Publications

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We built and tested a subterranean thermoelectric power source that converts diurnal heat flow through the upper soil layer into electricity. This paper describes the operation, design, and performance of the device. Key features of the power source include the use of bismuth-telluride thermopiles optimized for small ΔT and aerogel insulation to minimize thermal losses. The device weighs 0.24 kg and was designed with a flat form factor measuring 12 × 12 × 1.7 cm to facilitate modularity, packing, and assembly into larger arrays. One full year of field testing was performed between June 2009 and May 2010 in Albuquerque, New Mexico where the device generated an average power output of 1.1 mW. The season with the highest performance was spring (March–May) while the season of lowest performance was winter (November–January). During May 2010, the device generated an average power of 1.5 mW and a peak power of 9.8 mW at 9.3 V. Ten years of continuous operation at 1.1 mW would yield an energy density and specific energy of 1384 W h/L and 1430 W h/kg respectively, which is competitive with chemical batteries and is orders of magnitude greater than published subterranean and ambient thermoelectric harvesters. Numerical simulations show that performance is sensitive to the thermal properties of the soil and environmental conditions. This class of energy harvester may provide an option for supplemental power, or possibly primary power, for low power remote sensing applications.

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The load relaxation behavior of small Elgiloy helical extension springs has been evaluated by a combined experimental and modeling approach. Isothermal, continuous heating, and interrupted heating relaxation tests of a specific spring design were conducted. Spring constants also were measured and compared with predictions using common spring formulas. For the constant heating rate relaxation tests, it was found that the springs retained their strength to higher temperatures at higher heating rates. A model, which describes the relaxation behavior, was developed and calibrated with the isothermal load relaxation tests. The model incorporates both time-independent deformation mechanisms, such as thermal expansion and shear modulus changes, as well as time-dependent mechanisms such as primary and steady state creep. The model was shown to accurately predict the load relaxation behavior for the continuous heating tests, as well as for a complex stepwise heating thermal cycle. The model can be used to determine the relaxation behavior for any arbitrary thermal cycle. An extension of the model to other spring designs is discussed.

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The model parameters for the normalized 1054V1 material were compared to parameters previously generated for 1026 steel, and the transformation behavior was relatively consistent. Validation of the model predictions by heating into the austenite plus undissolved ferrite phase field and rapidly quenching resulted in reasonable predictions when compared to the measured volume fractions from optical metallography. The hot rolled 1054V1 material, which had a much coarser grain size and a non-equilibrium volume fraction of pearlite, had significantly different model parameters and the on heating transformation behavior of this material was less predictable with the established model. The differences in behavior is consistent with conventional wisdom that normalized micro-structure produce a more consistent response to processing, and it reinforces the need for additional work in this area.

This paper presents experimental data and an computational model of the cold spray solid particle impact process. Copper particles impacting onto a polished stainless steel substrate are examined. The high velocity impact causes significant plastic deformation of both the particle and the sub- strate, but no melting is observed. The plastic deformation exposes clean surfaces that, under the high impact pressures, result in significant bond strengths between the particle and substrate. Experimental measurements of the splat and crater sizes compare well with the numerical calculations. It is shown that the crater depth is significant and increases with impact velocity. However, the splat diameter is much less sensitive to the impact velocity. It is also shown that the geometric lengths of the splat and crater scale linearly with the diameter of the impacting particle. It is hoped that the results presented will allow better understanding of the bonding process during cold spray.

Development of a high-temperature, superconducting, synchronous motor for large applications (>1000 HP) could offer significant electrical power savings for industrial users. Presently 60% of all electric power generated in the United States is converted by electric motors. A large part of two power is utilized by motors 1000 HP or larger. The use of high-temperature superconducting materials with critical temperatures above that of liquid nitrogen (77 K) in the field winding would reduce the losses in these motors significantly, and therefore, would have a definite impact on the electrical power usage in the US. These motors will be 1/3 to 1/2 the size of conventional motors of similar power and, thus, offer potential savings in materials and floor space. The cooling of the superconducting materials in the field windings of the rotor presents a unique application of cryogenic engineering. The rotational velocity results in significant radial pressure gradients that affect the flow distribution of the cryogen. The internal pressure fields can result in significant nonuniformities in the two-phase flow of the coolant. Due to the variable speed design, the flow distribution has the potential to change during operation. A multiphase-flow computer model of the cryogenic cooling is developed to calculate the boiling heat transfer and phase distribution of the nitrogen coolant in the motor. The model accounts for unequal phase velocities and nonuniform cooling requirements of the rotor. The unequal radial pressure gradients in the inlet and outlet headers result in a larger driving force for flow in the outer cooling channels. The effect of this must be accounted for in the design of the motor. Continuing improvements of the model will allow the investigation of the transient thermal issues associated with localized quenching of the superconducting components of the motor.

A fractured porous medium is often modeled as a dual porosity system. The subsystems of fractures and matrix pores are assumed to provide two flow continuums. This is especially true when considering solute transport through such a system. Coupling terms are then required to enable the calculation of the exchange of solute between the two subsystems. The coupling terms for solute transport through a fractured medium are derived in this report. This report then investigates the need for the dual porosity models for solute transport. It is shown that the complexity of a dual porosity model is required in some cases to accurately represent the solute motion. However, it is also shown that some situations can be well represented by approximate single porosity models if certain criteria are met. A single porosity model allows the use of analytical solutions. Sample calculations are presented using parameter values representative of Yucca Mountain tuffs. These calculations show that a dual porosity model is not required to model solute transport at Yucca Mountain if the water fluxes are as low as currently believed. 39 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.

The diffusion of unreactive solutes through the Culebra Dolomite was studied experimentally and theoretically. The measured diffusive flux is less than that predicted from independent knowledge of the porosity and reasonable estimates of tortuosity. This low measured flux led to a review of the relationship between solute diffusion and pore geometry in rocks and sediments. Solute transport in hypothetical pore networks, where the effect of pore geometry on the solute flux is directly calculable, is examined. A conventional interpretation of pore tortuosity, as a normalized length of diffusion through a pore, loses meaning for cases where pores intersect in networks. Some important variables affecting the tortuosity are: (1) the distribution of pore sizes (2) the distribution of pore lengths, (3) the number of pores which intersect at a node, and (4) the pore shape between nodes. Furthermore, in porous materials with a preferential distribution of pore sizes and orientation, tortuosity is a tensor. For the Culebra Dolomite, the wide range of pore sizes causes the diffusive flux to vary considerably from that predicted from conventional theory. These results indicate that diffusive fluxes from fractures into rock pores may be smaller than previously thought. 35 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.