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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 973 records · Page 54
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Non-conformal evolution of magnetic fields during reheating

We consider the evolution of electromagnetic fields coupled to conduction currents during the reheating era after inflation, and prior to the establishing of the proton-electron plasma. We assume that the currents may be described by second order causal hydrodynamics. The resulting theory is not conformally invariant. The expansion of the Universe produces temperature gradients which couple to the current and generally oppose Ohmic dissipation. Although the effect is not strong, it suggests that the unfolding of hydrodynamic instabilities in these models may follow a different pattern than in first order theories, and even than in second order theories on non expanding backgrounds.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Finite-volume scheme for anisotropic diffusion

In this paper, we apply a special finite-volume scheme, limited to smooth temperature distributions and Cartesian grids, to test the importance of connectivity of the finite volumes. The area of application is nuclear fusion plasma with field line aligned temperature gradients and extreme anisotropy. We apply the scheme to the anisotropic heat-conduction equation, and compare its results with those of existing finite-volume schemes for anisotropic diffusion. Also, we introduce a general model adaptation of the steady diffusion equation for extremely anisotropic diffusion problems with closed field lines.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

Suppression of collisionless magnetic reconnection in asymmetric current sheets

Using fully kinetic simulations, we study the suppression of asymmetric reconnection in the limit where the diamagnetic drift speed ≫ Alfvén speed and the magnetic shear angle is moderate. We demonstrate that the slippage between electrons and the magnetic flux mitigates the suppression and can even result in fast reconnection that lacks one of the outflow jets. Through comparing a case where the diamagnetic drift is supported by the temperature gradient with a companion case that has a density gradient instead, we identify a robust suppression mechanism. The drift of the x-line is slowed down locally by the asymmetric nature of the x-line, and then the x-line is run over and swallowed by the faster-moving following flux.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Steady-state heat transport: Ballistic-to-diffusive with Fourier's law

It is generally understood that Fourier's law does not describe ballistic phonon transport, which is important when the length of a material is similar to the phonon mean-free-path. Using an approach adapted from electron transport, we demonstrate that Fourier's law and the heat equation do capture ballistic effects, including temperature jumps at ideal contacts, and are thus applicable on all length scales. Local thermal equilibrium is not assumed, because allowing the phonon distribution to be out-of-equilibrium is important for ballistic and quasi-ballistic transport. The key to including the non-equilibrium nature of the phonon population is to apply the proper boundary conditions to the heat equation. Simple analytical solutions are derived, showing that (i) the magnitude of the temperature jumps is simply related to the material properties and (ii) the observation of reduced apparent thermal conductivity physically stems from a reduction in the temperature gradient and not from a reduction in actual thermal conductivity. We demonstrate how our approach, equivalent to Fourier's law, easily reproduces results of the Boltzmann transport equation, in all transport regimes, even when using a full phonon dispersion and mean-free-path distribution.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

Emission control of InGaN nanocolumns grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on Si(111) substrates

This work studies the effect of the growth temperature on the morphology and emission characteristics of self-assembled InGaN nanocolumns grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Morphology changes are assessed by scanning electron microscopy, while emission is measured by photoluminescence. Within the growth temperature range of 750 to 650 deg. C, an increase in In incorporation for decreasing temperature is observed. This effect allows tailoring the InGaN nanocolumns emission line shape by using temperature gradients during growth. Depending on the gradient rate, span, and sign, broad emission line shapes are obtained, covering the yellow to green range, even yielding white emission.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Progress in LHCD modeling and experiments towards the AT regime on Alcator C-Mod

Electron internal transport barrier (ITB) formation is observed during fully non-inductive LHCD discharges on Alcator C-Mod. The formation is characterized by an abrupt increase of the central electron temperature after a few current penetration time has passed following LHCD turn-on. The ITB phase is often terminated by m = 2 mode activity. Kinetic equilibrium reconstruction and TRANSP/LSC analysis show shear reversal in the q profile during the ITB phase. TRANSP/LSC predictive analysis suggests that f{sub Bs}{approx}60% is possible if a similar temperature gradient is maintained at r/a{approx}0.5 with H-factor of 1.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

