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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Method for Measuring Dry Density of Compacted Bentonite Mixture Soil Using 3D Laser Scanner data - 19119

The bentonite mixture soil is planned to be used for the low-permeability layer of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) disposal facilities. The construction of the bentonite mixture soil is similar to that of normal soil construction, and the rolling pressure and/or vibration compaction are used. The quality control of construction is the same as normal soil work, and the construction management has to confirm that the compaction degree (that is ratio of the dry density to the modified proctor curve) is above specified value. As a method of measuring the dry density after construction, the conventional methods are the core cutter method and the sand replacement method. The measurement principle of these methods is simple and the reliability of the measurement value is high, but during measurements digging holes disturb the construction place, and the measurement duration is a disadvantage in these methods. Therefore, we developed a non-destructive method that can make measurements in a short time. The developed method uses the correlation between the density change and the layer thickness change before and after compaction, and estimates the density after compaction from the height change obtained from the survey results. However, since the material is compressed while the cross-sectional area spreads, this cross-sectional area change is also taken into consideration. By using the point cloud data of the 3D laser scanner surveying, it is possible to obtain almost continuous data in a short period of time. Corrected dry density values calculated by the above procedure ρ'{sub 3D} are generally consistent with dry density after compaction ρ{sub core} by the core cutter method. This method differs depending on the boundary conditions of the bottom and the side of the construction place. Then, the reliability of the method was evaluated by applying it to two boundary conditions and comparing it with the core cutter method. The proposed estimation method showed good agreement with the core cutter method. Therefore, it was confirmed that it is possible to estimate dry density with high reliability. Although this method needs to be used in set with core cutter method, the measurement frequency of the core cutter method can be reduced, and the measurement of a vast area can be done in a short time without disturbance. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2012

Imaging spectroscopy diagnosis of internal electron temperature and density distributions of plasma cloud surrounding hydrogen pellet in the Large Helical Device

To investigate the behavior of hydrogen pellet ablation, a novel method of high-speed imaging spectroscopy has been used in the Large Helical Device (LHD) for identifying the internal distribution of the electron density and temperature of the plasma cloud surrounding the pellet. This spectroscopic system consists of a five-branch fiberscope and a fast camera, with each objective lens having a different narrow-band optical filter for the hydrogen Balmer lines and the background continuum radiation. The electron density and temperature in the plasma cloud are obtained, with a spatial resolution of about 6 mm and a temporal resolution of 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5} s, from the intensity ratio measured through these filters. To verify the imaging, the average electron density and temperature also have been measured from the total emission by using a photodiode, showing that both density and temperature increase with time during the pellet ablation. The electron density distribution ranging from 10{sup 22} to 10{sup 24} m{sup -3} and the temperature distribution around 1 eV have been observed via imaging. The electron density and temperature of a 0.1 m plasma cloud are distributed along the magnetic field lines and a significant electron pressure forms in the plasma cloud for typical experimental conditions of the LHD.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Local and linear chemical reactivity response functions at finite temperature in density functional theory

We explore the local and nonlocal response functions of the grand canonical potential density functional at nonzero temperature. In analogy to the zero-temperature treatment, local (e.g., the average electron density and the local softness) and nonlocal (e.g., the softness kernel) intrinsic response functions are defined as partial derivatives of the grand canonical potential with respect to its thermodynamic variables (i.e., the chemical potential of the electron reservoir and the external potential generated by the atomic nuclei). To define the local and nonlocal response functions of the electron density (e.g., the Fukui function, the linear density response function, and the dual descriptor), we differentiate with respect to the average electron number and the external potential. The well-known mathematical relationships between the intrinsic response functions and the electron-density responses are generalized to nonzero temperature, and we prove that in the zero-temperature limit, our results recover well-known identities from the density functional theory of chemical reactivity. Specific working equations and numerical results are provided for the 3-state ensemble model.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Phosphorus and carrier density of heavily n-type doped germanium

The threshold current density of n-type, tensile-strained Ge lasers strongly depends on the electron density. Although optical net gain analyses indicate that the optimum electron density should be on the order of 1 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} to get the lowest threshold, it is not a simple task to increase the electron density beyond the mid range of 10{sup 19} cm{sup −3}. The present paper analyzes the phenomenon where electron density is not proportional to phosphorus donor density, i.e., “saturation” phenomenon, by applying the so-called amphoteric defect model. The analyses indicate that the saturation phenomenon can be well explained by the charge compensation between the phosphorus donors (P{sup +}) and doubly negative charged Ge vacancies (V{sup 2−}).

