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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 559 records · Page 31
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1997

Spectral and Temporal Properties of Galactic Black Hole Systems

Kusunose, Mineshige & Yamada (1996; hereafter KMY) extended the model of Kusunose & Mineshige (1995) to the Galactic black hole candidates by considering nonthermal electron injection with gamma(EQ\0(,\s\up2(less than),\s\do-l(_))) 10. The effects of pair escape and advection on the disk structure and general relativistic effects on the emission spectrum were also examined. They found that the energy spectral index (alpha)(sub x) of the power law X-rays is about-0.8 and-2.0 when 1(sub soft)/1 = 0.2 and 2, respectively, where 1(sub soft)/1 is the ratio of the compactness of the injected soft photons to that of the gravitational energy. The power law index was found to be nearly independent of the mass accretion which is consistent with the observed luminosity independence. The model with small 1(sub soft)/1 (less than 1) shows promise for explaining the low state observed in Galactic black hole candidates. Model fits were provided for GX339-4 and Cyg X- 1 data from COMPTEL and OSSE on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. The difference in emission spectra between thermal disks and the model of KMY appears only in the energy range greater than 100 keV. Li, Kusunose and Liang (1996) studied stochastic particle acceleration to produce nonthermal particle distributions which then were used in the model of Kusunose & Mineshige (1995) to model the spectrum above 1 Mev from GBHC's. Under certain conditions, stochastic electron acceleration overcame Coulomb and Compton losses resulting in a suprathermal electron population. Good fits were obtained by COMPTEL and OSSE observations of Cyg X-1 and GRO J0422+23. Kusunose & Mineshige (1996a) examined the role of electron-positron pairs in advection-dominated disks. They found that the results for advection-dominated disks without pairs are not qualitatively changed by including pairs. Summaries of work sponsored by this grant are given in Wheeler, Kim, Moscoso, Kusunose & Mineshige (1996) and Kusunose (1996) Work was also done on developing a model for an e(+-) pair wind from the inner disk region of a black hole. The model consists of three zones: a pair production/annihilation zone at the base of the wind, a pair annihilation zone slightly further out from the disk and a wind zone extending to infinity where no annihilation occurs. The model assumes an input X-ray / gamma-ray power-law spectrum as a function of photon energy and angular distribution. Pairs are created in the pair production/annihilation zone via photon-photon, photonparticle and particle-particle collisions. The bulk velocity of the pairs is obtained from the momentum component perpendicular to the disk taking into account the radiation pressure acceleration of the pairs. Energy balance in the pair production/annihilation zone is calculated by assuming that the momentum component parallel to the disk is thermalized and by taking into account heating/cooling via anisotropic thermal Compton scattering along with the cooling processes of bremsstrahlung and synchrotron radiation. The pair density is also calculated. The outer boundary of the pair production/annihilation zone is where the optical depth for photon-photon pair produciton is unity. Beyond this point only pair annihilation will occur in the pair annihilation zone. When the pair density becomes small, pair annihilation will be negligible and the pairs will flow freely to infinity. In this model we have found that the X-ray power-law spectral index, alpha(sub x) is the primary parameter which determines the density, temperature and velocity of the pair production/annihilation zone (Moscoso, Kusunose & Wheeler 1996).

