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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 NTRS2010

Learning Design at White Sands Test Facility

During the Fall of 2010, I spent my time at NASA White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, NM as an Undergraduate Student Research Program (USRP) Intern. During that time, I was given three projects to work on: Large Altitude Simulation System (LASS) basket strainer, log books, and the design of a case for touch screen monitors used for simulations. I spent most of my time on the LASS basket strainer. The LASS system has a water feed line with a basket strainer that filters out rust. In 2009, there were three misfires which cost approximately $27,000 and about 8% of the allotted time. The strainer was getting a large change in pressure that would result in a shutdown of the system. I have designed a new basket that will eliminate the large pressure change and it can be used with the old basket strainer housing. The LASS system has three steam generators (modules). Documents pertaining to these modules are stored electronically, and the majority of the documents are not able to be searched with keywords, so they have to be gone through one by one. I have come up with an idea on how to organize these files so that the Propulsion Department may efficiently search through the documents needed. Propulsion also has a LASS simulator that incorporates two touch screen monitors. Currently these monitors are in six foot by two foot metal cabinet on wheels. During simulation these monitors are used in the block house and need to be taken out of the block house when not in use. I have designed different options for hand held cases for storing and transporting the monitors in and out of the block house. The three projects previously mentioned demonstrate my contributions to the Propulsion Department and have taught me real world experience that is essential in becoming a productive engineer.

Grotewiel, Shane↗
NASA NTRS2018

Electrolytes for Low Impedance, Wide Operating Temperature Range Lithium-Ion Battery Module

A lithium ion battery cell includes a housing, a cathode disposed within the housing, wherein the cathode comprises a cathode active material, an anode disposed within the housing, wherein the anode comprises an anode active material, and an electrolyte disposed within the housing and in contact with the cathode and anode. The electrolyte consists essentially of a solvent mixture, a lithium salt in a concentration ranging from approximately 1.0 molar (M) to approximately 1.6 M, and an additive mixture. The solvent mixture includes a cyclic carbonate, an non-cyclic carbonate, and a linear ester. The additive mixture consists essentially of lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiDFOB) in an amount ranging from approximately 0.5 weight percent to approximately 2.0 weight percent based on the weight of the electrolyte, and vinylene carbonate (VC) in an amount ranging from approximately 0.5 weight percent to approximately 2.0 weight percent based on the weight of the electrolyte.

Hallac, Boutros↗
NASA NTRS2019

Overexpression of Catalase in Mitochondria Mitigates the Effects of Simulated Microgravity and Social Isolation on Cytokine Expression in Mouse Hippocampus

Space flight missions are becoming longer and more common and evidence points to the physiological toll the missions have on the human body. Aging, sedentary lifestyle, and spaceflight have similar degenerative effects on almost every part of our body; both exposure to the space environment and aging result in cardiovascular deconditioning, bone loss, muscle atrophy, brain changes, and immune response impairment. We hypothesize that exposure to the space environment generates excessive Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), which results in neuroinflammation and aging-like degenerative symptoms in the brain. We used the hindlimb unloading (HU) model to mimic microgravity with either paired or single housed animals (social isolation). Responses to 30d (30 days) of HU were compared in wildtype or transgenic MCAT (Mitochondrial-targeted CATalase) mice, in which mitochondrial ROS is quenched by over-expression of human catalase. Expression of 4-Hydroxynonenal (4HNE) and Park7 (redox-sensitive chaperone and sensor of oxidative stress) were measured by ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay), a protein array quantified from the hippocampal cytokines and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine in serum was measured by ELISA to assess oxidative DNA damage. Preliminary analysis of cage behavior patterns from video collected at the end of the study showed that MCAT HU mice (socially housed) were more active and conducted more exploratory activities compared to NL (Normally Loaded). Our biochemical results showed simulated microgravity and/or social isolation caused changes in levels of cytokines related to immune responses. Two-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) revealed significant interaction effects of HU and genotype in expression levels of five cytokines (out of 35) in socially-housed animals. Elevation of these generally pro-inflammatory cytokines by HU in WT (Wild Type) mice was mitigated in MCAT mice, suggesting a role for mitochondrial ROS signaling in inflammatory CNS (Central Nervous System) responses to microgravity. Interestingly, some of these cytokines in the hippocampus displayed strong correlations to the 4HNE levels. We also found substantive cytokine responses to social isolation in the hippocampus; housing and genotype interaction effects were significant (by 2-Factor ANOVA) for 15 cytokines, most of which were mitigated in MCAT mice.Taken together, our results showed that both simulated microgravity and social isolation influenced cytokine levels in the hippocampus and MCAT mice were at least partially protected from these changes. These findings implicate a potentially important role for mitochondrial ROS in CNS responses to the challenges posed by long duration spaceflight.

