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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1979

Autoignition of fuels

An autoignition test section and a premixing fuel injector developed to determine the autoignition characteristics of a variety of aircraft fuels are described. Parametric tests to map the ignition delay characteristics of Jet-A fuel were conducted at pressures of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 atm, inlet air temperatures up to 900K and fuel-air equivalence ratios of 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0. Residence times in the range of 1 to 50 msec were obtained by interchanging spool pieces to create six different mixer/vaporizer lengths (6, 23, 53, 84, 99, and 130 cm) and by testing at two different airflow rates (0.5 and 1.0 kg/sec). The resulting free-stream velocities were in the range 20 to 100 m/sec. As expected, the results indicate that the ignition delay times decrease with increasing air temperature and pressure. Also, the data show that, for lean mixtures, ignition delay times decrease with increasing equivalence ratios.

Spadaccini, L. J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Combustion characteristics of gas turbine alternative fuels

An experimental investigation was conducted to obtain combustion performance values for specific heavyend, synthetic hydrocarbon fuels. A flame tube combustor modified to duplicate an advanced gas turbine engine combustor was used for the tests. Each fuel was tested at steady-state operating conditions over a range of mass flow rates, fuel-to-air mass ratio, and inlet air temperatures. The combustion pressure, as well as the hardware, were kept nearly constant over the program test phase. Test results were obtained in regards to geometric temperature pattern factors as a function of combustor wall temperatures, the combustion gas temperature, and the combustion emissions, both as affected by the mass flow rate and fuel-to-air ratio. The synthetic fuels were reacted in the combustor such that for most tests their performance was as good, if not better, than the baseline gasoline or diesel fuel tests. The only detrimental effects were that at high inlet air temperature conditions, fuel decomposition occurred in the fuel atomizing nozzle passages resulting in blockage. And the nitrogen oxide emissions were above EPA limits at low flow rate and high operating temperature conditions.

Rollbuhler, R. James↗
NASA NTRS1974

Exploratory tests of two strut fuel injectors for supersonic combustion

Results of supersonic mixing and combustion tests performed with two simple strut injector configurations, one with parallel injectors and one with perpendicular injectors, are presented and analyzed. Good agreement is obtained between static pressure measured on the duct wall downstream of the strut injectors and distributions obtained from one-dimensional calculations. Measured duct heat load agrees with results of the one-dimensional calculations for moderate amounts of reaction, but is underestimated when large separated regions occur near the injection location. For the parallel injection strut, good agreement is obtained between the shape of the injected fuel distribution inferred from gas sample measurements at the duct exit and the distribution calculated with a multiple-jet mixing theory. The overall fraction of injected fuel reacted in the multiple-jet calculation closely matches the amount of fuel reaction necessary to match static pressure with the one-dimensional calculation. Gas sample measurements with the perpendicular injection strut also give results consistent with the amount of fuel reaction in the one-dimensional calculation.

Anderson, G. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Environmental assessment of the 40 kilowatt fuel cell system field test operation

This environmental assessment examines the potential environmental consequences, both adverse and beneficial, of the 40 kW fuel cell system system field test operation. The assessment is of necessity generic in nature since actual test sites were not selected. This assessment provides the basis for determining the need for an environmental impact statement. In addition, this assessment provides siting criteria to avoid or minimize negative environmental impacts and standards for determining candidate test sites, if any, for which site specific assessments may be required.

Bollenbacher, G.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Autoignition characteristics of no. 2 diesel fuel

Parametric tests to map the ignition delay characteristics were conducted at pressures of 3, 4, and 5 atm, inlet air temperatures up to 1150 K and fuel air equivalence ratios ranging from 0.2 to 1.0. Ignition delay times in the range of 6 msec to 60 msec at freestream flow velocities ranging from 10 m/sec to 40 m/sec were obtained. The ignition delay times appeared to correlate with the inverse of pressure and the inverse exponent of temperature.

Tevelde, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS2007

High Fidelity, Fuel-Like Thermal Simulators for Non-Nuclear Testing: Analysis and Initial Test Results

