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At least 289 records · Page 16

Dielectric-loaded waveguide circulator for cryogenically cooled and cascaded maser waveguide structures

A dielectrically loaded four port waveguide circulator is used with a reflected wave maser connected to a second port between first and third ports to form one of a plurality of cascaded maser waveguide structures. The fourth port is connected to a waveguide loaded with microwave energy absorbing material. The third (output signal) port of one maser waveguide structure is connected by a waveguide loaded with dielectric material to the first (input) port of an adjacent maser waveguide structure, and the second port is connected to a reflected wave maser by a matching transformer which passes the signal to be amplified into and out of the reflected wavemaser and blocks pumping energy in the reflected wave maser from entering the circulator. A number of cascaded maser waveguide structures are thus housed in a relatively small volume of conductive material placed within a cryogenically cooled magnet assembly.

Clauss, R. C.↗

Empirical Model Development for Predicting Shock Response on Composite Materials Subjected to Pyroshock Loading: Appendices

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) received a request to develop an analysis model based on both frequency response and wave propagation analyses for predicting shock response spectrum (SRS) on composite materials subjected to pyroshock loading. The model would account for near-field environment (approx. 9 inches from the source) dominated by direct wave propagation, mid-field environment (approx. 2 feet from the source) characterized by wave propagation and structural resonances, and far-field environment dominated by lower frequency bending waves in the structure. This document contains appendices to the Volume I report.

Gentz, Steven J.↗

Umbilical Fatigue Analysis for a Wave Energy Converter

Unique umbilical designs for wave energy converters (WECs), including the ability to handle significantly larger motions and loads over long deployments, are often required when conventional marine umbilical designs for offshore oil and gas and offshore wind may not meet the design and cost needs of wave energy technologies. This study details a fatigue analysis of a dynamic power umbilical attached to a two-body floating point absorber WEC system, using the sea states provided for the PacWave testing facilities. The 6 degrees of freedom motion time history for the WEC was simulated, and the motions of the attachment point for the umbilical on the WEC and respective sea states were used to analyze the dynamic motions and fatigue of the connected power umbilical to predict the fatigue life. The results show that the fatigue damage observed is more significant in shallow water, and extensive fatigue damage may occur because of the larger curvature response of the umbilical. The umbilical configurations departing at 90 deg off incoming waves were found to have the highest fatigue life attributed to less extension or compression of the umbilical. However, additional bend stiffener/limiter features may need to be incorporated into the buoyancy section and touchdown regions to minimize curvature-induced fatigue.

50 EE - Wind and Water Power Program - Water (EE-4↗

Loss of Water from Saturn's E-Ring Through Ion Pick-Up

One of the possible loss processes for Saturn s E-ring is ionization followed by acceleration by the electric field associated with the corotating magnetized plasma. It is possible to determine if this process is occurring by detecting electromagnetic waves at the gyrofrequency of water group ions. If the energy the particle gains in this pick-up process is sufficiently great, the picked up ions will generate ion cyclotron waves. Pioneer 11 and Voyager 1 both observed intervals of such waves associated with water group ions during their passes through Saturn s E-ring. Presently the magnetometer onboard the Cassini spacecraft is also seeing water group ion cyclotron oscillations. The Cassini data allow the spatial and temporal behavior of the waves to be mapped in ways not possible during the previous flybys. Analyses of these waves allow us to study the rate of mass loading and its latitudinal and local time variation. In conjunction with previous data, we can then determine the variation as the inclination of the ring to the Sun changes, in accordance with Saturn's seasons. These waves may be the clue to how Saturn powers its magnetosphere as the newly born ions could be the driver for the radial motion of the plasma and to how the E-ring may play the equivalent role to that of Io in the jovian magnetosphere.

