SEARCH · Engineering Papers
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Rake mounting design reduces aerodynamic-surface discontinuities to a minimum when installed in boundary layer bleed area. Mounting base is not required and, because of simplicity, rake can be manufactured at low cost.
The experimental results on the use of superconductive systems onboard of spacecraft are described. To ensure low temperatures in the cryostat under weightlessness, helium was used at a pressure above the critical pressure. In flight, the temperature was controlled at six points, while the pressure and intensity of the magnetic field were controlled in the solenoids. The methodical test proved it possible to mount special installations on satellites, with extensive magnetic fields based on superconductive alloys, and particularly, low weights and low power consumption magnetic analyzers.
Implementation and performance of the microprocessor-based controllers and Dana Digiphase Synthesizer (DCO) installed in the Deep Space Network exciter in the 64-meter and 34-meter subnets to support uplink tuning required for the Voyager-Saturn Encounter is discussed. Test data in tests conducted during the production of the controllers verified the design objective for phase control accuracy of 10 to the - 12 power cycles in eight hours during ramping. Tests conducted require a phase error between a theoretical calculated value and the actual phase of no greater than + or - 1 cycle. Tests included (1) a ramp over a period of eight hours using a ramp rate which covers the synthesizer tuning range (40-51 MHz) and (2) a ramp sequence using the maximum rate (+ or kHz/s) over the tuning range.
The views of the Langley Research Center regarding the NASA Equipment Management System (EMS) are discussed. One of Langley's greatest concerns is with the reconciliation between NEMS and the General Ledger. Langley's accounting system tracks cost data to the penny level. NEMS deals in whole dollar amounts. Therefore, Langley has no way of reconciling the two. The only approach that is acceptable to Langley, unless requirements for reconciliation are changed, is for the NEMS files and the reports involved in the process be at the penny level. All other NEMS reports can remain whole dollars. Also to reconcile, Langley needs data to show the difference between the previous cost and the new cost for the month. On an input record, the adjustment amount is added to the cost and recorded as total amount. The adjusted cost is not captured. In order to establish a control between the prior months and the current month, a new field needs to be added to capture the adjusted cost (debits And credits). Langley has not reconciled the Equipment account with the General Ledger since February 1984. Problems with NEMS regular production runs cause concern. Production at Langley is run on the second and/or third shift. If a run(s) terminates and/or abends in a particular module, Langley must wait until the next day to resolve NEMS problems after consultation with Headquarters personnel. For a successful installation, Langley must have a good data base to convert to NEMS and users and the data processing staff must work together.
The goals are to conduct a research and development program aimed at determining the most effective way to do SETI within the constraints of current technology and estimated budgets. The general search strategy adopted is that which is recommended by the SETI Science Working Group. The strategy for an all sky survey for SETI was further developed over the last year. Scan patterns, scan rates, and signal detection algorithms were developed. Spectral power measurement instrumentation was tested at the Venus Station of the Goldstone Deep Space Communication Complex. A specially designed radio frequency interference (RFI) measurement system was built and installed at the Venus Station. A data base management system for storage and retrieval of the RFI data was partially implemented on a VAX 750 computer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Numerical modeling simulations of tropical squall lines were begun to determine the role of large scale terrain features over Arizona and Mexico in their initiation and propagation. Installation was completed for a short-base, high resolution lightning location and detection network in and around Tucson. Data from a Doppler wind profiler is being analyzed to determine the role of large scale heating over the inter-mountain plateau region in governing local diurnal wind variations and possible relationships to the monsoon flow. The portable solar photometer for determining high temporal resolution values of the local precipitable water vapor was completed and calibrated. The assembly is nearly completed for a multi-channel microwave passive radiometer to determine local temperature and water vapor profiles.
