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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Transonic turbine blade cascade testing facility

NASA LeRC has designed and constructed a new state-of-the-art test facility. This facility, the Transonic Turbine Blade Cascade, is used to evaluate the aerodynamics and heat transfer characteristics of blade geometries for future turbine applications. The facility's capabilities make it unique: no other facility of its kind can combine the high degree of airflow turning, infinitely adjustable incidence angle, and high transonic flow rates. The facility air supply and exhaust pressures are controllable to 16.5 psia and 2 psia, respectively. The inlet air temperatures are at ambient conditions. The facility is equipped with a programmable logic controller with a capacity of 128 input/output channels. The data acquisition system is capable of scanning up to 1750 channels per sec. This paper discusses in detail the capabilities of the facility, overall facility design, instrumentation used in the facility, and the data acquisition system. Actual research data is not discussed.

Verhoff, Vincent G.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Kepler Mission: End-to-End System Demonstration

A test facility has been constructed to demonstrate the capability of differential ensemble photometry to detect transits of Earth-size planets orbiting solar-like stars. The main objective is to determine the effects of various noise sources on the capability of a CCD photometer to maintain a system relative precision of 1 x $10^(-5)$ for mv = 12 stars in the presence of system-induced noise sources. The facility includes a simulated star field, fast optics to simulate the telescope, a thinned back-illuminated CCD similar to those to be used on the spacecraft and computers to perform the onboard control, data processing and extraction. The test structure is thermally and mechanically isolated so that each source of noise can be introduced in a controlled fashion and evaluated for its contribution to the total noise budget. The effects of pointing errors or a changing thermal environment are imposed by piezo-electric devices. Transits are injected by heating small wires crossing apertures in the star plate. Signals as small as those from terrestrial-size transits of solar-like stars are introduced to demonstrate that such planets can be detected under realistic noise conditions. Examples of imposing several noise sources and the resulting detectabilities are presented. These show that a differential ensemble photometric approach CCD photometer can readily detect signals associated with Earth-size transits.

Borucki, William↗
DOE OSTI2023

Viability of Reclaiming Municipal Wastewater for Potential Microalgae-Based Biofuel Production in the U.S.

Reclaimed municipal wastewater is a crucial component in biofuel production, especially in regions experiencing increasing freshwater scarcity. However, accurately estimating the potential for fuel production is challenging because of the uneven distribution of biofuel feedstock regions and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study assesses the viability of using reclaimed municipal water for algal biomass production in pond systems co-located with WWTPs under scenarios driven by biomass production and based on water transport logistics. We performed state- and county-level analysis of reclaimed water resources throughout the United States based on WWTP facility data. We overlaid these data onto estimated algae facility sites and examined the temporal resource availability to address seasonal variations in cultivation demand. Our findings reveal that 2694 billion liters per year of reclaimed water could potentially be used to produce 42.2 million metric tons (ash-free dry weight) of algal biomass, equivalent to 29.2 billion liters of renewable diesel equivalent (RDe). The use of reclaimed water would double current national water reuse and expand such reuse significantly in 455 counties across the United States. However, when we limit the construction of algae facilities to counties that can fully meet their water demand in order to minimize water transport burdens, the available supply decreases by 80%, to 512 billion liters, resulting in annual production of 12.2 billion liters of RDe, which still doubles current biodiesel production. Our analysis highlights the degree to which the location and flow of WWTPs and water transport affect the deployment of algae biofuel facilities and tradeoffs. These findings underscore the importance of improving the current WWTP infrastructure for reclaimed water reuse, especially in southern states.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1980

Satellite remote sensing facility for oceanograhic applications

The project organization, design process, and construction of a Remote Sensing Facility at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at LaJolla, California are described. The facility is capable of receiving, processing, and displaying oceanographic data received from satellites. Data are primarily imaging data representing the multispectral ocean emissions and reflectances, and are accumulated during 8 to 10 minute satellite passes over the California coast. The most important feature of the facility is the reception and processing of satellite data in real time, allowing investigators to direct ships to areas of interest for on-site verifications and experiments.

