Design and simulation of capillary discharge plasmas for next generation plasma wakefield accelerators
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Cook, Nathan↗
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LIA Performance Limitations
Location: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Presenter: Evan R Scott Date: 29 August 2023 Purpose: Part of SDRD for collaboration with SLAC
SDRD, SLAC, linear induction accelerator, cathode,↗
Thermal Aging Degradation of Cast Stainless Steels in LWR Systems
Cast austenitic stainless steels (CASSs) have been extensively used for the large components of light water reactor (LWR) power plants such as primary coolant piping and pump casing. Since a large number of massive CASS components are installed in every modern nuclear power plant, any significant degradation of CASS components will raise serious concerns on the integrity of the entire power plant. Upon the presumption that the replacement cost of such massive components is prohibitive, therefore, thorough scientific understanding and systematic monitoring the thermal aging degradation of CASS components should be essential requirements for assessing the plant safety. In the past few decades many researches have concluded that the formation of Cr-rich α-phase by Spinoidal decomposition of δ-ferrite phase, which is formed in high temperature region during cooling, is the primary mechanism for the thermal embrittlement. Cracking mechanism in the thermally-embrittled duplex stainless steels consists of cleavage initiation at ferrite and crack propagation via separation of ferrite-austenite interphase. It has been known, however, that such thermal aging embrittlement is observed only in accelerated aging conditions and the cast stainless steel grades used in nuclear plants have performed well without experiencing real embrittlement. It has been speculated that long-term thermal aging for ≥ 60 years could lead to further decomposition of designed phases and increase of precipitation. This will result in significantly increased susceptibility to embrittlement or other degradation due to thermal aging-radiation synergistic effect, irradiation-induced degradation, stress-corrosion cracking, and general corrosion. Currently, therefore, the thermal embrittlement of CASS components is one of the most serious concerns for extended operation of nuclear power plants. A scientific research is underway to address the issues related to the thermal aging degradation of CASS components. The research aims to provide knowledge-based conclusive prediction for the integrity of the CASS components of LWR power plants during extended operation up to and beyond 60 years. This presentation intends to provide an introductory overview on the thermal aging phenomena in LWR relevant conditions and discussion on the measurements of mechanical property degradation after accelerated and LWR relevant thermal aging treatments. First, the thermal aging effect on toughness is discussed in terms of the causes of embrittlement and influential parameters. Second, the talk will include a comprehensive discussion on the thermal aging effects in different CASS grades (i.e., CF3, CF3M, CF8, and CF8M), which will focus on the influence of alloying elements such as molybdenum and carbon. Third, approximate analysis on thermal reaction in CASS was carried out using Arrhenius equation to decide the effective temperature range for accelerated aging experiments to simulate 60 and 80 years of services in limited time frame. The results will provide valuable insights in the degree of thermal aging. Fourth, calculation on equilibrium precipitation was performed for model CASS alloys using the CALPHAD program, and the results will be used to describe the precipitation behaviors in association with the degradation in mechanical properties. (authors)
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
Using Directional Diffusion Coefficients for Nonlinear Diffusion Acceleration of the First Order S{sub N} Equations in Near-Void Regions
The common definition of the diffusion coefficient as the inverse of three times the transport cross section is not compatible with voids. Morel introduced a non-local tensor diffusion coefficient that remains finite in voids. It can be obtained by solving an auxiliary transport problem without scattering or fission. Larsen and Trahan successfully applied this diffusion coefficient for enhancing the accuracy of diffusion solutions of very high temperature reactor (VHTR) problems that feature large, optically thin channels in the z-direction. It was demonstrated that a significant reduction of error can be achieved in particular in the optically thin region. Along the same line of thought, non-local diffusion tensors have been applied to modeling the TREAT reactor confirming the findings of Larsen and Trahan. Previous work of the authors have introduced a flexible Nonlinear-Diffusion Acceleration (NDA) method for the first order S{sub N} equations discretized with the discontinuous finite element method (DFEM). This NDA method uses a scalar diffusion coefficient in the low-order system that is obtained as the flux weighted average of the inverse transport cross section. Hence, it suffers from very large and potentially unbounded diffusion coefficients in the low order problem. However, it was noted that the choice of the diffusion coefficient does not influence consistency of the method at convergence and hence the diffusion coefficient is essentially a free parameter. The choice of the diffusion coefficient does, however, affect the convergence behavior of the nonlinear diffusion iterations. Within this work we use Morel's non-local diffusion coefficient in the aforementioned NDA formulation in lieu of the flux weighted inverse of three times the transport cross section. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that significant enhancement of the spectral properties of NDA can be achieved in near void regions. For testing the spectral properties of the NDA with non-local diffusion coefficients, the periodical horizontal interface problem is used. This problem consists of alternating stripes of optically thin and thick materials both of which feature scattering ratios close to unity. (authors)
