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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

Beam Dynamics of the Muon $g\textrm{-}2$ Experiment

The Muon $g\textrm{-}2$ Experiment (E989) at Fermilab aims to measure the muon anomalous magnetic moment $a_{\mu}$ with unprecedented precision, potentially uncovering physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. The result based on Runs 1-3, released in 2023, achieved a precision of 0.20 ppm. The experiment circulates muons in a storage ring, measuring $a_{\mu}$ from decay positron time and energy measurements collected with calorimeters. To achieve the required accuracy, it is crucial to measure and control the magnetic field in the ring with high precision. Beam dynamics corrections are necessary for muons not orbiting exactly in the midplane, for their oscillations, and for electric field effects. Highly accurate beam dynamics simulations are instrumental for quantifying and validating the beam dynamics corrections, ultimately improving the precision of the $a_{\mu}$ measurement and facilitating the achievement of the ambitious $70\:\mathrm{ppb}$ systematic uncertainty goal. The measured field data was incorporated into models for simulations using three codes: \texttt{gm2ringsim} (an internal Geant4-based code), \textit{COSY INFINITY}, and \textit{BMAD}. The advantages of \texttt{gm2ringsim} include using CAD-based geometry and modelling the detector effects. \textit{COSY INFINITY} is a highly accurate and efficient code that uses high-order differential-algebraic transfer maps, precise fringe field calculations, and advanced symplectification methods. Symplectification is important for maintaining the physical correctness of the muon beam behaviour with high precision over the storage time, ensuring conservation of phase space volume and preventing artificial damping or excitation of particle motion. The experiment completed its final Run 6 in July 2023, collecting 21 times more data than the previous BNL experiment. Analyses of data from Runs 4-6 are ongoing, with results planned for release in 2025, potentially resolving the current tension between experiment and theory.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characterisation of signal-induced noise in Hamamatsu R11265 Multianode Photomultiplier Tubes

Signal-induced noise is observed in Hamamatsu R11265 Multianode Photomultiplier Tubes, manifesting up to several microseconds after the single photoelectron response signal and localised in specific anodes. The mean number of noise pulses varies between devices, and shows significant dependence on the applied high-voltage. The characterisation of this noise and the mitigation strategies to perform optimal single-photon counting at 40 MHz, as required by the LHCb Ring-Imaging Cherenkov detectors, are reported.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Improving the electrostatic design of the Jefferson Lab 300 kV DC photogun

The 300 kV DC high voltage photogun at Jefferson Lab was redesigned to deliver electron beams with a much higher bunch charge and improved beam properties. The original design provided only a modest longitudinal electric field ( E z ) at the photocathode, which limited the achievable extracted bunch charge. To reach the bunch charge goal of approximately few nC with 75 ps full-width at half-maximum Gaussian laser pulse width, the existing DC high voltage photogun electrodes and anode–cathode gap were modified to increase E z at the photocathode. In addition, the anode aperture was spatially shifted with respect to the beamline longitudinal axis to minimize the beam deflection introduced by the non-symmetric nature of the inverted insulator photogun design. We present the electrostatic design of the original photogun and the modified photogun and beam dynamics simulations that predict vastly improved performance. We also quantify the impact of the photocathode recess on beam quality, where recess describes the actual location of the photocathode inside the photogun cathode electrode relative to the intended location. A photocathode unintentionally recessed/misplaced by sub-millimeter distance can significantly impact the downstream beam size.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Gain characterization of LGAD sensors with beta particles and 28-MeV protons

Low Gain Avalanche Diodes, also known as LGADs, are widely considered for fast-timing applications in high energy physics, nuclear physics, space science, medical imaging, and precision measurements of rare processes. Such devices are silicon-based and feature an intrinsic gain due to a p + -doped layer that allows the production of a controlled avalanche of carriers, with multiplication on the order of 10–100. This technology can provide time resolution on the order of 20–30 ps, and variants of this technology can provide precision tracking too. The characterization of LGAD performance has so far primarily been focused on the interaction of minimum ionizing particles for high energy and nuclear physics applications. This article expands the study of LGAD performance to highly-ionizing particles, such as 28-MeV protons, which are relevant for several future scientific applications, e.g. in biology and medical physics, among others. These studies were performed with a beam of 28-MeV protons from a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator at Brookhaven National Laboratory and beta particles from a ^90Sr source; these were used to characterize the response and the gain of an LGAD as a function of bias voltage and collected charge. Here, the experimental results are also compared to TCAD simulations.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sensor response and radiation damage effects for 3D pixels in the ATLAS IBL Detector

