Intelligent Systems Division VIPER Technologies
Information about VIPER technologys for proposers interested in including Code-TI collaboration.
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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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Information about VIPER technologys for proposers interested in including Code-TI collaboration.
The NASA Modern Era Reanalysis for Research and Applications (MERRA2) has been a respected and widely used reanalysis that has so far been restricted to the atmosphere. Now a newly released version of the atmosphere/ocean coupled data assimilation system (AODAS) has been developed by the NASA/Goddard Global Modeling and Assimilation Office to perform a retrospective ocean reanalysis from 1982 to present. In addition to assimilating all available in situ data (e.g. Argo, mooring, XBT and CTD data) and altimetry information into the ocean, the new version (GEOS-S2S Version 3) model includes a higher resolution, eddy-permitting ocean model than previous versions, a more realistic implementation of the atmosphere-ocean interface layer, and an improved coupling between glacier and ocean (among other improvements). In addition, this ocean data assimilation was expanded to include the assimilation of satellite sea surface salinity. The MERRA-2 AODAS will be described, and preliminary results will be shown from the assimilation reanalysis and from retrospective forecasts issued using a new ensemble strategy. Following the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) protocols, we will present Class 1 through Class 4 validation results from the ocean reanalysis. Results indicate an improved ocean mixed layer depth, improved salinity near Greenland, an improved diurnal cycle of the sea surface skin temperature, an improved estimate of ocean evaporation, and better representation of western boundary currents (e.g. Gulf Stream) from our new ocean reanalysis. One of the motivations of this project is to provide optimal initial states for ENSO forecasting. Therefore, we will also present some preliminary results of retrospective ENSO forecasts. After thorough testing, it is expected that the GEOS-S2S Version 3 will replace our contributions to North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME), WCRP Subseasonal to Seasonal (S2S), and IRI seasonal prediction forecast projects.
The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia were used to characterize the Lower Mt. Simon Sandstone and Eau Claire Formation core from the One Earth Energy Well #1 (OEE Well #1) in the Illinois Basin. The primary impetus of this work is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), the University of Illinois, and One Earth Energy to characterize and make publicly available core information of interest to carbon sequestration efforts in the Illinois Basin. This stratigraphic well and the core data produced in this report will aid in understanding the carbon sequestration potential of the Lower Mt. Simon Sandstone and the sealing capacity of the overlying units. The resultant datasets are presented in this report and can be accessed from NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system using the following link: https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/illinois-storage-corridor-one-earth-energy-1-core.
The goal of our activities in FY24 was to enable advanced materials accountancy for molten salt reactors (MSRs) through the development and optimization of robust flow-enhanced electrochemical sensors (FEES) using a safeguards-focused sensor testing platform called the modular flow instrumentation testbed (MFIT). Flow-enhanced electrochemical sensors are a type of electroanalytical sensor that have been developed at Argonne National Laboratory to be installed directly into MSR flow conduits to make measurements of the salt composition. These sensors represent a significant improvement in capabilities compared to earlier electroanalytical sensors that instead can only be operated in quiescent conditions. Previous work has focused on testing of the FEES in flowing conditions provided by the MFIT to assess the accuracy and precision of the sensor measurements. This year, the FEES technical readiness was increased by (1) demonstrating the use of optimized sensor techniques to achieve measurements in very high-concentration MSR-relevant salts, (2) leveraging new multimodal sensors and automation approaches to reduce measurement uncertainties, and (3) fabricating and deploying sensors to industrial partners to improve their ability to make measurements in challenging environments. Additionally, we also ran the sensors during complex system operations involving combined flow and purification activities to demonstrate safeguards-relevant measurements during online processing for MSRs.
A skin friction measuring system is described which will operate to 2000 F for short periods of time and continuously to 1300 F. A prototype system has been constructed and is being placed in operation. Information on alternative feasible systems is presented. Emphasis is placed on presenting research results in the form of useful design information and experimental data.
An analysis is made of the flow within a three-dimensional explosion, or spark, created in a gas absorbing energy from a steady conical beam of radiation with nearly spherical symmetry. The radiation, typically from an array of lasers with a common focus, is assumed to be very intense and absorbed immediately behind an outwardly advancing strong shock. Departures of the laser power from spherical uniformity, which would result from practical problems of arrangement, are conveniently represented by an ascending series of Legendre polynomials in the polar angle. For nonuniformities of small amplitude, first-order perturbations of the flow field are analyzed in detail. Self-similarity is shown to be retained for zero counter-pressure and power constant with time. For the first five harmonics in power distortion, the resulting fourth-order system of equations is solved numerically for profiles of velocity components, density, pressure, and shock shape. Results are presented graphically.
