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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 OSTI2022

Anderson acceleration stability in NDA-accelerated k-eigenvalue problems

Anderson acceleration (AA) has been used to improve the stability and convergence rate of multiphysics iterative methods for reactor analysis. Most applications studied assume a tightly converged solution for the different physics problems, and AA is usually applied to state variables like temperature, density, and heat generation rate. In this paper, we study the theoretical performance of AA in NDA-accelerated k-eigenvalue problems. The problems and algorithms studied are simplified from the coupled iteration scheme adopted by MPACT and many other high-fidelity whole-core reactor codes. Compared to previous analyses of AA for these iteration schemes, we study the case with a partially converged neutronics solution and possibly partially converged nonlinear diffusion acceleration (NDA)/coarse mesh finite difference (CMFD) solutions. We observe that the performance of the iteration scheme with AA is very sensitive to the initial guess and is affected by the partially converged CMFD solutions. When the NDA solution is fully converged, using AA cannot achieve the optimal convergence rate in large-sized problems. Conversely, if the NDA solution is partially converged, the iteration scheme with AA can diverge or converge extremely slowly. It is found that the loss of robustness for AA is due to the fact that it is applied to the iterative subspace of state variables rather than the fundamental unknowns of the governing equations. To improve the robustness, the scalar flux should also be considered in the implementation of AA. After considering the residuals of flux, we observe that the stability is regardless of the partial convergence of NDA solutions. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A Monte Carlo synthetic-acceleration method for solving the thermal radiation diffusion equation

We present a novel synthetic-acceleration-based Monte Carlo method for solving the equilibrium thermal radiation diffusion equation in three spatial dimensions. The algorithm performance is compared against traditional solution techniques using a Marshak benchmark problem and a more complex multiple material problem. Our results show that our Monte Carlo method is an effective solver for sparse matrix systems. For solutions converged to the same tolerance, it performs competitively with deterministic methods including preconditioned conjugate gradient and GMRES. We also discuss various aspects of preconditioning the method and its general applicability to broader classes of problems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Explicit integration with GPU acceleration for large kinetic networks

We demonstrate the first implementation of recently-developed fast explicit kinetic integration algorithms on modern graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerators. Taking as a generic test case a Type Ia supernova explosion with an extremely stiff thermonuclear network having 150 isotopic species and 1604 reactions coupled to hydrodynamics using operator splitting, we demonstrate the capability to solve of order 100 realistic kinetic networks in parallel in the same time that standard implicit methods can solve a single such network on a CPU. This orders-of-magnitude decrease in computation time for solving systems of realistic kinetic networks implies that important coupled, multiphysics problems in various scientific and technical fields that were intractable, or could be simulated only with highly schematic kinetic networks, are now computationally feasible.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

X-Ray Radar Imaging Technique Using a 2 Mev Linear Electron Accelerator

X-ray radar imaging, patented in 2013 by James R. Wood, combines standard radar techniques with the penetration power of x-rays to image scenes. Our project strives to demonstrate the technique using a 2 MeV linear electron accelerator (linac) to generate the S-band–modulated x-ray signals. X-ray detectors such as photodiodes and scintillators are used to detect the signals in backscatter and transmission detection schemes. The S-band microstructure is imposed on the variable-width electron pulse, and this modulation carries over to the bremsstrahlung x-rays after the electron beam is incident upon a copper-tungsten alloy target. Using phase/distance calculations and a low-jitter timing system, we expect to detect different object distances by comparing the measured phase differences. The experimental setup, which meets strict jitter requirements, and preliminary experimental results are presented.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Note: Matching index technique for avoiding higher order mode resonance in accelerators: INDUS-2 accelerator as a case study

Resonance between circulating beam frequencies and RF cavity Higher Order Modes (HOMs) of accelerators can lead to coupled-bunch instabilities. Shifting these HOMs to avoid the resonance is a topic of active interest. A study has been carried out for the accelerating cavities of the INDUS-2. For quantitative measure of deciding which modes have to be moved and by how much, we introduce a new index called the matching index (I{sub M}), as a measure of how close a HOM is to the nearest beam mode. Depending on the value of I{sub M}, the operating scenarios are classified as safe and unsafe.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Plasma wakefields driven by an incoherent combination of laser pulses: A path towards high-average power laser-plasma accelerators

