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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

Supersonics--Airport Noise

At this, the first year-end meeting of the Fundamental Aeronautics Program, an overview of the Airport Noise discipline of the Supersonics Project leads the presentation of technical plans and achievements in this area of the Project. The overview starts by defining the Technical Challenges targeted by Airport Noise efforts, and the Approaches planned to meet these challenges. These are fleshed out in Elements, namely Prediction, Diagnostics, and Engineering, and broken down into Tasks. The Tasks level is where individual researchers' work is defined and from whence the technical presentations to follow this presentation come. This overview also presents the Milestones accomplished to date and to be completed in the next year. Finally, the NASA Research Announcement cooperative agreement activities are covered and tied to the Tasks and Milestones.

Bridges, James↗

QuarkNet Center Summer Internship for High School Students – FY2019

The purpose of this CRADA is to provide the contractual vehicle for Fermilab to receive funds from the College of DuPage in support of high school student research working with the Fermilab/University of Chicago QuarkNet Center, beginning with the effective date of this CRADA and continuing through 2019. Local QuarkNet Centers provide professional development programs to high school teachers and high energy physics research opportunities to high school teachers and students who participate in the local programs. The Office of Education and Public Engagement at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) administers a local QuarkNet Center program on behalf of both Fermilab and the University of Chicago.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

QuarkNet Center Summer Internship for High School Students – FY2022

The purpose of this CRADA is to provide the contractual vehicle for Fermilab to receive funds from the College of DuPage in support of high school student research working with the Fermilab/University of Chicago QuarkNet Center, beginning with the effective date of this CRADA and continuing through 2022. Local QuarkNet Centers provide professional development programs to high school teachers and high energy physics research opportunities to high school teachers and students who participate in the local programs. The Office of Education and Public Engagement at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) administers a local QuarkNet Center program on behalf of both Fermilab and the University of Chicago.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

QuarkNet Center Summer Internship for High School Students – FY2023

The purpose of this CRADA is to provide the contractual vehicle for Fermilab to receive funds from the College of DuPage in support of high school student research working with the Fermilab/University of Chicago QuarkNet Center, beginning with the effective date of this CRADA and continuing through 2023. Local QuarkNet Centers provide professional development programs to high school teachers and high energy physics research opportunities to high school teachers and students who participate in the local programs. The Office of Education and Public Engagement at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) administers a local QuarkNet Center program on behalf of both Fermilab and the University of Chicago.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

QuarkNet Center Summer Internship for High School Students – FY2024

The purpose of this CRADA is to provide the contractual vehicle for Fermilab to receive funds from the College of DuPage in support of high school student research working with the Fermilab/University of Chicago QuarkNet Center, beginning with the effective date of this CRADA and continuing through 2024. Local QuarkNet Centers provide professional development programs to high school teachers and high energy physics research opportunities to high school teachers and students who participate in the local programs. The Office of Education and Public Engagement at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) administers a local QuarkNet Center program on behalf of both Fermilab and the University of Chicago.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Turbulence modeling for high speed compressible flows

The following grant objectives were delineated in the proposal to NASA: to offer course work in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and related areas to enable mechanical engineering students at North Carolina A&T State University (N.C. A&TSU) to pursue M.S. studies in CFD, and to enable students and faculty to engage in research in high speed compressible flows. Since no CFD-related activity existed at N.C. A&TSU before the start of the NASA grant period, training of students in the CFD area and initiation of research in high speed compressible flows were proposed as the key aspects of the project. To that end, graduate level courses in CFD, boundary layer theory, and fluid dynamics were offered. This effort included initiating a CFD course for graduate students. Also, research work was performed on studying compressibility effects in high speed flows. Specifically, a modified compressible dissipation model, which included a fourth order turbulent Mach number term, was incorporated into the SPARK code and verified for the air-air mixing layer case. The results obtained for this case were compared with a wide variety of experimental data to discern the trends in the mixing layer growth rates with varying convective Mach numbers. Comparison of the predictions of the study with the results of several analytical models was also carried out. The details of the research study are described in the publication entitled 'Compressibility Effects in Modeling Turbulent High Speed Mixing Layers,' which is attached to this report.

