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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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This package contains modules that model a visual sensor in Umbra. It is typically used to represent eyesight of characters in Umbra. This library also includes the sensor property, seeable, and an Active Denial sensor.
The purpose of this package is to monitor energy and water fluxes using a comprehensive set of sensors integrated on a tripod set up at 4 locations at the East River watershed in Colorado in the Upper Colorado River Basin as part of the Scientific Focus Area (SFA) research led by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL). This is a continuous sensor suite measurements of weather, energy, soil and flux at four East River pumphouse sites (ER-PHS1, ER-PHS2, ER-PHS3 and ER-PHS4) include: (1) soil CO2 concentration, CO2 flux and heat flux from soil surface; (2) photosynthetic active radiation flux at 1 m; (3) incoming/outcoming short and long wave radiation at 1 m, and user calculated net short and long wave radiation; (4) oxygen concentration and surface infrared temperature; (5) soil volumetric water content, temperature, and electrical conductivity at 10, 30, 60, 115 cm depth 115 cm depth; (6) soil matric potential and temperature at 30 cm depth; (7) incoming short wave radiation at 3 m height; (8) rainfall precipitation; (9) lightning strikes and strike distances; (10) wind direction and speed, maximum wind gust at 3 m; (11) air temperature, vapor pressure and barometric pressure at 3 m; (12) X _axis_level and Y_axis_level_(degree), tilt of the ATMOS 41 sensor; (13) maximum rainfall rate; (14) relative humidity sensor temperature at 3 m; (15) internally calculated vapor pressure deficit at 3 m with vapor pressure, relative humidity and sensor temperature measurements; (16) user calculated vapor pressure.These datasets contain data from Oct 11 2019 to March 20, 2020, and new datasets will be updated on annual basis. Files uploaded in Excel and Word, with copies in csv and pdf format.
Arrays of multiple, nominally identical sensors with sensor-output-processing electronic hardware and software are being developed in order to obtain accuracy, reliability, and lifetime greater than those of single sensors. The conceptual basis of this development lies in the statistical behavior of multiple sensors and a multisensor-array (MSA) algorithm that exploits that behavior. In addition, advances in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and integrated circuits are exploited. A typical sensor unit according to this concept includes multiple MEMS sensors and sensor-readout circuitry fabricated together on a single chip and packaged compactly with a microprocessor that performs several functions, including execution of the MSA algorithm. In the MSA algorithm, the readings from all the sensors in an array at a given instant of time are compared and the reliability of each sensor is quantified. This comparison of readings and quantification of reliabilities involves the calculation of the ratio between every sensor reading and every other sensor reading, plus calculation of the sum of all such ratios. Then one output reading for the given instant of time is computed as a weighted average of the readings of all the sensors. In this computation, the weight for each sensor is the aforementioned value used to quantify its reliability. In an optional variant of the MSA algorithm that can be implemented easily, a running sum of the reliability value for each sensor at previous time steps as well as at the present time step is used as the weight of the sensor in calculating the weighted average at the present time step. In this variant, the weight of a sensor that continually fails gradually decreases, so that eventually, its influence over the output reading becomes minimal: In effect, the sensor system "learns" which sensors to trust and which not to trust. The MSA algorithm incorporates a criterion for deciding whether there remain enough sensor readings that approximate each other sufficiently closely to constitute a majority for the purpose of quantifying reliability. This criterion is, simply, that if there do not exist at least three sensors having weights greater than a prescribed minimum acceptable value, then the array as a whole is deemed to have failed.
The Space Technology-7 Disturbance Reduction System (DRS) is an experiment package aboard the European Space Agency (ESA) LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. LISA Pathfinder launched from Kourou, French Guiana on December 3, 2015. The DRS is tasked to validate two specific technologies: colloidal micro-Newton thrusters (CMNT) to provide low-noise control capability of the spacecraft, and drag-free controlflight. This validation is performed using highly sensitive drag-free sensors, which are provided by the LISA Technology Package of the European Space Agency. The Disturbance Reduction System is required to maintain the spacecrafts position with respect to a free-floating test mass to better than 10nm/(square root of Hz), along its sensitive axis (axis in optical metrology). It also has a goal of limiting the residual accelerations of any of the two test masses to below 30 x 10(exp -14) (1 + ([f/3 mHz](exp 2))) m/sq s/(square root of Hz), over the frequency range of 1 to 30 mHz.This paper briefly describes the design and the expected on-orbit performance of the control system for the two modes wherein the drag-free performance requirements are verified. The on-orbit performance of these modes are then compared to the requirements, as well as to the expected performance, and discussed.
