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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

A Statistical Project Control Tool for Engineering Managers

This slide presentation reviews the use of a Statistical Project Control Tool (SPCT) for managing engineering projects. A literature review pointed to a definition of project success, (i.e., A project is successful when the cost, schedule, technical performance, and quality satisfy the customer.) The literature review also pointed to project success factors, and traditional project control tools, and performance measures that are detailed in the report. The essential problem is that with resources becoming more limited, and an increasing number or projects, project failure is increasing, there is a limitation of existing methods and systematic methods are required. The objective of the work is to provide a new statistical project control tool for project managers. Graphs using the SPCT method plotting results of 3 successful projects and 3 failed projects are reviewed, with success and failure being defined by the owner.

Bauch, Garland T.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Operating and Managing a Backup Control Center

Due to the criticality of continuous mission operations, some control centers must plan for alternate locations in the event an emergency shuts down the primary control center. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas is the Mission Control Center (MCC) for the International Space Station (ISS). Due to Houston s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, JSC is prone to threats from hurricanes which could cause flooding, wind damage, and electrical outages to the buildings supporting the MCC. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has the capability to be the Backup Control Center for the ISS if the situation is needed. While the MSFC Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) does house the BCC, the prime customer and operator of the ISS is still the JSC flight operations team. To satisfy the customer and maintain continuous mission operations, the BCC has critical infrastructure that hosts ISS ground systems and flight operations equipment that mirrors the prime mission control facility. However, a complete duplicate of Mission Control Center in another remote location is very expensive to recreate. The HOSC has infrastructure and services that MCC utilized for its backup control center to reduce the costs of a somewhat redundant service. While labor talents are equivalent, experiences are not. Certain operations are maintained in a redundant mode, while others are simply maintained as single string with adequate sparing levels of equipment. Personnel at the BCC facility must be trained and certified to an adequate level on primary MCC systems. Negotiations with the customer were done to match requirements with existing capabilities, and to prioritize resources for appropriate level of service. Because some of these systems are shared, an activation of the backup control center will cause a suspension of scheduled HOSC activities that may share resources needed by the BCC. For example, the MCC is monitoring a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. As the threat to MCC increases, HOSC must begin a phased activation of the BCC, while working resource conflicts with normal HOSC activities. In a long duration outage to the MCC, this could cause serious impacts to the BCC host facility s primary mission support activities. This management of a BCC is worked based on customer expectations and negotiations done before emergencies occur. I.

Marsh, Angela L.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mobility and Energy Improvements Realized through Prediction-based Vehicle Powertrain Control and Traffic Management (Research Performance Final Report)

The goal of this project was to utilize individual vehicle and systems-level transportation big data to develop real-world implementable techniques for energy efficiency. We collected a real world dataset in Fort Collins, CO using technology that is currently available. This dataset was used to (1) create individual vehicle prediction models and emissions models using cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, (2) create traffic prediction models, (3) create boundary condition constraints for optimal trajectory derivation, and (4) develop a novel Mobility Energy Productivity (MEP) model for Fort Collins, CO at a fidelity and flexibility which did not previously exist. Each of these techniques is novel but the most interesting results occurred from the intersection of all techniques. It was found that when optimal vehicle control is combined with optimal traffic light control, that significant energy efficiency improvements that do not compromise travel time are available.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1992

