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At least 37 records · Page 2

Development of a Piezoelectric Rotary Hammer Drill

The Piezoelectric Rotary Hammer Drill is designed to core through rock using a combination of rotation and high frequency hammering powered by a single piezoelectric actuator. It is designed as a low axial preload, low mass, and low power device for sample acquisition on future missions to extraterrestrial bodies. The purpose of this internship is to develop and test a prototype of the Piezoelectric Rotary Hammer Drill in order to verify the use of a horn with helical or angled cuts as a hammering and torque inducing mechanism. Through an iterative design process using models in ANSYS Finite Element software and a Mason's Equivalent Circuit model in MATLAB, a horn design was chosen for fabrication based on the predicted horn tip motion, electromechanical coupling, and neutral plane location. The design was then machined and a test bed assembled. The completed prototype has proven that a single piezoelectric actuator can be used to produce both rotation and hammering in a drill string through the use of a torque inducing horn. Final data results include bit rotation produced versus input power, and best drilling rate achieved with the prototype.

sampling↗

Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Biomass

Hydrothermal liquefaction technology is describes in its relationship to fast pyrolysis of biomass. The scope of work at PNNL is discussed and some intial results are presented. HydroThermal Liquefaction (HTL), called high-pressure liquefaction in earlier years, is an alternative process for conversion of biomass into liquid products. Some experts consider it to be pyrolysis in solvent phase. It is typically performed at about 350 C and 200 atm pressure such that the water carrier for biomass slurry is maintained in a liquid phase, i.e. below super-critical conditions. In some applications catalysts and/or reducing gases have been added to the system with the expectation of producing higher yields of higher quality products. Slurry agents ('carriers') evaluated have included water, various hydrocarbon oils and recycled bio-oil. High-pressure pumping of biomass slurry has been a major limitation in the process development. Process research in this field faded away in the 1990s except for the HydroThermal Upgrading (HTU) effort in the Netherlands, but has new resurgence with other renewable fuels in light of the increased oil prices and climate change concerns. Research restarted at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in 2007 with a project, 'HydroThermal Liquefaction of Agricultural and Biorefinery Residues' with partners Archer-Daniels-Midland Company and ConocoPhillips. Through bench-scale experimentation in a continuous-flow system this project investigated the bio-oil yield and quality that could be achieved from a range of biomass feedstocks and derivatives. The project was completed earlier this year with the issuance of the final report. HydroThermal Liquefaction research continues within the National Advanced Biofuels Consortium with the effort focused at PNNL. The bench-scale reactor is being used for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass including pine forest residue and corn stover. A complementary project is an international collaboration with Canada to investigate kelp (seaweed) as a biomass feedstock. The collaborative project includes process testing of the kelp in HydroThermal Liquefaction in the bench-scale unit at PNNL. HydroThermal Liquefaction at PNNL is performed in the hydrothermal processing bench-scale reactor system. Slurries of biomass are prepared in the laboratory from whole ground biomass materials. Both wet processing and dry processing mills can be used, but the wet milling to final slurry is accomplished in a stirred ball mill filled with angle-cut stainless steel shot. The PNNL HTL system, as shown in the figure, is a continuous-flow system including a 1-litre stirred tank preheater/reactor, which can be connected to a 1-litre tubular reactor. The product is filtered at high-pressure to remove mineral precipitate before it is collected in the two high-pressure collectors, which allow the liquid products to be collected batchwise and recovered alternately from the process flow. The filter can be intermittently back-flushed as needed during the run to maintain operation. By-product gas is vented out the wet test meter for volume measurement and samples are collected for gas chromatography compositional analysis. The bio-oil product is analyzed for elemental content in order to calculate mass and elemental balances around the experiments. Detailed chemical analysis is performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and 13-C nuclear magnetic resonance is used to evaluate functional group types in the bio-oil. Sufficient product is produced to allow subsequent catalytic hydroprocessing to produce liquid hydrocarbon fuels. The product bio-oil from hydrothermal liquefaction is typically a more viscous product compared to fast pyrolysis bio-oil. There are several reasons for this difference. The HTL bio-oil contains a lower level of oxygen because of more extensive secondary reaction of the pyrolysis products. There are less amounts of the many light oxygenates derived from the carbohydrate structures as they have been further reacted to phenolic Aldol condensation products. The bio-oil is more hydrophobic because of the lower oxygen content and resulting lower polarity and therefore has a lower amount of dissolved water. Without the light oxygenates acting as solvents along with the water, the bio-oil product is much more viscous. Related results are that the bio-oil is less dense and has a higher energy content. These differences in properties led to the earlier held belief that the HTL bio-oils could be upgraded by catalytic hydroprocessing in a manner more similar to simple petroleum hydrotreating. Some initial results from the HydroThermal Liquefaction of kelp are shown in Table 1. The experiments were performed with kelp slurries of 5-13 wt.% dry solids in water. Oil yields from kelp are low at 24% on ash-free basis but up to 41% calculated on a carbon basis. The bulk of the rest of the carbon ends up dissolved in the water stream.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Energy Dependence Analysis of Neutrino-Nucleus Interactions in Scintillator for MINERvA

