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DOE OSTI2020

Coping with Starvation: Contrasting Lipidomic Dynamics in the Cells of Two Sacoglossan Sea Slugs Incorporating Stolen Plastids from the Same Macroalga

Abstract Several species of sacoglossan sea slugs are able to sequester chloroplasts from algae and incorporate them into their cells. However, the ability to maintain functional “stolen” plastids (kleptoplasts) can vary significantly within the Sacoglossa, giving species different capacities to withstand periods of food shortage. The present study provides an insight on the comparative shifts experienced by the lipidome of two sacoglossan sea slug species, Elysia viridis (long-term retention of functional chloroplasts) and Placida dendritica (retention of non-functional chloroplasts). A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry approach was employed to screen the lipidome of specimens from both species feeding on the macroalga Codium tomentosum and after 1-week of starvation. The lipidome of E. viridis was generally unaffected by the absence of food, while that of P. dendritica varied significantly. The retention of functional chloroplasts by E. viridis cells allows this species to endure periods of food shortage, while in P. dendritica a significant reduction in the amount of main lipids was the consequence of the consumption of its own mass to endure starvation. The large proportion of ether phospholipids (plasmalogens) in both sea slug species suggests that these compounds may play a key role in chloroplast incorporation in sea slug cells and/or be involved in the reduction of the oxidative stress resulting from the presence of kleptoplasts.

Rey, Felisa↗

DOE OSTI2017

Bioconversion of distillers’ grains hydrolysates to advanced biofuels by an Escherichia coli co-culture

Here, the first generation bioethanol production utilizes the starch fraction of maize, which accounts for approximately 60% of the ash-free dry weight of the grain. Scale-up of this technology for fuels applications has resulted in a massive supply of distillers’ grains with solubles (DGS) coproduct, which is rich in cellulosic polysaccharides and protein. It was surmised that DGS would be rapidly adopted for animal feed applications, however, this has not been observed based on inconsistency of the product stream and other logistics-related risks, especially toxigenic contaminants. Therefore, efficient valorization of DGS for production of petroleum displacing products will significantly improve the techno-economic feasibility and net energy return of the established starch bioethanol process. In this study, we demonstrate ‘one-pot’ bioconversion of the protein and carbohydrate fractions of a DGS hydrolysate into C4 and C5 fusel alcohols through development of a microbial consortium incorporating two engineered Escherichia coli biocatalyst strains.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Antifoam Development for Eliminating Flammability Hazards and Decreasing Cycle Time in the Defense Waste Processing Facility

