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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,369 records · Page 76

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DOE OSTI2016

Temporal and spatial evolution of runaway electrons at the instability moments in Damavand tokamak

The time and position behavior of runaway electrons at the Parail–Pogutse instability moments has been investigated using experimental observations in plasma current, loop voltage, the Hard X-ray (HXR) radiations, and 18 poloidal pickup coils signals received by data acquisition system simultaneously. The conditional average sampling (CAS) method was used to analyze the output data. Moreover, a filament current code was modified to study the runaway electrons beam movement in the event of instabilities. The results display a rapid drift of runaway beam toward the inner wall of the vacuum vessel and the collision with the wall components at the instability moments. The existence of the collisions in these experiments is evident in the HXR bursts which are considered as the main trigger for CAS Analysis. Also, the variation of HXR bursts with the toroidal magnetic field shows that the hard X-ray bursts drop with increase in the toroidal magnetic field and runaway electrons confinement quality.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1999

Systems Engineering Design Via Experimental Operation Research: Complex Organizational Metric for Programmatic Risk Environments (COMPRE)

Unique and innovative graph theory, neural network, organizational modeling, and genetic algorithms are applied to the design and evolution of programmatic and organizational architectures. Graph theory representations of programs and organizations increase modeling capabilities and flexibility, while illuminating preferable programmatic/organizational design features. Treating programs and organizations as neural networks results in better system synthesis, and more robust data modeling. Organizational modeling using covariance structures enhances the determination of organizational risk factors. Genetic algorithms improve programmatic evolution characteristics, while shedding light on rulebase requirements for achieving specified technological readiness levels, given budget and schedule resources. This program of research improves the robustness and verifiability of systems synthesis tools, including the Complex Organizational Metric for Programmatic Risk Environments (COMPRE).

Mog, Robert A.↗

DOE OSTI2019

Electrochemically-Driven Phase Transformations in Battery Compounds (Final Technical Report)

Ion-insertion compounds for advanced batteries frequently exhibit phase transformations as the concentration of the working ion varies. Under the large electrochemical driving forces inherent to practical use, systems are often driven far from equilibrium and exhibit phase transition behavior not seen in other materials. An improved understanding of phase transformation pathways in electrode materials upon cycling will lead to new materials design concepts and electrochemical duty cycle management strategies that improve capacity utilization at high charge/discharge rates, reduce voltage and capacity hysteresis, and extend battery life. The main goal of this project is to develop a predictive understanding of the phase transition behavior of battery compounds when electrochemically driven far from equilibrium through a combined experimental- theoretical approach. Research focuses on elucidating how the phase transition behaviors in a diverse group of selected model systems (olivines, lithium metal, etc.) are regulated by various factors including transformation strains, plasticity, metastable transformation pathways, electrode microstructure, surface reaction and ion diffusion kinetics, and what are the unique features of phase transitions in battery compounds. To this end, operando X-ray-based characterization techniques are applied to interrogate the structure and composition evolution of electrode materials and interfaces at nano- and meso-scales. Mesoscale modeling techniques such as phase-field simulation are employed to shed light on the experimental observations and establish a unified framework for describing phase transition behaviors in battery compounds.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS2018

Numerical and Experimental Study of Local Resin Pressure for the Manufacturing of Composite Structures and Their Effect on Porosity

Porosity can have significant impact on the mechanical performance of composite structures. The primary sources of voids during the cure of composites include air entrapped during lay-up, bag or tool leaks, and the off gassing of volatiles. Capturing the physics of void evolution during composite processing is a challenge due to the number of sources and changing phenomena that give rise to voids as the resin cures. Local changes in resin pressure due to geometric features or cure shrinkage have been experimentally linked to a higher likelihood of void formation. In this work, a preliminary model was developed to predict local resin pressure which can be used to identify regions more susceptible to porosity. Experiments were conducted to validate the model accuracy. Ultimately, this model can be used as a tool to minimize the likelihood of porosity by optimizing the material selection, part design, layup, and cure process.

