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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 739 records · Page 41

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1976

Fireman's Air Tanks

Together with NASA's Johnson Space Center, A-T-O Inc.'s Scott Aviation has developed light-weight firefighter's air tanks. New backpack system weighs only 20 pounds for 30 minute air supply, 13 pounds less than conventional firefighting tanks. They are pressurized at 4,500 psi, (twice current tanks). Made of aluminum liner wrapped by resin-impregnated glass fibers, eliminating corrosion as well as lightening the load. Redesigned face mask permits better vision. Warning device to tell fireman he is running out of air is personalized so it can't be heard by others reducing confusion in an already hectic environment. Structural Composites Inc., The Boeing Co., and Martin- Marietta Corp. have developed uses for this technology.

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NASA NTRS2003

X-33 LH2 Tank Failure Investigation Findings

This viewgraph presentation provides information on the composite sandwich-honeycomb structure of the liquid hydrogen tank of the X-33 reusable launch vehicle, and describes why the the first pressure test to determine the tank's structural integrity failed. The presentation includes images of the tank before and after the failed test, including photomicrographs. It then reaches conclusions on the nature of the microcracks which caused the liquid hydrogen leakage.

Niedermeyer, Melinda↗

NASA NTRS2003

Reference Gauging System for a Small-Scale Liquid Hydrogen Tank

A system to accurately weigh the fluid contents of a small-scale liquid hydrogen test tank has been experimentally verified. It is intended for use as a reference or benchmark system when testing lowgravity liquid quantity gauging concepts in the terrestrial environment. The reference gauging system has shown a repeatable measurement accuracy of better than 0.5 percent of the full tank liquid weight. With further refinement, the system accuracy can be improved to within 0.10 percent of full scale. This report describes the weighing system design, calibration, and operational results. Suggestions are given for further refinement of the system. An example is given to illustrate additional sources of uncertainty when mass measurements are converted to volume equivalents. Specifications of the companion test tank and its multi-layer insulation system are provided.

VanDresar, Neil T.↗

NASA NTRS1961

Experimental Evaluation of Analytical Models for the Inertias and Natural Frequencies of Fuel Sloshing in Circular Cylindrical Tanks

A correlation is presented of experimental measurement and analytical prediction of free, planar oscillations of a tank of mercury hung on a pendulum. Measured frequencies are presented for the slosh mode and the pendulum-tank mode, and time-history wave forms are included for qualitative comparisons. The sloshing is represented analytically by a single pendulum or a spring-bob, and the size and location of their inertias are determined by matching forces and moments on the tank surface with linearized hydrodynamic theory for inviscid fluids. It is concluded that such analytical models are identical for small displacements in the present application (as they are in simpler applications) and that they provide excellent simulation of the stiffness and in ertia terms for fuel sloshing.

Warner, Robert W.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Debonding Stress Concentrations in a Pressurized Lobed Sandwich-Walled Generic Cryogenic Tank

A finite-element stress analysis has been conducted on a lobed composite sandwich tank subjected to internal pressure and cryogenic cooling. The lobed geometry consists of two obtuse circular walls joined together with a common flat wall. Under internal pressure and cryogenic cooling, this type of lobed tank wall will experience open-mode (a process in which the honeycomb is stretched in the depth direction) and shear stress concentrations at the junctures where curved wall changes into flat wall (known as a curve-flat juncture). Open-mode and shear stress concentrations occur in the honeycomb core at the curve-flat junctures and could cause debonding failure. The levels of contributions from internal pressure and temperature loading to the open-mode and shear debonding failure are compared. The lobed fuel tank with honeycomb sandwich walls has been found to be a structurally unsound geometry because of very low debonding failure strengths. The debonding failure problem could be eliminated if the honeycomb core at the curve-flat juncture is replaced with a solid core.

