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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
NASA NTRS2015

Improved Regression Analysis of Temperature-Dependent Strain-Gage Balance Calibration Data

An improved approach is discussed that may be used to directly include first and second order temperature effects in the load prediction algorithm of a wind tunnel strain-gage balance. The improved approach was designed for the Iterative Method that fits strain-gage outputs as a function of calibration loads and uses a load iteration scheme during the wind tunnel test to predict loads from measured gage outputs. The improved approach assumes that the strain-gage balance is at a constant uniform temperature when it is calibrated and used. First, the method introduces a new independent variable for the regression analysis of the balance calibration data. The new variable is designed as the difference between the uniform temperature of the balance and a global reference temperature. This reference temperature should be the primary calibration temperature of the balance so that, if needed, a tare load iteration can be performed. Then, two temperature{dependent terms are included in the regression models of the gage outputs. They are the temperature difference itself and the square of the temperature difference. Simulated temperature{dependent data obtained from Triumph Aerospace's 2013 calibration of NASA's ARC-30K five component semi{span balance is used to illustrate the application of the improved approach.

wind tunnel testing↗
NASA NTRS1982

Performance of the Rotor Systems Research Aircraft calibrated rotor loads measurement system

The compound Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA) is designed to make high accuracy, simultaneous measurements of all rotor forces and moments in flight. Physical calibration of the rotor force- and moment-measurement system when installed in the aircraft is required to account for any errors and to ensure that measurement system accuracy is traceable to the National Bureau of Standards. The first static calibration and associated analysis has been completed with good results. Hysteresis was a potential cause of static calibration errors, but was found to be negligible in flight, and analytical methods have been devised to eliminate its effects on calibration data. Flight tests confirmed that the calibrated rotor loads measurement system performs as expected in flight, and that it can dependably make direct measurements of fuselage vertical drag in hover.

Acree, C. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Prediction Interval Development for Wind-Tunnel Balance Check-Loading

Results from the Facility Analysis Verification and Operational Reliability project revealed a critical gap in capability in ground-based aeronautics research applications. Without a standardized process for check-loading the wind-tunnel balance or the model system, the quality of the aerodynamic force data collected varied significantly between facilities. A prediction interval is required in order to confirm a check-loading. The prediction interval provides an expected upper and lower bound on balance load prediction at a given confidence level. A method has been developed which accounts for sources of variability due to calibration and check-load application. The prediction interval method of calculation and a case study demonstrating its use is provided. Validation of the methods is demonstrated for the case study based on the probability of capture of confirmation points.

Landman, Drew↗
DOE OSTI2013

The spectrometric determination of the individual exposure rate for gamma nuclides from an environmental radiation detector

For making the spectrometric determination of the exposure rate from the environment as well as the radioactive material more practical, an accurate calculation method of the individual exposure rate for the detected gamma nuclides from that spectrum should be suggested without the sophisticated calibration procedure. In this study, the calculation method for the individual exposure rate for detected gamma nuclides from a 3'x3' NaI(Tl) detector was suggested by introducing the concept of the dose rate spectroscopy and the peak-to-total ratio in the energy spectrum for the exposure rate, which means just a form of multiplied counts and the value of a G-factor in the spectrum. (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Reduced-dimension Bayesian optimization for model calibration of transient vapor compression cycles

Development and calibration of first-principles dynamic models of vapor compression cycles (VCCs) is of critical importance for applications that include control design and fault detection and diagnostics. Nevertheless, the inherent complexity of models that are represented by large systems of differential–algebraic equations leads to significant challenges for model calibration processes that utilize classical gradient-based methods. Bayesian optimization (BO) is a sample-efficient and gradient-free approach using a probabilistic surrogate model and optimal search over a feasible parameter space. Despite the benefits of BO in reducing computational costs, challenges remain in dealing with a high-dimensional calibration task resulting from a large set of parameters that have significant impacts on system behavior and need to be calibrated simultaneously. This paper presents a reduced-dimension BO framework for calibrating transient VCCs models where the calibration space is projected to a low-dimensional subspace for accelerating convergence of the solution algorithm and consequently reducing the number of transient simulations. The proposed approach was demonstrated via two case studies associated with different VCC applications where 10 parameters were calibrated in each case using laboratory measurements. The reduced-dimension BO framework only required 1 / 8 th of the iterations associated with a standard BO method that deals with high-dimensional calibration parameters for converged solutions and yielded comparable accuracy. Furthermore, both calibrated models revealed significant accuracy improvements compared to uncalibrated models.

