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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 109 records · Page 6

Implementation of a Battery Health Monitor and Vertical Lift Aircraft Testbed for the Application of an Electrochemisty-Based State of Charge Estimator

Prediction methods concerning remaining charge in lithium-ion batteries that power unmanned aerial vehicles are of critical concern for the safe fulfillment of mission objectives. In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have been the power source for both fixed wing and vertical lift electric vehicles. The purpose of this document is to describe in detail the implementation of a battery health monitor for estimating the state of charge of a lithium-ion battery and a lithium-ion polymer battery that is used to power a vertical lift aircraft test-bed. It will be demonstrated that an electro-chemistry based state of charge estimator effectively tracks battery discharge characteristics and may be employed as a useful tool in monitoring battery health.

Potteiger, Timothy R.↗

Determination of Thermal State of Charge in Solar Heat Receivers

The research project at Howard University seeks to develop analytical and numerical capabilities to study heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics, and the prediction of the performance of solar heat receivers for space applications. Specifically, the study seeks to elucidate the effects of internal and external thermal radiation, geometrical and applicable dimensionless parameters on the overall heat transfer in space solar heat receivers. Over the last year, a procedure for the characterization of the state-of-charge (SOC) in solar heat receivers for space applications has been developed. By identifying the various factors that affect the SOC, a dimensional analysis is performed resulting in a number of dimensionless groups of parameters. Although not accomplished during the first phase of the research, data generated from a thermal simulation program can be used to determine values of the dimensionless parameters and the state-of-charge and thereby obtain a correlation for the SOC. The simulation program selected for the purpose is HOTTube, a thermal numerical computer code based on a transient time-explicit, axisymmetric model of the total solar heat receiver. Simulation results obtained with the computer program are presented the minimum and maximum insolation orbits. In the absence of any validation of the code with experimental data, results from HOTTube appear reasonable qualitatively in representing the physical situations modeled.

Glakpe, E. K.↗

Effects of non-Maxwellian electron velocity distribution functions and nonspherical geometry on minor ions in the solar wind

A previous model has shown that in order to account for the charge state distribution in the low-speed solar wind, a high coronal temperature is necessary and that this temperature peak goes together with a peak of nx/np in the corona. In the present paper, one of the assumptions made previously, i.e., that coronal electrons are Maxwellian, is relaxed, and a much cooler model is presented, which could account for the same oxygen charge states in the solar wind due to the inclusion of non-Maxwellian electrons. Also, due to a different choice of the coronal magnetic field geometry, this model would show no enhancement of the coronal nx/np. Results of the two models are then compared, and observational tests to distinguish between the two scenarios are proposed: comparison of directly measured coronal Te to charge state measurements in the solar wind, determination of the coronal nx/np measurement of ion speeds in the acceleration region of the solar wind, and measurement of the frozen-in silicon charge state distribution.

Burgi, A.↗

Composition of transient events in the solar wind: Ulysses/SWICS observations

The Ulysses mission covers an extensive data base which includes an in-ecliptic phase (Oct 1990 - Feb 1992), a southern hemisphere polar pass (with a southernmost point of 80 deg S heliographic latitude reached in Sept 1994). and a south to north transit passing through the ecliptic plane (March 1995). The Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer measures solar wind ion composition, including charge state composition. for all types of solar wind flows. In-ecliptic measurements of the charge states of solar wind heavy ions in transient-related solar wind. such as solar wind associated with coronal mass c ejections (CMEs), typically indicate hotter than normal coronal temperatures. This distinction is not as prevalent for higher latitude observations. In this paper, we present temporal and latitudinal variations in the charge state composition of Oxygen, Silicon, and Iron for several transient-related solar wind events.

