Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Thermal experience”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 811 records · Page 45
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1996

STS-72 Space Shuttle Mission Report

The STS-72 Space Shuttle Program Mission Report summarizes the Payload activities as well as the Orbiter, External Tank (ET), Solid Rocket Booster (SRB), Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM), and the Space Shuttle main engine (SSME) systems performance during the seventy-fourth flight of the Space Shuttle Program, the forty-ninth flight since the return-to-flight, and the tenth flight of the Orbiter Endeavour (OV-105). In addition to the Orbiter, the flight vehicle consisted of an ET that was designated ET-75; three Block I SSME's that were designated as serial numbers 2028, 2039, and 2036 in positions 1, 2, and 3, respectively; and two SRB's that were designated BI-077. The RSRM's, designated RSRM-52, were installed in each SRB and the individual RSRM's were designated as 36OW052A for the left SRB, and 36OW052B for the right SRB. Appendix A lists the sources of data, both formal and informal, that were used to prepare this report. The primary objectives of this flight were to retrieve the Japanese Space Flyer Unit (JSFU) and deploy and retrieve the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology-Flyer (OAST-Flyer). Secondary objectives were to perform the operations of the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SSBUV/A) experiment, Shuttle Laser Altimeter (SLA)/get-Away Special (GAS) payload, Physiological and Anatomical Rodent Experiment/National Institutes of Health-Cells (STL/NIH-C) experiment, Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System (PCG-STES) experiment, Commercial Protein Crystal Growth (CPCG) payload and perform two extravehicular activities (EVA's) to demonstrate International Space Station Alpha (ISSA) assembly techniques). Appendix B provides the definition of acronyms and abbreviations used throughout the report. All times during the flight are given in Greenwich mean time (GMT) and mission elapsed time (MET).

Fricke, Robert W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Design and development of a leak tight helium II valve with low thermal impact

The Lambda Point Experiment is a precision measurement of the specific heat of liquid helium near the lambda point phase transition, in the low gravity of the space shuttle. It requires a valve for the helium sample chamber that operates at helium II temperature, has minimal thermal disturbance to the rest of the instrument, and is leak tight to helium II. A valve meeting these and all of the other science and engineering requirements of the mission has been developed by Ball. Initially, both torque and pressure actuated valve concepts were considered; the final flight design is pressure actuated. The rational for this decision as well as the rest of the valve design are given. The paper also discusses the manufacturing and testing of the prototype and flight valves. Test data is presented and discussed.

Mills, G. L.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Heavily Confined PBX 9501 Experiment Report FY2020

Most accidental insults to explosives are invariably thermal in nature—either direct thermal via application of heat or indirect thermal when mechanical energy is converted to heat. The key question is whether the initial thermal insult transitions into a violent explosive response. If the ultimate violence attained is moderate, nearby personnel may be harmed or killed, but Inadvertent Nuclear Detonation (IND) will not occur. However, if the explosive ultimately transitions from deflagration to detonation (DDT) then IND becomes a concern. PBX 9501 is not an insensitive high explosive (IHE). It has been conclusively demonstrated that mechanically and thermally damaged PBX 9501 can readily DDT in heavy confinement. However, it is currently unknown whether pristine explosive—i.e. thermally and mechanically undamaged— is capable of DDT. Three experiments were conducted in order to determine whether very heavily confined pristine PBX 9501 is capable of DDT. All experiments used identical 6-inch diameter spherical charges of PBX 9501 confined in a 350 lb. hardened steel vessel with >2.5-inch thick walls. The first, primary experiment tested pristine PBX 9501 and was thermally ignited at the center of using a laser over optical fiber. Two additional baseline experiments were performed for comparison: the second test was initiated at the center using a detonator; the third test was bulk heated until self-ignition (cookoff). Velocimetry data in combination with hydrocode simulations suggest that a classical detonation wave did not develop in the pristine, thermally ignited PBX 9501. Reaction violence was approximately equivalent—in terms of ultimate energy output—as a full detonation, but the acceleration of metal fragments occurred more slowly than in a detonation-driven scenario.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗
NASA NTRS1995

In-Flight Thermal Performance of the Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment

The Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment (LITE) was developed at NASA s Langley Research Center to explore the applications of lidar operated from an orbital platform. As a technology demonstration experiment, LITE was developed to gain experience designing and building future operational orbiting lidar systems. Since LITE was the first lidar system to be flown in space, an important objective was to validate instrument design principles in such areas as thermal control, laser performance, instrument alignment and control, and autonomous operations. Thermal and structural analysis models of the instrument were developed during the design process to predict the behavior of the instrument during its mission. In order to validate those mathematical models, extensive engineering data was recorded during all phases of LITE's mission. This inflight engineering data was compared with preflight predictions and, when required, adjustments to the thermal and structural models were made to more accurately match the instrument s actual behavior. The results of this process for the thermal analysis and design of LITE are presented in this paper.

