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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 OSTI2020

Impact of sub-core scale heterogeneity on CO2/brine multiphase flow for geological carbon storage in the Minnelusa sandstone

CO2 geological storage in deep saline aquifers is a mitigation option for CO2 emissions due to its large storage capacity and immediate accessibility. Accurately determining the CO2-brine relative permeability curves is key to the evaluation of CO2 injectivity and sweep efficiency in reservoir simulation as well as the CO2 injection in the field. This study highlights the remarkable effects of sub-core scale heterogeneity on the CO2-brine multiphase flow properties of the Minnelusa Sandstone in Wyoming. Two unsteady state CO2-brine drainage experiments were performed on the two samples. The first sample exhibits slanted laminated structure, while the second one represents a more homogeneous sandstone system. The CO2 saturation distributions during drainage reveals that the main variation in multiphase flow properties of two core samples were attributed to the porosity distribution that leads to the capillary pressure heterogeneity. Assisted history matching was used to obtain the respective relative permeability curves, which suggests heterogeneity-dependent behavior. In addition, sensitive and uncertainty analyses indicate that physical and petro-physical properties of low-porosity and low-permeability bedding layers exert marked effects on CO2 front breakthrough time and brine production. The results presented in this study help to gain insight into the CO2-brine multiphase flow properties in heterogeneous sandstones and can pave the way for the upscaling of CO2 migration and field-scale simulation accurately. This work is funded under the Department of Energy CarbonSAFE program (awards DE-FE0031624 DE0031891).

Kou, Zuhao↗
DOE OSTI2019

Phosphorus limits nitrogen dynamics in the O horizon of a forested watershed in Maine, USA

Anthropogenic emissions have altered the N status of northeastern USA forests, highlighting the importance of our imperfect understanding of the interaction between nitrogen and phosphorus in response to atmospheric N deposition. We investigated soil N and P dynamics at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, a long-term paired watershed experiment established to study ecosystem response to experimental N enrichment. One watershed (West Bear, WB) was treated bimonthly for 25 years with ammonium sulfate, and the reference East Bear (EB) received only ambient N deposition. We conducted field and laboratory studies to examine the interaction between N and P in O horizon soils in both EB and WB. In the “Pulse-Chase” Study, a field addition of 100 kg P ha-1 resulted in an overall 38% decrease in extractable ammonium (NH4+-N), due to increased immobilization. Noteworthy was that even under ambient N deposition rates, EB displayed parallel, although lower, evidence of P limitation compared to WB. In contrast, in a “Response Surface” laboratory study, soils incubated in the laboratory at rates of 0 to 200 kg P ha-1 showed increases in PNNM and NH4+-N concentrations in response to P additions. There was no effect of N-status in the Response Surface Study, but hardwood soils showed a faster response and greater rates of potential net N mineralization (PNNM) compared to softwood soils. Despite contrasting responses, both the field and laboratory studies suggested that N dynamics at BBWM were P limited, and that N status and forest type influenced the N and P interaction.

Salvino, Cayce↗
DOE OSTI2019

Large-scale meteorological control on the spatial pattern of wintertime PM 2.5 pollution over China

The frequent episodes of severe air pollution over China during recent years have posed serious health threats to densely populated eastern China. Although several studies investigated the linkage between enhanced severity and frequency of air pol-lution and the large-scale weather patterns over China, the day-to-day covariability between them, as well as its local and remote mechanisms, has not been systemati-cally documented. The wintertime synoptic covariability between PM 2.5 and large-scale meteorological fields is studied using surface observations of PM 2.5 in 2013/2014–2016/2017 and ERA-Interim meteorological fields through maximum covariance analysis (MCA). The first MCA mode (MCA1) suggests a consistent accumulation of ambient PM 2.5 as a result of weakened winds that block the pollut-ant removal passage in heavily polluted areas of eastern China, as well as moist air from southeast coast favoring haze formation. A northeast–southwest belt that extends into northeastern China and central China on each end is more sensitive to MCA1. The second MCA mode (MCA2) shows a north–south dipole in PM 2.5 linked to the contrast of boundary layer height and surface wind speed between northern and southern regions of China. Spatial patterns of both modes are supported by the GEOS-Chem chemistry transport model with realistic emission inventory. The spatial patterns of the two modes are robust on the interannual time scales. Based on that, we investigate the variability of the first two modes of the identified modes on the multidecadal scale by projecting GPM_500 pattern to 1981–2010. Correlation analysis of the projected time series and climate indices over 30 years indicates the possible linkage of Arctic oscillation, ENSO indices, Pacific decadal oscillation and east Atlantic/western Russia to regional air pollution patterns over China.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1995

Model studies of the beam-filling error for rain-rate retrieval with microwave radiometers

