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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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68 records · Page 4

Fiber Optic Sensing Technologies for Battery Management Systems and Energy Storage Applications

Applications of fiber optic sensors to battery monitoring have been increasing due to the growing need of enhanced battery management systems with accurate state estimations. The goal of this review is to discuss the advancements enabling the practical implementation of battery internal parameter measurements including local temperature, strain, pressure, and refractive index for general operation, as well as the external measurements such as temperature gradients and vent gas sensing for thermal runaway imminent detection. A reasonable matching is discussed between fiber optic sensors of different range capabilities with battery systems of three levels of scales, namely electric vehicle and heavy-duty electric truck battery packs, and grid-scale battery systems. The advantages of fiber optic sensors over electrical sensors are discussed, while electrochemical stability issues of fiber-implanted batteries are critically assessed. This review also includes the estimated sensing system costs for typical fiber optic sensors and identifies the high interrogation cost as one of the limitations in their practical deployment into batteries. Finally, future perspectives are considered in the implementation of fiber optics into high-value battery applications such as grid-scale energy storage fault detection and prediction systems.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

High-fidelity wave data from MarineLabs CoastScout™ buoys supporting WEC demonstration at Scripps Pier

Two MarineLabs CoastScout™ buoys were deployed off La Jolla, California in February 2020 to provide high-resolution wave elevation time series data in support of CalWave Power Technologies’ XWave WEC deployment. The buoys are positioned approximately 300m from a longterm wave monitoring station operated by the Coastal Data Information Program. Both CoastScout hull types showed excellent agreement with the reference Datawell Directional Waverider MkIII (Hs r 2 =0.94, m0 r 2 =0.88). The CoastScout buoys maintained 100% uptime throughout an initial 6- month intercomparison period. CalWave used 5-Hz wave train data from this period to drive physical hardware-in-the-loop tests of the XWave power take-off. Throughout the deployment, the CoastScout buoys will provide near-real-time bulk wave parameters to help CalWave operators safely and efficiently operate the WEC. In post-processing, high-fidelity wave resolution will be used to associate individual waves with onboard measurements from Fiber Bragg Grating strain gauges and external pressure sensors.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Mechanical Comparison of Short Models of Nb$_3$ Sn Low-$\beta$ Quadrupole for the Hi-Lumi LHC

MQXF is the Nb 3 Sn Low-β quadrupole magnet that the HL-LHC project is planning to install in the LHC interaction regions in 2026 to increase the LHC integrated luminosity. The magnet will be fabricated in two different lengths: 4.2 m for MQXFA, built in the US by the Accelerator Upgrade Project (AUP), and 7.15 m for MQXFB, fabricated by CERN. In order to qualify the magnet design and characterize its performance with different conductors, cable geometries and pre-load configurations, five short model magnets, called MQXFS, were fabricated, assembled and tested. We compare the mechanical behavior of short model magnets using experimental data and new numerical models that take into account the measured coil sizes as a function of position.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Minimization of Measurement Uncertainty in Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry

Optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) is a technique for interrogating optical fiber sensors to generate relative, quasi-distributed measurements. Although Optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) is increasingly being adopted for aerospace, energy production, and structural monitoring applications, the quantification of uncertainty for OFDR measurements has not been developed beyond sparse empirical relationships. To address this knowledge gap, an uncertainty metric for OFDR measurements was developed. This uncertainty metric was applied to weight the edges between OFDR measurements on directed correlation graphs and analyzed to minimize the cumulative uncertainty. In conclusion, this work is the first to propose an uncertainty metric for OFDR and provides a generalized mathematical framework for optimizing OFDR hardware selection, optical fiber sensor selection, and postprocessing strategy.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Light Propagation Considerations For Internally Clad Sapphire Optical Fiber Using the 6Li(n,)3H Reaction

