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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

The use of programmable logic controllers (PLC) for rocket engine component testing

Application of PLCs to the rocket engine component testing at a new Stennis Space Center Component Test Facility is suggested as an alternative to dedicated specialized computers. The PLC systems are characterized by rugged design, intuitive software, fault tolerance, flexibility, multiple end device options, networking capability, and built-in diagnostics. A distributed PLC-based system is projected to be used for testing LH2/LOx turbopumps required for the ALS/NLS rocket engines.

Nail, William↗
NASA NTRS1994

Initiation current measurements for hot bridgewire devices

One-shot type testing of hot bridgewire explosive cartridges provides the weakest possible firing characteristic data. One-shot type testing includes the Bruceton and the Probit methods, and all their off-shoots. One-shot testing is used for only one reason: the fear of 'dudding.' Modern programmable power supplies and oscilloscopes can now be used to obtain data with no fear of dudding. Any continued use of these old, one-shot type test methods is irresponsible behavior. Our society deserves better testing methods and will get them through the courts if we cannot make these changes on our own.

OBarr, Gerald L.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Fast, multi-channel real-time processing of signals with microsecond latency using graphics processing units

Fast, digital signal processing (DSP) has many applications. Typical hardware options for performing DSP are field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated DSP chips, or general purpose personal computer systems. This paper presents a novel DSP platform that has been developed for feedback control on the HBT-EP tokamak device. The system runs all signal processing exclusively on a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to achieve real-time performance with latencies below 8 μs. Signals are transferred into and out of the GPU using PCI Express peer-to-peer direct-memory-access transfers without involvement of the central processing unit or host memory. Tests were performed on the feedback control system of the HBT-EP tokamak using forty 16-bit floating point inputs and outputs each and a sampling rate of up to 250 kHz. Signals were digitized by a D-TACQ ACQ196 module, processing done on an NVIDIA GTX 580 GPU programmed in CUDA, and analog output was generated by D-TACQ AO32CPCI modules.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Safeguards Technology Factsheet - Unattended Dual Current Monitor (UDCM)

The UDCM is a low-current measurement device designed to record sub-nano-amp to micro-amp currents from radiation detectors. The UDCM is a two-channel device that incorporates a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) processor enabling both serial over USB as well as Ethernet communications. The instrument includes microSD and USB flash memory for data storage as well as a programmable High Voltage (HV) power supply for detector bias. The UDCM is packaged in the same enclosure, employs the same processor and has a similar user interface as the UMSR. A serial over USB communication line to the UDCM allows the use of existing versions of MIC software, while the Ethernet port is compatible with the new IAEA RAINSTORM communication protocol.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1986

Optical correlator use at Johnson Space Center

For automation and robotics in the Space Station era, NASA's Johnson Space Center is pursuing several means of synthetic vision. The optical correlator is one such means. The deformable mirror device will form the basis of the first correlator in this project. In-house and contracted effort is being used. Initial in-house activities will concentrate on an impulse deconvolution technique and on a programmable retina for spatial remappings of an image prior to correlation. The retina will permit a form of edge extraction and other primitive operations. Additionally, it will be used as a research tool for assisting persons with low vision.

Juday, Richard D.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Architecture and data processing alternatives for the TSE computer. Volume 3: Execution of a parallel counting algorithm using array logic (Tse) devices

A parallel algorithm for counting the number of logic-l elements in a binary array or image developed during preliminary investigation of the Tse concept is described. The counting algorithm is implemented using a basic combinational structure. Modifications which improve the efficiency of the basic structure are also presented. A programmable Tse computer structure is proposed, along with a hardware control unit, Tse instruction set, and software program for execution of the counting algorithm. Finally, a comparison is made between the different structures in terms of their more important characteristics.

Metcalfe, A. G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Programmable, four-channel, 128-sample, 40-Ms/s analog-ternary correlator

A four-channel analog-ternary CCD correlator that extends the state of the art in several important areas is discussed. Surface acoustic wave, acoustic charge transport, and CCD implementation technologies are compared, and the architecture of the CCD device is described. It is shown that, in addition to a sampling rate up to 40 Ms (megasamples) per second, a dynamic range of 66 dB, and nonlinearity below -50 dB, the device exhibits a level of integration and user-friendliness not previously available. The correlator is intended for use in communications and radar systems where pseudonoise codes are employed.

