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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 1,639 records · Page 91

Characteristic-based algorithms for flows in thermo-chemical nonequilibrium

A generalized finite-rate chemistry algorithm with Steger-Warming, Van Leer, and Roe characteristic-based flux splittings is presented in three-dimensional generalized coordinates for the Navier-Stokes equations. Attention is placed on convergence to steady-state solutions with fully coupled chemistry. Time integration schemes including explicit m-stage Runge-Kutta, implicit approximate-factorization, relaxation and LU decomposition are investigated and compared in terms of residual reduction per unit of CPU time. Practical issues such as code vectorization and memory usage on modern supercomputers are discussed.

Walters, Robert W.↗

Self-Assembled Fe-N-Doped Carbon Nanotube Aerogels with Single-Atom Catalyst Feature as High-Efficiency Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts

Finely controlled synthesis of high active and robust non-precious metal catalysts with excellent electrocatalytic efficiency towards oxygen reduction reaction is extremely vital for successful implementation of fuel cells and metal batteries. Unprecedented oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalytic performances and the diversified synthetic procedure in term of favorable structure/morphology characteristics make transition metals-derived M–N–C (M=Fe, Co) structures the most promising nanocatalysts. Herein, using the nitrogen-containing small molecular and inorganic salt as precursors and ultrathin tellurium nanowires as templates, we successfully synthesized a series of well-defined M-N-doped hollow carbon nanowire aerogels through one step hydrothermal route and subsequent facile annealing treatment. Taking advantage of the porous nanostructures, one-dimensional building block as well as homogeneity of active sites, the resultant Fe-N-doped carbon hollow nanowire aerogels exhibited excellent ORR electrocatalytic performance even better than commercial Pt/C in alkaline solution, holding great potential in fuel cell applications.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

Physics-based dimension reduction in uncertainty quantification for radiative transfer

We present a physics-based methodology for quantifying the uncertainty in a given quantity of interest (QOI) that is contributed by uncertainties in opacities in radiation transport problems. Typically, opacities are tabulated as a function of density, temperature, and photon energy group. The size of this table makes a study of uncertainties at this level challenging because of the well-known 'curse of dimensionality.' We address this by studying uncertain parameters in the underlying physical model that generates the opacity tables. At this level, there are fewer uncertain parameters but still too many to analyze directly through computationally expensive radiation transport simulations. In order to explore this large uncertain parameter space, we develop two simplified radiation transport problems that are much less computationally demanding than the target problem of interest. An emulator is created for each QOI for each simplified problem using Bayesian Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (BMARS). This emulator is used to create a functional relationship between the QOIs and the uncertain parameters. Sensitivity analysis is performed using the emulator to determine which parameters contribute significantly to the uncertainty. This physics-based screening process reduces the dimension of the parameter space that is then studied via the computationally expensive radiation transport calculation to generate distributions of quantities of interest. Results of this research demonstrate that the QOIs for the target problem agree for varying screening criteria determined by the sensitivity analysis, and the QOIs agree well for varying Latin Hypercube Design (LHD) sample sizes for the uncertain space. (authors)

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Record-quality GaAs two-dimensional hole systems

The complex band structure, large spin-orbit induced band splitting, and heavy effective mass of two-dimensional (2D) hole systems hosted in GaAs quantum wells render them rich platforms to study many-body physics and ballistic transport phenomena. Here we report ultra-high-quality (001) GaAs 2D hole systems, fabricated using molecular beam epitaxy and modulation doping, with mobility values as high as 5.8 × 10 6 cm 2 /(V s) at a hole density of p = 1.3 × 10 11 /cm 2 , implying a mean free path of ≃ 27 μm. In the low-temperature magnetoresistance trace of this sample, we observe high-order fractional quantum Hall states up to the Landau level filling ν = 12/25 near ν = 1/2. Furthermore, we see a deep minimum develop at ν = 1/5 in the magnetoresistance of a sample with a much lower hole density of p = 4.0 × 10 10 /cm 2 where we measure a mobility of 3.6 × 10 6 cm2/(V s). Finally, these improvements in sample quality were achieved by the reduction of residual impurities both in the GaAs channel and in the AlGaAs barrier material, as well as optimization in the design of the sample structure.

