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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

Time Domain Stability Margin Assessment of the NS Space Launch System GN&C Design for Exploration Mission One

The baseline stability margins for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle were generated via the classical approach of linearizing the system equations of motion and determining the gain and phase margins from the resulting frequency domain model. To improve the fidelity of the classical methods, the linear frequency domain approach can be extended by replacing static, memoryless nonlinearities with describing functions. This technique, however, does not address the time varying nature of the dynamics of a launch vehicle in flight. An alternative technique for the evaluation of the stability of the nonlinear launch vehicle dynamics along its trajectory is to incrementally adjust the gain and/or time delay in the time domain simulation until the system exhibits unstable behavior. This technique has the added benefit of providing a direct comparison between the time domain and frequency domain tools in support of simulation validation.

Clements, Keith↗

Time Domain Stability Margin Assessment of the NASA Space Launch System GN&C Design for Exploration Mission One

The baseline stability margins for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle were generated via the classical approach of linearizing the system equations of motion and determining the gain and phase margins from the resulting frequency domain model. To improve the fidelity of the classical methods, the linear frequency domain approach can be extended by replacing static, memoryless nonlinearities with describing functions. This technique, however, does not address the time varying nature of the dynamics of a launch vehicle in flight. An alternative technique for the evaluation of the stability of the nonlinear launch vehicle dynamics along its trajectory is to incrementally adjust the gain and/or time delay in the time domain simulation until the system exhibits unstable behavior. This technique has the added benefit of providing a direct comparison between the time domain and frequency domain tools in support of simulation validation.

Clements, Keith↗

Time Domain Stability Margin Assessment Method

The baseline stability margins for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle were generated via the classical approach of linearizing the system equations of motion and determining the gain and phase margins from the resulting frequency domain model. To improve the fidelity of the classical methods, the linear frequency domain approach can be extended by replacing static, memoryless nonlinearities with describing functions. This technique, however, does not address the time varying nature of the dynamics of a launch vehicle in flight. An alternative technique for the evaluation of the stability of the nonlinear launch vehicle dynamics along its trajectory is to incrementally adjust the gain and/or time delay in the time domain simulation until the system exhibits unstable behavior. This technique has the added benefit of providing a direct comparison between the time domain and frequency domain tools in support of simulation validation.

Clements, Keith↗

Influence of Surface Aerosol Injection on Stratocumulus‐to‐Cumulus Transition: Cloud‐Surface Coupling and Background Aerosol Concentrations

The influence of surface aerosol injection on the stratocumulus‐to‐cumulus transition (SCT) is explored using large‐eddy simulations. We examine how cloud‐surface coupling (or the strength of the marine boundary layer (MBL) stratification that limits vertical turbulent mixing and convection) impacts the vertical transport of aerosols, and how injected aerosols influence cloud properties and associated cloud radiative effects during the SCT. By injecting aerosols at different stages of the SCT, noting that cloud is more decoupled from the surface over time due to entrainment warming, we find that cloud‐surface coupling significantly affects aerosol vertical transport. However, injection timing (before drizzle if any) does not notably affect the SCT and the efficiency of marine cloud brightening, because aerosol number concentrations due to injections at different times rapidly converge before the transition onset. By varying the background aerosol concentration, we find that injected aerosols can significantly extend the persistence of stratocumulus decks by suppressing precipitation in clean environments but have little impact on stratocumulus breakup with higher background aerosol concentrations due to saturated aerosol effects. In clean MBLs, the SCT‐delay‐induced increase in cloud fraction dominates the overall cooling effects in response to aerosols, followed by Twomey effects. These cooling effects are slightly offset by decreased liquid water path (LWP) due to entrainment drying. In polluted MBLs, the Twomey effect is more dominant, followed by cloud fraction adjustments, and these coolings are also partly offset by LWP adjustments. All the simulations are made in relatively small domains in which injected aerosols are homogenized over a short time scale.

