Propulsion systems trends
Future technology trends in air breathing propulsion systems for aircrafts
Dugan, J. F., Jr.↗
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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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Space Shuttle Propulsion Systems On-board Checkout and Monitoring System Development Study. Volume 4: Appendices
Space shuttle propulsion systems onboard checkout and monitoring systems development study - appendices
Source record↗
Space shuttle auxiliary propulsion system design study
Development of requirements for auxilary propulsion system used with baseline orbiter and booster of space shuttle system
Kelly, P. J.↗
Propulsion system design for solar electric spacecraft
Solar electric propulsion system design for interplanetary spacecraft, describing Hg bombardment ion engine
Kerrisk, D. J.↗
Energy efficient engine flight propulsion system preliminary analysis and design report
A flight propulsion system preliminary design was established that meets the program goals of at least a 12 percent reduction in thrust specific fuel consumption, at least a five percent reduction in direct operating cost, and one-half the performance deterioration rate of the most efficient current commercial engines. The engine provides a high probability of meeting the 1978 noise rule goal. Smoke and gaseous emissions defined by the EPA proposed standards for engines newly certified after 1 January 1981 are met with the exception of NOx, despite incorporation of all known NOx reduction technology.
Gardner, W. B.↗
Propulsion system study for Small Transport Aircraft Technology (STAT)
Propulsion system technologies applicable to the generation of commuter airline aircraft expected to enter service in the 1990's are identified and evaluated in terms of their impact on aircraft operating economics and fuel consumption. The most promising technologies in the areas of engine, propeller, gearbox, and nacelle design are recommended for future research. Each item under consideration is evaluated relative to a modern baseline engine, the General Electric CT7-5, in a current technology aircraft flying a fixed range and payload. The analysis is presented for two aircraft sizes (30 and 50 passenger), over a range of mission lengths (100 to 1100 km) and fuel costs ($264 to $396 per cu m).
Smith, C. E.↗
A cyclic ground test of an ion auxiliary propulsion system: Description and operational considerations
The Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System (IAPS) experiment is designed for launch on an Air Force Space Test Program satellite (NASA-TM-78859; AIAA Paper No. 78-647). The primary objective of the experiment is to flight qualify the 8 cm mercury ion thruster system for stationkeeping applications. Secondary objectives are measuring the interactions between operating ion thruster systems and host spacecraft, and confirming the design performance of the thruster systems. Two complete 8 cm mercury ion thruster subsystems will be flown. One of these will be operated for 2557 on and off cycles and 7057 hours at full thrust. Tests are currently under way in support of the IAPS flight experiment. In this test an IAPS thruster is being operated through a series of startup/run/shut-down cycles which simulate thruster operation during the planned flight experiment. A test facility description and operational considerations of this testing using an engineering model 8 cm thruster (S/N 905) is the subject of this paper. Final results will be published at a later date when the ground test has been concluded.
Ling, Jerri S.↗
Space Shuttle Orbiter main propulsion system flight safety enhancement
The Space Shuttle main propulsion system, like other major elements of the vehicle, has been part of an ongoing program to enhance the flight safety of the Space Transportation System. This activity, inherent in the basic program since its inception, has continued as part of a renewed review of failure modes and effects pertaining to flight-critical functions. Selected components were further evaluated, their potential for impacting flight safety was defined, and then the necessity for changing their design and/or operational practices was determined. Major examples of such components are the 17-inch disconnect and gaseous oxygen flow control valve. This paper summarizes that activity and provides examples of critical processes and components that have been or are being modified to enhance flight safety.
Cota, Phillip E.↗
Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation 40k
The Commercial Modular Aero-Propulsion System Simulation 40k (CMAPSS40k) software package is a nonlinear dynamic simulation of a 40,000-pound (approximately equals 178-kN) thrust class commercial turbofan engine, written in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. The model has been tuned to capture the behavior of flight test data, and is capable of running at any point in the flight envelope [up to 40,000 ft (approximately equals 12,200 m) and Mach 0.8]. In addition to the open-loop engine, the simulation includes a controller whose architecture is representative of that found in industry. C-MAPSS40k fills the need for an easy-to-use, realistic, transient simulation of a medium-size commercial turbofan engine with a representative controller. It is a detailed component level model (CLM) written in the industry-standard graphical MATLAB/Simulink environment to allow for easy modification and portability. At the time of this reporting, no other such model exists in the public domain.
