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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Thermal radiation view factor: Methods, accuracy and computer-aided procedures

The computer aided thermal analysis programs which predicts the result of predetermined acceptable temperature range prior to stationing of these orbiting equipment in various attitudes with respect to the Sun and the Earth was examined. Complexity of the surface geometries suggests the use of numerical schemes for the determination of these viewfactors. Basic definitions and standard methods which form the basis for various digital computer methods and various numerical methods are presented. The physical model and the mathematical methods on which a number of available programs are built are summarized. The strength and the weaknesses of the methods employed, the accuracy of the calculations and the time required for computations are evaluated. The situations where accuracies are important for energy calculations are identified and methods to save computational times are proposed. Guide to best use of the available programs at several centers and the future choices for efficient use of digital computers are included in the recommendations.

Kadaba, P. V.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Thermal, Radiation and Impact Protective Shields (TRIPS) for Robotic and Human Space Exploration Missions

New concepts for protective shields for NASA s Crew Exploration Vehicles (CEVs) and planetary probes offer improved mission safety and affordability. Hazards include radiation from cosmic rays and solar particle events, hypervelocity impacts from orbital debris/ micrometeorites, and the extreme heating environment experienced during entry into planetary atmospheres. The traditional approach for the design of protection systems for these hazards has been to create single-function shields, i.e. ablative and blanket-based heat shields for thermal protection systems (TPS), polymer or other low-molecular-weight materials for radiation shields, and multilayer, Whipple-type shields for protection from hypervelocity impacts. This paper introduces an approach for the development of a single, multifunctional protective shield, employing nanotechnology- based materials, to serve simultaneously as a TPS, an impact shield and as the first line of defense against radiation. The approach is first to choose low molecular weight ablative TPS materials, (existing and planned for development) and add functionalized carbon nanotubes. Together they provide both thermal and radiation (TR) shielding. Next, impact protection (IP) is furnished through a tough skin, consisting of hard, ceramic outer layers (to fracture the impactor) and sublayers of tough, nanostructured fabrics to contain the debris cloud from the impactor before it can penetrate the spacecraft s interior.

Loomis, M. P.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Remote sensing of thermal radiation from an aircraft - An analysis and evaluation of crop-freeze protection methods

Thermal images from an aircraft-mounted scanner are used to evaluate the effectiveness of crop-freeze protection devices. Data from flights made while using fuel oil heaters, a wind machine and an undercanopy irrigation system are compared. Results show that the overall protection provided by irrigation (at approximately 2 C) is comparable to the less energy-efficient heater-wind machine combination. Protection provided by the wind machine alone (at approximately 1 C) was found to decrease linearly with distance from the machine by approximately 1 C/100 m. The flights were made over a 1.5 hectare citrus grove at an altitude of 450 m with an 8-14 micron detector. General meteorological conditions during the experiments, conducted during the nighttime, were cold (at approximately -6 C) and calm with clear skies.

Sutherland, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A fast, exact code for scattered thermal radiation compared with a two-stream approximation

A two-stream accuracy study for internally (thermal) driven problems is presented by comparison with a recently developed 'exact' adding/doubling method. The resulting errors in external (or boundary) radiative intensity and flux are usually larger than those for the externally driven problems and vary substantially with the radiative parameters. Error predictions for a specific problem are difficult. An unexpected result is that the exact method is computationally as fast as the two-stream approximation for nonisothermal media.

Cogley, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Thermal radiation from Titan's atmosphere

The temperature-inversion model of Titan's atmosphere is modified to include the thermal emission from a plausible amount of C2H2. Infrared photometry of Titan from 8 to 14 microns agrees with model calculations for 0.5 cm-atm C2H6 and 1.0 cm-atm C2H2 and an optically thin dust layer in a temperature-inversion region at 160 K. The random band approximation used to calculate C2H6 opacity has been verified by laboratory transmission measurements. Measurements of the C2H2 emission at 13.7 microns may provide an indirect check on the presence of H2 on Titan. Existing observations of Titan appear to be fully consistent with the inversion model if the surface radius equals 2700 km, the atmospheric radius equals 2900 km, and the surface temperature equals 78 K. The energy balance depends sensitively on these three parameters.

Caldwell, J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Space-constructible heat pipe radiator thermal vacuum test program

The thermal vacuum test program being carried out at the Johnson Space Center on two prototype radiator elements intended for use in future large space platforms is discussed. The test program is described, as are the test articles, including the radiator element, evaporator assemblies, mechanical interface unit, contact heat exchanger assembly, tilt table mechanism, and supports. Test results on the heat pipe performance, radiator element performance, freeze/thaw characteristics, and contact heat exchanger assembly mechanism are discussed. It is concluded that the fundamental design goals for the radiator subsystem have been met.

Marshall, P. F.↗
NASA NTRS2017

A Fast Hybrid (3-D/1-D) Model for Thermal Radiative Transfer in Cirrus via Successive Orders of Scattering

We investigate the impact of cirrus cloud heterogeneity on the direct emission by cloud or surface and on the scattering by ice particles in the thermal infrared (TIR). Realistic 3-D cirri are modeled with the 3DCLOUD code, and top-of-atmosphere radiances are simulated by the 3-D Monte Carlo radiative transfer (RT) algorithm 3DMCPOL for two (8.65 micrometers and 12.05 micrometers) channels of the Imaging Infrared Radiometer on CALIPSO. At nadir, comparisons of 1-D and 3-D RT show that 3-D radiances are larger than their 1-D counterparts for direct emission but smaller for scattered radiation. For our cirrus cases, 99% of the 3-D total radiance is computed by the third scattering order, which corresponds to 90% of the total computational effort, but larger optical thicknesses need more scattering orders. To radically accelerate the 3-D RT computations (using only few percent of 3-D RT time with a Monte Carlo code), even in the presence of large optical depths, we develop a hybrid model based on exact 3-D direct emission, the first scattering order from 1-D in each homogenized column, and an empirical adjustment linearly dependent on the optical thickness to account for higher scattering orders. Good agreement is found between the hybrid model and the exact 3-D radiances for two very different cirrus models without changing the empirical parameters. We anticipate that a future deterministic implementation of the hybrid model will be fast enough to process multiangle thermal imagery in a practical tomographic reconstruction of 3-D cirrus fields.

