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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 217 records · Page 12

The NaK Population: A 2019 Status

The statistical debris measurement campaigns conducted by the Haystack Ultrawideband Satellite Imaging Radar (HUSIR) on behalf of the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office are used to characterize the long-term behavior of the small, low Earth orbit (LEO) orbital debris environment. A long-recognized, unique component of the LEO environment is composed of small Sodium-Potassium (NaK) eutectic nuclear reactor coolant droplets associated with the Soviet Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite (RORSAT) program. Beginning with the flight of Cosmos 1176, RORSAT vehicles would nominally separate their reactor core at end of mission, thereby venting the NaK coolant and producing the NaK droplet population. In this paper, we describe the methodology by which NaK are segregated from the statistically sampled general debris population and their sizes inferred; the current NaK environment; how it has changed over time; and a potential new source of NaK: RORSAT vehicles that did not separate their reactor core by either design or apparent malfunction.

Matney, Mark↗

TECHNO-ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF A CRYOGENIC FLUX CAPACITOR FOR GRID STORAGE

The Cryogenic Flux Capacitor (CFC) is a cold, dense fluid storage core with integrated design features that afford the designer flexibility and provide new possibilities for the storage and discharge of energy. The stored energy, in this case, is represented by hydrogen physically bonded within the nanoscale pores within the aerogel composite blanket material, and the process of bonding or debonding is governed by principles of physical adsorption (physisorption) and thermodynamics. The large surface area afforded by the nanoporous aerogel (~1,000 m2/g) allows for storage densities close to, or in some cases exceeding, that of normal boiling point liquids. Its performance easily exceeds what can be achieved via ambient temperature, high-pressure gas storage for an equivalent volume. CFC storage is predicted to be easily scalable, is constructed from readily available commercial materials, lends itself to a range of pressure applications, and is geometry insensitive.

