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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 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Investigation of the association of magnetopause instability with interplanetary sector structure

The variation of the solar wind parameters (speed, magnetic field intensity, and proton density) and geomagnetic disturbance with location within the interplanetary sector structure is well established. The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability of the magnetopause provides a mechanism for the initiation of worldwide geomagnetic disturbance. Since the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism depends on an integration of several of the solar wind parameters, it was considered of interest to see how it varies within the sector structure. Support is given to the idea that the integration of the solar wind parameters via Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is an important concept in understanding geomagnetic disturbance.

Boller, B. R.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development of an Integrated Thermal Energy Storage Heat Exchanger for Concentrating Solar Power

In this design and development effort a latent-heat energy storage heat exchanger was designed for a 10MW e sCO 2 power plant as a basis for detailed design and testing of a new phase-change heat exchanger technology. High efficiency thermal conductors of graphite foam or folded copper were employed within chloride salt phase-change volumes bounded by alternating high density compact plate-fin heat exchange cells in this new heat exchanger technology. Test articles were constructed at Brayton Energy and tested at Argonne National Laboratory. Copper-conducting samples were constructed and tested at Brayton Energy.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2006

Ground Testing A 20-Meter Inflation Deployed Solar Sail

Solar sails have been proposed for a variety of future space exploration missions and provide a cost effective source of propellantless propulsion. Solar sails span very large areas to capture and reflect photons from the Sun and are propelled through space by the transfer of momentum from the photons to the solar sail. The thrust of a solar sail, though small, is continuous and acts for the life of the mission without the need for propellant. Recent advances in materials and ultra-low mass gossamer structures have enabled a host of useful space exploration missions utilizing solar sail propulsion. The team of L Garde, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Ball Aerospace, and NASA Langley Research Center, under the direction of the NASA In-Space Propulsion Office (ISP), has been developing a scalable solar sail configuration to address NASA s future space propulsion needs. The 100-m baseline solar sail concept was optimized around the one astronomical unit (AU) Geostorm mission, and features a Mylar sail membrane with a striped-net sail suspension architecture with inflation-deployed sail support beams consisting of inflatable sub-Tg (glass transition temperature) rigidizable semi-monocoque booms and a spreader system. The solar sail has vanes integrated onto the tips of the support beams to provide full 3-axis control of the solar sail. This same structural concept can be scaled to meet the requirements of a number of other NASA missions. Static and dynamic testing of a 20m scaled version of this solar sail concept have been completed in the Space Power Facility (SPF) at the NASA Glenn Plum Brook facility under vacuum and thermal conditions simulating the operation of a solar sail in space. This paper details the lessons learned from these and other similar ground based tests of gossamer structures during the three year solar sail project.

Mann, Troy↗
NASA NTRS2006

Towards Designing an Integrated Earth Observation System for the Provision of Solar Energy Resource and Assessment

The GEOSS strategic plan specifically targets the area of improved energy resource management due to the importance of these to the economic and social viability of every nation of the world. With the world s increasing demand for energy resources, the need for new alternative energy resources grows. This paper overviews a new initiative within the International Energy Agency that addresses needs to better manage and develop solar energy resources worldwide. The goal is to provide the solar energy industry, the electricity sector, governments, and renewable energy organizations and institutions with the most suitable and accurate information of the solar radiation resources at the Earth's surface in easily-accessible formats and understandable quality metrics. The scope of solar resource assessment information includes historic data sets and currently derived data products using satellite imagery and other means. Thus, this new task will address the needs of the solar energy sector while at the same time will serve as a model that satisfies GEOSS objectives and goals.

Stackouse, Paul W., Jr.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Two Artificial Leaf Architectures for Solar Formate Production From CO 2 and H 2 O

Sunlight-powered artificial leaves for the production of formate from CO 2 are an attractive route to solar fuels, yet existing solar formate devices remain low in performance, and their architecture and material choices are underexplored. Herein, we report the fabrication of two distinct fully integrated, self-standing solar formate device architectures and elucidate the underlying design principles and material selection strategies. The first architecture integrates a Si photocathode with a BiVO 4 photoanode and utilizes a highly active Pd catalyst for CO 2 reduction. It represents the first artificial leaf device comprising two photoelectrodes (excluding photovoltaic [PV]-biased electrodes) for effective formate production under single-beam illumination. The second architecture employs a dark cathode and a dark anode driven by a 4-junction perovskite solar cell and uses a highly stable Bi catalyst for CO 2 reduction. This device delivers a record-high formate production rate of 174 µmol h −1 with a remarkable solar-to-formate energy efficiency of 2% among all artificial leaf devices reported to date. Finally, these results demonstrate the feasibility and outline the design principles of both PV-free and PV-assisted device architectures in solar fuel production.

