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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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NASA NTRS1990

Conceptual design of a 0.1 W magnetic refrigerator for operation between 10 K and 2 K

The design of a magnetic refrigerator for space applications is discussed. The refrigerator is to operate in the temperature range of 10 K-2 K, at a 2 K cooling power of 0.10 W. As in other magnetic refrigerators operating in this temperature range GGG has been selected as the refrigerant. Crucial to the design of the magnetic refrigerator are the heat switches at both the hot and cold ends of the GGG pill. The 2 K heat switch utilizes a narrow He II filled gap. The 10 K heat switch is based on a narrow helium gas gap. For each switch, the helium in the gap is cycled by means of activated carbon pumps. The design concentrates on reducing the switching times of the pumps and the switches as a whole. A single stage system (one magnet; one refrigerant pill) is being developed. Continuous cooling requires the fully stationary system to have at least two stages running parallel/out of phase with each other. In order to conserve energy, it is intended to recycle the magnetic energy between the magnets. To this purpose, converter networks designed for superconducting magnetic energy storage are being studied.

Helvensteijn, Ben P. M.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Microfocus/Polycapillary-Optic Crystallographic X-Ray System

A system that generates an intense, nearly collimated, nearly monochromatic, small-diameter x-ray beam has been developed for use in macromolecular crystallography. A conventional x-ray system for macromolecular crystallography includes a rotating-anode x-ray source, which is massive (.500 kg), large (approximately 2 by 2 by 1 m), and power-hungry (between 2 and 18 kW). In contrast, the present system generates a beam of the required brightness from a microfocus source, which is small and light enough to be mounted on a laboratory bench, and operates at a power level of only tens of watts. The figure schematically depicts the system as configured for observing x-ray diffraction from a macromolecular crystal. In addition to the microfocus x-ray source, the system includes a polycapillary optic . a monolithic block (typically a bundle of fused glass tubes) that contains thousands of straight or gently curved capillary channels, along which x-rays propagate with multiple reflections. This particular polycapillary optic is configured to act as a collimator; the x-ray beam that emerges from its output face consists of quasi-parallel subbeams with a small angular divergence and a diameter comparable to the size of a crystal to be studied. The gap between the microfocus x-ray source and the input face of the polycapillary optic is chosen consistently with the focal length of the polycapillary optic and the need to maximize the solid angle subtended by the optic in order to maximize the collimated x-ray flux. The spectrum from the source contains a significant component of Cu K (photon energy is 8.08 keV) radiation. The beam is monochromatized (for Cu K ) by a nickel filter 10 m thick. In a test, this system was operated at a power of 40 W (current of 897 A at an accelerating potential of 45 kV), with an anode x-ray spot size of 41+/-2 microns. Also tested, in order to provide a standard for comparison, was a commercial rotating-anode x-ray crystallographic system with a pyrolytic graphite monochromator and a 250-micron pinhole collimator, operating at a power of 3.15 kW (current of 70 mA at an accelerating potential of 45 kV). The flux of collimated Cu K radiation in this system was found to be approximately 16 times that in the rotatinganode system. Data on x-ray diffraction from crystals of tetragonal form of lysozyme (protein) in this system were found to be of high quality and to be reducible by use of standard crystallographic software.

Joy, Marshall↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advancement of Entry System Modeling to Support Exploration of Giant Planets

