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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 829 records · Page 46

Capturing Pressure Oscillations in Numerical Simulations of Internal Combustion Engines

In an earlier publication, the authors compared numerical predictions of the mean cylinder pressure of diesel and dual-fuel combustion, to that of measured pressure data from a medium-speed, large-bore engine. In these earlier comparisons, measured data from a flush-mounted in-cylinder pressure transducer showed notable and repeatable pressure oscillations which were not evident in the mean cylinder pressure predictions from computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In this paper, the authors present a methodology for predicting and reporting the local cylinder pressure consistent with that of a measurement location. Such predictions for large-bore, medium-speed engine operation demonstrate pressure oscillations in accordance with those measured. The temporal occurrences of notable pressure oscillations were during the start of combustion and around the time of maximum cylinder pressure. With appropriate resolutions in time steps and mesh sizes, the local cell static pressure predicted for the transducer location showed oscillations in both diesel and dual-fuel combustion modes which agreed with those observed in the experimental data. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis on both experimental and calculated pressure traces revealed that the CFD predictions successfully captured both the amplitude and frequency range of the oscillations. Furthermore, resolving propagating pressure waves with the smaller time steps and grid sizes necessary to achieve these results required a significant increase in computer resources.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Oscillatory reaction cross sections caused by normal mode sampling in quasiclassical trajectory calculations

The quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) method is an efficient and important tool for studying the dynamics of bimolecular reactions. In this method, the motion of the atoms is simulated classically, and the only quantum effect considered is that the initial vibrational states of reactant molecules are semiclassically quantized. A sensible expectation is that the initial ensemble of classical molecular states generated this way should be stationary, similarly to the quantum state it is supposed to represent. The most widely used method for sampling the vibrational phase space of polyatomic molecules is based on the normal mode approximation. In the present work, it is demonstrated that normal mode sampling provides a nonstationary ensemble even for a simple molecule like methane, because real potential energy surfaces are anharmonic in the reactant domain. The consequences were investigated for reaction CH{sub 4} + H → CH{sub 3} + H{sub 2} and its various isotopologs and were found to be dramatic. Reaction probabilities and cross sections obtained from QCT calculations oscillate periodically as a function of the initial distance of the colliding partners and the excitation functions are erratic. The reason is that in the nonstationary ensemble of initial states, the mean bond length of the breaking C–H bond oscillates in time with the frequency of the symmetric stretch mode. We propose a simple method, one-period averaging, in which reactivity parameters are calculated by averaging over an entire period of the mean C–H bond length oscillation, which removes the observed artifacts and provides the physically most reasonable reaction probabilities and cross sections when the initial conditions for QCT calculations are generated by normal mode sampling.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Photoelectron-photofragment coincidence spectroscopy in a cryogenically cooled linear electrostatic ion beam trap

A cryogenically cooled linear electrostatic ion beam trap for use in photoelectron-photofragment coincidence (PPC) spectroscopy is described. Using this instrument, anions created in cold, low-duty-cycle sources can be stored for many seconds in a {approx}20 K environment to cool radiatively, removing energetic uncertainties due to vibrationally excited precursor anions. This apparatus maintains a well-collimated beam necessary for high-resolution fragment imaging and the high experimental duty cycle needed for coincidence experiments. Ion oscillation is bunched and phase-locked to a modelocked laser, ensuring temporal overlap between ion bunches and laser pulses and that ions are intersected by the laser only when travelling in one direction. An electron detector is housed in the field-free center of the trap, allowing PPC experiments to be carried out on ions while they are stored and permitting efficient detection of 3-dimensional electron and neutral recoil trajectories. The effects of trapping parameters on the center-of-mass trajectories in the laser-ion interaction region are explored to optimize neutral particle resolution, and the impact of bunching on ion oscillation is established. Finally, an initial demonstration of radiative cooling is presented.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

A Comparative Study of ULF Waves' Role in the Dynamics of Charged Particles in the Plasmasphere: Van Allen Probes Observation