MCAT↗
NASA NTRS2019

Lunar Glovebox Balance with Wireless Technology

The most important equipment required for processing lunar samples is a high-quality mass balance for maintaining accurate weight inventory, security, and scientific study. After careful review, a Curation Office memo by Michael Duke in 1978 chose the Mettler PL200 to be used for sample weight measurements inside the gloveboxes (Fig. 3). These commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) balances did not meet the strict accepted material requirements in the Lunar lab. As a result, each balance housing, weighing pan, and wiring was custom retrofitted to meet Lunar Operating Procedure (LOP) 54 requirements [for material construction restrictions]. The original design drawings for the custom housings, readout support stands, and wiring were done by the JSC engineering directorate. The 1977- 1978 schematics, drawings, and files are now housed in the curation Data Center. Per the design specifications, the housing was fabricated from aluminum grade 6061 T6, seamless welds, and anodized per MIL-A-8625 type I, class I. The balance feet were TFE Teflon and any required joints were sealed with Viton A gaskets. The readout display and support stands outside the glovebox were fabricated from 300 series stainless steel with #4 finish and mounted to the glovebox with welded bolts. Wire harnesses that linked the balance with the outside display and power were encapsulated with TFE Teflon and transported through custom Deutsch wire bulk head pass-through systems from inside to outside the glovebox. These Deutsch connectors were custom fabricated with 316L stainless steel bodies, Viton A O-rings, aluminum 6061 with electroless nickel plating, Teflon (replacing the silicone), and gold crimp connectors (no soldering). Many of the Deutsch connectors may have been used in the Apollo program high vacuum complex in building 37 and date to about 1968 to 1970.

Zeigler, Ryan A.↗
DOE OSTI2020

High voltage, cross-field, gas switch and method of operation

A high voltage gas switch includes a gas-tight housing containing an ionizable gas at a preselected gas pressure. The gas switch includes a gas-tight housing containing an ionizable gas at a gas pressure selected based upon a Paschen curve for the ionizable gas, where the Paschen curve plots breakdown voltages of the ionizable gas as a function of gas pressure multiplied by grid-to-anode distance, and where values of gas pressure multiplied by grid-to-anode distance increase over at least a portion of the Paschen curve in conjunction with increasing breakdown voltages. The gas switch also includes an anode disposed within the gas-tight housing, a cathode disposed within the gas-tight housing, and a control grid positioned between the anode and the cathode, where the control grid is spaced apart from the anode by a grid-to-anode distance selected based upon a desired operating voltage.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Micro-inverter assembly for use in a photovoltaic system and method of making same

A micro-inverter assembly for use in a photovoltaic system includes a housing, a direct current (DC)-to-alternating current (AC) micro-inverter disposed within the housing, and a DC connector electrically coupled to the DC-to-AC micro-inverter. The DC connector is positioned within a recess formed in a bottom surface of the housing such that at least one electrical contact of the DC connector is accessible from outside the housing. According to alternative embodiments, the DC connector comprises a plug-and-play connector constructed for one of a rotational engagement and a translational engagement with a DC connector of a photovoltaic (PV) panel.

