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At least 73 records · Page 4

SCALED ELECTRON MODEL OF A DOGBONE MUON RLA WITH MULTI-PASS ARCS

The design of a dogbone RLA with linear-field multi-pass arcs was earlier developed for accelerating muons in a Neutrino Factory and a Muon Collider. It allows for efficient use of expensive RF while the multi-pass arc design based on linear combined-function magnets exhibits a number of advantages over separate-arc or pulsed-arc designs. Such an RLA may have applications going beyond muon acceleration. This paper describes a possible straightforward test of this concept by scaling a GeV scale muon design for electrons. Scaling muon momenta by the muon-to-electron mass ratio leads to a scheme, in which a 4.5 MeV electron beam is injected at the middle of a 3 MeV/pass linac with two double-pass return arcs and is accelerated to 18 MeV in 4.5 passes. All spatial dimensions including the orbit distortion are scaled by a factor of 7.5, which arises from scaling the 200 MHz muon RF to a readily available at CEBAF 1.5 GHz. The footprint of a complete RLA fits in an area of 25 by 7 m. The scheme utilizes only fixed magnetic fields including injection and extraction. The hardware requirements are not very demanding, making it straightforward to implement. In this report, we have shown first of all that measuring the energy spectrum of the fast neutrons in the liquid scintillators allows one to distinguish the two chemical forms of plutonium. In addition, combining this information with the Feynman 2-neutron and 3-neutron correlations allows one to extract the {alpha}-ratio without explicitly knowing the multiplication. Given the {alpha}-ratio one can then extract the multiplication as well as the {sup 239}Pu and {sup 240}Pu masses directly from the moment equations.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Additive Manufacturing: Assessing Metal Powder Quality Through Characterizing Feedstock and Contaminants

The quality of powder feedstock for additive manufacturing (AM) metal powder bed fusion methods can significantly affect the quality of parts built from it. Particle size distribution (PSD) and shape factors influence flowability as well as the thickness and uniformity of each powder layer in the build box. For high-performance applications such as aerospace, medical, power generation and military, it becomes important to identify critical additional factors: the types, numbers and sizes of particulate contaminants that may be present in the powder. This is true for virgin, used and blended powders. Contaminants may be introduced during powder manufacture (e.g., ceramic insulation fragments from gas atomization equipment), handling (building insulation, talc) or possibly during the build process itself. Contaminants contained within a batch of powder can be physically built into an additive part when they are incorporated into the melt pool, and they can remain as discrete particulates or non-fused interfaces that act as stress concentrators. Their presence may decrease fatigue life by increasing the likelihood of fatigue crack initiation. This article describes three methods to rapidly and quantifiably characterize powder feedstock. (1) Computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy (CCSEM) provides quantitative size and shape parameters, as well as fine surface details from individual images on a particle-by-particle basis in large populations of powder. (2) Energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) can be included, providing insights into variations within a batch of powder, as well as contaminant compositions. (3) For critical applications, the heavy liquid separation (HLS) method physically extracts low-density contaminants from a sample of powder metal down to part-per-billion detection limits to allow direct examination of contaminants and enhance identification and prevention of their sources. Altogether, these methods permit direct comparisons among powder metal samples. Better quantification of powder characteristics aids determination of suitability for end uses.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Porous Plug Phase Separator and Superfluid Film Flow Suppression System for the Soft X-Ray Spectrometer Onboard Hitomi

When using superfluid helium in low gravity environments, porous plug phase separators are commonly used to vent boiloff gas while confining the bulk liquid to the tank. Invariably, there is a flow of superfluid film from the perimeter of the porous plug down the vent line. For the Soft X-ray Spectrometer onboard ASTRO-H (Hitomi), its approximately 30-liter helium supply has a lifetime requirement of more than 3 years. A nominal vent rate is estimated as ~ 30 ug/s, equivalent to ~ 0.7 mW heat load. It is therefore critical to suppress any film flow whose evaporation would not provide direct cooling of the remaining liquid helium. That is, the porous plug vent system must be designed to both minimize film flow and to ensure maximum extraction of latent heat from the film. The design goal for Hitomi is to reduce the film flow losses to <2 ug/s, corresponding to a loss of cooling capacity of <40 uW. The design adopts the same general design as implemented for Astro-E and E2, using a vent system composed of a porous plug, combined with an orifice, a heat exchanger, and knife-edge devices. In this paper, design, on-ground testing results and in-orbit performance are described.

