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At least 757 records · Page 42

UNIFI Specifications for GFM IBRs (V3) and Transitioning to an IEEE Standard [Slides]

This presentation describes version 3 of the grid-forming (GFM) specifications for inverter-based resources developed by the UNIFI (Uniform Interoperability for Grid-Forming Inverters) Consortium. It summarizes the requirements for GFM inverters, the four categories of GFM capability, and the tests designed to assess GFM capability. The tests including time-domain tests similar to those in use by some industry entities and frequency-domain tests that are largely new. This presentation also describes ongoing efforts to use the UNIFI GFM specifications as the starting point for a new IEEE standard called IEEE P2800.1.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Impact resistance of spar-shell composite fan blades

Composite spar-shell fan blades for a 1.83 meter (6 feet) diameter fan stage were fabricated and tested in a whirling arm facility to evaluate foreign object damage (FOD) resistance. The blades were made by adhesively bonding boron-epoxy shells on titanium spars and then adhesively bonding an Inconel 625 sheath on the leading edge. The rotating blades were individually tested at a tip speed of 800 feet per second. Impacting media used were gravel, rivets, bolt, nut, ice balls, simulated birds, and a real bird. Incidence angles were typical of those which might be experienced by STOL aircraft. The tests showed that blades of the design tested in this program have satisfactory impact resistance to small objects such as gravel, rivets, nuts, bolts, and two inch diameter ice balls. The blades suffered nominal damage when impacted with one-pound birds (9 to 10 ounce slice size). However, the shell was removed from the spar for a larger slice size.

Graff, J.↗

Design and flight test of the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft (PCA) flight control system on the NASA F-15 test aircraft

This report describes the design, development and flight testing of the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft (PCA) flight control system performed at McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA), St. Louis, Missouri and at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards Air Force Base, California. This research and development program was conducted by MDA and directed by NASA through the Dryden Flight Research Facility for the period beginning January 1991 and ending December 1993. A propulsion steering backup to the aircraft conventional flight control system has been developed and flight demonstrated on a NASA F-15 test aircraft. The Propulsion Controlled Aircraft (PCA) flight system utilizes collective and differential thrust changes to steer an aircraft that experiences partial or complete failure of the hydraulically actuated control surfaces. The PCA flight control research has shown that propulsion steering is a viable backup flight control mode and can assist the pilot in safe landing recovery of a fighter aircraft that has damage to or loss of the flight control surfaces. NASA, USAF and Navy evaluation test pilots stated that the F-15 PCA design provided the control necessary to land the aircraft. Moreover, the feasibility study showed that PCA technology can be directly applied to transport aircraft and provide a major improvement in the survivability of passengers and crew of controls damaged aircraft.

Wells, Edward A.↗

Multi-kw dc power distribution system study program

The first phase of the Multi-kw dc Power Distribution Technology Program is reported and involves the test and evaluation of a technology breadboard in a specifically designed test facility according to design concepts developed in a previous study on space vehicle electrical power processing, distribution, and control. The static and dynamic performance, fault isolation, reliability, electromagnetic interference characterisitics, and operability factors of high distribution systems were studied in order to gain a technology base for the use of high voltage dc systems in future aerospace vehicles. Detailed technical descriptions are presented and include data for the following: (1) dynamic interactions due to operation of solid state and electromechanical switchgear; (2) multiplexed and computer controlled supervision and checkout methods; (3) pulse width modulator design; and (4) cable design factors.

Berkery, E. A.↗

A Description of the "Crow's Foot" Tunnel Concept

NASA Langley Research Center has actively pursued the development and the use of pictorial or three-dimensional perspective displays of tunnel-, pathway- or highway-in-the-sky concepts for presenting flight path information to pilots in all aircraft categories (e.g., transports, General Aviation, rotorcraft) since the late 1970s. Prominent among these efforts has been the development of the crow s foot tunnel concept. The crow's foot tunnel concept emerged as the consensus pathway concept from a series of interactive workshops that brought together government and industry display designers, test pilots, and airline pilots to iteratively design, debate, and fly various pathway concepts. Over years of use in many simulation and flight test activities at NASA and elsewhere, modifications have refined and adapted the tunnel concept for different applications and aircraft categories (i.e., conventional transports, High Speed Civil Transport, General Aviation). A description of those refinements follows the definition of the original tunnel concept.