Zhang, Haipeng [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, M↗

The Impact of Increasing Carbon Dioxide on Ozone Recovery

We have used the GSFC coupled two-dimensional (2D) model to study the impact of increasing carbon dioxide from 1980 to 2050 on the recovery of ozone to its pre-1980 amounts. We find that the changes in temperature and circulation arising from increasing CO2 affect ozone recovery in a manner which varies greatly with latitude, altitude, and time of year. Middle and upper stratospheric ozone recovers faster at all latitudes due to a slowing of the ozone catalytic loss cycles. In the lower stratosphere, the recovery of tropical ozone is delayed due to a decrease in production and a speed up in the overturning circulation. The recovery of high northern latitude lower stratospheric ozone is delayed in spring and summer due to an increase in springtime heterogeneous chemical loss, and is speeded up in fall and winter due to increased downwelling. The net effect on the higher northern latitude column ozone is to slow down the recovery from late March to late July, while making it faster at other times. In the high southern latitudes, the impact of CO2 cooling is negligible. Annual mean column ozone is predicted to recover faster at all latitudes, and globally averaged ozone is predicted to recover approximately ten years faster as a result of increasing CO2.

Rosenfield, Joan E.↗

GRAIL Refinements to Lunar Seismic Structure

Joint interpretation of disparate geophysical datasets helps reduce drawbacks that can result from analyzing them individually. The Apollo seismic network was situated on the lunar nearside surface in a roughly equilateral triangle having sides approximately 1000 km long, with stations 12/14 nearly co-located at one corner. Due to this limited geographical extent, near-surface ray coverage from moonquakes is low, but increases with depth. In comparison, gravity surveys and their resulting gravity anomaly maps have traditionally offered optimal resolution at crustal depths. Gravimetric maps and seismic data sets are therefore well suited to joint inversion, since the complementary information reduces inherent model ambiguity. Previous joint inversions of the Apollo seismic data (seismic phase arrival times) and Clementine- or Lunar Prospector-derived gravity data (mass and moment of inertia) attempted to recover the subsurface structure of the Moon by focusing on hypothetical lunar compositions that explored the density/velocity relationship. These efforts typically searched for the best fitting thermodynamically calculated velocity/density model, and allowed variables like core size, velocity, and/or composition to vary freely. Seismic velocity profiles derived from the Apollo seismic data through travel time inversion vary both in the depth of the crust and mantle layers, and the seismic velocities and densities assigned to those layers. The lunar mass and moment of inertia likewise only constrain gross variations in the density profile beyond that of a uniform density sphere. As a result, composition and structure models previously obtained by jointly inverting these data retain the original uncertainties inherent in the input data sets. We perform a joint inversion of Apollo seismic delay times and gravity data collected by the GRAIL lunar gravity mission, in order to recover seismic velocity and density as a function of latitude, longitude, and depth within the Moon. We relate density (p) to seismic velocity (v) using a depth-dependent linear relationship. The corresponding coefficient (B) can reflect a variety of material properties, including temperature and composition. The inversion seeks to recover the set of p, v, and B perturbations that minimize (in a least-squares sense) the difference between the observed and calculated data.

Weber, Renee C.↗

Cathode Modeling and Diode Performance in a Planar Geometry using Space-charge-limited Emission

Space-charge-limited (SCL) emission parameters are varied to study the performance effects in a planar diode using an electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulation software suite, EMPIRE. Oscillations in the simulations are found and linked to the emission parameters, namely the breakdown threshold, the emission delay time, and the current density ramp time. The oscillations are suggested to be a transverse oscillator due to the perfect magnetic conductor boundary condition in steady-state operation and the formation of a virtual cathode in the diode driven by the SCL boundary condition.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Streaming Analytics for Anomaly Detection in Large-Scale Data