Cioffi, Philip Michael↗
DOE OSTI2022

Operando nuclear magnetic resonance rotor insert

A magic angle sample spinning nuclear magnetic resonance system including a housing, a cryogenic fluid in the housing, a magnet in the housing, a probe in the housing, a magic angle sample spinning insert in the probe, a sample battery in the magic angle sample spinning insert, a photovoltaic cell in the magic angle sample spinning insert wherein the photovoltaic cell is connected to the sample battery, an optic fiber operatively connected to the photovoltaic cell, and a laser operatively connected to the optic fiber wherein the laser provides power to charge the sample battery during the magic angle sample spinning nuclear magnetic resonance.

Marple, Maxwell↗
DOE OSTI2022

Stabilized birnessite cathode for high power and high energy density applications

A battery comprises a housing, an electrolyte disposed in the housing, an anode disposed in the housing, a stabilized cathode disposed in the housing and comprising a cathode material. The cathode material comprises a composition selected from birnessite or layered-polymorph of manganese dioxide (δ-MnO2), the composition being stabilized by bismuth and copper ions, a conductive carbon, and a binder. The anode can be at least 50% (m/m) lithium, magnesium, aluminum, or zinc.

Yadav, Gautam G.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Rotating cooling system for wind turbine generator

A generator, which may be used in a wind turbine, has a first stationary component carrying a first winding configuration and a second rotating component carrying a second winding configuration. The second rotating component includes a body portion and a plurality of teeth spaced around and extending radially from the body portion. The second winding configuration is arranged in slots defined between adjacent teeth. A housing is arranged around and rotates with the body portion. A heat exchange circuit is arranged on the second rotating component and includes a coolant channel defined in the teeth; a pump; and a heat exchanger arranged on the housing so as to rotate with the housing, the heat exchanger transverse to a rotational direction of the housing.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fuel injection module for segmented annular combustion system

The present disclosure is directed to a fuel injection module for a segmented annular combustion system. The fuel injection module includes a housing body, a fuel nozzle portion, and at least one fuel injection lance. The fuel nozzle portion is fluidly coupled to a fuel nozzle plenum within the housing body, and the at least one fuel injection lance is fluidly coupled to an injector fuel plenum within the housing body. In some cases, the fuel nozzle portion is a bundled tube fuel nozzle having one or more subsets of tubes. The fuel injection lances are positioned along a radial side of the housing body or circumferentially between two subsets of tubes. Liquid fuel cartridges extend through the fuel nozzle portion, the fuel injection lances, or both.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

High temperature corrosion sensor

A high temperature corrosion sensor is provided having (i) a housing having an external wall and an internal wall, the internal wall of the housing forming a chamber of the housing, (ii) a stainless steel tube inserted into the chamber, (iii) a ceramic tube wherein at least a portion of the ceramic tube is inserted into the stainless steel tube, (iv) an airflow tube that extends through the chamber, and (v) a sensor probe having a first working electrode, a second working electrode, a reference electrode, a positive electrical resistance, a negative electrical resistance, and a thermocouple, wherein at least a portion of each are encapsulated into a ceramic casting that is located at one end of the housing. Methods of measuring corrosion within a power plant environment are provided.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Results from Laboratory and Field Study of Thin Triple Pane Windows

