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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

TEA of a Unique Two-Pathways Process for Post-Combustion CO 2 Capture

A unique two-Pathways process using aqueous sodium glycinate for CO 2 capture from a split flue gas stream emitted from 600 MWe post-combustion coal power plant was developed in Aspen Plus v.10. The split gas flow rate used was 44.75 ton/h and contained 0.0023 mol% SO 2 and 13.33 mol% CO 2 . The process includes a washing unit, a CO 2 absorption unit, a reverse osmosis unit, and a solvent regeneration unit or an ultrafiltration unit. The washing unit uses deionized water to completely remove SO 2 and the CO 2 absorption unit uses SGS to capture at least 90 mol% of the CO 2 in the split flue gas stream. Upon CO 2 and SGS reactions, the resulting liquid products exhibit phase-separation into CO 2 -lean phase and CO 2 -rich phase, allow two distinct pathways. Pathway (i) is to regenerate mostly the CO 2 -rich phase, collect the released CO 2 , and compress it for sequestration purposes. Pathway (ii) is to send the liquid stream from the CO 2 absorption unit to the ultrafiltration unit to separate the solid nanomaterials. The hydraulics and mass transfer characteristics in the washing and CO 2 absorption units were obtained; and techno-economic analysis (TEA) for Pathways (i) and (ii), including Capital Expenditure (CAPEX), Operating Expenditure (OPEX), and Levelized Cost of CO 2 Captured (LCOC), were calculated and compared. The simulation results revealed that the CAPEX, OPEX, and LCOC for Pathway (i) were ($\$12,039,251$), (261 dollar/h), and (54.01 dollar/ton-CO 2 captured), respectively, and those for Pathway (ii) were ($\$5,908,000$), (237.2 dollar/h), and (39.90 dollar/ton-CO 2 captured), respectively. Moreover, in Pathway (ii), 8.19 ton/h of CO 2 were captured to produce 15.62 ton/h NaHCO 3 nanomaterials, which were sold to offset the overall process cost. The LCOC values indicate that Pathway (ii) is more cost-effective than Pathway (i) because LCOC values for Pathway (ii) are much lower than those for Pathway (i).COC values for Pathway (ii) are much lower than those for Pathway (i).

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗

Analysis of Ideal Towers for Tall Wind Applications: Preprint

Innovation in wind turbine tower design is of significant interest for future development of wind power plants. First, wind turbine towers account for a large portion of overall capital expenditures for wind power projects. Second, for low wind-resource regions of the world, the use of low-cost tall-tower technology has the potential to open new markets for development. This study investigates the relative potential of various tower configurations in terms of mass and cost. For different market applications and hub heights, idealized tall towers are designed and compared. The results show that innovation in wind turbine controls makes reaching higher hub heights with current technology economically viable. At the same time, new technologies hold promise for reducing tower costs as these technologies mature and hub heights reach twice the current average.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Noncoplanar minimum delta V two-impulse and three-impulse orbital transfer from a regressing oblate earth assembly parking ellipse onto a flyby trans-Mars asymptotic velocity vector.

Comparison of two-impulse and three-impulse orbital transfer, using data from a 63-case numerical study. For each case investigated for which coplanarity of the regressing assembly parking ellipse was attained with the target asymptotic velocity vector, a two-impulse maneuver (or a one-impulse equivalent) was found for which the velocity expenditure was within 1% of a reference absolute minimum lower bound. Therefore, for the coplanar cases, use of a minimum delta-V three-impulse maneuver afforded scant improvement in velocity penalty. However, as the noncoplanarity of the parking ellipse and the target asymptotic velocity vector increased, there was a significant increase in the superiority of minimum delta-V three-impulse maneuvers for slowing the growth of velocity expenditure. It is concluded that a multiple-impulse maneuver should be contemplated if nonnominal launch conditions could occur.

Bean, W. C.↗

The economic impact of NASA R and D spending

The economic impact of R and D spending, particularly NASA R and D spending, on the U. S. economy was evaluated. The crux of the methodology and hence the results revolve around the fact that it was necessary to consider both the demand effects of increased spending and the supply effects of a higher rate of technological growth and a larger total productive capacity. The demand effects are primarily short-run in nature, while the supply effects do not begin to have a significant effect on aggregate economic activity until the fifth year after increased expenditures have taken place. The short-term economic impact of alternative levels of NASA expenditures for 1975 was first examined. The long-term economic impact of increased levels of NASA R and D spending over a sustained period was then evaluated.

