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At least 253 records · Page 14

DC compensation for power transformer through neutral DC injection

A power transmission system can include a transformer and compensator circuit(s), each coupled between a node of the transformer and a ground connection. The compensator circuit(s) can each be configured to counteract a DC signal component of an AC signal at the transformer. The compensator circuit(s) can include a converter circuit having an AC side and a DC side and configured to convert a DC voltage on the DC side to an AC signal at the AC side. The compensator circuit(s) can include a DC link coupled to the DC side of the converter circuit. The compensator circuit(s) can include a controller configured to measure a DC signal component between the load and the ground; to determine, based at least in part on the DC signal component, a compensating signal configured to counteract the DC signal component; and to inject, by the converter circuit, the compensating signal to counteract the DC signal component.

Burkes, Klaehn W.↗

Thermo-Mechanical Analyses of Dynamically Loaded Rubber Cylinders

Thick rubber components are employed by the Army to carry large loads. In tanks, rubber covers road wheels and track systems to protect roadways. It is difficult for design engineers to simulate the details of the hysteretic heating for large strain viscoelastic deformations. In this study, an approximation to the viscoelastic energy dissipated per unit time is investigated for use in estimating mechanically induced viscoelastic heating. Coupled thermo-mechanical simulations of large cyclic deformations of rubber cylinders are presented. The cylinders are first compressed axially and then cyclically loaded about the compressed state. Details of the algorithm and some computational issues are discussed. The coupled analyses are conducted for tall and short rubber cylinders both with and without imbedded metal disks.

Johnson, Arthur R.↗

Probabilistic load model development and validation for composite load spectra for select space propulsion engines

A major task of the program to develop an expert system to predict the loads on selected components of a generic space propulsion engine is the design development and application of a probabilitic loads model. This model is being developed in order to account for the random nature of the loads and assess the variable load ranges' effect on the engine performance. A probabilistic model has been developed. The model is based primarily on simulation methods, but also has a Gaussian algebra method (if all variables are near normal), a fast probability integrator routine (for the calculation of low probability events), and a separate, stand alone program for performing barrier crossing calculations. Each of these probabilistic methods has been verified with theoretical calculations using assumed distributional forms.

Kurth, R.↗

Wind profile perturbation analysis for STS

Two case studies of the relationship between STS ascent structural loads and wind profile characteristics are described. In the first case study, a wind profile with relatively weak winds is used to demonstrate the importance of launch vehicle velocity relative to the air and its effect on loads. In the second study, a pair of wind profiles is used to show how the determination of load exceedances is strongly influenced by the wind load persistence allowances for the baseline and two day-of-launch (DOL) steering commands called I-LOADs. Characteristics of the wind profiles and associated trajectory variable and wind-sensitive load indicators are examined. Energy spectra of in-plane and out-of-plane wind component and a load indicator are presented. An analysis of load indicator sensitivity to wind perturbation energy in the 1600-6400 m wavelength band for baseline and DOL I-LOAD is described.

Adelfang, S. I.↗

Characterizing Output Bottlenecks of a Production Supercomputer: Analysis and Implications

This article studies the I/O write behaviors of the Titan supercomputer and its Lustre parallel file stores under production load. The results can inform the design, deployment, and configuration of file systems along with the design of I/O software in the application, operating system, and adaptive I/O libraries.We propose a statistical benchmarking methodology to measure write performance across I/O configurations, hardware settings, and system conditions. Moreover, we introduce two relative measures to quantify the write-performance behaviors of hardware components under production load. In addition to designing experiments and benchmarking on Titan, we verify the experimental results on one real application and one real application I/O kernel, XGC and HACC IO, respectively. These two are representative and widely used to address the typical I/O behaviors of applications.In summary, we find that Titan’s I/O system is variable across the machine at fine time scales. This variability has two major implications. First, stragglers lessen the benefit of coupled I/O parallelism (striping). Peak median output bandwidths are obtained with parallel writes to many independent files, with no striping or write sharing of files across clients (compute nodes). I/O parallelism is most effective when the application—or its I/O libraries—distributes the I/O load so that each target stores files for multiple clients and each client writes files on multiple targets in a balanced way with minimal contention. Second, our results suggest that the potential benefit of dynamic adaptation is limited. In particular, it is not fruitful to attempt to identify “good locations” in the machine or in the file system: component performance is driven by transient load conditions and past performance is not a useful predictor of future performance. For example, we do not observe diurnal load patterns that are predictable.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Self-welding of Inconel 617 under high-pressure-high-temperature conditions for nuclear reactors

