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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Modular Subsurface Sensors and Integrated Software for Advanced Subsurface Characterization and Monitoring using Unoccupied Vehicles

The advent and subsequent proliferation of autonomous airborne, waterborne, and groundbased vehicles (i.e., “drones”) promises to broadly transform the geosciences and associated industries, including fossil energy exploration and development, mineral resource exploration and development, water-resource management, and environmental remediation. For geophysical characterization and monitoring, the prospect of programming highly repeatable and low-cost drone missions for subsurface imaging will allow for deployments in hazardous and previously inaccessible areas. Coupled with autonomous workflows for data processing, management, and visualization, drone-based geophysical characterization and monitoring will enable unprecedented, real-time insight into diverse subsurface properties and processes of scientific and engineering importance. Toward this end, the objectives of this Lab Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project were to develop new (1) instrumentation for dronebased electromagnetic induction (EMI) geophysical imaging, including separated transmitter and receivers and associated electronics, (2) software for real-time data telemetry, processing, management, and visualization. Although EMI has been previously deployed using unoccupied aerial systems (UASs), these applications failed to capitalize on the game-changing capabilities of drone platforms. Whereas drone-based data acquisition allows for collection of rich, three-dimensional (3D) multi-offset/multi-angle configurations between transmitters and receivers, past efforts have relied on conventional instrumentation that was designed for ground-based data collection with the transmitter and a single receiver housed in the same unit; nor did these previous applications demonstrate real-time delivery of results to support rapid management decisions in the field. In this 1-year project, we (1) designed and constructed new lightweight independent transmitter and receiver antenna platforms that communicate with a laptop computer; (2) developed software to control data acquisition, manage/transfer data, and visualize data as its collected; and (3) demonstrated the operation of the new hardware and software systems in a ground-based field test. Our work entails major technological advances for EMI and established a foundation on which to build a new drone-based, real-time geophysical EMI imaging capability to support diverse challenges facing the nation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Erratum: Centrality-Dependent Modification of Jet-Production Rates in Deuteron-Gold Collisions at $\sqrt{𝑠_{𝑁⁢𝑁}}$ = 200 GeV [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 122301 (2016)]

We previously reported jet-production rates in 𝑝 + 𝑝 and 𝑑 + Au collisions at $\sqrt{𝑠_{𝑁⁢𝑁}}$ = 200 GeV recorded in 2008 with the PHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Subsequently, we found that electronic noise in the electromagnetic calorimeter was not completely removed by the tower-timing cuts used in the analysis. We have conducted an independent re-analysis of the data that eliminated noisy towers by removing them completely from the analysis. These cuts remove any contributions from instrumental noise, but reduce the overall acceptance for electromagnetic clusters by ≈16% and hence the overall statistical power of the data. Finally, this re-analysis found that instrumental noise in the electromagnetic calorimeter led to an artificial increase in the jet yield for both the 𝑝 + 𝑝 and 𝑑 + Au collisions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Diaspora: Resilience-enabling services for science from HPC to edge

Scientific applications of interest to DOE must increasingly engage distributed resources (e.g., instruments, remote computers, data stores, edge devices) and deliver more stringent levels of service (e.g., uninterrupted processing of experiment data streams). In such systems, state is distributed and components can fail in many ways, often silently, making application resilience a major concern. Addressing the resilience needs of such applications requires methods for gaining knowledge of resources and applications and for translating that knowledge into action. We are working on addressing these needs in the context of multi-messenger astronomy, where detecting and responding to unusual transient events in multiple cosmic messengers (gravitational wave, electromagnetic, high- energy particles) from different instruments leads to a federated learning problem.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Implementation of an impurity diagnostic suite on the Pegasus-III experiment

