Real-time Data Access Monitoring in Distributed, Multi-petabyte Systems (open access)

Real-time Data Access Monitoring in Distributed, Multi-petabyte Systems

Petascale systems are in existence today and will become common in the next few years. Such systems are inevitably very complex, highly distributed and heterogeneous. Monitoring a petascale system in real-time and understanding its status at any given moment without impacting its performance is a highly intricate task. Common approaches and off-the-shelf tools are either unusable, do not scale, or severely impact the performance of the monitored servers. This paper describes unobtrusive monitoring software developed at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) for a highly distributed petascale production data set. The paper describes the employed solutions, the lessons learned, the problems still to be addressed, and explains how the system can be reused elsewhere.
Date: April 22, 2008
Creator: Azemoon, Tofigh; Becla, Jacek, a=Hanushevsky, Andrew & Turri, Massimiliano
System: The UNT Digital Library
Two-dimensional Vortex Behavior in Highly Underdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_{6+x} Observed byScanning Hall Probe Microscopy (open access)

Two-dimensional Vortex Behavior in Highly Underdoped YBa_2Cu_3O_{6+x} Observed byScanning Hall Probe Microscopy

We report scanning Hall probe microscopy of highly underdoped superconducting YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 6+z} with T{sub c} ranging from 5 to 15 K which showed distinct flux bundles with less than one superconducting flux quantum ({Phi}{sub 0}) through the sample surface. The sub-{Phi}{sub 0} features occurred more frequently for lower T{sub c}, were more mobile than conventional vortices, and occurred more readily when the sample was cooled with an in-plane field component. We show that these features are consistent with kinked stacks of pancake vortices.
Date: April 22, 2008
Creator: Guikema, J.W.; Bluhm, Hendrik; /Stanford U., Appl. Phys. Dept.; Bonn, D.A.; Liang, Ruixing; Hardy, W.N. et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
DOUBLE SHELL TANK (DST) INTEGRITY PROJECT HIGH LEVEL WASTE CHEMISTRY OPTIMIZATION (open access)

DOUBLE SHELL TANK (DST) INTEGRITY PROJECT HIGH LEVEL WASTE CHEMISTRY OPTIMIZATION

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office (DOE) of River Protection (ORP) has a continuing program for chemical optimization to better characterize corrosion behavior of High-Level Waste (HLW). The DOE controls the chemistry in its HLW to minimize the propensity of localized corrosion, such as pitting, and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in nitrate-containing solutions. By improving the control of localized corrosion and SCC, the ORP can increase the life of the Double-Shell Tank (DST) carbon steel structural components and reduce overall mission costs. The carbon steel tanks at the Hanford Site are critical to the mission of safely managing stored HLW until it can be treated for disposal. The DOE has historically used additions of sodium hydroxide to retard corrosion processes in HLW tanks. This also increases the amount of waste to be treated. The reactions with carbon dioxide from the air and solid chemical species in the tank continually deplete the hydroxide ion concentration, which then requires continued additions. The DOE can reduce overall costs for caustic addition and treatment of waste, and more effectively utilize waste storage capacity by minimizing these chemical additions. Hydroxide addition is a means to control localized and stress corrosion cracking in carbon steel by …
Date: January 22, 2008
Creator: DJ, WASHENFELDER
System: The UNT Digital Library
TEMPERATURE PREDICTION IN 3013 CONTAINERS IN K AREA MATERIAL STORAGE (KAMS) FACILITY USING REGRESSION METHODS (open access)

TEMPERATURE PREDICTION IN 3013 CONTAINERS IN K AREA MATERIAL STORAGE (KAMS) FACILITY USING REGRESSION METHODS

3013 containers are designed in accordance with the DOE-STD-3013-2004. These containers are qualified to store plutonium (Pu) bearing materials such as PuO2 for 50 years. DOT shipping packages such as the 9975 are used to store the 3013 containers in the K-Area Material Storage (KAMS) facility at Savannah River Site (SRS). DOE-STD-3013-2004 requires that a comprehensive surveillance program be set up to ensure that the 3013 container design parameters are not violated during the long term storage. To ensure structural integrity of the 3013 containers, thermal analyses using finite element models were performed to predict the contents and component temperatures for different but well defined parameters such as storage ambient temperature, PuO{sub 2} density, fill heights, weights, and thermal loading. Interpolation is normally used to calculate temperatures if the actual parameter values are different from the analyzed values. A statistical analysis technique using regression methods is proposed to develop simple polynomial relations to predict temperatures for the actual parameter values found in the containers. The analysis shows that regression analysis is a powerful tool to develop simple relations to assess component temperatures.
Date: April 22, 2008
Creator: Gupta, N
System: The UNT Digital Library
Real-time X-ray Diffraction Measurements of Shocked Polycrystalline Tin and Aluminum (open access)

