Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Distributed power generation”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Galileo spacecraft power management and distribution system

The Galileo PMAD (power management and distribution system) is described, and the design drivers that established the final as-built hardware are discussed. The spacecraft is powered by two general-purpose heat-source-radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Power bus regulation is provided by a shunt regulator. Galileo PMAD distributes a 570-W beginning of mission (BOM) power source to a user complement of some 137 load elements. Extensive use of pyrotechnics requires two pyro switching subassemblies. They initiate 148 squibs which operate the 47 pyro devices on the spacecraft. Detection and correction of faults in the Galileo PMAD is an autonomous feature dictated by requirements for long life and reliability in the absence of ground-based support. Volatile computer memories in the spacecraft command and data system and attitude control system require a continuous source of backup power during all anticipated power bus fault scenarios. Power for the Jupiter Probe is conditioned, isolated, and controlled by a Probe interface subassembly. Flight performance of the spacecraft and the PMAD has been successful to date, with no major anomalies.

Detwiler, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1995

PMAD for the Next Generation Spacecraft

The next generation spacecraft is reducing the power, mass and volume envelope for the power system. The Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) function has traditionally been the largest

Next↗
NASA NTRS1991

The evolution of power management architecture for missions to the outer planets

Outer planet spacecraft have unique requirements that differentiate them from inner planet and Earth orbiter spacecraft. To meet these requirements, the Voyager and Galileo Power Management And Distribution (PMAD) architectures employed shunt regulation and carried on the Mariner tradition of AC power distribution to many of the user loads. Also, autonomous fault recovery was achieved by automatic responses in hardware and software recovery routines. Finally, power distribution switching was expanded to allow for removal of the most trivial load element as the nuclear source depleted itself. The design cycle has begun for a third generation spacecraft set named Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby (CRAF) and Cassini (a saturn orbiter). In their power systems, AC power distribution, relay/fuse load switching, and fault protection will give way to the advantages of DC power and solid state load switches.

Detwiler, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Activities in space-based solar power development

Two space-based power concepts are considered. The satellite solar power system concept employs a large solar cell array to convert solar energy to electrical energy. The energy, in the form of microwaves, is transmitted to the ground where it is converted to dc power and transmitted to the utility network. According to the power relay satellite concept, power is generated on the ground at large stations in remote areas. The generated power in the form of microwaves is beamed for distribution to a relay satellite. Studies related to an investigation of the feasibility of the two concepts are briefly discussed.

Whitacre, W. E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The NASA space power technology program

The NASA Space Power Technology Program is driven by missions extending 30 years into the future. The general characteristics of these missions will be described insofar as they drive power system requirements. The various elements of the program will be presented and put into this mission context. Specific technologies discussed include: solar dynamic, nuclear, and photovoltaic power generation; electrochemical energy storage; power generation; electrochemical energy storage; thermal management; and power management and distribution, including environmental interactions and materials. These programs are strongly interlinked and interdependent and focus on meeting a broad range of agency and national needs.

Vanlandingham, E. E.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Concepts for design of an energy management system incorporating dispersed storage and generation

New forms of generation based on renewable resources must be managed as part of existing power systems in order to be utilized with maximum effectiveness. Many of these generators are by their very nature dispersed or small, so that they will be connected to the distribution part of the power system. This situation poses new questions of control and protection, and the intermittent nature of some of the energy sources poses problems of scheduling and dispatch. Under the assumption that the general objectives of energy management will remain unchanged, the impact of dispersed storage and generation on some of the specific functions of power system control and its hardware are discussed.