Non-nuclear testing can be a valuable tool in the development of a space nuclear power system, providing system characterization data and allowing one to work through various fabrication, assembly and integration issues without the cost and time associated with a full ground nuclear test. In a non-nuclear test bed, electric heaters are used to simulate the heat from nuclear fuel. Testing with non-optimized heater elements allows one to assess thermal, heat transfer. and stress related attributes of a given system, but fails to demonstrate the dynamic response that would be present in an integrated, fueled reactor system. High fidelity thermal simulators that match both the static and the dynamic fuel pin performance that would be observed in an operating, fueled nuclear reactor can vastly increase the value of non-nuclear test results. With optimized simulators, the integration of thermal hydraulic hardware tests with simulated neutronic response provides a bridge between electrically heated testing and fueled nuclear testing. By implementing a neutronic response model to simulate the dynamic response that would be expected in a fueled reactor system, one can better understand system integration issues, characterize integrated system response times and response characteristics and assess potential design improvements at relatively small fiscal investment. Initial conceptual thermal simulator designs are determined by simple one-dimensional analysis at a single axial location and at steady state conditions; feasible concepts are then input into a detailed three-dimensional model for comparison to expected fuel pin performance. Static and dynamic fuel pin performance for a proposed reactor design is determined using SINDA/FLUINT thermal analysis software, and comparison is made between the expected nuclear performance and the performance of conceptual thermal simulator designs. Through a series of iterative analyses, a conceptual high fidelity design is developed: this is followed by engineering design, fabrication, and testing to validate the overall design process. Test results presented in this paper correspond to a "first cut" simulator design for a potential liquid metal (NaK) cooled reactor design that could be applied for Lunar surface power. Proposed refinements to this simulator design are also presented.

Bragg-Sitton, Shannon M.↗
NASA NTRS1940

Testing of high-octane fuels in the single-cylinder airplane engine

One of the most important properties of aviation fuels for spark-ignition engines is their knock rating. The CFR engine tests of fuels of 87 octane and above does not always correspond entirely to the actual behavior of these fuels in the airplane engine. A method is therefore developed which, in contrast to the octane number determination, permits a testing of the fuel under various temperatures and fuel mixture conditions. The following reference fuels were employed: 1) Primary fuels; isooctane and n-heptane; 2) Secondary fuels; pure benzene and synthetic benzine.

Seeber, Fritz↗
NASA NTRS1989

Hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet combustor component development tests

Technology is being developed for a hydrocarbon-fueled engine operating as a scramjet over the flight Mach number range from 5.6 to 7. A series of connected-pipe tests were performed to define scramjet combustor design criteria applicable to the United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) engine concept which comprises a pair of modular axisymmetric combustor underslung on a supersonic/hypersonic missile. The development of key pilot and fuel injector components of the combustor is pursued in a variable-geometry two-dimensional test section over a range of combustor entrance conditions simulating the intended flight regime. The applicability of the two-dimensional test results to the axisymmetric engine is ensured by maintaining a proper simulation of combustor entrance conditions and preserving the actual length scale in the two-dimensional test configuration. An air-breathing pilot was developed and tested to evaluate flame stabilization and flame propagation characteristics. A pilot configuration was developed that operated stably, with minimal flow spillage, at exhaust stagnation temperatures as high as 4500 R with ethylene fuel. It was demonstrated that the pilot promotes efficient combustion of either gaseous ethylene or preheated liquid Jet-A (JP-5) when they are injected into the supersonic mainstream flow as primary fuels. For the tests with Jet-A fuel, the fuel was heated in an array of internal cooling passages within the pilot walls to a thermodynamic condition such that it would flash-vaporize upon injection into the mainstream flow. The idea of using the air-breathing pilot and distributed primary and secondary fuel injectors to achieve efficient supersonic combustion over a wide range of equivalence ratios was also experimentally demonstrated during the program. During staged fuel injection tests with gaseous ethylene fuel, high secondary fuel combustion efficiencies were achieved and smooth transitions from fully supersonic to dual mode (supersonic/subsonic) operation were demonstrated at high overall equivalence ratios.

Kay, Ira W.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Automotive Stirling engine development program

This is the ninth Semiannual Technical Progress Report prepared under the Automotive Stirling Engine Development Program. It covers the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth quarters of activity after award of the contract. Quarterly Technical Progress Reports related program activities from the first through the thirteenth quarters; thereafter, reporting was changed to a Semiannual format. This report summarizes the study of higher-power kinematic Stirling engines for transportation use, development testing of Mod I Stirling engines, and component development activities. Component development testing included successful conical fuel nozzle testing and functional checkout of Mod II controls and auxiliaries on Mod I engine test beds. Overall program philosophy is outlined and data and test results are presented.

Ernst, W.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Large Scale Scramjet Propulsion Testing In The Mach 8 and 16 Regime At NASA Ames Research Center

The objective of this paper is to describe the affordable, large scale scramJet test capability for flight Mach numbers between 8 and 16 which has been developed at the NASA Ames Research Center. Details of the Direct Connect Arc Facility DCAF, which can produce combustor test conditions with fuel-on testing for 10 seconds at conditions representative of Mach 8 - 12 flight, are presented and typical test results are described. Likewise, a description of the full scale combustor test capability of the 16 inch shock tunnel is outlined. This facility is characterized by long run times (> 5 milliseconds) for an impulse facility, and it can provide conditions representative of flight conditions from Mach 12 - 16. Typical test results for this shock tunnel are discussed as well. Future upgrades to both facilities are outlined and new uses for their capabilities are discussed.

