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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Laboratory studies of heavy ozone

Dissociation of ozone in the Chappuis bands has been used as an O atom source to study isotope effects occurring in the O(3P) + O2(3 Sigma g) recombination reaction. The ozone produced was found to be enriched in both of its heavy isotopes. The pressure dependence (5-1000 torr) and temperature dependence (127-360 K) of this isotope effect have been investigated. The enrichment is approximately constant from 5 torr to 100 torr and decreases at higher pressures. It increases with temperature, with O3-50 showing a slightly faster rate of increase than O3-45. The results of this experiment have clearly isolated the source of the isotope effect to the gas phase O(3P) + O2(3 Sigma g) recombination reaction.

Morton, J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Electron detachment from negative ions - The effects of isotopic substitution

Absolute total electron-detachment cross sections and relative elastic-scattering cross sections are presented for collisions of H(-) or D(-) with He, Ne, Ar, and N2 for collision energies ranging from about 2 eV up to 100 eV. Special emphasis has been given to the effect of isotopic substitution. It was found that, with the exception of the helium target, the results cannot be in accord with a model using a localized complex potential. On the other hand, the results for H(-) or D(-) with He are in excellent agreement with predictions based on previous (local complex potential) analysis of differential elastic-scattering measurements.

Champion, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Possible isotopic fractionation effects in material sputtered from minerals

A model is presented which predicts isotope fractionation in material sputtered from mineral surfaces. According to the model, the fractionation is a function of the fractional abundances of each isotope, the low-energy collision cross sections and the atomic masses, and the fractionation pattern can be nonlinear. Calculations are illustrated for all sets of isotopes in the minerals perovskite, anorthite, akermanite, enstatite and troilite, and it is found that while O is always positively fractionated, with heavier isotopes sputtered preferentially, heavier elements are generally negatively fractionated. It is noted that the model may be tested by experiments on a system such as CaF2, CaI2, in which the Ca sputtered from CaF2 is predicted to be strongly fractionated in a negative sense and that sputtered from CaI2 is predicted to be strongly fractionated in a positive sense.

Haff, P. K.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Possible isotopic fractionation effects in sputtered minerals

A model which makes definite predictions for the fractionation of isotopes in sputtered material is discussed. The fractionation patterns are nonlinear, and the pattern for a particular set of isotopes depends on the chemical matrix within which those isotopes are contained. Calculations are presented for all nonmonoisotopic elements contained in the minerals perovskite, anorthite, ackermanite, enstatite, and troilite. All isotopes are fractionated at the level of approximately 4-6 deg/o per atomic mass unit. Oxygen is always positively fractionated (heavier isotopes sputtered preferentially), and heavier elements are generally negatively fractioned (light isotopes sputtered preferentially). The value of Delta (O-18:O-16) is always less by about 1.8 deg/o than a linear extrapolation based upon the calculated delta (O-17:O-16) value would suggest. The phenomenon of both negative and positive fractionation patterns from a single target mineral are used to make an experimental test of the proposed model.

Haff, P. K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Stable carbon isotope ratios in atmospheric methane and some of its sources

Ratios of C-13/C-12 have been measured in atmospheric methane and in methane collected from sites and biota that represent potentially large sources of atmospheric methane. These include temperate marshes (about -48 percent to about -54 percent), landfills (about -51 percent to about -55 percent), and the first reported values for any species of termite (-72.8 + or - 3.1 percent for Reticulitermes tibialis and -57.3 + or - 1.6 percent for Zootermopsis angusticollis). Numbers in parentheses are delta C-13 values with respect to PDB (Peedee belemnite) carbonate. Most methane sources reported thus far are depleted in C-13 with respect to atmospheric methane (-47.0 + or - 0.3 percent). Individual sources of methane should have C-13/C-12 ratios characteristic of mechanisms of CH4 formation and consumption prior to release to the atmosphere. The mass-weighted average isotopic composition of all sources should equal the mean C-13 of atmospheric methane, corrected for a kinetic isotope effect in the OH attack of CH4. Assuming the kinetic isotope effect to be small (about -3.0 percent correction to -47.0), as in the literature, the new values given here for termite methane do not help to explain the apparent discrepancy between C-13/C-12 ratios of the known CH4 sources and that of atmospheric CH4.

Tyler, Stanley C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Comment on 'A non-mass-dependent isotopic fractionation effect' by F. Robert, J. Halbout and J. Baudon

The fractionation model of Robert et al. (1988) treats the gas-phase isotopic exchange reaction between kinetically excited atoms aX and diatomic MbX yielding bX and MaX and finds an abundance-dependent fractionation superimposed on the usual mass dependent fractionation. This paper shows that the treatment of Robert et al. is in error and presents a more straightforward treatment of the same system. This model shows only mass-dependent fractionation.

