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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

A proposed university/industry/government cooperative aero educational program

A program is proposed to provide mutual aid between the beleaguered Aero Engineering degree-granting departments in the United States and United States industry/government. It is proposed that any accrued cost differentials be supported by the latter groups, although all programs proposed will provide true mutual assistance. The program suggested is designed to provide assured industrial experience for Aero faculty members, combat engineering obsolescence for industry engineers, provide assured summer work for Aero undergraduates, encourage industry/government input in curriculum and course planning, and funnel significant laboratory devices into the university system.

Brodsky, R. F.↗

NASTRAN maintenance and enhancement experiences

The current capability is described which includes isoparametric elements, optimization of grid point sequencing, and eigenvalue routine. Overlay and coding errors were corrected for cyclic symmetry, transient response, and differential stiffness rigid formats. Error corrections and program enhancements are discussed along with developments scheduled for the current year and a brief description of analyses being performed using the program.

Schmitz, R. P.↗

Boundary-fitted curvilinear coordinate systems for solution of partial differential equations on fields containing any number of arbitrary two-dimensional bodies

A method is presented for automatic numerical generation of a general curvilinear coordinate system with coordinate lines coincident with all boundaries of a general multi-connected two-dimensional region containing any number of arbitrarily shaped bodies. No restrictions are placed on the shape of the boundaries, which may even be time-dependent, and the approach is not restricted in principle to two dimensions. With this procedure the numerical solution of a partial differential system may be done on a fixed rectangular field with a square mesh with no interpolation required regardless of the shape of the physical boundaries, regardless of the spacing of the curvilinear coordinate lines in the physical field, and regardless of the movement of the coordinate system in the physical plane. A number of examples of coordinate systems and application thereof to the solution of partial differential equations are given. The FORTRAN computer program and instructions for use are included.

Thompson, J. F.↗

A theoretical study of heterojunction and graded band gap type solar cells

A computer program was designed for the analysis of variable composition solar cells and applied to several proposed solar cell structures using appropriate semiconductor materials. The program simulates solar cells made of a ternary alloy of two binary semiconductors with an arbitrary composition profile, and an abrupt or Gaussian doping profile of polarity n-on-p or p-on-n with arbitrary doping levels. Once the device structure is specified, the program numerically solves a complete set of differential equations and calculates electrostatic potential, quasi-Fermi levels, carrier concentrations and current densities, total current density and efficiency as functions of terminal voltage and position within the cell. These results are then recorded by computer in tabulated or plotted form for interpretation by the user.

Sutherland, J. E.↗

Two-dimensional computer simulation of EMVJ and grating solar cells under AMO illumination

A computer program, SCAP2D (Solar Cell Analysis Program in 2-Dimensions), is used to evaluate the Etched Multiple Vertical Junction (EMVJ) and grating solar cells. The aim is to demonstrate how SCAP2D can be used to evaluate cell designs. The cell designs studied are by no means optimal designs. The SCAP2D program solves the three coupled, nonlinear partial differential equations, Poisson's Equation and the hole and electron continuity equations, simultaneously in two-dimensions using finite differences to discretize the equations and Newton's Method to linearize them. The variables solved for are the electrostatic potential and the hole and electron concentrations. Each linear system of equations is solved directly by Gaussian Elimination. Convergence of the Newton Iteration is assumed when the largest correction to the electrostatic potential or hole or electron quasi-potential is less than some predetermined error. A typical problem involves 2000 nodes with a Jacobi matrix of order 6000 and a bandwidth of 243.

Gray, J. L.↗

GCKP84--General Chemical Kinetics Code for Gas-Phase Flow and Batch Processes Including Heat Transfer Effects

A general chemical kinetics code is described for complex, homogeneous ideal gas reactions in any chemical system. The main features of the GCKP84 code are flexibility, convenience, and speed of computation for many different reaction conditions. The code, which replaces the GCKP code published previously, solves numerically the differential equations for complex reaction in a batch system or one dimensional inviscid flow. It also solves numerically the nonlinear algebraic equations describing the well stirred reactor. A new state of the art numerical integration method is used for greatly increased speed in handling systems of stiff differential equations. The theory and the computer program, including details of input preparation and a guide to using the code are given.

