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DOE OSTI2012

Technical Feasibility Assessment of LED Roadway Lighting on the Golden Gate Bridge

Subsequent to preliminary investigations by the Golden Gate Bridge Highway & Transportation District (GGB), in coordination with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the GATEWAY Demonstration program was asked to evaluate the technical feasibility of replacing existing roadway lighting on the bridge with products utilizing LED technology. GGB and PG&E also indicated interest in induction (i.e., electrodeless fluorescent) technology, since both light source types feature rated lifetimes significantly exceeding those of the existing high-pressure sodium (HPS) and low-pressure sodium (LPS) products. The goal of the study was to identify any solutions which would reduce energy use and maintenance without compromising the quantity or quality of existing illumination. Products used for roadway lighting on the historic bridge must be installed within the existing amber-lensed shoebox-style luminaire housings. It was determined that induction technology does not appear to represent a viable alternative for the roadway luminaires in this application; any energy savings would be attributable to a reduction in light levels. Although no suitable LED retrofit kits were identified for installation within existing luminaire housings, several complete LED luminaires were found to offer energy savings of 6-18%, suggesting custom LED retrofit kits could be developed to match or exceed the performance of the existing shoeboxes. Luminaires utilizing ceramic metal halide (CMH) were also evaluated, and some were found to offer 28% energy savings, but these products might actually increase maintenance due to the shorter rated lamp life. Plasma technology was evaluated, as well, but no suitable products were identified. Analysis provided in this report was completed in May 2012. Although LED technologies are expected to become increasingly viable over time, and product mock-ups may reveal near-term solutions, some options not currently considered by GGB may ultimately merit evaluation. For example, it would be preferable in terms of performance to simply replace existing luminaires (some of which may already be nearing end of life) with fully-integrated LED or CMH luminaires rather than replacing internal components. Among other benefits, this would allow reputable manufacturers to offer standard warranties for their products. Similarly, the amber lenses might be reformulated such that they do not render white light sources in a greenish cast, thereby allowing the use of off-the-shelf LED or CMH products. Last, it should be noted that the existing amber-lensed shoeboxes bear no daytime resemblance to the LPS luminaires originally used to light the roadway.

ceramic metal halide↗

DOE OSTI2022

2D imaging of absolute methyl concentrations in nanosecond pulsed plasma by photo-fragmentation laser-induced fluorescence

The methyl radical plays a central role in plasma-assisted hydrocarbon chemistry but is challenging to detect due to its high reactivity and strongly pre-dissociative electronically excited states. In this work, we report the development of a photo-fragmentation laser-induced fluorescence (PF-LIF) diagnostic for quantitative 2D imaging of methyl profiles in a plasma. This technique provides temporally and spatially resolved measurements of local methyl distributions, including in near-surface regions that are important for plasma-surface interactions such as plasma-assisted catalysis. The technique relies on photo-dissociation of methyl by the fifth harmonic of a Nd:YAG laser at 212.8 nm to produce CH fragments. These photofragments are then detected with LIF imaging by exciting a transition in the B-X(0, 0) band of CH with a second laser at 390 nm. Fluorescence from the overlapping A-X(0, 0), A-X(1, 1), and B-X(0, 1) bands of CH is detected near 430 nm with the A-state populated by collisional B-A electronic energy transfer. This non-resonant detection scheme enables interrogation close to a surface. The PF-LIF diagnostic is calibrated by producing a known amount of methyl through photo-dissociation of acetone vapor in a calibration gas mixture. We demonstrate PF-LIF imaging of methyl production in methane-containing nanosecond pulsed plasmas impinging on dielectric surfaces. Absolute calibration of the diagnostic is demonstrated in a diffuse, plane-to-plane discharge. Measured profiles show a relatively uniform distribution of up to 30 ppm of methyl. Relative methyl measurements in a filamentary plane-to-plane discharge and a plasma jet reveal highly localized intense production of methyl. The utility of the PF-LIF technique is further demonstrated by combining methyl measurements with formaldehyde LIF imaging to capture spatiotemporal correlations between methyl and formaldehyde, which is an important intermediate species in plasma-assisted oxidative coupling of methane.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2017

