SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “controllable loads”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,369 records · Page 76

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2023

Dynamic Thermal Performance Analysis of PCM Products Used for Energy Efficiency and Internal Climate Control in Buildings

PCMs are attractive for the future generation of buildings, where energy efficiency targets and thermal comfort expectations are increasingly prioritized. Experimental analysis of local thermal processes in these dynamic components and whole-building energy consumption predictions are essential for the proper implementation of PCMs in buildings. This paper discusses the experimental analysis of the thermophysical characteristics of both a latent heat storage material (PCM) and a product containing this PCM. The prototype product under investigation is a panelized PCM technology containing inorganic, salt-hydrate-based PCM. The thermal analysis includes studies of melting and freezing temperatures, enthalpy changes during phase change processes, nucleation intensity, sub-cooling effects, and PCM stability. The PCM’s stability is also investigated, as is the ability of PCM products to control local temperatures and peak load transmission times. Two inorganic PCM formulations based on calcium chloride hexahydrate (CaCl 2 .6H 2 O) were prepared and tested in laboratory conditions. Material-scale testing results were compared with outcomes from the system-scale analysis, using both laboratory test methods as well as field exposure in test huts. This work demonstrates that PCM technologies used in buildings can effectively control both the magnitude of thermal storage capacity as well as the time of the peak thermal load. It was found that commonly used material-scale testing methods may not always be beneficial in assessing the dynamic thermal performance characteristics of building technologies containing PCMs.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS2006

Flight Test of an Adaptive Controller and Simulated Failure/Damage on the NASA NF-15B

The method of flight-testing the Intelligent Flight Control System (IFCS) Second Generation (Gen-2) project on the NASA NF-15B is herein described. The Gen-2 project objective includes flight-testing a dynamic inversion controller augmented by a direct adaptive neural network to demonstrate performance improvements in the presence of simulated failure/damage. The Gen-2 objectives as implemented on the NASA NF-15B created challenges for software design, structural loading limitations, and flight test operations. Simulated failure/damage is introduced by modifying control surface commands, therefore requiring structural loads measurements. Flight-testing began with the validation of a structural loads model. Flight-testing of the Gen-2 controller continued, using test maneuvers designed in a sequenced approach. Success would clear the new controller with respect to dynamic response, simulated failure/damage, and with adaptation on and off. A handling qualities evaluation was conducted on the capability of the Gen-2 controller to restore aircraft response in the presence of a simulated failure/damage. Control room monitoring of loads sensors, flight dynamics, and controller adaptation, in addition to postflight data comparison to the simulation, ensured a safe methodology of buildup testing. Flight-testing continued without major incident to accomplish the project objectives, successfully uncovering strengths and weaknesses of the Gen-2 control approach in flight.

Buschbacher, Mark↗

DOE OSTI2022

Sizing Considerations for EV Dynamic Wireless Charging Systems with Integrated Energy Storage

Roadways with dynamic wireless charging systems (DWCS) enable charge-sustaining in-motion EV charging, which can reduce charging idle time while increasing range capabilities. Spatially distributed transmitter coils are controlled in response to traffic load that varies significantly minute to minute with high power levels, very short charging time, and low system utilization like wind turbine power. Traffic load estimation and localized analysis may guide effective sizing and topology adoption for feasible and scalable DWCS deployment. DWCS traffic load approximation is reviewed with measured Automated Traffic Recorder (ATR) data and statistical distributions being used to create a synthetic load analyzed using proposed metrics quantifying system utilization over time. Lumped coil section segmentation is compared between second-based distance and spatial density analysis methods, offering 17-27% greater system utilization. A peak load shifting method is proposed for traffic redirection across two tracks with optional BESS integration increasing system utilization by 50-60% depending on time-based and power reserve-based sizing and control.

