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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2005

Spectroscopic Results from the Life in the Atacama (LITA) Project 2004 Field Season

Introduction: The Life in the Atacama (LITA) project includes rover field tests designed to look for life in the arid environment of the Atacama Desert (Chile). Field instruments were chosen to help remote observers identify potential habitats and the presence of life in these habitats, and included two spectrometers for help in identifying the mineralogy of the field sites. Two field trials were undertaken during the 2004 field season. The remote science team had no prior knowledge of the local geology, and relied entirely on orbital images and rover-acquired data to make interpretations. Each field trial lasted approximately one week: the sites for these trials were in different locations, and are designated "Site B" and "Site C."

Piatek, J. L.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Using Natural Gas Liquids to Recover Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources (Final Report)

This document presents final technical findings for the project Using Natural Gas Liquids to Recover Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources (FE0031782). The project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy Oil and Gas Program to develop and advance technologies that can significantly improve the recovery efficiencies of unconventional oil and gas resources. The overall objective of this project is to improve the ultimate recovery from unconventional oil and gas (UOG) resources in the United States by developing a method for using unrefined natural gas liquids (NGLs) as treatment fluids to improve hydrocarbon production. Horizontal extended-lateral drilling coupled with high volume hydraulic fracturing has significantly increased production from UOG resources in the U.S. However, the recovery efficiency is low compared to the estimated oil and gas in place. Recent data indicate that less than 10% of the oil in the liquid-rich UOG reservoirs is produced. Alternative completion methods using NGLs could increase production (Battelle, 2016; Wan et al., 2013; Wan, 2013; Downey et al, 2021); however, field validation tests are needed to develop an approach that is economical, efficient, and compatible in the UOG setting to advance towards commercial deployment. This project aims to develop and field test a method to improve recovery of oil resources in UOG shale plays by using Y-Grade NGLs, or a similar combination of NGLs, as treatment fluids. Refined NGLs have been used as a hydraulic treatment fluid in UOG plays for decades and are shown to be particularly effective because their miscibility with oil allows oil to flow more freely; however, the use of Y-Grade (unrefined) NGLs has not been studied. The use of Y-Grade NGLs would be advantageous over refined NGLs because Y-Grade NGLs do not require infrastructure or investment in refining and are already being produced from many UOG reservoirs. The concept was tested and monitored in the field at a commercial well site owned by project partner Hopco, Ltd. The project team, which consists of multiple oil and gas operators, Linde Gas North America LLC (Linde) and the Ohio Division of Geological Survey (ODGS), has extensive experience with oil and gas production in the Appalachian basin and the ability to work together quickly to solve technical issues and research needs. A key part of the proposed work was the use of existing wells for field testing and monitoring. A total of four wells (three vertical and one horizontal) were available for this project. One of the vertical wells was utilized as the test well for the NGL treatment test. A nearby vertical well was used for microseismic monitoring. The remaining vertical well and the horizontal well provided a baseline for typical UOG production in the oil window of the Utica/Point Pleasant (UPP). Major technical tasks of the project include characterization of the geotechnical properties of the UPP with an emphasis on the field site; design and planning for the NGLs testing; field testing and monitoring; analysis and integration of field data; and economic and resource/reserve assessment. The Shoman monitoring well and Doughty NGL treatment well were successfully plugged back during September-October 2020 in preparation for treatment and monitoring. A nitrogen diagnostic fracture injection test (DFIT) was completed on the Doughty well on July 22, 2021, consisting of 133,000 scf (91 Bbl.) of nitrogen. A nitrogen foam frac was completed in the Utica-Point Pleasant interval on August 17, 2021 with funding from outside sources. A microseismic monitoring array was installed in the Shoman well and monitored microseismic activity during the Doughty well frac job. Y-Grade NGL injection commenced on August 26, 2021. A total of 215 Bbl. was injected but the job was shut down due to a small leak on the suction hose on the pump truck. The Y-Grade treatment resumed on August 27, 2021 and an additional 726 Bbl. of Y-Grade NGL was injected at a well head pressure of 3850 psi. Total volume of injected Y-Grade over the two days of injection was 941 Bbl. The well was shut-in for 17 days following injection to allow the Y-Grade NGLs to soak on the formation. Y-Grade treatment flow back commenced on 9/13/2021 on a weekly basis. Production data, including surface pressures, oil, nitrogen, natural gas, and flow times was measured and recorded. Periodic gas samples were collected and analyzed to determine composition of flowback gas. As of July 2022, the treatment well had produced 726 Bbl of oil and 2,888 mcf gas. In August 2022, tubing and packer in the well were removed and a pump was installed to enhance oil recovery. Currently, the operator is producing the well about 2 days a week for a few hours. The performance of the NGL treatment test was evaluated based on reservoir simulations of the treatment process, processing of well testing data, analysis of micro seismic monitoring data, and production data analysis. This analysis suggested that oil production in the small test would continue through 2025. Upscaling the treatment to a horizontal Utica Point-Pleasant well would allow more oil recovery, but the process would involve more investment, services, and operational support. An economic analysis was conducted for scenarios aimed at upscaling the NGL treatment process for more typical horizontal UPP wells in the Appalachian Basin.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS2003

