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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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A split-core heat pipe reactor, fueled with either U(233)C or U(235)C in a tungsten cermet and cooled by 7-Li-W heat pipes, was examined for the effects of the heat pipes on reactor while trying to safely absorb large reactivity inputs through inherent shutdown mechanisms. Limits on ramp reactivity inputs due to fuel melting temperature and heat pipe wall heat flux were mapped for the reactor in both startup and at-power operating modes.
A split-core heat-pipe reactor fueled with either 233-UC or 235-UC in a tungsten cermet and cooled by 7-Li-W heat pipes is examined for the effects of the heat pipes on this reactor in trying to safely absorb large reactivity inputs through inherent shutdown mechanisms. Limits on ramp reactivity inputs due to fuel-melting temperature and heat-pipe wall heat flux are mapped for the reactor in both startup and at-power operating modes.
An experimental investigation was conducted to delineate the structure of the flowfield and temperature distributions in a shock wave/turbulent boundary-layer interaction with and without surface cooling. The Mach number upstream was about 3.5, and the wave angle was 23 deg. The wall to stagnation temperature ratio was 0.44 with cooling and 1.1 with heating. A detailed map of the interaction flowfields deduced from numerous boundary-layer traversing stations revealed the influence of wall cooling on the flowfield, wave structure, and size of the flow separation region. With surface cooling, the size of the separation region was much smaller, and the separation and reflected shock waves merged together near the edge of the velocity boundary layer, extending into the freestream as one wave.
Flexible fin radiators are being developed to meet spacecraft requirements of light weight, compact launch volume, modular growth, reusability, and the capability of an on-orbit deployment and retraction. Two prototype versions of deployable/retractable, flexible finspace radiators (soft and hard tube) were tested simultaneously under thermal vacuum conditions. A map of the heat rejection performance of each radiator panel under various environmental conditions is given. The soft tube radiator deployment system demonstrated minimal gas pressure and was capable of maintaining partial deployment; temperature control was achieved by varying the deployment length. The radiator could be recovered after an inadvertant freezing of the coolant in the Teflon tube. The hard tube radiator deployment mechanism performed adequately throughout the testing, but did exhibit some undesirable performance characteristics. The hard tube radiator pressure drop was higher than expected, but was not affected by the length of deployment. The radiator operated at less than full deployment, and the manifolds were found to have a significant effect on heat rejection. At low-load conditions, the hard tube radiator appeared to bypass its deployed area.
Surface energy balance components were evaluated by combining satellite-based spectral data with on-site measurements of solar irradiance, air temperature, wind speed, and vapor pressure. Maps of latent heat flux density and net radiant flux density were produced using Landsat TM data for three dates. The TM-based estimates differed from Bowen-ratio and aircraft-based estimates by less than 12 percent over mature fields of cotton, wheat, and alfalfa.
A software-based thermal modeling process was documented for generating the thermal panel settings necessary to simulate worst-case on-orbit flight environments in an observatory-level thermal vacuum test setup. The method for creating such a thermal model involved four major steps: (1) determining the major thermal zones for test as indicated by the major dissipating components on the spacecraft, then mapping the major heat flows between these components; (2) finding the flight equivalent sink temperatures for these test thermal zones; (3) determining the thermal test ground support equipment (GSE) design and initial thermal panel settings based on the equivalent sink temperatures; and (4) adjusting the panel settings in the test model to match heat flows and temperatures with the flight model. The observatory test thermal model developed from this process allows quick predictions of the performance of the thermal vacuum test design. In this work, the method described above was applied to the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core observatory spacecraft, a joint project between NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) which is currently being integrated at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for launch in Early 2014. From preliminary results, the thermal test model generated from this process shows that the heat flows and temperatures match fairly well with the flight thermal model, indicating that the test model can simulate fairly accurately the conditions on-orbit. However, further analysis is needed to determine the best test configuration possible to validate the GPM thermal design before the start of environmental testing later this year. Also, while this analysis method has been applied solely to GPM, it should be emphasized that the same process can be applied to any mission to develop an effective test setup and panel settings which accurately simulate on-orbit thermal environments.
The phase change paint technique was used to make heat transfer measurements on the windward wing/elevons area of Space Shuttle Orbiter models with differentially deflected elevons. Outboard elevons were deflected windward at angles from 0 to 20 deg. The inboard elevons were deflected leeward. The models were tested in air at Mach 6 and 10 with two flow conditions and three angles of attack for both Mach numbers. Heat transfer coefficient contour maps of the wing/elevon area were obtained for all test conditions. The maximum heat transfer coefficient on the outboard elevon and on certain areas of the wing that were obtained when the elevons were deflected are compared to values obtained when the elevons were undeflected.
