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At least 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Stress Corrosion Cracking and Fatigue Crack Growth Studies Pertinent to Spacecraft and Booster Pressure Vessels

This experimental program was divided into two parts. The first part evaluated stress corrosion cracking in 2219-T87 aluminum and 5Al-2.5Sn (ELI) titanium alloy plate and weld metal. Both uniform height double cantilever beam and surface flawed specimens were tested in environments normally encountered during the fabrication and operation of pressure vessels in spacecraft and booster systems. The second part studied compatibility of material-environment combinations suitable for high energy upper stage propulsion systems. Surface flawed specimens having thicknesses representative of minimum gage fuel and oxidizer tanks were tested. Titanium alloys 5Al-2.5Sn (ELI), 6Al-4V annealed, and 6Al-4V STA were tested in both liquid and gaseous methane. Aluminum alloy 2219 in the T87 and T6E46 condition was tested in fluorine, a fluorine-oxygen mixture, and methane. Results were evaluated using modified linear elastic fracture mechanics parameters.

Hall, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Penetration of carbon-fabric-reinforced composites by edge cracks during thermal aging

Thermo-oxidative stability (TOS) test results are significantly influenced by the formation and growth or presence of interlaminar and interlaminar cracks in the cut edges of all carbon-fiber-crosslinked high-temperature polymer matrix composites(exp 1-5) (i.e., unidirectional, crossplied, angle-plied, and fabric composites). The thermo-oxidative degradation of these composites is heavily dependent on the surface area that is exposed to the harmful environment and on the surface-to-volume ratio of the structure under study. Since the growth of cracks and voids on the composite surfaces significantly increases the exposed surface areas, it is imperative that the interaction between the aging process and the formation of new surface area as the aging time progresses be understood.

Bowles, Kenneth J.↗
NASA NTRS2014

From Earth to Space: Application of Biological Treatment for the Removal of Ammonia from Water

Managing ammonia is often a challenge in both drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities. Ammonia is unregulated in drinking water, but its presence may result in numerous water quality issues in the distribution system such as loss of residual disinfectant, nitrification, and corrosion. Ammonia concentrations need to be managed in wastewater effluent to sustain the health of receiving water bodies. Biological treatment involves the microbiological oxidation of ammonia to nitrate through a two‐step process. While nitrification is common in the environment, and nitrifying bacteria can grow rapidly on filtration media, appropriate conditions, such as the presence of dissolved oxygen and required nutrients, need to be established. This presentation will highlight results from two ongoing research programs - one at NASA's Johnson Space Center, and the other at a drinking water facility in California. Both programs are designed to demonstrate nitrification through biological treatment. The objective of NASA's research is to be able to recycle wastewater to potable water for spaceflight mission. To this end, a biological water processor (BWP) has been integrated with a forward osmosis secondary treatment system (FOST). Bacteria mineralize organic carbon to carbon dioxide as well as ammonia‐nitrogen present in the wastewater to nitrogen gas, through a combination of nitrification and denitrification. The effluent from the BWP system is low in organic contaminants, but high in total dissolved solids. The FOST system, integrated downstream of the BWP, removes dissolved solids through a combination of concentration‐driven forward osmosis and pressure driven reverse osmosis. The integrated system testing planned for this year is expected to produce water that requires only a polishing step to meet potable water requirements for spaceflight. The pilot study in California is being conducted on Golden State Water Company's Yukon wellsthat have hydrogen sulfide odor, color, total organic carbon, bromide, iron and manganese in addition to ammonia. A treatment evaluation, conducted in 2011, recommended the testing of biological oxidation filtration for the removal of ammonia and production of biologically stable water. A 8‐month pilot testing program was conducted to develop and optimize key design and operational variables. Steadystate operational data was collected to demonstrate long‐term performance and inform California Department of Public Health permitting of the full‐scale process. As ammonia continues to present challenges to water and wastewater systems, innovative strategies such as biological treatment can be applied to successfully manage it. This presentation will discuss application of cutting‐age research being conducted by NASA that will bridge existing information gaps, and benefit municipal utilities.

