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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 739 records · Page 41

Utilization of Common Automotive Three-Way NO{sub x} Reduction Catalyst for Managing Off- Gas from Thermal Treatment of High-Nitrate Waste - 13094

Studsvik's Thermal Organic Reduction (THOR) steam reforming process has been tested and proven to effectively treat radioactive and hazardous wastes streams with high nitrate contents to produce dry, stable mineral products, while providing high conversion (>98%) of nitrates and nitrites directly to nitrogen gas. However, increased NO{sub x} reduction may be desired for some waste streams under certain regulatory frameworks. In order to enhance the NO{sub x} reduction performance of the THOR process, a common Three-Way catalytic NO{sub x} reduction unit was installed in the process gas piping of a recently completed Engineering Scale Technology Demonstration (ESTD). The catalytic DeNO{sub x} unit was located downstream of the main THOR process vessel, and it was designed to catalyze the reduction of residual NO{sub x} to nitrogen gas via the oxidation of the hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds that are inherent to the THOR process gas. There was no need for auxiliary injection of a reducing gas, such as ammonia. The unit consisted of four monolith type catalyst sections positioned in series with a gas mixing section located between each catalyst section. The process gas was monitored for NO{sub x} concentration upstream and downstream of the catalytic DeNO{sub x} unit. Conversion efficiencies ranged from 91% to 97% across the catalytic unit, depending on the composition of the inlet gas. Higher concentrations of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the THOR process gas increased the NO{sub x} reduction capability of the catalytic DeNO{sub x} unit. The NO{sub x} destruction performance of THOR process in combination with the Three-Way catalytic unit resulted in overall system NO{sub x} reduction efficiencies of greater than 99.9% with an average NO{sub x} reduction efficiency of 99.94% for the entire demonstration program. This allowed the NO{sub x} concentration in the ESTD exhaust gas to be maintained at less than 40 parts per million (ppm), dry basis with an average concentration of approximately 17 ppm, dry basis. There were no signs of catalyst deactivation throughout the 6 day demonstration program, even under the high steam (>50%) content and chemically reducing conditions inherent to the THOR process. Utilization of the common Three-Way automotive catalyst may prove to be a cost effective method for improving NO{sub x} emissions from thermal treatment processes that utilize similar processing conditions. This paper will discuss the details of the implementation and performance of the Three-Way catalytic DeNO{sub x} unit at the THOR ESTD, as well as a discussion of future work to determine the long-term durability of the catalyst in the THOR process. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Lower Three Runs Remediation Safety Preparation Strategy - 13318

The Savannah River Site (SRS) is a 310-square-mile United States Department of Energy (US DOE) nuclear facility located along the Savannah River near Aiken, South Carolina that contains six primary stream/river systems. The Lower Three Runs Stream (LTR) is one of the primary streams within the site that is located in the southeast portion of the Savannah River Site. It is a large blackwater stream system that originates in the northeast portion of SRS and follows a southerly direction before it enters the Savannah River. During reactor operations, secondary reactor cooling water, storm sewer discharges, and miscellaneous wastewater was discharged and contaminated a 20 mile stretch of Lower Three Runs Stream that narrows and provides a limited buffer of US DOE property along the stream and flood-plain. Based on data collected during the years 2009 and 2010 under American Recovery and Re-investment Act funding, the stream was determined to be contaminated with cesium-137 at levels that exceeded acceptable risk based limits. In agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, three areas were identified for remediation [1] (SRNS April 2012). A comprehensive safety preparation strategy was developed for safe execution of the LTR remediation project. Contract incentives for safety encouraged the contractor to perform a complete evaluation of the work and develop an implementation plan to perform the work. The safety coverage was controlled to ensure all work was observed and assessed by one person per work area within the project. This was necessary due to the distances between the fence work and three transects being worked, approximately 20 miles. Contractor Management field observations were performed along with DOE assessments to ensure contractor focus on safe performance of the work. Dedicated ambulance coverage for remote worker work activities was provided. This effort was augmented with access to medical evacuation services. The areas where the work was performed were remote and difficult to get emergency vehicles to in a timely manner in case of an accident. Satellite phones were utilized due to intermittent phone coverage. High visibility vests were utilized to enable any hunters in the area to see the workers; due to the limited buffer areas along the stream route. An innovative approach to providing the necessary protection for workers during periods of extreme heat and humidity was also employed, which included the use of 'heat islands' with fans and crew trailers and ice vests for workers. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Decommissioning Small Research and Training Reactors; Experience on Three Recent University Projects - 12455

