Engineering topics

Elliott, D. G.

Publications and source records attributed to Elliott, D. G..

At least 19 records

NASA NTRS1987

Air-Powered Projectile Launcher

Air-powered launcher fires plastic projectiles without using explosive propellants. Does not generate high temperatures. Launcher developed for combat training for U.S. Army. With reservoir pressurized, air launcher ready to fire. When pilot valve opened, sleeve (main valve) moves to rear. Projectile rapidly propelled through barrel, pushed by air from reservoir. Potential applications in seismic measurements, avalanche control, and testing impact resistance of windshields on vehicles.

Andrews, T.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Pump for Saturated Liquids

Boiling liquids pumped by device based on proven components. Expanding saturated liquid in nozzle and diverting its phases along separate paths in liquid/vapor separator raises pressure of liquid. Liquid cooled in process. Pump makes it unnecessary to pressurize cryogenic liquids in order to pump them. Problems of introducing noncondensable pressurizing gas avoided.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Theory and Tests of Two-Phase Turbines

New turbines open possibility of new types of power cycles. Report describes theoretical analysis and experimental testing of two-phase impulse turbines. Such turbines open possibility of new types of power cycles operating with extremely wet mixtures of steam and water, organic fluids, or immiscible liquids and gases. Possible applications are geothermal power, waste-heat recovery, refrigerant expansion, solar conversion, transportation, and engine-bottoming cycles.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Puncture-Tolerant Heat Radiator

Heat radiator does not lose coolant through small punctures and does not require heavy, cumbersome shielding as protection against punctures. Small holes in radiator cause no outpouring of coolant; only small amount evaporates through hole leaves system. Film of silicone oil flows along interior surface of aluminum shell, transferring much of its heat to shell and outside. Unit provides cooling for 100-kW nuclear powerplant.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Method for driving two-phase turbines with enhanced efficiency

A method for driving a two phase turbine characterized by an output shaft having at least one stage including a bladed rotor connected in driving relation with the shaft is described. A two phase fluid is introduced into one stage at a known flow velocity and caused to pass through the rotor for imparing angular velocity thereto. The angular velocity of the rotor is maintained at a value such that the angular velocity of the tips of the blades of the rotor is a velocity equal to at least 50% of the velocity of the flow of the two phase fluid.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Two-Phase Wet/Dry Engine for Waste-Heat Recovery

Novel supersonic fluid expansion nozzle used to vaporize toluene (or other drying-type organic liquid) by expansion through two-phase region to drive impulse turbine in Rankine-cycle engine.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Rotary radiators for reduced space powerplant temperatures

If new radiator concepts can achieve radiator weights below 3 kg/sq m, nuclear space powerplants can operate at temperatures below 900 K and use stainless steel construction. Tube-and-fin or heat-pipe radiators weigh at least 5 kg/sq m because the tube walls must be thick enough to prevent or limit meteoroid punctures. However, radiators that require no meteoroid protection can be built using low-vapor-pressure liquids that can be exposed directly to space. One possible design for such a radiator is the 'rotary radiator' that uses centrifugal force to move the liquid across a thin radiating disk and uses surface tension to retain the liquid despite meteoroid punctures.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Flow of nitrogen-pressurized Halon 1301 in fire extinguishing systems

Halon 1301 which is a halocarbon fire extinguishing agent (CBrF3) used by the U.S. Army for vehicle fire suppression is discussed. Halon 1301 is discharged under nitrogen pressure, and the Halon-nitrogen mixture is a two phase, two component mixture that obeys compressible fluid laws and exhibits choking effects. A computer model was developed to analyze the discharge of Halon and nitrogen from a storage bottle through pipes and nozzles. The model agrees well with data from Halon 1301 discharge tests. The discharge time depends mainly on nozzle area and pipe volume, for given initial conditions. Graphs were developed for estimating discharge times. A nozzle employing multiple concentric converging/diverging nozzles was developed which gave hemispherical coverage.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Staging Two-Phase Turbines

Staging method solves problem of friction loss and low efficiency of two phase (liquid/gas) flow in turbines by using high blade-tip speeds in first stage for progressively lower tip speeds in succeeding stages.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Two-phase turbine staging

Two-phase turbines would be useful in Rankine cycles using low-quality or saturated-liquid working fluids. The chief problem is low efficiency due to slip losses in nozzles and due to liquid impact and friction losses in rotors. To raise efficiency, a staging method was tested in which the first stage operated at high speed with low relative liquid velocity, and the second stage recovered the first-stage exit energy. The theoretical efficiency for an experimental turbine operating with Refrigerant-22 was raised from 55 percent to 66 percent, and the measured efficiency was raised from 52 percent to 57 percent.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Tests of a 2-Stage, Axial-Flow, 2-Phase Turbine

