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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 1,117 records · Page 62

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NASA NTRS1976

Heat transfer evaluation in a plasma core reactor

Numerical evaluations of heat transfer in a fissioning uranium plasma core reactor cavity, operating with seeded hydrogen propellant, was performed. A two-dimensional analysis is based on an assumed flow pattern and cavity wall heat exchange rate. Various iterative schemes were required by the nature of the radiative field and by the solid seed vaporization. Approximate formulations of the radiative heat flux are generally used, due to the complexity of the solution of a rigorously formulated problem. The present work analyzes the sensitivity of the results with respect to approximations of the radiative field, geometry, seed vaporization coefficients and flow pattern. The results present temperature, heat flux, density and optical depth distributions in the reactor cavity, acceptable simplifying assumptions, and iterative schemes. The present calculations, performed in cartesian and spherical coordinates, are applicable to any most general heat transfer problem.

Smith, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Plasma core reactor applications

Analytical and experimental investigations were conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of fissioning uranium plasma core reactors and to characterize space and terrestrial applications for such reactors. Uranium hexafluoride fuel is injected into core cavities and confined away from the surface by argon buffer gas injected tangentially from the peripheral walls. Radiant heat transfer calculations were performed for a six-cavity reactor configuration. Axial working fluid channels are located along a fraction of each cavity peripheral wall. Results of calculations for outward-directed radiant energy fluxes corresponding to radiating temperatures of 2000 to 5000 K indicate total operating pressures from 80 to 650 atm, centerline temperatures from 6900 to 30,000 K, and total radiated powers from 25 to 2500 MW, respectively. Applications are described for this type of reactor such as (1) high-thrust, high specific impulse space propulsion, (2) highly efficient systems for generation of electricity, and (3) hydrogen or synthetic fuel production systems using the intense radiant energy fluxes.

Latham, T. S.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Coupling apparatus for ultrasonic medical diagnostic system

An apparatus for the ultrasonic scanning of a breast or other tissue is reported that contains a cavity for receiving the breast, a vacuum for drawing the breast into intimate contact with the walls of the cavity, and transducers coupled through a fluid to the cavity to transmit sound waves through the breast. Each transducer lies at the end of a tapered chamber which has flexible walls and which is filled with fluid, so that the transducer can be moved in a raster pattern while the chamber walls flex accordingly, with sound transmission always occurring through the fluid.

Frazer, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Solar-pumped lasers for space power transmission

Multi-Megawatt CW solar-pumped lasers appear to be technologically feasible for space power transmission in the 1990s time frame. A new concept for a solar-pumped laser is presented which utilizes an intermediate black body cavity to provide a uniform optical pumping environment for the lasant, either CO or CO2. Reradiation losses are minimized with resulting high efficiency operation. A 1 MW output laser may weigh as little as 8000 kg including solar collector, black body cavity, laser cavity and ducts, pumps, power systems and waste heat radiator. The efficiency of such a system will be on the order of 10 to 20%. Details of the new concept, laser design, comparison to competing solar-powered lasers and applications to a laser solar power satellite (SPS) concept are presented.

Taussig, R.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Superconducting gyrocon would be very efficient

Cryogenic operation of gyrocon increases gain by more than 35 dB and efficiency by 90 percent. Device consists of electron gun, deflection cavity output cavity, collector, and output coupler. Inout and output cavities are made of superconducting lead or niobium. Gyrocon operates at frquencies up to 50 GHz.

Yen, H. C.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Line spread instrumentation for propagation measurements

A line spread device capable of yielding direct measure of a laser beam's line spread function (LSF) was developed and employed in propagation tests conducted in a wind tunnel to examine optimal acoustical suppression techniques for laser cavities exposed to simulated aircraft aerodynamic environments. Measurements were made on various aerodynamic fences and cavity air injection techniques that effect the LSF of a propagating laser. Using the quiescent tunnel as a control, the relative effect of each technique on laser beam quality was determined. The optical instrument employed enabled the comparison of relative beam intensity for each fence or mass injection. It was found that fence height had little effect on beam quality but fence porosity had a marked effect, i.e., 58% porosity alleviated cavity resonance and degraded the beam the least. Mass injection had little effect on the beam LSF. The use of a direct LSF measuring device proved to be a viable means of determining aerodynamic seeing qualities of flow fields.