Galvin, A. B.↗

Solar wind Fe and CNO measurements in high-speed flows

Solar wind characteristics in driver plasma and coronal hole-associated flow types are analyzed. Measurements of solar wind Fe charge states and densities in well-defined driver plasma and coronal hole-associated high-speed streams, and charge distributions of CNO ions in high speed streams collected with the ultra low energy charge analyzer on ISEE 3 are examined. The Fe-H velocity differences and Fe/H abundance ratios are studied. The data reveal that the driver plasma solar wind has charge states of 15 or 16 with a coronal temperature = 4 x 10 to the 6th K, and the Fe charge states distributions in coronal hole-associated streams = 9 or 10 with a coronal temperature = 1.4 x 10 to the 6th K; the ionization temperature for the CNO group = (1.3 + or - 0.3) x 10 to the 6th K.

Ipavich, F. M.↗

Interpreting the solar wind ionization state

The ionization state of the solar coronal expansion is frozen within a few solar radii of the solar photosphere, and spacecraft measurements of the solar wind heavy ion charge state can therefore yield information about coronal conditions (e.g., electron temperature). Previous interpretations of the frozen-in ionization state have always assumed that in the coronal freezing-in region, (1) all heavy ions flow at the same bulk speed as protons, (2) the electron velocity distribution function is Maxwellian, and (3) conditions vary in space but not in time. The consequences of relaxing these assumptions for the interpretation of solar wind charge state measurements are examined. It is found that: (1) the temperature inferred by traditional interpretation of the interplanetary ionization state overestimates (underestimate) the actual coronal electron temperature if higher ion charge stages flow systematically faster (slower) than lower stages at the coronal freezing radius; (2) temperatures inferred from relative abundance measurements of ion-charge-stages with high ionization potentials moderately overestimate the actual coronal electron temperature if the high-energy tail of the coronal electron velocity distribution is enhanced relative to a Maxwellian distribution; (3) the propagation of a disturbance, e.g., a shock wave, through the corona can strongly affect the frozen-in charge state, but only over a time (a few times ten minutes) corresponding to the coronal transit time for the disturbance.

Owocki, S. P.↗

Properties of Minor Ions in the Solar Wind and Implications for the Background Solar Wind Plasma

Ion charge states measured in situ in interplanetary space carry information on the properties of the solar wind plasma in the inner corona where these ion charge states are formed. The goal of the proposed research was to determine solar wind models and coronal observations that are necessary tools for the interpretation of the ion charge state observations made in situ in the solar wind.

Esser, Ruth↗

Assessment of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-diffuse interstellar band proposal

The potential link between neutral and/or ionized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the diffuse interstellar band (DIB) carriers is examined. Based on the study of the general physical and chemical properties of PAHs, an assessment is made of their possible contribution to the DIB carriers. It is found that, under the conditions reigning in the diffuse interstellar medium, PAHs can be present in the form of neutral molecules as well as positive and/or negative ions. The charge distribution of small PAHs is dominated, however, by two charge states at one time with compact PAHs present only in the neutral and cationic forms. Each PAH has a distinct spectral signature depending on its charge state. Moreover, the spectra of ionized PAHs are always clearly dominated by a single band in the DIB spectral range. In the case of compact PAH ions, the strongest absorption band is of type A (i.e., the band is broad, falls in the high-energy range of the spectrum, and possesses a large oscillator strength), and seems to correlate with strong and broad DIBs. For noncompact PAH ions, the strongest absorption band is of type I (i.e., the band is narrow, falls in the low-energy range of the spectrum, and possesses a small oscillator strength), and seems to correlate with weak and narrow DIBs. Potential molecular size and structure constraints for interstellar PAHs are derived by comparing known DIB characteristics to the spectroscopic properties of PAHs. It is found that (i) only neutral PAHs larger than about 30 carbon atoms could, if present, contribute to the DIBs. (ii) For compact PAHs, only ions with less than about 250 carbon atoms could, if present, contribute to the DIBs. (iii) The observed distribution of the DIBs between strong/moderate and broad bands on the one hand and weak and narow bands on the other can easily be interpreted in the context of the PAH proposal by a distribution of compact and noncompact PAH ions, respectively. A plausible correlation between PAH charge states and DIB "families" is thus provided by the PAH-DIB proposal. Following this proposal, DIB families would reflect conditions within a cloud which locally determine the relative importance of cations, anions, and neutral species, rather than tracers of a specific species. Observational predictions are given to establish the viability of the PAH hypothesis. It is concluded that small PAH ions are very promising candidates as DIB carriers provided their population is dominated by a finite number (100-200) of species. A key test for the PAH proposal, consisting of laboratory and astronomical investigations in the ultraviolet range, is called for.

