Measuring thermodynamic details of DNA hybridization using fluorescence.

PubMed

You, Yong; Tataurov, Andrey V; Owczarzy, Richard

2011-07-01

Modern real-time PCR systems make it easy to monitor fluorescence while temperature is varied for hundreds of samples in parallel, permitting high-throughput studies. We employed such system to investigate melting transitions of ordered nucleic acid structures into disordered random coils. Fluorescent dye and quencher were attached to oligonucleotides in such a way that changes of fluorescence intensity with temperature indicated progression of denaturation. When fluorescence melting data were compared with traditional ultraviolet optical experiments, commonly used dye/quencher combinations, like fluorescein and tetramethylrhodamine, showed substantial discrepancies. We have therefore screened 22 commercially available fluorophores and quenchers for their ability to reliably report annealing and melting transitions. Dependence of fluorescence on temperature and pH was also investigated. The optimal performance was observed using Texas Red or ROX dyes with Iowa Black RQ or Black Hole quenchers. These labels did not alter two-state nature of duplex melting process and provided accurate melting temperatures, free energies, enthalpies, and entropies. We also suggest a new strategy for determination of DNA duplex thermodynamics where concentration of a dye-labeled strand is kept constant and its complementary strand modified with a quencher is added at increasing excess. These methodological improvements will help build predictive models of nucleic acid hybridization. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., a Wiley company.

Viscosity controlled magma-carbonate interaction: a comparison of Mt. Vesuvius (Italy) and Mt. Merapi (Indonesia).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blythe, L. S.; Misiti, V.; Masotta, M.; Taddeucci, J.; Freda, C.; Troll, V. R.; Deegan, F. M.; Jolis, E. M.

2012-04-01

Magma-carbonate interaction is increasingly seen as a viable and extremely important cause of magma contamination, and the generation of a crustally sourced CO2 phase (Goff et al., 2001; Freda et al., 2010). Even though the process is well recognized at certain volcanoes e.g. Popocatépetl, (Mexico); Merapi, (Indonesia); and Colli Albani, (Italy) (Goff et al., 2001; Deegan et al., 2010; Freda et al., 2010), neither the kinetics of carbonate assimilation nor its consequences for controlling the explosivity of eruptions have been constrained. Here we show the results of magma-carbonate interaction experiments conducted at 1200 °C and 0.5 GPa for varying durations (0 s, 60 s, 90 s and 300 s) for the Mt. Merapi (Indonesia) and Mt. Vesuvius (Italy) volcanic systems. We performed experiments using glassy starting materials specific to each volcano (shoshonite for Mt. Vesuvius, basaltic-andesite for Mt. Merapi) with different degrees of hydration (anhydrous vs hydration with ~ 2 wt % water) and using carbonate fragments of local origin; see Deegan et al., (2010) and Jolis et al., (2011). Experimental products include a gas phase (CO2-rich) and two melt phases, one pristine (Ca-normal) and one contaminated (Ca-rich) separated by a 'contamination front' which propagates outwards from the carbonate clast. Vesicles appear to nucleate in the contaminated glass and then migrate into the pristine one. Both contamination front propagation and bubble migration away from the carbonate are slower in anhydrous basaltic-andesite (Merapi anhydrous series) than in hydrated basaltic-andesite and shoshonite (Merapi and Vesuvius hydrated series), suggesting that assimilation speed is strongly controlled by the degree of hydration and the SiO2 content, both of which influence melt viscosity and hence diffusivity. As the carbonate dissolution proceeds in our experiments, initially dissolved and eventually exsolved CO2 builds up in the contaminated Ca-rich melt phase. Once melt volatile oversaturation is achieved, the reaction can only progress further if vesicles are efficiently removed from the contaminated melt phase. Viscosity, which controls the vesicle migration efficiency, thus ultimately determines the progression and rate of the contamination reaction. Our results show that characteristics of magma-carbonate interaction at different volcanic systems are likely to differ as a result of a volcanos' individual magma properties, especially viscosity, which determines the speed at which gaseous reaction products (i.e. CO2) can be removed from the reaction site.

Comparison of the Melting Temperatures of Classical and Quantum Water Potential Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Sen; Yoo, Soohaeng; Li, Jinjin

2017-08-01

As theoretical approaches and technical methods improve over time, the field of computer simulations for water has greatly progressed. Water potential models become much more complex when additional interactions and advanced theories are considered. Macroscopic properties of water predicted by computer simulations using water potential models are expected to be consistent with experimental outcomes. As such, discrepancies between computer simulations and experiments could be a criterion to comment on the performances of various water potential models. Notably, water can occur not only as liquid phases but also as solid and vapor phases. Therefore, the melting temperature related to the solid and liquid phase equilibrium is an effective parameter to judge the performances of different water potential models. As a mini review, our purpose is to introduce some water models developed in recent years and the melting temperatures obtained through simulations with such models. Moreover, some explanations referred to in the literature are described for the additional evaluation of the water potential models.

Examination of the Behavior of Bismuth in Shallow-Level Hydrothermal Ore Systems: Constraints Based on Hydrothermal Experiments at 800°C and 100 MPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilmot, M. S.; Candela, P. A.; Piccoli, P. M.; Simon, A. C.; McDonough, W. F.

2006-05-01

The partitioning of ore metals between melt and crystals affects the concentrations of these metals in an evolving ore fluid, and therefore the efficiency of their removal from the magma by hydrothermal processes. Some porphyry-type W-Mo deposits contain recoverable amounts of Bi, whereas others contain only trace amounts. In order to determine the magmatic controls on the ratio of Bi to other commodities in these and other deposits, we examined the partitioning behavior of bismuth between melt, minerals and aqueous phases. Hydrothermal experiments were performed by using externally heated cold seal vessels and employing a double capsule technique. Experiments contained 40 mg of Bishop Tuff glass (SiO2 = 74% ) and 40 mg of either magnetite or pyrrhotite. Bi was added as elemental Bi (< 1 mg). Two different aqueous solutions were used. Initially, the added aqueous phase comprised the solutes HCl, KCl and NaCl in a molar1:1:1 ratio, with a bulk salinity of 10 wt % NaCl eq. The aqueous phase for later experiments contained only the solutes KCl and NaCl in a 1:1 molar ratio. Pre-fractured quartz was added to the experiments to trap fluid inclusions at run PTX conditions. Experiments were performed in Au or Pt capsules held inside Rene 41 cold-seal vessels at 800°C and 100 MPa for durations of up to 36 hours. Analytical data have been collected from the run product solids by using an electron probe microanalyzer (major and trace elements) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (trace elements). Bi in Mt is found in concentrations up to 100 ppm, with higher concentrations in runs where Po decomposed to form magnetite. The Bi concentration in the glass ranges up to 100 ppm. In the Po-bearing runs, data were only collected from Po grains in the experiments containing the HCl-free aqueous solution (the Po grains in the other experiments were too small to analyze). Pyrrhotite contained 10-20 ppm Bi, whereas the glass contained 5-10 ppm. Preliminary Nernst- type partition coefficients for Bi between Mt and melt and Po and melt are approximately 5 and 2, respectively. These data reveal that Bi is only slightly compatible in Mt and Po, and that the Po/melt partition coefficient for Bi is much lower than for Cu, Ag and Au, and is comparable to Mn and Zn. Additional experiments are in progress to more compare the partitioning of Bi with that of W and Mo.

Partial Melting of the Indarch (EH4) Meteorite : A Textural, Chemical and Phase Relations View of Melting and Melt Migration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCoy, Timothy J.; Dickinson, Tamara L.; Lofgren, Gary E.

2000-01-01

To Test whether Aubrites can be formed by melting of enstatite Chondrites and to understand igneous processes at very low oxygen fugacities, we have conducted partial melting experiments on the Indarch (EH4) chondrite at 1000-1500 C. Silicate melting begins at 1000 C. Substantial melt migration occurs at 1300-1400 C and metal migrates out of the silicate change at 1450 C and approx. 50% silicate partial melting. As a group, our experiments contain three immiscible metallic melts 9Si-, and C-rich), two immiscible sulfide melts(Fe-and FeMgMnCa-rich) and Silicate melt. Our partial melting experiments on the Indarch (EH4) enstatite Chondrite suggest that igneous processes at low fO2 exhibit serveral unique features. The complete melting of sulfides at 1000 C suggest that aubritic sulfides are not relicts. Aubritic oldhamite may have crystallized from Ca and S complexed in the silicate melt. Significant metal-sulfide melt migration might occur at relatively low degrees of silicate partial melting. Substantial elemental exchange occurred between different melts (e.g., between sulfide and silicate, Si between silicate and metal), a feature not observed during experiments at higher fO2. This exchange may help explain the formation of aubrites from known enstatite chondrites.

Large-area sheet task: Advanced dendritic-web-growth development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duncan, C. S.; Seidensticker, R. G.; Mchugh, J. P.; Schruben, J.

1983-01-01

Thermally generated stresses in the growing web crystal were reduced. These stresses, which if too high cause the ribbon to degenerate, were reduced by a factor of three, resulting in the demonstrated growth of high-quality web crystals to widths of 5.4 cm. This progress was brought about chiefly by the application of thermal models to the development of low-stress growth configurations. A new temperature model was developed which can analyze the thermal effects of much more complex lid and top shield configurations than was possible with the old lumped shield model. Growth experiments which supplied input data such as actual shield temperature and melt levels were used to verify the modeling results. Desirable modifications in the melt level-sensing circuitry were made in the new experimental web growth furnace, and this furnace has been used to carry out growth experiments under steady-state conditions. New growth configurations were tested in long growth runs at Westinghouse AESD which produced wider, lower stress and higher quality web crystals than designs previously used.

Impact melt breccias at the Apollo 17 landing site

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryder, Graham

1992-01-01

Impact melt breccias are by far the most common highland rock type collected on the Apollo 17 mission. They tend to be fine grained, with virtually no clast-free impact melt rocks having been identified. All the highland boulders sampled are impact melt breccia, with the possible exception of one South Massif boulder that might have a friable matrix (but nonetheless consists dominantly of impact melt) and a shocked igneous norite boulder from the North Massif. The impact melt breccias were originally described as metaclastic, but their melt origin became apparent as work progressed. Chemical compositions appear to allow natural groupings of the impact melt breccias. Various groupings of the impact melt breccias are discussed.

Variability of Surface Temperature and Melt on the Greenland Ice Sheet, 2000-2011

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Comiso, Josefino, C.; Shuman, Christopher A.; Koenig, Lora S.; DiGirolamo, Nicolo E.

2012-01-01

Enhanced melting along with surface-temperature increases measured using infrared satellite data, have been documented for the Greenland Ice Sheet. Recently we developed a climate-quality data record of ice-surface temperature (IST) of the Greenland Ice Sheet using the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 1ST product -- http://modis-snow-ice.gsfc.nasa.gov. Using daily and mean monthly MODIS 1ST maps from the data record we show maximum extent of melt for the ice sheet and its six major drainage basins for a 12-year period extending from March of 2000 through December of 2011. The duration of the melt season on the ice sheet varies in different drainage basins with some basins melting progressively earlier over the study period. Some (but not all) of the basins also show a progressively-longer duration of melt. The short time of the study period (approximately 12 years) precludes an evaluation of statistically-significant trends. However the dataset provides valuable information on natural variability of IST, and on the ability of the MODIS instrument to capture changes in IST and melt conditions indifferent drainage basins of the ice sheet.

When Is Melting Not Really Melting?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mangiaracina, Mike

2017-01-01

This 5E cycle of lessons takes students through a fun and thorough study of Silly Putty's properties, progressing from an initial observation of a "melting snowman" toy in the Engage phase to making and "marketing" their own homemade putty in the Evaluate phase. Along the way, students use evidence to construct their own…

The nature of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary from laboratory investigations of olivine anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Lars; Qi, Chao; Warren, Jessica; Kohlstedt, David; Holtzman, Benjamin; Wallis, David

2017-04-01

The nature of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) determines the mechanical coupling between rigid plates and the underlying convecting mantle. Seismological studies reveal distinct reflectors (G discontinuity) in the uppermost oceanic mantle that are sometimes interpreted as the LAB. The discontinuity in seismic velocity is suggested to arise from abrupt changes in composition, including the melt fraction. Interestingly, these reflectors roughly correlate with the location of discontinuities in radial seismic anisotropy, but do not correlate with the location of discontinuities in azimuthal anisotropy. To investigate the correlation between these datasets, we draw on recent laboratory measurements of crystallographic texture development in olivine-rich rocks. The textural evolution of dry olivine aggregates has been well described in recent experiments, while micromechanical models are available for incorporating these observations into larger-scale models of upper-mantle flow. Unfortunately, the systematics of textural evolution in melt-bearing olivine aggregates have not been similarly described. Here we present a new experimental data set detailing the evolution of anisotropy during deformation of partially molten peridotite. Torsion experiments were conducted on samples composed of San Carlos olivine and basaltic melt at a temperature of 1473 K and a confining pressure of 300 MPa. Seismically fast axes of olivine tend to lie at a high angle to the flow direction in a manner similar to previous experiments. The anisotropy in these samples is weak compared to that in dry, melt-free olivine deformed to similar strains. The anisotropy also exhibits relatively little change in strength and orientation with progressive deformation. Detailed microstructural analyses allow us to distinguish between competing models for the grain-scale deformation processes, favoring one in which crystallographically controlled grain shapes govern grain rotations. We incorporate results for dry and melt-bearing olivine into a 1-D, time-dependent flow model to predict the anisotropic structure of the Pacific upper mantle. Flow occurring outside of the melting region below the ridge axis is assumed to generate a texture similar to that observed in our dry olivine experiments. This flow generates a discontinuity in azimuthal anisotropy in agreement with seismological observations. The predicted discontinuity also coincides with the base of a high viscosity region and, therefore, acts as a proxy for the rheological LAB. Flow occurring within the melting region beneath the ridge axis is assumed to generate a texture similar to that observed in our melt-bearing experiments. This subset of the model yields a discontinuity in radial anisotropy at shallow depths that is also in agreement with seismological observations. The depth of this discontinuity in radial anisotropy is set by the maximum depth at which melting occurs beneath the ridge axis. We conclude that, following a rheological definition of the lithosphere, the LAB is best defined by a discontinuity in azimuthal anisotropy that is coincident with a thermal boundary layer. The discontinuity in radial anisotropy appears related to melting near the ridge axis, which is consistent with the nature of the associated sharp reflectors. We suggest that these reflectors and the discontinuity in radial anisotropy do not represent the LAB but instead represent intralithospheric structure that does not significantly modify the rheological behavior of the lithosphere.

Coordinated Hard Sphere Mixture (CHaSM): A fast approximate model for oxide and silicate melts at extreme conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolf, A. S.; Asimow, P. D.; Stevenson, D. J.

2015-12-01

Recent first-principles calculations (e.g. Stixrude, 2009; de Koker, 2013), shock-wave experiments (Mosenfelder, 2009), and diamond-anvil cell investigations (Sanloup, 2013) indicate that silicate melts undergo complex structural evolution at high pressure. The observed increase in cation-coordination (e.g. Karki, 2006; 2007) induces higher compressibilities and lower adiabatic thermal gradients in melts as compared with their solid counterparts. These properties are crucial for understanding the evolution of impact-generated magma oceans, which are dominated by the poorly understood behavior of silicates at mantle pressures and temperatures (e.g. Stixrude et al. 2009). Probing these conditions is difficult for both theory and experiment, especially given the large compositional space (MgO-SiO2-FeO-Al2O3-etc). We develop a new model to understand and predict the behavior of oxide and silicate melts at extreme P-T conditions (Wolf et al., 2015). The Coordinated Hard Sphere Mixture (CHaSM) extends the Hard Sphere mixture model, accounting for the range of coordination states for each cation in the liquid. Using approximate analytic expressions for the hard sphere model, this fast statistical method compliments classical and first-principles methods, providing accurate thermodynamic and structural property predictions for melts. This framework is applied to the MgO system, where model parameters are trained on a collection of crystal polymorphs, producing realistic predictions of coordination evolution and the equation of state of MgO melt over a wide P-T range. Typical Mg-coordination numbers are predicted to evolve continuously from 5.25 (0 GPa) to 8.5 (250 GPa), comparing favorably with first-principles Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. We begin extending the model to a simplified mantle chemistry using empirical potentials (generally accurate over moderate pressure ranges, <~30 GPa), yielding predictions rooted in statistical representations of melt structure that compare well with more time-consuming classical MD calculations. This approach also sheds light on the universality of the increasing Grüneisen parameter trend for liquids (opposite that of solids), which directly reflects their progressive evolution toward more compact solid-like structures upon compression.

Continuous method for manufacturing grain-oriented magnetostrictive bodies

DOEpatents

Gibson, Edwin D.; Verhoeven, John D.; Schmidt, Frederick A.; McMasters, O. Dale

1988-01-01

The invention comprises a continuous casting and crystallization method for manufacturing grain-oriented magnetostrictive bodies. A magnetostrictive alloy is melted in a crucible having a bottom outlet. The melt is discharged through the bottom of the crucible and deposited in an elongated mold. Heat is removed from the deposited melt through the lower end portion of the mold to progressively solidify the melt. The solid-liquid interface of the melt moves directionally upwardly from the bottom to the top of the mold, to produce the axial grain orientation.

Materials process and applications of single grain (RE)-Ba-Cu-O bulk high-temperature superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Beizhan; Zhou, Difan; Xu, Kun; Hara, Shogo; Tsuzuki, Keita; Miki, Motohiro; Felder, Brice; Deng, Zigang; Izumi, Mitsuru

2012-11-01

This paper reviews recent advances in the melt process of (RE)-Ba-Cu-O [(RE)BCO, where RE represents a rare earth element] single grain high-temperature superconductors (HTSs), bulks and its applications. The efforts on the improvement of the magnetic flux pinning with employing the top-seeded melt-growth process technique and using a seeded infiltration and growth process are discussed. Which including various chemical doping strategies and controlled pushing effect based on the peritectic reaction of (RE)BCO. The typical experiment results, such as the largest single domain bulk, the clear TEM observations and the significant critical current density, are summarized together with the magnetization techniques. Finally, we highlight the recent prominent progress of HTS bulk applications, including Maglev, flywheel, power device, magnetic drug delivery system and magnetic resonance devices.

Solid spherical glass particle impingement studies of plastic materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rao, P. V.; Young, S. G.; Buckley, D. H.

1983-01-01

Erosion experiments on polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were conducted with spherical glass beads impacting at normal incidence. Optical and scanning electron microscopic studies and surface profile measurements were made on specimens at predetermined test intervals. During the initial stage of damage to PMMA and polycarbonate, material expands or builds up above the original surface. However, this buildup disappears as testing progresses. Little or no buildup was observed on PTFE. PTFE is observed to be the most resistant material to erosion and PMMA the least. At low impact pressures, material removal mechanisms are believed to be similar to those for metallic materials. However, at higher pressures, surface melting is indicated at the center of impact. Deformation and fatigue appear to play major roles in the material removal process with possible melting or softening.

Single-Track Melt-Pool Measurements and Microstructures in Inconel 625

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Supriyo; Ma, Li; Levine, Lyle E.; Ricker, Richard E.; Stoudt, Mark R.; Heigel, Jarred C.; Guyer, Jonathan E.

2018-06-01

We use single-track laser melting experiments and simulations on Inconel 625 to estimate the dimensions and microstructure of the resulting melt pool. Our work is based on a design-of-experiments approach which uses multiple laser power and scan speed combinations. Single-track experiments generated melt pools of certain dimensions that showed reasonable agreement with our finite-element calculations. Phase-field simulations were used to predict the size and segregation of the cellular microstructure that formed along the melt-pool boundaries for the solidification conditions that changed as a function of melt-pool dimensions.

Single-Track Melt-Pool Measurements and Microstructures in Inconel 625

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Supriyo; Ma, Li; Levine, Lyle E.; Ricker, Richard E.; Stoudt, Mark R.; Heigel, Jarred C.; Guyer, Jonathan E.

2018-02-01

We use single-track laser melting experiments and simulations on Inconel 625 to estimate the dimensions and microstructure of the resulting melt pool. Our work is based on a design-of-experiments approach which uses multiple laser power and scan speed combinations. Single-track experiments generated melt pools of certain dimensions that showed reasonable agreement with our finite-element calculations. Phase-field simulations were used to predict the size and segregation of the cellular microstructure that formed along the melt-pool boundaries for the solidification conditions that changed as a function of melt-pool dimensions.

Core-melt source reduction system

DOEpatents

Forsberg, C.W.; Beahm, E.C.; Parker, G.W.

1995-04-25

A core-melt source reduction system for ending the progression of a molten core during a core-melt accident and resulting in a stable solid cool matrix. The system includes alternating layers of a core debris absorbing material and a barrier material. The core debris absorbing material serves to react with and absorb the molten core such that containment overpressurization and/or failure does not occur. The barrier material slows the progression of the molten core debris through the system such that the molten core has sufficient time to react with the core absorbing material. The system includes a provision for cooling the glass/molten core mass after the reaction such that a stable solid cool matrix results. 4 figs.

Core-melt source reduction system

DOEpatents

Forsberg, Charles W.; Beahm, Edward C.; Parker, George W.

1995-01-01

A core-melt source reduction system for ending the progression of a molten core during a core-melt accident and resulting in a stable solid cool matrix. The system includes alternating layers of a core debris absorbing material and a barrier material. The core debris absorbing material serves to react with and absorb the molten core such that containment overpressurization and/or failure does not occur. The barrier material slows the progression of the molten core debris through the system such that the molten core has sufficient time to react with the core absorbing material. The system includes a provision for cooling the glass/molten core mass after the reaction such that a stable solid cool matrix results.

Kinetics of Melting and Dissolution in Lunar Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hess, Paul C.

2002-01-01

An understanding of the petrogenesis of lunar magmas, particularly mare basalts and the parent magmas to the Mg-rich suite, remains an unfulfilled goal. The fact is not surprising given the complexity of the problem. On the Moon, the source region for lunar magmas is not primitive mantle but rather a series of cumulate rocks that vary widely in both minerology and major and minor element contents. The stratigraphy of the cumulate mantle is not likely to be very regular given that the culumate pile is formed initially in an unstable configuration and subsequent thermal and compositional heterogeneities on a number of length scales. These lithologic heterogeneities, the large range of pressures and temperatures over which melts are generated on the Moon, and the close juxtaposition of cumulate rock with widely varying solidii introduce significant complications to the nature of the melting relations that control melt generation. These factors, coupled with the likelihood that polybaric fractional melting of varying efficiencies ultimately control the composition of planetary progress, are ample reasons why the lunar magmas remain the enigma they are. To make progress, phase equilibria studies must be coupled with a detailed understanding of the time scales and the dynamics of crystal and melt reequilibration processes.

Petrogenesis of melt rocks, Manicouagan impact structure, Quebec

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simonds, C. H.; Floran, R. J.; Mcgee, P. E.; Phinney, W. C.; Warner, J. L.

1978-01-01

It is suggested, on the basis of previous theoretical studies of shock waves, that the Manicouagan melt formed in 1 or 2 s in a 5-km-radius hemisphere near the point of impact. The melt and the less shocked debris surrounding it flowed downward and outward for a few minutes until the melt formed a lining of a 5- to 8-km deep, 15- to 22-km-radius cavity. Extremely turbulent flow thoroughly homogenized the melt and promoted the incorporation and progressive digestion of debris that had been finely fragmented (but not melted) to grain sizes of less than one mm by the passage of the shock waves. The equilibration of clasts and melt, plagioclase nucleation, and readjustment of the crater floor are discussed.

The interaction of ultraviolet light with Arctic sea ice during SHEBA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perovich, Donald K.

The reflection, absorption and transmission of ultraviolet light by a sea-ice cover strongly impacts primary productivity, higher trophic components of the food web, and humans. Measurements of the incident irradiance at 305, 320, 340 and 380 nm and of the photosynthetically active radiation were made from April through September 1998 as part of the SHEBA (Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean program) field experiment in the Arctic Ocean. In addition, observations of snow depth and ice thickness were made at more than 100 sites encompassing a comprehensive range of conditions. The thickness observations were combined with a radiative transfer model to compute a time series of the ultraviolet light transmitted by the ice cover from April through September. Peak values of incident ultraviolet irradiance occurred in mid-June. Peak transmittance was later in the summer at the end of the melt season when the snow cover had completely melted, the ice had thinned and pond coverage was extensive. The fraction of the incident ultraviolet irradiance transmitted through the ice increased by several orders of magnitude as the melt season progressed. Ultraviolet transmittance was approximately a factor of ten greater for melt ponds than bare ice. Climate change has the potential to alter the amplitude and timing of the annual albedo cycle of sea ice. If the onset of melt occurs at increasingly earlier dates, ultraviolet transmittance will be significantly enhanced, with potentially deleterious biological impacts.

Crystallization of Yamato 980459 at 0.5 GPA: Are Residual Liquids Like QUE 94201?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rapp, J. F.; Draper, D. S.; Mercer, C.

2012-01-01

The Martian basaltic meteorites Y980459 and QUE94201 (henceforth referred to as Y98 and QUE respectively) are thought to represent magmatic liquid compositions, rather than being products of protracted crystallization and accumulation like the majority of other martian meteorites. Both meteorite compositions have been experimentally crystallized at 1 bar, and liquidus phases were found to match corresponding mineral core compositions in the meteorites, consistent with the notion that these meteorites represent bona fide melts. They also represent the most primitive and most evolved basaltic martian samples, respectively. Y98 has Mg# (molar Mg/Mg+Fe) approximates 65, and lacks plagioclase; whereas QUE has Mg# approximates 40, and lacks olivine. However they share important geochemical characteristics (e.g. superchondritic CaO/Al2O3, very high epsilon(sub Nd) and low Sr-87/Sr-87) that suggest they sample a similar highly depleted mantle reservoir. As such, they represent likely endmembers of martian magmatic liquid compositions, and it is natural to seek petrogenetic linkages between the two. We make no claim that the actual meteorites themselves share a genetic link (the respective ages rule that out); we are exploring only in general whether primitive martian liquids like Y98 could evolve to liquids resembling QUE. Both experimental and computational efforts have been made to determine if there is indeed such a link. Recent petrological models at 1 bar generated using MELTS suggest that a QUE-like melt can be derived from a parental melt with a Y98 composition. However, experimental studies at 1 bar have been less successful at replicating this progression. Previous experimental crystallization studies of Y98 by our group at 0.5 GPa have produced melt compositions approaching that of QUE, although these results were complicated by the presence of small, variable amounts of H2O in some of the runs owing to the use of talc/pyrex experimental assemblies. Therefore we have repeated the four experiments, augmented with additional runs, all using BaCO3 cell assemblies, which are devoid of water, and these new experiments supersede those reported earlier. Here we report results of experiments simulating equilibrium crystallization; fractional crystallization experiments are currently underway.

On high-pressure melting of tantalum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Sheng-Nian; Swift, Damian C.

2007-01-01

The issues related to high-pressure melting of Ta are discussed within the context of diamond-anvil cell (DAC) and shock wave experiments, theoretical calculations and common melting models. The discrepancies between the extrapolations of the DAC melting curve and the melting point inferred from shock wave experiments, cannot be reconciled either by superheating or solid-solid phase transition. The failure to reproduce low-pressure DAC melting curve by melting models such as dislocation-mediated melting and the Lindemann law, and molecular dynamics and quantum mechanics-based calculations, undermines their predictions at moderate and high pressures. Despite claims to the contrary, the melting curve of Ta (as well as Mo and W) remains inconclusive at high pressures.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the melting curve of NiAl alloy under pressure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Wenjin; Peng, Yufeng; Liu, Zhongli, E-mail: zhongliliu@yeah.net

2014-05-15

The melting curve of B2-NiAl alloy under pressure has been investigated using molecular dynamics technique and the embedded atom method (EAM) potential. The melting temperatures were determined with two approaches, the one-phase and the two-phase methods. The first one simulates a homogeneous melting, while the second one involves a heterogeneous melting of materials. Both approaches reduce the superheating effectively and their results are close to each other at the applied pressures. By fitting the well-known Simon equation to our melting data, we yielded the melting curves for NiAl: 1783(1 + P/9.801){sup 0.298} (one-phase approach), 1850(1 + P/12.806){sup 0.357} (two-phase approach).more » The good agreement of the resulting equation of states and the zero-pressure melting point (calc., 1850 ± 25 K, exp., 1911 K) with experiment proved the correctness of these results. These melting data complemented the absence of experimental high-pressure melting of NiAl. To check the transferability of this EAM potential, we have also predicted the melting curves of pure nickel and pure aluminum. Results show the calculated melting point of Nickel agrees well with experiment at zero pressure, while the melting point of aluminum is slightly higher than experiment.« less

Physicochemical and histological changes in the arterial wall of nonhuman primates during progression and regression of atherosclerosis.

PubMed Central

Small, D M; Bond, M G; Waugh, D; Prack, M; Sawyer, J K

1984-01-01

To identify the temporal changes occurring during progression and regression of atherosclerosis in nonhuman primates, we have studied the physicochemical and histological characteristics of arterial wall lesions during a 30-mo progression period of diet-induced hypercholesterolemia and during a 12-mo period of regression. Three groups of cynomolgous monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) were studied. Control groups were fed a basal chow diet for 18, 24, and 30 mo and were compared with progression groups that were fed a high-cholesterol-containing diet for up to 30 mo. Regression groups were fed a high-cholesterol diet for 18 mo to induce atherosclerosis and then fed monkey chow for up to 12 mo. The progression group monkeys were killed at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 mo, and the regression animals were killed at 24 and 30 mo (i.e., after 6 and 12 mo of being fed a noncholesterol-containing chow diet). Histology and morphometry, physical microscopy for cholesterol monohydrate crystals, foam cell and droplet melting points and chemical composition studies were completed on a large number of individual arterial lesions. Control animals had very little cholesterol ester, rare foam cells, and no extracellular cholesterol ester droplets or cholesterol crystals. During progression, the arteries first increased cholesterol ester content to produce high melting (approximately 45 degrees C) foam cell-rich lesions essentially devoid of cholesterol crystals. With time, the number of cholesterol crystals increased so that by 30 mo large numbers were present. Foam cells decreased with time but their melting temperature remained high while that of extracellular droplets fell to approximately 38 degrees C. Between 18 and 30 mo necrosis appeared and worsened. After 6-mo regression, unexpected changes occurred in the lesions. Compared with 24-mo progression, the chemical composition showed a relative increase in free cholesterol, a decrease in cholesterol ester and microscopy revealed large numbers of cholesterol crystals. Concomitantly, foam cells decreased and the melting temperature of both intra- and extracellular cholesterol ester markedly decreased. After 12-mo regression cholesterol decreased, cholesterol crystals and necrosis diminished and collagen appeared increased. Thus, during progression there is initially an increase in the number of foam cells containing very high-melting intracellular cholesterol ester droplets. By 30 mo, cholesterol crystals and necrosis dominate and high-melting foam cells appear only at lesion margins, suggesting that the initial process continues at the lesion edge. The lower melting point of extracellular esters indicates a lipid composition different from intracellular droplets. Thus, the changes observed in these animals generally reflect those predicted for progression of human atherosclerosis. During the initial 6 mo of regression, necrosis remains, the number of foam cell decreases, and cholesterol ester content decreases; however the relative proportion of free cholesterol content increases, and large numbers of cholesterol content are formed. Thus, large and rapid decreases in serum cholesterol concentration to produce regression in fact may result in the precipitation of cholesterol monohydrate and an apparent worsening of the lesions. More prolonged regression (12-mo) tends to return the lipid composition of the artery wall towards normal, partially reduces cholesterol crystals, and results in an improved but scarred intima. Images PMID:6725553

Stress-Driven Melt Segregation and Organization in Partially Molten Rocks III: Annealing Experiments and Surface Tension-Driven Redistribution of Melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parsons, R.; Hustoft, J. W.; Holtzman, B. K.; Kohlstedt, D. L.; Phipps Morgan, J.

2004-12-01

As discussed in the two previous abstracts in this series, simple shear experiments on synthetic upper mantle-type rock samples reveal the segregation of melt into melt-rich bands separated by melt-depleted lenses. Here, we present new results from experiments designed to understand the driving forces working for and against melt segregation. To better understand the kinetics of surface tension-driven melt redistribution, we first deform samples at similar conditions (starting material, sample size, stress and strain) to produce melt-rich band networks that are statistically similar. Then the load is removed and the samples are statically annealed to allow surface tension to redistribute the melt-rich networks. Three samples of olivine + 20 vol% chromite + 4 vol% MORB were deformed at a confining pressure of 300 MPa and a temperature of 1523 K in simple shear at shear stresses of 20 - 55 MPa to shear strains of 3.5 and then statically annealed for 0, 10, or 100 h at the same P-T conditions. Melt-rich bands are fewer in number and appear more diffuse when compared to the deformed but not annealed samples. Bands with less melt tend to disappear more rapidly than more melt-rich ones. The melt fraction in the melt-rich bands decreased from 0.2 in the quenched sample to 0.1 in the sample annealed for 100 h. After deformation, the melt fraction in the melt-depleted regions are ~0.006; after static annealing for 100 h, this value increases to 0.02. These experiments provide new quantitative constraints on the kinetics of melt migration driven by surface tension. By quantifying this driving force in the same samples in which stress-driven distribution occurred, we learn about the relative kinetics of stress-driven melt segregation. The kinetics of both of these processes must be scaled together to mantle conditions to understand the importance of stress-driven melt segregation in the Earth, and to understand the interaction of this process with melt-rock reaction-driven processes.

Dynamic Crystallization Experiments on LEW97008: Experimental Reproduction of Chondroid Textures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nettles, J. W.; Le, L.; Lofgren, G. E.; McSween, H. Y, Jr.

2003-01-01

Dynamic crystallization experiments were conducted using LEW97008 (L3.4) as starting material. Experiments were melted at temperatures well below its liquidus (1250-1450 C) in order to document the textural and compositional changes that occur in UOC material with modest amounts of partial melting and subsequent crystallization. The textures of the experimental products compare very well to natural chondroids (partially melted nebular particles that would become chondrules if more completely melted). Thus it is possible to use the textures in these experiments as a guide to unraveling the melting and cooling histories of natural chondroids. The Antarctic meteorite LEW97008 was chosen as the starting material for our experiments. As an L3.4 it is slightly more metamorphosed than would ordinarily be preferred, but this meteorite is unusually fresh for an Antarctic meteorite, which made it attractive.

Experiments on water/melt explosions, nature of products, and models of dispersal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheridan, M. F.; Wohletz, K. H.

1984-01-01

Experiments were carried out in a steel pressure device using controlled amounts of water and thermite melt to examine the mechanical energy released on explosive mixing following the initial contact of the two materials. An experimental design was used to allow the direct calculation of the mechanical energy by the dynamic lift of the device as recorded both optically and physically. A large number of experiments were run to accurately determine the optimum mixture of water and melt for the conversion of thermal to mechanical energy. The maximum efficiency observed was about 12% at a water/thermite mass ratio of 0.50. These experiments are the basis for the development of models of hydroexplosions and melt fragmentation. Particles collected from the experimental products are similar in size and shape to pyroclasts produced by much larger hydrovolcanic explosions. Melt rupture at optimum ratios produces very fine particles whereas rupture at high or low water/melt ratios produces large melt fragments. Grain surface textures in the experimental products are also related to the water/melt ratio and the mechanism of explosive mixing. It is thus possible to have qualitative information about the nature of the explosion from the sizes and shapes of the fragments produced.

Porosity and environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piwonka, T. S.

1984-01-01

Significant progress was achieved when it was realized that porosity could be analyzed successfully by considering not only heat flow, but also fluid flow within the solidifying casting. Sound castings may be produced by lowering pressure during melting (to allow dissolved gas to escape the melt) and increasing pressure during solidification (to force liquid metal into the mushy zone to feed shrinkage). Such techniques are especially effective if they are combined with chilling of parts of the casting to produce progressive solidification, which shortens the mushy zone and, hence, the distance that metal must travel to feed porosity.

Oxygen and iron production by electrolytic smelting of lunar soil

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colson, R. O.; Haskin, L. A.

1992-01-01

Work during the past year involved two aspects: (1) electrolysis experiments on a larger scale than done before, and (2) collaboration with Carbotek Inc. on design for a lunar magma electrolysis cell. It was demonstrated previously that oxygen can be produced by direct electrolysis of silicate melts. Previous experiments using 50-100 mg of melt have succeeded in measuring melt resistivities, oxygen production efficiencies, and have identified the character of metal products. A series of experiments using 1-8 grams of silicate melt, done in alumina and spinel containers sufficiently large that surface tension effects between the melt and the wall are expected to have minor effect on the behavior of the melt in the region of the electrodes were completed. The purpose of these experiments was to demonstrate the durability of the electrode and container materials, demonstrate the energy efficiency of the electrolysis process, further characterize the nature of the expected metal and spinel products, measure the efficiency of oxygen production and compare to that predicted on the basis of the smaller-scale experiments, and identify any unexpected benefits or problems of the process. Four experimental designs were employed. Detailed results of these experiments are given in the appendix ('Summary of scaling-up experiments'); a general report of the results is given in terms of implications of the experiments on container materials, cathode materials, anode materials, bubble formation and frothing of the melt, cell potential, anode-cathode distance, oxygen efficiency, and energy efficiency.

Modeling effects of solute concentration in Bridgman growth of cadmium zinc telluride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stelian, Carmen; Duffar, Thierry

2016-07-01

Numerical modeling is used to investigate the effect of solute concentration on the melt convection and interface shape in Bridgman growth of Cd1-x Znx Te (CZT). The numerical analysis is compared to experimental growth in cylindrical ampoules having a conical tip performed by Komar et al. (2001) [15]. In these experiments, the solidification process occurs at slow growth rate (V = 2 ṡ10-7 m / s) in a thermal field characterized by a vertical gradient GT = 20 K / cm at the growth interface. The computations performed by accounting the solutal effect show a progressive damping of the melt convection due to the depleted Zn at the growth interface. The computed shape of the crystallization front is in agreement with the experimental measurement showing a convex-concave shape for the growth through the conical part of the ampoule and a concave shape of the interface in the cylindrical region. The distribution of Zn is nearly uniform over the crystal length except for the end part of the ingots. The anomalous zinc segregation observed in some experiments is explained by introducing the hypothesis of incomplete charge mixing during the homogenization time which precedes the growth process. When the crystallization is started in ampoules having a very sharp conical tip, the heavy CdTe is accumulated at the bottom part of the melt, giving rise to anomalous segregation patterns, featuring very low zinc concentration in the ingots during the first stage of the solidification.

The initiation of segmented buoyancy-driven melting during continental breakup

PubMed Central

Gallacher, Ryan J.; Keir, Derek; Harmon, Nicholas; Stuart, Graham; Leroy, Sylvie; Hammond, James O. S.; Kendall, J-Michael; Ayele, Atalay; Goitom, Berhe; Ogubazghi, Ghebrebrhan; Ahmed, Abdulhakim

2016-01-01

Melting of the mantle during continental breakup leads to magmatic intrusion and volcanism, yet our understanding of the location and dominant mechanisms of melt generation in rifting environments is impeded by a paucity of direct observations of mantle melting. It is unclear when during the rifting process the segmented nature of magma supply typical of seafloor spreading initiates. Here, we use Rayleigh-wave tomography to construct a high-resolution absolute three-dimensional shear-wave velocity model of the upper 250 km beneath the Afar triple junction, imaging the mantle response during progressive continental breakup. Our model suggests melt production is highest and melting depths deepest early during continental breakup. Elevated melt production during continental rifting is likely due to localized thinning and melt focusing when the rift is narrow. In addition, we interpret segmented zones of melt supply beneath the rift, suggesting that buoyancy-driven active upwelling of the mantle initiates early during continental rifting. PMID:27752044

The Vaguries of Pyroxene Nucleation and the Resulting Chondrule Textures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lofgren, G. E.; Le, L.

2004-01-01

Pyroxene is a major phase in chondrules, but often follows olivine in the crystallization sequence and depending on the melting temperature and time may not nucleate readily upon cooling. Dynamic crystallization experiments based on total or near total melting were used to study PO (porphyritic olivine) and PP (Porphyritic pyroxene) compositions as defined by. The experiments showed that pyroxene nucleated only at subliquidus temperatures in the PP melts and rarely in the PO melts. Porphyritic chondrules with phenocrysts of both olivine and pyroxene (POP chondrules) were not easily produced in the experiments. POP chondrules are common and it is important for deciphering their formation that we understand pyroxene nucleation properties of chondrule melts.

Progress in HTS trapped field magnets: J(sub c), area, and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinstein, Roy; Ren, Yanru; Liu, Jianxiong; Sawh, Ravi; Parks, Drew; Foster, Charles; Obot, Victor; Arndt, G. Dickey; Crapo, Alan

1995-01-01

Progress in trapped field magnets is reported. Single YBCO grains with diameters of 2 cm are made in production quantities, while 3 cm, 4 1/2 cm and 6 cm diameters are being explored. For single grain tiles: J(sub c) is approximately 10,000 A/cm(exp 2) for melt textured grains; J(sub c) is approximately 40,000 A/cm2 for light ion irradiation; and J(sub c) is approximately 85,000 A/cm(exp 2) for heavy ion irradiation. Using 2 cm diameter tiles bombarded by light ions, we have fabricated a mini-magnet which trapped 2.25 Tesla at 77K, and 5.3 Tesla at 65K. A previous generation of tiles, 1 cm x 1 cm, was used to trap 7.0 Tesla at 55K. Unirradiated 2.0 cm tiles were used to provide 8 magnets for an axial gap generator, in a collaborative experiment with Emerson Electric Co. This generator delivered 100 Watts to a resistive load, at 2265 rpm. In this experiment activation of the TFMs was accomplished by a current pulse of 15 ms duration. Tiles have also been studied for application as a bumper-tether system for the soft docking of spacecraft. A method for optimizing tether forces, and mechanisms of energy dissipation are discussed. A bus bar was constructed by welding three crystals while melt-texturing, such that their a,b planes were parallel and interleaved. The bus bar, an area of approximately 2 cm(exp 2), carried a transport current of 1000 amps, the limit of the testing equipment available.

Progress in HTS Trapped Field Magnets: J(sub c), Area, and Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinstein, Roy; Ren, Yanru; Liu, Jian-Xiong; Sawh, Ravi; Parks, Drew; Foster, Charles; Obot, Victor; Arndt, G. Dickey; Crapo, Alan

1995-01-01

Progress in trapped field magnets is reported. Single YBCO grains with diameters of 2 cm are made in production quantities, while 3 cm, 4 1/2 cm and 6 cm diameters are being explored. For single grain tiles: J(sub c) - 10,000 A/sq cm for melt textured grains; J(sub c) - 40,000 A/sq cm for light ion irradiation; and J(sub c) - 85,000 A/J(sub c) for heavy ion irradiation. Using 2 cm diameter tiles bombarded by light ions, we have fabricated a mini-magnet which trapped 2.25 Tesla at 77K, and 5.3 Tesla at 65K. A previous generation of tiles, 1 cm x 1 cm, was used to trap 7.0 Tesla at 55K. Unirradiated 2.0 cm tiles were used to provide 8 magnets for an axial gap generator, in a collaborative experiment with Emerson Electric Co. This generator delivered 100 Watts to a resistive load, at 2265 rpm. In this experiment, activation of the TFMs was accomplished by a current pulse of 15 ms duration. Tiles have also been studied for application as a bumper-tether system for the soft docking of spacecraft. A method for optimizing tether forces, and mechanisms of energy dissipation are discussed. A bus bar was constructed by welding three crystals while melt-texturing, such that their a,b planes were parallel and interleaved. The bus bar, of area approx. 2 sq cm, carried a transport current of 1000 amps, the limit of the testing equipment available.

Degassing of basaltic magma: decompression experiments and implications for interpreting the textures of volcanic rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Gall, Nolwenn; Pichavant, Michel; Cai, Biao; Lee, Peter; Burton, Mike

2017-04-01

Decompression experiments were performed to simulate the ascent of basaltic magma, with the idea of approaching the textural features of volcanic rocks to provide insights into degassing processes. The experiments were conducted in an internally heated pressure vessel between NNO-1.4 and +0.9. H2O-only (4.9 wt%) and H2O-CO2-bearing (0.71-2.45 wt% H2O, 818-1094 ppm CO2) melts, prepared from Stromboli pumice, were synthesized at 1200°C and 200 MPa, continuously decompressed between 200 and 25 MPa at a rate of either 39 or 78 kPa/s (or 1.5 and 3 m/s, respectively), and rapidly quenched. Run products were characterized both texturally (by X-ray computed tomography and scanning electron microscopy) and chemically (by IR spectroscopy and electron microprobe analysis), and then compared with products from basaltic Plinian eruptions and Stromboli paroxysms (bubble textures, glass inclusions). The obtained results demonstrate that textures are controlled by the kinetics of nucleation, growth, coalescence and outgassing of the bubbles, as well as by fragmentation, which largely depend on the presence of CO2 in the melt and the achievement in chemical equilibrium. Textures of the H2O-only melts result from two nucleation events, the first at high pressure (200 < P < 150 MPa) and the second at low pressure (50 < P < 25 MPa), preceding fragmentation. Both events, restricted to narrow P intervals, are driven by melt H2O supersaturation. In contrast, textures of the H2O-CO2-bearing basaltic melts result from continuous bubble nucleation, which is driven by the generation of melts supersaturated in CO2. This persistent non-equilibrium degassing causes the bubbles to evolve through power law distributions, as small bubbles continue to form and grow. This is what is observed in Plinian products. From our results, the evolution to mixed power law-exponential distributions, as found in Stromboli products, is indicative of the prevalence of bubble coalescence and an evolution toward chemical equilibrium. In line with this, a strong correlation was found between experimental and natural bubble textures (bubble number densities, shapes, sizes and distributions), having implications for interpreting bubbles in volcanic rocks and quantifying magma ascent rates. Next step will be to perform in situ decompression experiments to simulate both degassing and crystallization of basaltic magma during ascent in the shallow volcanic conduit (P < 50 MPa), using synchrotron X-ray imaging. The obtained 4D (3D + time) data will help us refine our understanding of magma ascent processes. This experimental programme requires first technology adaptation and development, which is in progress.

Hydromagmatic and peperitic interactions: A new experimental approach.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downey, W. S.; Spieler, O.; Kunzmann, T.; Mastin, L.; Dingwell, D. B.; Shaw, C. J.

2007-12-01

Hydromagmatic interactions in general and the formation of peperites in particular, are poorly understood. We have designed and tested a new series of experiments to analyze the formation of fine hydromagmatic basaltic ash, and the processes occurring during magma/wet-sediment interaction. This study evaluates the mechanism of "turbulent shedding", (Mastin, 2007) where fine hydromagmatic ash is produced by the removal of quenched glassy rinds on clast surfaces that are rapidly deforming within turbulent transport. During magma/wet-sediment interactions the rapid heat transfer rate can lead to oscillations in the vapor film, and its possible collapse to generate a vapor explosion, between the two media producing either fluidal or brecciated textures of the silicate. In these experiment 0.5 kg of basaltic melt is generated in an internally heated autoclave at temperatures of up to 1300 (º)C and ejected via gas pressure into a low pressure tank. The autoclave can be pressurized to 50 MPa and is designed to eject the melt directly into water, wet sediments or water spray. The later technique is commonly used by powder metallurgists to produce micron-sized fragments of metallic glass, and is the desired technique to aid in the production of fine-ash via "turbulent shedding". Two molybdenum wound furnaces are used to produce the melt while a third Kanthal-wound furnace is used to control the temperature at the ejection orifice. Six thermocouples are used to control the furnaces and to record the thermal gradient throughout the setup. Pressure transducers in the high and low pressure section record the expansion volume due thermal interaction. The autoclave is separated from the low pressure tank with a diaphragm to prevent water from entering the high temperature zone. The goal of these experiments is to give insight into the role of hydrodynamic process during magma/water interaction and in the generation of peperites. The first experiments have resulted in the formation of Pelee's hairs and tears reflecting the high strain rates accompanying melt ejection. Post-experiment, grain size and surface area analysis of the hydromagmatic clasts is in progress to quantify the thermal interaction area, the influence of the turbulence and the heat transfer rate on magma-water mixing. The sediments will be impregnated with epoxy to yield textural insights for comparison with field descriptions of peperites.

Observation of melt onset on multiyear Arctic sea ice using the ERS 1 synthetic aperture radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winebrenner, D. P.; Nelson, E. D.; Colony, R.; West, R. D.

1994-01-01

We present nearly coincident observations of backscattering from the Earth Remote-Sensing Satellite (ERS) 1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and of near-surface temperature from six drifting buoys in the Beaufort Sea, showing that the onset of melting in snow on multiyear sea ice is clearly detectable in the SAR data. Melt onset is marked by a clean, steep decrease in the backscattering cross section of multiyear ice at 5.3 GHz and VV polarization. We investigate the scattering physics responsible for the signature change and find that the cross section decrease is due solely to the appearance of liquid water in the snow cover overlying the ice. A thin layer of moist snow is sufficient to cause the observed decrease. We present a prototype algorithm to estimate the date of melt onset using the ERS 1 SAR and apply the algorithm first to the SAR data for which we have corresponding buoy temperatures. The melt onset dates estimated by the SAR algorithm agree with those obtained independently from the temperature data to within 4 days or less, with the exception of one case in which temperatures oscillated about 0 C for several weeks. Lastly, we apply the algorithm to the entire ERS 1 SAR data record acquired by the Alaska SAR Facility for the Beaufort Sea north of 73 deg N during the spring of 1992, to produce a map of the dates of melt onset over an area roughly 1000 km on a side. The progression of melt onset is primarily poleward but shows a weak meridional dependence at latitudes of approximately 76 deg-77 deg N. Melting begins in the southern part of the study region on June 13 and by June 20 has progressed to the northermost part of the region.

Preliminary results of sulfide melt/silicate wetting experiments in a partially melted ordinary chondrite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jurewicz, Stephen R.; Jones, John H.

1994-01-01

Recently, mechanisms for core formation in planetary bodies have received considerable attention. Most current theories emphasize the need for large degrees of silicate partial melting to facilitate the coalescence and sinking of sulfide-metal liquid blebs through a low strength semi-crystalline silicate mush. This scenario is based upon observations that sulfide-metal liquid tends to form circular blebs in partially molten meteorites during laboratory experiments. However, recent experimental work by Herpfer and Larimer indicates that some sulfide-Fe liquids have wetting angles at and slightly below 60 deg in an olivine aggregate, implying an interconnected melt structure at any melt fraction. Such melt interconnectivity provides a means for gravitational compaction and extraction of the majority of a sulfide liquid phase in small planetary bodies without invoking large degrees of silicate partial melting. Because of the important ramifications of these results, we conducted a series of experiments using H-chondrite starting material in order to evaluate sulfide-liquid/silicate wetting behavior in a more complex natural system.

Experimental Melting Study of Basalt-Peridotite Hybrid Source: Constrains on Chemistry of Recycled Component

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, S.; Takahashi, E.; Matsukage, K. N.; Suzuki, T.; Kimura, J. I.

2015-12-01

It is believed that magma genesis of OIB is largely influenced by recycled oceanic crust component involved in the mantle plume (e.g., Hauri et al., 1996; Takahashi & Nakajima., 2002; Sobolev et al., 2007). Mallik & Dasgupta (2012) reported that the wall-rock reaction in MORB-eclogite and peridotite layered experiments produced a spectrum of tholeiitic to alkalic melts. However, the proper eclogite source composition is still under dispute. In order to figure out the geochemistry of recycled component as well as their melting process, we conducted a series of high-P, high-T experiments. Melting experiments (1~10hrs) were performed under 2.9GPa with Boyd-England type piston-cylinder (1460~1540°C for dry experiments, 1400~1500°C for hydrous experiments) and 5GPa with Kawai-type multi-anvil (1550~1650°C for dry experiments, 1350~1550°C for hydrous experiments), at the Magma Factory, Tokyo Tech. Spinel lherzolite KLB-1 (Takahashi 1986) was employed as peridotite component. Two basalts were used as recycled component: Fe-enriched Columbia River basalt (CRB72-180, Takahashi et al., 1998) and N-type MORB (NAM-7, Yasuda et al., 1994). In dry experiments below peridotite dry solidus, melt compositions ranged from basaltic andesite to tholeiite. Opx reaction band generated between basalt and peridotite layer hindered chemical reaction. On the other hand, alkali basalt was formed in hydrous run products because H2O promoted melting process in both layers. Compared with melts formed by N-MORB-peridotite runs, those layered experiments with CRB are enriched in FeO, TiO2, K2O and light REE at given MgO. In other words, melts produced by CRB-peridotite layered experiments are close to alkali basalts in OIB and tholeiite in Hawaii, while those by layered experiments with N-MORB are poor in above elements. Thus we propose that Fe-rich Archean or Proterozoic tholeiite (BVSP 1980) would be a possible candidate for recycled component in OIB source.

Transient experiments with thermite melts for a core catcher concept based on water addition from below

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tromm, W.; Alsmeyer, H.

1995-09-01

A core catcher concept is proposed to be integrated into a new pressurized water reactor. The core catcher achieves coolability by spreading and fragmentation of the ex-vessel core melt based on a process of water inlet from the bottom through the melt. By highly effective heat removal that uses evaporating water in direct contact with the fragmented melt, the corium melt would solidify in a short time period, and long-term cooling could be maintained by continuous water evaporation from the flooded porous or fragmented corium bed. The key process for obtaining coolability is the coupling of the three effects: (a)more » water ingression from below and its evaporation, (b) break up and fragmentation of the corium layer, and (c) heat transfer and solidification of the let. These mechanisms are investigated in transient medium-scale experiments with thermite melts. The experimental setup represents a section of the proposed core catcher design. A thermite melt is located on the core catcher plate with a passive water supply from the bottom. After generation of the melt, the upper sacrificial layer is eroded until water penetrates into the melt for the bottom through plugs in the supporting plate. Fragmentation and fast solidification of the melt are observed, and long-term heat removal is guaranteed by the coolant water flooding the porous melt. Water inflow is sufficient to safely remove the decay heat in a comparable corium layer. The open porosity is created by the vapor streaming through the melt during the solidification process. Fracture of the solid by thermomechanical stresses is not observed. The experiments in their current stage show the principal feasibility of the proposed cooling concept and are used to prepare large-scale experiments to be performed in the modified BETA facility with sustained heating of the melt.« less

Models and Experiments of Melt-Rock Interaction in the Lower Oceanic Crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orton, W. H., II; Liang, Y.; Sanfilippo, A.

2017-12-01

Understanding the processes of melt-rock interaction in the lower oceanic crust isimportant to the interpretation of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) and the petrogenesis of lowercrustal cumulates. Petrologic and geochemical studies of cumulates from the lower crustalregions of oceanic lithosphere have identified a number of textural and chemical features that arepertinent to melt-rock reaction (e.g., high-Mg# clinopyroxene oikocrysts within local gabbroicregions in troctolite bodies). The purpose of the present study is to provide some referenceexamples of MORB melt and cumulate mush interaction under controlled conditions. Suchsimple experiments are useful in sorting out crystallization, dissolution, re-precipitation, anddiffusion processes in the cumulate mush and in developing better models for melt transport andmelt-rock interaction in the lower oceanic crust.We performed piston cylinder experiments at 0.5-0.7 GPa and 1000-1250°C reacting anolivine or olivine + plagioclase cumulate mush and an intruding MORB melt in a graphite-linedmolybdenum capsule. Our experiments consist of two steps: (1) reaction at 1250°C for 10 to 24hours; and (2) reactive crystallization to a lower temperature through controlled cooling overseveral days. Cooling promotes in situ crystallization of interstitial melts, allowing us to bettercharacterize the mineral compositional trends produced and observed by melt-rock reaction andcrystallization. Reaction at 1250°C produced an olivine + melt mush with small rounded crystalscharacteristic of dissolution. Significant crystal settling was also observed at large melt-to- rockratio. Cooling with continued reaction resulted in the formation of a plagioclase matrix withpoikilitic clinopyroxene oikocrysts containing plagioclase and relict olivine as chadacrysts.Clinopyroxenes were in a reaction relationship with both plagioclase and olivine. In somesamples, multiple phases of clinopyroxene and plagioclase were present, each with differentcompositions, similar to those observed in the field-based studies. With these insights, a modelfor melt transport and melt-rock interaction in the lower oceanic crust has been developed andwill be used to study major and trace element fractionation during reactive melt migration in thecumulate mush.

Preparation, testing and analysis of zinc diffusion samples, NASA Skylab experiment M-558

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Braski, D. N.; Kobisk, E. H.; Odonnell, F. R.

1974-01-01

Transport mechanisms of zinc atoms in molten zinc were investigated by radiotracer techniques in unit and in near-zero gravity environments. Each melt in the Skylab flight experiments was maintained in a thermal gradient of 420 C to 790 C. Similar tests were performed in a unit gravity environment for comparison. After melting in the gradient furnace followed by a thermal soak period (the latter was used for flight samples only), the samples were cooled and analyzed for Zn-65 distribution. All samples melted in a unit gravity environment were found to have uniform Zn-65 distribution - no concentration gradient was observed even when the sample was brought rapidly to melting and then quenched. Space-melted samples, however, showed textbook distributions, obviously the result of diffusion. It was evident that convection phenomena were the dominant factors influencing zinc transport in unit gravity experiments, while diffusion was the dominant factor in near-zero gravity experiments.

Morphology of melt-rich channels formed during reaction infiltration experiments on partially molten mantle rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pec, Matej; Holtzman, Benjamin; Zimmerman, Mark; Kohlstedt, David

2016-04-01

Geochemical, geophysical and geological observations suggest that melt extraction from the partially molten mantle occurs by some sort of channelized flow. Melt-solid reactions can lead to melt channelization due to a positive feedback between melt flow and reaction. If a melt-solid reaction increases local permeability, subsequent flow is increased as well and promotes further reaction. This process can lead to the development of high-permeability channels which emerge from background flow. In nature, anastomozing tabular dunite bodies within peridotitic massifs are thought to represent fossilized channels that formed by reactive flow. The conditions under which such channels can emerge are treated by the reaction infiltration instability (RII) theory (e.g. Szymczak and Ladd 2014). In this contribution, we report the results of a series of Darcy type experiments designed to study the development of channels due to RII in mantle lithologies (Pec et al. 2015). We sandwiched a partially molten rock between a melt source and a porous sink and annealed it at high-pressures (P = 300 MPa) and high-temperatures (T = 1200° or 1250° C) under a controlled pressure gradient (∇P = 0-100 MPa/mm) for up to 5 hours. The partially molten rock is formed by 50:50 mixtures of San Carlos olivine (Ol, Fo ˜ 88) and clinopyroxene (Cpx) with either 4, 10 or 20 vol% of alkali basalt added. The source and sink are disks of alkali basalt and porous alumina, respectively. During the experiments, silica undersaturated melt from the melt source dissolves Cpx and precipitates an iron rich Ol (Fo ˜ 82) thereby forming a Cpx-free reaction layer at the melt source - partially molten rock interface. The melt fraction in the reaction layer increases significantly (40% melt) compared to the protolith, confirming that the reaction increases the permeability of the partially molten rock. In experiments annealed under a low pressure gradient (and hence slow melt flow velocity) the reaction layer is planar and no channels develop. However, if the melt migration velocity exceeds ˜5 μm/s the reaction layer locally protrudes into the partially molten rock forming finger-like melt-rich channels. The morphology and spacing of the channels depends on the initial melt fraction. With 20 vol% melt, multiple and voluminous channels with an elliptical core formed of pure melt develop. At lower melt contents, fewer and thinner channels develop. Our experiments demonstrate that melt-rock reactions can lead to melt channelization in mantle lithologies. The morphology of the channels seems to depend on the initial permeability perturbations present in the starting material. The observed lithological transformations are in broad agreement with natural observations. However, the resulting channels lack the tabular anastomozing shapes which are likely caused by shear deformation in nature. Therefore, both reaction-driven as well as stress-driven melt segregation have to interact in nature to form the observed dunite channels. Szymczak, P., and A. J. C. Ladd (2014), Reactive-infiltration instabilities in rocks. Part 2. Dissolution of a porous matrix, J. Fluid Mech., 738, 591-630. Pec, M., B. K. Holtzman, M. Zimmerman, and D. L. Kohlstedt (2015), Reaction infiltration instabilities in experiments on partially molten mantle rocks, Geology, 43(7), 575-578, doi:10.1130/G36611.1.

Process modelling for materials preparation experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberger, Franz; Alexander, J. Iwan D.

1993-01-01

The main goals of the research under this grant consist of the development of mathematical tools and measurement of transport properties necessary for high fidelity modeling of crystal growth from the melt and solution, in particular, for the Bridgman-Stockbarger growth of mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) and the solution growth of triglycine sulphate (TGS). Of the tasks described in detail in the original proposal, two remain to be worked on: (1) development of a spectral code for moving boundary problems; and (2) diffusivity measurements on concentrated and supersaturated TGS solutions. Progress made during this seventh half-year period is reported.

Process modelling for materials preparation experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberger, Franz; Alexander, J. Iwan D.

1993-01-01

The main goals of the research consist of the development of mathematical tools and measurement of transport properties necessary for high fidelity modeling of crystal growth from the melt and solution, in particular for the Bridgman-Stockbarger growth of mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) and the solution growth of triglycine sulphate (TGS). Of the tasks described in detail in the original proposal, two remain to be worked on: development of a spectral code for moving boundary problems, and diffusivity measurements on concentrated and supersaturated TGS solutions. During this eighth half-year period, good progress was made on these tasks.

Development of a double-stage DDIA apparatus and its application to in-situ melting experiments at high pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jing, Z.; Wang, Y.; Tange, Y.; Hilairet, N.; Yu, T.; Sakamaki, T.

2010-12-01

Melting experiments at high pressures are critical to our studies on the chemical evolution and dynamics of Earth and other terrestrial planets. A large volume press can generate a homogeneous and stable high-temperature environment, which is the key to melting experiments. However, previous in-situ melting experiments using a large volume press were often restricted to relatively low pressures. In order to expand the P-T conditions, a double-stage 6-8 configuration (6 first-stage anvils and 8 second stage-anvils) has been developed in a DDIA apparatus (DDIA-30), recently installed at the GSECARS Beamline 13-ID-D at the Advanced Photon Source. 27 mm DIA-type first-stage anvils and 14 mm second-stage anvils with the truncation edge length (TEL) of 1.5 mm are employed. A cell assembly that is suitable for synchrotron X-ray studies developed by Tange et al. (2008) has been adopted for melting experiments. High pressure and temperature conditions are generated up to 27 GPa and 2473 K by using tungsten carbide anvils, and up to 35 GPa and 1773 K by using sintered diamond anvils. Both LaCrO3 and TiB2 heater materials have been successfully applied for high-temperature generation. Although TiB2 shows a decrease of resistance at temperatures higher than 2000 K at 20 GPa, we are able to achieve 2473 K with temperature fluctuations in the range of ±30 K. Using tungsten carbide anvils and TiB2 heaters, we have determined the melting curve of gold up to 20 GPa. We constrain the melting temperature based on the disappearance of the gold peaks in energy dispersive X-ray diffraction patterns and the change of sample shape in the radiographic images. The combination of these two observations can reduce the uncertainties in melting temperatures to within 100 K. The measured melting temperatures of gold at 8, 13, and 20 GPa are consistent with the low-pressure results (up to 6 GPa) such as Mirwald and Kennedy (1979). Melting experiments with sintered diamond anvils are currently under development. This will enable us to conduct melting experiments up to 50 GPa on Fe alloys and silicates.

Skylab experiment performance evaluation manual. Appendix F: Experiment M551 Metals melting (MSFC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byers, M. S.

1973-01-01

Analyses for Experiment M551 Metals Melting (MSFC), to be used for evaluating the performance of the Skylab corollary experiments under preflight, inflight, and post-flight conditions are presented. Experiment contingency plan workaround procedure and malfunction analyses are presented in order to assist in making the experiment operationally successful.

Partial melting kinetics of plagioclase-diopside pairs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuchiyama, Akira

1985-09-01

Partial melting experiments on plagioclase (An60) and diopside have been carried out using pairs of large crystals to investigate textures and kinetics of melting. The experiments were done at one atmosphere pressure as a function of temperature (1,190 1,307° C) and time (1.5 192 h). Melting took place mainly at the plagioclase-diopside contact planes. Reaction zones composed of fine mixtures of calcic plagioclase and melt were developed from the surface of the plagioclase crystal inward. There exists a critical temperature, below which only a few % melting can occur over the duration of the experiments. This sluggish melting is caused by slow NaSi-CaAl diffusion in plagioclase, because the plagioclase crystal must change its composition to produce albite-rich cotectic melts. Diffusion in the solid also affects the chemical composition of the melts. During initial melting, potassium is preferentially extracted from plagioclase because K-Na diffusion in plagioclase is faster than that of NaSi-CaAl. This also causes a shift in the cotectic compositions. Above the “critical temperature”, on the other hand, melting is promoted by a metastable reaction in which the plagioclase composition does not change, and which produces melts with compositional gradients along the original An60-diopside tie line. The critical temperature is determined by the intersection of the cotectic and the An60-diopside tie line. Interdiffusion coefficients of plagioclase-diopside components in the melt are estimated from melting rates above the critical temperature by using a simplified steady-state diffusion model (e.g., 10-8 cm2/sec at 1,300° C). Many examples of reaction zones due to partial melting have been described as spongy or fingerprint-like textures in xenoliths. Metastable melting above the critical temperature is considered to take place in natural melting where there is a high degree of melting. However, we cannot exclude the possibility of disequilibrium created by sluggish melting controlled by diffusion in the minerals. If melting occurs close to the solidus, this process can be important even for partial melting in the upper mantle.

Capture of Hypervelocity Particles with Low-Density Aerogel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoerz, Friedrich; Cintala, Mark J.; Zolensky, Michael E.; Bernhard, Ronald B.; Haynes, Gerald; See, Thomas H.; Tsou, Peter; Brownlee, Donald E.

1998-01-01

Recent impact experiments conducted at Johnson Space Center supported a space-exposed flight instrument called the orbital debris collector (ODC) to see whether SiO2 acrogel performed adequately as a collector to capture cosmic dust particles and/or manmade debris, or whether additional development is needed. The first ODC was flown aboard the Mir for 18 months, while the second will be flown aboard a spacecraft (Stardust, to be launched in 1999) that will encounter the comet Wild 2 and return to Earth. Aerogels are highly porous materials that decelerate high-velocity particles without substantial melting or modifications to the particles' components; in other denser materials, these particles would melt or vaporize upon impact. The experimental data in this report must be considered somewhat qualitative because they are characterized by substantial, if not intolerable, scatter, possibly due to experimental difficulties in duplicating given sets of initial impact conditions. Therefore, this report is a chronological guide of the experimenters' attempts, difficulties, progress, and evaluations for future tests.

Impact of textural anisotropy on syn-kinematic partial melting of natural gneisses: an experimental approach.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganzhorn, Anne-Céline; Trap, Pierre; Arbaret, Laurent; Champallier, Rémi; Fauconnier, Julien; Labrousse, Loic; Prouteau, Gaëlle

2015-04-01

Partial melting of continental crust is a strong weakening process controlling its rheological behavior and ductile flow of orogens. This strength weakening due to partial melting is commonly constrained experimentally on synthetic starting material with derived rheological law. Such analog starting materials are preferentially used because of their well-constrained composition to test the impact of melt fraction, melt viscosity and melt distribution upon rheology. In nature, incipient melting appears in particular locations where mineral and water contents are favorable, leading to stromatic migmatites with foliation-parallel leucosomes. In addition, leucosomes are commonly located in dilatants structural sites like boudin-necks, in pressure shadows, or in fractures within more competent layers of migmatites. The compositional layering is an important parameter controlling melt flow and rheological behavior of migmatite but has not been tackled experimentally for natural starting material. In this contribution we performed in-situ deformation experiments on natural rock samples in order to test the effect of initial gneissic layering on melt distribution, melt flow and rheological response. In-situ deformation experiments using a Paterson apparatus were performed on two partially melted natural gneissic rocks, named NOP1 & PX28. NOP1, sampled in the Western Gneiss Region (Norway), is biotite-muscovite bearing gneiss with a week foliation and no gneissic layering. PX28, sampled from the Sioule Valley series (French Massif Central), is a paragneiss with a very well pronounced layering with quartz-feldspar-rich and biotite-muscovite-rich layers. Experiments were conducted under pure shear condition at axial strain rate varying from 5*10-6 to 10-3 s-1. The main stress component was maintained perpendicular to the main plane of anisotropy. Confining pressure was 3 kbar and temperature ranges were 750°C and 850-900°C for NOP1 and PX28, respectively. For the 750°C experiments NOP1 was previously hydrated at room pressure and temperature. According to melt fraction, deformation of partially molten gneiss induced different strain patterns. For low melt fraction, at 750°C, deformation within the initially isotropic gneiss NOP1 is localized along large scales shear-zones oriented at about 60° from main stress component σ1. In these zones quartz grains are broken and micas are sheared. Melt is present as thin film (≥20 µm) at muscovite-quartz grain boundaries and intrudes quartz aggregates as injections parallel to σ1. For higher melt fraction, at 850°C, deformation is homogeneously distributed. In the layered gneiss PX28, deformation is partitioned between mica-rich and quartz-rich layers. For low melt fraction, at 850°C, numerous conjugate shear-bands crosscut mica-rich layers. Melt is present around muscovite grains and intrudes quartz grains in the favor of fractures. For high melt fractions, at 900°C, melt assisted creep within mica-rich layers is responsible for boudinage of the quartz-feldspar rich layers. Melt-induced veining assists the transport of melt toward inter-boudin zones. Finite strain pattern and melt distribution after deformation of PX28 attest for appearance of strong pressure gradients leading to efficient melt flow. The subsequent melt redistribution strongly enhance strain partitioning and strength weakening, as shown by differential stress vs. strain graphs. Our experiments have successfully reproduced microstructures commonly observed in migmatitic gneisses like boudinage of less fertile layers. Comparison between non-layered and layered gneisses attest for strong influence of compositional anisotropies inherited from the protolith upon melt distribution and migmatite strength.

Measuring the Surface Temperature of the Cryosphere using Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.

2012-01-01

A general description of the remote sensing of cryosphere surface temperatures from satellites will be provided. This will give historical information on surface-temperature measurements from space. There will also be a detailed description of measuring the surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet using Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data which will be the focus of the presentation. Enhanced melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet has been documented in recent literature along with surface-temperature increases measured using infrared satellite data since 1981. Using a recently-developed climate data record, trends in the clear-sky ice-surface temperature (IST) of the Greenland Ice Sheet have been studied using the MODIS IST product. Daily and monthly MODIS ISTs of the Greenland Ice Sheet beginning on 1 March 2000 and continuing through 31 December 2010 are now freely available to download at 6.25-km spatial resolution on a polar stereographic grid. Maps showing the maximum extent of melt for the entire ice sheet and for the six major drainage basins have been developed from the MODIS IST dataset. Twelve-year trends of the duration of the melt season on the ice sheet vary in different drainage basins with some basins melting progressively earlier over the course of the study period. Some (but not all) of the basins also show a progressively-longer duration of melt. The consistency of this IST record, with temperature and melt records from other sources will be discussed.

Polycrystalline methane hydrate: Synthesis from superheated ice, and low-temperature mechanical properties

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stern, L.A.; Kirby, S.H.; Durham, W.B.

1998-01-01

We describe a new and efficient technique to grow aggregates of pure methane hydrate in quantities suitable for physical and material properties testing. Test specimens were grown under static conditions by combining cold, pressurized CH4 gas with granulated H2O ice, and then warming the reactants to promote the reaction CH4(g) + 6H2O(s???1) ??? CH4??6H2O (methane hydrate). Hydrate formation evidently occurs at the nascent ice/liquid water interface on ice grain surfaces, and complete reaction was achieved by warming the system above the ice melting point and up to 290 K, at 25-30 MPa, for approximately 8 h. The resulting material is pure, cohesive, polycrystalline methane hydrate with controlled grain size and random orientation. Synthesis conditions placed the H2O ice well above its melting temperature while reaction progressed, yet samples and run records showed no evidence for bulk melting of the unreacted portions of ice grains. Control experiments using Ne, a non-hydrate-forming gas, showed that under otherwise identical conditions, the pressure reduction and latent heat associated with ice melting are easily detectable in our fabrication apparatus. These results suggest that under hydrate-forming conditions, H2O ice can persist metastably to temperatures well above its ordinary melting point while reacting to form hydrate. Direct observations of the hydrate growth process in a small, high-pressure optical cell verified these conclusions and revealed additional details of the hydrate growth process. Methane hydrate samples were then tested in constant-strain-rate deformation experiments at T = 140-200 K, Pc = 50-100 MPa, and ?? = 10-4 10-6 s-1. Measurements in both the brittle and ductile fields showed that methane hydrate has measurably different strength than H2O ice, and work hardens to an unusually high degree compared to other ices as well as to most metals and ceramics at high homologous temperatures. This work hardening may be related to a changing stoichiometry under pressure during plastic deformation; X-ray analyses showed that methane hydrate undergoes a process of solid-state disproportionation or exsolution during deformation at conditions well within its conventional stability field.

Experimental correlation of melt structures, nucleation rates, and thermal histories of silicate melts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boynton, W. V.; DRAKE; HILDEBRAND; JONES; LEWIS; TREIMAN; WARK

1987-01-01

The theory and measurement of the structure of liquids is an important aspect of modern metallurgy and igneous petrology. Liquid structure exerts strong controls on both the types of crystals that may precipitate from melts and on the chemical composition of those crystals. An interesting aspect of melt structure studies is the problem of melt memories; that is, a melt can retain a memory of previous thermal history. This memory can influence both nucleation behavior and crystal composition. This melt memory may be characterized quantitatively with techniques such as Raman, infrared and NMR spectroscopy to provide information on short-range structure. Melt structure studies at high temperature will take advantage of the microgravity conditions of the Space Station to perform containerless experiments. Melt structure determinations at high temperature (experiments that are greatly facilitated by containerless technology) will provide invaluable information for materials science, glass technology, and geochemistry. In conjunction with studies of nucleation behavior and nucleation rates, information relevant to nucleation in magma chambers in terrestrial planets will be acquired.

Eutectic melting in the MgO-SiO2 system and its implication to Earth's lower mantle evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baron, M. A.; Lord, O. T.; Myhill, R.; Thomson, A.; Wang, W.; Tronnes, R. G.; Walter, M. J.

2017-12-01

Eutectic melting curves in the system MgO-SiO2 have been experimentally studied at lower mantle pressures using laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC) techniques. We investigated eutectic melting of bridgmanite plus periclase in the MgO-MgSiO3 binary and bridgmanite plus stishovite in the MgSiO3-SiO2 sub-system as the simplest models of natural peridotite and basalt. The eutectic melting have been detected on the basis of the thermal perturbations (i.e. melting plateau) during the experiment but also post-experimental textural and chemical analyses of the recovered samples. We also performed a suite of sub-solidus experiments in order to compare and bracket the eutectic melting experiments. The melting curve of model basalt occurs at lower temperatures, has a shallower dT/dP slope and slightly less curvature than the model peridotitic melting curve. Overall, melting temperatures detected in this study are in good agreement with previous experiments and ab initio simulations at 25 GPa (Liebske and Frost, 2012; de Koker et al., 2013). However, at higher pressures the measured eutectic melting curves are systematically lower in temperature than curves extrapolated on the basis of thermodynamic modelling of low-pressure experimental data, and those calculated from atomistic simulations. In turn, when comparing with previously published solidus curves obtained for natural basalt and peridotite (e.g. Fiquet et al., 2010; Andrault et al. 2011; Nomura et al. 2014; Hirose et al. 1999; Andrault et al. 2014 and Pradhan et al. 2015) the melting curves from this study are higher. However, the difference in temperature is less significant than previously though. Based on the comparison of the curvature of the model peridotite eutectic relative to an MgSiO3 melt adiabat we infer that crystallization in a global magma ocean would begin at 100 GPa rather than at the bottom of the mantle, allowing for an early basal melt layer. The model peridotite melting curve lies 500 K above the mantle geotherm at the core-mantle boundary, indicating that it will not be molten. The model basalt melting curve intersects the geotherm at the base of the mantle, and partial melting of subducted oceanic crust is therefore expected.

Thermal Diffusivity for III-VI Semiconductor Melts at Different Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ban, H.; Li, C.; Lin, B.; Emoto, K.; Scripa, R. N.; Su, C.-H.; Lehoczky, S. L.

2004-01-01

The change of the thermal properties of semiconductor melts reflects the structural changes inside the melts, and a fundamental understanding of this structural transformation is essential for high quality semiconductor crystal growth process. This paper focused on the technical development and the measurement of thermal properties of III-VI semiconductor melts at high temperatures. Our previous work has improved the laser flash method for the specialized quartz sample cell. In this paper, we reported the results of our recent progress in further improvements of the measurement system by minimizing the free convection of the melt, adding a front IR detector, and placing the sample cell in a vacuum environment. The results for tellurium and selenium based compounds, some of which have never been reported in the literature, were obtained at different temperatures as a function of time. The data were compared with other measured thermophysical properties to shed light on the structural transformations of the melt.

Melting of superheated molecular crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cubeta, Ulyana; Bhattacharya, Deepanjan; Sadtchenko, Vlad

2017-07-01

Melting dynamics of micrometer scale, polycrystalline samples of isobutane, dimethyl ether, methyl benzene, and 2-propanol were investigated by fast scanning calorimetry. When films are superheated with rates in excess of 105 K s-1, the melting process follows zero-order, Arrhenius-like kinetics until approximately half of the sample has transformed. Such kinetics strongly imply that melting progresses into the bulk via a rapidly moving solid-liquid interface that is likely to originate at the sample's surface. Remarkably, the apparent activation energies for the phase transformation are large; all exceed the enthalpy of vaporization of each compound and some exceed it by an order of magnitude. In fact, we find that the crystalline melting kinetics are comparable to the kinetics of dielectric α-relaxation in deeply supercooled liquids. Based on these observations, we conclude that the rate of non-isothermal melting for superheated, low-molecular-weight crystals is limited by constituent diffusion into an abnormally dense, glass-like, non-crystalline phase.

Experimental Partitioning of Chalcophile Elements between Mantle Silicate Minerals and Basaltic Melt at High Pressures and Temperatures - Implications for Sulfur Geochemistry of Mantle and Crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, R.; Jego, S.; Ding, S.; Li, Y.; Lee, C. T.

2015-12-01

The behavior of chalcophile elements during mantle melting, melt extraction, and basalt differentiation is critical for formation of ore deposits and geochemical model and evolution of crust-mantle system. While chalcophile elements are strongly partitioned into sulfides, their behavior with different extent of melting, in particular, in the absence of sulfides, can only be modeled with complete knowledge of the partitioning behavior of these elements between dominant mantle minerals and basaltic melt with or without dissolved sulfide (S2-). However, experimental data on mineral-melt partitioning are lacking for many chalcophile elements. Crystallization experiments were conducted at 3 GPa and 1450-1600 °C using a piston cylinder and synthetic silicate melt compositions similar to low-degree partial melt of peridotite. Starting silicate mixes doped with 100-300 ppm of each of various chalcophile elements were loaded into Pt/graphite double capsules. To test the effect of dissolved sulfur in silicate melt on mineral-melt partitioning of chalcophile elements, experiments were conducted on both sulfur-free and sulfur-bearing (1100-1400 ppm S in melt) systems. Experimental phases were analyzed by EPMA (for major elements and S) and LA-ICP-MS (for trace elements). All experiments produced an assemblage of cpx + melt ± garnet ± olivine ± spinel and yielded new partition coefficients (D) for Sn, Zn, Mo, Sb, Bi, Pb, and Se for cpx/melt, olivine/melt, and garnet/melt pairs. Derived Ds (mineral/basalt) reveal little effect of S2- in the melt on mineral-melt partition coefficients of the measured chalcophile elements, with Ds for Zn, Mo, Bi, Pb decreasing by less than a factor of 2 from S-free to S-bearing melt systems or remaining similar, within error, between S-free and S-bearing melt systems. By combining our data with existing partitioning data between sulfide phases and silicate melt we model the fractionation of these elements during mantle melting and basalt crystallization. The model results are compared with the chalcophile element abundance in oceanic basalts. We will discuss the implications of our new partitioning data and model results on sulfur and chalcophile element geochemistry of mantle source regions of ocean floor basalts and the fate of sulfides during mantle melting.

Growth and characterization of binary and pseudo-binary 3-5 compounds exhibiting non-linear optical behavior. Undergraduate research opportunities in microgravity science and technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Witt, August F.

1992-01-01

In line with the specified objectives, a Bridgman-type growth configuration in which unavoidable end effects - conventionally leading to growth interface relocation - are compensated by commensurate input-power changes is developed; the growth rate on a microscale is predictable and unaffected by changes in heat transfer conditions. To permit quantitative characterization of the growth furnace cavity (hot-zone), a 3-D thermal field mapping technique, based on the thermal image, is being tested for temperatures up to 1100 C. Computational NIR absorption analysis was modified to now permit characterization of semi-insulating single crystals. Work on growth and characterization of bismuth-silicate was initiated. Growth of BSO (B12SiO20) for seed material by the Czochralski technique is currently in progress. Undergraduate research currently in progress includes: ground based measurements of the wetting behavior (contact angles) of semiconductor melts on substrates consisting of potential confinement materials for solidification experiments in a reduced gravity environment. Hardware modifications required for execution of the wetting experiments in a KC-135 facility are developed.

Nonlinear partitioning of OH between Ca-rich plagioclase and arc basaltic melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamada, M.; Ushioda, M.; Takahashi, E.

2011-12-01

The hydrogen in nominally anhydrous minerals (NAMs) is becoming a new proxy for dissolved H2O in silicate melts. Plagioclase is one of the NAMs which accommodates hydrogen as OH. Here, we report experimental results on the partitioning of OH between Ca-rich plagioclase and arc basaltic melt. We carried out hydrous melting experiments of arc basaltic magma at 350 MPa using an internally-heated pressure vessel. Starting material was hydrous glass (0.8 wt.%≦H2O≦4.5 wt.%) of an undifferentiated rock from Miyakejima volcano, a frontal-arc volcano in Izu-arc (MTL rock: 50.5% SiO2, 18.1% Al2O3, 4.9% MgO). A grain of Ca-rich plagioclase (≈ 1 mg, about An95, FeOt ≈ 0.5 wt.%) and ≈ 10 mg of powdered glasses were sealed in Au80Pd20 alloy capsule and kept at around the liquidus temperature. Liquidus phase of MTL rock at 350 MPa is always plagioclase with 0 to 4.5 wt.% H2O in melt, and therefore, a grain of plagioclase and hydrous melt are nearly in equilibrium. Oxygen fugacity during the melting experiments was not controlled; the estimated oxygen fugacity was 3 log unit above Ni-NiO buffer. Experiments were quenched after 24-48 hours. Concentrations of H2O in melt and concentration of OH in plagioclase were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. Obtained correlation between H2O concentration in melt and OH concentration in plagioclase is nonlinear; partition coefficient in molar basis is ≈ 0.01 with low H2O in melt (≤ 1 wt.%), while it decreases down to ≈ 0.005 with increasing H2O in melt (Fig.1). The OH concentration of Ca-rich plagioclase (about An90) from the 1986 summit eruption of Izu-Oshima volcano, also a frontal-arc volcano in Izu arc, shows variation ranging from <50 ppm H2O through 300 ppm H2O as a result of polybaric degassing (Hamada et al. 2011, EPSL 308, 259-266). Melting experiments of hydrous basalts constrained that An90 plagioclase crystallizes form H2O-rich melt (up to 6 wt.% H2O). In consistent with previous studies, our experiments demonstrate that plagioclase with 300 ppm of OH can be in equilibrium with H2O-rich melt dissolving 5-6 wt.% H2O (Fig.1). Plagioclase from the 1986 summit eruption of Izu-Oshima volcano records polybaric degassing history of magma from 5-6 wt.% H2O in melt (300 ppm of OH in plagioclase) to almost dry melt (50 ppm of OH in plagioclase).

Centuries of intense surface melt on Larsen C Ice Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bevan, Suzanne L.; Luckman, Adrian; Hubbard, Bryn; Kulessa, Bernd; Ashmore, David; Kuipers Munneke, Peter; O'Leary, Martin; Booth, Adam; Sevestre, Heidi; McGrath, Daniel

2017-12-01

Following a southward progression of ice-shelf disintegration along the Antarctic Peninsula (AP), Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS) has become the focus of ongoing investigation regarding its future stability. The ice shelf experiences surface melt and commonly features surface meltwater ponds. Here, we use a flow-line model and a firn density model (FDM) to date and interpret observations of melt-affected ice layers found within five 90 m boreholes distributed across the ice shelf. We find that units of ice within the boreholes, which have densities exceeding those expected under normal dry compaction metamorphism, correspond to two climatic warm periods within the last 300 years on the Antarctic Peninsula. The more recent warm period, from the 1960s onwards, has generated distinct sections of dense ice measured in two boreholes in Cabinet Inlet, which is close to the Antarctic Peninsula mountains - a region affected by föhn winds. Previous work has classified these layers as refrozen pond ice, requiring large quantities of mobile liquid water to form. Our flow-line model shows that, whilst preconditioning of the snow began in the late 1960s, it was probably not until the early 1990s that the modern period of ponding began. The earlier warm period occurred during the 18th century and resulted in two additional sections of anomalously dense ice deep within the boreholes. The first, at 61 m in one of our Cabinet Inlet boreholes, consists of ice characteristic of refrozen ponds and must have formed in an area currently featuring ponding. The second, at 69 m in a mid-shelf borehole, formed at the same time on the edge of the pond area. Further south, the boreholes sample ice that is of an equivalent age but which does not exhibit the same degree of melt influence. This west-east and north-south gradient in the past melt distribution resembles current spatial patterns of surface melt intensity.

Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment - Science, engineering, and hardware development for USMP space flights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glicksman, M. E.; Hahn, R. C.; Koss, M. B.; Tirmizi, S. H.; Selleck, M. E.; Velosa, A.; Winsa, E.

1991-01-01

The Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE) has been designed to provide microgravity data on dendritic growth for a critical test of theory. This paper updates progress on constructing a crystal growth chamber suitable for space flight. The IDGE chamber is constructed from glass and stainless steel and is hermetically sealed by electron beam welds and glass-metal seals. Initial tests of the chambers sample's melting point plateau show that the new chamber design is capable of preserving the 99.9995 percent purity of succinonitrile. Dendrite growth can be initiated in the center of the IDGE chamber by means of thermo-electric coolers and a capillary injector tube (stinger). The new IDGE chamber is ready for fully integrated tests with the prototype IDGE engineering hardware at NASA's Lewis Research Center.

Electromagnetic containerless undercooling facility and experiments for the Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, R. T.; Flemings, M. C.; Szekely, J.; El-Kaddah, N.; Shiohara, Y.

1984-01-01

An electromagnetic furnace is being prepared for flights aboard the Space Shuttle. This apparatus is capable of melting metals and alloys up to 1400 C melting point by induction heating with subsequent solidification of the freely levitated melt without contact with any container. The solidification can be carried out with greatly reduced fields resulting in minimal heating and stirring of the free melt. Sequential specimens can be processed during flight. Several experiments are planned for a series of flights, beginning in 1985 with an undercooling experiment of NiSn alloys. These will be interspersed with detailed studies of fluid flow caused by low and high field levels in order to quantify the corresponding effect upon the solidification process.

The Effect of CO2 on Partial Reactive Crystallization of MORB-Eclogite-derived Basaltic Andesite in Peridotite and Generation of Silica-Undersaturated Basalts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallik, A.; Dasgupta, R.

2012-12-01

Recycled oceanic crust (MORB-eclogite) is considered to be the dominant heterogeneity in Earth's mantle. Because MORB-eclogite is more fusible than peridotite, siliceous partial melt derived from it must react with peridotite while the latter is still in the subsolidus state. Thus, studying such reactive process is important in understanding melting dynamics of the Earth's mantle. Reaction of MORB-eclogite-derived andesitic partial melt with peridotite can produce alkalic melts by partial reactive crystallization but these melts are not as silica-undersaturated as many natural basanites, nephelinites or melititites [1]. In this study, we constrain how dissolved CO2 in a siliceous MORB-eclogite-derived partial melt affects the reaction phase equilibria involving peridotite and can produce nephelinitic melts. Here we compare experiments on CO2-free [1] and 2.6 wt.% CO2 bearing andesitic melt+lherzolite mixtures conducted at 1375 °C and 3 GPa with added melt fraction of 8-50 wt.%. In both CO2-free and CO2-bearing experiments, melt and olivine are consumed and opx and garnet are produced, with the extent of modal change for a given melt-rock ratio being greater for the CO2-bearing experiments. While the residue evolves to a garnet websterite by adding 40% of CO2-bearing melt, the residue becomes olivine-free by adding 50% of the CO2-free melt. Opx mode increases from 12 to ~55 wt.% for 0 to 40% melt addition in CO2-bearing system and 12 to ~43 wt.% for 0 to 50% melt addition in CO2-free system. Garnet mode, for a similar range of melt-rock ratio, increases from ~10 to ~15 wt.% for CO2 bearing system and to ~11 wt.% for CO2-free system. Reacted melts from 25-33% of CO2-bearing melt-added runs contain ~39 wt.% SiO2 , ~11-13 wt.% TiO2, ~9 wt.% Al2O3, ~11 wt.% FeO*, 16 wt.% MgO, 10-11 wt.% CaO, and 3 wt.% Na2O whereas experiments with a similar melt-rock ratio in a CO2-free system yield melts with 44-45 wt.% SiO2, 6-7 wt.% TiO2, 13-14 wt.% Al2O3, 10-11 wt.% FeO*, 12-13 wt.% MgO, ~8 wt.% CaO, and ~4 wt.% Na2O. Our study shows that with only 2.6 wt.% CO2, andesites, owing to partial reactive crystallization in a peridotite matrix, can evolve to nephelinites (as opposed to basanites for CO2-free runs) that match with silica-undersaturated oceanic basalts better than reacted melts from CO2-free conditions. The effects of CO2 on the partial reactive crystallization of andesite in a fertile peridotite matrix thus are: a) lowered melt- SiO2 owing to increased stability of opx at the liquidus of basalt, b) lowered Al2O3 content of basalts owing to increased crystallization of garnet. Experiments with 1 and 5 wt.% CO2-bearing andesite-peridotite mixture are underway and will be presented. [1] Mallik and Dasgupta (2012), EPSL, 329-330, 97-108.

Investigating Planetesimal Evolution by Experiments with Fe-Ni Metallic Melts: Light Element Composition Effects on Trace Element Partitioning Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chabot, N. L.

2017-12-01

As planetesimals were heated up in the early Solar System, the formation of Fe-Ni metallic melts was a common occurrence. During planetesimal differentiation, the denser Fe-Ni metallic melts separated from the less dense silicate components, though some meteorites suggest that their parent bodies only experienced partial differentiation. If the Fe-Ni metallic melts did form a central metallic core, the core eventually crystallized to a solid, some of which we sample as iron meteorites. In all of these planetesimal evolution processes, the composition of the Fe-Ni metallic melt influenced the process and the resulting trace element chemical signatures. In particular, the metallic melt's "light element" composition, those elements present in the metallic melt in a significant concentration but with lower atomic masses than Fe, can strongly affect trace element partitioning. Experimental studies have provided critical data to determine the effects of light elements in Fe-Ni metallic melts on trace element partitioning behavior. Here I focus on combining numerous experimental results to identify trace elements that provide unique insight into constraining the light element composition of early Solar System Fe-Ni metallic melts. Experimental studies have been conducted at 1 atm in a variety of Fe-Ni systems to investigate the effects of light elements on trace element partitioning behavior. A frequent experimental examination of the effects of light elements in metallic systems involves producing run products with coexisting solid metal and liquid metal phases. Such solid-metal-liquid-metal experiments have been conducted in the Fe-Ni binary system as well as Fe-Ni systems with S, P, and C. Experiments with O-bearing or Si-bearing Fe-Ni metallic melts do not lend themselves to experiments with coexisting solid metal and liquid metal phases, due to the phase diagrams of these elements, but experiments with two immiscible Fe-Ni metallic melts have provided insight into the qualitative effects of O and Si relative to the well-determined effects of S. Together, these experimental studies provide a robust dataset to identify key elements that are predicted to produce distinct chemical signatures as a function of different Fe-Ni metallic melt compositions during planetesimal evolution processes.