Bailey, W. H., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Disturbances observed near Ganymede by Voyager 2

In the present paper, it is suggested that the observation of cavities near Ganymede can be explained by a model which postulates that Ganymede continuously creates a cavity that is stretched out into a sheet along X by rotation and is spatially distorted by a spectrum of Alfven waves with perturbations along Y and with wavelengths comparable to the size of the field lines passing through Ganymede. Possible causes of the cavities are examined.

Burlaga, L. F.↗

NASA NTRS1980

The role of fallback ejecta in the modification of impact craters

The physical processes responsible for the deposition of fragments of target material ejected from the transient cavity of an impact crater within the crater are discussed and quantities of fallback ejecta deposited in impact craters formed on different planetary surfaces are estimated. Consideration is given to the relative importance of in-flight particle collisions and atmospheric particle deceleration, and a model of the aerodynamic deceleration of fallback ejecta is developed. When applied to Meteor Crater in Arizona, the model predicts 5% of the primary ejecta, with an average fragment size of 1.4 cm, to have fallen back into the crater, in agreement with empirical studies of the crater fallback deposit, thus indicating atmospheric deceleration to be the principal mechanism for fallback deposition on earth. The model also predicts the proportion of primary ejecta to be deposited as fallback to increase with excavation cavity diameter on the earth. Model estimates also suggest that more than half of the primary ejecta from large-scale Venusian cavities should be redeposited as fallback, while relatively small amounts of fallback are expected for lunar and Martian craters.

Settle, M.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Installing fiber insulation

A method for installing fragile, high temperature insulation batting in an elongated cavity or in a resilient wire sleeve to form a resilient seal. The batting is preformed to rough dimensions and wrapped in a plastic film, the film being of a material which is fugitive at a high temperature. The film is heat sealed and trimmed to form a snugly fit skin which overlaps at least at one end to permit attachment of a pull cord. The film absorbs the tensile force of pulling the film enclosed batting through the cavity or wire mesh sleeve and is subsequently driven off by high temperature baking, leaving only the insulation in the cavity or wire mesh sleeve.

Wang, D. S.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Microwave plasma generation of hydrogen atoms for rocket propulsion

A flow microwave plasma reaction system is used to study the conversion of hydrogen to hydrogen atoms as a function of pressure, power density, cavity tuning, cavity mode, and time in the plasma zone. Hydrogen atom concentration is measured down-stream from the plasma by NOCl titration. Extensive modeling of the plasma and recombination zones is performed with the plasma zone treated as a backmix reaction system and the recombination zone treated as a plug flow. The thermodynamics and kinetics of the recombination process are examined in detail to provide an understanding of the conversion of recombination energy to gas kinetic energy. It is found that cavity tuning, discharge stability, and optimum power coupling are critically dependent on the system pressure, but nearly independent of the flow rate.

Chapman, R.↗

NASA NTRS1982

A method and technique for installing light-weight fragile, high-temperature fiber insulation

A method of installing fragile, light-weight, high-temperature fiber insulation, particularly where the insulation is to be used as a seal strip providing a high order of thermal barrier insulation is described. The process is based on provision of a strip of the mineral batting cut oversize by a predetermined amount, saturated in a fugitive polymer solution, compressed in a mold, dried and cured to form a rigidized batting material which may be machined to required shape. The machined dimensions would normally be at least nominally less than the dimensions of the cavity to be sealed. After insertion in the cavity, which may be a wire-mesh seal enclosure, the apparatus is subjected to baking at a temperature sufficiently high to cause the resin to burn off cleanly, leaving the batting substantially in its original condition and expanded into the cavity or seal enclosure.

Ballantine, T. J.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Spiral slotted phased antenna array

A flush mounting, cavity-backed, dual orthogonal slot antenna for aircraft and space vehicles is described. Improved radiation pattern characteristics are obtained by making the spiral slot pattern elliptical in the aperture plane. A cavity and a flanged aperture plate are configured such that one slot pair is orthogonal with respect to another slot pair within the aperture plate. Coaxial split-tube baluns are used to drive the junctions between corresponding slot pairs. An optional cavity dielectric is provided and a drive coupling arrangement includes a four port comparator hybrid having sum and difference ports respectively, for alternate excitation to produce a single lobe or a double lobe pattern with null. Switching apparatus is provided to connect a common terminal to either of the ports.

