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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 1,081 records · Page 60
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Bifacial PV System Mismatch Loss Estimation & Parameterization

Non-uniform irradiance on the rear-side of bifacial PV systems can cause additional mismatch loss which may not be appropriately captured in PV energy production estimates and software. We have evaluated several rooftop mounted systems over high albedo reflective roofs. Mismatch losses of up to 2% annual loss for very close-mounted (0.15 m) rooftop systems were found, but losses for high ground-clearance rooftop systems were lower (<0.5%). A simplified empirical relationship was found that links the spatial variation of irradiance (specifically the mean absolute difference of irradiance) to the resulting mismatch loss factor, with a R2 fit better than 0.985. This approximate relationship has been validated by experiments on mismatched PV modules, and provides a basis for fast estimation of bifacial mismatch loss factors for use in hourly PV performance simulations such as PVSyst or SAM.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Bifacial PV System Mismatch Loss Estimation and Parameterization: Preprint

Non-uniform irradiance on the rear-side of bifacial PV systems can cause additional mismatch loss which may not be appropriately captured in PV energy production estimates and software. We have evaluated several scenarios including horizontal single-axis tracking (HSAT) and rooftop mounted systems over high albedo reflective roofs. Mismatch losses of up to 2% annual loss for very close-mounted (0.15 m) rooftop systems were found, but losses for HSAT systems and high ground-clearance rooftop systems were lower (<0.5%). A simplified empirical relationship was found that links the spatial variation of irradiance (specifically the mean absolute difference of irradiance) to the resulting mismatch loss factor, with a R2 fit better than 0.985. This approximate relationship has been validated by experiments on mismatched PV modules, and provides a basis for fast estimation of bifacial mismatch loss factors for use in hourly PV performance simulations such as PVSyst or SAM.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy: A Tool to Investigate Nano-Scale Doping Non-Uniformities in Poly-Si/SiOx Contacts: Preprint

Monocrystalline Si (c-Si) solar cells with passivated contacts based on the ultrathin SiOx and doped polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) layers in a poly-Si/SiOx/c Si structure show high solar cell efficiencies that are ~26%. Excellent surface passivation using these contacts is achieved via the combined effects of chemical passivation of the SiOx/c-Si interface by the SiOx layer and field-effect passivation from the heavily doped poly-Si layer. These contacts give best performance only when annealed to temperatures higher than 850 degrees C. Structural changes in the SiOx layer and dopant diffusion from poly-Si into the underlying c-Si wafer occur during this step which are hard to investigate using conventional characterization techniques. In this work we investigate poly-Si/SiOx contacts with both a 1.5 (tunneling transport) and 2.2 (pinhole transport) nm SiOx layer using atomic force microscopy techniques. Conductive AFM on n+-poly-Si/SiOx/p-Si structures show significant spatial variations for both contact types, likely due to non-uniformities in the poly-Si layer itself. The electrical and structural variations deeper into the contact were revealed by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy after precisely etching away the poly-Si and SiOx layers and few nanometers of c-Si surface. This etching was performed using tetramethylammonium hydroxide and dilute HF solutions. The resulting surface potential maps appear similar for both contacts, and show less than 500 nm size heavily-doped regions. However, further etching of the c-Si surface reveals these heavily-doped regions to be less than 200 nm deep for the 2.2 nm SiOx contact and greater than 200 nm deep for the 1.5 nm SiOx contact.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Deep Learning Prediction of Interspecies Interactions from Self-organized Spatiotemporal Patterns of Co-evolving Organisms