Chandra, Suresh↗

Electrochemical Evolution of Fuel Cell Platinum Nanocatalysts on Carbon Nanotubes at the Atomic Scale

The evolution of Pt nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes is analyzed before and after electrochemical potential cycling, using identical location aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, for applications in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The work is focused on the half-cell accelerated stress test protocol of potential cycles ranging between 1.0 and 1.5 V RHE to represent the start-up/shutdown settings of a fuel cell vehicle. The research work reveals that particle migration and coalescence are key mechanisms for a reduction in the Pt nanoparticle surface area at the early stages of potential cycling. Further, the mechanism for particle movement and coalescence is attributed to carbon corrosion, catalyzed either by Pt or by bulk corrosion of the carbon nanotubes. Carbon corrosion results in the appearance of carbon vacancies at the carbon nanotube/Pt nanoparticle interface during cycling, as well as the formation of edge and surface defects. During cycling, the concentration of the dissoluble Pt increases. As soon as a significant amount is reached, subnanometer/atomic clusters emerge on the carbon nanotube support, which can move and coalesce, or redeposit on the surface of larger particles through Ostwald ripening.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Characterization of Surface Water Dynamics within Fourmile Branch and its Linkages with Groundwater and I-129 Geochemistry

This research work has been supported by the DOE-FIU Science & Technology Workforce Development Initiative, an innovative program developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Environmental Management (DOE-EM) and Florida International University’s Applied Research Center (FIU-ARC). During the summer of 2021, DOE Fellow intern, Stevens Charles, spent 10 weeks doing a summer internship at Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL) under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Haruko Wainwright from LBNL and Dr. Hansell GonzalezRaymat from Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL). The intern’s project was initiated on June 1, 2020, and continued through August 6, 2020, with the objective of characterizing the surface water dynamics in the F-Area of Savannah River Site (SRS) and analyzing the surface water dynamics to find any linkages with groundwater and Iodine-129(I-129) geochemistry.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

MDO and Cross-Disciplinary Practice in R&D: A Portrait of Principles and Current Practice

For several decades, Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) has served an important role in aerospace engineering by incorporating physics based disciplinary models into integrated system or sub-system models for use in research, development, (R&D) and design. This paper examines MDO's role in facilitating the integration of the researchers from different single disciplines during R&D and early design of large-scale complex engineered systems (LaCES) such as aerospace systems. The findings in this paper are summarized from a larger study on interdisciplinary practices and perspectives that included considerable empirical data from surveys, interviews, and ethnography. The synthesized findings were derived by integrating the data with theories from organization science and engineering. The over-arching finding is that issues related to cognition, organization, and social interrelations mostly dominate interactions across disciplines. Engineering issues, such as the integration of hardware or physics-based models, are not as significant. Correspondingly, the data showed that MDO is not the primary integrator of researchers working across disciplines during R&D and early design of LaCES. Cognitive focus such as analysis versus design, organizational challenges such as incentives, and social opportunities such as personal networks often drove the human interactive practices among researchers from different disciplines. Facilitation of the inherent confusion, argument, and learning in crossdisciplinary research was identified as one of several needed elements of enabling successful research across disciplines.

Rivas McGowan, Anna-Maria↗

Protection and Restoration Solutions to Reliable and Resilient Integration of Grid-connected PV Installations and Distributed Energy Resources: Design, Testbed, Proof of Work and Impact Studies (Final Report)

To gain a better understanding of the complex transients in a utility grid with a large number of solar PV installations coupled by PWM inverters during the protection and restoration period of the power grid, in this project a kW-level experimental system with dominating inverter-based resources and a hardware-in-loop simulation system with transmission and distribution models, as well as several SEL protective relays have been built and used. The major research findings of the project are summarized below in two perspectives: Experimental research: A self-organized ultra-high frequency solitary waveform is discovered and demonstrated in the hardware experimental system. Despite the familiarities, such a solitary waveform is distinct from any harmonics, transient, or resonance waves in that, it is 1) non-dispersive over time and space, 2) not associated with any active source or the linear superposition of sources, 3) half-cycle asymmetric, 4) not responding to filters or change of system characteristic resonance frequency, 5) ubiquitous as it occurs simultaneously everywhere in the system from DC supply, power lines, and the utility grid, and 6) explosive through tripping the protection or damaging susceptible devices or circuits. Analytical study: The nature of such a new waveform and an analytical explanation of its formation are studied based on related physics and non-linear science principles, with the following highlights: 1) such a new waveform follows the solutions to the Non-linear Schrödinger equation, so the classic linear perturbation theory is unable to explain or predict such a unique waveform as confirmed with the research team of RTDS; 2) the critical condition of occurrence of such a waveform is derived, which indicates that the breakings of solitary wave is a system synchronous issue between the utility grid in the 60Hz phasor domain and duty-ratio modulation of DC sources in the inverter switching frequency domain; 3) such a waveform carries energy mass so it could be detrimental; 4) such a waveform is deceiving as it is not readily detectable in the energy propagation direction by the primary protection equipment, while it is detrimental in the perpendicular direction of energy propagation, i.e. voltage direction. Thus, it has more likely challenges to the second primary equipment and devices, particularly at the weakest link and point such as aging insulation and inappropriate setting of susceptible devices. Therefore, such a waveform can be easily ignored in the aftermath investigation. The intellectual merits: The experimental discovery reveals certain unfamiliar transient phenomena that could challenge the integration of large-scale grid-connected solar PV installation during the group ride-through period of solar PV installations, commissioning of large-solar farms, or dramatic change of solar radiation conditions. Particularly, the research findings suggest that the occurrence of the unfamiliar transient phenomena is uniquely associated with the inverter-based solar PV installation, which is less likely to happen for rotary energy systems. The physics and non-linear science-based research work laid down an analytical path to the challenging transient stability problems including those that have been observed currently and future calls. Both experimental and analytical research results explain the limitation of many current research effects including some DoE research undertakings as well as possible solutions. The broader impacts: The research outcome of the project advances the understanding of the possible transient problems for the integration of inverter-based solar PV installation. It also highlights the theoretical and technical barriers for applying the conventional theory and technology to design and implement countermeasures against their adverse impacts of the large-scale solar PV installation and operation on grid reliability and security. More broadly, the research outcomes have shed some light on the open, fundamental challenges in the integration of large-scale solar photovoltaic energy into current and next-generation power grids across the country, and worldwide. The advanced physics and non-linear science-based analysis open up a path to harmonization of the renewables for societal energy needs via building a resilient and sustainable electric power infrastructure.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Sorption of Iodine Species on SRS Wetland Soils

