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NASA NTRS2015

Electric Motor Considerations for Non-Cryogenic Hybrid Electric and Turboelectric Propulsion

NASA Glenn Research Center is investigating hybrid electric and turboelectric propulsion concepts for future aircraft to reduce fuel burn, emissions, and noise. Systems studies show that the weight and efficiency of the electric system components need to be improved for this concept to be feasible. However, advances in motor component materials such as soft magnetic materials, hard magnetic materials, conductors, thermal insulation, and structural materials are expected in the coming years, and should improve motor performance. This study investigates several motor types for a one megawatt application, and projects the motor performance benefits of new component materials that might be available in the coming decades.

Hybrid propulsion↗

NASA NTRS1991

Cross sections for production of H(2p, 2s, 1s) by electron collisional dissociation of H2

The excitation function of H Ly-alpha from the astrophysically important dissociation of electron-excited H2 over the range 10-700 eV has been measured. The analysis predicts the cross section to energies higher than the present experimental limit, and it is found that the predicted shape is in close agreement with measured results. At 6 eV the cross section is dominated by the electric dipole first Born component, while at 100 eV the electric dipole component constitutes 73 percent of the total H(2p) cross section. The cross sections of the H(2s) and H(1s) components are calculated.

Ajello, J. M.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Electric fields and secondary emission near a dielectric-metal interface

Dielectric surface-charge distributions near a metal-dielectric interface in vacuum depend upon secondary emission processes in the presence of normal and tangential components of electric field. From measured charge distributions created by exposing a specimen of fluorinated ethylene-propylene to monoenergetic electron fluxes, it has been possible to calculate potentials and fields on and near the dielectric surface. The effect of the normal electric field upon secondary emission is measured directly, and the effect of the tangential field is inferred from the charge-distribution data. The critical point (unity crossover) for secondary emission is shifted by the application of fields, so that it occurs at much higher primary energies than normally. Primary beams having energies up to 20 keV are used, and surface fields are as high as 20 kV/mm.

Robinson, J. W.↗

NASA NTRS1971

A curve of growth determination of the f-values for the fourth positive system of CO and the Lyman-Birge-Hopfield system of N2.

The curve of growth method has been employed to determine f-values for the fourth positive system of CO and the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole components of the Lyman-Birge-Hopfield system of N2. No significant dependence on r-centroid was found. The mean value of the ratio of the electric quadrupole to magnetic dipole f-values was 0.076.

Pilling, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Resonance, particle trapping, and Landau damping in finite amplitude obliquely propagating waves

The equations of motion for a particle in resonance with a small finite amplitude wave are solved approximately, using secularity free perturbation theory. The wave propagates at an arbitrary angle to a uniform background magnetic field in an infinite collisionless plasma. The wave fields include a longitudinal electrostatic component and elliptically polarized transverse electric and magnetic components. The trajectories of trapped and resonant untrapped particles are described, for each of the possible wave-particle resonances. These trajectories are used to construct an estimate of the nonlinear time dependent Landau damping rate of the wave.

Palmadesso, P. J.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Properties of spikelike shear flow reversals observed in the auroral plasma by Atmosphere Explorer C

A study of the characteristics of pairs of oppositely directed spikes in ionospheric convection velocities (or shear flow reversals), as first described by Gurnett, has been conducted by using data from Atmosphere Explorer C. These phenomena tend to occur near the large-scale reversal from sunward to antisunward convection on the nightside of the earth. Generally, the spikelike shear flow reversals involve electric field components along the spacecraft orbit that are directed toward the region between them, in which inverted V type electron precipitation is observed. This relationship between the electron precipitation and the electric field spikes is consistent with an upward-flowing field-aligned current that is fed by Pedersen currents from the adjacent regions of strong convection. In one case a divergent equivalent electric field structure was observed, that is, with the spikelike electric fields pointing away from the region in between, which in this case exhibited a sharp electron flux dropout. This opposite configuration may be an example of counterparts to inverted V structures existing in regions of downward-flowing field-aligned currents.

