SPRING 2019

Fueling Tomorrow’s Transportation

MATERIAL STREAMLINING FARM TO BENEFITS FLIGHT FORK 2 8 TESTING 16 Engineers recently used the 50-foot, field-deployable AF-100 antenna for a novel, SwRI-developed VIS-3000 sounder system. Sounders, or ionosondes, use radar techniques to measure the virtual height of the ionosphere, which refracts high-frequency radio communication signals back to Earth for beyond-line-of-sight communications. Typical sounders require 200 to 300 watts to make these measurements, but the VIS-3000 sounder uses as little as one milliwatt to do the job. RFengineering.swri.org SPRING 2019 • VOLUME 40, NO. 1

Executive Director of Communications CONTENTS Tim Martin, Ph.D. Editor 2 Material Benefits Deb Schmid 8 Streamlining Flight Testing Assistant Editor Rob Leibold 15 Cancer Challenge Champs Contributors Joanna Carver 16 Farm to Fork Infographic Robert Crowe

Lisa Peña D023168_4667 18 Fueling Tomorrow’s Transportation Maria Stothoff ON THE COVER Tracey Whelan 24 Targeting Oil Spills Design SwRI has launched a new, Jessica Vidal dedicated Energy Storage 25 Techbytes Technology Center, 10 times Photography larger than the previous 31 CYGNSS Larry Walther facility. For the past 20 years, Ian McKinney engineers have developed 32 Staff Achievements Circulation advanced techniques to Stephanie Paredes cost-effectively evaluate battery power packs, shown here close up, under Technology Today® (ISSN 1528-431X) is published three times each year and distributed free of charge. various conditions. The publication discusses some of the more than 6,500 research and development projects underway at Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®). The materials in Technology Today may be used for educational and informational purposes by the public and the media. Credit should be given to Southwest Research Institute. This authorization does not extend to property rights such as patents. Commercial and promotional use of the contents in Technology Today without the express written EMPLOYMENT consent of SwRI is prohibited. The information published in Technology Today does not necessarily Southwest Research Institute is an independent, reflect the position or policy of SwRI or its clients, and no endorsements should be made or inferred. nonprofit, applied research and development organization. The staff of more than 2,600 employees Address correspondence to the Editor, provide client services in the areas of communication Communications Department, systems, modeling and simulation, software Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228-0510, development, electronic design, vehicle and engine or e-mail [email protected]. systems, automotive fuels and lubricants, avionics, To be placed on the mailing list or to make address geosciences, polymer and materials engineering, changes, call 210.522.2257 or fax 210.522.3547, or visit update.swri.org. mechanical design, chemical analyses, environmental sciences, space science, training systems, industrial ©2019 Southwest Research Institute. All rights engineering, and more. reserved. Technology Today, Southwest Research Institute, and SwRI are registered marks in the SwRI is always looking for talented technical staff U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. for its San Antonio facilities and for locations elsewhere in the United States. We welcome your ABOUT THE INSTITUTE referrals. Check our employment opportunities Southwest Research Institute is a premier independent, nonprofit research and development at swri.jobs. organization. With nine technical divisions, we offer multidisciplinary services leveraging advanced science and applied technologies. Since 1947, we An Equal Employment Opportunity/ have provided solutions for some of the world’s most Affirmative Action Employer challenging scientific and engineering problems. Race/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/ Gender Identity/National Origin/Disabled/Veteran Committed to Diversity in the Workplace swri.org

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 1 D023246_9212 Material Benefits D022686__7671

According to the preeminent interna- Additionally, the list of objects that can D1M023589_9881 tional materials science organization, the benefit from these coatings is limited to economic effects of corrosion and wear cost those that fit in a vacuum chamber. That’s the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars a why Southwest Research Institute has year and affect almost every industry, from developed an innovative new process to transportation and energy to computers apply coating under ambient conditions. and textiles. A simple coat of paint can protect everyday objects from rusting, ON THE SURFACE but today’s specialized infrastructure, SwRI has been advancing surface components and products require modification technologies for more than something more complex. 35 years. More than 4,000 square feet of When developing these items, metals materials science laboratory facilities house are a desirable material because they 20 vacuum chambers to deposit layers of are very hard and tough, but they are material, atom-by-atom or molecule- also susceptible to wear, corrosion and by-molecule, onto a solid surface. Inside corrosion-induced cracking. Ceramics are these chambers, protective materials called also hard and corrosion-resistant, but they precursors are deposited onto the target are brittle and prone to fracture. Materials material, or substrate, amid a vapor or scientists look for ways to impart the best plasma environment, where they condense ABOUT THE AUTHORS properties of one material onto another to Dr. Vicky Poenitzsch, manager of SwRI’s Surface onto the substrate as thin films. improve a component’s performance and Engineering and Chemistry Section, specializes in durability. Some of this work has resulted SwRI specializes in ion beam and the synthesis and characterization of thin films, in advanced coatings, thin films and plasma-based modification and coating of nanoparticles and nanocomposite materials. engineered surfaces to enhance hardness, advanced materials using vacuum-based Dr. Michael A. Miller is an Institute scientist with more than 34 years of experience in materials science, toughness and corrosion resistance technologies such as physical vapor surface science, molecular spectroscopy and of materials, and low-friction coatings to deposition (PVD), plasma-enhanced solid-state chemistry and physics. Program Director enhance motion, lower operating tempera- deposition PVD and plasma-enhanced Dr. Ronghua Wei has more than 35 years of experience tures and reduce wear. chemical vapor deposition. Using ion in plasma science and engineering, materials science and engineering, surface engineering and tribology. However, the traditional processes for implantation and plasma-enhanced ion Dr. Kent Coulter, a senior program manager, applying these coatings can damage a diffusion, engineers integrate charged researches vacuum-coated thin films for optical, material’s substrate by subjecting it to very particles into surface materials to impart catalytic and advanced materials applications. high temperatures and/or low pressures. new properties. Material Benefits Opening the “Vacuum” Door to New Surface Applications

By Dr. Vicky Z. Poenitzsch, Dr. Ronghua Wei, Dr. Michael A. Miller and Dr. Kent Coulter

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 3 D019204_2289

With more than 4,000 square feet of materials science laboratory facilities including 20 vacuum For example, SwRI scientists have using plasmas at atmospheric pressure. For chambers, SwRI develops various techniques to deposit thin films on solid surfaces. These coatings studied diamond-like carbon (DLC) films instance, the SwRI-developed High Power increase the hardness and wear resistance of using various processes including plasma Impulse Plasma Source (HiPIPS) technique components to extend their service life. immersion ion deposition (PIID) to create was recognized in 2017 by R&D Magazine coatings that are both very hard and very as one of the top 100 inventions of the year. durable. Material scientists also have This process allows for enhanced surface studied nanocomposite films, which are modification and deposition of functional deposited using a plasma-enhanced coatings without a vacuum. HiPIPS DETAIL magnetron sputter (PEMS) process. provides an unparalleled plasma processing Plasma — along with Through these efforts, SwRI has space of very high density and flux — solid, liquid and gas — established itself as a leader in surface indicators of coating quality and efficiency is one of the four engineering research by developing — at low-temperature and atmospheric fundamental states of new coating technologies for government pressure conditions. HiPIPS’ unique matter. Plasmas are made and industry clients. abilities open the door for new surface up of charged or ionized Although vacuum-based coating engineering applications and unprecedented particles and exhibit processes can achieve high quality, coating/substrate combinations. properties of both a liquid performing the process inside a vacuum and a gas. They can be chamber is cumbersome and limiting. For PROCESSING UNCHAMBERED created by subjecting a example, vacuum deposition is impossible By breaking free of the vacuum neutral gas to heat, for large structures such as an aircraft wing chamber, HiPIPS offers virtually unlimited pressure and/or a strong or a ship impeller. In addition, some surface engineering applications. It not electromagnetic field. substrates, such as biological materials or only outperforms other ambient pressure soft polymers, are incompatible with plasma processes, but also rivals the vacuum conditions. These applications effectiveness of vacuum plasma systems. require a process that works in atmospheric The SwRI team developed techniques to pressures, outside a vacuum chamber. discharge a dense plasma with increased Over the past five years, SwRI scientists ionization for advanced surface modifica- have moved beyond the vacuum chamber, tion and coating deposition. To do this, developing expertise in depositing coatings HiPIPS uses high-power pulsed direct