Bedayat, Houman↗

DOE OSTI2020

Radiation Damage in Materials—Helium Effects

Despite its scarcity in terrestrial life, helium effects on microstructure evolution and thermo-mechanical properties can have a significant impact on the operation and lifetime of applications, including: advanced structural steels in fast fission reactors, plasma facing and structural materials in fusion devices, spallation neutron target designs, energetic alpha emissions in actinides, helium precipitation in tritium-containing materials, and nuclear waste materials. The small size of a helium atom combined with its near insolubility in almost every solid makes the helium–solid interaction extremely complex over multiple length and time scales. This Special Issue, “Radiation Damage in Materials—Helium Effects”, contains review articles and full-length papers on new irradiation material research activities and novel material ideas using experimental and/or modeling approaches. These studies elucidate the interactions of helium with various extreme environments and tailored nanostructures, as well as their impact on microstructural evolution and material properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS2007

On the Evolution of Localized Disturbances and their Spanwise Interactions Leading to Breakdown

Localized disturbances in a laminar boundary layer represent a more realistic model of transition than the extensively studies, two or quasi three-dimensional perturbations regardless of the fact if they evolve in a linear manner or not. Localized disturbances can originate by surface imperfections, insects or dust. The disturbances can be harmonic (i.e. containing a single frequency and a complete set of spanwise wave numbers) or Pulsed (i.e. containing a band of streamwise and spanwise wave numbers). At sufficiently low amplitudes localized disturbances behave according to a linear stability model. It is highly probably that in a natural transition process such localized disturbances will overslap and interact. These interactions could either delay transition because of a partial wave cancellation resulting in an attenuation of the disturbance, or adversely enhance it by promoting nonlinear interactions. The nonlinearity could be simply amplitude dependent or cause a triad resonance. Nonlinear processes in a wave packet lead to breakdown and to the formation of turbulent spots. When the amplitude of the harmonic disturbance saturates, nonlinear processes widen the band of the lower amplified frequencies adjacent to the frequency of excitation. Experimental results describing the spanwise interactions of harmonic and pulsed localized disturbances leading to breakdown will be presented and discussed. A comparison to the evolution and breakdown of a single localized disturbance will be provided.

Seifert, Avi↗

DOE OSTI2016

Experimental and modeling uncertainties in the validation of lower hybrid current drive

Our work discusses sources of uncertainty in the validation of lower hybrid wave current drive simulations against experiments, by evolving self-consistently the magnetic equilibrium and the heating and current drive profiles, calculated with a combined toroidal ray tracing code and 3D Fokker–Planck solver. The simulations indicate a complex interplay of elements, where uncertainties in the input plasma parameters, in the models and in the transport solver combine and compensate each other, at times. It is concluded that ray-tracing calculations should include a realistic representation of the density and temperature in the region between the confined plasma and the wall, which is especially important in regimes where the LH waves are weakly damped and undergo multiple reflections from the plasma boundary. Uncertainties introduced in the processing of diagnostic data as well as uncertainties introduced by model approximations are assessed. We show that, by comparing the evolution of the plasma parameters in self-consistent simulations with available data, inconsistencies can be identified and limitations in the models or in the experimental data assessed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2017

Linear permeability evolution of expanding conduits due to feedback between flow and fast phase change: Linear Permeability Evolution of Conduit

Conduits are ubiquitous and critical pathways for many fluids relevant for geophysical processes such as magma, water, and gases. Predicting flow through conduits is challenging when the conduit geometry coevolves with the flow. We theoretically show that the permeability (k) of a conduit whose walls are eroding due to fast phase change increases linearly with time because of a self-reinforcing mechanism. This simple result is surprising given complex feedbacks between flow, transport, and phase change. The theory is congruent with previous experimental observations of fracture dissolution in calcite. Supporting computational fracture dissolution experiments showed that k only slightly increases until the dissolution front reaches the narrowest conduit constriction, after which the linear evolution of k manifests. Finally, the theory holds across multiple scales and a broad range of Peclet and Damkohler numbers and thus advances the prediction of dynamic mass fluxes through expanding conduits in various geologic and environmental settings

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2026

Probing gluon saturation with forward di-hadron correlations in proton-nucleus collisions

We present a detailed numerical investigation of semi-inclusive forward di-hadron production in proton–nucleus collisions employing the Color Glass Condensate effective theory. We focus on the regime where di-hadrons are produced nearly back-to-back in the transverse plane, thereby justifying a transverse-momentum-dependent factorization approach in terms of small-x gluon distributions. Our computation integrates several key elements: i) non-linear rapidity evolution via the Balitsky–Kovchegov equation with running coupling, ii) both perturbative and non-perturbative Sudakov resummation, and iii) a phenomenologically constrained model for the initial conditions for small-x gluon distributions. We compare this phenomenological framework to experimental data from the STAR Collaboration on azimuthal correlations in forward di-pion production in both proton–proton and proton–gold collisions. We analyze the systematic theoretical uncertainties associated with the saturation scales of nuclei at the initial scale for rapidity evolution and with those associated with the hadronization process. Finally, we make predictions for the kinematics anticipated to be covered by the ALICE Forward Calorimeter (FoCal) upgrade at the Large Hadron Collider.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

