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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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At least 253 records · Page 14

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Rapid Thermal Design Development

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) project had a rapid development schedule starting with project conception in spring of 2004, instrument and launch vehicle selection late in 2005 and then launch in early 2009. The lunar thermal environment is one of the harshest in our solar system with the heavy infrared loading of the moon due to low albedo, lack of lunar atmosphere, and low effective regolith conduction. This set of constraints required a thermal design which maximized performance (minimized radiator area and cold control heater power) and minimized thermal hardware build at the orbiter level (blanketing, and heater service). The orbiter design located most of the avionics on an isothermalized heat pipe panel called the IsoThermal Panel (ITP). The ITP was coupled by dual bore heat pipes to an Optical Solar Reflector (OSR) covered heat pipe radiator. By coupling all of the avionics to one system, the hardware was simplified. The seven instruments were mainly heritage instruments which resulted in their desired radiators being located by their heritage design. This minimized instrument redesigns and therefore allowed them to be delivered earlier, though it resulted in a more complex orbiter level blanket and heater service design. Three of the instruments were mounted on a tight pointing M55J optical bench that needed to be covered in heaters to maintain pointing. Two were mounted to spacecraft controlled radiators. One was mounted to the ITP Dual Bores. The last was mounted directly to the bus structure on the moon facing panel. The propulsion system utilized four-20 pound insertion thrusters and eight-5 pound attitude control thrusters (ACS) in addition to 1000 kg of fuel in two large tanks. The propulsion system had a heater cylinder and a heated mounting deck for the insertion thrusters which coupled most of the propulsion design together simplifying the heater design. The High Gain Antenna System (HGAS) and Solar Array System (SAS) used dual axis actuator gimbal systems. HGAS required additional boom heaters to cool the approximately 10 W of RF losses thru the rotary joints and wave guides from the 40 W Ka system. By design this module needed a fair amount of heater, blanketing, and radiator complexity. The SAS system required a separate cable wrap radiator to help cool the Solar Array harness which dissipated 30 W thru the actuators and cable wraps. This module also was complex.

Baker, Charles↗

Gimbals Drive and Control Electronics Design, Development and Testing of the LRO High Gain Antenna and Solar Array Systems

Launched June 18, 2009 on an Atlas V rocket, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is the first step in NASA's Vision for Space Exploration program and for a human return to the Moon. The spacecraft (SC) carries a wide variety of scientific instruments and provides an extraordinary opportunity to study the lunar landscape at resolutions and over time scales never achieved before. The spacecraft systems are designed to enable achievement of LRO's mission requirements. To that end, LRO's mechanical system employed two two-axis gimbal assemblies used to drive the deployment and articulation of the Solar Array System (SAS) and the High Gain Antenna System (HGAS). This paper describes the design, development, integration, and testing of Gimbal Control Electronics (GCE) and Actuators for both the HGAS and SAS systems, as well as flight testing during the on-orbit commissioning phase and lessons learned.

Chernyakov, Boris↗

Gimbal Control Algorithms for the Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory

There are two gimbaled systems on the Global Precipitation Measurement Core Observatory: two single-degree-of-freedom solar arrays (SAs) and one two-degree-of-freedom high gain antenna (HGA). The guidance, navigation, and control analysis team was presented with the following challenges regarding SA orientation control during periods of normal mission science: (1) maximize solar flux on the SAs during orbit day, subject to battery charging limits, (2) minimize atmospheric drag during orbit night to reduce frequency of orbit maintenance thruster usage, (3) minimize atmospheric drag during orbits for which solar flux is nearly independent of SA orientation, and (4) keep array-induced spacecraft attitude disturbances within allocated tolerances. The team was presented with the following challenges regarding HGA control during mission science periods: (1) while tracking a ground-selected Tracking Data and Relay Satellite (TDRS), keep HGA control error below about 4', (2) keep array-induced spacecraft attitude disturbances small, and (3) minimize transition time between TDRSs subject to constraints imposed by item 2. This paper describes the control algorithms developed to achieve these goals and certain analysis done as part of that work.

