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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 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Tropospheric Clouds and Aerosols Observed by MODIS Onboard the Terra and Aqua Satellites

Remote sensing of cloud and aerosol optical properties is routinely obtained using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. Techniques that are being used to enhance our ability to characterize the global distribution of cloud and aerosol properties include well-calibrated multispectral radiometers that rely on visible, near-infrared, and thermal infrared channels. The availability of thermal channels to aid in cloud screening for aerosol properties is an important additional piece of information that has not always been incorporated into sensor designs. In this paper, we describe the radiative properties of clouds as currently determined from satellites (cloud fraction, optical thickness, cloud top pressure, and cloud effective radius), and highlight the global and regional cloud microphysical properties currently available for assessing climate variability and forcing. These include the latitudinal distribution of cloud optical and radiative properties of both liquid water and ice clouds, as well as joint histograms of cloud optical thickness and effective radius for selected geographical locations around the world. In addition, we will illustrate the radiative and microphysical properties of aerosol particles that are currently available from space-based observations, and show selected cases in which aerosol particles are observed to modify the cloud optical properties.

King, Michael D.↗
DOE OSTI2011

Nonlinear heating of underdense collisional plasma by a laser pulse

The nonlinear interaction of a laser pulse with a homogenous unmagnetized underdense plasma, taking ohmic heating and the effects of ponderomotive force into account, is theoretically studied. Since the ponderomotive force modifies the electrons density and temperature distribution, the nonlinear dielectric permittivity of plasma is obtained in non-relativistic regime. Furthermore, electric and magnetic fields, electron density, temperature distribution, and the effective permittivity variations are obtained in terms of plasma length by making use the steady state solutions of the Maxwell and hydrodynamic equations. It is shown that the oscillations wave length of electric and magnetic fields decreases when the laser intensity increases. At the same time, in this case, electron density oscillations become highly peaked. Also, the amplitude of the electron temperature oscillations increase and their wavelength decreases.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1998

Velocity, force, power, and Ca2+ sensitivity of fast and slow monkey skeletal muscle fibers

In this study, we determined the contractile properties of single chemically skinned fibers prepared from the medial gastrocnemius (MG) and soleus (Sol) muscles of adult male rhesus monkeys and assessed the effects of the spaceflight living facility known as the experiment support primate facility (ESOP). Muscle biopsies were obtained 4 wk before and immediately after an 18-day ESOP sit, and fiber type was determined by immunohistochemical techniques. The MG slow type I fiber was significantly smaller than the MG type II, Sol type I, and Sol type II fibers. The ESOP sit caused a significant reduction in the diameter of type I and type I/II (hybrid) fibers of Sol and MG type II and hybrid fibers but no shift in fiber type distribution. Single-fiber peak force (mN and kN/m2) was similar between fiber types and was not significantly different from values previously reported for other species. The ESOP sit significantly reduced the force (mN) of Sol type I and MG type II fibers. This decline was entirely explained by the atrophy of these fiber types because the force per cross-sectional area (kN/m2) was not altered. Peak power of Sol and MG fast type II fiber was 5 and 8.5 times that of slow type I fiber, respectively. The ESOP sit reduced peak power by 25 and 18% in Sol type I and MG type II fibers, respectively, and, for the former fiber type, shifted the force-pCa relationship to the right, increasing the Ca2+ activation threshold and the free Ca2+ concentration, eliciting half-maximal activation. The ESOP sit had no effect on the maximal shortening velocity (Vo) of any fiber type. Vo of the hybrid fibers was only slightly higher than that of slow type I fibers. This result supports the hypothesis that in hybrid fibers the slow myosin heavy chain would be expected to have a disproportionately greater influence on Vo.

Non-NASA Center↗
DOE OSTI2018

Numerical Simulation of Recirculating Flow and Physical Model of Slag–Metal Behavior in an RH Reactor: Application to Desulfurization

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques and a 1:7.5 physical model of an RH degasser have been used to evaluate the flow of gas and metal inside an RH reactor for vacuum degassing of liquid steel. The effect of gas injection on the gas spatial distribution, steel circulation rate and flow field inside the ladle, snorkels and vacuum chamber have been assessed. N-pentane oil was employed to evaluate the average residence time as well as the slag droplet size distribution. The predicted radial gas distribution and liquid circulation rate have been validated against experimental data from a physical model. The results with incorporation of the virtual mass force coefficient of 0.25 and the turbulence dispersion force showed better predictions of gas distribution in the up-snorkel as well as circulation rate. Full-scale simulations were performed, and the predicted circulation rate was significantly affected by the argon bubble expansion. Data from these simulations were used to analyze the degree of desulfurization performed by the addition of desulfurizing agents inside the vacuum chamber. A model of the kinetics of desulfurization based on the results from the physical model and CFD simulation and on slag dispersion inside liquid steel yields degrees of desulfurization similar to the industrial trials reported in the literature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Exploring the gravitational structure of the proton with the dilepton final state using the CLAS12 detector at Jefferson Lab

