First-Principles Studies of Tritium Species Dissociability and Diffusivity Across the Interface of Nickel-Plated Zircaloy-4
For presentation at the 2023 8th Annual Tritium Science Technical Exchange, PNNL, September 26-27, 2023.
Tafen, De Nyago↗
SEARCH · Search NASA
Results for “nickel plating”
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Nickel powders and plaques for nickel-cadmium cell plates
Nickel powders and plaques for nickel-cadmium cell plates
Halpert, G.↗
Braze alloy process and strength characterization studies for 18 nickel grade 200 maraging steel with application to wind tunnel models
A comprehensive study of braze alloy selection process and strength characterization with application to wind tunnel models is presented. The applications for this study include the installation of stainless steel pressure tubing in model airfoil sections make of 18 Ni 200 grade maraging steel and the joining of wing structural components by brazing. Acceptable braze alloys for these applications are identified along with process, thermal braze cycle data, and thermal management procedures. Shear specimens are used to evaluate comparative shear strength properties for the various alloys at both room and cryogenic (-300 F) temperatures and include the effects of electroless nickel plating. Nickel plating was found to significantly enhance both the wetability and strength properties for the various braze alloys studied. The data are provided for use in selecting braze alloys for use with 18 Ni grade 200 steel in the design of wind tunnel models to be tested in an ambient or cryogenic environment.
Bradshaw, James F.↗
Characterization of electroless nickel-phosphorus plating for ultracold-neutron storage
Electroless nickel plating is an established industrial process that provides a robust and relatively low-cost coating suitable for transporting and storing ultracold neutrons (UCN). Using roughness measurements and UCN-storage experiments we characterized UCN guides made from polished aluminum or stainless-steel tubes plated by several vendors. All electroless nickel platings were similarly suited for UCN storage with an average loss probability per wall bounce of 2.8 • 10 -4 to 4.1 • 10 -4 for energies between 90 neV and 190 neV, or a ratio of imaginary to real Fermi potential η of 1.7 • 10 -4 to 3.3 • 10 -4 . Measurements at different elevations indicate that the energy dependence of UCN losses is well described by the imaginary Fermi potential. Some special considerations are required to avoid an increase in surface roughness during the plating process and hence a reduction in UCN transmission. Increased roughness had only a minor impact on storage properties. In conclusion, based on these findings we chose a vendor to plate the UCN-production vessel that will contain the superfluid-helium converter for the new TRIUMF UltraCold Advanced Neutron (TUCAN) source, achieving acceptable UCN-storage properties with η = 3.5(5)•10 -4 .
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
Phase 2 of the array automated assembly task for the low cost silicon solar array project
Studies were conducted on several fundamental aspects of electroless nickel/solder metallization for silicon solar cells. A process, which precedes the electroless nickel plating with several steps of palladium plating and heat treatment, was compared directly with single step electroless nickel plating. Work was directed toward answering specific questions concerning the effect of silicon surface oxide on nickel plating, effects of thermal stresses on the metallization, sintering of nickel plated on silicon, and effects of exposure to the plating solution on solar cell characteristics. The process was found to be extremely lengthy and cumbersome, and was also found to produce a product virtually identical to that produced by single step electroless nickel plating, as shown by adhesion tests and electrical characteristics of cells under illumination.
Petersen, R. C.↗
Nondestructive test method accurately sorts mixed bolts
Neutron activation analysis method sorts copper plated steel bolts from nickel plated steel bolts. Copper and nickel plated steel bolt specimens of the same configuration are irradiated with thermal neutrons in a test reactor for a short time. After thermal neutron irradiation, the bolts are analyzed using scintillation energy readout equipment.
