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At least 685 records · Page 38

Focused Experimental and Analytical Studies of the RBCC Rocket-Ejector

The rocket-ejector mode of a Rocket Based Combined Cycle Engine (RBCC) was studied through a joint experimental/analytical approach. A two-dimensional variable geometry rocket-ejector system with enhanced optical access was designed and fabricated for experimentation. The rocket-ejector system utilizes a single two-dimensional gaseous oxygen/gaseous hydrogen rocket as the ejector. To gain a systematic understanding of the rocket ejector's internal fluid mechanic/combustion phenomena, experiments were conducted with both direct-connect and sea-level static configurations for a range of rocket operating conditions Overall system performance was obtained through Global measurements of wall static pressure profiles, heat flux profiles and engine thrust, whereas detailed mixing and combustion information was obtained through Raman spectroscopy measurements of major species (gaseous oxygen, hydrogen. nitrogen and water vapor). These experimental efforts were complemented by Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) flowfield analyses.

Lehman, M.↗

Design Through Simulation of a Molecular Sieve Column for Treatment of MON-3

The presence of water in propellant-grade MON-3 is a concern in the Aerospace Industry. NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) Propulsion Department has evaluated many types of molecular sieves for control of iron, the corrosion product of water in Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen (MON-3). In 1995, WSTF initiated laboratory and pilot-scale testing of molecular sieve type 3A for removal of water and iron. These tests showed sufficient promise that a series of continuous recycle tests were conducted at WSTF. Periodic samples of the circulating MON-3 solution were analyzed for water (wt %) and iron (ppm, wt). This test column was modeled as a series of transfer units; i. e., each unit represented the height equivalent of a theoretical plate. Such a model assumes there is equilibrium between the adsorbent material and the effluent stream from the unit. Operational and design parameters were derived based on the simulation results. These parameters were used to predict the design characteristics of a proposed molecular sieve column for removal of water and iron from MON-3 at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC). In addition, these parameters were used to simulate a small, single-pass operation column at KSC currently used for treating MON-3. The results of this work indicated that molecular sieve type 3A in 1/16 in. diameter pellets, in a column 2.5 ft. in diameter, 18 ft. in height, and operated at 25 gpm is adequate for the required removal of water and iron from MON-3.

Swartz, A. Ben↗

Experiment/Analytical Characterization of the RBCC Rocket-Ejector Mode

Experimental and complementary CFD results from the study of the rocket-ejector mode of a Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) engine are presented and discussed. The experiments involved systematic flowfield measurements in a two-dimensional, variable geometry rocket-ejector system. The rocket-ejector system utilizes a single two-dimensional, gaseous oxygen/gaseous hydrogen rocket as the ejector. To gain a thorough understanding of the rocket-ejector's internal fluid mechanic/combustion phenomena, experiments were conducted with both direct-connect and sea-level static configurations for a range of rocket operating conditions. Overall system performance was obtained through global measurements of wall static pressure profiles, heat flux profiles and engine thrust, whereas detailed mixing and combustion information was obtained through Raman spectroscopy measurements of major species (oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and water vapor). The experimental results for both the direct-connect and sea-level static configurations are compared with CFD predictions of the flowfield.

Ruf, J. H.↗

Effect of Ratio of Jet Area to Total Area and of Pressure Ratio on Lift Augmentation of Annular Jets in Ground Effect Under Static Conditions

The present investigation was undertaken to determine the effects of the ratio of jet area to total area and of the pressure ratio on the lift-augmentation characteristics of annular jets in ground effect. The investigation was made over an area-ratio range of 1.00 to 0.02 and a pressure-ratio range of about 1.04 to 1.95. Several configurations with center jets were tested through an angle-of-attack range to determine the pitching-moment characteristics. The tests were conducted in a static test room with the use of the compressed-air facilities. The results show that lift augmentation increases somewhat as the area ratio is reduced to about 0.10, below which it deteriorates due to thin jet mixing. The effect of pressure ratio on lift was negligible for the area-ratio range investigated. Calculations of the lift per air horsepower for a given base loading indicate that the greatest lift per air horsepower occurs at area ratios above 0.10, where the greatest lift augmentation occurs. The data show that annular-Jet vehicles are unstable at ratios of height above ground to nozzle diameter above about 0.10. The stability of the annular-jet vehicle can be improved by the use of large center jets. Base compartments also reduces the unstable moment.

