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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 1,531 records · Page 85

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NASA NTRS2011

Improvements to a Response Surface Thermal Model for Orion Mated to the International Space Station

This study is an extension of previous work to evaluate the applicability of Design of Experiments (DOE)/Response Surface Methodology to on-orbit thermal analysis. The goal was to determine if the methodology could produce a Response Surface Equation (RSE) that predicted the thermal model temperature results within +/-10 F. An RSE is a polynomial expression that can then be used to predict temperatures for a defined range of factor combinations. Based on suggestions received from the previous work, this study used a model with simpler geometry, considered polynomials up to fifth order, and evaluated orbital temperature variations to establish a minimum and maximum temperature for each component. A simplified Outer Mold Line (OML) thermal model of the Orion spacecraft was used in this study. The factors chosen were the vehicle's Yaw, Pitch, and Roll (defining the on-orbit attitude), the Beta angle (restricted to positive beta angles from 0 to 75), and the environmental constants (varying from cold to hot). All factors were normalized from their native ranges to a non-dimensional range from -1.0 to 1.0. Twenty-three components from the OML were chosen and the minimum and maximum orbital temperatures were calculated for each to produce forty-six responses for the DOE model. A customized DOE case matrix of 145 analysis cases was developed which used analysis points at the factor corners, mid-points, and center. From this data set, RSE s were developed which consisted of cubic, quartic, and fifth order polynomials. The results presented are for the fifth order RSE. The RSE results were then evaluated for agreement with the analytical model predictions to produce a +/-3(sigma) error band. Forty of the 46 responses had a +/-3(sigma) value of 10 F or less. Encouraged by this initial success, two additional sets of verification cases were selected. One contained 20 cases, the other 50 cases. These cases were evaluated both with the fifth order RSE and with the analytical model. For the maximum temperature predictions, 12 of the 23 components had all predictions within +/-10 F and 17 were within +/-20 F. For the minimum temperature predictions, only 4 of the 23 components (the four radiator temperatures), were within the 10 F goal. The maximum temperature RSEs were then run through 59,049 screening cases. The RSE predictions were then filtered to find 55 cases that produced the hottest temperatures. These 55 cases were then analyzed using the thermal model and the results compared against the RSE predictions. As noted earlier, 12 of the 23 responses were within +/-10 F at 17 within +/-20 F. These results demonstrate that if properly formulated, an RSE can provide a reliable, fast temperature prediction. Despite this progress, additional work is needed to determine why the minimum temperatures responses and 6 of the hot temperature responses did not produce reliable RSEs. Recommend focus areas are the model itself (arithmetic vs. diffusion nodes) and seeking consultations with statistical application experts.

Miller, StephenW.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Enhancing ACPF Analysis: Integrating Newton-Raphson Method with Gradient Descent and Computational Graphs

This paper presents a new method for enhancing Alternating Current Power Flow (ACPF) analysis. The method integrates the Newton-Raphson (NR) method with Enhanced-Gradient Descent (GD) and computational graphs. The integration of renewable energy sources in power systems introduces variability and unpredictability, and this method addresses these challenges. It leverages the robustness of NR for accurate approximations and the flexibility of GD for handling variable conditions, all without requiring Jacobian matrix inversion. Furthermore, computational graphs provide a structured and visual framework that simplifies and systematizes the application of these methods. The goal of this fusion is to overcome the limitations of traditional ACPF methods and improve the resilience, adaptability, and efficiency of modern power grid analyses. We validate the effectiveness of our advanced algorithm through comprehensive testing on established IEEE benchmark systems. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that our approach not only speeds up the convergence process but also ensures consistent performance across diverse system states, representing a significant advancement in power flow computation.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2025