Dezeih, C. J.↗
Surface Finishing and Coating Parameters Impact on Additively Manufactured Binder-Jetted Steel–Bronze Composites
In this paper, electroless nickel plating is explored for the protection of binder-jetting-based additively manufactured (AM) composite materials. Electroless nickel plating was attempted on binder-jetted composites composed of stainless steel and bronze, resulting in differences in the physicochemical properties. We investigated the impact of surface finishing, plating solution chemistry, and plating parameters to attain a wide range of surface morphologies and roughness levels. We employed the Keyence microscope to quantitatively evaluate dramatically different surface properties before and after the coating of AM composites. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a wide range of microstructural properties in relation to each combination of surface finishing and coating parameters. We studied chempolishing, plasma cleaning, and organic cleaning as the surface preparation methods prior to coating. We found that surface preparation dictated the surface roughness. Taguchi statistical analysis was performed to investigate the relative strength of experimental factors and interconnectedness among process parameters to attain optimum coating qualities. The quantitative impacts of phosphorous level, temperature, surface preparation, and time factor on the roughness of the nickel-plated surface were 17.95%, 8.2%, 50.02%, and 13.21%, respectively. On the other hand, the quantitative impacts of phosphorous level, temperature, surface preparation, and time factor on the thickness of nickel plating were 35.12%, 41.40%, 3.87%, and 18.24%, respectively. The optimum combination of the factors’ level projected the lowest roughness of Ra at 7.76 µm. The optimum combination of the factors’ level projected the maximum achievable thickness of ~149 µm. This paper provides insights into coating process for overcoming the sensitivity of AM composites in hazardous application spaces via robust coating.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Plasma Spray for Difficult-To-Braze Alloys
Nickel plating on surfaces makes brazing easier for some alloys. Sometimes nickel plating may not be feasible because of manufacturing sequence, size of hardware, or lack of suitable source for nickel plating. Alternative surface preparation in such cases is to grit-blast surface lightly and then plasma-spray 1 1/2 to 2 mils of fine nickel powder or braze-alloy material directly on surface. Powder is sprayed from plasma gun, using argon as carrier gas to prevent oxidation of nickel or braze alloy.
Brennan, A.↗
Copper wire plated with nickel and silver resists corrosion
Copper wire for electrical harnesses, when plated with both nickel and silver, resists galvanic corrosion and high temperatures while maintaining electrical properties and solderability.
Source record↗
Recovery of DNA from fired and unfired cartridge casings: comparison of two DNA collection methods
For over 10 years, various studies have attempted to increase the recovery of DNA from ammunition by modifying the DNA collection, extraction, purification, and amplification procedures, with varying levels of success. This study focused on the “soaking” method of Montpetit & O’Donnell [1] and the “rinse-and-swab" method of Bille et al. [2]. First, testing for the presence of exogenous DNA, 210 boxed cartridges (brass, steel, and nickel-plated) from nine manufacturers were swabbed and DNA was extracted, concentrated, and quantified. Extracts that quantified > 0 ng/µL (44 of 210) were amplified and genotyped with GlobalFiler™. Of those, only one extract yielded two alleles indicating that the manufacturing and packaging of ammunition was virtually DNA free. Next, to obtain a baseline comparison of two DNA collection methods on a non-metallic substrate and identify a suitable number of cells to spot on cartridges, different DNA input amounts of primary human adult epidermal keratinocytes (HEKa) were tested. Thereafter, 300 brass and 300 nickel-plated, cartridges were spotted with HEKa cells containing ~5 ng of DNA, fired or unfired, and processed with either method. Finally, five methods representing hybrids of the soaking and rinse-and-swab methods were tested to determine if variations of those methods could be used to increase DNA yield and recovery. The results show that the soaking method consistently yielded more DNA than the rinse-and-swab method from a non-metallic substrate. However, the comparison study demonstrated that both methods performed comparably for cartridges. On average, the soaking method recovered 0.25 ng of DNA (5.1% recovery) and the rinse-and-swab method recovered 0.28 ng (5.8% recovery). However, average recoveries were significantly different among three analysts and considerable variation in yields were observed, possibly due to storage time. Furthermore, consistent with prior reports, the DNA recovered from brass casings was only 16% of that recovered from nickel-plated casings and the average yield of DNA from fired casings was reduced to 67% of unfired casings. Moreover, DNA extracts from brass or nickel-plated casings did not appear to contain amplification inhibitors and only 30/596 appeared severely degraded. Finally, both the published rinse-and-swab and soaking methods yielded more DNA than all modifications of the two methods. Overall, both methods yielded equivalent DNA quantities. Additionally, recovery of DNA from any given cartridge casing may be dependent on storage time as well as the skill, proficiency, and experience of the analyst and may reflect stochastic effects, particularly for casings containing low copy and/or degraded DNA.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
Nickel electrode plate thickening study
The rate of thickening of the nickel electrode with cycling, under geochronous conditions, was investigated. The experimental procedures used to study the effects of various operational parameters on the rate of the thickness growth are outlined. The parameters included temperature, electrolyte composition, manufacturing lot, cycle parameters, and reconditioning methods.
