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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Corroborating VNA and thermal measurements of transmission loss on the DIII-D ECH waveguide system

Electron cyclotron heating (ECH) and current drive (ECCD) will play a large role in tokamak-based fusion reactors. At the DIII-D tokamak, 110 GHz microwaves injected into the plasma can provide core heating and current drive as well as impurity control, neoclassical tearing mode mitigation, and breakdown assistance. Understanding the physics of these processes relies on accurate estimates of injected ECH power. DIII-D’s ECH system consists of six MW-class Microwave Power Products (MPP) gyrotron microwave sources. Operating the gyrotrons far from the tokamak removes them from magnetic field interference, so 31.75 mm inner-diameter corrugated waveguides transmit the microwave power the 80 m from the gyrotrons to steerable launchers in the tokamak chamber. Estimates of injected power rely on knowing the generated power at the source and then subtracting transmission loss. Conventional transmission loss measurements based on calorimetric dummy loads are onerous and only possible during extended maintenance periods. This work examines two tools that provide more flexibility for the transmission loss measurements. Furthermore, a resistive temperature detector (RTD) array installed along a waveguide measures heat lost to the transmission line, and low power time domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements with a vector network analyzer (VNA) allows loss measurements without burdensome hardware modifications.

ECH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Three-Wave Mixing Kinetic Inductance Traveling-Wave Amplifier with Near-Quantum-Limited Noise Performance

We present a theoretical model and experimental characterization of a microwave kinetic inductance traveling-wave (KIT) amplifier, whose noise performance, measured by a shot-noise tunnel junction (SNTJ), approaches the quantum limit. Biased with a dc current, this amplifier operates in a three-wave mixing fashion, thereby reducing by several orders of magnitude the power of the microwave pump tone and associated parasitic heating compared to conventional four-wave mixing KIT amplifier devices. It consists of a 50 Ω artificial transmission line whose dispersion allows for a controlled amplification bandwidth. We measure $16.5^{+1}_{–1.3}$ dB of gain across a 2 GHz bandwidth with an input 1 dB compression power of –63 dBm, in qualitative agreement with theory. Using a theoretical framework that accounts for the SNTJ-generated noise entering both the signal and idler ports of the KIT amplifier, we measure the system-added noise of an amplification chain that integrates the KIT amplifier as the first amplifier. This system-added noise, 3.1 ± 0.6 quanta (equivalent to 0.66 ± 0.15 K) between 3.5 and 5.5 GHz, is the one that a device replacing the SNTJ in that chain would see. This KIT amplifier is therefore suitable to read large arrays of microwave kinetic inductance detectors and promising for multiplexed superconducting qubit readout.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

DIII-D Electron Cyclotron Heating and Current Drive System Status and Plans

The DIII-D 110 GHz Electron Cyclotron Heating and Current Drive (ECH/ECCD) System supports a wide range of experiments at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility and is pioneering innovative new techniques for future fusion reactors. Here, the system currently includes 8 sockets with 4 installed gyrotrons, 31.75 mm circular corrugated transmission lines, four dual real time steerable launchers plus two Top Launchers. After the successful testing of the first Top Launcher, that injects the EC waves downward nearly parallel to the resonance layer with double current drive efficiency and a long absorption path, a second new Top Launcher was designed and installed with an upgraded design. Some of the operational limitations encountered for the 110 GHz X-mode second harmonic resonance scenario launched in over-dense plasmas were overcome with the alternative use of O-mode second harmonic launch. Two new gyrotrons in a new series manufactured by CPI were installed and tested, bringing up the total installed power to 3 MW. The installation of repaired and new gyrotrons will increase the number of installed gyrotrons to 7 in 2023. An addition to the DIII-D building will be completed in early 2022 to provide the space to expand the ECH/ECCD system to ten gyrotron systems, plus an extra gyrotron test socket.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Total Recycling of Copper Cable Scrap and Production of Carbon Using Fast Microwave Technology

The recycling of cable scrap, particularly from discarded electrical wiring, is gaining significant attention due to the rising demand for copper and the need for sustainable management of electronic waste. Traditionally, mechanical and thermal processings have been used to recover copper and plastic from cables. However, these approaches are often energy-intensive, time-consuming, and costly in terms of equipment and labor. In this study, we present a simple and effective method for recovering materials from cable scrap using a domestic microwave oven. Cable pieces (2–2.5 cm long) were exposed to 700 W of microwave irradiation under rotation for 30 s, enabling the rapid and efficient separation of high-quality copper metal from the core wire, and activated carbon from the carbonized plastic sheath. Microwaves facilitate this process through Ohmic heating, which induces electrical resistance in the metal, generating heat that mechanically loosens the metal and carbonized plastic components. The process demonstrates high efficiency, achieving an 80% reduction in energy consumption compared to conventional processings. This fast and energy-efficient method shows strong potential for scaling up to industrial recycling, offering a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to recover high-quality materials for further use or repurposing.