Lewis, Donovin D.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Self mobile space manipulator project

A relatively simple, modular, low mass, low cost robot is being developed for space EVA that is large enough to be independently mobile on a space station or platform exterior, yet versatile enough to accomplish many vital tasks. The robot comprises two long flexible links connected by a rotary joint, with 2-DOF 'wrist' joints and grippers at each end. It walks by gripping pre-positioned attachment points, such as trusswork nodes, and alternately shifting its base of support from one foot (gripper) to the other. The robot can perform useful tasks such as visual inspection, material transport, and light assembly by manipulating objects with one gripper, while stabilizing itself with the other. At SOAR '90, we reported development of 1/3 scale robot hardware, modular trusswork to serve as a locomotion substrate, and a gravity compensation system to allow laboratory tests of locomotion strategies on the horizontal face of the trusswork. In this paper, we report on project progress including the development of: (1) adaptive control for automatic adjustment to loads; (2) enhanced manipulation capabilities; (3) machine vision, including the use of neural nets, to guide autonomous locomotion; (4) locomotion between orthogonal trusswork faces; and (5) improved facilities for gravity compensation and telerobotic control.

Brown, H. Ben↗

NASA NTRS2008

Thermal Vacuum Testing of a Multi-Evaporator Miniature Loop Heat Pipe

Under NASA's New Millennium Program Space Technology 8 Project, four experiments are being developed for future small system applications requiring low mass, low power, and compactness. GSFC is responsible for developing the Thermal Loop experiment, which is an advanced thermal control system consisting of a miniature loop heat pipe (MLHP) with multiple evaporators and condensers. The objective is to validate the operation of an MLHP, including reliable start-ups, steady operation, heat load sharing, and tight temperature control over the range of 273K to 308K. An MLHP Breadboard has been built and tested for 1200 hours under the laboratory environment and 500 hours in a thermal vacuum chamber. Results of the TV tests are presented here.

Ku, Jentung↗

DOE OSTI2021

Estimating the value of jointly optimized electric power generation and end use: a study of ISO-scale load shaping applied to the residential building stock

A generation-to-load simulation estimated the impact, in terms of production costs and CO2 emissions, attributable to the joint optimization of electric power generation and flexible end uses to support increasing penetrations of renewable energy. Newly conceived, evaluated, and foundational in developing a U.S. National Standard was a transaction-less yet continuous demand response system based on a day-ahead optimum load shape (OLS) designed to encourage Internet-connected devices to autonomously and voluntarily explore options to favour lowest cost generators - without requiring two-way communications, personally identifiable information, or customer opt-in. Boundary conditions used for model calibration included historical weather, residential building stock construction attributes, home appliance and device empirical operating schedules, prototypical power distribution feeder models, thermal generator heat rates, startup and ramping constraints, and fuel costs. Results of an hourly-based annual case study of Texas indicate a 1/3 reduction in production costs and a 1/5 reduction in CO2 emissions are possible.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

NASA NTRS1975

Evaluation of active control technology for short haul aircraft

An evaluation of the economics of short-haul aircraft designed with active controls technology and low wing-loading to achieve short field performance with good ride quality is presented. Results indicate that for such a system incorporating gust load alleviation and augmented stability the direct operating cost is better than for aircraft without active controls.

Renshaw, J. H.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Software Considerations for Subscale Flight Testing of Experimental Control Laws

The NASA AirSTAR system has been designed to address the challenges associated with safe and efficient subscale flight testing of research control laws in adverse flight conditions. In this paper, software elements of this system are described, with an emphasis on components which allow for rapid prototyping and deployment of aircraft control laws. Through model-based design and automatic coding a common code-base is used for desktop analysis, piloted simulation and real-time flight control. The flight control system provides the ability to rapidly integrate and test multiple research control laws and to emulate component or sensor failures. Integrated integrity monitoring systems provide aircraft structural load protection, isolate the system from control algorithm failures, and monitor the health of telemetry streams. Finally, issues associated with software configuration management and code modularity are briefly discussed.

Murch, Austin M.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Structural control interaction

The basic guidance and control concepts that lead to structural control interaction and structural dynamic loads are identified. Space vehicle ascent flight load sources and the load relieving mechanism are discussed, along with the the characteristics and special problems of both present and future space vehicles including launch vehicles, orbiting vehicles, and the Space Shuttle flyback vehicle. The special dynamics and control analyses and test problems apparent at this time are summarized.