Real-time X-ray Diffraction Measurements of Shocked Polycrystalline Tin and Aluminum

A new, fast, single-pulse x-ray diffraction (XRD) diagnostic for determining phase transitions in shocked polycrystalline materials has been developed. The diagnostic consists of a 37-stage Marx bank high-voltage pulse generator coupled to a needle-and-washer electron beam diode via coaxial cable, producing line and bremsstrahlung x-ray emission in a 35-ns pulse. The characteristic Kα lines from the selected anodes of silver and molybdenum are used to produce the diffraction patterns, with thin foil filters employed to remove the characteristic Kβ line emission. The x-ray beam passes through a pinhole collimator and is incident on the sample with an approximately 3-mm by 6-mm spot and 1° full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) angular divergence in a Bragg-reflecting geometry. For the experiments described in this report, the angle between the incident beam and the sample surface was 8.5°. A Debye-Scherrer diffraction image was produced on a phosphor located 76 mm from the polycrystalline sample surface. The phosphor image was coupled to a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera through a coherent fiberoptic bundle. Dynamic single-pulse XRD experiments were conducted with thin foil samples of tin, shock loaded with a 1-mm vitreous carbon back window. Detasheet high explosive with a 2-mm-thick aluminum buffer was used to shock the sample. Analysis …
Date: November 22, 2008
Creator: Dane V. Morgan, Don Macy, Gerald Stevens
System: The UNT Digital Library
Global Cooling: Effect of Urban Albedo on Global Temperature (open access)

Global Cooling: Effect of Urban Albedo on Global Temperature

In many urban areas, pavements and roofs constitute over 60% of urban surfaces (roof 20-25%, pavements about 40%). The roof and the pavement albedo can be increased by about 0.25 and 0.10, respectively, resulting in a net albedo increase for urban areas of about 0.1. Many studies have demonstrated building cooling-energy savings in excess of 20% upon raising roof reflectivity from an existing 10-20% to about 60%. We estimate U.S. potential savings in excess of $1 billion (B) per year in net annual energy bills. Increasing albedo of urban surfaces can reduce the summertime urban temperature and improve the urban air quality. Increasing the urban albedo has the added benefit of reflecting more of the incoming global solar radiation and countering the effect of global warming. We estimate that increasing albedo of urban areas by 0.1 results in an increase of 3 x 10{sup -4} in Earth albedo. Using a simple global model, the change in air temperature in lowest 1.8 km of the atmosphere is estimated at 0.01K. Modelers predict a warming of about 3K in the next 60 years (0.05K/year). Change of 0.1 in urban albedo will result in 0.01K global cooling, a delay of {approx}0.2 years in …
Date: May 22, 2007
Creator: Akbari, Hashem; Menon, Surabi & Rosenfeld, Arthur
System: The UNT Digital Library
Seismic stimulation for enhanced oil recovery (open access)

Seismic stimulation for enhanced oil recovery

The pore-scale effects of seismic stimulation on two-phase flow are modeled numerically in random 2D grain0pack geometries. Seismic stimulation aims to enhance oil production by sending seismic waves across a reservoir to liberate immobile patches of oil. For seismic amplitudes above a well-defined (analytically expressed) dimensionless criterion, the force perturbation associated with the waves indeed can liberate oil trapped on capillary barriers and get it flowing again under the background pressure gradient. Subsequent coalescence of the freed oil droplets acts to enhance oil movement further because longer bubbles overcome capillary barriers more efficiently than shorter bubbles do. Poroelasticity theory defines the effective force that a seismic wave adds to the background fluid-pressure gradient. The lattice-Boltzmann model in two dimensions is used to perform pore-scale numerical simulations. Dimensionless numbers (groups of material and force parameters) involved in seismic stimulation are defined carefully so that numerical simulations can be applied to field-scale conditions. Using the analytical criteria defined in the paper, there is a significant range of reservoir conditions over which seismic stimulation can be expected to enhance oil production.
Date: July 22, 2008
Creator: Pride, S. R.; Flekkoy, E. G. & Aursjo, O.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic Properties of Hydrogen Storage Materials with Photon-in/Photon-out Soft-X-Ray Spectroscopy (open access)

