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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 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

NASA Tech Briefs, October 2012

Topics discussed include: Detection of Chemical Precursors of Explosives; Detecting Methane From Leaking Pipelines and as Greenhouse Gas in the Atmosphere; Onboard Sensor Data Qualification in Human-Rated Launch Vehicles; Rugged, Portable, Real-Time Optical Gaseous Analyzer for Hydrogen Fluoride; A Probabilistic Mass Estimation Algorithm for a Novel 7-Channel Capacitive Sample Verification Sensor; Low-Power Architecture for an Optical Life Gas Analyzer; Online Cable Tester and Rerouter; A Three-Frequency Feed for Millimeter-Wave Radiometry; Capacitance Probe Resonator for Multichannel Electrometer; Inverted Three-Junction Tandem Thermophotovoltaic Modules; Fabrication of Single Crystal MgO Capsules; Inflatable Hangar for Assembly of Large Structures in Space; Mars Aqueous Processing System; Hybrid Filter Membrane; Design for the Structure and the Mechanics of Moballs; Pressure Dome for High-Pressure Electrolyzer; Cascading Tesla Oscillating Flow Diode for Stirling Engine Gas Bearings; Compact, Low-Force, Low-Noise Linear Actuator; Ultra-Compact Motor Controller; Extreme Ionizing-Radiation-Resistant Bacterium; Wideband Single-Crystal Transducer for Bone Characterization; Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting of Live Versus Dead Bacterial Cells and Spores; Nonhazardous Urine Pretreatment Method; Laser-Ranging Transponders for Science Investigations of the Moon and Mars; Ka-Band Waveguide Three-Way Serial Combiner for MMIC Amplifiers; Structural Health Monitoring with Fiber Bragg Grating and Piezo Arrays; Low-Gain Circularly Polarized Antenna with Torus-Shaped Pattern; Stereo and IMU- Assisted Visual Odometry for Small Robots; Global Swath and Gridded Data Tiling; GOES-R: Satellite Insight; Aquarius iPhone Application; Monitoring of International Space Station Telemetry Using Shewhart Control Charts; Theory of a Traveling Wave Feed for a Planar Slot Array Antenna; Time Manager Software for a Flight Processor; Simulation of Oxygen Disintegration and Mixing With Hydrogen or Helium at Supercritical Pressure; A Superfluid Pulse Tube Refrigerator Without Moving Parts for Sub-Kelvin Cooling; Sapphire Viewports for a Venus Probe; The Mobile Chamber; Electric Propulsion Induced Secondary Mass Spectroscopy; and Radiation-Tolerant DC-DC Converters.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2023

Active Reduction of Apparent Cable Capacitance

This paper presents a method for reducing apparent cable capacitance seen by sensors. The proposed method is designed for sensing in extreme environments including ultra-high temperatures, but can be applied in benign environments as well. By reducing the cable capacitance, high speed signals can be transmitted over longer distances, allowing the application of advanced control systems that require high bandwidth data for stable operation. A triaxial cable with an associated guard circuit is developed that actively reduces cable capacitance while also rejecting extraneous electric and magnetic interference on the signal. The active capacitance reduction method developed is tested experimentally and shown to reduce apparent cable capacitance to two percent of the static value.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Advanced Frost Sensor for HVAC Applications

Frost is a common problem in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that can degrade their efficiencies, leading to excessive electricity consumption. Appropriate defrosting is therefore essential for heat pumps and refrigeration systems. However, these systems typically run the defrost cycle based on a predetermined time interval, a method that does not accurately identify the amount of frost and thus consume excessive electricity. To substantially improve defrosting initiation and termination, this paper describes development of a smart sensor based on a capacitive sensing technique that can quantify frost accumulation and difference between frost, ice, and water. The reported sensor adopts interdigitated comb electrodes and can be updated to a potential multifunctional sensor array for the enhancing identification of frost, ice, and water with the integrated measurement of surface temperature, frost capacitance, and resistance. The proposed frost sensor is potentially expected to have widespread applications in HVAC systems, including heat pumps, refrigerators, and commercial refrigeration systems.

