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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 253 records · Page 14

Development of Directed Energy Deposited NASA HR-1 to Optimize Properties for Liquid Rocket Engine Applications

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes have been demonstrated to be effective at reducing costs and lead times associated with fabrication of complex propulsion component designs. Laser powder directed energy deposition (LP-DED) is a metal AM technology that has effectively been used to produce a variety of parts for liquid rocket engine applications. The LP-DED technology has enabled new designs and materials for these applications. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has identified the need to develop and advance new materials in unique engine applications such as hydrogen environments. One such metal alloy being developed for these applications is NASA HR-1. A high-strength Fe-Ni based superalloy, NASA HR-1 was designed to resist high pressure hydrogen environment embrittlement, oxidation, and corrosion. Enabled by LP-DED, NASA HR-1 has completed build and heat treatment optimization, characterization, mechanical and thermophysical testing, and hot-fire testing to demonstrate its capability as an alloy used in liquid rocket engine applications. The evolution of the alloy through material characterization analysis and mechanical testing results from development and optimization efforts will be presented.

additive manufacturing↗

Non-intrusive measurements in a rocket engine combustor

In recent years analytical tools to characterize combustor flow have been developed in order to support design. To facilitate anchoring of combustion related physical models and the CFD codes in which they are incorporated, considerable development and application of non-intrusive combustion diagnostic capabilities has occurred. Raman spectroscopy can be used to simultaneously detect all polyatomic molecules present in significant concentrations and to determine gas temperature. This is because all molecules possess a distinct temperature dependent Raman spectrum. A multi-point diagnostic system for non-intrusive temperature and species profiling in rocket engines has been developed at Rocketdyne. In the present effort, the system has been undergoing validation for application to rocket engine component testing. A 4 inch diameter windowed combustor with a coaxial gas-gas injector was chosen for this series of validation experiments. Initially an excimer-pumped tunable dye laser and later a solid state Nd-Yag laser served as excitation sources. The Raman signal was dispersed by a monochromator and detected by a gated, intensified Charged Coupled Device (CCD) array. Experiments were carried out prior to each series of hot fire tests to ensure that the Raman signal detected was due to a spontaneous rather than a stimulated Raman emission process. Over sixty hot fire tests were conducted during the first series of tests with the excimer/dye laser. All hot fire testing was at a mixture ratio of 0.5 and chamber pressures of approximately 100 and approximately 300 psia. The Raman spectra of hydrogen, water vapor and oxygen recorded during single element hot fire tests were reduced and analyzed. A significant achievement was the attainment of single shot Raman spectra in cold flow tests. Unfortunately, the single shot signal-to-noise ratio deteriorated to an unacceptable level during the hot fire testing. Attempts to obtain temperature data from the hydrogen Q1-branch profiles obtained in hot fire tests suggest that potentially complicating factors may render the approach of averaging data on the photodiode array invalid. A second series of hot fire tests was conducted with a 4 element coaxial injector using the Nd-Yag laser. A very compact and portable diagnostics set up was assembled for ease of alignment, relocation and flexibility. Measurements were made at several regions in the chamber in order to map concentration profiles. High spatial resolution and improved signal to noise characteristics were demonstrated.

Farhangi, S.↗

Probe samples components of rocket engine exhaust

Water-cooled, cantilevered probe samples the exhaust plume of rocket engines to recover particles for examination. The probe withstands the stresses of a rocket exhaust plume environment for a sufficient period to obtain a useful sample of the exhaust components.

Schumacher, P. E.↗

A Method for Prevention of Screaming in Rocket Engines

Lateral and longitudinal combustion-pressure oscillations that occurred in screaming combustion of a 1000-pound-thrust rocket engine using white fuming nitric acid and JP-4 fuel as propellants were successfully prevented by means of longitudinal fins in the combustion chamber. Fin position was critical, and complete attenuation was achieved only when the fins were located in a zone approximately 8 to 16 inches from the injector. Fins located in other zones, that is, near the injector or far downstream from the injector, did not stop the oscillations. When oscillations occurred in finned chambers, the longitudinal mode seemed more dominant than the lateral mode; in chambers without fins, the lateral mode tended to be dominant. The lateral oscillation was distorted and its intensity diminished by the fins. Fins, however, did not affect the frequencies; the longitudinal frequency varied inversely with chamber length, and lateral frequencies varied only slightly from an average of 6000 cycles per second.

ROCKET ENGINE NOISE↗

Rocket engine heat transfer and material technology for commercial applications

Liquid fueled rocket engine combustion, heat transfer, and material technology have been utilized in the design and development of compact combustion and heat exchange equipment intended for application in the commercial field. An initial application of the concepts to the design of a compact steam generator to be utilized by electrical utilities for the production of peaking power is described.

Hiltabiddle, J.↗

Fiber reinforced superalloys for rocket engines

High-pressure turbopumps for advanced reusable liquid-propellant rocket engines such as that for the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) require turbine blade materials that operate under extreme conditions of temperature, hydrogen environment, high-cycle fatigue loading, thermal fatigue and thermal shock. Such requirements tax the capabilities of current blade materials. Based on projections of properties for tungsten fiber reinforced superalloy (FRS) composites, it was concluded that FRS turbine blades offer the potential of a several-fold increase in life and over a 200C increase in temperature capability over current SSME blade material. FRS composites were evaluated with respect to mechanical property requirements for SSME blade applications. Compared to the current blade material, the thermal shock resistance of FRS materials is excellent, two to nine times better, and their thermal fatigue resistance is equal to or higher than the current blade material. FRS materials had excellent low and high-cycle fatigue strengths, and thermal shock-induced surface microcracks had no influence on their fatigue strength. The material also exhibited negligible embrittlement when exposed to a hydrogen environment.

Petrasek, Donald W.↗