Complete heat-flux and temperature maps computed. Computer program SSQ developed to address and quantify complex, solar-shadowing conditions inherent in sparse, lattice-type space structures. Analysis procedure one of assessing partial shadowing of structural elements by multiple, similar slender members. Program yields schedules of incident-solar, Earth-thermal, and Earth-albedo radiation throughout complete orbit for elemental locations on selected structural members. Thermal response computed in optional routine. Complete heat-flux and temperature mapping obtained by repeated computations for selected elements of interest.
Local surface heat transfer measurements were experimentally mapped using a transient liquid-crystal heat-transfer technique on the surface of two circular-to-rectangular transition ducts. One has a transition cross section defined by conical corners (Duct 1) and the other by an elliptical equation with changing coefficients (Duct 2). Duct 1 has a length-to-diameter ratio of 0.75 and an exit plane aspect ratio of 1.5. Duct 2 has a length-to-diameter ratio of 1.0 and an exit plane aspect ratio of 2.9. Test results are reported for various inlet-diameter-based Reynolds numbers ranging from 0.45 106 to 2.39 106 and two freestream turbulence intensities of about 1 percent, which is typical of wind tunnels, and up to 16 percent, which may be more typical of real engine conditions.
Local heat transfer coefficients were experimentally mapped along the midchord of a five-time-size turbine blade airfoil in a static cascade operated at room temperature over a range of Reynolds numbers. The test surface consisted of a composite of commercially available materials: a mylar sheet with a layer of cholesteric liquid crystals, that change color with temperature, and a heater sheet made of a carbon-impregnated paper, that produces uniform heat flux. After the initial selection and calibration of the composite sheet, accurate, quantitative, and continuous heat transfer coefficients were mapped over the airfoil surface. The local heat transfer coefficients are presented for Reynolds numbers from 2.8 x 10 to the 5th power to 7.6 x 10 to the 5th power. Comparisons are made with analytical values of heat transfer coefficients obtained from the STAN5 boundary layer code. Also, a leading edge separation bubble was revealed by thermal and flow visualization.
Local heat transfer coefficients were experimentally mapped along the midchord of a five-time-size turbine blade airfoil in a static cascade operated at room temperature over a range of Reynolds numbers. The test surface consisted of a composite of commercially available materials: a mylar sheet with a layer of cholesteric liquid crystals, that change color with temperature, and a heater sheet made of a carbon-impregnated paper, that produces uniform heat flux. After the initial selection and calibration of the composite sheet, accurate, quantitative, and continuous heat transfer coefficients were mapped over the airfoil surface. The local heat transfer coefficients are presented for Reynolds numbers from 2.8 x 10 to the 5th power to 7.6 x 10 to the 5th power. Comparisons are made with analytical values of heat transfer coefficients obtained from the STANS boundary layer code. Also, a leading edge separation bubble was revealed by thermal and flow visualization.
An experimental study of the heat transfer distribution in a turbine rotor passage was conducted in a large-scale, ambient temperature, rotating turbine model. Heat transfer was measured for both the full-span suction and pressure surfaces of the airfoil as well as for the hub endwall surface. The objective of this program was to document the effects of flow three-dimensionality on the heat transfer in a rotating blade row (vs a stationary cascade). Of particular interest were the effects of the hub and tip secondary flows, tip leakage and the leading-edge horseshoe vortex system. The effect of surface roughness on the passage heat transfer was also investigated. Midspan results are compared with both smooth-wall and rough-wall finite-difference two-dimensional heat transfer predictions. Contour maps of Stanton number for both the rotor airfoil and endwall surfaces revealed numerous regions of high heat transfer produced by the three-dimensional flows within the rotor passage. Of particular importance are regions of local enhancement (as much as 100 percent over midspan values) produced on the airfoil suction surface by the secondary flows and tip-leakage vortices and on the hub endwall by the leading-edge horseshoe vortex system.
A technique was developed to cast frozen ice shapes that had been grown on a metal surface. This technique was applied to a series of ice shapes that were grown in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel on flat plates. Nine flat plates, 18 inches square, were obtained from which aluminum castings were made that gave good ice shape characterizations. Test strips taken from these plates were outfitted with heat flux gages, such that when placed in a dry wind tunnel, can be used to experimentally map out the convective heat transfer coefficient in the direction of flow from the roughened surfaces. The effects on the heat transfer coefficient for both parallel and accelerating flow will be studied. The smooth plate model verification baseline data as well as one ice roughened test case are presented.
