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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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NASA NTRS2012

Automated Data Production For A Novel Airborne Multiangle Spectropolarimetric Imager (AIRMSPI)

A novel polarimetric imaging technique making use of rapid retardance modulation has been developed by JPL as a part of NASA's Instrument Incubator Program. It has been built into the Airborne Multiangle SpectroPolarimetric Imager (AirMSPI) under NASA's Airborne Instrument Technology Transition Program, and is aimed primarily at remote sensing of the amounts and microphysical properties of aerosols and clouds. AirMSPI includes an 8-band (355, 380, 445, 470, 555, 660, 865, 935 nm) pushbroom camera that measures polarization in a subset of the bands (470, 660, and 865 nm). The camera is mounted on a gimbal and acquires imagery in a configurable set of along-track viewing angles ranging between +67 deg and -67 deg relative to nadir. As a result, near simultaneous multi-angle, multi-spectral, and polarimetric measurements of the targeted areas at a spatial resolution ranging from 7 m to 20 m (depending on the viewing angle) can be derived. An automated data production system is being built to support high data acquisition rate in concert with co-registration and orthorectified mapping requirements. To date, a number of successful engineering checkout flights were conducted in October 2010, August-September 2011, and January 2012. Data products resulting from these flights will be presented.

Multi-angle↗

DOE OSTI2025

Conceptual Design of a Water Tank Critical Facility for SPARC

Critical experiments, sometimes referred to zero-power reactors, are crucial tools in developing and validating nuclear physics predictions and thus an indispensable capability to ensure criticality safety during all parts of the nuclear fuel cycle and in reducing uncertainties in reactor physics predictions toward optimizing nuclear energy production. The System Physics Advanced Reactor Facility (SPARC) project was recently initiated to enable large-scale criticality experiments using a horizontal split table machine well suited toward solid core materials systems (fuel, moderator, reflector). The facility selected for this mission was a former pool-type research reactor building and thus also well suited toward a second critical experiment capability able to house full-size light-water reactor (LWR) fuel bundles. A conceptual design study was undertaken to review past water tank critical experiments used for LWR physics experiments and to develop an early engineering design for a new critical assembly tank (CAT). The work described here shows that a relatively simple CAT concept can be constructed and deployed in the SPARC facility to meet the urgent demands for new critical experiments on advanced LWR fuel bundles designs. The SPARC facility layout is conducive to the receipt and upending of LWR fuel bundles using existing containers and equipment from the LWR industry. The facility’s overhead crane can then be used to handle fuel bundles and place them in a vertical storage rack or in the CAT for critical experiments, both of which fit within the building’s “open basement” alongside other equipment planned for SPARC and the horizontal split table. A slightly lower area in the basement can serve as a large drain tank so that fail-safe valves drain the CAT reactor tank for safe shutdown. Neutronic configurations were determined where a 3 × 3 array of fuel bundles can be surrounded by full-length “loose rods” to adjust reactivity so that critical is achieved when the bundles are fully submerged. Viable configurations were determined for both pressurized- and boiling-water-reactor-type fuel bundles. This design concept was used to develop an early planning basis for establishing the CAT capability alongside the otherwise planned SPARC project in order to help streamline the process. Recent presidential executive orders have highlighted the need to achieve power uprates in LWR plants and the CAT capability will be a crucial element of these initiatives. Based on the work described herein, it is recommended that an earnest and timely project begin in order to establish this urgently needed capability.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

NASA NTRS1971

Scale factor gage for fiber optics inspection device

Flexible wire device, fastened along outside of fiber bundle from viewing portion to tip, positions calibrated adjustable gage in field of view. Scale factor is determined from known magnification characteristics of fiber optics system or from graduations on gage tip.

