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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 523 records · Page 29
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

Characterization of Subsystems for a WB-003 Single Stage Shuttle

Subsystems for an all oxygen-hydrogen-single-stage shuttle are characterized for a vehicle designated WB-003. Features of the vehicle include all-electric actuation, fiber optics for information circuitry, fuel cells for power generation, and extensive use of composites for structure. The vehicle is sized for the delivery of a 25,000 lb. payload to a space station orbit without crew. When crew are being delivered, they are carried in a module in the payload bay with escape and manual override capabilities. The underlying reason for undertaking this task is to provide a framework for the study of the operations costs of the newer shuttles.

MacConochie, Ian O.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Acoustic Emission Analysis Applet (AEAA) Software

NASA Glenn Research and NASA White Sands Test Facility have developed software supporting an automated pressure vessel structural health monitoring (SHM) system based on acoustic emissions (AE). The software, referred to as the Acoustic Emission Analysis Applet (AEAA), provides analysts with a tool that can interrogate data collected on Digital Wave Corp. and Physical Acoustics Corp. software using a wide spectrum of powerful filters and charts. This software can be made to work with any data once the data format is known. The applet will compute basic AE statistics, and statistics as a function of time and pressure (see figure). AEAA provides value added beyond the analysis provided by the respective vendors' analysis software. The software can handle data sets of unlimited size. A wide variety of government and commercial applications could benefit from this technology, notably requalification and usage tests for compressed gas and hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Future enhancements will add features similar to a "check engine" light on a vehicle. Once installed, the system will ultimately be used to alert International Space Station crewmembers to critical structural instabilities, but will have little impact to missions otherwise. Diagnostic information could then be transmitted to experienced technicians on the ground in a timely manner to determine whether pressure vessels have been impacted, are structurally unsound, or can be safely used to complete the mission.

Nichols, Charles T.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Advanced Propulsion for Geostationary Orbit Insertion and North-South Station Keeping

Solar electric propulsion technology is currently being used for geostationary satellite station keeping. Analyses show that electric propulsion technologies can be used to obtain additional increases in payload mass by using them to perform part of the orbit transfer. Three electric propulsion technologies are examined at two power levels for geostationary insertion of an Atlas IIAS class spacecraft. The onboard chemical propulsion apogee engine fuel is reduced in this analysis to allow the use of electric propulsion. A numerical optimizer is used to determine the chemical burns that will minimize the electric propulsion transfer times. For a 1550-kg Atlas IIAS class payload, increases in net mass (geostationary satellite mass less wet propulsion system mass) of 150-800 kg are enabled by using electric propulsion for station keeping, advanced chemical engines for part of the transfer, and electric propulsion for the remainder of the transfer. Trip times are between one and four months.

Oleson, Steven R.↗
NASA NTRS1972

An out-of-core version of a six cell heat-pipe heated thermionic converter array

A thermionic system concept is described which incorporates a heat-pipe cooled fast spectrum reactor and six-cell thermionic converter modules located in the space radiator. Much of the technology being developed for the in-core thermionic reactor concept is directly applicable to this out-of-core concept, particularly the fuel and converter development activity. The major technology extension required is in the area of heat-pipes for cooling the reactor and carrying thermal energy from the reactor station to the converters. The performance characteristics of an out-of-core thermionic system at power levels between 40 and 70 kWe are summarized, the adaptation of in-core technology to the out-of-core concept is described and applicable heat-pipe technology programs now underway are discussed.

Kroeger, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Trajectory determination support and analysis for ISEE-3 from halo orbit to escape from the earth/moon system

The analyses performed in altering the ISEE-3 spacecraft path from a liberation point to a helicocentric orbit for intercepting the Giacobini-Zimmer cometary tail are reviewed. The initial calculations considered the expected accuracy, the best temporal lengths to be used for the calculations and the maneuver points. The early maneuvers were also constrained to a maximum number of crossings of the terrestrial magnetotail for data collection purposes. Three earth-based tracking stations trajectory data collection schedules were projected, and programs were prepared for comparing tracking data with predictions. Delta- V maneuvers were set for perigee locations in order to conserve fuel. A 21-day span was selected for tracking, expect during maneuver periods. Accuracies of 0.1-10 km and 0.3-2.0 cm/sec were obtained.

