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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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At least 703 records · Page 39
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

Stirling engine design manual

This manual is intended to serve both as an introduction to Stirling engine analysis methods and as a key to the open literature on Stirling engines. Over 800 references are listed and these are cross referenced by date of publication, author and subject. Engine analysis is treated starting from elementary principles and working through cycles analysis. Analysis methodologies are classified as first, second or third order depending upon degree of complexity and probable application; first order for preliminary engine studies, second order for performance prediction and engine optimization, and third order for detailed hardware evaluation and engine research. A few comparisons between theory and experiment are made. A second order design procedure is documented step by step with calculation sheets and a worked out example to follow. Current high power engines are briefly described and a directory of companies and individuals who are active in Stirling engine development is included. Much remains to be done. Some of the more complicated and potentially very useful design procedures are now only referred to. Future support will enable a more thorough job of comparing all available design procedures against experimental data which should soon be available.

Martini, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1978

The determination of the operating range of a twin-grip control yoke through biomechanical means

A twin-grip control yoke was designed as an ergonomic case study that allows dual axis control inputs, both axes being rotational. Inputs are effected by rotating the grips. How the handles were designed with respect to their shape and size and how the angular range of the control yoke in both rotational axes was evaluated. The control yoke which requires two-hand operation was tested to determine its operating range. The intention of this investigation was to find out the optimal form of the control yoke and the maximum permissible range in both rotating axes. In these experiments controls had no spring resistance.

Gaertner, K. P.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Interrupted monitoring of a stochastic process

Normative strategies are developed for tasks where the pilot must interrupt his monitoring of a stochastic process in order to attend to other duties. Results are given as to how characteristics of the stochastic process and the other tasks affect the optimal strategies. The optimum strategy is also compared to the strategies used by subjects in a pilot experiment.

Palmer, E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Objectives and first results of the NASA SETI Sky Survey field tests at Goldstone, California

The objectives and preliminary results of the initial field tests of the prototype hardware and software for the NASA SETI program are reviewed with emphasis on the Sky Survey component of the NASA search strategy. In particular, attention is given to field test instrumentation, sky pixelation, sky survey field tests, baseline tests, antenna control tests, and radio frequency interference survey. The test results and observational experience will be used to finalize the design of the SETI Sky Survey processing system and to optimize the observational strategy and procedures in time to begin a full-scale Microwave Observing Program in 1990.

Gulkis, S.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Broadcasting satellite service synthesis using gradient and cyclic coordinate search procedures

Two search techniques are considered for solving satellite synthesis problems. Neither is likely to find a globally optimal solution. In order to determine which method performs better and what factors affect their performance, an experiment is designed and the same problem is solved under a variety of starting solution configuration-algorithm combinations. Since there is no randomization in the experiment, results of practical, rather than statistical, significance are presented. Implementation of a cyclic coordinate search procedure clearly finds better synthesis solutions than implementation of a gradient search procedure does with the objective of maximizing the minimum C/I ratio computed at test points on the perimeters of the intended service areas. The length of the available orbital arc and the configuration of the starting solution are shown to affect the quality of the solutions found.

Reilly, C. H.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Optimal placement of excitations and sensors for verification of large dynamical systems

The computationally difficult problem of the optimal placement of excitations and sensors to maximize the observed measurements is studied within the framework of combinatorial optimization, and is solved numerically using a variation of the simulated annealing heuristic algorithm. Results of numerical experiments including a square plate and a 960 degrees-of-freedom Control of Flexible Structure (COFS) truss structure, are presented. Though the algorithm produces suboptimal solutions, its generality and simplicity allow the treatment of complex dynamical systems which would otherwise be difficult to handle.

Salama, M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

An integrated approach for friction damper design

A procedure is outlined for determining the optimal design of friction dampers for high speed turbomachinery blading. The procedure includes: an integration of bench test results with finite element analysis and a single mode blade model to ensure accuracy of the analytical model and improve reliability of the friction damper design; an extension of the single mode blade model to predict the engine behavior of friction dampers; and a new way of viewing analytical and experimental results to determine optimal design parameters when the levels of excitation and damping in the system are unknown. Analysis and experiments are performed on a test disk in order to demonstrate and verify the accuracy of the design procedure.

