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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 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Simplified technique for remote monitoring of deflection in arch structures

This article describes a simplified technique to measure the vertical deflection of masonry arches in the presence of horizontal movements. One-dimensional laser Doppler vibrometer was utilized to measure the vertical displacement of the arch. A flat steel plate was mounted on the top surface of the arch crown to eliminate the measurement error due to the curvature of the arch. A reflective mirror was employed to guide the emitted laser beam normal to the surface of the steel plate. Vertical displacements recorded by laser Doppler vibrometer were compared to the readings of the mechanical dial gauge.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Co-Pyrolysis of Chicken and Cow Manure

Conventional pyrolysis is a relatively simple way for biochar production; however, a single biomass feedstock approach is not promising for the development of multiple properties of biochar used in various applications. Here, this study provides a detailed comparison in terms of pyrolysis kinetics between the cow manure and chicken manure, in addition to the co-pyrolysis by mixing the two livestock at different ratios. Eight different heating rates were tested, 5–40 °C/min with 5 °C/min step, on both livestock using the nitrogen as a gas agent with a flowrate of 50 ml/min. The initial results show that for the slow heating rates, 5 °C/min, the thermal degradation of the cow manure is different compared to that obtained from chicken manure. For the cow manure, the first peak, associated with hemicellulose decomposition, is higher than the second peak, associated with cellulose decomposition, which is the other way around for chicken manure. At 5 °C /min, the hemicellulose decomposition took place at 250 °C and 300 °C for the chicken manure and cow manure, respectively. The cellulose decomposition was started at 300 °C for chicken manure and 470 °C for cow manure. The lowest heat rate was selected for the co-pyrolysis case study to allow a quasi-equilibrium state to avoid measurement errors and heat transfer limitation in terms of thermal lag. Co-pyrolysis is studied with different blend ratios between the chicken and cow manure, where the 40% cow manure shows a positive result in terms of keeping an exothermic reaction over the co-pyrolysis process.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Radiochromic EBT2 film dosimetry for low-energy protontherapy

Purpose: In protontherapy, accessories are used in order to adapt the beam to the surface and to the depth of the target. They are positioned close to the patient in order to avoid perturbation effects related to proton scattering. The level of contamination of the beam caused by these accessories may be assessed by examining the dose maps in parallel planes to the beam incidence. The EBT2 radiochromic film is a suitable tool for this task, as it can be cut into small pieces and immersed in water. Prior to use the EBT2 film for dose measurements, its response when exposed to a proton beam must be analysed. Methods: The measurements were performed at the Centre Antoine Lacassagne, using the hospital-based MEDICYC isochronous cyclotron which provides 65 MeV protons. Monoenergetic as well as polyenergetic beams were used. Small pieces of EBT2 films were irradiated with proton beams in a small water phantom. Films were exposed at various angles close to the beam incidence and received doses ranging from 0.25 to 500 Gy. The optical density (OD) was studied as a function of angle, dose and linear energy transfer (LET). Results: The effective atomic number of the active layer of the film is close to that of water which prevents disturbances of the measurement. However, the high density and the significant thickness of the Mylar substrate surrounding the active layer affect the use of the film in a parallel orientation to the beam. Therefore, the substrate layer may totally or partially slow down the protons. The measurement is then no longer representative to what happens in water. The measurement errors can be corrected by applying a tilt angle of at least 5 deg. between the film and the beam. The dose analysis reveals that the green channel is the most sensitive in the dose range from 1 to 100 Gy. The OD is accurately described by a Weibull function of the dose with four free parameters. The Weibull function is valid for both monoenergetic and polyenergetic beams if the LET is limited to values below 15 MeV g{sup -1} cm{sup 2}. When using a film orientation close to the beam incidence angle, increasing LET values are encountered throughout the film axis gradually with the protons slowing down in water. The EBT2 films show an underestimated response for higher LET values. The comparison of data from the present study to data obtained by other authors for EBT films allows modelling the underestimated response as a function of the LET. The definition improvement of the link between OD and LET requires to integrate more closely the beam energy characteristics. Conclusions: The EBT2 film is a suitable dosimeter for analysing dose plans in planes nearly parallel to the beam orientation by compensating the underestimated dose response due to LET.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

