Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “module reliability”

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 1,693 records · Page 94

Development of a Coherent Lidar for Aiding Precision Soft Landing on Planetary Bodies

Coherent lidar can play a critical role in future planetary exploration missions by providing key guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) data necessary for navigating planetary landers to the pre-selected site and achieving autonomous safe soft-landing. Although the landing accuracy has steadily improved over time to approximately 35 km for the recent Mars Exploration Rovers due to better approach navigation, a drastically different guidance, navigation and control concept is required to meet future mission requirements. For example, future rovers will require better than 6 km landing accuracy for Mars and better than 1 km for the Moon plus maneuvering capability to avoid hazardous terrain features. For this purpose, an all-fiber coherent lidar is being developed to address the call for advancement of entry, descent, and landing technologies. This lidar will be capable of providing precision range to the ground and approach velocity data, and in the case of landing on Mars, it will also measure the atmospheric wind and density. The lidar obtains high resolution range information from a frequency modulated-continuous wave (FM-CW) laser beam whose instantaneous frequency varies linearly with time, and the ground vector velocity is directly extracted from the Doppler frequency shift. Utilizing the high concentration of aerosols in the Mars atmosphere (approx. two order of magnitude higher than the Earth), the lidar can measure wind velocity with a few watts of optical power. Operating in 1.57 micron wavelength regime, the lidar can use the differential absorption (DIAL) technique to measure the average CO2 concentration along the laser beam using, that is directly proportional to the Martian atmospheric density. Employing fiber optics components allows for the lidar multi-functional operation while facilitating a highly efficient, compact and reliable design suitable for integration into a spacecraft with limited mass, size, and power resources.

Amzajerdian, Farzin↗

Progress in Development of the Axel Rovers

Progress has been made in the development of a family of robotic land vehicles having modular and minimalist design features chosen to impart a combination of robustness, reliability, and versatility. These vehicles at earlier stages of development were described in two previous NASA Tech Briefs articles: "Reconfigurable Exploratory Robotic Vehicles" (NPO-20944), Vol. 25, No. 7 (July 2001), page 56; and "More About Reconfigurable Exploratory Robotic Vehicles" (NPO-30890), Vol. 33, No. 8 (August 2009), page 40. Conceived for use in exploration of the surfaces of Mars and other remote planets, these vehicles could also be adapted to terrestrial applications, including exploration of volcanic craters or other hostile terrain, military reconnaissance, inspection of hazardous sites, and searching for victims of earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, or mining accidents. In addition, simplified versions of these vehicles might be marketable as toys. The most basic module in this family of reconfigurable robots is the Axel rover, which has a cylindrical body with two main wheels and a trailing link. Inside its body are three motors and associated mechanisms for driving the two wheels and for rotating the link 360 around its symmetrical body. The actuated link serves several purposes: It is used as a lever arm to react to the wheels thrust to move Axel in multiple directions. It is used to rotate the Axel housing in order to tilt, to the desired angle, any sensors and instruments mounted on or in the Axel housing. It provides an alternative mobility mode, which is primarily used in its tethered configuration. Turn ing the link into the ground in lieu of driving the wheels causes the Axel housing and wheels to roll as a unit and thereby leads to a tumbling motion along the ground. With a tether mounted around Axel s cylindrical body, the link serves as a winch mechanism to reel and unreel the tether raising and lowering Axel over steep and vertical surfaces (Figure 1). Sensors, computation, and communication modules are also housed inside Axel s body. A pair of stereo vision cameras provides three-dimensional view for autonomous navigation and avoiding obstacles. Inertial sensors determine the tilt of the robot and are used for estimating its motion. In a fully developed version, power would be supplied by rechargeable batteries aboard Axel; at the time of reporting the information for this article, power was supplied from an external source via a cable. In and of itself, the Axel rover is fully capable of traversing and sampling terrains on planetary surfaces. By use of only the two main wheel actuators and the caster link actuator, Axel can be made to follow an arbitrary path, turn in place, and operate upside- down or right-side-up. If operated in a tethered configuration, as shown in Figure 1, it can be made to move down and up a steep crater wall, descend from an overhang to a cave, and ascend from the cave back to the overhang, all by use of the same three actuators. Such tethered operation could be useful in searching for accident victims or missing persons in mines, caves, and rubble piles. Running the tether through the caster link enhances the stability of Axel and provides a restoring force that keeps the link off the ground for the most part during operation on a steep slope. In its extended configuration, two Axel modules can dock to either side of a payload module to form the four wheeled Axel2 rover (Figure 2). Additional payload and Axel modules can dock to either side of the Axel2 to form the Axel3 rover, extending its payload capacity and its mobility capabilities.