This paper describes NASA’s efforts to advance entry system modeling and simulation capabilities to support future exploration of Giant planets. The Giant planets are key destinations of interest to the planetary science community for their potential to provide insight into the formation and evolution of our Solar System, as well as extrasolar planetary systems. To date, the Galileo atmospheric probe is the only purpose-built entry probe to a Giant planet. Post-flight analysis of Galileo’s performance showed that there was significant recession of the thermal protection system (TPS), well beyond what was anticipated on the flank, and this was due in part to insufficiently accurate capability for estimating the flight environment and TPS response. While Galileo ultimately survived its flight, the example serves to highlight the great challenge of designing successful missions for environments that are poorly understood or where models have not yet been validated. An important means to reduce mission risks is the incorporation of physics-based modeling with well-quantified uncertainties. The emphasis on physics-based modeling – in contrast to empirically-driven models – is motivated by the fact that it is impossible to completely replicate entry environments through ground tests and, therefore, extrapolation to the flight environment is required. Basing analysis in fundamental physics removes the bias of ground test limitations, though one must then be careful to properly characterize model inputs, simplifying assumptions, and the limits wherein the model is valid. NASA’s Entry Systems Modeling (ESM) Project is tasked with investigating such considerations for planetary science missions across the Solar System, and in recent years has begun to do so for Giant planets. The most distinctive features of the Giant planets, from an entry system perspective, are the atmospheres composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. The entry velocities of proposed missions are generally very large and can therefore be expected to result in significant convective and radiative heating generated by the vehicle’s shock layer. Yet thermochemical behavior of the hydrogen-helium system is not well understood under such conditions. The ESM project is leading efforts to develop accurate thermochemical databases based on state-of-the-art measurements in the Electric Arc Shock Tube and detailed computational chemistry. The large heat fluxes anticipated by missions has driven interest in new TPS materials, in particular woven materials, which may be enabling but have never been flown before. Consequently, multiscale models are in development to describe properties and performance of the materials from micro- to system-scale. The goal is to not only provide accurate thermal response but also to inform thermostructural reliability predictions for extreme entries. Additionally, new computational models have been developed to evaluate performance of non-destructive evaluation techniques which are vital to establishing acceptance of systems to be free of manufacturing faults like material cracking, voids, and debonding. Finally, in the area of guidance and control, aerocapture has been shown conceptually to provide a number of mission benefits, including reducing transit time and increasing payload fraction. The ESM project is building a launch-to-landing trajectory simulation capability to enable detailed studies of aerocapture maneuvers in the context of Giant planets missions. The final presentation and paper will describe each of these topics in detail, including discussion of specific gaps and the technical approach to solving them. In addition, the final paper will briefly discuss ongoing coordination between ESM project work and an ESA-funded technology development activity comprised of validation testing in the Oxford T6, IRS PWK and IST ESTHER tunnels, as well as state-to-state modeling of the shock layer to better represent non-Boltzmann energy distributions leading to non-equilibrium radiation.

Entry systems↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Muscles Treasury Survey. I. Motivation and Overview

Ground- and space-based planet searches employing radial velocity techniques and transit photometry have detected thousands of planet-hosting stars in the Milky Way. With so many planets discovered, the next step toward identifying potentially habitable planets is atmospheric characterization. While the Sun-Earth system provides a good framework for understanding the atmospheric chemistry of Earth-like planets around solar-type stars, the observational and theoretical constraints on the atmospheres of rocky planets in the habitable zones (HZs) around low-mass stars (K and M dwarfs) are relatively few. The chemistry of these atmospheres is controlled by the shape and absolute flux of the stellar spectral energy distribution (SED), however, flux distributions of relatively inactive low-mass stars are poorly understood at present. To address this issue, we have executed a panchromatic (X-ray to mid-IR) study of the SEDs of 11 nearby planet-hosting stars, the Measurements of the Ultraviolet Spectral Characteristics of Low-mass Exoplanetary Systems (MUSCLES) Treasury Survey. The MUSCLES program consists visible observations from Hubble and ground-based observatories. Infrared and astrophysically inaccessible wavelengths (EUV and Lyalpha) are reconstructed using stellar model spectra to fill in gaps in the observational data. In this overview and the companion papers describing the MUSCLES survey, we show that energetic radiation (X-ray and ultraviolet) is present from magnetically active stellar atmospheres at all times for stars as late as M6. The emission line luminosities of C IV and Mg II are strongly correlated with band-integrated luminosities and we present empirical relations that can be used to estimate broadband FUV and XUV (is equivalent to X-ray + EUV) fluxes from individual stellar emission line measurements. We find that while the slope of the SED, FUV/NUV, increases by approximately two orders of magnitude form early K to late M dwarfs (approximately equal 0.01-1), the absolute FUV and XUV flux levels at their corresponding HZ distances are constant to within factors of a few, spanning the range 10-70 erg per (sq cm) s in the HZ. Despite the lack of strong stellar activity indicators in their optical spectra, several of the M dwarfs in our sample show spectacular UV flare emission in their light curves. We present an example with flare/quiescent ultraviolet flux ratios of the order of 100:1 where the transition region energy output during the flare is comparable to the total quiescent luminosity of the star E(sub flare)(UV) approximately 0.3 L(sub *) delta (t) (delta t = 1 s). Finally, we interpret enhanced L(line)/L(sub Bol) ratios for C IV and N V as tentative observational evidence for the interaction of planets with large planetary mass-to-orbital distance ratios (M(sub plan)/A(sub plan)) with the transition regions of their host stars.

