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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 NTRS1979

Research in structures and materials for future space transportation systems - An overview

The paper provides a review of some of the advances of the past decade in structures and materials that have application to future space transportation systems. The paper concentrates on metallic thermal protection systems and structures which could provide the structural efficiency, reliability, and durability dictated by future space utilization requirements. The need for completely reusable, on-board cryogenic fuel tanks is cited as the most challenging technical opportunity and potential thermostructural concepts for tanks are identified. Other critical areas needing technology advances are discussed. Finally, the unique research opportunities offered by the Shuttle Orbiter experiments program for testing structures and thermal protection systems are explored.

Kelly, H. N.↗
NASA NTRS1979

High temperature thermal energy storage in steel and sand

The technical and economic potential for high temperature (343 C, 650 F) thermal energy storage in hollow steel ingots, pipes embedded in concrete, and for pipes buried in sand was evaluated. Because it was determined that concrete would separate from pipes due to thermal stresses, concrete was replaced by sand, which is free from thermal stresses. Variations of the steel ingot concept were not cost effective compared to the sand-pipe approach, therefore, the sand-pipe thermal storage unit (TSU) was evaluated in depth to assess the approximate tube spacing requirements consistent with different system performance characteristics and also attendant system costs. For large TSUs which do not require fast response times, the sand-pipe approach offers attractive possibilities. A pipe diameter about 9 cm (3.5 in) and pipe spacing of approximately 25 cm (10 in), with sand filling the interspaces, appears appropriate. Such a TSU system designed for 8 hours charge/discharge cycle has an energy unit storage cost (CE) of $2.63/kWhr-t and a power unit storage cost (Cp) of $42/kW-t (in 1977 dollars).

Turner, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Design considerations for composite fuselage structure of commercial transport aircraft

The structural, manufacturing, and service and environmental considerations that could impact the design of composite fuselage structure for commercial transport aircraft application were explored. The severity of these considerations was assessed and the principal design drivers delineated. Technical issues and potential problem areas which must be resolved before sufficient confidence is established to commit to composite materials were defined. The key issues considered are: definition of composite fuselage design specifications, damage tolerance, and crashworthiness.

Davis, G. W.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Digital CODEC for real-time processing of broadcast quality video signals at 1.8 bits/pixel

Advances in very large-scale integration and recent work in the field of bandwidth efficient digital modulation techniques have combined to make digital video processing technically feasible and potentially cost competitive for broadcast quality television transmission. A hardware implementation was developed for a DPCM-based digital television bandwidth compression algorithm which processes standard NTSC composite color television signals and produces broadcast quality video in real time at an average of 1.8 bits/pixel. The data compression algorithm and the hardware implementation of the CODEC are described, and performance results are provided.

Shalkhauser, Mary JO↗
NASA NTRS1991

Digital CODEC for real-time processing of broadcast quality video signals at 1.8 bits/pixel

Advances in very large scale integration and recent work in the field of bandwidth efficient digital modulation techniques have combined to make digital video processing technically feasible an potentially cost competitive for broadcast quality television transmission. A hardware implementation was developed for DPCM (differential pulse code midulation)-based digital television bandwidth compression algorithm which processes standard NTSC composite color television signals and produces broadcast quality video in real time at an average of 1.8 bits/pixel. The data compression algorithm and the hardware implementation of the codec are described, and performance results are provided.

Shalkhauser, Mary JO↗
NASA NTRS1990

Introduction to the Personal Access Satellite System Study

A recent study by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has concluded that the 21st century will be the age of information in which the telecommunication infrastructure will be vital to the social and economic well being of society. To meet the challenge of the coming age, JPL has been performing studies on a personal access satellite system (PASS) for the 21st century. The PASS study can be traced back to a study in which the technical feasibility and potential applications of a high frequency, low data rate satellite system were identified using small fixed terminals. Herein, the PASS concept is described along with the strawman design. Then the key challenges are identified along with possible solutions. Finally, the plan for the future is summarized from the key results.

Sue, Miles K.↗
NASA NTRS1995

New generation lidar systems for eye safe full time observations

The traditional lidar over the last thirty years has typically been a big pulse low repetition rate system. Pulse energies are in the 0.1 to 1.0 J range and repetition rates from 0.1 to 10 Hz. While such systems have proven to be good research tools, they have a number of limitations that prevent them from moving beyond lidar research to operational, application oriented instruments. These problems include a lack of eye safety, very low efficiency, poor reliability, lack of ruggedness and high development and operating costs. Recent advances in solid state laser, detectors and data systems have enabled the development of a new generation of lidar technology that meets the need for routine, application oriented instruments. In this paper the new approaches to operational lidar systems will be discussed. Micro pulse lidar (MPL) systems are currently in use, and their technology is highlighted. The basis and current development of continuous wave (CW) lidar and potential of other technical approaches is presented.

