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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Study of Triple Ar Gas Puff Z-Pinches on 0.9-MA, 200-ns COBRA

Ar gas puff z-pinch experiments were conducted on the 0.9 MA, 200 ns COBRA generator at Cornell University. In the experiments, a triple-nozzle gas valve was used to produce the zpinch load with concentric outer and inner gas puffs and a central gas jet. We used Planer Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) to measure the initial gas profile of the load, two 4-frame 4-ns gated XUV cameras to image the imploding plasma, and filtered Photo- Conducting Diamond Detectors (PCDs) to measure the x-ray output. We have observed shock heating and/or photoionization of the dense center jet by the imploding plasma. With an outer to inner plenum pressure ratio of 1:3, de-acceleration of the imploding plasma occurred when the outer plasma shell imploded on the inner shell resulting in a stable implosion. By varying the plenum pressure for the center jet, the x-ray emission was optimized. In conclusion, an Ar K-shell x-ray (3-4 keV) yield of 77±17 J was produced at a current level of 0.87±0.2 MA and an implosion time of 200-ns.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1980

Argon/UF6 plasma experiments: UF6 regeneration and product analysis

An experimental and analytical investigation was conducted to aid in developing some of the technology necessary for designing a self-critical fissioning uranium plasma core reactors (PCR). This technology is applicable to gaseous uranium hexafluoride nuclear-pumped laser systems. The principal equipment used included 1.2 MW RF induction heater, a d.c. plasma torch, a uranium tetrafluoride feeder system, and batch-type fluorine/UF6 regeneration systems. Overall objectives were to continue to develop and test materials and handling techniques suitable for use with high-temperature, high-pressure, gaseous UF6; and to continue development of complementary diagnostic instrumentation and measurement techniques to characterize the effluent exhaust gases and residue deposited on the test chamber and exhaust system components. Specific objectives include: a development of a batch-type UF6 regeneration system employing pure high-temperature fluorine; development of a ruggedized time-of-flight mass spectrometer and associated data acquisition system capable of making on-line concentration measurements of the volatile effluent exhaust gas species in a high RF environment and corrosive environment of UF6 and related halide compounds.

Roman, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Isolated cold plasma regions: Observations and their relation to possible production mechanisms

Regions of enhanced cold plasma, isolated from the main plasmasphere along the Explorer 45 orbit on the equatorial plane, are reported using the sheath induced potentials seen by the electric field experiment. The occurrence of these regions has a strong correlation with negative enhancements of Dst, and their locations are primarily in the noon-dusk quadrant. The data support the concept that changes in large scale convection play a dominant role in the formation of these regions. Plasmatails that are predicted from enhancements of large scale convection electric fields in general define where these regions may be found. More localized processes are necessary to account for the exact configuration and structure seen in these regions and may eventually result in detachment from the main plasmasphere.

Maynard, N. C.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Isolated cold plasma regions - Observations and their relation to possible production mechanisms

Regions of enhanced cold plasma, isolated from the main plasmasphere along the Explorer 45 (53-A) orbit in the equatorial plane, have been detected by using the sheath-induced potentials seen by the electric field experiment. The occurrence of these regions has a strong correlation with negative enhancements of Dst, and their locations are primarily in the noon-dusk quadrant. The data support the concept that changes in large-scale convection play a dominant role in the formation of these regions. Plasma tails that are predicted from enhancements of large-scale convection electric fields in general define where these regions may be found. More localized processes are necessary to account for the exact configuration and structure seen in these regions and may eventually result in detachment from the main plasmasphere.

Maynard, N. C.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Opacity of shock-heated boron plasmas