Measurement of the Earth-Observer-1 Satellite X-Band Phased Array

The recent launch and successful orbiting of the EO-1 Satellite has provided an opportunity to validate the performance of a newly developed X-Band transmit-only phased array aboard the satellite. This paper will compare results of planar near-field testing before and after spacecraft installation as well as on-orbit pattern characterization. The transmit-only array is used as a high data rate antenna for relaying scientific data from the satellite to earth stations. The antenna contains distributed solid-state amplifiers behind each antenna element that cannot be monitored except for radiation pattern measurements. A unique portable planar near-field scanner allows both radiation pattern measurements and also diagnostics of array aperture distribution before and after environmental testing over the ground-integration and prelaunch testing of the satellite. The antenna beam scanning software was confirmed from actual pattern measurements of the scanned beam positions during the spacecraft assembly testing. The scanned radiation patterns on-orbit were compared to the near-field patterns made before launch to confirm the antenna performance. The near-field measurement scanner has provided a versatile testing method for satellite high gain data-link antennas.

Perko, Kenneth↗
NASA NTRS1979

Remote sensing of phytoplankton density and diversity in Narragansett Bay using an airborne fluorosensor

An aircraft-borne remote system is presented that utilizes narrow-band light from multiple dye lasers to excite selected algae photopigments and then measures the resultant flourescence emitted from chlorophyll a at 685 nm. Tests were conducted with both pure and mixed cultures of marine algae from a series of field tests taken from piers and bridges of Narragansett Bay, and a prototype remote fluorosensor was flown over the Bay during the 1978 winter-spring diatom bloom. Remote fluorescence obtained at hover points over sea-truth stations showed correlations with in situ fluorescence, total chlorophyll a, and cell count. It was concluded that the ratio of remote fluorescence to direct chlorophyll a concentration was less variable than expected, and the distribution of total chlorophyll a between two major photoplankton color groups showed three distinct areas, within the Bay, of green and golden-brown species.

Farmer, F. H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

NASA F-106B lightning tests

Lightning simulation ground tests conducted on the NASA F-106B research aircraft to elicit natural strikes are summarized. The purpose of the test program was to measure the response of the aircraft's electromagnetic sensors and interior wire circuits to a controlled ground test environment that simulates the electromagnetic effects of a lightning strike. Both direct attachment and radiated field tests were conducted. In most cases, the aircraft's engine was running and test data were gathered simultaneously from NASA and MCAIR sensors on both the aircraft's own instrumentation system and the remote MCAIR computer-controlled data acquisition system. During the direct attachment tests, the input inductance, output condition (hard-wired or spark gap), and the output location were varied to provide a wide variety of test conditons. The radiated tests to the isolated aircraft were conducted to excite and measure the natural resonances of the F-106B aircraft.

Heady, B. D.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Design of a Meso-Scale Test of a Fracture Thermal Energy Storage (FTES) System

This paper will present the characterization, scaling, and design of an intermediate-scale field test of a fracture thermal energy storage system (FTES). Seasonal storage of thermal energy has the potential to both significantly reduce the total energy requirements for heating and cooling of buildings, but also allow for the flexibility to store thermal energy from intermittent sources. With approximately half of global energy consumption currently being used for heating and cooling, this represents an important path to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The concept of FTES is to drill two or more wells into a low permeability formation, generally at a depth of less than a few hundred meters, and then generate hydraulic fractures to create flow paths for water to circulate between the wells. Hot or cold thermal energy can then be stored in the surrounding rock mass by circulating hot or cold water through the fractures, which will heat or cool the rock mass. To recover the stored energy, ambient temperature water can be then circulated through the fractures, which will then be heated or cooled by the rock mass. Fractures inherently have a very large ratio of surface area to volume. This allows for very high heat fluxes to and from the rock mass to be achieved despite the relatively low thermal conductivity of most geologic formations. Because large fractures can be made with low-cost equipment and with only inexpensive and environmentally safe materials such as water and sand, the cost to construct even large FTES systems is expected to be quite low. This paper will present what the performance requirements, size, and operating conditions of a full-scale system to operate a commercial building. The paper will describe how these full-scale system characteristics will be used as a design basis for an intermediate-scale FTES test to be conducted at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD.