Decommissioning small reactors within the confines of an active University environment presents unique challenges. These range from the radiological protection of the nearby University population and grounds, to the logistical challenges of working in limited space without benefit of the established controlled, protected, and vital areas common to commercial facilities. These challenges, and others, are discussed in brief project histories of three recent (calendar year 2011) decommissioning activities at three University training and research reactors. These facilities include three separate Universities in three states. The work at each of the facilities addresses multiple phases of the decommissioning process, from initial characterization and pre-decommissioning waste removal, to core component removal and safe storage, through to complete structural dismantlement and site release. The results of the efforts at each University are presented, along with the challenges that were either anticipated or discovered during the decommissioning efforts, and results and lessons learned from each of the projects. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Quantization of the Electromagnetic Field in Three-Dimensional Photonic Structures on the Basis of the Scattering Matrix Formalism (S Quantization)

A technique for quantization of the electromagnetic field in photonic nanostructures with three-dimensional modulation of the dielectric constant is developed on the basis of the scattering matrix formalism (S quantization in the three-dimensional case). Quantization is based on equating the eigenvalues of the scattering matrix to unity, which is equivalent to equating each other the sets of Fourier expansions for the fields of the waves incident on the structure and propagating away from the structure. The spatial distribution of electromagnetic fields of the modes in a photonic nanostructure is calculated on the basis of the R and T matrices describing the reflection and transmission of the Fourier components by the structure. To calculate the reflection and transmission coefficients of individual real-space and Fourier-space components, the structure is divided into parallel layers within which the dielectric constant varies as a function of two-dimensional coordinates. Using the Fourier transform, Maxwell’s equations are written in the form of a matrix connecting the Fourier components of the electric field at the boundaries of neighboring layers. Based on the calculated reflection and transmission vectors for all polarizations and Fourier components, the scattering matrix for the entire structure is formed and quantization is carried out by equating the eigenvalues of the scattering matrix to unity. The developed method makes it possible to obtain the spatial profiles of eigenmodes without solving a system of nonlinear integro-differential equations and significantly reduces the computational resources required for calculating the probability of spontaneous emission in three-dimensional systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Modeling of three-dimensional surfaces using high-level canonical piecewise-linear functions in cylindrical coordinates

In this paper, the potential application of the high-level canonical piecewise-linear model in the field of three-dimensional visualization is proposed. This idea emerges from the premise that a three-dimensional surface can be modeled by a continuous two-dimensional function. In this regard, the main contribution consists in providing a methodology for the construction of such function. For this purpose, the well-known algorithm used in the high-level canonical piecewise-linear model has been modified to achieve functions with greater graphing capability. One of the most notorious changes made with respect to the traditional methodology is the use of a new scheme of function domain partition. Contrary to the simplicial partitioning, in our proposal, an equally distributed angular partitioning is considered. With this, the resulting approximate function is expressed in cylindrical coordinates which overcome the typical limitation of graphs in Cartesian coordinates of only representing single-valued surfaces. Another remarkable change can be found in the range of evaluation of the function. Instead of using an open interval, in our approach, a closed interval from 0 to 2π is adopted. To support this proposal, illustrative case studies are reported. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of this type of representation model not only in visual perception of three-dimensional surfaces, but also in more complex tasks like volume estimation.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Cooperative single-photon subradiant states in a three-dimensional atomic array

We propose a complete superradiant and subradiant states that can be manipulated and prepared in a three-dimensional atomic array. These subradiant states can be realized by absorbing a single photon and imprinting the spatially-dependent phases on the atomic system. We find that the collective decay rates and associated cooperative Lamb shifts are highly dependent on the phases we manage to imprint, and the subradiant state of long lifetime can be found for various lattice spacings and atom numbers. We also investigate both optically thin and thick atomic arrays, which can serve for systematic studies of super- and sub-radiance. Our proposal offers an alternative scheme for quantum memory of light in a three-dimensional array of two-level atoms, which is applicable and potentially advantageous in quantum information processing. - Highlights: • Cooperative single-photon subradiant states in a three-dimensional atomic array. • Subradiant state manipulation via spatially-increasing phase imprinting. • Quantum storage of light in the subradiant state in two-level atoms.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Theoretical design and performance of three-dimensional, pillared FeS 2 cathodes

