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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 379 records · Page 21

Calculations of gaseous H2/O2 thruster

Calculations were made for the gaseous H2/O2 thruster for the Space Station by using the RPLUS code which employs an implicit finite volume, LUSSOR scheme to solve the Navier-Stokes equations and the species equations. The combustion processes of hydrogen and oxygen are modeled by a 9 species and 18 step reaction mechanism and the turbulence is simulated by the Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model for the thruster wall boundary layer and the modified Prandtl's mixing length model for the reacting shear layer. Results are presented for different mixture ratios and fuel film cooling percents and compared with the experimental data. The calculated performance predictions for the thruster agree well with the experimental data and the results demonstrate that the RPLUS code can be used for design and analysis of thrusters and rockets.

Kim, S. C.↗

NPSS Overview to TAFW Multidisciplinary Simulation Capabilities

The Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) is a concerted effort by NASA Glenn Research Center, the aerospace industry, and academia to develop an advanced engineering environment or integrated collection of software programs for the analysis and design of aircraft engines and, eventually, space transportation components. NPSS is now being applied by GE ground power to ground power generation with the view of expanding the capability to nontraditional power plant applications (example: fuel cells) and NPSS has an interest in in-space power and will be developing those simulation capabilities.

Owen, Karl↗

Blended Wing Body Systems Studies: Boundary Layer Ingestion Inlets With Active Flow Control

A CFD analysis was performed on a Blended Wing Body (BWB) aircraft with advanced, turbofan engines analyzing various inlet configurations atop the aft end of the aircraft. The results are presented showing that the optimal design for best aircraft fuel efficiency would be a configuration with a partially buried engine, short offset diffuser using active flow control, and a D-shaped inlet duct that partially ingests the boundary layer air in flight. The CFD models showed that if active flow control technology can be satisfactorily developed, it might be able to control the inlet flow distortion to the engine fan face and reduce the powerplant performance losses to an acceptable level. The weight and surface area drag benefits of a partially submerged engine shows that it might offset the penalties of ingesting the low energy boundary layer air. The combined airplane performance of such a design might deliver approximately 5.5% better aircraft fuel efficiency over a conventionally designed, pod-mounted engine.

Geiselhart, Karl A.↗

Rotordynamics analysis for the HPFTP (High Pressure Fuel Turbopump) of the SSME (Space Shuttle Main Engine). SSME turbopump technology improvements via transient rotordynamics analysis

The results of both linear (stability and synchronous response) and transient nonlinear analyses are reported. Dynamic coefficients were developed for the HPFTP interstage seals, and introduced into the rotordynamic model. The influence on HPFTP rotordynamics of a change in interstage seals from the smooth stepped design to a smooth straight configuration was examined. The sensitivity of the stability and synchronous results to changes in bearing stiffnesses and damping was determined. The influence on rotordynamic stability of a change from the stiff symmetric bearing carrier design to an asymmetric bearing carrier configuration was also studied.

Childs, D. W.↗

Economic effects of propulsion system technology on existing and future transport aircraft

The results of an airline study of the economic effects of propulsion system technology on current and future transport aircraft are presented. This report represents the results of a detailed study of propulsion system operating economics. The study has four major parts: (1) a detailed analysis of current propulsion system maintenance with respect to the material and labor costs encountered versus years in service and the design characteristics of the major elements of the propulsion system of the B707, b727, and B747. (2) an analysis of the economic impact of a future representative 1979 propulsion system is presented with emphasis on depreciation of investment, fuel costs and maintenance costs developed on the basis of the analysis of the historical trends observed. (3) recommendations concerning improved methods of forecasting the maintenance cost of future propulsion systems are presented. A detailed method based on the summation of the projected labor and material repair costs for each major engine module and its installation along with a shorter form suitable for quick, less detailed analysis are presented, and (4) recommendations concerning areas where additional technology is needed to improve the economics of future commercial propulsion systems are presented along with the suggested economic benefits available from such advanced technology efforts.

Sallee, G. P.↗

A robotically constructed production and supply base on Phobos

PHOBIA Corporation is involved with the design of a man-tenable robotically constructed, bootstrap base on Mars' moon, Phobos. This base will be a pit-stop for future manned missions to Mars and beyond and will be a control facility during the robotic construction of a Martian base. An introduction is given to the concepts and the ground rules followed during the design process. Details of a base design and its location are given along with information about some of the subsystems. Since a major purpose of the base is to supply fuel to spacecraft so they can limit their fuel mass, mining and production systems are discussed. Surface support activities such as docks, anchors, and surface transportation systems are detailed. Several power supplies for the base are investigated and include fuel cells and a nuclear reactor. Tasks for the robots are defined along with descriptions of the robots capable of completing the tasks. Finally, failure modes for the entire PHOBIA Corporation design are presented along with an effects analysis and preventative recommendations.

