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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 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Use of a simple external nonreciprocal attenuator in coupled-cavity TWT's

A technique has been developed for introducing a nonreciprocal sever in a traveling-wave tube design. It employs an output coupler followed by a ferrite isolator, a variable phase shifter, and an input coupler. The input and output couplers are similar to those already needed at the ends of the tube. The isolator and phase shifter are similar to commercially available waveguide components. A computer simulation has suggested the technique may yield a significant improvement in efficiency.

Connolly, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Green glass vitrophyre 78526 - An impact of very low-Ti mare basalt composition

Rake sample 78526 is an 8.77 g rock consisting primarily of vitrophyric pale green glass with subordinate mineral and lithic relics. Petrographic and compositional evidence leads to the following conclusions: (1) the bulk composition represents that of a mixture formed by impact melting of at least two different textural and compositional varieties of VLT mare basalt that are now present in the rock as lithic relics and a poorly defined low-Ti mare basalt component observed in thin section only in the form of isolated mineral relics; (2) the admixed VLT mare basalts had REE abundances lower than those found in other mare basalts (but probably higher than emerald green glass) and REE patterns showing significant enrichment of the heavy relative to light REE's, suggesting that they were derived by comparatively high degrees of partial melting of a clinopyroxene-rich source region; and (3) the impact melt supercooled to produce the vitrophyre, with rather sharply contrasting textural domains present in the vitrophyre resulting from differences in nucleation kinetics and degrees of supercooling in various portions of the sample.

Warner, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Utilization of artificial intelligence techniques for the Space Station power system

Due to the complexity of the Space Station Electrical Power System (EPS) as currently envisioned, artificial intelligence/expert system techniques are being investigated to automate operations, maintenance, and diagnostic functions. A study was conducted to investigate this technology as it applies to failure detection, isolation, and reconfiguration (FDIR) and health monitoring of power system components and of the total system. Control system utilization of expert systems for load scheduling and shedding operations was also researched. A discussion of the utilization of artificial intelligence/expert systems for Initial Operating Capability (IOC) for the Space Station effort is presented along with future plans at Rocketdyne for the utilization of this technology for enhanced Space Station power capability.

Evatt, Thomas C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Numerical solution of periodic vortical flows about a thin airfoil

A numerical method is developed for computing periodic, three-dimensional, vortical flows around isolated airfoils. The unsteady velocity is split into a vortical component which is a known function of the upstream flow conditions and the Lagrangian coordinates of the mean flow, and an irrotational field whose potential satisfies a nonconstant-coefficient, inhomogeneous, convective wave equation. Solutions for thin airfoils at zero degrees incidence to the mean flow are presented in this paper. Using an elliptic coordinate transformation, the computational domain is transformed into a rectangle. The Sommerfeld radiation condition is applied to the unsteady pressure on the grid line corresponding to the far field boundary. The results are compared with a Possio solver, and it is shown that for maximum accuracy the grid should depend on both the Mach number and reduced frequency. Finally, in order to assess the range of validity of the classical thin airfoil approximation, results for airfoils with zero thickness are compared with results for airfoils with small thickness.

Scott, James R.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Numerical solution of periodic vortical flows about a thin airfoil

A numerical method is developed for computing periodic, three-dimensional, vortical flows around isolated airfoils. The unsteady velocity is split into a vortical component which is a known function of the upstream flow conditions and the Lagrangian coordinates of the mean flow, and an irrotational field whose potential satisfies a nonconstant-coefficient, inhomogeneous, convective wave equation. Solutions for thin airfoils at zero degrees incidence to the mean flow are presented in this paper. Using an elliptic coordinate transformation, the computational domain is transformed into a rectangle. The Sommerfield radiation condition is applied to the unsteady pressure on the grid line corresponding to the far field boundary. The results are compared with a Possion solver, and it is shown that for maximum accuracy the grid should depend on both the Mach number and reduced frequency. Finally, in order to assess the range of validity of the classical thin airfoil approximation, results for airfoils with zero thickness are compared with results for airfoils with small thickness.