This research work has been supported by the DOE-FIU Science & Technology Workforce Development Initiative, an innovative program developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) and Florida International University’s Applied Research Center (FIU-ARC). During the summer of 2021, a DOE Fellow intern, Phuong Pham, spent 10 weeks doing a summer internship at Savannah River National Laboratory under the supervision and guidance of Hansell Gonzalez-Raymat. The intern’s project was initiated on May 24, 2021, and continued through July 30, 2021, with the objective of gaining a better understanding of the dominant attenuation mechanisms for 129 I in the wetlands, the strength of the attenuation, and what conditions would influence it.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Automation of the Receipt Inspection of Criticality Control Overpacks (CCO)

This research work has been supported by the DOE-FIU Science & Technology Workforce Development Initiative, an innovative program developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) and Florida International University’s Applied Research Center (FIU-ARC). During the spring of 2022, a DOE Fellow intern, Philip Moore, spent 16 weeks doing a spring internship at Savannah River National Lab under the supervision and guidance of Corey Hopper. The intern’s project was initiated on January 24, 2022, and continued through April 2, 2022, with the objective of contributing to a robotic system for automation of CCO inspection.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Modeling of Chemical Slurry Rheology in DWPF Sludge Batch (SB) 10 Simulants

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) treats high-activity radionuclides from sludge through a process called vitrification. This process converts radioactive liquid waste currently stored in tank farms into a solid glass form that is suitable for long-term storage and disposal. Due to the complexities involved in vitrifying this waste within each operation of the Chemical Processing Cell (CPC), waste rheology is studied to characterize the fluid-mechanical properties as it passes through the CPC and into the Melter. To better understand the waste and validate flow behavior, slurry rheology of simulants that represents the waste was studied at various acid stoichiometry percentages and solids concentrations to determine the simulant’s yield stress and viscosity. This research work has been supported by the DOE-FIU Science & Technology Workforce Development Initiative, an innovative program developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) and Florida International University’s Applied Research Center (FIU-ARC). During the spring of 2022, a DOE Fellow intern, Brendon Cintas, spent 10 weeks doing a summer internship at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRS) under the supervision and guidance of Dan Lambert, Chemical Flowsheet Development. The intern’s project was initiated on June 6, 2022, and continued through August 11, 2022 with the objective of assisting scientists at SRNL’s Rheology and Grout Laboratory at Aiken Country Technology Lab (ACTL) better understand the sludge composition on the rheology of a simulant slurry using a HAAKE RheoStress 6000 rheometer and extrapolate the results to the real-waste data.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

High-Resolution Gravity and Time-Varying Gravity Field Recovery using GRACE and CHAMP