Mcmahon, W.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Shape deformation of the organ of Corti associated with length changes of outer hair cell

Cochlear outer hair cells (OHC) are commonly assumed to function as mechanical effectors as well as sensory receptors in the organ of Corti (OC) of the inner ear. OHC in vitro and in organ explants exhibit mechanical responses to electrical, chemical or mechanical stimulation which may represent an aspect of their effector process that is expected in vivo. A detailed description, however, of an OHC effector operation in situ is still missing. Specifically, little is known as to how OHC movements influence the geometry of the OC in situ. Previous work has demonstrated that the motility of isolated OHCs in response to electrical stimulation and to K(+)-gluconate is probably under voltage control and causes depolarisation (shortening) and hyperpolarization (elongation). This work was undertaken to investigate if the movements that were observed in isolated OHC, and which are induced by ionic stimulation, could change the geometry of the OC. A synchronized depolarization of OHC was induced in guinea pig cochleae by exposing the entire OC to artificial endolymph (K+). Subsequent morphometry of mid-modiolar sections from these cochleae revealed that the distance between the basilar membrane (BM) and the reticular lamina (RL) had decreased considerably. Furthermore, in the three upper turns OHC had significantly shortened in all rows. The results suggest that OHC can change their length in the organ of Corti (OC) thus deforming the geometry of the OC. The experiments reveal a tonic force generation within the OC that may change the position of RL and/or BM, contribute to damping, modulate the BM-RL-distance and control the operating points of RL and sensory hair bundles. Thus, the results suggest active self-adjustments of cochlear mechanics by slow OHC length changes. Such mechanical adjustments have recently been postulated to correspond to timing elements of animal communication, speech or music.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRS2004

Evaluation of a Multi-Parameter Sensor for Automated, Continuous Cell Culture Monitoring in Bioreactors

Compact and automated sensors are desired for assessing the health of cell cultures in biotechnology experiments in microgravity. Measurement of cell culture medium allows for the optirn.jzation of culture conditions on orbit to maximize cell growth and minimize unnecessary exchange of medium. While several discrete sensors exist to measure culture health, a multi-parameter sensor would simplify the experimental apparatus. One such sensor, the Paratrend 7, consists of three optical fibers for measuring pH, dissolved oxygen (p02), dissolved carbon dioxide (pC02) , and a thermocouple to measure temperature. The sensor bundle was designed for intra-arterial placement in clinical patients, and potentially can be used in NASA's Space Shuttle and International Space Station biotechnology program bioreactors. Methods: A Paratrend 7 sensor was placed at the outlet of a rotating-wall perfused vessel bioreactor system inoculated with BHK-21 (baby hamster kidney) cells. Cell culture medium (GTSF-2, composed of 40% minimum essential medium, 60% L-15 Leibovitz medium) was manually measured using a bench top blood gas analyzer (BGA, Ciba-Corning). Results: A Paratrend 7 sensor was used over a long-term (>120 day) cell culture experiment. The sensor was able to track changes in cell medium pH, p02, and pC02 due to the consumption of nutrients by the BHK-21. When compared to manually obtained BGA measurements, the sensor had good agreement for pH, p02, and pC02 with bias [and precision] of 0.02 [0.15], 1 mm Hg [18 mm Hg], and -4.0 mm Hg [8.0 mm Hg] respectively. The Paratrend oxygen sensor was recalibrated (offset) periodically due to drift. The bias for the raw (no offset or recalibration) oxygen measurements was 42 mm Hg [38 mm Hg]. The measured response (rise) time of the sensor was 20 +/- 4s for pH, 81 +/- 53s for pC02, 51 +/- 20s for p02. For long-term cell culture measurements, these response times are more than adequate. Based on these findings , the Paratrend sensor could offer automated, continuous monitoring of cell cultures with a temporal resolution of 1 minute, which is not attainable by sampling via handheld blood analyzer (i-STAT). Conclusion: The resulting bias and precision found in these cell culture-based studies is comparable to Paratrend sensor clinical results. Although the large error in p02 measurements (+/-18 mm Hg) may be acceptable for clinical applications, where Paratrend values are periodically adjusted to a BGA measurement, the O2 sensor in this bundle may not be reliable enough for the single-calibration requirement of sensors used in NASA's bioreactors. The pH and pC02 sensors in the bundle are reliable and stable over the measurement period, and can be used without recalibration to measure cell cultures in rn.jcrogravity biotechnology experiments. Future work will test additional Paratrend sensors to provide statistical assessment of sensor performance.

