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At least 469 records · Page 26

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1987

A distributed data acquisition system for aeronautics test facilities

The NASA Lewis Research Center is in the process of installing a new data acquisition and display system. This new system will provide small and medium sized aeronautics test facilities with a state-of-the-art real-time data acquisition and display system. The new data system will provide for the acquisition of signals from a variety of instrumentation sources. They include analog measurements of temperatures, pressures, and other steady state voltage inputs; frequency inputs to measure speed and flow; discrete I/O for significant events, and modular instrument systems such as multiplexed pressure modules or electronic instrumentation with a IEEE 488 interface. The data system is designed to acquire data, convert it to engineering units, compute test dependent performance calculations, limit check selected channels or calculations, and display the information in alphanumeric or graphical form with a cycle time of one second for the alphanumeric data. This paper describes the system configuration, its salient features, and the expected impact on testing.

Fronek, Dennis L.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Hybrid Propulsion In-Situ Resource Utilization Test Facility Results for Performance Characterization

Mechentel, F. S.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Hybrid Propulsion In-Situ Resource Utilization Test Facility Results for Performance Characterization

Hybrid propulsion presents a promising alternative to conventional systems for in-space propulsion applications using In-Situ Propellant Production (ISPP). A hybrid propulsion test facility has been built at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) with the capability of evaluating ISPP oxidizers (gaseous mixtures of O2 and CO2) and modifying fuel type and chamber geometry. This work is the result of a continuing e ort at JPL to characterize the burn characteristics and performance of different propellant combinations and motor configurations in order to re ne and support preliminary designs. Twelve tests using gaseous oxygen and two paraffin based fuels (Black Paraffin and SP1X) from the 2015 campaign are presented. Different reduction techniques are compared in an e ort to determine the uncertainty associated with deriving a regression rate law and evaluating c* efficiency with the collected data.Hybrid motors are mechanically and chemically simple propulsion systems that have the potential forlong-term storability with low gross mass. The oxidizer (such as gaseous O2) can be produced in-situ,signicantly reducing the landed mass. The solid, inert fuel is stored in the combustion chamber in its most dense state, further reducing the total structural mass and volume. Considerable eorts have been focusedon ISPP for Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) and human exploration of Mars.At optimum oxidizer to fuel ratio (O/F), about 70% of the total propellant mass could be produced in-situ.Paran based fuels exhibit a fast regression rate behavior due to the formation of a thin liquid layer on thefuel surface.1 A high burn rate is necessary in order to reach a medium to high thrust range. In order toachieve an O/F ratio close to optimum performance (between 2.1 and 2.7 for the O2/Paran combination),the fuel mass ow needs to be suciently large compared to the oxidizer ow. The slow regression rateof classical hybrid rocket fuels leads to long fuel grain designs or complicated multi-port structures. Singleport, high regression rate fuels have the potential to reduce residual propellant mass and have a grainlength to diameter ratio (L/D) more favorable for packaging. However, hybrid motors remain at a fairly lowTechnology Readiness Level (TRL), and solutions to accurately measure and increase performance are stilllacking, especially for small-scale motors that are constrained to tight packaging.A total of 12 hotres were performed and analyzed in this campaign. All of these tests were conductedat pressures above the critical pressure of paran wax, approximately 6.7 bar (97 psi).2 Three dierentmotor congurations were explored while conserving a single cylindrical port fuel grain. Additionally, sincethrottling is a crucial advantage of hybrid rocket propulsion systems, low oxidizer mass ows (60 - 100 g/s)and uxes (5 - 30 g/cm2/s) were investigated to determine the performance impact in this regime.

Mechentel, F. S.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Fuel-Cladding Eutectic Study of Legacy Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) MFF HT9/U-10Zr Metallic Fuel