Chemically and mechanically recyclable polyester-based multilayer plastics

Approximately 100 million tons of multilayered plastics (MLPs) are produced each year worldwide but are not recycled due to their complex structure. Here, this work aims to design polyester-based multilayer plastics (80–100 % polyester) that provide barrier performance comparable to typical 9–12-layer commercial MLPs, while also enabling both chemical recycling (back to parent monomer) and mechanical recycling (grind-and-melt reprocessing). Such dual recyclability is not achievable with non-polyester multilayers, such as all-polyolefin systems. Furthermore, we emphasize how the multilayer architecture was tailored to balance barrier properties, mechanical integrity, and end-of-life recyclability for both flexible and rigid packaging applications. Two main categories of polyester-based MLPs are reported; in the first type, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT)-70 % polyglycolic acid (PGA) is used as middle barrier layer, while in second type, middle barrier layer is Ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymers. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was used as a structural layer, while either PBAT or poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) was used to enable thermal sealing and serve as the product contact layer. These MLPs are recycled by both chemical and mechanical recycling processes. Techno-economic analysis (TEA) shows that MLPs incorporating EVOH as barrier layer have similar or lower selling costs (0.32 $\$$/m 2 ) than commercial MLPs. Life cycle assessment (LCA) indicates EVOH-based MLPs have a lower carbon footprint and lower energy consumption relative to commercial MLP benchmarks. This work offers simplified MLPs that are easy to manufacture and ready to recycle, which will significantly reduce environmental impact of MLP packaging while also providing a cost-effective and practical solution for industry.

Barrier properties↗

DOE OSTI2025

A simple and highly efficient protocol for 13 C-labeling of plant cell wall for structural and quantitative analyses via solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance

Plant cell walls are made of a complex network of interacting polymers that play a critical role in plant development and responses to environmental changes. Thus, improving plant biomass and fitness requires the elucidation of the structural organization of plant cell walls in their native environment. The 13 C-based multi-dimensional solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) has been instrumental in revealing the structural information of plant cell walls through 2D and 3D correlation spectral analyses. However, the requirement of enriching plants with 13 C limits the applicability of this method. To our knowledge, there is only a very limited set of methods currently available that achieve high levels of 13 C-labeling of plant materials using 13 CO 2 , and most of them require large amounts of 13 CO 2 in larger growth chambers. In this study, a simplified protocol for 13C-labeling of plant materials is introduced that allows ca 60% labeling of the cell walls, as quantified by comparison with commercially labeled samples. This level of 13 C-enrichment is sufficient for all conventional 2D and 3D correlation ssNMR experiments for detailed analysis of plant cell wall structure. The protocol is based on a convenient and easy setup to supply both 13 C-labeled glucose and 13 CO 2 using a vacuum-desiccator. The protocol does not require large amounts of 13 CO 2 . This study shows that our 13 C-labeling of plant materials can make the accessibility to ssNMR technique easy and affordable. The derived high-resolution 2D and 3D correlation spectra are used to extract structural information of plant cell walls. This helps to better understand the influence of polysaccharide-polysaccharide interaction on plant performance and allows for a more precise parametrization of plant cell wall models.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

NASA NTRS1973

Research study on stabilization and control: Modern sampled data control theory

A numerical analysis of spacecraft stability parameters was conducted. The analysis is based on a digital approximation by point by point state comparison. The technique used is that of approximating a continuous data system by a sampled data model by comparison of the states of the two systems. Application of the method to the digital redesign of the simplified one axis dynamics of the Skylab is presented.

Kuo, B. C.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Advanced control schemes and kinematic analysis for a kinematically redundant 7 DOF manipulator

The kinematic analysis and control of a kinematically redundant manipulator is addressed. The manipulator is the slave arm of a telerobot system recently built at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to serve as a testbed for investigating research issues in telerobotics. A forward kinematic transformation is developed in its most simplified form, suitable for real-time control applications, and the manipulator Jacobian is derived using the vector cross product method. Using the developed forward kinematic transformation and quaternion representation of orientation matrices, we perform computer simulation to evaluate the efficiency of the Jacobian in converting joint velocities into Cartesian velocities and to investigate the accuracy of Jacobian pseudo-inverse for various sampling times. The equivalence between Cartesian velocities and quaternion is also verified using computer simulation. Three control schemes are proposed and discussed for controlling the motion of the slave arm end-effector.