Infrared and astrophysically inaccessible waveleng↗
NASA NTRS1973

The role of antimatter in big-bang cosmology

Big bang cosmology is discussed with reference to both its strong points and gaps. Characteristics of a spectral component of red shifted gamma-radiation from cosmological matter-antimatter annihilation show a flattening of the gamma-ray spectrum in the vicinity of 1 MeV, an increased gamma-ray flux between 1 and 100 MeV, and a very steep spectrum between 50 and 135 MeV. This data fits well with the theoretical predictions in energy and intensity.

Stecker, F. W.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Dampers for Stationary Labyrinth Seals

Vibration dampers have been invented that are incorporated as components within the stationary labyrinth seal assembly. These dampers are intended to supplement other vibration-suppressing features of labyrinth seals in order to reduce the incidence of high-cycle-fatigue failures, which have been known to occur in the severe vibratory environments of jet engines and turbopumps in which labyrinth seals are typically used. A vibration damper of this type includes several leaf springs and/or a number of metallic particles (shot) all held in an annular seal cavity by a retaining ring. The leaf springs are made of a spring steel alloy chosen, in conjunction with design parameters, to maintain sufficient preload to ensure effectiveness of damping at desired operating temperatures. The cavity is vented via a small radial gap between the retaining ring and seal housing. The damping mechanism is complex. In the case of leaf springs, the mechanism is mainly friction in the slippage between the seal housing and individual dampers. In the case of a damper that contains shot, the damping mechanism includes contributions from friction between individual particles, friction between particles and cavity walls, and dissipation of kinetic energy of impact. The basic concept of particle/shot vibration dampers has been published previously; what is new here is the use of such dampers to suppress traveling-wave vibrations in labyrinth seals. Damping effectiveness depends on many parameters, including, but not limited to, coefficient of friction, mode shape, and frequency and amplitude of vibrational modes. In tests, preloads of the order of 6 to 15 lb (2.72 to 6.8 kilograms) per spring damper were demonstrated to provide adequate damping levels. Effectiveness of shot damping of vibrations having amplitudes from 20 to 200 times normal terrestrial gravitational acceleration (196 to 1,960 meters per square second) and frequencies up to 12 kHz was demonstrated for shot sizes from 0.032 to 0.062 in. (0.8 to 1.6 millimeters) at fill levels of from 70 to 95 percent.

El-Aini, Yehia↗
NASA NTRS1972

First spectra of chlorine, bromine, and iodine in the 1.8- to 4.0-micron region.

Use of liquid-nitrogen-cooled lead sulfide detectors to extend observations of the first spectra of the halogens in the infrared region as far as 4.0 microns. Descriptions, comprising wavelengths, wave numbers, intensities, and classifications, are presented that serve to close the gap between the upper wavelength limit of the detailed published analyses of these spectra at about 2.5 microns and the groups of recently classified lines near 4 microns, and also to report newly observed lines in the 1.8- to 2.5-micron region made accessible by detectors of improved response characteristics. Listed wavelengths of observed and identified lines are calculated from established values of the energy levels. The descriptions should facilitate the identification of halogen lines in mixed spectra excited in electrodeless tubes containing halogen compounds.

