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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 685 records · Page 38
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Modeling of the amplified optical stochastic cooling experiment at IOTA

Optical Stochastic Cooling (OSC), a beam cooling technique based on Stochastic Cooling, is in the early stages of experimental development. It uses radiation produced by the beam in an undulator magnet (the pickup) to correct the momentum deviation of particles downstream in another undulator (the kicker). The OSC mechanism was recently demonstrated at Fermilab’s IOTA ring using a passive configuration. However, the cooling rate of OSC can be dramatically increased by first amplifying the undulator radiation before applying the corrective kick. In collaboration with the IOTA experiment, we developed a computational model of the OSC mechanism. This paper presents beam-dynamics simulations of the amplified-OSC configuration. We implement a model of intrabeam scattering and study the effects on beam equilibrium and diffusion rate as a function of bunch charge. Finally, we investigate the phase-space dynamics with various coupling configurations between the transverse and longitudinal planes.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Temperature, Oxygen, and Soot-Volume-Fraction Measurements in a Turbulent C 2 H 4 -Fueled Jet Flame

We present a detailed set of measurements from a piloted, sooting, turbulent C 2 H 4 - fueled diffusion flame. Hybrid femtosecond/picosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) is used to monitor temperature and oxygen, while laser-induced incandescence (LII) is applied for imaging of the soot volume fraction in the challenging jet-flame environment at Reynolds number, Re = 20,000. Single-laser shot results are used to map the mean and rms statistics, as well as probability densities. LII data from the soot-growth region of the flame are used to benchmark the soot source term for one-dimensional turbulence (ODT) modeling of this turbulent flame. The ODT code is then used to predict temperature and oxygen fluctuations higher in the soot oxidation region higher in the flame.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor Reference Plant Model

This report details the progress of Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in creating a reference plant multiphysics model for the Advanced Burner Test Reactor (ABTR). This model was developed under Task 13 of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission project “Development and Modeling Support for Advanced Non-Light Water Reactors,” and is an extension of the reference plant model developed in Task 4b, which was improved upon in the following ways. (1) The discrete ordinates method was used in lieu of the super-homogenization (SPH)-corrected diffusion approximation in order to better capture the anisotropic scattering contribution and the neutron leakage change due to thermal expansion. (2) The novel neutronic spatial discretization approach, termed the ring-heterogeneous (RH) approximation, was conceptualized and introduced to capture the differential expansion of the materials in the core. This new technique proved capable of preserving fission rates and maintaining the eigenvalue within 2.5% and 266 pcm with 9 neutron energy groups, respectively. Separating the different materials in the core enables the differential expansion of materials to be explicitly accounted for, eliminating the need for problem-specific cross-section functionalization techniques. (3) The SAM model for the core and system thermal-hydraulics analysis was updated to include 61 channels instead of just four representative ones. This enables users to obtain improved spatial resolution for sodium temperature and density scalar fields. (4) All the mesh files were created via the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) Reactor module, eliminating all reliance on external tools for mesh creation. (5) Finally, the fuel axial expansion now leverages the HT9 and UPuZr material properties that have been validated against experimental data. The reference plant model was used to perform a full-core unprotected loss of flow (ULOF) transient calculation, including neutronics, thermal and mechanical feedback mechanisms. Future work will be devoted to further enhancements of the model. Potential improvements to the model include the addition of the control rod driveline expansion feedback and the upgrading of the support plate model so as to explicitly include 3D effects. Additionally, a Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation funded parallel effort has completely automated the creation of the ring-heterogeneous (RH) mesh from the fully heterogeneous (FH) geometry, thus maximizing user friendliness for the sodium fast reactor sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) workflow and will be incorporated in future work.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Effect of metal encapsulation on bulk superconducting properties of niobium thin films used in qubits

Niobium metal occupies nearly 100% of the volume of a typical 2D transmon device. While the aluminum Josephson junction is of utmost importance, maintaining quantum coherence across the entire device means that pair-breaking in Nb leads, capacitive pads, and readout resonators can be a major source of decoherence. The established contributors are surface oxides and hydroxides, as well as absorbed hydrogen and oxygen. Metal encapsulation of freshly grown surfaces with non-oxidizing metals, preferably without breaking the vacuum, is a successful strategy to mitigate these issues. While the positive effects of encapsulation are undeniable, it is important to understand its impact on the macroscopic behavior of niobium films. We present a comprehensive study of the bulk superconducting properties of Nb thin films encapsulated with gold and palladium/gold, and compare them to those of bare Nb films. Magneto-optical imaging, magnetization, resistivity, and London and Campbell penetration depth measurements reveal significant differences in encapsulated samples. Both sputtered, and epitaxial Au-capped films exhibit the highest residual resistivity ratio and superconducting transition temperature, as well as the lowest upper critical field, London penetration depth, and critical current. These results are in good agreement with the microscopic theory of anisotropic normal and superconducting states of Nb. We conclude that pair-breaking in the bulk of niobium films, driven by disorder throughout the film rather than just at the surface, is a significant source of quantum decoherence in transmons. We also conclude that gold capping not only passivates the surface but also affects the properties of the entire film, significantly reducing the scattering rate due to defects likely induced by surface diffusion if the film is not protected immediately after fabrication.

