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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 433 records · Page 24
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

Pressure Profiles in a Loop Heat Pipe Under Gravity Influence

During the operation of a loop heat pipe (LHP), the viscous flow induces pressure drops in various elements of the loop. The total pressure drop is equal to the sum of pressure drops in vapor grooves, vapor line, condenser, liquid line and primary wick, and is sustained by menisci at liquid and vapor interfaces on the outer surface of the primary wick in the evaporator. The menisci will curve naturally so that the resulting capillary pressure matches the total pressure drop. In ground testing, an additional gravitational pressure head may be present and must be included in the total pressure drop when LHP components are placed in a non-planar configuration. Under gravity-neutral and anti-gravity conditions, the fluid circulation in the LHP is driven solely by the capillary force. With gravity assist, however, the flow circulation can be driven by the combination of capillary and gravitational forces, or by the gravitational force alone. For a gravity-assist LHP at a given elevation between the horizontal condenser and evaporator, there exists a threshold heat load below which the LHP operation is gravity driven and above which the LHP operation is capillary force and gravity co-driven. The gravitational pressure head can have profound effects on the LHP operation, and such effects depend on the elevation, evaporator heat load, and condenser sink temperature. This paper presents a theoretical study on LHP operations under gravity neutral, anti-gravity, and gravity-assist modes using pressure diagrams to help understand the underlying physical processes. Effects of the condenser configuration on the gravitational pressure head and LHP operation are also discussed.

0000↗
NASA NTRS2015

Pressure Profiles in a Loop Heat Pipe under Gravity Influence

During the operation of a loop heat pipe (LHP), the viscous flow induces pressure drops in various elements of the loop. The total pressure drop is equal to the sum of pressure drops in vapor grooves, vapor line, condenser, liquid line and primary wick, and is sustained by menisci at liquid and vapor interfaces on the outer surface of the primary wick in the evaporator. The menisci will curve naturally so that the resulting capillary pressure matches the total pressure drop. In ground testing, an additional gravitational pressure head may be present and must be included in the total pressure drop when LHP components are placed in a non-planar configuration. Under gravity-neutral and anti-gravity conditions, the fluid circulation in the LHP is driven solely by the capillary force. With gravity assist, however, the flow circulation can be driven by the combination of capillary and gravitational forces, or by the gravitational force alone. For a gravity-assist LHP at a given elevation between the horizontal condenser and evaporator, there exists a threshold heat load below which the LHP operation is gravity driven and above which the LHP operation is capillary force and gravity co-driven. The gravitational pressure head can have profound effects on the LHP operation, and such effects depend on the elevation, evaporator heat load, and condenser sink temperature. This paper presents a theoretical study on LHP operations under gravity-neutral, anti-gravity, and gravity-assist modes using pressure diagrams to help understand the underlying physical processes. Effects of the condenser configuration on the gravitational pressure head and LHP operation are also discussed.

Thermal Control Systems↗
NASA NTRS1974

Shuttle active thermal control system development testing. Volume 1: Overall summary

A summary is given of a series of thermal vacuum tests designed to support the development of the orbiter active thermal control system (ATCS) and included testing of a wide heat load range modular radiator system (MRS) configured to the March 1973 orbiter baseline system, a candidate weight reducing radiator/water cooling system, and a smaller radiator system with a high performance radiator coating. The tests verified the performance of the baseline system and obtained detailed design information for application of a wide heat load range modular radiator system to the orbiter. The two candidate ATCS weight reducing designs have undergone extensive concept verification testing and their system operating characteristics have been determined in sufficient detail for application to the orbiter. Design information has been obtained for an integrated radiator/water cooling system that provides for vehicle heat rejection as well as water management of the excess fuel cell water. Processing techniques have been developed and verified for the application of a high performance thermal control coating to large radiator areas subjected to a temperature range of -280 F to +160 F.

Howell, H. R.↗
DOE OSTI2025

STORM: Scrape-off layer turbulence in tokamak fusion reactors

The scrape-off layer of a tokamak fusion reactor carries the plasma exhaust from the hot core plasma to the material surfaces of the reactor vessel. The heat loads imposed by the exhaust are a critical limit on the performance of fusion power plants. Turbulent transport of the plasma regulates the width of the scrape-off layer plasma and must be modelled to understand the intensity of these heat loads. STORM is a plasma turbulence code capable of simulating three dimensional turbulence across the full scrape-off layer of a tokamak fusion reactor, using a drift reduced, collisional fluid model. STORM uses mostly finite difference schemes, with a staggered grid in the direction parallel to the magnetic field. We describe the model, geometry and initialisation options used by STORM, as well as the numerical methods, which are implemented using the BOUT++ plasma simulation framework. BOUT++ has been enhanced alongside the development of STORM, providing better support for staggered grid methods. We summarise these enhancements, including a detailed explanation of the parallel derivative methods, which underwent a major update for version 4 of BOUT++.