Standard measures of opacity, the imaginary part of the atomic scattering factor f 2 and the x-ray mass attenuation coefficient μ/ρ, are assessed in shock-heated boron, boron carbide and boron nitride plasmas. The Hugoniot equation, relating the temperature T behind a shock wave to the compression ratio ρ/ρ 0 across the shock front, is used in connection with the plasma equation of state to determine the pressure p, effective plasma charge Z* and the K-shell occupation in terms of ρ/ρ 0 . Solutions of the Hugoniot equation (determined within the framework of the generalized Thomas–Fermi theory) show that the K-shell occupation in low-Z ions decreases rapidly from 2 to 0.1 as the temperature increases from 20 eV to 500 eV; a temperature range in which the shock compression ratio is near 4. The average-atom model (a quantum mechanical version of the generalized Thomas–Fermi theory) is used to determine K-shell and continuum wave functions and the photoionization cross section for x-rays in the energy range ω = 1 eV to 10 keV, where the opacity is dominated by the atomic photoionization process. For an uncompressed boron plasma at T = 10 eV, where the K-shell is filled, the average-atom cross section, the atomic scattering factor and the mass attenuation coefficient are all shown to agree closely with previous (cold matter) tabulations [1, 2, 3]. For shock-compressed plasmas, the dependence of μ/ρ on temperature can be approximated by scaling previously tabulated cold-matter values by the relative K-shell occupation; yet, there is a relatively small residual dependence arising from the photoionization cross section. Attenuation coefficients μ for a 9 keV x-ray are given as functions of T along the Hugoniot for B, C, B 4 C and BN plasmas.

52.25.Os: Emission↗
DOE OSTI2022

Digitally manufactured air plasma-on-water reactor for nitrate production

The sustainable production of food to support the increasing world population is one of humanity’s most pressing challenges. Plasma activated water, produced using renewable energy, can help fulfill plants’ needs in sustainable agriculture approaches. The design, implementation, and characterization of a digitally manufactured air plasma-on-water reactor (POWR) for the synthesis of nitrate as green nitrogen fertilizer is presented. The interaction of air plasma-generated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species with water produces nitrate (NO 3 - ) and related species, which are the main nitrogen-containing nutrients for plants. The mild conditions of the operation of the POWR opens the possibility to use plastics, particularly through digital manufacturing strategies such as 3D-printing, for its fabrication. A pin-to-plate reactor configuration powered by high-voltage alternating power is chosen due to its simplicity and efficacy. A computational thermal-fluid model is used to evaluate the design and attain expected operational characteristics. The experimental characterization of the POWR encompassed design and operation parameters, namely electrode-water spacing, air flow rate, and voltage level. A machine learning approach is implemented to extract and quantify characteristic features of the plasma–water interaction, such plasma volume and plasma–water interface area. Experimental results revealed that the nitrate production rate varies linearly with dimensionless plasma volume. The design, fabrication, and characterization methods presented can be adapted to other POWRs and help enable on-demand nitrogen fertilizer production at low environmental and economic cost.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Measurement of Kinetic-Scale Current Filamentation Dynamics and Associated Magnetic Fields in Interpenetrating Plasmas

Here, we present the first local, quantitative measurements of ion current filamentation and magnetic field amplification in interpenetrating plasmas, characterizing the dynamics of the ion Weibel instability. The interaction of a pair of laser-generated, counterpropagating, collisionless, supersonic plasma flows is probed using optical Thomson scattering (TS). Analysis of the TS ion-feature revealed anticorrelated modulations in the density of the two ion streams at the spatial scale of the ion skin depth c/ω pi = 120 μm, and a correlated modulation in the plasma current. The inferred current profile implies a magnetic field amplitude ~30 ± 6 T , corresponding to ~1% of the flow kinetic energy, indicating that magnetic trapping is the dominant saturation mechanism.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Signature of Collective Plasma Effects in Beam-Driven QED Cascades

QED cascades play an important role in extreme astrophysical environments like magnetars. Furthermore, they can also be produced by passing a relativistic electron beam through an intense laser field. Signatures of collective pair plasma effects in these QED cascades are shown to appear, in exquisite detail, through plasma-induced frequency upshifts in the laser spectrum. Remarkably, these signatures can be detected even in small plasma volumes moving at relativistic speeds. Strong-field quantum and collective pair plasma effects can thus be explored with existing technology, provided that ultradense electron beams are colocated with multipetawatt lasers.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Collective plasma effects of electron–positron pairs in beam-driven QED cascades

Understanding the interplay of strong-field QED and collective plasma effects is important for explaining extreme astrophysical environments like magnetars. It has been shown that QED pair plasma can be produced and observed by passing a relativistic electron beam through an intense laser field. This work presents in detail multiple sets of 3D QED-particle-in-cell simulations to show the creation of pair plasma in the QED cascade. The beam driven method enables a high pair particle density and also a low particle Lorentz factor, which both play equal roles on exhibiting large collective plasma effects. Finite laser frequency upshift is observed with both ideal parameters (24 PW laser colliding with a 300 GeV electron beam) and with existing technologies (3 PW laser colliding with a 30 GeV electron beam).

