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At least 1,315 records · Page 73

Local atomic structure of Pd and Ag in the SiC containment layer of TRISO fuel particles fissioned to 20% burn-up

The structure and speciation of fission products within the SiC barrier layer of tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles irradiated to 19.6% fissions per initial metal atom (FIMA) burnup in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) was investigated. As-irradiated fuel particles, as well as those subjected to simulated accident scenarios, were examined. The TRISO particles were characterized using synchrotron X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (XAFS) at the Materials Research Collaborative Access Team (MRCAT) beamline at the Advanced Photon Source. The TRISO particles were produced at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program and sent to the ATR for irradiation. XAFS measurements on the palladium and silver K-edges were collected using the MRCAT undulator beamline. Analysis of the Pd edge indicated the formation of palladium silicides of the form Pd x Si (2 ≤ x ≤ 3). In contrast, Ag was found to be metallic within the SiC shell safety tested to 1700 °C. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first result demonstrating metallic bonding of silver from fissioned samples. Knowledge of these reaction pathways will allow for better simulations of radionuclide transport in the various coating layers of TRISO fuels for next generation nuclear reactors. In conclusion, they may also suggest different ways to modify TRISO particles to improve their fuel performance and to mitigate potential fission product release under both normal operation and accident conditions.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Technical note: 21 Ne in the CoQtz-N quartz standard material

Intercomparison standards produced from mineral samples exposed to the natural cosmic ray flux are routinely used for interlaboratory comparison and normalization of measurements of the cosmogenic noble gases 3 He and 21 Ne. This effort is facilitated by the availability of multiple standard materials with a wide range of cosmogenic nuclide concentrations. The “CoQtz-N” quartz standard, which was originally produced and distributed as an intercomparison standard for cosmogenic 10 Be and 26 Al, has a significantly lower cosmogenic nuclide concentration than other mineral standards used for cosmogenic noble gas analysis and is therefore potentially useful for assessing the linearity of interlaboratory offsets across a wide range of concentrations. This paper reports 21 Ne analysis of 13 aliquots of CoQtz-N, interspersed with 14 aliquots of the commonly used CRONUS-A quartz standard, in three analytical sessions on two noble gas mass spectrometer systems. The excess 21 Ne concentration in CoQtz-N, normalized to the accepted value of 320 × 10 6 atoms g −1 for CRONUS-A, is 13.87 ± 0.24 × 10 6 atoms g −1 . Alternatively, the ratio of excess 21 Ne concentrations in CoQtz-N and CRONUS-A is 0.04330 ± 0.00077.

Balco, Greg [Lawrence Livermore National Laborator↗

Solar flare irradiation records in Antarctic meteorites

The observation of tracks from solar flare heavy nuclei in Antarctic meteorite samples is reported. In an analysis of nuclear track densities in eight L and H chondrites of low metamorphic grade, it was found that two interior specimens of sample 77216, an L-3 chondrite, contain olivine grains with track densities much higher than the average track densities, indicating precompaction irradiation by solar flares in different shielding conditions. Preliminary data from mass spectroscopic analyses show a large excess of noble gases, with a Ne-20/Ne-22 ratio of greater than or equal to 10, indicating the presence of solar-type noble gas. Results of track density measurements in the other Antarctic meteorites range from 10,000 to 4,000,000/sq cm, which is within the range observed in non-Antarctic L-group meteorites

Goswami, J. N.↗

Physical Processing of Cometary Nuclei

Cometary nuclei preserve a cosmo-chemical record of conditions and processes in the primordial solar nebula, and possibly even the interstellar medium. However, that record is not perfectly preserved over the age of the solar system due to a variety of physical processes which act to modify cometary surfaces and interiors. Possible structural and/or internal processes include: collisional accretion, disruption, and reassembly during formation; internal heating by long and short-lived radionuclides; amorphous to crystalline phase transitions, and thermal stresses. Identified surface modification processes include: irradiation by galactic cosmic rays, solar protons, UV photons, and the Sun's T Tauri stage mass outflow; heating by passing stars and nearby supernovae; gardening by debris impacts; the accretion of interstellar dust and gas and accompanying erosion by hypervelocity dust impacts and sputtering; and solar heating with accompanying crust formation. These modification processes must be taken into account in both the planning and the interpretation of the results of a Comet Nucleus Sample Return Mission. Sampling of nuclei should be done at as great a depth below the surface crust as technically feasible, and at vents or fissures leading to exposed volatiles at depth. Samples of the expected cometary crust and near-surface layers also need to be returned for analysis to achieve a better understanding of the effects of these physical processes. We stress that comets are still likely less modified dm any other solar system bodies, but the degree of modification can vary greatly from one comet to the next.