Microorganisms colonizing natural habits such as soils co-evolve to form specific spatial patterns through interspecies interactions. These self-organized patterns are a key ecological phenotype, which provides critical information on their interaction mechanisms. However, conventional network inference techniques that analyze species population data in bulk have yet to be extended to account for such spatial heterogeneity. Here we proposed supervised deep learning as a new network inference tool for predicting interspecies interactions from spatiotemporal patterns of microbial evolution. Due to lack of biological imaging data that can be used for training deep learning networks, we used in silico data generated from high-fidelity agent-based models to determine model structure and parameters. Even though networks were trained under simple configurations where interaction coefficients are assumed to be spatially invariant, we demonstrated that the resulting model can be utilized to successfully predict spatial variation of interactions in more complex domains (i.e., configured with a context-dependent mixture of interaction coefficients) as well as in simple domains without further training. In the further test against real biological data obtained through imaging experiments of a binary consortium (Pseudomonas fluorescens and a mutant of Escherichia coli), our model also predicted the dramatic shifts in interactions of the two organisms across different environmental contexts. Through various successful demonstrations in this work, the combined use of the agent-based model and machine learning algorithm provides a means to use new type of data - microscopic images - for extracting microbial interactions, therefore presenting itself as a useful tool for the analysis of more complex microbial community interactions.

Lee, Joon-Yong↗
DOE OSTI2023

An Interpretable Index of Social Vulnerability to Environmental Hazards

Index-based measures of social vulnerability to environmental hazards are commonly modeled from composites of population-level risk factors. These models overlook individual context in communities' experiences of environmental hazards, producing metrics that may hinder spatial decision support for mitigating and responding to hazards. This paper introduces an interpretable, high-resolution model for generating an individual-oriented social vulnerability index (IOSVI) for the United States built on synthetic populations that couples individual and social determinants of vulnerability. The IOSVI combines an individual vulnerability index (IVI) that ranks individuals in an area’s synthetic population based on intersecting risk factors, with a social vulnerability index (SVI) based on the population’s cumulative distribution of IVI scores. Interpretability of the IOSVI procedure is demonstrated through examples of national, metropolitan, and neighborhood (census tract) level spatial variation in index scores and IVI themes, as well as an exploratory analysis examining risk factors affecting a specific sub-population (military veterans) in areas of high social and environmental vulnerability.

Tuccillo, Joe↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: High-resolution component-separated maps across one-third of the sky

Observations of the millimeter sky contain valuable information on a number of signals, including the blackbody cosmic microwave background (CMB), Galactic emissions, and the Compton-$y$ distortion due to the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (tSZ) effect. Extracting new insight into cosmological and astrophysical questions often requires combining multi-wavelength observations to spectrally isolate one component. In this work, we present a new arcminute-resolution Compton-$y$ map, which traces out the line-of-sight-integrated electron pressure, as well as maps of the CMB in intensity and E-mode polarization, across a third of the sky (around 13,000 sq.~deg.). We produce these through a joint analysis of data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 4 and 6 at frequencies of roughly 93, 148, and 225 GHz, together with data from the \textit{Planck} satellite at frequencies between 30 GHz and 545 GHz. We present detailed verification of an internal linear combination pipeline implemented in a needlet frame that allows us to efficiently suppress Galactic contamination and account for spatial variations in the ACT instrument noise. These maps provide a significant advance, in noise levels and resolution, over the existing \textit{Planck} component-separated maps and will enable a host of science goals including studies of cluster and galaxy astrophysics, inferences of the cosmic velocity field, primordial non-Gaussianity searches, and gravitational lensing reconstruction of the CMB.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A search for late-time anisotropic screening of the Cosmic Microwave Background

Since the formation of the first stars, most of the gas in the Universe has been ionized. Spatial variations in the density of this ionized gas generate cosmic microwave background anisotropies via Thomson scattering, a process known as the ``anisotropic screening'' effect. We propose and implement for the first time a new estimator to cross-correlate unWISE galaxies and anisotropic screening, as measured by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and Planck satellite. We do not significantly detect the effect; the null hypothesis is consistent with the data at 1.7 $σ$ (resp. 0.016 $σ$) for the blue (resp. green) unWISE sample. We obtain an upper limit on the integrated optical depth within a 6 arcmin disk to be $\barτ< 0.033$ arcmin$^2$ at 95% confidence for the blue sample and $\barτ< 0.057$ arcmin$^2$ for the green sample. Future measurements with Simons Observatory and CMB-S4 should detect this effect significantly. Complementary to the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, this probe of the gas distribution around halos will inform models of feedback in galaxy formation and baryonic effects in galaxy lensing.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Low Level Radon Concentration and Radon Daughter Dose Monitoring in an Arid-zone Waste Store - 20081