Parrish, Russell V.↗

Design and subscale tests of a diffuser system for a Mach 4 scramjet test facility

A fixed-geometry diffuser system was designed for use in Mach 4 free-jet tests of a hydrogen-burning modular scramjet engine. The scramjet engine has a rectangular cross section that blocks up to 33 percent of the existing tunnel nozzle exit area and swept leading edges of the scramjet produce an asymmetric downward flow that sharply increases when the scramjet inlet unstarts. Effects of these conditions on the operation of the diffuser system are not accurately predictable. An experimental investigation has therefore been conducted in unheated air using a subscale model of the tunnel-scramjet-diffuser system to substantiate the design. Test results showed that the preliminary design had to be modified to obtain an acceptable configuration of the nozzle exit, test cabin, and diffuser that would provide shock-free flow at the scramjet inlet for simulated Mach 4 flight at altitudes from 16,764 to 20,422 meters.

Andrews, E. H., Jr.↗

Droplet Entrainment in Steam Supply System of Water-Cooled Small Modular Reactors: Experiment and Modeling Approaches

Droplet entrainment in steam-flow is a prominent phenomenon that needs adequate safety and risk analysis of postulated transient and accident scenarios—including experimental investigation and representative modeling and simulation (M&S)—for small modular reactor (SMR) system design and demonstration. This study identifies knowledge gaps by evaluating experimental and computational fluid dynamics modeling approaches to support early-stage reactor system design, testing, and model evaluation. Previous studies reported in the literature for steam-flow entrainment primarily focused on gigawatt capacity pressurized water reactor (PWR) systems. However, entrainment phenomena are even more prominent for PWR-type SMRs due to their more compact integrated designs, which need further research and development. To fill the research gaps, this study provides insight by specifying the phenomena of interest by leveraging the lessons learned from past research, adopting advanced M&S techniques and advanced instrumentation and control. The findings and recommendations are applicable for evaluating steam-flow entrainment models and for designing integral effect test and separate effect test facilities for gaining reactor design approvals.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

The development of a test methodology for the evaluation of EVA gloves

This paper describes the development of a standardized set of tests designed to assess EVA-gloved hand capabilities in six measurement domains: range of motion, strength, tactile perception, dexterity, fatigue, and comfort. Based upon an assessment of general human-hand functioning and EVA task requirements, several tests within each measurement domain were developed to provide a comprehensive evaluation. All tests were designed to be conducted in a glove box with the bare hand as a baseline and the EVA glove at operating pressure.

O'Hara, John M.↗

The Danish SAR system - Design and initial tests

In January 1986, the design of a high-resolution airborne C-band SAR started at the Electromagnetics Institute of the Technical University of Denmark. The initial system test flights took place in November and December 1989. The authors describe the design of the system, its implementation, and its performance. They show how digital technology has been utilized to realize a very flexible radar with variable resolution, swath-width, and imaging geometry. The motion-compensation algorithms implemented to obtain the high resolution and the special features built into the system to ensure proper internal calibration are outlined. The data processing system, developed for image generation and quality assurance, is sketched, with special emphasis on the flexibility of the system. Sample images and a preliminary performance evaluation are presented, demonstrating that the design goals have been met. The ongoing system upgrades and the planned scientific utilization of the C-band SAR are described.

