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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 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

ELM and inter-ELM heat and particle flux to a secondary divertor in the DIII-D tokamak

DIII-D ELMing discharges with a secondary X-point (XPT) inside the vessel were used to evaluate the power distribution between the primary and secondary divertors. The magnetic balance, defined by the distance between the primary and secondary separatrices at the outer midplane (dRsep), was varied from -5 mm (lower-single-null, LSN) to +16 mm (upper-single-null, USN). In this work, we find that the secondary divertor receives up to 1/3 of the total heat flux (primary + secondary divertors), and it is dominated by the ELM-driven flux. Both the radially-integrated and the peak heat flux to the secondary divertor decay below ~50% of the maximum as dRsep is varied from -5 to +6mm, but the integrated heat flux decay flattens out and it would take dRsep above ~25mm to reduce the ELM heat flux to the secondary divertor below 10% of the one deposited to a well-defined SN. Both the secondary inner and outer strike points receive heat flux during ELMs. The peak heat flux is comparable in both strike points for dRsep < 10mm, but the inner strike point receives less than 15% of the total flux. Furthermore, this is experimental evidence that the secondary inner divertor region receives significant ELM flux which should be taken into account for the design of future generation tokamaks.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Construction of precision wire readout planes for the Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND)

The Short-Baseline Near Detector time projection chamber is unique in the design of its charge readout planes. These anode plane assemblies (APAs) have been fabricated and assembled to meet strict accuracy and precision requirements: wire spacing of 3 mm ± 0.5 mm and wire tension of 7 N ± 1 N across 3,964 wires per APA, and flatness within 0.5 mm over the 4 m × 2.5 m extent of each APA . Here, we describe the design, manufacture and assembly of these key detector components, with a focus on the quality assurance at each stage.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of a SiPM-based monolithic neutron scatter camera using dark counts

The Single Volume Scatter Camera (SVSC) Collaboration aims to develop portable neutron imaging systems for a variety of applications in nuclear non-proliferation. Conventional double-scatter neutron imagers are composed of several separate detector volumes organized in at least two planes. A neutron must scatter in two of these detector volumes for its initial trajectory to be reconstructed. As such, these systems typically have a large footprint and poor geometric efficiency. We report on the design and characterization of a prototype monolithic neutron scatter camera that is intended to significantly improve upon the geometrical shortcomings of conventional neutron cameras. The detector consists of a 50 mm×56 mm× 60 mm monolithic block of EJ-204 plastic scintillator instrumented on two faces with arrays of 64 Hamamatsu S13360-6075PE silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The electronic crosstalk is limited to < 5% between adjacent channels and < 0.1% between all other channel pairs. SiPMs introduce a significantly elevated dark count rate over PMTs, as well as correlated noise from after-pulsing and optical crosstalk. In this article, we characterize the dark count rate and optical crosstalk and present a modified event reconstruction likelihood function that accounts for them. We find that the average dark count rate per SiPM is 4.3 MHz with a standard deviation of 1.5 MHz among devices. The analysis method we employ to measure internal optical crosstalk also naturally yields the mean and width of the single-electron pulse height. Here, we calculate separate contributions to the width of the single-electron pulse-height from electronic noise and avalanche fluctuations. We demonstrate a timing resolution for a single-photon pulse to be (128 ± 4) ps. Finally, coincidence analysis is employed to measure external (pixel-to-pixel) optical crosstalk. We present a map of the average external crosstalk probability between 2×4 groups of SiPMs, as well as the in-situ timing characteristics extracted from the coincidence analysis. Further work is needed to characterize the performance of the camera at reconstructing single- and double-site interactions, as well as image reconstruction.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Muon tracking in a LiquidO opaque scintillator detector

LiquidO is an innovative radiation detector concept. The core idea is to exploit stochastic light confinement in a highly scattering medium to self-segment the detector volume. In this paper, we demonstrate event-by-event muon tracking in a LiquidO opaque scintillator detector prototype. The detector consists of a 30 mm cubic scintillator volume instrumented with 64 wavelength-shifting fibres arranged in an 8 × 8 grid with a 3.2 mm pitch and read out by silicon photomultipliers. A wax-based opaque scintillator with a scattering length of approximately 0.5 mm is used. The tracking performance of this LiquidO detector is characterised with cosmic-ray muons and the position resolution is demonstrated to be 450 μm per row of fibres. These results highlight the potential of LiquidO opaque scintillator detectors to achieve fine spatial resolution, enabling precise particle tracking and imaging.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Measurement of Transverse Resistance for Stacks of Non-insulated REBCO Tapes