Bourlinos, Athanasios B. (ORCID:0000000256165993)↗
DOE OSTI2025

An ASME-Compliant Helium-4 Evaporation Refrigerator for the SpinQuest Experiment

This paper presents the design, safety basis, and commissioning results of a 1 K liquid helium-4 (4He) evaporation refrigerator developed for the Fermilab SpinQuest Experiment (E1039). The system represents the first high power helium evaporation refrigerator operated in a fixed target scattering experiment at Fermilab and was engineered to comply with the Fermilab ES&H Manual (FESHM) requirements governing pressure vessels, piping, cryogenic systems, and vacuum vessels. The design is mapped to ASME B31.3 (Process Piping) and the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) for pressure boundary integrity and overpressure protection, with documented compliance to FESHM Chapters 5031 (Pressure Vessels), 5031.1 (Piping Systems), and 5033 (Vacuum Vessels). This work documents the methodology used to reach compliance and approval for the 4He evaporation refrigerator at Fermilab which the field lacks. Design considerations specific to the high radiation target-cave environment including remotely located instrumentation approximately 20 m from the cryostat are summarized, together with the relief-system sizing methodology used to accommodate transient heat loads from dynamic nuclear polarization microwaves and the high-intensity proton beam. Commissioning data from July 2024 confirms that the system satisfies all thermal performance and safety objectives.

Roberts, Jordan D. [Virginia U.]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Parasitic Modulation of Microwave Signals by a Hypersonic Plasma Layer

During hypersonic flight, compressional and viscous heating of the air can form a plasma layer which encases the aircraft. If the boundary layer becomes turbulent, then the electron density fluctuations can effect a parasitic modulation in microwave signals transmitted through the plasma. We developed an approach for studying the interaction of microwave signals with a turbulent, hypersonic plasma layer. The approach affords a great deal of flexibility in both the plasma layer model and the antenna configuration. We then analyzed a situation in which microwaves, transmitted from a rectangular aperture antenna, propagate through a turbulent plasma layer to a distant receiver. We characterized the first-and second-order statistics of the computed parasitic modulation and quantified the depolarization of the signal. The amplitude fluctuations are lognormally distributed at low frequencies and Rice-distributed at high frequencies. Fluctuations in the copolarized phase and amplitude of the far-field signal are strongly anticorrelated. Here, we used a multioutput Gaussian process (MOGP) to model these quantities. The efficacy of the MOGP model is demonstrated by recovering the time evolution of the copolarized phase given the copolarized amplitude and occasional measurements of the phase.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Microwave-assisted co-gasification of mixed plastics and corn stover: A synergistic approach to produce clean hydrogen

Co-gasification of waste plastic and corn stover into hydrogen is an effective way of reducing hydrogen cost and carbon footprint. However, current gasification technologies are energy intensive and cannot accommodate flexible feedstock. Microwave gasification offers several advantages including higher H 2 yield and enhanced selectivity to syngas over tars. Herein this work presents parametric optimization study of microwave co-gasification of mixed plastics and corn stover for hydrogen-rich syngas. High hydrogen yields of 30.5 mmol H2 /g feed at 700 °C were obtained using a microwave reactor, as opposed to 0.9 mmolH 2 /g feed at 700-950 °C with conventional heating. Hydrogen yields are >98% of the theoretical extractable hydrogen from feedstock. Microwaves enhanced plastic and corn stover synergy and reduced tar yields. H-poor carbon formation resulting from the dehydrogenation of tar and coke, and light olefins decomposition, triggered by the external microwave electric fields, allowed further cracking of intermediate hydrocarbons to produce additional H 2 .

