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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 OSTI2018

Measurement of the low-energy germanium quenching factor with a small-mass detector

We report on work performed to measure the quenching factor of low kinetic energy germanium recoils, as a collaboration between Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and Duke University. A small-mass low-noise high purity germanium detector was irradiated by a mono-energetic pulsed neutron beam produced by the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) Van-de-Graaff accelerator. Data was collected to determine the germanium quenching factor as a function of 10 discrete recoil energy values in the range ~ [0.8, 5.0] keVnr. We describe the experiment, present the simulation and data processing for the 10 datasets, and discussed the quenching factor analysis result for one of them. This one result seems to indicate a somewhat large deviation from literature values, though it is still preliminary to claim the presence of a systematic bias in our data or analysis.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hanford Site Composite Analysis Data Package: Exposure Scenarios and Radionuclide Specific Dose Conversion Factors

This data package summarizes the exposure assumptions, equations, and methods used to calculate radionuclide-specific unit dose factors and the radiological doses for both groundwater and atmospheric pathways as a part of the updated Hanford Site Composite Analysis (CA). An All Pathways Representative Person exposure scenario is considered to evaluate exposure via both groundwater and atmospheric transport pathways. The radiological dose assessments for both groundwater and atmospheric pathways are included in the performance assessments (PAs) for various Waste Management Areas at the Hanford Site. This data package calculates exposure route-specific and total unit dose factors for CA-specific radionuclides of concern based on the exposure assumptions used in the CA and PAs. This data package also presents the results and comparison of the radionuclide-specific unit dose factors based on the exposure assumptions used in the revised Hanford Site Composite Analysis and Hanford Site performance assessments for low-level waste disposal facilities.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hanford Site Composite Analysis Data Package: Exposure Scenarios and Radionuclide Specific Dose Conversion Factors.

This data package summarizes the exposure assumptions, equations, and methods used to calculate radionuclide-specific unit dose factors and the radiological doses for both groundwater and atmospheric pathways as a part of the revised Hanford Site Composite Analysis. An All-Pathways Representative Person exposure scenario is considered to evaluate exposure via both groundwater and atmospheric transport pathways. The radiological dose assessments for both groundwater and atmospheric pathways are included in the performance assessments for various Waste Management Areas at the Hanford Site. This data package calculates exposure route-specific and total unit dose factors for composite-analysis-specific radionuclides of concern based on the exposure assumptions used in the composite analysis and performance assessments. This data package presents the results and comparison of the radionuclide-specific unit dose factors based on the exposure assumptions used in the revised composite analysis and various performance assessments.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Considering Factors for Ion Concentrations in Precipitation at the Savannah River Site

Precipitation was collected from three different areas on the Savannah River Site during 2021. The precipitation was analyzed for concentrations of 29 different ions and compared with data on factors such as wind speed, wind direction, rain drop sizes, and more. The 2021 ion concentrations were also compared to the ion concentrations from previous years at the site as well as from Santee National Wildlife Refuge which is nearby. The historical ion concentrations data was gathered from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. Scatter plots and correlation coefficients were used to identify what factors may have the greatest impact on ion concentration in rainwater. The data generally followed the same trends with a few notable outliers. There initially seemed to be a strong correlation between the mean diameter and some ion concentrations as both increased in July. However, ion concentrations in different areas were related to different wind directions, thus spatial variability must be considered. These factors, spatial variability of atmospheric particles and wind direction, impact concentrations of ions in precipitation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Factors that Impact the Redox Kinetics Associated with Sr1-xAxFeO3 (A = Ca, Ba) in Air Separations Technologies

Perovskite oxides, including SrFeO3-δ, have garnered significant interest for their impressive oxygen storage thermodynamics and kinetics. While traditional oxygen production is performed through cryogenic separation methods at the industrial scale, oxygen carrier-based separations have offered an attractive alternative at the modular scale. Perovskites are considered ideal oxygen carriers, with their structural flexibility minimizing both the thermodynamic barrier and the structural strain related to the oxygen uptake/release cycle. Our latest work has identified a few major factors that directly impact the oxygen release thermodynamics and kinetics for Sr1-xAxFeO3-δ (A = Ca, Ba) materials including elemental composition, crystallographic symmetry, surface area, and pretreatment conditions. This presentation will discuss these factors using Sr1¬-xCaxFeO3 and Ba1-xSrxFeO3 to illustrate their individual and collective impacts on the design of high-performance oxygen carriers when operating at 300-700 °C. Additionally, we will discuss how each of these factors can be leveraged for the numerous catalytic applications also dependent on the redox properties of mixed metal oxides.

