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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Three-Dimensional Bubble Fluidics in Architected Porous Media

Gas bubble flows in porous media often exhibit complex and seemingly unpredictable behaviors that are difficult to control. This lack of control limits the ability to design effective devices which manage multiphase flows. Here, we show how the design of 3D printed pores can deterministically control the flow path of an injected gas stream. Open cell structures can be designed to shape the gas/liquid interface with fidelity to control how the two phases are distributed throughout a porous material. The distributed gas volume is free to interact physically and chemically with the surrounding liquid phase, an effect we exploit to create a logical control gate to redirect flows within a lattice. This also allows us to design architectures for reactive capture and aerating bioreactors, resulting in patterned boundaries which can make more effective use of the liquid and gas reagents.

3D microfluidics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Disruption Mitigation Solutions for Long Pulse Tokamaks (Final Technical Report)

The project "Disruption Mitigation Solutions for Long Pulse Tokamaks" was a collaborative effort between ORNL, GA, and UCSD. The main goal of the project was to study the injection of shattered cryogenic pellets (SPI) as a method of reducing wall damage from global tokamak plasma instabilities called disruptions. This work was primarily carried out in the JET tokamak in the UK. The team already had extensive experience studying PSI in the medium sized DIII-D tokamak in the US, but adding data from the larger JET tokamak enabled more confident extrapolation to the even larger planned ITER tokamak in France. Each of the collaborating institutions focused on different aspects of SPI disruption mitigation. The UCSD collaboration focused on the volume recombination of post-disruption runaway electron (RE) beams by massive hydrogen injection. Disruptions can sometimes result in the formation of toroidal (ring shaped) beams of highly energetic (relativistic) electron beams, which can cause serious local wall damage, even in present-day tokamaks. A promising method to reduce wall damage from the RE beams is to inject massive amounts of H 2 or D 2 into the beams using SPI. although the precise method by which the injected H 2 reducses RE wall damage is still being investigated, it seems clear that a necessary and required step for the reduction to occur is for the H 2 injection to cause volume recombination (free electron density reduction) of the background cold plasma surrounding the fast electron beam. The UCSD collaboration focused on answering the question of if this recombination could be achievable in the future reactor-size tokamak ITER using realistic levels of H 2 injection. A model capturing the most essential physics was developed and was constrained using both DIII-D and JET data. This model was then used to extrapolate to ITER. It was predicted that RE beam recombination should be achievable in ITER, although in the worst-case scenari (a 10 MA Re beam in ITER), recombination is barely achieved within the maximum allowed levels of H 2 injection.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

3013 Fire Test 2020: Post-Test Measurements and Analysis

Sandia National Laboratory conducted fire tests on ten 3013 containers with varying amounts of water. The containers with attached manifolds were sent to Los Alamos National Laboratory for post-test measurements of the plastic deformation, the amount of water remaining on the material post-test and the mass loss. The measurements of the plastic deformation were used to determine the free gas volume in each container and manifold post-test. The disassembly of each container was documented by photographs. The amount of pre-test gas constituents is also reported using data in the Sandia Final Report.

3013 fire test↗
NASA NTRS1977

Compressibility measurement of fluid-system ullage

Portable self-contained instrument measures volume of free gas or air trapped in closed fluid systems, such as lubricating-oil lines or hydraulic brakes. In response to measurement readings, operator may use device to accurately add or withdraw fluid to or from system.

Dzienis, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen boost/vane pump for the advanced orbit transfer vehicles auxiliary propulsion system

A rotating, positive displacement vane pump with an integral boost stage was designed to pump saturated liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen for auxiliary propulsion system of orbit transfer vehicle. This unit is designed to ingest 10% vapor by volume, contamination free liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. The final pump configuration and the predicted performance are included.

Gluzek, F.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Simulation of the magnetic structure of the inner heliosphere by means of non-spherical source surface

A new method for mapping the Sun's magnetic field B from the photosphere through the corona and interplanetary space is presented. The method entails the derivation of B from a scalar potential within a current-free annular volume bounded inside by photosphere and outside by a prescribed nonspherical source surface to which B is made (as nearly as possible) perpendicular. As usual we obtain the potential for the part of B that arises from currents inside the Sun by fitting an expansion to the observed line-of-sight component of B at the photosphere. A second least-squares fit is introduced to obtain the part of B that arises from currents outside the source surface. Comparisons are made between this model and observed coronal and interplanetary structures. There is evidence that observation data underestimate the strength of photospheric polar magnetic fields.

Levine, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Protein solubilities determined by a rapid technique and modification of that technique to a micro-method

A simple, rapid method for determination of protein solubilities has been developed which is based upon maximization of the free solution volume to be brought into equilibrium. The tetragonal lysozome solubility diagram has been determined from pH 4.0 to 5.2 (0.1 M sodium acetate), 2-7 percent NaCl, 3-25 C, and portions of the orthorhombic solubility diagram using this technique. Both tetragonal and orthorhombic solubilities were found to increase smoothly with decreasing salt concentration and increasing temperature; no retrograde solubilities were observed. Using column volumes of 75, 300, and 900 microliters, identical tetragonal lysozyme solubility diagrams were obtained. Chymotrypsinogen solubilities have also been determined using this apparatus, being retrograde over the temperature range tested. It is noted that the primary limiting factor in reducing the crystalline volume is the minimum solution sample size needed to accurately quantitate the protein.