The Space Technology-7 Disturbance Reduction System (DRS) is an experiment package aboard the European Space Agency (ESA) LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. LISA Pathfinder launched from Kourou, French Guiana on December 3, 2015. The DRS is tasked to validate two specific technologies: colloidal micro-Newton thrusters (CMNT) to provide low-noise control capability of the spacecraft, and drag-free control flight. This validation is performed using highly sensitive drag-free sensors, which are provided by the LISA Technology Package of the European Space Agency. The Disturbance Reduction System is required to maintain the spacecrafts position with respect to a free-floating test mass to better than 10nmHz, along its sensitive axis (axis in optical metrology). It also has a goal of limiting the residual accelerations of any of the two test masses to below 30 (1 + [f3 mHz]) fmsHz, over the frequency range of 1 to 30 mHz.This paper briefly describes the design and the expected on-orbit performance of the control system for the two modes wherein the drag-free performance requirements are verified. The on-orbit performance of these modes are then compared to the requirements, as well as to the expected performance, and discussed.
This work relates to the development of sensors that measure specific aerosol properties. These properties are in the form of integrated moment distributions, i.e., total surface area, total mass, etc., or mathematical combinations of these moment distributions. Specifically, the innovation involves two fundamental features: a computational tool to design and optimize such sensors and the embodiment of these sensors in actual practice. The measurement of aerosol properties is a problem of general interest. Applications include, but are not limited to, environmental monitoring, assessment of human respiratory health, fire detection, emission characterization and control, and pollutant monitoring. The objectives for sensor development include increased accuracy and/or dynamic range, the inclusion in a single sensor of the ability to measure multiple aerosol properties, and developing an overall physical package that is rugged, compact, and low in power consumption, so as to enable deployment in harsh or confined field applications, and as distributed sensor networks. Existing instruments for this purpose include scattering photometers, direct-reading mass instruments, Beta absorption devices, differential mobility analyzers, and gravitational samplers. The family of sensors reported here is predicated on the interaction of light and matter; specifically, the scattering of light from distributions of aerosol particles. The particular arrangement of the sensor, e.g. the wavelength(s) of incident radiation, the number and location of optical detectors, etc., can be derived so as to optimize the sensor response to aerosol properties of practical interest. A key feature of the design is the potential embodiment as an extremely compact, integrated microsensor package. This is of fundamental importance, as it enables numerous previously inaccessible applications. The embodiment of these sensors is inherently low maintenance and high reliability by design. The novel and unique features include the underlying computational underpinning that allows the optimization for specific applications, and the physical embodiment that affords the construction of a compact, durable, and reliable integrated package. The advantage appears in the form of increased accuracy relative to existing instruments, and the applications enabled by the physical attributes of the resulting configuration
Compact cold-atom sensors depend on vacuum technology. One of the major limitations to miniaturizing these sensors is the active pumps—typically ion pumps—that are required to sustain the low pressure needed for laser cooling. Although passively pumped chambers have been proposed as a solution to this problem, technical challenges have prevented successful operation at the levels needed for cold-atom experiments. The authors present the first demonstration of a vacuum package successfully independent of ion pumps for more than a week; their vacuum package is capable of sustaining a cloud of cold atoms in a magneto-optical trap (MOT) for greater than 200 days using only non-evaporable getters and a rubidium dispenser. Measurements of the MOT lifetime indicate that the package maintains a pressure of better than 2×10−7 Torr. This result will significantly enable the development of compact atomic sensors, including those sensitive to magnetic fields, where the absence of an ion pump will be advantageous.