The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) was requested to develop a new antifoam control method for the Defense Waste Processing Facility’s (DWPF) Chemical Process Cell (CPC). SRNL completed testing of both chemical and nonchemical foam controls. The nonchemical foam controls were either ineffective (or worse, created more foam) or impractical (a water spray can control foam, but excessive water is needed). As a result, the focus of this study was on finding a superwetter or commercial antifoam for controlling foam. Thirty potential antifoams were tested as part of this study. A series of tests were developed to help screen out ineffective alternatives including: 1. Spreading testing of superspreaders, 2. Foam column testing with physical simulants, 3. Boiling testing with physical and chemical simulants, 4. Days-only Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) process simulations with sludge (containing noble metals and mercury), Precipitate Reactor Feed Tank (PRFT), and Slurry Mix Evaporator Feed Tank (SEFT) simulants in the RC1 Reaction Calorimeter (purchased for antifoam testing), and 5. Around-the-clock SRAT and Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) process simulations with sludge(containing noble metals and mercury), PRFT, and SEFT simulants in the RC1 Reaction Calorimeter. Evonik Surfynol® MD20, a commercially available defoamer, was relatively effective in controlling foam, while remaining chemically stable in SRAT and SME processing across the pH range of 4 to 13. No degradation products were detected in the offgas, in the condensate or in the SRAT and SME products. In nitric-glycolic acid flowsheet testing, 250 mg/kg Evonik Surfynol® MD20 was needed for foam control compared to 1,625 mg/kg for Antifoam 747, DWPF’s current antifoam. In nitric-formic acid flowsheet testing, 1,125 mg/kg of Evonik Surfynol® MD20 was needed to control foam throughout the SRAT and SME cycles. The commercially available superspreader Momentive™ Y-17112 was even more effective than Evonik Surfynol® MD20 as both a defoamer and an antifoam. Not only was the foam destroyed upon addition but also was less persistent between additions. It was the most effective antifoam in testing using both the nitric-glycolic acid flowsheet and the nitric-formic acid flowsheet. In nitric-glycolic acid flowsheet testing, only 100 mg/kg Momentive™ Y-17112 was needed to control foam throughout the SRAT and SME cycles. In nitric-formic acid flowsheet testing, 300 mg/kg Momentive™ Y-17112 was needed to control foam throughout the SRAT and SME cycles. Momentive™ Y-17112 is also resistant to hydrolysis as demonstrated by its chemical stability in SRAT and SME processing across the pH range of 4 to 13 and lack of degradation products in offgas or condensate. Both candidates were effective as potential replacements for Antifoam 747, with Y-17112 demonstrating superior foam control. During nitric-glycolic flowsheet testing 50% less antifoam was needed when using Momentive™ Y-17112 compared to MD20. During nitric-formic flowsheet testing 75% less antifoam was needed when using Momentive™ Y-17112 compared to MD20. Foam remediated with Momentive™ Y-17112 was less persistent throughout testing. In addition, no degradation products were detected in the offgas, in the condensate or in the SRAT and SME products. Based on this testing, Momentive™ Y-17112 is clearly superior to Evonik Surfynol® MD20 and Antifoam 747, especially for the nitric-formic acid flowsheet processing; it is recommended that Momentive™ Y-17112 replace Antifoam 747 in DWPF. An antifoam addition strategy is recommended for both the nitric-glycolic acid flowsheet and the nitric-formic acid flowsheet. Implementation of Momentive™ Y-17112 is expected to decrease SRAT and SME boiling times by up to 50%, eliminate the issues resulting from Antifoam 747 degradation products, and minimize foamovers. To validate the effectiveness of these defoaming agents, SRNL recommends irradiation of a SRAT or SME product simulant containing fresh antifoam. The goal of this testing is to determine whether the irradiation causes decomposition of the antifoam that would make it less effective or produce new species in the offgas or slurry. This testing began in April 2020. An evaluation should be completed to determine the thermolytic hydrogen and methane generation rate in downstream equipment, including the High-Level Waste evaporators.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2024

Process Design and Techno-Economic Analysis of the Modular Staged Pressurized Oxy-Combustion (SPOC) Power Plant for Biomass

This work describes the process design and techno-economic analysis (TEA) of the modular SPOC power plant for biomass firing and coal-biomass co-firing. Two Rankine cycles were considered: a supercritical steam cycle (242 bar, 593°C, 593°C) with 550 MWe net output and a subcritical cycle (166 bar, 566°C, 566°C) with 200 MWe net output. For both cases, 95% carbon capture was modeled, and hybrid poplar biomass was chosen to generate carbon-negative power. In addition, the supercritical 500 MWe case included a 25% biomass co-firing (carbon neutral) case. For both cycles, a 100% Powder River Basin coal firing case was used for comparison purposes. In the SPOC process, oxygen is produced via a cryogenic air separation unit (ASU) and the heat generated from the compression of air is integrated into the steam cycle and utilized for boiler feed water pre-heating. Unique to the SPOC process, the boilers are pressurized and arranged in a series-parallel configuration, with minimized flue gas recirculation. The flue gas is cooled and scrubbed in the direct-contact cooler (DCC) column, and the moisture in the flue gas is condensed, leaving the bottom of the DCC at a sufficiently high temperature such that it can be used for boiler feed water pre-heating, improving plant thermal efficiency. Following drying and purification, CO2 in the flue gas is at the purity required for storage or utilization. The performance data were obtained from process modelling via Aspen Plus®. The stream data from Aspen Plus® were used as an input for the AACE Class 5 cost study. Ultimately, the capital costs, Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), and cost of CO2 captured and avoided were obtained. The HHV efficiency of the carbon negative 550 MWe supercritical SPOC case (34.8%) was clearly above those reported by NETL for the BECCS baseline cases of supercritical pulverized coal with capture (B12B, 31.5%) and the 49% biomass co-firing case with capture (PA3, 29.2%). The HHV efficiency of the carbon-negative subcritical plant is also higher than the subcritical baseline PC plant with capture (case B11B.95) presented by NETL (32% vs 29.7%). The LCOE for the SPOC 100% biomass case was similar to the LCOE for the BECCS 49% biomass with carbon capture case ($147/MWh), and the SPOC carbon neutral case LCOE was lower ($110/MWh) than the cost for the NETL baseline SC coal firing case with 90% carbon capture ($114/MWh).

