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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 91 records · Page 5

Helium /3/ rich solar flares

Several aspects of a solar flare model that emphasizes evidence for the formation of current filaments as mechanisms of field dissipation are discussed. The origin of flare magnetic fields is considered, along with the thermal distribution, electron density, and high-energy X ray emission of flares. It is suggested that the extreme He-3 enrichment in some solar flares is due to spallation and the subsequent confinement of spallation products in a high-temperature high-density plasma associated with the magnetic instability that produces the flare. A current filament is assumed to produce the spallation and maintain the temperature that yields the high-energy X-ray spectrum and depletes the isotopes D, Li, Be, and B, as observed.

Colgate, S. A.↗

Thermal bremsstrahlung from high-temperature plasmas

Analytic expressions are derived for the total bremsstrahlung energy-loss rate per unit volume and the spectral emission rate of a very hot (10 million K to 1 billion K) plasma. At these temperatures the principal contribution to emission can be computed from the nonrelativistic limit of electron-ion bremsstrahlung in the Born approximation. Modifications to this rate are evaluated from (1) relativistic corrections to the thermal-electron velocity distribution function, (2) relativistic and spin corrections to the nonrelativistic electron-ion bremsstrahlung cross section, (3) electron-electron bremsstrahlung, and (4) first-order Born approximation corrections to electron-ion bremsstrahlung.

Gould, R. J.↗

Amorphous metallizations for high-temperature semiconductor device applications

The initial results of work on a class of semiconductor metallizations which appear to hold promise as primary metallizations and diffusion barriers for high temperature device applications are presented. These metallizations consist of sputter-deposited films of high T sub g amorphous-metal alloys which (primarily because of the absence of grain boundaries) exhibit exceptionally good corrosion-resistance and low diffusion coefficients. Amorphous films of the alloys Ni-Nb, Ni-Mo, W-Si, and Mo-Si were deposited on Si, GaAs, GaP, and various insulating substrates. The films adhere extremely well to the substrates and remain amorphous during thermal cycling to at least 500 C. Rutherford backscattering and Auger electron spectroscopy measurements indicate atomic diffussivities in the 10 to the -19th power sq cm/S range at 450 C.

Wiley, J. D.↗

High-temperature Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductors (CMOS)

The results of an investigation into the possibility of using complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology for high temperature electronics are presented. A CMOS test chip was specifically developed as the test bed. This test chip incorporates CMOS transistors that have no gate protection diodes; these diodes are the major cause of leakage in commercial devices.

Mcbrayer, J. D.↗

Small area silicon diffused junction X-ray detectors

The low-temperature performance of silicon diffused junction detectors in the measurement of low energy X-rays is reported. The detectors have an area of 0.04 sq cm and a thickness of 100 microns. The spectral resolutions of these detectors were found to be in close agreement with expected values, indicating that the defects introduced by the high-temperature processing required in the device fabrication were not deleteriously affecting the detection of low-energy X-rays. Device performance over a temperature range of 77 K to 150 K is given. These detectors were designed to detect low-energy X-rays in the presence of minimum ionizing electrons. The successful application of silicon-diffused junction technology to X-ray detector fabrication may facilitate the development of other novel silicon X-ray detector designs.

Walton, J. T.↗

Dielectronic recombination rates, ionization equilibrium, and radiative emission rates for Mn ions in low-density high-temperature plasmas

The analysis of optically-thin far-ultraviolet and X-ray emission lines of multiply-charged ions is one of the basic methods for determining the temperatures and densities of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. In addition, the energy balance in these plasmas can be significantly influenced by the emission of radiation from relatively low concentrations of multiple-charged atomic ions. Because the populations of the excited levels are expected to depart substantially from their local thermodynamic equilibrium values a detailed treatment of the elementary collisional and radiative processes must be employed in order to predict the emission line intensities. In this investigation the authors present the results of calculations based on a corona equilibrium model in which a detailed evaluation is made of the dielectronic recombination rate coefficients. The ionization and autoionization following inner-shell electron excitation from each ground state are balanced by direct radiative and dielectronic recombination. The spectral line intensities emitted by the low-lying excited states, which are assumed to undergo spontaneous radiative decay in times that are short compared with the collision time, are evaluated in terms of the corona ionization equilibrium distributions of the ground states and their electron-impact excitation states.

Jacobs, V. L.↗

Thermal and electrical interaction of tantalum with a low temperature chemically active plasma flow

The paper deals with an experimental study of radiative heat transfer and charge transfer processes from the surface of tantalum plates under conditions of unsteady high-temperature heating and oxidation. It is shown that at plate temperatures of 1800 K, the heat flux may be as high as 400 kW/sq m. Heating is shown to stimulate the emissivity of tantalum and the temperature of the free electrons which surface, through a gas boundary layer, from the plasma onto the metal.