4 SPRING 2019 current (DC) generators. The high-power electron temperatures much greater than pulses control ionization and fragmentation that of the ions, neutrals and gas. While of chemical precursors in the plasma phase. these systems have expanded the plasma Enhancing ionization and dissociation toolkit, they too are limited in terms of enables new precursor chemistries, which practical application. For example, some could improve the functionality of coatings. small-scale academic studies have demon- Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor strated thin film deposition with these DETAIL deposition (PECVD) is a common method systems, but most atmospheric-pressure Wettability describes for materials synthesis, surface engineering plasma jets are used to clean surfaces or modify surface wettability. Despite some properties of printing inks and thin film deposition. In conventional successes in this field, significant technical associated with resistance CVD, electrical energy (such as microwave challenges remain, including precursor to bleeding, discoloring, or radio frequency) excites a gaseous non-homogeneity, electrical arcing and/or fading, etc., upon exposure feedstock under vacuum conditions to extinguishing. As a result, ambient to moisture. Inks are create a stable mixture of reactive species, pressure plasmas are typically run with formulated to increase the such as radicals, ions, electrons and a predominantly inert feedstock gas printed ink’s water neutrals. The electron and radical/ion and relatively low fractions of simple resistance. The term temperatures in these hot plasmas are reactive gases, at fluxes several orders of wettability also refers to in equilibrium and typically exceed magnitude lower than conventional hot how readily an ink 1,500 degrees C. Although PECVD is vacuum plasmas. pigment absorbs water. widely used, its temperature extremes, combined with the vacuum environment, BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO dramatically limit the type, shape and size To overcome these challenges, SwRI of substrate candidates. recognized and exploited recent innova- Over the past two decades, several tions in high-power pulsed DC power atmospheric-pressure plasma discharge supplies, commonly used with magnetrons, schemes have addressed these limitations. to develop an advanced atmospheric- So-called cold plasmas are characterized by pressure plasma jet. This application

Using the plasma- enhanced magnetron

sputtering (PEMS) D016351 process in a vacuum chamber, SwRI deposits nanocomposite coatings on turbine blades.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 5 D023636

creates peak power densities and currents that are two to three orders of magnitude higher than cold-plasma jets driven by ra- dio-frequency or AC electricity sources. HiPIPS uses variable-pres- sure plasma jets with high-power pulsed DC generators that supply extremely high power density in short pulses. When gas precursors are fed into the plasma source and a negative, high-voltage DC pulse is applied to the electrode, the electric current flows through the gaseous medium as electrons. The free electrons are accelerated and collide with gas molecules, breaking them up to create reactive species. As the DC pulse continues, the electric current increases dramatically. Because of the high current capability of the advanced power supply design, extremely high power quickly excites the plasma. This high-power discharge produces highly ionized gases as well as an abundance of radicals. While the pulsed discharge quickly approaches an arc state, controlling the pulse length damp- ens arcing, allowing for continuous stable operation. SwRI further expanded HiPIPS’ applicability to include new precursors and processing conditions. When it comes to depositing functional coatings, HiPIPS technology holds a critical advantage in its ability to provide plasma treatments unsuitable for conventional atmospheric plasma processes. Its controlled high-impulse power determines how chemical precursors are ionized and fragmented in the plasma phase. This control allows engineers to tailor the process chemistry involved to produce the desired coating property. SwRI This photo of HiPIPS’ argon plasma jet illustrates the has used HiPIPS precursors ranging from inert gases and molecular low temperatures and atmospheric pressures used. gases to liquids and solids, including methane, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon monoxide and organosilicon compounds. These D023632 precursors can be used alone or in combination with each other and/or with inert gases such as argon. SwRI designed a variation of HiPIPS that uses two concentric electrodes and a wire feedstock to deposit metallic coatings at ambient conditions.

CURRENT, FUTURE APPLICATIONS SwRI is investigating HiPIPS applications ranging from surface cleaning to the activation of polymer surfaces for improved ink wettability. Engineers also are studying how surface-modified alumina platelets and carbon fibers could improve adhesion between layered composite materials. SwRI has developed durable, superhydrophobic (water repelling) coatings for aircraft drag- reduction for the aerospace industry. HiPIPS has also contributed to environmentally friendly alternatives to chrome electroplating. For this, SwRI developed a proof-of-concept technique to deposit cobalt-chrome, titanium alloy and ceramic protective coatings instead of electroplated chrome. Peak Current = 166 A Peak Power = 72.0 kW SwRI characterized HiPIPS plasma properties using current-voltage probes and optical emission spectroscopy. Scanning electron This screenshot of oscilloscope voltage, current and power traces demonstrates HiPIPS’ high-density, high-flux plasmas at low microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions. diffraction characterized the microstructure and elemental composition of resulting coatings and surface treatments. While HiPIPS is still in the demonstration phase, the potential

6 SPRING 2019 D023577_1704 D023577_1717

Using HiPIPS, SwRI has developed durable, superhydrophobic (water repelling) coatings to reduce drag on aerospace materials and components. The left image is uncoated, while the right image has been treated with the hydrophobic coating.

range of applications for the technology is Laboratory to evaluate using HiPIPS technology practically unlimited. The technology is to create a conductive fluid for magnetohydro- currently undergoing further development for dynamic power generation technology. The DETAIL optimization and scale-up.HiPIPS deposits a technique would eliminate the need for In surface engineering variety of films and performs various surface potentially hazardous reactive seed alkali applications, a treatments, including surface modification, metals. Altogether, HiPIPS is poised to magnetron excites cleaning and etching. revolutionize the surface engineering field, electrons to produce creating environmentally friendly techniques ionized precursor The HiPIPs system is portable and to protect equipment, large and small, materials. versatile, deployable in a a range of locations. SwRI is designing a miniaturized HiPIPS affecting nearly every industry and individual. system for use on the International Space Station’s crystallization module to create Questions about this article? Contact Poenitzsch at ultra-pure materials with novel properties. [email protected] or 210.522.3755. SwRI is also conducting a paper feasibility study with the National Energy Technology

SwRI evaluates the quality of HiPIPS D023634 applications, examining a cross section of steel coated with titanium alloys (top) and cobalt chrome alloys (bottom) using a scanning electron microscope. Corresponding energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy maps of D023633 HiPIPS coatings reveals uniform distribution and high amounts of alloy elements.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 7 SwRI’s interoperable flight test software accelerates aircraft testing

by Austin Whittington

8 SPRING 2019 Ground tests validate designs and and lower the costs of flight testing engineering while flight testing ensures commercial and military aircraft systems. that systems meet government and Flight test instruments are typically industry standards. Flight test evaluations small orange boxes that process data from range from a single new system for an sensors attached throughout the aircraft. existing vehicle to the overall development A flight test instrumentation (FTI) program and certification of a new aircraft. As such, can track more than 100,000 parameters, testing can take a few weeks to many years ranging from gyroscope performance on and demands extensive resources. As the autopilot to wing pressure at top speed. complexity and interoperability of aircraft To maximize the value of costly flight systems have increased, so too has the time, engineers often synchronize multiple complexity of flight testing and instrumen- test goals. When testing several articles per tation and their associated costs. flight, any number of problems can affect Southwest Research Institute supports not only the aircraft, but also flight test the commercial and military aerospace instrumentation. A problem on one test can industries with flight test solutions that span trigger costly delays in subsequent tests. structural engineering and aeronautical These challenges are exacerbated when telemetry. SwRI plays an important role in flight test instruments operate on separate developing and testing embedded software proprietary platforms, slowing the time it and integrated test solutions to streamline takes to switch test goals in real time.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 9 FLIGHT TEST INTEROPERABILITY The iNET program focuses on improving In light of these challenges, a seamless vendor interoperability and enabling standard would benefit the entire industry. two-way telemetry to better manage SwRI is working with the commercial numerous flight tests on multiple aircraft DETAIL aerospace industry and government simultaneously. Scheduling flight tests agencies to address these challenges by at an Air Force base, for example, can be The DOD’s integrated Network- developing standardized FTI software. particularly challenging when as many as Enhanced Telemetry program, Housed at SwRI’s Flight Test Technologies 30 aircraft are testing several systems at or iNET, aims to produce Laboratory in San Antonio, our team draws the same time. simpler, more cost-effective, on years of experience helping instrument With two-way communications and vendor-agnostic equipment interfaces. Increasingly vendors and aircraft manufacturers develop interoperable instruments, iNET enables complex aircraft and DOD flight test solutions. real-time data gathering and dynamic spectrum reductions resulted SwRI’s unique expertise in this sector led scheduling, allowing engineers to switch a in gaps in real-time data flight it to become the lead integrator for the U.S. flight test goal if an instrument fails or extra test collection. With iNET, the Department of Defense integrated Network flight time becomes available when another test community has unprece- Enhanced Telemetry program, or iNET. As flight test is cancelled. If a flight encounters dented ground control of iNET’s lead integrator, SwRI works with the a problem with a test instrument or sensor, instrumentation and test DOD and aerospace stakeholders to develop it may need to land for troubleshooting, articles in real time. a Metadata Description Language (MDL) causing delays from several hours to several that allows for standard configuration of all days. Or suppose an aircraft is scheduled to vendor hardware. A standard language fly over mountains to experience ice buildup helps test engineers work across multiple on its wings to evaluate the system response. vendor devices, paving the way for flexibility If the weather does not create the desired in flight testing to adapt to changing conditions, a normal plan would be to abort conditions, such as inclement weather or the test, land the plane and try again later. equipment failures. Under either of these scenarios, iNET could