Burch, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1993

The onset of electrohydrodynamic instability in isoelectric focusing

The onset of electrohydrodynamic motion associated with the imposition of an electric field across a thin layer of liquid has been investigated for the case in which the electrical conductivity varies linearly over the depth of the layer. The variation of the conductivity is due to concentration gradients in the charge-carrying solutes and its spatio-temporal evolution is represented by a convective-diffusion equation. When the viscous relaxation time is long compared to the time for charge relaxation, the analysis reveals that the neutral stability curves for the layer can be characterized by three dimensionless parameters: Ra(sub e) is equivalent to d(epsilon)E(sup 2, sub 0) Delta sigma/mu K(sub eff) sigma(sub 0), an electrical Rayleigh number; delta sigma/sigma(sub 0), the relative conductivity increment; and alpha, the transverse wave number of the disturbance. Here d is the thickness, epsilon is the dielectric constant, and mu is the viscosity of layer, E(sub 0) is the applied field strength at the lower conductivity boundary, and K(sub eff) is an effective diffusivity associated with the Brownian motion of the charge-carrying solutes. With viscous-stress-free boundaries, at which the electrical conductivity and the normal component of the electric field are prescribed, the critical Ra(sub e) is 1.504 x 10(exp 4) at a critical transverse wave number of 1.97 when Delta sigma/sigma(sub 0) is 10. As Delta sigma/sigma(sub 0) increases, the critical Ra(sub e) increases and shifts to shorter wavelength disturbances; the critical imposed field strength, however, passes through a minimum because the lower-conductivity boundary exerts a considerable stabilizing influence in the presence of steep conductivity gradients. Similar trends were obtained for liquid layers with rigid boundaries.

Baygents, James C.↗

NASA NTRS2010

NASA-DoD Lead-Free Electronics Project: Vibration Test

Vibration testing was conducted by Boeing Research and Technology (Seattle) for the NASA-DoD Lead-Free Electronics Solder Project. This project is a follow-on to the Joint Council on Aging Aircraft/Joint Group on Pollution Prevention (JCAA/JG-PP) Lead-Free Solder Project which was the first group to test the reliability of lead-free solder joints against the requirements of the aerospace/miLItary community. Twenty seven test vehicles were subjected to the vibration test conditions (in two batches). The random vibration Power Spectral Density (PSD) input was increased during the test every 60 minutes in an effort to fail as many components as possible within the time allotted for the test. The solder joints on the components were electrically monitored using event detectors and any solder joint failures were recorded on a Labview-based data collection system. The number of test minutes required to fail a given component attached with SnPb solder was then compared to the number of test minutes required to fail the same component attached with lead-free solder. A complete modal analysis was conducted on one test vehicle using a laser vibrometer system which measured velocities, accelerations, and displacements at one . hundred points. The laser vibrometer data was used to determine the frequencies of the major modes of the test vehicle and the shapes of the modes. In addition, laser vibrometer data collected during the vibration test was used to calculate the strains generated by the first mode (using custom software). After completion of the testing, all of the test vehicles were visually inspected and cross sections were made. Broken component leads and other unwanted failure modes were documented.

Woodrow, Thomas A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Observed nonpotential magnetic fields and the inferred flow of electric currents at a location of repeated flaring

The vector magnetic field of an active region at a location of repeated flaring is studied in order to explore the nature of the currents flowing in the areas where the flares initiated. The observed transverse component of the magnetic field is used to obtain the component of electric current density crossing the photosphere along the line-of-sight. It is found that currents flow out of an area of positive magnetic polarity and across the magnetic inversion line into two areas of negative polarity. Characteristics of the calculated source field are discussed.

