled data would be stored for later processing to calculate the distance from the spacecraft surface to the critical electron densities versus time. Four stepped PM CW transmitter receivers were located behind the thermal protection system of the spacecraft with horn antennas radiating and receiving through an insulating tile. Techniques were developed to deal with interference, including multiple reflections and resonance effects, resulting from the antenna configuration and operating environment.

Seals, Joseph↗

A PC based time domain reflectometer for space station cable fault isolation

Significant problems are faced by astronauts on orbit in the Space Station when trying to locate electrical faults in multi-segment avionics and communication cables. These problems necessitate the development of an automated portable device that will detect and locate cable faults using the pulse-echo technique known as Time Domain Reflectometry. A breadboard time domain reflectometer (TDR) circuit board was designed and developed at the NASA-JSC. The TDR board works in conjunction with a GRiD lap-top computer to automate the fault detection and isolation process. A software program was written to automatically display the nature and location of any possible faults. The breadboard system can isolate open circuit and short circuit faults within two feet in a typical space station cable configuration. Follow-on efforts planned for 1994 will produce a compact, portable prototype Space Station TDR capable of automated switching in multi-conductor cables for high fidelity evaluation. This device has many possible commercial applications, including commercial and military aircraft avionics, cable TV, telephone, communication, information and computer network systems. This paper describes the principle of time domain reflectometry and the methodology for on-orbit avionics utility distribution system repair, utilizing the newly developed device called the Space Station Time Domain Reflectometer (SSTDR).

Pham, Michael↗

Portable Infrared Reflectometer Designed and Manufactured for Evaluating Emittance in the Laboratory or in the Field

The optical properties of materials play a key role in spacecraft thermal control. In space, radiant heat transfer is the only mode of heat transfer that can reject heat from a spacecraft. One of the key properties for defining radiant heat transfer is emittance, a measure of how efficiently a surface can reject heat in comparison to a perfect black body emitter. Heat rejection occurs in the infrared region of the spectrum, nominally in the range of 2 to 25 mm. To calculate emittance, one obtains the reflectance over this spectral range, calculates spectral absorptance by difference, and then uses Kirchhoff s Law and the Stefan-Boltzmann equation to calculate emittance. A new portable infrared reflectometer, the SOC 400t, was designed and manufactured to evaluate the emittance of surfaces and coatings in the laboratory or in the field. It was developed by Surface Optics Corporation under a contract with the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field to replace the Center s aging Gier-Dunkle DB-100 infrared reflectometer. The specifications for the new instrument include a wavelength range of 2 to 25 mm; reflectance repeatability of +/-1 percent; self-calibrating, near-normal spectral reflectance measurements; a full scan measurement time of 3.5 min, a sample size of 1.27 cm (0.5 in.); a spectral resolution selectable from 4, 8, 16, or 32/cm; and optical property characterization utilizing an automatic integration to calculate total emittance in a selectable temperature range.

Jaworske, Donald A.↗

High Data Rate Detector for Neutron Reflectometer

Neutron reflectometers are a class of instruments that employ neutron diffraction for measuring the structure of thin films. The technique provides valuable information over a wide variety of scientific and technological applications including chemical aggregation, polymer and surfactant adsorption, structure of thin film magnetic systems, biological membranes, etc. Such instruments are considered to be one of the most important in the neutron science field. Newer facilities place growing demands on the count rate capability of the specialized neutron detectors required. Proportional Technologies completed the Phase I effort successfully with a fully operational prototype detector built at PTI and tested at the CG1A neutron beam of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR, Oak Ridge, TN). The prototype incorporated 3 panels of 14 copper-walled cells each (total of 42 cells), each lined with 1.3 μm of 10B4C. The detector was tested for efficiency, spatial resolution, count rate linearity, uniformity, overlap and scatter. Testing revealed stable operation, uniform response across cells, and successful resolution of individual cells. The maximum count rate tested in the 3 panels combined was 590 kHz, limited by a deadtime of about 1 μs in the digital electronics. The local rate measured in a single cell showed no deadtime losses up to 810 cps/mm2, indicating that a rate of 20 Mhz can be supported in the 308-cell detector planned for Phase II.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Thermal Loads and Cooling Design for ITER in-Port Low Field Side Reflectometer Diagnostic System