Wheeler, J. Craig↗
NASA NTRS2009

Humidity Testing for Human Rated Spacecraft

Determination that equipment can operate in and survive exposure to the humidity environments unique to human rated spacecraft presents widely varying challenges. Equipment may need to operate in habitable volumes where the atmosphere contains perspiration, exhalation, and residual moisture. Equipment located outside the pressurized volumes may be exposed to repetitive diurnal cycles that may result in moisture absorption and/or condensation. Equipment may be thermally affected by conduction to coldplate or structure, by forced or ambient air convection (hot/cold or wet/dry), or by radiation to space through windows or hatches. The equipment s on/off state also contributes to the equipment s susceptibility to humidity. Like-equipment is sometimes used in more than one location and under varying operational modes. Due to these challenges, developing a test scenario that bounds all physical, environmental and operational modes for both pressurized and unpressurized volumes requires an integrated assessment to determine the "worst-case combined conditions." Such an assessment was performed for the Constellation program, considering all of the aforementioned variables; and a test profile was developed based on approximately 300 variable combinations. The test profile has been vetted by several subject matter experts and partially validated by testing. Final testing to determine the efficacy of the test profile on actual space hardware is in the planning stages. When validation is completed, the test profile will be formally incorporated into NASA document CxP 30036, "Constellation Environmental Qualification and Acceptance Testing Requirements (CEQATR)."

Johnson, Gary B.↗
NASA NTRS2015

LSPRAY-V: A Lagrangian Spray Module

LSPRAY-V is a Lagrangian spray solver developed for application with unstructured grids and massively parallel computers. It is mainly designed to predict the flow, thermal and transport properties of a rapidly vaporizing spray encountered over a wide range of operating conditions in modern aircraft engine development. It could easily be coupled with any existing gas-phase flow and/or Monte Carlo Probability Density Function (PDF) solvers. The manual provides the user with an understanding of various models involved in the spray formulation, its code structure and solution algorithm, and various other issues related to parallelization and its coupling with other solvers. With the development of LSPRAY-V, we have advanced the state-of-the-art in spray computations in several important ways.

CFD↗
NASA NTRS2014

Fractal Loop Heat Pipe Performance Comparisons of a Soda Lime Glass and Compressed Carbon Foam Wick

This study compares heat flux performance of a Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) wick structure fabricated from compressed carbon foam with that of a wick structure fabricated from sintered soda lime glass. Each wick was used in an LHP containing a fractal based evaporator. The Fractal Loop Heat Pipe (FLHP) was designed and manufactured by Mikros Manufacturing Inc. The compressed carbon foam wick structure was manufactured by ERG Aerospace Inc., and machined to specifications comparable to that of the initial soda lime glass wick structure. Machining of the compressed foam as well as performance testing was conducted at the United States Naval Academy. Performance testing with the sintered soda lime glass wick structures was conducted at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Heat input for both wick structures was supplied via cartridge heaters mounted in a copper block. The copper heater block was placed in contact with the FLHP evaporator which had a circular cross-sectional area of 0.88 cm(sup 2). Twice distilled, deionized water was used as the working fluid in both sets of experiments. Thermal performance data was obtained for three different Condenser/Subcooler temperatures under degassed conditions. Both wicks demonstrated comparable heat flux performance with a maximum of 75 W/cm observed for the soda lime glass wick and 70 W /cm(sup 2) for the compressed carbon foam wick.

Myre, David↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development and Validation of a High-Vacuum Thermal Conductivity Testbed for Aerospace Interface Materials

Spacecraft thermal margins depend on the temperature penalty of installed interfaces, yet catalog conductivity omits bondline thickness, mating surfaces, preload, and environment. The Testbed for Advanced Interface Materials in Vacuum (TAIMV) addresses this engineering-data gap by converting ambient/vacuum temperature fields from a four-coupon stack into quantities usable in spacecraft thermal models. Its 17-node steady-state model resolves axial conduction, parasitic fixture paths, grease-filled contact, radiation, and ambient convection. Four monolithic checks gave axial heat-rate ratios of 0.90–1.02, and Braycote calibration self-recovery gave 2.20% casewise mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and 2.85% maximum difference. With transferable fixture terms frozen, Krytox LVP tested cross-material transfer against a manufacturer-derived external relation. The six Krytox cases gave 2.28% MAPE, 5.10% maximum difference, and full-field residual root-mean-square values of 0.553 °C ambient and 1.306 °C vacuum. Installed-joint resistance spanned 6.39–7.15 × 10⁻⁴ m²·K/W for Braycote and 4.09–4.49 × 10⁻⁴ m²·K/W for Krytox, corresponding to 2.33–6.66 K per modeled interface over the tested heat-flux range. TAIMV therefore supplies directly usable installed-joint resistance and conductance, plus apparent installed conductivity and explicitly model-conditioned grease conductivity/contact terms.