Evans, R. H.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Environmental Impacts of Closed-Loop Pumped Storage Hydropower

The goal of this report is to help license applicants, resource agencies, and other members of the hydropower community involved in closed-loop pumped storage hydropower permitting and licensing process, focus the scope of environmental reviews, and more quickly identify impacts with project nexus and potential mitigation measures for these impacts. Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) is an energy storage technology that uses energy to pump water up from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir where water is stored until electricity is needed and the water is released to a lower reservoir passing through turbines. Closed-loop PSH—PSH that is not continuously connected to a naturally flowing water feature—is one of the lowest greenhouse gas emitting energy storage technologies and is therefore a critical part of the transition to renewable energy (Simon et al. 2023). Proposals for closed-loop PSH facilities in the United States currently account for more than 40% of original licenses and 99% of potential generation capacity in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) hydropower licensing pipeline (Johnson et al. 2023). While closed-loop PSH facilities can have lower environmental impacts than open-loop PSH facilities, no closed-loop facilities have been constructed in the United States to enable direct accounting of project impacts and efficacy of mitigations. Many proposals for closed-loop PSH submitted to FERC are abandoned early in the permitting and licensing process prior to license applications and environmental assessments, so there is little documentation describing potential project impacts and proposed mitigations. The newness of closed-loop PSH proposals in the United States may mean that tribal, federal, and state agencies with authorities for cultural and natural resources protection and management involved in the FERC licensing process may not have experience with closed-loop PSH regulation. Moreover, many proposed closed-loop PSH facilities are in areas that do not have high concentrations of conventional hydropower, so these agencies may also be unfamiliar with the FERC hydropower licensing process. The goal of this report is to help license applicants, resource agencies, and other members of the hydropower community focus the scope of environmental review for the closed-loop PSH development, licensing, and federal authorization process enabling quicker identification of potential impacts, mitigations, and situations where mitigation may not be possible. We found that environmental impacts of closed-loop PSH are highly site-specific, and generalizations about the types of environmental impacts across closed-loop PSH projects are difficult to make. Environmental impacts of closed-loop PSH are like those for open-loop PSH with a few exceptions including water sourcing, which can lead to delays and contention due to potential complexities with water rights, impacts to aquatic resources, and greenhouse gas emission potential. Cultural resource impacts were commonly reported in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents reviewed and discussed in interviews, but in many cases such impacts cannot be mitigated.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1981

Lewis Research Center's coal-fired, pressurized, fluidized-bed reactor test facility

A 200-kilowatt-thermal, pressurized, fluidized-bed (PFB) reactor, research test facility was designed, constructed, and operated as part of a NASA-funded project to assess and evaluate the effect of PFB hot-gas effluent on aircraft turbine engine materials that might have applications in stationary-power-plant turbogenerators. Some of the techniques and components developed for this PFB system are described. One of the more important items was the development of a two-in-one, gas-solids separator that removed 95+ percent of the solids in 1600 F to 1900 F gases. Another was a coal and sorbent feed and mixing system for injecting the fuel into the pressurized combustor. Also important were the controls and data-acquisition systems that enabled one person to operate the entire facility. The solid, liquid, and gas sub-systems all had problems that were solved over the 2-year operating time of the facility, which culminated in a 400-hour, hot-gas, turbine test.

Kobak, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Science in Flux: NASA's Nuclear Program at Plum Brook Station 1955-2005

Science in Flux traces the history of one of the most powerful nuclear test reactors in the United States and the only nuclear facility ever built by NASA. In the late 1950's NASA constructed Plum Brook Station on a vast tract of undeveloped land near Sandusky, Ohio. Once fully operational in 1963, it supported basic research for NASA's nuclear rocket program (NERVA). Plum Brook represents a significant, if largely forgotten, story of nuclear research, political change, and the professional culture of the scientists and engineers who devoted their lives to construct and operate the facility. In 1973, after only a decade of research, the government shut Plum Brook down before many of its experiments could be completed. Even the valiant attempt to redefine the reactor as an environmental analysis tool failed, and the facility went silent. The reactors lay in costly, but quiet standby for nearly a quarter-century before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decided to decommission the reactors and clean up the site. The history of Plum Brook reveals the perils and potentials of that nuclear technology. As NASA, Congress, and space enthusiasts all begin looking once again at the nuclear option for sending humans to Mars, the echoes of Plum Brook's past will resonate with current policy and space initiatives.