Pappas, D.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Development of a Modular Tissue Phantom for Evaluating Vascular Access Devices

Central vascular access (CVA) may be critical for trauma care and stabilizing the casualty. However, it requires skilled personnel, often unavailable during remote medical situations and combat casualty care scenarios. Automated CVA medical devices have the potential to make life-saving therapeutics available in these resource-limited scenarios, but they must be properly designed. Unfortunately, currently available tissue phantoms are inadequate for this use, resulting in delayed product development. Here, we present a tissue phantom that is modular in design, allowing for adjustable flow rate, circulating fluid pressure, vessel diameter, and vessel positions. The phantom consists of a gelatin cast using a 3D-printed mold with inserts representing vessels and bone locations. These removable inserts allow for tubing insertion which can mimic normal and hypovolemic flow, as well as pressure and vessel diameters. Trauma to the vessel wall is assessed using quantification of leak rates from the tubing after removal from the model. Lastly, the phantom can be adjusted to swine or human anatomy, including modeling the entire neurovascular bundle. Overall, this model can better recreate severe hypovolemic trauma cases and subject variability than commercial CVA trainers and may potentially accelerate automated CVA device development.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1991

A control network of Triton

A control network for Triton has been computed using a bundle-type analytical triangulation program. The network contains 105 points that were measured on 57 Voyager-2 pictures. The adjustment contained 1010 observation equations and 382 normal equations and resulted in a standard measurement error of 13.36 microns. The coordinates of the control points, the camera orientation angles at the times when the pictures were taken, and Triton's mean radius were determined. A separate statistical analysis confirmed Triton's radius to be 1352.6 + or - 2.4 km. Attempts to tie the control network around the satellite were unsuccessful because discontinuities exist in high-resolution coverage between 66 deg and 289 deg longitude, north of 38 deg latitude, and south of 78 deg latitude.

Davies, Merton E.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Progress on the Development of a Step Height Sensor for the BOLT Flight Vehicle

This presentation will summarize progress on the development of a step height sensor for the BOLT flight vehicle. Two methods have been proposed to measure the step size in this effort.The first method involves the application of miniaturized camera embedded in the flight vehicle that views the step through a rearward-facing port (shown in Fig. 1a inset). The second method involves the application of a linear fiber optic array bundle to measure the intensity of light reflected back from the aft body step (concept shown in Fig. 1b). Preliminary testing with the miniaturized camera has been performed in the lab and shows that displacements of ≤10 μm can be measured using this method. Final testing with both methods will be performed on the test stand shown in Fig. 1a. This test stand will include a fine adjustment vertical translation stage that will be used to adjust the step height in steps of 1-2 μm. A high-magnification imaging system will also be used to verify the step height. The miniaturized camera and linear fiber optic array bundle will be mounted in one of several port holes with varying degrees of inclination relative to the top surface in the opposing aft-section slab. BOLT flight vehicle details and information on the steps can be found in Ref. [1].

BOLT↗

NASA NTRS2008

NASA Tech Briefs, April 2008

Topics covered include: Gas Sensors Based on Coated and Doped Carbon Nanotubes; Tactile Robotic Topographical Mapping Without Force or Contact Sensors; Thin-Film Magnetic-Field-Response Fluid-Level Sensor for Non-Viscous Fluids; Progress in Development of Improved Ion-Channel Biosensors; Simulating Operation of a Complex Sensor Network; Using Transponders on the Moon to Increase Accuracy of GPS; Controller for Driving a Piezoelectric Actuator at Resonance; Coaxial Electric Heaters; Dual-Input AND Gate From Single-Channel Thin-Film FET; High-Density, High-Bandwidth, Multilevel Holographic Memory; Fabrication of Gate-Electrode Integrated Carbon-Nanotube Bundle Field Emitters; Hydroxide-Assisted Bonding of Ultra-Low-Expansion Glass; Photochemically Synthesized Polyimides; Optimized Carbonate and Ester-Based Li-Ion Electrolytes; Compact 6-DOF Stage for Optical Adjustments; Ultrasonic/Sonic Impacting Penetrators; Miniature, Lightweight, One-Time-Opening Valve; Supplier Management System; Improved CLARAty Functional-Layer/Decision-Layer Interface; JAVA Stereo Display Toolkit; Remote-Sensing Time Series Analysis, a Vegetation Monitoring Tool; PyPele Rewritten To Use MPI; Data Assimilation Cycling for Weather Analysis; Hydrocyclone/Filter for Concentrating Biomarkers from Soil; Activating STAT3 Alpha for Promoting Healing of Neurons; and Probing a Spray Using Frequency-Analyzed Light Scattering.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1988

Simultaneous Sampling Of Two Spectral Sources

New technique uses bundle of fiber optics to sample a dye laser and a spectral lamp simultaneously. By use of real-time display with this sampling technique, two signals superimposed, and effect of any spectral adjustments determined immediately. System used to diagnose combustion.