Electronic Properties of Hydrogen Storage Materials with Photon-in/Photon-out Soft-X-Ray Spectroscopy

The applications of resonant soft X-ray emission spectroscopy on a variety of carbon systems have yielded characteristic fingerprints. With high-resolution monochromatized synchrotron radiation excitation, resonant inelastic X-ray scattering has emerged as a new source of information about electronic structure and excitation dynamics. Photon-in/photon-out soft-X-ray spectroscopy is used to study the electronic properties of fundamental materials, nanostructure, and complex hydrides and will offer potential in-depth understanding of chemisorption and/or physisorption mechanisms of hydrogen adsorption/desorption capacity and kinetics.
Date: September 22, 2008
Creator: Guo, Jinghua
System: The UNT Digital Library
Uranium-lead isotope systematics of Mars inferred from the basaltic shergottite QUE 94201 (open access)

Uranium-lead isotope systematics of Mars inferred from the basaltic shergottite QUE 94201

Uranium-lead ratios (commonly represented as {sup 238}U/{sup 204}Pb = {mu}) calculated for the sources of martian basalts preserve a record of petrogenetic processes that operated during early planetary differentiation and formation of martian geochemical reservoirs. To better define the range of {mu} values represented by the source regions of martian basalts, we completed U-Pb elemental and isotopic analyses on whole rock, mineral and leachate fractions from the martian meteorite Queen Alexandra Range 94201 (QUE 94201). The whole rock and silicate mineral fractions have unradiogenic Pb isotopic compositions that define a narrow range ({sup 206}Pb/{sup 204}Pb = 11.16-11.61). In contrast, the Pb isotopic compositions of weak HCl leachates are more variable and radiogenic. The intersection of the QUE 94201 data array with terrestrial Pb in {sup 206}Pb/{sup 204}Pb-{sup 207}Pb/{sup 204}Pb-{sup 208}Pb/{sup 204}Pb compositional space is consistent with varying amounts of terrestrial contamination in these fractions. We calculate that only 1-7% contamination is present in the purified silicate mineral and whole rock fractions, whereas the HCl leachates contain up to 86% terrestrial contamination. Despite the contamination, we are able to use the U-Pb data to determine the initial {sup 206}Pb/{sup 204}Pb of QUE 94201 (11.086 {+-} 0.008) and calculate the {mu} value …
Date: December 22, 2006
Creator: Gaffney, A M; Borg, L E & Connelly, J N
System: The UNT Digital Library
Laser Tracker Test Facility at SLAC - Progress Report (open access)

Laser Tracker Test Facility at SLAC - Progress Report

Physics experiments at SLAC require high accuracy positioning, e. g. 100 {micro}m over a distance of 150 m or 25 {micro}m in a 10 x 10 x 3 meter volume. Laser Tracker measurement systems have become one of the most important tools for achieving these accuracies when mapping components. In order to improve and get a better understanding of laser tracker measurement tolerances we extended our laboratory with a rotary calibration table (Kugler GmbH) providing an accuracy of better than 0.2 arcsec. This paper gives an overview of the calibration table and its evaluation. Results of tests on two of our Laser Trackers utilizing the new rotary table as well as the SLAC interferometer bench are presented.
Date: February 22, 2008
Creator: Gassner, G. L. & Ruland, R. E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nonlocal exchange correlation in screened-exchange densityfunctional methods (open access)

Nonlocal exchange correlation in screened-exchange densityfunctional methods

We present a systematic study on the exchange-correlationeffects in screened-exchange local density functional method. Toinvestigate the effects of the screened-exchange potential in the bandgap correction, we have compared the exchange-correlation potential termin the sX-LDA formalism with the self-energy term in the GWapproximation. It is found that the band gap correction of the sX-LDAmethod primarily comes from the downshift of valence band states,resulting from the enhancement of bonding and the increase of ionizationenergy. The band gap correction in the GW method, on the contrary, comesin large part from the increase of theconduction band energies. We alsostudied the effects of the screened-exchange potential in the totalenergy by investigating the exchange-correlation hole in comparison withquantum Monte Carlo calculations. When the Thomas-Fermi screening isused, the sX-LDA method overestimates (underestimates) theexchange-correlation hole in short (long) range. From theexchange-correlation energy analysis we found that the LDA method yieldsbetter absolute total energy than sX-LDA method.
Date: April 22, 2007
Creator: Lee, Byounghak; Wang, Lin-Wang; Spataru, Catalin D. & Louie,Steven G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
High-Level Application Framework for LCLS (open access)

