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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

Development and evaluation of a prototype in-flight instrument flight rules (IFR) procedures trainer

An in-flight instrument flight rules (IFR) procedures trainer capable of providing simulated indications of instrument flight in a typical general aviation aircraft independent of ground based navigation aids was developed. The IFR navaid related instruments and circuits from an ATC 610J table top simulator were installed in a Cessna 172 aircraft and connected to its electrical power and pitot static systems. The benefits expected from this hybridization concept include increased safety by reducing the number of general aviation aircraft conducting IFR training flights in congested terminal areas, and reduced fuel use and instruction costs by lessening the need to fly to and from navaid equipped airports and by increased efficiency of the required in-flight training. Technical feasibility was demonstrated and the operational feasibility of the concept was evaluated. Results indicated that the in-flight simulator is an effective training device for teaching IFR procedural skills.

Aaron, J. B., Jr.↗

Process in manufacturing high efficiency AlGaAs/GaAs solar cells by MO-CVD

Manufacturing technology for mass producing high efficiency GaAs solar cells is discussed. A progress using a high throughput MO-CVD reactor to produce high efficiency GaAs solar cells is discussed. Thickness and doping concentration uniformity of metal oxide chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD) GaAs and AlGaAs layer growth are discussed. In addition, new tooling designs are given which increase the throughput of solar cell processing. To date, 2cm x 2cm AlGaAs/GaAs solar cells with efficiency up to 16.5% were produced. In order to meet throughput goals for mass producing GaAs solar cells, a large MO-CVD system (Cambridge Instrument Model MR-200) with a susceptor which was initially capable of processing 20 wafers (up to 75 mm diameter) during a single growth run was installed. In the MR-200, the sequencing of the gases and the heating power are controlled by a microprocessor-based programmable control console. Hence, operator errors can be reduced, leading to a more reproducible production sequence.

Yeh, Y. C. M.↗

Sparse matrix methods research using the CSM testbed software system

Research is described on sparse matrix techniques for the Computational Structural Mechanics (CSM) Testbed. The primary objective was to compare the performance of state-of-the-art techniques for solving sparse systems with those that are currently available in the CSM Testbed. Thus, one of the first tasks was to become familiar with the structure of the testbed, and to install some or all of the SPARSPAK package in the testbed. A suite of subroutines to extract from the data base the relevant structural and numerical information about the matrix equations was written, and all the demonstration problems distributed with the testbed were successfully solved. These codes were documented, and performance studies comparing the SPARSPAK technology to the methods currently in the testbed were completed. In addition, some preliminary studies were done comparing some recently developed out-of-core techniques with the performance of the testbed processor INV.

Chu, Eleanor↗

Design and Development of Lightweight Composite Tanks for the Mars Ascent Propulsion Technology

The investigation presented here focuses on the design and development of lightweight composite tanks for the Mars ascent propulsion technology. The proposed tanks are fabricated using the filament winding technique. The tanks will be used in the experimental permeability characterization of composite pressure vessels pressurized using cryogenic and kerosene fluids. We considered the geometry and composite material tailorability in the preliminary design formulation to obtain an isotensoid tank. The design formulation is based on membrane shell analysis. The tanks also include circular openings at the apex of the end caps for the installation of polar bosses. The development of a polar boss system was also investigated, and led to an innovative polar boss system that applies a uniform pressure on the o-ring gaskets. The permeability of these tanks was also considered and recommendations for improvement are presented.

Estrada, Hector↗

Offshore Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion for Onshore Power Generation

Design comparisons have been performed for a number of different tidal energy systems, including a fully submerged, horizontal-axis electro-turbine system, similar to Verdant Tidal Turbines in New York's East River, a platform-based Marine Current Turbine, now operating in Northern Ireland's Strangford Narrows, and the Rotech Lunar Energy system, to be installed off the South Korean Coast. A fourth type of tidal energy system studied is a novel JPL/Caltech hydraulic energy transfer system that uses submerged turbine blades which are mechanically attached to adjacent high-pressure pumps, instead of to adjacent electrical turbines. The generated highpressure water streams are combined and transferred to an onshore hydroelectric plant by means of a closed-cycle pipeline. The hydraulic energy transfer system was found to be cost competitive, and it allows all electronics to be placed onshore, thus greatly reducing maintenance costs and corrosion problems. It also eliminates the expenses of conditioning and transferring multiple offshore power lines and of building offshore platforms embedded in the sea floor.