Jet formation in cerium metal to examine material strength

Examining the evolution of material properties at extreme conditions advances our understanding of numerous high-pressure phenomena from natural events like meteorite impacts to general solid mechanics and fluid flow behavior. Recent advances in synchrotron diagnostics coupled with dynamic compression platforms have introduced new possibilities for examining in-situ, spatially resolved material response with nanosecond time resolution. In this work, we examined jet formation from a Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in cerium initially shocked into a transient, high-pressure phase, and then released to a low-pressure, higher-temperature state. Cerium's rich phase diagram allows us to study the yield stress following a shock induced solid-solid phase transition. X-ray imaging was used to obtain images of jet formation and evolution with 2–3 μm spatial resolution. From these images, an analytic method was used to estimate the post-shock yield stress, and these results were compared to continuum calculations that incorporated an experimentally validated equation-of-state (EOS) for cerium coupled with a deviatoric strength model. Reasonable agreement was observed between the calculations and the data illustrating the sensitivity of jet formation on the yield stress values. The data and analysis shown here provide insight into material strength during dynamic loading which is expected to aid in the development of strength aware multi-phase EOS required to predict the response of matter at extreme conditions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

NASA NTRS1975

Origin and evolution of the lunar regolith; Proceedings of the Symposium, Houston, Tex., November 13-15, 1974

The papers consider the origin and evolution of the lunar regolith utilizing data obtained during American and Soviet manned and unmanned lunar missions as well as surface and orbital observations, photography, sample collections, and experimental studies. Topics include the transport and emplacement of crater and basin deposits, development of the mare regolith, the shallow lunar structure as determined from the passive seismic experiment, horizontal transport of the regolith, the origin of the exotic component and KREEP-rich materials, the influx of interplanetary materials onto the moon, stratification in the lunar regolith, catastrophic rupture of lunar rocks, cosmic-ray exposure ages of surface features, breccia formation by sintering and crystallization, evolution of the lunar soil, and effects of maturation on the reflectance of the regolith. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2024

A multiphysics coupling framework for exascale simulation of fracture evolution in subsurface energy applications

Predicting the evolution of fractured media is challenging due to coupled thermal, hydrological, chemical and mechanical processes that occur over a broad range of spatial scales, from the microscopic pore scale to field scale. We present a software framework and scientific workflow that couples the pore scale flow and reactive transport simulator Chombo-Crunch with the field scale geomechanics solver in GEOS to simulate fracture evolution in subsurface fluid-rock systems. This new multiphysics coupling capability comprises several novel features. An HDF5 data schema for coupling fracture positions between the two codes is employed and leverages the coarse resolution of the GEOS mechanics solver which limits the size of data coupled, and is, thus, not taxed by data resulting from the high resolution pore scale Chombo-Crunch solver. The coupling framework requires tracking of both before and after coarse nodal positions in GEOS as well as the resolved embedded boundary in Chombo-Crunch. We accomplished this by developing an approach to geometry generation that tracks the fracture interface between the two different methodologies. The GEOS quadrilateral mesh is converted to triangles which are organized into bins and an accessible tree structure; the nodes are then mapped to the Chombo representation using a continuous signed distance function that determines locations inside, on and outside of the fracture boundary. The GEOS positions are retained in memory on the Chombo-Crunch side of the coupling. The time stepping cadence for coupled multiphysics processes of flow, transport, reactions and mechanics is stable and demonstrates temporal reach to experimental time scales. The approach is validated by demonstration of 9 days of simulated time of a core flood experiment with fracture aperture evolution due to invasion of carbonated brine in wellbore-cement and sandstone. We also demonstrate usage of exascale computing resources by simulating a high resolution version of the validation problem on OLCF Frontier.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2017