This progress report summarizes the research work conducted under NASA's Solid Earth and Natural Hazards Program 1998 (SENH98) entitled High Resolution Gravity and Time Varying Gravity Field Recovery Using GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) and CHAMP (Challenging Mini-satellite Package for Geophysical Research and Applications), which included a no-cost extension time period. The investigation has conducted pilot studies to use the simulated GRACE and CHAMP data and other in situ and space geodetic observable, satellite altimeter data, and ocean mass variation data to study the dynamic processes of the Earth which affect climate change. Results from this investigation include: (1) a new method to use the energy approach for expressing gravity mission data as in situ measurements with the possibility to enhance the spatial resolution of the gravity signal; (2) the method was tested using CHAMP and validated with the development of a mean gravity field model using CHAMP data, (3) elaborate simulation to quantify errors of tides and atmosphere and to recover hydrological and oceanic signals using GRACE, results show that there are significant aliasing effect and errors being amplified in the GRACE resonant geopotential and it is not trivial to remove these errors, and (4) quantification of oceanic and ice sheet mass changes in a geophysical constraint study to assess their contributions to global sea level change, while the results improved significant over the use of previous studies using only the SLR (Satellite Laser Ranging)-determined zonal gravity change data, the constraint could be further improved with additional information on mantle rheology, PGR (Post-Glacial Rebound) and ice loading history. A list of relevant presentations and publications is attached, along with a summary of the SENH investigation generated in 2000.

Shum, C. K.↗

Design considerations for joints in deployable space truss structures

All of the structures considered for the Control of Flexible Structures (COFS) flight experiments are deployable truss structures and their response will be dominated by the structural response of the joints. To prepare for these experiments some fundamental research work is being conducted in the Structures and Dynamics Division at LaRC which will provide insight into structurally efficient and predictable deployable truss joints. This work involves generic studies of the static and dynamic response of joints as well as the development of analytical models which can be used to predict the response of a large multijointed truss. In addition to the generic joint studies, the research effort encompasses the design and fabrication of a 20-meter long deployable truss beam for laboratory evaluation of its structural characteristics and correlation with developed prediction methods. The experimental results have indicated the importance of attention to detail in the design and fabrication of joints for deployable truss structures. The dimensional relations and material considerations for efficient pin-clevis joints have been outlined. Results of tests on the near-center latch are discussed.

Rhodes, Marvin D.↗

Measurements of Shock Effects Recorded by Hayabusa Samples

We requested and have been approved for 5 Hayabusa samples in order definitively establish the degree of shock experienced by the regolith of asteroid Itokawa, and to devise a bridge between shock determinations by standard light optical petrography, crystal structures as determined by synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD), and degree of crystallinity as determined by electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) [1,2]. As of the writing of this abstract we are awaiting the approved samples. We propose measurements of astromaterial crystal structures and regolith processes. The proposed research work will improve our understanding of how small, primitive solar system bodies formed and evolved, and improve understanding of the processes that determine the history and future of habitability of environments on other solar system bodies. The results of the proposed research will directly enrich the ongoing asteroid and comet exploration missions by NASA, JAXA and ESA, and broaden our understanding of the origin and evolution of small bodies in the early solar system, and elucidate the nature of asteroid and comet regolith.

Zolensky, Michael↗

Measurements of Shock Effects Recorded by Itokawa Samples

We requested and have been approved for 5 Hayabusa samples in order definitively establish the degree of shock experienced by the regolith of asteroid Itokawa, and to devise a bridge between shock determinations by standard light optical petrography, crystal structures as determined by synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD), and degree of crystallinity as determined by electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD). As of the writing of this abstract we are awaiting the approved samples. We propose measurements of astromaterial crystal structures and regolith processes. The proposed research work will improve our understanding of how small, primitive solar system bodies formed and evolved, and improve understanding of the processes that determine the history and future of habitability of environments on other solar system bodies. The results of the proposed research will directly enrich the ongoing asteroid and comet exploration missions by NASA, JAXA and ESA, and broaden our understanding of the origin and evolution of small bodies in the early solar system, and elucidate the nature of asteroid and comet regolith.

Zolensky, Michael↗

Influence of Back-Up Bearings and Support Structure Dynamics on the Behavior of Rotors With Active Supports

This report presents a synopsis of the research work. Specific accomplishments are itemized below: (1) Experimental facilities have been developed. This includes a magnetic bearing test rig and an auxiliary bearing test rig. In addition, components have been designed, constructed, and tested for use with a rotordynamics test rig located at NASA Lewis Research Center. (2) A study of the rotordynamics of an auxiliary bearing supported T-501 engine model was performed. (3) An experimental/simulation study of auxiliary bearing rotordynamics has been performed. (4) A rotordynamical model for a magnetic bearing supported rotor system, including auxiliary bearing effects has been developed and simulation studies performed.(5) A finite element model for a foil bearing has been developed and studies of a rotor supported by foil bearings have been performed. (6) Two students affiliated with this project have graduated with M.S. degrees.

Flowers, George T.↗