Source record↗

Incompressible Navier-Stokes computations of rotating flows

Flow through pump components, such as an inducer and an impeller, is efficiently simulated by solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The solution method is based on the pseudocompressibility approach and uses an implicit-upwind differencing scheme together with the Gauss-Seidel line relaxation method. Current computations use one-equation Baldwin-Barth turbulence model which is derived from a simplified form of the standard k-epsilon model equations. The resulting computer code is applied to the flow analysis inside a generic rocket engine pump inducer, a fuel pump impeller, and SSME high-pressure fuel turbopump impeller. Numerical results of inducer flow are compared with experimental measurements. Flow analyses at 80-, 100-, and 120-percent of design conditions are presented.

Kiris, Cetin↗

Evaluation of thermal loading on a methane injector at high pressure and temperature

Experimental and numerical analyses are conducted to determine the surface temperature on a methane fuel injector used to produce a high enthalpy test stream for a combustion-fed subscale wind tunnel facility. It was found that the ratio of the methane fuel injection velocity to the air stream velocity is a significant factor in the production of high injector surface temperatures which lead to rapid deterioration of the fuel injector structure. The numerical code utilized for the computational analysis was found to be representative of the experimentally measured data since the experimental trends were reproduced by the numerical simulation. The quantitative accuracy of the numerical predictions could not be assessed from the data gathered because of the difficulty of making a noninterfering injector surface temperature measurement. The numerical code can be used for parametric evaluation of combustor parameters and thus will serve as an important tool in the design of such fuel injector systems.

Harvin, Stephen F.↗

Integrated autopilot/autothrottle for the NASA TSRV B-737 aircraft: Design and verification by nonlinear simulation

An integrated autopilot/autothrottle was designed for flight test on the NASA TSRV B-737 aircraft. The system was designed using a total energy concept and is attended to achieve the following: (1) fuel efficiency by minimizing throttle activity; (2) low development and implementation costs by designing the control modes around a fixed inner loop design; and (3) maximum safety by preventing stall and engine overboost. The control law was designed initially using linear analysis; the system was developed using nonlinear simulations. All primary design requirements were satisfied.

Bruce, Kevin R.↗

Conceptual Design of a Z-Pinch Fusion Propulsion System

This slide presentation reviews a project that aims to develop a conceptual design for a Z-pinch thruster, that could be applied to develop advanced thruster designs which promise high thrust/high specific impulse propulsion. Overviews shows the concept of the design, which use annular nozzles with deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel and a Lithium mixture as a cathode, Charts show the engine performance as a function of linear mass, nozzle performance (i.e., plasma segment trajectories), and mission analysis for possible Mars and Jupiter missions using this concept for propulsion. Slides show views of the concepts for the vehicle configuration, thrust coil configuration, the power management system, the structural analysis of the magnetic nozzle, the thermal management system, and the avionics suite,

Adams, Robert↗

Aeromechanics Analysis of a Boundary Layer Ingesting Fan

Boundary layer ingesting propulsion systems have the potential to significantly reduce fuel burn but these systems must overcome the challe nges related to aeromechanics-fan flutter stability and forced response dynamic stresses. High-fidelity computational analysis of the fan a eromechanics is integral to the ongoing effort to design a boundary layer ingesting inlet and fan for fabrication and wind-tunnel test. A t hree-dimensional, time-accurate, Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes computational fluid dynamics code is used to study aerothermodynamic and a eromechanical behavior of the fan in response to both clean and distorted inflows. The computational aeromechanics analyses performed in th is study show an intermediate design iteration of the fan to be flutter-free at the design conditions analyzed with both clean and distorte d in-flows. Dynamic stresses from forced response have been calculated for the design rotational speed. Additional work is ongoing to expan d the analyses to off-design conditions, and for on-resonance conditions.

Bakhle, Milind A.↗

Computational Analysis of Dynamic SPK(S8)-JP8 Fueled Combustor-Sector Performance

Civil and military flight tests using blends of synthetic and biomass fueling with jet fuel up to 50:50 are currently considered as "drop-in" fuels. They are fully compatible with aircraft performance, emissions and fueling systems, yet the design and operations of such fueling systems and combustors must be capable of running fuels from a range of feedstock sources. This paper provides Smart Combustor or Fuel Flexible Combustor designers with computational tools, preliminary performance, emissions and particulates combustor sector data. The baseline fuel is kerosene-JP-8+100 (military) or Jet A (civil). Results for synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK) fuel blends show little change with respect to baseline performance, yet do show lower emissions. The evolution of a validated combustor design procedure is fundamental to the development of dynamic fueling of combustor systems for gas turbine engines that comply with multiple feedstock sources satisfying both new and legacy systems.

Ryder, R.↗

Fundamental Aspects of the Aerodynamics of Turbojet Engine Combustors

Aerodynamic considerations in the design of high performance combustors for turbojet engines are discussed. Aerodynamic problems concerning the preparation of the fuel-air mixture, the recirculation zone where primary combustion occurs, the secondary combustion zone, and the dilution zone were examined. An aerodynamic analysis of the entire primary chamber ensemble was carried out to determine the pressure drop between entry and exit. The aerodynamics of afterburn chambers are discussed. A model which can be used to investigate the evolution of temperature, pressure, and rate and efficiency of combustion the length of the chamber was developed.