The present study is a preliminary investigation into the behavior of the flow within a 28 degree total geometric turning angle hypothetical Mach 10 inlet as calculated with the full three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. Comparison between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional solutions have been made. The overall compression is not significantly different between the two-dimensional and center plane three dimensional solutions. Approximately one-half to two-thirds of the inlet flow at the exit of the inlet behave nominally two-dimensionally. On the other hand, flow field non-uniformities in the three-dimensional solution indicate the potential significance of the sidewall boundary layer flows ingested into the inlet. The tailoring of the geometry at the inlet shoulder and on the cowl obtained in the two-dimensional parametric design study have also proved to be effective at controlling the boundary layer behavior in the three-dimensional code. The three-dimensional inlet solution remained started indicating that the two-dimensional design had a sufficient margin to allow for three-dimensional flow field effects. Although confidence is being gained in the use of SCRAM3D (three-dimensional full Navier-Stokes code) as applied to similar flow fields, the actual effects of the three-dimensional flow fields associated with sidewalls and wind tunnel installations can require verification with ground-based experiments.
Mechanical retainers of new type for use with gap filler easy to install and to attach themselves securely. Concept based on shape-memory properties of metal alloy Nitinol, alloy of nickel and titanium. Retainers conceived for use with Space Shuttle insulating tiles but used on other assemblies of blocks or tiles configured similarly. Tabs bent outward made flush by cooling below memory transition temperature. After insertion in gap and reheating, tabs spring outward.
The crews of STS-111 (Endeavour's crew: Ken Cockrell, Commander; Paul Lockhart, Pilot; Franklin Chang-Diaz, Mission Specialist (MS); Philippe Perrin, MS; International Space Station's (ISS) Expedition 4 crew: Yury Onufrienko, Commander; Daniel Bursch, Flight Engineer; Carl Walz, Flight Engineer; ISS Expedition 5 crew: Valery Korzun, Commander; Peggy Whitson, Flight Engineer; Sergei Treschev, Flight Engineer) narrate this video of highlights from the mission. It includes footage from each major portion of the mission: launch preparation, launch, entering orbit, opening payload bay doors, rendezvous of Endeavour with ISS, docking of the crafts and the meeting between Endeavour and Expedition 5 crews and the Expedition 4 crew, which Expedition 5 relieved. Docked operations include: crew transfer procedures, transfer of goods, EVA (extravehicular activity) prep, EVA performed by Chang-Diaz and Perrin which included installing a grapple fixture, mounting the Mobile Base System (MBS) to the Mobile Transporter (MT), and changing a joint on the station's Canadarm 2 robotic arm. The video ends with re-entry and landing of the shuttle.
Integrated microbatteries have been proposed to satisfy an anticipated need for long-life, low-rate primary batteries, having volumes less than 1 mm3, to power electronic circuitry in implantable medical devices. In one contemplated application, such a battery would be incorporated into a tubular hearing-aid device to be installed against an eardrum. This device is based on existing tube structures that have already been approved by the FDA for use in human ears. As shown in the figure, the battery would comprise a single cell at one end of the implantable tube. A small volume of Li-based primary battery cathode material would be compacted and inserted in the tube near one end, followed by a thin porous separator, followed by a pressed powder of a Li-containing alloy. Current-collecting wires would be inserted, with suitably positioned insulators to prevent a short circuit. The battery would contain a liquid electrolyte consisting of a Li-based salt in an appropriate solvent. Hermetic seals would be created by plugging both ends with a waterproof polymer followed by deposition of parylene.
The development of the Ko displacement theory for predictions of structure deformed shapes was motivated in 2003 by the Helios flying wing, which had a 247-ft (75-m) wing span with wingtip deflections reaching 40 ft (12 m). The Helios flying wing failed in midair in June 2003, creating the need to develop new technology to predict in-flight deformed shapes of unmanned aircraft wings for visual display before the ground-based pilots. Any types of strain sensors installed on a structure can only sense the surface strains, but are incapable to sense the overall deformed shapes of structures. After the invention of the Ko displacement theory, predictions of structure deformed shapes could be achieved by feeding the measured surface strains into the Ko displacement transfer functions for the calculations of out-of-plane deflections and cross sectional rotations at multiple locations for mapping out overall deformed shapes of the structures. The new Ko displacement theory combined with a strain-sensing system thus created a revolutionary new structure- shape-sensing technology.