ACCRETION THROUGH THE INNER EDGES OF PROTOPLANETARY DISKS BY A GIANT SOLID STATE PUMP

At the inner edge of a protoplanetary disk, solids are illuminated by stellar light. This illumination heats the solids and creates temperature gradients along their surfaces. Interactions with ambient gas molecules lead to a radial net gas flow. Every illuminated solid particle within the edge is an individual small gas pump transporting gas inward. In total, the inner edge can provide local mass flow rates as high as M-dot = 10{sup -5} M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1}.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Atomic-scale thermocapillary flow in focused ion beam milling

Focused ion beams provide a means of nanometer-scale manufacturing and material processing, which is used for applications such as forming nanometer-scale pores in thin films for DNA sequencing. We investigate such a configuration with Ga{sup +} bombardment of a Si thin-film target using molecular dynamics simulation. For a range of ion intensities in a realistic configuration, a recirculating melt region develops, which is seen to flow with a symmetrical pattern, counter to how it would flow were it driven by the ion momentum flux. Such flow is potentially important for the shape and composition of the formed structures. Relevant stress scales and estimated physical properties of silicon under these extreme conditions support the importance thermocapillary effects. A flow model with Marangoni forcing, based upon the temperature gradient and geometry from the atomistic simulation, indeed reproduces the flow and thus could be used to anticipate such flows and their influence in applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Neutron Spin Rotation at Laue Diffraction in a Weakly Deformed Transparent Crystal with No Center of Symmetry

The effect of neutron spin rotation at Laue diffraction in a weakly deformed neutron-transparent noncentrosymmetric crystal has been described theoretically and studied experimentally. The effect is due to the bending of a Kato trajectory of the neutron in the deformed crystal. At a certain type of deformation, one of two neutron waves excited at Laue diffraction, which propagate in opposite crystal fields in the crystal with no center of symmetry, leaves the crystal. As a result, the spin of the remaining neutron wave is rotated by a certain angle with respect to initial direction due to the interaction of the magnetic moment of a moving neutron with the crystalline electric field. This effect is absent in an undeformed perfect crystal, where only the depolarization of a beam occurs because both waves in opposite electric fields have the same amplitude. A method has been developed for controlled deforming the perfect single crystal by creating a temperature gradient in it. Thereby, a new possibility of measuring electric fields acting on a neutron in noncentrosymmetric crystals, as well as a method of controlling these fields in experiments on studying the fundamental properties of the neutron, has been implemented.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

AlInPSbAs/InAs Heterostructures for Thermophotoelectric Converters

Using the method of floating-zone recrystallization with a temperature gradient, AlInPSbAs/InAs heterostructures for thermophotoelectric converters operating in the wavelength range of 500–3200 nm are obtained. The use of the AlInPSbAs quinary solid solutions as an active region thermophotoconverters allows one to increase the external quantum yield up to 0.9 in the spectral range of 520–2800 nm.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Transport and Dynamics in Toroidal Fusion Systems

The study entitled, "Transport and Dynamics in Toroidal Fusion Systems," (TDTFS) applied analytical theory and numerical computation to investigate topics of importance to confining plasma, the fourth state of matter, with magnetic fields. A central focus of the work is how non-thermal components of the ion particle distribution affect the "sawtooth" collective oscillation in the core of the tokamak magnetic configuration. Previous experimental and analytical research had shown and described how the oscillation frequency decreases and amplitude increases, leading to "monster" or "giant" sawteeth, when the non-thermal component is increased by injecting particle beams or by exciting ions with imposed electromagnetic waves. The TDTFS study applied numerical computation to self-consistently simulate the interaction between macroscopic collective plasma dynamics and the non-thermal particles. The modeling used the NIMROD code [Sovinec, Glasser, Gianakon, et al., J. Comput. Phys. 195, 355 (2004)] with the energetic component represented by simulation particles [Kim, Parker, Sovinec, and the NIMROD Team, Comput. Phys. Commun. 164, 448 (2004)]. The computations found decreasing growth rates for the instability that drives the oscillations, but they were ultimately limited from achieving experimentally relevant parameters due to computational practicalities. Nonetheless, this effort provided valuable lessons for integrated simulation of macroscopic plasma dynamics. It also motivated an investigation of the applicability of fluid-based modeling to the ion temperature gradient instability, leading to the journal publication [Schnack, Cheng, Barnes, and Parker, Phys. Plasmas 20, 062106 (2013)]. Apart from the tokamak-specific topics, the TDTFS study also addressed topics in the basic physics of magnetized plasma and in the dynamics of the reversed-field pinch (RFP) configuration. The basic physics work contributed to a study of two-fluid effects on interchange dynamics, where "two-fluid" refers to modeling independent dynamics of electron and ion species without full kinetic effects. In collaboration with scientist Ping Zhu, who received separate support, it was found that the rule-of-thumb criteria on stabilizing interchange has caveats that depend on the plasma density and temperature profiles. This work was published in [Zhu, Schnack, Ebrahimi, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 085005 (2008)]. An investigation of general nonlinear relaxation with fluid models was partially supported by the TDTFS study and led to the publication [Khalzov, Ebrahimi, Schnack, and Mirnov, Phys. Plasmas 19, 012111 (2012)]. Work specific to the RFP included an investigation of interchange at large plasma pressure and support for applications [for example, Scheffel, Schnack, and Mirza, Nucl. Fusion 53, 113007 (2013)] of the DEBS code [Schnack, Barnes, Mikic, Harned, and Caramana, J. Comput. Phys. 70, 330 (1987)]. Finally, the principal investigator over most of the award period, Dalton Schnack, supervised a numerical study of modeling magnetic island suppression [Jenkins, Kruger, Hegna, Schnack, and Sovinec, Phys. Plasmas 17, 12502 (2010)].