Leisner, J. S.↗

Pick-up ion pressure gradients modulating the solar wind dynamics

Neutral interstellar atoms penetrate deeply into the inner heliosphere before they become ionized by various processes. As ions they are picked-up by the frozen-in magnetic fields and are convected outwards with the solar wind plasma. Thereby the primary plasma flow is mass, momentum, and energy-loaded. The dynamics of the distant multi-constituent solar wind is, however, not solely determined by these loading processes, but is also affected by the wave-mediated pick-up ion pressure gradients derivable from the pick-up ion distribution function. The action of the radial components of these pressures essentially counter balances the decelerating effect of the solar wind momentum loading, diminishing strongly the deceleration of the distant solar wind. Furthermore the latitudinal components of the pick-up ion pressures induce latitudinal forces acting on the multiconstituent solar plasma outflow and inducing nonradial bulk flow components. The enforced nonradial outflow geometry on the upwind hemisphere may partly be responsible for the magnetic flux deficit which was claimed since several years in the PIONEER-10 magnetic flux data.

Fahr, Hans J.↗

The Impact of Operational Strategies and Load Fluctuations on Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer Degradation

This study reports on the durability of anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) at the cell level in a supporting electrolyte (1 M) and the impact of operational profiles on cell degradation. While constant load shows significant voltage loss, including a current hold at 1 A cm −2 and a potential hold at 2 V, it generally occurs in the first 70 h of testing. These losses are likely due to passivation altering site reactivity and cell kinetics, and are largely recoverable upon load cycling and diagnostics at the end of test. Furthermore, square and triangular-wave cycling do not show cell degradation and indicate that AEMWEs are not vulnerable to load cycling. When operating outside of this potential window (1.45–2 V), cell voltage decay rates markedly increase and the losses are not recoverable. This includes a current density hold at 4.0 A cm −2 with high cell voltages (>2.4 V for test duration) and cycling between 0 and 2 V to simulate start–stop, where more than a 50% loss in current density occurs over 50 h. The findings presented here demonstrate the high durability of AEMWEs, particularly when operating with load fluctuations, and may allow for durability advantages compared to iridium and proton exchange membrane systems.

08 HYDROGEN↗

High G pyrotechnic shock simulation using metal-to-metal impact

A technique for simulating high g level pyrotechnic shocks is described and the results of applying the technique to obtain the MIL-STD-1540A shock spectrum with a maximum acceleration of 18,000g at 2,000 Hz are presented. Designing the resonant beam and plate on which the test unit is mounted, and generating a proper impulsive load on them, were the essentials of the technique. One dimensional stress wave and Euler equations were employed in the design. A metal pendulum hammer was used to generate the impulsive load.

Bai, M.↗

An efficient model for coupling structural vibrations with acoustic radiation

The scattering of an incident wave by a flexible panel is studied. The panel vibration is governed by the nonlinear plate equations while the loading on the panel, which is the pressure difference across the panel, depends on the reflected and transmitted waves. Two models are used to calculate this structural-acoustic interaction problem. One solves the three dimensional nonlinear Euler equations for the flow-field coupled with the plate equations (the fully coupled model). The second uses the linear wave equation for the acoustic field and expresses the load as a double integral involving the panel oscillation (the decoupled model). The panel oscillation governed by a system of integro-differential equations is solved numerically and the acoustic field is then defined by an explicit formula. Numerical results are obtained using the two models for linear and nonlinear panel vibrations. The predictions given by these two models are in good agreement but the computational time needed for the 'fully coupled model' is 60 times longer than that for 'the decoupled model'.

Frendi, Abdelkader↗

Parameterized Study of Heat Load Trends in a Subscale Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine

NASA has developed a subscale rotating detonation rocket engine platform, enabling rapid parameterization of components and their associated performances. A major performance metric of interest for RDREs is the total heat absorbed at a given operating condition and wave mode operation. To investigate this, several sets of hardware were produced to have variation of the contraction ratio, injector geometry, and length. A wide range of total mass flow rates and mixture ratios were also explored using gaseous methane/oxygen. All hardware was produced using laser powder bed fusion GRCop-42, GRX-810, or C-103 alloys depending on the component cooling requirements. Outer and inner body hardware were made from GRCop-42 where heat fluxes were expected to be high and were water cooled through integrated coolant channels. Nozzles were made from C-103 which are radiatively cooled. Finally, the injectors were produced using GRCop-42 or GRX-810 as passive cooling via propellant injection has previously found to be sufficient given the small gap width of exposed injection surface. Total heat load and bulk heat flux measurements to the hot walls are reported. Trends in heat load and heat flux are shown with relation to parameters such as chamber pressure, area ratio, and wave mode. Heat loads between the inner and outer bodies and the chamber and shroud section are compared.

