Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Mixture design”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 541 records · Page 30
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2003

Spectral Properties of Hydrated Salts at Low Temperature: Implications for Europa Mission Spectrometer Design

Knowledge of the surface composition of Europa is critical for modeling of surface and interior processes and especially for evaluation of astrobiological potential. While much information has been derived from the Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) investigation, some breakthroughs have created more questions than answers. Any future Europa mission will attempt to capitalize on lessons learned from NIMS and try to answer these questions. At present, the surface composition appears to be a mixture of water ice, hydrated salts, sulfur compounds, radiolysis products (such as hydrogen peroxide and possibly simple organics like formaldehyde) and some as yet unidentified component. The small spatial scale of heterogeneity in Europa's surface geology poses additional challenges for orbiting spectrometers due to spectral mixing effects.

Dalton, J. Brad↗
NASA NTRS1982

Imide modified epoxy matrix resins

Results of a program designed to develop tough imide modified epoxy (IME) resins cured by bisimide amine (BIA) hardeners are presented. State of the art epoxy resin, MY720, was used. Three aromatic bisimide amines and one aromatic aliphatic BIA were evaluated. BIA's derived from 6F anhydride (3,3 prime 4,4 prime-(hexafluoro isopropyl idene) bis (phthalic anhydride) and diamines, 3,3 prime-diam nodiphenyl sulfone (3,3 prime-DDS), 4,4 prime-diamino diphenyl sulfone (4,4 prime-DDS), 1.12-dodecane diamine (1,12-DDA) were used. BIA's were abbreviated 6F-3,3 prime-DDS, 6F-4,4 prime-DDS, 6F-3,3 prime-DDS-4,4 prime DDS, and 6F-3,3 prime-DDS-1,12-DDA corresponding to 6F anhydride and diamines mentioned. Epoxy resin and BIA's (MY720/6F-3,3 prime-DDS, MY720/6F-3,3 prime-DDS-4,4 prime-DDS, MY720/6F-3,3 prime-DDS-1,12-DDA and a 50:50 mixture of a BIA and parent diamine, MY720/6F-3,3 prime-DDS/3,3 prime-DDS, MY720/6F-3,3 prime-DDS-4,4 prime-DDS/3,3 prime-DDS, MY720/6F-3,3 prime-DDS-1,12-DDA/3,3 prime-DDS were studied to determine effect of structure and composition. Effect of the addition of two commercial epoxies, glyamine 200 and glyamine 100 on the properties of several formulations was evaluated. Bisimide amine cured epoxies were designated IME's (imide modified epoxy). Physical, thermal and mechanical properties of these resins were determined. Moisture absorption in boiling water exhibited by several of the IME's was considerably lower than the state of the art epoxies (from 3.2% for the control and state of the art to 2.0 wt% moisture absorption). Char yields are increased from 20% for control and state of the art epoxies to 40% for IME resins. Relative toughness characteristics of IME resins were measured by 10 deg off axis tensile tests of Celion 6000/IME composites. Results show that IME's containing 6F-3,3 prime-DDS or 6F-3,3 prime-DDS-1,12-DDA improved the "toughness" characteristics of composites by about 35% (tensile strength), about 35% (intralaminar shear strength), and about 78% (shear strain to failure) relative to the control composite.

Scola, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Design of an Advanced Expander Test Bed

The Advanced Expander Test Bed (AETB) is the key element for development of technology for future space engines. The AETB will be used to validate the high pressure expander cycle concept, investigate system interactions and conduct investigations of advanced mission focused components and new health monitoring techniques. The AETB will use oxygen/hydrogen propellants and a split expander cycle with nominal operation at a combustion chamber pressure of 1200 psia, a mixture ratio of 6.0, and an equivalent vacuum thrust of 20,000 lbf. It will function over a wide range of conditions including throttling to 5 percent thrust, operation at a mixture ratio of 12.0, and operation in tank head idle and pumped idle modes.

