SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “methods and applications”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 235 records · Page 13

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1999

Progress in Air Separation with the Vortex Tube

The current study is characterized by two distinct phases in the development of the vortex tube (VT) technology as a primary means for in-flight air separation. The purpose of the first phase was to systematically identify parameters that influence oxygen concentration and recovery and to quantify the extent of that influence. To that end, the project team used a series of planned factorial experiments to identify statistically significant variables (factors) and their interactions. These experiments identified a best range of the operating envelope that includes nozzle diameter, orifice diameter, inlet air pressure, and liquid phase content in the inlet air. The best results observed in this envelope were an oxygen content of approximately 68% and a recovery factor of approximately 38%. The primary objectives of the second phase of the current study were to investigate the application effects of the two different air separation efficiency enhancement methods. One of these methods resulted in a concentration increase of 12% and second resulted in a concentration increase of 5%. Several aspects of these methods application are subject to optimize.

Balepin, Vladimir↗

NASA NTRS1999

Progress in Air Separation with the Vortex Tube

Balepin, V.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Component mode synthesis for model order reduction of nonclassically damped systems

Based on a component mode synthesis approach, a model-order-reduction method for linear structures with arbitrary linear damping has been developed. Projection matrices are introduced to make the method applicable to systems having rigid-body freedom. To test the method, eigenvalues of a reduced-order model of a free-free beam with nonproportional damping were compared to exact eigenvalues and to eigenvalues obtained using two other model-reduction strategies. The present model-reduction strategy proved to be decidedly superior.

Craig, Roy R., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Computational fluid dynamics for hypersonic airbreathing aircraft

A development status evaluation is presented for CFD methods applicable to fuselage-integrated scramjet powerplant incorporating hypersonic vehicles; these methods are critically important due to the unavailability of experimental facilities for such elevated Mach number/high-enthalphy conditions. Advancements are required in algorithm robustness and speed, geometric flexibility, and the inclusion of more complete flow physics. The most serious deficiencies lie in turbulence modeling, the lack of complete transition-prediction methods, and combustion modeling.

Thomas, James L.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Risk Reduction on X-33/RLV Engines

Risk management has received considerable attention in the X-33 and Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) program due to aggressive schedules, limited funding. and planned private investment to develop the commercial VentureStar vehicle. As an X-33 and RLV team member and main propulsion supplier, Boeing Rocketdyn Propulsion and Power has addressed risk through a methodical application of systems engineering in identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks. The methods employed involve rigorous risk mitigation planning early in development, continuous risk monitoring and assessment during the course of development, and the systematic verification of compliance with technical requirements prior to delivery. In addition, an engine system reliability analysis was conducted to reduce risk. In July 1996, NASA selected Lockheed Martin's "Skunk Works" (LMSW) as the lead contractor for the X-33 and RLV program. The X-33 vehicle is a half-scale pathfinder for the full-scale RLV. The LMSW RLV design is a lifting body shaped vehicle employing linear aerospike engine provided propulsion. The initial X-33 flight is planned for the summer of 2000, and the initial VentureStar flight is planned for between 2005 and 2007.

Crowley, Tim↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Speckle Pattern for Woven Softgood Habitats Photogrammetry Testing

Space habitation is becoming more accessible and commercially available which is driving the development and testing of inflatable softgoods habitats that can be both lighter and more volume-efficient than heritage metallic pressure vessels. Photogrammetry test methods are used on new materials and larger inflatable softgood test articles to measure material displacement and strain during pressurization. A speckle pattern must be applied to the surface of interest for testing when using photogrammetry which is typically a very labor and time intensive process. Two methods were tested as options for a faster and more effective application to hand painting and temporary tattoos, which are the current application methods for the structural/restraint layer. One approach was to mix a plastic additive with a matte clear coat to create a speckle pattern that could be applied to the article. The second method uses a speckle paint gun to speckle the article after a white base coat is applied. Both methods adhered well to the Kevlar test sample materials and showed up well when examined with photogrammetry cameras. On the woven test samples the additive in a clear coat method could be applied evenly as was the paint gun method.

Rylee Cardon↗

NASA NTRS1996

Variational Methods in Sensitivity Analysis and Optimization for Aerodynamic Applications

Variational methods (VM) sensitivity analysis, which is the continuous alternative to the discrete sensitivity analysis, is employed to derive the costate (adjoint) equations, the transversality conditions, and the functional sensitivity derivatives. In the derivation of the sensitivity equations, the variational methods use the generalized calculus of variations, in which the variable boundary is considered as the design function. The converged solution of the state equations together with the converged solution of the costate equations are integrated along the domain boundary to uniquely determine the functional sensitivity derivatives with respect to the design function. The determination of the sensitivity derivatives of the performance index or functional entails the coupled solutions of the state and costate equations. As the stable and converged numerical solution of the costate equations with their boundary conditions are a priori unknown, numerical stability analysis is performed on both the state and costate equations. Thereafter, based on the amplification factors obtained by solving the generalized eigenvalue equations, the stability behavior of the costate equations is discussed and compared with the state (Euler) equations. The stability analysis of the costate equations suggests that the converged and stable solution of the costate equation is possible only if the computational domain of the costate equations is transformed to take into account the reverse flow nature of the costate equations. The application of the variational methods to aerodynamic shape optimization problems is demonstrated for internal flow problems at supersonic Mach number range. The study shows, that while maintaining the accuracy of the functional sensitivity derivatives within the reasonable range for engineering prediction purposes, the variational methods show a substantial gain in computational efficiency, i.e., computer time and memory, when compared with the finite difference sensitivity analysis.