Guo, Ten-Huei↗
Validation Ice Crystal Icing Engine Test in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory at NASA Glenn Research Center
The Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) is an existing altitude simulation jet engine test facility located at NASA Glenn Research Center in Clevleand, OH. It was modified in 2012 with the integration of an ice crystal cloud generation system. This paper documents the inaugural ice crystal cloud test in PSLthe first ever full scale, high altitude ice crystal cloud turbofan engine test to be conducted in a ground based facility. The test article was a Lycoming ALF502-R5 high bypass turbofan engine, serial number LF01. The objectives of the test were to validate the PSL ice crystal cloud calibration and engine testing methodologies by demonstrating the capability to calibrate and duplicate known flight test events that occurred on the same LF01 engine and to generate engine data to support fundamental and computational research to investigate and better understand the physics of ice crystal icing in a turbofan engine environment while duplicating known revenue service events and conducting test points while varying facility and engine parameters. During PSL calibration testing it was discovered than heated probes installed through tunnel sidewalls experienced ice buildup aft of their location due to ice crystals impinging upon them, melting and running back. Filtered city water was used in the cloud generation nozzle system to provide ice crystal nucleation sites. This resulted in mineralization forming on flow path hardware that led to a chronic degradation of performance during the month long test. Lacking internal flow path cameras, the response of thermocouples along the flow path was interpreted as ice building up. Using this interpretation, a strong correlation between total water content (TWC) and a weaker correlation between median volumetric diameter (MVD) of the ice crystal cloud and the rate of ice buildup along the instrumented flow path was identified. For this test article the engine anti-ice system was required to be turned on before ice crystal icing would occur. The ice crystal icing event, an uncommanded reduction in thrust, was able to be turned on and off by manipulating cloud TWC. A flight test point where no ice crystal icing event occurred was also duplicated in PSL. Physics based computational tools were successfully used to predict tunnel settings to induce ice buildup along the low pressure compression system flow path for several test points at incrementally lower altitudes, demonstrating that development of ice crystal icing scaling laws is potentially feasible. Analysis of PSL test data showed that uncommanded reduction in thrust occurs during ice crystal cloud on operation prior to fan speed reduction. This supports previous findings that the reduction of thrust for this test article is due to ice buildup leading to a restricted airflow from either physical or aerodynamic blockage in the engine core flow path.
Ice Crystal Icing↗
Validation Ice Crystal Icing Engine Test in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory at NASA Glenn Research Center
The Propulsion Systems Laboratory (PSL) is an existing altitude simulation jet engine test facility located at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH. It was modified in 2012 with the integration of an ice crystal cloud generation system. This paper documents the inaugural ice crystal cloud test in PSL--the first ever full scale, high altitude ice crystal cloud turbofan engine test to be conducted in a ground based facility. The test article was a Lycoming ALF502-R5 high bypass turbofan engine, serial number LF01. The objectives of the test were to validate the PSL ice crystal cloud calibration and engine testing methodologies by demonstrating the capability to calibrate and duplicate known flight test events that occurred on the same LF01 engine and to generate engine data to support fundamental and computational research to investigate and better understand the physics of ice crystal icing in a turbofan engine environment while duplicating known revenue service events and conducting test points while varying facility and engine parameters. During PSL calibration testing it was discovered than heated probes installed through tunnel sidewalls experienced ice buildup aft of their location due to ice crystals impinging upon them, melting and running back. Filtered city water was used in the cloud generation nozzle system to provide ice crystal nucleation sites. This resulted in mineralization forming on flow path hardware that led to a chronic degradation of performance during the month long test. Lacking internal flow path cameras, the response of thermocouples along the flow path was interpreted as ice building up. Using this interpretation, a strong correlation between total water content (TWC) and a weaker correlation between median volumetric diameter (MVD) of the ice crystal cloud and the rate of ice buildup along the instrumented flow path was identified. For this test article the engine anti-ice system was required to be turned on before ice crystal icing would occur. The ice crystal icing event, an uncommanded reduction in thrust, was able to be turned on and off by manipulating cloud TWC. A flight test point where no ice crystal icing event occurred was also duplicated in PSL. Physics based computational tools were successfully used to predict tunnel settings to induce ice buildup along the low pressure compression system flow path for several test points at incrementally lower altitudes, demonstrating that development of ice crystal icing scaling laws is potentially feasible. Analysis of PSL test data showed that uncommanded reduction in thrust occurs during ice crystal cloud on operation prior to fan speed reduction. This supports previous findings that the reduction of thrust for this test article is due to ice buildup leading to a restricted airflow from either physical or aerodynamic blockage in the engine core flow path.
Turbofan Engine↗
Adaptive Time Stepping for Transient Network Flow Simulation in Rocket Propulsion Systems
Fluid and thermal transients found in rocket propulsion systems such as propellant feedline system is a complex process involving fast phases followed by slow phases. Therefore their time accurate computation requires use of short time step initially followed by the use of much larger time step. Yet there are instances that involve fast-slow-fast phases. In this paper, we present a feedback control based adaptive time stepping algorithm, and discuss its use in network flow simulation of fluid and thermal transients. The time step is automatically controlled during the simulation by monitoring changes in certain key variables and by feedback. In order to demonstrate the viability of time adaptivity for engineering problems, we applied it to simulate water hammer and cryogenic chill down in pipelines. Our comparison and validation demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of this adaptive strategy.
