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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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NASA NTRS2015

Acoustic Emission Analysis of Damage Progression in Thermal Barrier Coatings Under Thermal Cyclic Conditions

Damage evolution of electron beam-physical vapor deposited (EBVD-PVD) ZrO2-7 wt.% Y2O3 thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) under thermal cyclic conditions was monitored using an acoustic emission (AE) technique. The coatings were heated using a laser heat flux technique that yields a high reproducibility in thermal loading. Along with AE, real-time thermal conductivity measurements were also taken using infrared thermography. Tests were performed on samples with induced stress concentrations, as well as calcium-magnesium-alumino-silicate (CMAS) exposure, for comparison of damage mechanisms and AE response to the baseline (as-produced) coating. Analysis of acoustic waveforms was used to investigate damage development by comparing when events occurred, AE event frequency, energy content and location. The test results have shown that AE accumulation correlates well with thermal conductivity changes and that AE waveform analysis could be a valuable tool for monitoring coating degradation and provide insight on specific damage mechanisms.

calcium-magnesium-alumino-silicate (CMAS)↗

DOE OSTI2022

Chapter 6: Thermoelectric Energy Harvesters and Applications

With recent progress in the field of wearable and bio-integrated devices, which are widely used for various applications, such as real-time health monitoring, point-of-care diagnostics, and biological actuators, the need for a continuous and reliable power source is increasing. As solid-state devices with no moving parts, thermoelectric energy generators provide a reliable solution for harnessing body heat and converting it into electricity on demand. However, traditional thermoelectric generators, comprising inorganic materials, are rigid and bulky, limiting their wide deployment. Nonconventional thermoelectric generators, composed of organic and hybrid thermoelectric materials, are flexible and lightweight. In this chapter, we will discuss the working principle of thermoelectric energy harvesting, including materials, devices, and applications. While we briefly touch upon the inorganic materials, we will focus primarily on the organic and hybrid materials, which are nontoxic, flexible, easy to manufacture, easy to scale, and readily available at low cost, providing a promising solution for lightweight and conformal thermoelectric power generation.

body heat harvesting↗

DOE OSTI2022

Tracking the Oxidation of Silicon Anodes Using Cryo-EELS upon Battery Cycling

Silicon is a high-capacity material for the anode of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. One of the fundamental challenges for using Si in anodes is capacity fading, which has been revealed to be partially associated with the interfacial instability between the Si and liquid electrolyte due to the large volume swing of Si upon charging and discharging. Smart nanoscale design concepts, either pre-synthesized or formed in-situ, have led to the mitigation of the detrimental factors associated with the volume swing of Si. However, it has never been clear as how the chemical state of Si evolves and contributes to the capacity fading upon battery cycling. Here, we use cryo-electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) to directly monitor, at sub-nanometer scale, the chemical evolution of Si upon battery cycling. We discover that during the cycling process, Si particles are progressively oxidized to form SiO 2 , which is initiated from the particle surface and gradually penetrates toward the interior of the particle, directly contributing to the capacity fading. Possible mechanisms of Si oxidation are postulated. We further show how the cycling stability can be improved by an electrolyte additive to form an effective passivation layer, representatively, even a small concentration of fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) causes the formation of an LiF layer on the Si nanoparticle surface that prevents Si oxidation and improves cycling stability. Furthermore, the present work unveils Si oxidation as a previously unrecognized factor that contributes to capacity fading, therefore providing insight into the design of anodes with Si based materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2021

Analytics-at-scale of Sensor Data for Digital Monitoring in Nuclear Plants: 2nd Annual Report

For economic reasons, the nuclear industry is witnessing premature closure of nuclear power plants, despite excellent safety records. Operations and Maintenance (O&M) activities are some of the largest costs in operating legacy light-water plants. By reducing O&M costs, nuclear energy can become more economically competitive with other energy sources. This can be achieved by leveraging machine-learning and artificial intelligence technologies to develop data-driven algorithms to better diagnose potential faults within the system. Improved accuracy of the models can lead to a reduction in unnecessary maintenance, thus reducing costs associated with parts, labor, and unnecessary planned, forced, or extended outages. To address these challenges, the goal of this project is to perform research and development in the area of digital monitoring, i.e., the application of advanced sensor technologies (particularly wireless sensor technologies) and data science based analytic capabilities, to advance online monitoring and predictive maintenance in nuclear plants and improve plant performance (efficiency gain and economic competitiveness). This report summarizes the fiscal year 2020 research progress encompassing (1) different wireless vibration sensor and data indicators used to assess the health of a plant asset; (2) development of diagnostic models for fault detection; and (3) development of prognostic models for estimating the health of the system up to 7 days ahead.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2021

Effect of boronization on plasma-facing graphite surfaces and its correlation with the plasma behavior in NSTX-U