BOUT++↗
DOE OSTI2019

RCCS Testing with the Water-based NSTF: Year-1 Single-Phase Results

Under support from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Office of Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART), a large scale test facility has been constructed to generate validation data for passive decay heat removal systems of advanced reactors. Located at Argonne National Laboratory, the Natural convection Shutdown heat removal Test Facility (NSTF) reflects key features of a ½ scale, water-based, Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS). This report serves as a summary of the single-phase testing results obtained during the programs first year of matrix testing. An introduction to the high-level program objectives is first presented, followed by a brief summary of facility design, instrumentation, and control systems. Details of the NQA-1 driven test method are included, which govern the programs quality assurance requirements and provide a background for the testing strategy and procedures. Checkout activities, including verification of gross system mass and energy balances, heat loss quantification, and isothermal facility characterization, were performed early in the first year and results presented in this report. These tests have identified relevant facility characteristics such as K-factors, frictional pressure losses, parasitic heat loss rates, and transient heating response. Results are then presented from four accepted matrix tests where the facility established a steady-state, single-phase mode of flow operation. All matrix tests were performed with an identical top-level procedure: first initiating a heater power ramp to target levels, and then holding power levels constant until the facilities structural members and network piping reached thermal equilibrium. Upon obtaining stable thermal and hydraulic conditions, active cooling was initiated off of the bulk storage tank to maintain constant riser inlet temperatures of 30°C. This steady-state period was then held for a minimum required duration, at which point the heaters were ramped down and test concluded. The two baseline tests completed reflect conditions prototypic to the full scale plant at both normal operation, and design basis Depressurized Loss of Forced Cooling (DLOFC) conditions. These parameters are defined by full RCCS decay heat loads of 1.4 MWt and 2.1 MWt, which translate to NSTF scale thermal power levels of 34.4 kWt and 51.6 kWt, respectively. Two additional tests were also conducted, which repeated baseline cases but included modification by single parameter variations in decay heat load, or heater power, at 700 kWt, and 2.8 MWt. Finally, a scoping test was performed to demonstrate the facilities ability to operate in a two-phase mode of operation. The facility successfully operated for a 3-hour period at this mode, reaching peak inventory temperatures of 105°C and condensing approximately 50 gallons of boil-off inventory. The testing parameters for this demonstration were based off the design basis DLOFC condition, and will be the reference for new baseline cases as the program moves forward with two-phase matrix testing.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Device for cooling fluid, method for cooling fluid

The invention provides a method for cooling fluid having the steps of supplying a fluid at a first temperature T1, raising the temperature of the fluid to a second temperature T2 through contact with an electric field, contacting the fluid with a heat exchanger to decrease its temperature to a third temperature T3, removing the electric field to decrease the temperature of the fluid to a fourth temperature T4, and applying a heat load to the fluid to increase the temperature of the fluid to T1. Also provided is a system for cooling fluid having a closed loop having a first region subject to an electric field, a second region in contact with a heat exchanger, a third region remote from the electric field, and a fourth region contacting a heat load.

Guzman-Verri, Gian G.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Exploration of magnetic perturbation effects on advanced divertor configurations in NSTX-U

The control of divertor heat loads - both steady state and transient - remains a key challenge for the successful operation of ITER and FNSF. Magnetic perturbations provide a promising technique to control ELMs (transients), but understanding their detailed impact is difficult due to their symmetry breaking nature. One approach for reducing steady state heat loads are so called 'advanced divertors' which aim at optimizing the magnetic field configuration: the snowflake and the (super-)X-divertor. It is likely that both concepts - magnetic perturbations and advanced divertors - will have to work together, and we explore their interaction based on the NSTX-U setup. An overview of different divertor configurations under the impact of magnetic perturbations is presented, and the resulting impact on plasma edge transport is investigated with the EMC3-EIRENE code. Variations in size of the magnetic footprint of the perturbed separatrix are found, which is related to the level of flux expansion on the divertor target. Non-axisymmetric peaking of the heat flux related to the perturbed separatrix is found at the outer strike point, but only in locations where flux expansion is not too large.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS2007