2-dimensional systems↗

Dispersion-enhanced sequential batch sampling for adaptive contour estimation

In computer simulation and optimal design, sequential batch sampling offers an appealing way to iteratively stipulate optimal sampling points based upon existing selections and efficiently construct surrogate modeling. Nonetheless, the issue of near duplicates poses tremendous quandary for sequential learning. It refers to the situation that selected critical points cluster together in each sampling batch, which are individually but not collectively informative towards the optimal design. Near duplicates severely diminish the computational efficiency as they barely contribute extra information towards update of the surrogate. To address this issue, we impose a dispersion criterion on concurrent selection of sampling points, which essentially forces a sparse distribution of critical points in each batch, and demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in adaptive contour estimation. Specifically, we adopt Gaussian process surrogate to emulate the simulator, acquire variance reduction of the critical region from new sampling points as a dispersion criterion, and combine it with the modified expected improvement (EI) function for critical batch selection. The critical region here is the proximity of the contour of interest. This proposed approach is vindicated in numerical examples of a two-dimensional four-branch function, a four-dimensional function with a disjoint contour of interest and a time-delay dynamic system.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Uncertainty quantification and optimization of precipitating hydrometeor parameters for winter precipitation in a cloud microphysics scheme

The precipitating hydrometeor parameters used in cloud microphysics schemes carry inherent uncertainties. The quantification of these uncertainties, together with parameter optimization, can significantly improve precipitation forecasts. This study investigates the effects of 13 parameters in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Double-Moment 6-class (WDM6) microphysics scheme, which define the hydrometeor characteristics such as fall velocity–diameter and mass–diameter relationships, as well as the shape parameter of the drop size distribution for precipitating particles such as rain, snow, and graupel on simulated winter precipitation. A comparison between the model's pre-defined parameters and observations from the International Collaborative Experiments for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic winter games (ICE-POP 2018) field campaign reveals that the fall velocity–diameter relationship for rain, the mass–diameter relationships for snow and graupel, and the shape parameters for all precipitating particles in the WDM6 scheme deviate from the median values observed by the two-dimensional video disdrometer (2DVD). To quantify parameter sensitivities, a perturbed parameter ensemble (PPE) of 256 simulations was conducted within parameter ranges constrained by 2DVD observations for three winter precipitation cases. Bayesian optimization was then applied to identify parameter sets that minimized the root mean square error (RMSE) for each case, achieving reductions of up to 30.2 %. These results demonstrate that ensemble-based uncertainty quantification and parameter optimization can help identify key parameters and provide a pathway to improving precipitation simulation performance. In addition, measurement sites can be strategically selected based on regions that show high sensitivity to variations in hydrometeor characteristic parameters.

Bayesian optimization↗

Numerical modeling of chemical looping oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane in parallel packed beds

Chemical looping oxidative dehydrogenation (CL-ODH) of ethane has the potential to be a highly efficient alternative to steam cracking for ethylene production. Accurate reactor modeling is of critical importance to efficiently scale up and optimize this new technology. This study reports a one-dimensional, heterogeneous packed bed model to simulate the CL-ODH of ethane to ethylene with a Na 2 MoO 4 -promoted CaTi 0.1 Mn 0.9 O 3 redox catalyst. Here, the overall reaction kinetics was well-described by coupling the gas-phase steam cracking of ethane with the reduction kinetics of the redox catalyst by H 2 and C 2 H 4 . The impact of H 2 on the formation rate of CO 2 byproduct from C 2 H 4 conversion was also thoroughly investigated to validate the applicability of the kinetic model under operational environments. The temperature variation within the different CL-ODH steps and the temperature distribution along the bed were also carefully considered. The accuracy of the model was validated by experiments conducted in a large lab-scale packed bed reactor (200 g catalyst loading), with an average deviation of 2.8% in terms of ethane conversion and ethylene yield. The model was subsequently used to optimize the operating parameters of the CL-ODH reactor, indicating that up to 63.7% single-pass C 2 +olefin yield can be achieved with the current redox catalyst bed whereas further optimization of the redox catalyst to inhibit C 2 H 4 activation can result in 69.4% single-pass C 2 +yield while maintaining low CO 2 selectivity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Self-Assembling Tripodal Small-Molecule Donors for Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