In response to continuously declining availability of fossil fuels, nuclear power has become an important alternative source of power generation. Growing application of nuclear power has relieved the shortage of electricity. However, it is also accompanied with new drawbacks, such as radioactive waste, and potential catastrophic consequences in case of major accidents. For nuclear power plants, severe accidents mostly originate from the reactor, making the reliability of the reactor of paramount importance to the overall safety of a nuclear power plant. Massive heat generation through nuclear fission/fusion and heat exchange render the whole reactor operating at extremely high temperatures (i.e., 900–1000 °C), which, in conjunction with large load from subsystems/ components made of special heavy alloys, renders the reactor under the risk of self-welding, a phenomenon that could lead to strong bonding between components and paralyze the operability of the nuclear reactor. This paper investigates the self-welding behavior of Inconel 617, a primary candidate nickel alloy for key components of the next generation gas cooled nuclear plant, inside a controlled atmospheric furnace with preset static load, simulating the high-pressure high-temperature conditions inside nuclear reactors. Therefore, test results show that Inconel 617 experiences self-welding through common oxide zone at the interface, and it has remarkable bonding strength, requiring 4114 N (57.15 MPa) and 4338 N (60.25 MPa) to break apart a mated sample pair, under an apparent contact pressure of 0.341 MPa after 50-h aging, in helium and air atmospheres, respectively. The higher oxygen presence in air results in slightly stronger oxide bond at the interface, compared to helium, and the bond strength increases with dwell time.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

High Temperature Material Property Data and Challenges to Thermal Process Model Predictions and In-Situ/Ex-Situ Measurements for Metallic Additive Manufacturing

Understanding and predicting performance properties of parts produced by metallic additive manufacturing has improved significantly over the past decade; however, difficult to measure material properties and process outcomes continue to be challenges. The qualification or certification of aerospace parts require extensive measures to quantify variable part properties in order to buy down the risk of component failure. The variability, inherent to the additive manufacturing, process adds unwanted uncertainty in the production of load critical structural components. Process modeling has proven valuable in providing predictions and context for understanding outcomes of the additive manufacturing process; however, these physically informed process models require material properties at temperatures that are difficult to measure and rarely available. Further, calibrating or validating such models is difficult because the process itself is challenging to measure. This talk will explore some of the challenges resulting from difficult to acquire input data by relating thermal process model predictions to in-situ and ex-situ optical microscopy measurements.

Process Model↗

Indexing Mount For Rotation Of Optical Component

Indexing mount for polarizer, wave plate, birefringent plate, or other optical component facilitates rotation of component to one or more preset angles. Includes hexagonal nut holding polarizer or other optical component. Ball bearing loaded by screw engages notch on cylindrical extension of nut engaging bracket. Time-consuming and tedious angular adjustment unnecessary: component turned quickly and easily, by hand or by use of wrench, to preset angular positions maintained by simple ball-detent mechanism.