The wakefield generated in a plasma by incoherently combining a large number of low energy laser pulses (i.e., without constraining the pulse phases) is studied analytically and by means of fully self-consistent particle-in-cell simulations. The structure of the wakefield has been characterized and its amplitude compared with the amplitude of the wake generated by a single (coherent) laser pulse. We show that, in spite of the incoherent nature of the wakefield within the volume occupied by the laser pulses, behind this region, the structure of the wakefield can be regular with an amplitude comparable or equal to that obtained from a single pulse with the same energy. Wake generation requires that the incoherent structures in the laser energy density produced by the combined pulses exist on a time scale short compared to the plasma period. Incoherent combination of multiple laser pulses may enable a technologically simpler path to high-repetition rate, high-average power laser-plasma accelerators, and associated applications.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Compact tunable Compton x-ray source from laser-plasma accelerator and plasma mirror

We present an in-depth experimental-computational study of the parameters necessary to optimize a tunable, quasi-monoenergetic, efficient, low-background Compton backscattering (CBS) x-ray source that is based on the self-aligned combination of a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) and a plasma mirror (PM). The main findings are (1) an LPA driven in the blowout regime by 30 TW, 30 fs laser pulses produce not only a high-quality, tunable, quasi-monoenergetic electron beam, but also a high-quality, relativistically intense (a{sub 0} ∼ 1) spent drive pulse that remains stable in profile and intensity over the LPA tuning range. (2) A thin plastic film near the gas jet exit retro-reflects the spent drive pulse efficiently into oncoming electrons to produce CBS x-rays without detectable bremsstrahlung background. Meanwhile, anomalous far-field divergence of the retro-reflected light demonstrates relativistic “denting” of the PM. Exploiting these optimized LPA and PM conditions, we demonstrate quasi-monoenergetic (50% FWHM energy spread), tunable (75–200 KeV) CBS x-rays, characteristics previously achieved only on more powerful laser systems by CBS of a split-off, counter-propagating pulse. Moreover, laser-to-x-ray photon conversion efficiency (∼6 × 10{sup −12}) exceeds that of any previous LPA-based quasi-monoenergetic Compton source. Particle-in-cell simulations agree well with the measurements.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Extended Accelerated Stress Testing (EAST) of Glass/Glass, Glass/Backsheet and Glass/Transparent Backsheet PV Modules: Influence of EVA and POE Encapsulants: Preprint

This paper presents the indoor extended accelerated stress testing (EAST) results of glass/glass (GG), glass/backsheet (GB) and glass/transparent backsheet (GT) modules having identical cells and two different encapsulant types, ethyl-vinyl-acetate (EVA) and polyolefin-elastomer (POE). Six 4-cell modules having the above-mentioned construction combinations were subjected to extended ultraviolet (UV; 600 kWh/m2), damp-heat (DH; 2000 hours) and thermal-cycling (TC; 600 cycles) tests. The post-stress UV fluorescent imaging, electroluminescent imaging, reflectance spectrophotometry and colorimetry results indicated that the grid finger degradation and encapsulant browning are slightly higher in the GG modules compared to the GB modules. The post-stress IV test results indicated, in general, that the GG/EVA modules tend to perform inferior to the GG/POE modules with the EAST evaluation.

EVA↗
DOE OSTI2019

A 100-kW 1300-MHz Magnetron With Amplitude and Phase Control for Accelerators

Calabazas Creek Research, Inc. (CCR), in collaboration with Fermilab and Communications and Power Industries, LLC (CPI), developed a 100-kW peak, 10-kW average, 1300-MHz, magnetron-based, RF system with amplitude and phase control for driving accelerators. Phase locking was achieved using an approach originated at Fermilab that uses phase modulation of the locking signal to control the amplitude and phase into a superconducting cavity on a fast time scale. Experimental results, including demonstration of phase locking and amplitude control, are reported.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