The power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs) could benefit from systematic studies to improve bulk heterojunction (BHJ) morphology by modifying donor compounds. Supramolecular self-assembly is an attractive strategy to combine the beneficial properties of polymeric donors, such as a well-controlled morphology, with the homogeneous composition of small molecule donors for OSCs. We report here on two tripodal “star-shaped” small-molecule donor compounds based on diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) side chains for solution-processed BHJ OSCs. The tripod molecules were found not to aggregate in solution or form crystalline domains in thin films when a branched alkyl chain (2-ethylhexyl) substituent was used, whereas linear (docedecyl) alkyl chains promote the formation of one-dimensional (1D) nanowires and more crystalline domains in the solid state. Here, we demonstrate that the 1D self-assembly of these tripods enhances the performance of the corresponding solution-processed OSCs by 50%, which is attributed to the significant increase in the fill factor of devices resulting from a reduction of trap states.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Highly Proton Conducting Polyelectrolyte Membranes with Unusual Water Swelling Behavior Based on Triptycene-containing Poly(arylene ether sulfone) Multiblock Copolymers

Multiblock poly(arylene ether sulfone) copolymers are attractive for polyelectrolyte membrane fuel cell applications due to their reportedly improved proton conductivity under partially hydrated conditions and better mechanical/thermal stability compared to Nafion. However, the long hydrophilic sequences required to achieve high conductivity usually lead to excessive water uptake and swelling, which degrade membrane dimensional stability. Herein, we report a fundamentally new approach to address this grand challenge by introducing shape-persistent triptycene units into the hydrophobic sequences of multiblock copolymers, which induce strong supramolecular chain-threading and interlocking interactions that effectively suppress water swelling. Consequently, unlike previously reported multiblock copolymer systems, the water swelling of the triptycene-containing multiblock copolymers did not increase proportionally with water uptake. This combination of high water uptake and low swelling behavior of these copolymers resulted in excellent proton conductivity and membrane dimensional stability under fully hydrated conditions. In particular, the triptycene-containing multiblock copolymer film with the longest hydrophilic block length (i.e., BPSH100-TRP0-15k-15k) had a water uptake of 105%, an excellent proton conductivity of 0.150 S/cm, and a volume swelling ratio of just 29% (more than 42% reduction compared to Nafion 212).

supramolecular interaction↗

Interface and photoluminescence characteristics of graphene-(GaN/InGaN){sub n} multiple quantum wells hybrid structure

The effects of graphene on the optical properties of active system, e.g., the InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells, are thoroughly investigated and clarified. Here, we have investigated the mechanisms accounting for the photoluminescence reduction for the graphene covered GaN/InGaN multiple quantum wells hybrid structure. Compared to the bare multiple quantum wells, the photoluminescence intensity of graphene covered multiple quantum wells showed a 39% decrease after excluding the graphene absorption losses. The responsible mechanisms have been identified with the following factors: (1) the graphene two dimensional hole gas intensifies the polarization field in multiple quantum wells, thus steepening the quantum well band profile and causing hole-electron pairs to further separate; (2) a lower affinity of graphene compared to air leading to a weaker capability to confine the excited hot electrons in multiple quantum wells; and (3) exciton transfer through non-radiative energy transfer process. These factors are theoretically analysed based on advanced physical models of semiconductor devices calculations and experimentally verified by varying structural parameters, such as the indium fraction in multiple quantum wells and the thickness of the last GaN quantum barrier spacer layer.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Hydrodynamic instability and coherent structures in turbulence

The evolution of a coherent structure in the near wall region is examined in the context of linear theory. In accordance with this theory, a three-dimensional inviscid disturbance is shown to grow into a streamwise elongated streaky structures in a manner similar to what has been observed in experiments and numerical simulations. It is found that spanwise asymmetry is necessary for the structures to evolve into long streaks. The implications of the results for turbulent drag reduction through active or passive means are discussed.