Spinhirne, James D.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Control of Mixing and Reactive Flow Processes

The interdisciplinary field of reactive flow control is one that holds a great deal of promise for the optimization of complex phenomena occurring in many practical systems, ranging from automobile and gas turbine engines to environmental thermal destruction systems. The fundamental underpinnings of combustion control, however, require a detailed level of understanding of complex reactive flow phenomena, and, in the case of closed-loop active control, require the ability to sense (monitor) and actuate (manipulate) flow processes in a spatially distributed manner in "near real time". Hence the ultimate growth and success of the field of reactive flow control is intimately linked: 1) to advances in the understanding, simulation, and model reduction for complex reactive flows, 2) to the development of experimental diagnostic techniques, in particular, to the development of physically robust sensors, and 3) to the development of a framework or frameworks for generation of closed loop control algorithms suitable for unsteady, nonlinear reactive flow systems. The present paper seeks to outline the potential benefits and technical challenges that exist for mixing and combustion control in fundamental as well as practical systems and to identify promising research directions that could help meet these challenges.

Karagozian, A. R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Beamed Energy Technology Working Group, Programs and Goals

A brief description of the Beamed Energy Technology Program will be given. Its relationship to the overall Advanced Technology Program at Marshall Space Flight Center will be discussed. A summary description of the known potential benefits and technical issues remaining in the development of a viable system will be presented along with program plans for a NASA Research Announcement in FY03 to begin development of relevant technologies and systems concepts. The results of workshop activity by the Beamed Energy Technology Working Group will be provided.

Montgomery, Edward E., IV↗
NASA NTRS1990

Diamond Coatings

Advances in materials technology have demonstrated that it is possible to get the advantages of diamond in a number of applications without the cost penalty, by coating and chemically bonding an inexpensive substrate with a thin film of diamond-like carbon (DLC). Diamond films offer tremendous technical and economic potential in such advances as chemically inert protective coatings; machine tools and parts capable of resisting wear 10 times longer; ball bearings and metal cutting tools; a broad variety of optical instruments and systems; and consumer products. Among the American companies engaged in DLC commercialization is Diamonex, Inc., a diamond coating spinoff of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Along with its own proprietary technology for both polycrystalline diamond and DLC coatings, Diamonex is using, under an exclusive license, NASA technology for depositing DLC on a substrate. Diamonex is developing, and offering commercially, under the trade name Diamond Aegis, a line of polycrystalline diamond-coated products that can be custom tailored for optical, electronic and engineering applications. Diamonex's initial focus is on optical products and the first commercial product is expected in late 1990. Other target applications include electronic heat sink substrates, x-ray lithography masks, metal cutting tools and bearings.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2000

Directionally Solidified Ceramics Produced

Produced Multiphase, interpenetrating structures are an alternative route to obtaining structural ceramic materials with adequate strength, toughness, and stability for high-temperature aerospace applications. The eutectic architecture, a continuous-reinforcing phase within a higher volume phase or matrix, can be described as a naturally occurring, in situ composite. The phases of a eutectic are thermodynamically compatible at high homologous temperatures. Strong and stable materials have been produced. Toughness, however, remains a technical obstacle. The potential for producing materials with enhanced toughness along with adequate strength and stability was demonstrated using the laser-heated float zone (LHFZ) growth method at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field. LHFZ growth at Glenn provides a means to efficiently produce and record the underlying growth phenomena associated with two-phase structures. To initiate directional solidification, a seed of single-crystal sapphire (<0001> direction) was lowered onto the molten liquid until wetting occurred and then withdrawn at a constant rate. Neither the crystal nor the source rod was rotated. The materials produced were tested mechanically in tension, and the resulting microstructure was examined with a scanning electron microscope. Both the inherent properties of the constituent phases and the properties of the interface between them affect the mechanical behavior and the fracture surfaces. The following scanning electron micrographs show the microstructures of two different materials that were tested to failure in tension. In the left micrograph, the flat fracture surface is typical of a material that is strong but has low toughness. In the right micrograph, the crack is effectively deflected at the interface between the two phases, achieving higher toughness at moderately lower strength levels. Conducting mechanical tests to determine the high temperature properties of these materials is the next step in determining their eventual suitability.