Description of the SSF PMAD DC testbed control system data acquisition function

The NASA LeRC in Cleveland, Ohio has completed the development and integration of a Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) DC Testbed. This testbed is a reduced scale representation of the end to end, sources to loads, Space Station Freedom Electrical Power System (SSF EPS). This unique facility is being used to demonstrate DC power generation and distribution, power management and control, and system operation techniques considered to be prime candidates for the Space Station Freedom. A key capability of the testbed is its ability to be configured to address system level issues in support of critical SSF program design milestones. Electrical power system control and operation issues like source control, source regulation, system fault protection, end-to-end system stability, health monitoring, resource allocation, and resource management are being evaluated in the testbed. The SSF EPS control functional allocation between on-board computers and ground based systems is evolving. Initially, ground based systems will perform the bulk of power system control and operation. The EPS control system is required to continuously monitor and determine the current state of the power system. The DC Testbed Control System consists of standard controllers arranged in a hierarchical and distributed architecture. These controllers provide all the monitoring and control functions for the DC Testbed Electrical Power System. Higher level controllers include the Power Management Controller, Load Management Controller, Operator Interface System, and a network of computer systems that perform some of the SSF Ground based Control Center Operation. The lower level controllers include Main Bus Switch Controllers and Photovoltaic Controllers. Power system status information is periodically provided to the higher level controllers to perform system control and operation. The data acquisition function of the control system is distributed among the various levels of the hierarchy. Data requirements are dictated by the control system algorithms being implemented at each level. A functional description of the various levels of the testbed control system architecture, the data acquisition function, and the status of its implementationis presented.

Baez, Anastacio N.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Web Extensible Display Manager 2

The Web Extensible Display Manager (WEDM) was first deployed at Jefferson Lab (JLab) in 2016 with the goal of rendering Extensible Display Manager (EDM) control screens on the web for the benefit of accessibility, and with version 2 our aim is to provide a more general purpose display toolkit by freeing ourselves from the constraints of the EDM dependency. Over the last few years WEDM has been extensively used at JLab for 24/7 information kiosks, on-call monitoring, and by remote users and staff. The software has also been deployed to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and has become more robust as many bug fixes and contributions have been added. However, adoption and utility of the software as a general purpose control system display manager is limited by EDM, which is no longer actively maintained. A new toolkit can be built on modern frameworks, fully embrace web conventions and standards, and support multiple control system data sources. This new version is a result of a technology review and selection, and introduces a web inspired display file format, a web based display builder, new widgets, and a data interface intended to support pluggable data.

Slominski, R. J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cutting-Edge Operations Concepts: Intelligent Infrastructure, Cooperative Driving, Signal Control, and Curbside Management

The objective of this breakout session at the NREL Mobility workshop was to examine emerging traffic operations concepts built on key detection technology such as radars, lidars, and imaging recognition - and identify challenges and paths forward to integrate into our current roadway system. The key objective were to identify the opportunities for intelligent infrastructure to support near-term safety, equity, energy, and congestion mitigation goals, while supporting longer term connected-automated vehicle objectives. In the plenary session, Eric Raamot, from the USDOT Highly Automated Safety Systems Office challenged the participants to think broadly about the roll of standards and reference architecture to provide both an accelerated rollout of intelligent infrastructure, but also a repeatable and supportable framework upon which many infrastructure owners and operators (IOOs) could utilize for their implementation purposes.

ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1999

Flight Test Results: CTAS Cruise/Descent Trajectory Prediction Accuracy for En route ATC Advisories

The Center/TRACON Automation System (CTAS), under development at NASA Ames Research Center, is designed to assist controllers with the management and control of air traffic transitioning to/from congested airspace. This paper focuses on the transition from the en route environment, to high-density terminal airspace, under a time-based arrival-metering constraint. Two flight tests were conducted at the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) to study trajectory-prediction accuracy, the key to accurate Decision Support Tool advisories such as conflict detection/resolution and fuel-efficient metering conformance. In collaboration with NASA Langley Research Center, these test were part of an overall effort to research systems and procedures for the integration of CTAS and flight management systems (FMS). The Langley Transport Systems Research Vehicle Boeing 737 airplane flew a combined total of 58 cruise-arrival trajectory runs while following CTAS clearance advisories. Actual trajectories of the airplane were compared to CTAS and FMS predictions to measure trajectory-prediction accuracy and identify the primary sources of error for both. The research airplane was used to evaluate several levels of cockpit automation ranging from conventional avionics to a performance-based vertical navigation (VNAV) FMS. Trajectory prediction accuracy was analyzed with respect to both ARTCC radar tracking and GPS-based aircraft measurements. This paper presents detailed results describing the trajectory accuracy and error sources. Although differences were found in both accuracy and error sources, CTAS accuracy was comparable to the FMS in terms of both meter-fix arrival-time performance (in support of metering) and 4D-trajectory prediction (key to conflict prediction). Overall arrival time errors (mean plus standard deviation) were measured to be approximately 24 seconds during the first flight test (23 runs) and 15 seconds during the second flight test (25 runs). The major source of error during these tests was found to be the predicted winds aloft used by CTAS. Position and velocity estimates of the airplane provided to CTAS by the ATC Host radar tracker were found to be a relatively insignificant error source for the trajectory conditions evaluated. Airplane performance modeling errors within CTAS were found to not significantly affect arrival time errors when the constrained descent procedures were used. The most significant effect related to the flight guidance was observed to be the cross-track and turn-overshoot errors associated with conventional VOR guidance. Lateral navigation (LNAV) guidance significantly reduced both the cross-track and turn-overshoot error. Pilot procedures and VNAV guidance were found to significantly reduce the vertical profile errors associated with atmospheric and aircraft performance model errors.