Munroe, Scott C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Tubulin Double Helix: Lateral and Longitudinal Curvature Changes of Tubulin Protofilament

By virtue of their native structures, tubulin dimers are protein building blocks that are naturally pre-programmed to assemble into cytoskeletal polymers known as microtubules (MTs). Here we demonstrate polycation-directed (i.e. electrostatically tunable) assembly of tubulins through tubulin protofilament conformational changes in the longitudinal and lateral directions, creating novel tubulin double helices and various tubular architectures. Synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy reveal a remarkable range of nanoscale assembly structures: single- and double-layered double-helix tubulin tubules. The phase transitions from MTs into the new assemblies are dependent on the size and concentration of polycations. Two characteristic scales that determine the number of observed phases are the size of polycation compared to the size of tubulin (≈4 nm) and MT diameter (≈25 nm). This work suggests the feasibility of “programmable breakdown” of protein nanotubes, tearing MTs into double-stranded tubulins and building up previously undiscovered nanostructures, by using polycations with scissor- and glue-like properties. Importantly, we define a new role of tubulins as two-dimensionally shape-controllable building blocks for novel supramolecular architectures. Furthermore, these findings provide insight into the design of protein-based functional materials, for example, as metallization templates for nanoscale electronic devices, kinesin motor-driving molecular screws, and anticancer drug delivery vehicles.

2D shape‐control↗
DOE OSTI2024

Charge‐Programmable Photopolymers for 3D Electronics via Additive Manufacturing

Charge‐programmed 3D printing enables the fabrication of 3D electronics with lightweight and high precision via selective patterning of metals. This selective metal deposition is catalyzed by Pd nanoparticles that are specifically immobilized onto the charged surface and promises to fabricate a myriad of complex electronic devices with self‐sensing, actuation, and structural elements assembled in a designed 3D layout. However, the achievable property space and the material‐performance correlation of the charge‐programmed printing remain unexplored. Herein, a series of photo‐curable resins are designed for unveiling how the charge and crosslink densities synergistically impact the nanocatalyst‐guided selective deposition in catalytic efficiency and properties of the 3D printed charge‐programmed architectures, leading to high‐quality 3D patterning of solid and liquid metals. The findings offer a wide tunability of the structural properties of the printed electronics, ranging from stiff to extreme flexibility. Capitalizing on these results, the printing and successful application of an ultralight‐weight and deployable 3D multi‐layer antenna system operating at an ultrahigh‐frequency of 19 GHz are demonstrated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1975

Heads up display for the Flight Simulator for Advanced Aircraft (FSAA)

A heads-up flight director display designed for a V/STOL lift-fan transport simulation study is described. The pilot's visual flight scene had the heads-up display optically superimposed over the usual out-the-window, video flight scene. The flight director display required the development and integration of a flexible, programmable display generator, graphics assembler, display driver, computer interface system, and special collimating optics for the pilot's flight scene. The optical overlay was realistic because both scenes appeared at optical infinity, and the flexibility of this display device establishes its value as a research tool for use in future flight simulation programs.

Brocker, D. H.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Multi-channel programmable power supply with temperature compensation for silicon sensors

Silicon Photo-Multipliers (SiPMs) are increasingly becoming popular for discrete photon counting applications due to the wealth of advantages they offer over conventional photo-detectors such as photo-multiplier tubes and hybrid photo-diodes. SiPMs are used in variety of applications ranging from high energy physics and nuclear physics experiments to medical diagnostics. The gain of a SiPM is directly proportional to the difference between applied and breakdown voltage of the device. However, the breakdown voltage depends critically on the ambient temperature and has a large temperature co-efficient in the range of 40-60 mV/°C resulting in a typical gain variation of 3%-5%/°C [Dinu et al., in IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Medical Imaging Conference and 17th Room Temperature Semiconductor Detector Workshop (IEEE, 2010), p. 215]. We plan to use the SiPM as a replacement for PMT in the cosmic ray experiment (GRAPES-3) at Ooty [Gupta et al., Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., Sect. A 540, 311 (2005)]. There the SiPMs will be operated in an outdoor environment subjected to temperature variation of about 15 °C over a day. A gain variation of more than 50% was observed for such large variations in the temperature. To stabilize the gain of the SiPM under such operating conditions, a low-cost, multi-channel programmable power supply (0-90 V) was designed that simultaneously provides the bias voltage to 16 SiPMs. The programmable power supply (PPS) was designed to automatically adjust the operating voltage for each channel with a built-in closed loop temperature feedback mechanism. The PPS provides bias voltage with a precision of 6 mV and measures the load current with a precision of 1 nA. Using this PPS, a gain stability of 0.5% for SiPM (Hamamatsu, S10931-050P) has been demonstrated over a wide temperature range of 15 °C. The design methodology of the PPS system, its validation, and the results of the tests carried out on the SiPM is presented in this article. The proposed design also has the capability of gain stabilization of devices with non-linear thermal response.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Flexible and Extensive Platinum Ion Gel Condensers for Programmable Catalysis