Zake, M. V.↗

High-temperature erosion of plasma-sprayed, yttria-stabilized zirconia in a simulated turbine environment

A series of rig calibration and high temperature tests simulating gas path seal erosion in turbine engines were performed at three impingement angles and at three downstream locations. Plasma sprayed, yttria stablized zirconia specimens were tested. Steady state erosion curves presented for 19 test specimens indicate a brittle type of material erosion despite scanning electron microscopy evidence of plastic deformation. Steady state erosion results were not sensitive to downstream location but were sensitive to impingement angle. At difference downstream locations specimen surface temperature varied from 1250 to 1600 C (2280 to 2900 F) and particle velocity varied from 260 to 320 m/s (850 to 1050 ft/s). The mass ratio of combustion products to erosive grit material was typically 240.

Hanschuh, R. F.↗

High-temperature erosion of plasma-sprayed, yttria-stabilized zirconia in a simulated turbine environment

A series of rig calibration and high temperature tests simulating gas path seal erosion in turbine engines were performed at three impingement angles and at three downstream locations. Plasma sprayed, yttria stabilized zirconia specimens were tested. Steady state erosion curves presented for 19 test specimens indicate a brittle type of material erosion despite scanning electron microscopy evidence of plastic deformation. Steady state erosion results were not sensitive to downstream location but were sensitive to impingement angle. At different downstream locations specimen surface temperature varied from 1250 to 1600 C (2280 to 2900 F) and particle velocity varied from 260 to 320 m/s (850 to 1050 ft/s). The mass ratio of combustion products to erosive grit material was typically 240.

Handschuh, R. F.↗

Thermal conductivity of boron carbides

Knowledge of the thermal conductivity of boron carbide is necessary to evaluate its potential for high-temperature thermoelectric energy conversion applications. Measurements have been conducted of the thermal diffusivity of hot-pressed boron carbide BxC samples as a function of composition (x in the range from 4 to 9), temperature (300-1700 K), and temperature cycling. These data, in concert with density and specific-heat data, yield the thermal conductivities of these materials. The results are discussed in terms of a structural model that has been previously advanced to explain the electronic transport data. Some novel mechanisms for thermal conduction are briefly discussed.

Wood, C.↗

High-temperature thermoelectric energy conversion. II - Materials survey

The current status of materials research for high-temperature thermoelectric energy conversion is reviewed. Two general classes of materials show promise for high temperature figure of merit (Z) values, viz, the rare-earth chalcogenides and the boron-rich borides. The electronic transport properties of the rare-earth chalcogenides are explicable on the basis of degenerate or partially degenerate n-type semiconductors. Boron and boron-rich borides exhibit p-type hopping conductivity, with detailed explanations proposed for the transport differing from compound to compound. Some discussion is presented on the reasons for the low thermal conductivities in these materials. Also, ZTs greater than one appear to have been realized at high temperature in many of these compounds.

Wood, C.↗

The structure of high-temperature solar flare plasma in non-thermal flare models

Analytic differential emission measure distributions have been derived for coronal plasma in flare loops heated both by collisions of high-energy suprathermal electrons with background plasma, and by ohmic heating by the beam-normalizing return current. For low densities, reverse current heating predominates, while for higher densities collisional heating predominates. There is thus a minimum peak temperature in an electron-heated loop. In contrast to previous approximate analyses, it is found that a stable reverse current can dominate the heating rate in a flare loop, especially in the low corona. Two 'scaling laws' are found which relate the peak temperature in the loop to the suprathermal electron flux. These laws are testable observationally and constitute a new diagnostic procedure for examining modes of energy transport in flaring loops.

Emslie, A. G.↗

Temperature fluctuations and infrared emission from dust particles in a hot gas

In this paper, the effect of temperature fluctuations in very small dust particles caused by electronic collisions with an ambient hot gas, is calculated. The dust-temperature distribution differs strongly from that derived on the basis of equilibrium heating models, peaking at lower temperatures in the stochastically heated case. The resulting infrared spectrum is broadened at short wavelengths, giving much more emission than expected from equilibrium calculations, and at long wavelengths exhibits a lower color temperature. Dust-temperature fluctuations are thus expected to play an important role in determining the infrared spectrum of dusty, X-ray-emitting plasmas. A power-law distribution of grain radii extended to very small grain sizes will have a distinct infrared spectrum characterized by an infrared excess at the Wien side of the spectrum. This excess emission represents a high-temperature component in the spectrum, resulting from the stochastic heating of very small dust particles. Its magnitude depends on the grain-size distribution and the temperature and density of the ambient hot gas. This excess emission may be observed by IRAS in supernova remnants and rich clusters of galaxies.

