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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 NTRSDate not supplied

Model Predictive Control Strategies for Turbine Electrified Energy Management

The increasing electrification of aircraft propulsion systems is leading to new control architectures being developed to address integration between electric machines and gas-based turbine engines. For hybrid-electric propulsion systems, current conceptual architectures often couple electric machines with the shafts of gas turbine engines and introduce energy storage. Leveraging the electrical power system of hybridized engines, Turbine Electrified Energy Management (TEEM) is a recent control approach that improves transient operability in an effort to enable more efficient and lighter weight turbomachinery. This study seeks to expand TEEM’s application beyond traditional proportional-integral (PI) control by presenting linear model predictive control (MPC) schemes to execute the TEEM concept. Through constraint selection and cost function design, transient operability goals for TEEM are considered with no external logic or saturation. Unique to the designs are the use of a washout filter, which simplifies transient detection and motor activation logic. The proposed architectures are implemented with both centralized MPC and distributed MPC approaches, and comparisons are drawn to a benchmark PI controller simulated on a nonlinear turbofan engine model at one ground condition and one cruise condition. Performance is evaluated using compressor maps, stall margin performance, and two novel metrics: transient stack usage and transient excursion integral. Results reveal the linear MPC scheme performs comparably to the baseline controller and can be implemented in at least two distinct configurations with potential for further modifications, thus establishing the groundwork for future investigations.

Model Predictive Control↗
NASA NTRS2023

Model Predictive Control Strategies for Turbine Electrified Energy Management

The increasing electrification of aircraft propulsion systems is leading to new control architectures being developed to address integration between electric machines and gas-based turbine engines. For hybrid-electric propulsion systems, current conceptual architectures often couple electric machines with the shafts of gas turbine engines and introduce energy storage. Leveraging the electrical power system of hybridized engines, Turbine Electrified Energy Management (TEEM) is a recent control approach that improves transient operability in an effort to enable more efficient and lighter weight turbomachinery. This study seeks to expand TEEM’s application beyond traditional proportional-integral (PI) control by presenting linear model predictive control (MPC) schemes to execute the TEEM concept. Through constraint selection and cost function design, transient operability goals for TEEM are considered with no external logic or saturation. Unique to the designs are the use of a washout filter, which simplifies transient detection and motor activation logic. The proposed architectures are implemented with both centralized MPC and distributed MPC approaches, and comparisons are drawn to a benchmark PI controller simulated on a nonlinear turbofan engine model at one ground condition and one cruise condition. Performance is evaluated using compressor maps, stall margin performance, and two novel metrics: transient stack usage and transient excursion integral. Results reveal the linear MPC scheme performs comparably to the baseline controller and can be implemented in at least two distinct configurations with potential for further modifications, thus establishing the groundwork for future investigations.

Model Predictive Control↗
NASA NTRS1999

Thermal Characterization of a Direct Gain Solar Thermal Engine

A thermal/fluids analysis of a direct gain solar thermal upper stage engine is presented and the results are discussed. The engine was designed and constructed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for ground testing in a facility that can provide about 10 kilowatts of concentrated solar energy to the engine. The engine transfers energy to a coolant (hydrogen) that is heated and accelerated through a nozzle to produce thrust. For the nominal design values and a hydrogen flowrate of 2 lb./hr., the results of the analysis show that the hydrogen temperature in the chamber (nozzle entrance) reaches about 3800 F after 30 minutes of heating and about 3850 F at steady-state (slightly below the desired design temperature of about 4100 F. Sensitivity analyses showed these results to be relatively insensitive to the values used for the absorber surface infrared emissivity and the convection coefficient within the cooling ducts but very sensitive to the hydrogen flowrate. Decreasing the hydrogen flowrate to 1 lb./hr. increases the hydrogen steady-state chamber temperature to about 4700 F, but also of course causes a decrease in thrust.

Alexander, Reginald A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Controls for Electrified Aircraft Propulsion

Advanced electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP) concepts with integrated power, propulsion, and thermal systems require the development of equally sophisticated controllers to fly safe and efficient missions. Hybrid electric aircraft utilize electric machines mechanically coupled to the engine shafts to extract and insert power for a variety of purposes. Additionally, electric machines may drive propulsive fans pulling from a combination of on-board energy storage devices and engine extracted power. NASA’s investment in hybrid electric aircraft hardware-in-the-loop testing enables controls research on representative engine models using a novel emulation and scaling methodology. High-voltage, high-power electrical powertrain presents several technical risks at altitude. High-power requires high efficiency to minimize losses. Superconducting electric machines and power distribution research at NASA has identified key challenges with potential controls solutions. These risks necessitate the development of controllers robust to model uncertainty, disturbances, and fault conditions. System health management and fault detection schemes play an important role in a multi-layer controls approach that utilizes a supervisor which oversees inner loops for the highly coupled power, propulsion, and thermal systems. Such a supervisory controller enables coordinates energy transfer between engines, energy storage devices, electric machines, propulsors, and heat exchangers. Existing methods have shown an improvement in engine operability using the hybrid electric powertrain.

