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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 667 records · Page 37
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

EARLY STAR-FORMING PROCESSES IN DENSE MOLECULAR CLOUD L328; IDENTIFICATION OF L328-IRS AS A PROTO-BROWN DWARF

This paper presents the results of millimeter to sub-millimeter observations of CO, HCN, N{sub 2}H{sup +}, and HCO{sup +} lines in the dense molecular cloud L328, which harbors L328-IRS, a Very Low Luminosity Object (VeLLO). Our analysis of the line width finds that {sup 13}CO and N{sub 2}H{sup +} lines are broadened right over the smallest sub-core S2 where L328-IRS is located, while they are significantly narrower in other regions of L328. Thus, L328-IRS has a direct association with the sub-core. CO observations show a bipolar outflow from this VeLLO with an extent of ∼0.08 pc. The outflow momentum flux and efficiency are much less than those of low-mass protostars. The most likely mass accretion rate (∼3.6 × 10{sup –7} M{sub ☉} yr{sup –1}) inferred from the analysis of the CO outflow is an order of magnitude smaller than the canonical value for a protostar. If the main accretion lasts during the typical Class 0 period of a protostar, L328-IRS will accrete the mass of a brown dwarf, but not that of a star. Given that its envelope mass is small (∼0.09 M{sub ☉}) and 100% star formation rate is unlikely, we suggest that L328-IRS is likely a proto-brown dwarf. Inward motions are found in global scale in the L328 cloud and its sub-cores with a typical infall speed found in starless cores. L328 is found to be fairly well isolated from other nearby clouds and seems to be forming three sub-cores simultaneously through a gravitational fragmentation process. Altogether, these all leave L328-IRS as the best example supporting the idea that a brown dwarf forms like a normal star.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Photosynthetic Electron Flows and Networks of Metabolite Trafficking to Sustain Metabolism in Photosynthetic Systems

Photosynthetic eukaryotes have metabolic pathways that occur in distinct subcellular compartments. However, because metabolites synthesized in one compartment, including fixed carbon compounds and reductant generated by photosynthetic electron flows, may be integral to processes in other compartments, the cells must efficiently move metabolites among the different compartments. This review examines the various photosynthetic electron flows used to generate ATP and fixed carbon and the trafficking of metabolites in the green alga Chlamydomomas reinhardtii; information on other algae and plants is provided to add depth and nuance to the discussion. We emphasized the trafficking of metabolites across the envelope membranes of the two energy powerhouse organelles of the cell, the chloroplast and mitochondrion, the nature and roles of the major mobile metabolites that move among these compartments, and the specific or presumed transporters involved in that trafficking. These transporters include sugar-phosphate (sugar-P)/inorganic phosphate (Pi) transporters and dicarboxylate transporters, although, in many cases, we know little about the substrate specificities of these transporters, how their activities are regulated/coordinated, compensatory responses among transporters when specific transporters are compromised, associations between transporters and other cellular proteins, and the possibilities for forming specific ‘megacomplexes’ involving interactions between enzymes of central metabolism with specific transport proteins. Finally, we discuss metabolite trafficking associated with specific biological processes that occur under various environmental conditions to help to maintain the cell’s fitness. These processes include C4 metabolism in plants and the carbon concentrating mechanism, photorespiration, and fermentation metabolism in algae.