This thesis is on the intrinsic energy dependence in neutrino-nucleus interaction models, especially quasielastic scattering and 2p2h process, and the implications for understanding data from MINERvA, NOvA, and DUNE. Neutrino-nucleus interactions are modeled using fve structure functions, W1, W2, W3, W4 and W5, and each structure function contributes diferently to the energy dependence once it enters the cross-section calculations. The energy independent term in the calculations contains only W2 and the next lower order term (of the order 1/E) contains W3 also. In this thesis, we show that W2 is good enough to describe MINERvA data and energy dependence coming from the cross-section directly is small. However, W3 will be signifcant for lower energy experiments such as NOvA and DUNE (especially at and below the oscillation maximum). We have also developed a method to extract structure functions directly from MINERvA data though we find that systematic uncertainties present in the data are too big to successfully determine 1/E Term. In addition to this, we have applied muon angle cuts on MINERvA data and MC, which have their own energy dependent effects. An apparent energy dependent discrepancy comes from known shortcomings especially in the pion production model. Finally, because the energy dependence analysis has similarities to the low-$\nu$ method, we have evaluated discrepancies between the data and MC in light of diferent fux constraint techniques. The results suggest including MINERvA s low-$\nu$ method constraint is an improvement.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Potential energy savings with exterior shades in large office buildings and the impact of discomfort glare

Exterior shades are highly efficient for reducing solar load in commercial buildings. Their impact on net energy use depends on the annual energy balance of heating, cooling, fan and lighting energy. This paper discusses the overall energy use intensity of various external shading systems for a prototypical large office building split into the different types of energy use and for different orientations and window sizes. Lighting energy was calculated for a constant lighting power as well as for dimmed lighting fixtures (daylighting control). In Section 3, slat angles and solar cut-off angles were varied for fixed exterior slat shading systems. While the most light-blocking shades performed best for the case without daylighting controls, the optimum cut-off angle with daylighting controls was found to be 30 deg for the office building prototype used in Chicago and Houston. For large window-to-wall (WWR) ratios, window related annual energy use could be reduced by at least 70 % without daylighting control and by a minimum of 86 % with daylighting control in average over all orientations. The occurrence of discomfort glare was is considered in Section 4 of the paper, which looks at the performance of commercially available exterior shading systems when an interior shade is used in addition to the exterior shade during hours when occupants would experience discomfort glare. Glare control impacts overall energy use intensity significantly for exterior shades with high transmittance, especially when daylighting controls are used. In these cases, exterior shades are only beneficial for window-to-wall areas ≥ 45% in the hot Houston climate. For smaller windows and in a heating/cooling climate like Chicago, exterior shades can increase energy consumption

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Adjustable cutting guide aligns and positions stacks of material

Adjustable guide tool aligns and positions stacks of material for cutting at various angles. The device adapts its shape to stacks of any corner angle, adjusts to any cutting angle, and quickly aligns the stacks for repeated cutting. With this device, an operator need not place his hands under the knife during alignment.

Thiel, A. M.↗

Machining of Silicon-Ribbon-Forming Dies

Carbon extension for dies used in forming silicon ribbon crystals machined precisely with help of special tool. Die extension has edges beveled toward narrow flats at top, with slot precisely oriented and centered between flats and bevels. Cutting tool assembled from standard angle cutter and circular saw or saws. Angle cutters cuts bevels while slot saw cuts slot between them. In alternative version, custom-ground edges or additional circular saws also cut flats simultaneously.