Burghardt, Jeffrey A.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Evaluation of supply air temperature control performance with different control strategies at air handling units

Due to its nonlinear feature, supply air temperature control systems at air handling units using single-loop fixed gain control frequently suffer unstable response under dynamic conditions. This paper is aimed at identifying a more effective control strategy to stabilize the valve control and achieve desirable supply air temperature response under various operation conditions by evaluating three control strategies, cascade, gain scheduling and cascade plus gain scheduling controls. Firstly, a control-oriented model is developed and calibrated through open-loop tests. Then, the control issues with single-loop fixed gain control are evaluated through simulations and field tests, which indicates that the system has more aggressive response or becomes unstable under lower load conditions when the chilled-water flow rate is less than 0.1 L/s. Finally, three control strategies are proposed and evaluated. Further, the results reveal that all three proposed controls can achieve better robustness with the integral square error of supply air temperature decreased to 16%, 47% and 5%, respectively, under lower load condition. However, since high-frequency oscillation of the control valve occurs with cascade and cascade plus gain scheduling control, the gain scheduling control is recommended considering a trade-off among the supply air temperature response, valve lifetime and implementation complexity.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Additively Manufactured Graded Composite Transition Joints for Dissimilar Metal Weldments in Advanced Ultra-Supercritical Power Plant (Final Technical Report)

In this project, we successfully achieved all the goals we proposed: ① Code Development; ② Transition Joint Design; ③ Lab-scale GCTJ Testing Piece Development; ④ Heat Treatment; ⑤ Welding of DMW; ⑥ Mechanical Characterization; ⑦ Corrosion; ⑧ Fabrication of Prototype GCTJ; ⑨In-field Test in SWRI and ⑩Tech-economic Analysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1986

Long-term stability of amorphous-silicon modules

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) program of developing qualification tests necessary for amorphous silicon modules, including appropriate accelerated environmental tests reveal degradation due to illumination. Data were given which showed the results of temperature-controlled field tests and accelerated tests in an environmental chamber.

Ross, R. G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2013

NextGen Operational Improvements: Will they Improve Human Performance

Modernization of the National Airspace System depends critically on the development of advanced technology, including cutting-edge automation, controller decision-support tools and integrated on-demand information. The Next Generation Air Transportation System national plan envisions air traffic control tower automation that proposes solutions for seven problems: 1) departure metering, 2) taxi routing, 3) taxi and runway scheduling, 4) departure runway assignments, 5) departure flow management, 6) integrated arrival and departure scheduling and 7) runway configuration management. Government, academia and industry are simultaneously pursuing the development of these tools. For each tool, the development process typically begins by assessing its potential benefits, and then progresses to designing preliminary versions of the tool, followed by testing the tool's strengths and weaknesses using computational modeling, human-in-the-loop simulation and/or field tests. We compiled the literature, evaluated the methodological rigor of the studies and served as referee for partisan conclusions that were sometimes overly optimistic. Here we provide the results of this review.

Beard, Bettina L.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Development, Monitoring, and Control of Fracture Thermal Energy Storage in Crystalline Rock Formations (DEMO-FTES) [Abstract]