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Perdew-Zunger self-interaction correction: How wrong for uniform densities and large- Z atoms?

Semilocal density functionals for the exchange-correlation energy of a many-electron system cannot be exact for all one-electron densities. In 1981, Perdew and Zunger (PZ) subtracted the fully nonlocal self-interaction error orbital-by-orbital, making the corrected functional exact for all collections of separated one-electron densities and making no correction to the exact functional. Although the PZ self-interaction correction (SIC) eliminates many errors of semilocal functionals, it is often worse for equilibrium properties of sp-bonded molecules and solids. Nonempirical semilocal functionals are usually designed to be exact for electron gases of uniform density and, thus, also make 0% error for neutral atoms in the limit of large atomic number Z, but PZ SIC is not so designed. For localized SIC orbitals, we show analytically that the local spin density approximation (LSDA)-SIC correlation energy per electron of the uniform gas in the high-density limit makes an error of -50% in the spin-unpolarized case and -100% in the fully spin-polarized case. Then we extrapolate from the Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe atoms to estimate the relative errors of the PZ SIC exchange-correlation energies (with localized SIC orbitals) in the limit of large atomic number: about +5.5% for the LSDA-SIC and about -3.5% for nonempirical generalized gradient [Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE)-SIC] and meta-generalized gradient strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN)-SIC approximations. Finally, the SIC errors are considerably larger than those that have been estimated for LSDA-SIC by approximating the localized SIC orbitals for the uniform gas and may explain the errors of PZ SIC for equilibrium properties, opening the door to a generalized SIC that is more widely accurate.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Radial evolution of the intermittency of density fluctuations in the fast solar wind

We study the radial evolution of the intermittency of density fluctuations in the fast solar wind. The study is performed by analyzing the plasma density measurements provided by Helios 2 in the inner heliosphere between 0.3 and 0.9 AU. The analysis is carried out by means of a complete set of diagnostic tools, including the flatness factor at different timescales to estimate intermittency, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test to estimate the degree of intermittency, and the Fourier transform to estimate the power spectral densities of these fluctuations. Density fluctuations within the fast wind are rather intermittent and their level of intermittency, together with the amplitude of intermittent events, decreases with the distance from the Sun, at odds with the intermittency of both magnetic field and all other plasma parameters. Furthermore, the intermittent events are strongly correlated, exhibiting temporal clustering. This indicates that the mechanism underlying their generation departs from a time-varying Poisson process. A remarkable, qualitative similarity with the behavior of plasma density fluctuations obtained from a numerical study of the nonlinear evolution of parametric instability in the solar wind supports the idea that this mechanism has an important role in governing density fluctuations in the inner heliosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Joint constraints on galaxy bias and σ{sub 8} through the N-pdf of the galaxy number density

We present a full description of the N-probability density function of the galaxy number density fluctuations. This N-pdf is given in terms, on the one hand, of the cold dark matter correlations and, on the other hand, of the galaxy bias parameter. The method relies on the assumption commonly adopted that the dark matter density fluctuations follow a local non-linear transformation of the initial energy density perturbations. The N-pdf of the galaxy number density fluctuations allows for an optimal estimation of the bias parameter (e.g., via maximum-likelihood estimation, or Bayesian inference if there exists any a priori information on the bias parameter), and of those parameters defining the dark matter correlations, in particular its amplitude (σ{sub 8}). It also provides the proper framework to perform model selection between two competitive hypotheses. The parameters estimation capabilities of the N-pdf are proved by SDSS-like simulations (both, ideal log-normal simulations and mocks obtained from Las Damas simulations), showing that our estimator is unbiased. We apply our formalism to the 7th release of the SDSS main sample (for a volume-limited subset with absolute magnitudes M{sub r} ≤ −20). We obtain b-circumflex = 1.193 ± 0.074 and σ-bar{sub 8} = 0.862 ± 0.080, for galaxy number density fluctuations in cells of the size of 30h{sup −1}Mpc. Different model selection criteria show that galaxy biasing is clearly favoured.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Packing microstructure and local density variations of experimental and computational pebble beds