Bowles, Mark D.↗
NASA NTRS2009

A3 Subscale Diffuser Test Article Design

This paper gives a detailed description of the design of the A3 Subscale Diffuser Test (SDT) Article Design. The subscale diffuser is a geometrically accurate scale model of the A3 altitude rocket facility. It was designed and built to support the SDT risk mitigation project located at the E3 facility at Stennis Space Center, MS (SSC) supporting the design and construction of the A3 facility at SSC. The subscale test article is outfitted with a large array of instrumentation to support the design verification of the A3 facility. The mechanical design of the subscale diffuser and test instrumentation are described here

Saunders, G. P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The CHARA optical array

The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) was established in the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgia State University in 1984 with the goals of designing, constructing, and then operating a facility for very high spatial resolution astronomy. The interest in such a facility grew out of the participants' decade of activity in speckle interferometry. Although speckle interferometry continues to provide important astrophysical measurements of a variety of objects, many pressing problems require resolution far beyond that which can be expected from single aperture telescopes. In early 1986, CHARA received a grant from the National Science Foundation which has permitted a detailed exploration of the feasibility of constructing a facility which will provide a hundred-fold increase in angular resolution over what is possible by speckle interferometry at the largest existing telescopes. The design concept for the CHARA Array was developed initially with the contractural collaboration of United Technologies Optical Systems, Inc., in West Palm Beach, Florida, an arrangement that expired in August 1987. In late November 1987, the Georgia Tech Research Institute joined with CHARA to continue and complete the design concept study. Very high-resolution imaging at optical wavelengths is clearly coming of age in astronomy. The CHARA Array and other related projects will be important and necessary milestones along the way toward the development of a major national facility for high-resolution imaging--a true optical counterpart to the Very Large Array. Ground-based arrays and their scientific output will lead to high resolution facilities in space and, ultimately, on the Moon.

Mcalister, Harold A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Analysis of Possible Explosions at Kennedy Space Center Due to Spontaneous Ignition of Hypergolic Propellants

NASA's Constellation Program plan currently calls for the replacement of the Space Shuttle with the ARES I & V spacecraft and booster vehicles to send astronauts to the moon and beyond. Part of the ARES spacecraft is the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), which includes the Crew Module (CM) and Service Module (SM). The Orion CM's main propulsion system and supplies are provided by the SM. The SM is to be processed off line and moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building (V AB) for stacking to the first stage booster motors prior to ARES move to the launch pad. The new Constellation Program philosophy to process in this manner has created a major task for the KSC infrastructure in that conventional QD calculations are no longer viable because of the location of surrounding facilities near the VAB and the Multi Purpose Processing Facility (MPPF), where the SM will be serviced with nearly 18,000 pounds of hypergolic propellants. The Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) complex, constructed by NASA in 1994, is located just off E Avenue south of the Operations and Checkout (O&C) building in the Kennedy Space Center industrial area. The MPPF includes a high bay and a low bay. The MPPF high bay is 40.2 m (132 ft) long x 18.9 m (60 ft) wide with a ceiling height of 18.9 m (62 ft). The low bay is a 10.4 m (34 ft) long x 10.4 m (34 ft) wide processing area and has a ceiling height of6.1 m (20 ft). The MPPF is currently used to process non-hazardous payloads. Engineering Analysis Inc. (EAI), under contract with ASRC Aerospace, Inc. in conjunction with the Explosive Safety Office, NASA, Kennedy Space Center (KSC), has carried out an analysis of the effects of explosions at KSC in or near various facilities produced by the spontaneous ignition ofhypergolic fuel stored in the CEV SM. The facilities considered included (1) Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) (2) Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) (3) Canister Rotation Facility (CRF) Subsequent discussion deals with the MPPF analysis. Figure 1 provides a view of the MPPF from the northwest. An interior view ofthe facility is shown in Figure 2. The study was concerned with both blast hazards and hazardous fragments which exceed existing safety standards, as described in Section 2.0. The analysis included both blast and fragmentation effects and was divided into three parts as follows: (1) blast (2) primary fragmentation (3) secondary fragmentation Blast effects are summarized in Section 3.0, primary fragmentation in Section 4.0, and secondary fragmentation (internal and external) in Section 5.0. Conclusions are provided in Section 6.0, while references cited are included in Section 7.0. A more detailed description of the entire study is available in a separate document.