Establishing a standard calibration methodology for MOSFET detectors in computed tomography dosimetry

Purpose: The use of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) detectors for patient dosimetry has increased by {approx}25% since 2005. Despite this increase, no standard calibration methodology has been identified nor calibration uncertainty quantified for the use of MOSFET dosimetry in CT. This work compares three MOSFET calibration methodologies proposed in the literature, and additionally investigates questions relating to optimal time for signal equilibration and exposure levels for maximum calibration precision. Methods: The calibration methodologies tested were (1) free in-air (FIA) with radiographic x-ray tube, (2) FIA with stationary CT x-ray tube, and (3) within scatter phantom with rotational CT x-ray tube. Each calibration was performed at absorbed dose levels of 10, 23, and 35 mGy. Times of 0 min or 5 min were investigated for signal equilibration before or after signal read out. Results: Calibration precision was measured to be better than 5%-7%, 3%-5%, and 2%-4% for the 10, 23, and 35 mGy respective dose levels, and independent of calibration methodology. No correlation was demonstrated for precision and signal equilibration time when allowing 5 min before or after signal read out. Differences in average calibration coefficients were demonstrated between the FIA with CT calibration methodology 26.7 {+-} 1.1 mV cGy{sup -1} versus the CT scatter phantom 29.2 {+-} 1.0 mV cGy{sup -1} and FIA with x-ray 29.9 {+-} 1.1 mV cGy{sup -1} methodologies. A decrease in MOSFET sensitivity was seen at an average change in read out voltage of {approx}3000 mV. Conclusions: The best measured calibration precision was obtained by exposing the MOSFET detectors to 23 mGy. No signal equilibration time is necessary to improve calibration precision. A significant difference between calibration outcomes was demonstrated for FIA with CT compared to the other two methodologies. If the FIA with a CT calibration methodology was used to create calibration coefficients for the eventual use for phantom dosimetry, a measurement error {approx}12% will be reflected in the dosimetry results. The calibration process must emulate the eventual CT dosimetry process by matching or excluding scatter when calibrating the MOSFETs. Finally, the authors recommend that the MOSFETs are energy calibrated approximately every 2500-3000 mV.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Iterative image-domain decomposition for dual-energy CT

Purpose: Dual energy CT (DECT) imaging plays an important role in advanced imaging applications due to its capability of material decomposition. Direct decomposition via matrix inversion suffers from significant degradation of image signal-to-noise ratios, which reduces clinical values of DECT. Existing denoising algorithms achieve suboptimal performance since they suppress image noise either before or after the decomposition and do not fully explore the noise statistical properties of the decomposition process. In this work, the authors propose an iterative image-domain decomposition method for noise suppression in DECT, using the full variance-covariance matrix of the decomposed images. Methods: The proposed algorithm is formulated in the form of least-square estimation with smoothness regularization. Based on the design principles of a best linear unbiased estimator, the authors include the inverse of the estimated variance-covariance matrix of the decomposed images as the penalty weight in the least-square term. The regularization term enforces the image smoothness by calculating the square sum of neighboring pixel value differences. To retain the boundary sharpness of the decomposed images, the authors detect the edges in the CT images before decomposition. These edge pixels have small weights in the calculation of the regularization term. Distinct from the existing denoising algorithms applied on the images before or after decomposition, the method has an iterative process for noise suppression, with decomposition performed in each iteration. The authors implement the proposed algorithm using a standard conjugate gradient algorithm. The method performance is evaluated using an evaluation phantom (Catphan©600) and an anthropomorphic head phantom. The results are compared with those generated using direct matrix inversion with no noise suppression, a denoising method applied on the decomposed images, and an existing algorithm with similar formulation as the proposed method but with an edge-preserving regularization term. Results: On the Catphan phantom, the method maintains the same spatial resolution on the decomposed images as that of the CT images before decomposition (8 pairs/cm) while significantly reducing their noise standard deviation. Compared to that obtained by the direct matrix inversion, the noise standard deviation in the images decomposed by the proposed algorithm is reduced by over 98%. Without considering the noise correlation properties in the formulation, the denoising scheme degrades the spatial resolution to 6 pairs/cm for the same level of noise suppression. Compared to the edge-preserving algorithm, the method achieves better low-contrast detectability. A quantitative study is performed on the contrast-rod slice of Catphan phantom. The proposed method achieves lower electron density measurement error as compared to that by the direct matrix inversion, and significantly reduces the error variation by over 97%. On the head phantom, the method reduces the noise standard deviation of decomposed images by over 97% without blurring the sinus structures. Conclusions: The authors propose an iterative image-domain decomposition method for DECT. The method combines noise suppression and material decomposition into an iterative process and achieves both goals simultaneously. By exploring the full variance-covariance properties of the decomposed images and utilizing the edge predetection, the proposed algorithm shows superior performance on noise suppression with high image spatial resolution and low-contrast detectability.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