Plant Sciences↗
NASA NTRS2017

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) for Non-Pneumatic Tires

Conventional mobility elements, such as pneumatic tires, suffer from a number of issues related to reliability. Two of the more prevalent problems are the high likelihood of single point failure owing to puncture (i.e. flat tire), and loss of efficiency due to reduction in tire pressure over time. In order to overcome these limitations, alternative compliant tire designs not requiring pneumatics have been developed. However, although current designs have significantly reduced the aforementioned issues, they tend to have their own set of limitations. First, non-pneumatic tires designed for high load applications often have restricted envelopment capability, making their performance less than optimal, especially on uneven terrain. Second, tires designed with larger envelopment capability tend to suffer from large amounts of plasticity (permanent deformation) or failure (rupture). Both of these limitations are the direct result of the choice of material being used for the design; conventional metals undergo plastic deformation at low strain while elastomer based designs are often too rigid for the localized deformations needed for high envelopment. Recent advancements at the NASA Glenn research center in a unique class of metals know as shape memory alloys (SMAs) has opened the design space for non-pneumatic compliant tire technologies allowing designs to incorporate orders of magnitude more deformation without damage. The work presented herein highlights the advantages of using SMAs as compared to conventional metals. Additionally, the development of a unique SMA compliant tire design capable of carrying up to 8.9 kN (2000 lbf) with reversible, local deformations on the order of the side wall height will be presented.

Padula, Santo↗
DOE OSTI2013

Cleanup under Airlock of an Old Uranium Foundry - 13273

Since 2004, AREVA's subsidiary SICN has been conducting the cleanup and dismantling of an old uranium foundry located in the town of Annecy (France). The first operations consisted in the removal of the foundry's production equipment, producing more than 300 metric tons (MT) of waste. The second step consisted in performing the radiological characterization of the 1,600 m{sup 2} (17,200 ft{sup 2}) building, including underground trenches and galleries. The building was precisely inventoried, based on operations records and direct measurements. All sub-surfaces, which needed to be cleaned up were characterized, and a determination of the contamination migration was established, in particular with trenches and galleries. The wall thicknesses to be treated were empirically justified, knowing that the maximal migration depth inside concrete is 5 mm for a liquid transfer vector. All singularities such as cracks, anchoring points, etc. were spotted for a complete and systematic treatment. Building structures not laying directly on the soil, such as floor slabs, were not cleaned up but directly deconstructed and disposed of as waste. The facility was located within the town of Annecy. Therefore, in order to avoid the risk of dusts dispersion and public exposure during the building deconstruction and the soil treatment, a third of the building's surface was confined in a sliding airlock built from a metal structure capable of resisting to wind and snow, which are frequent in this area. This particular structure provided a static confinement over the half of the building which was covered and a dynamic confinement using a ventilation and high efficiency air filtration system, sized to provide 2.5 air changes per hour. The enclosure and its metallic structure is 33 m long (108 feet), 25 m wide (82 feet), and 13 m high (42 feet), for a volume of 10,000 m{sup 3} (353,000 ft{sup 3}). It was made up of a double skin envelope, allowing the recycling of its structure and outside envelope. After cleaning up and dismantling the first portion of the building, the enclosure was repositioned on the second and the last third of the building, by sliding it on support pads. Almost 7,000 m{sup 2} of concrete surface has been treated with no dust dispersion outside the enclosure. After treatment, all the remaining surfaces were controlled by an independent entity to verify their acceptability with regards to residual contamination (less than 0.4 Bq/cm{sup 2} (24 DPM) for alpha contamination and less than 1 Bq/g of total uranium). Approximately 1,900 MT of equipment and waste were generated in batches of 1m{sup 3}, in order to be staged on site, and then characterized and packaged in 20 foot containers for shipment to the final ANDRA repository. The package certification included the verification of the physical and chemical characteristics and the radiological characteristics (mass activity, dose rate, and residual outside surface contamination). Finally, after cleanup and dismantling of the foundry, a concrete slab was poured on the free surface as a clean base for implementation of new activities. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Crystal field disorder effects in the optical spectra of Nd{sup 3+} and Yb{sup 3+}-doped calcium lithium niobium gallium garnets laser crystals and ceramics