Bernhardt, M.↗
Wolter-Schwarzschild optics for the extreme-ultraviolet - The Berkeley stellar spectrometer and the EUV Explorer
The design, fabrication and performance of two Wolter-Schwarzschild grazing incidence optics are described. Both telescopes have been figured by single point diamond turning and have achieved better than 15-arcsec on-axis imaging. The telescope for the stellar spectrometer is an f/10 Type II system with an effective area of 225 sq cm at 250 A and 300 cm2 at 500 A. The primary has a maximum diameter of 38 cm and was fabricated in three elements. The copper-plated aluminum substrate was diamond turned; following nickel plating, the surface was polished and coated with evaporated gold. The performance during a sounding rocket flight is discussed. The prototype telescope for the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer is an f/1.24 Type I system with an effective field of view of 5.0-deg diameter. The telescope has a maximum diameter of 40 cm and was fabricated as a single element. The aluminum substrate is to be diamond turned; the nickel plated surface will be polished and electroplated with gold. The design choice and defocusing optimization aimed at maximizing the field of view and number of image pixels is examined.
Malina, R. F.↗
Analysis for nickel (3 and 4) in positive plates from nickel-cadmium cells
The NASA-Goddard procedure for destructive physical analysis (DPA) of nickel-cadmium cells contains a method for analysis of residual charged nickel as NiOOH in the positive plates at complete cell discharge, also known as nickel precharge. In the method, the Ni(III) is treated with an excess of an Fe(II) reducing agent and then back titrated with permanganate. The Ni(III) content is the difference between Fe(II) equivalents and permanganate equivalents. Problems have arisen in analysis at NAVSURFWARCENDIV, Crane because for many types of cells, particularly AA-size and some 'space-qualified' cells, zero or negative Ni(III) contents are recorded for which the manufacturer claims 3-5 percent precharge. Our approach to this problem was to reexamine the procedure for the source of error, and correct it or develop an alternative method.
Lewis, Harlan L.↗
Low-Cost Alternatives in Hybrid Microcircuit Packaging
Adhesive sealing, nickel plating, and multiwire boards evaluated. Based on study involving fully developed hardware, report considers adhesive packaging instead of seam welding, nickel-plated Kovar (commercial Fe/NI/Co alloy) packages instead of gold plates ones, and multiwire circuit boards instead of multilayer boards as alternatives for reducing cost of hardware without reducing reliability.
Caruso, S. V.↗
Improved soldering iron tip
Nickel-plated device, with machined recesses matching the multipin pattern of particular circuit module, facilitates repairs to electronic systems and reduces chance of damage to adjacent components. Nickel-plating reduces oxidation and scaling. Recesses retain sufficient amount of molten solder to uniformly wet pins for simultaneous heating and extraction.