Menna, A. A.↗

Empirical assessment of a prismatic daylight-redirecting window film in a full-scale office testbed

Daylight redirecting systems with vertical windows have the potential to offset lighting energy use in deep perimeter zones. Microstructured prismatic window films can be manufactured using low-cost, roll-to-roll fabrication methods and adhered to the inside surface of existing windows as a retrofit measure or installed as a replacement insulating glass unit in the clerestory portion of the window wall. A clear film patterned with linear, 50-250 micrometer high, four-sided asymmetrical prisms was fabricated and installed in the south-facing, clerestory low-e, clear glazed windows of a full-scale testbed facility. Views through the film were distorted. The film was evaluated in a sunny climate over a two-year period to gauge daylighting and visual comfort performance. The daylighting aperture was small (window-towall ratio of 0.18) and the lower windows were blocked off to isolate the evaluation to the window film. Workplane illuminance measurements were made in the 4.6 m (15 ft) deep room furnished as a private office. Analysis of discomfort glare was conducted using high dynamic range imaging coupled with the evalglare software tool, which computes the daylight glare probability and other metrics used to evaluate visual discomfort. The window film was found to result in perceptible levels of discomfort glare on clear sunny days from the most conservative view point in the rear of the room looking toward the window. Daylight illuminance levels at the rear of the room were significantly increased above the reference window condition, which was defined as the same glazed clerestory window but with an interior Venetian blind (slat angle set to the cut-off angle), for the equinox to winter solstice period on clear sunny days. For partly cloudy and overcast sky conditions, daylight levels were improved slightly. To reduce glare, the daylighting film was coupled with a diffusing film in an insulating glazing unit. The diffusing film retained the directionality of the redirected light spreading it within a small range of outgoing angles. This solution was found to reduce glare to imperceptible levels while retaining for the most part the illuminance levels achieved solely by the daylighting film.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Micromachined cutting blade formed from {211}-oriented silicon

A cutting blade is disclosed fabricated of micromachined silicon. The cutting blade utilizes a monocrystalline silicon substrate having a {211} crystalline orientation to form one or more cutting edges that are defined by the intersection of {211} crystalline planes of silicon with {111} crystalline planes of silicon. This results in a cutting blade which has a shallow cutting-edge angle .theta. of 19.5.degree.. The micromachined cutting blade can be formed using an anisotropic wet etching process which substantially terminates etching upon reaching the {111} crystalline planes of silicon. This allows multiple blades to be batch fabricated on a common substrate and separated for packaging and use. The micromachined cutting blade, which can be mounted to a handle in tension and optionally coated for increased wear resistance and biocompatibility, has multiple applications including eye surgery (LASIK procedure).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Automated Laser Cutting In Three Dimensions

Computer-controlled machine-tool system uses laser beam assisted by directed flow of air to cut refractory materials into complex three-dimensional shapes. Velocity, position, and angle of cut varied. In original application, materials in question were thermally insulating thick blankets and tiles used on space shuttle. System shapes tile to concave or convex contours and cuts beveled edges on blanket, without cutting through outer layer of quartz fabric part of blanket. For safety, system entirely enclosed to prevent escape of laser energy. No dust generated during cutting operation - all material vaporized; larger solid chips dislodged from workpiece easily removed later.

Bird, Lisa T.↗

Validation of the ERBE scanner scene identification methodology: Analysis with Nimbus-7 ERB data

Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) procedure for scene identification currently being utilized in the ERBE scanner data processing stream is applied to the Nimbus-7 ERB Scanner data for the month of June 1979. The Earth radiation budget parameters derived using MLE method show very good agreement with the values provided using sorting into angular bins (SAB) method. Results of the fields on different spatial scales are presented. A satellite zenith angle study indicates that the MLE procedure considerably improves the scene selection over the method of bispectral thresholds applied in the Nimbus-7 ERB data processing. Agreement with SAB results improved further when the observations were cut off at 75% in satellite zenith. Sampling constraints, however require that the cut-off angle should not be lower than 70%. Quantitative details about the reliability of the scene identification are also presented.