Effects of Gravity on Start-up of a Miniature Loop Heat Pipe with Multiple Evaporators and Multiple Condensers

This paper describes an experimental study on the effect of gravity on the start-up of a miniature loop heat pipe (MLHP) with two evaporators and two condensers. Each evaporator has an outer diameter of 9 mm and has its own integral compensation chamber (CC). The MLHP was placed under five configurations where the relative elevation and tilt among the loop components were varied. The four well-known initial conditions between the evaporator and CC prior to the LHP start-up were created in this experimental study through combinations of: 1) the test configuration; 2) the method of preconditioning the loop prior to start-up, and 3) the heat load distribution among the evaporators. A total of 165 start-ups were conducted under the five test configurations. All of these start-ups were successful. However, the effect of gravity on start-up transients was clearly seen under otherwise the same heat load distribution and sink temperatures. An analytical model was used to simulate the MLHP transient behaviors, and the model predictions agreed very well with the experimental results.

Ku, Jentung↗
NASA NTRS1991

Cold-tip off-state conduction loss of miniature Stirling cycle cryocoolers

For redundant miniature Stirling-cycle cryocoolers in space applications, the off-state heat conduction down the coldfinger of one cooler is a parasitic heat load on the other coolers. At JPL, a heat flow transducer specifically designed to measure this load has been developed, and measurements have been performed on the coldfinger of a British Aerospace 80 K Stirling cooler with the tip temperature ranging between 40 and 170 K. Measurements have also been made using a transient warmup technique, where the warmup rates of the coldtip under various applied heat loads are used to determine the static conduction load. There is a difference between the results of these two methods, and these differences are discussed with regard to the applicability of the transient warmup method to a nonoperating coldfinger.

Kotsubo, V.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Comprehensive analysis of disruption mitigation methods using gas and pellet-like injections in ITER-like Tokamaks

Abstract Inert-gas shielding could be an effective mechanism for protection of plasma facing surfaces (PFS) against plasma particles impact and photon radiation heat loads during transient events in fusion devices. Neutral gas injection is one promising way to mitigate erosion of tokamak components and contamination. The objective of this work is to study and optimize mitigation methods using neutral gas and pellet-like injections to decrease the heat load to the divertor surfaces and to prevent vaporization of the various internal surfaces due to transient events in ITER-like devices. The integrated self-consistent models implemented in the HEIGHTS package was used for detailed analysis of the potential secondary plasma generation from the injected inert gas, its radiative characteristics, and shielding effectiveness. We varied the density, size, and location of an argon gas cloud to minimize the disruption energy deposited into the divertor components. We also investigated innovative ways for minor changes in ITER-like internal design to mitigate disruptions. We found the optimum parameters to fully protect ITER tokamak surfaces from erosion and vaporization during plasma instabilities. This preliminary analysis showed that using Ar gas injection methods could lead to enhancement in components lifetime in ITER-like and future DEMO devices with minor design changes.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
NASA NTRS2001

An Experimental Study of the Operating Temperature in a Loop Heat Pipe with Two Evaporators and Two Condensers

This paper presents a comprehensive experimental study of the loop operating temperature in a loop heat pipe (LHP) which has two parallel evaporators and two parallel condensers. In a single evaporator LHP, it is well known that the loop operating temperature is a function of the heat load, the sink temperature and the ambient temperature. The objective of the present study emphasizes on the stability of the loop operating temperature and parameters that affects the loop operation. Tests results show that the loop operating temperature is a function of the total system heat load, sink temperature, ambient temperature, and beat load distribution between the two evaporators. Under most conditions, only one compensation chamber (CC) contains two-phase fluid and controls the loop operating temperature, and the other CC is completely filled with liquid. Moreover, as the test condition changes, control of the loop operating temperature often shifted from one CC to another. In spite of complex interactions between various components, the test loop has demonstrated very robust operation even during fast transients.