Nguyen, Charles C.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Trajectory-Based Performance Assessment for Aviation Weather Information

Based on an analysis of aviation decision-makers' time-related weather information needs, an abstraction of the aviation weather decision task was developed, that involves 4-D intersection testing between aircraft trajectory hypertubes and hazardous weather hypervolumes. The framework builds on the hypothesis that hazardous meteorological fields can be simplified using discrete boundaries of surrogate threat attributes. The abstractions developed in the framework may be useful in studying how to improve the performance of weather forecasts from the trajectory-centric perspective, as well as for developing useful visualization techniques of weather information.

Vigeant-Langlois, Laurence↗

NASA NTRS2010

How to Boost Engineering Support Via Web 2.0 - Seeds for the Ares Project...and/or Yours?

The Mission Operations Laboratory (MOL) at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is responsible for Engineering Support capability for NASA s Ares launch system development. In pursuit of this, MOL is building the Ares Engineering and Operations Network (AEON), a web-based portal intended to provide a seamless interface to support and simplify two critical activities: a) Access and analyze Ares manufacturing, test, and flight performance data, with access to Shuttle data for comparison. b) Provide archive storage for engineering instrumentation data to support engineering design, development, and test. A mix of NASA-written and COTS software provides engineering analysis tools. A by-product of using a data portal to access and display data is access to collaborative tools inherent in a Web 2.0 environment. This paper discusses how Web 2.0 techniques, particularly social media, might be applied to the traditionally conservative and formal engineering support arena. A related paper by the author [1] considers use

Scott, David W.↗

NASA NTRS2011

Development of the Probing In-Situ with Neutron and Gamma Rays (PING) Instrument for Planetary Science Applications

The Probing In situ with Neutrons and Gamma rays (PING) instrument is a promising planetary science application of the active neutron-gamma ray technology that has been used successfully in oil field well logging and mineral exploration on Earth for decades. Similar techniques can be very powerful for non-invasive in situ measurements of the subsurface elemental composition on other planets. The objective of our active neutron-gamma ray technology program at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (NASA/GSFC) is to bring instruments using this technology to the point where they can be flown on a variety of surface lander or rover missions to the Moon, Mars, Venus, asteroids, comets and the satellites of the outer planets. PING combines a 14 MeV deuterium-tritium pulsed neutron generator with a gamma ray spectrometer and two neutron detectors to produce a landed instrument that can determine the elemental composition of a planet down to 30 - 50 cm below the planet's surface. The penetrating nature of.5 - 10 MeV gamma rays and 14 MeV neutrons allows such sub-surface composition measurements to be made without the need to drill into or otherwise disturb the planetary surface, thus greatly simplifying the lander design. We are currently testing a PING prototype at a unique outdoor neutron instrumentation test facility at NASA/GSFC that provides two large (1.8 m x 1.8 m x.9 m) granite and basalt test formations placed outdoors in an empty field. Since an independent trace elemental analysis has been performed on both the Columbia River basalt and Concord Gray granite materials, these samples present two known standards with which to compare PING's experimentally measured elemental composition results. We will present experimental results from PING measurements of both the granite and basalt test formations and show how and why the optimum PING instrument operating parameters differ for studying the two materials.

Parsons, A.↗

NASA NTRS2017

Luminous Efficiency of Hypervelocity Meteoroid Impacts on the Moon Derived from the 2015 Geminid Meteor Shower

