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Experiments were carried out on a five-array pump head which utilizes gold-coated reflective cones to couple the pump energy to Nd:YAG and Nd:YLF rod lasers, demonstrating high efficiency and uniform energy deposition. Because the cones function as optical diodes to light outside their acceptance angle (typically 10-15 deg), much of the diode energy not absorbed on the first pass can be returned to the rod.
An AgGaSe2 optical parametric oscillator, pumped by a 1.73-micron Er:YLF laser, has demonstrated reproducible low thresholds, 3.6 mJ, and high-slope efficiencies, 0.31. Threshold and slope efficiency were investigated as a function of resonator length. Spectral bandwidth was measured and correlated with the beam divergence of the pump laser.
Work toward developing a diffraction limited, single frequency, modulated transmitter suitable for coherent optical communication or direct detection communication is discussed. Diode pumped, monolithic Nd:YAG nonplanar ring oscillators were used as the carrier beam. An external modulation technique which can handle high optical powers, has moderate modulation voltage, and which can reach modulation rates of 1 GHz was invented. Semiconductor laser pumped solid-state lasers which have high output power (0.5 Watt) and which oscillate at a single frequency, in a diffraction limited beam, at the wavelength of 1.06 microns were built. A technique for phase modulating the laser output by 180 degrees with a 40-volt peak to peak driving voltage is demonstrated. This technique can be adapted for amplitude modulation of 100 percent with the same voltage. This technique makes use of a resonant bulk modulator, so it does not have the power handling limitations of guided wave modulators.
This report describes the design of a laboratory scale demonstration prototype of an air conditioning system operating on a magnetic heat pump cycle. Design parameters were selected through studies performed by a Kennedy Space Center (KSC) System Simulation Computer Model. The heat pump consists of a rotor turning through four magnetic fields that are created by permanent magnets. Gadolinium was selected as the working material for this demonstration prototype. The rotor was designed to be constructed of flat parallel disks of gadolinium with very little space in between. The rotor rotates in an aluminum housing. The laboratory scale demonstration prototype is designed to provide a theoretical Carnot Cycle efficiency of 62 percent and a Coefficient of Performance of 16.55.
This work is concerned with the experimental method used to separate scattering and to use it for the determination of cloud microphysical parameters. It is also the first airborne test of a lidar version related to the ATLID Program - ESA's scheduled spaceborne lidar. The already tested DLR microlidar was modified with the new diode-pumped laser and a faster data recording system was added. The system was used during the CLEOPATRA campaign in the DLR research aircraft Falcon 20 to measure cloud parameters. The diode pumped Nd:YAG laser we developed for the microlidar is a modification of the laser we introduced at the Lidar Congress at 'Laser 1991' in Munich. Various aspects of this work are discussed.
The objective of the proposed paper is to develop a computational procedure that solves incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for pump flows. The solution method is based on the pseudo-compressibility approach and uses an implicit-upwind differencing scheme together with the Gauss-Seidel line relaxation method. The equations are solved in steadily rotating reference frames and the centrifugal force and the Coriolis force are added to the equation of motion. As a benchmark problem, the flow through the Rocketdyne inducer is numerically simulated. A coarse grid solution is obtained with a single zone by using an algebraic turbulence model. In multi-zone fine grid computation, a one-equation Baldwin-Barth turbulence model is utilized. Numerical results are compared with experimental measurements and a good agreement is found between the two. The resulting computer code is then applied to the flow analysis inside a two-stage fuel pump impeller operating at 80 percent, 100 percent, and 120 percent of design flow.
It is shown that one viable driver of the solar p-modes is radiative pumping in the upper photosphere where the opacity is dominated by the negative hydrogen ion. This new option is suggested by the similar magnitudes of two energy flows that have been evaluated by independent empirical methods. The similarity indicates that the p-modes are radiatively pumped in the upper photosphere and therefore provide the required nonradiative cooling.
Q-switched 1-J output has been achieved from diode-pumped zig-zag Nd:YAG slabs in an oscillator-amplifier configuration. The oscillator was single transverse and longitudinal model. This laser set records for Q-switched energy per pulse, and for average power from a diode-pumped laser. The laser was constructed in a rugged configuration suitable for routine laboratory use.
A conversion efficiency of 42 percent and slope efficiency of approximately 60 percent relative to absorbed pump power are reported from a continuous wave diode-pumped Tm, Ho:YLF laser at 2 microns with output power of 84 mW at sub-ambient temperatures. The emission spectrum is etalon tunable over a range of 16/cm centered on 2.067 microns, with fine tuning capability of the transition frequency with crystal temperature at a measured rate of about -0.03/cm-K. The effective emission cross section is measured to be 5 x 10 exp -21 sq cm. These and other aspects of the laser performance are discussed in the context of calculated atmospheric absorption characteristics in this spectral region and potential use in remote sensing applications.