Welter, Gary L.↗

Analysis of Suomi - NPP VIIRS Vignetting Functions Based on Yaw Maneuver Data

The Suomi NPP Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) reflective bands are calibrated on-orbit via reference to regular solar observations through a solar attenuation screen (SAS) and diffusely reflected off a Spectralon (Registered Trademark) panel. The degradation of the Spectralon panel BRDF due to UV exposure is tracked via a ratioing radiometer (SDSM) which compares near simultaneous observations of the panel with direct observations of the sun (through a separate attenuation screen). On-orbit, the vignetting functions of both attenuation screens are most easily measured when the satellite performs a series of yaw maneuvers over a short period of time (thereby covering the yearly angular variation of solar observations in a couple of days). Because the SAS is fixed, only the product of the screen transmission and the panel BRDF was measured. Moreover, this product was measured by both VIIRS detectors as well as the SDSM detectors (albeit at different reflectance angles off the Spectralon panel). The SDSM screen is also fixed; in this case, the screen transmission was measured directly. Corrections for instrument drift and degradation, solar geometry, and spectral effects were taken into consideration. The resulting vignetting functions were then compared to the pre-launch measurements as well as models based on screen geometry.

Xiong, Xiaoxiong↗

Southeast Atmosphere Studies: Learning from Model-Observation Syntheses

Concentrations of atmospheric trace species in the United States have changed dramatically over the past several decades in response to pollution control strategies, shifts in domestic energy policy and economics, and economic development (and resulting emission changes) elsewhere in the world. Reliable projections of the future atmosphere require models to not only accurately describe current atmospheric concentrations, but to do so by representing chemical, physical and biological processes with conceptual and quantitative fidelity. Only through incorporation of the processes controlling emissions and chemical mechanisms that represent the key transformations among reactive molecules can models reliably project the impacts of future policy, energy and climate scenarios. Efforts to properly identify and implement the fundamental and controlling mechanisms in atmospheric models benefit from intensive observation periods, during which collocated measurements of diverse, speciated chemicals in both the gas and condensed phases are obtained. The Southeast Atmosphere Studies (SAS, including SENEX, SOAS, NOMADSS and SEAC4RS) conducted during the summer of 2013 provided an unprecedented opportunity for the atmospheric modeling community to come together to evaluate, diagnose and improve the representation of fundamental climate and air quality processes in models of varying temporal and spatial scales. This paper is aimed at discussing progress in evaluating, diagnosing and improving air quality and climate modeling using comparisons to SAS observations as a guide to thinking about improvements to mechanisms and parameterizations in models. The effort focused primarily on model representation of fundamental atmospheric processes that are essential to the formation of ozone, secondary organic aerosol (SOA) and other trace species in the troposphere, with the ultimate goal of understanding the radiative impacts of these species in the southeast and elsewhere. Here we address questions surrounding four key themes: gas-phase chemistry, aerosol chemistry, regional climate and chemistry interactions, and natural and anthropogenic emissions. We expect this review to serve as a guidance for future modeling efforts.

atmospheric chemistry↗

Design and Development of CubeSat Solar Array Deployment Mechanisms Using Shape Memory Alloys

The Advanced eLectrical Bus (ALBus) project is a technology demonstration mission of a 3U CubeSat with an advanced, digitally controlled electrical power system capability and the novel use of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) technology for reliable solar array (SA) deployable mechanisms. The ALBus CubeSat deploys four SAs in addition to the body-mounted arrays on each side of the CubeSat. A goal of the mission is to utilize the SMAs being developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center to deploy these SAs. The use of SMAs allows for the ability to test and reset the flight deployment mechanism prior to flight, which reduces the risk of in orbit deployment failures common to CubeSats. As a result, an SMA-driven Retention and Release (R&R) mechanism and an SMA-driven hinge were designed, developed, and integrated for flight. This paper summarizes the development of these mechanisms, types and functionalities of the SMAs used, as well as the lessons learned throughout the process.

cubesat↗

The "Space Activity Suit" - A Historical Perspective and A Primer on the Physiology of Mechanical Counter-Pressure

Since the 1950s, mechanical counter-pressure (MCP) has been investigated as a possible alternative design concept to traditional extra-vehicular activity (EVA) space suits. While traditional gas-pressurized EVA suits provide physiological protection against the ambient vacuum by means of pressurized oxygen to at least 3.1 pounds per square inch absolute (160 millimeters of mercury), MCP provides protection by direct application of pressure on the skin by a fabric. In reviewing the concept, MCP offers distinct potential advantages to traditional EVA suits: lower mass, reduced consumables, increased mobility, increased comfort, less complexity, and improved failure modes. In the mid 1960s to early 1970s, Dr. Paul Webb of Webb Associates developed and tested such a suit under funding from NASA Langley Research Center. This "Space Activity Suit" (SAS) was improved many times while testing in the laboratory and an altitude chamber to as low as 0.3 pounds per square inch absolute (15 millimeters of mercury). This testing, and the reports by Webb documenting it, are often presented as evidence of the feasibility of MCP. In addition, the SAS reports contain a wealth of information regarding the physiological requirements to make MCP work at the time, which is still accurate today. This paper serves to document the Space Activity Suit effort and analyze it in today's context.