Joyce, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Experiment plans to study preignition processes of a pool fire in low gravity

Science requirements are specified to guide experimental studies of transient heat transfer and fluid flow in an enclosure containing a two-layer gas-and-liquid system heated unevenly from above. Specifications are provided for experiments in three separate settings: (1) a normal gravity laboratory, (2) the NASA-LeRC Drop towers, and (3) a space-based laboratory (e.g., Shuttle, Space Station). A rationale is developed for both minimum and desired requirement levels. The principal objective of the experimental effort is to validate a computational model of the enclosed liquid fuel pool during the preignition phase and to determine via measurement the role of gravity on the behavior of the system. Preliminary results of single-phase normal gravity experiments and simulations are also presented.

Schiller, David N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Meteoroid and orbital debris shielding on the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle

NASA's Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) is being designed to withstand a 10-year lifetime in polar and low earth orbits. A large percentage of OMV's lifetime will be spent operating in the vicinity of the Space Shuttle and Space Station or in storage at these manned locations. An extensive analysis has been performed to determine the effects of the meteoroid and orbital debris environments on OMV's external fuel tanks. A finite element model of OMV was constructed using NASTRAN and analyzed with the meteoroid and debris design analysis code BUMPER. The results show that the long design lifetime, and the ever increasing man-made orbital debris environment, will require the use of shielding over the external fuel tanks.

Kirkpatrick, Marc E.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A six degree of freedom, plume-fuel optimal trajectory planner for spacecraft proximity operations using an A* node search

Spacecraft proximity operations are complicated by the fact that exhaust plume impingement from the reaction control jets of space vehicles can cause structural damage, contamination of sensitive arrays and instruments, or attitude misalignment during docking. The occurrence and effect of jet plume impingement can be reduced by planning approach trajectories with plume effects considered. An A* node search is used to find plume-fuel optimal trajectories through a discretized six dimensional attitude-translation space. A plume cost function which approximates jet plume isopressure envelopes is presented. The function is then applied to find relative costs for predictable 'trajectory altering' firings and unpredictable 'deadbanding' firings. Trajectory altering firings are calculated by running the spacecraft jet selection algorithm and summing the cost contribution from each jet fired. A 'deadbanding effects' function is defined and integrated to determine the potential for deadbanding impingement along candidate trajectories. Plume costs are weighed against fuel costs in finding the optimal solution. A* convergence speed is improved by solving approach trajectory problems in reverse time. Results are obtained on a high fidelity space shuttle/space station simulation. Trajectory following is accomplished by a six degree of freedom autopilot. Trajectories planned with, and without, plume costs are compared in terms of force applied to the target structure.

Jackson, Mark Charles↗
NASA NTRS1998

Forced Flow Flame Spreading Test: Preliminary Findings From the USMP-3 Shuttle Mission

The Forced Flow Flame spreading Test (FFFT) is a study of flame spreading over solid fuels in very low-speed air flows. The FFFT experiment is part of research entitled Solid Inflammability Boundary at Low Speeds, (SIBAL) intended for operations on the Space Station. In the FFFT experiment, a series of 15 experiments conducted aboard the space shuttle during the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-3) mission provided information about the structure and spreading characteristics of flames in low-speed, concurrent flows. The test samples included flat sheets of cellulose and cast cylinders of cellulose, burned in air at velocities of approximately 1 to 8 cm/sec. The test results have been successfully compared to theoretical predictions of the SIBAL program, a fundamentally based numerical simulation of concurrent flow flame spread. Additionally, some guidance for the design characteristics of the SIBAL flight experiment have been obtained including some verification of the theoretical predictions of flame size versus the required size of the SIBAL flow duct, and the effect of the presence of thermocouples in the vicinity of near-limit flames in microgravity.