Ibrahim, A. H.↗

DOE OSTI2023

Examination of Digital-Delay Rossi-$\alpha$ for 252 Cf-Driven Highly Enriched Uranium Using Organic Scintillators

Neutron noise techniques constitute several analysis methods applicable to non-destructive assay. One technique is the Rossi-α method to calculate the prompt neutron decay constant (α) or its inverse, the prompt neutron period (1/α), for assemblies of fissionable material. This work evaluates a high-data-throughput measurement at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) with organic scintillators measuring a subcritical assembly of highly enriched uranium (HEU) metal (93% 235 U). The assembly comprises hemi shells stacked together to form fully closed shells and is driven by a Cf source at the center. The assembly is a total of 59.85 kg HEU and a k eff of 0.99, according to MCNP6.2 KCODE simulations. Measurements were acquired with a three-by-four array of 5.08-cm-diameter by 5.08-cm-length trans-stilbene crystals 166 cm from the assembly center. Two types of coincident binning methods are used to build the Rossi-α distribution of coincident neutron detections: A) type 1 binning, also known as any-and-all forward time differences, and B) type 1 binning with a digital-delay technique that is analogous to Orndoff’s use of delay cabling in early Rossi-alpha measurements. Method B) disregards same-detector coincidences and once all nearest time coincidences are collected between all detectors after a trigger, a time delay of 0.75 µs is implemented. The measured prompt neutron decay constants for both techniques are calculated from single exponential fits and the two methods are compared. Method A) shows an apparent timing discontinuity near 500 ns time differences. This timing discontinuity interferes with the fitting method used to calculate the prompt neutron decay constant. Method B) mitigates the artificial timing discontinuity and removes the disagreement of the fit. Future work will model the time-dependent detector response to discern why this timing discontinuity occurs, discern how Method B) reduces the amplitude of this timing discontinuity, and apply this method to critical assembly measurements to ultimately confirm the recommendation to use Method B) for high-data-throughput measurements.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2023

Precision engineering of biological function with large-scale measurements and machine learning

As synthetic biology expands and accelerates into real-world applications, methods for quantitatively and precisely engineering biological function become increasingly relevant. This is particularly true for applications that require programmed sensing to dynamically regulate gene expression in response to stimuli. However, few methods have been described that can engineer biological sensing with any level of quantitative precision. Here, we present two complementary methods for precision engineering of genetic sensors: in silico selection and machine-learning-enabled forward engineering. Both methods use a large-scale genotype-phenotype dataset to identify DNA sequences that encode sensors with quantitatively specified dose response. First, we show that in silico selection can be used to engineer sensors with a wide range of dose-response curves. To demonstrate in silico selection for precise, multi-objective engineering, we simultaneously tune a genetic sensor’s sensitivity (EC 50 ) and saturating output to meet quantitative specifications. In addition, we engineer sensors with inverted dose-response and specified EC 50 . Second, we demonstrate a machine-learning-enabled approach to predictively engineer genetic sensors with mutation combinations that are not present in the large-scale dataset. We show that the interpretable machine learning results can be combined with a biophysical model to engineer sensors with improved inverted dose-response curves.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Inferring building height from footprint morphology data

As cities continue to grow globally, characterizing the built environment is essential to understanding human populations, projecting energy usage, monitoring urban heat island impacts, preventing environmental degradation, and planning for urban development. Buildings are a key component of the built environment and there is currently a lack of data on building height at the global level. Current methodologies for developing building height models that utilize remote sensing are limited in scale due to the high cost of data acquisition. Other approaches that leverage 2D features are restricted based on the volume of ancillary data necessary to infer height. Here, we find, through a series of experiments covering 74.55 million buildings from the United States, France, and Germany, it is possible, with 95% accuracy, to infer building height within 3 m of the true height using footprint morphology data. Our results show that leveraging individual building footprints can lead to accurate building height predictions while not requiring ancillary data, thus making this method applicable wherever building footprints are available. The finding that it is possible to infer building height from footprint data alone provides researchers a new method to leverage in relation to various applications.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2021

A comparison of Raman and pyrometry dynamic temperature measurements of shocked cyclohexane

