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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

Initial Evaluation of Engine Combustion Network Injectors with X-Ray Diagnostics

A significant hurdle in the understanding of diesel sprays is the sensitivity of such sprays to the detailed geometry of the spray nozzle. This sensitivity hampers the comparison of results from spray measurements by different research groups, even if the groups measure nozzles with the same nominal geometry. Moreover, these differences make the comparison and validation of different diagnostic techniques problematic. To remove this source of uncertainty from diesel spray measurements, a collaboration of several research groups has formed to measure a common set of injectors under identical conditions under the auspices of Sandia National Laboratorys Engine Combustion Network. The current work describes the initial measurement of these injectors and the sprays created by these injectors using the x-ray diagnostics available at the Advanced Photon Source. X-ray phase-enhanced imaging is used to perform time-resolved, in situ measurements of injector pintle motion. In addition to these measurements, x-ray radiography measurements of the sprays from these injectors will be performed to better understand the near-nozzle fuel mass distribution in these sprays.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

The effect of bond coating surface modification on the performance of atmospheric plasma spray thermal barrier coatings

Asperities in atmospheric plasma sprayed (APS) CoNiCrAlY bond coatings were observed to rapidly form spinel-type oxides growing into the APS yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) top coating during isothermal exposures. To minimize these transient oxides, bond coatings were either lightly or heavily modified to remove asperities, prior to top coating deposition. After a 100 h isothermal exposure at 1100 °C in dry air, modified regions formed a thin, Al-rich thermally grown oxide (TGO) scale while unmodified regions formed Cr- and Ni-rich transient oxide. However, in 1-h furnace cycle testing (FCT) at 1100 °C, the modified bond coatings showed a reduced average lifetime compared to the specimens with unmodified bond coatings. The benefit of asperities may be to geometrically inhibit crack propagation, but the volume of transient oxide formed may also densify the adjacent YSZ and further inhibit cracking.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A View of Earth's Aerosol System from Space to Your Office Chair

Aerosols are tiny particles and droplets suspended in the air. Each day you breathe in about 10 billion of them, about a half a million per breath. They are formed in nature by volcanoes, dust storms, sea spray, and emissions from vegetation. Humans create aerosols and alter their natural sources by burning fossil fuels and modifying land cover. Fires are another important source of aerosols; some are natural, such as wildfires started by lightning strikes, while others are from human-caused burning of vegetation for cooking, heating, and land clearing. Aerosols have complex effects on Earth's climate. In general, they cool the surface by reflecting (scattering) radiation from the sun back into space. Dust and smoke absorb solar radiation and heat the atmosphere where they are concentrated. Aerosols change the properties of clouds. Indeed, it would be very difficult to form clouds in the atmosphere without aerosols to act as 'seeds' for water to condense on. In aerosol polluted environments clouds tend to have smaller droplets than clouds formed in cleaner environments; these polluted clouds appear brighter from space because they reflect more sunlight, and they may persist longer and not rain as intensely. Aerosols also affect local air quality and visibility. Data collected by NASA satellites over the past decade have provided an unprecedented view of Earth's aerosol distribution and dramatically increased our understanding of where aerosols come from and just how far they travel in the atmosphere. In this talk I will discuss observations of aerosols from space and how they inform numerical transport models attempting to simulate the global aerosol system.

Colarco, Peter↗

Synthesis of mesoporous NiO doped TiO{sub 2} submicrosphere via spray hydrolysis

NiO doped TiO{sub 2} submicrosphere have been prepared via spray hydrolysis. The doping concentration has been varied form 2 wt% to 15 wt%. Morphology of the submicrospheres has been investigated using small-angle neutron scattering and scanning electron microscopy. Elemental analysis has been carried out by energy dispersive X-ray analysis which confirms the doping concentrations. The mesopores in submicrospheres possess cylindrical morphology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Photoelectrochemical performances of n-CdS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique

The CdS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} (0.0 {<=} x {<=} 1.0) thin films of various compositions have been deposited onto the amorphous and FTO coated glass substrates using a spray pyrolysis technique. An electrode/electrolyte interface has been formed between an n-type CdS{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} (0.0 {<=} x {<=} 1.0) alloyed/mixed type semiconductor and a sulphide/polysulphide redox electrolyte and investigated through the current-voltage, capacitance-voltage and photovoltaic power output characteristics. The dependence of the dark current through the junction and the junction capacitance on the voltage across the junction have been examined and analysed. Upon illumination of the interface with a light of 20 mW/cm{sup 2}, an open-circuit voltage of the order of 335 mV and a short-circuit current of 1.02 mA/cm{sup 2} have been developed (for x = 0.8), which results in energy conversion efficiency and fill factor 0.79% and 0.46% respectively. The magnitudes of the barrier heights at the interfaces have been determined. The significant electrochemical properties have been observed for a cell with electrode composition x = 0.8. (author)

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Energy Reductions Using Next-Generation Remanufacturing Techniques

The goal of this project was to develop a radically new surface coating approach that greatly enhances the performance of thermal spray coatings. Rather than relying on a roughened grit blasted substrate surface for developing a mechanical bond between the coating and substrate, which is the normal practice with conventional thermal spraying, a hybrid approach of combining a focused laser beam to thermally treat the substrate surface in the vicinity of the rapidly approaching thermally-sprayed powder particles was developed. This new surface coating process is targeted primarily at enabling remanufacturing of components used in engines, drive trains and undercarriage systems; thereby providing a substantial global opportunity for increasing the magnitude and breadth of parts that are remanufactured through their life cycle, as opposed to simply being replaced by new components. The projected benefits of a new remanufacturing process that increases the quantity of components that are salvaged and reused compared to being fabricated from raw materials will clearly vary based on the specific industry and range of candidate components that are considered. At the outset of this project two different metal processing routes were considered, castings and forgings, and the prototypical components for each process were liners and crankshafts, respectively. The quantities of parts used in the analysis are based on our internal production of approximately 158,000 diesel engines in 2007. This leads to roughly 1,000,000 liners (assuming a mixture of 6- and 8-cylinder engines) and 158,000 crankshafts. Using energy intensity factors for casting and forgings, respectively, of 4450 and 5970 Btu-hr/lb along with the energy-induced CO 2 generation factor of 0.00038 lbs CO 2 /Btu, energy savings of over 17 trillion BTUs and CO 2 reductions of over 6.5 million lbs could potentially be realized by remanufacturing the above mentioned quantities of crankshafts and liners. This project supported the Industrial Technologies Program's initiative titled 'Industrial Energy Efficiency Grand Challenge.' To contribute to this Grand Challenge, we. pursued an innovative processing approach for the next generation of thermal spray coatings to capture substantial energy savings and green house gas emission reductions through the remanufacturing of steel and aluminum-based components. The primary goal was to develop a new thermal spray coating process that yields significantly enhanced bond strength. To reach the goal of higher coating bond strength, a laser was coupled with a traditional twin-wire arc (TWA) spray gun to treat the component surface (i.e., heat or partially melt) during deposition. Both ferrous and aluminum-based substrates and coating alloys were examined to determine what materials are more suitable for the laser-assisted twin-wire arc coating technique. Coating adhesion was measured by static tensile and dynamic fatigue techniques, and the results helped to guide the identification of appropriate remanufacturing opportunities that will now be viable due to the increased bond strength of the laser-assisted twin-wire arc coatings. The feasibility of the laser-assisted TWA (LATWA) process was successfully demonstrated in this current effort. Critical processing parameters were identified, and when these were properly controlled, a strong, diffusion bond was developed between the substrate and the deposited coating. Consequently, bond strengths were nearly doubled over those typically obtained using conventional grit-blast TWA coatings. Note, however, that successful LATWA processing was limited to ferrous substrates coated with steel coatings (e.g., 1020 and 1080 steel). With Al-based substrates, it was not possible to avoid melting a thin layer of the substrate during spraying, and this layer re-solidified to form a band of intermetallic phases at the substrate/coating interface, which significantly diminished the coating adhesion. The capability to significantly increase the bond strength with ferrous substrates and coatings may open new remanufacturing opportunities that were previously not considered due to concerns with the limits of the mechanical bonding of conventional TWA coatings. However, the limited results obtained within this one-year program are not sufficient to move the LATWA into a production environment. Additional work will be needed engineer the process to coat components with more complex geometries than the flat specimens studied in this work. In addition part-specific bench testing and relevant field tests will be required to fully establish the necessary confidence for introducing the LATWA process. These are typical constraints and requirements for most any new production process, and it is quite possible this new process will continue to be a viable approach for extending the usage of remanufacturing, and in turn capturing the resulting energy savings and green house gas emission reductions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Liquid-Spray Formulation Of Scopolamine