Humphreys, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Scale model performance test investigation of mixed flow exhaust systems for an energy efficient engine /E3/ propulsion system

As part of the NASA Energy Efficient Engine program, scale-model performance tests of a mixed flow exhaust system were conducted. The tests were used to evaluate the performance of exhaust system mixers for high-bypass, mixed-flow turbofan engines. The tests indicated that: (1) mixer penetration has the most significant affect on both mixing effectiveness and mixer pressure loss; (2) mixing/tailpipe length improves mixing effectiveness; (3) gap reduction between the mixer and centerbody increases high mixing effectiveness; (4) mixer cross-sectional shape influences mixing effectiveness; (5) lobe number affects mixing degree; and (6) mixer aerodynamic pressure losses are a function of secondary flows inherent to the lobed mixer concept.

Kuchar, A. P.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Multi-Scale Modeling of Global of Magnetospheric Dynamics

To understand the role of magnetic reconnection in global evolution of magnetosphere and to place spacecraft observations into global context it is essential to perform global simulations with physically motivated model of dissipation that is capable to reproduce reconnection rates predicted by kinetic models. In our efforts to bridge the gap between small scale kinetic modeling and global simulations we introduced an approach that allows to quantify the interaction between large-scale global magnetospheric dynamics and microphysical processes in diffusion regions near reconnection sites. We utilized the high resolution global MHD code BATSRUS and incorporate primary mechanism controlling the dissipation in the vicinity of reconnection sites in terms of kinetic corrections to induction and energy equations. One of the key elements of the multiscale modeling of magnetic reconnection is identification of reconnection sites and boundaries of surrounding diffusion regions where non-MHD corrections are required. Reconnection site search in the equatorial plane implemented in our previous studies is extended to cusp and magnetopause reconnection, as well as for magnetotail reconnection in realistic asymmetric configurations. The role of feedback between the non-ideal effects in diffusion regions and global magnetosphere structure and dynamics will be discussed.

Kuznetsova, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS2013

High Speed Mobility Through On-Demand Aviation

Game changing advances come about by the introduction of new technologies at a time when societal needs create the opportunity for new market solutions. A unique opportunity exists for NASA to bring about such a mobility revolution in General Aviation, extendable to other aviation markets, to maintain leadership in aviation by the United States. This report outlines the research carried out so far under NASA's leadership towards developing a new mobility choice, called Zip Aviation1,2,3. The feasibility, technology and system gaps that need to be addressed, and pathways for successful implementation have been investigated to guide future investment. The past decade indicates exciting trends in transportation technologies, which are quickly evolving. Automobiles are embracing automation to ease driver tasks as well as to completely control the vehicle with added safety (Figure 1). Electric propulsion is providing zero tail-pipe emission vehicles with dramatically lower energy and maintenance costs. These technologies have not yet been applied to aviation, yet offer compelling potential benefits across all aviation markets, and in particular to General Aviation (GA) as an early adopter market. The benefits of such an adoption are applicable in the following areas: 􀁸 Safety: The GA market experiences accident rates that are substantially higher than automobiles or commercial airlines, with 7.5 fatal accidents per 100 million vehicle miles compared to 1.3 for automobiles and.068 for airlines. Approximately 80% of these accidents are caused by some form of pilot error, with another 13% caused by single point propulsion system failure. 􀁸 Emissions: Environmental constraints are pushing for the elimination of 100Low Lead (LL) fuel used in most GA aircraft, with aviation fuel the #1 source of lead emissions into the environment. Aircraft also have no emission control systems (i.e. no catalytic converters etc.), so they are gross hydrocarbon polluters compared to automobiles. 􀁸 Community Noise: Hub and smaller GA airports are facing increasing noise restrictions, and while commercial airliners have dramatically decreased their community noise footprint over the past 30 years, GA aircraft noise has essentially remained same, and moreover, is located in closer proximity to neighborhoods and businesses. 􀁸 Operating Costs: GA operating costs have risen dramatically due to average fuel costs of over $6 per gallon, which has constrained the market over the past decade and resulted in more than 50% lower sales and 35% less yearly operations. Infusion of autonomy and electric propulsion technologies can accomplish not only a transformation of the GA market, but also provide a technology enablement bridge for both larger aircraft and the emerging civil Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) markets. The NASA Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) project successfully used a similar approach to enable the introduction of primary composite structures and flat panel displays in the 1990s, establishing both the technology and certification standardization to permit quick adoption through partnerships with industry, academia, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Regional and airliner markets are experiencing constant pressure to achieve decreasing levels of community emissions and noise, while lowering operating costs and improving safety. But to what degree can these new technology frontiers impact aircraft safety, the environment, operations, cost, and performance? Are the benefits transformational enough to fundamentally alter aircraft competiveness and productivity to permit much greater aviation use for high speed and On-Demand Mobility (ODM)? These questions were asked in a Zip aviation system study named after the Zip Car, an emerging car-sharing business model. Zip Aviation investigates the potential to enable new emergent markets for aviation that offer "more flexibility than the existing transportation solutions." These studies indicate that autonomy and electric propulsion technology infusions offer a unique opportunity to provide breakthrough capabilities for new high speed, on-demand travel alternatives that can leapfrog the need for future expensive ground-based infrastructure investment. At the same time, such investments offer a method of laying the foundation for these technologies to be incubated for commercial aviation at lower cost, and with lower initial certification thresholds due to the relatively poor capabilities of GA aircraft to permit early adoption and private market capitalization by rapid technology accelerations, as depicted in Figure 2.

