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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2008

Safety Modification of Cam-and-Groove Hose Coupling

A modification has been made in the mating halves of a cam-and-groove hose coupling to prevent rapid separation of the halves in the event that the cam levers are released while the fluid in the hose is pressurized. The need for this modification arises because commercial off-the-shelf cam-and-groove hose-coupling halves do not incorporate safety features to prevent separation in the pressurized state. Especially when the pressurized fluid is compressible (e.g., steam or compressed air), the separated halves can be propelled with considerable energy, causing personal injury and/or property damage. Therefore, one purpose served by the modification is to provide for venting to release compressive energy in a contained and safe manner while preventing personal injury and/or property damage. Another purpose served by the modification, during the process of connecting the coupling halves, is to ensure that the coupling halves are properly aligned before the cam levers can be locked into position.

Schwindt, Paul↗
NASA NTRS2011

Operational Phase Life Cycle Assessment of Select NASA Ground Test Facilities

NASA's Aeronautics Test Program (ATP) is responsible for many large, high-energy ground test facilities that accomplish the nation s most advanced aerospace research. In order to accomplish these national objectives, significant energy and resources are consumed. A select group of facilities was analyzed using life-cycle assessment (LCA) to determine carbon footprint and environmental impacts. Most of these impacts stem from electricity and natural gas consumption, used directly at the facility and to generate support processes such as compressed air and steam. Other activities were analyzed but determined to be smaller in scale and frequency with relatively negligible environmental impacts. More specialized facilities use R-134a, R-14, jet fuels, or nitrogen gas, and these unique inputs can have a considerable effect on a facility s overall environmental impact. The results of this LCA will be useful to ATP and NASA as the nation looks to identify its top energy consumers and NASA looks to maximize research output and minimize environmental impact. Keywords: NASA, Aeronautics, Wind tunnel, Keyword 4, Keyword 5

Sydnor, George H.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Life-Cycle Assessments of Selected NASA Ground-Based Test Facilities

In the past two years, two separate facility-specific life cycle assessments (LCAs) have been performed as summer student projects. The first project focused on 13 facilities managed by NASA s Aeronautics Test Program (ATP), an organization responsible for large, high-energy ground test facilities that accomplish the nation s most advanced aerospace research. A facility inventory was created for each facility, and the operational-phase carbon footprint and environmental impact were calculated. The largest impacts stemmed from electricity and natural gas used directly at the facility and to generate support processes such as compressed air and steam. However, in specialized facilities that use unique inputs like R-134a, R-14, jet fuels, or nitrogen gas, these sometimes had a considerable effect on the facility s overall environmental impact. The second LCA project was conducted on the NASA Ames Arc Jet Complex and also involved creating a facility inventory and calculating the carbon footprint and environmental impact. In addition, operational alternatives were analyzed for their effectiveness at reducing impact. Overall, the Arc Jet Complex impact is dominated by the natural-gas fired boiler producing steam on-site, but alternatives were provided that could reduce the impact of the boiler operation, some of which are already being implemented. The data and results provided by these LCA projects are beneficial to both the individual facilities and NASA as a whole; the results have already been used in a proposal to reduce carbon footprint at Ames Research Center. To help future life cycle projects, several lessons learned have been recommended as simple and effective infrastructure improvements to NASA, including better utility metering and data recording and standardization of modeling choices and methods. These studies also increased sensitivity to and appreciation for quantifying the impact of NASA s activities.

Sydnor, George Honeycutt↗
NASA NTRS1975

System analysis of a piston steam engine employing the uniflow principle, a study in optimized performance

Results are reported which were obtained from a mathematical model of a generalized piston steam engine configuration employing the uniflow principal. The model accounted for the effects of clearance volume, compression work, and release volume. A simple solution is presented which characterizes optimum performance of the steam engine, based on miles per gallon. Development of the mathematical model is presented. The relationship between efficiency and miles per gallon is developed. An approach to steam car analysis and design is presented which has purpose rather than lucky hopefulness. A practical engine design is proposed which correlates to the definition of the type engine used. This engine integrates several system components into the engine structure. All conclusions relate to the classical Rankine Cycle.