hydraulic↗

Share Data with OPeNDAP Hyrax: New Features and Improvements

During the upcoming Summer 2016 meeting of the ESIP Federation (July 19-22), OpenDAP will hold a Developers and Users Workshop. While a broad set of topics will be covered, a key focus is capitalizing on recent EOSDIS-sponsored advances in Hyrax, OPeNDAPs own software for server-side realization of the DAP2 and DAP4 protocols. These Hyrax advances are as important to data users as to data providers, and the workshop will include hands-on experiences of value to both. Specifically, a balanced set of presentations and hands-on tutorials will address advances in 1. server installation, 2. server configuration, 3. Hyrax aggregation capabilities, 4. support for data-access from clients that are HTTP-based, JSON-based or OGC-compliant (especially WCS and WMS), 5. support for DAP4,6.use and extension of server-side computational capabilities, and7.several performance-affecting matters. Topics 2 through 7 will be relevant to data consumers, data providers and notably, due to the open-source nature of all OPeNDAP software to developers wishing to extend Hyrax, to build compatible clients and servers, and/or to employ Hyrax as middleware that enables interoperability across a variety of end-user and source-data contexts. A session for contributed talks will elaborate the topics listed above and embrace additional ones.

OPeNDAP↗

Design Guide for Bearings Used in Cryogenic Turbopumps and Test Rigs

Cryogenic bearings are a unique and specialized area of the overall group of bearings that are used every day in industrial and aerospace applications. Cryogenic bearings operate in a unique environment that is not experienced by most bearing applications. The high speeds of turbomachinery, flow of cryogenic coolants, use of nonstandard materials, and lack of lubrication place unique demands on cryogenic bearings that must be met for the safety and success of the mission. To meet the goals of safety and success, requirements are put on the designer, manufacturer, and user that are not normally applied to off-the-shelf bearings. The designer has to have knowledge of the operating conditions, rotational speeds, loads, stresses, installation methods, inspection criteria, dimensional requirements, and design and analytical tools. The manufacturer needs to be aware of the materials used for cryogenic bearings, special heat treatments required, cleanliness of the processes, and inspection techniques to ensure a good product. The user needs to be aware of the safe handling practices to eliminate corrosion and debris, correct installation and removal procedures, pre- and post-test inspections, and the documentation that follow the bearings. This guide is based on the experiences of engineers at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) that have been involved in bearing research and testing along with specific bearing references that have been written. It is not meant to be a bearing design textbook for cryogenic bearing applications. These are available from many authors. Its purpose is to help the designer, manufacturer, or user in the application of cryogenic bearings to better understand the requirements placed on these bearings.

H. G. Gibson↗

Applications of AI for automated monitoring - The SHARP system

This paper describes a software system which utilizes artificial intelligence technology to automate several real-time mission operations functions. The paper gives an overview of Voyager spacecraft telecommunications operations at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to highlight requirements for operations automation in the area of real-time monitoring and analysis. A knowledge-based system, called the 'Spacecraft Health Automated Reasoning Prototype' (SHARP), was developed to explore methods for automated ground data system health and status analysis. The prototype system was applied to Voyager spacecraft telecommunications operations, and installed in the Voyager real-time telecommunications operations area during the spacecraft's encounter with the planet Neptune. The paper reviews the design of the fault detection and diagnosis portions of SHARP, and discusses the performance of SHARP during the encounter. Two follow-on systems based on SHARP which are now in development are also discussed.

Atkinson, David J.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, May 2009