Joshua Schmitt↗

Multiple Probe Measurements at Uranus Motivated By Spatial Variability

Motivation: Spatial variations in the temperature field and composition of Uranus' atmosphere demonstrate a need for multiple entry probes to characterize vertical profiles in multiple locations. We will review variation of composition and temperature, which are produced by dynamical processes on a range of scales from global (polar anomalies, zonal bands) to regional (vortices, storms) [1–2]. In particular, the spatial variation of convective activity is not well understood based on existing remote sensing observations [3]. Understanding how these processes operate, and how they modulate variable composition, is key to constraining bulk atmospheric abundances. Abundances in turn provide cosmochemical constraints on planetary origins. Secondary probes at Uranus: Key measurements for secondary probes are temperature-pressure profiles, along with compositional profiles. Radio occultations are limited to shallow levels less than ~2 bar [4]. In situ temperature-pressure measurements (or atmospheric structure measurements) can unambiguously extend these results to deeper levels. Measurements with vertical resolution of at least 2 km are needed to characterize anomalies like the 1.2-bar feature from the Voyager 2 occultation at 2–6° S [4], which supports a range of temperature gradients depending on assumptions of composition. Simultaneous measurements of temperature, pressure, and composition are key to understanding this class of features. Species such as methane, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia must be measured along a probe descent profile because they vary over several orders of magnitude due to the strong temperature dependence of their saturation vapor pressures [e.g., 5]. Results of these measurements can be interpreted to understand the potential for moist convective activity in the atmosphere. Lessons from the other giant planets: On Jupiter, the Galileo Probe's entry into a meteorologically distinct five-micron hot spot led many to interpret the local composition as column-stretched, so that well-mixed abundances were reached at deeper levels than in surrounding, unperturbed regions [6–8]. Ground-based microwave measurements and Juno data now indicate that the deep depletion of ammonia is a very widespread atmospheric characteristic not limited to 5-µm hot spots [9–11]. But in the absence of multiple probes, we do not know if the other volatiles H2S and H2O behave in the same way. The open questions for the Jupiter case strongly motivate sending multiple probes to Uranus. On Saturn, retrievals of NH3 and PH3 abundances at shallow levels vary with latitude [12], but it is unknown how deep these differences extend, which is why a Saturn probe (or probes) was a mission theme for NASA's New Frontiers 4 and 5 opportunities [13]. Challenges for secondary probes: Cost is an issue due to the perception that it involves sacrifices to other mission elements. Spacecraft trajectories may be constrained by needs for orbit insertion that limit probe deliveries to different latitudes, and additional limitations may be placed on communication windows for probe descent phases (particularly if multiple probes are released from the orbiter simultaneously) [14]. Finally, composition sensors for miniature secondary probes are not at the required technological maturity [15]. Mass spectrometers are typically too large, massive, and powerhungry, while smaller nanosensors are only beginning to be developed for planetary missions. Finally, the need for probe survival heating is most easily met by radioisotope heat sources, but these require regulatory approvals that are even more difficult to satisfy compared to standard environmental reviews [16], unless the secondary probe is designed as a core element of a mission. References: [1] Molter E.M., et al. (2021) PSJ, 2, 3. [2] Rowe-Gurney N., et al. (2021) Icar, 365, 114506. [3] Hueso R., Sánchez-Lavega A. (2019) SSRv, 215, 52. [4] Lindal G.F., et al. (1987) JGR, 92, 14987– 15001. [5] Simon A.A., et al. (2022) RemS, 14, 1518. [6] Atreya, S.K., et al. (1997) in The Three Galileos: The Man, the Spacecraft, the Telescope, pp. 249–260 (C. Barbieri et al., eds.). [7] Showman A.P., Ingersoll A.P. (1998) Icar, 132, 205–220. [8] Friedson A.J. (2005) Icar, 177, 1–17. [9] de Pater I., et al. (2001) Icar, 149, 66–78. [10] Li C., et al. (2017) GeoRL, 44, 5317–5325. [11] de Pater I., et al. (2019) Icar, 322, 168–191. [12] Fletcher L.N., et al. (2009) Icar, 202, 543–564. [13] National Research Council (2011) Vision and Voyages. [14] Sayanagi K.M., et al. (2020) SSRv, 216, 72. [15] Wong M.H. et al. (2021) BAAS, 53, 486. [16] Zide A., Mendoza-Hill A., Cheney D. (2022) COSPAR Abstracts H0.6-0012-22.

Michael H Wong↗

A Crew and Logistics Lander for the Common Habitat Architecture

The Common Habitat Architecture is a conceptual study that explores the use of a large habitat derived from the Space Launch System (SLS) liquid oxygen tank as a core habitation element that can be used for crew missions or training in 0g, 1/6g, 3/8g, and 1g. This is not part of current NASA Artemis mission planning, but instead represents an architecture that could potentially follow after the Artemis missions and initial human Mars landings. This architecture leverages Starship-derived vehicles for crew landing on and ascent from the Moon and Mars in support of long-duration surface missions with pressurized crew transfer baselined as a nominal capability. This is not the Human Landing System variant of Starship but represents a number of modifications to enable long-duration surface missions with an eight-person crew size. A rapid brainstorming study was conducted in February of 2021, using only public data, to identify options to deliver the 90-ton Common Habitat to the surface and emplace it at the intended habitation site. This study compared three lunar lander concepts and three Mars lander concepts before ultimately selecting the SpaceX Starship as the most viable lander. The Common Habitat Architecture assumes that this Starship variant can further be modified for crew and cargo delivery, assuming that the use of a common system will lead to cost benefits. It is assumed that the Starship will expend too much propellant in landing crew and logistics to be able to launch, given the assumed absence of surface propellant production. Consequently, a separable ascent stage is used for crew ascent. The pressurized elements of this modified Starship are discussed: Starship Ascent Module, Airlock, Transfer Tunnel, Pressurized Crew Transfer Module, and Logistics Modules. For each element, a description, dimensions, rough mass estimates, core capabilities, and design features are presented. Key mechanisms and internal structures of the starship are also discussed. This will include flame diverters for the ascend module, the orbital docking hatch, Pressurized Crew Transfer Module Garage door, Starship Ascent Module fairing, flame diverter blow-out panels, Pressurized Crew Transfer Module lift system, logistics module lift system, contingency crew ascent via the logistics module lift system, internal catwalks, and structural interfaces. Concept of Operations will be discussed for both Moon and Mars. This will include in-space crew rendezvous and transfer, crewed landing, shirtsleeve crew transfer, crew departure, contingency surface operations, and final element disposition. Key differences for Mars will be discussed, such as the Martian atmosphere, dust storms, the absence of crew handover, and Deep Space Exploration Vehicle rendezvous. Contingency microgravity maintenance access will also be discussed. This work will demonstrate viable pressurized crew transfer with a Starship-based lander architecture. Forward work includes Garage lighting and camera systems, Starship Ascent Module propulsion system and docking port trades, contingency habitation trades, and mass/power equipment estimation. Finally, forward work includes developing a heavy cargo return system derived from the Crew and Logistics Starship. The goal of this system is the return of at least 10,000 kg payloads from the surfaces of the Moon and Mars.