The Gravitational Form Factors (GFFs) give access to the internal distributions of mass, pressure and shear force inside the proton. They were considered experimentally unmeasurable for decades due to the very weak gravitational interaction [1]. However, the Generalized Parton Distributions (GPDs), which describe the correlations between the longitudinal momentum and the transverse position of the partons inside the nucleon, have lately been related to the GFFs. For the first time, this relation gives the opportunity to extract GFFs experimentally. In this talk, I will present two ways to access GFFs using data taken in 2018 by the CLAS12 detector with a 10.6 GeV electron beam impinging on a liquid-hydrogen target. First, I will present the first measurement of the Timelike Compton Scattering reaction (the hard photoproduction of a lepton pair), that gives access to the quark GFFs via the angular asymmetry of the electron/positron pair [2]. I will then present the current effort to extract the near-threshold J/? photoproduction cross section using the same dataset. This later measurement is expected to provide direct insight on the gluons GFFs of the proton. [1] H. PAGELS. Energy-Momentum Structure Form Factors of Particles. Phys.Rev. 144 (1966) 1250-1260 [2] P. Chatagnon. First Measurement of Timelike Compton Scattering. Phys.Rev.Lett. 127 (2021) 26, 262501

Chatagnon, Pierre↗
NASA NTRS1989

Experimental investigation of the hydrodynamic forces on the shroud of a centrifugal pump impeller

Fluid-induced forces acting on a rotating impeller are known to cause rotor-dynamic problems in turbomachines. The forces generated by leakage flow along the front shroud surface of a centrifugal turbomachine impeller play an important role among these fluid-induced forces. The present research was aimed to gain a better understanding of these shroud forces. An experimental apparatus was designed and constructed to simulate the impeller shroud leakage flow. Hydrodynamic forces and steady and unsteady pressure distributions on the rotating shroud were measured as functions of eccentricity, width of shroud clearance, face seal clearance and shaft rotating speed. The forces measured from the dynamometer and manometers agreed well. The hydrodynamic force matrices were found skew-symmetric and statically unstable. This is qualitatively similar to the result of previous hydrodynamic volute force measurements. Nondimensionalized normal and tangential forces decrease slightly as Reynolds number increases. As the width of the shroud clearance decreases and/or the eccentricity increases, the hydrodynamic forces increase nonlinearly. There was some evidence found that increased front seal clearance could reduce the radial shroud forces and the relative magnitude of the destabilizing tangential force. Subharmonic pressure fluctuations were also observed which may adversely affect the behavior of the rotor system.

Zhuang, Fei↗
NASA NTRS2004

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Liquid Water and Ice Clouds Observed by MODIS Onboard the Terra and Aqua Satellites

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODE) was developed by NASA and launched onboard the Terra spacecraft on December 18,1999 and the Aqua spacecraft on April 26,2002. MODIS scans a swath width sufficient to provide nearly complete global coverage every two days from each polar-orbiting, sun-synchronous, platform at an altitude of 705 km, and provides images in 36 spectral bands between 0.415 and 14.235 pm with spatial resolutions of 250 m (2 bands), 500 m (5 bands) and 1000 m (29 bands). In this paper, we describe the radiative properties of clouds as currently determined from satellites (cloud fraction, optical thickness, cloud top pressure, and cloud effective radius), and highlight the global and regional cloud microphysical properties currently available for assessing climate variability and forcing. These include the latitudinal distribution of cloud optical and radiative properties of both liquid water and ice clouds, as well as joint histograms of cloud optical thickness and effective radius for selected geographical locations around the globe.

King, Michael D.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Aluminum-clad Spent Nuclear Fuel Engineering Scale Drying Experiment Design