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Operando XPS for Plasma Process Monitoring: A Case Study on the Hydrogenation of Copper Oxide Confined under h-BN

Here, we demonstrate that ambient pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) can be used for in situ studies of dynamic changes in surface chemistry in a plasma environment. This opens a new and vast application space for XPS and greatly complements modern spectroscopy techniques to probe plasma-solid/liquid interactions relevant to process monitoring in the semiconductor industry, bio-medical plasma applications and plasma remediation technologies. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) grown on Cu was used in this study as a well-defined model system for plasma process monitoring and because of its unique chemical, optical and electrical properties that make it a prospective material for advanced electronics. To better understand the stability and surface chemistry of h-BN during plasma assisted processing, we track in real time the plasma-induced chemical state changes of B, N and the underlying Cu substrate using APXPS equipped with an AC discharge plasma source operating at 13 Pa. Residual gas analysis (RGA) mass-spectra were concurrently collected during plasma-XPS to track reaction products formed during plasma exposure. A clear reduction of Cu x O is seen, while an h-BN layer remains intact, suggesting hydrogen radical (H • ) species can attack the exposed and h-BN covered Cu oxide patches and partially reduce the underlying substrate without significantly damaging the overlaying h-BN, which is of practical importance for development of h-BN encapsulated devices and interfaces. In addition to demonstration of plasma-XPS capabilities we discuss the observed challenges (e.g., parasitic plasma-chamber walls reactions and charging effects) and propose potential solutions.

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

Polarization-Dependent Self-Injection by Above Threshold Ionization Heating in a Laser Wakefield Accelerator

Here, we report on the experimental observation of a decreased self-injection threshold by using laser pulses with circular polarization in laser wakefield acceleration experiments in a nonpreformed plasma, compared to the usually employed linear polarization. A significantly higher electron beam charge was also observed for circular polarization compared to linear polarization over a wide range of parameters. Theoretical analysis and quasi-3D particle-in-cell simulations reveal that the self-injection and hence the laser wakefield acceleration is polarization dependent and indicate a different injection mechanism for circularly polarized laser pulses, originating from larger momentum gain by electrons during above threshold ionization. This enables electrons to meet the trapping condition more easily, and the resulting higher plasma temperature was confirmed via spectroscopy of the XUV plasma emission.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Imaging the dynamics of initial laser-driven shocks and blowoff plasmas in polystyrene under laser-direct-drive fusion conditions

The dynamics of laser-driven shock propagation in solid ablator material, along with the concomitant processes of shinethrough and blowoff plasma plume expansion, at conditions relevant to laser-direct-drive fusion are measured using a tabletop system capable of supporting rapid dataset development with significantly higher resolution compared to existing methods. The experimental results are directly compared with current radiation-hydrodynamic simulations using the two-dimensional code . Discrepancies between experiments and simulations are evidenced and attributed to limitation of simulation to account for important processes involved in the solid-to-plasma transition. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2003

Magnetic Flux Compression Experiments Using Plasma Armatures

Magnetic flux compression reaction chambers offer considerable promise for controlling the plasma flow associated with various micronuclear/chemical pulse propulsion and power schemes, primarily because they avoid thermalization with wall structures and permit multicycle operation modes. The major physical effects of concern are the diffusion of magnetic flux into the rapidly expanding plasma cloud and the development of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities at the plasma surface, both of which can severely degrade reactor efficiency and lead to plasma-wall impact. A physical parameter of critical importance to these underlying magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) processes is the magnetic Reynolds number (R(sub m), the value of which depends upon the product of plasma electrical conductivity and velocity. Efficient flux compression requires R(sub m) less than 1, and a thorough understanding of MHD phenomena at high magnetic Reynolds numbers is essential to the reliable design and operation of practical reactors. As a means of improving this understanding, a simplified laboratory experiment has been constructed in which the plasma jet ejected from an ablative pulse plasma gun is used to investigate plasma armature interaction with magnetic fields. As a prelude to intensive study, exploratory experiments were carried out to quantify the magnetic Reynolds number characteristics of the plasma jet source. Jet velocity was deduced from time-of-flight measurements using optical probes, and electrical conductivity was measured using an inductive probing technique. Using air at 27-inHg vacuum, measured velocities approached 4.5 km/s and measured conductivities were in the range of 30 to 40 kS/m.

Turner, M. W.↗