On the melting temperature measurements of metals under shock compression by pyrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Chengda; Hu, Jianbo; Tan, Hua

2009-06-01

The high-pressure melting temperatures are of interest in validating equation of state and modeling constitutive equation. The determination of melting temperatures for metals at megabars by pyrometry experiments is principally associated with the one-dimensional models for heat flow through dissimilar media: Grover-Urtiew model (J. App. Phys. 1974, 45: 146-152) and Tan-Ahrens model (High Press. Res. 1990, 2: 159-182). In the present work, we analyzed the insufficiency of Grover-Urtiew model in determining melting temperatures from observed interface temperatures. Based on the Tan-Ahrens model, we extracted the upper and lower bound on melting temperature at interface pressure, and proposed that the median of the both bounds was a good approximation to the melting temperatures at interface pressure. Pyrometry experiments were performed on tantalum, and the high-pressure melting temperatures were evaluated by application of the proposed approximation. The obtained results were compared with available theoretical calculations.

Skylab M551 metals melting experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poorman, R. M.

1975-01-01

The objectives of the M551 Metals Melting Experiment were to: (1) study behavior of molten metal, (2) characterize metals melted and solidified in the low gravity space environment compared to one-gravity of earth, and (3) determine feasibility of joining metals in space. The experiment used the electron beam (EB) and chamber of the M512 apparatus to make a dwell puddle and a melt in a rotating disc of varying thickness. Hence, the EB performed cut-through, full and partial penetration melts, in addition to a resolidified button. The three disc materials were aluminum 2219-T87, 304 stainless steel, and pure tantalum to provide a wide range of density and melting conditions. Observations to date include the proof that EB welding, cutting, and melting can be done successfully in low gravity. Earlier, some welding authorities had postulated that without gravity the EB would force the molten puddle out of contact. However, the experiment proved that surface tension forces predominate. From the viewpoint of cast-solidification, small, equiaxed grains in Skylab specimens compared to large, elongated grains in ground based specimens were observed. The former are thought to be associated with constitutional supercooling and nucleation where the latter are associated with dendritic solidification. In further support of the more equiaxed grain growth in Skylab, symmetric subgrain patterns were frequently observed where there was much less symmetry in ground based specimens.

Density Measurement for MORB Melts by X-ray Absorption Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamaki, T.; Urakawa, S.; Suzuki, A.; Ohtani, E.; Katayama, Y.

2006-12-01

Density of silicate melts at high pressure is one of the most important properties to understand magma migration in the planetary interior and the differentiation of the terrestrial planets. The density measurements of silicate melts have been carried out by several methods (shock compression experiments and sink-float method in static experiments, etc.). However, since these methods have difficulties in acquisition of data at a desired pressure and temperature, the density of the silicate melt have been measured under only a few conditions. Recently a new density measurement was developed by the X-ray absorption method. Advantage of this method is to measure density of liquids at a desired pressure and temperature. In the present study we measured the density of MORB melt by X-ray absorption method. Experiments were carried out at the BL22XU beamline at SPring-8. A DIA-type cubic anvil apparatus was used for generation of high pressure and temperature. We used tungsten carbide anvils with the top anvil sizes of 6 mm and 4 mm. The energy of monochromateized X-ray beam was 23 keV. The intensities of incident and transmitted X-ray were measured by ion chambers. The density of the melt was calculated on the basis of Beer-Lambert law. The starting material was a glass with the MORB composition. Experiments were made from 1 atm to 5 GPa, from 300 to 2000 K. We compared the density of MORB melt with the compression curve of the melt in previous works. The density measured by this study is lower than that expected from the compression curve determined at higher pressures by the sink-float method. Structural change of the MORB melt with increasing pressure might be attributed to this discrepancy.

Density Measurement for MORB Melts by X-ray Absorption Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamaki, T.; Urakawa, S.; Ohtani, E.; Suzuki, A.; Katayama, Y.

2005-12-01

Density of silicate melts at high pressure is one of the most important properties to understand magma migration in the planetary interior and the differentiation of the terrestrial planets. The density measurements of silicate melts have been carried out by several methods (shock compression experiments and sink-float method in static experiments, etc.). However, since these methods have difficulties in acquisition of data at a desired pressure and temperature, the density of the silicate melt have been measured under only a few conditions. Recently a new density measurement was developed by the X-ray absorption method. Advantage of this method is to measure density of liquids at a desired pressure and temperature. In the present study we measured the density of MORB melt by X-ray absorption method. Experiments were carried out at the BL22XU beamline at SPring-8. A DIA-type cubic anvil apparatus was used for generation of high pressure and temperature. We used tungsten carbide anvils with the edge-length of 6 mm. The energy of monochromateized X-ray beam was 23 keV. The intensities of incident and transmitted X-ray were measured by ion chambers. The density of the melt was calculated on the basis of Beer-Lambert law. The starting material was a glass with the MORB composition. Experiments were made from 1 atm to 4 GPa, from 300 to 2200 K. We compared the density of MORB melt with the compression curve of the melt in previous works. The density measured by this study is lower than that expected from the compression curve determined at higher pressures by the sink-float method. Structural change of the MORB melt with increasing pressure might be attributed to this discrepancy.

Development of the Plastic Melt Waste Compactor- Design and Fabrication of the Half-Scale Prototype

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pace, Gregory S.; Fisher, John

2005-01-01

A half scale version of a device called the Plastic Melt Waste Compactor prototype has been developed at NASA Ames Research Center to deal with plastic based wastes that are expected to be encountered in future human space exploration scenarios such as Lunar or Martian Missions. The Plastic Melt Waste Compactor design was based on the types of wastes produced on the International Space Station, Space Shuttle, MIR and Skylab missions. The half scale prototype unit will lead to the development of a full scale Plastic Melt Waste Compactor prototype that is representative of flight hardware that would be used on near and far term space missions. This report details the progress of the Plastic Melt Waste Compactor Development effort by the Solid Waste Management group at NASA Ames Research Center.

Increased mantle heat flow with on-going rifting of the West Antarctic rift system inferred from characterisation of plagioclase peridotite in the shallow Antarctic mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, A. P.; Cooper, A. F.; Price, R. C.

2014-03-01

The lithospheric, and shallow asthenospheric, mantle in Southern Victoria Land are known to record anomalously high heat flow but the cause remains imperfectly understood. To address this issue plagioclase peridotite xenoliths have been collected from Cenozoic alkalic igneous rocks at three localities along a 150 km transect across the western shoulder of the West Antarctic rift system in Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. There is a geochemical, thermal and chronological progression across this section of the rift shoulder from relatively hot, young and thick lithosphere in the west to cooler, older and thinner lithosphere in the east. Overprinting this progression are relatively more recent mantle refertilising events. Melt depletion and refertilisation was relatively limited in the lithospheric mantle to the west but has been more extensive in the east. Thermometry obtained from orthopyroxene in these plagioclase peridotites indicates that those samples most recently affected by refertilising melts have attained the highest temperatures, above those predicted from idealised dynamic rift or Northern Victoria Land geotherms and higher than those prevailing in the equivalent East Antarctic mantle. Anomalously high heat flow can thus be attributed to entrapment of syn-rift melts in the lithosphere, probably since regional magmatism commenced at least 24 Myr ago. The chemistry and mineralogy of shallow plagioclase peridotite mantle can be explained by up to 8% melt extraction and a series of refertilisation events. These include: (a) up to 8% refertilisation by a N-MORB melt; (b) metasomatism involving up to 1% addition of a subduction-related component; and (c) addition of ~ 1.5% average calcio-carbonatite. A high MgO group of clinopyroxenes can be modelled by the addition of up to 1% alkalic melt. Melt extraction and refertilisation mainly occurred in the spinel stability field prior to decompression and uplift. In this region mantle plagioclase originates by a combination of subsolidus recrystallisation during decompression within the plagioclase stability field and refertilisation by basaltic melt.

An experimental study of permeability development as a function of crystal-free melt viscosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindoo, A.; Larsen, J. F.; Cashman, K. V.; Dunn, A. L.; Neill, O. K.

2016-02-01

Permeability development in magmas controls gas escape and, as a consequence, modulates eruptive activity. To date, there are few experimental controls on bubble growth and permeability development, particularly in low viscosity melts. To address this knowledge gap, we have run controlled decompression experiments on crystal-free rhyolite (76 wt.% SiO2), rhyodacite (70 wt.% SiO2), K-phonolite (55 wt.% SiO2) and basaltic andesite (54 wt.% SiO2) melts. This suite of experiments allows us to examine controls on the critical porosity at which vesiculating melts become permeable. As starting materials we used both fine powders and solid slabs of pumice, obsidian and annealed starting materials with viscosities of ∼102 to ∼106 Pas. We saturated the experiments with water at 900° (rhyolite, rhyodacite, and phonolite) and 1025 °C (basaltic andesite) at 150 MPa for 2-72 hrs and decompressed samples isothermally to final pressures of 125 to 10 MPa at rates of 0.25-4.11 MPa/s. Sample porosity was calculated from reflected light images of polished charges and permeability was measured using a bench-top gas permeameter and application of the Forchheimer equation to estimate both viscous (k1) and inertial (k2) permeabilities. Degassing conditions were assessed by measuring dissolved water contents using micro-Fourier-Transform Infrared (μ-FTIR) techniques. All experiment charges are impermeable below a critical porosity (ϕc) that varies among melt compositions. For experiments decompressed at 0.25 MPa/s, we find the percolation threshold for rhyolite is 68.3 ± 2.2 vol.%; for rhyodacite is 77.3 ± 3.8 vol.%; and for K-phonolite is 75.6 ± 1.9 vol.%. Rhyolite decompressed at 3-4 MPa/s has a percolation threshold of 74 ± 1.8 vol.%. These results are similar to previous experiments on silicic melts and to high permeability thresholds inferred for silicic pumice. All basaltic andesite melts decompressed at 0.25 MPa/s, in contrast, have permeabilities below the detection limit (∼10-15 m2), and a maximum porosity of 63 vol.%. Additionally, although the measured porosities of basaltic andesite experiments are ∼10-35 vol.% lower than calculated equilibrium porosities, μ-FTIR analyses confirm the basaltic andesite melts remained in equilibrium during degassing. We show that the low porosities and permeabilities are a consequence of short melt relaxation timescales during syn- and post-decompression degassing. Our results suggest that basaltic andesite melts reached ϕc > 63 vol.% and subsequently degassed; loss of internal bubble pressure caused the bubbles to shrink and their connecting apertures to seal before quench, closing the connected pathways between bubbles. Our results challenge the hypothesis that low viscosity melts have a permeability threshold of ∼30 vol.%, and instead support the high permeability thresholds observed in analogue experiments on low viscosity materials. Importantly, however, these low viscosity melts are unable to maintain high porosities once the percolation threshold is exceeded because of rapid outgassing and collapse of the permeable network. We conclude, therefore, that melt viscosity has little effect on percolation threshold development, but does influence outgassing.

Experiment and ANSYS simulation analysis for metal aluminum solid and fluid conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.-Y.; Guo, P.; Wu, Y.; Zhang, Z.-L.; Jiang, S.-M.

2017-11-01

In this paper, study on metal aluminum solid and fluid conversion was carried out by using crucible resistance furnace, and observing the phenomenon of metal aluminum solid and fluid conversion. In the experiment, the same shape aluminum block was kept under the same heating rate and heated by the resistance furnace. The experimental results show that the melting point of metal aluminum is between 650°C and 660°C, and after the melting point, the metal aluminum began to melt when it maintained for a long period of time, however, when the temperature is higher than the melting point, the aluminum will melt very quickly. In addition, in ANSYS simulation, the solid aluminum melted completely at 670°C in 5430 seconds, much longer than the actual experiment, it due to the heating rate was faster, not in an ideal experimental environment and there is heat exchange with the outside world and convection, at the same time, the aluminum block may contain impurities, so the actual melting time could be shorter than the simulation. In this paper, it was explored for the liquid and solid conversion in depth, and had a certain actual value.

Melting Processes at the Base of the Mantle Wedge: Melt Compositions and Melting Reactions for the First Melts of Vapor-Saturated Lherzolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grove, T. L.; Till, C. B.

2014-12-01

Vapor-saturated melting experiments have been performed at pressures near the base of the mantle wedge (3.2 GPa). The starting composition is a metasomatized lherzolite containing 3 wt. % H2O. Near-solidus melts and coexisting mineral phases have been characterized in experiments that span 925 to 1100 oC with melt % varying from 6 to 9 wt. %. Olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and garnet coexist with melt over the entire interval and rutile is also present at < 1000 oC. Melt is andesitic in composition and varies from 60 wt. % SiO2 at 950 oC to 52 wt. % at 1075 oC. The Al2O3 contents of the melt are 13 to 14 wt. %, and CaO contents range from 1 and 4 wt. %. Melting is peritectic with orthopyroxene + liquid produced by melting of garnet + olivine + high-Ca pyroxene. In addition to quenched melt, we observe a quenched silicate component that is rhyolitic (>72 % SiO2) that we interpret as a precipitate from the coexisting supercritical H2O-rich vapor. Extrapolation of the measured compositional variation toward the solidus suggests that the first melt may be very SiO2 rich (i.e., granitic). We suggest that these granitic melts are the first melts of the mantle near the slab-wedge interface. As these SiO2-rich melts ascend into shallower, hotter overlying mantle, they continue to interact with the surrounding mantle and evolve in composition. These first melts may elucidate the geochemical and physical processes that accompany the beginnings of H2O flux melting.

Two-dimensional melting of colloids with long-range attractive interactions.

PubMed

Du, Di; Doxastakis, Manolis; Hilou, Elaa; Biswal, Sibani Lisa

2017-02-22

The solid-liquid melting transition in a two-dimensional (2-D) attractive colloidal system is visualized using superparamagnetic colloids that interact through a long-range isotropic attractive interaction potential, which is induced using a high-frequency rotating magnetic field. Various experiments, supported by Monte Carlo simulations, are carried out over a range of interaction potentials and densities to determine structure factors, Lindermann parameters, and translational and orientational order parameters. The system shows a first-order solid-liquid melting transition. Simulations and experiments suggest that dislocations and disclinations simultaneously unbind during melting. This is in direct contrast with reports of 2-D melting of paramagnetic particles that interact with a repulsive interaction potential.

Magnetic and elastic wave anisotropy in partially molten rocks: insight from experimental melting of synthetic quartz-mica schist (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almqvist, B.; Misra, S.; Biedermann, A. R.; Mainprice, D.

2013-12-01

We studied the magnetic and elastic wave speed anisotropy of a synthetically prepared quartz-mica schist, prior to, during and after experimental melting. The synthetic rock was manufactured from a mixture of powders with equal volumes of quartz and muscovite. The powders were initially compacted with 200 MPa uniaxial stress at room temperature and sealed in a stainless steel canister. Subsequently the sealed canister was isostatically pressed at 180 MPa and 580 °C for 24 hours. This produced a solid medium with ~25 % porosity. Mica developed a preferred grain-shape alignment due to the initial compaction with differential load, where mica flakes tend to orient perpendicular to the applied stress and hence define a synthetic foliation plane. In the last stage we used a Paterson gas-medium apparatus, to pressurize and heat the specimens up to 300 MPa and 750 °C for a six hour duration. This stage initially compacted the rock, followed by generation of melt, and finally crystallization of new minerals from the melt. Elastic wave speed measurements were performed in situ at pressure and temperature, with a transducer assembly mounted next to the sample. Magnetic measurements were performed before and after the partial melt experiments. Anisotropy was measured in low- and high-field, using a susceptibility bridge and torsion magnetometer, respectively. Additionally we performed measurements of hysteresis, isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and susceptibility as a function of temperature, to investigate the magnetic properties of the rock. The elastic wave speed, before the melting-stage of the experiment, exhibits a distinct anisotropy with velocities parallel to the foliation being about 15 % higher than normal to the foliation plane. Measurements of the magnetic anisotropy in the bulk sample show that anisotropy is originating from the preferred orientation of muscovite, with a prominent flattening fabric. In contrast, specimens that underwent partial melting display a weaker elastic and magnetic anisotropy, because muscovite preferentially melts due to dehydration melting at 750 °C. The decrease in anisotropy can be inferred from in situ observation of elastic wave anisotropy, but also from comparison of measurements of magnetic anisotropy prior to and subsequent to experiment. A distinct anisotropy is however identified after the experiments both in susceptibility and remanence, which appears to be controlled by the original foliation. As muscovite undergoes dehydration melting a small amount of Fe is released into the melt. Crystallization from the melt indicates that the Fe is bound in biotite and Fe-oxides. The bulk susceptibility and saturation remanence increase by more than one order of magnitude in samples after the melting experiment. The newly formed ferrimagnetic phase, identified through hysteresis, IRM and thermomagnetic measurements, have a tight grouping in the magnetite pseudo-single-domain field on a Day plot. Our experiments are pertinent to the study of partially molten rocks and provide an opportunity to help guide research in magnetic and elastic wave anisotropy of migmatite and granite. In particular the results from experiments apply to the understanding of generation and percolation of melt prior to, or coeval to, the onset of deformation.

Effect of Marangoni Convection Generated by Voids on Segregation During Low-G and 1-G Solidification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kassemi, M.; Fripp, A.; Rashidnia, N.; deGroh, H.

1999-01-01

Solidification experiments, especially microgravity solidification experiments are often hampered by the evolution of unwanted voids or bubbles in the melt. Although these voids and/or bubbles are highly undesirable, there are currently no effective means of preventing their formation or eliminating their adverse effects, particularly, during low-g experiments. Marangoni Convection caused by these voids can drastically change the transport processes in the melt and, therefore, introduce enormous difficulties in interpreting the results of the space investigations. Recent microgravity experiments by Matthiesen, Andrews, and Fripp are all good examples of how the presence of voids and bubbles affect the outcome of costly space experiments and significantly increase the level of difficulty in interpreting their results. In this work we examine mixing caused by Marangoni convection generated by voids and bubbles in the melt during both 1-g and low-g solidification experiments. The objective of the research is to perform a detailed and comprehensive combined numerical-experimental study of Marangoni convection caused by voids during the solidification process and to show how it can affect segregation and growth conditions by modifying the flow, temperature, and species concentration fields in the melt. While Marangoni convection generated by bubbles and voids in the melt can lead to rapid mixing that would negate the benefits of microgravity processing, it could be exploited in some terrestrial processing to ensure effective communication between a melt/solid interface and a gas phase stoichiometry control zone. Thus we hope that this study will not only aid us in interpreting the results of microgravity solidification experiments hampered by voids and bubbles but to guide us in devising possible means of minimizing the adverse effects of Marangoni convection in future space experiments or of exploiting its beneficial mixing features in ground-based solidification.

Design of model experiments for melt flow and solidification in a square container under time-dependent magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meier, D.; Lukin, G.; Thieme, N.; Bönisch, P.; Dadzis, K.; Büttner, L.; Pätzold, O.; Czarske, J.; Stelter, M.

2017-03-01

This paper describes novel equipment for model experiments designed for detailed studies on electromagnetically driven flows as well as solidification and melting processes with low-melting metals in a square-based container. Such model experiments are relevant for a validation of numerical flow simulation, in particular in the field of directional solidification of multi-crystalline photovoltaic silicon ingots. The equipment includes two square-shaped electromagnetic coils and a melt container with a base of 220×220 mm2 and thermostat-controlled heat exchangers at top and bottom. A system for dual-plane, spatial- and time-resolved flow measurements as well as for in-situ tracking of the solid-liquid interface is developed on the basis of the ultrasound Doppler velocimetry. The parameters of the model experiment are chosen to meet the scaling laws for a transfer of experimental results to real silicon growth processes. The eutectic GaInSn alloy and elemental gallium with melting points of 10.5 °C and 29.8 °C, respectively, are used as model substances. Results of experiments for testing the equipment are presented and discussed.

Experimental alteration of artificial and natural impact melt rock from the Chesapeake Bay impact structure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Declercq, J.; Dypvik, H.; Aagaard, Per; Jahren, J.; Ferrell, R.E.; Horton, J. Wright

2009-01-01

The alteration or transformation of impact melt rock to clay minerals, particularly smectite, has been recognized in several impact structures (e.g., Ries, Chicxulub, Mj??lnir). We studied the experimental alteration of two natural impact melt rocks from suevite clasts that were recovered from drill cores into the Chesapeake Bay impact structure and two synthetic glasses. These experiments were conducted at hydrothermal temperature (265 ??C) in order to reproduce conditions found in meltbearing deposits in the first thousand years after deposition. The experimental results were compared to geochemical modeling (PHREEQC) of the same alteration and to original mineral assemblages in the natural melt rock samples. In the alteration experiments, clay minerals formed on the surfaces of the melt particles and as fine-grained suspended material. Authigenic expanding clay minerals (saponite and Ca-smectite) and vermiculite/chlorite (clinochlore) were identified in addition to analcime. Ferripyrophyllite was formed in three of four experiments. Comparable minerals were predicted in the PHREEQC modeling. A comparison between the phases formed in our experiments and those in the cores suggests that the natural alteration occurred under hydrothermal conditions similar to those reproduced in the experiment. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Kinetics of Nucleation and Crystal Growth in Glass Forming Melts in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, Delbert E.; Ray, Chandra S.

2001-01-01

This flight definition project has the specific objective of investigating the kinetics of nucleation and crystal growth in high temperature inorganic oxide, glass forming melts in microgravity. It is related to one of our previous NASA projects that was concerned with glass formation for high temperature containerless melts in microgravity. The previous work culminated in two experiments which were conducted aboard the space shuttle in 1983 and 1985 and which consisted of melting (at 1500 C) and cooling levitated 6 to 8 mm diameter spherical samples in a Single Axis Acoustic Levitator (SAAL) furnace. Compared to other types of materials, there have been relatively few experiments, 6 to 8, conducted on inorganic glasses in space. These experiments have been concerned with mass transport (alkali diffusion), containerless melting, critical cooling rate for glass formation, chemical homogeneity, fiber pulling, and crystallization of glass forming melts. One of the most important and consistent findings in all of these experiments has been that the glasses prepared in microgravity are more resistant to crystallization (better glass former) and more chemically homogeneous than equivalent glasses made on Earth (1 g). The chemical composition of the melt appears relatively unimportant since the same general results have been reported for oxide, fluoride and chalcogenide melts. These results for space-processed glasses have important implications, since glasses with a higher resistance to crystallization or higher chemical homogeneity than those attainable on Earth can significantly advance applications in areas such as fiber optics communications, high power laser glasses, and other photonic devices where glasses are the key functional materials.

Probing the melt zone of Kilauea Iki lava lake, Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hardee, H.C.; Dunn, J.C.; Hills, R.G.

1981-12-01

New drilling techniques were recently used to drill and core the melt zone of Kilauea Iki lava lake to a depth of 93 m. A partial melt zone was found to exist at depths between 58 m and 89 m consisting of 40 volume percent melt. Downhole seismic shots detonated in and below the melt zone resulted in the first in situ measurements of seismic velocity directly through well characterized partial melt zone. Periodic seismic sources were used to effectively penetrate the highly fractured hydrothermal zone of the lava lake crust. Low velocity P-wave layers (< or =2.0 km/s) weremore » found at the surface, at 40 m depth, and at 90 m depth. Thermal convective experiments in the melt zone resulted in the first controlled in situ measurements of the interaction of water with a basaltic melt zone. Transient energy rates of 900 kW (980 kW/m/sup 2/) and steady rates of 85 kW (93 kW/m/sup 2/) were observed. The full water recovery (100%), high downhole steam temperatures (670 C), and high energy transfer rates (93 to 980 kW/m/sup 2/) observed in these thermal experiments are consistent with a closed cavity model where the injected water/steam directly contacted basaltic melt or near melt. In addition to understanding lava lakes, these seismic and thermal experiments have applications for the location of magma bodies in the crust and for the efficient extraction of energy from these bodies.« less

Nonlinear Response of Iceberg Melting to Ocean Currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenedese, C.; FitzMaurice, A.; Straneo, F.

2017-12-01

Icebergs calving into Greenlandic Fjords frequently experience strongly sheared flows over their draft, but the impact of this flow past the iceberg on the melt plumes generated along the iceberg sides is not fully captured by existing parameterizations. We present a series of novel laboratory experiments to determine the dependence of side submarine melt rates on a background flow. We show, for the first time, that two distinct regimes of melting exist depending on the melt plume behavior (side-attached or side-detached). These two regimes produce a nonlinear dependence of melt rate on velocity, and different distributions of meltwater in the water column. Iceberg meltwater may either be confined to a thin surface layer, when the melt plumes are side-attached, or mixed down to the iceberg draft, when the melt plumes are side-detached. In a two-layer vertically sheared flow the average flow speed in existing melt parameterizations gives an underestimate of the submarine melt rate, in part due to the nonlinearity of the dependence of melt rate on flow speed, but also because vertical shear in the velocity profile fundamentally changes the flow splitting around the ice block and consequently the velocity felt by the ice surface. Including this nonlinear velocity dependence in melting parameterizations applied to observed icebergs increases iceberg side melt in the attached regime, improving agreement with observations of iceberg submarine melt rates. We show that both attached and detached plume regimes are relevant to icebergs observed in a Greenland fjord.

Icebergs Melting in Uniform and Vertically Sheared Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenedese, Claudia; Fitzmaurice, Anna; Straneo, Fiammetta

2017-11-01

Icebergs calving into Greenlandic Fjords frequently experience strongly sheared flows over their draft, but the impact of this flow past the iceberg on the melt plumes generated along the iceberg sides is not fully captured by existing melt parameterizations. A series of novel laboratory experiments showed that side melting of icebergs subject to relative velocities is controlled by two distinct regimes, which depend on the melt plume behavior (side-attached or side-detached). These two regimes produce a nonlinear dependence of melt rate on velocity, and different distributions of meltwater in the water column. Iceberg meltwater may either be confined to a thin surface layer, when the melt plumes are side-attached, or mixed down to the iceberg draft, when the melt plumes are side-detached. In a two-layer vertically sheared flow, the average flow speed in existing melt parameterizations gives an underestimate of the submarine melt rate, in part due to the nonlinearity of the dependence of melt rate on flow speed, but also because vertical shear in the velocity profile fundamentally changes the flow splitting around the ice block and consequently the velocity felt by the ice surface. Including this nonlinear velocity dependence in melting parameterizations applied to observed icebergs increases iceberg side melt in the side-attached regime, improving agreement with observations of iceberg submarine melt rates. AF was supported by NA14OAR4320106, CC by NSF OCE-1434041 and OCE-1658079, and FS by NSF PLR-1332911 and OCE-1434041.

Simulations with current constraints of ELM-induced tungsten melt motion in ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thorén, E.; Bazylev, B.; Ratynskaia, S.; Tolias, P.; Krieger, K.; Pitts, R. A.; Pestchanyi, S.; Komm, M.; Sieglin, B.; the EUROfusion MST1 Team; the ASDEX Upgrade Team

2017-12-01

Melt motion simulations of recent ASDEX Upgrade experiments on transient-induced melting of a tungsten leading edge during ELMing H-mode are performed with the incompressible fluid dynamics code MEMOS 3D. The total current flowing through the sample was measured in these experiments providing an important constraint for the simulations since thermionic emission is considered to be responsible for the replacement current driving melt motion. To allow for a reliable comparison, the description of the space-charge limited regime of thermionic emission has been updated in the code. The effect of non-periodic aspects of the spatio-temporal heat flux in the temperature distribution and melt characteristics as well as the importance of current limitation are investigated. The results are compared with measurements of the total current and melt profile.

Vapor-Saturated Melting of Fertile Peridotite Revisited: A new Experimental Approach and Re-evaluation of the Hydrous Peridotite Solidus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grove, T. L.

2001-12-01

The vapor-saturated melting relations of peridotite have been determined for a fertile mantle composition of Hart and Zindler (1986, Chem Geol 57: 247) over the pressure range of 1.2 to 2.4 GPa. For example, at 1.2 GPa melt is present at a temperature of 980° C and at 2.4 GPa melt is present at 920° C. These temperatures should be viewed as maximum values for the vapor-saturated solidus (although see below) because the initial melting temperature of multi-phase, multicomponent systems can often be difficult to detect. At 2.4 GPa the melt composition is highly silica-undersaturated and very aluminous ( ~ 21 wt. % Al2O3). Wet mantle melts are thought to be high in silica, but this is not the case for these hydrous melts. At 1.2 GPa, melt fractions are too small to allow reliable analysis. The experiments have been carried out in a piston cylinder apparatus using Au capsules. The starting material is an oxide mixture containing 14.5 wt. % H2O added as brucite. Free water present in the experiment after quenching indicates subsolidus conditions. The absence of fluid in experiments above the vapor-saturated solidus shows that all of the free H2O is dissolved in the melt. The high H2O content of the starting material moves the bulk composition close to the vapor-saturated melt composition, therefore increasing the amount of melt produced close to the solidus and making detection of low melt fraction possible. Studies of the hydrous peridotite solidus carried out between 1970 and 1975 by Mysen and Boettcher, Kushiro and others, Green and Millhollen and others at 2.0 GPa ranged from < 800 to ~ 1000° C, a variation of over 200 degrees. In a subduction zone environment a fluid-rich component released from the slab ascends into hotter overlying mantle and melting initiates at the vapor-saturated solidus. Melting would begin at a depth of ~ 75 km in the mantle wedge, for a realistic thermal structure. Melting would continue as these initial H2O-rich buoyant melts ascend into hotter, shallower mantle and re-equilibrate with their surroundings. The initiation of melting deep in the mantle wedge has implications for both chemical and mechanical processes in the subduction zone environment.

A Dual-Porosity, In Situ Crystallisation Model For Fast-Spreading Mid-Ocean Ridge Magma Chambers Based Upon Direct Observation From Hess Deep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacLeod, C. J.; Lissenberg, C. J.

2014-12-01

We propose a revised magma chamber model for fast-spreading mid-ocean ridges based upon a synthesis of new data from a complete section of lower crust from the East Pacific Rise, reconstructed from samples collected from the Hess Deep rift valley during cruise JC21. Our investigation includes detailed sampling across critical transitions in the upper part of the plutonic section, including the inferred axial melt lens (AML) within the dyke-gabbro transition. We find that an overall petrological progression, from troctolite and primitive gabbro at the base up into evolved (oxide) gabbro and gabbronorite at the top of the lower crustal section, is mirrored by a progressive upward chemical fractionation as recorded in bulk rock and mineral compositions. Crystallographic preferred orientations measured using EBSD show that the downward increase in deformation of mush required in crystal subsidence models is not observed. Together these observations are consistent only with a model in which crystallisation of upward migrating evolving melts occurs in situ in the lower crust. Over-enrichment in incompatible trace element concentrations and ratios above that possible by fractional crystallisation is ubiquitous. This implies redistribution of incompatible trace elements in the lower crust by low porosity, near-pervasive reactive porous flow of interstitial melt moving continuously upward through the mush pile. Mass balance calculations reveal a significant proportion of this trace element enriched melt is trapped at mid-crustal levels. Mineral compositions in the upper third to half of the plutonic section are too evolved to represent the crystal residues of MORB. Erupted MORB therefore must be fed from melts sourced in the deeper part of the crystal mush pile, and which must ascend rapidly without significant modification in the upper plutonics or AML. From physical models of mush processes we posit that primitive melts are transported through transient, high porosity channels generated by gravitational instabilities that periodically overturn and drain crystallising melt bodies (sills) from deeper levels of the lower crustal mush. We conclude that magma chambers are characterised by melt delivery to the deep crust, followed by in situ crystallisation of melts transported upwards via a dual-porosity system.

Analysis of Summer 2002 Melt Extent on the Greenland Ice Sheet using MODIS and SSM/I Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Williams, Richard S., Jr.; Steffen, Konrad; Chien, Y. L.; Foster, James L.; Robinson, David A.; Riggs, George A.

2004-01-01

Previous work has shown that the summer of 2002 had the greatest area of snow melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet ever recorded using passive-microwave data. In this paper, we compare the 0 degree isotherm derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, with Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I)-derived melt, at the time of the maximum melt extent in 2002. To validate the MODIS-derived land-surface temperatures (LSTs), we compared the MODIS LSTs with air temperatures from nine stations (using 11 different data points) and found that they agreed to within 2.3 plus or minus 2.09 C, with station temperatures consistently lower than the MODIS LSTs. According to the MODIS LST, the maximum surface melt extended to approximately 2300 m in southern Greenland; while the SSM/I measurements showed that the maximum melt extended to nearly 2700 m in southeastern Greenland. The MODIS and SSM/I data are complementary in providing detailed information about the progression of surface and near-surface melt on the Greenland ice sheet.

Analysis of Summer 2002 Melt Extent on the Greenland Ice Sheet using MODIS and SSM/I Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Williams, Richard S.; Steffen, Konrad; Chien, Janet Y. L.

2004-01-01

Previous work has shown that the summer of 2002 had the greatest area of snow melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet ever recorded using passive-microwave data. In this paper, we compare the 0 deg. isotherm derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, with Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I)-derived melt, at the time of the maximum melt extent in 2002. To validate the MODIS derived land-surface temperatures (LSTs), we compared the MODIS LSTs with air temperatures from nine stations (using 11 different data points) and found that they agreed to within 2.3 +/- 2.09 C, with station temperatures consistently lower than the MODIS LSTs. According to the MODIS LST, the maximum surface melt extended to approx. 2300 m in southern Greenland; while the SSM/I measurements showed that the maximum melt extended to nearly 2700 m in southeastern Greenland. The MODIS and SSM/I data are complementary in providing detailed information about the progression of surface and near- surface melt on the Greenland ice sheet.

Analysis of summer 2002 melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet using MODIS and SSM/I data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hall, D.K.; Williams, R.S.; Steffen, K.; Chien, Janet Y.L.

2004-01-01

Previous work has shown that the summer of 2002 had the greatest area of snow melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet ever recorded using passive-microwave data. In this paper, we compare the 0?? isotherm derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, with Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I)-derived melt, at the time of the maximum melt extent in 2002. To validate the MODIS-derived land-surface temperatures (LSTs), we compared the MODIS LSTs with air temperatures from nine stations (using 11 different data points) and found that they agreed to within 2.3??2.09??C, with station temperatures consistently lower than the MODIS LSTs. According to the MODIS LST, the maximum surface melt extended to ???2300 m in southern Greenland; while the SSM/I measurements showed that the maximum melt extended to nearly 2700 m in southeastern Greenland. The MODIS and SSM/I data are complementary in providing detailed information about the progression of surface and near-surface melt on the Greenland ice sheet.

Analysis of summer 2002 melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet using MODIS and SSM/I data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hall, D. K.; Williams, R.S.; Steffen, K.; Chien, Janet Y.L.

2004-01-01

Previous work has shown that the summer of 2002 had the greatest area of snow melt extent on the Greenland ice sheet ever recorded using passive-microwave data. In this paper, we compare the 0deg isotherm derived from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, with Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I)-derived melt, at the time of the maximum melt extent in 2002. To validate the MODIS-derived land-surface temperatures (LSTs), we compared the MODIS LSTs with air temperatures from nine stations (using 11 different data points) and found that they agreed to within 2.3 plusmn 2.09 degC, with station temperatures consistently lower than the MODIS LSTs. According to the MODIS LST, the maximum surface melt extended to ~2300 m in southern Greenland; while the SSM/I measurements showed that the maximum melt extended to nearly 2700 m in southeastern Greenland. The MODIS and SSM/I data are complementary in providing detailed information about the progression of surface and near-surface melt on the Greenland ice sheet.

Melt segregation during Poiseuille flow of partially molten rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quintanilla-Terminel, A.; Dillman, A. M.; Kohlstedt, D. L.

2015-12-01

Studies of the dynamics of partially molten regions of the Earth's mantle provide the basis necessary for understanding the chemical and physical evolution of our planet. Since we cannot directly observe processes occurring at depth, we rely on models and experiments to constrain the rheological behavior of partially molten rocks. Here, we present the results of an experimental investigation of the role of viscous anisotropy on melt segregation in partially molten rocks through Poiseuille flow experiments. Partially molten rock samples with a composition of either forsterite or anorthite plus a few percent melt were prepared from vacuum sintered powders and taken to 1200ºC at 0.1 MPa. The partially molten samples were then extruded through a channel of circular cross section under a fixed pressure gradient at 1200o to 1500oC. The melt distribution in the channel was subsequently mapped through image analyses of optical and backscattered electron microscopy images. In these experiments, melt segregates from the center toward the outer radius of the channel with the melt fraction at the outer radius increasing to twice that at the center. These results are consistent with base-state melt segregation as predicted by Takei and Holtzman (JGR, 2009), Takei and Katz (JFM, 2013) and Allwright and Katz (GJI, 2014) for sheared partially molten rocks for which viscosity is anisotropic due to the stress-induced, grain-scale alignment of melt.

Dynamic melting of metals in the diamond cell: Clues for melt viscosity?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boehler, R.; Karandikar, A.; Yang, L.

2011-12-01

From the observed decreasing mobility of liquid iron at high pressure in the laser-heated diamond cell and the gradual decrease in the shear modulus in shock experiments, one may derive high viscosity in the liquid outer core of the Earth. A possible explanation could be the presence of local structures in the liquid as has been observed for several transition metals. In order to bridge the large gap in the timescales between static and dynamic melting experiments, we have developed new experimental techniques to solve the large discrepancies in the melting curves of transition metals (Fe, W, Ta, Mo) measured statically in the laser-heated diamond cell and in shock experiments. The new methods employ "single-shot" laser heating in order to reduce problems associated with mechanical instabilities and chemical reactions of the samples subjected to several thousand degrees at megabar pressures. For melt detection, both synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) on recovered samples are used. A third approach is the measurement of latent heat effects associated with melting or freezing. This method employs simultaneous CW and pulse laser heating and monitoring the temperature-time history with fast photomultipliers. Using the SEM recovery method, we measured first melting temperatures of rhenium, which at high pressure may be one of the most refractory materials. From the melt textures of Re, we did not observe a significant pressure dependence of viscosity.

Solubilities of nitrogen and noble gases in basalt melt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyazaki, A.; Hiyagon, H.; Sugiura, N.

1994-01-01

Nitrogen and noble gases are important tracers in geochemistry and chosmochemistry. Compared to noble gases, however, physicochemical properties of nitrogen, such as solubility in melt or melt/silicate partition, are not well known. Solubility of nitrogen in basalt melt depends on redox condition of the atmosphere. For example, solubility of nitrogen in E chondrite melt under reducing conditions is as high as 2 mol percent at 1500 C, suggesting that nitrogen is chemically dissolved in silicate melts, i.e., being dissolved as free anions or replacing oxygen sites in silicate network. However, the solubility and the dissolution mechanism of nitrogen under oxidizing conditions are not well investigated. To obtain nitrogen solubility in silicate melts under various redox conditions and to understand its mechanism, we are conducting experiments by using (15)N(15)N-labeled nitrogen gas. This makes it easy to distinguish dissolved nitrogen from later contamination of atmospheric nitrogen, and hence enables us to measure the nitrogen solubility accurately. As a preliminary experiment, we have measured solubility of nitrogen in basalt melt under the atmospheric oxygen pressure.

Effects of water, depth and temperature on partial melting of mantle-wedge fluxed by hydrous sediment-melt in subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallik, Ananya; Dasgupta, Rajdeep; Tsuno, Kyusei; Nelson, Jared

2016-12-01

This study investigates the partial melting of variable bulk H2O-bearing parcels of mantle-wedge hybridized by partial melt derived from subducted metapelites, at pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions applicable to the hotter core of the mantle beneath volcanic arcs. Experiments are performed on mixtures of 25% sediment-melt and 75% fertile peridotite, from 1200 to 1300 °C, at 2 and 3 GPa, with bulk H2O concentrations of 4 and 6 wt.%. Combining the results from these experiments with previous experiments containing 2 wt.% bulk H2O (Mallik et al., 2015), it is observed that all melt compositions, except those produced in the lowest bulk H2O experiments at 3 GPa, are saturated with olivine and orthopyroxene. Also, higher bulk H2O concentration increases melt fraction at the same P-T condition, and causes exhaustion of garnet, phlogopite and clinopyroxene at lower temperatures, for a given pressure. The activity coefficient of silica (ϒSiO2) for olivine-orthopyroxene saturated melt compositions (where the activity of silica, aSiO2 , is buffered by the reaction olivine + SiO2 = orthopyroxene) from this study and from mantle melting studies in the literature are calculated. In melt compositions generated at 2 GPa or shallower, with increasing H2O concentration, ϒSiO2 increases from <1 to ∼1, indicating a transition from non-ideal mixing as OH- in the melt (ϒSiO2 <1) to ideal mixing as molecular H2O (ϒSiO2 ∼1). At pressures >2 GPa, ϒSiO2 >1 at higher H2O concentrations in the melt, indicate requirement of excess energy to incorporate molecular H2O in the silicate melt structure, along with a preference for bridging species and polyhedral edge decorations. With vapor saturation in the presence of melt, ϒSiO2 decreases indicating approach towards ideal mixing of H2O in silicate melt. For similar H2O concentrations in the melt, ϒSiO2 for olivine-orthopyroxene saturated melts at 3 GPa is higher than melts at 2 GPa or shallower. This results in melts generated at 3 GPa being more silica-poor than melts at 2 GPa. Thus, variable bulk H2O and pressure of melt generation results in the partial melts from this study varying in composition from phonotephrite to basaltic andesite at 2 GPa and foidite/phonotephrite to basalt at 3 GPa, forming a spectrum of arc magmas. Modeling suggests that the trace element patterns of sediment-melt are unaffected by the process of hybridization within the hotter core of the mantle-wedge. K2O/H2O and H2O/Ce ratios of the sediment-melts are unaffected, within error, by the process of hybridization of the mantle-wedge. This implies that thermometers based on K2O/H2O and H2O/Ce ratios of arc lavas may be used to estimate slab-top temperatures when (a) sediment-melt from the slab reaches the hotter core of the mantle-wedge by focused flow (b) sediment-melt freezes in the overlying mantle at the slab-mantle interface and the hybridized package rises as a mélange diapir and partially melts at the hotter core of the mantle-wedge. Based on the results from this study and previous studies, both channelized and porous flow of sediment-melt/fluid through the sub-arc mantle can explain geochemical signatures of arc lavas under specific geodynamic scenarios of fluid/melt fluxing, hybridization, and subsequent mantle melting.

A model for foam formation, stability, and breakdown in glass-melting furnaces.

PubMed

van der Schaaf, John; Beerkens, Ruud G C

2006-03-01

A dynamic model for describing the build-up and breakdown of a glass-melt foam is presented. The foam height is determined by the gas flux to the glass-melt surface and the drainage rate of the liquid lamellae between the gas bubbles. The drainage rate is determined by the average gas bubble radius and the physical properties of the glass melt: density, viscosity, surface tension, and interfacial mobility. Neither the assumption of a fully mobile nor the assumption of a fully immobile glass-melt interface describe the observed foam formation on glass melts adequately. The glass-melt interface appears partially mobile due to the presence of surface active species, e.g., sodium sulfate and silanol groups. The partial mobility can be represented by a single, glass-melt composition specific parameter psi. The value of psi can be estimated from gas bubble lifetime experiments under furnace conditions. With this parameter, laboratory experiments of foam build-up and breakdown in a glass melt are adequately described, qualitatively and quantitatively by a set of ordinary differential equations. An approximate explicit relationship for the prediction of the steady-state foam height is derived from the fundamental model.

Isothermal dendritic growth experiment: Science, engineering, and hardware development for USMP space flights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glicksman, M. E.; Hahn, R. C.; Koss, M. B.; Tirmizi, S. H.; Selleck, M. E.; Velosa, A.; Winsa, E.

The Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE) has been designed to provide microgravity data on dendritic growth for a critical test of theory. This paper updates our progress on constructing a crystal growth chamber suitable for space flight. The IDGE chamber is constructed from glass and stainless steel and is hermetically sealed by electron beam welds and glass-metal seals. Initial tests of the chambers sample's melting point plateau show that the new chamber design is capable of preserving the 99.9995 pct purity of succinonitrile (SCN). One can initiate dendrite growth in the center of the IDGE chamber by means of thermo-electric coolers and a capillary injector tube (stinger). The new IDGE chamber is ready for fully integrated tests with the prototype IDGE engineering hardware at NASA's Lewis Research Center.

Experimental constraints on mantle metasomatism caused by silicate and carbonate melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gervasoni, Fernanda; Klemme, Stephan; Rohrbach, Arno; Grützner, Tobias; Berndt, Jasper

2017-06-01

Metasomatic processes are responsible for many of the heterogeneities found in the upper mantle. To better understand the metasomatism in the lithospheric mantle and to illustrate the differences between metasomatism caused by hydrous silicate and carbonate-rich melts, we performed various interaction experiments: (1) Reactions between hydrous eclogite-derived melts and peridotite at 2.2-2.5 GPa and 900-1000 °C reproduce the metasomatism in the mantle wedge above subduction zones. (2) Reactions between carbonate-rich melts and peridotite at 2.5 GPa and 1050-1000 °C, and at 6 GPa and 1200-1250 °C simulate metasomatism of carbonatite and ultramafic silicate-carbonate melts in different regions of cratonic lithosphere. Our experimental results show that partial melting of hydrous eclogite produces hydrous Si- and Al-rich melts that react with peridotite and form bi-mineralic assemblages of Al-rich orthopyroxene and Mg-rich amphibole. We also found that carbonate-rich melts with different compositions react with peridotite and form new metasomatic wehrlitic mineral assemblages. Metasomatic reactions caused by Ca-rich carbonatite melt consume the primary peridotite and produce large amounts of metasomatic clinopyroxene; on the other hand, metasomatism caused by ultramafic silicate-carbonate melts produces less clinopyroxene. Furthermore, our experiments show that ultramafic silicate-carbonate melts react strongly with peridotite and cause crystallization of large amounts of metasomatic Fe-Ti oxides. The reactions of metasomatic melts with peridotite also change the melt composition. For instance, if the carbonatite melt is not entirely consumed during the metasomatic reactions, its melt composition may change dramatically, generating an alkali-rich carbonated silicate melt that is similar in composition to type I kimberlites.

Molecular mechanism of melting of a helical polymer crystal: Role of conformational order, packing and mobility of polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheerla, Ramesh; Krishnan, Marimuthu

2018-03-01

The molecular mechanism of melting of a superheated helical polymer crystal has been investigated using isothermal-isobaric molecular dynamics simulation that allows anisotropic deformation of the crystal lattice. A detailed microscopic analysis of the onset and progression of melting and accompanying changes in the polymer conformational order, translational, and orientation order of the solid along the melting pathway is presented. Upon gradual heating from room temperature to beyond the melting point at ambient pressure, the crystal exhibits signatures of premelting well below the solid-to-liquid melting transition at the melting point. The melting transition is manifested by abrupt changes in the crystal volume, lattice energy, polymer conformation, and dynamical properties. In the premelting stage, the crystal lattice structure and backbone orientation of the polymer chains are retained but with the onset of weakening of long-range helical order and interchain packing of polymers perpendicular to the fibre axis of the crystal. The premelting also marks the onset of conformational defects and anisotropic solid-state diffusion of polymers along the fibre axis. The present study underscores the importance of the interplay between intermolecular packing, interactions, and conformational dynamics at the atomic level in determining the macroscopic melting behavior of polymer crystals.

Temperature Compensated Piezoelectric Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-06-01

and indicated no major phase changes between room temperature and the melting point of LijSiO-,. Various shielding — 1 .2- arrangements and...experiments. The DTA experiments showed a small endothermic peak at about 1030° and then the melting point at 1200oC. High temperature x-ray diffraction... melting point was lowered about 150° es* so that a boule could be grown without extraneous heat shields, but the boulep were still cracked. A thin

Constraints on the rheology of the partially molten mantle from numerical models of laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudge, J. F.; Alisic Jewell, L.; Rhebergen, S.; Katz, R. F.; Wells, G. N.

2015-12-01

One of the fundamental components in any dynamical model of melt transport is the rheology of partially molten rock. This rheology is poorly understood, and one way in which a better understanding can be obtained is by comparing the results of laboratory deformation experiments to numerical models. Here we present a comparison between numerical models and the laboratory setup of Qi et al. 2013 (EPSL), where a cylinder of partially molten rock containing rigid spherical inclusions was placed under torsion. We have replicated this setup in a finite element model which solves the partial differential equations describing the mechanical process of compaction. These computationally-demanding 3D simulations are only possible due to the recent development of a new preconditioning method for the equations of magma dynamics. The experiments show a distinct pattern of melt-rich and melt-depleted regions around the inclusions. In our numerical models, the pattern of melt varies with key rheological parameters, such as the ratio of bulk to shear viscosity, and the porosity- and strain-rate-dependence of the shear viscosity. These observed melt patterns therefore have the potential to constrain rheological properties. While there are many similarities between the experiments and the numerical models, there are also important differences, which highlight the need for better models of the physics of two-phase mantle/magma dynamics. In particular, the laboratory experiments display more pervasive melt-rich bands than is seen in our numerics.

Bubble Formation and Transport during Microgravity Materials Processing: Model Experiments on the Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grugel, R. N.; Anilkumar, A. V.; Lee, C. P.

2003-01-01

Flow Visualization experiments on the controlled melting and solidification of succinonitrile were conducted in the glovebox facility of the International Space Station (ISS). The experimental samples were prepared on ground by filling glass tubes, 1 cm ID and approximately 30 cm in length, with pure succinonitrile (SCN) under 450 millibar of nitrogen. Porosity in the samples arose from natural shrinkage, and in some cases by direct insertion of nitrogen bubbles, during solidification of the liquid SCN. The samples were processed in the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) apparatus that is placed in the glovebox facility (GBX) aboard the ISS. Experimental processing parameters of temperature gradient and translation speed, as well as camera settings, were remotely monitored and manipulated from the ground Telescience Center (TSC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. During the experiments, the sample is first subjected to a unidirectional melt back, generally at 10 microns per second, with a constant temperature gradient ahead of the melting interface. The temperatures in the sample are monitored by six in situ thermocouples. Real time visualization of the controlled directional melt back shows bubbles of different sizes initiating at the melt interface and, upon dislodging from the melting solid, migrating at different speeds into the temperature field ahead of them, before coming to rest. The thermocapillary flow field set up in the melt, ahead of the interface, is dramatic in the context of the large bubbles, and plays a major role in dislodging the bubble. A preliminary analysis of the observed bubble formation and mobility during melt back and its implication to future microgravity experiments is presented and discussed.

Bubble Formation and Transport during Microgravity Materials Processing: Model Experiments on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grugel, R. N.; Anilkumar, A. V.; Lee, C. P.

2003-01-01

Flow Visualization experiments on the controlled melting and solidification of succinonitrile were conducted in the glovebox facility of the International Space Station (ISS). The experimental samples were prepared on ground by filling glass tubes, 1 cm ID and approximately 30 cm in length, with pure succinonitrile (SCN) under 450 millibar of nitrogen. Porosity in the samples arose from natural shrinkage, and in some cases by direct insertion of nitrogen bubbles, during solidification of the liquid SCN. The samples were processed in the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) apparatus that is placed in the glovebox facility (GBX) aboard the ISS. Experimental processing parameters of temperature gradient and translation speed, as well as camera settings, were remotely monitored and manipulated from the ground Telescience Center (TSC) at the Marshall Space Flight Center. During the experiments, the sample is first subjected to a unidirectional melt back, generally at 10 microns per second, with a constant temperature gradient ahead of the melting interface. The temperatures in the sample are monitored by six in situ thermocouples. Real time visualization of the controlled directional melt back shows bubbles of different sizes initiating at the melt interface and, upon dislodging from the melting solid, migrating at different speeds into the temperature field ahead of them, before coming to rest. The thermocapillary flow field set up in the melt, ahead of the interface, is dramatic in the context of the large bubbles, and plays a major role in dislodging the bubble. A preliminary analysis of the observed bubble formation and mobility during melt back and its implication to future microgravity experiments is presented and discussed.

Drilling into Magma: Experiences at Kīlauea Iki Lava Lake, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helz, R. L.

2017-12-01

Several historic lava lakes (1959 Kīlauea Iki, 1963 Alae, and 1965 Makaopuhi) were drilled in the 20th century, and molten core recovered from them. Kīlauea Iki lava lake, the most extensively studied, was drilled in 1960-62, 1967, 1965, 1976, 1979, 1981 and 1988. A total of 1400 m feet of core was recovered, about 210 m of which was partially molten. The melt fraction varied from near zero to 40-45% by volume, with higher fractions in glassy ooze from below the crust/melt interface. Most of the 1960-1979 drill holes terminated in pre-existing melt-rich internal differentiates; the later (1981, 1988) drill holes were mostly stopped arbitrarily. When melt was reached and the string backed off to wireline the last interval of core, black glassy ooze immediately moved up the borehole. Repeated re-entry and ooze recovery never exhausted the melt-rich sources. The first deep hole that did not hit melt was KI79-1, which was stopped at 62.2 m after recovering 12 m of molten mush. Here the uncased drill hole backfilled not with black glassy ooze but with olivine-rich, partly crystalline mush. The first redrilled core (recovered between 50.8 and 53.9 m), which moved up over a period of 16 days after termination of the original hole, underwent extensive separation of melt from crystals as it flowed upward. After this interval was pulled, drilling resumed with the bottom of the hole at 52.9 m, and uniform olivine-rich mush was recovered from 52.9-54.25 m. Drilling resumed once more at 52.9 m and a further 3 m of ooze recovered. The bit reached a depth of 55.4 m when the core barrel was full, suggesting that the crystal-rich mush was rising into the core barrel spontaneously during drilling. The three cores recovered in reentering KI79-1 show the effect of unloading the confining pressure on mush layers, with melt moving toward the low-pressure area (the bottom of the hole) relative to crystals. All of the crystal-rich mushes are more melt-rich than the original core, with elevated TiO2, K2O and P2O5 levels at the same bulk MgO content. Grain-to-grain contacts were progressively eroded in the melt-inflated mushes, so that the mushes had no internal cohesion. Although their melt contents never reached 50% by volume, they were extremely mobile, rising into the drill hole in minutes rather than the days required for the initial backfilling of the hole.

Noncontact temperature measurement: Requirements and applications for metals and alloys research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perepezko, J. H.

1988-01-01

Temperature measurement is an essential capability for almost all areas of metals and alloys research. In the microgravity environment many of the science priorities that have been identified for metals and alloys also require noncontact temperature measurement capability. For example, in order to exploit the full potential of containerless processing, it is critical to have available a suitable noncontact temperature measurement system. This system is needed to track continuously the thermal history, including melt undercooling and rapid recalescence, of relatively small metal spheres during free-fall motion in drop tube systems. During containerless processing with levitation-based equipment, accurate noncontact temperature measurement is required to monitor one or more quasi-static samples with sufficient spatial and thermal resolution to follow the progress of solidification fronts originating in undercooled melts. In crystal growth, thermal migration, coarsening and other experiments high resolution thermal maps would be a valuable asset in the understanding and modeling of solidification processes, fluid flows and microstructure development. The science and applications requirements place several constraints on the spatial resolution, response time and accuracy of suitable instrumentation.

Melts of garnet lherzolite: experiments, models and comparison to melts of pyroxenite and carbonated lherzolite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grove, Timothy L.; Holbig, Eva S.; Barr, Jay A.; Till, Christy B.; Krawczynski, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Phase equilibrium experiments on a compositionally modified olivine leucitite from the Tibetan plateau have been carried out from 2.2 to 2.8 GPa and 1,380–1,480 °C. The experiments-produced liquids multiply saturated with spinel and garnet lherzolite phase assemblages (olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel ± garnet) under nominally anhydrous conditions. These SiO2-undersaturated liquids and published experimental data are utilized to develop a predictive model for garnet lherzolite melting of compositionally variable mantle under anhydrous conditions over the pressure range of 1.9–6 GPa. The model estimates the major element compositions of garnet-saturated melts for a range of mantle lherzolite compositions and predicts the conditions of the spinel to garnet lherzolite phase transition for natural peridotite compositions at above-solidus temperatures and pressures. We compare our predicted garnet lherzolite melts to those of pyroxenite and carbonated lherzolite and develop criteria for distinguishing among melts of these different source types. We also use the model in conjunction with a published predictive model for plagioclase and spinel lherzolite to characterize the differences in major element composition for melts in the plagioclase, spinel and garnet facies and develop tests to distinguish between melts of these three lherzolite facies based on major elements. The model is applied to understand the source materials and conditions of melting for high-K lavas erupted in the Tibetan plateau, basanite–nephelinite lavas erupted early in the evolution of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, as well as younger tholeiitic to alkali lavas from Kilauea.

Glass fining experiments in zero gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, H. D.

1977-01-01

Ground based experiments were conducted to demonstrate that thermal migration actually operated in glass melts. Thermal migration consistent with the theory was found in one experiment on a borax melt, i.e., there was an approximately linear relation between the bubble diameter and bubble velocity for a given temperature and temperature gradient. It also appeared that nearby bubbles were attracted to one another, which could greatly aid fining. Interpretation of these results was not possible because of complications arising from gravity, i.e., floating of the bubbles, circulation currents due to buoyancy-driven natural connection, and flow of the melt out from the cell.

Adakitic (tonalitic-trondhjemitic) magmas resulting from eclogite decompression and dehydration melting during exhumation in response to continental collision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Shuguang; Niu, Yaoling; Su, Li; Wei, Chunjing; Zhang, Lifei

2014-04-01

Modern adakite or adakitic rocks are thought to result from partial melting of younger and thus warmer subducting ocean crust in subduction zones, with the melt interacting with or without mantle wedge peridotite during ascent, or from melting of thickened mafic lower crust. Here we show that adakitic (tonalitic-trondhjemitic) melts can also be produced by eclogite decompression during exhumation of subducted and metamorphosed oceanic/continental crust in response to continental collision, as exemplified by the adakitic rocks genetically associated with the early Paleozoic North Qaidam ultra-high pressure metamorphic (UHPM) belt on the northern margin of the Greater Tibetan Plateau. We present field evidence for partial melting of eclogite and its products, including adakitic melt, volumetrically significant plutons evolved from the melt, cumulate rocks precipitated from the melt, and associated granulitic residues. This “adakitic assemblage” records a clear progression from eclogite decompression and heating to partial melting, to melt fractionation and ascent/percolation in response to exhumation of the UHPM package. The garnetite and garnet-rich layers in the adakitic assemblage are of cumulate origin from the adakitic melt at high pressure, and accommodate much of the Nb-Ta-Ti. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating shows that partial melting of the eclogite took place at ∼435-410 Ma, which postdates the seafloor subduction (>440 Ma) and temporally overlaps the UHPM (∼440-425 Ma). While the geological context and the timing of adakite melt formation we observe differ from the prevailing models, our observations and documentations demonstrate that eclogite melting during UHPM exhumation may be important in contributing to crustal growth.

Superconducting Meissner Effect Bearings for Cryogenic Turbomachines. Phase 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-02-01

thick melt -grown superconductor...7 Figure 3. Magnetic field in a 1.3 mm thick melt -grown superconductor ............................................... 7 Figure 4. Levitation...force for a 25 mm magnet above a melt -grown superconductor-comparison of model and experiment

Melting Penetration Simulation of Fe-U System at High Temperature Using MPS_LER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mustari, A. P. A.; Yamaji, A.; Irwanto, Dwi

2016-08-01

Melting penetration information of Fe-U system is necessary for simulating the molten core behavior during severe accident in nuclear power plants. For Fe-U system, the information is mainly obtained from experiment, i.e. TREAT experiment. However, there is no reported data on SS304 at temperature above 1350°C. The MPS_LER has been developed and validated to simulate melting penetration on Fe-U system. The MPS_LER modelled the eutectic phenomenon by solving the diffusion process and by applying the binary phase diagram criteria. This study simulates the melting penetration of the system at higher temperature using MPS_LER. Simulations were conducted on SS304 at 1400, 1450 and 1500°C. The simulation results show rapid increase of melting penetration rate.

Investigation of transient melting of tungsten by ELMs in ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krieger, K.; Sieglin, B.; Balden, M.; Coenen, J. W.; Göths, B.; Laggner, F.; de Marne, P.; Matthews, G. F.; Nille, D.; Rohde, V.; Dejarnac, R.; Faitsch, M.; Giannone, L.; Herrmann, A.; Horacek, J.; Komm, M.; Pitts, R. A.; Ratynskaia, S.; Thoren, E.; Tolias, P.; ASDEX-Upgrade Team; EUROfusion MST1 Team

2017-12-01

Repetitive melting of tungsten by power transients originating from edge localized modes (ELMs) has been studied in the tokamak experiment ASDEX Upgrade. Tungsten samples were exposed to H-mode discharges at the outer divertor target plate using the Divertor Manipulator II system. The exposed sample was designed with an elevated sloped surface inclined against the incident magnetic field to increase the projected parallel power flux to a level were transient melting by ELMs would occur. Sample exposure was controlled by moving the outer strike point to the sample location. As extension to previous melt studies in the new experiment both the current flow from the sample to vessel potential and the local surface temperature were measured with sufficient time resolution to resolve individual ELMs. The experiment provided for the first time a direct link of current flow and surface temperature during transient ELM events. This allows to further constrain the MEMOS melt motion code predictions and to improve the validation of its underlying model assumptions. Post exposure ex situ analysis of the retrieved samples confirms the decreased melt motion observed at shallower magnetic field line to surface angles compared to that at leading edges exposed to the parallel power flux.

Characterization of Metals Melting Discs: Skylab Experiment M551

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monroe, R. E.

1973-01-01

Information developed to characterize flight and ground based samples from the metals melting experiment is detailed in this report. Included are the characteristics determined by nondestructive examination, visual observation, metallographic examination and posttest measurements. Comparisons of the flight and ground based discs showed that an electron beam heat source can be used successfully in zero gravity for cutting, welding, or melting. Few differences were observed that could be attributed to the absence of gravity in these operations.

Core formation in the early solar system through percolation: 4-D in-situ visualization of melt migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bromiley, G.; Berg, M.; Le Godec, Y.; Mezouar, N.; Atwood, R. C.; Phillipe, J.

2015-12-01

Although core formation was a key stage in the evolution of terrestrial planets, the physical processes which resulted in segregation of iron and silicate remain poorly understood. Formation of a silicate magma oceans provides an obvious mechanism for segregation of core-forming liquids, although recent work has strengthened arguments for a complex, multi-stage model of core formation. Extreme pressure1 and the effects of deformation2 have both been shown to promote percolation of Fe-rich melts in a solid silicate matrix, providing mechanisms for early, low temperature core-formation. However, the efficiency of these processes remains untested and we lack meaningful experimental data on resulting melt segregation velocities. Arguments regarding the efficiency of core formation through percolation of Fe-rich melts in solid silicate are based on simple, empirical models. Here, we review textural evidence from recent experiments which supports early core formation driven by deformation-aided percolation of Fe-rich melts. We then present results of novel in-situ synchrotron studies designed to provide time-resolved 3-D microimaging of percolating melt in model systems under extreme conditions. Under low strain rates characteristic of deformation-aided core formation, segregation of metallic (core-forming) melts by percolation is driven by stress gradients. This is expected to ultimately result in channelization and efficient segregation of melts noted in high-strain, low pressure experiments3. In-situ visualization also demonstrates that percolation of viscous metallic melts is surprisingly rapid. A combination of melt channelization and hydraulic fracture results in rapid, episodic melt migration, even over the limited time scale of experiments. The efficiency of this process depends strongly on the geometry of the melt network and is scaled to grain size in the matrix. We use both in-situ visualization and high-resolution ex-situ analysis to provide accurate constraints on melt migration velocities via this combined mechanism and will propose a model by which results can be scaled to core formation in the early solar system. References[1] Shi et al. Nature GeoSc. 6, 971 (2013).[2] Bruhn et al. Nature 403, 883 (2000).[3] Kohlstedt & Holtzman Ann. Rev. Earth. Planet. Sci. 37, 561 (2009).

Degassing of H2O in a phonolitic melt: A closer look at decompression experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marxer, Holger; Bellucci, Philipp; Nowak, Marcus

2015-05-01

Melt degassing during magma ascent is controlled by the decompression rate and can be simulated in decompression experiments. H2O-bearing phonolitic melts were decompressed at a super-liquidus T of 1323 K in an internally heated argon pressure vessel, applying continuous decompression (CD) as well as to date commonly used step-wise decompression (SD) techniques to investigate the effect of decompression method on melt degassing. The hydrous melts were decompressed from 200 MPa at nominal decompression rates of 0.0028-1.7 MPa·s- 1. At final pressure (Pfinal), the samples were quenched rapidly at isobaric conditions with ~ 150 K·s- 1. The bubbles in the quenched samples are often deformed and dented. Flow textures in the glass indicate melt transport at high viscosity. We suggest that this observation is due to bubble shrinkage during quench. This general problem was mostly overlooked in the interpretation of experimentally degassed samples to date. Bubble shrinkage due to decreasing molar volume (Vm) of the exsolved H2O in the bubbles occurs during isobaric rapid quench until the melt is too viscous too relax. The decrease of Vm(H2O) during cooling at Pfinal of the experiments results in a decrease of the bubble volume by a shrinking factor Bs: At nominal decompression rates > 0.17 MPa·s- 1 and a Pfinal of 75 MPa, the decompression method has only minor influence on melt degassing. SD and CD result in high bubble number densities of 104-105 mm- 3. Fast P drop leads to immediate supersaturation with H2O in the melt. At such high nominal decompression rates, the diffusional transport of H2O is limited and therefore bubble nucleation is the predominant degassing process. The residual H2O contents in the melts decompressed to 75 MPa increase with nominal decompression rate. After homogeneous nucleation is triggered, CD rates ≤ 0.024 MPa·s- 1 facilitate continuous reduction of the supersaturation by H2O diffusion into previously nucleated bubbles. Bubble number densities of CD samples with low nominal decompression rates are several orders of magnitude lower than for SD experiments and the bubble diameters are larger. The reproducibility of MSD experiments with low nominal decompression rates is worse than for CD runs. Commonly used SD techniques are therefore not suitable to simulate melt degassing during continuous magma ascent with low ascent rates.

MEA/A-1 experiment 81F01 conducted on STS-7 flight, June 1983. Containerless processing of glass forming melts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, D. E.; Ray, C. S.

1983-01-01

The space processing of containerless, glassforming melts on board the space shuttle flight STS-7 is investigated. Objectives include; (1) obtain quantitative evidence for the supression of heterogeneous nucleation/crystallization, (2) study melt homogenization without gravity driven convection, (3) procedural development for bubble free, high purity homogeneous melts inmicro-g, (4) comparative analysis of melts on Earth and in micro g, and (5) assess the apparatus for processing multicomponent, glass forming melts in a low gravity environment.

A preliminary study on isotopic evolution of ice by a melting experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ham, J. Y.; Lee, J.; Lee, W. S.; Han, Y.; Hur, S. D.

2016-12-01

Evidences of melted snow at surface were found on some ice cores. Melted layers may generate a significant error when paleo-temperature was retrieved from ice cores using stable water isotopes. To resolve this problem, it is necessary to understand the isotopic changes of ice and its meltwater that is made during the ice and snow melting. Isotopic fractionations between liquid water and snow have been discussed by Taylor et al. (2002) and Lee et al. (2009). The goal of this work is to understand isotopic evolution of ice and its meltwater. Melting experiments in a cold room were designed and conducted with heat source (infrared lamp) to mimic solar radiation. Melting rates were calculated in terms of specific discharge (g/min). To control melting rates, distances between ice surface and heat source were adjusted in various conditions (1 cm, 10 cm and 20 cm). The experiments were conducted by three different melting rates, 1.6 g/min, 3.5 g/min and 5.8 g/min. We used cubic ice that has 3 cm in width, length and height in dimension with 1.5 kg or 2 kg of ice used totally. The total time spent melting the whole ice was 592, 783, and 1180 minutes, respectively. Cold room temperature was range of -1 to 1°C, which removes an effect of air temperature. Meltwater samples were collected and isotopic compositions of oxygen and hydrogen were determined by a cavity ring down spectrometer (Picarro L-1120) installed at the Korea Polar Research Institute. We also analyzed bulk water and bulk ice to make the ice used in the experiments (-8.20 ‰ and -58.73 ‰ for oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, respectively). The isotopic compositions of meltwater increased linearly or to a second degree polynomial. The isotopic variations were larger in the lower melting rates, compared to the higher melting rates (0.65 of lower melting rates vs. 0.35 higher melting rates for oxygen isotope). The slope of linear regression between oxygen and hydrogen ranged 6.2, 7.3 and 6.2, which is less than that of the Global Meteoric Water Line (8) and the sublimation (7.7) suggested by Earman et al. (2006). We believe that isotopic exchange between liquid water and ice plays a crucial role in the variations of isotopes for the ice and its meltwater. We will modify a physically based 1-D model used in the previous studies to better understand the isotopic compositions of ice and its meltwater.

In-situ observations of bubble growth in basaltic, andesitic and rhyodacitic melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masotta, M.; Ni, H.; Keppler, H.

2013-12-01

Bubble growth strongly affects the physical properties of degassing magmas and their eruption dynamics. Natural samples and products from quench experiments provide only a snapshot of the final state of volatile exsolution, leaving the processes occurring during its early stages unconstrained. In order to fill this gap, we present in-situ high-temperature observations of bubble growth in magmas of different compositions (basalt, andesite and rhyodacite) at 1100 to 1240 °C and 1 bar, obtained using a moissanite cell apparatus. The data show that nucleation occurs at very small degrees of supersaturaturation (<20 MPa in basalt and andesite, ca. 100 MPa in rhyodacite), probably due to heterogeneous nucleation of bubbles occurring simultaneously with the nucleation of crystals. During the early stages of exsolution, melt degassing is the driving mechanism of bubble growth, with coalescence becoming increasingly important as exsolution progresses. Ostwald ripening occurs only at the end of the process and only in basaltic melt. The average bubble growth rate (GR) ranges from 3.4*10-6 to 5.2*10-7 mm/s, with basalt and andesite showing faster growth rates than rhyodacite. The bubble number density (NB) at nucleation ranges from 1.8*108 to 7.9*107 cm-3 and decreases exponentially over time. While the rhyodacite melt maintained a well-sorted bubble-size distribution (BSD) through time, the BSD's of basalt and andesite are much more inhomogeneous. Our experimental observations demonstrate that bubble growth cannot be ascribed to a single mechanism but is rather a combination of many processes, which depend on the physical properties of the melt. Depending on coalescence rate, annealing of bubbles following a single nucleation event can produce complex bubble size distributions. In natural samples, such BSD's may be misinterpreted as resulting from several separate nucleation events. Incipient crystallization upon cooling of a magma may allow bubble nucleation already at very small degrees of supersaturation and could therefore be an important trigger for volatile release and explosive eruptions.

Partial melting of TTG gneisses: crustal contamination and the production of granitic melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meade, F. C.; Masotta, M.; Troll, V. R.; Freda, C.; Johnson, T. E.; Dahren, B.

2011-12-01

Understanding partial melting of ancient TTG gneiss terranes is crucial when considering crustal contamination in volcanic systems, as these rocks are unlikely to melt completely at magmatic temperatures (1000-1200 °C) and crustal pressures (<500 MPa). Variations in the bulk composition of the gneiss, magma temperature, pressure (depth) and the composition and abundance of any fluids present will produce a variety of melt compositions, from partial melts enriched in incompatible elements to more complete melts, nearing the bulk chemistry of the parent gneiss. We have used piston cylinder experiments to simulate partial melting in a suite of 12 gneisses from NW Scotland (Lewisian) and Eastern Greenland (Ammassalik, Liverpool Land) under magma chamber temperature and pressure conditions (P=200 MPa, T=975 °C). These gneisses form the basement to much of the North Atlantic Igneous Province, where crustal contamination of magmas was commonplace but the composition of the crustal partial melts are poorly constrained [1]. The experiments produced partial melts in all samples (e.g. Fig 1). Electron microprobe analyses of glasses indicate they are compositionally heterogeneous and are significantly different from the whole rock chemistry of the parent gneisses. The melts have variably evolved compositions but are typically trachy-dacitic to rhyolitic (granitic). This integrated petrological, experimental and in-situ geochemical approach allows quantification of the processes of partial melting of TTG gneiss in a volcanic context, providing accurate major/trace element and isotopic (Sr, Pb) end-members for modeling crustal contamination. The experimental melts and restites will be compared geochemically with a suite of natural TTG gneisses, providing constraints on the extent to which the gneisses have produced and subsequently lost melt. [1] Geldmacher et al. (2002) Scottish Journal of Geology, v.38, p.55-61.

Evolution of melt-vapor surface tension in silicic volcanic systems: Experiments with hydrous melts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mangan, M.; Sisson, T.

2005-01-01

We evaluate the melt-vapor surface tension (??) of natural, water-saturated dacite melt at 200 MPa, 950-1055??C, and 4.8-5.7 wt % H2O. We experimentally determine the critical supersaturation pressure for bubble nucleation as a function of dissolved water and then solve for ?? at those conditions using classical nucleation theory. The solutions obtained give dacite melt-vapor surface tensions that vary inversely with dissolved water from 0.042 (??0.003) J m-2 at 5.7 wt% H2O to 0.060 (??0.007) J m-2 at 5.2 wt% H2O to 0.073 (??0.003) J m-2 at 4.8 wt% H2O. Combining our dacite results with data from published hydrous haplogranite and high-silica rhyolite experiments reveals that melt-vapor surface tension also varies inversely with the concentration of mafic melt components (e.g., CaO, FeOtotal, MgO). We develop a thermodynamic context for these observations in which melt-vapor surface tension is represented by a balance of work terms controlled by melt structure. Overall, our results suggest that cooling, crystallization, and vapor exsolution cause systematic changes in ?? that should be considered in dynamic modeling of magmatic processes.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PPMI): Description and Initial Analysis of Experiments Conducted aboard the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grugel, R. N.; Anilkumar, A. V.; Lee, C. P.

2003-01-01

Flow visualization experiments during the controlled directional melt back and re-solidification of succinonitrile (SCN) and SCN-water mixtures were conducted using the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) apparatus in the glovebox facility (GBX) aboard the International Space Station. The study samples were initially 'cast' on earth under 450 millibar of nitrogen into 1 cm ID glass sample tubes approximately 30 cm in length, containing 6 in situ thermocouples. During the Space experiments, the processing parameters and flow visualization settings are remotely monitored and manipulated from the ground Telescience Center (TSC). The ground solidified sample is first subjected to a unidirectional melt back, generally at 10 microns per second, with a constant temperature gradient ahead of the melting interface. Bubbles of different sizes are seen to initiate at the melt interface and, upon release from the melting solid, translate at different speeds in the temperature field ahead of them before coming to rest. Over a period of time these bubbles dissolve into the melt. The gas-laden liquid is then directionally solidified in a controlled manner, generally starting at a rate of 1 micron /sec. Observation and preliminary analysis of bubble formation and mobility in pure SCN samples during melt back and the subsequent structure resulting during gas generation upon re-solidification are presented and discussed.

Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI): Description and Initial Analysis of Experiments Conducted aboard the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grugel, R. N.; Anilkumar, A. V.; Lee, C. P.

2002-01-01

Flow visualization experiments during the controlled directional melt back and re-solidification of succinonitrile (SCN) and SCN-water mixtures were conducted using the Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation (PFMI) apparatus in the glovebox facility (GBX) aboard the International Space Station. The study samples were initially "cast" on earth under 450 millibar of nitrogen into 1 cm ID glass sample tubes approximately 30 cm in length, containing 6 in situ thermocouples. During the Space experiments, the processing parameters and flow visualization settings are remotely monitored and manipulated from the ground Telescience Center (TSC). The ground solidified sample is first subjected to a unidirectional melt back, generally at 10 microns per second, with a constant temperature gradient ahead of the melting interface. Bubbles of different sizes are seen to initiate at the melt interface and, upon release from the melting solid, translate at different speeds in the temperature field ahead of them before coming to rest. Over a period of time these bubbles dissolve into the melt. The gas-laden liquid is then directionally solidified in a controlled manner, generally starting at a rate of 1 micron /sec. Observation and preliminary analysis of bubble formation and mobility in pure SCN samples during melt back and the subsequent structure resulting during gas generation upon re-solidification are presented and discussed.

Markers of the pyroxenite contribution in the major-element compositions of oceanic basalts: Review of the experimental constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambart, Sarah; Laporte, Didier; Schiano, Pierre

2013-02-01

Based on previous and new results on partial melting experiments of pyroxenites at high pressure, we attempt to identify the major element signature of pyroxenite partial melts and to evaluate to what extent this signature can be transmitted to the basalts erupted at oceanic islands and mid-ocean ridges. Although peridotite is the dominant source lithology in the Earth's upper mantle, the ubiquity of pyroxenites in mantle xenoliths and in ultramafic massifs, and the isotopic and trace elements variability of oceanic basalts suggest that these lithologies could significantly contribute to the generation of basaltic magmas. The question is how and to what degree the melting of pyroxenites can impact the major-element composition of oceanic basalts. The review of experimental phase equilibria of pyroxenites shows that the thermal divide, defined by the aluminous pyroxene plane, separates silica-excess pyroxenites (SE pyroxenites) on the right side and silica-deficient pyroxenites (SD pyroxenites) on the left side. It therefore controls the melting phase relations of pyroxenites at high pressure but, the pressure at which the thermal divide becomes effective, depends on the bulk composition; partial melt compositions of pyroxenites are strongly influenced by non-CMAS elements (especially FeO, TiO2, Na2O and K2O) and show a progressive transition from the liquids derived from the most silica-deficient compositions to those derived from the most silica-excess compositions. Another important aspect for the identification of source lithology is that, at identical pressure and temperature conditions, many pyroxenites produce melts that are quite similar to peridotite-derived melts, making the determination of the presence of pyroxenite in the source regions of oceanic basalts difficult; only pyroxenites able to produce melts with low SiO2 and high FeO contents can be identified on the basis of the major-element compositions of basalts. In the case of oceanic island basalts, high CaO/Al2O3 ratios can also reveal the presence of pyroxenite in the source-regions. Experimental and thermodynamical observations also suggest that the interactions between pyroxenite-derived melts and host peridotites play a crucial role in the genesis of oceanic basalts by generating a wide range of pyroxenites in the upper mantle: partial melting of such secondary pyroxenites is able to reproduce the features of primitive basalts, especially their high MgO contents, and to impart, at least in some cases, the major-element signature of the original pyroxenite melt to the oceanic basalts. Finally, we highlight that the fact the very silica depleted compositions (SiO2 < 42 wt.%) and high TiO2 contents of some ocean island basalts seem to require the contribution of fluids (CO2 or H2O) through melting of either carbonated lithologies (peridotite or pyroxenite) or amphibole-rich veins.

Insights on chaotic dynamics: mixing experiments between natural silicate melts from Vulcano island (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Stefano; Morgavi, Daniele; Vetere, Francesco; Petrelli, Maurizio; Perugini, Diego

2017-04-01

keywords: Magma mixing, chaotic dynamics, time series experiments Magma mixing is a petrologic phenomenon which is recognized as potential trigger of highly explosive eruptions and its evidence is commonly observable in natural rocks. Here we tried to replicate the dynamic conditions of mixing performing a set of chaotic mixing experiments between shoshonitic and rhyolitic magmas from Vulcano island. Vulcano is the southernmost island of the Aeolian Archipelago (Aeolian Islands, Italy); it is completely built by volcanic rocks with variable degree of evolution ranging from basalt to rhyolite (e.g. Keller 1980; Ellam et al. 1988; De Astis 1995; De Astis et al. 2013) and its magmatic activity dates back to about 120 ky. Last eruption occurred in 1888-1890. The chaotic mixing experiments were performed by using the new ChaOtic Magma Mixing Apparatus (COMMA), held at the Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia. This new experimental device allows to track the evolution of the mixing process and the associated modulation of chemical composition between different magmas. Experiments were performed at 1200°C and atmospheric pressure with a viscosity ratio higher than three orders of magnitude. The experimental protocol was chosen to ensure the occurrence of chaotic dynamics in the system and the run duration was progressively increased (e.g. 10.5 h, 21 h, 42 h). The products of each experiment are crystal-free glasses in which the variation of major elements was investigated along different profiles using electron microprobe (EMPA) at Institute für Mineralogie, Leibniz Universität of Hannover (Germany). The efficiency of the mixing process is estimated by calculating the decrease of concentration variance in time and it is shown that the variance of major elements exponentially decays. Our results confirm and quantify how different chemical elements homogenize in the melt at differing rates. It is also observable that the mixing structures generated during the mixing experiments are topologically identical to those observed in natural mixed volcanic rocks.

Laboratory plant study on the melting process of asbestos waste

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sakai, Shinichi; Terazono, Atsushi; Takatsuki, Hiroshi

The melting process was studied as a method of changing asbestos into non-hazardous waste and recovering it as a reusable resource. In an initial effort, the thermal behaviors of asbestos waste in terms of physical and chemical structure have been studied. Then, 10 kg/h-scale laboratory plant experiments were carried out. By X-ray diffraction analysis, the thermal behaviors of sprayed-on asbestos waste revealed that chrysotile asbestos waste change in crystal structure at around 800 C, and becomes melted slag, mainly composed of magnesium silicate, at around 1,500 C. Laboratory plant experiments on the melting process of sprayed-on asbestos have shown thatmore » melted slag can be obtained. X-ray diffraction analysis of the melted slag revealed crystal structure change, and SEM analysis showed the slag to have a non-fibrous form. And more, TEM analysis proved the very high treatment efficiency of the process, that is, reduction of the asbestos content to 1/10{sup 6} as a weight basis. These analytical results indicate the effectiveness of the melting process for asbestos waste treatment.« less

The mechanics of granitoid systems and maximum entropy production rates.

PubMed

Hobbs, Bruce E; Ord, Alison

2010-01-13

A model for the formation of granitoid systems is developed involving melt production spatially below a rising isotherm that defines melt initiation. Production of the melt volumes necessary to form granitoid complexes within 10(4)-10(7) years demands control of the isotherm velocity by melt advection. This velocity is one control on the melt flux generated spatially just above the melt isotherm, which is the control valve for the behaviour of the complete granitoid system. Melt transport occurs in conduits initiated as sheets or tubes comprising melt inclusions arising from Gurson-Tvergaard constitutive behaviour. Such conduits appear as leucosomes parallel to lineations and foliations, and ductile and brittle dykes. The melt flux generated at the melt isotherm controls the position of the melt solidus isotherm and hence the physical height of the Transport/Emplacement Zone. A conduit width-selection process, driven by changes in melt viscosity and constitutive behaviour, operates within the Transport Zone to progressively increase the width of apertures upwards. Melt can also be driven horizontally by gradients in topography; these horizontal fluxes can be similar in magnitude to vertical fluxes. Fluxes induced by deformation can compete with both buoyancy and topographic-driven flow over all length scales and results locally in transient 'ponds' of melt. Pluton emplacement is controlled by the transition in constitutive behaviour of the melt/magma from elastic-viscous at high temperatures to elastic-plastic-viscous approaching the melt solidus enabling finite thickness plutons to develop. The system involves coupled feedback processes that grow at the expense of heat supplied to the system and compete with melt advection. The result is that limits are placed on the size and time scale of the system. Optimal characteristics of the system coincide with a state of maximum entropy production rate. This journal is © 2010 The Royal Society

Effect of Hydrogen and Carbon on the Melting Temperature of the Core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, Y.; Sakamaki, K.; Takahashi, E.; Fukai, Y.; Suzuki, T.; Funakoshi, K.

2007-12-01

The temperature of the Earth's outer core has been discussed based on the melting temperature of Fe- O-S alloys (e.g., Boehler, 1996). Although hydrogen and carbon are the possible candidates of the core component, their effects on the melting temperature of iron at high-pressures are unclear. Using a Kawai-type multi-anvil apparatus at SPring-8 synchrotron, we carried out a series of melting experiments on FeH and Fe3C up to 20 and 28 GPa, respectively. In the experiments on FeH, Fe sponge mixed with MgO was packed into a NaCl container with a hydrogen source, LiAlH4 (e.g., Fukai et al., 1989). During heating under high-pressures, hydrogenation of iron was observed by volume change. The phase boundary between ɛ'-phase (low-temperature phase) and γ-phase (high-temperature phase) of iron-hydride was determined using both cooling and heating experiments. Hydrogen concentrations in the γ-FeHx and ɛ'-FeHx were calculated based on the excess volume data from that of pure iron. It is found that γ-FeHx and ɛ'-FeHx synthesized in our experiments at pressures between 10 and 20 GPa are nearly stoichiometric FeH. Melting temperature of the γ-FeH was determined by the abrupt change in the X-ray diffraction patterns (crystalline to amorphous). The melting temperatures were determined to be 1473, 1473, 1493, 1573 and 1593 K at 10, 11.5, 15, 18 and 20 GPa, respectively. In the experiments using Fe3C, the synthesized Fe3C powder was encapsulated in a MgO container. In the diffraction sequences during heating, the peaks of Fe3C disappeared, and the new peaks identified as those of Fe7C3 were observed with halo caused by liquid. Finally, the Fe7C3 peaks disappeared, and only the halo pattern was observed. Based on these observations, the incongruent melting of Fe3C to Fe7C3 and liquid is estimated to occur at 1823 and 1923 K at 19.7 and 27.0 GPa, respectively. The liquidus temperatures of the Fe3C composition are found to be at 2098 and 2198 K at 19.5 and 26.8 GPa, respectively. The melting temperatures of Fe3C determined by our experiments are >700 K lower than that of the previous estimation based on thermodynamic calculation (Wood, 1993). Our experimental results show a possibility that the hydrogen and carbon lower the melting temperature of iron (outer core) dramatically. The melting temperatures of γ-FeH and Fe3C at 20 GPa are already 500 K lower than that of pure iron estimated by Anderson and Isaak (2000). Extrapolating our experimental melting curves for FeH and Fe3C to core pressures using Lindemann's melting law, we obtained the melting temperatures to be ~2600 and ~2900 K at the core-mantle boundary (CMB), respectively. In the presence of both hydrogen and carbon, melting temperature of the Earth's outer core could be >1500 K lower than that of the previous estimates, implying that the temperature gap at CMB could be much smaller than the current estimates.

Transient induced tungsten melting at the Joint European Torus (JET)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coenen, J. W.; Matthews, G. F.; Krieger, K.; Iglesias, D.; Bunting, P.; Corre, Y.; Silburn, S.; Balboa, I.; Bazylev, B.; Conway, N.; Coffey, I.; Dejarnac, R.; Gauthier, E.; Gaspar, J.; Jachmich, S.; Jepu, I.; Makepeace, C.; Scannell, R.; Stamp, M.; Petersson, P.; Pitts, R. A.; Wiesen, S.; Widdowson, A.; Heinola, K.; Baron-Wiechec, A.; Contributors, JET

2017-12-01

Melting is one of the major risks associated with tungsten (W) plasma-facing components (PFCs) in tokamaks like JET or ITER. These components are designed such that leading edges and hence excessive plasma heat loads deposited at near normal incidence are avoided. Due to the high stored energies in ITER discharges, shallow surface melting can occur under insufficiently mitigated plasma disruption and so-called edge localised modes—power load transients. A dedicated program was carried out at the JET to study the physics and consequences of W transient melting. Following initial exposures in 2013 (ILW-1) of a W-lamella with leading edge, new experiments have been performed on a sloped surface (15{}\\circ slope) during the 2015/2016 (ILW-3) campaign. This new experiment allows significantly improved infrared thermography measurements and thus resolved important issue of power loading in the context of the previous leading edge exposures. The new lamella was monitored by local diagnostics: spectroscopy, thermography and high-resolution photography in between discharges. No impact on the main plasma was observed despite a strong increase of the local W source consistent with evaporation. In contrast to the earlier exposure, no droplet emission was observed from the sloped surface. Topological modifications resulting from the melting are clearly visible between discharges on the photographic images. Melt damage can be clearly linked to the infrared measurements: the emissivity drops in zones where melting occurs. In comparison with the previous leading edge experiment, no runaway melt motion is observed, consistent with the hypothesis that the escape of thermionic electrons emitted from the melt zone is largely suppressed in this geometry, where the magnetic field intersects the surface at lower angles than in the case of perpendicular impact on a leading edge. Utilising both exposures allows us to further test the model of the forces driving melt motion that successfully reproduced the findings from the original leading edge exposure. Since the ILW-1 experiments, the exposed misaligned lamella has now been retrieved from the JET machine and post mortem analysis has been performed. No obvious mass loss is observed. Profilometry of the ILW-1 lamella shows the structure of the melt damage which is in line with the modell predictions thus allowing further model validation. Nuclear reaction analysis shows a tenfold reduction in surface deuterium concentration in the molten surface in comparison to the non-molten part of the lamella.

Use and Limitations of a Climate-Quality Data Record to Study Temperature Trends on the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Comiso, Josefino C.; Shuman, Christopher A.; Koenig, Lora S.; DiGirolamo, Nicolo E.

2011-01-01

Enhanced melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet has been documented in recent literature along with surface-temperature increases measured using infrared satellite data since 1981. Using a recently-developed climate-quality data record, 11- and 12-year trends in the clear-sky ice-surface temperature (IST) of the Greenland Ice Sheet have been studied using the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) IST product. Daily and monthly MODIS ISTs of the Greenland Ice Sheet beginning on 1 March 2000 and continuing through 31 December 2010 are now available at 6.25-km spatial resolution on a polar stereographic grid as described in Hall et al. (submitted). This record will be elevated in status to a climate-data record (CDR) when more years of data become available either from the MODIS on the Terra or Aqua satellites, or from the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) to be launched in October 2011. Maps showing the maximum extent of melt for the entire ice sheet and for the six major drainage basins have been developed from the MODIS IST dataset. Twelve-year trends of the duration of the melt season on the ice sheet vary in different drainage basins with some basins melting progressively earlier over the course of the study period. Some (but not all) of the basins also show a progressively-longer duration of melt. IST 12-year trends are compared with in-situ data, and climate data from the Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) Reanalysis.

Low-Degree Partial Melting Experiments of CR and H Chondrite Compositions: Implications for Asteroidal Magmatism Recorded in GRA 06128 and GRA 06129 T

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Usui, T.; Jones, John H.; Mittlefehldt, D. W.

2010-01-01

Studies of differentiated meteorites have revealed a diversity of differentiation processes on their parental asteroids; these differentiation mechanisms range from whole-scale melting to partial melting without the core formation [e.g., 1]. Recently discovered paired achondrites GRA 06128 and GRA 06129 (hereafter referred to as GRA) represent unique asteroidal magmatic processes. These meteorites are characterized by high abundances of sodic plagioclase and alkali-rich whole-rock compositions, implying that they could originate from a low-degree partial melt from a volatile-rich oxidized asteroid [e.g., 2, 3, 4]. These conditions are consistent with the high abundances of highly siderophile elements, suggesting that their parent asteroid did not segregate a metallic core [2]. In this study, we test the hypothesis that low-degree partial melts of chondritic precursors under oxidizing conditions can explain the whole-rock and mineral chemistry of GRA based on melting experiments of synthesized CR- and H-chondrite compositions.

Sensitivity experiments with a one-dimensional coupled plume - iceflow model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckmann, Johanna; Perette, Mahé; Alexander, David; Calov, Reinhard; Ganopolski, Andrey

2016-04-01

Over the last few decades Greenland Ice sheet mass balance has become increasingly negative, caused by enhanced surface melting and speedup of the marine-terminating outlet glaciers at the ice sheet margins. Glaciers speedup has been related, among other factors, to enhanced submarine melting, which in turn is caused by warming of the surrounding ocean and less obviously, by increased subglacial discharge. While ice-ocean processes potentially play an important role in recent and future mass balance changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet, their physical understanding remains poorly understood. In this work we performed numerical experiments with a one-dimensional plume model coupled to a one-dimensional iceflow model. First we investigated the sensitivity of submarine melt rate to changes in ocean properties (ocean temperature and salinity), to the amount of subglacial discharge and to the glacier's tongue geometry itself. A second set of experiments investigates the response of the coupled model, i.e. the dynamical response of the outlet glacier to altered submarine melt, which results in new glacier geometry and updated melt rates.