Approximately half of global energy consumption is used for heating and cooling. Because fossil fuels are used to meet most of this demand, heating and cooling of buildings produces a large portion of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The proposed project seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of a seasonal thermal energy storage concept called fracture thermal energy storage (FTES), which has the potential to dramatically lower energy requirements for heating and cooling and improve the resilience of building energy systems. FTES is a technique for building a highly efficient heat exchanger by creating a carefully designed set of fractures in the ground below a building. This heat exchanger allows thermal energy to be stored over seasonal timeframes—for example, hot thermal energy that is easily captured in the summer or energy from waste heat sources—to meet heating needs during colder months. FTES offers a solution with a relatively small footprint and lower cost compared to currently operating aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) systems and could be used in the many areas without aquifers suitable for ATES. If commercialized, FTES systems could exceed the 2.5 TWh of energy storage per year from the more than 2,800 ATES systems in operation worldwide, which range from 0.1 MW to 30 MW. The savings in CO2 emissions per year are also expected to match or exceed individual ATES projects, with the largest, a 30 MW system used to provide heating and cooling to the University of Technology in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, estimated to save 13,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. FTES utilizes mature drilling and fracturing technology and therefore has the potential to be rapidly commercialized once demonstrated. The ability to construct and establish flow through an FTES heat exchanger has been demonstrated by a previous project and the potential for efficient, large-capacity energy storage has been shown using numerical models. However, no experimental validation of these numerical estimates of thermal energy storage has been made. The first crucial need to advance FTES technology is to identify the sensitivity of key metrics such as thermal energy storage and production rates, capacities, and efficiencies to design parameters such as the number of fractures, depth/temperature of fractures, size of fractures, and circulation rates. The second crucial need is experimental testing of achievable thermal performance with optimized system design parameters. The proposed scope of work seeks to systematically address these two critical needs through a highly complementary international collaboration spanning theory, laboratory, and mesoscale field evaluation. The proposed work plan calls for using dimensional analysis and existing state-of-the-art numerical simulators to design carefully scaled laboratory and 10-meter-scale field tests of the thermal efficiency of FTES. The existing advanced laboratory and intermediate-scale field testbeds that will be used for this project will allow for detailed monitoring of the system performance during the test and of how the performance changes across time and length scales. These results will determine the feasibility of full- scale FTES systems. If the thermal performance is consistent with model predictions, the results will provide a strong economic justification for rapid commercialization of FTES technology in a wide range of geographical areas.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS2012

Desert RATS 2011: Near-Earth Asteroid Human Exploration Operations

The Desert Research and Technology Studies (D-RATS) 2011 field test involved the planning and execution of a series of exploration scenarios under operational conditions similar to those that would be expected during a human exploration mission to a near-Earth asteroid (NEA). The focus was on understanding the operations tempo during simulated NEA exploration and the implications of communications latency and limited data bandwidth. Anchoring technologies and sampling techniques were not evaluated due to the immaturity of those technologies and the inability to meaningfully test them at D-RATS. Reduced gravity analogs and simulations are being used to fully evaluate Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV) and extravehicular (EVA) operations and interactions in near-weightlessness at a NEA as part of NASA s integrated analogs program. Hypotheses were tested by planning and performing a series of 1-day simulated exploration excursions comparing test conditions all of which involved a single Deep Space Habitat (DSH) and either zero, one, or two MMSEVs; three or four crewmembers; one of two different communications bandwidths; and a 100-second roundtrip communications latency between the field site and Houston. Excursions were executed at the Black Point Lava Flow test site with a Mission Control Center and Science Support Room at Johnson Space Center (JSC) being operated with 100-second roundtrip communication latency to the field. Crews were composed of astronauts and professional field geologists and teams of Mission Operations, Science, and Education & Public Outreach (EPO) experts also supported the mission simulations each day. Data were collected separately from the Crew, Mission Operations, Science, and EPO teams to assess the test conditions from multiple perspectives. For the operations tested, data indicates practically significant benefits may be realized by including at least one MMSEV and by including 4 versus 3 crewmembers in the NEA exploration architecture as measured by increased Scientific Data Quality, EVA Exploration Time, Capability Assessment Ratings, and Overall Acceptability ratings by Crew, Mission Operations, Science, and Education & Public Outreach teams. A combination of text and voice was used to effectively communicate over the 100-second roundtrip communications latency and increased communication bandwidth yielded a small but practically significant improvement in Overall Acceptability as rated by the Science team, although the impact of bandwidth on scientific strategic planning was not assessed. No effect of increased bandwidth was observed with respect to Crew, Mission Operations, or EPO team ratings of Overall Acceptability.

Abercromby, Andrew↗
NASA NTRS1995

Prototype development and test results of a continuous ambient air monitoring system for hydrazine at the 10 ppb level