Peoples, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1970

Study of optimum propellant production facilities for launch of space shuttle vehicles

An integrated propellant manufacturing plant and distribution system located at Kennedy Space Center is studied. The initial planned propellant and pressurant production amounted to 160 tons/day (TPD) LH2, 10 TPD GH2, 800 TPD LO2, 400 TPD LN2, and 120 TPD GN2. This was based on a shuttle launch frequency of 104 per year. During the study, developments occurred which may lower cryogen requirements. A variety of plant and processing equipment sizes and costs are considered for redundancy and supply level considerations. Steam reforming is compared to partial oxidation as a means of generating hydrogen. Electric motors, steam turbines, and gas turbines are evaluated for driving compression equipment. Various sites on and off Government property are considered to determine tradeoffs between costs and problems directly associated with the site, product delivery and storage costs, raw material costs, and energy costs. Coproduction of other products such as deuterium, methanol, and ammonia are considered. Legal questions are discussed concerning a private company's liabilities and its rights to market commercial products under Government tax and cost shelters.

Laclair, L. M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Modeling the Integrated Thermal Amine Scrubber and Air Cooled-Temperature Swing Adsorbent Compressor

As part of a larger CO2 removal architecture study, a model was developed in Aspen Custom Modeler of the Thermal Amine Scrubber (TAS), an ISS flight experiment intended to scrub CO2 from the cabin air. In order to minimize mass losses, it was determined the TAS should work in conjunction with the Air Cooled-Temperature Swing Adsorption Compressor (AC-TSAC) to reduce the CO2 for O2 production. First the TAS removes CO2 from the cabin atmosphere, then the AC-TSAC compresses the CO2 and feeds it in a steady steam to a Sabatier or Bosch process. This document details an effort to add a model of the AC-TSAC to the existing TAS model to determine if the two hardware systems will have deleterious effects on each other’s performance. It was found the AC-TSAC provided sufficient vacuum for the TAS’s desorption to occur, but not the same level of vacuum as space vacuum. This lower quality vacuum led to a reduction in the total cyclical uptake capacity of the TAS and thus a lower CO2 removal under the same conditions. The TAS did not remove enough CO2 to fill the AC-TSAC bed to capacity during the production phase which caused the AC-TSAC to run out of CO2 during production. This renders the addition of the AC-TSAC pointless. It is believed these effects can be overcome with a redesign of one or both systems.

TAS↗
NASA NTRS1999

Rotor and stator assembly configured as an aspirating face seal

A rotor and stator assembly having a rotor and a stator with opposing surfaces defining an air bearing and an air dam of an aspirating face seal. In a first embodiment, the air bearing and the air dam are axially offset. In a second embodiment, the rotor has an axially extending protuberance located radially between the air bearing and the air dam. The axial offset and the protuberance each act to divert the air flow (e.g., compressed gas or combustion gases in a gas turbine or steam in a steam turbine) in a direction transverse to the air flow direction through the air bearing and the air dam, thus isolating the air flows from the air bearing and the air dam which improves seal performance.

Turnquist, Norman Arnold↗
NASA NTRS1941

Compressibility Effects in Aeronautical Engineering

Compressible-flow research, while a relatively new field in aeronautics, is very old, dating back almost to the development of the first firearm. Over the last hundred years, researches have been conducted in the ballistics field, but these results have been of practically no use in aeronautical engineering because the phenomena that have been studied have been the more or less steady supersonic condition of flow. Some work that has been done in connection with steam turbines, particularly nozzle studies, has been of value, In general, however, understanding of compressible-flow phenomena has been very incomplete and permitted no real basis for the solution of aeronautical engineering problems in which.the flow is likely to be unsteady because regions of both subsonic and supersonic speeds may occur. In the early phases of the development of the airplane, speeds were so low that the effects of compressibility could be justifiably ignored. During the last war and immediately after, however, propellers exhibited losses in efficiency as the tip speeds approached the speed of sound, and the first experiments of an aeronautical nature were therefore conducted with propellers. Results of these experiments indicated serious losses of efficiency, but aeronautical engineers were not seriously concerned at the time became it was generally possible. to design propellers with quite low tip. speeds. With the development of new engines having increased power and rotational speeds, however, the problems became of increasing importance.

Stack, John↗
NASA NTRS1992

A kinetic theory treatment of heat transfer in plane Poiseuille flow with uniform pressure

Plane compressible Poiseuille flow with uniform pressure (Couette flow with stationary boundaries) is revisited where the Lees two-steam method with the Enskog equation of change is applied. Single particle velocity distribution functions are chosen, which preserve the essential physical features of this flow with arbitrary but uniform plate temperatures and gas pressure. Lower moments are shown to lead to expressions for the parameter functions, molecular number densities, and temperatures which are entirely in agreement with those obtained in the analysis of Lees for compressible plane Couette flow in the limit of low Mach number and vanishing mean gas velocity. Important simplifications result, which are helpful in gaining insight into the power of kinetic theory in fluid mechanics. The temperature distribution, heat flux, as well as density, are completely determined for the whole range of Knudson numbers from free molecular flow to the continuum regime, when the pressure level is specified.