Meteoroids cannot be observed directly because of their small size. In-situ measurements of the meteoroid environment are rare and have very small collecting areas. The Moon, in contrast, has a large collecting area and therefore can be used as a large meteoroid detector for gram-kilogram sized particles. Meteoroids striking the Moon create an impact flash observable by Earth-based telescopes. Their kinetic energy is converted to luminous energy with some unknown luminous efficiency η(v), which is likely a function of meteoroid velocity (among other factors). This luminous efficiency is imperative to calculating the kinetic energy and mass of the meteoroid, as well as meteoroid fluxes, and it cannot be determined in the laboratory at meteoroid speeds and sizes due to mechanical constraints. Since laboratory simulations fail to resolve the luminous efficiency problem, observations of the impact flash itself must be utilized. Meteoroids associated with specific meteor showers have known speed and direction, which simplifies the determination of the luminous efficiency. NASA has routinely monitored the Moon for impact flashes since early 2006 [1]. During this time, several meteor showers have produced multiple impact flashes on the Moon, yielding a sufficient sample of impact flashes with which to perform a luminous efficiency analysis similar to that outlined in Bellot Rubio et al. [2, 3] and further described by Moser et al. [4], utilizing Earth-based measurements of the shower flux and mass index. The Geminid meteor shower has produced the most impact flashes in the NASA dataset to date with over 80 detections. More than half of these Geminids were recorded in 2015 (locations pictured in Fig. 1), and may represent the largest single-shower impact flash sample known. This work analyzes the 2015 Geminid lunar impacts and calculates their luminous efficiency. The luminous efficiency is then applied to calculate the kinetic energies and mass-es of these shower meteoroids.

Moser, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Analysis of the effect on combustor noise measurements of acoustic waves reflected by the turbine and combustor inlet

Spectral analyses of static pressure fluctuations measured in turbine engine combustors at low engine speed show good agreement with theory. At idle speed the high pressure turbine is unchoked. Above idle speed the turbine chokes and a significant change in the shape of the measured combustor pressure spectrum is observed. A simplified theoretical model of the acoustic pressure generated in the combustor due to the turbulence-flame front interaction did not account for acoustic waves reflected from the turbine. By retaining this simplified combustion noise source model and adding a partial reflecting plane at the turbine and combustor inlet, a simple theoretical model was developed that reproduces the undulations in the combustor fluctuating pressure spectra. Plots of the theoretical combustor fluctuating pressure spectra are compared to the measured pressure spectra obtained from the CF6-50 turbofan engine over a range of engine operating speeds. The simplified combustion noise theory when modified by a simple turbine reflecting plane adequately accounts for the changes in measured combustor pressure spectra. It is further concluded that the shape of the pressure spectra downstream of the turbine, neglecting noise generated by the turbine itself, will be the combustion noise spectra unchanged except for the level reduction due to the energy blocked by the turbine.

Huff, R. G.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Analysis of the effect on combustor noise measurements of acoustic waves reflected by the turbine and combustor inlet

Huff, R. G.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Analysis of the harmonic gyrotron traveling wave amplifier

A single nonlinear differential equation is derived for describing the spatial evolution of the wave field in a gyrotron amplifier on the cylindrical guide geometry. The equation is then used to determine the efficiencies and the optimized interaction lengths for gyrotron operated with TE sub N1 modes at the N-th cyclotron harmonic. The equation offers a significant advantage in simplifying numerical work in comparison with the brute force particle simulation approach. The efficiencies of the harmonic operations by using a hollow beam decrease quickly with increasing harmonic number, but are enhanced by using an axis-encircling beam instead.

Kuo, S. P.↗

NASA NTRS1996

A Simplified Pattern Match Algorithm for Star Identification

A true pattern matching star algorithm similar in concept to the Van Bezooijen algorithm is implemented using an iterative approach. This approach allows for a more compact and simple implementation which can be easily adapted to be either an all-sky, no a priori algorithm or a follow on to a direct match algorithm to distinguish between ambiguous matches. Some simple analysis is shown to indicate the likelihood of mis-identifications. The performance of the algorithm for the all-sky, no a priori situation is detailed assuming he SKYMAP star catalog describes the true sky. The impact of errors and omissions in the SKYMAP catalog on performance are investigated. In addition, differing levels of noise in the star observations are assumed and results shown. The implications for possible implementation on-board spacecraft are discussed.