Halle E Buescher↗
NASA NTRS2023

Transient Optimization for the Betterment of Turbine Electrified Energy Management

Gas turbine engine transients are associated with degraded compressor operability, which must be addressed by the engine control system and accounted for in the engine design. Failure to do so may result in events such as compressor stall/surge and combustor blow out. Transient operability concerns constrain the engine design and can result in sacrifices of efficiency and/or thrust responsiveness. The traditional approach to transient operability management is control logic that limits the fuel flow command. A companion paper presents a strategy for optimizing the transient fuel flow control logic taking into consideration transient operability and thrust responsiveness. The study covered here extends this idea to an electrified gas turbine engine that employs a power/energy management concept known as Turbine Electrified Energy Management (TEEM). TEEM uses an electric power system interfaced with the engine (hence the term ‘electrified gas turbine engine’) to further improve transient operability and alleviate associated design constraints. There can be costs associated with implementing TEEM in terms of power and energy requirements that impact the size of the electrical power system. However, the results of this study show that through optimization of the transient limit logic, power and energy requirements needed to implement TEEM can be significantly reduced. Among the conclusions that can be drawn from the results of the illustrative application covered herein are: (1) there is a reduction in the electric machine power requirement to manage operability during accelerations by 200 to 400 hp, and (2) power transfer from the low pressure spool (LPS) to the high pressure spool (HPS) is the most effective option for improving operability during decelerations, followed by the options of only injecting power on the HPS or only extracting power from the LPS.

Turbine Electrified Energy Management↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Transient Optimization for the Betterment of Turbine Electrified Energy Management

Gas turbine engine transients are associated with degraded compressor operability, which must be addressed by the engine control system and accounted for in the engine design. Failure to do so may result in events such as compressor stall/surge and combustor blow out. Transient operability concerns constrain the engine design and can result in sacrifices of efficiency and/or thrust responsiveness. The traditional approach to transient operability management is control logic that limits the fuel flow command. A companion paper presents a strategy for optimizing the transient fuel flow control logic taking into consideration transient operability and thrust responsiveness. The study covered here extends this idea to an electrified gas turbine engine that employs a power/energy management concept known as Turbine Electrified Energy Management (TEEM). TEEM uses an electric power system interfaced with the engine (hence the term ‘electrified gas turbine engine’) to further improve transient operability and alleviate associated design constraints. There can be costs associated with implementing TEEM in terms of power and energy requirements that impact the size of the electrical power system. However, the results of this study show that through optimization of the transient limit logic, power and energy requirements needed to implement TEEM can be significantly reduced. Among the conclusions that can be drawn from the results of the illustrative application covered herein are: (1) there is a reduction in the electric machine power requirement to manage operability during accelerations by 200 to 400 hp, and (2) power transfer from the low pressure spool (LPS) to the high pressure spool (HPS) is the most effective option for improving operability during decelerations, followed by the options of only injecting power on the HPS or only extracting power from the LPS.

transient↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Transient Optimization for the Betterment of Turbine Electrified Energy Management

Gas turbine engine transients are associated with degraded compressor operability, which must be addressed by the engine control system and accounted for in the engine design. Failure to do so may result in events such as compressor stall/surge and combustor blow out. Transient operability concerns constrain the engine design and can result in sacrifices of efficiency and/or thrust responsiveness. The traditional approach to transient operability management is control logic that limits the fuel flow command. A companion paper presents a strategy for optimizing the transient fuel flow control logic taking into consideration transient operability and thrust responsiveness. The study covered here extends this idea to an electrified gas turbine engine that employs a power/energy management concept known as Turbine Electrified Energy Management (TEEM). TEEM uses an electric power system interfaced with the engine (hence the term ‘electrified gas turbine engine’) to further improve transient operability and alleviate associated design constraints. There can be costs associated with implementing TEEM in terms of power and energy requirements that impact the size of the electrical power system. However, the results of this study show that through optimization of the transient limit logic, power and energy requirements needed to implement TEEM can be significantly reduced. Among the conclusions that can be drawn from the results of the illustrative application covered herein are: (1) there is a reduction in the electric machine power requirement to manage operability during accelerations by 200 to 400 hp, and (2) power transfer from the low pressure spool (LPS) to the high pressure spool (HPS) is the most effective option for improving operability during decelerations, followed by the options of only injecting power on the HPS or only extracting power from the LPS.

