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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 1,135 records · Page 63

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2016

Design, Development, and Testing of a Water Vapor Exchanger for Spacecraft Life Support Systems

Thermal and environmental control systems for future exploration spacecraft must meet challenging requirements for efficient operation and conservation of resources. Maximizing the use of regenerative systems and conserving water are critical considerations. This paper describes the design, development, and testing of an innovative water vapor exchanger (WVX) that can minimize the amount of water absorbed in, and vented from, regenerative CO2 removal systems. Key design requirements for the WVX are high air flow capacity (suitable for a crew of six), very high water recovery, and very low pressure losses. We developed fabrication and assembly methods that enable high-efficiency mass transfer in a uniform and stable array of Nafion tubes. We also developed analysis and design methods to compute mass transfer and pressure losses. We built and tested subscale units sized for flow rates of 2 and 5 cu ft/min (3.4–8.5 cu m/hr). Durability testing demonstrated that a stable core geometry was sustained over many humid/dry cycles. Pressure losses were very low (less than 0.5 in. H2O (125 Pa) total) and met requirements at prototypical flow rates. We measured water recovery efficiency across a range of flow rates and humidity levels that simulate the range of possible cabin conditions. We measured water recovery efficiencies in the range of 80 to 90%, with the best efficiency at lower flow rates and higher cabin humidity levels. We compared performance of the WVX with similar units built using an unstructured Nafion tube bundle. The WVX achieves higher water recovery efficiency with nearly an order of magnitude lower pressure drop than unstructured tube bundles. These results show that the WVX provides uniform flow through flow channels for both the humid and dry streams and can meet requirements for service on future exploration spacecraft. The WVX technology will be best suited for long-duration exploration vehicles that require regenerative CO2 removal systems while needing to conserve water.

Izenson, Michael G.↗

NASA NTRS1974

A system of automated processing of deep water hydrological information

An automated system for primary and scientific analysis of deep water hydrological information is presented. Primary processing of the data in this system is carried out on a drifting station, which also calculates the parameters of vertical stability of the sea layers, as well as their depths and altitudes. Methods of processing the raw data are described.

Romantsov, V. A.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Wastewater reuse benefits for municipal complete retention lagoons: Life cycle assessment and dynamic modeling

Complete retention lagoons with wastewater reuse for agricultural purposes may offer sustainability advantages over alternative systems for small communities in semiarid regions. This study quantifies the environmental life cycle impact of adopting agriculture water reuse systems using case study data to estimate operating and building infrastructure impacts and spatial–temporal modeling to quantify resource trade-offs. Water reuse system benefits are highly dependent on supply–storage–demand dynamics. The relative size of irrigated agricultural land to the lagoon size was the most significant factor influencing site water application rates. The benefits are sensitive to changes in air emissions occurring from the agricultural land and further emphasize the importance of proper fertilizer management when adopting water reuse systems. Wastewater reuse from complete retention lagoons reduce life cycle GHG emissions, primarily through excavation reductions, offset fertilizer use, and especially from increased crop yields from wastewater reuse at previously rainfed sites.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

Predictability and feedbacks of the ocean-soil-plant-atmosphere water cycle: deep learning water conductance in Earth System Model

This white paper responds to Focal Area 2. We seek to build predictive models of leaf and surface conductance of water by implementing deep learning (DL) data assimilation techniques. These new models would then be implemented in existing Land Surface Models (LSMs) and Earth System models (ESMs), generating novel water cycle feedbacks. In doing so, we would improve predictability of expected changes in land precipitation, soil moisture, and vegetation dynamics in the long-term, and the role of land cover on the impacts and feedbacks of extreme weather events in the short-term

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

Synthesis and characterization of porous polydimethylsiloxane structures with adjustable porosity and pore morphology using emulsion templating technique

Abstract Porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) framework with adjustable pore structures has been fabricated by polymerization of the continuous phase in the emulsion templates. Different types of surfactants, including nonionic (Triton X‐100), cationic (Benzalkonium chloride), anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate), and silicone‐based block copolymer were used to stabilize the water‐in‐oil emulsion system. Deionized water with a wide range of internal phases varying from 10% to 60% by weight was employed to make the low internal phase emulsion and medium internal phase emulsion. The effect of surfactant type, surfactant concentration, and the internal phase volume on the stability of the emulsion, pore morphology, and pore size distribution was explored. The stability of the emulsion was investigated by comparing the pore morphology of the cured sample at different set times, such as 0, 6, and 72 h. Scanning electron microscopy was employed for the characterization of the porous structures. The image analysis was conducted, and the pore size distribution, porosity, and open‐cell ratio of each sample were calculated. Interconnected pores have been seen in the porous PDMS made from emulsions with an internal phase larger than 30%. The results demonstrated that the frequency of open‐cell pores and the pore size is dependent on the surfactant types.