Majumdar, Alok K.↗
AeroPropulsoServoElasticity: Dynamic Modeling of the Variable Cycle Propulsion System
This presentation was made at the 2012 Fundamental Aeronautics Program Technical Conference and it covers research work for the Dynamic Modeling of the Variable cycle Propulsion System that was done under the Supersonics Project, in the area of AeroPropulsoServoElasticity. The presentation covers the objective for the propulsion system dynamic modeling work, followed by the work that has been done so far to model the variable Cycle Engine, modeling of the inlet, the nozzle, the modeling that has been done to model the affects of flow distortion, and finally presenting some concluding remarks and future plans.
Kopasakis, George↗
PERFORMANCE OF NUCLEAR-ELECTRIC PROPULSION SYSTEMS IN SPACE EXPLORATION
Performance of nuclear-electric propulsion systems in space explorations
SPACE EXPLORATION↗
Operations of a Radioisotope-based Propulsion System Enabling CubeSat Exploration of the Outer Planets
Exploration to the outer planets is an ongoing endeavor but in the current economical environment, cost reduction is the forefront of all concern. The success of small satellites such as CubeSats launched to Near-Earth Orbit has lead to examine their potential use to achieve cheaper science for deep space applications. However, to achieve lower cost missions; hardware, launch and operations costs must be minimized. Additionally, as we push towards smaller exploration beds with relative limited power sources, allowing for adequate communication back to Earth is imperative. Researchers at the Center for Space Nuclear Research are developing the potential of utilizing an advanced, radioisotope-based system. This system will be capable of providing both the propulsion power needed to reach the destination and the additional requirements needed to maintain communication while at location. Presented here are a basic trajectory analysis, communication link budget and concept of operations of a dual-mode (thermal and electric) radioisotope-based propulsion system, for a proposed mission to Enceladus (Saturnian icy moon) using a 6U CubeSat payload. The radioisotope system being proposed will be the integration of three sub-systems working together to achieve the overall mission. At the core of the system, stored thermal energy from radioisotope decay is transferred to a passing propellant to achieve high thrust – useful for quick orbital maneuvering. An auxiliary closed-loop Brayton cycle can be operated in parallel to the thrusting mode to provide short bursts of high power for high data-rate communications back to Earth. Additionally, a thermal photovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion system will use radiation heat losses from the core. This in turn can provide the electrical energy needed to utilize the efficiency of ion propulsion to achieve quick interplanetary transit times. The intelligent operation to handle all functions of this system under optimized conditions adds to the complexity of the mission architecture.
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
Overview of the Development and Mission Application of the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS)
NASA remains committed to the development and demonstration of a high-power solar electric propulsion capability for the Agency. NASA is continuing to develop the 14 kilowatt Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS), which has recently completed an Early Integrated System Test and System Preliminary Design Review. NASA continues to pursue Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) Technology Demonstration Mission partners and mature high-power SEP mission concepts. The recent announcement of the development of a Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) as the first element of an evolvable human architecture to Mars has replaced the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission as the most probable first application of the AEPS Hall thruster system. This high-power SEP capability, or an extensible derivative of it, has been identified as a critical part of an affordable, beyond-low-Earth-orbit, manned-exploration architecture. This paper presents the status of the combined NASA and Aerojet AEPS development activities and updated mission concept for implementation of the AEPS hardware as part of the ion propulsion system for a PPE.
ion engines↗
Overview of the Development and Mission Application of the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS)
NASA remains committed to the development and demonstration of a high-power solar electric propulsion capability for the Agency. NASA is continuing to develop the 14 kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS), which has recently completed an Early Integrated System Test and System Preliminary Design Review. NASA continues to pursue Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) Technology Demonstration Mission partners and mature high-power SEP mission concepts. The recent announcement of the development of a Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) as the first element of an evolvable human architecture to Mars has replaced the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM) as the most probable first application of the AEPS Hall thruster system. This high-power SEP capability, or an extensible derivative of it, has been identified as a critical part of an affordable, beyond-low-Earth-orbit, manned exploration architecture. This paper presents the status of the combined NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne AEPS development activities and updated mission concept for implementation of the AEPS hardware as part of the ion propulsion system for a PPE.
Herman, Daniel A.↗
A Review of Propulsion Industrial Base Studies and an Introduction to the National Institute of Rocket Propulsion Systems
Over the past decade there have been over 40 studies that have examined the state of the industrial base and infrastructure that supports propulsion systems development in the United States. This paper offers a comprehensive, systematic review of these studies and develops conclusions and recommendations in the areas of budget, policy, sustainment, infrastructure, workforce retention and development and mission/vision and policy. The National Institute for Rocket Propulsion System (NIRPS) is a coordinated, national organization that is responding to the key issues highlighted in these studies. The paper outlines the case for NIRPS and the specific actions that the Institute is taking to address these issues.
Doreswamy, Rajiv↗