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Plasma decay in hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon- and H 2 O-containing mixtures excited by high-voltage nanosecond discharge at elevated gas temperatures

Plasma decay after a high-voltage nanosecond discharge was experimentally and numerically studied in pure hydrocarbons (C 2 H 6 and C 3 H 8 ), and H 2 O:N 2 and C 3 H 8 :O 2 mixtures for pressures in the range 2–4 Torr and gas temperatures from 300 to 600 K. In a stoichiometric C 3 H 8 :O 2 mixture, plasma decay was also studied in a repetitively pulsed discharge for varing numbers of discharge pulses (varying degrees of fuel oxidation). The rate of plasma decay was determined from the temporal evolution of electron density measured using the microwave interferometer. It was observed that gas heating to 600 K leads to a decrease in the rate of plasma decay in all cases. The effect of heating on plasma decay was most profound in the H 2 O:N 2 mixture (after a single discharge pulse) and in the C 3 H 8 :O 2 mixture for high degrees of fuel oxidation. A kinetic scheme was developed to numerically simulate the plasma decay in hydrocarbons and combustible mixtures. Numerical analysis showed that, under the conditions studied, plasma decay was controlled by dissociative electron recombination with simple molecular and cluster ions. Gas heating led to a decrease in the rate of the electron-ion recombination and the rate of conversion of molecular ions to cluster ions. As a result, the gas temperature increase caused a decrease in the fraction of cluster ions for which the recombination coefficients are an order of magnitude higher than the recombination coefficients for molecular ions. The influence of gas heating on the decrease of the amount of cluster ions was more important when the ion composition was dominated by hydrated H 3 O + (H 2 O) k ions. The rates of the formation of these ions are extremely sensitive to any variations in gas temperature. A result, in agreement with our observations, gas heating led to an anomalous decrease in the rates of plasma decay in the H 2 O:N 2 mixture, as well as in the C 3 H 8 :O 2 mixture when H 2 O molecules were produced due to fuel oxidation.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Sustainable H 2 -Rich Syngas Production via Microwave-Assisted vs Conventional Catalysis of Pinewood

Catalytic gasification of biomass is a promising method for producing hydrogen-rich syngas, which is a valuable resource for cleanenergy applications. In this study, microwave-assisted biomass gasification was compared with conventional thermally driven biomass gasification using pinewood as the biomass without the use of external gasifying agents (such as air, steam, and CO 2 ), under non-catalytic and catalytic conditions. The catalysts consisted of either an iron or a nickel catalyst, and the pinewood used as biomass contained 42% oxygen. This comparative analysis explores the differences in reaction chemistry, product yields, and the role of key reactions such as the water gas shift (WGS) reaction, Boudouard reaction, etc. The gas-phase and liquid-phase products were analyzed using online gas chromatography, and the fresh and spent catalysts were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. It was found that microwave-assisted gasification offers advantages in terms of enhanced reaction efficiency, catalyst stability, and hydrogen yield. For the microwave-assisted reaction, the gas yield reached 87%, the char yield was 12.1%, and the tar yield was less than 1% (0.793%) at 550 °C. In contrast, thermal-assisted gasification using the same catalyst produced a gas yield of 85.796%, char yield of 11.438%, and higher tar yield of 2.8% at 900 °C. The higher microwave-assisted performance was attributed to faster heating and better control over reaction conditions, higher reaction rates, and more favorable conditions for hydrogen production.

biomass↗
DOE OSTI2024

Importance of gas heating in capacitively coupled radiofrequency plasma-assisted synthesis of carbon nanomaterials

In pursuit of diamond nanoparticles, a capacitively-coupled radio frequency flow-through plasma reactor was operated with methane-argon gas mixtures. Signatures of the final product obtained microscopically and spectroscopically indicated that the product was an amorphous form of graphite. This result was consistent irrespective of combinations of the macroscopic reactor settings. To explain the observed synthesis output, measurements of C 2 and gas properties were carried out by laser-induced fluorescence and optical emission spectroscopy. Strikingly, the results indicated a strong gas temperature gradient of 100 K per mm from the center of the reactor to the wall. Based on additional plasma imaging, a model of hot constricted region (filamentation region) was then formulated. It illustrated that, while the hot constricted region was present, the bulk of the gas was not hot enough to facilitate diamond sp 3 formation: characterized by much lower reaction rates, when compared to sp 2 , sp 3 formation kinetics are expected to become exponentially slow. This result was further confirmed by experiments under identical conditions but with a H 2 /CH 4 mixture, where no output material was detected: if graphitic sp 2 formation was expected as the main output material from the methane feedstock, atomic hydrogen would then be expected to etch it away in situ, such that the net production of that sp 2 -hybridized solid material is nearly a zero. Finally, the crucial importance of gas heating was corroborated by replacing RF with microwave source whereby facile sp 3 production was attained with H 2 /CH 4 gas mixture.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Scale-up of microwave-assisted, continuous flow, liquid phase reactors: Application to 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural production