Ghosh, Amlan↗
NASA NTRS2014

From Earth to Space: Application of Biological Treatment for the Removal of Ammonia from Water

Managing ammonia is often a challenge in both drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities. Ammonia is unregulated in drinking water, but its presence may result in numerous water quality issues in the distribution system such as loss of residual disinfectant, nitrification, and corrosion. Ammonia concentrations need to be managed in wastewater effluent to sustain the health of receiving water bodies. Biological treatment involves the microbiological oxidation of ammonia to nitrate through a two‐step process. While nitrification is common in the environment, and nitrifying bacteria can grow rapidly on filtration media, appropriate conditions, such as the presence of dissolved oxygen and required nutrients, need to be established. This presentation will highlight results from two ongoing research programs - one at NASA's Johnson Space Center, and the other at a drinking water facility in California. Both programs are designed to demonstrate nitrification through biological treatment. The objective of NASA's research is to be able to recycle wastewater to potable water for spaceflight missions. To this end, a biological water processor (BWP) has been integrated with a forward osmosis secondary treatment system (FOST). Bacteria mineralize organic carbon to carbon dioxide as well as ammonia‐nitrogen present in the wastewater to nitrogen gas, through a combination of nitrification and denitrification. The effluent from the BWP system is low in organic contaminants, but high in total dissolved solids. The FOST system, integrated downstream of the BWP, removes dissolved solids through a combination of concentration‐driven forward osmosis and pressure driven reverse osmosis. The integrated system testing planned for this year is expected to produce water that requires only a polishing step to meet potable water requirements for spaceflight. The pilot study in California is being conducted on Golden State Water Company's Yukon wells that have hydrogen sulfide odor, color, total organic carbon, bromide, iron and manganese in addition to ammonia. A treatment evaluation, conducted in 2011, recommended the testing of biological oxidation filtration for the removal of ammonia and production of biologically stable water. An 8‐month pilot testing program was conducted to develop and optimize key design and operational variables. Steadystate operational data was collected to demonstrate long‐term performance and inform California Department of Public Health permitting of the full‐scale process. As ammonia continues to present challenges to water and wastewater systems, innovative strategies such as biological treatment can be applied to successfully manage it. This presentation will discuss application of cutting‐age research being conducted by NASA that will bridge existing information gaps, and benefit municipal utilities.

Pickering, Karen↗
NASA NTRS2018

Importance of Measuring SiC Fiber Diameter Prior to Conducting Fiber Stress Rupture / Creep Tests?

A very significant amount of SiC fiber creep / stress rupture data has been generated and reported in the past by various researchers. Due to the difficulty of measuring fiber diameter and the amount of time required to make accurate measurements, researchers have quite often used an accepted average diameter value (which is fiber type-dependent) when determining the load that will be applied to a fiber to generate a specific stress during testing. Of course, this approach has less of an effect on data scatter when the individual fibers in a tow have very similar diameters (minimal fiber-to-fiber variation in diameter). NASA GRC has begun using a laser fiber diameter measurement system, and we are considering eventually characterizing each SiC fiber prior to testing in creep/stressed oxidation. The laser system will be described in this presentation, as well as examples of fiber diameter data obtained in the past at AFRL. We are currently discussing the merits of using an average diameter in testing/data analysis vs. using a measured or "known" diameter. Information about our current intermediate temperature SiC fiber stress rupture testing will also be provided.

ceramic matrix composites↗
NASA NTRS1990

LaRC-developed catalysts for CO2 lasers

Pulsed CO2 lasers have many remote sensing applications from space, airborne, and ground platforms. The NASA Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) system will be designed to measure wind velocities from polar earth orbit for a period of up to three years. Accordingly, this and other applications require a closed-cycle pulsed CO2 laser which necessitates the use of an efficient CO-O2 recombination catalyst for these dissociation products which otherwise would degrade the laser operation. The required catalyst must not only operate at low temperatures but also must operate efficiently for long time periods. The research effort at NASA LaRC has centered around development and testing of CO oxidation catalysts for closed-cycle, pulsed, common and rare-isotope CO2 lasers. Researchers examined available commercial catalysts both in a laser and under simulated closed-cycle laser conditions with efforts aimed toward a thorough understanding of the fundamental catalytic reaction. These data were used to design and synthesize new catalyst compositions to better meet the catalyst requirements for closed-cycle pulsed CO2 lasers. Syntheses and test results for catalysts developed at Langley Research Center which have significantly better long-term decay characteristics than previously available catalysts and at the same time operate quite well under lower temperature conditions are discussed.

Upchurch, Billy T.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Diffusion Limited Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) in Microgravity Environments

Tests designed to quantify the gravitational effects on thermal mixing and reactant injection in a Supercritical Water Oxidation (SCWO) reactor have recently been performed in the Zero Gravity Facility (ZGF) at NASA s Glenn Research Center. An artificial waste stream, comprising aqueous mixtures of methanol, was pressurized to approximately 250 atm and then heated to 450 C. After uniform temperatures in the reactor were verified, a controlled injection of air was initiated through a specially designed injector to simulate diffusion limited reactions typical in most continuous flow reactors. Results from a thermal mapping of the reaction zone in both 1-g and 0-g environments are compared. Additionally, results of a numerical model of the test configuration are presented to illustrate first order effects on reactant mixing and thermal transport in the absence of gravity.

