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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 901 records · Page 50
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Comprehensive analysis of disruption mitigation methods using gas and pellet-like injections in ITER-like Tokamaks

Abstract Inert-gas shielding could be an effective mechanism for protection of plasma facing surfaces (PFS) against plasma particles impact and photon radiation heat loads during transient events in fusion devices. Neutral gas injection is one promising way to mitigate erosion of tokamak components and contamination. The objective of this work is to study and optimize mitigation methods using neutral gas and pellet-like injections to decrease the heat load to the divertor surfaces and to prevent vaporization of the various internal surfaces due to transient events in ITER-like devices. The integrated self-consistent models implemented in the HEIGHTS package was used for detailed analysis of the potential secondary plasma generation from the injected inert gas, its radiative characteristics, and shielding effectiveness. We varied the density, size, and location of an argon gas cloud to minimize the disruption energy deposited into the divertor components. We also investigated innovative ways for minor changes in ITER-like internal design to mitigate disruptions. We found the optimum parameters to fully protect ITER tokamak surfaces from erosion and vaporization during plasma instabilities. This preliminary analysis showed that using Ar gas injection methods could lead to enhancement in components lifetime in ITER-like and future DEMO devices with minor design changes.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2025

hiposa v0.1.0

Fast construction of hierarchical N-dimensional experimental design. The software allows construction of sampling strategies that are self-avoiding, tunable in resolution in N dimensions. This code is a drop-in replacement for seeding optimization runs often performed using uniform random sampling. The hierarchical approach allows for a rapid, top down method for construction the most effective design that drives towards a global optimum.

Zwart, PetrusH [Lawrence Berkeley National Laborat↗
NASA NTRS1961

ANALYSIS OF CRYOGENIC PROPELLANT FEED SYSTEMS FOR ELECTROTHERMAL ENGINES.

An analytical investigation was made of the problems associated with the long-term storage and control of flow of cryogenic propellants for electrothermal engines. Storage of 35 to 174 pounds of propellant for three years is made difficult by the high ratio of surface area to storage tank volume, and the resulting high rate of heat leak. Vented and non-vented storage, storage as high pressure gas, and the use of refrigeration were considered. Recommended storage methods are: for ethane and ammonia vented storage - by venting propellant stored in excess of mission requirements; for hydrogen and helium - by non-vented storage of cold supercritical vapor; and for methane by storage as a non-vented two-phase mixture. The optimum propellant density in the storage tank and optimum insulation thickness were also determined. Design charts were developed for hydrogen and helium, for estimating the maximum pressure expected in non-vented storage tanks, as function of mission requirements. Separation of the constituent phases of liquid-vapor mixtures is achieved by throttling the two-phase mixture to a lower pressure (and temperature) and vaporizing the liquid in the mixture by heat exchange with the contents of the storage tank. The time limitations for continuous use of this method are discussed. Linde super insulations SI-44 or SI -91 are recommended for insulation. Precooling the insulation to temperatures below the steady state level with cold helium vapor before or during fueling of the storage tank eliminates the flow of heat to the tank contents during countdown and take-off. The masses, sizes, and power requirements of the recommended systems are low. The controls are simple and reliable. From the equations and charts in this report the components of the system for a particular mission can be sized. Recommendations are given for experimental work required for the development and testing of such components.

ELECTROTHERMAL ENGINE↗
NASA NTRS1975

A Practical Statistical Model for Telecommunications Performance Uncertainty

A statistical method, the probability distribution method, is presented which will give the probability of link performance values. The advantages of a design control procedure are preserved and optimum use of the system capabilities is permitted by improving the accuracy and completeness of the system model.

Yuen, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Wing-tip vanes as vortex attenuation and induced drag reduction devices

Analytical studies have been conducted to examine the feasibility of utilizing wing tip turbines to remove swirl from the wing trailing vortex, and hence reduce the potential for upset of following aircraft. Energy recovery from the turbines is also analyzed. A computer routine has been developed to permit rapid parametric studies of various tip turbine designs. It is shown that the optimum turbine is a non-rotating set of vanes which reduce swirl and recover energy in the form of reduced overall configuration induced drag. A specific case study indicates a 23% reduction in induced drag for a rectangular wing of aspect ratio 5.33, operated at a lift coefficient at 1.0.

Wentz, W. H., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Numerical Airfoil Optimization Using a Reduced Number of Design Coordinates

A method is presented for numerical airfoil optimization whereby a reduced number of design coordinates are used to define the airfoil shape. The approach is to define the airfoil as a linear combination of shapes. These basic shapes may be analytically or numerically defined, allowing the designer to use his insight to propose candidate designs. The design problem becomes one of determining the participation of each such function in defining the optimum airfoil. Examples are presented for two-dimensional airfoil design and are compared with previous results based on a polynomial representation of the airfoil shape. Four existing NACA airfoils are used as basic shapes. Solutions equivalent to previous results are achieved with a factor of more than 3 improvements in efficiency, while superior designs are demonstrated with an efficiency greater than 2 over previous methods. With this shape definition, the optimization process is shown to exploit the simplifying assumptions in the inviscid aerodynamic analysis used here, thus demonstrating the need to use more advanced aerodynamics for airfoil optimization.

