Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “FREQUENCY SYNCHRONIZATION”

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.

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

At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Communications oriented programming of parallel iterative solutions of sparse linear systems

Parallel algorithms are developed for a class of scientific computational problems by partitioning the problems into smaller problems which may be solved concurrently. The effectiveness of the resulting parallel solutions is determined by the amount and frequency of communication and synchronization and the extent to which communication can be overlapped with computation. Three different parallel algorithms for solving the same class of problems are presented, and their effectiveness is analyzed from this point of view. The algorithms are programmed using a new programming environment. Run-time statistics and experience obtained from the execution of these programs assist in measuring the effectiveness of these algorithms.

Patrick, M. L.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Experimental Performance Evaluation of a High Speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor and Drive for a Flywheel Application at Different Frequencies

This paper presents the results of an experimental performance characterization study of a high speed, permanent magnet motor/generator (M/G) and drive applied to a flywheel module. Unlike the conventional electric machine the flywheel M/G is not a separated unit; its stator and rotor are integrated into a flywheel assembly. The M/G rotor is mounted on a flywheel rotor, which is magnetically levitated and sealed within a vacuum chamber during the operation. Thus, it is not possible to test the M/G using direct load measurements with a dynamometer and torque transducer. Accordingly, a new in-situ testing method had to be developed. The paper describes a new flywheel M/G and drive performance evaluation technique, which allows the estimation of the losses, efficiency and power quality of the flywheel high speed permanent magnet M/G, while working in vacuum, over wide frequency and torque ranges. This method does not require any hardware modification nor any special addition to the test rig. This new measurement technique is useful for high-speed applications, when applying an external load is technically difficult.

Nagorny, Aleksandr S.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Using GPS and VLBI technology to maintain 14 digit synchronization

To facilitate the navigation of spacecraft to the outer planets, Jupiter and beyond, the JPL-NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) has implemented three ensembles of atomic clocks at widely separated locations. These clocks must be maintained, synchronized, to with a few parts in 10 to the 13th power of each other and, the entire group must be maintained, to a lesser degree, in synchronism with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)NBS/USNO. Over the last 1 1/2 years the DSN has been using Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) and Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technology to perform these critical Frequency and Time (F&T) synchronization tasks. A year of F&T synchronization data collected from the intercomparison of 3 sets of cesium and hydrogen maser driven clock ensembles through the use of GPS and VLBI techniques are covered. Also covered, are some of the problems met and limitations of these two techniques at their present level of technology.

Ward, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Modulation and synchronization technique for MF-TDMA system

This report addresses modulation and synchronization techniques for a multi-frequency time division multiple access (MF-TDMA) system with onboard baseband processing. The types of synchronization techniques analyzed are asynchronous (conventional) TDMA, preambleless asynchronous TDMA, bit synchronous timing with a preamble, and preambleless bit synchronous timing. Among these alternatives, preambleless bit synchronous timing simplifies onboard multicarrier demultiplexer/demodulator designs (about 2:1 reduction in mass and power), requires smaller onboard buffers (10:1 to approximately 3:1 reduction in size), and provides better frame efficiency as well as lower onboard processing delay. Analysis and computer simulation illustrate that this technique can support a bit rate of up to 10 Mbit/s (or higher) with proper selection of design parameters. High bit rate transmission may require Doppler compensation and multiple phase error measurements. The recommended modulation technique for bit synchronous timing is coherent QPSK with differential encoding for the uplink and coherent QPSK for the downlink.

Faris, Faris↗
DOE OSTI2026

Analytical Models of Frequency and Voltage in Large-Scale All-Inverter Power Systems

Low-order frequency response models for power systems have a decades-long history in optimization and control problems such as unit commitment, economic dispatch, and wide-area control. With a few exceptions, these models are built upon the Newtonian mechanics of synchronous generators, assuming that the frequency dynamics across a system are approximately homogeneous, and assume the dynamics of nodal voltages for most operating conditions are negligible, and thus are not directly computed at all buses. As a result, the use of system frequency models results in the systematic underestimation of frequency minimum nadir and maximum RoCoF, and provides no insight into the reactive power-voltage dynamics. This paper proposes a low-order model of both frequency and voltage response in grid-forming inverter-dominated power systems. The proposed model accounts for spatial-temporal variations in frequency and voltage behavior across a system and as a result, demonstrates the heterogeneity of frequency response in future renewable power systems. Electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulations are used to validate the utility, accuracy, and computational efficiency of these models, setting the basis for them to serve as fast, scalable alternatives to EMT simulation, especially when dealing with very large-scale systems, for both planning and operational studies.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS2008