High-Level Application Framework for LCLS

A framework for high level accelerator application software is being developed for the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). The framework is based on plug-in technology developed by an open source project, Eclipse. Many existing functionalities provided by Eclipse are available to high-level applications written within this framework. The framework also contains static data storage configuration and dynamic data connectivity. Because the framework is Eclipse-based, it is highly compatible with any other Eclipse plug-ins. The entire infrastructure of the software framework will be presented. Planned applications and plug-ins based on the framework are also presented.
Date: April 22, 2008
Creator: Chu, P; Chevtsov, S.; Fairley, D.; Larrieu, C.; Rock, J.; Rogind, D. et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
12.6 keV Kr K-alpha X-ray Source For High Energy Density Physics Experiments (open access)

12.6 keV Kr K-alpha X-ray Source For High Energy Density Physics Experiments

A high contrast 12.6 keV Kr K{alpha} source has been demonstrated on the petawatt-class Titan laser facility. The contrast ratio (K{alpha} to continuum) is 65, with a competitive ultra short pulse laser to x-ray conversion efficiency of 10{sup -5}. Filtered shadowgraphy indicates that the Kr K{alpha} and K{beta} x-rays are emitted from a roughly 1 x 2 mm emission volume, making this source suitable for area backlighting and scattering. Spectral calculations indicate a typical bulk electron temperature of 50-70 eV (i.e. mean ionization state 13-16), based on the observed ratio of K{alpha} to K{beta}. Kr gas jets provide a debris-free high energy K{alpha} source for time-resolved diagnosis of dense matter.
Date: April 22, 2008
Creator: Kugland, N.; Constantin, C. G.; Niemann, C.; Neumayer, P.; Chung, H.; Doppner, T. et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interaction Region Upgrades of e+ e- B-Factories (open access)

Interaction Region Upgrades of e+ e- B-Factories

Both the PEP-II and KEKB B-Factories have plans to upgrade their Interaction Regions (IRs) in order to improve luminosity performance. Last summer PEP-II added cooling to the IR beam pipe in order to increase beam currents thereby raising the luminosity. In addition, PEP-II is working on a design that modifies the permanent magnets near the Interaction Point (IP) for an even higher luminosity increase. KEKB is also planning an improvement to their IR that will decrease the detector beam pipe radius. In addition, KEK has a design to increase the luminosity of KEKB to 1 x 10{sup 35} cm{sup -2} sec{sup -1} which includes changes to the IR. PEP-II is also investigating the feasibility of a 1 x 10{sup 36} cm{sup -2} sec{sup -1} luminosity design. I summarize these various upgrades and concentrate on issues common to the different designs.
Date: February 22, 2008
Creator: Sullivan, M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Progress on Modeling of Ultrafast X-Ray Streak Cameras (open access)

Progress on Modeling of Ultrafast X-Ray Streak Cameras

Streak cameras continue to be useful tools for studying phenomena on the picoseconds time scale. We have employed accelerator modeling tools to understand and possibly improve the time resolution of present and future streak cameras. This effort has resulted in an end-to-end model of the camera. This model has contributed to the recent measurement of 230 fsec (FWHM) resolution measured at 266 nm in the Advanced Light Source Streak Camera Laboratory. We describe results from this model that show agreement with the experiments. We also extrapolate the performance of this camera including several possible improvements.
Date: June 22, 2007
Creator: Huang, G.; Byrd, J.M.; Feng, J.; Qiang, J. & Wang, W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
High Performance Multivariate Visual Data Exploration for Extremely Large Data (open access)

