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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 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

On-board data management study for EOPAP

The requirements, implementation techniques, and mission analysis associated with on-board data management for EOPAP were studied. SEASAT-A was used as a baseline, and the storage requirements, data rates, and information extraction requirements were investigated for each of the following proposed SEASAT sensors: a short pulse 13.9 GHz radar, a long pulse 13.9 GHz radar, a synthetic aperture radar, a multispectral passive microwave radiometer facility, and an infrared/visible very high resolution radiometer (VHRR). Rate distortion theory was applied to determine theoretical minimum data rates and compared with the rates required by practical techniques. It was concluded that practical techniques can be used which approach the theoretically optimum based upon an empirically determined source random process model. The results of the preceding investigations were used to recommend an on-board data management system for (1) data compression through information extraction, optimal noiseless coding, source coding with distortion, data buffering, and data selection under command or as a function of data activity, (2) for command handling, (3) for spacecraft operation and control, and (4) for experiment operation and monitoring.

Davisson, L. D.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A Method for the Study of Human Factors in Aircraft Operations

A method for the study of human factors in the aviation environment is described. A conceptual framework is provided within which pilot and other human errors in aircraft operations may be studied with the intent of finding out how, and why, they occurred. An information processing model of human behavior serves as the basis for the acquisition and interpretation of information relating to occurrences which involve human error. A systematic method of collecting such data is presented and discussed. The classification of the data is outlined.

Barnhart, W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Operational applications of satellite snowcover observations in Rio Grande drainage of Colorado

Various mapping techniques were tried and evaluated. There were many problems encountered such as distinquishing clouds from snow and snow under trees. A partial solution to some of the problems involves ground reconnaissance and low air flights. Snow areas, cloud cover, and total areas were planimetered after transferring imagery by use of zoom transfer scope. These determinations were then compared to areas determined by use of a density slicer. Considerable adjustment is required for these two values to compare. NOAA pictures were also utilized in the evaluation. Forest cover is one of the parameters used in the modeling process. The determination of this percentage is being explored.

Washicheck, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Application of the CINGEN program a thermal network data generator

The application of the CINGEN computer program and two of its supporting programs for the evaluation of structural and thermal performance of physical systems was described. The CINGEN program was written and implemented to avoid the duplication effort of performing a finite element approach for structural analysis and a finite differencing technique for thermal analysis, as well as the desire for a geometrical representation of the thermal model to reduce modeling errors. The program simplifies the thermal modeling process by performing all of the capacitance and conductance calculations normally done by the analyst. Each solid element is divided into five tetrahedrons, allowing the total volume to be calculated precisely. A sample problem was illustrated.

Shultz, W. E.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Water resources planning for rivers draining into Mobile Bay

The application of remote sensing, automatic data processing, modeling and other aerospace related technologies to hydrological engineering and water resource management are discussed for the entire river drainage system which feeds the Mobile Bay estuary. The adaptation and implementation of existing mathematical modeling methods are investigated for the purpose of describing the behavior of Mobile Bay. Of particular importance are the interactions that system variables such as river flow rate, wind direction and speed, and tidal state have on the water movement and quality within the bay system.

April, G. C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

The computer simulation of automobile use patterns for defining battery requirements for electric cars

The modeling process of a complex system, based on the calculation and optimization of the system parameters, is complicated in that some parameters can be expressed only as probability distributions. In the present paper, a Monte Carlo technique was used to determine the daily range requirements of an electric road vehicle in the United States from probability distributions of trip lengths, frequencies, and average annual mileage data. The analysis shows that a daily range of 82 miles meets to 95% of the car-owner requirements at all times with the exception of long vacation trips. Further, it is shown that the requirement of a daily range of 82 miles can be met by a (intermediate-level) battery technology characterized by an energy density of 30 to 50 Watt-hours per pound. Candidate batteries in this class are nickel-zinc, nickel-iron, and iron-air. These results imply that long-term research goals for battery systems should be focused on lower cost and longer service life, rather than on higher energy densities

Schwartz, H.-J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Kalman filter divergence and aircraft motion estimators

