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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 OSTI2012

The Benefits of Including Clinical Factors in Rectal Normal Tissue Complication Probability Modeling After Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer

Purpose: To study the impact of clinical predisposing factors on rectal normal tissue complication probability modeling using the updated results of the Dutch prostate dose-escalation trial. Methods and Materials: Toxicity data of 512 patients (conformally treated to 68 Gy [n = 284] and 78 Gy [n = 228]) with complete follow-up at 3 years after radiotherapy were studied. Scored end points were rectal bleeding, high stool frequency, and fecal incontinence. Two traditional dose-based models (Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (LKB) and Relative Seriality (RS) and a logistic model were fitted using a maximum likelihood approach. Furthermore, these model fits were improved by including the most significant clinical factors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to compare the discriminating ability of all fits. Results: Including clinical factors significantly increased the predictive power of the models for all end points. In the optimal LKB, RS, and logistic models for rectal bleeding and fecal incontinence, the first significant (p = 0.011-0.013) clinical factor was 'previous abdominal surgery.' As second significant (p = 0.012-0.016) factor, 'cardiac history' was included in all three rectal bleeding fits, whereas including 'diabetes' was significant (p = 0.039-0.048) in fecal incontinence modeling but only in the LKB and logistic models. High stool frequency fits only benefitted significantly (p = 0.003-0.006) from the inclusion of the baseline toxicity score. For all models rectal bleeding fits had the highest AUC (0.77) where it was 0.63 and 0.68 for high stool frequency and fecal incontinence, respectively. LKB and logistic model fits resulted in similar values for the volume parameter. The steepness parameter was somewhat higher in the logistic model, also resulting in a slightly lower D{sub 50}. Anal wall DVHs were used for fecal incontinence, whereas anorectal wall dose best described the other two endpoints. Conclusions: Comparable prediction models were obtained with LKB, RS, and logistic NTCP models. Including clinical factors improved the predictive power of all models significantly.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Physician Evaluation of Internet Health Information on Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Purpose: Many patients considering prostate cancer (PCa) treatment options report seeking proton beam therapy (PBT) based in part on information readily available on the Internet. There is, however, potential for considerable variation in Internet health information (IHI). We thus evaluated the characteristics, quality, and accuracy of IHI on PBT for PCa. Methods and Materials: We undertook a qualitative research study using snowball-purposive sampling in which we evaluated the top 50 Google search results for “proton prostate cancer.” Quality was evaluated on a 5-point scale using the validated 15-question DISCERN instrument. Accuracy was evaluated by comparing IHI with the best available evidence. Results: Thirty-seven IHI websites were included in the final sample. These websites most frequently were patient information/support resources (46%), were focused exclusively on PBT (51%), and had a commercial affiliation (38%). There was a significant difference in quality according to the type of IHI. Substantial inaccuracies were noted in the study sample compared with best available or contextual evidence. Conclusions: There are shortcomings in quality and accuracy in consumer-oriented IHI on PBT for PCa. Providers must be prepared to educate patients how to critically evaluate IHI related to PBT for PCa to best inform their treatment decisions.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2010

Uncertainty Quantification via Random Domain Decomposition and Probabilistic Collocation on Sparse Grids

Due to lack of knowledge or insufficient data, many physical systems are subject to uncertainty. Such uncertainty occurs on a multiplicity of scales. In this study, we conduct the uncertainty analysis of diffusion in random composites with two dominant scales of uncertainty: Large-scale uncertainty in the spatial arrangement of materials and small-scale uncertainty in the parameters within each material. A general two-scale framework that combines random domain decomposition (RDD) and probabilistic collocation method (PCM) on sparse grids to quantify the large and small scales of uncertainty, respectively. Using sparse grid points instead of standard grids based on full tensor products for both the large and small scales of uncertainty can greatly reduce the overall computational cost, especially for random process with small correlation length (large number of random dimensions). For one-dimensional random contact point problem and random inclusion problem, analytical solution and Monte Carlo simulations have been conducted respectively to verify the accuracy of the combined RDD-PCM approach. Additionally, we employed our combined RDD-PCM approach to two- and three-dimensional examples to demonstrate that our combined RDD-PCM approach provides efficient, robust and nonintrusive approximations for the statistics of diffusion in random composites.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Assessment of simulated and observed cavitation-induced erosion damage in Spallation Neutron Source target vessels