TU-F-18A-02: Iterative Image-Domain Decomposition for Dual-Energy CT

Purpose: Dual energy CT (DECT) imaging plays an important role in advanced imaging applications due to its material decomposition capability. Direct decomposition via matrix inversion suffers from significant degradation of image signal-to-noise ratios, which reduces clinical value. Existing de-noising algorithms achieve suboptimal performance since they suppress image noise either before or after the decomposition and do not fully explore the noise statistical properties of the decomposition process. We propose an iterative image-domain decomposition method for noise suppression in DECT, using the full variance-covariance matrix of the decomposed images. Methods: The proposed algorithm is formulated in the form of least-square estimation with smoothness regularization. It includes the inverse of the estimated variance-covariance matrix of the decomposed images as the penalty weight in the least-square term. Performance is evaluated using an evaluation phantom (Catphan 600) and an anthropomorphic head phantom. Results are compared to those generated using direct matrix inversion with no noise suppression, a de-noising method applied on the decomposed images, and an existing algorithm with similar formulation but with an edge-preserving regularization term. Results: On the Catphan phantom, our method retains the same spatial resolution as the CT images before decomposition while reducing the noise standard deviation of decomposed images by over 98%. The other methods either degrade spatial resolution or achieve less low-contrast detectability. Also, our method yields lower electron density measurement error than direct matrix inversion and reduces error variation by over 97%. On the head phantom, it reduces the noise standard deviation of decomposed images by over 97% without blurring the sinus structures. Conclusion: We propose an iterative image-domain decomposition method for DECT. The method combines noise suppression and material decomposition into an iterative process and achieves both goals simultaneously. The proposed algorithm shows superior performance on noise suppression with high image spatial resolution and low-contrast detectability. This work is supported by a Varian MRA grant.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

WE-A-17A-09: Exploiting Electromagnetic Technologies for Real-Time Seed Drop Position Validation in Permanent Implant Brachytherapy