Masters, Arthur I.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Generation of ultraviolet and vacuum ultraviolet radiation

The paper describes nonlinear optical techniques that use phase-matched mixtures of metal vapors and inert gases, or, in certain cases, only inert gases for the generation of ultraviolet radiation. These systems are transparent where nonlinear crystals are opaque and their high ionization permits optical power densities of 10 to the 10 or 10 to the 11 W/sq cm to be utilized. An experiment designed to convert incident 1.064 micron radiation to 3547 A radiation is described as are experiments designed to generate vacuum ultraviolet at 1773, 1520, 1182 and 887 A. Theoretical considerations on the use of this nonlinear optical technique for the generation of soft X-rays are presented and the construction of a vacuum ultraviolet holographic grating with a fringe spacing of 836 A is reported on.

Harris, S. E.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Driving of combustor oscillations by gaseous propellant injectors

Measurements of reactive admittances that describe the capabilities of the combustion processes associated with coaxial gaseous fuel injectors to amplify combustor oscillations are presented. These admittances are needed in (1) stability analyses of rocket motors and gas turbine combustors; (2) for the evaluation of 'driving' capabilities of injectors; and (3) for checking the applicability of a theoretical model. The modified standing-wave technique was used to determine the admittances of the combustion processes in coaxial injectors utilizing air-acetylene mixtures. The measurements indicated that (1) coaxial injectors can sustain combustion instabilities over wide frequency ranges; (2) the maximum driving capability of an injector decreases with an increased equivalence ratio; (3) the frequency at which maximum driving is observed decreases with the increased equivalence ratio; and (4) the characteristic combustion time of an injector design decreases with increased frequency.

Janardan, B. A.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Vaporization and Zonal Mixing in Performance Modeling of Advanced LOX-Methane Rockets

Initial modeling of LOX-Methane reaction control (RCE) 100 lbf thrusters and larger, 5500 lbf thrusters with the TDK/VIPER code has shown good agreement with sea-level and altitude test data. However, the vaporization and zonal mixing upstream of the compressible flow stage of the models leveraged empirical trends to match the sea-level data. This was necessary in part because the codes are designed primarily to handle the compressible part of the flow (i.e. contraction through expansion) and in part because there was limited data on the thrusters themselves on which to base a rigorous model. A more rigorous model has been developed which includes detailed vaporization trends based on element type and geometry, radial variations in mixture ratio within each of the "zones" associated with elements and not just between zones of different element types, and, to the extent possible, updated kinetic rates. The Spray Combustion Analysis Program (SCAP) was leveraged to support assumptions in the vaporization trends. Data of both thrusters is revisited and the model maintains a good predictive capability while addressing some of the major limitations of the previous version.

Williams, George J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Selection, Production, and Properties of Regolith Polymer Composites for Lunar Construction

NASA’s Artemis Program seeks to establish a long-term presence on the Moon to enable scientific exploration and expand the cis-lunar economy by utilizing lunar resources through public-private and international partnerships. Over the next decades, a lunar spaceport will need to be established to provide the services and facilities that are necessary to achieve this goal. Robotic construction technologies using in-situ materials must be developed to build up enabling infrastructure such as launch/landing pads, blast protection, power/communications infrastructure, improved roads, improved operational surfaces, and radiation protection shelters. Kennedy Space Center’s Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations laboratory at Swamp Works has partnered with SpaceFactory and LERA Consulting Structural Engineers to develop the architectural and structural design of an unpressurized lunar shelter. The shelter, called Lunar Infrastructure Asset (LINA), is designed to support 2.3 m of regolith overburden to protect astronauts and surface assets from radiation, meteoroid impact, thermal gradients/cycling, and to withstand moonquakes. LINA’s structural design criteria and the resulting structure design are detailed in separate papers. A Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) construction process using regolith polymer composites has been developed and is detailed in a separate publication. This paper presents material formulations and selection rationale for each of the composite components that were examined. Formulations include 70:30, 80:20, and 85:15 wt.% mixture ratios of lunar mare simulant Black Point-1 (BP-1): Polylactic Acid (PLA), 80:20 Lunar Highlands Simulant-1 (LHS-1): PLA and an 80:20 BP-1: PLA formulation with a flow enhancer additive. Test samples were printed in simulated lunar dirty thermal vacuum conditions (-190 °C, 10-3 torr). A series of tests were performed on each formulation to characterize the achieved mixture ratio, mechanical strength properties, off-gassing products during vacuum printing, and porosity and density of printed products. The LHS-1: PLA formulation yielded an advantageous combination of properties and was used in a final test that additively constructed a sub-scaled LINA on regolith simulant in dirty vacuum conditions. The materials and construction process presented in this paper are considered to be at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 with additional testing necessary to characterize long term lunar environmental exposure effects.