The optical spectroscopic properties of RE{sup 3+} (Nd, 1 at. % or Yb, 1 to 10 at. %)-doped calcium-lithium-niobium-gallium garnet (CLNGG) single crystals and ceramics in the 10 K-300 K range are analyzed. In these compositionally disordered materials, RE{sup 3+} substitute Ca{sup 2+} in dodecahedral sites and the charge compensation is accomplished by adjusting the proportion of Li{sup +}, Nb{sup 5+}, and Ga{sup 3+} to the doping concentration. The crystals and ceramics show similar optical spectra, with broad and structured (especially at low temperatures) bands whose shape depends on temperature and doping concentration. At 10 K, the Nd{sup 3+4}I{sub 9/2}{yields}{sup 4}F{sub 3/2,5/2} and Yb{sup 3+2}F{sub 7/2}{yields}{sup 2}F{sub 5/2} absorption bands, which show prospect for diode laser pumping, can be decomposed in several lines that can be attributed to centers with large differences in the crystal field. The positions of these components are the same, but the relative intensity depends on the doping concentration and two main centers dominate the spectra. Non-selective excitation evidences broad emission bands, of prospect for short-pulse laser emission, whereas the selective excitation reveals the particular emission spectra of the various centers. The modeling reveals that the nonequivalent centers correspond to RE{sup 3+} ions with different cationic combinations in the nearest octahedral and tetrahedral coordination spheres, and the most abundant two centers have 4Nb and, respectively, 3Nb1Li in the nearest octahedral sphere. At 300 K, the spectral resolution is lost. It is then inferred that the observed optical bands are envelopes of the spectra of various structural centers, whose resolution is determined by the relative contribution of the temperature-dependent homogeneous broadening and the effects of crystal field disordering (multicenter structure, inhomogeneous broadening). The relevance of spectroscopic properties for selection of pumping conditions and of laser design that would enable utilization of the broad optical bands for efficient laser emission and reduced heat generation is discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Towards Energy-Positive Buildings through a Quality-Matched Energy Flow Strategy

Current strategies for net-zero buildings favor envelopes with minimized aperture ratios and limiting of solar gains through reduced glazing transmittance and emissivity. This load-reduction approach precludes strategies that maximize on-site collection of solar energy, which could increase opportunities for net-zero electricity projects. To better leverage solar resources, a whole-building strategy is proposed, referred to as “Quality-Matched Energy Flows” (or Q-MEF): capturing, transforming, buffering, and transferring irradiance on a building’s envelope—and energy derived from it—into distributed end-uses. A mid-scale commercial building was modeled in three climates with a novel Building-Integrated, Transparent, Concentrating Photovoltaic and Thermal fenestration technology (BITCoPT), thermal storage and circulation at three temperature ranges, adsorption chillers, and auxiliary heat pumps. BITCoPT generated electricity and collected thermal energy at high efficiencies while transmitting diffuse light and mitigating excess gains and illuminance. The balance of systems satisfied cooling and heating demands. Relative to baselines with similar glazing ratios, net electricity use decreased 71% in a continental climate and 100% or more in hot-arid and subtropical-moderate climates. Total EUI decreased 35%, 83%, and 52%, and peak purchased electrical demands decreased up to 6%, 32%, and 20%, respectively (with no provisions for on-site electrical storage). Decreases in utility services costs were also noted. These results suggest that with further development of electrification the Q-MEF strategy could contribute to energy-positive behavior for projects with similar typology and climate profiles.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2021

Newmark-Type Pseudo-Three-Dimensional Back-Analysis of Co-Seismic Landslides in Egkremnoi, Lefkada, Greece

A pseudo-three-dimensional (pseudo-3D) methodology to back-analyze coseismic landslides was developed and applied to 68mapped landslides, which occurred over approximately 1 km2area in Egkremnoi, Greece, during the 2015 Mw6.5 Lefkada earthquake. The methodology is based on a one-dimensional (1D) Newmark-type sliding block model to assess instability and a spatial projection in 3D topography to derive landslide geometry. The strength parameters for modeled landslides that best match the landslide location, area, and volume were derived through an iterative scheme that optimizes the match using predefined matching criteria. The range of different-sized landslides produced shear strength estimates from ~10 to 300 kPa and led to the derivation of a regionally averaged strength envelope characterized by a cohesion of 6 kPa and a friction angle of 53°for the highly fractured limestones that are encountered in this area. Compared to previous full 3Dslope stability analyses in this area, the friction angle using this methodology was found to be generally consistent, but the cohesion was lower. The presented methodology can provide a computationally efficient method to estimate the average shear strength of a geologic unit over large areas, especially where extensive field and laboratory tests on the materials are unavailable or difficult to conduct.