Ma, Jiacheng↗
DOE OSTI2016

Remote temperature distribution sensing using permanent magnets

Remote temperature sensing is essential for applications in enclosed vessels where feedthroughs or optical access points are not possible. A unique sensing method for measuring the temperature of multiple closely-spaced points is proposed using permanent magnets and several three-axis magnetic field sensors. The magnetic field theory for multiple magnets is discussed and a solution technique is presented. Experimental calibration procedures, solution inversion considerations and methods for optimizing the magnet orientations are described in order to obtain low-noise temperature estimates. The experimental setup and the properties of permanent magnets are shown. Finally, experiments were conducted to determine the temperature of nine magnets in different configurations over a temperature range of 5 to 60 degrees Celsius and for a sensor-to-magnet distance of up to 35 mm. Furthermore, to show the possible applications of this sensing system for measuring temperatures through metal walls, additional experiments were conducted inside an opaque 304 stainless steel cylinder.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS2015

Helium Mass Spectrometer Leak Detection: A Method to Quantify Total Measurement Uncertainty

In applications where leak rates of components or systems are evaluated against a leak rate requirement, the uncertainty of the measured leak rate must be included in the reported result. However, in the helium mass spectrometer leak detection method, the sensitivity, or resolution, of the instrument is often the only component of the total measurement uncertainty noted when reporting results. To address this shortfall, a measurement uncertainty analysis method was developed that includes the leak detector unit's resolution, repeatability, hysteresis, and drift, along with the uncertainty associated with the calibration standard. In a step-wise process, the method identifies the bias and precision components of the calibration standard, the measurement correction factor (K-factor), and the leak detector unit. Together these individual contributions to error are combined and the total measurement uncertainty is determined using the root-sum-square method. It was found that the precision component contributes more to the total uncertainty than the bias component, but the bias component is not insignificant. For helium mass spectrometer leak rate tests where unit sensitivity alone is not enough, a thorough evaluation of the measurement uncertainty such as the one presented herein should be performed and reported along with the leak rate value.

error analysis↗
DOE OSTI2019

Characterization of Calibrated Gelatin Sponge Particles in a Rabbit Renal Embolization Model

Purpose: To evaluate the level of artery occlusion, degradation periods, tissue response and vessel recanalization of calibrated gelatin sponge particles after segmental renal artery embolization. Materials and Methods: Superselective embolization of 14 adult rabbits was performed with calibrated gelatin sponge particles (150–350 μm). Two rabbits were killed immediately after the procedure (day 0). One pair of rabbits was killed on each of the following days: 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 and 56. One rabbit from each pair underwent CT angiography before embolization and killing. The pathologic changes of the embolized renal parenchyma and embolic characteristics of calibrated gelatin sponge particles were evaluated histologically and angiographically. Results: Calibrated gelatin sponge particles were distally located in interlobular artery with a dense packing on day 0. The level of occlusion paralleled the size of the particles. Partial degradation of the particles was observed on day 3, and complete degradation was observed on day 14. Vessel recanalization was observed through both CTA and histological analysis starting on day 3. Vascular inflammation responding to gelatin sponge particles was mild and subsided with the degradation of the particles. On day 28 and day 56, attenuation of embolized vessels occurred due to marked intimal proliferation, and vascular occlusion developed. Conclusions: Gelatin sponge particles of 150–350 μm produced dense and distal embolization, and were resorbed before day 14 with a mild tissue reaction. Vessel recanalization occurred secondary to the resorption of gelatin sponge particles, but permanent vascular occlusion developed due to marked intimal hyperplasia after day 28.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
NASA NTRS1996

Estimating Engine Airflow in Gas-Turbine Powered Aircraft with Clean and Distorted Inlet Flows

The P404-GF-400 Powered F/A-18A High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) was used to examine the impact of inlet-generated total-pressure distortion on estimating levels of engine airflow. Five airflow estimation methods were studied. The Reference Method was a fan corrected airflow to fan corrected speed calibration from an uninstalled engine test. In-flight airflow estimation methods utilized the average, or individual, inlet duct static- to total-pressure ratios, and the average fan-discharge static-pressure to average inlet total-pressure ratio. Correlations were established at low distortion conditions for each method relative to the Reference Method. A range of distorted inlet flow conditions were obtained from -10 deg. to +60 deg. angle of attack and -7 deg. to +11 deg. angle of sideslip. The individual inlet duct pressure ratio correlation resulted in a 2.3 percent airflow spread for all distorted flow levels with a bias error of -0.7 percent. The fan discharge pressure ratio correlation gave results with a 0.6 percent airflow spread with essentially no systematic error. Inlet-generated total-pressure distortion and turbulence had no significant impact on the P404-GE400 engine airflow pumping. Therefore, a speed-flow relationship may provide the best airflow estimate for a specific engine under all flight conditions.