A Monte Carlo investigation of low-Z target image quality generated in a linear accelerator using Varian's VirtuaLinac

Purpose: The focus of this work was the demonstration and validation of VirtuaLinac with clinical photon beams and to investigate the implementation of low-Z targets in a TrueBeam linear accelerator (Linac) using Monte Carlo modeling. Methods: VirtuaLinac, a cloud based web application utilizing Geant4 Monte Carlo code, was used to model the Linac treatment head components. Particles were propagated through the lower portion of the treatment head using BEAMnrc. Dose distributions and spectral distributions were calculated using DOSXYZnrc and BEAMdp, respectively. For validation, 6 MV flattened and flattening filter free (FFF) photon beams were generated and compared to measurement for square fields, 10 and 40 cm wide and at d{sub max} for diagonal profiles. Two low-Z targets were investigated: a 2.35 MeV carbon target and the proposed 2.50 MeV commercial imaging target for the TrueBeam platform. A 2.35 MeV carbon target was also simulated in a 2100EX Clinac using BEAMnrc. Contrast simulations were made by scoring the dose in the phosphor layer of an IDU20 aSi detector after propagating through a 4 or 20 cm thick phantom composed of water and ICRP bone. Results: Measured and modeled depth dose curves for 6 MV flattened and FFF beams agree within 1% for 98.3% of points at depths greater than 0.85 cm. Ninety three percent or greater of points analyzed for the diagonal profiles had a gamma value less than one for the criteria of 1.5 mm and 1.5%. The two low-Z target photon spectra produced in TrueBeam are harder than that from the carbon target in the Clinac. Percent dose at depth 10 cm is greater by 3.6% and 8.9%; the fraction of photons in the diagnostic energy range (25–150 keV) is lower by 10% and 28%; and contrasts are lower by factors of 1.1 and 1.4 (4 cm thick phantom) and 1.03 and 1.4 (20 cm thick phantom), for the TrueBeam 2.35 MV/carbon and commercial imaging beams, respectively. Conclusions: VirtuaLinac is a promising new tool for Monte Carlo modeling of novel target designs. A significant spectral difference is observed between the low-Z target beam on the Clinac platform and the proposed imaging beam line on TrueBeam, with the former providing greater diagnostic energy content.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Determination of CO 2 capture during accelerated carbonation of engineered cementitious composite pastes by thermogravimetry

The concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have triggered investigations among the scientific community. The accelerated carbonation curing has been used as a tool to capture CO 2 at early stages of cement-based material fabrication. In a previous study, the authors quantified the amount of CO 2 captured in portland cement pastes by thermal analysis, at high relative humidity precure conditions. In the present work, the authors quantified the amount of CO 2 captured in binary pastes derived from engineered cementitious composites (ECC), a family of composites worldwide used, whose one of their features is the precure at low relative humidity conditions. Two types of ECC pastes (1.2 and 2.2) were submitted to 4 h and 24 h of accelerated carbonation after 24 h of initial hydration. Using thermogravimetry and derivative thermogravimetry, the amounts of captured CO 2 and respective carbonation degrees were quantified. Furthermore, the results showed that ECC paste 1.2 presented the highest values of captured CO 2 and carbonation degree, considering all reactive components. In contrast, ECC paste 2.2 presented the highest values of these two parameters, when considering only portland cement as reactive component. For both pastes, the hydration degrees of the carbonated samples were higher than those of the non-carbonated references, indicating that in the used operating conditions, carbonation enhances ECC paste hydration.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2014

Residual Monte Carlo high-order solver for Moment-Based Accelerated Thermal Radiative Transfer equations

In this article we explore the possibility of replacing Standard Monte Carlo (SMC) transport sweeps within a Moment-Based Accelerated Thermal Radiative Transfer (TRT) algorithm with a Residual Monte Carlo (RMC) formulation. Previous Moment-Based Accelerated TRT implementations have encountered trouble when stochastic noise from SMC transport sweeps accumulates over several iterations and pollutes the low-order system. With RMC we hope to significantly lower the build-up of statistical error at a much lower cost. First, we display encouraging results for a zero-dimensional test problem. Then, we demonstrate that we can achieve a lower degree of error in two one-dimensional test problems by employing an RMC transport sweep with multiple orders of magnitude fewer particles per sweep. We find that by reformulating the high-order problem, we can compute more accurate solutions at a fraction of the cost.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2019