Lunar Lander↗

Towards Computational Functional Hazard Assessment (CFHA): A Gap Analysis and Concept for Emerging Aviation Systems

Given the current evolution of the National Airspace and future trajectory towards novel and evolving operations with varying levels of autonomy, complexity, and acceptable risk, there is an opportunity to support safety assurance by extending existing methodologies, such as Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA). In response to challenges in performing FHA for novel aviation concepts, we propose a concept for Computational Functional Hazard Assessment (CFHA), which provides processes, methods, and tools for incorporating external data to facilitate further exploration of the hazard space iterativelty throughout the design process. The core components of CFHA involve knowledge capture from historical and operational data, functional architecture specification via a formal modeling language, and simulation for hazardous scenario analysis. Through this concept, we aim to adapt conventional safety assessment to address the increasingly complex hazard space generated from emerging operations.

Seydou Mbaye↗

Towards Functional Hazard Assessment (CFHA): A Gap Analysis and Concept for Emerging Aviation Systems

Given the current evolution of the National Airspace and future trajectory towards novel and evolving operations with varying levels of autonomy, complexity, and acceptable risk, there is an opportunity to support safety assurance by extending existing methodologies, such as Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA). In response to challenges in performing FHA for novel aviation concepts, we propose a concept for Computational Functional Hazard Assessment (CFHA), which provides processes, methods, and tools for incorporating external data to facilitate further exploration of the hazard space iterativelty throughout the design process. The core components of CFHA involve knowledge capture from historical and operational data, functional architecture specification via a formal modeling language, and simulation for hazardous scenario analysis. Through this concept, we aim to adapt conventional safety assessment to address the increasingly complex hazard space generated from emerging operations.

Seydou Mbaye↗

Design of single-winding energy-storage reactors for dc-to-dc converters using air-gapped magnetic-core structures

A procedure is presented for designing air-gapped energy-storage reactors for nine different dc-to-dc converters resulting from combinations of three single-winding power stages for voltage stepup, current stepup and voltage stepup/current stepup and three controllers with control laws that impose constant-frequency, constant transistor on-time and constant transistor off-time operation. The analysis, based on the energy-transfer requirement of the reactor, leads to a simple relationship for the required minimum volume of the air gap. Determination of this minimum air gap volume then permits the selection of either an air gap or a cross-sectional core area. Having picked one parameter, the minimum value of the other immediately leads to selection of the physical magnetic structure. Other analytically derived equations are used to obtain values for the required turns, the inductance, and the maximum rms winding current. The design procedure is applicable to a wide range of magnetic material characteristics and physical configurations for the air-gapped magnetic structure.