NASA Discipline Number 52-10↗

Assessment of the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Diffuse Interstellar Band Proposal

The potential link between neutral and/or ionized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the diffuse interstellar band (DIB) carriers is examined. Based on the study of the general physical and chemical properties of PAHs, an assessment is made of their possible contribution to the DIB carriers. It is found that, under the conditions reigning in the diffuse interstellar medium, PAHs can be present in the form of neutral molecules as well as positive and/or negative ions. The charge distribution of small PAHs is dominated, however, by two charge states at one time with compact PAHs present only in the neutral and cationic forms. Each PAH has a distinct spectral signature depending on its charge state. Moreover, the spectra of ionized PAHs are always clearly dominated by a single band in the DIB spectral range. In the case of compact PAH ions, the strongest absorption band is of type A (i.e., the band is broad, falls in the high energy range of the spectrum, and possess a large oscillator strength), and seems to correlate with strong and broad DIBs. In the case of non-compact PAH ions, the strongest absorption band is of type I (i.e., the band is narrow, falls in the low energy range of the spectrum, and possess a small oscillator strength), and seems to correlate with weak and narrow DIBs. Potential molecular size and structure constraints for interstellar PAHs are derived by comparing known DIB characteristics to the spectroscopic properties of PAHs. It is found that: (i) Only neutral PAHs larger than about 30 carbon atoms could, if present, contribute to the DIBs. (ii) For compact PAHs, only ions with less than about 250 carbon atoms could, if present, contribute to the DIBs. (iii) The observed distribution of the DIBs between strong/moderate and broad bands on the one hand and weak and narrow bands on the other hand can easily be interpreted in the context of the PAH proposal by a distribution between compact and non-compact PAH ions, respectively. A plausible correlation between PAH charge states and DIB "families" is thus provided by the PAH-DIB proposal. Following this proposal, DIB families would provide tracers of conditions within a cloud which globally determine the relative importance of cations, anions, and neutral species, rather than tracers of a specific species. Observational predictions are given to establish the viability of the PAH hypothesis. It is concluded that small PAH ions are very promising candidates as DIB carriers provided their population is dominated by a finite number (100-200) of species. A key test for the PAH proposal, consisting of laboratory and astronomical investigations of the ultraviolet range, is called for.

Salama, Farid↗

The sputtering of insulating materials by fast heavy ions

In this paper recent experimental results on sputtering of UF4 and H2O (ice) by fast heavy ions are reviewed. Measurements have been made of the dependence of the sputtering yield on the incident ion type, charge state, and energy. In the case of UF4, the energy spectra of neutral sputtered particles have been obtained as well. There is a clear dependence of the sputtering yield on the electronic part of the stopping power, and the yield is strongly affected by the charge state of the incident ion, which shows that in the near-surface region from which sputtered particles arise, the charge state of the incident ion has not reached equilibrium. The shape of the energy spectra observed for UF4 targets is that expected from a thermal distribution rather than that of the collision cascade form typical of ordinary sputtering. A model of the sputtering-track registration process that has arisen from these data is shown to provide a framework of understanding the close relationship of these observations to the 'plasma desorption' of marcromolecules.

Seiberling, L. E.↗

Implications of L1 Observations for Slow Solar Wind Formation by Solar Reconnection

While the source of the fast solar wind is known to be coronal holes, the source of the slow solar wind has remained a mystery. Long time scale trends in the composition and charge states show strong correlations between solar wind velocity and plasma parameters, yet these correlations have proved ineffective in determining the slow wind source. We take advantage of new high time resolution (12 min) measurements of solar wind composition and charge state abundances at L1 and previously identified 90 min quasi periodic structures to probe the fundamental timescales of slow wind variability. The combination of new high temporal resolution composition measurements and the clearly identified boundaries of the periodic structures allows us to utilize these distinct solar wind parcels as tracers of slowwind origin and acceleration. We find that each 90 min (2000 Mm) parcel of slow wind has near-constant speed yet exhibits repeatable, systematic charge state and composition variations that span the entire range of statistically determined slow solar wind values. The classic composition-velocity correlations do not hold on short, approximately hour long, time scales. Furthermore, the data demonstrate that these structures were created by magnetic reconnection. Our results impose severe new constraints on slow solar wind origin and provide new, compelling evidence that the slow wind results from the sporadic release of closed field plasma via magnetic reconnection at the boundary between open and closed flux in the Sun's atmosphere.