Gao, Zhiming↗
DOE OSTI2020

Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) Modeling Considering Submodule Voltage Sensor Noise

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a popular topology in medium- and high-voltage applications, and many efforts have been spent on MMC modeling. However, the impact of submodule voltage sensor noise (SVSN), which becomes more severe due to increasing switching speed of power semiconductors and compact submodule design, has not been considered in conventional models. In this letter, the SVSN is introduced by coupling capacitances between the sensor and power stage in an MMC switching model. Furthermore, the SVSN impact is considered in an MMC average model based on derivation of the relationship between the SVSN and the duty cycle. Here, the proposed MMC switching model and average model considering the SVSN are validated by comparing simulations with experimental results in an MMC prototype using 10-kV SiC MOSFETS.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS1991

A magneto-sensitive skin for robots in space

The development of a robot arm proximity sensing skin that can sense intruding objects is described. The purpose of the sensor would be to prevent the robot from colliding with objects in space including human beings. Eventually a tri-mode system in envisioned including proximity, tactile, and thermal. To date the primary emphasis was on the proximity sensor which evolved from one based on magneto-inductive principles to the current design which is based on a capacitive-reflector system. The capacitive sensing element, backed by a reflector driven at the same voltage and in phase with the sensor, is used to reflect field lines away from the grounded robot toward the intruding object. This results in an increased sensing range of up to 12 in. with the reflector on compared with only 1 in. with it off. It is believed that this design advances the state-of-the-art in capacitive sensor performance.

Chauhan, D. S.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Electrostatic disturbance forces on a 3-axis drag-free sensor

The electrostatic analysis of a multiple-capacitance 3-axis drag-free sensor is presented in this paper. The instrument consists of a proof-mass (a dense metallic ball) floating freely inside a spherical cavity enclosed by the sensor plates and the shield. Since the ball and the cavity are not necessarily concentric, the problem in three-dimensional potential theory for electrostatics is solved by the method of boundary perturbations and specifically in terms of spherical harmonics. The capacitance outputs of the instrument and the electrostatic forces acting on the system are derived as non-linear functions of the ball position, ball charge and the sensor plate potentials. The instrument sensitivity and cross-coupling effects are discussed. The analysis may also be useful for electrostatic gyros and suspensions.

Hagstrom, T.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Data Collection and Analysis Software Development for Rotor Dynamics Testing in Spin Laboratory

Gas turbine engine components undergo high rotational loading another complex environmental conditions. Such operating environment leads these components to experience damages and cracks that can cause catastrophic failure during flights. There are traditional crack detections and health monitoring methodologies currently being used which rely on periodic routine maintenances, nondestructive inspections that often times involve engine and components dis-assemblies. These methods do not also offer adequate information about the faults, especially, if these faults at subsurface or not clearly evident. At NASA Glenn research center, the rotor dynamics laboratory is presently involved in developing newer techniques that are highly dependent on sensor technology to enable health monitoring and prediction of damage and cracks in rotor disks. These approaches are noninvasive and relatively economical. Spin tests are performed using a subscale test article mimicking turbine rotor disk undergoing rotational load. Non-contact instruments such as capacitive and microwave sensors are used to measure the blade tip gap displacement and blade vibrations characteristics in an attempt develop a physics based model to assess/predict the faults in the rotor disk. Data collection is a major component in this experimental-analytical procedure and as a result, an upgrade to an older version of the data acquisition software which is based on LabVIEW program has been implemented to support efficiently running tests and analyze the results. Outcomes obtained from the tests data and related experimental and analytical rotor dynamics modeling including key features of the updated software are presented and discussed.

Rotor Dynamics↗
NASA NTRS2005

Characterization of Polymer-Coated MEMS Humidity Sensors for Flight Applications

Under NASA's Aviation Safety Program (AvSP), in addition to wind velocity and temperature, water vapor is considered one key factor in determining aviation weather, which is a substantial contributor to many general aviation (GA) accidents. The conventional and reliable humidity measuring methods such as radiation reflection or absorption have relatively high cost in addition to highly specialized operating and maintenance characteristics. This paper presents characterizations of inexpensive MEMS and capacitance type humidity sensors for their potential use on aircraft. If installed, these sensors are subjected to ambient environmental conditions as well as to different chemicals and deicing fluids used on aircraft. This paper reports the effect of different deicing fluids and chemicals on these inexpensive humidity sensors.

Shams, Qamar A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

A comparison of soil moisture sensors for space flight applications

Plants will be an important part of future long-term space missions. Automated plant growth systems require accurate and reliable methods of monitoring soil moisture levels. There are a number of different methods to accomplish this task. This study evaluated sensors using the capacitance method (ECH2O), the heat-pulse method (TMAS), and tensiometers, compared to soil water loss measured gravimetrically in a side-by-side test. The experiment monitored evaporative losses from substrate compartments filled with 1- to 2-mm baked calcinated clay media. The ECH2O data correlated well with the gravimetric measurements, but over a limited range of soil moisture. The averaged TMAS sensor data overstated soil moisture content levels. The tensiometer data appeared to track evaporative losses in the 0.5- to 2.5-kPa range of matric potential that corresponds to the water content needed to grow plants. This small range is characteristic of large particle media, and thus high-resolution tensiometers are required to distinguish changing moisture contents in this range.

