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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 1,081 records · Page 60
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization and verification of a two-body wave energy converter with a novel power take-off

The lack of high efficient, predictable and reliable power take-off (PTO) systems limits developments of ocean wave energy technology. In this paper, a two-body self-reacting wave energy converter (WEC) with a novel PTO is designed, modelled and implemented for efficiency enhancement. A novel mechanical motion rectifier (MMR) using a ball screw mechanism and an enclosed gear set is integrated to improve the energy harvesting efficiency and reliability by rectifying the oscillatory wave motion into unidirectional rotation of the generator. Detailed design and dynamic modelling for the proposed WEC are presented. A prototype of the PTO is tested in a dry lab to characterize and refine the dynamic modelling. The characterized PTO model is combined with the WEC model to create an overall system model. A water tank test is conducted to verify the overall system dynamics, which proves the accuracy of the model and shows the advantages of the proposed WEC on efficiency and predictability. Following the method of how the WEC system is characterized, performance prediction of the proposed WEC with MMR PTO can be achieved with high accuracy.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Dynamic Risk Model for Evaluation of Space Shuttle Abort Scenarios

The Space Shuttle is an advanced manned launch system with a respectable history of service and a demonstrated level of safety. Recent studies have shown that the Space Shuttle has a relatively low probability of having a failure that is instantaneously catastrophic during nominal flight as compared with many US and international launch systems. However, since the Space Shuttle is a manned. system, a number of mission abort contingencies exist to primarily ensure the safety of the crew during off-nominal situations and to attempt to maintain the integrity of the Orbiter. As the Space Shuttle ascends to orbit it transverses various intact abort regions evaluated and planned before the flight to ensure that the Space Shuttle Orbiter, along with its crew, may be returned intact either to the original launch site, a transoceanic landing site, or returned from a substandard orbit. An intact abort may be initiated due to a number of system failures but the highest likelihood and most challenging abort scenarios are initiated by a premature shutdown of a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). The potential consequences of such a shutdown vary as a function of a number of mission parameters but all of them may be related to mission time for a specific mission profile. This paper focuses on the Dynamic Abort Risk Evaluation (DARE) model process, applications, and its capability to evaluate the risk of Loss Of Vehicle (LOV) due to the complex systems interactions that occur during Space Shuttle intact abort scenarios. In addition, the paper will examine which of the Space Shuttle subsystems are critical to ensuring a successful return of the Space Shuttle Orbiter and crew from such a situation.

Henderson, Edward M.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Optimal Charging of Nickel-Hydrogen Batteries for Life Extension

We are exploring the possibility of extending the cycle life of battery systems by using a charging profile that minimizes cell damage. Only nickel-hydrogen cells are discussed at this time, but applications to lithium-ion cells are being considered. The process first requires the development of a fractional calculus based nonlinear dynamic model of the specific cells being used. The parameters of this model are determined from the cell transient responses. To extend cell cycle life, an instantaneous damage rate model is developed. The model is based on cycle life data and is highly dependent on cell voltage. Once both the cell dynamic model and the instantaneous damage rate model have been determined, the charging profile for a specific cell is determined by numerical optimization. Results concerning the percentage life extension for different charging strategies are presented. The overall procedure is readily adaptable to real-time implementations where the charging profile can maintain its minimum damage nature as the specific cell ages.

Hartley, Tom T.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Evaluation of a load cell model for dynamic calibration of the rotor systems research aircraft

The Rotor Systems Research Aircraft uses load cells to isolate the rotor/transmission system from the fuselage. An analytical model of the relationship between applied rotor loads and the resulting load cell measurements is derived by applying a force-and-moment balance to the isolated rotor/transmission system. The model is then used to estimate the applied loads from measured load cell data, as obtained from a ground-based shake test. Using nominal design values for the parameters, the estimation errors, for the case of lateral forcing, were shown to be on the order of the sensor measurement noise in all but the roll axis. An unmodeled external load appears to be the source of the error in this axis.