radiative transfer↗
NASA NTRS2009

Using Thermal Radiation in Detection of Negative Obstacles

A method of automated detection of negative obstacles (potholes, ditches, and the like) ahead of ground vehicles at night involves processing of imagery from thermal-infrared cameras aimed at the terrain ahead of the vehicles. The method is being developed as part of an overall obstacle-avoidance scheme for autonomous and semi-autonomous offroad robotic vehicles. The method could also be applied to help human drivers of cars and trucks avoid negative obstacles -- a development that may entail only modest additional cost inasmuch as some commercially available passenger cars are already equipped with infrared cameras as aids for nighttime operation.

Rankin, Arturo L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

El Chichon volcanic aerosols - Impact of radiative, thermal, and chemical perturbations

The impact of the March-April, 1982 eruption of El Chichon volcano on the earth's stratospheric chemistry is examined. Calculations, performed using a one-dimensional radiative transfer model, predict that total radiation increased by 8 percent within the aerosol layer longward of 3000 A. Consequently, changes in the photolysis rates were obtained with a photochemical model, which can in part explain the observed ozone changes; the results agree qualitatively with observations on other species, but fail to quantitatively account for the observed significant decreases in NO and NO2 and increases in HCl. A heterogeneous reaction, catalyzed by aerosol surfaces, which transforms ClNO3 into HCl is proposed, which would provide a pathway for sequestering NO(x) and at the same time reducing ClNO3 in favor of HCl.

Michelangeli, Diane V.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Passive radiative thermal management using phase-change metasurfaces

Abstract Realizing innovative composite materials with passive thermal management capabilities and minimal ecological footprints is a challenging but much sought-after goal that would have a transformative effect on renewable energy sciences. We demonstrate an environmentally friendly metasurface utilizing vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) that offers responsiveness to ambient temperature and potentially long-term stability. The metasurface enables passive thermal management by self-adjusting its absorptivity and emissivity response over a broad bandwidth ranging from visible to mid-infrared (IR) wavelengths. Above the VO 2 phase transition the metasurface exhibits increased mid-IR emissivity and reduced visible/near-IR absorptivity, creating an efficient radiative emission channel in the first atmospheric transparency window with reduced absorption of solar radiation. In contrast, below VO 2 ’s transition temperature, the metasurface increasingly absorbs sun light while minimizing mid-IR radiative heat losses. Moreover, a functional silicon layer eliminates the need for an additional capping layer commonly employed to protect VO 2 from environmental degradation. The additional protective layer often impedes the use and performance of VO 2 based devices in terrestrial as well as spacecraft applications. Therefore, the proposed durable and eco-friendly metasurface will be an excellent candidate for essential passive thermal regulation systems across residential and terrestrial applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1977

Significance of vegetation in interpreting thermal radiation from a terrestrial surface

The regions between crop rows are modeled as infinitely long diffuse cavities. Geometrical view factors are calculated, accounting for reflected radiation emanating internal to the cavity and from the background sky. A 'cavity' emissivity dependent on local geometry is defined to allow for correcting apparent temperatures to true temperatures. The total emissivity appropriate for correcting aircraft thermal data is then calculated by averaging all emissivity components to account for soil, crop, and background. It is shown that even for the lowest crop and vegetation emissivities, if the crop height-to-spacing ratio is greater than unity, the composite emissivity is greatly increased, giving rise to a decreased error in remotely sensed temperature data.

Sutherland, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Net thermal radiation in the atmosphere of Venus

Estimates of the true atmospheric net fluxes at the four Pioneer Venus entry sites are presently obtained through corrections of measured values that are relatively small for the case of the clouds, but generally large deeper in the atmosphere. The correction procedure for both the small and large probe fluxes used model results near 14 km to establish the size of the correction. The thermal net fluxes obtained imply that the contribution of mode 3 particles to the IR opacity of the middle and lower clouds is smaller than indicated by the Pioneer Venus cloud particle spectrometer measurements, and the day probe results favor a reduction of only about 50 percent. The fluxes at all sites imply that a yet-undetermined source of considerable opacity is present in the upper cloud. Beneath the clouds, the thermal net fluxes generally increase with increasing latitude.

Revercomb, H. E.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Near-field-driven radiative thermal dynamics in aperiodic photonic nanostructures

Harnessing structural correlations in near-field plasmonic and polaritonic systems hold untapped potential for controlling light–matter interactions at the nanoscale. By tuning these correlations, one can reshape mode localization, coupling, and spectral distribution which are properties central to manipulating energy transport and field enhancement in nanophotonic platforms. We exploit Vogel spirals, an aperiodic geometry where a single parameter dictates spatial correlations, to show how correlation strength reshapes the modal spectrum and transient dynamics of near-field coupling. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that aperiodic configurations outperform both uncorrelated (random) and periodic arrays in controlling near-field radiative heat-transfer dynamics. These results establish deterministic aperiodic order as a powerful platform for tailoring correlated electromagnetic responses in next-generation nanophotonic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