Topics covered include: Valve-"Health"-Monitoring System; Microstrip Antenna for Remote Sensing of Soil Moisture and Sea Surface Salinity; Biomedical Wireless Ambulatory Crew Monitor; Wireless Avionics Packet to Support Fault Tolerance for Flight Applications; Aerobot Autonomy Architecture; Submillimeter Confocal Imaging Active Module; Traveling-Wave Maser for 32 GHz; System Synchronizes Recordings from Separated Video Cameras; Piecewise-Planar Parabolic Reflectarray Antenna; Reducing Interference in ATC Voice Communication; EOS MLS Level 1B Data Processing, Version 2.2; Auto-Generated Semantic Processing Services; Geospatial Authentication; Maneuver Automation Software; Event Driven Messaging with Role-Based Subscriptions; Estimating Relative Positions of Outer-Space Structures; Fabricating PFPE Membranes for Capillary Electrophoresis; Linear Actuator Has Long Stroke and High Resolution; Installing a Test Tap on a Metal Battery Case; Fabricating PFPE Membranes for Microfluidic Valves and Pumps; Room-Temperature-Cured Copolymers for Lithium Battery Gel Electrolytes; Catalysts for Efficient Production of Carbon Nanotubes; Amorphous Silk Fibroin Membranes for Separation of CO2; "Zero-Mass" Noninvasive Pressure Transducers; Radial-Electric-Field Piezoelectric Diaphragm Pumps; Ejector-Enhanced, Pulsed, Pressure-Gain Combustor; Suppressing Ghost Diffraction in E-Beam-Written Gratings; Target-Tracking Camera for a Metrology System; Polarimetric Imaging using Two Photoelastic Modulators; Miniature Wide-Angle Lens for Small-Pixel Electronic Camera; Modal Filters for Infrared Interferometry; Mo(3)Sb(7-x)Te(x) for Thermoelectric Power Generation; Two-Dimensional Quantum Model of a Nanotransistor; Scanning Miniature Microscopes without Lenses; Manipulating Neutral Atoms in Chip-Based Magnetic Traps; Expansion Compression Contacts for Thermoelectric Legs; Processing Electromyographic Signals to Recognize Words; Physical Principle for Generation of Randomness; DSN Beowulf Cluster-Based VLBI Correlator; Hybrid NN/SVM Computational System for Optimizing Designs; Criteria for Modeling in LES of Multicomponent Fuel Flow; Computerized Machine for Cutting Space Shuttle Thermal Tiles; Orbiting Depot and Reusable Lander for Lunar Transportation; FPGA-Based Networked Phasemeter for a Heterodyne Interferometer; Aquarius Digital Processing Unit; Three-Dimensional Optical Coherence Tomography; Benchtop Antigen Detection Technique using Nanofiltration and Fluorescent Dyes; Isolation of Precursor Cells from Waste Solid Fat Tissue; Identification of Bacteria and Determination of Biological Indicators; Further Development of Scaffolds for Regeneration of Nerves; Chemically Assisted Photocatalytic Oxidation System; Use of Atomic Oxygen for Increased Water Contact Angles of Various Polymers for Biomedical Applications; Crashworthy Seats Would Afford Superior Protection; Open-Access, Low-Magnetic-Field MRI System for Lung Research; Microfluidic Mixing Technology for a Universal Health Sensor; Microfluidic Extraction of Biomarkers using Water as Solvent; Microwell Arrays for Studying Many Individual Cells; Droplet-Based Production of Liposomes; and Identifying and Inactivating Bacterial Spores

Source record↗

Measured Engine Installation Effects of Four Civil Transport Airplanes

The Federal Aviation Administration's Integrated Noise Model (INM) is one of the primary tools for land use planning around airports. The INM currently calculates airplane noise lateral attenuation using the methods contained in the Society of Automotive Engineer's Aerospace Information Report No. 1751 (SAE AIR 1751). Researchers have noted that improved lateral attenuation algorithms may improve airplane noise prediction. The authors of SAE AIR 1751 based existing methods on empirical data collected from flight tests using 1960s-technology airplanes with tail-mounted engines. To determine whether the SAE AIR 1751 methods are applicable for predicting the engine installation component of lateral attenuation for airplanes with wing-mounted engines, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sponsored a series of flight tests during September 2000 at their Wallops Flight Facility. Four airplanes, a Boeing 767-400, a Douglas DC-9, a Dassault Falcon 2000, and a Beech KingAir, were flown through a 20 microphone array. The airplanes were flown through the array at various power settings, flap settings, and altitudes to simulate take-off and arrival configurations. This paper presents the preliminary findings of this study.

Senzig, David A.↗

Standards-Based Wireless Sensor Networking Protocols for Spaceflight Applications

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have the capacity to revolutionize data gathering in both spaceflight and terrestrial applications. WSNs provide a huge advantage over traditional, wired instrumentation since they do not require wiring trunks to connect sensors to a central hub. This allows for easy sensor installation in hard to reach locations, easy expansion of the number of sensors or sensing modalities, and reduction in both system cost and weight. While this technology offers unprecedented flexibility and adaptability, implementing it in practice is not without its difficulties. Recent advances in standards-based WSN protocols for industrial control applications have come a long way to solving many of the challenges facing practical WSN deployments. In this paper, we will overview two of the more promising candidates - WirelessHART from the HART Communication Foundation and ISA100.11a from the International Society of Automation - and present the architecture for a new standards-based sensor node for networking and applications research.

Wagner, Raymond S.↗

Pressure distribution for the wing of the YAV-8B airplane; with and without pylons

Pressure distribution data have been obtained in flight at four span stations on the wing panel of the YAV-8B airplane. Data obtained for the supercritical profiled wing, with and without pylons installed, ranged from Mach 0.46 to 0.88. The altitude ranged from approximately 20,000 to 40,000 ft and the resultant Reynolds numbers varied from approximately 7.2 million to 28.7 million based on the mean aerodynamic chord. Pressure distribution data and flow visualization results show that the full-scale flight wing performance is compromised because the lower surface cusp region experiences flow separation for some important transonic flight conditions. This condition is aggravated when local shocks occur on the lower surface of the wing (mostly between 20 and 35 percent chord) when the pylons are installed for Mach 0.8 and above. There is evidence that convex fairings, which cover the pylon attachment flanges, cause these local shocks. Pressure coefficients significantly more negative than those for sonic flow also occur farther aft on the lower surface (near 60 percent chord) whether or not the pylons are installed for Mach numbers greater than or equal to 0.8. These negative pressure coefficient peaks and associated local shocks would be expected to cause increasing wave and separation drag at transonic Mach number increases.