Williams, J. G.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Calibrating the Galactic Cepheid Period–Luminosity Relation from the Maximum-likelihood Technique

We present a realization of the maximum-likelihood technique, which is one of the latest modifications of the Baade–Becker–Wesselink method. Our approach is based on nonlinear calibrations of the effective temperature and bolometric correction, which take into account metallicity and surface gravity. It allows one to estimate the key Cepheid parameters, the distance modulus, and the interstellar reddening, combining photometric and spectroscopic data (including the effective temperature data). This method is applied to a sample of 44 Galactic Cepheids for which multiphase temperature measurements are available. The additional data correction is performed to subtract the impact of the component in binary/multiple systems. We also study the effect of shock waves, whose presence in the stellar atmosphere distorts the observational data and leads to systematic errors in the obtained parameters. We determine the optimal restriction on the input data to eliminate this effect. This restriction provides accurate period–radius and period–luminosity relations that are consistent with the results in previous studies. We found the following relations: log R = (0.68 ± 0.03) · log P + (1.14 ± 0.03), M {sub v} = − (2.67 ± 0.16) · (log P − 1) − (4.14 ± 0.05).

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1980

Some methods in high energy cosmic ray measurement

Problems concerning ion chamber and emulsion detection techniques for high energy cosmic ray measurement are investigated. The calculation of the average energy actually deposited in an ion chamber by an ultra-high energy particle of large mass and charge is examined. A calculational scheme already applied successfully to particles of charge 1 is extended. Also, the calibration of a plate of plastic scintillator for measurement of the position of a cosmic ray shower passing through it is discussed. The method of calibration is to inject pulses of flight at known positions on the plate and record the responses of photomultiplier tubes at the corner of the plate.

Shand, J. B., Jr.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Performance of photon reconstruction and identification with the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

A description is provided of the performance of the CMS detector for photon reconstruction and identification in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV at the CERN LHC. Details are given on the reconstruction of photons from energy deposits in the electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) and the extraction of photon energy estimates. Furthermore, the reconstruction of electron tracks from photons that convert to electrons in the CMS tracker is also described, as is the optimization of the photon energy reconstruction and its accurate modelling in simulation, in the analysis of the Higgs boson decay into two photons. In the barrel section of the ECAL, an energy resolution of about 1% is achieved for unconverted or late-converting photons from H → γγ decays. Furthermore, different photon identification methods are discussed and their corresponding selection efficiencies in data are compared with those found in simulated events.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS2010

A New Approach for Checking and Complementing CALIPSO Lidar Calibration

We have been studying the backscatter ratio of the two CALIPSO wavelengths for 3 different targets. We are showing the ratio of integrate attenuated backscatter coefficient for cirrus clouds, ocean surface and liquid. Water clouds for one month of nightime data (left:July,right:December), Only opaque cirrus classified as randomly oriented ice[1] are used. For ocean and water clouds, only the clearest shots, determined by a threshold on integrated attenuated backscatter are used. Two things can be immediately observed: 1. A similar trend (black dotted line) is visible using all targets, the color ratio shows a tendency to be higher north and lower south for those two months. 2. The water clouds average value is around 15% lower than ocean surface and cirrus clouds. This is due to the different multiple scattering at 532 nm and 1064 nm [2] which strongly impact the water cloud retrieval. Conclusion: Different targets can be used to improve CALIPSO 1064 nm calibration accuracy. All of them show the signature of an instrumental calibration shift. Multiple scattering introduce a bias in liquid water cloud signal but it still compares very well with all other methods and should not be overlooked. The effect of multiple scattering in liquid and ice clouds will be the subject of future research. If there really is a sampling issue. Combining all methods to increase the sampling, mapping the calibration coefficient or trying to reach an orbit per orbit calibration seems an appropriate way.

Josset, Damien B.↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-E-20: A Mathematical Model of Linac Jaw Calibration Integrated with Collimator Walkout

Purpose: Accurate jaw calibration is possible, but it does not necessarily achieve good junctions because of collimator rotation walkout. We developed a mathematical model seeking to pick an origin for calibration that minimizes the collimator walkout effect. Methods: We use radioopaque markers aligned with crosshair on the EPID to determine the collimator walkout at collimator angles 0°, 90° and 270°. We can accurately calibrate jaws to any arbitrary origin near the radiation field centre. While the absolute position of an origin moves with the collimator walkout, its relative location to the crosshair is an invariant. We studied two approaches to select an optimal origin. One approach seeks to bring all three origin locations (0°–90°–270°) as close as possible by minimizing the perimeter of the triangle formed by these points. The other approach focuses on the gap for 0°–90° junctions. Results: Our perimeter cost function has two variables and non-linear behaviour. Generally, it does not have zero-perimeter-length solution which leads to perfect jaw matches. The zero solution can only be achieved, if the collimator rotates about a single fixed axis. In the second approach, we can always get perfect 0°–0° and 0°–90° junctions, because we ignore the 0°–270° situation. For our TrueBeams, both techniques for selecting an origin improved junction dose inhomogeneities to less than ±6%. Conclusion: Our model considers the general jaw matching with collimator rotations and proposes two potential solutions. One solution optimizes the junction gaps by considering all three collimator angles while the other only considers 0°–90°. The first solution will not give perfect matching, but can be clinically acceptable with minimized collimator walkout effect, while the second can have perfect junctions at the expense of the 0°–270° junctions. Different clinics might choose between these two methods basing on their clinical practices.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Segmentation-free empirical beam hardening correction for CT