Dwek, E.↗

The structure of high-temperature flare plasma. II Comparison with observations

In Emslie, (1985) scaling law's which relate peak loop temperature to injected nonthermal electron flux in electron-heated models of the flare corona are derived. These predicted relationships are compared with recent coordinated observations in hard X-rays and soft X-rays. Satisfactory agreement is found for large events, while for smaller events the plasma electron temperature determined by soft X-ray spectral fitting is too high. A possible resolution of this apparent discrepancy through careful examination of the method used to determine the temperature of the soft X-ray emitting plasma is discussed. It is concluded that temperatures determined by spectral fitting over a series of lines are not necessarily representative of the true temperature of the plasma, since the fitting technique is plagued by the same difficulties as a more straightforward technique involving a single spectral line or portion of continuum (Craig and Brown, 1976). The differences between actual and derived temperatures are sufficiently large to remove the above discrepancy between observations and modeling of electron-heated coronae.

Emslie, A. G.↗

Rate constants for chemical reactions in high-temperature nonequilibrium air

In the nonequilibrium atmospheric chemistry regime that will be encountered by the proposed Aeroassisted Orbital Transfer Vehicle in the upper atmosphere, where air density is too low for thermal and chemical equilibrium to be maintained, the detailed high temperature air chemistry plays a critical role in defining radiative and convective heating loads. Although vibrational and electronic temperatures remain low (less than 15,000 K), rotational and translational temperatures may reach 50,000 K. Attention is presently given to the effects of multiple temperatures on the magnitudes of various chemical reaction rate constants, for the cases of both bimolecular exchange reactions and collisional excitation and dissociation reactions.

Jaffe, R. L.↗

Containerless Atomic-Fluorescence Property Measurements

Report describes studies conducted to establish and verify use of laser-induced fluorescence in monitoring and controlling high-temperature containerless processes. Specimens levitated by gas jets or electromagnetic fields and heated by laser beams or electromagnetic induction while being irradiated and detected by fluorescence technique. Makes quantitative and qualitative comparisons among three new methods of temperature measurement; all rely on laser-induced fluorescence. One method gas-density thermometry with seed gas. Other two methods involve measurements of velocities of evaporating atoms or of population ratios of different electronic states.

Nordine, P.↗

X-15 conditioning and pressurization system

The cooling system for the X-15 airplane incorporates insulation partial protection against high-temperature effects plus liquid and gaseous nitrogen to control specifically environmental and equipment temperatures. Electronic-equipment cooling represents the largest load; however, other items to be considered are the pressure-suit ventilation, aerodynamic-heating effects, sensor-head cooling, and windshield antifogging. A review of various types of cooling systems indicates that an expendable, stored, cooling system is the most efficient for short-duration missions. This paper presents a description including a simplified schematic diagram of the subject system. (author)

Bouman, C P↗

Characterization of Ternary NiTiPt High-Temperature Shape Memory Alloys

Pt additions substituted for Ni in NiTi alloys are known to increase the transformation temperature of the alloy but only at fairly high Pt levels. However, until now only ternary compositions with a very specific stoichiometry, Ni50-xPtxTi50, have been investigated and then only to very limited extent. In order to learn about this potential high-temperature shape memory alloy system, a series of over twenty alloys along and on either side of a line of constant stoichiometry between NiTi and TiPt were arc melted, homogenized, and characterized in terms of their microstructure, transformation temperatures, and hardness. The resulting microstructures were examined by scanning electron microscopy and the phase compositions quantified by energy dispersive spectroscopy."Stoichiometric" compositions along a line of constant stoichiometry between NiTi to TiPt were essentially single phase but by any deviations from a stoichiometry of (Ni,Pt)50Ti50 resulted in the presence of at least two different intermetallic phases, depending on the overall composition of the alloy. Essentially all alloys, whether single or two-phase, still under went a martensitic transformation. It was found that the transformation temperatures were depressed with initial Pt additions but at levels greater than 10 at.% the transformation temperature increased linearly with Pt content. Also, the transformation temperatures were relatively insensitive to alloy stoichiometry within the range of alloys examined. Finally, the dependence of hardness on Pt content for a series of Ni50-xPtxTi50 alloys showed solution softening at low Pt levels, while hardening was observed in ternary alloys containing more than about 10 at.% Pt. On either side of these "stoichiometric" compositions, hardness was also found to increase significantly.

Rios, Orlando↗