Anomalous behavior poses serious risks to assured performance and reliability of complex, high-consequence systems. For spaceborne assets and their state-of-health (SOH) telemetry, the challenges of high-dimensional data of varying data types are compounded by computational limitations from size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints as well as data availability. Automated anomaly detection methods tend to perform poorly under these constraints, while current operational approaches can introduce delays in response time due to the manual, retrospective processes for understanding system failures. As a result, presently deployed space systems, and those deployed in the near future, face situations where mission operations might be delayed or only be able to operate under degraded capabilities. Here, we examine a near-term lightweight solution that provides real-time detection capabilities for rare events and assess state-of-the-art anomaly detection techniques against real SOH telemetry from space platforms. This report describes our methodology and research, which could support more automated capabilities for comprehensive space operations as well as for other resource-constrained edge applications.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Design-Technology Co-Optimization for NVM-based Neuromorphic Processing Elements

An emerging use-case of machine learning (ML) is to train a model on a high-performance system and deploy the trained model on energy-constrained embedded systems. Neuromorphic hardware platforms, which operate on principles of the biological brain, can significantly lower the energy overhead of a machine learning inference task, making these platforms an attractive solution for embedded ML systems. In this paper, we present a design-technology tradeoff analysis to implement such inference tasks on the processing elements (PEs) of a Non-Volatile Memory (NVM)-based neuromorphic hardware. Through detailed circuit-level simulations at scaled process technology nodes, we show the negative impact of technology scaling on the information-processing latency, which impacts the quality-of-service (QoS) of an embedded ML system. At a finer granularity, the latency inside a PE depends on 1) the delay introduced by parasitic components on its current paths, and 2) the varying delay to sense different resistance states of its NVM cells. Based on these two observations, we make the following three contributions. First, on the technology front, we propose an optimization scheme where the NVM resistance state that takes the longest time to sense is set on current paths having the least delay, and vice versa, reducing the average PE latency, which improves the QoS. Second, on the architecture front, we introduce isolation transistors within each PE to partition it into regions that can be individually power-gated, reducing both latency and energy. Finally, on the system-software front, we propose a mechanism to leverage the proposed technological and architectural enhancements when implementing a machine-learning inference task on neuromorphic PEs of the hardware. Evaluations with a recent neuromorphic hardware architecture show that our proposed design-technology co-optimization approach improves both performance and energy efficiency of machine-learning inference tasks without incurring high cost-per-bit.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Efficient Encoding and Rendering of Time-Varying Volume Data

Visualization of time-varying volumetric data sets, which may be obtained from numerical simulations or sensing instruments, provides scientists insights into the detailed dynamics of the phenomenon under study. This paper describes a coherent solution based on quantization, coupled with octree and difference encoding for visualizing time-varying volumetric data. Quantization is used to attain voxel-level compression and may have a significant influence on the performance of the subsequent encoding and visualization steps. Octree encoding is used for spatial domain compression, and difference encoding for temporal domain compression. In essence, neighboring voxels may be fused into macro voxels if they have similar values, and subtrees at consecutive time steps may be merged if they are identical. The software rendering process is tailored according to the tree structures and the volume visualization process. With the tree representation, selective rendering may be performed very efficiently. Additionally, the I/O costs are reduced. With these combined savings, a higher level of user interactivity is achieved. We have studied a variety of time-varying volume datasets, performed encoding based on data statistics, and optimized the rendering calculations wherever possible. Preliminary tests on workstations have shown in many cases tremendous reduction by as high as 90% in both storage space and inter-frame delay.

CODING↗

A geospatial model for the analysis of time-dependent land subsidence induced by reservoir depletion

Land subsidence due to fluid depletion is an outcome of physical processes operating across a wide range of time and length scales. Although geomechanical models are crucial to simulate reservoir compaction and predict its long-term fate, their use across large regions often bears prohibitive computational costs. To overcome this obstacle, this paper proposes a simplified modelling framework consisting of (i) a near-field numerical solver simulating the coupling between fluid flow and rock deformation with reference to a simplified one-dimensional geometry and (ii) a far-field geospatial algorithm mapping ground settlements across a region through the superposition of poroelastic computations at multiple wells. The model computes the delay between depletion history and reservoir compaction in proximity of a producing well by assuming basal depletion of a fluid-saturated deformable disk, while the Geertsma solution of nucleus of strain is used to extrapolate the impact of such time-varying reservoir compaction around the well. This approach has been used to back-analyze the spatio-temporal progression of subsidence at the Groningen gas field. The results are compared against measurements collected over 50 year of production at 25 benchmark locations scattered over an area of 900 km 2 . It is shown that coupled simulations based on average values of rock compressibility and permeability lead to nonlinear trends of subsidence evolution in good agreement with field measurements, while uncoupled analyses overpredict settlements by more than 70%. Lastly, synthetic forecasts based on different rates of depletion were provided. The results suggest that slower depletion rates lead to lower subsidence at a given time, and that residual subsidence may continue to develop for several decades after interruption of production activities.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Performance and Results from a Space Borne, Uncooled Microbolometer Array Spectral Radiometric Imager