Moore, Mark D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Do the spectral energy distributions of GK Tauri and HK Tauri indicate the presence of planetary companions?

The interpretation of the spectral dips of three objects (DF Tau, GK Tau, and HK Tau) for which lunar occultation data are available is discussed. Arguments against an alternate interpretation of the spectral dips (the 'disk-shell' model) are presented, and lunar occultation data are used to constrain the properties of the inferred orbiting companions. In the case of DF Tau, the occultation data indicate a stellar mass companion whose orbital radius is consistent with the present inferred gap location. For GK Tau and HK Tau, no such companions are visible, which suggests that the companions responsible for the inferred gaps are substellar. In either case, the estimated gap width is not consistent with a single orbiting body, but is consistent with a group of planets or planetesimals.

Marsh, Kenneth A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

On the tidal interaction between protostellar disks and companions

Formation of protoplanets and binary stars in a protostellar disk modifies the structure of the disk. Through tidal interactions, energy and angular momentum are transferred between the disk and protostellar or protoplanetary companion. We summarize recent progress in theoretical investigations of the disk-companion tidal interaction. We show that low-mass protoplanets excite density waves at their Lindblad resonances and that these waves are likely to be dissipated locally. When a protoplanet acquires sufficient mass, its tidal torque induces the formation of a gap in the vicinity of its orbit. Gap formation leads to the termination of protoplanetary growth by accretion. For proto-Jupiter to attain its present mass, we require that (1) the primordial solar nebula is heated by viscous dissipation; (2) the viscous evolution time scale of the nebula is comparable to the age of typical T Tauri stars with circumstellar disks; and (3) the mass distribution in the nebula is comparable to that estimated from a minimum-mass nebula model.

Lin, D. N. C.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Aerosol, Cloud and Trace Gas Observations Derived from Airborne Hyperspectral Radiance and Direct Beam Measurements in Recent Field Campaigns

The AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) ground-based suite of sunphotometers provides measurements of spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD), precipitable water and spectral sky radiance, which can be inverted to retrieve aerosol microphysical properties that are critical to assessments of aerosol-climate interactions. Because of data quality criteria and sampling constraints, there are significant limitations to the temporal and spatial coverage of AERONET data and their representativeness for global aerosol conditions. The 4STAR (Spectrometer for Sky-Scanning, Sun-Tracking Atmospheric Research) instrument, jointly developed by NASA Ames and PNNL with NASA Goddard collaboration, combines airborne sun tracking and AERONET-like sky scanning with spectroscopic detection. Being an airborne instrument, 4STAR has the potential to fill gaps in the AERONET data set. Dunagan et al. [2013] present results establishing the performance of the instrument, along with calibration, engineering flight test, and preliminary scientific field data. The 4STAR instrument operated successfully in the SEAC4RS [Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys] experiment in Aug./Sep. 2013 aboard the NASA DC-8 and in the DoE [Department of Energy]-sponsored TCAP [Two Column Aerosol Project, July 2012 & Feb. 2013] experiment aboard the DoE G-1 aircraft (Shinozuka et al., 2013), and acquired a wealth of data in support of mission objectives on all SEAC4RS and TCAP research flights. 4STAR provided direct beam measurements of hyperspectral AOD, columnar trace gas retrievals (H2O, O3, NO2; Segal-Rosenheimer et al., 2014), and the first ever airborne hyperspectral sky radiance scans, which can be inverted to yield the same products as AERONET ground-based observations. In addition, 4STAR measured zenith radiances underneath cloud decks for retrievals of cloud optical depth and effective diameter. In this presentation, we provide an overview of the new 4STAR capabilities for airborne field campaigns, with an emphasis on comparisons between 4STAR and AERONET sky radiances, and retrievals of aerosol microphysical properties based on sky radiance measurements, column trace gas amounts from spectral direct beam measurements and cloud property retrievals from zenith mode observations for a few select case studies in the SEAC4RS and TCAP experiments. We summarize the aerosol, trace gas, cloud and airmass characterization studies made possible by the combined 4STAR direct beam, and sky/zenith radiance observations.

Aerosol-Climate↗
NASA NTRS2018

Investigations of Hail Damage Swaths Using Various Satellite Remote Sensing Platforms

Severe thunderstorms that bring damaging winds and large hail can cause significant damage to agricultural crops. Severe thunderstorms can cause upwards of several hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to agricultural areas. Formal ground surveys are not conducted on these areas of damage, like they are for suspected tornado damaged areas. IF ground surveys were conducted, they would likely be time and resources consuming due to their large spatial extent. Satellite remote sensing has been frequently used in identification and analysis of these hail damage swaths. Previous analysis have looked at the simple change in damaged vegetation to looking at the damage areas in satellite imagery with varying spatial resolutions. One study has even looked at the impacts that these damage swaths can have on the land surface, associated fluxes and how they affect numerical weather prediction. Previous studies have focused on using optical remote (VIS, NIR, SWIR) sensing instruments and derived indices, such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for analysis. NDVI is used to monitor the health (greenness) of the vegetation. Optical sensors however are limited by sky conditions over the areas they are imaging and certain bands are further limited by the diurnal cycle. These limitations can lead to sometimes upwards of 7 to 10 day gaps of the surface not being imaged, especially during the height of summer convection. One way to obtain more views of the surface, regardless of the sky conditions or time of day is through the use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR). SAR sensors are active instruments that transmit in the microwave portion of the EM spectrum. The surface and its characteristics will determine the amount of energy scattered back to the sensor. The SAR sensors then measure amplitude and phase of wavelength coming back from surface.

Bell, Jordan R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Phase separation of metallic hydrogen-helium alloys

Calculations are presented for the thermodynamic functions and phase-separation boundaries of solid metallic hydrogen-helium alloys at temperatures between zero and 19,000 K and at pressures between 15 and 90 Mbar. Expressions for the band-structure energy of a randomly disordered alloy (including third order in the electron-ion interaction) are derived and evaluated. Short- and long-range orders are included by the quasi-chemical method, and lattice dynamics in the virtual-crystal harmonic approximation. It is concluded that at temperatures below 4000 K, there is essentially complete phase separation of hydrogen-helium alloys and that a miscibility gap remains at the highest temperatures and pressures considered. The relevance of these results to models of the deep interior of Jupiter is briefly discussed.