Molecular characterization of dissolved organic matter during the Arctic spring melt period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gueguen, C.; Mangal, V.; Shi, Y. X.

2016-02-01

The application of high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry has advanced our understanding of dissolved organic matter (DOM) at molecular level. The arctic spring melt period has been largely undersampled owing to logistical and safety issues, yet this period is extremely important to the overall flux of DOM and related contaminants including metals from high latitude rivers. In this study, we present high resolution molecular composition of 35 DOM samples collected in the Churchill River (Manitoba) during the 2015 spring melt period. As spring melt progresses, a significant change in the two most dominant carbon pools, protein and lignin, was observed. For example, the relative abundance of proteins detected in the river DOM samples increased from 19 to 44% during the spring flush, likely reflecting a change in DOM source. Similar patterns were found using fluorescence spectroscopy.

Understanding ice sheet evolution to avoid massive sea level rise instead of experiencing it (Louis Agassiz Medal Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rignot, Eric

2017-04-01

With unabated climate warming, massive sea level rise from the melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica looms at the horizon. This is unfortunately an experiment that we can afford to run only once. Satellite and airborne sensors have significantly helped reveal the magnitude of the mass balance of the ice sheets, where the changes take place, when they started, how they change with time and the nature of the physical processes controlling them. These observations have constrained the maturation of numerical modeling techniques for projecting changes in these ice sheets, including the coupling of ocean and ice sheet models, yet significant uncertainties remain to make these projections directly policy relevant and many challenges remain. I will review the state of balance of the ice sheets as we know it today and the fundamental processes that will drive fast ice sheet retreat and sea level change: ice-ocean interaction and iceberg calving. Ice-ocean interaction are dominated by the wind-forced intrusion of warm, salty, subsurface waters toward the ice sheet periphery to melt ice from below at rates orders of magnitude greater than at the surface. In Greenland, these rates are difficult to observe, but model simulations indicate rates of ice melt along vertical calving faces of meters per day, along with undercutting of the ice faces. Constraining the temperature of the ocean waters from high resolution models and observations, however, remains a significant challenge. I will describe the progress we have made in addressing one major issue which is the mapping of fjord bathymetry around Greenland to define the pathways for warm waters. In Antarctica, the rates of melt are measured from remote sensing data but averaged over long periods, so that we are dependent on in-situ observations to understand the interaction of ocean waters with ice within the sub-ice-shelf cavities. I will describe progress made in mapping the bathymetry of the ice shelves and how the results have impacted our understanding of these interactions. In terms of calving, there is a range of processes acting upon the glacier and ice shelf faces, proceeding from the surface and mostly from below, that are still not sufficiently well explored. I will discuss processes elucidated in Greenland (undercutting and rotation of ice blocks near floatation) and those that are not well known in Antarctica.

An Evaluation of Quantitative Methods of Determining the Degree of Melting Experienced by a Chondrule

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nettles, J. W.; Lofgren, G. E.; Carlson, W. D.; McSween, H. Y., Jr.

2004-01-01

Many workers have considered the degree to which partial melting occurred in chondrules they have studied, and this has led to attempts to find reliable methods of determining the degree of melting. At least two quantitative methods have been used in the literature: a convolution index (CVI), which is a ratio of the perimeter of the chondrule as seen in thin section divided by the perimeter of a circle with the same area as the chondrule, and nominal grain size (NGS), which is the inverse square root of the number density of olivines and pyroxenes in a chondrule (again, as seen in thin section). We have evaluated both nominal grain size and convolution index as melting indicators. Nominal grain size was measured on the results of a set of dynamic crystallization experiments previously described, where aliquots of LEW97008(L3.4) were heated to peak temperatures of 1250, 1350, 1370, and 1450 C, representing varying degrees of partial melting of the starting material. Nominal grain size numbers should correlate with peak temperature (and therefore degree of partial melting) if it is a good melting indicator. The convolution index is not directly testable with these experiments because the experiments do not actually create chondrules (and therefore they have no outline on which to measure a CVI). Thus we had no means to directly test how well the CVI predicted different degrees of melting. Therefore, we discuss the use of the CVI measurement and support the discussion with X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) data.

An experimental study of Fe-Ni exchange between sulfide melt and olivine at upper mantle conditions: implications for mantle sulfide compositions and phase equilibria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhou; von der Handt, Anette; Hirschmann, Marc M.

2018-03-01

The behavior of nickel in the Earth's mantle is controlled by sulfide melt-olivine reaction. Prior to this study, experiments were carried out at low pressures with narrow range of Ni/Fe in sulfide melt. As the mantle becomes more reduced with depth, experiments at comparable conditions provide an assessment of the effect of pressure at low-oxygen fugacity conditions. In this study, we constrain the Fe-Ni composition of molten sulfide in the Earth's upper mantle via sulfide melt-olivine reaction experiments at 2 GPa, 1200 and 1400 °C, with sulfide melt X_{{{Ni}}}^{{{Sulfide}}}={{Ni}}/{{Ni+{Fe}}} (atomic ratio) ranging from 0 to 0.94. To verify the approach to equilibrium and to explore the effect of {f_{{{O}2}}} on Fe-Ni exchange between phases, four different suites of experiments were conducted, varying in their experimental geometry and initial composition. Effects of Ni secondary fluorescence on olivine analyses were corrected using the PENELOPE algorithm (Baró et al., Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res B 100:31-46, 1995), "zero time" experiments, and measurements before and after dissolution of surrounding sulfides. Oxygen fugacities in the experiments, estimated from the measured O contents of sulfide melts and from the compositions of coexisting olivines, were 3.0 ± 1.0 log units more reduced than the fayalite-magnetite-quartz (FMQ) buffer (suite 1, 2 and 3), and FMQ - 1 or more oxidized (suite 4). For the reduced (suites 1-3) experiments, Fe-Ni distribution coefficients K_{{D}}{}={(X_{{{Ni}}}^{{{sulfide}}}/X_{{{Fe}}}^{{{sulfide}}})}/{(X_{{{Ni}}^{{{olivine}}}/X_{{{Fe}}}^{{{olivine}}})}} are small, averaging 10.0 ± 5.7, with little variation as a function of total Ni content. More oxidized experiments (suite 4) give larger values of K D (21.1-25.2). Compared to previous determinations at 100 kPa, values of K D from this study are chiefly lower, in large part owing to the more reduced conditions of the experiments. The observed difference does not seem attributable to differences in temperature and pressure between experimental studies. It may be related in part to the effects of metal/sulfur ratio in sulfide melt. Application of these results to the composition of molten sulfide in peridotite indicates that compositions are intermediate in composition (X_{{{Ni}}}^{{{sulfide}}} 0.4-0.6) in the shallow mantle at 50 km, becomes more Ni rich with depth as the O content of the melt diminishes, reaching a maximum (0.6-0.7) at depths near 80-120 km, and then becomes more Fe rich in the deeper mantle where conditions are more reduced, approaching (X_{{{Ni}}}^{{{sulfide}}} 0.28) > 140 km depth. Because Ni-rich sulfide in the shallow upper mantle melts at lower temperature than more Fe-rich compositions, mantle sulfide is likely molten in much of the deep continental lithosphere, including regions of diamond formation.

Hydrogen concentration in plagioclaes as a hygrometer of magmas: Approaches from melt inclusion analyses and hydrous melting experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamada, M.; Ushioda, M.; Fujii, T.; Takahashi, E.

2012-12-01

Plagioclase is one of the nominally anhydrous minerals (NAMs) which accommodates hundreds wt. ppm of hydrogen. Hydrogen in igneous plagioclase (OH) can act as a proxy of dissolved H2O in silicate melt. In order to use it as a practical hygrometer of magmas, we studied partitioning of hydrogen between plagioclase and basaltic melt dis-solving H2O (0.3˜5.5 wt.%) by two approaches: analyses of plagioclase-hosted melt inclusions (H2O≈0.3 wt.%) from mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) and hydrogen partitioning experiments between An96 plagioclase and hydrous basaltic melt (0.8 wt.%≦H2O≦5.5 wt.%) at 0.35 GPa. Concentration hydrogen in plagioclase and concentration of H2O in basaltic glasses were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy. As a first series of this study, plagioclase-hosted melt inclusions in MORB (50.5% SiO2, 15.1% Al2O3, 7.4% MgO) from the Rodriguez triple junction in the Indian Ocean were analyzed. The hydrogen concentration of plagioclase is less than 50 wt. ppm water, and no correlation between hydrogen concentration and anorthite content is recognized. Average H2O concentrations in melt inclusions is 0.3 wt.%. Therefore, apparent partition coefficient of hydrogen between plagioclase and melt is ≈ 0.01 in molar basis. As a second series of this study, hydrous melting experiments of arc basaltic magma were performed at 350 MPa using internally-heated pressure vessel. Starting material was hydrous glass (0.8 wt.%≦H2O≦5.5 wt.%) of an undifferentiated rock from Miyakejima volcano, a frontal-arc volcano in Izu-arc (MTL rock: 50.5% SiO2, 18.1% Al2O3, 4.9% MgO). A grain of Ca-rich plagioclase (≈1 mg, about An96) and 10 mg of powdered glasses were sealed in Au80Pd20 alloy capsule, and then kept at temperature at around the liquidus. Liquidus phase of MTL rock at 350 MPa is always plagioclase with 0 to 5.5 wt.% H2O in melt, and therefore, a grain of plagioclase and hydrous melt were nearly in equilibrium. Oxygen fugacity (fO2) during the melting experiments was not controlled, which was estimated to be 3 log unit above Ni-NiO buffer. Experiments were quenched after 24 hours, long enough to attain equi-librium partitioning of hydrogen between plagioclase and melt. Combining two series of study, we formulated empirical equation to correlate hydrogen concentration in plagioclase and H2O concentration in melt as: Hydrogen in plagioclase (wt. ppm water) ≈ 94.3×√(H2O in melt, wt.%). We also determined partition coefficient of hydrogen between plagioclase and basaltic melt to be 0.01±0.005 under H2O-poor conditions (≤150 wt. ppm water in plagioclase, ≤2 wt.% H2O in melt) and to be 0.008±0.002 under H2O-rich conditions (≥150 wt. ppm water in plagioclase, ≥2 wt.% H2O in melt). Slight decrease in hydrogen partitioning with increasing H2O can be related to change in hydrogen site in crystal structure of plagioclase (possibly tetrahedral sites). Peak position of infrared absorbance spectra lies at 3200-3400 cm-1 under H2O-poor condition and at 3600 cm-1 under H2O-rich condition, suggesting expansion of O-H…O bond length with increasing H2O.

The effect of venting on cookoff of a melt-castable explosive (Comp-B)

DOE PAGES

Hobbs, Michael L.; Kaneshige, Michael J.

2015-03-01

Occasionally, our well-controlled cookoff experiments with Comp-B give anomalous results when venting conditions are changed. For example, a vented experiment may take longer to ignite than a sealed experiment. In the current work, we show the effect of venting on thermal ignition of Comp-B. We use Sandia’s Instrumented Thermal Ignition (SITI) experiment with various headspace volumes in both vented and sealed geometries to study ignition of Comp-B. In some of these experiments, we have used a boroscope to observe Comp-B as it melts and reacts. We propose that the mechanism for ignition involves TNT melting, dissolution of RDX, and complexmore » bubbly liquid flow. High pressure inhibits bubble formation and flow is significantly reduced. At low pressure, a vigorous dispersed bubble flow was observed.« less

Turbulent heat exchange between water and ice at an evolving ice-water interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramudu, Eshwan; Hirsh, Benjamin Henry; Olson, Peter; Gnanadesikan, Anand

2016-07-01

We conduct laboratory experiments on the time evolution of an ice layer cooled from below and subjected to a turbulent shear flow of warm water from above. Our study is motivated by observations of warm water intrusion into the ocean cavity under Antarctic ice shelves, accelerating the melting of their basal surfaces. The strength of the applied turbulent shear flow in our experiments is represented in terms of its Reynolds number $\\textit{Re}$, which is varied over the range $2.0\\times10^3 \\le \\textit{Re} \\le 1.0\\times10^4$. Depending on the water temperature, partial transient melting of the ice occurs at the lower end of this range of $\\textit{Re}$ and complete transient melting of the ice occurs at the higher end. Following these episodes of transient melting, the ice reforms at a rate that is independent of $\\textit{Re}$. We fit our experimental measurements of ice thickness and temperature to a one-dimensional model for the evolution of the ice thickness in which the turbulent heat transfer is parameterized in terms of the friction velocity of the shear flow. The melting mechanism we investigate in our experiments can easily account for the basal melting rate of Pine Island Glacier ice shelf inferred from observations.

Kinetics of Nucleation and Crystal Growth in Glass Forming Melts in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, Delbert E.; Ray, Chandra S.

2003-01-01

This flight definition project has the specific objective of investigating the kinetics of nucleation and crystal growth in high temperature inorganic oxide, glass forming melts in microgravity. It is related to one1 of our previous NASA projects that was concerned with glass formation for high temperature containerless melts in microgravity. The previous work culminated in two experiments which were conducted aboard the space shuttle in 1983 and 1985 and which consisted of melting (at 1500 C) and cooling levitated 6 to 8 mm diameter spherical samples in a Single Axis Acoustic Levitator (SAAL) furnace. Compared to other types of materials, there have been relatively few experiments, 6 to 8, conducted on inorganic glasses in space. These experiments have been concerned with mass transport (alkali diffusion), containerless melting, critical cooling rate for glass formation, chemical homogeneity, fiber pulling, and crystallization of glass forming melts. One of the most important and consistent findings in all of these experiments has been that the glasses prepared in microgravity are more resistant to crystallization (better glass former) and more chemically homogeneous than equivalent glasses made on earth (1g). The chemical composition of the melt appears relatively unimportant since the same general results have been reported for oxide, fluoride and chalcogenide melts. These results for space-processed glasses have important implications, since glasses with a higher resistance to crystallization or higher chemical homogeneity than those attainable on earth can significantly advance applications in areas such as fiber optics communications, high power laser glasses, and other photonic devices where glasses are the key functional materials. The classical theories for nucleation and crystal growth for a glass or melt do not contain any parameter that is directly dependent upon the g-value, so it is not readily apparent why glasses prepared in microgravity should be more resistant to crystallization than equivalent glasses prepared on earth. Similarly, the gravity-driven convection in a fluid melt is believed to be the primary force field that is responsible for melt homogenization on earth. Thus, it is not obvious why a glass prepared in space, where gravity-driven convection is ideally absent, would be more chemically homogeneous than a glass identically prepared on earth. The primary objective of the present research is to obtain experimental data for the nucleation rate and crystal growth rate for a well characterized silicate melt (lithium disilicate) processed entirely in space (low gravity) and compare these rates with the nucleation and crystal growth rates for a similar glass prepared identically on earth (1g).

Ternary Magnesium-Lithium Base Constitution Diagrams and Magnesium Alloys of Low Alloy Additions

DTIC Science & Technology

1951-03-01

progress In eperimental development of mgmesiu-bease &alls with low alloy additions. The primry purpose of this investiptiU is to obtain alloys baving a...Casting Magnesium-Lithium Base Ternary Alloys Melting and Castirg Technigue The design , construction and operation of equipment for melting and...protection during heat treatment were: 1. Design and construction of a specimen container to hold a number of specimens in an inert atmosphere in order to WAC

Experimental investigation on V isotope equilibrium fractionation factor between metal and silicate melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S.; Zhang, H.; Huang, F.

2017-12-01

Equilibrium fractionation factors of stable isotopes between metal and silicate melt are of vital importance for understanding the isotope variations within meteorites and planetary bodies. The V isotope composition (reported as δ51V = 1000 × [(51V/50Vsample/51V/50VAA)-1] ) of the bulk silicate Earth (BSE) has been estimated as δ51V = -0.7 ± 0.2‰ (2sd) [1], which is significantly heavier than most meteorites by 1‰ [2]. Such isotopic offset may provide insights for the core formation and core-mantle segregation. Therefore, it is important to understand V isotope equilibrium fractionation factor between silicate melt and metal. Nielsen et al. (2014) [2] had performed 3 experiments using starting materials of pure Fe metal and An50Di28Fo22 composition, revealing no resolvable V isotope fractionation. However, it is not clear whether chemical compositions in the melts can affect V isotope fractionations. Therefore, we experimentally calibrated equilibrium V isotope fractionation between Fe metallic and basaltic melt, with particular focus on the effect of Ni and other light elements. Experiments were performed at 1 GPa and 1600 oC using a 3/4″ end-loaded piston cylinder. The starting materials consisted of 1:1 mixture of pure Fe metal and basaltic composition [3]. The isotope equilibrium was assessed using time series experiments combined with the reverse reaction method. Carbon saturation and C-free experiments were achieved by using graphite and silica capsules, respectively. The Ni series experiments were doped with 6 wt% Ni into the starting Fe metal. The metal and silicate phases of samples were mechanically separated, V was purified using a chromatographic technique, and V isotope ratios were measured using MC-ICP-MS [4]. Carbon saturation, C-free experiments and Ni series experiment all show non-resolvable V isotope fractionation between metal and basaltic melt, which indicates that the presence of C and Ni could not affect V isotope fractionation during core formation. More experiments will be performed to explore the effect of Si and S in the metal on V isotope fractionation between metal and silicate melt.References: [1] Prytulak et al. (2013) EPSL 365, 177-189 [2] Nielsen et al. (2014) EPSL 389, 167-175 [3] Cottrell et al. (2009) CG 268, 167-179 [4] Wu et al. (2016) CG 421, 17-25

Mixing Silicate Melts with High Viscosity Contrast by Chaotic Dynamics: Results from a New Experimental Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Campos, Cristina; Perugini, Diego; Ertel-Ingrisch, Werner; Dingwell, Donald B.; Poli, Giampiero

2010-05-01

A new experimental device has been developed to perform chaotic mixing between high viscosity melts under controlled fluid-dynamic conditions. The apparatus is based on the Journal Bearing System (JBS). It consists of an outer cylinder hosting the melts of interest and an inner cylinder, which is eccentrically located. Both cylinders can be independently moved to generate chaotic streamlines in the mixing system. Two experiments were performed using as end-members different proportions of a peralkaline haplogranite and a mafic melt, corresponding to the 1 atm eutectic composition in the An-Di binary system. The two melts were stirred together in the JBS for ca. two hours, at 1,400° C and under laminar fluid dynamic condition (Re of the order of 10-7). The viscosity ratio between the two melts, at the beginning of the experiment, was of the order of 103. Optical analyses of experimental samples revealed, at short length scale (of the order of μm), a complex pattern of mixed structures. These consisted of an intimate distribution of filaments; a complex inter-fingering of the two melts. Such features are typically observed in rocks thought to be produced by magma mixing processes. Stretching and folding dynamics between the melts induced chaotic flow fields and generated wide compositional interfaces. In this way, chemical diffusion processes become more efficient, producing melts with highly heterogeneous compositions. A remarkable modulation of compositional fields has been obtained by performing short time-scale experiments and using melts with a high viscosity ratio. This indicates that chaotic mixing of magmas can be a very efficient process in modulating compositional variability in igneous systems, especially under high viscosity ratios and laminar fluid-dynamic regimes. Our experimental device may replicate magma mixing features, observed in natural rocks, and therefore open new frontiers in the study of this important petrologic and volcanological process.

Temperature and Time Constraints on Dissolution, Fe-Mg Exchange and Zoning between Relict Forsterite and Chondrule Melt - Implications for Thermal History of Chondrules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ustunisik, G. K.; Ebel, D. S. S.; Walker, D.

2016-12-01

The chemical and textural characteristics of different generations of relict olivine grains in chondrules record the fact that chondrules were re-melted. Mineral dissolution, Fe-Mg exchange, and zoning within the relict crystals constrain the T-t aspects of this re-melting process. Here, we performed isothermal and dynamic cooling experiments at LDEO of Columbia University. For each run, a cubic crystal of known dimensions of Mogok forsterite (Fo99) was placed in synthetic Type IIA chondrule mesostasis with 4.92 wt% FeO (TLiq 1315ºC). Pressed pellets of this mixture were hung on Pt-wire loops and inserted in vertical Deltech furnace where CO-CO2 gas mixtures kept fO2 IW-1. For isothermal experiments, each charge was heated to 1428ºC, 1350ºC, 1250ºC, and 1150ºC and was held there from 20 mins to several days (>3 days) before drop-quenching into cold water. The dynamic crystallization experiments were held at 1428ºC for 20 mins, cooled at rates of 75ºC, 722ºC, and 1444ºC/hr to 1000ºC and then water quenched. X-ray-CT and EMPA at AMNH were used to image the partially resorbed/zoned olivines in 3-D before and after each run to observe textural evolution of the crystal shapes and volumes and to determine chemical changes. The isothermal experiments at 1150 and 1250ºC for 20 mins, produced no bulk FeO diffusion into the Mogok forsterite. Very minor Fe-Mg exchange at the crystal rims gives slight MgO zoning within the nearby melt. With increasing duration (1 hr and 22 hrs), at 1250ºC, embayments of melt form into the rims of the crystal (amplified at 22 hrs) with significant Fe-Mg exchange. FeO content of Mogok increased with major MgO zonation within nearby melt. At 1150ºC, the same increase in FeO in Mogok and zonation in nearby glass could only be achieved in >3 days experiment. At high Ts (1428ºC) in 20 min run, 75 volume % of Mogok forsterite has been dissolved into the melt. Resorption erodes the Fe-Mg exchange at the rims of the crystal. At longer duration experiments (1250ºC, 22 hrs and 1150ºC, >3days) quench olivine crystals and silica (cristobalite) have been observed within the melt along with low-Ca pyroxene along the edges of the Mogok forsterite. The metastable pyroxene acts as a protective cover thwarting Fe-Mg exchange between Mogok and Fe-bearing melt. The cristobalite occurred as a result of melt fractionation.

Geodynamics of seafloor spreading extinction: Constraints from the South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.; Lin, J.; Behn, M. D.

2016-12-01

We investigate magmatism and mantle thermal structure beneath fossil spreading centers in the South China Sea (SCS), focusing on two aspects: (1) mantle thermal structure and melting, and (2) magmatism associated with seamounts. We carried out 3D geodynamic models to study thermal structure beneath the SCS during the process from initiation to cessation of seafloor spreading. Modeling results suggested that the overall mantle temperatures of the East Subbasin were significantly greater than that of the Southwest Subbasin when the seafloor spreading of both subbasins ceased at about 15-16 Ma. However, the differences in thermal structure between the two subbasins were calculated to have decreased with time. Work is in progress to couple geochemical and geophysical constraints with geodynamic modeling to investigate melt generation, fractional crystallization, and melt extraction at the fossil spreading centers in the SCS. Among the seamounts that can be identified on multi-beam bathymetry data, about half of them are located along the fossil spreading centers while the remaining located off axis. This is in contrast to fossil spreading ridges in the West Scotia Sea and Phoenix Ridge, where most seamounts are located off axis. The off-axis seamounts in the SCS also show strong asymmetry about the fossil spreading centers with most seamounts concentrated in the northern flank. Work is in progress to investigate the melting processes associated with seamounts.

Rutile solubility in hydrous rhyolite melts at 750-900 °C and 2 kbar, with application to titanium-in-quartz (TitaniQ) thermobarometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kularatne, Kanchana; Audétat, Andreas

2014-01-01

The solubility of rutile in water-saturated haplogranite melts with molar Al/(Na + K)-ratios ranging from 0.84 to 1.25 was determined at 750-900 °C and 2 kbar in cold-seal pressure vessel experiments. Due to the low diffusivity of Ti at these conditions a new method was developed to determine TiO2 solubility. In this method, glasses with TiO2 gradients were used as starting material, and after the experiments the TiO2 content was measured at the contact between rutile-bearing and rutile-free glass. The glasses were either directly equilibrated at the desired P-T conditions (i.e., crystallization experiments), or first treated at 50-150 °C lower temperatures and then subjected to the desired conditions (i.e., dissolution experiments). The results obtained in crystallization and dissolution experiments agree well with each other, suggesting that equilibrium was attained. Rutile solubility in peralkaline melts strongly increases with temperature and the amount of excess alkalies according to the relation: log TiO2 (wt%)=(1.8∗ΔANK-0.53)∗10,000/T-(12.8∗ΔANK-4.3) in which ΔANK is the deviation of the molar Al/(Na + K)-ratio from unity and T is given in Kelvin. Excess alumina does not seem to promote TiO2 solubility. For natural melt compositions it was found that if Ca, Mg and Fe are assumed to be 10 times less effective in promoting TiO2 solubility than excess Na and K, good fits to previous solubility data in silicic (⩾70 wt% SiO2) melts at upper crustal pressures (⩽10 kbar) are obtained. Application of this extended TiO2 solubility model to natural melt inclusions in quartz phenocrysts from five silicic volcanic systems returns TiO2 activities that are similar to those calculated with a previous experiment-based model and to those calculated from pairs of coexisting Fe-Ti-oxides, but are up to 2.9 times higher than those calculated with MELTS and rhyolite-MELTS. Pressures calculated from Ti concentrations in the host quartz using the most recent calibration of the TitaniQ thermobarometer are in good agreement with independent pressure estimates, suggesting that at upper crustal conditions this calibration is valid.

Solubility, Partitioning, and Speciation of Carbon in Shallow Magma Oceans of Terrestrial Planets Constrained by High P-T Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chi, H.; Dasgupta, R.; Shimizu, N.

2011-12-01

Deep planetary volatile cycles have a critical influence on planetary geodynamics, atmospheres, climate, and habitability. However, the initial conditions that prevailed in the early, largely molten Earth and other terrestrial planets, in terms of distribution of volatiles between various reservoirs - metals, silicates, and atmosphere - remains poorly constrained. Here we investigate the solubility, partitioning, and speciation of carbon-rich volatile species in a shallow magma ocean environment, i.e., in equilibrium with metallic and silicate melts. A series of high pressure-temperature experiments using a piston cylinder apparatus were performed at 1-3 GPa, 1500-1800 °C on synthetic basaltic mixtures + Fe-Ni metal powders contained in graphite capsules. All the experiments produced glassy silicate melt pool in equilibrium with quenched metal melt composed of dendrites of cohenite and kamacite. Major element compositions of the resulting phases and the carbon content of metallic melts were analyzed by EPMA at NASA-JSC. Carbon and hydrogen concentrations of basaltic glasses were determined using Cameca IMS 1280 SIMS at WHOI and speciation of dissolved volatiles was constrained using FTIR and Raman spectroscopy at Rice University. Based on the equilibria - FeO (silicate melt) = Fe (metal alloy melt) + 1/2O2, we estimate the oxygen fugacity of our experiments in the range of ΔIW of -1 to -2. FTIR analysis on doubly polished basaltic glass chips suggests that the concentrations of dissolved CO32- or molecular CO2 are negligible in graphite and metal saturated reduced conditions, whereas the presence of dissolved OH- is evident from the asymmetric peak at 3500 cm-1. Collected Raman spectra of basaltic glasses in the frequency range of 200-4200 cm-1 suggest that hydrogen is present both as dissolved OH- species (band at 3600 cm-1) and as molecular H2 (band near 4150 cm-1) for all of our experiments. Faint peaks near 2915 cm-1 and consistent peaks near 740 cm-1 suggest that possible carbon species in our reduced glasses are likely minor CH4 and Si-C, respectively and are consistent with the recent solubility studies at reduced conditions [1,2]. Carbon solubility (calibrated using 12C/30Si) at graphite saturation in our reduced basaltic glasses is only in the range 20-100 ppm C, with H2O contents in the range of 0.2-0.7 wt.%. In contrast to the low dissolved carbon concentration in the basaltic silicate melts, carbon solubility in quenched metallic melts vary in the range of 5-7 wt.%. Our preliminary work indicates that the solubility of carbon in reduced basaltic melts relevant for early magma conditions may be several orders of magnitude lower compared to the solubility of carbon in modern terrestrial basalts. This coupled with significant solubility of carbon in Fe-Ni metallic melt suggests that most of magma ocean carbon was likely partitioned into deep metallic melts. Further metal-silicate experiments with more depolymerized basaltic melts of variable compositions are underway and will be presented. [1] Kadik et al. JPetrol 45, 1297-1310, 2004; [2] Kadik et al. Geochem Int 44, 33-47, 2006.

On the correlation between hydrogen bonding and melting points in the inositols

PubMed Central

Bekö, Sándor L.; Alig, Edith; Schmidt, Martin U.; van de Streek, Jacco

2014-01-01

Inositol, 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydroxycyclohexane, exists in nine stereoisomers with different crystal structures and melting points. In a previous paper on the relationship between the melting points of the inositols and the hydrogen-bonding patterns in their crystal structures [Simperler et al. (2006 ▶). CrystEngComm 8, 589], it was noted that although all inositol crystal structures known at that time contained 12 hydrogen bonds per molecule, their melting points span a large range of about 170 °C. Our preliminary investigations suggested that the highest melting point must be corrected for the effect of molecular symmetry, and that the three lowest melting points may need to be revised. This prompted a full investigation, with additional experiments on six of the nine inositols. Thirteen new phases were discovered; for all of these their crystal structures were examined. The crystal structures of eight ordered phases could be determined, of which seven were obtained from laboratory X-ray powder diffraction data. Five additional phases turned out to be rotator phases and only their unit cells could be determined. Two previously unknown melting points were measured, as well as most enthalpies of melting. Several previously reported melting points were shown to be solid-to-solid phase transitions or decomposition points. Our experiments have revealed a complex picture of phases, rotator phases and phase transitions, in which a simple correlation between melting points and hydrogen-bonding patterns is not feasible. PMID:25075320

Earth's interior. Dehydration melting at the top of the lower mantle.

PubMed

Schmandt, Brandon; Jacobsen, Steven D; Becker, Thorsten W; Liu, Zhenxian; Dueker, Kenneth G

2014-06-13

The high water storage capacity of minerals in Earth's mantle transition zone (410- to 660-kilometer depth) implies the possibility of a deep H2O reservoir, which could cause dehydration melting of vertically flowing mantle. We examined the effects of downwelling from the transition zone into the lower mantle with high-pressure laboratory experiments, numerical modeling, and seismic P-to-S conversions recorded by a dense seismic array in North America. In experiments, the transition of hydrous ringwoodite to perovskite and (Mg,Fe)O produces intergranular melt. Detections of abrupt decreases in seismic velocity where downwelling mantle is inferred are consistent with partial melt below 660 kilometers. These results suggest hydration of a large region of the transition zone and that dehydration melting may act to trap H2O in the transition zone. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Development of a Plastic Melt Waste Compactor for Space Missions Experiments and Prototype Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pace, Gregory; Wignarajah, Kanapathipillai; Pisharody, Suresh; Fisher, John

2004-01-01

This paper describes development at NASA Ames Research Center of a heat melt compactor that can be used on both near term and far term missions. Experiments have been performed to characterize the behavior of composite wastes that are representative of the types of wastes produced on current and previous space missions such as International Space Station, Space Shuttle, MIR and Skylab. Experiments were conducted to characterize the volume reduction, bonding, encapsulation and biological stability of the waste composite and also to investigate other key design issues such as plastic extrusion, noxious off-gassing and removal of the of the plastic waste product from the processor. The experiments provided the data needed to design a prototype plastic melt waste processor, a description of which is included in the paper.

Britte reaction of a high-temperature ion melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimanowski, B.; Büttner, R.; Nestler, J.

1997-05-01

An experimental study on explosive interaction between transparent melt (T = 1120 K) and entrapped water (T = 300 K) has been performed. Intense explosions occurred, resulting from catastrophic fragmentation of the melt and increasing heat transfer to the water in a cascading process. In earlier experiments a quasi-isochoric brittle reaction of the melt was identified to be the major explosion mechanism. Using a transparent melt, this brittle reaction could directly be observed by high-speed cinematography. The pictures revealed two fragmentation mechanisms: a) formation of leading cracks (mm to cm scale) due to excess water pressure, and b) slower μm scaled melt fragmentation induced by strain build-up in the melt during rapid cooling.

Understanding Melt-Memory of Commercial Polyolefins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alamo, Rufina

Self-nucleation (SN) or controlling self-generated seeds in a polymer melt is an avenue to increase the rate of solidification of semicrystalline polymers of commercial relevance. Self-nuclei are remains in the melt of the segmental self-assembly to form polymer crystallites providing a path to enhance primary crystal nucleation. SN has been extensively studied in homopolymers such as iPP. Recently, a strong memory effect of crystallization has been observed in melts of random ethylene copolymers well above the equilibrium melting temperature. The melt memory is associated with clusters or seeds that remain in the melt from the copolymer's sequence length partitioning. Cooling from progressively lower self-seeded melt temperatures, ethylene copolymers with a broad inter-chain comonomer composition (1 - 15 mol%) display first the expected accelerated crystallization, followed by a decrease in the rate in a range of melt temperatures where narrow copolymers show a continuous acceleration of the rate. This unusual inversion of the crystallization rate was postulated to arise from the onset of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) between comonomer-rich and comonomer-poor components of the broad copolymer. The UCST type phase diagram of these commercial copolymers has been documented via SANS using a blend of components, some deuterated, to reproduce the broad distribution. Furthermore, the components that contribute to LLPS have been identified by the crystallization behavior of molar mass fractions. The influence of long chain branching on the topology of copolymer melts has been analyzed using model 3-arm stars hydrogenated polybutadienes. The effect of melt viscosity on strength of melt memory is also evident when SN data of random ethylene copolymers are compared with those of propylene-ethylene copolymers. The strong dependence of melt viscosity on melt memory, and a critical threshold crystallinity level to observe the effect of melt memory on crystallization rate, support the kinetic nature of the SN phenomenon. Support from NSF, DMR-1105129 and DMR-1607786 is gratefully acknowledged.

Containerless processing of glass forming melts in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, D. E.; Ray, C. S.

1988-01-01

The near weightlessness of a material in the reduced gravity environment of space offers the opportunity of melting and cooling glass forming compositions without a container. This reduces the heterogeneous nucleation/crystallization which usually occurs at the walls of the container, thereby, extending the range of glass forming compositions. Based primarily on this idea, containerless glass forming experiments, which used a single axis acoustic levitator/furnace (SAAL), were conducted on SPAR rocket flights, 6 and 8, and on Space Shuttle mission, STS-7 and STS-61A. The experiments on the Space Shuttle were designed to include other studies related to melt homogenization and mixing, development of techniques for preparing uncontaminated preflight samples, and simple shaping experiments.

Effect of Mantle Wedge Hybridization by Sediment Melt on Geochemistry of Arc Magma and Arc Mantle Source - Insights from Laboratory Experiments at High Pressures and Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallik, A.; Dasgupta, R.; Tsuno, K.; Nelson, J. M.

2015-12-01

Generation of arc magmas involves metasomatism of the mantle wedge by slab-derived H2O-rich fluids and/or melts and subsequent melting of the modified source. The chemistry of arc magmas and the residual mantle wedge are not only regulated by the chemistry of the slab input, but also by the phase relations of metasomatism or hybridization process in the wedge. The sediment-derived silica-rich fluids and hydrous partial melts create orthopyroxene-rich zones in the mantle wedge, due to reaction of mantle olivine with silica in the fluid/melt [1,2]. Geochemical evidence for such a reaction comes from pyroxenitic lithologies coexisting with peridotite in supra-subduction zones. In this study, we have simulated the partial melting of a parcel of mantle wedge modified by bulk addition of sediment-derived melt with variable H2O contents to investigate the major and trace element chemistry of the magmas and the residues formed by this process. Experiments at 2-3 GPa and 1150-1300 °C were conducted on mixtures of 25% sediment-derived melt and 75% lherzolite, with bulk H2O contents varying from 2 to 6 wt.%. Partial reactive crystallization of the rhyolitic slab-derived melt and partial melting of the mixed source produced a range of melt compositions from ultra-K basanites to basaltic andesites, in equilibrium with an orthopyroxene ± phlogopite ± clinopyroxene ± garnet bearing residue, depending on P and bulk H2O content. Model calculations using partition coefficients (from literature) of trace elements between experimental minerals and silicate melt suggest that the geochemical signatures of the slab-derived melt, such as low Ce/Pb and depletion in Nb and Ta (characteristic slab signatures) are not erased from the resulting melt owing to reactive crystallization. The residual mineral assemblage is also found to be similar to the supra-subduction zone lithologies, such as those found in Dabie Shan (China) and Sanbagawa Belt (Japan). In this presentation, we will also compare the major and trace element characteristics of bulk rock and minerals found in orthopyroxenites from supra-subduction zones with the residua formed in our experiments, to differentiate between melt versus fluid, and sediment- versus basalt-derived flux in the mantle wedge. [1] Mallik et al. (2015) CMP169(5) [2] Sekine & Wyllie (1982) CMP 81(3)

The Influence of Lithology on the Formation of Reaction Infiltration Instabilities in Mantle Rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pec, M.; Holtzman, B. K.; Zimmerman, M. E.; Kohlstedt, D. L.

2017-12-01

The formation of oceanic plates requires extraction of large volumes of melt from the mantle. Several lines of evidence suggest that melt extraction is rapid and, therefore, necessitates high-permeability pathways. Such pathways may form as a result of melt-rock reactions. We report the results of a series of Darcy-type experiments designed to study the development of channels due to melt-solid reactions in mantle lithologies. We sandwiched a partially molten rock between a melt source and a porous sink and annealed it at high pressure (P = 300 MPa) and high temperatures (T = 1200° or 1250°C) with a controlled pressure gradient (∂P/∂z = 0-100 MPa/mm). To study the influence of lithology on the channel formation, we synthesized partially molten rocks of harzburgitic (40:40:20 Ol - Opx - basalt), wehrlitic (40:40:20 Ol - Cpx - basalt) and lherzolitic (65:25:10 Ol - Opx - Cpx) composition. The melt source was a disk of alkali basalt. In all experiments, irrespective of the exact mineralogy, melt - undersaturated in silica - from the source dissolved pyroxene in the partially molten rock and precipitated olivine ( Fo82), thereby forming a dunite reaction layer at the interface between the source and the partially molten rock. In samples annealed under a small pressure gradient, the reaction layer was roughly planar. However, if the velocity of melt due to porous flow exceeded 0.1 µm/s, the reaction layer locally protruded into the partially molten rock forming finger-like, melt-rich channels in rocks of wehrlitic and harzburgitic composition. The lherzolitic rocks were generally impermeable to the melt except at highest-pressure gradients where a narrow fracture developed, forming a dyke which drained the melt reservoir. Three-dimensional reconstructions using micro-CT images revealed clear differences between the dyke (a narrow, through-going planar feature) and the channels formed by reactive infiltration (multiple sinuous finger-like features). Apparently, the fraction of soluble minerals together with the melt fraction in the partially molten rock control whether dykes or reactive channels develop. Our experiments demonstrate that melt-rock reactions can lead to channelization in mantle lithologies, and the observed lithological transformations broadly agree with those observed in nature

Experimental petrology and origin of rocks from the Descartes Highlands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, D.; Longhi, J.; Grove, T. L.; Stolper, E.; Hays, J. F.

1973-01-01

Petrographic studies of Apollo 16 samples indicate that rocks 62295 and 68415 are crystallization products of highly aluminous melts. 60025 is a shocked, crushed and partially annealed plagioclase cumulate. 60315 is a recrystallized noritic breccia of disputed origin. 60335 is a feldspathic basalt filled with xenoliths and xenocrysts of anorthosite, breccia, and anorthite. The Fe/(Fe+Mg) of plagioclase appears to be a relative crystallization index. Low pressure melting experiments with controlled Po2 indicate that the igneous samples crystallized at oxygen fugacities well below the Fe/FeO buffer. Crystallization experiments at various pressures suggest that the 62295 and 68415 compositions were produced by partial or complete melting of lunar crustal materials, and not by partial melting of the deep lunar interior.

The distribution of H2O between silicate melt and nominally anhydrous peridotite and the onset of hydrous melting in the deep upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novella, Davide; Frost, Daniel J.; Hauri, Erik H.; Bureau, Helene; Raepsaet, Caroline; Roberge, Mathilde

2014-08-01

The partitioning of H2O between a mantle peridotite assemblage and low degree hydrous melt has been investigated at 6 GPa (corresponding to ∼180 km depth) at a temperature of 1400 °C. Peridotite mineral phases were analysed from 6 melting experiments performed in a natural chemical system. The experiments contained ∼80 wt% of a low degree hydrous melt that was obtained through a series of experiments where the melt composition was iteratively adjusted until saturation with the appropriate peridotite assemblage was achieved. The melt is fluid-undersaturated at the conditions of the experiment. Ion microprobe measurements of the mineral phases indicate olivine H2O concentrations of 434±61 ppm wt and average clinopyroxene (cpx) concentrations of 1268±173 ppm wt H2O. Orthopyroxene (opx) and garnet contain 700±46 ppm wt and 347±83 ppm wt H2O, respectively. The H2O content of the hydrous melts was determined by mass balance to be 11±0.5 wt% H2O. H2O partition coefficients between minerals and melt (DH2Omin/melt=XH2Omin/XH2Omelt) are 0.0040±0.0006 for olivine, 0.0064±0.0004 for opx, 0.0115±0.0016 for cpx and 0.0032±0.0008 for garnet. Using the determined H2O partition coefficients the onset and extent of melting at conditions equivalent to 180 km below mid-ocean ridges was determined as a function of mantle H2O content. Current estimates for the H2O content of the depleted mantle (50-200 ppm wt H2O) are insufficient to induce mantle melting at this depth, which requires ∼700 ppm wt H2O to produce 0.1% melting and 1600 ppm wt H2O for 1% melting, along an adiabat with a potential temperature of 1327 °C. Melting can occur at these conditions within the mantle source of ocean island basalts, which are estimated to contain up to 900 ppm wt H2O. If adiabatic temperatures are 200 °C higher within such plume related sources, then melt fractions of over 1% can be reached at 180 km depth. In addition, a model for the distribution of H2O between peridotite mineral phases as a function of depth and at H2O-undersaturated conditions is constructed. The model indicates that for a fixed mantle composition containing 150 ppm wt H2O, the olivine H2O content will increase with depth solely due to changes in inter-phase partitioning and modal proportions of minerals. The change in the olivine H2O concentration with depth corresponds to proposed changes in the dominant olivine slip system for deformation by dislocation creep, that might provide an explanation for the reduction in seismic anisotropy observed at depths >200 km.

Growth of InSb and InI Crystals on Earth and in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ostrogorsky, A. G.; Churilov, A.; Volz, M. P.; Riabov, V.; Van den Berg, L.

2015-01-01

During the past 40 years, dozens of semiconductor crystal growth experiments have been conducted in space laboratories. The subsequent analysis of the space-grown crystals revealed (i) that weak convection existed in virtually all melt-growth experiments, (ii) de-wetting significantly reduced the level of stress-induced defects, and (iii) particularly encouraging results were obtained in vapor-growth experiments. In 2002, following a decade of ground based research in growing doped Ge and GaSb crystals, a series of crystal growth experiments was performed at the ISS, within the SUBSA (Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules) investigation. Te- and Zn-doped InSb crystals were grown from the melt. The specially designed furnace provided a side-view of the melt and precise seeding measurement of the growth rate. At present, under sponsorship of CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, www.iss-casis.org), we are conducting ground-based experiments with indium mono-iodide (InI) in preparation for the "SUBSA II" ISS investigation, planned for 2017. The experiments include: i) Horizontal Bridgman (HB) growth and ii) Vapor Transport (VT) growth. Finite element modeling will also be conducted, to optimize the design of the flight ampoules, for vapor and melt growth.

Towards Estimate of Present Day Ice Melting in Polar Regions From Altimetry, Gravity, Ocean Bottom Pressure and GPS Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Y.; Wu, X.; van den Broeke, M. R.; Munneke, P. K.; Simonsen, S. B.; van der Wal, W.; Vermeersen, B. L.

2013-12-01

The ice sheet in Polar Regions stores the largest freshwater bodies on Earth, sufficient to elevate global sea level by more than 65 meters if melted. The earth may have entered an intensive ice-melting episode, possibly due to anthropogenic global warming rather than natural orbit variations. Determining present-day ice mass balance, however, is complicated by the fact that most observations contain both present day ice melting signal and residual signals from past glacier melting. Despite decades of progress in geodynamic modeling and new observations, significant uncertainties remain in both. The key to separate present-day ice mass change and signals from past melting is to include data of different physical characteristics. We conducted a new global kinematic inversion scheme to estimate both present-day ice melting and past glacier signatures simultaneously and assess their contribution to current and future global mean sea level change. Our approach is designed to invert and separate present-day melting signal in the spherical harmonic domain using a globally distributed interdisciplinary data with distinct physical information. Interesting results with unprecedented precisions have been achieved so far. We will present our results of the estimated present-day ice mass balance trend in both Greenland and Antarctica ice sheet as well as other regions where significant mass change occurs.

Dynamic and static equilibrium sea level effects of Greenland Ice Sheet melt: An assessment of partially-coupled idealized water hosing experiments (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopp, R. E.; Mitrovica, J. X.; Griffies, S. M.; Yin, J.; Hay, C. C.; Stouffer, R. J.

2010-12-01

Regional sea level can deviate from mean global sea level because of both dynamic sea level (DSL) effects, resulting from oceanic and atmospheric circulation and temperature and salinity distributions, and changes in the static equilibrium (SE) sea level configuration, produced by the gravitational, elastic, and rotational effects of mass redistribution. Both effects will contribute to future sea level change, but because they are studied by two different subdisciplines -- climate modeling and glacial rebound modeling -- projections that attempt to combine both have to date been scarce. To compare their magnitude, we simulated the effects of Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) melt by conducting idealized North Atlantic "water-hosing" experiments in a climate model unidirectionally coupled to a SE sea level model. At current rates of GIS melt, freshwater hosing experiments in fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models (AOGCMs) do not yield clear DSL trends but do generate DSL variability; comparing that variability to expected static equilibrium "fingerprints" suggests that at least about 40 years of observations are needed to detect the "fingerprints" of ice sheet melt at current Greenland melt rates of about 0.3 mm equivalent sea level (esl)/year. Accelerated melt rates of about 2--6 mm esl/y, as may occur later in the century, should be detectable above background DSL variability within less than a decade of their onset. At these higher melt rates, AOGCMs do yield clear DSL trends. In the GFDL CM 2.1 model, DSL trends are strongest in the western North Atlantic, while SE effects come to dominate in most of the ocean when melt exceeds about 20 cm esl.

Clinopyroxene dissolution in basaltic melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yang; Zhang, Youxue

2009-10-01

The history of magmatic systems may be inferred from reactions between mantle xenoliths and host basalt if the thermodynamics and kinetics of the reactions are quantified. To study diffusive and convective clinopyroxene dissolution in silicate melts, diffusive clinopyroxene dissolution experiments were conducted at 0.47-1.90 GPa and 1509-1790 K in a piston-cylinder apparatus. Clinopyroxene saturation is found to be roughly determined by MgO and CaO content. The effective binary diffusivities, DMgO and DCaO, and the interface melt saturation condition, C0MgO×C0CaO, are extracted from the experiments. DMgO and DCaO show Arrhenian dependence on temperature. The pressure dependence is small and not resolved within 0.47-1.90 GPa. C0MgO×C0CaO in the interface melt increases with increasing temperature, but decreases with increasing pressure. Convective clinopyroxene dissolution, where the convection is driven by the density difference between the crystal and melt, is modeled using the diffusivities and interface melt saturation condition. Previous studies showed that the convective dissolution rate depends on the thermodynamics, kinetics and fluid dynamics of the system. Comparing our results for clinopyroxene dissolution to results from a previous study on convective olivine dissolution shows that the kinetic and fluid dynamic aspects of the two minerals are quite similar. However, the thermodynamics of clinopyroxene dissolution depends more strongly on the degree of superheating and composition of the host melt than that of olivine dissolution. The models for clinopyroxene and olivine dissolution are tested against literature experiments on mineral-melt interaction. They are then applied to previously proposed reactions between Hawaii basalts and mantle minerals, mid-ocean ridge basalts and mantle minerals, and xenoliths digestion in a basalt at Kuandian, Northeast China.

Ex-Vessel Core Melt Modeling Comparison between MELTSPREAD-CORQUENCH and MELCOR 2.1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robb, Kevin R.; Farmer, Mitchell; Francis, Matthew W.

System-level code analyses by both United States and international researchers predict major core melting, bottom head failure, and corium-concrete interaction for Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1). Although system codes such as MELCOR and MAAP are capable of capturing a wide range of accident phenomena, they currently do not contain detailed models for evaluating some ex-vessel core melt behavior. However, specialized codes containing more detailed modeling are available for melt spreading such as MELTSPREAD as well as long-term molten corium-concrete interaction (MCCI) and debris coolability such as CORQUENCH. In a preceding study, Enhanced Ex-Vessel Analysis for Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1: Meltmore » Spreading and Core-Concrete Interaction Analyses with MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH, the MELTSPREAD-CORQUENCH codes predicted the 1F1 core melt readily cooled in contrast to predictions by MELCOR. The user community has taken notice and is in the process of updating their systems codes; specifically MAAP and MELCOR, to improve and reduce conservatism in their ex-vessel core melt models. This report investigates why the MELCOR v2.1 code, compared to the MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH 3.03 codes, yield differing predictions of ex-vessel melt progression. To accomplish this, the differences in the treatment of the ex-vessel melt with respect to melt spreading and long-term coolability are examined. The differences in modeling approaches are summarized, and a comparison of example code predictions is provided.« less

Silicon Web Process Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duncan, C. S.; Seidensticker, R. G.; Hopkins, R. H.; Mchugh, J. P.; Hill, F. E.; Heimlich, M. E.; Driggers, J. M.

1978-01-01

Progress in the development of techniques to grow silicon web at 25 wq cm/min output rate is reported. Feasibility of web growth with simultaneous melt replenishment is discussed. Other factors covered include: (1) tests of aftertrimmers to improve web width; (2) evaluation of growth lid designs to raise speed and output rate; (3) tests of melt replenishment hardware; and (4) investigation of directed gas flow systems to control unwanted oxide deposition in the system and to improve convective cooling of the web. Compatibility with sufficient solar cell performance is emphasized.

Lunar production of oxygen by electrolysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keller, Rudolf

1991-01-01

Two approaches to prepare oxygen from lunar resources by direct electrolysis are discussed. Silicates can be melted or dissolved in a fused salt and electrolyzed with oxygen evolved at the anode. Direct melting and electrolysis is potentially a very simple process, but high temperatures of 1400-1500 C are required, which aggravates materials problems. Operating temperatures can be lowered to about 1000 C by employing a molten salt flux. In this case, however, losses of electrolyte components must be avoided. Experimentation on both approaches is progressing.

Experimental determination of C, F, and H partitioning between mantle minerals and carbonated basalt, CO2/Ba and CO2/Nb systematics of partial melting, and the CO2 contents of basaltic source regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenthal, A.; Hauri, E. H.; Hirschmann, M. M.

2015-02-01

To determine partitioning of C between upper mantle silicate minerals and basaltic melts, we executed 26 experiments between 0.8 and 3 GPa and 1250-1500 °C which yielded 37 mineral/glass pairs suitable for C analysis by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). To enhance detection limits, experiments were conducted with 13C-enriched bulk compositions. Independent measurements of 13C and 12C in coexisting phases produced two C partition coefficients for each mineral pair and allowed assessment of the approach to equilibrium during each experiment. Concentrations of C in olivine (ol), orthopyroxene (opx), clinopyroxene (cpx) and garnet (gt) range from 0.2 to 3.5 ppm, and resulting C partition coefficients for ol/melt, opx/melt, cpx/melt and gt/melt are, respectively, 0.0007 ± 0.0004 (n = 2), 0.0003 ± 0.0002 (n = 45), 0.0005 ± 0.0004 (n = 17) and 0.0001 ± 0.00007 (n = 5). The effective partition coefficient of C during partial melting of peridotite is 0.00055 ± 0.00025, and therefore C is significantly more incompatible than Nb, slightly more compatible than Ba, and, among refractory trace elements, most similar in behavior to U or Th. Experiments also yielded partition coefficients for F and H between minerals and melts. Combining new and previous values of DFmineral/melt yields bulk DFperidotite/melt = 0.011 ± 0.002, which suggests that F behaves similarly to La during partial melting of peridotite. Values of DHpyx/melt correlate with tetrahedral Al along a trend consistent with previously published determinations. Small-degree partial melting of the mantle results in considerable CO2/Nb fractionation, which is likely the cause of high CO2/Nb evident in some Nb-rich oceanic basalts. CO2/Ba is much less easily fractionated, with incompatible-element-enriched partial melts having lower CO2/Ba than less enriched basalts. Comparison of calculated behavior of CO2, Nb, and Ba to systematics of oceanic basalts suggests that depleted (DMM-like) sources have 75 ± 25 ppm CO2 (CO2/Nb = 505 ± 168, CO2/Ba = 133 ± 44), whereas enriched sources of intraplate basalts similar in concentrations to primitive mantle have 600 ± 200 ppm CO2. If all mantle reservoirs are expressed in the current inventory of oceanic basalts for which nearly undegassed CO2 concentrations are available, then we estimate the likely range of mantle C concentrations to be 1.4-4.8 × 1023 grams of C, or 1.5-5.2 times the mass of the current C surface reservoir. Depending on the assumed Ba and Nb contents of average oceanic crust, resulting ridge fluxes of C range from 7.2 × 1013 to 2.9 × 1014 g/yr.

Use and Limitations of a Climate-Quality Data Record to Study Temperature Trends on the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, D. K.; Comiso, J. C.; Shuman, C. A.; Koenig, L.; DiGirolamo, N. E.

2011-12-01

Enhanced melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet has been documented in recent literature along with surface-temperature increases measured using infrared satellite data since 1981. Using a recently-developed climate-quality data record, 11- and 12-year trends in the clear-sky ice-surface temperature (IST) of the Greenland Ice Sheet have been studied using the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) IST product. Daily and monthly MODIS ISTs of the Greenland Ice Sheet beginning on 1 March 2000 and continuing through 31 December 2010 are now available at 6.25-km spatial resolution on a polar stereographic grid as described in Hall et al. (submitted). This record will be elevated in status to a climate-data record (CDR) when more years of data become available either from the MODIS on the Terra or Aqua satellites, or from the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) to be launched in October 2011. Maps showing the maximum extent of melt for the entire ice sheet and for the six major drainage basins have been developed from the MODIS IST dataset. Twelve-year trends in the extent of melt and duration of the melt season on the ice sheet vary in different drainage basins with some basins melting progressively earlier over the course of the study period. Some (but not all) of the basins also show a progressively-longer duration of melt. Twelve-year trends in IST are compared with in-situ data, and climate data from the Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) Reanalysis. Hall, D.K., J.C. Comiso, N.E. DiGirolamo, C.A. Shuman, J. Key and L.S. Koenig, submitted for journal publication: A Satellite-Derived Climate-Quality Data Record of the Clear-Sky Surface Temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Experimental Determination of the H2O-undersaturated Peridotite Solidus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarafian, E. K.; Gaetani, G. A.; Hauri, E.; Sarafian, A.

2015-12-01

Knowledge of the H2O-undersaturated lherzolite solidus places important constraints on the process of melt generation beneath oceanic spreading centers. While it is generally accepted that the small concentration of H2O (~50-200 ug/g) dissolved in the oceanic upper mantle has a strong influence on the peridotite solidus, but this effect has not been directly determined through experiments. This is because (1) precisely controlling low concentrations of H2O in high-pressure melting experiments is thought to be difficult, (2) small amounts of melt are difficult to identify, and (3) the size of mineral grains that grow in near-solidus experiments is too small to be analyzed for H2O by either Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy or secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). We have developed an experimental approach for determining the peridotite solidus as a function of H2O content that overcomes these difficulties. Our approach utilizes large (~300 um diameter) spheres of San Carlos olivine to monitor the concentration and behavior of H2O in our experiments.. The spheres are mixed in 5:95 proportions with a synthetic peridotite that has the composition of the depleted MORB mantle of Workman and Hart (2005). Partial melting experiments are conducted in is a piston cylinder device using pre-conditioned Au80Pd20 capsules. During an experiment, the H2O content of the San Carlos olivine spheres diffusively equilibrates with the peridotite matrix. After each experiment, the concentration of H2O dissolved in the olivine spheres is determined by secondary ion mass spectrometry. By analyzing the H2O content of the San Carlos olivine spheres and performing a simple mass balance, we can then calculate the amount of H2O in the capsule. The spheres also provides a means to determine the solidus temperature due to the strong partitioning of H2O into silicate melt compared to olivine, pyroxene, and spinel. When a small amount of melt is present the H2O partitions into the melt and the H2O content of the spheres drops in a predictable fashion. The H2O-undersaturated solidus indicated by our experimental results is in agreement with previous experimental determinations of the nominally anhydrous solidus. This suggests that the potential temperature of the oceanic upper mantle is higher than existing petrologic estimates.

[MSW incineration fly ash melting by DSC-DTA].

PubMed

Li, Rundong; Chi, Yong; Li, Shuiqing; Wang, Lei; Yan, Jianhua; Cen, Kefa

2002-07-01

Melting characteristics of two kinds of municipal solid waste incineration(MSWI) fly ash were studied in this paper by high temperature differential scanning calorimetry and differential temperature analysis. MSWI fly ash was considered as hazardous waste because it contains heavy metals and dioxins. The experiments were performed in either N2 or O2 atmosphere in temperature range of 20 degrees C-1450 degrees C at various heating rates. Two different MSW incineration fly ashes used in the experiments were collected from our country and France respectively. The process of fly ash melting exhibits two reactions occurring at temperature ranges of about 480 degrees C-670 degrees C and 1136 degrees C-1231 degrees C, respectively. The latent heat of polymorphic transformation and fusion were approximately 20 kJ/kg and 700 kJ/kg, while the total heat required for melting process was about 1800 kJ/kg. The paper also studied effect of CaO to melting. A heat flux thermodynamic model for fly ash melting was put forward and it agrees well with experimental data.

Visual monitoring of the melting front propagation in a paraffin-based PCM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charvát, Pavel; Štětina, Josef; Mauder, Tomáš; Klimeš, Lubomír

Experiments were carried out in an environmental chamber with the aim to monitor the melting front propagation in a rectangular cavity filled with a paraffin-based Phase Change Material (PCM). The PCM was contained in transparent containers with the heat flux introduced by means of an electric heating element. The stabilized power source was used to maintain the constant heat output of the heating elements. The experiments were performed for the heat flux introduced at the side wall of the container and at the upper surface of the PCM. The paraffin-based PCM RT28HC with the phase change temperature of 28 °C was used in the experiments. The temperature in the environmental chamber was maintained at the melting temperature of the PCM. The propagation of the melting front was monitored with a digital camera and temperatures at several locations were monitored with RTDs and thermocouples. Significant natural convection was observed for the heat flux introduced at the side wall of the container. As a result the melting front propagated much faster at the top of the container than at its bottom. The heat flux introduced at the upper-surface of the PCM resulted in almost one-dimensional propagation of the melting front. The acquired data are to be used for validation of an in-house developed numerical model based on the front-tracking method.

Design of the MISMIP+, ISOMIP+, and MISOMIP ice-sheet, ocean, and coupled ice sheet-ocean intercomparison projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asay-Davis, Xylar; Cornford, Stephen; Martin, Daniel; Gudmundsson, Hilmar; Holland, David; Holland, Denise

2015-04-01

The MISMIP and MISMIP3D marine ice sheet model intercomparison exercises have become popular benchmarks, and several modeling groups have used them to show how their models compare to both analytical results and other models. Similarly, the ISOMIP (Ice Shelf-Ocean Model Intercomparison Project) experiments have acted as a proving ground for ocean models with sub-ice-shelf cavities.As coupled ice sheet-ocean models become available, an updated set of benchmark experiments is needed. To this end, we propose sequel experiments, MISMIP+ and ISOMIP+, with an end goal of coupling the two in a third intercomparison exercise, MISOMIP (the Marine Ice Sheet-Ocean Model Intercomparison Project). Like MISMIP3D, the MISMIP+ experiments take place in an idealized, three-dimensional setting and compare full 3D (Stokes) and reduced, hydrostatic models. Unlike the earlier exercises, the primary focus will be the response of models to sub-shelf melting. The chosen configuration features an ice shelf that experiences substantial lateral shear and buttresses the upstream ice, and so is well suited to melting experiments. Differences between the steady states of each model are minor compared to the response to melt-rate perturbations, reflecting typical real-world applications where parameters are chosen so that the initial states of all models tend to match observations. The three ISOMIP+ experiments have been designed to to make use of the same bedrock topography as MISMIP+ and using ice-shelf geometries from MISMIP+ results produced by the BISICLES ice-sheet model. The first two experiments use static ice-shelf geometries to simulate the evolution of ocean dynamics and resulting melt rates to a quasi-steady state when far-field forcing changes in either from cold to warm or from warm to cold states. The third experiment prescribes 200 years of dynamic ice-shelf geometry (with both retreating and advancing ice) based on a BISICLES simulation along with similar flips between warm and cold states in the far-field ocean forcing. The MISOMIP experiment combines the MISMIP+ experiments with the third ISOMIP+ experiment. Changes in far-field ocean forcing lead to a rapid (over ~1-2 years) increase in sub-ice-shelf melting, which is allowed to drive ice-shelf retreat for ~100 years. Then, the far-field forcing is switched to a cold state, leading to a rapid decrease in melting and a subsequent advance over ~100 years. To illustrate, we present results from BISICLES and POP2x experiments for each of the three intercomparison exercises.

Results from a lab study of melting sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiese, M.; Griewank, P.; Notz, D.

2012-04-01

Sea-ice melting is a complex process which is not fully understood yet. In order to study sea-ice melt in detail we perform lab experiments in an approximately 2x0.7x1.2 m large tank in a cold room. We grow sea ice with different salinities at least 10 cm thick. Then we let the ice melt at different air temperatures and oceanic heat fluxes. During the melt period, we measure the evolution of ice thickness, internal temperature, salinity and surface temperature. We will present results from roughly five months of experiments. Topics will include the influence of bulk salinity on melt rates and the surface temperature. The effects of flushing on the salinity evolution and detailed thermal profiles will also be included. To investigate these processes we focus on the energy budget and the salinity evolution. These topics are linked since the thermodynamic properties of sea ice (heat capacity, heat conductivity and latent heat of fusion) are very sensitive to salinity variations. For example the heat capacity of sea ice increases greatly as the temperature approaches the melting point. This increase results in non-linear temperature profiles and enhances heat conduction into the ice. The salinity evolution during the growth phase has been investigated and measured in multiple studies over the last decades. In contrast there are no detailed lab measurements of melting ice available to quantify the effects of flushing melt water and ponding. This is partially due to the fact that the heterogeneity of melting sea ice makes it much more difficult to measure representative values.

Receiver function imaging of the onset of melting, implications for volcanism beneath the Afar Rift in contrast to hotspot environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rychert, C. A.; Harmon, N.; Hammond, J. O.; Laske, G.; Kendall, J.; Ebinger, C. J.; Shearer, P. M.; Bastow, I. D.; Keir, D.; Ayele, A.; Belachew, M.; Stuart, G. W.

2012-12-01

Heating, melting, and stretching destroy continents at volcanic rifts. Mantle plumes are often invoked to thermally weaken the continental lithosphere and accommodate rifting through the influx of magma. However the relative effects of mechanical stretching vs. melt infiltration and weakening are not well quantified during the evolution of rifting. S-to-p (Sp) imaging beneath the Afar Rift and hotspot regions such as Hawaii provides additional constraints. We use data from the Ethiopia/Kenya Broadband Seismic Experiment (EKBSE), the Ethiopia Afar Geophysical Lithospheric Experiment (EAGLE), a new UK/US led deployment of 46 stations in the Afar depression and surrounding area, and the PLUME experiment. We use two methodologies to investigate structure and locate robust features: 1) binning by conversion point and then simultaneous deconvolution in the frequency domain, and 2) extended multitaper followed by migration and stacking. We image a lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary at ~75 km beneath the flank of the Afar Rift vs. its complete absence beneath the rift, where the mantle lithosphere has been totally destroyed. Instead a strong velocity increase with depth at ~75 km depth matches geodynamic model predictions for a drop in melt percentage at the onset of decompression melting. The shallow depth of the onset of melting is consistent with a mantle potential temperature = 1350 - 1400°C, i.e., typical for adiabatic decompression melting. Therefore although a plume initially destroyed the mantle lithosphere, its influence directly beneath Afar today is minimal. Volcanism continues via adiabatic decompression melting assisted by strong melt buoyancy effects. This contrasts with a similar feature at much deeper depth, ~150 km, just west of Hawaii, where a deep thermal plume is hypothesized to impinge on the lithosphere. Improved high resolution imaging of rifting, ridges, and hotspots in a variety of stages and tectonic settings will increase constraints on the forces sustaining volcanism and the factors that dictate the style of breakup beneath rifts.

Detached Melt and Vapor Growth of InI in SUBSA Furnace

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ostrogorsky, A. G.; Riabov, V.; Volz, M. P.; van den Berg, L.; Croll, A.

2017-01-01

Indium iodide (InI) is a promising wide energy band gap nuclear detector material. It is ideal for space experiments because it is non-toxic and has a relatively low melting point of only 351 degrees Centigrade. However, it has been established that melt-grown crystals contain a large amount of second phase inclusions/precipitates. The typical size of inclusions are 1 to 27 microns in diameter, while the volume fraction of all sizes is 300 to 600 parts per million. The SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscopy / Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy) analysis of the inclusions has revealed that they all contain oxygen and some contain carbon. At present, under sponsorship of NASA and CASIS (Center for the Advancement of Science in Space), we are conducting ground-based experiments with InI in preparation for the flight experiments to be conducted in the SUBSA (Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules) furnace in the Microgravity Science Glovebox at the International Space Station, planned for the summer/fall of 2017. Earth-based experiments include melt and vapor growth conducted in the SUBSA ground unit, measurements of the volumetric expansion coefficient of the melt, and measurements of the wetting angle of molten InI. Finite element modeling has been conducted to optimize the design of the flight ampoules. Alloying with Tl and Ga has given promising results.

Design, fabrication, and evaluation of a partially melted ice particle cloud facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soltis, Jared T.

High altitude ice crystal clouds created by highly convective storm cells are dangerous to jet transport aircraft because the crystals are ingested into the compressor section, partially melt, accrete, and cause roll back or flame out. Current facilities to test engine particle icing are not ideal for fundamental mixed-phase ice accretion experiments or do not generate frozen droplet clouds under representative conditions. The goal of this research was to develop a novel facility capable of testing fundamental partially melted ice particle icing physics and to collect ice accretion data related to mixed-phase ice accretion. The Penn State Icing Tunnel (PSIT) has been designed and fabricated to conduct partially melted ice particle cloud accretion. The PSIT generated a cloud with air assisted atomizing nozzles. The water droplets cool from the 60psi pressure drop as the water exited the nozzle and fully glaciate while flowing in the -11.0°C tunnel air flow. The glaciated cloud flowed through a duct in the center of the tunnel where hot air was introduced. The temperature of the duct was regulated from 3.3°C to 24°C which melted particle the frozen particle from 0% to 90%. The partially melted particle cloud impinged on a temperature controlled flat plate. Ice accretion data was taken for a range of duct temperature from 3.3°C to 24°C and plate temperature from -4.5°C to 7.0°C. The particle median volumetric diameter was 23mum, the total water content was 4.5 g/m 3, the specific humidity was 1.12g/kg, and the wet bulb temperature ranged from 1.0°C to 7.0°C depending on the duct temperature. The boundaries between ice particle bounce off, ice accretion, and water run off were determined. When the particle were totally frozen and the plate surface was below freezing, the ice particle bounced off as expected. Ice accretion was seen for all percent melts tested, but the plate temperature boundary between water runoff and ice accretion increased from 0°C at 8% melt to 3°C at 90%. There were two types of ice accretion with a transition zone in between. The first type of ice was opaque in color and had a rough surface. This ice occurred roughly from 6.0°C to 12.0°C duct temperatures (8% to 50% melt). The qualitative characteristics of the ice were produced from the low water content in the cloud. The water that was available froze instantly and trapped ice particle. Duct temperatures greater than 17.5°C (80% melt) produced ice that was clear and smooth. The water in the surface did not freeze instantly due to the high water content creating a water film that froze. A mixed-phase cloud dynamics model from NASA Glenn was used to estimate the percent melt of the cloud exiting the duct. There was no way to validate the model by directly measuring the percent melt of the cloud, so single particle melt experiments were conducted and compared to the model. A 0.05g/L solution of rhodamine b was sprayed into a levitator and droplets formed at the nodes of the wave. A 532nm green laser was used to illuminate the dye, and the water emitted orange 593nm light given the luminescent properties of the ink. The emitted light intensity was recorded, and a linear relationship between the light intensity of ice to the light intensity of water was used to determine the percent melt of a droplet. The droplets were frozen with a cold flow of nitrogen gas via a liquid nitrogen heat exchanger. The droplets melted under natural convection when the cold nitrogen was shut off. Fifteen cases were compared with droplet diameters ranging from 324mum to 1112mum, air temperatures from 16°C to 31°C, and relative humidities from 41% to 100%. The average discrepancy between predictions and results for the cases that melted slower than ten seconds was 13% while the cases that melted faster than 10 second had 64% discrepancy between the model and experiment. To explain the discrepancy between the experiment and model, sensitivity studies of the model were conducted. It was seen that the melt time from the model was most sensitive to ambient temperature (1s/°C). It was also seen that the thermistors used in the experiment were accurate to 0.7°C. Transient effects of the rhodamine b caused an overshoot in light intensity, making it difficult to accurately determine the melting stop time. These factors led to the difference in melt time between the model and experiments. A 2.7s difference between model and experiments was deemed to be a successful correlation between predictions and experimental results given the model sensitivity to temperature, the difficulty in measuring temperatures at the position of the droplet, and the transient characteristics of rhodamine b.

Are terrestrial plumes from motionless plates analogues to Martian plumes feeding the giant shield volcanoes?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyzen, Christine; Massironi, Matteo; Pozzobon, Riccardo; Dal Zilio, Luca

2014-05-01

The near "one-plate" planet evolution of Mars has led to the edification of long-lasting giant shied volcanoes. Unlike the Earth, Mars would have been a transient convecting planet, where plate tectonic would have possibly acted only during the first hundreds of million years of its history. On Earth, where plate tectonic is active, most of them are regenerated and recycled through convection. However, the Nubian and Antarctic plates could be considered as poorly mobile surfaces of various thicknesses that are acting as conductive lids on top of Earth's deeper convective system. In these environments, volcanoes do not show any linear age progression at least for the last 30 Ma, but constitute the sites of persistent, focused long-term magmatic activity, rather than a chain of volcanoes as observed in fast-moving plate plume environments. Here, the near stationary absolute plate motion probably exerts a primary control on volcanic processes, and more specifically, on the melting ones. The residual depleted mantle, that is left behind by the melting processes, cannot be swept away from the melting locus. Over time, the thickening of this near-stationary depleted layer progressively forces the termination of melting to higher depths, reducing the melt production rate. Such a process gradually leads both to decreasing efficient melt extraction and increasing mantle lithospheric-melt interactions. The accumulation of this refractory material also causes long-term fluctuations of the volcanic activity, in generating long periods of quiescence. The presence of this residual mantle keel induces over time a lateral flow deflection, which translates into a shift of future melting sites around it. This process gives rise to the horseshoe-like shape of some volcanic islands on slow-moving plates (e.g. Cape Verde, Crozet). Finally, the pronounced topographic swells/bulges observed in this environments may also be supported both by large scale mantle upwelling and their residual mantle roots. Most of these processes are likely similar to those observed on Martian giant shield volcanoes. The goal of this presentation will be to describe the essential characteristics of intra-oceanic plumes on slow moving plates on the Earth and to point out their similarities with those of the large shield volcanoes from the Tharsis region.

Hydrous partial melting in the sheeted dike complex at fast spreading ridges: experimental and natural observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

France, Lydéric; Koepke, Juergen; Ildefonse, Benoit; Cichy, Sarah B.; Deschamps, Fabien

2010-11-01

In ophiolites and in present-day oceanic crust formed at fast spreading ridges, oceanic plagiogranites are commonly observed at, or close to the base of the sheeted dike complex. They can be produced either by differentiation of mafic melts, or by hydrous partial melting of the hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes. In addition, the hydrothermally altered base of the sheeted dike complex, which is often infiltrated by plagiogranitic veins, is usually recrystallized into granoblastic dikes that are commonly interpreted as a result of prograde granulitic metamorphism. To test the anatectic origin of oceanic plagiogranites, we performed melting experiments on a natural hydrothermally altered dike, under conditions that match those prevailing at the base of the sheeted dike complex. All generated melts are water saturated, transitional between tholeiitic and calc-alkaline, and match the compositions of oceanic plagiogranites observed close to the base of the sheeted dike complex. Newly crystallized clinopyroxene and plagioclase have compositions that are characteristic of the same minerals in granoblastic dikes. Published silicic melt compositions obtained in classical MORB fractionation experiments also broadly match the compositions of oceanic plagiogranites; however, the compositions of the coexisting experimental minerals significantly deviate from those of the granoblastic dikes. Our results demonstrate that hydrous partial melting is a likely common process in the root zone of the sheeted dike complex, starting at temperatures exceeding 850°C. The newly formed melt can either crystallize to form oceanic plagiogranites or may be recycled within the melt lens resulting in hybridized and contaminated MORB melts. It represents the main MORB crustal contamination process. The residue after the partial melting event is represented by the granoblastic dikes. Our results support a model with a dynamic melt lens that has the potential to trigger hydrous partial melting reactions in the previously hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes. A new thermometer using the Al content of clinopyroxene is also elaborated.

Analysis of Picosecond Pulsed Laser Melted Graphite

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Steinbeck, J.; Braunstein, G.; Speck, J.; Dresselhaus, M. S.; Huang, C. Y.; Malvezzi, A. M.; Bloembergen, N.

1986-12-01

A Raman microprobe and high resolution TEM have been used to analyze the resolidified region of liquid carbon generated by picosecond pulse laser radiation. From the relative intensities of the zone center Raman-allowed mode for graphite at 1582 cm{sup -1} and the disorder-induced mode at 1360 cm{sup -1}, the average graphite crystallite size in the resolidified region is determined as a function of position. By comparison with Rutherford backscattering spectra and Raman spectra from nanosecond pulsed laser melting experiments, the disorder depth for picosecond pulsed laser melted graphite is determined as a function of irradiating energy density. Comparisons of TEM micrographs for nanosecond and picosecond pulsed laser melting experiments show that the structure of the laser disordered regions in graphite are similar and exhibit similar behavior with increasing laser pulse fluence.

Homogeneous crystal nucleation in polymers.

PubMed

Schick, C; Androsch, R; Schmelzer, J W P

2017-11-15

The pathway of crystal nucleation significantly influences the structure and properties of semi-crystalline polymers. Crystal nucleation is normally heterogeneous at low supercooling, and homogeneous at high supercooling, of the polymer melt. Homogeneous nucleation in bulk polymers has been, so far, hardly accessible experimentally, and was even doubted to occur at all. This topical review summarizes experimental findings on homogeneous crystal nucleation in polymers. Recently developed fast scanning calorimetry, with cooling and heating rates up to 10 6 K s -1 , allows for detailed investigations of nucleation near and even below the glass transition temperature, including analysis of nuclei stability. As for other materials, the maximum homogeneous nucleation rate for polymers is located close to the glass transition temperature. In the experiments discussed here, it is shown that polymer nucleation is homogeneous at such temperatures. Homogeneous nucleation in polymers is discussed in the framework of the classical nucleation theory. The majority of our observations are consistent with the theory. The discrepancies may guide further research, particularly experiments to progress theoretical development. Progress in the understanding of homogeneous nucleation is much needed, since most of the modelling approaches dealing with polymer crystallization exclusively consider homogeneous nucleation. This is also the basis for advancing theoretical approaches to the much more complex phenomena governing heterogeneous nucleation.

Corrosion-electrochemical behavior of nickel in an alkali metal carbonate melt under a chlorine-containing atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikitina, E. V.; Kudyakov, V. Ya.; Malkov, V. B.; Plaksin, S. V.

2013-08-01

The corrosion-electrochemical behavior of a nickel electrode is studied in the melt of lithium, sodium, and potassium (40: 30: 30 mol %) carbonates in the temperature range 500-600°C under an oxidizing atmosphere CO2 + 0.5O2 (2: 1), which is partly replaced by gaseous chlorine (30, 50, 70%) in some experiments. In other experiments, up to 5 wt % chloride of sodium peroxide is introduced in a salt melt. A change in the gas-phase composition is shown to affect the mechanism of nickel corrosion.

Melting of genomic DNA: Predictive modeling by nonlinear lattice dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theodorakopoulos, Nikos

2010-08-01

The melting behavior of long, heterogeneous DNA chains is examined within the framework of the nonlinear lattice dynamics based Peyrard-Bishop-Dauxois (PBD) model. Data for the pBR322 plasmid and the complete T7 phage have been used to obtain model fits and determine parameter dependence on salt content. Melting curves predicted for the complete fd phage and the Y1 and Y2 fragments of the ϕX174 phage without any adjustable parameters are in good agreement with experiment. The calculated probabilities for single base-pair opening are consistent with values obtained from imino proton exchange experiments.

Molecular structure of bottlebrush polymers in melts

PubMed Central

Paturej, Jarosław; Sheiko, Sergei S.; Panyukov, Sergey; Rubinstein, Michael

2016-01-01

Bottlebrushes are fascinating macromolecules that display an intriguing combination of molecular and particulate features having vital implications in both living and synthetic systems, such as cartilage and ultrasoft elastomers. However, the progress in practical applications is impeded by the lack of knowledge about the hierarchic organization of both individual bottlebrushes and their assemblies. We delineate fundamental correlations between molecular architecture, mesoscopic conformation, and macroscopic properties of polymer melts. Numerical simulations corroborate theoretical predictions for the effect of grafting density and side-chain length on the dimensions and rigidity of bottlebrushes, which effectively behave as a melt of flexible filaments. These findings provide quantitative guidelines for the design of novel materials that allow architectural tuning of their properties in a broad range without changing chemical composition. PMID:28861466

The influence of double-diffusive processes on the melting of ice in the Arctic Ocean: laboratory analogue experiments and their interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turner, J. S.; Veronis, G.

2004-03-01

This study has been motivated by two oceanographic observations: an increased rate of melting of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, and the advance of an anomalously warm tongue of Atlantic water across the Arctic below the halocline over the last few decades. A series of laboratory experiments has been carried out in order to explore the physical principles underlying these phenomena, and the possibility that the extra heating at depth is responsible for the enhanced melting rate. A tank was filled with salt solution having various constant vertical density gradients. A block of ice one third of the length of the tank was floated on the surface at one end, and the rest of the surface and the walls of the tank were insulated. When no extra heat was supplied the melting rate (loss of weight of the ice in 1 h) systematically decreased as the stratification was changed from homogeneous fluid to increasingly large density gradients, while keeping the salinity of the solution in contact with the ice constant. An analogue of the intruding Atlantic water was produced by heating the lower portion of the vertical end wall at the end of the tank opposite to the ice end, keeping its temperature constant, and using the same range of salinity gradients as in the unheated experiments. Again the melting rate decreased as the density gradient was increased, but for low gradients it was larger than that in the unheated experiments. Above a certain intermediate gradient there was no significant difference in melting rate between the unheated and heated runs. The melting data were supplemented by photographs and vertical temperature and salinity profiles. The upward transfer of heat from the body of the fluid to melt the ice was clearly double-diffusive: overturning layers, separated by 'diffusive' interfaces, were visible on shadowgraphs, and the thickness of the layers decreased as the density gradient increased. The mean thickness of the layers through the depth of the tank also systematically decreased as the density gradient increased. With weak gradients an extra heat flux to the ice came from the intruding heated layer, but at large gradients this tongue of warm water at depth did not add to the flux near the surface. Though they were obtained in a simple, arbitrary and fixed geometry, we believe that the results of these experiments can be used as the basis for a better physical understanding of the melting rates of ice in the Arctic under various conditions.

High-pressure melting of molybdenum.

PubMed

Belonoshko, A B; Simak, S I; Kochetov, A E; Johansson, B; Burakovsky, L; Preston, D L

2004-05-14

The melting curve of the body-centered cubic (bcc) phase of Mo has been determined for a wide pressure range using both direct ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of melting as well as a phenomenological theory of melting. These two methods show very good agreement. The simulations are based on density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation. Our calculated equation of state of bcc Mo is in excellent agreement with experimental data. However, our melting curve is substantially higher than the one determined in diamond anvil cell experiments up to a pressure of 100 GPa. An explanation is suggested for this discrepancy.

Influence of starting material on the degassing behavior of trachytic and phonolitic melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preuss, Oliver; Marxer, Holger; Nowak, Marcus

2015-04-01

The dynamic magmatic processes beneath volcanic systems, occurring during magma ascent, cannot be observed directly in nature. Simulation of magma ascent in the lab realized by continuous decompression (CD) of a volatile containing melt is essential to understand these processes that may lead to potentially catastrophic eruptions threatening millions of people in highly populated areas like Naples located between the Campi Flegrei Volcanic Field and the Monte Somma-Vesuvio strato-volcano. In this project, experimental simulations of Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) magma ascent will give insight to the mechanisms of the CI super eruption, thus providing tools for volcanic hazard assessment at the high risk Campanian Volcanic District and other comparable volcanic systems. Additionally, comparable experiments with the same conditions using the 'white pumice' composition of the catastrophic Vesuvius AD 79 (VAD79) eruption, have been conducted. So far, the experiments were performed in an internally heated argon pressure vessel coupled with a high-pressure low-flow metering valve and a piezoelectric nano-positioning system using a starting pressure of 200 MPa, H2O content of about 5 wt% and two different decompression rates (0.024 and 0.17 MPa/s) at a superliquidus temperature of 1050 ° C to ensure a crystal free melt and a homogeneous bubble nucleation. Experiments were conducted with both, glass powder and cylinders, subsequently decompressed to 75 and 100 MPa and rapidly quenched. Beside the results that e.g. decompression rate, volatile content, fluid solubility and target pressure affect the degassing behavior of the melt, the influence of the starting material on the degassing processes is significant. Analyses of BSE- and transmitted light microscopy images revealed a different degassing behavior of glass cylinder experiments compared to powders. Nitrogen has a very low solubility in hydrous silicate melts, supporting our suggestion that preexisting nitrogen rich bubbles (from trapped air between the single glass grains) in the melt lead to growth of these preexisting bubbles resulting in near equilibrium degassing where no further nucleation is needed. This results in much higher porosities of the degassed samples compared to those where pure dissolved H2O is present. The same effect was observed by repeating these experiments with a phonolitic VAD79 composition. In ongoing experiments using glass cylinders as starting material, approximately 0.4 wt% chlorine (average Campanian Ignimbrite melt inclusion data [1]) will be added as a volatile component to study the influence on the degassing behavior of hydrous CI melt. [1] Marianelli et al. (2006) Geology 34(11), 937

Centrifuge Impact Cratering Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, R. M.; Housen, K. R.; Bjorkman, M. D.

1985-01-01

The kinematics of crater growth, impact induced target flow fields and the generation of impact melt were determined. The feasibility of using scaling relationships for impact melt and crater dimensions to determine impactor size and velocity was studied. It is concluded that a coupling parameter determines both the quantity of melt and the crater dimensions for impact velocities greater than 10km/s. As a result impactor radius, a, or velocity, U cannot be determined individually, but only as a product in the form of a coupling parameter, delta U micron. The melt volume and crater volume scaling relations were applied to Brent crater. The transport of melt and the validity of the melt volume scaling relations are examined.

Partial melting of the Allende (CV3) meteorite - Implications for origins of basaltic meteorites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jurewicz, A. J. G.; Mittlefehldt, D. W.; Jones, J. H.

1991-01-01

Eucrites and angrites are distinct types of basaltic meteorites whose origins are poorly known. Experiments in which samples of the Allende (CV3) carbonaceous chondrite were partially melted indicate that partial melts can resemble either eucrites or angrites, depending only on the oxygen fugacity. Melts are eucritic if this variable is below that of the iron-wuestite buffer or angritic if above it. With changing pressure, the graphite-oxygen redox reaction can produce oxygen fugacities that are above or below those of the iron-wuestite buffer. Therefore, a single, homogeneous, carbonaceous planetoid greater than 110 kilometers in radius could produce melts of drastically different composition, depending on the depth of melting.

Modeling of convection, temperature distribution and dendritic growth in glass-fluxed nickel melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Jianrong; Kao, Andrew; Bojarevics, Valdis; Pericleous, Koulis; Galenko, Peter K.; Alexandrov, Dmitri V.

2017-08-01

Melt flow is often quoted as the reason for a discrepancy between experiment and theory on dendritic growth kinetics at low undercoolings. But this flow effect is not justified for glass-fluxed melts where the flow field is weaker. In the present work, we modeled the thermal history, flow pattern and dendritic structure of a glass-fluxed nickel sample by magnetohydrodynamics calculations. First, the temperature distribution and flow structure in the molten and undercooled melt were simulated by reproducing the observed thermal history of the sample prior to solidification. Then the dendritic structure and surface temperature of the recalescing sample were simulated. These simulations revealed a large thermal gradient crossing the sample, which led to an underestimation of the real undercooling for dendritic growth in the bulk volume of the sample. By accounting for this underestimation, we recalculated the dendritic tip velocities in the glass-fluxed nickel melt using a theory of three-dimensional dendritic growth with convection and concluded an improved agreement between experiment and theory.

The anomalously high melting temperature of bilayer ice.

PubMed

Kastelowitz, Noah; Johnston, Jessica C; Molinero, Valeria

2010-03-28

Confinement of water usually depresses its melting temperature. Here we use molecular dynamics simulations to determine the liquid-crystal equilibrium temperature for water confined between parallel hydrophobic or mildly hydrophilic plates as a function of the distance between the surfaces. We find that bilayer ice, an ice polymorph in which the local environment of each water molecule strongly departs from the most stable tetrahedral structure, has the highest melting temperature (T(m)) of the series of l-layer ices. The melting temperature of bilayer ice is not only unusually high compared to the other confined ices, but also above the melting point of bulk hexagonal ice. Recent force microscopy experiments of water confined between graphite and a tungsten tip reveal the formation of ice at room temperature [K. B. Jinesh and J. W. M. Frenken, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 036101 (2008)]. Our results suggest that bilayer ice, for which we compute a T(m) as high as 310 K in hydrophobic confinement, is the crystal formed in those experiments.

Using Apatite to Model Chlorine Contents of High SiO2 Magmas: An Enhanced Methodological Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flesch, R.; Webster, J. D.; Nadeau, P. A.

2015-12-01

Hydrothermal experiments were conducted on high-silica (73-75 wt% SiO2), fluid-saturated melts at 844-862°C and ca. 50 MPa using crushed glass of the Los Posos rhyolite. Water and salts including NaCl, KCl, Ca(OH)2, and CaHPO4 and HCl were added proportionally to the experiments to restrict the variability of the aluminosity of the melt. The Durango apatite, which contains 3.53 wt% F and 0.41% Cl, was added as "seeds"<5µm in diameter to stimulate apatite growth during the experiments. Samples were loaded into gold capsules and run in cold-seal pressure vessels for durations of 286-1008 hours. Temperature was cycled at ±20˚C to promote apatite crystallization. Electron microprobe analyses of run-product glasses and embedded apatite grains support calculation of a range of partition coefficients ( = wt% Cl in apatite/wt% Cl in melt) of 4.7 to 15.9. The mole fraction of Cl in experimental apatites, or XCl, ranges from 0.19 to 0.56, while XF ranges from 0.08 to 0.63. The computed values for XOH range from 0.24 to 0.38. We find that normalizing XCl to XOH of apatites dramatically improves the precision when using apatite compositions to model Cl contents of melts. We compare our Los Posos rhyolite experiments with published data on 50 MPa rhyodacite experiments and find that Cl partitioning is significantly different in each system. Given the importance of chlorine in fluid equilibria, ore transport, and magma evolution, applications of apatite as a proxy for Cl contents in melts are unbounded. It is found that in order to accurately use the volatile composition of natural and synthetic apatites to calculate the volatile composition of melts in felsic systems, several chemical factors, including wt% SiO2 and the aluminosity/alkalinity of melts, should be incorporated as parameters to enhance relevant modeling. This allows geochemists to place better constraints on processes associated with crystallizing Cl-bearing magmatic systems.

High-velocity frictional properties of chert in the Jurassic accretionary complex, central Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motohashi, G.; Oohashi, K.; Ujiie, K.

2017-12-01

Chert is one of the main components in accretionary complexes. Previous friction experiments on quartz-rich rocks at slip rates of 0.1-100 mm/s revealed that fault weakening was caused by a thixotropic behavior of silica gel [Goldsby and Tullis, 2002; Di Toro et al., 2004; Hayashi and Tsutsumi, 2010]. We conducted high-velocity friction experiments on chert at a slip rate of 1.3 m/s and normal stresses of 5-13 MPa under room humidity conditions and examined the resultant microstructures. During experiments, temperatures were measured using a high-resolution infrared thermal-imaging camera, and the process of shearing was monitored by a digital video camera. The samples for experiments were collected from the host rock (gray chert) of the thrust fault in the Jurassic accretionary complex, central Japan. Experimental data indicated that slip strengthening occurred after first slip weakening. This was followed by second slip weakening toward a steady-state friction, with maximum temperature being less than 1200 °C. The melt patches developed during slip strengthening, while the growth of melt layer was recognized during and after second slip weakening. The melt patches included little chert fragments, and the color of the chert surrounding melt patches was changed to dark, possibly representing thermal alteration of quartz grains. After second slip weakening, the volume fraction of chert fragments in the melt layer increased, and the chert fragments and the wall rocks adjacent to the melt layer were intensely cracked. These features indicated that the growth of melt layer was accompanied by the incorporation of cracked wall rocks, suggesting that off-fault damage may be linked to the slip behavior during and after second slip weakening. Goldsby, D. L., T. E. Tullis (2002), Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(17), 1844. Di Toro, G., D. L. Goldsby, T. E. Tullis (2004), Nature, 427, 436-439. Hayashi, N., A. Tsutsumi (2010), Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L12305.

Interaction of peridotite with Ca-rich carbonatite melt at 3.1 and 6.5 GPa: Implication for merwinite formation in upper mantle, and for the metasomatic origin of sublithospheric diamonds with Ca-rich suite of inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharygin, Igor S.; Shatskiy, Anton; Litasov, Konstantin D.; Golovin, Alexander V.; Ohtani, Eiji; Pokhilenko, Nikolay P.

2018-03-01

We performed an experimental study, designed to reproduce the formation of an unusual merwinite + olivine-bearing mantle assemblage recently described as a part of a Ca-rich suite of inclusions in sublithospheric diamonds, through the interaction of peridotite with an alkali-rich Ca-carbonatite melt, derived from deeply subducted oceanic crust. In the first set of experiments, we studied the reaction between powdered Mg-silicates, olivine and orthopyroxene, and a model Ca-carbonate melt (molar Na:K:Ca = 1:1:2), in a homogeneous mixture, at 3.1 and 6.5 GPa. In these equilibration experiments, we observed the formation of a merwinite + olivine-bearing assemblage at 3.1 GPa and 1200 °C and at 6.5 GPa and 1300-1400 °C. The melts coexisting with this assemblage have a low Si and high Ca content (Ca# = molar 100 × Ca/(Ca + Mg) > 0.57). In the second set of experiments, we investigated reaction rims produced by interaction of the same Ca-carbonate melt (molar Na:K:Ca = 1:1:2) with Mg-silicate, olivine and orthopyroxene, single crystals at 3.1 GPa and 1300 °C and at 6.5 GPa and 1400 °C. The interaction of the Ca-carbonate melt with olivine leads to merwinite formation through the expected reaction: 2Mg2SiO4 (olivine) + 6CaCO3 (liquid) = Ca3MgSi2O8 (merwinite) + 3CaMg(CO3)2 (liquid). Thus, our experiments confirm the idea that merwinite in the upper mantle may originate via interaction of peridotite with Ca-rich carbonatite melt, and that diamonds hosting merwinite may have a metasomatic origin. It is remarkable that the interaction of the Ca-carbonate melt with orthopyroxene crystals does not produce merwinite both at 3.1 and 6.5 GPa. This indicates that olivine grain boundaries are preferable for merwinite formation in the upper mantle.