Cold crucible induction melter test for crystalline ceramic waste form fabrication: A feasibility assessment

The first scaled proof-of-principle cold crucible induction melter (CCIM) test to process a multiphase ceramic waste form from a simulated combined (Cs/Sr, lanthanide and transition metal fission products) commercial used nuclear fuel waste stream was recently conducted in the United States. X-ray diffraction, 2-D X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy for Cs), and product consistency tests were used to characterize the fabricated CCIM material. Characterization analyses confirmed that a crystalline ceramic with a desirable phase assemblage was produced from a melt using a CCIM. We identified primary hollandite, pyrochlore/zirconolite, and perovskite phases in addition to minor phases rich in Fe, Al, or Cs. The material produced in the CCIM was chemically homogeneous and displayed a uniform phase assemblage with acceptable aqueous chemical durability.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2023

Perspectives on relativistic electron–positron pair plasma experiments of astrophysical relevance using high-power lasers

The study of relativistic electron–positron pair plasmas is both of fundamental physics interest and important to understand the processes that shape the magnetic field dynamics, particle acceleration, and radiation emission in high-energy astrophysical environments. Although it is highly desirable to study relativistic pair plasmas in the laboratory, their generation and control constitutes a critical challenge. Significant experimental and theoretical progress has been made over recent years to explore the use of intense lasers to produce dense relativistic pair plasma in the laboratory and study the basic collective plasma processes associated with these systems. Important challenges remain in terms of improving the number of pairs, system size, and control over the charge neutrality required to establish laboratory platforms that can expand our understanding of relativistic pair plasma and help validate underlying models in conditions relevant to high-energy astrophysical phenomena. Furthermore, we highlight recent progress in this field, discuss the main challenges, and the exciting prospects for studying relativistic pair plasmas and astrophysics relevant instabilities in the laboratory in the near future.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Fast ion relaxation in ITER mediated by Alfvén instabilities

Abstract We address the critical issue for future burning plasmas of whether high-energy fusion products or auxiliary heating-beam ions will be confined for a sufficiently long time to compensate for thermal plasma energy losses. This issue can be mitigated by one of the most deleterious collective phenomena—the instability of low, sub-cyclotron frequency Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs), such as toroidicity-induced AEs and reversed-shear AEs in the ITER steady-state scenario. Using a revised quasi-linear (QL) theory applied to energetic particle (EP) relaxation in the presence of AEs, we find that the AE instabilities can affect both neutral beam ions and alpha particles, although the resulting fast ion transport is expected to be modest if classical particle slowing down is assumed. On the other hand, the QL theory predicts that the AE amplitudes will be enhanced by the background microturbulence, although this topic remains outside our scope due to the significant numerical effort required to evaluate these effects. We report our results for EP relaxation dynamics obtained utilizing several tools: (i) a comprehensive linear stability study of the sub-cyclotron Alfvénic spectrum as computed by ideal magnetohydrodynamic NOVA simulations for the AE eigenproblem, (ii) drift kinetic NOVA-C calculations for wave–particle interaction and AE growth/damping rates, and (iii) predictive QL modeling coupled with the global transport code TRANSP to assess the EP relaxation on the equilibrium timescale.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2023

Plasma-Assisted Chemical-Looping Combustion: Low-Temperature Methane and Ethylene Oxidation with Nickel Oxide