NASA Center KSC↗
DOE OSTI2020

Poly(lactic acid)-Based Ink for Biodegradable Printed Electronics With Conductivity Enhanced through Solvent Aging

Biodegradable electronics is a rapidly growing field, and the development of controllably biodegradable, high-conductivity materials suitable for additive manufacturing under ambient conditions remains a challenge. Here, printable conductive pastes that employ poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a binder and tungsten as a conductor are demonstrated. These composite conductors can provide enhanced stability in applications where moisture may be present, such as environmental monitoring or agriculture. Post-processing the printed traces using a solvent-aging technique increases their conductivity by up to 2 orders of magnitude, with final conductivities approaching 5000 S/m. Such techniques could prove useful when thermal processes including heating or laser sintering are limited by the temperature constraints of typical biodegradable substrates. Finally, both accelerated oxidative and hydrolytic degradation of the printed composite conductors are examined, and a fully biodegradable capacitive soil moisture sensor is fabricated and tested.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

A scanning resonator for probing quantum coherent devices

Superconducting resonators with high quality factors are extremely sensitive detectors of the complex impedance of materials and devices coupled to them. This capability has been used to measure losses in multiple different materials and, in the case of circuit quantum electrodynamics (circuit QED), has been used to measure the coherent evolution of multiple different types of qubits. Here, we report on the implementation of a scanning resonator for probing quantum coherent devices. Our scanning setup enables tunable coherent coupling to systems of interest without the need for fabricating on-chip superconducting resonators. We measure the internal quality factor of our resonator sensor in the single-photon regime to be >104 and demonstrate capacitive imaging using our sensor with zeptoFarad sensitivity and micron spatial resolution at milliKelvin temperatures. We then use our setup to characterize the energy spectrum and coherence times of multiple transmon qubits with no on-chip readout circuitry. Our experiments introduce a new tool for using circuit QED to measure existing and proposed qubit platforms.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS1988

Two-degree-of-freedom image motion compensator for Shuttle-based pointing experiments

The mechanical design of the subarcsec-accurate, high-bandwidth two-DOF image motion compensator developed to enhance Space Shuttle-based optical telescope experiments' pointing accuracy encompasses a gimbal-type flex-pivot suspension, a novel ironless two-axis forcer, and a differential capacitive tilt-sensor system. The image motion compensator was developed to allow the UV Imaging Telescope Sensor to maintain stringent pointing accuracies over extended integration intervals while experiencing typical manned spacecraft perturbations.

Schuster, Ludwig E.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Thermal design of the Wide Field/Planetary Camera

The Wide Field/Planetary Camera is an imaging system developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the NASA Hubble Space Telescope currently scheduled to be launched in December 1989 aboard the space shuttle. The temperature control design of the instrument utilizes multilayered insulation, electric resistance heaters, aluminum/ammonia heat pipes, thermoelectric coolers, temperature control coatings, and space radiators. A feedback control system maintains stable sensor temperatures. Thermal capacitance maintains stable optics and electronics temperatures during transient conditions. Schedule slips and launch delays have allowed extensive thermal testing of the instrument. Six instrument thermal vacuum tests and a spacecraft thermal vacuum test were performed. Several modifications have been made to the instrument to correct icing and contamination problems that have been discovered during thermal vacuum testing. This paper describes the thermal design, last instrument thermal vacuum test, results, and thermal model correlation.

Garcia, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Thermal Analyzer for Planetary Soil (TAPS): an in Situ Instrument for Mineral and Volatile-element Measurements

Thermal Analyzer for Planetary Soil (TAPS) offers a specific implementation for the generic thermal analyzer/evolved-gas analyzer (TA/EGA) function included in the Mars Environmental Survey (MESUR) strawman payload; applications to asteroids and comets are also possible. The baseline TAPS is a single-sample differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), backed by a capacitive-polymer humidity sensor, with an integrated sampling mechanism. After placement on a planetary surface, TAPS acquires 10-50 mg of soil or sediment and heats the sample from ambient temperature to 1000-1300 K. During heating, DSC data are taken for the solid and evolved gases are swept past the water sensor. Through ground based data analysis, multicomponent DSC data are deconvolved and correlated with the water release profile to quantitatively determine the types and relative proportions of volatile-bearing minerals such as clays and other hydrates, carbonates, and nitrates. The rapid-response humidity sensors also achieve quantitative analysis of total water. After conclusion of soil-analysis operations, the humidity sensors become available for meteorology. The baseline design fits within a circular-cylindrical volume less than 1000 cm(sup 3), occupies 1.2 kg mass, and consumes about 2 Whr of power per analysis. Enhanced designs would acquire and analyze multiple samples and employ additional microchemical sensors for analysis of CO2, SO2, NO(x), and other gaseous species. Atmospheric pumps are also being considered as alternatives to pressurized purge gas.