Kalman filters designed for many aerospace systems turn out to be unsatisfactory. The estimate errors become large compared to the errors predicted by the theory ('divergence'). One of the principal causes of this failure is that the system model contains states or modes that are undisturbed by the modeled process noise, and are neutrally stable (NS). One cure for such problems is periodic restarting of a time-varying Kalman filter. Other cures include minimum variance observers with eigenvalue constraints, added noise, pole-shifting, and destabilization. Several examples are given, including effective time-invariant estimators for the longitudinal and lateral motions of an airplane where several NS modes are undisturbed by wind gusts. An interpretation of these estimators as a 'strapdown IMU' without accelerometers, gimbaled gyros, or servos is given.

Bryson, A. E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Mathematical Modeling of Diverse Phenomena

Tensor calculus is applied to the formulation of mathematical models of diverse phenomena. Aeronautics, fluid dynamics, and cosmology are among the areas of application. The feasibility of combining tensor methods and computer capability to formulate problems is demonstrated. The techniques described are an attempt to simplify the formulation of mathematical models by reducing the modeling process to a series of routine operations, which can be performed either manually or by computer.

Howard, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Optical and infrared variability of B2 1308+326

Optical and infrared polarimetric and photometric observations of the BL Lacertae object B2 1308+326 during its high-luminosity outburst in the spring of 1978 are reported. The energy distribution, polarization at 0.6 and 2.2 microns, flux and polarization variability and position angle and strength of polarization variations of B2 1308+326, which has a luminosity greater than 10 to the 48th ergs/sec, are observed to be similar to those of BL Lac objects of much lower luminosity, suggesting the same emission process. Models of BL Lac object emission accounting for the high luminosity of B2 1308+326 are examined, and the isotropic synchrotron model is found to be more applicable to the optical and infrared emission of BL Lac objects than a model invoking relativistically enhanced emission.

Moore, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Silicon Research and Technology Workshop report

The materials, structures, processing, modeling and measurements of high efficiency silicon solar cells were surveyed. In the materials area, highlights included: (1) the possibility of improving cell voltages by reducing minority carrier mobilities in critical regions of the solar cells; (2) the need for and possibility of lowering the surface recombination velocity for improvement of open circuit voltage in shallow junction cells; (3) the present need for improved lifetime in high resistivity cells; and (4) the potential for new materials such as polycrystalline or dendritic web material to perform well at end of life in a radiation environment. In the area of structures, distinction was made between those for terrestrial use and those that would survive radiation environments. Areas such as epitaxial growth and laser or elctron beam annealing (and diffusion) were proposed as having certain advantages over more conventional techniques.

Meulenberg, A., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Ultimate limits to error probabilities for ionospheric models based on solar geophysical indices and how these compare with the state of the art

An ideal model based on a given set of geophysical indices is defined as a model that provides a least squares fit to the data set as a function of the indices considered. Satellite measurements of electron content for three stations at different magnetic latitudes were used to provide such data sets which were each fitted to the geophysical indices. The magnitude of the difference between the measured value and the derived equation for the data set was used to estimate the probability of making an error greater than a given magnitude for such an ideal model. Atmospheric Explorer C data is used to examine the causes of the fluctuations and suggestions are made about how real improvements can be made in ionospheric forecasting ability. Joule heating inputs in the auroral electrojets are related to the AL and AU magnetic indices. Magnetic indices based on the time integral of the energy deposited in the electrojets are proposed for modeling processes affected by auroral zone heating.

Nisbet, J. S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Steady-state observations of geomagnetically trapped energetic heavy ions and their implications for theory

Data from the Heavy Ion Telescope on board Explorer 45 and the heavy ion channels on the ATS-6 spacecraft are used to describe the equatorial radial profiles of protons and He ions in the energy range of 0.1-1 MeV/nucleon. Measurements during a quiet period in June 1972 revealed that: fluxes of energetic protons and heavy ions inside L equals 4.5 are stable, with no observed decay; He ions of a given level are confined to the equatorial plane in a narrow L-range centered at Lmax; the equatorial differential flux ratio, compared on the basis of equal energy/ion, can exceed unity, indicating that He ion fluxes can be greater than equivalent energy proton fluxes; radial diffusion driven by variations of the magnetic field adequately models processes occurring in the inner magnetosphere for ion energies over 200 keV. The ATS-6 data from GEO found energetic heavy ions always present at L equals 6.6 and enhanced during magnetospheric substorms.

