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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

Lunar power system summary of studies for the lunar enterprise task force NASA-office of exploration

The capacity of global power systems must be increased by a factor of ten to provide the predicted power needs of electric power by the year 2050. The Lunar Power System (LPS) would collect solar energy at power bases located on opposing limbs of the moon as seen from Earth. LPS can provide dependable, economic, renewable, and environmentally benign solar energy to Earth. A preliminary engineering and cash flow model of the LPS was developed. Results are shown for a system scaled to a peak capacity of 355 GWe on Earth and to provide 13,600 GWe-Yrs of energy over a 70 year life cycle of construction and full operation. The growth in capacity of the reference system from start of installation on the moon in 2005 to completion of its nominal life cycle in the year 2070 is shown. World needs for power could be accommodated by expansion in capacity of the reference LPS beyond 344 GWe. This would be done by steadily incorporating newer technology during full operation and by establishing additional bases. The results presented encourage consideration of a faster paced program than is assumed herein.

Criswell, David R.↗

Evaluation of the NASA Ames no. 1 7 by 10 foot wind tunnel as an acoustic test facility

Measurements were made in the no. 1 7'x10' wind tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center, with the objectives of defining the acoustic characteristics and recommending minimum cost treatments so that the tunnel can be converted into an acoustic research facility. The results indicate that the noise levels in the test section are due to (a) noise generation in the test section, associated with the presence of solid bodies such as the pitot tube, and (b) propagation of acoustic energy from the fan. A criterion for noise levels in the test section is recommended, based on low-noise microphone support systems. Noise control methods required to meet the criterion include removal of hardware items for the test section and diffuser, improved design of microphone supports, and installation of acoustic treatment in the settling chamber and diffuser.

Wilby, J. F.↗

Method and technique for installing light-weight, fragile, high-temperature fiber insulation

A method of installing fragile, light weight, high temperature fiber insulation, particularly where the insulation is to be used as a seal strip providing a high order of thermal barrier insulation is discussed. The process is based on provision of a strip of the mineral batting cut oversize by a predetermined amount, saturated in a fugitive polymer solution, compressed in a mold, dried and cured to form a rigidized batting material which is machined to required shape. The machine dimensions would normally be at least nominally less than the dimensions of the cavity to be sealed. After insertion in the cavity, which may be a wire-mesh seal enclosure, the apparatus is subjected to baking at a temperature sufficiently high to cause the resin to burn off cleanly, leaving the batting substantially in its original condition and expanded into the cavity or seal enclosure.

Patel, B. C.↗

First Results of GPS Time Transfer to Australia

A global positioning system (GPS) time transfer unit was installed at Tidbinbilla Deep Space Communications Complex of the DSN in June 1983. It was used to estimate the relationship to UTC(USNO MC) of the Tidbinbilla frequency and time system TID(FTS) based on a hydrogen maser, and to estimate the performance of the Australian free-running time scale UTC(AUS). Data from the first 3 months were analyzed three ways: by two-hop common view using JPL as intermediary; by long-arc interpolation of measurements against space vehicle clocks; and by long arc interpolation of GPS-Time results. Residuals from a single quadratic fit through 3 months of UTC(USNO MC) -TID(FTS) results were white noise with standard error 15 ns, and a flying clock measurement gave 70 ns agreement. A straight line fit through results UTC(USNO MC) - UTC(AUS) gave 90 ns standard error and 120 ns agreement. It is proposed to use the GPS measurements to steer UTC(AUS) to UTC(BIH), and to rename the existing time scale TA(AUS).

Mck.luck, J.↗

The Venus Balloon Project

During the Soviet Vega Mission to Venus and Comet Halley, two instrumented balloons will be placed into the Venusian atmosphere in June 1985. These Soviet/French balloons will be used to study the structure and dynamics of the Venusian atmosphere by means of in situ measurements and earth-based VLBI determination of balloon position and velocity. The DSN 64-meter subnet will be part of an international network of antennas organized by the French to support this mission. The DSN is installing new L-band receiving systems for this task. All scientific data from the balloons will be analyzed by a joint Soviet/French/U.S. science team.