Weissman, Paul R.↗

Anisotropic multicarrier transport at the (111) LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 interface

The conducting gas that forms at the interface between LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 has proven to be a fertile playground for a wide variety of physical phenomena. The bulk of previous research has focused on the (001) and (110) crystal orientations. In this work, we report detailed measurements of the low-temperature electrical properties of (111) LAO/STO interface samples. We find that the low-temperature electrical transport properties are highly anisotropic in that they differ significantly along two mutually orthogonal crystal orientations at the interface. While anisotropy in the resistivity has been reported in some (001) samples and in (110) samples, the anisotropy in the (111) samples reported here is much stronger and also manifests itself in the Hall coefficient as well as the capacitance. In addition, the anisotropy is not present at room temperature and at liquid nitrogen temperatures, but only at liquid helium temperatures and below. The anisotropy is accentuated by exposure to ultraviolet light, which disproportionately affects transport along one surface crystal direction. Furthermore, analysis of the low-temperature Hall coefficient and the capacitance as a function of back gate voltage indicates that in addition to electrons, holes contribute to the electrical transport.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Data reduction and analysis of graphite fiber release experiments

The burn and burn/explode effects on aircraft structures were examined in a series of fifteen outdoor tests conducted to verify the results obtained in previous burn and explode tests of carbon/graphite composite samples conducted in a closed chamber, and to simulate aircraft accident scenarios in which carbon/graphite fibers would be released. The primary effects that were to be investigaged in these tests were the amount and size distribution of the conductive fibers released from the composite structures, and how these various sizes of fibers transported downwind. The structures included plates, barrels, aircraft spoilers and a cockpit. The heat sources included a propane gas burner and 20 ft by 20 ft and 40 ft by 60 ft JP-5 pool fires. The larger pool fire was selected to simulate an aircraft accident incident. The passive instrumentation included sticky paper and sticky bridal veil over an area 6000 ft downwind and 3000 ft crosswind. The active instrumentation included instrumented meteorological towers, movies, infrared imaging cameras, LADAR, high voltage ball gages, light emitting diode gages, microwave gages and flame velocimeter.

Lieberman, P.↗

Gas chromatographic concepts for the analysis of planetary atmospheres

Over the last few years, new gas chromatographic (GC) concepts were developed for use on board spacecraft or any other restricted environments for determining the chemical composition of the atmosphere and surface material of various planetary bodies. Future NASA Missions include an entry probe that will be sent to Titan and various spacecraft that will land on Mars. In order to be able to properly respond to the mission science requirements and physical restrictions imposed on the instruments by these missions, GC analytical techniques are being developed. Some of these techniques include hardware and mathematical techniques that will improve GC sensitivity and increase the sampling rate of a GC descending through a planetary atmosphere. The technique of Multiplex Gas Chromatography (MGC) is an example of a technique that was studied in a simulated Titan atmosphere. In such an environment, the atmospheric pressure at instrument deployment is estimated to be a few torr. Thus, at such pressures, the small amount of sample that is acquired might not be enough to satisfy the detection requirements of the gas chromatograph. In MGC, many samples are pseudo-randomly introduced to the chromatograph without regard to elution of preceding components. The resulting data is then reduced using mathematical techniques such as cross-correlation of Fourier Transforms. Advantages realized from this technique include: improvement in detection limits of several orders of magnitude and increase in the number of analyses that can be conducted in a given period of time. Results proving the application of MGC at very low pressures emulating the same atmospheric pressures that a Titan Probe will encounter when the instruments are deployed are presented. The sample used contained hydrocarbons that are expected to be found in Titan's atmosphere. In addition, a new selective modulator was developed to monitor water under Martian atmospheric conditions. Since this modulator is selective only to water, the need for a GC column is eliminated. This results in further simplification of the instrument.

Valentin, J. R.↗

In-Situ Reaction Monitoring for Lunar Applications Utilizing a Single Quadrupole Residual Gas Analyzer