electrocatalysis↗
NASA NTRS1976

The 1976 Helios and Pioneer solar conjunctions-continuing corroboration of the link between Doppler noise and integrated signal path electron density

Observed Doppler noise (rms phase jitter) from the 1976 solar conjunctions of the Helios 1 and 2 and the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft was processed with a recently developed Doppler noise model ISEDB. Good agreement is obtained between the observed data and the model. Correlation is shown between deviations from the ISEDB model and sunspot activity, but it is insufficient to be modeled. Correlation is also shown between ISEDB model deviations for (spacecraft) signal paths on the same side of the sun.

Berman, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Large solar flare radiation shielding requirements for manned interplanetary missions

Estimates are given for the radiation shielding thicknesses required to protect astronauts on interplanetary missions from the effects of large solar flares, on the basis of the integral proton fluences for several past solar particle events. NASA-Langley's nucleon transport deterministic computer code, BRYNTRN, is used to transport primary protons and secondary protons and neutrons through any number of layers of target material of arbitrary thickness and composition. The results of each flare are presented as estimates of dose equivalents to the skin, eyes, and blood-forming organs behind various thicknesses of aluminum shielding.

Townsend, Lawrence W.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Crossing the Boundaries in Planetary Atmospheres - From Earth to Exoplanets

The past decade has been an especially exciting time to study atmospheres, with a renaissance in fundamental studies of Earths general circulation and hydrological cycle, stimulated by questions about past climates and the urgency of projecting the future impacts of humankinds activities. Long-term spacecraft and Earth-based observation of solar system planets have now reinvigorated the study of comparative planetary climatology. The explosion in discoveries of planets outside our solar system has made atmospheric science integral to understanding the diversity of our solar system and the potential habitability of planets outside it. Thus, the AGU Chapman Conference Crossing the Boundaries in Planetary Atmospheres From Earth to Exoplanets, held in Annapolis, MD from June 24-27, 2013 gathered Earth, solar system, and exoplanet scientists to share experiences, insights, and challenges from their individual disciplines, and discuss areas in which thinking broadly might enhance our fundamental understanding of how atmospheres work.

hydrological cycle↗
NASA NTRS1976

Modular thrust subsystem approaches to solar electric propulsion module design

Three approaches are presented for packaging the elements of a 30 cm ion thrustor subsystem into a modular thrust subsystem. The individual modules, when integrated into a conceptual solar electric propulsion module are applicable to a multimission set of interplanetary flights with the Space Shuttle/Interim Upper Stage as the launch vehicle. The emphasis is on the structural and thermal integration of the components into the modular thrust subsystems. Thermal control for the power processing units is either by direct radiation through louvers in combination with heat pipes of an all heat pipe system. The propellant storage and feed system and thrustor gimbal system concepts are presented. The three approaches are compared on the basis of mass, cost, testing, interfaces, simplicity, reliability, and maintainability.

Cake, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Modular thrust subsystem approaches to solar electric propulsion module design

Three approaches are presented for packaging the elements of a 30 cm ion thruster subsystem into a modular thrust subsystem. The individual modules, when integrated into a conceptual solar electric propulsion module are applicable to a multimission set of interplanetary flights with the space shuttle interim upper stage as the launch vehicle. The emphasis is on the structural and thermal integration of the components into the modular thrust subsystems. Thermal control for the power processing units is either by direct radiation through louvers in combination with heat pipes or an all heat pipe system. The propellant storage and feed system and thruster gimbal system concepts are presented. The three approaches are compared on the basis of mass, cost, testing, interfaces, simplicity, reliability, and maintainability.