lunar infrastructure↗
NASA NTRS2014

A Design of Experiments Investigation of Offset Streams for Supersonic Jet Noise Reduction

An experimental investigation into the noise characteristics of a dual-stream jet with four airfoils inserted in the fan nozzle was conducted. The intent of the airfoils was to deflect the fan stream relative to the core stream and, therefore, impact the development of the secondary potential core and noise radiated in the peak jet-noise direction. The experiments used a full-factorial Design of Experiments (DoE) approach to identify parameters and parameter interactions impacting noise radiation at two azimuthal microphone array locations, one of which represented a sideline viewing angle. The parameters studied included airfoil angle-of-attack, airfoil azimuthal location within the fan nozzle, and airfoil axial location relative to the fan-nozzle trailing edge. Jet conditions included subsonic and supersonic fan-stream Mach numbers. Heated jets conditions were simulated with a mixture of helium and air to replicate the exhaust velocity and density of the hot jets. The introduction of the airfoils was shown to impact noise radiated at polar angles in peak-jet noise direction and to have no impact on noise radiated at small and broadside polar angles and to have no impact on broadband-shock-associated noise. The DoE analysis showed the main effects impacting noise radiation at sideline-azimuthal-viewing angles included airfoil azimuthal angle for the airfoils on the lower side of the jet near the sideline array and airfoil trailing edge distance (with airfoils located at the nozzle trailing edge produced the lowest sound pressure levels). For an array located directly beneath the jet (and on the side of the jet from which the fan stream was deflected), the main effects impacting noise radiation included airfoil angle-of-attack and airfoil azimuthal angle for the airfoils located on the observation side of the jet as well and trailing edge distance. Interaction terms between multiple configuration parameters were shown to have significant impact on the radiated noise. The models were shown to adequately describe the sound-pressure levels obtained for a configuration in the center of the design space indicating the models can be used to navigate the design space.

Jet Noise↗
NASA NTRS1992

Advanced Raman water vapor lidar

Water vapor and aerosols are important atmospheric constituents. Knowledge of the structure of water vapor is important in understanding convective development, atmospheric stability, the interaction of the atmosphere with the surface, and energy feedback mechanisms and how they relate to global warming calculations. The Raman Lidar group at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) developed an advanced Raman Lidar for use in measuring water vapor and aerosols in the earth's atmosphere. Drawing on the experience gained through the development and use of our previous Nd:YAG based system, we have developed a completely new lidar system which uses a XeF excimer laser and a large scanning mirror. The additional power of the excimer and the considerably improved optical throughput of the system have resulted in approximately a factor of 25 improvement in system performance for nighttime measurements. Every component of the current system has new design concepts incorporated. The lidar system consists of two mobile trailers; the first (13m x 2.4m) houses the lidar instrument, the other (9.75m x 2.4m) is for system control, realtime data display, and analysis. The laser transmitter is a Lambda Physik LPX 240 iCC operating at 400 Hz with a XeF gas mixture (351 nm). The telescope is a .75m horizontally mounted Dall-Kirkham system which is bore sited with a .8m x 1.1m elliptical flat which has a full 180 degree scan capability - horizon to horizon within a plane perpendicular to the long axis of the trailer. The telescope and scan mirror assembly are mounted on a 3.65m x .9m optical table which deploys out the rear of the trailer through the use of a motor driven slide rail system. The Raman returns from water vapor (403 nm), nitrogen (383 nm) and oxygen (372 nm) are measured in addition to the direct Rayleigh/Mie backscatter (351). The signal from each of these is split at about a 5/95 ratio between two photomultiplier detectors. The 5 percent detector is used for measurements below about 4.0 km, while the 95 percent detector provides the information above this level.