Saltzman, Edwin J.↗

Acoustic grazing flow impedance using waveguide principles

A grazing flow apparatus was designed to measure the impedance of acoustic materials when installed in environments that subject the material to grazing airflow. The design of the apparatus and the data analysis technique is based on the solution of the convected wave equation in an infinite length waveguide.

Armstrong, D. L.↗

USDI DCS technical support: Mississippi Test Facility

The objective of the technical support effort is to provide hardware and data processing support to DCS users so that application of the system may be simply and effectively implemented. Technical support at Mississippi Test Facility (MTF) is concerned primarily with on-site hardware. The first objective of the DCP hardware support was to assure that standard measuring apparatus and techniques used by the USGS could be adapted to the DCS. The second objective was to try to standardize the miscellaneous variety of parameters into a standard instrument set. The third objective was to provide the necessary accessories to simplify the use and complement the capabilities of the DCP. The standard USGS sites have been interfaced and are presently operating. These sites are stream gauge, ground water level and line operated quality of water. Evapotranspiration, meteorological and battery operated quality of water sites are planned for near future DCP operation. Three accessories which are under test or development are the Chu antenna, solar power supply and add-on memory. The DCP has proven to be relatively easy to interface with many monitors. The large antenna is awkward to install and transport. The DCS has met the original requirements well; it has and is proving that an operation, satellite-based data collection system is feasible.

Preble, D. M.↗

Power Extension Package (PEP) system definition extension, orbital service module systems analysis study. Volume 1: Executive summary

An array deployment assembly, power regulation and control assembly, the necessary interface, and display and control equipment comprise the power extension package (PEP) which is designed to provide increased power and duration, as well as reduce fuel cell cryogen consumption during Spacelab missions. Compatible with all currently defined missions and payloads, PEP imposes minimal weight and volume penalties on sortie missions, and can be installed and removed as needed at the launch site within the normal Orbiter turnaround cycle. The technology on which it is based consists of a modified solar electric propulsion array, standard design regulator and control equipment, and a minimally modified Orbiter design. The requirements from which PEP was derived, and the system and its performance capabilities are described. Features of the recommended project are presented.

Source record↗

Fiberglass composite blades for the 2 MW Mod-1 wind turbine generator

In mid-1979, NASA contracted with Kaman Aerospace Corporation for the design, manufacture, and ground testing of two 100 foot composite rotor blades intended for operation on the Mod-1 wind turbine. The Mod-1 blades have been completed and are currently stored at the Kaman facility. The design, tooling, fabrication, and testing phases which have been carried out to date, as well as testing still planned are described. Discussed are differences from the 150 foot blade which were introduced for cost and manufacturing improvement purposes. Also included is a description of the lightning protection system installed in the blades, and its development program. Actual costs and manhours expended for Blade No. 2 are provided as a base, along with a projection of costs for the blade in production. Finally, cost drivers are identified relative to future designs.

Batesole, W. R.↗

An evaluation and assessment of flow quality in selected NASA wind tunnels

Tests have been conducted in a number of NASA wind tunnels to measure disturbance levels and spectra in their respective settling chambers, test sections, and diffusers to determine the sources of their disturbances. The present data supplements previous results in other NASA tunnels and adds to the ongoing acquisition of a disturbance level data base. The present results also serve to explain flow related sources which cause relatively large disturbance amplitudes at discrete frequencies. The installation of honeycomb, screens, and acoustic baffles in or upstream of the settling chamber can significantly reduce the disturbance levels.

Harvey, W. D.↗

Flight-service program for advanced composite rudders on transport aircraft

Flight service experience and in-service inspection results are reported for DC-10 graphite composite rudders during the third year of airline service. Test results and status are also reported for ground-based and airborne graphite-epoxy specimens with three different epoxy resin systems to obtain moisture absorption data. Twenty graphite composite rudders were produced, nine of which were installed on commercial aircraft during the past three years. The rudders collectively accumulated 75,863 flight hours. The high time rudder accumulated 12,740 flight hours in slightly over 36 months. The graphite composite rudders were inspected visually at approximately 1000 flight hour intervals and ultrasonically at approximately 3000 flight hour intervals in accordance with in-service inspection plans. All rudders were judged acceptable for continued service as a result of these inspections. Composite moisture absorption data on small specimens, both ground-based and carried aboard three flight-service aircraft, are given. The specimens include Thornel 300 fibers in Narmco 5208 and 5209 resin systems, and Type AS fibers in the Hercules 3501-6 resin system.

Source record↗