The purpose of this document is to provide the technical specifications for the Engineering Scale Design for the drying tests of aluminum-clad spent nuclear fuel (ASNF). The engineering scale design is to accommodate both forced helium drying (FHD) as well as vacuum drying. The experiments will employ mock ASNF assemblies with a limited number of chemically treated aluminum plates to simulate the aluminum hydroxides found on ASNF. The goal here is to understand the transformation that may occur in plates including the loss of chemisorbed water and changes in morphology. Physiosorbed and bulk water found in experiments will be dried in the process and the effect on drying operations noted. Decay heat will be simulated in one assembly using a custom designed resistance heating element. A typical radial arrangement of assemblies will be employed using a modified Type 1A Basket design. For the chamber/canister, a single assembly layer with full radial dimension will be employed. Modifications to the standard canister design and configuration include the addition of a siphon tube to enable recirculation of hot gas for forced helium drying. A ring of ports/flanges are added near the top of the chamber to accommodate the feedthroughs for instrumentation and power needed for the experiment and data collection. Four viewports are added to the main section of the chamber with two in line with one of the fuel assembly and siphon tube. The other two viewports are on the opposite side of the chamber. The purpose here is to provide the option of thermal imaging in addition to the nearly four dozen thermocouples available inside the chamber. Modeling of the chamber, basket, and mock ASNF assemblies was conducted to estimate temperature distributions throughout the chamber during forced helium drying and over the anticipated drying period. This modeling was used as input to decisions on the Engineering Scale Design. Work on modeling continues in the period during setup and testing to develop preliminary drying models. Analysis of experimental results will later be used to validate these and subsequent models.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Generation, Detection and characterization of Gas-Phase Transition Metal containing Molecules

The objective of this project was to generate, detect, and characterize small, gas-phase, metal containing molecules. In addition to being relevant to high temperature chemical environments (e.g. plasmas and combustion), gas-phase experiments on metal containing molecules serve as the most direct link to a molecular-level theoretical model for catalysis. Catalysis (i.e. the addition of a small about of recoverable material to control the rate and direction of a chemical reaction) is critical to the petroleum and pharmaceutical industries as well as environmental remediation. Currently, the majority of catalytic materials are based on very expensive metals such as platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir,) rhenium (Re), and rhodium (Rh). For example, the catalyst used for converting linear hydrocarbon molecules (e.g. hexane) to cyclic molecules (e.g. cyclohexane) is a mixture of Pt and Re suspended on alumina. It enables straight chain alkanes to be converted into branched-chain alkanes, cyclohexanes and aromatic hydrocarbons which are used, amongst other things, to enhance the octane number of petrol. A second example is the heterogeneous catalysis used in automobile exhaust systems to: a) decrease nitrogen oxide; b) reduce carbon monoxide; and c) oxidize unburned hydrocarbons. The exhaust is vented through a high-surface area chamber lined with Pt, Pd, and Rh. For example, the carbon monoxide is catalytically converted to carbon dioxide by reaction with oxygen. The research results from this work have been published in readily accessible journals1-28. The ground and excited electronic state properties of small metal containing molecules that we determine were: a) electronic state distributions and lifetimes, b) vibrational frequencies, c) bond lengths and angles, d) hyperfine interactions, e) permanent electric dipole moments, mel, and f) magnetic dipoles, μ m . In general terms, μ el , gives insight into the charge distribution and mm into the number and nature of the unpaired electrons. Analysis of the hyperfine interactions (i.e. Fermi-contact, nuclear electric quadrupole, etc.) is particularly insightful because it results from the interaction of nuclei with non-zero spin and the chemically important valence electrons. The bulk of the spectroscopic techniques used in these studies exploit the sensitivity of laser induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. The spectroscopic schemes employed include: a) cw and pulsed laser field-free(FF) excitation and dispersed LIF (DLIF); b) optical Stark; c) optical Zeeman; d) pump/probe microwave double resonance (PPMODR); e) fluorescence lifetimes, and f) resonant and non-resonant two-photon ionization TOF mass spectrometry. Vibrational spacing, force constants and electronic states distributions are derived from the analysis of pulsed dye laser excitation and DLIF spectra. Geometric structure (bond lengths and angles) and hyperfine parameters are derived from the analysis of cw-laser LIF and PPMODR spectra. Permanent electric dipole moments, mel,, and magnetic dipole moments, mm, are derived from the analysis of optical Stark and Zeeman spectra, respectively. Transition moments are derived from the analysis of radiative lifetimes. A supersonic molecular beam sample of these ephemeral molecules is generated by skimming the products of either a laser ablation/reaction source or a d.c. discharge source.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Role of the isovector spin-orbit potential in mitigating the CREX-PREX dilemma

Pioneering electroweak measurements of the neutron skin thickness in lead-208 and calcium-48 are challenging our understanding of nuclear dynamics. Many theoretical models suggest that the slope of the symmetry energy controls the development of a neutron skin in neutron-rich nuclei. This led to the expectation that if lead-208 exhibits a large neutron skin, calcium-48 should as well. Given that the PREX Collaboration reported a relatively thick neutron skin in lead, we anticipated that calcium would also have a significant neutron skin. Instead, the CREX Collaboration reported a thin neutron skin in calcium. Although many suggestions have been proposed, the “CREX-PREX dilemma” remains unsolved. Recently, an intriguing scenario has emerged, suggesting that an enhanced isovector spin-orbit interaction could simultaneously account for both results. Following this approach, we performed relativistic mean-field calculations with an increased isovector spin-orbit potential. Our findings indicate that, while this modification significantly affects the structure of calcium-48, it has only a marginal impact on lead-208, thereby bringing the results into better agreement with experiment. Furthermore, the strong enhancement required to mitigate the CREX-PREX dilemma destroys the agreement with a successful spin-orbit phenomenology, primarily by modifying the well-known ordering of spin-orbit partners.