Whiteman, David N.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Optimization of Orifice Geometry for Cross-Flow Mixing in a Cylindrical Duct

Mixing of gaseous jets in a cross-flow has significant applications in engineering, one example of which is the dilution zone of a gas turbine combustor. Despite years of study, the design of jet injection in combustors is largely based on practical experience. A series of experiments was undertaken to delineate the optimal mixer orifice geometry. A cross-flow to core-flow momentum-flux ratio of 40 and a mass flow ratio of 2.5 were selected as representative of an advanced design. An experimental test matrix was designed around three variables: the number of orifices, the orifice aspect ratio (long-to-short dimension), and the orifice angle. A regression analysis was performed on the data to arrive at an interpolating equation that predicted the mixing performance of orifice geometry combinations within the range of the test matrix parameters. Results indicate that mixture uniformity is a non-linear function of the number of orifices, the orifice aspect ratio, and the orifice angle. Optimum mixing occurs when the asymptotic mean jet trajectories are in the range of 0.35 less than r/R less than 0.5 (where r = 0 is at the mixer wall) at z/R = 1.0. At the optimum number of orifices, the difference between shallow-angled slots with large aspect ratios and round holes is minimal and either approach will lead to good mixing performance. At the optimum number of orifices, it appears possible to have two local optimums where one corresponds to an aspect ratio of 1.0 and the other to a high aspect ratio.

Sowa, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Experimental Modeling of Sterilization Effects for Atmospheric Entry Heating on Microorganisms

The objective of this research was to design, build, and test an experimental apparatus for studying the parameters of atmospheric entry heating, and the inactivation of temperature-resistant bacterial spores. The apparatus is capable of controlled, rapid heating of sample coupons to temperatures of 200 to 350 C and above. The vacuum chamber permits operation under vacuum or special atmospheric gas mixtures.

Schubert, Wayne W.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Piezoelectrically Initiated Pyrotechnic Igniter

This innovation consists of a pyrotechnic initiator and piezoelectric initiation system. The device will be capable of being initiated mechanically; resisting initiation by EMF, RF, and EMI (electromagnetic field, radio frequency, and electromagnetic interference, respectively); and initiating in water environments and space environments. Current devices of this nature are initiated by the mechanical action of a firing pin against a primer. Primers historically are prone to failure. These failures are commonly known as misfires or hang-fires. In many cases, the primer shows the dent where the firing pin struck the primer, but the primer failed to fire. In devices such as "T" handles, which are commonly used to initiate the blowout of canopies, loss of function of the device may result in loss of crew. In devices such as flares or smoke generators, failure can result in failure to spot a downed pilot. The piezoelectrically initiated ignition system consists of a pyrotechnic device that plugs into a mechanical system (activator), which on activation, generates a high-voltage spark. The activator, when released, will strike a stack of electrically linked piezo crystals, generating a high-voltage, low-amperage current that is then conducted to the pyro-initiator. Within the initiator, an electrode releases a spark that passes through a pyrotechnic first-fire mixture, causing it to combust. The combustion of the first-fire initiates a primary pyrotechnic or explosive powder. If used in a "T" handle, the primary would ramp the speed of burn up to the speed of sound, generating a shock wave that would cause a high explosive to go "high order." In a flare or smoke generator, the secondary would produce the heat necessary to ignite the pyrotechnic mixture. The piezo activator subsystem is redundant in that a second stack of crystals would be struck at the same time with the same activation force, doubling the probability of a first strike spark generation. If the first activation fails to ignite, the device is capable of multiple attempts. Another unique aspect is in the design of the pyrotechnic device. There is an electrode that aids the generation of a directed spark and the use of a conductive matrix to support the first-fire material so that the spark will penetrate to the second electrode.