Abshirini, Mohammad↗

DOE OSTI2021

Optimization of Tape Casting for Fabrication of Li 6.25 Al 0.25 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 Sheets

Tape casting is an attractive technology for the scalable manufacturing of thin lithium garnet electrolyte (LLZO) layers for solid state battery applications. Processing of LLZO is complicated by many factors including lithium volatilization, abnormal grain growth, and phase instability, which are exacerbated by high surface area to volume ratios. In this work a sintering protocol for commercially available Li 6.25 Al 0.25 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 Sheets (Al-LLZO) powder was developed that requires no mother-powder covering or externally applied pressure. MgO was investigated as a sintering additive to improve density and ionic conductivity of the Al-LLZO sheets and produce a fine-grained microstructure. Al-LLZO sheets with 5 wt % MgO had densities of > 90% and ionic conductivity > 2 × 10 -4 S/cm. The optimized ceramic composition and sintering protocol were used to compare several tape casting binder systems. A "green"water-based system using methylcellulose as a binder was developed with green and final properties comparable to those obtained with solvent-based systems.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

NASA NTRS1979

Summary results from the NASA Tech House one year live-in

The NASA Tech House was designed and constructed at the Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., to demonstrate and evaluate new technology potentially applicable for conservation of energy and resources and for improvements in safety and security in a single-family residence. All technology items, including solar energy systems and a waste water reuse system, were evaluated under actual living conditions for a one-year period with a family of four living in the house in their normal life style. Results are presented which show overall savings in energy and resources compared to requirements for a defined similar conventional house under the same conditions. Also included are general operational experience and performance data for all the various items and systems of technology incorporated into the house design.

Hamlet, I. L.↗

NASA NTRS1979

DOE/NASA SIMS Prototype Solar System, no. 4. Part 1: Market analysis. Part 2: Modular manufacturing cost estimate

The findings of the IIT Research Institute (IITRI) market study of the SIMS Prototype System 4, a hot water (DHW) system are documented. The feasibility of prepackaging currently available solar heating components into modular subsystems for site assembly is addressed. A documented design and installation procedure and a performance test report were prepared. The potential markets and applications for this particular system in the nonfederal market are profiled by assessing the needs and requirements of potential users and specifiers, by characterizing the nature of the market and the competitive environment, by identifying the barriers to commercial acceptance, and by estimating the size of the potential market.

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NASA NTRS1984

The development status of candidate life support technology for a space station

The establishment of a permanently-manned Space Station has recently been selected as the next major step in the U.S. space program. The requirements of a manned operations base in space appear to be best satisfied by on-board Environmental Control/Life Support Systems (ECLSS) which are free from, or have minimum dependence on, use of expendables and the frequent earth resupply missions which are part of systems using expendables. The present investigation is concerned with the range of regenerative life support system options which NASA is developing to be available for the Space Station designer. An air revitalization system is discussed, taking into account devices concerned with the carbon dioxide concentration, approaches of CO2 reduction, oxygen generation, trace contaminant control, and atmospheric quality monitoring. Attention is also given to an independent air revitalization system, nitrogen generation, a water reclamation system, a waste management system, applications of the technology, and future development requirements.

Samonski, F. H., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1987

An overview of Japanese CELSS research activities

Development of Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) technology is inevitable for future long duration stays of human beings in space, for lunar base construction and for manned Mars flight programs. CELSS functions can be divided into 2 categories, Environmental Control and Material Recycling. Temperature, humidity, total atmospheric pressure and partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide, necessary for all living things, are to be controlled by the environment control function. This function can be performed by technologies already developed and used as the Environment Control Life Support System (ECLSS) of Space Shuttle and Space Station. As for material recycling, matured technologies have not yet been established for fully satisfying the specific metabolic requirements of each living thing including human beings. Therefore, research activities for establishing CELSS technology should be focused on material recycling technologies using biological systems such as plants and animals and physico-chemical systems, for example, a gas recycling system, a water purifying and recycling system and a waste management system. Japanese research activities were conducted and will be continued accordingly.