The completion of International Space Station Assembly and transition to a full six person crew has created the opportunity to create and implement flight experiments that will drive down the ultimate risks and cost for human space exploration by maturing exploration technologies in realistic space environments that are impossible or incredibly costly to duplicate in terrestrial laboratories. An early opportunity for such a technology maturation experiment was recognized in the amine swingbed technology baselined for carbon dioxide and humidity control on the Orion spacecraft and Constellation Spacesuit System. An experiment concept using an existing high fidelity laboratory swing bed prototype has been evaluated in a feasibility and concept definition study leading to the conclusion that the envisioned flight experiment can be both feasible and of significant value for NASA s space exploration technology development efforts. Based on the results of that study NASA has proceeded with detailed design and implementation for the flight experiment. The study effort included the evaluation of technology risks, the extent to which ISS provided unique opportunities to understand them, and the implications of the resulting targeted risks for the experiment design and operational parameters. Based on those objectives and characteristics, ISS safety and integration requirements were examined, experiment concepts developed to address them and their feasibility assessed. This paper will describe the analysis effort and conclusions and present the resulting flight experiment concept. The flight experiment, implemented by NASA and launched in two packages in January and August 2011, integrates the swing bed with supporting elements including electrical power and controls, sensors, cooling, heating, fans, air- and water-conserving functionality, and mechanical packaging structure. It is now on board the ISS awaiting installation and activation.
Safety issues in nuclear power plants are of extreme importance. Numerous sensors are used within nuclear power plants for sensing and monitoring of its critical operation parameters. As currently implemented, during massive losses of power across the plant in accidents, the backup batteries for the monitoring sensors will ultimately be drained and can cease to operate. The overall objective of this NEUP project is to develop a novel self-powered wireless hybrid sensor which can accurately monitor both pressure and temperature using a single device, even in the extreme harsh environments of severe nuclear accidents, without the requirement of external electricity. At Virginia Tech side, a heat pipe assisted thermoelectric generator (TEG) energy harvester and associated power management and data transmission circuits were developed. The energy harvester can produce electrical power continuously, even in loss of plant and external power situations, providing power for important data transmission for accident diagnosis. The self-powered sensing system could be integrated directly onto key nuclear components including pipes, pump housings, heat exchangers, reactor vessels, and shielding structures inside and outside of the reactor core. Two TEG based energy harvesters which can work in relatively low (50-250 ºC) and high temperature ranges (250-350 ºC) were established and tested. In the prototypes, heat pipes were introduced to reduce the heat resistances of the device at the hot and cold ends. The power output of the heat pipe assisted TEG module is 2.22 W, which is 6 times more than one using an aluminum rod. In-lab tests showed that these devices canmeet the requirement to power the sensors and circuit during normal and off-normal conditions.Amodel was then built to analyze the thermal network in the energy harvester, and was used to optimize its performance and reduce its geometry size. The design and testing of the vibrational energy harvester were completed. The harvester, has shown to effectively increase the vibrational potential of the main coolant pump, though it has been shown that thermal energy has a much higher potential for the powering of sensors. In this project, a self-start charger circuit for the energy harvester was designed to regulate and manage the power. An energy storage element was incorporated into the energy harvesting module for sensors and wireless transceivers in an off-normal situation. The signal conditioning and wireless communication electronic circuits were developed and tested in the lab. An important consideration for an energy harvester within a nuclear power plant is the level of radiation it will encounter during operation. The two main sources of radiation in a nuclear power plant are gamma and neutron radiation. Aradiation experiment was conducted in the Westinghouse Electric Company during which the prototypes were placed in a 106 rad radiation environment to test their ability to operate in the extreme environment. The results showed that this level of radiation had little effect on the performance of the TEGmaterial and heat pipe heat exchanging system. Its influence on the circuit was still under research, however the need for more development on radiation hardened electronics is needed. Pressure measurement based on piezoelectric crystal resonators has advantages over the commercially available methods like capacitive, electromagnetic, optical, potentiometric, and piezo resistive strain gauges. Since the output of piezoelectric based sensors are digital in format, it has a very high resolution, high accuracy, and long-term stability. Quartz is one of the commonly used piezoelectric material in digital pressure sensors design. This material is elastic in nature, providing high stability, high repeatability, high elasticity, repeatable mechanical behavior for many cycles of operation, and is free of hysteresis. The quartz resonator has a high Q, which means that very high vibration can be driven with the very low electric power. Langasite (LGS) is a new promising piezoelectric material that combines the advantageous properties of quartz with a better performance at high temperatures. LGS will not undergo any phase transitions up to its melting temperature of 1473 C, and hence, the application of Langasite in measuring pressure at high temperatures is promising. In this project, the design and fabrication of the piezo oscillator crystal for temperature and pressure measurement has been completed. The entire sensor has been fabricated and tested to see its sensitivity to temperature and pressure changes. The design and optimization of the radiation shielding systems that can effective protect the duel-mode Langasite sensor inside reactor core were demonstrated. To maximize the radiation shielding effectiveness, different types of materials are investigated based upon recent developments of radiation shielding systems including aluminum + Boron carbide and bismuth borosilicate glass B2O3 in addition to tungsten/B4C. New materials based upon metatheses is included as potential shielding to mitigate neutron fluencies. The radiation shielding effectiveness of selected composites are evaluated within a broader neutron spectrum from thermal, epithermal, fast (1 MeV) and 15 MeV neutrons. Performance analysis was also conducted to evaluate the effects of selected composite systems.Aconceptual design was also proposed for the packaging and integration of the radiation shielding system with the sensor, and its applicability within the reactor core was discussed. At end of the project, all components necessary for a complete sensing and monitoring system, including a langasite sensor, electrodes, the TEG harvester, an energy storage device, and power management and transmission electronics were integrated to demonstrate feasibility in powering the sensor. Finally, integration of each component into a full package, and a full demonstration were done.