Three-dimensional (3D) electrode design can provide improved capacities and rate capabilities over conventional two-dimensional electrodes by enhancing electrical and ionic transport. Here, expanding upon our previous modeling efforts for conversion chemistry lithium-ion batteries, we develop a pseudo-four-dimensional (P4D) approach that is subsequently used to investigate the design of a pillared FeS 2 electrode. The model considers transport in three dimensions with an additional “fourth” dimension corresponding to the solid-state lithium transport within the active material particles. Additionally, we allow for expansion of the active material during the conversion reaction to understand how internal stresses impact the electrochemical performance of the cell. By optimizing the model with respect to areal capacity, we are able to predict areal capacities up to 16.8 mAh/cm 2 for an areal current density of 1.78 mA/cm 2 and a 103% improvement for the three-dimensional electrodes over planar electrodes of equal volume. Despite the promising results, our simulations suggest that 3D design may be difficult for conversion cathode materials due to the large internal stresses that arise during conversion. Nevertheless, the model is robust and adaptable to other materials that may be more suitable for 3D electrodes due to a lesser change in volume during discharge.

Conversion cathode materials↗

A Eulerian three-fluid flow framework for the study of fuel dispersal behavior under loss-of-coolant accident conditions

As the nuclear industry explores new fuel designs to accommodate increased burnup, studying fuel behavior during loss-of-coolant accidents is essential for ensuring the safe operation of light-water reactors. Here, this study presents a computational model to simulate the intricate three-phase flow dynamics of fuel dispersal following cladding breach, where solid fuel particles and carrier fission gases interact with the surrounding liquid or gas medium. The model utilizes a Eulerian three-fluid framework to depict the phase interaction within interpenetrating continua, treating fragmented fuel as granular material. Closure relationships for bulk-flow properties of the solid phase and detailed interfacial exchange terms in high-temperature, high-speed gas-solid-liquid flow scenarios are proposed. The model was validated using adiabatic experimental results in the literature, focusing on characterizing fuel dispersal behavior during loss-of-coolant accidents conditions. Settlement characteristics of the solids, quantified by the probability distribution of equivalent particles, closely matched probability density functions reported in experimental studies. Key highlights of this study include the theoretical description of a coupled three-phase flow with phase change, interpretation of the high-pressure boundary conditions and insights into the transient behavior of gas-solid-liquid phase dynamics during a simulated high-speed dispersal event.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

A novel three-dimensional mesh deformation method based on sphere relaxation

In our previous work (2013) [19], we developed a disk relaxation based mesh deformation method for two-dimensional mesh deformation. In this paper, the idea of the disk relaxation is extended to the sphere relaxation for three-dimensional meshes with large deformations. We develop a node based pre-displacement procedure to apply initial movements on nodes according to their layer indices. Afterwards, the nodes are moved locally by the improved sphere relaxation algorithm to transfer boundary deformations and increase the mesh quality. A three-dimensional mesh smoothing method is also adopted to prevent the occurrence of the negative volume of elements, and further improve the mesh quality. Numerical applications in three-dimension including the wing rotation, bending beam and morphing aircraft are carried out. The results demonstrate that the sphere relaxation based approach generates the deformed mesh with high quality, especially regarding complex boundaries and large deformations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Three dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels functionalized with melamine for multifunctional applications in supercapacitors and adsorption