Brown, Stephen↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Genesis Solar Wind Sample Curation Facility

The controlled access facility designed and constructed for storing and examining Genesis solar wind samples consists of two adjacent laboratories, both ISO Class 4 cleanrooms (vertical laminar flow, ULPA filtered). One cleanroom is equipped with ultrapure water (UPW) for experimental cleaning of containers and tools used in handling the solar wind samples, flight hardware and witness plates. The ultrapure water is also used for cleaning the solar wind samples. The other cleanroom is for long-term nitrogen storage of samples and for examination and processing of Genesis samples.

Curation Facility↗
NASA NTRS1989

Transient Pressure Test Article Test Program

The Transient Pressure Test Article (TPTA) test program is being conducted at a new test facility located in the East Test Area at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. This facility, along with the special test equipment (STE) required for facility support, was constructed specifically to test and verify the sealing capability of the Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) field, igniter, and nozzle joints. The test article consists of full scale RSRM hardware loaded with inert propellant and assembled in a short stack configuration. The TPTA is pressurized by igniting a propellant cartridge capable of inducing a pressure rise rate which stimulates the ignition transient that occurs during launch. Dynamic loads are applied during the pressure cycle to simulate external tank attach (ETA) strut loads present on the ETA ring. Sealing ability of the redesigned joints is evaluated under joint movement conditions produced by these combined loads since joint sealing ability depends on seal resilience velocity being greater than gap opening velocity. Also, maximum flight dynamic loads are applied to the test article which is either pressurized to 600 psia using gaseous nitrogen (GN2) or applied to the test article as the pressure decays inside the test article on the down cycle after the ignition transient cycle. This new test facility is examined with respect to its capabilities. In addition, both the topic of test effectiveness versus space vehicle flight performance and new aerospace test techniques, as well as a comparison between the old SRM design and the RSRM are presented.

Vibbart, Charles M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Overview of Collaborative Research Between UNICAMP in Brazil and Fermilab in Cryogenics

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) situated at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota, serves as the host for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), employing cryostats with nearly 70,000 metric tons of high purity liquid argon (LAr). The integrity of LAr quality is pivotal in determining the electron lifetime within DUNE, directly impacting its signal-to-noise ratio. Specifically, Far Detector 1 (FD-1) in cryostat 1 requires an electron lifetime over 3 ms within its 3.5 m drift, corresponding to less than 100 parts-per-trillion (ppt) Oxygen equivalent contamination. Far Detector 2 (FD-2) in cryostat 2 demands over 6 ms electron lifetime within its 6.0 m drift, corresponding to less than 50 ppt Oxygen equivalent contamination. Nitrogen (N2) absorption of LAr scintillation light, known as quenching, necessitates N2 contamination in LAr to remain below 1 ppm to minimize photon loss and enhance energy reconstruction. Studies indicate that at 1 ppm N2, approximately 20% of scintillation light is lost, highlighting the importance of minimizing N2 contamination. Brazil State University of Campinas's (UNICAMP) contribution to LBNF focuses on developing argon purification and regeneration for DUNE FD-1 and FD-2. To that effect, they constructed a test facility to perform studies on LAr purification at a smaller scale, the Purification Liquid Argon Cryostat (PuLArC) with approximately 90 liters of LAr. One of the filtration materials was considered and tested Li-FAU molecular sieve. Value engineering on argon purification media was conducted, leading to the identification of Li-FAU zeolite's ability to effectively capture N2 impurities during LAr circulation. Testing at UNICAMP's PuLArC facility demonstrated that 1 kg of Li-FAU is capable of reducing N2 contamination from 20-50 ppm to 0.1-1.0 ppm within 1-2 hours of circulation. In October 2023, testing at the Iceberg cryostat in Fermilab's Noble Liquid Test Facility (NLTF), with approximately 2,625 liters of LAr, confirmed the efficacy of 3 kg of Li-FAU in reducing N2 contamination from ~ 5 ppm of injected N2 down to less than 1 ppm over 96-hour cycles, showcasing its potential for larger-scale LAr cryostats. Further tests are planned to validate Li-FAU's use as a possible alternative to Molecular Sieve 4A in LBNF-DUNE and related liquid argon experiments. This contribution will describe how the research was performed and present the test setups and results in detail. This advancement not only has the potential to enhance DUNE's precision but also to elevate liquid argon experiments globally, showcasing the power of international scientific collaboration.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Automatic Digitization and Orientation of Scanned Mesh Data for Floor Plan and 3D Model Generation