heat transfer↗
NASA NTRS1981

Development of the small community solar power system

The status of the Small Community Solar Thermal Power Experiment is presented. Activities on the Phase 2 single/module development effort are presented, together with plans for the Phase 3 1 MWe demonstration plant. A description of the various subsystems and components is given with emphasis on the unmanned microprocessor based plant control subsystem. Latest performance figures are given for the 1 MWe plant, based on 56 power modules, each consisting of a 12m low cost concentrator, a cavity receiver, a Rankine power conversion subsystem and a ground mounted solid-state rectifier. Overall plant efficiency at rated conditions is 15.8 percent. Advanced glass concentrator designs yield 20 percent overall efficiencies.

Babbe, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Numerical procedures for three-dimensional computational surface thermochemistry

Models and equations for surface thermochemistry and near-surface thermophysics of aerodynamically-heated thermal protection materials are reviewed, with particular emphasis on computational boundary conditions for surface mass and energy transfer. The surface energy and mass balances, coupled with an appropriate ablation or surface catalysis model, provide complete thermochemical boundary conditions for a true multidisciplinary solution of the fully coupled fluid-dynamics/solid mechanics problem. Practical approximate solutions can be obtained by using a detailed model with full thermophysics for either the solid or fluid phase amd a semianalytic method for the other half of the problem. A significant increase in the state-of-the-art in aerothermal computational fluid dynamics is possible by uniting CFD methodology with surface thermochemistry boundary conditions and the heat-balance-integral method.

Milos, Frank S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Volatile loss from accreting icy protoplanets

A large self-gravitating body does not easily lose significant mass because the escape velocity is much larger than the sound speed of atmosphere-forming species under ambient thermal conditions. The most significant exceptions to this are giant impacts or impact jetting by fast-moving projectiles. A very small object (e.g. a comet) also does not easily lose significant volatile mass upon formation because the energy release associated with its accretion is so small. (It can however lose a great deal of mass if it is subsequently moved closer to the Sun.) I argue that there is an intermediate mass range (corresponding to bodies with radii of approximately 300-800 km) for which the ambient steady-state mass loss is a maximum. By ambient, I mean those conditions pertaining to the formation region of the body. By steady state, I mean to exclude infrequent traumas (giant impacts). The existence of a preferred intermediate mass arises through the competition of growing gravitational containment and growing energy release by accretion; it corresponds typically to GM/(Rc(sub s)(exp 2)) approximately equals 2 to 4, where M is the protoplanet mass of radius R, and c(sub s) is the sound speed. Several factors determine the amount of volatile loss is this vulnerable zone during accretion but in general the loss is a substantial fraction of the volatiles, sometimes approaching 100 percent. The principal implication is that bodies larger than a few hundred kilometers in radius will not have a 'primitive' (i.e. cometary) composition. This is relevant for understanding Triton, Pluto, Charon, and perhaps Chiron.

Stevenson, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Review of numerical procedures for computational surface thermochemistry

Models and equations for surface thermochemistry and near-surface thermophysics of aerodynamically heated thermal protection materials are reviewed, with particular emphasis on computational boundary conditions for surface mass and energy transfer. The surface energy and mass balances, coupled with an appropriate ablation or surface catalysis model, provide complete thermochemical boundary conditions for a true multidisciplinary solution of the fully coupled fluid-dynamics/solid mechanics problem. Practical approximate solutions can be obtained by using a detailed model with full thermophysics for either the solid or fluid phase and a semianalytic method for the other half of the problem. A significant increase in the state-of-the-art in aerothermal computational fluid dynamics is possible by uniting computational fluid dynamic (CFD) methodology with surface thermochemistry boundary conditions and the heat-balance-integral method.