Weibing Gong↗
DOE OSTI2020

Indoor air quality in California homes with code-required mechanical ventilation

Data were collected in 70 detached houses built in 2011-2017 in compliance with the mechanical ventilation requirements of California's building energy efficiency standards. Each home was monitored for a 1-week period with windows closed and the central mechanical ventilation system operating. Pollutant measurements included time-resolved fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) indoors and outdoors and formaldehyde and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) indoors. Time-integrated measurements were made for formaldehyde, NO 2 , and nitrogen oxides (NO X ) indoors and outdoors. Operation of the cooktop, range hood, and other exhaust fans was continuously recorded during the monitoring period. Onetime diagnostic measurements included mechanical airflows and envelope and duct system air leakage. All homes met or were very close to meeting the ventilation requirements. On average, the dwelling unit ventilation fan moved 50% more airflow than the minimum requirement. Pollutant concentrations were similar to or lower than those reported in a 2006-2007 study of California new homes built in 2002-2005. Mean and median indoor concentrations were lower by 44% and 38% for formaldehyde and 44% and 54% for PM 2.5 . Ventilation fans were operating in only 26% of homes when first visited, and the control switches in many homes did not have informative labels as required by building standards.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2018

An approach based on dwindling filter method for positive definite generalized eigenvalue problem

In this paper, we present a new spectral residual method for solving large-scale positive definite generalized eigenvalue problems. The proposed algorithm is equipped with a dwindling multidimensional nonmonotone filter, in which the envelope dwindles as the step length decreases. We have also employed a relaxed nonmonotone line search technique in the structure of the algorithm which allows it to enjoy the nonmonotonicity from scratch. Under some mild and standard assumptions, the global convergence property of the proposed algorithm is established. An implementation of the new algorithm on some test problems shows the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in practice.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2017

IEA EBC annex 53: Total energy use in buildings—Analysis and evaluation methods

One of the most significant barriers to achieving deep building energy efficiency is a lack of knowledge about the factors determining energy use. In fact, there is often a significant discrepancy between designed and real energy use in buildings, which is poorly understood but are believed to have more to do with the role of human behavior than building design. Building energy use is mainly influenced by six factors: climate, building envelope, building services and energy systems, building operation and maintenance, occupants’ activities and behavior, and indoor environmental quality. In the past, much research focused on the first three factors. However, the next three human-related factors can have an influence as significant as the first three. Annex 53 employed an interdisciplinary approach, integrating building science, architectural engineering, computer modeling and simulation, and social and behavioral science to develop and apply methods to analyze and evaluate the real energy use in buildings considering the six influencing factors. Finally, outcomes from Annex 53 improved understanding and strengthen knowledge regarding the robust prediction of total energy use in buildings, enabling reliable quantitative assessment of energy-savings measures, policies, and techniques.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2014

Numeric spectral radiation hydrodynamic calculations of supernova shock breakouts