Catalytic condensers composed of ion gels separating a metal electrode from a platinum-on-carbon active layer were fabricated and characterized to achieve more powerful, high surface area dynamic heterogeneous catalyst surfaces. Ion gels comprised of poly(vinylidene difluoride)/1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide were spin coated as a 3.8 μm film on a Au surface, after which carbon sputtering of a 1.8 nm carbon film and electron-beam evaporation of 2 nm Pt clusters created an active surface exposed to reactant gases. Electronic characterization indicated that most charge condensed within the Pt nanoclusters upon application of a potential bias, with the condenser device achieving a capacitance of ∼20 μF/cm 2 at applied frequencies of up to 120 Hz. The maximum charge of ∼10 14 |e – | cm –2 was condensed under stable device conditions at 200 °C on catalytic films with ∼10 15 sites cm –2 . Grazing incidence infrared spectroscopy measured carbon monoxide adsorption isobars, indicating a change in the CO* binding energy of ∼19 kJ mol –1 over an applied potential bias of only 1.25 V. Condensers were also fabricated on flexible, large area Kapton substrates allowing stacked or tubular form factors that facilitate high volumetric active site densities, ultimately enabling a fast and powerful catalytic condenser that can be fabricated for programmable catalysis applications.

Catalysis↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrically Reconfigurable Liquid Metal Nanophotonic Platform for Color Display and Imaging

Dynamically tunable optical materials and device architectures are essential for future photonic technologies, yet conventional solid metals lack the intrinsic tunability required for advanced functionalities. Gallium-based liquid metals (LMs) present an appealing alternative thanks to their distinctive mechanical and optical properties; however, their practical integration in tunable photonic elements remains largely unexplored. Here, in this study, an electrochemically controlled nanophotonic platform is demonstrated that integrates a dynamically reconfigurable LM ground plane with gold nanoantenna arrays within a microfluidic system, enabling precise and reversible modulation of optical resonances across the visible to mid-infrared spectral ranges. By employing moderate operational voltages (1.5–3.0 V), real-time tuning of high-resolution structural color patterns is achieved through nanoscale control of the interfacial gap between the LM and Au nanoantennas. This innovative platform facilitates electrically programmable, high-contrast color patterns suitable for dynamic optical displays, secure anti-counterfeiting labels, and imaging applications. Additionally, this platform enables tunable mid-infrared spectral responses, which may be utilized for chemical and biological sensing applications. This versatile integrated LM-based nanophotonic platform opens new paths toward multifunctional, actively tunable/reconfigurable photonic device and system technologies.

