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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 937 records · Page 52

An Advanced Thermal Radiator for Global Lunar Heat Rejection

An advanced thermal radiator innovation to provide global heat rejection for Lunar exploration is described in this paper. Infrared background radiation from Lunar terrain can seriously compromise the performance of conventional thermal radiators, especially at lower latitudes. The Apollo missions boiled consumable H2O for heat rejection which would be unsustainable for long duration Lunar exploration where temperatures may exceed 250°F at the equator. The proposed innovation would provide indefinite, sustainable heat rejection for orbiting assets, rovers, landers and habitats over the entire surface of the Moon. The advanced radiator concept introduces a semi-transparent cover-glass to transmit and reflect both incident infrared radiation and solar irradiation to facilitate improved heat rejection. With sponsorship from MSFC Center Innovation Funding (CIF), two advanced radiator concepts were fabricated and evaluated inside the High Intensity Solar Environment Test (HISET) facility thermal vacuum chamber at MSFC. Using custom designed and fabricated test stands in the HISET chamber, the tests simulated both the Lunar terrestrial (inside a crater under full sun) and orbital thermal environments. A conventional radiator was also fabricated and tested under identical conditions for comparison. Test results indicate improved radiator performance (relative to conventional) in the Lunar orbital environment but the advanced radiators did not perform as well as expected in the surface environment. Correlation to thermal math models is presented and future research may consider alternate materials or designs to improve the terrestrial performance.

Thermal Control System↗

Studies of the acoustic transmission characteristics of coaxial nozzles with inverted velocity profiles, volume 1

The efficiency of internal noise radiation through coannular exhaust nozzle with an inverted velocity profile was studied. A preliminary investigation was first undertaken to: (1) define the test parameters which influence the internal noise radiation; (2) develop a test methodology which could realistically be used to examine the effects of the test parameters; (3) and to validate this methodology. The result was the choice of an acoustic impulse as the internal noise source in the in the jet nozzles. Noise transmission characteristics of a nozzle system were then investigated. In particular, the effects of fan nozzle convergence angle, core extention length to annulus height ratio, and flow Mach number and temperatures were studied. The results are presented as normalized directivity plots.

Dean, P. D.↗

An infrared heterodyne radiometer for high-resolution measurements of solar radiation and atmospheric transmission

A tunable, Dicke-switched, infrared heterodyne radiometer (IHR) has been designed, fabricated, tested, and used to observe solar radiation and determine the atmospheric transmissivity in the 9-11-micron spectral band. The IHR provides a spectral resolution of 0.0067 reciprocal cm, a minimum detectable power level of 2.9 times ten to the minus twenty-third power W/Hz, and a temperature resolution of less than 1 K for a source temperature of 1000 K, an IF predetection bandwidth of 100 MHz, and an integration time of 30 s. Detailed design equations and measured IHR performance are presented. The IHR was used to make solar and atmospheric transmission measurements, and a vertical-path atmospheric attenuation of 2.3 dB has been established under favorable weather conditions. The attenuation of solar radiation due to cloud cover and haze has also been investigated.

Peyton, B. J.↗

Correlation of irradiation data using activation fluences and irradiation temperature.

A new method of correlating radiation damage data is tested using actual measured data taken from the open literature. This method, the activation fluence method, was found to be as accurate as other contemporary models with which it was compared. The new method also has several advantages over the other methods. The method employs a new entity, the activation fluence (time-integrated specific activation rate), as the independent variables in a regression model. Temperature at which the irradiation takes place is also a variable. Although the method was tested for a specific type of damage (change in nil-ductility transition temperature for A302-B steel) it has no inherent restrictions and is limited only by the imagination of the user.

Lynch, J. H.↗

Safety monitoring system for radioisotope thermoelectric generators

System alerts personnel of hazards which may develop while they are performing tests on radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG). Remedial action is initiated to minimize damage. Five operating conditions are monitored: hot junction temperature, cold junction temperature, thermal shroud coolant flow, vacuum in test chamber, and alpha radiation.

Zoltan, A.↗

Long term spectral irradiance measurements of a 1000-watt xenon arc lamp

Spectral irradiance measurements over the range of 200 to 1060 nm were made on a 1000-watt xenon arc lamp over a period of 1500 hours. Four sets of measurements were made after periods of 70, 525, 1000, and 1500 hours of operation. The lamp (Hanovia Compact Xenon Arc Lamp) was mounted in the NASA Solar Irradiation System. When used in the System, the lamp is used as the radiating source for six test stations. Measurements were made of both the longterm stability (or variation of spectral irradiance as a function of time) and the actual spectral irradiance incident on the test specimen.