Sacksteder, Kurt R.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Microbial Surveillance of Potable Water Sources of the International Space Station

To mitigate risk to the crew, the microbial surveillance of the quality of potable water sources of the International Space Station (ISS) has been ongoing since before the arrival of the first permanent crew. These water sources have included stored ground-supplied water, water produced by the shuttle fuel cells during flight, and ISS humidity condensate that is reclaimed and processed. Monitoring was accomplished using a self-contained filter designed to allow bacterial growth and enumeration during flight. Upon return to earth, microbial isolates were identified using 16S ribosomal gene sequencing. While the predominant isolates were common Gramnegative bacteria including Ralstonia eutropha, Methylobacterium fujisawaense, and Spingomonas paucimobilis, opportunistic pathogens such as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were also isolated. Results of in-flight enumeration have indicated a fluctuation of bacterial counts above system design specifications. Additional in-flight monitoring capability for the specific detection of coliforms was added in 2004; no coliforms have been detected from any potable water source. Neither the bacterial concentrations nor the identification of the isolates recovered from these samples has suggested a threat to crew health.

Bruce, Rebekah J.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Passive Water Assurance Delivery System

This report provides an analysis and evaluation of proposed design improvements to the internal water delivery system of NASA’s passive vegetable growing system. The VEGGIE system is designed to provide fresh vegetables and psychological benefits for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Preliminary testing conducted by NASA for the VEGGIE system revealed flaws in the water delivery system. In these tests, the interface between the plants and the water reservoir failed to provide passive water delivery through the system both in microgravity experiments and experiments conducted on Earth. Our team’s goal was to fix this interface such that water can be passively delivered from the water reservoir to the plant rooting pillows to grow vegetative crops from seed to harvest. The system requirements outlined by NASA include: minimal total mass, on-demand passive water delivery, same dimensions as existing fixtures, minimal pressure on system to prevent leaking, zero mold growth, minimal swelling or clogging for non-flammable capillary materials, pressure stabilization between the water reservoir and plant pillow bags, even dispersal of water during initial priming, minimal bubble obstruction of capillary interface, maximum gas availability to plant roots, growth in a mixed artificial media (50:50 Arcillite:Fafard #2), and to avoid overwatering and drought conditions for plants. The major proposed design improvements are to use a single-interface capillary cord design to directly connect the water reservoir to the plant-rooting pillows, and to alter the water reservoir to model a propellant management device (PMD) in order to ensure consistent and long term watering for the VEGGIE system. The plant rooting pillow required minimal changes outside of replacing the capillary mat on the bottom of the pillow with O-ring insertion points the single-interface capillary system. - Research was conducted to determine which materials are able to uptake water through capillary action to grow Outredgeous Lettuce plants from seed to harvest. The primary requirements to be met by the team's design and evaluation of the capillary interface were: continuous passive watering for 90 days using non-flammable capillary materials and a peak water delivery rate of 30 mL/hr./0.15 m 2 . The results of the team's experimentation showed that the capillary material Nomex displayed the highest capillary water delivery potential with a maximum flow rate of 3.6 mL/hr. The Nomex capillary systems were the only capillary material to consistently grow Outredgeous Lettuce plants from seed to harvest, and displayed the highest average flow rate for multiple experiment sets. The Nomex material was previously incorporated into the VEGGIE system using a matted version of the capillary material, though the team recommends using a cord configuration in the single-interface capillary system for greater system stability. Nomex has proven to be a promising material, as it has passed both health and fire standards for use aboard the International Space Station. PMDs are made of materials that utilize surface tension and adhesive forces to overcome adverse accelerations to improve stability and ensure fluid delivery. PMDs are typically used in fuel tanks to ensure fuel delivery. The team recommends using a sponge PMD in order to mitigate bubble obstruction, decrease system weight, and ensure reliable water delivery to the capillary interface. The PMD water reservoir requires a rigid water reservoir and a vent tube for pressure stabilization. Since PMD’s cannot be tested in 1-G (Earth conditions), further theoretical modeling and testing is required for the proposed water reservoir design. The intent of this proposed system is to passively water plants in microgravity, though the technology is not limited to microgravity applications. The testing at The Ohio State University has proven that the design is highly effective on Earth, demonstrating that it could serve as a simple water delivery system in home and office applications. This would make vegetative crops more accessible in all indoor applications, thereby improving indoor air quality and occupant comfort. Additionally, this technology has great potential to be utilized in greenhouse plant production, cutting back on more sophisticated watering system energy and time requirements.

