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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
NASA NTRS1992

Analysis of the dielectric properties of trunk wood in dominant conifer species from New England and Siberia

Data were collected for dominant conifer species. Dielectric properties of trunk wood were measured using a C-band dielectric probe. For certain specimens, electrical resistance was also measured using a shigometer. The water status of the trees studies was determined either by use of a Scholander pressure chamber on branch samples collected simultaneously with dielectric measurements or by fresh-weight/dry-weight assessment of wood core samples extracted and analyzed with the dielectric probe and shigometer. Diurnal delectric properties and xylem water column tension are inversely correlated such that real and imaginary dielectric values drop as tension increases. The dielectric properties were positively correlated with wood core moisture content while electrical resistance was poorly correlated with wood core moisture content in one species studied. Results support the view that dielectric properties are strongly correlated with moisture status in trunk wood, and possibly ion concentrations associated with decay processes in damaged specimens.

Ranson, K. J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Long-Term Spectral and Timing Behavior of Black Hole Candidate XTE J1908+094

The X-ray transient XTE J1908+094 was serendipitously discovered during RXTE ToO observations of SGR 1900+14 in February 2002. Following the discovery, RXTE routinely monitored the region. At the onset, the source was found in a spectrally low/hard state lasting for approximately 40 days, followed by a quick transition to the highhoft state. At the highest X-ray intensity level (seen on 2002 April 6), the source flux (2-10 keV) reached approximately 105 mCrab, then decayed rapidly. Overall outburst characteristics resemble the transient behavior of galactic black hole candidates. Here, we present the long term light curves, and detailed spectral and timing investigations of XTE J1098+094 using the RXTE/PCA data. We also report the results of Chandra ACIS observations which were performed during the decay phase.

Gogus, E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

A Comprehensive Study of Pulse Profile Evolution in SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array

Soft gamma repeaters undergo pulse profile changes in connection with their burst activity. Here we present a comprehensive pulse profile history of SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 in three energy bands using Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer/Proportiona1 Counter Array observations performed between 1996 and 2001. Using the Fourier harmonic powers of pulse profiles, we quantify the pulse shape evolution. Moreover, we determined the rms pulsed count rates (PCRs) of each profile. We show that the pulse profiles of SGR 1806-20 remain single pulsed, showing only modest changes for most of our observing span, while those of SGR 1900+14 change remarkably in all energy bands. Highly significant pulsations from SGR 1900+ 14 following the 1998 August 27 and 2001 April 18 bursts enabled us to study not only the decay of PCRs in different energy bands but also their correlations with each other.

Gogus, Ersin↗
NASA NTRS1977

Study of coatings for improved fire and decay resistance of mine timbers

The purpose of this program was to find a fire- and rot-retardant polymer/fungicide reaction product for coating mine timbers. Fire-retardant polymers were screened as films and coatings on fir wood. Curable polyimide appeared to be flame retardant and evolved a minimum of fumes when exposed to a flame. Several organic and metal, low toxicity, fungicides were reacted with the polyimide in-situ on the wood. These coated samples were screened for fungus resistance. All formulations rated well - even the polyimide film without additives was fungicidal. The fir wood control itself resisted internal damage during the ten weeks of fungus exposure. A more severe test for fungus resistance will be required.

Baum, B.↗
NASA NTRS2002

A Comprehensive Study of Pulse Profile Evolution in SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 with the RXTE/PCA

Soft Gamma Repeaters undergo pulse profile changes in connection with the burst activity. Here we construct a comprehensive pulse profile history of SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 in different energy bands using Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer/Proportional Counter Array observations. We quantify the pulse profile evolution using the Fourier harmonic powers of profiles. Moreover, we determined the RMS pulsed count rates (PCRs) of each profile. We show that the pulse profiles SGR 1806$-$20 remain as single pulsed while those of SGR 1900+14 alter remarkable in all energy bands. Highly significant pulsations form SGR 1900+14 following August 27 and April 19 bursts enabled us to study not only decay of PCRs in different energy bands and also their correlations with one another.