Straus, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Progress in HTS trapped field magnets: J(sub c), area, and applications

Progress in trapped field magnets is reported. Single YBCO grains with diameters of 2 cm are made in production quantities, while 3 cm, 4 1/2 cm and 6 cm diameters are being explored. For single grain tiles: J(sub c) is approximately 10,000 A/cm(exp 2) for melt textured grains; J(sub c) is approximately 40,000 A/cm2 for light ion irradiation; and J(sub c) is approximately 85,000 A/cm(exp 2) for heavy ion irradiation. Using 2 cm diameter tiles bombarded by light ions, we have fabricated a mini-magnet which trapped 2.25 Tesla at 77K, and 5.3 Tesla at 65K. A previous generation of tiles, 1 cm x 1 cm, was used to trap 7.0 Tesla at 55K. Unirradiated 2.0 cm tiles were used to provide 8 magnets for an axial gap generator, in a collaborative experiment with Emerson Electric Co. This generator delivered 100 Watts to a resistive load, at 2265 rpm. In this experiment activation of the TFMs was accomplished by a current pulse of 15 ms duration. Tiles have also been studied for application as a bumper-tether system for the soft docking of spacecraft. A method for optimizing tether forces, and mechanisms of energy dissipation are discussed. A bus bar was constructed by welding three crystals while melt-texturing, such that their a,b planes were parallel and interleaved. The bus bar, an area of approximately 2 cm(exp 2), carried a transport current of 1000 amps, the limit of the testing equipment available.

Weinstein, Roy↗
NASA NTRS1995

Progress in HTS Trapped Field Magnets: J(sub c), Area, and Applications

Progress in trapped field magnets is reported. Single YBCO grains with diameters of 2 cm are made in production quantities, while 3 cm, 4 1/2 cm and 6 cm diameters are being explored. For single grain tiles: J(sub c) - 10,000 A/sq cm for melt textured grains; J(sub c) - 40,000 A/sq cm for light ion irradiation; and J(sub c) - 85,000 A/J(sub c) for heavy ion irradiation. Using 2 cm diameter tiles bombarded by light ions, we have fabricated a mini-magnet which trapped 2.25 Tesla at 77K, and 5.3 Tesla at 65K. A previous generation of tiles, 1 cm x 1 cm, was used to trap 7.0 Tesla at 55K. Unirradiated 2.0 cm tiles were used to provide 8 magnets for an axial gap generator, in a collaborative experiment with Emerson Electric Co. This generator delivered 100 Watts to a resistive load, at 2265 rpm. In this experiment, activation of the TFMs was accomplished by a current pulse of 15 ms duration. Tiles have also been studied for application as a bumper-tether system for the soft docking of spacecraft. A method for optimizing tether forces, and mechanisms of energy dissipation are discussed. A bus bar was constructed by welding three crystals while melt-texturing, such that their a,b planes were parallel and interleaved. The bus bar, of area approx. 2 sq cm, carried a transport current of 1000 amps, the limit of the testing equipment available.

Weinstein, Roy↗
NASA NTRS2014

Design Improvements and X-Ray Performance of a Time Projection Chamber Polarimeter for Persistent Astronomical Sources

The design of the Time-Projection Chamber (TPC) Polarimeter for the Gravity and Extreme Magnetism Small Explorer (GEMS) was demonstrated to Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL-6)3 and the flight detectors fabricated, assembled and performance tested. A single flight detector was characterized at the Brookhaven National Laboratory Synchrotron Light Source with polarized X-rays at 10 energies from 2.3-8.0 keV at five detector positions. The detector met all of the GEMS performance requirements. Lifetime measurements have shown that the existing flight design has 23 years of lifetime4, opening up the possibility of relaxing material requirements, in particular the consideration of the use of epoxy, to reduce risk elsewhere. We report on design improvements to the GEMS detector to enable a narrower transfer gap that, when operated with a lower transfer field, reduces asymmetries in the detector response. In addition, the new design reduces cost and risk by simplifying the assembly and reducing production time. Finally, we report on the performance of the narrow-gap detector in response to polarized and unpolarized X-rays.

GEMS↗