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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

Met-Ocean Characterization for the Atlantic Marine Energy Center’s (AMEC’s) Gulf of Maine Wave Test Sites

Comprehensive and consistent analysis, characterization, and classification of the wave climate at open-ocean wave energy converter (WEC) test sites guided by international standards enables commensurable evaluation and comparison of met-ocean characteristics, including wave energy resources and wave load conditions. Herein, we present results from a comprehensive feasibility-level met-ocean characterization for two Atlantic Marine Energy Center (AMEC) WEC test sites in the Gulf of Maine.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

The slow wave resonance cone in the collisional regime

In the low-density edge plasma of tokamaks, ion cyclotron range of frequencies actuators may parasitically emit slow waves. If the density is sufficiently low, which may be common in large future devices such as international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER), these slow waves take the form of so-called resonance cones. The traditional theoretical description of this wave mode relies on formally relating an electrostatic approximation of the frequency-domain wave equation to a time-domain wave equation and relating the cone angle to the wave speed in the time-domain wave equation. In the cold plasma collisional regime, that wave speed is complex. We investigate that scenario in this work.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

The Ground State Electronic Energy of Benzene

We report here on the findings of a blind challenge devoted to determining the frozen-core, full configuration interaction (FCI) ground-state energy of the benzene molecule in a standard correlation-consistent basis set of double-ζ quality. As a broad international endeavor, our suite of wave function-based correlation methods collectively represents a diverse view of the high-accuracy repertoire offered by modern electronic structure theory. In our assessment, the evaluated high-level methods are all found to qualitatively agree on a final correlation energy, with most methods yielding an estimate of the FCI value around -863 mE H . However, we find the root-mean-square deviation of the energies from the studied methods to be considerable (1.3 mE H ), which in light of the acclaimed performance of each of the methods for smaller molecular systems clearly displays the challenges faced in extending reliable, near-exact correlation methods to larger systems. While the discrepancies exposed by our study thus emphasize the fact that the current state-of-the-art approaches leave room for improvement, we still expect the present assessment to provide a valuable community resource for benchmark and calibration purposes going forward.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A Multi-Instance learning Framework for Seismic Detectors

In this report, we construct and test a framework for fusing the predictions of a ensemble of seismic wave detectors. The framework is drawn from multi-instance learning and is meant to improve the predictive skill of the ensemble beyond that of the individual detectors. We show how the framework allows the use of multiple features derived from the seismogram to detect seismic wave arrivals, as well as how it allows only the most informative features to be retained in the ensemble. The computational cost of the "ensembling" method is linear in the size of the ensemble, allowing a scalable method for monitoring multiple features/transformations of a seismogram. The framework is tested on teleseismic and regional p-wave arrivals at the IMS (International Monitoring System) station in Warramunga, NT, Australia and the PNSU station in University of Utah's monitoring network.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Automatically adaptive stabilized finite elements and continuation analysis for compaction banding in geomaterials

Under compressive creep, viscoplastic solids experiencing internal mass transfer processes can accommodate singular cnoidal wave solutions as material instabilities at the stationary wave limit. These instabilities appear when the loading rate is significantly faster than the material's capacity to diffusive internal perturbations, leading to localized failure features (e.g., cracks and compaction bands). These cnoidal waves, generally found in fluids, have strong nonlinearities that produce periodic patterns. Due to the singular nature of the solutions, the applicability of the theory is currently limited. Additionally, practical simulation tools require proper regularization to overcome the challenges that singularity induces. We focus on the numerical treatment of the governing equation using a nonlinear approach building on a recent adaptive stabilized finite element method. This automatic refinement method provides an error estimate that drives mesh adaptivity, a crucial feature for the problem at hand. We compare the performance of this adaptive strategy against analytical and standard finite element solutions. We then investigate the sensitivity of the diffusivity ratio, the parameter controlling the process, and identify multiple possible solutions with several stress peaks. We also show the evolution of the spacing between peaks for all solutions as a function of that parameter.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Data for Monitoring Fracture Saturation with Internal Transportable Seismic Sources and Twin Neural Networks