Porous↗

Measurement of the t-dependence of the Beam Asymmetry of Photoproduced eta at the GlueX Experiment at Jefferson Lab

We report on the photoproduction of eta mesons studied at the GlueX experiment at Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory in Newport News, VA. A linearly polarized photon beam at energies between 8.2 and 8.8 GeV, incident on a liquid hydrogen target, produces eta dominantly through t-channel exchanges. Azimuthal angular distributions of the eta, for the direction of the polarized photon, facilitate the extraction of the beam asymmetry Sigma for the reaction gamma p -> eta p. We can understand the production mechanisms of the eta by analyzing Sigma_eta, which is sensitive to the particles exchanged. Compared to previous GlueX results [[4],[17]], we have access to five times the statistics, thereby allowing us to extend these measurements to values beyond the previous limitation of -t lte 1.1 (GeV)2. Results will be shown for events reconstructed from the decay of eta -> gamma gamma and eta -> pi^+ pi^- pi^0 Systematic checks are also made for the neutral mode decay to confirm the stability of the extracted results. We find through data binned up to a momentum transfer of 2.0 (GeV)2 that the photoproduction of eta at these beam energies is largely carried out by natural processes, with a preliminary comparison with the photoproduction of eta' suggesting possible strangeness exchanges at wider kinematic regions.

Erbora, Tolga↗

Direct analysis of organic priority pollutants by IMS

Many routine methods for monitoring of trace amounts of atmospheric organic pollutants consist of several steps. Typical steps are: (1) collection of the air sample; (2) trapping of organics from the sample; (3) extraction of the trapped organics; and (4) identification of the organics in the extract by GC (gas chromatography), HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography), or MS (Mass Spectrometry). These methods are often cumbersome and time consuming. A simple and fast method for monitoring atmospheric organics using an IMS (Ion Mobility Spectrometer) is proposed. This method has a short sampling time and does not require extraction of the organics since the sample is placed directly in the IMS. The purpose of this study was to determine the responses in the IMS to organic 'priority pollutants'. Priority pollutants including representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, phenols, chlorinated pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) were analyzed in both the positive and negative detection mode at ambient atmospheric pressure. Detection mode and amount detected are presented.

Giam, C. S.↗

Preparation of High Purity, High Molecular-Weight Chitin from Ionic Liquids for Use as an Adsorbate for the Extraction of Uranium from Seawater

Ensuring a domestic supply of uranium is a key issue facing the wider implementation of nuclear power. Uranium is mostly mined in Kazakhstan, Australia, and Canada, and there are few high-grade uranium reserves left worldwide. Therefore, one of the most appealing potential sources of uranium is the vast quantity dissolved in the oceans (estimated to be 4.4 billion tons worldwide). There have been research efforts centered on finding a means to extract uranium from seawater for decades, but so far none have resulted in an economically viable product, due in part to the fact that the materials that have been successfully demonstrated to date are too costly (in terms of money and energy) to produce on the necessary scale. Ionic Liquids (salts which melt below 100{degrees}C) can completely dissolve raw crustacean shells, leading to recovery of a high purity, high molecular weight chitin powder and to fibers and films which can be spun directly from the extract solution suggesting that continuous processing might be feasible. The work proposed here will utilize the unprecedented control this makes possible over the chitin fiber a) to prepare electrospun nanofibers of very high surface area and in specific architectures, b) to modify the fiber surfaces chemically with selective extractant capacity, and c) to demonstrate their utility in the direct extraction and recovery of uranium from seawater. This approach will 1) provide direct extraction of chitin from shellfish waste thus saving energy over the current industrial process for obtaining chitin; 2) allow continuous processing of nanofibers for very high surface area fibers in an economical operation; 3) provide a unique high molecular weight chitin not available from the current industrial process, leading to stronger, more durable fibers; and 4) allow easy chemical modification of the large surface areas of the fibers for appending uranyl selective functionality providing selectivity and ease of stripping. The resulting sorbent should prove economically feasible, as well as providing an overall net energy gain.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