Hagyard, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Observations of electric fields near the plasmapause at midnight

Static electric field measurements in the equatorial-plane from the 100-m double floating probe experiment carried on the SCATHA (P-78-2) satellite are reported. Eclipse measurements on auroral L shells are studied to better understand the change in magnetospheric convection at the plasmapause. The use of eclipse data allows the electric fields to be measured directly without contamination from the spacecraft photoelectron sheath; and it allows the thermal ion population in the outer plasmasphere to be observed, identifying the satellite location with respect to the plasmapause. (Such measurements are limited to near local midnight). It is found that, in the corotating frame, there is generally an electric field component in the antisolar direction during periods of low magnetic activity which begins at the edge of the plasmasphere and builds in amplitude as the satellite enters the plasma sheet. The amplitude of this electric field varies from 0.05 mV/m to 0.2 mV/m with increasing magnetic activity; the electric field switches to radially inward during periods of high activity with magnitudes up to 2 mV/m. The amplitude of the observed electric field increases with the amount of contribution from east-west currents in the earth's plasma sheet-magnetotail current system.

Olsen, R. C.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Low- and mid-latitude ionospheric electric fields during the January 1984 GISMOS campaign

The electrical coupling between the high-, middle-, and low-latitude ionospheres during January 17-19, 1984 is examined, using interplanetary and high-latitude magnetic field data together with F region plasma drift measurements from the EISCAT, Sondre Stromfjord, Millstone Hill, Saint-Santin, Arecibo, and Jicamarca incoherent scatter radars. The penetration both the zonal and meridional electric field components of high-latitude origin into the low-latitude and the equatorial ionospheres are studied. The observations in the postmidnight sector are used to compare the longitudinal variations of the zonal perturbation electric field with predictions made from global convection models. The results show that the meridional electric field perturbations are considerably more attenuated with decreasing latitude than the zonal fluctuations. It is concluded that variations in the meridional electric field at low latitudes are largely due to dynamo effects.

Fejer, B. G.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Reconnection in Three Dimensions

Analyzing the qualitative three-dimensional magnetic structure of a plasmoid, we were led to reconsider the concept of magnetic reconnection from a general point of view. The properties of relatively simple magnetic field models provide a strong preference for one of two definitions of magnetic reconnection that exist in the literature. Any concept of magnetic reconnection defined in terms of magnetic topology seems naturally restricted to cases where the magnetic field vanishes somewhere in the nonideal (diffusion) region. The main part of this paper is concerned with magnetic reconnection in nonvanishing magnetic fields (finite-B reconnection), which has attracted less attention in the past. We show that the electric field component parallel to the magnetic field plays a crucial physical role in finite-B reconnection, and we present two theorems involving the former. The first states a necessary and sufficient condition on the parallel electric field for global reconnection to occur. Here the term "global" means the generic case where the breakdown of magnetic connection occurs for plasma elements that stay outside the nonideal region. The second theorem relates the change of magnetic helicity to the parallel electric field for cases where the electric field vanishes at large distances. That these results provide new insight into three-dimensional reconnection processes is illustrated in terms of the plasmoid configuration, which was our starting point.

Hesse, Michael↗

NASA NTRS2012

Magnetic and Electric Field Polarizations of Oblique Magnetospheric Chorus Waves

A theory was developed to explain the properties of the chorus magnetic and electric field components in the case of an arbitrary propagation angle. The new theory shows that a whistler wave has circularly polarized magnetic fields for oblique propagation. This theoretical result is verified by GEOTAIL observations. The wave electric field polarization plane is not orthogonal to the wave vector, and in general is highly elliptically polarized. A special case of the whistler wave called the Gendrin mode is also discussed. This will help to construct a detailed and realistic picture of wave interaction with magnetosphere electrons. It is the purpose of this innovation to study the magnetic and electric polarization properties of chorus at all frequencies, and at all angles of propagation. Even though general expressions for electromagnetic wave polarization in anisotropic plasma are derived in many textbooks, to the knowledge of the innovators, a detailed analysis for oblique whistler wave mode is lacking. Knowledge of the polarization properties is critical for theoretical calculations of resonant wave-particle interactions.