Cavitation-induced erosion damage in different Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) target designs are simulated using explicit finite element–based techniques and compared with observations of erosion in targets after operation. The efficacy of the previously developed method, called saturation time, was evaluated using erosion-damaged samples from new target designs. A new metric called maximum bubble size was implemented under the rationale that larger cavitation bubbles will collapse more intensely. The maximum cavitation bubble size over 1 ms of simulated time was calculated based on the Rayleigh–Plesset equation for each element integration point and presented as a contour map at the vessel surface for assessing with erosion observations. SNS targets are now operated with helium gas injection to reduce cavitation damage. A simulation method using a material model for the mixture of mercury and gas bubbles was recently developed and used to account for the effect of small gas bubbles on the structural response of the target vessel. Furthermore, this work compares the new method's results with observed cavitation damage. Maps of the calculated maximum bubble size for targets operated with and without gas injection were compared with photographs of erosion damage observed in SNS targets. The patterns in maximum bubble size maps correlated well with observations of erosion patterns in target vessels after service. Advantages and challenges of the maximum bubble size simulation technique are provided, and differences between results from the previous and the newly proposed metric are discussed.

Jiang, Hao↗
DOE OSTI2019

Report on waterproofing of UN studies

Fuels with high uranium densities have been considered in the Nuclear Technology Research and Development program’s Advanced Fuels Campaign as potential replacements for uranium(IV) oxide in commercial light water reactors. One such candidate fuel is uranium mononitride, UN, which has been observed to readily oxidize in steam and simulated pressurized water reactor conditions. Thus, it is important to examine methods for waterproofing UN, especially for potential cladding breach scenarios. This can be achieved by controlling the microstructure so as to prevent contact between the UN fuel and coolant. Research highlighted in this L2 milestone has focused on screening potential candidate additive materials to control UN microstructure using steam oxidation TGA. From these candidates, silicon (Si), chromium (Cr), and silicon carbide (SiC) were selected based on corrosion resistance, which led to attempts to develop a method for compositing these materials with UN. Powders of these materials were mixed with UN, pressed, and sintered. UN-metal composite sintering was attempted through liquid-phase sintering at temperatures above the melting point of the respective metals, while the UN-SiC composite sintering was attempted using two-step sintering at 2100 and 2050 °C. Results of silicon and silicon carbide appeared to show chemical interaction with UN to form uranium silicides, while chromium was found to significantly volatilize near the melting point of chromium. No indication of densification was observed. These observations, along with those of the preceding, related L3 milestone (NTRD-M3FT-19LA020201024) were used to develop a better understanding of microstructure control to advance efforts for UN waterproofing.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1982

Effect of processing on Polymer/Composite structure and properties

Advances in the vitality and economic health of the field of polymer forecasting are discussed. A consistent and rational point of view which considers processing as a participant in the underlying triad of relationships which comprise materials science and engineering is outlined. This triad includes processing as it influences material structure, and ultimately properties. Methods in processing structure properties, polymer science and engineering, polymer chemistry and synthesis, structure and modification and optimization through processing, and methods of melt flow modeling in processing structure property relations of polymer were developed. Mechanical properties of composites are considered, and biomedical materials research to include polymer processing effects are studied. An analysis of the design technology of advances graphite/epoxy composites is also reported.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1984

Rapid solidification via melt spinning - Equipment and techniques

One of the simpler methods available to accomplish rapid solidification processing is free jet melt spinning. With only a modest expenditure of time, effort, and capital, an apparatus suitable for preliminary experimentation can be assembled. Wheel and crucible materials, process atmospheres, crucible design, heating methods, and process parameters and their relationship to melt composition are described. Practical solutions to processing problems, based on 'hands-on' experience, are offered. Alloys with melting points up to 3000 F have been rapidly solidified using the techniques described.