Arnold, James O.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Alternative Bio-Derived JP-8 Class Fuel and JP-8 Fuel: Flame Tube Combustor Test Results Compared using a GE TAPS Injector Configuration

This paper presents results from tests in a flame tube facility, where a bio-derived alternate fuel was compared with JP-8 for emissions and general combustion performance. A research version of General Electric Aviation (GE) TAPS injector was used for the tests. Results include combustion efficiency from gaseous emission measurements, 2D planar laser-based imaging as well as basic flow visualization of the flame. Four inlet test conditions were selected that simulate various engine power conditions relevant to NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Supersonics Project and Environmentally Responsible Aviation Program. One inlet condition was a pilot-only test point. The other three inlet conditions incorporated fuel staging via a split between the pilot and main circuits of either 10%/90% or 20%/80%. For each engine power condition, three fuel mixes were used: 100% JP-8; 100% alternative; and a blend of the two, containing 75% alternative. Results for the inlet cases that have fuel split between pilot and main, indicate that fuel from the pilot appears to be evaporated by the time it reaches the dome exit. Main circuit liquid evaporates within a downstream distance equal to annulus height, no matter the fuel. Some fuel fluorescence images for a 10%/90% fuel staging case show a distinct difference between JP-8 and bio-derived fuel. OH PLIF results indicate that OH forms in a region more centrally-located for the JP-8 case downstream of the pilot, in its central recirculation region (CRZ). For the bio-derived Hydrotreated Renewable Jet (HRJ) fuel, however, we do not see much OH in the CRZ. The OH image structure near the dome exit is similar for the two fuels, but farther downstream the OH in the CRZ is much more apparent for the JP-8 than for the alternate fuel. For all conditions, there was no discernable difference between fuel types in combustion efficiency or emissions.

gas turbine combustors↗
NASA NTRS1990

Hydrocarbon-fuel/combustion-chamber-liner materials compatibility

Results of material compatibility experiments using hydrocarbon fuels in contact with copper-based combustion chamber liner materials are presented. Mil-Spec RP-1, n- dodecane, propane, and methane fuels were tested in contact with OFHC, NASA-Z, and ZrCu coppers. Two distinct test methods were employed. Static tests, in which copper coupons were exposed to fuel for long durations at constant temperature and pressure, provided compatibility data in a precisely controlled environment. Dynamic tests, using the Aerojet Carbothermal Test Facility, provided fuel and copper compatibility data under realistic booster engine service conditions. Tests were conducted using very pure grades of each fuel and fuels to which a contaminant, e.g., ethylene or methyl mercaptan, was added to define the role played by fuel impurities. Conclusions are reached as to degradation mechanisms and effects, methods for the elimination of these mechanisms, selection of copper alloy combustion chamber liners, and hydrocarbon fuel purchase specifications.

Gage, Mark L.↗
NASA NTRS1970

Several new catalysts for reduction of oxygen in fuel cells

Test results prove nickel carbide or nitride, nickel-cobalt carbide, titanium carbide or nitride, and intermetallic compounds of the transition or noble metals to be efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction in alkaline electrolytes in low temperature fuel cells.

Cattabriga, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Engineering Model Powerplant. Test Report: Benchmark Tests in Three Spatial Orientations

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology is the leading candidate to replace the aging alkaline fuel cell technology, currently used on the Shuttle, for future space missions. This test effort marks the final phase of a 5-yr development program that began under the Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Program, transitioned into the Next Generation Launch Technologies (NGLT) Program, and continued under Constellation Systems in the Exploration Technology Development Program. Initially, the engineering model (EM) powerplant was evaluated with respect to its performance as compared to acceptance tests carried out at the manufacturer. This was to determine the sensitivity of the powerplant performance to changes in test environment. In addition, a series of tests were performed with the powerplant in the original standard orientation. This report details the continuing EM benchmark test results in three spatial orientations as well as extended duration testing in the mission profile test. The results from these tests verify the applicability of PEM fuel cells for future NASA missions. The specifics of these different tests are described in the following sections.

Loyselle, Patricia↗
NASA NTRS1974

Moisture-resistant baffle material for fuel tanks

Test results indicated superiority of certain polyether-based polyurethanes as protective coatings and suggested that baffle-materials with one of these coatings should have useful life approximately twice that of uncoated foams now in use.

Bilow, N.↗