Reichle, Donald J., Jr.↗

Use of the NLP10x10 Sequential Quadratic Programming Algorithm To Solve Rotorcraft Hub Loads Minimisation Problems

Previous research and experimentation on the use of a non-linear programming constrained optimisation technique to define an optimal control vector for rotorcraft applications indicated that use of this methodology was feasible and desirable in many cases. In particular, use of non-linear programming methods that solve a sequence of related quadratic-programming sub-problems were used successfully to solve these problems. Accordingly, a licence for one of the latest versions of Professor Klaus Schittkowskis very successful Sequential Quadratic Programming NLPQLP software was obtained and used to experiment with and analyse typical optimisation problems of the type encountered in various rotorcraft wind tunnel and flight tests. This research resulted in the development of the general NLPQLP Computation System that could be used to solve problems of the type encountered in various rotorcraft applications where there is a linear dependence of the measurement vector on the control vector, and where equality andor inequality constraints might be imposed. This development was accomplished on a mainframe computer not part of actual wind tunnel andor flight-test experiment, but in a format which was transferable to wind tunnel lap-top computers. Emphasis was directed toward obtaining efficiency, robustness and speed in computation.The System was developed in support of the five-bladed SMART Rotor Active Flap Rotor Hub Loads analytical minimisation research. The design and development of the Computation System was tailored to address the particular requirements of the problem to minimise a performance metric function of measured hub load harmonic angular couple components by optimising the control vector harmonic flap angular couple components subject to constraints on the amplitudes of these control vector harmonic flap angular couple components. In addition, to facilitate real time wind tunnel experimentation, the ability to rapidly selectchange the particular hub load harmonic angular couple components andor the particular control vector harmonic angular couple components to be considered in the optimisation procedure was provided in the System. This capability allows the singling out of particular hub load frequencies andor particular flap angle frequencies to be analysed during testing operations. The System was used very successfully for the SMART Active Flap Rotor Hub minimisation problems considered in the study, the results of which were presented at the American Helicopter Society Fifth Decennial Aeromechanics Specialist Conference in January 2014. Excellent agreement between cases initiated with best guess starting estimates for the control vector elements and cases initiated with zero control vector starting element estimates resulted, indicating the robustness of the NLP10x10 algorithm.

Rotorcraft Hub Loads↗

0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D simulations of an idealized coaxial impedance-matched Marx generator

We have conducted 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D simulations of an idealized coaxial impedance-matched Marx generator (IMG) []. The 0D calculations were conducted with a four-element circuit model; the 1D, 2D, and 3D calculations were conducted with highly resolved, fully electromagnetic representations. The IMG consists of 30 stages distributed axially and connected electrically in series. Each stage is powered by two bricks separated by 180° and connected electrically in parallel. Each brick comprises two opposite-polarity capacitors in series with a single switch. The bricks drive an internal impedance-matched coaxial transmission line terminated by a resistive load. The simulations neglect effects due to the switch-triggering circuit, the capacitor-charging circuit, external conducting boundaries, and reactive components of the load. We find dimensionality does not significantly affect the electrical power delivered by the IMG to its load: peak load powers estimated by the 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D simulations agree to within 1%. The 3D calculations demonstrate that electromagnetic power radiated by the bricks, and axial gaps between stages, reduces the peak load power by less than ∼ 1 % . Each simulation assumes the load impedance is 34% above that at which the load power is maximized. Operating an IMG with such an overmatched load offers several advantages while decreasing the peak load power by only 2%. The 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D models outlined herein could be adapted to assess computationally competing IMG designs, and conduct a variety of numerical IMG experiments, an IMG is constructed. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Structural analysis methods development for turbine hot section components

This paper summarizes the structural analysis technologies and activities of the NASA Lewis Research Center's gas turbine engine Hot Section Technology (HOST) program. The technologies synergistically developed and validated include: mechanical load models; component-specific automated geometric modeling and solution strategy capabilities; advanced inelastic analysis methods; inelastic constitutive models; high-temperature experimental techniques and experiments; and nonlinear structural analysis codes. Features of the program that incorporate the new technologies and their application to hot section component analysis and design are described. Improved and, in some cases, first-time three-dimensional non-linear structural analyses of hot section components of isotropic and anisotropic nickel-base superalloys are presented.