A suite of diagnostics used to assess impurity content and dynamics has been updated, upgraded, and installed on the Pegasus-III Experiment. Typical plasma parameters during local helicity injection start-up are τ shot ~10 ms, n e ~ 1 × 10 19 m –3 , and T e ~ 50 eV. The deployed diagnostics are compatible with this modest temperature and density regime and provide species identification, source localization, and estimation of radiation losses. Impurity species are determined by recording time-evolving, single line-of-sight spectra at 1.25 kfps using a SPRED (Survey, Poor Resolution, Extended Domain) vacuum ultraviolet spectrometer. SPRED is equipped with 450 g/mm grating, giving a spectral resolution of 0.33 nm and a spectral range from ~10 to 110 nm, useful to identify light impurity species in this temperature and density range. An absolutely calibrated spectrometer that collects light from the plasma at R tan = 15.9 cm and Δt ≥ 2 ms is used as a visible survey spectrometer and for continuum measurements. The radiated power from the plasma is estimated with a photodiode-based diagnostic. Two 16-channel absolute extreme ultraviolet diode arrays are placed behind pinhole apertures, resulting in 32 lines of sight at Z = 0, with a spatial resolution of 2–3 cm and a time response of 60 kHz. A photometrically calibrated collinear D α /near infrared filtered photodiode-based system measures the D α emission and around 1040 nm. All these instruments have been designed to suppress electromagnetic interference from megawatt-class switching power supplies.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Cold Spray Cobalt Magnetostrictive Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers for High Temperature Structure Monitoring

The Department of Energy’s Advanced Sensors and Instrumentation program seeks to develop and qualify advanced sensors for the nuclear industry. Reliable high temperature and high radiation sensors for detection and characterization of structural flaws in pipes, vessels, and structurally critical components is a weakness for both conventional light water reactors with coolant T-hot approaching 350oC, and for advanced reactors with T-hot temperatures in excess of 500 to 800oC. Magnetostrictive Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers using a cold spray cobalt coating have been proposed as a sensor design that can withstand these kinds of temperatures and radiation levels to serve as online sensors to detect flaws before cracks, pits, or erosion/corrosion flaws progress to through-wall failures. This report tests cold spray cobalt as part of a magnetostrictive EMAT for high temperature service. Cobalt is known to have strong magnetostrictive properties however the effect of cold spray application is not well studied. This program was surprised to discover that cold sprayed cobalt exhibited little or no magnetostrictive behavior until it was thermally annealed. Following annealing to 650oC however, cold spray cobalt did exhibit a magnetostrictive response. Work to date prior to this milestone report publication showed that magnetostrictive EMAT was successfully tested to 400oC with an alnico permanent magnet. The program plans to extend testing with an electromagnet to higher temperatures. This follow-on work will be reported under subsequent publications or as a revision to this report.

Glass, Samuel W.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electrical design of the flexible imaging diffraction diagnostic for laser experiments (FIDDLE) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF)—Requirements, design, and performance

The Flexible Imaging Diffraction Diagnostic for Laser Experiments (FIDDLE) is a newly developed diagnostic for imaging time resolved diffraction in experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). It builds on the successes of its predecessor, the Gated Diffraction Development Diagnostic (G3D). The FIDDLE was designed to support eight Daedalus version 2 sensors (six more hCMOS sensors than any other hCMOS-based diagnostic in NIF to date) and an integrated streak camera. We will review the electrical requirements, design, and performance of the electrical subsystems that were created to support this large number of cameras in the FIDDLE. The analysis of the data that the FIDDLE is intended to collect relies heavily on the accurate and well-understood timing of each sensor. We report camera-to-camera timing jitter of less than 100 ps rms and sensor integration times of 2.2 ns FWHM in 2-2 timing mode. Additionally, diffraction experiments on the NIF produce electric fields (EMI) on the order of 1 kV/m, which have been observed to negatively impact the performance of some electrical components of the FIDDLE. We report on the results of testing hCMOS camera electronics in a similar EMI environment generated in an offline lab. In addition, we also summarize the use of a novel approach to using a vector network analyzer as an EMI leak detector to understand and reduce the negative impacts of EMI on the FIDDLE.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of a CMOS camera based film digitization platform for gated x-ray imaging diagnostics at the National Ignition Facility

Hardened gated x-ray detectors use photographic film as the data recording medium due to its low sensitivity to the high-yield neutron environments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The photographic film is digitized with a Photometric Data Systems (PDS) microdensitometer, which measures the film’s optical density. The PDS scanner is able to measure a dynamic range of 0–5 OD; however, raster scanning the film is time consuming and maintenance of the instrument is challenging due to legacy technology. Since film usage at NIF is expected to continue in the foreseeable future, a digitization platform that is faster and more maintainable would benefit the NIF’s current and future operations. Here, this work presents the characterization of the digital transitions (DT) atom, a CMOS camera-based digitization platform that records film data in a single image capture very quickly and has widely available user support. The preliminary results suggest that the DT atom is able to reconstruct exposures accurately enough to be a competitive alternative to the PDS Scanner.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Developing a robust sensor for infrared imaging bolometers

