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NASA NTRS2022

Un-Numbered Operational Areas PRL 229 Railroad Tie Disposal Area Pond Confirmation Sampling Report

This Confirmatory Sampling (CS) Report (CSR) was prepared for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida in accordance with the CS Work Plan (CSWP) (HGL, 2022a). The CSR summarizes investigation activities performed on the Railroad Tie Disposal Area (RTDA) of the Un-Numbered Operational Areas (UNOA), Potential Release Location (PRL) 229 located at KSC. HydroGeoLogic, Inc. (HGL) prepared this report under Contract Number 80KSC019D0012. The purpose of the CSR is to provide information to evaluate the level of potential contamination in surface water and sediment samples collected from the RTDA PRL 229 Pond and determine if contaminants pose unacceptable risks to ecological receptors. The CSR provides analytical data of 10 sets of surface water and sediment samples collected in 2021. Surface water samples were analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs), metals, hardness, and salinity, while sediment samples were analyzed for metals, total organic carbon (TOC), SVOCs, PAHs, and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). The CSR includes a Screening Level Ecological Risk Assessment (SLERA) conducted under KSC’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Program to determine if unacceptable risks to ecological receptors exist at PRL 229 Pond. Metals and PAHs were detected in surface water samples, including detections of antimony, arsenic, barium, calcium, copper, lead, magnesium, thallium, zinc, anthracene, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, chrysene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, fluoranthene, indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene and pyrene. Based on measured salinity (1.03 to 1.21 parts per thousand), the pond was identified as freshwater. Sediment analytical results also contained detections of metals and PAHs, including antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, thallium, zinc, anthracene benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(g,h,i)perylene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, chrysene, dibenzo(a,h)anthracene, fluoranthene, indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene and pyrene. Potential risks to ecological receptors were evaluated in accordance with the SLERA Work Plan and the Decision Process Document for the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Program at KSC (DPD) (Geosyntec, 2019), and using the 2021 sediment and surface water analytical results. Potential ecological receptors evaluated in the SLERA include the aquatic community, benthic invertebrates, aquatic birds, and aquatic mammals. The SLERA included Steps 2a through 2c of the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) process in accordance with the DPD. Using multiple lines of evidence, the SLERA concluded that many of the detected analytes are present at concentrations similar to those in background or reference locations at KSC, and/or at concentrations that would not pose a significant risk to ecological communities. There are no screening values available for the avian community, and PAHs are bioaccumulative compounds. For this reason, food web modeling was completed as a supplement to Step 2c to provide a quantitative evaluation of this exposure pathway. Food web modeling indicates that PAHs are unlikely to pose a risk to birds exposed to site sediment and surface water. Based on the results of the SLERA, the contaminants in sediment and surface water pose no to minimal risk to the ecological communities that could live or forage at the site. Based on the results of the SLERA, no further study is recommended for the RTDA Pond at PRL 229.

Confirmation Sampling↗
NASA NTRS2008

Active Metal Brazing and Characterization of Brazed Joints in C-C and C-SiC Composites to Copper-Clad-Molybdenum System

Carbon/carbon composites with CVI and resin-derived matrices, and C/SiC composites reinforced with T-300 carbon fibers in a CVI SiC matrix were joined to Cu-clad Mo using two Ag-Cu braze alloys, Cusil-ABA (1.75% Ti) and Ticusil (4.5% Ti). The brazed joints revealed good interfacial bonding, preferential precipitation of Ti at the composite/braze interface, and a tendency toward delamination in resin-derived C/C composite. Extensive braze penetration of the inter-fiber channels in the CVI C/C composites was observed. The Knoop microhardness (HK) distribution across the C/C joints indicated sharp gradients at the interface, and a higher hardness in Ticusil than in Cusil-ABA. For the C/SiC composite to Cu-clad-Mo joints, the effect of composite surface preparation revealed that ground samples did not crack whereas unground samples cracked. Calculated strain energy in brazed joints in both systems is comparable to the strain energy in a number of other ceramic/metal systems. Theoretical predictions of the effective thermal resistance suggest that such joined systems may be promising for thermal management applications.