Ohri, A. K.↗

QMI: Rising to the Space Station Design Challenge

The Quench Module Insert (QMI) materials processing furnace is being designed to operate for 8000 hours over four years on the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the first Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR-1) of the Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF). The Bridgman-type furnace is being built for the directional solidification processing of metals and alloys in the microgravity environment of space. Most notably it will be used for processing aluminum and related alloys. Designing for the space station environment presents intriguing design challenges in the form of a ten-year life requirement coupled with both limited opportunities for maintenance and resource constraints in the form of limited power and space. The long life requirement has driven the design of several features in the furnace, including the design of the heater core, the selection and placement of the thermocouples, overall performance monitoring, and the design of the chill block. The power and space limitations have been addressed through a compact furnace design using efficient vacuum insulation. Details on these design features, as well as development test performance results to date, are presented.

Carswell, W. E.↗

Application of formal optimization techniques in thermal/structural design of a heat-pipe-cooled panel for a hypersonic vehicle

Nonlinear mathematical programming methods are used to design a radiantly cooled and heat-pipe-cooled panel for a Mach 6.7 transport. The cooled portion of the panel is a hybrid heat-pipe/actively cooled design which uses heat pipes to transport the absorbed heat to the ends of the panel where it is removed by active cooling. The panels are optimized for minimum mass and to satisfy a set of heat-pipe, structural, geometric, and minimum-gage constraints. Two panel concepts are investigated: cylindrical heat pipes embedded in a honeycomb core and an integrated design which uses a web-core heat-pipe sandwich concept. The latter was lighter and resulted in a design which was less than 10 percent heavier than an all actively cooled concept. The heat-pipe concept, however, is redundant and can sustain a single-point failure, whereas the actively cooled concept cannot. An additional study was performed to determine the optimum number of coolant manifolds per panel for a minimum-mass design.

Camarda, Charles J.↗

An Interim Assessment of High-Power-Density-Core Noise Levels

The aeroacoustic-noise implications associated with the small-core gas-turbine development effort underway in the NASA HyTEC Project are discussed. Due to the expected design choices, there are risks that the airport community noise, associated with landing and takeoff of civilian-transport aircraft, could be increased or, at minimum, that further overall propulsion-noise reduction could become limited. It is argued here that the main culprit in these scenarios is noise originating from sources in the combustor. The classical combustor-noise prediction model is summarized and its possible extension to the planned parameter space is discussed. An acoustic-power scaling law is derived and utilized to give initial estimates for what can be expected by core-design choices. An ideal-cycle parametric turbofan model provides input for these estimates.

aeroacoustics, turbomachinery noise, small-core no↗

Core sample extractor

The problem of retrieving and storing core samples from a hole drilled on the lunar surface is addressed. The total depth of the hole in question is 50 meters with a maximum diameter of 100 millimeters. The core sample itself has a diameter of 60 millimeters and will be two meters in length. It is therefore necessary to retrieve and store 25 core samples per hole. The design utilizes a control system that will stop the mechanism at a certain depth, a cam-linkage system that will fracture the core, and a storage system that will save and catalogue the cores to be extracted. The Rod Changer and Storage Design Group will provide the necessary tooling to get into the hole as well as to the core. The mechanical design for the cam-linkage system as well as the conceptual design of the storage device are described.