Nesnas, Issa A.↗

A Perspective on Multi-Source Energy Harvesting Technology Using Piezoelectric and Thermoelectric Materials

Energy harvesting using various locally available energy sources such as vibration energy, heat, sound, or magnetic field have become attractive topics for supplying power to modular electronic devices making them run independently in extreme environments. In this paper, we will be discussing the perspectives on thermoelectric (TE) and piezoelectric materials and devices, and then the concept of multi-source energy harvester using piezoelectric and thermoelectric devices and integration of them into a reliable and independent power source. TE materials having low thermal conductivity and high figure-of-merit ( zT ) are developed to convert even a small temperature gradient efficiently into electrical energy with the state-of-the-art conversion efficiency of ~15% and output power of ~56 W from single device. The piezoelectric device architecture is configured using high performance piezoelectric ceramics (Cu-Mn-PIN-PMN-PT). These ceramics exhibit high piezoelectric coefficient with high mechanical quality factor and low dielectric loss factor. Using these piezoelectric materials, power density as high a 2 mW/cm 2 is demonstrated in 1-1.5 g vibration environments. The piezoelectric device is attached on the surface of TE module to capture both the vibration and thermal energy sources to realize dual mode energy harvester. The multi-energy transfer strategy opens opportunities for a future generation of wireless and modular electronic devices. These devices would be useful in powering wearable electronic devices, micro sensor chargers, etc. in extreme environmental conditions using body heat/thermal sources and induced motion/vibrations.

Piezoelectric↗

Quantify Degradation Rates and Mechanisms of PV Modules and Systems Installed in Florida Through Comprehensive Experimental and Theoretical Analysis (Poster)

The economic viability of photovoltaic (PV) technologies is inextricably tied to both the electrical performance and degradation rate of the PV systems, which are the generators of electrical power in PV systems. Over the past 15 years, performance data have been collected on numerous PV systems installed throughout the state of Florida and will be presented.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Lessons Learned from the Airborne Particulate Monitor ISS Payload

Particulate monitoring on spacecraft has not been undertaken for air quality purposes for the first twenty years of human habitation on the International Space Station (ISS). The Airborne Particulate Monitor (APM) is a reference-quality instrument technology demonstration that characterized the airborne particles in the ISS cabin in real-time. Onboard aerosols have been measured with this higher fidelity instrument, so future miniaturized low-power aerosol instruments can be reliably compared in future ISS experiments. Several issues were encountered during the payload operations that are a result of the unique environment on ISS, which could not have been anticipated or eliminated by ground testing. First, the ISS had very small amounts of particulate matter in the particle measurement size range of the APM, which was unexpected. Second, despite the measured ‘clean’ environment, larger debris such as lint accumulated regularly on the cleanable inlet screen, which required regular inspection and crew time. The third issue is that particle emissions measured on ISS depend only on the activities in the immediate vicinity of the particle instrument and total particle concentrations cannot be generalized for the entire module. Finally, the sampling efficiency of APM on ISS is unknown because aisle-deployed instruments attached to wall panels of ISS are in the boundary layer of the large-scale ventilation flow of the modules. These issues are discussed and potential solutions for future particulate monitors are presented.