Magalhaes, Duarte↗

NASA NTRS1988

Booster propulsion/vehicle impact study, 2

This is the final report in a study examining the impact of launch vehicles for various boost propulsion design options. These options included: differing boost phase engines using different combinations of fuels and coolants to include RP-1, methane, propane (subcooled and normal boiling point), and hydrogen; variable and high mixture ratio hydrogen engines; translating nozzles on boost phase engines; and cross feeding propellants from the booster to second stage. Vehicles examined included a fully reusable two stage cargo vehicle and a single stage to orbit vehicle. The use of subcooled propane as a fuel generated vehicles with the lowest total vehicle dry mass. Engines with hydrogen cooling generated only slight mass reductions from the reference, all-hydrogen vehicle. Cross feeding propellants generated the most significant mass reductions from the reference two stage vehicle. The use of high mixture ratio or variable mixture ratio hydrogen engines in the boost phase of flight resulted in vehicles with total dry mass 20 percent greater than the reference hydrogen vehicle. Translating nozzles for boost phase engines generated a heavier vehicle. Also examined were the design impacts on the vehicle and ground support subsystems when subcooled propane is used as a fuel. The most significant cost difference between facilities to handle normal boiling point versus subcooled propane is 5 million dollars. Vehicle cost differences were negligible. A significant technical challenge exists for properly conditioning the vehicle propellant on the ground and in flight when subcooled propane is used as fuel.

Johnson, P.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Classification of multispectral image data by the Binary Diamond neural network and by nonparametric, pixel-by-pixel methods

The classification of multispectral image data obtained from satellites has become an important tool for generating ground cover maps. This study deals with the application of nonparametric pixel-by-pixel classification methods in the classification of pixels, based on their multispectral data. A new neural network, the Binary Diamond, is introduced, and its performance is compared with a nearest neighbor algorithm and a back-propagation network. The Binary Diamond is a multilayer, feed-forward neural network, which learns from examples in unsupervised, 'one-shot' mode. It recruits its neurons according to the actual training set, as it learns. The comparisons of the algorithms were done by using a realistic data base, consisting of approximately 90,000 Landsat 4 Thematic Mapper pixels. The Binary Diamond and the nearest neighbor performances were close, with some advantages to the Binary Diamond. The performance of the back-propagation network lagged behind. An efficient nearest neighbor algorithm, the binned nearest neighbor, is described. Ways for improving the performances, such as merging categories, and analyzing nonboundary pixels, are addressed and evaluated.

Salu, Yehuda↗

NASA NTRS1936

Automatic stabilization

This report concerns the study of automatic stabilizers and extends it to include the control of the three-control system of the airplane instead of just altitude control. Some of the topics discussed include lateral disturbed motion, static stability, the mathematical theory of lateral motion, and large angles of incidence. Various mechanisms and stabilizers are also discussed. The feeding of Diesel engines by injection pumps actuated by engine compression, achieves the required high speeds of injection readily and permits rigorous control of the combustible charge introduced into each cylinder and of the peak pressure in the resultant cycle.

Haus, FR↗

DOE OSTI2019

Monitoring the Composition of Low-Activity Nuclear Waste using In-Situ Measurements - 19356

This paper presents a methodology for on-line monitoring of anion concentrations in low-activity nuclear waste simulants. The study was designed to evaluate and compare the performance of in-situ infrared and Raman spectroscopy probes for use in Hanford tank waste mixtures. Our contribution also explores the performance of various regression models to extract species concentrations from in-situ spectroscopic measurements. This approach can help facilitate processing under the Hanford Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) project. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2015

An in situ sample environment reaction cell for spatially resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy studies of powders and small structured reactors