Low-frequency (less than 20 GHz) single-channel microwave retrievals of rain rate encounter the problem of beam-filling error. This error stems from the fact that the relationship between microwave brightness temperature and rain rate is nonlinear, coupled with the fact that the field of view is large or comparable to important scales of variability of the rain field. This means that one may not simply insert the area average of the brightness temperature into the formula for rain rate without incurring both bias and random error. The statistical heterogeneity of the rain-rate field in the footprint of the instrument is key to determining the nature of these errors. This paper makes use of a series of random rain-rate fields to study the size of the bias and random error associated with beam filling. A number of examples are analyzed in detail: the binomially distributed field, the gamma, the Gaussian, the mixed gamma, the lognormal, and the mixed lognormal ('mixed' here means there is a finite probability of no rain rate at a point of space-time). Of particular interest are the applicability of a simple error formula due to Chiu and collaborators and a formula that might hold in the large field of view limit. It is found that the simple formula holds for Gaussian rain-rate fields but begins to fail for highly skewed fields such as the mixed lognormal. While not conclusively demonstrated here, it is suggested that the notionof climatologically adjusting the retrievals to remove the beam-filling bias is a reasonable proposition.

Ha, Eunho↗
DOE OSTI2022

Field-Dependent Magnetic Domain Behavior in van der Waals Fe 3 GeTe 2

Two-dimensional magnetic van der Waals (vdW) materials can show a variety of topological nontrivial spin textures, such as Bloch- or Néel-type stripe, skyrmion, or bubble domains under certain external stimuli. It is critical to understand the magnetic domain behavior in vdW materials in order to control their size and density in response to external stimuli, such as electric and magnetic fields. In this study, we examine the magnetic field dependence of topologically non-trivial magnetization spin textures in vdW Fe 3 GeTe 2 . Néel-type stripe domains and skyrmions are formed depending on the magnetic field-cooling protocol used during in situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM) experiments. Use of quantitative reconstruction of magnetic induction maps and micromagnetic simulations allow for the understanding of the LTEM results of Néel-type stripe domains as well as skyrmions. In addition, the deformation of skyrmion contrast is observed as a result of the introduction of an in-plane magnetic field. We demonstrate the stability of the stripe domains and skyrmions in response to an externally applied magnetic field due to an energy barrier for domain wall annihilation. Our results establish an understanding of the energy landscape that governs the behavior of the topologically non-trivial spin textures in vdW materials which can be harnessed for spintronic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

An adjoint method for determining the sensitivity of island size to magnetic field variations

An adjoint method to calculate the gradient of island width in stellarators is presented and applied to a set of magnetic field configurations. The underlying method for calculation of the island width is that of Cary & Hanson ( Phys. Fluids B, vol. 3, issue 4, 1991, pp. 1006–1014) (with a minor modification), and requires that the residue of the island centre be small. Therefore, the gradient of the residue is calculated in addition. Both the island width and the gradient calculations are verified using an analytical magnetic field configuration introduced by Reiman & Greenside ( Comput. Phys. Commun. , vol. 43, issue 1, 1986, pp. 157–167). The method is also applied to the calculation of the shape gradient of the width of a magnetic island in a National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) vacuum configuration with respect to positions on a coil. A gradient-based optimization is applied to a magnetic field configuration studied by Hanson & Cary ( Phys. Fluids , vol. 27, issue 4, 1984, pp. 767–769) to minimize stochasticity by adding perturbations to a pair of helical coils. Although only vacuum magnetic fields and an analytical magnetic field model are considered in this work, the adjoint calculation of the island width gradient could also be applied to a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium if the derivative of the magnetic field, with respect to the equilibrium parameters, is known. Using the island width gradient calculation presented here, more general gradient-based optimization methods can be applied to design stellarators with small magnetic islands. Moreover, the sensitivity of the island size may itself be optimized to ensure that coil tolerances, with respect to island size, are kept as high as possible.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2014

Quantification of thermal and contact resistances of scanning thermal probes

Scanning thermal probes are widely used for imaging temperature fields with nanoscale resolution, for studying near-field radiative heat transport and for locally heating samples. In all these applications, it is critical to know the thermal resistance to heat flow within the probe and the thermal contact resistance between the probe and the sample. Here, we present an approach for quantifying the aforementioned thermal resistances using picowatt resolution heat flow calorimeters. The measured contact resistance is found to be in good agreement with classical predictions for thermal contact resistance. The techniques developed here are critical for quantitatively probing heat flows at the nanoscale.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-G-BRB-12: Polarity Effects in Small Volume Ionization Chambers in Small Fields