Cacioppo, Elizabeth↗
NASA NTRS1991

Infiltration/cure modeling of resin transfer molded composite materials using advanced fiber architectures

A model was developed which can be used to simulate infiltration and cure of textile composites by resin transfer molding. Fabric preforms were resin infiltrated and cured using model generated optimized one-step infiltration/cure protocols. Frequency dependent electromagnetic sensing (FDEMS) was used to monitor in situ resin infiltration and cure during processing. FDEMS measurements of infiltration time, resin viscosity, and resin degree of cure agreed well with values predicted by the simulation model. Textile composites fabricated using a one-step infiltration/cure procedure were uniformly resin impregnated and void free. Fiber volume fraction measurements by the resin digestion method compared well with values predicted using the model.

Loos, Alfred C.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Crew Exploration Vehicle Environmental Control and Life Support Fire Protection Approach

As part of preparing for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) worked on developing the requirements to manage the fire risk. The new CEV poses unique challenges to current fire protection systems. The size and configuration of the vehicle resembles the Apollo capsule instead of the current Space Shuttle or the International Space Station. The smaller free air volume and fully cold plated avionic bays of the CEV requires a different approach in fire protection than the ones currently utilized. The fire protection approach discussed in this paper incorporates historical lessons learned and fire detection and suppression system design philosophy spanning from Apollo to the International Space Station. Working with NASA fire and materials experts, this approach outlines the best requirements for both the closed out area of the vehicle, such as the avionics bay, and the crew cabin area to address the unique challenges due to the size and configuration of the CEV.

Lewis, John F.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Testing a Regenerative Carbon Dioxide and Moisture Removal Technology

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration supported the development of a new vacuum-desorbed regenerative carbon dioxide and humidity control technology for use in short duration human spacecraft. The technology was baselined for use in the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle s Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). Termed the Carbon Dioxide And Moisture Removal Amine Swing-bed (CAMRAS), the unit was developed by Hamilton Sundstrand and has undergone extensive testing at Johnson Space Center. The tests were performed to evaluate performance characteristics under range of operating conditions and human loads expected in future spacecraft applications, as part of maturation to increase its readiness for flight. Early tests, conducted at nominal atmospheric pressure, used human metabolic simulators to generate loads, with later tests making us of human test subjects. During these tests many different test cases were performed, involving from 1 to 6 test subjects, with different activity profiles (sleep, nominal and exercise). These tests were conducted within the airlock portion of a human rated test chamber sized to simulate the Orion cabin free air volume. More recently, a test was completed that integrated the CAMRAS with a simulated suit loop using prototype umbilicals and was conducted at reduced atmospheric pressure and elevated oxygen levels. This paper will describe the facilities and procedures used to conduct these and future tests, and provide a summary of findings.

Barta, Daniel J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Adapting Waste Processing for Space Applications

It has been estimated that on a 1-year mission, a four-astronaut crew will produce approximately 2,600 kg of waste materials. The current International Space Station practice for waste management is a stow and jettison model in which the trash is simply ejected. The immediate challenge waste poses for long duration space flight is that it represents unproductive mass. Longer term, waste accumulation on planetary surfaces will also pose challenges. A waste management/disposal solution is greatly needed. Simultaneously, significant research and development efforts are being made to enable in-situ resource extraction and recovery for lunar and Mars surface operations. A waste management solution could free up volume, reduce mass and thereby propellant needs, as well as contribute to resource recovery for spacecraft, and eventually, surface operations. The adaptation of many chemical engineering unit operations to the microgravity environment is critical to achieve this goal. An ideal spacecraft waste treatment system would convert waste into useful gases. It should be largely self-sustaining in that it should have the ability to recycle commodities to avoid imposing mass penalties associated with transporting feedstock on the spacecraft at launch. At NASA KSC, a model of what such a system would look like is being developed. In addition, the team has recently completed a suborbital flight campaign with a combustion reactor to demonstrate rudimentary conversion in a microgravity environment and identify challenges for future design. This presentation will discuss what a full waste treatment system could look like, point out challenges relating to various unit operations involved in such a system, and highlight recent progress in space waste management research and development.