Datta, Amlan [Ames Lab; Iowa State U.]↗
DOE OSTI2023

Observation of subcritical shocks in a collisional laboratory plasma: scale dependence near the resistive length

We present a study of subcritical shocks in a highly collisional laboratory plasma with a dynamically significant magnetic field. Shocks were produced by placing cylindrical obstacles into the supermagnetosonic ( $M_{{\rm MS}} \sim 1.9$ ) outflow from an inverse wire array z-pinch at the MAGPIE pulsed power facility ( $n_{e} \sim 8.5 \times 10^{17}\,{\rm cm}^{-3}$ , $v \sim 45\,{\rm km}\,{\rm s}^{-1}$ ). We demonstrate the existence of subcritical shocks in this regime and find that secondary stagnation shocks form in the downstream which we infer from interferometry and optical Thomson scattering measurements are hydrodynamic in nature. The subcritical shock width is found to be approximately equal to the resistive diffusion length and we demonstrate the absence of a jump in hydrodynamic parameters. Temperature measurements by collective optical Thomson scattering showed little temperature change across the subcritical shock ( ${<}10\,\%$ of the ion kinetic energy) which is consistent with a balance between adiabatic and Ohmic heating and radiative cooling. We demonstrate the absence of subcritical shocks when the obstacle diameter is less than the resistive diffusion length due to decoupling of the magnetic field from the plasma. These findings are supported by magnetohydrodynamic simulations using the Gorgon and AstroBEAR codes and discrepancies between the simulations and experiment are discussed.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2016

Reduction of thermal conductivity in MnSi{sub 1.7} multi-layered thin films with artificially inserted Si interfaces

We report a lowered lattice thermal conductivity in nm-scale MnSi{sub 1.7}/Si multilayers which were fabricated by controlling thermal diffusions of Mn and Si atoms. The thickness of the constituent layers is 1.5–5.0 nm, which is comparable to the phonon mean free path of both MnSi{sub 1.7} and Si. By applying the above nanostructures, we reduced the lattice thermal conductivity down to half that of bulk MnSi{sub 1.7}/Si composite materials. The obtained value of 1.0 W/K m is the experimentally observed minimum in MnSi{sub 1.7}-based materials without any heavy element doping and close to the minimum thermal conductivity. We attribute the reduced lattice thermal conductivity to phonon scattering at the MnSi{sub 1.7}/Si interfaces in the multilayers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Interfacial characterization of SLM parts in multi-material processing: Metallurgical diffusion between 316L stainless steel and C18400 copper alloy

Multi-material processing in selective laser melting using a novel approach, by the separation of two different materials within a single dispensing coating system was investigated. 316L stainless steel and UNS C18400 Cu alloy multi-material samples were produced using selective laser melting and their interfacial characteristics were analyzed using focused ion beam, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and electron back scattered diffraction techniques. A substantial amount of Fe and Cu element diffusion was observed at the bond interface suggesting good metallurgical bonding. Quantitative evidence of good bonding at the interface was also obtained from the tensile tests where the fracture was initiated at the copper region. Nevertheless, the tensile strength of steel/Cu SLM parts was evaluated to be 310 ± 18 MPa and the variation in microhardness values was found to be gradual along the bonding interface from the steel region (256 ± 7 HV{sub 0.1}) to the copper region (72 ± 3 HV{sub 0.1}). - Highlights: • Multi-material processing was successfully implemented and demonstrated in SLM. • Bi-metallic laminates of steel/Cu were successfully produced with the SLM process. • A substantial amount of Fe and Cu diffusion was observed at the bond interface. • Good metallurgical bonding was obtained at the interface of the steel/Cu laminates. • Highly refined microstructure was obtained due to rapid solidification in SLM.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Adsorption and Photodesorption of CO from Charged Point Defects on TiO 2 (110)