The current design for the ITER Low Field Side Reflectometer (LFSR) diagnostic system contains six circular waveguides that function as both launch and receive antennas. The front end of LFSR system, interfacing with the plasma facing DFW and its supporting diagnostic shielding Modules (DSM), is integrated into Equatorial Port Plug 11(EPP#11). In-vessel LFSR configuration is mainly divided into two sections, i.e. Front Antenna Unit (FAU) and in-vessel Transmission Line (TL) components. During plasma normal operation, the 14 MeV neutrons from D-T fusion reactions penetrate into the port plug and LFSR components. Neutronics code ATTILA is used for assessing the volumetric heating of in-vessel components. The maximum normal heat load due to radiation and the charge exchange from plasma is 0.35 MW/m 2 , which has to be applied on those surfaces affected by a viewing factor consistent with the aperture surface position and orientation. The front antenna unit (FAU) needs the active cooling to handle the radiant and nuclear heating from the plasma. Due to the specific viewing aperture layout at the front-end of in-vessel LFSR, the cooling channel design is challenging. The thermal-hydraulic iterations are performed to achieve the desirable temperature distribution of the water cooled front antenna units. The progressive ratcheting effects of the FAU subjected to cyclic thermal loading are examined by the preliminary non-linear elastic-plastic analysis.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Technical overview of the millimeter-wave imaging reflectometer on the DIII-D tokamak (invited)

The two-dimensional mm-wave imaging reflectometer (MIR) on DIII-D is a multi-faceted device for diagnosing electron density fluctuations in fusion plasmas. Its multi-channel, multi-frequency capabilities and high sensitivity permit visualization and quantitative diagnosis of density perturbations, including correlation length, wavenumber, mode propagation velocity, and dispersion. The two-dimensional capabilities of MIR are made possible with 12 vertically separated sightlines and four-frequency operation (corresponding to four radial channels). The 48-channel DIII-D MIR system has a tunable source that can be stepped in 500 μs increments over a range of 56 to 74 GHz. An innovative optical design keeps both on-axis and off-axis channels focused at the cutoff surface, permitting imaging over an extended poloidal region. The integrity of the MIR optical design is confirmed by comparing Gaussian beam calculations to laboratory measurements of the transmitter beam pattern and receiver antenna patterns. Measurements are presented during the density ramp of a plasma discharge to demonstrate unfocused and focused MIR signals.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Laboratory-based x-ray reflectometer for multilayer characterization in the 15–150 keV energy band

A laboratory-based X-ray reflectometer has been developed to measure the performance of hard X-ray multilayer coatings at their operational X-ray energies and incidence angles. The instrument uses a sealed-tube X-ray source with a tungsten anode that can operate up to 160 kV to provide usable radiation in the 15–150 keV energy band. Two sets of adjustable tungsten carbide slit assemblies, spaced 4.1 m apart, are used to produce a low-divergence white beam, typically set to 40 μm × 800 μm in size at the sample. Multilayer coatings under test are held flat using a vacuum chuck and are mounted at the center of a high-resolution goniometer used for precise angular positioning of the sample and detector; additionally, motorized linear stages provide both vertical and horizontal adjustments of the sample position relative to the incident beam. A CdTe energy-sensitive detector, located behind a third adjustable slit, is used in conjunction with pulse-shaping electronics and a multi-channel analyzer to capture both the incident and reflected spectra; the absolute reflectance of the coating under test is computed as the ratio of the two spectra. The instrument’s design, construction, and operation are described in detail, and example results are presented obtained with both periodic, narrow-band and depth-graded, wide-band hard X-ray multilayer coatings.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