Optical pyrometry is a well-developed, broadly applicable method to determine temperature in dynamic compression experiments. However, it measures radiation from only the skin depth of the radiant material, is highly susceptible to spurious backgrounds, and requires an often-unmeasurable free parameter—the sample dynamic emissivity. Raman spectroscopy offers a method to determine temperature directly from fundamental theory, but it is practically limited in applications to a small subset of shock experiments. In this work, we describe an experiment allowing simultaneous application of Raman and pyrometric temperature techniques to benchmark a specific instance of pyrometry. We attempted both measurements on multiple experiments and compare the successful temperature results between the separate but highly repeatable shots. Here, we find that dynamic shock temperatures inferred from Raman spectroscopy and pyrometry generally agree within the uncertainties of each measurement, although those uncertainties are larger than typical for a specially designed pyrometry experiment on a shocked metal sample.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1983

A new calibration method for time delay standard and its application

A method which is used to measure time delay accurately by using a Type 900-LB slotted line is described. The accuracy for calibrating time delay of a precision coaxial air line Type 900-L is about + or - (0.4 to 0.6)ps, and for coaxial cables with VSWR less than 1.5 and time delay t less than 50ns is about + or - (3 to 5)ps. Theoretical analysis and mathematical derivation of microwave networks in cascade are given. Methods to eliminate the errors which are caused by the discontinuities and the error analysis of the measuring system are presented. Skin effect analysis of the transient characteristic of coaxial transmission line are discussed in detail. Methods to eliminate the errors which result from using the calibrated time delay standard to calibrate time interval measurement instruments are presented. The estimation of errors and formulae for correction of those errors are described.

Su, B. W.↗

NASA NTRS1983

A method for solving the transonic full-potential equation for general configurations

A method is developed for solving the full-potential equation for two-dimensional and axisymmetric flow which retains the grid and boundary condition simplicity of the transonic small-disturbance codes. The method is based on a finite-volume formulation of the mass conservation equation in a Cartesian coordinate system, and is an extension of the method of Purvis and Burkhalter (1979). This finite-volume approach, combined with the simple boundary treatment, is shown to result in a highly robust method applicable to a wide range of geometries and flow conditions. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated for general geometries in two-dimensional and axisymmetric flows. The use of this method results in significant gains in convergence rate over the vertical-line over-relaxation scheme by incorporating an AF2-type algorithm (Ballhaus et al., 1978). It is suggested that the simplicity of this method shold allow a relatively easy extension to complex geometries in three-dimensional flows, and complex two-dimensional configurations such as multielement airfoils should be amenable to this method.

Wedan, B.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Description and evaluation of an interference assessment for a slotted-wall wind tunnel

A wind-tunnel interference assessment method applicable to test sections with discrete finite-length wall slots is described. The method is based on high order panel method technology and uses mixed boundary conditions to satisfy both the tunnel geometry and wall pressure distributions measured in the slotted-wall region. Both the test model and its sting support system are represented by distributed singularities. The method yields interference corrections to the model test data as well as surveys through the interference field at arbitrary locations. These results include the equivalent of tunnel Mach calibration, longitudinal pressure gradient, tunnel flow angularity, wall interference, and an inviscid form of sting interference. Alternative results which omit the direct contribution of the sting are also produced. The method was applied to the National Transonic Facility at NASA Langley Research Center for both tunnel calibration tests and tests of two models of subsonic transport configurations.

Kemp, William B., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Optimal active control for Burgers equations

A method for active fluid flow control based on control theory is discussed. Dynamic programming and fixed point successive approximations are used to accommodate the nonlinear control problem. The long-term goal of this project is to establish an effective method applicable to complex flows such as turbulence and jets. However, in this report, the method is applied to stochastic Burgers equation as an intermediate step towards this goal. Numerical results are compared with those obtained by gradient search methods.

Ikeda, Yutaka↗

NASA NTRS1991

Review and test of chilldown methods for space-based cryogenic tanks

The literature for tank chilldown methods applicable to cryogenic tankage in the zero gravity environment of earth orbit is reviewed. One method is selected for demonstration in a ground based test. The method selected for investigation was the charge-hold-vent method which uses repeated injection of liquid slugs, followed by a hold to allow complete vaporization of the liquid and a vent of the tank to space vacuum to cool tankage to the desired temperature. The test was conducted on a 175 cubic foot, 2219 aluminum walled tank weighing 329 pounds, which was previously outfitted with spray systems to test nonvented fill technologies. To minimize hardware changes, a simple control-by-pressure scheme was implemented to control injected liquid quantities. The tank cooled from 440 R sufficiently in six charge-hold-vent cycles to allow a complete nonvented fill of the test tank. Liquid hydrogen consumed in the process is estimated at 32 pounds.

Chato, David J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Review and test of chilldown methods for space-based cryogenic tanks

Chato, David J.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Acoustical Applications of the HHT Method

A document discusses applications of a method based on the Huang-Hilbert transform (HHT). The method was described, without the HHT name, in Analyzing Time Series Using EMD and Hilbert Spectra (GSC-13817), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 24, No. 10 (October 2000), page 63. To recapitulate: The method is especially suitable for analyzing time-series data that represent nonstationary and nonlinear physical phenomena. The method involves the empirical mode decomposition (EMD), in which a complicated signal is decomposed into a finite number of functions, called intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), that admit well-behaved Hilbert transforms. The HHT consists of the combination of EMD and Hilbert spectral analysis.

Huang, Norden E.↗