Imaging↗
DOE OSTI2021

Performance Characteristics of the BlueField-2 SmartNIC

High-performance computing (HPC) researchers have long envisioned scenarios where application workflows could be improved through the use of programmable processing elements embedded in the network fabric. Recently, vendors have introduced programmable Smart Network Interface Cards (SmartNICs) that enable computations to be offloaded to the edge of the network. There is great interest in both the HPC and high-performance data analytics (HPDA) communities in understanding the roles these devices may play in the data paths of upcoming systems. This paper focuses on characterizing both the networking and computing aspects of NVIDIA’s new BlueField-2 SmartNIC when used in a 100Gb/s Ethernet environment. For the networking evaluation we conducted multiple transfer experiments between processors located at the host, the SmartNIC, and a remote host. These tests illuminate how much effort is required to saturate the network and help estimate the processing headroom available on the SmartNIC during transfers. For the computing evaluation we used the stress-ng benchmark to compare the BlueField-2 to other servers and place realistic bounds on the types of offload operations that are appropriate for the hardware. Our findings from this work indicate that while the BlueField-2 provides a flexible means of processing data at the network’s edge, great care must be taken to not overwhelm the hardware. While the host can easily saturate the network link, the SmartNIC’s embedded processors may not have enough computing resources to sustain more than half the expected bandwidth when using kernel-space packet processing. From a computational perspective, encryption operations, memory operations under contention, and on-card IPC operations on the SmartNIC perform significantly better than the general-purpose servers used for comparisons in our experiments. Therefore, applications that mainly focus on these operations may be good candidates for offloading to the SmartNIC.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Edge Deployed Cyber Security Hardware Architecture for Energy Delivery Systems

At a time of accelerated cyber conflict, an “edge deployed” system will supply sensor based cyber ground truth to live grid models, and under secure command, take complete control of suspected rogue programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to maintain bulk power delivery to chosen critical sites. This hardware solution is purpose built to be agnostic to PLC vendor or protocol with the realization that a widely deployed solution must function with existing devices for rapid adoption by industry. An overview of the situation and how this developed system functions is provided.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2017

Measuring the usability of appliance controls

A “smart” device will remain efficient only as long as the settings and other parameters allow it to be. Thus, the degree of usability is becoming an element of energy efficiency similar to other physical characteristics. We developed and tested a procedure to quantify the usability of thermostats. The procedure assumes that usability can be represented by a user’s ability to accomplish a set of tasks. Thirty one subjects were tested in their ability to accomplish six essential tasks on programmable thermostats. The tests revealed a wide variation in the subjects’ ability to accomplish the same task on different thermostats. Thus it was possible to discern thermostats that were more effective than others. We created a metric based on data that are easy to collect and unambiguous that appears to reflect the usability of a task. Metrics from different tasks can be added and an overall usability “score” calculated. This approach, as well as the metric, can be applied to other devices where poor usability may impede energy-saving behaviour.

Meier, A↗
NASA NTRS1985

Development of medical electronic devices in the APL space department

Several electronic devices for automatically correcting specific defects in a body's physiologic regulation and allowing approximately normal functioning are described. A self-injurious behavior inhibiting system (SIBIS) is fastened to the arm of a person with chronic self-injurious behavior patterns. An electric shock is delivered into the arm whenever the device senses above-threshold acceleration of the head such as occur with head-bangers. Sounding a buzzer tone with the shock eventually allows transference of the aversive stimulus to the buzzer so shocks are no longer necessary. A programmable implantable medication system features a solenoid pump placed beneath the skin and refueled by hypodermic needle. The pump functions are programmable and can deliver insulin, chemotherapy mixes and/or pain killers according to a preset schedule or on patient demand. Finally, an automatic implantible defibrillator has four electrodes attached directly to the heart for sensing electrical impulses or emitting them in response to cardiac fibrillation.

Newman, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

EXPRESS Rack Technology for Space Station

The EXPRESS rack provides accommodations for standard Mid-deck Locker and ISIS drawer payloads on the International Space Station. A design overview of the basic EXPRESS rack and two derivatives, the Human Research Facility and the Habitat Holding Rack, is given in Part I. In Part II, the design of the Solid State Power Control Module (SSPCM) is reviewed. The SSPCM is a programmable and remotely controllable power switching and voltage conversion unit which distributes and protects up to 3kW of 12OVDC and 28VDC power to payloads and rack subsystem components. Part III details the development and testing of a new data storage device, the BRP EXPRESS Memory Unit (BEMU). The BEMU is a conduction-cooled device which operates on 28VDC and is based on Boeing-modified 9GB commercial disk-drive technology. In Part IV results of a preliminary design effort for a rack Passive Damping System (PDS) are reported. The PDS is intended to isolate ISPR-based experiment racks from on-orbit vibration. System performance predictions based on component developmental testing indicate that such a system can provide effective isolation at frequencies of 1 Hz and above.

Davis, Ted B.↗