SOLID MECHANICS↗
NASA NTRS1985

Two dimensional, transient catalytic combustion of CO-air on platinum

The light off transient of catalytic combustion of lean CO-air mixtures in a platinum coated channel of a honeycomb monolith is studied with a model that resolves transient radial and axial gradients in both the gas and the solid. For the conditions studied it is concluded that: the initial heat release occurs near the entrance at the gas-solid interface and is controlled by heterogeneous reactions; large spatial and temporal temperature gradients occur in the solid near the entrance controlled mostly by the availability of fuel; the temperature of the solid near the entrance achieves almost its steady state value before significant heating of the back; heterogeneous reactions and the gas heated up front and flowing downstream heat the back of the solid; the overall transient time is controlled by the thermal inertia of the solid and by forced convection; radiation significantly influences both transient and steady state particularly near the entrance; the oxidation of CO occurs mostly on the catalyst and becomes diffusion controlled soon into the transient.

Sinha, N.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Comments on "The Sensitivity Study of Radiative-Convective Equilibrium in the Tropics with a Convective Resolving Model"

In general, there are two broad scientific objectives when using cloud resolving models (CRMs or cloud ensemble models-CEMs) to study tropical convection. The first one is to use them as a physics resolving models to understand the dynamic and microphysical processes associated with the tropical water and energy cycles and their role in the climate system. The second approach is to use the CRMs to improve the representation of moist processes and their interaction with radiation in large-scale models. In order to improve the credibility of the CRMs and achieve the above goals, CRMs using identical initial conditions and large-scale influences need to produce very similar results. Two CRMs produced different statistical equilibrium (SE) states even though both used the same initial thermodynamic and wind conditions. Sensitivity tests to identify the major physical processes that determine the SE states for the different CRM simulations were performed. Their results indicated that atmospheric horizontal wind is treated quite differently in these two CRMs. The model that had stronger surface winds and consequently larger latent and sensible heat fluxes from the ocean produced a warmer and more humid modeled thermodynamic SE state. In addition, the domain mean thermodynamic state is more unstable for those experiments that produced a warmer and more humid SE state. Their simulated wet (warm and humid) SE states are thermally more stable in the lower troposphere (from the surface to 4-5 km in altitude). The large-scale horizontal advective effects on temperature and water vapor mixing ratio are needed when using CRMs to perform long-term integrations to study convective feedback under specified large-scale environments. In addition, it is suggested that the dry and cold SE state simulated was caused by enhanced precipitation but not enough surface evaporation. We find some problems with the interpretation of these three phenomena.

Tao, W.-K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Comparative Flow Path Analysis and Design Assessment of an Axisymmetric Hydrogen Fueled Scramjet Flight Test Engine at a Mach Number of 6.5

NASA has contracted with the Central Institute of Aviation Motors CIAM to perform a flight test and ground test and provide a scramjet engine for ground test in the United States. The objective of this contract is to obtain ground to flight correlation for a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine operating point at a Mach number of 6.5. This paper presents results from a flow path performance and thermal evaluation performed on the design proposed by the CIAM. This study shows that the engine will perform in the scramjet mode for stoichiometric operation at a flight Mach number of 6.5. Thermal assessment of the structure indicates that the combustor cooling liner will provide adequate cooling for a Mach number of 6.5 test condition and that optional material proposed by CIAM for the cowl leading-edge design are required to allow operation with or without a type IV shock-shock interaction.

McClinton, C.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Mars Sample Return Using Commercial Capabilities: Propulsive Entry, Descent, and Landing of a Capsule Form Vehicle