Singh, M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

ORBUMP Pulsed Dipole Magnet Design for Fermilab Booster

Fermilab initiated the accelerator magnet system upgrade project PIP-II for future neutrino experiments. Old ORBUMP pulsed dipoles should be replaced with new stronger magnets occupying the same space as old ones. Four of these magnets connected in series form dogleg type of proton beam orbit. The magnet field and 19 kA current pulse length are close to 1 ms. Old magnet cores were based on a ferrite material. For new magnets, a magnet gap field is above 0.4 T, which completely saturates ferrite material. So, for the magnet core, 0.127 mm thick laminations of low carbon steel with inorganic coating, as the magnet were placed in a vacuum box. There were investigated transient magnet parameters including skin effect in the iron core and in the single-turn copper coil. The integrated field homogeneity was improved by the copper coil shimming. Simulated by OPERA3D power losses were used for the thermal analysis by ANSYS code. The magnet performance is strongly coupled with the power source. The dynamic magnet inductance and resistance were included in the pulsed power source design. Finally, the paper presented the ORBUMP magnet system design.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS2008

GRCop-84 Rolling Parameter Study

This report is a section of the final report on the GRCop-84 task of the Constellation Program and incorporates the results obtained between October 2000 and September 2005, when the program ended. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) has developed a new copper alloy, GRCop-84 (Cu-8 at.% Cr-4 at.% Nb), for rocket engine main combustion chamber components that will improve rocket engine life and performance. This work examines the sensitivity of GRCop-84 mechanical properties to rolling parameters as a means to better define rolling parameters for commercial warm rolling. Experiment variables studied were total reduction, rolling temperature, rolling speed, and post rolling annealing heat treatment. The responses were tensile properties measured at 23 and 500 C, hardness, and creep at three stress-temperature combinations. Understanding these relationships will better define boundaries for a robust commercial warm rolling process. The four processing parameters were varied within limits consistent with typical commercial production processes. Testing revealed that the rolling-related variables selected have a minimal influence on tensile, hardness, and creep properties over the range of values tested. Annealing had the expected result of lowering room temperature hardness and strength while increasing room temperature elongations with 600 C (1112 F) having the most effect. These results indicate that the process conditions to warm roll plate and sheet for these variables can range over wide levels without negatively impacting mechanical properties. Incorporating broader process ranges in future rolling campaigns should lower commercial rolling costs through increased productivity.

Loewenthal, William S.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Brazing of Carbon Carbon Composites to Cu-clad Molybdenum for Thermal Management Applications

Advanced carbon carbon composites were joined to copper-clad molybdenum (Cu/Mo) using four active metal brazes containing Ti (Cu ABA, Cusin-1 ABA, Ticuni, and Ticusil) for potential use in thermal management applications. The brazed joints were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Knoop microhardness measurements across the joint region. Metallurgically sound C-C/Cu/Mo joints, devoid of interfacial cracks formed in all cases. The joint interfaces were preferentially enriched in Ti, with Cu ABA joints exhibiting the largest interfacial Ti concentrations. The microhardness measurements revealed hardness gradients across the joint region, with a peak hardness of 300-350 KHN in Cusin-1 ABA and Ticusil joints and 200-250 KHN in Cu ABA and Ticuni joints, respectively.

Singh, M.↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Simons Observatory: Magnetic Shielding Measurements for the Universal Multiplexing Module

The Simons Observatory (SO) includes four telescopes that will measure the temperature and polarization of the cosmic microwave background using over 60,000 highly sensitive transition-edge bolometers (TES). These multichroic TES bolometers are read out by a microwave RF SQUID multiplexing system with a multiplexing factor of 910. Given that both TESes and SQUIDs are susceptible to magnetic field pickup and that it is hard to predict how they will respond to such fields, it is important to characterize the magnetic response of these systems empirically. This information can then be used to limit spurious signals by informing magnetic shielding designs for the detectors and readout. This paper focuses on measurements of magnetic pickup with different magnetic shielding configurations for the SO universal multiplexing module (UMM), which contains the SQUIDs, associated resonators, and TES bias circuit. The magnetic pickup of a prototype UMM was tested under three shielding configurations: no shielding (copper packaging), aluminum packaging for the UMM, and a tin/lead-plated shield surrounding the entire dilution refrigerator 100 mK cold stage. We also present measurements of the pickup in the UMM when aluminum feedhorns are installed. The measurements show that the aluminum packaging outperforms the copper packaging by a shielding factor of 8-10, and adding the tin/lead-plated 1K shield further increases the relative shielding factor in the aluminum configuration by 1-2 orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the addition of feedhorns provides a factor of 30 improvement when the tin/lead shield is not installed and a factor of 5 improvement when it is.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1990

Third-generation FAGE instrument for tropospheric hydroxyl radical measurement

A single-stage, frequency-doubled, copper vapor laser-pumped dye laser has been constructed to be used in the measurement of atmospheric hydroxyl radical concentrations. A new photon counting instrument is used for HO fluorescence detection. Theoretical and experimental studies of instrument performance show better sensitivities and reduced photolytic interferences than have been possible with previous systems based upon Nd:YAG pumping.