10 SPRING 2019 reconfigure the instrumentation in real time for commercial aerospace and the military to perform a different set of tests or allow will be significant and lasting. other flights to access extra flight time or telemetry bandwidth. INTEGRATING BRASS WITH iNET DETAIL More recently, SwRI has leveraged its The DARPA BRASS project builds on iNET work on a series of contracts with Vehicular Integration for iNET’s interoperability solutions using the Defense Advanced Research Projects C4ISR/EW Interoperability algorithms that allow test engineers to use Agency (DARPA) and the Air Force Research (VICTORY) standard complex computational techniques to solve Laboratory. The project incorporates DARPA’s specifications provide a a range of difficult problems in real time. Building Resource Adaptive Software foundation for interopera- Broken hardware is a common problem Systems (BRASS) technology to facilitate bility among onboard that affects flight test scheduling. For adaptations to technology changes and sensors and weapon instance, if a data acquisition unit (DAU) security updates over the next several decades. systems, enabling a level needs to be replaced but inventory stock is of situational awareness By integrating BRASS into the standardized low, installing it could deprive concurrent not previously possible iNET configuration, SwRI engineers hope to programs. Ordering a new DAU from the and resulting in increased develop a lasting solution to deal with rapid vendor adds cost and delays. However, soldier survivability and advances in technology affecting the effectiveness. commercial and military aerospace indus- another type of DAU, even from a different tries. In late 2018, SwRI received a second vendor, might meet requirements and be BRASS contract to integrate flight test available immediately. standardization with the Army’s ground Using requirements analysis techniques, vehicle interoperability goals (See VICTORY the BRASS-powered system can track sidebar on p. 13). If the BRASS techniques inventory of old or unused instruments, prove to be adaptable and sustainable to determining that a secondary DAU will match the comprehensive goals of flight test satisfy the original requirements, saving programs, their applicability and effectiveness money and time for the original test while

An SwRI team is developing standardized language for FTI to synchronize and improve flight test agility in real time.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 11 avoiding putting other tests at risk. And parameters built into the program, limiting grant access to the additional bandwidth to these BRASS adaptations will typically the number of options available. For other tests. Without iNET, the guidelines explore beyond what an engineer would example, engineers typically assemble a for adapting to a beneficial situation do not consider because a solution does not system and validate its capabilities, exist, so a traditional system would move have to seem likely for BRASS to explore including system redundancies to ensure forward as if no change had occurred, the possibility. These types of exploratory access to safety-critical information. A missing the cost and value advantage optimizations and adaptations are generally BRASS-powered system can assemble associated with the grounded test. A done by humans with significant domain configuration possibilities, based on BRASS-powered system would have access experience, who use “intuition” as guidance. available equipment, while minimizing to all the relevant parameters, allowing it to A BRASS-powered system can explore hardware requirements. take advantage of the situation. The system further and faster, looking for a more could recommend anything from simply transmitting more data for the existing test, “objective” satisfaction of the requirements. FRAMING FUTURE CHALLENGES to suspending it to do a more “lucrative” Another advantage of future BRASS- Recent flight test telemetry advances test, and thereby maximizing overall value. powered systems is the possibility for provide adaptability. Consider that a test Making these types of complex adaptations real-time adaptations. A BRASS-based article encountering strange vibrations lies in the future, but the technology’s system could consider the environment of might require more safety-of-flight data to potential is significant. the whole test range and decide to adapt a continue the test. Using traditional telemetry, Ignoring some of the practical limitations single test to avoid impacts to concurrent the test article’s fixed transmission schedule of letting a computer create and modify test tests, or trigger adaptations to maximize would force the flight test to abort. However, plans, the sky is literally the limit for how the value or minimize the cost of the entire an iNET system could grant the bandwidth these systems adapt. Consider the earlier test range under its control. rights needed to transmit the test data example of the icing flight test delayed by In the BRASS realm, several classes of without any reconfiguration. weather conditions. Armed with informa- problems can be solved or addressed Consider the scenario for a test article tion about instrumentation, equipment and adaptively. For instance, to assemble a undergoing flight testing when a test sched- tests for unrelated tasks, a BRASS system flight test data acquisition system, an uled to run in parallel has been grounded. could recommend reconfigurations to engineer needs to know what measure- A grounded test means significantly more perform other tests. Going further, a BRASS ments and data rates are needed. A future bandwidth is available for data download. system could plan for that possibility, BRASS-powered system would have these An iNET telemetry network system could evaluating other testing scenarios or

SwRI has developed a new network-based telemetry system to expand and enhance flight test capabilities for the Department of Defense’s iNET program.