Boronization is a Plasma Facing Component (PFC) conditioning technique widely used in tokamak machines. The National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) applied this conditioning, using a plasma glow with a deuterated Trimethyl-boron (d-TMB) and He mixture. The use of boronization during the campaign improved the plasma performance, allowing longer plasma discharges and H-mode access. The chemical state of an ATJ graphite sample, used as a proxy for the NSTX-U PFCs, was monitored in-situ using the Materials Analysis Particle Probe (MAPP) diagnostic and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The XPS data showed a progressive rise (from + fluence increased. Filterscopes were used to measure the light emitted by oxygen impurities in the plasma near the surface of the PFC. An increase in the registered magnitude of the OII line, normalized to the Dγ intensity, was observed as the concentration of O on the ATJ surface increased. The plasma performance was found to be strongly correlated to oxygen impurity concentrations at the plasma edge and on the PFC surface, as measured by the discharge length and access to the H-mode regime. In this work, we present a quantitative analysis of the evolution of the chemistry of the ATJ surface, and the oxygen presence in the plasma-material interface, and report relevant plasma parameters observed during the same period of time.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1981

Modeling of photodegradation in solar cell modules of substrate and superstrate design made with ethylene-vinyl acetate as pottant material

The rates of hydrogen abstraction by peroxy radicals were proven to be too slow for significant oxidation of the alkane substrate to be important. The numerical procedure, independent of our particular data base was verified by reproducing concentration time profiles for a model reaction set describing the cesium flare system in the upper atmosphere. Simulation was identical to that given in the literature. Experimental verification of the data base is to be attempted by weatherometry studies in the coming year. Work on the new diagnostic techniques was completed. The adapted automated viscometer was demonstrated to be an efficient and reliable tool for routine measurements of viscosity (molecular weight) changes in solid samples after batch solutions have been made up. The laser photolysis GC method for monitoring extremely low levels of oxidation in polymers proved to be impractical because the yields of carbon monoxide were too low for quantification. Much progress was made with the computer model. The reaction matrix was completely revised, resulting in a new scheme of 31 reactions and time, lifetimes in excess of ten years. The results to date lead us to some tentative observations.

Somersall, A. C.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Mesoscale variability of free tropospheric humidity near San Nicolas Island during FIRE

Humidity variability at the top of the marine boundary layer (MBL) and in the free troposphere was examined using a variety of measurements taken on and around San Nicolas Island (SNI) during the FIRE IFO in July, 1987. Doppler wind profiler reflectivity recorded at two minute time resolution has provided the most continuous record and detail of small scale humidity fluctuations. Rawinsonde data were available from both an island site and the research vessel Point Sur. The information extractable from these sources is somewhat limited due to the frequency of launches (3 to 4/day at SNI and 6/day on the Point Sur). Some additional data were available from instrumented aircraft although scheduling flights in the neighborhood of the island was difficult due to restrictions on the air space. Other relevant data were collected at SNI near the radar and rawinsonde launch sites. A continuous record of cloud base altitude was logged by a ceilometer. Doppler acoustic sounder (sodar) reflectivity data provided a good record of inversion height. The sodar also monitored turbulent temperature fluctuations in the MBL. A small ground station recorded hourly averages of solar irradiance and downward longwave irradiance. The analysis in progress of the various data sets for two adjacent two day periods from 11 July to 14 July is described. The earlier period was chosen because the marine inversion was unusually high and there was increased frequency of rawinsonde launches at SNI. The later period was chosen because of the significant descent with time of an elevated inversion indicated by the radar data. Throughout the four day period, but especially in the first half, the turbulent humidity structure calculated from Doppler radar reflectivity shows excellent agreement with humidity profiles evaluated from rawinsonde data.

White, A. B.↗

NASA NTRS1992

An overview of in-flight plume diagnostics for rocket engines

An overview and progress report of the work performed or sponsored by LeRC toward the development of in-flight plume spectroscopy technology for health and performance monitoring of liquid propellant rocket engines are presented. The primary objective of this effort is to develop technology that can be utilized on any flight engine. This technology will be validated by a hardware demonstration of a system capable of being retrofitted onto the Space Shuttle Main Engines for spectroscopic measurements during flight. The philosophy on system definition and status on the development of instrumentation, optics, and signal processing with respect to implementation on a flight engine are discussed.

