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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 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2006

NASA Tech Briefs, November 2006

Topics include: Simulator for Testing Spacecraft Separation Devices; Apparatus for Hot Impact Testing of Material Specimens; Instrument for Aircraft-Icing and Cloud-Physics Measurements; Advances in Measurement of Skin Friction in Airflow; Improved Apparatus for Testing Monoball Bearings; High-Speed Laser Scanner Maps a Surface in Three Dimensions; Electro-Optical Imaging Fourier-Transform Spectrometer; Infrared Instrument for Detecting Hydrogen Fires; Modified Coaxial Probe Feeds for Layered Antennas; Detecting Negative Obstacles by Use of Radar; Cryogenic Pound Circuits for Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillators; PixelLearn; New Software for Predicting Charging of Spacecraft; Conversion Between Osculating and Mean Orbital Elements; Generating a 2D Representation of a Complex Data Structure; Making Activated Carbon by Wet Pressurized Pyrolysis; Composite Solid Electrolyte Containing Li+- Conducting Fibers; Electrically Conductive Anodized Aluminum Surfaces; Rapid-Chill Cryogenic Coaxial Direct-Acting Solenoid Valve; Variable-Tension-Cord Suspension/Vibration- Isolation System; Techniques for Connecting Superconducting Thin Films; Versatile Friction Stir Welding/Friction Plug Welding System; Thermal Spore Exposure Vessels; Enumerating Spore-Forming Bacteria Airborne with Particles; Miniature Oxidizer Ionizer for a Fuel Cell; Miniature Ion-Array Spectrometer; Promoted-Combustion Chamber with Induction Heating Coil; Miniature Ion-Mobility Spectrometer; Mixed-Salt/Ester Electrolytes for Low-Temperature Li+ Cells; Miniature Free-Space Electrostatic Ion Thrusters; Miniature Bipolar Electrostatic Ion Thruster; Holographic Plossl Retroreflectors; Miniature Electrostatic Ion Thruster With Magnet; Using Apex To Construct CPM-GOMS Models; Sequence Detection for PPM Optical Communication With ISI; Algorithm for Rapid Searching Among Star-Catalog Entries; Expectation-Based Control of Noise and Chaos; Radio Heating of Lunar Soil to Release Gases; Using Electrostriction to Manipulate Ullage in Microgravity; Equations for Scoring Rules When Data Are Missing; Insulating Material for Next-Generation Spacecraft; and Pseudorandom Switching for Adding Radar to the AFF Sensor.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2009

Development of a Test Protocol for Spacecraft Post-Fire Atmospheric Cleanup and Monitoring

Detecting and extinguishing fires, along with post-fire atmospheric cleaning and monitoring, are vital components of a spacecraft fire response system. Preliminary efforts focused on the technology evaluation of these systems under realistic conditions are described in this paper. While the primary objective of testing is to determine a smoke mitigation filter s performance, supplemental evaluations measuring the smoke-filled chamber handheld commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) atmospheric monitoring devices (combustion product monitors) are also conducted. The test chamber consists of a 1.4 cubic meter (50 cu. ft.) volume containing a smoke generator. The fuel used to generate the smoke is a mixture of polymers in quantities representative of materials involved in a circuit board fire as a typical spacecraft fire. Two fire conditions were examined: no flame and flame. No flame events are produced by pyrolyzing the fuel mixture in a quartz tube furnace with forced ventilation to produce a white, lingering-type smoke. Flame events ignite the smoke at the outlet of the tube furnace producing combustion characterized by a less opaque smoke with black soot. Electrochemical sensor measurements showed carbon monoxide is a major indicator of each fire. Acid gas measurements were recorded, but cross interferents are currently uncharacterized. Electrochemical sensor measurements and sample acquisition techniques from photoacoustic sensors are being improved. Overall, this research shows fire characterization using traditional analytical chemistry techniques is required to verify measurements recorded using COTS atmospheric monitoring devices.