The chemical reaction network of low-temperature plasma-assisted oxidation of methane (CH 4 ) and ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) with nickel oxide (NiO) was investigated in a heated plasma reactor through time-dependent species measurements by electron-ionization molecular beam mass spectrometry (EI-MBMS). Methane (ethylene) oxidation by NiO was explored in temperature ranges from 300-700 °C (300-500 °C) and 300-800 °C (300-600°C) for the plasma and non-plasma conditions, respectively. Significant enhancement of methane oxidation was observed with plasma between 400 and 500 °C, where no oxidation was observed under non-plasma conditions. For the oxidation of methane at higher temperatures three different oxidation stages were observed: I) a period of complete oxidation, II) a period of incomplete CO oxidation, and III) a period of carbon buildup. For the C 2 H 4 experiments, and unlike the CH 4 experiments, the plasma resulted in a significant amount of new intermediate oxygenated species, such as CH 2 O, CH 3 OH, C 2 H 4 O, and C 2 H 6 O. Carbon deposits were observed under both methane and ethylene conditions and verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). ReaxFF simulations were performed for the oxidation of CH 4 and C 2 H 4 in a non-plasma environment. The simulated intermediates and products largely agree with the species measured in the experiments, though the predicted intermediate oxygenated species such as CH 2 O and C 2 H 6 O were not observed in experiments under non-plasma conditions. A reaction pathway analysis for CH 4 and C 2 H 4 reacting with NiO was created based on the observed species from the MBMS spectra, along with ReaxFF simulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2015

Formation of PtSi Schottky barrier MOSFETs using plasma etching

PtSi Schottky barrier (SB) MOSFETs were fabricated and their device performance was characterized. PtSi was selected instead of NiSi to form the p-type SB junction since such a configuration would be easy to fabricate through SF{sub 6} based plasma etching. The addition of He-O{sub 2} in SF{sub 6} decreases the etching rate of PtSi while the etching rate of Pt remains unchanged. The retardation in the etching rate of PtSi in He-O{sub 2}/SF{sub 6} is attributed to the formation of a metal oxide on the etched PtSi surface, as evidenced by the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results. Optical emission spectroscopy was conducted to establish the endpoint where the wavelength from the feed gas was traced instead of tracing the etching by-products since the by-products have little association with the plasma reaction. The I{sub DS}–V{sub DS} curves at various V{sub G}–V{sub TH} indicate that plasma etching resulted in the successful removal of the Pt on the sidewall region, with negligible damage to the S/D area.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2012

Plasma enhanced atomic layer batch processing of aluminum doped titanium dioxide

Among many promising high-k dielectrics, TiO{sub 2} is an interesting candidate because of its relatively high k value of over 40 and its easy integration into existing semiconductor manufacturing schemes. The most critical issues of TiO{sub 2} are its low electrical stability and its high leakage current density. However, doping TiO{sub 2} with Al has shown to yield significant improvement of layer quality on Ru electrodes [S. K. Kim et al., Adv. Mater. 20, 1429 (2008)]. In this work we investigated if atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Al doped TiO{sub 2} is feasible in a batch system. Electrical characterizations were done using common electrode materials like TiN, TaN, or W. Additionally, the effect of plasma enhanced processing in this reactor was studied. For this investigation a production batch ALD furnace has been retrofitted with a plasma source which can be used for post deposition anneals with oxygen radicals as well as for directly plasma enhanced ALD. After evaluation of several Ti precursors a deposition process for AlTiO{sub x} with excellent film thickness and composition uniformity was developed. The effects of post deposition anneals, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interlayers between electrode and TiO{sub 2}, Al doping concentration, plasma enhanced deposition and electrode material type on leakage current density are shown. An optimized AlTiO{sub x} deposition process on TaN electrodes yields to leakage current density of 5 x 10{sup -7} A/cm{sup 2} at 2 V and k values of about 35. Thus, it could be demonstrated that a plasma enhanced batch ALD process for Al doped TiO{sub 2} is feasible with acceptable leakage current density on a standard electrode material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2012

Technical Feasibility Assessment of LED Roadway Lighting on the Golden Gate Bridge