This paper describes a novel approach for generating accurate floor plans and 3D models of building interiors using scanned mesh data. Unlike previous methods, which begin with a high resolution point cloud from a laser range-finder, our approach begins with triangle mesh data, as from a Microsoft HoloLens. It generates two types of floor plans, a “pen-and-ink” style that preserves details and a drafting-style that reduces clutter. It processes the 3D model for use in applications by aligning it with coordinate axes, annotating important objects, dividing it into stories, and removing the ceiling. Its performance is evaluated on commercial and residential buildings, with experiments to assess quality and dimensional accuracy. Our approach demonstrates promising potential for automatic digitization and orientation of scanned mesh data, enabling floor plan and 3D model generation in various applications such as navigation, interior design, furniture placement, facilities management, building construction, and HVAC design.

Sharma, Ritesh↗
DOE OSTI2022

A multistage distributionally robust optimization approach to water allocation under climate uncertainty

This paper investigates a Multistage Distributionally Robust Optimization (MDRO) approach to water allocation under climate uncertainty. The MDRO is formed by creating sets of conditional distributions (called conditional ambiguity sets) on a finite scenario tree. The distributions in the conditional ambiguity sets remain close to a nominal conditional distribution according a ø-divergence (e.g., Kullback-Leibler divergence, Hellinger distance, Burg entropy, etc.). Here, the paper discusses a decomposition algorithm to solve the resulting MDRO with ø-divergences, which uses the dual formulation and solves only linear subproblems instead of convex ones. Some properties of the algorithm such as generating feasible policies and valid upper/lower bounds are established. The paper then applies the modeling and solution techniques to allocate water in a rapidly-developing area of Tucson, Arizona. Tucson, like many arid and semi-arid regions around the world, faces considerable uncertainty in its ability to provide water for its citizens in the future. The primary sources of uncertainty in the Tucson region include (1) unpredictable population growth, (2) the availability of water from the Colorado River, and (3) the effects of climate variability on water consumption. This paper integrates forecasts for all these sources of uncertainty into a single optimization model for robust and sustainable water allocation. Then, it uses this model to analyze the value of constructing additional treatment facilities to reduce future water shortages. The results indicate that the MDRO approach can be very valuable for water managers by providing insights to minimize their risks and help them plan for the future.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Creating free standing covalent organic framework membranes by nanocrystal suturing in sol gel solutions

The sol-gel synthesis represents a versatile platform to fabricate ceramic inorganic membranes. However, it is still a grand challenge to push the boundary of sol-gel chemistry towards high-quality organic membrane construction. Herein, a facile and controlled nanocrystal suturing strategy in sol-gel solutions is developed to afford highly crystalline and free-standing covalent organic framework membranes. The key chemistry design lies in deploying tiny threads (1 mol% dual-NH 2 -tail linear polymer) to efficiently suture the highly charged covalent organic framework nanocrystals stabilized and confined in sol-gel solutions, creating a continuous and intact membrane surface. A subsequent treatment heals the sutured covalent organic framework nanocrystals, yielding a free-standing membrane with high crystallinity and ordered pores. The structure evolution and role of the thread linker are elucidated via operando spectroscopy and microscopy. The as-afforded covalent organic framework membranes demonstrate attractive proton transport performance in high temperature and anhydrous fuel cell applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Geant4 Monte-Carlo (GEMC) A database-driven simulation program

GEMC[1] is an application that harnesses the power of databases to execute Geant4 Monte-Carlo simulations. The databases (MYSQL, CSQL, TEXT) define the geometry, materials, digitization algorithms, readout electronics and output formats. Implemented in C++, GEMC also boasts a user-friendly Python API that facilitates detector construction and database population. GEMC can handle real-life scenarios such as geometry variations and the run number-dependent calibration constants and digitization parameters. This abstract provides an overview of GEMC, accompanied by examples that showcase its versatility. We delve into the practical application of GEMC within the the CLAS12 experimental program at Jefferson Lab.

Ungaro, Maurizio↗