Popczun, Eric↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bioaccumulation Factor for Radium in Rio Grande Biota

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL or Laboratory) Environmental Protection and Compliance Division’s Environmental Stewardship Group (EPC-ES) performs the radiological analysis portion of biota dose assessments using the computer program RESRAD-Biota (DOE 2004, DOE 2020). RESRAD-Biota uses a default bioaccumulation factor, B iv , for radium in aquatic animals. This bioaccumulation factor, also listed in Department of Energy (DOE) Standard, DOE-STD-1153-2019, is the ratio of a radionuclide concentration in fresh weight biota to the environment in which it resides, which for aquatic animals is water. DOE-STD-1153-2019 offers conservative values for these ratios that are specific to the radiological contaminant, the biota, and the environment. The B iv in RESRAD-Biota can be used for general screening (Level 1 screening). If the factor proves to be too conservative, then a site-specific B iv may be used. The biota dose assessment of fish from the northern New Mexico region of the Rio Grande fail the general screen, which indicates that further analysis is necessary. Level 2 analysis is site-specific but still has conservative limitations. Level 3 analysis is a more realistic and representative, sitespecific analysis. The purpose of this paper is to use data specific to the Rio Grande to calculate a new aquatic animal radium B iv . This B iv can then be used for Level 3 analysis of aquatic animals specifically in the northern New Mexico region of the Rio Grande. The calculated radium B iv is a useful value for performing detailed, accurate biota dose assessments and calculating dose to fish using RESRAD-Biota when only sediment data are available.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Variations to the z-Expansion of the Form Factor Describing the Decay of B Mesons

We examine the decay rate of the particle decay B 0 → D -ℓ +νℓ using data collected from the Belle Collaboration. We studied three parameterizations of the form factor which describe the differential decay rate, the Caprini, Lellouch, and Neubert (CLN) parametrization, the Boyd, Grinstein, and Lebed (BGL) parametrization, and the Bourrely, Caprini, and Lellouch (BCL) parameterization. The form factor is a function of the hadronic recoil variable w, and each parameterization contains unique free parameters which are the focus of this work. We test the extrapolations of the form factor by fitting many different subsets of the low w data and then compare the prediction of the fit to the high w data using a χ 2 -metric. By only fitting the low w data we are able to examine the stability of extrapolations which will be informative for lattice simulations.

Simons, Daniel↗
DOE OSTI2019

Evaluation of the Uncertainty in Satellite-Based Crop State Variable Retrievals Due to Site and Growth Stage Specific Factors and Their Potential in Coupling with Crop Growth Models

Coupling crop growth models and remote sensing provides the potential to improve our understanding of the genotype x environment x management (G × E × M) variability of crop growth on a global scale. Unfortunately, the uncertainty in the relationship between the satellite measurements and the crop state variables across different sites and growth stages makes it difficult to perform the coupling. In this study, we evaluate the effects of this uncertainty with MODIS data at the Mead, Nebraska Ameriflux sites (US-Ne1, US-Ne2, and US-Ne3) and accurate, collocated Hybrid-Maize (HM) simulations of leaf area index (LAI) and canopy light use efficiency (LUE Canopy ). The simulations are used to both explore the sensitivity of the satellite-estimated genotype × management (G × M) parameters to the satellite retrieval regression coefficients and to quantify the amount of uncertainty attributable to site and growth stage specific factors. Additional ground-truth datasets of LAI and LUE Canopy are used to validate the analysis. The results show that uncertainty in the LAI/satellite measurement regression coefficients lead to large uncertainty in the G × M parameters retrievable from satellites. In addition to traditional leave-one-site-out regression analysis, the regression coefficient uncertainty is assessed by evaluating the retrieval performance of the temporal change in LAI and LUE Canopy . The weekly change in LAI is shown to be retrievable with a correlation coefficient absolute value (|r|) of 0.70 and root-mean square error (RMSE) value of 0.4, which is significantly better than the performance expected if the uncertainty was caused by random error rather than secondary effects caused by site and growth stage specific factors (an expected |r| value of 0.36 and RMSE value of 1.46 assuming random error). As a result, this study highlights the importance of accounting for site and growth stage specific factors in remote sensing retrievals for future work developing methods coupling remote sensing with crop growth models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Best Practices for Body Temperature Measurement with Infrared Thermography: External Factors Affecting Accuracy