McFarland, Shane M.↗

Towards Self-Adaptive Game Logic

Self-adaptive systems (SAS) can reconfigure at run time in response to changing situations to express acceptable behaviors in the face of uncertainty. With respect to game design, such situations may include user input, emergent behaviors, performance concerns, and combinations thereof. Typically an SAS is modeled as a feedback loop that functions within an existing system, with operations including monitoring, analyzing, planning, and executing (i.e., MAPE-K) to enable online reconfiguration. This paper presents a conceptual approach for extending software engineering artifacts to be self-adaptive within the context of game design. We have modified a game developed for creative coding education to include a MAPE-K self-adaptive feedback loop, comprising run-time adaptation capabilities and the software artifacts required to support adaptation.

Erik M. Fredericks↗

How to avoid multiple scattering in strongly scattering SANS and USANS samples

Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) and Ultra Small Angle Neutron Scattering (USANS) are the only available experimental techniques to provide seamless non-destructive measurements of the geometry of the accessible and inaccessible pore structure of rocks from sub-nanopore size to the scale of macropores. They have therefore become the measurement of choice for tight reservoir rocks such as organic rich shales. A simplifying assumption in the analysis is, however, that during the path of neutrons through the sample each neutron is only scattered once. Shales are samples with a high scattering power and Multiple Scattering (MS) may occur which requires special modelling for deconvolution of the results. The approach to avoid MS is to simply reduce the sample thickness to <0.15–0.5 mm. Here, in this work, we present a systematic method on wavelength selection and preparation of samples to optimise extraction of microstructural data and minimise parasitic errors. Experimentally measured SAS transmission (TSAS) values are used as a practical criterion for estimation of the extent of MS. Generous beamtime allocations allowed robust testing revealing that sample thicknesses can be twice as thick as predicted using the standard protocol. Analysing thicker samples is particularly beneficial for statistically relevant characterisation of heterogeneous samples making the new protocol the method of choice for such samples.

(U)SANS↗

Using Machine Learning to Identify Optimum Prospects for Offshore Geologic CO 2 Storage and Enhanced Oil Recovery in the Gulf of Mexico

The SECARB Offshore Partnership is a government-industry partnership focused on assembling the knowledge base required for secure, long-term, large-scale CO 2 subsea storage in saline formations and mature oil reservoirs. The SECARB Offshore Partnership is evaluating potential storage opportunities in the Central and Eastern planning areas of the outer continental shelf (OCS) of the Gulf of Mexico. The evaluation focuses on active and depleted oil and gas fields and potentially associated CO 2 -enhanced oil recovery (CO 2 -EOR), as well as, deep saline storage resources. As part of Subtask 3.0 (Offshore Storage Resources Characterization) and Subtask 4.0 (Risk Assessment, Simulation, and Modeling), Oklahoma State University (OSU) is developing a machine learning system that employs the SAS Institute’s Viya platform with visual data mining and machine learning to identify and characterize optimum prospects for enhanced oil recovery and stacked storage in saline reservoirs. This report summarizes this effort to date and discusses the many variables that can be used to characterize these storage objectives, as well as, the design vision of the Viya machine learning system.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Reconstructing Oxygen-Deficient Zirconia with Ruthenium Catalyst on Atomic-Scale Interfaces toward Hydrogen Production