This report presents the first systematic investigation of fuel-cladding eutectic interaction (FCEI) in irradiated HT9/U-10Zr metallic fuel from the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) Materials Fuels Form (MFF) program, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) coupled with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Two irradiated fuel cross-sections, MNT07H (9.5 at% burnup, x/L = 0.78) and MNT08H (7.0 at% burnup, x/L = 0.93), were subjected to three successive isothermal annealing rounds (R1–R3) at 820°C for 20 minutes each, yielding a cumulative transient duration of one hour. This study directly addresses a recognized gap in the existing FCEI database, which previously lacked irradiated HT9/U-10Zr data at burnup levels above 8 at%. Two principal findings emerge from the study. First, for both samples, FCEI remained spatially confined within the pre-existing fuel-cladding chemical interaction (FCCI) zone boundaries after R3, with no measurable eutectic penetration into unaffected cladding beyond the original FCCI layer. This self-limiting behavior is consistent with historical Fuel Behavior Test Apparatus (FBTA) results and is attributed to the near-eutectic phase composition of the FCCI zone, which rapidly absorb the available eutectic-forming constituents and then stall penetration once the FCCI zone is consumed. A comparison with unirradiated surrogate data further supports this mechanism: whereas a U–34 at.% Fe sample would be expected to show ~176 µm of iron penetration under comparable conditions, the irradiated samples exhibited only ~20 µm, a discrepancy attributed to irradiation-induced interfacial porosity and pre-existing FCCI composition gradients. Second, for MNT08H, FCEI was observed exclusively on the half of the cladding circumference where pre-existing steady-state FCCI was present, with no detectable FCEI on the opposite half. Three hypotheses are proposed to explain this asymmetry: the inhibiting role of a zirconium-rich rind at the fuel-cladding interface; the chemical sequestration of iron by redistributed zirconium within the fuel matrix; and the persistence of fuel-cladding gaps on the FCEI-free half that preclude direct contact. All three hypotheses require further experimental investigation. The results extend the empirical FCEI database into higher-burnup territory and demonstrate the viability of DSC-based testing as a substitute for the no-longer-available FBTA apparatus. Future work will include additional cross-section testing, compilation of the full FCEI dataset, model evaluation, and DSC testing of ternary fuel compositions to broaden the experimental basis for safety assessment of sodium-cooled fast reactor systems.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

NASA NTRS1994

Electrochemical Technology for Oxygen Removal and Measurement in the CELSS Test Facility, Engineering Development Unit

The Life Support Flight Program is evaluating regenerative technologies, including those that utilize higher plants, as a means to reduce resupply over long duration space missions. Constructed to assist in the evaluation process is the CELSS Test Facility Engineering Development Unit (CTF-EDU) an environmentally closed (less than 1% mass and thermal leakage) technology test bed. This ground based fully functional prototype is currently configured to support crop growth, utilizing the power, volume and mass resources allocated for two space station racks. Sub-system technologies were selected considering their impact on available resources, their ability to minimize integration issues, and their degree of modularity. Gas specific mass handling is a key sub-system technology for both biological and physical/chemical life support technologies. The CTF-EDU requires such a system to accommodate non-linear oxygen production from crops, by enabling the control system to change and sustain partial pressure set points in the growth volume. Electrochemical cells are one of the technologies that were examined for oxygen handling in the CTF-EDU. They have been additionally considered to meet other regenerative life support functions, such as oxygen generation, the production of potable water from composite waste streams, and for having the potential to integrate life support functions with those of propulsion and energy storage. An oxygen removal system based on an electrochemical cell was chosen for the EDU due to it's low power, volume and mass requirements (10W, 0.000027 cu m, 4.5 kg) and because of the minimal number of integration considerations. Unlike it's competitors, the system doesn't require post treatments of its byproducts, or heat and power intensive regenerations, that also mandate system redundancy or cycling. The EDUs oxygen removal system only requires two resources, which are already essential to controlled plant growth: electricity and water. Additionally, the amount of oxygen that is removed from the EDU is directly proportional to the cell input current via Faraday's constant, potentially allowing for a mol/electron measurement of photosynthetic rate. The currently operative oxygen removal system has maintained reduced oxygen set points within the EDU, and preparation is underway to verify of the accuracy of electrochemical measurement of oxygen production and hence, photosynthesis. This paper examines the working principles of the electrochemical cell, outlines the overall design of the oxygen removal system and its integration with other EDU subsystems, and summarizes test results obtained over crop growth cycles in the CTF-EDU.

Drews, Michael E.↗

DOE OSTI2022

U.S. advanced and novel accelerator beam test facilities

Demonstrating the viability of Advanced Accelerator Concepts (AAC) relies on experimental validation. Over the last three decades, the U.S. has maintained a portfolio of advanced and novel accelerator test facilities to support research critical to AAC. The facilities have enabled pioneering developments in a wide variety of beam and accelerator physics, including plasma-wakefield and structure-wakefield acceleration. This work provides an overview of the current portfolio of U.S. facilities possessing charged particle drive beams with high energies, on the order of tens of joules per pulse, or drive lasers with high peak powers, on the order of a petawatt, and are actively conducting AAC research.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2022

US Advanced and Novel Accelerator Beam Test Facilities

Demonstrating the viability of Advanced Accelerator Concepts (AAC) relies on experimental validation. Over the last three decades, the US has maintained a portfolio of advanced and novel accelerator test facilities to support research critical to AAC. The facilities have enabled pioneering developments in a wide variety of beam and accelerator physics, including plasma-wakefeld and structure-wakefeld acceleration. This paper provides an overview of the current portfolio of US facilities possessing charged particle drive beams with high energies, on the order of tens of joules per pulse, or drive lasers with high peak powers, on the order of a petawatt, and are actively conducting AAC research.