Scopolamine, fast-acting anticholinergic drug, formulated into drops administered intranasally. Formulation very useful for people who need immediate relief from motion sickness, and they can administer it to themselves. Also used in other clinical situations in which fast-acting anticholinergic medication required. Modified into such other forms as gel preparation, aqueous-base ointment, or aerosol spray or mist; also dispensed in metered-dose delivery system.

Putcha, Lakshmi↗

No Heat Spray Drying Technology

No Heat Spray Drying Technology. ZoomEssence has developed our Zooming™ spray drying technology that atomizes liquids to powders at ambient temperature. The process of drying a liquid into a powder form has been traditionally achieved by mixing a heated gas with an atomized (sprayed) fluid within a vessel (drying chamber) causing the solvent to evaporate. The predominant spray drying process in use today employs air heated up to 400° Fahrenheit to dry an atomized liquid into a powder. Exposing sensitive, volatile liquid ingredients to high temperature causes molecular degradation that negatively impacts solubility, stability and profile of the powder. In short, heat is detrimental to many liquid ingredients. The completed award focused on several areas in order to advance the prototype dryer to a commercial scale integrated pilot system. Prior to the award, ZoomEssence had developed a prototype ‘no-heat’ dryer that firmly established the feasibility of the Zooming™ process. The award focused on three primary areas to improve the technology: (1) improved ability to formulate emulsions for specific flavor groups and improved understanding of the relationship of emulsion properties to final dry particle properties, (2) a new production atomizer, and (3) a dryer controls system.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Cylinder bore having variable coating

Engine blocks and methods of forming the same are disclosed. The engine block may comprise a body including at least one cylindrical engine bore wall having a longitudinal axis and including a coating extending along the longitudinal axis and having a coating thickness. The coating may have a middle region and first and second end regions, and a plurality of pores may be dispersed within the coating thickness. The middle region may have a different average porosity than one or both of the end regions. The method may include spraying a first porosity coating in a middle longitudinal region of the bore and spraying a second porosity coating in one or more end regions of the bore. The first porosity may be greater than the second porosity and the first and second porosities may be formed during the spraying steps. The pores may act wells for lubricant.

Maki, Clifford E.↗

Cylinder bore having variable coating

Engine blocks and methods of forming the same are disclosed. The engine block may comprise a body including at least one cylindrical engine bore wall having a longitudinal axis and including a coating extending along the longitudinal axis and having a coating thickness. The coating may have a middle region and first and second end regions, and a plurality of pores may be dispersed within the coating thickness. The middle region may have a different average porosity than one or both of the end regions. The method may include spraying a first porosity coating in a middle longitudinal region of the bore and spraying a second porosity coating in one or more end regions of the bore. The first porosity may be greater than the second porosity and the first and second porosities may be formed during the spraying steps. The pores may act as wells for lubricant.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Water sprays in space retrieval operations

Recent experiments involving liquid jets exhausting into a vacuum have led to significant conclusions regarding techniques for detumbling and despinning disabled spacecraft during retrieval operations. A fine water spray directed toward a tumbling or spinning object may quickly form ice over its surface. The added mass of water will absorb angular momentum and slow the vehicle. As this ice sublimes it carries momentum away with it. Thus, a complete detumble or despin is possible by simply spraying water at a disabled vehicle. Experiments were conducted in a ground based vacuum chamber to determine physical properties of water-ice in a space-like environment. Additional ices, alcohol and ammonia, were also studied. An analytical analysis based on the conservation of angular momentum, resulted in despin performance parameters, i.e., total water mass requirements and despin times. The despin and retrieval of a disabled spacecraft was considered to illustrate a potential application of the water spray technique.