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2016

Analysis of the tuning characteristics of microwave plasma source

In this paper, we present an analysis of the tuning characteristics of waveguide-supplied metal-cylinder-based nozzleless microwave plasma source. This analysis has enabled to estimate the electron concentration n{sub e} and electron frequency collisions ν in the plasma generated in nitrogen and in a mixture of nitrogen and ethanol vapour. The parameters n{sub e} and ν are the basic quantities that characterize the plasma. The presented new plasma diagnostic method is particularly useful, when spectroscopic methods are useless. The presented plasma source is currently used in research of a hydrogen production from liquids.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2014

Generation of metal ions in the beam plasma produced by a forevacuum-pressure electron beam source

We report on the production of metal ions of magnesium and zinc in the beam plasma formed by a forevacuum-pressure electron source. Magnesium and zinc vapor were generated by electron beam evaporation from a crucible and subsequently ionized by electron impact from the e-beam itself. Both gaseous and metallic plasmas were separately produced and characterized using a modified RGA-100 quadrupole mass-spectrometer. The fractional composition of metal isotopes in the plasma corresponds to their fractional natural abundance.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Real-Time and Adaptive Reservoir Computing With Application to Profile Prediction in Fusion Plasma

Nuclear fusion is a promising alternative to address the problem of sustainable energy production. The tokamak is an approach to fusion based on magnetic plasma confinement, constituting a complex physical system with many control challenges. Here we study the characteristics and optimization of reservoir computing (RC) for real-time and adaptive prediction of plasma profiles in the DIII-D tokamak. Our experiments demonstrate that RC achieves comparable results to state-of-the-art (deep) convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) models, with a significantly easier and faster training procedure. This efficient approach allows for fast and frequent adaptation of the model to new situations, such as changing plasma conditions or different fusion devices.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1979

Pulsar magnetospheres

The structure of both the interior and exterior pulsar magnetosphere depends upon the strength of its plasma source near the surface of the star. We review magnetospheric models in the light of a vacuum pair-production source model proposed by Sturrock, and Ruderman and Sutherland. This model predicts the existence of a cutoff, determined by the neutron star's spin rate and magnetic field strength, beyond which coherent radio emission is no longer possible. The observed distribution of pulsar spin periods and period derivatives, and the distribution of pulsars with missing radio pulses, is quantitatively consistent with the pair production threshold, when its variation of neutron star radius and moment of inertia with mass is taken into account. All neutron stars observed as pulsars can have relativistic magnetohydrodynamic wind exterior magnetospheres. The properties of the wind can be directly related to those of the pair production source. Radio pulsars cannot have relativistic plasma wave exterior magnetospheres. On the other hand, most erstwhile pulsars in the galaxy are probably halo objects that emit weak fluxes of energetic photons that can have relativistic wave exterior magnetospheres. Extinct pulsars have not been yet observed.

Kennel, C. F.↗

DOE OSTI2012

Effects of adsorption and roughness upon the collision processes at the convertor surface of a plasma sputter negative ion source

Atomic collision processes associated with surface production of negative hydrogen ions (H{sup -}) by particle reflection at molybdenum surface immersed in hydrogen plasma have been investigated. To calculate sputtering yields of Cs, as well as energy spectra and angular distributions of reflected hydrogen atoms from molybdenum surface by H{sup +} ion and Cs{sup +} ion bombardments, a Monte Carlo simulation code ACAT (Atomic Collision in Amorphous Target) was run with the corresponding surface conditions. A fractal surface model has been developed and adopted to ACAT for evaluating the effect due to roughness of target material. The results obtained with ACAT have indicated that the retention of hydrogen atoms leads to the reduction in sputtering yields of Cs, and the surface roughness does largely affect the sputtering yields of Cs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

DOE OSTI2019

Rapid measurements of 235 U fission product isotope ratios using an online, high-pressure ion chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry protocol with comparison to isotopic depletion models