Downsizing a catalyst nanoparticle (NP) to a single atom (SA) has proven to be highly effective in increasing catalytic activity and decreasing the amount of catalyst required for various electrochemical reactions. However, insufficient stability of the single-atom site catalysts (SACs) is still a significant challenge for their practical application. Here, SACs firmly bound to stable metal oxide NPs are proposed to dramatically increase the electrochemical activity and stability of SA-based catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Starting from a Ru-infiltrated, Zr-based metal-organic framework (MOF), the tetragonal zirconium oxide (ZrO 2-x ) NPs-embedded carbon matrix is fabricated as support through facile pyrolysis. Simultaneously, Ru SAs as active sites are well dispersed on the surface of ZrO 2-x NPs due to the generation of oxygen vacancies in the tetragonal ZrO 2-x . Finally, the Ru-ZrO 2-x SAC exhibits a 4–5 times higher mass activity than commercial Pt and Ru catalysts and superior durability due to strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) between Ru atoms and ZrO 2-x substrate.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Boosting the Activity of Pd Single Atoms by Tuning Their Local Environment on Ceria for Methane Combustion

Abstract Supported Pd single atom catalysts (SACs) have triggered great research interest in methane combustion yet with contradicting views on their activity and stability. Here, we show that the Pd SAs can take different electronic structure and atomic geometry on ceria support, resulting in different catalytic properties. By a simple thermal pretreatment to ceria prior to Pd deposition, a unique anchoring site is created. The Pd SA, taking this site, can be activated to Pd δ + (0< δ <2) that has greatly enhanced activity for methane oxidation: T 50 lowered by up to 130 °C and almost 10 times higher turnover frequency compared to the untreated catalyst. The enhanced activity of Pd δ + site is related to its oxygen‐deficient local structure and elongated interacting distance with ceria, leading to enhanced capability in delivering reactive oxygen species and decomposing reaction intermediates. This work provides insights into designing highly efficient Pd SACs for oxidation reactions.

Yang, Weiwei↗

Boosting the Activity of Pd Single Atoms by Tuning Their Local Environment on Ceria for Methane Combustion

Supported Pd single atom catalysts (SACs) have triggered great research interest in methane combustion yet with contradicting views on their activity and stability. Here, in this paper, we show that the Pd SAs can take different electronic structure and atomic geometry on ceria support, resulting in different catalytic properties. By a simple thermal pretreatment to ceria prior to Pd deposition, a unique anchoring site is created. The Pd SA, taking this site, can be activated to Pd δ+ (0<δ<2) that has greatly enhanced activity for methane oxidation: T 50 lowered by up to 130 °C and almost 10 times higher turnover frequency compared to the untreated catalyst. The enhanced activity of Pd δ+ site is related to its oxygen-deficient local structure and elongated interacting distance with ceria, leading to enhanced capability in delivering reactive oxygen species and decomposing reaction intermediates. This work provides insights into designing highly efficient Pd SACs for oxidation reactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A GPU ‐Accelerated 3D Unstructured Mesh Based Particle Tracking Code for Multi‐Species Impurity Transport Simulation in Fusion Tokamaks

ABSTRACT This paper presents the multi‐species global impurity transport capability developed in a GPU‐accelerated fully 3D unstructured mesh‐based code, GITRm, to simultaneously track multiple impurity species and handle interactions of these impurities with mixed‐material surfaces. Different computational approaches to model particle‐surface interaction or surface response have been developed and compared. Sheath electric field is taken into account by employing a fast distance‐to‐boundary calculation, which is carried out in parallel on distributed or partitioned meshes on multiple GPUs without the need for any inter‐process communication during the simulation. Several example cases, including two for the DIII‐D tokamak, that is, one with the SAS‐V divertor and the other with the collector probes, are used to demonstrate the utility of the current multi‐species capability. For the DIII‐D probe case, the capability of GITRm to resolve the spatial distribution of particles in localized regions, such as diagnostic probes, within non‐axisymmetric tokamak geometries is demonstrated. These simulations involve up to 320 million particles and utilize up to 48 GPUs.

Nath, Dhyanjyoti D. [Scientific Computation Resear↗

Pt Nanoparticle Disintegration at Oxide Interfaces Enhances CO Oxidation Catalysis

Understanding how supported metal nanoparticles dynamically evolve under reaction conditions is critical for controlling their catalytic function. Here, the mechanism behind the dynamic disintegration of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) supported on CeOx-TiO2 (CT) during CO oxidation is elucidated, leading to the formation of single atoms (SAs) and/or sub-nanometer clusters. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that strong Pt-CO interactions weaken Pt─Pt cohesion, while electronic coupling between Pt and Ce ions stabilizes Pt-CO* intermediates at the oxide interface. Surface oxygen vacancies kinetically trap Pt-CO*, but the vacancies are replenished under oxygen-rich conditions, enabling Pt-CO* surface diffusion and subsequent structural reorganization. In situ spectroscopic analyses confirm the oxygen-driven transformation of Pt NPs, correlating with a threefold increase in mass-specific activity at 150 °C. These findings demonstrate that interfacial oxygen dynamics and metal-support interactions can be leveraged to induce nanoparticle disintegration and optimize catalytic performance, highlighting the catalytic potential of interface-engineered Pt nanostructures.