The overarching goal of this project is to establish a center of excellence program at the University of Maine that is focused on Harsh Environmental Materials and Fabrication Techniques for Wireless Sensor Applications. UMaine is well-positioned to build on previous successes in the areas of materials science research and sensor engineering. Since 1980, the Laboratory for Surface Science & Technology (LASST) has been a very successful interdisciplinary UMaine research center with a well-established infrastructure to investigate surfaces, interfaces, thin films, and micro/nano-fabrication. This infrastructure established through NSF, DOE, DOD, NASA, the State of Maine, and industry includes (i) a 3,500 ft2 clean room with nano/microfabrication and photolithography instrumentation, (ii) thin film synthesis, processing and characterization, (iii) surface and thin film analytical chemistry tools, and (iv) device packaging, electronic testing, wireless devices, system fabrication, and sensor test facilities. This strong foundation is the basis for a planned significant growth in R&D capacity currently underway. To that end, since the start of this project in the Fall of 2019, LASST has undergone a transition to become a new interdisciplinary center at UMaine, named the Frontier Institute for Research in Sensor Technologies (FIRST). This new focus represents a commitment and investment by UMaine that aligns with the proposed DOE-EPSCoR theme, capitalizing on the state-of-the-art instrumentation to form an energized group of faculty and students pursuing advances in sensor materials, devices, and applications.
A rotor mounted flight instrumentation system developed for helicopter rotor blade research is described. The system utilizes high speed digital techniques to acquire research data from miniature pressure transducers on advanced rotor airfoils which are flight tested on an AH-1G helicopter. The system employs microelectronic pulse code modulation (PCM) multiplexer digitizer stations located remotely on the blade and in a hub mounted metal canister. As many as 25 sensors can be remotely digitized by a 2.5 mm thick electronics package mounted on the blade near the tip to reduce blade wiring. The electronics contained in the canister digitizes up to 16 sensors, formats these data with serial PCM data from the remote stations, and transmits the data from the canister which is above the plane of the rotor. Data are transmitted over an RF link to the ground for real time monitoring and to the helicopter fuselage for tape recording. The complete system is powered by batteries located in the canister and requires no slip rings on the rotor shaft.
The development and operational sustainment of renewable (geothermal) and non-renewable (fossil fuel) energy resources will be accompanied by increasingly higher costs factors: exploration and site preparation, operational maintenance and repair. Increased government oversight in the wake of the Gulf oil spill will only add to the cost burden. It is important to understand that downhole conditions are not just about elevated temperatures. It is often construed that military electronics are exposed to the upper limit in terms of extreme service environments. Probably the harshest of all service conditions for electronics and electrical equipment are those in oil, gas, and geothermal wells. From the technology perspective, advanced materials, sensors, and microelectronics devices are benefificial to the exploration and sustainment of energy resources, especially in terms of lower costs. Besides the need for the science that creates these breakthroughs - there is also a need for sustained engineering development and testing. Downhole oil, gas, and geothermal well applications can have a wide range of environments and reliability requirements: Temperature, Pressure, Vibration, Corrosion, and Service duration. All too frequently, these conditions are not well-defifined because the application is labeled as 'high temperature'. This ambiguity is problematic when the investigation turns to new approaches for electronic packaging solutions. The objective is to develop harsh environment, electronic packaging that meets customer requirements of cost, performance, and reliability. There are a number of challenges: (1) Materials sets - solder alloys, substrate materials; (2) Manufacturing process - low to middle volumes, low defect counts, new equipment technologies; and (3) Reliability testing - requirements documents, test methods and modeling, relevant standards documents. The cost to develop and sustain renewable and non-renewable energy resources will continue to escalate within the industry. Downhole electronics can provide a very cost-effective approach for well exploration and sustainment (data logging). However, the harsh environments are a 'game-changer' in terms defining materials, assembly processes and the long-term reliability of downhole electronic systems. The system-level approach will enable the integration of each of these contributors - materials, processes, and reliability - in order to deliver cost-effective electronics that meet customer requirements.