Cameron, T. M.↗
NASA NTRS1990

A multigrid solver for semi-implicit global shallow-water models

A multigrid solver is developed for the discretized two-dimensional elliptic equation on the sphere that arises from a semiimplicit time discretization of the global shallow-water equations. Different formulations of the semiimplicit scheme result in variable-coefficient Helmholtz-type equations for which no fast direct solvers are available. The efficiency of the multigrid solver is optimal, in the sense that the total operation count is proportional to the number of unknowns. Numerical experiments using initial data derived from actual 300-mb height and wind velocity fields indicate that the present model has very good accuracy and stability properties.

Barros, Saulo R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Optical phase-locked loop (OPLL) for free-space laser communications with heterodyne detection

Several advantages of coherent free-space optical communications are outlined. Theoretical analysis is formulated for an OPLL disturbed by shot noise, modulation noise, and frequency noise consisting of a white component, a 1/f component, and a 1/f-squared component. Each of the noise components is characterized by its associated power spectral density. It is shown that the effect of modulation depends only on the ratio of loop bandwidth and data rate, and is negligible for an OPLL with loop bandwidth smaller than one fourth the data rate. Total phase error variance as a function of loop bandwidth is displayed for several values of carrier signal to noise ratio. Optimal loop bandwidth is also calculated as a function of carrier signal to noise ratio. An OPLL experiment is performed, where it is shown that the measured phase error variance closely matches the theoretical predictions.

Win, Moe Z.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Software for continuum modeling of controls-structures interactions

It is clear that computer software is needed to assist in the generation of the equations of motion for complex, flexible spacecraft. Daniel Poelaert of ESTEC has developed the software DISTEL with which he has modeled the structural dynamics for different satellites. He is interested in expanding the capabilities of DISTEL to include structural damping and control systems. Unfortunately, the software has not been released. The author has developed similar software, PDEMOD, which has been used to model the Spacecraft control Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE), the Solar Array Flight Experiment (SAFE), the Mini-MAST truss, and the LACE satellite. PDEMOD has been used also for optimal parameter estimation and integrated control-structures design. PDEMOD is also being extended to include structural damping and control systems which are imbedded into the same equations for the structural dynamics. This paper will address the formulation of the equations for the structural dynamics of spacecraft structures which are constructed of a 3-dimensional arrangement of rigid bodies and flexible beam elements. Control system dynamics are imbedded into the same equations so that model order reduction approximations are not necessary. The input data consists of the physical data of the elements and the topological information describing how the elements are connected. PDEMOD accomplishes the following: (1) automatically assembles the equations of motion for the entire structural model; (2) calculates the modal frequencies; (3) calculates the mode shapes; (4) generates perspective views of the mode shapes; and (5) forms selected transfer functions. The software PDEMOD continues to be developed to provide additional features to assist in analyzing and synthesizing control and structural systems for flexible spacecraft.

Taylor, Lawrence W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1994

The Evolution of Technology in the Deep Space Network: A History of the Advanced Systems Program

The Deep Space Network (DSN) of 1995 might be described as the evolutionary result of 45 years of deep space communication and navigation, together with the synergistic activities of radio science and radar and radio astronomy. But the evolution of the DSN did not just happen - it was carefully planned and created. The evolution of the DSN has been an ongoing engineering activity, and engineering is a process of problem solving under constraints, one of which is technology. In turn, technology is the knowledge base providing the capability and experience for practical application of various areas of science, when needed. The best engineering solutions result from optimization under the fewest constraints, and if technology needs are well anticipated (ready when needed), then the most effective engineering solution is possible. Throughout the history of the DSN it has been the goal and function of DSN advanced technology development (designated the DSN Advanced Systems Program from 1963 through 1994) to supply the technology needs of the DSN when needed, and thus to minimize this constraint on DSN engineering. Technology often takes considerable time to develop, and when that happens, it is important to have anticipated engineering needs; at times, this anticipation has been by as much as 15 years. Also, on a number of occasions, mission malfunctions or emergencies have resulted in unplanned needs for technology that has, in fact, been available from the reservoir of advanced technology provided by the DSN Advanced Systems Program. Sometimes, even DSN engineering personnel fail to realize that the organization of JPL permits an overlap of DSN advanced technology activities with subsequent engineering activities. This can result in the flow of advanced technology into DSN engineering in a natural and sometimes almost unnoticed way. In the following pages, we will explore some of the many contributions of the DSN Advanced Systems Program that were provided to DSN Engineering and Implementation. These contributions are, for the most part, unique capabilities that have met the requirements of flight projects for 45 years. These unique capabilities include not only the world's best deep-space communications system, but also outstanding competency in the fields of radio metric measurement, radar and radio astronomy, and radio science.