Microwave (MW) technology can be powerful for the electrification and intensification of chemical manufacturing. However, very few examples of scaled MW processes exist. In this work, we build a scaled, MW-assisted, continuous flow reactor for the processing of liquid phase chemistries with specific application to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) production. Here, we demonstrate a corresponding computational fluid dynamics model to simulate the reactor’s temperature profile and performance, both of which are in good agreement with experiments. We construct a surrogate model to relate operating parameters to performance for guiding experiments, without demanding simulations, via active learning. Heat recirculation is demonstrated in this scaled reactor, further extending its scale and reducing the energy demand. An HMF yield of ~55 % and a productivity of 0.1 kg/hr, 8x higher than any other reactor, at a flowrate >20x than prior work, are demonstrated while maintaining energy efficiency of >98 %. A basic economic analysis estimates a $1.85/kg cost of HMF from fructose and >60 % reduction in CO 2 emissions than a conventional system without considering the impact of green electricity. We demonstrate that MW technology is well-applied to systems larger than the laboratory scale, and strategies to further reduction in cost and CO 2 are discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Developing a microwave-driven reactor for ammonia synthesis: insights into the unique challenges of microwave catalysis

Rapid development of new ammonia (NH 3 ) synthesis techniques that enable modular, intermittent production is essential to actualizing NH 3 's potential as a clean energy carrier, since contemporary methods are configured to centralized, continuous production methods with high emissions and are incompatible with renewable sources. Here, in this mission, microwave-driven catalysis is promising for its ability to enhance reaction kinetics and apply targeted heating for efficient energy use. However, owing to an incomplete understanding of the interaction between microwave fields and catalyst beds, the development of such microwave-catalysis systems remains underexplored and challenging. This paper investigates the 10× scale-up of a microwave-based NH 3 synthesis reactor using numerical and experimental approaches, achieving the largest reported microwave-driven NH 3 reactor to date. Results elucidate phenomena unique to microwave processes that are only predictable through numerical modeling, including how a catalyst's dielectric properties influence microwave field distribution by affecting penetration depth and how energy utilization can be poor even with sufficient attenuation. These dynamics change with scale, constrain reactor geometry, and potentially hamper performance. Nonetheless, we demonstrate a production rate of 56.6 g NH$_3$ per day, the highest reported NH 3 synthesis rate for laboratory-scale alternative techniques; correspondingly, the benchmark energy efficiency achieved in this paper (45.6 g NH$_3$ kW h -1 ) is the highest reported for such reactors of sufficient scale. Even with this exemplary energy efficiency, energy losses were found in excess of 50%, an issue resolvable through scale and reactor design. The efficiencies imparted by microwaves were key in these achievements, warranting further investigation toward development of microwave-driven NH 3 systems.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Technoeconomic Analysis of Microwave-Assisted Dry Reforming Integrated with Chemical Looping for Production of Methanol

Methanol is a key component in producing formaldehyde, acetic acid, and methyl tert -butyl ether (MTBE) and supports a wide array of industries, including plastics, textiles, and automotive. It also plays a growing role in renewable energy solutions. However, the conventional production of methanol involves steam reforming of methane, which is very energy-intensive and produces significant quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. In this research, a chemical looping scheme is combined with dry reforming of natural gas in a novel microwave reactor to produce an industrial quantity of methanol. A heat exchanger network is developed to substantially reduce hot and cold utility usage. The effect of the cost of purchasing carbon dioxide from an external source for dry reforming, the capital cost of the microwave reactor, and the cost of electricity on the net present value is analyzed. Technoeconomic comparison with the conventional industrial process that produces methanol via steam reforming of methane indicates that the chemical looping generates a significant positive net present value along with a substantial reduction in carbon dioxide emissions while producing methanol significantly below the U.S. Department of Energy’s goal of $800/ton.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Dark Photon Oscillations in Our Inhomogeneous Universe