Alexandria Jensen↗
DOE OSTI2025

Remediation and upcycling of microplastics by algae with wastewater nutrient removal and bioproduction potential

Microplastics have emerged as major environmental hazards that require efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable remediation technologies. This study introduces an integrative platform for the remediation and upcycling of microplastics by algae, while synergizing with plastic upcycling, wastewater treatment, and algal production. The strategy employs a mechanism that enhances hydrophobic interactions between the cell surface and microplastics, enabling rapid aggregation and removal. The platform achieves a superior microplastic removal efficiency of 91.4% within 1 hour, with a capacity of 0.1-gram microplastic per gram of biomass. Furthermore, the study demonstrates an upcycling strategy that converts microplastics-enriched cyanobacteria into plastic composites with unique performance. This work also integrates microplastic removal with cyanobacterial bioproduction and wastewater treatment, offering an approach that synergizes remediation with these value-added processes. Ultimately, this platform provides a viable and sustainable pathway to address microplastic pollution by creating value through plastic upcycling, wastewater nutrient removal, and CO 2 -based bioproduction.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1988

Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology Workshop. Volume 2: Roundtable Discussion of Technology Requirements

The Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology Workshop was held April 28 to 30, 1987, at the NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The major objective of the workshop was to identify future NASA needs for technology concerning the management of subcritical cryogenic fluids in the low-gravity space environment. In addition, workshop participants were asked to identify those technologies which will require in-space experimentation and thus are candidates for inclusion in the flight experiment being defined at Lewis. The principal application for advanced fluid management technology is the Space-Based Orbit Transfer Vehicle (SBOTV) and its servicing facility, the On-Orbit Cryogenic Fuel Depot (OOCFD). Other potential applications include the replenishment of cryogenic coolants (with the exception of superfluid helium), reactants, and propellants on board a variety of spacecraft including the space station and space-based weapon systems. The last day was devoted to a roundtable discussion of cryogenic fluid management technology requirements by 30 representatives from NASA, industry, and academia. This volume contains a transcript of the discussion of the eight major technology categories.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1994

Space Station Environmental Control and Life Support Systems: An Update on Waste Water Reclamation

Since the mid-1980's, work has been ongoing In the development of the various environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) for the space station. Part of this effort has been focused on the development of a new subsystem to reclaim waste water that had not been previously required for shuttle missions. Because of the extended manned missions proposed, reclamation of waste water becomes imperative to avoid the weight penalties associated with resupplying a crew's entire water needs for consumption and daily hygiene. Hamilton Standard, under contract to Boeing Aerospace and Electronics, has been designing the water reclamation system for space station use. Since June of 1991, Hamilton Standard has developed a combined water processor capable of reclaiming potable quality water from waste hygiene water, used laundry water, processed urine, Shuttle fuel cell water, humidity condensate and other minor waste water sources. The system was assembled and then tested with over 27,700 pounds of 'real' waste water. During the 1700 hours of system operation required to process this waste water, potable quality water meeting NASA and Boeing specifications was produced. This paper gives a schematic overview of the system, describes the test conditions and test results and outlines the next steps for system development.

Ferner, Kathleen M.↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Fast Modular Reactor (FMR) - Development Plan of a New 50 MWe Gas-cooled Fast Reactor

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) will be developing a new 50-megawatt electric (MWe) fast modular reactor (FMR), under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), Advanced Reactor Concepts 2020 (ARC-20) development pathway, that provides safe, carbon free electricity, capable of incremental capacity additions. A modular design allows it to be factory-built and assembled on-site to keep the cost of capital low, while the dry-cooling facilitates siting to complement renewables in nearly any location. GA-EMS is committed to commercialization of the proposed reactor, with a demonstration by 2030, and deployment by the mid-2030s. The ultimate goal of the design is to develop flexible and dispatchable carbon-free power source for the 2035 US electricity market. The GAEMS- led team will verify that simplified characteristics (e.g., inert helium gas coolant, pellet-loaded fuel rod, installation-free of heat sink requirements, small and passive heat removal systems) of the FMR will result in a safe, maintainable, cost-effective, distributed, nuclear energygenerating station. Three key specific project objectives for the next three years include: Development of the conceptual design of the 50- MWe FMR plant, Achievement of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 for key system and component technologies through in-pile tests, out-of-pile tests, and numerical experiments; and Development of robust techno-economic analysis (TEA) and pre-application licensing approach necessary for timely demonstration and eventual commercialization.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1993