Vermury, S.↗

Endocervical ultrasound applicator for integrated hyperthermia and HDR brachytherapy in the treatment of locally advanced cervical carcinoma

Purpose: The clinical success of hyperthermia adjunct to radiotherapy depends on adequate temperature elevation in the tumor with minimal temperature rise in organs at risk. Existing technologies for thermal treatment of the cervix have limited spatial control or rapid energy falloff. The objective of this work is to develop an endocervical applicator using a linear array of multisectored tubular ultrasound transducers to provide 3-D conformal, locally targeted hyperthermia concomitant to radiotherapy in the uterine cervix. The catheter-based device is integrated within a HDR brachytherapy applicator to facilitate sequential and potentially simultaneous heat and radiation delivery. Methods: Treatment planning images from 35 patients who underwent HDR brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer were inspected to assess the dimensions of radiation clinical target volumes (CTVs) and gross tumor volumes (GTVs) surrounding the cervix and the proximity of organs at risk. Biothermal simulation was used to identify applicator and catheter material parameters to adequately heat the cervix with minimal thermal dose accumulation in nontargeted structures. A family of ultrasound applicators was fabricated with two to three tubular transducers operating at 6.6-7.4 MHz that are unsectored (360 deg.), bisectored (2x180 deg.), or trisectored (3x120 deg.) for control of energy deposition in angle and along the device length in order to satisfy anatomical constraints. The device is housed in a 6 mm diameter PET catheter with cooling water flow for endocervical implantation. Devices were characterized by measuring acoustic efficiencies, rotational acoustic intensity distributions, and rotational temperature distributions in phantom. Results: The CTV in HDR brachytherapy plans extends 20.5{+-}5.0 mm from the endocervical tandem with the rectum and bladder typically <8 mm from the target boundary. The GTV extends 19.4{+-}7.3 mm from the tandem. Simulations indicate that for 60 min treatments the applicator can heat to 41 deg. C and deliver >5EM{sub 43 Degree-Sign C} over 4-5 cm diameter with T{sub max}<45 deg. C and 1 kg m{sup -3} s{sup -1} blood perfusion. The 41 deg. C contour diameter is reduced to 3-4 cm at 3 kg m{sup -3} s{sup -1} perfusion. Differential power control to transducer elements and sectors demonstrates tailoring of heating along the device length and in angle. Sector cuts are associated with a 14-47 deg. acoustic dead zone, depending on cut width, resulting in a {approx}2-4 deg. C temperature reduction within the dead zone below T{sub max}. Dead zones can be oriented for thermal protection of the rectum and bladder. Fabricated devices have acoustic efficiencies of 33.4%-51.8% with acoustic output that is well collimated in length, reflects the sectoring strategy, and is strongly correlated with temperature distributions. Conclusions: A catheter-based ultrasound applicator was developed for endocervical implantation with locally targeted, 3-D conformal thermal delivery to the uterine cervix. Feasibility of heating clinically relevant target volumes was demonstrated with power control along the device length and in angle to treat the cervix with minimal thermal dose delivery to the rectum and bladder.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Corn stalk orientation effect on mechanical cutting

Research efforts that increase the efficiency of size reduction of biomass can lead to a significant energy saving. This paper deals with the determination of the effect of sample orientation with respect to cutting element and quantify the possible cutting energy reduction, utilising dry corn stalks as the test material (15%e20% wet basis). To evaluate the mechanical cutting characteristics of corn stalks, a Warnere Bratzler device was modified by replacing its blunt edged cutting element with one having a 30_ single bevel sharp knife edge. Cutting force-deformation characteristics obtained with a universal testing machine were analysed to evaluate the orientation effects at perpendicular (90o), inclined (45o), and parallel (0o) orientations on internodes and nodes for cutting force, energy, ultimate stress, and specific energy of corn stalks. The corn stalks cutting force-displacement characteristics were found to differ with orientation, and internode and node material difference. Overall, the peak failure force, and the total cutting energy of internodes and nodes varied significantly (P < 0.05) with stalk cross-sectional area. The specific energy values (total energy per unit cut area) of dry corn stalk internodes ranged from 11.3 to 23.5 kN m_1, and nodes from 8.6 to 14.0 kN m_1. The parallel orientation (along grain) compared to perpendicular (across grain) produced a significant reduction of the cutting stress and the specific energy to one tenth or better for internodes, and to about one-fifth for nodes.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Field validation of isotropic analytical models for simulating fabric shades