CONTRIBUTING TO THE DISCUSSIONS ON THE FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS AND COMPLEXITIES OF TALSPEAK CHEMISTRY

When liquid-liquid distribution of lanthanides was monitored at Talspeak-related conditions a characteristic drop in the extraction efficiency was observed at high lactate concentrations. The lactate dependency trend also appears to be directly affected by the increasing complexity of the non-aqueous environment. Some considerations of the non-ideal solution behavior in aqueous and organic environment are presented here in an attempt to explain the observed metal partitioning trends. While the mechanism of metal ion phase transfer appears to adhere to the conventional thermodynamic struggle between HDEHP and DTPA, the diminished metal distribution and suppressed slopes for the extractant dependencies suggest further build-up in the complexity of the non-aqueous environment in Talspeak systems.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Final Report for the Project Characterization and Valorization of Aqueous Phases Derived from Liquefaction and Upgrading of Bio-Oils

The Characterization and Valorization of Aqueous Phases Derived from Liquefaction and Upgrading of Bio-Oils project developed processes to extract value from the organics within aqueous streams derived from biomass direct liquefaction processes. The focus of the project was twofold. First, we characterized a diverse set of aqueous streams from numerous processes and feedstocks. The characterization effort served to inform this project toward development around the most prevalent compounds to maximize versatility and impact. We analyzed diverse streams from hydrothermal liquefaction of lignocellulosic, algal, and waste feedstocks; catalytic fast-pyrolysis aqueous phases; fast-pyrolysis aqueous phases; and aqueous phases produced by hydroprocessing of fast-pyrolysis bio-oil. Second, thermochemical catalytic processes were developed to convert aqueous-phase organics into useful products. These processes focused mostly on organic acids and specifically acetic acid, which was found to be ubiquitous from the characterization effort. A La x Zr y O z catalyst was discovered and developed for the ketonization of acids to ketones in the condensed aqueous phase. A dual-bed steam reforming process was developed to convert acids and other organics to hydrogen for bio-oil hydroprocessing. The dual-bed reforming process consisted of a ketonization step followed by a steam reforming step with Co as the active metal. The dual-bed process significantly reduced the rate of coke deposition versus direct steam reforming of the organic acids and beneficially produced CH 4 below the equilibrium value. Finally, we demonstrated direct conversion of aqueous-phase organics to olefins over a Zn x Zr y O z catalyst. Each thermochemical catalytic process was demonstrated with process-derived aqueous mixtures. Model compounds were used to benchmark performance and optimize conditions, but emphasis was placed on utilizing “real” aqueous streams whenever possible. A liquid-liquid extraction process using methyl tert-butyl ether as the solvent was developed to segregate dissolved inorganic species and sugars from desirable light oxygenates such as acids and alcohols. Furthermore, a carbon treatment to remove color bodies was employed after it was found the presumably heavy organic chromophore species deactivated catalysts. These economic separation processes allowed for the successful demonstration of stable catalytic processing in the condensed-phase ketonization, dual-bed reforming, and direct olefin production processes for tens to hundreds of hours, which were limited only by the quantity of feed available. Techno-economic analysis of these processes demonstrated the impact possible when capturing “waste” organics as valuable products. The condensed-phase ketonization process for converting aqueous stream acids to ketones followed by reduction and dehydration to olefins sold as a co-product resulted in the reduction of the minimum fuel selling price by about 13% compared to the anaerobic-digestion, aqueous-phase treatment base case (3.74 to 4.29/GGE). The dual-bed reforming process was commensurate in price to the anaerobic digestion base case (4.24 versus 4.29/GGE). However, the need for external natural gas to produce hydrogen for bio-oil hydroprocessing was eliminated, thereby lowering the carbon impact of the process.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Ultrahigh performance LC/FT-MS non-targeted screening for biomass burning organic aerosol with MZmine2 and MFAssignR