Chan, C. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1994

In situ detection of tropospheric OH and HO2 by laser-induced fluorescence in a detection chamber at low pressure

Just as in the method of Hard and O'Brien, ambient air is pulled through an approximately 1 mm diameter inlet into a detection chamber that is maintained at a pressure of 2.4 torr. The ambient air stream travels through the detection chamber with a velocity of greater than 100 m sec(exp -1) in a narrow stream, constrained by the addition of an inert gas flow (0.4 torr). The OH molecule is both excited and detected in the A(exp 2)Sigma (v' = 0) yields X(exp 2)II (v'' = 0) transition at 308 nm. Light from a copper vapor-pumped dye laser (rep. rate = 10kHz; pulse length = 20 ns; linewidth = .1 cm(exp -1), and average power = 15 mW), resonant with the Q(sub 1)(3) transition, is multipassed through a White cell and intercepts the air stream as 24 non-overlapping 2mm by 5mm beams. A fast microchannel plate detector is turned off during the laser pulse to prevent saturation of the detector due to Rayleigh and chamber scattering. It is turned on 30-100 nsec after the end of the laser pulse for 300 ns to collect resonance fluorescence from OH. HO2 is detected by chemical conversion to OH by reaction with reagent NO, followed by OH detection. Both the detection sensitivity and the inlet characteristics must be understood for any in situ instrument. For the calibration of the detection sensitivity, OH is produced quantitatively by the fast H + NO2 yields OH + NO reaction in a low pressure, flowing discharge tube connected to the detection chamber. The inlet transmission of OH inlet is calibrated separately.

Brune, William H.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Lithiophilic CoF 2 @C hollow spheres towards spatial lithium deposition for stable lithium metal batteries

Lithium metal (LM) is a promising anode for next-generation batteries due to its high theoretical capacity and low electrode potential. Nonetheless, side reactions, volume change, and unwanted lithium dendrite growth seriously limit the practical application of LM. Herein, with the aid of a hard template approach, a novel lithiophilic CoF 2 -carbon hollow sphere (CoF 2 @C-HS) composite material is successfully prepared via a facile in-situ fluorination and etching strategy. The lithiophilic CoF 2 acts as nucleation sites to reduce nucleation overpotential as well as induces the spatial Li deposition and the formation of LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), and the hollow carbon matrix can enhance the electrical conductivity and offer free space for LM deposition. Theoretical simulations reveal that the synergistic effect of lithiophilic CoF 2 and hollow carbon matrix homogenizes the electric field distribution and Li + flux. Benefiting from these advantages, the CoF 2 @C-HS-modified copper substrate electrode delivers an enhanced Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 93.7% for 280 cycles at 1 mA cm –2 and 1 mA h cm –2 . The symmetrical cell using CoF 2 @C-HS can stably cycle more than 1800 h with a low voltage hysteresis of 11 mV at a current density of 0.5 mA cm –2 and an areal capacity of 0.5 mA h cm –2 . Moreover, the Li@CoF 2 @C-HS composite anode enables more than 300 stable cycles at 1 C with a capacity retention of 95% in LiFePO 4 -based full cell and 110 stable cycles at 1 C in LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 (NCM811)-based high-voltage full cell. Finally, this work might shed a new light on designing lithiophilic hosts to spatially confine LM deposition, realizing dendrite-free LM anodes and the practical applications of LM batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Proof-of-concept Talbot–Lau x-ray interferometry with a high-intensity, high-repetition-rate, laser-driven K-alpha source

Talbot–Lau x-ray interferometry is a grating-based phase-contrast technique, which enables measurement of refractive index changes in matter with micrometric spatial resolution. The technique has been established using a variety of hard x-ray sources, including synchrotron, free-electron lasers, and x-ray tubes, and could be used in the optical range for low-density plasmas. The tremendous development of table-top high-power lasers makes the use of high-intensity, laser-driven K-alpha sources appealing for Talbot–Lau interferometer applications in both high-energy-density plasma experiments and biological imaging. To this end, we present the first, to the best of our knowledge, feasibility study of Talbot–Lau phase-contrast imaging using a high-repetition-rate laser of moderate energy (100 mJ at a repetition rate of 10 Hz) to irradiate a copper backlighter foil. The results from up to 900 laser pulses were integrated to form interferometric images. A constant fringe contrast of 20% is demonstrated over 100 accumulations, while the signal-to-noise ratio continued to increase with the number of shots. Phase retrieval is demonstrated without prior ex-situ phase stepping. Instead, correlation matrices are used to compensate for the displacement between reference acquisition and the probing of a PMMA target rod. The steps for improved measurements with more energetic laser systems are discussed. The final results are in good agreement with the theoretically predicted outcomes, demonstrating the applicability of this diagnostic to a range of laser facilities for use across several disciplines.