High Performance Multivariate Visual Data Exploration for Extremely Large Data

One of the central challenges in modern science is the need to quickly derive knowledge and understanding from large, complex collections of data. We present a new approach that deals with this challenge by combining and extending techniques from high performance visual data analysis and scientific data management. This approach is demonstrated within the context of gaining insight from complex, time-varying datasets produced by a laser wakefield accelerator simulation. Our approach leverages histogram-based parallel coordinates for both visual information display as well as a vehicle for guiding a data mining operation. Data extraction and subsetting are implemented with state-of-the-art index/query technology. This approach, while applied here to accelerator science, is generally applicable to a broad set of science applications, and is implemented in a production-quality visual data analysis infrastructure. We conduct a detailed performance analysis and demonstrate good scalability on a distributed memory Cray XT4 system.
Date: August 22, 2008
Creator: Rubel, Oliver; Wu, Kesheng; Childs, Hank; Meredith, Jeremy; Geddes, Cameron G.R.; Cormier-Michel, Estelle et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A high-throughput contact-hole resolution metric for photoresists: Full-process sensitivity study (open access)

A high-throughput contact-hole resolution metric for photoresists: Full-process sensitivity study

None
Date: January 22, 2008
Creator: Anderson, Christopher & Jones, Juanita
System: The UNT Digital Library
Constructing QCD one-loop amplitudes (open access)

Constructing QCD one-loop amplitudes

In the context of constructing one-loop amplitudes using a unitarity bootstrap approach we discuss a general systematic procedure for obtaining the coefficients of the scalar bubble and triangle integral functions of one-loop amplitudes. Coefficients are extracted after examining the behavior of the cut integrand as the unconstrained parameters of a specifically chosen parameterization of the cut loop momentum approach infinity. Measurements of new physics at the forthcoming experimental program at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will require a precise understanding of processes at next-to-leading order (NLO). This places increased demands for the computation of new one-loop amplitudes. This in turn has spurred recent developments towards improved calculational techniques. Direct calculations using Feynman diagrams are in general inefficient. Developments of more efficient techniques have usually centered around unitarity techniques [1], where tree amplitudes are effectively 'glued' together to form loops. The most straightforward application of this method, in which the cut loop momentum is in D = 4, allows for the computation of 'cut-constructible' terms only, i.e. (poly)logarithmic containing terms and any related constants. QCD amplitudes contain, in addition to such terms, rational pieces which cannot be derived using such cuts. These 'missing' rational parts can be extracted using cut loop …
Date: February 22, 2008
Creator: Forde, Darren
System: The UNT Digital Library
BIOASSAY VESSEL FAILURE ANALYSIS (open access)

BIOASSAY VESSEL FAILURE ANALYSIS

Two high-pressure bioassay vessels failed at the Savannah River Site during a microwave heating process for biosample testing. Improper installation of the thermal shield in the first failure caused the vessel to burst during microwave heating. The second vessel failure is attributed to overpressurization during a test run. Vessel failure appeared to initiate in the mold parting line, the thinnest cross-section of the octagonal vessel. No material flaws were found in the vessel that would impair its structural performance. Content weight should be minimized to reduce operating temperature and pressure. Outer vessel life is dependent on actual temperature exposure. Since thermal aging of the vessels can be detrimental to their performance, it was recommended that the vessels be used for a limited number of cycles to be determined by additional testing.
Date: September 22, 2008
Creator: Vormelker, P
System: The UNT Digital Library
Enantioselective Intramolecular Hydroarylation of Alkenes via Directed C-H Bond Activation (open access)

Enantioselective Intramolecular Hydroarylation of Alkenes via Directed C-H Bond Activation

Highly enantioselective catalytic intramolecular ortho-alkylation of aromatic imines containing alkenyl groups tethered at the meta position relative to the imine directing group has been achieved using [RhCl(coe){sub 2}]{sub 2} and chiral phosphoramidite ligands. Cyclization of substrates containing 1,1- and 1,2-disubstituted as well as trisubstituted alkenes were achieved with enantioselectivities >90% ee for each substrate class. Cyclization of substrates with Z-alkene isomers proceeded much more efficiently than substrates with E-alkene isomers. This further enabled the highly stereoselective intramolecular alkylation of certain substrates containing Z/E-alkene mixtures via a Rh-catalyzed alkene isomerization with preferential cyclization of the Z-isomer.
Date: May 22, 2008
Creator: Harada, Hitoshi; Thalji, Reema; Bergman, Robert & Ellman, Jonathan
System: The UNT Digital Library
NUCLEAR POWERED CO2 CAPTURE FROM THE ATMOSPHERE (open access)