Jarrett, Olin, Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Simultaneous sampling technique for two spectral sources

A technique is described that uses a bundle of fiber optics to simultaneously sample a dye laser and a spectral lamp. By the use of a real-time display with this technique, the two signals can be superimposed, and the effect of any spectral adjustments can be immediately accessed. In the NASA's CARS system used for combustion diagnostics, the dye laser mixes with a simultaneously pulsed Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm to probe the vibrational levels of nitrogen. An illustration of the oscilloscopic display of the system is presented.

Jarrett, Olin, Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Superconducting magnet

Extensive computer based engineering design effort resulted in optimization of a superconducting magnet design with an average bulk current density of approximately 12KA/cm(2). Twisted, stranded 0.0045 inch diameter NbTi superconductor in a copper matrix was selected. Winding the coil from this bundle facilitated uniform winding of the small diameter wire. Test coils were wound using a first lot of the wire. The actual packing density was measured from these. Interwinding voltage break down tests on the test coils indicated the need for adjustment of the wire insulation on the lot of wire subsequently ordered for construction of the delivered superconducting magnet. Using the actual packing densities from the test coils, a final magnet design, with the required enhancement and field profile, was generated. All mechanical and thermal design parameters were then also fixed. The superconducting magnet was then fabricated and tested. The first test was made with the magnet immersed in liquid helium at 4.2K. The second test was conducted at 2K in vacuum. In the latter test, the magnet was conduction cooled from the mounting flange end.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2022

Reduced Order Models Generation for HTGRs Pebble Shuffling Procedure Optimization Studies

This report provides an initial study for producing reduced-order models (ROMs) of pebble-bed high temperature gas reactor (HTGR) models for the purposes of design optimization. As an initial study, this work is meant to be exploratory---identifying useful workflows and methods for ROM generation---and not meant to be a catch-all analysis of HTGR ROM generation and usage for optimization. This report summarizes three tasks performed in Fiscal Year 2022: 1) the creation of HTGR model, 2) the sensitivity analysis of model design parameters, and 3) an introduction to ROM generation techniques. The representative HTGR model created in this work is a multiphysics equilibrium-core using the BlueCRAB (comprehensive reactor analysis bundle) reactor analysis application, coupling four physical phenomena: neutronics, streamline depletion, porous flow thermal hydraulics, and pebble heat conduction. Part of the model creation was identifying some design parameters and quantities of interest that are relevant in an optimization analysis and adjustable in the model. The sensitivity analysis utilized a polynomial chaos expansion methodology to compute global sensitivity metrics. This analysis showed that thermal hydraulics parameters and quantities of interest had a relatively small impact on simulation results. Finally, the ROM generation work involved exploring three different ROM methodologies: polynomial regression, a Gaussian process, and artificial neural networks. Using a cross-validation technique to characterize ROM performance, the Gaussian process and single-layer artificial neural networks showed the most promising results. Overall, this study was insightful and the lessons learned will be invaluable for the eventual development of an HTGR design optimization workflow.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS2016

Development of a High Performance, Low Profile Translation Table with Wire Feedthrough for a Deep Space CubeSat

NEAScout, a 6U cubesat and secondary payload on NASA's EM-1, will use an 85 sq m solar sail to travel to a near-earth asteroid at about 1 Astronomical Unit (about 1.5 x 10(exp 8) km) for observation and reconnaissance1. A combination of reaction wheels, reaction control system, and a slow rotisserie roll about the solar sail's normal axis were expected to handle attitude control and adjust for imperfections in the deployed sail during the 2.5-year mission. As the design for NEAScout matured, one of the critical design parameters, the offset in the center of mass and center of pressure (CP/CM offset), proved to be sub-optimal. After significant mission and control analysis, the CP/CM offset was accommodated by the addition of a new subsystem to NEAScout. This system, called the Active Mass Translator (AMT), would reside near the geometric center of NEAScout and adjust the CM by moving one portion of the flight system relative to the other. The AMT was given limited design space - 17 mm of the vehicle's assembly height-and was required to generate +/-8 cm by +/-2 cm translation to sub-millimeter accuracy. Furthermore, the design must accommodate a large wire bundle of small gage, single strand wire and coax cables fed through the center of the mechanism. The bend radius, bend resistance, and the exposure to deep space environment complicates the AMT design and operation and necessitated a unique design to mitigate risks of wire bundle damage, binding, and cold-welding during operation. This paper will outline the design constraints for the AMT, discuss the methods and reasoning for design, and identify the lessons learned through the designing, breadboarding and testing for the low-profile translation stages with wire feedthrough capability.