In pebble bed type nuclear reactors the fuel is contained in graphite pebbles, which form a randomly stacked bed with a non-uniform packing density. These variations can influence local coolant flow and power density and are a possible cause of hotspots. To analyse local density variations computational methods are needed that can generate randomly stacked pebble beds with a realistic packing structure on a pebble-to-pebble level. We first compare various properties of the local packing structure of a computed bed with those of an image made using computer aided X-ray tomography, looking at properties in the bulk of the bed and near the wall separately. Especially for the bulk of the bed, properties of the computed bed show good comparison with the scanned bed and with literature, giving confidence our method generates beds with realistic packing microstructure. Results also show the packing structure is different near the wall than in the bulk of the bed, with pebbles near the wall forming ordered layers similar to hexagonal close packing. Next, variations in the local packing density are investigated by comparing probability density functions of the packing fraction of small clusters of pebbles throughout the bed. Especially near the wall large variations in local packing fractions exists, with a higher probability for both clusters of pebbles with low (<0.6) and high (>0.65) packing fraction, which could significantly affect flow rates and, together with higher power densities, could result in hotspots. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fermions at finite density in the path integral approach

Abstract We study relativistic fermionic systems in 3 + 1 spacetime dimensions at finite chemical potential and zero temperature, from a path-integral point of view. We show how to properly account for theiεterm that projects on the finite density ground state, and compute the path integral analytically for free fermions in homogeneous external backgrounds, using complex analysis techniques. As an application, we show that the U(1) symmetry is always linearly realized for free fermions at finite charge density, differently from scalars. We study various aspects of finite density QED in a homogeneous magnetic background. We compute the free energy density, non-perturbatively in the electromagnetic coupling and the external magnetic field, obtaining the finite density generalization of classic results of Euler-Heisenberg and Schwinger. We also obtain analytically the magnetic susceptibility of a relativistic Fermi gas at finite density, reproducing the de Haas-van Alphen effect. Finally, we consider a (generalized) Gross-Neveu model forNinteracting fermions at finite density. We compute its non-perturbative effective potential in the large-Nlimit, and discuss the fate of the U(1) vector and$$ {\mathbb{Z}}_2^A $$ ℤ 2 A axial symmetries.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2016

Density impact on performance of composite Si/graphite electrodes

The ability of alkali-substituted binders for composite Si and graphite negative electrodes to minimize capacity fade for lithium ion batteries is investigated. Polymer films and electrodes are described and characterized by FTIR following immersion in electrolyte (1:2 EC:DMC) for 24 h. FTIR analysis following electrode formation displayed similar alkali-ion dependent shifts in peak location suggesting that changes in the vibrational structure of the binder are maintained after electrode formation. The Si and graphite composite electrodes prepared using the alkali-substituted polyacrylates were also exposed to electrochemical cycling and it has been found that the performance of the Na-substituted binder is superior to a comparable density K-substituted system. However, in comparing performance across many different electrode densities attention needs to be placed on making comparisons at similar densities, as low density electrodes tend to exhibit lower capacity fade over cycling. This is highlighted by a 6% difference between a low density K-substituted electrode and a high density Na-substituted sample. As a result, this low variance between the two systems makes it difficult to quickly make a direct evaluation of binder performance unless electrode density is tightly controlled.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Evaluating methane adsorbed film densities on activated carbon in dynamic systems

Dynamic methane loading and discharge experiments on a 40 L adsorbed natural gas tank containing 20.5 kg of monolithic carbon adsorbent have been combined with pore volume data from subcritical nitrogen isotherms to evaluate the density and dynamic properties associated with adsorbed methane. The time-dependent density of the adsorbed gas was evaluated for narrow and wide micropores. The temperature-dependent adsorbed film volume was determined from the Ono-Kondo model and compared with the total micropore volume. The resulting adsorbed methane density evolves in two distinct parts. The density increases rapidly during the beginning of the loading process and increases slowly after narrow pores reach saturation. The narrow pores’ saturated adsorbed gas densities ranged from 0.26 – 0.35 kg/L, depending on the choice of film volume. The density of wide micropores was found to be highly dependent on the loading procedure due to the expected temperature dependence of the film volume. During discharge, it was found that the wide micropores deplete early while narrow micropores deplete slowly which causes the less than 100% efficient discharges seen in adsorbed natural gas systems. These density models have been applied to accurately predict the gravimetric excess adsorption of other carbon adsorbents at 35 bar and explain previously published pressure and temperature relations during tank loading.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Effect of H[subscript 2]O on the density of silicate melts at high pressures: Static experiments and the application of a modified hard-sphere model of equation of state