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
GPU Acceleration of Kernel Density Estimators in Monte Carlo Neutron Transport Simulations
Kernel Density Estimators (KDEs) have recently been explored for use in Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations as an alternative to histogram tallies for capturing spatially-resolved quantities such as neutron flux and reaction rates. Histogram tallies suffer from large uncertainties when detailed spatial resolution of the quantity of interest is required; increasing the resolution of the underlying mesh increases the uncertainty in each histogram bin. KDEs obtain estimates of underlying densities on user-defined points, with the uncertainty at those points being independent of the spatial resolution desired since collisions and particle-track segments are allowed to contribute to the score at multiple tally points. Thus, KDEs show potential for obtaining estimates of a smoother spatially-resolved with reduced variance when compared to a histogram. However, this ability that enables KDEs to obtain lower uncertainties per particle history is more computationally expensive than using a traditional histogram bins on a structured mesh. While KDEs are capable of producing lower tally uncertainties compared to histogram binning for a given number of histories, their increased computational cost may make them less efficient. Even so, it is possible to reduce this additional cost by exporting the KDE tally routines onto Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). GPUs are commonly found on high-performance computing machines as a means of increasing performance without adding additional compute nodes. While it is difficult for existing Monte Carlo radiation transport codes to take advantage of GPUs without rewriting large portions of the code, it is possible to leverage GPUs through heterogeneous computing. This work uses a modified version of OpenMC and exports the KDE tally routines onto a GPU to obtain problem-dependent speedups ranging between 1.6 and 5.0 for the problem studied in this paper. While this methodology is applied to KDEs, the same ideas can be applied to other computationally expensive vectorizable portions of Monte Carlo algorithms. (authors)
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
Implementation of Krylov acceleration method for 3D S{sub N} transport code AETIUS with unstructured tetrahedral mesh - 25557
We have been developing an in-house deterministic neutron and gamma transport solver, AETIUS (An Easy modeling Transport code using Unstructured tetrahedral mesh, Shared memory parallel). To achieve fast results, BiCGStab (one of the Krylov acceleration methods) was implemented as a within-group iteration solver. In this paper, two test problems (simple double cube problem and helical tube in the outer cube problem) were used to verify the acceleration performance. The number of iterations and the calculation time were demonstrated and compared with the source iteration. (authors)
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
Effect of resistivity gradient on laser-driven electron transport and ion acceleration
The effect of resistivity gradient on laser-driven electron transport and ion acceleration is investigated using collisional particle-in-cell simulation. The study is motivated by recent proton acceleration experiments [Gizzi et al., Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 14, 011301 (2011)], which showed significant effect of the resistivity gradient in layered targets on the proton angular spread. This effect is reproduced in the present simulations. It is found that resistivity-gradient generation of magnetic fields and inhibition of electron transport is significantly enhanced when the feedback interaction between the magnetic field and the fast-electron current is included. Filamentation of the laser-generated hot electron jets inside the target, considered as the origin of the nonuniform proton patterns observed in the experiments, is clearly suppressed by the resistive magnetic field. As a result, the electrostatic sheath field at the target back surface acquires a relatively smooth profile, which contributes to the superior quality of the proton beams accelerated off layered targets in the experiments.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Application of Plasma Waveguides to High Energy Accelerators
This grant supported basic experimental, theoretical and computer simulation research into developing a compact, high pulse repetition rate laser accelerator using the direct laser acceleration mechanism in plasma-based slow wave structures.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Relativistic electron acceleration by oblique whistler waves
Test-particle simulations of electrons interacting with finite-amplitude, obliquely propagating whistler waves are carried out in order to investigate the acceleration of relativistic electrons by these waves. According to the present findings, an efficient acceleration of relativistic electrons requires a narrow range of oblique propagation angles, close to the whistler resonance cone angle, when the wave amplitude is held constant at relatively low value. For a constant wave propagation angle, it is found that a range of oblique whistler wave amplitudes permits the acceleration of relativistic electrons to O(MeV) energies. An initial distribution of test electrons is shown to form a power-law distribution when plotted in energy space. It is also found that the acceleration is largely uniform in electron pitch-angle space.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Numerically optimized structures for dielectric asymmetric dual-grating laser accelerators