Jech, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1986

A study of the damping capacity of graphite epoxy composites in a vacuum

The damping properties of a graphite epoxy composite material (used in the construction of the Hubble Space Telescope) are measured under a variety of conditions in a vacuum chamber to simulate conditions in space. An improved method is proposed which utilizes several points of the response curve near a resonance to estimate the damping ratio and the undamped resonance frequency. The damping of a graphite epoxy tube is monitored for four weeks to study moisture desorption and temperature effects. A significant variation is observed in the damping ratio with temperature.

Rao, Mohan D.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Magnetotransport properties of the topological nodal-line semimetal CaCdSn

Topological nodal-line semimetals support protected band crossings, which form nodal lines or nodal loops between the valence and conduction bands and exhibit novel transport phenomena. Here we address the topological state of the nodal-line semimetal candidate material CaCdSn, and report magnetotransport properties of its single crystals grown by the self-flux method. In this work, our first-principles calculations show that the electronic structure of CaCdSn harbors a single nodal loop around the Γ point in the absence of spin-orbit coupling effects. The nodal crossings in CaCdSn are found to lie above the Fermi level and yield a Fermi surface that consists of both electron and hole pockets. CaCdSn exhibits high mobility (μ ≈ 3.44 × 10 4 cm 2 V –1 s –1 ) and displays a field-induced metal-semiconductor-like crossover with a plateau in resistivity at low temperature. We observe an extremely large and quasilinear nonsaturating transverse as well as longitudinal magnetoresistance (MR) at low temperatures (≈ 7.44 × 10 3 % and ≈ 1.71 × 10 3 %, respectively, at 4 K). We also briefly discuss possible reasons behind such a large quasilinear magnetoresistance and its connection with the nontrivial band structure of CaCdSn.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Initial Temperature Testing of Advanced Manufactured Melt Wire Package

As a part of the In-Pile Instrumentation Program, The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has recently established in-house capabilities to fabricate and test new advanced manufactured sensors for measuring the peak irradiation temperature inside a nuclear test reactor. Although nuclear test reactors can use standard methods of real-time temperature monitoring, such as thermocouples, the complexity of feedthroughs and attachment complications to collect real-time measurements greatly increases the cost of the experiment. Passive monitoring techniques may be utilized that exploit the melting point of well characterized material (standard melt wires), however, the limited space available for instrumentation during experiments is also a challenge. To accommodate the challenge, INL has expanded its temperature detection instrumentation capabilities paired with the advancement of in-house advanced manufacturing options to include printed melt wires for peak irradiation temperature measurement. The advanced manufactured melt wire package can determine peak temperatures in experiments that can fit the challenging space available during irradiation. Recent results and knowledge from this ongoing work have made it possible to develop unique temperature sensors that can accomplish user specific temperature ranges inside the harsh environments experienced during radiation testing. This report summarizes the initial temperature testing using fabricated melt wires with two different melting temperatures, silver (melting temperature of ~960 °C) and solder (melting temperature of ~160 °C), that were initially tested for their relative melting points using non-standard method of furnace and hot plate testing under normal air conditions. Future work will include more controlled way of testing printed melt wires under inert gas with multiple temperature measurements followed by comparison of standard melt wire package performance for baseline characterization.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1988

An improved boundary force method for analyzing cracked anisotropic materials

The Boundary Force Method (BFM), a form of indirect boundary element method, is used to analyze composite laminates with cracks. The BFM uses the orthotropic elasticity solution for a concentrated horizontal and vertical force and a moment applied at a point in a cracked, infinite sheet as the fundamental solution. The necessary stress functions for this fundamental solution were formulated using the complex variable theory of orthotropic elasticity. The current method is an improvement over a previous method using only forces and no moment. The improved method was verified by comparing it to accepted solutions for a finite-width, center-crack specimen subjected to uniaxial tension. Four graphite/epoxy laminates were used: (0 + or - 45/90)sub s, (0), (+ or - 45)sub s, and (+ or - 30)sub s. The BFM results agreed well with accepted solutions. Convergence studies showed that with the addition of the moment in the fundamental solution, the number of boundary elements required for a converged solution was significantly reduced. Parametric studies were done for two configurations for which no orthotropic solutions are currently available; a single edge crack and an inclined single edge crack.