Purpose: The polychromatic nature of the x-ray beams and their effects on the reconstructed image are often disregarded during standard image reconstruction. This leads to cupping and beam hardening artifacts inside the reconstructed volume. To correct for a general cupping, methods like water precorrection exist. They correct the hardening of the spectrum during the penetration of the measured object only for the major tissue class. In contrast, more complex artifacts like streaks between dense objects need other techniques of correction. If using only the information of one single energy scan, there are two types of corrections. The first one is a physical approach. Thereby, artifacts can be reproduced and corrected within the original reconstruction by using assumptions in a polychromatic forward projector. These assumptions could be the used spectrum, the detector response, the physical attenuation and scatter properties of the intersected materials. A second method is an empirical approach, which does not rely on much prior knowledge. This so-called empirical beam hardening correction (EBHC) and the previously mentioned physical-based technique are both relying on a segmentation of the present tissues inside the patient. The difficulty thereby is that beam hardening by itself, scatter, and other effects, which diminish the image quality also disturb the correct tissue classification and thereby reduce the accuracy of the two known classes of correction techniques. The herein proposed method works similar to the empirical beam hardening correction but does not require a tissue segmentation and therefore shows improvements on image data, which are highly degraded by noise and artifacts. Furthermore, the new algorithm is designed in a way that no additional calibration or parameter fitting is needed. Methods: To overcome the segmentation of tissues, the authors propose a histogram deformation of their primary reconstructed CT image. This step is essential for the proposed algorithm to be segmentation-free (sf). This deformation leads to a nonlinear accentuation of higher CT-values. The original volume and the gray value deformed volume are monochromatically forward projected. The two projection sets are then monomially combined and reconstructed to generate sets of basis volumes which are used for correction. This is done by maximization of the image flatness due to adding additionally a weighted sum of these basis images. sfEBHC is evaluated on polychromatic simulations, phantom measurements, and patient data. The raw data sets were acquired by a dual source spiral CT scanner, a digital volume tomograph, and a dual source micro CT. Different phantom and patient data were used to illustrate the performance and wide range of usability of sfEBHC across different scanning scenarios. The artifact correction capabilities are compared to EBHC. Results: All investigated cases show equal or improved image quality compared to the standard EBHC approach. The artifact correction is capable of correcting beam hardening artifacts for different scan parameters and scan scenarios. Conclusions: sfEBHC generates beam hardening-reduced images and is furthermore capable of dealing with images which are affected by high noise and strong artifacts. The algorithm can be used to recover structures which are hardly visible inside the beam hardening-affected regions.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Should the Standard Count Be Excluded from Neutron Probe Calibration?

About 6 decades after its introduction, the neutron probe remains one of the most accurate methods for indirect measurement of soil moisture content. Traditionally, the calibration of a neutron probe involves the ratio of the neutron count in the soil to a standard count, which is the neutron count in the fixed environment such as the probe shield or a specially-designed calibration tank. The drawback of this count-ratio-based calibration is that the error in the standard count is carried through to all the measurements. An alternative calibration is to use the neutron counts only, not the ratio, with proper correction for radioactive decay and counting time. To evaluate both approaches, the shield counts of a neutron probe used for three decades were analyzed. The results show that the surrounding conditions have a substantial effect on the standard count. The error in the standard count also impacts the calculation of water storage and could indicate false consistency among replicates. The analysis of the shield counts indicates negligible aging effect of the instrument over a period of 26 years. It is concluded that, by excluding the standard count, the use of the count-based calibration is appropriate and sometimes even better than ratio-based calibration. The count-based calibration is especially useful for historical data when the standard count was questionable or absent

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Artificial to Spiking Neural Networks Conversion with Calibration in Scientific Machine Learning

Here, we introduce a method to convert physics-informed neural networks (PINNs), commonly used in scientific machine learning, to spiking neural networks (SNNs), which are expected to have higher energy efficiency compared to traditional artificial neural networks (ANNs). We first extend the calibration technique of SNNs to arbitrary activation functions beyond ReLU, making it more versatile, and we prove a theorem that ensures the effectiveness of the calibration. We successfully convert PINNs to SNNs, enabling computational efficiency for diverse regression tasks in solving multiple differential equations, including the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations. We demonstrate great gains in terms of overall efficiency, including separable PINNs (SPINNs), which accelerate the training process. Overall, this is the first work of this kind and the proposed method achieves relatively good accuracy with low spike rates.

PINN↗