A Hydrazine Vapor Area Monitor (HVAM) system is currently being field tested as a detector for the presence of hydrazine in ambient air. The MDA/Polymetron Hydrazine Analyzer has been incorporated within the HVAM system as the core detector. This analyzer is a three-electrode liquid analyzer typically used in boiler feed water applications. The HVAM system incorporates a dual-phase sample collection/transport method which simultaneously pulls ambient air samples containing hydrazine and a very dilute sulfuric acid solution (0.0001 M) down a length of 1/4 inch outside diameter (OD) tubing from a remote site to the analyzer. The hydrazine-laden dilute acid stream is separated from the air and the pH is adjusted by addition of a dilute caustic solution to a pH greater than 10.2 prior to analysis. Both the dilute acid and caustic used by the HVAM are continuously generated during system operation on an "as needed" basis by mixing a metered amount of concentrated acid/base with dilution water. All of the waste water generated by the analyzer is purified for reuse by Barnstead ion-exchange cartridges so that the entire system minimizes the generation of waste materials. The pumping of all liquid streams and mixing of the caustic solution and dilution water with the incoming sample are done by a single pump motor fitted with the appropriate mix of peristaltic pump heads. The signal to noise (S/N) ratio of the analyzer has been enhanced by adding a stirrer in the MDA liquid cell to provide mixing normally generated by the high liquid flow rate designed by the manufacturer. An onboard microprocessor continuously monitors liquid levels, sample vacuum, and liquid leak sensors, as well as handles communications and other system functions (such as shut down should system malfunctions or errors occur). The overall system response of the HVAM can be automatically checked at regular intervals by measuring the analyzer response to a metered amount of calibration standard injected into the dilute acid stream. The HVAM system provides two measurement ranges (threshold limit value (TLV): 10 to 1000 parts per billion (ppb)/LEAK: 100 ppb to 10 parts per million (ppm)). The LEAK range is created by dilution of the sulfuric acid/hydrazine liquid sample with pure water. This dual range capability permits the analyzer to quantify ambient air samples whose hydrazine concentrations range from 10 ppb to as high as 10 ppm. The laboratory and field prototypes have demonstrated total system response times on the order of 10 to 12 minutes for samples ranging from 10 to 900 ppb in the lLV mode and is greater than 2 minutes for samples ranging from 100 to 1300 ppb in the LEAK mode. Service intervals of over 3 months have been demonstrated for continuous 24 hour/day, 7 day/week usage. The HVAM is made up of a purged cabinet that contains power supplies, RS422 signal transmission capabilities, a UPS, an on-site warning system, and a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU). The LRU includes all of the liquid flow system, the analyzer, the control/data system microprocessor and assorted flow and liquid-level sensors. The LRU is mounted on a track slide system so it can be serviced inplace or totally removed and quickly exchanged with another calibrated unit, thus minimizing analyzer downtime. Once an LRU is removed from an analyzer enclosure, it can be brought to a laboratory facility for complete calibration and periodic maintenance.

Meneghelli, Barry↗
DOE OSTI2022

Computed Tomography Scanning and Petrophysical Measurements of the Wellington KGS 2-32 Core

This report describes the use of the computed tomography facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia to characterize core from the Wellington KGS 2-32 well (API 15-191-22770). Core from the well was obtained as part of the Small-Scale Field Test Demonstrating Carbon Dioxide Sequestration in Arbuckle Saline Aquifer and by CO 2 -Enhanced Oil Recovery at Wellington Field, Sumner County, Kansas (DE-FE0006821). The primary impetus of this work was to capture a detailed a digital representation of the core from the Wellington KGS 2-32 well (Sumner County, Kansas). The collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) NETL and the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) at the University of Kansas enables other research entities to access information about this potential carbon storage location and formations. 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/wellington2-32-core.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS2000

Indicator Devices for Detection of Trace Gaseous Hydrazines

The relatively recent decrease in the acceptable time-weighted-average for hydrazines from 100 parts-per-billion (ppb) to 10 ppb rendered many trace hydrazine detectors either insensitive or inaccurate. Development of a rapid detection method for hydrazines at the new 10-ppb concentration was necessary so that test area personnel could reliably assess airborne hydrazines concentrations of a potentially contaminated area prior to entry. The reduction of Au(III) to Au(0) by hydrazines is a well characterized reaction and application of the corresponding yellow to purple color change was selected as a potentially useful means for detection of trace hydrazines in air. Tests with small quantities of KAuCl4 deposited on a variety of substrates were conducted using verified sources of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine, methylhydrazine, and hydrazine at approximately 10 ppb in air. Substrates tested were glass fiber filter paper, glass beads, anion exchange resin (AuCl4- form), and diatomaceous earth. The most successful of these substrates were glass fiber filter paper and diatomaceous earth. The KAuC14 impregnated glass fiber filter paper appeared to be somewhat light sensitive so further tests were conducted using the diatomaceous earth substrate. KAuCl4 concentration, substrate particle size, and sampler configuration were evaluated. Based on these tests, the device selected for further evaluation was a 5mm OD by 50mm glass tube containing 0.02-0.03g of 45/60 mesh diatomaceous earth coated with 2 percent KAuCl4. When connected to a sampling pump, response of the device to changes in relative humidity, ambient light, and high levels of other fluids, which might also be found in a propellant test area, was evaluated. False positive responses were not detected for exposures to relative humidity changes from 10 to 80 percent, sunlight for greater than 10 minutes, or percent levels of ammonia, isopropyl alcohol, nitrogen dioxide, and hydrogen. In addition, body emissions did not produce a false positive response in view of potential application for use inside protective clothing. The device was shown to reliably detect less than 10 ppb of the hydrazines tested using a 10 to 20L sample followed by a 2 to 5 minute color development time. Some field tests were conducted in parallel with conventional acidic firebrick sorbent tubes. There was generally very good agreement between the devices and firebrick sorbent tubes when greater than 10 ppb of a hydrazine was present.