Layland, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS1998

PLUM: Parallel Load Balancing for Unstructured Adaptive Meshes

Dynamic mesh adaption on unstructured grids is a powerful tool for computing large-scale problems that require grid modifications to efficiently resolve solution features. Unfortunately, an efficient parallel implementation is difficult to achieve, primarily due to the load imbalance created by the dynamically-changing nonuniform grid. To address this problem, we have developed PLUM, an automatic portable framework for performing adaptive large-scale numerical computations in a message-passing environment. First, we present an efficient parallel implementation of a tetrahedral mesh adaption scheme. Extremely promising parallel performance is achieved for various refinement and coarsening strategies on a realistic-sized domain. Next we describe PLUM, a novel method for dynamically balancing the processor workloads in adaptive grid computations. This research includes interfacing the parallel mesh adaption procedure based on actual flow solutions to a data remapping module, and incorporating an efficient parallel mesh repartitioner. A significant runtime improvement is achieved by observing that data movement for a refinement step should be performed after the edge-marking phase but before the actual subdivision. We also present optimal and heuristic remapping cost metrics that can accurately predict the total overhead for data redistribution. Several experiments are performed to verify the effectiveness of PLUM on sequences of dynamically adapted unstructured grids. Portability is demonstrated by presenting results on the two vastly different architectures of the SP2 and the Origin2OOO. Additionally, we evaluate the performance of five state-of-the-art partitioning algorithms that can be used within PLUM. It is shown that for certain classes of unsteady adaption, globally repartitioning the computational mesh produces higher quality results than diffusive repartitioning schemes. We also demonstrate that a coarse starting mesh produces high quality load balancing, at a fraction of the cost required a fine initial mesh. Results indicate that our parallel load balancing strategy will remain viable on large numbers of processors.

Oliker, Leonid↗
NASA NTRS1999

Overview of Fluid Dynamics Activities at the Marshall Space Flight Center

Since its inception 40 years ago, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has had the need to maintain and advance state-of-the-art flow analysis and cold-flow testing capability to support its roles and missions. This overview discusses the recent organizational changes that have occurred at MSFC with emphasis on the resulting three groups that form the core of fluid dynamics expertise at MSFC: the Fluid Physics and Dynamics Group, the Applied Fluid Dynamics Analysis Group, and the Experimental Fluid Dynamics Group. Recently completed activities discussed include the analysis and flow testing in support of the Fastrac engine design, the X-33 vehicle design, and the X34 propulsion system design. Ongoing activities include support of the RLV vehicle design, Liquid Fly Back Booster aerodynamic configuration definition, and RLV focused technologies development. Other ongoing activities discussed are efforts sponsored by the Center Director's Discretionary Fund (CDDF) to develop an advanced incompressible flow code and to develop optimization techniques. Recently initiated programs and their anticipated required fluid dynamics support are discussed. Based on recent experiences and on the anticipated program needs, required analytical and experimental technique improvements are presented. Due to anticipated budgetary constraints, there is a strong need to leverage activities and to pursue teaming arrangements in order to advance the state-of-the-art and to adequately support concept development. Throughout this overview there is discussion of the lessons learned and of the capabilities demonstrated and established in support of the hardware development programs.