12 SPRING 2019 Through a 13-month contract valued at $1.5 million, SwRI is applying technology developed in flight test research to standardize software systems used in U.S. Army ground vehicles. The U.S. military faces many challenges in making hardware and software interop- The SwRI-led VICTORY architecture and open standards have revolutionized and streamlined erable and long-lasting in aircraft and how the military adds critical systems to its tactical vehicles. ground vehicles. SwRI’s DARPA contract will create opportunities to connect interopera- monitoring the weather en route, allowing domain today. The scenarios discussed bility initiatives across the DOD to improve a cost-effective transition to alternative provide reasonable opportunities for efficiency and adoption of new technolo- tasks if test parameters are not met. BRASS adaptive technologies to prove their gies for decades to come. Consider that NASA uses computer- worth, not only solving the problem but DARPA’s BRASS program is designed to designed antennas to maximize radiation also building credibility for the technology. make software last a century through patterns in ways humans would not have Combining all the techniques into the standardization and adaptation to changes envisioned. Similarly, a BRASS system model will dramatically increase the in technology. The Army is addressing could recommend exotic test shapes and quality and capabilities of adaptive interoperability concerns in ground plans that end up saving tens of thousands systems for flight tests and beyond. vehicles through the VICTORY program. of dollars and weeks of testing. The system For more information, visit swri.org/ The Army created the VICTORY initiative could improve designs even as standards flight-test-technologies. to help correct problems created by the and test platforms evolve over time. “bolt on” approach for integrating Army While these advanced applications are Questions about this article? Contact ground vehicle electronics. VICTORY is still years away, using our modeling Whittington at [email protected] necessary to minimize the amount of techniques brings groundbreaking adap- or 210.522.2847. redundant hardware associated with tive technology and expertise to this current capabilities and to reduce the cycle time and cost necessary to develop, integrate, test, maintain and upgrade vehicles throughout their lifecycles. Previously, SwRI explored using DARPA ABOUT THE AUTHOR BRASS to adapt to complex flight test Flight test researcher Austin environments using a universal flight test Whittington is the principal investigator of the DARPA BRASS Metadata Description Language (MDL) in project. He has particular military and civilian aircraft. The new experience in constraints contract continues the flight test research modeling and knowledge while expanding the project scope to representation and is a research identify problems and scenarios in ground analyst in SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Division. vehicles and model software solutions.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 13 SwRI is helping lead the first phase of a joint industry program (JIP) to verify and QUALIFYING validate oil and gas drilling sensor systems. The Independent Verification and Validation DRILLING (IV&V) of Sensors and Systems in Drilling JIP will develop techniques to classify sensor abilities affecting drilling data and impacting operations, analytics and automation. SENSOR “SwRI has significant experience in areas relevant to the development of recommended SYSTEMS practices for sensors and systems IV&V used in drilling,” said Maria Araujo, a manager in SwRI’s Intelligent Systems Division who is co-chairing the program. “SwRI has decades of IV&V expertise in analysis, control and automation sensors used in many high-technology industries, including oil and gas. SwRI will work with drilling industry experts to identify and rank critical sensor systems.” Some critical drilling equipment and sensors have proven insufficient for specific tasks, particularly as the industry employs more data analytics and automation. Technology is often inadequately calibrated or maintained or is used in applications outside its opera- tional parameters. In addition, data transfer channels and time stamping are susceptible to reliability problems. In Phase 1, the program will classify sensors and systems used throughout the drilling operation to prioritize IV&V standard setting and identify a critical system for a pilot study. “Formal industry-accepted verification and validation of sensors, equipment and systems will benefit both suppliers and customers,” Araujo said. “Suppliers can verify their products, and customers will have access to validated attributes and capabilities. Suppliers can accel- erate market readiness using a standardized test rather than conducting minimal or arbitrary tests for each new installation. Similarly, customers will have faster access to certified sensors and systems. And importantly, poor sensors and systems will not pass evaluations, avoiding safety risks and costly consequences associated with using inferior systems.” The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Drilling Systems Automation Technical Section (DSATS) is administering the program. Drilling industry expert John de Wardt will co-chair the JIP with Araujo. JIP membership is open to petroleum companies, drilling contractors, service companies and equipment suppliers. International participants are welcome. The Institute is uniquely positioned to support this initiative, with more than 25 years participating in collaborative programs. The approach allows clients to pool their R&D dollars for precompetitive research, offering a more cost-effective approach to solving problems. JIP participants have full rights to the intellectual property developed during the course of their membership, and the results are planned for release as a Drilling Industry Recommended Practice.

14 SPRING 2019 CANCER CHALLENGE CHAMPS

SwRI joined forces with UT Health San Antonio pathologists to place Challenge organizers provided two collections of images: one to first in an international challenge to develop automated methods to train the algorithms, the other to test them. The team analyzed images detect breast cancer tumor cells. They trained a computer algorithm extracted from breast cancer patients and assigned a score based on previously used for automotive, robotics and defense applications to the number of cancer cells in each image. Pathologists track tumor identify cancer cells for the BreastPathQ: Cancer Cellularity Challenge. response to therapy by determining the percentage of tumorous cells “Adapting an autonomous robotics algorithm to solve a health in the area. Currently, this task is performed manually and relies on diagnostics problem shows that we really have state-of-the-art experts to interpret complex tissue structures. A reliable automated techniques,” said Hakima Ibaroudene, the SwRI engineer who led the method could produce more consistent results and avoid potential winning effort. “Our method has the potential to improve medical human error. imaging diagnostics, ultimately bolstering healthcare for cancer patients.” “Artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to medical Developing the cancer-detecting algorithm began with UT Health image analysis will provide pathologists with a powerful tool to more San Antonio pathologists teaching SwRI engineers to recognize breast rapidly identify and quantify important image features,” said Dr. Bradley cancer tumor cells. The engineers then trained the computer algorithm Brimhall, UT Health San Antonio pathologist and challenge participant. to analyze cell images, looking for defining characteristics that “In doing so, additional diagnostic and prognostic information will be distinguish cancerous cells from normal ones. Once trained, the SwRI available for providers to guide cancer treatment.” algorithm scanned images provided for the challenge, matching the The challenge team also included Donald Poole, SwRI engineer, and findings of human pathologists at the highest rate, making it the Dr. Edward Medina, UT Health San Antonio pathologist. The American top-performing algorithm out of 100 competing submissions. Association of Physicists in Medicine, the National Cancer Institute and “The results demonstrated the importance of understanding SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, sponsored the network design and training the algorithm versus using an ‘out-of-the- challenge. The team presented their winning algorithm at the 2019 box’ model,” said David Chambers, SwRI engineer. “Our approach was SPIE Medical Imaging Conference in San Diego. driven by subject matter expertise.”

SwRI engineers David Chambers and Donald Poole trained a detection algorithm, using breast cancer tumor cell images, to win the BreastPathQ: Cancer Cellularity Challenge. Out of 100 submissions, their algorithm placed first in the international challenge to develop an automated method to detect breast cancer tumor cells.

D1M023530_3790 Detecting chemical contaminants and allergens helps ensure the quality and safety of food products. SwRI scientists provide quality and safety services across the food industry, from farmers to distributors, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. Whether for fruits and vegetables or complex processed foods, Includes: we perform chemical testing, often for same-day or 24-hour turnaround of data. We can test for anything • Heavy metals on a food label, from calories and nutrients to additives. We also investigate unusual odors, tastes, colors, • Plastics defects or possible adulterations. • Acrylamide • Melamine • Furan • Mycotoxins 1000s of contaminants 30years 8 characterized testing food common food allergens identified 40+ scientists, chemists & techs 1000 produce samples per year > 200+ pestiside residues 100 determined nutrients characterized

Includes: • Fatty acids

• Amino acids The Technology Today Podcast offers a new way to listen and learn about the technology, • Vitamins science, engineering and research impacting our lives and changing our world. Check out • Minerals Episode 3 for a more in-depth discussion of food safety with SwRI food chemistry expert Lorraine Scheller. swri.org/technology-today-the-podcast

16 SPRING 2019 TECHNOLOGY TODAY 17 Fueling Tomorrow’s Transportation

16 SPRING 2019 Fueling Tomorrow’s Transportation Improving electrification & storage technology By Dr. Terry Alger

When most people hear “CAFE standards,” they think about the kitchen cops and health inspections for local eateries and the food they offer. At Southwest Research Institute, we think about another form of fuel, and more specifically, vehicle fuel efficiency. Corporate Average Fuel Economy — CAFE — standards set the bar for the aver- IMAGE COURTESY THE ACADEMY OF MEDICINE, ENGINEERING & SCIENCE OF TEXAS OF SCIENCE & ENGINEERING MEDICINE, OF ACADEMY THE COURTESY IMAGE age new vehicle fuel economy, as weighted by sales, that a manufacturer’s fleet must achieve. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Terry Alger, a director in SwRI’s Congress initially enacted CAFE Powertrain Engineering Division, led standards in 1975 in response to the 1973 the development of the Dedicated oil embargo that quadrupled the price of Exhaust Gas Recirculation, or D-EGR®, oil. Almost overnight, the cost of gasoline engine that improves fuel economy became a major concern among auto up to 15 percent while also increasing engine performance. Alger also manufacturers and the public alike. These oversees the Energy Storage CAFE standards aimed to double the Technology Center and was recently average fuel economy of the new car fleet to honored with the 2019 Edith and 27.5 miles per gallon by 1985. Recognizing Peter O’Donnell Award in Technology the challenges facing heavier vehicles, the Innovation presented by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering U.S. Department of Transportation set a and Science of Texas. second standard for light trucks with the same overall goal but with a 22.2 mpg target. D023629 TECHNOLOGY TODAY 19 D023168_4632 battery that can power the vehicle allows the engine to be used more efficiently, saving fuel. Finally, batteries in plug-in hybrids can be charged when the car is not in use, supplying the vehicle with energy generated by cleaner, more efficient sources. For the power industry, batteries can help balance the load on the grid. They are more responsive than generators to sudden demands for power and can also absorb energy for use later, depending on demand. Plus, a major challenge preventing the country from getting all the benefits from solar and wind energy is timing. Peak wind and solar production periods often occur when energy demand is low. Integrating batteries into the system allows utilities to

capture the excess energy and send it to the IMAGE COURTESY EPA.GOV grid later when demand might outstrip