By analyzing observations from Van Allen Probes in its inbound and outbound orbits, we present evidence of coherent enhancement of cold plasmaspheric electrons and ions due to drift-bounce resonance with ultralow frequency (ULF) waves. From 18:00 UT on 28 May 2017 to 10:00 UT on 29 May 2017, newly formed poloidal mode standing ULF waves with significant electric field oscillations were observed in two consecutive orbits when Probe B was traveling inbound. In contrast to observations during outbound orbits, the cold (<150 eV) electrons measured by the HOPE instrument were characterized by flux enhancements several times larger and bidirectional pitch angle distributions during inbound orbits. The electron number density inferred from upper hybrid waves is twice as larger as during inbound orbits, which were also confirmed by an increase of spacecraft potential. The observed ULF waves are identified as second harmonic modes that satisfy the drift-bounce resonant condition of N = 1 with cold electrons. An enhancement of the plasmaspheric ion number density to restore charge neutrality of plasmas in inbound orbits is also observed, which is associated with an increase of ULF wave periods. The observations suggest that the dynamics of plasmaspheric electrons is modified by ULF waves through drift-bounce resonance and that plasmaspheric ions are indirectly impacted.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Voltage measurements at the vacuum post-hole convolute of the Z pulsed-power accelerator

Presented are voltage measurements taken near the load region on the Z pulsed-power accelerator using an inductive voltage monitor (IVM). Specifically, the IVM was connected to, and thus monitored the voltage at, the bottom level of the accelerator’s vacuum double post-hole convolute. Additional voltage and current measurements were taken at the accelerator’s vacuum-insulator stack (at a radius of 1.6 m) by using standard D-dot and B-dot probes, respectively. During postprocessing, the measurements taken at the stack were translated to the location of the IVM measurements by using a lossless propagation model of the Z accelerator’s magnetically insulated transmission lines (MITLs) and a lumped inductor model of the vacuum post-hole convolute. Across a wide variety of experiments conducted on the Z accelerator, the voltage histories obtained from the IVM and the lossless propagation technique agree well in overall shape and magnitude. However, large-amplitude, high-frequency oscillations are more pronounced in the IVM records. It is unclear whether these larger oscillations represent true voltage oscillations at the convolute or if they are due to noise pickup and/or transit-time effects and other resonant modes in the IVM. Results using a transit-time-correction technique and Fourier analysis support the latter. Regardless of which interpretation is correct, both true voltage oscillations and the excitement of resonant modes could be the result of transient electrical breakdowns in the post-hole convolute, though more information is required to determine definitively if such breakdowns occurred. Despite the larger oscillations in the IVM records, the general agreement found between the lossless propagation results and the results of the IVM shows that large voltages are transmitted efficiently through the MITLs on Z. These results are complementary to previous studies [R. D. McBride et al ., Phys. Rev. ST Accel . Beams 13, 120401 (2010)] that showed efficient transmission of large currents through the MITLs on Z. Altogether, the two studies demonstrate the overall efficient delivery of very large electrical powers through the MITLs on Z.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Nonlinear dynamics of large amplitude modes in a magnetized plasma

We derive two equations describing the coupling between electromagnetic and electrostatic oscillations in one-dimensional geometry in a magnetized cold and non-relativistic plasma. The nonlinear interaction between the wave modes is studied numerically. The effects of the external magnetic field strength and the initial electromagnetic polarization are of particular interest here. New results can, thus, be identified.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Multi-pulse operation of a dissipative soliton fibre laser based on nonlinear polarisation rotation

We report an experimental observation of multiple dissipative soliton (DS) operation states in an all-normal-dispersion passively mode-locked Yb-doped fibre laser, including DS bound and oscillating states. In the bound state, multiple DSs up to 11 can coexist in the cavity. In the oscillating state, the DSs' movements are not purely random and three typical states are generalised and illustrated. A single-pulse mode-locked state is established at a high pump power by carefully adjusting the polarisation controllers. The broad spectrum indicates that it may be noise-like pulses, which can serve as a pump to generate a supercontinuum. (control of laser radiation parameters)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Vibrational anomalies in A Fe 2 As 2 ( A =Ca, Sr, and Ba) single crystals

In this study, the detailed behavior of the in-plane infrared-active vibrational modes has been determined in A Fe 2 As 2 ( A =Ca, Sr, and Ba) above and below the structural and magnetic transitions at T N = 172, 195 and 138 K, respectively. Above T N , two infrared-active E u modes are observed. In all three compounds, below T N the low-frequency E u mode is observed to split into upper and lower branches; with the exception of the Ba material, the oscillator strength across the transition is conserved. In the Ca and Sr materials, the high-frequency E u mode splits into an upper and a lower branch; however, the oscillator strengths are quite different. Surprisingly, in both the Sr and Ba materials, below T N the upper branch appears to be either very weak or totally absent, while the lower branch displays an anomalous increase in strength. The frequencies and atomic characters of the lattice modes at the center of the Brillouin zone have been calculated for the high-temperature phase for each of these materials. The high-frequency E u mode does not change in position or character across this series of compounds. Below T N , the E u modes are predicted to split into features of roughly equal strength. Finally, we discuss the possibility that the anomalous increase in the strength of the lower branch of the high-frequency mode below T N in the Sr and Ba compounds, and the weak (silent) upper branch, may be related to the orbital ordering and a change in the bonding between the Fe and As atoms in the magnetically-ordered state.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