A procedure for predicting lateral-directional pilot ratings on the basis of the characteristics of the pilot model and the closed-loop system characteristics is demonstrated. A correlation is shown to exist between experimentally obtained pilot ratings and the computed pilot ratings.
In four conscious chair-acclimatized squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) studied with lights on (600 lx) from 0800 to 2000 hr daily, prominent 24-hr rhythms in feeding, drinking, activity, body temperature, and urinary potassium, sodium, and water excretion were seen. When the monkeys were subjected to 36 hr of darkness followed by 36 hr of light, each variable demonstrated a circadian rhythm which was not passively dependent on the light-dark cycle. After the 24-hr light-dark cycle was abruptly phase-delayed by 8 hr, all the rhythms resynchronized with the new light-dark cycle phase, demonstrating that light-dark cycles are an effective zeitgeber. However, the resynchronization of the rhythms of feeding, drinking, activity, and body temperature was 90% complete within approximately 2 days while the 90% resynchronization of the urinary rhythms took approximately 5 days. These results suggest that the circadian timing system in S. sciureus may consist of several spontaneously oscillating units which can become transiently uncoupled during perturbations of environmental time cues.
Conscious chair-acclimatized squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) studied with lights on (600 lx) from 0800 to 2000 hr daily (LD 12:12) display a prominent circadian rhythm in renal potassium excretion. The characteristics of this rhythm were reproduced in adrenalectomized monkeys by infusing 5 mg cortisol and 0.001 mg aldosterone, or 5 mg cortisol alone, between 0800 and 0900 kr daily. When the timing of cortisol administration (with or without aldosterone) was phase-delayed by 8 hr, the urinary potassium rhythm resynchronized by 80% of the cortisol phase shift, but only after a transient response lasting 3-4 days. With the same daily dose of adrenal steroids given as a continuous infusion throughout each 24 hr, urinary potassium excretion showed free-running oscillations no longer synchronized to the light-dark cycle. These results indicate that the circadian rhythm of plasma cortisol concentration acts as an internal mediator in the circadian timing system, synchronizing a potentially autonomous oscillation in renal potassium excretion to environmental time cues and to other circadian rhythms within the animal.
Shaft bearing system analysis codes were developed, improved, and used to investigate Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Liquid Oxygen (LOX) turbopump bearing problems, and to support the Marshall Space Flight Center Bearing and Seal Materials Test (BSMT) program. Thermal network modeling uses the SINDA thermal code, and the modeling of bearing quasi-dynamic characteristics uses the SHABERTH bearing/shaft code. These codes are solved concurrently for a bearing/shaft system using software developed for this purpose. Simulation of the SSME LOX turbopump turbine and pump end bearings and the MSFC BSMT operating in liquid nitrogen (LN sub 2) and LOX was done. The thermal network models include the bearing components, bearing carriers, shaft, housing, frictional heat, and viscous fluid energy. A cage model was included to account for heat generation between the cage and rolling elements. Since most bearing surfaces operate at temperatures well above the coolant saturation temperature, and move at high speed relative to the coolant, forced convection boiling is the dominant mechanism for heat removal. Improved modeling of forced convection film boiling was incorporated to take into account the local vapor generation at the high temperature surfaces. Rearing preloads in the pump and tester are provided by preload springs. As bearing operating clearances and contact angles change due to thermal effects and loading, the bearing preload changes with these varying conditions. These characteristics were modeled and are included in the overall system models. Results from these models indicate an operational limit which, if exceeded, predicts a thermal excursion.
Free running circadian rhythms of motor activity, food-motivated lever-pressing, and either drinking (N = 7) or body temperature (N = 3) were recorded from 10 squirrel monkeys maintained in constant illumination with unlimited access to food. Food availability was then restricted to a single unsignaled 3-hour interval each day. The feeding schedule failed to entrain the activity rhythms of 8 monkeys, which continued to free-run. Drinking was almost completely synchronized by the schedule, while body temperature showed a feeding-induced rise superimposed on a free-running rhythm. Nonreinforced lever-pressing showed both a free-running component and a 24-hour component that anticipated the time of feeding. At the termination of the schedule, all recorded variables showed free-running rhythms, but in 3 animals the initial phase of the postschedule rhythms was advanced by several hours, suggesting relative coordination. Of the remaining 2 animals, one exhibited stable entrainment of all 3 recorded rhythms, while the other appeared to entrain temporarily to the feeding schedule. These results indicate that restricted feeding schedules are only a weak zeitgeber for the circadian pacemaker generating free-running rhythms in the squirrel monkey. Such schedules, however, may entrain a separate circadian system responsible for the timing of food-anticipatory changes in behavior and physiology.