Fritz, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

A domain segmentation approach to modeling distributed parameter systems

Existing modeling methods in distributed parameter systems are directed to field problems for which a single equation gives an adequate representation. As a result, the techniques are severely taxed when coefficients of the governing partial differential equation (PDE) have relatively complex functional forms. The field is postulated to consist of contiguous regions that are easily modeled. During the modeling process itself, the regional boundaries are identified using a method based on pattern recognition (PR) techniques. The method was tested on computer simulations of a water quality resource system. Quantitative measures are developed and used to demonstrate the feasibility of applying the methodology to realistic distributed parameter systems (DPS's).

Apenyo, K.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Reliability calculation using randomization for Markovian fault-tolerant computing systems

The randomization technique for computing transient probabilities of Markov processes is presented. The technique is applied to a Markov process model of a simplified fault tolerant computer system for illustrative purposes. It is applicable to much larger and more complex models. Transient state probabilities are computed, from which reliabilities are derived. An accelerated version of the randomization algorithm is developed which exploits ''stiffness' of the models to gain increased efficiency. A great advantage of the randomization approach is that it easily allows probabilities and reliabilities to be computed to any predetermined accuracy.

Miller, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Formulation and solution of rotary-wing aeroelastic stability and response problems

The state of the art in the formulation and solution of rotary-wing aeroelastic stability and response problems is reviewed in detail. The approximations used in the structural, inertia and aerodynamic operators are discussed. The important role of geometric nonlinearities, due to moderate deflections, and aerodynamic stall in the aeroelastic stability and response problem are identified. It is also shown that geometric nonlinearities are of primary importance in aeroelastic stability calculations, and have a more limited, though important, role in response calculations. Next, formulation of coupled rotor/fuselage problems is described, for both air and ground resonance type problems. Both topics, the isolated blade problem and the coupled rotor/fuselage problem, are treated for both hover and forward flight. Solution of aeroelastic stability and response problems proceeds in two stages. First, the spatial dependence is eliminated by using Galerkin's method, or by using the finite element method. Next the nonlinear, or linear, ordinary differential equation with periodic coefficients have to be solved for stability or response. Efficient numerical methods for accomplishing these objectives are presented in a comprehensive manner. The paper contains a number of illustrative numerical results which are intended to clarify various aspects of the modeling process and serve as representative results for both aeroelastic stability and response calculations for a variety of blade and rotor configurations.

Friedmann, P. P.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Fundamental Remote Sensing Science Research Program. Part 1: Scene Radiation and Atmospheric Effects Characterization Project

Brief articles summarizing the status of research in the scene radiation and atmospheric effect characterization (SRAEC) project are presented. Research conducted within the SRAEC program is focused on the development of empirical characterizations and mathematical process models which relate the electromagnetic energy reflected or emitted from a scene to the biophysical parameters of interest.

R E Murphy↗
NASA NTRS1984

An overview of NASA intermittent combustion engine research

This paper overviews the current program, whose objective is to establish the generic technology base for advanced aircraft I.C. engines of the early 1990's and beyond. The major emphasis of this paper is on development of the past two years. Past studies and ongoing confirmatory experimental efforts are reviewed, which show unexpectly high potential when modern aerospace technologies are applied to inherently compact and balanced I.C. engine configurations. Currently, the program is focussed on two engine concepts the stratified-charge, multi-fuel rotary, and the lightweight two-stroke diesel. A review is given of contracted and planned high performance one-rotor and one-cylinder test engine work addressing several levels of technology. Also reviewed are basic supporting efforts, e.g., the development and experimental validation of computerized airflow and combustion process models, being performed in-house at Lewis Research Center and by university grants.

Willis, E. A.↗