Evans, M. K.↗

Examination of the costs, benefits and enery conservation aspects of the NASA aircraft fuel conservation technology program

The costs and benefits of the NASA Aircraft Fuel Conservation Technology Program are discussed. Consideration is given to a present worth analysis of the planned program expenditures, an examination of the fuel savings to be obtained by the year 2005 and the worth of this fuel savings relative to the investment required, a comparison of the program funding with that planned by other Federal agencies for energy conservation, an examination of the private industry aeronautical research and technology financial posture for the period FY 76 - FY 85, and an assessment of the potential impacts on air and noise pollution. To aid in this analysis, a computerized fleet mix forecasting model was developed. This model enables the estimation of fuel consumption and present worth of fuel expenditures for selected commerical aircraft fleet mix scenarios.

Source record↗

Solar breeder: Energy payback time for silicon photovoltaic systems

The energy expenditures of the prevailing manufacturing technology of terrestrial photovoltaic cells and panels were evaluated, including silicon reduction, silicon refinement, crystal growth, cell processing and panel building. Energy expenditures include direct energy, indirect energy, and energy in the form of equipment and overhead expenses. Payback times were development using a conventional solar cell as a test vehicle which allows for the comparison of its energy generating capability with the energies expended during the production process. It was found that the energy payback time for a typical solar panel produced by the prevailing technology is 6.4 years. Furthermore, this value drops to 3.8 years under more favorable conditions. Moreover, since the major energy use reductions in terrestrial manufacturing have occurred in cell processing, this payback time directly illustrates the areas where major future energy reductions can be made -- silicon refinement, crystal growth, and panel building.

Lindmayer, J.↗

Fluid and electrolyte shifts during bed rest with isometric and isotonic exercise

It is difficult to separate the effects of reduction in hydrostatic pressure from that of reduced energy expenditure when investigating the confinement deconditioning problem. Experiments were conducted on seven healthy young men aged 19-21 yr with the purpose of separating these two factors by using isotonic physical exercise during bed rest to provide a daily energy expenditure greater than normal ambulatory levels. Fluid and electrolyte shifts were measured during three two-week bed rest periods, each of which being separated by a three-week ambulatory recovery period. During two of the three bed rest periods they performed isometric and isotonic exercises to compare their effects on fluid and electrolyte shifts during bed rest. It is shown that during bed rest, preservation of the extracellular volume takes precedence over maintenance of the plasma volume and that this mechanism is independent of the effects of isometric or isotonic exercise.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗

Assessment of 20 kW S-band transmitter

The performance history of the 20-kW S-band transmitter, installed at three 64-meter antennas and six 26-meter antennas in the DSN, is reviewed. A number of failures and discrepancy reports are characteristic of the wearout phase of a failure curve. The type of failures are reviewed and four options toward reducing the number and cost of failures are reviewed. These are: existing (no change), refurbish, redesign and replacement. The options are compared on a ten year life cycle cost basis using FY77 expenditures for existing equipment as a base. It was concluded that benefits, in terms of reduction of outrage time, increase with an increase of expenditure toward improvement.

Dickinson, R.↗

FBI fingerprint identification automation study. AIDS 3 evaluation report. Volume 4: Economic feasibility

The results of the economic analysis of the AIDS 3 system design are presented. AIDS 3 evaluated a set of economic feasibility measures including life cycle cost, implementation cost, annual operating expenditures and annual capital expenditures. The economic feasibility of AIDS 3 was determined by comparing the evaluated measures with the same measures, where applicable, evaluated for the current system. A set of future work load scenarios was constructed using JPL's environmental evaluation study of the fingerprint identification system. AIDS 3 and the current system were evaluated for each of the economic feasibility measures for each of the work load scenarios. They were compared for a set of performance measures, including response time and accuracy, and for a set of cost/benefit ratios, including cost per transaction and cost per technical search. Benefit measures related to the economic feasibility of the system are also presented, including the required number of employees and the required employee skill mix.

Mulhall, B. D. L.↗

Government and industry interactions in the development of clock technology

It appears likely that everyone in the time and frequency community can agree on goals to be realized through the expenditure of resources. These goals are the same as found in most fields of technology: lower cost, better performance, increased reliability, small size and lower power. Related aspects are examined in the process of clock and frequency standard development. Government and industry are reviewed in a highly interactive role. These interactions include judgements on clock performance, what kind of clock, expenditure of resources, transfer of ideas or hardware concepts from government to industry, and control of production. Successful clock development and production requires a government/industry relationship which is characterized by long-term continuity, multidisciplinary team work, focused funding and a separation of reliability and production oriented tasks from performance improvement/research type efforts.