Lee, Michael H.↗

DOE OSTI2020

An Empirical Study on the Use of the Rancor Microworld Simulator to Support Full-scope Data Collection

A lack of data has been identified as a major challenge in human reliability analysis (HRA). Accordingly, several institutes and researchers have tried to collect HRA data from different data sources such as actual historical measurements, expert judgements, or simulator studies. While the most recent studies predominantly focus on collecting data using full-scope simulators with actual operators, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has begun to collect HRA data using a simplified simulator, i.e., the Rancor Microworld simulator, with student participants. Full-scope studies have been known to have several intrinsic challenges to securing enough quantity of the data due to many reasons like the high cost for performing experiments or requiring actual operators’ cooperation. The ultimate goal of INL’s effort aims to infer actual operators’ data collected from a full-scope simulator on the basis of microworld data with student subjects as well as collect additional data that could be missed in the full-scope research. As a first step to achieve this goal, this paper projects an experimental plan for investigating the differences in human performance between individuals in two groups: 1) an actual operator and 2) a student when using the Rancor Microworld simulator. A randomized factorial experiment design has been developed with two independent variables, i.e., type of scenario and type of subject. Six human performance measures, i.e., 1) time, 2) error, 3) workload, 4) situation awareness, 5) patterns of attention and 6) the number of manipulations were selected. A couple of scenarios and their procedures available to the Rancor Microworld simulator have been developed.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

DOE OSTI2024

Shorter function summaries for finite state machine-based high consequence systems using logic synthesis and tautologies (Final Report LDRD 24-1302)

Computer programs are often viewed as collections of functions – each function has parameters (inputs) and computes a return value, and each has potential side effects that modify program state (outputs). In this research, a Sandia symbolic execution tool designed to support “human-in-the-loop” analysis was modified to automatically create “function summaries,” and a new tool, “diaboolical,” was created to support enhancing readability of the summary using a novel approach to bit-vector simplification that leverages logic synthesis and tautologies. For this effort, students at Auburn University created several finite state machines (FSMs) to serve as exemplars for high-consequence systems. Function summaries for each of the machines were obtained, and then portions of the summaries were simplified using both diaboolical and the simplification procedure of a popular SMT solver. A comparison of the results shows that diaboolical can often produce smaller function summaries, with expression length improvements over the unsimplified function summaries ranging from 0% to 90% for diaboolical and 0% to 65% for the SMT solver, though diaboolical had a significantly greater cost in time. Diaboolical was evaluated against a collection of “arbitrary” C-code as well as FSM exemplars, and for both datasets it achieved an approximately 10% improvement in expression length compared to simplifications that could be obtained using existing techniques. Function summaries can assist assurance efforts that evaluate existing systems and their executable code. A smaller function summary is likely easier for humans to understand and could thus increase the ability and efficacy of assurance practices centered around the analysis of executable artifacts.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2020

Search for top squarks in events with a Higgs or Z boson using 139 fb -1 of pp collision data at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a search for direct top squark pair production in events with missing transverse momentum plus either a pair of jets consistent with Standard Model Higgs boson decay into b-quarks or a same-flavour opposite-sign dilepton pair with an invariant mass consistent with a Z boson. The analysis is performed using the proton–proton collision data at √s=13 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector during the LHC Run-2, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb -1 . No excess is observed in the data above the Standard Model predictions. The results are interpreted in simplified models featuring direct production of pairs of either the lighter top squark ($\tilde{t}_1$) or the heavier top squark ($\tilde{t}_2$), excluding at 95% confidence level $\tilde{t}_1$ and $\tilde{t}_2$ masses up to about 1220 and 875 GeV, respectively.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS1972

Compound classification by computer treatment of low resolution mass spectra - Application to geochemical and environmental problems.

A description is given of a development of computer analysis of low-resolution chromatographic-mass spectrometric data, which provides a preliminary classification of an unknown spectrum as a listing of candidate classes of compounds. This procedure, referred to as COMSOC (Classification of Mass Spectra on Computers), operates by converting an incoming unknown mass spectrum into a simplified key word which is then compared with each of the key words held in its reference file. The advantages of COMSOC in characterizing complex mixtures are emphasized.

Smith, D. H.↗