The Infrared Spectral Imaging Radiometer experiment was flown on a space shuttle mission as a shuttle hitchhiker experiment in August of 1997. The goals of the experiment were to test uncooled array detectors for infrared spectral imaging from space and to apply for the first time retrieval from space of brightness temperatures of cloud, land and sea along with direct laser measurements of cloud top height. The instrument operates in 3 narrow and one broad spectral band, all between 7 and 13 microns in either stare or time-delay and integration mode. The nominal spatial resolution was 1/4 kilometer. Using onboard calibrations along with periodic views of deep space, radiometric calibration of imagery was carried out and performance analyzed. The noise equivalent temperature difference and absolute accuracy reported here varied with operating mode, spectral band and scene temperature but were within requirements. This paper provides a description of the instrument, its operating modes, the method of brightness temperature retrieval, the method of spectral registration and results from the flight.

Spinhirne, James M↗

Slow Crack Growth and Fatigue Life Prediction of Ceramic Components Subjected to Variable Load History

Present capabilities of the NASA CARES/Life (Ceramic Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures/Life) code include probabilistic life prediction of ceramic components subjected to fast fracture, slow crack growth (stress corrosion), and cyclic fatigue failure modes. Currently, this code has the capability to compute the time-dependent reliability of ceramic structures subjected to simple time-dependent loading. For example, in slow crack growth (SCG) type failure conditions CARES/Life can handle the cases of sustained and linearly increasing time-dependent loads, while for cyclic fatigue applications various types of repetitive constant amplitude loads can be accounted for. In real applications applied loads are rarely that simple, but rather vary with time in more complex ways such as, for example, engine start up, shut down, and dynamic and vibrational loads. In addition, when a given component is subjected to transient environmental and or thermal conditions, the material properties also vary with time. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate a methodology capable of predicting the time-dependent reliability of components subjected to transient thermomechanical loads that takes into account the change in material response with time. In this paper, the dominant delayed failure mechanism is assumed to be SCG. This capability has been added to the NASA CARES/Life (Ceramic Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures/Life) code, which has also been modified to have the ability of interfacing with commercially available FEA codes executed for transient load histories. An example involving a ceramic exhaust valve subjected to combustion cycle loads is presented to demonstrate the viability of this methodology and the CARES/Life program.

Jadaan, Osama↗

Acceleration of Glass Alteration Rates Induced by Zeolite Seeds at Controlled pH

As the glass-water reaction proceeds, certain glass compositions undergo a delayed acceleration in the alteration rate – a phenomenon that is commonly referred to as Stage III behavior – which generally coincides with zeolite formation. However, studying Stage III in the laboratory is difficult because the time scale required to observe Stage III behavior can vary from months to several years, and the solution conditions that initiate this acceleration remain poorly understood. Consequently, the development of a corrosion test method capable of quantifying Stage III rates in a timely manner would be of great benefit to both the scientific community and policy makers concerned with nuclear waste disposal. In this work, we induced and measured the acceleration in the corrosion rate of the AFCI glass by seeding static corrosion tests with zeolite Na-P2 at fixed pH90°C values ranging from 9.5 to 11.5. The induced Stage III rates increased linearly with increasing pH and were measured to be between the forward and residual rates of AFCI. Tests designed to compare induced Stage III rates obtained for different seeding times showed that the induced Stage III rates were faster in the absence of an alteration layer. In summary, the use of the seeded test method allows for a conservative quantification of Stage III rates in a relatively short, one-month time period.

