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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 577 records · Page 32
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Impact of shuttle environment on prelaunch handling of nickel-hydrogen batteries

Deployment of the American Satellite Company 1 spacecraft for the Space Shuttle Discovery in August 1985 set a new milestone in nickel-hydrogen battery technology. This communications satellite is equipped with two 35 Ah nickel-hydrogen batteries and it is the first such satellite launched into orbit via the Space Shuttle. The prelaunch activities, combined with the environmental constraints onboard the Shuttle, led to the development of a new battery handling procedure. An outline of the prelaunch activities, with particular attention to battery charging, is presented.

Green, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Initial performance of advanced designs for IPV nickel-hydrogen cells

Advanced designs for individual pressure vessel nickel-hydrogen cells have been conceived which should improve the cycle life at deep depths-of-discharge and improve thermal management. Features of the designs which are new and not incorporated in either of the contemporary cells (Air Force/Hughes, Comsat) are: (1) use of alternate methods of oxygen recombination, (2) use of serrated edge separators to facilitate movement of gas within the cell while still maintaining required physical contact with the wall wick, and (3) use of an expandable stack to accommodate some of the nickel electrode expansion. The designs also consider electrolyte volume requirements over the life of the cells, and are fully compatible with the Air Force/Hughes design.

Smithrick, John J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Nickel cadmium battery expert system

The applicability of artificial intelligence methodologies for the automation of energy storage management, in this case, nickel cadmium batteries, is demonstrated. With the Hubble Space Telescope Electrical Power System (HST/EPS) testbed as the application domain, an expert system was developed which incorporates the physical characterization of the EPS, in particular, the nickel cadmium batteries, as well as the human's operational knowledge. The expert system returns not only fault diagnostics but also status and advice along with justifications and explanations in the form of decision support.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1986

Requirements specification for nickel cadmium battery expert system

The requirements for performance, design, test, and qualification of a computer program identified as NICBES, Nickel Cadmium Battery Expert System, is established. The specific spacecraft power system configuration selected was the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Electrical Power System (EPS) Testbed. Power for the HST comes from a system of 13 Solar Panel Arrays (SPAs) linked to 6 Nickel Cadmium Batteries which are connected to 3 Busses. An expert system, NICBES, will be developed at Martin Marietta Aerospace to recognize a testbed anomaly, identify the malfunctioning component and recommend a course of action. Besides fault diagnosis, NICBES will be able to evaluate battery status, give advice on battery status and provide decision support for the operator. These requirements are detailed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1987

Component variations and their effects on bipolar nickel-hydrogen cell performance

A 50 cell bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery was assembled to demonstrate the feasibility of constructing a high voltage stack of cells. Various component combinations were tested in this battery. The battery had approximately 1 ampere-hour of capacity and was constructed from components with an active area of 2" X 2". The components were parametrically varied to give a comparison of nickel electrodes, hydrogen electrodes, separators, fill procedures and electrolyte reservoir plate thicknesses. Groups of five cells were constructed using the same components; ten combinations were tested in all. The battery was thoroughly characterized at various change and discharge rates as well as with various pulse patterns and rates. Over a period of 1400 40% DOD LEO cycles some of the groups began to exhibit performance differences. In general, only separator variations had a significant effect on cell performance. It also appears that shunt currents may have been operating within the stack, resulting in electrolyte transfer from one cell to another, thus contributing to cell performance variations.

Manzo, Michelle A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Test results of a 60 volt bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery

In July, l986, a high-voltage nickel-hydrogen battery was assembled at the NASA Lewis Research Center. This battery incorporated bipolar construction techniques to build a 50-cell stack with approximately 1.0 A-hr capacity (C) and an open-circuit voltage of 65 V. The battery was characterized at both low and high current rates prior to pulsed and nonpulsed discharges. Pulse discharges at 5 and 10 C were performed before placing the battery on over 1400, 40% depth-of-discharge, low-earth-orbit cycles. The successful demonstration of a high-voltage bipolar battery in one containment vessel has advanced the technology to where nickel-hydrogen high-voltage systems can be constructed of several modules instead of hundreds of individual cells.