Farmer, Serene C.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Ground-Ground Data Communication-Assisted Planning and Coordination: Shorter Verbal Communications

A human-in-the-loop simulation was conducted to investigate the operational feasibility, technical requirements, and potential improvement in airspace efficiency of adding a Multi-Sector Planner position. A subset of the data from that simulation is analyzed here to determine the impact, if any, of ground-ground data communication (Data Comm) on verbal communication and coordination for multi-sector air traffic management. The results suggest that the use of Data Comm significantly decreases the duration of individual verbal communications. The results also suggest that the use of Data Comm, as instantiated in the current simulation, does not obviate the need for accompanying voice calls.

Kessell, Angela Mary↗
NASA NTRS2012

Aerospace Power Technology for Potential Terrestrial Applications

Aerospace technology that is being developed for space and aeronautical applications has great potential for providing technical advances for terrestrial power systems. Some recent accomplishments arising from activities being pursued at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Centers is described in this paper. Possible terrestrial applications of the new aerospace technology are also discussed.

Lyons, Valerie J.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Aerospace Power Technology for Potential Terrestrial Applications

Aerospace technology that is being developed for space and aeronautical applications has great potential for providing technical advances for terrestrial power systems. Some recent accomplishments arising from activities being pursued at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Centers is described in this paper. Possible terrestrial applications of the new aerospace technology are also discussed.

Lyons, Valerie J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Multi-Objective Flight Control for Drag Minimization and Load Alleviation of High-Aspect Ratio Flexible Wing Aircraft

As aircraft wings become much more flexible due to the use of light-weight composites material, adverse aerodynamics at off-design performance can result from changes in wing shapes due to aeroelastic deflections. Increased drag, hence increased fuel burn, is a potential consequence. Without means for aeroelastic compensation, the benefit of weight reduction from the use of light-weight material could be offset by less optimal aerodynamic performance at off-design flight conditions. Performance Adaptive Aeroelastic Wing (PAAW) technology can potentially address these technical challenges for future flexible wing transports. PAAW technology leverages multi-disciplinary solutions to maximize the aerodynamic performance payoff of future adaptive wing design, while addressing simultaneously operational constraints that can prevent the optimal aerodynamic performance from being realized. These operational constraints include reduced flutter margins, increased airframe responses to gust and maneuver loads, pilot handling qualities, and ride qualities. All of these constraints while seeking the optimal aerodynamic performance present themselves as a multi-objective flight control problem. The paper presents a multi-objective flight control approach based on a drag-cognizant optimal control method. A concept of virtual control, which was previously introduced, is implemented to address the pair-wise flap motion constraints imposed by the elastomer material. This method is shown to be able to satisfy the constraints. Real-time drag minimization control is considered to be an important consideration for PAAW technology. Drag minimization control has many technical challenges such as sensing and control. An initial outline of a real-time drag minimization control has already been developed and will be further investigated in the future. A simulation study of a multi-objective flight control for a flight path angle command with aeroelastic mode suppression and drag minimization demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed solution. In-flight structural loads are also an important consideration. As wing flexibility increases, maneuver load and gust load responses can be significant and therefore can pose safety and flight control concerns. In this paper, we will extend the multi-objective flight control framework to include load alleviation control. The study will focus initially on maneuver load minimization control, and then subsequently will address gust load alleviation control in future work.

Aerolasticity↗
NASA NTRS2023

Implementation of A Drone Delivery System for Healthcare in Mexico: International Precedents and Domestic Considerations

One of the Mexican healthcare system’s principal problems is providing access to its rural communities. Drone delivery has repeatedly proven to be a compelling and cost-effective solution to this problem elsewhere, yet there is currently no scholarship connecting global developments in drone technology to problems in the Mexican healthcare system. This paper is to outline lessons learned from drone systems in several countries, providing information on the potential target communities, technical drone and nest specs, goods of delivery, and regulation of a drone system for healthcare in Mexico.

Drone↗
DOE OSTI2021

Opportunities for Hydrogen to Green Industry

Presentation summarizes results from H2@Scale Technical and Economic Potential report with a focus on industrial applications. It also includes a few musings on what would be necessary for hydrogen to support greening high-temperature manufacturing.

39 EE - Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies (EE-3F↗