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At least 1,621 records · Page 90

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1986

Aerothermal modeling program, phase 2. Element B: Flow interaction experiment

The design process was improved and the efficiency, life, and maintenance costs of the turbine engine hot section was enhanced. Recently, there has been much emphasis on the need for improved numerical codes for the design of efficient combustors. For the development of improved computational codes, there is a need for an experimentally obtained data base to be used at test cases for the accuracy of the computations. The purpose of Element-B is to establish a benchmark quality velocity and scalar measurements of the flow interaction of circular jets with swirling flow typical of that in the dome region of annular combustor. In addition to the detailed experimental effort, extensive computations of the swirling flows are to be compared with the measurements for the purpose of assessing the accuracy of current and advanced turbulence and scalar transport models.

Nikjooy, M.↗

NASA NTRS1982

NASA supercritical laminar flow control airfoil experiment

The design and goals of experimental investigations of supercritical LFC airfoils conducted in the NASA Langley 8-ft Transonic Pressure Tunnel beginning in March 1982 are reviewed. Topics addressed include laminarization aspects; flow-quality requirements; simulation of flight parameters; the setup of screens, honeycomb, and sonic throat; the design cycle; theoretical pressure distributions and shock-free limits; drag divergence and stability analysis; and the LFC suction system. Consideration is given to the LFC airfoil model, the air-flow control system, airfoil-surface instrumentation, liner design and hardware, and test options. Extensive diagrams, drawings, graphs, photographs, and tables of numerical data are provided.

Harvey, W. D.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Command and Data Handling Branch Internship

Modular Integrated Stackable Layers (MISL) is a computer system designed for simple, fast, and cost effective flexible reconfiguration in space environments such as the ISS and Orion projects for various uses. Existing applications include wireless and wired communications, data acquisition and instrumentation, and camera systems, and potential applications include bus protocol converters and subsystem control. MISL is based on Texas Instruments (TI)' MSP430 16-bit ultra-low-power microcontroller device. The purpose of my project was to integrate the MISL system with a liquid crystal display (LCD) touchscreen. The LCD, manufactured by Crystalfontz and part number CFAF320240F-035T-TS, is a 320 by 240 RGB resistive color screen including an optional carrier board. The vast majority of the project was done with Altium Designer, a tool for printed circuit board (PCB) schematic capture, 3D design, and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) development. The new PCB was to allow the LCD to directly stack to the rest of MISL. Research was done with datasheets for the TI microcontroller and touchscreen display in order to meet desired hardware specifications. Documentation on prior MISL projects was also utilized. The initial step was to create a schematic for the LCD, power bus, and data bus connections between components. A layout was then designed with the required physical dimensions, routed traces and vias, power and ground planes, layer stacks, and other specified design rules such as plane clearance and hole size. Multiple consultation sessions were held with Hester Yim, the technical discipline lead for the Command and Data Handling Branch, and Christy Herring, the lead PCB layout designer in the Electronic Design and Manufacturing Branch in order to ensure proper configuration. At the moment, the PCB is awaiting revision by the latter-mentioned branch. Afterwards, the board will begin to undergo the manufacturing and testing process. Throughout the internship at Johnson Space Center, I gained several technical and professional skills. I gained proficiency in Altium Designer and experience using subversion clients, as well as knowledge in PSpice with OrCAD and battery design for spaceflight from on-site. I also gained networking, organization, and communication skills throughout meetings with coworkers and other interns. This internship at Johnson Space Center has impacted my future aspirations by further inspiring me to follow a career path into space rated engineering technology and human spaceflight applications. After graduation, I plan to attend graduate Modular Integrated Stackable Layers (MISL) is a computer system designed for simple, fast, and cost effective flexible reconfiguration in space environments such as the ISS and Orion projects for various uses. Existing applications include wireless and wired communications, data acquisition and instrumentation, and camera systems, and potential applications include bus protocol converters and subsystem control. MISL is based on Texas Instruments’ MSP430 16 bit ultra-low power microcontroller device. The purpose of my project was to integrate the MISL system with a liquid crystal display touchscreen. The LCD, manufactured by Crystalfontz and part number CFAF320240F-035T-TS, is a 320x240 RGB resistive color screen including an optional carrier board.The vast majority of the project was done with Altium Designer, a tool for printed circuit board (PCB) schematic capture, 3D design, and FPGA development. The new PCB was to allow the LCD to directly stack to the rest of MISL. Research was done with datasheets for the TI microcontroller and touchscreen display in order to meet desired hardware specifications. Documentation on prior MISL projects was also utilized. The initial step was to create a schematic for the LCD, power bus, and data bus connections between components. A layout was then designed with the required physical dimensions, routed traces and vias, power and ground planes, layer stacks, and other specified design rules such as plane clearance and hole size. Multiple consultation sessions were held with Hester Yim, the technical discipline lead for the Command and Data Handling Branch, and Christy Herring, the lead PCB layout designer in the Electronic Design and Manufacturing Branch in order to ensure proper configuration. At themoment, the PCB is awaiting revision by the latter-mentioned branch. Afterwards, the board will begin to undergo the manufacturing and testing process.Throughout the internship at Johnson Space Center, I gained several technical and professional skills. I gained proficiency in Altium Designer and experience using subversion clients, as well as knowledge in PSpice with OrCAD and battery design for spaceflight from on-site. I also gained networking, organization, and communication skills throughout meetings with coworkers and other interns. This internship at Johnson Space Center has impacted my future aspirations by further inspiring me to follow a career path into space rated engineering technology and human spaceflight applications. After graduation, I plan to attend graduate school for a master's or doctorate degree in electrical or computer engineering.

