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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

An Analysis Technique for Active Neutron Multiplicity Measurements Based on First Principles

Passive neutron multiplicity counting is commonly used to quantify the total mass of plutonium in a sample, without prior knowledge of the sample geometry. However, passive neutron counting is less applicable to uranium measurements due to the low spontaneous fission rates of uranium. Active neutron multiplicity measurements are therefore used to determine the {sup 235}U mass in a sample. Unfortunately, there are still additional challenges to overcome for uranium measurements, such as the coupling of the active source and the uranium sample. Techniques, such as the coupling method, have been developed to help reduce the dependence of calibration curves for active measurements on uranium samples; although, they still require similar geometry known standards. An advanced active neutron multiplicity measurement method is being developed by Texas A&M University, in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in an attempt to overcome the calibration curve requirements. This method can be used to quantify the {sup 235}U mass in a sample containing uranium without using calibration curves. Furthermore, this method is based on existing detectors and nondestructive assay (NDA) systems, such as the LANL Epithermal Neutron Multiplicity Counter (ENMC). This method uses an inexpensive boron carbide liner to shield the uranium sample from thermal and epithermal neutrons while allowing fast neutrons to reach the sample. Due to the relatively low and constant fission and absorption energy dependent cross-sections at high neutron energies for uranium isotopes, fast neutrons can penetrate the sample without significant attenuation. Fast neutron interrogation therefore creates a homogeneous fission rate in the sample, allowing for first principle methods to be used to determine the {sup 235}U mass in the sample. This paper discusses the measurement method concept and development, including measurements and simulations performed to date, as well as the potential limitations.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Vector tomography for reconstructing electric fields with non-zero divergence in bounded domains

In vector tomography (VT), the aim is to reconstruct an unknown multi-dimensional vector field using line integral data. In the case of a 2-dimensional VT, two types of line integral data are usually required. These data correspond to integration of the parallel and perpendicular projection of the vector field along the integration lines and are called the longitudinal and transverse measurements, respectively. In most cases, however, the transverse measurements cannot be physically acquired. Therefore, the VT methods are typically used to reconstruct divergence-free (or source-free) velocity and flow fields that can be reconstructed solely from the longitudinal measurements. In this paper, we show how vector fields with non-zero divergence in a bounded domain can also be reconstructed from the longitudinal measurements without the need of explicitly evaluating the transverse measurements. To the best of our knowledge, VT has not previously been used for this purpose. In particular, we study low-frequency, time-harmonic electric fields generated by dipole sources in convex bounded domains which arise, for example, in electroencephalography (EEG) source imaging. We explain in detail the theoretical background, the derivation of the electric field inverse problem and the numerical approximation of the line integrals. We show that fields with non-zero divergence can be reconstructed from the longitudinal measurements with the help of two sparsity constraints that are constructed from the transverse measurements and the vector Laplace operator. As a comparison to EEG source imaging, we note that VT does not require mathematical modeling of the sources. By numerical simulations, we show that the pattern of the electric field can be correctly estimated using VT and the location of the source activity can be determined accurately from the reconstructed magnitudes of the field. - Highlights: • Vector tomography is used to reconstruct electric fields generated by dipole sources. • Inverse solutions are based on longitudinal and transverse line integral measurements. • Transverse line integral measurements are used as a sparsity constraint. • Numerical procedure to approximate the line integrals is described in detail. • Patterns of the studied electric fields are correctly estimated.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2012

Do We Really Know how Much it Costs to Construct High Performance Buildings?

Understanding the cost of energy efficient construction is critical to decision makers in building design, code development, and energy analysis. How much does it cost to upgrade from R-13 to R-19 in a building wall? How much do low-e windows really cost? Can we put a dollar figure on commissioning? Answers to these questions have a fuzzy nature, based on educated guesses and industry lore. The response depends on location, perspective, bulk buying, and hand waving. This paper explores the development of a web tool intended to serve as a publicly available repository of building component costs. In 2011 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded the launch of a web tool called the Building Component Cost Community (BC3), dedicated to publishing building component costs from documented sources, actively gathering verifiable cost data from the users, and collecting feedback from a wide range of participants on the quality of the posted cost data. The updated BC3 database, available at http://bc3.pnnl.gov, went live on April 30, 2012. BC3 serves as the ultimate source of the energy-related component costs for DOE’s residential code development activities, including cost-effectiveness analyses. The paper discusses BC3 objectives, structure, functionality and the current content of the database. It aims to facilitate a dialog about the lack of verifiable transparent cost data, as well as introduce a web tool that helps to address the problem. The questions posed above will also be addressed by this paper, but they have to be resolved by the user community by providing feedback and cost data to the BC3 database, thus increasing transparency and removing information asymmetry.