Schneider, W. E.↗

Jupiter's radiation belts

Fluxes of electrons and protons in Jupiter's radiation belts are calculated with the source (radial diffusion inward from the solar wind) and the loss (synchroton radiation). The calculations are tested against the measured radio-wave wavelength distribution, the radio-wave distribution with distance from Jupiter, and the degree of polarization of the radio waves. The Fokker-Planck equation is solved by using the method of Farley and Walt (1971) with the fixed flux at the outer boundary and the zero flux at Jupiter's surface. It is found, in agreement with Brice and McDonough (1973), Jacques and Davis (1973), and Birmingham et al. (1974), that the usual magnetic and electric diffusions, which vary as L to the 10th power and L to the 6th power, respectively, are insufficient to furnish the required electrons and that the diffusion driven by ionospheric winds of Brice and McDonough is strong enough to furnish Jupiter's belts. An additional loss mechanism close to Jupiter is required to remove the electrons, particularly those at low energies.

Stansberry, K. G.↗

Radiative cooling of a hydrogen plasma in a shock tube

A method of computing radiative cooling of a hydrogen plasma assuming quasi-isothermal radiative transfer is described. A comparison with nonisothermal calculations for a plane parallel slab indicates good agreement for temperature gradients up to 300 K/cm. The calculations are compared with shock-tube data obtained in the JPL high-performance shock-tube facility. The calculations agreed with the data for one run but were 20 percent high for the other. Due to greater radiative cooling at the test slug boundaries a lateral temperature variation typically exists. This would cause the intensity measurement, which is integrated across the diameter of the test slug, to be below the prediction.

Stickford, G. H., Jr.↗

The CO2 gasdynamic laser as a high-intensity radiation facility

The basic theory of CO2 gasdynamic lasers is discussed and related to the design of the Ames laser, which is described in detail. Results of the experimental calibration of the laser are reported and compared with theoretical predictions, and the agreement is excellent. Finally, several applications of the laser as a radiation source for materials testing, both with and without air flow, are described.

Lundell, J. H.↗

Rates of reactions ClO + ClO yields Cl2 + O2 and ClO + O yields Cl + O2 at elevated temperatures

Results are reported for an experiment in which a shock tube was employed to measure the reaction rates of chlorine-oxygen systems at high temperatures. In this experiment, a mixture of chlorine and ozone, diluted by oxygen and argon, was heated by two consecutive shock waves (primary and reflected) to produce a temperature in the range from 1000 to 1400 K and a pressure of between 3.5 and 9 atm. The reflected shock thermally decomposed the ozone; the resulting atomic oxygen reacted with molecular chlorine to produce ClO; and the variation in ClO concentration after passage of the reflected shock was observed by monitoring the intensity of 2537-A radiation passing through the test gas. The rates of the two cited reactions are deduced from the variation pattern. The rate coefficient values are found to be compatible with existing data obtained in lower pressure and temperature ranges.

Park, C.↗

Cloud fraction and cloud size distributions derived using Landsat Multispectral Scanner data

Initial results are presented on the spatial structure of cumulus cloud fields derived using Landsat digital data. Techniques to determine clear, overcast, and cloud edge pixels are discussed and used to analyze four Landsat scenes. Cloud number densities, cloud cover, cloud aspect ratio, and the ratio of interior to cloud edge pixels are obtained for the four scenes and are discussed. This new application of Landsat digital data should prove useful in developing and testing models of the radiative and dynamical properties of cumulus cloud fields on GCM spatial scales.

Wielicki, B. A.↗

JMOSFET: A MOSFET parameter extractor with geometry-dependent terms

The parameters from metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) that are included on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) test chips need to be extracted to have a simple but comprehensive method that can be used in wafer acceptance, and to have a method that is sufficiently accurate that it can be used in integrated circuits. A set of MOSFET parameter extraction procedures that are directly linked to the MOSFET model equations and that facilitate the use of simple, direct curve-fitting techniques are developed. In addition, the major physical effects that affect MOSFET operation in the linear and saturation regions of operation for devices fabricated in 1.2 to 3.0 mm CMOS technology are included. The fitting procedures were designed to establish single values for such parameters as threshold voltage and transconductance and to provide for slope matching between the linear and saturation regions of the MOSFET output current-voltage curves. Four different sizes of transistors that cover a rectangular-shaped region of the channel length-width plane are analyzed.

Buehler, M. G.↗