Kepko, L.↗

Performance of Two Battery Prognostic Applications used by Two Octocopters for Safe Low Altitude Autonomous Flight Operations

This paper addresses the problem of building trust in online predictions of the remaining available flying time for two different electric Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (eUAVs) powered by lithium-ion-polymer batteries. Flight tests for various automation research missions for the two vehicles were monitored using two on-board battery health management applications to make predictions of the remaining flying time (RFT) for each eUAV and to predict the state of the battery. Playback of the voltage, current and temperature profiles of the battery discharge were used to assess the accuracy of the estimation of the voltage and the charge states of the models as well as the estimate of the RFT. The reference ground truth values were the observed landing time and the measured battery pack resting pack voltage 20 minutes after the flight. The predicted RFT, state of charge (SoC), and state of energy (SoE) were compared with the observed results. Noise values of one standard deviation from the mean values of the internal charge states of the battery model during a reference run were used to vary the states during simulation. One application used an equivalent circuit model of the electrical dynamics of the battery pack, and the other application used a reduced-order electrochemistry model. The variation of the model state components was compared to the variation in the estimate of the RFT and the variation in the SoE to estimate a confidence factor. Variation in the estimates caused by factors affecting the off-line laboratory parameter identification experiments is considered. Variation in the estimates due to environmental factors are discussed.

Assurance↗

Production of soft X-ray emitting slow multiply charged ions - Recoil ion spectroscopy

S ions with a mean charge state of about 14+ and Cl ions with a mean charge state of 12+ were used to study Ne L-shell vacancy production. The ions caused copious production of NeII-NeVIII excited states with approximately 10 to the minus 18 sq cm cross sections. The induced recoil velocities might have application to a significantly higher resolution spectroscopy than is possible with beam-foil methods.

Sellin, I. A.↗

A Summary of the Flux-Rope CDAW events

In this paper, I summarize some of the results obtained during previous CDAW on the events selected for analysis. The events were selected based on the following criteria: 1. The events must be well observed in the interplanetary medium as shock-driving interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), 2. The ICMEs should have corresponding CMEs near the Sun, observed in white-light coronal images, and 3. The heliographic coordinates of the solar sources must be within 15 degrees from the Sun Center. In all, 24 magnetic cloud (MC) events and 35 non-MC evens were analyzed. Of the 35 non-MC events selected for analysis, it was possible to fit flux ropes to 31/35 events if different boundaries and multiple flux ropes are used. The four events without flux rope structure seem to be poor events (short duration, poor magnetic and plasma signatures). Coronal flux rope fitting suggests (at least for a subset) that non-MC events become non-central during propagation. It was also found that MCs have high charge states; half of the non-MC events also have high charge states. The direction parameter of CMEs seems to be high for MCs. All these results are consistent with the idea that alll CMEs may be flux ropes.

Gopalswamy, Natchimuthuk↗

A versatile detector system to measure the change states, mass compositions and energy spectra of interplanetary and magnetosphere ions

An instrument is described for measuring the mass and charge state composition as well as the energy spectra and angular distributions of 0.5 to 350 kev/charge ions in interplanetary space and in magnetospheres of planets such as Jupiter and earth. Electrostatic deflection combined with a time-of-flight and energy measurement allows three-parameter analysis of output signals from which the mass, charge states, and energy are determined. Post-acceleration by 30 kV extends the energy range of the detector system into the solar wind and magnetosphere plasma regime. Isotopes of H and He are easily resolved as are individual elements up to Ne and the dominant elements up to and including Fe. This instrument has an extremely large dynamic range in intensity and is sensitive to rare elements even in the presence of high intensity radiation, and is adapted for interplanetary, deep-space, and out-of-the-ecliptic missions, as well as for flights on spacecraft orbiting Jupiter and earth.