Bahrami, Parviz A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Emissions and Total Energy Consumption of a Multicylinder Piston Engine Running on Gasoline and a Hydrogen-gasoline Mixture

A multicylinder reciprocating engine was used to extend the efficient lean operating range of gasoline by adding hydrogen. Both bottled hydrogen and hydrogen produced by a research methanol steam reformer were used. These results were compared with results for all gasoline. A high-compression-ratio, displacement production engine was used. Apparent flame speed was used to describe the differences in emissions and performance. Therefore, engine emissions and performance, including apparent flame speed and energy lost to the cooling system and the exhaust gas, were measured over a range of equivalence ratios for each fuel. All emission levels decreased at the leaner conditions. Adding hydrogen significantly increased flame speed over all equivalence ratios.

Cassidy, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Thermal conductivity of steam in the critical region

The thermal conductivity of fluids exhibits an anomalous enhancement in a large range of densities and temperatures around the critical point. We formulate an equation for the thermal conductivity that connects the anomalous behavior in the vicinity of the critical point with the normal behavior of the thermal conductivity away from the critical point. The critical thermal conductivity enhancement is related to the anomalous behavior of the isothermal compressibility which in turn is represented by a scaled equation of state. The method is used to analyze experimental thermal conductivity data in the critical region of steam.

Basu, R. S.↗
NASA NTRS1944

Researches on the Piston Ring

In internal combustion engines, steam engines, air compressors, and so forth, the piston ring plays an important role. Especially, the recent development of Diesel engines which require a high compression pressure for their working, makes, nowadays, the packing action of the piston ring far more important than ever. Though a number of papers have been published in regard to researches on the problem of the piston ring, none has yet dealt with an exact measurement of pressure exerted on the cylinder wall at any given point of the ring. The only paper that can be traced on this subject so far is Mr. Nakagawa's report on the determination of the relative distribution of pressure on the cylinder wall, but the measuring method adopted therein appears to need further consideration. No exact idea has yet been obtained as to how the obturation of gas between the piston and cylinder, the frictional resistance of the piston, and the wear of the cylinder wall are affected by the intensity and the distribution of the radial pressure of the piston ring. Consequently, the author has endeavored, by employing an apparatus of his own invention, to get an exact determination of the pressure distribution of the piston ring. By means of a newly devised ring tester, to which piezoelectricity of quartz was applied, the distribution of the radial pressure of many sample rings on the market was accurately determined. Since many famous piston rings show very irregular pressure distribution, the author investigated and achieved a manufacturing process of the piston ring which will exert uniform pressure on the cylinder wall. Temperature effects on the configuration and on the mean spring power have also been studied. Further, the tests were performed to ascertain how the gas tightness of the piston ring may be affected by the number or spring power. The researches as to the frictional resistance between the piston ring and the cylinder wall were carried out, too. The procedure of study, and experiments conducted by the author, on this subject will be fully described in the following paragraphs.

Ehihara, Keikiti↗
NASA NTRS1974

Calculation of flow distribution in large radius ratio stages of axial flow turbines and comparison of theory and experiment

A method of calculating stage parameters and flow distribution of axial turbines is described. The governing equations apply to space between the blade rows and are based on the assumption of rotationally symmetrical, compressible, adiabatic flow conditions. Results are presented for stage design and flow analysis calculations. Theoretical results from the calculation system are compared with experimental data from low pressure steam turbine tests.

Herzog, J.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Making Plant-Support Structures From Waste Plant Fiber

Environmentally benign, biodegradable structures for supporting growing plants can be made in a process based on recycling of such waste plant fiber materials as wheat straw or of such derivative materials as paper and cardboard. Examples of structures that can be made in this way include plant plugs, pots, planter-lining mats, plant fences, and root and shoot barriers. No chemical binders are used in the process. First, the plant material is chopped into smaller particles. The particles are leached with water or steam to remove material that can inhibit plant growth, yielding a fibrous slurry. If the desired structures are plugs or sheets, then the slurry is formed into the desired shapes in a pulp molding subprocess. If the desired structures are root and shoot barriers, pots, or fences, then the slurry is compression-molded to the desired shapes in a heated press. The processed materials in these structures have properties similar to those of commercial pressboard, but unlike pressboard, these materials contain no additives. These structures have been found to withstand one growth cycle, even when wet

Morrow, Robert C.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Effects of geometric variables on the performance of a probe for direct measurement of free-steam stagnation pressure in supersonic flow

An investigation was conducted at Mach numbers of 1.41, 1.83, and 2.20 to determine the effects of parametric variations in the height of the pitot-tube center line from the probe surface and in the radius of the surface curvature on the pressure recovery of a probe designed to measure the free-stream stagnation pressure. The probe consists of a pitot tube mounted on the surface of a curved cylinder of circular cross section. The pitot tube senses the pressure of the stream tube which has been slowed by isentropic compression along the curved surface. Pressure recovery, greater than or equal to 99.8 percent of the free-stream stagnation pressure, was obtained for a wide range both of angle of attack and of yaw for probes satisfying the predetermined optimum design criteria.

