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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.
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Aluminum block with embedded heating element provides concentrated and controllable heat for curing strain-gage adhesives. Device replaces heat lamps and hot-air guns; provides higher temperatures, allows shorter curing times, and ensures more reliable bond. Low temperatures and wind do not significantly affect operation of heater, therefore suited to outdoor use.
Paper describes tests and computations for a relatively unique technique to greatly reduce/eliminate the separation region for shock-boundary layer interactions. A number of studies have shown that the usual effects of such interactions include increased local heating and wall pressures, thickening of the boundary layer and a decrease in the momentum of the flow and, for stronger waves, flow separation. This flow situation is particularly prevalent in supersonic and hypersonic inlets where severe performance degradation can occur due to flow separation. High performance engine design generally requires a uniform entering flow field with little stagnation pressure loss. Previous approaches to the problem involved primarily active devices (e.g., suction or blowing); the present paper considers a passive device. The boundary layer separation control technique considered herein involves the placement of an embedded plate in the outer portion of the boundary layer and parallel to the wall. This control plate is situated such that the incident shock impinges upon and reflects from its surface, thus greatly lessening the pressure gradient in the low momentum near wall region.
Health diagnostics is an area where major improvements have been identified for potential implementation into the design of new reusable launch vehicles in order to reduce life-cycle costs, to increase safety margins, and to improve mission reliability. NASA Ames is leading the effort to advance inspection and health management technologies for thermal protection systems. This paper summarizes a joint project between NASA Ames and Korteks to develop active wireless sensors that can be embedded in the thermal protection system to monitor sub-surface temperature histories. These devices are thermocouples integrated with radio-frequency identification circuitry to enable acquisition and non-contact communication of temperature data through aerospace thermal protection materials. Two generations of prototype sensors are discussed. The advanced prototype collects data from three type-k thermocouples attached to a 2.54-cm square integrated circuit.
The Flexible Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) Input/Output (I/O) Card is an innovative circuit board that provides functionality to interface between a variety of devices. It supports user-defined interrupts for interface synchronization, tracks system faults and failures, and includes checksum and parity evaluation of interface data. The card supports up to 16 channels of high-speed, half-duplex, low-voltage digital signaling (LVDS) serial data, and can interface combinations of serial and parallel devices. Placement of a processor within the field programmable gate array (FPGA) controls an embedded application with links to host memory over its PCI bus. The FPGA also provides protocol stacking and quick digital signal processor (DSP) functions to improve host performance. Hardware timers, counters, state machines, and other glue logic support interface communications. The Flexible PCI I/O Card provides an interface for a variety of dissimilar computer systems, featuring direct memory access functionality. The card has the following attributes: 8/16/32-bit, 33-MHz PCI r2.2 compliance, Configurable for universal 3.3V/5V interface slots, PCI interface based on PLX Technology's PCI9056 ASIC, General-use 512K 16 SDRAM memory, General-use 1M 16 Flash memory, FPGA with 3K to 56K logical cells with embedded 27K to 198K bits RAM, I/O interface: 32-channel LVDS differential transceivers configured in eight, 4-bit banks; signaling rates to 200 MHz per channel, Common SCSI-3, 68-pin interface connector.
Many of the micromachines under consideration require computer support, indeed, one of the appeals of this technology is the ability to intermix mechanical, optical, analog, and digital devices on the same substrate. The amount of computer power is rarely an issue, the sticking point is the complexity of the software required to make effective use of these devices. Micromachines are the nano-technologist's equivalent of 'golden screws'. In other words, they will be piece parts in larger assemblages. For example, a nano-satellite may be composed of stacked silicon wafers where each wafer contains hundreds to thousands of micromachines, digital controllers, general purpose computers, memories, and high-speed bus interconnects. Comparatively few of these devices will be custom designed, most will be stock parts selected from libraries and catalogs. The novelty will lie in the interconnections. For example, a digital accelerometer may be a component part in an adaptive suspension, a monitoring element embedded in the wrapper of a package, or a portion of the smart skin of a launch vehicle. In each case, this device must inter-operate with other devices and probes for the purposes of command, control, and communication. We propose a software technology called 'weaves' that will permit large collections of micromachines and their attendant computers to freely intercommunicate while preserving modularity, transparency, and flexibility. Weaves are composed of networks of communicating software components. The network, and the components comprising it, may be changed even while the software, and the devices it controls, are executing. This unusual degree of software plasticity permits micromachines to dynamically adapt the software to changing conditions and allows system engineers to rapidly and inexpensively develop special purpose software by assembling stock software components in custom configurations.