Kirkham, H.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Reliability and Safety Assessment of Urban Air Mobility Concept Vehicles

The following work was commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to guide industry and future regulation related to urban air mobility (UAM). Prior studies compared the relative safety of NASA concept vehicles, Figure ES1, designed for UAM and provided recommendations for industry research, aircraft architectural improvements, and regulatory updates. After the prior study completed, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) released regulatory guidance in the form of a special condition (SC), SC-VTOL-01, for multirotors with distributed propulsion and flight controls (DPFC). The objective of the current work was to develop DPFC architectures that will comply with SC-VTOL-01. Vehicle designs, DPFC architectures, and stability & control (S&C) models were developed to find limitations and trends to guide industry. To guide this task, NASA developed quad, hex, and an octorotor to better define vehicle attributes and trade space. Aircraft for study included electric, hybrid-electric, and turboshaft powerplants and collective and RPM control schemes. Assessments are in terms of the safety level achieved, and/or aircraft component/features needed to meet SC-VTOL-01. The most challenging criteria being the catastrophic failure rate, ≤10-9 catastrophic failures per flight hour, and that no single failures may result in a catastrophic event. A disciplined process was followed, similar to that in Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) 4761. A preliminary system safety assessment (PSSA) leveraged prior work as a basis of creating failure rate budgets for system design teams. System designs were updated and iterated upon, working with reliability and safety subject matter experts to develop SC-VTOL-01 compliant designs. Design changes were reflected in updated PSSAs for initial verification of compliance. The DPFC architecture was broken into four system design teams, the (1) flight control system (FCS), (2) drive and power system, (3) thermal management system (TMS), and (4) electrical power and distribution system. The FCS including elements necessary to control the aircraft, drive and power including elements necessary to generate and transmit shaft power, the TMS including elements necessary to maintain temperature limits in all operating environments, and electrical pow-er and distribution including equipment necessary to store and transmit electrical energy. Results found that all aircraft evaluated may have paths to comply with SC-VTOL-01, Figure ES2. However, S&C models showed large power transients that must be addressed and PSSA results show that future work is needed in single load path structures, high voltage power storage and distribution, and in motor/rotor overspeed protection.

Boeing↗
NASA NTRS1980

High voltage systems (tube-type microwave)/low voltage system (solid-state microwave) power distribution

SPS satellite power distribution systems are described. The reference Satellite Power System (SPS) concept utilizes high-voltage klystrons to convert the onboard satellite power from dc to RF for transmission to the ground receiving station. The solar array generates this required high voltage and the power is delivered to the klystrons through a power distribution subsystem. An array switching of solar cell submodules is used to maintain bus voltage regulation. Individual klystron dc voltage conversion is performed by centralized converters. The on-board data processing system performs the necessary switching of submodules to maintain voltage regulation. Electrical power output from the solar panels is fed via switch gears into feeder buses and then into main distribution buses to the antenna. Power also is distributed to batteries so that critical functions can be provided through solar eclipses.

Nussberger, A. A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Space vehicle electrical power processing distribution and control study. Volume 1: Summary

A concept for the processing, distribution, and control of electric power for manned space vehicles and future aircraft is presented. Emphasis is placed on the requirements of the space station and space shuttle configurations. The systems involved are referred to as the processing distribution and control system (PDCS), electrical power system (EPS), and electric power generation system (EPGS).

Krausz, A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Comparison of electrochemical and thermal storage for hybrid parabolic dish solar power plants

The economic and operating performance of a parabolic point focus array of solar electricity generators combined with either battery or thermal energy storage are examined. Noting that low-cost, mass-producible power generating units are under development for the point focus of distributed dishes, that Zn-Cl battery tests will begin in 1981 and a 100 kWh Na-S battery in 1983, the state of thermal storage requires acceleration to reach the prototype status of the batteries. Under the assumptions of 10,000 units/yr with an expected 30 yr lifetime, cost comparisons are developed for 10 types of advanced batteries. A 5 MWe plant with full thermal or 80% battery storage discharge when demand occurs in conditions of no insolation is considered, specifically for Fe-Cr redox batteries. A necessity for the doubling of fuel prices from 1980 levels by 1990 is found in order to make the systems with batteries economically competitive.

Steele, H. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Space Station Power System Advanced Development

The objectives of the Space Station Advanced Development Program are related to the development of a set of design options and/or new capabilities to support Space Station development and operation, taking into account also a quantification of the performance and risk of key state-of-the-art technologies, and a reduction of the cost and schedule risk in Space Station development. Attention is given to the photovoltaic power system, a solar dynamic system, and aspects of power management and distribution. A major issue will be the selection of the power generation system. In view of the advantages of the solar dynamic system, it is attempted to resolve issues associated with this system.

