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At least 883 records · Page 49

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NASA NTRS1976

Deployable radiators for waste heat dissipation from Shuttle payloads

Thermal control of Shuttle instruments will require the use of a pumped fluid space radiator system to reject large quantities of waste heat. Many payloads, however, will have insufficient vehicle surface area available for radiators to reject this waste heat and will, therefore, require the use of deployed panels. It is desirable to utilize modularized, deployable radiator systems which have a high degree of configuration and component commonality to minimize the design, development, and fabrication costs. Prototypes of two radiator systems which meet these criteria are currently under development for Shuttle payload utilization: a 'rigid' radiator system which utilizes aluminum honeycomb panels of the Shuttle Orbiter configuration that are deployed by an Apollo Telescope Mount type scissors mechanism; and two 'flexible' radiator systems which use panels constructed from flexible metal/dielectric composite materials that are deployed by 'unrolling' or 'extending' in orbit. Detailed descriptions of these deployable radiator systems, along with design and performance features, are presented.

Cox, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Optical Line Radiation from Uranium Plasmas

The radiative energy current due to line radiation is calculated in a U 235 plasma over a temperature range of 5000 K to 8000 K. Also a variation in the neutron flux of 2 x 10 to the 12th power neutrons/ (sq cm-sec) to 2 x 10 to the 16th power neutrons/(sq cm-sec) is considered. The plasma forms a cylinder with a diameter and height of one meter. To calculate the radiative-energy current, a rate equation formalism is developed to solve for the atomic state densities along with a model for the energy levels in neutral and singly ionized uranium. Because the electron states in uranium lie below 5eV, recombination is the principle excitation mechanism. At and above 6000 K, inversions were found, and at all temperatures the line radiation at line center was greater than the corresponding black-body radiation. There are negligible differences in the radiative-energy current at 6000 K for variations in the neutron flux. The average opacity, which varied from 100 to 100,000 gm/sq cm, over the frequency range of line radiation is calculated.

Maceda, E. L.↗

NASA NTRS1978

RF radiation from lightning

Radiation from lightning in the RF band from 3-300 MHz were monitored. Radiation in this frequency range is of interest as a potential vehicle for monitoring severe storms and for studying the lightning itself. Simultaneous measurements were made of RF radiation and fast and slow field changes. Continuous analogue recordings with a system having 300 kHz of bandwidth were made together with digital records of selected events (principally return strokes) at greater temporal resolution. The data reveal patterns in the RF radiation for the entire flash which are characteristic of flash type and independent of the frequency of observation. Individual events within the flash also have characteristic RF patterns. Strong radiation occurs during the first return strokes, but delayed about 20 micron sec with respect to the begining of the return stroke; whereas, RF radiation from subsequent return strokes tends to be associated with cloud processes preceding the flash with comparatively little radiation occurring during the return stroke itself.

Levine, D. M.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Recent progress in the development of transition radiation detectors

Transition-radiation detectors have been used in several recent cosmic-ray experiments for particle identification at energies E/mc-squared of at least about 1000. In order to optimize the design of such detectors and to use them for energy measurements over a broad energy range, it is necessary to study the details of the transition-radiation process. Experimental results are presented which test the theoretical predictions more precisely and at higher energies than in previous experiments. The dependence of the interference pattern in the frequency spectrum on the radiator dimensions is studied, and the total transition-radiation yield generated by electrons in various radiators is measured over a very wide energy range, from 5 to 300 GeV. The significance of the individual experimental parameters in the design of transition radiation detectors is reviewed, and the characteristics of transition-radiation detectors capable of measuring particle energies over the range E/mc-squared from about 300 to 100,000 are discussed.