Roettker, William↗
NASA NTRS1971

Active cleaning technique for removing contamination from optical surfaces in space

Plasma cleaning experiments were completed on hydrocarbon contaminant films, experiments were initiated to determine a satisfactory technique for depositing contaminant films, and an experiment was conducted to determine whether specimens are being thermally cleaned rather than plasma cleaned. Results of plasma cleaning experiments on hydrocarbon contaminant films showed that the optical properties of mirrors and gratings could be satisfactorily restored. Results on fused silica optical flats were inconclusive because of the insensitivity of measurement techniques to the contaminant films. White thermal control surfaces, degraded by the hydrocarbon contaminant film, could not be restored by oxygen plasma exposure. The reflectance of silvered FEP Teflon thermal control surfaces could be restored by plasma cleaning. Experiments with a silicone contaminant indicated that it could not be easily polymerized onto surfaces with ultraviolet radiation. Results of the thermal cleaning experiment showed that the polymerized hydrocarbon contaminant film could not be removed by heating in vacuum to a temperature in excess of that expected during plasma cleaning.

Gillette, R. B.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Thermal Pressure in the Laser‐Heated Diamond Anvil Cell: A Quantitative Study and Implications for the Density Versus Mineralogy Correlation of the Mantle

Abstract Thermal pressure is an inevitable thermodynamic consequence of heating a volumetrically constrained sample in the diamond anvil cell. Its possible influences on experimentally determined density‐mineralogy correlations are widely appreciated, yet the effect itself has never been experimentally measured. We present here the first quantitative measurements of the spatial distribution of thermal pressure in a laser‐heated diamond anvil cell (LHDAC) in both olivine and AgI. The observed thermal pressure is strongly localized and closely follows the distribution of the laser hotspot. The magnitude of the thermal pressure is of the order of the thermodynamic thermal pressure ( αK T Δ T ) with gradients between 0.5 and 1.0 GPa/10 μm. Remarkably, we measure a steep gradient in thermal pressure even in a sample that is heated close to its melting line. This generates consequences for pressure determinations in pressure‐volume‐temperature (PVT) equation of state measurements when using an LHDAC. We show that an incomplete account of thermal pressure in PVT experiments can lead to biases in the coveted depth versus mineralogy correlation. However, the ability to spatially resolve thermal pressure in an LHDAC opens avenues to measure difficult‐to‐constrain thermodynamic derivative properties, which are important for comprehensive thermodynamic descriptions of the interior of planets.

Yen, Connor Ethan↗
DOE OSTI2023

Analyses Supporting Heat Pipe Experiments

This internship report presents thermal analysis support aiding the development efforts of advanced reactor systems as a part of the Department of Energy Microreactor Program. The heat pipe microreactor (HPMR) is one such reactor concept where the heat from the reactor core is removed via passively operating heat pipes. Heat pipes have found numerous applications in many fields due to their simplicity, effectiveness, and reliability. The present work includes a review of heat pipe experiments and experimental techniques, ideation on experiments using the SPHERE test bed, identification of heat pipe phenomena of interest, and suggestions for future directions on heat pipe experiments. Hence, it directly supports the development of heat pipe microreactors (HPMRs).

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
NASA NTRS1981

Modification of spacecraft potentials by thermal electron emission on ATS-5

Electron emission experiments on Applied Technology Satellite 5 using a thermal electron emitter are reported and analyzed. Operations in eclipse charging environments showed that electron emission could partially discharge a negatively charged satellite. Typical operations resulted in kilovolt potentials being reduced to hundreds of volts for a few tens of seconds, followed by a gradual recharging over a period of minutes. Equilibrium currents were modeled with a one-dimensional current balance model. Currents on the order of 1 microampere were found, significantly below emitter capabilities. Application of a three-dimensional, time-dependent computer model showed that differential charging on the solar arrays was limiting the emitted current, preventing the complete discharge of the satellite, and allowing it to recharge in spite of the electron emitter.

Olsen, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS2000

How X-37 Technology Demonstration Supports Reusable Launch Vehicles

This presentation discusses, in viewgraph form, how X-37 Technology Demonstration Supports Reusable Launch Vehicles. The topics include: 1) X-37 Program Objectives; 2) X-37 Description; 3) X-37 Vehicle Characteristics; 4) X-37 Expands the Testbed Envelope to Orbital Capability; 5) Overview of X-37 Flight Test Program; 6) Thirty-Nine Technologies and Experiments are Being Demonstrated on the X-37; 7) X-37 Airframe/Structures Technologies; 8) X-37 Mechanical, Propulsion, and Thermal System Technologies and Experiments; 9) X-37 GN&C Technologies; 10) X-37 Avionics, Power, and Software Technologies and Experiments; and 11) X-37 Technologies and Experiments Support Reusable Launch Vehicle Needs.

