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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 1,477 records · Page 82
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Experience with advanced instrumentation in a hot section cascade

The Lewis Research Center gas turbine Hot Section Test Facility was developed to provide a real engine environment with known boundary conditions for the aerothermal performance evaluation and verification of computer design codes. This verification process requires experimental measurements in a hostile environment. The research instruments used in this facility are presented, and their characteristics and how they perform in this environment are discussed. The research instrumentation consisted of conventional pressure and temperature sensors, as well as thin-film thermocouples and heat flux gages. The hot gas temperature was measured by an aspirated temperature probe and by a dual-element, fast-response temperature probe. The data acquisition mode was both steady state and time dependent. These experiments were conducted over a wide range of gas Reynolds numbers, exit gas Mach numbers, and heat flux levels. This facility was capable of testing at temperatures up to 1600 K, and at pressures up to 18 atm. These corresponded to an airfoil exit Reynolds number range of 0.5 x 10(6) to 2.5 x 10(6) based on the airfoil chord of 5.55 cm. The results characterize the performance capability and the durability of the instrumentation. The challenge of making measurements in hostile environments is also discussed. The instruments exhibited more than adequate durability to achieve the measurement profile. About 70 percent of the thin-film thermocouples and the dual-element temperature probe survived several hundred thermal cycles and more than 35 hr at gas temperatures up to 1600 K. Within the experimental uncertainty, the steady-state and transient heat flux measurements were comparable and consistent over the range of Reynolds numbers tested.

Yeh, Frederick C.↗
NASA NTRS1953

Preliminary investigation of zirconium boride ceramals for gas-turbine blade applications

Zirconium boride ZrB2 ceramals were investigated for possible gas-turbine-blade application. Included in the study were thermal shock evaluations of disks, preliminary turbine-blade operation, and observations of oxidation resistance. Thermal shock disks of the following three compositions were studied: (a) 97.5 percent ZrB2 plus 2.5 percent B by weight; (b) 92.5 percent ZrB2 plus 7.5 percent B by weight; and (c) 100 percent ZrB2. Thermal shock disks were quenched from temperatures of 1800 degrees, 2000 degrees, 2200 degrees, and 2400 degrees F. The life of turbine blades containing 93 percent ZrB2 plus 7 percent B by weight was determined in gas-turbine tests. The blades were run at approximately 1600 degrees F and 15,000 to 26,000 rpm. The thermal shock resistance of the 97.5 percent ZrB2 plus 2.5 percent boron ceramals compares favorably with that of TiC plus Co and TiC plus Ni ceramals. Oxidation of the disks during the thermal shock evaluation was slight for the comparatively short time (8.3 hr) up through 2000 degrees F. Oxidation of a specimen was severe, however, after 100 hours at 2000 degrees F. The turbine blade performance evaluation of the 93 percent ZrB2 plus 7 percent B composition was preliminary in scope ; no conclusions can be drawn.

Hoffman, Charles A↗
NASA NTRS2001

Image Mission Attitude Support Experiences

The spin-stabilized Imager for Magnetopause to Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) first Medium-class Explorer Mission (MIDEX). IMAGE was launched into a highly elliptical polar orbit on March 25, 2000 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, aboard a Boeing Delta II 7326 launch vehicle. This paper presents some of the observations of the flight dynamics analyses during the launch and in-orbit checkout period through May 18, 2000. Three new algorithms - one algebraic and two differential correction - for computing the parameters of the coning motion of a spacecraft are described and evaluated using in-flight data from the autonomous star tracker (AST) on IMAGE. Other attitude aspects highlighted include support for active damping consequent upon the failure of the passive nutation damper, performance evaluation of the AST, evaluation of the Sun sensor and magnetometer using AST data, and magnetometer calibration.