transient↗
NASA NTRS1968

Materials engineering

Thermal diffusivity, energy storage devices, thermoelectricity in graphite alloys, superconductivity in tungsten films, and thermionic converter

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

Advanced transportation system studies, technical area 3. Alternate propulsion subsystem concepts: J-2S restart study

The objectives were to assess what design changes would be required to remit late production of the J-2S engine for use as a large high energy upper stage engine. The study assessed design changes required to perform per the J-2S model specification, manufacturing changes required due to obsolescence or improvements in state-of-the-practice, availability issues for supplier provided items, and provided cost and schedule estimates for this configuration. The confidence that J-2S production could be reinitiated within reasonable costs and schedules was provided. No significant technical issues were identified in either the producibility study or in the review of previous technical data. Areas of potential cost reduction were identified which could be quantified to a greater extent with further manufacturing planning. The proposed schedule can be met with no foreseeable impacts. The results of the study provided the necessary foundation for the detailed manufacturing and test plans and non-recurring and recurring cost estimates that are needed to complete the effort to reinitiate production of the J-2S engine system.

Vilja, John↗
NASA NTRS1994

Radiant Energy Measurements from a Scaled Jet Engine Axisymmetric Exhaust Nozzle for a Baseline Code Validation Case

A non-flowing, electrically heated test rig was developed to verify computer codes that calculate radiant energy propagation from nozzle geometries that represent aircraft propulsion nozzle systems. Since there are a variety of analysis tools used to evaluate thermal radiation propagation from partially enclosed nozzle surfaces, an experimental benchmark test case was developed for code comparison. This paper briefly describes the nozzle test rig and the developed analytical nozzle geometry used to compare the experimental and predicted thermal radiation results. A major objective of this effort was to make available the experimental results and the analytical model in a format to facilitate conversion to existing computer code formats. For code validation purposes this nozzle geometry represents one validation case for one set of analysis conditions. Since each computer code has advantages and disadvantages based on scope, requirements, and desired accuracy, the usefulness of this single nozzle baseline validation case can be limited for some code comparisons.

Baumeister, Joseph F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

NASA Lewis Stirling engine computer code evaluation

In support of the U.S. Department of Energy's Stirling Engine Highway Vehicle Systems program, the NASA Lewis Stirling engine performance code was evaluated by comparing code predictions without engine-specific calibration factors to GPU-3, P-40, and RE-1000 Stirling engine test data. The error in predicting power output was -11 percent for the P-40 and 12 percent for the Re-1000 at design conditions and 16 percent for the GPU-3 at near-design conditions (2000 rpm engine speed versus 3000 rpm at design). The efficiency and heat input predictions showed better agreement with engine test data than did the power predictions. Concerning all data points, the error in predicting the GPU-3 brake power was significantly larger than for the other engines and was mainly a result of inaccuracy in predicting the pressure phase angle. Analysis into this pressure phase angle prediction error suggested that improvements to the cylinder hysteresis loss model could have a significant effect on overall Stirling engine performance predictions.

Sullivan, Timothy J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

An expert system for cogeneration energy system selection

A demonstration expert system has been developed which assists engineers in cogeneration energy system selection by asking them such applications-related questions as the desired electrical and thermal loads, fuel price, and electric rates. The answers given will be interfaced with the expert system's knowledge base to recommend candidate systems. Attention is given to expert system use results obtained for a sample site; their suitability is compared to that of the detailed results obtained by an earlier cogeneration system study.

Birur, G. C.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Thermal Characterization of a Direct Gain Solar Thermal Engine

A thermal/fluids analysis of a direct gain solar thermal upper stage engine is presented and the results are discussed. The engine has been designed and constructed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for ground testing in a facility that can provide about 10 kilowatts of concentrated solar energy to the engine. The engine transfers that energy to a coolant (hydrogen) that is heated and accelerated through a nozzle to produce thrust. For the nominal design values and a hydrogen flowrate of 2 lb/hr., the results of the analysis show that the hydrogen temperature in the chamber (nozzle entrance) reaches about 3800 F after 30 minutes of heating and about 3850 F at steady-state (slightly below the desired design temperature of about 4100 F). Sensitivity analyses showed these results to be relatively insensitive to the values used for the absorber surface infrared emissivity and the convection coefficient within the cooling ducts but very sensitive to the hydrogen flowrate. Decreasing the hydrogen flowrate to 1 lb/hr. increases the hydrogen steady-state chamber temperature to about 4700 F, but also causes an undesirable decrease in thrust.