Scott, James R.↗
NASA NTRS1990

MIT's interferometer CST testbed

The MIT Space Engineering Research Center (SERC) has developed a controlled structures technology (CST) testbed based on one design for a space-based optical interferometer. The role of the testbed is to provide a versatile platform for experimental investigation and discovery of CST approaches. In particular, it will serve as the focus for experimental verification of CSI methodologies and control strategies at SERC. The testbed program has an emphasis on experimental CST--incorporating a broad suite of actuators and sensors, active struts, system identification, passive damping, active mirror mounts, and precision component characterization. The SERC testbed represents a one-tenth scaled version of an optical interferometer concept based on an inherently rigid tetrahedral configuration with collecting apertures on one face. The testbed consists of six 3.5 meter long truss legs joined at four vertices and is suspended with attachment points at three vertices. Each aluminum leg has a 0.2 m by 0.2 m by 0.25 m triangular cross-section. The structure has a first flexible mode at 31 Hz and has over 50 global modes below 200 Hz. The stiff tetrahedral design differs from similar testbeds (such as the JPL Phase B) in that the structural topology is closed. The tetrahedral design minimizes structural deflections at the vertices (site of optical components for maximum baseline) resulting in reduced stroke requirements for isolation and pointing of optics. Typical total light path length stability goals are on the order of lambda/20, with a wavelength of light, lambda, of roughly 500 nanometers. It is expected that active structural control will be necessary to achieve this goal in the presence of disturbances.

Hyde, Tupper↗
NASA NTRS1999

Activity of the 1998 Leonid Shower From the Video Records

Video observations of the Leonid shower aboard two aircraft in the 1998 Leonid multi-instrument aircraft campaign and from ground locations in China are presented. Observing at altitude proved particularly effective, with four times higher rates due to low extinction and low angular velocity at the horizon. The rates, derived from a total of 2500 Leonid meteors, trace at least two distinct dust components. One dominated the night of 1998 November 16/17. This two-day wide component was rich in bright meteors with r = N (m + 1)/N (m) approximately equal 1.5 (s = 1.4) and peaked at an influx of 3.1 +/- 0.4 x 10(exp -12) /sq m.s (for particles of mass < 7 x 10(exp -5) g) at solar longitude lambda(sub 0) approximately equal 234.52 (Eq. J2000). The other more narrow component peaked on 1998 November 17/18 at lambda(sub 0) = 235.31 +/- 0.01. Rates were elevated above the broad component between lambda(sub 0) = 235.15 and 235.40, symmetric around the current node of the parent comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, peaking at 5.1 +/- 0.2 x 10(exp -12) /sq m.s. The population index was higher, r = 1.8 +/- 0.1 (s = 1.7), but not as high as in past Leonid storms (r = 3.0). The flux profile of this component has an unusual asymmetric shape, which implies a blend of contributions from at least two different but relatively recent epochs of ejection. The variation of r across the profile might be due to mass-dependent ejection velocities of the narrowest component. High rates of faint meteors occurred only in an isolated five-minute interval at lambda(sub 0) = 235.198, which is likely the result of a single meteoroid breakup in space.

Jenniskens, Peter↗
NASA NTRS2004

Regenerative Fuel Cell Test Rig Completed and Operational at Glenn Research Center

The NASA Glenn Research Center has completed construction of its first closed-cycle hydrogen-oxygen regenerative fuel cell (RFC). The RFC is an electrochemical system that collects and stores solar energy during the day then releases that energy at night, thus making the Sun's energy available all 24 hours. It consists of a dedicated hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell stack and an electrolyzer stack, the interconnecting plumbing and valves, cooling pumps, water transfer pumps, gas recirculation pumps, phase separators, storage tanks for oxygen (O2) and hydrogen (H2), heat exchangers, isolation valves, pressure regulators, nitrogen purge provisions, instrumentation, and other components. It includes all the equipment required to (1) absorb electrical power from an outside source and store it as pressurized hydrogen and oxygen and (2) make electrical power from the stored gases, saving the product water for reuse during the next cycle.

Bents, David J.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Prognostics for Electronics Components of Avionics Systems

Electronics components have and increasingly critical role in avionics systems and for the development of future aircraft systems. Prognostics of such components is becoming a very important research filed as a result of the need to provide aircraft systems with system level health management. This paper reports on a prognostics application for electronics components of avionics systems, in particular, its application to the Isolated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT). The remaining useful life prediction for the IGBT is based on the particle filter framework, leveraging data from an accelerated aging tests on IGBTs. The accelerated aging test provided thermal-electrical overstress by applying thermal cycling to the device. In-situ state monitoring, including measurements of the steady-state voltages and currents, electrical transients, and thermal transients are recorded and used as potential precursors of failure.