The United States has successfully reduced CO2 emissions since 2000. supply. And greening energy production makes electric vehicles even more attractive. These standards remained fixed until made with new technologies (see “Clean the price shocks of 2007. Then economic and Cool” in the Summer 2010 issue of STORAGE SYNERGY factors, combined with growing concern Technology Today). Other solutions involve Despite their potential benefits, about carbon dioxide emissions and the waste heat recovery or adjusting the engine widespread adoption of advanced energy availability of oil, led to a new round of to operate more consistently in the efficiency storage systems has been stymied by fuel economy agreements in 2009. SwRI is zone. For power generation, the challenge challenges in cost, reliability, safety and working with the auto industry to meet of balancing the supply with demand can energy density. SwRI has spent the last two these requirements and simultaneously lead to inefficient operations. In both decades addressing these issues to encourage achieve acceptable safety, emissions and applications, adding an energy storage more widespread adoption of advanced performance standards, all while keeping device — such as a battery — can signifi- storage technology. vehicles affordable for the average consumer. cantly improve the efficiency of a system. For the automotive sector, SwRI has As the transportation industry strives to Batteries convert electrical energy into worked on many different hybrid systems improve efficiency, the electric power chemical energy for safe and efficient over the past 20-plus years. In the early generation industry is also attempting to storage. In automobiles, braking is a huge 2000s, we evaluated the durability of a reduce CO2 emissions. And it’s working. waste of energy. For a typical car with DETAIL powertrain for a The United States has reduced its CO2 friction brakes, the vehicle’s kinetic energy groundbreaking SwRI manages more emissions by nearly 20 percent since 2000. is converted into thermal energy when its electric vehicle and than a dozen Most of this change is associated with the brake pads rub on rotors. That thermal contributed to a multiclient projects, transition from coal to natural gas for power energy is then released as heat into the hydraulic hybrid including seven generation, although renewable energy environment, so that, effectively, all the system for delivery automotive sources and more efficient vehicles have also energy that went into speeding the car up trucks. Then in 2011, consortia, allowing contributed. At SwRI, we work with both the is turned into wasted heat. By using an SwRI launched its first organizations to pool transportation and electric power industries energy storage system and a generator major battery effort their research and to improve energy storage technology. connected to the axles, a hybrid vehicle for the transportation development dollars converts kinetic energy into electrical for pre-competitive sector, initiating the EFFICIENCY LIMITS energy during a braking event, which is research. Energy storage system The fundamental efficiency of today’s stored in a battery. In this manner, some of Evaluation and safety automotive engines is actually quite high, the energy that went into accelerating the (EssEs) consortium to which means it is difficult to make further car can be recovered for use later. In study and benchmark lithium-ion batteries significant improvements. Some can be addition, having an electric motor and for the emerging hybrid vehicle market.

20 SPRING 2019 SwRI purchases one electric vehicle per year, benchmark- ing its performance before disassembling the battery pack and benchmarking individual cells.

D023168_4632 DSC_0044

EssEs, now in its seventh year, has tested clients as a part of their product develop- over 40 different types of lithium-ion cells, ment process. the building blocks of battery packs in today’s hybrid and electric vehicles. The STORAGE SAFETY consortium also buys one electric vehicle As more electric vehicles took to the per year, benchmarking its performance roads, several highly publicized accidents before disassembling the battery pack and occurred, where batteries caught fire or benchmarking individual cells. exploded. To address these safety hazards, Our early battery test work was a battery abuse testing became an important grassroots effort, with SwRI repurposing component of the electric vehicle product engine test cells as battery test facilities. development process. Batteries in cars, cell Outfitted with thermal chambers to keep phones and even medical devices must the test articles at a consistent temperature, pass abuse tests while meeting perfor- these test cells characterize batteries mance requirements. operating over a range of ambient tempera- To meet these demands, the EssEs team tures. A cycler charges and discharges built devices to crush, puncture and batteries in a prescribed manner, depending otherwise damage battery cells to charac- on the test. terize safety, creating a core capability to Fire specialists expose fully charged electric vehicle perform all required battery abuse testing Initially, the EssEs consortium focused batteries to gasoline pool fires. Engineers monitor on performance, life and abuse-tolerance to various U.S., European Union and 60 sensors measuring temperatures up to 800 testing of lithium-ion cells. Activities United Nations standards. degrees C in this 2-minute test to characterize resistance to fire and explosion. expanded beyond the consortium to Battery abuse testing takes several include testing batteries for individual forms. The first is electrical abuse.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 21 Among the battery Although modern battery management of storage cell tests SwRI conducts is systems are extremely robust, overcharging penetration testing to or overdischarging can still potentially simulate damage from occur. To minimize this risk, SwRI road hazards. evaluates how batteries deal with these

D1M017976_3151 situations, charging or discharging the units at different rates until they fail or a specified testing period ends. The second form of abuse, physical abuse, comes in many forms. Teams from across the Institute use their capabilities to accomplish the work. SwRI performs all required physical abuse tests, from crushing cells, modules and packs to drop testing and simulating crash damage. Penetration tests mimic damage from road debris, and salt fog simulates corrosive environmental conditions. Fully charged batteries are exposed to pool fires to assess resistance to fire and explosion. As battery technol- ogy has matured, abuse testing has become less dramatic. Five years ago, SwRI has developed a abuse testing almost always resulted in a unique crush test fire or some kind of dramatic event. fixture that uses Today, those incidents rarely happen. sensors and video to characterize what While the team might miss the excite- could happen to a ment, it is nice to know that as batteries battery in an accident. have proliferated, they’ve become much, much safer. D023598_9968

STORAGE SPECS Characterization and performance testing round out our battery test work. SwRI evaluates manufacturers’ ability to make consistent cells for both the EssEs consortium and individual clients. Size, weight and electrical properties are measured for a statistically representa- tive sample of cells to evaluate the production quality of different cell types. Once characterized, we test cells under standard and custom charge and discharge cycles to measure their response to changes in temperature, charge/discharge rate and starting energy levels. As a part of this testing, a subset of cells are aged and tested at intervals to establish the response of the cell. It is common knowledge in the industry that batteries function different-

22 SPRING 2019 TEAM PIC TO BE SHOT D023598_9993 The ESTC team includes, from left, Technician Mike Taylor, Research Engineer Kevin Jones, Assistant Manager Mickey Argo, Staff Engineer Dr. Bapi Surampudi, Senior Research Engineer Ian Smith, Manager Mark Walls, Principal Technician Mario Guillen, Staff Technician Doug Czaja and Engineer Christopher Kelly.

ly as they get older, so an important part of our work is establish- and improve battery coolants. ing how aging affects different cell chemistries. In a future project, the team will also work with CPS Energy, San Antonio’s electric utility, on a grid storage experiment. CPS is ELECTRIFICATION EXPANSION building 5 MW of solar generation capacity and grid storage As this work continued to expand, testing activities soon batteries at SwRI. Our engineers will participate in the operation of outgrew their space, so SwRI developed a dedicated facility the system, performing experiments on the batteries and collecting completed in March 2018. SwRI’s new Energy Storage Technology data on the system for use in future applications. Center (ESTC) is 10 times larger than the previous lab, providing TOMORROW’S CAFE MENU plenty of room for thermal chambers and space for several electric vehicles. The new facility has two dedicated “abuse rooms” with Contrary to some reports in the popular press, the internal separate ventilation systems and scrubbers, ensuring that no toxic combustion engine is not dead, nor is it about to be replaced as the materials escape, and that battery abuse testing can be done safely. prime mover for the majority of the country’s transportation needs. SwRI is now one of the few one-stop shops in the United States Nonetheless, electrified vehicles are destined to be a big part of that performs all regulatory battery safety tests on cells, modules future mobility solutions. SwRI’s new Energy Storage Technology and even complete battery packs. And, thanks to the emissions Center offers a full menu of innovative solutions for electric scrubbing system installed at the fire technology laboratory in vehicles, which will play an increasing role in helping the automo- 2014, even pack-level tests can be done safely and without tive industry meet CAFE standards. Figuring out the safest, impacting the environment. cleanest and most efficient means to fuel our way of life benefits The new lab offers more opportunities for vehicle benchmark all of us, no matter where we live or what we do. testing, calibration and validation services for power electronics and technology in electrified vehicles. The team has completed Questions about this article? Contact Alger at [email protected] or internally funded research programs to develop new algorithms 210.522.5505. to predict battery life and improve fast charging. In addition, engineers are using existing SwRI intellectual property to investigate

