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106 records · Page 6

A Deposited Magnetic Thermometer for Temperatures Below 0.1 Kelvin

Magnetic thermometers are less sensitive to self-heating due to rf noise than are traditional resistive thermometers. This makes them appealing at temperatures well below 0.1 Kelvin in the operating range of many space-flight detectors. We have built and tested a magnetic thermometer which is deposited directly onto a substrate. This device, which uses the temperature dependence of iron-doped palladium s magnetic susceptibility, includes self-shielding deposited coils surrounding a sputtered palladium layer. It is read out using a SQUID to achieve high resolution. Its small size and very good heat-sinking should eventually make it useful for the temperature control of space flight detector arrays, in particular those already using SQUID readouts. The design and test results for this device are discussed.

Tuttle, J. G.↗

Cool Flames in Propane-Oxygen Premixtures at Low and Intermediate Temperatures at Reduced-Gravity

The Cool Flame Experiment aims to address the role of diffusive transport on the structure and the stability of gas-phase, non-isothermal, hydrocarbon oxidation reactions, cool flames and auto-ignition fronts in an unstirred, static reactor. These reactions cannot be studied on Earth where natural convection due to self-heating during the course of slow reaction dominates diffusive transport and produces spatio-temporal variations in the thermal and thus species concentration profiles. On Earth, reactions with associated Rayleigh numbers (Ra) less than the critical Ra for onset of convection (Ra(sub cr) approx. 600) cannot be achieved in laboratory-scale vessels for conditions representative of nearly all low-temperature reactions. In fact, the Ra at 1g ranges from 10(exp 4) - 10(exp 5) (or larger), while at reduced-gravity, these values can be reduced two to six orders of magnitude (below Ra(sub cr)), depending on the reduced-gravity test facility. Currently, laboratory (1g) and NASA s KC-135 reduced-gravity (g) aircraft studies are being conducted in parallel with the development of a detailed chemical kinetic model that includes thermal and species diffusion. Select experiments have also been conducted at partial gravity (Martian, 0.3gearth) aboard the KC-135 aircraft. This paper discusses these preliminary results for propane-oxygen premixtures in the low to intermediate temperature range (310- 350 C) at reduced-gravity.

Pearlman, Howard↗

Thermal Design and Analysis for the Cryogenic MIDAS Experiment

The Materials In Devices As Superconductors (MIDAS) spaceflight experiment is a NASA payload which launched in September 1996 on the Shuttle, and was transferred to the Mir Space Station for several months of operation. MIDAS was developed and built at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC). The primary objective of the experiment was to determine the effects of microgravity and spaceflight on the electrical properties of high-temperature superconductive (HTS) materials. The thermal challenge on MIDAS was to maintain the superconductive specimens at or below 80 K for the entire operation of the experiment, including all ground testing and 90 days of spaceflight operation. Cooling was provided by a small tactical cryocooler. The superconductive specimens and the coldfinger of the cryocooler were mounted in a vacuum chamber, with vacuum levels maintained by an ion pump. The entire experiment was mounted for operation in a stowage locker inside Mir, with the only heat dissipation capability provided by a cooling fan exhausting to the habitable compartment. The thermal environment on Mir can potentially vary over the range 5 to 40 C; this was the range used in testing, and this wide range adds to the difficulty in managing the power dissipated from the experiment's active components. Many issues in the thermal design are discussed, including: thermal isolation methods for the cryogenic samples; design for cooling to cryogenic temperatures; cryogenic epoxy bonds; management of ambient temperature components self-heating; and fan cooling of the enclosed locker. Results of the design are also considered, including the thermal gradients across the HTS samples and cryogenic thermal strap, electronics and thermal sensor cryogenic performance, and differences between ground and flight performance. Modeling was performed in both SINDA-85 and MSC/PATRAN (with direct geometry import from the CAD design tool Pro/Engineer). Advantages of both types of models are discussed. Correlation of several models to ground testing and flight data (where available) is presented. Both SINDA and PATRAN models predicted the actual thermal performance of the experiment well, even without post-flight correlation adjustments of the models.