Hicks, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Formulations for Stronger Solid Oxide Fuel-Cell Electrolytes

Tests have shown that modification of chemical compositions can increase the strengths and fracture toughnesses of solid oxide fuel-cell (SOFC) electrolytes. Heretofore, these solid electrolytes have been made of yttria-stabilized zirconia, which is highly conductive for oxygen ions at high temperatures, as needed for operation of fuel cells. Unfortunately yttria-stabilized zirconia has a high coefficient of thermal expansion, low resistance to thermal shock, low fracture toughness, and low mechanical strength. The lack of strength and toughness are especially problematic for fabrication of thin SOFC electrolyte membranes needed for contemplated aeronautical, automotive, and stationary power-generation applications. The modifications of chemical composition that lead to increased strength and fracture toughness consist in addition of alumina to the basic yttria-stabilized zirconia formulations. Techniques for processing of yttria-stabilized zirconia/alumina composites containing as much as 30 mole percent of alumina have been developed. The composite panels fabricated by these techniques have been found to be dense and free of cracks. The only material phases detected in these composites has been cubic zirconia and a alumina: this finding signifies that no undesired chemical reactions between the constituents occurred during processing at elevated temperatures. The flexural strengths and fracture toughnesses of the various zirconia-alumina composites were measured in air at room temperature as well as at a temperature of 1,000 C (a typical SOFC operating temperature). The measurements showed that both flexural strength and fracture toughness increased with increasing alumina content at both temperatures. In addition, the modulus of elasticity and the thermal conductivity were found to increase and the density to decrease with increasing alumina content. The oxygen-ion conductivity at 1,000 C was found to be unchanged by the addition of alumina.

Bansal, Narottam P.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Formulation and evaluation of C-Ether fluids as lubricants useful to 260 C

Three base stocks were evaluated in bench and bearing tests to determine their suitability for use at bulk oil temperatures (BOT) from -40 C to +260 C. A polyol ester gave good bearing tests at a bulk temperature of 218 C, but only a partially successful run at 274 C. These results bracket the fluid's maximum operating temperature between these values. An extensive screening program selected lubrication additives for a C-ether (modified polyphenyl ether) base stock. One formulation lubricated a bearing for 111 hours at 274 C (BOT), but this fluid gave many deposit related problems. Other C-ether blends produced cage wear or fatigue failures. Studies of a third fluid, a C-ether/disiloxane blend, consisted of bench oxidation and lubrication tests. These showed that some additives react differently in the blend than in pure C-ethers.

Clark, F. S.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Feasibility of Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes as an Alternative Light Source for Photocatalysis

The objective of this study was to determine whether ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) could serve as an alternative photon source efficiently for heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation (PCO). An LED module consisting of 12 high-power UV-A LEDs was designed to be interchangeable with a UV-A fluorescent black light blue (BLB) lamp in a Silica-Titania Composite (STC) packed bed annular reactor. Lighting and thermal properties were characterized to assess the uniformity and total irradiant output. A forward current of (I(sub F)) 100 mA delivered an average irradiance of 4.0 m W cm(exp -2), which is equivalent to the maximum output of the BLB, but the irradiance of the LED module was less uniform than that of the BLB. The LED- and BLB-reactors were tested for the oxidization of 50 ppmv ethanol in a continuous flow-through mode with 0.94 sec space time. At the same irradiance, the UV-A LED reactor resulted in a lower PCO rate constant than the UV-A BLB reactor (19.8 vs. 28.6 nM CO2 sec-I), and consequently lower ethanol removal (80% vs. 91%) and mineralization efficiency (28% vs. 44%). Ethanol mineralization increased in direct proportion to the irradiance at the catalyst surface. This result suggests that reduced ethanol mineralization in the LED- reactor could be traced to uneven irradiance over the photocatalyst, leaving a portion of the catalyst was under-irradiated. The potential of UV-A LEDs may be fully realized by optimizing the light distribution over the catalyst and utilizing their instantaneous "on" and "off' feature for periodic irradiation. Nevertheless, the current UV-A LED module had the same wall plug efficiency (WPE) of 13% as that of the UV-A BLB. These results demonstrated that UV-A LEDs are a viable photon source both in terms of WPE and PCO efficiency.

Levine, Langanf H.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Energy efficient engine

The feasibility of meeting or closely approaching the emissions goals established for the Energy Efficient Engine (E3) Project with an advanced design, single annular combustor was determined. A total of nine sector combustor configurations and one full-annular-combustor configuration were evaluated. Acceptable levels of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions were obtained with several of the sector combustor configurations tested, and several of the configurations tested demonstrated reduced levels of nitrogen oxides compared to conventional, single annular designs. None of the configurations tested demonstrated nitrogen oxide emission levels that meet the goal of the E3 Project.

Burrus, D.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Oxidation resistant carbon-carbon composite for Space Shuttle application.