Goodson, Kenneth W.↗

Mixing Process in Ejector Nozzles Studied at Lewis' Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory

The NASA Lewis Research Center has been studying mixing processes in ejector nozzles for its High Speed Research (HSR) Program. This work is directed at finding ways to minimize the noise of a future supersonic airliner. Much of the noise such an airplane would generate would come from the nozzle, where a hot, high-speed jet exits the engine. Several different nozzle configurations were used to produce nozzle systems with different acoustical and aerodynamic characteristics. The acoustical properties were measured by an array of microphones in an anechoic chamber, and the aerodynamics were measured by traditional pressure and temperature instruments as well as by Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV), a technique for visualizing the airflow pattern without disturbing it. These measurements were put together and compared for different configurations to examine the relationships between mixing and noise generation. The mixer-ejector nozzle with the installed flow-visualization windows (foreground), the optical equipment and the supporting structure for the Laser Doppler Velocimetry flow visualization (midfield), and the sound-absorbing wedges used to create an anechoic environment for acoustic testing (background) is shown. The High Speed Research Program is a NASA-funded effort, in cooperation with the U.S. aerospace industry, to develop enabling technologies for a future supersonic airliner. One of the technological barriers being addressed is noise generated during near-airport operation. The mixer-ejector nozzle concept is being examined as a way to reduce jet noise while maintaining thrust. Ambient air is mixed with the high-velocity engine exhaust to reduce the jet velocity and hence the noise generated by the jet. The model was designed and built by Pratt & Whitney under NASA contract. The test, completed in June 1995, was conducted in Lewis' Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory.

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Hydrogen film cooling investigation

Effects of flow turning, flow acceleration, and supersonic flow on film cooling were determined experimentally and correlated in terms of an entrainment film cooling model. Experiments were conducted using thin walled metal test sections, hot nitrogen mainstream gas, and ambient hydrogen or nitrogen as film coolants. The entrainment film cooling model relates film cooling effectiveness to the amount of mainstream gases entrained with the film coolant in a mixing layer. The experimental apparatus and the analytical model used are described in detail and correlations for the entrainment fraction and film coolant-to-wall heat transfer coefficient are presented.

Rousar, D. C.↗

Engineering calculations for communications satellite systems planning

Observed solution times were analyzed for the extended gradient and cyclic coordinate search procedures. The times used in the analysis come from computer runs made during a previously-reported experiment conducted to assess the quality of the solutions to a BSS synthesis problem found by the two search methods. The results of a second experiment with a Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) test problem are also presented. Computational results are summarized for mixed integer programming approaches for solving FSS synthesis problems. A promising heuristic algorithm is described. A synthesis model is discussed for orbital arc allotment optimization. Research plans for the near future are also presented.

Reilly, C. H.↗

Magnetic monopole plasma oscillations and the survival of Galactic magnetic fields

This paper explores the general nature of magnetic-monopole plasma oscillations as a theoretical possibility for the observed Galactic magnetic field in the presence of a high abundance of magnetic monopoles. The modification of the hydromagnetic induction equation by the monopole oscillations produces the half-velocity effect, in which the magnetic field is transported bodily with a velocity midway between the motion of the conducting fluid and the monopole plasma. Observational studies of the magnetic field in the Galaxy, and in other galaxies, exclude the half-velocity effect, indicating that the magnetic fields is not associated with monopole oscillations. In any case the phase mixing would destroy the oscillations in less than 100 Myr. The conclusion is that magnetic monopole oscillations do not play a significant role in the galactic magnetic fields. Hence the existence of galactic magnetic fields places a low limit on the monopole flux, so that their detection - if they exist at all - requires a collecting area at least as large as a football field.