Zuniga, David↗
NASA NTRS2014

Hydrogen Fire Spectroscopy Issues Project

The detection of hydrogen fires is important to the aerospace community. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has devoted significant effort to the development, testing, and installation of hydrogen fire detectors based on ultraviolet, near-infrared, mid-infrared, andor far-infrared flame emission bands. Yet, there is no intensity calibrated hydrogen-air flame spectrum over this range in the literature and consequently, it can be difficult to compare the merits of different radiation-based hydrogen fire detectors.

TechPort System↗
NASA NTRS1995

Ignition and subsequent transition to flame spread in a microgravity environment

The fire safety strategy in a spacecraft is (1) to detect any fire as early as possible, (2) to keep any fire as small as possible, and (3) to extinguish any fire as quickly as possible. This suggests that a material which undergoes a momentary, localized ignition might be tolerable but a material which permits a transition to flame spread would significantly increase the fire hazard. Therefore, it is important to understand how the transition from localized ignition to flame spread occurs and what parameters significantly affect the transition. The fundamental processes involved in ignition and flame spread have been extensively studied, but they have been studied separately. Some of the steady state flame models start from ignition to reach a steady state, but since the objective of such a calculation is to obtain the steady state flame spread rate, the calculation through the transition process is made without high accuracy to save computational time. We have studied the transition from a small localized ignition at the center of a thermally thin paper in a microgravity environment. The configuration for that study was axisymmetric, but more general versions of the numerical scheme have been developed by including the effects of a slow, external flow in both two and three dimensions. By exploiting the non-buoyant nature of the flow, it is possible to achieve resolution of fractions of millimeters for 3D flow domains on the order of 10 centimeters. Because the calculations are time dependent, we can study the evolution of multiple flame fronts originating from a localized ignition source. The interaction of these fronts determines whether or not they will eventually achieve steady state spread. Most flame spread studies in microgravity consider two-dimensional flame spread initiated by ignition at one end of a sample strip with or against a slow external flow. In this configuration there is only one flame front. A more realistic scenario involves separate, oppositely directed fronts in two dimensions, or a continuous, radially directed front in three dimensions. We present here some results of both the two and three dimensional codes.

Kashiwagi, Takashi↗
NASA NTRS2016

Use of a Small Unmanned Aircraft System for Autonomous Fire Spotting at the Great Dismal Swamp

This paper describes the results of a set of experiments and analyses conducted to evaluate the capability of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) to spot nascent fires in the Great Dismal Swamp (GDS) National Wildlife Refuge. This work is the result of a partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the US Fish and Wildlife service specifically to investigate sUAS usage for fire-spotting. The objectives of the current effort were to: 1) Determine suitability and utility of low-cost Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) to detect nascent fires at GDS; 2) Identify and assess the necessary National Airspace System (NAS) integration issues; and 3) Provide information to GDS and the community on system requirements and concepts-of-operation (CONOPS) for conducting fire detection/support mission in the National Airspace and (4) Identify potential applications of intelligent autonomy that would enable or benefit this high-value mission. In addition, data on the ability of various low-cost sensors to detect smoke plumes and fire hot spots was generated during the experiments as well as identifying a path towards a future practical mission utility by using sUAS in beyond visual-line-of-sight operation in the National Airspace System (NAS).

Logan, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Managing Fire Risk During Drought: The Influence of Certification and El Nino on Fire-Driven Forest Conversion for Oil Palm in Southeast Asia

Indonesia and Malaysia have emerged as leading producers of palm oil in the past several decades, expanding production through the conversion of tropical forests to industrial plantations. Efforts to produce "sustainable" palm oil, including certification by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), include guidelines designed to reduce the environmental impact of palm oil production. Fire-driven deforestation is prohibited by law in both countries and a stipulation of RSPO certification, yet the degree of environmental compliance isunclear, especially during El Niño events when drought conditions increase fire risk. Here, we used time series of satellite data to estimate the spatial and temporal patterns of fire-driven deforestation on and around oil palm plantations. In Indonesia, fire-driven deforestation accounted for one-quarter of total forest losses on both certified and noncertified plantations. After the first plantations in Indonesia received RSPO certification in 2009,forest loss and fire-driven deforestation declined on certified plantations but did not stop altogether. Oil palm expansion in Malaysia rarely involved fire; only 5 % of forest loss on certified plantations had coincident activefire detections. Interannual variability in fire detections was strongly influenced by El Nino and the timing of certification. Fire activity during the 2002, 2004, and 2006 El Nino events was similar among oil palm plantations in Indonesia that would later become certified, noncertified plantations, and surrounding areas. However, total fire activity was 75% and 66% lower on certified plantations than noncertified plantations during the 2009 and 2015 El Nino events, respectively. The decline in fire activity on certified plantations, including during drought periods, highlights the potential for RSPO certification to safeguard carbon stocks in peatlands and remaining forests in accordance with legislation banning fires. However, aligning certification standards with satellite monitoring capabilities will be critical to realize sustainable palm oil production and meet industry commitments to zero forestation.