Infrared thermographs (IRTs) are commonly used during disease pandemics to screen individuals with elevated body temperature (EBT). To address the limited research on external factors affecting IRT accuracy, we conducted benchtop measurements and computer simulations with two IRTs, with or without an external temperature reference source (ETRS) for temperature compensation. The combination of an IRT and an ETRS forms a screening thermograph (ST). We investigated the effects of viewing angle (θ, 0–75°), ETRS set temperature (T ETRS , 30–40 °C), ambient temperature (T atm , 18–32 °C), relative humidity (RH, 15–80%), and working distance (d, 0.4–2.8 m). We discovered that STs exhibited higher accuracy compared to IRTs alone. Across the tested ranges of T atm and RH, both IRTs exhibited absolute measurement errors of less than 0.97 °C, while both STs maintained absolute measurement errors of less than 0.12 °C. The optimal T ETRS for EBT detection was 36–37 °C. When θ was below 30°, the two STs underestimated calibration source (CS) temperature (T CS ) of less than 0.05 °C. The computer simulations showed absolute temperature differences of up to 0.28 °C and 0.04 °C between estimated and theoretical temperatures for IRTs and STs, respectively, considering d of 0.2–3.0 m, T atm of 15–35 °C, and RH of 5–95%. The results highlight the importance of precise calibration and environmental control for reliable temperature readings and suggest proper ranges for these factors, aiming to enhance current standard documents and best practice guidelines. These insights enhance our understanding of IRT performance and their sensitivity to various factors, thereby facilitating the development of best practices for accurate EBT measurement.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Isovector Axial Charge and Form Factors of Nucleons from Lattice QCD

A survey of the calculations of the isovector axial vector form factor of the nucleon using lattice QCD is presented. Attention is paid to statistical and systematic uncertainties, in particular those due to excited state contributions. Based on a comparison of results from various collaborations, a case is made that lattice results are consistent within 10%. A similar level of uncertainty is in the axial charge gAu−d, the mean squared axial charge radius ⟨rA2⟩, the induced pseudoscalar charge gP∗, and the pion–nucleon coupling gπNN. Even with the current methodology, a significant reduction in errors is expected over the next few years with higher statistics data on more ensembles closer to the physical point. Lattice QCD results for the form factor GA(Q2) are compatible with those obtained from the recent MINERνA experiment but lie 2–3σ higher than the phenomenological extraction from the old ν–deuterium bubble chamber scattering data for Q2>0.3 GeV2. Current data show that the dipole ansatz does not have enough parameters to fit the form factor over the range 0≤Q2≤1 GeV2, whereas even a z2 truncation of the z expansion or a low order Padé are sufficient. Looking ahead, lattice QCD calculations will provide increasingly precise results over the range 0≤Q2≤1 GeV2, and MINERνA-like experiments will extend the range to Q2∼2 GeV2 or higher. Nevertheless, improvements in lattice methods to (i) further control excited state contributions and (ii) extend the range of Q2 are needed.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2019

Assessment of Spatiotemporal Variability of Evapotranspiration and Its Governing Factors in a Mountainous Watershed

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a key component of the water balance, which influences hydrometeorology, water resources, carbon and other biogeochemical cycles, and ecosystem diversity. This study aims to investigate the spatio-temporal variations of ET at the East River watershed in Colorado and analyze the factors that control these variations. ET was acquired using the community land model (CLM) simulations and was compared with the values estimated using Fu’s equation and a watershed-scale water balance equation. The simulation results showed that 55% of annual precipitation in the East River is lost to ET, in which 75% of the ET comes from the summer months (May to September). We also found that the contribution of transpiration to the total ET was ~50%, which is much larger than that of soil evaporation (32%) and canopy evaporation (18%). Spatial analysis indicated that the ET is greater at elevations of 2950–3200 m and lower along the river valley (<2750 m) and at the high elevations (>3900 m). A correlation analysis of factors affecting ET showed that the land elevation, air temperature, and vegetation are closely correlated and together they govern the ET spatial variability. The results also suggested that ET in areas with more finely textured soil is slightly larger than regions with coarse-texture soil. This study presents a promising approach to the assessment of ET with a high spatiotemporal resolution over watershed scales and investigates factors controlling ET spatiotemporal variations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cloud drop number concentrations over the western North Atlantic Ocean: seasonal cycle, aerosol interrelationships, and other influential factors