A technique was developed to cast frozen ice shapes that had been grown on a metal surface. This technique was applied to a series of ice shapes that were grown in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel on flat plates. Eight different types of ice growths, characterizing different types of roughness, were obtained from these plates, from which aluminum castings were made. Test strips taken from these castings were outfitted with heat flux gages, such that when placed in a dry wind tunnel, they could be used to experimentally map out the convective heat transfer coefficient in the direction of flow from the roughened surfaces. The effects on the heat transfer coefficient for parallel flow, which simulates horizontal flight, were studied. The results of this investigation can be used to help size heaters for wings, helicopter rotor blades, jet engine intakes, etc., or de-icing for anti-icing applications where the flow is parallel to the iced surface.
Local heat-transfer coefficients were experimentally mapped on the end-wall surface of a three-times turbine vane passage in a static, single-row cascade operated with room-temperature inlet air over a range of Reynolds numbers. The test surface was a composite of commercially available materials: a Mylar sheet with a layer of cholesteric liquid crystals, which change color with temperature, and a heater made of a polyester sheet coated with vapor-deposited gold, which produces uniform heat flux. After the initial selection and calibration of the composite sheet, accurate, quantitative, and continuous heat-transfer coefficients were mapped over the end-wall surface. The local heat-transfer coefficients (expressed as nondimensional Stanton number) are presented for inlet Reynolds numbers (based on vane axial chord) from 0.83 x 10(5) to 3.97 x 10(5).
Local heat-transfer coefficients were experimentally mapped on the end-wall surface of a three-times turbine vane passage in a static, single-row cascade operated with room-temperature inlet air over a range of Reynolds numbers. The test surface was a composite of commercially available materials: a Mylar sheet with a layer of cholesteric liquid crystals, which change color with temperature, and a heater made of a polyester sheet coated with vapor-deposited gold, which produces uniform heat flux. After the initial selection and calibration of the composite sheet, accurate, quantitative, and continuous heat-transfer coefficients were mapped over the end-wall surface. The local heat-transfer coefficients (expressed as nondimensional Stanton number) are presented for inlet Reynolds numbers (based on vane axial chord) from 0.83 x 10(5) to 3.97 x 10(5).
Geothermal resources at temperatures below 150 degrees C have great potential as energy sources for various direct-use applications including heating and cooling in residential and commercial buildings. This study geospatially quantifies U.S. heating and cooling demand in residential, commercial, and manufacturing sectors; heating demand in the agricultural sector; and cooling demand in data centers at the county level through end-use energy consumption, expenditure, and commissioned power analyses. Heating and cooling demand in the residential sector was estimated using energy consumption data obtained from the U.S. Energy Information Administration accounting for different U.S. climate zones. For commercial sector analysis, the end-use major fuel energy intensity at the census division level was disaggregated to the county level with respect to principal building activities. Heating and cooling demand analysis for the manufacturing sector was based on end-use energy consumption for direct-use total process categorized by the North America Industry Classification System. Fuel expenditures in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Production Expenditures were examined for heating demand analysis in the agricultural sector, particularly for the greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture production category. Lastly, commissioned power for data centers in the United States were explored for cooling demand analysis. Results indicated a significant fraction of U.S. primary energy consumption is used for low-temperature heating and cooling applications. Heating and cooling demand in residential and commercial sectors is significantly affected by the number of housing units and climate zone designations, while heating and cooling demand in manufacturing and agricultural sectors and data centers are mainly dependent on the number of facilities and their locations. Maps were generated visualizing where heating and cooling demand is high and, overlain with geothermal resource maps, can indicate locations where geothermal energy can supply this heating and cooling demand.
Geothermal resources at temperatures below 150 degrees C have great potential as energy sources for various direct-use applications including heating and cooling in residential and commercial buildings. This study geospatially quantifies U.S. heating and cooling demand in residential, commercial, and manufacturing sectors; heating demand in the agricultural sector; and cooling demand in data centers at the county level through end-use energy consumption, expenditure, and commissioned power analyses. Heating and cooling demand in the residential sector was estimated using energy consumption data obtained from the U.S. Energy Information Administration accounting for different U.S. climate zones. For commercial sector analysis, the end-use major fuel energy intensity at the census division level was disaggregated to the county level with respect to principal building activities. Heating and cooling demand analysis for the manufacturing sector was based on end-use energy consumption for direct-use total process categorized by the North America Industry Classification System. Fuel expenditures in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Production Expenditures were examined for heating demand analysis in the agricultural sector, particularly for the greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture production category. Lastly, commissioned power for data centers in the United States were explored for cooling demand analysis. Results indicated a significant fraction of U.S. primary energy consumption is used for low-temperature heating and cooling applications. Heating and cooling demand in residential and commercial sectors is significantly affected by the number of housing units and climate zone designations, while heating and cooling demand in manufacturing and agricultural sectors and data centers are mainly dependent on the number of facilities and their locations. Maps were generated visualizing where heating and cooling demand is high and, overlain with geothermal resource maps, can indicate locations where geothermal energy can supply this heating and cooling demand.