aerosol↗

Nanosecond rf-Power Switch for Gyrotron-Driven Millimeter-Wave Accelerators

The development of alternative mm-wave high-gradient, >200 MV/m, accelerating structures offers a promising path to reduce the cost and footprint of future TeV-scale linear colliders, as well as linacs for industrial, medical, and security applications. The major factor limiting accelerating gradient is vacuum rf breakdown. The probability of such breakdowns increases with pulse length. For reliable operation, millimeter-wave structures require nanoseconds-long pulses at the megawatt level. This power is available from gyrotrons, which have a minimum pulse length on the order of microseconds. To create shorter pulses and to reliably detect rf breakdowns, we developed the following devices: a laser-based rf switch capable of selecting 10 ns long pulses out of the microseconds long gyrotron pulses, thus enabling the use of the gyrotrons as power sources for mm-wave high-gradient linacs, and a shot-to-shot sub-THz spectrometer with high-frequency resolution, capable of detecting pulse shortening due to rf breakdowns. We will describe the principle of operation of these devices and their achieved parameters. Here, we also report on the experimental demonstration of these devices with the high-power gyrotron at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the experiments, we demonstrate nanosecond rf power modulation, shot-to-shot measurements of the pulse spectra, and detection of rf breakdowns.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Project UM-HAUL: A self-unloading reusable lunar lander

The establishment of a lunar base is technologically and financially challenging. Given the necessary resources and political support, it can be done. In addition to the geopolitical obstacles, however, there are logistical problems involved in establishing such bases that can only be overcome with the acquisition of a significant transportation and communications network in the Earth-Moon spatial region. Considering the significant number of payloads that will be required in this process, the mass-specific cost of launching these payloads, and the added risk and cost of human presence in space, it is clearly desirable to automate major parts of such an operation. One very costly and time-consuming factor in this picture is the delivery of payloads to the Moon. Foreseeable payloads would include atmospheric modules, inflatable habitat kits, energy and oxygen plant elements, ground vehicles, laboratory modules, crew supplies, etc. The duration of high-risk human presence on the Moon could be greatly reduced if all such payloads were delivered to the prospective base site in advance of crew arrival. In this view, the idea of a 'Self-Unloading Reusable Lunar Lander' (SURLL) arises naturally. The general scenario depicts the lander being brought to low lunar orbit (LLO) from Earth atop a generic Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV). From LLO, the lander shuttles payloads down to the lunar surface, where, by means of some resident, detachable unloading device, it deploys the payloads and returns to orbit. The general goal is for the system to perform with maximum payload capability, automation, and reliability, while also minimizing environmental hazards, servicing needs, and mission costs. Our response to this demand is UM-HAUL, or the UnManned Heavy pAyload Unloader and Lander. The complete study includes a system description, along with a preliminary cost analysis and a design status assessment.

Source record↗

Materials Science Research Rack Onboard the International Space Station Hardware and Operations

The Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR) is a research facility developed under a cooperative research agreement between NASA and ESA for materials science investigations on the International Space Station (ISS). MSRR was launched on STS-128 in August 2009, and is currently installed in the U.S. Destiny Laboratory Module. Since that time, MSRR has performed virtually flawlessly, logging more than 620 hours of operating time. The MSRR accommodates advanced investigations in the microgravity environment on the ISS for basic materials science research in areas such as solidification of metals and alloys. The purpose is to advance the scientific understanding of materials processing as affected by microgravity and to gain insight into the physical behavior of materials processing. MSRR allows for the study of a variety of materials including metals, ceramics, semiconductor crystals, and glasses. Materials science research benefits from the microgravity environment of space, where the researcher can better isolate chemical and thermal properties of materials from the effects of gravity. With this knowledge, reliable predictions can be made about the conditions required on Earth to achieve improved materials. MSRR is a highly automated facility with a modular design capable of supporting multiple types of investigations. Currently the NASA-provided Rack Support Subsystem provides services (power, thermal control, vacuum access, and command and data handling) to the ESA developed Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) which accommodates interchangeable Furnace Inserts (FI). Two ESA-developed FIs are presently available on the ISS: the Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) and the Solidification and Quenching Furnace (SQF). Sample-Cartridge Assemblies (SCAs), each containing one or more material samples, are installed in the FI by the crew and can be processed at temperatures up to 1400 C. Once an SCA is installed, the experiment can be run by automatic command or science conducted via telemetry commands from the ground. Initially, 12 SCAs were processed in the first furnace insert for a team of European and US investigators. After these samples were processed the Furnaces Inserts were exchanged and an additional single sample was processed. The processed samples have been returned to Earth for evaluation and comparison of their properties to samples similarly processed on the ground. A preliminary examination of the samples indicates that the majority of the desired science objectives have been successfully met leading to significant improvements in the understanding of alloy solidification processes. Six SCAs were launched on Space Shuttle Mission STS-135 in July 2011 for processing during the Fall of 2011. Additional batches are planned for future processing. This facility is available to support additional materials science investigations through programs such as the US National Laboratory, Technology Development, NASA Research Announcements, and others.