Preston, R. A.↗

Mechanical testing of large cryogenic structures

The mechanical testing performed on the Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) instrument installed on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite is discussed. The CLAES determines temperatures and concentrations of stratospheric minor species as a function of altitude by measuring the atmospheric infrared emission spectra. CLAES is based on a telescope optical system and infrared spectrometer which are cooled with cryogens.

Newkirk, Roger↗

Metrication report to the Congress. 1991 activities and 1992 plans

During 1991, NASA approved a revised metric use policy and developed a NASA Metric Transition Plan. This Plan targets the end of 1995 for completion of NASA's metric initiatives. This Plan also identifies future programs that NASA anticipates will use the metric system of measurement. Field installations began metric transition studies in 1991 and will complete them in 1992. Half of NASA's Space Shuttle payloads for 1991, and almost all such payloads for 1992, have some metric-based elements. In 1992, NASA will begin assessing requirements for space-quality piece parts fabricated to U.S. metric standards, leading to development and qualification of high priority parts.

Source record↗

The Final Approach Spacing Tool

A system for assisting terminal area air traffic controllers in the management and control of arrival traffic, referred to as the Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST), is being developed at NASA Ames Research Center. In a cooperative program, NASA and FAA have efforts underway to install and evaluate the system at the Dallas/Fort Worth Terminal Radar Approach Control facility. This paper will review the software architecture, the algorithms components, and the human-machine interface. The system is based on continuous updates of a detailed trajectory analyses of all arrival aircraft. FAST interprets the results of these trajectory analyses to build an efficient and procedurally acceptable plan for the arrival traffic that consists of a sequence, schedule, and runway assignment. The system utilizes a heuristically-based conflict resolution algorithm to build a solution trajectory that satisfies the plan, It extracts a series of speed and heading advisories from the solution trajectory to assist the controller in efficiently managing and controlling the arrival traffic down to the runway. The advisories are displayed in a graphical format to the controller. In addition to the radar tracking data, the system also relies on a series of data bases. These data bases contain aircraft performance models, airline preferred operational procedures, airspace structure, air traffic procedural models, and a three dimensional wind model. Field evaluation of FAST is expected to begin in 1994.

Davis, Thomas J.↗

Modeling Heat Flow In a Calorimeter Equipped With a Textured Solar Collector

Heat engines are being considered for generating electric power for minisatellite applications, particularly for those missions in high radiation threat orbits. To achieve this objective, solar energy must be collected and transported to the hot side of the heat engine. A solar collector is needed having the combined properties of high solar absorptance, low infrared emittance, and high thermal conductivity. To test candidate solar collector concepts, a simple calorimeter was designed, manufactured, and installed in a bench top vacuum chamber to measure heat flow. In addition, a finite element analysis model of the collector/calorimeter combination was made to model this heat flow. The model was tuned based on observations from the as-manufactured collector/calorimeter combination. In addition, the model was exercised to examine other collector concepts, properties, and scale up issues.

Jaworske, Donald A.↗

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) Switch Technology and Vendor Survey

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switch and software features are described and compared in order to make switch comparisons meaningful. An ATM switch's performance cannot be measured solely based on its claimed switching capacity; traffic management and congestion control are emerging as the determining factors in an ATM network's ultimate throughput. Non-switch ATM products and experiences with actual installations of ATM networks are described. A compilation of select vendor offerings as of October 1994 is provided in chart form.