Tan, Paul W.↗
NASA NTRS1989

An improved boundary force method for analysing cracked anisotropic materials

The Boundary Force Method (BFM), a form of indirect boundary element method, is used to analyze composite laminates with cracks. The BFM uses the orthotropic elasticity solution for a concentrated horizontal and vertical force and a moment applied at a point in a cracked, infinite sheet as the fundamental solution. The necessary stress functions for this fundamental solution were formulated using the complex variables theory of orthotropic elasticity. The current method is an improvement over a previous method using only forces and no moment. The improved method was verified by comparing it to accepted solutions for a finite-width, center-crack specimen subjected to uniaxial tension. Four graphite/epoxy laminates were used: (0 + or - 45/90)sub s, (0), (+ or - 45)sub s, and (+ or - 30)sub s. The BFM results agreed well with accepted solutions. Convergence studies showed that with the addition of the moment in the fundamental solution, the number of boundary elements required for a converged solution was significantly reduced. Parametric studies were done for two configurations for which no orthotropic solutions are currently available; a single edge crack and an inclined single edge crack.

Tan, P. W.↗
DOE OSTI2010

Structural, magnetic, and transport properties of Permalloy for spintronic experiments

Permalloy (Ni{sub 80}Fe{sub 20}) is broadly used to prepare magnetic nanostructures for high-frequency experiments where the magnetization is either excited by electrical currents or magnetic fields. Detailed knowledge of the material properties is mandatory for thorough understanding its magnetization dynamics. In this work, thin Permalloy films are grown by dc-magnetron sputtering on heated substrates and by thermal evaporation with subsequent annealing. The specific resistance is determined by van der Pauw methods. Point-contact Andreev reflection is employed to determine the spin polarization of the films. The topography is imaged by atomic-force microscopy, and the magnetic microstructure by magnetic-force microscopy. Transmission-electron microscopy and transmission-electron diffraction are performed to determine atomic composition, crystal structure, and morphology. From ferromagnetic resonance absorption spectra the saturation magnetization, the anisotropy, and the Gilbert damping parameter are determined. Coercive fields and anisotropy are measured by magneto-optical Kerr magnetometry. The sum of the findings enables optimization of Permalloy for spintronic experiments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Source Estimation by Full Wave Form Inversion

Given time-dependent ground motion recordings at a number of receiver stations, we solve the inverse problem for estimating the parameters of the seismic source. The source is modeled as a point moment tensor source, characterized by its location, moment tensor components, the start time, and frequency parameter (rise time) of its source time function. In total, there are 11 unknown parameters. We use a non-linear conjugate gradient algorithm to minimize the full waveform misfit between observed and computed ground motions at the receiver stations. An important underlying assumption of the minimization problem is that the wave propagation is accurately described by the elastic wave equation in a heterogeneous isotropic material. We use a fourth order accurate finite difference method, developed in [12], to evolve the waves forwards in time. The adjoint wave equation corresponding to the discretized elastic wave equation is used to compute the gradient of the misfit, which is needed by the non-linear conjugated minimization algorithm. A new source point moment source discretization is derived that guarantees that the Hessian of the misfit is a continuous function of the source location. An efficient approach for calculating the Hessian is also presented. We show how the Hessian can be used to scale the problem to improve the convergence of the non-linear conjugated gradient algorithm. Numerical experiments are presented for estimating the source parameters from synthetic data in a layer over half-space problem (LOH.1), illustrating rapid convergence of the proposed approach.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2010