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

On a Technique of Studying the Interface Kinetics and Anisotropy of Specific Interfacial Energy Based on Experiments on Migration of Liquid Cylindrical Inclusions in a Crystal under Stationary Thermal Conditions

A method for processing experimental data on the migration of liquid cylindrical inclusions in a crystal under a temperature gradient has been considered on the assumption that the experimental thermal conditions are stationary. Formulas are derived to calculate the degree of interfacial energy anisotropy and relative hindrance of the crystallization and dissolution processes at atomically smooth interface areas based on the shapes of cross sections of cylindrical inclusions migrated perpendicular to the close-packed crystal planes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

INTERACTIONS BETWEEN FORMING STARS AND DENSE GAS IN THE SMALL LOW-MASS CLUSTER CEDERBLAD 110

We present observations of dense gas and outflow activity in the Cederblad 110 region of the Chamaeleon I dark cloud complex. The region contains nine forming low-mass stars in evolutionary stages ranging from Class 0 to Class II/III crowded into a 0.2 pc region with high surface density ({Sigma}{sub YSO} {approx} 150 pc{sup -2}). The analysis of our N{sub 2}H{sup +} (J = 1{yields}0) maps indicates the presence of 13 {+-} 3 solar masses of dense (n {approx} 10{sup 5} cm{sup -3}) gas in this region, much of which is unstable against gravitational collapse. The most unstable material is located near the Class 0 source MMS-1, which is almost certainly actively accreting material from its dense core. Smaller column densities of more stable dense gas are found toward the region's Class I sources, IRS 4, 11, and 6. Little or no dense gas is colocated with the Class II and III sources in the region. The outflow from IRS 4 is interacting with the dense core associated with MMS-1. The molecular component of the outflow, measured in the (J = 1{yields}0) line of {sup 12}CO, appears to be deflected by the densest part of the core, after which it appears to plow through some of the lower column density portions of the core. The working surface between the head of the outflow lobe and the dense core material can be seen in the enhanced velocity dispersion of the dense gas. IRS 2, the Class III source that produces the optical reflection nebula that gives the Cederblad 110 region its name, may also be influencing the dense gas in the region. A dust temperature gradient across the MMS-1 dense core is consistent with warming from IRS 2, and a sharp gradient in dense gas column density may be caused by winds from this source. Taken together, our data indicate that this region has been producing several young stars in the recent past, and that sources which began forming first are interacting with the remaining dense gas in the region, thereby influencing current and future star formation activity.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Mathematical simulation of heat and mass transfer in a cylindrical channel versus the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient

The process of heat and mass transfer in a long cylindrical channel has been considered in terms of the mirror–diffuse model of the Maxwell boundary condition. The Hazen–Williams equation is used as a basic equation of the process kinetics. A constant temperature gradient is maintained in the channel. The heat and mass fluxes through the cross section of the channel versus the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient have been calculated in a wide range of the Knudsen number. The heat flux profiles have been constructed. A comparison with relevant published data has been carried out.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1954