We present here an efficient numerical scheme for solving the non-relativistic one-dimensional radiation-hydrodynamics equations including inelastic Compton scattering, which is not included in most codes and is crucial for solving problems such as shock breakout. The devised code is applied to the problems of a steady-state planar radiation mediated shock (RMS) and RMS breakout from a stellar envelope. The results are in agreement with those of a previous work on shock breakout, in which Compton equilibrium between matter and radiation was assumed and the 'effective photon' approximation was used to describe the radiation spectrum. In particular, we show that the luminosity and its temporal dependence, the peak temperature at breakout, and the universal shape of the spectral fluence derived in this earlier work are all accurate. Although there is a discrepancy between the spectral calculations and the effective photon approximation due to the inaccuracy of the effective photon approximation estimate of the effective photon production rate, which grows with lower densities and higher velocities, the difference in peak temperature reaches only 30% for the most discrepant cases of fast shocks in blue supergiants. The presented model is exemplified by calculations for supernova 1987A, showing the detailed evolution of the burst spectrum. The incompatibility of the stellar envelope shock breakout model results with observed properties of X-ray flashes (XRFs) and the discrepancy between the predicted and observed rates of XRFs remain unexplained.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

A study of convective core overshooting as a function of stellar mass based on two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations

ABSTRACT We perform two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulations of core convection for zero-age main-sequence stars covering a mass range from 3 to 20 M⊙. The simulations are performed with the fully compressible time-implicit code music. We study the efficiency of overshooting, which describes the ballistic process of convective flows crossing a convective boundary, as a function of stellar mass and luminosity. We also study the impact of artificially increasing the stellar luminosity for 3 M⊙ models. The simulations cover hundreds to thousands of convective turnover time-scales. Applying the framework of extreme plume events previously developed for convective envelopes, we derive overshooting lengths as a function of stellar masses. We find that the overshooting distance (dov) scales with the stellar luminosity (L) and the convective core radius (rconv). We derive a scaling law $d_{\rm ov} \propto L^{1/3} r_{\rm conv}^{1/2}$, which is implemented in a one-dimensional stellar evolution code and the resulting stellar models are compared to observations. The scaling predicts values for the overshooting distance that significantly increase with stellar mass, in qualitative agreement with observations. Quantitatively, however, the predicted values are underestimated for masses ≳10 M⊙. Our 2D simulations show the formation of a nearly adiabatic layer just above the Schwarzschild boundary of the convective core, as exhibited in recent three-dimensional simulations of convection. The most luminous models show a growth in size with time of the nearly adiabatic layer. This growth seems to slow down as the upper edge of the nearly adiabatic layer gets closer to the maximum overshooting length and as the simulation time exceeds the typical thermal diffusive time-scale in the overshooting layer.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1982

Rate 3/4 16-PSK phase codes

An investigation is carried out of convolutional-coding coupled with 16-PSK modulation for bandwidth efficient transmission. Small memory codes (rate three-fourths) are found that are optimum in the free-distance sense on the Gaussian channel. These codes furnish up to 4.8 dB of coding gain with 32 states over uncoded 8-PSK, a scheme having the same spectral efficiency as the codes described. The performance is compared with the earlier findings of Ungerboeck (1976, 1982) and certain recent results on R = 2/3 coded 8-PSK. It is shown that with 4 decoder states the coding gain is 3.5 dB and with 32 states it is 4.8 dB. What is more, the codes compare favorably with coded 16-QASK when envelope variations and peak energy constraints are considered.

Wilson, S. G.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Rotordynamic Feasibility of a Conceptual Variable-Speed Power Turbine Propulsion System for Large Civil Tilt-Rotor Applications

A variable-speed power turbine concept is analyzed for rotordynamic feasibility in a Large Civil Tilt-Rotor (LCTR) class engine. Implementation of a variable-speed power turbine in a rotorcraft engine would enable high efficiency propulsion at the high forward velocities anticipated of large tilt-rotor vehicles. Therefore, rotordynamics is a critical issue for this engine concept. A preliminary feasibility study is presented herein to address this concern and identify if variable-speed is possible in a conceptual engine sized for the LCTR. The analysis considers critical speed placement in the operating speed envelope, stability analysis up to the maximum anticipated operating speed, and potential unbalance response amplitudes to determine that a variable-speed power turbine is likely to be challenging, but not impossible to achieve in a tilt-rotor propulsion engine.