Barrere, M.↗

Systems and operations - Living with complexity and growth

Since the space station concept currently being developed by NASA calls for system updates and additions over a period of at least ten years following launch, attention must be given to the interfaces between station elements. Efforts have begun to develop generic fault detection, isolation, and correction techniques that could simplify on-orbit operations, maintenance and repair. An integrated hydrogen-oxygen system has been identified as the feature promising the greatest reduction in resupply costs. Scavenging excess fuel from the Space Shuttle's internal and external tanks, and using leftover Shuttle payload for fluid tankage, could supply hydrogen and oxygen for consumption in the form of propellants, fuel cell electricity, and life support gases. Advancements in cryogenic fluid management and storage technology are the keys to the design of this integrated system. Attention is given to the Interactive Design and Evaluation of Advanced Spacecraft computer-aided design and analysis system, which allows system engineers to study the integration problems presented by 40 technical modules.

Hook, W. R.↗

Idealized tip-to-tail waverider model

The flow field of an idealized cone-derived waverider is axisymmetric. This forebody feature is preserved for the rest of the vehicle, including the inlet, cowl, combustor, and nozzle. There is thus an inviscid, tip-to-tail model in which both the external and internal flows are axisymmetric. The assumption of axial symmetry provides a major simplification for the analysis and allows for a systematic integration of the propulsion unit with the aerodynamics. The code is an initial formulation that provides only the most basic engineering data, such as lift, thrust, drag, and fuel consumption for a point-designed vehicle that may be cruising at a low hypersonic Mach number. The user may specify flight altitude and Mach number, a multiple shock configuration for the inlet, a few basic geometric parameter, H2 or CH4 as fuel, the fuel/air ratio, etc. A new design concept is used for the nozzle that avoids shock waves, minimizes the nozzle length, and may maximize its thrust. A general description of the model is provided with emphasis on the design of the nozzle and fins. Preliminary results are presented that compare the cruise flight range using H2 or CH4 as the fuel.

Emanuel, G.↗

Science Support for Space-Based Droplet Combustion: Drop Tower Experiments and Detailed Numerical Modeling

This program supports the engineering design, data analysis, and data interpretation requirements for the study of initially single component, spherically symmetric, isolated droplet combustion studies. Experimental emphasis is on the study of simple alcohols (methanol, ethanol) and alkanes (n-heptane, n-decane) as fuels with time dependent measurements of drop size, flame-stand-off, liquid-phase composition, and finally, extinction. Experiments have included bench-scale studies at Princeton, studies in the 2.2 and 5.18 drop towers at NASA-LeRC, and both the Fiber Supported Droplet Combustion (FSDC-1, FSDC-2) and the free Droplet Combustion Experiment (DCE) studies aboard the shuttle. Test matrix and data interpretation are performed through spherically-symmetric, time-dependent numerical computations which embody detailed sub-models for physical and chemical processes. The computed burning rate, flame stand-off, and extinction diameter are compared with the respective measurements for each individual experiment. In particular, the data from FSDC-1 and subsequent space-based experiments provide the opportunity to compare all three types of data simultaneously with the computed parameters. Recent numerical efforts are extending the computational tools to consider time dependent, axisymmetric 2-dimensional reactive flow situations.

Marchese, Anthony J.↗

Low NOx Fuel-Flex Combustor Summary

Combustion and emissions testing of United Technologies Research Center’s (UTRC’s) small core combustor in NASA GRC’s CE-5 flametube test facility comprising of LTO and cruise conditions has been completed. Sufficient NOx emissions data was collected to formulate correlation equations for assessing reductions in NOx for LTO against CAEP/6 and cruise against 2005 best-in-class. Back-to-back testing of Jet-A fuel and a 50/50 blend of Jet-A with an alternative fuel demonstrated a measurable effect of fuel composition on non-volatile particulate matter emissions. Post-test analysis indicates LTO NOx emissions >80% below CAEP6 in UTRC single-sector tests of small-core N+3 combustor. Documentation describing N+3 combustor concept selected, design approach, initial flametube test & analysis results; and preferred concept recommended for higher fidelity research has also been completed. This Lean Burn combustor concept shows potential to meet/exceed NASA’s Far Term LTO NOX reduction goals, but further investigation of dynamic characteristics of the combustor concept are required to ensure good operability over the entire flight regime conditions.

Angela D Surgenor↗

A compressor designed for the energy research and development agency automotive gas turbine program

A centrifugal compressor was designed for a gas turbine powered automobile as part of the Energy Research and Development Agency program to demonstrate emissions characteristics that meet 1978 standards with fuel economy and acceleration which are competitive with conventionally powered vehicles. A backswept impeller was designed for the compressor in order to attain the efficiency goal range required for the objectives of this program. Details of the design and method of flow analysis of the compressor are presented.

Galvas, M. R.↗