Gogus, E.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Long-Term Spectral and Timing Behavior of the Black Hole Candidate XTE J1908+094

We present the long-term X-ray light curves and detailed spectral and timing analyses of XTE J1908+094 using the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array observations covering two outbursts in 2002 and early 2003. At the onset of the first outburst, the source was found in a spectrally low/hard state lasting for approx.40 days, followed by a 3 day long transition to the high/soft state. The source flux (in 2- 10 keV) reached approx.100 mcrab on 2002 April 6, then decayed rapidly. In power spectra, we detect strong band-limited noise and varying low- frequency quasi-periodic oscillations that evolved from approx.0.5 to approx.5 Hz during the initial low/hard state of the source. We find that the second outburst closely resembled the spectral evolution of the first. The X-ray transient s overall outburst characteristics led us to classify XTE J1908+094 as a black hole candidate. Here we also derive precise X-ray position of the source using Chandra observations that were performed during the decay phase of the first outburst and following the second outburst.

Gogus, Ersin↗
NASA NTRS1990

Pt/SnO2-based CO-oxidation catalysts for long-life closed-cycle CO2 lasers

Noble-metal/tin-oxide based catalysts such as Pt/SnO2 have been shown to be good catalysts for the efficient oxidation of CO at or near room temperature. These catalysts require a reductive pretreatment and traces of hydrogen or water to exhibit their full activity. Addition of Palladium enhances the activity of these catalysts with about 15 to 20 percent Pt, 4 percent Pd, and the balance SnO2 being an optimum composition. Unfortunately, these catalysts presently exhibit significant decay due in part to CO2 retention, probably as a bicarbonate. Research on minimizing the decay in activity of these catalysts is currently in progress. A proposed mechanism of CO oxidation on Pt/SnO2-based catalysts has been developed and is discussed.

Schryer, David R.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Evolution of the Pinatubo volcanic cloud over Hampton, Virginia

The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June 1991 produced the largest enhancement of stratospheric aerosol loading ever observed by lidar over Hampton, Virginia. Low altitude layers (less than 20 km) were the first to arrive over Hampton in early August, the result of transport associated with a tropospheric anticyclonic cell over North America. The maximum peak scattering ratio, 34 at 22.4 km, and the maximum stratospheric integrated backscatter of 0.0053 sr(exp -1), both at 694 nm, observed since the eruption were measured on February 20, 1992. After decreasing during the spring and summer of 1992, the aerosol burden increased significantly during the winter of 1992-93, evidence of a poleward winter transport from the equatorial reservoir. Over the period from February 1992 to February 1994, the stratospheric aerosol loading decreased with an average 1/e decay time of 10.1 months. The vertical distribution, intensity, and transport of Pinatubo aerosols over this site are described and compared with similar measurements after El Chichon.

Osborn, Mary T.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Development of CO oxidation catalysts for the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS)

Available commercial catalysts have been studied both in a laser and under simulated closed-cycle laser conditions. The results demonstrate that long-term decay of catalytic efficiency persists in currently available catalysts. In one recently developed catalyst, however, the decay in efficiency is significantly lower than in previously available catalysts while the catalyst operates quite well under ambient temperature conditions. Synthesis and mechanistic details in the development of the new catalyst composition are discussed.

Upchurch, Billy T.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Non-Intrusive Velocity Measurements with MTV During DCC Event in the HTTF

Velocity profiles are measured using molecular tagging velocimetry (MTV) in the high temperature test facility (HTTF) at Oregon State University during a depressurized conduction cooldown (DCC) event. The HTTF is a quarter scale electrically heated nuclear reactor simulator designed to replicate various accident scenarios. During a DCC, a double ended guillotine break results in the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) depressurizing into the reactor cavity and ultimately leading to air ingress in the reactor core (lock-exchange and gas diffusion). It is critical to understand the resulting buoyancy-driven flow to characterize the reactor self-cooling capacity through natural circulation. During tests conducted at ambient pressure and temperature, the RPV containing helium is opened (via the hot and cold legs) to a large vessel filled with nitrogen to simulate the atmosphere. The velocity profile on the hot leg pipe centerline is recorded at 10 Hz with MTV based on NO tracers. The precision of the velocimetry was measured to be 0.02 m/s in quiescent flow prior to the tests. A helium flow from the RPV is initially observed in the top quarter of the pipe. During the first 20 seconds of the event, helium flows out of the RPV with a maximum velocity below 2 m/s. The velocity profile transitions from parabolic to linear in character and decays slowly over the rest of the recording; peak velocities of 0.2 m/s are observed after 30 min. A counter-flow of nitrogen is also observed intermittently, which occurs at lower velocities (>0.1 m/s).