Neeway, James J.↗

Prediction of Complex Observed Shear Wave Splitting Patterns at Ryukyu Subduction Zone Using a Strong Intra-Slab Anisotropy Model

Complex shear wave splitting (SWS) patterns in subduction zones are often interpreted geodynamically as resulting from complex mantle flow; however, this may not always be necessary. We analyzed 7,093 high-quality SWS measurements from teleseismic S waves recorded by Hi-net stations across the Ryukyu arc in Japan. Our findings show a systematic rotation of the fast S polarization from trench-parallel to trench-perpendicular depending on the earthquake backazimuth. For the same earthquake, the measured splitting patterns also vary spatially across the southwest Japan. Using full-wave seismic modeling, we showed that a dipping slab with ~30% shear anisotropy of the tilted transverse isotropy (TTI) type, with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the slab interface, can predict the observed delay times and polarization rotation. Our results highlight the importance of considering dipping anisotropic slabs in interpreting SWS at subduction zones.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Mechano-Electrochemical Interaction in Solid-State Lithium Batteries

A solid-state lithium (Li) battery primarily consists of Li metal anode, solid electrolyte separator, and cathode. The asymmetric volume changes, originating from ion transport and interfacial Li growth during plating, lead to significant stresses in the layered architecture. In this study, we develop a coupled mechanics-electrochemistry formalism for polymer electrolyte based solid-state batteries, in particular, focusing on the stress effect on electrochemical performance. By means of a coupling coefficient, it is found that stress-assisted ion transport in the electrolyte results in a delayed Sand’s time and increased critical current density of unstable electrodeposition, and consequently, alleviates the propensity of dendrite formation. Stress at the Li metal-electrolyte interface affects the electrochemical reaction kinetics, and the influences from the deviatoric stress and hydrostatic pressure vary with Li plating time. In addition, a low restraint stiffness to the layered structure could elastically buffer the volumetric changes and thus reduce the stress during Li plating. This fundamental study provides guidance for the design of solid-state batteries, aimed at stable electrodeposition and mechanical integrity.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Lp-stability (1 less than or equal to p less than or equal to infinity) of multivariable nonlinear time-varying feedback systems that are open-loop unstable

A class of multivariable, nonlinear time-varying feedback systems with an unstable convolution subsystem as feedforward and a time-varying nonlinear gain as feedback was considered. The impulse response of the convolution subsystem is the sum of a finite number of increasing exponentials multiplied by nonnegative powers of the time t, a term that is absolutely integrable and an infinite series of delayed impulses. The main result is a theorem. It essentially states that if the unstable convolution subsystem can be stabilized by a constant feedback gain F and if incremental gain of the difference between the nonlinear gain function and F is sufficiently small, then the nonlinear system is L(p)-stable for any p between one and infinity. Furthermore, the solutions of the nonlinear system depend continuously on the inputs in any L(p)-norm. The fixed point theorem is crucial in deriving the above theorem.

Callier, F. M.↗

Wave packet dynamics and control in excited states of molecular nitrogen

Wave packet interferometry with vacuum ultraviolet light has been used to probe a complex region of the electronic spectrum of molecular nitrogen, N 2 . Wave packets of Rydberg and valence states were excited by using double pulses of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), free-electron-laser (FEL) light. These wave packets were composed of contributions from multiple electronic states with a moderate principal quantum number (n ~ 4-9) and a range of vibrational and rotational quantum numbers. The phase relationship of the two FEL pulses varied in time, but as demonstrated previously, a shot-by-shot analysis allows the spectra to be sorted according to the phase between the two pulses. The wave packets were probed by angle-resolved photoionization using an infrared pulse with a variable delay after the pair of excitation pulses. The photoelectron branching fractions and angular distributions display oscillations that depend on both the time delays and the relative phases of the VUV pulses. The combination of frequency, time delay, and phase selection provides significant control over the ionization process and ultimately improves the ability to analyze and assign complex molecular spectra.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