Freesland, D. C.↗

Metallization of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers for Lightning Strike Protection

Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are increasingly used in the latest generations of aircraft, but their low electrical conductivity is a concern for lightning strike protection. During the past few years, development of lightning strike protection solutions for CFRP has attracted increasing interest, and cold spray is one coating approach to achieving this. In this work, pure tin coatings and tin–copper composite coatings were cold sprayed on CFRP as possible lightning strike protection materials. The coatings were subjected to various mechanical and electrical characterizations. The effect of annealing on electrical conductivity was also examined. Furthermore, continuous current injection tests, which duplicated component C of a lightning waveform, were performed on the coatings. The results showed that the cold-sprayed coatings can provide effective protection to the CFRP underneath when subjected to currents up to 200 A with 1-s duration.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Comparative performance of bio-based coatings formulated with cellulose, chitin, and chitosan nanomaterials suitable for fruit preservation

Sustainable nanomaterials (SNMs) from wood, sugarcane and crab shell were prepared and used to coat selected fruits. The properties of SNMs and selected fruits were characterized and strawberry was used as an example to test antifungal activity and freshness preservation of the SNMs. The SNMs with their nano-structured morphology form strong shear-thinning dispersions for easy spraying on fruit surfaces. The fruit surface free energy was influenced by its surface morphology, predominant surface wax components, and cutin monomers. The antifungal activity of SNMs was influenced by their surface functional groups and particle size (crystals vs fibers). The coblend of wood nanocrystals (WCNCs) and chitosan nanofiber (CSNFs) exhibited the best antifungal property, which was comparable with the performance of the fungicide thiabendazole (80 mg L -1 ). The weight loss and color change of the WCNC/CSNF coated strawberries decreased by nearly half compared with the control samples, showing coating effectiveness on preserving fruit freshness.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Thermodynamic processes associated with frostbite in the handling of liquid nitrogen

It is often taught that exposure to liquid nitrogen will cause frostbite or more severe damage to exposed skin tissue. However, it is also demonstrated that a full hand can be briefly immersed in liquid nitrogen without damage. To better understand and possibly visualize the effects of human tissue exposure to liquid nitrogen, a series of tests were conducted using simulated hands and arms composed of molded gelatin forms. The simulated hands and arms were immersed, sprayed, or splashed with liquid nitrogen both with and without state of the art personal protective equipment. Thermocouples were located within the test articles to allow for thermal mapping during the freezing process. The study is aimed to help understand frostbite hazards and the time constants involved with the handling of liquid nitrogen to improve future safety protocols for the safe handling of cryogenic fluids. Results of the testing also show the limits to handling liquid nitrogen while using various means of protection.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Material removal considerations for metal-ceramic abradable turbine seal systems

Possible interaction mechanisms between turbine blade tips and ceramic seal elements have been considered and preferred mechanism defined. The influence of porosity in the seal structure is qualitatively assessed and a preferred form determined. A dual-density plasma-sprayed ceramic seal system encompassing the desired characteristics is described and test results, including engine tests, are reported. Possible remedies to correct performance deficiencies are presented.

Clingman, D. L.↗

Experimental evaluation of chromium-carbide-based solid lubricant coatings for use to 760 C

A research program is described which further developed and investigated chromium carbide based self-lubricating coatings for use to 760 C. A bonded chromium carbide was used as the base stock because of the known excellent wear resistance and the chemical stability of chromium carbide. Additives were silver and barium fluoride/calcium fluoride eutectic. The three coating components were blended in powder form, applied to stainless steel substrates by plasma spraying and then diamond ground to the desired coating thickness. A variety of coating compositions was tested to determine the coating composition which gave optimum tribological results. Coatings were tested in air, helium, and hydrogen at temperatures from 25 to 760 C. Several counterface materials were evaluated with the objective of discovering a satisfactory metal/coating sliding combination for potential applications, such as piston ring/cylinder liner couples for Stirling engines. In general, silver and fluoride additions to chromium carbide reduced the friction coefficient and increased the wear resistance relative to the unmodified coating. The lubricant additives acted synergistically in reducing friction and wear.