An easy-to-use sample environment reaction cell for X-ray based in situ studies of powders and small structured samples, e.g., powder, pellet, and monolith catalysts, is described. The design of the cell allows for flexible use of appropriate X-ray transparent windows, shielding the sample from ambient conditions, such that incident X-ray energies as low as 3 keV can be used. Thus, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements in either transmission or fluorescence mode are facilitated. Total gas flows up to about 500 ml{sub n}/min can be fed while the sample temperature is accurately controlled (at least) in the range of 25–500 °C. The gas feed is composed by a versatile gas-mixing system and the effluent gas flow composition is monitored with mass spectrometry (MS). These systems are described briefly. Results from simultaneous XAS/MS measurements during oxidation of carbon monoxide over a 4% Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} powder catalyst are used to illustrate the system performance in terms of transmission XAS. Also, 2.2% Pd/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and 2% Ag − Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} powder catalysts have been used to demonstrate X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy in fluorescence mode. Further, a 2% Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} monolith catalyst was used ex situ for transmission XANES. The reaction cell opens for facile studies of structure-function relationships for model as well as realistic catalysts both in the form of powders, small pellets, and coated or extruded monoliths at near realistic conditions. The applicability of the cell for X-ray diffraction measurements is discussed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2018

Deletion of PHGDH in adipocytes improves glucose intolerance in diet-induced obese mice

Highlights: • PHGDH is abundantly expressed in mature adipocytes of white adipose tissue. • Adipocyte-specific PHGDH KO mice exhibit normal adipose tissue development. • Adipocyte-specific PHGDH KO mice exhibit improved glucose tolerance upon obesity. • Serine-deficient diet feeding also exhibits favorable effects on glucose metabolism. Serine is a nonessential amino acid and plays an important role in cellular metabolism. In mammalian serine biosynthesis, 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) is considered a rate-limiting enzyme and is required for normal development. Although the biological functions of PHGHD in the nervous system have been intensively studied, its function in adipose tissue is unknown. In this study, we found that PHGDH is abundantly expressed in mature adipocytes of white adipose tissue. We generated an adipocyte-specific PHGDH knockout mouse (PHGDH FKO) and used it to investigate the role of serine biosynthesis in adipose tissues. Although PHGDH FKO mice had no apparent defects in adipose tissue development, these mice ameliorated glucose intolerance upon diet-induced obesity. Additionally, we found that the serine levels increase drastically in the adipose tissues of obese wild type mice, whereas no significant rise was observed in PHGDH FKO mice. Furthermore, wild type mice fed a serine-deficient diet also exhibited better glucose tolerance. These results suggest that PHGDH-mediated serine biosynthesis has important roles in adipose tissue glucose metabolism and could be a therapeutic target for diabetes in humans.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Structural and Chemical Evolution of an Inverse CeO x /Cu Catalyst under CO 2 Hydrogenation: Tunning Oxide Morphology to Improve Activity and Selectivity

Small nanoparticles of ceria deposited on a powder of CuO display a very high selectivity for the production of methanol via CO 2 hydrogenation. CeO 2 /CuO catalysts with ceria loadings of 5%, 20%, and 50% were investigated. Among these, the system with 5% CeO x showed the best catalytic performance at temperatures between 200 and 350 °C. The evolution of this system under reaction conditions was studied using a combination of environmental transmission electron microscopy (E-TEM), in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and time-resolved X-ray diffraction (TR-XRD). For 5% CeO x /Cu, the in situ studies pointed to a full conversion of CuO into metallic copper, with a complete transformation of Ce 4+ into Ce 3+ . Images from E-TEM showed drastic changes in the morphology of the catalyst when it was exposed to H 2 , CO 2 , and CO 2 /H 2 mixtures. Under a CO 2 /H 2 feed, there was a redispersion of the ceria particles that was detected by E-TEM and in situ TR-XRD. Finally, these morphological changes were made possible by the inverse oxide/metal configuration and facilitate the binding and selective conversion of CO 2 to methanol.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

DOE OSTI2015

Comparison of algorithms for determination of rotation measure and Faraday structure. I. 1100–1400 MHz