Optical frequency domain reflectometry measurements in internally clad single crystal sapphire fiber have received attention in recent years due to their high temperature distributed sensing potential. As work with these fibers has proceeded, there have been some inconsistencies in the results. Deeper investigation and testing has identified two critical considerations for the proper functioning of these fibers. First, users must address the propagation of multimode light along the outer surface of the fiber. Here, by observing the far-field image of an internally clad sapphire fiber when adding index matching fluid to the outer fiber surface, we demonstrate the effects of removing the higher order modes from these fibers. The addition of index matching fluid resulted in nearly single mode performance where multimode performance was previously observed. Second, users must address the effect that coupling the fiber to the interrogator via silica based fiber has on the internally clad sapphire fibers performance. Direct fusion splicing of silica to sapphire, as has been used in the recent work with these fibers, has a mode filtering effect which can be beneficial towards the modal behavior of the fibers. However, in this paper we demonstrate that the splicing can cause a sensing failure due to little or no low order mode light, that is useful for sensing, returning to the detector. The positive results from recent years have demonstrated that optical frequency domain reflectometry sensing performance will be successful in clad sapphire fiber; but only when the considerations described herein are addressed properly.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Magnetic Field Sensing via Multi-Material Acoustic Sensing Optical Fibers with Magnetostrictive Cladding Inclusions

In this conducted research, optical fiber sensors are used to measure low strength alternating magnetic fields. Various fiber sensor configurations are tested and investigated to demonstrate sensing capabilities at different field magnitudes and frequencies. Distributed acoustic sensing fibers (DAS) have been largely studied and documented across a variety of applications and sensing systems. This research uses the DAS technology in tandem with magnetostrictive materials to create a distributed multi-material optical fiber magnetic sensor. Magnetic sensing has high demand across different fields and often runs into challenges of extreme environments including high temperature, corrosion, and areas with poor accessibility. The robust and distributed nature of optical fiber sensors which can be cheaply produced for long lengths is an attractive option over other single point magnetic sensors. In down hole applications specifically, having a distributed sensor able to be deployed easily and over long distances for magnetic sensing would be a large improvement to bulkier traditional magnetometers. In the conducted study, different magnetostrictive materials are implemented in distributed optical fiber sensors to analyze and compare the effective sensitivity and potential commercial viability. Nickel, galfenol alloy, and MetGlas alloy inclusions are drawn into fused silica optical fibers with Bragg gratings inscribed later on for DAS capability. Each was investigated for its response to varying AC magnetic fields to determine relative sensitivity and resolution for distributed magnetic field sensing.

Dejneka, Zach↗

Enhanced backscatter and unsaturated blue wavelength shifts in F-doped fused silica optical fibers exposed to extreme neutron radiation damage

Amorphous fused silica (a-SiO 2 ) optical fibers, with and without inscribed Bragg gratings, were interrogated using infrared (~1550 nm) optical backscatter reflectometry during ~25 days of intense neutron irradiation to a fast (energy > 0.1 MeV) neutron fluence of ~10 21 n/cm 2 , or ~1.5 atomic displacements per atom. The reflected light amplitudes in Ge-doped core telecommunications fiber dropped below detection limits (>15 dB attenuation) within 3 days of irradiation (~10 20 fast n/cm 2 ). Here, amplitudes from a pure silica core, F-doped silica cladding fiber reached equilibrium levels ~1.5–2 dB higher than pre-irradiation values, whereas Bragg gratings inscribed in the same fiber using a femtosecond laser (point-by-point method) suffered > 45 dB attenuation. Blue wavelength shifts were initially consistent with previous radiation-induced compaction models but increased linearly with increasing neutron fluence (no evidence of saturation) beyond 10 20 n/cm 2 and exceeded 0.6%, which corresponds to >1,000 °C drift if used to measure temperature changes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Optical transmission and dimensional stability of single-crystal sapphire after high-dose neutron irradiation at various temperatures up to 688 °C