Density of ultramafic silicate melts was determined using the sink/float technique at high pressures. Seven melt compositions were studied, among which three were dry compositions with different Mg's (molar MgO/(MgO + FeO) x 100) and the other four were hydrous compositions synthesized by adding 2-7 wt.% H{sub 2}O to the anhydrous ones. Experimental conditions range from 9 to 15 GPa and from 2173 to 2473 K. The sinking and floatation of density markers were observed for all melt compositions. Melt density data were analyzed by applying the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state and a newly developed equation of state for silicate melts based on the model of hard sphere mixtures. The presence of water can significantly reduce the density of melts due to its small molecular mass. On the other hand, water makes hydrous silicate melts more compressible than anhydrous melts and therefore the effect of H{sub 2}O on melt density is less significant at high pressures. The density of hydrous melts was then calculated as a function of H{sub 2}O content at the conditions of the bottom of the upper mantle, and was compared with the density of the dominant upper mantle minerals. Results show that the conditions for a negatively buoyant melt that coexists with a pyrolite mantle atop the 410 km discontinuity are marginally satisfied if H{sub 2}O is the only volatile component to facilitate melting, but such conditions will be satisfied by a broader range of conditions when other heavier volatile elements (C, K, etc.) are also present.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

Lung Density Changes After Stereotactic Radiotherapy: A Quantitative Analysis in 50 Patients

Purpose: Radiologic lung density changes are observed in more than 50% of patients after stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. We studied the relationship between SBRT dose and posttreatment computed tomography (CT) density changes, a surrogate for lung injury. Methods and Materials: The SBRT fractionation schemes used to treat Stage I lung cancer with RapidArc were three fractions of 18 Gy, five fractions of 11 Gy, or eight fractions of 7.5 Gy, prescribed at the 80% isodose. Follow-up CT scans performed at less than 6 months (n = 50) and between 6 and 9 months (n = 30) after SBRT were reviewed. Posttreatment scans were coregistered with baseline scans using a B-spline deformable registration algorithm. Voxel-Hounsfield unit histograms were created for doses between 0.5 and 50 Gy. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess the effects of SBRT dose on CT density, and the influence of possible confounders was tested. Results: Increased CT density was associated with higher dose, increasing planning target volume size, and increasing time after SBRT (all p < 0.0001). Density increases were apparent in areas receiving >6 Gy, were most prominent in areas receiving >20 Gy, and seemed to plateau above 40 Gy. In regions receiving >36 Gy, the reduction in air-filled fraction of lung after treatment was up to 18%. No increase in CT density was observed in the contralateral lung receiving {>=}3 Gy. Conclusions: A dose-response relationship exists for quantitative CT density changes after SBRT. A threshold of effect is seen at low doses, and a plateau at highest doses.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Investigation of sol-gel feedstock additions and process variables on the density and microstructure of UN microspheres

The kernel of fully ceramic microencapsulated (FCM) fuel requires a material with high fissile density. For that reason, among others, UN is the appropriate chemical state for low enriched U fuel. The UN kernels are spheres ~800 μm in diameter made using a sol-gel process. The effect of additives on the chemistry and density of the UN microspheres are investigated in this work. Gadolinium nitrate hexahydrate, Gd 2 O 3 , B, SiO 2 and SiC were incorporated into the sol-gel broth in varying concentrations. It was found that Gd can serve as both a sintering aid and burnable poison when added to the sol-gel broth as a Gd(NO 3 ) 3 6H 2 O. However, even with the increased theoretical density of the UN microspheres, the U density was still too low for the FCM design that replaces UO 2 pellets in a commercial light water reactor. Silicon carbide and B were also successfully added but produced a lower density final product. Other sol-gel processing variables were investigated. In conclusion, the pour density of the sol-gel feedstock was found to influence the final converted UN kernel density.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Hot Hydrogen Exposure of U x Zr 1-x C y Nuclear Fuel: The Influence of Composition and Density