Couch, L. M.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Computational Analyses in Support of Sub-scale Diffuser Testing for the A-3 Facility: Unsteady Analyses and Risk Assessment - Part 2

Simulation technology can play an important role in rocket engine test facility design and development by assessing risks, providing analysis of dynamic pressure and thermal loads, identifying failure modes and predicting anomalous behavior of critical systems. This is especially true for facilities such as the proposed A-3 facility at NASA SSC because of a challenging operating envelope linked to variable throttle conditions at relatively low chamber pressures. Design Support of the feasibility of operating conditions and procedures is critical in such cases due to the possibility of startup/shutdown transients, moving shock structures, unsteady shock-boundary layer interactions and engine and diffuser unstart modes that can result in catastrophic failure. Analyses of such systems is difficult due to resolution requirements needed to accurately capture moving shock structures, shock-boundary layer interactions, two-phase flow regimes and engine unstart modes. In a companion paper, we will demonstrate with the use of CFD, steady analyses advanced capability to evaluate supersonic diffuser and steam ejector performance in the sub-scale A-3 facility. In this paper we will address transient issues with the operation of the facility especially at startup and shutdown, and assess risks related to afterburning due to the interaction of a fuel rich plume with oxygen that is a by-product of the steam ejectors. The primary areas that will be addressed in this paper are: (1) analyses of unstart modes due to flow transients especially during startup/ignition, (2) engine safety during the shutdown process (3) interaction of steam ejectors with the primary plume i.e. flow transients as well as probability of afterburning. In this abstract we discuss unsteady analyses of the engine shutdown process. However, the final paper will include analyses of a staged startup, drawdown of the engine test cell pressure, and risk assessment of potential afterburning in the facility. Unsteady simulations have been carried out to study the engine shutdown process in the facility and understand the physics behind the interactions between the steam ejectors, the test cell and the supersonic diffuser. As a first approximation, to understand the dominant unsteady mechanisms in the engine test cell and the supersonic diffuser, the turning duct in the facility was removed. As the engine loses power a rarefaction wave travels downstream that disrupts the shock cell structure in the supersonic diffuser. Flow from the test cell is seen to expand into the supersonic diffuser section and re-pressurizes the area around the nozzle along with a upstream traveling compression wave that emanates from near the first stage ejectors. Flow from the first stage ejector expands to the center of the duct and a new shock train is formed between the first and second stage ejectors. Both stage ejectors keep the facility pressurized and prevent any large amplitude pressure fluctuations from affecting the engine nozzle. The resultant pressure loads the nozzle experiences in the shutdown process are small.

Ahuja, Vineet↗
NASA NTRS1985

Comparative evaluation of three alternative power cycles for waste heat recovery from the exhaust of adiabatic diesel engines

Three alternative power cycles were compared in application as an exhaust-gas heat-recovery system for use with advanced adiabatic diesel engines. The power cycle alternatives considered were steam Rankine, organic Rankine with RC-1 as the working fluid, and variations of an air Brayton cycle. The comparison was made in terms of fuel economy and economic payback potential for heavy-duty trucks operating in line-haul service. The results indicate that, in terms of engine rated specific fuel consumption, a diesel/alternative-power-cycle engine offers a significant improvement over the turbocompound diesel used as the baseline for comparison. The maximum imporvement resulted from the use of a Rankine cycle heat-recovery system in series with turbocompounding. The air Brayton cycle alternatives studied, which included both simple-cycle and compression-intercooled configurations, were less effective and provided about half the fuel consumption improvement of the Rankine cycle alternatives under the same conditions. Capital and maintenance cost estimates were also developed for each of the heat-recovery power cycle systems. These costs were integrated with the fuel savings to identify the time required for net annual savings to pay back the initial capital investment. The sensitivity of capital payback time to arbitrary increases in fuel price, not accompanied by corresponding hardware cost inflation, was also examined. The results indicate that a fuel price increase is required for the alternative power cycles to pay back capital within an acceptable time period.

Bailey, M. M.↗