Heat transfer through windows accounts for a significant percentage of a building’s energy use and adds substantially to the peak cooling load of a home. In recent years, improvements in glass manufacturing have enabled the use of a very thin central pane of glass similar to a cell phone screen to produce a thin triple-pane window, for finished insulated glass units (IGUs) with an overall thickness similar to standard double-pane windows. Because this highly insulating “thin triple” glass product can be incorporated into almost any existing window frame and can be fabricated at a modest added cost, the U.S. Department of Energy sponsored laboratory and field demonstration testing of thin triple-pane windows to validate thermal performance and installation requirements in real-life field settings. Thin triple pane windows were evaluated at the PNNL Lab Homes, a matched pair of manufactured houses located on PNNL’s campus in Richland, Washington and also at 16 different field study sites around the country. The experimental results include a comparison of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) energy usage, condensation potential, occupant comfort, sound infiltration, and thermal performance. Field study data will be gathered through June of 2022; preliminary results are being shared in this paper. The lab houses are identical except that the reference house had standard double pane windows with assembly U-0.66 and the test house had thin triple pane windows with assembly U-0.19. Across the experimental test days, the daily HVAC savings ranged from 0.2 to 18.7 kWh (3%–18%) for the heating season and from 2.5 to 8.0 kWh (23%–41%) for the cooling season. The higher thermal performance of the thin triple-pane windows also reduced the condensation potential on the interior surface during winter months and provided more even distribution of temperatures throughout the home in comparison to the baseline. In addition to the added thermal performance, the thin triple-pane windows demonstrated significant acoustic benefits, reducing sound infiltration by 8 dB to 10 dB. For the field test portion of the project thin triple pane insulated glass units were produced by two different manufacturers, and then installed without modification into the ½” IGU pockets of the standard double pane frames of four other manufacturers. Field tests performed on existing homes in Washington, Montana, Colorado, and New York compared thin triple pane retrofits to original window conditions (before and after). Field tests at new construction sites in Minnesota, Michigan, and New York compared thin triple pane windows to commercially available solutions such as double pane or traditional triple pane (with a standard-thickness center pane). Field test work is ongoing, but preliminary results appear to follow the sound, surface temperature, and energy improvement results from the Lab Homes comparison. Additionally, reports from builders and installers indicate that thin triples require almost no added time or effort to install and look nearly identical to other windows, indicating the possibility of offering next-level performance with a product that requires very little modification to current production or installation practices, long considered a major barrier to technology uptake in the construction market.

energy efficiency, home retrofit, Windows, window ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Apparatus and method for lithium-ion cells

A method including supporting a plurality of lithium-ion cells disposed within respective isolation chambers of a thermally insulating cell support structure, and disposing a thermal dissipation member between a housing and the plurality of lithium-ion cells so as to collectively form a heat sink with each lithium-ion cell of the plurality of lithium-ion cells and the housing, where the plurality of lithium-ion cells are disposed within the housing, the thermal dissipation member closes a respective open end of each of the respective isolation chambers to physically isolate each isolation chamber from each other isolation chamber, and the thermal dissipation member is thermally coupled to the plurality of lithium-ion cells so as to dissipate thermal energy from one of the plurality of lithium-ion cells to the housing and at least another of the plurality of lithium-ion cells, through the thermal dissipation member.

Day, Gregory R.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Nuclear reactor core support system providing radial and axial support

A nuclear reactor core mechanical support bracket is disclosed. The support bracket includes a housing, a spring disposed internally within the housing, a shaft slidingly disposed within the housing, a shaft travel pin, and a flange. The shaft is configured to engage the spring to compress and decompress the spring as the shaft travels in and out of the housing. The shaft travel pin controls the travel of the shaft. The flange is configured to mount the nuclear reactor core mechanical support bracket to a canister of a nuclear reactor. The shaft includes an inset configured to interface with a nuclear reactor core component.

Aleshin, Yuriy↗
DOE OSTI2023

Micro-reactor core mechanical support

A nuclear reactor core mechanical support bracket is disclosed. The support bracket includes a housing, a spring disposed internally within the housing, a shaft slidingly disposed within the housing, a shaft travel pin, and a flange. The shaft is configured to engage the spring to compress and decompress the spring as the shaft travels in and out of the housing. The shaft travel pin controls the travel of the shaft. The flange is configured to mount the nuclear reactor core mechanical support bracket to a canister of a nuclear reactor. The shaft includes an inset configured to interface with a nuclear reactor core component.

Aleshin, Yuriy↗
DOE OSTI2024

Modular thermal and radiation shielding with passive heat removal

A housing assembly configured to house a reactor is disclosed. The housing assembly includes a plurality of modular walls configured to surround the reactor and a passive temperature control system. The plurality of modular walls includes a first modular wall. The passive temperature control system is coupled to the first modular wall. The passive temperature control system is configured to transfer heat between the reactor and an area around the housing assembly.