Cherry, M. L.↗

NASA NTRS1979

A general and computationally fast formulation for radiative transfer with scattering

A general formulation of monocromatic radiative transfer with scattering has been developed for plane-parallel geometry. The inhomogeneous and nonisothermal medium absorbs, emits, and anisotropically scatters radiation. Surfaces can emit and scatter radiation in any specified manner. The solution procedure uses the fact that phase incoherent scattering is linear in radiative sources. Certain basic scattering functions are then defined and calculated by an adding computer code using matrix algebra. These scattering functions are weighted by the temperature field and summed (superimposed) to obtain the solution for any specific problem. Numerical results for exiting intensities and one-sided heat fluxes from general media bound by one arbitrary surface are presented. These parametric studies demonstrate the effects of scattering particles and surfaces on radiative transfer from inhomogeneous and nonisothermal media. Application of the formulation to radiative equilibrium is also discussed. The conclusion is that all problems in plane-parallel radiative transfer with scattering can be solved by a common and computationally fast algorithm based on this formulation.

Cogley, A. C.↗

NASA NTRS1979

NEP heat pipe radiators

This paper covers improvements of heat pipe radiators for the thermionic NEP design. Liquid metal heat pipes are suitable as spacecraft radiator elements because of high thermal conductance, low mass and reliability, but the NEP thermionic system design was too large and difficult to fabricate. The current integral collector-radiator design consisting of several layers of thermionic converters, the annular-tangential collector heat pipe, the radiator heat pipe, and the transition zone designed to minimize the temperature difference between the collector heat pipe and radiator heat pipe are described. Finally, the design of micrometeoroid armor protection and the fabrication of the stainless steel annular heat pipe with a tangential arm are discussed, and it is concluded that the heat rejection system for the thermionic NEP system is well advanced, but the collector-radiator heat pipe transition and the 8 to 10 m radiator heat pipe with two bends require evaluation.

Ernst, D. M.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Liquid droplet radiators for heat rejection in space

A radiator for heat rejection in space is described which utilizes a stream of liquid droplets to radiate waste heat. The large surface area per mass makes the liquid droplet radiator at least an order of magnitude lighter than tube and fin radiators. Generation and collection of the droplets, as well as heat transfer to the liquid, can be achieved with modest extensions of conventional technology. Low vapor pressure liquids are available which cover a radiating temperature range 250-1000 K with negligible evaporation losses. The droplet radiator may be employed for a wide range of heat rejection applications in space. Three applications - heat rejection for a high temperature Rankine cycle, cooling of photovoltaic cells, and low temperature heat rejection for refrigeration in space illustrate the versatility of the radiator.

Mattick, A. T.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Coaxial radiative and convective heat transfer in gray and nongray gases

Coupled radiative and convective heat transfer is investigated for an absorbing gas flowing in a finite length channel and heated by blackbody radiation directed along the flow axis. The problem is formulated in one dimension and numerical solutions are obtained for the temperature profile of the gas and for the radiation escaping the channel entrance, assuming both gray and nongray absorption spectra. Due to radiation trapping, the flowing gas is found to have substantially smaller radiation losses for a given peak gas temperature than a solid surface that is radiatively heated to this temperature. A greenhouse effect is also evident whereby radiation losses are minimized for a gas having stronger absorption at long wavelengths.

Mattick, A. T.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Influence of nonequilibrium radiation and shape change on aerothermal environment of a Jovian entry body

The influence of nonequilibrium radiative energy transfer and the effect of probe configuration changes on the flow phenomena around a Jovian entry body are investigated. The radiating shock layer flow is assumed to be axisymmetric, viscous, laminar and in chemical equilibrium. The radiative transfer equations are derived under nonequilibrium conditions which include multilevel energy transitions. The equilibrium radiative transfer analysis is performed with an existing nongray radiation model which accounts for molecular band, atomic line, and continuum transitions. The nonequilibrium results are obtained with and without ablation injection in the shock layer. The nonequilibrium results are found to be greatly influenced by the temperature distribution in the shock layer. In the absence of ablative products, the convective and radiative heating to the entry body are reduced under nonequilibrium conditions. The influence of nonequilibrium is found to be greater at higher entry altitudes. With coupled ablation and carbon phenolic injection, 16 chemical species are used in the ablation layer for radiation absorption. Equilibrium and nonequilibrium results are compared under peak heating conditions.