Purpose: To report on preliminary results validating the performance of a specially designed LDR brachytherapy needle prototype possessing both electromagnetic (EM) tracking and seed drop detection abilities. Methods: An EM hollow needle prototype has been designed and constructed in collaboration with research partner Philips Healthcare. The needle possesses conventional 3D tracking capabilities, along with a novel seed drop detection mechanism exploiting local changes of electromagnetic properties generated by the passage of seeds in the needle's embedded sensor coils. These two capabilities are exploited by proprietary engineering and signal processing techniques to generate seed drop position estimates in real-time treatment delivery. The electromagnetic tracking system (EMTS) used for the experiment is the NDI Aurora Planar Field Generator. The experiment consisted of dropping a total of 35 seeds in a prismatic agarose phantom, and comparing the 3D seed drop positions of the EMTS to those obtained by an image analysis of subsequent micro-CT scans. Drop position error computations and statistical analysis were performed after a 3D registration of the two seed distributions. Results: Of the 35 seeds dropped in the phantom, 32 were properly detected by the needle prototype. Absolute drop position errors among the detected seeds ranged from 0.5 to 4.8 mm with mean and standard deviation values of 1.6 and 0.9 mm, respectively. Error measurements also include undesirable and uncontrollable effects such as seed motion upon deposition. The true accuracy performance of the needle prototype is therefore underestimated. Conclusion: This preliminary study demonstrates the potential benefits of EM technologies in detecting the passage of seeds in a hollow needle as a means of generating drop position estimates in real-time treatment delivery. Such tools could therefore represent a potentially interesting addition to existing brachytherapy protocols for rapid dosimetry validation. Equipments and fundings for this project were provided by Philips Medical.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Neutron lifetime measurement on setups with gravitational trap

Currently, the best accuracy of neutron lifetime measurements has been attained in the experiment with a gravitational trap for ultracold neutrons (UCNs), performed at the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (PNPI); the measured lifetime was 878.5 ± 0.8 s. A new setup with a big gravitational trap has been designed to continue the methods and approaches used in the previous experiment. It is planned to reduce the measurement error to 0.2 s, i.e., improve the existing accuracy by a factor of 4. The spectrometer was designed at PNPI and installed on the PF2/MAM beam at the Institute Laue–Langevin. Test experiments have been performed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Thermodynamic Functions and Electrical Resistivity of Fluid Lead in the Metal–Nonmetal Transition Range

A dynamic method is used to measure the thermodynamic functions and the electrical resistivity of fluid lead for a wide range of specific volume and pressure. The measurements errors have been reduced to a level comparable to those of stationary methods. It is found that the transition of the fluid from the metallic state to a nonmetallic state occurs when its specific volume increases 2.7 times relative to the normal value. In each individual experiment the transition occurred at almost a constant pressure, and was detected by the change in sign of the isochoric temperature coefficient of resistance determined for the entire series of the experiments. In the pressure range of 0.6–5 GPa, the specific volume at which the metal–nonmetal transition occurs is found to be independent of pressure, and therefore, the transition line is close to an isochore. For the whole range of states of fluid lead investigated here, the speed of sound and the Grüneisen coefficient have been determined.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Energy dependence of the cross sections for the e{sup +}e{sup –} → hadrons process near the production threshold for the NN̄ pair

The energy dependence of the cross sections for the processes e{sup +}e{sup −} → π{sup +}π{sup −}π{sup 0}, K{sup +}K{sup −}, ηπ{sup +}π{sup −}, ωπ{sub 0}, and K{sup +}K{sup −}π{sup +}π{sup −} is studied near the production threshold for a nucleon–antinucleon pair. It is shown that, within the measurement errors, the cross sections in question behave smoothly in this energy region.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Comparison of statistical and deterministic frameworks of uncertainty quantification

Two different approaches to the prediction problem are compared employing a realistic example— combustion of natural gas—with 102 uncertain parameters and 76 quantities of interests. One approach, termed bound-to-bound data collaboration (abbreviated to B2B), deploys semidefinite programming algorithms where the initial bounds on unknowns are combined with initial bounds of experimental data to produce new uncertainty bounds for the unknowns that are consistent with the data and, finally, deterministic uncertainty bounds for prediction in new settings. The other approach is statistical and Bayesian, referred to as BCP (for Bayesian calibration and prediction). It places prior distributions on the unknown parameters and on the parameters of the measurement error distributions and produces posterior distributions for model parameters and posterior distributions for model predictions in new settings. The predictions from the two approaches are consistent; a very large degree of overlap exists between B2B bounds and the support of the BCP predictive distribution. Interpretation and comparison of the results is closely connected with assumptions made about the model and experimental data and how they are used in both settings. As a result, the principal conclusion is that use of both methods protects against possible violations of assumptions in the BCP approach and conservative specifications and predictions using B2B.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Robust Optimal Experimental Design of Infinite-Dimensional Bayesian Nonlinear Inverse Problems