Ko, William L.↗

NASA NTRS1958

An Investigation of the Free-Spinning and Recovery Characteristics of a 1/24-Scale Model of the Grumman F11F-1 Airplane with Alternate Nose Configurations with and without Wing Fuel Tanks, TED No. NACA AD 395

A supplementary investigation has been conducted in the langley 20-foot free-spinning tunnel on a l/24-scale model of the Grumman F11F-1 airplane to determine the spin and recovery characteristics with alternate nose configurations, the production version and the elongated APS-67 version, with and without empty and full wing tanks. When spins were obtained with either alternate nose configuration, they were oscillatory and recovery characteristics were considered unsatisfactory on the basis of the fact that very slow recoveries were indicated to be possible. The simultaneous extension of canards near the nose of the model with rudder reversal was effective in rapidly terminating the spin. The addition of empty wing tanks had little effect on the developed spin and recovery characteristics. The model did not spin erect with full wing tanks. For optimum recovery from inverted spins, the rudder should be reversed to 22O against the spin and simultaneously the flaperons should be moved with the developed spin; the stick should be held at or moved to full forward longitudinally. The minimum size parachute required to insure satisfactory recoveries in an emergency was found to be 12 feet in diameter (laid out flat) with a drag coefficient of 0.64 (based on the laid-out-flat diameter) and a towline length of 32 feet.

Bowman, James S., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Guidelines for the Utilization of Composite Materials in Oxygen Storage Tanks

Space travel is inherently dangerous and, currently, quite expensive. NASA has always done everything possible to minimize the risk associated with the materials chosen for space travel applications by requiring that all materials associated with NASA programs meet the strict requirements established by NASA testing standard NASA-STD-600 1 Flammability, Odor, Offgassing, and Compatibility Requirements and Test Procedures for Materials in Environments that Support Combustion. NASA also has the need to develop lighter weight structural materials that will allow more payload weight to be carried into space. NASA is utilizing composite materials inside the orbiter to lighten the overall weight, but has not considered composite materials for oxygen tanks because of the inherent incompatibility of composite materials with atomic oxygen. This presentation will focus on how oxygen tanks can be built from composite materials. Details will be provided for the design and compatibility testing techniques that will be utilized to create a new NASA standard, NASA-HDBK-6018, which will serve as the starting point for the design of oxygen tanks made from composite materials.

Davis, Samuel E.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Tank Insulation

For NASA's Apollo program, McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Company, Huntington Beach, California, developed and built the S-IVB, uppermost stage of the three-stage Saturn V moonbooster. An important part of the development task was fabrication of a tank to contain liquid hydrogen fuel for the stage's rocket engine. The liquid hydrogen had to be contained at the supercold temperature of 423 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. The tank had to be perfectly insulated to keep engine or solar heat from reaching the fuel; if the hydrogen were permitted to warm up, it would have boiled off, or converted to gaseous form, reducing the amount of fuel available to the engine. McDonnell Douglas' answer was a supereffective insulation called 3D, which consisted of a one-inch thickness of polyurethane foam reinforced in three dimensions with fiberglass threads. Over a 13-year development and construction period, the company built 30 tanks and never experienced a failure. Now, after years of additional development, an advanced version of 3D is finding application as part of a containment system for transporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) by ship.

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NASA NTRS2007

In Situ Multi-Species (O2, N2, Fuel, Other) Fiber Optic Sensor for Fuel Tank Ullage

A rugged and compact fiber optic sensor system for in situ real-time measurement of nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), hydrocarbon (HC) fuel vapors, and other gases has been developed over the past several years at Glenn Research Center. The intrinsically-safe, solid-state fiber optic sensor system provides a 1% precision measurement (by volume) of multiple gases in a 5-sec time window. The sensor has no consumable parts to wear out and requires less than 25 W of electrical power to operate. The sensor head is rugged and compact and is ideal for use in harsh environments such as inside an aircraft fuel tank, or as a feedback sensor in the vent-box of an on-board inert gas generation system (OBIGGS). Multiple sensor heads can be monitored with a single optical detection unit for a cost-effective multi-point sensor system. The present sensor technology is unique in its ability to measure N2 concentration directly, and in its ability to differentiate different types of HC fuels. The present sensor system provides value-added aircraft safety information by simultaneously and directly measuring the nitrogen-oxygen-fuel triplet, which provides the following advantages: (1) information regarding the extent of inerting by N2, (2) information regarding the chemical equivalence ratio, (3) information regarding the composition of the aircraft fuel, and (4) by providing a self-consistent calibration by utilizing a singular sensor for all species. Using the extra information made available by this sensor permits the ignitability of a fuel-oxidizer mixture to be more accurately characterized, which may permit a reduction in the amount of inerting required on a real-time basis, and yet still maintain a fire-safe fuel tank. This translates to an increase in fuel tank fire-safety through a better understanding of the physics of fuel ignition, and at the same time, a reduction in compressed bleed air usage and concomitant aircraft operational costs over the long-run. The present fiber optic sensor can also be used as a false-alarm-free engine/hidden/cargo space fire detector (by measuring increased CO2 and CO, and decreased O2), a multi-point in situ measurement and certification system for halogenated-compound fire protection systems, and for the testing and certification of other aircraft safety sensor systems. The technology (LEW-17826-1) developed in the present sensor system is patent pending.