In present work, we demonstrate an efficient and facile strategy to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels (NGAs) based on melamine, which serves as reducing and functionalizing agent of graphene oxide (GO) in an aqueous medium with ammonia. Benefiting from well-defined and cross-linked 3D porous network architectures, the supercapacitor based on the NGAs exhibited a high specific capacitance of 170.5 F g{sup −1} at 0.2 A g{sup −1}, and this capacitance also showed good electrochemical stability and a high degree of reversibility in the repetitive charge/discharge cycling test. More interestingly, the prepared NGAs further exhibited high adsorption capacities and high recycling performance toward several metal ions such as Pb{sup 2+}, Cu{sup 2+} and Cd{sup 2+}. Moreover, the hydrophobic carbonized nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels (CNGAs) showed outstanding adsorption and recycling performance for the removal of various oils and organic solvents. - Graphical abstract: Three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels were prepared by using melamine as reducing and functionalizing agent in an aqueous medium with ammonia, which showed multifunctional applications in supercapacitors and adsorption. - Highlights: • Three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene aerogels (NGAs) were prepared. • Melamine was used as reducing and functionalizing agent. • NGAs exhibited relatively good electrochemical properties in supercapacitor. • NGAs exhibited high adsorption performance toward several metal ions. • CNGAs showed outstanding adsorption capacities for various oils and solvents.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Gas sensor based on three dimensional Bi2S3 nanowires network for ammonia detection at room temperature

Highlights: • Three dimensional Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} nanowires networks. • High response to NH{sub 3} gas. • Good selectivity. • Wide linear range. • Work at room temperature. - Abstract: A film containing three dimensional Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} nanowires network was obtained using Bi(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} and thioacetamide as starting materials through three steps, namely the chemical synthesis of Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}, preparation of its sol under ultrasonic condition and crystal self-assembly at 25 °C. The nanowires had diameters of 20–100 nm. The formation mechanism of the 3D nanowires network is the anisotropic growth of Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3}. The sensor based on 3D Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} nanowires network with an excellent response to ammonia at 30 °C. The response mechanism of the sensor for ammonia is a weak coordination adsorption of ammonia molecule on the Bi{sub 2}S{sub 3} nanowires and the electron is partially transferred from ammonia molecule to bismuth (III) ion. The maximum response of the sensor to ammonia was up to 82.3 and had a good linear range from 30 to 350 ppm concentration, indicating its potential applications in the determination and leak alarm of ammonia.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Three-dimensional reconstructions of the bacteriophage CUS-3 virion reveal a conserved coat protein I-domain but a distinct tailspike receptor-binding domain

CUS-3 is a short-tailed, dsDNA bacteriophage that infects serotype K1 Escherichia coli. We report icosahedrally averaged and asymmetric, three-dimensional, cryo-electron microscopic reconstructions of the CUS-3 virion. Its coat protein structure adopts the “HK97-fold” shared by other tailed phages and is quite similar to that in phages P22 and Sf6 despite only weak amino acid sequence similarity. In addition, these coat proteins share a unique extra external domain (“I-domain”), suggesting that the group of P22-like phages has evolved over a very long time period without acquiring a new coat protein gene from another phage group. On the other hand, the morphology of the CUS-3 tailspike differs significantly from that of P22 or Sf6, but is similar to the tailspike of phage K1F, a member of the extremely distantly related T7 group of phages. We conclude that CUS-3 obtained its tailspike gene from a distantly related phage quite recently. - Highlights: • Asymmetric and symmetric three-dimensional reconstructions of phage CUS-3 are presented. • CUS-3 major capsid protein has a conserved I-domain, which is found in all three categories of “P22-like phage”. • CUS-3 has very different tailspike receptor binding domain from those of P22 and Sf6. • The CUS-3 tailspike likely was acquired by horizontal gene transfer.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Effect of magnetic field on the wave dispersion relation in three-dimensional dusty plasma crystals

Three-dimensional plasma crystals under microgravity condition are investigated by taking into account an external magnetic field. The wave dispersion relations of dust lattice modes in the body centered cubic (bcc) and the face centered cubic (fcc) plasma crystals are obtained explicitly when the magnetic field is perpendicular to the wave motion. The wave dispersion relations of dust lattice modes in the bcc and fcc plasma crystals are calculated numerically when the magnetic field is in an arbitrary direction. The numerical results show that one longitudinal mode and two transverse modes are coupled due to the Lorentz force in the magnetic field. Moreover, three wave modes, i.e., the high frequency phonon mode, the low frequency phonon mode, and the optical mode, are obtained. The optical mode and at least one phonon mode are hybrid modes. When the magnetic field is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the primitive wave motion, all the three wave modes are hybrid modes and do not have any intersection points. It is also found that with increasing the magnetic field strength, the frequency of the optical mode increases and has a cutoff at the cyclotron frequency of the dust particles in the limit of long wavelength, and the mode mixings for both the optical mode and the high frequency phonon mode increase. The acoustic velocity of the low frequency phonon mode is zero. In addition, the acoustic velocity of the high frequency phonon mode depends on the angle of the magnetic field and the wave motion but does not depend on the magnetic field strength.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Nonlinear electron-magnetohydrodynamic simulations of three dimensional current shear instability