David A Bittker↗

Theoretical interpretation of thermal arrest data from differential thermal analysis measurements

A theory was developed to interpret the thermal arrest data of HgCdTe system from differential thermal analysis measurements. A nonlinear regression program is used to model fit the data. The purpose is to obtain a set of parameters which will give the information about average radiation coefficient, latent heat of fussion, and specific heat of the HgCdTe system at various compositions. The liquidus and solidus at various compositions are also obtained. The heat radiation from the furnace, heat radiation from the system, heat capacity from both the system and the quartz tube and the heat of fusion of the system are considered, however, it neglects heat transfer through conduction and convection.

Wang, J. C.↗

Design of suboptimal regulators for nonlinear systems

An optimal feedback control law is preferred for the regulation of a deterministic nonlinear system. In this paper, a practical, iterative design method leading to a sequence of suboptimal control laws with successively improved performance is presented. The design method requires the determination of an upper bound to the performance of each successive control law. This is obtained by solving a partial differential inequality by means of a linear programming technique. Robustness properties and the application of the design method to the control of a robot manipulator arm are also presented.

Balaram, J.↗

Evaluation and Improvement of Liquid Propellant Rocket Chugging Analysis Techniques. Part 2: a Study of Low Frequency Combustion Instability in Rocket Engine Preburners Using a Heterogeneous Stirred Tank Reactor Model

During the shutdown of the space shuttle main engine, oxygen flow is shut off from the fuel preburner and helium is used to push the residual oxygen into the combustion chamber. During this process a low frequency combustion instability, or chug, occurs. This chug has resulted in damage to the engine's augmented spark igniter due to backflow of the contents of the preburner combustion chamber into the oxidizer feed system. To determine possible causes and fixes for the chug, the fuel preburner was modeled as a heterogeneous stirred tank combustion chamber, a variable mass flow rate oxidizer feed system, a constant mass flow rate fuel feed system and an exit turbine. Within the combustion chamber gases were assumed perfectly mixed. To account for liquid in the combustion chamber, a uniform droplet distribution was assumed to exist in the chamber, with mean droplet diameter determined from an empirical relation. A computer program was written to integrate the resulting differential equations. Because chamber contents were assumed perfectly mixed, the fuel preburner model erroneously predicted that combustion would not take place during shutdown. The combustion rate model was modified to assume that all liquid oxygen that vaporized instantaneously combusted with fuel. Using this combustion model, the effect of engine parameters on chamber pressure oscillations during the SSME shutdown was calculated.

Bartrand, Timothy A.↗

Eliminating Tracking-System Clock Errors

Problems of redundancy and correlation avoided. ORTHO computer program eliminates effect of clock errors in differential solutions for positions of users of Global Positioning System (GPS). Main application, elimination of clock errors in tracking system based on GPS. Written in FORTRAN 77.

Wu, Jiun-Tsong↗

DGPS with NASA's ACTS

The U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center, concerned about frequency license problems inherent with operating data-ready radios to support differential GPS (DGPS), learned of an experiment program the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was sponsoring with its prototype digital satellite - the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). ACTS was designed to evaluate many new, untested technologies for eventual transfer to U.S. telecommunications and related industries. The new technologies promised greater data transmission rates and significantly reduced transmission latency. recognizing these benefits, the Topographic Engineering Center designed a DGPS experiment using an ACTS datalink with baselines of 200 kilometers and longer to learn what positional accuracy was possible with leading-edge satellite telecommunications technology.