This paper describes a critical portion of the work that has been done at NASA, Ames Research Center regarding the use of the commercially developed Dragon capsule as a delivery vehicle for the elements of a high priority Mars Sample Return mission. The objective of the investigation was to determine entry and landed mass capabilities that cover anticipated mission conditions. The "Red Dragon", Mars configuration, uses supersonic retro-propulsion, with no required parachute system, to perform Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) maneuvers. The propulsive system proposed for use is the same system that will perform an abort, if necessary, for a human rated version of the Dragon capsule. Standard trajectory analysis tools are applied to publically available information about Dragon and other legacy capsule forms in order to perform the investigation. Trajectory simulation parameters include entry velocity, flight path angle, lift to drag Ratio (L/D), landing site elevation, atmosphere density, and total entry mass, in addition engineering assumptions for the performance of the propulsion system are stated. Mass estimates for major elements of the overall proposed architecture are coupled to this EDL analysis to close the overall architecture. Three synodic launch opportunities, beginning with the 2022 opportunity, define the arrival conditions. Results state the relations between the analysis parameters as well as sensitivities to those parameters. The EDL performance envelope includes landing altitudes between 0 and -4 km referenced to the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter datum as well as minimum and maximum atmosphere density. Total entry masses between 7 and 10 mt are considered with architecture closure occurring between 9.0 and 10 mt. Propellant mass fractions for each major phase of the EDL - Entry, Terminal Descent, and Hazard Avoidance - have been derived. An assessment of the effect of the entry conditions on the Thermal Protection System (TPS) currently in use for Dragon missions shows no significant stressors. A useful payload mass of 2.0 mt is provided and includes mass and grow allowance for a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), Earth Return Vehicle (ERV), and mission unique equipment. The useful payload supports an architecture that receives a sample from another surface asset and sends it directly back to Earth for recovery in a high Earth orbit. The work shows that emerging commercial capabilities as well as previously studied EDL methodologies can be used to efficiently support an important planetary science objective. The work also has applications for human exploration missions that will also use propulsive EDL techniques

EDL↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

BioSentinel: Leading the Way for Deep Space CubeSat Missions

Flagship science missions are not alone in Deep Space thanks to BioSentinel, a 6U spacecraft launched on Artemis-1. BioSentinel is one of the longest operating CubeSats beyond cislunar space. The subsystems and COTS components of the BioSentinel bus are a template for future deep space missions, and the lessons learned from over a year of operations will enable improved performance for the next missions. BioSentinel achieved its unprecedented performance for an SLS secondary payload due to preparation, planning, and a robust design. Pre-launch antenna and interface testing with both DSN and ESA confirmed command and data pathways and allowed for operational flexibility in the critical early hours post-deployment. Mission Operations simulations prior to launch identified potential risks and primed operators to respond in flight, preparing the team to react quickly to successfully detumble the spacecraft and enter a power-positive state. The spacecraft would not have survived without the inclusion of the trailblazing 3D-printed composite cold gas propulsion system. The non-standard tank geometry enabled efficient use of the limited space available in the CubeSat, as well as the capability to detumble the spacecraft and manage momentum, while providing sufficient margin to execute potential delta-V maneuvers. The Iris radio has operated for over 18 months with no significant issues. Initial Iris performance estimates have been accurate throughout the mission. BioSentinel continues to collect data on thermal conditions and to validate our performance models with real-world knowledge. We have received exemplary support from our DSN partners. Following the conclusion of the primary science mission, the Linear Energy Transfer (LET) Spectrometer continued to collect solar and galactic radiation data from its location in heliocentric orbit. The free space dataset offered by the BioSentinel LET is a valuable source of data for model validation and future mission planning. As the spacecraft travels farther from Earth it is poised to provide longitudinally distributed measurements of solar particle events during solar maximum. The lessons learned from BioSentinel suggest key areas to enhance performance. The ability to upload modified flight software can increase the stability of memory management. Additional heaters in the propulsion system design have already proven successful on the Starling mission. Streamlining mission operations can reduce costs, increase data return, and better utilize DSN time. Enhancements such as these will facilitate reliable, long-duration deep space exploration using the proven BioSentinel 6U CubeSat bus.