Seismic coda-wave analysis is a well-developed method for detecting subtle physical changes in complex media by measuring arrival times in the late-arriving energy from multiply-scattered or reflected waves. However, a challenge arises when multiply-scattered waves are not sufficiently separated in time from the direct arrivals to provide a clear coda wave train. Additional complications for monitoring changes in fracture systems arise when the signals originate from unsynchronized internal sources, such as natural induced seismicity, from acoustic emission, or from transportable intra-fracture sources (chattering dust), that generate uncontrolled signals that vary in arrival time, amplitude and frequency content. Here, we use a twin neural network (also known as a Siamese neural network) for dimensionality reduction to analyze signals from chattering dust to classify the fluid saturation state of a synthetic fracture system. The twin neural network with shared weights generates a low-dimensional representation of the data input by minimizing contrastive loss, serving as the input to a multiclass classifier that accurately classifies whether multiple fractures in a fracture system are fully saturated or partially saturated, or whether a change in saturation has occurred in different fractures in the system. These results show that information buried in unresolved codas from uncontrolled sources can be extracted using machine learning to monitor the evolution of fracture systems caused by physical and chemical processes even when the scattered and direct wave fields overlap.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Electron Density Measurements Using USPR (Final Scientific/Technical Report)

UC Davis has fabricated an ultrashort pulse reflectometer (USPR) diagnostic instrument for electron density profile measurements on compact, short duration, magnetically-confined fusion-energy concept devices such as spheromaks and FRCs. The USPR system transmits extremely short duration (~few nsec) chirped waveforms that together span 29 to 75 GHz. These chirped waveforms illuminate and reflect from the target plasma, with each frequency component reflecting from a different density layer (higher frequencies probe deeper into the plasma before reflecting). The reflected waveforms are split into roughly 42 different frequencies; time-of-flight (TOF) measurements made at each frequency with high resolution (~25 psec measurement resolution which corresponds to ~5 mm). These TOF data may then be inverted via software to generate electron density profiles with high time resolution (~10 μsec). At the heart of the system is a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based controller which collects and processes all of the USPR data in addition to generating all of the control signals required for maximum flexibility. The FPGA controller has the software flexibility to be easily reconfigured for different plasma devices, and the entire system sufficiently compact to be easily and quickly transported between devices. A high speed impulse generator was transformed into a set of three ultrashort pulse transmitter chirps using a combination of dispersive waveguide, frequency doublers and high-pass filters. A mm-wave controller was fabricated to sequentially switch between the three chirps, directing the chirps one-by-one to three different mm-wave assemblies spanning 29-75 GHz. Each mm-wave assembly consists of a high power active multiplier chain which converts the transmitter chirp to higher frequencies, and a broadband mixer which downconverts the reflected waveform to the 2-18 GHz range of the UPSR receiver. The 16-channel receiver (shared by all 3 mm-wave assemblies) was fabricated employing custom TOF modules capable of operating at a high 1 MHz sampling rate. Laboratory testing of the full system revealed the presence of unwanted harmonics from the multiplication process, with interference observed in the downconverted reflections at selected frequency channels that could not be completely filtered out. Additional interference effects arising from internal reflections within the mm-wave assemblies were minimized using a high-speed switch which served to “gate out” much of these reflections. The USPR diagnostic was transported and installed onto the HIT-SIU plasma device, becoming operational on 11/08/2022. Although designed to span 3 distinct mm-wave bands, the HIT-SIU plasmas at this time were sufficiently low density such that only the lowest of the three bands was likely to have strong plasma reflections. The system was then set to operate on only the lowest band (assembly #1), with data collected every 1 μsec rather than 3 μsec which would have been the case when cycling through all three bands. Connected to HIT-SIU, time-varying plasma reflections were observed on 9 of 16 possible frequency channels. Close examination of the data collected revealed issues previously unobserved in laboratory testing, associated with (a) reflections from the small aperture horns required for operation within the HIT-SIU device, and (b) a dependence of the recorded TOF with the threshold voltage of a given channel. Plans were made to address each of these issues before undertaking any future campaigns.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