In recent years, ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography Fourier transform mass spectrometry (LC/FT-MS) based non-targeted screening (NTS) methods have become increasingly popular for comprehensive analysis of complex organic mixtures. However, applying these methods for environmental complex mixture analysis is challenging due to the extreme complexity of natural samples and a lack of standard samples or surrogates for environmental complex mixtures. Furthermore, limited molecular markers in the databases and insufficient data processing software workflows make the application of these methods more challenging for environmental complex mixtures. In this work, we implement a new NTS data processing workflow to process data collected from ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography and Fourier transform Orbitrap Elite Mass Spectrometry (LC/FT-MS) by combining MZmine2 and MFAssignR, two opensource data processing tools and commercial Mesquite liquid smoke as a surrogate for biomass burning organic aerosol. MZmine2.53 data extraction followed MFAssignR molecular formula assignment offered noise free and highly accurate 1733 individual molecular formulas presented in liquid smoke with 4906 molecular species, including isomers. The results of this new approach were consistent with the results of direct infusion FT-MS analysis confirming its reliability. Over 90% of the molecular formulas presented in mesquite liquid smoke were matched with the molecular formulas of ambient biomass burning organic aerosol. This suggests the potential use of commercial liquid smoke as a surrogate for biomass burning organic aerosol research. Furthermore, the presented method significantly improves the identification of the molecular composition of biomass burning organic aerosol by successfully addressing some of the limitations related to the data analysis and giving a semi quantitative insight into the analysis.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Alpha Radiation Studies and Related Backgrounds in the DarkSide-50 Detector

DarkSide-50 is the current phase of the DarkSide direct dark matter search pro- gram, operating underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The detector is a dual-phase argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC), designed for direct detection of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), and housed within a veto system of liquid scintillator and water Cherenkov detectors. Since switching to a target of low radioactivity argon extracted from underground sources in April 2015, the background is no longer dominated by naturally occurring $^{39}$Ar. However, alpha backgrounds from radon and its daughters remain, both from the liquid argon bulk and internal detector surfaces. In some cases, the alpha events are a dangerous background in need of mitigation. In others, the alpha events can be used as a tool to deepen our understanding of our detector. We present here several analyses of alpha events in DarkSide-50. An analysis of radon-polonium coincidences is perfo rmed, yielding measurements of ion mobility and charged daughter fraction in liquid argon. These coincidences are also used to place upper limits on XY-resolution and liquid argon motion in the detector. A method for simulating the degraded energy spectra from $^{210}$Po events traveling through surface materials is presented and compared with data from DarkSide-50. Lastly, a pileup background created by the accidental coincidence of scintillation-only $^{210}$Po surface events with random ionization-like pulses is thoroughly discussed. The estimation of this background and its mitigation informed the recent WIMP search analysis performed with 532 live-days of DarkSide-50 data.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Prompt directional detection of galactic supernova by combining large liquid scintillator neutrino detectors