Cloud drop number concentrations (N d ) over the western North Atlantic Ocean (WNAO) are generally highest during the winter (DJF) and lowest in summer (JJA), in contrast to aerosol proxy variables (aerosoloptical depth, aerosol index, surface aerosol mass concentrations, surface cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations) that generally peak inspring (MAM) and JJA with minima in DJF. Using aircraft, satellite remote sensing, ground-based in situ measurement data, and reanalysis data, we characterize factors explaining the divergent seasonal cycles and furthermore probe into factors influencing N d on seasonal timescales. The results can be summarized well by features most pronounced in DJF, including features associated with cold-air outbreak (CAO) conditions such as enhanced values of CAO index, planetary boundary layer height (PBLH),low-level liquid cloud fraction, and cloud-top height, in addition to winds aligned with continental outflow. Data sorted into high- and low-N d days in each season, especially in DJF, revealed that all of these conditions were enhanced on the high-N d days, including reduced sea level pressure and stronger wind speeds. Although aerosols may be more abundant in MAM and JJA, the conditions needed to activate those particles into cloud droplets are weaker than in colder months, which is demonstrated by calculations of the strongest (weakest) aerosol indirect effects in DJF (JJA) based on comparing N d to perturbations in four different aerosol proxy variables (total and sulfate aerosol optical depth, aerosol index, surface mass concentration of sulfate). We used three machine learning models and up to 14 input variables to infer about most influential factors related to N d for DJF and JJA, with the best performance obtained with gradient-boosted regression tree (GBRT) analysis. The model results indicated that cloud fraction was the most important input variable, followed by some combination (depending on season) of CAO index and surface mass concentrations of sulfate and organic carbon. Future work is recommended to further understand aspects uncovered here such as impacts of free tropospheric aerosol entrainment on clouds, degree of boundary layer coupling, wet scavenging, and giant CCN effects on aerosol–N d relationships, updraft velocity, and vertical structure of cloud properties such as adiabaticity that impact the satellite estimation of N d .

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Factors controlling marine aerosol size distributions and their climate effects over the northwest Atlantic Ocean region

Abstract. Aerosols over Earth's remote and spatially extensive ocean surfaces have important influences on planetary climate. However, these aerosols and their effects remain poorly understood, in part due to the remoteness and limited observations over these regions. In this study, we seek to understand factors that shape marine aerosol size distributions and composition in the northwest Atlantic Ocean region. We use the GEOS-Chem model with the TwO-Moment Aerosol Sectional (TOMAS) microphysics algorithm model to interpret measurements collected from ship and aircraft during the four seasonal campaigns of the North Atlantic Aerosols and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES) conducted between 2015 and 2018. Observations from the NAAMES campaigns show enhancements in the campaign-median number of aerosols with diameters larger than 3 nm in the lower troposphere (below 6 km), most pronounced during the phytoplankton bloom maxima (May/June) below 2 km in the free troposphere. Our simulations, combined with NAAMES ship and aircraft measurements, suggest several key factors that contribute to aerosol number and size in the northwest Atlantic lower troposphere, with significant regional-mean (40–60∘ N and 20–50∘ W) cloud-albedo aerosol indirect effect (AIE) and direct radiative effect (DRE) processes during the phytoplankton bloom. These key factors and their associated simulated radiative effects in the region include the following: (1) particle formation near and above the marine boundary layer (MBL) top (AIE: −3.37 W m−2, DRE: −0.62 W m−2); (2) particle growth due to marine secondary organic aerosol (MSOA) as the nascent particles subside into the MBL, enabling them to become cloud-condensation-nuclei-sized particles (AIE: −2.27 W m−2, DRE: −0.10 W m−2); (3) particle formation and growth due to the products of dimethyl sulfide, above and within the MBL (−1.29 W m−2, DRE: −0.06 W m−2); (4) ship emissions (AIE: −0.62 W m−2, DRE: −0.05 W m−2); and (5) primary sea spray emissions (AIE: +0.04 W m−2, DRE: −0.79 W m−2). Our results suggest that a synergy of particle formation in the lower troposphere (particularly near and above the MBL top) and growth by MSOA contributes strongly to cloud-condensation-nuclei-sized particles with significant regional radiative effects in the northwest Atlantic. To gain confidence in radiative effect magnitudes, future work is needed to understand (1) the sources and temperature dependence of condensable marine vapors forming MSOA, (2) primary sea spray emissions, and (3) the species that can form new particles in the lower troposphere and grow these particles as they descend into the marine boundary layer.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Source apportionment of VOCs, IVOCs and SVOCs by positive matrix factorization in suburban Livermore, California