Transverse resistance among adjacent conductors is a key parameter to calculate AC losses in superconducting cables with non-insulated conductors. The transverse pressure insert (TPI) previously developed and used at Fermilab was modified to measure transverse resistance of stacks made of non-insulated REBCO tapes as a function of transverse pressure at liquid nitrogen temperature. Pressure up to 322 MPa was applied with a hydraulic cylinder. A small current up to 10 A was flown in the stack sample through REBCO tape leads spliced above and below the stack. The latter had a bending radius larger than 6 mm to prevent the critical current degradation in REBCO leads. The voltage was measured just outside the compressed area. Stack samples included stacks of bare 4-mm wide REBCO tapes, as well as REBCO tapes alternated with 4-mm wide stainless-steel ribbons of 40 μm and 30 μm of thickness. We herein present the results of these transverse resistance measurements. Results show a stronger dependence on pressure for smaller pressure vs. larger ones. Also, of the two components of contact resistance, i.e. contact and bulk, the latter was negligible.

Tamagnini, E. [Turin Polytechnic]↗
DOE OSTI2022

Co‑cultivation of anaerobic fungi with Clostridium acetobutylicum bolsters butyrate and butanol production from cellulose and lignocellulose

A system for co-cultivation of anaerobic fungi with anaerobic bacteria was established based on lactate cross-feeding to produce butyrate and butanol from plant biomass. Several co-culture formulations were assembled that consisted of anaerobic fungi (Anaeromyces robustus, Neocallimastix californiae, or Caecomyces churrovis) with the bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum. Co-cultures were grown simultaneously (e.g., ‘one pot’), and compared to cultures where bacteria were cultured in fungal hydrolysate sequentially. Fungal hydrolysis of lignocellulose resulted in 7–11 mM amounts of glucose and xylose, as well as acetate, formate, ethanol, and lactate to support clostridial growth. Under these conditions, one-stage simultaneous co-culture of anaerobic fungi with C. acetobutylicum promoted the production of butyrate up to 30 mM. Alternatively, two-stage growth slightly promoted solventogenesis and elevated butanol levels (∼4–9 mM). Transcriptional regulation in the two-stage growth condition indicated that this cultivation method may decrease the time required to reach solventogenesis and induce the expression of cellulose-degrading genes in C. acetobutylicum due to relieved carbon-catabolite repression. Overall, this study demonstrates a proof of concept for biobutanol and bio-butyrate production from lignocellulose using an anaerobic fungal-bacterial co-culture system.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Structure of native four-repeat satellite III sequence with non-canonical base interactions

Abstract Tandem-repetitive DNA (where two or more DNA bases are repeated numerous times) can adopt non-canonical secondary structures. Many of these structures are implicated in important biological processes. Human Satellite III (HSat3) is enriched for tandem repeats of the sequence ATGGA and is located in pericentromeric heterochromatin in many human chromosomes. Here, we investigate the secondary structure of the four-repeat HSat3 sequence 5′-ATGGA ATGGA ATGGA ATGGA-3′ using X-ray crystallography, NMR, and biophysical methods. Circular dichroism spectroscopy, thermal stability, native PAGE, and analytical ultracentrifugation indicate that this sequence folds into a monomolecular hairpin with non-canonical base pairing and B-DNA characteristics at concentrations below 0.9 mM. NMR studies at 0.05–0.5 mM indicate that the hairpin is likely folded-over into a compact structure with high dynamics. Crystallographic studies at 2.5 mM reveal an antiparallel self-complementary duplex with the same base pairing as in the hairpin, extended into an infinite polymer. The non-canonical base pairing includes a G–G intercalation sandwiched by sheared A–G base pairs, leading to a cross-strand four guanine stack, so called guanine zipper. The guanine zippers are spaced throughout the structure by A–T/T–A base pairs. Our findings lend further insight into recurring structural motifs associated with the HSat3 and their potential biological functions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Peak radial growth of diffuse-porous species occurs during periods of lower water availability than for ring-porous and coniferous trees