Madsen, Soren N.↗

Analysis of Data in Accordance with Space Flight Mission Environmental Requirements

The Environmental Assurance Program sets forth standards to ensure that all flight hardware is compatible with the environments that will be encountered during a spacecraft mission. It outlines the design, test and analysis, and risk control standards for the mission and certifies that it will survive in any external or self-induced environments that the spacecraft may experience. The Environmental Requirements Document (ERD) is the most important document in the Environmental Assurance Program, providing the design and test requirements for the project's flight system, subsystems, assemblies, and instruments. This summer's project was to assist Environmental Requirements Engineers (ERE's) in completing the Environmental Assurance Program Summary Report for both the Juno Project and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Project. The Summary Report is a document summarizing the environmental tests and analyses of each spacecraft at both the assembly and system level. It compiles a source of all relevant information such as waivers and Problem/Failure Reports (PFRs) into a single report for easy reference of how well the spacecraft met the requirements of the project.

Jupiter properties↗

Development of A Non-Explosive Release Device for Aerospace Applications

A simple, non-explosive, high load-capacity release mechanism using shape memory alloy is currently being developed for space flight. This device, the Frangibolt, could replace most pyrotechnic devices in applications where the need for safety, reliability, non-destructive testing, and minimal mechanical shock is more crucial than the need for rapid actuation. Prototype hardware has been designed, tested, and proven in laboratory conditions. Operation and demonstration of these devices evidenced reliable and repeatable performance, clearly indicating that extensive testing for flight qualification is warranted. Here, the Frangibolt design is discussed, recent test results of laboratory units are described, and the work that must be performed in the upcoming months to qualify the device for aerospace applications is addressed.

John D Busch↗

Methodology for designing accelerated aging tests for predicting life of photovoltaic arrays

A methodology for designing aging tests in which life prediction was paramount was developed. The methodology builds upon experience with regard to aging behavior in those material classes which are expected to be utilized as encapsulant elements, viz., glasses and polymers, and upon experience with the design of aging tests. The experiences were reviewed, and results are discussed in detail.

Gaines, G. B.↗

Predictive Modeling of NOx Emissions from Lean Direct Injection of Hydrogen and Hydrogen/Natural Gas Blends Using Flame Imaging and Machine Learning

This research paper explores the use of machine learning to relate images of flame structure and luminosity to measured NOx emissions. Images of reactions produced by 16 aero-engine derived injectors for a ground-based turbine operated on a range of fuel compositions, air pressure drops, preheat temperatures and adiabatic flame temperatures were captured and postprocessed. The experimental investigations were conducted under atmospheric conditions, capturing CO, NO and NOx emissions data and OH* chemiluminescence images from 27 test conditions. The injector geometry and test conditions were based on a statistically designed test plan. These results were first analyzed using the traditional analysis approach of analysis of variance (ANOVA). The statistically based test plan yielded 432 data points, leading to a correlation for NOx emissions as a function of injector geometry, test conditions and imaging responses, with 70.2% accuracy. As an alternative approach to predicting emissions using imaging diagnostics as well as injector geometry and test conditions, a random forest machine learning algorithm was also applied to the data and was able to achieve an accuracy of 82.6%. This study offers insights into the factors influencing emissions in ground-based turbines while emphasizing the potential of machine learning algorithms in constructing predictive models for complex systems.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Survey and Experimental Testing of Nongravimetric Mass Measurement Devices

Documentation presented describes the design, testing, and evaluation of an accelerated gravimetric balance, a low mass air bearing oscillator of the spring-mass type, and a centrifugal device for liquid mass measurement. A direct mass readout method was developed to replace the oscillation period readout method which required manual calculations to determine mass. A protoype 25 gram capacity micro mass measurement device was developed and tested.

Oakey, W. E.↗

Environmental testing of flat plate solar cell modules

Commercially available flat-plate solar cell modules have been subjected to a variety of environmental tests designed to simulate service conditions. Among the tests are those simulating heat and rain, wind-driven rains, humidity and freezing, humidity and heat, humidity with a voltage bias, salt fog, hail impact, and fungus infestation. Tests for optical surface soiling and the combined effects of temperature, humidity and UV irradiation are under development. A correlation has been demonstrated between degradation caused by the qualification tests and such observed field effects as power loss.

Griffith, J.↗