Results from ISOMIP+ and MISOMIP1, two interrelated marine ice sheet and ocean model intercomparison projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asay-Davis, X.; Galton-Fenzi, B.; Gwyther, D.; Jourdain, N.; Martin, D. F.; Nakayama, Y.; Seroussi, H. L.

2016-12-01

MISMIP+ (the third Marine Ice Sheet MIP), ISOMIP+ (the second Ice Shelf-Ocean MIP) and MISOMIP1 (the first Marine Ice Sheet-Ocean MIP) prescribe a set of idealized experiments for marine ice-sheet models, ocean models with ice-shelf cavities, and coupled ice sheet-ocean models, respectively. Here, we present results from ISOMIP+ and MISOMIP1 experiments using several ocean-only and coupled ice sheet-ocean models. Among the ocean models, we show that differences in model behavior are significant enough that similar results can only be achieved by tuning model parameters (the heat- and salt-transfer coefficients across the sub-ice-shelf boundary layer) for each model. This tuning is constrained by a desired mean melt rate in quasi-steady state under specified forcing conditions, akin to tuning the models to match observed melt rates. We compare the evolution of ocean temperature transects, melt rate, friction velocity and thermal driving between ocean models for the five ISOMIP+ experiments (Ocean0-4), which have prescribed ice-shelf topography. We find that melt patterns differ between models based on the relative importance of overturning strength and vertical mixing of temperature even when the models have been tuned to achieve similar melt rates near the grounding line. For the two MISOMIP1 experiments (IceOcean1 without dynamic calving and IceOcean2 with a simple calving parameterization), we compare temperature transects, melt rate, ice-shelf topography and grounded area across models and for several model configurations. Consistent with preliminary results from MISMIP+, we find that for a given coupled model, the use of a Coulomb-limited basal friction parameterization below grounded ice and the application of dynamic calving both significantly increase the rate of grounding-line retreat, whereas the rate of retreat appears to be less sensitive to the ice stress approximation (shallow-shelf approximation, higher-order, etc.). We show that models with similar mean melt rates, stress approximations and basal friction parameterizations produce markedly different rates of grounding-line retreat, and we investigate possible sources of these disparities (e.g. differences in coupling strategy or melt distribution).

The Effect of fO2 on Partition Coefficients of U and Th between Garnet and Silicate Melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, F.; He, Z.; Schmidt, M. W.; Li, Q.

2014-12-01

Garnet is one of the most important minerals controlling partitioning of U and Th in the upper mantle. U is redox sensitive, while Th is tetra-valent at redox conditions of the silicate Earth. U-series disequilibria have provided a unique tool to constrain the time-scales and processes of magmatism at convergent margins. Variation of garnet/meltDU/Th with fO2 is critical to understand U-series disequilibria in arc lavas. However, there is still no systematic experimental study about the effect of fO2 on partitioning of U and Th between garnet and melt. Here we present experiments on partitioning of U, Th, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, and REE between garnet and silicate melts at various fO2. The starting material was hydrous haplo-basalt. The piston cylinder experiments were performed with Pt double capsules with C-CO, MnO-Mn3O4 (MM), and hematite-magnetite (HM) buffers at 3 GPa and 1185-1230 oC. The experiments produced garnets with diameters > 50μm and quenched melt. Major elements were measured by EMPA at ETH Zurich. Trace elements were determined using LA-ICP-MS at Northwestern University (Xi'an, China) and SIMS (Cameca1280 at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Beijing, China), producing consistent partition coefficient data for U and Th. With fO2 increasing from CCO to MM and HM, garnet/meltDU decreases from 0.041 to 0.005, while garnet/meltDTh ranges from 0.003 to 0.007 without correlation with fO2. Notably, garnet/meltDTh/U increases from 0.136 at CCO to 0.41 at HM. Our results indicate that U is still more compatible than Th in garnet even at the highest fO2 considered for the subarc mantle wedge (~NNO). Therefore, we predict that if garnet is the dominant phase controlling U-Th partitioning during melting of the mantle wedge, melts would still have 230Th excess over 238U. This explains why most young continental arc lavas have 230Th excess. If clinopyroxene is the dominant residual phase during mantle melting, U could be more incompatible than Th at high fO2 because increasing fO2 can increase clinopyroxene/meltDTh/U by more than two magnitudes (Lundstrom et al. 1994). In this case, in-growth melting of the mantle can produce 238U excess over 230Th observed in the oceanic arc lavas.

Image analysis of speckle patterns as a probe of melting transitions in laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments.

PubMed

Salem, Ran; Matityahu, Shlomi; Melchior, Aviva; Nikolaevsky, Mark; Noked, Ori; Sterer, Eran

2015-09-01

The precision of melting curve measurements using laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) is largely limited by the correct and reliable determination of the onset of melting. We present a novel image analysis of speckle interference patterns in the LHDAC as a way to define quantitative measures which enable an objective determination of the melting transition. Combined with our low-temperature customized IR pyrometer, designed for measurements down to 500 K, our setup allows studying the melting curve of materials with low melting temperatures, with relatively high precision. As an application, the melting curve of Te was measured up to 35 GPa. The results are found to be in good agreement with previous data obtained at pressures up to 10 GPa.

Generation of alkaline magmas in subduction zones by melting of mélange diapirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz-Uribe, A. M.; Marschall, H.; Gaetani, G. A.; Le Roux, V.

2016-12-01

Alkaline lavas occur globally in subduction-related volcanic arcs. Existing explanations for the occurrence of alkaline lavas in volcanic arcs invoke at least one - and in some cases multiple - `metasomatic' events in addition to the traditional three-component mixing of altered oceanic crust (AOC), sediment melt, and depleted mantle, in order to explain the range of rock types found in a given region. These multi-stage models posit the existence of metasomatized mantle wedge peridotite containing phlogopite or amphibole-enriched veins, which partially melt when fluxed by the addition of materials from the subducted slab. The mélange diapir model is informed by observations and modeling of the subduction side of the arc system, and predicts the generation of alkaline arc magmas by advection of buoyant material from the slab-wedge interface into the mantle wedge below arcs. Here we report results from experiments in which natural mélange materials partially melted at upper mantle conditions were found to produce alkaline magmas compositionally similar to those found in arcs worldwide. The starting material for our experiments is a chlorite-omphacite fels (SY400) from the island of Syros, Greece, that is representative of a hybrid rock containing AOC, sediment, and mantle components. Melting experiments were performed using a piston cylinder apparatus at conditions relevant to the heating-decompression path of mélange diapirs (1000-1300 °C, 1.5-2.5 GPa). The compositions of experimentally produced melts range from 51-61 wt% SiO2, and fall within the trachyte and tephrite-phonolite series (7.5-12.9 wt% Na2O+K2O). Restitic phases in equilibrium with melt include clinopyroxene, garnet (at high P), phlogopite (at high P), amphibole, olivine, rutile, and ilmenite. Partial melts produced in our experiments have trace-element abundance patterns that are typical of alkaline arc lavas, such as enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (Cs, Rb, Ba, Pb, Sr) and alkalis (K and Na), and depletion in Nb and Ta. The presence of a light rare earth element (LREE)-bearing accessory phase results in trace element fractionation by a factor of 4.2 for Nd/Hf and 2.6 for Sr/Nd. Melting of mélange diapirs provides a simple, single-stage model for the origin of alkaline magmatism in the arc and backarc regions of subduction zones.

Modelling the seismic properties of fast-spreading ridge crustal Low-Velocity Zones: insights from Oman gabbro textures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamoureux, Gwenaëlle; Ildefonse, Benoı̂t; Mainprice, David

1999-11-01

Although considerable progress has been made in the study of fast-spreading, mid-ocean ridge magma chambers over the past fifteen years, the fraction of melt present in the chamber remains poorly constrained and controversial. We present new constraints obtained by modelling the seismic properties of partially molten gabbros at the ridge axis. P-wave velocities at low frequencies are calculated in the foliation/lineation reference frame using a differential effective medium technique. The model takes into account the lattice preferred orientation of the crystalline phase and the average shape of the melt phase. The structural parameters are obtained from the Oman ophiolite. The structural reference frame is given by the general trend of the gabbro foliation and the melt fraction and shape are estimated using the textures of nine upper gabbro samples. The estimated melt fraction and shape depend on the assumptions regarding which part of the observed textures represent the melt in the gabbroic mush of the magma chamber. However, we can put limits on the reasonable values for the melt fraction and shape. Our results are consistent with a melt fraction of the order of 10 to 20% in the Low-Velocity Zone (i.e. the magma chamber), which is anisotropically distributed with the melt pockets preferentially aligned parallel to the foliation and approximated by oblate ellipsoids with approximate dimensions of 4 : 4 : 1. These results are also consistent with the seismic structure of the East Pacific rise at 9°30'. The anisotropic melt distribution can, at least partially, explain the vertical velocity gradient described in the LVZ.

Flash melting of tantalum in a diamond cell to 85 GPa

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karandikar, Amol; Boehler, Reinhard

2016-02-09

Here, we demonstrate a new level of precision in measuring melting temperatures at high pressure using laser flash-heating followed by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Focused Ion Beam Milling. Furthermore, the new measurements on tantalum put unprecedented constraints on its highly debated melting slope, calling for a reevaluation of theoretical, shock compression and diamond cell approaches to determine melting at high pressure. X-ray analysis of the recovered samples confirmed the absence of chemical reactions, which likely played a significant role in previous experiments.

Alloy Development, Processing and Characterization of Devitrified Titanium Base Microcrystalline Alloys.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

quench rates (10V 10V [/sec). Since the heat transport and temperature profile of Ti melt in the cold copper crucible are not well known, melting...experiments in a cold copper crucible by arc heating were conducted using Ti-6.3Si alloy. The temperature measurement at both the surface and the bottom of the...melt spinning compart- ment B, and ribbon processing chamber C. The pre-melted alloy ingot is . - " charged directly into a cold copper crucible while

The synergy of modeling and novel experiments for melt crystal growth research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derby, Jeffrey J.

2018-05-01

Computational modeling and novel experiments, when performed together, can enable the identification of new, fundamental mechanisms important for the growth of bulk crystals from the melt. In this paper, we present a compelling example of this synergy via the discovery of previously unascertained physical mechanisms that govern the engulfment of silicon carbide particles during the growth of crystalline silicon.

Quasi-equilibrium melting of quartzite upon extreme friction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sung Keun; Han, Raehee; Kim, Eun Jeong; Jeong, Gi Young; Khim, Hoon; Hirose, Takehiro

2017-06-01

The friction on fault planes that controls how rocks slide during earthquakes decreases significantly as a result of complex fault-lubrication processes involving frictional melting. Fault friction has been characterized in terms of the preferential melting of minerals with low melting points--so-called disequilibrium melting. Quartz, which has a high melting temperature of about 1,726 °C and is a major component of crustal rocks, is not expected to melt often during seismic slip. Here we use high-velocity friction experiments on quartzite to show that quartz can melt at temperatures of 1,350 to 1,500 °C. This implies that quartz within a fault plane undergoing rapid friction sliding could melt at substantially lower temperatures than expected. We suggest that depression of the melting temperature is caused by the preferential melting of ultra-fine particles and metastable melting of β-quartz at about 1,400 °C during extreme frictional slip. The results for quartzite are applicable to complex rocks because of the observed prevalence of dynamic grain fragmentation, the preferential melting of smaller grains and the kinetic preference of β-quartz formation during frictional sliding. We postulate that frictional melting of quartz on a fault plane at temperatures substantially below the melting temperature could facilitate slip-weakening and lead to large earthquakes.

An experimental study of hydromagmatic fragmentation through energetic, non-explosive magma-water mixing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mastin, L.G.; Spieler, O.; Downey, W.S.

2009-01-01

In this paper we report the first experimental investigation of non-explosive hydromagmatic fragmentation during energetic mixing with water. We mix magma and water by two methods: (1) pouring a basaltic melt between two converging water sprays; and (2) jetting basaltic melt at high pressure (3??MPa) through a nozzle into a tank of stagnant water. These experiments involved shear at relative velocities of ~ 5-16??m/s and vigorous mixing for less than a second, providing sufficient time for glassy rinds to grow but insufficient time for clot interiors to cool. In resulting fragments, we examined the gross morphology, which reflects fluid deformation during mixing, and surface textures, which reflect the growth and disruption of glassy rinds. We find major differences in both fragment morphology and surface texture between experiments. Water-spray experiments produced Pele's hair, thin bubble shards, melt droplets, and angular, fracture-bound droplet pieces. Melt-jet experiments produced mostly coarse (> 1??mm diameter), wavy fluidal fragments with broken ends. Fluidal surfaces of fragments produced by water-spray experiments were generally shiny under reflected light and, in microscopic examination, smooth down to micron scale, implying no disruption of glassy rinds, except for (a) rare flaking on Pele's hair that was bent prior to solidification; or (b) cracking and alligator-skin textures on segments of melt balls that had expanded before complete cooling. In contrast, textures of fluidal surfaces on fragments produced by melt-jet experiments are dull in reflected light and, in scanning electron images, exhibit ubiquitous discontinuous skins ("rinds") that are flaked, peeled, or smeared away in stripes. Adhering to these surfaces are flakes, blocks, and blobs of detached material microns to tens of microns in diameter. In the water-spray fragments, we interpret the scarcity of disrupted surface rinds to result from lack of bending after surfaces formed. In the melt-jet fragments, the ubiquity of partially detached rinds and rind debris likely reflects repeated bending, scraping, impact, and other disruption through turbulent velocity fluctuations. When extrapolated to jets of Surtseyan scale, where velocity fluctuations reach tens of meters per second and turbulent mixing persists for tens of seconds, rind disintegration could fragment a large fraction of the erupted material.

Experimental Investigation on the Topotaxy of Sulfide and Silicate Melts in Peridotite: Implications for the Origin of PGE-depleted Cu-Ni Sulfide Deposit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z.; Zhang, J.; Jin, Z.

2016-12-01

Cu-Ni sulfide deposit is generally considered partial melt originated from the mantle which is usually PGE-enriched. However, the largest Cu-Ni sulfide deposits of China (the Jinchuan Cu-Ni deposit) is PGE-depleted. Comparing to silicate melt, the nature and topotaxy of sulfide melt have remained poorly understood. Here we report experimental investigation on the topotaxy of sulfide and silicate melts in peridotite using a piston-cylinder press and a 5GPa Griggs-type deformation apparatus. The starting material consists of polycrystalline olivine or pyrolite and 1 wt% Fe-Ni-Cu sulfide. Hydrostatic and deformation experiments were conducted at a pressure of 1.5 GPa and a temperature of 1250°. Under hydrostatic conditions, our results reveal that the apparent dihedral angle of sulfide melt in an olivine matrix( 96°) is much larger than that of silicate + sulfide melt in pyrolite(<60°) under hydrostatic conditions. The sulfide melt pockets appear mostly as blobs in triple junctions with an immiscible Ni-poor center surrounded by a Ni-rich layer. Under deformation conditions, olivine develops pronounced fabrics with the pole of the (010) forming high concentrations approximately normal to the foliation plane and the [100] axes forming a girdle in the foliation plane. EBSD phase mapping analyses reveal strong shape preferred orientations (SPO) of sulfide +silicate melt in the 45, 90, 135 degree directions for deformation experiments indicating complete wetting of grain boundaries and forming a favorable source for ore deposits. Deformation also causes mixing of the Ni-rich and the Ni-poor sulfide melts. As the platinum-group elements(PGE) prefer to concentrate in the Ni-rich sulfide melt at high temperatures, our results suggest that the metallogenetic source of the PGE-depleted Cu-Ni deposits may have formed under relatively intense deformation and low temperatures with a small fraction of mixed sulfide and silicate melts.

The melting curve of Ni to 1 Mbar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lord, Oliver T.; Wood, Ian G.; Dobson, David P.; Vočadlo, Lidunka; Wang, Weiwei; Thomson, Andrew R.; Wann, Elizabeth T. H.; Morard, Guillaume; Mezouar, Mohamed; Walter, Michael J.

2014-12-01

The melting curve of Ni has been determined to 125 GPa using laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC) experiments in which two melting criteria were used: firstly, the appearance of liquid diffuse scattering (LDS) during in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and secondly, plateaux in temperature vs. laser power functions in both in situ and off-line experiments. Our new melting curve, defined by a Simon-Glatzel fit to the data where TM (K) = [ (PM/18.78 ± 10.20 + 1) ]1/2.42 ± 0.66 × 1726, is in good agreement with the majority of the theoretical studies on Ni melting and matches closely the available shock wave melting data. It is however dramatically steeper than the previous off-line LH-DAC studies in which determination of melting was based on the visual observation of motion aided by the laser speckle method. We estimate the melting point (TM) of Ni at the inner-core boundary (ICB) pressure of 330 GPa to be TM = 5800 ± 700 K (2 σ), within error of the value for Fe of TM = 6230 ± 500 K determined in a recent in situ LH-DAC study by similar methods to those employed here. This similarity suggests that the alloying of 5-10 wt.% Ni with the Fe-rich core alloy is unlikely to have any significant effect on the temperature of the ICB, though this is dependent on the details of the topology of the Fe-Ni binary phase diagram at core pressures. Our melting temperature for Ni at 330 GPa is ∼2500 K higher than that found in previous experimental studies employing the laser speckle method. We find that those earlier melting curves coincide with the onset of rapid sub-solidus recrystallization, suggesting that visual observations of motion may have misinterpreted dynamic recrystallization as convective motion of a melt. This finding has significant implications for our understanding of the high-pressure melting behaviour of a number of other transition metals.

Temperature and composition dependencies of trace element partitioning - Olivine/melt and low-Ca pyroxene/melt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colson, R. O.; Mckay, G. A.; Taylor, L. A.

1988-01-01

This paper presents a systematic thermodynamic analysis of the effects of temperature and composition on olivine/melt and low-Ca pyroxene/melt partitioning. Experiments were conducted in several synthetic basalts with a wide range of Fe/Mg, determining partition coefficients for Eu, Ca, Mn, Fe, Ni, Sm, Cd, Y, Yb, Sc, Al, Zr, and Ti and modeling accurately the changes in free energy for trace element exchange between crystal and melt as functions of the trace element size and charge. On the basis of this model, partition coefficients for olivine/melt and low-Ca pyroxene/melt can be predicted for a wide range of elements over a variety of basaltic bulk compositions and temperatures. Moreover, variations in partition coeffeicients during crystallization or melting can be modeled on the basis of changes in temperature and major element chemistry.

Micro- and nano-CT textural analysis of an experimental volcanic fulgurite.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cimarelli, Corrado; Yilmaz, Tim; Colombier, Mathieu; Villanova, Julie; Höfer, Lucas; Hess, Kai-Uwe; Ruthensteiner, Bernhard; Dingwell, Donald

2017-04-01

Fulgurites are natural glasses formed by cloud to ground lightning discharges causing rapid heating into rocks or unconsolidated sediments. Volcanic lightning can determine the re-melting and even ablation of newly formed or just deposited volcanic tephra during explosive eruptions. In this case the pristine material is already constituted by glass that can be further modified by the discharge. Although volcanic lightning discharges are generally less energetic than those produced by thunderclouds, the high temperatures reached by the lightning channel are well in excess of the low melting temperature of glass material. Here we have experimentally reproduced a fulgurite by single impulse voltage discharges (134 kV, 331 A, 10.5 J) on a target glass material. We have chosen borosilicate glass fibers (180 microns nominal length) as starting material to better account for the structural and chemical modification of the single particles after discharge-melting. The structure of the small fulgurite is best resolved through X-ray micro- and nano-computed tomography. Micro-CT analysis was carried out on a phoenix nanotom m with a voxelsize of 1 µm3. Additionally a 3D reconstruction with a voxel size of 150 nm3 has been analyzed at the new nano-analysis beamline ID16B at the ESRF. 3D analysis was carried out using Avizo 9.2 software, which allows non-destructive analysis of the fragile structure of the sample. The sample shows the channel-like structure typical for natural fulgurites with an inner void channel and internal wall constituted by the melted fibers. About 33% of the total solid volume of the fulgurite is melted to form the inner wall. The inner wall is characterized by nano- to micro-metric vesicles determined by volatile exsolution (mainly H2O) during the instantaneous heating and trapped in the low viscosity melt by the subsequent rapid quenching. Progressively outward the fulgurite shows the intricate delicate structure of the pristine glass fibers. Our results demonstrate that structural and chemical alteration of low viscosity glass material is possible by small impulse discharges with relatively low currents, thus reproducing a plausible scenario for electrical discharges during volcanic eruptions. Our experiment opens the opportunity for systematic constrained experimental investigation of the modification induced by volcanic lightning on tephra.

Self diffusion of alkaline-Earth in Ca-Mg-aluminosilicate melts: Experimental improvements on the determination of the self-diffusion coefficients

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paillat, O.; Wasserburg, G. J.

1993-01-01

Experimental studies of self-diffusion isotopes in silicate melts often have quite large uncertainties when comparing one study to another. We designed an experiment in order to improve the precision of the results by simultaneously studying several elements (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) during the same experiment thereby greatly reducing the relative experimental uncertainties. Results show that the uncertainties on the diffusion coefficients can be reduced to 10 percent, allowing a more reliable comparison of differences of self-diffusion coefficients of the elements. This type of experiment permits us to study precisely and simultaneously several elements with no restriction on any element. We also designed an experiment to investigate the possible effects of multicomponent diffusion during Mg self-diffusion experiments by comparing cases where the concentrations of the elements and the isotopic compositions are different. The results suggest that there are differences between the effective means of transport. This approach should allow us to investigate the importance of multicomponent diffusion in silicate melts.

Experiments on Suppression of Thermocapillary Oscillations in Sodium Nitrate Floating Half-Zones by High-frequency End-wall Vibrations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anilkumar, A.; Grugel, R. N.; Bhowmick, J.; Wang, T.

2004-01-01

Experiments to suppress thermocapillary oscillations using high-frequency vibrations were carried out in sodium nitrate floating half-zones. Such a half-zone is formed by melting one end of a vertically held sodium nitrate crystal rod in contact with a hot surface at the top. Thermocapillary convection occurs in the melt because of the temperature gradient at the free surface of the melt. In the experiments, when thermocapillary oscillations occurred, the bottom end of the crystal rod was vibrated at a high frequency to generate a streaming flow in a direction opposite to that of the thermocapillary convection. It is observed that, by generating a sufficiently strong streaming flow, the thermocapillary flow can be offset enough such that the associated thermocapillary oscillations can be quenched.

Space- and Ground-Based Crystal Growth Using a Baffle (CGB)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ostrogorsky, A. G.; Marin, C.; Peignier, T.; Duffar, T.; Volz, M.; Jeter, L.; Luz, P.

2001-01-01

The composition of semiconductor crystals produced in space by conventional melt-growth processes (directional solidification and zone melting) is affected by minute levels of residual micro-acceleration, which causes natural convection. The residual acceleration has random magnitude, direction and frequency. Therefore, the velocity field in the melt is apriori unpredictable. As a result, the composition of the crystals grown in space can not be predicted and reproduced. The method for directional solidification with a submerged heater or a baffle was developed under NASA sponsorship. The disk-shaped baffle acts as a partition, creating a small melt zone at the solid-liquid interface. As a result, in ground based experiment the level of buoyancy-driven convection at the interface is significantly reduced. In several experiments with Te-doped GaSb, nearly diffusion controlled segregation was achieved.

Frictional melt and seismic slip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nielsen, S.; di Toro, G.; Hirose, T.; Shimamoto, T.

2008-01-01

Frictional melt is implied in a variety of processes such as seismic slip, ice skating, and meteorite combustion. A steady state can be reached when melt is continuously produced and extruded from the sliding interface, as shown recently in a number of laboratory rock friction experiments. A thin, low-viscosity, high-temperature melt layer is formed resulting in low shear resistance. A theoretical solution describing the coupling of shear heating, thermal diffusion, and extrusion is obtained, without imposing a priori the melt thickness. The steady state shear traction can be approximated at high slip rates by the theoretical form τss = σn1/4 (A/?) ? under a normal stress σn, slip rate V, radius of contact area R (A is a dimensional normalizing factor and W is a characteristic rate). Although the model offers a rather simplified view of a complex process, the predictions are compatible with experimental observations. In particular, we consider laboratory simulations of seismic slip on earthquake faults. A series of high-velocity rotary shear experiments on rocks, performed for σn in the range 1-20 MPa and slip rates in the range 0.5-2 m s-1, is confronted to the theoretical model. The behavior is reasonably well reproduced, though the effect of radiation loss taking place in the experiment somewhat alters the data. The scaling of friction with σn, R, and V in the presence of melt suggests that extrapolation of laboratory measures to real Earth is a highly nonlinear, nontrivial exercise.

Melting behavior of mixed U-Pu oxides under oxidizing conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strach, Michal; Manara, Dario; Belin, Renaud C.; Rogez, Jacques

2016-05-01

In order to use mixed U-Pu oxide ceramics in present and future nuclear reactors, their physical and chemical properties need to be well determined. The behavior of stoichiometric (U,Pu)O2 compounds is relatively well understood, but the effects of oxygen stoichiometry on the fuel performance and stability are often still obscure. In the present work, a series of laser melting experiments were carried out to determine the impact of an oxidizing atmosphere, and in consequence the departure from a stoichiometric composition on the melting behavior of six mixed uranium plutonium oxides with Pu content ranging from 14 to 62 wt%. The starting materials were disks cut from sintered stoichiometric pellets. For each composition we have performed two laser melting experiments in pressurized air, each consisting of four shots of different duration and intensity. During the experiments we recorded the temperature at the surface of the sample with a pyrometer. Phase transitions were qualitatively identified with the help of a reflected blue laser. The observed phase transitions occur at a systematically lower temperature, the lower the Pu content of the studied sample. It is consistent with the fact that uranium dioxide is easily oxidized at elevated temperatures, forming chemical species rich in oxygen, which melt at a lower temperature and are more volatile. To our knowledge this campaign is a first attempt to quantitatively determine the effect of O/M on the melting temperature of MOX.

Melting relations in the system FeCO3-MgCO3 and thermodynamic modelling of Fe-Mg carbonate melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Nathan; Schmidt, Max W.; Poli, Stefano; Connolly, James A. D.; Franzolin, Ettore

2016-09-01

To constrain the thermodynamics and melting relations of the siderite-magnesite (FeCO3-MgCO3) system, 27 piston cylinder experiments were conducted at 3.5 GPa and 1170-1575 °C. Fe-rich compositions were also investigated with 13 multi-anvil experiments at 10, 13.6 and 20 GPa, 1500-1890 °C. At 3.5 GPa, the solid solution siderite-magnesite coexists with melt over a compositional range of X Mg (=Mg/(Mg + Fetot)) = 0.38-1.0, while at ≥10 GPa solid solution appears to be complete. At 3.5 GPa, the system is pseudo-binary because of the limited stability of siderite or liquid FeCO3, Fe-rich carbonates decomposing at subsolidus conditions to magnetite-magnesioferrite solid solution, graphite and CO2. Similar reactions also occur with liquid FeCO3 resulting in melt species with ferric iron components, but the decomposition of the liquid decreases in importance with pressure. At 3.5 GPa, the metastable melting temperature of pure siderite is located at 1264 °C, whereas pure magnesite melts at 1629 °C. The melting loop is non-ideal on the Fe side where the dissociation reaction resulting in Fe3+ in the melt depresses melting temperatures and causes a minimum. Over the pressure range of 3.5-20 GPa, this minimum is 20-35 °C lower than the (metastable) siderite melting temperature. By merging all present and previous experimental data, standard state (298.15 K, 1 bar) thermodynamic properties of the magnesite melt (MgCO3L) end member are calculated and the properties of (Fe,Mg)CO3 melt fit by a regular solution model with an interaction parameter of -7600 J/mol. The solution model reproduces the asymmetric melting loop and predicts the thermal minimum at 1240 °C near the siderite side at X Mg = 0.2 (3.5 GPa). The solution model is applicable to pressures reaching to the bottom of the upper mantle and allows calculation of phase relations in the FeO-MgO-O2-C system.

Some physical aspects of fluid-fluxed melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patiño Douce, A.

2012-04-01

Fluid-fluxed melting is thought to play a crucial role in the origin of many terrestrial magmas. We can visualize the fundamental physics of the process as follows. An infinitesimal amount of fluid infiltrates dry rock at the temperature of its dry solidus. In order to restore equilibrium the temperature must drop, so that enthalpy is released and immediately reabsorbed as enthalpy of melting. The amount of melt produced must be such that the energy balance and thermodynamic equilibrium conditions are simultaneously satisfied. We wish to understand how an initially dry rock melts in response to progressive fluid infiltration, under both batch and fractional melting constraints. The simplest physical model for this process is a binary system in which one of the components makes up a pure solid phase and the other component a pure fluid phase, and in which a binary melt phase exists over certain temperature range. Melting point depression is calculated under the assumption of ideal mixing. The equations of energy balance and thermodynamic equilibrium are solved simultaneously for temperature and melt fraction, using an iterative procedure that allows addition of fluid in infinitesimal increments. Batch melting and fractional melting are simulated by allowing successive melt increments to remain in the system (batch) or not (fractional). Despite their simplified nature, these calculations reveal some important aspects of fluid-fluxed melting. The model confirms that, if the solubility of the fluid in the melt is sufficiently high, fluid fluxed melting is an efficient mechanism of magma generation. One might expect that the temperature of the infiltrating fluid would have a significant effect on melt productivity, but the results of the calculations show this not to be the case, because a relatively small mass of low molecular weight fluid has a strong effect on the melting point of minerals with much higher molecular weights. The calculations reveal the somewhat surprising result that fluid infiltration produces more melt during fractional melting than during batch melting. This behavior, which is opposite to that of decompression melting of a dry solid, arises because the melting point depression effect of the added fluid is greater during fractional melting than during batch melting, which results in a greater release of enthalpy and, therefore, greater melt production for fractional melting than for batch melting, for the same total amount of fluid added. The difference may be considerable. As an example, suppose that 0.1 mols of H2O infiltrate 1 mol or silicate rock. Depending on the rock composition this may corresponds to ˜ 1 wt% H2O. For a given choice of model parameters (initial temperature, heat capacity and entropy of fusion), about 28% of the rock melts during fractional melting, versus some 23 % during batch melting. Fluid fluxing is a robust process of melt generation, without which magmatism at Earth's convergent plate margins would be impossible.

In situ observations of bubble growth in basaltic, andesitic and rhyodacitic melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masotta, M.; Ni, H.; Keppler, H.

2014-02-01

Bubble growth strongly affects the physical properties of degassing magmas and their eruption dynamics. Natural samples and products from quench experiments provide only a snapshot of the final state of volatile exsolution, leaving the processes occurring during its early stages unconstrained. In order to fill this gap, we present in situ high-temperature observations of bubble growth in magmas of different compositions (basalt, andesite and rhyodacite) at 1,100 to 1,240 °C and 0.1 MPa (1 bar), obtained using a moissanite cell apparatus. The data show that nucleation occurs at very small degrees of supersaturaturation (<60 MPa in basalt and andesite, 200 MPa in rhyodacite), probably due to heterogeneous nucleation of bubbles occurring simultaneously with the nucleation of crystals. During the early stages of exsolution, melt degassing is the driving mechanism of bubble growth, with coalescence becoming increasingly important as exsolution progresses. Ostwald ripening occurs only at the end of the process and only in basaltic melt. The average bubble growth rate ( G R) ranges from 3.4 × 10-6 to 5.2 × 10-7 mm/s, with basalt and andesite showing faster growth rates than rhyodacite. The bubble number density ( N B) at nucleation ranges from 7.9 × 104 mm-3 to 1.8 × 105 mm-3 and decreases exponentially over time. While the rhyodacite melt maintained a well-sorted bubble size distribution (BSD) through time, the BSDs of basalt and andesite are much more inhomogeneous. Our experimental observations demonstrate that bubble growth cannot be ascribed to a single mechanism but is rather a combination of many processes, which depend on the physical properties of the melt. Depending on coalescence rate, annealing of bubbles following a single nucleation event can produce complex bubble size distributions. In natural samples, such BSDs may be misinterpreted as resulting from several separate nucleation events. Incipient crystallization upon cooling of a magma may allow bubble nucleation already at very small degrees of supersaturation and could therefore be an important trigger for volatile release and explosive eruptions.

Experimental simulation of the alkali-carbonate metasomatism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorbachev, Nikolay; Kostyuk, Anastasia

2010-05-01

Close association of alkaline and ultrabasic rocks, carbonatites, apatitic and sulfidic mineralization, features of structure testify about mantle a source and the important role alcalic-carbonaceous fluids in genesis of these rocks. Formation alkaline silicate, carbonaceous and sulfidic melts, phase relationship, behaviour of the ti-tan, phosphorus, sulphur and zircon has been experimentally studied at pressure 3.9 GPa, temperature 1250°С in system peridotit-basalt (eclogite)-alcalic-carbonaceous fluid with additives in quality acces-sory minerals, apatite, nickel-containing pyrrhotite, ilmenite, zircon. Experiments were carried out using of apparatus high pressure (piston cilinder and anvil with hole) by a quenching technique. It was used two ampoules (platinum and peridotite, content basalt powder) method. Duration of experiments was 6-8 hours. Products of experiments were studied on electronic scanning microscope Tescan VEGA TS 5130MM with YAG detector of secondary and reflected elec-tron and energy-dispersive the x-ray microanalyzer with semi-conductor Si (Li) detector INCA Energy 350. The morphology, structure and relationship of glass, inclusions of carbonatic and sulfidic globules specify in existence in the conditions of experiment immiscibility silicate, carbonate and sulfidic melts. The composition of silicate melt answered phonolite, carbonaceous melts it is essential calciferous composition with an impurity of alkaline metals and silicate components. Solubility of zircon in silicate melts reached 0.8 wt.% ZrO2, in co-existing carbonaceous melt - 1.5 wt.%. Concentration TiO2 and Р2О5 in silicate melt reached 2 wt.%, in carbonaceous melt - 1.7 wt.% TiO2 and up to 14 wt.% Р2О5. Concentration of sulphur in these melts did not exceed 0.2 мас. %. From minerals of liqudus the main concentrators of the titan and phosphorus were the X-phase and phlogopite - up to 8 wt.% TiO2 and up to 3 wt.% Р2О5 in the X-phase, up to 6 wt. % TiO2 and to 2.5 wt. % Р2О5 in phlogopite. Absence ilmenite and apatite in experimental samples under the studied conditions is obviously caused by their high solubility in co-existing phases. The composition of X-phase is similar to composition of Cpx, but X-phase enrich in TiO2 and de-plete in SiO2 . The partition coefficient of oxides some elements between silicate and carbonaceous melts Dka/si increasing from SiO2 (D<1) to CaO (D>10). Reduction of solubility of apatite in alkaline silicate melt at pressure decline promotes silicate-phosphate stratification and formation of apatite mineralization at introduction of mantle magmas into the earth crust. Supported by grant RFBR № 09-05-01131, ONZ th. 2

Experimental Phase Relations of Hydrous, Primitive Melts: Implications for variably depleted mantle melting in arcs and the generation of primitive high-SiO2 melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, S.; Wallace, P. J.; Johnston, A.

2010-12-01

There has been considerable experimental and theoretical work on how the introduction of H2O-rich fluids into the mantle wedge affects partial melting in arcs and chemical evolution of mantle melts as they migrate through the mantle. Studies aimed at describing these processes have become largely quantitative, with an emphasis on creating models that suitably predict the production and evolution of melts and describe the thermal state of arcs worldwide. A complete experimental data set that explores the P-T conditions of melt generation and subsequent melt extraction is crucial to the development, calibration, and testing of these models. This work adds to that data set by constraining the P-T-H2O conditions of primary melt extraction from two end-member subduction zones, a continental arc (Mexico) and an intraoceanic arc (Aleutians). We present our data in context with primitive melts found worldwide and with other experimental studies of melts produced from fertile and variably depleted mantle sources. Additionally, we compare our experimental results to melt compositions predicted by empirical and thermodynamic models. We used a piston-cylinder apparatus and employed an inverse approach in our experiments, constraining the permissible mantle residues with which our melts could be in equilibrium. We confirmed our inverse approach with forced saturation experiments at the P-T-H2O conditions of melt-mantle equilibration. Our experimental results show that a primitive, basaltic andesite melt (JR-28) from monogenetic cinder cone Volcan Jorullo (Central Mexico) last equilibrated with a harzburgite mantle residue at 1.2-1.4 GPa and 1150-1175°C with H2O contents in the range of 5.5-7 wt% H2O prior to ascent and eruption. Phase relations of a tholeiitic high-MgO basaltic melt (ID-16) from the Central Aleutians (Okmok) show the conditions of last equilibration with a fertile lherzolite mantle residue at shallower (1.2 GPa) but hotter (1275°C) conditions with approximately 2 wt% H2O. Given the estimated crustal thicknesses of these two regions, our data suggest that both samples equilibrate with mantle minerals just below the Moho. Recent viscosity dependent thermal models that account for slab geometry suggest that JR-28 melts last equilibrate with harzburgite in a cooler region of the mantle wedge. In contrast, ID-16 equilibrated with a fertile source near the hotter core of the mantle wedge. Our results support the hypothesis that lherzolite melting (wet or dry) produces essentially basaltic melts, whereas more Si-rich primitive melts require shallow hydrous melting of harzburgite or reequilibration of basaltic melts with harzburgite in the uppermost part of the wedge.

A process for developing and revising a learning progression on sea level rise using learners' explanations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonald, Robert Christopher

The purpose of this study was to explore the process of developing a learning progression (LP) on constructing explanations about sea level rise. I used a learning progressions theoretical framework informed by the situated cognition learning theory. During this exploration, I explicitly described my decision-making process as I developed and revised a hypothetical learning progression. Correspondingly, my research question was: What is a process by which a hypothetical learning progression on sea level rise is developed into an empirical learning progression using learners' explanations? To answer this question, I used a qualitative descriptive single case study with multiple embedded cases (Yin, 2014) that employed analytic induction (Denzin, 1970) to analyze data collected on middle school learners (grades 6-8). Data sources included written artifacts, classroom observations, and semi-structured interviews. Additionally, I kept a researcher journal to track my thinking about the learning progression throughout the research study. Using analytic induction to analyze collected data, I developed eight analytic concepts: participant explanation structures varied widely, global warming and ice melt cause sea level rise, participants held alternative conceptions about sea level rise, participants learned about thermal expansion as a fundamental aspect of sea level rise, participants learned to incorporate authentic scientific data, participants' mental models of the ocean varied widely, sea ice melt contributes to sea level rise, and participants held vague and alternative conceptions about how pollution impacts the ocean. I started with a hypothetical learning progression, gathered empirical data via various sources (especially semi-structured interviews), revised the hypothetical learning progression in response to those data, and ended with an empirical learning progression comprising six levels of learner thinking. As a result of developing an empirically based LP, I was able to compare two learning progressions on the same topic. By comparing my learning progression with the LP in Breslyn, McGinnis, McDonald, and Hestness (2016), I was able to confirm portions of the two learning progressions and explore different possible pathways for learners to achieve progress towards upper anchors of the LPs through targeted instruction. Implications for future LP research, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and policy related to learning progressions are presented.

Fukushima Daiichi unit 1 uncertainty analysis--Preliminary selection of uncertain parameters and analysis methodology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cardoni, Jeffrey N.; Kalinich, Donald A.

2014-02-01

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) plans to conduct uncertainty analyses (UA) on the Fukushima Daiichi unit (1F1) plant with the MELCOR code. The model to be used was developed for a previous accident reconstruction investigation jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). However, that study only examined a handful of various model inputs and boundary conditions, and the predictions yielded only fair agreement with plant data and current release estimates. The goal of this uncertainty study is to perform a focused evaluation of uncertainty in core melt progression behavior and its effect on keymore » figures-of-merit (e.g., hydrogen production, vessel lower head failure, etc.). In preparation for the SNL Fukushima UA work, a scoping study has been completed to identify important core melt progression parameters for the uncertainty analysis. The study also lays out a preliminary UA methodology.« less

A numerical study of zone-melting process for the thermoelectric material of Bi2Te3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, W. C.; Wu, Y. C.; Hwang, W. S.; Hsieh, H. L.; Huang, J. Y.; Huang, T. K.

2015-06-01

In this study, a numerical model has been established by employing a commercial software; ProCAST, to simulate the variation/distribution of temperature and the subsequent microstructure of Bi2Te3 fabricated by zone-melting technique. Then an experiment is conducted to measure the temperature variation/distribution during the zone-melting process to validate the numerical system. Also, the effects of processing parameters on crystallization microstructure such as moving speed and temperature of heater are numerically evaluated. In the experiment, the Bi2Te3 powder are filled into a 30mm diameter quartz cylinder and the heater is set to 800°C with a moving speed 12.5 mm/hr. A thermocouple is inserted in the Bi2Te3 powder to measure the temperature variation/distribution of the zone-melting process. The temperature variation/distribution measured by experiment is compared to the results of numerical simulation. The results show that our model and the experiment are well matched. Then the model is used to evaluate the crystal formation for Bi2Te3 with a 30mm diameter process. It's found that when the moving speed is slower than 17.5 mm/hr, columnar crystal is obtained. In the end, we use this model to predict the crystal formation of zone-melting process for Bi2Te3 with a 45 mm diameter. The results show that it is difficult to grow columnar crystal when the diameter comes to 45mm.

Effects of pH2O, pH2 and fO2 on the Diffusion of H-Bearing Species in Lunar Basalt and an Iron-Free Basaltic Analog at 1 atm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newcombe, M. E.; Beckett, J. R.; Baker, M. B.; Newman, S.; Guan, Y.; Eiler, J. M.; Stolper, E. M.

2016-12-01

We have conducted water diffusion experiments in synthetic Apollo 15 "yellow glass" (LG) and an iron-free basaltic analog melt (AD) at 1 atm and 1350 °C over a range of fO2 conditions from IW-2.2 to IW+6.7 and over a range of pH2/pH2O from nominally zero to 10. The water concentrations measured in our quenched experimental glasses by SIMS and FTIR vary from a few ppm to 430 ppm. Many studies of water diffusion at higher water concentrations indicate that the apparent diffusivity of total water (D*water; see [1]) in silicate melts is highly concentration dependent at water contents >0.1 wt% (e.g., [1]). However, water concentration gradients in each of our AD and LG experiments are well described by models in which D*water is assumed to be constant. Best-fit values of D*water obtained for our AD and LG experiments are consistent with a modified speciation model [2] in which both molecular water and hydroxyl are allowed to diffuse, and in which hydroxyl is the dominant diffusing species at the low total water concentrations of our experiments. Water concentration gradients generated during hydration and dehydration experiments conducted simultaneously propagate approximately equal distances into the melt and have the same concentration of water dissolved in the melt at the melt-vapor interface, suggesting that hydration and dehydration are symmetric under the conditions of our experiments. Best-fit values of D*water for our LG experiments vary within a factor of 2 over a range of pH2/pH2O from 0.007 to 9.7 (a range of ƒO2 from IW-2.2 to IW+4.9) and a water concentration range from 80 ppm to 280 ppm. The relative insensitivity of D*water to variations in pH2 suggests that loss of H during the degassing of the lunar melts described by [3] was not primarily by loss of dissolved H2. The value of D*water chosen by [3] for modeling diffusive degassing of lunar volcanic glasses is within a factor of three of our measured value in LG melt at 1350 °C. [1] Zhang et al. (1991) GCA 55, 441-456; [2] Ni et al. (2013) GCA 103, 36-48; [3] Saal et al. (2008) Nature 454, 192-195.

Material transport in laser-heated diamond anvil cell melting experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, Andrew J.; Heinz, Dion L.; Davis, Andrew M.

1992-01-01

A previously undocumented effect in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell, namely, the transport of molten species through the sample chamber, over distances large compared to the laser beam diameter, is presented. This effect is exploited to determine the melting behavior of high-pressure silicate assemblages of olivine composition. At pressures where beta-spinel is the phase melted, relative strengths of partitioning can be estimated for the incompatible elements studied. Iron was found to partition into the melt from beta-spinel less strongly than calcium, and slightly more strongly than manganese. At higher pressures, where a silicate perovskite/magnesiowuestite assemblage is melted, it is determined that silicate perovskite is the liquidus phase, with iron-rich magnesiowuestite accumulating at the end of the laser-melted stripe.

Melt layer behavior of metal targets irradiatead by powerful plasma streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandura, A. N.; Byrka, O. V.; Chebotarev, V. V.; Garkusha, I. E.; Makhlaj, V. A.; Solyakov, D. G.; Tereshin, V. I.; Wuerz, H.

2002-12-01

In this paper melt layer erosion of metal targets under pulsed high-heat loads is studied. Experiments with steel, copper, aluminum and titanium samples were carried out in two plasma accelerator devices with different time durations of the heat load. The surfaces of the resolidified melt layers show a considerable roughness with microcraters and ridge like relief on the surface. For each material the mass loss was determined. Melt layer erosion by melt motion was clearly identified. However it is masked by boiling, bubble expansion and bubble collapse and by formation of a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The experimental results can be used for validation of numerical codes which model melt layer erosion of metallic armour materials in off-normal events, in tokamaks.

Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 Ex-Vessel Prediction: Core-Concrete Interaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robb, Kevin R.; Farmer, Mitchell T.; Francis, Matthew W.

Lower head failure and corium-concrete interaction were predicted to occur at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1) by several different system-level code analyses, including MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5. Although these codes capture a wide range of accident phenomena, they do not contain detailed models for ex-vessel core melt behavior. However, specialized codes exist for the analysis of ex-vessel melt spreading (e.g., MELTSPREAD) and long-term debris coolability (e.g., CORQUENCH). On this basis, in this paper an analysis was carried out to further evaluate ex-vessel behavior for 1F1 using MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH. Best-estimate melt pour conditions predicted by MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5 weremore » used as input. MELTSPREAD was then used to predict the spatially dependent melt conditions and extent of spreading during relocation from the vessel. The results of the MELTSPREAD analysis are reported in a companion paper. This information was used as input for the long-term debris coolability analysis with CORQUENCH. For the MELCOR-based melt pour scenario, CORQUENCH predicted the melt would readily cool within 2.5 h after the pour, and the sumps would experience limited ablation (approximately 18 cm) under water-flooded conditions. Finally, for the MAAP-based melt pour scenarios, CORQUENCH predicted that the melt would cool in approximately 22.5 h, and the sumps would experience approximately 65 cm of concrete ablation under water-flooded conditions.« less

Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 Ex-Vessel Prediction: Core-Concrete Interaction

DOE PAGES

Robb, Kevin R.; Farmer, Mitchell T.; Francis, Matthew W.

2016-10-31

Lower head failure and corium-concrete interaction were predicted to occur at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 (1F1) by several different system-level code analyses, including MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5. Although these codes capture a wide range of accident phenomena, they do not contain detailed models for ex-vessel core melt behavior. However, specialized codes exist for the analysis of ex-vessel melt spreading (e.g., MELTSPREAD) and long-term debris coolability (e.g., CORQUENCH). On this basis, in this paper an analysis was carried out to further evaluate ex-vessel behavior for 1F1 using MELTSPREAD and CORQUENCH. Best-estimate melt pour conditions predicted by MELCOR v2.1 and MAAP5 weremore » used as input. MELTSPREAD was then used to predict the spatially dependent melt conditions and extent of spreading during relocation from the vessel. The results of the MELTSPREAD analysis are reported in a companion paper. This information was used as input for the long-term debris coolability analysis with CORQUENCH. For the MELCOR-based melt pour scenario, CORQUENCH predicted the melt would readily cool within 2.5 h after the pour, and the sumps would experience limited ablation (approximately 18 cm) under water-flooded conditions. Finally, for the MAAP-based melt pour scenarios, CORQUENCH predicted that the melt would cool in approximately 22.5 h, and the sumps would experience approximately 65 cm of concrete ablation under water-flooded conditions.« less

A Comparative Study of Continental vs. Intraoceanic Arc Mantle Melting: Experimentally Determined Phase Relations of Hydrous, Primitive Melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weaver, S.; Johnston, A.; Wallace, P. J.

2009-12-01

It is widely recognized that H2O and other volatiles play a crucial role in mantle melting in subduction zones. This work is a comparative study focused on determining the H2O-undersaturated, near-liquidus phase relations for two primitive subduction related compositions with the goal of determining the P-T-H2O conditions of mantle melting beneath arcs. These samples, JR-28, a calc-alkaline basalt from Volcan Jorullo, Mexico, and ID-16, a tholeiitic basalt from Okmok Volcano, Aleutian Islands, have major element compositions that indicate they are primary, mantle-derived melts. H2O-undersaturated piston cylinder experiments have been carried out at upper mantle pressures and temperatures (1.0-2.0 GPa and 1100-1350°C). The near-liquidus mineralogy of these two compositions has been mapped in P-T- H2O space in order to constrain the conditions under which these melts are multiply saturated with a mantle residue (lherzolite or harzburgite). Previous studies of dissolved volatiles in olivine-hosted melt inclusions have provided an estimate of pre-eruptive H2O-contents for JR-28 at ≥5 wt% H2O and experiments have been carried out accordingly. Preliminary results for JR-28 at 5 wt% H2O show olivine ± Cr-rich spinel on the liquidus at 1.0 GPa and enstatite as the liquidus phase at higher pressures (1.3 to 2.0 GPa). Ca-rich pyroxene appears in only one experiment 50°C below the liquidus at 1.5 GPa. These data show that JR-28 melts are multiply saturated with a harzburgite assemblage at ~1175°C and ~1.2 GPa at 5 wt% H2O. Experiments at 7 wt% H2O show similar results, although the olivine/Cr-spinel stability field expands at the expense of the enstatite stability field. Consequently, the olivine-enstatite cotectic is shifted to higher pressures and slightly cooler temperatures. The relatively high SiO2 content in the bulk rock (~52 wt% SiO2) supports the hypothesis that JR-28 last equilibrated with a depleted or harzburgite residue rather than a more fertile mantle assemblage. In contrast, preliminary results for ID-16 at 5 wt% H2O show olivine stable at 1.0 GPa, and Ca-rich clinopyroxene at higher pressures (1.5 and 2.0 GPa). The presence of Ca-rich pyroxene in these experiments likely reflects the higher bulk CaO content of ID-16 (~10.7 wt% CaO) relative to JR-28 (~8.3 wt% CaO). Therefore, it will be explored if ID-16 melts are in equilibrium with a lherzolite source. Experiments at 3 and 5 wt% H2O will be conducted for ID-16 and comparisons for the two compositions will be presented. A comparative study of this nature will allow us to assess the influence of volatiles on mantle melt generation in both continental margin and intra-oceanic arcs.

Melt Stirring by Horizontal Crucible Vibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, M. F.; Elwell, D.; Feigelson, R. S.

1985-01-01

Horizontal vibration suggested as technique for more effective stirring of melts in crystal-growth apparatus. Vibrational technique may replace accelerated crucible rotation. Potential superiority of vibrational technique shown by preliminary experiments in which ink stirred into water.

Modeling the Migration of Fluids in Subduction Zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, C. R.; Spiegelman, M.; Van Keken, P. E.; Vrijmoed, J. C.; Hacker, B. R.

2011-12-01

Fluids play a major role in the formation of arc volcanism and the generation of continental crust. Progressive dehydration reactions in the downgoing slab release fluids to the hot overlying mantle wedge, causing flux melting and the migration of melts to the volcanic front. While the qualitative concept is well established, the quantitative details of fluid release and especially that of fluid migration and generation of hydrous melting in the wedge is still poorly understood. Here we present new models of the fluid migration through the mantle wedge for subduction zones. We use an existing set of high resolution metamorphic models (van Keken et al, 2010) to predict the regions of water release from the sediments, upper and lower crust, and upper most mantle. We use this water flux as input for the fluid migration calculation based on new finite element models built on advanced computational libraries (FEniCS/PETSc) for efficient and flexible solution of coupled multi-physics problems. The first generation of one-way coupled models solves for the evolution of porosity and fluid-pressure/flux throughout the slab and wedge given solid flow, viscosity and thermal fields from separate solutions to the incompressible Stokes and energy equations in the mantle wedge. These solutions are verified by comparing to previous benchmark studies (van Keken et al, 2008) and global suites of thermal subduction models (Syracuse et al, 2010). Fluid flow depends on both permeability and the rheology of the slab-wedge system as interaction with rheological variability can induce additional pressure gradients that affect the fluid flow pathways. These non-linearities have been shown to explain laboratory-scale observations of melt band orientation in labratory experiments and numerical simulations of melt localization in shear bands (Katz et al 2006). Our second generation of models dispense with the pre-calculation of incompressible mantle flow and fully couple the now compressible system of mantle and fluid flow equations, introducing complex feedbacks between the rheology, temperature, permeability, strain rate and porosity. Using idealized subduction zone geometries we investigate the effects of this non-linearity and explore the sensitivity of fluid flow paths for a range of fluid flow parameters with emphasis on variability of the location of the volcanic arc with respect to flow paths. We also estimate the expected degrees of hydrous melting using a variety of wet-melting parameterizations (e.g., Katz et al, 2003, Kelley et al, 2010). The current models only include dehydration reactions but work continues on the next generation of models which will include both dehydration and hydration reactions as well as parameterized flux melting in a consistent reactive-flow framework.

Dynamics of the Axial Melt Lens/Dike transition at fast spreading ridges: assimilation and hydrous partial melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

France, L.; Ildefonse, B.; Koepke, J.

2009-04-01

Recent detailed field studies performed in the Oman ophiolite on the gabbro/sheeted dike transition, compared to corresponding rocks from the EPR drilled by IODP (Site 1256), constrain a general model for the dynamics of the axial melt lens (AML) present at fast spreading ridges (France et al., 2008). This model implies that the AML/dike transition is a dynamic interface migrating up- and downward, and that the isotropic gabbro horizon on top of the igneous section represents its fossilization. It is also proposed that upward migrations are associated to reheating of the base of the sheeted dike complex and to assimilation processes. Plagiogranitic lithologies are observed close to the truncated base of the dikes and are interpreted to represent frozen melts generated by partial melting of previously hydrothermalized sheeted dikes. Relicts of previously hydrothermalized lithologies are also observed in the fossil melt lens, and are associated to lithologies that have crystallized under high water activities, with clinopyroxene crystallizing before plagioclase, and An-rich plagioclase. To better understand our field data, we performed hydrous partial melting experiments at shallow pressures (0.1 GPa) under slightly oxidizing conditions (NNO oxygen buffer) and water saturated conditions on hydrothermalized sheeted dike sample from the Oman ophiolite. These experiments have been performed between 850°C and 1030°C; two additional experiments in the subsolidus regime were also conducted (750°C and 800°C). Clinopyroxenes formed during incongruent melting at low temperature (<910°C) have compositions that match those from the corresponding natural rocks (reheated base of the sheeted dike and relicts of assimilated lithologies). In particular, the characteristic low TiO2 and Al2O3 contents are reproduced. The experimental melts produced at low temperatures correspond to compositions of typical natural plagiogranites. In natural settings, these silicic liquids would be mixed with the basaltic melt of the AML, resulting in intermediate compositions that can be observed in the isotropic gabbro horizon. Our study suggests that assimilation of previously hydrothermalized lithologies in the melt lens is a common process at fast spreading ridges. This process should consequently be carefully considered in geochemical studies that deal with the origin of MORB. France L., Ildefonse B., Koepke J., (2008) The fossilisation of a dynamic melt lens at fast spreading centers: insights from the Oman ophiolite. Eos Trans. AGU, 89(53), Fall Meet. Suppl. Abstract V51F-2111

The Deep Crust Magmatic Refinery, Part 2 : The Magmatic Output of Numerical Models.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouilhol, P.; Riel, N., Jr.; Van Hunen, J.

2016-12-01

Metamorphic and magmatic processes occurring in the deep crust ultimately control the chemical and physical characteristic of the continental crust. A complex interplay between magma intrusion, crystallization, and reaction with the pre-existing crust provide a wide range of differentiated magma and cumulates (and / or restites) that will feed the upper crustal levels with evolved melt while constructing the lower crust. With growing evidence from field and experimental studies, it becomes clearer that crystallization and melting processes are non-exclusive but should be considered together. Incoming H2O bearing mantle melts will start to fractionate to a certain extent, forming cumulates but also releasing heat and H2O to the intruded host-rock allowing it to melt in saturated conditions. The end-result of such dynamic system is a function of the amount and composition of melt input, and extent of reaction with the host which is itself dependent on the migration mode of the melts. To better constrain lower crust processes, we have built up a numerical model [see Riel et al. associated abstract for methods] to explore different parameters, unravelling the complex interplay between melt percolation / crystallization and degassing / re-melting in a so called "hot zone" model. We simulated the intrusion of water bearing mantle melts at the base of an amphibolitized lower crust during a magmatic event that lasts 5 Ma. We varied several parameters such as Moho depth and melt rock ratio to better constrain what controls the final melt / lower crust composition.. We show the evolution of the chemical characteristics of the melt that escape the system during this magmatic event, as well as the resulting lower crust characteristics. We illustrate how the evolution of melt major elements composition reflects the progressive replacement of the crust towards compositions that are dominated by the mantle melt input. The resulting magmas cover a wide range of composition from tonalite to granite, and the modelled lower crust shows all the petrological characteristic of observed lower arc-crust.

Movement of the Melt Metal Layer under Conditions Typical of Transient Events in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poznyak, I. M.; Safronov, V. M.; Zybenko, V. Yu.

2017-12-01

During the operation of ITER, protective coatings of the divertor and the first wall will be exposed to significant plasma heat loads which may cause a huge erosion. One of the major failure mechanisms of metallic armor is diminution of their thickness due to the melt layer displacement. New experimental data are required in order to develop and validate physical models of the melt layer movement. The paper presents the experiments where metal targets were irradiated by a plasma stream at the quasi-stationary high-current plasma accelerator QSPA-T. The obtained data allow one to determine the velocity and acceleration of the melt layer at various distances from the plasma stream axis. The force causing the radial movement of the melt layer is shown to create an acceleration whose order of magnitude is 1000g. The pressure gradient is not responsible for creating this large acceleration. To investigate the melt layer movement under a known force, the experiment with a rotating target was carried out. The influence of centrifugal and Coriolis forces led to appearance of curved elongated waves on the surface. The surface profile changed: there is no hill in the central part of the erosion crater in contrast to the stationary target. The experimental data clarify the trends in the melt motion that are required for development of theoretical models.

An assessment of the CORCON-MOD3 code. Part 1: Thermal-hydraulic calculations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strizhov, V.; Kanukova, V.; Vinogradova, T.

1996-09-01

This report deals with the subject of CORCON-Mod3 code validation (thermal-hydraulic modeling capability only) based on MCCI (molten core concrete interaction) experiments conducted under different programs in the past decade. Thermal-hydraulic calculations (i.e., concrete ablation, melt temperature, melt energy, concrete temperature, and condensible and non-condensible gas generation) were performed with the code, and compared with the data from 15 experiments, conducted at different scales using both simulant (metallic and oxidic) and prototypic melt materials, using different concrete types, and with and without an overlying water pool. Sensitivity studies were performed in a few cases involving, for example, heat transfer frommore » melt to concrete, condensed phase chemistry, etc. Further, special analysis was performed using the ACE L8 experimental data to illustrate the differences between the experimental and the reactor conditions, and to demonstrate that with proper corrections made to the code, the calculated results were in better agreement with the experimental data. Generally, in the case of dry cavity and metallic melts, CORCON-Mod3 thermal-hydraulic calculations were in good agreement with the test data. For oxidic melts in a dry cavity, uncertainties in heat transfer models played an important role for two melt configurations--a stratified geometry with segregated metal and oxide layers, and a heterogeneous mixture. Some discrepancies in the gas release data were noted in a few cases.« less

Chemical projectile-target interaction during hypervelocity cratering experiments (MEMIN project).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebert, M.; Hecht, L.; Deutsch, A.; Kenkmann, T.

2012-04-01

The detection and identification of meteoritic components in impact-derived rocks are of great value for confirming an impact origin and reconstructing the type of extraterrestrial material that repeatedly stroke the Earth during geologic evolution [1]. However, little is known about processes that control the projectile distribution into the various impactites that originate during the cratering and excavation process, and inter-element fractionation between siderophile elements during impact cratering. In the context of the MEMIN project, cratering experiments have been performed using spheres of Cr-V-Co-Mo-W-rich steel and of the iron meteorite Campo del Cielo (IAB) as projectiles accelerated to about 5 km/s, and blocks of Seeberger sandstone as target. The experiments were carried out at the two-stage acceleration facilities of the Fraunhofer Ernst-Mach-Institute (Freiburg). Our results are based on geochemical analyses of highly shocked ejecta material. The ejecta show various shock features including multiple sets of planar deformations features (PDF) in quartz, diaplectic quartz, and partial melting of the sandstone. Melting is concentrated in the phyllosilicate-bearing sandstone matrix but involves quartz, too. Droplets of molten projectile have entered the low-viscosity sandstone melt but not quartz glass. Silica-rich sandstone melts are enriched in the elements that are used to trace the projectile, like Fe, Ni, Cr, Co, and V (but no or little W and Mo). Inter-element ratios of these "projectile" tracer elements within the contaminated sandstone melt may be strongly modified from the original ratios in the projectiles. This fractionation most likely result from variation in the lithophile or siderophile character and/or from differences in reactivity of these tracer elements with oxygen [2] during interaction of metal melt with silicate melt. The shocked quartz with PDF is also enriched in Fe and Ni (experiment with a meteorite iron projectile) and in Fe, Cr, Co and V (experiment with the steel projectile). An enrichment of W and Mo in the shocked quartzes could not be observed. It is suggested that two types of geochemical mixing processes between projectile and target occur during the impact process: (i) After shock compression with formation of PDF in Qtz and diaplectic quartz glass, up to about 1 % of projectile matter is added to these phases without detectable fractionation between the meteoritic tracer elements (except W and Mo). We suggest that projectile material was introduced to shocked quartz from a metallic vapour phase, which was formed near the projectile-target interface. The lack of W and Mo enrichment in shocked target material probably results from the relatively high melting and boiling points of these elements. (ii) In addition heterogeneous melting of sandstone and projectile and subsequent mixing of both melts inter-element fractionation occurred according to the chemical properties of the elements. Fractionation processes similar to our type (ii) are known from natural impactites [3]. We acknowledge support by the German Science Foundation (DFG FOR 887)

Melting of metasomatized peridotite at 4-6 GPa and up to 1200 °C: an experimental approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kessel, R.; Pettke, T.; Fumagalli, P.

2015-04-01

The phase assemblages and compositions in a K-bearing lherzolite + H2O system are determined between 4 and 6 GPa and 850-1200 °C, and the melting reactions occurring at subarc depth in subduction zones are constrained. Experiments were performed on a rocking multi-anvil apparatus. The experiments had around 16 wt% water content, and hydrous melt or aqueous fluid was segregated and trapped in a diamond aggregate layer. The compositions of the aqueous fluid and hydrous melt phases were measured using the cryogenic LA-ICP-MS technique. The residual lherzolite consists of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and garnet, while diamond (C) is assumed to be inert. Hydrous and alkali-rich minerals were absent from the run products due to preferred dissolution of K2O (and Na2O) to the aqueous fluid/hydrous melt phases. The role of phlogopite in melting relations is, thus, controlled by the water content in the system: at the water content of around 16 wt% used here, phlogopite is unstable and thus does not participate in melting reactions. The water-saturated solidus, i.e., the first appearance of hydrous melt in the K-lherzolite composition, is located between 900 and 1000 °C at 4 GPa and between 1000 and 1100 °C at 5 and 6 GPa. Compositional jumps between hydrous melt and aqueous fluid at the solidus include a significant increase in the total dissolved solids load. All melts/fluids are peralkaline and calcium-rich. The melting reactions at the solidus are peritectic, as olivine, clinopyroxene, garnet, and H2O are consumed to generate hydrous melt plus orthopyroxene. Our fluid/melt compositional data demonstrate that the water-saturated hybrid peridotite solidus lies above 1000 °C at depths greater than 150 km and that the second critical endpoint is not reached at 6 GPa for a K2O-Na2O-CaO-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O-Cr2O3(-TiO2) peridotite composition.

Melting curve of compressed barium carbonate from in situ ionic conductivity measurements: Implications for the melting behavior of alkaline earth carbonates in Earth's deep carbon cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, J.; Li, J.; Zhu, F.; Li, Z.; Farawi, R.

2017-12-01

The whereabouts of subducted carbonates place a major constraint on the Earth's deep carbon cycle, but the fraction of carbon retained in the slab and transported into the deep mantle, compared to that released from the slab and recycled to the surface, is still under debate. Knowledge of the stability of carbonated mantle rocks is pivotal for assessing the ability of slabs to carry carbonates into the deep mantle. Determination and systematic comparison of the melting curves of alkali and alkaline earth carbonates at high pressure can help construct thermodynamic models to predict the melting behavior of complex carbonated mantle rocks. Among alkaline earth carbonates, the melting behavior of barium carbonate (BaCO3) has not been adequately understood. The reported melting point of BaCO3at 1 bar differ by nearly 800 °C and constraints on the melting curve of BaCO3 at high pressure are not available. In this study, the melting temperatures of BaCO3 were determined up to 11 GPa from in situ ionic conductivity measurements using the multi-anvil apparatus at the University of Michigan. The solid-liquid boundary at high pressure was detected on the basis of a steep rise in conductivity through the sample upon melting. The melting point of BaCO3 was found to drop from 1797 °C at 3.3 GPa to 1600 °C at 5.5 GPa and then rise with pressure to 2180 °C at 11 GPa. The observed melting depression point at 5.5 GPa corresponds to the phase transition of BaCO3 from the aragonite structure (Pmcn) to post-aragonite structure (Pmmn) at 6.3 GPa, 877 °C and 8.0 GPa, 727 °C, determined from synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements using laser-heated DAC experiments at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. These results are also compared with ex situ falling marker experiments, and the three methods together place tight constraints on the melting curve of BaCO3 and elucidates the effect of structural phase transitions on its melting behavior.

Measurements of the Activity of dissolved H2O in an Andesite Melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, G. M.; Touran, J. P.; Pu, X.; Kelley, K. A.; Cottrell, E.; Ghiorso, M. S.

2016-12-01

The large effect of dissolved H2O on the physical and chemical nature of silicate melts, and its role in driving volcanism, is well known and underscores the importance of this volatile component. A complete understanding of the chemical behavior of dissolved H2O in silicate melts requires the quantification of its thermodynamic activity as a function of pressure, temperature, and melt composition, particularly at low H2O contents (i.e. at under-saturated conditions). Knowledge of the activity of H2O in silicate melts at H2O-undersaturated conditions will improve our understanding of hydrous phase equilibria, as well as our models of physical melt properties. Measurement of the activity of any silicate melt component, much less that of a volatile component such as H2O, is a difficult experimental task however. By using a modified double capsule design (Matjuschkin et al, 2015) to control oxygen fugacity in piston cylinder experiments, along with high precision X-ray absorption techniques (XANES) to measure iron oxidation state in silicate glasses (Cottrell et al, 2009), we are able to constrain the H2O activity in silicate melts at under-saturated conditions. Preliminary results on an andesite melt with low H2O content (3 wt%) have been shown (Moore et al, 2016) to match predicted H2O activity values calculated using the H2O equation of state of Duan and Zhang (1996) and the H2O solubility model of Ghiorso and Gualda (2015). More recent results on the same andesite melt containing approximately 5 wt% H2O however show a large negative deviation from the predicted values. Reversal experiments involving an oxidized starting material are ongoing, as well as further characterization of the samples to detect the presence of possible contaminants that would induce reduction of the melt beyond that related to the H2O activity (e.g. graphite contamination).

Carbonatitic and granitic melts produced under conditions of primary immiscibility during anatexis in the lower crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrero, Silvio; Wunder, Bernd; Ziemann, Martin A.; Wälle, Markus; O'Brien, Patrick J.

2016-11-01

Carbonatites are peculiar magmatic rocks with mantle-related genesis, commonly interpreted as the products of melting of CO2-bearing peridotites, or resulting from the chemical evolution of mantle-derived magmas, either through extreme differentiation or secondary immiscibility. Here we report the first finding of anatectic carbonatites of crustal origin, preserved as calcite-rich polycrystalline inclusions in garnet from low-to-medium pressure migmatites of the Oberpfalz area, SW Bohemian Massif (Central Europe). These inclusions originally trapped a melt of calciocarbonatitic composition with a characteristic enrichment in Ba, Sr and LREE. This interpretation is supported by the results of a detailed microstructural and microchemical investigation, as well as re-melting experiments using a piston cylinder apparatus. Carbonatitic inclusions coexist in the same cluster with crystallized silicate melt inclusions (nanogranites) and COH fluid inclusions, suggesting conditions of primary immiscibility between two melts and a fluid during anatexis. The production of both carbonatitic and granitic melts during the same anatectic event requires a suitable heterogeneous protolith. This may be represented by a sedimentary sequence containing marble lenses of limited extension, similar to the one still visible in the adjacent central Moldanubian Zone. The presence of CO2-rich fluid inclusions suggests furthermore that high CO2 activity during anatexis may be required to stabilize a carbonate-rich melt in a silica-dominated system. This natural occurrence displays a remarkable similarity with experiments on carbonate-silicate melt immiscibility, where CO2 saturation is a condition commonly imposed. In conclusion, this study shows how the investigation of partial melting through melt inclusion studies may unveil unexpected processes whose evidence, while preserved in stiff minerals such as garnet, is completely obliterated in the rest of the rock due to metamorphic re-equilibration. Our results thus provide invaluable new insights into the processes which shape the geochemical evolution of our planet, such as the redistribution of carbon and strategic metals during orogenesis.

Dendritic Alloy Solidification Experiment (DASE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beckermann, C.; Karma, A.; Steinbach, I.; deGroh, H. C., III

2001-01-01

A space experiment, and supporting ground-based research, is proposed to study the microstructural evolution in free dendritic growth from a supercooled melt of the transparent model alloy succinonitrile-acetone (SCN-ACE). The research is relevant to equiaxed solidification of metal alloy castings. The microgravity experiment will establish a benchmark for testing of equiaxed dendritic growth theories, scaling laws, and models in the presence of purely diffusive, coupled heat and solute transport, without the complicating influences of melt convection. The specific objectives are to: determine the selection of the dendrite tip operating state, i.e. the growth velocity and tip radius, for free dendritic growth of succinonitrile-acetone alloys; determine the growth morphology and sidebranching behavior for freely grown alloy dendrites; determine the effects of the thermal/solutal interactions in the growth of an assemblage of equiaxed alloy crystals; determine the effects of melt convection on the free growth of alloy dendrites; measure the surface tension anisotropy strength of succinon itrile -acetone alloys establish a theoretical and modeling framework for the experiments. Microgravity experiments on equiaxed dendritic growth of alloy dendrites have not been performed in the past. The proposed experiment builds on the Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE) of Glicksman and coworkers, which focused on the steady growth of a single crystal from pure supercooled melts (succinonitrile and pivalic acid). It also extends the Equiaxed Dendritic Solidification Experiment (EDSE) of the present investigators, which is concerned with the interactions and transients arising in the growth of an assemblage of equiaxed crystals (succinonitrile). However, these experiments with pure substances are not able to address the issues related to coupled heat and solute transport in growth of alloy dendrites.

A flammability study of thin plastic film materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skinner, S. Ballou

1990-01-01

The Materials Science Laboratory at the Kennedy Space Center presently conducts flammability tests on thin plastic film materials by using a small needle rake method. Flammability data from twenty-two thin plastic film materials were obtained and cross-checked by using three different testing methods: (1) the presently used small needle rake; (2) the newly developed large needle rake; and (3) the previously used frame. In order to better discern the melting-burning phenomenon of thin plastic film material, five additional specific experiments were performed. These experiments determined the following: (1) the heat sink effect of each testing method; (2) the effect of the burn angle on the burn length or melting/shrinkage length; (3) the temperature profile above the ignition source; (4) the melting point and the fire point of each material; and (5) the melting/burning profile of each material via infrared (IR) imaging. The results of these experimentations are presented.

Stability and melting of Fe3C at high pressure and temperature: Implication for the carbon in the Earth's core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, S.; Ohtani, E.; Sakai, T.; Hirao, N.; Ohishi, Y.

2012-12-01

The Earth's core is regarded as an Fe-Ni alloy but its density is lower than that of pure Fe at the core conditions. Therefore, the Earth's core is supposed to contain light elements and carbon is one of the candidates of the light elements to explain the density deficit of the Earth's core. Nakajima et al. (2009) reported the melting temperature of Fe3C up to around 30 GPa based on textual observations, the chemical analysis of the quenched run products and in situ X-ray diffraction experiments using a Kawai-type multi anvil apparatus. Lord et al. (2009) reported melting temperatures of Fe3C up to 70 GPa, which was determined by the temperature plateau during increasing laser power using a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. They also suggested Fe+Fe7C3 is a stable subsolidus phase. There are obvious discrepancies between the melting curve and the stable subsolidus phase reported by Nakajima et al. (2009) and those reported by Lord et al. (2009). In this study, the melting temperatures of Fe3C and a subsolidus phase relation were determined based on in situ X-ray diffraction experiments. This study aims to reveal the stability field of Fe3C and the melting temperature of Fe3C and to discuss the behaviors of carbon in the Earth's core. We have performed experiments using a laser-heated diamond anvil cell combined with in situ X-ray diffraction experiment at BL10XU beamline, SPring-8 synchrotron facility. An NaCl powder and a rhenium or tungsten foil were used for the insulator and gasket, respectively. Melting of the sample was determined by disappearance of the X-ray diffraction peaks. We determined the melting relation of Fe3C up to 145 GPa by in situ X-ray diffraction experiments. Present results are close to Nakajima et al. (2009) up to 30 GPa but become close to that reported by Lord et al. (2009) at higher pressure conditions. The solidus temperature extrapolated to the ICB pressure, 330 GPa, is 5400 K. We also confirmed that Fe3C is stable as a subsolidus phase at least up to 237 GPa and 4100 K. This strongly suggests that Fe3C is a potential candidate of the Earth's inner core although we need further studies at the inner core conditions.

Microscale models of partially molten rocks and their macroscale physical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudge, J. F.

2017-12-01

Any geodynamical model of melt transport in the Earth's mantle requires constitutive laws for the rheology of partially molten rock. These constitutive laws are poorly known, and one way to make progress in our understanding is through the upscaling of microscale models which describe physics at the scale of individual mineral grains. Crucially, many upscaled physical properties (such as permeability) depend not only on how much melt is present, but on how that melt is arranged at the microscale; i.e. on the geometry of the melt network. Here I will present some new calculations of equilibrium melt network geometries around idealised tetrakaidecahedral grains. In contrast to several previous calculations of textural equilibrium, these calculations allow for a both a liquid-phase and a solid-phase topology that can tile 3D space. The calculations are based on a simple minimisation of surface energy using the finite element method. In these simple models just two parameters control the topology of the melt network: the porosity (volume fraction of melt), and the dihedral angle. The consquences of these melt geometries for upscaled properties such as permeability; electrical conductivity; and importantly, effective viscosity will be explored. Recent theoretical work [1,2] has suggested that in diffusion creep a small amount of melt may dramatically reduce the effective shear viscosity of a partially molten rock, with profound consequences for the nature of the asthenosphere. This contribution will show that this reduction in viscosity may have been significantly overestimated, so that the drop in the effective viscosity at onset of melting is more modest. [1] Takei, Y., and B. K. Holtzman (2009), Viscous constitutive relations of solid-liquid composites in terms of grain boundary contiguity: 1. Grain boundary diffusion control model, J. Geophys. Res., 114, B06205.[2] Holtzmann B. K. (2016) Questions on the existence, persistence, and mechanical effects of a very small melt fraction in the asthenosphere, Geophys. Geochem. Geosyst. 17, 470-484.

M551 metals melting experiment. [space manufacturing of aluminum alloys, tantalum alloys, stainless steels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, C. H.; Busch, G.; Creter, C.

1976-01-01

The Metals Melting Skylab Experiment consisted of selectively melting, in sequence, three rotating discs made of aluminum alloy, stainless steel, and tantalum alloy. For comparison, three other discs of the same three materials were similarly melted or welded on the ground. The power source of the melting was an electron beam unit. Results are presented which support the concept that the major difference between ground base and Skylab samples (i.e., large elongated grains in ground base samples versus nearly equiaxed and equal sized grains in Skylab samples) can be explained on the basis of constitutional supercooling, and not on the basis of surface phenomena. Microstructural observations on the weld samples and present explanations for some of these observations are examined. In particular, ripples and their implications to weld solidification were studied. Evidence of pronounced copper segregation in the Skylab A1 weld samples, and the tantalum samples studied, indicates a weld microhardness (and hence strength) that is uniformly higher than the ground base results, which is in agreement with previous predictions. Photographs are shown of the microstructure of the various alloys.

Particle Image Velocimetry During Injection Molding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bress, Thomas; Dowling, David

2012-11-01

Injection molding involves the unsteady non-isothermal flow of a non-Newtonian polymer melt. An optical-access mold has been used to perform particle image velocimetry (PIV) on molten polystyrene during injection molding. Velocimetry data of the mold-filling flow will be presented. Statistical assessments of the velocimetry data and scaled residuals of the continuity equation suggest that PIV can be conducted in molten plastics with an uncertainty of +/-2 percent. Simulations are often used to model polymer flow during injection molding to design molds and select processing parameters but it is difficult to determine the accuracy of these simulations due to a lack of in-mold velocimetry and melt-front progression data. Moldflow was used to simulate the filling of the optical-access mold, and these simulated results are compared to the appropriately-averaged time-varying velocity field measurements. Simulated results for melt-front progression are also compared with the experimentally observed flow fronts. The ratio of the experimentally measured average velocity magnitudes to the simulation magnitudes was found on average to be 0.99 with a standard deviation of 0.25, and the difference in velocity orientations was found to be 0.9 degree with a standard deviation of 3.2 degrees. formerly at the University of Michigan.

The Generation of Barriers to Melt Ascent in the Martian Lithosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schools, Joe W.; Montési, Laurent G. J.

2018-01-01

Planetary mantles can be regarded as an aggregate of two phases: a solid, porous matrix and a liquid melt. Melt travels rapidly upward through the matrix due to its buoyancy. When this melt enters the colder lithosphere, it begins to crystallize. If crystallization happens at a high rate, the newly formed crystals can clog the pore space, reducing its permeability to essentially zero. This zone of zero permeability is the permeability barrier. We use the MELTS family of thermodynamic calculators to determine melt compositions and the crystallization sequence of ascending melt throughout Martian history and simulate the formation of permeability barriers. At lower strain rates (10-17-10-15 s-1) permeability barriers form deep in the lithosphere, possibly contributing to the formation of localized volcanic edifices on the Martian surface once fracturing or thermal erosion enables melt to traverse the lithosphere. Higher strain rates (10-13 s-1) yield shallower permeability barriers, perhaps producing extensive lava flows. Permeability barrier formation is investigated using an anhydrous mantle source or mantle sources that include up to 1,000 ppm H2O. Introducing even small amounts of water (25 ppm H2O) reduces mantle viscosity in a manner similar to increasing the strain rate and results in a shallower barrier than in the anhydrous case. Large amounts of water (1,000 ppm H2O) yield very shallow weak barriers or no barriers at all. The depth of the permeability barrier has evolved through time, likely resulting in a progression in the style of surface volcanism from widespread flows to massive, singular volcanoes.

The transition from granite to banded aplite-pegmatite sheet complexes: An example from Megiliggar Rocks, Tregonning topaz granite, Cornwall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breiter, K.; Ďurišová, J.; Hrstka, T.; Korbelová, Z.; Vašinová Galiová, M.; Müller, A.; Simons, B.; Shail, R. K.; Williamson, B. J.; Davies, J. A.

2018-03-01

The genetic relationship between a granite pluton and adjacent complex of rare-metal pegmatite-aplite-banded sheets (Megiliggar Sheet Complex - MSC) has been studied at the border of the Tregonning topaz granite at Megiliggar Rocks, Cornwall, SW England. Similarities in whole-rock chemical and mineralogical compositions, together with a gradual change in textures away from the granite margin, provide strong evidence for a genetic link between the Tregonning Granite and MSC. The sheets are likely to represent apophyses of residual melt which escaped from the largely crystallized roof of the granite pluton. The escaping melt was peraluminous, had a composition near the F, B, Li slightly enriched granite minimum, and, in comparison with other Cornish granites, was enriched in F, Li, Rb, Cs, Sn, W, Nb, Ta, and U, and depleted in Fe, Mg, Ca, Sr, Th, Zr, and REE. With increasing distance from the Tregonning Granite, the silicate melt crystallized as homogeneous leucogranite sheets and banded complex sheets (i.e. combinations of bands with granitic, aplitic and pegmatitic textures), then layered aplite-pegmatites; this sequence becoming progressively more depleted in the fluxing and volatile elements F, Li, Rb, and Cs, but showing no change in Zr/Hf ratios. The fixed Zr/Hf ratio is interpreted as indicating a direct genetic link (parental melt) between all rock types, however the melt progressively lost fluxing and volatile elements with distance from the granite pluton, probably due to wall-rock reaction or fluid exsolution and migration via fractures. Differentiation of the primary melt into Na-Li-F-rich and separate K-B-rich domains was the dominant chemical process responsible for the textural and mineral diversity of the MSC. On a large (cliff-section) scale, the proximal Na-Li-F-rich leucogranite passes through complex sheets into K-B-rich aplite-pegmatites, whilst at a smaller (<1 m) scale, the K-B-rich bands are interspersed (largely overlain) by Na-Li-F-rich segregations. The grain size differences between the aplite and pegmatite could be related to pressure fluctuations and/or undercooling.

Microstructures define melting of molybdenum at high pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hrubiak, Rostislav; Meng, Yue; Shen, Guoyin

2017-03-01

High-pressure melting anchors the phase diagram of a material, revealing the effect of pressure on the breakdown of the ordering of atoms in the solid. An important case is molybdenum, which has long been speculated to undergo an exceptionally steep increase in melting temperature when compressed. On the other hand, previous experiments showed nearly constant melting temperature as a function of pressure, in large discrepancy with theoretical expectations. Here we report a high-slope melting curve in molybdenum by synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis of crystalline microstructures, generated by heating and subsequently rapidly quenching samples in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Distinct microstructural changes, observed at pressures up to 130 gigapascals, appear exclusively after melting, thus offering a reliable melting criterion. In addition, our study reveals a previously unsuspected transition in molybdenum at high pressure and high temperature, which yields highly textured body-centred cubic nanograins above a transition temperature.

Solvent-free melting techniques for the preparation of lipid-based solid oral formulations.

PubMed

Becker, Karin; Salar-Behzadi, Sharareh; Zimmer, Andreas

2015-05-01

Lipid excipients are applied for numerous purposes such as taste masking, controlled release, improvement of swallowability and moisture protection. Several melting techniques have evolved in the last decades. Common examples are melt coating, melt granulation and melt extrusion. The required equipment ranges from ordinary glass beakers for lab scale up to large machines such as fluid bed coaters, spray dryers or extruders. This allows for upscaling to pilot or production scale. Solvent free melt processing provides a cost-effective, time-saving and eco-friendly method for the food and pharmaceutical industries. This review intends to give a critical overview of the published literature on experiences, formulations and challenges and to show possibilities for future developments in this promising field. Moreover, it should serve as a guide for selecting the best excipients and manufacturing techniques for the development of a product with specific properties using solvent free melt processing.

Microstructures define melting of molybdenum at high pressures

PubMed Central

Hrubiak, Rostislav; Meng, Yue; Shen, Guoyin

2017-01-01

High-pressure melting anchors the phase diagram of a material, revealing the effect of pressure on the breakdown of the ordering of atoms in the solid. An important case is molybdenum, which has long been speculated to undergo an exceptionally steep increase in melting temperature when compressed. On the other hand, previous experiments showed nearly constant melting temperature as a function of pressure, in large discrepancy with theoretical expectations. Here we report a high-slope melting curve in molybdenum by synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis of crystalline microstructures, generated by heating and subsequently rapidly quenching samples in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Distinct microstructural changes, observed at pressures up to 130 gigapascals, appear exclusively after melting, thus offering a reliable melting criterion. In addition, our study reveals a previously unsuspected transition in molybdenum at high pressure and high temperature, which yields highly textured body-centred cubic nanograins above a transition temperature. PMID:28248309

Bubble behavior in molten glass in a temperature gradient. [in reduced gravity rocket experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyyappan, M.; Subramanian, R. S.; Wilcox, W. R.; Smith, H.

1982-01-01

Gas bubble motion in a temperature gradient was observed in a sodium borate melt in a reduced gravity rocket experiment under the NASA SPAR program. Large bubbles tended to move faster than smaller ones, as predicted by theory. When the bubbles contacted a heated platinum strip, motion virtually ceased because the melt only imperfectly wets platinum. In some cases bubble diameter increased noticeably with time.

Estimation of snow and glacier melt contribution to Liddar stream in a mountainous catchment, western Himalaya: an isotopic approach.

PubMed

Jeelani, Gh; Shah, Rouf A; Jacob, Noble; Deshpande, Rajendrakumar D

2017-03-01

Snow- and glacier-dominated catchments in the Himalayas are important sources of fresh water to more than one billion people. However, the contribution of snowmelt and glacier melt to stream flow remains largely unquantified in most parts of the Himalayas. We used environmental isotopes and geochemical tracers to determine the source water and flow paths of stream flow draining the snow- and glacier-dominated mountainous catchment of the western Himalaya. The study suggested that the stream flow in the spring season is dominated by the snowmelt released from low altitudes and becomes isotopically depleted as the melt season progressed. The tracer-based mixing models suggested that snowmelt contributed a significant proportion (5-66 %) to stream flow throughout the year with the maximum contribution in spring and summer seasons (from March to July). In 2013 a large and persistent snowpack contributed significantly (∼51 %) to stream flow in autumn (September and October) as well. The average annual contribution of glacier melt to stream flow is little (5 %). However, the monthly contribution of glacier melt to stream flow reaches up to 19 % in September during years of less persistent snow pack.

Muscovite-Dehydration Melting: A Textural Study of a Key Reaction in Transforming Continental Margin Strata Into a Migmatitic Orogenic Core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dyck, B. J.; St Onge, M. R.; Waters, D. J.; Searle, M. P.

2015-12-01

Metamorphosed continental margin sedimentary sequences, which comprise the dominant tectonostratigraphic assemblage exposed in orogenic hinterlands, are crucial to understanding the architecture and evolution of collisional mountain belts. This study explores the textural effect of anatexis in amphibolite-grade conditions and documents the mineral growth mechanisms that control nucleation and growth of K-feldspar, sillimanite and silicate melt. The constrained textural evolution follows four stages: 1) Nucleation - K-feldspar is documented to nucleate epitaxially on isomorphic plagioclase in quartzofeldspathic (psammitic) domains, whereas sillimanite nucleates in the Al-rich (pelitic) domain, initially on [001] mica planes. The first melt forms at the site of muscovite breakdown. 2) Chemically driven growth - In the quartzofeldspathic domain, K-feldspar progressively replaces plagioclase by a K+ - Na+ cation transfer reaction, driven by the freeing of muscovite-bound K+ during breakdown of the mica. Sillimanite forms intergrowths with the remaining hydrous melt components, contained initially in ovoid clots. 3) Merge and coarsening - With an increase in pressure, melt and sillimanite migrate away from clots along grain boundaries. A melt threshold is reached once the grain-boundary network is wetted by melt, increasing the length-scale of diffusion, resulting in grain boundary migration and grain-size coarsening. The melt threshold denotes the transition to an open-system on the lithology scale, where melt is a transient phase. 4) Residual melt crystallization - Residual melt crystallizes preferentially on existing peritectic grains as anatectic quartz, plagioclase, and K-feldspar. As the system cools and closes, grain growth forces melt into the intersections of grain-boundaries, recognized as irregular shaped melt films, or as intergrowths of the volatile-rich phases (i.e. Tur-Ms-Ap). In the Himalayan metamorphic core these processes result in the formation of: pelitic K-feldspar augen gneiss, stockwork leucogranites, and an effective strengthening of the hinterland, as evidenced by a switch in tectonic deformation style, from thin-skinned cover sequence thrust imbrication and folding to out-of-sequence basement-involved thick-skinned thrusting and folding.

From mantle peridotites to hybrid troctolites: Textural, structural and geochemical evolution during multi-stage melt-rock interaction history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basch, V.; Rampone, E.; Crispini, L.; Ferrando, C.; Ildefonse, B.; Godard, M.

2017-12-01

Recent studies investigate the replacive formation of hybrid troctolites from mantle peridotites after multiple stages of melt-rock reactions. However, none of these studies are conducted in a field-controlled geological setting displaying the clear evolution from peridotite to dunite to troctolite. We investigated the Mt.Maggiore and Erro Tobbio ophiolitic peridotites. They both preserve structural and chemical records of two distinct melt-rock interaction stages, from a reactive melt percolation at spinel facies to plagioclase-bearing melt impregnation at shallower lithospheric depths. We performed EBSD and in situ geochemical analyses to document the textural, structural and geochemical variations of the olivine matrix during melt-rock interactions and the associated evolution from peridotite to dunite to troctolite. The olivine-saturated reactive melt percolation leads to the dissolution of mantle pyroxenes in peridotite, and to the formation of replacive dunite. At shallower level, melt impregnation leads to the crystallization of plagioclase in the dunite, and to the formation of hybrid troctolite. The latter is characterized by textural, structural and geochemical features acquired during dunitization and impregnation processes. We documented a textural evolution of the olivine matrix (decrease in grain area, tortuosity and aspect ratio) during impregnation, with a progressive corrosion of mantle olivines by a reactive melt. As a result, olivine in the hybrid troctolites occurs both as coarse deformed relicts and disrupted undeformed grains. During melt-rock interactions, the variation in olivine Crystallographic Preferred Orientation is related to the local melt/rock ratio involved in the percolation process. At high melt/rock ratio, a change from axial-[100] to axial-[010] is observed, with the disaggregation of the solid matrix. REE-enriched compositions are observed in olivine of dunites and troctolites. A geochemical modeling of melt-rock interactions (Plate Model) fits the observed evolution of modal composition with the measured trace element composition variability. The combined field, structural, and geochemical investigation of the evolution from a mantle protolith to the product of the reactions truly supports the hybrid origin of an olivine-rich troctolite.

Physical phenomena in containerless glass processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subramanian, R. S.; Cole, R.; Annamalai, P.; Jayaraj, K.; Kondos, P.; Mcneil, T. J.; Shankar, N.

1982-01-01

Experiments were conducted on bubble migration in rotating liquid bodies contained in a sphere. Experiments were initiated on the migration of a drop in a slightly less dense continuous phase contained in a rotating sphere. A refined apparatus for the study of thermocapillar flow in a glass melt was built, and data were acquired on surface velocities in the melt. Similar data also were obtained from an ambient temperature fluid model. The data were analyzed and correlated with the aid of theory. Data were obtained on flow velocities in a pendant drop heated from above. The motion in this system was driven principally by thermocapillarity. An apparatus was designed for the study of volatilization from a glass melt.

Shock recovery of a magnesium-silicate spinelloid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tschauner, O. D.; Asimow, P. D.; Ahrens, T. J.; Kostandova, N.

