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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Evaluation of chemical conversion material (protective coating) exposed to space environmental conditions

This report focuses on the development of an operational Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) system and shows the application of such a system on a space environmental test. Thin films of aluminum and tantalum were deposited on diamond substrates. These films were anodized and preexposure characterization spectra obtained using RBS and total hemispherical reflectance. The samples were exposed to energetic protons then postexposure characterization spectra was obtained using the same techniques. Conclusions based on the comparison of preexposure and postexposure spectra are presented. RBS comparison spectra show no change in the metal/metal oxide interface, while the comparison reflectance data indicate change. Explanations for this reflectance change are presented in this report.

Edwards, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2014

AG Channel Measurement and Modeling Results for Over-Sea Conditions

This report describes results from flight tests conducted in an over-sea environment, for the purpose of characterizing the air-to-ground (AG) channel, for future unmanned aircraft system (UAS) communication system analysis and design. These results are for the first of a set of several flight tests conducted in different ground site (GS) environments. An ultimate aim of all these tests is the development of models for the AG channel that can be used in communication system evaluation. In this report we provide measured results for propagation path loss, root-mean square delay spread (RMS-DS), and the correlation coefficient of the primary received signal components on the four antennas (two antennas for C-band, two for L-band). For path loss, the curved-earth two-ray model provides a reasonable fit to the measured data, altered by several dB at the shortest link distances by aircraft antenna pattern effects. This two-ray model also accounts for the majority of measured RMS-DS results of a few tens of nanoseconds, except for the occasional intermittent reflections from surface objects. These intermittent reflections yield RMS-DS values up to several hundred nanoseconds. For portions of the flight path that were over a harbor area highly populated with boats, the channel was found to be more "continuously dispersive," with RMS-DS reaching approximately 250 ns. A separate model will be developed for this over-harbor setting. The correlation coefficient results are still undergoing analysis; preliminary observations are that correlation between signals on the same-band antennas is generally large (>0.6) for the C-band straight flight paths, whereas for the L-band signals and for the oval-shaped flight paths the correlation is generally small (below 0.4). Inter-band correlations are typically very small, and are well modeled as zero-mean Gaussian in distribution, with a standard deviation less than 0.2. Hence the over-sea channel effects in the two bands can be considered uncorrelated, which will allow for good diversity gains in dual-band systems. We describe initial modeling approaches for the over-sea channel; complete models for this and the over-harbor setting will appear in a subsequent report.

Aircraft Communications↗
NASA NTRS2015

AG Channel Measurement and Modeling Results for Over-Water and Hilly Terrain Conditions

This report describes work completed over the past year on our project, entitled "Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Research: The AG Channel, Robust Waveforms, and Aeronautical Network Simulations." This project is funded under the NASA project "Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS)." In this report we provide the following: an update on project progress; a description of the over-freshwater and hilly terrain initial results on path loss, delay spread, small-scale fading, and correlations; complete path loss models for the over-water AG channels; analysis for obtaining parameter statistics required for development of accurate wideband AG channel models; and analysis of an atypical AG channel in which the aircraft flies out of the ground site antenna main beam. We have modeled the small-scale fading of these channels with Ricean statistics, and have quantified the behavior of the Ricean K-factor. We also provide some results for correlations of signal components, both intra-band and inter-band. An updated literature review, and a summary that also describes future work, are also included.

Matolak, David W.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advanced Energy Storage for Extreme Conditions (AESTEC) (Abbreviated Final Report)

This project developed a new capability for designing and fabricating energy storage devices that function in extreme conditions detrimental to conventional devices (e.g. temperature, mechanical stress, etc.). This new toolset tackled critical phenomenological challenges which led to materials and designs that enable high performance energy storage in conditions relevant to national security missions and the broader energy storage community.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Miniaturized, automated in-vitro tissue bioreactor

In one embodiment, a system includes a bioreactor coupled to a substrate. The bioreactor includes: a plurality of walls defining a reservoir; a plurality of fluidic channels in at least some of the walls; a fluidic inlet in fluidic communication with the reservoir via, the fluidic channels; a fluidic outlet in fluidic communication with the reservoir via the fluidic channels; and one or more sensors coupled to the reservoir, each sensor being configured to detect one or more of: environmental conditions in the reservoir; and physiological conditions of one or more cells optionally present in the reservoir. In another embodiment, a method includes delivering media to a reservoir of a bioreactor; delivering a plurality of cells to the reservoir, controlling a reservoir temperature and a reservoir gas composition; using one or more of the sensors to monitor environmental and physiological conditions; and reporting the environmental and/or physiological conditions.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2003

Increased susceptibility to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection under hindlimb-unloading conditions

It has been reported that spaceflight conditions alter the immune system and resistance to infection [Belay T, Aviles H, Vance M, Fountain K, and Sonnenfeld G. J Allergy Clin Immunol 170: 262-268, 2002; Hankins WR and Ziegelschmid JF. In: Biomedical Results of Apollo. Washington, DC: NASA, 1975, p. 43-81. (NASA Spec. Rep. SP-368)]. Ground-based models, including the hindlimb-unloading model, have become important tools for increasing understanding of how spaceflight conditions can influence physiology. The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of hindlimb unloading on the susceptibility of mice to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Hindlimb-unloaded and control mice were subcutaneously infected with 1 LD50 of P. aeruginosa. Survival, bacterial organ load, and antibody and corticosterone levels were compared among the groups. Hindlimb unloading had detrimental effects for infected mice. Animals in the hindlimb-unloaded group, compared with controls, 1). showed significantly increased mortality and reduced time to death, 2). had increased levels of corticosterone, and 3). were much less able to clear bacteria from the organs. These results suggest that hindlimb unloading may induce the production of corticosterone, which may play a critical role in the modulation of the immune system leading to increased susceptibility to P. aeruginosa infection.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2006