Method of Detecting System Function by Measuring Frequency Response

Real time battery impedance spectrum is acquired using one time record, Compensated Synchronous Detection (CSD). This parallel method enables battery diagnostics. The excitation current to a test battery is a sum of equal amplitude sin waves of a few frequencies spread over range of interest. The time profile of this signal has duration that is a few periods of the lowest frequency. The voltage response of the battery, average deleted, is the impedance of the battery in the time domain. Since the excitation frequencies are known, synchronous detection processes the time record and each component, both magnitude and phase, is obtained. For compensation, the components, except the one of interest, are reassembled in the time domain. The resulting signal is subtracted from the original signal and the component of interest is synchronously detected. This process is repeated for each component.

Morrison, John L.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Timing and frequency considerations in the worldwide testing of a spread spectrum communication system

During 1978 and 1979, an Air Force C-135 test aircraft was flown to various locations in the North and South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for satellite communications experiments. A part of the equipment tested on the aircraft was the SEACOM spread spectrum modem. The SEACOM modem operated at X band frequency from the aircraft via the DSCS II satellite to a ground station. For data to be phased successfully, it was necessary to maintain independent time and frequency accuracy over relatively long periods of time (up to two weeks) on the aircraft and at the ground station. To achieve this goal, two Efratom atomic frequency standards were used. The performance of these frequency standards as used in the spread spectrum modem is discussed, including the effects of high relative velocity, synchronization and the effects of the frequency standards on data performance is discussed. The aircraft environment, which includes extremes of temperature, as well as long periods of shutdown followed by rapid warmup requirements, is also discussed.

Woodring, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The measurement system of pulse modulated carrier frequency stability and timing jitter

The definition of pulse modulated carrier frequency stability and timing jitter as well as the configuration and synchronous acquisition measurement method of its measurement system. Frequency stability of the pulse modulated carrier is measured with a discrimination technique. The pulse modulated carrier under testing is mixed with a reference frequency synthesizer. A delay line is used to convert the frequency fluctuation mixed IF signal to the voltage fluctuation. The system has the capability to make the phase noise measurement of two port devices on a pulsed carrier using a phase bridge. The noise voltage mentioned above is applied to the data acquisition and processing unit by PC to realize stability measurement. The data acquisition is in the form of pulse synchronization so that the measurement system accuracy is increased. The pulse width is more than 0.3 microseconds. The phase fluctuation variance, sigma, is less than 0.017. The time interval measuring system with high resolution is used to make interpulse timing and pulse width jitters automatic measurement. The pulse width is less than 0.2 ns. The resolution is 0.1 ns. The system is successfully applied to radar measurement.

Li Cheng-Fu↗
NASA NTRS1996

Fractional Whirl Motion in Wave Journal Bearings

Unloaded gas, plain journal bearings experience sub-synchronous whirl motion due to fluid film instabilities and wall contact usually occurs immediately after the onset of the whirl motion. An alternative is the wave journal bearing which significantly improves bearing stability. The predicted threshold where the sub-synchronous whirl motion starts was well confirmed by the experimental observation. In addition, both a two-wave and a three-wave journal bearing can operate free of sub-synchronous whirl motion over a large range in speeds. When the sub-synchronous whirl motion occurs, both the two-wave and three-wave bearing can run in a whirl orbit well within the bearing clearance. At large clearances and wave amplitudes a two-wave bearing, unliKe other bearings, can exhibit a sub-synchronous whirl movement at both low and high speeds, but can run extremely stable and without whirl at intermediate speeds. Moreover, in these cases, the whirl frequencies are close to a quarter of the synchronous speed. The three-wave bearing can exhibit sub-synchronous whirl motion only after a specific threshold when the speed increases and the whirl frequencies are close to half of the synchronous speed.