Noojipady, Praveen↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Vehicle Modeling During the Burning of Thermally Thick Samples in the Saffire V Experiments

In order to design a safer spacecraft in terms of fire prevention, detection and cleanup, the transport of combustion products and heat must be predicted. Large-scale fire data was provided by the Saffire payload within Northrup Grumman’s Cygnus vehicle after a resupply mission to the ISS. Solid materials, including thick thermoplastic samples were ignited to study flame spread and the effect a fire has on a vehicle. Sensors that measured species and temperature were placed within Cygnus. A model using Pyrosim was developed to predict the thick fuel burn events from Saffire V by using sensor data from Cygnus. The heat transfer coefficient between the cabin air and cargo was previously calibrated using the cotton fuel burn event, and provided a good prediction of the temperature response within the vehicle during the two thick fuel experiments. The difference between the Saffire inlet CO 2 sensor, and the forward port standoff CO 2 sensor, which is the closest to the Saffire outlet, was used as an input into the model. This method provided an excellent prediction of the CO 2 response in the other parts of the Cygnus.

fire safety↗
NASA NTRS2016

Compact Multi-Channel Infrared Laser Absorption Spectrometer for Spacecraft Fire Safety Monitoring

We report on the design of a six-channel tunable laser absorption spectroscopy instrument for measuring ambient gas-phase concentrations of CO, HCl, HCN, HF, CO2, and O2 in spacecraft environments. Monitoring of these compounds can provide early warning detection of fire events while also indicating what materials have been exposed to heating. Continued post-fire monitoring of these hazardous gases can also facilitate safe and effective cleanup. The sensor is a miniaturized version of a five-channel prototype that was previously validated in ground-based oxidative pyrolysis tests. Here, we describe absorption line selection and theoretical detection limits for a sensor with reduced absorption pathlengths for each detection channel, which allows for a substantial reduction in overall instrument footprint. Ultimately, the new instrument is designed to be used in fire safety tests conducted by NASA, where various materials will undergo oxidative pyrolysis in an unmanned spacecraft returning from low Earth orbit.

Briggs, Ryan M.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Fighting Wildfires Using UAVs Using Autonomous Biodegradable Self-sacrificing (ABS) Drones to Combat Large Wildfires with the Assistance of Satellite Imagery

As wildfires continue to increase in number and severity due to global warming, firefighters are having a harder time combating them safely. This paper examines the application of Autonomous Biodegradable Self-sacrificing (ABS) Drones as a method of fighting wildfires that decreases the number of lives put at risk and proposes a sustainable alternative to current aerial firefighting methods. When a fire is detected or predicted through satellite imagery, ABS Drones are dispatched from firefighting stations or aerial watchtowers to fly towards designated areas and release fire retardants, preventing the fire from further spreading. The most significant feature of this drone is its ability to complete its mission without having to worry about returning safely because ABS Drones are designed to crash and release fire retardants, while not further harming the environment with water-based lithium-ion batteries and a biodegradable body. ABS Drones make it safer for firefighters as it gives firefighters one less life-threatening task to do and allows them to focus on putting out the fire. This solution aims to tackle the unpredictable nature of wildfires that often threaten the safety of firefighters and civilian communities.