Amundsen, Ruth McElroy↗

Self-Healing Behavior of Ethylene-Based Ionomers

The self-healing behavior of poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) (EMAA)-based ionomers holds tremendous potential for use in a wide variety of unique applications. However, to effectively utilize this self-healing behavior and to design novel materials which possess this ability, the mechanism by which they heal must first be understood ionomers are a class of polymers that can be described as copolymers containing less than 15 mol% ionic content whereby the bulk properties are governed by ionic interactions within the polymer. These ionic groups aggregate into discrete regions known as multiplets which overlap forming clusters that act as physical cross-links profoundly influencing the bulk physical properties. These clusters possess an order-disorder transition (T(sub i)) where the clustered regions may rearrange themselves given time and stimuli. Recognizing the strong influence of these ionic regions on other well understood ionomer properties, their role in self-heating behavior will be assessed. The self-healing behavior is observed following projectile puncture. It has been suggested that during impact energy is passed to the ionomer material, heating it to the melt state. After penetration, it is proposed that the ionic regions maintain their attractions and flow together patching the hole. Thus, the importance of this ionic character and is unique interaction must be established. This will be accomplished through examination of materials with varying ionic content and through the analysis of the T(sub i). The specific ionomer systems examined include a number of ethylene-based materials. Materials of varying ionic content, including the non-ionic base copolymers, will be examined by peel tests, projectile impact and DSC analysis. The information will also be compared with some basic data on LDPE material.

Kalista, Stephen J., Jr.↗

Using Thin-Film Thermometers as Heaters in Thermal Control Applications

A cryogenic sensor maintains calibration at approximately equal to 4.2 K to better than 2 mK (< 0.5 percent resistance repeatability) after being heated to approximately equal 40 K with approximately equal 0.5 W power. The sensor withstands 4 W power dissipation when immersed in liquid nitrogen with verified resistance reproducibility of, at worst, 1 percent. The sensor maintains calibration to 0.1 percent after being heated with 1-W power at approximately equal 77 K for a period of 48 hours. When operated with a readout scheme that is capable of mitigating the self-heating calibration errors, this and similar sensors can be used for precision (mK stability) temperature control without the need of separate heaters and associated wiring/cabling.

Cho, Hyung J.↗

NASA Tech Briefs, March 2011

Topics covered include: Optimal Tuner Selection for Kalman-Filter-Based Aircraft Engine Performance Estimation; Airborne Radar Interferometric Repeat-Pass Processing; Plug-and-Play Environmental Monitoring Spacecraft Subsystem; Power-Combined GaN Amplifier with 2.28-W Output Power at 87 GHz; Wallops Ship Surveillance System; Source Lines Counter (SLiC) Version 4.0; Guidance, Navigation, and Control Program; Single-Frame Terrain Mapping Software for Robotic Vehicles; Auto Draw from Excel Input Files; Observation Scheduling System; CFDP for Interplanetary Overlay Network; X-Windows Widget for Image Display; Binary-Signal Recovery; Volumetric 3D Display System with Static Screen; MMIC Replacement for Gunn Diode Oscillators; Feature Acquisition with Imbalanced Training Data; Mount Protects Thin-Walled Glass or Ceramic Tubes from Large Thermal and Vibration Loads; Carbon Nanotube-Based Structural Health Monitoring Sensors; Wireless Inductive Power Device Suppresses Blade Vibrations; Safe, Advanced, Adaptable Isolation System Eliminates the Need for Critical Lifts; Anti-Rotation Device Releasable by Insertion of a Tool; A Magnetically Coupled Cryogenic Pump; Single Piezo-Actuator Rotary-Hammering Drill; Fire-Retardant Polymeric Additives; Catalytic Generation of Lift Gases for Balloons; Ionic Liquids to Replace Hydrazine; Variable Emittance Electrochromics Using Ionic Electrolytes and Low Solar Absorptance Coatings; Spacecraft Radiator Freeze Protection Using a Regenerative Heat Exchanger; Multi-Mission Power Analysis Tool; Correction for Self-Heating When Using Thermometers as Heaters in Precision Control Applications; Gravitational Wave Detection with Single-Laser Atom Interferometers; Titanium Alloy Strong Back for IXO Mirror Segments; Improved Ambient Pressure Pyroelectric Ion Source; Multi-Modal Image Registration and Matching for Localization of a Balloon on Titan; Entanglement in Quantum-Classical Hybrid; Algorithm for Autonomous Landing; Quantum-Classical Hybrid for Information Processing; Small-Scale Dissipation in Binary-Species Transitional Mixing Layers; Superpixel-Augmented Endmember Detection for Hyperspectral Images; Coding for Parallel Links to Maximize the Expected Value of Decodable Messages; and Microwave Tissue Soldering for Immediate Wound Closure.