Experimental measurement of 12 C + 16 O fusion at stellar energies

The total cross section of the 12 C + 16 O fusion reaction has been measured at low energies to investigate the role of this reaction during late stellar evolution burning phases. A high-intensity oxygen beam, produced by the 5 MV pelletron accelerator at the University of Notre Dame, impinged on a thick, ultrapure graphite target. Protons and γ rays were simultaneously measured in the center-of-mass energy range from 3.64 to 5.01 MeV for singles and from 3.73 to 4.84 MeV for coincidence events, using silicon and Ge detectors. Statistical model calculations were employed to interpret the experimental results. The emergence of a new resonance-like broad structure and a decreasing trend in the S-factor data towards lower energies (opposite to previous data) are found for the 12 C + 16 O fusion reaction. Furthermore, based on these results the uncertainty range of the reaction rate within the temperature range of late stellar burning environments is discussed.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Quantifying Dynamic Signal Spread in Real-Time High-Energy X-ray Diffraction

Abstract Measured intensity in high-energy monochromatic X-ray diffraction (HEXD) experiments provides information regarding the microstructure of the crystalline material under study. The location of intensity on an areal detector is determined by the lattice spacing and orientation of crystals so that changes in the heterogeneity of these quantities are reflected in the spreading of diffraction peaks over time. High temporal resolution of such dynamics can now be experimentally observed using technologies such as the mixed-mode pixel array detector (MM-PAD) which facilitates in situ dynamic HEXD experiments to study plasticity and its underlying mechanisms. In this paper, we define and demonstrate a feature computed directly from such diffraction time series data quantifying signal spread in a manner that is correlated with plastic deformation of the sample. A distinguishing characteristic of the analysis is the capability to describe the evolution from the distinct diffraction peaks of an undeformed alloy sample through to the non-uniform Debye–Scherrer rings developed upon significant plastic deformation. We build on our previous work modeling data using an overcomplete dictionary by treating temporal measurements jointly to improve signal spread recovery. We demonstrate our approach in simulations and on experimental HEXD measurements captured using the MM-PAD. Our method for characterizing the temporal evolution of signal spread is shown to provide an informative means of data analysis that adds to the capabilities of existing methods. Our work draws on ideas from convolutional sparse coding and requires solving a coupled convex optimization problem based on the alternating direction method of multipliers.

Engineering↗

DOE OSTI2019

Capacitance-Based Dimensional Change Sensors for In-Pile Materials Measurements

Advanced fuel compositions, such as accident tolerate fuels (ATF), are an active area of developing in the nuclear power industry. The long-term performance of these newly developed fuels is estimated through physics-based simulation models of irradiation-, temperature-, pressure-, etc.-induced material degradation. As these fuels are deployed in test reactors, measurement and characterization of the fuel pin evolution is used to validate prediction models. In-pile material evolution parameters, such as fuel rod pressurization, fuel stack and cladding elongation, and cladding diameter, are commonly measured using a linear voltage differential transformer (LVDT). However, LVDTs are bulky and limited to lower (350-500C) temperature operation. The high power density and small size of most experimental positions in high performance research reactors used for accelerated materials irradiation studies generally precludes the use of LVDTs in these reactors. There is a critical need for sensors that provide real-time data regarding material evolution under highly accelerated irradiation. These sensors would ideally have a small profile and the ability to withstand irradiation at extremely high dose rates and temperatures for extended periods of time. A capacitance-based sensor is currently under development at the University of Tennessee to provide a direct measurement of in-pile dimensional change during irradiation. Sensor response was simulated using AutoCAD Electromagnetic field simulator (EMS) for a variety of sensor materials and configurations and fuel pin swelling conditions. Initial results of these simulations are summarized and areas of ongoing research and development are discussed.

Naughton, Tyler↗

DOE OSTI2026

From natural language to control signals: a conceptual framework for semantic channel finding in complex experimental infrastructure