Adsorption and photodesorption of weakly-bound carbon monoxide, CO, from reduced and hydroxylated rutile TiO2(110) (r- and h- TiO2(110)) at sub-monolayer coverages is studied with atomically-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) along with ensemble-averaged temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and angle-resolved photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) at low temperatures ( 50 K). STM data weighted by the concentration of each kind of adsorption sites on r-TiO2(110) give an adsorption probability which is the highest for the bridging oxygen vacancies (VO) and very low for the Ti5c sites closest to VO. Occupancy of the remaining Ti5c sites with CO is significant, but smaller than for VO. The probability distribution for the different adsorption sites corresponds to a very small difference in CO adsorption energies: < 0.02 eV. We also find that UV irradiation stimulates both diffusion and desorption of CO at low temperature. CO photodesorbs primarily from the vacancies with a bi-modal angular distribution. In addition to a major, normal to the surface component, there is a broader cosine component indicating scattering from the surface which likely also leads to photo-stimulated diffusion. Hydroxylation of VO’s does not significantly change the CO PSD yield and angular distribution, indicating that not atomic but rather electronic surface defects are involved in the site-specific PSD process. We suggest that photodesorption can be initiated by recombination of photo-generated holes with excess unpaired electrons localized near the surface point-defect (either VO or bridging hydroxyl), leading to the surface atoms rearrangement and ejection of the weakly-bound CO molecules.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2015

The impact of defect scattering on the quasi-ballistic transport of nanoscale conductors

Using the Landauer approach for carrier transport, we analyze the impact of defects induced by ion irradiation on the transport properties of nanoscale conductors that operate in the quasi-ballistic regime. Degradation of conductance results from a reduction of carrier mean free path due to the introduction of defects in the conducting channel. We incorporate scattering mechanisms from radiation-induced defects into calculations of the transmission coefficient and present a technique for extracting modeling parameters from near-equilibrium transport measurements. These parameters are used to describe degradation in the transport properties of nanoscale devices using a formalism that is valid under quasi-ballistic operation. The analysis includes the effects of bandstructure and dimensionality on the impact of defect scattering and discusses transport properties of nanoscale devices from the diffusive to the ballistic limit. We compare calculations with recently published measurements of irradiated nanoscale devices such as single-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene, and deep-submicron Si metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

COSMIC-RAY PITCH-ANGLE SCATTERING IN IMBALANCED MHD TURBULENCE SIMULATIONS

Pitch-angle scattering rates for cosmic-ray particles in MHD simulations with imbalanced turbulence are calculated for fully evolving electromagnetic turbulence. We compare with theoretical predictions derived from the quasilinear theory of cosmic-ray diffusion for an idealized slab spectrum and demonstrate how cross helicity affects the shape of the pitch-angle diffusion coefficient. Additional simulations in evolving magnetic fields or static field configurations provide evidence that the scattering anisotropy in imbalanced turbulence is not primarily due to coherence with propagating Alfvén waves, but an effect of the spatial structure of electric fields in cross-helical MHD turbulence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS ON FAST RADIO BURSTS

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are isolated, ms radio pulses with dispersion measure (DM) of order 10{sup 3} pc cm{sup –3}. Galactic candidates for the DM of high latitude bursts detected at GHz frequencies are easily dismissed. DM from bursts emitted in stellar coronas are limited by free-free absorption and those from H II regions are bounded by the nondetection of associated free-free emission at radio wavelengths. Thus, if astronomical, FRBs are probably extragalactic. FRB 110220 has a scattering tail of ∼5.6 ± 0.1 ms. If the electron density fluctuations arise from a turbulent cascade, the scattering is unlikely to be due to propagation through the diffuse intergalactic plasma. A more plausible explanation is that this burst sits in the central region of its host galaxy. Pulse durations of order ms constrain the sizes of FRB sources implying high brightness temperatures that indicates coherent emission. Electric fields near FRBs at cosmological distances would be so strong that they could accelerate free electrons from rest to relativistic energies in a single wave period.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Inelastic neutron scattering evidence for anomalous H–H distances in metal hydrides

Hydrogen-containing materials are of basic as well as technological interest. An outstanding question for both is the amount of hydrogen that can be incorporated in such materials, because that determines dramatically their physical properties such as electronic and crystalline structure. The number of hydrogen atoms in a metal is controlled by the interaction of hydrogens with the metal and by the hydrogen–hydrogen interactions. It is well established that the minimal possible hydrogen–hydrogen distances in conventional metal hydrides are around 2.1 Å under ambient conditions, although closer H–H distances are possible for materials under high pressure. We introduce inelastic neutron scattering measurements on hydrogen in Z r V 2 H x showing nonexpected scattering at low-energy transfer. The analysis of the spectra reveals that these spectral features in part originate from hydrogen vibrations confined by neighboring hydrogen at distances as short as 1.6 Å. These distances are much smaller than those found in related hydrides, thereby violating the so-called Switendick criterion. The results have implications for the design and creation of hydrides with additional properties and applications.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Kinetic modeling of evolution of 3 + 1:Resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization plasma in argon at low pressures