Heat Flux↗

Parameterized Study of Heat Load Trends in a Subscale Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine

NASA has developed a subscale rotating detonation rocket engine platform, enabling rapid parameterization of components and their associated performances. A major performance metric of interest for RDREs is the total heat absorbed at a given operating condition and wave mode operation. To investigate this, several sets of hardware were produced to have variation of the contraction ratio, injector geometry, and length. A wide range of total mass flow rates and mixture ratios were also explored using gaseous methane/oxygen. All hardware was produced using laser powder bed fusion GRCop-42, GRX-810, or C-103 alloys depending on the component cooling requirements. Outer and inner body hardware were made from GRCop-42 where heat fluxes were expected to be high and were water cooled through integrated coolant channels. Nozzles were made from C-103 which are radiatively cooled. Finally, the injectors were produced using GRCop-42 or GRX-810 as passive cooling via propellant injection has previously found to be sufficient given the small gap width of exposed injection surface. Total heat load and bulk heat flux measurements to the hot walls are reported. Trends in heat load and heat flux are shown with relation to parameters such as chamber pressure, area ratio, and wave mode. Heat loads between the inner and outer bodies and the chamber and shroud section are compared.

Heat Loads↗

Mitigation of spall fracture by evolving porosity

Ductile materials subject to impact loading conditions can undergo spall fracture when an incoming compressive stress wave reflects off interfaces and free surfaces as a tensile stress wave. Experimental observations suggest that in ductile materials, spall fracture is driven by the evolution of porosity. However, the presence of initial porosity in ductile materials also introduces plastic compressibility, which can attenuate the incoming compressive stress wave and, as a result, reduce the amplitude of the reflected tensile stress wave. This, in turn, can mitigate or delay spall fracture. In this work, we report on finite deformation finite element calculations that analyze the response of porous ductile materials subjected to impact loading conditions. Two sets of calculations are carried out, in the first set the material contains initial porosity values ranging from 0% to 5% while in the second set the material also undergoes stress-controlled porosity nucleation. Both sets of calculations are carried out for a wide range of imposed impact velocities. Here, our results show that porosity in ductile materials can, under certain circumstances, mitigate spall fracture by attenuating stress waves. Results correlating the effects of impact velocity, initial porosity, and porosity nucleation on spall fracture are presented and the underlying mechanisms are discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Heat Transfer Measurements of NASA Liquid Kerosene/Oxygen Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine

The RDRE has been identified as a viable high performance propulsion system with numerous advantages over the state-of-the-art (SOA) liquid rocket engine. NASA has been investigating this combustion device for applications ranging from lander, upper stage, thruster, and hypersonics. All of the activities funded to date have been focused on closing major technology gaps preventing the RDRE from being used more broadly by industry. One of those gaps include the prediction and management of heat transfer to the walls from the extreme combustion environment. This work overviews the heat transfer measurements made using new and existing hardware. A liquid oxygen / liquid RP-1 RDRE was tested utilizing a calorimeter outer body and outer body nozzle extension. An actively cooled inner body with axial running cooling channels was also used. A bimetallic GRCop-42 / Monel K500 injector was developed and demonstrated to be a viable technology for RDRE environments. Trends in bulk heat loads are discussed along with a direct comparison to constant pressure theory predictions of wall heat transfer. The experimental data obtained in this investigation showed similar heat fluxes to constant pressure theory indicating deflagration may have dominated the flow field. Only a single detonation wave was observed in all tests which imparted a significant dynamic load (vibration) on the test article making measurement of combustor performances extremely challenging. Both accelerometer and load cell data corroborate the extreme G-forces measured. The single wave mode yielded relatively low performances compared with other hot fire test data sets available. This leads to the conclusion that a single detonation wave in this geometry is not sufficient for high performance. Wave multiplicity, or rather, a specific number of waves may yield higher performances.