Radioactive waste containing predominantly soil and rubble from the clean-up of a former uranium and thorium minerals processing research facility is currently stored at the Woomera Test Range in South Australia awaiting final disposal. Prior to commencing any manipulation of the nearly 10,000 waste drums (205 L or 55 gallon each), radon concentration monitoring and radon daughter dosimetry has been undertaken to (i) gain understanding of the temporal and spatial variation of radon and its daughters within the storage facility, which could provide insights into the radiological source term and (ii) confirm that radiological risks to workers are below the guideline values. A time series of nearly 12 months of detailed observations shows low level radon concentrations with annual average values that are slightly above the average radon concentrations in Australian homes. Peak values in summer are about three times higher than the annual average based on the CRM measurements. Both radon concentrations and annual effective dose are well below the regulatory limits. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effects of Size on Characteristics of Electroslag Remelted (ESR) HAYNES®282® alloy ingots

The effects of varying ingot diameters on the characteristics of round ESR ingots of 282 alloy are evaluated through a combined experimental and modeling study. Ingots of four different diameters --100 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm and 500 mm, were sectioned and analyzed using metallography to assess spatial variations in dendritic structure (primary / secondary dendrite arm spacings – PDAS/SDAS) across these ingots. Melt parameters of the processes were input into the simulation code, MeltFlow-ESR™ to theoretically predict PDAS/SDAS in the ingots. The values for PDAS/SDAS predicted by the simulations are compared with those measured by experiments and quantitative differences in these values are discussed in the context of the capability and limitations of the model and measurement methods. Both the predicted and measured values show that the PDAS/SDAS values increase with increasing ingot size. In addition, the relation with other ingot characteristics, such as local solidification time as well as the likelihood for freckle formation are discussed. The implication of these results for down-stream ingot processing and for ingot soundness are discussed.

Krishnamurthy, Ramanathan↗
NASA NTRS1987

Spatial and temporal variations of the ion velocity measured in the Venus ionosphere

Temporal and spatial deviations of ion velocity from the dominant flow of the Venusian ionosphere were detected in data collected from a retarding potential analyzer (RPA) aboard the Pioneer-Venus orbiter spectrometer. The ion velocity measurements were analyzed for the first 3.5 Venus years of the Pioneer-Venus mission, approximately through orbit 780. The deviations of ion velocity from the dominant velocity of the Venusian ionosphere, which generally flows nightward and is almost symmetric about the sun-Venus axis, affect both the ionospheric structure and dynamics. Two examples of departure from steady symmetric flow that were measured by the RPA are discussed.

Miller, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Spatial and temporal variations in lagoon and coastal processes of the southern Brazilian coast

From a collection of information gathered during a long period, through the orbital platforms SKYLAB and LANDSAT, it was possible to establish a method for the systematic study of the dynamical regime of lagoon and marine surface waters, on coastal plain of Rio Grande do Sul. The series of multispectral images analyzed by visual and automatic techniques put in evidence spatial and temporal variations reflected in the optical properties of waters, which carry different loads of materials in suspension. The identified patterns offer a synoptic picture of phenomena of great amplitude, from which trends of circulation can be inferred, correlating the atmospheric and hydrologic variables simultaneously to the overflight of orbital vehicles.

Dejesusparada, N.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Spatial and temporal variation in forest transpiration across a forested boreal peatland complex