Laminar Scientific's patented seesaw wave energy converter was modeled in WEC-Sim to predict performance. The device operates by utilizing ocean surface waves to rotate a truss in pitch about a pivot. The pivot is located at the top of two pylons, which are embedded in the seafloor. The seesaw has a float on either end, and the buoyancy forces from each float cause the system to rise or fall with passing waves. Device performance relies upon seesaw length and ocean wavelength creating an antiphase effect. The seesaw truss has an adjustable length intended to achieve this effect. The operation method enforces a narrow band of wavelengths which induce the largest rotational motion from the device. The hydrodynamic analysis of the device was performed using Capytaine, and the results confirmed that the device operates best in a narrow frequency band. Four float-to-float spacing cases and three pylon radii were examined. The hydrodynamic results indicate a match between the model and the physical expectations for the device, and that varying the pylon radii by 0.1-m increments for three instances creates minimal changes in hydrodynamic properties. Power matrices for three float spacing cases of the device were simulated with Joint North Sea Wave Project spectra waves and optimal power take-off damping in WEC-Sim. The maximum average power production for the 15-m spacing case was 14.1 kW with a 5.0-s peak wave period and 4-m significant wave heights. Plots of capture-width ratios indicated that the device performance was linear and confirmed that the device is optimal in a narrow frequency band. The maximum percentage of the available wave power produced by the 15-m device was approximately 16%. Simulations of the device in regular waves were used to produce plots of average power compared to a ratio of float spacing to wavelength. These plots indicate that the power production is maximized at a ratio of 0.5, and further confirm that the device has a narrow frequency response. The device was simulated at an example field location, where the device produced an annual average power rating of 1.6 kW given an average omnidirectional wave climate of 10.3 kW m-1 and an optimal, linearized power take-off model. While the maximum predicted device performance is reliant upon a narrow band of wave frequencies, the conducted analysis provides an opportunity to improve device design prior to prototyping and testing. Modifying the design to respond to a broader frequency range would improve device performance.
Thermal energy storage can facilitate the effective utilization of renewable energy. To speed up the design process of thermal energy storage devices, it is critical to develop fast and accurate modeling methods for phase change material embedded heat exchangers (PCM HXs). This study developed and compared two approximation-assisted reduced-order PCM HX models for the simulation of thermal storage components and systems, which were verified against a validated finite-volume model. They are a pure black-box model, and a grey-box model based on the Number of Transfer Units (or effectiveness-NTU) approach. We used the reduced-order models to predict the performance of standalone PCM HX for 1000 cases with different fluid inlet conditions and HX designs. We also integrated the models with a vapor compression system to predict the compressor energy consumption and total charging time under various conditions. The results show that overall, the black-box model gave more accurate results than the grey-box model. On average, the mean absolute deviation in the PCM HX fluid outlet temperature was 0.05 K and 0.1 K for the black-box model and grey-box model, respectively. The grey-box model gave larger temperature deviation toward the end of the phase change process, due to the simplified two-node PCM representation. On the system level, the mean absolute deviation in compressor energy consumption was 0.2% and 0.3% for the black-box model and grey-box model, respectively. Their mean absolute deviation in total charging time was 1.1% and 2.6%, respectively. In terms of computation efficiency, the system simulation speedup ratio gained by using the reduced-order models was 11 to 57. System simulation time was decreased from an average of 1465 s to an average of 59 s. This shows that the proposed reduced-order modeling methods can be used to predict system performance of PCM HXs with less than 3% accuracy penalty, and 25 times less computational time than finite-volume models, enabling faster design and evaluation of PCM thermal storage devices.
In the past decade, symmetry-protected bound states in the continuum (BICs) have proven to be an important design principle for creating and enhancing devices reliant upon states with high-quality (Q) factors, such as sensors, lasers, and those for harmonic generation. However, as we show, current implementations of symmetry-protected BICs in photonic crystal slabs can only be found at the center of the Brillouin zone and below the Bragg diffraction limit, which fundamentally restricts their use to single-frequency applications. By microprinting a three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystal structure using two-photon polymerization, we demonstrate that this limitation can be overcome by altering the radiative environment surrounding the slab to be a 3D photonic crystal. This allows for the protection of a line of BICs by embedding it in a symmetry bandgap of the crystal. This concept substantially expands the design freedom available for developing next-generation devices with high-Q states.