Source record↗

Joule-Heated Molten Regolith Electrolysis Reactor Concepts for Oxygen and Metals Production on the Moon and Mars

The technology of direct electrolysis of molten lunar regolith to produce oxygen and molten metal alloys has progressed greatly in the last few years. The development of long-lasting inert anodes and cathode designs as well as techniques for the removal of molten products from the reactor has been demonstrated. The containment of chemically aggressive oxide and metal melts is very difficult at the operating temperatures ca. 1600 C. Containing the molten oxides in a regolith shell can solve this technical issue and can be achieved by designing a Joule-heated (sometimes called 'self-heating') reactor in which the electrolytic currents generate enough Joule heat to create a molten bath. Solutions obtained by multiphysics modeling allow the identification of the critical dimensions of concept reactors.

Sibille, Laurent↗

Regolith Properties of Asteroid 21 Lutetia Constrained by Combined Data Sets of the MIRO and VIRTIS Instruments During the Rosetta Spacecraft Flyby

During the July 10, 2010 flyby of Asteroid 21 Lutetia by the Rosetta spacecraft, maps of surface and subsurface temperatures were derived from the VIRTIS and MIRO instruments respectively. Both data sets indicated a porous surface layer with an extremely low, lunar-like thermal inertia. However, comparisons of the VIRTIS-measured and MIRO-modelled surface temperatures revealed offsets of 10- 30 K, indicative of self-heating or "beaming" effects that were not taken into account in the MIRO thermal modeling. Inclusion of a model of hemispherical craters at all scales 1 cm and larger, covering 50% of the surface, removes most of the offsets in the VIRTIS, MIRO surface temperature determinations.

Rosetta spacecraft↗

Total Temperature Measurements in Icing Cloud Flows Using a Rearward Facing Probe

This paper reports on temperature and humidity measurements from a series of ice-crystal icing tunnel experiments conducted in June 2018 at the Propulsion Systems Laboratory at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The tests were fundamental in nature and were aimed at investigating the icing processes on a two-dimensional NACA0012 airfoil subjected to artificially generated icing clouds. Prior to the tests on the airfoil, a suite of instruments, including total temperature and humidity probes, were used to characterize the thermodynamic flow and icing cloud conditions of the facility. Two different total temperature probes were used in these tests which included a custom designed rearward facing probe and a commercial self-heating total temperature probe. The rearward facing probe, the main total temperature probe, was designed to reduce and mitigate the contaminating effects of icing and ingestion of ice crystals and water droplets at the probe's inlet. The probe also serves as an air-sample inlet for a light absorption based humidity measurement. The paper includes a section which discusses total temperature and humidity measurement considerations, and another section which provides an analysis of the main probe's performance characteristics. A computational fluid dynamic model of the flow around the probe was also conducted to gain insight into the trajectory of the flow entering the probe inlet. The experiments included a series of tests in which the relative humidity of the facility flow was swept through with increasingly larger values. The data showed that the rearward facing probe can reasonably capture the flow's total temperature and humidity under mild to moderate icing conditions but produces anomalous results under more intense icing conditions. The experimental data was also compared to an in-house developed thermodynamic model which takes into account the interaction of the main flow with the icing cloud. Comparison to the thermodynamic model showed that the rearward facing probe measured the predicted trends.