Cake, J. E.↗
DOE OSTI2022

New Industry Partnerships: Solar Energy Technologies Office Support for Early Projects in the Energy Systems Integration Facility: An Agreement Closeout Summary Report

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO)-funded New Industry Partnerships (NIPs) agreement established multiple new cooperative research projects with industry partners. Each project demonstrated the use of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) as a national asset for research and development, testing, and validation of new technologies to support high penetrations of solar energy on the electric grid. The agreement was launched in 2013 and represented the SETO portion of the DOE EERE-wide Integrated Network Testbed for Energy Grid Research and Technology Experimentation (INTEGRATE) program. The focus of INTEGRATE was on multi-energy system testing and on testing the interactions of energy systems with information technology, communications, and telecommunications (ICT) systems. The NIPs agreement was a bit different from traditional research projects because it was specifically structured to enable partnerships for ESIF testing and as such required at least a 1:1 funds-in cost share from industry partners. In the end, the project engaged six different industry partnerships and resulted in testing a large number of innovative technologies. These included tiny inverters; power-to-gas technologies; and advanced simulation, analysis, and power-hardware-in-the-loop testing techniques. The agreement also provided significant impact for both research and industrial communities. This summary report provides a brief, high-level overview of these projects and their highlights along with lists of citations and other impacts. Readers are referred to the corresponding project reports for more in-depth information.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1971

Power processing requirements for solar electric propulsion.

The successful integration of a light-weight, high-efficiency power conditioning (PC) unit with an electron bombardment ion thruster using a hollow cathode at JPL has been reported recently. This paper summarizes the presently conceived requirements by which the next generation of PCs should be judged and evaluated. The requirements are formulated in terms of a deep space mission, which implies that the characteristics of the solar source will vary in terms of output power and output voltage. The requirements identified by practical experience during long-term evaluation between 1968-1970 are described and explained.

Macie, T. W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) yo-yo despin and solar array deployment mechanism

The SAMPEX spacecraft, successfully launched in July 1992, carried a yo-yo despin system and deployable solar arrays. The despin and solar array mechanisms formed an integral system as the yo-yo cables held the solar array release mechanism in place. The SAMPEX design philosophy was to minimize size and weight through the use of a predominantly single string system. The design challenge was to build a system in a limited space, which was reliable with minimal redundancy. This paper covers the design and development of the SAMPEX yo-yo despin and solar array deployment mechanisms. The problems encountered during development and testing will also be discussed.

Kellogg, James W.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Goddard Space Flight Center solar array missions, requirements and directions

The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) develops and operates a wide variety of spacecraft for conducting NASA's communications, space science, and earth science missions. Some are 'in house' spacecraft for which the GSFC builds the spacecraft and performs all solar array design, analysis, integration, and test. Others are 'out of house' spacecraft for which an aerospace contractor builds the spacecraft and develops the solar array under direction from GSFC. The experience of developing flight solar arrays for numerous GSFC 'in house' and 'out of house' spacecraft has resulted in an understanding of solar array requirements for many different applications. This presentation will review those solar array requirements that are common to most GSFC spacecraft. Solar array technologies will be discussed that are currently under development and that could be useful to future GSFC spacecraft.

Gaddy, Edward↗
NASA NTRS1998

Solar wind Acceleration from the Upper Chromosphere to the Corona in Coronal Hole Regions

The dynamic behavior of the plasma in the chromosphere/transition region /inner corona is vital for the acceleration of the solar wind. With new theoretical descriptions of the solar atmosphere and corona, and the increased observational possibilities provided by the SOHO spacecraft, it is possible to conduct an integrated study of the solar atmosphere and corona using observational and theoretical approaches. Over the past few years a series of observational techniques have been used to estimate the solar wind densities, temperatures and flow speed in the inner corona. These estimates suggest that the solar wind has higher outflow speeds in the inner corona and lower densities than previously assumed. A comparison with densities derived from atmospheric models support these lower densities.

Esser, Ruth↗
NASA NTRS1994

Goddard Space Flight Center Solar Array Missions, Requirements and Directions

The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) develops and operates a wide variety of spacecraft for conducting NASA's communications, space science, and earth science missions. Some are "in house" spacecraft for which the GSFC builds the spacecraft and performs all solar array design, analysis, integration, and test. Others are "out of house" spacecraft for which an aerospace contractor builds the spacecraft and develops the solar array under direction from GSFC. The experience of developing flight solar arrays for numerous GSFC "in house" and "out of house" spacecraft has resulted in an understanding of solar array requirements for many different applications. This presentation will review those solar array requirements that are common to most GSFC spacecraft. Solar array technologies will be discussed that are currently under development and that could be useful to future GSFC spacecraft.

Gaddy, Edward↗