Nguyen, Quang-Viet↗

NASA NTRS2008

Estimation of the Unsteady Aerodynamic Load on Space Shuttle External Tank Protuberances from a Component Wind Tunnel Test

At the wake of the Columbia (STS-107) accident it was decided to remove the Protuberance Aerodynamic Load (PAL) Ramp that was originally intended to protect various protuberances outside of the Space Shuttle External Tank from high buffet load induced by cross-flows at transonic speed. In order to establish the buffet load without the PAL ramp, a wind tunnel test was conducted where segments of the protuberances were instrumented with dynamic pressure transducers; and power-spectra of sectional lift and drag forces at various span-wise locations between two adjacent support brackets were measured under different cross flow angles, Mach number and other conditions. Additionally, frequency-dependent spatial correlations between the sectional forces were also established. The sectional forces were then adjusted by the correlation length to establish span-averaged spectra of normal and lateral forces that can be suitably "added" to various other unsteady forces encountered by the protuberance. This paper describes the methodology used for calculating the correlation-adjusted power spectrum of the buffet load. A second part of the paper describes wind-tunnel results on the difference in the buffet load on the protuberances with and without the PAL ramp. In general when the ramp height is the same as that of the protuberance height, such as that found on the liquid Oxygen part of the tank, the ramp is found to cause significant reduction of the unsteady aerodynamic load. However, on the liquid Hydrogen part of the tank, where the Oxygen feed-line is far larger in diameter than the height of the PAL ramp, little protection is found to be available to all but the Cable Tray.

Panda, J.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Estimation of the Unsteady Aerodynamic Load on Space Shuttle External Tank Protuberances from a Component Wind Tunnel Test

Panda, Jayatana↗

NASA NTRS2007

Optimized Heat Interception for Cryogen Tank Support Structure

We consider means for using the cooling available in boil-off gas to intercept heat conducted through the support structure of a cryogen tank. A one-dimensional model of the structure coupled to a gas stream gives an analytical expression for heat leak in terms of flow rate for temperature independent properties and laminar flow. A numerical model has been developed for heat transfer on a thin cylindrical tube with an attached vent line. The model is used to determine the vent path layout that will minimize heat flow into the cryogen tank. The results are useful for a number of applications, but the one of interest in this study is the minimization of the boil-off in large cryopropellant tanks in low Earth and low lunar orbit.

Canavan, E. R.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Optimized Heat Interception for Cryogen Tank Support

We consider means for using the cooling available in boil-off gas to intercept heat conducted through the support structure of a cryogen tank. A one-dimensional model of the structure coupled to a gas stream gives an analytical expression for heat leak in terms of flow rate for temperature independent-properties and laminar flow. A numerical model has been developed for heat transfer on a thin cylindrical tube with an attached vent line. The model is used to determine the vent path layout that will minimize heat flow into the cryogen tank. The results are useful for a number of applications, but the one of interest in this study is the minimization of the boil-off in large cryopropellant tanks in low Earth and low lunar orbit.