Modern experimental platforms such as particle accelerators, fusion devices, telescopes, and industrial process control systems expose tens to hundreds of thousands of control and diagnostic channels, accumulated over decades of hardware evolution. Operators and AI systems alike depend on informal expert knowledge, inconsistent naming conventions, and scattered documentation to locate the signals required for monitoring, troubleshooting, and automated control, creating a persistent bottleneck for reliability, scalability, and emerging language-model-driven interfaces. We formalize semantic channel finding, the task of mapping natural-language intent to concrete control-system signals, as a general problem in complex experimental infrastructure, and introduce a four-paradigm conceptual framework to guide architecture selection based on facility-specific data regimes. The paradigms span (i) direct in-context lookup over small, curated channel dictionaries, (ii) constrained hierarchical navigation through structured trees, (iii) interactive agent exploration using iterative reasoning and tool-based database queries, and (iv) ontology-grounded semantic search that decouples channel meaning from facility-specific naming conventions. We demonstrate the practical feasibility of each paradigm through proof-of-concept implementations at four operational facilities spanning two orders of magnitude in scale: from compact free-electron lasers to large synchrotron light sources, operating under diverse control-system architectures ranging from clean hierarchical naming schemes to legacy environments with decades of heterogeneous conventions. Where evaluated against expert-curated operational queries, these instantiations achieve 90%–97% accuracy, validating the framework’s applicability across real-world deployment scenarios. To accelerate adoption across the broader scientific and industrial control-system community, we release open-source, plug-and-play implementations of all three interactive paradigms-direct lookup, hierarchical navigation, and middle-layer exploration-within the Osprey framework, together with tools for channel database generation, interactive testing, and minimal-configuration deployment. This work establishes semantic channel finding as a foundational capability for human-centric and agentic AI interfaces at large-scale facilities, providing both a systematic framework for architecture design and practical resources to enable adoption without building custom infrastructure from scratch.

channel finding↗

DOE OSTI2023

Insight into Strong QCD and the Emergence of Mass from N* Experiments

Studies of nucleon resonance (N*) electroexcitation amplitudes (?vpN* electrocouplings) within a broad range of virtual photon four-momentum squared Q2 offer unique information on many facets of the strong interaction in the regime of large QCD running coupling (sQCD regime) seen in the generation of different resonances. The results on the ?vpN* electrocouplings from exclusive meson electroproduction data measured with the CLAS detector at JLab and their impact on understanding of sQCD dynamics will be presented in this talk. These CLAS data have provided the first and only available results on the evolution of the ?vpN* electrocouplings with Q2 to 5 GeV2 for most N* states in the mass range up to 1.8 GeV. A successful description of the CLAS results on the Q2-evolution of the ?(1232)3/2+, N(1440)1/2+, and ?(1600)3/2+ electrocouplings has been achieved within the continuum Schwinger method (CSM) by employing the same momentum dependence of the dressed quark mass inferred from the QCD Lagrangian, which also reproduces the experimental results on the pion elastic electromagnetic form factor and parton distribution function, and the nucleon elastic form factor. This success has demonstrated the capability for gaining insight into the emergence of hadron mass (EHM) from the exploration of the Q2-evolution of the ?vpN* electrocouplings. These studies also allow us to establish either universality or environmental sensitivity of the dressed quark mass function and to explore qq-correlation amplitudes of different spin-parities and the mixing between configurations of different orbital angular momentum. Exploration of the resonance electroexcitation with the CLAS12 detector and in the future with a possible 22 GeV machine at JLab offer the only foreseen opportunity to extend information on the ?vpN* electrocouplings for Q2 from 5-30 GeV2. Analyses of these results will cover the full range of distances where the dominant part of hadron mass and N* structure emerge from QCD.

Mokeev, Victor↗

DOE OSTI2023

Astrovirology: how viruses enhance our understanding of life in the Universe

Abstract Viruses are the most numerically abundant biological entities on Earth. As ubiquitous replicators of molecular information and agents of community change, viruses have potent effects on the life on Earth, and may play a critical role in human spaceflight, for life-detection missions to other planetary bodies and planetary protection. However, major knowledge gaps constrain our understanding of the Earth's virosphere: (1) the role viruses play in biogeochemical cycles, (2) the origin(s) of viruses and (3) the involvement of viruses in the evolution, distribution and persistence of life. As viruses are the only replicators that span all known types of nucleic acids, an expanded experimental and theoretical toolbox built for Earth's viruses will be pivotal for detecting and understanding life on Earth and beyond. Only by filling in these knowledge and technical gaps we will obtain an inclusive assessment of how to distinguish and detect life on other planetary surfaces. Meanwhile, space exploration requires life-support systems for the needs of humans, plants and their microbial inhabitants. Viral effects on microbes and plants are essential for Earth's biosphere and human health, but virus–host interactions in spaceflight are poorly understood. Viral relationships with their hosts respond to environmental changes in complex ways which are difficult to predict by extrapolating from Earth-based proxies. These relationships should be studied in space to fully understand how spaceflight will modulate viral impacts on human health and life-support systems, including microbiomes. In this review, we address key questions that must be examined to incorporate viruses into Earth system models, life-support systems and life detection. Tackling these questions will benefit our efforts to develop planetary protection protocols and further our understanding of viruses in astrobiology.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