Climate models project warmer summer temperatures will increase the frequency and heat severity of droughts in temperate forests of Eastern North America. Hotter droughts are increasingly documented to affect tree growth and forest dynamics, with critical impacts on tree mortality, carbon sequestration and timber provision. The growing acknowledgement of the dominant role of drought timing on tree vulnerability to water deficit raises the issue of our limited understanding of radial growth phenology for most temperate tree species. Here, we use well-replicated dendrometer band data sampled frequently during the growing season to assess the growth phenology of 610 trees from 15 temperate species over 6 years. Patterns of diameter growth follow a typical logistic shape, with growth rates reaching a maximum in June, and then decreasing until process termination. On average, we find that diffuse-porous species take 16–18 days less than other wood-structure types to put on 50% of their annual diameter growth. However, their peak growth rate occurs almost a full month later than ring-porous and conifer species (ca. 24 ± 4 days; mean ± 95% credible interval). Unlike other species, the growth phenology of diffuse-porous species in our dataset is highly correlated with their spring foliar phenology. We also find that the later window of growth in diffuse-porous species, coinciding with peak evapotranspiration and lower water availability, exposes them to a higher water deficit of 88 ± 19 mm (mean ± SE) during their peak growth than ring-porous and coniferous species (15 ± 35 mm and 30 ± 30 mm, respectively). Given the high climatic sensitivity of wood formation, our findings highlight the importance of wood porosity as one predictor of species climatic sensitivity to the projected intensification of the drought regime in the coming decades.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Combined computed tomography and position-resolved X-ray diffraction of an intact Roman-era Egyptian portrait mummy

Hawara Portrait Mummy 4, a Roman-era Egyptian portrait mummy, was studied with computed tomography (CT) and with CT-guided synchrotron X-ray diffraction mapping. These are the first X-ray diffraction results obtained non-invasively from objects within a mummy. The CT data showed human remains of a 5-year-old child, consistent with the female (but not the age) depicted on the portrait. Physical trauma was not evident in the skeleton. Diffraction at two different mummy-to-detector separations allowed volumetric mapping of features including wires and inclusions within the wrappings and the skull and femora. Additionally, the largest uncertainty in origin determination was approximately 1.5 mm along the X-ray beam direction, and diffraction- and CT-determined positions matched. Diffraction showed that the wires were a modern dual-phase steel and showed that the 7 × 5 × 3 mm inclusion ventral of the abdomen was calcite. Tracing the 00.2 and 00.4 carbonated apatite (bone's crystalline phase) reflections back to their origins produced cross-sectional maps of the skull and of femora; these maps agreed with transverse CT slices within approximately 1 mm. Coupling CT and position-resolved X-ray diffraction, therefore, offers considerable promise for non-invasive studies of mummies.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Pulse-by-pulse transient thermal deformation in crystal optics under high-repetition-rate FEL

Time-domain modeling of the thermal deformation of crystal optics can help define acceptable operational ranges across the pulse-energy repetition-rate phase space. In this paper, we have studied the transient thermal deformation of a water-cooled diamond crystal for a cavity-based X-ray free-electron laser (CBXFEL), either an X-ray free-electron laser oscillator (XFELO) or a regenerative amplifier X-ray free-electron laser (RAFEL), by numerical simulations including finite-element analysis and advanced data processing. Pulse-by-pulse transient thermal deformation of a 50 µm-thick diamond crystal has been performed with X-ray pulse repetition rates between 50 kHz and 1 MHz. Results for temperature and thermal deformation have been compared with the results of transient analysis using a continuous wave (CW) power loading. Temperature and thermal deformation results from pulse-by-pulse transient analysis vary with time about the results for the CW case for the same average power. The variation amplitude increases with pulse energy and decreases with repetition rate. When the repetition rate increases to infinity, both temperature and thermal deformation converge to the results for the CW case. Two critical time scales for the operation of crystal optics in a CBXFEL are (1) first-turn time, i.e. the time for the XFEL pulse to complete the first turn around the cavity so that the crystal sees the recirculated XFEL pulse, and (2) period-end time, i.e. the time that the next electron bunch arrives for the amplification, so that the crystal outcouples the amplified FEL power. For the same average power, simulation results show that the crystal thermal deformation seen by the XFEL beam decreases with repetition rate at the first-turn time of a 300 m-long cavity and increases with repetition rate at the period-end time. For the wavefront preservation requirement of the crystal optics, a pulse-energy versus repetition-rate phase space has been established. The upper bounds of the pulse energy at both first-turn and period-end times decreases with repetition rate, especially at the period-end time. The upper bound of the thermal deformation of the crystal at the period-end time for any repetition frequency can be estimated from the CW case. For a water-cooled diamond crystal of dimension 5 mm × 5 mm × 0.05 mm, the time to reach a quasi steady-state is about 50 ms for temperature and 50 µs for thermal deformation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development of a Hybrid Single/Two-Phase Capillary-Based Micro-Cooler using Copper Inverse Opals Wick with Silicon 3D Manifold for High-Heat-Flux Cooling Application