Ryan, R. S.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Structural stiffness, strength and dynamic characteristics of large tetrahedral space truss structures

Physical characteristics of large skeletal frameworks for space applications are investigated by analyzing one concept: the tetrahedral truss, which is idealized as a sandwich plate with isotropic faces. Appropriate analytical relations are presented in terms of the truss column element properties which for calculations were taken as slender graphite/epoxy tubes. Column loads, resulting from gravity gradient control and orbital transfer, are found to be small for the class structure investigated. Fundamental frequencies of large truss structures are shown to be an order of magnitude lower than large earth based structures. Permissible loads are shown to result in small lateral deflections of the truss due to low-strain at Euler buckling of the slender graphite/epoxy truss column elements. Lateral thermal deflections are found to be a fraction of the truss depth using graphite/epoxy columns.

Mikulas, M. M., Jr.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Optimal Renewable Resource Allocation and Load Scheduling of Resilient Communities

This paper presents a methodology for enhancing community resilience through optimal renewable resource allocation and load scheduling in order to minimize unserved load and thermal discomfort. The proposed control architecture distributes the computational effort and is easier to be scaled up than traditional centralized control. The decentralized control architecture consists of two layers: The community operator layer (COL) allocates the limited amount of renewable energy resource according to the power flexibility of each building. The building agent layer (BAL) addresses the optimal load scheduling problem for each building with the allowable load determined by the COL. Both layers are formulated as a model predictive control (MPC) based optimization. Simulation scenarios are designed to compare different combinations of building weighting methods and objective functions to provide guidance for real-world deployment by community and microgrid operators. The results indicate that the impact of power flexibility is more prominent than the weighting factor to the resource allocation process. Allocation based purely on occupancy status could lead to an increase of PV curtailment. Further, it is necessary for the building agent to have multi-objective optimization to minimize unserved load ratio and maximize comfort simultaneously.

model predictive control↗

NASA NTRS1997

The Benchmark Active Controls Technology Model Aerodynamic Data

The Benchmark Active Controls Technology (BACT) model is a part of the Benchmark Models Program (BMP). The BMP is a NASA Langley Research Center program that includes a series of models which were used to study different aeroelastic phenomena and to validate computational fluid dynamics codes. The primary objective of BACT testing was to obtain steady and unsteady loads, accelerations, and aerodynamic pressures due to control surface activity in order to calibrate unsteady CFD codes and active control design tools. Three wind-tunnel tests in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) have been completed. The first and parts of the second and third tests focused on collecting open-loop data to define the model's aeroservoelastic characteristics, including the flutter boundary across the Mach range. It is this data that is being presented in this paper. An extensive database of over 3000 data sets was obtained. This database includes steady and unsteady control surface effectiveness data, including pressure distributions, control surface hinge moments, and overall model loads due to deflections of a trailing edge control surface and upper and lower surface

Scott, Robert C.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Reducing Thrusts In Solid-Fuel Rockets

Thrust-terminating system conceived to reduce thrust of solid-propellant rocket motor in controlled manner such that thrust loads not increased or decreased beyond predictable levels. Concept involves explosively cutting opposing venting pairs in case of rocket motor above nozzles to initiate venting of chamber and reduction of thrust. Vents sized and numbered to control amount and rate of reduction in thrust.

Bement, Laurence J.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Enhancement of Buckling Load with the Use of Active Materials

In this paper, active buckling control of a beam using piezoelectric materials is investigated. Under small deformation, mathematical models are developed to describe the behavior of the beams subjected to an axial compressive load with geometric imperfections and load eccentricities under piezoelectric force. Two types of supports, simply supported and clamped, of the beam with a partially bonded piezoelectric actuator are used to illustrate the concept. For the beam with load eccentricities and initial geometric imperfections, the load- carrying capacity can be significantly enhanced by counteracting moments from the piezoelectric actuator. For the single piezoelectric actuator, using static feedback closed-loop control, the first buckling load can be eliminated. In the case of initially straight beams, analytical solutions of the enhanced first critical buckling load due to the increase of bending stiffness by piezoelectric actuators are derived based on linearized buckling analysis.