An oxidation resistant carbon-carbon composite has been developed for use on the NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter Vehicle which can function on the high temperature surfaces to satisfy the 100 mission reuse capability requirement. This paper describes the design requirements, materials and processes developed, and the successful testing of simulated full-scale prototype hardware. Materials considerations are illustrated, including strength and oxidation testing, along with physical property determinations, characterizing the material over the predicted temperature range of use.

Rogers, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Failure Morphologies of Cyclically Oxidized ZrO2-Based Thermal Barrier Coatings

Plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings (TBC s) were thermal cycle tested in air at 1163 C until spallation of the top coat. Each thermal cycle consisted of a 45 minute exposure at the elevated temperature followed by a 15 minute cool to ambient temperature. The TBC s consisted of a ZrO2-based top coat containing various amounts of Y2O3, and/or Yb2O3, Gd2O3, and Nd2O3 applied by air plasma spraying and an MCrAlY bond coat applied by low pressure plasma spraying. The substrate was a single-crystal, Ni-based superalloy. The time to failure of the top coat varied from tens to hundreds of thermal cycles based on composition and spray parameters. The bond coat/top coat interface morphology and sample cross sections were examined by SEM and optical microscopy. The failure morphology following the cyclic oxidation testing will be discussed in relationship to the properties of the ceramic top coats.

Nesbit, James A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Experimental methods for geological remote sensing

During the past year a two channel IR technique for discrimination among silicate rocks was tested for a second time, a three channel IR method was tested for the first time, and a new visible-reflective IR ratio method was hypothesized and qualitatively tested for iron oxide recognition. Both the two channel and three channel IR ratios methods were capable of discriminating felsic from mafic rock types. The three-channel ratio values measured by the scanner were found to agree, within reasonable limits, with the values of R calculated from laboratory data. The capability of the three channel method to obtain absolute ratios is accompanied by a costly processing routine. The two channel technique is superior for low thermal contrast scenes about which some ground truth is available because of its speed and economy.

Vincent, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Thermally resistant polymers for fuel tank sealants

Imide-linked perfluoroalkylene ether polymers, that were developed for the high temperature fuel tank sealant application, are discussed. Modifications of polymer structure and properties were realized through use of a new aromatic dianhydride intermediate containing an ether-linked perfluoroalkylene segment. Tests of thermal, oxidative and hydrolytic stability, fuel resistance, and adhesion are discussed along with tensile strength and elongation results. Efforts to effect a low temperature condensation of amic acid prepolymer to form imide links inside are described.

Webster, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Flame retardant polyphosphazenes

Six polyphosphazene compositions were prepared by reaction of three bis-tertiary phosphines with two phenyl-s-triazine derived diazides. All six polyphosphazenes produced were completely characterized, four of them were furthermore subjected to isothermal gravimetric analysis, smoke density measurements, flammability and oxidative thermal degradation testing. The results of the characterization studies indicate that only low molecular weight oligomers, possibly of a cyclic structure, were obtained in the polymerization reactions. Despite this, however, two of the materials showed no weight loss after 96 hr at 200 C, one did not autoignite at 500 C in air, and all four self extinguished when exposed to a flame as soon as contact between flame and resin was lost. The only toxic decomposition products to be concerned about were found to be hydrogen cyanide and benzene. Under the conditions employed it was proven, however, that the quantities of toxic products are greatly reduced if no ignition takes place, e.g., if thermal decomposition proceeds at a sufficiently low rate.

Paciorek, K. L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Exhaust pollutant emissions from swirl-can combustor module arrays at parametric test conditions

Improved designs of swirl-can combustor modules were tested using seven-module arrays in a combustor. The combustor was operated over a pressure range of 69 to 207 N/sq cm, a fuel-air ratio range of 0.015 to 0.046, at a constant inlet air temperature of 733 K, and at reference velocities of 23.9 and 30.6 m/sec. The three designs tested performed with high combustion efficiency at all conditions tested and exhibited oxides of nitrogen emissions substantially lower than that of conventional gas turbine combustors. A correlating parameter used to extrapolate oxides of nitrogen emissions to full power or takeoff conditions for large commercial turbofan engines predicts oxides of nitrogen emissions somewhat higher than those specified in the 1979 government emissions standards.

Mularz, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of nickel and nickel-base alloy surface alterations in simulated hot corrosion conditions with emphasis on eventual application to turbine blade corrosion

The spectra of the pure metals tested and their oxides were used to analyze the patterns obtained for various superalloys. The quantitative results for two superalloys revealed differences between the surface compositions and their behavior under different conditions of oxidation. The following results occurred during the hot corrosion of samples in the presence of Na2So4: a lack of Ti migration; strong effects on Cr; and, a higher speed of alteration of superalloys.

Mateescu, G. D.↗