We present numerical kinetic modeling of generation and evolution of the plasma produced as a result of resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) in Argon gas. The particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) simulations capture non-equilibrium effects in REMPI plasma expansion by considering the major collisional processes at the microscopic level: elastic scattering, electron impact ionization, ion charge exchange, and recombination and quenching for metastable excited atoms. The conditions in one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) formulations correspond to known experiments in Argon at a pressure of 5 Torr. The 1D PIC/MCC calculations are compared with the published results of local drift-diffusion model, obtained for the same conditions. It is shown that the PIC/MCC and diffusion-drift models are in qualitative and in reasonable quantitative agreement during the ambipolar expansion stage, whereas significant non-equilibrium exists during the first few 10 s of nanoseconds. 2D effects are important in the REMPI plasma expansion. The 2D PIC/MCC calculations produce significantly lower peak electron densities as compared to 1D and show a better agreement with experimentally measured microwave radiation scattering.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Chemical structure and curing dynamics of bisphenol S, PEEK™-like, and resveratrol phthalonitrile thermoset resins

This effort provides a multifaceted analysis of the structural changes and material dynamics of thermally driven softening and curing of three distinct phthalonitrile (PN) resins that cross-link into thermally stable and oxidation-resistant thermosets. Although this material system has yielded a large subset of fire-retardant composites that require facile processing and low-temperature curing, to date, insufficient information had been available on the fundamental processes that drive their softening and curing stages. Our approach conducted a complementary analysis the chemistry, monomer mobility, and rheology of three PN polymers in order to correlate the curing processes with corresponding structural and behavioral transformations of thermosets. Here, we focused on PNs with a bisphenol S backbone, a bisphenol A (PEEK™-like) backbone, and a resveratrol backbone. We relied on quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) in order to analyze the in situ dynamics and self-diffusion properties of PN monomers, and to track changes in their mobilities during cross-linking and staging. Our analysis facilitates proper control over the staging and final curing of these resins and enables more efficient processing of these thermosets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Effect of metal ion intercalation on the structure of MXene and water dynamics on its internal surfaces

MXenes are a recently discovered class of 2D materials with an excellent potential for energy storage applications. Because MXene surfaces are hydrophilic and attractive interaction forces between the layers are relatively weak, water molecules can spontaneously intercalate at ambient humidity and significantly influence the key properties of this 2D material. Using complementary X-ray and neutron scattering techniques, we demonstrate that intercalation with potassium cations significantly improves structural homogeneity and water stability in MXenes. Furthermore, in agreement with molecular dynamics simulations, intercalated potassium ions reduce the water self-diffusion coefficient by 2 orders of magnitude, suggesting greater stability of hydrated MXene against changing environmental conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electron scattering in graphene with adsorbed NaCl nanoparticles

In this work, the results of contactless magnetoconductance and Raman spectroscopy measurements performed for a graphene sample after its immersion in NaCl solution were presented. The properties of the immersed sample were compared with those of a non-immersed reference sample. Atomic force microscopy and electron spin resonance experiments confirmed the deposition of NaCl nanoparticles on the graphene surface. A weak localization signal observed using contactless magnetoconductance showed the reduction of the coherence length after NaCl treatment of graphene. Temperature dependence of the coherence length indicated a change from ballistic to diffusive regime in electron transport after NaCl treatment. The main inelastic scattering process was of the electron-electron type but the major reason for the reduction of the coherence length at low temperatures was additional, temperature independent, inelastic scattering. We associate it with spin flip scattering, caused by NaCl nanoparticles present on the graphene surface. Raman spectroscopy showed an increase in the D and D′ bands intensities for graphene after its immersion in NaCl solution. An analysis of the D, D′, and G bands intensities proved that this additional scattering is related to the decoration of vacancies and grain boundaries with NaCl nanoparticles, as well as generation of new on-site defects as a result of the decoration of the graphene surface with NaCl nanoparticles. The observed energy shifts of 2D and G bands indicated that NaCl deposition on the graphene surface did not change carrier concentration, but reduced compressive biaxial strain in the graphene layer.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