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 23 SwRI engineers have created an inter- combinations. Users select certain environ- SwRI TOOL active decision tree designed to find the mental and oil conditions, and the tool

best mitigation methods for specific oil spill determines the most efficient dispersant and IMAGE COURTESY STEPHEN LEHMAN, US COAST GUARD TARGETS scenarios. Numerous chemical dispersant delivery approach to clean up the spill. For technologies are available, and countless example, the thickness of an oil slick is a major variables and conditions affect the perfor- variable affecting how much dispersant is OIL SPILLS mance of any given dispersant. SwRI’s needed to break up the spill. decision-making tool helps users understand “This is a game changer for oil spill how a dispersant technology will perform preparedness, because oil spill cleanup thus under different spill scenarios. far has been a relatively subjective process,” Led by SwRI Research Engineer Dr. Amy she said. “This tool can help transition spill McCleney, the team designed the decision response operations into a more objective, tree for the U.S. Department of Interior’s systematic and measurable approach.” Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforce- McCleney and fellow SwRI engineers Maria ment to train individuals who respond to oil Cortes, Jacqueline Manders and Kevin Supak D023628 spill incidents. based the tool on an existing equipment “When an oil spill occurs, chemical efficiency system developed at SwRI. The team dispersants, distributed by boat or airplane, spent a year researching literature and enhance the breakup of spilled oil on interviewing industry experts, identifying the water into small droplets, which dissipate in most efficient oil spill cleanup practices from the surrounding ocean,” McCleney said. across the industry to incorporate into the “Microorganisms then degrade the small oil singular decision tree. droplets to remove the harmful pollutants “In the end, this is all about protecting from the water.” our coastlines and the public from oil,” Choosing the best technology for oil spill McCleney said. “This tool can train responders cleanup is extremely challenging due to to select the best oil cleanup method before numerous spill scenario combinations that an event such as the Deepwater Horizon oil can affect the overall response outcome. The spill occurs, to implement more effective and SwRI tool supports hundreds of scenario timely responses.”

An airplane sprays chemical dispersants on an oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. TECHBYTES

ENERGY STORAGE SOLUTIONS

SwRI has received a $2 million grant from the United States Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy to develop an advanced pumped heat electricity storage system. This system offers twice the energy density of a lithium ion battery using an innovative thermodynamic cycle to store energy in hot and cold fluids. “It’s important, now more than ever, to invest in innovative solutions that can help deliver on the promise of effective, renewable energy,” said Danny Deffen- baugh, vice president of SwRI’s Mechanical Engineering Division. “This new energy storage system is a wonderful example of research that benefits the world we live in, which SwRI engineers are committed to pursuing.” To implement renewables such as solar or wind energy on a larger scale, new energy storage technology is critical to match intermittent supplies with customer demand. The SwRI team, led by research engineer Brittany Tom, plans to build the new kW-scale energy storage demonstration system over the next two years. “Grid-scale energy storage technologies like this one address a critical need for renewables on electricity grids worldwide,” Tom said. In this new system, electric energy from the grid is converted into thermal energy and stored as a thermal potential. At full capacity, the system could store energy for hours or up to several weeks before converting it back to electrical energy. The capacity of the system can be easily extended by increasing the volume of the storage tanks. The technology offers a low-cost solution when compared to “peaker” plants, which generate and provide electricity during the peak demand hours of the morning, later afternoon and evening.

USING SPACE THERMODYNAMICS Research conducted by SwRI’s Dr. George Livadiotis has shed new light TO PREDICT SPACE WEATHER on predicting the thermodynamics of the solar wind and “space weather” events. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections release hot, fast-moving plasmas that transmit magnetic fields from the solar corona, as depicted in this illustra- tion. He calculated the distribution of particle velocities at thermal D023623 equilibrium when streams of particles are moving en masse, behavior typical of space and astrophysical plasmas. By measuring the macroscopic properties of plasmas, we can now understand and predict the microphysics of these plasmas. The new results are published in Astrophysical Journal. iopscience.iop.org/article/

IMAGE COURTESY NASA COURTESY IMAGE 10.3847/1538-4357/ab05b7/pdf

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 25 TECHBYTES D018190_6259

SPACE-OPTIMIZED OPTOCOUPLER SwRI has developed a high-reliability, high-voltage optocoupler for spaceflight applications. NASA has selected the device as a power interface between the Europa Clipper spacecraft and three onboard instruments bound for Jupiter’s moon Europa in the next five years. The power converter, developed with internal funding, overcomes reliability problems similar systems have had operating in space. An optocoupler, also known as an opto-isolator, transfers electrical signals between two isolated circuits using light, in this case an array of LED sources. The SwRI device enables 15 kilovolts of isolated, low- voltage control for space instruments operating at up to 10.5 kV. “Operating in conditions from -40 to 100 degrees Celsius, our power converter is ruggedized to withstand the rigors of launch and adverse SwRI designed Strofio, a basketball-sized instrument weighing just over radiation conditions in space,” said SwRI’s Carlos Urdiales. “In addition 7 pounds, to measure particles in Mercury’s sparse exosphere. to withstanding the radiation environment around Jupiter, our optocoupler is fast, stepping from 0 to 10 kilovolts in 23.4 microseconds. SAMPLING MERCURY’S EXOSPHERE The half-inch package weighs less than 4 grams and has a radiation tolerance in excess of 100 kilorads.” On October 20, the European Space Agency’s BepiColombo spacecraft launched for Mercury carrying a unique payload designed The high-quality device offers high reliability and long life in a and built at SwRI: an instrument called Strofio, designed to study relatively small footprint, which is critical for space applications. The Mercury’s tenuous exosphere. Part of the SERENA suite of instruments, optocoupler is being integrated into the MAss SPectrometer for Strofio’s measurements will help us better understand the planet’s Planetary EXploration (MASPEX), the Plasma Instrument for Magnetic surface and the history of the smallest rocky planet orbiting close Sounding (PIMS) and the SUrface Dust Analyser (SUDA) instruments for to the Sun. the Europa Clipper mission. SwRI’s optocoupler will help power astrobiology examinations to understand the moon’s subsurface sea “An exosphere is different from an atmosphere,” said Dr. Stefano and potential habitability as well as characterization of its atmosphere, Livi, the Institute scientist who leads the Strofio experiment, funded by ionosphere and magnetosphere. NASA’s Discovery Mission of Opportunity program. “Mercury doesn’t have enough gravity to hold onto a permanent atmosphere. Instead, it “SwRI’s SW1001502 octocoupler is a highly reliable choice for is surrounded by a thin, collision-free particle environment. Several high-voltage electrostatic analyzers, deflectors, bias and custom mechanisms act on the surface of Mercury that can free particles from stepping power systems,” said Senior Engineering Technologist Dennis the soil. As atoms leave the surface they briefly populate this exosphere Guerrero. “It can also be used as a high-voltage linear control element, before they return to the surface or drift away into interplanetary space.” a current source or an operational amplifier output stage.” Mercury’s proximity to the Sun makes it difficult to observe from Earth. It is also challenging for spacecraft to reach the planet and to D023322_4928 SwRI is integrating survive in its harsh environment. The BepiColombo mission includes its optocoupler two spacecraft — ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Japan power conversion technology into Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter. three instruments From aboard MPO, Strofio will study how Mercury’s exosphere and bound for Jupiter’s magnetosphere interact with each other and with the planet’s surface. moon Europa. The radiation-hardened, “Strofio is novel in its ability to detect the rare, static particle high-reliability population in Mercury’s exosphere,” Livi said. “We had to rethink and device overcomes retool typical spectrometer designs.” problems similar systems have had To understand these interactions, Strofio must identify the particles operating in space. escaping from Mercury’s surface. Because the exosphere is so thin, sampling particles is particularly challenging — in fact, the particle density is so low that the instrument had to be commissioned in specialized facilities at the University of Bern. Every particle captured is analyzed in a rotating field. When and where each particle gets to the detector determines the mass of each particle. Strofio uses detection algorithm tools to enhance the instrument’s sensitivity and improve identification.