Cataldo, Russell L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Advanced nickel-cadmium batteries for geosynchronous spacecraft

A nickel cadmium battery was developed that can be operated at 80 percent depth of discharge in excess of 10 years in a geosynchronous orbit application, and has about a 30 percent weight savings per spacecraft over present nickel cadmium batteries when used with a 1000 watts eclipse load. The approach used in the development was to replace nylon separators with inert polymer impregnated zirconia, use electrochemically deposited plates in place of conventional chemically precipitated ones, and use an additive to extend negative plate lifetime. The design has undergone extensive testing using both engineering and protoflight cell configurations.

Pickett, David F.↗
NASA NTRS1987

AC impedance study of degradation of porous nickel battery electrodes

AC impedance spectra of porous nickel battery electrodes were recorded periodically during charge/discharge cycling in concentrated KOH solution at various temperatures. A transmission line model (TLM) was adopted to represent the impedance of the porous electrodes, and various model parameters were adjusted in a curve fitting routine to reproduce the experimental impedances. Degradation processes were deduced from changes in model parameters with electrode cycling time. In developing the TLM, impedance spectra of planar (nonporous) electrodes were used to represent the pore wall and backing plate interfacial impedances. These data were measured over a range of potentials and temperatures, and an equivalent circuit model was adopted to represent the planar electrode data. Cyclic voltammetry was used to study the characteristics of the oxygen evolution reaction on planar nickel electrodes during charging, since oxygen evolution can affect battery electrode charging efficiency and ultimately electrode cycle life if the overpotential for oxygen evolution is sufficiently low.

Lenhart, Stephen J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Cycle life of nickel-hydrogen cells. II - Accelerated cycle life test

A cycle life test of nickel-hydrogen (Ni/H2) cells containing electrolytes of various KOH concentrations and a sintered-type nickel electrode were carried out at 23 C using a 45-min accelerated low earth orbit (LEO) cycle regime at 80 percent depth of discharge. Ten cells containing 21 to 36 percent KOH were tested. Since this accelerated test regime accelerated the cycle life roughly twice as fast as a typical LEO regime, the present results indicate that the cells with 26 percent KOH may last over 5 years in an 80 percent depth-of-discharge cycling in an LEO regime. Cells with lower KOH concentrations (21 to 23.5 percent) also showed longer cycle life than those with KOH concentrations of 31 percent or higher, although the life was shorter than those with 26 percent KOH.

Lim, H. S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Chill block melt spinning of nickel-molybdenum alloys

Samples of Ni-Mo alloys ranging in composition from pure nickel to Ni-40 at. pct molybdenum were cast by the chill block melt-spinning rapid solidification technique and examined by optical metallography, X-ray diffraction, and microhardness testing. Casting difficulties were encountered with lean alloys, but richer alloys spread more readily on the casting wheel. Alloy microstructures for 5 to 37.5 at. pct molybdenum ribbons were primarily cellular/dendritic; microstructure feature size decreased with increasing molybdenum content. Extended solubility of molybdenum in gamma-nickel, with fcc lattice parameter increasing with composition to the 1.05 power, was observed up to 37/5 at. pct molybdenum. Substoichiometric Ni-Mo (delta) nucleated on the wheel side of the ribbons of compositions 35, 37.5, and 40 at. pct molybdenum. The amount of partitionless delta-phase thus formed increased with increasing molybdenum content and quench rate. This substoichiometric delta transformed readily to a fine structure gamma-delta mixture.

Hemker, Kevin J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Advances in nickel hydrogen technology at Yardney Battery Division

The current major activites in nickel hydrogen technology being addressed at Yardney Battery Division are outlined. Five basic topics are covered: an update on life cycle testing of ManTech 50 AH NiH2 cells in the LEO regime; an overview of the Air Force/industry briefing; nickel electrode process upgrading; 4.5 inch cell development; and bipolar NiH2 battery development.

Bentley, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Qualification testing of General Electric 50 Ah nickel-cadmium cells with Pellon 2536 separator and passivated positive plates

Forty-two 50 Ah nickel-cadmium cells were delivered to the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) by General Electric (GE) in February, 1985 for the purpose of evaluating and qualifying a nonwoven nylon separator material, Pellon 2536, and the GE positive plate nickel attack control gas passivation process. Testing began May, 1985 at the Naval Weapons Support Center (NWSC) in Crane, Indiana with GSFC standard initial evaluation tests. Life cycling in both Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO) began in July, 1985 with approximately 6500 LEO cycles and three GEO eclipse seasons completed. After early problems in maintaining test pack temperature control, all packs are performing well but are exhibiting higher than normal charge voltage characteristics.