Akins, James↗

Core-Noise Research

This presentation is a technical summary of and outlook for NASA-internal and NASA-sponsored external research on core noise funded by the Fundamental Aeronautics Program Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW) Project. Sections of the presentation cover: the SFW system-level noise metrics for the 2015 (N+1), 2020 (N+2), and 2025 (N+3) timeframes; SFW strategic thrusts and technical challenges; SFW advanced subsystems that are broadly applicable to N+3 vehicle concepts, with an indication where further noise research is needed; the components of core noise (compressor, combustor and turbine noise) and a rationale for NASAʼs current emphasis on the combustor-noise component; the increase in the relative importance of core noise due to turbofan design trends; the need to understand and mitigate core-noise sources for high-efficiency small gas generators; and the current research activities in the core-noise area, with additional details given about forthcoming updates to NASAʼs Aircraft Noise Prediction Program (ANOPP) core-noise prediction capabilities, two NRA efforts (Honeywell International, Phoenix, AZ and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, respectively) to improve the understanding of core-noise sources and noise propagation through the engine core, and an effort to develop oxide/oxide ceramic-matrix-composite (CMC) liners for broadband noise attenuation suitable for turbofan-core application. Core noise must be addressed to ensure that the N+3 noise goals are met. Focused, but long-term, core-noise research is carried out to enable the advanced high-efficiency small gas-generator subsystem, common to several N+3 conceptual designs, needed to meet NASAʼs technical challenges. Intermediate updates to prediction tools are implemented as the understanding of the source structure and engine-internal propagation effects is improved. The NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program has the principal objective of overcoming today's national challenges in air transportation. The SFW Quiet-Aircraft Subproject aims to develop concepts and technologies to reduce perceived community noise attributable to aircraft with minimal impact on weight and performance. This reduction of aircraft noise is critical to enabling the anticipated large increase in future air traffic.

Hultgren, Lennart S.↗

Reactor moderator, pressure vessel, and heat rejection system of an open-cycle gas core nuclear rocket concept

A preliminary design study of a conceptual 6000-megawatt open-cycle gas-core nuclear rocket engine system was made. The engine has a thrust of 196,600 newtons (44,200 lb) and a specific impulse of 4400 seconds. The nuclear fuel is uranium-235 and the propellant is hydrogen. Critical fuel mass was calculated for several reactor configurations. Major components of the reactor (reflector, pressure vessel, and waste heat rejection system) were considered conceptually and were sized.

Taylor, M. F.↗

High-Efficiency High-Resolution Global Model Developments at the NASA Goddard Data Assimilation Office

The Data Assimilation Office (DAO) has been developing a new generation of ultra-high resolution General Circulation Model (GCM) that is suitable for 4-D data assimilation, numerical weather predictions, and climate simulations. These three applications have conflicting requirements. For 4-D data assimilation and weather predictions, it is highly desirable to run the model at the highest possible spatial resolution (e.g., 55 km or finer) so as to be able to resolve and predict socially and economically important weather phenomena such as tropical cyclones, hurricanes, and severe winter storms. For climate change applications, the model simulations need to be carried out for decades, if not centuries. To reduce uncertainty in climate change assessments, the next generation model would also need to be run at a fine enough spatial resolution that can at least marginally simulate the effects of intense tropical cyclones. Scientific problems (e.g., parameterization of subgrid scale moist processes) aside, all three areas of application require the model's computational performance to be dramatically improved as compared to the previous generation. In this talk, I will present the current and future developments of the "finite-volume dynamical core" at the Data Assimilation Office. This dynamical core applies modem monotonicity preserving algorithms and is genuinely conservative by construction, not by an ad hoc fixer. The "discretization" of the conservation laws is purely local, which is clearly advantageous for resolving sharp gradient flow features. In addition, the local nature of the finite-volume discretization also has a significant advantage on distributed memory parallel computers. Together with a unique vertically Lagrangian control volume discretization that essentially reduces the dimension of the computational problem from three to two, the finite-volume dynamical core is very efficient, particularly at high resolutions. I will also present the computational design of the dynamical core using a hybrid distributed-shared memory programming paradigm that is portable to virtually any of today's high-end parallel super-computing clusters.

Lin, Shian-Jiann↗

High-Efficiency High-Resolution Global Model Developments at the NASA Goddard Data Assimilation Office