2009-12-01

Previously it was believed that some high pressure polymorphs (e.g. of framework silicates) form under shock via growth from shock-induced precursor microscopic melt zones. Since diffusion in the melt was assumed to control crystallization rates, absence of shock recovery of any of those minerals was attributed to the short duration of laboratory shock (0.1 to 1 microsecond) experiments. In contrast to laboratory experiments, grains of high pressure polymorphs of 1 - 100 micrometer diameter have been found in melt veins of shocked meteorites and were widely believed to have formed via diffusion-controlled growth that occurred over seconds to minute time scales. Recently we reported formation of wadsleyite from a shock-generated melt in a laboratory shock experiment by analysis of the recovery products [1]. The growth rate of wadsleyite crystals at the experimental temperature of 2000 to 3000 K was estimated to be several m/s suggesting that diffusion was not the dominant factor in this ultra-rapid crystal growth. Consequently, S6 shock events in chondrites may not always be related to long shock duration and large impactors. Here we report formation of another high-pressure magnesium silicate polymorph in a shock experiment. The starting materials for this 30 GPa shot was single-crystal synthetic forsterite in a NIST 1157 tool-steel chamber. The recovered material was analyzed by micro-Raman spectroscopy and by synchrotron-based micro-X ray diffraction. Diffraction experiments were conducted in Gandolfi-geometry at station B2, CHESS, using a MAR345 image plate detector and a primary beam of 25 keV energy. Melted regions of the sample contained a spinelloid isotypic to a magnesium-gallium germanate spinelloid synthesized at ambient pressure [2]. As in the previous study [1] we observe oxidation of iron from melted metal of the recovery chamber wall entrained by the silicate melt while silicon is partially reduced. The new high-pressure silicate may have formed at less than the peak pressure experienced by the sample. [1]: O.Tschauner, P.D. Asimow, N. Kostandova,T.J. Ahrens, C. Ma, S. Sinogeikin, Z. Liu, S. Fakra, N. Tamura, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 13691-5 (2009) , [2]: Barbier, J., Hyde, B.G.,Acta Cryst. B 43, 34-40 (1987).

Consequences of Melt-Preferred Orientation for Magmatic Segregation in Deforming Mantle Rock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katz, R. F.; Taylor-West, J.; Allwright, J.; Takei, Y.; Qi, C.; Kohlstedt, D. L.

2014-12-01

In partially molten regions of the mantle, deviatoric stresses cause large-scale deformation and mantle flow. The same stresses also lead to preferential wetting of coherently oriented grain boundaries [DK97, T10]. This alignment is called melt-preferred orientation (MPO). Because of the contrast between the physical properties of melt and solid grains, MPO has the potential to introduce anisotropy into the mechanical and transport properties of the liquid/solid aggregate. Here we consider the possible consequences for (and of) anisotropic viscosity and permeability of the partially molten aggregate. The consequences are evaluated in the context of laboratory experiments on partially molten rocks. The controlled experiments involve deformation of an initially uniform mixture of solid olivine and liquid basalt [KZK10]. The resultant patterns of melt segregation include two robust features: (i) melt segregation into bands with high melt fraction oriented at a low angle to the shear plane; and (ii) melt segregation associated with an imposed gradient in shear stress, in experiments where this is present. Although there are other reproducible features of experiments, these are the most robust and provide a challenge to models. A theoretical model for the effect of MPO on mantle viscosity under diffusion creep is available [TH09] and makes predictions that are consistent with laboratory experiments [TK13,KT13,QKKT14,AK14]. We review the mechanics of this model and the predictions for flow in torsional and pipe Poiseuille flow, showing a quantitative comparison with experimental results. Furthermore, it is logical to expect MPO to lead to anisotropy of permeability, and we present a general model of tensorial permeability. We demonstrate the consequences of this anisotropy for simple shear deformation of a partially molten rock. REFERENCES: DK97 = Daines & Kohlstedt (1997), JGR, 10.1029/97JB00393. T10 = Takei (2010), JGR, 10.1029/2009JB006568. KZK10 = King, Zimmerman, & Kohlstedt (2010), J Pet, 10.1093/petrology/egp062. TH09 = Takei & Holtzman (2009a), JGR, 10.1029/2008JB005850. TK13 = Takei & Katz (2013), JFM, 10.1017/jfm.2013.482. KT13 = Katz & Takei (2013), JFM, 10.1017/jfm.2013.483. QKKT14 = Qi, Kohlstedt, Katz, Takei (in prep). AK14 = Allwright & Katz (2014), in revision for GJI.

Diffusion of major and trace elements in natural silicate melts as a tool to investigate timescales in magma mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-García, Diego; Zezza, Angela; Behrens, Harald; Vetere, Francesco; Petrelli, Maurizio; Morgavi, Daniele; Perugini, Diego

2016-04-01

New melt injection into a shallow magma chamber is regarded as one of the potential triggers for explosive volcanic eruptions. Chemical diffusion occurring between the two mixing melts is a time-dependent process, and thus has the potential to shed light on the timescales involved in magma mixing events leading to an eruption. In order to achieve this, a complete database of diffusion coefficients in natural melts is a necessary prerequisite. We have carried out a set of 12 diffusion couple experiments in order to determine diffusion coefficients (D) of major and trace elements in two natural silicate melts. Two end-members from the Vulcano island (Aeolian archipelago, Italy) have been chosen for the experiments: a shoshonite (Vulcanello lava platform) and a rhyolitic obsidian (Pietre Cotte lava flow, La Fossa cone). Glasses from each end-member with added water contents of 0 wt%, 1 wt% and 2 wt% were produced in an Internally Heated Pressure Vessel (IHPV). Two glass cylinders with similar water content but different base composition are inserted in Au-Pd capsules and experiments are run in the IHPV at 1200° C with pressure from 0.5 to 3 kbar. Experiment capsules are rapidly quenched and analyzed by FTIR, EPMA and LA-ICP-MS for H2O, major and trace elements, respectively, along 2 mm linear profiles extending across the interface. A Boltzmann-Matano approach is used to obtain concentration-dependent diffusivities. The obtained concentration-distance profiles are asymmetric and extend deeper into the shoshonite relative to the rhyolite, indicating that diffusion is slower in the latter. Results show that diffusivities are notably accelerated by the presence of H2O in the melt. Experiments performed by using water-free glass show diffusivities one order of magnitude lower compared to glasses containing up to 2 wt% H2O. The effect of pressure, in the investigated range, is negligible and falls within measurement error. Among major elements, Si and Ti are the slowest diffusing components, while Na is the fastest. Uphill diffusion minima are observed in Al, Na and some trace elements (Y, Nb, Pb). In contrast to other trace elements, light REE show prominent minima next to the interface between the two melts, with the minimum depth diminishing towards HREE.

Chloride-bearing liquids and partial melting of mantle eclogites: experimental study and application to the diamond-forming processes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safonov, Oleg

2010-05-01

Recent studies prove that the partial melting in some eclogite xenoliths in kimberlites is closely related to formation of diamonds in these rocks at 4-6 GPa and 1150-12500C [e.g. 1, 2]. Along with specific mineral assemblages, the products of the eclogite partial melting commonly include relics of potassium-rich silicic melts (45-65 wt. % of SiO2, 4-14 wt. % of K2O and K2O/Na2O > 1.0) [1, 2]. Available experimental data, however, demonstrate that such melts can not be produced by 'dry' or hydrous melting of a common eclogite. It implies that partial melting and conjugate diamond formation in mantle eclogites was triggered by infiltration of potassic fluids/melts. Assemblages of Cl-bearing phases and carbonates in eclogite xenoliths [1], and eclogitic diamonds [3-6] suggest that these agents were chloride-carbonate-H2O melts or/and chloride-H2O-CO2 fluids. In order to characterize interaction of both types of liquids with eclogites and their minerals, experiments in the eclogite-related systems with participation of CaCO3-Na2CO3-KCl-H2O or H2O-CO2-KCl are reviewed. Melting relations in the system eclogite-CaCO3-Na2CO3-KCl-H2O follow the general scheme proposed earlier for chloride-carbonate-silicate systems [7]. Below 12000C, Grt, Cpx and phlogopite (Phl) coexist with LCC only. Formation of Phl and Ca-rich Grt after Cpx indicate active reactions of Cpx with LCC accompanied by CO2 degassing and depletion of the clinopyroxene in jadeite. Subsequent dissolution of silicates in LCC at >1200OC results in formation of potassic silica-undersaturated carbonate and Cl-bearing melt (LCS) (37-40 wt. % of SiO2, 10-12 wt. % of K2O, ~3.5 wt. % of Cl) immiscible with the LCC. Compositional feature of this melt is very comparable to those of low-Mg carbonate-silicate melt inclusions in diamonds [6]. However, it is not relevant to the melt relics preserved in the partially molten eclogite xenoliths. Melting of eclogites with participation of the H2O-CO2-KCl fluid at 5 GPa at 1200-13000C [8] produces CO2-depleted aluminosilicate melts with up to 46 wt. % of SiO2, 9-10 wt. % of K2O, 2-5 wt. % of Cl, whose SiO2 and K2O contents resemble the silica-poor varieties of melt relics in the eclogite xenoliths [1, 2]. Presence of KCl in the fluid intensifies melting, that is related both to high Cl content in the melt and its enrichment in K2O via K-Na exchange reactions with the immiscible chloride melt. The ratio K2O/Cl in the melts increases with the increase of the KCl content in the system and reaches 2.5-3.5 in the melts coexisting with immiscible chloride liquids. No additional crystalline phases, except Grt, Cpx, and Phl, were observed in the above experiments. However, experiments in the model system jadeite-diopside-KCl(±H2O) at 4-5 GPa shows, that KCl liquids provoke formation of ultrapotassic Cl-bearing silica-rich (i.e. 63-65 wt. % of SiO2) melt, which is able to produce sanidine and Al-celadonite-phlogopite mica, which are observed in partially molten eclogites [2]. Dissolution of pyrope in KCl-rich liquids results in formation of spinel and olivine, which are also common products of garnet breakdown within the zones of partial melting in eclogite xenoliths [1, 2]. Thus, the reviewed experiments imply that the KCl-bearing liquids could serve as triggers for formation of the wide varieties of K-rich aluminosilicate and carbonate-silicate melts during the eclogite melting in the mantle. Nevertheless, compositional variability of the produced melts, as well as formation of some crystalline phases (sanidine, mica, spinel, olivine) during this process could be a result of highly localized action of these liquids. The study is supported by the RFBR (10-05-00040), Russian President Grant (MD-130.2008.5) and Russian Science Support Foundation. References: [1] Misra et al. (2004) Contrib. Mineral. Petrol., V. 146, P. 696-714; [2] Shatsky et al. (2008) Lithos, 105, 289-300; [3] Izraeli et al. (2001) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 5807, 1-10; [3] Zedgenizov et al. (2007) Doklady Earth Sci., 415, 961-964; [5] Tomlinson et al. (2006), Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 250, 581-585; [6] Weiss et al. (2009), Lithos, 112S, 660-674; [7] Safonov et al. (2009), Lithos, 112S, 260-273; [8] Butvina et al. (2009), Doklady Earth Sci., 427A, 956-960.

Chemical modification of projectile residues and target material in a MEMIN cratering experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebert, Matthias; Hecht, Lutz; Deutsch, Alexander; Kenkmann, Thomas

2013-01-01

In the context of the MEMIN project, a hypervelocity cratering experiment has been performed using a sphere of the iron meteorite Campo del Cielo as projectile accelerated to 4.56 km s-1, and a block of Seeberger sandstone as target material. The ejecta, collected in a newly designed catcher, are represented by (1) weakly deformed, (2) highly deformed, and (3) highly shocked material. The latter shows shock-metamorphic features such as planar deformation features (PDF) in quartz, formation of diaplectic quartz glass, partial melting of the sandstone, and partially molten projectile, mixed mechanically and chemically with target melt. During mixing of projectile and target melts, the Fe of the projectile is preferentially partitioned into target melt to a greater degree than Ni and Co yielding a Fe/Ni that is generally higher than Fe/Ni in the projectile. This fractionation results from the differing siderophile properties, specifically from differences in reactivity of Fe, Ni, and Co with oxygen during projectile-target interaction. Projectile matter was also detected in shocked quartz grains. The average Fe/Ni of quartz with PDF (about 20) and of silica glasses (about 24) are in contrast to the average sandstone ratio (about 422), but resembles the Fe/Ni-ratio of the projectile (about 14). We briefly discuss possible reasons of projectile melting and vaporization in the experiment, in which the calculated maximum shock pressure does not exceed 55 GPa.

Experiments with the low melting indium-bismuth alloy system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krepski, Richard P.

1992-01-01

The following is a laboratory experiment designed to create an interest in and to further understanding of materials science. The primary audience for this material is the junior high school or middle school science student having no previous familiarity with the material, other than some knowledge of temperature and the concepts of atoms, elements, compounds, and chemical reactions. The objective of the experiment is to investigate the indium-bismuth alloy system. Near the eutectic composition, the liquidus is well below the boiling point of water, allowing simple, minimal hazard casting experiments. Such phenomena as metal oxidation, formation of intermetallic compound crystals, and an unusual volume increase during solidification could all be directly observed. A key concept for students to absorb is that properties of an alloy (melting point, mechanical behavior) may not correlate with simple interpolation of properties of the pure components. Discussion of other low melting metals and alloys leads to consideration of environmental and toxicity issues, as well as providing some historical context. Wetting behavior can also be explored.

Eclogite-associated potassic silicate melts and chloride-rich fluids in the mantle: a possible connection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safonov, O.; Butvina, V.

2009-04-01

Relics of potassium-rich (4-14 wt. % of K2O and K2O/Na2O > 1.0) melts are a specific features of some partially molten diamondiferous eclogite xenoliths in kimberlites worldwide [1, 2]. In addition, potassic silicic melt inclusions with up to 16 wt. % of K2O are associated with eclogite phases in kimberlitic diamonds (O. Navon, pers. comm.). According to available experimental data, no such potassium contents can be reached by "dry" and hydrous melting of eclogite. These data point to close connection between infiltration of essentially potassic fluids, partial melting and diamond formation in mantle eclogites [2]. Among specific components of these fluids, alkali chlorides, apparently, play an important role. This conclusion follows from assemblages of the melt relics with chlorine-bearing phases in eclogite xenoliths [1], findings of KCl-rich inclusions in diamonds from the xenoliths [3], and concentration of Cl up to 0.5-1.5 wt. % in the melt inclusions in diamonds. In this presentation, we review our experimental data on reactions of KCl melts and KCl-bearing fluids with model and natural eclogite-related minerals and assemblages. Experiments in the model system jadeite(±diopside)-KCl(±H2O) at 4-7 GPa showed that, being immiscible, chloride liquids provoke a strong K-Na exchange with silicates (jadeite). As a result, low-temperature ultrapotassic chlorine-bearing (up to 3 wt. % of Cl) aluminosilicate melts form. These melts is able to produce sanidine, which is characteristic phase in some partially molten eclogites. In addition, in presence of water Si-rich Cl-bearing mica (Al-celadonite-phlogopite) crystallizes in equilibrium with sanidine and/or potassic melt and immiscible chloride liquid. This mica is similar to that observed in some eclogitic diamonds bearing chloride-rich fluid inclusions [4], as well as in diamonds in partially molten eclogites [2]. Interaction of KCl melt with pyrope garnet also produce potassic aluminosilicate melt because of high affinity of Al and Si to potassium. Additional products of this interaction are spinel and, possibly, olivine. These minerals are common products of garnet breakdown within the zones of partial melting of eclogite xenoliths [1, 2]. It is evident that simultaneous action of fluid species (H2O, CO2) and chlorides would produce much stronger effect. Following to this assumption, we further performed experiments on melting of model and natural eclogites with participation of the H2O-CO2-KCl fluids at 5 GPa. Comparison with the KCl-free melting (i.e. H2O-CO2 fluid only) shows that addition of KCl to the fluid intensifies melting. This effect is related both to high Cl content (up to 3-5.5 wt. %) in the newly formed silicate melt and its enrichment in K2O via K-Na exchange reactions with the immiscible chloride melt. Owing to these reactions, the ratio K2O/Cl in the melts increases with the increase of the KCl content in the system and reaches 2.5-3.5 in the melts coexisting with immiscible chloride liquids. However, the KCl/(H2O+CO2) ratio in the fluid does not influence on the K2O/Cl ratio in the melts suggesting that solubility of KCl in the melts practically does not depends on a presence of the H2O-CO2 fluid. Thus, the experiments imply that the KCl-bearing fluids or aqueous(±carbonic) KCl liquids could serve as a possible factor assisting to formation of the K-rich Cl-bearing aluminosilicate melts during the eclogite melting in the mantle. In turn, it means that the KCl content in such rock-melt-fluid systems could exceed 5 wt. %. The study is supported by the RFBR (07-05-00499), the Leading Scientific Schools Program (1949.2008.5), Russian President Grant MD-130.2008.5, and Russian Science Support Foundation. References: [1] Misra et al. (2004) Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. V. 146. P. 696-714; [2] Shatsky et al. (2008) Lithos. 105. 289-300; [3] Zedgenizov et al. (2007) Doklady Earth Sci. 415. 961-964; [4] Izraeli et al. (2001) Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 5807. 1-10.

Growth of Si spherical crystals and the surface oxidation (M-9)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishinaga, Tatau

1993-01-01

Nearly 90 percent of semiconductor devices are produced with Si single crystals as the starting materials. For instance, the integrated circuits (IC), which are used in almost all electronic equipments such as TV, tape recorders, audio amplifiers, etc., are made after various processings of Si single crystal wafers. In these wafers, the same controlled amounts of impurities are added and the uniformities in their distributions are extremely important. Growth under microgravity makes it possible to eliminate the buoyancy-driven convection in the melt, which is one of the main origins of convections which results in non-uniformity of the impurity. Another source of convection is known as Marangoni convection which is driven on the free surface when a temperature gradient occurs. One of the merits of microgravity experimentation is that the detailed study of this convection becomes possible. Another important advantage of microgravity is that growth of crystals without a crucible is possible. This makes it possible to study melt growth without the strain which is usually introduced on the ground. Nevertheless, we should repeat and analyze many growth experiments in space to get reliable results. However, since in the FMPT, the time for the experiment is limited, we plan to carry out two kinds of very simple and basic experiments as the first step for the semiconductor growth experiment. In the first experiment, we use single crystal Si sphere as the starting material and as shown, this sphere is heated in the furnace at a slightly higher temperature than the melting point. After the melting front moves nearly half way to its center, the temperature is decreased to stop the melting and to start the growth from the seed for which we use the unmelted solid party of the sphere. The sphere is centered by quartz protuberances inside of the quartz crucible. There exists the possibility of temperature fluctuations being introduced when the molten sphere occasionally touches the protuberances. The total time needed for the melting and the growth processes is estimated to be 30 minutes. Infrared emission from the sphere is monitored in order to prevent the accidental loss of the central solid core. The schematical illustration of the second experient is shown. A single crystal, Si rod is used as the starting material. In the first stage, the rod is melted from one end to obtain a liquid sphere. In the second stage, the single crystal is grown by decreasing the temperature from the unmelted part of the rod which is used as the seed. The second experient somewhat resembles the Czochralski method used on the ground; however, in the space experiment, no crucible is employed and the temperature uniformity is much superior. In both experiments, phosphorous is doped to allow observation of the change in the shape of the liquid solid interface during crystal growth and the impurity striations, if any.

Field experiments to assess the effect of lithology and grain size on the ablation of debris covered glaciers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juen, M.; Mayer, C.; Lambrecht, A.; Wirbel, A.; Kueppers, U.

2012-04-01

Currently many glaciers all over the world show negative mass balances. Because of the retreating ice masses, there is an increase of deglaciated slopes. In combination with increased melting of permafrost these areas can become unstable and account for an additional supply of weathered bedrock and sediments onto the glacier surface. Furthermore increasing ablation rates advance the melting out and accumulation of englacial till on the glacier surface. The experiment was performed during summer season 2010 at the middle tongue of Vernagtferner, a temperate glacier in the Oetztal Alps, Austria. The experimental setup was designed in a way to monitor the parameters which are most crucial for controlling sub-debris ice melt with regards to lithology, grain size and moisture content. Ten test plots were established with different debris grain sizes and debris thicknesses consisting of sieved natural material. The local metamorphic mica schist and volcanic debris were used for the experiment. Ablation was measured at stakes. Bare ice melt was observed continuously with a sonic ranger. Three automatic weather stations were installed to record meteorological data. To obtain information concerning the internal temperature distribution of the debris cover, thermistors were installed at various depths. For each individual plot thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity have been estimated. The observations during the season revealed a clear dependence of the sub-debris ice melt on the layer thickness and the grain size. For the fine sand fraction the moisture content plays an important role, as these test fields were always water saturated. Highly porous volcanic material protects the ice much more effectively from melting than similar layer thicknesses of the local mica schist. Also the albedo plays an important role, where melt rates under dark debris are about 1.75 times higher than underneath brighter material. The analysis of thermal diffusivities indicates that lower values can be found in proximity to the debris/ice interface. Based on our experiences it can be concluded that test sites need intensive care in order to obtain representative data.

In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) Experiments for Mars Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marone, Matt

2005-01-01

In situ resource utilization can best be described as living off the land. In our case the land is the planet Mars. ISRU is based on the idea that some fraction of the consumables, life support and propellant materials do not have to be flown from earth. Rather, they can be manufactured or extracted from resources already present on Mars. The primary resources on Mars are the atmosphere, polar caps and regolith. The atmosphere of Mars is mostly carbon dioxide as shown in the table below. The proportion of oxygen on the other hand is quite small. Still, there is quite a bit of oxygen in the Martian atmosphere, but it is unfortunately tied up with carbon. Thus, one of the goals of ISRU is the separation of breathable oxygen from the carbon dioxide. Several means of separation have been proposed. We have begun experiments on another approach for production of oxygen with carbon monoxide as a useful by product. Our work on a CO2 separator is described later in this report. Regolith melting is another means of obtaining materials. Two materials of interest are iron and silicon. Iron oxide is plentiful on Mars and is of obvious importance for structural components. Silicon is the foundation of solid state devices. Power generation on Mars may be accomplished using silicon solar cells. There is discussion of the feasibility of in situ production of solar cells. This would require a means of extracting silicon from the regolith. We have conducted several experiments concerning melting and glassification of the Mars soil simulant. Other summer faculty fellows have tried various means of processing the stimulant material. These include furnace melting, microwave melting and laser ablation. We have conducted several furnace melting experiments in both air and carbon dioxide environments. We have also carried out experiments to test spark melting in a carbon dioxide atmosphere. These experiments suggest the possibility of using arc melting in a reducing atmosphere. It is important to keep in mind that we are working with a soil stimulant. Any simulant, no matter how chemically similar it is to Martian regolith, may differ in mineralogy. The underlying assumption in this work is that once a glass is formed, any differences between simulant and regolith are unimportant. The exact means of forming the glass do, however, depend on the mineralogy of the regolith. A sample return mission is required to help answer these questions.

A Two-Dimensional Liquid Structure Explains the Elevated Melting Temperatures of Gallium Nanoclusters.

PubMed

Steenbergen, Krista G; Gaston, Nicola

2016-01-13

Melting in finite-sized materials differs in two ways from the solid-liquid phase transition in bulk systems. First, there is an inherent scaling of the melting temperature below that of the bulk, known as melting point depression. Second, at small sizes changes in melting temperature become nonmonotonic and show a size-dependence that is sensitive to the structure of the particle. Melting temperatures that exceed those of the bulk material have been shown to occur for a very limited range of nanoclusters, including gallium, but have still never been ascribed a convincing physical explanation. Here, we analyze the structure of the liquid phase in gallium clusters based on molecular dynamics simulations that reproduce the greater-than-bulk melting behavior observed in experiments. We observe persistent nonspherical shape distortion indicating a stabilization of the surface, which invalidates the paradigm of melting point depression. This shape distortion suggests that the surface acts as a constraint on the liquid state that lowers its entropy relative to that of the bulk liquid and thus raises the melting temperature.

Integrated System of Thermal/Dimensional Analysis for Quality Control of Metallic Melt and Ductile Iron Casting Solidification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stan, Stelian; Chisamera, Mihai; Riposan, Iulian; Neacsu, Loredana; Cojocaru, Ana Maria; Stan, Iuliana

2018-03-01

The main objective of the present work is to introduce a specific experimental instrument and technique for simultaneously evaluating cooling curves and expansion or contraction of cast metals during solidification. Contraction/expansion analysis illustrates the solidification parameters progression, according to the molten cast iron characteristics, which are dependent on the melting procedure and applied metallurgical treatments, mold media rigidity and thermal behavior [heat transfer parameters]. The first part of the paper summarizes the performance of this two-mold device. Its function is illustrated by representative shrinkage tendency results in ductile cast iron as affected by mold rigidity (green sand and furan resin sand molds) and inoculant type (FeSi-based alloys), published in part previously. The second part of the paper illustrates an application of this equipment adapted for commercial foundry use. It conducts thermal analysis and volume change measurements in a single ceramic cup so that mold media as well as solidification conditions are constants, with cast iron quality as the variable. Experiments compared gray and ductile cast iron solidification patterns. Gray iron castings are characterized by higher undercooling at the beginning and at the end of solidification and lower graphitic expansion. Typically, ductile cast iron exhibits higher graphitic, initial expansion, conducive for shrinkage formation in soft molds.

Electrical conductivity of basaltic and carbonatite melt-bearing peridotites at high pressures: Implications for melt distribution and melt fraction in the upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshino, Takashi; Laumonier, Mickael; McIsaac, Elizabeth; Katsura, Tomoo

2010-07-01

Electrical impedance measurements were performed on two types of partial molten samples with basaltic and carbonatitic melts in a Kawai-type multi-anvil apparatus in order to investigate melt fraction-conductivity relationships and melt distribution of the partial molten mantle peridotite under high pressure. The silicate samples were composed of San Carlos olivine with various amounts of mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB), and the carbonate samples were a mixture of San Carlos olivine with various amounts of carbonatite. High-pressure experiments on the silicate and carbonate systems were performed up to 1600 K at 1.5 GPa and up to at least 1650 K at 3 GPa, respectively. The sample conductivity increased with increasing melt fraction. Carbonatite-bearing samples show approximately one order of magnitude higher conductivity than basalt-bearing ones at the similar melt fraction. A linear relationship between log conductivity ( σbulk) and log melt fraction ( ϕ) can be expressed well by the Archie's law (Archie, 1942) ( σbulk/ σmelt = Cϕn) with parameters C = 0.68 and 0.97, n = 0.87 and 1.13 for silicate and carbonate systems, respectively. Comparison of the electrical conductivity data with theoretical predictions for melt distribution indicates that the model assuming that the grain boundary is completely wetted by melt is the most preferable melt geometry. The gradual change of conductivity with melt fraction suggests no permeability jump due to melt percolation at a certain melt fraction. The melt fraction of the partial molten region in the upper mantle can be estimated to be 1-3% and ˜ 0.3% for basaltic melt and carbonatite melt, respectively.

Apatite-Melt Partitioning at 1 Bar: An Assessment of Apatite-Melt Exchange Equilibria Resulting from Non-Ideal Mixing of F and Cl in Apatite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCubbin, F. M.; Ustunisik, G.; Vander Kaaden, K. E.

2016-01-01

The mineral apatite [Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH)] is present in a wide range of planetary materials. Due to the presence of volatiles within its crystal structure (X-site), many recent studies have attempted to use apatite to constrain the volatile contents of planetary magmas and mantle sources. In order to use the volatile contents of apatite to precisely determine the abundances of volatiles in coexisting silicate melt or fluids, thermodynamic models for the apatite solid solution and for the apatite components in multi-component silicate melts and fluids are required. Although some thermodynamic models for apatite have been developed, they are incomplete. Furthermore, no mixing model is available for all of the apatite components in silicate melts or fluids, especially for F and Cl components. Several experimental studies have investigated the apatite-melt and apatite-fluid partitioning behavior of F, Cl, and OH in terrestrial and planetary systems, which have determined that apatite-melt partitioning of volatiles are best described as exchange equilibria similar to Fe-Mg partitioning between olivine and silicate melt. However, McCubbin et al. recently reported that the exchange coefficients may vary in portions of apatite compositional space where F, Cl, and OH do not mix ideally in apatite. In particular, solution calorimetry data of apatite compositions along the F-Cl join exhibit substantial excess enthalpies of mixing. In the present study, we conducted apatite-melt partitioning experiments in evacuated, sealed silica-glass tubes at approximately 1 bar and 950-1050 degrees Centigrade on a synthetic Martian basalt composition equivalent to the basaltic shergottite Queen Alexandria Range (QUE) 94201. These experiments were conducted dry, at low pressure, to assess the effects of temperature and apatite composition on the partitioning behavior of F and Cl between apatite and basaltic melt along the F-Cl apatite binary join, where there is non-ideal mixing of F and Cl in apatite.

An experimental study of ^{{{{Fe}}^{2 + } {-}{{Mg}}}} K_{{D}} between orthopyroxene and rhyolite: a strong dependence on H2O in the melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waters, Laura E.; Lange, Rebecca A.

2017-06-01

The effect of temperature, pressure, and dissolved H2O in the melt on the Fe2+-Mg exchange coefficient between orthopyroxene and rhyolite melt was investigated with a series of H2O fluid-saturated phase-equilibrium experiments. Experiments were conducted in a rapid-quench cold-seal pressure vessel over a temperature and pressure range of 785-850 °C and 80-185 MPa, respectively. Oxygen fugacity was buffered with the solid Ni-NiO assemblage in a double-capsule assembly. These experiments, when combined with H2O-undersaturated experiments in the literature, show that ^{{{{Fe}}^{2 + } {-}{{Mg}}}} K_{{D}} between orthopyroxene and rhyolite liquid increases strongly (from 0.23 to 0.54) as a function of dissolved water in the melt (from 2.7 to 5.6 wt%). There is no detectable effect of temperature or pressure over an interval of 65 °C and 100 MPa, respectively, on the Fe2+-Mg exchange coefficient values. The data show that Fe-rich orthopyroxene is favored at high water contents, whereas Mg-rich orthopyroxene crystallizes at low water contents. It is proposed that the effect of dissolved water in the melt on the composition of orthopyroxene is analogous to its effect on the composition of plagioclase. In the latter case, dissolved hydroxyl groups preferentially complex with Na+ relative to Ca2+, which reduces the activity of the albite component, leading to a more anorthite-rich (calcic) plagioclase. Similarly, it is proposed that dissolved hydroxyl groups preferentially complex with Mg2+ relative to Fe2+, thus lowering the activity of the enstatite component, leading to a more Fe-rich orthopyroxene at high water contents in the melt. The experimental results presented in this study show that reversely zoned pyroxene (i.e., Mg-rich rims) in silicic magmas may be a result of H2O degassing and not necessarily the result of mixing with a more mafic magma.

Kinetics of Peridotite and Pyroxenite-derived Melts Interaction: Implications for the Style and Extent of Melt-rock Reaction in the Mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lo Cascio, M.; Liang, Y.

2006-12-01

Distinct geochemical and petrologic features of ocean floor basalts and mantle peridotites suggest that the upper mantle is lithologically heterogeneous, consisting predominantly of peridotite and a small amount of eclogite [1]. An important issue of this marble cake mantle, is the nature of the peridotite and pyroxenite interface during mantle melting. It has been suggested that during mantle melting eclogite and peridotite develop a reactive boundary layer composed of a second generation eclogite and a layer of orthopyroxenite [2]. The existence of such a boundary layer has also been used to explain the observation that oceanic basalts are extracted with only limited interaction with the surrounding peridotite [3]. In spite of recent progresses, the kinetics of peridotite and pyroxenite-derived melts reaction is still not well understood. It is likely that there are two regimes of peridotite-pyroxenite melt interaction: a high T/low P regime where both the peridotite and pyroxenite are partially molten; and a low T/high P regime where only pyroxenite is partially molten. In this study we explored the kinetics of such interactions in both regimes by conducting lherzolite dissolution experiments using a pyroxenite-derived melt at 1300°C and 1-2 GPa. Dissolution couples were formed by juxtaposing pre-synthesized rods of a basaltic andesite (54.6% SiO2, Mg# 0.42), whose composition is similar to pyroxenite derived liquid at 1300°C and 2 GPa [1,4], and a lherzolite (ol+opx+cpx) in a Pt and graphite lined Mo capsule. The lherzolite solidus is below 1300°C at 1 GPa [5], but above 1300°C at 2 GPa. Lherzolite hardly dissolves (~35 μm in 6 hours) into the melt at 2 GPa and a thin opx layer (<10 μm thick) decorated with a few garnet crystals is observed at the lherzolite-melt interface. From the concentration profiles of Al2O3 and MgO in the melt, we estimated the effective binary diffusion coefficient at 10^{-12}m2/s. Assuming an average mantle upwelling rate of ~50 mm/yr and peridotite solidus located ~50 km above that of the pyroxenite [5], it can be shown that partially molten pyroxenite veins that are less than 1 m wide are likely to be homogenized with the surrounding mantle before reaching the lherzolite solidus. Therefore, only pyroxenite veins on the order of a 1 m or more will remain isolate from the surrounding. When the solidus of lherzolite is crossed, a reactive boundary layer made of pyroxene and/or olivine develops and the style of peridotite-pyroxenite interaction changes from dissolution and assimilation to porous flow dominated melt-rock reaction. The latter can potentially spread the pyroxenite signature to a much large volume. Result of this study will have important implications for the size and distribution of heterogeneities in the mantle. [1] Petermann and Hirschmann, 2003, J. Pet., 44, doi: 10.1093/petrology/egg074; [2] Yaxley and Green, 1998, Schweiz. Mineral. Petrogr. Mitt., 78; [3] Hauri and Kurz, 1997, EPSL, 153; [4] Takahashi and Nakajima, 2002, Geoph. Mon. 128; [5] Morgan and Liang, 2005, CMP, 150, doi: 10.1007/s00410-005-0033-8; [6] Petermann and Hirschmann, 2003, JGR., 108, doi: 10.1029/2000JB000118.

Water Solubility In Pantelleritic Glasses: New Experiments With Karl-Fischer, FTIR And Raman Spectroscopic Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, M. R.; Stabile, P.; Appiah, E.; Behrens, H.; Giuli, G.; Paris, E.

2017-12-01

Water is among the most important volatile components in magmas, due to its abundance and its influence on melt viscosity, liquidus temperatures/phase relations, and diffusivity of melts components. Knowledge of H2O solubility in natural and synthetic compositions is crucial for understanding common magmatic processes such as magma crysalization, magma ascent, exsolution and degassing of volatiles. Water solubility is not well constrained for pantelleritic glasses, thus, we have carried out new H2O solubility experiments on pantelleritic melts, concentrating on the pressure and alkali (ratio Na/Na+K) effects. Initial results indicate that higher Na and pressure favour higher water solubility in these melts, and overall the solubilities in peralkaline pantelleritic melts are 30% higher, relative, compared with metaluminous rhyolitic melts. To better characterize the water speciation in these glasses, Infarared and Raman Spectroscopy have been employed, with the aim of providing a calibration of IR/Raman measurements of water in pantelleritic glasses. This is essential because of the lack of such studies in literature. The preliminary results show that the extinction coefficients of both the 4500 - and the 5200-cm-1 bands ( assigned to molecular water and hydroxyl groups, respectively) are significantly different from those for metaluminous rhyolitic glasses. These results will help to enlarge the dataset for alkali-rich and silica-rich melts and facilitate improved quantitative measurements of water in peralkaline glasses using FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.

Co-settling of Chromite and Sulfide Melt Droplets and Trace Element Partitioning between Sulfide and Silicate Melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manoochehri, S.; Schmidt, M. W.; Guenther, D.

2013-12-01

Gravitational settling of immiscible, dense sulfide melt droplets together with other cumulate phases such as chromite, combined with downward percolation of these droplets through a cumulate pile, is thought to be one of the possible processes leading to the formation of PGE rich sulfide deposits in layered mafic intrusions. Furthermore some chromitite seams in the Merensky Reef (Bushveld Complex) are considered to be acting as a filter or barrier for further downward percolation of sulfide melts into footwall layers. To investigate the feasibility of such mechanical processes and to study the partitioning behavior of 50 elements including transition metals and REEs (but not PGEs) between a silicate and a sulfide melt, two separate series of high temperature (1250-1380 °C) centrifuge-assisted experiments at 1000 g, 0.4-0.6 GPa were conducted. A synthetic silicate glass with a composition representative of the parental magma of the Bushveld Complex (~ 55 wt% SiO2) was mixed with pure FeS powder. For the first series of experiments, 15 or 25 wt% natural chromite with average grain sizes of ~ 5 or 31 μm were added to a mixture of silicate glass and FeS (10 wt%) adding 1 wt% water. For the second series, a mixture of the same glass and FeS was doped with 50 trace elements. These mixtures were first statically equilibrated and then centrifuged. In the first experimental series, sulfide melt droplets settled together with, but did not segregate from chromite grains even after centrifugation at 1000 g for 12 hours. A change in initial chromite grain size and proportions didn't have any effect on segregation. Without chromite, the starting mixture resulted in the formation of large sulfide melt pools together with finer droplets still disseminated through the silicate glass and both at the bottom of the capsule. The incomplete segregation of sulfide melt is interpreted as being due to high interfacial energies between sulfide and silicate melts/crystals which hinder both, the nucleation of newly formed sulfide droplets and the interconnectivity of separate droplets. The interfacial energies between sulfide melt and silicate or oxide crystals is even higher than for silicate melt, consequently in experiments with chromite, sulfide segregation is even more hindered. Partition coefficients of 50 elements between a sulfide and a silicate melt are determined as a function of differing temperature between 1250 - 1380 °C. As a proxy to investigate the bond strength of network modifier cations, the relation between the partition coefficients and ionic potentials of different groups of elements has been determined.

Structure of a mushy layer under hypergravity with implications for Earth's inner core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huguet, Ludovic; Alboussière, Thierry; Bergman, Michael I.; Deguen, Renaud; Labrosse, Stéphane; Lesœur, Germain

2016-03-01

Crystallization experiments in the dendritic regime have been carried out in hypergravity conditions (from 1 to 1300 g) from an ammonium chloride solution (NH4Cl and H2O). A commercial centrifuge was equipped with a slip ring so that electric power (needed for a Peltier device and a heating element), temperature and ultrasonic signals could be transmitted between the experimental setup and the laboratory. Ultrasound measurements (2-6 MHz) were used to detect the position of the front of the mushy zone and to determine attenuation in the mush. Temperature measurements were used to control a Peltier element extracting heat from the bottom of the setup and to monitor the evolution of crystallization in the mush and in the liquid. A significant increase of solid fraction and attenuation in the mush is observed as gravity is increased. Kinetic undercooling is significant in our experiments and has been included in a macroscopic mush model. The other ingredients of the model are conservation of energy and chemical species, along with heat/species transfer between the mush and the liquid phase: boundary-layer exchanges at the top of the mush and bulk convection within the mush (formation of chimneys). The outputs of the model compare well with our experiments. We have then run the model in a range of parameters suitable for the Earth's inner core. This has shown the role of bulk mush convection for the inner core and the reason why a solid fraction very close to unity should be expected. We have also run melting experiments: after crystallization of a mush, the liquid has been heated from above until the mush started to melt, while the bottom cold temperature was maintained. These melting experiments were motivated by the possible local melting at the inner core boundary that has been invoked to explain the formation of the anomalously slow F-layer at the bottom of the outer core or inner core hemispherical asymmetry. Oddly, the consequences of melting are an increase in solid fraction and a decrease in attenuation. It is hence possible that surface seismic velocity and attenuation of the inner core are strongly affected by melting.

Superheat in magma oceans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jakes, Petr

1992-01-01

The existence of 'totally molten' planets implies the existence of a superheat (excess of heat) in the magma reservoirs since the heat buffer (i.e., presence of crystals having high latent heat of fusion) does not exist in a large, completely molten reservoir. Any addition of impacting material results in increase of the temperature of the melt and under favorable circumstances heat is stored. The behavior of superheat melts is little understood; therefore, we experimentally examined properties and behavior of excess heat melts at atmospheric pressures and inert gas atmosphere. Highly siliceous melts (70 percent SiO2) were chosen for the experiments because of the possibility of quenching such melts into glasses, the slow rate of reaction in highly siliceous composition, and the fact that such melts are present in terrestrial impact craters and impact-generated glasses. Results from the investigation are presented.

Defining the chemical role of H2O in mantle melts: Effect of melt composition and H2O content on the activity of SiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, G.; Roggensack, K.

2007-12-01

Quantifying the influence of volatiles (H2O, CO2) on the chemistry of mantle melts is a critical aspect of understanding the petrogenesis of arc magmas. A significant amount of experimental work done on the effect of H2O on the solidii of various mantle compositions, as well as on multiple saturation points of various primitive melts, has shown that H2O stabilizes olivine with respect to orthopyroxene. Or, in other words, at constant activity of SiO2, the presence of H2O decreases the activity coefficient of SiO2 in the melt, potentially leading to mantle melts that have suprisingly high SiO2 contents (Carmichael, 2002). Quantification and modelling of this behavior in hydrous silicate melts in equilibrium with the mantle have proven problematic, due mainly to a relatively small set of experiments that allow this type of thermodynamic analysis, and because of the experimental and analytical difficulties of dealing with hydrous high P-T samples (e.g. quench to a glass, rapid melt-solid reaction on quench, electron beam sensitivity of resulting glass, volatile content determination, etc). A further complication in the existing data includes co-variance of important experimental parameters (e.g. T and H2O content), making robust statistical regression analysis difficult and potentially misleading. We present here results of high P-T experiments conducted at a single pressure and temperature (1.0 GPa, 1200 deg C) that have the specific goal of quantifying the effect of H2O, as well as other melt components, on the activity coefficient of SiO2 in mantle melts. Using a "sandwich" type experiment, basaltic melts are saturated with an olivine plus orthopyroxene mineral assemblage with varying H2O and CO2 contents. The resulting samples have their bulk solid phase and glass compositions determined using EPMA, and the volatile content of the glass is determined by FTIR. The activity of SiO2 is then calculated using the olivine and orthopyroxene compositions. This value is then used, along with the mole fraction of SiO2 that is measured in the glass, to calculate an activity coefficient for SiO2 in that particular melt. The results show that for two starting compositions, H2O clearly has a strong negative effect on the activity coefficient of SiO2, consistent with some earlier intepretations. Further work is being conducted on differing starting compositions, as well as increasing the range of volatile contents, in order to better quantify their influence on this important chemical parameter of mantle melts. Ultimately, these experiments will help determine whether hydrous arc lavas, including high-Mg andesites, can be attributed to a primitive mantle origin, or whether other magmatic processes are necessary to generate their observed bulk compositions. It will also quantify the amount of H2O necessary to generate such magmas, giving insight into the potential H2O content present in the sub-arc mantle source regions, and allowing a more precise estimate of volatile fluxes in volcanic arc settings.

Rock Melt Borehole Sealing System, Final Technical Report for SBIR Phase I Grant No. DE-SC0011888

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Osnes, John D.; Vining, Cody A.; Nopola, Jay R.

Purpose of Research Deep borehole disposal is one option that has received attention in recent years as a possible strategy for long-term disposal of the tens of thousands of tons of spent nuclear fuel. The feasibility of the deep borehole option relies upon designing and constructing an effective seal within the borehole to ensure that the waste package does not communicate with the shallow subsurface biosphere through the borehole itself. Some of the uncertainty associated with the long-term suitability of the deep borehole option is related to (1) the degradation of traditional sealing materials over time and (2) the inabilitymore » of traditional sealing methods to adequately seal a Disturbed Rock Zone surrounding the borehole. One possible system to address these concerns consists of encapsulating the waste in a melt generated from either the waste itself or a plug above the waste. This current project expanded on previous work to further advance the deep borehole disposal concept. Research Objectives & Findings The overarching objective of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of constructing a downhole heater that is capable of meeting the technical and logistical requirements to melt rock. This ultimate objective was accomplished by two primary approaches. The first approach was to define the heater requirements and conceptually design a system that is capable of melting rock. The second approach was to determine the feasibility of conducting an in situ, field-scale melting experiment to validate the suitability of the rock melt seal concept. The evaluation and conceptual design of the heater system resulted in the following primary findings: • Borehole wall temperatures capable of producing a partial melt are achievable under most expected thermal conductivities with a 12-kilowatt heater. • Commercially available components have been identified that meet the requirements of the heater system, including resistive elements that are capable of providing the required heat generation, container materials that can withstand the anticipated temperatures, and a system capable of providing power to the heater. Evaluating the feasibility of performing field-scale experiments resulted in the following major findings: • The Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) has been identified as a host site for field testing of prototype heaters. The technical and logistical requirements for performing the rock melt tests can be met by using or expanding the existing infrastructure at SURF with on-site personnel and contractors. • In situ hydraulic conductivity test using packers can test the effectiveness of the rock melt seal, while a mine back performed from a lower level can further evaluate the recrystallized melt. • Preliminary costing indicates that a field-scale melting experiment at SURF is feasible within a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research budget while allowing sufficient budget for refining the heater design, coordinating the test program, and interpreting the results. Application of Research The rock melt sealing concept has the potential to reduce uncertainty associated with the long-term storage of nuclear waste. Preliminary efforts of this study defined the requirements of a downhole heater system capable of melting rock and indicated that developing such a system is feasible using available technology. The next logical step is designing and manufacturing prototype heaters. Concurrent with prototype development is coordinating robust field-scale experiments that are capable of validating the design for marketing to potential users.« less

MELT RHEOLOGY OF HIGH L-CONTENT POLY(LACTIC ACID). (R826733)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Lunar Cordierite-Spinel Troctolite: Igneous History, and Volatiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Treiman, A. H.; Gross, J.

2012-03-01

Apollo sample 15295,101 contains a cordierite spinel troctolite (Marvin et al., 1989). The cordierite is volatile-free, at least by EMP — more precise analyses are in progress. The troctolite may be a partial melt of a spinel-rich igneous cumulate.

Properties of iron under core conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, J. M.

2003-04-01

Underlying an understanding of the geodynamo and evolution of the core is knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of iron and iron mixtures under high pressure and temperature conditions. Key properties include the viscosity of the fluid outer core, thermal diffusivity, equations-of-state, elastic properties of solid phases, and phase equilibria for iron and iron-dominated mixtures. As is expected for work that continues to tax technological and intellectual limits, controversy has followed both experimental and theoretical progress in this field. However, estimates for the melting temperature of the inner core show convergence and the equation-of-state for iron as determined in independent experiments and theories are in remarkable accord. Furthermore, although the structure and elastic properties of the solid inner-core phase remains uncertain, theoretical and experimental underpinnings are better understood and substantial progress is likely in the near future. This talk will focus on an identification of properties that are reasonably well known and those that merit further detailed study. In particular, both theoretical and experimental (static and shock wave) determinations of the density of iron under extreme conditions are in agreement at the 1% or better level. The behavior of the Gruneisen parameter (which determines the geothermal gradient and controls much of the outer core heat flux) is constrained by experiment and theory under core conditions for both solid and liquid phases. Recent experiments and theory are suggestive of structure or structures other than the high-pressure hexagonal close-packed (HCP) phase. Various theories and experiments for the elasticity of HCP iron remain in poor accord. Uncontroversial constraints on core chemistry will likely never be possible. However, reasonable bounds are possible on the basis of seismic profiles, geochemical arguments, and determinations of sound velocities and densities at high pressure and temperature.

Study of Interesting Solidification Phenomena on the Ground and in Space (MEPHISTO)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alexander, J. Iwan D.; Favier, J.-J.; Garandet, J.-P.

1999-01-01

Real-time Seebeck voltage variations in a Sn-Bi melt during directional solidification in the MEPHISTO spaceflight experiment flown on the USMP-3 mission, have been correlated with well-characterized thruster firings and an Orbiter Main System (OMS) burn. The Seebeck voltage measurement is related to the response of the instantaneous average melt composition at the melt-crystal interface. This allowed us to make a direct comparison of numerical simulations with the experimentally obtained Seebeck signals. Based on the results of preflight and real-time computations, several well-defined thruster firing events were programmed to occur at specific times during the experiment. In particular, we simulated the effects of the thruster firings on melt and crystal composition in a directionally solidifying Sn-Bi alloy. The relative accelerations produced by the firings were simulated by impulsive accelerations of the same magnitude, duration and orientation as the requested firings. A comparison of the simulation results with the Seebeck signal indicates that there is a good agreement between the two. This unique opportunity allows us to make the first quantitative characterization of actual g-jitter effects on an actual crystal growth experiment and to calibrate our models of g-jitter effects on crystal growth.

Study of Interesting Solidification Phenomena on the Ground and in Space (MEPHISTO)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Favier, J.-J.; Iwan, J.; Alexander, D.; Garandet, J.-P.

1998-01-01

Real-time Seebeck voltage variations in a Sn-Bi melt during directional solidification in the MEPHISTO spaceflight experiment flown on the USMP-3 mission, can be correlated with well characterized thruster firings and an Orbiter Main System (OMS) burn. The Seebeck voltage measurement is related to the response of the instantaneous average melt composition at the melt-crystal interface. This allowed us to make a direct comparison of numerical simulations with the experimentally obtained Seebeck signals. Based on the results of preflight and real-time computations, several well-defined thruster firing events were programmed to occur at specific times during the experiment. In particular, we simulated the effects of the thruster firings on melt and crystal composition in a directionally solidifying Sn-Bi alloy. The relative accelerations produced by the firings were simulated by impulsive accelerations of the same magnitude, duration and orientation as the requested firings. A comparison of the simulation results with the Seebeck signal indicates that there is a good agreement between the two. This unique opportunity allows us, for the first time, to quantitatively characterize actual g-jitter effects on an actual crystal growth experiment and to properly calibrate our models of g-jitter effects on crystal growth.

Mediterranean Magmatism: Bimodal Melting Patterns Inferred By Numerical Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gogus, O.; Ueda, K.; Gerya, T.

2017-12-01

Melt production by the decompression melting of the asthenospheric mantle occurs in the course of the lithospheric foundering process. The magmatic imprints of such foundering process are often described as anorogenic magmatism and this is usually followed by the orogenic magmatism, related to the subduction events in the Mediterranean region. Here, by using numerical geodynamic experiments we explore various styles of magmatism, their interaction with each other and the amount of magma production in the ocean subduction to slab peel away/delamination configuration. Model results show that the early stage of the ocean subduction under the continental lithosphere is associated with the short pulse of wet melting-orogenic magmatism and then the melting process is mostly dominated by dry melting-anorogenic magmatism, until the slab break-off occurs. While the melt types mixes/alternates during the evolution of the model, the wet melting facilitates the production of dry melting because of its uprising and emplacement under the crust where dry melting is present. The melt production pattern and the amount does not change significantly with different depths of the slab break-off (160-200 km). Model results can explain the transition from the calc-alkaline to alkaline volcanism in the western Mediterranean (Alboran domain) where ocean subduction to delamination has been interpreted.

Experimental Data in Support of the 1991 Shock Classification of Chondrites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, R. T.; Stoffler, D.

1995-09-01

We present results of shock recovery experiments performed on the H6(S1) chondrite Kernouv . These data and new observations on ordinary chondrites confirm the recently proposed classification system [1] and provide additional criteria for determining the shock stage, the shock pressure, and, under certain conditions, also the ambient (pre-shock) temperature during shock metamorphism of any chondrite sample. Two series of experiments at 293 K and 920 K and 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, and 60 GPa were made with a high explosive device [2] using 0.5 mm thick disks of the Kernouv chondrite. Shock effects in olivine, orthopyroxene, plagioclase, and troilite and shock-induced melt products were studied by optical [3], electron optical and X-ray diffraction methods. All essential characteristics of the six progressive stages of shock metamorphism (S1 - S6) observed in natural samples of chondrites [1] have been reproduced experimentally except for opaque shock veins and the high pressure polymorphs of olivine and pyroxene (ringwoodite/wadsleyite and majorite), well known from naturally shocked chondrites. This is probably due to the special sample and containment geometry and the extremely short pressure pulses (0.2 - 0.8 microseconds) in the experiments. The shock experiments provided a clear understanding of the shock wave behavior of troilite and of the shock-induced melting, mobilization, and exsolution-recrystallization of composite troilite-metal grains. At 293 K troilite is monocrystalline up to 35 GPa displaying undulatory extinction from 10 to 25 GPa, partial recrystallization from 30 - 45 GPa, and complete recrystallization above 45 GPa. Local melting of troilite/metal grains starts at 30 GPa and composite grains displaying exsolution textures of both phases are formed which get mobilized and deposited into fractures of neighbouring silicate grains above 45 GPa. For a pre-shock temperature of 293 K the pressure at which diagnostic shock effects are formed, is somewhat lower in the experimentally shocked Kernouve than in single crystals [1] (Table 1). Based on the Kernouve calibration and on new observations made in natural samples of shocked chondrites an updated version of the 1991 shock classification system is given in Table 1 which holds for low temperatures. In general, the increase of the pre-shock temperature (e.g., 920 K) leads to a distinct decrease of the pressure at which certain shock effects are produced (Table 1). This effect, most distinct for recrystallization and melting phenomena in olivine and troilite, can be used as a pre-shock thermometer. Provided that a post-shock thermal event can be excluded, an estimate of the pre-shock ambient temperature of chondrites of shock stages S2 - S5 can be made by monitoring the texture of troilite. If troilite is monocrystalline, this temperature was low. Polycrystalline troilite indicates a pre-shock temperature higher than 300 K, probably as high as some 900 K. For chondrites of shock stage S6, the ambient pre-shock temperature exceeded 300 K distinctly if olivine near local melt zones lacks the yellow-brown staining characteristic for shock metamorphism at low temperatures. References: [1] Stoffler D. et al. (1991) GCA, 55, 3845-3867. [2] Stoffler D. and Langenhorst F. (1994) Meteoritics, 29, 155-181. [3] Schmitt R. T. et al. (1993) Meteoritics, 29, 529-530.

The effect of primary versus secondary processes on the volatile content of MORB glasses: An example from the equatorial Mid-Atlantic Ridge (5°N-3°S)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Voyer, Marion; Cottrell, Elizabeth; Kelley, Katherine A.; Brounce, Maryjo; Hauri, Erik H.

2015-01-01

We report microanalysis of volatile and trace element compositions, as well as Fe3+/ΣFe ratios, from 45 basaltic glasses from cruise RC2806 along the equatorial Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The along-strike variations in volatiles result from the complex geodynamical setting of the area, including numerous transform faults, variations in ridge depth, melting degree, and source composition. The strongest gradient is centered on 1.7°N and encompasses an increase of H2O, Cl, and F contents as well as high F/Zr ratio spatially coincident with radiogenic isotope anomalies. We interpret these variations as source enrichment due to the influence of the nearby high-μ-type Sierra Leone plume. South of the St. Paul fracture zone, H2O and F contents, as well as H2O/Ce and F/Zr ratios, decrease progressively. This gradient in volatiles is consistent with progressive dilution of an enriched component in a heterogeneous mantle due to the progressive increase in the degree of melting. These two large-scale gradients are interrupted by small-scale anomalies in volatile contents attributed to (1) low-degree melts preferentially sampling enriched heterogeneities near transform faults and (2) local assimilation of hydrothermal fluids in four samples from dredge 16D. Finally, 20 RC2806 samples described as "popping rocks" during collection do not show any difference in volatile content dissolved in the glass or in vesicularity when compared to the RC2806 "nonpopping" samples. Our observations lead us to question the interpretation of the CO2 content in the highly vesicular 2πD43 "popping rock" as being representative of the CO2 content of undegassed mid-ocean ridge basalt.

Formation and characterization of mullite fibers produced by inviscid melt-spinning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Zhijun

IMS is a technique used to form fibers from low viscosity melts by means of stream stabilization in a reactant gas, in this case propane. Mullite (3Alsb2Osb3*2SiOsb2) was selected as the material to be fiberized. A stable mullite melt was obtained at 2000sp°C. Some short fibers and shot were formed in the fiber forming experiments. Crucible material selection is a prerequisite for proper application of the IMS technique. The effect of two crucible materials-graphite and boron nitride were studied. A carbothermal reaction occurred between the mullite melt and the graphite crucible. Boron nitride was selected as the crucible material because a relatively stable melt could be obtained. Operating environment is another factor that affects IMS mullite fiber formation. The effects of vacuum, nitrogen and argon on mullite melting behavior were studied. Argon gas was selected as the operating environment. A 2sp3 factorial design was developed to study the effect of such variables as temperature, holding time at the temperature, and heating rate on mullite melting behavior. The effects of the variables and interactions were calculated. Temperature has the biggest positive effect, holding time is the second, heating rate just has a very small negative effect. A detailed investigation of the mullite decomposition mechanism and kinetics was conducted in this work. A solid reaction mechanism was proposed. The kinetic results and IR analysis support the proposed mechanism. The carbon source inside the furnace led to the decomposition of mullite. A feasible experimental technique was developed to prevent the decomposition of mullite. The experiments with this design completely controlled the mullite decomposition. The short fibers, shot and some side products formed in the fiber forming experiments were characterized using XRD, XRF and SEM-EDS. The composition of the short fiber and shot was in the range of mullite composition. XRD showed that the diffraction pattern of shot is that of mullite.

Giant magmatic water reservoirs at mid-crustal depth inferred from electrical conductivity and the growth of the continental crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laumonier, Mickael; Gaillard, Fabrice; Muir, Duncan; Blundy, Jon; Unsworth, Martyn

2017-01-01

The formation of the continental crust at subduction zones involves the differentiation of hydrous mantle-derived magmas through a combination of crystallization and crustal melting. However, understanding the mechanisms by which differentiation occurs at depth is hampered by the inaccessibility of the deep crust in active continental arcs. Here we report new high-pressure electrical conductivity and petrological experiments on hydrated andesitic melt from Uturuncu volcano on the Bolivian Altiplano. By applying our results to regional magnetotelluric data, we show that giant conductive anomalies at mid-crustal levels in several arcs are characterized by relatively low amounts of intergranular andesitic partial melts with unusually high dissolved water contents (≥8 wt.% H2O). Below Uturuncu, the Altiplano-Puna Magma Body (APMB) displays an electrical conductivity that requires high water content (up to 10 wt.%) dissolved in the melt based on crystal-liquid equilibria and melt H2O solubility experiments. Such a super-hydrous andesitic melt must constitute about 10% of the APMB, the remaining 90% being a combination of magmatic cumulates and older crustal rocks. The crustal ponding level of these andesites at around 6 kbar pressure implies that on ascent through the crust hydrous magmas reach their water saturation pressure in the mid-crust, resulting in decompression-induced crystallization that increases magma viscosity and in turn leads to preferential stalling and differentiation. Similar high conductivity features are observed beneath the Cascades volcanic arc and Taupo Volcanic Zone. This suggests that large amounts of water in super-hydrous andesitic magmas could be a common feature of active continental arcs and may illustrate a key step in the structure and growth of the continental crust. One Sentence Summary: Geophysical, laboratory conductivity and petrological experiments reveal that deep electrical conductivity anomalies beneath the Central Andes, Cascades and Taupo Volcanic Zone image the ponding of super-hydrous andesitic melts which contributes to the growth of continental crust.

A molecular dynamics study of melting and dissociation of tungsten nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Min; Wang, Jun; Fu, Baoqin

2015-12-15

Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to study the melting and dissociation of free tungsten nanoparticles. For the various interatomic potentials applied, the melting points of the tungsten nanoparticles increased with increasing nanoparticle diameter. Combining these results with the melting point of bulk tungsten in the experiment, the melting point of nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 4 to 12 nm could be determined. As the temperature increases, free nanoparticles are subject to dissociation phenomena. The dissociation rate was observed to follow Arrhenius behavior, and the Meyer–Neldel rule was obeyed. These results are useful in understanding the behavior of tungsten dust generatedmore » in nuclear fusion devices as well as for the preparation, formation, and application of tungsten powders.« less

Study of ultrasonic melt treatment on the quality of horizontal continuously cast Al-1%Si alloy.

PubMed

Li, Xin-Tao; Li, Ting-Ju; Li, Xi-Meng; Jin, Jun-Ze

2006-02-01

The fluctuation of the melt temperature in a tundish was measured during casting and experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of ultrasonic melt treatment on the surface quality and solidification structures of Al-1%Si ingots. The results show that the uniformity of melt temperature was enhanced with the application of ultrasonic melt treatment. When the ultrasonic power is 1,000W, the surface quality was evidently improved and grains of cast ingots were refined. Moreover, EPMA analysis was adopted to study the relationship between the ultrasonic power and boundary segregation of Si element. The result shows that boundary segregation is suppressed with the increase of ultrasonic power and the phenomenon was theoretically interpreted.

A petrologic, thermodynamic and experimental study of brachinites: Partial melt residues of an R chondrite-like precursor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardner-Vandy, Kathryn G.; Lauretta, Dante S.; McCoy, Timothy J.

2013-12-01

The primitive achondrites provide a window into the initial melting of asteroids in the early solar system. The brachinites are olivine-dominated meteorites with a recrystallized texture that we and others interpret as evidence of partial melting and melt removal on the brachinite parent body. We present a petrologic, thermodynamic and experimental study of the brachinites to evaluate the conditions under which they formed and test our hypothesis that the precursor material to the brachinites was FeO-rich compared to the precursors of other primitive achondrites. Petrologic analysis of six brachinites (Brachina, Allan Hills (ALH) 84025, Hughes 026, Elephant Moraine (EET) 99402, Northwest Africa (NWA) 3151, and NWA 4969) and one brachinite-like achondrite (NWA 5400) shows that they are meteorites with recrystallized texture that are enriched in olivine (⩾80 vol.%) and depleted in other minerals with respect to a chondritic mineralogy. Silicates in the brachinites are FeO-rich (Fa32-36). Brachinite-like achondrite Northwest Africa 5400 is similar in mineralogy and texture to the brachinites but with a slightly lower FeO-content (Fa30). Thermodynamic calculations yield equilibration temperatures above the Fe,Ni-FeS cotectic temperature (∼950 °C) for all meteorites studied here and temperatures above the silicate eutectic (∼1050 °C) for all but two. Brachina formed at an fO2 of ∼IW, and the other brachinites and NWA 5400 formed at ∼IW - 1. All the meteorites show great evidence of formation by partial melting having approximately chondritic to depleted chondritic mineralogies, equilibrated mineral compositions, and recrystallized textures, and having reached temperatures above that required for melt generation. In an attempt to simulate the formation of the brachinite meteorites, we performed one-atmosphere, gas-mixing partial melting experiments of R4 chondrite LaPaz Ice Field 03639. Experiments at 1250 °C and an oxygen fugacity of IW - 1 produce residual phases that are within the mineralogy and mineral compositions of the brachinites. These experiments provide further evidence for the formation of brachinites as a result of partial melting of a chondritic precursor similar in mineralogy and mineral compositions to the R chondrites.

Melting of Fe-Si-O alloys: the Fate of Coexisting Si and O in the Core

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arveson, S. M.; Lee, K. K. M.

2017-12-01

The light element budget of Earth's core plays an integral role in sustaining outer core convection, which powers the geodynamo. Many experiments have been performed on binary iron compounds, but the results do not robustly agree with seismological observations and geochemical constraints. Earth's core is almost certainly made up of multiple light elements, so the future of core composition studies lies in ternary (or higher order) systems in order to examine interactions between light elements. We perform melting experiments on Fe-Si-O alloys in a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell to 80 GPa and 4000 K. Using 2D multi- wavelength imaging radiometry together with textural and chemical analysis of quenched samples, we measure the high-pressure melting curves and determine partitioning of light elements between the melt and the coexisting solid. Quenched samples are analyzed both in map view and in cross section using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron microprobe analysis (EPMA) to examine the 3D melt structure and composition. Partitioning of light elements between molten and solid alloys dictates (1) the density contrast at the ICB, which drives compositional convection in the outer core and (2) the temperature of the CMB, an integral parameter for understanding the deep Earth. Our experiments suggest silicon and oxygen do not simply coexist in the melt and instead show complex solubility based on temperature. Additionally, we do not find evidence of crystallization of SiO2 at low oxygen content as was recently reported.11 Hirose, K., et al., Crystallization of silicon dioxide and compositional evolution of the Earth's core. Nature, 2017. 543(7643): p. 99-102.

The System Forsterite-Diopside-Enstatite up to 70 kbar and its Significance to the Genesis of Komatiites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, S.; Gupta, A. K.

2011-12-01

Liquidus phase relations in the system forsterite-diopside-enstatite has been made at 70 kbar under anhydrous conditions using a Walker-type multi-anvil high pressure apparatus. Positions of the pseudoeutectic/ invariant, minimum points and amount of solid solutions of appearing phases are summarized in table 1. Comparison of these phase relations with those conducted by previous investigators at lower pressures and temperatures shows that the fosterite-pyroxene liquidus boundary shifts toward forsterite and away from the diopside apex with increasing pressure. Microprobe analyses indicate that the maximum amount of MgSiO3 that can be incorporated in diopside increases with pressure, and at the solidus (70 kbar, 2010°C), it is about 82%. On the basis of EPMA analyses of coexisting liquid and crystalline phases, three-phase triangles have been constructed. It is observed that at 70 kbar, the early partial melt generated from a model peridotite does not precipitate orthopyroxene. If such a melt instead of crystallizing in-situ, ascend to the surface, then the polybaric-polythermal crystallization path should never intersect the liquidus phase field of orthopyroxene, enstatitess may then appear in the solidus as an exsolution product. Our calculation shows that at 31% partial melting of a model mantle, orthopyroxene should appear as a liquidus phase. With further increase in the degree of partial melting (42-60%), proportion of orthopyroxene crystallizing from the melt progressively increases. With reference to the above discussion we propose that the Gorgona komatiites which are primarily orthopyroxene-deficient komatiites, are an outcome of low degree of partial melting, whereas the orthopyroxene-bearing Commondale komatiites of the southern Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa, are the outcome of a larger degree of partial melting, both generated from melting of an anhydrous mantle.

A simple model for the evolution of melt pond coverage on permeable Arctic sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popović, Predrag; Abbot, Dorian

2017-05-01

As the melt season progresses, sea ice in the Arctic often becomes permeable enough to allow for nearly complete drainage of meltwater that has collected on the ice surface. Melt ponds that remain after drainage are hydraulically connected to the ocean and correspond to regions of sea ice whose surface is below sea level. We present a simple model for the evolution of melt pond coverage on such permeable sea ice floes in which we allow for spatially varying ice melt rates and assume the whole floe is in hydrostatic balance. The model is represented by two simple ordinary differential equations, where the rate of change of pond coverage depends on the pond coverage. All the physical parameters of the system are summarized by four strengths that control the relative importance of the terms in the equations. The model both fits observations and allows us to understand the behavior of melt ponds in a way that is often not possible with more complex models. Examples of insights we can gain from the model are that (1) the pond growth rate is more sensitive to changes in bare sea ice albedo than changes in pond albedo, (2) ponds grow slower on smoother ice, and (3) ponds respond strongest to freeboard sinking on first-year ice and sidewall melting on multiyear ice. We also show that under a global warming scenario, pond coverage would increase, decreasing the overall ice albedo and leading to ice thinning that is likely comparable to thinning due to direct forcing. Since melt pond coverage is one of the key parameters controlling the albedo of sea ice, understanding the mechanisms that control the distribution of pond coverage will help improve large-scale model parameterizations and sea ice forecasts in a warming climate.

Differential-Integral method in polymer processing: Taking melt electrospinning technique for example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haoyi, Li; Weimin, Yang; Hongbo, Chen; Jing, Tan; Pengcheng, Xie

2016-03-01

A concept of Differential-Integral (DI) method applied in polymer processing and molding was proposed, which included melt DI injection molding, DI nano-composites extrusion molding and melt differential electrospinning principle and equipment. Taking the melt differential electrospinning for example to introduce the innovation research progress, two methods preparing polymer ultrafine fiber have been developed: solution electro-spinning and melt electro-spinning, between which solution electro-spinning is much simpler to realize in lab. More than 100 institutions have endeavored to conduct research on it and more than 30 thousand papers have been published. However, its industrialization was restricted to some extend because of the existence of toxic solvent during spinning process and poor mechanical strength of resultant fibers caused by small pores on fiber surface. Solvent-free melt electrospinning is environmentally friendly and highly productive. However, problems such as the high melt viscosity, thick fiber diameter and complex equipment makes it relatively under researched compared with solution electrospinning. With the purpose of solving the shortage of traditional electro-spinning equipment with needles or capillaries, a melt differential electro-spinning method without needles or capillaries was firstly proposed. Nearly 50 related patents have been applied since 2005, and systematic method innovations and experimental studies have also been conducted. The prepared fiber by this method had exhibited small diameter and smooth surface. The average fiber diameter can reach 200-800 nm, and the single nozzle can yield two orders of magnitude more than the capillaries. Based on the above principle, complete commercial techniques and equipment have been developed to produce ultra-fine non-woven fabrics for the applications in air filtration, oil spill recovery and water treatment, etc.

Partial melting of metagreywackes, Part II. Compositions of minerals and melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montel, Jean-Marc; Vielzeuf, Daniel

A series of experiments on the fluid-absent melting of a quartz-rich aluminous metagreywacke has been carried out. In this paper, we report the chemical composition of the phases present in the experimental charges as determined by electron microprobe. This analytical work includes biotite, plagioclase, orthopyroxene, garnet, cordierite, hercynite, staurolite, gedrite, oxide, and glass, over the range 100-1000MPa, 780-1025°C. Biotites are Na- and Mg-rich, with Ti contents increasing with temperature. The compositions of plagioclase range from An17 to An35, with a significant orthoclase component, and are always different from the starting minerals. At high temperature, plagioclase crystals correspond to ternary feldspars with Or contents in the range 11-20 mol%. Garnets are almandine pyrope grossular spessartine solid solutions, with a regular and significant increase of the grossular content with pressure. All glasses are silicic (SiO2=67.6-74.4 wt%), peraluminous, and leucocratic (FeO+MgO=0.9-2.9 wt%), with a bulk composition close to that of peraluminous leucogranites, even for degrees of melting as high as 60 vol.%. With increasing pressure, SiO2 contents decrease while K2O increases. At any pressure, the melt compositions are more potassic than the water-saturated granitic minima. The H2O contents estimated by mass balance are in the range 2.5-5.6 wt%. These values are higher than those predicted by thermodynamic models. Modal compositions were estimated by mass balance calculations and by image processing of the SEM photographs. The positions of the 20 to 70% isotects (curves of equal proportion of melt) have been located in the pressure-temperature space between 100MPa and 1000MPa. With increasing pressure, the isotects shift toward lower temperature between 100 and 200MPa, then bend back toward higher temperature. The melting interval increases with pressure; the difference in temperature between the 20% and the 70% isotects is 40°C at 100MPa, and 150°C at 800MPa. The position of the isotects is interpreted in terms of both the solubility of water in the melt and the nature of the reactions involved in the melting process. A comparison with other partial melting experiments suggests that pelites are the most fertile source rocks above 800MPa. The difference in fertility between pelites and greywackes decreases with decreasing pressure. A review of the glass compositions obtained in experimental studies demonstrates that partial melting of fertile rock types in the crust (greywackes, pelites, or orthogneisses) produces only peraluminous leucogranites. More mafic granitic compositions such as the various types of calk-alkaline rocks, or mafic S-type rocks, have never been obtained during partial melting experiments. Thus, only peraluminous leucogranites may correspond to liquids directly formed by partial melting of metasediments. Other types of granites involve other components or processes, such as restite unmixing from the source region, and/or interaction with mafic mantle-derived materials.

Effect of fO2 on phase relationship in basaltic andesites during magmatic differentiation: Control of fO2 and sulphur speciation in piston cylinder experiments.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matjuschkin, Vladimir; Tattitch, Brian; Blundy, Jonathan D.; Skora, Susanne

2014-05-01

Within the mantle wedge above subduction zones, oxidation reaction take place by interaction of reduced mantle rocks with more oxidized, hydrous fluids, which can cause a local drop of the solidus, resulting in partial melting (2,6,7). The resultant melts are more oxidized that their ocean floor counterparts, which has implications for their subsequent differentiation paths, the speciation of multivalent elements and the solubility and transport of chemical compounds in magmatic systems (1,4,5). We present a series of sulphur-doped high-pressure experiments conducted to investigate the effect of oxygen fugacity on phase relationships and the behaviour of sulphur in silicate melts. Natural aphyric andesite (FM37) erupted from Laguna del Maule volcano, Chile (3) was selected as a starting composition. Experiments were carried out at 5kbar, 950-1150° C and variable oxygen fugacity conditions. New experiments buffered at Co-CoO and Ni-NiO buffer conditions have been performed using a new "MTB capsule design" developed in order to accurately control fO2 by means of a double capsule containing metal-oxide buffers and a pyrex sleeve to minimise H2 diffusion. This new design constrains oxygen fugacity to within ±0.1-0.2logfO2 units of the target value. Before conducting these experiments, the assemblage was tested multiple times at 10kbar, 1000° C over 24-48 hours and demonstrated consistent, accurate fO2 control. Analyses of the preliminary experimental run products, from a related Chilean basaltic andesite starting composition, demonstrate a clear effect of fO2 on phase relationships and the proportion of melt generated during experiments. Under oxidized conditions, as temperature decreased from 1150° C to 1050° C, the amount of melt decreased from 100% to ~80%, due to the formation of orthopyroxene, anhydrite and plagioclase. In contrast, in reduced runs the system remains nearly liquid (~5% crystals) down to 950° C due to the change in sulphur speciation and onset of orthopyroxene precipitation at much lower temperatures. The change in temperature from 1150 to 950° C resulted in a drop in S content from ~2500ppm to ~1000ppm in the melt for oxidized experiments, whereas S slightly increased from ~3000 to ~3500ppm in the reduced experiments. Quantitative control over fO2 will allow for more precise determination of phase relations and control of sulphur specification, offering a possibility of detailed reconstruction of metals enrichment in silicate melts. Cited references: [1] Botcharnikov et al. (2011) Nature 4:217-230, [2] Foley (2011) J Petrol 52:1363-1391, [3] Frey et al. (1984) CMP 88:133-149, [4] Jenner et al. (2010) J Petrol 51:2445-2464, [5] Jugo et al. (2010) GCA 74:5926-5938, [6] Rohrbach et al. (2007) Nature 449:456-458, [7] Taylor and Green (1988) Nature 332:349-352

Microgravity Studies of Liquid-Liquid Phase Transitions in Alumina-Yttria Melts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guynes, Buddy (Technical Monitor); Weber, Richard; Nordine, Paul

2004-01-01

The scientific objective of this research is to increase the fundamental knowledge base for liquid- phase processing of technologically important oxide materials. The experimental objective is to define conditions and hardware requirements for microgravity flight experiments to test and expand the experimental hypotheses that: 1. Liquid phase transitions can occur in undercooled melts by a diffusionless process. 2. Onset of the liquid phase transition is accompanied by a large change in the temperature dependence of melt viscosity. Experiments on undercooled YAG (Y3A15012)- and rare earth oxide aluminate composition liquids demonstrated a large departure from an Arrhenian temperature dependence of viscosity. Liquid YAG is nearly inviscid at its 2240 K melting point. Glass fibers were pulled from melts undercooled by ca. 600 K indicating that the viscosity is on the order of 100 Pans (1000 Poise) at 1600 K. This value of viscosity is 500 times greater than that obtained by extrapolation of data for temperatures above the melting point of YAG. These results show that the liquids are extremely fragile and that the onset of the highly non-Arrhenian viscosity-temperature relationship occurs at a temperature considerably below the equilibrium melting point of the solid phases. Further results on undercooled alumina-yttria melts containing 23-42 mole % yttrium oxide indicate that a congruent liquid-liquid phase transition occurs in the undercooled liquids. The rates of transition are inconsistent with a diffusion-limited process. This research is directed to investigation of the scientifically interesting phenomena of polyamorphism and fragility in undercooled rare earth oxide aluminum oxide liquids. The results bear on the technologically important problem of producing high value rare earth-based optical materials.

Experiments on transient melting of tungsten by ELMs in ASDEX Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krieger, K.; Balden, M.; Coenen, J. W.; Laggner, F.; Matthews, G. F.; Nille, D.; Rohde, V.; Sieglin, B.; Giannone, L.; Göths, B.; Herrmann, A.; de Marne, P.; Pitts, R. A.; Potzel, S.; Vondracek, P.; ASDEX-Upgrade Team; EUROfusion MST1 Team

2018-02-01

Repetitive melting of tungsten by power transients originating from edge localized modes (ELMs) has been studied in ASDEX Upgrade. Tungsten samples were exposed to H-mode discharges at the outer divertor target plate using the divertor manipulator II (DIM-II) system (Herrmann et al 2015 Fusion Eng. Des. 98-9 1496-9). Designed as near replicas of the geometries used also in separate experiments on the JET tokamak (Coenen et al 2015 J. Nucl. Mater. 463 78-84 Coenen et al 2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 023010; Matthews et al 2016 Phys. Scr. T167 7), the samples featured a misaligned leading edge and a sloped ridge respectively. Both structures protrude above the default target plate surface thus receiving an increased fraction of the parallel power flux. Transient melting by ELMs was induced by moving the outer strike point to the sample location. The temporal evolution of the measured current flow from the samples to vessel potential confirmed transient melting. Current magnitude and dependency from surface temperature provided strong evidence for thermionic electron emission as main origin of the replacement current driving the melt motion. The different melt patterns observed after exposures at the two sample geometries support the thermionic electron emission model used in the MEMOS melt motion code, which assumes a strong decrease of the thermionic net current at shallow magnetic field to surface angles (Pitts et al 2017 Nucl. Mater. Energy 12 60-74). Post exposure ex situ analysis of the retrieved samples show recrystallization of tungsten at the exposed surface areas to a depth of up to several mm. The melt layer transport to less exposed surface areas leads to ratcheting pile up of re-solidified debris with zonal growth extending from the already enlarged grains at the surface.

Anatexis at the roof of an oceanic magma chamber at IODP Site 1256 (equatorial Pacific): an experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdmann, Martin; Fischer, Lennart A.; France, Lydéric; Zhang, Chao; Godard, Marguerite; Koepke, Jürgen

2015-04-01

Replenished axial melt lenses at fast-spreading mid-oceanic ridges may move upward and intrude into the overlying hydrothermally altered sheeted dikes, resulting in high-grade contact metamorphism with the potential to trigger anatexis in the roof rocks. Assumed products of this process are anatectic melts of felsic composition and granoblastic, two-pyroxene hornfels, representing the residue after partial melting. Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expeditions 309, 312, and 335 at Site 1256 (eastern equatorial Pacific) sampled such a fossilized oceanic magma chamber. In this study, we simulated magma chamber roof rock anatectic processes by performing partial melting experiments using six different protoliths from the Site 1256 sheeted dike complex, spanning a lithological range from poorly to strongly altered basalts to partially or fully recrystallized granoblastic hornfels. Results show that extensively altered starting material lacking primary magmatic minerals cannot reproduce the chemistry of natural felsic rocks recovered in ridge environments, especially elements sensitive to hydrothermal alteration (e.g., K, Cl). Natural geochemical trends are reproduced through partial melting of moderately altered basalts from the lower sheeted dikes. Two-pyroxene hornfels, the assumed residue, were reproduced only at low melting degrees (<20 vol%). The overall amphibole absence in the experiments confirms the natural observation that amphibole is not produced during peak metamorphism. Comparing experimental products with the natural equivalents reveals that water activity ( aH2O) was significantly reduced during anatectic processes, mainly based on lower melt aluminum oxide and lower plagioclase anorthite content at lower aH2O. High silica melt at the expected temperature (1000-1050 °C; peak thermal overprint of two-pyroxene hornfels) could only be reproduced in the experimental series performed at aH2O = 0.1.

Experimental Constraints on Silicic Slab Melt and Depleted Mantle Reaction in the Presence of CO2-H2O: Implications for the Origin of Mid Lithospheric Discontinuity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, S.; Dasgupta, R.; Tsuno, K.

2016-12-01

Seismic shear wave velocity, VS drop (upto 24% and mostly 2-7%) observed globally beneath continents at depths of 60-160 km, known as the Mid Lithospheric Discontinuity (MLD) [e.g., 1], is an enigmatic feature of cratons whose origin is highly debated [e.g., 2, 3]. One of the mechanisms that can explain the MLD is the presence of volatile bearing phases such as partial melts and/or hydrous or carbonate minerals at depths. However, the compositional vector and geodynamic scenario required for their formation and the proportion and composition of infiltrating melt or fluid that may lead to their stability is poorly known at present. We performed high P-T experiments equilibrating a depleted peridotite (Mg# 92) with variable proportion of a H2O-CO2 bearing silicic melt, interaction that could occur during the formation of continents by imbrication of slabs. The first set of experiments were performed with 10 wt.% melt (0.9 wt.% H2O and 0.5 wt.% CO2 in the bulk) at 950-1175 °C at 3 GPa using a piston cylinder and 950-1150 °C at 4 GPa using a multi anvil apparatus. Olivine, opx, cpx, garnet/spinel and phlogopite (5-6%) are present in all runs. Amphibole (3.5-9.5%) is present at 3 GPa and ≤1050 °C. Magnesite ( 1%) is present at ≤1000 °C at 3 and ≤1050 °C at 4 GPa. Trace melt is observed along the grain boundaries above 1000 °C at 3 GPa and 1050 ° C at 4 GPa, respectively. Mineral modes obtained by mass balance calculations, ignoring the presence of melts, were used to calculate VS of the resulting assemblages [4]. The calculated drops in VS at 3 GPa (3.8-4.5%) and 4 GPa (1.6-3.2%) are well within the range of velocity drops for MLDs observed globally. Further experiments on different melt-rock ratios are underway and will constrain how modal proportion of hydrous and carbonate minerals varies as a function of melt:rock ratio and bulk volatile contents. [1] Abt et al., 2010, JGR; [2] Rader et al., 2015, G3; [3] Karato et al., 2015, NatGeo [4] Abers & Hacker, 2016, G3

Quenching behavior of molten pool with different strategies – A review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shrikant,, E-mail: 2014rmt9018@mnit.ac.in; Pandel, U.; Duchaniya, R. K.

After the major severe accident in nuclear reactor, there has been lot of concerns regarding long term core melt stabilization following a severe accident in nuclear reactors. Numerous strategies have been though for quenching and stabilization of core melt like top flooding, bottom flooding, indirect cooling, etc. However, the effectiveness of these schemes is yet to be determined properly, for which, lot of experiments are needed. Several experiments have been performed for coolability of melt pool under bottom flooding as well as for indirect cooling. Besides these tests are very scattered because they involve different simulants material initial temperatures andmore » masses of melt, which makes it very complex to judge the effectiveness of a particular technique and advantage over the other. In this review paper, a study has been carried on different cooling techniques of simulant materials with same mass. Three techniques have been compared here and the results are discussed. Under top flooding technique it took several hours to cool the melt under without decay heat condition. In bottom flooding technique was found to be the best technique among in indirect cooling technique, top flooded technique, and bottom flooded technique.« less

A levitation instrument for containerless study of molten materials.

PubMed

Nordine, Paul C; Merkley, Dennis; Sickel, Jeffrey; Finkelman, Steve; Telle, Rainer; Kaiser, Arno; Prieler, Robert

2012-12-01

A new aero-acoustic levitation instrument (AAL) has been installed at the Institute for Mineral Engineering at RWTH University in Aachen, Germany. The AAL employs acoustically stabilized gas jet levitation with laser-beam heating and melting to create a contact-free containerless environment for high temperature materials research. Contamination-free study of liquids is possible at temperatures in excess of 3000 °C and of undercooled liquids at temperatures far below the melting point. Digital control technology advances the art of containerless experiments to obtain long-term levitation stability, allowing new experiments in extreme temperature materials research and to study operation of the levitation instrument itself. Experiments with liquid Al(2)O(3) at temperatures more than 3200 °C, 1200 °C above the melting point, and with liquid Y(3)Al(5)O(12) far below the melting point are reported. Fast pyrometry and video recording instruments yield crystallization rates in undercooled liquid Al(2)O(3) as a function of temperature. Levitation of dense liquid HfO(2) at temperatures above 2900 °C is demonstrated. Capabilities are described for resonant frequency matching in the three-axis acoustic positioning system, acoustic control of sample spin, and position control of standing wave nodes to stabilize levitation under changing experimental conditions. Further development and application of the levitation technology is discussed based on the results of experiments and modeling of instrument operations.

A levitation instrument for containerless study of molten materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordine, Paul C.; Merkley, Dennis; Sickel, Jeffrey; Finkelman, Steve; Telle, Rainer; Kaiser, Arno; Prieler, Robert

2012-12-01

A new aero-acoustic levitation instrument (AAL) has been installed at the Institute for Mineral Engineering at RWTH University in Aachen, Germany. The AAL employs acoustically stabilized gas jet levitation with laser-beam heating and melting to create a contact-free containerless environment for high temperature materials research. Contamination-free study of liquids is possible at temperatures in excess of 3000 °C and of undercooled liquids at temperatures far below the melting point. Digital control technology advances the art of containerless experiments to obtain long-term levitation stability, allowing new experiments in extreme temperature materials research and to study operation of the levitation instrument itself. Experiments with liquid Al2O3 at temperatures more than 3200 °C, 1200 °C above the melting point, and with liquid Y3Al5O12 far below the melting point are reported. Fast pyrometry and video recording instruments yield crystallization rates in undercooled liquid Al2O3 as a function of temperature. Levitation of dense liquid HfO2 at temperatures above 2900 °C is demonstrated. Capabilities are described for resonant frequency matching in the three-axis acoustic positioning system, acoustic control of sample spin, and position control of standing wave nodes to stabilize levitation under changing experimental conditions. Further development and application of the levitation technology is discussed based on the results of experiments and modeling of instrument operations.

Investigating evaporation of melting ice particles within a bin melting layer model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neumann, Andrea J.

Single column models have been used to help develop algorithms for remote sensing retrievals. Assumptions in the single-column models may affect the assumptions of the remote sensing retrievals. Studies of the melting layer that use single column models often assume environments that are near or at water saturation. This study investigates the effects of evaporation upon melting particles to determine whether the assumption of negligible mass loss still holds within subsaturated melting layers. A single column, melting layer model is modified to include the effects of sublimation and evaporation upon the particles. Other changes to the model include switching the order in which the model loops over particle sizes and model layers; including a particle sedimentation scheme; adding aggregation, accretion, and collision and coalescence processes; allowing environmental variables such as the water vapor diffusivity and the Schmidt number to vary with the changes in the environment; adding explicitly calculated particle temperature, changing the particle terminal velocity parameterization; and using a newly-derived effective density-dimensional relationship for use in particle mass calculations. Simulations of idealized melting layer environments show that significant mass loss due to evaporation during melting is possible within subsaturated environments. Short melting distances, accelerating particle fall speeds, and short melting times help constrain the amount of mass lost due to evaporation while melting is occurring, even in subsaturated profiles. Sublimation prior to melting can also be a significant source of mass loss. The trends shown on the particle scale also appear in the bulk distribution parameters such as rainfall rate and ice water content. Simulations incorporating observed melting layer environments show that significant mass loss due to evaporation during the melting process is possible under certain environmental conditions. A profile such as the first melting layer profile on 10 May 2011 from the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) that is neither too saturated nor too subsaturated is possible and shows considerable mass loss for all particle sizes. Most melting layer profiles sampled during MC3E were too saturated for more than a dozen or two of the smallest particle sizes to experience significant mass loss. The aggregation, accretion, and collision and coalescence processes also countered significant mass loss at the largest particles sizes because these particles are efficient at collecting smaller particles due to their relative large sweep-out area. From these results, it appears that the assumption of negligible mass loss due to evaporation while melting is occurring is not always valid. Studies that use large, low-density snowflakes and high RH environments can safely use the assumption of negligible mass loss. Studies that use small ice particles or low RH environments (RH less than about 80%) cannot use the assumption of negligible mass loss due to evaporation. Retrieval algorithms may be overestimating surface precipitation rates and intensities in subsaturated environments due to the assumptions of negligible mass loss while melting and near-saturated melting layer environments.

H2O-CO2-S-Cl partitioning and mixing in rhyolitic melts and fluid - Implications on closed-system degassing in rhyolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, S.; Webster, J. D.

2017-12-01

Magmatic degassing involving multiple volatile components (C, O, H, S, Cl, etc.) is one of the key factors influencing the timing and nature of volcanic eruptions, and the chemistry of volcanic gases released to the surface. In particular, exsolution of these volatiles from silicic magma during ascent could trigger explosive volcanic eruptions, which can exert strong impacts on surface temperature, ecology and human health. However, quantitative evaluation of this process in silicic magma remains ambiguous due to the lack of experiments in such chemically complex systems. Rhyolite-fluid(s) equilibria experiments were conducted in an IHPVat 100-300 MPa and 800 ° C to determine the solubilities, fluid-melt partitioning, and mixing properties of H2O, CO2, S, and Cl in the oxygen fugacity (fO2) range of FMQ to FMQ+3. The integrated bulk fluids contain up to 94 mol% H2O, 32 mol% CO2, 1 mol% S and 1mol% Cl. Rhyolite melt dissolved 20- 770 ppm CO2 and 4-7 wt.% H2O, varying with pressure, fluid composition, and fO2. Concentrations of H2O and CO2 in melt from C-O-H-S-Cl- bearing experiments at 100 and 200 MPa, and from C-O-H only experiments are generally consistent with the predictions of existing CO2-H2O solubility models based on the C-O-H only system [1-4], while the solubilities of H2O and CO2 in melt with addition of S±Cl at 300 MPa are less than those of the C-O-H- only system. This reduction in H2O and CO2 solubilities exceeds the effects of simple dilution of the coexisting fluid owing to addition of other volatiles, and rather, reflects complex mixing relations. Rhyolite melt also dissolved 20-150 ppm S and 850-2000 ppm Cl, varying with pressure. At 300 MPa, S concentrations in the melt change with fO2. The partitioning of CO2 and S between fluid and melt varies as a function of fluid composition and fO2. Solubilities and complex mixing relationships of CO2, H2O, S and Cl revealed in our experiments can be applied to massive rhyolitic eruptions like those of the Bishop tuff, Toba tuff and Pinatubo to better understand the degassing process, to estimate fluid compositions, and thus, to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of these super eruptions. [1] Ghiorso amd Gualda, 2015, CMP; [2] Liu et al., 2005, J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res.; [3] Newman and Lowenstern, 2002, Comput. Geosci.; [3] Tamic et al., 2001, Chem. Geol..

Mechanical anisotropy control on strain localization in upper mantle shear zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herwegh, Marco; Mercolli, Ivan; Linckens, Jolien; Müntener, Othmar

2016-05-01

Mantle rocks at oceanic spreading centers reveal dramatic rheological changes from partially molten to solid-state ductile to brittle deformation with progressive cooling. Using the crustal-scale Wadi al Wasit mantle shear zone (SZ, Semail ophiolite, Oman), we monitor such changes based on quantitative field and microstructural investigations combined with petrological and geochemical analyses. The spatial distribution of magmatic dikes and high strain zones gives important information on the location of magmatic and tectonic activity. In the SZ, dikes derived from primitive melts (websterites) are distributed over the entire SZ but are more abundant in the center; dikes from more evolved, plagioclase saturated melts (gabbronorites) are restricted to the SZ center. Accordingly, harzburgite deformation fabrics show a transition from protomylonite (1100°C), mylonite (900-800°C) to ultramylonite (<700°C) and a serpentine foliation (<500°C) from the SZ rim to the center. The spatial correlation between solid-state deformation fabrics and magmatic features indicates progressive strain localization in the SZ on the cooling path. Three stages can be discriminated: (i) Cycles of melt injection (dunite channels and websterite dikes) and solid-state deformation (protomylonites-mylonites; 1100-900°C), (ii) dominant solid-state deformation in harzburgite mylonites (900-800°C) with some last melt injections (gabbronorites) and ultramylonites (<700°C), and (iii) infiltration of seawater inducing a serpentine foliation (<500°C) followed by cataclasis during obduction. The change of these processes in space and time indicates that early dike-related ridge-parallel deformation controls the onset of the entire strain localization history promoting nucleation sites for different strain weakening processes as a consequence of changing physicochemical conditions.

SUPRAMOLECULAR MORPHOLOGY OF TWO-STEP MELT-SPUN POLY(LACTIC ACID) FIBERS. (R826733)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

MELT RHEOLOGY OF POLY(LACTIC ACID): CONSEQUENCES OF BLENDING CHAIN ARCHITECTURES. (R826733)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

MELT RHEOLOGY OF POLY(LACTIC ACID): ENTANGLEMENT AND CHAIN ARCHITECTURE EFFECTS. (R826733)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Complementary rare earth element patterns in unique achondrites, such as ALHA 77005 and shergottites, and in the earth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ma, M.-S.; Schmitt, R. A.; Laul, J. C.