Vanderplaats, G. N.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Distortion in AM-baseband telemetry

Report presents very thorough and rigorous analysis of bandwidths and filters required to achieve a specific error. Included is an investigation of contribution to error of 3- and 6-pole Chebyschev, Butterworth, and Bessel filters. Also included is methodology for designing DSB/FM telemetry system to make optimum use of available bandwidth while reducing error toward its theoretical minimum.

Salter, W. E.↗
NASA NTRS1980

NASA End-to-End Data System /NEEDS/ information adaptive system - Performing image processing onboard the spacecraft

The Information Adaptive System (IAS) is an element of the NASA End-to-End Data System (NEEDS) Phase II and is focused toward onbaord image processing. Since the IAS is a data preprocessing system which is closely coupled to the sensor system, it serves as a first step in providing a 'Smart' imaging sensor. Some of the functions planned for the IAS include sensor response nonuniformity correction, geometric correction, data set selection, data formatting, packetization, and adaptive system control. The inclusion of these sensor data preprocessing functions onboard the spacecraft will significantly improve the extraction of information from the sensor data in a timely and cost effective manner and provide the opportunity to design sensor systems which can be reconfigured in near real time for optimum performance. The purpose of this paper is to present the preliminary design of the IAS and the plans for its development.

Kelly, W. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Thermal-barrier-coated turbine blade study

The effects of coating TBC on a CF6-50 stage 2 high-pressure turbine blade were analyzed with respect to changes in the mean bulk temperature, cooling air requirements, and high-cycle fatigue. Localized spallation was found to have a possible deleterious effect on low-cycle fatigue life. New blade design concepts were developed to take optimum advantage of TBCs. Process and material development work and rig evaluations were undertaken which identified the most promising combination as ZrO2 containing 8 w/o Y2O3 applied by air plasma spray onto a Ni22Cr-10Al-1Y bond layer. The bond layer was applied by a low-pressure, high-velocity plasma spray process onto the base alloy. During the initial startup cycles the blades experienced localized leading edge spallation caused by foreign objects.

Siemers, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Nonseparating High-Area-Ratio Supersonic Nozzles

Procedure determines supersonic-nozzle contours that allow higher nozzle-exit wall pressures, reducing chamber pressure without causing wall-flow separation as encountered in optimum large-area-ratio nozzle designs. Procedure applies to chemical-laser nozzles, jet-engine and gas turbines, wind tunnels and rocket nozzles.

Wagner, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Analysis and evaluation in the production process and equipment area of the low-cost solar array project

It was found that the Solarex metallization design and process selection should be modified to yield substantially higher output of the 10 cm x 10 cm cells, while the Westinghouse design is extremely close to the optimum. In addition, further attention to the Solarex pn junction and base high/low junction formation processes could be beneficial. For the future efficiency improvement, it was found that refinement of the various minority carrier lifetime measurement methods is needed, as well as considerably increased sophistication in the interpretation of the results of these methods. In addition, it was determined that further experimental investigation of the Auger lifetime is needed, to conclusively determine the Auger coefficients for the direct Auger recombination at high majority carrier concentrations.

Wolf, M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Parametric evaluation of ball milling of SiC in water

A statistically designed experiment was conducted to determine optimum conditions for ball milling alpha-SiC in water. The influence of pH adjustment, volume percent solids loading, and mill rotational speed on grinding effectiveness was examined. An equation defining the effect of those milling variables on specific surface area was obtained. The volume percent solids loading of the slurry had the greatest influence on the grinding effectiveness in terms of increase in specific surface area. As grinding effectiveness improved, mill and media wear also increased. Contamination was minimized by use of sintered alpha-SiC milling hardware.

Kiser, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Three-dimensional inviscid analysis of radial turbine flow and a limited comparison with experimental data

The three-dimensional inviscid DENTON code is used to analyze flow through a radial-inflow turbine rotor. Experimental data from the rotor are compared with analytical results obtained by using the code. The experimental data available for comparison are the radial distributions of circumferentially averaged values of absolute flow angle and total pressure downstream of the rotor exit. The computed rotor-exit flow angles are generally underturned relative to the experimental values, which reflect the boundary-layer separation at the trailing edge and the development of wakes downstream of the rotor. The experimental rotor is designed for a higher-than-optimum work factor of 1.126 resulting in a nonoptimum positive incidence and causing a region of rapid flow adjustment and large velocity gradients. For this experimental rotor, the computed radial distribution of rotor-exit to turbine-inlet total pressure ratios are underpredicted due to the errors in the finite-difference approximations in the regions of rapid flow adjustment, and due to using the relatively coarser grids in the middle of the blade region where the flow passage is highly three-dimensional. Additional results obtained from the three-dimensional inviscid computation are also presented, but without comparison due to the lack of experimental data. These include quasi-secondary velocity vectors on cross-channel surfaces, velocity components on the meridional and blade-to-blade surfaces, and blade surface loading diagrams. Computed results show the evolution of a passage vortex and large streamline deviations from the computational streamwise grid lines. Experience gained from applying the code to a radial turbine geometry is also discussed.