With a revived focus to create a permeant presence on the moon and in preparation for future Mars exploration, it is imperative that all re-sources are utilized to their fullest potential. In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) will be critical for future mission success as it would enable independent operation of missions while minimally relying on the complex supply chain created between the Earth, moon and Mars. One of the most critical resources that have been identified for ISRU is the creation of liquid oxygen (O2) for not only breathable air, but also for rocket fuel. On the moon and potentially Mars, one of the most O2 rich resources is in the presence of regolith. Although there are numerous minerals within regolith and various processes to extract O2, this is not the scope of this paper. Since the O2 extraction method can vary, a critical standardized analytical method is needed to verify O2 (or oxygenated precursor compounds) for extraction efficiency and purity. Our group utilizes a modified consumer off-the-shelf (COTS), Residual Gas Analyzer (RGA) Single Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer (QMS). Due to the current field mission requirements, the gas analysis module will need to rely only on mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) and peak intensities to differentiate and quantitate targeted gas-phase reactants or products, i.e. carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and hydrogen (H2). However, due to solar wind implanted volatiles and various other compounds present in lunar regolith, such as nitrogen (N2), helium (He), and deuterium (D2), deconvolution and quantification of isobaric compounds becomes quite difficult. Specifically, the presence of N2 makes quantification of CO, an oxygenated precursor, difficult due to both compounds having a peak at m/z 28. Approaches to differentiate isobaric components: Initially, the solution to overcome isobaric overlap was to use isotopic ratios, particularly be-tween carbon-13 and nitrogen-15. Although limited literature discuss isotopic composition and attempt to quantify the ratios, variation is particularly high and limited to a few lunar regolith samples. The following were identified as potential approaches to quantify isobaric species, N2 and CO, using our RGA. Threshold Ionization. CO and N2 both have peaks at m/z 28, but only N2 is capable of producing a peak at m/z 7. While a N2 peak at m/z 7 is generally rare, instrument parameters can be optimized in order to maximize the peak intensity. Typically a standard ionization energy of 70 eV is used to monitor a batch process and would produce reliable results for a majority of the reactants or products that we are interested in quantifying. However, to analyze the rare molecular fragment of N2 (N2+ at m/z 7), a different ionization energy may be beneficial. Threshold Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) will be explored to optimize the N2+ peak at m/z 7 by varying parameters such as ionization energy and pressure. Therefore, a quantitative value at m/z 7 will be used to determine the product gas concentration of N2, which will be subtracted from the total concentration determined at m/z 28 enabling us to approximate the amount of CO. Secondary Detector (infrared gas detector, IR). Another approach to quantitate and differentiate be-tween isobaric components is to leverage alternative modes of detection. Unlike mass spectrometry, which generally uses a separation step prior to analysis (i.e. gas chromatography), IR produces energy that is specifically absorbed depending on the bond and configuration of the molecule. This technique could be leveraged since it is generally only active on non-symmetric molecules, i.e. CO. Utilizing concentrations of CO determined from another detector could help correct concentrations of CO obtained from the QMS. However, the inclusion of another detector adds additional mission requirements, such as power, software changes and avionics updates that add additional cost and schedule requirements.

mass spectrometry↗

Efficacy of passive sampler collection for atmospheric NO 2 isotopes under simulated environmental conditions

Rationale Nitrogen oxides or NO x (NO x = NO + NO 2 ) play an important role in air quality, atmospheric chemistry, and climate. The isotopic compositions of anthropogenic and natural NO 2 sources are wide‐ranging, and they can be used to constrain sources of ambient NO 2 and associated atmospheric deposition of nitrogen compounds. While passive sample collection of NO 2 isotopes has been used in field studies to determine NO x source influences on atmospheric deposition, this approach has not been evaluated for accuracy or precision under different environmental conditions. Methods The efficacy of NO 2 passive sampler collection for NO 2 isotopes was evaluated under varied temperature and relative humidity (RH) conditions in a dynamic flux chamber. The precision and accuracy of the filter NO 2 collection as nitrite (NO 2 – ) for isotopic analysis were determined using a reference NO 2 gas tank and through inter‐calibration with a modified EPA Method 7. The bacterial denitrifer method was used to convert 20 μM of collected NO 2 – or nitrate (NO 3 – ) into N 2 O and was carried out on an Isoprime continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Results δ 15 N‐NO 2 values determined from passive NO 2 collection, in conditions of 11–34 °C, 1–78% RH, have an overall accuracy and precision of ±2.1 ‰, and individual run precision of ±0.6 ‰. δ 18 O‐NO 2 values obtained from passive NO 2 sampler collection, under the same conditions, have an overall precision of ± 1.3 ‰. Conclusions Suitable conditions for passive sampler collection of NO 2 isotopes are in environments ranging from 11 to 34 °C and 1 to 78% RH. The passive NO 2 isotope measurement technique provides an accurate method to determine variations in atmospheric δ 15 N‐NO 2 values and a precise method for determining atmospheric δ 18 O‐NO 2 values. The ability to measure NO 2 isotopes over spatial gradients at the same temporal resolution provides a unique perspective on the extent and seasonality of fluctuations in atmospheric NO 2 isotopic compositions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Coughlin, Justin G.↗