Forestieri, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1999

[X-33 Systems]

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works has compiled an Annual Performance Report of the X-33/RLV Program. This report consists of individual reports from all industry team members, as well as NASA team centers. This portion of the report is comprised of a status report of Allied-Signal Aerospace's contribution to the program. The following is a summary of the work reviewed under their portion of the agreement: (1) Communication Systems; (2) Environmental Control Systems- Active Thermal Control System (ATCS), Purge and Vent System, Hydrogen Detection System (HDS), Avionics Bay Inerting System (ABIS), and Flush Air Data System (FADS); (2) Landing Systems; (3) Power Management and Generation Systems; (4) Flight Control Actuation System (FCAS)- Electric Power Control & Distribution System (EPCDS), and Battery Power System (BPS); and (5) Vehicle Management Systems (VMS)- VMS Hardware, VMS Software Development Activities, and System Integration Laboratory (SIL).

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2011

Substituted Quaternary Ammonium Salts Improve Low-Temperature Performance of Double-Layer Capacitors

Double-layer capacitors are unique energy storage devices, capable of supporting large current pulses as well as a very high number of charging and discharging cycles. The performance of doublelayer capacitors is highly dependent on the nature of the electrolyte system used. Many applications, including for electric and fuel cell vehicles, back-up diesel generators, wind generator pitch control back-up power systems, environmental and structural distributed sensors, and spacecraft avionics, can potentially benefit from the use of double-layer capacitors with lower equivalent series resistances (ESRs) over wider temperature limits. Higher ESRs result in decreased power output, which is a particular problem at lower temperatures. Commercially available cells are typically rated for operation down to only 40 C. Previous briefs [for example, Low Temperature Supercapacitors (NPO-44386), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 7 (July 2008), p. 32, and Supercapacitor Electrolyte Solvents With Liquid Range Below 80 C (NPO-44855), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 34, No. 1 (January 2010), p. 44] discussed the use of electrolytes that employed low-melting-point co-solvents to depress the freezing point of traditional acetonitrile-based electrolytes. Using these modified electrolyte formulations can extend the low-temperature operational limit of double-layer capacitors beyond that of commercially available cells. This previous work has shown that although the measured capacitance is relatively insensitive to temperature, the ESR can rise rapidly at low temperatures, due to decreased electrolyte conductance within the pores of the high surface- area carbon electrodes. Most of these advanced electrolyte systems featured tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEATFB) as the salt. More recent work at JPL indicates the use of the asymmetric quaternary ammonium salt triethylmethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEMATFB) or spiro-(l,l')-bipyrrolidium tetrafluoroborate (SBPBF4) in a 1:1 by volume solvent mixture of acetonitrile (AN) and methyl formate (MF) enables double-layer capacitor cells to operate well below -40 C with a relatively low ESR. Typically, a less than twofold increase in ESR is observed at -65 C relative to room-temperature values, when these modified electrolyte blends are used in prototype cells. Double-layer capacitor coin cells filled with these electrolytes have displayed the lowest measured ESR for an organic electrolyte to date at low temperature (based on a wide range of electrolyte screening studies at JPL). The cells featured high-surface-area (approximately equal to 2,500 m/g) carbon electrodes that were 0.50 mm thick and 1.6 cm in diameter, and coated with a thin layer of platinum to reduce cell resistance. A polyethylene separator was used to electrically isolate the electrodes.

Brandon, Erik J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of an Adaptive Droop Control Method for Interconnected Lunar DC Microgrids Using Power Hardware-in-the-Loop

NASA’s Artemis Program outlines the need for a habitat capable of sustaining human life as well as mining and producing raw materials on the lunar surface. This mission is viewed as a means towards deeper space exploration, with plans for reaching Mars and beyond. Human presence on the moon is not possible without the ability to generate and distribute energy, namely electricity, through a network of energy sources, loads, and power converters called a microgrid. Multiple microgrids can be deployed on the moon based on location and need. Separate microgrids will require interconnection to increase resiliency and reliability given the mission’s high criticality. A method for adaptive control over power converters connecting two dc microgrids is proposed. A simulation is modeled after the lunar power system with two approaches to power converter droop control, allowing for a more flexible and adaptive microgrid architecture. Further experiments are conducted using the control methods in a power hardware-in-the-loop test environment to study the performance of hardware converter control used in this application.