building component cost, code requirements, IECC, ↗
NASA NTRS2019

Thermal Moonquake Location Algorithm and Analysis

What: Thermal moonquakes are small amplitude events that are produced by diurnal temperature changes. Why: Finding the locations of thermal moonquakes will lead to information about lunar surface processes. Where: Apollo 17 Lunar Seismic Profiling Experiment (LSPE) is able to locate thermal moonquake unlike Apollo 12-16. The primary science goal was an active source experiment to study the detailed structure of the lunar crust using 8 explosive packages (EPs). The secondary science goal was to passively listen for lunar seismic activity.

Phillips, Deanna↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-T-60: A Quick Dose Calculation Check for Accuboost Breast Treatment

Purpose: Accuboost treatment planning uses dwell times from a nomogram designed with Monte Carlo calculations for round and D-shaped applicators. A quick dose calculation method has been developed for verification of the HDR Brachytherapy dose as a second check. Methods: Accuboost breast treatment uses several round and D-shaped applicators to be used non-invasively with an Ir-192 source from a HDR Brachytherapy afterloader after the breast is compressed in a mammographic unit for localization. The breast thickness, source activity, the prescription dose and the applicator size are entered into a nomogram spreadsheet which gives the dwell times to be manually entered into the delivery computer. Approximating the HDR Ir-192 as a point source, and knowing the geometry of the round and D-applicators, the distances from the source positions to the midpoint of the central plane are calculated. Using the exposure constant of Ir-192 and medium as human tissue, the dose at a point is calculated as: D(cGy) = 1.254 × A × t/R2, where A is the activity in Ci, t is the dwell time in sec and R is the distance in cm. The dose from each dwell position is added to get the total dose. Results: Each fraction is delivered in two compressions: cranio-caudally and medial-laterally. A typical APBI treatment in 10 fractions requires 20 compressions. For a patient treated with D45 applicators and an average of 5.22 cm thickness, this calculation was 1.63 % higher than the prescription. For another patient using D53 applicators in the CC direction and 7 cm SDO applicators in the ML direction, this calculation was 1.31 % lower than the prescription. Conclusion: This is a simple and quick method to double check the dose on the central plane for Accuboost treatment.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Control Mechanisms for Self‐Sealing in Activated Clay‐Rich Faults Through Controlled Hydraulic Injection Experiment

Abstract In a high‐pressure injection fault activation experiment conducted at the Mont Terri underground research laboratory in Switzerland, the transmissivity of the Opalinus Clay fault significantly increased due to opening and shearing. The fluid injection, spanning a few hours, generated a 10 m radius fault activation patch. Subsequent pressure pulse tests conducted bi‐weekly for a year revealed the gradual return of fault transmissivity to its initial state. The study utilized fluid pressure decay analysis, optical fiber monitoring, continuous active source seismic measurements and borehole displacement sensors for measuring fault displacements. The fault zone exhibited a dilation of approximately 1.4 mm, associated with both normal and tangential movements during activation, resulting in a sudden transmissivity increase from 1 × 10 −12 to 3.2 × 10 −7 m 2 /s. Early post‐activation, transient compaction and the subsequent slow compaction were observed, transitioning to an extension regime. The pressure pulse tests demonstrated a rapid transmissivity drop by more than two orders of magnitude within the first 10 days, followed by a gradual and less pronounced decrease. Plastic shear and compaction dominated the transmissivity evolution until 70 days after injection ended, followed by a period where additional factors, such as clay mineral swelling, influenced the behavior. Extrapolation suggested a sealing process taking at least 50 years after the initial activation. Plain Language Summary A field‐scale fault activation experiment offers valuable insights into the elasto‐plastic processes governing the sealing of shale faults. The experiment reveals a rapid increase in the fault's transmissivity by approximately five orders of magnitude during activation. Subsequent observations show a gradual transmissivity decrease by about three orders of magnitude post‐activation, with slow long‐term plastic shear and compaction of the fault competing against secondary processes, notably clay mineral swelling. All conceptual models employed to interpret these field data converge on the estimation that the fault's return to its initial low transmissivity state would require a minimum of 50 years. Key Points High‐pressure injection fault activation experiment at the Mont Terri underground research laboratory Continuous transmissivity measurements record self‐sealing inside a clay‐rich fault zone Transmissivity undergoes a phase of domination by slow plastic compaction and shearing during the initial post‐activation period, with mineral swelling exerting its influence over the long term