Clarke, Christine↗

NASA NTRS2014

Development of Modeling Approaches for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Test Facilities

High efficiency of rocket propul-sion systems is essential for humanity to venture be-yond the moon. Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) is a promising alternative to conventional chemical rock-ets with relatively high thrust and twice the efficiency of the Space Shuttle Main Engine. NASA is in the pro-cess of developing a new NTP engine, and is evaluat-ing ground test facility concepts that allow for the thor-ough testing of NTP devices. NTP engine exhaust, hot gaseous hydrogen, is nominally expected to be free of radioactive byproducts from the nuclear reactor; how-ever, it has the potential to be contaminated due to off-nominal engine reactor performance. Several options are being investigated to mitigate this hazard potential with one option in particular that completely contains the engine exhaust during engine test operations. The exhaust products are subsequently disposed of between engine tests. For this concept (see Figure 1), oxygen is injected into the high-temperature hydrogen exhaust that reacts to produce steam, excess oxygen and any trace amounts of radioactive noble gases released by off-nominal NTP engine reactor performance. Water is injected to condense the potentially contaminated steam into water. This water and the gaseous oxygen (GO2) are subsequently passed to a containment area where the water and GO2 are separated into separate containment tanks.

Jones, Daniel R.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Acoustic interactions between an altitude test facility and jet engine plumes: Theory and experiments

The overall objective of the described effort was to develop an understanding of the physical mechanisms involved in the flow/acoustic interactions experienced in full-scale altitude engine test facilities. This is done by conducting subscale experiments and through development of a theoretical model. Model cold jet experiments with an axisymmetric convergent nozzle are performed in a test setup that stimulates a supersonic jet exhausting into a cylindrical diffuser. The measured data consist of detailed flow visualization data and acoustic spectra for a free and a ducted plume. It is shown that duct resonance is most likely responsible by theoretical calculations. Theoretical calculations also indicate that the higher discrete tones observed in the measurements are related to the screech phenomena. Limited experiments on the sensitivity of a free 2-D, C-D nozzle to externally imposed sound are also presented. It is shown that a 2-D, C-D nozzle with a cutback is less excitable than a 2-D C-D nozzle with no cutback. At a pressure ratio of 1.5 unsteady separation from the diverging walls of the nozzle is noticed. This separation switches from one wall to the opposite wall thus providing an unsteady deflection of the plume. It is shown that this phenomenon is related to the venting provided by the cutback section.

Ahuja, K. K.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Background-Oriented Schlieren Applications in NASA Glenn Research Center's Ground Test Facilities

This is a presentation for an invited session at the 2015 SciTech Conference 53rd AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting. The presentation covers the recent applications of Background-Oriented Schlieren in NASA Glenn Research Center's ground test facilities, such as the 8x6 SWT, open jet rig, and AAPL.

Ground test instrumentation↗

NASA NTRS1991

Six-Degree-of-Freedom Test Facility

Shuttle to Space Station docking has become an important issue in the last few years. Docking sensors have been proposed that will provide the high precision measurements required for the fuel efficient rendezvous and docking of space vehicles. These sensors also will be used for satellite servicing and orbital assembly. The performance of the docking sensors must be tested before they are implemented in a space environment. A 6-DOF test facility was developed at the Tracking and Communications Section, JSC, to test the static and dynamic accuracies of docking sensors. A candidate sensor is evaluated by comparing the sensor's static position and velocity measurements to the more accurate 6-DOF system.

Bittel, Michelle A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The CELSS Test Facility Project - An example of a CELSS flight experiment system

The design of the facility is described in terms of its use as an investigation tool for evaluating crop growth in space with reference to required emerging technologies. NASA's CELSS Test Facility (CTF) is designed to permit the measurement of crop-plant productivity under microgravity conditions including biomass production, food production, water transpiration, and O2/CO2 exchanges. Crucial hardware tests and qualifications are identified to assure the operation of CTF technologies in space including the nutrient-delivery, water-condensation, and gas-liquid-mixing subsystems. The design concept and related scientific requirements are described and shown to provide microgravity crop research. The CTF is expected to provide data for plant research and for concepts for bioregenerative life-support systems for applications to Martian, lunar, and space-station missions.