An automated online separation–direct analysis method, RAPID (rapid analysis of post-irradiation debris), has been developed for the measurement of the concentration and isotopic composition of over 40 elements down to the low-picogram level. Here we discuss the application of RAPID to irradiated highly-enriched uranium, demonstrating that it has the sensitivity required to achieve precise, low-level analyses of non-natural isotopes, even in the presence of a bulk uranium matrix. As a result, isotopic ratios have been successfully measured at the low-picogram level, and the accuracy of these ratios was confirmed using an isotopic depletion and decay modeling software to within 1–2%.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2012

Development of a He{sup -} and He{sup 0} beam source for alpha particle measurement in a burning plasma

Proof of principle experiments of neutral helium beam production for alpha particle diagnostics was carried out on a test stand. Negative helium ions were produced in the Li charge exchange cell, in which stable and long time operation was possible. He{sup -} beam was accelerated to 157 keV. Finally, He{sup 0} beam was successfully produced after the flight in the drift-tube through the auto-electron-detachment process from He{sup -} to He{sup 0}. A neutral beam detector using a pyroelectric device was also developed to measure He{sup 0} beam intensity. The metastable component in the neutral helium beam was found to be less than 2%.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2024

A hierarchal model for bacterial cell inactivation in solution by direct and indirect treatment using cold atmospheric plasmas

Cold atmospheric plasma devices have shown promise for a variety of plasma medical applications, including wound healing and bacterial inactivation often performed in liquids. In the latter application, plasma-produced reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) interact with and damage bacterial cells, though the exact mechanism by which cell damage occurs is unclear. Computational models can help elucidate relationships between plasma-produced RONS and cell killing by enabling direct comparison between dissimilar plasma devices and by examining the effects of changing operating parameters in these devices. In biological applications, computational models of plasma-liquid interactions would be most effective in design and optimization of plasma devices if there is a corresponding prediction of the biological outcome. In this work, we propose a hierarchal model for planktonic bacterial cell inactivation by plasma produced RONS in liquid. A previously developed reaction mechanism for plasma induced modification of cysteine was extended to provide a basis for cell killing by plasma-produced RONS. Results from the model are compared to literature values to provide proof of concept. Differences in time to bacterial inactivation as a function of plasma operating parameters including gas composition and plasma source configuration are discussed. Results indicate that optimizing gas-phase reactive nitrogen species production may be key in the design of plasma devices for disinfection.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2011

Smoking, COPD and 3-Nitrotyrosine Levels of Plasma Proteins

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide is a physiologically regulator of endothelial function and hemodynamics. Oxidized products of nitric oxide can form nitrotyrosine, which is a marker of nitrative stress. Cigarette smoking decreases exhaled nitric oxide, and the underlying mechanism may be important in the cardiovascular toxicity of cigarette smoke, although it is not clear if this effect results from decreased nitric oxide production or oxidation of nitric oxide to reactive, nitrating, species. These processes would be expected to have opposite effects on nitrotyrosine levels, a marker of nitrative stress. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we determine the effects of smoking and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on circulating levels of nitrotyrosine, and thereby gain insight into the processes regulating nitrotyrosine formation. METHODS: A custom antibody microarray platform was used to analyze the levels of 3-nitrotyrosine modifications on 24 proteins in plasma. Plasma samples from 458 individuals were analyzed. RESULTS: Nitrotyrosine levels in circulating proteins were uniformly reduced in smokers but increased in COPD patients. We also observed a persistent suppression of nitrotyrosine in former smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking broadly suppresses the levels of 3-nitrotyrosine in plasma proteins, suggesting that cigarette smoke suppresses endothelial nitric oxide production. In contrast, the increase in nitrotyrosine levels in COPD patients most likely results from inflammatory processes. This study provides the first evidence that smoking has irreversible effects on endothelial production of nitric oxide, and provides insight into how smoking could induce a loss of elasticity in the vasculature and a long-term increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