Manley, David J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

The 1994 TIMS airborne calibration experiment: Castaic Lake, California

This summary describes the 9 March 1994 Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) airborne calibration experiment conducted at Castaic Lake, California. This experiment was a collaborative effort between the TIMS and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) science teams at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). TIMS was flown on the NASA/Ames Research Center C130 with the new retractable air fence installed in the TIMS instrument bay. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the fence would reduce the air turbulence in the TIMS instrument bay, thereby reducing the errors in calibration caused by wind-blast cooling of the blackbody reference sources internal to TIMS. Previous experiments have indicated that the wind blast effect could cause TIMS to over-estimate surface temperatures by more than 10 C. We have examined the TIMS data from twelve lines flown over Castaic Lake. Four of the lines were flown at an altitude of approximately 2.5 km (MSL), four at an altitude of approximately 6.7 km, and four at approximately 8.3 km. At each altitude there were flights with northern and southern headings, with the aircraft level and at a positive pitch (nose-up attitude). The suite of twelve flights was designed to subject the TIMS/air fence system to different wind conditions and air temperatures. The TIMS flights were supported by a ground-truth team, who measured lake surface temperatures from a boat, and an atmosphere characterization team, who launched an airsonde and measured solar irradiance with a Reagan Sun Photometer. The Reagan measurements were used to construct a time-series of estimates of the total abundance of water vapor in the atmospheric column. These estimates were used to constrain modifications of the airsonde water vapor profile measurements made when processing the TIMS data with a customized version of the MODTRAN radiative transfer code.

Realmuto, Vincent J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Progress on NASA Johnson Space Center Suborbital Experiments

The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), Crew and Thermal Systems Division (CTSD), continues to develop experiments for suborbital testing, including the Multi-Phase Flow Experiment for Suborbital Testing (MFEST) and the Suborbital Flight Experiment Monitor (SFEM-2). Both of these experiments are manifested for suborbital flights expected in CY 2017-18. This poster will provide an overview of these experiments, which are both ready to proceed to suborbital flight testing.

Hurlbert, Kathryn Miller↗
DOE OSTI2020

Modeling of thermal pressurization in tight claystone using sequential THM coupling: Benchmarking and validation against in-situ heating experiments in COx claystone

We apply thermoporoelasticity and a sequentially coupling technique for modeling thermally-driven coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical (THM) processes in tight claystone. A THM benchmark case with a corresponding analytic solution for thermoporoelasticity under a constant heat loading verifies the model. Thereafter, two in situ heating experiments are simulated for model validation: a smaller-scale heating experiment (TED experiment) and a larger-scale experiment (ALC experiment) in Callovo-Oxfordian (COx) claystone at the Meuse/Haute-Marne underground research laboratory in France. The model exhibits good performance to match the observed temperature and pore pressure evolution for the smaller-scale TED experiment. For the larger-scale ALC experiment, general trends of thermal-pressurization are captured in the modeling, but pressure is underestimated at some monitoring points during cool-down. This indicates that the THM response in the field may be affected by the variability of rock's properties or irreversible or time-dependent mechanical processes that are not included in the current thermoporoelastic model. The main contributions of this work are as follows: (1) we verify and validate the numerical simulator, TOUGH-FLAC, to be a valuable coupled THM modeling tool; (2) prove that the laboratory determined material parameters can be used as reference values for upscaling experiments. However, to better identify and quantify THM processes with modeling of in situ tests, more emphasize should be dedicated to obtaining high-quality mechanical deformation data.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1994

Design of a High Thermal Gradient Bridgman Furnace

The Advanced Automated Directional Solidification Furnace (AADSF) is a Bridgman-Stockbarger microgravity processing facility, designed and manifested to first fly aboard the second United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-2) Space Shuttle mission. The AADSF was principally designed to produce high axial thermal gradients, and is particularly suitable for metals solidification experiments, including non-dilute alloys. To accommodate a wider range of experimental conditions, the AADSF is equipped with a reconfigurable gradient zone. The overall design of the AADSF and the relationship between gradient zone design and furnace performance are described. Parametric thermal analysis was performed and used to select gradient zone design features that fulfill the high thermal gradient requirements of the USMP-2 experiment. The thermal model and analytical procedure, and parametric results leading to the first flight gradient zone configuration, are presented. Performance for the USMP-2 flight experiment is also predicted, and analysis results are compared to test data.

