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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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NASA WSTF Hydrogen Activities: a) Aerospace Test; b) System Certification & Verification; c) Component, System, & Facility Hazard Assessment; d) Safety Training Technical Transfer: a) Development of Voluntary Consensus Standards and Practices; b) Support of National Hydrogen Infrastructure Development.
Assembly of the NASA Lewis Research Center(LeRC)Solar Regenerative Fuel Cell (RFC) Testbed Facility has been completed and system testing has proceeded. This facility includes the integration of two 25kW photovoltaic solar cell arrays, a 25kW proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis unit, four 5kW PEM fuel cells, high pressure hydrogen and oxygen storage vessels, high purity water storage containers, and computer monitoring, control and data acquisition.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) major wind tunnel (WT), propulsion test (PT), and simulation facilities exist to serve NASA's and the nation's aeronautics needs. RAND Corporation researchers conducted a prior study of these facilities from 2002 to 2003, identifying (1) NASA's continuing ability to serve national needs, (2) which facilities appear strategically important from an engineering perspective given the vehicle classes the nation investigates and produces, and (3) management challenges and issues. This documented briefing (DB) is the final report from a new, one-year study (conducted from September 2006 through January 2008), partially updating the prior assessment. The study focuses on updating the list of facilities in the prior study that were deemed to be strategically important (again, from an engineering perspective) in serving those needs. This update also adds a new assessment of national needs for six major aeronautics simulators at NASA and lists those deemed strategically important.
This paper describes the results of two recent process improvements; drag feed-forward Mach number control and simultaneous force/moment and pressure testing, at the National Transonic Facility. These improvements have reduced the duration and cost of testing. The drag feedforward Mach number control reduces the Mach number settling time by using measured model drag in the Mach number control algorithm. Simultaneous force/moment and pressure testing allows simultaneous collection of force/moment and pressure data without sacrificing data quality thereby reducing the overall testing time. Both improvements can be implemented at any wind tunnel. Additionally the NTF is working to develop and implement continuous pitch as a testing option as an additional method to reduce costs and maintain data quality.
This paper describes the results of two recent process improvements; drag feed-forward Mach number control and simultaneous force/moment and pressure testing, at the National Transonic Facility. These improvements have reduced the duration and cost of testing. The drag feed-forward Mach number control reduces the Mach number settling time by using measured model drag in the Mach number control algorithm. Simultaneous force/moment and pressure testing allows simultaneous collection of force/moment and pressure data without sacrificing data quality thereby reducing the overall testing time. Both improvements can be implemented at any wind tunnel. Additionally the NTF is working to develop and implement continuous pitch as a testing option as an additional method to reduce costs and maintain data quality.
The “nearside” plenum door (NPD) at the 39-year-old NASA Langley Research Center (LARC) National Transonic Facility (NTF) has become increasingly recalcitrant during the opening /closing sequence. The NPD is the primary means of entry into the test section for personnel and for model installation. The sliding NPD hardware guide bearings have failed three (3) times within a one-year period and “quick fixes” were able to be made to guide rails, wheels and bearings to put the NPD back into operation. The NPD no longer can utilize a “quick fix” as the rolling hardware is at its limit for further modifications. This presentation will describe the NPD situation, the findings as to the cause of the periodic NPD failures, and the solution to remove, refurbish, and reinstall the NPD.
Preliminary results from the Heavily Instrumented ALF503R-5 Engine test conducted in the NASA Glenn Research Center Propulsion Systems Laboratory will be discussed. The effects of ice crystal icing on a full scale engine is examined and documented. This model engine, serial number LF01, was used during the inaugural icing test in the PSL facility. The reduction of thrust (rollback) events experienced by this engine in flight were replicated in the facility. Limited instrumentation was used to detect icing. Metal temperature on the exit guide vanes and outer shroud and the load measurement were the only indicators of ice formation. The current study features a similar engine, serial number LF11, which is instrumented to characterize the cloud entering the engine, detect characterize ice accretion, and visualize the ice accretion in the region of interest.