The use of single-crystal sapphire optical fibers has been considered to extend fiber-optic sensing to the extreme temperature (>1000 °C) environments encountered in nuclear applications. However, before these sapphire fiber–based sensors can be deployed, their optical transmission and dimensional stability (which impacts drift of some sensors) must be characterized under representative testing conditions. Data regarding the optical transmission of sapphire following high-dose neutron irradiation at temperatures >100 °C is extremely limited. This work provides measurements of optical density (i.e., attenuation) and directional dimensional changes in bulk single-crystal sapphire materials irradiated to a fast neutron fluence of 2.4 × 10 21 n/cm 2 (3.5 displacements per atom) at temperatures ranging from 95 to 688 °C. Optical density measured after irradiation at 95 and 298 °C showed ultraviolet and visible absorption bands corresponding to known defect centers and temperature trends that were generally consistent with previous ex situ and in situ measurements made at much lower neutron fluence. However, optical density measured after irradiation at 688 °C was as much as two orders of magnitude higher, indicating that the fundamental mechanism for radiation-induced attenuation changes at this irradiation temperature. Additional analysis and comparison with previous works suggest that the attenuation may result from void formation, leading to increased Rayleigh scattering losses in the material and increased swelling that would also result in drift of Bragg grating-based sensors in sapphire fibers. These results pose serious questions regarding the feasibility of sapphire fiber–based sensors for high-temperature nuclear applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

An Adaptive Reference Scheme to Extend the Functional Range of Optical Backscatter Reflectometry in Extreme Environments

Optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) measurements are performed by recording the interference pattern of light backscattered by density fluctuations or Bragg gratings along the length of an optical fiber. Changes in local temperature or strain in the fiber cause shifts in the backscattered light spectrum, which can be calibrated to the applied temperature or strain. Comparing the backscattered optical spectra from each reflection site with a reference (unstrained) spectrum allows for quantification of local spectral shifts. While mature OFDR-based technologies can provide high-precision spatially distributed measurements over kilometer lengths, the post-processing approaches used to recover spectral shifts from raw optical intensity data can limit the use of OFDR in harsh environments. This paper presents a novel approach to post-processing OFDR data which extends the usability of optical fibers exposed to harsh environments. This approach is the first to use the spectral shift quality, calculated for two OFDR measurements, to identify an appropriate reference scan from which the spectral shift can be determined. Here, three experimental data sets are used to test the algorithm: (1) an optical fiber heated to >950°C, (2) an aluminum-embedded optical fiber under strain from differential thermal expansion, and (3) an optical fiber exposed to a total neutron flux of 2×10 13 n/cm 2 /s over 40 hours in a nuclear test reactor. Results show that using a metric of quality to select an appropriate reference measurement extends the functional range of OFDR strain and temperature sensors. Furthermore, this algorithm can be applied to existing OFDR data.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Spatiotemporal Bragg gratings forming inside a nonlinear dispersive medium

We show that a spatiotemporal Bragg grating can be created inside a nonlinear dispersive medium (such as silica fibers) by launching a periodic train of pump pulses that travel as fundamental solitons. We develop a theoretical model and use it to find the band structure of such gratings. We study the interaction of a probe pulse with the Bragg grating, both within and outside of momentum gaps. We also show that a photonic analog of the Anderson localization is possible when a disorder is introduced into a spatiotemporal Bragg grating.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Extending the operation range of a phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometer by using fibre with chirped Bragg gratings

>A record long external-disturbance detection distance of 140 km without employing optical amplifiers in the fibre line is demonstrated by a phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometer (Φ-OTDR) using a fibre section with inscribed chirped fibre Bragg gratings (CFBGs). This solution provides simultaneous operation of Φ-OTDR with a standard single-mode fibre at a distance of up to 100 km and with a CFBG fibre section located from the fibre line input point by at least 140 km. (paper)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Seven-core fibre Raman laser with intercore coupling

This paper reports results of a study aimed at producing a Raman fibre laser based on a multicore fibre with high-reflectivity fibre Bragg gratings inscribed in its peripheral cores using femtosecond laser pulses. We present spectral and power characteristics of a Raman laser whose output power at a wavelength of 1090 nm is 2.5 W. The laser emission linewidth has been shown to decrease as a result of the reduction in nonlinear effects owing to the larger effective mode area in the multicore fibre in comparison with a standard single-mode fibre Raman laser. (paper)

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