Toxicokinetics of benzo[a]pyrene in humans: Extensive metabolism as determined by UPLC-accelerator mass spectrometry following oral micro-dosing

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), produces tumors of skin, lung, liver, kidney and stomach in animals, enhances lung cancer in epidemiological studies and is a known human carcinogen. The EPA cancer slope risk factor for oral BaP exposure is 1 per mg/kg-day. The remarkable sensitivity (attomole 14C; precision 0.5-2% in biological samples) of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) makes possible [14C]-BaP dosing of humans with de minimus risk. A micro-dose of 46 ng (5 nCi), was given in 3 separate cycles to 5 human volunteers with a minimum 2 weeks between dosing. Blood was collected over 72 hours and BaP and BaP metabolites ([14C]-BaPeq) measured using AMS. [14C]-BaPeq appeared in plasma with an average Tmax of 75 minutes and Cmax 116-326 fM (29-82 fg/mL). Non-compartmental half-lives in plasma ranged from 30.7-114.2 hours and area under the curve values (AUC0-72 hr) 649-2060 fg x hr x mL-1. A two compartmental model yielded first-order rate constants (Ka, K12, K21, Kela and Kelß) of 0.92, 0.49, 0.12, 0.05 and 0.01 fg/hr, respectively. The T1/2a and T1/2ß were 1.14 and 89 hours, respectively. The actual interval between dosing was 20-420 days with no impact on a low intra-individual variation. No covalent [14C]-BaPeq-DNA adducts from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were detected (LLOD of 10 fg [14C]-BaPeq adducts/mg DNA) 12-72 hours post-dosing negating the use of this cancer biomarker in risk assessment. We assert that the most relevant model for humans is humans. AMS and micro-dosing could be used to enhance the accuracy of pharmacokinetics and potentially risk assessments.

pharmacokinetcs, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons↗
DOE OSTI2015

Selective deuterium ion acceleration using the Vulcan petawatt laser

We report on the successful demonstration of selective acceleration of deuterium ions by target-normal sheath acceleration (TNSA) with a high-energy petawatt laser. TNSA typically produces a multi-species ion beam that originates from the intrinsic hydrocarbon and water vapor contaminants on the target surface. Using the method first developed by Morrison et al. [Phys. Plasmas 19, 030707 (2012)], an ion beam with >99% deuterium ions and peak energy 14 MeV/nucleon is produced with a 200 J, 700 fs, >10{sup 20}W/cm{sup 2} laser pulse by cryogenically freezing heavy water (D{sub 2}O) vapor onto the rear surface of the target prior to the shot. Within the range of our detectors (0°–8.5°), we find laser-to-deuterium-ion energy conversion efficiency of 4.3% above 0.7 MeV/nucleon while a conservative estimate of the total beam gives a conversion efficiency of 9.4%.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Optical control of electron phase space in plasma accelerators with incoherently stacked laser pulses

It is demonstrated that synthesizing an ultrahigh-bandwidth, negatively chirped laser pulse by incoherently stacking pulses of different wavelengths makes it possible to optimize the process of electron self-injection in a dense, highly dispersive plasma (n{sub 0}∼10{sup 19} cm{sup −3}). Avoiding transformation of the driving pulse into a relativistic optical shock maintains a quasi-monoenergetic electron spectrum through electron dephasing and boosts electron energy far beyond the limits suggested by existing scaling laws. In addition, evolution of the accelerating bucket in a plasma channel is shown to produce a background-free, tunable train of femtosecond-duration, 35–100 kA, time-synchronized quasi-monoenergetic electron bunches. The combination of the negative chirp and the channel permits acceleration of electrons beyond 1 GeV in a 3 mm plasma with 1.4 J of laser pulse energy, thus offering the opportunity of high-repetition-rate operation at manageable average laser power.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