Gloeckler, G.↗

Laboratory Astrophysics using a Microcalorimeter and Bragg Crystal Spectrometer on an Electron Beam Ion Trap

During the past year we have been preparing our new microcalorimeter system for permanent delivery to the NIST EBIT. Unfortunately, there have been delays due to technical difficulties in the fabrication of the two-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator and in the life expectancy of the thin windows used for internal thermal baffling of the infrared radiation. These problems have been solved and we are completing tests of the entire system and it will be set up at NIST during the first week of May. Several photos of the new system are shown in Figures 1A and 1B. This microcalorimeter spectrometer only requires helium refills every three days (as opposed to every 24 hours) and it will hold a temperature! of 65 mK for up to 48 hours (as opposed to 8 hours). Consequently, the efficiency of data acquisition will improve dramatically. In parallel we have published a paper that reviews our previous work (Takacs et al. 2003), especially on Fe XVII, in the context of recent measurements by other groups. This paper is included. We highlight a recent measurement of a broad band spectrum of Fe in Figure 2 that simultaneously includes L and K radiation. It is compared with the simulated spectrum of the Perseus Cluster that one could expect to obtain with a microcalorimeter in the focus of a grazing incidence telescope such as the one being designed for Constellation X. Both the charge state distributions and the relative intensity ratios of the emission lines within the particular charge state are very similar in the two spectra. This further demonstrates the importance and relevance of the laboratory measurements in predicting the components of cosmic spectra.

Brinton, John C.↗

New Secondary Batteries Utilizing Electronically Conductive Polypyrrole Cathode

To gain a better understanding of the dynamic behavior in electronically conducting polypyrroles and to provide guidance toward designs of new secondary batteries based on these polymers, two mathematical models are developed; one for the potentiostatically controlled switching behavior of polypyrrole film, and one for the galvanostatically controlled charge/discharge behavior of lithium/polypyrrole secondary battery cell. The first model is used to predict the profiles of electrolyte concentrations, charge states, and electrochemical potentials within the thin polypyrrole film during switching process as functions of applied potential and position. Thus, the detailed mechanisms of charge transport and electrochemical reaction can be understood. Sensitivity analysis is performed for independent parameters, describing the physical and electrochemical characteristic of polypyrrole film, to verify their influences on the model performance. The values of independent parameters are estimated by comparing model predictions with experimental data obtained from identical conditions. The second model is used to predict the profiles of electrolyte concentrations, charge state, and electrochemical potentials within the battery system during charge and discharge processes as functions of time and position. Energy and power densities are estimated from model predictions and compared with existing battery systems. The independent design criteria on the charge and discharge performance of the cell are provided by studying the effects of design parameters.

Yeu, Taewhan↗

Composition of Coronal Mass Ejections

We analyze the physical origin of plasmas that are ejected from the solar corona. To address this issue, we perform a comprehensive analysis of the elemental composition of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) using recently released elemental composition data for Fe, Mg, Si, S, C, N, Ne, and He as compared to O and H. We find that ICMEs exhibit a systematic abundance increase of elements with first ionization potential (FIP) less than 10 electronvolts, as well as a significant increase of Ne as compared to quasi-stationary solar wind. ICME plasmas have a stronger FIP effect than slow wind, which indicates either that an FIP process is active during the ICME ejection or that a different type of solar plasma is injected into ICMEs. The observed FIP fractionation is largest during times when the Fe ionic charge states are elevated above Q (sub Fe) is greater than 12.0. For ICMEs with elevated charge states, the FIP effect is enhanced by 70 percent over that of the slow wind. We argue that the compositionally hot parts of ICMEs are active region loops that do not normally have access to the heliosphere through the processes that give rise to solar wind. We also discuss the implications of this result for solar energetic particles accelerated during solar eruptions and for the origin of the slow wind itself.

Zurbuchen, T. H.↗