A description of structured waves in shock compressed particulate composites

Dynamic compression of composite materials is of scientific interest because the mechanical mismatch between internal phases challenges continuum theories. Typical assumptions about steady wave propagation and quasi-instantaneous state changes require reexamination along with the need for time-dependent models. To that end, data and models are presented here for the shock compression of an idealized particulate composite. To serve as a generic representative of this material class, a polymer matrix was filled with tungsten particles, ranging from 1 to 50 vol. %. This creates a simple microstructure containing randomly scattered particles with an extreme impedance mismatch to the binding matrix. These materials were parallel plate impact loaded by Al flyers traveling at 1.8–5.0 km/s. Velocimetry provided records of the equilibrium state and the compression wave structure for each case with trends quantified by an empirical fit. The same quantities were also studied as a function of the wave's propagation distance. A homogenized viscoelastic model then made it possible to progress from cataloging trends to making predictions. Starting from a Mie–Gruneisen equation of state, additional time varying terms were added to capture the transient response. After calibration, accurate predictions of the steady wave structure were possible.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Flash x-ray radiography analysis of detonation wave propagation in additive-manufactured high explosives

Recent research has demonstrated that additive manufacturing (AM) can be used to produce directionally sensitive high explosives (HEs), but detonation wave propagation in AM HEs with variable internal structure has not been studied. In this work, samples were printed using a 73 wt. % octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine-based HE ink. Flash x-ray radiography imaging was used to observe density changes in two imaging planes of each sample during detonation, and high-speed imaging was used to calculate the detonation velocity at the HE surface. The detonation front initially appears to fail in internal channel regions of the HE, but late reactions occurred in two samples, which increased the material bulk density by 2.8%, possibly due to shock convergence phenomena. The calculated detonation wave pressure similarly increased, but the accuracy of the results is uncertain because of the deviation of the low bulk density printed samples from the cast charge principal isentrope. Here, this work demonstrates that structure can be effectively utilized to guide detonation wave propagation through HE charges.

3D printing↗

Noninvasive liquid level sensing with laser generated ultrasonic waves

This article proposes a noninvasive liquid level sensing technique using laser-generated ultrasound waves for nuclear power plant applications. Liquid level sensors play an important role of managing the coolant system safely and stably in the plant structure. Current sensing techniques are mostly intrusive, performing inside the fluidic structure, which is disadvantageous in terms of the regular maintenance of the plant system. Furthermore, typical intrusive sensors do not perform stably under varying environmental conditions such as temperature and radiation. In this study, sensing units are attached to the outer surface of a liquid vessel to capture guided ultrasound waves in a nonintrusive manner. The signal intensity of the guided wave dissipates when the signal interacts with the internal liquid media. The sensing mechanism is mathematically expressed as an index value to correlate the liquid level with the sensor signal. For the acoustic wave generation, laser-generated ultrasound was adopted instead of using typical contact type transducers. Following the simulation validation of the proposed concept, the performance of the developed sensor was confirmed through experimental results under elevated liquid temperature conditions. Finally, the nonlinear multivariable regression exhibited the best-fit to the datasets measured under the variable liquid level and temperature conditions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Sound Speed as a Candidate for Internal Temperature Monitoring During Solid Phase Processing of Materials

Internal temperature is an important parameter for understanding the solid phase processing (SPP) of materials and improving feedback control of these processes. Friction stir processes, shear assisted processing and extrusion (ShAPE ™ ), and ultrahigh velocity (UHV) cold spray are examples of such processes. Simple thermal models based on temperatures measured at the boundary of the deforming body cannot capture the dynamic nature of temperature generation within the deforming solid. One possibly way of understanding internal temperature is by measuring sound speed, which varies as a function of temperature for materials and directing ultrasonic wave propagation through selected material volumes of interest. In this project, longitudinal wave speed is estimated for aluminum 6061. Piezoelectric materials bonded to a specimen provided data from which longitudinal wave speed was estimated. A discussion evaluated the linear relationship of wave speed versus temperature and postulated how wave speed measurements could be used to estimate the internal temperature of selected material volumes for feedback during SPP of materials. Instrumentation, data and analysis, and a discussion are reviewed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Linear Theory of Electromagnetic Ion Beam Instabilities in the Earth’s Forshock: Peter Gary’s Contributions (1981–1991)