Vanasse, M. A.↗
Effects of ultravacuum and space environment on contact ohmic resistance (AO 138-11)
The experiment was aimed at checking compatibility of the aluminum conductors with conventional conductors and contacts under different conditions of manufacturing (mechanical or magnetostrictive crimping) and storage in laboratory or in long-duration space environment. The electrical characteristics of connections built from nickel-plated conductors and glided copper contacts were noted to vary over the duration of the experiment. These variations are unrelated with the crimping or storage conditions or with metal pairing (nickel-plated aluminum/tinned or silver copper). Such evolutions, even slight, are detrimental to connection quality. The same observations hold for some like connections subjected to long-duration thermal cycles. Therefore, work on aluminum technology was reoriented toward a silver aluminum conductor/ golded aluminum contact solution. The first evaluation test performed according to this definition have yielded satisfactory results.
Assie, Jean Pierre↗
First principles density functional theory study of tritium species adsorption on Ni(111) surface and diffusion in nickel-sublayer for tritium storage
The nickel-plated zircaloy-4 is used as a tritium ( 3 H) getter in the tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) to capture 3 H produced in the 6 Li-riched annular γ-LiAlO 2 pellet under neutron irradiation. The experimental data and our previous theoretical results showed that the 3 H species produced from the γ-LiAlO 2 pellet were mainly 3 H 2 and 3 H 2 O. These 3 H species diffuse from the surface of the LiAlO 2 pellet across vacuum to the nickel-plated zircaloy-4 getter and then further diffuse into the getter to chemically form metal hydrides. While a number of studies show that oxygen binds strongly as compared to 3 H on the nickel (Ni) layer, the detailed mechanism of 3 H species absorption and diffusion across the Ni plate and Ni/Zr interface are still unclear. By employing density functional theory calculations, here we explored the 3 H 2 and 3 H 2 O species adsorption and dissociation on the Ni(111) surface and diffusion into the Ni sublayer. Our results indicated that the 3 H 2 and 3 H 2 O dissociate on the Ni(111) surface. The NiO x and Ni(O 3 H) x could be formed in the Ni layer due to the higher oxygen (O) diffusion energy barrier and formation of Ni vacancy defects. The oxygen was found to be retained in the Ni layer from diffusing across the Ni–Zr interface. This was revealed by comparing the diffusion barriers for 3 H with O. 3 H was found to have nearly three times smaller diffusion barrier than for O, making 3 H comparatively easier to diffuse through the Ni layer. In conclusion, the obtained results provide guidelines for experimental measurements on 3 H retention behavior in TPBARs and may open further avenues to explore the impurity effects on 3 H diffusion and storage at the Ni/zircaloy interfaces.
Tafen, De Nyago [National Energy Technology Lab. (↗
Estimating the Contribution of the Nickel to Protium Loading of Full-Length Getters
The full-length getter (FLG) is a critical component of the tritium producing burnable absorber rod (TPBAR), designed to capture tritium produced within the lithium aluminate pellets. However, due to the chemical similarity between protium (¹H) and tritium (³H), the FLG readily absorbs protium, reducing its capacity to absorb tritium and increasing the risk of tritium permeation into the reactor coolant. This study evaluates protium produced from neutron irradiation of nickel plating on the FLG through 5?Ni(n,p) reactions, quantifies its contribution to the total protium observed, and informs models of tritium and hydrogen transport within TPBARs. During irradiation, neutron capture by 58Ni results in the formation of 5?Ni, which undergoes neutron bombardment to produce 4He via 5?Ni(n,a) reactions and protium via 5?Ni(n,p) reactions. The measured helium content post-irradiation provides insight into the neutron capture processes within the getter. The 4He measured within the getter may be useful in determining hydrogen produced by the nickel plating on FLG because 59Ni also produces protium in a 59Ni(n, p) reaction. The contribution of 1H from the nickel in FLG contributed less than 1% of the measured H2 gas in PIE, ranging from 0.005% to 0.614%. These findings refine current knowledge of the protium-tritium interplay in TPBARs and support the development of improved transport models for tritium and hydrogen, ultimately aiding in the optimization of TPBAR design and reactor operations.
Arbova, Dana L.↗