Comparative electron spin resonance study of epi-Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3}/(111)Si and a-Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3}/(100)Si interfaces: Misfit point defects

An electron spin resonance study has been carried out on heteroepitaxial Si/insulator structures obtained through growth of epi-Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3} films on (111)Si ({approx}4.5% mismatch) by molecular-beam epitaxy, with special attention to the inherent quality as well as the thermal stability of interfaces, monitored through occurring paramagnetic point defects. This indicates the presence, in the as-grown state, of P{sub b} defects ({approx}5x10{sup 11} cm{sup -2}) with the unpaired sp{sup 3} Si dangling bond along the [111] interface normal, the archetypical defect (trap) of the standard thermal (111)Si/SiO{sub 2} interface, directly revealing, and identified as the result of, imperfect epitaxy. The occurrence of P{sub b} defects, a major system of electrically detrimental interface traps, is ascribed to lattice mismatch with related introduction of misfit dislocations. This interface nature appears to persist for annealing in vacuum up to a temperature T{sub an{approx}}420 deg. C. Yet, in the range T{sub an{approx}}420-550 deg. C, the interface starts to ''degrade'' to standard Si/SiO{sub 2} properties, as indicated by the gradually increasing P{sub b} density and attendant appearance of the EX center, an SiO{sub 2}-associated defect. At T{sub an{approx}}700 deg. C, [P{sub b}] has increased to about 1.3 times the value for standard thermal (111)Si/SiO{sub 2}, to remain constant up to T{sub an{approx}}1000 deg. C, indicative of an unaltered interface structure. Annealing at T{sub an}>1000 deg. C results in disintegration altogether of the Si/SiO{sub 2}-type interface. Passivation anneal in H{sub 2} (405 deg. C) alarmingly fails to deactivate the P{sub b} system to the device grade (sub) 10{sup 10} cm{sup -2} eV{sup -1} level, which would disfavor c-Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3} as a suitable future high-{kappa} replacement for the a-SiO{sub 2} gate dielectric. Comparison of the thermal stability of the c-Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3}/(111)Si interface with that of molecular-beam deposited amorphous-Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3}/(100)Si shows the former to be superior, yet unlikely to meet technological thermal budget requirements. No Lu{sub 2}O{sub 3}-specific point defects could be observed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

SU-E-T-388: Evaluation of Electronic Brachytherapy Dose Distributions in Tissue Equivalent Materials

Purpose: To study the measured and calculated dose distributions for electronic brachytherapy (EBT) in various tissue equivalent homogenous materials. Methods: Calculated dose distributions in water were generated using published TG-43 parameters in Varian BrachyVision software for a 50 kVp, 50 cm Xoft source. Dose distributions were measured within a 3D-scanning tank using dosimeters including: PTW 0.125 cc, pin-point, and parallel-plate ion chambers, Sun Nuclear “Edge” diode and Gafchromic EBT3 film. Multi-channel film dosimetry was used in film analysis. EBT3 film curves were calibrated via radial dose comparison to both independently measured and published data. The resulting film calibration was utilized to measure dose distributions created by titanium filtered source utilized in clinical brachytherapy applications. Data was collected within homogenous PMMA, vinyl, polystyrene, paraffin, and water-equivalent plastic phantoms. Results: Ion-chamber data was corrected to effective points of measurement and normalized prior to comparison between calculated and measured dose distributions. Measurements made in water and water equivalent materials compared well with results from treatment planning software. The maximum percent differences (relative to water) observed between 1 cm and 3.5 cm depth from source for each of the phantom materials are as follows: PMMA 35%, polystyrene 41%, plastic-water 23%, vinyl 115%, and paraffin 46%. Conclusion: The increased probability of photoelectric interactions occurring within the patient during electronic brachytherapy will emphasize the radiological differences between varying human tissues in dose deposition. These differences can Result in clinically significant dose perturbations and it is therefore recommended to move to a model based dose calculation, as outlined in TG-186, to improve the dosimetric accuracy of low energy EBT.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