1982-01-01

Abundances of major, minor, and trace elements are determined in the Antarctic achondrite Allan Hills (ALHA) 77005 via sequential instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analysis. The rare earth element (REE) abundances of ALHA 77005 reveal a unique chondritic normalized pattern; that is, the REEs are nearly unfractionated from La to Pr at approximately 1.0X chondrites, monotonically increased from Pr to Gd at approximately 3.4X with no Eu anomaly, nearly unfractionated from Gd and Ho and monotonically decreased from Ho to Lu at approximately 2.2X. It is noted that this unique REE pattern of ALHA 77005 can be modeled by a melting process involving a continuous melting and progressive partial removal of melt from a light REE enriched source material. In a model of this type, ALHA 77005 could represent either a crystallized cumulate from such a melt or the residual source material. Calculations show that the parent liquids for the shergottites could also be derived from a light REE enriched source material similar to that for ALHA 77005.

Conjunctival flora of healthy and diseased eyes of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus): implications for treatment.

PubMed

Fleming, M; Bexton, S

2016-07-23

Ocular pathology is relatively common in stranded seals admitted to wildlife rehabilitation hospitals. Some have pre-existing problems, while others develop eye problems in captivity, and in particular ulcerative keratitis, due to factors such as large prominent eyes, suboptimal water quality, trauma and infighting. Despite treatment, corneal ulcerations can rapidly progress to 'melting' ulcers with subsequent rupture of the globe. In this case series, 32 grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) had conjunctival swabs taken on admission to a UK wildlife hospital to identify ocular bacterial flora and nine had subsequent swabs taken after four weeks to see if this changed in captivity. Additionally, nine seals with ocular pathology were also swabbed. Although a wide range of bacteria were cultured on admission, the most common isolates were Gemella haemolysans, Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens All 'melting' ulcers were associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which suggests this bacterial species may be significant in the pathogenesis of progressive stromal ulceration in grey seals. British Veterinary Association.

[RESEARCH PROGRESS OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING TECHNIQUE FOR SPINAL IMPLANTS].

PubMed

Lu, Qi; Yu, Binsheng

2016-09-08

To summarize the current research progress of three-dimensional (3D) printing technique for spinal implants manufacture. The recent original literature concerning technology, materials, process, clinical applications, and development direction of 3D printing technique in spinal implants was reviewed and analyzed. At present, 3D printing technologies used to manufacture spinal implants include selective laser sintering, selective laser melting, and electron beam melting. Titanium and its alloys are mainly used. 3D printing spinal implants manufactured by the above materials and technology have been successfully used in clinical. But the problems regarding safety, related complications, cost-benefit analysis, efficacy compared with traditional spinal implants, and the lack of relevant policies and regulations remain to be solved. 3D printing technique is able to provide individual and customized spinal implants for patients, which is helpful for the clinicians to perform operations much more accurately and safely. With the rapid development of 3D printing technology and new materials, more and more 3D printing spinal implants will be developed and used clinically.

Prospects and progress of high Tc superconductivity for space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Romanofsky, Robert R.; Sokoloski, Marty M.

1991-01-01

Current research in the area of high temperature superconductivity is organized around four key areas: communications and data, sensors and cryogenics, propulsion and power, and space materials technology. Recently, laser ablated YBa2Cu3O(7-x) films on LaAlO3 produced far superior RF characteristics when compared to metallic films on the same substrate. The achievement has enabled a number of unique microwave device applications, such as low insertion loss phase shifters and high-Q filters. Melt texturing and melt-quenched techniques are being used to produce bulk material with optimized magnetic properties. These yttrium-enriched materials possess enhanced flux pinning characteristics and could lead to prototype cryocooler bearings. Significant progress has also occurred in bolometer and current lead technology. Studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of high temperature superconducting materials on the performance and life of high power magnetoplasma-dynamic thrusters. Extended studies were also performed to evaluate the benefit of superconducting magnetic energy storage for LEO space station, lunar, and Mars mission applications.

Experimental Compressibility of Molten Hedenbergite at High Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agee, C. B.; Barnett, R. G.; Guo, X.; Lange, R. A.; Waller, C.; Asimow, P. D.

2010-12-01

Experiments using the sink/float method have bracketed the density of molten hedenbergite (CaFeSi2O6) at high pressures and temperatures. The experiments are the first of their kind to determine the compressibility of molten hedenbergite at high pressure and are part of a collaborative effort to establish a new database for an array of silicate melt compositions, which will contribute to the development of an empirically based predictive model that will allow calculation of silicate liquid density and compressibility over a wide range of P-T-X conditions where melting could occur in the Earth. Each melt composition will be measured using: (i) double-bob Archimedean method for melt density and thermal expansion at ambient pressure, (ii) sound speed measurements on liquids to constrain melt compressibility at ambient pressure, (iii) sink/float technique to measure melt density to 15 GPa, and (iv) shock wave measurements of P-V-E equation of state and temperature between 10 and 150 GPa. Companion abstracts on molten fayalite (Waller et al., 2010) and liquid mixes of hedenbergite-diopside and anorthite-hedenbergite-diopside (Guo and Lange, 2010) are also presented at this meeting. In the present study, the hedenbergite starting material was synthesized at the Experimental Petrology Lab, University of Michigan, where melt density, thermal expansion, and sound speed measurements were also carried out. The starting material has also been loaded into targets at the Caltech Shockwave Lab, and experiments there are currently underway. We report here preliminary results from static compression measurement performed at the Department of Petrology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, and the High Pressure Lab, Institute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico. Experiments were carried out in Quick Press piston-cylinder devices and a Walker-style multi-anvil device. Sink/float marker spheres implemented were gem quality synthetic forsterite (Fo100), San Carlos olivine (Fo90), and natural pyropic garnet(Pyr74 Alm13.5 Gro12.5). We bracketed the density of molten hedenbergite with Fo100 to be 3.09 g cm-3 at 1.1 GPa and 1450°C, and with Fo90 to be 3.27 g cm-3 at 3.0 GPa and 1450-1550°C. These sink-float values represent an increase in isothermal density from reference ambient pressure of 6% and 12% respectively, or linear compressions of 0.16 and 0.12 g cm-3 GPa-1. The density-with-pressure increases in our static compression experiments are in good agreement with the Michigan ambient pressure sound speed measurements that yield an isentropic bulk modulus of KS=18.77 GPa. Currently we are performing higher pressure sink/float experiments in the range 7-8 GPa with pyrope garnet marker spheres to better constrain values for the isothermal bulk modulus (KT) and its pressure derivative K'. As a by-product of our sink/float experiments we are also determining the melting curve of hedenbergite well beyond the published pressure extent of approximately 1.5 GPa (Lindsley, 1967). Our early data show the hedenbergite liquidus to be 1450°C at 3 GPa and approximately 1750°C at 7 GPa.

Short-range order of undercooled melts of PdZr2 intermetallic compound studied by X-ray and neutron scattering experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, S.; Holland-Moritz, D.; Herlach, D. M.; Mauro, N. A.; Kelton, K. F.

2013-05-01

The short-range order in undercooled melts of the intermetallic Zr2Pd glass-forming alloy is investigated by combining electrostatic levitation (ESL) with high-energy X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction. Experimentally determined structure factors are measured and analyzed with respect to various structures of short-range order. The comparative X-ray and neutron scattering experiments allow for investigations of topological and chemical short-range order. Based on these studies, no preference of a specific short-range order is found for the liquid Zr2Pd glass-forming alloy, even in the metastable state of the deeply undercooled melt. This is in agreement with an earlier report from X-ray diffraction and molecular-dynamics studies of a Zr75.5Pd24.5 liquid, which showed a broad distribution of cluster types. The results for the Zr2Pd liquid are discussed with respect to the glass-forming ability of this melt.

Spherical crystals of Pb 1 - xSn xTe grown in microgravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinoshita, Kyoichi; Yamada, Tomoaki

1996-07-01

Pb 1- xSn xTe spherical crystals were unintentionally obtained along with a cylindrical Pb 1 - xSn xTe crystal grown during the {SL-J}/{FMPT} mission on board the space shuttle "Endeavor". About 25 spherical crystals ranged from 0.5 to 11 mm in diameter. Melt leaked from the melt reservoir into the spring that plays the role of pushing the melt toward a seed crystal and eliminating free surface areas of the melt. Because of the surface tension of the melt, spherical melt drops formed in the hollow of the spring, then solidified into spherical crystals during the cooling process. Some of the crystals had lower dislocation densities, in the order of 10 4 cm -2, two orders smaller than those of terrestrially grown crystals from a melt. The experiment showed a way of stably positioning a large volume of liquid in microgravity without touching the crucible wall and a way of reducing crystalline defects by such growth.

Melt layer formation in stainless steel under transient thermal loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steudel, I.; Klimov, N. S.; Linke, J.; Loewenhoff, Th.; Pintsuk, G.; Pitts, R. A.; Wirtz, M.

2015-08-01

To investigate the performance of stainless steel under transient thermal events, such as photon pulses caused by disruptions mitigated by massive gas injection (MGI), the material has been exposed to electron beam loads with ITER relevant power densities slightly above the melting threshold (245 MW/m2) and a pulse duration of 3 ms (Sugihara et al., 2012; Klimov et al., 2013; Pitts et al., 2013). The samples were manufactured from different steel grades with slightly modified chemical composition. To investigate the effect of repetitive surface heat loads on the melting process and the melt motion, identical heat pulses in the range of 100-3000 were applied. All tested materials showed intense melt-induced surface roughening, driven by repeated shallow surface melting up to several ten micrometre and fast re-solidification with epitaxial grain growth. During the liquid phase, melt motion induced by cohesive forces results in the formation of a wavy surface structure with apexes. Further experiments have been performed to study the effects of non-perpendicular surfaces or leading edges.

Crucial effect of melt homogenization on the fragility of non-stoichiometric chalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravindren, Sriram; Gunasekera, K.; Tucker, Z.; Diebold, A.; Boolchand, P.; Micoulaut, M.

2014-04-01

The kinetics of homogenization of binary AsxSe100 - x melts in the As concentration range 0% < x < 50% are followed in Fourier Transform (FT)-Raman profiling experiments, and show that 2 g sized melts in the middle concentration range 20% < x < 30% take nearly two weeks to homogenize when starting materials are reacted at 700 °C. In glasses of proven homogeneity, we find molar volumes to vary non-monotonically with composition, and the fragility index M displays a broad global minimum in the 20% < x < 30% range of x wherein M< 20. We show that properly homogenized samples have a lower measured fragility when compared to larger under-reacted melts. The enthalpy of relaxation at Tg, ΔHnr(x) shows a minimum in the 27% < x < 37% range. The super-strong nature of melt compositions in the 20% < x < 30% range suppresses melt diffusion at high temperatures leading to the slow kinetics of melt homogenization.

Experimental Investigation of Concrete Runway Snow Melting Utilizing Heat Pipe Technology

PubMed Central

Su, Xin; Ye, Qing; Fu, Jianfeng

2018-01-01

A full scale snow melting system with heat pipe technology is built in this work, which avoids the negative effects on concrete structure and environment caused by traditional deicing chemicals. The snow melting, ice-freezing performance and temperature distribution characteristics of heat pipe concrete runway were discussed by the outdoor experiments. The results show that the temperature of the concrete pavement is greatly improved with the heat pipe system. The environment temperature and embedded depth of heat pipe play a dominant role among the decision variables of the snow melting system. Heat pipe snow melting pavement melts the snow completely and avoids freezing at any time when the environment temperature is below freezing point, which is secure enough for planes take-off and landing. Besides, the exportation and recovery of geothermal energy indicate that this system can run for a long time. This paper will be useful for the design and application of the heat pipe used in the runway snow melting. PMID:29551957

Experimental Investigation of Concrete Runway Snow Melting Utilizing Heat Pipe Technology.

PubMed

Chen, Fengchen; Su, Xin; Ye, Qing; Fu, Jianfeng

2018-01-01

A full scale snow melting system with heat pipe technology is built in this work, which avoids the negative effects on concrete structure and environment caused by traditional deicing chemicals. The snow melting, ice-freezing performance and temperature distribution characteristics of heat pipe concrete runway were discussed by the outdoor experiments. The results show that the temperature of the concrete pavement is greatly improved with the heat pipe system. The environment temperature and embedded depth of heat pipe play a dominant role among the decision variables of the snow melting system. Heat pipe snow melting pavement melts the snow completely and avoids freezing at any time when the environment temperature is below freezing point, which is secure enough for planes take-off and landing. Besides, the exportation and recovery of geothermal energy indicate that this system can run for a long time. This paper will be useful for the design and application of the heat pipe used in the runway snow melting.

Melting temperatures of MgO under high pressure by micro-texture analysis

PubMed Central

Kimura, T.; Ohfuji, H.; Nishi, M.; Irifune, T.

2017-01-01

Periclase (MgO) is the second most abundant mineral after bridgmanite in the Earth's lower mantle, and its melting behaviour under pressure is important to constrain rheological properties and melting behaviours of the lower mantle materials. Significant discrepancies exist between the melting temperatures of MgO determined by laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) and those based on dynamic compressions and theoretical predictions. Here we show the melting temperatures in earlier LHDAC experiments are underestimated due to misjudgment of melting, based on micro-texture observations of the quenched samples. The high melting temperatures of MgO suggest that the subducted cold slabs should have higher viscosities than previously thought, suggesting that the inter-connecting textural feature of MgO would not play important roles for the slab stagnation in the lower mantle. The present results also predict that the ultra-deep magmas produced in the lower mantle are peridotitic, which are stabilized near the core–mantle boundary. PMID:28580945

Temperature and pressure determination of the tin melt boundary from a combination of pyrometry, spectral reflectance, and velocity measurements along release paths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

La Lone, Brandon; Asimow, Paul; Fatyanov, Oleg; Hixson, Robert; Stevens, Gerald

2017-06-01

Plate impact experiments were conducted on tin samples backed by LiF windows to determine the tin melt curve. Thin copper flyers were used so that a release wave followed the 30-40 GPa shock wave in the tin. The release wave at the tin-LiF interface was about 300 ns long. Two sets of experiments were conducted. In one set, spectral emissivity was measured at six wavelengths using a flashlamp illuminated integrating sphere. In the other set, thermal radiance was measured at two wavelengths. The emissivity and thermal radiance measurements were combined to obtain temperature histories of the tin-LiF interface during the release. PDV was used to obtain stress histories. All measurements were combined to obtain temperature vs. stress release paths. A kink or steepening in the release paths indicate where the releases merge onto the melt boundary, and release paths originating from different shock stresses overlap on the melt boundary. Our temperature-stress release path measurements provide a continuous segment of the tin melt boundary that is in good agreement with some of the published melt curves. This work was done by National Security Technologies, LLC, under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25946 with the U.S. Department of Energy, and supported by the Site-Directed Research and Development Program. DOE/NV/259463133.

Melting temperatures of MgO under high pressure determined by micro-texture observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, T.; Ohfuji, H.; Nishi, M.; Irifune, T.

2016-12-01

Periclase (MgO) is the second abundant mineral after bridgmanite in the Earth's lower mantle, and its melting temperature (Tm) under pressure is important to constrain the chemical composition of ultra-deep magma formed near the mantle-core boundary. However, the melting behavior is highly controversial among previous studies: a laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) study reported a melting curve with a dTm/dP of 30 K/GPa at zero pressure [1], while several theoretical computations gave substantially higher dTm/dP of 90 100 K/GPa [2,3]. We performed a series of LHDAC experiments for measurements of Tm of MgO under high pressure, using single crystal MgO as the starting material. The melting was detected by using micro-texture observations of the quenched samples. We found that the laser-heated area of the sample quenched from the Tm in previous LHDAC experiments [1] showed randomly aggregated granular crystals, which was not caused by melting, but by plastic deformation of the sample. This suggests that the Tms of their study were substantially underestimated. On the other hand, the sample recovered from the temperature higher by 1500-1700 K than the Tms in previous LHDAC experiments showed a characteristic internal texture comparable to the solidification texture typically shown in metal casting. We determined the Tms based on the observation of this texture up to 32 GPa. Fitting our Tms to the Simon equation yields dTm/dP of 82 K/GPa at zero pressure, which is consistent with those of the theoretical predictions (90 100 K/GPa) [2,3]. Extrapolation of the present melting curve of MgO to the pressure of the CMB (135 GPa) gives a melting temperature of 8900 K. The present steep melting slope offers the eutectic composition close to peridotite (in terms of Mg/Si ratio) throughout the lower mantle conditions. According to the model for sink/float relationship between the solid mantle and the magma [4], a considerable amount of iron (Fe/(Mg+Fe) > 0.24) is expected for the peridotitic partial melt so that it is gravitationally stable to form the ULVZs at the bottom of the lower mantle. Reference 1 A. Zerr and R. Boehler, Nature 371, 506 (1994). 2 D. Alfe, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 235701 (2005). 3 N. de Koker and L. Stixrude, Geophys. J. Int. 178, 162 (2009). 4 Funamori, and N. Sato, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 295, 435 (2010).

Nanotexturing of surfaces to reduce melting point.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garcia, Ernest J.; Zubia, David; Mireles, Jose

2011-11-01

This investigation examined the use of nano-patterned structures on Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) material to reduce the bulk material melting point (1414 C). It has been found that sharp-tipped and other similar structures have a propensity to move to the lower energy states of spherical structures and as a result exhibit lower melting points than the bulk material. Such a reduction of the melting point would offer a number of interesting opportunities for bonding in microsystems packaging applications. Nano patterning process capabilities were developed to create the required structures for the investigation. One of the technical challenges of the project was understandingmore » and creating the specialized conditions required to observe the melting and reshaping phenomena. Through systematic experimentation and review of the literature these conditions were determined and used to conduct phase change experiments. Melting temperatures as low as 1030 C were observed.« less

Stability of carbonated basaltic melt at the base of the Earth's upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, S.; Litasov, K.; Ohtani, E.; Suzuki, A.

2006-12-01

Seismological observations of low velocity zones (LVZ) at the top of the 410-km discontinuity reveal possible existence of dense melt at this boundary (e.g. Reveanugh and Sipkin, 1994). Density measurements of anhydrous basaltic melts indicate that it is denser than surrounding mantle near 410-km depth (Ohtani and Maeda, 2001). However, melting temperature of peridotite is much higher than about 1400°C, estimated at 410-km depth. It has been shown recently that hydrous basaltic melt containing up to 2 wt.% H2O is denser than peridotite atop 410-km and therefore can be accumulated at the base of the upper mantle (Sakamaki et al., 2006). CO2 is another major volatile component in the mantle and it could be also important for explanation of LVZ near 410 km. In the present study, we have measured the density of carbonated basaltic melt at high pressures and high temperatures and discussed its possible stability at the base of the upper mantle. The density of the melt was determined using sink/float technique. The starting material was synthetic MORB glass. 5 and 10 wt.% CO2 was added to the glass as CaCO3 and Na2CO3, adjusting to proportions of related oxides. Experiments were carried out at 16-22 GPa and 2200-2300°C using a multianvil apparatus at Tohoku University, Japan. We observed neutral buoyancy of diamond density marker in MORB + 5 wt.% CO2 at 18 GPa and 2300°C, whereas, diamond was completely dissolved in the carbonated MORB melt containing 10 wt.% CO2 in 0.5-1 minute experiments. Based on the buoyancy test, the density of the carbonated basaltic melt, containing 5 wt.% CO2, is 3.56 g/cm3 at 18 GPa and 2300°C using an equation of state of diamond. To calculate the bulk modulus we assume that the pressure derivative of the isothermal bulk modulus is the same as that of the dry MORB melt, dKT/dP=5.0 and zero-pressure partial molar volume of CO2 is 32 cm3/mol (based on low-pressure experiments on carbonated basaltic melts and carbonatites, e.g. Dobson et al., 1996; Liu and Lange, 2003). Accordingly, the isothermal bulk modulus (KT) of the carbonated MORB melt containing 5 wt.% CO2 calculated using the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state is 16.3 ± 1 GPa. This value is close to that of dry MORB (KT=18 GPa) and indicates that addition of 5 wt.% CO2 to basaltic melt has minor influence on its compressibility. Density of MORB + 5 wt.% CO2 is almost same with the density of MORB + 2 wt.% H2O at 15-20 GPa. Comparison of the density of carbonated basaltic melt with PREM density profile at 1600°C indicates that it is buoyant above the 410 km discontinuity in the mantle only if it contains more than about 5 wt.% CO2.

Strategies for Detecting Biological Molecules on Titan.

PubMed

Neish, Catherine D; Lorenz, Ralph D; Turtle, Elizabeth P; Barnes, Jason W; Trainer, Melissa G; Stiles, Bryan; Kirk, Randolph; Hibbitts, Charles A; Malaska, Michael J

2018-05-02

Saturn's moon Titan has all the ingredients needed to produce "life as we know it." When exposed to liquid water, organic molecules analogous to those found on Titan produce a range of biomolecules such as amino acids. Titan thus provides a natural laboratory for studying the products of prebiotic chemistry. In this work, we examine the ideal locales to search for evidence of, or progression toward, life on Titan. We determine that the best sites to identify biological molecules are deposits of impact melt on the floors of large, fresh impact craters, specifically Sinlap, Selk, and Menrva craters. We find that it is not possible to identify biomolecules on Titan through remote sensing, but rather through in situ measurements capable of identifying a wide range of biological molecules. Given the nonuniformity of impact melt exposures on the floor of a weathered impact crater, the ideal lander would be capable of precision targeting. This would allow it to identify the locations of fresh impact melt deposits, and/or sites where the melt deposits have been exposed through erosion or mass wasting. Determining the extent of prebiotic chemistry within these melt deposits would help us to understand how life could originate on a world very different from Earth. Key Words: Titan-Prebiotic chemistry-Solar system exploration-Impact processes-Volcanism. Astrobiology xx, xxx-xxx.

Experience of ALCOA-KOFEM with MHD induction stirrer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Petho, S.

1996-10-01

Every ingot cast shop makes an effort to reduce the costs and to increase the productivity. The MHD stirrer is an adequate tool to achieve a more economical production. The electromagnetic stirrer accelerates the melting rate of the charge, reduces the metal loss and improves the consistency of ingot quality. The Ingot Business Unit of ALCOA-KOFEM operates seven melting furnaces. Each furnace is equipped with a POTOK type MHD induction stirrer in order to achieve a more profitable melting operation. Magnetohydrodynamic stirrers were installed between 1988 and 1990 on melting furnaces ranging in capacity from 25 to 60 tons ofmore » molten metal.« less

Melt production in large-scale impact events: Implications and observations at terrestrial craters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grieve, Richard A. F.; Cintala, Mark J.

1992-01-01

The volume of impact melt relative to the volume of the transient cavity increases with the size of the impact event. Here, we use the impact of chondrite into granite at 15, 25, and 50 km s(sup -1) to model impact-melt volumes at terrestrial craters in crystalline targets and explore the implications for terrestrial craters. Figures are presented that illustrate the relationships between melt volume and final crater diameter D(sub R) for observed terrestrial craters in crystalline targets; also included are model curves for the three different impact velocities. One implication of the increase in melt volumes with increasing crater size is that the depth of melting will also increase. This requires that shock effects occurring at the base of the cavity in simple craters and in the uplifted peaks of central structures at complex craters record progressively higher pressures with increasing crater size, up to a maximum of partial melting (approx. 45 GPa). Higher pressures cannot be recorded in the parautochthonous rocks of the cavity floor as they will be represented by impact melt, which will not remain in place. We have estimated maximum recorded pressures from a review of the literature, using such observations as planar features in quartz and feldspar, diaplectic glasses of feldspar and quartz, and partial fusion and vesiculation, as calibrated with estimates of the pressures required for their formation. Erosion complicates the picture by removing the surficial (most highly shocked) rocks in uplifted structures, thereby reducing the maximum shock pressures observed. In addition, the range of pressures that can be recorded is limited. Nevertheless, the data define a trend to higher recorded pressures with crater diameter, which is consistent with the implications of the model. A second implication is that, as the limit of melting intersects the base of the cavity, central topographic peaks will be modified in appearance and ultimately will not occur. That is, the peak will first develop a central depression, due to the flow of low-strength melted materials, when the melt volume begins to intersect the transient-cavity base.

Silicate melts density, buoyancy relations and the dynamics of magmatic processes in the upper mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez-Valle, Carmen; Malfait, Wim J.

2016-04-01

Although silicate melts comprise only a minor volume fraction of the present day Earth, they play a critical role on the Earth's geochemical and geodynamical evolution. Their physical properties, namely the density, are a key control on many magmatic processes, including magma chamber dynamics and volcanic eruptions, melt extraction from residual rocks during partial melting, as well as crystal settling and melt migration. However, the quantitative modeling of these processes has been long limited by the scarcity of data on the density and compressibility of volatile-bearing silicate melts at relevant pressure and temperature conditions. In the last decade, new experimental designs namely combining large volume presses and synchrotron-based techniques have opened the possibility for determining in situ the density of a wide range of dry and volatile-bearing (H2O and CO2) silicate melt compositions at high pressure-high temperature conditions. In this contribution we will illustrate some of these progresses with focus on recent results on the density of dry and hydrous felsic and intermediate melt compositions (rhyolite, phonolite and andesite melts) at crustal and upper mantle conditions (up to 4 GPa and 2000 K). The new data on felsic-intermediate melts has been combined with in situ data on (ultra)mafic systems and ambient pressure dilatometry and sound velocity data to calibrate a continuous, predictive density model for hydrous and CO2-bearing silicate melts with applications to magmatic processes down to the conditions of the mantle transition zone (up to 2773 K and 22 GPa). The calibration dataset consist of more than 370 density measurements on high-pressure and/or water-and CO2-bearing melts and it is formulated in terms of the partial molar properties of the oxide components. The model predicts the density of volatile-bearing liquids to within 42 kg/m3 in the calibration interval and the model extrapolations up to 3000 K and 100 GPa are in good agreement with results from ab initio calculations. The density model has been applied to examine the mineral-melt buoyancy relations at depth and the implications of these results for the dynamics of magma chambers, crystal settling and the stability and mobility of magmas in the upper mantle will be discussed.

The effect of pressure and temperature on sulfur degassing from oxidized magmas: implications for magmatic-hydrothermal ore genesis and "excess sulfur" in volcanic eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zajacz, Z.

2017-12-01

Sulfur released during the ascent and crystallization of hydrous and oxidized arc magmas is thought to play an essential role in the genesis of magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits, such as porphyry Cu-Mo-Au and high-sulfidation epithermal Au deposits. If emitted into the atmosphere during volcanic eruptions, it may exert a significant short-term global impact on the Earth's climate due to the generation of sulfate aerosol. Therefore, it is critically important to understand how physical-chemical variables affect the efficiency of sulfur extraction from magmas. High pressure (P) -temperature (T) experiments were conducted to systematically address the effect P-T on the equilibrium partitioning of oxidized sulfur between silicate melts and magmatic volatiles. The confining P was varied between 30 and 480 MPa, whereas the temperature ranged between 920 and 1100 oC. The oxygen fugacity (fO2) was buffered using Re-ReO2 assemblage in all experiments ensuring that sulfur was dominantly present in 4+ and 6+ oxidation state. For the pressure series experiments, a phonolite and a basaltic andesite melt composition was used, because sulfur is thought to be dissolved dominantly as alkali sulfate species in the former and as CaSO4 species in the latter. The data show that the volatile/melt partition coefficients of oxidized sulfur (DSv/m) strongly increase with decreasing pressure for both melt compositions. For example, in the case of the basaltic andesite melt, DSv/m increases from 12.7±0.5 to 71±4 as P changes from 480 to 60 MPa. For the temperature series experiments, the basaltic andesite was replaced by a dacite melt to allow for a broader range of superliquidus temperatures within the reach of the experimental apparatus. The effect of temperature on DSv/m is more moderate than that of P. For the dacite melt, DSv/m dropped by a factor of 2 as temperature decreased from 1100 to 920 oC. The DSv/m values were combined with anhydrite solubility data and implemented in a MELTS model of magma evolution in upper crust. The results of the model calculations suggest that shallower magma emplacement depth is more favorable for effective sulfur extraction by the exsolving volatile phase, and therefore it increases the likelihood of porphyry-ore formation and may lead to larger amounts of "excess sulfur" observed in volcanic eruptions.

Influence of surface melting effects and availability of reagent ions on LDI-MS efficiency after UV laser irradiation of Pd nanostructures.

PubMed

Silina, Yuliya E; Koch, Marcus; Volmer, Dietrich A

2015-03-01

In this study, the influence of surface morphology, reagent ions and surface restructuring effects on atmospheric pressure laser desorption/ionization (LDI) for small molecules after laser irradiation of palladium self-assembled nanoparticular (Pd-NP) structures has been systematically studied. The dominant role of surface morphology during the LDI process, which was previously shown for silicon-based substrates, has not been investigated for metal-based substrates before. In our experiments, we demonstrated that both the presence of reagent ions and surface reorganization effects--in particular, melting--during laser irradiation was required for LDI activity of the substrate. The synthesized Pd nanostructures with diameters ranging from 60 to 180 nm started to melt at similar temperatures, viz. 890-898 K. These materials exhibited different LDI efficiencies, however, with Pd-NP materials being the most effective surface in our experiments. Pd nanostructures of diameters >400-800 nm started to melt at higher temperatures, >1000 K, making such targets more resistant to laser irradiation, with subsequent loss of LDI activity. Our data demonstrated that both melting of the surface structures and the presence of reagent ions were essential for efficient LDI of the investigated low molecular weight compounds. This dependence of LDI on melting points was exploited further to improve the performance of Pd-NP-based sampling targets. For example, adding sodium hypophosphite as reducing agent to Pd electrolyte solutions during synthesis lowered the melting points of the Pd-NP materials and subsequently gave reduced laser fluence requirements for LDI. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A scaling relationship for impact-induced melt volume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, M.; Rubie, D. C.; Melosh, H., IV; Jacobson, S. A.; Golabek, G.; Nimmo, F.; Morbidelli, A.

2016-12-01

During the late stages of planetary accretion, protoplanets experience a number of giant impacts and extensive mantle melting. The impactor's core sinks through the molten part of the target mantle (magma ocean) and experiences metal-silicate partitioning (e.g., Stevenson, 1990). For understanding the chemical evolution of the planetary mantle and core, we need to determine the impact-induced melt volume because the partitioning strongly depends on the ranges of the pressures and temperatures within the magma ocean. Previous studies have investigated the effects of small impacts (i.e. impact cratering) on melt volume, but those for giant impacts are not well understood yet. Here, we perform giant impact simulations to derive a scaling law for melt volume as a function of impact velocity, impact angle, and impactor-to-target mass ratio. We use two different numerical codes, namely smoothed particle hydrodynamics we developed (SPH, a particle method) and the code iSALE (a grid-based method) to compare their outcomes. Our simulations show that these two codes generally agree as long as the same equation of state is used. We also find that some of the previous studies developed for small impacts (e.g., Abramov et al., 2012) overestimate giant impact melt volume by orders of magnitudes partly because these models do not consider self-gravity of the impacting bodies. Therefore, these models may not be extrapolated to large impacts. Our simulations also show that melt volume can be scaled by the total mass of the system. In this presentation, we further discuss geochemical implications for giant impacts on planets, including Earth and Mars.

Multiple episodes of partial melting, depletion, metasomatism and enrichment processes recorded in the heterogeneous upper mantle sequence of the Neotethyan Eldivan ophiolite, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uysal, Ibrahim; Ersoy, E. Yalçın; Dilek, Yildirim; Kapsiotis, Argyrios; Sarıfakıoğlu, Ender

2016-03-01

The Eldivan ophiolite along the Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zone in north-central Anatolia represents a remnant of the Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere. Its upper mantle peridotites include three lithologically and compositionally distinct units: clinopyroxene (cpx)-harzburgite and lherzolite (Group-1), depleted harzburgite (Group-2), and dunite (Group-3). Relics of primary olivine and pyroxene occur in the less refractory harzburgites, and fresh chromian spinel (Cr-spinel) is ubiquitous in all peridotites. The Eldivan peridotites reflect a petrogenetic history evolving from relatively fertile (lherzolite and cpx-harzburgite) toward more depleted (dunite) compositions through time, as indicated by (i) a progressive decrease in the modal cpx distribution, (ii) a progressive increase in the Cr#s [Cr / (Cr + Al)] of Cr-spinel (0.15-0.78), and (iii) an increased depletion in the whole-rock abundances of some magmaphile major oxides (Al2O3, CaO, SiO2 and TiO2) and incompatible trace elements (Zn, Sc, V and Y). The primitive mantle-normalized REE patterns of the Group-1 and some of the Group-2 peridotites display LREE depletions. Higher YbN and lower SmN/YbN ratios of these rocks are compatible with their formation after relatively low degrees (9-25%) of open-system dynamic melting (OSDM) of a Depleted Mid-ocean ridge Mantle (DMM) source, which was then fluxed with small volumes of oceanic mantle-derived melt [fluxing ratio (β): 0.7-1.2%]. Accessory Cr-spinel compositions (Cr# = 015-0.53) of these rocks are consistent with their origin as residual peridotites beneath a mid-ocean ridge axis. Part of the Group-2 harzburgites exhibit lower YbN and higher SmN/YbN ratios, LREE-enriched REE patterns, and higher Cr-spinel Cr#s ranging between 0.54 and 0.61. Trace element compositions of these peridotites can be modeled by approximately 15% OSDM of a previously 17% depleted DMM, which was then fluxed (β: 0.4%) with subduction-influenced melt. The Group-3 dunite samples contain Cr-spinel with elevated Cr#s (0.73-0.78) and low-TiO2 contents (< 0.13 wt.%), implying higher degrees of melting (21-24%) of an already depleted DMM that was triggered by infiltration of low-Ti boninite melt with fluxing rates of 0.4-4.0%. The existence of interstitial, idiomorphic Cr-spinel (high Cr# and low Ti) in the Group-3 dunites is consistent with this interpretation. The occurrence of both MOR- and SSZ-type peridotites in the Eldivan ophiolite suggests that its heterogeneous upper mantle was produced as a result of different partial melting and melt-rock reaction processes in different tectonic settings within the Neotethyan realm.

Manufacturing and characterization of encapsulated microfibers with different molecular weight poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) resins using a melt electrospinning technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jason K.; Ko, Junghyuk; Jun, Martin B. G.; Lee, Patrick C.

2016-02-01

Encapsulated structures of poly(ε-caprolactone) microfibers were successfully fabricated through two distinct melt electrospinning methods: melt coaxial and melt-blending electrospinning methods. Both methods resulted in encapsulated microfibers, but the resultant microfibers had different morphologies. Melt coaxial electrospinning formed a dual, semi-concentric structure, whereas melt-blending electrospinning resulted in an islands-in-a-sea fiber structure (i.e. a multiple-core structure). The encapsulated microfibers were produced using a custom-designed melt coaxial electrospinning device and the microfibers were characterized using a scanning electron microscope. To analyze the properties of the melt blended encapsulated fibers and coaxial fibers, the microfiber mesh specimens were collected. The mechanical properties of each microfiber mesh were analyzed through a tensile test. The coaxial microfiber meshes were post processed with a femtosecond laser machine to create dog-bone shaped tensile test specimens, while the melt blended microfiber meshes were kept as-fabricated. The tensile experiments undertaken with coaxial microfiber specimens resulted in an increase in tensile strength compared to 10 k and 45 k monolayer specimens. However, melt blended microfiber meshes did not result in an increase in tensile strength. The melt blended microfiber mesh results indicate that by using greater amounts of 45 k PCL resin within the microstructure, the resulting fibers obtain a higher tensile strength.

Experimental testing of olivine-melt equilibrium models at high temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krasheninnikov, S. P.; Sobolev, A. V.; Batanova, V. G.; Kargaltsev, A. A.; Borisov, A. A.

2017-08-01

Data are presented on the equilibrium compositions of olivine and melts in the products of 101 experiments performed at 1300-1600°C, atmospheric pressure, and controlled oxygen fugacity by means of new equipment at the Vernadsky Institute. It was shown that the available models of the olivine-melt equilibrium describe with insufficient adequacy the natural systems at temperatures over 1400°C. The most adequate is the model by Ford et al. (1983). However, this model overestimates systematically the equilibrium temperature with underestimating by 20-40°C at 1450-1600°C. These data point to the need for developing a new, improved quantitative model of the olivine-melt equilibrium for high-temperature magnesian melts, as well as to the possibility of these studies on the basis of the equipment presented.

Melting of iron determined by X-ray absorption spectroscopy to 100 GPa

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aquilanti, Giuliana; Trapananti, Angela; Karandikar, Amol

2015-09-14

There is a long-standing controversy over the melting curve of Fe at high pressure as determined from static laser heated diamond anvil cell and dynamic compression studies. X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements are used here as a criterion to detect melting under pressure. Confronted with a diversity of obtained melting curves, this technique, used at such pressure and temperature conditions, is eligible to be at the forefront to probe Earth's deep interior. Furthermore, the experiment reported here holds promise for addressing important issues related to the structure and phase diagram of compressed melts, such as the existence of structural complexity (polyamorphism)more » in the liquid phase or the extent of icosahedral ordering whose investigation has been limited until now to ambient conditions.« less

Partial melting of granitoids under eclogite-facies conditions: nanogranites from felsic granulites from Orlica-Śnieżnik Dome (Bohemian Massif)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrero, Silvio; O'Brien, Patrick; Walczak, Katarzyna; Wunder, Bernd; Hecht, Lutz

2014-05-01

Melt inclusions (MI) study in migmatites is a powerful tool to retrieve the original composition of the anatectic melt, both as major elements (Ferrero et al., 2012) and fluid contents (Bartoli et al., 2013). Crystallized MI, or "nanogranites" (Cesare et al., 2009), were identified within HP felsic granulites from Orlica-Śnieżnik Dome, NE Bohemian Massif (Walczak, 2011). The investigated samples are Grt+Ky leucogranulites originated from a granitic protolith, with assemblage Qtz+Pl+Kfs+Grt+Ky+Ttn+Rt+Ilm. Nanogranites occur in garnet as primary inclusions, and consist of Qtz+Ab+Bt+Kfs±Ep±Ap. Such assemblage results from the crystallization of a melt generated during a partial melting reaction; the same reaction is also responsible for the production of the host garnet, interpreted therefore as a peritectic phase. Besides nanogranites, former presence of melt is supported by the occurrence of tiny pseudomorphs of melt-filled pores (Holness & Sawyer, 2008) and euhedral faces in garnet. Garnet composition, with Grs =0.28-0.31, phase assemblage (kyanite, ternary feldspar) and classic thermobarometry suggest that partial melting took place at T≥875°C and P~2.2-2.6 GPa, under eclogite-facies conditions. Although other authors reported palisade quartz after coesite in this area (see e.g. Bakun-Czubarow, 1992), no clear evidence of UHP conditions have been identified during this study. Piston cylinder re-homogenization experiments were performed on MI-bearing garnet chips to obtain the composition of the pristine anatectic melt. The first data from experiments in the range 850-950°C and 2-2.2 GPa show that nanogranites can be re-melted at T≥875°. However, homogenization has not been reached yet since new Grt, with lower CaO and higher MgO, crystallizes on the walls of the inclusion. As P increases, the modal amount of new phase decreases, while its composition evolves closer to those of the host garnet. Further experiments at higher pressure are in underway, with the aim to achieve full re-homogenization and reproduce the system garnet+melt present during anatexis. References Bakun-Czubarow, N., 1992. Quartz pseudomorphs after coesite and quartz exsolutions in eclogitic omphacites of the Zlote Mountains in the Sudetes, SW Poland. Archeological Mineralogy, 48, 3-25. Bartoli, O., Cesare, B., Poli, S., Bodnar, R.J., Acosta-Vigil, A., Frezzotti, M.L. & Meli, S., 2013. Recovering the composition of melt and the fluid regime at the onset of crustal anatexis and S-type granite formation. Geology, 41, 115-118. Cesare, B., Ferrero, S., Salvioli-Mariani, E., Pedron, D. & Cavallo, A., 2009. Nanogranite and glassy inclusions: the anatectic melt in migmatites and granulites. Geology, 37, 627-630. Ferrero, S., Bartoli, O., Cesare, B., Salvioli Mariani, E., Acosta-Vigil, A., Cavallo, A., Groppo, C. & Battiston, S., 2012. Microstructures of melt inclusions in anatectic metasedimentary rocks. Journal of Metamorphic Geology, 30, 303-322. Holness, M.B. & Sawyer, E.W., 2008. On the pseudomorphing of melt-filled pores during the crystallization of migmatites. Journal of Petrology, 49, 1343-1363. Walczak, K., 2011. "Interpretation of Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf dating of garnets from high pressure and high temperature rocks in the light of the trace elements distribution." Doctoral dissertation, Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland.

EFFECTS OF MOLECULAR ARCHITECTURE ON TWO-STEP MELT-SPUN POLY(LACTIC ACID) FIBERS. (R826733)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

SINGLE-BASE-PAIR MISMATCH DISCRIMINATION USING OLIGONUCLEOTIDE DNA MICROARRAYS AND MELTING PROFILES. (R829458C004)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Quantitative characterization of 3-dimensional melt distribution in partially molten olivine-basalt aggregates using X-ray synchrotron microtomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, W.; Gaetani, G. A.; Fusseis, F.

2009-12-01

Quantitative knowledge of the distribution of small amounts of silicate melt in peridotite and of its influence on permeability are critical to our understanding of melt migration and segregation processes in the upper mantle. Estimates for the permeability of partially molten rock require 3D melt distribution at the grain-scale. Existing studies of melt distribution, carried out on 2D slices through experimental charges, have produced divergent models for melt distribution at small melt fractions. While some studies conclude that small amounts of melt are distributed primarily along triple junctions [e.g., Wark et al., 2003], others predict an important role for melt distribution along grain boundaries at low melt fractions [e.g., Faul 1997]. Using X-ray synchrotron microtomography, we have obtained the first high quality non-destructive imaging of 3D melt distribution in olivine-basalt aggregates. Textually equilibrated partially molten samples consisting of magnesian olivine plus 2, 5, 10, or 20% primitive basalt were synthesized at 1.5 GPa and 1350°C in experiments lasting 264-336 hours. Microtomographic images of melt distribution were obtained on cylindrical cores, 1 mm in diameter, at a spatial resolution of 1 micron. Textual information such as melt channel size, dihedral angle and channel connectivity was then quantified using AVIZO and MATLAB. Our results indicate that as melt fraction decreases, melt becomes increasingly distributed along 3 grain junctions, in agreement with theoretical predictions. We do not find significant amounts of melt along grain boundaries at low melt fractions. We found that the true dihedral angle ranges from 50 to 70°, in agreements with results using 2D microcopy. Comparison between the samples provides a quantitative characterization of how melt fraction affects melt distribution including connectivity. The geometrical data have been incorporated into our network model to obtain macroscale transport properties for partially molten dunite. Results from this tomographic study thus provide constraints on rates of melt migration and melt extraction within the partially molten regions beneath ocean ridges. Fig 1. Melt channels in an olivine-basalt sample with 10 vol% melt.

Chemostratigraphy of Subduction Initiation: Boninite and Forearc Basalt from IODP Expedition 352

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shervais, John; Haugen, Emily; Godard, Marguerite; Ryan, Jeffrey G.; Prytulak, Julie; Li, Hongyan; Chapman, Timothy; Nelson, Wendy R.; Heaton, Daniel E.; Kirchenbaur, Maria; Shimizu, Kenji; Li, Yibing; Whattam, Scott A.; Almeev, Renat; Sakuyama, Tetsuya; Reagan, Mark K.; Pearce, Julian A.

2017-04-01

The Izu-Bonin forearc has been the focus of several recent IODP (International Ocean Discovery Program) expeditions studying the geophysical, petrologic, and chemical response to subduction initiation and its potential relationship to ophiolite genesis. IODP Expedition 352 cored four holes in the Izu-Bonin forearc near Chichi Jima in order to document the petrologic and chemical evolution of nascent subduction zones. Holes U1440 and U1441, drilled closest to the trench, sampled forearc basalt (FAB). U1439 and U1442, drilled stratigraphically up-section and farther from the trench, sampled boninite, high-Mg andesite, and basalt. FAB are characterized by MORB-like compositions, with relatively constant Ti, Zr, and Ti/Zr. In general, more primitive FAB are found in the lower part of the section. In detail, FAB have lower Na, Ti, P, and Zr, lower Ti/V ratios, and are LREE-depleted relative to MORB. Best fit models for the least evolved FAB and a depleted MORB mantle (DMM) source require extraction of 1% melt in the garnet lherzolite field and 19% melt extraction in the spinel lherzolite field (relative to 8-10% melt of DMM to produce MORB). Three types of boninite were found: high silica boninite (HSB), low silica boninite (LSB), and basaltic boninite (BB), as well as high Mg andesites (HMA). HSB, the youngest unit in both U1439 and U1442, is underlain by LSB-BB-HMA lavas, which often occur in mixed magma zones with evolved boninite and basalt. Boninites are distinguished by co-variations in SiO2-MgO and TiO2-MgO, and by Ti/Zr ratios, which increase from HSB through LSB to BB. HSB, LSB and BB define parallel trends in TiO2-MgO space: a low Ti trend represented by LSB and BB, and a lower Ti trend represented by HSB. All of the boninite suite rocks are slightly LREE-rich relative to MORB. LSB and BB have flat REE patterns relative to primitive mantle, whereas HSB are slightly LREE-rich. These trends require distinct source compositions in HSB relative to LSB/BB. The decrease in Ti/Zr from BB to HSB suggests a slab melt component. Melting models (non-modal, fractional) for boninites require additional partial melting of a residual source more depleted than DMM, and mixing with less depleted melts. The data require a heterogeneous source during subduction initiation, tapping progressively more refractory mantle through time, and showing progressive enrichment in slab components.

Consequences of magma eruption dynamics: Intraflow variations in petrography and mineral chemistry within a single eruptive unit from Whitewater Canyon, Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ustunisik, G. K.; Nielsen, R. L.

2012-12-01

Individual lava flows are sometimes characterized by progressive changes in petrography and mineral chemistry which have been attributed to progressive magma chamber evacuation. In the case of Whitewater Canyon flow, a glacially quenched andesite unit on the NW flank of Mt. Jefferson, significant changes have been observed in phenocryst content and mineral chemistry within a transect from the early erupted components (inferred by flow morphology to be quenched against glacial ice ~10000 ybp), to the top of the 30 m thick flow unit. With the increasing distance from the quenched interface, the matrix changes from glassy to microcrystalline. The matrix material is generally similar in composition to the glassy melt inclusions rhyolitic in composition yet relatively degassed (lower Cl, S). Based on their morphology, we have identified at least 4 populations of plagioclase phenocrysts within the single flow: (1) Relatively unzoned high An cores (>An80) with oscillatory overgrowth, (2) Lower An cores (An50-60), associated with dacitic melt inclusions, (3) Cellular low An cores (An50-60) with higher An overgrowths (~An65-75), and (4) Lath shaped, sometimes oscillatory zoned moderately high An phenocrysts (An65-75) -often associated with olivine:cpx:plagioclase glomerocrysts. Melt inclusions are present in orthopyroxene and plagioclase, but only in the earliest erupted samples (within 5-10 meters of the quenched interface). This mafic component, characterized by olivine, intermediate plagioclase (An60-75), clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and oxides, was present at a range of scales from glomerocrysts to 10 cm+ enclaves. Amphibole and quartz are present only in samples from the interior of the flow unit. The width of reaction rims on amphibole increase as one progress upwards towards the flow interior. Our initial conclusions are this eruptive unit represents the progressive evacuation of a shallow magma chamber where the upper parts of the chamber had already been partially degassed. This is supported by the absence of amphibole phenocrysts in the first erupted, quenched samples. However, the presence of volatiles in glassy melt inclusions and phenocrysts suggests that the system had not completely degassed prior to the eruption. Also, the petrographic heterogeneity of the unit demonstrates that complete overturn and mixing did not happen at Mt. Jefferson. Therefore, eruption may have been triggered by the injection of mafic material; however, the petrographic and field evidence suggests that overturn is not required as part of that triggering event.

Nucleation, crystallization, and melting of atactic polystyrene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chai, Yu; Forrest, James

Here we present the study of using low molecular weight atactic polystyrene (aPS) as the model system to understand the nucleation, crystallization, and meting behaviors of the stereo-regular polymer chains in aPS. The result is consistent with the theoretical calculation proposed by Semenov. In addition, both the crystallization and melting experiments indicate that all crystals are on or near the surface. Finally, the nucleation experiment below the glass transition temperature provides another piece of evidence of the enhanced surface dynamics in glassy polymers.

Experimental study of the electrolysis of silicate melts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keller, Rudolf

1992-01-01

Melting and electrolyzing lunar silicates yields oxygen gas and potentially can be practiced in situ to produce oxygen. With the present experiments conducted with simulant oxides at 1425-1480 C, it was ascertained that oxygen can be obtained anodically at feasible rates and current efficiencies. An electrolysis cell was operated with platinum anodes in a sealed vessel, and the production of gas was monitored. In these electrolysis experiments, stability of anodes remained a problem, and iron and silicon did not reduce readily into the liquid silver cathode.

Some Pecularities of Solidification of the Almandine Impact Melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feldman, V. I.; Kozlov, E. A.; Zhugin, Yu. N.

1996-03-01

SOME PECULIARITIES OF SOLIDIFICATION OF THE ALMANDINE IMPACT MELT. Feldman V.I. Moscow State University, Geological Faculty, Department of Petrology, 119899, Moscow, Russia. Kozlov E.A., Zhugin Yu.N. Russian Federal nuclear Center - Research Institute of Technical Physics, P.O.Box 245, 456770, Snezhinsk, Russia. The aim of these investigations is a description of the experiments and the first results of a loading of the garnet sand by spherical converging shock waves. These experiments show that impact liquid have by solidification three stage of liquid immiscibility.

Evidence for melt partitioning between olivine and orthopyroxene in partially molten harzburgite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, K.; Zhu, W.; Montesi, L. G.; Le Roux, V.; Gaetani, G. A.

2013-12-01

During melting at mid-ocean ridges, melt is driven into an equilibrium, minimum-energy configuration by surface energy gradients between solid-solid and solid-liquid phase boundaries. Such a configuration, where melt is mostly restricted to three and four-grain junctions, acts as a porous medium through which melt can percolate to the surface. For a monomineralic system, melt is distributed evenly among all grains. However, in mineralogical heterogeneous systems, melt partitions unevenly between the various solid phases to minimize the total energy of the system. In a ocean ridge melting environment, where olivine is often juxtaposed against orthopyroxene (opx), lithologic partitioning is expected to turn olivine-rich regions into high-permeability conduits, through which melt can be quickly extracted, drastically increasing the permeability of the mantle [Zhu and Hirth, 2003]. Lithologic partitioning has been demonstrated in experiments using analogue systems [Watson, 1999]; however, to date, no experiment has confirmed its existence in partially molten mantle systems. We present experimental results that determine the degree of melt partitioning between olivine and opx in partially molten harzburgites. Samples were prepared from a powdered mixture of oxides and carbonates and then hot-pressed in a solid-media piston-cylinder apparatus at 1350°C and 1.5GPa [Zhu et al., 2011] to achieve an 82/18 vol. % ratio of olivine to opx. Prior to hot-pressing, basalt was added to the powdered mixtures in various proportions to test for lithologic partitioning across a range of melt fractions. Three-dimensional, 700nm-resolution images of our samples were obtained using synchrotron X-ray microtomography on the 2BM station of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Labs. Image data were filtered using an anisotropic diffusion filter to enhance phase contrast and then segmented to produce binary representations of each phase. In order to quantitatively demonstrate lithologic melt partitioning in our samples, we digitally segment each grain and then fit a sample window, slightly larger than the grain, to calculate the local melt volume fraction. Our results show strong evidence for lithologic partitioning in partially molten harzburgite systems, in a ~2 to 1 ratio of local melt fraction, between olivine and opx across the range of melt fractions tested. We also present permeability, grain size, and connectivity analyses of our samples in order to evaluate the effects of melt partitioning on melt migration rates at mid-ocean ridges, as well as at other locations in the Earth where partial melting occurs. References Watson, E. B. (1999), Lithologic partitioning of fluids and melts, American Minerologist, 84, 1693-1710. Zhu, W., and G. Hirth (2003), A network model for permeability in partially molten rocks, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 212(3-4), 407-416, doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00264-4. Zhu, W., G. A. Gaetani, F. Fusseis, L. G. J. Montési, and F. De Carlo (2011), Microtomography of partially molten rocks: three-dimensional melt distribution in mantle peridotite, Science, 332(6025), 88-91, doi:10.1126/science.1202221.

Use of Traveling Magnetic Fields to Control Melt Convection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramachandran, Narayanan; Mazuruk, Konstantin; Volz, Martin P.

2000-01-01

An axially traveling magnetic wave induces a meridional base flow in an electrically conducting molten cylindrical zone. This flow can be beneficial for crystal growth applications. In particular, it can be effectively used to stir the melt in long cylindrical columns. It can also be tailored to modify the thermal and species concentration fields in the melt and to control the interface shape of the growing crystal. The basic theory of such an application is developed and data from a preliminary mercury column experiment are presented.

The impact of dispersion on selective laser melting of titanium and niobium fine powders mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razin, A.; Ovchinnikov, V.; Akhmetshin, R.; Krinitcyn, M.; Fedorov, V.; Akhmetshina, V.

2016-11-01

This paper is dedicated to the study of selective laser melting process of metal powders. Experiments were performed in the Research Center Modern Manufacturing Technologies of TPU with the fine powders of titanium and niobium. The research was carried out on 3D laser printer designed at TPU. In the framework of experiments aimed at determining possibilities of obtaining niobium-titanium alloy by SLS (selective laser sintering) there were studied the basic processes of laser melting and their effect on the quality of final samples and products. We determined operation modes of 3D printers which allow obtaining high quality of printed sample surface. The research results show that rigid requirements related to powder dispersiveness and proportions are needed to achieve better quality of products.

Melting curve of materials: theory versus experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfè, D.; Vocadlo, L.; Price, G. D.; Gillan, M. J.

2004-04-01

A number of melting curves of various materials have recently been measured experimentally and calculated theoretically, but the agreement between different groups is not always good. We discuss here some of the problems which may arise in both experiments and theory. We also report the melting curves of Fe and Al calculated recently using quantum mechanics techniques, based on density functional theory with generalized gradient approximations. For Al our results are in very good agreement with both low pressure diamond-anvil-cell experiments (Boehler and Ross 1997 Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 153 223, Hänström and Lazor 2000 J. Alloys Compounds 305 209) and high pressure shock wave experiments (Shaner et al 1984 High Pressure in Science and Technology ed Homan et al (Amsterdam: North-Holland) p 137). For Fe our results agree with the shock wave experiments of Brown and McQueen (1986 J. Geophys. Res. 91 7485) and Nguyen and Holmes (2000 AIP Shock Compression of Condensed Matter 505 81) and the recent diamond-anvil-cell experiments of Shen et al (1998 Geophys. Res. Lett. 25 373). Our results are at variance with the recent calculations of Laio et al (2000 Science 287 1027) and, to a lesser extent, with the calculations of Belonoshko et al (2000 Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 3638). The reasons for these disagreements are discussed.

Direct observations of evolving subglacial drainage beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet.

PubMed

Andrews, Lauren C; Catania, Ginny A; Hoffman, Matthew J; Gulley, Jason D; Lüthi, Martin P; Ryser, Claudia; Hawley, Robert L; Neumann, Thomas A

2014-10-02

Seasonal acceleration of the Greenland Ice Sheet is influenced by the dynamic response of the subglacial hydrologic system to variability in meltwater delivery to the bed via crevasses and moulins (vertical conduits connecting supraglacial water to the bed of the ice sheet). As the melt season progresses, the subglacial hydrologic system drains supraglacial meltwater more efficiently, decreasing basal water pressure and moderating the ice velocity response to surface melting. However, limited direct observations of subglacial water pressure mean that the spatiotemporal evolution of the subglacial hydrologic system remains poorly understood. Here we show that ice velocity is well correlated with moulin hydraulic head but is out of phase with that of nearby (0.3-2 kilometres away) boreholes, indicating that moulins connect to an efficient, channelized component of the subglacial hydrologic system, which exerts the primary control on diurnal and multi-day changes in ice velocity. Our simultaneous measurements of moulin and borehole hydraulic head and ice velocity in the Paakitsoq region of western Greenland show that decreasing trends in ice velocity during the latter part of the melt season cannot be explained by changes in the ability of moulin-connected channels to convey supraglacial melt. Instead, these observations suggest that decreasing late-season ice velocity may be caused by changes in connectivity in unchannelized regions of the subglacial hydrologic system. Understanding this spatiotemporal variability in subglacial pressures is increasingly important because melt-season dynamics affect ice velocity beyond the conclusion of the melt season.

Olivine-hosted melt inclusions as an archive of redox heterogeneity in magmatic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartley, Margaret E.; Shorttle, Oliver; Maclennan, John; Moussallam, Yves; Edmonds, Marie

2017-12-01

The redox state of volcanic products determines their leverage on the oxidation of Earth's oceans and atmosphere, providing a long-term feedback on oxygen accumulation at the planet's surface. An archive of redox conditions in volcanic plumbing systems from a magma's mantle source, through crustal storage, to eruption, is carried in pockets of melt trapped within crystals. While melt inclusions have long been exploited for their capacity to retain information on a magma's history, their permeability to fast-diffusing elements such as hydrogen is now well documented and their retention of initial oxygen fugacities (fO2) could be similarly diffusion-limited. To test this, we have measured Fe3+/ΣFe by micro-XANES spectroscopy in a suite of 65 olivine-hosted melt inclusions and 9 matrix glasses from the AD 1783 Laki eruption, Iceland. This eruption experienced pre-eruptive mixing of chemically diverse magmas, syn-eruptive degassing at the vent, and post-eruptive degassing during lava flow up to 60 km over land, providing an ideal test of whether changes in the fO2 of a magma may be communicated through to its cargo of crystal-hosted melt inclusions. Melt inclusions from rapidly quenched tephra samples have Fe3+/ΣFe of 0.206 ± 0.008 (ΔQFM of +0.7 ± 0.1), with no correlation between their fO2 and degree of trace element enrichment or differentiation. These inclusions preserve the redox conditions of the mixed pre-eruptive Laki magma. When corrected for fractional crystallisation to 10 wt.% MgO, these inclusions record a parental magma [Fe3+/ΣFe](10) of 0.18 (ΔQFM of +0.4), significantly more oxidised than the Fe3+/ΣFe of 0.10 that is often assumed for Icelandic basalt magmas. Melt inclusions from quenched lava selvages are more reduced than those from the tephra, having Fe3+/ΣFe between 0.133 and 0.177 (ΔQFM from -0.4 to +0.4). These inclusions have approached equilibrium with their carrier lava, which has been reduced by sulfur degassing. The progressive re-equilibration of fO2 between inclusions and carrier melts occurs on timescales of hours to days, causing a drop in the sulfur content at sulfide saturation (SCSS) and driving the exsolution of immiscible sulfide globules in the inclusions. Our data demonstrate the roles of magma mixing, progressive re-equilibration, and degassing in redox evolution within magmatic systems, and the open-system nature of melt inclusions to fO2 during these processes. Redox heterogeneity present at the time of inclusion trapping may be overprinted by rapid re-equilibration of melt inclusion fO2 with the external environment, both in the magma chamber and during slow cooling in lava at the surface. This can decouple the melt inclusion archives of fO2, major and trace element chemistry, and mask associations between fO2, magmatic differentiation and mantle source heterogeneity unless the assembly of diverse magmas is rapidly followed by eruption. Our tools for understanding the redox conditions of magmas are thus limited; however, careful reconstruction of pre- and post-eruptive magmatic history has enabled us to confirm the relatively oxidised nature of ocean island-type mantle compared to that of mid-ocean ridge mantle.

Pressure-Induced Melting of Confined Ice.

PubMed

Sotthewes, Kai; Bampoulis, Pantelis; Zandvliet, Harold J W; Lohse, Detlef; Poelsema, Bene

2017-12-26

The classic regelation experiment of Thomson in the 1850s deals with cutting an ice cube, followed by refreezing. The cutting was attributed to pressure-induced melting but has been challenged continuously, and only lately consensus emerged by understanding that compression shortens the O:H nonbond and lengthens the H-O bond simultaneously. This H-O elongation leads to energy loss and lowers the melting point. The hot debate survived well over 150 years, mainly due to a poorly defined heat exchange with the environment in the experiment. In our current experiment, we achieved thermal isolation from the environment and studied the fully reversible ice-liquid water transition for water confined between graphene and muscovite mica. We observe a transition from two-dimensional (2D) ice into a quasi-liquid phase by applying a pressure exerted by an atomic force microscopy tip. At room temperature, the critical pressure amounts to about 6 GPa. The transition is completely reversible: refreezing occurs when the applied pressure is lifted. The critical pressure to melt the 2D ice decreases with temperature, and we measured the phase coexistence line between 293 and 333 K. From a Clausius-Clapeyron analysis, we determine the latent heat of fusion of two-dimensional ice at 0.15 eV/molecule, being twice as large as that of bulk ice.

Correlations between the disintegration of melt and the measured impulses in steam explosions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Froehlich, G.; Linca, A.; Schindler, M.

To find our correlations in steam explosions (melt water interactions) between the measured impulses and the disintegration of the melt, experiments were performed in three configurations i.e. stratified, entrapment and jet experiments. Linear correlations were detected between the impulse and the total surface of the fragments. Theoretical considerations point out that a linear correlation assumes superheating of a water layer around the fragments of a constant thickness during the fragmentation process to a constant temperature (here the homogeneous nucleation temperature of water was assumed) and a constant expansion velocity of the steam in the main expansion time. The correlation constantmore » does not depend on melt temperature and trigger pressure, but it depends on the configuration of the experiment or of a scenario of an accident. Further research is required concerning the correlation constant. For analysing steam explosion accidents the explosivity is introduced. The explosivity is a mass specific impulse. The explosivity is linear correlated with the degree of fragmentation. Knowing the degree of fragmentation with proper correlation constant the explosivity can be calculated and from the explosivity combined with the total mass of fragments the impulse is obtained which can be used to an estimation of the maximum force.« less

Studies of Nucleation and Growth, Specific Heat and Viscosity of Undercooled Melts of Quasicrystal and Polytetrahedral-Phase Forming Alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelton, K. F.; Gangopadhyay, Anup K.; Lee, G. W.; Hyers, Robert W.; Rathz, T. J.; Robinson, Michael B.; Rogers, Jan R.

2003-01-01

From extensive ground based work on the phase diagram and undercooling studies of Ti-Zr-Ni alloys, have clearly identified the composition of three different phases with progressively increasing polytetrahedral order such as, (Ti/Zr), the C14 Laves phase, and the i-phase, that nucleate directly from the undercooled liquid. The reduced undercooling decreases progressively with increasing polytetrahedral order in the solid, supporting Frank s hypothesis. A new facility for direct measurements of the structures and phase transitions in undercooled liquids (BESL) was developed and has provided direct proof of the primary nucleation of a metastable icosahedral phase in some Ti-Zr-Ni alloys. The first measurements of specific heat and viscosity in the undercooled liquid of this alloy system have been completed. Other than the importance of thermo-physical properties for modeling nucleation and growth processes in these materials, these studies have also revealed some interesting new results (such as a maximum of C(sup q, sub p) in the undercooled state). These ground-based results have clearly established the necessary background and the need for conducting benchmark nucleation experiments at the ISS on this alloy system.

Experimental determination of CO2 content at graphite saturation along a natural basalt-peridotite melt join: Implications for the fate of carbon in terrestrial magma oceans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duncan, Megan S.; Dasgupta, Rajdeep; Tsuno, Kyusei

2017-05-01

Knowledge of the carbon carrying capacity of peridotite melt at reducing conditions is critical to constrain the mantle budget and planet-scale distribution of carbon set at early stage of differentiation. Yet, neither measurements of CO2 content in reduced peridotite melt nor a reliable model to extrapolate the known solubility of CO2 in basaltic (mafic) melt to solubility in peridotitic (ultramafic) melt exist. There are several reasons for this gap; one reason is due to the unknown relative contributions of individual network modifying cations, such as Ca2+ versus Mg2+, on carbonate dissolution particularly at reducing conditions. Here we conducted high pressure, temperature experiments to estimate the CO2 contents in silicate melts at graphite saturation over a compositional range from natural basalts toward peridotite at a fixed pressure (P) of 1.0 GPa, temperature (T) of 1600 °C, and oxygen fugacity (log ⁡ fO2 ∼ IW + 1.6). We also conducted experiments to determine the relative effects of variable Ca and Mg contents in mafic compositions on the dissolution of carbonate. Carbon in quenched glasses was measured and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman Spectroscopy and was found to be dissolved as carbonate (CO32-). The FTIR spectra showed CO32- doublets that shifted systematically with the MgO and CaO content of silicate melts. Using our data and previous work we constructed a new composition-based model to determine the CO2 content of ultramafic (peridotitic) melt representative of an early Earth, magma ocean composition at graphite saturation. Our data and model suggest that the dissolved CO2 content of reduced, peridotite melt is significantly higher than that of basaltic melt at shallow magma ocean conditions; however, the difference in C content between the basaltic and peridotitic melts may diminish with depth as the more depolymerized peridotite melt is more compressible. Using our model of CO2 content at graphite saturation as a function of P-T-fO2-melt composition, we predict that a superliquidus shallow magma ocean should degas CO2. Whereas if the increase of fO2 with depth is weak, a magma ocean may ingas a modest amount of carbon during crystallization. Further, using the carbon content of peridotite melt at log ⁡ fO2 of IW and the knowledge of C content of Fe-rich alloy melt, we also consider the core-mantle partitioning of carbon, showing that DCmetal/peridotite of a shallow magma ocean is generally higher than previously estimated.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND FIBER MORPHOLOGY OF POLY(LACTIC ACID) OBTAINED FROM CONTINUOUS TWO-STEP MELT SPINNING. (R826733)

EPA Science Inventory

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Concl...

Melting slope of MgO from molecular dynamics and density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tangney, Paul; Scandolo, Sandro

2009-09-01

We combine density functional theory (DFT) with molecular dynamics simulations based on an accurate atomistic force field to calculate the pressure derivative of the melting temperature of magnesium oxide at ambient pressure—a quantity for which a serious disagreement between theory and experiment has existed for almost 15 years. We find reasonable agreement with previous DFT results and with a very recent experimental determination of the slope. We pay particular attention to areas of possible weakness in theoretical calculations and conclude that the long-standing discrepancy with experiment could only be explained by a dramatic failure of existing density functionals or by flaws in the original experiment.

Experimental Replication of Relict "Dusty" Olivine in Type 1B Chondrules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lofgren, Gary E.; Le, L.

2002-01-01

Introduction: Relict "dusty" olivine is considered to be a remnants of previous chondrule forming events based on petrographic and chemical evidence. Dynamic crystallization experiments confirm that dusty olivine can be produced by reduction of FeO-rich olivine in Unequilibrated Ordinary Chondrite (UOC) material. The results of these experiments compliment those of who also produced dusty olivine, but from synthetic starting materials. Techniques: Dynamic crystallization experiments were conducted in which UOC material was reduced in presence of graphite. Starting material was coarsely ground GR095554 or WSG95300 that contained olivine of Fo 65-98. Approximately 75 mg. of UOC material was placed in a graphite crucible and sealed in an evacuated silica tube. The tube was suspended in a gas-mixing furnace operated at 1 log unit below the IW buffer. The experiments were as brief as 1.5 hrs up to 121 hrs. Results: Dusty olivine was produced readily in experiments melted at 1400 C for I hr. and cooled between 5 and 100 C/hr or melted at 1300-1400 C for 24 hours. Fe-rich olivine (dusty olivine precursors) that have been partially reduced were common in the experiments melted at 1400 C and cooled at 1000 C/hr or melted at 1200 C for 24 hrs. Relict olivine is absent in experiments melted at 1400 for 24 hrs, melted above 1400 C, or cooled more slowly than 10 C/hr. Relict olivine in the experiments has minimum Fo value of 83 . Thus even in the shortest experiments the most Fe-rich olivine has been altered significantly. The precursor olivine disappears in a few to many hours depending on temperature. The experiments show Fe-rich olivine in all stages of transition to the new dusty form. The olivine is reduced to form dusty olivine in a matter of a few hours at temperatures less than 1400 C and in minutes at higher temperatures. The reduction appears to proceed from the rim of the crystal inward with time. The reduction appears initially rectilinear as if controlled by crystallography, but with time Fe-metal blebs are randomly distributed throughout the olivine. In a given experiment, dusty olivine can be found in varying stages of development, but in the longest experiments, the Fe-metal blebs are dominant and they appear to be migrating out of the olivine. The composition of the dusty olivine ranges from Fo 94-99. The Cr, Mn, and Ca content of the newly formed, dusty olivine is slightly less on average that the precursor olivine, but is till with the range of type 1 olivine. Chadacrysts in the low Ca pyroxene are most common in the higher temperature, more slowly cooled experiments and range in composition from Fo 90-99. Application to chondrule formation: These experiments place time-temperature limits on the preservation of Fe-rich olivine and the production of dusty olivine during chondrule forming events. The reduction process proceeds in a few hours at temperatures above 1400 C and in 10's of hours at temperature between 1200 and 1300 C. This result further confirms th at chondrules form in a few hours to days as suggested earlier. The experiments also confirm that dusty olivine can form from typical Fe-rich olivine in UOC material during the recycling of such olivine in the chondrule forming process.

Analytical solutions for combined close-contact and natural convection melting in horizontal cylindrical heat storage capsule

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saitoh, T.S.; Hoshi, A.

1998-07-01

Melting and solidification of a phase change material (PCM) in a capsule is of practical importance in latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems which are considered to be very promising to reduce a peak demand of electricity in the summer season and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) emissions. Two melting modes are involved in melting of capsules. One is close-contact melting between the solid bulk and the capsule wall, and another is natural convection melting in the liquid region. Close-contact melting processes for a single enclosure have been solved using several numerical methods (e.g., Saitoh and Kato (1994)). In additionmore » close-contact melting heat transfer characteristics including melt flow in the liquid film under inner wall temperature distribution were analyzed and simple approximate equations were already presented by Saitoh and Hoshi (1997). The effects of Stefan number and variable temperature profile etc. were clarified in detail. And the melting velocity of the solid bulk under various conditions was also studied theoretically. In addition the effects of variable inner wall temperature on molten mass fraction were investigated. The present paper reports analytical solutions for combined close-contact and natural convection melting in horizontal cylindrical capsule. Moreover, natural convection melting in the liquid region were analyzed in this report. The upper interface shape of the solid bulk is approximated by a circular arc throughout the melting process. For the sake of verification, close-contact melting heat-transfer characteristics including natural convection in the liquid region were studied experimentally. Apparent shift of upper solid-liquid interface is good agreement with the experiment. The present simple approximate solutions will be useful to facilitate designing of the practical capsule bed LHTES systems.« less

Melt spinning study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Workman, Gary L.; Rathz, Thomas

1993-01-01

Containerless processing of materials provides an excellent opportunity to study nucleation phenomena and produce unique materials, primarily through the formation of metastable phases and deep undercoolings. Deep undercoolings can be readily achieved in falling drops of molten material. Extended solute solubilities and greatly refined microstructures can also be obtained in containerless processing experiments. The Drop Tube Facility at Marshall Space Flight Center has played an important role in enhancing that area of research. Previous experiments performed in the Drop Tube with refractory metals has shown very interesting microstructural changes associated with deep undercoolings. It is apparent also that the microstructure of the deep undercooled species may be changing due to the release of the latent heat of fusion during recalescence. For scientific purposes, it is important to be able to differentiate between the microstructures of the two types of metallic species. A review of the literature shows that although significant advances have been made with respect to the engineering aspects of rapid solidification phenomena, there is still much to be learned in terms of understanding the basic phenomena. The two major ways in which rapid solidification processing provides improved structures and hence improved properties are: (1) production of refined structures such as fine dendrites and eutectics, and (2) production of new alloy compositions, microstructures, and phases through extended solid solubility, new phase reaction sequences, and the formation of metallic-glass microstructures. The objective of this work has been to determine the optimal methodology required to extract this excess energy without affecting the thermo-physical parameters of the under-cooled melt. In normal containerless processing experiments recalescence occurs as the melt returns toward the melting point in order to solidify. A new type of experiment is sought in which the resultant microstructure of the undercooled species is frozen in without going through the melting point regime and subsequent near equilibrium solidification of the remaining liquid. This experimental approach entails the design of an appropriate melt spinning system which is compatible with Drop Tube operations and processing constraints. That work is the goal of this study.

Structure of a mushy layer at the inner core boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deguen, R.; Huguet, L.; Bergman, M. I.; Labrosse, S.; Alboussiere, T.

2015-12-01

We present experimental results on the solidification of ammonium chloride from an aqueous solution, yielding a mushy zone, under hyper-gravity. A commercial centrifuge has been equipped with a slip-ring so that electric power, temperature and ultrasonic signals could be transmitted between the experimental setup and the laboratory. A Peltier element provides cooling at the bottom of the cell. Probes monitor the temperature along the height of the cell. Ultrasound measurements (2 to 6 MHz) is used to detect the position of the front of the mushy zone and to determine attenuation in the mush. A significant increase of solid fraction (or decrease of mushy layer thickness) and attenuation in the mush is observed as gravity is increased. Kinetic undercooling is significant in our experiments and has been included in a macroscopic mush model. The other ingredients of the model are conservation of energy and chemical species, along with heat/species transfer between the mush and the liquid phase: boundary-layer exchanges at the top of the mush and bulk convection within the mush (formation of chimneys). The outputs of the model compare well with our experiments. We have then run the model in a range of parameters suitable for the Earth's inner core, which has shown the role of bulk mush convection for the inner core and the reason why a solid fraction very close to unity should be expected. We have also run melting experiments: after crystallization of a mush, the liquid has been heated from above until the mush started to melt, while the bottom cold temperature was maintained. These melting experiments were motivated by the possible local melting at the inner core boundary that has been invoked to explain the formation of the anomalously slow F-layer at the bottom of the outer core or inner core hemispherical asymmetry. Oddly, the consequences of melting are an increase in solid fraction and a decrease in attenuation. It is hence possible that surface seismic velocity and attenuation of the inner core are strongly affected by melting.

Dissolving and melting phenomena of inorganic and organic crystals by addition of third or second components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funakoshi, Kunio; Negishi, Rina; Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Kawasaki, Rentaro

2017-06-01

Dissolution of potassium sulphate (K2SO4) crystals was decelerated or stopped since the trivalent chrome ions (Cr(III)) or the iron ions were added into a K2SO4 aqueous solution, but inhibition mechanism of crystal dissolving by additives is not discussed well. Moreover, the melting inhibition of organic compound crystals by addition of the second components is not reported. In this study, inorganic or organic compound crystals are dissolved in a solution added the third component or were melted in a melt added the second one, and the dissolving and melting inhibition phenomena of the inorganic and organic crystals with additives are discussed. The dissolving rates of K2SO4 crystals decreased with the increasing of the amount of Cr(III) added into an K2SO4 unsaturated solution. The melting rates of m-chloronitrobenzene (CNB) crystals were also decreased by addition of p-CNB. The dissolving rates of a K2SO4 mother crystal and the melting rates of a m-CNB mother crystal were scattered during experiments and the dissolving and the melting phenomena would be caused by adsorption and detachments of additives on and from crystal surfaces.

Origin of SNC kaersutitic amphibole: Experimental data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rutherford, M. J.; Heine, Bruce; Johnson, Marie

1987-01-01

The SNC meteorites, a group of cumulus textured, fine grained diabases, pyroxenites, and dunites, appear to have crystallized at relatively shallow depths on the same SNC parent body. Hydrous minerals generally are not present among the cumulus and intercumulus minerals in these meteorites except for some iddingsite alteration of olivine. The presence of hydrous magmatic amphibole in the SNC melt inclusions indicates that crystallization of the melt inclusions had to take place at significant pressure, probably greater than 1 kb based on previous amphibole stability data. If experimental data for kaersutite amphibole were to be obtained, it should be possible to estimate this pressure more precisely then previously, and to estimate the volatile (H2O) content of the parent magma. At this point, the factors controlling the chemistry and stability of high TiO2, kaersutitic amphiboles are not known. In an attempt to determine the factors which control the stability and chemistry of TiO2-rich amphibole, data was refined and extrapolated from four experimental studies of amphibole-melt equilibria recently completed. At the same time, hypothermal experiments were performed on a composition considered to be an early melt in the Shergotty magma liquid line of descent. The latter experiments were an attempt to reproduce crystallization of the amphibole-bearing melt inclusions.

First experimental observations on melting and chemical modification of volcanic ash during lightning interaction.

PubMed

Mueller, S P; Helo, C; Keller, F; Taddeucci, J; Castro, J M

2018-01-23

Electrification in volcanic ash plumes often leads to syn-eruptive lightning discharges. High temperatures in and around lightning plasma channels have the potential to chemically alter, re-melt, and possibly volatilize ash fragments in the eruption cloud. In this study, we experimentally simulate temperature conditions of volcanic lightning in the laboratory, and systematically investigate the effects of rapid melting on the morphology and chemical composition of ash. Samples of different size and composition are ejected towards an artificially generated electrical arc. Post-experiment ash morphologies include fully melted spheres, partially melted particles, agglomerates, and vesiculated particles. High-speed imaging reveals various processes occurring during the short lightning-ash interactions, such as particle melting and rounding, foaming, and explosive particle fragmentation. Chemical analyses of the flash-melted particles reveal considerable bulk loss of Cl, S, P and Na through thermal vaporization. Element distribution patterns suggest convection as a key process of element transport from the interior of the melt droplet to rim where volatiles are lost. Modeling the degree of sodium loss delivers maximum melt temperatures between 3290 and 3490 K. Our results imply that natural lighting strikes may be an important agent of syn-eruptive morphological and chemical processing of volcanic ash.

Development of MPS Method for Analyzing Melt Spreading Behavior and MCCI in Severe Accidents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaji, Akifumi; Li, Xin

2016-08-01

Spreading of molten core (corium) on reactor containment vessel floor and molten corium-concrete interaction (MCCI) are important phenomena in the late phase of a severe accident for assessment of the containment integrity and managing the severe accident. The severe accident research at Waseda University has been advancing to show that simulations with moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method (one of the particle methods) can greatly improve the analytical capability and mechanical understanding of the melt behavior in severe accidents. MPS models have been developed and verified regarding calculations of radiation and thermal field, solid-liquid phase transition, buoyancy, and temperature dependency of viscosity to simulate phenomena, such as spreading of corium, ablation of concrete by the corium, crust formation and cooling of the corium by top flooding. Validations have been conducted against experiments such as FARO L26S, ECOKATS-V1, Theofanous, and SPREAD for spreading, SURC-2, SURC-4, SWISS-1, and SWISS-2 for MCCI. These validations cover melt spreading behaviors and MCCI by mixture of molten oxides (including prototypic UO2-ZrO2), metals, and water. Generally, the analytical results show good agreement with the experiment with respect to the leading edge of spreading melt and ablation front history of concrete. The MPS results indicate that crust formation may play important roles in melt spreading and MCCI. There is a need to develop a code for two dimensional MCCI experiment simulation with MPS method as future study, which will be able to simulate anisotropic ablation of concrete.

Investigation of the effects of melt electrospinning parameters on the direct-writing fiber size using orthogonal design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Feng-Li; He, Jin; Deng, Xudong; Li, Da-Wei; Ahmad, Fiaz; Liu, Yang-Yang; Liu, Ya-Li; Ye, Ya-Jing; Zhang, Chen-Yan; Yin, Da-Chuan

2017-10-01

Melt electrospinning is a complex process, and many of the processing parameters can impact the result of fiber formation. In this paper, we conducted a systematic investigation on the impacts of the melt electrospinning parameters (including temperature, needle gauge, flow rate and collector speed) on the fiber diameter via an orthogonal design experiment. The straight single fibers were fabricated using melt electrospinning in a direct-writing way with a diameter varied from 9.68  ±  0.93 µm to 48.55  ±  3.72 µm. The results showed that the fiber diameter changed differently against different parameters: when the temperature or needle gauge increased, the fiber diameter increased first and then decreased; when the flow rate increased, the fiber diameter decreased first and then increased; when the collector speed increased, the fiber diameter decreased monotonously. We also found that the collector speed was the most influential factor while the needle gauge was least important in determining the diameter of the fiber. Moreover, the feasibility of melt electrospinning in a direct-writing way as a novel 3D printing technology had been demonstrated by fabricating both uniform and controllable structures with high accuracy, based on the optimal parameters from the orthogonal experiments. The promising results indicated that melt electrospinning can be developed as a powerful technique for fabricating miniatured parts with high resolution and controllable structures for versatile potential applications.

Effects of a type I antifreeze protein (AFP) on the melting of frozen AFP and AFP+solute aqueous solutions studied by NMR microimaging experiment.

PubMed

Ba, Yong; Mao, Yougang; Galdino, Luiz; Günsen, Zorigoo

2013-01-01

The effects of a type I AFP on the bulk melting of frozen AFP solutions and frozen AFP+solute solutions were studied through an NMR microimaging experiment. The solutes studied include sodium chloride and glucose and the amino acids alanine, threonine, arginine, and aspartic acid. We found that the AFP is able to induce the bulk melting of the frozen AFP solutions at temperatures lower than 0 °C and can also keep the ice melted at higher temperatures in the AFP+solute solutions than those in the corresponding solute solutions. The latter shows that the ice phases were in super-heated states in the frozen AFP+solute solutions. We have tried to understand the first experimental phenomenon via the recent theoretical prediction that type I AFP can induce the local melting of ice upon adsorption to ice surfaces. The latter experimental phenomenon was explained with the hypothesis that the adsorption of AFP to ice surfaces introduces a less hydrophilic water-AFP-ice interfacial region, which repels the ionic/hydrophilic solutes. Thus, this interfacial region formed an intermediate chemical potential layer between the water phase and the ice phase, which prevented the transfer of water from the ice phase to the water phase. We have also attempted to understand the significance of the observed melting phenomena to the survival of organisms that express AFPs over cold winters.

Thermocapillary convection of melts and its role in laser-plasma synthesis and laser-induced amorphism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uglov, A. A.; Smurov, I. Iu.; Gus'kov, A. G.; Semakhin, S. A.

1987-06-01

The role of thermocapillary convection in mass transfer processes in melts is investigated analytically and experimentally using vacuum-arc melted Ni63-Ta37 and Cu50-Zr50 alloys. It is shown that thermocapillary convection not only leads to the transfer of alloying components to the deeper layers of the melt but also may produce, in certain cases, a significant temperature redistribution in the liquid phase. Convective transfer dominates over conduction when the product of Re and Pr is greater than 1. In the experiments, the structure of the amorphous and crystalline layers in the solidified alloys is found to be in qualitative agreement with the structure of a thermocapillary vortex.

Melting of isolated tin nanoparticles

PubMed

Bachels; Guntherodt; Schafer

2000-08-07

The melting of isolated neutral tin cluster distributions with mean sizes of about 500 atoms has been investigated in a molecular beam experiment by calorimetrically measuring the clusters' formation energies as a function of their internal temperature. For this purpose the possibility to adjust the temperature of the clusters' internal degrees of freedom by means of the temperature of the cluster source's nozzle was exploited. The melting point of the investigated tin clusters was found to be lowered by 125 K and the latent heat of fusion per atom is reduced by 35% compared to bulk tin. The melting behavior of the isolated tin clusters is discussed with respect to the occurrence of surface premelting.

Anisotropic surface melting in lyotropic cubic crystals: part 2: facet-by-facet melting at Ia3d/vapor interfaces.

PubMed

Leroy, S; Grenier, J; Rohe, D; Even, C; Pieranski, P

2006-05-01

From experiments with metal crystals, in the vicinity of their crystal/liquid/vapor triple points, it is known that melting of crystals starts on their surfaces and is anisotropic. Recently, we have shown that anisotropic surface melting occurs also in lyotropic systems. In our previous paper (Eur. Phys. J. E 19, 223 (2006)), we have focused on the case of poor faceting at the Pn3m/L1 interface in C12EO2/water binary mixtures. There anisotropic melting occurs in the vicinity of a Pn3m/L3/L1 triple point. In the present paper, we focus on the opposite case of a rich devil's-staircase-type faceting at Ia3d/vapor interfaces in monoolein/water and phytantriol/water mixtures. We show that anisotropic surface melting takes place in these systems in a narrow humidity range close to the Ia3d-L2 transition. As whole (hkl) sets of facets disappear one after another when the transition is approached, surface melting occurs in a facet-by-facet type.

Melting phenomena: effect of composition for 55-atom Ag-Pd bimetallic clusters.

PubMed

Cheng, Daojian; Wang, Wenchuan; Huang, Shiping

2008-05-14

Understanding the composition effect on the melting processes of bimetallic clusters is important for their applications. Here, we report the relationship between the melting point and the metal composition for the 55-atom icosahedral Ag-Pd bimetallic clusters by canonical Monte Carlo simulations, using the second-moment approximation of the tight-binding potentials (TB-SMA) for the metal-metal interactions. Abnormal melting phenomena for the systems of interest are found. Our simulation results reveal that the dependence of the melting point on the composition is not a monotonic change, but experiences three different stages. The melting temperatures of the Ag-Pd bimetallic clusters increase monotonically with the concentration of the Ag atoms first. Then, they reach a plateau presenting almost a constant value. Finally, they decrease sharply at a specific composition. The main reason for this change can be explained in terms of the relative stability of the Ag-Pd bimetallic clusters at different compositions. The results suggest that the more stable the cluster, the higher the melting point for the 55-atom icosahedral Ag-Pd bimetallic clusters at different compositions.

Fiber structure formation in melt spinning of bio-based aliphatic co-polyesters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Qing; Takarada, Wataru; Kikutani, Takeshi

2015-05-01

High-speed melt spinning of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) with the 3-hydroxyhexanoate composition of 5.4 mol% was carried out. Melting temperature of this polymer is 141.5°C. It has been reported that PHBH fibers of good appearance can be prepared through the melt spinning process only when extrusion temperature is lower than the melting temperature of pure PHB (176 °C). The high-speed melt spinning experiment in this study revealed that the crystallization of PHBH proceeded at high take-up velocities even when the extrusion temperature was higher than the melting temperature of PHB. This result is considered to be due to the enhancement of crystallization through the application of high tensile stress to the molten polymer in the spinning line. As-spun fibers showed sufficiently high mechanical properties. On the other hand, crystalline orientation of α-form crystal increased with an increase in the take-up velocity and the existence of a small amount of β-form crystals was detected at high take-up velocities. This is another indication for the occurrence of crystallization under high tensile stress.

Texturing by cooling a metallic melt in a magnetic field.

PubMed

Tournier, Robert F; Beaugnon, Eric

2009-02-01

Processing in a magnetic field leads to the texturing of materials along an easy-magnetization axis when a minimum anisotropy energy exists at the processing temperature; the magnetic field can be applied to a particle assembly embedded into a liquid, or to a solid at a high diffusion temperature close to the melting temperature or between the liquidus and the solidus temperatures in a region of partial melting. It has been shown in many experiments that texturing is easy to achieve in congruent and noncongruent compounds by applying the field above the melting temperature T m or above the liquidus temperature of alloys. Texturing from a melt is successful when the overheating temperature is just a few degrees above T m and fails when the processing time above T m is too long or when the overheating temperature is too high; these observations indicate the presence of unmelted crystals above T m with a size depending on these two variables that act as growth nuclei. A recent model that predicts the existence of unmelted crystals above the melting temperature is used to calculate their radius in a bismuth melt.

Crystallographic effects during radiative melting of semitransparent materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, B. W.; Viskanta, R.

1987-10-01

Experiments have been performed to illustrate crystallogrpahic effects during radiative melting of unconfined vertical layers of semitransparent material. Radiative melting of a polycrystalline paraffin was performed and the instantaneous layer weight and transmittance were measured using a cantilever beam technique and thermopile radiation detector, respectively. The effects of radiative flux, initial solid subcooling, spectral distribution of the irradiation, and crystal structure of the solid as determined qualitatively by the sample solidification rate were studied. Experimental results show conclusively the dominant influence of cystallographic effects in the form of multiple internal scattering of radiation during the melting process. A theoretical model is formulated to predict the melting rate of the material. Radiation transfer is treated by solving the one-dimensional radiative transfer equation for an absorbing-scattering medium using the discrete ordinates method. Melting rate and global layer reflectance as predicted by the model agree well with experimental data. Parametric studies conducted with the model illustrate the sensitivity of the melting behavior to such variables as incident radiative flux, initial layer opacity (material extinction coefficient), and scattering asymmetry factor.

Effect of Sulfur on Siderophile Element Partitioning Between Olivine and Martian Primary Melt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Usui, T.; Shearer, C. K.; Righter, K.; Jones, J. H.

2011-01-01

Since olivine is a common early crystallizing phase in basaltic magmas that have produced planetary and asteroidal crusts, a number of experimental studies have investigated elemental partitioning between olivine and silicate melt [e.g., 1, 2, 3]. In particular, olivine/melt partition coefficients of Ni and Co (DNi and DCo) have been intensively studied because these elements are preferentially partitioned into olivine and thus provide a uniquely useful insight into the basalt petrogenesis [e.g., 4, 5]. However, none of these experimental studies are consistent with incompatible signatures of Co [e.g., 6, 7, 8] and Ni [7] in olivines from Martian meteorites. Chemical analyses of undegassed MORB samples suggest that S dissolved in silicate melts can reduce DNi up to 50 % compared to S-free experimental systems [9]. High S solubility (up to 4000 ppm) for primitive shergottite melts [10] implies that S might have significantly influenced the Ni and Co partitioning into shergottite olivines. This study conducts melting experiments on Martian magmatic conditions to investigate the effect of S on the partitioning of siderophile elements between olivine and Martian primary melt.

A Modeling Approach to Fiber Fracture in Melt Impregnation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Feng; Zhang, Cong; Yu, Yang; Xin, Chunling; Tang, Ke; He, Yadong

2017-02-01

The effect of process variables such as roving pulling speed, melt temperature and number of pins on the fiber fracture during the processing of thermoplastic based composites was investigated in this study. The melt impregnation was used in this process of continuous glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites. Previous investigators have suggested a variety of models for melt impregnation, while comparatively little effort has been spent on modeling the fiber fracture caused by the viscous resin. Herein, a mathematical model was developed for impregnation process to predict the fiber fracture rate and describe the experimental results with the Weibull intensity distribution function. The optimal parameters of this process were obtained by orthogonal experiment. The results suggest that the fiber fracture is caused by viscous shear stress on fiber bundle in melt impregnation mold when pulling the fiber bundle.

Seasonal progression of uranium series isotopes in subglacial meltwater: Implications for subglacial storage time

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Arendt, Carli A.; Aciego, Sarah M.; Sims, Kenneth W. W.