Ku, Jentung↗
DOE OSTI2022

Economic viability of using thermal energy storage for flexible carbon capture on natural gas power plants

Fossil fuel-based power plants generate 80% of the electricity in the United States and provide a reliable generation source for both base and peak power demands. These plants are expected to adapt to changes in environmental policies that will require carbon management with carbon capture and storage (CCS) representing a possible solution. Current solvent-based CCS has a detrimental impact on a power plant's performance due to large heat loads required for carbon capture solvent regeneration. This parasitic load restricts the power plant's output and operation flexibility. Therefore, this study evaluates the feasibility of using thermal storage technologies for natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants coupled with CCS to minimize the impact of solvent regeneration and enable the plant to operate at peak power output. Thermal storage can minimize the impact of CCS on the power plant by providing the heat load required for solvent regeneration during times of peak demand which will allow the plant to operate unrestricted and at full power. In total, fifteen unique thermal storage configurations were evaluated from three thermal storage categories: Brayton cycle heat pump, vapor compression heat pump, and heat recovery steam generator steam extraction for storage. The viability of these systems was determined by evaluating each configuration on thousands of real-world Locational Marginal Pricing (LMP) profiles from the New York Independent System Operator and California Independent System Operator electricity markets using a techno-economic analysis. Afterwards, results were compared to the performance of a base power plant (NGCC with CCS and no thermal storage) to determine the impact of thermal storage on power plant economics. Overall, six of the thermal storage configurations performed better than base CCS enabled power plant on between 11.5% and 38.7% of the LMP signals evaluated. The best performing configuration was a vapor compression heat pump that used flue gas as the working fluid and had both hot and cold thermal storage units. This configuration performed better than the base CCS power plant on 38.7% of the LMP profiles. The results of this study show thermal storage can mitigate the economic impact of carbon capture solvent regeneration on NGCC power plants. Discussion focuses on the impact of electricity pricing on the optimal thermal storage system, the advantages and disadvantages of the systems evaluated, and identifies limitations with the study.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Increasing EDV Range through Intelligent Cabin Air Handling Strategies: Annual Progress Report

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of a Ford Focus Electric demonstrated that a split flow heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system with rear recirculation ducts can reduce cabin heating loads by up to 57.4% relative to full fresh air usage under some conditions (steady state, four passengers, ambient temperature of -5 deg C). Simulations also showed that implementing a continuous recirculation fraction control system into the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) HVAC system can reduce cabin heating loads by up to 50.0% relative to full fresh air usage under some conditions (steady state, four passengers, ambient temperature of -5 deg C). Identified that continuous fractional recirculation control of the OEM system can provide significant energy savings for EVs at minimal additional cost, while a split flow HVAC system with rear recirculation ducts only provides minimal additional improvement at significant additional cost.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1972

Techniques associated with thermal-vacuum testing of the OAO-C heat pipes

The mechanical problems associated with testing the two high-heat load pipes are discussed. One of these pipes was tested three times before being accepted. The first test resulted in the discovery of non-condensable hydrogen gas, which prevented the pipe from functioning properly. The second test was a repeat of the first, to see if all the gas had been removed. The third test was to see if any changes had occurred to the pipe as a result of saddle modifications. Saddle modifications were necessary because the epoxy binding agent between the saddles and the pipe had decomposed during the testing. The test problems discussed deal with the specially designed heat-removal devices, the mobile tilt table, the table position indicator, and the heat input mechanisms, all of which were necessary to conduct a high-heat load, thermal-vacuum test. The final results showed that the techniques used were adequate for thermal-vacuum testing of heat pipes.

Marshburn, J. P.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Development of Solenoid-Driven and Pneumatic Punches for Launching High- Z Cryogenic Pellets for Tokamak Disruption Mitigation Experiments

Mitigation of disruption events in future high energy density tokamaks is essential for machine longevity. The creation of runaway electrons, large electromagnetic forces, and high localized heat loads during a disruption can be devastating to machine components. Shattered pellet injection is currently the most effective method of disruption mitigation. Injection of cryogenically solidified deuterium, neon, or argon (or mixtures thereof) have been shown to efficiently radiate thermal energy of the plasma so that the heat load is distributed on the walls of the machine. Pellets are formed by desublimating gas in the barrel of a pipe gun and fired using a pulse of high-pressure light gas. Current gas gun designs cannot reach sufficient pressure to dislodge pure neon and argon pellets at low temperatures because the material strength is too high. Pellet temperatures must be kept low (to well below the triple-point temperature of the material) to ensure minimal gas flow into the machine due to vapor pressure of the pellet. A gas-driven punch device has been designed and tested to dislodge pure neon or argon pellets. The breakaway strength of a pellet is proportional to the surface area of the pellet in contact with the inner diameter of the barrel. As pellets get larger in diameter, the amount of force needed to dislodge them increases. To better understand the mechanics behind how a punch dislodges a pellet, a solenoid-operated punch was designed so that kinetic energy of the punch, when striking a pellet, can be varied by changing input current to the solenoid. This solenoid punch will be used to determine kinetic energy versus pellet surface area threshold for breakaway. These data will be used to design mechanical punches for use in a high-field tokamak environment. Furthermore, this paper outlines the modeling, design, experimental testing, and results of the punch development activities.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1973