Abstract. Gas- and particle-phase molecular markers provide highly specific information about the sources and atmospheric processes that contribute to air pollution. In urban areas, major sources of pollution are changing as regulation selectively mitigates some pollution sources and climate change impacts the surrounding environment. In this study, a comprehensive thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatograph (cTAG) was used to measure volatile, intermediate-volatility and semivolatile molecular markers every other hour over a 10 d period from 11 to 21 April 2018 in suburban Livermore, California. Source apportionment via positive matrix factorization (PMF) was performed to identify major sources of pollution. The PMF analysis identified 13 components, including emissions from gasoline, consumer products, biomass burning, secondary oxidation, aged regional transport and several factors associated with single compounds or specific events with unique compositions. The gasoline factor had a distinct morning peak in concentration but lacked a corresponding evening peak, suggesting commute-related traffic emissions are dominated by cold starts in residential areas. More monoterpene and monoterpenoid mass was assigned to consumer product emissions than biogenic sources, underscoring the increasing importance of volatile chemical products to urban emissions. Daytime isoprene concentrations were controlled by biogenic sunlight- and temperature-dependent processes, mediated by strong midday mixing, but gasoline was found to be the dominant and likely only source of isoprene at night. Biomass burning markers indicated residential wood burning activity remained an important pollution source even in the springtime. This study demonstrates that specific high-time-resolution molecular marker measurements across a wide range of volatility enable more comprehensive pollution source profiles than a narrower volatility range would allow.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1962

Monte Carlo Calculations of Neutron Number Spectra and Buildup Factors in Infinite Conical Configurations

A Monte Carlo code simulating neutron transport in infinite cones of water and water-equivalent hydrogen was prepared for an IBM 704 computer. The code was essentially a modification of the point-source, infinite-medium code used in NASA TN D-850. Studies were made of differential neutron number spectra and associated buildup factors for infinite cones having apex half-angles of 15 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, and 60 degrees. The buildup factors obtained were compared with those for the appropriate infinite medium, which allowed an examination of the effect of solid angle subtended by material on the transport of 6-Mev source neutrons emanating from the cone apex. The variation of number buildup factor with distance for the various cones shows that neutron scattering out of the cones is predominant in the first 30 t o 40 centimeters of material, and that transport beyond this distance is of a similar nature in all the cones.

CONE↗
NASA NTRS1971

The geometric factor of a cylindrical plate electrostatic analyzer

A method for calculating the geometric factor of cylindrical plate electrostatic energy analyzers with various detector geometries is described. The effects of the fringe-field are estimated. For a special simple case an exact geometric factor is calculated enabling an estimate of the inaccuracies of the approximations used in other cases. The results of some calculations are presented and a simple approximate expression for the geometric factor is deduced.

Johnstone, A. D.↗
NASA NTRS1972

How to apply life adjustment factors for ball and roller bearings.

Practical problems applicable to the selection, design, and lubrication of rolling-element bearings are presented and discussed. The solutions to these problems are based upon the new ASME Engineering Design Guide - Life Adjustment Factors for Ball and Roller Bearings. Design and selection criteria are based upon materials and processing factors such as melting practice, metalworking, and heat treatment. Environmental factors considered include bearing misalignment and speed. Selection of a lubricant is based upon elastohydrodynamic lubrication principles in addition to lubricant type and chemistry.

Crecelius, W. J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The geometric factor of a cylindrical plate electrostatic analyzer.

A method for calculating the geometric factor of cylindrical plate electrostatic energy analyzers with various detector geometries is described. The effects of the fringe field are estimated. For a special simple case an exact geometric factor is calculated, enabling an estimate to be made of the inaccuracies of the approximations used in other cases. The results of some calculations are presented, and a simple approximate expression for the geometric factor is deduced.

Johnstone, A. D.↗