Neutron skin thickness↗
DOE OSTI2026

On the Prospect of Chemically Transferable Coarse-Grained Electronic Models for Soft Materials

Electronic coarse-graining (ECG) methods predict quantum-mechanical electronic properties directly from coarse-grained (CG) molecular configurations, enabling electronic predictions at mesoscale length scales. Here, we present a diagnostic assessment of the feasibility of chemically transferable ECG models across a broad polymer-relevant chemical space using all-atom, united-atom, and Martini-scale representations. While high-resolution ECG models achieve near-quantitative accuracy, we show that chemically transferable ECG at the Martini resolution fails because the CG force field does not sample the same configurational distribution of local molecular structure as that underlying the DFT-parameterized ECG model. We demonstrate that our proposed Element-Count-Label (ECL) representation, which augments Martini beads with explicit stoichiometric data, significantly improves chemical generalization across diverse polymer chemistries. However, we find that even with improved chemical resolution, the model cannot recover electronic property distributions that are absent from the configurational space sampled by the CG force field. These results demonstrate that chemically transferable ECG requires future Martini-like force fields to explicitly preserve quantum chemistry–compatible local molecular structure in addition to thermodynamic and structural fidelity.

Kidder, Katherine M [Department of Chemistry; Univ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Quantifying CanESM5 and EAMv1 sensitivities to Mt. Pinatubo volcanic forcing for the CMIP6 historical experiment

Large volcanic eruptions reaching the stratosphere have caused marked perturbations to the global climate including cooling at the Earth's surface, changes in large-scale circulation and precipitation patterns and marked temporary reductions in global ocean heat content. Many studies have investigated these effects using climate models; however, uncertainties remain in the modelled response to these eruptions. This is due in part to the diversity of forcing datasets that are used to prescribe the distribution of stratospheric aerosols resulting from these volcanic eruptions, as well as uncertainties in optical property derivations from these datasets. To improve this situation for the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), a two-step process was undertaken. First, a combined stratospheric aerosol dataset, the Global Space-based Stratospheric Aerosol Climatology (GloSSAC; 1979–2016), was constructed. Next, GloSSAC, along with information from ice cores and Sun photometers, was used to generate aerosol distributions, characteristics and optical properties to construct a more consistent stratospheric aerosol forcing dataset for models participating in CMIP6. This “version 3” of the stratospheric aerosol forcing has been endorsed for use in all contributing CMIP6 simulations. Recent updates to the underlying GloSSAC from version 1 to version 1.1 affected the 1991–1994 period and necessitated an update to the stratospheric aerosol forcing from version 3 to version 4. As version 3 remains the official CMIP6 input, quantification of the impact on radiative forcing and climate is both relevant and timely for interpreting results from experiments such as the CMIP6 historical simulations. This study uses two models, the Canadian Earth System Model version 5 (CanESM5) and the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) Atmosphere Model version 1 (EAMv1), to estimate the difference in instantaneous radiative forcing in simulated post-Pinatubo climate response when using version 4 instead of version 3. Differences in temperature, precipitation and radiative forcings are generally found to be small compared to internal variability. An exception to this is differences in monthly temperature anomalies near 24 km altitude in the tropics, which can be as large as 3 °C following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1973

Distributions of eight meteorological variables at Cape Kennedy, Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California

Extreme values, median values, and nine percentile values are tabulated for eight meteorological variables at Cape Kennedy, Florida and at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The variables are temperature, relative humidity, station pressure, water vapor pressure, water vapor mixing ratio, density, and enthalpy. For each month eight hours are tabulated, namely, 0100, 0400, 0700, 1000, 1300, 1600, 1900, and 2200 local time. These statistics are intended for general use for the space shuttle design trade-off analysis and are not to be used for specific design values.

Graves, M. E.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Optical response of alkali metal atoms confined in nanoporous glass

We study the influence of optical radiation on adsorption and desorption processes of alkali metal atoms confined in nanoporous glass matrices. Exposure of the sample to near-IR or visible light changes the atomic distribution inside the glass nanopores, forcing the entire system to evolve towards a different state. This effect, due to both atomic photodesorption and confinement, causes the growth and evaporation of metastable nanoparticles. It is shown that, by a proper choice of light characteristics and pore size, these processes can be controlled and tailored, thus opening new perspectives for fabrication of nanostructured surfaces. (nanoobjects)

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