Duval, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Conceptual Design and Dynamics Testing and Modeling of a Mars Tumbleweed Rover

The NASA Langley Research Center has been developing a novel concept for a Mars planetary rover called the Mars Tumbleweed. This concept utilizes the wind to propel the rover along the Mars surface, bringing it the potential to cover vast distances not possible with current Mars rover technology. This vehicle, in its deployed configuration, must be large and lightweight to provide the ratio of drag force to rolling resistance necessary to initiate motion from rest on the Mars surface. One Tumbleweed design concept that satisfies these considerations is called the Eggbeater-Dandelion. This paper describes the basic design considerations and a proposed dynamics model of the concept for use in simulation studies. It includes a summary of rolling/bouncing dynamics tests that used videogrammetry to better understand, characterize, and validate the dynamics model assumptions, especially the effective rolling resistance in bouncing/rolling dynamic conditions. The dynamics test used cameras to capture the motion of 32 targets affixed to a test article s outer structure. Proper placement of the cameras and alignment of their respective fields of view provided adequate image resolution of multiple targets along the trajectory as the test article proceeded down the ramp. Image processing of the frames from multiple cameras was used to determine the target positions. Position data from a set of these test runs was compared with results of a three dimensional, flexible dynamics model. Model input parameters were adjusted to match the test data for runs conducted. This process presented herein provided the means to characterize the dynamics and validate the simulation of the Eggbeater-Dandelion concept. The simulation model was used to demonstrate full scale Tumbleweed motion from a stationary condition on a flat-sloped terrain using representative Mars environment parameters.

Calhoun Philip C.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Model-Free Dynamic Voltage Control of Distributed Energy Resource (DER)-Based Microgrids

In this paper, we present a new control technique for sustaining dynamic voltage stability by effective reactive power control and coordination of distributed energy resources (DERs) in microgrids. The proposed control technique is based on model-free control (MFC), which has shown successful operation and improved performance in different domains and applications. This paper presents its first use in the voltage stability of a microgrid setting employing multiple synchronous generator (SG)-based and power electronic (PE)-based DERs. MFC is a computationally efficient, data-driven control technique that does not require modelling of the different components and disturbances in the power system. It is utilized as an online controller to achieve the dynamic voltage stability of a microgrid system under different disturbances and fault conditions. A 21-bus microgrid system fed by multiple DERs is considered as a case study and the overall dynamic voltage stability is investigated using time-domain dynamic simulations. Numerical results show that the proposed MFC provides improvements on the dynamic load bus voltage profiles and requires less computational time as compared to the traditional enhanced microgrid voltage stabilizer (EMGVS) scheme. Due to its simplicity and low computational requirement, MFC can be easily implemented in resource-constrained computing devices such as smart inverters.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1986

Contact dynamics math model

The Space Station Mechanism Test Bed consists of a hydraulically driven, computer controlled six degree of freedom (DOF) motion system with which docking, berthing, and other mechanisms can be evaluated. Measured contact forces and moments are provided to the simulation host computer to enable representation of orbital contact dynamics. This report describes the development of a generalized math model which represents the relative motion between two rigid orbiting vehicles. The model allows motion in six DOF for each body, with no vehicle size limitation. The rotational and translational equations of motion are derived. The method used to transform the forces and moments from the sensor location to the vehicles' centers of mass is also explained. Two math models of docking mechanisms, a simple translational spring and the Remote Manipulator System end effector, are presented along with simulation results. The translational spring model is used in an attempt to verify the simulation with compensated hardware in the loop results.

Glaese, John R.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhanced accuracy through ensembling of randomly initialized auto-regressive models for dynamical systems

Computational mechanics simulations using traditional finite element methods (FEM) require prohibitively expensive computational resources for real-time engineering applications, design optimization, and digital twin implementations. While machine learning (ML) surrogate models offer significant computational speedups, autoregressive ML models for time-dependent mechanical systems suffer from error accumulation that compromises long-term prediction reliability - a critical concern for engineering applications where accuracy over extended time horizons is essential for safety and performance assessments. Here, we propose a deep ensemble framework specifically designed to address this challenge in computational mechanics applications, where multiple ML surrogate models with random weight initializations are trained in parallel and their predictions aggregated during inference. This approach leverages statistical diversity to maximize information gain from a fixed set of training data and to mitigate error propagation, while maintaining the computational efficiency that makes ML surrogates attractive for engineering practice. We validate the framework on three representative problems spanning critical areas of computational mechanics: stress field evolution in heterogeneous microstructures under complex loading (relevant to advanced materials design and composite analysis), planetary-scale shallow water dynamics (applicable to environmental and geotechnical engineering), and Gray-Scott reaction-diffusion systems (relevant to mass transport and chemical process engineering). Across all test cases, the ensemble approach demonstrates consistent error reduction of 15-33% compared to individual models. The codes for this work are available on GitHub (https://github.com/Graham-Brady-Research-Group/AutoregressiveEnsemble_SpatioTemporal_Evolution).