Transpiration is a globally important component of evapotranspiration. Careful upscaling of transpiration from point measurements is thus crucial for quantifying water and energy fluxes. In spatially heterogeneous landscapes common across the boreal biome, upscaled transpiration estimates are difficult to determine due to variation in local environmental conditions (e.g., basal area, soil moisture, permafrost). Here, we sought to determine stand-level attributes that influence transpiration scalars for a forested boreal peatland complex consisting of sparsely treed wetlands and densely treed permafrost plateaus as land cover types. The objectives were to quantify spatial and temporal variability in stand-level transpiration, and to identify sources of uncertainty when scaling point measurements to the stand-level. Using heat ratio method sap flow sensors, we determined sap velocity for black spruce and tamarack for 2-week periods during peak growing season in 2013, 2017 and 2018. We found greater basal area, drier soils, and the presence of permafrost increased daily sap velocity in individual trees, suggesting that local environmental conditions are important in dictating sap velocity. When sap velocity was scaled to stand-level transpiration using gridded 20 × 20 m resolution data across the ~10 ha Scotty Creek ForestGEO plot, we observed significant differences in daily plot transpiration among years (0.17–0.30 mm), and across land cover types. Daily transpiration was lowest in grid-cells with sparsely treed wetlands compared to grid-cells with well-drained and densely treed permafrost plateaus, where daily transpiration reached 0.80 mm, or 30% of the daily evapotranspiration. When transpiration scalars (i.e., sap velocity) were not specific to the different land cover types (i.e., permafrost plateaus and wetlands), scaled stand-level transpiration was overestimated by 42%. To quantify the relative contribution of tree transpiration to ecosystem evapotranspiration, we recommend that sampling designs stratify across local environmental conditions to accurately represent variation associated with land cover types, especially with different hydrological functioning as encountered in rapidly thawing boreal peatland complexes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1981

Spatial and temporal variations of monthly mean total columnar ozone derived from 7 years of BUV data

Ninth-degree spherical harmonic models are used to represent monthly mean total columnar ozone fields, with spatial spectra defined in terms of simple analytic expressions representing the rms value of each spherical harmonic coefficient. The spectra are combined with estimation theory techniques to develop a realistic error analysis accounting for errors due to nonglobal coverage. Amplitude and phase variations for longitudinal waves one, two and three are presented, and it is shown that these waves reinforce in space and time in the period of high poleward ozone transport in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, the wave two and three components are much smaller, with wave one maximum amplitude occurring in September and October.

Tolson, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Variations in the spatial distribution of 11 micron radiation from Omicron Ceti

The spatial distribution of 11-micron radiation from Omicron Ceti has been observed at various phases of its light cycle by using a stellar interferometer. Variations have been seen in the strength of thermal emission from circumstellar dust relative to the stellar continuum at 11 microns. These variations are shown to be correlated with the changes in luminosity of Omicron Ceti in such a way that dust-grain emission at 11 microns was increased more than the continuum during the period of maximum luminosity. The degree of the change in dust-grain emission implies that the maximum dust temperature is in the range of 500 to 700 K during minimum stellar luminosity.

Sutton, E. C.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Moment Tensor Solutions of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake Aftershocks and Their Tectonic Implications

Following the mainshock of the 2008 M8 Wenchuan Earthquake, there were more than 300 M L ≥ 4.0 aftershocks that occurred between 12 May 2008 and 8 September 2010. We analyzed here the broadband waveforms for these events and found 160 events with sufficient signal-to-noise levels to invert for seismic moment tensors. Considering the length of the activated fault and the distances to the recording stations, four velocity models were employed to account for variability in crustal structure. The moment tensor solutions show considerable variations with a mixture of mainly reverse and strike-slip mechanisms and a small number of normal events and ambiguous events. We analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of the aftershocks and their mechanism types to characterize the structure and the deformation occurring in the Longmen Shan fold and thrust belt. Our results suggest that the stress is very complex at the Longmen Shan fault zone. The moment tensors have both a spatial segmentation with two major categories of the moment tensor of thrust and strike slip; and a temporal pattern that the majority of the aftershocks gradually migrated to thrust-type events. The variability of aftershock mechanisms is a strong indication of significant tectonic release and stress reorganization that activated numerous small faults in the system.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1992

Assessing spatial and seasonal variations in grasslands with spectral reflectances from a helicopter platform

The helicopter system data acquisition technique has shown to be a viable means of gathering surface data with spectral detail adequate for intersite, intrasite, and temporal characterizations and for assessing temporal and spatial variability throughout the FIFE 1987 IFCs. The successful employment of nadir measurements for grassland assessments is notable given the reflectance anisotropy (Middleton, 1992). Though only five sites were repetitively observed, the conclusions reached from this particular sample of sites agree well with assessments from other data sources (Sellars et al., 1990 and Kittel et al., 1990).

Walthall, Charles L.↗