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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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The Use of Immersion Rigs for High Temperature Hydrogen Exposure Testing within the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES): Thermal Soak Rig (TSR)

The Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES) facility was purpose constructed to perform non-nuclear evaluations of nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system fuel materials and structures within prototypic thermochemical environments. This system has been utilized steadily in its ability to subject test specimens to thermochemical and thermohydraulic environments simulating that of an operating nuclear rocket engine. Fission heat is simulated by induction power and experiments are conducted within a ~1000 psi pressure vessel. Hydrogen is conventionally passed through the heated fuel surrogate test specimen while pressure, temperature, and gas species data are collected at various points along the experiment. In order to test fuel and material coupon samples, a class of test apparatus named “immersion rigs” are being developed and employed to more rapidly test these smaller and more technically challenging test specimen. One example of a promising potential fuel structure, Tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) particles, presents unique challenges for testing of this type. TRISO fuel micro-particles are spheroids typically on the order of 500 – 1000 μm in diameter, and exposing a batch sample to hot hydrogen requires purpose-built special test equipment. Thusly, an immersion rig was developed and successfully demonstrated to expose ~1 g of micro-particles to hydrogen gas at temperatures and pressures relevant to NTP systems for the purpose of fuel evaluation. The rig, comprised primarily of graphite and pure tungsten, houses in its core a batch of micro-particles between pucks of porous silicon carbide (SiC). This approach permits gas flow while simultaneously retaining the particles in place. Herein is a discussion of the design, analysis, fabrication, and testing of the NTREES Thermal Soak Rig (TSR).

Space Nuclear Propulsion↗

Development and Future of the Ten Simple Rules for Credible Practice of Models and Simulations in HealthCare

In this session, we will review the development and implementation history of the Ten Simple Rules (TSR) for credible practice in models and simulations that support healthcare. Our focus will be initially on the need and background for the Committee on Credible Practice of Models and Simulations in Healthcare (CPMS) as well as the TSR development process and implementation. This will flow into a demonstration of how the TSR has evolved as means of communicating and understanding the model development process, likely successful application and where the model could fail. We will end this presentation with a discussion on future development avenue, the CPMS efforts to develop a comprehensive rubric supporting current TSR implementation, and efforts to support further adoption of the TSR. The audience will be encouraged to comment on the current state of the TSR, share their TSR application experiences, and provide their insights on future development.

model↗

Increasing Linear Dynamic Range of a CMOS Image Sensor

A generic design and a corresponding operating sequence have been developed for increasing the linear-response dynamic range of a complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. The design provides for linear calibrated dual-gain pixels that operate at high gain at a low signal level and at low gain at a signal level above a preset threshold. Unlike most prior designs for increasing dynamic range of an image sensor, this design does not entail any increase in noise (including fixed-pattern noise), decrease in responsivity or linearity, or degradation of photometric calibration. The figure is a simplified schematic diagram showing the circuit of one pixel and pertinent parts of its column readout circuitry. The conventional part of the pixel circuit includes a photodiode having a small capacitance, CD. The unconventional part includes an additional larger capacitance, CL, that can be connected to the photodiode via a transfer gate controlled in part by a latch. In the high-gain mode, the signal labeled TSR in the figure is held low through the latch, which also helps to adapt the gain on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Light must be coupled to the pixel through a microlens or by back illumination in order to obtain a high effective fill factor; this is necessary to ensure high quantum efficiency, a loss of which would minimize the efficacy of the dynamic- range-enhancement scheme. Once the level of illumination of the pixel exceeds the threshold, TSR is turned on, causing the transfer gate to conduct, thereby adding CL to the pixel capacitance. The added capacitance reduces the conversion gain, and increases the pixel electron-handling capacity, thereby providing an extension of the dynamic range. By use of an array of comparators also at the bottom of the column, photocharge voltages on sampling capacitors in each column are compared with a reference voltage to determine whether it is necessary to switch from the high-gain to the low-gain mode. Depending upon the built-in offset in each pixel and in each comparator, the point at which the gain change occurs will be different, adding gain-dependent fixed pattern noise in each pixel. The offset, and hence the fixed pattern noise, is eliminated by sampling the pixel readout charge four times by use of four capacitors (instead of two such capacitors as in conventional design) connected to the bottom of the column via electronic switches SHS1, SHR1, SHS2, and SHR2, respectively, corresponding to high and low values of the signals TSR and RST. The samples are combined in an appropriate fashion to cancel offset-induced errors, and provide spurious-free imaging with extended dynamic range.

Pain, Bedabrata↗

Optical and Thermal Analyses of High-Power Laser Diode Arrays

An important need, especially for space-borne applications, is the early identification and rejection of laser diode arrays which may fail prematurely. The search for reliable failure predictors is ongoing and has led to the development of two techniques, infrared imagery and monitoring the Temporally-resolved and Spectrally-Resolved (TSR) optical output from which temperature of the device can be measured. This is in addition to power monitoring on long term burn stations. A direct measurement of the temperature of the active region is an important parameter as the lifetime of Laser Diode Arrays (LDA) decreases exponentially with increasing temperature. We measure the temperature from time-resolving the spectral emission in an analogous method to Voss et al. In this paper we briefly discuss the measurement setup and present temperature data derived from thermal images and TSR data for two differently designed high-power 808 nanometer LDA packages of similar specification operated in an electrical and thermal environment that mimic the expected operational conditions.