R L Thompson↗

Space Suit Radiator Performance in Lunar and Mars Environments

During an ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA), both the heat generated by the astronaut's metabolism and that produced by the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) must be rejected to space. The heat sources include the heat of adsorption of metabolic CO2, the heat of condensation of water, the heat removed from the body by the liquid cooling garment and the load from the electrical components. Although the sublimator hardware to reject this load weighs only 3.48 lbs, an additional eight pounds of water are loaded into the unit of which about six to eight are sublimated and lost; this is the single largest expendable during an eight-hour EVA. Using a radiator to reject heat from the Astronaut during an EVA, we can significantly reduce the amount of expendable water consumed by the sublimator. Last year we reported on the design and initial operational assessment tests of our novel radiator designated the Radiator And Freeze Tolerant heat eXchanger (RAFT-X). Herein, we report on tests conducted in the NASA Johnson Space Center Chamber E Thermal Vacuum Test Facility. Up to 800 Btu/h of heat were rejected in lunar and Mars environments with temperatures as cold as -150 F. Tilting the radiator did not cause an observable loss in performance. The RAFT-X endured freeze / thaw cycles and in fact, the heat exchanger was completely frozen three times without any apparent damage to the unit. We were also able to operate the heat exchanger in a partially frozen configuration to throttle the heat rejection rate from 530 Btu/h at low water flow rate down to 300 Btu/h. Finally, the deliberate loss of a single loop heat pipe only degraded the heat rejection performance by about 2 to 5%.

Nabity, James↗

Space Suit Radiator Performance in Lunar and Mars Environments

During an ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA), both the heat generated by the astronaut's metabolism and that produced by the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) must be rejected to space. The heat sources include the heat of adsorption of metabolic CO2, the heat of condensation of water, the heat removed from the body by the liquid cooling garment and the load from the electrical components. Although the sublimator hardware to reject this load weighs only 1.58 kg (3.48 lbm), an additional 3.6 kg (8 lbm) of water are loaded into the unit, most of which is sublimated and lost to thus become the single largest expendable during an eight hour EVA. We can significantly reduce the amount of expendable water consumed in the sublimator by using a radiator to reject heat from the Astronaut during an EVA. Last year we reported on the design and initial operational assessment tests of our novel radiator designated the Radiator And Freeze Tolerant heat eXchanger (RAFT-X). Herein, we report on tests conducted in the NASA Johnson Space Center Chamber E Thermal Vacuum Test Facility. Up to 260 W (900 Btu/h) of heat were rejected in Lunar and Mars environments with temperatures as cold as -170 C (- 275 F). Further, the RAFT-X endured several freeze / thaw cycles and in fact, the heat exchanger was completely frozen three times without any apparent damage to the unit.

Nabity, James↗

A Freezable Heat Exchanger for Space Suit Radiator Systems

During an ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA), both the heat generated by the astronaut s metabolism and that produced by the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) must be rejected to space. The heat sources include the heat of adsorption of metabolic CO2, the heat of condensation of water, the heat removed from the body by the liquid cooling garment and the load from the electrical components. Although the sublimator hardware to reject this load weighs only 1.58 kg (3.48 lbm), an additional 3.6 kg (8 lbm) of water are loaded into the unit, most of which is sublimated and lost to space, thus becoming the single largest expendable during an eight-hour EVA. Using a radiator to reject heat from the astronaut during an EVA can reduce the amount of expendable water consumed in the sublimator. Radiators have no moving parts and are thus highly reliable. Past freezable radiators have been too heavy, but the weight can be greatly reduced by placing a small and freeze tolerant heat exchanger between the astronaut and radiator, instead of making the very large radiator freeze tolerant. Therefore, the key technological innovation to improve space suit radiator performance was the development of a lightweight and freezable heat exchanger that accommodates the variable heat load generated by the astronaut. Herein, we present the heat transfer performance of a newly designed heat exchanger that endured several freeze / thaw cycles without any apparent damage. The heat exchanger was also able to continuously turn down or turn up the heat rejection to follow the variable load.