Celaya, Jose R.↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Lick AGN Monitoring Project 2011: Spectroscopic Campaign and Emission-line Light Curves

In the Spring of 2011 we carried out a 2.5 month reverberation mapping campaign using the 3 m Shane telescope at Lick Observatory, monitoring 15 low-redshift Seyfert 1 galaxies. This paper describes the observations, reductions and measurements, and data products from the spectroscopic campaign. The reduced spectra were fitted with a multicomponent model in order to isolate the contributions of various continuum and emission-line components. We present light curves of broad emission lines and the active galactic nucleus (AGN) continuum, and measurements of the broad Hβ line widths in mean and rms spectra. For the most highly variable AGNs we also measured broad H beta line widths and velocity centroids from the nightly spectra. In four AGNs exhibiting the highest variability amplitudes, we detect anticorrelations between broad H beta width and luminosity, demonstrating that the broad-line region "breathes" on short timescales of days to weeks in response to continuum variations. We also find that broad H beta velocity centroids can undergo substantial changes in response to continuum variations; in NGC 4593, the broad H beta velocity shifted by approximately 250 km s(exp -1) over a 1 month period. This reverberation-induced velocity shift effect is likely to contribute a significant source of confusion noise to binary black hole searches that use multi-epoch quasar spectroscopy to detect binary orbital motion. We also present results from simulations that examine biases that can occur in measurement of broad-line widths from rms spectra due to the contributions of continuum variations and photon-counting noise.

galaxies: Seyfert↗
NASA NTRS1999

EXPRESS Rack Technology for Space Station

The EXPRESS rack provides accommodations for standard Mid-deck Locker and ISIS drawer payloads on the International Space Station. A design overview of the basic EXPRESS rack and two derivatives, the Human Research Facility and the Habitat Holding Rack, is given in Part I. In Part II, the design of the Solid State Power Control Module (SSPCM) is reviewed. The SSPCM is a programmable and remotely controllable power switching and voltage conversion unit which distributes and protects up to 3kW of 12OVDC and 28VDC power to payloads and rack subsystem components. Part III details the development and testing of a new data storage device, the BRP EXPRESS Memory Unit (BEMU). The BEMU is a conduction-cooled device which operates on 28VDC and is based on Boeing-modified 9GB commercial disk-drive technology. In Part IV results of a preliminary design effort for a rack Passive Damping System (PDS) are reported. The PDS is intended to isolate ISPR-based experiment racks from on-orbit vibration. System performance predictions based on component developmental testing indicate that such a system can provide effective isolation at frequencies of 1 Hz and above.

Davis, Ted B.↗
NASA NTRS2004

THz Instrumentation for the Herschel Space Observatory's Heterodyne Instrument for Far Infrared

The Heterodyne Instrument for Far Infrared (HIFI) on ESA's Herschel Space Observatory utilizes a variety of novel RF components in its five SIS receiver channels covering 480-1250 GHz and two HEB receiver channels covering 1410-1910 GHz. The local oscillator unit will be passively cooled while the focal plane unit is cooled by superfluid helium and cold helium vapors. HIFI employs W-band GaAs amplifiers, InP HEMT low noise IF amplifiers, fixed tuned broadband planar diode multipliers, high power W-bapd Isolators, and novel material systems in the SIS mixers. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is managing the development of the highest frequency (1119-1250 GHz) SIS mixers, the local oscillators oscillators for the three highest frequency receivers as well as W-band power amplifiers, high power W-band isolators, varactor diode devices for all high frequency multipliers and InP HEMT components for all the receiver channels intermediate frequency amplifiers. The NASA developed components represent a significant advancement in the available performance. This paper presents an update of the performance and the current state of development.

local oscillators↗
NASA NTRS1978

Traveling wave tube circuit

A traveling wave tube (TWT) has a slow wave structure (SWS) which is severed into two or more sections. A signal path, connects the end of an SWS section to the beginning of the following SWS section. The signal path comprises an impedance matching coupler (IMC), followed by an isolator, a variable phase shifter, and a second IMC. The aggregate band pass characteristic of the components in the signal path is chosen to reject, or strongly attenuate, all frequencies outside the desired operating frequency range of the TWT and yet pass, with minimal attenuation in the forward direction, all frequencies within the desired operating frequency range. The isolator is chosen to reject, or strongly attenuate, waves, of all frequencies, which propagate in the backward direction. The aggregate phase shift characteristic of the components in the signal path is chosen to apply signal power to the beginning of the following SWS section with the phase angle yielding maximum efficiency.

Connolly, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Amphiphilic components of the Murchison carbonaceous chondrite - Surface properties and membrane formation

The possibility that the amphiphilic compounds in carbonaceous meteorites whose physicochemical properties are presently studied may represent sources of lipidlike compounds which could have evolved as membrane components in primitive cells is investigated in samples of the Murchison CM2 chondrite. Surface properties and membrane formation are obtained for three fractions isolated by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. It is concluded that a small, undefined fraction of Murchison components exhibits amphiphilic properties which allow assembly into boundary membranes.