Vasilyev, Aleksey↗

Dielectronic Recombination In Active Galactic Nuclei

XMM-Newton and Chandra observations of active galactic nuclei (AGN) show rich spectra of X-ray absorption lines. These observations have detected a broad unresolved transition array (UTA) between approx. 15-17 A. This is attributed to inner-shell photoexcitation of M-shell iron ions. Modeling these UTA features is currently limited by uncertainties in the low-temperature dielectronic recombination (DR) data for M-shell iron. In order to resolve this issue, and to provide reliable iron M-shell DR data for plasma modeling, we are carrying out a series of laboratory measurements using the heavy-ion Test Storage Ring (TSR) at the Max-Plank-Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany. Currently, laboratory measurements of low temperature DR can only be performed at storage rings. We use the DR data obtained at TSR, to calculate rate coefficients for plasma modeling and to benchmark theoretical DR calculations. Here we report our recent experimental results for DR of Fe XIV forming Fe XIII.

Lukic, D. V.↗

The POPOP4 library and codes for preparing secondary gamma-ray production cross sections

The POPOP4 code for converting secondary gamma ray yield data to multigroup secondary gamma ray production cross sections and the POPOP4 library of secondary gamma ray yield data are described. Recent results of the testing of uranium and iron data sets from the POPOP4 library are given. The data sets were tested by comparing calculated secondary gamma ray pulse height spectra measured at the ORNL TSR-II reactor.

Ford, W. E., III↗

Beyond the Kirchhoff approximation

The three most successful models for describing scattering from random rough surfaces are the Kirchhoff approximation (KA), the small-perturbation method (SPM), and the two-scale-roughness (or composite roughness) surface-scattering (TSR) models. In this paper it is shown how these three models can be derived rigorously from one perturbation expansion based on the extinction theorem for scalar waves scattering from perfectly rigid surface. It is also shown how corrections to the KA proportional to the surface curvature and higher-order derivatives may be obtained. Using these results, the scattering cross section is derived for various surface models.

Rodriguez, Ernesto↗

Tessera terrain, Venus - Characterization and models for origin and evolution

Tessera terrain is the dominant tectonic landform in the northern high latitudes of Venus mapped by the Venera 15 and 16 orbiters and is concentrated in the region between the mountain ranges of western Ishtar Terra and Aphrodite Terra. Tesserae are characterized by regionally high topography, a high-degree of small scale surface roughness, and sets of intersecting tectonic features. Available Pioneer Venus line of sight gravity data suggest that tessera terain is compensated at shallow depths relative to many topographic highs on Venus and may be supported by crustal thickness variations. Three types of tessera terrain can be defined on the basis of structural patterns: subparallel ridged terrain (Tsr), trough and ridge terrain (Ttr), and disrupted terrain (Tds). Observed characteristics of tessera terrain are compared to predictions of formational and modificational models in order to begin to address the question of its origin and evolution. It is found that horizontal convergence and late stage gravitational relaxation are basic observations for subparallel ridged terrain and disrupted terrain.

Bindschadler, Duane L.↗

A Software Package for Neural Network Applications Development

Original Backprop (Version 1.2) is an MS-DOS package of four stand-alone C-language programs that enable users to develop neural network solutions to a variety of practical problems. Original Backprop generates three-layer, feed-forward (series-coupled) networks which map fixed-length input vectors into fixed length output vectors through an intermediate (hidden) layer of binary threshold units. Version 1.2 can handle up to 200 input vectors at a time, each having up to 128 real-valued components. The first subprogram, TSET, appends a number (up to 16) of classification bits to each input, thus creating a training set of input output pairs. The second subprogram, BACKPROP, creates a trilayer network to do the prescribed mapping and modifies the weights of its connections incrementally until the training set is leaned. The learning algorithm is the 'back-propagating error correction procedures first described by F. Rosenblatt in 1961. The third subprogram, VIEWNET, lets the trained network be examined, tested, and 'pruned' (by the deletion of unnecessary hidden units). The fourth subprogram, DONET, makes a TSR routine by which the finished product of the neural net design-and-training exercise can be consulted under other MS-DOS applications.

Baran, Robert H.↗

Multi-Instrument Observations of an MSTID over Arecibo Observatory

The Penn State All-Sky Imager (PSASI) at Arecibo Observatory provides planar horizontal context to the vertical ionospheric profiles obtained by the Incoherent Seatter Radar (TSR). Electric field measurements from the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) satellite are mapped down geomagnetic field lines to the height of the airglow layer; allowing multi-instrument studies of field-aligned irregularities with radar, imager, and satellite. A Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbance (MSTID) was observed during such a conjunction near the December solstice of 2009.

Klenzing, J. H.↗

Adaptive Disturbance Tracking Theory with State Estimation and State Feedback for Region II Control of Large Wind Turbines

A theory called Adaptive Disturbance Tracking Control (ADTC) is introduced and used to track the Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) of 5 MW Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT). Since ADTC theory requires wind speed information, a wind disturbance generator model is combined with lower order plant model to estimate the wind speed as well as partial states of the wind turbine. In this paper, we present a proof of stability and convergence of ADTC theory with lower order estimator and show that the state feedback can be adaptive.

Balas, Mark J.↗