dc microgrid↗
NASA NTRS2000

2nd & 3rd Generation Vehicle Subsystems

This paper contains viewgraph presentation on the "2nd & 3rd Generation Vehicle Subsystems" project. The objective behind this project is to design, develop and test advanced avionics, power systems, power control and distribution components and subsystems for insertion into a highly reliable and low-cost system for a Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV). The project is divided into two sections: 3rd Generation Vehicle Subsystems and 2nd Generation Vehicle Subsystems. The following topics are discussed under the first section, 3rd Generation Vehicle Subsystems: supporting the NASA RLV program; high-performance guidance & control adaptation for future RLVs; Evolvable Hardware (EHW) for 3rd generation avionics description; Scaleable, Fault-tolerant Intelligent Network or X(trans)ducers (SFINIX); advance electric actuation devices and subsystem technology; hybrid power sources and regeneration technology for electric actuators; and intelligent internal thermal control. Topics discussed in the 2nd Generation Vehicle Subsystems program include: design, development and test of a robust, low-maintenance avionics with no active cooling requirements and autonomous rendezvous and docking systems; design and development of a low maintenance, high reliability, intelligent power systems (fuel cells and battery); and design of a low cost, low maintenance high horsepower actuation systems (actuators).

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2014

A Turbo-Brayton Cryocooler for Aircraft Superconducting Systems

Hybrid turboelectric aircraft-with gas turbines driving electric generators connected to electric propulsion motors-have the potential to transform aircraft design. Decoupling power generation from propulsion enables innovative aircraft designs, such as blended-wing bodies, with distributed propulsion. These hybrid turboelectric aircraft have the potential to significantly reduce emissions, decrease fuel burn, and reduce noise, all of which are required to make air transportation growth projections sustainable. The power density requirements for these electric machines can only be achieved with superconductors, which in turn require lightweight, high-capacity cryocoolers.

Dietz, Anthony↗
NASA NTRS2024

Optimal Control Allocation for Distributed Electric Propulsion in a Series/Parallel Partial Hybrid Powertrain

The SUbsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) Electrofan is a NASA concept jet transport aircraft with a 2040 entry-into-service date. It utilizes electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP) to enable propulsive and aerodynamic benefits to reduce fuel usage, emissions, and cost. The powertrain consists of a single thrust producing, boundary layer-ingesting (BLI) turbofan gas turbine engine (GTE) with generators driving a series/parallel partial hybrid EAP system. The architecture includes 16 underwing contrarotating BLI fans, eight on each side, in a mailslot configuration. The 16 fans run on power extracted from the GTE through four 5 MW motor/generators connected to the Low-Pressure Spool, and a single 1 MW motor/generator on the High-Pressure Spool. The distributed fans can be used by the flight control to augment or replace the rudder function. At top of climb, the power extracted from the GTE for the fans is boosted by batteries. The design provides redundancy, and the capacity for boost means that the fans are designed to be able to provide additional thrust when necessary. These features can be leveraged in case of a fan or generator failure. This paper sets up the optimal control problem of setpoint determination for individual fans in the distributed propulsion system, accounting for electrical string efficiencies, saturations, and failures. The solution minimizes power consumption while maintaining thrust and torque on the airframe for maneuvering. Additionally, thrust that would have been lost due to temporary fan speed or power saturation is optimally redistributed to maintain overall desired thrust and torque on the aircraft. The power extraction range constraints derive from the gas turbine engine design and the small amount of variation allowed for the engine to maintain operability. The problem formulation allows the number and location of fan failures for which the thrust and torque can be maintained to be investigated, which has implications for certification. Simulations of a coordinated turn utilizing the distributed electric propulsion for yaw rate control under different failure scenarios demonstrate the robustness of the powertrain design to failures and help define its limitations.

Distributed Electric Propulsion↗