VERTICAL KINK OSCILLATION OF A MAGNETIC FLUX ROPE STRUCTURE IN THE SOLAR CORONA

Vertical transverse oscillations of a coronal magnetic rope, observed simultaneously in the 171 Å and 304 Å bandpasses of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), are detected. The oscillation period is about 700 s and the displacement amplitude is about 1 Mm. The oscillation amplitude remains constant during the observation. Simultaneous observation of the rope in the bandpasses corresponding to the coronal and chromospheric temperatures suggests that it has a multi-thermal structure. Oscillatory patterns in 171 Å and 304 Å are coherent, which indicates that the observed kink oscillation is collective, in which the rope moves as a single entity. We interpret the oscillation as a fundamental standing vertically polarized kink mode of the rope, while the interpretation in terms of a perpendicular fast wave could not be entirely ruled out. In addition, the arcade situated above the rope and seen in the 171 Å bandpass shows an oscillatory motion with the period of about 1000 s.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Pan-Pacific low-frequency modes of sea level and climate variability

Tide gauges provide a long observational record that can inform the nature of satellite-era basin-scale sea level trends. However, common signals must be extracted from geographically sparse records. Here, by applying low-frequency component analysis (LFCA) to tide gauge records and surface climate reconstructions, we isolate three coherent modes of Pacific Ocean variability that we ascribe to: a secular, greenhouse gas–driven climate change (LFC1); a nonlinear mode of variability with a reversal around 1980, potentially linked to aerosols (LFC2); and the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (LFC3). Although sea level trend patterns reflect the superimposed contribution of all modes, satellite-era trends are dominated by an increasing phase of LFC2: They are thus potentially unrepresentative of both longer-term historical patterns and those expected in the future.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Cavity optomechanics with a nonlinear photonic-crystal nanomembrane

We have designed, fabricated and characterized a nanomembrane which could be used as a moving end mirror of a Fabry-Perot cavity. The high reflectivity and optimized mechanical properties of the membrane should allow us to demonstrate the mechanical ground state of the membrane. As any sub-micron mechanical resonator, our system demonstrates nonlinear dynamical effects. We characterize the mechanical response to a strong pump drive and observe a shift in the oscillation frequency and phase conjugation of the mechanical mode. Such nonlinear effects are expected to play a role in the quantum dynamics of the membrane as well.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Properties of the Inter-area Modes of the U.S. Eastern Interconnection System

With an increase in the oscillation events observed in the U.S. Eastern Interconnection (EI), it has become increasingly important to have a good understanding of the EI system oscillatory behavior. However, as compared to the Western Interconnection system (WI), not much work has been done in this regard for the EI system. Therefore, in this paper, a thorough analysis is carried out to identify inter-area modes and their properties for the EI system using model-based approach. Multi-channel Prony method is used in this paper for estimating system modes and mode-shapes.

Agrawal, Urmila↗

Closed-loop control of ionization oscillations in Hall accelerators

Feedback control of ionization oscillations in Hall accelerators is investigated with a proportional-integral-derivative controller acting on the discharge voltage. The stability of the current is found to systematically improve with proportional control, whereas integral and derivative control have in most cases a detrimental or insignificant impact. At low discharge voltages, proportional control eliminates at the same time ionization breathing oscillations as well as a coexisting low frequency mode. A progressive deterioration of the stability is observed at higher voltage, presumably attributable to the limited output voltage range of the controller. The time-averaged characteristics of the discharge such as average current, thrust and efficiency, remain unchanged within measurement uncertainties.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