Analysis of Defense Waste Processing Facility Sample: Recycle Collection Tank Sample Batch 4945

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was requested by Savannah River Remediation (now Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC)), through a Technical Task Request, to characterization the “as-received” Recycle Collection Tank (RCT) Sample identified as sample batch 4945 [Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) batch 796)], which was delivered to SRNL Shielded Cells on January 28, 2021. The RCT characterization data will be used as input to the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Recycle Diversion Project. This RCT report is the first of three sample characterization reports that will be used for this DWPF Project. The other DWPF reports will involve the characterization of the Off-Gas Condensate Tank (OGCT) and the Slurry Mix Evaporator Condensate Tank (SMECT) samples.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Analysis of Defense Waste Processing Facility Sample: Recycle Collection Tank Sample Batch 4945

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was requested by Savannah River Remediation (now Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC)), through a Technical Task Request, to characterization the “as-received” Recycle Collection Tank (RCT) Sample identified as sample batch 4945 [Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) batch 796)], which was delivered to SRNL Shielded Cells on January 28, 2021. The RCT characterization data will be used as input to the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Recycle Diversion Project. This RCT report is the first of three sample characterization reports that will be used for this DWPF Project. The other DWPF reports will involve the characterization of the Off-Gas Condensate Tank (OGCT) and the Slurry Mix Evaporator Condensate Tank (SMECT) samples.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Efficiency analysis of helium-cooled MAS DNP: case studies of surface-modified nanoparticles and homogeneous small-molecule solutions

Despite the growing number of successful applications of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR in structural biology and materials science, the nuclear polarizations achieved by current MAS DNP instrumentation are still considerably lower than the theoretical maximum. Here, the method could be significantly strengthened if experiments were performed at temperatures much lower than those currently widely used (~100 K). Recently, the prospects of helium (He)-cooled MAS DNP have been increased with the instrumental developments in MAS technology that uses cold helium gas for sample cooling. Despite the additional gains in sensitivity that have been observed with He-cooled MAS DNP, the performance of the technique has not been evaluated in the case of surfaces and interfaces that benefit the most from DNP. Herein, we studied the efficiency of DNP at temperatures between ~30 K and ~100 K for organically functionalized silica material and a homogeneous solution of small organic molecules at a magnetic field B 0 = 16.4 T. We recorded the changes in signal enhancement, paramagnet-induced quenching and depolarization effects, DNP build-up rate, and Boltzmann polarization. For these samples, the increases in MAS-induced depolarization and DNP build-up times at around 30 K were not as severe as anticipated. In the case of the surface species, we determined that MAS DNP at 30 K provided ~10 times higher sensitivity than MAS DNP at 90 K, which corresponds to the acceleration of experiments by multiplicative factors of up to 100.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

An Overview of the Hybrid Illinois Device for Research and Applications Material Analysis Test-stand (HIDRA-MAT)

The Hybrid Illinois Device for Research and Applications (HIDRA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a toroidal plasma device that enables fusion plasma-material interaction testing with both stellarator and tokamak plasmas. HIDRA’s long-pulse steady state stellarator plasmas provide a testbed for plasma facing component (PFC) plasma exposures. The HIDRA Material Analysis Test-stand (HIDRA-MAT) is a material characterization module attached to HIDRA that is being designed and fabricated to include thermal desorption spectroscopy and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy systems for in-vacuo PFC characterization. A specialized rotatable sample holder positions the sample for liquid metal droplet application from a liquid metal droplet injector on HIDRA-MAT. Early experiments look to investigate the effect liquid lithium has on porous tungsten samples’ retention of H, D, and He after plasma exposure. Preliminary results from a dual residual gas analyzer system show the ability to differentiate D2 and He in HIDRA-MAT. Finally, this work aims to advance the understanding of liquid metal PFCs and further the design and development of new fusion PFCs and technologies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

SHαDE: survey description and mass–kinematics scaling relations for dwarf galaxies