Dendy, Roger↗

An amphioxus winged helix/forkhead gene, AmphiFoxD: insights into vertebrate neural crest evolution

During amphioxus development, the neural plate is bordered by cells expressing many genes with homologs involved in vertebrate neural crest induction. However, these amphioxus cells evidently lack additional genetic programs for the cell delaminations, migrations, and differentiations characterizing definitive vertebrate neural crest. We characterize an amphioxus winged helix/forkhead gene (AmphiFoxD) closely related to vertebrate FoxD genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the AmphiFoxD is basal to vertebrate FoxD1, FoxD2, FoxD3, FoxD4, and FoxD5. One of these vertebrate genes (FoxD3) consistently marks neural crest during development. Early in amphioxus development, AmphiFoxD is expressed medially in the anterior neural plate as well as in axial (notochordal) and paraxial mesoderm; later, the gene is expressed in the somites, notochord, cerebral vesicle (diencephalon), and hindgut endoderm. However, there is never any expression in cells bordering the neural plate. We speculate that an AmphiFoxD homolog in the common ancestor of amphioxus and vertebrates was involved in histogenic processes in the mesoderm (evagination and delamination of the somites and notochord); then, in the early vertebrates, descendant paralogs of this gene began functioning in the presumptive neural crest bordering the neural plate to help make possible the delaminations and cell migrations that characterize definitive vertebrate neural crest. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

NASA Discipline Evolutionary Biology↗

Explorations of Psyche and Callisto Enabled by Ion Propulsion

Recent developments in ion propulsion (specifically solar electric propulsion - SEP) have the potential for dramatically reducing the transportation cost of planetary missions. We examine two representative cases, where these new developments enable missions which, until recently, would have required resouces well beyond those allocated to the Discovery program. The two cases of interest address differentiation of asteroids and large icy satellites

planetary missions↗

Differential GPS/inertial navigation approach/landing flight test results

In November of 1990 a joint Honeywell/NASA-Langley differential GPS/inertial flight test was conducted at Wallops Island, Virginia. The test objective was to acquire a system performance database and demonstrate automatic landing using an integrated differential GPS/INS (Global Positioning System/inertial navigation system) with barometric and radar altimeters. The flight test effort exceeded program objectives with over 120 landings, 36 of which were fully automatic differential GPS/inertial landings. Flight test results obtained from post-flight data analysis are discussed. These results include characteristics of differential GPS/inertial error, using the Wallops Island Laser Tracker as a reference. Data on the magnitude of the differential corrections and vertical channel performance with and without radar altimeter augmentation are provided.

Snyder, Scott↗

A computer program to generate equations of motion matrices, L217 (EOM). Volume 2: Supplemental system design and maintenance document

The equations of motion program L217 (EOM) is described. The program formulates the matrix coefficients for a second order linear differential equation which describes the motion of an airplane relative to its level equilibrium flight condition. Aerodynamic data from FLEXSTAB or Doublet Lattice (L216) programs are used to derive the equations for quasi-steady or complete unsteady aerodynamics.

Clemmons, R. E.↗

DYNGEN: A program for calculating steady-state and transient performance of turbojet and turbofan engines

The DYNGEN, a digital computer program for analyzing the steady state and transient performance of turbojet and turbofan engines, is described. The DYNGEN is based on earlier computer codes (SMOTE, GENENG, and GENENG 2) which are capable of calculating the steady state performance of turbojet and turbofan engines at design and off-design operating conditions. The DYNGEN has the combined capabilities of GENENG and GENENG 2 for calculating steady state performance; to these the further capability for calculating transient performance was added. The DYNGEN can be used to analyze one- and two-spool turbojet engines or two- and three-spool turbofan engines without modification to the basic program. A modified Euler method is used by DYNGEN to solve the differential equations which model the dynamics of the engine. This new method frees the programmer from having to minimize the number of equations which require iterative solution. As a result, some of the approximations normally used in transient engine simulations can be eliminated. This tends to produce better agreement when answers are compared with those from purely steady state simulations. The modified Euler method also permits the user to specify large time steps (about 0.10 sec) to be used in the solution of the differential equations. This saves computer execution time when long transients are run. Examples of the use of the program are included, and program results are compared with those from an existing hybrid-computer simulation of a two-spool turbofan.

Sellers, J. F.↗

Computer simulation of space station computer steered high gain antenna

The mathematical modeling and programming of a complete simulation program for a space station computer-steered high gain antenna are described. The program provides for reading input data cards, numerically integrating up to 50 first order differential equations, and monitoring up to 48 variables on printed output and on plots. The program system consists of a high gain antenna, an antenna gimbal control system, an on board computer, and the environment in which all are to operate.

Beach, S. W.↗