A sensing device is used to detect the spatial distributions of stresses applied by physical contact with the surface of the sensor or induced by pressure, temperature gradients, and surface absorption. The sensor comprises a hybrid active layer that includes luminophores doped in a polymeric or organic host, altogether embedded in a matrix. Under an electrical bias, the sensor simultaneously converts stresses into electrical and optical signals. Among many applications, the device may be used for tactile sensing and biometric imaging.
As Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) becomes pervasive in industry, its applications in safety critical component manufacturing are being explored and adopted. However, ALM's reliance on embedded computing renders it vulnerable to tampering through cyber-attacks. Sensor instrumentation of ALM devices allows for rigorous process and security monitoring, but also results in a massive volume of noisy data for each run. As such, in-situ, near-real-time anomaly detection is very challenging. The ideal algorithm for this context is simple, computationally efficient, minimizes false positives, and is accurate enough to resolve small deviations. In this paper, we present a probabilistic-model-based approach to address this challenge. To test our approach, we analyze current measurements from a polymer composite 3D printer during emulated tampering attacks. Our results show that our approach can consistently and efficiently locate small changes in the presence of substantial operational noise.
Series-fed coplanar waveguide embedding circuits are being developed for terahertz mixers using, in particular, submicron-sized superconducting devices, such as hot electron bolometers as the nonlinear element. Although these mixers show promising performance, they usually also show a considerable downward shift in the center frequency, when compared with simulations obtained by using simplified models. This makes it very difficult to design low-noise mixers for a given THz frequency. This shiftis principally caused by parasitics due to the extremely small details (in terms of wavelength) of the device, and by the electrical properties of the RF choke filter in the DC/IF line. In this paper, we present an improved equivalent network model of such mixer circuits which agrees with measured results at THz frequencies and we propose a new set of THz bolometric mixers that have been fabricated and are currently being tested.
A solar panel cleaning device includes a solar panel having a plurality of photovoltaic cells arranged in rows and embedded in the solar panel with space between the rows. A transparent dielectric overlay is affixed to the solar panel. A plurality of electrode pairs each of which includes an upper and a lower electrode are arranged on opposite sides of the transparent dielectric and are affixed thereto. The electrodes may be transparent electrodes which may be arranged without concern for blocking sunlight to the solar panel. The solar panel may be a dielectric and its dielectric properties may be continuously and spatially variable. Alternatively the dielectric used may have dielectric segments which produce different electrical field and which affects the wind "generated."
Wheel-based sensors for detection of ice on roads and approximate measurement of the thickness of the ice are under development. These sensors could be used to alert drivers to hazardous local icing conditions in real time. In addition, local ice-thickness measurements by these sensors could serve as guidance for the minimum amount of sand and salt required to be dispensed locally onto road surfaces to ensure safety, thereby helping road crews to utilize their total supplies of sand and salt more efficiently. Like some aircraft wing-surface ice sensors described in a number of previous NASA Tech Briefs articles, the wheelbased ice sensors are based, variously, on measurements of changes in capacitance and/or in radio-frequency impedance as affected by ice on surfaces. In the case of ice on road surfaces, the measurable changes in capacitance and/or impedance are attributable to differences among the electric permittivities of air, ice, water, concrete, and soil. In addition, a related phenomenon that can be useful for distinguishing between ice and water is a specific transition in the permittivity of ice at a temperature- dependent frequency. This feature also provides a continuous calibration of the sensor to allow for changing road conditions. Several configurations of wheel-based ice sensors are under consideration. For example, in a simple two-electrode capacitor configuration, one of the electrodes would be a circumferential electrode within a tire, and the ground would be used as the second electrode. Optionally, the steel belts that are already standard parts of many tires could be used as the circumferential electrodes. In another example (see figure), multiple electrodes would be embedded in rubber between the steel belt and the outer tire surface. These electrodes would be excited in alternating polarities at one or more suitable audio or radio frequencies to provide nearly continuous monitoring of the road surface under the tire. In still another example, one or more microwave stripline(s) or coplanar waveguide(s) would be embedded in a tire near its outer surface; in comparison with lower-frequency capacitive devices, a device of this type could be more sensitive.