A two phase flow turbine with two stages of axial flow impulse rotors was tested with three different working fluid mixtures at a shaft power of 30 kW. The turbine efficiency was 0.55 with nitrogen and water of 0.02 quality and 94 m/s velocity, 0.57 with Refrigerant 22 of 0.27 quality and 123 m/s velocity, and 0.30 with steam and water of 0.27 quality and 457 m/s velocity. The efficiencies with nitrogen and water and Refrigerant 22 were 86 percent of theoretical. At that fraction of theoretical, the efficiencies of optimized two phase turbines would be in the low 60 percent range with organic working fluids and in the mid 50 percent range with steam and water. The recommended turbine design is a two stage axial flow impulse turbine followed by a rotary separator for discharge of separate liquid and gas streams and recovery of liquid pressure.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Theory and tests of two-phase turbines

A theoretical model for two-phase turbines was developed. Apparatus was constructed for testing one- and two-stage turbines (using speed decrease from stage to stage). Turbines were tested with water and nitrogen mixtures and refrigerant 22. Nozzle efficiencies were 0.78 (measured) and 0.72 (theoretical) for water and nitrogen mixtures at a water/nitrogen mixture ratio of 68, by mass; and 0.89 (measured) and 0.84 (theoretical) for refrigerant 22 expanding from 0.02 quality to 0.28 quality. Blade efficiencies (shaft power before windage and bearing loss divided by nozzle jet power) were 0.63 (measured) and 0.71 (theoretical) for water and nitrogen mixtures and 0.62 (measured) and 0.63 (theoretical) for refrigerant 22 with a single stage turbine, and 0,70 (measured) and 0.85 (theoretical) for water and nitrogen mixtures with a two-stage turbine.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Method and turbine for extracting kinetic energy from a stream of two-phase fluid

An axial flow separator turbine is described which includes a number of nozzles for delivering streams of a two-phase fluid along linear paths. A phase separator which responsively separates the vapor and liquid is characterized by concentrically related annuli supported for rotation within the paths. The separator has endless channels for confining the liquid under the influence of centrifugal forces. A vapor turbine fan extracts kinetic energy from the liquid. Angular momentum of both the liquid phase and the vapor phase of the fluid is converted to torque.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Comparison of experimental and theoretical reaction rail currents, rail voltages, and airgap fields for the linear induction motor research vehicle

Measurements of reaction rail currents, reaction rail voltages, and airgap magnetic fields in tests of the Linear Induction Motor Research Vehicle (LIMRV) were compared with theoretical calculations from the mesh/matrix theory. It was found that the rail currents and magnetic fields predicted by the theory are within 20 percent of the measured currents and fields at most motor locations in most of the runs, but differ by as much as a factor of two in some cases. The most consistent difference is a higher experimental than theoretical magnetic field near the entrance of the motor and a lower experimental than theoretical magnetic field near the exit. The observed differences between the theoretical and experimental magnetic fields and currents do not account for the differences of as much as 26 percent between the theoretical and experimental thrusts.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Two-phase turbine engines

A description is given of a two-phase turbine which utilizes a uniform mixture of gas and liquid accelerated in nozzles of the types reported by Elliott and Weinberg (1968). The mixture acts directly on an axial flow or tangential impulse turbine or is separated into gas and liquid streams which operate separately on a gas turbine and a hydraulic turbine. The basic two-phase cycles are examined, taking into account working fluids, aspects of nozzle expansion, details of turbine cycle operation, and the effect of mixture ratio variation. Attention is also given to two-phase nozzle efficiency, two-phase turbine operating characteristics and efficiencies, separator turbines, and impulse turbine experiments.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Comparison of geothermal power conversion cycles

Geothermal power conversion cycles are compared with respect to recovery of the available wellhead power. The cycles compared are flash steam, in which steam turbines are driven by steam separated from one or more flash stages; binary, in which heat is transferred from the brine to an organic turbine cycle; flash binary, in which heat is transferred from flashed steam to an organic turbine cycle; and dual steam, in which two-phase expanders are driven by the flashing steam-brine mixture and steam turbines by the separated steam. Expander efficiencies assumed are 0.7 for steam turbines, 0.8 for organic turbines, and 0.6 for two-phase expanders. The fraction of available wellhead power delivered by each cycle is found to be about the same at all brine temperatures: 0.65 with one stage and 0.7 with four stages for dual stream; 0.4 with one stage and 0.6 with four stages for flash steam; 0.5 for binary; and 0.3 with one stage and 0.5 with four stages for flash binary.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Separation of gas from liquid in a two-phase flow system

Separation system causes jets which leave two-phase nozzles to impinge on each other, so that liquid from jets tends to coalesce in center of combined jet streams while gas phase is forced to outer periphery. Thus, because liquid coalescence is achieved without resort to separation with solid surfaces, cycle efficiency is improved.

Hayes, L. G.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Optimum windings for linear induction machines.

The matrix method of calculating linear induction machine performance as a function of winding current distribution was extended to determine the winding current distribution for maximum efficiency. Application of the method to typical magnetohydrodynamic generator geometries showed that electrical efficiencies of 0.5 to 0.6 are possible with fractional wavelength windings and without insulating vanes in the flow.

Elliott, D. G.↗