The residence time of subglacial meltwater impacts aquifer recharge, nutrient production, and chemical signals that reflect underlying bedrock/substrate, but is inaccessible to direct observation. We report the seasonal evolution of subglacial meltwater chemistry from the 2011 melt season at the terminus of the Athabasca Glacier, Canada. We also measured major and trace analytes and U-series isotopes for twenty-nine bulk meltwater samples collected over the duration of the melt season. This dataset, which is the longest time-series record of ( 234U/ 238U) isotopes in a glacial meltwater system, provides insight into the hydrologic evolution of the subglacial system during active melting.more » Meltwater samples, measured from the outflow, were analyzed for ( 238U), ( 222Rn) and ( 234U/ 238U)activity, conductivity, alkalinity, pH and major cations. Subglacial meltwater varied in [238U] and (222Rn) from 23 to 832 ppt and 9 to 171 pCi/L, respectively. Activity ratios of ( 234U/ 238U) ranged from 1.003 to 1.040, with the highest ( 238U), ( 222Rn) and ( 234U/ 238U)activity values occurring in early May when delayed-flow basal meltwater composed a significant portion of the bulk melt. Furthemore, from the chemical evolution of the meltwater, we posit that the relative subglacial water residence times decrease over the course of the melt season. This decrease in qualitative residence time during active melt is consistent with prior field studies and model-predicted channel switching from a delayed, distributed network to a fast, channelized network flow. As such, our study provides support for linking U-series isotopes to storage lengths of meltwater beneath glacial systems as subglacial hydrologic networks evolve with increased melting and channel network efficiency.« less

Melt-rock interactions and fabric development of peridotites from North Pond in the Kane area, Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Implications of microstructural and petrological analyses of peridotite samples from IODP Hole U1382A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harigane, Yumiko; Abe, Natsue; Michibayashi, Katsuyoshi; Kimura, Jun-Ichi; Chang, Qing

2016-06-01

North Pond is an isolated sedimentary pond on the western flank of the Kane area along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Drill-hole U1382A of IODP Expedition 336 recovered peridotite and gabbro samples from a sedimentary breccia layer in the pond, from which we collected six fresh peridotite samples. The peridotite samples came from the southern slope of the North Pond where an oceanic core complex is currently exposed. The samples were classified as spinel harzburgite, plagioclase-bearing harzburgite, and a vein-bearing peridotite that contains tiny gabbroic veins. No obvious macroscopic shear deformation related to the formation of a detachment fault was observed. The spinel harzburgite with a protogranular texture was classified as refractory peridotite. The degree of partial melting of the spinel harzburgite is estimated to be ˜17%, and melt depletion would have occurred at high temperatures in the uppermost mantle beneath the spreading axis. The progressive melt-rock interactions between the depleted spinel harzburgite and the percolating melts of Normal-Mid Ocean Ridge Basalt (N-MORB) produced the plagioclase-bearing harzburgite and the vein-bearing peridotite at relatively low temperatures. This implies that the subsequent refertilization occurred in an extinct spreading segment of the North Pond after spreading at the axis. Olivine fabrics in the spinel and plagioclase-bearing harzburgites are of types AG, A, and D, suggesting the remnants of a mantle flow regime beneath the spreading axis. The initial olivine fabrics appear to have been preserved despite the later melt-rock interactions. The peridotite samples noted above preserve evidence of mantle flow and melt-rock interactions beneath a spreading ridge that formed at ˜8 Ma.

Intraplate volcanism with complex age-distance patterns: A case for small-scale sublithospheric convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballmer, M. D.; van Hunen, J.; Ito, G.; Bianco, T. A.; Tackley, P. J.

2009-06-01

Many volcano chains in the Pacific do not follow the most fundamental predictions of hot spot theory in terms of geographic age progressions. One possible explanation for non-hot spot intraplate volcanism is small-scale sublithospheric convection (SSC), and we explore this concept using 3-D numerical models that simulate melting with rheology laws that account for the effects of dehydration. SSC spontaneously self-organizes beneath relatively mature oceanic lithosphere. Whenever this lithosphere is sufficiently young and thin, SSC replaces the shallow layer of harzburgite, which was formed by partial melting at the mid-ocean ridge, with fresh peridotite. This mechanism enables magma generation without any preexisting thermochemical anomalies. However, the additional effect of melting-induced dehydration to stiffen the harzburgite requires lower background viscosities to allow for vigorous SSC, overturn of the compositional stratification, and related magmatism. The intrinsic stiffness of the dehydrated harzburgite furthermore restricts penetration of SSC into very shallow and cooler levels. On the one hand, such a restriction precludes high degrees of melting, but on the other hand, it slows asthenospheric cooling and thus prolongs the duration of melting (to ˜25 Ma). Volcanism over such an elongated melting anomaly continues for at least 10-20 Ma and occurs on seafloor ages of ˜20 to ˜60 Ma. These seafloor ages increase with increasing mantle temperature due to the effect of forming a thicker harzburgite layer from more extensive mid-ocean ridge melting. The long durations of volcanism predicted reconcile observations of extended activity of individual seamounts and synchronous activity over great distances along some volcanic chains. SSC thus gives an explanation for previously enigmatic volcano ages along the Line Islands and the Gilbert and Pukapuka ridges, as well as along the individual subchains of the Wakes, Marshalls, and Cook-Australs.

Seasonal progression of uranium series isotopes in subglacial meltwater: Implications for subglacial storage time

DOE PAGES

Arendt, Carli A.; Aciego, Sarah M.; Sims, Kenneth W. W.; ...

2017-07-31

The residence time of subglacial meltwater impacts aquifer recharge, nutrient production, and chemical signals that reflect underlying bedrock/substrate, but is inaccessible to direct observation. We report the seasonal evolution of subglacial meltwater chemistry from the 2011 melt season at the terminus of the Athabasca Glacier, Canada. We also measured major and trace analytes and U-series isotopes for twenty-nine bulk meltwater samples collected over the duration of the melt season. This dataset, which is the longest time-series record of ( 234U/ 238U) isotopes in a glacial meltwater system, provides insight into the hydrologic evolution of the subglacial system during active melting.more » Meltwater samples, measured from the outflow, were analyzed for ( 238U), ( 222Rn) and ( 234U/ 238U)activity, conductivity, alkalinity, pH and major cations. Subglacial meltwater varied in [238U] and (222Rn) from 23 to 832 ppt and 9 to 171 pCi/L, respectively. Activity ratios of ( 234U/ 238U) ranged from 1.003 to 1.040, with the highest ( 238U), ( 222Rn) and ( 234U/ 238U)activity values occurring in early May when delayed-flow basal meltwater composed a significant portion of the bulk melt. Furthemore, from the chemical evolution of the meltwater, we posit that the relative subglacial water residence times decrease over the course of the melt season. This decrease in qualitative residence time during active melt is consistent with prior field studies and model-predicted channel switching from a delayed, distributed network to a fast, channelized network flow. As such, our study provides support for linking U-series isotopes to storage lengths of meltwater beneath glacial systems as subglacial hydrologic networks evolve with increased melting and channel network efficiency.« less

OECD MMCI 2-D Core Concrete Interaction (CCI) tests : CCCI-1 test data report-thermalhydraulic results. Rev 0 January 31, 2004.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farmer, M. T.; Lomperski, S.; Aeschlimann, R. W.

The Melt Attack and Coolability Experiments (MACE) program addressed the issue of the ability of water to cool and thermally stabilize a molten core-concrete interaction when the reactants are flooded from above. These tests provided data regarding the nature of corium interactions with concrete, the heat transfer rates from the melt to the overlying water pool, and the role of noncondensable gases in the mixing processes that contribute to melt quenching. As a follow-on program to MACE, The Melt Coolability and Concrete Interaction Experiments (MCCI) project is conducting reactor material experiments and associated analysis to achieve the following objectives: (1)more » resolve the ex-vessel debris coolability issue through a program that focuses on providing both confirmatory evidence and test data for the coolability mechanisms identified in MACE integral effects tests, and (2) address remaining uncertainties related to long-term two-dimensional molten coreconcrete interactions under both wet and dry cavity conditions. Achievement of these two program objectives will demonstrate the efficacy of severe accident management guidelines for existing plants, and provide the technical basis for better containment designs for future plants. In terms of satisfying these objectives, the Management Board (MB) approved the conduct of two long-term 2-D Core-Concrete Interaction (CCI) experiments designed to provide information in several areas, including: (i) lateral vs. axial power split during dry core-concrete interaction, (ii) integral debris coolability data following late phase flooding, and (iii) data regarding the nature and extent of the cooling transient following breach of the crust formed at the melt-water interface. This data report provides thermal hydraulic test results from the CCI-1 experiment, which was conducted on December 19, 2003. Test specifications for CCI-1 are provided in Table 1-1. This experiment investigated the interaction of a fully oxidized 400 kg PWR core melt, initially containing 8 wt % calcined siliceous concrete, with a specially designed two-dimensional siliceous concrete test section with an initial cross-sectional area of 50 cm x 50 cm. The report begins by providing a summary description of the CCI-1 test apparatus and operating procedures, followed by presentation of the thermal-hydraulic results. The posttest debris examination results will be provided in a subsequent publication. Observations drawn within this report regarding the overall cavity erosion behavior may be subject to revision once the posttest examinations are completed, since these examinations will fully reveal the final cavity shape.« less

OECD MCCI 2-D Core Concrete Interaction (CCI) tests : CCI-2 test data report-thermalhydraulic results, Rev. 0 October 15, 2004.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Farmer, M. T.; Lomperski, S.; Kilsdonk, D. J.

The Melt Attack and Coolability Experiments (MACE) program addressed the issue of the ability of water to cool and thermally stabilize a molten core-concrete interaction when the reactants are flooded from above. These tests provided data regarding the nature of corium interactions with concrete, the heat transfer rates from the melt to the overlying water pool, and the role of noncondensable gases in the mixing processes that contribute to melt quenching. As a follow-on program to MACE, The Melt Coolability and Concrete Interaction Experiments (MCCI) project is conducting reactor material experiments and associated analysis to achieve the following objectives: (1)more » resolve the ex-vessel debris coolability issue through a program that focuses on providing both confirmatory evidence and test data for the coolability mechanisms identified in MACE integral effects tests, and (2) address remaining uncertainties related to long-term two-dimensional molten core-concrete interactions under both wet and dry cavity conditions. Achievement of these two program objectives will demonstrate the efficacy of severe accident management guidelines for existing plants, and provide the technical basis for better containment designs for future plants. In terms of satisfying these objectives, the Management Board (MB) approved the conduct of two long-term 2-D Core-Concrete Interaction (CCI) experiments designed to provide information in several areas, including: (i) lateral vs. axial power split during dry core-concrete interaction, (ii) integral debris coolability data following late phase flooding, and (iii) data regarding the nature and extent of the cooling transient following breach of the crust formed at the melt-water interface. This data report provides thermal hydraulic test results from the CCI-2 experiment, which was conducted on August 24, 2004. Test specifications for CCI-2 are provided in Table 1-1. This experiment investigated the interaction of a fully oxidized 400 kg PWR core melt, initially containing 8 wt % Limestone/Common Sand (LCS) concrete, with a specially designed two-dimensional LCS concrete test section with an initial cross-sectional area of 50 cm x 50 cm. The report begins by providing a summary description of the CCI-2 test apparatus and operating procedures, followed by presentation of the thermal-hydraulic results. Detailed posttest debris examination results will be provided in a subsequent publication. Observations drawn within this report regarding the overall cavity erosion behavior may be subject to revision once the posttest examinations are completed, since these examinations will fully reveal the final cavity shape.« less

Phase-Pure and Multiphase Ceramic Waste Forms: Microstructure Evolution and Cesium Immobilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tumurugoti, Priyatham

Efforts of this thesis are directed towards developing ceramic waste forms as a potential replacement for the conventional glass waste forms for the safe immobilization and disposal of nuclear wastes from the legacy weapons programs as well as commercial power production. The body of this work consists of two equal parts with first focused on multiphase waste form containing hollandite as major phase and the later, on single-phase hollandites for Cs incorporation. Part I: Multiphase waste forms:. Hollandite-rich multiphase waste form compositions processed by melt-solidification and spark plasma sintering (SPS) were characterized, compared, and validated for nuclear waste incorporation. Phase identification by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) confirm hollandite as the major phase present in these samples along with perovskite, pyrochlore and zirconolite. Distribution of select elements observed by wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) maps indicate that Cs forms a secondary phase during SPS processing, which is considered undesirable. On the other hand Cs partitioned into hollandite phase in melt-processed samples. Further analysis of hollandite structure in melt-processed composition, by selected area electron diffraction (SAED), reveals ordered arrangement of tunnel ions (Ba/Cs) and vacancies, suggesting efficient Cs incorporation into the lattice. Following the microstructural analysis, the crystallization behavior of the multiphase composition during melt-processing was studied. The phase assemblage and evolution of hollandite, zirconolite, pyrochlore, and perovskite type structures during melt processing were studied using thermal analysis, in-situ XRD, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Samples prepared by melting followed by annealing and quenching were analyzed to determine and measure the progression of the phase assemblage. Samples were melted at 1500°C and heat-treated at crystallization temperatures of 1285°C and 1325°C corresponding to exothermic events identified from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. Results indicate that the selected multiphase composition partially melts at 1500°C with hollandite coexisting as crystalline phase. Perovskite and zirconolite phases crystallized from the residual melt at temperatures below 1350°C. Depending on their respective thermal histories, different quenched samples were found to have different phase assemblages including phases such as perovskite, zirconolite and TiO2. Part II: Single phase waste forms. Hollandites with compositions Ba1.15-xCs2xCr 2.3Ti5.7O16 have been identified as promising lattices to host Cs. Series of compositions with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1.15 were prepared by sol-gel synthesis, characterized, and analyzed for Cs retention properties. Phase-pure hollandites adopting monoclinic symmetry (I2/m) were observed to form in the compositional range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4. Structural models for the compositions: x = 0, 0.15, and 0.25, were developed from Rietveld analysis of powder XRD and neutron diffraction data. Refined anisotropic displacement parameters (beta ij) for Ba and Cs ions in the hollandite tunnels indicate local disorder of Ba/Cs along the tunnel direction. In addition, weak super lattice reflections have also been observed in XRD patterns. Our data suggests the presence of supercell structures with ordered tunnel cations for the phase-pure hollandites studied. Finally, the performance of phase-pure hollandites have been evaluated qualitatively by chemical durability testing and ion-irradiation experiments. Elemental analysis of the leachants after 7-day leach tests show that Cs and Cr were extracted from the lattice together. No direct correlation between structural parameters or Cs content was observed. The simulated light-ion (He2+) and heavy-ion (Kr3+) irradiation experiments reveal that all the hollandite compositions studied undergo amorphization during alpha-decay events, and the extent of it increases with the Cs content. In summary, the present work validates melt-processing as an effective method to prepare multiphase waste forms with the desired phase assemblage. Ba1.15-xCs2xCr2.3Ti5.7O16 hollandite has been identified as an effective ceramic host for Cs immobilization and appropriate structural models for hollandites with different Cs levels have been developed. The structural information may be used to study or simulate the lattice-environment interaction.

Fault rheology beyond frictional melting.

PubMed

Lavallée, Yan; Hirose, Takehiro; Kendrick, Jackie E; Hess, Kai-Uwe; Dingwell, Donald B

2015-07-28

During earthquakes, comminution and frictional heating both contribute to the dissipation of stored energy. With sufficient dissipative heating, melting processes can ensue, yielding the production of frictional melts or "pseudotachylytes." It is commonly assumed that the Newtonian viscosities of such melts control subsequent fault slip resistance. Rock melts, however, are viscoelastic bodies, and, at high strain rates, they exhibit evidence of a glass transition. Here, we present the results of high-velocity friction experiments on a well-characterized melt that demonstrate how slip in melt-bearing faults can be governed by brittle fragmentation phenomena encountered at the glass transition. Slip analysis using models that incorporate viscoelastic responses indicates that even in the presence of melt, slip persists in the solid state until sufficient heat is generated to reduce the viscosity and allow remobilization in the liquid state. Where a rock is present next to the melt, we note that wear of the crystalline wall rock by liquid fragmentation and agglutination also contributes to the brittle component of these experimentally generated pseudotachylytes. We conclude that in the case of pseudotachylyte generation during an earthquake, slip even beyond the onset of frictional melting is not controlled merely by viscosity but rather by an interplay of viscoelastic forces around the glass transition, which involves a response in the brittle/solid regime of these rock melts. We warn of the inadequacy of simple Newtonian viscous analyses and call for the application of more realistic rheological interpretation of pseudotachylyte-bearing fault systems in the evaluation and prediction of their slip dynamics.

Melt transport - a personal cashing-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renner, J.

2005-12-01

The flow of fluids through rocks transports heat and material and changes bulk composition. The large-scale chemical differentiation of the Earth is related to flow of partial melts. From the perspective of current understanding of tectonic processes, prominent examples of such transport processes are the formation of oceanic crust from ascending basic melts at mid-ocean ridges, melt segregation involved in the solidification of the Earth's core, and dissolution-precipitation creep in subduction channels. Transport and deformation cannot be separated for partially molten aggregates. Permeability is only defined as an instantaneous parameter in the sense that Darcy's law is assumed to be valid; it is not an explicit parameter in the fundamental mechanical conservation laws but can be derived from them in certain circumstances as a result of averaging schemes. The governing, explicit physical properties in the mechanical equations are the shear and bulk viscosities of the solid framework and the fluid viscosity and compressibility. Constraints on the magnitude of these properties are available today from experiments at specific loading configurations, i.e., more or less well constrained initial and boundary conditions. The melt pressure remains the least controlled parameter. While the fluid viscosity is often much lower than the solid's the two-phase aggregate may exhibit considerable strength owing to the difficulty of moving the fluid through the branched pore network. The extremes in behavior depend on the time scale of loading, as known from daily live experiences (spounge, Danish coffee-pot, human tissue between neighboring bones). Several theoretical approaches attempted to formulate mechanical constitutive equations for two-phase aggregates. An important issue is the handling of internal variables in these equations. At experimental conditions, grain size, melt pocket orientation and crystallographic orientation -prime candidates for internal variables- change considerably and potentially contribute significantly to the total dissipation of the external work. Theoretically founded evolution equations for these internal variables are lacking. In experiments, both the kinetics of grain growth but also the resultant shape of grains is affected by the presence of melt. The latter is linked to the alignment of melt pockets with the maximum principle stress. Thus, the melt redistribution causes direct anisotropy but also indirect through a shape-preferred orientation of solid grains. Notably, the foliation is parallel to the maximum principle stress in contrast to deformation controlled by crystal defects alone. Extremum principles developed for dissipation potentials in the framework of irreversible thermodynamics may allow us to postulate evolution equations. Owing to their significant effect on aggregate viscosities understanding the evolution of internal variables is mandatory for substantial large-scale modeling.

Origin of mantle peridotite: Constraints from melting experiments to 16.5 GPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herzberg, Claude; Gasparik, Tibor; Sawamoto, Hiroshi

1990-09-01

Experimental data are reported for the melting of komatiite, peridotite, and chondrite compositions in the pressure range 5-16.5 GPa. All experiments were run using the multiple-anvil apparatus facilities at Nagoya and Stony Brook. Equilibrium between coexisting crystals and liquid is demonstrated to occur in less than 3 min in the 2100°C range. The anhydrous solidus in CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 has been calibrated and is shown to be about 100° higher than that for naturally occurring peridotite (KLB1). All melting curves have positive dT/dP. The effect of pressure is to expand the crystallization field of garnet at the expense of all other phases, resulting in a change in the liquidus phase from olivine to garnet at high pressures. The melting of rocks which contain the four crystalline phases olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and garnet is restricted to enstatite-rich compositions such as chondrite. For these it is demonstrated that melting is peritectic, rather than eutectic, and takes the form L+Opx = Ol+Cpx+Gt. Partial melting yields liquids with the following properties: 5 GPa for komatiite; and 10-15 GPa for liquid peridotite with about 40% MgO, but one that is unlike mantle peridotite in that it is distinctly enriched in silica. These results provide a test and refutation of the model that upper mantle peridotite originated by direct initial melting of a chondritic mantle (Herzberg and O'Hara, 1985). Unlike chondrite, partial melting of peridotite does not usually involve orthopyroxene. Instead, it occurs by the generation of ultrabasic liquids along a cotectic involving L+Ol+Cpx+Gt. Although the thermal and compositional characteristics of this cotectic have not been fully calibrated, it is very likely that it will degenerate into a thermal minimum (L+Ol+Cpx+Gt), compositionally similar to komatiite at 5 GPa and mantle peridotite at 10-15 GPa. Peridotite liquids that occupy a thermal minimum can be derived from those formed from the melting of chondrite by removal of orthopyroxene, followed by fractional crystallization of olivine, clinopyroxene, and garnet. The possibility exists that the thermal minimum is compositionally identical to mantle peridotite in the 10-15 GPa range. If this can be confirmed by experiment, the upper mantle can be understood as having originated by the fractional crystallization of peridotite liquids in a large-scale differentiation event, consistent with magma ocean models for an early Earth.

Partial melting of the St. Severin (LL) and Lost City (H) ordinary chondrites: One step backwards and two steps forward

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jurewicz, A. J. G.; Jones, J. H.; Mittlefehldt, D. W.

1994-01-01

This study looks at partial melting in H and LL chondrites at nearly one atmosphere of total pressure as part of a continuing study of the origins of basaltic achondrites. Previously, melting experiments on anhydrous CM and CV chondrites showed that, near its solidus, the CM chondrite produced melts having major element chemistries similar to the Sioux County eucrite; but, the pyroxenes in the residuum were too iron-rich to form diogenites. Our preliminary results from melting experiments on ordinary (H, LL) chondrites suggested that, although the melts did not look like any known eucrites, pyroxenes from these charges bracketed the compositional range of pyroxenes found in diogenites. We had used the Fe/Mg exchange coefficients calculated for olivine, pyroxene, and melt in these charges to evaluate the approach to equilibrium, which appeared to be excellent. Unfortunately, mass balance calculations later indicated to us that, unlike our CM and CV charges, the LL and H experimental charges had lost significant amounts of iron to their (Pt or PtRh) supports. Apparently, pyroxene stability in chondritic systems is quite sensitive to the amount of FeO, and it was this unrecognized change in the bulk iron content which had stabilized the high temperature, highly magnesian pyroxenes. Accordingly, this work reinvestigates the phase equilibria of ordinary chondrites, eliminating iron and nickel loss, and reports significant differences. It also looks closely at how the iron and sodium in the bulk charge affect the stability of pyroxene, and it comments on how these new results apply to the problems of diogenite and eucrite petrogenesis.

Laboratory Experiments Investigating Glacier Submarine Melt Rates and Circulation in an East Greenland Fjord

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cenedese, C.

2014-12-01

Idealized laboratory experiments investigate the glacier-ocean boundary dynamics near a vertical 'glacier' (i.e. no floating ice tongue) in a two-layer stratified fluid, similar to Sermilik Fjord where Helheim Glacier terminates. In summer, the discharge of surface runoff at the base of the glacier (subglacial discharge) intensifies the circulation near the glacier and increases the melt rate with respect to that in winter. In the laboratory, the effect of subglacial discharge is simulated by introducing fresh water at melting temperatures from either point or line sources at the base of an ice block representing the glacier. The circulation pattern observed both with and without subglacial discharge resembles those observed in previous studies. The buoyant plume of cold meltwater and subglacial discharge water entrains ambient water and rises vertically until it finds either the interface between the two layers or the free surface. The results suggest that the meltwater deposits within the interior of the water column and not entirely at the free surface, as confirmed by field observations. The submarine melt rate increases with the subglacial discharge rate. Furthermore, the same subglacial discharge causes greater submarine melting if it exits from a point source rather than from a line source. When the subglacial discharge exits from two point sources, two buoyant plumes are formed which rise vertically and interact. The results suggest that the distance between the two subglacial discharges influences the entrainment in the plumes and consequently the amount of submarine melting and the final location of the meltwater within the water column. Hence, the distribution and number of sources of subglacial discharge may play an important role in glacial melt rates and fjord stratification and circulation. Support was given by NSF project OCE-113008.

River conferences under temperate valley glaciers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lane, Stuart; Egli, Pascal; Irving, James

2017-04-01

Both geophysical measurements (ground penetrating radar) and hydrological inference has shown that subglacial drainage networks are dendritic and that means that they must have confluences. In general, there are very few studies of rivers under glaciers and almost no consideration at all of confluences, despite the fact that they could be a critical parameter in understanding coupling at the ice-sediment bed interface. Subglacial channels, normally known as conduits, are typically associated with the combined effect of hydraulic pressure driven ice melt (which opens them) and ice overburden pressure (which closes them). Inferences from dye break out curves shows that has the efficiency of ice melt increases progressively during the summer ablation season, melt rates closure rates and a channelized system becomes progressively more effective. Most recently, measurements at the Upper Arolla Glacier show that the effects of this growing efficiency is an evolution in the subglacial hydrological system towards higher peak flows and lower base flows later in the melt season. This increases the probability that late in the melt season, sediment transport becomes discontinuous, with overnight deposition and daytime erosion. This would in turn produce the rapid reductions in sediment transport capacity overnight needed to deposit sediment and to block conduits, increase basal water pressure and explain the hydraulic jacking observed in snout marginal zones at a time when it should not be expected. The question that follows is what effects do confluences have on this process? The geometry of subglacial channels is such that when they join they lead to rapid changes in hydraulic geometry. Crucially, these are likely to have a non-linear impact upon sediment transport capacity, which should reduce disproportionally in the conduits downstream of the junction. Thus, it is possible that confluence zones under glaciers become sites of very rapid sediment accumulation and blockage overnight. In this paper, we present some one-dimensional coupled hydraulic sediment transport modelling to show this process. It suggests that the dendritic form of the subglacial drainage network is the primary reason why sediment blockage occurs and suggests the need for a more in-depth assessment of how sediment moves through confluences under glaciers.

Forced convective melting at an evolving ice-water interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramudu, Eshwan; Hirsh, Benjamin; Olson, Peter; Gnanadesikan, Anand

2015-11-01

The intrusion of warm Circumpolar Deep Water into the ocean cavity between the base of ice shelves and the sea bed in Antarctica causes melting at the ice shelves' basal surface, producing a turbulent melt plume. We conduct a series of laboratory experiments to investigate how the presence of forced convection (turbulent mixing) changes the delivery of heat to the ice-water interface. We also develop a theoretical model for the heat balance of the system that can be used to predict the change in ice thickness with time. In cases of turbulent mixing, the heat balance includes a term for turbulent heat transfer that depends on the friction velocity and an empirical coefficient. We obtain a new value for this coefficient by comparing the modeled ice thickness against measurements from a set of nine experiments covering one order of magnitude of Reynolds numbers. Our results are consistent with the altimetry-inferred melting rate under Antarctic ice shelves and can be used in climate models to predict their disintegration. This work was supported by NSF grant EAR-110371.

Improving RNA nearest neighbor parameters for helices by going beyond the two-state model.

PubMed

Spasic, Aleksandar; Berger, Kyle D; Chen, Jonathan L; Seetin, Matthew G; Turner, Douglas H; Mathews, David H

2018-06-01

RNA folding free energy change nearest neighbor parameters are widely used to predict folding stabilities of secondary structures. They were determined by linear regression to datasets of optical melting experiments on small model systems. Traditionally, the optical melting experiments are analyzed assuming a two-state model, i.e. a structure is either complete or denatured. Experimental evidence, however, shows that structures exist in an ensemble of conformations. Partition functions calculated with existing nearest neighbor parameters predict that secondary structures can be partially denatured, which also directly conflicts with the two-state model. Here, a new approach for determining RNA nearest neighbor parameters is presented. Available optical melting data for 34 Watson-Crick helices were fit directly to a partition function model that allows an ensemble of conformations. Fitting parameters were the enthalpy and entropy changes for helix initiation, terminal AU pairs, stacks of Watson-Crick pairs and disordered internal loops. The resulting set of nearest neighbor parameters shows a 38.5% improvement in the sum of residuals in fitting the experimental melting curves compared to the current literature set.

Producing Martian Lithologies with Geophysically-Constrained Martian Mantle Compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minitti, M. E.; Fei, Y.; Bertka, C. M.

2008-12-01

The Martian meteorites, rocks measured by the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) and lithologies detected by orbital assets represent a diversity of igneous rocks that collectively provide insight into the formation and evolution of Mars. Experimental studies aimed at reproducing the observed igneous lithologies have met with varying degrees of success [e.g., 1,2,3], No study has yet been able to reproduce both Martian meteorite parent magmas and the basalts measured by MER at Gusev Crater [e.g., 1,3]. We attempted a different approach to successfully reproducing Martian igneous lithologies by using geophysical constraints on Martian bulk Fe (wt.%), Fe/Si and mantle Mg# [4,5] to identify mixtures of chondrite compositions that formed plausible Martian mantle compositions. We identified two candidate chondrite mixtures for Mars, CM+L and H+L. We synthesized the CM+L and H+L compositions from oxide, carbonate and phosphate powders and fixed them at an oxygen fugacity below the magnetite-wüstite buffer (MW-1). We conducted experiments at 2 GPa (corresponding to ~150 km in the Martian mantle) between 1300-1600 °C for 4-48 hours in the end-loaded piston cylinder apparatus at the Geophysical Laboratory. Thusfar, we have also conducted experiments at 4 GPa (corresponding to ~320 km in the Martian mantle) between 1425-1475 °C for 210-240 minutes in a Walker-type multi-anvil apparatus at the Geophysical Laboratory. We utilized an 18/11 (octahedron edge length/truncated edge length, in mm) assembly. In both assembly types, the sample was contained within a graphite capsule welded into a Pt tube. We analyzed the experiment products in electron probes at either the Geophysical Laboratory or Arizona State University. Fe and Mg contents of olivine, orthopyroxene and melt were used to assess the attainment of equilibrium for each run product. No significant difference exists between the CM+L and H+L experiment products. The near-solidus phase assemblage of the 2-GPa experiments is ol+opx+cpx. Melts at 2 GPa have MgO, FeO, and Mg# values that either overlap those of Martian meteorite parent melts or are capable of reproducing Martian meteorite parent melt compositions through low-pressure olivine fractionation. The 2- GPa melts do not, however, have CaO/Al2O3 values that intersect those of the Martian meteorite parent magmas. This finding mirrors the inability of previous studies [e.g., 1] to form the Martian meteorites. However, the 2-GPa products can lead to Gusev-like basalts via a two-step process. 20-25% melting yields basalt compositions from which subsequent low pressure olivine fractionation leads to basalts with MgO, FeO, CaO and Al2O3 contents and Mg# and CaO/Al2O3 values like those of the Gusev basalts. The near-solidus phase assemblage of the 4-GPa experiments is ol+opx+cpx+garnet. The melt composition resulting from ~20% melting of the CM+L mantle composition has MgO, FeO, CaO and Al2O3 contents and Mg# and CaO/Al2O3 values that fall among Martian meteorite parent magma compositions. Thus, the geophysically-constrained mantle compositions are capable of producing melts with Gusev and Martian meteorite parent magma affinities by simply shifting the pressure of melting. [1] Bertka C.M. and Holloway J.R. (1994) CMP 115, 313-322. [2] Agee C.B. and Draper D.S. (2005) LPSC XXXVI, #1434. [3] Monders A. et al. (2007) MaPS, 42, 131-148. [4] Bertka C.M. and Fei Y. (1998) Science, 281, 1838-1840. [5] Bertka C.M. and Fei Y. (1998) EPSL, 157:79-88.

CO2 Solubility in Natural Rhyolitic Melts at High Pressures - Implications for Carbon Flux in Subduction Zones by Sediment Partial Melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duncan, M. S.; Dasgupta, R.

2011-12-01

Partial melts of subducting sediments is thought to be a critical agent in carrying trace elements and water to arc basalt source regions. For subduction zones that contain significant amount of carbonates in ocean-floor sediments, sediment melts likely also act as a carrier of CO2. However, the CO2 carrying capacity of natural rhyolitic melts at sub-arc depths remains unconstrained. We conducted experiments on a synthetic composition, similar to average, low-degree experimental partial melt of pelitic sediments. The composition was constructed with reagent grade oxides and carbonates, the source of excess CO2. Experiments were conducted between 1 and 3 GPa at 1200 °C in Au80Pd20 capsules using a piston cylinder apparatus with a half-inch BaCO3 assembly at Rice University. Quench products showed glasses with bubbles, the latter suggesting saturation of the melt with a CO2-rich vapor phase. Oxygen fugacity during the experiments was not strictly controlled but the presence of CO2 bubbles and absence of graphite indicates fO2 above the CCO buffer. Major element concentrations of glasses were measured using EPMA. The CO2 and H2O contents of experimental doubly polished (50-110 μm), bubble-free portions of the glass chips were determined using a Thermo Nicolet Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer. Spectra were recorded with a resolution of 4 cm-1, 512 scans, from 650 to 4000 cm-1, under a nitrogen purge to eliminate atmospheric gases. Dissolved volatile concentrations were quantified using the Beer-Lambert law and linear molar absorption coefficients from previous studies [1, 2]. Total dissolved carbon dioxide of experimental glasses was determined from the intensity of the ν3 antisymmetric stretch bands of CO32- at 1430 cm-1 and CO2mol at 2348 cm-1. Dissolved water content of experimental glasses was determined from the intensity of O-H stretching at 3520 cm-1. Estimated total CO2 concentrations at 3 GPa are in the range of 1-2 wt%, for melts with H2O contents between 1.5 and 2.5 wt%. Compared to previous work on CO2 solubility in complex rhyolitic melts at lower pressures [3-5], there is a general trend of increasing CO2 solubility with pressure. Dissolved CO2 is present both as molecular CO2 and as CO32-, consistent with previous, simple system studies at high pressures [e.g. 2, 6]. The CO2mol/CO2Tot values are within the range of previous high pressure studies [e.g. 7] and range from 0.35 to 0.55. Experiments at variable P, T, and melt water content are underway. [1] Fine and Stolper (1985), CMP, 91, 105-121; [2] Stolper et al. (1987), AM, 72, 1071-1085; [3] Blank et al. (1993), EPSL, 119, 27-36; [4] Fogel and Rutherford (1990), AM, 75, 1331-1326; [5] Tamic et al. (2001), CG, 174, 333-347; [6] Mysen and Virgo (1980), AM, 65, 855-899; [7] Mysen (1976), AJS, 276, 969-996.

January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño

DOE PAGES

Nicolas, Julien P.; Vogelmann, Andrew M.; Scott, Ryan C.; ...

2017-06-15

Over the past two decades the primary driver of mass loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) has been warm ocean water underneath coastal ice shelves, not a warmer atmosphere. Yet, surface melt occurs sporadically over low-lying areas of the WAIS and is not fully understood. Here we report on an episode of extensive and prolonged surface melting observed in the Ross Sea sector of the WAIS in January 2016. A comprehensive cloud and radiation experiment at the WAIS ice divide, downwind of the melt region, provided detailed insight into the physical processes at play during the event. Themore » unusual extent and duration of the melting are linked to strong and sustained advection of warm marine air toward the area, likely favoured by the concurrent strong El Niño event. Finally, the increase in the number of extreme El Niño events projected for the twenty-first century could expose the WAIS to more frequent major melt events.« less

January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nicolas, Julien P.; Vogelmann, Andrew M.; Scott, Ryan C.

Over the past two decades the primary driver of mass loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) has been warm ocean water underneath coastal ice shelves, not a warmer atmosphere. Yet, surface melt occurs sporadically over low-lying areas of the WAIS and is not fully understood. Here we report on an episode of extensive and prolonged surface melting observed in the Ross Sea sector of the WAIS in January 2016. A comprehensive cloud and radiation experiment at the WAIS ice divide, downwind of the melt region, provided detailed insight into the physical processes at play during the event. Themore » unusual extent and duration of the melting are linked to strong and sustained advection of warm marine air toward the area, likely favoured by the concurrent strong El Niño event. Finally, the increase in the number of extreme El Niño events projected for the twenty-first century could expose the WAIS to more frequent major melt events.« less

Shock Initiation Characteristics of an Aluminized DNAN/RDX Melt-Cast Explosive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Tong-Tang; Zhou, Lin; Zhang, Xiang-Rong; Zhang, Wei; Miao, Fei-Chao

2017-10-01

Shock sensitivity is one of the key parameters for newly developed, 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN)-based, melt-cast explosives. For this paper, a series of shock initiation experiments were conducted using a one-dimensional Lagrangian system with a manganin piezoresistive pressure gauge technique to evaluate the shock sensitivity of an aluminized DNAN/cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX) melt-cast explosive. This study fully investigated the effects of particle size distributions in both RDX and aluminum, as well as the RDX's crystal quality on the shock sensitivity of the aluminized DNAN/RDX melt-cast explosive. Ultimately, the shock sensitivity of the aluminized DNAN/RDX melt-cast explosives increases when the particle size decreases in both RDX and aluminum. Additionally, shock sensitivity increases when the RDX's crystal quality decreases. In order to simulate these effects, an Ignition and Growth (I&G) reactive flow model was calibrated. This calibrated I&G model was able to predict the shock initiation characteristics of the aluminized DNAN/RDX melt-cast explosive.

January 2016 extensive summer melt in West Antarctica favoured by strong El Niño

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicolas, Julien P.; Vogelmann, Andrew M.; Scott, Ryan C.; Wilson, Aaron B.; Cadeddu, Maria P.; Bromwich, David H.; Verlinde, Johannes; Lubin, Dan; Russell, Lynn M.; Jenkinson, Colin; Powers, Heath H.; Ryczek, Maciej; Stone, Gregory; Wille, Jonathan D.

2017-06-01

Over the past two decades the primary driver of mass loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) has been warm ocean water underneath coastal ice shelves, not a warmer atmosphere. Yet, surface melt occurs sporadically over low-lying areas of the WAIS and is not fully understood. Here we report on an episode of extensive and prolonged surface melting observed in the Ross Sea sector of the WAIS in January 2016. A comprehensive cloud and radiation experiment at the WAIS ice divide, downwind of the melt region, provided detailed insight into the physical processes at play during the event. The unusual extent and duration of the melting are linked to strong and sustained advection of warm marine air toward the area, likely favoured by the concurrent strong El Niño event. The increase in the number of extreme El Niño events projected for the twenty-first century could expose the WAIS to more frequent major melt events.

Use of Permanent Magnets in Electromagnetic Facilities for the Treatment of Aluminum Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beinerts, Toms; Bojarevičs, Andris; Bucenieks, Imants; Gelfgat, Yuri; Kaldre, Imants

2016-06-01

The possibility of applying the electromagnetic induction pump with permanent magnets for the transportation and stirring of aluminum melts in metallurgical furnaces is investigated. The electromagnetic and hydraulic characteristics of the pump have been investigated theoretically and experimentally with regard to its position in the furnace. The results of the experiments performed with a model in a eutectic InGaSn melt are in good agreement with the calculation data. Extrapolation of the experimental results on the physical characteristics of aluminum melts allows recommending such pumps for contactless control of motion and heat/mass transfer in aluminum melts in different technological processes. A high temperature and the aggressive properties of aluminum alloys make it complicated to use different mechanical devices to solve technological problems, such as liquid metal transportation, dosing, stirring, etc. In this case, any device units or elements moving in or contacting with the melt suffer from corrosion polluting the melt. Therefore, of more importance and topicality are contactless electromagnetic methods for processing of molten metals.

Carbon-saturated monosulfide melting in the shallow mantle: solubility and effect on solidus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhou; Lentsch, Nathan; Hirschmann, Marc M.

2015-12-01

We present high-pressure experiments from 0.8 to 7.95 GPa to determine the effect of carbon on the solidus of mantle monosulfide. The graphite-saturated solidus of monosulfide (Fe0.69Ni0.23Cu0.01S1.00) is described by a Simon and Glatzel (Z Anorg Allg Chem 178:309-316, 1929) equation T (°C) = 969.0[ P (GPa)/5.92 + 1]0.39 (1 ≤ P ≤ 8) and is 80 ± 25 °C below the melting temperature found for carbon-free conditions. A series of comparison experiments using different capsule configurations and preparations document that the observed solidus-lowering is owing to graphite saturation and not an artifact of different capsules or hydrogen contamination. Concentrations of carbon in quenched graphite-saturated monosulfide melt measured by electron microprobe are 0.1-0.3 wt% in monosulfide melt and below the detection limit (<0.2 wt%) in crystalline monosulfide solid solution. Although there is only a small amount of carbon dissolved in monosulfide melts, the substantial effect on monosulfide solidus temperature means that the carbon-saturated monosulfide (Fe0.69Ni0.23Cu0.01S1.00) solidus intersects continental mantle geotherms inferred from diamond inclusion geobarometry at 6-7 GPa ( 200 km), whereas carbon-free monosulfide (Fe0.69Ni0.23Cu0.01S1.00) solidus does not. The composition investigated (Fe0.69Ni0.23Cu0.01S1.00) has a comparatively low metal/sulfur (M/S) ratio and low Ni/(Fe + Ni), but sulfides with higher (M/S) and with greater Ni/(Fe + Ni) should melt at lower temperatures and these should have a broader melt stability field in the diamond formation environment and in the continental lithosphere. Low carbon solubility in monosulfide melt excludes the possibility that diamonds are crystallized from sulfide melt. Although monosulfide melt can store no more than 2 ppm C in a bulk mantle with 225 ppm S, melts with higher M/S could be a primary host of carbon in the deeper part of the upper mantle. For example, the storage capacity of C in sulfide melts in the deep upper mantle ( 400 km) for a depleted mantle domain (MORB source, 120 ± 30 ppm S) is estimated to be 57 ±_{30}^{63} ppm, and so all the C could be in a sulfide melt. In an enriched (OIB source, 225 ± 25 ppm S) mantle domain, the C stored in sulfide melt in the deep upper mantle is estimated to be 86 ±_{44}^{92} ppm, which would amount to about half the available carbon.

Experimental constraints on melting temperatures in the MgO-SiO2 system at lower mantle pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baron, Marzena A.; Lord, Oliver T.; Myhill, Robert; Thomson, Andrew R.; Wang, Weiwei; Trønnes, Reidar G.; Walter, Michael J.

2017-08-01

Eutectic melting curves in the system MgO-SiO2 have been experimentally determined at lower mantle pressures using laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC) techniques. We investigated eutectic melting of bridgmanite plus periclase in the MgO-MgSiO3 binary, and melting of bridgmanite plus stishovite in the MgSiO3-SiO2 binary, as analogues for natural peridotite and basalt, respectively. The melting curve of model basalt occurs at lower temperatures, has a shallower dT / dP slope and slightly less curvature than the model peridotitic melting curve. Overall, melting temperatures detected in this study are in good agreement with previous experiments and ab initio simulations at ∼25 GPa (Liebske and Frost, 2012; de Koker et al., 2013). However, at higher pressures the measured eutectic melting curves are systematically lower in temperature than curves extrapolated on the basis of thermodynamic modelling of low-pressure experimental data, and those calculated from atomistic simulations. We find that our data are inconsistent with previously computed melting temperatures and melt thermodynamic properties of the SiO2 endmember, and indicate a maximum in short-range ordering in MgO-SiO2 melts close to Mg2SiO4 composition. The curvature of the model peridotite eutectic relative to an MgSiO3 melt adiabat indicates that crystallization in a global magma ocean would begin at ∼100 GPa rather than at the bottom of the mantle, allowing for an early basal melt layer. The model peridotite melting curve lies ∼ 500 K above the mantle geotherm at the core-mantle boundary, indicating that it will not be molten unless the addition of other components reduces the solidus sufficiently. The model basalt melting curve intersects the geotherm at the base of the mantle, and partial melting of subducted oceanic crust is expected.

Effect of permeable flow on cyclic layering in solidifying magma bodies: Insights from an analog experiment of diffusion-precipitation systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toramaru, A.; Yamauchi, S.

2012-04-01

Characteristic structures such as rhythmic layering, cress cumulate, cross bedding, perpendicular feldspar rock etc, are commonly observed in layered intrusion or shallow magmatic intrusions. These structures result from complex processes including thermal and compositional diffusions, crystallization, crystal settling, convection and interaction among three phases (crystals, bubble, melt). In order to understand how the differentiation proceeds in solidifying magma bodies from each characteristic structure together with chemical signatures, it is necessary to evaluate the relative importance among these elemental processes on structures. As an attempt to evaluate the effect of advection on a diffusion-related structure, we carried out an analog experiment of Liesegang system using lead-iodide (PbI2) crystallization in agar media which have been normally used to prohibit convection. In the ordinary Liesegang band formation experiments including only diffusion and crystallization kinetics without any advection and convection, the precipitation bands develop with regular spacing following a geometric progression due to two-component diffusion and reaction with supersaturation. This type of banding structure has been advocated as the same type of cyclic layering or vesicle layering (a sort of rhythmic layering) in dykes or sills. In order to see the effect of one-directional advection on Liesegang band, we apply the electric field (5 V to 25 V for a distance 15 cm) along the concentration gradient in agar media, thereby counteracting flows of lead anion Pb2+ and iodide ion I- are driven at constant velocities. The flows of anions and ions are equivalent to the permeable flows in porous media of crystal mush. The resultant precipitation structures exhibit very curious banding structure in which band spacings do not change with distance, are nearly constant and quite narrow, depending on the voltage, unlike those in ordinary Liesegang bands in which band spacings increase with distance following geometric progression. Further interestingly each band consists of a lot of very tiny irregular-shaped crystal aggregates. From experimental results and scaling arguments, with regard to the effect of one directional permeable flow on band spacing of cyclic layering, we propose a hypothesis of constant Peclet number that Peclet number (ratio of flow velocity to diffusive velocity) is nearly unity. By applying the hypothesis to natural examples, we can estimate a value of permeable flow velocity of interstitial melts in differentiating magma bodies from values of a band spacing and diffusivity data.

Preserved anatectic melt in ultrahigh-temperature (or high pressure?) felsic granulites, Connecticut, US

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrero, Silvio; Axler, Jennifer; Ague, Jay J.; Wunder, Bernd; Ziemann, Martin A.

2017-04-01

Polycrystalline inclusions occur in felsic granulites from northeastern Connecticut, US (Axler and Ague, 2015). They sit in the core of garnet porphyroblasts formed during peak metamorphism at T >1000°C and P >1 GPa. The investigated inclusions vary from needle-shaped, with length ≤50 microns and few microns across, to isometric with diameter ≤10 microns. They show a rather constant assemblage which includes quartz, phlogopite, biotite and very often a compositionally variable phase. Raman spectroscopy shows the occasional presence of glass and cristobalite (the latter only when quartz is absent). Crystallized phases and the presence of glass suggest that these inclusions formed originally as droplets of melt trapped during garnet growth, likely as result of partial melting of the original metasedimentary protolith. A prominent feature of the garnet is the presence of rutile needles and ilmenite oriented accordingly to the crystallographic planes of garnet. When elongated in shape, also the polycrystalline inclusions are generally oriented according to the same planes, and occasionally contain rutile and /or ilmenite occur as trapped phases. Re-heating experiments were performed on the polycrystalline inclusions using a piston cylinder apparatus and without adding water to the experimental capsules. Complete re-homogenization was achieved at T 1025-1050°C and P 1.7 GPa, confirming that these inclusions are nanogranites (Ferrero et al., 2015). Re-homogenized inclusions contain a peraluminous glass (ASI=1.36) with ≤6 wt% water, confirmed also via Raman spectroscopy. Its average composition is granitic, with K/Na= 4.37 and rather high FeO (3.70 wt%). Both K-rich character and FeO content are consistent with experimental melts generated at T of 900-1000°C and variable P via melting of metasediments. The investigation of the experimental products furthermore provides novel constraints for the peak conditions (and likely of anatexis) of these granulites. During experiments performed at T 1025-1050°C and P <1.7 GPa melt and garnet interacts forming a new garnet with different composition, thus indicating lack of equilibrium between melt and garnet. Such microstructure is absent in the experiment at P ≥1.7 GPa, suggesting that such P values correspond to the conditions of melting with the simultaneous production of melt and garnet. Such values are more consistent with the water content of re-homogenized inclusions, rather high for melts formed at T>1000°C. Such pressures are remarkably higher than those previously proposed for these rocks, and suggest that they experienced indeed high pressure rather than ultrahigh temperature conditions, a possibility also supported by the widespread presence of pseudomorphs of sillimanite after kyanite. References Axler JA, Ague JJ (2015). Oriented multiphase needles in garnet from ultrahigh-temperature granulites. American Mineralogist, 100, 2254-2271. Ferrero S, Wunder B, Walczak K, Ziemann MA, O'Brien PJ (2015). Preserved near ultrahigh-pressure melt from continental crust subducted to mantle depths. Geology, 43, 447-450.

Melt extraction during heating and cooling of felsic crystal mushes in shallow volcanic systems: An experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pistone, M.; Baumgartner, L. P.; Sisson, T. W.; Bloch, E. M.

2017-12-01

The dynamics and kinetics of melt extraction in near-solidus, rheologically stalled, felsic crystal mushes (> 50 vol.% crystals) are essential to feeding many volcanic eruptions. At shallow depths (< 15 km), most felsic crystal mushes would be volatile-saturated and may be thermally stable for long time periods (104-107 years). In absence of deformation, residual melt can segregate from the mush's crystalline framework stimulated by: 1) gas injecting from hot mafic magmas into felsic mushes (heating / partial melting scenario), and 2) gas exsolving from the crystallizing mush (cooling / crystallizing scenario). The conditions and efficiency of melt extraction from a mush in the two scenarios are not well understood. Thus, we conducted high-temperature (700 to 850 °C) and -pressure (1.1 kbar) cold seal experiments (8-day duration) on synthetic felsic mushes, composed of water-saturated (4.2 wt.%) rhyodacite melt bearing different proportions of added quartz crystals (60, 70, and 80 vol%; 68 mm average particle size). High-spatial resolution X-ray tomography of run products show: 1) in the heating scenario (> 750 °C) melt has not segregated due to coalescence of vesicles (≤ 23 vol%) and large melt connectivity (> 7 vol% glass) / low pressure gradient for melt movement up to 80 vol% crystals; 2) in the cooling scenario (≤ 750 °C) vesicle (< 11 vol%) coalescence is limited or absent and limited amount of melt (3 to 11 vol%) segregated from sample center to its outer periphery (30 to 100 mm melt-rich lenses), testifying to the efficiency of melt extraction dictated by increasing crystallinity. These results suggest that silicic melt hosted within a crystal-rich mush can accumulate rapidly due to the buildup of modest gas pressures during crystallization at temperatures near the solidus.

Surface tension driven flow in glass melts and model fluids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcneil, T. J.; Cole, R.; Subramanian, R. S.

1982-01-01

Surface tension driven flow has been investigated analytically and experimentally using an apparatus where a free column of molten glass or model fluids was supported at its top and bottom faces by solid surfaces. The glass used in the experiments was sodium diborate, and the model fluids were silicone oils. In both the model fluid and glass melt experiments, conclusive evidence was obtained to prove that the observed flow was driven primarily by surface tension forces. The experimental observations are in qualitative agreement with predictions from the theoretical model.

Structural Fluctuations and Thermophysical Properties of Molten II-VI Compounds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Ching-Hua; Zhu, S.; Li, C.; Scripa, R.; Lehoczky, S. L.; Kim, Y. M.; Baird, J. K.; Lin, B.; Ban, H.; Benmore, Chris;

Experimental calibration of vanadium partitioning and stable isotope fractionation between hydrous granitic melt and magnetite at 800 °C and 0.5 GPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sossi, Paolo A.; Prytulak, Julie; O'Neill, Hugh St. C.

2018-04-01

Vanadium has multiple oxidation states in silicate melts and minerals, a property that also promotes fractionation of its isotopes. As a result, vanadium isotopes vary during magmatic differentiation, and can be powerful indicators of redox processes at high temperatures if their partitioning behaviour can be determined. To quantify the partitioning and isotope fractionation factor of V between magnetite and melt, piston cylinder experiments were performed in which magnetite and a hydrous, haplogranitic melt were equilibrated at 800 °C and 0.5 GPa over a range of oxygen fugacities ({f_{{{O}2}}}), bracketing those of terrestrial magmas. Magnetite is isotopically light with respect to the coexisting melt, a tendency ascribed to the VI-fold V3+ and V4+ in magnetite, and a mixture of IV- and VI-fold V5+ and V4+ in the melt. The magnitude of the fractionation factor systematically increases with increasing log{f_{{{O}2}}} relative to the Fayalite-Magnetite-Quartz buffer (FMQ), from Δ51Vmag-gl = - 0.63 ± 0.09‰ at FMQ - 1 to - 0.92 ± 0.11‰ (SD) at ≈ FMQ + 5, reflecting constant V3+/V4+ in magnetite but increasing V5+/V4+ in the melt with increasing log{f_{{{O}2}}}. These first mineral-melt measurements of V isotope fractionation factors underline the importance of both oxidation state and co-ordination environment in controlling isotopic fractionation. The fractionation factors determined experimentally are in excellent agreement with those needed to explain natural isotope variations in magmatic suites. Furthermore, these experiments provide a useful framework in which to interpret vanadium isotope variations in natural rocks and magnetites, and may be used as a potential fingerprint the redox state of the magma from which they crystallise.

High resolution laser micro sintering / melting using q-switched and high brilliant laser radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Exner, H.; Streek, A.

2015-03-01

Since the discovery of selective laser sintering/melting, numerous modifications have been made to upgrade or customize this technology for industrial purposes. Laser micro sintering (LMS) is one of those modifications: Powders with particles in the range of a few micrometers are used to obtain products with highly resolved structures. Pulses of a q-switched laser had been considered necessary in order to generate sinter layers from the micrometer scaled metal powders. LMS has been applied with powders from metals as well as from ceramic and cermet feedstock's to generate micro parts. Recent technological progress and the application of high brilliant continuous laser radiation have now allowed an efficient laser sintering/melting of micrometer scaled metal powders. Thereby it is remarkable that thin sinter layers are generated using high continuous laser power. The principles of the process, the state of the art in LMS concerning its advantages and limitations and furthermore the latest results of the recent development of this technology will be presented. Laser Micro Sintering / Laser Micro Melting (LMM) offer a vision for a new dimension of additive fabrication of miniature and precise parts also with application potential in all engineering fields.

Nanoparticle Motion in Entangled Melts of Linear and Nonconcatenated Ring Polymers [Nanoparticle Motion in Entangled Melts of Non-Concatenated Ring Polymers].

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ge, Ting; Kalathi, Jagannathan T.; Halverson, Jonathan D.

The motion of nanoparticles (NPs) in entangled melts of linear polymers and non-concatenated ring polymers are compared by large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. The comparison provides a paradigm for the effects of polymer architecture on the dynamical coupling between NPs and polymers in nanocomposites. Strongly suppressed motion of NPs with diameter d larger than the entanglement spacing a is observed in a melt of linear polymers before the onset of Fickian NP diffusion. This strong suppression of NP motion occurs progressively as d exceeds a, and is related to the hopping diffusion of NPs in the entanglement network. In contrast tomore » the NP motion in linear polymers, the motion of NPs with d > a in ring polymers is not as strongly suppressed prior to Fickian diffusion. The diffusion coefficient D decreases with increasing d much slower in entangled rings than in entangled linear chains. NP motion in entangled non-concatenated ring polymers is understood through a scaling analysis of the coupling between NP motion and the self-similar entangled dynamics of ring polymers.« less

Nanoparticle Motion in Entangled Melts of Linear and Nonconcatenated Ring Polymers [Nanoparticle Motion in Entangled Melts of Non-Concatenated Ring Polymers].

DOE PAGES

Ge, Ting; Kalathi, Jagannathan T.; Halverson, Jonathan D.; ...

2017-02-13

The motion of nanoparticles (NPs) in entangled melts of linear polymers and non-concatenated ring polymers are compared by large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. The comparison provides a paradigm for the effects of polymer architecture on the dynamical coupling between NPs and polymers in nanocomposites. Strongly suppressed motion of NPs with diameter d larger than the entanglement spacing a is observed in a melt of linear polymers before the onset of Fickian NP diffusion. This strong suppression of NP motion occurs progressively as d exceeds a, and is related to the hopping diffusion of NPs in the entanglement network. In contrast tomore » the NP motion in linear polymers, the motion of NPs with d > a in ring polymers is not as strongly suppressed prior to Fickian diffusion. The diffusion coefficient D decreases with increasing d much slower in entangled rings than in entangled linear chains. NP motion in entangled non-concatenated ring polymers is understood through a scaling analysis of the coupling between NP motion and the self-similar entangled dynamics of ring polymers.« less

Experience melting through the Earth's lower mantle via LH-DAC experiments on MgO-SiO2 and CaO-MgO-SiO2 systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baron, Marzena A.; Lord, Oliver T.; Walter, Michael J.; Trønnes, Reidar G.

2015-04-01

The large low shear-wave velocity provinces (LLSVPs) and ultra-low velocity zones (ULVZs) of the lowermost mantle [1] are likely characterized by distinct chemical compositions, combined with temperature anomalies. The heterogeneities may have originated by fractional crystallization of the magma ocean during the earliest history of the Earth [2,3] and/or the continued accretion at the CMB of subducted basaltic oceanic crust [4,5]. These structures and their properties control the distribution and magnitude of the heat flow at the CMB and therefore the convective dynamics and evolution of the whole Earth. To determine the properties of these structures and thus interpret the seismic results, a good understanding of the melting phase relations of relevant basaltic and peridotitic compositions are required throughout the mantle pressure range. The melting phase relations of lower mantle materials are only crudely known. Recent experiments on various natural peridotitic and basaltic compositions [6-8] have given wide ranges of solidus and liquidus temperatures at lower mantle pressures. The melting relations for MgO, MgSiO3 and compositions along the MgO-SiO2 join from ab initio theory [e.g. 9,10] is broadly consistent with a thermodynamic model for eutectic melt compositions through the lower mantle based on melting experiments in the MgO-SiO2 system at 16-26 GPa [3]. We have performed a systematic study of the melting phase relations of analogues for peridotitic mantle and subducted basaltic crust in simple binary and ternary systems that capture the major mineralogy of Earth's lower mantle, using the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC) technique at 25-100 GPa. We determined the eutectic melting temperatures involving the following liquidus mineral assemblages: 1. bridgmanite (bm) + periclase (pc) and bm + silica in the system MgO-SiO2 (MS), corresponding to model peridotite and basalt compositions 2. bm + pc + Ca-perovskite (cpv) and bm + silica + cpv in the system CaO-MgO-SiO2 (CMS). The eutectic melting temperatures (Te) were determined by multi-chamber DAC-experiments on near-eutectic compositions [3,9]. Ultra-fine W-powder mixed into the samples absorbed the laser energy. The samples were heated at a rate of 500-1500 K/min by increasing the laser power. More than 75-90% eutectic melt is produced at the the solidus, resulting in rapid aggregation of the W-powder and inefficient laser energy absorption. The resulting plateau in the temperature versus power curve is interpreted as Te. Our preliminary results show an expected positive p-Te correlation, with lower Te for the CMS-system. The dTe/dp slope for the bm-silica eutectic is lower than for the bm-pc eutectic in the MS-system. The experimental results agree with the DFT-studies and thermodynamic models. We have also developed a novel technique for micro-fabrication of metal-encapsulated samples (Re, W, Mo), to investigate more precisely the melting phase relations in the lower mantle pressure range. The metal-covered, 20 μm thick sample disc, placed between thermal insulation layers in the DAC, will be laser-heated at the two flat surfaces, providing low thermal gradients and preventing reaction between the sample and the pressure medium. [1] Lay and Garnero (2007, AGU Monograph); [2] Labrosse et al (2007, Nature); [3] Liebske and Frost (2012, EPSL); [4] Elkins-Tanton (2012, Ann Rev Earth Planet Sci); [5] Hirose et al (1999, Nature); [6] Fiquet et al (2010, Science); [7] Andrault et al (2011, EPSL); [8] Andrault et al (2014, Science); [9] de Koker et al (2013, EPSL); [10] de Koker and Strixrude (2009, Geophys J Int).

Nitrogen partitioning during core-mantle differentiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speelmanns, I. M.; Schmidt, M. W.; Liebske, C.

2016-12-01

This study investiagtes nitrogen partitioing between metal and silicate melts as relevant for core segregation during the accretion of planetesimals into the Earth. On present day Earth, N belongs to the most important elements, as it is one of the key constituents of our atmosphere and forms the basis of life. However, the geochemistry of N, i.e. its distribution and isotopic fractionation between Earth's deep reservoirs is not well constrained. In order to determine the partitioning behaviour of N, a centrifuging piston cylinder was used to euqilibrate and then gravitationally separate metal-silicate melt pairs at 1250 °C, 1 GPa over the range of oxygen fugacities thought to have prevailied druing core segreagtion (IW-4 to IW). Complete segregation of the two melts was reached within 3 hours at 1000 g, the interface showing a nice meniscus The applied double capsule technique, using an outer metallic and inner non-metallic (mostly graphite) capsule, minimizes volatile loss over the course of the experiment compared to single non-metallic capsules. The two quenched melts were cut apart, cleaned at the outside and N concentrations of the melts were analysed on bulk samples by an elemental analyser. Nevertheless, the low amount of sample material and the N yield in the high pressure experiments required the developement of new analytical routines. Despite these experimental and analytical difficulties, we were able to determine a DNmetal/silicateof 13±0.25 at IW-1, N partitioning into the core froming metal. The few availible literature data [1],[2] suggest that N changes its compatibility favoring the silicate melt or magma ocean at around IW-2.5. In order to asses how much N may effectively be contained in the core and the silicate Earth, experiments characterizing N behaviour over the entire range of core formation condtitions are well under way. [1] Kadik et al., (2011) Geochemistry International 49.5: 429-438. [2] Roskosz et al., (2013) GCA 121: 15-28.

Adhesion International 1987. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Adhesion Society, Inc. (10th) Held in Williamsburg, Virginia on 23-27 February 1987

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

Sons, New York, 1983). The Effect of Electrochemical Potentials on the Durability of Rubber /Metal Bonds in Sea Watert A. STEVENSON Materials...cohesive fracture through the rubber . As a control experiment, a set of new dry testpieces were cut at the bond to various depths-simulating the full...melts are a new class of adhesives. They are created to improve the heat performance of hot melts without losing the advantages of hot melts, for

Compaction Around a Spherical Inclusion in Partially Molten Rock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alisic, Laura; Rhebergen, Sander; Rudge, John F.; Katz, Richard F.; Wells, Garth N.

2015-04-01

Conservation laws that describe the behavior of partially molten mantle rock have been established for several decades, but the associated rheology remains poorly understood. Constraints on the rheology may be obtained from recently published torsion experiments involving deformation of partially molten rock around a rigid, spherical inclusion. These experiments give rise to patterns of melt segregation that exhibit the competing effects of pressure shadows around the inclusion and melt-rich bands through the medium. Such patterns provide an opportunity to infer rheological parameters through comparison with models based on the conservation laws and constitutive relations that hypothetically govern the system. To this end, we have developed software tools using the automated code generation package FEniCS to simulate finite strain, two-phase flow around a rigid, spherical inclusion in a three-dimensional configuration that mirrors the laboratory experiments. The equations for compaction and advection-diffusion of a porous medium are solved utilising newly developed matrix preconditioning techniques. Simulations indicate that the evolution of porosity and therefore of melt distribution is predominantly controlled by the non-linear porosity-weakening exponent of the shear viscosity and the poorly known bulk viscosity. In the simulations presented here, we find that the balance of pressure shadows and melt-rich bands observed in experiments only occurs for bulk-to-shear viscosity ratio of less than about five. However, the evolution of porosity in simulations with such low bulk viscosity exceeds physical bounds at unrealistically small strain due to the unchecked, exponential growth of the porosity variations. Processes that limit or balance porosity localization will have to be incorporated in the formulation of the model to produce results that are consistent with the porosity evolution in experiments.

Modeling the Time-dependent Changes in Electrical Conductivity of Basaltic Melts With Redox State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pommier, A.; Gaillard, F.; Pichavant, M.

2008-12-01

The electrical conductivity σ is an efficient probe of mass transfer processes within silicate melts and magmas. Little attention has been given to the influence of redox state (fO2) on the melts conductivity. We present an experimental setup allowing electrical conductivity measurements for basaltic melts under variable fO2. We demonstrate a significant dependence of σ with fO2, allowing to characterize in situ the mechanisms and kinetics of redox changes in the melt. Experiments were conducted on basalts from Pu'u 'O'o, Hawaii, and Mt.Vesuvius, Italy. Measurements were performed cylindrical glass samples (OD: 6mm, ID: 1mm, L: 8mm) using an impedance spectrometer. Experiments were conducted in a 1atm vertical furnace, from 1200°C to 1400°C. Variable gas atmosphere (air, CO2 or CO-CO2 gas mixtures) were used, imposing ΔNNO from -1 to +7. Electrical conductivities were determined for the two melts at constant fO2, different T (constant fO2) and constant T, different fO2 (variable fO2) obtained by changing the gas composition. Isothermal reduction and oxidation cycles were performed. Glasses quenched from different T and fO2 conditions were analyzed by electron microprobe, the FeO concentration was determined by wet chemistry. In constant fO2 experiments, a small but detectable effect of fO2 on σ is evidenced. At 1300°C, the difference in the Kilauea sample conductivity between reduced (ΔNNO=-1) and oxidized (ΔNNO=+7) fO2 is <1(ohm.m)-1, the sample being more conductive when reduced. The temperature dependence of σ was fitted using Arrhenian equations, the activation energy Ea being 100kJ/mol. Sodium was identified as the main charge carrier in the melts. The fO2-effect on σ can thus be attributed to the influence of the Fe2+/Fe3+ ratio on sodium mobility. The fO2-dependence of σ was included in the model of Pommier et al.(2008), allowing the conductivity of natural melts to be calculated as a function of T, P, H2O, and fO2. Variable fO2 experiments confirmed the increase in σ when reducing the melt. At 1200°C, for both reduction-oxidation cycles, a stable value of σ following a change in fO2 is reached in 15hours, while 2hours are needed at 1400°C. The real-time changes in σ of basaltic melts following fO2 step changes were monitored. The time-dependent changes in σ are interpreted in terms of kinetics processes due to redox reequilibration between melt and gas. The evolution of σ with time can be fitted using a diffusion-limited process for reduction in CO-CO2 gas mixtures and oxidation in air. However, a reaction at the gas-melt interface probably rate limits oxidation in CO2. Reduction and oxidation rates are similar and increase with T. Oxidation-reduction rates calculated from the analysis of the conductivity evolution with time range from 10-9 to 10-8m2/s for the T range 1200-1400°C. These reaction rates are in agreement with typical alkali diffusion coefficients in basaltic melts. However, the high value of Ea (230kJ/mol) calculated from the T dependence of the oxidation-reduction rates agrees with the Ea for alkali-Earth elements. Furthermore, microprobe analyses document the existence of alkali-Earth cation fluxes during oxidations and reductions. Such cation migration probably occurs to charge-balance electron fluxes in the melt, in agreement with the study of Cooper et al. (1996). Our results suggest that the migration of alkali and alkali-Earth elements rate-limits the redox state changes in basaltic melts, and that redox mechanisms are not restricted to oxygen chemical diffusion. A discussion of chemical vs tracer oxygen diffusion studies is proposed.

Thermal Diffusion Fractionation of Cr and V Isotope in Silicate Melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, X.; Lundstrom, C.

2017-12-01

Earth's mantle is isotopically heavy relative to chondrites for V, Cr and some other siderophile elements. A possible solution is that isotopic fractionation by thermal diffusion occurs in a thermal boundary layer between solid mantle and an underlying basal magma ocean (BMO:Labrosse et al.,2007). If so, isotopically light composition might partition into the core, resulting in a complimentary isotopically heavy solid mantle. To verify how much fractionation could happen in this process, piston cylinder experiment were conducted to investigate the fractionation of Cr and V isotope ratios in partially molten silicate under an imposed temperature gradient from 1650 °C to 1350 °C at 1 GPa for 10 to 50 hours to reach a steady state isotopic profile. The temperature profile for experiments was determined by the spinel-growth method at the same pressure and temperature. Experimental runs result in 100% glass at the hot end progressing to nearly 100 % olivine at the cold end. Major and minor element concentrations of run products show systematic changes with temperature. Glass MgO contents increase and Al2O3 and CaO contents decrease by several weight percent as temperature increases across the charge. These are well modeled using IRIDIUM (Boudreau 2003) to simulate the experiments. Isotopic composition measurements of Cr and V at different temperatures are in progress, providing the first determinations of thermal diffusion isotopic sensitivity, Ω (permil isotopic fractionation per temperature offset per mass unit) for these elements. These results will be compared with previously determined Ω for network formers and modifiers and used in a BMO-based thermal diffusion model for formation of Earth's isotopically heavy mantle.

Lava-snow interactions at Tolbachik 2012-13 eruption: comparison to recent field observations and experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwards, B. R.; Belousov, A.; Belousova, M.; Izbekov, P. E.; Bindeman, I. N.; Gardeev, E.; Muravyev, Y. D.; Melnikov, D.

2013-12-01

More than a dozen volcanic eruptions in the past twenty years have produced lava interaction with snow or ice, some of which have produced damaging floods/lahars. However, the factors controlling melting during lava-snow/ice interactions is not well understood. Recent observations from the presently ongoing eruption at Tolbachik, Kamchatka confirm some general observations from large-scale experiments, and recent eruptions (2010 Fimmvorduhals; Edwards et al, 2012), but also show new types of behavior not before described. The new observations provide further constraints on heat transfer between ice/snow and three different lava morphologies: ';a'a, pahoehoe, and toothpaste. ';A'a flows at Tolbachik commonly were able to travel over seasonal snow cover (up to 4 m thick), especially where the snow was covered by tephra within 1.5 km of the vent area. Locally, heated meltwater discharge events issued from beneath the front of advancing lava, even though snow observation pits dug in front of advancing ';a'a flows also showed that in some areas melting was not as extensive. Once, an ';a'a flow was seen to collapse through snow, generating short-lived phreatomagmatic/phreatic activity. Closer to the vent, pahoehoe flow lobes and sheet flows occasionally spilled over onto snow and were able to rapidly transit snow with few obvious signs of melting/steam generation. Most of these flows did melt through basal snow layers within 24 hours however. We were also able to closely observe ';toothpaste' lava flows ';intruding' into snow in several locations, including snow-pits, and to watch it pushing up through snow forming temporary snow domes. Toothpaste lava caused the most rapid melting and most significant volumes of steam, as the meltwater drained down into the intruding lava. Behaviour seen at Tolbachik is similar to historic (e.g., Hekla 1947; Einarrson, 1949) and recent observations (e.g. Fimmvorduhals), as well as large-scale experiments (Edwards et al., 2013). While lava flows have been seen to eventually melt through up to 5 m of snow, melting generally is relatively slow (cm / hr); presence of ash cover on snow slows melting. Temperatures of meltwater discharging from beneath lava flows at Tolbachik were up to 40 deg C, which is similar to maximum temperatures measured during experiments. While meltwater discharge was documented on both subhorizontal and steeper slows (~10 degrees), the only explosive activity was observed where topography likely prevented fast meltwater escape from beneath lava. All of these observations hopefully will lead to a new and better understanding of the hazards associated with lava-ice/snow interactions. Meltwater discharge from beneath 'a'a flow.

Effect of sulfate on the liquidus and sulfur concentration at anhydrite saturation (SCAS) of hydrous basalt at subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, P.; Dasgupta, R.

2017-12-01

Sulfur (S) as sulfide minerals, melts, and as S2- species in silicate melts is prevalent in many different tectono-magmatic settings in Earth. Yet, S as anhydrite or as SO42- species in fluids and melts is thought to be relevant for subduction zones, where the presence of sulfate over sulfide is argued to play a key role in processes such as mobility of chalcophile element [e.g., 1], oxidation of mantle and mantle-derived magmas [2], and release of excess S-rich gases [3]. However, it remains unclear what role the slab-released SO42-, dissolved in fluids or melts plays in magma genesis in sub-arc mantle. Furthermore, although oxidized arc magma is thought to transport SO42- from mantle to volcanic arc crust and atmosphere, the SO42- carrying capacity of arc basalts at mantle conditions are unknown as the existing S concentration at anhydrite saturation (SCAS) experiments are restricted to 1 GPa and mostly on felsic compositions [e.g. 4,5]. We performed piston-cylinder experiments in Au-Pd capsules at 1-3 GPa and 1000-1325 °C to investigate (a) the effect of variable dissolved SO42- (0-2 wt.% S) on the liquidus of a primary hydrous arc basalt with 4 wt.% H2O and (b) the SCAS of hydrous mafic magmas. Dissolved SO42- in the silicate melt was confirmed by S Kα X-ray peak position using electron microprobe. S-free hydrous liquidus of cpx at 2 GPa is 25 °C hotter than the liquidus with 0.1 wt.% S as SO42- and the liquidus depression with further S enrichment to anhydrite saturation ( 2 wt.% S) can be fitted by an empirical power function. Experiments on more mafic compositions show that SCAS increases with increasing temperature and CaO and decreases with SiO2. Calculations using a new SCAS model, fitted with our new data and previous experiments, and assuming 150-550 ppm S in the arc mantle [6] show that <10% melting would exhaust anhydrite, if present. The S content as SO42- of hydrous arc basalts produced by 10-20% melting [7] will be 500-4000 ppm, which is comparable to the melt inclusion S contents from various arcs [8]. The SO42- undersaturated basalts may assimilate crustal sulfate and lead to high observed SO2 flux. [1] Canil & Fellows, 2017, EPSL [2] Kelley and Cottrell, 2009, Science [3] Wallace, 2005, JVGR [4] Luhr, 1990, J.Pet [5] Costa et al., 2004, J.Pet [6] de Hoog et al., 2001a, GCA [7] Kelley et al., 2006, JGR [8] Ruscitto et al., 2012, G3

Modeling of Melt Growth During Carbothermal Processing of Lunar Regolith

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubramaniam, R.; Gokoglu S.; Hegde, U.

2012-01-01

The carbothermal processing of lunar regolith has been proposed as a means to produce carbon monoxide and ultimately oxygen to support human exploration of the moon. In this process, gaseous methane is pyrolyzed as it flows over the hot surface of a molten zone of lunar regolith and is converted to carbon and hydrogen. Carbon gets deposited on the surface of the melt, and mixes and reacts with the metal oxides in it to produce carbon monoxide that bubbles out of the melt. Carbon monoxide is further processed in other reactors downstream to ultimately produce oxygen. The amount of oxygen produced crucially depends on the amount of regolith that is molten. In this paper we develop a model of the heat transfer in carbothermal processing. Regolith in a suitable container is heated by a heat flux at its surface such as by continuously shining a beam of solar energy or a laser on it. The regolith on the surface absorbs the energy and its temperature rises until it attains the melting point. The energy from the heat flux is then used for the latent heat necessary to change phase from solid to liquid, after which the temperature continues to rise. Thus a small melt pool appears under the heated zone shortly after the heat flux is turned on. As time progresses, the pool absorbs more heat and supplies the energy required to melt more of the regolith, and the size of the molten zone increases. Ultimately, a steady-state is achieved when the heat flux absorbed by the melt is balanced by radiative losses from the surface. In this paper, we model the melting and the growth of the melt zone with time in a bed of regolith when a portion of its surface is subjected to a constant heat flux. The heat flux is assumed to impinge on a circular area. Our model is based on an axisymmetric three-dimensional variation of the temperature field in the domain. Heat transfer occurs only by conduction, and effects of convective heat transport are assumed negligible. Radiative heat loss from the surface of the melt and the regolith to the surroundings is permitted. We perform numerical computations to determine the shape and the mass of the melt at steady state and its time evolution. We first neglect the volume change upon melting, and subsequently perform calculations including it. Predictions from our model are compared to test data to determine the effective thermal conductivities of the regolith and the melt that are compatible with the data

Containerless processing of glass forming melts: D-1, MEA/A-2 experiment 81F01 conducted on STS-61A flight, October 1985

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Day, D. E.; Ray, C. S.

1986-01-01

Results of experiment 81F01, which was conducted in the Material Experiment Assembly MEA/A-2 on the D-1 Spacelab Mission (STS-61A), are presented. The general plan of the experiment was to heat, melt, and quench six spherical samples of different glass forming compositions while they were levitated in a single axis acoustic levitator furnace (SAAL). In addition, two non-melting sintered alumina samples were used to check the operational characteristics of the SAAL under reduced gravity conditions. Three of the eight samples were levitated between 1250 and 1500 C before the lack of coolant created an over-temperature condition that caused the SAAL to shut down prematurely. Two of the three samples processed were calcia-gallia-silica and soda-lime-silica glass forming compositions. Evidence of a two to three times increase in the tendency for glass formation was obtained for the calcia-gallia-silica. The final glass appeared reasonably homogeneous even though it was made from hot pressed powders containing deliberate heterogeneities. A photographic record was obtained of the microgravity sample processing sequences.

The variable influence of P 2O 5 on the viscosity of melts of differing alkali/aluminium ratio: Implications for the structural role of phosphorus in silicate melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toplis, M. J.; Dingwell, D. B.

1996-11-01

The shear viscosities of forty melts in the system Na 2OAl 2O 3SiO 2P 2O 5 have been determined in the temperature range 1652-1052°C using the concentric cylinder method. Six P-free compositions containing ˜67 mol% SiO 2 varying in molar Na/(Na + Al) from 0.70 (peralkaline) to 0.44 (peraluminous) were studied, to each of which successive additions of up to 7 mol% (13 wt%) P 2O 5 were made. At a fixed temperature, viscosities in the P-free system show a maximum, not at the 'charge-balanced' metaluminous composition ( Na/(Na + Al) = 0.50 ), but at Na/(Na + Al) = 0.47 . Addition of P to peralkaline melts results in an increase in viscosity. With progressive additions of P to mildly peralkaline melts ( Na/(Na + Al) < 0.60 ), there is a maximum in melt viscosity that occurs at lower P content as the peralkalinity of the melt decreases. In contrast, the addition of P to the metaluminous and peraluminous melts causes a decrease in melt viscosity. The magnitude of this decrease is identical for the metaluminous, and mildly peraluminous ( Na/(Na + Al) = 0.47 ) compositions, but smaller for the most peraluminous melt ( Na/(Na + Al) = 0.44 ). The following inferences are made from the present viscosity data, together with spectroscopic data from the literature: (1) At the metaluminous join in the P-free system, not all the Al is present as a charge-balanced network-former. Between the metaluminous join and the viscosity maximum the incorporation of a small proportion of Al (3% relative) in a charge-balancing role (for Al IV) could explain the observations. (2) The addition of P to peralkaline melts results in the formation of Na phosphate complexes which, upon exhaustion of excess Na, have the stoichiometry of extended metaphosphate chains with Na/P ratios that tend to 1 as the metaluminous ioin is approached. (3) Estimates of the relative effects of Na and Al phosphate melt complexes on viscosity are consistent with the formation of both NaPO 3 and AlPO 4 melt complexes upon addition of P to metaluminous melts. (4) In the most peraluminous melts studied, P is inferred to interact with both excess Al and network-forming aluminates, suggesting that these two species have similar energetic stabilities. Given that many granites lie close to the metaluminous join in composition, the results of this study have implications for the physical and chemical evolution of such natural systems.

A Binary Solid-Liquid Phase Diagram Experiment Including Determination of Purity, Enthalpy of Fusion and True Melting Point.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Edwin F.; Meyer, Joseph A.

1980-01-01

Describes an experiment as an alternative to undergraduate experiments limited to high temperature metal systems or lower temperature systems involving objectionable or unstable materials. Lists six advantages of the experiment. (Author/JN)

Theoretical Prediction of Melting Relations in the Deep Mantle: the Phase Diagram Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belmonte, D.; Ottonello, G. A.; Vetuschi Zuccolini, M.; Attene, M.

2016-12-01

Despite the outstanding progress in computer technology and experimental facilities, understanding melting phase relations in the deep mantle is still an open challenge. In this work a novel computational scheme to predict melting relations at HP-HT by a combination of first principles DFT calculations, polymer chemistry and equilibrium thermodynamics is presented and discussed. The adopted theoretical framework is physically-consistent and allows to compute multi-component phase diagrams relevant to Earth's deep interior in a broad range of P-T conditions by a convex-hull algorithm for Gibbs free energy minimisation purposely developed for high-rank simplexes. The calculated phase diagrams are in turn used as a source of information to gain new insights on the P-T-X evolution of magmas in the deep mantle, providing some thermodynamic constraints to both present-day and early Earth melting processes. High-pressure melting curves of mantle silicates are also obtained as by-product of phase diagram calculation. Application of the above method to the MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 (MAS) ternary system highlights as pressure effects are not only able to change the nature of melting of some minerals (like olivine and pyroxene) from eutectic to peritectic (and vice versa), but also simplify melting relations by drastically reducing the number of phases with a primary phase field at HP-HT conditions. It turns out that mineral phases like Majorite-Pyrope garnet and Anhydrous Phase B (Mg14Si5O24), which are often disregarded in modelling melting processes of mantle assemblages, are stable phases at solidus or liquidus conditions in a P-T range compatible with the mantle transition zone (i.e. P = 16 - 23 GPa and T = 2200 - 2700 °C) when their thermodynamic and thermophysical properties are properly assessed. Financial support to the Senior Author (D.B.) during his stay as Invited Scientist at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP, Paris) is warmly acknowledged.

Thermal and petrologic constraints on the lower crustal melt accumulation in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karakas, O.; Dufek, J.; Mangan, M.; Wright, H. M. N.

2014-12-01

Heat transfer in active volcanic areas is governed by complex coupling between tectonic and magmatic processes. These two processes provide unique imprints on the petrologic and thermal evolution of magma by controlling the geometry, depth, longevity, composition, and fraction of melt in the crust. The active volcanism, tectonic extension, and significantly high surface heat flow in Salton Sea Geothermal Field, CA, provides information about the dynamic heat transfer processes in its crust. The volcanism in the area is associated with tectonic extension over the last 500 ka, followed by subsidence and sedimentation at the surface level and dike emplacement in the lower crust. Although significant progress has been made describing the tectonic evolution and petrology of the erupted products of the Salton Buttes, their coupled control on the crustal heat transfer and feedback on the melt evolution remain unclear. To address these concepts, we develop a two-dimensional finite volume model and investigate the compositional and thermal evolution of the melt and crust in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field through a one-way coupled thermal model that accounts for tectonic extension, lower crustal magma emplacement, sedimentation, and subsidence. Through our simulations, we give quantitative estimates to the thermal and compositional evolution and longevity of the lower crustal melt source in the crustal section. We further compare the model results with petrologic constraints. Our thermal balance equations show that crustal melting is limited and the melt is dominated by mantle-derived material. Similarly, petrologic work on δ18O isotope ratios suggests fractional crystallization of basalt with minor crustal assimilation. In addition, we suggest scenarios for the melt fraction, composition, enthalpy release, geometry and depth of magma reservoirs, their temporal evolution, and the timescales of magmatic storage and evolution processes. These parameters provide the source conditions for the dynamics of surface volcanism and the presence of a geothermal system, which modify the thermal and mechanical structure of the crust.

[Research progress in CoCr metal-ceramic alloy fabricated by selective laser melting].

PubMed

Yan, X; Lin, H

2018-02-09

Cobalt-chromium alloys have been applied to dental porcelain fused to metal (PFM) restorations over the past decades owing to their excellent corrosion resistance, good biocompatibility and low price. The production of CoCr metal-ceramic restorations has always been based on traditional lost-wax casting techniques. However, in recent years, selective laser melting (SLM) is becoming more and more highly valued by dental laboratories and dental practitioners due to its individuation, precision and efficiency. This paper mainly reviews the recent researches on the production process of copings, microstructure, mechanical property, metal-ceramic bond strength, fit of copings, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of SLM CoCr metal-ceramic alloy.

Experiments on the rheology of vesicle-bearing magmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vona, Alessandro; Ryan, Amy G.; Russell, James K.; Romano, Claudia

2016-04-01

We present a series of high temperature uniaxial deformation experiments designed to investigate the effect of bubbles on the magma bulk viscosity. Starting materials having variable vesicularity (φ = 0 - 66%) were synthesized by high-temperature foaming (T = 900 - 1050 ° C and P = 1 bar) of cores of natural rhyolitic obsidian from Hrafntinnuhryggur, Krafla, Iceland. These cores were subsequently deformed using a high-temperature uniaxial press at dry atmospheric conditions. Each experiment involved deforming vesicle-bearing cores isothermally (T = 750 ° C), at constant displacement rates (strain rates between 0.5-1 x 10-4 s-1), and to total strains (ɛ) of 10-40%. The viscosity of the bubble-free melt (η0) was measured by micropenetration and parallel plate methods and establishes a baseline for comparing data derived from experiments on vesicle rich cores. At the experimental conditions, the presence of vesicles has a major impact on the rheological response, producing a marked decrease of bulk viscosity (maximum decrease of 2 log units Pa s) that is best described by a two-parameter empirical equation: log ηBulk = log η0 - 1.47 * [φ/(1-φ)]0.48. Our model provides a means to compare the diverse behaviour of vesicle-bearing melts reported in the literature and reflecting material properties (e.g., analogue vs. natural), geometry and distribution of pores (e.g. foamed/natural vs. unconsolidated/sintered materials), and flow regime. Lastly, we apply principles of Maxwell relaxation theory, combined with our parameterization of bubble-melt rheology, to map the potential onset of non-Newtonian behaviour (strain localization) in vesiculated magmas and lavas as a function of melt viscosity, vesicularity, strain rate, and geological condition. Increasing vesicularity in magmas can initiate non-Newtonian behaviour at constant strain rates. Lower melt viscosity sustains homogeneous Newtonian flow in vesiculated magmas even at relatively high strain rates.

Melting of Iron to 290 Gigapascals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinmyo, R.; Hirose, K.; Ohishi, Y.

2017-12-01

The Earth's core is composed mainly of iron. Since liquid core coexists with solid core at the inner core boundary (ICB), the melting point of iron at 330 gigapascals offers a key constraint on core temperatures. However, previous results using a laser-heated diamond-anvil cell (DAC) have been largely inconsistent with each other, likely because of an intrinsic large temperature gradient and its temporal fluctuation. Here we employed an internal-resistance-heated DAC and determined the melting temperature of pure iron up to 290 gigapascals, the highest ever in static compression experiments. A small extrapolation indicates a melting point of 5500 ± 80 kelvin at the ICB, about 500-1000 degrees lower than earlier shock-compression data. It suggests a relatively low temperature for the core-mantle boundary, which avoids global melting of the lowermost mantle in the last more than 1.5 billion years.

In-situ characterization of laser-powder interaction and cooling rates through high-speed imaging of powder bed fusion additive manufacturing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scipioni Bertoli, Umberto; Guss, Gabe; Wu, Sheldon

We report detailed understanding of the complex melt pool physics plays a vital role in predicting optimal processing regimes in laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. In this work, we use high framerate video recording of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) to provide useful insight on the laser-powder interaction and melt pool evolution of 316 L powder layers, while also serving as a novel instrument to quantify cooling rates of the melt pool. The experiment was performed using two powder types – one gas- and one water-atomized – to further clarify how morphological and chemical differences between these two feedstock materialsmore » influence the laser melting process. Finally, experimentally determined cooling rates are compared with values obtained through computer simulation, and the relationship between cooling rate and grain cell size is compared with data previously published in the literature.« less

Infliximab after Boston Keratoprosthesis in Stevens-Johnson Syndrome: An Update.

PubMed

Robert, Marie-Claude; Črnej, Alja; Shen, Lucy Q; Papaliodis, George N; Dana, Reza; Foster, C Stephen; Chodosh, James; Dohlman, Claes H

2017-06-01

To report our experience using intravenous infliximab for the treatment of tissue melt after Boston keratoprosthesis (B-KPro) types I and II in patients with autoimmune disease. Case series. We identified four patients who were treated with intravenous infliximab in the context of tissue melt after B-KPro. Stevens-Johnson syndrome-associated corneal blindness was the primary surgical indication for B-KPro implantation in all patients. Two patients received a B-KPro type I and two patients received a B-KPro type II. The patients received intravenous infliximab for skin retraction around B-KPro type II, melting of the carrier graft or leak. Treatment resulted in a dramatic decrease in inflammation and, in some cases, arrest of the melting process. Cost and patient adherence were limiting factors to pursuing infliximab therapy. In addition, one patient developed infusion reactions. Intravenous infliximab may be considered as globe- and sight-saving therapy for tissue melt after B-KPro.

An experimental investigation of agglutinate melting mechanisms - Shocked mixtures of sodium and potassium feldspars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simon, S. B.; Papike, J. J.; Horz, F.; See, T. H.

1985-01-01

The results of an experiment designed to test the validity of the model for agglutinate formation involving fusion of the finest fraction or F3 are reported. Impact glasses were formed from various mixes of orthoclase and albite powders, which were used as analogs for soils with chemically constrasting coarse and fine fractions. The results showed that the single most important factor displacing the composition of a small-scale impact melt from the bulk composition of the source regolith is the fractionated composition of the finest soil fraction. Volatile loss and the amount of melting, which in turn are determined by the degree of shock, are also important. As predicted by the model, the lower pressure melts are the most fractionated, and higher pressure is accompanied by increased melting causing glass compositions to approach the bulk. In general, the systematics predicted by the model are observed; the model appears to be valid.

Thermophysical properties of liquid Ni around the melting temperature from molecular dynamics simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rozas, R. E.; Department of Physics, University of Bío-Bío, Av. Collao 1202, P.O. Box 5C, Concepción; Demiraǧ, A. D.

Thermophysical properties of liquid nickel (Ni) around the melting temperature are investigated by means of classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, using three different embedded atom method potentials to model the interactions between the Ni atoms. Melting temperature, enthalpy, static structure factor, self-diffusion coefficient, shear viscosity, and thermal diffusivity are compared to recent experimental results. Using ab initio MD simulation, we also determine the static structure factor and the mean-squared displacement at the experimental melting point. For most of the properties, excellent agreement is found between experiment and simulation, provided the comparison relative to the corresponding melting temperature. We discuss themore » validity of the Hansen-Verlet criterion for the static structure factor as well as the Stokes-Einstein relation between self-diffusion coefficient and shear viscosity. The thermal diffusivity is extracted from the autocorrelation function of a wavenumber-dependent temperature fluctuation variable.« less

In-situ characterization of laser-powder interaction and cooling rates through high-speed imaging of powder bed fusion additive manufacturing

DOE PAGES

Scipioni Bertoli, Umberto; Guss, Gabe; Wu, Sheldon; ...

2017-09-21

We report detailed understanding of the complex melt pool physics plays a vital role in predicting optimal processing regimes in laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. In this work, we use high framerate video recording of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) to provide useful insight on the laser-powder interaction and melt pool evolution of 316 L powder layers, while also serving as a novel instrument to quantify cooling rates of the melt pool. The experiment was performed using two powder types – one gas- and one water-atomized – to further clarify how morphological and chemical differences between these two feedstock materialsmore » influence the laser melting process. Finally, experimentally determined cooling rates are compared with values obtained through computer simulation, and the relationship between cooling rate and grain cell size is compared with data previously published in the literature.« less

On the role of quantum ion dynamics for the anomalous melting of lithium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elatresh, Sabri; Bonev, Stanimir

2011-03-01

Lithium has attracted a lot of interest in relation to a number of counterintuitive electronic and structural changes that it exhibits under pressure. One of the most remarkable properties of dense lithium is its anomalous melting. This behavior was first predicted theoretically based on first-principles molecular dynamics (FPMD) simulations, which treated the ions classically. The lowest melting temperature was determined to be about 275~K at 65~GPa. Recent experiments measured a melting temperature about 100~K lower at the same pressure. In this talk, we will present FPMD calculations of solid and liquid lithium free energies up to 100 GPa that take into account ion quantum dynamics. We examine the significance of the quantum effects for the finite-temperature phase boundaries of lithium and, in particular, its melting curve. Work supported by NSERC, Acenet, and LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Asthenospheric kimberlites: Volatile contents and bulk compositions at 7 GPa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamm, Natalia; Schmidt, Max W.

2017-09-01

During ascent, kimberlites react with the lithospheric mantle, entrain and assimilate xenolithic material, loose volatiles and suffer from syn- and post-magmatic alteration. Consequently, kimberlite rocks deviate heavily from their primary melt. Experiments at 7 GPa, 1300-1480 °C, 10-30 wt% CO2 and 0.46 wt% H2O on a proposed primitive composition from the Jericho kimberlite show that saturation with a lherzolitic mineral assemblage occurs only at 1300-1350 °C for a carbonatitic melt with <8 wt% SiO2 and >35 wt% CO2. At asthenospheric temperatures of >1400 °C, where the Jericho melt stays kimberlitic, this composition saturates only in low-Ca pyroxene, garnet and partly olivine. We hence forced the primitive Jericho kimberlite into multiple saturation with a lherzolitic assemblage by adding a compound peridotite. Saturation in olivine, low- and high-Ca pyroxene and garnet was obtained at 1400-1650 °C (7 GPa), melts are kimberlitic with 18-29 wt% SiO2 + Al2O3, 22.1-24.6 wt% MgO, 15-27 wt% CO2 and 0.4-7.1 wt% H2O; with a trade-off of H2O vs. CO2 and temperature. Melts in equilibrium with high-Ca pyroxene with typical mantle compositions have ≥2.5 wt% Na2O, much higher than the commonly proposed 0.1-0.2 wt%. The experiments allow for a model of kimberlite origin in the convective upper mantle, which only requires mantle upwelling that causes melting at the depth where elemental carbon (in metal, diamond or carbide) converts to CO2 (at ∼250 km). If primary melts leading to kimberlites contain a few wt% H2O, then adiabatic temperatures of 1400-1500 °C would yield asthenospheric mantle melts that are kimberlitic (>18 wt% SiO2 + Al2O3) but not carbonatitic (<10 wt% SiO2 + Al2O3) in composition, carbonatites only forming 100-200 °C below the adiabat. These kimberlites represent small melt fractions concentrating CO2 and H2O and then acquire part of their chemical signature by assimilation/fractionation during ascent in the subcratonic lithosphere.