Macelroy, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1990

The Space Exploration Initiative and NASA Langley Research Center test facilities

The NASA Exploration Technology Program (ETP) will make possible the U.S. Space Exploration Initiative (SEI), and is structured according to mission thrusts that are based on technologies to be developed and tested or that will otherwise be utilized to support SEI. Twenty-seven technology projects have thus far been established, and NASA's Langley Research Center is responsible for six lead roles and four participating roles. This report briefly defines these ten Langley-assigned ETP technology projects, and it describes both existing and proposed test facilities capable of supporting the Center's responsibilities.

Mouring, John L.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Development and demonstration of a BISON–Griffin modeling framework for the design of targeted TRISO transient experiments in the Transient Reactor Test Facility

Uranium oxycarbide (UCO)-bearing tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuels are expected to be used in numerous U.S. commercial reactor applications within the next decade. Here, in this work, we reviewed historical particle fuel transient experiments to identify gaps in TRISO fuel performance transient testing. A BISON–Griffin modeling framework was then developed to conduct preliminary TRISO transient analyses and begin to address these gaps. The framework was demonstrated using limiting-case transient conditions from a prototypic high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). It was then applied to develop a matrix of experiments that could be performed in the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) to (1) evaluate UCO-fueled particle performance at moderate and high heat rates, (2) assess whether historical testing involving UO 2 -fueled particles is applicable to modern UCO-fueled particles, (3) deconvolute the impacts of temperature and heat rate on particle transient response, and (4) collect the data needed for fuel performance model validation and/or further development.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

NASA NTRS1987

A subsonic to Mach 5.5 subscale engine test facility

The NASA-Langley Mach 4 facility, in which air-hydrogen combustion is used to heat the test gas, was modified to make the facility suitable for tests of ramjet-type models at subsonic and transonic, as well as supersonic, Mach numbers. The construction details and the instrumentation of this facility, designated the Combustion-Heated Scramjet Test Facility, are described, and modifications to enhance the test capability range from the subsonic/transonic and Mach 3.5 to 5.5 are discussed. Design diagrams and test result graphs are included.

Andrews, Earl H., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1975

USDI DCS technical support: Mississippi Test Facility

The objective of the technical support effort is to provide hardware and data processing support to DCS users so that application of the system may be simply and effectively implemented. Technical support at Mississippi Test Facility (MTF) is concerned primarily with on-site hardware. The first objective of the DCP hardware support was to assure that standard measuring apparatus and techniques used by the USGS could be adapted to the DCS. The second objective was to try to standardize the miscellaneous variety of parameters into a standard instrument set. The third objective was to provide the necessary accessories to simplify the use and complement the capabilities of the DCP. The standard USGS sites have been interfaced and are presently operating. These sites are stream gauge, ground water level and line operated quality of water. Evapotranspiration, meteorological and battery operated quality of water sites are planned for near future DCP operation. Three accessories which are under test or development are the Chu antenna, solar power supply and add-on memory. The DCP has proven to be relatively easy to interface with many monitors. The large antenna is awkward to install and transport. The DCS has met the original requirements well; it has and is proving that an operation, satellite-based data collection system is feasible.

Preble, D. M.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Thermal Testing of Ablators in the NASA Johnson Space Center Radiant Heat Test Facility

A spacecraft's thermal protection system (TPS) is required to survive the harsh environment experienced during reentry. Accurate thermal modeling of the TPS is required to since uncertainties in the thermal response result in higher design margins and an increase in mass. The Radiant Heat Test Facility (RHTF) located at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) replicates the reentry temperatures and pressures on system level full scale TPS test models for the validation of thermal math models. Reusable TPS, i.e. tile or reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC), have been the primary materials tested in the past. However, current capsule designs for MPCV and commercial programs have required the use of an ablator TPS. The RHTF has successfully completed a pathfinder program on avcoat ablator material to demonstrate the feasibility of ablator testing. The test results and corresponding ablation analysis results are presented in this paper.

Del Papa, Steven↗

NASA NTRS1988

High-temperature combustor liner tests in structural component response test facility

Jet engine combustor liners were tested in the structural component response facility at NASA Lewis. In this facility combustor liners were thermally cycled to simulate a flight envelope of takeoff, cruise, and return to idle. Temperatures were measured with both thermocouples and an infrared thermal imaging system. A conventional stacked-ring louvered combustor liner developed a crack at 1603 cycles. This test was discontinued after 1728 cycles because of distortion of the liner. A segmented or float wall combustor liner tested at the same heat flux showed no significant change after 1600 cycles. Changes are being made in the facility to allow higher temperatures.

Moorhead, Paul E.↗