Parker, E. N.↗

Kinetics and transport at AMTEC electrodes. I - The interfacial impedance model

Mixed mass-transport and kinetic control of sodium ion reduction at porous inert electrodes on sodium beta-double-prime alumina solid electrolyte (BASE) ceramic in a high-temperature electrochemical cell has been observed and modeled. The high ionic conductivity of BASE and the reversibility of the liquid sodium/BASE anodic half-cell led to assignment of potential-dependent (nonohmic) resistances to kinetic and mass-transport processes associated with the porous electrode. The morphology of these electrodes and typical sodium gas pressures are consistent with Knudsen, or free-molecular, flow through the electrode.

Williams, R. M.↗

The interaction of radiative and dynamical processes during a simulated sudden stratospheric warming

An analysis of a spontaneous sudden stratospheric warming that occurred during a 2-year integration of the Langley Research Center (LaRC) Atmospheric Simulation Model is presented. The simulated warming resembles observed 'wave 1' warmings in the Northern Hemisphere stratosphere and provides an opportunity to investigate the radiative and dynamical processes occurring during the warming event. Isentropic analysis of potential vorticity sources and sinks indicates that dynamically induced departures from radiative equilibrium play an important role in the warming event. Enhanced radiative cooling associated with a series of upper stratospheric warm pools leads to radiative dampening within the polar vortex. Within the 'surf zone' large-scale radiative cooling leads to diabatic advection of high potential vorticity air from aloft. Lagrangian area diagnostics of the simulated warming agree well with Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) analyses. Dynamical mixing is shown to account for the majority of the decrease in the size of the polar vortex during the simulated warming. An investigation of the nonlinear deformation of material lines that are initially coincident with diagnosed potential vorticity isopleths is conducted to clarify the relationship between the Lagrangian area diagnostics and potential vorticity advection during wave breaking events.

Pierce, R. B.↗

Laboratory Analysis of Silicate Stardust Grains of Diverse Stellar Origins

Silicate dust is ubiquitous in a multitude of environments across the cosmos, including evolved oxygen-rich stars, interstellar space, protoplanetary disks, comets, and asteroids. The identification of bona fide silicate stardust grains in meteorites, interplanetary dust particles, micrometeorites, and dust returned from comet Wild 2 by the Stardust spacecraft has revolutionized the study of stars, interstellar space, and the history of dust in the Galaxy. These stardust grains have exotic isotopic compositions that are records of nucleosynthetic processes that occurred in the depths of their now extinct parent stars. Moreover, the chemical compositions and mineralogies of silicate stardust are consequences of the physical and chemical nature of the stellar condensation environment, as well as secondary alteration processes that can occur in interstellar space, the solar nebula, and on the asteroid or comet parent body in which they were incorporated. In this talk I will discuss our use of advanced nano-scale instrumentation in the laboratory to conduct coordinated isotopic, chemical, and mineralogical analyses of silicate stardust grains from AGB stars, supernovae, and novae. By analyzing the isotopic compositions of multiple elements in individual grains, we have been able to constrain their stellar sources, explore stellar nucleosynthetic and mixing processes, and Galactic chemical evolution. Through our mineralogical studies, we have found these presolar silicate grains to have wide-ranging chemical and mineral characteristics. This diversity is the result of primary condensation characteristics and in some cases secondary features imparted by alteration in space and in our Solar System. The laboratory analysis of actual samples of stars directly complements astronomical observations and astrophysical models and offers an unprecedented level of detail into the lifecycles of dust in the Galaxy.