Lehman, John R.↗

Solar Irradiance Variability Monitor for the Galileo Solar Space Telescope Mission: Concept and Challenges

Long and reliable total solar irradiance (TSI) time series is one of the essential parameters for understanding solar contributions to climate change. The minor fluctuations of TSI in long timescales could impact the energy balance. Despite the improvement of accurate measurements provided by the instruments, at the time, long-term TSI variability and its effects had not been established. The space-borne radiometer era provided observations in short timescales from minutes to years. Therefore, this study presents an overview of irradiance observations, highlighting the importance of following its variability in different time scales. In this context, the Galileo Solar Space Telescope that has been developed by the Institute for Space Research (INPE), Brazil, includes the Irradiance Monitor Module with a radiometer cavity like the classical design and a next-generation compact radiometer.

total solar irradiance (TSI)↗

Acceleration of electrons in the plasma wakefield of a proton bunch

High-energy particle accelerators have been crucial in providing a deeper understanding of fundamental particles and the forces that govern their interactions. To increase the energy of the particles or to reduce the size of the accelerator, new acceleration schemes need to be developed. Plasma wakefield acceleration, in which the electrons in a plasma are excited, leading to strong electric fields (so called ‘wakefields’), is one such promising acceleration technique. Experiments have shown that an intense laser pulse or electron bunch traversing a plasma can drive electric fields of tens of gigavolts per metre and above—well beyond those achieved in conventional radio-frequency accelerators (about 0.1 gigavolt per metre). However, the low stored energy of laser pulses and electron bunches means that multiple acceleration stages are needed to reach very high particle energies. The use of proton bunches is compelling because they have the potential to drive wakefields and to accelerate electrons to high energy in a single acceleration stage. Long, thin proton bunches can be used because they undergo a process called self-modulation, a particle–plasma interaction that splits the bunch longitudinally into a series of high-density microbunches, which then act resonantly to create large wakefields. The Advanced Wakefield (AWAKE) experiment at CERN uses high-intensity proton bunches—in which each proton has an energy of 400 gigaelectronvolts, resulting in a total bunch energy of 19 kilojoules—to drive a wakefield in a ten-metre-long plasma. Electron bunches are then injected into this wakefield. Here we present measurements of electrons accelerated up to two gigaelectronvolts at the AWAKE experiment, in a demonstration of proton-driven plasma wakefield acceleration. Measurements were conducted under various plasma conditions and the acceleration was found to be consistent and reliable. The potential for this scheme to produce very high-energy electron bunches in a single accelerating stage means that our results are an important step towards the development of future high-energy particle accelerators.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Distance preserving machine learning for uncertainty aware accelerator capacitance predictions