Previously, we reported two-phase capillary-based cooling using narrow (200 to 1000 ..mu..m) heater bridge copper inverse opal (CIO) wicks with heat flux level of 1400 Wcm -2 and superheat ~ 10 degrees C. Here, we demonstrate the area scaling of the proposed technology to a large-area micro-cooler for high-heat-flux cooling of microprocessors and power electronics. We developed a hybrid single/two-phase micro-cooler that relies on capillary-wicking in a 25-..mu..m-thick CIO with an open silicon microchannel 3D-manifold for liquid delivery and vapor extraction, achieving a high heat flux ~ 400 Wcm -2 over a heated area of 10 x 10 mm 2 . For a range of inlet water flowrates from 5 to 60 g(min) -1 , we achieved total thermal resistances and vapor qualities of 0.68 cm 2 degrees CW -1 to 0.2 cm 2 degrees CW -1 and 0.55 to 0.12, respectively. The flowrates are 10x smaller than those of conventional single- or two-phase microchannel cooling technology. The corresponding two-phase thermal resistances ranges from 0.05 to 0.02 cm 2 degrees CW -1 with temperature superheat of 8 to 6 degrees C, respectively. While the overall performance of the large-area (10 x 10 mm 2 ) capillary-based micro-cooler degraded compared to the previous demonstration of the technology for a heated area of 5 x 5 mm 2 , however, preliminary CFD modeling indicates that an improved manifold design will be able to achieve comparable performance.

capillary flow↗
DOE OSTI2026

Surface Stress Characterization and Trends in Thermally Strengthened Photovoltaic Module Glass

Simultaneous changes in photovoltaic (PV) module architecture-such as increased area, replacing the polymeric backsheet with a glass backsheet, and reducing glass thickness from 3.2 to 2.0 mm-have resulted in a novel failure called spontaneous glass breakage. Spontaneous glass breakage results in front and/or rear glass failure without any obvious cause. The resulting low-energy fracture patterns have raised concerns about the thermal strengthening in 2.0-mm glass. We present validation of a nondestructive method for measuring the glass surface stress in PV modules. We use a scattered light polariscope to examine the glass properties of 11 modules from 6 solar fields, with and without spontaneous glass breakage. Based on a Mann-Whitney test p-value of 1.4 x 10-6, we conclude that there is a correlation between lower surface stress and susceptibility to spontaneous breakage. A Kendall's Tau test p-value of 2.0 x 10-4 indicates a correlation between increased module area and lower surface stress. We find that 2.0-mm glass can be, and often is, fully tempered (surface stress ≥69 MPa), but inspecting the fracture pattern is not a reliable way to assess the amount of thermal strengthening. A combination of factors, not just surface stress, influences glass breakage.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design and Analysis of a Mutual Inductance Level Sensor for Liquid Metals

Here, this article describes the design and analysis of an electromagnetic level sensor for use in high-temperature liquid metal systems. The mutual inductance level sensor (MILS) described in this work was fabricated using two single-conductor mineral insulated cables wrapped in a bifilar fashion around a stainless steel tube core and was housed in an isolating thimble that preserved the pressure boundary of the test vessel. Two sensor variations were fabricated that differ only in active length, 1016 and 1778 mm. Experimental data were collected using the 1016-mm sensor (MILS-MKII-040) that demonstrated a sensitivity of 9.2 μ V/mm in a room temperature testing stand that used solid aluminum as a surrogate for liquid metal. Experimental data were collected using the 1778-mm sensor (MILS-MKII-070) that demonstrated a sensitivity of 6.9 μ V/mm in the high-temperature (300 ° C) liquid sodium environment at the mechanisms engineering test loop (METL) of Argonne National Laboratory. The sensor performance was found to be repeatable over the course of several months, with roughly ±1% deviation from nominal output. Finite element models were developed in COMSOL Multiphysics that fully describe each test setup, and the models were validated using experimental data. The validated COMSOL models were used to perform an array of analyses that examined the performance of the sensor in differing environments. Maximizing the coil diameter inside the isolating thimble was found to maximize the signal and sensitivity of the sensor. An optimal operating frequency was found near 1000 Hz using both experimental data and COMSOL. The influence of a metallic thimble surrounding the sensor and a metallic sensor core was quantified and found to be negligible at the optimal operating frequency. The sensitivity of the sensor was quantified when monitoring the level of additional liquid metals. These include lead, lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE), sodium-potassium alloy (NaK), and lithium (in addition to sodium). The sensitivities were quantified using liquid metal properties at 350 ° C and 650 ° C. The geometry of the test stand model, all material properties used in the model, and the results are presented in a manner that allows the reader can replicate the model and perform additional analyses.

