Intelligent Control & Autonomy Branch Research Overview Research

Kevin J. Melcher

NASA NTRS · 20210011599

Intelligent Control & Autonomy Branch Research Overview Research

Abstract

The purpose of the subject presentation is to expose engineering students at Ohio University to ongoing work being performed by the Intelligent Control and Autonomy Branch (ICAB) at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The presentation will start with some introductory material about the organization. This will be followed by an overview of Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) controls research and the ICAB’s support for the Space Launch System (SLS). One aspect of EAP is the integration of electrical motor/generators and other power systems components with turbine engine technology to create propulsion & power systems for single-aisle aircraft that are more fuel efficient and have lower emissions. The presentation will introduce some of the controls, systems health management, and modeling technologies developed by the ICAB to help realize EAP. NASA’s SLS is a super-heavy-lift launch vehicle that provides the foundation for human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. The presentation will introduce capabilities developed by the ICAB to support the SLS Mission and Fault Management function which includes capabilities for abort, caution and warning, redundancy management, and safing. The presentation will conclude with information about internships with the NASA and the ICAB.

Explore related subjects

propulsion electrified aircraft propulsion propulsion conrol data qualification functional fault models systems health management

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Kevin J. Melcher. Intelligent Control & Autonomy Branch Research Overview Research. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20210011599

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related reports

NASA NTRS2021

Effects of Energy Capture and Recovery on an N+3 Technology Level Reference Propulsion System

An initial, parametric study was performed to assess the benefits and drawbacks of waste heat recovery on a gas turbine engine. The NASA N+3 technology level reference propulsion system model, an advanced, single-aisle class, gas turbine engine was the baseline cycle. The amount of thermal energy removed from the high-energy core flow and transferred to lower-energy bypass or removed from the cycle was varied. Total pressure losses were included parametrically, as well as the effects of converting some of that thermal energy to work used within the cycle. Propulsion system thrust and thrust specific fuel consumption (TSFC) were minimally affected by total pressure losses or thermal energy removal from the core stream. However, total pressure losses in the bypass stream had significant thrust and TSFC penalties. Those penalties were partially offset if core thermal energy is transferred to the bypass stream. Core thermal energy converted to work for use within the engine cycle via a bottoming cycle showed significant thrust and TSFC benefits. In addition to these results, an engine dataset is also being made available. The dataset contains engine conditions (mass flow rate, total temperature and pressure, flow velocities, etc.) at four flight conditions (maximum climb limit, cruise, rolling takeoff and sea level static) that can be used for specific information to guide heat exchanger design to best realize these benefits with further research. The data set is a .csv (comma-separated values) file and is provided as a supplement to this report (available online from www.sti.nasa.gov).

propulsion↗

NASA NTRS2019

Update to Mars Ascent Vehicle Design for Human Exploration

Astronauts on a mission to Mars will require several vehicles working together to get to Mars orbit, descend to the surface of Mars, support them while they’re there, and return them to Earth. The Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) transports the crew off the surface of Mars to a waiting Earth return vehicle in Mars orbit and is a particularly influential part of the mission architecture because it sets performance requirements for the lander and in-space transportation vehicles. With this in mind, efforts have been made to minimize the MAV mass, and its impact on the other vehicles. A minimal mass MAV design using methane and in situ generated oxygen propellants was presented in 2015. Since that time, refinements have been made in most subsystems to incorporate findings from ongoing research into key technologies, improved understanding of environments and further analysis of design options. This paper presents an overview of the current MAV reference design used in NASA’s human Mars mission studies, and includes a description of the operations, configuration, subsystem design, and a vehicle mass summary.

propulsion↗

NASA NTRS2017

9- by 15-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Acoustic Free Field Evaluation; Part 1: Qualification Report Summary and Part 2: Anechoic Environment Characterization Field Test Report

This report describes test results from an assessment of the acoustically treated 9x15 Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio in July of 2016. The tests were conducted in accordance with the recently adopted international standard ISO 26101-2012 on Qualification of Free Field Test Environments. This method involves moving a microphone relative to a source and comparing the sound pressure level versus distance measurements with theoretical inverse square law spreading.

propulsion↗