Guglielmi, Yves↗
DOE OSTI2014

A submillimeter galaxy illuminating its circumgalactic medium: Lyα scattering in a cold, clumpy outflow

We report the detection at 850 μm of the central source in SSA22-LAB1, the archetypal 'Lyman-α Blob' (LAB), a 100 kpc scale radio-quiet emission-line nebula at z = 3.1. The flux density of the source, S {sub 850} = 4.6 ± 1.1 mJy, implies the presence of a galaxy or group of galaxies with a total luminosity of L {sub IR} ≈ 10{sup 12} L {sub ☉}. The position of an active source at the center of a ∼50 kpc radius ring of linearly polarized Lyα emission detected by Hayes et al. suggests that the central source is leaking Lyα photons preferentially in the plane of the sky, which undergo scattering in H I clouds at a large galactocentric radius. The Lyα morphology around the submillimeter detection is reminiscent of a biconical outflow, and the average Lyα line profiles of the two 'lobes' are dominated by a red peak, which is expected for a resonant line emerging from a medium with a bulk velocity gradient that is outflowing relative to the line center. Taken together, these observations provide compelling evidence that the central active galaxy (or galaxies) is responsible for a large fraction of the extended Lyα emission and morphology. Less clear is the history of the cold gas in the circumgalactic medium being traced by Lyα: is it mainly pristine material accreting into the halo that has not yet been processed through an interstellar medium (ISM), now being blown back as it encounters an outflow, or does it mainly comprise gas that has been swept-up within the ISM and expelled from the galaxy?.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

A FULL STUDY ON THE SUN–EARTH CONNECTION OF AN EARTH-DIRECTED CME MAGNETIC FLUX ROPE

We present an investigation of an eruption event of a coronal mass ejection (CME) magnetic flux rope (MFR) from the source active region (AR) NOAA 11719 on 2013 April 11 utilizing observations from the Solar Dynamic Observatory, the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and the WIND spacecraft. The source AR consists of a pre-existing sigmoidal structure stacked over a filament channel which is regarded as an MFR system. EUV observations of low corona suggest further development of this MFR system by added axial flux through tether-cutting reconnection of loops at the middle of the sigmoid under the influence of continuous slow flux motions for two days. Our study implies that the MFR system in the AR is initiated to upward motion by kink instability and further driven by torus instability. The CME morphology, captured in simultaneous three-point coronagraph observations, is fitted with a Graduated Cylindrical Shell (GCS) model and discerns an MFR topology with its orientation aligning with a magnetic neutral line in the source AR. This MFR expands self-similarly and is found to have source AR twist signatures in the associated near-Earth magnetic cloud (MC). We further derived the kinematics of this CME propagation by employing a plethora of stereoscopic as well as single-spacecraft reconstruction techniques. While stereoscopic methods perform relatively poorly compared to other methods, fitting methods worked best in estimating the arrival time of the CME compared to in situ measurements. Supplied with the values of constrained solar wind velocity, drag parameter, and three-dimensional kinematics from the GCS fit, we construct CME kinematics from the drag-based model consistent with in situ MC arrival.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Seismic velocity changes associated with aseismic deformations of a fault stimulated by fluid injection

Fluid pressure plays an important role in the stability of tectonic faults. However, the in situ mechanical response of faults to fluid pressure variations is still poorly known. To address this question, we performed here a fluid injection experiment in a fault zone in shales while monitoring fault movements at the injection source and seismic velocity variations from a near-distance (<10 m) monitoring network. We measured and located the P and S wave velocity perturbations in and around the fault using repetitive active sources. We observed that seismic velocity perturbations dramatically increase above 1.5 MPa of injection pressure. This is consistent with an increase of fluid flow associated with an aseismic dilatant shearing of the fault as shown by numerical modeling. We find that seismic velocity changes are sensitive to both fault opening by fluid invasion and effective stress variations and can be an efficient measurement for monitoring fluid-driven aseismic deformations of faults.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1993