The thermal behavior of prototype thermal energy storage units (TES) in both heating and cooling modes is determined. Improved and advanced storage systems are developed and performance standards are proposed. The design and construction of a thermal cycling facility for determining the thermal behavior of full scale TES units is described. The facility has the capability for testing with both liquid and air heat transport, at variable heat input/extraction rates, over a temperature range of 0 to 280 F.
A thermal vacuum payload platform that is isolated from background vibration is required to support the development of future instruments for Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Because of the size and weight of the thermal/vacuum facility in which the instruments are tested, it is not practical to isolate the entire facility externally. Therefore, a vibration isolation system has been designed and fabricated to be installed inside the chamber. The isolation system provides a payload interface of 3.05 m (10 feet) in diameter and is capable of supporting a maximum payload weight of 4536 kg (10,000 Lbs). A counterweight system has been included to insure stability of payloads having high centers of gravity. The vibration isolation system poses a potential problem in that leakage into the chamber could compromise the ability to maintain vacuum. Strict specifications were imposed on the isolation system design to minimize leakage. Vibration measurements, obtained inside the chamber, prior to installing the vibration isolation system, indicated levels in all axes of approximately 1 milli-g at about 20 Hz. The vibration isolation system was designed to provide a minimum attenuation of 40 dB to these levels. This paper describes the design and testing of this unique vibration isolation system. Problems with leakage and corrective methods are presented. Isolation performance results are also presented.
Preliminary results from the heavily instrumented ALF502R-5 engine test conducted in the NASA Glenn Research Center Propulsion Systems Laboratory are discussed. The effects of ice crystal icing on a full scale engine is examined and documented. This same model engine, serial number LF01, was used during the inaugural icing test in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory facility. The uncommanded reduction of thrust (rollback) events experienced by this engine in flight were simulated in the facility. Limited instrumentation was used to detect icing on the LF01 engine. Metal temperatures on the exit guide vanes and outer shroud and the load measurement were the only indicators of ice formation. The current study features a similar engine, serial number LF11, which is instrumented to characterize the cloud entering the engine, detect/characterize ice accretion, and visualize the ice accretion in the region of interest. Data were acquired at key LF01 test points and additional points that explored: icing threshold regions, low altitude, high altitude, spinner heat effects, and the influence of varying the facility and engine parameters. For each condition of interest, data were obtained from some selected variations of ice particle median volumetric diameter, total water content, fan speed, and ambient temperature. For several cases the NASA in-house engine icing risk assessment code was used to find conditions that would lead to a rollback event. This study further helped NASA develop necessary icing diagnostic instrumentation, expand the capabilities of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory, and generate a dataset that will be used to develop and validate in-house icing prediction and risk mitigation computational tools. The ice accretion on the outer shroud region was acquired by internal video cameras. The heavily instrumented engine showed good repeatability of icing responses when compared to the key LF01 test points and during day-to-day operation. Other noticeable observations are presented.
Preliminary results from the heavily instrumented ALF502R-5 engine test conducted in the NASA Glenn Research Center Propulsion Systems Laboratory are discussed. The effects of ice crystal icing on a full scale engine is examined and documented. This same model engine, serial number LF01, was used during the inaugural icing test in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory facility. The uncommanded reduction of thrust (rollback) events experienced by this engine in flight were simulated in the facility. Limited instrumentation was used to detect icing on the LF01 engine. Metal temperatures on the exit guide vanes and outer shroud and the load measurement were the only indicators of ice formation. The current study features a similar engine, serial number LF11, which is instrumented to characterize the cloud entering the engine, detect/ characterize ice accretion, and visualize the ice accretion in the region of interest. Data were acquired at key LF01 test points and additional points that explored: icing threshold regions, low altitude, high altitude, spinner heat effects, and the influence of varying the facility and engine parameters. For each condition of interest, data were obtained from some selected variations of ice particle median volumetric diameter, total water content, fan speed, and ambient temperature. For several cases the NASA in-house engine icing risk assessment code was used to find conditions that would lead to a rollback event. This study further helped NASA develop necessary icing diagnostic instrumentation, expand the capabilities of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory, and generate a dataset that will be used to develop and validate in-house icing prediction and risk mitigation computational tools. The ice accretion on the outer shroud region was acquired by internal video cameras. The heavily instrumented engine showed good repeatability of icing responses when compared to the key LF01 test points and during day-to-day operation. Other noticeable observations are presented.