Abstract. We consider robust optimal experimental design (ROED) for nonlinear Bayesian inverse problems governed by partial differential equations (PDEs). An optimal design is one that maximizes some utility quantifying the quality of the solution of an inverse problem. However, the optimal design is dependent on elements of the inverse problem such as the simulation model, the prior, or the measurement error model. ROED aims to produce an optimal design that is aware of the additional uncertainties encoded in the inverse problem and remains optimal even after variations in them. We follow a worst-case scenario approach to develop a new framework for robust optimal design of nonlinear Bayesian inverse problems. The proposed framework (a) is scalable and designed for infinite-dimensional Bayesian nonlinear inverse problems constrained by PDEs; (b) develops efficient approximations of the utility, namely the expected information gain; (c) employs eigenvalue sensitivity techniques to develop analytical forms and efficient evaluation methods of the gradient of the utility with respect to the uncertainties against which we wish to be robust; and (d) employs a probabilistic optimization paradigm that properly defines and efficiently solves the resulting combinatorial max-min optimization problem. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated for optimal sensor placement problem in an inverse problem governed by an elliptic PDE.

Chowdhary, Abhijit↗
DOE OSTI2018

Testing Lithium-Ion Battery with the Internal Reference Electrode: An Insight into the Blocking Effect

Long-term stability of reference electrode is a major issue in lithium-ion batteries. A composite Ni-Li reference electrode (RE) with a longer lifetime than traditional Cu-wire Li reference electrodes is proposed in this study. However, the larger size of the Ni-Li RE creates a blocking effect when positioned internally in the battery. The blocking effect manifests as an abnormal feature in the measured electrode potential. A two-dimensional (2D) finite element model of the cell with an internal RE is constructed to investigate the mechanism of the blocking effect. The internal RE blocks the path of local current flow in the electrolyte, and decreases the electrochemical reaction rate of particles in the anode and cathode, leading to measurement errors. Characteristic lengths of RE and applied currents were examined as parameters in the finite element model to determine their effect on the magnitude of error. A useful guide is provided for proper selection of size of RE and applied current in dynamic tests of lithium-ion batteries.

2-D finite element model↗
DOE OSTI2013

Revisiting Statistical Aspects of Nuclear Material Accounting

Nuclear material accounting (NMA) is the only safeguards system whose benefits are routinely quantified. Process monitoring (PM) is another safeguards system that is increasingly used, and one challenge is how to quantify its benefit. This paper considers PM in the role of enabling frequent NMA, which is referred to as near-real-time accounting (NRTA). We quantify NRTA benefits using period-driven and data-driven testing. Period-driven testing makes a decision to alarm or not at fixed periods. Data-driven testing decides as the data arrives whether to alarm or continue testing. The difference between period-driven and datad-riven viewpoints is illustrated by using one-year and two-year periods. For both one-year and two-year periods, period-driven NMA using once-per-year cumulative material unaccounted for (CUMUF) testing is compared to more frequent Shewhart and joint sequential cusum testing using either MUF or standardized, independently transformed MUF (SITMUF) data. We show that the data-driven viewpoint is appropriate for NRTA and that it can be used to compare safeguards effectiveness. In addition to providing period-driven and data-driven viewpoints, new features include assessing the impact of uncertainty in the estimated covariance matrix of the MUF sequence and the impact of both random and systematic measurement errors.