A new type of large area sensor for infrared imaging bolometers has been developed. It replaces the thin and fragile free-standing metal foils, which typically have been used, with a multi-layer coated sapphire (or diamond) substrate. Sapphire is transparent to mid-infrared wavelengths, is robust against transients, and can be thick enough to even be the vacuum window. The primary radiation absorber is still a thin deposited metal layer, but now it is partially insulated from the supporting sapphire substrate by a black (carbon-based) layer, which also acts as a blackbody remitter. Test results indicate 6× more noise equivalent power density (estimated NEPD = 23 W/m 2 at 5 ms camera exposure time, foil temperature decay time 60 ms) for a 2 μm gold-coated sapphire disk compared to estimated NEP = 4 W/m 2 at 1.8 ms exposure time, with foil decay time 420 ms, for a nominal 2.5 μm thick platinum-free-standing foil.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

LuSEE-night power distribution system design

The Lunar Surface Electromagnetic Experiment at Night (LuSEE-Night) is a low-frequency, 0.5 to 50 MHz, radio experiment on the radio-quiet far side of the Moon. The instrument will be launched by NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services in 2026. The LuSEE-Night instrument core is composed of a radio frequency spectrometer (SPT) processing signals from four antennas, the Data Controller Board (DCB), low electromagnetic interference (EMI) Picket Fence Power Supply (PFPS), and Power Distribution Unit (PDU). The battery powers the instrument during the lunar night and stores energy harvested by the solar panel array during the lunar day. The battery charging is controlled by the Power Conditioning and Distribution Unit (PCDU). The unregulated power is supplied either by the SpaceCraft (S/C) or the battery and gets distributed to the PFPS, communication radio, heaters, and deployables through the PDU. The PFPS generates all regulated low-voltage rails using switching regulation synchronized to the LuSEE-Night clock, which ensures self-generated EMI will be confined to well-defined frequency bins. Here, we discussed the unregulated power distribution system architecture and functionality. The PDU engineering and flight modules are developed and characterized to confirm compliance with LuSEE-Night requirements. At the time of writing, all power subsystem components have been integrated into the payload.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

A novel means to generate high pressure

Diamond anvil cells are the most popular means of generating pressures above 2 GPa. However, in many experiments, such as nuclear magnetic resonance and x-ray absorption, the metallic pressurizing gasket (which confines much of the sample) represents an occluding barrier that requires a low Z gasket material (e.g., Be), a split gasket, or other means to enable better coupling of the sample to electromagnetic radiation. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel method for generating high pressures that confines the sample just above the plane of the gasket by using a diamond with a laser hole drilled into the center of the tip. The sample is then confined by the hole, which is sealed by a flat gasket that fits over the hole. When load is applied to the diamonds, metal flows from the deformed gasket into the hole thereby pressurizing the sample similarly to how a piston pressurizes gas inside a cylinder. The pressurized sample is above the metallic gasket plane just inside the tip of the diamond, and thus easily accessible via x rays or visible light that skims just above the plane of the gasket providing an enhanced aperture of radiation collection. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the utility of this method by obtaining Raman spectra of SnC 2 O 4 and x-ray diffraction spectra of seleno-DL-cystine, all at high pressures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improvements to the characterization of Agfa x-ray film for use on opacity spectroscopy diagnostics

The National Ignition Facility uses a soft x-ray opacity spectrometer for x-ray spectral imaging in high-energy-density experiments. The increased demand for a better spectral resolution prompted the investigation into the Agfa D4 film. Characterization is already under way for the film. A Manson x-ray source using six different anodes was used to expose film to the linear optical density (OD) region. This is a continuation of the previous work, and the updated analysis process is communicated here. The identified uncertainties have been reduced with the updated steps that improve the results of the characterization process. In conclusion, when the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource Beamline 16-2 was operational, the film was characterized at that source. Its beam offered a higher fluency with a lower exposure time needed to reach saturation. Results for both sources are compared in this paper.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