COMSOL↗
DOE OSTI2021

Neutron Imaging Using Organic Glass Scintillators

In this work, we develop of a compact neutron imaging system based on organic glass scintillator and silicon photomultiplier arrays. The recently developed organic glass scintillator has excellent neutron and gamma-ray detection efficiency and exhibits pulse shape discrimination capability that is nearly as good as current state-of-the-art materials such as trans-stilbene. We have cast and characterized 6 mm by 6 mm by 50 mm bars of organic glass in our laboratory. When coupled to a silicon photomultiplier array, these bars demonstrated better energy and timing resolution than the stilbene organic scintillator. Here, this performance makes organic glass an ideal material for a compact neutron imaging system, which must resolve neutron scatter events on a sub-nanosecond time scale. We have demonstrated neutron imaging with bars of organic glass scintillator coupled to arrays of silicon photomultipliers. Additional bars of organic glass will be implemented into the system to improve the efficiency and imaging performance. The resulting system will be demonstrated using 252 Cf and PuBe neutron sources in our laboratory. In addition, we will compare imaging performance to other compact neutron imaging systems that exist in literature.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Development and First Test of the 15 T Nb$_3$Sn Dipole Demonstrator MDPCT1

Fermilab in the framework of the U.S. Magnet Devel-opment Program (MDP) has developed a Nb$_3$Sn dipole demonstrator for a post-LHC hadron collider. The magnet uses 60-mm aperture 4-layer shell-type graded coils. The cable in the two inner-most layers has 28 strands 1.0 mm in diameter and the cable in the two outermost layers has 40 strands 0.7 mm in diameter. An inno-vative mechanical structure based on aluminum I-clamps and a thick stainless steel skin is used to preload Nb$_3$Sn coils and support large Lorentz forces. The maximum field for this magnet is limited by 15 T due to mechanical considerations. The first magnet assembly was done with lower coil pre-load to achieve 14 T and minimize the risk of coil damage during assembly. This paper describes the magnet design and the details of its assembly procedure, and re-ports the results of its cold tests.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

First Field Measurements of the 15 T Nb 3 Sn Dipole Demonstrator MDPCT1

Within the US Magnet Development Program (MDP) a 15 T Nb 3 Sn dipole was developed, to demonstrate a magnet design for a post-LHC pp Collider. Specifically, the magnet design is based on 60 mm aperture 4-layer shell-type coils, graded between the inner and outer layers to maximize the magnet performance. The cable in the two innermost layers has 28 strands 1.0 mm in diameter and the cable in the two outermost layers has 40 strands 0.7 mm in diameter. Both cables use RRP Nb3Sn wires produced by Bruker-OST. Magnet coils are surrounded by vertically-split thick iron laminations, con-nected by aluminum I-clamps, and a thick stainless-steel skin. The magnet was tested at the Vertical Magnet Test Facility (VMTF) at Fermilab. This paper reports the first results of magnetic measure-ments of the 15 T Nb 3 Sn dipole demonstrator including geometrical harmonics, coil magnetization and iron saturation effects. The ex-perimental data are compared with the magnetic calculations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Construction of Cryogen-Free 4.3T Superconducting Wiggler for NSLS-II Ring

With the 3 GeV electron beam energy for the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) ring, only superconducting wigglers (SCW) producing greater than 4T peak field can cover the photon energy range of 20 keV and 200 keV with sufficient number of photons. The High energy Engineering X-ray (HEX) Diffraction beamline, which is primarily funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and NSLS-II, will be equipped with a 1.2m-long SCW with 70 mm period length and 4.3 T on-axis field. This SCW is free from the use of liquid Helium and is cooled only with cryo-coolers. The Electron Beam Chamber (EBC) with vertical aperture of 8 mm is made from 316LN stainless steel and copper plating is applied both surface and +-12.5mm wide from the center in the inner surface. The expected heat load from the electron beam of the NSLS-II ring is estimated to be 10 W/m. Here, we describe the design principles and engineering challenges for the device.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Design of B1APF Dipole for the EIC

Brookhaven National Laboratory has been chosen to host the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). Part of this is to install an additional electron ring to the existing RHIC tunnel. The electron hadron Interaction Region (IR) will host nine superconducting magnets on the forward side and six superconducting magnets on the rear side of the Interaction Point (IP). B1APF dipole is the last magnet of the near IR in the outgoing hadron direction. Further, the magnet has a physical aperture of 370 mm diameter and is 1.5 m long. This large aspect ratio makes this magnet particularly challenging. It is a collared magnet and uses a NbTi Rutherford cable with 15.1 mm X 1.9 mm. It is expected to operate at a maximum current of 13400 A at 2 K. The required integrated dipole field is 4.05 Tm. This paper discusses the current design status of the B1ApF dipole and presents the electromagnetic analysis and thermal quench propagation analysis.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