ABSTRACT The Study of H α from Dwarf Emissions (SHαDE) is a high spectral resolution (R = 13 500) H α integral field survey of 69 dwarf galaxies with stellar masses 106 < M⋆ < 109 M⊙. The survey used FLAMES on the ESO Very Large Telescope. SHαDE is designed to study the kinematics and stellar populations of dwarf galaxies using consistent methods applied to massive galaxies and at matching level of detail, connecting these mass ranges in an unbiased way. In this paper, we set out the science goals of SHαDE, describe the sample properties, outline the data reduction, and analysis processes. We investigate the log M⋆–log S0.5 mass–kinematics scaling relation, which has previously shown potential for combining galaxies of all morphologies in a single scaling relation. We extend the scaling relation from massive galaxies to dwarf galaxies, demonstrating this relation is linear down to a stellar mass of M⋆ ∼ 108.6 M⊙. Below this limit, the kinematics of galaxies inside one effective radius appears to be dominated by the internal velocity dispersion limit of the H α-emitting gas, giving a bend in the log M⋆–log S0.5 relation. Replacing stellar mass with total baryonic mass using gas mass estimate reduces the severity but does not remove the linearity limit of the scaling relation. An extrapolation to estimate the galaxies’ dark matter halo masses, yields a log Mh–log S0.5 scaling relation that is free of any bend, has reduced curvature over the whole mass range, and brings galaxies of all masses and morphologies on to the virial relation.

Barat, Dilyar↗

Ultra low background time projection alpha particle detector ( Phase II Final Scientific/Technical Report)

When alpha particles are emitted into a gas they create an ionization track of gas ions and electrons. In our commercial UltraLo instrument we apply a voltage between a planar sample and an anode, integrate the anode signal as it collects the electrons, and distinguish between alphas emitted from the sample and elsewhere (anode, sidewalls) by the duration and shape of the resultant signal. The major contributors limiting the instrument’s lower detection limit are cosmic rays that pass through the detector close to the sample and Rn decays that produce charge tracks the originate in the gas and end on the sample. In this work we proposed to identify and reject these events by converting the anode into a multi-pixel array and operating in time projection mode. Cosmic rays would be eliminated by generating charge on many pixels, while charge collection asymmetry would distinguish between sample events (Bragg curve up) and Rn events (Bragg curve down). We therefore proposed to modify an UltraLo by pixilating its anode, developing low noise, low power multiplexed electronics to track each pixel’s signal individually, and develop analysis software to make the required discriminations.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

More extragalactic carbon monoxide

CO emission has been detected toward the centers of six spiral galaxies - NGC 660, 3504, 3628, 4303, 4631, and 4826 - which had been predicted to have molecular sources similar to that in the center of the Galaxy on the basis of OH and IR studies. Analysis of the entire sample of galaxies with strong central CO peaks supports the interpretation of the central peaks as components distinct from the disk molecular clouds. A new method for estimating the mass of associated H2 is suggested that emphasizes the different kinds of clouds in these different regions. There appears to be no correlation of CO and H I linewidths. However, there are good correlations between CO emission, far-infrared emission, and nonthermal radio continuum emission. The correlation with infrared emissions shows that more molecular gas implies more star formation in galactic centers.

Rickard, L. J.↗

Boundary conditions on the early Sun from ancient cosmogenic neon in meteorites

Isotopic analysis of neon from individual grains of the meteorites Murchison (CM) and Kapoeta (howardite) shows large enrichments of cosmogenic neon in grains with solar flare tracks. The quantity of this component is incompatible with galactic cosmic ray or solar cosmic ray irradiation under present conditions and is attributed to irradiation by energetic flares from an early active Sun. Handpicked grains from each meteorite were grouped according to the presence or absence of solar flare heavy ion tracks, and these four samples were analyzed with an ion counting noble gas mass spectrometer.

Hohenberg, C. M.↗

Tomography Analysis of Orion Artemis 1 Heatshield Sample

The Orion spacecraft, under NASA's Artemis program, is an integral step in humanity's ambitions of deep space exploration, including our return to the Moon and subsequent mission to Mars. The performance of Orion's heatshield is central to ensuring the safety and success of such missions. This presentation offers a comprehensive overview of the process used in and findings derived from tomography scans of an Artemis 1 heatshield sample executed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Advanced Light Source. These tomography scans captured high-resolution X-Ray images of the heatshield's microstructure, allowing advanced imaging to be employed for 3D image segmentation and visualization of the sample. The Porous Media Analysis (PuMA) software stands central to our analysis, offering robust computational algorithms and methodologies to digitally compute properties of the heatshield material. The presentation discusses the following derived metrics: - Volume fractions, representing the spatial distribution and amounts of various components throughout the heatshield’s depth. - Porosity and crack distributions, offering insights into the void space within the material, critical for understanding the heatshield's structural integrity. - Fiber orientation, detailing the alignment and arrangement of fibers, significant for material orthotropy. - Permeability estimates, quantifying the passage of gas through the material, relevant for re-entry conditions and pyrolysis gasses. One distinctive feature of this study is the comparative evaluation against data obtained from tomography scans of the Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) heatshield. Such a comparison offers multiple insights, including evaluation of the consistency and repeatability of manufacturing processes as well as understanding of any evolutionary changes in heatshield design or material properties.

Micro-tomography↗