Core-collapse supernovae produce an intense burst of electron antineutrinos in the few-tens-of-MeV range. Several Large Liquid Scintillator-based Detectors (LLSD) are currently operated worldwide, being very effective for low energy antineutrino detection through the Inverse Beta Decay (IBD) process. In this article, we develop a procedure for the prompt extraction of the supernova location by revisiting the details of IBD kinematics over the broad energy range of supernova neutrinos. Combining all current scintillator-based detector, we show that one can locate a canonical supernova at 10 kpc with an accuracy of 45 degrees (68% C.L.). After the addition of the next generation of scintillator-based detectors, the accuracy could reach 12 degrees (68% C.L.), therefore reaching the performances of the large water Čerenkov neutrino detectors. We also discuss a possible improvement of the SuperNova Early Warning System (SNEWS) inter-experiment network with the implementation of a directionality information in each experiment. Finally, we discuss the possibility to constrain the neutrino energy spectrum as well as the mass of the newly born neutron star with the LLSD data.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis (LESA) Electron-Induced Dissociation and Collision-Induced Dissociation Mass Spectrometry of Small Molecule Drug Compounds

Here, we present liquid extraction surface analysis (LESA) coupled with electron-induced dissociation (EID) mass spectrometry in a Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer for the analysis of small organic pharmaceutical compounds directly from dosed tissue. First, the direct infusion electrospray ionisation EID and collision-induced dissociation (CID) behaviour of erlotinib, moxifloxacin, clozapine and olanzapine standards were compared. EID mass spectra were also compared with experimental or reference electron impact ionisation mass spectra. The results show that (with the exception of erlotinib) EID and CID result in complementary fragment ions. Subsequently, we performed LESA EID MS/MS and LESA CID MS/MS on singly charged ions of moxifloxacin and erlotinib extracted from a thin tissue section of rat kidney from a cassette-dosed animal. Both techniques provided structural information, with the majority of peaks observed for the drug standards also observed for the tissue-extracted species. Overall, these results demonstrate the feasibility of LESA EID MS/MS of drug compounds from dosed tissue and extend the number of molecular structures for which EID behaviour has been determined. .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

110th Anniversary: High-Molecular-Weight Chitin and Cellulose Hydrogels from Biomass in Ionic Liquids without Chemical Crosslinking

In this work, cellulose, chitin, and composite 3D hydrogels and membranes were fabricated without any chemical modification from high-molecular-weight chitin and cellulose-rich material (CRM) extracted from shrimp shell or pine wood, respectively, using the ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C 2 mim][OAc]). The hydrogels were prepared by redissolution of the extracted biopolymers in the same IL, or in a one-pot process directly from a solution of the biomass after extraction, followed by molding/gelation (“3D gels”) or casting (membranes), and then washing. For comparison, the preparation of gels was attempted using commercial microcrystalline cellulose or chitin. From all of the sources, the regenerated CRM or chitin required significantly lower load. Hydrogels were also converted to aerogels via transformation to alcogels and then Sc-CO 2 drying, giving materials of low density, high porosity, favorable compressibility, high water uptake, and moderate antioxidant activity. Air-dried membranes were dense, of high tensile strength, and exhibited high water-vapor transmission.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Uncertainty of Passive Imager Cloud Optical Property Retrievals to Instrument Radiometry and Model Assumptions: Examples from MODIS

The optical and microphysical structure of clouds is of fundamental importance for understanding a variety of cloud radiation and precipitation processes. With the advent of MODIS on the NASA EOS Terra and Aqua platforms, simultaneous global-daily 1 km retrievals of cloud optical thickness (COT) and effective particle radius (CER) are provided, as well as the derived water path (WP). The cloud product (MOD06/MYD06 for MODIS Terra and Aqua, respectively) provides separate retrieval datasets for various two-channel retrievals, typically a VISNIR channel paired with a 1.6, 2.1, and 3.7 m spectral channel. The MOD06 forward model is derived from on a homogeneous plane-parallel cloud. In Collection 5 processing (completed in 2007 with a modified Collection 5.1 completed in 2010), pixel-level retrieval uncertainties were calculated for the following non-3-D error sources: radiometry, surface spectral albedo, and atmospheric corrections associated with model analysis uncertainties (water vapor only). The latter error source includes error correlation across the retrieval spectral channels. Estimates of uncertainty in 1 aggregated (Level-3) means were also provided assuming unity correlation between error sources for all pixels in a grid for a single day, and zero correlation of error sources from one day to the next. I n Collection 6 (expected to begin in late summer 2013) we expanded the uncertainty analysis to include: (a) scene-dependent calibration uncertainty that depends on new band and detector-specific Level 1B uncertainties, (b) new model error sources derived from the look-up tables which includes sensitivities associated with wind direction over the ocean and uncertainties in liquid water and ice effective variance, (c) thermal emission uncertainties in the 3.7 m band associated with cloud and surface temperatures that are needed to extract reflected solar radiation from the total radiance signal, (d) uncertainty in the solar spectral irradiance at 3.7 m, and (e) addition of stratospheric ozone uncertainty in visible atmospheric corrections. A summary of the approach and example Collection 6 results will be shown.