A system study of the potential of space technology to monitor climate changes and improve the understanding of the coupling beteen CO2 and cloud cover is summarized. The basis for the study is scientific data requirements pertinent to the U.S. Department of Energy's CO2 Research Program. The capabilities of space-based sensor systems are matched to meet these requirements. New sensor system concepts are identified, including a Space Shuttle-launched recalibration package to provide for continuity of measurement and recalibration between satellites, a high-orbit radiation budget satellite, or parallax sensor to measure cloud altitude, a passive method for the direct measurements of CO2 and a high-altitude powered platform to monitor select regional parameters. Space-based sensor systems that could be the development focus for the time frames of 0-5, 5-10 and 10-20 years are recommended.
The Carolina Infrasound package, added as a piggyback to the 2016 ULDB ight, recorded unique acoustic signals such as the ocean microbarom and a large meteor. These data both yielded unique insights into the acoustic energy transfer from the lower to the upper atmosphere as well as highlighted the vast array of signals whose origins remain unknown. Now, the opportunity to y a payload across the north Atlantic offers an opportunity to sample one of the most active ocean microbarom sources on Earth. Improvements in payload capabilities should result in characterization of the higher frequency range of the stratospheric infrasound spectrum as well. Finally, numerous large mining and munitions disposal explosions in the region may provide \ground truth" events for assessing the detection capability of infrasound microphones in the stratosphere. The flight will include three different types of infrasound sensors. One type is a pair of polarity reversed InfraBSU microphones (standard for high altitude flights since 2016), another is a highly sensitive Chaparral 60 modified for a very low corner period, and the final sensor is a lightweight, low power Gem infrasound package. By evaluating these configurations against each other on the same flight, we will be able to optimize future campaigns with different sensitivity and mass constraints.
Thermal control coating degradation data from aluminum case containing four sensors aboard Pegasus spacecraft
Thermal control coating degradation data from aluminum case containing four sensors aboard Pegasus spacecraft
NASA's In-Space Propulsion program recently selected AEC-ABLE Engineering and L'Garde, Inc. to develop scale-model solar sail hardware and demonstrate its functionality on the ground. Both are square sail designs with lightweight diagonal booms (<100 g/m) and ultra-thin membranes (<10 g/sq m). To support this technology, the authors are developing an integrated diagnostics instrumentation package for monitoring solar sail structures such as these in a near-term flight experiment. We refer to this activity as the "Optical Diagnostic System (ODS) for Solar Sails" project. The approach uses lightweight optics and photogrammetric techniques to measure solar sail membrane and boom shape and dynamics, thermography to map temperature, and non-optical sensors including MEMS accelerometers and load cells. The diagnostics package must measure key structural characteristics including deployment dynamics, sail support tension, boom and sail deflection, boom and sail natural frequencies, sail temperature, and sail integrity. This report summarizes work in the initial 6-month Phase I period (conceptual design phase) and complements the final presentation given in Huntsville, AL on January 14, 2004.
Work was divided between the analysis/forecast model development and evaluation of the impact of satellite data in mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP), development of the Multispectral Atmospheric Mapping Sensor (MAMS), and other related research. The Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) Synoptic Scale Model (SSM) has progressed from a relatively basic analysis/forecast system to a package which includes such features as nonlinear vertical mode initialization, comprehensive Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) physics, and the core of a fully four-dimensional data assimilation package. The MAMS effort has produced a calibrated visible and infrared sensor that produces imager at high spatial resolution. The MAMS was developed in order to study small scale atmospheric moisture variability, to monitor and classify clouds, and to investigate the role of surface characteristics in the production of clouds, precipitation, and severe storms.