Canavan, Edgar R.↗

NASA NTRS1949

Investigation of the Effect of Tip Tanks on the Wing Loading of a Republic F-84 Airplane in the Ames 40- by 80-foot Wind Tunnel

Wind-tunnel tests at low Mach number of a Republic F-84C airplane were conducted to determine by pressure-distribution measurements the air loads on wing-tip tanks and the change in wing load distribution due to the presence of tip tanks. Measurements of the aeroelastic twist of the wing were also obtained. Results are presented in the form of loading coefficient, center-of- pressure location, pitching-moment coefficient, aerodynamic-center location, and aeroelastic twist. The investigation revealed that the redistributions in loading brought about by either the tip tanks or elastic deformation of the wing were relatively small when compared with the chnnges in loading normally associated with the deflection of an aileron.

Hunton, Lynn W.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Method for Detecting Perlite Compaction in Large Cryogenic Tanks

Perlite is the most typical insulating powder used to separate the inner and outer shells of cryogenic tanks. The inner tank holds the low-temperature commodity, while the outer shell is exposed to the ambient temperature. Perlite minimizes radiative energy transfer between the two tanks. Being a powder, perlite will settle over time, leading to the danger of transferring any loads from the inner shell to the outer shell. This can cause deformation of the outer shell, leading to damaged internal fittings. The method proposed is to place strain or displacement sensors on several locations of the outer shell. Loads induced on the shell by the expanding inner shell and perlite would be monitored, providing an indication of the location and degree of compaction.

Youngquist, Robert↗

NASA NTRS2010

Approximate Pressure Distribution in an Accelerating Launch-Vehicle Fuel Tank

A detailed derivation of the equations governing the pressure in a generic liquid-fuel launch vehicle tank subjected to uniformly accelerated motion is presented. The equations obtained are then for the Space Shuttle Superlightweight Liquid-Oxygen Tank at approximately 70 seconds into flight. This generic derivation is applicable to any fuel tank in the form of a surface of revolution and should be useful in the design of future launch vehicles

Nemeth, Michael P.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Seal Analysis for the Ares-I Upper Stage Fuel Tank Manhole Covers

Naflex seals have long history of use in launch vehicle components, including Saturn stages and Space Shuttle External Tank. Ares-I Upper Stage tank pressures are higher than ET pressures, requiring performance verification of heritage seal design in new manhole cover configurations. Heritage external tank analyses are reviewed for potential application to Upper Stage.

Phillips, Dawn R.↗

NASA NTRS2010

Measurement of Insulation Compaction in the Cryogenic Fuel Tanks at Kennedy Space Center by Fast/Thermal Neutron Techniques

The liquid hydrogen and oxygen cryogenic storage tanks at John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) use expanded perlite as thermal insulation. Th ere is evidence that some of the perlite has compacted over time, com promising the thermal performance and possibly also structural integr ity of the tanks. Therefore an Non-destructive Testing (NDT) method for measuring the perlite density or void fraction is urgently needed. Methods based on neutrons are good candidates because they can readil y penetrate through the 1.75 cm outer steel shell and through the ent ire 120 cm thickness of the perlite zone. Neutrons interact with the nuclei of materials to produce characteristic gamma rays which are the n detected. The gamma ray signal strength is proportional to the atom ic number density. Consequently, if the perlite is compacted then the count rates in the individual peaks in the gamma ray spectrum will i ncrease. Perlite is a feldspathic volcanic rock made up of the major elements Si, AI, Na, K and 0 along with some water. With commercially available portable neutron generators it is possible to produce simul taneously fluxes of neutrons in two energy ranges: fast (14 MeV) and thermal (25 meV). Fast neutrons produce gamma rays by inelastic scatt ering which is sensitive to Fe and O. Thermal neutrons produce gamma rays by radiative capture in prompt gamma neutron activation (PGNA) and this is sensitive to Si, AI, Na, Kand H. Thus the two energy ranges produce complementary information. The R&D program has three phases: numerical simulations of neutron and gamma ray transport with MCNP s oftware, evaluation of the system in the laboratory on test articles and finally mapping of the perlite density in the cryogenic tanks at KSC. The preliminary MCNP calculations have shown that the fast/therma l neutron NDT method is capable of distinguishing between expanded an d compacted perlite with excellent statistics.

Livingston, R. A.↗