Bouffetier, V. (ORCID:0000000160791260)↗
NASA NTRS2008

Characterization of Brazed Joints of C-C Composite to Cu-clad-Molybdenum

Carbon-carbon composites with either pitch+CVI matrix or resin-derived matrix were joined to copper-clad molybdenum using two active braze alloys, Cusil-ABA (1.75% Ti) and Ticusil (4.5% Ti). The brazed joints revealed good interfacial bonding, preferential precipitation of Ti at the composite/braze interface, and a tendency toward de-lamination in resin-derived C-C composite due to its low inter-laminar shear strength. Extensive braze penetration of the inter-fiber channels in the pitch+CVI C-C composites was observed. The relatively low brazing temperatures (<950 C) precluded melting of the clad layer and restricted the redistribution of alloying elements but led to metallurgically sound composite joints. The Knoop microhardness (HK) distribution across the joint interfaces revealed sharp gradients at the Cu-clad-Mo/braze interface and higher hardness in Ticusil (approx.85-250 HK) than in Cusil-ABA (approx.50-150 HK). These C-C/Cu-clad-Mo joints with relatively low thermal resistance may be promising for thermal management applications.

Singh, M.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mixed-Valent Copper Chalcogenides: Tuning Structures and Electronic Properties Using Multiple Anions

A series of mixed-anion copper chalcogenides have been prepared using solid-state methods including ACu 4.2 TeS 2 (A = K, Rb, Cs), which adopt the KCu 4 S 3 structure type. The mixedanion motif has an expanded sublattice, relative to KCu 4 S 3 , that can accommodate additional Cu atoms at its interstitial sites that are unoccupied in the parent structure. The variable temperature transport shows that the materials are p-type metals with carrier densities on the order of 10 21 cm -3 and room-temperature electrical conductivity as high as 4000 S cm -1 . Band structures calculated using density functional theory corroborate the experimental data and indicate that the interstitial Cu atoms lower the carrier concentration and increase the Fermi level of the materials. The layered structure has Te and S atoms occupying unique sites within the ACu 4.2 TeS 2 structure, where relatively hard S 2- anions prefer Wyckoff positions where they can form energetically favorable acid-base interactions with hard alkali cations. The phenomenon is observed in the related K 3 Cu 8 Te 2 S 4 system, which also has a fully ordered layered structure. Here, we believe that the report provides new chemical guidelines for targeting ordered multianion structures, as well as a unique method for tuning the electronic properties of metallic chalcogenides.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Neutron Diffraction Residual Stress Study of a AA2219-T87 Self-Reacting Friction Stir Weld

2219-T87 is a precipitation hardenable aluminum-copper alloy which sees wide use in structural aerospace components. Thick panels of this alloy are joined via self-reacting friction welding (SRFSW); however, this thermomechanical process can result in significant loss of the alloy’s strengthening precipitates and large residual stresses which are detrimental to mechanical behavior and performance. High-resolution maps of the residual strain and stress states along the normal, transverse, and longitudinal directions of 2219-T87 SRFSW were obtained using neutron diffraction measurements. Residual stress had the highest tensile value in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and the largest compressive stress in the base metal region of the normal and transverse directions. Line profile residual stress distributions displayed an “M”-shaped distribution in each direction with the longitudinal direction being the most pronounced while 2D residual stresses displayed an hourglass-shaped pattern. Further, average maximal longitudinal residual stress values ranged from 60.6 to 85.6% of yield. Microhardness testing across the transverse weld section produced a “V”-shaped curve with slight hardness recovery in the stir zone. Maximal and minimal microhardness values were observed in the base metal (154 HV) and thermomechanically affected zone (82 HV), respectively. Microstructural evolution was recorded using optical microscopy and showed decreasing grain size from the HAZ to the stir zone.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2008