Dellacorte, Christopher↗

Droplet Core Nuclear Rocket (DCNR)

The most basic design feature of the droplet core nuclear reactor is to spray liquid uranium into the core in the form of droplets on the order of five to ten microns in size, to bring the reactor to critical conditions. The liquid uranium fuel ejector is driven by hydrogen, and more hydrogen is injected from the side of the reactor to about one and a half meters from the top. High temperature hydrogen is expanded through a nozzle to produce thrust. The hydrogen pressure in the system can be somewhere between 50 and 500 atmospheres; the higher pressure is more desirable. In the lower core region, hydrogen is tangentially injected to serve two purposes: (1) to provide a swirling flow to protect the wall from impingement of hot uranium droplets: (2) to generate a vortex flow that can be used for fuel separation. The reactor is designed to maximize the energy generation in the upper region of the core. The system can result in and Isp of 2000 per second, and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1.6 for the shielded reactor. The nuclear engine system can reduce the Mars mission duration to less than 200 days. It can reduce the hydrogen consumption by a factor of 2 to 3, which reduces the hydrogen load by about 130 to 150 metric tons.

Anghaie, Samim↗

Bubble Combustion

A method of energy production that is capable of low pollutant emissions is fundamental to one of the four pillars of NASA s Aeronautics Blueprint: Revolutionary Vehicles. Bubble combustion, a new engine technology currently being developed at Glenn Research Center promises to provide low emissions combustion in support of NASA s vision under the Emissions Element because it generates power, while minimizing the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxides (NOx), both known to be Greenhouse gases. and allows the use of alternative fuels such as corn oil, low-grade fuels, and even used motor oil. Bubble combustion is analogous to the inverse of spray combustion: the difference between bubble and spray combustion is that spray combustion is spraying a liquid in to a gas to form droplets, whereas bubble combustion involves injecting a gas into a liquid to form gaseous bubbles. In bubble combustion, the process for the ignition of the bubbles takes place on a time scale of less than a nanosecond and begins with acoustic waves perturbing each bubble. This perturbation causes the local pressure to drop below the vapor pressure of the liquid thus producing cavitation in which the bubble diameter grows, and upon reversal of the oscillating pressure field, the bubble then collapses rapidly with the aid of the high surface tension forces acting on the wall of the bubble. The rapid and violent collapse causes the temperatures inside the bubbles to soar as a result of adiabatic heating. As the temperatures rise, the gaseous contents of the bubble ignite with the bubble itself serving as its own combustion chamber. After ignition, this is the time in the bubble s life cycle where power is generated, and CO2, and NOx among other species, are produced. However, the pollutants CO2 and NOx are absorbed into the surrounding liquid. The importance of bubble combustion is that it generates power using a simple and compact device. We conducted a parametric study using CAVCHEM, a computational model developed at Glenn, that simulates the cavitational collapse of a single bubble in a liquid (water) and the subsequent combustion of the gaseous contents inside the bubble. The model solves the time-dependent, compressible Navier-Stokes equations in one-dimension with finite-rate chemical kinetics using the CHEMKIN package. Specifically, parameters such as frequency, pressure, bubble radius, and the equivalence ratio were varied while examining their effect on the maximum temperature, radius, and chemical species. These studies indicate that the radius of the bubble is perhaps the most critical parameter governing bubble combustion dynamics and its efficiency. Based on the results of the parametric studies, we plan on conducting experiments to study the effect of ultrasonic perturbations on the bubble generation process with respect to the bubble radius and size distribution.

Corrigan, Jackie↗