Sund, Mark T.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Endemic Mo Isotopic Anomalies in Iron and Carbonaceous Meteorites

Mo in refractory interstellar grains shows large isotope anomalies. Recent Mo studies showed isotope effects in Allende and Murchison, and in iron meteorites, mesosiderites, and pallasites. Excesses of p- and r-process isotopes (or depletion of sprocess isotopes) of up to 3.5 epsilon units (epsilon u=parts in 10(exp 4)) were reported. We have reported on endemic isotope anomalies in Ru. Other workers have resolved no isotope anomalies for Mo or Ru and have claimed that the work by others is incorrect. Because Ru isotopes can interfere at Mo-96, Mo-98, Mo-100, we improved the chemical separations and eliminated interferences. For Mo work, we used the same solutions from which we separated and analyzed Ru. Three of the iron meteorites (Coahuila, Cape York, and Cape of Good Hope) were chosen for their large Mo isotopic effects. Mo was loaded on outgassed Re filaments, and then reduced; we used Ba(OH)2-NaOH as emitter, and measured Mo in static mode, as MoO3(-). We used Mo-98/Mo-96 for the mass fractionation correction (exponential law). No interferences from Ru or Zr isotopes were detected using the electron multiplier and no corrections were needed. For results on Mo standards we show 2 sigma(not 2 sigma mean) external precision better than: 0.7 epsilon u for Mo-94/Mo-96 and Mo-95/Mo-96; 1.0 epsilon u for Mo-92/Mo-96 and Mo-97/Mo-96; 1.4 epsilon u for Mo-100/Mo-96. Reproducibility for Mo standards is shown as contours (blue lines).

Chen, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Calcium and Titanium Isotope Fractionation in CAIS: Tracers of Condensation and Inheritance in the Early Solar Protoplanetary Disk

The chemical and isotopic compositions of calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) can be used to understand the conditions present in the protoplantary disk where they formed. The isotopic compositions of these early-formed nebular materials are largely controlled by chemical volatility. The isotopic effects of evaporation/sublimation, which are well explained by both theory and experimental work, lead to enrichments of the heavy isotopes that are often exhibited by the moderately refractory elements Mg and Si. Less well understood are the isotopic effects of condensation, which limits our ability to determine whether a CAI is a primary condensate and/or retains any evidence of its primordial formation history.

Simon, J. I.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Ca isotopes in refractory inclusions

The present absolute isotope abundance measurements of Ca in Ca-Al-rich inclusions from the Allende and Leoville meteorites show the extreme rarity of nonlinear isotope effects in Ca, in sharp contrast to the endemic effects in Ti. The Ca in the Ca-Al-rich inclusions shows mass-dependent isotope fractionation effects whose range is a factor of 20 wider than the range previously established for bulk meteorites and for terrestrial and lunar samples. A correlation is found between Ca and Mg isotope fractionation effects and inclusion type, and a possible correlation between isotope fractionation and rare earth element abundance patterns is discussed.

Niederer, F. R.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Effect of isotopic substitution on the visible absorption spectrum of ozone

Gas-phase spectra for (O-16)3 and (O-18)3 are examined to consider the electronic states which cause the Chappuis bands. Specifications of the spectrometer and spectra calibrations are given. The results of both a conventional description of the vibrational structure and an examination of the autocorrelation functions are discussed. Transitions to two electronically excited states are the significant features of the isotope shifts. The transitions are characterized by adiabatic energies about 750/cm apart, and the higher energy approaches 16,400/cm. The vibrational structure of the higher state accompanies a relatively simple progression, and the lower state accompanies one isolated band. The autocorrelation analysis shows that for (O-16)3, major recurrences near 31 and 41 fs are found, and longer equivalent times are found for (O-18)3. At longer times, minor recurrences are also found. The results are considered significant for the understanding of the electronic and vibrational structures of the Chappuis bands. Suggestions for future work based on these results are discussed.

Anderson, Stuart M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Effects of isotope selection on solution convergence in HZE transport

A fragmenting iron ion produces hundreds of isotopes during nuclear reactions. These isotopes are represented in the solution of the transport problem. A reduced set of isotopes is selected to minimize the computational burden but introduces error in the final result. A minimum list of 122 isotopes is required for adequate representation of the mass and charge distributions of the secondary radiation fields. A reduced set of 80 isotopes is sufficient to represent the charge distribution alone and represents reasonably well the linear energy transfer properties of the iron beam. Because iron fragmentation produces nearly every isotope lighter than iron, the resulting 122-isotope list should be adequate for ion beams with charges equal to or less than 26.

Kim, Myung-Hee Y.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Profiles of alpha 13 C and alpha D in methane from the lower stratosphere

Methane is an important greenhouse gas of biogenic and anthropogenic origin for which global budgets are being constructed from a variety of data. One approach to the global methane budget is the use of the stable isotopes C-13 and D, and the radionuclide C-14 as tracers. The authors measured the isotopic composition of methane from various sources and in tropospheric air for a number of locations. Here, the authors report on the isotopic composition of methane from the lower stratosphere. Measurements of this concentration in the stratosphere can yield estimates for the kinetic isotope effects in the methane destruction reactions. These effects have to be known for quantitative isotopic methane budgets.