Making Superconducting Welds between Superconducting Wires

A technique for making superconducting joints between wires made of dissimilar superconducting metals has been devised. The technique is especially suitable for fabrication of superconducting circuits needed to support persistent electric currents in electromagnets in diverse cryogenic applications. Examples of such electromagnets include those in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and in superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). Sometimes, it is desirable to fabricate different parts of a persistent-current-supporting superconducting loop from different metals. For example, a sensory coil in a SQUID might be made of Pb, a Pb/Sn alloy, or a Cu wire plated with Pb/Sn, while the connections to the sensory coil might be made via Nb or Nb/Ti wires. Conventional wire-bonding techniques, including resistance spot welding and pressed contact, are not workable because of large differences between the hardnesses and melting temperatures of the different metals. The present technique is not subject to this limitation. The present technique involves the use (1) of a cheap, miniature, easy-to-operate, capacitor-discharging welding apparatus that has an Nb or Nb/Ti tip and operates with a continuous local flow of gaseous helium and (2) preparation of a joint in a special spark-discharge welding geometry. In a typical application, a piece of Nb foil about 25 m thick is rolled to form a tube, into which is inserted a wire that one seeks to weld to the tube (see figure). The tube can be slightly crimped for mechanical stability. Then a spark weld is made by use of the aforementioned apparatus with energy and time settings chosen to melt a small section of the niobium foil. The energy setting corresponds to the setting of a voltage to which the capacitor is charged. In an experiment, the technique was used to weld an Nb foil to a copper wire coated with a Pb/Sn soft solder, which is superconducting. The joint was evaluated as part of a persistent-current circuit having an inductance of 1 mH. A current was induced in a loop, and no attenuation of the current after a time interval 1,000 s was discernible in a measurement having a fractional accuracy of 10(exp -4): This observation supports the conclusion that the weld had an electrical resistance <10(exp -10) omega.

Penanen, Konstantin I.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Microstructure, electrical resistivity, and tensile properties of neutron-irradiated Cu–Cr–Nb–Zr

High strength, high conductivity copper alloys that can resist creep at high temperatures are one of the primary candidates for efficient heat exchangers in fusion reactors. Cu–Cr–Nb–Zr (CCNZ) alloys, which were designed to improve the strength and creep life of ITER Cu–Cr–Zr (CCZ) reference alloys, have been found to have comparable electrical conductivity and tensile properties to CCZ alloys. The measured creep rupture times for these improved alloys is about ten times higher than the ITER reference alloys at 90–125 MPa at 500 °C. However, the effects of neutron irradiation on these alloys, and the ensuing material properties, have not been studied; thus, their utility in a fusion reactor environment is not well understood. This study characterizes the room temperature mechanical and electrical properties of a neutron-irradiated CCNZ alloy and compares them to a neutron-irradiated ITER reference heat sink CCZ alloy. Tensile specimens were neutron irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) to 5 dpa between 250 °C and 325 °C. Post-irradiation characterization included electrical resistivity measurements, hardness, and tensile tests. Microstructural evaluation used scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and atom probe tomography to characterize the irradiation-produced changes in the microstructure and investigate the mechanistic processes leading to post-irradiation properties. Transmutation calculations were validated with composition measurements from atom probe data and used to calculate contributions to the increased electrical resistivity measured after irradiation. Comparisons with CCZ alloys in the same irradiation heat found that the post-irradiated CCNZ and CCZ alloys had comparable electrical resistivity. Although CCNZ alloys suffered more irradiation hardening than CCZ, the overall tensile behavior deviated very little from non-irradiated values in the temperature range studied.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

C 1 Chemistry on Metal Carbide Nanoparticles: Boosting the Conversion of CO 2 and CH 4

The studies described in this Perspective show that transition metal carbide (TMC) nanoparticles can be very useful for the activation of three molecules located at the heart of C 1 chemistry: H 2 , CH 4 , and CO 2 . They also can play a major role in the trapping and conversion of two major greenhouse gases. A combination of experiment and theory has shed light on the physical and chemical properties of these systems, which can be very different from those of bulk carbides. Molecular clusters of these compounds, which can be inserted inside the cages of zeolites or carbon nanotubes, have unsaturated metal and carbon atoms that frequently work in a cooperative way when dealing with hard-to-activate molecules, such as CH 4 and CO 2 . These molecular clusters can evolve into nanoparticles of small to medium size (<15 nm) that have unique carbon/metal ratios and structures not seen in the bulk metal carbides. Even when their structures are cuts from bulk lattices, the TMC nanoparticles have corner or edge atoms that are active for the cleavage and conversion of C–H and C–O bonds. In this paper, we cover experimental and theoretical studies with well-defined metal carbide nanoparticles prepared by different methods, free and supported on diverse substrates. The Perspective ends with a discussion of current challenges and potential applications.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRS2016