Optical scale dielectric structures are promising candidates to realize future compact, low cost particle accelerators, since they can sustain high acceleration gradients in the range of GeV/m. Here, we present numerical simulation results for a dielectric asymmetric dual-grating accelerator. It was found that the asymmetric dual-grating structures can efficiently modify the laser field to synchronize it with relativistic electrons, therefore increasing the average acceleration gradient by ∼10% in comparison to symmetric structures. The optimum pillar height which was determined by simulation agrees well with that estimated analytically. The effect of the initial kinetic energy of injected electrons on the acceleration gradient is also discussed. Finally, the required laser parameters were calculated analytically and a suitable laser is proposed as energy source.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
GPU acceleration of Swendsen–Wang dynamics
When simulating a lattice system near its critical temperature, local algorithms for modeling the system’s evolution can introduce very large autocorrelation times into sampled data. Here, this critical slowing down places restrictions on the analysis that can be completed in a timely manner of the behavior of systems around the critical point. Because it is often desirable to study such systems around this point, a new algorithm must be introduced. Therefore, we turn to cluster algorithms, such as the Swendsen–Wang algorithm and the Wolff clustering algorithm. They incorporate global updates which generate new lattice configurations with little correlation to previous states, even near the critical point. We look to accelerate the rate at which these algorithm are capable of running by implementing and benchmarking a parallel implementation of each algorithm designed to run on GPUs under NVIDIA’s CUDA framework. A 17 and 90 fold increase in the computational rate was, respectively, experienced when measured against the equivalent algorithm implemented in serial code.
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
Relativistic Particle-In-Cell Simulations of Particle Accleration in Relativistic Jets
Highly accelerated particles are observed in astrophysical systems containing relativistic jets and shocks, e.g., active galactic nuclei (AGNs), microquasars, and Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). Particle-In-Cell (PIC) simulations of relativistic electron-ion and electron-positron jets injected into a stationary medium show that efficient acceleration occurs downstream in the jet. In collisionless relativistic shocks particle acceleration is due to plasma waves and their associated instabilities, e.g., the Buneman instability, other two-stream instabilities, and the Weibel (filamentation) instability. Simulations show that the Weibel instability is responsible for generating and amplifying highly non-uniform, small-scale magnetic fields. The instability depends on strength and direction of the magnetic field. Particles in relativistic jets may be accelerated in a complicated dynamics of relativistic jets with magnetic field. We present results of our recent PIC simulations.
Nishikawa, K.-I.↗
Algorithm for Simulating Atmospheric Turbulence and Aeroelastic Effects on Simulator Motion Systems
Atmospheric turbulence produces high frequency accelerations in aircraft, typically greater than the response to pilot input. Motion system equipped flight simulators must present cues representative of the aircraft response to turbulence in order to maintain the integrity of the simulation. Currently, turbulence motion cueing produced by flight simulator motion systems has been less than satisfactory because the turbulence profiles have been attenuated by the motion cueing algorithms. This report presents a new turbulence motion cueing algorithm, referred to as the augmented turbulence channel. Like the previous turbulence algorithms, the output of the channel only augments the vertical degree of freedom of motion. This algorithm employs a parallel aircraft model and an optional high bandwidth cueing filter. Simulation of aeroelastic effects is also an area where frequency content must be preserved by the cueing algorithm. The current aeroelastic implementation uses a similar secondary channel that supplements the primary motion cue. Two studies were conducted using the NASA Langley Visual Motion Simulator and Cockpit Motion Facility to evaluate the effect of the turbulence channel and aeroelastic model on pilot control input. Results indicate that the pilot is better correlated with the aircraft response, when the augmented channel is in place.
Ercole, Anthony V.↗
Thresholds for detection of constant rotary acceleration during vibratory rotary acceleration
The effects of vibratory angular acceleration on detection thresholds for constant angular acceleration in a dynamic flight simulator are reported in three experiments. Detection thresholds were determined for 10 pilots and four nonpilots using a random, double-staircase procedure while the subjects sat erect in a device which rotated about an earth-vertical axis. Constant angular acceleration were presented for 0.5 and 1.0 s with concurrent, vibratory angular acceleration at 1 and 5 Hz, and thresholds with no vibratory angular acceleration were established. The thresholds were obtained while the subjects observed a visual reference in the enclosed cockpit in two experiments and in total darkness in a third. The results confirmed earlier experiments showing an inverse relationship between the duration of constant angular acceleration and detection threshold and showed that the detection thresholds in darkness were higher than with a visual reference present. Two analyses of variance revealed no significant differences in thresholds across the three vibration conditions. These results indicate that vibratory angular acceleration of fairly high levels can be present in a dynamic flight simulator without masking the pilot's ability to detect either maneuver or disturbance motions.