A sonic boom simulator at NASA Langley Research Center has been constructed for research on human response to low-amplitude sonic booms heard indoors. Research in this facility will ultimately lead to development of a psychoacoustic model for single indoor booms. The first subjective test was designed to explore indoor human response to variations in sonic boom rise time and amplitude. Another goal was to identify loudness level variability across listener locations within the facility. Finally, the test also served to evaluate the facility as a laboratory research tool for studying indoor human response to sonic booms. Subjects listened to test sounds and were asked to rate their annoyance relative to a reference boom. Measurements of test signals were conducted for objective analysis and correlation with subjective responses. Results confirm the functionality of the facility and effectiveness of the test methods and indicate that loudness level does not fully describe indoor annoyance to the selected sonic boom signals.
Development of new air revitalization system (ARS) technology can initially be performed in a subscale laboratory environment, but in order to advance the maturity level, the technology must be tested in an end-to-end integrated environment. The Air Revitalization Technology Evaluation Facility (ARTEF) at the NASA Johnson Space Center serves as a ground test bed for evaluating emerging ARS technologies in an environment representative of spacecraft atmospheres. At the center of the ARTEF is a hypobaric chamber which serves as a sealed atmospheric chamber for closed loop testing. A Human Metabolic Simulator (HMS) was custom-built to simulate the consumption of oxygen, and production of carbon dioxide, moisture and heat of up to eight persons. A multitude of gas analyzers and dew point sensors are used to monitor the chamber atmosphere upstream and downstream of a test article. A robust vacuum system is needed to simulate the vacuum of space. A reliable data acquisition and control system is required to connect all the subsystems together. This paper presents the capabilities of the integrated test facility and some of the issues encountered during the integration.
Report describes equipment and techniques used in vibration testing of aircraft on ground at Dryden Flight Research Facility. Includes discussions of role of ground vibration testing in qualification of new and modified aircraft for flight and of experience gained from various applications.
No abstract available
Different aspects of Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) testing are currently taking place at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Unique to this testing is the variety of test areas and the fact that all are located in one building. The north high bay of building 4755, the Core Module Integration Facility (CMIF), contains the following test areas: the Subsystem Test Area, the Comparative Test Area, the Process Material Management System (PMMS), the Core Module Simulator (CMS), the End-use Equipment Facility (EEF), and the Pre-development Operational System Test (POST) Area. This paper addresses the facility that supports these test areas and briefly describes the testing in each area. Future plans for the building and Space Station module configurations will also be discussed.
A facility was constructed to provide relatively low cost testing of hot section turbine blade and vane materials under hot corrosion conditions more akin to service environments. The facility consists of a small combustor whose pressurized gas flow can be directed to either a test section consisting of three small cascaded specimens or to a partial admittance single-stage axial flow turbine. The turbine rotor contains 28 replaceable turbine blades. The combustion gases resulting from the burning of Jet A-l fuel can be seeded with measured amounts of alkali salts. This facility is described here along with preliminary corrosion test results obtained during the final checkout of the facility.
The Panel Oxidation and Erosion Testbed (POET) facility under construction at GASL to provide the required test environment is described. The POET facility comprises three major element including a vitiated air heater, a supersonic nozzle, and a test section. A hydrogen-fueld vitiated air heater will provide the oxidizing and erosive environment. The flow through the test section characterized by low supersonic speed and Mach number of 1.4 will maximize the local heat transfer rate and the local surface shear stress.