Ottenstein, N.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Deep neural network uncertainty quantification for LArTPC reconstruction

We evaluate uncertainty quantification (UQ) methods for deep learning applied to liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) physics analysis tasks. As deep learning applications enter widespread usage among physics data analysis, neural networks with reliable estimates of prediction uncertainty and robust performance against overconfidence and out-of-distribution (OOD) samples are critical for their full deployment in analyzing experimental data. While numerous UQ methods have been tested on simple datasets, performance evaluations for more complex tasks and datasets are scarce. Here we assess the application of selected deep learning UQ methods on the task of particle classification using the PiLArNet monte carlo 3D LArTPC point cloud dataset. We observe that UQ methods not only allow for better rejection of prediction mistakes and OOD detection, but also generally achieve higher overall accuracy across different task settings. We assess the precision of uncertainty quantification using different evaluation metrics, such as distributional separation of prediction entropy across correctly and incorrectly identified samples, receiver operating characteristic curves (ROCs), and expected calibration error from observed empirical accuracy. We conclude that ensembling methods can obtain well calibrated classification probabilities and generally perform better than other existing methods in deep learning UQ literature.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Small to Full-Height Scale Comparisons of Cesium Ion Exchange Performance with Crystalline Silicotitanate

Crystalline silicotitanate (CST) ion exchanger is planned to be used to remove cesium (137Cs) from the aqueous phases of Hanford tank wastes in preparation for vitrification at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Pretreatment Facility. Column scale up testing was conducted to evaluate performance of Cs exchange onto the CST. Batch contact testing was conducted to assess exchange kinetics of Cs exchange at four different CST PSDs. Column testing was conducted at three column sizes, small (2.5% full height), medium (12% full height), and full height, to assess Cs load performance behavior. Testing at the small scale was compared to actual Hanford tank waste testing to verify the validity of simulant tests to accurately represent full height column performance. A change in CST particle size was essential in scaling the small column dynamics up to full scale. Based on these results, a determination of intraparticle and film diffusion impacts on overall mass transfer coefficients will allow future modeling of the breakthrough performance at a range of process conditions.

Westesen, Amy M.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Nuclear Data – Benchmarking 19 F(α,n) Yield Data for Nuclear Safeguards

Fluorine compounds of U and Pu are ubiquitous in the nuclear fuel cycle, so F(α,n) neutrons are an important signature and quantitative source term that needs to be understood for physics-based interpretation of nondestructive assay measurements. Historically there have been large differences in the basic nuclear data for this reaction reported by various groups. UF 6 is the most prominent material in the nuclear fuel cycle, with the potential for short-term production into weaponizable form. Verification of bulk quantities, natural feed, depleted tails, and especially low enriched product in cylinders is particularly important. The principal physical measurement is neutron counting. For enriched material, the 19 F(α,n) reaction, driven by 234U, is the dominant source of neutrons. Basic nuclear data, cross sections, needed to calculate the yield, as well as information on the source spectrum for sensitivity studies are sparse and highly discrepant. This limits defensible physics-based performance evaluations. The same applies to holdup and criticality studies in which hydrated uranyl fluoride is the material of interest which accumulates in enrichment facilities. In the future we anticipate that the physics community will have made improved accelerator-based measurements and undertaken a more thorough evaluation and adjustment of all relevant available data. But in the short term, this does not help the safeguards community face the pressing real-world nondestructive assay requirements. To address this need, we have performed quality neutron measurements on UF6 materials using well-known material and high-capability neutron counters. A robust determination of the n/s/g of 234 U in UF 6 was generated along with a scientifically defensible uncertainty analysis. The weighted average value of the neutron yield is 509 n/s/g 234 U with a random uncertainty of approximately 1%. Dominant sources of systematic uncertainty are in the efficiency determination where we incur approximately 1.1% relative standard deviation associated with the 252 Cf reference source and about 0.9% uncertainty coming from the uncertainty in the F(α,n) spectrum. The stated uncertainties are an order of magnitude better than current data based on accelerator data reported in the literature. Aside from being of immediate and direct use by the safeguards community, this result will serve as an enduring integral benchmark for subsequent data evaluations that will need to match it in order to be credible. In addition to yield normalization, safeguards users of F(α,n) data also need guidance of the neutron emission spectrum. We have generated a neutron emission using a modified version of the well-known SOURCES 4C code, updated with new alpha stopping power coefficients, and a blended microscopic cross section data set. The yield and spectra are available in a form that MCNP users can readily use.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Case Study for the ARRA-funded GSHP Demonstration at University at Albany