ABS Drones↗
NASA NTRS1990

Multi-sensor analysis techniques for SSME safety monitoring

Two algorithms were developed which utilized multi-sensor analysis techniques to complement the current Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) safety monitoring system. The first algorithm analyzed the accumulative error between actual and predicted values of the engine parameter set, while the second algorithm combined these error terms into a response pattern and correlated each pattern with a standard pattern. These algorithms were applied to twelve SSME anomalous test firings and were found to produce improved failure detection times in eight of those twelve compared to the current engine safety monitoring system. Of the eight detected anomalous test firings, the first algorithm detected all eight, while the second algorithm detected seven of the eight. No false alarms were indicated by either algorithm for twelve nominal test firings. An initial parametric study of these algorithms for optimized parameter selection is presented and algorithm robustness to sensor failure is demonstrated.

Maul, William A., III↗
NASA NTRS1990

Forest Fire Mapping

The Fire Logistics Airborne Mapping Equipment (FLAME) system, mounted in a twin-engine and airplane operated by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is an airborne instrument for detecting and pinpointing forest fires that might escape ground detection. The FLAME equipment rack includes the operator interface, a video monitor, the system's control panel and film output. FLAME's fire detection sensor is an infrared line scanner system that identifies fire boundaries. Sensor's information is correlated with the aircraft's position and altitude at the time the infrared imagery is acquired to fix the fire's location on a map. System can be sent to a fire locale anywhere in the U.S. at the request of a regional forester. USFS felt a need for a more advanced system to deliver timely fire information to fire management personnel in the decade of the 1990s. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) conducted a study, jointly sponsored by NASA and USDA, on what advanced technologies might be employed to produce an end-to-end thermal infrared fire detection and mapping system. That led to initiation of the Firefly system, currently in development at JPL and targeted for operational service beginning in 1992. Firefly will employ satellite-reference position fixing and provide performance superior to FLAME.

Source record↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Defining Burned Area in the Arctic: Examples from Small Fires in the Southeastern United States

Burning of small fires in the Arctic is important to climate change related processes and in the past the importance has been overlooked. Similarly, small fire burning in the Southeast United states has been underestimated and overlooked, but has just as much burned area as wildfires in the Western United States. Using FIREX-AQ campaign data, we are looking at the ability of satellites to detected the fires. Possible similarities in small fires between the Central and Southeastern US and the Arctic give ideas for collaboration and quantification of burned area.

Emily Gargulinski↗
NASA NTRS2009

Small CO2 Sensors Operate at Lower Temperature

Solid-electrolyte-based amperometric sensors for measuring concentrations of CO2 in air are being developed for use in detection of fires, environmental monitoring, and other applications where liquid-based electrochemical cells are problematic. These sensors are small (sizes of the order of a millimeter), are robust, are amenable to batch fabrication at relatively low cost, and exhibit short response times (seconds) and wide detection ranges. A sensor of this type at a previous stage of development included a solid electrolyte of Na3Zr2Si2PO12 deposited mainly between interdigitated Pt electrodes on an alumina substrate, all overcoated with an auxiliary solid electrolyte of (Na2CO3:BaCO3 in a molar ratio of 1:1.7). It was necessary to heat this device to a temperature as high as 600 C to obtain the desired sensitivity and rapid response. Heating sensors increases the power consumption of the sensor system and complicates the use of the sensor in some applications. Thus, decreasing a sensor s power consumption while maintaining its performance is a technical goal of ongoing development.

Hunter, Gary W.↗
NASA NTRS1967

Visualization of hydrogen fires.

Hydrogen fire visualization detection techniques including application of photography, TV and image converter in IR and UV regions

ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION↗
NASA NTRS2004

Combustion and Reacting Systems for Exploration

Contents include the foloving: 1. Spacecraft Fire Prevention, Detection, and Suppression. 2. Advanced Life Support. Air/water revitalization, waste management. 3. In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). Fuel/consumables from regolith/atmosphere. 4. Extra vehicular Activity. Air revitalization, power systems (MEMS scale combustors). 5. In-situ Fabrication and Repair.Of these we have the lead responsibility in Fire Safety.