Cloud Properties Observations↗

Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS)-Based Shotgun Lipidomics

In the past decade, many new strategies for mass spectrometry (MS)-based analyses of lipids have been developed. Lipidomics is one of the most promising research fields to emerge as a result of these advances in MS. Currently, mass spectrometric analysis of lipids involves two complementary approaches: direct infusion (shotgun lipidomics) and liquid chromatography coupled to MS. In this chapter, I will demonstrate the approach of shotgun lipidomics using electrospray ionization tandem MS for the analysis of lipid molecular species directly from crude biological extracts of tissue or fluids.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

The separation of lanthanides and actinides in supercritical fluid carbon dioxide

Supercritical fluid carbon dioxide presents an attractive alternative to conventional solvents for recovery of the actinides and lanthanides. Carbon dioxide is a good solvent for fluorine and phosphate-containing ligands, including the traditional tributylphosphate ligand used in process-scale uranium separations. Actinide and lanthanide oxides may even be directly dissolved in carbon dioxide containing the complexes formed between these ligands and mineral acids, obviating the need for large volumes of acids for leaching and dissolution, and the corresponding organic liquid–liquid solvent extraction solutions. As a result, examples of the application of this novel technology for actinide and lanthanide separations are presented.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Electron extraction efficiency study for dual-phase xenon dark matter experiments

Dual-phase xenon detectors are widely used in dark matter direct detection experiments, and have demonstrated the highest sensitivities to a variety of dark matter interactions. However, a key component of the dual-phase detector technology—the efficiency of charge extraction from liquid xenon into gas—has not been well characterized. We report a new measurement of the electron extraction efficiency (EEE) in a small xenon detector using two monoenergetic decay features of $^{37}\mathrm{Ar}$. By achieving stable operation at very high voltages, we measured the EEE values at the highest extraction electric field strength reported to date. For the first time, an apparent saturation of the EEE is observed over a large range of electric field; between 7.5 and $10.4\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{kV}/\mathrm{cm}$ extraction field in the liquid xenon the EEE stays stable at the level of 1% $(\mathrm{kV}/\mathrm{cm}{)}^{{-}1}$. In the context of electron transport models developed for xenon, we discuss how the observed saturation may help calibrate this relative EEE measurement to the absolute EEE values. In addition, we present the implications of this result not only to current and future xenon-based dark matter searches, but also to xenon-based searches for coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scatters.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Test Would Quantify Combustion Oxygen From Different Sources

Proposed isotope-enrichment scheme enables determination of contributions of dual sources of oxygen for combustion. Liquid oxygen or other artificial stream enriched with O(18) to about 1 percent by weight. Combustion products analyzed by mass spectrometer to measure relative abundances of H2O(18) and H2O(16). From relative abundances of water products measured, one computes relative contribution of oxygen extracted from stream compared to other source of oxygen in combustion process. Used to determine contributions of natural oxygen in air and liquid oxygen supplied in separate stream mixed with air or sent directly into combustion chamber.

Tapphorn, Ralph M.↗