Few, Alex↗

NASA NTRS2016

Development of a High-Performance, Low-Profile Translation Table with Wire Feedthrough for a Deep Space CubeSat

Few, Alex↗

NASA NTRS2016

Development of a High Performance, Low-Profile Translation Table with Wire Feedthrough

NEAScout, a 6U cubesat, will use an 85 sq m solar sail to travel to a near-earth asteroid for observation. Over the course of the 3-year mission, a combination of reaction wheels, cold gas reaction control system, and a slow rotisserie roll about the solar sail's normal axis were expected to handle attitude control and adjust for imperfections in the deployed sail. As the design for NEAScout matured, one of the critical design parameters, the offset in the center of mass and center of pressure (CP/CM offset), proved to be sub-optimal. After significant mission and control analysis, the CP/CM offset was addressed and a new subsystem was introduced to NEAScout. This system, called the Active Mass Translator (AMT), would reside near the geometric center of NEAScout and adjust the CM by moving one portion of the flight system relative to the other. The AMT was given limited design space-about 17 mm of the vehicle's assembly height-and was required to generate +/-10 cm by +/-5 cm translation to sub-millimeter accuracy. Furthermore, the design must accommodate a large wire bundle of small gage, single strand wire and coax cables fed through the center of the mechanism. The bend radius, bend resistance, and the exposure to deep space environment complicates the AMT design and operation and necessitated a unique design to mitigate risks of wire bundle damage, binding, and cold-welding during operation. This paper will outline the design constraints for the AMT, discuss the methods and reasoning for design, and identify the lessons learned through the design downselect process and breadboarding for designing low-profile translation stages with feedthrough capabilities.

Few, Alex↗

NASA NTRS1990

A probe for real-time images of particle beams and their analyses in a merged-beams apparatus

A real-time charged particle beam probe was developed, which can be used both as a beam diagnostic (beam tuning) and to quantitatively determine the three-dimensional density distribution of a beam. The probe consists of a microchannel plate, an aluminized phosphor screen deposited on a fiber-optic faceplate, a flexible fiber-optic bundle, and a charge injection device (CID) in tandem. Digital or analog video output of the CID is fed into a computer or oscilloscope, respectively, for analysis or observation. The probe can be moved continuously along the beams' paths to obtain 'pictures' of the beam at any desired interval, thus giving three-dimensional form factors. The beams, singly or simultaneously, may be observed on the monitor facilitating the task of beam adjustment for optimum overlap. The digital output is used for quantitative computation of the beam overlaps. The device is linear with beam intensity, but the performance degrades with time due to beam damage of the microchannel plate.

Forand, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS1992

SSME Streamtube Evaluation Program (SSTEP)

An analytical model of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) called SSME Streamtube Evaluation Program (SSTEP) has been developed based upon the assumption that the propellant flows through the main combustion chamber can be represented by a bundle of parallel streamtubes. The motivation for the development of SSTEP lies in the desire to gain a basic understanding of the engine performance effects of several common SSME hardware modifications. Specifically, this model has been used to evaluate the changes in performance due to boundary layer coolant hole enlargement, LOX post plugging, acoustic cavity elimination, baffle removal, and main combustion chamber coolant leakage. The results show a good general agreement with the available test data suggesting at least a qualitative agreement between SSTEP modeling and actual engine performance. Through the use of several adjustment factors, which represent relaxations of the SSTEP formulation assumptions, it is shown that the test data can be very closely matched and that SSTEP can be used as a performance prediction tool.

Greene, William D.↗