Berry, Noemi↗

Promoted-Combustion Chamber with Induction Heating Coil

An improved promoted-combustion system has been developed for studying the effects of elevated temperatures on the flammability of metals in pure oxygen. In prior promoted-combustion chambers, initial temperatures of metal specimens in experiments have been limited to the temperatures of gas supplies, usually near room temperature. Although limited elevated temperature promoted-combustion chambers have been developed using water-cooled induction coils for preheating specimens, these designs have been limited to low-pressure operation due to the hollow induction coil. In contrast, the improved promoted-combustion chamber can sustain a pressure up to 10 kpsi (69 MPa) and, through utilization of a solid induction coil, is capable of preheating a metal specimen up to its melting point [potentially in excess of 2,000 F (approximately equal to 1,100 C)]. Hence, the improved promoted combustion chamber makes a greater range of physical conditions and material properties accessible for experimentation. The chamber consists of a vertical cylindrical housing with an inner diameter of 8 in. (20.32 cm) and an inner height of 20.4 in. (51.81 cm). A threaded, sealing cover at one end of the housing can be unscrewed to gain access for installing a specimen. Inlet and outlet ports for gases are provided. Six openings arranged in a helical pattern in the chamber wall contain sealed sapphire windows for viewing an experiment in progress. The base of the chamber contains pressure-sealed electrical connectors for supplying power to the induction coil. The connectors feature a unique design that prevents induction heating of the housing and the pressure sealing surfaces; this is important because if such spurious induction heating were allowed to occur, chamber pressure could be lost. The induction coil is 10 in. (25.4 cm) long and is fitted with a specimen holder at its upper end. At its lower end, the induction coil is mounted on a ceramic base, which affords thermal insulation to prevent heating of the base of the chamber during use. A sapphire cylinder protects the coil against slag generated during an experiment. The induction coil is energized by a 6-kW water-cooled power supply operating at a frequency of 400 kHz. The induction coil is part of a parallel-tuned circuit, the tuning of which is used to adjust the coupling of power to the specimen. The chamber is mounted on a test stand along with pumps, valves, and plumbing for transferring pressurized gas into and out of the chamber. In addition to multiple video cameras aimed through the windows encircling the chamber, the chamber is instrumented with gauges for monitoring the progress of an experiment. One of the gauges is a dual-frequency infrared temperature transducer aimed at the specimen through one window. Chamber operation is achieved via a console that contains a computer running apparatus-specific software, a video recorder, and real-time video monitors. For safety, a blast wall separates the console from the test stand.

Richardson, Erin↗

High Fidelity CFD Analysis and Validation of Rotorcraft Gearbox Aerodynamics Under Operational and Oil-Out Conditions

This document represents the evolving formal documentation of the NPHASE-PSU computer code. Version 3.15 is being delivered along with the software to NASA in 2013.Significant upgrades to the NPHASE-PSU have been made since the first delivery of draft documentation to DARPA and USNRC in 2006. These include a much lighter, faster and memory efficient face based front end, support for arbitrary polyhedra in front end, flow-solver and back-end, a generalized homogeneous multiphase capability, and several two-fluid modelling and algorithmic elements. Specific capability installed for the NASA Gearbox Windage Aerodynamics NRA are included in this version: Hybrid Immersed Overset Boundary Method (HOIBM) [Noack et. al (2009)] Periodic boundary conditions for multiple frames of reference, Fully generalized immersed boundary method, Fully generalized conjugate heat transfer, Droplet deposition, bouncing, splashing models, and, Film transport and breakup.

Gears↗

Measurement-based analysis of error latency

This paper demonstrates a practical methodology for the study of error latency under a real workload. The method is illustrated with sampled data on the physical memory activity, gathered by hardware instrumentation on a VAX 11/780 during the normal workload cycle of the installation. These data are used to simulate fault occurrence and to reconstruct the error discovery process in the system. The technique provides a means to study the system under different workloads and for multiple days. An approach to determine the percentage of undiscovered errors is also developed and a verification of the entire methodology is performed. This study finds that the mean error latency, in the memory containing the operating system, varies by a factor of 10 to 1 (in hours) between the low and high workloads. It is found that of all errors occurring within a day, 70 percent are detected in the same day, 82 percent within the following day, and 91 percent within the third day. The increase in failure rate due to latency is not so much a function of remaining errors but is dependent on whether or not there is a latent error.

Chillarege, Ram↗

Effect of nozzle lateral spacing on afterbody drag and performance of twin-jet afterbody models with cone plug nozzles at Mach numbers up to 2.20

Twin-jet afterbody models were investigated by using two balances to measure separately the thrust minus total drag and the afterbody drag at Mach numbers of 0.0 and 0.50 to 2.20 for a constant angle of attack of 0. Translating shroud cone plug nozzles were tested at dry and maximum afterburning power settings with a high-pressure air system used to provide jet total-pressure ratios up to 20.0. Two nozzle lateral spacings were studied by using afterbodies with several interfairing shapes. The close- and wide-spaced afterbodies had identical cross-sectional area distributions when similar interfairings were installed on each. Nozzle cant angles of -5, 0, and 5 degrees were investigated. The results show that the highest overall performance was generally obtained with the close-spaced afterbody, basic interfairings (no base), and uncanted nozzles.