Nitta, Keiji↗

NASA NTRS1989

Space shuttle Production Verification Motor 1 (PV-1) static fire

All inspection and instrumentation data indicate that the PV-1 static test firing conducted 18 Aug. 1988 was successful. With the exception of the intentionally flawed joints and static test modifications, PV-1 was flight configuration. Fail-safe flaws guaranteeing pressure to test the sealing capability of primary O-rings were included in the aft field joint, case-to-nozzle joint, and nozzle internal Joint 5. The test was conducted at ambient conditions, with the exception of the field joints and case/nozzle joints which were maintained at a minimum of 75 F. Ballistics performance values were within specification requirements. The PV-1 motor exhibited chamber pressure oscillations similar to previously tested Space Shuttle redesigned solid rocket motors, particularly QM-7. The first longitudinal mode oscillations experienced by PV-1 were the strongest ever measured in a Space Shuttle motor. Investigation into this observation is being conducted. Joint insulation performed as designed with no evidence of gas flow within unflawed forward field joints. The intentionally flawed center and aft case field joint insulation performance was excellent. There was no evidence of hot gas past the center field joint capture feature O-ring, the case-to-nozzle joint primary O-ring, or the aft field joint primary O-ring. O-ring seals and barriers with assured pressure at the flaws showed erosion and heat effect, but all sealed against passage of hot gases with the exception of the aft field joint capture feature O-ring. There was no evidence of erosion, heat effect, or blowby on any O-ring seals or barriers at the unflawed joints. Nozzle performance was nominal with typical erosion. Post-test examination revealed that the forward nose ring was of the old high performance motor design configuration with the 150-deg ply angle. All nozzle components remained intact for post-test evaluation. The thrust vector control system operated correctly. The water deluge system, CO2 quench, and other test equipment performed as planned during all required test operations.

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NASA NTRS1991

Liquid atomization by coaxial rocket injectors

The atomization characteristics of a scaled-down version of a coaxial rocket injector was investigated using a phase Doppler particle analyzer (PDPA). The injector was operated in the conventional mode with liquid being injected through its inner orifice and gas being injected through its outer annulus. The shearing action occurring at the liquid-gas interface causes the liquid jet to atomize. In this study, two different liquid-air systems, namely a water-air system and a liquid nitrogen-gaseous nitrogen system, were chosen for detailed investigation. This paper discusses the performance characteristics of the coaxial injector under different flow and geometric conditions. Specifically, the effects of injection gas pressure and the injector cavity size on variables such as the mean particle diameter, Sauter mean diameter, number density, volume flux, and velocity have been presented.

Sankar, S. V.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Determining the IV fluids required for a ten day medical emergency on Space Station Freedom - Comparison of packaged vs. on-orbit produced solutions

To aid planning for the storage of supplies onboard Space Station Freedom, an estimate was made of the amount of intravenous (IV) fluid required to support a patient who has suffered a medical emergency for a period of up to 10 days. Six different medical scenarios were evaluated, and the volume of IV fluids required for each scenario was estimated. Up to 220 liters of fluid would be required to support a patient for all of the scenarios. When optimizing the volumes to support any single scenario, a total of 123 liters is required. Use of a water polishing system to produce sterile water for injection from potable supplies and on-station formulation of IV fluids results in a smaller mass and volume requirement for the Fluid Therapy Subsystem than carrying prepackaged bags of fluid.

Creager, Gerald J.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Methyl Chloroform Elimination from the Production of Space Shuttle Sold Rocket Motors

Thiokol Space Operations manufactures the Reusable Solid Rocket Motors used to launch America's fleet of Space Shuttles. In 1989, Thiokol used more than 1.4 Mlb of methyl chloroform to produce rocket motors. The ban placed by the Environmental Protection Agency on the sale of methyl chloroform had a significant effect on future Reusable Solid Rocket Motor production. As a result, changes in the materials and processes became necessary. A multiphased plan was established by Thiokol in partnership with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center to eliminate the use of methyl chloroform in the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor production process. Because of the extensive scope of this effort, the plan was phased to target the elimination of the majority of methyl chloroform use (90 percent) by January 1, 1996, the 3 Environmental Protection Agency deadline. Referred to as Phase I, this effort includes the elimination of two large vapor degreasers, grease diluent processes, and propellant tooling handcleaning using methyl chloroform. Meanwhile, a request was made for an essential use exemption to allow the continued use of the remaining 10 percent of methyl chloroform after the 1996 deadline, while total elimination was pursued for this final, critical phase (Phase II). This paper provides an update to three previous presentations prepared for the 1993, 1994, and 1995 CFC/Halon Alternative Conferences, and will outline the overall Ozone Depleting Compounds Elimination Program from the initial phases through the final testing and implementation phases, including facility and equipment development. Processes and materials to be discussed include low-pressure aqueous wash systems, high-pressure water blast systems- environmental shipping containers, aqueous and semi-aqueous cleaning solutions, and bond integrity and inspection criteria. Progress toward completion of facility implementation and lessons learned during the scope of the program, as well as the current development efforts and basic requirements of future methyl chloroform handcleaning elimination, will also be outlined.