Abstract Accurate uncertainty estimations are essential for producing reliable machine learning models, especially in safety-critical applications such as accelerator systems. Gaussian process models are generally regarded as the gold standard for this task; however, they can struggle with large, high-dimensional datasets. Combining deep neural networks with Gaussian process approximation techniques has shown promising results, but dimensionality reduction through standard deep neural network layers is not guaranteed to maintain the distance information necessary for Gaussian process models. We build on previous work by comparing the use of the singular value decomposition against a spectral-normalized dense layer as a feature extractor for a deep neural Gaussian process approximation model and apply it to a capacitance prediction problem for the High Voltage Converter Modulators in the Oak Ridge Spallation Neutron Source. Our model shows improved distance preservation and predicts in-distribution capacitance values with less than 1% error.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Real-Time Lifetime Prediction of Semiconductor Devices Using Hardware-in-the-Loop

This paper presents a unique approach to enable real-time lifespan prediction of semiconductor power modules using a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) system. By integrating the module's overall loss characteristics-specifically switching and conduction losses-with a thermoelectric model of the thermal management system, this research demonstrates that the model can dynamically estimates the junction temperature profile of the semiconductor devices in response to a changing torque demand profile for the motor drive system. This capability enables continuous monitoring of the module's operational time and cumulative stress induced on the devices to compute accumulated remaining lifetime or time-to-failure (TTF). This study provides an architectural framework for the HIL system with high-fidelity component models of multiple physical domains, allowing simulation of dynamic behaviors of a closely-coupled motor drive system. The advanced real-time computation and measurement functionalities of the HIL system allow for both dynamic lifetime calculations based on simulated data and aggregate lifetime predictions utilizing historical data. Moreover, this paper details an algorithm that not only computes cumulative damage but also synthesizes these data into a comprehensive aggregated lifetime metric. This methodology can enhance the maintenance scheduling strategies and operational reliability of semiconductor devices in critical applications, ultimately extending their service life while optimizing performance.

hardware-in-the-loop (HIL)↗

Synthetic Ancillary Service Generator (SynAS) v1

The balance of demand and supply in the electric power grid is a crucial element to grid reliability. While balancing is typically provided by conventional power plants, with spinning generators, distributed energy resources (DER) and especially electric vehicles (EVs) pose a great potential to provide such service. This project conducted a field demonstration at the Los Angeles Air Force Base (LA-AFB) where a fleet of mixed-use bi-directional EVs were actively participating in the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) market for frequency regulation. While participation in regulation markets is promising, a major drawback in designing control systems and assessing potential revenue is the lack of example frequency regulation signals. This project introduces an open-source dataset for 143 days of four-second regulation data, and the SynAS Python module to synthetically generate frequency regulation signals of arbitrary length.

Black, DouglasR↗

Spacewire on Earth orbiting scatterometers

The need for a high speed, reliable and easy to implement communication link has led to the development of a space flight oriented version of IEEE 1355 called SpaceWire. SpaceWire is based on high-speed (200 Mbps) serial point-to-point links using Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS). SpaceWIre has provisions for routing messages between a large network of processors, using wormhole routing for low overhead and latency. {additionally, there are available space qualified hybrids, which provide the Link layer to the user's bus}. A test bed of multiple digital signal processor breadboards, demonstrating the ability to meet signal processing requirements for an orbiting scatterometer has been implemented using three Astrium MCM-DSPs, each breadboard consists of a Multi Chip Module (MCM) that combines a space qualified Digital Signal Processor and peripherals, including IEEE-1355 links. With the addition of appropriate physical layer interfaces and software on the DSP, the SpaceWire link is used to communicate between processors on the test bed, e.g. sending timing references, commands, status, and science data among the processors. Results are presented on development issues surrounding the use of SpaceWire in this environment, from physical layer implementation (cables, connectors, LVDS drivers) to diagnostic tools, driver firmware, and development methodology. The tools, methods, and hardware, software challenges and preliminary performance are investigated and discussed.

serial↗

Ground Testing of an Oxygen Concentrator in a Simulated International Space Station (ISS) Cabin Environment