A solar panel cleaning device includes a solar panel having a plurality of photovoltaic cells arranged in rows and embedded in the solar panel with space between the rows. A transparent dielectric overlay is affixed to the solar panel. A plurality of electrode pairs each of which includes an upper and a lower electrode are arranged on opposite sides of the transparent dielectric and are affixed thereto. The electrodes may be transparent electrodes which may be arranged without concern for blocking sunlight to the solar panel. The solar panel may be a dielectric and its dielectric properties may be continuously and spatially variable. Alternatively the dielectric used may have dielectric segments which produce different electrical field and which affects the wind "generated."
The following are updated or new subjects added to the FPGA SEE Test Guidelines manual: academic versus mission specific device evaluation, single event latch-up (SEL) test and analysis, SEE response visibility enhancement during radiation testing, mitigation evaluation (embedded and user-implemented), unreliable design and its affects to SEE Data, testing flushable architectures versus non-flushable architectures, intellectual property core (IP Core) test and evaluation (addresses embedded and user-inserted), heavy-ion energy and linear energy transfer (LET) selection, proton versus heavy-ion testing, fault injection, mean fluence to failure analysis, and mission specific system-level single event upset (SEU) response prediction. Most sections within the guidelines manual provide information regarding best practices for test structure and test system development. The scope of this manual addresses academic versus mission specific device evaluation and visibility enhancement in IP Core testing.
The following are updated or new subjects added to the FPGA SEE Test Guidelines manual: academic versus mission specific device evaluation, single event latch-up (SEL) test and analysis, SEE response visibility enhancement during radiation testing, mitigation evaluation (embedded and user-implemented), unreliable design and its affects to SEE Data, testing flushable architectures versus non-flushable architectures, intellectual property core (IP Core) test and evaluation (addresses embedded and user-inserted), heavy-ion energy and linear energy transfer (LET) selection, proton versus heavy-ion testing, fault injection, mean fluence to failure analysis, and mission specific system-level single event upset (SEU) response prediction. Most sections within the guidelines manual provide information regarding best practices for test structure and test system development. The scope of this manual addresses academic versus mission specific device evaluation and visibility enhancement in IP Core testing.
The intersection of quantum computing and quantum chemistry represents a promising frontier for achieving quantum utility in domains of both scientific and societal relevance. Owing to the exponential growth of classical resource requirements for simulating quantum systems, quantum chemistry has long been recognized as a natural candidate for quantum computation. This perspective focuses on identifying scientifically meaningful use cases where early fault-tolerant quantum computers, which are considered to be equipped with approximately 25-100 logical qubits, could deliver tangible impact. While recent advances in classical computing have pushed the boundaries of tractable simulations to unprecedented scales, this logical-qubit regime represents the first window where quantum devices can pursue qualitatively distinct strategies, such as polynomial-scaling phase estimation, direct simulation of quantum dynamics, and active-space embedding, that remain challenging for classical solvers, such as multireference charge-transfer and conical-intersection states central to photochemistry and materials design. We highlight near-term opportunities in algorithm and software design, discuss representative chemical problems suited for quantum acceleration, and propose strategic roadmaps and collaborative pathways for advancing practical quantum utility in quantum chemistry.
The efficiency of all-perovskite tandem devices falls far below theoretical efficiency limits, mainly because a widening bandgap fails to increase open-circuit voltage. We report on a bifacial all-perovskite tandem structures with an equivalent efficiency of 29.3% under back-to-front irradiance ratio of 30. This increases energy yield and reduces the required bandgap of a wide-bandgap cell. Open-circuit voltage deficit is therefore minimized, although its performance under only front irradiance is not ideal. The bifacial device needs a sputtered rear transparent electrode, which could reduce photon path length and deteriorate stability of Pb-Sn perovskites. Embedding a light-scattering micrometer-sized particle layer into perovskite to trap light, effectively increases absorptance by 5 to 15% in the infrared region. Using a nonacidic hole transport layer markedly stabilizes the hole-extraction interface by avoiding proton-accelerated formation of iodine. These two strategies together increase efficiency of semitransparent Pb-Sn cells from 15.6 to 19.4%, enabling fabrication of efficient bifacial all-perovskite tandem devices.