Quince, Asia↗
NASA NTRS1979

Phase 1 of the First Small Power System Experiment (engineering Experiment No. 1). Volume 3: Experimental System Descriptions

The design and development of a modular solar thermal power system for application in the 1 to 10 MWe range is described. The system consists of five subsystems: the collector, power conversion, energy transport, energy storage, and the plant control subsystem. The collector subsystem consists of concentrator, receiver, and tower assemblies. The energy transport subsystem uses a mixture of salts with a low melting temperature to transport thermal energy. A steam generator drives a steam Rankine cycle turbine which drives an electrical generator to produce electricity. Thermal and stress analysis tests are performed on each subsystem in order to determine the operational reliability, the minimum risk of failure, and the maintenance and repair characteristics.

Holl, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Design Constraints Regarding The Use Of Fluids In Emergency Medical Systems For Space Flight

The Exploration Medical Capability Project of the Human Research Program is tasked with identifying, investigating and addressing gaps existing gaps in either knowledge or technology that need to be addressed in order to enable safer exploration missions. There are several gaps that involve treatment for emergency medical situations. Some of these treatments involve the handling of liquids in the spacecraft environment which involve gas-liquid mixtures handling, dissolution chemistry and thermal issues. Some of the recent technology efforts include the Intravenous fluid generation (IVGEN) experiment, the In-Suit Injection System (ISIS) experiment, and medical suction. Constraints include limited volume, shelf life, handling biohazards, availability of power, crew time and medical training.

McQuillen, John↗
NASA NTRS2015

Large Eddy Simulation of High-Speed, Premixed Ethylene Combustion

A large-eddy simulation / Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (LES/RANS) methodology is used to simulate premixed ethylene-air combustion in a model scramjet designed for dual mode operation and equipped with a cavity for flameholding. A 22-species reduced mechanism for ethylene-air combustion is employed, and the calculations are performed on a mesh containing 93 million cells. Fuel plumes injected at the isolator entrance are processed by the isolator shock train, yielding a premixed fuel-air mixture at an equivalence ratio of 0.42 at the cavity entrance plane. A premixed flame is anchored within the cavity and propagates toward the opposite wall. Near complete combustion of ethylene is obtained. The combustor is highly dynamic, exhibiting a large-scale oscillation in global heat release and mass flow rate with a period of about 2.8 ms. Maximum heat release occurs when the flame front reaches its most downstream extent, as the flame surface area is larger. Minimum heat release is associated with flame propagation toward the cavity and occurs through a reduction in core flow velocity that is correlated with an upstream movement of the shock train. Reasonable agreement between simulation results and available wall pressure, particle image velocimetry, and OH-PLIF data is obtained, but it is not yet clear whether the system-level oscillations seen in the calculations are actually present in the experiment.