Agui, Juan H.↗

An Electrical Modeling and Thermal Analysis Toolbox for Electrified Aircraft Propulsion Simulation

A simulation toolbox has been developed to model the electrical portions of Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) systems, including self-heating of electrical systems. Dynamic models of EAP systems often include turbomachinery, an electrical power system, and a thermal management system. These portions of the propulsion system can operate on timescales covering six orders of magnitude, which poses a challenging modeling task. Assumptions and approximations are made in an effort to capture the dynamics relevant to engine, electrical system, and thermal system interactions, while still allowing for fast simulations. These assumptions and approximations enable the electrical component models to run at the time scale of the turbomachinery, neglecting the very high frequency electrical dynamics, while demonstrating representative behavior of the end-to-end system. Thus the models execute in an acceptable time frame for what would otherwise be an extremely stiff simulation. The resulting simulations of EAP systems are appropriate for system-level control design and analysis. The objective of this paper is to present an overview of the Electrical Modeling and Thermal Analysis Toolbox (EMTAT). It will describe some of the approximations made to accommodate rapid execution, and some of the design tools that allow matching the model to component specifications. This paper will also provide some examples of EAP system modeling using EMTAT.

Mark E Bell↗

An Electrical Modeling and Thermal Analysis Toolbox for Electrified Aircraft Propulsion Simulation

A simulation toolbox has been developed to model the electrical portions of Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) systems, including self-heating of electrical systems. Dynamic models of EAP systems often include turbomachinery, an electrical power system, and a thermal management system. These portions of the propulsion system can operate on timescales covering six orders of magnitude, which poses a challenging modeling task. Assumptions and approximations are made in an effort to capture the dynamics relevant to engine, electrical system, and thermal system interactions, while still allowing for fast simulations. These assumptions and approximations enable the electrical component models to run at the time scale of the turbomachinery, neglecting the very high frequency electrical dynamics, while demonstrating representative behavior of the end-to-end system. Thus the models execute in an acceptable time frame for what would otherwise be an extremely stiff simulation. The resulting simulations of EAP systems are appropriate for system-level control design and analysis. The objective of this paper is to present an overview of the Electrical Modeling and Thermal Analysis Toolbox (EMTAT). It will describe some of the approximations made to accommodate rapid execution, and some of the design tools that allow matching the model to component specifications. This paper will also provide some examples of EAP system modeling using EMTAT.

Mark E Bell↗

Electrical Modeling and Thermal Analysis Toolbox (EMTAT) User’s Guide

A simulation toolbox has been developed to model the electrical portions of Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) systems, including self-heating of electrical systems. Dynamic models of EAP systems often include turbomachinery, an electrical power system, and a thermal management system. These portions of the propulsion system can operate on timescales covering six orders of magnitude, which poses a challenging modeling task. Assumptions and approximations are made in an effort to capture the dynamics relevant to engine, electrical system, and thermal system interactions, while still allowing for fast simulations. These assumptions and approximations enable the electrical component models to run at the time scale of the turbomachinery, neglecting the very high frequency electrical dynamics, while demonstrating representative behavior of the end-to-end system. Thus the models execute in an acceptable time frame for what would otherwise be an extremely stiff simulation. The resulting simulations of EAP systems are appropriate for system-level control design and analysis. The objective of this User's Guide is to present an overview of the usage of the Electrical Modeling and Thermal Analysis Toolbox (EMTAT). It will describe some of the approximations made to accommodate rapid execution, and some of the design tools that allow matching the model to component specifications. This paper will describe the basic usage of the software toolbox, and also provide an example of EAP system modeling using EMTAT.