4th TDAMM Workshop White Paper

Time-Domain and Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (TDAMM) is entering a fundamentally new phase characterized by an unprecedented increase in the rate and diversity of astrophysical transient detections. The community is transitioning from a discovery-limited to a follow-up-limited era, driven by major investments across electromagnetic, gravitational-wave, and neutrino observatories. Upcoming facilities such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and wide-field survey instruments will produce a deluge of time-domain alerts, reaching millions of events per night. Simultaneously, upgrades to the gravitational-wave network (LVK O5 and beyond) and neutrino observatories (IceCube Gen2) will significantly increase the detection rates of non-electromagnetic messengers. New high-energy missions and expansions of the InterPlanetary Network (IPN) will further enhance discovery capabilities across the gamma-ray and X-ray regimes. This convergence of capabilities represents a transformative opportunity: for the first time, the community will routinely detect rare and high-impact events across multiple messengers. However, the scientific return from these discoveries will depend critically on the ability to rapidly identify, prioritize, and coordinate follow-up observations across a heterogeneous and globally distributed set of facilities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Disruption modelling for engineering and physics design of ST-E1 fusion power plant

Plasma disruptions represent a critical challenge for high-performance tokamak operations, as they can compromise machine integrity and reduce operational availability. Although future fusion devices essentially need to incorporate strategies to minimise disruption occurrence, complete avoidance remains unattainable. Consequently, assessing and characterising unmitigated disruption consequences is fundamental for the design and qualification of next-generation fusion power plants. This work supports the pre-conceptual design of ST-E1, a low aspect-ratio Tokamak Fusion Power Plant developed by Tokamak Energy Ltd., by presenting a comprehensive disruption modelling approach applied across different design stages. The methodology integrates both physics and engineering considerations to evaluate the impact of disruptions on machine performance and structural integrity. From an engineering perspective, several ST-E1 layout options were analysed to investigate the electromagnetic response of key components under disruption-induced loads, enabling comparison between alternative design solutions. On the physics side, a broad set of disruption scenarios was explored, scanning operational space parameters, plasma-material interactions, and associated thermal loads. Furthermore, the study examined variations in disruption behaviour arising from different reference equilibria, focusing on a range starting from Double Null to Single Null configurations, reflecting the increasing up-down asymmetry consequences. The results reveal significant contrasts in plasma dynamics and structures electromagnetic behaviour between configurations, highlighting the importance of disruption modelling in guiding design choices. These analyses have proven instrumental in shaping ST-E1 development, offering critical insights for mitigating risks and optimising future fusion power plant designs.

Borowiec, Katarzyna [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000335911739↗
DOE OSTI2024

Results from a synthetic model of the ITER XRCS-Core diagnostic based on high-fidelity x-ray ray tracing

A high-fidelity synthetic diagnostic has been developed for the ITER core x-ray crystal spectrometer diagnostic based on x-ray ray tracing. This synthetic diagnostic has been used to model expected performance of the diagnostic, to aid in diagnostic design, and to develop engineering tolerances. The synthetic model is based on x-ray ray tracing using the recently developed xicsrt ray tracing code and includes a fully three-dimensional representation of the diagnostic based on the computer aided design. The modeled components are: plasma geometry and emission profiles, highly oriented pyrolytic graphite pre-reflectors, spherically bent crystals, and pixelated x-ray detectors. Plasma emission profiles have been calculated for Xe 44+ , Xe 47+ , and Xe 51+ , based on an ITER operational scenario available through the Integrated Modelling & Analysis Suite database, and modeled within the ray tracing code as a volumetric x-ray source; the shape of the plasma source is determined by equilibrium geometry and an appropriate wavelength distribution to match the expected ion temperature profile. All individual components of the x-ray optical system have been modeled with high-fidelity producing a synthetic detector image that is expected to closely match what will be seen in the final as-built system. Particular care is taken to maintain preservation of photon statistics throughout the ray tracing allowing for quantitative estimates of diagnostic performance.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2026

The NOvA Test Beam Program

NOvA is a long-baseline off-axis beam neutrino experiment at Fermilab and Ash River, Minnesota. By measuring νμ \nu_\mu disappearance and νe \nu_e appearance at the 14 kiloton NOvA Far Detector, the experiment is addressing outstanding questions in neutrino physics, including the neutrino mass hierarchy and existence of leptonic CP violation. The NOvA Test Beam program, under deployment at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility, will use a scaled-down NOvA detector to sample beams of tagged electrons, muons, pions, and protons in the momentum range of 0.3 to 2 GeV/c. It will further the NOvA physics reach by precisely measuring the detector's muon energy scale and electromagnetic and hadronic response, and provide real data for detailed studies of particle identification techniques. Ongoing efforts on beamline instrumentation, data acquisition, simulation, momentum reconstruction and particle identification are presented. Implications for the neutrino oscillation measurements are discussed.