Burr, T.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Advanced Computational Framework for Environmental Management ZEM, Version 1.x

Typically environmental management problems require analysis of large and complex data sets originating from concurrent data streams with different data collection frequencies and pedigree. These big data sets require on-the-fly integration into a series of models with different complexity for various types of model analyses where the data are applied as soft and hard model constraints. This is needed to provide fast iterative model analyses based on the latest available data to guide decision-making. Furthermore, the data and model are associated with uncertainties. The uncertainties are probabilistic (e.g. measurement errors) and non-probabilistic (unknowns, e.g. alternative conceptual models characterizing site conditions). To address all of these issues, we have developed an integrated framework for real-time data and model analyses for environmental decision-making called ZEM. The framework allows for seamless and on-the-fly integration of data and modeling results for robust and scientifically-defensible decision-making applying advanced decision analyses tools such as Bayesian- Information-Gap Decision Theory (BIG-DT). The framework also includes advanced methods for optimization that are capable of dealing with a large number of unknown model parameters, and surrogate (reduced order) modeling capabilities based on support vector regression techniques. The framework is coded in Julia, a state-of-the-art high-performance programing language (http://julialang.org). The ZEM framework is open-source and can be applied to any environmental management site. The framework will be open-source and released under GPL V3 license.

Vesselinov, VelimirV.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Lipid Informed Quantitation and Identification

LIQUID (Lipid Informed Quantitation and Identification) is a software program that has been developed to enable users to conduct both informed and high-throughput global liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based lipidomics analysis. This newly designed desktop application can quickly identify and quantify lipids from LC-MS/MS datasets while providing a friendly graphical user interface for users to fully explore the data. Informed data analysis simply involves the user specifying an electrospray ionization mode, lipid common name (i.e. PE(16:0/18:2)), and associated charge carrier. A stemplot of the isotopic profile and a line plot of the extracted ion chromatogram are also provided to show the MS-level evidence of the identified lipid. In addition to plots, other information such as intensity, mass measurement error, and elution time are also provided. Typically, a global analysis for 15,000 lipid targets.

Crowell, Kevin↗
DOE OSTI2022

Code for paper "Reconstructing an Implosion with Space-Time Smoothing of Velocimetry Traces"

New diagnostics to obtain high-temporal resolution observation of surface velocity provide a rich collection of data from high-explosive (HE) experiments. Using this data to estimate the temporal evolution of an imploding, HE-driven surface is of great interest for validating simulation of the physical system and for design of future experiments. This is the code for a paper in which we propose a method for using a Gaussian process to estimate the surface position over time and provide uncertainty estimates on that reconstruction accounting for measurement error, uncertainty to sparse spatial sampling velocity data, and robustness to outlying observations. In the paper, the code is applied on data from a hemispherical HE implosion experiment. This code is for release with the paper for peer-review, replicating the results and making the figures from the paper.

Grosskopf, Michael↗
DOE OSTI2017

Quantifying the Accuracy and Uncertainty of Diurnal Thermodynamic Profiles and Convection Indices Derived from the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer

Abstract While radiosondes have provided atmospheric scientists an accurate high-vertical-resolution profile of the troposphere for decades, they are unable to provide high-temporal-resolution observations without significant recurring expenses. Remote sensing technology, however, has the ability to monitor the evolution of the atmosphere in unprecedented detail. One particularly promising tool is the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), a passive ground-based infrared radiometer. Through a physical retrieval, the AERI can retrieve the vertical profile of temperature and humidity at a temporal resolution on the order of minutes. The synthesis of these two instruments may provide an improved diagnosis of the processes occurring in the atmosphere. This study provides a better understanding of the capabilities of the AERI in environments supportive of deep, moist convection. Using 3-hourly radiosonde launches and thermodynamic profiles retrieved from collocated AERIs, this study evaluates the accuracy of AERI-derived profiles over the diurnal cycle by analyzing AERI profiles in both the convective and stable boundary layers. Monte Carlo sampling is used to calculate the distribution of convection indices and compare the impact of measurement errors from each instrument platform on indices. This study indicates that the nonintegrated indices (e.g., lifted index) derived from AERI retrievals are more accurate than integrated indices (e.g., CAPE). While the AERI retrieval’s vertical resolution can inhibit precise diagnoses of capping inversions, the high-temporal-resolution nature of the AERI profiles overall helps in detecting rapid temporal changes in stability.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