First Flight of the Gamma-Ray Imager Polarimeter for Solar Flares (GRIPS) Instrument

The Gamma-Ray Imager/Polarimeter for Solar ares (GRIPS) instrument is a balloon-borne telescope designed to study solar-flare particle acceleration and transport. We describe GRIPS's first Antarctic long-duration flight in January 2016 and report preliminary calibration and science results. Electron and ion dynamics, particle abundances and the ambient plasma conditions in solar flares can be understood by examining hard X-ray (HXR) and gamma-ray emission (20 keV to 10 MeV). Enhanced imaging, spectroscopy and polarimetry of flare emissions in this energy range are needed to study particle acceleration and transport questions. The GRIPS instrument is specifically designed to answer questions including: What causes the spatial separation between energetic electrons producing hard X-rays and energetic ions producing gamma-ray lines? How anisotropic are the relativistic electrons, and why can they dominate in the corona? How do the compositions of accelerated and ambient material vary with space and time, and why? GRIPS's key technological improvements over the current solar state of the art at HXR/gamma-ray energies, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), include 3D position-sensitive germanium detectors (3D-GeDs) and a single-grid modulation collimator, the multi-pitch rotating modulator (MPRM). The 3D-GeDs have spectral FWHM resolution of a few hundred keV and spatial resolution less than 1cu mm. For photons that Compton scatter, usually greater or equal to 150 keV, the energy deposition sites can be tracked, providing polarization measurements as well as enhanced background reduction through Compton imaging. Each of GRIPS's detectors has 298 electrode strips read out with ASIC/FPGA electronics. In GRIPS's energy range, indirect imaging methods provide higher resolution than focusing optics or Compton imaging techniques. The MPRM grid-imaging system has a single-grid design which provides twice the throughput of a bi-grid imaging system like RHESSI. The grid is composed of 2.5 cm deep tungsten-copper slats, and quasi-continuous FWHM angular coverage from 12.5-162 arcsecs are achieved by varying the slit pitch between 1-13 mm. This angular resolution is capable of imaging the separate magnetic loop footpoint emissions in a variety of are sizes. In comparison, RHESSI's 35-arcsec resolution at similar energies makes the footpoints resolvable in only the largest ares.

Duncan, Nicole↗
DOE OSTI2025

Charpy Impact Characterization of Surveillance Specimens Harvested from Palisades High Fluence A-60 Capsule

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station (PNGS) was a nuclear power plant that operated in Covert Township, Michigan. The plant had a single pressurized water reactor that produced electricity for the region. The PNGS was shut down in 2022 after more than four decades of service. The PNGS included in its surveillance program a surveillance capsule, designated A-60, containing specimens of a weld metal with nickel content of about 1.36 wt% and copper content of about 0.25 wt%. The capsule was removed from its surveillance position in early 1995 and has been resident in the spent fuel pool since that time. This capsule was irradiated to a fluence of 1.96×10 20 n/cm 2 (E>1MeV) that is equivalent for more than 150 effective full power years (EFPYs) for the US reactor pressure vessel (RPV) fleet. The material is also of special interest because of its very high nickel content and potential for development of NiMnSi (nickel-manganese-silicon) precipitates. Combination of very high fluence and very high Ni and Cu content makes the material in this capsule of great interest as benchmark for currently developing embrittlement trend curves (ETC) aiming to predict embrittlement at high fluences. Multi-year efforts by the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program personnel from the Materials Research Pathway (MRP) to harvest this capsule finally succeeded in 2023. As a result, the Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) through contract with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) came to PNGS site, retrieved the A-60 capsule, brought it to WEC Churchill hot cell facility, opened the capsule and sent all surveillance specimens in the capsule to ORNL for future characterization by July 2023. Total of 9 tensile and 48 Charpy specimens were inventoried in the ORNL hot cells. Testing plan has been developed based on available specimens. It includes hardness, tensile, Charpy impact, Mini-CT fracture toughness testing, in-situ thermal annealing, and microstructural characterization, including Atom Probe Tomography (APT). Charpy impact testing has been completed and results are presented in this report. Moreover, negotiations with Pressurized Water Reactors Owners Group (PWROG) and Westinghouse resulted in Westinghouse donating to ORNL a piece of archive weld and base metal such that unirradiated characterization of these materials can be performed as part of this project. Comparison of measured hardening and embrittlement has been performed and data are compared to available large database.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