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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 1,261 records · Page 70
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

Automated directional solidification system for space processing

The system is to be used under low gravity conditions aboard a sounding rocket. Two complete flight qualified units, each of which includes four individually controllable furnaces capable of operation to as high as 1600 C, were developed with operating and control panels, associated cables, tools, and some spare supplies. Drawings, operating manuals, a user's computer program and reports and papers describing the work and equipment are presented.

Mccreight, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Large area silicon sheet by EFG

The development of a technique for the production of silicon ribbon is discussed. Extensive characterization of the multiple ribbon Furnace 3A main zone temperature profile was performed and the information used to improve uniformity of heating. Irregularities in the main zone heater were associated with growth difficulties at specific cartridge locations, and growth conditions subsequently improved by profiling the main zone heater. Good growth conditions were established in all three cartridge positions. These improvements allowed multiple growth of three 10 cm wide ribbons to be demonstrated for periods of an hour on several occasions. A gas distribution system for the 10 cm cartridge was introduced and demonstrated to lead to improved ambient control during growth. Growth without and with CO2 showed that quality improvement in 10 cm ribbon grown with cold shoes results from ambient manipulation.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1981

Large area sheet task. Advanced dendritic web growth development

The development of a silicon dendritic web growth machine is discussed. Several refinements to the sensing and control equipment for melt replenishment during web growth are described and several areas for cost reduction in the components of the prototype automated web growth furnace are identified. A circuit designed to eliminate the sensitivity of the detector signal to the intensity of the reflected laser beam used to measure melt level is also described. A variable speed motor for the silicon feeder is discussed which allows pellet feeding to be accomplished at a rate programmed to match exactly the silicon removed by web growth.

Duncan, C. S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Effects of plasma spray parameters on two layer thermal barrier

The power level and the type of arc gas used during plasma spraying of a two layer thermal barrier system (TBS) were found to affect the life of the system. Life at 1095 C in a cyclic furnace test was improved by about 140 percent by increasing the power during plasma spray applications of the bond and thermal barrier coatings. This improvement is due to increases in the densities of the bond and thermal barrier coatings by 3 and 5 percent, respectively. These increases in densities are equivalent to about 45 and 30 percent reduction in mean porosities, respectively. The addition of hydrogen to the argon arc gas had the same effect as the reduction in power level and caused a reduction in TBS life.

Stecura, S.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Design, fabrication, and bench testing of a solar chemical receiver

Solar thermal energy can be effectively collected, transported, stored, and utilized by means of a chemical storage and transport system employing the reversible SO2 oxidation reaction. A solar chemical receiver for SO3 thermal decomposition to SO2 and oxygen was analyzed. Bench tests of a ten foot section of a receiver module were conducted with dissociated sulfuric acid (SO3 and H2O) in an electrical furnace. Measured percent conversion of SO3 was 85% of the equilibrium value. Methods were developed to fabricate and assemble a complete receiver module. These methods included applying an aluminide coating to certain exposed surfaces, assembling concentric tubes with a wire spacer, applying a platinum catalyst to the tubing wall, and coiling the entire assembly into the desired configuration.

Summers, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Large area silicon sheet by EFG

A multiple growth run with three 10 cm cartridges was carried out with the best throughput rates and time percentage of simultaneous three ribbon growth achieved to date in this system. Growth speeds were between 3.2 and 3.6 cm/minute on all three cartridges and simultaneous full width growth of three ribbons was achieved 47 percent of the time over the eight hour duration of the experiment. Improvements in instrumentation and in the main zone temperature uniformity were two factors that have led to more reproducible growth conditions in the multiple ribbon furnace.

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NASA NTRS1981

NASA and Deere to study effects of low-g on iron processing

A technical exchange agreement to study the effects of processing iron alloys in microgravity is described. Alloy solidification experiments are to be performed in the low-g facilities at Marshall Space Center. Deere is to prepare and evaluate the samples, and perform thermal characterization studies of the furnace used for melting and solidifying the samples. Experiment planning and analysis are to be performed jointly and data shared between the two parties. The technical exchange concept, developed by NASA to involve the private sector in low gravity research programs, is described. Other low gravity processing fields in which industry is invited to participate are listed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1981

Large area sheet task: Advanced Dendritic Web Growth Development

A melt level control system was implemented to provide stepless silicon feed rates from zero to rates exactly matching the silicon consumed during web growth. Bench tests of the unit were successfully completed and the system mounted in a web furnace for operational verification. Tests of long term temperature drift correction techniques were made; web width monitoring seems most appropriate for feedback purposes. A system to program the initiation of the web growth cycle was successfully tested. A low cost temperature controller was tested which functions as well as units four times as expensive.

Duncan, C. S.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Trends and Techniques for Space Base Electronics

Simulations of various phosphorus and boron diffusions in SOS were completed and a sputtering system, furnaces, and photolithography related equipment were set up. Double layer metal experiments initially utilized wet chemistry techniques. By incorporating ultrasonic etching of the vias, premetal cleaning a modified buffered HF, phosphorus doped vapox, and extended sintering, yields of 98% were obtained using the standard test pattern. A two dimensional modeling program was written for simulating short channel MOSFETs with nonuniform substrate doping. A key simplifying assumption used is that the majority carriers can be represented by a sheet charge at the silicon dioxide silicon interface. Although the program is incomplete, the two dimensional Poisson equation for the potential distribution was achieved. The status of other Z-D MOSFET simulation programs is summarized.