Green, S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

CTAS: Computer intelligence for air traffic control in the terminal area

A system for the automated management and control of arrival traffic, referred to as the Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS), has been designed by the ATC research group at NASA Ames research center. In a cooperative program, NASA and the FAA have efforts underway to install and evaluate the system at the Denver and Dallas/Ft. Worth airports. CTAS consists of three types of integrated tools that provide computer-generated intelligence for both Center and TRACON controllers to guide them in managing and controlling arrival traffic efficiently. One tool, the Traffic Management Advisor (TMA), establishes optimized landing sequences and landing times for aircraft arriving in the center airspace several hundred miles from the airport. In TRACON, TMA frequencies missed approach aircraft and unanticipated arrivals. Another tool, the Descent Advisor (DA), generates clearances for the center controllers handling at crossing times provided by TMA. In the TRACON, the final approach spacing tool (FAST) provides heading and speed clearances that produce and accurately spaced flow of aircraft on the final approach course. A data base consisting of aircraft performance models, airline preferred operational procedures and real time wind measurements contribute to the effective operation of CTAS. Extensive simulator evaluations of CTAS have demonstrated controller acceptance, delay reductions, and fuel savings.

Erzberger, Heinz↗
NASA NTRS1979

Formulation of advanced consumables management models: Environmental control and electrical power system performance models requirements

Software design specifications for developing environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) and electrical power system (EPS) programs into interactive computer programs are presented. Specifications for the ECLSS program are at the detail design level with respect to modification of an existing batch mode program. The FORTRAN environmental analysis routines (FEAR) are the subject batch mode program. The characteristics of the FEAR program are included for use in modifying batch mode programs to form interactive programs. The EPS program specifications are at the preliminary design level. Emphasis is on top-down structuring in the development of an interactive program.

Daly, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Configuration management and automatic control of an augmentor wing aircraft with vectored thrust

An advanced structure for automatic flight control logic for powered-lift aircraft operating in terminal areas is under investigation at Ames Research Center. This structure is based on acceleration control; acceleration commands are constructed as the sum of acceleration on the reference trajectory and a corrective feedback acceleration to regulate path tracking errors. The central element of the structure, termed a Trimmap, uses a model of the aircraft aerodynamic and engine forces to calculate the control settings required to generate the acceleration commands. This report describes the design criteria for the Trimmap and derives a Trimmap for Ames experimental augmentor wing jet STOL research aircraft.

Cicolani, L. S.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Study on the application of NASA energy management techniques for control of a terrestrial solar water heating system

This paper addresses the potential for enhanced solar system performance through sophisticated control of the collector loop flow rate. Computer simulations utilizing the TRNSYS solar energy program were performed to study the relative effect on system performance of eight specific control algorithms. Six of these control algorithms are of the proportional type: two are concave exponentials, two are simple linear functions, and two are convex exponentials. These six functions are typical of what might be expected from future, more advanced, controllers. The other two algorithms are of the on/off type and are thus typical of existing control devices. Results of extensive computer simulations utilizing actual weather data indicate that proportional control does not significantly improve system performance. However, it is shown that thermal stratification in the liquid storage tank may significantly improve performance.