Trace element diffusion and kinetic fractionation in wet rhyolitic melt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holycross, Megan E.; Watson, E. Bruce

2018-07-01

Piston-cylinder experiments were run to determine the chemical diffusivities of 21 trace elements (Sc, V, Y, Zr, Nb, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb, Lu, Hf, Th and U) in hydrous rhyolitic melts at 1 GPa pressure and temperatures from 850 to 1250 °C. Diffusion couple glasses were doped with trace elements in low concentrations to characterize the diffusivities of all cations in a single experiment. Laser ablation ICP-MS was used to evaluate the trace element concentration gradients that developed in the silicate glasses. All calculated diffusion coefficients correspond to the temperature dependence D = D0exp(-Ea/RT). Rhyolite liquids contained either ∼4.1 wt% or ∼6.2 wt% dissolved H2O; separate Arrhenius relationships are produced for each melt composition. Trace element diffusivities in the melt with 6.2 wt% H2O are roughly two times higher than those in the less hydrous melt. Calculated trace element diffusion coefficients cover nearly two orders of magnitude at a given temperature. The high field strength elements are the slowest diffusers, followed by the transition metals and heavy rare earth elements. The light rare earth elements have the fastest diffusion rates in hydrous rhyolitic melt. The measured diffusion coefficients range down to values sufficiently low to preclude diffusive homogenization over geochemically realistic time scales in some cases. The substantial differences in the diffusivities of individual cations may result in fractionated trace element signatures in rhyolite melt pockets. A simple model is used to explore the potential for kinetic fractionation of REE during growth of an apatite crystal in a diffusive boundary layer locally saturated in P2O5. The faster-diffusing light REE are more efficiently transported away from the crystal interface than the slower-moving heavy REE. Diffusion effects will enrich the melt boundary layer in slow-moving HREE relative to the faster LREE. The kinetic fractionation of REE in the melt growth medium will result in a precipitated apatite crystal with a disequilibrium trace element composition.

Oxygen isotope and trace element evidence for three-stage petrogenesis of the youngest episode (260-79 ka) of Yellowstone rhyolitic volcanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loewen, Matthew W.; Bindeman, Ilya N.

2015-10-01

We report the first high-precision δ18O analyses of glass, δ18O of minerals, and trace element concentrations in glass and minerals for the 260-79 ka Central Plateau Member (CPM) rhyolites of Yellowstone, a >350 km3 cumulative volume of lavas erupted inside of 630 ka Lava Creek Tuff (LCT) caldera. The glass analyses of these crystal-poor rhyolites provide direct characterization of the melt and its evolution through time. The δ18Oglass values are low and mostly homogeneous (4.5 ± 0.14 ‰) within and in between lavas that erupted in four different temporal episodes during 200 ka of CPM volcanism with a slight shift to lower δ18O in the youngest episode (Pitchstone Plateau). These values are lower than Yellowstone basalts (5.7-6 ‰), LCT (5.5 ‰), pre-, and extracaldera rhyolites (~7-8 ‰), but higher than the earliest 550-450 ka post-LCT rhyolites (1-2 ‰). The glass δ18O value is coupled with new clinopyroxene analyses and previously reported zircon analyses to calculate oxygen isotope equilibration temperatures. Clinopyroxene records >900 °C near-liquidus temperatures, while zircon records temperatures <850 °C similar to zircon saturation temperature estimates. Trace element concentrations in the same glass analyzed for oxygen isotopes show evidence for temporal decreases in Ti, Sr, Ba, and Eu—related to Fe-Ti oxide and sanidine (±quartz) crystallization control, while other trace elements remain similar or are enriched through time. The slight temporal increase in glass Zr concentrations may reflect similar or higher temperature magmas (via zircon saturation) through time, while previosuly reported temperature decreases (e.g., Ti-in-quartz) might reflect changing Ti concentrations with progressive melt evolution. Multiple analyses of glass across single samples and in profiles across lava flow surfaces document trace element heterogeneity with compatible behavior of all analyzed elements except Rb, Nb, and U. These new data provide evidence for a three-stage geochemical evolution of these most recent Yellowstone rhyolites: (1) repeated batch melting events at the base of a homogenized low-δ18O intracaldera fill resulting in liquidus rhyolite melt and a refractory residue that sequesters feldspar-compatible elements over time. This melting may be triggered by conductive "hot plate" heating by basaltic magma intruding beneath the Yellowstone caldera resulting in contact rhyolitic melt that crystallizes early clinopyroxene and/or sanidine at high temperature. (2) Heterogeneity within individual samples and across flows reflects crystallization of these melts during preeruptive storage of magma at at lower, zircon-saturated temperatures. Compatible behavior and variations of most trace elements within individual lava flows are the result of sanidine, quartz, Fe-Ti oxide, zircon, and chevkinite crystallization at this stage. (3) Internal mixing immediately prior to and/or during eruption disrupts, these compositional gradients in each parental magma body that are preserved as melt domains distributed throughout the lava flows. These results based on the most recent and best-preserved volcanic products from the Yellowstone volcanic system provide new insight into the multiple stages required to generate highly fractionated hot spot and rift-related rhyolites. Our proposed model differs from previous interpretations that extreme Sr and Ba depletion result from long-term crystallization of a single magma body—instead we suggest that punctuated batch melting events generated a sanidine-rich refractory residue and a melt source region progressively depleted in Sr and Ba.

Modeling of Particle Engulfment during the Growth of Crystalline Silicon for Solar Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Yutao

A major challenge for the growth of multi-crystalline silicon is the formation of carbide and nitride precipitates in the melt that are engulfed by the solidification front to form inclusions. These lower cell efficiency and can lead to wafer breakage and sawing defects. Minimizing the number of these engulfed particles will promote lower cost and higher quality silicon and will advance progress in commercial solar cell production. To better understand the physical mechanisms responsible for such inclusions during crystal growth, we have developed finite-element, moving-boundary analyses to assess particle dynamics during engulfment via solidification fronts. Two-dimensional, steady-state and dynamic models are developed using the Galerkin finite element method and elliptic mesh generation techniques in an arbitrary Eulerian-Lagrangian (ALE) implementation. This numerical approach allows for an accurate representation of forces and dynamics previously inaccessible by approaches using analytical approximations. We reinterpret the significance of premelting via the definition of an unambiguous critical velocity for engulfment from steady-state analysis and bifurcation theory. Parametric studies are then performed to uncover the dependence of critical growth velocity upon some important physical properties. We also explore the complicated transient behaviors due to oscillating crystal growth conditions as well as the nonlinear nature related with temperature gradients and solute effects in the system. When compared with results for the SiC-Si system measured during ParSiWal experiments conducted by our collaborators, our model predicts a more realistic scaling of critical velocity with particle size than that predicted by prior theories. However, the engulfment growth velocity observed in the subsequent experiment onboard the TEXUS sounding rocket mission turned out to be unexpectedly higher. To explain this model discrepancy, a macroscopic model is developed in order to account for the natural convection in the terrestrial experiments. We demonstrate that the convective flows are able to keep most small particles suspended in the melt, so that the observed critical velocities and their variance are enhanced in the experiments conducted on earth. According to simulation results, some solutions, which are applicable in photovoltaic industry, to the inclusion problem are also discussed and studied.

The role of superheating in the formation of Glass Mountain obsidians (Long Valley, CA) inferred through crystallization of sanidine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waters, Laura E.; Andrews, Benjamin J.

2016-10-01

The Glass Mountain obsidians (Long Valley, CA) are crystal poor (<8 vol%) and highly evolved (high SiO2, low Sr), and therefore, their formation required extremely efficient separation of melts from a crystal-rich source. A petrologic and experimental investigation of the mineral phases in Glass Mountain lavas identifies conditions under which phenocrysts grew and the driving mechanism for crystallization, which places constraints on the possible processes that generated the obsidians. The obsidian in this study (GM-11) is saturated in nine phases (sanidine + quartz + plagioclase + titanomagnetite + ilmenite + zircon + apatite + allanite + biotite), and results of high-resolution SEM compositional mapping and electron microprobe analysis reveal that individual sanidine crystals are normally zoned and span a range of compositions (Or40-78). Sanidines have a "granophyric" texture, characterized by intergrowths of quartz and sanidine. Mineral phases in the natural sample are compared to H2O-saturated phase equilibrium experiments conducted in cold-seal pressure vessels, over a range of conditions (700-850 °C; 75-225 MPa), and all are found to be plausible phenocrysts. Comparison of sanidine compositions from the natural sample with those grown in phase equilibrium experiments demonstrates that sanidine in the natural sample occurs in a reduced abundance. Further comparison with phase equilibrium experiments suggests that sanidine compositions track progressive loss of dissolved melt water (±cooling), suggesting that crystallization in the natural obsidian was driven predominantly by degassing resulting from decompression. It is paradoxical that an effusively (slowly) erupted lava should contain multiple phenocryst phases, including sanidine crystals that span a range of compositions with granophyric textures, and yet remain so crystal poor. To resolve this paradox, it is necessary that the solidification mechanism (degassing or cooling) that produced the sanidine crystals (and other mineral phases) must have an associated kinetic effect(s) that efficiently hinders crystal nucleation and growth. Decompression experiments conducted in this study and from the literature collectively demonstrate that the simplest way to inhibit nucleation during degassing-induced crystallization is to initiate degassing ± cooling from superliquidus conditions, and therefore, the Glass Mountain obsidians were superheated prior to crystallization.

Pressure-Induced Melting of Confined Ice

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The classic regelation experiment of Thomson in the 1850s deals with cutting an ice cube, followed by refreezing. The cutting was attributed to pressure-induced melting but has been challenged continuously, and only lately consensus emerged by understanding that compression shortens the O:H nonbond and lengthens the H–O bond simultaneously. This H–O elongation leads to energy loss and lowers the melting point. The hot debate survived well over 150 years, mainly due to a poorly defined heat exchange with the environment in the experiment. In our current experiment, we achieved thermal isolation from the environment and studied the fully reversible ice–liquid water transition for water confined between graphene and muscovite mica. We observe a transition from two-dimensional (2D) ice into a quasi-liquid phase by applying a pressure exerted by an atomic force microscopy tip. At room temperature, the critical pressure amounts to about 6 GPa. The transition is completely reversible: refreezing occurs when the applied pressure is lifted. The critical pressure to melt the 2D ice decreases with temperature, and we measured the phase coexistence line between 293 and 333 K. From a Clausius–Clapeyron analysis, we determine the latent heat of fusion of two-dimensional ice at 0.15 eV/molecule, being twice as large as that of bulk ice. PMID:29112376

Channelized bottom melting and stability of floating ice shelves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rignot, E.; Steffen, K.

2008-01-01

The floating ice shelf in front of Petermann Glacier, in northwest Greenland, experiences massive bottom melting that removes 80% of its ice before calving into the Arctic Ocean. Detailed surveys of the ice shelf reveal the presence of 1-2 km wide, 200-400 m deep, sub-ice shelf channels, aligned with the flow direction and spaced by 5 km. We attribute their formation to the bottom melting of ice from warm ocean waters underneath. Drilling at the center of one of channel, only 8 m above sea level, confirms the presence of ice-shelf melt water in the channel. These deep incisions in ice-shelf thickness imply a vulnerability to mechanical break up and climate warming of ice shelves that has not been considered previously.

Theory of melting at high pressures: Amending density functional theory with quantum Monte Carlo

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shulenburger, L.; Desjarlais, M. P.; Mattsson, T. R.

We present an improved first-principles description of melting under pressure based on thermodynamic integration comparing Density Functional Theory (DFT) and quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) treatments of the system. The method is applied to address the longstanding discrepancy between density functional theory (DFT) calculations and diamond anvil cell (DAC) experiments on the melting curve of xenon, a noble gas solid where van der Waals binding is challenging for traditional DFT methods. The calculations show excellent agreement with data below 20 GPa and that the high-pressure melt curve is well described by a Lindemann behavior up to at least 80 GPa, amore » finding in stark contrast to DAC data.« less

Initial Assessment of the Consolidation of Chalcogels into a Viable Waste Form

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riley, Brian J.; Lepry, William C.

2012-08-31

This report provides some preliminary data for the consolidation of chalcogen-based aerogels. The chalcogels tested to date at PNNL show great promise as iodine sorbents and preliminary consolidation research shows that they can be melted into a phase-pure glass at moderate temperatures. The preliminary consolidation experiments show that these materials might attack fused quartz so an alternative crucible material will likely need to be used to prevent this. The next steps will be to • Consider melting other chalcogel chemistries, e.g., Sn-Sb-S, Ge-Sn-S chalcogels • Consider melting chalcogels with adsorbed iodine to monitor iodine loss during melting • Optimize themore » consolidation temperatures to minimize the iodine loss and volatilization« less

Theory of melting at high pressures: Amending density functional theory with quantum Monte Carlo

DOE PAGES

Shulenburger, L.; Desjarlais, M. P.; Mattsson, T. R.

2014-10-01

We present an improved first-principles description of melting under pressure based on thermodynamic integration comparing Density Functional Theory (DFT) and quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) treatments of the system. The method is applied to address the longstanding discrepancy between density functional theory (DFT) calculations and diamond anvil cell (DAC) experiments on the melting curve of xenon, a noble gas solid where van der Waals binding is challenging for traditional DFT methods. The calculations show excellent agreement with data below 20 GPa and that the high-pressure melt curve is well described by a Lindemann behavior up to at least 80 GPa, amore » finding in stark contrast to DAC data.« less

Heterozygote PCR product melting curve prediction.

PubMed

Dwight, Zachary L; Palais, Robert; Kent, Jana; Wittwer, Carl T

2014-03-01

Melting curve prediction of PCR products is limited to perfectly complementary strands. Multiple domains are calculated by recursive nearest neighbor thermodynamics. However, the melting curve of an amplicon containing a heterozygous single-nucleotide variant (SNV) after PCR is the composite of four duplexes: two matched homoduplexes and two mismatched heteroduplexes. To better predict the shape of composite heterozygote melting curves, 52 experimental curves were compared with brute force in silico predictions varying two parameters simultaneously: the relative contribution of heteroduplex products and an ionic scaling factor for mismatched tetrads. Heteroduplex products contributed 25.7 ± 6.7% to the composite melting curve, varying from 23%-28% for different SNV classes. The effect of ions on mismatch tetrads scaled to 76%-96% of normal (depending on SNV class) and averaged 88 ± 16.4%. Based on uMelt (www.dna.utah.edu/umelt/umelt.html) with an expanded nearest neighbor thermodynamic set that includes mismatched base pairs, uMelt HETS calculates helicity as a function of temperature for homoduplex and heteroduplex products, as well as the composite curve expected from heterozygotes. It is an interactive Web tool for efficient genotyping design, heterozygote melting curve prediction, and quality control of melting curve experiments. The application was developed in Actionscript and can be found online at http://www.dna.utah.edu/hets/. © 2013 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.

Structural Fluctuations and Thermophysical Properties of Molten II-VI Compounds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Ching-Hua; Zhu, Shen; Li, Chao; Scripa, R.; Lehoczky, Sandra L.; Kim, Y. W.; Baird, J. K.; Lin, B.; Ban, Heng; Benmore, Chris

2003-01-01

The objectives of the project are to conduct ground-based experimental and theoretical research on the structural fluctuations and thermophysical properties of molten II-VI compounds to enhance the basic understanding of the existing flight experiments in microgravity materials science programs as well as to study the fundamental heterophase fluctuation phenomena in these melts by: 1) conducting neutron scattering analysis and measuring quantitatively the relevant thermophysical properties of the II-VI melts (such as viscosity, electrical conductivity, thermal diffusivity and density) as well as the relaxation characteristics of these properties to advance the understanding of the structural properties and the relaxation phenomena in these melts and 2) performing theoretical analyses on the melt systems to interpret the experimental results. All the facilities required for the experimental measurements have been procured, installed and tested. It has long been recognized that liquid Te presents a unique case having properties between those of metals and semiconductors. The electrical conductivity for Te melt increases rapidly at melting point, indicating a semiconductor-metal transition. Te melts comprise two features, which are usually considered to be incompatible with each other: covalently bound atoms and metallic-like behavior. Why do Te liquids show metallic behavior? is one of the long-standing issues in liquid metal physics. Since thermophysical properties are very sensitive to the structural variations of a melt, we have conducted extensive thermophysical measurements on Te melt.

The Growth and Characterization of the Bismuth Strontium-Calcium 2212 Superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moulton, Linda Vidale

A miniaturized float zone technique, sometimes referred to as the Laser-heated Pedestal Growth (LHPG) method, was used to produce high quality crystals of the incongruently melting rm Bi_2Sr_2CaCu _2O_{8+delta} (2212) superconductor. The main focus of this research was to (1) produce superconducting samples having different compositions, (2) identify the melt compositions and growth temperatures which produced these samples, and (3) determine the variation of their superconducting transition temperature (T _{rm C}) with composition and processing conditions. The rm Bi_2(Sr,Ca) _3Cu_2O_{8+delta} crystallization experiments were supplemented by a series of similar experiments on the incongruently melting compound rm Ca_3Al_2O_6. The phase equilibria in the CaO-rm Al_2O _3 system has been thoroughly studied, and by analyzing the float-zone growth of this simpler and better-characterized material, it was verified that phase equilibria information and solidification behavior could be extracted from and explained by these solidification experiments. Two different types of nonplanar, crystal/melt interface morphologies were observed in the rm Ca_3Al_2O_6 experiments. Each reflected the influence of the phase equilibria in the CaO-rm Al_2O_3 system and component segregation in the melt. The molten zone compositions were found to approach those predicted by the CaO-rm Al_2O_3 phase diagram as the growth rate decreased, in accordance with the Burton-Prim Slichter relationship. Excellent agreement was obtained between actual phases found to coexist at the rm Ca_3Al_2O_6 /melt interface and the predictions of classical crystal growth theory. Based on the results of the rm Ca _3Al_2O_6 crystallization study, the crystal/melt equilibria in the far more complex rm Bi_2O_3-SrO-CaO-CuO system was evaluated by determining the phases formed during the superconductor growth experiments. The melt compositions were found to be rm Bi_2O_3 -rich and SrO-poor relative to the compositions of the 2212 crystals grown from them. The CaO and CuO segregation coefficients, on the other hand, were observed to be near unity. As one would expect for an incongruently -melting compound, segregation at the solidification front generally decreased with increasing crystallization temperature, but all the segregation coefficients were not observed to simultaneously approach unity. The superconducting transition temperatures (T _{rm C}'s) of six as-crystallized samples having homogeneous crystal compositions were also measured. Sample T_{rm C} was observed to increase with increasing growth temperature and, therefore, change with crystal composition. The results of this study suggested that it is desirable to grow crystals at the highest possible crystallization temperature since they will: (1) have the highest as-grown T_{rm C} 's, and (2) solidify with the least component segregation at the growth interface. In addition, the analysis presented here suggests that such growth is not recommended at higher growth rates, since crystals with mid-range solidus compositions (and consequently, moderate growth temperatures) should crystallize most reliably as single-phase samples at higher growth rates.

Ni/S/Cl systematics and the origin of impact-melt glasses in Martian meteorite Elephant Moraine 79001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrader, Christian M.; Cohen, Barbara A.; Donovan, John J.; Vicenzi, Edward P.

2016-04-01

Martian meteorite Elephant Moraine A79001 (EET 79001) has received considerable attention for the unusual composition of its shock melt glass, particularly its enrichment in sulfur relative to the host shergottite. It has been hypothesized that Martian regolith was incorporated into the melt or, conversely, that the S-enrichment stems from preferential melting of sulfide minerals in the host rock during shock. We present results from an electron microprobe study of EET 79001 including robust measurements of major and trace elements in the shock melt glass (S, Cl, Ni, Co, V, and Sc) and minerals in the host rock (Ni, Co, and V). We find that both S and major element abundances can be reconciled with previous hypotheses of regolith incorporation and/or excess sulfide melt. However, trace element characteristics of the shock melt glass, particularly Ni and Cl abundances relative to S, cannot be explained either by the incorporation of regolith or sulfide minerals. We therefore propose an alternative hypothesis whereby, prior to shock melting, portions of EET 79001 experienced acid-sulfate leaching of the mesostasis, possibly groundmass feldspar, and olivine, producing Al-sulfates that were later incorporated into the shock melt, which then quenched to glass. Such activity in the Martian near-surface is supported by observations from the Mars Exploration Rovers and laboratory experiments. Our preimpact alteration model, accompanied by the preferential survival of olivine and excess melting of feldspar during impact, explains the measured trace element abundances better than either the regolith incorporation or excess sulfide melting hypothesis does.

Numerical and experimental investigation of melting with internal heat generation within cylindrical enclosures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amber Shrivastava; Brian Williams; Ali S. Siahpush

2014-06-01

There have been significant efforts by the heat transfer community to investigate the melting phenomenon of materials. These efforts have included the analytical development of equations to represent melting, numerical development of computer codes to assist in modeling the phenomena, and collection of experimental data. The understanding of the melting phenomenon has application in several areas of interest, for example, the melting of a Phase Change Material (PCM) used as a thermal storage medium as well as the melting of the fuel bundle in a nuclear power plant during an accident scenario. The objective of this research is two-fold. Firstmore » a numerical investigation, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), of melting with internal heat generation for a vertical cylindrical geometry is presented. Second, to the best of authors knowledge, there are very limited number of engineering experimental results available for the case of melting with Internal Heat Generation (IHG). An experiment was performed to produce such data using resistive, or Joule, heating as the IHG mechanism. The numerical results are compared against the experimental results and showed favorable correlation. Uncertainties in the numerical and experimental analysis are discussed. Based on the numerical and experimental analysis, recommendations are made for future work.« less

Electrochemical studies in aluminum chloride melts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osteryoung, R. A.

1971-01-01

A melt purification system was developed which produces a final melt far superior electrochemically than those previously reported. A residual current of less than 2 microamps/sq mn at a sweep rate of 0.5 V/sec was used as the criteria for a pure melt. The use of a second purified bulk melt and a heated pipette permitted the rapid exchange of working electrode compartments while retaining the same reference electrode system. The major portion of the work was carried out in the 1:1 AlCl3:NaCl melt at 175 and 200 C. Several measurements were made in the 2:1 melt and a few on the silver systems in intermediate compositions. Programs for PDP-8I and PDP-12 digital computers and the required electronic circuitry systems were developed to carry out various electrochemical measurements in the melt. A pair of 50 yard transmission lines were used to connect the computer to the experiment. Ensemble averaging and digital, least squares smoothing are used within the programs to improve the signal-to-noise ratio by at least an order of magnitude. Some of the computerized electrochemcial techniques used to examine the different systems were pulse polarography, double pulse polarography, staircase voltammetry, kinetic double potential step chronoamperometry and double potential step chronocoulometry.

Plagioclase nucleation and growth kinetics in a hydrous basaltic melt by decompression experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arzilli, Fabio; Agostini, C.; Landi, P.; Fortunati, A.; Mancini, L.; Carroll, M. R.

2015-12-01

Isothermal single-step decompression experiments (at temperature of 1075 °C and pressure between 5 and 50 MPa) were used to study the crystallization kinetics of plagioclase in hydrous high-K basaltic melts as a function of pressure, effective undercooling (Δ T eff) and time. Single-step decompression causes water exsolution and a consequent increase in the plagioclase liquidus, thus imposing an effective undercooling (Δ T eff), accompanied by increased melt viscosity. Here, we show that the decompression process acts directly on viscosity and thermodynamic energy barriers (such as interfacial-free energy), controlling the nucleation process and favoring the formation of homogeneous nuclei also at high pressure (low effective undercoolings). In fact, this study shows that similar crystal number densities ( N a) can be obtained both at low and high pressure (between 5 and 50 MPa), whereas crystal growth processes are favored at low pressures (5-10 MPa). The main evidence of this study is that the crystallization of plagioclase in decompressed high-K basalts is more rapid than that in rhyolitic melts on similar timescales. The onset of the crystallization process during experiments was characterized by an initial nucleation event within the first hour of the experiment, which produced the largest amount of plagioclase. This nucleation event, at short experimental duration, can produce a dramatic change in crystal number density ( N a) and crystal fraction ( ϕ), triggering a significant textural evolution in only 1 h. In natural systems, this may affect the magma rheology and eruptive dynamics on very short time scales.

Loss of iron to gold capsules in rock-melting experiments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ratajeski, K.; Sisson, T.W.

1999-01-01

Gold is used widely for capsules in high-temperature rock-melting studies because it is generally thought to absorb negligible Fe from silicate samples. However, we observed significant losses of Fe from fluid-absent melting experiments on hornblende gabbros at 800-975 ??C and 8 kbar, using standard piston-cylinder techniques. The extent of Fe loss from the sample is dependent on the relative masses of the sample and the capsule. Low sample to capsule mass ratios (~0.04) lead to the highest Fe losses (32-49% relative). Concentrations of Fe in silicate melt and used gold capsules define an apparent equilibrium constant (K') that follows a linear 1n K' vs. 1/T relation (at an estimated log f(O)(2) of QFM-1). The apparent equilibrium constant is used to make limiting upper estimates on the amount of Fe that could be lost during rock-melting experiments for a range of f(O)(2) and sample to capsule mass ratios. At high f(O)(2) (NNO + 2), loss of Fe to gold is negligible (<2% relative) for a wide range of sample to capsule mass ratios. At an f(O)(2) of NNO, Fe loss can be kept to <10% relative by using a sample to capsule mass ratio of 0.2 or greater. At low f(O)(2) (QFM-1), presaturating the Au with Fe would be necessary to ensure that Fe losses remained <10% relative. Fe loss can compromise experimental results for small samples run at low f(O)(2) conditions, be they buffered, imposed by the pressure media, or produced by intrinsically reduced (graphitic) starting materials.

In Situ Optical Observation of High-Temperature Geological Processes With the Moissanite Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walte, N.; Keppler, H.

2005-12-01

A major drawback of existing techniques in experimental earth and material sciences is the inability to observe ongoing high-temperature processes in situ during an experiment. Examples for important time-dependent processes include the textural development of rocks and oxide systems during melting and crystallization, solid-state and melt-present recrystallization and Ostwald ripening, and bubble nucleation and growth during degassing of glasses and melts. The investigation of these processes by post-mortem analysis of a quenched microstructure is time consuming and often unsatisfactory. Here, we introduce the moissanite cell that allows optical in situ observation of long-term experiments at high temperatures. Moissanite is a transparent gem-quality type of SiC that is characterized by its hardness and superior chemical and thermal resistance. Two moissanite windows with a thickness and diameter of several millimeters are placed into sockets of fired pyrophyllite and fixed onto two opposite metal plates. The sockets are wrapped with heating wire and each window is connected to a thermocouple for temperature control. The sample is placed directly between the moissanite windows and the cell is assembled similarly to a large diamond anvil cell. In situ observation of the sample is done with a microscope through observation windows and movies are recorded with an attached digital camera. Our experiments with the new cell show that temperatures above 1200°C can be maintained and observed in a sample for several days without damaging the cell nor the windows. Time-lapse movies of melting and crystallizing natural and synthetic rocks and of degassing glasses and melts will be presented to show the potential of the new technique for experimental earth and material science.

High-Pressure Minerals in Meteorites: Constraints on Shock Conditions and Duration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharp, Thomas G.

2004-01-01

The objective of this research was to better understand the conditions and duration of shock metamorphism in meteorites through microstructural and microanalytical characterization of high-pressure minerals. A) Continue to investigate the mineralogy and microstructures of melt-veins in a suite of chondritic samples ranging from shock grades S3 through S6 to determine how the mineral assemblages that crystallize at high-pressure and are related to shock grade. B) Investigate the chemical, mineralogical, and microstructural heterogeneities that occur across melt veins to interpret crystallization histories. C) Use static high-pressure experiments to simulate crystallization of melt veins for mineralogical and textural comparisons with the melt veins of naturally shocked samples. D) Characterize the compositions and defect microstructures of polycrystalline ringwoodite, wadsleyite, majorite, (Mg,Fe)Si03-ilmenite and (Mg,Fe)SiO3-perovskite in S6 samples to understand the mechanisms of phase transformations that occur during shock. These results will combined with kinetic data to constrain the time scales of kinetic processes. E) Investigate the transformations of metastable high-pressure minerals back to low- pressure forms to constrain post-shock temperatures and estimates of the peak shock pressure. Of these objectives, we have obtained publishable data on A, B and D. I am currently doing difficult high-pressure melting and quench experiments on an L chondrite known as Mbale. These experiments will provide additional constraints on the mineral assemblages that are produced during rapid quench of an L chondrite at pressures of 16 to 25 GPa. Results from published or nearly published research is presented below. Lists of theses, dissertations and publications are given below.

High-temperature apparatus for chaotic mixing of natural silicate melts.

PubMed

Morgavi, D; Petrelli, M; Vetere, F P; González-García, D; Perugini, D

2015-10-01

A unique high-temperature apparatus was developed to trigger chaotic mixing at high-temperature (up to 1800 °C). This new apparatus, which we term Chaotic Magma Mixing Apparatus (COMMA), is designed to carry out experiments with high-temperature and high-viscosity (up to 10(6) Pa s) natural silicate melts. This instrument allows us to follow in time and space the evolution of the mixing process and the associated modulation of chemical composition. This is essential to understand the dynamics of magma mixing and related chemical exchanges. The COMMA device is tested by mixing natural melts from Aeolian Islands (Italy). The experiment was performed at 1180 °C using shoshonite and rhyolite melts, resulting in a viscosity ratio of more than three orders of magnitude. This viscosity ratio is close to the maximum possible ratio of viscosity between high-temperature natural silicate melts. Results indicate that the generated mixing structures are topologically identical to those observed in natural volcanic rocks highlighting the enormous potential of the COMMA to replicate, as a first approximation, the same mixing patterns observed in the natural environment. COMMA can be used to investigate in detail the space and time development of magma mixing providing information about this fundamental petrological and volcanological process that would be impossible to investigate by direct observations. Among the potentials of this new experimental device is the construction of empirical relationships relating the mixing time, obtained through experimental time series, and chemical exchanges between the melts to constrain the mixing-to-eruption time of volcanic systems, a fundamental topic in volcanic hazard assessment.

Responses of Basal Melting of Antarctic Ice Shelves to the Climatic Forcing of the Last Glacial Maximum and CO2 Doubling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe-Ouchi, A.; Obase, T.

2017-12-01

Basal melting of the Antarctic ice shelves is an important factor in determining the stability of the Antarctic ice sheet. This study used the climatic outputs of an atmosphere?ocean general circulation model to force a circumpolar ocean model that resolves ice shelf cavity circulation to investigate the response of Antarctic ice shelf melting to different climatic conditions, i.e., to an increase (doubling) of CO2 and the Last Glacial Maximum conditions. We also conducted sensitivity experiments to investigate the role of surface atmospheric change, which strongly affects sea ice production, and the change of oceanic lateral boundary conditions. We found that the rate of change of basal melt due to climate warming is much greater (by an order of magnitude) than due to cooling. This is mainly because the intrusion of warm water onto the continental shelves, linked to sea ice production and climate change, is crucial in determining the basal melt rate of many ice shelves. Sensitivity experiments showed that changes of atmospheric heat flux and ocean temperature are both important for warm and cold climates. The offshore wind change together with atmospheric heat flux change strongly affected the production of sea ice and high-density water, preventing warmer water approaching the ice shelves under a colder climate. These results reflect the importance of both water mass formation in the Antarctic shelf seas and subsurface ocean temperature in understanding the long-term response to climate change of the melting of Antarctic ice shelves.

Multi-material composites prepared by additive manufacturing and melt casting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murialdo, Maxwell; Sullivan, Kyle; White, Bradley; LLNL MSD Collaboration

2017-06-01

Recent advances in additive manufacturing have disrupted not only means of production, but also have enabled a new parameter space of multiscale materials designs. Understanding the role of architecture to control material response is being investigated for a wide range of applications, from light-weight structural components to energetic materials. In this work, we combine 3D printing of scaffold structures with a subsequent melt-infiltration step to render an architected multi-material composite article. Both the scaffold architecture and material type were investigated. The processing challenges of filling such scaffolds using a melt-infiltration step will be discussed, along with our progress in this area. Using the combined method of printing and casting, we will discuss our path forward for testing the mechanical properties and the high-strain response of our composite architected parts. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. IM release: LLNL-ABS-725497-DRAFT.

Modern Aspects of Liquid Metal Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czerwinski, Frank

2017-02-01

Liquid metal engineering (LME) refers to a variety of physical and/or chemical treatments of molten metals aimed at influencing their solidification characteristics. Although the fundamentals have been known for decades, only recent progress in understanding solidification mechanisms has renewed an interest in opportunities this technique creates for an improvement of castings. This review covers conventional and novel concepts of LME with their application to modern manufacturing techniques based not only on liquid but also on semisolid routes. The role of external forces applied to the melt combined with grain nucleation control is explained along with laboratory- and commercial-scale equipment designed for implementation of various concepts exploring mechanical, electromagnetic, and ultrasound principles. An influence of melt treatments on quality of the final product is considered through distinguishing between internal integrity of net shape components and the alloy microstructure. Recent global developments indicate that exploring the synergy of melt chemistry and physical treatments achieved through LME allows creating the optimum conditions for nucleation and growth during solidification, positively affecting quality of castings.

A Binary Eutectic Mixture of TNAZ and R-Salt Explosives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandstrom, Mary; Manner, Virginia; Pemberton, Steven; Lloyd, Joseph; Tappan, Bryce

2011-06-01

TNAZ is a high performing explosive that is melt castable. However, the casting process can be problematic since TNAZ has a high vapor pressure exacerbated by a fairly high melting temperature. In order to mitigate the ill effects of its high vapor pressure, including a lower melting explosive was explored by making a series of mixtures of TNAZ and R-Salt. Initially, a eutectic temperature and composition was theoretically determined. Then a phase diagram was constructed from a series and mixtures by differential scanning calorimetery (DSC). The vapor pressure of the eutectic composition was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Cylinder testing of the eutectic composition was carried out in copper tubes, 5'' long with 1/2 ``inner diameter and 1/16'' thick walls. The detonation velocity was measured using wire switches along the cylinder length and the expanding wall velocity was measured using PDV gauges. A rough evaluation of JWL equation-of-state parameters has been carried out. A more detailed evaluation is in progress.

Preparation of fine single crystals of magnetic superconductor RuSr2GdCu2O8-δ by partial melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaki, Kazuhiro; Bamba, Yoshihiro; Irie, Akinobu

2018-03-01

In this study, fine uniform RuSr2GdCu2O8-δ (RuGd-1212) single crystals have been successfully prepared by partial melting. Synthesis temperature could be lowered to a value not exceeding the decomposition temperature of RuGd-1212 using the Sr-Gd-Cu-O flux. The crystals grown by alumina boats are cubic, which coincides with the result of a previous study of RuGd-1212 single crystals using platinum crucibles. The single crystals were up to 15 × 15 × 15 µm3 in size and their lattice constants were consistent with those of polycrystalline samples reported previously. Although the present size of single crystals is not sufficient for measurements, the partial melting technique will be beneficial for future progress of research using RuGd-1212 single crystals. Appropriate nominal composition, sintering atmosphere, and temperature are essential factors for growing RuGd-1212 single crystals.

Geochemical constraints on crustal anatexis: a case study from the Pan-African Damara granitoids of Namibia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDermott, F.; Harris, N. B. W.; Hawkesworth, C. J.

1996-05-01

Major and trace element models of recently published vapour-absent mica dehydration melting experiments are used to identify granitoids generated by muscovite and biotite dehydration melting, and to distinguish between plagioclase-limited and biotite-limited, biotite dehydration melting. In the case of granitoids from the Pan-African Damara mobile belt (Namibia), many of the leucogranites and Salem-type granitoids may be modelled by biotite dehydration melting. The low Rb/Sr granitoids (e.g. Donkerhuk Onanis, Salem Onanis, Donkerhuk Nomatsaus, Salem Goas) probably reflect feldspar-limited, biotite dehydration melting (a pelitic source) whereas the high Rb/Sr suites (e.g. Bloedkoppie leucogranite, Stinkbank leucogranite, Salem Swakopmund, Leucocratic Stink bank granite) reflect biotite-limited, biotite dehydration melting (a greywacke source). Alaskites from the Damara belt have major element compositions which are consistent with muscovite dehydration melting, and their positive Eu anomalies are linked to high K2O reflecting K-feldspar entrainment. Combined Zr and LREE (light rare earth element) solubility models indicate that insufficient time (probably less than 104 years) had elapsed between melt generation and melt extraction to ensure that the alaskite melts attained their equilibrium concentrations of Zr and the LREEs. In contrast, the leucogranites and Salem-type granites have attained their equilibrium inventories of these trace elements. Combined Fe2O3 and MgO contents in some samples from two granitoids (the Salem Goas and Donkerhuk Onanis intrusions) are higher than those readily attainable by biotite dehydration melting indicating either: (1) that they contain a contribution from melts generated by incipient garnet breakdown or; (2) that they contain small amounts of an entrained ferromagnesian phase.

Production, pathways and budgets of melts in mid-ocean ridges: An enthalpy based thermo-mechanical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandal, Nibir; Sarkar, Shamik; Baruah, Amiya; Dutta, Urmi

2018-04-01

Using an enthalpy based thermo-mechanical model we provide a theoretical evaluation of melt production beneath mid-ocean ridges (MORs), and demonstrate how the melts subsequently develop their pathways to sustain the major ridge processes. Our model employs a Darcy idealization of the two-phase (solid-melt) system, accounting enthalpy (ΔH) as a function of temperature dependent liquid fraction (ϕ). Random thermal perturbations imposed in this model set in local convection that drive melts to flow through porosity controlled pathways with a typical mushroom-like 3D structure. We present across- and along-MOR axis model profiles to show the mode of occurrence of melt-rich zones within mushy regions, connected to deeper sources by single or multiple feeders. The upwelling of melts experiences two synchronous processes: 1) solidification-accretion, and 2) eruption, retaining a large melt fraction in the framework of mantle dynamics. Using a bifurcation analysis we determine the threshold condition for melt eruption, and estimate the potential volumes of eruptible melts (∼3.7 × 106 m3/yr) and sub-crustal solidified masses (∼1-8.8 × 106 m3/yr) on an axis length of 500 km. The solidification process far dominates over the eruption process in the initial phase, but declines rapidly on a time scale (t) of 1 Myr. Consequently, the eruption rate takes over the solidification rate, but attains nearly a steady value as t > 1.5 Myr. We finally present a melt budget, where a maximum of ∼5% of the total upwelling melt volume is available for eruption, whereas ∼19% for deeper level solidification; the rest continue to participate in the sub-crustal processes.

Shock metamorphism of planetary silicate rocks and sediments: Proposal for an updated classification system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stöffler, Dieter; Hamann, Christopher; Metzler, Knut

2018-01-01

We reevaluate the systematics and geologic setting of terrestrial, lunar, Martian, and asteroidal "impactites" resulting from single or multiple impacts. For impactites derived from silicate rocks and sediments, we propose a unified and updated system of progressive shock metamorphism. "Shock-metamorphosed rocks" occur as lithic clasts or melt particles in proximal impactites at impact craters, and rarely in distal impactites. They represent a wide range of metamorphism, typically ranging from unshocked to shock melted. As the degree of shock metamorphism, at a given shock pressure, depends primarily on the mineralogical composition and the porosity of a rock or sediment sample, different shock classification systems are required for different types of planetary rocks and sediments. We define shock classification systems for eight rock and sediment classes which are assigned to three major groups of rocks and sediments (1) crystalline rocks with classes F, M, A, and U; (2) chondritic rocks (class C); and (3) sedimentary rocks and sediments with classes SR, SE, and RE. The abbreviations stand for felsic (F), mafic (M), anorthositic (A), ultramafic (U), sedimentary rocks (SR), unconsolidated sediments (SE), and regoliths (RE). In each class, the progressive stages of shock metamorphism are denominated S1 to Sx. These progressive shock stages are introduced as: S1-S7 for F, S1-S7 for M, S1-S6 for A, S1-S7 for U, S1-S7 for C, S1-S7 for SR, S1-S5 for SE, and S1-S6 for RE. S1 stands for "unshocked" and Sx (variable between S5 and S7) stands for "whole rock melting." We propose a sequence of symbols characterizing the degree of shock metamorphism of a sample, i.e., F-S1 to F-S7 with the option to add the tabulated pressure ranges (in GPa) in parentheses.

Petrogenesis of high-Ti and low-Ti basalts: high-pressure and high-temperature experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J.; WANG, C.; Jin, Z.

2017-12-01

Geochemical and petrological studies have revealed the existence of high-Ti and low-Ti basalts in large igneous provinces. However, the petrogenesis of them are still under debate. Several different mechanisms have been proposed: (1) the high-Ti basalts are formed by the melting of mantle plume containing recycled oceanic crust or delaminated lower crust (Spandler et al., 2008) while low-Ti basalts are formed by the melting of subcontinental lithospheric mantle (Xiao et al., 2004); (2) both of them are from mantle plume or asthenospheric source, but the production of high-Ti basalts are associated with the thick lithosphere and relevant low degrees of melting while the low-Ti basalts are controlled by the thin lithosphere with high degrees of melting (Arndt et al., 1993; Xu et al., 2001). Almost all authors emphasize the role of partial melting but less discuss the crystallization differentiation process. The low Mg# (< 0.7) of these basalts provides that they are far away from direct melting of mantle peridotite. In addition, seismic data indicate unusually high seismic velocities bodies beneath LIPs which explained by the fractionated cumulates from picritic magmas (Farnetani et al., 1996). Therefore, we believed that the crystallization differentiation process might play a more significant role in the genesis of high-Ti and low-Ti basalts. In order to investigate the generation of these basalts, a series of high pressure and high temperature partial crystallization experiments were performed by using piston-cylinder and multi-anvil press at pressures of 1.5, 3.0 and 5.0 GPa and a temperature range of 1200-1700°. Two synthetic picrite glass with different chemical compositions were used as starting materials. Our experimental results show that Ti is preferred to be concentrated in the residual melt during crystallization differentiation. For the same melt fraction, the residual melt of higher pressure experiments has relatively higher TiO2 concentration and higher Mg#. Thus, we propose that most of the high-Ti and low-Ti basalts are inherited from picritic parental magmas which could be formed by high degree partial melting of garnet peridotite. The high-Ti basalts are generated through relatively high pressure crystallization process while the low-Ti basalts are generated at relatively low pressure.

Platinum and Palladium Exsolution Textures in Quenched Sulfide Melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reo, G.; Frank, M. R.; Loocke, M. P.; Macey, C. J.

2017-12-01

Magmatic sulfide ore deposits account for over 80% of the world's platinum group element (PGE) reserves. Layered mafic intrusions (LMIs), a type of magmatic sulfide ore deposit, contain alternating layers of silicate and sulfide mineralization that are thought to have coexisted as an immiscible silicate + sulfide melt pair. Platinum and palladium, the most common PGEs found in LMIs, heavily favor the sulfide melt. Nernst partition coefficients for Pt (D = wt% of Pt in sulfide/wt% of Pt in silicate) range from 102 to 109. This study examined the Pt- and Pd-bearing phases that formed from the quenched sulfide melts to better constrain the PGE-rich sulfide layers of LMIs system. Experiments were conducted with a basalt melt, sulfide melt, and Pt-Pd metal in a vertical tube furnace at 1100°C and 1 atm and with oxygen fugacity buffered to QFM (quartz-fayalite-magnetite). Following the experiments, run products containing both sulfide and silicate glasses (quenched melts) were analyzed by a Shimadzu EPMA-1720HT Electron Probe Microanalyzer. The focus here is on the quenched Fe-rich sulfides whereas data on the partitioning of Pt and Pd between the coexisting silicate and sulfide melts will be presented in the future. The sulfide samples were imaged in back-scattering mode and major and trace element concentrations of separate metal-rich phases in the sulfide matrix were ascertained through wavelength-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Three discernable PGE-rich phases were found to have exsolved from the sulfide matrix upon quenching of the sulfide melt. All of these phases had Fe and S of 21-24 and 16-22 wt.%, respectively. An irregularly shaped Pd- and Cu-rich sulfide phase ( 36 and 14 wt.%, respectively) makes up the majority of the exsolution product. A separate Pd- and Ni-rich phase ( 22 and 14 wt%, respectively) can be found as grains or rims adjacent to the exsolved Pd- and Cu-rich phase. A third Pd- and Pt-rich phase ( 26 and 18 wt.%, respectively) exhibits a dendritic quench texture and is usually surrounded by the sulfide matrix. These data indicate that multiple phases, each with a different Pt:Pd ratio can form upon quench of a homogenous sulfide melt. Thus, the analysis of PGE-rich sulfide domains within LMI may be best considered as a single phase when conducting exploration efforts.

Experimental Constraints on the Partitioning Behavior of F, Cl, and OH Between Apatite and Basaltic Melt

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCubbin, Francis M.; Barnes, Jessica J.; Vander Kaaden, Kathleen E.; Boyce, Jeremy W.; Ustunisik, Gokce; Whitson, Eric S.

2017-01-01

The mineral apatite is present in a wide range of planetary materials. The presence of volatiles (F, Cl, and OH) within its crystal structure (X-site) have motivated numerous studies to investigate the partitioning behavior of F, Cl, and OH between apatite and silicate melt with the end goal of using apatite to constrain the volatile contents of planetary magmas and mantle sources. A number of recent experimental studies have investigated the apatite-melt partitioning behavior of F, Cl, and OH in magmatic systems. Apatite-melt partitioning of volatiles are best described as exchange equilibria similar to Fe-Mg partitioning between olivine and silicate melt. However, the partitioning behavior is likely to change as a function of temperature, pressure, oxygen fugacity, apatite composition, and melt composition. In the present study, we have conducted experiments to assess the partitioning behavior of F, Cl, and OH between apatite and silicate melt over a pressure range of 0-6 gigapascals, a temperature range of 950-1500 degrees Centigrade, and a wide range of apatite ternary compositions. All of the experiments were conducted between iron-wustite oxidation potentials IW minus 1 and IW plus 2 in a basaltic melt composition. The experimental run products were analyzed by a combination of electron probe microanalysis and secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS). Temperature, apatite crystal chemistry, and pressure all play important roles in the partitioning behavior of F, Cl, and OH between apatite and silicate melt. In portions of apatite ternary space that undergo ideal mixing of F, Cl, and OH, exchange coefficients remain constant at constant temperature and pressure. However, exchange coefficients vary at constant temperature (T) and pressure (P) in portions of apatite compositional space where F, Cl, and OH do not mix ideally in apatite. The variation in exchange coefficients exhibited by apatite that does not undergo ideal mixing far exceeds the variations induced by changes in temperature (T) or pressure (P) . In regions where apatite undergoes ideal mixing of F, Cl, and OH, temperature has a stronger effect than pressure on the partitioning behavior, but both are important. Furthermore, fluorine becomes less compatible in apatite with increasing pressure and temperature. We are still in the process of analyzing our experimental run products, but we plan to quantify the effects of P and T on apatite-melt partitioning of F, Cl, and OH.

Bifilm Defect Formation in Hydraulic Jump of Liquid Aluminum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Fu-Yuan

2016-06-01

In aluminum gravity casting, as liquid aluminum fell through a vertical sprue and impacted on the horizontal flat surface, a phenomenon known as hydraulic jump ( i.e., flow transition from super-critical to sub-critical flows) was observed. As the jump was transformed, a reverse eddy motion on the surface of the jump was created. This motion entrained aluminum oxide film from the surface into aluminum melt. This folded film (so-called "bifilm" defect) was engulfed by the melt and caused its quality to deteriorate. To understand this phenomenon, aluminum casting experiments and computational modeling were conducted. In the casting experiment, a radius ( R j) to the point where the circular hydraulic jump occurred was measured. This is the circular region of `irregular surface feature', a rough oxidized surface texture near the center area of the castings. To quantify contents of the bifilm defects in the outer region of the jump, the samples in this region were sectioned and re-melted for doing re-melted reduced pressure test (re-melt RPT). An "area-normalized" bifilm index map was plotted to analyze bifilms' population in the samples. The flow transition in the hydraulic jump of liquid aluminum depended on three pressure heads: inertial, gravitational, and surface-tension pressures. A new theoretical equation containing surface tension for describing the flow transition of liquid metal was proposed.

Density Determination of Metallic Melts from Diffuse X-Ray Scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brauser, N.; Davis, A.; Greenberg, E.; Prakapenka, V. B.; Campbell, A.

2017-12-01

Liquids comprise several important structural components of the deep Earth, for example, the present outer core and a hypothesized magma ocean early in Earth history. However, the physical properties of the constituent materials of these structures at high pressures and temperatures are less well constrained than their crystalline counterparts. Determination of the physical properties of these liquids can inform geophysical models of the composition and structure of the Earth, but methods for studying the physical properties of liquids at high pressure and temperatures are underdeveloped. One proposed method for direct determination of density of a melt requires analysis of the diffuse scattered X-ray signal of the liquid. Among the challenges to applying this technique to high-pressure melts within a laser heated diamond anvil cell are the low signal-to-noise ratio and overlapping diffraction peaks from the crystalline components of the sample assembly interfering with the diffuse scattering from the liquid. Recent advances in instrumentation at synchrotron X-ray sources have made this method more accessible for determination of density of melted material. In this work we present the technique and report the densities of three high-pressure melts of the FCC metals iron, nickel, and gold derived from diffuse scattered X-ray spectra collected from in situ laser-heated diamond anvil cell synchrotron experiments. The results are compared to densities derived from shock wave experiments.

Structural Fluctuation and Thermophysical Properties of Molten II-VI Compounds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

The objectives of the project is to conduct ground-based experimental and theoretical research on the structural fluctuations and thermophysical properties of molten II-VI compounds to enhance the basic understanding of the existing flight experiments in microgravity materials science programs and to study the fundamental heterophase fluctuations phenomena in these melts by: 1) Conducting neutron scattering analysis and measuring quantitatively the relevant thermophysical properties of the II-VI melts such as viscosity, electrical conductivity, thermal diffusivity and density as well as the relaxation characteristics of these properties to advance the understanding of the structural properties and the relaxation phenomena in these melts and 2) Performing theoretical analyses on the melt systems to interpret the experimental results. All the facilities required for the experimental measurements have been procured, installed and tested. A relaxation phenomenon, which shows a slow drift of the measured thermal conductivity toward the equilibrium value after cooling of the sample, was observed for the first time. An apparatus based on the transient torque induced by a rotating magnetic field has been developed to determine the viscosity and electrical conductivity of semiconducting liquids. Viscosity measurements on molten tellurium showed similar relaxation behavior as the measured diffusivity. Neutron scattering experiments were performed on the HgTe and HgZnTe melts and the results on pair distribution showed better resolution than previous reported.

Reuse of heat energy in wastewater: implementation examples in Japan.

PubMed

Funamizu, N; Iida, M; Sakakura, Y; Takakuwa, T

2001-01-01

Sewage and treated water can be a heat source in urban area due to large heat capacity, thus recovery and reuse of its energy is one of the most desirable plans for the sewerage system. In this paper, characteristics of heat energy in wastewater, reuse plans, and some experiences in Japan are presented. Full-scale reuse projects for heating and cooling in the Tokyo Metropolitan Districts and project for melting snow in Sapporo City are discussed. The key factors found in experience of Tokyo were setting the heat pumps near the demand points and the technical developments of equipment to prevent system from clogging, corrosion, and decrease in the heat transfer efficiency. It was also found through the project for melting snow in Sapporo that the key factor in public acceptance was the multi-purpose use of the sewerage system both for melting snow in winter and retaining rain water in summer.

Effect of Stepwise Pressure Change on Porosity Evolution during Directional Solidification in Small Cylindrical Channels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grugel, R.N.; Lee, C.P.; Cox, M.C.; Blandford, B.T.; Anilkumar, A.V.

2008-01-01

Controlled directional solidification experiments were performed in capillary channels, using nitrogen-saturated succinonitrile, to examine the effect of an in-situ stepwise processing pressure increase on an isolated pore evolution. Two experiments were performed using different processing pressure input profiles. The results indicate that a processing pressure increase has a transient effect on pore growth geometry characterized by an initial phase of decreasing pore diameter, followed by a recovery phase of increasing pore diameter. The experimental results also show that processing pressure can be used as a control parameter to either increase or terminate porosity formation. A theoretical model is introduced which indicates that the pore formation process is limited by the diffusion of solute-gas through the melt, and that the observed response toa pressure increase is attributed to the re-equilibration of solute concentration in the melt associated with the increased melt pressure.

Volcanic ash melting under conditions relevant to ash turbine interactions.

PubMed

Song, Wenjia; Lavallée, Yan; Hess, Kai-Uwe; Kueppers, Ulrich; Cimarelli, Corrado; Dingwell, Donald B

2016-03-02

The ingestion of volcanic ash by jet engines is widely recognized as a potentially fatal hazard for aircraft operation. The high temperatures (1,200-2,000 °C) typical of jet engines exacerbate the impact of ash by provoking its melting and sticking to turbine parts. Estimation of this potential hazard is complicated by the fact that chemical composition, which affects the temperature at which volcanic ash becomes liquid, can vary widely amongst volcanoes. Here, based on experiments, we parameterize ash behaviour and develop a model to predict melting and sticking conditions for its global compositional range. The results of our experiments confirm that the common use of sand or dust proxy is wholly inadequate for the prediction of the behaviour of volcanic ash, leading to overestimates of sticking temperature and thus severe underestimates of the thermal hazard. Our model can be used to assess the deposition probability of volcanic ash in jet engines.

Tholeiitic basalt magmatism of Kilauea and Mauna Loa volcanoes of Hawaii

USGS Publications Warehouse

Murata, K.J.

1970-01-01

The primitive magmas of Kilauca and Mauna Loa are generated by partial melting of mantle peridotite at depths of -60 km or more. Results of high-pressure melting experiments indicate that the primitive melt must contain at least 20% MgO in order to have olivine as a liquidus mineral. The least fractionated lavas of both volcanoes have olivine (Fa13) on the liquidus at 1 atmosphere, suggesting that the only substance lost from the primitive melt, during a rather rapid ascent to the surface, is olivine. This relation allows the primitive composition to be computed by adding olivine to the composition of an erupted lava until total MgO is at least 20 percent. Although roughly similar, historic lavas of the two volcanoes show a consistent difference in composition. The primitive melt of Mauna Loa contains 20% more dissolved orthopyroxene, a high-temperature melting phase in the mantle, and is deficient in elements such as potassium, uranium, and niobium, which presumably occur in minor low-melting phases. Mauna Loa appears to be the older volcano, deriving its magma at higher temperature and greater depth from a more depleted source rock. ?? 1970 Springer-Verlag.

Depth and degree of melting of komatiites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herzberg, Claude

1992-04-01

High pressure melting experiments have permitted new constraints to be placed on the depth and degree of partial melting of komatiites. Komatiites from Gorgona Island were formed by relatively low degrees of pseudoinvariant melting involving L + Ol + Opx + Cpx + Gt on the solidus at 40 kbar, about 130 km depth. Munro-type komatiites were separated from a harzburgite residue (L + Ol + Opx) at pressures that were poorly constrained, but were probably around 50 kbar, about 165 km depth; the degree of partial melting was less than 40 percent. Secular variations in the geochemistry of komatiites could have formed in response to a reduction in the temperature and pressure of melting with time. The 3.5 Ga Barberton komatiites and the 2.7 Ga Munro-type komatiities could have formed in plumes that were hotter than the present-day mantle by 500 deg and 300 deg, respectively. When excess temperatures are this size, melting is deeper and volcanism changes from basaltic to momatiitic. The komatiities from Gorgona Island, which are Mesozoic in age, may be representative of komatiities that are predicted to occur in oceanic plateaus of Cretaceous age throughout the Pacific (Storey et al., 1991).

Examination of nanosecond laser melting thresholds in refractory metals by shear wave acoustics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullaev, A.; Muminov, B.; Rakhymzhanov, A.; Mynbayev, N.; Utegulov, Z. N.

2017-07-01

Nanosecond laser pulse-induced melting thresholds in refractory (Nb, Mo, Ta and W) metals are measured using detected laser-generated acoustic shear waves. Obtained melting threshold values were found to be scaled with corresponding melting point temperatures of investigated materials displaying dissimilar shearing behavior. The experiments were conducted with motorized control of the incident laser pulse energies with small and uniform energy increments to reach high measurement accuracy and real-time monitoring of the epicentral acoustic waveforms from the opposite side of irradiated sample plates. Measured results were found to be in good agreement with numerical finite element model solving coupled elastodynamic and thermal conduction governing equations on structured quadrilateral mesh. Solid-melt phase transition was handled by means of apparent heat capacity method. The onset of melting was attributed to vanished shear modulus and rapid radial molten pool propagation within laser-heated metal leading to preferential generation of transverse acoustic waves from sources surrounding the molten mass resulting in the delay of shear wave transit times. Developed laser-based technique aims for applications involving remote examination of rapid melting processes of materials present in harsh environment (e.g. spent nuclear fuels) with high spatio-temporal resolution.

Measurement of Preheat and Shock Melting in Be Ablators During the First Few ns of the NIF Ignition Pulse

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bradley, D K; Prisbrey, S T; Page, R H

2008-05-28

We have developed a scaled hohlraum platform to experimentally measure preheat in ablator materials during the first few nanoseconds of the radiation drive proposed for ignition experiments at the National Ignition Facility [J. A. Paisner, J. D. Boyes, S. A. Kumpan, et al., Laser Focus World 30, 75 (1994)]. The platform design approximates the radiation environment of the pole of the capsule by matching both the laser spot intensity and illuminated hohlraum wall fraction in scaled halfraums driven by the OMEGA laser system [T. R. Boehly, D. L. Brown, R. S. Craxton, et al., Optics Communications 133, 495 (1997)]. Amore » VISAR reflecting from the rear surface of the sample was used to measure sample motion prior to shock breakout. The experiments show that the first {approx}20 {micro}m of a Be ablator will be melted by radiation preheat, with subsequent material melted by the initial shock, in agreement with simulations. The experiments also show no evidence of anomalous heating of buried high-z doped layers in the ablator.« less

Investigation of Sensible and Latent Heat Storage System using various HTF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beemkumar, N.; Karthikeyan, A.; Manoj, A.; Keerthan, J. S.; Stallan, Joseph Paul; Amithkishore, P.

2017-05-01

The objective of the work is investigating the latent heat storage system by varying heat transfer fluid (HTF). In this experiment, the effect of using different heat transfer fluids on the combined system is studied while using a low melting phase change material (PCM) i.e., paraffin wax. The heat transfer fluids chosen are water (low boiling fluid) and Therminol-66 (High boiling fluid). A comparison is made between the heat transfers by employing both the Heat transfer fluids. In the beginning, water is made to flow as the HTF and the charging process is undertaken followed by the discharging process by utilizing the different encapsulation materials namely, copper, aluminium and brass. These processes are then repeated for therminol-66 as HTF. At the end of the experiment it was concluded that even though therminol-66 enhances the latent heat storage capacity, water offers a higher sensible heat storage capacity, making it a better HTF for low melting PCM. Similar to above said process the experiments can be conducted for high and medium range melting point PCM with variation of HTF.

Vapor pressures and evaporation coefficients for melts of ferromagnesian chondrule-like compositions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedkin, A. V.; Grossman, L.; Ghiorso, M. S.

2006-01-01

To determine evaporation coefficients for the major gaseous species that evaporate from silicate melts, the Hertz-Knudsen equation was used to model the compositions of residues of chondrule analogs produced by evaporation in vacuum by Hashimoto [Hashimoto A. (1983) Evaporation metamorphism in the early solar nebula-evaporation experiments on the melt FeO-MgO-SiO 2-CaO-Al 2O 3 and chemical fractionations of primitive materials. Geochem. J. 17, 111-145] and Wang et al. [Wang J., Davis A. M., Clayton R. N., Mayeda T. K., Hashimoto A. (2001) Chemical and isotopic fractionation during the evaporation of the FeO-MgO-SiO 2-CaO-Al 2O 3-TiO 2 rare earth element melt system. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 65, 479-494], in vacuum and in H 2 by Yu et al. [Yu Y., Hewins R. H., Alexander C. M. O'D., Wang J. (2003) Experimental study of evaporation and isotopic mass fractionation of potassium in silicate melts. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 67, 773-786], and in H 2 by Cohen et al. [Cohen B. A., Hewins R. H., Alexander C. M. O'D. (2004) The formation of chondrules by open-system melting of nebular condensates. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 68, 1661-1675]. Vapor pressures were calculated using the thermodynamic model of Ghiorso and Sack [Ghiorso M. S., Sack R. O. (1995) Chemical mass transfer in magmatic processes IV. A revised and internally consistent thermodynamic model for the interpolation and extrapolation of liquid-solid equilibria in magmatic systems at elevated temperatures and pressures. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 119, 197-212], except for the late, FeO-free stages of the Wang et al. (2001) and Cohen et al. (2004) experiments, where the CMAS activity model of Berman [Berman R. G. (1983) A thermodynamic model for multicomponent melts, with application to the system CaO-MgO-Al 2O 3-SiO 2. Ph.D. thesis, University of British Columbia] was used. From these vapor pressures, evaporation coefficients ( α) were obtained that give the best fits to the time variation of the residue compositions. Evaporation coefficients derived for Fe (g), Mg (g), and SiO (g) from the Hashimoto (1983) experiments are similar to those found by Alexander [Alexander C. M. O'D. (2004) Erratum. Meteoritics Planet. Sci. 39, 163] in his EQR treatment of the same data and also adequately describe the FeO-bearing stages of the Wang et al. (2001) experiments. From the Yu et al. (2003) experiments at 1723 K, αNa = 0.26 ± 0.05, and αK = 0.13 ± 0.02 in vacuum, and αNa = 0.042 ± 0.020, and αK = 0.017 ± 0.002 in 9 × 10 -5 bar H 2. In the FeO-free stages of the Wang et al. (2001) experiments, αMg and αSiO are significantly different from their respective values in the FeO-bearing portions of the same experiments and from the vacuum values obtained at the same temperature by Richter [Richter F. M., Davis A. M., Ebel D. S., Hashimoto A. (2002) Elemental and isotopic fractionation of Type B calcium-, aluminum-rich inclusions: experiments, theoretical considerations, and constraints on their thermal evolution. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 66, 521-540] for CMAS compositions much lower in MgO. When corrected for temperature, the values of αMg and αSiO that best describe the FeO-free stages of the Wang et al. (2001) experiments also adequately describe the FeO-free stage of the Cohen et al. (2004) H 2 experiments, but αFe that best describes the FeO-bearing stage of the latter experiment differs significantly from the temperature-corrected value derived from the Hashimoto (1983) vacuum data.

Immiscible Transition from Carbonate-rich to Silicate-rich Melts in Eclogite+CO2 and Genesis of Ocean Island Melilitite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, R.; Stalker, K.; Hirschmann, M. M.

2004-12-01

Derivation of highly silica-undersaturated lavas such as olivine melilitites and melilite nephelinites from the mantle has been attributed to the effects of CO2. However, experimental studies have so far failed to demonstrate equilibrium of melilititic melts with a four-phase peridotite assemblage. Instead, the liquidus mineralogy of these silica-undersaturated magmas at high-pressures appears to be dominated by cpx1. Although, experimental partial melts from natural peridotite+CO2 span a continuum from carbonatite to alkali-basalts2, ocean-island melilitites have distinctly higher TiO2, FeO*, and CaO/(CaO+MgO)3,4 than compositions derived thus far from a carbonated lherzolite source. Partial melting experiments of a nominally anhydrous, natural eclogite with a small amount of added carbonate (SLEC1; 5 wt.% bulk CO2) were performed to investigate the transition between carbonate and silicate melts with increasing temperature. Experiments were conducted in a piston cylinder at 3 GPa from 1050 to 1400 ° C. Garnet and cpx appear in all the experiments and ilmenite is observed from 1075 to ˜1200 ° C. An Fe-bearing calcio-dolomitic melt is present from the solidus (1050-1075 ° C) up to 1375 ° C. Beginning at 1275 ° C, it coexists with a silica-poor silicate melt. Textural criteria indicate only a single CO2-rich silicate melt phase at 1400 ° C, coexisting with garnet and minor cpx. The liquidus temperature is estimated to be ˜1415 ° C from the melt fraction-temperature trend. With increasing temperature, the carbonate melt becomes richer in SiO2 ( ˜2 to 5 wt.%) and Al2O3 ( ˜0.75 to 2.25 wt.%) and poorer in CaO ( ˜30 to 25 wt.% from ˜1200 to 1375 ° C). Compositions of silicate partial melts change systematically with increasing temperature, increasing in SiO2 ( ˜36 to 41 wt.%), Al2O3 ( ˜4.5 to 9.5 wt.%), MgO ( ˜9.5 to 13 wt.%), CaO ( ˜8 to 14 wt.%) and decreasing in TiO2 ( ˜14 to 2.5 wt.%), FeO ( ˜20 to 13 wt.%), Na2O ( ˜3.3 to 1.7 wt.%). A wide temperature interval of coexisting carbonate and silicate partial melts of carbonated eclogite is distinct from the continuous transition from carbonate to silicate melts observed in carbonated peridotite systems2,5. At high-temperature, the silicate melts generated from SLEC1 are comparable to strongly silica-undersaturated, alkalic OIB lavas and closely resembles ocean island melilitite and nepheline melilitite3,4 in its SiO2, FeO*, MgO, CaO, TiO2, and Na2O content. They are also similar to melilite bearing lavas of continental affinity, though the match is not as close. Although the SLEC1 derived immiscible silicate melts are lower in Al2O3 than primitive alkalic OIB lavas, liquids richer in Al2O3 may be produced at slightly lower pressures. Geochemical and geodynamical investigations of carbonated eclogite sources for melilitic volcanic series thus merit consideration. 1. Brey, G and Green, D. H. 1977, CMP 61, 141-162. 2. Hirose, K. 1997, GRL 24, 2837-2840. 3. Clague, D. A. and Frey, F. A. 1982, JP 23, 447-504. 4. Hoernle, K. and Schmincke, H.-U. 1993, JP 34, 573-597. 5. Moore, K. R. and Wood, B. J. 1998, JP 39, 1943-1951.

Experimental determination of carbon solubility in Fe-Ni-S melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zhou; Hastings, Patrick; Von der Handt, Anette; Hirschmann, Marc M.

2018-03-01

To investigate the effect of metal/sulfide and Ni/Fe ratio on the C storage capacity of sulfide melts, we determine carbon solubility in Fe-Ni-S melts with various (Fe + Ni)/S and Ni/Fe via graphite-saturated high-pressure experiments from 2-7 GPa and 1200-1600 °C. Consistent with previous results, C solubility is high (4-6 wt.%) in metal-rich sulfide melts and diminishes with increasing S content. Melts with near M/S = 1 (XS > 0.4) have <0.5 wt.% C in equilibrium with graphite. C solubility is diminished modestly with increased Ni/Fe ratio, but the effect is most pronounced for S-poor melts, and becomes negligible in near-monosulfide compositions. Immiscibility between S-rich and C-rich melts is observed in Ni-poor compositions, but above ∼18 wt.% Ni there is complete miscibility. Because mantle sulfide compositions are expected to have high Ni concentrations, sulfide-carbide immiscibility is unlikely in natural mantle melts. An empirical parameterization of C solubility in Ni-Fe-S melts as a function of S and Ni contents allows estimation of the C storage capacity of sulfide in the mantle. Importantly, as the metal/sulfide (M/S) ratio of the melt increases, C storage increases both because C solubility increases and because the mass fraction of melt is enhanced by addition of metal from surrounding silicates. Under comparatively oxidized conditions where melts are near M/S = 1, as prevails at <250 km depth, bulk C storage is <3 ppm. In the deeper, more reduced mantle where M/S increases, up to 200 ppm C in typical mantle with 200 ± 100 ppm S can be stored in Fe-Ni-S melts. Thus, metal-rich sulfide melts are the principal host of carbon in the deep upper mantle and below. Residual carbon is present either as diamond or, if conditions are highly reduced and total C concentrations are low, solid alloy.

On mass transport in magmatic porosity waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, J.; Hesse, M. A.; Rudge, J. F.

2017-12-01

Geochemical analyses of oceanic basalts indicate the mantle is lithologically heterogenous and subject to partial melting. Here we show that porosity waves-which arise naturally in models of buoyancy driven melt migration-transport mass and preserve geochemical signatures, at least partially. Prior studies of tracer transport in one dimensional porosity waves conclude that porosity waves do not transfer mass. However, it is well known that one-dimensional porosity waves are unstable in two and three dimensions and break up into sets of cylindrical or spherical porosity waves. We show that tracer transport in higher dimensional porosity waves is dramatically different than in one dimension. Lateral melt focusing into these high porosity regions leads to melt recirculating in the center of the wave. Melt focusing and recirculation are not resolvable in one dimension where no sustained transport is observed in numerical experiments of solitary porosity waves. In two and three dimensions, the recirculating melt is separated from the background melt-flow field by a circular or spherical dividing streamline and transported with the phase velocity of the porosity wave. The amount of melt focusing that occurs within any given porosity wave, and thus, the extent of the dividing streamline, and resultant volume of transported melt is extremely sensitive to the selection of porosity-permeability and porosity-rheology relationships. Therefore, we present a regime diagram spanning common parameterizations that illustrates the minimum amplitude and phase velocity required for a solitary porosity wave to transport mass as a function of material properties and common parameters used in magma dynamics and mid-ocean ridge models. The realization that solitary waves are capable of sustaining melt transport may require the reinterpretation of previous studies. For example, transport in porosity waves may allow melts that originated from the partial melting of fertile heterogeneities to retain their incompatible trace element signatures as they rise through the mantle. Porosity waves may also provide a mechanism for mixing melts derived from heterogeneities with ambient melts derived from different depths in the mantle.

A chemical and thermodynamic model of oil generation in hydrocarbon source rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helgeson, Harold C.; Richard, Laurent; McKenzie, William F.; Norton, Denis L.; Schmitt, Alexandra

2009-02-01

Thermodynamic calculations and Gibbs free energy minimization computer experiments strongly support the hypothesis that kerogen maturation and oil generation are inevitable consequences of oxidation/reduction disproportionation reactions caused by prograde metamorphism of hydrocarbon source rocks with increasing depth of burial.These experiments indicate that oxygen and hydrogen are conserved in the process.Accordingly, if water is stable and present in the source rock at temperatures ≳25 but ≲100 °C along a typical US Gulf Coast geotherm, immature (reduced) kerogen with a given atomic hydrogen to carbon ratio (H/C) melts incongruently with increasing temperature and depth of burial to produce a metastable equilibrium phase assemblage consisting of naphthenic/biomarker-rich crude oil, a type-II/III kerogen with an atomic hydrogen/carbon ratio (H/C) of ˜1, and water. Hence, this incongruent melting process promotes diagenetic reaction of detritus in the source rock to form authigenic mineral assemblages.However, in the water-absent region of the system CHO (which is extensive), any water initially present or subsequently entering the source rock is consumed by reaction with the most mature kerogen with the lowest H/C it encounters to form CO 2 gas and a new kerogen with higher H/C and O/C, both of which are in metastable equilibrium with one another.This hydrolytic disproportionation process progressively increases both the concentration of the solute in the aqueous phase, and the oil generation potential of the source rock; i.e., the new kerogen can then produce more crude oil.Petroleum is generated with increasing temperature and depth of burial of hydrocarbon source rocks in which water is not stable in the system CHO by a series of irreversible disproportionation reactions in which kerogens with higher (H/C)s melt incongruently to produce metastable equilibrium assemblages consisting of crude oil, CO 2 gas, and a more mature (oxidized) kerogen with a lower H/C which in turn melts incongruently with further burial to produce more crude oil, CO 2 gas, and a kerogen with a lower H/C and so forth.The petroleum generated in the process progresses from heavy naphthenic crude oils at low temperatures to mature petroleum at ˜150 °C. For example, the results of Computer Experiment 27 (see below) indicate that the overall incongruent melting reaction in the water-absent region of the system C-H-O at 150 °C and a depth of ˜4.3 km of an immature type-II/III kerogen with a bulk composition represented by C 292H 288O 12(c) to produce a mature (oxidized) kerogen represented by C 128H 68O 7(c), together with a typical crude oil with an average metastable equilibrium composition corresponding to C 8.8H 16.9 (C 8.8H 16.9(l)) and CO 2 gas (CO 2(g)) can be described by writing CHO (kerogen,H/C=0.99O/C=0.041) →1.527CHO(kerogen,H/C=0.53O/C=0.055) +10.896CH(crude oil,H/C=1.92)+0.656CO which corresponds to a disproportionation reaction in the source rock representing the sum of a series of oxidation/reduction conservation reactions. Consideration of the stoichiometries of incongruent melting reactions analogous to Reaction (A) for reactant kerogens with different (H/C)s and/or atomic oxygen to carbon ratios (O/C)s, together with crude oil compositions corresponding to Gibbs free energy minima at specified temperatures and pressures permits calculation of the volume of oil (mole of reactant organic carbon (ROC)) -1 that can be generated in, as well as the volume of oil (mol ROC) -1 which exceeds the volume of kerogen pore space produced that must be expelled from hydrocarbon source rocks as a function of temperature, pressure, and the H/C and O/C of the reactant kerogen. These volumes and the reaction coefficients (mol ROC) -1 of the product kerogen, crude oil, and CO 2 gas in the incongruent melting reaction are linear functions of the H/C and O/C of the reactant kerogen at a given temperature and pressure. The slopes of the isopleths can be computed from power functions of temperature along a typical US Gulf Coast geotherm. All of these reactions and relations are consistent with the well-known observations that (1) the relative abundance of mature kerogen increases, and that of immature kerogen decreases with increasing burial of hydrocarbon source rocks and (2) that the volume of oil generated in a given source rock increases with increasing weight percent total organic carbon (TOC) and the H/C and (to a lesser extent) the O/C of the immature kerogen. They are also compatible with preservation of biomarkers and other polymerized hydrocarbons during the incongruent melting process. It can be deduced from Reaction (A) that nearly 11 mol of crude oil are produced from one mole of the reactant kerogen (rk), which increases to ˜39.5 mol (mol rk) -1 as the carbon content and H/C of the reactant kerogen increase to that in the hydrogen-rich type-I kerogen represented by C 415H 698O 22(c). The secondary porosities created in source rocks by Reaction (A) and others like it are of the order of 75-80 vol % of the oil generated, which requires expulsion of the remainder, together with the CO 2 gas produced by the reaction. The expulsion of the CO 2 gas and excess crude oil from the hydrocarbon source rock is facilitated by their buoyancy and the fact that the pressure in the source rocks is ⩾ the fluid pressure in the adjoining formations during progressive generation of the volume of crude oil that exceeds the kerogen pore volume produced by the incongruent melting process. The expelled CO 2 gas lowers the pH of the surrounding formation waters, which promotes the development of secondary porosity and diagenetic reaction of detrital silicates to form authigenic mineral assemblages. Hence, the expulsion process facilitates initial upward migration of the oil, which is further enhanced by expansion of the oil and its reaction with H 2O at the oil-water interface to generate methane gas. Mass transfer calculations indicate that the minimal volume of crude oil expelled into these formations is comparable to, or exceeds the volume of oil produced and in proven reserves in major oil fields such as the North Sea, the Paris and Los Angeles Basins, and those in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere in the Middle East. For example, taking account of the average weight percent ( W%) organic carbon in the immature kerogen (3.4 wt%) with an average H/C of ˜1.04 in the hydrocarbon source rocks in Saudi Arabia, which have an average thickness of ˜43 m, it can be shown (see below) that all of the oil (and oil equivalent of natural gas) produced and in proven reserves in Saudi Arabia (374 billion barrels of oil or ˜1.9 million barrels of oil km -2) can be accounted for by minimal expulsion from the source rocks of oil generated at ˜125 °C solely by the incongruent melting process. Computer experiments indicate that this process can also account for all the petroleum that can be, and has been generated in the world's hydrocarbon source rocks. Of the latter, as much as 75-80% may still remain in these rocks.

In situ determination of binary alloy melt compositions in the LHDAC by X- Radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lord, O. T.; Walter, M. J.; Walker, D.; Clark, S. M.

2008-12-01

Constraining the light element in Earth's molten outer core requires an understanding of the melting phase relations in iron-light element binary systems. For example, it is critical to determine the composition of liquids at binary eutectics. Typically such measurements are carried out after the sample has been quenched in temperature and pressure. Such 'cook and look' methods possibly suffer from systematic errors introduced by exsolution of the light element from the melt on quench and error in the reintegration of the liquid composition [1]. Here, we present a novel method for the determination of melt compositions in iron-light element binary systems in situ in the LHDAC at simultaneous high-pressure, high-temperature conditions. Samples consist of a light element bearing compound, such as FeO, surrounded by a pure iron ring, forming a donut ~100 μm in diameter and ~15 μm thick. The donuts are loaded into stainless steel gaskets in the DAC, sandwiched between discs fabricated from sol-gel deposited nanocrystalline Al2O3 with similar dimensions to the donut. Pressure is monitored by ruby fluorescence during compression. The sample is heated at the boundary between the iron and light element compound using two 100 W IR lasers in a double-sided configuration at beamline 12.2.2 at the Advanced Light Source. Temperature is measured by spectroradiometry. Before, during and after melting, X-radiographic images of the sample are taken by shining a defocused beam of synchrotron X-rays through the sample and onto a CdWO4 phosphor. The visible light from the phosphor is then focused onto a high resolution CCD, where absorption contrast images are recorded. The absorption of the molten region is then determined, and it's composition calculated by linear interpolation between the absorption of the two solid end members. As a test of the reliability of the method we measured the Fe-FeS eutectic to 20 GPa and our results are in good agreement with previous studies that are based on various ex situ techniques. We measured the eutectic composition between Fe and Fe3C up to 44 GPa, and found that the carbon content of the eutectic drops rapidly above about 10 GPa, dropping to less that 1 wt% by 44 GPa. This result is generally consistent with the thermodynamic calculations of Wood [2]. Experiments on the Fe-FeSi eutectic yielded an increase in the Si content of the eutectic to 35 GPa, consistent with data from large volume press experiments [3] Notably, melting experiments at 35-43 GPa and ~2500 K on a boundary between Fe and FeO failed to yield evidence of a melt with a composition distinguishable from pure iron. However, an experiment at 12 GPa and 2700 K between Fe and FeO(OH) did yield a melt with a composition intermediate between the two end members. This suggests that O solubility in the Fe-O eutectic melt is low at mid-mantle pressures, but that H may dissolve into the melt by itself or in combination with O. [1] Walker, D., 2005. Core-Mantle chemical issues. Canad. Min., 43, 1553-1564 [2] Wood, B. J., 1993. Carbon in the core. Earth Planet Sci. Lett., 117, 593-607 [3] Kuwayama, Y. & Hirose, K., 2004. Phase relations in the system Fe-FeSi at 21 GPa. Am. Min., 89, 273-276.

Eutectic melting temperature of the lowermost Earth's mantle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrault, D.; Lo Nigro, G.; Bolfan-Casanova, N.; Bouhifd, M.; Garbarino, G.; Mezouar, M.

2009-12-01

Partial melting of the Earth's deep mantle probably occurred at different stages of its formation as a consequence of meteoritic impacts and seismology suggests that it even continues today at the core-mantle boundary. Melts are important because they dominate the chemical evolution of the different Earth's reservoirs and more generally the dynamics of the whole planet. Unfortunately, the most critical parameter, that is the temperature profile inside the deep Earth, remains poorly constrained accross the planet history. Experimental investigations of the melting properties of materials representative of the deep Earth at relevant P-T conditions can provide anchor points to refine past and present temperature profiles and consequently determine the degree of melting at the different geological periods. Previous works report melting relations in the uppermost lower mantle region, using the multi-anvil press [1,2]. On the other hand, the pyrolite solidus was determined up to 65 GPa using optical observations in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell (LH-DAC) [3]. Finally, the melting temperature of (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 olivine is documented at core-mantle boundary (CMB) conditions by shock wave experiments [4]. Solely based on these reports, experimental data remain too sparse to draw a definite melting curve for the lower mantle in the relevant 25-135 GPa pressure range. We reinvestigated melting properties of lower mantle materials by means of in-situ angle dispersive X-ray diffraction measurements in the LH-DAC at the ESRF [5]. Experiments were performed in an extended P-T range for two starting materials: forsterite and a glass with chondrite composition. In both cases, the aim was to determine the onset of melting, and thus the eutectic melting temperatures as a function of pressure. Melting was evidenced from drastic changes of diffraction peak shape on the image plate, major changes in diffraction intensities in the integrated pattern, disappearance of diffraction rings, and changes in the relation between sample-temperature and laser-power. In this work, we show that temperatures higher than 4000 K are necessary for melting mean mantle at the 135 GPa pressure found at the core mantle boundary (CMB). Such temperature is much higher than that from estimated actual geotherms. Therefore, melting at the CMB can only occur if (i) pyrolitic mantle resides for a very long time in contact with the outer core, (ii) the mantle composition is severely affected by additional elements depressing the solidus such as water or (iii) the temperature gradient in the D" region is amazingly steep. Other implications for the temperature state and the lower mantle properties will be presented. References (1) Ito et al., Phys. Earth Planet. Int., 143-144, 397-406, 2004 (2) Ohtani et al., Phys. Earth Planet. Int., 100, 97-114, 1997 (3) Zerr et al., Science, 281, 243-246, 1998 (4) Holland and Ahrens, Science, 275, 1623-1625, 1997 (5) Schultz et al., High Press. Res., 25, 1, 71-83, 2005.

Remelting in caldera and rift environments and the genesis of hot, “recycled” rhyolites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simakin, A. G.; Bindeman, I. N.

2012-07-01

Large and small volume rhyolites are generated in calderas and rift zones, inheriting older and isotopically diverse crystal populations from their volcanic predecessors. Low-δ18O values in many of these rhyolites suggest that they were derived from the remelting of solid, hydrothermally altered by meteoric water protoliths that were once close to the surface, but become buried by caldera collapse or rifting. These rhyolites persist for millions of years in these environments with little evidence of coeval basalts. We present a series of numerical experiments on convective melting of roof-rocks by the underplated by near liquidus to superheated silicic melts, generated at the base of the chamber by basaltic intrusions in shallow crustal conditions. We used a range of temperatures and compositions, an appropriate phase diagram with a defined extended eutectic zone appropriate for these environments, varied sill thickness, viscosity of the boundary layer, and considered hydrothermal and lower boundary heat losses. The goal was to estimate melting rates and mechanisms, define conditions that are required for efficient and rapid remelting in the upper crust, quantitatively describe novel details of the dynamics of convecting melting, and compare it to the earlier parametric and numerical treatments of roof melting by underplating. Resolution of numerical experiments allowed us to track mixed thermal and two-phase plume-like convection in silicic magma with a bulk viscosity of 104.5-105.5 Pa s. The following results were obtained: (1) remarkably fast melting/magma generation rates of many meters per year, (2) intrinsic inhomogeneities in the roof accelerates convection and melting rates via rapid gravitational settling of refractory blocks and exposing detachment scars to the melting front, (3) due to rapid melting, hydrothermal heat loss through the roof, and conductive heat dissipation through the bottom are less important on melting timescales. (4) Convective melting is capable of digesting cold roof-rocks, with high assimilation degrees, which are primarily controlled by sill thickness and roof-rock temperature: thin 10 m sills are able to digest 40% of the initially hot roof-rock T=650 °C roof-rock, but>100 m sills achieve the same level of bulk digestion with T=400 °C roof-rocks. The proposed model can explain the origin of hot (above 800-850 °C), crystal-poor, "recycled" rhyolites in calderas and rift zones. It can also explain the generation of large, supervolcanic rhyolite volumes through remelting of their erupted and subvolcanic predecessors on rapid timescales, dictated by their zoned and disequilibrium crystalline cargo.

Hydrogen-alkali exchange between silicate melts and two-phase aqueous mixtures: an experimental investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Thomas J.; Candela, Philip A.; Piccoli, Philip M.

Experiments were performed in the three-phase system high-silica rhyolite melt + low-salinity aqueous vapor + hydrosaline brine, to investigate the exchange equilibria for hydrogen, potassium, and sodium in magmatic-hydrothermal systems at 800 °C and 100 MPa, and 850 °C and 50 MPa. The Kaqm/meltH,Na and Kaqm/meltH,K for hydrogen-sodium exchange between a vapor + brine mixture and a silicate melt are inversely proportional to the total chloride concentration (ΣCl) in the vapor + brine mixture indicating that HCl/NaCl and HCl/KCl are higher in the low-salinity aqueous vapor relative to high-salinity brine. The equilibrium constants for vapor/melt and brine/melt exchange were extracted from regressions of Kaqm/meltH,Na and Kaqm/meltH,K versus the proportion of aqueous vapor relative to brine in the aqueous mixture (Faqv) at P and T, expressed as a function of ΣCl. No significant pressure effect on the empirically determined exchange constants was observed for the range of pressures investigated. Model equilibrium constants are: Kaqv/meltH,Na(vapor/melt)=26(+/-1.3) at 100 MPa (800 °C), and 19( +/- 7.0) at 50 MPa (850 °C) Kaqv/meltH,K=14(+/-1.1) at 100 MPa (800 °C), and 24(+/-12) at 50 MPa (850 °C) Kaqb/meltH,b(brine/melt)= 1.6(+/-0.7) at 100 MPa (800 °C), and 3.9(+/-2.3) at 50 MPa (850 °C) and Kaqb/meltH,K=2.7(+/-1.2) at 100 MPa (800 °C) and 3.8(+/-2.3) at 50 MPa (850 °C). Values for Kaqv/meltH,K and Kaqb/meltH,K were used to calculate KCl/HCl in the aqueous vapor and brine as a function of melt aluminum saturation index (ASI: molar Al2O3/(K2O+Na2O+CaO) and pressure. The model log KCl/HCl values show that a change in melt ASI from peraluminous (ASI = 1.04) to moderately metaluminous (ASI = 1.01) shifts the cooling pathway (in temperature-log KCl/HCl space) of the aqueous vapor toward the andalusite+muscovite+K-feldspar reaction point.

Contrasting geochemical trends in the fertile and refractory parts of the NE Atlantic mantle source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tronnes, R. G.; Debaille, V.; Brandon, A. D.; Waight, T. E.; Graham, D. W.; Williams, A.; Lee, C. A.

2008-12-01

Primitive alkaline basalts from the Icelandic off-rift volcanic zones and Jan Mayen represent low-degree melts from the fertile parts of the NE Atlantic mantle. Olivine tholeiites and picrites from the Icelandic rift zones and nearby oceanic spreading ridges are formed by protracted decompressional melting. The V-shaped ridges along the Reykjanes, Kolbeinsey and Aegir ridges indicate that ascending source material is supplied by a pulsating plume and deflected laterally for distances of about 1000 km from Iceland (Jones et al. GGG 2002; Breivik et al. JGR 2006). Plume material deflected in the direction of the rift zones and spreading ridges undergoes extensive melting at shallow level, whereas material deflected in other directions flows laterally at deeper levels and remains largely unmelted and more fertile. The comparison of a sample suite of primitive off-rift basalts from Iceland and Jan Mayen (Debaille et al., in prep.) with olivine tholeiites and picrites from the Icelandic rift zones (mainly Brandon et al. GCA 2007) demonstrate opposing geochemical trends. The degree of source enrichment, expressed by the La/Sm-ratio, is positively and negatively correlated with 87/86Sr and 143/144Nd throughout the entire range of depleted rift zone tholeiites and enriched off-rift basalts. In the rift zone tholeiites the La/Sm-ratio has negative correlations with Mg# and Mg-content and positive correlations with 187/188Os and 3/4He. These four trends have opposite equivalents for the off-rift basalts. The most enriched and alkaline basalts from Jan Mayen and Snæfellsnes have the lowest 3/4He of 6-9*Ra and 187/188Os of 0.12-0.13. The trends seem to require a source component with ancient melt depletion and subsequent enrichment. A subcontinental lithospheric mantle keel (SCLM) is the most likely origin for the enriched component with high LILE, La/Sm and 87/86Sr and low 143/144Nd, 3/4He and 187/188Os. The most enriched alkaline basalts have notably higher Mg# and Mg and lower Fe and Na (but higher Ti, K and P) than the least enriched off-rift basalts. The first order geochemical variation in the off-rift basalts can be modelled by progressive partial melting of a pseudo-binary source mixture of the SCLM- component and a composite component with high 143/144Nd and 3/4He and low 87/86Sr. Depleted MORB- like asthenosphere is required to model the further progressive melting of the rift-related tholeiitic basalts.

Metasomatism and the Weakening of Cratons: A Mechanism to Rift Cratons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wenker, Stefanie; Beaumont, Christopher

2016-04-01

The preservation of cratons is a demonstration of their strength and resistance to deformation. However, several cratons are rifting now (e.g. Tanzania and North China Craton) or have rifted in the past (e.g. North Atlantic Craton). To explain this paradox, we suggest that widespread metasomatism of the originally cold depleted dehydrated craton mantle lithosphere root can act as a potential weakening mechanism. This process, particularly melt metasomatism, increases root density through a melt-peridotite reaction, and reduces root viscosity by increasing the temperature and rehydrating the cratonic mantle lithosphere. Using 2D numerical models, we model silicate-melt metasomatism and rehydration of cold cratonic mantle lithosphere that is positioned beside standard Phanerozoic lithosphere. The models are designed to investigate when a craton is sufficiently weakened to undergo rifting and is no longer protected by the initially weaker adjacent standard Phanerozoic lithosphere. Melt is added to specified layers in the cratonic mantle lithosphere at a uniform volumetric rate determined by the duration of metasomatism (3 Myr, 10 Myr or 30 Myr), until a total of ~30% by volume of melt has been added. During melt addition heat and mass are properly conserved and the density and volume increase by the respective amounts required by the reaction with the peridotite. No extensional boundary conditions are applied to the models during the metasomatism process. As expected, significant refertilization leads to removal and thinning of progressively more gravitationally unstable cratonic mantle lithosphere. We show that the duration of metasomatism dictates the final temperature in the cratonic upper mantle lithosphere. Consequently, when extensional boundary conditions are applied in our rifting tests in most cases the Phanerozoic lithosphere rifts. The craton rifts only in the models with the hottest cratonic upper mantle lithosphere. Our results indicate rifting of cratons depends on the timing of extension, with respect to metasomatism. The key effect is the associated increase in temperature which must have time to reach peak values in the initially cold and strongest, uppermost mantle lithosphere. However, it remains true that the model cratons mostly remain strong and only rift when subjected to intensive metasomatism. This may explain why so many cratons have survived and only a few have rifted. An additional effect is that the craton surface subsides isostatically to balance the increasing density of craton mantle lithosphere where it is moderately metasomatized. We suggest that this is the mechanism that forms intracratonic basins. If correct, subsidence and subsequent uplift of intracratonic basins, and cratonic rifting constitute evidence of progressive metasomatism of cratonic mantle lithosphere.

Numerical simulation of the alloying process during impulse induction heating of the metal substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popov, V. N.

2017-10-01

2D numerical modeling of the processes during the alloying of the substrate surface metal layer is carried out. Heating, phase transition, heat and mass transfer in the molten metal, solidification of the melt are considered with the aid the proposed mathematical model. Under study is the applicability of the high-frequency electromagnetic field impulse for metal heating and melting. The distribution of the electromagnetic energy in the metal is described by empirical formulas. According to the results of numerical experiments, the flow structure in the melt and distribution of the alloying substances is evaluated.