26 SPRING 2019 GREEN SKIES

Since 2008, SwRI has supported environment management SwRI has studied the feasibility of reclaiming, recycling, replacing

activities for the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies to improve and potentially reducing the use of gaseous SF6 in the AWACS platform. energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our engineers Engineers conducted an extensive search for replacement candidates are helping the Department of Defense develop gas leak detection, that provide equal or better performance and meet safety guidelines capture and reuse technologies. for health, flammability and instability hazards in a flight application.

One target is sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), a colorless, odorless, Using a custom-designed test cell, SwRI evaluated the high-voltage nonflammable gas used as an electrical insulator in the E-3 aircraft’s negative DC electrical breakdown of potential gas candidates over the communications equipment. The E-3 airborne warning and control range of pressures and conditions experienced by AWACS equipment. system (AWACS) conducts surveillance, command, control and Working with Texas Tech University’s Center for Pulsed Power and

D023627 communications functions for tactical and air defense around the Power Electronics, engineers measured S-band RF power using several

world. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, SF6 is a promising gas admixtures that potentially satisfy technical and safety potent greenhouse gas. Its global warming potential is 23,000 times requirements for the aircraft’s antenna and waveguide components.

that of CO2 over 100 years, and it remains in the atmosphere for up to The Air Force is currently evaluating research results. 3,200 years. IMAGE COURTESY USAF/ AIRMAN 1ST CLASS CHRIS MASSEY CHRIS CLASS 1ST AIRMAN USAF/ COURTESY IMAGE

VOLCANIC ERUPTION LIGHTS UP IO ON EARTH’S DARKEST NIGHT A team of space scientists has captured new images of a D023622 volcanic plume on Jupiter’s moon Io during the Juno mission’s 17th flyby of the gas giant. On Dec. 21, during Earth’s winter solstice, four of Juno’s cameras captured images of the moon’s polar regions as well as evidence of an active eruption. “We knew we were breaking new ground with a multi- spectral campaign to view Io’s polar region, but no one expected we would get so lucky as to see an active volcanic plume shooting material off the moon’s surface,” said Dr. Scott Bolton, principal investigator of the Juno mission and an associate vice president of SwRI’s Space Science and

IMAGE COURTESY NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SWRI/INAF COURTESY IMAGE Engineering Division. “This was quite a New Year’s present showing us that Juno has the ability to clearly see plumes.” JunoCam, the Stellar Reference Unit (SRU), the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) and the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVS) observed Io for over an hour, providing unprecedented images of the most volcanic body in the solar system.

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 27 SwRI was part of a team that used Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data to study the Moon’s craters, scaled by size and color-coded by age here, to understand the impact history of the Earth. This illustration shows a lunar surface dominated by blue craters less than 290 million years old, which is consistent with those on Earth, indicating that bombardments on both bodies have increased since that time. IMAGE COURTESY NASA / LRO / USGS / OF UNIVERSITY TORONTO

ASTEROID ASSAULT ACCELERATED IN PAST 300 MILLION YEARS

SwRI scientists recently looked to the Moon to better understand scientists could not pinpoint their ages until NASA’s Lunar Reconnais- the impact history of the Earth. The research, published January 18 in sance Orbiter (LRO) started circling the Moon a decade ago. Using the journal Science, discovered that the rate of sizable asteroid collisions images and thermal data collected by LRO, SwRI scientists and collabo- has increased by a factor of two to three on both bodies over the past rators calculated the ages of large lunar craters across the Moon. 290 million years. “What this research uncovered is that the Earth has fewer older Earth has fewer older craters than expected compared to other craters on stable terrains, not because of erosion, but because the bodies in the solar system, making it difficult to find an accurate impact impact rate was lower prior to 290 million years ago,” said SwRI’s Dr. rate and to determine if it has changed over time. Many experts assumed William Bottke. “The Moon is like a time capsule, helping us understand that the earliest Earth craters may have been worn away by wind, the Earth. We found that the Moon shared a similar bombardment D023621 storms and geologic processes, mechanisms not present on the Moon. history, which meant the answer to Earth’s impact rate was staring Lunar craters experience little erosion over billions of years, but everyone right in the face.”

PUTTING SOLAR ACTIVITY IN PERSPECTIVE D023620

An international team led by SwRI has developed a new technique takes all historic data gathered and digitized thus far and combines them for looking at historic solar data to distinguish trustworthy visually, to provide a complete picture of the data we have and observations from those that should be used with where are we missing information. care. This work is critical to understanding the Roughly every 11 years, the magnetic structure Sun’s past and future as well as whether solar and activity of the Sun cycle between periods activity plays a role in climate change. known as solar minimum and solar maximum. “Scientists have been monitoring During solar maximum, the Sun emits high solar activity since Galileo made the levels of solar radiation, ejects large first drawings in 1612 by counting amounts of solar material and displays large sunspots and groups of sunspots,” numbers of intense sunspots, flares and said SwRI’s Andrés Muñoz-Jaramillo, a other phenomena. During solar mini- senior research scientist who is lead mum, this activity is muted. Changes on author of a paper in Nature Astrono- the Sun cause effects in space, in the my outlining the research. “However, atmosphere and on Earth’s surface. The putting all observations in perspective Sun also experiences longer variations. is quite challenging due to wide-ranging “One has to be very careful when observation techniques and telescope using historic sunspot data to study potential magnifications used. We see much more links between the Sun and changes in terrestrial now and our understanding of what we see climate, given that these effects would be complex changes the way we count spots.” and subtle,” Muñoz-Jaramillo said. “Our work uses The team, which included José Manuel Vaquero of historical data to provide context to users of these estimates the University of Extremadura (Spain), created a technique that who may not be aware of their limitations.”

28 SPRING 2019 TECHBYTES

SEEING THROUGH TITAN’S ENIGMATIC ATMOSPHERE SwRI scientists recently tackled one of the greatest mysteries about Titan, one of Saturn’s moons: the origin of its thick, nitrogen-rich atmosphere. A new study published online in The Astrophysical Journal posits that Titan’s murky atmosphere comes, at least in part, from organic material “cooked” in the moon’s interior. “Titan has this very thick atmosphere, which makes it unique among moons in our solar system,” said Dr. Kelly Miller, lead author of the study. “It is also the only body in the solar system, other than Earth, that has large quantities of liquid on its surface. Titan, however, has liquid hydrocarbons instead of water. A lot of organic chemistry is no doubt happening on Titan, so it’s an undeniable source of curiosity.” The atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon is extremely dense, even thicker than Earth’s atmosphere, and mostly nitrogen. It’s also about 5 percent methane, which reacts quickly (by

D023335_6285/ D023335_6297 astrophysical standards) to form organics that gradually fall to its surface. This means atmospheric methane would either need to NEXT-GEN MST TECHNOLOGY be replenished or that current conditions are transient and unique. “The leading hypothesis has been that ammonia ice from A new, more powerful generation of SwRI’s patented MagnetoStrictive comets was converted, by impacts or photochemistry, into Sensor can withstand extreme temperatures, automatically adjusts nitrogen to form Titan’s atmosphere,” Miller said. “While that may frequencies and incorporates a stronger magnet. The compact magne- still be an important process, it does not account for what we tostrictive transducer (MsT™) more accurately detects potential now know is a very substantial portion of comets: complex problems in oil, gas and chemical industry structures such as pipelines, organic material.” storage tanks and anchor rods. To study the Titan mystery, Miller combined existing data “The MsT system offers the next level of signal strength. This from organic material found in meteorites, which is similar to but user-friendly technology more precisely locates structural issues,” said less abundant than cometary organics, with previous thermal Dr. Sergey Vinogradov, the SwRI staff engineer who led the upgrade models of the moon’s interior. Miller found that “cooking” initiative. “It is an extremely reliable, state-of-the-art, durable sensor that organics from Titan’s formation in its interior could produce you can install just about anywhere.” about half the nitrogen, and potentially all the methane, in the The circular, hard-shell MsT sensor clamps around pipes and other moon’s enigmatic atmosphere. structures and is available in circumferences ranging from one-half inch to 70 inches. It detects material flaws, corrosion and areas at risk of developing cracks and leaks. At just 1.1 inches wide, MsT uses less D022748 shear-wave couplant, a gel that aids energy transmission, and requires less clamping force when dry coupled. The MsT sensor can be perma- nently installed on a structure to provide ongoing monitoring. “The MsT is compact and easy to install, but it’s also more convenient,” Vinogradov said. “With this improved sensor, the

IMAGE COURTESY NASA COURTESY IMAGE operator does not change hardware to change frequencies. And this function is automated, which reduces human error. This feature is especially useful when the sensors need to be installed at multiple, hard-to-access locations.” High temperatures accelerate corrosion in metal structures. For that reason, MsT is designed to withstand up to 500 degrees Celsius. It can be installed on extremely hot structures to detect weaknesses and can also withstand temperatures significantly below freezing. TECHBYTES

Reconnection in the Earth’s magnetotail

The latest findings of the

SwRI-led Magnetospheric COURTESY NASA/ GSFC Multiscale mission detailed the magnetic reconnection processes taking place in the Earth’s magnetotail. Scientists discovered that the tail regions where magnetic D023638 fields meet, break apart and reconnect are surprisingly nonturbulent, but create hypersonic jets of electrons.