Clark, B.↗
ON THE COMPUTATION OF PHASE AND ENERGY GAIN FOR A THIN-LENS RF GAP USING A GENERAL FIELD PROFILE
The thin-lens representation for an RF accelerating gap has been well developed and is documented by Lapostolle [5], Weiss [6], Wangler [14], and others [9], [10]. These models assume that the axial electric field is both centered and symmetric so it has a cosine expansion. Presented here is a model that considers general axial fields. Both the cosine and sine transit time factors are required plus their Hilbert transforms. The combination yields a complex Hamiltonian rotating in the complex plane with the synchronous phase. The phase and energy gains are computed in the pre-gap and post-gap regions then aligned with asymptotic values of wave number. Derivations are outlined, examples are shown, and simulations presented.
Particle accelerators↗
Cascaded proton acceleration by collisionless electrostatic shock
A new scheme for proton acceleration by cascaded collisionless electrostatic shock (CES) is proposed. By irradiating a foil target with a moderate high-intensity laser beam, a stable CES field can be induced, which is employed as the accelerating field for the booster stage of proton acceleration. The mechanism is studied through simulations and theoretical analysis, showing that a 55 MeV seed proton beam can be further accelerated to 265 MeV while keeping a good energy spread. This scheme offers a feasible approach to produce proton beams with energy of hundreds of MeV by existing available high-intensity laser facilities.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Magnetohydrodynamic simulation study of plasma jets and plasma-surface contact in coaxial plasma accelerators
Recent experiments by Loebner et al. [IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 44, 1534 (2016)] studied the effect of a hypervelocity jet emanating from a coaxial plasma accelerator incident on target surfaces in an effort to mimic the transient loading created during edge localized mode disruption events in fusion plasmas. In this study, we present a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical model to simulate plasma jet formation and plasma-surface contact in this coaxial plasma accelerator experiment. The MHD system of equations is spatially discretized using a cell-centered finite volume formulation. The temporal discretization is performed using a fully implicit backward Euler scheme and the resultant stiff system of nonlinear equations is solved using the Newton method. The numerical model is employed to obtain some key insights into the physical processes responsible for the generation of extreme stagnation conditions on the target surfaces. Simulations of the plume (without the target plate) are performed to isolate and study phenomena such as the magnetic pinch effect that is responsible for launching pressure pulses into the jet free stream. The simulations also yield insights into the incipient conditions responsible for producing the pinch, such as the formation of conductive channels. The jet-target impact studies indicate the existence of two distinct stages involved in the plasma-surface interaction. A fast transient stage characterized by a thin normal shock transitions into a pseudo-steady stage that exhibits an extended oblique shock structure. A quadratic scaling of the pinch and stagnation conditions with the total current discharged between the electrodes is in qualitative agreement with the results obtained in the experiments. Finally, this also illustrates the dominant contribution of the magnetic pressure term in determining the magnitude of the quantities of interest.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
Controlled Injection of Electrons for Improved Performance of Laser-Wakefield Acceleration
Our lab performed a series of experiments on controlled injection of LWFA with two extreme laser pulses: one laser pulse was used to drive LWFA. In contrast, the other precisely controls the injection of electrons into the wakefield plasma wave. We have demonstrated an efficient reduction of electron beam emittance by optical injection and novel spatio-temporal manipulation of the electron beam by the extreme laser-plasma waves. Moreover, the optical injection process involves unprecedented new physics, which will benefit studies in astrophysics, inertial confinement fusion, laser-driven x-ray light sources, and ultrafast science. We further improved the performance of LWFA by a better understanding and control of the extreme laser-plasma wave dynamics for optical injection. Three novel mechanisms were identified in the optical injection process: (1) collision of two laser pulses, (2) collision of a laser pulse with a wakefield plasma wave, and (3) collision of two laser wakefields. All three methods improved electron-beam energy spread, emittance, stability, and reproducibility. First, we identified, compared, and independently controlled these different injection mechanisms by controlling the polarization of the injector laser pulse. Second, we manipulated the spatiotemporal splitting of LWFA electron beams to reduce their emittance. Third, we applied the same laser-plasma-wave dynamics and the same experimental setup for improved performance of ion acceleration, which has also been predicted by the recent simulations.
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