Purpose: Dosimetric quantities such as the polarity correction factor (Ppol) are important parameters for determining the absorbed dose and can influence the choice of dosimeter. Ppol has been shown to depend on beam energy, chamber design, and field size. This study is to investigate the field size and detector orientation dependence of Ppol in small fields for several commercially available micro-chambers. Methods: We evaluate the Exradin A26, Exradin A16, PTW 31014, PTW 31016, and two prototype IBA CC-01 micro-chambers in both horizontal and vertical orientations. Measurements were taken at 10cm depth and 100cm SSD in a Wellhofer BluePhantom2. Measurements were made at square fields of 0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 2.0, 2.4, 3.0, and 5.0 cm on each side using 6MV with both ± 300VDC biases. PPol was evaluated as described in TG-51, reported using −300VDC bias for Mraw. Ratios of PPol measured in the clinical field to the reference field are presented. Results: A field size dependence of Ppol was observed for all chambers, with increased variations when mounted vertically. The maximum variation observed in PPol over all chambers mounted horizontally was <1%, and occurred at different field sizes for different chambers. Vertically mounted chambers demonstrated variations as large as 3.2%, always at the smallest field sizes. Conclusion: Large variations in Ppol were observed for vertically mounted chambers compared to horizontal mountings. Horizontal mountings demonstrated a complicated relationship between polarity variation and field size, probably relating to differing details in each chambers construction. Vertically mounted chambers consistently demonstrated the largest PPol variations for the smallest field sizes. Measurements obtained with a horizontal mounting appear to not need significant polarity corrections for relative measurements, while those obtained using a vertical mounting should be corrected for variations in PPol.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Third Quantization and Emergence of the Quasiclassical Wave Function of the Universe

Quantized solutions of the Wheeler–DeWitt (WDW) equation describing a closed Friedmann–Robertson–Walker universe with a Λ term and a set of massless scalar fields are studied. It is shown that when Λ≪1 units and the standard in-vacuum state is considered, the wave function of the universe Ψ behaves as a random quasiclassical field at rather large a, namely, 1≪a≪e{sup (2/(3Λ))} [1].

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Field-Induced Desorption of Cesium from Rhenium

Desorption of cesium atoms from a rhenium point emitter in an electric field has been studied by method of field-desorption microscopy (FDM). Dependence of the desorbing field on degree of emitter surface coverage with Cs atoms is established. The heat of Cs-atom adsorption, which is dependent on the surface concentration of adsorbate and work function of the surface, is estimated in the framework of the model of mirror-image forces for field-induced desorption. Saturation of the rhenium emitter with carbon leads to changes in the character of desorption and in the distribution of desorption zones on the emitter surface.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1973

Brownian motion of electrons in time-dependent magnetic fields.

The behavior of a weakly ionized plasma in slowly varying time-dependent magnetic fields is studied through an extension of Williamson's stochastic theory. In particular, attention is focused on the properties of electron diffusion in the plane perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field, when the field strength is large. It is shown that, in the strong field limit, the classical 1/B-squared dependence of the perpendicular diffusion coefficient is obtained for two models in which the field B(t) is monotonic in t and for two models in which B(t) possesses at least one turning point.

Iverson, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Investigation of nose bluntness and angle of attack effects on slender bodies in viscous hypersonic flows

Hypersonic flows over cones and straight biconic configurations are calculated for a wide range of free stream conditions in which the gas behind the shock is treated as perfect. Effect of angle of attack and nose bluntness on these slender cones in air is studied extensively. The numerical procedures are based on the solution of complete Navier-Stokes equations at the nose section and parabolized Navier-Stokes equations further downstream. The flow field variables and surface quantities show significant differences when the angle of attack and nose bluntness are varied. The complete flow field is thoroughly analyzed with respect to velocity, temperature, pressure, and entropy profiles. The post shock flow field is studied in detail from the contour plots of Mach number, density, pressure, and temperature. The effect of nose bluntness for slender cones persists as far as 200 nose radii downstream.

Sehgal, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Combined effect of nose bluntness and angle of attack on slender bodies in viscous hypersonic flows

Hypersonic flows over cones and straight biconic configurations are calculated for a wide range of free stream conditions in which the gas behind the shock is treated as perfect. Effect of angle of attack and nose bluntness on these slender cones in air is studied extensively. The numerical procedures are based on the solution of complete Navier-Stokes equations at the nose section and parabolized Navier-Stokes equations further downstream. The flow field variables and surface quantities show significant differences when the angle of attack and nose bluntness are varied. The complete flow field is thoroughly analyzed with respect to velocity, temperature, pressure, and entropy profiles. The post shock flow field is studied in detail from the contour plots of Mach number, density, pressure, and temperature. The effect of nose bluntness for slender cones persists as far as 200 nose radii downstream.