Wahlen, Martin↗
NASA NTRS1999

Technical Considerations for Advanced Propulsion Systems

This presentation reviews concerns involving advanced propulsion systems. The problems involved with the use of Am-242m, is that it has a high "eta" plus an order of magnitude larger fission cross section than other fissionable materials, and that it is extremely rare. However other americium isotopes are much more common, but extremely effective isotopic separation is required. Deuterium-Tritium fusion is also not attractive for space propulsion applications. Because the pulsed systems cannot breed adequate amounts of tritium and it is difficult and expensive to bring tritium from Earth. The systems that do breed tritium have severely limited performance. However, other fusion processes should still be evaluated. Another problem with advanced propellants is that inefficiencies in converting the total energy generated into propellant energy can lead to tremendous heat rejection requirements. Therefore Many. advanced propulsion concepts benefit greatly from low-mass radiators.

Houts, Michael G.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Calcium isotopic anomalies in the Allende meteorite

Isotopic anomalies in Ca are reported which were found in two Ca-Al-rich inclusions of the Allende meteorite. The corrected Ca data show nonlinear isotopic effects in Ca-48 of +13.5 per mil and in Ca-42 of +1.7 per mil for one sample. The second sample shows a Ca-48 depletion of -2.9 per mil, but all other isotopes are normal. Samples with large excesses in Mg-26 show no Ca anomalies. The effects demonstrate that isotopic anomalies exist for higher-atomic-number refractory elements in solar-system materials and do not appear to be readily explainable by a simple model. Observed anomalous Mg and Ca compositions for coexisting mineral phases are uniform within each inclusion and require initial isotopic homogeneity within an inclusion but the preservation of wide variations between inclusions. Assuming formation of these inclusions by condensation from a gaseous part of the solar nebula, this implies isotopic heterogeneity on a scale of 10 to 100 km within the nebula.

Lee, T.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Carbonate Mineral Formation on Mars: Clues from Stable Isotope Variation Seen in Cryogenic Laboratory Studies of Carbonate Salts

The geologic history of water on the planet Mars is intimately connected to the formation of carbonate minerals through atmospheric CO2 and its control of the climate history of Mars. Carbonate mineral formation under modern martian atmospheric conditions could be a critical factor in controlling the martian climate in a means similar to the rock weathering cycle on Earth. The combination of evidence for liquid water on the martian surface and cold surface conditions suggest fluid freezing could be very common on the surface of Mars. Cryogenic calcite forms readily when a rise in pH occurs as a result of carbon dioxide degassing quickly from freezing Ca-bicarbonate-rich water solutions. This is a process that has been observed in some terrestrial settings such as arctic permafrost cave deposits, lakebeds of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, and in aufeis (river icings) from rivers of N.E. Alaska. We report here the results of a series of laboratory experiments that were conducted to simulate potential cryogenic carbonate formation on the planet Mars. These results indicate that carbonates grown under martian conditions (controlled atmospheric pressure and temperature) show enrichments from starting bicarbonate fluids in both carbon and oxygen isotopes beyond equilibrium values with average delta13C(DIC-CARB) values of ~20.5%0 which exceed the expected equilibrium fractionation factor of [10(sup 3) ln alpha = ~13%0] at 0 degC. Oxygen isotopes showed a smaller enrichment with delta18O(H2O-CARB) values of ~35.5%0, slightly exceeding the equilibrium fractionation factor of [10(sup 3) ln alpha = ~34%0 ] at 0degC. Large kinetic carbon isotope effects during carbonate precipitation could substantially affect the carbon isotope evolution of CO2 on Mars allowing for more efficient removal of 13C from the Noachian atmosphere enriched by atmospheric loss. This mechanism would be consistent with the observations of large carbon isotope variations in martian materials despite the relative paucity of carbonate minerals in the martian crust.

Socki, Richard↗
NASA NTRS1983

Isotopic inferences of ancient biochemistries - Carbon, sulfur, hydrogen, and nitrogen

In processes of biological incorporation and subsequent biochemical processing sizable isotope effects occur as a result of both thermodynamic and kinetic fractionations which take place during metabolic and biosynthetic reactions. In this chapter a review is provided of earlier work and recent studies on isotope fractionations in the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, sulfur, hydrogen, and nitrogen. Attention is given to the biochemistry of carbon isotope fractionation, carbon isotope fractionation in extant plants and microorganisms, isotope fractionation in the terrestrial carbon cycle, the effects of diagenesis and metamorphism on the isotopic composition of sedimentary carbon, the isotopic composition of sedimentary carbon through time, implications of the sedimentary carbon isotope record, the biochemistry of sulfur isotope fractionation, pathways of the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen, and the D/H ratio in naturally occurring materials.

Schidlowski, M.↗
NASA NTRS1976

A Monte-Carlo simulation of galactic cosmic ray effects in the lunar regolith

A Monte-Carlo soil mixing computer code was used to evaluate isotopic effects induced by galactic cosmic rays in samples on the top surface of the lunar regolith and in lunar core tubes. For surface samples, good agreement was found between theoretical predictions of Ne-21 concentrations, neutron fluences, and Xe-131/Xe-126 ratios, and the corresponding observations.

Langevin, Y.↗