autoregressive prediction↗
NASA NTRS2010

Modeling Attitude Dynamics in Simulink: A Study of the Rotational and Translational Motion of a Spacecraft Given Torques and Impulses Generated by RMS Hand Controllers

In order to study and control the attitude of a spacecraft, it is necessary to understand the natural motion of a body in orbit. Assuming a spacecraft to be a rigid body, dynamics describes the complete motion of the vehicle by the translational and rotational motion of the body. The Simulink Attitude Analysis Model applies the equations of rigid body motion to the study of a spacecraft?s attitude in orbit. Using a TCP/IP connection, Matlab reads the values of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) hand controllers and passes them to Simulink as specified torque and impulse profiles. Simulink then uses the governing kinematic and dynamic equations of a rigid body in low earth orbit (LE0) to plot the attitude response of a spacecraft for five seconds given known applied torques and impulses, and constant principal moments of inertia.

Mauldin, Rebecca H.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Observing, analyzing, and modeling mesoscale weather phenomena

The objective of the paper is to place current research into mesoscale weather phenomena in proper perspective, and to discuss key problems to be addressed in the coming years. Key observing systems and field programs are examined, along with analysis techniques in context of the dynamic models with which they interact. The discussion covers different classes of dynamic models, including prediction models, simulation models, and parameterization schemes.

Kreitzberg, C. W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Modeling Personnel Turnover in the Parametric Organization

A primary issue in organizing a new parametric cost analysis function is to determine the skill mix and number of personnel required. The skill mix can be obtained by a functional decomposition of the tasks required within the organization and a matrixed correlation with educational or experience backgrounds. The number of personnel is a function of the skills required to cover all tasks, personnel skill background and cross training, the intensity of the workload for each task, migration through various tasks by personnel along a career path, personnel hiring limitations imposed by management and the applicant marketplace, personnel training limitations imposed by management and personnel capability, and the rate at which personnel leave the organization for whatever reason. Faced with the task of relating all of these organizational facets in order to grow a parametric cost analysis (PCA) organization from scratch, it was decided that a dynamic model was required in order to account for the obvious dynamics of the forming organization. The challenge was to create such a simple model which would be credible during all phases of organizational development. The model development process was broken down into the activities of determining the tasks required for PCA, determining the skills required for each PCA task, determining the skills available in the applicant marketplace, determining the structure of the dynamic model, implementing the dynamic model, and testing the dynamic model.

Dean, Edwin B.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Coupling a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Model to a Spacecraft Thermal System Model for the DraMS Instrument Thermal Analysis

The Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS) is an instrument on the Dragonfly mission, which will spend 7 years in deep space cruise before landing and operating on the surface of Titan. Vacuum thermal analyses are required for deep space cruise, and convection analyses are required for the Titan surface operations. Model exchanges across multiple thermal teams are needed for all phases of the mission. For DraMS, Thermal Desktop (TD) has been the main thermal analytical tool of choice due to its capability in modeling complex thermal systems with relatively low computational power and for its availability across thermal teams. However, TD does not have computational fluid dynamics (CFD) capability and struggles to accurately capture complex convective behavior. DraMS has fans operating in tandem and gas flow behaviors are not easily predicted due to its complex flow paths. CFD software, such as Fluent, can model and predict such complex flow behaviors, but CFD models are computationally expensive, and its workflow processes are not tailored towards simulating large and complex systems. Therefore, a coupled modeling approach was chosen for DraMS: A TD model was used for simulating all the conductive, radiative, and source terms, while a Fluent CFD model was added on, as needed, to the TD model to provide the convective boundary conditions using the System Coupling software. The coupling software allows the TD and Fluent models to communicate data and arrive at a co-solved and co-converged solution. Furthermore, Thermal Iso-value Exchange (TIE) method was developed to facilitate and improve the TD-Fluent data exchange process. This paper will discuss the analytical studies that were done to verify the accuracy and usability of the coupled approach and the challenges associated, which lead to the development of the TIE approach. DraMS thermal design and co-solved analysis results will also be discussed.

heat transfer↗
NASA NTRS2010

Photoionization Modeling

Warm absorber spectra are characterized by the many lines from partially ionized intermediate-Z elements, and iron, detected with the grating instruments on Chandra and XMM-Newton. If these ions are formed in a gas which is in photoionization equilibrium, they correspond to a broad range of ionization parameters, although there is evidence for certain preferred values. A test for any dynamical model for these outflows is to reproduce these properties, at some level of detail. In this paper we present a statistical analysis of the ionization distribution which can be applied both the observed spectra and to theoretical models. As an example, we apply it to our dynamical models for warm absorber outflows, based on evaporation from the molecular torus.