Pixel sensors in 3D technology equip the outer ends of the staves of the Insertable B Layer (IBL), the innermost layer of the ATLAS Pixel Detector, which was installed before the start of LHC Run 2 in 2015. 3D pixel sensors are expected to exhibit more tolerance to radiation damage and are the technology of choice for the innermost layer in the ATLAS tracker upgrade for the HL-LHC programme. While the LHC has delivered an integrated luminosity of ≃ 235 fb -1 since the start of Run 2, the 3D sensors have received a non-ionising energy deposition corresponding to a fluence of ≃ 8.5 × 10 14 1 MeV neutron-equivalent cm -2 averaged over the sensor area. This paper presents results of measurements of the 3D pixel sensors' response during Run 2 and the first two years of Run 3, with predictions of its evolution until the end of Run 3 in 2025. Data are compared with radiation damage simulations, based on detailed maps of the electric field in the Si substrate, at various fluence levels and bias voltage values. These results illustrate the potential of 3D technology for pixel applications in high-radiation

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Voltage waveform tailoring for high aspect ratio plasma etching of SiO 2 using Ar/CF 4 /O 2 mixtures: Consequences of ion and electron distributions on etch profiles

The quality of high aspect ratio (HAR) features etched into dielectrics for microelectronics fabrication using halogen containing low temperature plasmas strongly depends on the energy and angular distribution of the incident ions (IEAD) onto the wafer, as well as potentially that of the electrons (EEAD). Positive ions, accelerated to high energies by the sheath electric field, have narrow angular spreads and can penetrate deeply into HAR features. Electrons typically arrive at the wafer with nearly thermal energy and isotropic angular distributions and so do not directly penetrate deeply into features. These differences can lead to positive charging of the insides of the features that can slow etching rates and produce geometric defects such as twisting. In this work, we computationally investigated the plasma etching of HAR features into SiO 2 using tailored voltage waveforms in a geometrically asymmetric capacitively coupled plasma sustained in an Ar/CF 4 /O 2 mixture at 40 mTorr. The tailored waveform consisted of a sinusoidal wave and its higher harmonics with a fundamental frequency of 1 MHz. We found that some degree of control of the IEADs and EEADs is possible by adjusting the phase of higher harmonics φ through the resulting generation of electrical asymmetry and electric field reversal. However, the IEADs and EEADs cannot easily be separately controlled. The control of IEADs and EEADs is inherently linked. The highest quality feature was obtained with a phase angle φ = 0° as this value generated the largest (most negative) DC self-bias and largest electric field reversal for accelerating electrons into the feature. That said, the consequences of voltage waveform tailoring (VWT) on etched features are dominated by the change in the IEADs. Although VWT does produce EEADs with higher energy and narrower angular spread, the effect of these electrons on the feature compared to thermal electrons is not large. Finally, this smaller impact of VWT produced EEADs is attributed to thermal electrons being accelerated into the feature by electric fields produced by the positive in-feature charging.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Experimental Capabilities to Support Design, Development and Demonstration of Microreactors

This work provides a summary of selected experimental capabilities being developed to support non-nuclear demonstration of microreactors under the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Microreactor Program. Major capabilities include the single primary heat extraction and removal emulator (SPHERE) and the microreactor agile non-nuclear experimental test bed (MAGNET). The SPHERE facility allows for controlled testing of the steady-state and transient heat rejection capabilities of a single heat pipe using electrical heaters that simulate nuclear heating. The facility is capable of monitoring axial temperature profiles along the heat pipe and surrounding test articles during startup, steady-state operation, and transients. Instrumentation includes non-contact infrared thermal imaging, surface thermocouples, spatially distributed fiber-optic temperature and strain sensors, electrical power meters, and a water-cooled, gas gap calorimeter for quantifying heat rejection from the heat pipe. The facility can be operated under both vacuum and inert-gas conditions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