Hellwig, H.↗

Government financial support for civil aircraft research, technology and development in four European countries and the United States

Data on the levels of government financial support for civil aircraft airframe and engine (CAAE) research and technology (R&T) in the United States and Europe (United Kingdom, West Germany, France and The Netherlands) and means of comparing these levels are provided. Data are presented for the years 1974-1977. European R&T expenditure data were obtained through visits to each of the four European countries, to the Washington office of the European Communities, and by a search of applicable literature. CAAE R&T expenditure data for the United States were obtained from NASA and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Chandler, B.↗

Reactionless propulsion using tethers

An orbiting tethered satellite can propel itself by reaction against the gravitational gradient, with expenditure of energy but with no use of on-board reaction mass. Energy can be added to the orbit by pumping the tether length in the same way as pumping a swing. Examples of tether propulsion in orbit without use of reaction mass are discussed, including: (1) using tether extension to reposition a satellite in orbit without fuel expenditure by extending a mass on the end of a tether; (2) using a tether for eccentricity pumping to add energy to the orbit for boosting an orbital transfer; and (3) length modulation of a spinning tether to transfer angular momentum between the orbit and tether spin, thus allowing changes in orbital angular momentum.

Landis, Geoffrey A.↗

Analysis of the potential application of the Davenport/Short information technology model to a research and development organization

Part of the role of the Mission Operations Lab is the development of budget inputs for Huntsville Operations/Payload Crew Training Center/Payload Operations Control Center (HOSC/PCTC/POCC) activity. These budget inputs are part of the formal Program Operating Plan (POP) process, which occurs twice yearly, and of the formal creation of the yearly operating plan. Both POPs and the operation plan serve the purpose of mapping out planned expenditures for the next fiscal year and for a number of outlying years. Based on these plans, the various Project Offices at the Center fund the HOSC/PCTC/POCC activity. Because of Mission Operations Lab's role in budget development, some of the Project Offices have begun looking to Mission Operations, and specifically the EO02 branch, to track expenditures and explain/justify any deviations from plans. EO02 has encountered difficulties acquiring the necessary information to perform this function. It appears that the necessary linkages with other units had not been fully developed and integrated with the flow of information in budget implementation. The purpose of this study is to document the budget process from the point of view of EO02 and to identify the steps necessary for it to effectively perform this role on a continuous basis.

Decker, Deron R.↗

Magnetobraking: Use of tether electrodynamic drag for Earth return from Mars

It has often been proposed that a vehicle returning from Mars will use aerobraking in the Earth's atmosphere to dissipate hyperbolic excess velocity to capture into Earth orbit. Here a different system for dissipating excess velocity without expenditure of reaction mass, magnetobraking, is proposed. Magnetobraking uses the force on an electrodynamic tether in the Earth's magnetic field to produce thrust. An electrodynamic tether is deployed from the spacecraft as it approaches the Earth. The Earth's magnetic field produces a force on electrical current in the tether. If the tether is oriented perpendicularly to the Earth's magnetic field and to the direction of motion of the spacecraft, force produced by the Earth's magnetic field can be used to either brake or accelerate the spacecraft without expenditure of reaction mass. The peak acceleration on the Mars return is 0.007 m/sq sec, and the amount of braking possible is dependent on the density and current-carrying capacity of the tether, but is independent of length. A superconducting tether is required. The required critical current is shown to be within the range of superconducting technology now available in the laboratory.

Landis, Geoffrey A.↗

General Aviation in Nebraska: Nebraska SATS Project Background Paper No. 1

The Nebraska SATS project is a state-level component of NASA's Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS). During the next several years the project will examine several different factors affecting SATS implementation in Nebraska. These include economic and taxation issues, public policy issues, airport planning processes, information dissemination strategies, and systemic change factors. This background paper profiles the general aviation system in Nebraska. It is written to provide information about the "context" within which SATS will be pursued. The primary focus is thus on describing and providing background information about the current situation. A secondary focus is on drawing general conclusions about the ability of the current system to incorporate the types of changes implied by SATS. First, some brief information on the U.S. aviation system is provided. The next two sections profile the current general aviation aircraft and pilot base. Nebraska's system of general aviation airports is then described. Within this section of the paper, information is provided on the different types of general aviation airports in Nebraska, airport activity levels and current infrastructure. The fourth major section of the background paper looks at Nebraska's local airport authorities. These special purpose local governments oversee the majority of the general aviation airports in the state. Among the items examined are total expenditures, capital expenditures and planning activities. Next, the paper provides background information on the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics (NDA) and recent Federal funding for general aviation in Nebraska. The final section presents summary conclusions.