CO oxidation↗

Dual active site tandem catalysis of metal hydroxyl oxides and single atoms for boosting oxygen evolution reaction

We report the high voltage in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) often causes structural change in electrocatalysts and forms multiple active sites. Therefore, exploring the synergy of various active sites is extremely significant to develop catalysts for OER with multiple elementary steps. Herein, we adopt the physically adsorbed metal ions method to successfully synthesize a highly-efficient electrocatalyst containing the dual active sites of Fe-NiOOH and NiC4 single atoms (marked as Ni SAs/Fe-NiOOH). The Ni SAs/Fe-NiOOH displays outstanding OER performance with an overpotential of 269 mV to deliver current density of 10 mA/cm 2 that shows 55 mV superior to commercial IrO 2 /CB at the same condition. Experiments and density functional theory calculations indicate that the excellent OER activity of Ni SAs/Fe-NiOOH catalyst is attributed to the synergy of dual active sites of NiC 4 SAs and Fe-NiOOH. A tandem catalysis mechanism is also proposed to reveal the synergism of two active centers, which makes the potential-determining step more facile and accordingly decreases the OER overpotential. This work offers a new concept of tandem catalysis to develop the electrocatalysts with many elemental steps, like OER and oxygen reduction reaction catalysts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Enhanced Data Efficiency Using Deep Neural Networks and Gaussian Processes for Aerodynamic Design Optimization

Adjoint-based optimization methods are attractive for aerodynamic shape design primarily due to their computational costs being independent of the dimensionality of the input space and their ability to generate high-fidelity gradients that can then be used in a gradient-based optimizer. This makes them very well suited for high-fidelity simulation based aerodynamic shape optimization of highly parametrized geometries such as aircraft wings. However, the development of adjoint-based solvers involve careful mathematical treatment and their implementation require detailed software development. Furthermore, they can become prohibitively expensive when multiple optimization problems are being solved, each requiring multiple restarts to circumvent local optima. In this work, we propose a machine learning enabled, surrogate-based framework that replaces the expensive adjoint solver, without compromising on predicting predictive accuracy. Specifically, we first train a deep neural network (DNN) from training data generated from evaluating the high-fidelity simulation model on a model-agnostic design of experiments on the geometry shape parameters. The optimum shape may then be computed by using a gradient-based optimizer coupled with the trained DNN. Subsequently, we also perform a gradient-free Bayesian optimization, where the trained DNN is used as the prior mean. We observe that the latter framework (DNN-BO) improves upon the DNN-only based optimization strategy for the same computational cost. Overall, this framework predicts the true optimum with very high accuracy, while requiring far fewer high-fidelity function calls compared to the adjoint-based method. Furthermore, we show that multiple optimization problems can be solved with the same machine learning model with high accuracy, to amortize the offline costs associated with constructing our models. Our methodology finds applications in the early stages of aerospace design. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Renganathan, S. Ashwin↗

Solvent-free synthesis of Co single atom and nanocluster decorated N-doped carbon for efficient oxygen reduction

The advancement of efficient, cheap, and durable catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) to substitute Pt/C in metal-air batteries is of paramount importance. However, traditional solvent-based methods fall short in terms of environmental benign and scalability. Herein, a solvent-free organic-inorganic self-assembly approach is explored to construct cobalt single atom and cobalt nanocluster decorated nitrogen-doped porous carbon spheres (Co-SA/NC@NCS). The solvent-free synthesis demonstrates an impressively high yield (282 g/L) and the resultant Co-SA/NC@NCS possesses a high N content (6.9 wt%). Density functional theory calculations disclose that the Co-SAs and Co-NCs are able to optimize the surface oxygen adsorption capability and enhance the conductivity of the NCS, thereby facilitating the ORR performance. Here, the solvent-free synthesis is also feasible for the synthesis of other non-noble metal element (Fe, Ni, and Zn) decorated nitrogen-doped porous carbon spheres.

Nitrogen-doped carbon↗