Dimofte, Florin↗
DOE OSTI2022

Precise ROCOF estimation algorithm for low inertia power grids

The precise estimation of Rate Of Change Of Frequencies (ROCOFs) in a generation trip event can be helpful on power system inertia estimation, fast system response, and accurate event capturing. However, the ROCOF estimations from the existing Synchronized Measurement Devices (SMDs) are usually simply calculated by the finite difference between two adjacent frequency measurement points. The ineluctable noises, disturbances, and spikes from real-world frequency measurements can bring large dynamics to the ROCOF estimation and thus can result in an inaccurate estimation of the initial ROCOF. This issue becomes more serious when the target power grid has low inertia, and a large amount of distributed energy sources are deployed. To address this issue, a precise ROCOF estimation algorithm is designed based on least square method with flexible window size. In addition, a median filter is also designed and applied on the frequency measurements before using the proposed algorithm. The window size and thresholds in the proposed algorithm are determined with historical event data analysis. The proposed algorithm is deployed in a low cost, flexible, and distribution level universal grid analyzer (UGA) platform. In conclusion, multiple experiments are conducted in both a laboratory and the Hawaiian Islands to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

Coordinated Control of Natural and Sub-Synchronous Oscillations via HVDC Links in Great Britain Power System

Conventional power oscillation damping (POD) controllers have been designed to be effective in damping either inter-area low-frequency oscillations (LFO) or sub-synchronous oscillations (SSO). For those POD controls, model-based control design method has been widely implemented with wide-area feedback signals from phasor measurement units (PMU). However, the model accuracy of a large realistic power system can hardly be guaranteed, which will finally impact the POD damping performance. In this paper, a measurement-based method is proposed for POD design using High Voltage Direct Current links (HVDC) to realize the coordinated control of both LFO and SSO. For each type of oscillations, a band-pass filter is added to avoid the interactions between different modes. Case studies are carried out on the Great Britain 36-bus power system model with multiple HVDC links in DIgSILENT/PowerFactory. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed PODs are effective in damping inter-area LFO and SSO simultaneously.

Zhao, Yi↗
NASA NTRS2011

Water Flow Testing and Unsteady Pressure Analysis of a Two-Bladed Liquid Oxidizer Pump Inducer

The unsteady fluid dynamic performance of a cavitating two-bladed oxidizer turbopump inducer was characterized through sub-scale water flow testing. While testing a novel inlet duct design that included a cavitation suppression groove, unusual high-frequency pressure oscillations were observed. With potential implications for inducer blade loads, these high-frequency components were analyzed extensively in order to understand their origins and impacts to blade loading. Water flow testing provides a technique to determine pump performance without the costs and hazards associated with handling cryogenic propellants. Water has a similar density and Reynolds number to liquid oxygen. In a 70%-scale water flow test, the inducer-only pump performance was evaluated. Over a range of flow rates, the pump inlet pressure was gradually reduced, causing the flow to cavitate near the pump inducer. A nominal, smooth inducer inlet was tested, followed by an inlet duct with a circumferential groove designed to suppress cavitation. A subsequent 52%-scale water flow test in another facility evaluated the combined inducer-impeller pump performance. With the nominal inlet design, the inducer showed traditional cavitation and surge characteristics. Significant bearing loads were created by large side loads on the inducer during synchronous cavitation. The grooved inlet successfully mitigated these loads by greatly reducing synchronous cavitation, however high-frequency pressure oscillations were observed over a range of frequencies. Analytical signal processing techniques showed these oscillations to be created by a rotating, multi-celled train of pressure pulses, and subsequent CFD analysis suggested that such pulses could be created by the interaction of rotating inducer blades with fluid trapped in a cavitation suppression groove. Despite their relatively low amplitude, these high-frequency pressure oscillations posed a design concern due to their sensitivity to flow conditions and test scale. The amplitude and frequency of oscillations varied considerably over the pump s operating space, making it difficult to predict blade loads.

Schwarz, Jordan B.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Extended Frequency Divider for Bus Frequency Estimation Considering Virtual Inertia from DFIGs

Accurate estimation of local bus frequency is important for effectively controlling both synchronous and nonsynchronous generators. As the power grid evolves to accommodate essential reliability services such as virtual inertia from nonsynchronous generators, conventional techniques to estimate frequency face challenges. This paper proposes a new frequency estimation method that can effectively include the inertia contributions from double-fed wind generators (DFIGs). This is achieved through the proposed extended frequency divider formula (FDF) to include the contributions of DFIGs via Thevenin equivalents. The proposed extended FDF does not suffer from numerical issues as compared to existing phasor angle derivative-based approaches. Moreover, the knowledge of the rotor speeds of the synchronous machine and DFIGs as well as of the network admittance matrix allows estimating the frequencies of all buses in the grid, thereby significantly improving system situational awareness with a limited number of measurements. Numerical results on the IEEE 39-bus power system with DFIGs show that the proposed method achieves more accurate bus frequency estimations than the original FDF formula and other approaches based on the numerical derivation of the bus voltage phase angles.