Nabity, James A.↗

Space Suit Radiator Performance in Lunar and Mars Environments

During an ExtraVehicular Activity (EVA), both the heat generated by the astronaut's metabolism and that produced by the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) must be rejected to space. The heat sources include the heat of adsorption of metabolic CO2, the heat of condensation of water, the heat removed from the body by the liquid cooling garment and the load from the electrical components. Although the sublimator hardware to reject this load weighs only 3.48 lbs, an additional eight pounds of water are loaded into the unit of which about six to eight are sublimated and lost; this is the single largest expendable during an eight-hour EVA. Using a radiator to reject heat from the Astronaut during an EVA, we can significantly reduce the amount of expendable water consumed by the sublimator. Last year we reported on the design and initial operational assessment tests of our novel radiator designated the Radiator And Freeze Tolerant heat eXchanger (RAFT-X). Herein, we report on tests conducted in the NASA Johnson Space Center Chamber E Thermal Vacuum Test Facility. Up to 800 Btu/h of heat were rejected in lunar and Mars environments with temperatures as cold as 150 F. Tilting the radiator did not cause an observable loss in performance. The RAFT-X endured freeze/thaw cycles and in fact, the heat exchanger was completely frozen three times without any apparent damage to the unit. We were also able to operate the heat exchanger in a partially frozen configuration to throttle the heat rejection rate from 530 Btu/h at low water flow rate down to 300 Btu/h. Finally, the deliberate loss of a single loop heat pipe only degraded the heat rejection performance by about 2 to 5%.

Paul, Heather↗

Structural analysis methods development for turbine hot section components

The structural analysis technologies and activities of the NASA Lewis Research Center's gas turbine engine Hot Section Technology (HOST) Program are summarized. The technologies synergistically developed and validated include: time-varying thermal/mechanical load models; component-specific automated geometric modeling and solution strategy capabilities; advanced inelastic analysis methods; inelastic constitutive models; high-temperature experimental techniques and experiments; and nonlinear structural analysis codes. Features of the program that incorporate the new technologies and their application to hot section component analysis and design are described. Improved and, in some cases, first-time 3-D nonlinear structural analyses of hot section components of isotropic and anisotropic nickel-base superalloys are presented.

Thompson, R. L.↗

Elevated temperature fatigue testing of metals

Material characterization and evaluation conducted for the purpose of calculating fatigue crack initiation lives of components operating at elevated temperatures are discussed. The major technology areas needed to perform a life prediction of an aircraft turbine engine hot section component and the steps required for life prediction are outlined. These include: the determination of the operating environment, the calculation of the thermal and mechanical loading of the component, the cyclic stress strain and creep behavior of the material required for structural analysis, the structural analysis to determine the local stress strain temperature time response of the material at the critical location in the component, and from a knowledge of the fatigue, creep, and failure resistance of the material, a prediction of the life of the component.

Hirschberg, M. H.↗

An Investigation of a 0.05-Scale Model of the XSM-64A Navaho Missile and Booster: Force Study at Mach Numbers from 1.77 to 3.51 - Part 1

An investigation has been conducted in the Langley Unitary Plan wind tunnel to determine the aerodynamic loads and the static longitudinal and lateral stability of a 0.05-scale model of the XSM-64A Navaho missile and booster and its various components. Tests were conducted through a Mach number range of 1.77 to 3.51 with a corresponding Reynolds number range of 2.4 x 10(exp 6) to 2.9 x 10(exp 6). Results are presented for an angle-of-attack range of -8 deg to 4 deg for the missile-booster combination and -10 deg to 10 deg for the missile-alone configuration. Tests for both configurations were conducted through an angle-of-sideslip range of -8 deg to 8 deg. Also presented are some effects on the model characteristics of the deflection of various components including canard, tip aileron, vertical stabilizer, speed brakes, and booster pitch and yaw thrust chambers. The various components on which loads were measured include the wing, tip aileron, rudder, booster, booster separating surface, booster fin, and booster yaw and pitch thrust chambers. These data are presented without analysis.

Church, James D.↗