Yuan, F. G.↗

NASA NTRS1991

An integrated autonomous rendezvous and docking system architecture using Centaur modern avionics

The avionics system for the Centaur upper stage is in the process of being modernized with the current state-of-the-art in strapdown inertial guidance equipment. This equipment includes an integrated flight control processor with a ring laser gyro based inertial guidance system. This inertial navigation unit (INU) uses two MIL-STD-1750A processors and communicates over the MIL-STD-1553B data bus. Commands are translated into load activation through a Remote Control Unit (RCU) which incorporates the use of solid state relays. Also, a programmable data acquisition system replaces separate multiplexer and signal conditioning units. This modern avionics suite is currently being enhanced through independent research and development programs to provide autonomous rendezvous and docking capability using advanced cruise missile image processing technology and integrated GPS navigational aids. A system concept was developed to combine these technologies in order to achieve a fully autonomous rendezvous, docking, and autoland capability. The current system architecture and the evolution of this architecture using advanced modular avionics concepts being pursued for the National Launch System are discussed.

Nelson, Kurt↗

DOE OSTI2020

Annual Performance of the Second-Generation Variable-Geometry Oscillating Surge Wave Energy Converter

Recent studies in wave energy have highlighted the need for a structured innovation approach in wave energy converter (WEC) design because cost-of-energy estimates have remained high. One specific innovation being investigated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory is WEC geometry control, which uses control surfaces in combination with an oscillating surge WEC (OSWEC) to increase device availability and power generation while limiting structural costs. This study performs the first analysis of annual performance for a novel OSWEC with geometry control to understand how the geometry control affects availability, annual power generation, and structural loadings like the power-take-off (PTO) torque or surge foundation force. Device hydrodynamic coefficients are calculated using linear potential theory for six geometry configurations. A nonideal PTO system is assumed and quadratic viscous damping losses are considered. Annual performance is evaluated and compared for three U.S. wave energy sites. The WEC geometry and PTO system are controlled on a sea-state basis to optimize for power capture while remaining under limits set on motion amplitude and structural loads. Results indicate that geometry control can increase availability up to 25 days in an average year depending on design limits, increase average power generation, and significantly reduce peak structural loads.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

DOE OSTI2025

Coordination of Energy Storage and Distributed Generation for Voltage Control and Peak-valley Filling

The increasing penetration of distributed energy resources (DERs) in distribution network (DN) poses challenges on voltage control. In addition, the growing integration of DERs also reshapes the traditional load profile. To comprehensively address the voltage control and peak-valley filling in DN, this paper proposes a model predictive control (MPC) based optimization framework. The proposed method can achieve coordinated voltage control and peak-valley filling by adjusting the reactive power output from distributed generations (DGs) and the charging/discharging of energy storage systems (ESS). The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated by simulations on a modified IEEE-123 bus system.

Zhang, Zhengfa [University of Tennessee, Knoxville↗

DOE OSTI2023

Hierarchical multi-time-scale predictive thermal management and fuel optimization for heavy-duty compression ignition engines

For heavy-duty diesel engines, NO X emissions reduction is strongly constrained by fuel efficiency. This paper presents a hierarchical model predictive controller (H-MPC) for coordinated control of tailpipe NO X emissions and fuel consumption. The H-MPC uses the separation of slow and fast dynamics that exist in the engine and its aftertreatment system. The controller is synthesized with an architecture in which a high-level MPC uses a longer prediction horizon compared to the low-level predictive controller which tracks the high-level controller command and manages the thermal dynamics of the aftertreatment system. Engine load preview enables the high-level controller to estimate the desired catalyst temperature ahead of time and addresses the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) slow thermal dynamics. Calculated by the high-level controller, the intake manifold pressure, and the start of injection (SOI) crank angle is used as reference trajectories in the low-level controller that regulates fast dynamical behaviors such as engine out NO X emissions. Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation of this integrated H-MPC on a rapid prototype controller shows that when the SCR catalyst temperature is above light-off temperature (warmed-up condition), the engine operation is shifted to operate with the best fuel economy since the warmed-up SCR can efficiently reduce the engine-out NO X emissions. Results indicate that up to 0.8% benefit in cycle averaged BSFC along with a 13% reduction in tailpipe NO X compared to a stock engine calibration can be achieved with the coordinated engine and aftertreatment system through H-MPC.

Engineering↗