Tiwari, S. N.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Effects of the specular Orbiter forward radiators on a typical Spacelab payload thermal environment

Orbiter radiators, having a specular reflection, must be considered when determining the design environment for payloads which can view the forward deployed radiators. Unlike most surfaces on the Orbiter, which reflect energy diffusely, the radiators are covered with a highly specular silverized Teflon material, with high emissivity, and have a concave contour, producing a local concentration of reflected energy towards the region of angle incidence. The combined effects of radiator specularity and geometry were analyzed using the Thermal Radiation Analysis System (TRASYS II), a specialized ray trace program, and a generalized Monte-Carlo-based thermal radiation program. Data given for a 0 deg payload inclination angle at orbital noon at 3.454 m indicate that the maximum total flux and average flux can increase 173% and 63%, respectively, when compared to diffuse radiators.

Turner, L. D.↗

NASA NTRS1981

The liquid droplet radiator - An ultralightweight heat rejection system for efficient energy conversion in space

A heat rejection system for space is described which uses a recirculating free stream of liquid droplets in place of a solid surface to radiate waste heat. By using sufficiently small droplets (less than about 100 micron diameter) of low vapor pressure liquids (tin, tin-lead-bismuth eutectics, vacuum oils) the radiating droplet sheet can be made many times lighter than the lightest solid surface radiators (heat pipes). The liquid droplet radiator (LDR) is less vulnerable to damage by micrometeoroids than solid surface radiators, and may be transported into space far more efficiently. Analyses are presented of LDR applications in thermal and photovoltaic energy conversion which indicate that fluid handling components (droplet generator, droplet collector, heat exchanger, and pump) may comprise most of the radiator system mass. Even the unoptimized models employed yield LDR system masses less than heat pipe radiator system masses, and significant improvement is expected using design approaches that incorporate fluid handling components more efficiently. Technical problems (e.g., spacecraft contamination and electrostatic deflection of droplets) unique to this method of heat rejection are discussed and solutions are suggested.

Mattick, A. T.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Advanced passive radiator for spaceborne cryogenic cooling

A novel design to improve the cooling capability of spaceborne cryogenic passive radiators is described. The design is based on the use of lightweight angled radiation shields, low-conductance structural supports, and a separate detachable launch-support system to reduce the parasitic heat leaks from the warm spacecraft to the cold radiator. The effectiveness of this design is demonstrated by thermal-vacuum-chamber experiments which indicate that the angled-radiation-shield assembly has an effective emittance that is an order of magnitude lower than that of the best multilayer insulation used in flight. Performance predictions based on the experiments and analytical model indicate that an advanced passive-radiator design based on this technology would be between 10 and 57% of the size and 10 and 36% of the mass of the best state-of-the-art passive radiators and would make lower temperatures (< 60 K) and larger heat loads practical. The cooling requirements of many new spaceborne instruments could be accommodated by application of this new passive-radiator design.

Steven Bard↗

NASA NTRS1984

The Liquid Droplet Radiator - an Ultralightweight Heat Rejection System for Efficient Energy Conversion in Space

A heat rejection system for space is described which uses a recirculating free stream of liquid droplets in place of a solid surface to radiate waste heat. By using sufficiently small droplets ( 100 micron diameter) of low vapor pressure liquids the radiating droplet sheet can be made many times lighter than the lightest solid surface radiators (heat pipes). The liquid droplet radiator (LDR) is less vulnerable to damage by micrometeoroids than solid surface radiators, and may be transported into space far more efficiently. Analyses are presented of LDR applications in thermal and photovoltaic energy conversion which indicate that fluid handling components (droplet generator, droplet collector, heat exchanger, and pump) may comprise most of the radiator system mass. Even the unoptimized models employed yield LDR system masses less than heat pipe radiator system masses, and significant improvement is expected using design approaches that incorporate fluid handling components more efficiently. Technical problems (e.g., spacecraft contamination and electrostatic deflection of droplets) unique to this method of heat rejectioon are discussed and solutions are suggested.