High initial costs and lack of public awareness of ground-source heat pump (GSHP) technology are the two major barriers preventing rapid deployment of this energy-saving technology in the United States. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), 26 GSHP projects have been competitively selected and carried out to demonstrate the benefits of GSHP systems and innovative technologies for cost reduction and/or performance improvement. This report highlights the findings of a case study of one of the ARRA-funded GSHP demonstration projects—a distributed GSHP system at a new 500-bed apartment-style student residence hall at the University at Albany. This case study is based on the analysis of detailed design documents, measured performance data, published catalog data of heat pump equipment, and actual construction costs. Simulations with a calibrated computer model are performed for both the demonstrated GSHP system and a baseline heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to determine the energy savings and other related benefits achieved by the GSHP system. The evaluated performance metrics include the energy efficiency of the heat pump equipment and the overall GSHP system, as well as the pumping performance, energy savings, carbon emission reductions, and cost-effectiveness of the demonstrated GSHP system compared with the baseline HVAC system. This case study also identifies opportunities for improving the operational efficiency of the demonstrated GSHP system.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1989

Uniform task level definitions for robotic system performance comparisons

A series of ten task levels of increasing difficulty was compiled for use in comparative performance evaluations of available and future robotics technology. Each level has a breakdown of ten additional levels of difficulty to provide a layering of 100 levels. It is assumed that each level of task performance must be achieved by the system before it can be appropriately considered for the next level.

Price, Charles↗
NASA NTRS2001

Autonomous System for MISSE Temperature Measurements

The Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) is scheduled to be deployed during the summer of 2001. This experiment is a cooperative endeavor by NASA-LaRC, NASA-GRC, NASA MSFC, NASA-JSC, the Materials Laboratory at the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Boeing Phantom Works. The objective of the experiment is to evaluate performance, stability, and long term survivability of materials and components planned for use by NASA and DOD on future LEO, synchronous orbit, and interplanetary space missions. Temperature is an important parameter in the evaluation of space environmental effects on materials.

Harvey, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Demonstration of Advanced C/SiC Cooled Ramp

Under a NASA contract, SPS is evaluating its C/SiC to metal brazing technique for the development of light, composite, actively cooled panels. The program first consisted of defining a system applicable to the X-33 nozzle ramp. SPS then performed evaluation tests for tube, composite, and braze material selection, and for the adaptation of braze process parameters to the parts geometry. SPS is presently manufacturing a 250x60 millimeter squared specimen, including 10 metallic tubes, which will be cycled in the NASA/GRC-CELL-22 test bed under engine representative conditions.

Bouquet, Clement↗
NASA NTRS2006

MISSE 1 and 2 Tray Temperature Measurements

The Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE 1 & 2) was deployed August 10,2001 and retrieved July 30,2005. This experiment is a co-operative endeavor by NASA-LaRC. NASA-GRC, NASA-MSFC, NASA-JSC, the Materials Laboratory at the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the Boeing Phantom Works. The objective of the experiment is to evaluate performance, stability, and long term survivability of materials and components planned for use by NASA and DOD on future LEO, synchronous orbit, and interplanetary space missions. Temperature is an important parameter in the evaluation of space environmental effects on materials. The MISSE 1 & 2 had autonomous temperature data loggers to measure the temperature of each of the four experiment trays. The MISSE tray-temperature data loggers have one external thermistor data channel, and a 12 bit digital converter. The MISSE experiment trays were exposed to the ISS space environment for nearly four times the nominal design lifetime for this experiment. Nevertheless, all of the data loggers provided useful temperature measurements of MISSE. The temperature measurement system has been discussed in a previous paper. This paper presents temperature measurements of MISSE payload experiment carriers (PECs) 1 and 2 experiment trays.

Harvey, Gale A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

From Simulation to Reality With Random Noise

The challenging environment of autonomous vehicle (AV) navigation necessitates certain functions be performed by deep neural networks. Optimizing these models involves collecting vast quantities of domain-specific training data and ensuring that the dataset is representative of expected conditions. High-fidelity simulation plays a vital role in making this process feasible, allowing a wide range of scenarios to be explored at low cost. However, learning from simulation introduces subtle biases into models, which can degrade real-world performance in unpredictable ways. This effect can be mitigated with learning schemes specialized to bridge distributional shifts (transfer learning). Given the complex nature of these methods, the underlying models, and their environments, meaningfully evaluating performance is notstraight forward. Many unrelated factors can effect an improvement in generalization accuracy, but a full ablation analysis is often difficult. To tease out signal from noise, it is necessary to understand how transfer learning performance is affected by noise itself. The goals of this paper are (i) to establish a domain randomization baseline for a simple classification transfer learning task and (ii) to validate the RRAV testbed as a platform for further research in sim-to-real learning. We generate imagery from a simulation of NASA Ames Research Center and train a small convolutional neural network (ConvNet) to classify position relative to a centerline. Further models are trained with different types of noise progressively added to the data. The models are deployed aboard the on-site test vehicle to test real-world performance. In our experiments, we find that such naive domain randomization raises sim-to-real accuracy from 64% to 79%, while training directly on real data yields an 89% accuracy ceiling. These results suggest that the isolated mechanism of domain randomization can significantly improve generalization.