Garcia, Roberto↗
NASA NTRS2003

The Promise of Macromolecular Crystallization in Micro-fluidic Chips

Micro-fluidics, or lab on a chip technology, is proving to be a powerful, rapid, and efficient approach to a wide variety of bio-analytical and microscale bio-preparative needs. The low materials consumption, combined with the potential for packing a large number of experiments in a few cubic centimeters, makes it an attractive technique for both initial screening and subsequent optimization of macromolecular crystallization conditions. Screening operations, which require equilibrating macromolecule solution with a standard set of premixed solutions, are relatively straightforward and have been successfully demonstrated in a micro-fluidics platform. More complex optimization methods, where crystallization solutions are independently formulated from a range of stock solutions, are considerably more complex and have yet to be demonstrated. To be competitive with either approach, a micro-fluidics system must offer ease of operation, be able to maintain a sealed environment over several weeks to months, and give ready access for the observation of crystals as they are grown.

vanderWoerd, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2003

The promise of macromolecular crystallization in microfluidic chips

Microfluidics, or lab-on-a-chip technology, is proving to be a powerful, rapid, and efficient approach to a wide variety of bioanalytical and microscale biopreparative needs. The low materials consumption, combined with the potential for packing a large number of experiments in a few cubic centimeters, makes it an attractive technique for both initial screening and subsequent optimization of macromolecular crystallization conditions. Screening operations, which require a macromolecule solution with a standard set of premixed solutions, are relatively straightforward and have been successfully demonstrated in a microfluidics platform. Optimization methods, in which crystallization solutions are independently formulated from a range of stock solutions, are considerably more complex and have yet to be demonstrated. To be competitive with either approach, a microfluidics system must offer ease of operation, be able to maintain a sealed environment over several weeks to months, and give ready access for the observation and harvesting of crystals as they are grown.

Review↗
NASA NTRS2012

Aircraft Configuration and Flight Crew Compliance with Procedures While Conducting Flight Deck Based Interval Management (FIM) Operations

Flight deck based Interval Management (FIM) applications using ADS-B are being developed to improve both the safety and capacity of the National Airspace System (NAS). FIM is expected to improve the safety and efficiency of the NAS by giving pilots the technology and procedures to precisely achieve an interval behind the preceding aircraft by a specific point. Concurrently but independently, Optimized Profile Descents (OPD) are being developed to help reduce fuel consumption and noise, however, the range of speeds available when flying an OPD results in a decrease in the delivery precision of aircraft to the runway. This requires the addition of a spacing buffer between aircraft, reducing system throughput. FIM addresses this problem by providing pilots with speed guidance to achieve a precise interval behind another aircraft, even while flying optimized descents. The Interval Management with Spacing to Parallel Dependent Runways (IMSPiDR) human-in-the-loop experiment employed 24 commercial pilots to explore the use of FIM equipment to conduct spacing operations behind two aircraft arriving to parallel runways, while flying an OPD during high-density operations. This paper describes the impact of variations in pilot operations; in particular configuring the aircraft, their compliance with FIM operating procedures, and their response to changes of the FIM speed. An example of the displayed FIM speeds used incorrectly by a pilot is also discussed. Finally, this paper examines the relationship between achieving airline operational goals for individual aircraft and the need for ATC to deliver aircraft to the runway with greater precision. The results show that aircraft can fly an OPD and conduct FIM operations to dependent parallel runways, enabling operational goals to be achieved efficiently while maintaining system throughput.

Shay, Rick↗
NASA NTRS2016

A Discrete Component Low-Noise Preamplifier Readout for a Linear (1x16) SiC Photodiode Array

A compact, low-noise and inexpensive preamplifier circuit has been designed and fabricated to optimally readout a common cathode (1x16) channel 4H-SiC Schottky photodiode array for use in ultraviolet experiments. The readout uses an operational amplifier with 10 pF capacitor in the feedback loop in parallel with a low leakage switch for each of the channels. This circuit configuration allows for reiterative sample, integrate and reset. A sampling technique is given to remove Johnson noise, enabling a femtoampere level readout noise performance. Commercial-off-the-shelf acquisition electronics are used to digitize the preamplifier analogue signals. The data logging acquisition electronics has a different integration circuit, which allows the bandwidth and gain to be independently adjusted. Using this readout, photoresponse measurements across the array between spectral wavelengths 200 nm and 370 nm are made to establish the array pixels external quantum efficiency, current responsivity and noise equivalent power.

low-noise preamplifier↗