Spacecraft propulsion research facility (B-2) at the Lewis Research Center, Plum Brook Station

The B-2 facility is designed to hot fire rocket engines or upper stage launch vehicles with up to 890,000 N thrust, after environmental conditioning of the test article in a simulated thermal vaccum space environment. The facility can handle cryogenic fuels and oxidizers. A steam ejector system maintains vacuum around the test article and on the engine discharge during the test firing. Two high speed computer systems control the test, monitor critical parameters and record all of the desired data.

Klein, William E.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assessing fuel cycle design options for advanced microreactors

Microreactor (MR) technology have recently gained traction due to their reduced construction cost compared to traditional large reactors. Their small physical geometry results in increased neutron leakage and deteriorated neutron economy which limits the achievable burnup of MR fuel. Refueling strategy currently discussed in MR design community is the battery-like refueling which is involve replacing the entire reactor core at the end of their operational cycle. Here, this paper investigates partial core refueling as means to increase MR fuel burnup and improve fuel cycle economy as a result. Two fuel cycle design strategies have been successful. These are the partial core refueling and partial core refueling combined with assembly rotation. Both strategies have been tested to operate a heatpipe-cooled MR referred to as the eVinci-like core for 72 Effective Full Power Months (EFPMs). The partial core refueling showed to reduce the refueling requirements by 18% compared to the battery-like refueling strategy. This corresponds to 10.5% reduction in the Net Present Value (NPV) of fuel cost over the 72 EFPMs of operation. The partial core refueling combined with rotation case reduces the refueling requirements by 29% (corresponding to 14.5% reduction in NPV of fuel cost) compared to the battery-like refueling strategy.

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS2004

Comparison of Carbon Dioxide and Helium as Fire Extinguishing Agents for Spacecraft

The effects of radiation heat transfer in microgravity compared to convection heat transfer in earth gravity for opposed-flow (downward) over thermally-thick fuel using low density foam fuel were investigated. Microgravity experiments on flame spread over thermally-thick fuels were conducted using foam fuels to obtain low density and thermal conductivity, and thus large flame spread rate compared to dense fuels such as PMMA. And thereby valid microgravity results were obtained even in 2.2 second drop-tower experiments not to mention for the longer duration tests in Zero Gravity Facility. Contrast to the conventional understanding, it was found that steady flame spread can occur over thick fuels in quiescent microgravity environments, especially when radiatively-active diluent gases such as CO2 were employed. This is proposed to result from radiative heat transfer from the flame to the fuel surface, which could lead to steady spread even when the amount of the heat transfer via conduction from the flame to the fuel bed is negligible. Radiative effects are more significant at microgravity conditions because the flame is thicker and thus the volume of radiating combustion products is larger as well. These results suggested that helium may be a better inert or extinguishment agent on both a mass and a mole bases at microgravity even though CO2 is much better on a mole bases at earth gravity, and these are relevant to studies of fire safety in manned spacecraft, particularly the International Space Station that uses CO2 fire extinguishers. CO2 may not be as effective as an extinguishing agent at g as it is at earth gravity in some conditions because of the differences in spread mechanisms between the two cases. In particular, the difference between conduction-dominated heat transport to the fuel bed at earth gravity and radiation-dominated heat transport at g indicates that radiatively-inert diluent such as helium could be preferable in g applications. Helium may be a superior fire suppression agent at g on several bases. First, helium is more effective than CO2 on a mole basis (thus pressure times storage volume basis) at g, meaning that the size and weight of storage bottles would be smaller for the same fire-fighting capability. Second; helium is much more effective on a mass basis (by about 11 times) at g. Third; helium has no physiological activity, unlike CO2 that affects human respiration. Fourth, as compared to N2 or CO2, is not very soluble in water and thus has fewer tendencies to cause bloodstream bubble formation following rapid spacecraft cabin depressurization.

Gokoglu, Suleyman↗