Landahl, Marten T.↗

Tests If a Highly Cambered Low-Drag-Airfoil Section with a Lift-Control Flap, Special Report

Tests were made in the NACA two-dimensional low turbulence pressure tunnel of a highly cambered low-drag airfoil (NACA 65,3-618) with a plain flap designed for lift control. The results indicate that such a combination offers attractive possibilities for obtaining low profile-drag coefficients over a wide range of lift coefficients without large reductions of critical speed.

Abbott, Ira H.↗

Angular distribution and recoil effect for 1 MeV Au+ ions through a Si3N4 thin foil

The Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) code has been widely used to predict nuclear stopping power and angular distribution of ion-solid collisions. However, experimental validation of the predictions is insufficient for slow heavy ions in nonmetallic compounds. In this work, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is applied to determine the angular distribution of 1 MeV Au ions after penetrating a Si3N4 foil with a thickness of ~100 nm. The exiting Au ions are collected by a Si wafer located ~14 mm behind the Si3N4 foil, and the resulting 2-dimensional distribution of Au ions on the Si wafer is measured by ToF-SIMS. The SRIM-predicted angular distribution of Au ions through the Si3N4 thin foil is compared with the measured results, indicating that SRIM slightly overestimates the nuclear stopping power by up to 10%. In addition, thickness reduction of the suspended Si3N4 foils induced by 1 MeV Au ion irradiation is observed with an average loss rate of ~107 atom/ion.

Jin, Ke↗

Extending Power of Nature from Binary Problems to Real-Valued Graph Learning in Real World

Nature performs complex computations constantly at clearly lower cost and higher performance than digital computers. It is crucial to understand how to harness the unique computational power of nature in Machine Learning (ML). In the past decade, besides the development of Neural Networks (NNs), the community has also relentlessly explored nature-powered ML paradigms. Although most of them are still predominantly theoretical, a new practical paradigm enabled by the recent advent of CMOS-compatible room-temperature nature-based computers has emerged. By harnessing the nature's power of entropy increase, this paradigm can solve binary learning problems delivering immense speedup and energy savings compared with NNs, while maintaining comparable accuracy. Regrettably, its values to the real world are highly constrained by its binary nature. A clear pathway to its extension to real-valued problems remains elusive. This paper aims to unleash this pathway by proposing a novel end-to-end Nature-Powered Graph Learning (NP-GL) framework. Specifically, through a three-dimensional co-design, NP-GL can leverage the nature's power of entropy increase to efficiently solve real-valued graph learning problems. Experimental results across 4 real-world applications with 6 datasets demonstrate that NP-GL delivers, on average, 6970X speedup and 10^5x energy consumption reduction with comparable or even higher accuracy than Graph Neural Networks (GNNs).

artificial intelligence↗

Small resonant magnetic perturbations result in three-dimensional material transport in the fusion plasma edge

Erosion patterns in a 3D magnetic topology are significantly altered when compared to an axisymmetric scenario due to differences in the impurity transport in a plasma environment. When resonant magnetic perturbations are applied in L-Mode discharges, eroded impurities can buildup in regions where an axisymmetric plasma would otherwise lead to zones of net erosion across the full toroidal length of the divertor. The reduction on the local and integrated erosion observed across a parametric study of the anomalous diffusion and impurity content in a plasma, can lead to the extension of divertor lifetimes in low power scenarios when 3D fields are applied. By contrast, in axisymmetric scenarios, most of the carbon eroded from the divertor are carried away to the far scrape-off layer.

DIII-D↗

DYNAMO ACTION AND MAGNETIC CYCLES IN F-TYPE STARS

Magnetic activity and differential rotation are commonly observed features on main-sequence F-type stars. We seek to make contact with such observations and to provide a self-consistent picture of how differential rotation and magnetic fields arise in the interiors of these stars. The three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic anelastic spherical harmonic code is employed to simulate global-scale convection and dynamo processes in a 1.2 M{sub ☉} F-type star at two rotation rates. The simulations are carried out in spherical shells that encompass most of the convection zone and a portion of the stably stratified radiative zone below it, allowing us to explore the effects a stable zone has upon the morphology of the global-scale magnetic fields. We find that dynamo action with a high degree of time variation occurs in the star rotating more rapidly at 20 Ω{sub ☉}, with the polarity of the mean field reversing on a timescale of about 1600 days. Between reversals, the magnetic energy rises and falls with a fairly regular period, with three magnetic energy cycles required to complete a reversal. The magnetic energy cycles and polarity reversals arise due to a linking of the polar-slip instability in the stable region and dynamo action present in the convection zone. For the more slowly rotating case (10 Ω{sub ☉}), persistent wreaths of magnetism are established and maintained by dynamo action. Compared to their hydrodynamic progenitors, the dynamo states here involve a marked reduction in the exhibited latitudinal differential rotation, which also vary during the course of a cycle.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NRG Oncology Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0822: A Phase 2 Study of Preoperative Chemoradiation Therapy Using Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy in Combination With Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin for Patients With Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer

Purpose: To evaluate the rate of gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity of neoadjuvant chemoradiation with capecitabine, oxaliplatin, and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in cT3-4 rectal cancer. Methods and Materials: Patients with localized, nonmetastatic T3 or T4 rectal cancer <12 cm from the anal verge were enrolled in a prospective, multi-institutional, single-arm study of preoperative chemoradiation. Patients received 45 Gy with IMRT in 25 fractions, followed by a 3-dimensional conformal boost of 5.4 Gy in 3 fractions with concurrent capecitabine/oxaliplatin (CAPOX). Surgery was performed 4 to 8 weeks after the completion of therapy. Patients were recommended to receive FOLFOX chemotherapy after surgery. The primary endpoint of the study was acute grade 2 to 5 GI toxicity. Seventy-one patients provided 80% probability to detect at least a 12% reduction in the specified GI toxicity with the treatment of CAPOX and IMRT, at a significance level of .10 (1-sided). Results: Seventy-nine patients were accrued, of whom 68 were evaluable. Sixty-one patients (89.7%) had cT3 disease, and 37 (54.4%) had cN (+) disease. Postoperative chemotherapy was given to 42 of 68 patients. Fifty-eight patients had target contours drawn per protocol, 5 patients with acceptable variation, and 5 patients with unacceptable variations. Thirty-five patients (51.5%) experienced grade ≥2 GI toxicity, 12 patients (17.6%) experienced grade 3 or 4 diarrhea, and pCR was achieved in 10 patients (14.7%). With a median follow-up time of 3.98 years, the 4-year rate of locoregional failure was 7.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.0%-13.7%). The 4-year rates of OS and DFS were 82.9% (95% CI: 70.1%-90.6%) and 60.6% (95% CI: 47.5%-71.4%), respectively. Conclusion: The use of IMRT in neoadjuvant chemoradiation for rectal cancer did not reduce the rate of GI toxicity.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Role of belly board device in the age of intensity modulated radiotherapy for pelvic irradiation

Small bowel dose often represents a limiting factor for radiation treatment of pelvic malignancies. To reduce small bowel toxicity, a belly board device (BBD) with a prone position is often recommended. Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) could reduce dose to small bowel based on the desired dose-volume constraints. We investigated the efficacy of BBD in conjunction with IMRT. A total of 11 consecutive patients with the diagnosis of rectal cancer, who were candidates for definitive therapy, were selected. Patients were immobilized with BBD in prone position for simulation and treatment. Supine position computed tomography (CT) data were either acquired at the same time or during a diagnostic scan, and if existed was used. Target volumes (TV) as well as organs at risk (OAR) were delineated in both studies. Three-dimensional conformal treatment (3DCRT) and IMRT plans were made for both scans. Thus for each patient, 4 plans were generated. Statistical analysis was conducted for maximum, minimum, and mean dose to each structure. When comparing the normalized mean Gross TV dose for the different plans, there was no statistical difference found between the planning types. There was a significant difference in small bowel sparing when using prone position on BBD comparing 3DCRT and IMRT plans, favoring IMRT with a 29.6% reduction in dose (p = 0.007). There was also a statistically significant difference in small bowel sparing when comparing supine position IMRT to prone-BBD IMRT favoring prone-BBD IMRT with a reduction of 30.3% (p = 0.002). For rectal cancer when small bowel could be a limiting factor, prone position using BBD along with IMRT provides the best sparing. We conclude that whenever a dose escalation in rectal cancer is desired where small bowel could be limiting factor, IMRT in conjunction with BBD should be selected.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