One of NASA's goals within human exploration is to determine how to get humans to Mars safely and to live and work on the Martian surface. To accomplish this goal, several smaller missions act as stepping-stones to the larger end goal. NASA uses these smaller missions to develop new technologies and learn about how to survive outside of Low Earth Orbit for long periods. Additionally, keeping a cadence of these missions allows the team to maintain proficiency in the complex art of bringing spacecraft to fruition. Many of these smaller missions are robotic in nature and have smaller timescales, whereas there are others that involve crew and have longer mission timelines. Given the timelines associated with these various missions, different levels of risk and rigor need to be implemented to be more in line with what is appropriate for the mission. Thus, NASA has four different classifications that range from Class A to Class D based on the mission details. One of these projects is the Resource Prospector (RP) Mission, which is a multi-center and multi-institution collaborative project to search for volatiles in the polar regions of the Moon. The RP mission is classified as a Class D mission and as such, has the opportunity to more tightly manage, and therefore accept, greater levels of risk. The requirements for Class D missions were at the forefront of the design and thus presented unique challenges in vehicle development and systems engineering processes. This paper will discuss the systems engineering process at NASA and how that process is tailored for Class D missions, specifically the RP mission.
Data for the CalWave - Open Water Demonstration, a submerged pressure differential Wave Energy Converter (WEC) Device. Device is moored to the seabed, and the motion of the waves causes the sea level to rise and fall above the device, inducing a pressure differential in the device. The alternating pressure pumps fluid through a system to generate electricity, which is transmitted to shore via bidirectional cables. Documentation and data here includes: Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) Content Model
Sedimentary activity (erosion, transportation and deposition) is a major landscape-shaping process on many icy worlds of the outer solar system for which an understanding of this process is central to their geologic characterizations. Several recent studies, lead by the authors, have identified the effects of sedimentary activity on icy satellite landforms and recognized the role of mass wasting and volatile loss and redistribution in the evolution of these features. We apply state of the art, physics based, landform evolution modeling to icy satellite sedimentary landforms in order to fully quantitatively characterize how their morphologies change with time, and what their present appearances imply for the initial abundance and distribution of loose material, volatiles, and refractories in original pristine landforms. We will present results of our landform evolution modeling to the development of the landscapes of the Saturnian moons of Hyperion and Helene. Our current conclusions for Hyperion are that its unique appearance can be explained in part by the loss to space of ballistic ejecta during impact events. In order to create the smooth surfaces and the reticulate, honeycomb pattern of narrow divides between old craters, appreciable subsequent modification of crater morphology must occur through mass-wasting processes accompanied by sublimation, probably facilitated by the loss of CO2 as a component of the relief-supporting matrix of the bedrock. This mass wasting effectively destroys small craters, at least in part accounting for the paucity of sub-kilometer craters on Hyperion. Helene’s unusual morphology consists of broad depressions (modified large craters) and a generally smooth surface patterned with streaks and grooves. The streaks appear to be oriented down-gradient, as are the grooves. This pattern suggests intensive mass-wasting as a dominant process. Our initial modeling of this surface suggests a Bingham-like rheological behavior for the loose down-slope moving material. Interestingly, as a Bingham flow, the models indicate that aperiodic "intermittent" behavior to be present, suggesting that periods of quiet steady landform evolution are punctuated short periods of active surface readjustment.
High-performance districts and communities offer opportunities for reducing energy use, emissions, and costs, and can be instrumental in helping cities achieve their climate goals. The design of such communities requires identification of opportunities early on and their re-evaluation throughout the planning process. There is a need for energy modeling tools that connect 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) platforms to simulation engines, enabling detailed energy analysis of districts within the workflows and tools used by practitioners. This paper introduces the Dragonfly and URBANoptTM combined toolset that supports the creation of urban models from a range of geometry formats typically used by designers and planners, and provides an integrated pathway to simulate district-scale energy systems. The toolset is piloted by a global architecture and master planning firm to evaluate several key urban-scale technical questions for the design of a district in Chicago. The findings indicate that, while energy savings can be achieved through traditional architectural studies and enhancements to individual building efficiency, the modeling toolset helps identify additional savings and insights that can be achieved when considering district-scale energy systems. Finally, this study demonstrates how the Dragonfly/URBANopt toolset can integrate with master planning workflows, thereby enabling an iterative performance-based design process.
This is a reorganization of the Gordon Bell talk and SC Booth talk together for JOWOG.
Solutions and parametric computer study for class of boundary value problems of time dependent temperature distribution in two layer, composite slab
Two computer programs for investigation of wide variety of legged planetary landing gear configurations