Dee, Lou A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Modular Software Interfaces for Revolutionary Flexibility in Space Operations

To make revolutionary improvements in exploration, space systems need to be flexible, realtime reconfigurable, and able to trade data transparently among themselves and mission operations. Onboard operations systems, space assembly coordination and EVA systems in exploration and construction all require real-time modular reconfigurability and data sharing. But NASA's current exploration systems are still largely legacies from hastily-developed, one-off Apollo-era practices. Today's rovers, vehicles, spacesuits, space stations, and instruments are not able to plug-and-play, Lego-like: into different combinations. Point-to-point dominates - individual suit to individual vehicle, individual instrument to rover. All are locally optimized, all unique, each of the data interfaces has been recoded for each possible combination. This will be an operations and maintenance nightmare in the much larger Project Constellation system of systems. This legacy approach does not scale to the hundreds of networked space components needed for space construction and for new, space-based approaches to Earth-Moon operations. By comparison, battlefield information management systems, which are considered critical to military force projection, have long since abandoned a point-to-point approach to systems integration. From a system-of-systems viewpoint, a clean-sheet redesign of the interfaces of all exploration systems is a necessary prerequisite before designing the interfaces of the individual exploration systems. Existing communications and Global Information Grid and middleware technologies are probably sufficient for command and control and information interfaces, with some hardware and time-delay modifications for space environments. NASA's future advanced space operations must also be information and data compatible with aerospace operations and surveillance systems being developed by other US Government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense. This paper discusses fundamental system-of-systems infrastructure: approaches and architectures for modular plug-and-play software interfaces for revolutionary improvements in flexibility, modularity, robustness, ease of maintenance, reconfigurability, safety and productivity. Starting with middleware, databases, and mobile communications technologies, our technical challenges will be to apply these ideas to the requirements of constellations of space systems and to implement them initially on prototype space hardware. This is necessary to demonstrate an integrated information sharing architecture and services. It is a bottom-up approach, one that solves the problem of space operations data integration. Exploration demands uniform software mechanisms for application information interchange, and the corresponding uniformly available software services to enhance these mechanisms. We will examine the issues in plug-and-play, real-time-configurable systems, including common definition and management and tracking of data and information among many different space systems. Different field test approaches are discussed, including the use of the International Space Station and terrestrial analog mission operations at field sites.

Glass, Brian↗
NASA NTRS1992

Finite Element Modeling of the Bulk Magnitization of Railroad Wheels to Improve Test Conditions for Magnetoacoustic Residual Stress Measurements

The magnetoacoustic measurement technique has been used successfully for residual stress measurements in laboratory samples. However, when used to field test samples with complex geometries, such as railroad wheels, the sensitivity of the method declines dramatically. It has been suggested that the decrease in performance may be due, in part, to an insufficient or nonuniform magnetic induction in the test sample. The purpose of this paper is to optimize the test conditions by using finite element modeling to predict the distribution of the induced bulk magnetization of railroad wheels. The results suggest that it is possible to obtain a sufficiently large and uniform bulk magnetization by altering the shape of the electromagnet used in the tests. Consequently, problems associated with bulk magnetization can be overcome, and should not prohibit the magnetoacoustic technique from being used to make residual stress measurements in railroad wheels. We begin by giving a brief overview of the magnetoacoustic technique as it applies to residual stress measurements of railroad wheels. We then define the finite element model used to predict the behavior of the current test configuration along with the nonlinear constitutive relations which we obtained experimentally through measurements on materials typically used to construct both railroad wheels and electromagnets. Finally, we show that by modifying the pole of the electromagnet it is possible to obtain a significantly more uniform bulk magnetization in the region of interest.

Fulton, J. P.↗