LeCroy, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Thermal and orbital analysis of Earth monitoring Sun-synchronous space experiments

The fundamentals of an Earth monitoring Sun-synchronous orbit are presented. A Sun-synchronous Orbit Analysis Program (SOAP) was developed to calculate orbital parameters for an entire year. The output from this program provides the required input data for the TRASYS thermal radiation computer code, which in turn computes the infrared, solar and Earth albedo heat fluxes incident on a space experiment. Direct incident heat fluxes can be used as input to a generalized thermal analyzer program to size radiators and predict instrument operating temperatures. The SOAP computer code and its application to the thermal analysis methodology presented, should prove useful to the thermal engineer during the design phases of Earth monitoring Sun-synchronous space experiments.

Killough, Brian D.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Understanding Electric Vehicle Range and Charging Needs: Interactions Between Ambient Temperature, Commute Patterns, and State-of-Charge Usage

Electric vehicle (EV) performance can vary substantially under real-world operating conditions, particularly due to ambient temperature effects on energy consumption, battery behavior, and thermal management requirements. This study quantifies how weather conditions, daily driving patterns, and State-of-Charge (SOC) usage strategies jointly influence EV driving range, charging frequency, and overall energy efficiency. A detailed and experimentally validated Autonomie vehicle model is developed, integrating a powertrain, a mono-zonal cabin model, and a battery electro-thermal model. Three battery sizes (200-, 300-, and 400-mile homologated ranges) are assessed across five commute profiles (20–200 miles) and six ambient temperatures (−18 °C to 50 °C), including scenarios with and without preconditioning. Results show that extreme temperatures could significantly decrease the maximum achievable range by up to 55% in cold conditions (−18 °C) and 40% in hot conditions (50 °C), relative to moderate conditions. Larger battery packs retain a greater fraction of their nominal range under thermal stress, while smaller packs experience sharper relative penalties due to the higher contribution of thermal loads to total energy demand. The analysis further demonstrates that limiting operation to partial SOC windows (e.g., 80–20%), a common real-world practice, significantly reduces achievable range and increases charging frequency, particularly in cold weather. Thermal preconditioning while plugged in is shown to mitigate these effects for short trips, reducing energy consumption by up to 31% in hot conditions and 7% in cold conditions. The findings demonstrate how climate, SOC usage behavior, and thermal management jointly shape the practical driving capability of EVs, highlighting the importance of efficient thermal management and realistic user charging strategies for ensuring reliable EV operation across diverse climatic scenarios.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1981

Coalignment of spacecraft experiments

On February 14, 1980, the solar maximum mission (SMM) satellite was launched into orbit with experiments to monitor solar activity. In order to obtain common object observations, experiments must be coaligned within 90 arc-seconds of the spacecraft pointing vector. Hardware designed to minimize structural and thermal distortions of the experiment support plate is described. Coalignment was provided through control of interface which combined flexible blades to limit load transfer and spherical seats for alignment reference.

Federline, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

In-reach and out-reach programs

Information is given in viewgraph form on in-reach and out-reach programs in in-space technology experiments. Information is given on thermal energy storage materials technology, industry/university in-space technology experiments, heat pipe performance, working fluid behavior, a tank pressure control experiment, spacecraft glow, the Mid-Deck Zero-Gravity Dynamics Experiment, and emulsion chamber technology.

Pyle, Jon S.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Experimental Structural Dynamic Response of Plate Specimens Due to Sonic Loads in a Progressive Wave Tube

The objective of the current study was to assess the repeatability of experiments at NASA Langley's Thermal Acoustic Fatigue Apparatus (TAFA) facility and to use these experiments to validate numerical models. Experiments show that power spectral density (PSD) curves were repeatable except at the resonant frequencies, which tended to vary between 5 Hz to 15 Hz. Results show that the thinner specimen had more variability in the resonant frequency location than the thicker sample, especially for modes higher than the first mode in the frequency range. Root Mean Square (RMS) tended to be more repeatable. The RMS behaved linearly through the SPL range of 135 to 153 dB. Standard Deviations (STDs) of the results tended to be relatively low constant up to about 147 dB. The RMS results were more repeatable than the PDS results. The STD results were less than 10% of the RMS results for both the 0.125 in (0.318 cm) and 0.062 in (0.1588 cm) thick plate. The STD of the PSD results were around 20% to 100% of the mean PSD results for non-resonant and resonant frequencies, respectively, for the 0.125 in (0.318 cm) thicker plate and between 25% to 125% of the mean PSD results, for nonresonant and resonant frequencies, respectively, for the thinner plate.

Betts, Juan F.↗