Golde, Rick P.↗

NASA NTRS2008

Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES)

To support the eventual development of a nuclear thermal rocket engine, a state-of-the-art experimental test setup has been constructed to evaluate the performance characteristics of candidate fuel element materials and geometries in representative environments. The test device simulates the environmental conditions (minus the radiation) to which nuclear rocket fuel components will be subjected during reactor operation. Test articles mounted in the simulator are inductively heated in such a manner as to accurately reproduce the temperatures and heat fluxes normally expected to occur as a result of nuclear fission while at the same time being exposed to flowing hydrogen. This project is referred to as the Nuclear Thermal Rocket Element Environment Simulator or NTREES. The NTREES device is located at the Marshall Space flight Center in a laboratory which has been modified to accommodate the high powers required to heat the test articles to the required temperatures and to handle the gaseous hydrogen flow required for the tests. Other modifications to the laboratory include the installation of a nitrogen gas supply system and a cooling water supply system. During the design and construction of the facility, every effort was made to comply with all pertinent regulations to provide assurance that the facility could be operated in a safe and efficient manner. The NTREES system can currently supply up to 50 kW of inductive heating to the fuel test articles, although the facility has been sized to eventually allow test article heating levels of up to several megawatts.

Emrich, William J., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2018

Mission analysis for the EM-1 CubeSats EQUULEUS and OMOTENASHI

EQUULEUS is a Lunar L2 orbiter and a 6-Unit CubeSat by JAXA and the University of Tokyo. OMOTENASHI is a 6-Unit CubeSat by JAXA, the world’s smallest Lunar lander. EQUULEUS and OMOTENASHI are among the 13 secondary payloads selected by NASA to be launched with Exploration Mission-1 in 2019. Despite their limited size and cost, EQUULEUS and OMOTENASHI are challenging missions, especially in terms of trajectory design and control. EQUULEUS exploits the Earth-Sun-Moon chaotic dynamics and enter a libration point orbit around the L2 of the Earth-Moon system, using a new water propulsion system with low thrust and little propellant. This “Orbit Control Experiment” is one of the main objectives of the mission. OMOTENASHI executes a semi-hard landing that requires breaking the spacecraft to a stop just a few-hundred meters above the Moon’s surface. Both missions present new and unique challenges, where the design of the nominal trajectory is mainly driven by the constrains on orbital control capabilities, and operational and robustness considerations. This paper presents the current baselines, and give an overview of the new techniques developed for their design.

Oshima, Kenta↗

DOE OSTI2024

Electrification Options for Multi-Family Water Heating in Cold Climates - Final Report

In multi-family buildings, large water storage tanks in centralized domestic hot water (DHW) systems can serve as thermal energy storage (TES) batteries to mitigate grid impact. These systems offer demand shift and efficiency benefits, significantly reducing peak power consumption, particularly in cold climates. This study evaluates the load-shifting benefits of a centralized heat pump water heater (HPWH) system equipped with a CO2 heat pump in multi-family buildings through simulation. The heat pump system and water storage tank are sized using design-day sizing. A finite-element-based stratified tank model and CO2 heat pump performance map from a commercial DHW product are used. Annual simulations are conducted to assess the benefits of the centralized DHW system for energy efficiency improvements, load shifting, and emission reductions. These simulations incorporate utility tariffs and marginal grid emission data from Los Angeles and Chicago. In Los Angeles, using a water tank as a thermal battery achieves 7.4% utility cost savings and 10.2% emission reduction. In Chicago, compared to HPWH conventional operation without preheating, TES-enabled central HPWH provides 15% utility cost savings and 13% emission reduction. The case study demonstrates that the demand reduction potential of central CO2 HPWHs is significant in cold climate regions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2019

An efficient three-dimensional rhizosphere modeling capability to study the effect of root system architecture on soil water and reactive transport

This research was to develop a rhizosphere modeling capability for plant-soil interactions by integrating water and ion uptake and release from three dimensional (3D) root systems and 3D variably saturated flow and multicomponent reactive transport in soil. We combined open source software for simulating plant and soil interactions with parallel processing computational technologies to address highly-resolved root system architecture and soil hydrobiogeochemical processes. Simulation capability was demonstrated on Brachypodium distachyon . Our demonstration problem showed that availability of water and plant nutrients is controlled by the interplay between 1) transpiration-driven cycles of water uptake, root zone saturation and desaturation; 2) sorption and desorption via competitive ion exchange; 3) buildup of ions not taken up during kinetic uptake of nutrients/ions from pore water; and 4) advection, dispersion, and diffusion of ions in the soil. The uptake of water and ions by individual roots leads to dynamic, local gradients in ion concentrations. The resulting higher solution ionic strength can lead to increasing sorption of K+ and NH4+ on the soil exchange sites, despite their preferential absorption by roots. The modeling framework makes it possible to explore alternative conceptual models and improve the understanding of the biogeochemical and physical environment within the rhizosphere.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