The ARENA Test Bed – A Versatile Resource for I&C Development and Validation

The Accelerated and Real-time Experimental Nodal Assessment (ARENA) Test Bed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a versatile resource for development and validation of instrumentation and control (I&C) technologies. This capability was created to facilitate in-situ testing of nuclear electrical cables in various simulated operational environments. Using cable trays, a control box, and selected test components, low voltage cables can be staged to experience local adverse environments such as elevated temperature and water immersion. Cable condition can be continuously monitored over time to track the effect of local stresses using nondestructive assessment tools. A heads-up display (ARENA TV) plots key data in real-time for users. The ARENA Test Bed has recently been used to evaluate the potential for spread spectrum time domain reflectometry (SSTDR) to monitor thermal aging of a portion of live cable powering a three-phase motor. The arrangement provided the opportunity to directly compare the performance of the novel online SSTDR method with offline results from the more standard frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) method. The ability of SSTDR and FDR to identify the presence of water in immersed shielded and unshielded cables and to detect ground faults was also assessed. A digital twin is being developed to track and predict FDR signals from a thermally aging conceptual cable region to compare with measured signals from the ARENA physical counterpart. The test bed concept addresses an important need in nuclear I&C monitoring tool development. New tools and techniques can be developed in the test bed and validated versus known methods and physical measurements. Digital twins and machine learning engines can be populated with measured data in a controlled environment that would not be readily available in the actual nuclear power plant. Proposed monitoring strategies can be confirmed for effectiveness through objective evaluation. It is anticipated that the PNNL ARENA Test Bed will be a valuable resource in advancing nuclear plant instrumentation.

nuclear electrical cables, ARENA Test Bed, conditi↗
DOE OSTI2020

Charge collection and electrical characterization of neutron irradiated silicon pad detectors for the CMS High Granularity Calorimeter

The replacement of the existing endcap calorimeter in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector for the high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), scheduled for 2027, will be a high granularity calorimeter. It will provide detailed position, energy, and timing information on electromagnetic and hadronic showers in the immense pileup of the HL-LHC. The High Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL) will use 120-, 200-, and 300-$\mu\textrm{m}$ thick silicon (Si) pad sensors as the main active material and will sustain 1-MeV neutron equivalent fluences up to about $10^{16}~\textrm{n}_\textrm{eq}\textrm{cm}^{-2}$. In order to address the performance degradation of the Si detectors caused by the intense radiation environment, irradiation campaigns of test diode samples from 8-inch and 6-inch wafers were performed in two reactors. Characterization of the electrical and charge collection properties after irradiation involved both bulk polarities for the three sensor thicknesses. Since the Si sensors will be operated at -30 $^\circ$C to reduce increasing bulk leakage current with fluence, the charge collection investigation of 30 irradiated samples was carried out with the infrared-TCT setup at -30 $^\circ$C. TCAD simulation results at the lower fluences are in close agreement with the experimental results and provide predictions of sensor performance for the lower fluence regions not covered by the experimental study. All investigated sensors display 60$\%$ or higher charge collection efficiency at their respective highest lifetime fluences when operated at 800 V, and display above 90$\%$ at the lowest fluence, at 600 V. The collected charge close to the fluence of $10^{16}~\textrm{n}_\textrm{eq}\textrm{cm}^{-2}$ exceeds 1 fC at voltages beyond 800 V.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Data-Driven Cyber-Attack Detection for PV Farms via Time-Frequency Domain Features

The internetworking of grid-connected power electronics converters (PECs) in photovoltaic (PV) farms has inevitably expanded the cyber-attack surfaces. Here this paper presents a comprehensive study on cyber-attack detection and diagnosis for PEC-enabled PV farms via single waveform sensor to distinguish between normal conditions, open-circuit faults, short-circuit faults, and cyber-attacks. To our knowledge, this has not been attempted before. Firstly, we propose frequency-domain magnitude-based residuals to identify short-circuit faults and a time-domain mean current vector-based feature to distinguish open-circuit faults from other threats. These features can fully reflect the specific physical characteristics of PV farms during threat duration. Secondly, unlike micro phasor measurement units (µPMU) and raw electric waveform-based methods, the proposed innovative features can address novel cyber-attacks that are excluded from the training process. Thirdly, an online hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed using the OPAL-RT real-time digital simulator has verified the effectiveness. The monitoring system runs in real-time while using HIL as an operational solar farm and a National Instruments (NI) data acquisition card as the electric waveform sensor at the point of coupling.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Simulate Wind Loading on RUTE SunTracker: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