The cosmic-ray path length (age) distribution in the Galaxy - Experimental limits on the deviation from an exponential

A systematic examination is presented of the observational effects that can provide information on the departure of the cosmic-ray path length distribution (PLD) for propagation in the Galaxy from a simple exponential distribution. The possible physical causes for this departure are examined in order to set realistic limits on how well a simple exponential PLD actually describes the distribution of sources and propagation of cosmic rays in the galaxy. From the findings, it is argued that the cosmic ray source distribution must be quite uniform, probably on a scale of about 50 pc or less near the sun. Extending this uniformity to the Galaxy as a whole would imply more than 100,000 active sources. The cosmic-ray propagation can be described quite well by a leaky box model which is equivalent to observing the particles through a dense fog.

Webber, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Visible-Light-Responsive Catalyst Development for Volatile Organic Carbon Remediation Project

Photocatalysis is a process in which light energy is used to 'activate' oxidation/reduction reactions. Unmodified titanium dioxide (TiO2), a common photocatalyst, requires high-energy UV light for activation due to its large band gap (3.2 eV). Modification of TiO2 can reduce this band gap, leading to visible-light-responsive (VLR) photocatalysts. These catalysts can utilize solar and/or visible wavelength LED lamps as an activation source, replacing mercury-containing UV lamps, to create a "greener," more energy-efficient means for air and water revitalization. Recently, KSC developed several VLR catalysts that, on preliminary evaluation, possessed high catalytic activity within the visible spectrum; these samples out-performed existing commercial VLR catalysts.

Technology Portfolio System↗
NASA NTRS1965

Use of Very Weak Radiation Sources to Determine Aircraft Runway Position

Various methods of providing runway information in the cockpit during the take-off and landing roll have been proposed. The most reliable method has been to use runway distance markers when visible. Flight tests were used to evaluate the feasibility of using weak radio-active sources to trigger a runway distance counter in the cockpit. The results of these tests indicate that a weak radioactive source would provide a reliable signal by which this indicator could be operated.

Drinkwater, Fred J., III↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characterization of a collimated neutron imager for low-rate fast neutron imaging

Spatial localization of special nuclear materials (SNM) via their neutron signatures amidst background requires knowledge of the background neutron environment or a means of separating a source from background based on low amounts of information. This requirement has created the need for characterizing the spatial distribution of the cosmogenic neutron background. Neutron scatter cameras have been developed and optimized for rapid detection of high activity sources, but have low imaging efficiency, making it difficult to use them to characterize low rate diffuse sources, such as the neutron background. The Low Intensity Neutron Imaging System (LINIS) is a collimated neutron imager that has been designed and optimized for imaging diffuse cosmogenic neutron background in the energy range of 0.5–15 MeV. LINIS operates using 16 liquid scintillation detectors shielded by ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene cylindrical collimators in a staggered orientation and rotates to 7 discrete positions, giving it roughly 2π sensitivity. Finally, LINIS has been characterized using (α, n) and fission neutron sources using two imaging techniques for neutron source localization, simple backprojection and Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

TU-EF-204-04: Feasibility Study of a Novel Stationary Spectral CT Scanner

Purpose: To evaluate a cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detector module and to develop a proof-of-concept bench-top system to examine the concept and feasibility of a stationary spectral scanner that would consist of a CZT detector ring and a distributed source for rotationless imaging. Methods: The bench-top system employs a double-rotation set-up with two concentric but independent rotating stages, one for turning the object at sparse angles to mimic the imaging from a sequentially activated source distributed on a ring, while the other for translating the detector module to simulate a projection arc along a virtual detector ring. A source of 30-degree fan is used in the set-up, and the ring is designed to be 85cm in diameter in order to provide a 22cm field-of-view that is large enough for an average human head. The CZT detector module has 16×16 0.5mm pixels and eight global energy thresholds, and is attached to an experimental data acquisition board from the same vendor (Nova R&D). Its pixel gain is first calibrated using radioisotope Tc-99m to align the photo-peaks. Count rate performance is assessed using the X-ray source. Air and offset corrections are done prior to each CT scan. A 10cm acrylic phantom with 5 different inserts is imaged at 100kVp, 2mA, with an effective exposure window of 150ms per projection. Reconstruction is done using a total variation-type iterative method. Results: The detector module exhibited large gain variations among pixels. Average count rate was over 1Mcps per pixel. Parallax effect was observed along the arcs but was corrected. Reconstructed images from two energy bins demonstrated good contrast, spatial resolution and image uniformity, with little artifacts. Conclusion: The CZT detector tested is suitable for imaging relatively small objects. A stationary spectral CT appears feasible should we have enough buttable modules and a distributed source. This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of China through grants 11YQ040082 and 2012BAI13B04.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