Trotter, J. D.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Comparative evaluation of insulating properties of plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings

A simple method for evaluating the thermal insulating capability of ceramic coatings was devised. It is based on monitoring the temperature of the uncoated back surface of a thin superalloy disk while its front surface, coated with the ceramic material, is exposed to the high-temperature environment of an electric muffle furnace. The results obtained indicate that zirconia containing 8 wt% Y2O3 is a better thermal insulator than barium zirconate or calcium orthosilicate.

Zaplatynsky, I.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Development of processes for the production of low cost silicon dendritic web for solar cells

High area output rates and continuous, automated growth are two key technical requirements for the growth of low-cost silicon ribbons for solar cells. By means of computer-aided furnace design, silicon dendritic web output rates as high as 27 sq cm/min have been achieved, a value in excess of that projected to meet a $0.50 per peak watt solar array manufacturing cost. The feasibility of simultaneous web growth while the melt is replenished with pelletized silicon has also been demonstrated. This step is an important precursor to the development of an automated growth system. Solar cells made on the replenished material were just as efficient as devices fabricated on typical webs grown without replenishment. Moreover, web cells made on a less-refined, pelletized polycrystalline silicon synthesized by the Battelle process yielded efficiencies up to 13% (AM1).

Duncan, C. S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A silicon sheet casting experiment

The casting of silicon blanks for solar cells directly without slicing is an exciting concept. An experiment was performed to investigate the feasibility of developing a machine that casts wafers directly. A Czochralski furnace was modified to accept a graphite ingot-simulating fixture. Silicon was melted in the middle of the ingot simulator in a boron nitride mold. Sample castings showed reasonable crystal size. Solar cells were made from the cast blanks. The performance is reported.

Bickler, D. B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Silicon solar cells with high open-circuit voltage

Open-circuit voltages as high as 0.645 V (AM0-25 C) have been obtained by a new process developed for low-resistivity silicon. The method utilizes high-dose phosphorus implantation, followed by furnace annealing and simultaneous oxide growth to form high-efficiency, shallow junctions. The effect of the thermally grown oxide is a reduction of surface recombination velocity; the oxide also acts as a moderately efficient AR coating. Boron doped silicon with resistivities from 0.1 to 0.3 ohm-cm has been processed according to this sequence; results show highest open-circuit voltage is attained with 0.1-ohm-cm starting material. The effects of bandgap narrowing, caused by high doping concentrations in the junction, were also investigated by implanting phosphorus over a wide range of dose levels.

Minnucci, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Low-cost conversion of polycrystalline silicon into sheet by HEM and FAST

The conversion of polycrystalline silicon to sheet form (the wafers produced are 10 cm x 10 cm cross section with minimum surface damage) by the Heat Exchanger Method (HEM) and multi-wire Fixed Abrasive Slicing Technique (FAST), as a means of reducing the cost of solar arrays for adaptation of photovoltaic technology for terrestrial applications, is given. A schematic of a HEM furnace, which includes a silica crucible, and developments in the HEM process are presented. A new machine for slicing with wire was designed and fabricated. The high-speed slicer has been used to slice 19 wafers per cm from 10 cm diameter crystals. Both HEM and FAST are low-cost processes and they have the potential of giving one of the lowest add-on costs ($6.24 and $6.48 per square meter of sheet respectively, with the combination add-on cost of $14.87 per square meter) of this conversion.

Khattak, C. P.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Low-cost ion implantation and annealing technology for solar cells

Ion implantation and thermal annealing techniques for processing junctions and back surface layers in solar cells are discussed. Standard 10 keV (31)p(+) junction implants and 25 keV (11)B(+) back surface implants in combination with three-step furnace annealing are used for processing a range of silicon materials and device structures. Cells with efficiencies up to 16.5% AM1 are being produced, and large-area terrestrial cells with implanted junctions and back fields being fabricated in pilot production exhibit average efficiencies in excess of 15% AM1. Thermal annealing methods for removal of the radiation damage caused by implantation should be replaced by transient processing techniques in future production. Design studies have been completed for solar cell processing implanters to support 10 MW/yr and 100 MW/yr production lines, and analyses indicate that implantation costs can be reduced to approximately 1 cent/watt.

Kirkpatrick, A. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Degradation of a two-layer thermal barrier coating under thermal cycling

A two-layer plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coating on a directionally solidified nickel-base eutectic alloy substrate was characterized prior to and after thermal cycling to 1095 C in an accelerated furnace test. The coating was comprised of an inner layer of Ni-16.4Cr-5.1Al-0.15Y (wt%) bond coat and an outer layer of ZrO2-7.9Y2O3 (wt%) thermal barrier. Characterization of the bond coat revealed that substantial amounts of yttrium and aluminum were oxidized during plasma-spraying in air. The oxidation of these elements reduced the protective capacity of the bond coat so that, on thermal exposure, severe degradation of the bond coat resulted and large amounts of nickel oxide formed. This nickel oxide was demonstrated to grow outward into the thermal barrier, which appears to have increased the stresses in the thermal barrier and contributed to its failure near the thermal barrier-bond coat interface.

Maier, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Measuring Hydrogen Properties in Aluminum

System in use at Langley Research Center measures concentration and diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in pure aluminum. Principal components are high-temperature ultra-high-vacuum furnace and quadrupole mass spectrometer. Quantities of hydrogen and other gases that evolve from heated metal are measured in real time and correlated with data on aluminum porosity.

Outlaw, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Reflective-Shield Radiative Cooler

Tests show radiative cooler consisting of several thin reflective shields with a slight angle between them redirects flow of heat very effectively. Shield can be used for deflecting virtually any level of thermal radiation can be deflected by technique; but it may be useful in construction reflecting baffles in front of ovens or furnaces.

Petrick, W.↗