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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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The present report concerns the development of general propeller performance and r.p.m. curves which, combined with the general curve of the power required for level flight, presents a complete picture of the performance.
Mobile nuclear powerplants for applications other than large ships and submarines will require compact, lightweight reactors with especially stringent impact-safety design. The technical and economic feasibility that the broadening role of civilian nuclear power, in general, (land-based nuclear electric generating plants and nuclear ships) can extend to lightweight, safe mobile nuclear powerplants are examined. The paper discusses technical experience, identifies potential sources of technology for advanced concepts, cites the results of economic studies of mobile nuclear powerplants, and surveys future technical capabilities needed by examining the current use and projected needs for vehicles, machines, and habitats that could effectively use mobile nuclear reactor powerplants.
Progression on the design and development of a 40 KW fuel cell system for on-site installation for providing both thermal and electrical power is reported. Development of the steam reformer fuel processor, power section, inverter, control system, and thermal management and water treatment systems is described.
An overview is given of the technical and near-term cost requirements that must be met to develop economically viable power conditioning subsystems (PCS) for large-scale, central photovoltaic power stations. Various commercially available PCS hardware suitable for use in today's central photovoltaic power stations are also surveyed. Federal and industrial activities in the research and development of advanced PCSs that will contribute to the attainment of fully competitive, large-scale photovoltaic power stations are reviewed. The status of the DOE central station PCS program is discussed.
Alkali metal heat transfer technology was used in the development of conceptual designs for the transport and storage of sensible and latent heat thermal energy in distributed concentrator, solar Stirling power conversion systems at a power level of 15 kWe per unit. Both liquid metal pumped loop and heat pipe thermal transport were considered; system configurations included: (1) an integrated, focal mounted sodium heat pipe solar receiver (HPSR) with latent heat thermal energy storage; (2) a liquid sodium pumped loop with the latent heat storage, Stirling engine-generator, pump and valves located on the back side of the concentrator; and (3) similar pumped loops serving several concentrators with more centralized power conversion and storage. The focus mounted HPSR was most efficient, lightest and lowest in estimated cost. Design confirmation testing indicated satisfactory performance at all angles of inclination of the primary heat pipes to be used in the solar receiver.
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.
This paper describes recent results of the second phase of system analyses on the thermionic topping cycle. A comparison is made among various thermionic heat-exchanger (THX) geometries. Two methods of transferring electric power are considered. In the first, power is provided at relatively high voltages by coupling it out inductively via transformers built into the THX modules. In the second method, converter cells are series-connected within a THX module and external power conditioning is used. The results show that the use of a thermionic topping cycle can result in significant improvements in overall system efficiency.
The evolution of integrated photovoltaic (PV) panel design at ARCO Solar is discussed. Historically, framed PV modules of about 1 x 4-ft size were individually mounted in the field on fixed support structures and interconnected electrically with cables to build higher-power arrays. When ARCO Solar saw the opportunity in 1982 to marry its PV modules with state-of-the-art heliostat trackers developed by ARCO Power Systems, it became obvious that mounting individual modules was impractical. For this project, the framed modules were factory-assembled into panels and interconnected with cables before being mounted on the trackers. Since then, ARCO Solar made considerable progress and gained substantial experience in the design and fabrication of large PV panels. Constraints and criteria considered in these design activities included static and dynamic loads; assembly and transportation equipment and logistics, structural and electrical interfaces, and safety and grounding concerns.
The present work describes the principal goals for the main effort of NASA's research and development of solar photovoltaic cells and arrays. These are (1) to reduce array costs from $270/watt to $90/watt (no change in volume) or to $41/watt (high volume production), (2) raise power density from 66 watts/kg to 110 watts/kg, and (3) minimize dynamic interaction problems. The first two goals can be accomplished by increased cell efficiency, reduced cell thickness, the development of a multiple ribbon growth process, and automation of cell production. To minimize dynamic interaction between array and spacecraft, module flexibility will be increased.