Refractory carbide nuclear fuel has been one of the most promising fuel candidates for space nuclear propulsion due to its high melting point, temperature stability, and compatibility in a hot hydrogen environment. In this study, U x Zr 1-x C y fuel was produced by means of a carbothermic reduction process in different UC compositions including 5,10, 20, and 30 at.% UC in the fuel compound. The powder feedstock was consolidated via direct current sintering with densities up to 97% of the theoretical density. The samples with different U x Zr 1-x C y compositions were exposed to hot hydrogen at 2600 K for a cumulative time of 300 min. The samples were characterized by SEM, XRD, density, and measured for mass losses. The high-density samples displayed improved performance in hot hydrogen by minimizing porous sites and reducing areas of direct contact with hydrogen gas, leading to reduced mass losses. Variations in sample density proved to induce large changes in mass loss rates, increasing them up to 90%. The compositions with higher UC content reported the largest mass losses in the study. The loss of uranium occurred primarily at the surfaces exposed to the hot hydrogen where changes in the lattice constant confirmed losses exceeding 50% of the initial UC content in higher compositions, specifically to U 0.3 Zr 0.7 C y . XRD analyses revealed the presence of UH 3 in U 0.3 Zr 0.7 C y suggesting that metallic uranium formed inside the sample as a product of carbon losses. High-density U x Zr x-1 C y fuel with UC concentrations at or below 20 at.% UC exhibited stability and negligible density changes in a high temperature hydrogen environment.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Dislocation density evolution of AA 7020-T6 investigated by in-situ synchrotron diffraction under tensile load

The dislocation density evolution along the loading axis of a textured AA 7020-T6 aluminum alloy during uniaxial tension was investigated by in-situ synchrotron diffraction. The highly parallel synchrotron beam at the High Energy Materials Science beamline P07 in PETRA III, DESY, offers excellent conditions to separate different influences for line broadening from which micro-strains are obtained using the modified Williamson–Hall method which is also for defect density investigations. During tensile loading the dislocation density evolution was documented from the as-received material (initial micro-strain state) to the relaxation of the strains during elastic deformation. After yield, the increasing rate of dislocation density growth was relatively fast till half-way between yield and UTS. After that, the rate started to decrease and the dislocation density fluctuated as the elongation increased due to the generation and annihilation of dislocations. When dislocation generation is dominant, the correlation between the flow stress and dislocation density satisfies the Taylor equation. Besides, a method to correct the thickness effect on peak broadening is developed in the present study. - Highlights: • In-situ synchrotron diffraction was applied to characterize peak broadening. • Dislocation evolution along the loading axis during uniaxial tension was investigated. • A method to correct the sample thickness effect on peak broadening was developed. • Dislocation density and flow stress satisfy the Taylor equation at a certain range. • The texture before load and after sample fracture was analyzed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Dislocation-density evolution and pileups in bicrystalline systems

Here, a dislocation-density crystalline plasticity (DCP) framework based on total and partial dislocation densities interactions was used to investigate the behavior of Cu/Pb bicrystals with a focus on GB effects. The modeling predictions were validated with bicrystal compression micropillar experiments. A key new aspect of the modeling approach is to account for partial dislocation-densities. A GB formulation that is directly linked to GB energies was used to monitor GB transmission and blockages, such that pileups can be monitored and predicted at the GB interfaces for misorientations. The predictions indicate that pileups can form due to fully and partially blocked slip-rates and perfect and partial dislocation-densities. As the nominal strain increases from five to fifteen percent, dislocation-densities and pileups significantly increase by almost an order of magnitude. The proposed validated approach provides a microstructural scale predictive framework that accounts for a myriad of defects related to the interactions of partial and perfect dislocation densities that interact at highly misoriented GBs; it is these interactions that are critical to the formation and evolution of dislocation-density pileups that can lead to physically limiting stress accumulations in bicrystals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Variable density mixing in turbulent jets with coflow

Two sets of experiments are performed to study variable-density effects in turbulent round jets with co flow at density ratios, s = 4.2 and s = 1.2. 10,000 instantaneous realisations of simultaneous 2-D PIV and PLIF at three axial locations in the momentumdominated region of the jet allow us to calculate the full t.k.e. budgets, providing insights into the mechanisms of density fluctuation correlations both axially and radially in a non- Boussinesq flow. The strongest variable-density effects are observed within the velocity half-width of the jet, r ~u 1/2 . Variable density effects decrease the Reynolds stresses via increased turbulent mass flux in the heavy jet, as shown by previous jet centreline measurements. Radial pro les of turbulent flux show that in the lighter jet t.k.e. is moving away from the centreline, while in the heavy jet it is being transported both inwards towards the centreline and radially outwards. Negative t.k.e. production is observed in the heavy jet, and we demonstrate that this is caused by both reduced gradient stretching in the axial direction and increased turbulent mass fluxes. Large differences in advection are also observed between the two jets. The air jet has higher total advection caused by strong axial components, while density fluctuations in the heavy jet reduce the axial advection signi cantly. The budget mechanisms in the non-Boussinesq regime are best understood using effective density and velocity half-width, ρeff ¯u 3 1 ,CL/r ~u 1/2,eff , a modi cation of previous scaling.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