Ellis, H., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Double layer formation

An investigation is conducted of the plasma processes which occur during the formation of a double layer in response to an applied initial electric field, when triggered by a current in the plasma. The important feature of the formation process was the creation of an ion-rich plasma-density cavity. The positive space charge of the cavity was shielded by induction of a negative space charge on the low potential side of the cavity, giving rise to the formation of a fully developed double layer. The shielding was complete only when the electron current from the low potential side exceeded the electron thermal current. It was found that during the formation of double layers counterstreaming electrons are generated. Moreover, transient double layers with reverse polarity also occur during this phase. Thus, the recurring formation of double layers can give rise to flickering double layers.

Singh, N.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Hydrogen Masers as Time and Frequency Standards

Track each other with 100 times more precision than cesium standards. Geographically separated hydrogen masers tracked each other for more than year to within few parts in 10 to the 15th power. Frequency offset of hydrogen-maser output from hyperfine line frequency is function of ambient magnetic field, cavity mistuning, thermal motion of atoms in cavity and collisions of atoms with walls of the cavity. If maser remains at one location some of small offsets in frequency will remain constant throughout life of maser.

Ward, S. C.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Measurement and evaluation of swirl-type flow in labyrinth seals of conventional turbine stages

The effects of load factor and rotor eccentricity were determined on flow conditions in test series for two stages. The results indicate that swirl-type entry flow follows the rules of potential swirl. Within the labyrinth cavities two spatial separated flow areas are considered. A dominating flow in periphera direction nearly fills the space between the sealing strips and the ceiling of the cavity. Below this flow, an area of axial mass transport is situated, with a slight peripheral component, limited on the nearest surroundings of the seals gap and the rotor surface. Between both flows, an exchange of energy takes place. Within the gaps, flow direction depends on axial velocity and therefore on variable flow contraction. A balance of energy within the seal and the cavities interprets the results of lateral force measurements as an influence of friction at the sealing strips surface and the rotating shaft surface. Stages with their blades put together in buckets by means of shrouding segments are particularly influenced by the rotating speed of the shrouding.

Hauck, L.↗

NASA NTRS1982

A dispersion law for solar oscillations

The simple model of p-mode solar oscillations of Liebacher and Stein (1981), in which the acoustic vibrations are trapped in a resonant cavity taking the form of a spherical shell below the solar surface, is compared with Doppler shift observations of vertical velocities. The model is shown to predict a modified dispersion law in which the sound travel time across the cavity is a function of the ratio of the temporal frequency to the horizontal wavenumber, resulting in a single curve when the temporal frequency is plotted against the wavenumber. Frequencies derived from a two-dimensional power spectrum of velocity observations are found to conform to a modified version of the dispersion relation, and that only when the fundamental mode is excluded. Results thus suggest that all modes with the same frequency/wavenumber ratio are trapped in an identical cavity, or, more plausibly, that the difference in upper boundary conditions for different modes has minimal effect on the resulting frequencies.

Duvall, T. L., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Performance characteristics of a microwave plasma disk ion source

The development, design, and preliminary performance characteristics of a microwave plasma disk ion source are presented. Several important design concepts indigenous to microwave plasmas have been utilized in the development of this ion source: generation of a resonantly sustained microwave discharge inside a microwave/plasma coupler, probe and length tuning of the microwave/plasma coupler, and minimization of plasma volume. The experimental results for a 2.45 GHz, eight cm ion source excited in the TE(211) and TM(011) modes are described. Results are presented for electromagnetic mode excitation, electron density, coupling efficiency and loaded cavity Q, and I-V characteristics and efficiencies. It is preliminarily shown that a microwave disk-like plasma can be sustained adjacent to the grids with either TE or TM cavity modes at pressures below 2 x 10 to the -4th torr. Over 80% of the power absorbed in the cavity is coupled into the plasma.

Asmussen, J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Fluidized-Bed Reactor System

Gas pyrolysis in hot fluidized beds minimized by use of selectively filtered radiation and parabolic cavity. Reactor is parabolic cavity of two or more axes in which light emanating from one axis bounces off walls of cavity and passes through object axis to heat sample.

Morrison, A. D.↗