National Institute of Standards and Technology, Author at Design World

NIST Study Identifies Chemical Blends as Possible Alternative Refrigerants

National Institute of Standards and Technology — Thu, 30 May 2019 14:26:40 +0000

More than a dozen chemical blends could serve as alternative refrigerants that won’t heat the atmosphere as much as today’s refrigerants do, or catch fire, according to a new computational study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The NIST study identified the 22 “best” nonflammable or marginally flammable blends with lower global warming…

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NIST Research Sparks New Insights on Laser Welding

National Institute of Standards and Technology — Thu, 02 May 2019 15:57:05 +0000

On its surface, the work is deceptively simple: Shoot a high-power laser beam onto a piece of metal for a fraction of a second and see what happens. But researchers say the physics of laser welding is surprisingly complex. A better understanding of the interaction between laser and metal could give industry more control over…

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One Detector Doesn’t ‘Fit All’ For Smoke In Spacecraft

National Institute of Standards and Technology — Thu, 03 May 2018 08:00:00 +0000

What had been a peaceful and productive mission for the six men aboard the Russian space station Mir, including U.S. astronaut Jerry Linenger, nearly became a tragic nightmare during the evening of Feb. 24, 1997. A lithium-perchlorate canister, designed to generate oxygen via a chemical reaction, suddenly burst into flames when activated. Although the fire…

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