Alexander, Reginald A.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Atomic-Based-Combined-Cycle Analysis

Atomic-based-combined-cycle (ABCC) engine combines an air-breathing ramjet engine with an atomic reactor to increase the mission-averaged specific impulse and thereby increasing the dry-mass ratio. ABCC engine is similar to RBCC engine except that energy needed for the propulsive power is derived from nuclear reaction rather than chemical combustion used in the RBCC engine. The potential performance improvement of an ABCC engine over a RBCC engine comes from two factors. Firstly, the energy density of nuclear reaction is several order of magnitudes higher than the chemical combustion. Secondly, hydrogen can produce much higher nozzle exit velocity because of its small molecular weight. A one-dimensional, transient numerical model was used to analyze a generic RBCC engine and it is used as a baseline to evaluate an imaginary ABCC engine performance. A nuclear reactor is treated as a black box energy source that replaces the role of the primary rocket and the chemical combustion chamber in a RBCC engine. The performance of a generic ABCC engine along a flight path (q0 =10 (exp 3) lbf per square ft) shows that the mission averaged-specific impulse is about twice larger than RBCC engine and the dry mass-ratio is about 50% larger. Results of the present ABCC engine performance are based on the assumptions that the flow passage of working fluids is identical to that of RBCC engine and that a nuclear reactor is treated as an energy black box. Preliminary heat transfer calculation shows that the rate of heat transfer to the working fluids is within the limit of turbulent convective heat transfer regimes. The flow passage of realistic ABCC engine must be known for a better prediction of ABCC engine performance. Also, critical heat transfer calculations must be performed for the ejector mode and ramjet mode operations. This is possible only when the details of a reactor configuration are available.

Han, Samuel S.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Study of Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center utility systems

The results of an engineering study of potential energy saving utility system modifications for the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center are presented. The objective of the study was to define and analyze utility options that would provide facility energy savings in addition to the approximately 25 percent already achieved through an energy loads reduction program. A systems engineering approach was used to determine total system energy and cost savings resulting from each of the ten major options investigated. The results reported include detailed cost analyses and cost comparisons of various options. Cost are projected to the year 2000. Also included are a brief description of a mathematical model used for the analysis and the rationale used for a site survey to select buildings suitable for analysis.

Redding, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency Program

The objective of the NASA Aircraft Energy Efficiency Program is to accelerate the development of advanced technology for more energy-efficient subsonic transport aircraft. This program will have application to current transport derivatives in the early 1980s and to all-new aircraft of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Six major technology projects were defined that could result in fuel savings in commercial aircraft: (1) Engine Component Improvement, (2) Energy Efficient Engine, (3) Advanced Turboprops, (4) Energy Efficiency Transport (aerodynamically speaking), (5) Laminar Flow Control, and (6) Composite Primary Structures.

Klineberg, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Atomic-Based-Combined-Cycle Analysis

Atomic-based-combined-cycle (ABCC) engine combines an air-breathing ramjet engine with an atomic reactor to increase the mission-averaged specific impulse and thereby increasing the dry-mass ratio. ABCC engine is similar to RBCC engine except that energy needed for the propulsive power is derived from nuclear reaction rather than chemical combustion used in the RBCC engine. The potential performance improvement of an ABCC engine over a RBCC engine comes from two factors. Firstly, the energy density of nuclear reaction is several order of magnitudes higher than the chemical combustion. Secondly, hydrogen can produce much higher nozzle exit velocity because of its small molecular weight. A one-dimensional, transient numerical model was used to analyze a generic scramjet engine and it is used as a baseline to evaluate an imaginary ABCC engine performance. A nuclear reactor is treated as a black box energy source that replaces the role of the primary rocket and the chemical combustion chamber in a RBCC engine. Hydrogen is heated by the reactor and accelerated to produce high-speed ejection velocity. The ejection velocity up 10,000 m/sec is theoretically possible because of high energy density from the reactor and large gas constant of the hydrogen. Oxygen contained in the entrained air reacts with hydrogen and produces propulsive power for ejector mode operation. To provide enough thrust for initial acceleration, relatively large amount of hydrogen must be pumped through the reactor. Amount of oxygen contained in the entrained air may not be sufficient to burn all hydrogen and consequently combustion could occur at the end of exit nozzle. It is assumed that this combustion process is constant-pressure combustion at 1.0 atmospheric pressure and thus not affects the nozzle exit condition.

Han, Sam↗