Kallman, T.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Fixed gain and adaptive techniques for rotorcraft vibration control

The results of an analysis effort performed to demonstrate the feasibility of employing approximate dynamical models and frequency shaped cost functional control law desgin techniques for helicopter vibration suppression are presented. Both fixed gain and adaptive control designs based on linear second order dynamical models were implemented in a detailed Rotor Systems Research Aircraft (RSRA) simulation to validate these active vibration suppression control laws. Approximate models of fuselage flexibility were included in the RSRA simulation in order to more accurately characterize the structural dynamics. The results for both the fixed gain and adaptive approaches are promising and provide a foundation for pursuing further validation in more extensive simulation studies and in wind tunnel and/or flight tests.

Roy, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1987

A study of the adequacy of quasi-geostrophic dynamics for modeling the effect of frontal cyclones on the larger scale flow

The evolution of individual cyclone waves is studied in order to see how well quasi-geostrophic (QG) dynamics can simulate the behavior of primitive equations (PE) dynamics. This work is an extension of a similar study (Mudrick, 1982); emphasis is placed here on adding a frontal zone and other more diverse features to the basic states used. In addition, sets of PE integrations, with and without friction, are used to study the formation of surface occluded fronts within the evolving cyclones. Results of the study are summarized at the beginning of the report.

Mudrick, Stephen↗
NASA NTRS1990

Toward modeling a dynamic biological neural network

The organization of a mammalian macular endorgan is interpreted on physical and engineering principles. Having accomplished this task, it is possible to mathematically and symbolically model information processing by the macular neural network. A complex symbolic model is produced through use of mathematical notations that describe the functioning system. The model, consisting of six tiers, is constructed to mimic the neural system. On the basis of initial simulations, it is concluded that the network functions best when some of the detecting elements (i.e., type I hair cells) are weakly inhibitory. The simulations also illustrate the importance of disinhibition of receptors located in the third tier in shaping nerve discharge patterns at the sixth tier in the model system.

Ross, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Neural network application to aircraft control system design

The feasibility of using artificial neural networks as control systems for modern, complex aerospace vehicles is investigated via an example aircraft control design study. The problem considered is that of designing a controller for an integrated airframe/propulsion longitudinal dynamics model of a modern fighter aircraft to provide independent control of pitch rate and airspeed responses to pilot command inputs. An explicit model following controller using H infinity control design techniques is first designed to gain insight into the control problem as well as to provide a baseline for evaluation of the neurocontroller. Using the model of the desired dynamics as a command generator, a multilayer feedforward neural network is trained to control the vehicle model within the physical limitations of the actuator dynamics. This is achieved by minimizing an objective function which is a weighted sum of tracking errors and control input commands and rates. To gain insight in the neurocontrol, linearized representations of the nonlinear neurocontroller are analyzed along a commanded trajectory. Linear robustness analysis tools are then applied to the linearized neurocontroller models and to the baseline H infinity based controller. Future areas of research are identified to enhance the practical applicability of neural networks to flight control design.

Troudet, Terry↗
NASA NTRS1991

Neural network application to aircraft control system design

The feasibility of using artificial neural network as control systems for modern, complex aerospace vehicles is investigated via an example aircraft control design study. The problem considered is that of designing a controller for an integrated airframe/propulsion longitudinal dynamics model of a modern fighter aircraft to provide independent control of pitch rate and airspeed responses to pilot command inputs. An explicit model following controller using H infinity control design techniques is first designed to gain insight into the control problem as well as to provide a baseline for evaluation of the neurocontroller. Using the model of the desired dynamics as a command generator, a multilayer feedforward neural network is trained to control the vehicle model within the physical limitations of the actuator dynamics. This is achieved by minimizing an objective function which is a weighted sum of tracking errors and control input commands and rates. To gain insight in the neurocontrol, linearized representations of the nonlinear neurocontroller are analyzed along a commanded trajectory. Linear robustness analysis tools are then applied to the linearized neurocontroller models and to the baseline H infinity based controller. Future areas of research identified to enhance the practical applicability of neural networks to flight control design.

Troudet, Terry↗