Mark E. Bell↗

Predicting Thermal Response in a Li-ion Cell on a UAV Fight Profile

As the energy storage devices continue to "pack" more energy in a small space, any damage, battery component failure, manufacturing defect, or electrically abusing the battery can lead to catastrophic thermal runaway events. A catastrophic thermal event in a cell leads to high temperature, in some instances spewing of battery materials due to gas development from side reactions initiated due to high internal temperatures. Also, a thermal runaway event can propagate from a single "failed" cell to the pack in a battery pack, leading to a more significant event. Mitigating a thermal runaway event is important in the commercial and automotive sectors. However, preventing such events in an electric aircraft (or air taxis) is paramount due to the lack of alternatives in the event of a failure. Battery prognostics algorithms allow the prediction of state-of-charge (SOC) and end-of-life (EOL) of a Li-ion battery in a UAV (unmanned air vehicle) [1]. For this presentation, we will extend this two-level battery predictive algorithm to predict SOC, EOL, and estimated maximum temperature during a simulated flight. The model is extended by integrating a lumped physics-driven thermal model for high current densities [2]. The parameters used to control SOC and EOL are maximum storable charge, time constant for Li-ion diffusivity in the carbon particles, and internal cell resistance. Cycling leads to an increase in the heat generated by an aged Li-ion cell with a LiyCoO2 (LCO) cathode and a LixC6 (MCMB) anode. The aging of a cell leads to increase in SEI layer thickness, the diffusion time for the lithium ions inside the electrodes, and the local reaction rates, in addition to the thermodynamic abuse caused by fixed cycling voltages controlled by a Battery Management System. As the battery ages, the cell resistance increases, while the onset temperature of the thermal runaway decreases (depends on the cell chemistry and cell abuse history). Any large deviation of the cell temperature from the estimated (expected) value can identify a faulty cell. Since SEI decomposition has the lowest onset temperature in the series of reactions leading to thermal runaway, the model considers the self-heating rate of the SEI decomposition as onset temperature (similar to Ref. [3]). The parameters in the Arrhenius equation for the SEI heating rate depend on the number of cycles, the cell's operating temperature, and the cell's abuse history [4,5]. Coupling the electrochemical, thermal, and aging model allow the prognostic algorithm to estimate a typical cell voltage and temperature as a function of age (cycling and calendar), whose departure from measured values from the BMS is used to identify a safety event. In addition, we will present the results from two simulated flight scenarios for a UAV: typical and extreme, since the power requirements vary significantly during take-off, landing, and changing altitudes, while the power requirements remain low during the cruise. For this presentation, the power requirement for a battery pack in a UAV is scaled to a single cell. This cell is cycled through a simulated profile, and the data is collected and used to predict a safety event.

Li-ion↗

Effects of He Ion Irradiation in Simple Borosilicate Glasses for HLW Immobilisation - 20324

High-level radioactive waste (HLW) consists of fission products and minor actinides. Borosilicate glass is the host material of choice in most countries to safely immobilize HLW, followed by eventual geological disposal. HLW glasses will experience both self-heating and self-irradiation effects due to the decay of fission products and minor actinides present therein. During the first 500 years of geological disposal, beta-gamma decay will be the main source of radiation due to short half-lives of fission products, as compared to very long-lived actinides which will be responsible for irradiation over much longer timescales. High-energy alpha particles and alpha recoil nuclei can potentially have significant impact (stored energy, volume change, accumulated dose, chemical durability) on the performance of the wasteform over longer timescales. Thus, to ensure safe and economic disposal over geological periods (10{sup 4} - 10{sup 6} years), the assessment of performance and properties in terms of radiation effects becomes indispensable. This work aims to simulate the effects of alpha decay in radioactive waste glasses. Two international glasses, namely UK 'MW' lithium-sodium borosilicate and Indian sodium-barium borosilicate, which are being used as HLW immobilization matrices by the UK and India respectively, were prepared by a melt-quench method and annealed below their glass transition temperatures. Both glasses were irradiated with 650 KeV He{sup 2+} ions with doses ranging from 10{sup 15} to 10{sup 17} ions/cm{sup 2}. Structural analysis was carried out using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Raman spectroscopies. First derivative continuous wave EPR spectra were recorded for all pristine and irradiated glass monoliths at room temperature using an X-band (frequency 9.6 GHz) EPR Bruker spectrometer. Results from EPR analyses showed the formation of irradiation induced paramagnetic centers at g ∼ 2.00 in all irradiated glasses. Raman spectra of pristine and irradiated samples were acquired, and showed notable changes in glass structure post-irradiation, with the emergence of a broad Raman band at 1560 cm{sup -1} upon irradiation with high fluences. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Unveiling Feedstock Variability: Insights into Corn Stover Conversion - Part I: Physicochemical Properties and Self-Degradation