Billings, Rachel Mae↗

DOE OSTI2024

Applying U.S. metal fuel experience to new fuel designs for fast reactors

With the increasing interest in small modular reactors or microreactors, developers are working to design and submit licensing approval requests of U–10Zr-fueled fast reactors. The developers and their proponents cite prior metal fuel experience (worldwide, but U.S. experience in particular for many developers) as the motivation and justification for their reactor concepts. The experience with metal fuel deployment in sodium-cooled fast reactors as well as the underlying irradiation testing database, provide a suitable basis for analytically justifying the use of metal fuel in new reactors. The evolution of metal fuel design and capability illustrates the importance of key fuel design parameters to consider in new applications of the prior experience: fuel smeared density, plenum-to-fuel volume ratio, the ratio of cladding radius to thickness, fuel composition, and cladding and duct materials. In-service operating and deployment conditions to be considered include fuel linear heat generation rate, fuel temperature, cladding temperature, peak burnup and peak fast fluence. Fuel designs and in-service conditions that are bounded by the database and experience are most easily addressed, but deviations from those previous parameters and conditions can be addressed by considering impacts on previously established behavior and applying other mitigating conservatisms, as appropriate. Here, the authors recommend any new deployment proceed with fuel surveillance and monitoring to mitigate risk, application of conservative measures to address uncertainties, and a fuel qualification program that addresses a range of in-service operating conditions with production fuel. The work reported should be of interest to students and regulators unfamiliar with metal fuel in fast reactors.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

NASA NTRS1974

Apollo experience report: A use of network simulation techniques in the design of the Apollo lunar surface experiments package support system

A case study of data-communications network modeling and simulation is presented. The applicability of simulation techniques in early system design phases is demonstrated, and the ease with which model parameters can be changed and comprehensive statistics gathered is shown. The discussion of the model design and application also yields an insight into the design and implementation of the Apollo lunar surface experiments package ground-support system.

Gustafson, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Design of a thermocapillary flow experiment in reduced gravity

Detailed considerations for the design of a low-gravity thermocapillary flow experiment are presented. The basic configuration is one in which a fluid contained in a circular dish is subjected to an imposed surface heat flux. Specific consideration is given to the imposed thermal signature, thermal boundary conditions, free-surface deformations, and g-jitter effects. Numerical analysis and ground-based and drop-tower tests are utilized to ensure that reasonable flows are obtained in which measurements can be made relatively easily. The configuration chosen is of further importance because it differs from others in which oscillations were observed.

Kamotani, Y.↗

NASA NTRS1966

A study of Jupiter flyby missions Mid-term technical report

Jupiter flyby missions study - scientific experiments, spacecraft design concepts, and Earth-Jupiter transfer trajectories

EXPERIMENT DESIGN↗

NASA NTRS1972

The 20 and 30 GHz communications system for the ATS-F millimeter wave experiment.

The first space communications system operating at millimeter wavelengths is planned for the sixth Applications Technology Satellite (ATS-F), scheduled for launch in May of 1973. The ATS-F experiment is designed to provide engineering data on wideband space-to-earth transmissions at 20 and 30 GHz as a function of meteorological conditions and modulation techniques. The system design for both the spacecraft and ground station portions of the experiment is presented, and the unique design characteristics of these relatively new and unexplored frequency bands are emphasized. The experiment is designed to provide wideband 1440-MHz propagation links and 40-Megabit communications links with simultaneous operation at 20, 30, and 4 GHz for link comparisons.