Study and development of a cryogenic heat exchanger for life support systems

A prototype cryogenic heat exchanger for removal of waste heat from a spacecraft environmental control life support system was developed. The heat exchanger uses the heat sink capabilities of the cryogenic propellants and, hence, can operate over all mission phases from prelaunch to orbit, to post landing, with quiescent periods during orbit. A survey of candidate warm fluids resulted in the selection of E-2, a fluorocarbon compound, because of its low freezing point and high boiling point. The final design and testing of the heat exchanger was carried out, however, using Freon-21, which is similar to E-2 except for its low boiling point. This change was motivated by the desire for cost effectiveness of the experimental program. The transient performance of the heat exchanger was demonstrated by an analog simulation of the heat sink system. Under the realistic transient heat load conditions (20 sec ramp from minimum to maximum Freon-21 inlet temperature), the control system was able to maintain the warm fluid outlet temperature within + or - 3 F. For a 20-sec ramp from 0 F to -400 F in the hydrogen inlet temperature, at maximum heat load, the warm fluid outlet temperature was maintained within + or - 7 F.

Soliman, M. M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Extreme Environment Hot Fire Durability of Post-Processed Additively Manufactured GRCop-Alloy Combustion Chambers in LOX/Hydrogen and LOX/Methane

Extreme environment survivability of metal additive manufactured (AM) GRCop-alloy thrust chambers has been demonstrated in different bi-propellants at near stoichiometric and even oxygen rich combustion. GRCop-alloy chambers tested at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) have accumulated over 26,000 seconds of hot fire duration and over 500 starts. These chambers are produced using an AM process called laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). A major feature of this process is high wall surface roughness which can be customized in post processing to leverage various performance advantages. Post-processing can include heat treatment, final machining, polishing, and welding and is key to hardware survivability in extreme environments. Surface finish enhancement techniques were applied to the hot wall and coolant channels to reduce the overall total heat load to the chamber walls. Performance optimization of various thrust class TCA’s is a strategic technology goal of NASA MSFC. Three different chamber geometries using cryogenic methane and de-ionized water as coolants were hot fire tested to obtain their life cycle, pressure drop, and heat load performances. Several 1.2K lbf LOX/H2 chambers, 1K lbf LOX/CH4 chambers, and 7K lbf LOX/CH4 chambers were tested. All post-processed configurations performed remarkably well when subjected to extreme hot fire test conditions. Streaking and blanching due to localized oxygen rich conditions were observed on some test articles in their as-built surface finish state. However, this is actually a function of the injector mixing and only serves to further establish the durability of L-PBF GRCop-alloy thrust chambers. Several different polishing techniques were applied to the hot wall and integrated coolant channels prior to hot fire testing and their performances assessed. Overall, AM produced GRCop chambers are extremely reliable, durable, and customizable to the desired performance metrics.

grcop↗
NASA NTRS2011

Spacecraft Radiator Freeze Protection Using a Regenerative Heat Exchanger

An active thermal control system architecture has been modified to include a regenerative heat exchanger (regenerator) inboard of the radiator. Rather than using a radiator bypass valve a regenerative heat exchanger is placed inboard of the radiators. A regenerator cold side bypass valve is used to set the return temperature. During operation, the regenerator bypass flow is varied, mixing cold radiator return fluid and warm regenerator outlet fluid to maintain the system setpoint. At the lowest heat load for stable operation, the bypass flow is closed off, sending all of the flow through the regenerator. This lowers the radiator inlet temperature well below the system set-point while maintaining full flow through the radiators. By using a regenerator bypass flow control to maintain system setpoint, the required minimum heat load to avoid radiator freezing can be reduced by more than half compared to a radiator bypass system.

Ungar, Eugene K.↗