Urban, David L.↗
NASA NTRS2023

San Joaquin Valley Health & Air Quality: Evaluating the Overlap of Social Vulnerabilities and Air Quality in the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District

Little Manila Rising (LMR) is a nonprofit in Stockton, California that has been increasingly concerned by the air pollution in their city and the neighboring San Joaquin Valley (SJV). Geographical factors, climate conditions, and anthropogenic activities, such as agriculture burning and vehicle emissions, contribute to the high levels of air pollution in this region. To visualize the distribution of air pollution and social disparities across the SJV, LMR partnered with NASA DEVELOP. The DEVELOP team used Terra and Aqua MODIS, Sentinel-5P TROPOMI, and CALIPSO CALIOP to observe Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO 2 ), and the vertical distribution of pollutants at varying pollution levels, respectively. Additionally, Suomi-NPP VIIRS provided active fire data. By leveraging NASA Earth observations along with sociodemographic and public health data, the DEVELOP team created maps identifying the areas experiencing the highest vulnerabilities and disparities in pollution exposure. The team found that AOD was slightly higher in agricultural regions, while NO 2 was consistently higher along transportation corridors and urban areas. Wildfires dominated the type of detected active fires, and there was high correlation (R 2 = 0.6924) between active fires and burn permits in agricultural tracts. Furthermore, the team identified both high AOD vulnerability and high NO 2 vulnerability in census tracts in South Stockton, an area that has been historically redlined and disinvested in, and where LMR resides. There was also a moderate correlation between air quality reported from the satellites and in-situ ground monitors. These results will support LMR’s organizing strategies for stricter enforcement of air pollution regulations and increased public health equity for community members.

Agricultural Fires↗
NASA NTRS1994

Trends in South American biomass burning detected with the GOES visible infrared spin scan radiometer atmospheric sounder from 1983 to 1991

Previous work demonstrated the ability to manually detect subpixel fire activity in selected areas of the selva and cerrado regions in South America with shortwave and longwave infrared data available from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) visible infrared spin scan radiometer atmospheric sounder (VAS). This paper presents the GOES VAS automated biomass-burning algorithm (ABBA) which was developed to determine basin-wide trends in fire activity in South America utilizing the GOES VAS archive. Comparisons between the manual and automated techniques revealed that overall, the ABBA proved to be more consistent in identifying fires and better suited for trend analysis. The automated algorithm was applied daily to a study area extending from 5 deg S to 15 deg S and from 45 deg W to 70 deg W for 2 weeks at the peak of the burning seasons in South America in 1983, 1988, 1989, and 1991 in an effort to measure the areal extent of burning in South American during the past decade and to provide additional insight into the diurnal signature in satellite detection of biomass-burning activities. The expansion of the regions of burning are readily detected in a comparison of these 4 years. From 1983 to 1991 the amount of burning detected by the GOES VAS ABBA during these 2-week periods nearly doubled in the selva and mixed regions and tripled in the cerrado. Diurnal analyses confirmed earlier results indicating that the optimum time to monitor biomass burning is around 1530 UTC.

Prins, Elain M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The use of computer models to predict temperature and smoke movement in high bay spaces

The Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL) was given the opportunity to make measurements during fire calibration tests of the heat detection system in an aircraft hangar with a nominal 30.4 (100 ft) ceiling height near Dallas, TX. Fire gas temperatures resulting from an approximately 8250 kW isopropyl alcohol pool fire were measured above the fire and along the ceiling. The results of the experiments were then compared to predictions from the computer fire models DETACT-QS, FPETOOL, and LAVENT. In section A of the analysis conducted, DETACT-QS AND FPETOOL significantly underpredicted the gas temperature. LAVENT at the position below the ceiling corresponding to maximum temperature and velocity provided better agreement with the data. For large spaces, hot gas transport time and an improved fire plume dynamics model should be incorporated into the computer fire model activation routines. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, HARWELL FLOW3D, was then used to model the hot gas movement in the space. Reasonable agreement was found between the temperatures predicted from the CFD calculations and the temperatures measured in the aircraft hangar. In section B, an existing NASA high bay space was modeled using the CFD model. The NASA space was a clean room, 27.4 m (90 ft) high with forced horizontal laminar flow. The purpose of this analysis is to determine how the existing fire detection devices would respond to various size fires in the space. The analysis was conducted for 32 MW, 400 kW, and 40 kW fires.

Notarianni, Kathy A.↗