The method for supplying medical oxygen to respiratorily-compromised astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) and in future Orion missions consists of drawing oxygen from high pressure oxygen tanks. An Oxygen Concentrator Module (OCM) is a device that pulls in ambient air and separates out the nitrogen, resulting in a high concentration oxygen source. This technology has the potential to eliminate resupply and oxygen-enrichment issues associated with using high pressure oxygen tanks and become an alternative technology to support medical oxygen operations for future exploration missions. In this study, we test the long-term performance of a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) OCM in a simulated ISS cabin environment. Humidified air, carbon dioxide, and fifteen representative trace contaminants are continuously injected through a enclosed test chamber where the OCM is challenged. This study included the first successful demonstration of the Trace Gas Injection System (TGIS), which reliably and continuously produced ISS levels of trace contaminants, carbon dioxide, and humidity in an enclosed environment. The TGIS is a new and unique ground capability with significant implications for Test Readiness Level (TRL) advancement of COTS items and Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). This study demonstrated that the tested OCM reliably delivers enriched oxygen mostly at desired performance specifications. This study also demonstrated that the OCM does not inadvertently concentrate trace gases in its oxygen product stream, as detectable concentrations of trace contaminants in the oxygen product stream were at all times below the simulated ISS levels.

medical oxygen↗

Ground Testing of an Oxygen Concentrator in a Simulated International Space Station (ISS) Cabin Environment

The method for supplying medical oxygen to respiratorily-compromised astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) and in future Orion missions consists of drawing oxygen from high pressure oxygen tanks. An Oxygen Concentrator Module (OCM) is a device that pulls in ambient air and separates out the nitrogen, resulting in a high concentration oxygen source. This technology has the potential to eliminate resupply and oxygen-enrichment issues associated with using high pressure oxygen tanks and become an alternative technology to support medical oxygen operations for future exploration missions. In this study, we test the long-term performance of a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) OCM in a simulated ISS cabin environment. Humidified air, carbon dioxide, and fifteen representative trace contaminants are continuously injected through an enclosed test chamber where the OCM is challenged. This study included the first successful demonstration of the Trace Gas Injection System (TGIS), which reliably and continuously produced ISS levels of trace contaminants, carbon dioxide, and humidity in an enclosed environment. The TGIS is a new and unique ground capability with significant implications for Test Readiness Level (TRL) advancement of COTS items and Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). This study demonstrated that the tested OCM reliably delivers enriched oxygen mostly at desired performance specifications. This study also demonstrated that the OCM does not inadvertently concentrate trace gases in its oxygen product stream, as detectable concentrations of trace contaminants in the oxygen product stream were at all times below the simulated ISS levels.

medical oxygen↗

Health-Related Quality of Life in SCALOP, a Randomized Phase 2 Trial Comparing Chemoradiation Therapy Regimens in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Purpose: Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) provides survival benefits but may result in considerable toxicity. Health-related quality of life (HRQL) measurements during CRT have not been widely reported. This paper reports HRQL data from the Selective Chemoradiation in Advanced Localised Pancreatic Cancer (SCALOP) trial, including validation of the QLQ-PAN26 tool in CRT. Methods and Materials: Patients with locally advanced, inoperable, nonmetastatic carcinoma of the pancreas were eligible. Following 12 weeks of induction gemcitabine plus capecitabine (GEMCAP) chemotherapy, patients with stable and responding disease were randomized to a further cycle of GEMCAP followed by capecitabine- or gemcitabine-based CRT. HRQL was assessed with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the EORTC Pancreatic Cancer module (PAN26). Results: A total of 114 patients from 28 UK centers were registered and 74 patients randomized. There was improvement in the majority of HRQL scales during induction chemotherapy. Patients with significant deterioration in fatigue, appetite loss, and gastrointestinal symptoms during CRT recovered within 3 weeks following CRT. Differences in changes in HRQL scores between trial arms rarely reached statistical significance; however, where they did, they favored capecitabine therapy. PAN26 scales had good internal consistency and were able to distinguish between subgroups of patients experiencing toxicity. Conclusions: Although there is deterioration in HRQL following CRT, this resolves within 3 weeks. HRQL data support the use of capecitabine- over gemcitabine-based chemoradiation. The QLQ-PAN26 is a reliable and valid tool for use in patients receiving CRT.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