Howard, Samuel↗
DOE OSTI2019

Synthesis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Phenyl Addition–Dehydrocyclization: The Third Way

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent the link between resonance-stabilized free radicals and carbonaceous nanoparticles generated in incomplete combustion processes and in circumstellar envelopes of carbon rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Although these PAHs resemble building blocks of complex carbonaceous nanostructures, their fundamental formation mechanisms have remained elusive. By exploring these reaction mechanisms of the phenyl radical with biphenyl/naphthalene theoretically and experimentally, we provide compelling evidence on a novel phenyl-addition/dehydrocyclization (PAC) pathway leading to prototype PAHs: triphenylene and fluoranthene. PAC operates efficiently at high temperatures leading through rapid molecular mass growth processes to complex aromatic structures, which are difficult to synthesize by traditional pathways such as hydrogen-abstraction/acetylene-addition. The elucidation of the fundamental reactions leading to PAHs is necessary to facilitate an understanding of the origin and evolution of the molecular universe and of carbon in our galaxy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

Synthesis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Phenyl Addition–Dehydrocyclization: The Third Way

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent the link between resonance-stabilized free radicals and carbonaceous nanoparticles generated in incomplete combustion processes and in circumstellar envelopes of carbon rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. While these PAHs resemble building blocks of complex carbonaceous nanostructures, their fundamental formation mechanisms have remained elusive. By investigating these reaction mechanisms of the phenyl radical with biphenyl/naphthalene theoretically and experimentally, we provide compelling evidence on a novel phenyl-addition/dehydrocyclization (PAC) pathway leading to prototype PAHs: triphenylene and fluoranthene. PAC operates efficiently at high temperatures leading through rapid molecular mass growth processes to complex aromatic structures, which are difficult to synthesize by traditional pathways such as hydrogen-abstraction/acetylene-addition. The elucidation of the fundamental reactions leading to PAHs is necessary to facilitate an understanding of the origin and evolution of the molecular universe and of carbon in our galaxy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Decarbonization pathways for the residential sector in the United States

We report residential GHG emissions in the United States are driven in part by a housing stock where onsite fossil combustion is common, home sizes are large by international standards, energy efficiency potential is large and electricity generation in many regions is GHG intensive. In this analysis, we assess decarbonization pathways for the US residential sector to 2060, through 108 scenarios describing housing stock evolution, new housing characteristics, renovation levels and clean electricity. The lowest emission pathways involve very rapid decarbonization of electricity supply alongside extensive renovations to existing homes, including improving thermal envelopes and heat pump electrification of heating. Reducing the size and increasing the electrification of new homes provide further emission cuts and combining all strategies enables reductions of 91% between 2020 and 2050. The potential of individual mitigation strategies shows great regional variation. Reaching zero emissions will require simultaneous deployment of multiple strategies and greater reduction of embodied emissions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2015

Analytical description of generation of the residual current density in the plasma produced by a few-cycle laser pulse

When a gas is ionized by a few-cycle laser pulse, some residual current density (RCD) of free electrons remains in the produced plasma after the passage of the laser pulse. This quasi-dc RCD is an initial impetus to plasma polarization and excitation of the plasma oscillations which can radiate terahertz (THz) waves. In this work, the analytical model for calculation of RCD excited by a few-cycle laser pulse is developed for the first time. The dependences of the RCD on the carrier-envelope phase (CEP), wavelength, duration, and intensity of the laser pulse are derived. It is shown that maximum RCD corresponding to optimal CEP increases with the laser pulse wavelength, which indicates the prospects of using mid-infrared few-cycle laser pulses in the schemes of generation of high-power THz pulses. Analytical formulas for optimal pulse intensity and maximum efficiency of excitation of the RCD are obtained. Basing on numerical solution of the 3D time-dependent Schrödinger equation for hydrogen atoms, RCD dependence on CEP is calculated in a wide range of wavelengths. High accuracy of analytical formulas is demonstrated at the laser pulse parameters which correspond to the tunneling regime of ionization.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