Ippolito, L. J.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Analytical and experimental investigation of liquid double drop dynamics: Preliminary design for space shuttle experiments

The preliminary grant assessed the use of laboratory experiments for simulating low g liquid drop experiments in the space shuttle environment. Investigations were begun of appropriate immiscible liquid systems, design of experimental apparatus and analyses. The current grant continued these topics, completed construction and preliminary testing of the experimental apparatus, and performed experiments on single and compound liquid drops. A continuing assessment of laboratory capabilities, and the interests of project personnel and available collaborators, led to, after consultations with NASA personnel, a research emphasis specializing on compound drops consisting of hollow plastic or elastic spheroids filled with liquids.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1987

Description of the Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE) facility

A laboratory facility for the study of control laws for large flexible spacecraft is described. The facility fulfills the requirements of the Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE) design challenge for a laboratory experiment, which will allow slew maneuvers and pointing operations. The structural apparatus is described in detail sufficient for modelling purposes. The sensor and actuator types and characteristics are described so that identification and control algorithms may be designed. The control implementation computer and real-time subroutines are also described.

Williams, Jeffrey P.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Aging Optimization of Aluminum-Lithium Alloy L277 for Application to Cryotank Structures

Sova, B. J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Design of a cavity heat pipe receiver experiment

A cavity heat pipe experiment has been designed to test the critical issues involved with incorporating thermal energy storage canisters into a heat pipe. The experiment is a replication of the operation of a heat receiver for a Brayton solar dynamic power cycle. The heat receiver is composed of a cylindrical receptor surface and an annular heat pipe with thermal energy storage canisters and gaseous working fluid heat exchanger tubes surrounding it. Hardware for the cavity heat pipe experiment will consist of a sector of the heat pipe, complete with gas tube and thermal energy storage canisters. Thermal cycling tests will be performed on the heat pipe sector to simulate the normal energy charge/discharge cycle of the receiver in a spacecraft application.

Schneider, Michael G.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Aging Optimization of Aluminum-Lithium Alloy C458 for Application to Cryotank Structures

Compared with aluminum alloys such as 2219, which is widely used in space vehicle for cryogenic tanks and unpressurized structures, aluminum-lithium alloys possess attractive combinations of lower density and higher modulus along with comparable mechanical properties. These characteristics have resulted in the successful use of the aluminum-lithium alloy 2195 (Al-1.0 Li-4.0 Cu-0.4 Mg-0.4 Ag-0.12 Zr) for the Space Shuttle External Tank, and the consideration of newer U.S. aluminum-lithium alloys such as L277 and C458 for future space vehicles. These newer alloys generally have lithium content less than 2 wt. % and their composition and processing have been carefully tailored to increase the toughness and reduce the mechanical property anisotropy of the earlier generation alloys such 2090 and 8090. Alloy processing, particularly the aging treatment, has a significant influence on the strength-toughness combinations and their dependence on service environments for aluminum-lithium alloys. Work at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center on alloy 2195 has shown that the cryogenic toughness can be improved by employing a two-step aging process. This is accomplished by aging at a lower temperature in the first step to suppress nucleation of the strengthening precipitate at sub-grain boundaries while promoting nucleation in the interior of the grains. Second step aging at the normal aging temperature results in precipitate growth to the optimum size. A design of experiments aging study was conducted for plate. To achieve the T8 temper, Alloy C458 (Al-1.8 Li-2.7 Cu-0.3 Mg-0.08 Zr-0.3 Mn-0.6 Zn) is typically aged at 300F for 24hours. In this study, a two-step aging treatment was developed through a comprehensive 2(exp 4) full factorial design of experiments study and the typical one-step aging used as a reference. Based on the higher lithium content of C458 compared with 2195, the first step aging temperature was varied between 175F and 250F. The second step aging temperatures was varied between 275F and 325F, which is in the range of the single-step aging temperature. The results of the design of experiments used for the T8 temper as well as a smaller set of experiments for the T6 temper will be presented. The process of selecting the optimum aging treatment, based on the measured mechanical properties at room and cryogenic temperature as well as the observed deformation mechanisms, will be presented in detail. The implications for the use of alloy C458 in cryotanks will be discussed.

Sova, B. J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Aging Optimization of Aluminum-Lithium Alloy C458 for Application to Cryotank Structures