A Capillary Pumped Two-Phase Heat Transport Loop (CAPL) Flight Experiment, currently planned for 1993, will provide microgravity verification of the prototype capillary pumped loop (CPL) thermal control system for EOS. CAPL employs a heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHX) to couple the condenser section of the CPL to the radiator assembly. A prototype HPHX consisting of a heat exchanger (HX), a header heat pipe (HHP), a spreader heat pipe (SHP), and a flow regulator has been designed and tested. The HX transmits heat from the CPL condenser to the HHP, while the HHP and SHP transport heat to the radiator assembly. The flow regulator controls flow distribution among multiple parallel HPHX's. Test results indicated that the prototype HPHX could transport up to 800 watts with an overall heat transfer coefficient of more than 6000 watts/sq m-deg C. Flow regulation among parallel HPHX's was also demonstrated.
A 3D Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes Solver and a Fast Grid Generator (FGG), developed specially for centrifugal impeller design, were incorporated into the pump impeller design process. The impeller performance from the CFD analysis was compared to one-dimensional prediction. Both analyses showed good agreement of the impeller hydraulic efficiency, 94.5 percent, but with an 8 percent discrepancy of Euler head prediction. The impeller blade angle, discharge hub to shroud width, axial length and blade stacking were systematically changed to achieve an optimum impeller design. Impeller overall efficiency, loss distribution, hub-to-tip flow angle distortion and blade-to-blade flow angle change are among those criteria used to evaluate impeller performance. Two grid sizes, one with 10 K grid points and one with 80 K grid points were used to evaluate grid dependency issues. The effects of grid resolution on the accuracy and turnaround time are discussed. In conclusion, it is demonstrated that CFD can be effectively used for design and optimization of rocket engine pump components.
The operation of both pulsed and CW diode-pumped mode-locked Nd:YAG lasers are presented. The pulsed laser produced 1.0 mJ with pulsewidths of 90 psec at 20 Hz. The CW pumped laser produced 6 W output at 1.064 microns and 3 W output at 532 nm.
A conversion efficiency of 42 percent and slope efficiency of 60 percent relative to absorbed pump power are obtained from a continuous wave diode-pumped Tm,Ho:YLiF4 laser at 2 microns with output power of 84mW at a crystal temperature of 275K. The emission spectrum is etalon tunable over a range of 7nm (16.3 cm(sup -1) centered on 2.067 microns with fine tuning capability of the transition frequency with crystal temperature at a measured rate of -0.03/(cm)K. The effective emission cross-section is measured to be 5 x 10(sup -21) cm squared. These and other aspects of the laser performance are disclosed in the context of calculated atmospheric absorption characteristics in this spectral region and potential use in remote sensing applications. Single frequency output and frequency stabilization are achieved using an intracavity etalon in conjunction with an external reference etalon.
The role played by fluid forces in determining the rotordynamic stability of a centrifugal pump is gaining increasing attention. The present research investigates the contributions to the rotordynamic forces from the discharge-to-suction leakage flows between the front shroud of the rotating impeller and the stationary pump casing. In particular, the dependency of the rotordynamic characteristics of leakage flows on the swirl at the inlet to the leakage path was examined. An inlet guide vane was designed for the experiment so that swirl could be introduced at the leakage flow inlet. The data demonstrates substantial rotordynamic effects and a destabilizing tangential force for small positive whirl ratios; this force decreased with increasing flow rate. The effect of swirl on the rotordynamic forces was found to be destabilizing.
Special analyses of all the forces and moments acting on a typical centrifugal pump impeller/volute combination are presented. These exhibit shaft frequencies, blade passing frequencies, and beat frequencies associated with a whirl motion imposed on the shaft in order to measure rotordynamic forces. Among other features the unsteady thrust was found to contain a surprisingly large blade passing harmonic. While previous studies have explored the magnitudes of the steady fluid-induced radial forces and the fluid-induced rotordynamic forces for this typical centrifugal pump impeller/volute combination, this paper presents information on the steady bending moments and rotordynamic moments due to the fluid flow. These imply certain axial locations for the lines of action of the radial and rotordynamic forces. Data on the lines of action are presented and allow inferences on the sources of the forces.
Current design of high-performance turbopumps for rocket engines requires effective and robust analytical tools to provide design information in a productive manner. The main goal of this study is to develop a robust and effective CFD pump model for general turbopump design and analysis applications. A finite difference Navier-Stokes flow solver, FDNS, which includes an extended k-epsilon turbulence model and appropriate moving zonal interface boundary conditions, was developed to analyze turbulent flows in turbomachinery devices. In the present study, two key components of the turbopump, the inducer and impeller, were investigated by the proposed pump model, and the numerical results were benchmarked by the experimental data provided by Rocketdyne.
The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from a long pulse, solar-simulating radiation pumped iodine laser amplifier is studied. The ASE threshold pump intensity is almost proportional to the inverse of the laser gain length when the gas pressure is constant in the laser tube.
Tunable continuous-wave and pulsed laser output was obtained from a Tm-sensitized Ho:YLiF4 crystal at subambient temperatures when longitudinally pumped with a diode laser array. A conversion efficiency of 42 percent and slope efficiency of approximately 60 percent relative to the absorbed pumped power have been achieved at a crystal temperature of 275 K. The emission spectrum was etalon tunable over a range of 16/cm centered at 2067 nm with fine tuning capability of the transition frequency with crystal temperature at measured rate of -0.03/cm/K. Output energies of 0.22 mJ per pulse and 22 ns pulse duration were recorded at Q-switch frequencies that correspond to an effective upper laser level lifetime of 6 ms, and a pulse energy extraction efficiency of 64 percent.