Andre, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Changes in the X-ray Emission from the Magnetar Candidate 1E 2259+586 during its 2002 Outburst

An outburst of more thm 80 individual bursts, similar to those see^ from Soft Gamma Repeaters (SGRs), was detected from the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar (AXP) 1E 2259+586 in 2002 June. Coincident with this burst activity were gross changes in the pulsed flux, persistent flux, energy spectrum, pulse profile and spin down of the underlying X-ray source. We present Rossa X-ray Tirnsng Explorer and X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission observations of 1E 2259+586 that show the evolution of the aforementioned source parameters during and following this episode and identify recovery time scales for each. Specifically, we observe an X-ray flux increase (pulsed and phase-averaged) by more than an order of magnitude having two distinct components. The first component is linked to the burst activity and decays within approx. 2 days during which the energy spectrum is considerably harder than during the quiescent state of the source. The second component decays over the year following the glitch according to a power law in time with an exponent -0.22+/-0.01. The pulsed fraction decreased initially to approx. 15% RMS, but recovered rapidly to the pre-outburst level of approx. 2 3 % within the first three days.

Woods, P. M.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Simulating the Gradually Deteriorating Performance of an RTG

Degra (now in version 3) is a computer program that simulates the performance of a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) over its lifetime. Degra is provided with a graphical user interface that is used to edit input parameters that describe the initial state of the RTG and the time-varying loads and environment to which it will be exposed. Performance is computed by modeling the flows of heat from the radioactive source and through the thermocouples, also allowing for losses, to determine the temperature drop across the thermocouples. This temperature drop is used to determine the open-circuit voltage, electrical resistance, and thermal conductance of the thermocouples. Output power can then be computed by relating the open-circuit voltage and the electrical resistance of the thermocouples to a specified time-varying load voltage. Degra accounts for the gradual deterioration of performance attributable primarily to decay of the radioactive source and secondarily to gradual deterioration of the thermoelectric material. To provide guidance to an RTG designer, given a minimum of input, Degra computes the dimensions, masses, and thermal conductances of important internal structures as well as the overall external dimensions and total mass.

Wood, Eric G.↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Kepler Light Curve of V344 LYR: Constraining the Thermal-Viscous Limit Cycle Instability

We present time dependent modeling based on the accretion disk limit cycle model for a 90 d light curve of the short period SU UMa-type dwarf nova V344 Lyr taken by Kepler. The unprecedented precision and cadence (1 minute) far surpass that generally available for long term light curves. The data encompass a super outburst, preceded by three normal (i.e., short) outbursts and followed by two normal outbursts. The main decay of the super outburst is nearly perfectly exponential, decaying at a rate approx.12 d/mag, while the much more rapid decays of the normal outbursts exhibit a faster-than-exponential shape. We show that the standard limit cycle model can account for the light curve, without the need for either the thermal-tidal instability or enhanced mass transfer.

Cannizzo, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

What heated the parent meteorite planets?

The plausibility of the two most wide discussed mechanisms, decay of short-lived Al-26 and solar wind induction heating, for heating the small planetesimals in which the meteorites formed are examined and shown to have significant problems. The main problem for the Al-26 decay mechanism is the fact that eucritic lavas, melted by the mysterious heating mechanism in some early planetesimal, did not contain enough Al-26 to decay to radiogenic Mg-26 when they erupted to their planetesimal surface and cooled. It is necessary to postulate that the lavas lingered underground while their Al-26 decayed away. The solar wind induction heat concept has the problem that astrophysical evidence has made is seem increasingly unlikely that an intense solar wind flux blew past planetesimals in the early solar system. Instead, it was probably collimated in the direction of the sun's poles by the persistence of the solar nebula during the T Tauri epoch.