Smith, Russell↗

The Influence of Power Limitations on Closed Environment Life Support System Applications

The future of manned space exploration will be determined through a process which balances the innate need of humanity to explore its surroundings and the costs associated with accomplishing these goals. For NASA, this balance is derived from economics and budgetary constraints that hold it accountable for the expenditure of public funds. These budgetary realities demand a reduction in cost and expenditures of exploration and research activities. For missions venturing out to the edge of habitability, the development of cost effective life support approaches will have a significant influence on mission viability. Over the past several years, a variety of mission scenarios for potential Lunar and Mars missions have been developed. The most promising of these scenarios attempt to provide basic mission requirements at a minimum cost. As a result, these scenarios are extremely power limited. For Closed Environment Life Support System (CELSS) applications, these realities impose both limitations and direction to future research. This paper presents a summary of these mission scenarios and an evaluation of the impact which these power limitations will have on CELSS system design.

Flynn, Michael↗

Managing Risk for Cassini During Mission Operations and Data Analysis (MOandDA)

A Risk Management Process has been tailored for Cassini that not only satisfies the requirements of NASA and JPL, but also allows the Program to proactively identify and assess risks that threaten mission objectives. Cassini Risk Management is a team effort that involves both management and engineering staff. The process is managed and facilitated by the Mission Assurance Manager (MAM), but requires regular interactions with Program Staff and team members to instill the risk management philosophy into the day to day mission operations. While Risk Management is well defined for projects in the development phase, it is a relatively new concept for Mission Operations. The Cassini team has embraced this process and has begun using it in an effective, proactive manner, to ensure mission success. It is hoped that the Cassini Risk Management Process will form the basis by which risk management is conducted during MO&DA on future projects. proactive in identifying, assessing and mitigating risks before they become problems. Cost ehtiveness is achieved by: Comprehensively identifying risks Rapidly assessing which risks require the expenditure of pruject cewums Taking early actions to mitigate these risks Iterating the process frequently, to be responsive to the dynamic internal and external environments The Cassini Program has successfully implemented a Risk Management Process for mission operations, The initial SRL has been developed and input into he online tool. The Risk Management webbased system has been rolled out for use by the flight team and risk owners we working proactive in identifying, assessing and mitigating risks before they become problems. Cost ehtiveness is achieved by: Comprehensively identifying risks Rapidly assessing which risks require the expenditure of pruject cewums Taking early actions to mitigate these risks Iterating the process frequently, to be responsive to the dynamic internal and external environments The Cassini Program has successfully implemented a Risk Management Process for mission operations, The initial SRL has been developed and input into he online tool. The Risk Management webbased system has been rolled out for use by the flight team and risk owners we working put into place will become visible and will be illusmted in future papers.

risk management↗

Male and Female Summer Interns in Engineering from 2007-2012

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the colleges and universities from which engineering interns were chosen for the Langley Aerospace Research Student Scholars (LARSS) internship program over a six year period. While the initial question was where the interns were from, information was also obtained on these colleges and universities' rankings with respect to female faculty in tenure/tenure-track positions as well as research expenditures according to the American Society for Engineering Education's (ASEE) 2012 Annual Report. The majority of interns were selected from 14 institutions. Eight of the institutions for female interns and 7 for male interns were also cited as having the largest percentages/numbers of female faculty according to ASEE data. In 10 of the 14 institutions for male interns and 9 of 14 for female interns, the institutions were cited as having some of the highest research expenditures. Last, data from ASEE's report on bachelor degrees awarded in 2011 was assessed with respect to the 21 institutions listed as having higher numbers of women in tenure/tenure-track positions. The majority of these institutions represented larger engineering programs with a sizeable number of engineering faculty. These 21institutions accounted for 24.4% of the total engineering bachelor degrees awarded in 2011, with 27.4% of all female and 23.8% of all male graduates in the U.S.

Hall, Cathy W.↗