Choo, Y. K.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Parametric evaluation of ball milling of SiC in water

A statistically designed experiment was conducted to determine optimum conditions for ball milling alpha-SiC in water. The influence of pH adjustment, volume percent solids loading, and mill rotational speed on grinding effectiveness was examined. An equation defining the effect of those milling variables on specific surface area was obtained. The volume percent solids loading of the slurry had the greatest influence on the grinding effectiveness in terms of increase in specific surface area. As grinding effectiveness improved, mill and media wear also increased. Contamination was minimized by use of sintered alpha-SiC milling hardware.

Kiser, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Three-dimensional inviscid analysis of radial-turbine flow and a limited comparison with experimental data

The three-dimensional inviscid DENTON code is used to analyze flow through a radial-inflow turbine rotor. Experimental data from the rotor are compared with analytical results obtained by using the code. The experimental data available for comparison are the radial distributions of circumferentially averaged values of absolute flow angle and total pressure downstream of the rotor exit. The computed rotor-exit flow angles are generally underturned relative to the experimental values, which reflect the boundary-layer separation at the trailing edge and the development of wakes downstream of the rotor. The experimental rotor is designed for a higher-than-optimum work factor of 1.126 resulting in a nonoptimum positive incidence and causing a region of rapid flow adjustment and large velocity gradients. For this experimental rotor, the computed radial distribution of rotor-exit to turbine-inlet total pressure ratios are underpredicted due to the errors in the finite-difference approximations in the regions of rapid flow adjustment, and due to using the relatively coarser grids in the middle of the blade region where the flow passage is highly three-dimensional. Additional results obtained from the three-dimensional inviscid computation are also presented, but without comparison due to the lack of experimental data. These include quasi-secondary velocity vectors on cross-channel surfaces, velocity components on the meridional and blade-to-blade surfaces, and blade surface loading diagrams. Computed results show the evolution of a passage vortex and large streamline deviations from the computational streamwise grid lines. Experience gained from applying the code to a radial turbine geometry is also discussed.

Choo, Y. K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Maneuver strategies for the Magellan (Venus radar mapper) mission

The paper describes the maneuver strategies for the Venus Orbit Insertion and the Orbit Trim Maneuvers for the Magellan mission. An optimum three impulse strategy has been developed for the Venus Orbit insertion maneuver that minimizes the fuel consumed during the trim maneuvers. In addition an optimum two impulse strategy has been designed specifically for the two trim maneuvers that minimizes the fuel consumed while correcting for period, periapsis altitude, argument of periapsis, and inclination.

Dsouza, C. N.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Optimization of composite box-beam structures including effects of subcomponent interactions

Minimum mass designs are obtained for a simple box beam structure subject to bending, torque and combined bending/torque load cases. These designs are obtained subject to point strain and linear buckling constraints. The present work differs from previous efforts in that special attention is payed to including the effects of subcomponent panel interaction in the optimal design process. Two different approaches are used to impose the buckling constraints. When the global approach is used, buckling constraints are imposed on the global structure via a linear eigenvalue analysis. This approach allows the subcomponent panels to interact in a realistic manner. The results obtained using this approach are compared to results obtained using a traditional, less expensive approach, called the local approach. When the local approach is used, in-plane loads are extracted from the global model and used to impose buckling constraints on each subcomponent panel individually. In the global cases, it is found that there can be significant interaction between skin, spar, and rib design variables. This coupling is weak or nonexistent in the local designs. It is determined that weight savings of up to 7% may be obtained by using the global approach instead of the local approach to design these structures. Several of the designs obtained using the linear buckling analysis are subjected to a geometrically nonlinear analysis. For the designs which were subjected to bending loads, the innermost rib panel begins to collapse at less than half the intended design load and in a mode different from that predicted by linear analysis. The discrepancy between the predicted linear and nonlinear responses is attributed to the effects of the nonlinear rib crushing load, and the parameter which controls this rib collapse failure mode is shown to be the rib thickness. The rib collapse failure mode may be avoided by increasing the rib thickness above the value obtained from the (linear analysis based) optimizer. It is concluded that it would be necessary to include geometric nonlinearities in the design optimization process if the true optimum in this case were to be found.

Ragon, Scott A.↗