This paper deals with detailed nonlinear electron-magnetohydrodynamic simulations of a three dimensional current shear driven instability in slab geometry. The simulations show the development of the instability in the current shear layer in the linear regime leading to the generation of electromagnetic turbulence in the nonlinear regime. The electromagnetic turbulence is first generated in the unstable shear layer and then spreads into the stable regions. The turbulence spectrum shows a new kind of anisotropy in which power transfer towards shorter scales occurs preferentially in the direction perpendicular to the electron flow. Results of the present three dimensional simulations of the current shear instability are compared with those of our earlier two dimensional simulations of sausage instability. It is found that the flattening of the mean velocity profile and thus reduction in the electron current due to generation of electromagnetic turbulence in the three dimensional case is more effective as compared to that in the two dimensional case.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Three-dimensional simulations of blob dynamics in a simple magnetized torus

The propagation of blobs, structures of localized enhanced plasma pressure, is studied in global three-dimensional simulations of a simple magnetized torus. In particular, we carry out single-seeded blob simulations to explore the dependence of the blob velocity with respect to its size. It is found that the velocity scaling for two-dimensional blobs is satisfied in the parameter space where polarization currents are the dominant damping mechanism. On the other hand, three-dimensional blobs propagate faster than their two-dimensional counterparts in the parallel current damping regime. A detailed analysis of the charge and current balance reveals that, in fact, the difference in speed is due to an overestimation of the strength of the sheath current term in the two-dimensional model compared to the self-consistent three-dimensional model.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Three dimensional simulations of pattern formation during high-pressure, freely localized microwave breakdown in air

Recent experiments have demonstrated that a freely localized 100 GHz microwave discharge can propagate towards the microwave source with high speed, forming a complex pattern of self-organized filaments. We present three-dimensional simulations of the formation and propagation of such patterns that reveal more information on their nature and interaction with the electromagnetic waves. The developed three-dimensional Maxwell-plasma solver permits the study of different forms of incident field polarization. Results for linear and circular polarization of the wave are presented and comparisons with recent experiments show a good overall agreement. The three dimensional simulations provide a quantitative analysis of the parameters controlling the time and length scales of the strongly non-linear plasma dynamics and could be useful for potential microwave plasma applications such as aerodynamic flow and combustion control.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A static analysis of three-dimensional functionally graded beams through hierarchical one-dimensional finite elements

In this paper, the static response of three-dimensional beams made of functionally graded materials is investigated through a family of hierarchical one-dimensional finite elements. A wide variety of elements is proposed differing by the kinematic formulation and the number of nodes per elements along the beam axis. Elements’ stiffness matrix and load vector are derived in a unified nuclear form that does not depend upon the a priori expansion order over the cross-section nor the finite element approximation along the beam axis. Results are validated towards three-dimensional finite element models as well as equivalent Navier-type analytical solutions. The numerical investigations show that accurate and efficient solutions (when compared with full three-dimensional FEM solutions) can be obtained by the proposed family of hierarchical one-dimensional elements’ family.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Three-body fragmentation of CO{sub 2} driven by intense laser pulses

Dissociative ionization dynamics were studied experimentally for CO{sub 2} driven by intense laser pulses. Three-dimensional momentum vectors of correlated atomic ions were obtained for each three-body fragmentation event using triple ion coincidence measurement. Newton diagram demonstrated that three-body fragmentation of CO{sub 2}{sup n+} (n = 3-6) can occur through Coulomb explosion process and sequential fragmentation process depending on the fragmentation channels. The experimental data from these two processes were disentangled by using correlation diagram of correlated ions. Based on the accurate Coulomb explosion data, we reconstructed the bond angle distributions of CO{sub 2}{sup n+} at the moment of fragmentation, which are close to that of neutral CO{sub 2} before laser irradiation.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