Tiwari, S. N.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Subsurface Seismic Structure Around the Sanford Underground Research Facility

To address the fundamental challenges of understanding processes associated with enhanced or engineered geothermal systems (EGS), teams from the EGS Collab SIGMA-V project are conducting stimulations at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Various modalities of geophysical observations are collected and analyzed, and different types of parameters are modeled to help investigate these critical processes. Among these parameters, the three-dimensional stress field is one of the primary objectives. Seismic velocity models have been used to estimate the 3D stress field for other regions. A detailed seismic velocities and density model can help us infer spatial variations of the stress field in the study area. We inverted the 3D seismic structure around the site by using body-wave travel times, surface-wave dispersions and gravity observations simultaneously. The resulting model will be a starting point for more detailed investigations and could also be used to study subsurface geological and stress field variations of the broad area.

Chai, Chengping↗
DOE OSTI2019

Subsurface Seismic Structure Around the Sanford Underground Research Facility

To address the fundamental challenges of understanding processes associated with enhanced or engineered geothermal systems (EGS), teams from the EGS Collab SIGMA-V project are conducting stimulations at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. Various modalities of geophysical observations are collected and analyzed, and different types of parameters are modeled to help investigate these critical processes. Among these parameters, the three-dimensional stress field is one of the primary objectives. Seismic velocity models have been used to estimate the 3D stress field for other regions. A detailed seismic velocities and density model can help us infer spatial variations of the stress field in the study area. We inverted the 3D seismic structure around the site by using body-wave travel times, surface-wave dispersions and gravity observations simultaneously. The resulting model will be a starting point for more detailed investigations and could also be used to study subsurface geological and stress field variations of the broad area.

Chai, Chengping↗
DOE OSTI2024

A multiscale anisotropic polymer network model coupled with phase field fracture

The study of polymers has continued to gain substantial attention due to their expanding range of applications, spanning essential engineering fields to emerging domains like stretchable electronics, soft robotics, and implantable sensors. These materials exhibit remarkable properties, primarily stemming from their intricate polymer chain network, which, in turn, increases the complexity of precisely modeling their behavior. Especially for modeling elastomers and their fracture behavior, accurately accounting for the deformations of the polymer chains is vital for predicting the rupture in highly stretched chains. Despite the importance, many robust multiscale continuum frameworks for modeling elastomer fracture tend to simplify network deformations by assuming uniform behavior among chains in all directions. Recognizing this limitation, our study proposes a multiscale fracture model that accounts for the anisotropic nature of elastomer network responses. At the microscale, damage in the chains is assumed to be driven by both the chain's entropy and the internal energy due to molecular bond distortions. In order to bridge the stretching in the chains to the macroscale deformation, we employ the maximal advance path constraint network model, inherently accommodating anisotropic network responses. As a result, chains oriented differently can be predicted to exhibit varying stretch and, consequently, different damage levels. To drive macroscale fracture based on damages in these chains, we utilize the micromorphic regularization theory, which involves the introduction of dual local-global damage variables at the macroscale. The macroscale local damage variable is obtained through the homogenization of the chain damage values, resulting in the prediction of an isotropic material response. The macroscale global damage variable is subjected to nonlocal effects and boundary conditions in a thermodynamically consistent phase field continuum formulation. Moreover, the total dissipation in the system is considered to be mainly due to the breaking of the molecular bonds at the microscale. To validate our model, we employ the double-edge notched tensile test as a benchmark, comparing simulation predictions with existing experimental data. Additionally, to enhance our understanding of the fracturing process, we conduct uniaxial tensile experiments on a square film made up of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) rubber embedded with a hole and notches and then compare our simulation predictions with the experimental observations. Furthermore, we visualize the evolution of stretch and damage values in chains oriented along different directions to assess the predictive capacity of the model. In conclusion, the results are also compared with another existing model to evaluate the utility of our model in accurately simulating the fracture behavior of rubber-like materials.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1988

An X-ray and radio study of steep-spectrum radio soruces. I - Four fields from the Clark Lake Observatory 26 MHz survey

A multifrequency study of fields containing steep-spectrum radio sources is presented. New spectral and spatial data are used to determine the locations and optical identifications of steep-spectrum sources which previously had either poor positions or questionable correspondence to known sources. X-ray images from the Einstein Observatory provide estimates of the extent, temperature, density, and thermal pressure of hot gas associated with galaxies and clusters of galaxies. From the equations relating synchrotron emission to inverse Compton scattering of 3 K background photons, lower limits to the average magnetic field strength in the source are derived. For the resolved radio sources of known distance, the minimum nonthermal pressure and the corresponding magnetic field strength are also calculated. For the four fields discussed in this paper, it is found that three out of five steep-spectrum sources are embedded in a cluster atmosphere and two are unidentified. Except for unresolved radio structures associated with cores of galaxies, the estimated thermal pressure is sufficient to confine the radio sources.

Harris, D. E.↗