The role of the magnetorotational instability in the sun

We calculate growth rates for nonaxisymmetric instabilities including the magnetorotational instability (MRI) throughout the Sun. We first derive a dispersion relation for nonaxisymmetric instability including the effects of shear, convective buoyancy, and three diffusivities (thermal conductivity, resistivity, and viscosity). We then use a solar model evolved with the stellar evolution code MESA and angular velocity profiles determined by Global Oscillations Network Group helioseismology to determine the unstable modes present at each location in the Sun and the associated growth rates. The overall instability has unstable modes throughout the convection zone and also slightly below it at middle and high latitudes. It contains three classes of modes: large-scale hydrodynamic convective modes, large-scale hydrodynamic shear modes, and small-scale magnetohydrodynamic shear modes, which may be properly called MRI modes. While large-scale convective modes are the most rapidly growing modes in most of the convective zone, MRI modes are important in both stably stratified and convectively unstable locations near the tachocline at colatitudes θ < 53°. Nonaxisymmetric MRI modes grow faster than the corresponding axisymmetric modes; for some poloidal magnetic fields, the nonaxisymmetric MRI growth rates are similar to the angular rotation frequency Ω, while axisymmetric modes are stabilized. We briefly discuss the saturation of the field produced by MRI modes, finding that the implied field at the base of the convective zone in the Sun is comparable to that derived based on dynamos active in the tachocline and that the saturation of field resulting from the MRI may be of importance even in the upper convection zone.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Starting dynamics of a linear-cavity femtosecond Mamyshev oscillator

Mamyshev oscillators can generate high-power femtosecond pulses, but starting a mode-locked state has remained a major challenge due to the suppression of continuous-wave lasing. Here, we study the starting dynamics of a linear Mamyshev oscillator designed to generate high-power femtosecond pulses while avoiding component damage. Reliable starting to stable mode-locking is achieved with a combination of modulation of the pump power and shifting of a filter passband. The starting process is automated, with full electronic control. The laser delivers 21-nJ pulses that are dechirped to 65 fs in duration outside the cavity.

Chen, Yi-Hao (ORCID:0000000244001983)↗

Nonlinear saturation of the ion-electron Buneman instability in a spherical positively pulsed gridded inertial electrostatic confinement device

A pulsed, positively biased gridded inertial electrostatic confinement device has been investigated experimentally, using Doppler broadened spectra and current and voltage traces as primary diagnostics. In the high current and energy regime explored in this paper resulting from the removal of the series ballast resistance from the external biasing circuit, large amplitude oscillations in the plasma current and potential were observed within 100 ns of the discharge onset. These oscillations are attributed to the nonlinear and saturated Buneman instability, characterised by a locked oscillation frequency as a function of increasing anode potential. The saturated Buneman instability is known to exhibit ion mass independent behaviour and cause electron trapping, resulting in a transient spatio-temporal virtual cathode and ponderomotive ion confinement, as evidenced by broadened spectra when operated at high currents.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Impedance Analysis and PHIL Demonstration of Reactive Power Oscillations in a Wind Power Plant Using a 4-MW Wind Turbine

This paper presents impedance-based analysis, mitigation, and power-hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) demonstration of reactive power oscillations in a wind power plant using a 4-MW Type III wind turbine drivetrain. Because such low-frequency oscillations result from interactions among slower control loops of wind turbines regulating phasor quantities—active and reactive power output of the wind turbine and the magnitude of voltages at the point of interconnection (POI)—a new type of admittance is defined in terms of phasor quantities for their analysis. The so-called power-domain admittance of a wind turbine is defined as the transfer function from the frequency and magnitude of voltages at the POI to the active and reactive power output of the turbine. The power-domain admittance responses of the 4-MW wind turbine are measured using a 7-MVA grid simulator to identify the source of the reactive power oscillations. Power-domain impedance analysis and PHIL experiments are performed to explain how a resonant mode manifests as turbine-to-turbine and plant-to-grid reactive power oscillations. It is discovered that weaker grids exhibiting high inductive impedance mitigate oscillations in the reactive power output of wind power plants; however, a higher grid impedance does not help in damping turbine-to-turbine reactive power oscillations. This paper presents a simple droop-based solution to eliminate both turbine-to-turbine and plant-to-grid reactive power oscillations.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

PDCI Damping Controller Test Results and Project Summary

This report presents the results from testing of the Pacific DC Intertie (PDCI) wide-area damping controller (DCON) on the actual electric power grid in the western region of North America known as the Western Interconnection (WI). In addition, this report summarizes the key contributions and development strategy of the DCON. Therefore, this report also serves as the final report for the DCON project, which is known as TIP (Technology Innovation Project) no. 289. The purpose of the DCON is to mitigate inter-area oscillations in the WI by active improvement of oscillatory mode damping using phasor measurement unit (PMU) feedback to modulate power flow in the PDCI. This report describes the tests conducted, analysis of the results, and conclusions drawn as to the performance and safety of the DCON in the improvement of damping for inter-area oscillations in the WI. The DCON is the result of a collaboration between Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Montana Technological University (MTU), and the Department of Energy Office of Electricity (DOE-OE).

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