A T Mattick↗

NASA NTRS1985

Surface radiation in the tropical Pacific

Monthly surface radiative fluxes have been calculated for the tropical Pacific between January 1970 and February 1978, using a radiative transfer parameterization. The radiative transfer parameterization included detailed treatments of the molecular and droplet absorptions, and surface and cloud reflections. The input data used in the calculations were obtained from the National Climatic Center (NCC), the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and from the University of Hawaii. The results show that the distribution of surface radiation closely follows the distribution of cloudiness, and, to a lesser degree, humidity. The rms net error in the surface radiation estimates was about 15 W per sq m, with the largest contribution from uncertainties in the cloud cover and humidity data. The sensitivity of surface radiation parameterizations to input data errors is discussed, and some accuracy requirements for satellite retrievals of atmospheric and cloud parameters are proposed. The calculations are presented in the annually-averaged maps of surface radiation variations.

Chou, M.-D.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Rotary radiators for reduced space powerplant temperatures

If new radiator concepts can achieve radiator weights below 3 kg/sq m, nuclear space powerplants can operate at temperatures below 900 K and use stainless steel construction. Tube-and-fin or heat-pipe radiators weigh at least 5 kg/sq m because the tube walls must be thick enough to prevent or limit meteoroid punctures. However, radiators that require no meteoroid protection can be built using low-vapor-pressure liquids that can be exposed directly to space. One possible design for such a radiator is the 'rotary radiator' that uses centrifugal force to move the liquid across a thin radiating disk and uses surface tension to retain the liquid despite meteoroid punctures.

Elliott, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Development of algorithms for understanding the temporal and spatial variability of the earth's radiation balance

A brief description is given of how temporal and spatial variability in the earth's radiative behavior influences the goals of satellite radiation monitoring systems and how some previous systems have addressed the existing problems. Then, results of some simulations of radiation budget monitoring missions are presented. These studies led to the design of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE). A description is given of the temporal and spatial averaging algorithms developed for the ERBE data analysis. These algorithms are intended primarily to produce monthly averages of the net radiant exitance on regional, zonal, and global scales and to provide insight into the regional diurnal variability of radiative parameters such as albedo and long-wave radiant exitance. The algorithms are applied to scanner and nonscanner data for up to three satellites. Modeling of dialy shortwave albedo and radiant exitance with satellite samling that is insufficient to fully account for changing meteorology is discussed in detail. Studies performed during the ERBE mission and software design are reviewed. These studies provide quantitative estimates of the effects of temporally sparse and biased sampling on inferred diurnal and regional radiative parameters. Other topics covered include long-wave diurnal modeling, extraction of a regional monthly net clear-sky radiation budget, the statistical significance of observed diurnal variability, quality control of the analysis, and proposals for validating the results of ERBE time and space averaging.

Brooks, D. R.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Radiation and temperature effects in gallium arsenide, indium phosphide and silicon solar cells

The effects of radiation on performance are determined for both n(+)p and p(+)n GaAs and InP cells and for silicon n(+)p cells. It is found that the radiation resistance of InP is greater than that of both GaAs and Si under 1 MeV electron irradiation. For silicon, the observed decreased radiation resistance with decreased resistivity is attributed to the presence of a radiation induced boron-oxygen defect. Comparison of radiation damage in both p(+)n and n(+)p GaAs cells yields a decreased radiation resistance for the n(+)p cell attributable to increased series resistance, decreased shunt resistance, and relatively greater losses in the cell's p-region. For InP, the n(+)p configuration is found to have greater radiation resistance than the p(+)n cell. The increased loss in this latter cell is attributed to losses in the cell's emitter region. Temperature dependency results are interpreted using a theoretical relation for dVoc/cT which predicts that increased Voc should results in decreased numerical values for dPm/dT. The predicted correlation is observed for GaAs but not for InP a result which is attributed to variations in cell processing.

Weinberg, I.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Gas particle radiator

The performance of a new space radiator concept, the gas particle radiator (GPR), is studied. The GPR uses a gas containing submicron particles as the radiating medium contained between the radiator's emitting surface and a transparent window. For a modest volume fraction of submicron particles and gas thickness, it is found that the emissivity is determined by the window transmittance. The window must have a high transmittance in the infrared and be structurally strong enough to contain the gas-particle mixture. When the GPR is compared to a proposed titanium wall, potassium heat pipe radiator, with both radiators operating at a power level of 1.01 MW at 775 K, it is found that the GPR mass is 31 percent lower than that of the heat pipe radiator.

Chubb, Donald L.↗