Huang, Junting [Texas U.]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Purpose, Design, and Analysis of the NSTX-U Centerstack Casing Lateral Support Shims

The National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) centerstack casing surrounds the central magnet core of NSTXU. It provides the inner vacuum boundary of the plasma chamber and supports the radially inboard plasma facing components lining the plasma chamber. The casing is supported like a cantilever, fixed at the lower flange by a connection to the TF Bundle through a G-10 ring. It is flexibly supported at the top by bellows, and insulated shims intended to react the largest part of the inventory of the disruption loads at the upper support, thereby protecting the upper and lower connections from excessive loads. A large part of the qualification of the casing and tiles requires addressing and quantifying disruption loads. These have been estimated based on extensions of the behavior of NSTX during its run period roughly 15 years ago. Structural qualification of the Upgrade used these estimates of the loading as input to calculations to demonstrate adequacy for a “most probable” disruption. The estimates are included in a requirements document to guide conservative design of all components loaded by disruptions. However, the changes made for the upgrade made the extrapolation of disruption behavior uncertain. Disruptions include axisymmetric loading from axisymmetric currents induced in the vessel shells. In addition, more complex currents called Halo currents are a result of plasma poloidal currents impinging on the casing. The halo currents add another layer of uncertain behavior and net lateral loading to the casing. As a result, NSTX-U is equipped with a number of instruments intended to assess the nature and severity of disruptions. The casing shims are required for lateral support of the casing, but these have also been converted to load cells to provide another measure of the magnitude of symmetric and asymmetric loading. Some of the logic in the development of the requirements document are presented. Electromagnetic analysis of axisymmetric and halo loading is described. Global simulations of the casing transient dynamic response, and local analysis and testing of the shim/load cell are included. The shim load cells and other instrumentation will be an important guide in planning NSTX-U experiments beyond its next run period expected in late 2026 or early 2027.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Characterizing the Electromagnetic Response of the NOvA Detectors

The NOvA Test Beam Program was commissioned to complement the full-scale NOvA experiment in its goal of measuring neutrino oscillations. The NOvA Experiment consists of a 300-ton Near Detector and a 14-kton Far Detector, both exposed to the same beam, which can be operated in neutrino or antineutrino mode from Fermilab at an off-axis angle of 14.6~mrad. These detectors can discriminate between $\nu_\mu$-CC and $\nu_e$-CC neutrino (or corresponding antineutrino) events, enabling appearance and disappearance measurements of these flavors across the \SI{810}{\kilo\meter} near-to-far detector baseline. From these measurements, the underlying parameters of the three-flavor PMNS oscillations framework are measured. The NOvA Test Beam uses identical technology to the full-scale detectors, but scaled down to 30~tons. It is exposed to a beam of charged particles closely matched to the daughter products of NOvA (anti)neutrino interactions in both energy and species. An instrumented beamline determines both particle momentum and species upstream of the NOvA detector, allowing for a crisp measurement of the NOvA detector response to these known inputs. This dissertation presents an analysis of the electromagnetic response of the NOvA hardware and establishes a framework for incorporating these results to enhance the physics reach of the experiment. Prior to this work, the electromagnetic energy response of the NOvA detector relied primarily on simulation-driven calibration together with a globally applied energy scale uncertainty. The measurements presented here provide direct test beam constraints on the detector response, enabling particle-dependent and potentially energy-dependent uncertainty models derived from controlled electromagnetic inputs.

Myers, Dalton Grant [U. Texas, Austin (main)] (ORC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Low Yield Nuclear Monitoring Physics Experiment 1 – Integrated Data Acquisition System Design and Initial Observations

The report documents the design of the Integrated Data AcQuisition (IDAQ) system and observations recorded during the first in a series of underground chemical explosions conducted on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) in southern Nevada. Experiments are funded as part of Low Yield Nuclear Monitoring (LYNM) research and development within the United States National Nuclear Security Administration NA-22 nuclear non-proliferation program. The series is part of the broader Physical Experiment 1 (PE1) being conducted in and around the P-tunnel facility on the NNSS. Each explosive experiment utilizes several tons of comp-B to generate signals recorded by a broad suite of instrumentation. The IDAQ serves as the backbone for all subsurface instrumentation providing precise time synchronization, remote control, data exfiltration and backup, along with recording several sensing modalities throughout the underground complex that includes ground motion, environmental conditions, and electromagnetic signals.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