BioSentinel↗
NASA NTRS2024

Advanced Lightweight TUFROC Thermal Protection System for Space Plane Applications

Toughened Uni-piece Fibrous Reinforced Oxidation-resistant Composite (TUFROC) represents the state of the art in low-cost, reusable spacecraft Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) with high temperature capability and is flight proven on the USAF X-37B. The two-piece design takes advantage of a low-conductivity porous silica substrate combined with high-temperature-capable carbon cap and surface treatments. NASA has updated the chemical composition of the surface treatments resulting in improved high-heating capability and reusability. The new system, called Advanced TUFROC, experiences a lower surface temperature (by ~80 K) at identical aerothermal heating conditions compared to the original formulation, now called Standard TUFROC. The reduced heating is attributed to the lower catalytic efficiency of the new formulation, which results in reduced exothermic atom recombination rates at the surface. Multiple arc-jet test campaigns demonstrate that Advanced TUFROC has the ability to withstand long and repeated exposures at 1866 K or a shorter duration exposure at 1980 K without recession or damage to TPS. Furthermore, an improved arc-jet article design for assessing 3-dimensional flow over a wing leading edge has been developed and tested. This article allows for assessment of heating at a tile gap under flight-relevant conditions at significantly reduced article fabrication and arc-jet facility configuration costs compared to prior work.

TUFROC↗
NASA NTRS1990

A numerical and analytical study of nonlinear bifurcations associated with the morphological stability of two-dimensional single crystals

The nonlinear stability of a two-dimensional single crystal of pure material in an undercooled melt is studied both analytically and numerically. The quasi-steady state approximation is used for the thermal fields, and the effects of different solid and liquid thermal conductivities, isotropic interfacial growth kinetics, and isotropic surface tension are included. The bifurcation analysis is performed by calculating the instantaneous value of the fundamental component of the local normal growth speed for an interface perturbed by a single Fourier shape component. Numerically, the fundamental component of the interfacial growth speed is found by Fourier analysis of the solution to an integrodifferential equation obeyed at the interface. Analytically, an expansion technique is used to derive a solvability condition defining each of these bifurcation points. The analytical and numerical results are in very close agreement. Almost all of the bifurcations are subcritical, and the results are presented by giving values of the Landau coefficient as a function of the different dimensionless parameters used in the model.

Brush, L. N.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Chemical Vapor Deposition at High Pressure in a Microgravity Environment

In this paper we present an evaluation of critical requirements of organometallic chemical vapor deposition (OMCVD) at elevated pressure for a channel flow reactor in a microgravity environment. The objective of using high pressure is to maintain single-phase surface composition for materials that have high thermal decomposition pressure at their optimum growth temperature. Access to microgravity is needed to maintain conditions of laminar flow, which is essential for process analysis. Based on ground based observations we present an optimized reactor design for OMCVD at high pressure and reduced gravity. Also, we discuss non-intrusive real-time optical monitoring of flow dynamics coupled to homogeneous gas phase reactions, transport and surface processes. While suborbital flights may suffice for studies of initial stages of heteroepitaxy experiments in space are essential for a complete evaluation of steady-state growth.

McCall, Sonya↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Establishing Standardized Test Methods for Evaluating Space Suit Gloves

The Artemis space suit glove environmental protection garment (EPG) will be the first line of protection used to shield the crewmember’s hands from the environments encountered during extravehicular activity (EVA). As the Artemis missions will include more extreme environments than those experienced on the International Space Station, development, verification, and validation of gloves poses three key challenges. First, there are no standardized tests defined to evaluate the durability of space suit gloves for the extreme lunar environments, particularly the permanently shadowed regions. Second, there is insufficient data on state-of-the-art glove performance in a lunar environment from which to compare new designs. Third, current ISS glove Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment (TMG) fabrics are unlikely to be sufficient to meet Lunar requirements. It is therefore necessary to define tests to evaluate if gloves can meet new, challenging requirements. This paper focuses on the development of a test procedure to characterize lunar EVA glove fabrics using ASTM standardized test methods and the design and validation of a new standardized test procedure for comparing abrasion resistance between fabrics in lunar-like conditions. The results of testing on twelve candidate EVA glove fabrics are presented.

Robert J. Jones↗