Morrow, George W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Component variations and their effects on bipolar nickel-hydrogen cell performance

A 50 cell bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery was assembled to demonstrate the feasibility of constructing a high voltage stack of cells. Various component combinations were tested in this battery. The battery had approximately 1 ampere-hour of capacity and was constructed from components with an active area of 2 x 2 inches. The components were parametrically varied to give a comparison of nickel electrodes, hydrogen electrodes, separators, fill procedures and electrolyte reservoir plate thicknesses. Groups of five cells were constructed using the same components; ten combinations were tested in all. The battery was thoroughly characterized at various change and discharge rates as well as with various pulse patterns and rates. Over a period of 1400 40-percent DOD LEO cycles some of the groups began to exhibit performance differences. In general, only separator variations had a significant effect on cell performance. It also appears that shunt currents may have been operating within the stack, resulting in electrolyte transfer from one cell to another, thus contributing to cell performance variations.

Manzo, Michelle A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Test results of a 60 volt bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery

In July 1986, a high-voltage nickel-hydrogen battery was assembled at the NASA Lewis Research Center. This battery incorporated bipolar construction techniques to build a 50-cell stack with approximately 1.0 A-hr capacity (C) and an open-circuit voltage of 65 V. The battery was characterized at both low and high current rates prior to pulsed and nonpulsed discharges. Pulse discharges at 5 and 10 C were performed before placing the battery on over 1400, 40-percent depth-of-discharge, low-earth-orbit cycles. The successful demonstration of a high-voltage bipolar battery in one containment vessel has advanced the technology to where nickel-hydrogen high-voltage systems can be constructed of several modules instead of hundreds of individual cells.

Cataldo, Robert L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Copper and nickel partitioning in iron meteorites

Trace element analyses using proton induced X-ray emission and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence have been made on metal and troilite from nine iron meteorites representing five geochemical groups. Nickel and copper distribution coefficients D (troilite/metal) vary by factors of 600 and 20, respectively, correlate positively with kamacite bandwidth and correlate negatively with bulk nickel content. Meteorites with bulk Ni of less than 10 percent have Cu-enriched troilite while those with Ni greater than 10 percent have Cu-depleted troilite. Since magmatic evolution and partial melting will produce Cu-enriched troilite only, the observation of Cu-depleted troilite in Ni-rich meteorites is evidence for subsolidus reequilibration, a process which reduces D(Cu) by transfer of Cu to exsolving metal. Elemental redistribution may have played an important role in establishing the present chemical trends in iron meteorites.

Sutton, S. R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Sodium sulfate-induced corrosion of pure nickel and superalloy Udimet 700 in a high velocity burner rig at 900 C

Sodium sulfate-induced corrosion of pure nickel and a commercial nickel-base superalloy, Udimet 700 (U-700), were studied at 900 C in a Mach 0.3 burner rig with different Na levels in the combustor. The corrosion rate of Ni was independent of the Na level in the combustor and considerably lower than that measured in laboratory salt spray tests. The lower rates are associated with the deposition of only a small amount of Na2SO4 on the surface of the NiO scale. Corrosion of U-700 was observed to occur in two stages. During the first stage, the corrosion proceeds by reaction of Cr2O3 scale with the Na2SO4 and evaporation of the Na2CrO4 reaction product from the surface of the corroding sample. Cr depletion in the alloy occurs and small sulfide particles are formed in the Cr depletion zone. Extensive sulfidation occurs during the second state of corrosion, and a thick scale forms. The relationship between the corrosion rate of U-700 and the Na level in the combustor gives a good correlation in the range of 0.3 to 1.5 ppm by weight Na. Very low levels of Na in the combustor cause accelerated oxidation of U-700 without producing the typical hot corrosion morphology.

Misra, A. K.↗
NASA NTRS1987

The effect of solidification rate on the formability of nickel aluminide containing iron and boron

Following reports that rapid solidification improves the ductility of some nickel aluminides, an investigation has been conducted of the possibility of additional improvement in a nickel aluminide containing both Fe and B. Free fall-solidified and free fall/splat-quenched samples similar to those producible under microgravity conditions in space were prepared, and their microstructure was characterized. Attention is given to the preliminary results of tests quantitatively measuring mechanical properties.

Carro, G.↗