simulation↗
DOE OSTI2017

High Thermal Conductivity Polymer Composites for Low Cost Heat Exchangers

This factsheet describes a project that identified and evaluated commercially available and state-of-the-art polymer-based material options for manufacturing industrial and commercial non-metallic heat exchangers. A heat exchanger concept was also developed and its performance evaluated with heat transfer modeling tools.

High thermal conductivity polymers, heat exchanger↗
DOE OSTI2023

DOE Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program Overview

Slides discussing the DOE Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel Development and Qualification Program Overview to include focus on LEU UCO TRISO fuel in cylindrical compacts, with data for fuel qualification in support of reactor licensing and a path to establish a domestic commercial TRISO fuel fabrication capability. Timelines from 2004 through 2029. Major program highlights include: Developed fuel performance models based on past observed behavior, Study to understand differences between US and German (“good”) fuel, Developed and improved fuel fabrication and characterization methods, Fabricated lab-scale fuel (AGR-1) with very high quality; excellent in-pile and post-irradiation high-temperature fuel performance, Scale-up coating fabrication (AGR-2) with excellent in-pile performance, AGR-3/4 fuel fabrication and irradiation experiment to assess FP transport behavior, Scale-up matrix fabrication (AGR-5/6/7); & fuel performance evaluation in progress.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1993

Design and test of a small two stage counter-rotating turbine for rocket engine application

The aerodynamic design and rig test evaluation of a small counter-rotating turbine system is described. The technology represented by this turbine is being developed for application in an advanced upper stage rocket engine turbopump. This engine will employ an oxygen/hydrogen expander cycle and achieve high performance through efficient combustion, high combustion pressure, and high area ratio exhaust nozzle expansion. Engine performance goals require that the turbopump drive turbines achieve high efficiency at low gas flow rates. The low flow rates result in very small airfoil diameter, height and chord. The high efficiency and small size requirements present a challenging turbine design problem. The unconventional approach employed to meet this challenge is described, along with the detailed design process and resulting airfoil configurations. The method and results of full scale aerodynamic performance evaluation testing of both one and two stage configurations, as well as operation without the secondary stage stator are presented. The overall results of this effort illustrate that advanced aerodynamic design tools and hardware fabrication techniques have provided improved capability to produce small high performance turbines for advanced rocket engines.

Huber, F. W.↗
DOE OSTI2013

Coherent Image Layout using an Adaptive Visual Vocabulary

When querying a huge image database containing millions of images, the result of the query may still contain many thousands of images that need to be presented to the user. We consider the problem of arranging such a large set of images into a visually coherent layout, one that places similar images next to each other. Image similarity is determined using a bag-of-features model, and the layout is constructed from a hierarchical clustering of the image set by mapping an in-order traversal of the hierarchy tree into a space-filling curve. This layout method provides strong locality guarantees so we are able to quantitatively evaluate performance using standard image retrieval benchmarks. Performance of the bag-of-features method is best when the vocabulary is learned on the image set being clustered. Because learning a large, discriminative vocabulary is a computationally demanding task, we present a novel method for efficiently adapting a generic visual vocabulary to a particular dataset. We evaluate our clustering and vocabulary adaptation methods on a variety of image datasets and show that adapting a generic vocabulary to a particular set of images improves performance on both hierarchical clustering and image retrieval tasks.

Multimedia Analytics, image clustering, content ba↗
NASA NTRS1973

The performance of solar arrays in deep space

Spacecraft of the Mariner class have been used by the United States during the past 11 years for planetary exploration. During these missions, the solar array performance characteristics were carefully monitored, and the data were reduced and analyzed. In addition to the direct array telemetry itself, the five latest Mariners were also equipped with a special transducer to aid in evaluating performance and determining the cause of array degradation. This paper describes the performance results of the Mariner solar arrays and the intelligence returned from the special performance transducer carrier on the later flights.

Goldsmith, J. V.↗