Nguyen, Ann N.↗

Demonstration of Airline-Based Airborne Reroute Operations using Trajectory Option Sets and Third-Party Tools

A concept that enables advanced airborne reroute operations is proposed, built on NextGen capabilities called Airborne Reroute (ABRR) and Trajectory Option Set (TOS). The concept introduces new third-party services / tools for the airline dispatchers to generate airline-preferred trajectories in response to convective weather events. The airborne TOS routes are sent to the traffic flow managers, who can evaluate the feasibility of the trajectory options with the help of their own third-party services / tools which have been built for this concept. A virtual demonstration study was conducted to elicit feedback from air traffic and airline subject-matter-experts. The feedback was generally positive, both in the benefits of the concept and the feasibility / need for the new tools to enable the concept but their feedback was mixed on the feasibility of the new tools to be third-party services instead of being integrated into their core tools. Nevertheless, this concept explores and demonstrates an evolutionary pathway toward a service-oriented future that shifts the responsibilities and the capabilities of air traffic operations from the air traffic service providers to the airline industry and third-party vendors.

airborne reroutes↗

Experimental study of the effects of injection conditions on the flow in cylindrical and spherical chambers.

Fluid mechanics experiments were performed in cylindrical and spherical chambers to evaluate the simulated-fuel containment resulting from various injection geometry and inlet flow conditions for application to the open-cycle GNR. A preliminary study in the cylindrical chamber was directed toward developing inlet flow conditions which minimize mixing between the simulated fuel and propellant. Gas concentration measurements were obtained at several outer-stream to inner-stream weight flow and density ratios for the best inlet configuration tested in the preliminary study. The spherical cavity flow study was conducted to evaluate techniques for injecting simulated-fuel and propellant into a cavity.

Johnson, B. V.↗

Advanced low NO/x/ combustors for supersonic high-altitude aircraft gas turbines

A test rig program was conducted with the objective of evaluating and minimizing the exhaust emissions, in particular NO(x), of two advanced aircraft combustor concepts at a simulated, high-altitude cruise condition. The two combustor designs, both members of the lean-reaction, pre-mixed family, are known as the Jet Induced Circulation (JIC) combustor and the Vortex Air Blast (VAB) combustor and were rig tested in the form of reverse flow can combustors in the 0.127-m size range. Various configuration modifications were applied to each of the initial JIC and VAB combustor model designs in an effort to reduce the emissions levels. The VAB combustor demonstrated a NO(x) level of 1.1 gm NO2/kg fuel with essentially 100 percent combustion efficiency at the simulated cruise combustor condition of 507 kPa, 833 K inlet pressure and temperature, respectively and 1778 K outlet temperature on Jet-A1 fuel. In addition, emissions data were obtained at low combustor inlet pressure and temperatures that indicate the potential performance at engine off-design conditions.

Roberts, P. B.↗

The role of entrainment by falling raindrops in microbursts

The numerical model of Krueger et al. (1986) for dry microburst simulations is used to study the role of entrainment by falling raindrops. Two series of numerical simulations were conducted: a control series, and a series with the raindrop fall speed set to zero so that the rain moved with the air instead of falling through it. The results show that entrainment due to falling raindrops helps microbursts with large raindrop mixing ratios to form in stable stratifications. It is found that entrainment appears to contribute to the small spatial and temporal scales that characterize microburst outflows.

Krueger, Steven K.↗

Using Automation to Improve the Flight Software Testing Process

One of the critical phases in the development of a spacecraft attitude control system (ACS) is the testing of its flight software. The testing (and test verification) of ACS flight software requires a mix of skills involving software, knowledge of attitude control, and attitude control hardware, data manipulation, and analysis. The process of analyzing and verifying flight software test results often creates a bottleneck which dictates the speed at which flight software verification can be conducted. In the development of the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) spacecraft ACS subsystem, an integrated design environment was used that included a MAP high fidelity (HiFi) simulation, a central database of spacecraft parameters, a script language for numeric and string processing, and plotting capability. In this integrated environment, it was possible to automate many of the steps involved in flight software testing, making the entire process more efficient and thorough than on previous missions. In this paper, we will compare the testing process used on MAP to that used on other missions. The software tools that were developed to automate testing and test verification will be discussed, including the ability to import and process test data, synchronize test data and automatically generate HiFi script files used for test verification, and an automated capability for generating comparison plots. A summary of the benefits of applying these test methods on MAP will be given. Finally, the paper will conclude with a discussion of re-use of the tools and techniques presented, and the ongoing effort to apply them to flight software testing of the Triana spacecraft ACS subsystem.