The results of magnet system special investigations listed below are summarized: 4 Tesla Magnet Alternate Design Study; 6 Tesla Magnet Manufacturability Study. The conceptual design for a 4 Tesla superconducting magnet system for use with an alternate (supersonic) ETF power train is described, and estimated schedule and cost are identified. The magnet design is scaled from the ETF 6 T Tesla design. Results of a manufacturability study and a revised schedule and cost estimate for the ETF 6 T magnet are reported. Both investigations are extensions of the conceptual design of a 6 T magnet system performed earlier as a part of the overall MED-ETF conceptual design described in Conceptual Design Engineering Report (CDER) Vol. V, System Design Description (SDD) 503 dated September, 1981, DOE/NASA/0224-1; NASA CR-165/52.
An overview of technical and economic matters relating to the eventual success or failure of the SSPP concept is presented, with emphasis on the pollution and energy problems which the SSPP would serve to eliminate. Factors discussed include cost, mariculture possibilities, siting, legal limitations, design materials, mooring and anchoring, and the human element involved. Several alternative power systems are considered for incorporation into SSPP design, such as Nitinol power, Claude cycle, and closed cycle engine systems.
NASA's Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) program is being developed to meet national needs for civil and commercial space access with goals of reducing the launch costs, increasing the reliability, and reducing the maintenance and operating costs. To this end, NASA is considering an all- electric capability for NGLT vehicles requiring advanced electrical power generation technology at a nominal 20 kW level with peak power capabilities six times the nominal power. The proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell has been identified as a viable candidate to supply this electrical power; however, several technology aspects need to be assessed. Electrochem, Inc., under contract to NASA, has developed a breadboard power generator to address these technical issues with the goal of maximizing the system reliability while minimizing the cost and system complexity. This breadboard generator operates with dry hydrogen and oxygen gas using eductors to recirculate the gases eliminating gas humidification and blowers from the system. Except for a coolant pump, the system design incorporates passive components allowing the fuel cell to readily follow a duty cycle profile and that may operate at high 6:1 peak power levels for 30 second durations. Performance data of the fuel cell stack along with system performance is presented to highlight the benefits of the fuel cell stack design and system design for NGLT vehicles.
The design and operation of a 100 kilowatt wind driven generator are reported. Its high speed three-bladed turbine operates at a height of 50 meters. Blades are rigidly connected to the hub and turbine revolutions change linearly with wind velocity, maintaining a constant speed ratio of blade tip velocity to wind velocity over the full predetermined wind range. Three generators installed in the gondola generate either dc or ac current. Based on local wind conditions, the device has a maximum output of 720 kilowatts at a wind velocity of 16 meters per second. Total electrical capacity is 750 kilowatts, and power output per year is 2,135,000 kilowatt/hours.
Efficiency investigations have been made on a single-stage modification of the turbine of a Mark 25 aerial torpedo to determine the performance of the unit with five different turbine nozzles. The output of the turbine blades was computed by analyzing the windage and mechanical-friction losses of the unit. The turbine was faund to be most efficient with a cast nozzle having sharp-edged inlets to the nine nozzle ports. An analysis af the effectiveness af the first and second stages of the standard Mark 25 torpedo turbine indicates that the first- stage turbine contributes nearly all the brake power produced at blade-jet speed ratios above 0.26.
Investigations were made of the turbine from a Mark 25 torpedo to determine the performance of the unit with three different turbine nozzles at various axial nozzle-wheel clearances. Turbine efficiency with a reamed nondivergent nozzle that uses the axial clearance space for gas expansion was little affected by increasing the axial running clearance from 0.030 to 0.150 inch. Turbine efficiency with cast nozzles that expanded the gas inside the nozzle passage was found to be sensitive to increased axial nozzle-wheel clearance. A cast nozzle giving a turbine brake efficiency of 0.525 at an axial running clearance of 0.035 inch gave a brake efficiency of 0.475 when the clearance was increased to 0.095 inch for the same inlet-gas conditions and blade-jet speed ratio. If the basis for computing the isentropic power available to the turbine is the temperature inside the nozzle rather then the temperature in the inlet-gas pipe, an increase in turbine efficiency of about 0.01 is indicated.
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The aerodynamic characteristics of lift fans mounted ahead of the wing, rotating cruise fans, and tandem mounted lift fans faired into the wing have been studied. The tests results indicated that the complete configurations, that is, the lift-cruise fan and tandem lift fan configurations, had generally acceptable aerodynamic characteristics. The positive induced lift due to fan flow interference with the airplane flow field was a small percentage of the installed thrust but was adequate to provide significant increases in payload with STOL operation.