Wood, John A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

The Kepler Light Curves of V1504 Cygni and V344 Lyrae: A Study of the Outburst Properties

We examine the Kepler light curves of V1504 Cyg and V344 Lyr, encompassing approximately 460 d at 1 min cadence. During this span each system exhibited approximately 40 outbursts, including four superoutbursts. We find that, in both systems, the normal outbursts lying between two superoutbursts increase in duration by a factor approximately 1.2 - 1.7, and then reset to a small value after the following superoutburst. In V344 Lyr the trend of quiescent intervals between normal outbursts is to increase to a local maximum about half way through the supercycle the interval from one superoutburst to the next - and then to decrease back to a small value by the time of the next superoutburst, whereas for V1504 Cyg the quiescent intervals are relatively constant during the supercycle. Both of these trends are inconsistent with the Osaki's thermal-tidal model, which robustly predicts a secular increase in the quiescent intervals between normal outbursts during a supercycle. Also, most of the normal outbursts have an asymmetric, fast-rise/slower-decline shape, which would be consistent with outbursts triggered at large radii. The exponential rate of decay of the plateau phase of the superoutbursts is 8 d mag(sup -1) for approximately 1504 Cyg and 12 d mag(sup -1) for V344 Lyr. This time scale gives a direct measure of the VISCOUS time scale III the outer accretion disk given the expectation that the entire disk is in the hot, viscous state during superoutburst. The resulting constraint on the Shakura-Sunyaev parameter, alpha(sub hot) approximately equal to 0.1, is consistent with the value inferred from the fast dwarf nova decays. By looking at the slow decay rate for superoutbursts, which occur in systems below the period gap, in combination with the slow decay rate in one long outburst above the period gap (in U Gem), we infer a steep dependence of the decay rate on orbital period for long outbursts. We argue that this relation implies a steep dependence of alpha(sub cold) on orbital period, which may be consistent with recent findings of Patterson, and is consistent with tidal torquing as being the dominant angular momentum transport mechanism in quiescent disks in interacting binary systems.

Cannizzo, John K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

H0547-14 - X-ray flux from a weak gamma-ray burst?

Data concerning a fast X ray transient observed by the HEAO 1 on March 17, 1978 are discussed. The object, labeled H0547-14, was located in Lepus, with galactic coordinates 219.37 deg longitude, b = -20.12 deg in the anticenter direction. A 10 sec scan of the transient was obtained with proportional counter detectors. An X ray luminosity of more than 5.1 x 10 to the 31st ergs/sec was measured as a lower limit, with the decay taking 17 min. A lower limit to the flare was set at 30 sec. The flux intensity resided in the range 4.4/1 billion-4/100 million erg/sq cm per sec, with a rise time of a factor of 10 in about 5 sec. Possible characterizations of the object, as either a gamma ray burst or as an M dwarf star, are discussed.

Ambruster, C.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Review of the metallographic cooling rates of meteorites and a new model for the planetesimals in which they formed

The cooling rates of meteorites through approximately 900 -650 K, as read from their metal alloy compositions, are reviewed. Metallographic cooling rates are compared with the cooling rates that appear to be required by the K/Ar and Ar-40/Ar-39 ages of five meteorite classes, and discrepancies are found in all cases. Either (1) the metallographic cooling rates (and also Pu-244 fission cooling rates) are systematically in error, being too slow by a factor of approximately 6; or (2) the traditional thermal model for parent meteorite planets (having constant dimension and uniform physical properties) is oversimplified and the Ar closure temperatures for chondrites derived by Turner et al. (1978) are too low. An alternative parent planet model is proposed and numerically modeled, in which accretion of thermally insulating particulate matter, heat generation by Al-26 decay, melting or sintering of the particulate matter into conductive rock, and establishment of the properties of the meteorites occurred concurrently. Meteorite chronologies are somewhat easier to understand in this context, since the initially small, hot (thus sintered and conductive) bodies would have cooled rapidly to isotopic closure, but later cooling might have been much slower as a result of the continued accretion of insulating particulate matter.

Wood, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Chandra and RXTE Observations of 1E 1547.0-5408: Comparing the 2008 and 2009 Outbursts

We present results from observations of the magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408 (SGR J1550-5418) taken with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) following the source s outbursts in 2008 October and 2009 January. During the time span of the Chandra observations, which covers days 4 through 23 and days 2 through 16 after the 2008 and 2009 events, respectively, the source spectral shape over the Chandraband remained stable, while the pulsar s spindown rate in the same span in 2008 increased by a factor of 2.2 as measured by RXTE. This suggests decoupling between the source s spin-down and radiative changes, hence between the spin-down-inferred magnetic field strength and that inferred spectrally. The lack of spectral variation during flux decay is surprising for models of magnetar outbursts. We also found a strong anti-correlation between the phase-averaged flux and the pulsed fraction in the 2008 and 2009 Chandra data, but not in the pre-2008 measurements. We discuss these results in the context of the magnetar model.

Ng, C.-Y.↗