PubDAS: A PUBlic Distributed Acoustic Sensing Datasets Repository for Geosciences

During the past few years, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) has become an invaluable tool for recording high-fidelity seismic wavefields with great spatiotemporal resolutions. However, the considerable amount of data generated during DAS experiments limits their distribution with the broader scientific community. Such a bottleneck inherently slows down the pursuit of new scientific discoveries in geosciences. Here, we introduce PubDAS—the first large-scale open-source repository where several DAS datasets from multiple experiments are publicly shared. PubDAS currently hosts eight datasets covering a variety of geological settings (e.g., urban centers, underground mines, and seafloor), spanning from several days to several years, offering both continuous and triggered active source recordings, and totaling up to ~90 TB of data. Here this article describes these datasets, their metadata, and how to access and download them. Some of these datasets have only been shallowly explored, leaving the door open for new discoveries in Earth sciences and beyond.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Submillimeter array high-angular resolution observations of the Monoceros R2 star-forming cluster

We present the first high-angular resolution study of the MonR2 star-forming complex carried out with the Submillimeter Array at (sub-)millimeter wavelengths. We image the continuum and molecular line emission toward the young stellar objects in MonR2 at 0.85 and 1.3 mm, with resolutions ranging from 0.″ 5 to ∼3″. While free–free emission dominates the IRS1 and IRS2 continuum, dust thermal emission prevails for IRS3 and IRS5, giving envelope masses of ∼0.1–0.3 M{sub ⊙}. IRS5 splits into at least two sub-arcsecond scale sources, IRS5B and the more massive IRS5A. Our {sup 12}CO(2-1) images reveal 11 previously unknown molecular outflows in the MonR2 clump. Comparing these outflows with known IR sources in the IRS5 and IRS3 subclusters allows for tentative identification of driving stars. Line images of molecular species such as CH{sub 3}CN or CH{sub 3}OH show that, besides IRS3 (a well-known hot molecular core), IRS5 is also a chemically active source in the region. The gas excitation temperature derived from CH{sub 3}CN lines toward IRS5 is 144 ± 15 K, indicating a deeply embedded protostar at the hot-core evolutionary stage. Spectral energy distribution fitting of IRS5 gives a mass of ∼7 M {sub ⊙} and a luminosity of 300 L{sub ⊙} for the central source. The derived physical properties of the CO outflows suggest that they contribute to the turbulent support of the MonR2 complex and to the gas velocity dispersion in the clump’s center. The detection of a large number of CO outflows widespread across the region supports the competitive accretion scenario as origin of the MonR2 star cluster.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Measurement of the activity and spectrum of internal bremsstrahlung of a {sup 51}Cr source

The activity of the {sup 51}Cr source in the BEST experiment searching for sterile neutrinos is planned to be determined by measuring the spectrum of internal bremsstrahlung. The measurements of activity and the spectrum of internal bremsstrahlung of point low-activity {sup 51}Cr sources with Ge semiconductor detectors are discussed. The accuracy and errors of this measurement method are examined.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1973

On multidisciplinary research on the application of remote sensing to water resources problems

Research objectives during 1972-73 were to: (1) Ascertain the extent to which special aerial photography can be operationally used in monitoring water pollution parameters. (2) Ascertain the effectiveness of remote sensing in the investigation of nearshore mixing and coastal entrapment in large water bodies. (3) Develop an explicit relationship of the extent of the mixing zone in terms of the outfall, effluent and water body characteristics. (4) Develop and demonstrate the use of the remote sensing method as an effective legal implement through which administrative agencies and courts can not only investigate possible pollution sources but also legally prove the source of water pollution. (5) Evaluate the field potential of remote sensing techniques in monitoring algal blooms and aquatic macrophytes, and the use of these as indicators of lake eutrophication level. (6) Develop a remote sensing technique for the determination of the location and extent of hydrologically active source areas in a watershed.

Clapp, J. L.↗