Waste Processing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Preliminary Results from the Saffire VI Experiment

Preliminary results are presented for one test of the last flight of the Spacecraft Fire Experiment (Saffire VI) which was conducted on an orbiting Cygnus spacecraft. These experiments directly address the risks associated with our understanding of spacecraft fire behavior at practical length scales and geometries. The lack of this experimental data has forced spacecraft designers to base their designs and safety precautions on 1-g understanding of flame spread, flame self-extinguishment, fire detection, and suppression. The Saffire experiment was developed by an international team of investigators with the goal of addressing open issues in spacecraft fire safety. NASA’s Spacecraft Fire Safety Demonstration Project was formulated with the goal of conducting a series of large-scale experiments in spacecraft environments that represent practical spacecraft fires. These tests spanned 1.5 to 3.2 kW with free air volumes of 17 to 19 cubic meters. The final flight in the series of six experiments examined concurrent spread over large samples (all 41 cm wide) including a thin sheet of flammable fuel (cotton/fiberglass 50 cm long); 2-sided spread over 1 cm thick polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) (18 cm long); 1-sided spread over 0.5 cm thick (18 cm long); and Nomex fabric (7 cm long). Results are presented for the PMMA samples, the SIBAL sample, and the thin cotton samples from Saffire IV and V. The flame heat release is determined and compared to the overall temperature rise in the spacecraft and the change in the concentration of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in the spacecraft. Overall, the temperature and pressure rise in the spacecraft were found to be less significant than the increase in carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

fire↗
DOE OSTI2022

A fast matrix-free approach to the high-order control volume finite element method with application to low-Mach flow

Here, a fast matrix-free formulation of the control volume finite element method is presented, requiring much less memory and computational work than previous efforts. The method is implemented and evaluated as a solver for low-Mach flow, including the evaluation of a preconditioning strategy for the pressure Poisson equation. The efficiency and scaling with polynomial order is evaluated on simple turbulent flows of interest, with appropriate solution quality metrics, and compared with a reference node-centered finite volume discretization. For a turbulent channel flow test, we show improvement in computational work for a given accuracy with the high-order scheme. The performance on a GPU accelerated platform is also investigated, with benefit shown for the matrix-free discretization.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1972

Electromagnetic free suspension system for space manufacturing. Volume 1: Technology department

The technology developed in defining a facility to be used on the Skylab mission for electromagnetic suspension of small, molten spheres in the weightless space environment is described. The technologies discussed include: four-coil optimization, four-coil versus six-coil configuration comparison, four-coil position servocontrol, four-coil breadboard, position sensing and servosystem, two-color pyrometer, and specimen toration mode analysis.

Buerger, E. H.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Component mode synthesis and large deflection vibration of complex structures. Volume 3: Multiple-mode nonlinear free and forced vibrations of beams using finite element method

Multiple-mode nonlinear forced vibration of a beam was analyzed by the finite element method. Inplane (longitudinal) displacement and inertia (IDI) are considered in the formulation. By combining the finite element method and nonlinear theory, more realistic models of structural response are obtained more easily and faster.

Mei, Chuh↗
NASA NTRS1991

Free-space laser communication technologies III; Proceedings of the Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 21, 22, 1991

The present volume on free-space laser communication technologies discusses system analysis, performance, and applications, pointing, acquisition, and tracking in beam control, laboratory demonstration systems, and transmitter and critical component technologies. Attention is given to a space station laser communication transceiver, meeting intersatellite links mission requirements by an adequate optical terminal design, an optical approach to proximity-operations communications for Space Station Freedom, and optical space-to-ground link availability assessment and diversity requirements. Topics addressed include nonmechanical steering of laser beams by multiple aperture antennas, a free-space simulator for laser transmission, heterodyne acquisition and tracking in a free-space diode laser link, and laser terminal attitude determination via autonomous star tracking. Also discussed are stability considerations in relay lens design for optical communications, liquid crystals for lasercom applications, and narrowband optical interference filters.

Begley, David L.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Apparent dust size discrepancy in aerosol reanalysis in north African dust after long-range transport

North African dust reaches the southeastern United States every summer. Size-resolved dust mass measurements taken in Miami, Florida, indicate that more than one-half of the surface dust mass concentrations reside in particles with geometric diameters less than 2.1 µm, while vertical profiles of micropulse lidar depolarization ratios show dust reaching above 4 km during pronounced events. These observations are compared to the representation of dust in the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2) aerosol reanalysis and closely related Goddard Earth Observing System model version 5 (GEOS-5) Forward Processing (FP) aerosol product, both of which assimilate satellite-derived aerosol optical depths using a similar protocol and inputs. These capture the day-to-day variability in aerosol optical depth well, in a comparison to an independent sun-photometer-derived aerosol optical depth dataset. Most of the modeled dust mass resides in diameters between 2 and 6 µm, in contrast to the measurements. Model-specified mass extinction efficiencies equate light extinction with approximately 3 times as much aerosol mass, in this size range, compared to the measured dust sizes. GEOS-5 FP surface-layer sea salt mass concentrations greatly exceed observed values, despite realistic winds and relative humidities. In combination, these observations help explain why, despite realistic total aerosol optical depths, (1) free-tropospheric model volume extinction coefficients are lower than those retrieved from the micro-pulse lidar, suggesting too-low model dust loadings in the free troposphere, and (2) model dust mass concentrations near the surface can be higher than those measured. The modeled vertical distribution of dust, when captured, is reasonable. Large, aspherical particles exceeding the modeled dust sizes are also occasionally present, but dust particles with diameters exceeding 10 µm contribute little to the measured total dust mass concentrations after such long-range transport. Remaining uncertainties warrant a further integrated assessment to confirm this study's interpretations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