Faraday rotation measures (RMs) and more general Faraday structures are key parameters for studying cosmic magnetism and are also sensitive probes of faint ionized thermal gas. A definition of which derived quantities are required for various scientific studies is needed, as well as addressing the challenges in determining Faraday structures. A wide variety of algorithms has been proposed to reconstruct these structures. In preparation for the Polarization Sky Survey of the Universe's Magnetism (POSSUM) to be conducted with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder and the ongoing Galactic Arecibo L-band Feeds Array Continuum Transit Survey (GALFACTS), we run a Faraday structure determination data challenge to benchmark the currently available algorithms, including Faraday synthesis (previously called RM synthesis in the literature), wavelet, compressive sampling, and QU-fitting. The input models include sources with one Faraday thin component, two Faraday thin components, and one Faraday thick component. The frequency set is similar to POSSUM/GALFACTS with a 300 MHz bandwidth from 1.1 to 1.4 GHz. We define three figures of merit motivated by the underlying science: (1) an average RM weighted by polarized intensity, RM{sub wtd}, (2) the separation Δϕ of two Faraday components, and (3) the reduced chi-squared χ{sub r}{sup 2}. Based on the current test data with a signal-to-noise ratio of about 32, we find the following. (1) When only one Faraday thin component is present, most methods perform as expected, with occasional failures where two components are incorrectly found. (2) For two Faraday thin components, QU-fitting routines perform the best, with errors close to the theoretical ones for RM{sub wtd} but with significantly higher errors for Δϕ. All other methods, including standard Faraday synthesis, frequently identify only one component when Δϕ is below or near the width of the Faraday point-spread function. (3) No methods as currently implemented work well for Faraday thick components due to the narrow bandwidth. (4) There exist combinations of two Faraday components that produce a large range of acceptable fits and hence large uncertainties in the derived single RMs; in these cases, different RMs lead to the same Q, U behavior, so no method can recover a unique input model. Further exploration of all these issues is required before upcoming surveys will be able to provide reliable results on Faraday structures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Combining Random Mutagenesis and Metabolic Engineering for Enhanced Tryptophan Production in Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803

Tryptophan (Trp) is an essential aromatic amino acid that has value as an animal feed supplement, as the amount found in plant-based sources is insufficient. An alternative to production by engineered microbial fermentation is to have tryptophan biosynthesized by a photosynthetic microorganism that could replace or supplement both the plant and industrially used microbes. We selected Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803, a model cyanobacterium, as the host and studied metabolic engineering and random mutagenesis approaches. Previous work on engineering heterotrophic microbes for improved Trp titers has targeted allosteric feedback regulation in enzymes 3-deoxy-d-arabinoheptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase (DAHPS) and anthranilate synthase (AS) as major bottlenecks in the shikimate pathway. In this work, the genes encoding feedback-resistant enzymes from Escherichia coli, aroG fbr and trpE fbr , were overexpressed in the host wild-type (WT) strain. Separately, the WT strain was subjected to random mutagenesis and selection using an amino acid analog to isolate tryptophan-overproducing strains. The randomly mutagenized strains were sequenced in order to identify the mutations that resulted in the desirable phenotypes. Interestingly, the tryptophan overproducers had mutations in the gene encoding chorismate mutase (CM), which catalyzes the conversion of chorismate to prephenate. The best tryptophan overproducer from random mutagenesis was selected as a host for metabolic engineering where aroG fbr and trpE fbr were overexpressed. The best strain developed produced 212 ± 23 mg/liter of tryptophan after 10 days of photoautotrophic growth under 3% (vol/vol) CO2. We demonstrated that a combination of random mutagenesis and metabolic engineering was superior to either individual approach.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Cyclic dynamics of misfires and partial burns in a dilute spark-ignition engine

Here, this study investigates the cyclic dynamics of cumulative heat release data past the edge of stability in a dilute spark-ignition engine. Emphasis is placed on analyzing the cyclic dynamics near the dilute limit where partial burns and misfires are frequent. These events are often followed by a higher-energy cycle due to the feed-forward mechanism present in the residual gases. These patterns are deterministic and increase the coefficient of variation to undesirable levels. Symbol sequence analysis was used to investigate the cyclic dynamics of these low–high patterns. The heat release was partitioned on an energy basis to give physical meaning to each partition and each sequence created when analyzing the symbol sequence results. This partitioning method provided insight into the differences in the dynamics when operating in the misfire or partial burn regime. These differences could impact the control method used.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2023