Thomas Teasley↗

Empirical Model Development for Predicting Shock Response on Composite Materials Subjected to Pyroshock Loading: Appendices - Volume 2, Part 1

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) received a request to develop an analysis model based on both frequency response and wave propagation analyses for predicting shock response spectrum (SRS) on composite materials subjected to pyroshock loading. The model would account for near-field environment (approximately 9 inches from the source) dominated by direct wave propagation, mid-field environment (approximately 2 feet from the source) characterized by wave propagation and structural resonances, and far-field environment dominated by lower frequency bending waves in the structure. This document contains appendices to the Volume I report.

Gentz, Steven J.↗

Characteristic wave approach in controlled large space structures

The modal approach in structural dynamics usually implies a truncation technique in the course of which the contribution of high frequencies is lost. This can lead to significant error in the case of impulsive loads. As an alternative to modal (or spectral) methods, the characteristic wave approach is developed. It appears that the application of this approach is most beneficial in the domains where spectral methods fail. That is why it can be used as a supplement to modal methods when the loads contain impulsive components.

Zak, M.↗

Transient motion of thick anisotropic plates

Analyses are developed for the response of anisotropic plate strips to a transient load. The load is taken in the form of a line load of normal stress on the surface or within the body of the strip. The characteristic free vibrational modes of the strip are derived and used to derive the secular equation for this case in closed form and to isolate the mathematical conditions for symmetric and antisymmetric wave mode propagation in completely separate terms. The applied loads are expanded in terms of these normal modes and the response of the plate is obtained by superposition of the appropriate components. Material systems of higher symmetry are contained implicitly in the analysis.

Nayfeh, Adnan H.↗

Fracture of PC and PMMA cylinders in the Taylor tests

The present paper analyzes failure observed in polymer rods collided with a steel anvil under the Taylor cylinder impact experiments. The experimental and numerical analysis demonstrates that association of the failure patterns with the loading mode depends on the rod material. Two materials are considered in the paper, specifically, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC). Damage in PMMA rods at the Taylor tests is shown to be dominated by the shear load resulting in plastic deformation. In contrast, the major mechanism of damage in PC rods is governed by omni-directional (pressure) mode of load. Analysis of the damage in sections of the rods associated with the glass transition is also addressed in the present theoretical study. Failure in these polymers follows the traditional fracture wave mechanism for brittle glass-type materials due to load in the corresponding mode. Numerical analysis employs a two-phase model with improved inter-phase thermal balance accounting for the inter-phase mass, momentum, and heat exchanges during the glass phase transition, while damage being accumulated in time. In conclusion, the simulation results demonstrate a good correlation with the experimental results.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Public Reference Data for Megawatt-Scale Hydrogen Electrolysis - Simulated Wave