Further Assessment of MVD Effects in SLD Applications

The study reported here is part of an effort to develop scaling methods for super cooled large droplet (SLD) conditions. Previously reported results showed that SLD main ice shapes can be simulated quite successfully by appendix C conditions using scaling methods developed for appendix C. However, when the velocity was higher than 100 kt, the feather size and density for SLD tests at MVDs well above 100 m was not well represented by the scaled appendix C conditions. This paper reports additional results of a study of the feather region with the objective of identifying differences between SLD and appendix C feathers. Both the feather appearance and the angle at which feathers grow from the airfoil surface were recorded over a range of MVD from 20 to 190 m for airspeeds of 100 and 200 kt and stagnation freezing fractions of 0.3 to 1.0. Tests were performed in the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) using a 91-cm-chord NACA0012 airfoil model mounted at 0 degrees AOA. Photographs are presented to illustrate details of feather appearance. Appearance was noticeably affected by the stagnation freezing fraction of the test, but not by velocity or MVD. The angle of feather growth relative to the chord line decreased with increasing stagnation freezing fraction. For a velocity of 100 kt, no significant effect of MVD on feather angle was apparent, but at 200 kt, feather angle tended to increase with MVD for glaze conditions, but not rime. This finding is based on limited data, and its significance with respect to icing physics has not been determined.

Tsao, Jen-Ching↗
DOE OSTI2021

Matter in Extreme Conditions Upgrade (Conceptual Design Report)

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) is an open-access user facility that delivers ultrashort X-ray pulses that are nine orders of magnitude brighter than any prior source, able to probe the characteristics of matter with unprecedented spatial and temporal precision. The Matter in Extreme Conditions (MEC) instrument at LCLS combines the XFEL with high-power, short-pulse lasers to produce and study high energy density (HED) plasmas to develop the fundamental understanding of plasmas and matter in extreme environments. This has driven a remarkably rich array of high-profile scientific results with applications in fusion energy, isotope production, advanced materials, and medical and nuclear technology. The Matter in Extreme Conditions Upgrade (MEC-U) Project proposes a major upgrade to MEC that would significantly increase the power and repetition rate of the high intensity laser system to the petawatt level (PW, 10 15 Watts) at 10 Hz, increase the energy of the shock-driver laser to the kilojoule level (kJ), and expand the capabilities of the MEC instrument to support groundbreaking experiments enabled by the combination of high-power lasers with the world’s brightest X-ray source.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Molten Salt Reactor Passive Heat Removal System Modeling

The direct reactor auxiliary cooling system is a very robust, passive safety system that is designed to remove up to 2.36 MW of heat from the reactor during accident conditions. This report details a variety of DRACS degradation conditions and their effect on the safety of the reactor. This preliminary investigation shows that only two of the three DRACS loops are necessary to quickly suppress the decay heat produced by a newly shut down reactor. Even with a single DRACS loop operational, the maximum salt temperature observed was far below the safety specification of the plant (1173 K). When investigating the degraded performance of each DRACS loop, the short-term maximum salt temperature observed was strongly dependent on the DHX performance but was unaffected by the TCHX performance. However, even a heavily degraded DHX heat transfer performance was sufficient to halt the rising salt temperature due to decay heat. Further investigation should be done to characterize the effects of TCHX performance degradation at longer time scales. High levels of TCHX degradation were shown to lead to a reactor salt temperature minimum after a few hours of operation followed by a steady increase in temperature. With reduced ability to exhaust heat to the environment, it is possible the DRACS would be unable to maintain cooling during a long loss of active cooling event.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Theoretical Modeling of Reactor Relevant Conditions for Plasma Jet Driven Magneto-Inertial Fusion

The Charger Advanced Power and Propulsion Laboratory (CAPP), a laboratory within the Propulsion Research Center (PRC) at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is working with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). to develop models and inform on promising paths for high gain magneto-inertial fusion (MIF) conditions. This report provides a framework for identifying promising conditions for achieving ignition in plasma-jet-driven magneto-inertial fusion (PJMIF)[1]. As proposed, for the first part of the contract, UAH proposes to develop a gain over unity set of stagnation conditions to provide a state of plasma conditions to achieve to set long terms goals for the PJMIF program. Specifically, UAH will model PJMIF stagnation conditions to include radiation, heat transfer, two temperature energy equations, fusion reactivity and nonlocal fusion product deposition, but no hydrodynamics for these purposes. These calculations will use a stationary plasma model to reduce simulation complexity—focusing on a DT target at 10 keV. Subsequent work will include a DD plasma layer acting as an afterburner. UAH will assume an initial magnetic field without any consideration of the topology, just assume a field strength, most likely scaled with consideration of the local hall parameter. This effort will inform the team on the tradeoff between mass, peak target field, etc and the achievable gain.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1976

Applied regional monitoring of the vernal advancement and retrogradation (Green wave effect) of natural vegetation in the Great Plains corridor

The author has identified the following significant results. A TV16 isoline map at the 6.25 million hectare extended test site area in north central Texas and southern Oklahoma was produced. The map was compared to a published USDA Statistical Reporting Service map, which shows pasture and range feed conditions, as reported by rancher respondents. Both maps show similar areas of drought stress and good to excellent forage conditions, but preliminary indications are that the LANDSAT-derived map more accurately depicts the areal extent of each condition class.

Rouse, J. W., Jr.↗