RUTE produces and delivers efficient, sustainable structural foundation systems for the wind and solar industries, instrumental in the effort to lower the cost of clean electricity and reduce CO2. RUTE's SunTracker is a high-clearance agrivoltaic solar array. The system uses raised cables, providing support with less materials and cost. These cables can provide tracking for increased energy generation and greater revenue, allowing the land beneath to be used for other means simultaneously. RUTE provided data files that NREL will use to perform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to characterize and predict wind loading on the 6x6 RUTE SunTracker photovoltaic (PV) array. Varying both the panel orientations and wind speeds provides information on how the array can manage a variety of weather conditions. These results, in turn, inform RUTE's design and construction of these arrays.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electrical Resistivity Tomography based monitoring of stress perturbations to optimize placement of high-precision strain meters

The Center for Understanding Subsurface Signals and Permeability is a new U.S. Department of Energy Earthshot Center focused on understanding and predicting the long-term evolution of permeability in enhanced geothermal systems. The center will use a highly instrumented testbed within the Sanford Underground Research Facility to conduct field scale experiments that elucidate and test capabilities to simulate geochemical-geomechanical interactions and permeability evolution. Here we demonstrate initial developments using previously collected electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) monitoring data with high-performance multi-physics modelling advancements to inform the optimal location of two new monitoring boreholes. Specifically, ERT monitoring data collected during shear stimulation testing shows marked responses to changes in stress during borehole pressurization. We demonstrate how the same response is being simulated, ultimately to train a machine-learning algorithm to estimate rock properties and enable enhanced prediction of stress and strain responses anticipated during future testing campaigns.

Stress, EGS, CUSSP, 3D Electrical Imaging↗
DOE OSTI2026

Machine learning-enhanced MPC for demand flexibility in small commercial buildings: An experimental study

Small- and medium-sized commercial buildings (SMCBs) represent the majority of U.S. commercial building stock and a significant share of peak electricity demand, yet they often lack centralized building automation systems, representing a significant untapped resource for urban energy management. This infrastructure gap makes advanced control implementation challenging, limiting the potential for widespread demand flexibility. Model Predictive Control (MPC) has shown strong potential for load shifting, peak demand reduction, and cost savings, but its effectiveness is hindered by unmeasured disturbances such as internal heat gains. This paper presents a Hybrid MPC framework that integrates a physics-based gray-box building thermal model, identified using a lumped disturbance (LD) approach, with a machine learning (ML) model for forecasting unmeasured disturbances. The hybrid approach is designed for buildings with multiple individually controlled heat pump and thermostat pairs, common in SMCBs, and aims to optimize coordinated scheduling of multiple heat pumps under dynamic electricity pricing while respecting comfort constraints. The methodology is validated through both simulations of case study buildings and experimental studies at a highly-instrumented test facility. Simulation results show that the Hybrid MPC achieves substantial load shifting and peak demand reduction, approaching the performance of an ideal MPC with perfect disturbance knowledge, and outperforming a conventional MPC without disturbance forecasting. In experiments, the Hybrid MPC reduced daily HVAC energy costs by 8.7%, peak-price time load (load shifting) by 41.7%, and peak demand by 29.2% compared to baseline control, demonstrating comparable benefits to the 11.6% cost savings, 42.9% load shifting, and 23.2% peak reduction of the ideal MPC. These results demonstrate that the proposed hybrid modeling approach can significantly improve MPC performance in real-world SMCB applications without requiring additional disturbance measurements.