Ramesh, Kiran↗
NASA NTRS2018

Independent Component Analysis for Preprocessing Optical Signals in Support of Multi-User Communication

In an effort to construct an optical transceiver for supporting multi-point communication, researchers developed large field-of-view FSO transceivers with wide apertures for facilitating rapid acquisition and optical signal tracking. The design is constructed from fiber-bundle(s) intelligently arranged to provide multiple optical pathways within a single transceiver, with each pathway limited to a particular optical directionality. Because designs with wide apertures are susceptible to receiving several optical signals simultaneously from multiple transmitters, accurately decoding individual signals and achieving true multi-user communication can be difficult. The work detailed in this paper investigated the use of blind source separation techniques, mainly independent component analysis (ICA), to estimate transmitted signals from their observed, combined mixtures sans information. Effects of signal power, format, data rate, wavelength, and turbulence severity on signal separation, as well as signal demodulation accuracy was also analyzed using experimental optical signals and corresponding mixtures. Signal generators, laser sources, turbulence emulator, beam profiler, photodiodes, and oscilloscopes comprised the experiment setup. Optical signals with varying power, format, and wavelength were generated and propagated through turbulence with varying degree severity, and finally received by the fiber-bundle-based optical transceiver. Results demonstrate that an ICA technique can accurately process the combined signals into corresponding individual components. The investigation further identified signal characteristics (e.g., power levels, format, data rate) and turbulence severity under which ICA is unable to accurately perform signal separations.

Optics↗
NASA NTRS2011

Design of Refractory Metal Heat Pipe Life Test Environment Chamber, Cooling System, and Radio Frequency Heating System

A series of 16 Mo-44.5%Re alloy/sodium heat pipes will be experimentally tested to examine heat pipe aging. To support this evaluation, an environmental test chamber and a number of auxiliary subsystems are required. These subsystems include radio frequency (RF) power supplies/inductive coils, recirculation water coolant loops, and chamber gas conditioning. The heat pipes will be grouped, based on like power and gas mixture requirements, into three clusters of five units each, configured in a pentagonal arrangement. The highest powered heat pipe will be tested separately. Test chamber atmospheric purity is targeted at <0.3 ppb oxygen at an approximate operating pressure of 76 torr (.1.5 psia), maintained by active purification (oxygen level is comparable to a 10(exp -6) torr environment). Treated water will be used in two independent cooling circuits to remove .85 kW. One circuit will service the RF hardware while the other will maintain the heat pipe calorimetry. Initial procedures for the startup and operation of support systems have been identified. Each of these subsystems is outfitted with a variety of instrumentation, integrated with distributed real-time controllers and computers. A local area network provides communication between all devices. This data and control network continuously monitors the health of the test hardware, providing warning indicators followed by automatic shutdown should potentially damaging conditions develop. During hardware construction, a number of checkout tests.many making use of stainless steel prototype heat pipes that are already fabricated.will be required to verify operation.

Martin, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Gesture Based Control and EMG Decomposition

This paper presents two probabilistic developments for use with Electromyograms (EMG). First described is a new-electric interface for virtual device control based on gesture recognition. The second development is a Bayesian method for decomposing EMG into individual motor unit action potentials. This more complex technique will then allow for higher resolution in separating muscle groups for gesture recognition. All examples presented rely upon sampling EMG data from a subject's forearm. The gesture based recognition uses pattern recognition software that has been trained to identify gestures from among a given set of gestures. The pattern recognition software consists of hidden Markov models which are used to recognize the gestures as they are being performed in real-time from moving averages of EMG. Two experiments were conducted to examine the feasibility of this interface technology. The first replicated a virtual joystick interface, and the second replicated a keyboard. Moving averages of EMG do not provide easy distinction between fine muscle groups. To better distinguish between different fine motor skill muscle groups we present a Bayesian algorithm to separate surface EMG into representative motor unit action potentials. The algorithm is based upon differential Variable Component Analysis (dVCA) [l], [2] which was originally developed for Electroencephalograms. The algorithm uses a simple forward model representing a mixture of motor unit action potentials as seen across multiple channels. The parameters of this model are iteratively optimized for each component. Results are presented on both synthetic and experimental EMG data. The synthetic case has additive white noise and is compared with known components. The experimental EMG data was obtained using a custom linear electrode array designed for this study.

Wheeler, Kevin R.↗