ODonnell, James R., Jr.↗

Fuel Cell/Reformers Technology Development

NASA Glenn Research Center is interested in developing Solid Oxide Fuel Cell for use in aerospace applications. Solid oxide fuel cell requires hydrogen rich feed stream by converting commercial aviation jet fuel in a fuel processing process. The grantee's primary research activities center on designing and constructing a test facility for evaluating injector concepts to provide optimum feeds to fuel processor; collecting and analyzing literature information on fuel processing and desulfurization technologies; establishing industry and academic contacts in related areas; providing technical support to in-house SOFC-based system studies. Fuel processing is a chemical reaction process that requires efficient delivery of reactants to reactor beds for optimum performance, i.e., high conversion efficiency and maximum hydrogen production, and reliable continuous operation. Feed delivery and vaporization quality can be improved by applying NASA's expertise in combustor injector design. A 10 KWe injector rig has been designed, procured, and constructed to provide a tool to employ laser diagnostic capability to evaluate various injector concepts for fuel processing reactor feed delivery application. This injector rig facility is now undergoing mechanical and system check-out with an anticipated actual operation in July 2004. Multiple injector concepts including impinging jet, venturi mixing, discrete jet, will be tested and evaluated with actual fuel mixture compatible with reforming catalyst requirement. Research activities from September 2002 to the closing of this collaborative agreement have been in the following areas: compiling literature information on jet fuel reforming; conducting autothermal reforming catalyst screening; establishing contacts with other government agencies for collaborative research in jet fuel reforming and desulfurization; providing process design basis for the build-up of injector rig facility and individual injector design.

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Assessing the Usefulness of AIRS Radiance Observations in a 4D-Var Assimilation Scheme Using the Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model Version 5 (MM5) and a Stand Alone Radiative Transfer Algorithm (SARTA)

Short-term precipitation forecast skill remains poor despite further advances in numerical modeling and data analysis. Utilizing indirect observations, such as the radiance observations obtained from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), in a 4D-Var assimilation scheme may lead to a rapid improvement in the skill of 12-h QPF. In order to investigate the usefulness of AIRS observations, the adjoint code of a radiative transfer model (SARTA) is developed and linked to MM5 4D-Var system. A statistical comparison of the AIRS radiances with those calculated using the linked MMS-SARTA model is carried out to assess errors in the radiative transfer model, MM5 and AIRS data, and to develop a quality control scheme. Outliers and any bias that may exist in radiative transfer model, MM5 and AIRS data are identified. An adjoint sensitivity study, utilizing the SARTA adjoint model, is then done to identify the relative sensitivities of each spectral channel to such parameters as atmospheric temperature, pressure, and mixing ratio. Another sensitivity study is done using the MM5 alone to determine the sensitivity of the 12-h QPF to model parameters such as atmospheric temperature, pressure, and mixing ratio under various weather regimes (i.e. summertime convection, winter snowfall). Results from these two types of adjoint sensitivity studies are used to determine which AIRS channels contribute most to 12-h QPF under differing weather regimes. This information is useful when conducting 4D-Var experiments using a subset of the 2378 AIRS spectral channels. Finally, 4D-Var experiments are done to analyze the impact of the AIRS observations on the quality of the 12-h QPF results. This project falls under the data assimilation general session topic as specified by the conference organizers.

Carrier, M.↗