double-fed induction generator↗
DOE OSTI2026

Analytical small-signal stability analysis of low-inertia power system frequency response considering secondary frequency regulation

Modern power systems are increasingly vulnerable to frequency instability as inverter-based resources (IBRs) replace synchronous machines and reduce system rotational inertia. Existing small-signal frequency stability assessment methods are either computationally intensive, relying on simulation-driven approaches, or lack analytical stability regions that explicitly account for secondary frequency response (SFR). This paper introduces new analytical frameworks that enable evaluation small-signal frequency stability while explicitly incorporating tunable IBR and SFR parameters. Using Kharitonov’s theorem with an overbounding approach, explicit small-signal stability criteria are derived. In addition, based on Białas’ criterion and Hurwitz matrix, analytical stability regions are established to reveal feasible design spaces for SFR and IBR parameters tuning. Extensive Matlab/Simulink-based simulations validate the accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed methods, demonstrating that coordinated tuning of SFR and IBR parameters can substantially enhance system resilience. By bridging analytical rigor with practical tunability, this work provides an analytical framework for assessing small-signal frequency stability in low-inertia grids, supporting the real-time, scalable, and resilient operation of sustainable power systems.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1972

Parallel operation of two Brayton-cycle alternators with parasitic speed controllers

The experimental paralleling characteristics of two 1200 Hz Brayton-cycle alternators are presented. Since the Brayton power conversion system uses electric speed controllers, the paralleling requirements are somewhat different from those for conventional ground-based systems. Results include the transient effects of synchronizing the two alternators with various phase-angle, voltage, and frequency differences. Based on these results, the effects of synchronizing differences can be defined, and adjustment requirements of the parasitic speed controllers during synchronizing can be established. Data indicate that parasitically loaded alternators are able to parallel over a wide range of synchronizing differences. However, equilibrium could not be reached in extreme cases where alternator load differences were great and, at the same time, the phase-angle error was large (150 deg or more).

Perz, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Parallel operation of two Brayton-cycle alternators with parasitic speed controllers.

The experimental paralleling characteristics of two 1200-Hz Brayton-cycle alternators are presented. Since the Brayton power conversion system uses electric speed controllers, the paralleling requirements are somewhat different from those for conventional ground-based power systems. Results include the transient effects of synchronizing the two alternators with various phase-angle, voltage, and frequency differences. Based on these results, the effects of synchronizing differences can be defined, and adjustment requirements of the parasitic speed controllers during synchronizing can be established. Data indicate that parasitically loaded alternators are able to parallel over a wide range of synchronizing differences.

Perz, D. A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Simons Observatory: Cryogenic half wave plate rotation mechanism for the small aperture telescopes

We present the requirements, design, and evaluation of the cryogenic continuously rotating half-wave plate (CHWP) for the Simons Observatory (SO). SO is a cosmic microwave background polarization experiment at Parque Astronómico de Atacama in northern Chile that covers a wide range of angular scales using both small (Ø0.42 m) and large (Ø6 m) aperture telescopes. In particular, the small aperture telescopes (SATs) focus on large angular scales for primordial B-mode polarization. To this end, the SATs employ a CHWP to modulate the polarization of the incident light at 8 Hz, suppressing atmospheric 1/f noise and mitigating systematic uncertainties that would otherwise arise due to the differential response of detectors sensitive to orthogonal polarizations. The CHWP consists of a 505 mm diameter achromatic sapphire HWP and a cryogenic rotation mechanism, both of which are cooled down to ~50 K to reduce detector thermal loading. Under normal operation, the HWP is suspended by a superconducting magnetic bearing and rotates with a constant 2 Hz frequency, controlled by an electromagnetic synchronous motor. We find that the number of superconductors and the number of magnets that make up the superconducting magnetic bearing are important design parameters, especially for the rotation mechanism’s vibration performance. The rotation angle is detected through an angular encoder with a noise level of 0.07 μrad √ $\overline{s}$. During a cooldown process, the rotor is held in place by a grip-and-release mechanism that serves as both an alignment device and a thermal path. In this paper, we provide an overview of the SO SAT CHWP: its requirements, hardware design, and laboratory performance.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