Kinetic Study of Mass Transfer by Sodium Hydroxide in Nickel Under Free-convection Conditions /by Don R. Mosher and Robert A. Lad

An investigation was conducted using static capsules fabricated from "L" nickel tubing to determine the effect of temperature level, temperature gradient, and test duration on corrosion and mass transfer by molten sodium hydroxide under free-convection conditions. A base temperature range from 1000 degrees to 1600 degrees F with temperature differences to 500 degrees was studied. The rate of mass transfer was found to be strongly dependent on both temperature level and gradient. The rate shows little tendency to decrease for test durations up to 200 hours, although the concentration of nickel in the melt approaches a limited value after 100 hours.

MATERIALS, PROPERTIES - CORROSION RESISTANCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effect of graphite properties in thermal analysis of CHTR: A parametric study

Compact High Temperature Reactor (CHTR) is a {sup 233}U-Thorium fuelled, lead-bismuth cooled reactor. The CHTR core mainly consists of graphite and beryllium oxide (BeO). The CHTR core consists of nineteen prismatic beryllium oxide (BeO) moderator blocks. These 19 blocks contain centrally located graphite fuel tubes. The BeO moderator blocks are surrounded by reflector blocks (partially graphite and partially BeO). The nuclear heat from the core is removed passively by natural circulation of the coolant between top and bottom plenums, upward through the fuel tubes and returning through the downcomer tubes at the periphery. The temperature gradient in fuel tubes, downcomer tubes and BeO is very high and therefore, to take care of the differential thermal expansion, gaps are provided in the core between the tubes and other core components. These gaps affect the heat transfer through the core in radial direction. In addition, there is a large variation in thermal properties of graphite which in turn affects the thermal behaviour of the core in various operating conditions. The fuel of CHTR is TRISO coated particle fuel. These particles are packed in with graphite powder as matrix and made into cylindrical compacts these compacts are packed in the bores of fuel tube. In this study, the effect of the thermal conductivity variation of the graphite on the temperature distribution of the core and density variation of the matrix graphite material in fuel compact on the maximum fuel kernel temperature is studied along with the overall role of graphite properties variation in heat transfer.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ni-Mn-Ga shape memory nanoactuation

To probe finite size effects in ferromagnetic shape memory nanoactuators, double-beam structures with minimum dimensions down to 100 nm are designed, fabricated, and characterized in-situ in a scanning electron microscope with respect to their coupled thermo-elastic and electro-thermal properties. Electrical resistance and mechanical beam bending tests demonstrate a reversible thermal shape memory effect down to 100 nm. Electro-thermal actuation involves large temperature gradients along the nanobeam in the order of 100 K/μm. We discuss the influence of surface and twin boundary energies and explain why free-standing nanoactuators behave differently compared to constrained geometries like films and nanocrystalline shape memory alloys.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2011

Multi-field/multi-scale turbulence response to electron cyclotron heating of DIII-D ohmic plasmas

The multi-field/multi-scale core ({rho}{approx} 0.5-0.8) turbulence response to electron cyclotron heating (ECH) of DIII-D Ohmic plasmas is reported for the first time. Long wavelength (low-k) electron temperature (T-tilde{sub e}/T{sub e}) and high-k density turbulence levels (n-tilde{sub e}/n{sub e}) are observed to strongly increase during ECH. In contrast, low-k and intermediate-k n-tilde{sub e}/n{sub e} showed little change, whereas the cross-phase between local low-k electron temperature and density fluctuations ({alpha}{sub n{sub eT{sub e}}}) was significantly modified. The increase in the electron thermal diffusivity determined from power balance is consistent with the increased turbulent transport correlated with the measured increases in low-k T-tilde{sub e}/T{sub e} and high-k n-tilde{sub e}/n{sub e}. Linear stability analysis using the trapped gyro-Landau fluid (TGLF) model indicates an enhanced growth rate for electron modes [e.g., trapped electron mode (TEM)] at low-k consistent with the observed modifications in T-tilde{sub e}/T{sub e} and {alpha}{sub n{sub eT{sub e}}}. TGLF also predicts an increase in high-k electron mode growth rates for normalized wavenumbers k{sub {theta}}{rho}{sub s} > 7, where electron temperature gradient (ETG) modes exist, which is consistent with the observed increase in high-kn-tilde{sub e}/n{sub e} turbulence.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