Madzsar, G. C.↗

NASA NTRS1992

An overview of in-flight plume diagnostics for rocket engines

Madzsar, G. C.↗

NASA NTRS1993

JSC research and technology

The primary roles and missions of JSC incorporate all aspects of human presence in space. Therefore, the Center is involved in the development of technology that will allow humans to stay longer in Earth orbit, allow safe flight in space, and provide capabilities to explore the Moon and Mars. The Center's technology emphasis areas include human spacecraft development, human support systems and infrastructure, and human spacecraft operations. Safety and reliability are critical requirements for the technologies that JSC pursues for long-duration use in space. One of the objectives of technology development at the Center is to give employees the opportunity to enhance their technological expertise and project management skills by defining, designing, and developing projects that are vital to the Center's strategy for the future. This report is intended to communicate within and outside the Agency our research and technology (R&T) accomplishments, as well as inform Headquarters program managers and their constituents of the significant accomplishments that have promise for future Agency programs. While not inclusive of all R&T efforts, the report presents a comprehensive summary of JSC projects in which substantial progress was made in the 1992 fiscal year. At the beginning of each project description, names of the Principal Investigator (PI) and the Technical Monitor (TM) are given, followed by their JSC mail codes or their company or university affiliations. The funding sources and technology focal points are identified in the index.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1993

Micro-sensors for in-situ meteorological measurements

Improved in-situ meteorological measurements are needed for monitoring the weather and climate of the terrestrial and Martian atmospheres. We have initiated a program to assess the feasibility and utility of micro-sensors for precise in-situ meteorological measurements in these environments. Sensors are being developed for measuring pressure, temperature, wind velocity, humidity, and aerosol amounts. Silicon micro-machining and large scale integration technologies are being used to make sensors that are small, rugged, lightweight, and require very little power. Our long-term goal is to develop very accurate miniaturized sensors that can be incorporated into complete instrument packages or 'micro weather stations,' and deployed on a variety of platforms. If conventional commercially available silicon production techniques can be used to fabricate these sensor packages, it will eventually be possible to mass-produce them at low cost. For studies of the Earth's troposphere and stratosphere, they could be deployed on aircraft, dropsondes, radiosondes, or autonomous surface stations at remote sites. Improved sensor accuracy and reduced sensor cost are the primary challenges for these applications. For studies of the Martian atmosphere, these sensor packages could be incorporated into the small entry probes and surface landers that are being planned for the Mars Environmental SURvey (MESUR) Mission. That decade-long program will deploy a global network of small stations on the Martian surface for monitoring meteorological and geological processes. Low mass, low power, durability, large dynamic range and calibration stability are the principal challenges for this application. Our progress on each of these sensor types is presented.

Crisp, David↗

NASA NTRS1994

Non-subjective cataract analysis and its application in space radiation risk assessment

Experimental animal studies and human observations suggest that the question is not whether or not prolonged space missions will cause cataracts to appear prematurely in the astronauts, but when and to what degree. Historically the major impediment to radiation cataract follow-up has been the necessarily subjective nature of assessing the degree of lens transparency. This has spurred the development of instruments which produce video images amenable to digital analysis. One such system, the Zeiss Scheimpflug slit lamp measuring system (SLC), was incorporated into our ongoing studies of radiation cataractogenesis. It was found that the Zeiss SLC measuring system has high resolution and permits the acquisition of reproducible images of the anterior segment of the eye. Our results, based on about 650 images of the rats lens, and followed over a period of 91 weeks of radiation cataract development, showed that the Integrated Optical Density (IOD) of the lens correlated well with conventional assessment with the added advantages of objectivity, permanent and transportable records and linearity as cataracts become more severe. This continuous data acquisition, commencing with cataract onset, can proceed through more advanced stages. The SLC exhibits much greater sensitivity reflected in a continuously progressive severity despite the artifactual plateaus in staging which occur using conventional scoring methods. Systems such as the Zeiss SLC should be used to monitor astronauts frequent visits to low earth orbit to obtain a longitudinal data-base on the influence of this activity on the lens.

Wu, B.↗

NASA NTRS2002

The Disk Wind Model of the Broad Line Regions in Active Galactic Nuclei and Cataclysmic Variables

This is the final progress report for our Astrophysics Theory Program (NRA 97-OSS12) grant NAG5-7723. We have made considerable progress on incorporating photoionization calculations with a 2.5D hydrodynamical code to model disk winds in AGNs. Following up on our simultaneous broad band monitoring campaign of the type I Seyfert galaxy NGC 5548, we have investigated the constraints imposed on models of accretion in Seyfert galaxies by their optical, UV, and X-ray spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Using results from thermal Comptonization models that relate the physical properties of the hot inner accretion flow to the thermal reprocessing that occurs in the surrounding colder thin disk, we find that we can constrain the central black hole mass, accretion rate and size scale of the hot central flow. We have applied our model to observations of Seyfert galaxies NGC 3516, NGC 7469 and NGC 5548. Our mass and accretion rate estimates for these objects roughly agree with those found using other methods.