A new-generation meteor radar was installed at the Brazilian Antarctic Comandante Ferraz Base (62.1degS) in March 2010. This paper describes the motivations for the radar location, its measurement capabilities, and comparisons of measured mean winds, tides, and gravity wave momentum fluxes from April to June of 2010 and 2011 with those by a similar radar on Tierra del Fuego (53.8degS). Motivations for the radars include the "hotspot" of small-scale gravity wave activity extending from the troposphere into the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) centered over the Drake Passage, the maximum of the semidiurnal tide at these latitudes, and the lack of other MLT wind measurements in this latitude band. Mean winds are seen to be strongly modulated at planetary wave and longer periods and to exhibit strong coherence over the two radars at shorter time scales as well as systematic seasonal variations. The semidiurnal tide contribute most to the large-scale winds over both radars, with maximum tidal amplitudes during May and maxima at the highest altitudes varying from approx.20 to >70 m/s. In contrast, the diurnal tide and various planetary waves achieve maximum winds of approx.10 to 20 m/s. Monthly-mean gravity wave momentum fluxes appear to reflect the occurrence of significant sources at lower altitudes, with relatively small zonal fluxes over both radars, but with significant, and opposite, meridional momentum fluxes below approx.85 km. These suggest gravity waves propagating away from the Drake Passage at both sites, and may indicate an important source region accounting in part for this "hotspot".
The Resource Prospector Mission (RPM) is an in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology demonstration mission planned to launch in 2018. The mission will use the Regolith and Environment Science & Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) Payload to prospect for lunar volatiles such as water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. These compounds will validate ISRU capability. The payload, particularly the Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis (LAVA) subsystem, requires numerous temperature measurements to accurately control on-board heaters that keep the volatiles in the vapor phase to allow quantification and prevent the clogging of delivery lines. Previous spaceflight missions have proven that Resistive Temperature Detector (RTD) failure impedes mission success. The research resulted in a recommendation for a flight-forward RTD. The recommendation was based on accuracy, consistency, and ease of installation of RTDs procured from IST, QTI, and Honeywell.
The Resource Prospector Mission (RPM) is an in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technology demonstration mission planned to launch in 2018. The mission will use the Regolith and Environment Science & Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) Payload to prospect for lunar volatiles such as water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. These compounds will validate ISRU capability. The payload, particularly the Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis (LAVA) subsystem, requires numerous temperature measurements to accurately control on-board heaters that keep the volatiles in the vapor phase to allow quantification and prevent the clogging of delivery lines. Previous spaceflight missions have proven that Resistive Temperature Detector (RTD) failure impedes mission success. The research resulted in a recommendation for a flight-forward RTD. The recommendation was based on accuracy, consistency, and ease of installation of RTDs procured from IST, QTI, and Honeywell.
This Software Guide (SG) describes the software developed to test the Assessment Environment for Complex Systems (AECS) by the West Virginia High Technology Consortium (WVHTC) Foundation's Mission Systems Group (MSG) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). This software is referred to as the AECS Test Project throughout the remainder of this document. AECS provides a framework for developing, simulating, testing, and analyzing modern avionics systems within an Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) architecture. The purpose of the AECS Test Project is twofold. First, it provides a means to test the AECS hardware and system developed by MSG. Second, it provides an example project upon which future AECS research may be based. This Software Guide fully describes building, installing, and executing the AECS Test Project as well as its architecture and design. The design of the AECS hardware is described in the AECS Hardware Guide. Instructions on how to configure, build and use the AECS are described in the User's Guide. Sample AECS software, developed by the WVHTC Foundation, is presented in the AECS Software Guide. The AECS Hardware Guide, AECS User's Guide, and AECS Software Guide are authored by MSG. The requirements set forth for AECS are presented in the Statement of Work for the Assessment Environment for Complex Systems authored by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC). The intended audience for this document includes software engineers, hardware engineers, project managers, and quality assurance personnel from WVHTC Foundation (the suppliers of the software), NASA (the customer), and future researchers (users of the software). Readers are assumed to have general knowledge in the field of real-time, embedded computer software development.
The Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) to be manifested on the International Space Station (ISS) consists of a fluid system and the associated electronics to provide for conditioning the test fluid (normal-PerFluorohexane or nPFH-C6F14) to the proper thermodynamic state prior to entering a test module, which can be interchangeable based on the science objectives. Two separate test modules have been manufactured for the FBCE, the Flow Boiling Module (FBM), which investigates flow boiling for a subcooled liquid, saturated liquid, or two phase mixture, and the Condensation Module Heat Transfer (CM-HT), which investigates condensation of a flowing saturated or superheated vapor. The test fluid heating is accomplished using the Bulk Heater Module (BHM), which heats the fluid to various states based on the demands of the currently installed test module. ISS Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) water is utilized to cool the test fluid prior to entering the circulation pump, and is also utilized for cooling for condensation in CM-HT, for cooling of a camera in FBM. An adjustable pressure bellows-type accumulator is used to set the pressure at the inlet of the test section, but does not provide active pressure control during testing. The flow of the test fluid is achieved using a gear pump controlled by a coriolis flow meter, which also provides the flow rate measurement. Flow rates for the ITCS water loops are measured and controlled using coriolis flow meters with directly controlled proportional valves. During execution of FBCE operations, the FBM is scheduled to collect data for three months before being exchanged with CM-HT for another three month data collection run. In this work, we present the development of the flight hardware, the associated challenges experienced during the development such as packaging flight system hardware, and the lessons learned in overcoming the encountered challenges.
In this document a highly detailed stochastic soot model limited to 0D simulations is coupled to 3D domains through the use of a Lagrangian parcel-Eulerian fluid method. Although both the stochastic soot model used and the Lagrangian parcel-Eulerian fluid method have long histories of development, their use, as described in this document, is novel and useful. Previous works significant to the model's development include documents from both the stochastic and simpler soot model genre and the fuel, aerosol, and other particle tracking and Lagrangian parcel-Eulerian fluid genres. Developing the theory behind the model is crucial to its implementation because of the unconventional Lagrangian parcel-Eulerian fluid representation. In fact, the Lagrangian parcel-Eulerian fluid coupling is only a means of simplifying the much more difficult theoretical model. Despite the accompanying assumptions, the complete model is validated from the bottom up and then again in a holistic fashion with promising results. Then the model is used in multiple case studies, showcasing capabilities not had by other models. The optical properties of soot generated in a Spray A simulation are calculated to find measured results are likely overpredicting the mass of soot along the central axis via KL extinction measurements. A thermophoresis submodel that calculates force based on the soot particles' shape is installed to find it has a high influence on the path of the heaviest soot particles. Investigations into the HACA mechanism for soot growth and the effect of syngas on soot in 3D domains are performed with much more detail than has been available before.
A 120 V heat pump water heater (HPWH) is a direct plug-in option to replace gas water heater (WH) without needing expensive electric panel upgrade to 220 V. To enable the smooth transition, the HPWH should provide comparable water heating capacity as the gas WH. WH capacities are rated in the form of first hour rating (FHR). Typical home gas WHs have FHRs > 65 gallon with a 40-gallon water tank. It imposes a major challenge on 120V HPWHs. Most 120V circuits in US can provide 1,800 to 2,400W, not adequate to drive electric resistance heat to boost FHRs. Thus, all the heat needs to come from the heat pump with its top power below 1500 Watts, which is constraint by the installation footprint. This study uses a hardware based, HPWH design model, i.e. the DOE/ORNL Heat Pump Design Model to design a 120V unit with a brazed plate condenser, fin-and-tube evaporator and an adequately sized compressor. To maximize the FHR, multiple strategies were simulated, including use of a mixing valve, overheating the tank temperature to 140F, a new sensing method for quicker response, and an innovative water circulation path. We also simulated 24-hour unform energy factors (UEF) to show the tradeoff between the capacity and operation efficiency. Additionally, we evaluated the impact of insulation thickness on FHR and UEF, to seek further footprint reduction or stretch the tank volume.