Swanson, T. D.↗
NASA NTRS1979

A review of Spacelab mission management approach

The Spacelab development program is a joint undertaking of the NASA and ESA. The paper addresses the initial concept of Spacelab payload mission management, the lessons learned, and modifications made as a result of the actual implementation of Spacelab Mission 1. The discussion covers mission management responsibilities, program control, science management, payload definition and interfaces, integrated payload mission planning, integration requirements, payload specialist training, payload and launch site integration, payload flight/mission operations, and postmission activities. After 3.5 years the outlined overall mission manager approach has proven to be most successful. The approach does allow the mission manager to maintain the lowest overall mission cost.

Craft, H. G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Space platforms and meteorological applications

The use of Shuttle launched and tended space platforms (SP) for research and earth observations in LEO are examined. SPs will accommodate instruments for extended time periods, requiring a Shuttle visit for maintenance and package exchange once every six months. Designs have included off-the-shelf hardware to reduce cost, and comprise instruments for studies of cosmic rays, solar physics, materials processing, space plasma physics, and environmental observations. Solar cell power arrays are detailed, along with thermal control, data management, and attitude control subsystems. Meteorological applications are discussed in terms of the Lower Atmospheric Research Satellite (LARS), for research into coupling of radiative, chemical, and dynamical processes, interactions between the earth's surface, boundary layer, and troposphere, and dynamic and energetic relationships between lower atmospheric processes. Flight configurations and add-on concepts for the SP to lead to a manned space station are indicated.

Mitchell, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Analytic redundance management for flight control sensors

The formulation and flight test results of an algorithm to detect and isolate the first failure of any one of 12 duplex control sensor signals (24 in all) being monitored are reviewed. The technique uses like signal differences for fault detection while relying upon analytic redundancy relationships among unlike quantities to isolate the faulty sensor. The fault isolation logic utilizes the modified sequential probability ratio test, which explicitly accommodates the inevitable, irreducible low frequency errors present in the analytic redundancy residuals. In addition, the algorithm used sensor output selftest, which takes advantage of the duplex sensor structure by immediately removing a hard failed sensor from control calculations and analytic redundancy relationships while awaiting a definitive fault isolation decision via analytic redundancy. This study represents a proof of concept demonstration of a methodology that is applied to duplex or higher flight control sensor configurations and, in addition, can monitor the health of one simplex signal per analytic redundancy relationship.

Deckert, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Automation and robotics - Key to productivity

The automated and robotic systems requirements of the NASA Space Station are prompted by maintenance, repair, servicing and assembly requirements. Trend analyses, fault diagnoses, and subsystem status assessments for the Station's electrical power, guidance, navigation, control, data management and environmental control subsystems will be undertaken by cybernetic expert systems; this will reduce or eliminate on-board or ground facility activities that would otherwise be essential, enhancing system productivity. Additional capabilities may also be obtained through the incorporation of even a limited amount of artificial intelligence in the controllers of the various Space Station systems.

Cohen, A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Forebody vortex management for yaw control at high angles of attack

The yaw-control potential of deployable forebody strakes at angles of attack above the range of conventional rudder effectiveness has been investigated. The conformally-stored strakes when deployed force asymmetrical vortex shedding from the forebody, thereby generating a controlled yawing moment. The concept was explored through low-speed wind tunnel tests on a conical forebody in isolation and in a generic fighter configuration. Force and moment measurements on the complete model were supplemented with circumferential pressure and flow-visualization surveys on an isolated forebody, in order to gain insight into the vortex flow mechanisms resulting from forced asymmetrical separations and to quantify the obtainable yaw power at angles of attack to 80 deg. This preliminary, low-Reynolds-number study showed asymmetrically-deployed forebody strakes to have considerable yaw control potential, whose sensitivity to scale effects needs further investigation.

Rao, D. M.↗