Fabric roller shades are common shading materials used in commercial and residential buildings. Accurately characterizing and modeling shades helps practitioners select the appropriate product and its control strategy based on climate and occupants' priorities, such as visual comfort and view to outdoors. Previous studies established a generalized method for modeling complex fenestration systems using data-driven tabulated bidirectional scattering distribution functions. However, deploying such a method at scale to all fabric shading products on the market is too costly and time-consuming. Analytical models that are based on a limited set of measurements (e.g., normal-normal and normal-hemispherical visible transmittance and reflectance, and directional cut-off angles) can be used to model the wide variety of shading products on the market. This study evaluates the performance of two isotropic analytical models, Roos-Wienold and Modified-Kotey, for modeling fabric roller shades, with a focus on the model's ability to predict occupant visual comfort. The performance evaluation was conducted through laboratory and field measurements and simulations. The results showed that both models are sufficient for predicting vertical illuminance at seated eye-level. Roos-Wienold model was able to predict binary visual comfort classification (glare/no-glare) under a wide range of luminance conditions, while Modified-Kotey model did not perform as well under high-contrast low-adaptation conditions. Both models are insufficient in predicting visual comfort at a four-point scale (e.g., imperceptible, perceptible, disturbing, intolerable). The two isotropic models become less accurate when the fabric exhibits high anisotropy.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Error analysis for a spaceborne laser ranging system

The dependence (or independence) of baseline accuracies, obtained from a typical mission of a spaceborne ranging system, on several factors is investigated. The emphasis is placed on a priori station information, but factors such as the elevation cut-off angle, the geometry of the network, the mean orbital height, and to a limited extent geopotential modeling are also examined. The results are obtained through simulations, but some theoretical justification is also given. Guidelines for freeing the results from these dependencies are suggested for most of the factors.

Pavlis, E. C.↗

Experimental and FEM Study of Residual Stresses During Ultra-Precision Turning of Aluminum 2024-T3

Aluminum 2024-T3 is commonly used in ultra-precision turning. In this study, the residual stresses of aluminum 2024-T3 were investigated by the finite element method (FEM) and a series of cutting experiments. The effects of depth of cut, cutting speed, rake angle and tool edge radius on the residual stresses were discussed by FEM. Moreover, an orthogonal simulation experiment was also conducted. The order of the strong-to-weak sequence of factors on residual stresses in cutting direction is the rake angle, tool edge radius, depth of cut and cutting speed. The cutting experiments were conducted and the surface residual stresses in the cutting direction were measured by X-ray diffraction. The experimental results showed that increasing cutting speed and decreasing tool edge radius can reduce the surface residual stresses.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Automatic Collection of Rock and Soil Samples

Proposed machine would sample rock or soil automatically. Mounted on a wheeled or tracked vehicle, machine positions drill for cut at any angle from horizontal to vertical, moves power head to drive drill into cut, and stores drilled core in a container. New concept may also be useful in terrestrial agricultural and geologic surveys.

Kyrias, G. M.↗

An optimization method for flexural bearing design for high-stroke high-frequency applications

A method for optimization of a high-stroke, high-frequency flexural bearing was completed. The main goal was to design a flexural bearing system as the energy restoration component of a one kW free piston linear engine alternator (LEA) operating at 90 Hz and maximum targeted displacement of 22 mm. Defined electricity output of 1 kW, with more than 30% efficiency, required engine operation under high speed and high stroke conditions. Under such challenging stroke and frequency requirements, a method of design was required to select between a wide range of parameters in flexural bearing design. A parametric CAD model was prepared and used in the optimization package of a finite element analysis (FEA) software. Four main parameters of flexural bearing geometry were identified and included the outer diameter, thickness, number of arms, and sweep angle of spiral cuts. Other design parameters including spiral gap width, shape factor and spiral start points angle were shown to be less important compared to these four main parameters in primary design and were examined separately. A neural network algorithm was used to investigate the interactions and effects of design parameters. The sensitivity of each parameter on output criteria such as maximum stress and natural frequency was examined and design charts developed. Methods for further modification of the spiral curve at end points were introduced to reduce the maximum stress level by up to 20%. Several steel alloys and a titanium-based alloy were identified as proper material candidates for high cycle applications and the final designed spring was manufactured and tested to validate the FEA results of axial stiffness and strain level throughout the flexure arms. The percent of the flexure’s moving mass was estimated to be 29% with FEA analysis and compared well with the experimental value of 31%. The stress/strain results of the FEA analysis matched with the experimental results – within ±5%.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Structurally-continuous composite corners

Flat composite materials are cut at certain angles to form boxes with corners as thick as walls. Patterns produce uniform corners, and cuts are structured so that shear loads are transferred from ply to ply instead of across one surface.

Jackson, A. C.↗