Compared with aluminum alloys such as 2219, which is widely used in space vehicle for cryogenic tanks and unpressurized structures, aluminum-lithium alloys possess attractive combinations of lower density and higher modulus along with comparable mechanical properties. These characteristics have resulted in the successful use of the aluminum-lithium alloy 2195 (Al-1.0 Li-4.0 Cu-0.4 Mg-0.4 Ag-0.12 Zr) for the Space Shuttle External Tank, and the consideration of newer U.S. aluminum-lithium alloys such as L277 and C458 for future space vehicles. These newer alloys generally have lithium content less than 2 wt. % and their composition and processing have been carefully tailored to increase the toughness and reduce the mechanical property anisotropy of the earlier generation alloys such 2090 and 8090. Alloy processing, particularly the aging treatment, has a significant influence on the strength-toughness combinations and their dependence on service environments for aluminum-lithium alloys. Work at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center on alloy 2195 has shown that the cryogenic toughness can be improved by employing a two-step aging process. This is accomplished by aging at a lower temperature in the first step to suppress nucleation of the strengthening precipitate at sub-grain boundaries while promoting nucleation in the interior of the grains. Second step aging at the normal aging temperature results in precipitate growth to the optimum size. A design of experiments aging study was conducted for plate. To achieve the T8 temper, Alloy C458 (Al-1.8 Li-2.7 Cu-0.3 Mg- 0.08 Zr-0.3 Mn-0.6 Zn) is typically aged at 300 F for 24 hours. In this study, a two-step aging treatment was developed through a comprehensive 24 full factorial design of experiments study and the typical one-step aging used as a reference. Based on the higher lithium content of C458 compared with 2195, the first step aging temperature was varied between 175 F and 250 F. The second step aging temperatures was varied between 275 F and 325 F, which is in the range of the single-step aging temperature. The results of the design of experiments used for the T8 temper as well as a smaller set of experiments for the T6 temper will be presented. The process of selecting the optimum aging treatment, based on the measured mechanical properties at room and cryogenic temperature as well as the observed deformation mechanisms, will be presented in detail. The implications for the use of alloy C458 in cryotanks will be discussed.

Sova, B. J.↗

DOE OSTI2020

Design of a Critical Experiment to Validate Yttrium Hydride at Varying Temperatures

As microreactors become an emerging nuclear energy source for remote applications, designers are looking at the use of high temperature moderator material to reduce the fuel mass in the core by up to a factor of two. The microreactor community is in constant search of the best moderator material to retain hydrogen at high temperatures while optimizing neutronic performance. Recent simulation work has shown that materials which have a high and low Z component are optimal for this application. Material properties studies have further shown that yttrium hydride maintains hydrogen and stays as a solid until well over the needed temperatures, and thus retains hydrogen. A critical experiment is planned at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) to test the reactivity behavior of yttrium hydride at standard and elevated temperatures.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

NASA NTRS2011

Scintillation Detector for the Measurement of Ultra-Heavy Cosmic Rays on the Super-TIGER Experiment

We discuss the design and construction of the scintillation detectors for the Super-TIGER experiment. Super-TIGER is a large-area (5.4sq m) balloon-borne experiment designed to measure the abundances of cosmic-ray nuclei between Z= 10 and Z=56. It is based on the successful TIGER experiment that flew in Antarctica in 2001 and 2003. Super-TIGER has three layers of scintillation detectors, two Cherenkov detectors and a scintillating fiber hodoscope. The scintillation detector employs four wavelength shifter bars surrounding the edges of the scintillator to collect the light from particles traversing the detector. PMTs are optically coupled at both ends of the bars for light collection. We report on laboratory performance of the scintillation counters using muons. In addition we discuss the design challenges and detector response over this broad charge range including the effect of scintilator saturation.

Link, Jason↗

NASA NTRS1994

Cellular changes in microgravity and the design of space radiation experiments

Cell metabolism, secretion and cell-cell interactions can be altered during space flight. Early radiobiology experiments have demonstrated synergistic effects of radiation and microgravity as indicated by increased mutagenesis, increased chromosome aberrations, inhibited development, and retarded growth. Microgravity-induced changes in immune cell functions include reduced blastogenesis and cell-mediated, delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, increased cytokine secretions, but inhibited cytotoxic effects an macrophage differentiation. These effects are important because of the high radiosensitivity of immune cells. It is difficult to compare ground studies with space radiation biology experiments because of the complexity of the space radiation environment, types of radiation damage and repair mechanisms. Altered intracellular functions and molecular mechanisms must be considered in the design and interpretation of space radiation experiments. Critical steps in radiocarcinogenesis could be affected. New cell systems and hardware are needed to determine the biological effectiveness of the low dose rate, isotropic, multispectral space radiation and the potential usefulness of radioprotectants during space flight.

Morrison, D. R.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Design of quantum optical experiments with logic artificial intelligence

Logic Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a subfield of AI where variables can take two defined arguments, True or False, and are arranged in clauses that follow the rules of formal logic. Several problems that span from physical systems to mathematical conjectures can be encoded into these clauses and solved by checking their satisfiability (SAT). In contrast to machine learning approaches where the results can be approximations or local minima, Logic AI delivers formal and mathematically exact solutions to those problems. In this work, we propose the use of logic AI for the design of optical quantum experiments. We show how to map into a SAT problem the experimental preparation of an arbitrary quantum state and propose a logic-based algorithm, called Klaus, to find an interpretable representation of the photonic setup that generates it. We compare the performance of Klaus with the state-of-the-art algorithm for this purpose based on continuous optimization. We also combine both logic and numeric strategies to find that the use of logic AI significantly improves the resolution of this problem, paving the path to developing more formal-based approaches in the context of quantum physics experiments.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