Seeking Self-regulating Simulations of Idealized Milky Way–like Galaxies

Abstract Precipitation is potentially a mechanism through which the circumgalactic medium (CGM) can regulate a galaxy’s star formation. Here, we present idealized simulations of isolated Milky Way–like galaxies intended to examine the ability of galaxies to self-regulate their star formation, in particular via precipitation. We also examine the impact of rotation in the CGM. Using six simulations, we explore variations in the initial CGM t cool / t ff ratio and rotation profile. Those variations affect the amount of gas accretion and star formation within the galactic disk. To encourage this accretion and better study its dependence on CGM structure, we gradually increase the efficiency of stellar feedback during the first half of our simulations. Yet despite this gradual increase, the resulting outflows quickly evacuate large, hot cavities within the CGM and even beyond r 200 . Some of the CGM gas avoids interacting with the cavities and is able to feed the disk along its midplane, but the cooling of feedback-heated gas far from the midplane is too slow to supply the disk with additional gas. Our simulations illustrate the importance of physical mechanisms in the outer CGM and IGM for star formation regulation in Milky Way–scale halos.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1974

Aperture excited dielectric antennas

The results of a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of the effect of placing dielectric objects over the aperture of waveguide antennas are presented. Experimental measurements of the radiation patterns, gain, impedance, near-field amplitude, and pattern and impedance coupling between pairs of antennas are given for various Plexiglas shapes, including the sphere and the cube, excited by rectangular, circular, and square waveguide feed apertures. The waveguide excitation of a dielectric sphere is modeled using the Huygens' source, and expressions for the resulting electric fields, directivity, and efficiency are derived. Calculations using this model show good overall agreement with experimental patterns and directivity measurements. The waveguide under an infinite dielectric slab is used as an impedance model. Calculations using this model agree qualitatively with the measured impedance data. It is concluded that dielectric loaded antennas such as the waveguide excited sphere, cube, or sphere-cylinder can produce directivities in excess of that obtained by a uniformly illuminated aperture of the same cross section, particularly for dielectric objects with dimensions of 2 wavelengths or less. It is also shown that for certain configurations coupling between two antennas of this type is less than that for the same antennas without dielectric loading.

Crosswell, W. F.↗

NASA NTRS1975

A Thruster Sub-System Module (TSSM) for solar electric propulsion

Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) is currently being studied for possible use in a number of near-earth and planetary missions. Thruster systems for these missions could be integrated directly into a spacecraft or modularized into a Thruster Sub-System Module (TSSM). A TSSM for electric propulsion missions would consist of a 30-cm ion thruster, thruster gimbal system, propellant storage and feed system, associated Power Processing Unit (PPU), thermal control system and complete supporting structure. The TSSM would be wholly self-contained and be essentially a plug-in or strap-on electric stage with simple mechanical, thermal, electrical and propellant interfaces. The TSSM described in this report is designed for a broad range of missions requiring from two to ten TSSM's mounted in a 2 by x configuration. The thermal control system is designed to accommodate waste heat from the power processor based on realistic efficiencies when the TSSM is operating from 0.7 to 3.5 AU's. The modules are 0.61 M (2 ft) wide by 2.29 M (7.5 ft) long and have a dry weight including propellant tank of 54.4 kg (120 lb). The propellant tank will hold 145.1 kg (320 lb) of mercury.

Sharp, G. R.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Aircraft automatic digital flight control system with inversion of the model in the feed-forward path

A full-flight-envelope automatic trajectory control system concept is being investigated at Ames Research Center. This concept was developed for advanced aircraft configurations with severe nonlinear characteristics. A feature of the system is an inverse of the complete nonlinear aircraft model as part of the feed-forward control path. Simulation and flight tests have been reported at previous Digital Avionics Systems conferences. A new method for the continuous real-time inversion of the aircraft model using a Newton-Raphson trim algorithm instead of the original inverse table look-up procedure has been developed. The results of a simulation study of a vertical attitude takeoff and landing aircraft using the new inversion technique are presented. Maneuvers were successfully carried out in all directions in the vertical-attitude hover mode. Transition runs from conventional flight through the region of lift-curve-slope reversal at an angle of attack of about 32 deg and to hover at zero speed in the vertical attitude showed satisfactory transient response. Simulations were also conducted in conventional flight at high subsonic speed in steep climb and with turns up to 4 g. Successful flight tests of the system with the new model-inversion technique in a UH-1H helicopter have recently been carried out.

Smith, G. A.↗