Demand Flexibility↗
DOE OSTI2024

Role of Dynamic Polarization Interactions in the Electrical Double Layer at Calcite (104) Interfaces with Aqueous Solutions

Reactions at mineral interfaces with aqueous solutions control many geochemical and biogeochemical processes in the Earth’s critical zone. At the molecular level, insights into important properties such as the structure of the electrical double layer (EDL) at specific mineral interfaces continue to improve due to the increasing fidelity of laboratory instrumentation and computational approaches. However, molecular simulation approaches suffer from limited reach into relevant scales of time, length, and system complexity. To span this gap, a novel hybrid approach that couples first principle plane-wave density functional theory (DFT) with classical DFT (cDFT) is demonstrated and applied to calcite (104) interfaces with various electrolytes. In this approach, a region of interest described using DFT interacts with the surrounding medium described using cDFT to arrive at a self-consistent ground state. Benchmarking against experimental observations and entirely first principle DFT simulations demonstrates that this hybrid model efficiently encompasses the key short-range and collective interactions in the EDL. Simulations of calcite (104)/solution interfaces reveal the key static and dynamic polarization interactions that give rise to structuring of ions and water. Ion hydration interactions have the strongest effect on the depth of the first minimum in the density distribution of counterions at the surface, and the position and width of the first density peak is largely determined by the strength of ion-correlation forces. Finer details of ion distributions are controlled by mutual polarization of the calcite surface and interfacial electrolyte. Finally, this new ability to efficiently and rigorously predict EDL structure at mineral surfaces in contact with complex solutions paves the way to accurately modeling sorption, nucleation, dissolution, and growth in realistic systems.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Simulations of SITI Cookoff Experiments Carried Out with Different Lots of PBX 9502

A pressure dependent cookoff model for PBX 9502 was developed by Hobbs’ et. al. PBX 9502 is composed of 95% by mass triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) and a 5% by mass chlorotrifluoroethylene/vinylidine fluoride binder. The objective in this study is to implement this cookoff model in Aria to simulate Sandia Instrumented Thermal Ignition (SITI) experiments that were carried out with different manufacturing lots of PBX 9502. The SITI design consists of solid cylinders (1" diameter × 1" height) of insensitive high explosive (IHE) confined by a cylindrical aluminum case. An electric heater is wrapped around the lateral surface of the case. This heater produces a temperature heating ramp on the outer surface of the case. Internal thermocouples measure the IHE temperature rise from the center to locations close to the IHE-aluminum interface. The energetic material is heated until thermal ignition occurs. Pressure is measured with a static pressure transducer installed on top of the confinement case. Two–dimensional axisymmetric heat conduction finite element models were implemented to simulate these experiments using four options of the PBX 9502 cookoff model. In addition, the predictive ability of this thermal decomposition model is evaluated using Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) techniques.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

HOLISTIC ENERGY EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS OF ELECTRIFIED OFF-HIGHWAY MATERIAL HANDLER: FROM DRIVE CYCLE CHARACTERIZATION TO POWERTRAIN, HYDRAULIC, AND THERMAL SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Three complexities surrounding the operation and testing of hybrid electric, heavy-duty nonroad machines have been addressed experimentally and using 1D simulation. Their resolutions have been intertwined with the development of a prototype machine that was proven to reduce fuel consumption in excess of 20%. A real-world drive cycle that leveraged hydraulic cylinder position was developed and utilized to ensure accurate reproduction of hydraulic work between the baseline and hybrid machines, while simultaneously maintaining less than 5% RMS error in position for main load handling functions. The newly developed, machine-specific drive cycle also contributed towards making equivalent comparisons in energy consumption between machine types through composite performance metrics that were extrapolated over a typical shift duration. Lastly, this work addressed thermal management energy consumption, a topic of increasing popularity when discussing electrified vehicles, by proposing a 1.4% energy savings through special mechanization and control of cooling system components.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

On the use of dielectric elements in axion searches with microwave resonant cavities

This study explores the primary effects of dielectric materials in a resonant cavity-based search for axion dark matter. While dielectrics prove beneficial in numerous cases, their incorporation may lead to less-than-optimal performance, especially for the lowest TM mode. Additionally, the stronger confinement of the electric field inside the dielectrics can exacerbate mode mixings, in particular for higher-order modes. Case studies have been carried out using a combination of analytical solutions and numerical simulations. The findings indicate dielectric cavities employing the TM 010 mode experience a significant reduction in sensitivity when compared to a similar search conducted in a cavity at equivalent frequency using no dielectrics.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