Transforming agricultural waste into biofuels and bioproducts is crucial to advancing a low-carbon bioeconomy. However, the inherent variability in the composition and quality introduces uncertainties in the conversion efficiency and poses challenges in process development. Through integrating a high-throughput conversion system, material characterization techniques, and advanced data analysis tools, this study investigates the variability of corn stover and its subsequent impacts on carbohydrate conversion. The findings reveal that indoor storage substantially reduces the moisture and ash content and soil contamination, while other properties remain largely unchanged. Self-degradation due to microbial activity during storage decreases the carbohydrate content of corn stover but enhances glucose and xylose yields. A negative correlation is observed between sugar yields and lignin content across samples with varying ash and moisture content. The inhibitory effect of lignin diminishes in self-degraded samples likely due to the disrupted cell wall structure. Although self-degradation slightly increases cellulose crystallinity, no strong correlation was observed between the crystallinity and sugar yield. Hot water pretreatment under mild conditions effectively mitigates inherent variability, consistently improving the sugar yield from corn stover by up to 50%. By elucidating the feedstock variability and its impact on convertibility, these findings offer valuable insights into appropriate feedstock handling and management, highlighting potential strategies to address variability challenges.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Corn stover variability drives differences in bisabolene production by engineered Rhodotorula toruloides

Microbial conversion of lignocellulosic biomass represents an alternative route for production of biofuels and bioproducts. While researchers have mostly focused on engineering strains such as Rhodotorula toruloides for better bisabolene production as a sustainable aviation fuel, less is known about the impact of the feedstock heterogeneity on bisabolene production. Critical material attributes like feedstock composition, nutritional content, and inhibitory compounds can all influence bioconversion. Further, the given feedstocks can have a marked influence on selection of suitable pretreatment and hydrolysis technologies, optimizing the fermentation conditions, and possibly even modifying the microorganism's metabolic pathways, to better utilize the available feedstock. Here, this work aimed to examine and understand how variations in corn stover batches, anatomical fractions, and storage conditions impact the efficiency of bisabolene production by R. toruloides. All of these represent different facets of feedstock heterogeneity. Deacetylation, mechanical refining, and enzymatic hydrolysis of these variable feedstocks served as the basis of this research. The resulting hydrolysates were converted to bisabolene via fermentation, a sustainable aviation fuel precursor, using an engineered R. toruloides strain. This study showed that different sources of feedstock heterogeneity can influence microbial growth and product titer in counterintuitive ways, as revealed through global analysis of protein expression. The maximum bisabolene produced by R. toruloides was on the stalk fraction of corn stover hydrolysate (8.89 ± 0.47 g/L). Further, proteomics analysis comparing the protein expression between the anatomic fractions showed that proteins relating to carbohydrate metabolism, energy production, and conversion as well as inorganic ion transport metabolism were either significantly upregulated or downregulated. Specifically, downregulation of proteins related to the iron–sulfur cluster in stalk fraction suggests a coordinated response by R. toruloides to maintain overall metabolic balance, and this was corroborated by the concentration of iron in the feedstocks.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