Begelman, Mitchell↗

NASA NTRS1997

Fungal degradation of fiber-reinforced composite materials

As described in a previous report, a fungal consortium isolated from degraded polymeric materials was capable of growth on presterilized coupons of five composites, resulting in deep penetration into the interior of all materials within five weeks. Data describing the utilization of composite constituents as nutrients for the microflora are described in this article. Increased microbial growth was observed when composite extract was incubated with the fungal inoculum at ambient temperatures. Scanning electron microscopic observation of carbon fibers incubated with a naturally developed population of microorganisms showed the formation of bacterial biofilms on the fiber surfaces, suggesting possible utilization of the fiber chemical sizing as carbon and energy sources. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to monitor the phenomena occurring at the fiber-matrix interfaces. Significant differences were observed between inoculated and sterile panels of the composite materials. A progressive decline in impedance was detected in the inoculated panels. Several reaction steps may be involved in the degradation process. Initial ingress of water into the resin matrix appeared to be followed by degradation of fiber surfaces, and separation of fibers from the resin matrix. This investigation suggested that composite materials are susceptible to microbial attack by providing nutrients for growth.

Environmental Microbiology↗

NASA NTRS2017

Position Paper - pFLogger: The Parallel Fortran Logging framework for HPC Applications

In the context of high performance computing (HPC), software investments in support of text-based diagnostics, which monitor a running application, are typically limited compared to those for other types of IO. Examples of such diagnostics include reiteration of configuration parameters, progress indicators, simple metrics (e.g., mass conservation, convergence of solvers, etc.), and timers. To some degree, this difference in priority is justifiable as other forms of output are the primary products of a scientific model and, due to their large data volume, much more likely to be a significant performance concern. In contrast, text-based diagnostic content is generally not shared beyond the individual or group running an application and is most often used to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. We suggest that a more systematic approach enabled by a logging facility (or logger) similar to those routinely used by many communities would provide significant value to complex scientific applications. In the context of high-performance computing, an appropriate logger would provide specialized support for distributed and shared-memory parallelism and have low performance overhead. In this paper, we present our prototype implementation of pFlogger a parallel Fortran-based logging framework, and assess its suitability for use in a complex scientific application.

Fortran↗

NASA NTRS2017

POSITION PAPER - pFLogger: The Parallel Fortran Logging Framework for HPC Applications

In the context of high performance computing (HPC), software investments in support of text-based diagnostics, which monitor a running application, are typically limited compared to those for other types of IO. Examples of such diagnostics include reiteration of configuration parameters, progress indicators, simple metrics (e.g., mass conservation, convergence of solvers, etc.), and timers. To some degree, this difference in priority is justifiable as other forms of output are the primary products of a scientific model and, due to their large data volume, much more likely to be a significant performance concern. In contrast, text-based diagnostic content is generally not shared beyond the individual or group running an application and is most often used to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. We suggest that a more systematic approach enabled by a logging facility (or 'logger') similar to those routinely used by many communities would provide significant value to complex scientific applications. In the context of high-performance computing, an appropriate logger would provide specialized support for distributed and shared-memory parallelism and have low performance overhead. In this paper, we present our prototype implementation of pFlogger - a parallel Fortran-based logging framework, and assess its suitability for use in a complex scientific application.

Clune, Thomas L.↗

NASA NTRS2017

pFlogger: The Parallel Fortran Logging Utility

In the context of high performance computing (HPC), software investments in support of text-based diagnostics, which monitor a running application, are typically limited compared to those for other types of IO. Examples of such diagnostics include reiteration of configuration parameters, progress indicators, simple metrics (e.g., mass conservation, convergence of solvers, etc.), and timers. To some degree, this difference in priority is justifiable as other forms of output are the primary products of a scientific model and, due to their large data volume, much more likely to be a significant performance concern. In contrast, text-based diagnostic content is generally not shared beyond the individual or group running an application and is most often used to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. We suggest that a more systematic approach enabled by a logging facility (or 'logger)' similar to those routinely used by many communities would provide significant value to complex scientific applications. In the context of high-performance computing, an appropriate logger would provide specialized support for distributed and shared-memory parallelism and have low performance overhead. In this paper, we present our prototype implementation of pFlogger - a parallel Fortran-based logging framework, and assess its suitability for use in a complex scientific application.

Clune, Tom↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Use of Tempo Data in Early Adopter and Earth Science to Action Initiatives

With the recent public release of TEMPO data, there has been major progress in ongoing work supporting the TEMPO Early Adopters and NASA Earth Action Program. This talk will feature use cases of TEMPO data for monitoring the daytime evolution of air pollutants from different emission sources including transportation, industrial facilities, agriculture, and wildland fires. Development of value-added TEMPO products and tools to support the TEMPO Early Adopters community will be discussed and key outcomes from recent engagement events will be highlighted.

Remote Sensing↗