Serpentine: Finite Difference Methods for Wave Propagation in Second Order Formulation

Wave propagation phenomena are important in many DOE applications such as nuclear explosion monitoring, geophysical exploration, estimating ground motion hazards and damage due to earthquakes, non-destructive testing, underground facilities detection, and acoustic noise propagation. There are also future applications that would benefit from simulating wave propagation, such as geothermal energy applications and monitoring sites for carbon storage via seismic reflection techniques. In acoustics and seismology, it is of great interest to increase the frequency bandwidth in simulations. In seismic exploration, greater frequency resolution enables shorter wave lengths to be included in the simulations, allowing for better resolution in the seismic imaging. In nuclear explosion monitoring, higher frequency seismic waves are essential for accurate discrimination between explosions and earthquakes. When simulating earthquake induced motion of large structures, such as nuclear power plants or dams, increased frequency resolution is essential for realistic damage predictions. Another example is simulations of micro-seismic activity near geothermal energy plants. Here, hydro-fracturing induces many small earthquakes and the time scale of each event is proportional to the square root of the moment magnitude. As a result, the motion is dominated by higher frequencies for smaller seismic events. The above wave propagation problems are all governed by systems of hyperbolic partial differential equations in second order differential form, i.e., they contain second order partial derivatives of the dependent variables. Our general research theme in this project has been to develop numerical methods that directly discretize the wave equations in second order differential form. The obvious advantage of working with hyperbolic systems in second order differential form, as opposed to rewriting them as first order hyperbolic systems, is that the number of differential equations in the second order system is significantly smaller. Another issue with re-writing a second order system into first order form is that compatibility conditions often must be imposed on the first order form. These (Saint-Venant) conditions ensure that the solution of the first order system also satisfies the original second order system. However, such conditions can be difficult to enforce on the discretized equations, without introducing additional modeling errors. This project has previously developed robust and memory efficient algorithms for wave propagation including effects of curved boundaries, heterogeneous isotropic, and viscoelastic materials. Partially supported by internal funding from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, many of these methods have been implemented in the open source software WPP, which is geared towards 3-D seismic wave propagation applications. This code has shown excellent scaling on up to 32,768 processors and has enabled seismic wave calculations with up to 26 Billion grid points. The WPP calculations have resulted in several publications in the field of computational seismology, e.g.. All of our current methods are second order accurate in both space and time. The benefits of higher order accurate schemes for wave propagation have been known for a long time, but have mostly been developed for first order hyperbolic systems. For second order hyperbolic systems, it has not been known how to make finite difference schemes stable with free surface boundary conditions, heterogeneous material properties, and curvilinear coordinates. The importance of higher order accurate methods is not necessarily to make the numerical solution more accurate, but to reduce the computational cost for obtaining a solution within an acceptable error tolerance. This is because the accuracy in the solution can always be improved by reducing the grid size h. However, in practice, the available computational resources might not be large enough to solve the problem with a low order method.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Implicit integration methods for dislocation dynamics

In dislocation dynamics simulations, strain hardening simulations require integrating stiff systems of ordinary differential equations in time with expensive force calculations, discontinuous topological events, and rapidly changing problem size. Current solvers in use often result in small time steps and long simulation times. Faster solvers may help dislocation dynamics simulations accumulate plastic strains at strain rates comparable to experimental observations. Here, this paper investigates the viability of high order implicit time integrators and robust nonlinear solvers to reduce simulation run times while maintaining the accuracy of the computed solution. In particular, implicit Runge-Kutta time integrators are explored as a way of providing greater accuracy over a larger time step than is typically done with the standard second-order trapezoidal method. In addition, both accelerated fixed point and Newton's method are investigated to provide fast and effective solves for the nonlinear systems that must be resolved within each time step. Results show that integrators of third order are the most effective, while accelerated fixed point and Newton's method both improve solver performance over the standard fixed point method used for the solution of the nonlinear systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