Trupiano, Anthony G.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Electrochemical cells and methods of manufacturing thereof

An electrochemical cell includes a housing, a positive electrode substrate disposed within a first electrode chamber of the housing, a negative electrode substrate disposed within a second electrode chamber of the housing, and a separator may be disposed within the housing between the first electrode chamber and the second electrode chamber. A method further includes pumping a manufacturing electrolyte through the positive electrode portion around the positive electrode substrate. The method further includes applying a first electrical signal to the positive electrode substrate so as to electrochemically fabricate one or both of an active material the negative electrode substrate to form a negative electrode and/or an active material on the positive electrode substrate, thereby forming a positive electrode.

Lopes, Pietro Papa↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fully Distributed Multi-Material Magnetic Sensing Structures for Multiparameter DAS Applications

This dissertation demonstrates the first of its kind distributed magnetic field sensor based on a fiber optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) scheme. Ferromagnetic nickel and Metglas® were dispersed internally within a fiber optic preform and then drawn on an in-house fiber optic draw tower to lengths in the kilometers. Due to the close proximity of the ferromagnetic metals and fiber optic core, the magnetostrictive strain response of the ferromagnetic materials when exposed to a magnetic field would perturbate within the fiber cladding and transfer that strain, internally, to the fiber optic core. Strain resulting from the magnetostrictive effect allows the DAS based sensor to accurately translate strain into readable magnetic field data. Due to the high sensitivity seen in this sensor design, multiparameter sources, acoustic and magnetic fields, were tested and validated and a three dimensional magnetic-field vector sensor was proposed. Numerical analysis of the novel sensor design was first implemented using COMSOL Multiphysics, where inputs such as magnetostrictive element shape, size, distance, and number were first investigated. Upon optimizing system constraints, the sensor design was further modified such that single mode operation was consistent across multiple fiber draws while retaining high strain transfer from the ferromagnetic elements to the fiber optic core. Ferromagnetic material selection was evaluated as a function of the saturation magnetostriction constants and a total of 4 modules were used to fully characterize the complex physics involved in this sensor design. All fabrication and testing were performed in-house using a full scale 3-story fiber draw tower and custom environmental testing stations to imitate naturally occurring events such as magnetic or acoustic point sources. A unique stacking method was used to embed ferromagnetic nickel and Metglas® into a fiber optic preform which when combined with a custom fiber draw process resulted in consistent multi-material fibers drawn to lengths of 1-km. In-house testing facilities included different types of electromagnetic generators, in addition to a soil test bed, and an outdoor test bed which allowed 100 meters of fiber to be tested simultaneously. All tested sensors demonstrated high strain transfer capabilities on the order of 0.01-10 μϵ depending on the materials used, ferromagnetic rod number, and core to metal spacing. Due to the sensitivity of the system the difference between AC and DC was distinct, and directional magnetostriction was studied. Transverse and longitudinal magnetic wave propagation was controlled through a solenoid and rectangular Helmholtz coil, both built in-house. A three-dimensional magnetic field vector sensor was proposed due to the success of the magnetic field sensor, and a design was proposed and initially tested to validate direction as a function of field strength and distance. To summarize, this dissertation explores the first fully distributed magnetic field sensor using DAS based techniques and one of the first multi-material fiber draw processes which can produce consistent single mode fiber up to 1-km. Due to extensive FEA modeling, multiple iterations of the magnetic sensor were fully characterized and an equation describing the relationship between sensor design and strain transfer has been created and validated experimentally. Multi-parameter tests including acoustic and magnetic fields were implemented and an algorithm was developed to separate the mixed signals. Finally, a test was performed to demonstrate the feasibility of sensing magnetic fields directionally. Cumulative results demonstrate a high-quality sensor alternative to current designs which may surpass other magnetic sensors due to innate multi-parameter capabilities, in addition to the inexpensive production cost and extremely long operating lengths.

02 PETROLEUM↗