Berrier, B. L.↗

Effect of Fin Passage Length on Optimization of Cylinder Head Cooling Fins

The heat transfer performance of baffled cooling fins on cylinder heads of small, air-cooled, general-aviation aircraft engines was analyzed to determine the potential for improving cooling fin design. Flow baffles were assumed to be installed tightly against the fin end edges, an ideal baffle configuration for guiding all flow between the fins. A rectangular flow passage is thereby formed between each set of two adjacent fins, the fin base surface, and the baffle. These passages extend around each side of the cylinder head, and the cooling air absorbs heat as it flows within them. For each flow passage length, the analysis was concerned with optimizing fin spacing and thickness to achieve the best heat transfer for each fin width. Previous literature has been concerned mainly with maximizing the local fin conductance and has not considered the heating of the gas in the flow direction, which leads to higher wall temperatures at the fin passage exits. If the fins are close together, there is a large surface area, but the airflow is restricted.

Siegel, R.↗

Propulsion/airframe integration considerations for high altitude hypersonic cruise vehicles

A study has been conducted to determine the implications of top-mounted inlet nacelles on propulsion performance and cruise range. The top-mounted nacelle would be less visible from ground-based radar below and ahead of the aircraft. For this study, the nacelle is integrated with a high altitude Mach 5 turbojet/ramjet-powered airplane concept requiring a large nacelle. Results of the study suggest nacelle installation advantages and improved inlet mass flow ratio for the top-mounted nacelle, but at the expense of a higher installed drag at transonic and supersonic speeds.

Weidner, J. P.↗

Development of sensors for ceramic components in advanced propulsion systems: Survey and evaluation of measurement techniques for temperature, strain and heat flux for ceramic components in advanced propulsion systems

The report presents the final results of Tasks 1 and 2, Development of Sensors for Ceramic Components in Advanced Propulsion Systems (NASA program NAS3-25141). During Task 1, an extensive survey was conducted of sensor concepts which have the potential for measuring surface temperature, strain and heat flux on ceramic components for advanced propulsion systems. Each sensor concept was analyzed and evaluated under Task 2; sensor concepts were then recommended for further development. For temperature measurement, both pyrometry and thermographic phosphors are recommended for measurements up to and beyond the melting point of ceramic materials. For lower temperature test programs, the thin-film techniques offer advantages in the installation of temperature sensors. Optical strain measurement techniques are recommended because they offer the possibility of being useful at very high temperature levels. Techniques for the measurement of heat flux are recommended for development based on both a surface mounted sensor and the measurement of the temperature differential across a portion of a ceramic component or metallic substrate.

Atkinson, W. H.↗

An Overview of the Guided Parafoil System Derived from X-38 Experience

The NASA Johnson Space Center built a 4200 sq ft parafoil for the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center to demonstrate autonomous flight using a guided parafoil system to deliver 10,000 lbs of useable payload. The parafoil's design was based upon that developed during the X-38 program. The drop test payload consisted of a standard 20-foot Type V airdrop platform, a standard 12-foot weight tub, a 60 ft drogue parachute, a 4200 ft2 parafoil, an instrumentation system, and a Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) system. Instrumentation installed on the load was used to gather data to validate simulation models and preflight loads predictions and to perform post flight trajectory and performance reconstructions. The GN&C system, developed during NASA's X-38 program, consisted of a flight computer, modems for uplink commands and downlink data, a compass, laser altimeter, and two winches. The winches were used to steer the parafoil and to perform the dynamic flare maneuver for a soft landing. The laser was used to initiate the flare. The GN&C software was originally provided to NASA by the European Space Agency. NASA incorporated further software refinements based upon the X-38 flight test results. Three full-scale drop tests were conducted, with the third being performed during the Precision Airdrop Technology Conference and Demonstration (PATCAD) Conference at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in November of 2003. For the PATCAD demonstration, the parafoil and GN&C software and hardware performed well, concluding with a good flare and the smallest miss distance ever experienced in NASA's parafoil drop test program. This paper describes the 4200 sq ft parafoil system, simulation results, and the results of the drop tests.

Stein, Jenny M.↗