Ask us about radiological science.

When environmental issues become polarizing and technically complex, scientific analysis plays a vital role in evaluating risks when stakeholders find it hard to agree. Southwest Research Institute is your trusted resource for independent research and analysis for nuclear and radiologically affected areas.

radiological.swri.org CYGNSS EXTENDED NASA has extended the Cyclone Global not provide accurate measurements. GPS positive impact on their ability to forecast a Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission signals penetrate intense rainstorms, and storm’s track, intensity and structure,” said Dr. for an additional year and a half. The constel- CYGNSS uses these signals, reflected off the Chris Ruf, CYGNSS principal investigator from lation of microsatellites designed and built at ocean surface, to calculate wind speeds. The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Southwest Research Institute has made “For the extended mission, we are Michigan. “In addition, bonus observations history over the last two years, penetrating ramping up for four new investigations over land have uncovered a wealth of new thick clouds and heavy rains to accurately related to tropical cyclones, six in other science applications related to imaging of assess wind speeds and better understand oceanography disciplines, six that use flood inundation and measuring subsurface hurricane intensification. Assessments CYGNSS data in groundbreaking land science soil moisture. I look forward personally to confirmed that all eight spacecraft and their applications and many others,” said SwRI’s many more years supporting these efforts subsystems are healthy and ready to support Jillian Redfern, CYGNSS project manager and and helping to expand the community of our two more years of operations. mission operations manager. “We are data users.” The microsatellites — each roughly the adjusting payload operations to support the SwRI led the engineering development size of carry-on luggage — make frequent new science applications while maintaining and manages the operation of the constella- measurements of ocean surface winds to production of the core data products already tion. The University of Michigan Climate and monitor the location, intensity, size and in use by the science community.” Space Sciences and Engineering Department development of tropical cyclones. Flying in leads the science investigation, and the Earth

D023625/ D023624/ D023626 During the prime mission phase, formation, the spacecraft cover an orbital CYGNSS science has led to 72 refereed Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission swath that passes over most of the Earth’s journal publications and 158 conference Directorate oversees the mission. SwRI’s office hurricane-producing zone, up to 35 degrees proceedings publications in atmospheric, in Boulder, Colorado, hosts the mission north and south of the Equator. ocean and terrestrial science as well as space operations center, which commands the “Launched in late 2016, the spacecraft systems engineering. spacecraft, collects the telemetry and have provided round-the-clock surface wind “We have made extensive observations of transmits the data to the science operations speed measurements to help improve inner core winds and demonstrated that center at the University of Michigan. intensity forecasting of tropical cyclones,” said assimilating these data into numerical SwRI’s William Wells, CYGNSS operations weather prediction models has a significant phase systems engineer. “The extended mission opens the door for many new science In the second phase, the CYGNSS mission has expanded to include land-based studies. In the prime mission, a surprising capability emerged — CYGNSS can characterize flooded landscapes and measure opportunities, in addition to continuing the subsurface soil moisture, as seen in this CYGNSS map of the Amazon basin. primary mission objectives. We are making some engineering and operational changes to enable new types of science while maximizing science returns in this second phase.” This science is critical because, over the last few decades, forecasters have improved hurricane path prediction significantly, but the ability to predict the intensity of storms has lagged behind. Collecting data in the

COURTESY NASA/UNIVERSITY CORPORATION FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH/UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN OF RESEARCH/UNIVERSITY ATMOSPHERIC FOR CORPORATION NASA/UNIVERSITY COURTESY midst of a storm is difficult and dangerous, but conventional space technology could

TECHNOLOGY TODAY 31

AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS D023519_7165/ D023519_7128/ D023519_6976 BY Fall 2018 – THE NUMBERS Spring 2019

presentations52 given in 14 states &

8countries

10papers 16patents published in awarded

SwRI played a key role in the International Powertrains, Fuels and Lubricants Meeting held in San Antonio in January. The event included a tour of Institute facilities, including automotive, robotics and fire technology laboratories. SwRI publications8 president and CEO Adam L. Hamilton gave the meeting’s keynote address and we hosted a “fiesta” party for attendees.

32 SPRING 2019 COMING UP

Dr. Terry Alger, a director in SwRI’s Powertrain Engineering Division, has received the 2019 Edith and Peter O’Donnell D023629 Award in Technology Innovation. Presented by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST), the honor TRAINING recognizes Alger for his role in developing vehicle engine tech- nologies that lower pollution levels and improve fuel economy. SwRI is hosting these short courses: Cybersecurity Workshop, San Antonio, May 14, 2019 Dr. Scott Bolton, associate vice president of SwRI’s Space Fugitive Emissions Research Best Practices Science and Engineering Division, was honored with a 2018 D021434 Webinar, San Antonio, May 14, 2019 American Ingenuity Award from Smithsonian Magazine. The ISO Internal Auditor Training, Austin, Texas, award recognizes Bolton’s contributions to the physical May 16, 2019 sciences as principal investigator of NASA’s Juno mission to ISO Internal Auditor Training, San Antonio, Jupiter, now about halfway through its prime mission. June 20, 2019 Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Training, Austin, Dr. Graham Conway, a principal engineer in the Powertrain Texas, June 25, 2019 Engineering Division, received an SAE Outstanding Oral D021434 Presentation Award for a talk titled “Alternative Fluids Injection for Knock Mitigation and Efficiency.” Presented at the SAE CONFERENCES Powertrains, Fuels and Lubricants Meeting in January, the talk focused on research funded by SwRI’s HEDGE consortium. Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, May 6-9, 2019, Booth 2201 International School of Hydrocarbon Measure- James Dante, a manager in SwRI’s Mechanical Engineering ment (ISHM), Oklahoma City, May 14-15, 2019 Division, has received a Strategic Environmental Research and

D022395 National Association of Environmental Development Program award. The Weapons Systems and Plat- Professions Annual Conference, Baltimore, forms Project of the Year Award recognizes work that introduces May 19-23, 2019 new technology to reduce the military’s environmental footprint. AAPG Annual Convention & Exhibition, San Antonio, May 19-22, 2019, Booth 617 IFT Food Expo, New Orleans, June 3-5, 2019, Dr. Peter Lee, a staff engineer in SwRI’s tribology section, Booth 2305 has been elected a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical ITS America Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., Engineers, which is the highest level of membership within the June 4-7, 2019, Booth 431

D018561_0922 organization. Founded in 1847, the Institution of Mechanical 29th CIMAC World Congress, Vancouver, Engineers is a United Kingdom-based organization of more Canada, June 10-14, 2019, Booth 400 than 120,000 engineers in 140 countries. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Conference, San Antonio, June 17-20, 2019, Booth 1184 Dr. Alan Stern, associate vice president of SwRI’s Space Science ASME Turbo Expo, Phoenix, June 17-21, 2019, and Engineering Division, has been appointed to the National Booth 311 Science Board by the Trump Administration. The National Valve World Americas Expo & Conference, D022170_8395 Science Board is the governing body of the National Science Houston, June 19-20, 2019, Booth 1701 Foundation (NSF) and is jointly led by its own board president and the NSF director. For more information, visit swri.org/events.

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