The Data Assimilation Office (DAO) has been developing a new generation of ultra-high resolution General Circulation Model (GCM) that is suitable for 4-D data assimilation, numerical weather predictions, and climate simulations. These three applications have conflicting requirements. For 4-D data assimilation and weather predictions, it is highly desirable to run the model at the highest possible spatial resolution (e.g., 55 kin or finer) so as to be able to resolve and predict socially and economically important weather phenomena such as tropical cyclones, hurricanes, and severe winter storms. For climate change applications, the model simulations need to be carried out for decades, if not centuries. To reduce uncertainty in climate change assessments, the next generation model would also need to be run at a fine enough spatial resolution that can at least marginally simulate the effects of intense tropical cyclones. Scientific problems (e.g., parameterization of subgrid scale moist processes) aside, all three areas of application require the model's computational performance to be dramatically improved as compared to the previous generation. In this talk, I will present the current and future developments of the "finite-volume dynamical core" at the Data Assimilation Office. This dynamical core applies modem monotonicity preserving algorithms and is genuinely conservative by construction, not by an ad hoc fixer. The "discretization" of the conservation laws is purely local, which is clearly advantageous for resolving sharp gradient flow features. In addition, the local nature of the finite-volume discretization also has a significant advantage on distributed memory parallel computers. Together with a unique vertically Lagrangian control volume discretization that essentially reduces the dimension of the computational problem from three to two, the finite-volume dynamical core is very efficient, particularly at high resolutions. I will also present the computational design of the dynamical core using a hybrid distributed- shared memory programming paradigm that is portable to virtually any of today's high-end parallel super-computing clusters.

Lin, Shian-Jiann↗

Ventilation Heat Exchanger / Flow Meter for xPLSS

The flow meter / heat exchanger (FMHX) in the ventilation loop of the exploration EMU cools the ventilation gas and measures the ventilation flow rate. The heat exchanger transfers heat from the ventilation gas to the thermal control loop via a miniature shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The flow meters calculate the flow rate of gas through the ventilation loop based on the pressure drop across the heat exchanger core. Creare has delivered four design validation test (DVT) heat exchangers and five DVT flow meters to NASA JSC to support development of the exploration portable life support system (xPLSS). This paper describes the design and performance of the DVT units.The heat exchangers are designed to cool the ventilation gas to a specified temperature with low pressure losses under the most challenging operating conditions. The measured performance of the DVT heat exchangers agrees well with design models and meets all performance requirements. The flow meters use a MEMS thermal flow sensor to produce a signal that is proportional to a small bypass flow around the heat exchanger core. They are designed to achieve high measurement accuracy across the full range of xPLSS operating conditions. We calibrated the flow meters in a special-purpose flow facility that simulates operation in the xPLSS ventilation loop. Calibration testing shows that DVT flow meters produce digital output for vent loop mass flow that meets NASA’s accuracy requirements across the range of xPLSS operating conditions. This paper reviews the design of the heat exchangers and flow meters and presents data from the final flow meter calibration testing, heat exchanger performance validation, and initial ground testing in NASA’s xPLSS.

spacesuit↗

Ventilation Heat Exchanger / Flow Meter for xPLSS

The flow meter / heat exchanger (FMHX) in the ventilation loop of the exploration EMU cools the ventilation gas and measures the ventilation flow rate. The heat exchanger transfers heat from the ventilation gas to the thermal control loop via a miniature shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The flow meters calculate the flow rate of gas through the ventilation loop based on the pressure drop across the heat exchanger core. Creare has delivered four design validation test (DVT) heat exchangers and five DVT flow meters to NASA JSC to support development of the exploration portable life support system (xPLSS). This paper describes the design and performance of the DVT units.The heat exchangers are designed to cool the ventilation gas to a specified temperature with low pressure losses under the most challenging operating conditions. The measured performance of the DVT heat exchangers agrees well with design models and meets all performance requirements. The flow meters use a MEMS thermal flow sensor to produce a signal that is proportional to a small bypass flow around the heat exchanger core. They are designed to achieve high measurement accuracy across the full range of xPLSS operating conditions. We calibrated the flow meters in a special-purpose flow facility that simulates operation in the xPLSS ventilation loop. Calibration testing shows that DVT flow meters produce digital output for vent loop mass flow that meets NASA’s accuracy requirements across the range of xPLSS operating conditions. This paper reviews the design of the heat exchangers and flow meters and presents data from the final flow meter calibration testing, heat exchanger performance validation, and initial ground testing in NASA’s xPLSS.

spacesuit↗