Deamer, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Autonomous power expert system

The Autonomous Power Expert (APEX) system was designed to monitor and diagnose fault conditions that occur within the Space Station Freedom Electrical Power System (SSF/EPS) Testbed. APEX is designed to interface with SSF/EPS testbed power management controllers to provide enhanced autonomous operation and control capability. The APEX architecture consists of three components: (1) a rule-based expert system, (2) a testbed data acquisition interface, and (3) a power scheduler interface. Fault detection, fault isolation, justification of probable causes, recommended actions, and incipient fault analysis are the main functions of the expert system component. The data acquisition component requests and receives pertinent parametric values from the EPS testbed and asserts the values into a knowledge base. Power load profile information is obtained from a remote scheduler through the power scheduler interface component. The current APEX design and development work is discussed. Operation and use of APEX by way of the user interface screens is also covered.

Walters, Jerry L.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Size of metallic and polyethylene debris particles in failed cemented total hip replacements

Reports of differing failure rates of total hip prostheses made of various metals prompted us to measure the size of metallic and polyethylene particulate debris around failed cemented arthroplasties. We used an isolation method, in which metallic debris was extracted from the tissues, and a non-isolation method of routine preparation for light and electron microscopy. Specimens were taken from 30 cases in which the femoral component was of titanium alloy (10), cobalt-chrome alloy (10), or stainless steel (10). The mean size of metallic particles with the isolation method was 0.8 to 1.0 microns by 1.5 to 1.8 microns. The non-isolation method gave a significantly smaller mean size of 0.3 to 0.4 microns by 0.6 to 0.7 microns. For each technique the particle sizes of the three metals were similar. The mean size of polyethylene particles was 2 to 4 microns by 8 to 13 microns. They were larger in tissue retrieved from failed titanium-alloy implants than from cobalt-chrome and stainless-steel implants. Our results suggest that factors other than the size of the metal particles, such as the constituents of the alloy, and the amount and speed of generation of debris, may be more important in the failure of hip replacements.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Design of A Transition-Edge-Sensor-Based Thermal Stabilization Stage

Electrothermal feedback in a transition edge sensor suppresses thermal fluctuations in the TES and regions in close thermal contact. We designed a heavily-metallized, leg-isolated membrane with a TES which serves as a thermal stabilization stage that can be lithographically integrated with other devices. Through modeling, fabrication and test of prototype devices, we examine whether the noise reduction in this stage can reduce thermal fluctuations (e.g. 1/f noise) in the other components by providing a more stable base temperature. In one implementation, a leg-isolated TES bolometer of higher superconducting transition temperature (Tc) is encircled by a second membrane region which is metallized and thermally stabilized by a second, lower-Tc TES. We present fabrication results on the dual-Tc design and testing of the simultaneous biasing of a two-stage, two-TES device. We explore varied heat capacity of the thermally stabilized stage in the single pixel design. We also present other designs to evaluate the use of an outer thermal stabilization stage for multiple pixel arrangements.

Rachel Borrelli↗
NASA NTRS2004

Solid oxidized fuel cells seals leakage setup and testing

As the world s reserves of fossil fuels are depleted, the U.S. Government, as well as other countries and private industries, is researching solutions for obtaining power, answers that would be more efficient and environmentally friendly. For a long time engineers have been trying to obtain the benefits of clean electric power without heavy batteries or pollution-producing engines. While some of the inventions proved to be effective (i.e. solar panels or windmills) their applications are limited due to dependency on the energy source (i.e. sun or wind). Currently, as energy concerns increase, research is being carried out on the development of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC). The United States government is taking a proactive role in expanding the technology through the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) Program, which is coordinated by the Department of Energy. into an electrical energy. This occurs by the means of natural tendency of oxygen and hydrogen to chemically react. While controlling the process, it is possible to harvest the energy given off by the reaction. SOFCs use currently available fossil fuels and convert a variety of those fuels with very high efficiency (about 40% more efficient than modem thermal power plants). At the same time they are almost entirely nonpolluting and due to their size they can be placed in remote areas. The main fields where the application of the fuel cells appears to be the most useful for are stationary energy sources, transportation, and military applications. structure and materials must be resolved. All the components must be operational in harsh environments including temperatures reaching 800 C and cyclic thermal- mechanical loading. Under these conditions, the main concern is the requirement for hermetic seals to: (1) prevent mixing of the fuel and oxidant within the stack, (2) prevent parasitic leakage of the fuel from the stack, (3) prevent contamination of the anode by air leaking into the stack, (4) electrically isolate the individual cells within the stack, and (5) mechanically bond the cell components. The sealing challenges are aggravated by the need to maintain hermetic boundaries between the different flow paths within the fuel cell throughout cycled operation. Within the timeframe of my tenure, the main objective is to assist in building a state-of-art test facility.

Bastrzyk, Marta B.↗