Verkhoglyadova, Olga↗

NASA NTRS1994

A thermal/nonthermal model for solar hard X-ray bursts

A formalism is developed for analyzing high-resolution hard X-ray spectra, incorporating the coexistence of thermal and nonthermal bremsstrahlung. The two processes are physically linked by the presence of electric currents, which both heat the surrounding plasma via Joule dissipation and accelerate electrons via the runaway process. We use this formalism to analyze the flare of 1980 June 27 and find that both the gradual and spike components of the hard X-ray emission are consistent with runaway acceleration. We also find that significant heating is observed only in the gradual component. The electric field is always sub-Dreicer, the maximum total potential drop in the acceleration region is found to be approximately 100 kV in two of the spikes, and the average accelerated electron flux is approximately 10(exp 34) electrons/s. We argue that classical resistivity is a valid assumption for this event and find the density in the current channels (approximately 10(exp 11)/cc) and a lower limit on the volume of the heated plasma. We find that the ratio of the electric field to the Dreicer field (epsilon = E/E(sub D) varies systematically, whereas the value of E alone does not. We also find that the acceleration region fragmented into many current/return current pairs, and that the fragmentation varied systematically. We also discuss further implications of this model.

Benka, Stephen G.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Electromagnetic wave energy converter

Electromagnetic wave energy is converted into electric power with an array of mutually insulated electromagnetic wave absorber elements each responsive to an electric field component of the wave as it impinges thereon. Each element includes a portion tapered in the direction of wave propagation to provide a relatively wideband response spectrum. Each element includes an output for deriving a voltage replica of the electric field variations intercepted by it. Adjacent elements are positioned relative to each other so that an electric field subsists between adjacent elements in response to the impinging wave. The electric field results in a voltage difference between adjacent elements that is fed to a rectifier to derive dc output power.

Bailey, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1978

State-of-the-art assessment of electric and hybrid vehicles

Data are presented that were obtained from the electric and hybrid vehicles tested, information collected from users of electric vehicles, and data and information on electric and hybrid vehicles obtained on a worldwide basis from manufacturers and available literature. The data given include: (1) information and data base (electric and hybrid vehicle systems descriptions, sources of vehicle data and information, and sources of component data); (2) electric vehicles (theoretical background, electric vehicle track tests, user experience, literature data, and summary of electric vehicle status); (3) electric vehicle components (tires, differentials, transmissions, traction motors, controllers, batteries, battery chargers, and component summary); and (4) hybrid vehicles (types of hybrid vehicles, operating modes, hybrid vehicles components, and hybrid vehicles performance characteristics).

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1983

Electrical self-aligning connector

A self-aligning electrical connector device includes a receptacle component having a conically contoured interior and a plug component having a correspondingly contoured conical body receivable in the receptacle component. The plug component has a number of spaced conductive ring elements with a mating face and the receptacle component includes corresponding spaced conductive ring elements providing mating interface with the mating face of the ring elements of the plug component when connected to it. Each ring element of the receptacle component has several segmented portions which defect downwardly when the plug component is inserted. A biasing force is asserted against the face of the ring elements of the plug component providing positive electrical contact and connection between the ring elements of the components.

Clark, K. H.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Dielectric and permeability

Using the unabridged Maxwell equations (including vectors D, E and H) new effects in collisionless plasmas are uncovered. In a steady state, it is found that spatially varying energy density of the electric field (E perpendicular) orthogonal to B produces electric current leading, under certain conditions, to the relationship P perpendicular+B(2)/8 pi-epsilon E perpendicular(2)/8 pi = constant, where epsilon is the dielectric constant of the plasma for fields orthogonal to B. In steady state quasi-two-dimensional flows in plasmas, a general relationship between the components of electric field parallel and perpendicular to B is found. These effects are significant in goephysical and astrophysical plasmas. The general conditions for a steady state in collisionless plasma are deduced. With time variations in a plasma, slow compared to ion-gyroperiod, there is a general current, (j*), which includes the well-known polarisation current, given by J*=d/dt (ExM)+(PxB)xB B(-2) where M and P are the magnetization and polarization vectors respectively.

Cole, K. D.↗