We discuss Peter Gary’s contributions to the understanding of the origin and properties of ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves in the Earth’s foreshock during the period when the International Sun Earth Explorer spacecraft (ISEE-1 and -2) provided unique data about the plasma and wave environment in this region. Peter’s work concerning the linear theory of electromagnetic ion beam instabilities is contained in five journal articles and then summarized in a review article, all of which are discussed here. Brief summaries of observations and theory prior to ISEE as well as to later work are also included.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A High-resolution Regional Wave Resource Characterization For The U.S. West Coast

Objectives/Scope: Wave resource characterization is a critical step for wave energy converter deployment in the coastal ocean and relies on long-term, high-resolution wave datasets. This study presents a detailed modeling study of the wave resource along the U.S. West Coast (Washington, Oregon, and California), a coastal region that was identified with high wave energy potential in earlier studies. Methods, Procedures, Process: The wave hindcast covers a 32-year period from 1979 to 2010 and is based on a multi-resolution, unstructured-grid SWAN model framework. Model configuration closely follows and meets the requirements recommended by the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Specification (IEC TS) for wave energy resource assessment and characterization (Class 2 - feasibility study). The model domain covers the entire U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the West Coast and has a spatial resolution varying from ~300 m in the nearshore region (20 km from the shoreline) to ~2500 m within the EEZ and ~5000 m at the open boundary, which extends beyond the EEZ. The model was forced by hourly 2-D wave spectra produced by a two-way nested WaveWatch III model, which covers the global ocean domain and the broader U.S. West Coast region domain with spatial resolutions of 0.5 degree and 10 arc-minutes, respectively. Both wave models are forced by hourly, 0.5-degree wind forcing obtained from NCEP’s Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) product. Results, Observations, Conclusions: The standard model output for the SWAN model includes 3-hourly output for the six IEC wave resource parameters (e.g., omnidirectional wave power) at each grid point and hourly 2-D spectra at more than 50 NDBC buoys. Extensive model validation was achieved by comparing the six model-predicted IEC parameters with those derived from field observations at representative NDBC buoys. The error statistics indicated the model’s satisfactory performance. Further analyses were conducted to systematically evaluate the temporal and spatial distributions of wave energy potential and wave climate along the U.S. West Coast. Results suggest that Washington and Oregon coasts have similar nearshore wave resource, which is significantly higher than resources in Southern California. Strong seasonal variations are also observed, e.g., high wave energy tends to occur in the winter months. In summary, this study produced the first high-resolution, comprehensive dataset on wave energy distribution along the U.S. West Coast. Novel/Additive Information: The results are being used by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to update the MHK Atlas, which was originally derived from NOAA’s 4-arc-minute WaveWatch III model output. In addition, the monthly averaged wave energy climatology dataset can be readily shared to support a variety of research and application efforts within the EEZ of the U.S. West Coast.

Wang, Taiping↗

Ocean internal tides suppress tropical cyclones in the South China Sea

Abstract Tropical Cyclones (TCs) are devastating natural disasters. Analyzing four decades of global TC data, here we find that among all global TC-active basins, the South China Sea (SCS) stands out as particularly difficult ocean for TCs to intensify, despite favorable atmosphere and ocean conditions. Over the SCS, TC intensification rate and its probability for a rapid intensification (intensification by ≥ 15.4 m s −1 day −1 ) are only 1/2 and 1/3, respectively, of those for the rest of the world ocean. Originating from complex interplays between astronomic tides and the SCS topography, gigantic ocean internal tides interact with TC-generated oceanic near-inertial waves and induce a strong ocean cooling effect, suppressing the TC intensification. Inclusion of this interaction between internal tides and TC in operational weather prediction systems is expected to improve forecast of TC intensity in the SCS and in other regions where strong internal tides are present.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

2.1.1.1.401 - Wave Energy Converter Modeling

The Wave Energy Converter (WEC) Modeling Project began in 2013 with the aim of driving innovation and advancing the state of the wave energy industry by developing publicly available, easy to use software that's customizable to meet end user needs. This project is primarily focused on development of open source software for numerical design and analysis of wave energy converters (WEC), and it also supports international collaboration on standards (IEC TC 114), code verification and validation (IEA OES Task 10) and a competition (WECCCOMP).

MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING,TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Bayesian Seismoacoustic Source Location: Acoustic Approach

Seismic waves and infrasound are key technologies in the International Monitoring System (IMS) to monitor explosive events in the solid Earth and atmosphere. Energetic man-made or natural events (e.g., chemical/nuclear explosions, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes) near the Earth’s surface produce both ground motion and atmospheric pressure disturbances which propagate as seismic waves and infrasound, respectively. Seismic waves have been generally used to detect and identify underground and near-surface events (Myers, et. al., 2007), and infrasound are sensitive to events near the surface or in the atmosphere (Modrak et. al., 2010). Due to their different sensitivities to events, they can complement to each other to improve the event detection and discrimination. The framework of joint seismoacoustic event location has recently reviewed by theoretical research (Koch and Arrowsmith, 2019). Although the early applications showed promising results to improve the accuracy of event location, their application were still limited to a small set of events selected to prove the concepts, and practical capability of the method for operational purpose is not fully evaluated with data. Our final goal is to apply the method of seismoacoustic event location to a larger set of events and evaluate its applicability for operational event location in practice. To that end, we focus on developing and verifying acoustic source location method in this study.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Measurement of internal dark current in a 17 GHz accelerator structure with an elliptical sidewall

A 17 GHz single cell, standing wave, copper accelerator structure with an axisymmetric elliptical central cell sidewall was tested for internal and downstream dark current as a function of gradient up to 93 MV/m. The elliptical sidewall was predicted to suppress the internal dark current and the lower order multipactor modes as compared with a previously tested structure having a straight sidewall. During the conditioning phase of the elliptical sidewall structure, strong internal dark current generated by an N = 1 multipactor mode was observed at gradients in the 10 to 20 MV/m range. After conditioning with 2.2x10^5 pulses to 93 MV/m, the N = 1 mode was completely suppressed and no multipactor resonances were observed. The internal dark current was reduced to a comparatively low level, much smaller than in the previously studied, straight sidewall structure, in good agreement with simulations. The energy spectrum of the electrons colliding with the sidewall was measured using an isolated side dark current monitor and a bias voltage. As the conditioning progressed, the electron energy spectrum showed an increase in the concentration of lower energy electrons, also in good agreement with simulations. Studies of internal dark current may help to understand the rf conditioning and ultimate performance of high gradient accelerator structures.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Real-time steerable frequency-stepped Doppler backscattering (DBS) system for local helicon wave electric field measurements on the DIII-D tokamak

A new frequency-stepped Doppler backscattering (DBS) system has been integrated into a real-time steerable electron cyclotron heating launcher system to simultaneously probe local background turbulence (f < 10 MHz) and high-frequency (20–550 MHz) density fluctuations in the DIII-D tokamak. The launcher allows for 2D steering (horizontally and vertically) over wide angular ranges to optimize probe location and wavenumber response. The vertical steering can be optimized during a discharge in real time. The new DBS system employs a programmable frequency synthesizer with adjustable dwell time as a source to launch either O or X-mode polarized millimeter waves. This system can step in real-time over the entire E-band frequency range (60–90 GHz). This combination of capabilities allows for the diagnosis of the complex internal spatial structure of high power (>200 kW) helicon waves (476 MHz) injected from an external antenna during helicon current drive experiments in DIII-D. Broadband density fluctuations around the helicon frequency are observed during real-time scans of measurement location and wavenumber during these experiments. Analysis indicates that these broadband high-frequency fluctuations are a result of backscattering of the DBS millimeter-wave probe beam from plasma turbulence modulated by the helicon wave. It is observed that background turbulence is effectively locally “tagged” with the helicon wave electric field, forming images of the turbulent spectrum in the overall density fluctuation spectrum that appear as high-frequency sidebands of the turbulence. These observations of background turbulence and high-frequency fluctuations open up the possibility of monitoring local helicon wave amplitude by comparing the high-frequency signal amplitude to the simultaneously measured background turbulence. In combination with the real-time measurement location and wavenumber scanning capabilities (offered by real-time frequency-stepping and steering), this allows rapid determination of the spatial distribution of the helicon wave power during steady-state plasma operation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