Gooding, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Center Director's Discretionary Fund 2005 Annual Report

The FY 2005 CDDF projects were selected from the following spaceport and range technology and science areas: fluid system technologies; spaceport structures and materials; command, control, and monitoring technologies; and biological sciences (including support for environmental stewardship). The FY 2005 CDDF research projects involved development of the following: a) Capacitance-based moisture sensors to optimize plant growth in reduced gravity; b) Commodity-free calibration methods; c) Application of atmospheric plasma glow discharge to alter the surface properties of polymers for improved electrostatic dissipation characteristics; d) A wipe-on, wipe-off chemical process to remove lead oxides found in paint; e) A robust metabolite profiling platform for better understanding the "law" of biological regulation; f) An explanation of the excavation processes that occur when a jet of gas impinges on a bed of sand; g) "Smart coatings" to detect and control corrosion at an early stage to prevent further corrosion h) A model that can produce a reliable diagnosis of the quality of a software product; i) The formulation of advanced materials to meet system safety needs to minimize electrostatic charges, flammability, and radiation exposure; j) A lab-based instrument that uses the electro-optic Pockels effect to make static electric fields visible; k) A passive volatile organic compound (VOC) cartridge to filter, identify, and quantify VOCs flowing into or emanating from plant flight experiments.

Nurge, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2006

Magnetic-Field-Response Measurement-Acquisition System

A measurement-acquisition system uses magnetic fields to power sensors and to acquire measurements from sensors. The system alleviates many shortcomings of traditional measurement-acquisition systems, which include a finite number of measurement channels, weight penalty associated with wires, use limited to a single type of measurement, wire degradation due to wear or chemical decay, and the logistics needed to add new sensors. Eliminating wiring for acquiring measurements can alleviate potential hazards associated with wires, such as damaged wires becoming ignition sources due to arcing. The sensors are designed as electrically passive inductive-capacitive or passive inductive-capacitive-resistive circuits that produce magnetic-field-responses. One or more electrical parameters (inductance, capacitance, and resistance) of each sensor can be variable and corresponds to a measured physical state of interest. The magnetic-field- response attributes (frequency, amplitude, and bandwidth) of the inductor correspond to the states of physical properties for which each sensor measures. For each sensor, the measurement-acquisition system produces a series of increasing magnetic-field harmonics within a frequency range dedicated to that sensor. For each harmonic, an antenna electrically coupled to an oscillating current (the frequency of which is that of the harmonic) produces an oscillating magnetic field. Faraday induction via the harmonic magnetic fields produces an electromotive force and therefore a current in the sensor. Once electrically active, the sensor produces its own harmonic magnetic field as the inductor stores and releases magnetic energy. The antenna of the measurement- acquisition system is switched from a transmitting to a receiving mode to acquire the magnetic-field response of the sensor. The rectified amplitude of the received response is compared to previous responses to prior transmitted harmonics, to ascertain if the measurement system has detected a response inflection. The "transmit-receive-compare" of sequential harmonics is repeated until the inflection is identified. The harmonic producing the amplitude inflection is the sensor resonant frequency. Resonant frequency and response amplitude are stored and then correlated to calibration data.

Woodward, Stanley E.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Medium-Voltage Testbed for Comparing Advanced Power Line Sensors vs. Measurement Transformers with Electrical Grid Events

Electrical utilities have relied upon potential transformers (PTs) and current transformers (CTs) for very accurate metering and to provide reliable signals for protective relays. Less expensive alternative sensing technologies offer the possibility of wider deployment, particularly in grids that employ distributed energy resources. In this work, the performance of an advanced medi-um-voltage sensor is compared with a reference PT and CT and experimentally evaluated for different power grid scenarios on an advanced outdoor power line sensor testbed at the US De-partment of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The sensor is based on a capacitive divider for voltage monitoring and a Rogowski coil with integrator for current monitoring. The advanced outdoor power line sensor testbed has a real-time simulator that was used to generate transient scenarios (e.g., electrical faults, capacitor bank operation, service restoration), while the analog signals were recorded by the same high resolution power meter. The behavior of analog signals, harmonic components, total harmonic distortion, and crest factors were assessed for this power line sensor compared with the reference PT/CT, because of the absence for testing standards for advanced outdoor power line sensors.

Piesciorovsky, Emilio↗