The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) demonstrate hydrogen electrolysis, hydrogen compression and storage, and variable hydrogen fuel cell power production using megawatt-scale equipment at NLR’s Flatirons Campus as part of the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) initiative. This dataset represents part of that effort and is intended for academic, national laboratory, industrial, and other stakeholders to plan, design, and validate models of megawatt-scale hydrogen technologies and diverse energy infrastructure nationwide. These data provide a baseline for how existing hydrogen electrolysis technologies perform when coupled with various energy technologies. Future datasets will demonstrate how existing hydrogen fuel cell technologies can provide controllable, dispatchable, and variable power output for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and other variable loads. This dataset entry describes hydrogen production using a single, simulated wave energy conversion device. The electrolyzer is a 1.25-MW proton exchange membrane type MC250 system manufactured by Nel Hydrogen. While the unit supports up to 2.5 MW of electrolysis, NLR only has a single 1.25-MW electrolysis stack. For the wave energy, NLR used a wave energy converter model from PacWave. These devices can be equipped with accumulators and pressure relief values to smooth the power output by storing and releasing hydraulic energy. Using a peak power output of 10 MW, the model created two 25-minute profiles: one with and one without the accumulators and pressure relief valves. To down select the profile data from the native resolution of 20 Hz to 1 Hz, NLR took the mean of every 20 data points. NLR experimented with two simulated wave energy power plants: one that peaks at 10 MW, and one that peaks at 5 MW. These profiles were scaled for the physical 1.25 MW electrolyzer by multiplying the original profiles by one eighth and one quarter, respectively. The first profile matches the capacity rating of eight of the 1.25 MW electrolyzers, while the second matches four electrolyzers. Finally, NLR experimented with two settings for the electrolyzer power supply minimum and maximum current ramp rates (gain and slew): 200 and 400 amperes per second. The simulated profiles were translated from power (kilowatts) to current (amperes) using a curve fit with calibration data and sent to the electrolyzer power supply at 1-Hz frequency. These datasets report relevant hydrogen balance-of-plant and system data, all captured at 1 Hz, including hydrogen mass production measured with an Emerson Coriolis flow meter. Each .zip file represents a single wave electrolysis experiment and is formatted as follows: {technology}-{accumulator?}_{number of 1.25 MW electrolyzers connected}-{electrolyzer ramp rate in amperes/second} For instance, “wavePacWave-Noacc_4-400.zip” represents the 25 minute-long experiment using the PacWave’s wave energy converter model, equipped with no accumulator, connected to four 1.25-MW electrolyzers with their power supplies set to a maximum current ramp rate (gain and slew) of 400 A/s. Each .zip folder contains the following files: A .csv file containing raw data. An .xlsx file explaining all the fields in the raw data. A .png plot showing the time series of hydrogen production in kilograms per hour, electrolysis power consumption, and input wave power. An experiment, labeled “characterization_200.zip”, demonstrates the MC250 electrolyzer steady-state response with 30 minute load steps for a total duration of 5 hours. Finally, a .csv file is provided with all wave profiles combined into one dataset labeled "combined_wave_experiments.csv". NLR also built an AI/machine-learning predictive model based on these datasets. The model ingests the electrolyzer current command in amperes, as well as various pressures and temperatures across the system, and predicts hydrogen output in kilograms per hour. The complete model can be found at https://huggingface.co/NatLabRockies/ptmelt-hydrogen-electrolysis.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Mode interaction in stiffened composite shells under combined mechanical and thermal loadings

Stiffened shells of various configurations fabricated out of composite materials find extensive applications in aircraft structures. Two distinctive modes of buckling dominate structural response of stiffened panels, viz. the short-wave local mode in which the shell skin buckles essentially between the stiffeners and the long-wave overall mode in which the shell skin buckles carrying the stiffeners with it. In optimized designs, the critical stresses corresponding to these modes of buckling would be close to each other. This leads to a nonlinear mode interaction which is recognized to be the principal cause of the failure of stiffened structures. If the structure is subjected to through-the-thickness thermal gradients, then large-wave bending effects would begin to occur well below the overall critical load and these would play the role of overall imperfections. The load carrying capacity would be significantly diminished as a result of interaction of local buckling with overall thermal distortions. The analysis of this problem using standard finite element techniques can be shown to be prohibitively expensive for design iterations. A concept which would greatly facilitate the analysis of mode interaction is advanced. We note that the local buckling occurs in a more or less periodic pattern in a structure having regular spacings of stiffeners. Thus it is a relatively simple matter to analyze the local buckling and the second order effects (which are essential for modeling postbuckling phenomena) using a unit cell of the structure. Once analyzed, these dormations are embedded in a shell element. Thus, a shell element could span several half-waves of local buckling and still be able to depict local buckling effects with requisite accuracy. A major consequence of the interaction of overall buckling/bending is the slow variation of the local buckling amplitude across the structure - the phenomenon of 'amplitude modulation' - and this is accounted for in the present model by letting the scaling parameter of the local mode vary according to a 'slowly varying' function. The construction of the analytical model involves essentially two stages and these are described briefly.

Sridharan, Srinivasan↗