NUCLEAR POWERED CO2 CAPTURE FROM THE ATMOSPHERE

A process for capturing CO{sub 2} from the atmosphere was recently proposed. This process uses a closed cycle of sodium and calcium hydroxide, carbonate, and oxide transformations to capture dilute CO{sub 2} from the atmosphere and to generate a concentrated stream of CO{sub 2} that is amenable to sequestration or subsequent chemical transformations. In one of the process steps, a fossil-fueled lime kiln is needed, which reduces the net CO{sub 2} capture of the process. It is proposed to replace the fossil-fueled lime kiln with a modified kiln heated by a high-temperature nuclear reactor. This will have the effect of eliminating the use of fossil fuels for the process and increasing the net CO{sub 2} capture. Although the process is suitable to support sequestration, the use of a nuclear power source for the process provides additional capabilities, and the captured CO{sub 2} may be combined with nuclear-produced hydrogen to produce liquid fuels via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis or other technologies. Conceivably, such plants would be carbon-neutral, and could be placed virtually anywhere without being tied to fossil fuel sources or geological sequestration sites.
Date: September 22, 2008
Creator: Sherman, S
System: The UNT Digital Library
Towards a Real-time Transient Classification Engine (open access)

Towards a Real-time Transient Classification Engine

Temporal sampling does more than add another axis to the vector of observables. Instead, under the recognition that how objects change (and move) in time speaks directly to the physics underlying astronomical phenomena, next-generation wide-field synoptic surveys are poised to revolutionize our understanding of just about anything that goes bump in the night (which is just about everything at some level). Still, even the most ambitious surveys will require targeted spectroscopic follow-up to fill in the physical details of newly discovered transients. We are now building a new system intended to ingest and classify transient phenomena in near real-time from high-throughput imaging data streams. Described herein, the Transient Classification Project at Berkeley will be making use of classification techniques operating on"features" extracted from time series and contextual (static) information. We also highlight the need for a community adoption of a standard representation of astronomical time series data (i.e.,"VOTimeseries").
Date: February 22, 2008
Creator: Nugent, Peter E.; Bloom, Josh; Starr, Dan; Butler, Nat; Nugent, Peter; Rischard, M. et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Progress on H5Part: A Portable High Performance Parallel DataInterface for Electromagnetics Simulations (open access)

Progress on H5Part: A Portable High Performance Parallel DataInterface for Electromagnetics Simulations

Significant problems facing all experimental andcomputationalsciences arise from growing data size and complexity. Commonto allthese problems is the need to perform efficient data I/O ondiversecomputer architectures. In our scientific application, thelargestparallel particle simulations generate vast quantitiesofsix-dimensional data. Such a simulation run produces data foranaggregate data size up to several TB per run. Motived by the needtoaddress data I/O and access challenges, we have implemented H5Part,anopen source data I/O API that simplifies the use of the HierarchicalDataFormat v5 library (HDF5). HDF5 is an industry standard forhighperformance, cross-platform data storage and retrieval that runsonall contemporary architectures from large parallel supercomputerstolaptops. H5Part, which is oriented to the needs of the particlephysicsand cosmology communities, provides support for parallelstorage andretrieval of particles, structured and in the future unstructuredmeshes.In this paper, we describe recent work focusing on I/O supportforparticles and structured meshes and provide data showing performance onmodernsupercomputer architectures like the IBM POWER 5.
Date: June 22, 2007
Creator: Adelmann, Andreas; Gsell, Achim; Oswald, Benedikt; Schietinger,Thomas; Bethel, Wes; Shalf, John et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Measured and projected performance of plasma direct converters (open access)

Measured and projected performance of plasma direct converters

Test results from two plasma direct converters and their predicted cost and performance on tandem mirror fusion reactors are present. The tests were done at high power density (approx. 70 W/cm/sup 2/) in steady state to simulate the predicted conditions in a reactor. A single stage unit and a two-stage unit of the Venetian blind type were tested at up to 100 kV and 6 kW for a total time of about 80 hours. Measured efficiencies, when projected to a reactor, are typically about 50% for a single stage unit and 60 to 70% for a two-stage unit, depending on the energy distribution of the ions, the degree of subdivision of the collectors, and on the gas pressure. The high ambipolar potential in tandem mirror devices makes this good efficiency possible. When radiatively cooled grids are used, the incident power density is limited to about 100 W/cm/sup 2/ by the thermionic emission of electrons.
Date: October 22, 1981
Creator: Barr, W.L. & Moir, R.W.
System: The UNT Digital Library