A dark photon kinetically mixing with the ordinary photon represents one of the simplest viable extensions to the standard model, and would induce oscillations with observable imprints on cosmology. Oscillations are resonantly enhanced if the dark photon mass equals the ordinary photon plasma mass, which tracks the free electron number density. Previous studies have assumed a homogeneous Universe; in this Letter, we introduce for the first time an analytic formalism for treating resonant oscillations in the presence of inhomogeneities of the photon plasma mass. We apply our formalism to determine constraints from cosmic microwave background photons oscillating into dark photons, and from heating of the primordial plasma due to dark photon dark matter converting into low-energy photons. Including the effect of inhomogeneities demonstrates that prior homogeneous constraints are not conservative, and simultaneously extends current experimental limits into a vast new parameter space.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Probing Temperature‐Induced Phase Transitions at Individual Ferroelectric Domain Walls

Abstract Ferroelectric domain walls have emerged as one of the most fascinating objects in condensed matter physics due to the broad variability of functional behaviors they exhibit. However, the vast majority of domain walls studies have been focused on bias‐induced dynamics and transport behaviors. Here, the scanning probe microscopy approach based on piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) with a dynamically heated probe, combining local heating and local biasing of the material is introduced. This approach is used to explore the thermal polarization dynamics in soft Sn 2 P 2 S 6 ferroelectrics, and allows for the exploration of phase transitions at individual domain walls. The strong and weak modulation regimes for the thermal PFM are introduced. The future potential applications of heated probe approach for functional SPM measurements including piezoelectric, elastic, microwave, and transport measurements are discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Laser heating of ferroelectric cubes for tunable electromagnetic properties in metamaterials

In this experimental study, we demonstrate the feasibility of a thermally tunable, resonant dielectric microwave metasurface based on sub-wavelength Mie resonances of ferroelectric dielectric cubes (Calcium titanate, CaTiO 3 ) in which the temperature of the meta-atoms can be locally and dynamically controlled by heating with an optical laser beam over a large range of temperatures and, consequently, values of the dielectric constant of the cube and corresponding resonance frequency of the meta-atoms. Further, this avoids any interference of otherwise necessary heating elements or power supply wires with the propagation of the microwave signal and can be made spatially addressable. The concept scales at least to the THz domain. This contactless approach opens up an alternative avenue to tunability and active control of metamaterials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Energy-Efficient and Water-Saving Sorbent Regeneration at Near Room Temperature for Direct Air Capture

Here this study reports energy-efficient and water-saving microwave-accelerated regeneration of sorbent (MARS) for dilute carbon capture from the ambient air. The experimental studies indicated that the CO 2 desorption rate from the chemisorbents increased with microwave output under near-isothermal conditions at near room temperature. The reduced activation energy of MARS, i.e., 20–28 kJ/mol, indicated enhanced CO 2 desorption kinetics by microwave-induced rotational–vibrational (rovibrational) coupling transitions, primarily due to the highly polarized feature of the carbamate (CO 2 -PEI). The instant and selective delivery of microwave energy to the targeted polarized C–N bonds at room temperature is particularly advantageous for energy-efficient direct air capture. The experimental results also demonstrated a good working capacity of 0.6–1.4 mmol of CO 2 /g and a promising rapid MARS-DAC process with microwave swing. As it does not require steam regeneration and heat exchanger, a simple MARS process is attractive for CO 2 capture in water-stressed regions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Methods for Color Center Preserving Hydrogen‐Termination of Diamond

Abstract Chemical functionalization of diamond surfaces by hydrogen is an important method for controlling the charge state of near‐surface fluorescent color centers, an essential process in fabricating devices such as diamond field‐effect transistors and chemical sensors, and a required first step for realizing families of more complex terminations through subsequent chemical processing. In all these cases, termination is typically achieved using hydrogen plasma sources that can etch or damage the diamond, as well as deposited materials or embedded color centers. This work explores alternative methods for lower‐damage hydrogenation of diamond surfaces, specifically the annealing of diamond samples in high‐purity, non‐explosive mixtures of nitrogen and hydrogen gas, and the exposure of samples to microwave hydrogen plasmas in the absence of intentional stage heating. The effectiveness of these methods are characterized by x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and comparison of the results to density‐functional modelling of the surface hydrogenation energetics implicates surface oxygen ligands as the primary factor limiting the termination quality of annealed samples. Finally, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy is used to verify that both the annealing and reduced sample temperature plasma methods are non‐destructive to near‐surface ensembles of nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) centers, in stark contrast to plasma treatments that use heated sample stages.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