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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

Time at Temperature Abstract and Intern Poster

Current NRC regulations for BWR operations dictate that any occurrence reaching the point of Departure from Nucleate Boiling (DNB) disqualifies the use of the fuel rod for further reactor operation. That criteria does not account for duration of rate of the power increase, the corresponding effects on material properties or rewetting that may occur. Previous Anticipated Operational Occurrences (AOOs) show short durations power increase that may require limited amounts of heat removal. Industrial experience has shown evidence that fuel can reach dryout yet continue to safely operate in regular reactor conditions. The gap in research into such occurrences is the motivation for a series of experiments, including this current work. Time-at-Temperature experiments aim to identify and characterize the microstructural changes in Zircaloy-2 under oxygen-free high temperatures. This work uses the FlashDSC instrument to rapidly ramp up and down the temperature of a focus ion beam (FIB) prepared large area lift-out (LALO) of Zircaloy-2 at a rate of 10,000 K/s to desired values. The focus is to characterize the microstructure evolution, if any, of Zircaloy-2 that may impact its performance under typical BWR conditions. This characterization includes analyzing grain structure and size, secondary phase particle (SPPs) size, shape, composition, and location using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Further data collection and analysis is in progress including diffraction pattern indexing and 4D STEM processing. While current results focus on the testing and characterizing unirradiated material, future plans include expansion to irradiated material to explore the effects of rapid transition rates seen in DNB and dryout conditions on irradiationg damage and defect annealing.

36 - MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1995

Go for EVA!

In this educational video series, 'Liftoff to Learning', astronauts from the STS-37 Space Shuttle Mission (Jay Apt, Jerry Ross, Ken Cameron, Steve Nagel, and Linda Godwin) show what EVA (extravehicular activity) means, talk about the history and design of the space suits and why they are designed the way they are, describe different ways they are used (payload work, testing and maintenance of equipment, space environment experiments) in EVA work, and briefly discuss the future applications of the space suits. Computer graphics and animation is included.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1971

Preparation and evaluation of Apollo 14 composite experiments

An account is given of the work aimed at flight experiments on Apollo 14, in relation to space manufacturing processes. Evaluation of suitable materials, definition of in-flight processing procedures, preparation of preprocessed materials and delivery, and evaluation of the space-processed samples after return from the Apollo 14 flight are presented.

Steurer, W. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Surface electrical properties experiment, part 1

The work is reported which was performed on the Surface Electrical Properties Experiment Data Acquisition System. Areas discussed include: data handling and processing, installation and external signal application, operation of the equipment, and digital output. Detailed circuit descriptions are included.

Strangway, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Closed cycle MHD power generation experiments using a helium-cesium working fluid in the NASA Lewis Facility

A MHD channel, which was previously operated for over 500 hours of thermal operation, ten thermal cycles, and 200 cesium injection tests, was removed from the facility and redesigned. The cross sectional dimensions of the channel were reduced to 5 by 16.5 cm to allow operation over a variety of conditions. The redesigned channel has been operated for well over 300 hours, 10 thermal cycles, and 150 cesium injection tests with no problems. Experiments have been run at temperatures of 1900-2100 K and Mach numbers from 0.3 to 0.55 in argon and 0.2 in helium. The best results to date have been obtained in the helium tests. Power outputs of 2.2 kw for tests with 28 electrodes and 2.1 kw for tests with 17 electrodes were realized. Power densities of 0.6 MW/cu m and Hall fields of about 1,100 V/m were obtained in the tests with 17 electrodes.

Sovie, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

STS-80 Flight Day 5. Flight Day Highlights

On this fifth day of the STS-80 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. Kenneth D. Cockrell, Pilot Kent V. Rominger, Mission Specialists, Tamara E. Jernigan, Thomas D. Jones, and F. Story Musgrave, focus on maintaining formation and working with in-cabin microgravity experiments. Jernigan and Rominger work with the Visualization in an Experimental Water Capillary Pumped Loop (VIEW-CAPL) experiment. Later in the day Musgrave is interviewed by CBS News.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1996

STS-80 Flight Day 6

On this sixth day of the STS-80 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. Kenneth D. Cockrell, Pilot Kent V. Rominger, Mission Specialists, Tamara E. Jernigan, Thomas D. Jones, and F. Story Musgrave, are awakened to news from Mission Control that the ORFEUS-SPAS astronomy satellite may be closing in on the Wake Shield Facility satellite slightly faster than originally predicted. The Orbiting and Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer, or ORFEUS-SPAS satellite, has conducted 77 different astronomical observations since being deployed on launch day. Jernigan reports that the VIEW-CAPL experiment, designed by students at the University of Maryland, is working well. The experiment tests capillary pumped loop technology that one day may be used for more reliable spacecraft cooling systems. The crew also sends down television pictures of the flight deck and address half a dozen questions posed via the NASA Shuttle Web on the Internet.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1998

Solar Irradiance and Thermospheric Airglow Rocket Experiments

This report describes work done in support of the Solar Irradiance and Thermospheric Air-glow Rocket Experiments at the University of Colorado for NASA grant NAG5-5021 under the direction of Dr. Stanley C. Solomon. (The overall rocket program is directed by Dr. Thomas N. Woods, formerly at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and now also at the University of Colorado, for NASA grant NAG5-5141.) Grant NAG5-5021 provided assistance to the overall program through analysis of airglow and solar data, support of two graduate students, laboratory technical services, and field support. The general goals of the rocket program were to measure the solar extreme ultraviolet spectral irradiance, measure the terrestrial far-ultraviolet airglow, and analyze their relationship at various levels of solar activity, including near solar minimum. These have been met, as shown below. In addition, we have used the attenuation of solar radiation as the rocket descends through the thermosphere to measure density changes. This work demonstrates the maturity of the observational and modeling methods connecting energetic solar photon fluxes and airglow emissions through the processes of photoionization and photoelectron production and loss. Without a simultaneous photoelectron measurement, some aspects of this relationship remain obscure, and there are still questions pertaining to cascade contributions to molecular and atomic airglow emissions. However, by removing the solar irradiance as an "adjustable parameter" in the analysis, significant progress has been made toward understanding the relationship of far-ultraviolet airglow emissions to the solar and atmospheric conditions that control them.

Solomon, Stanley C.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Examining astrophysical gas cloud collapse using an optical depth-scaled, x-ray-irradiated, carbon-foam sphere

When stellar radiation interacts with a molecular cloud, the cloud's fate depends on the strength of the incident radiation and the radiation's mean-free-path within the cloud [F. Bertoldi, Astrophys. J. 346, 735–755 (1989)]. Under the right conditions, the radiation compresses the cloud and a star formation may occur. Where and when the stellar formation occurs in the cloud's collapse are open questions. Direct observation of the complete star–cloud lifecycle is nearly impossible due to the immense timescales and distances over which the interaction occurs. Laboratory astrophysics offers a way to investigate such a system by scaling the important astrophysical parameters to the laboratory. This work describes laboratory experiments to study the radiation-driven implosion of clouds, using x rays from a laser-irradiated, thin, gold foil as a surrogate star and a carbon-foam sphere as a surrogate cloud. An optically thick system, theoretically corresponding to a star-forming regime, was selected by choice of the foam density. Gold foil and sphere motions were imaged by x-ray radiography. Radiographic images show the formation of an interface between rarefied gold and carbon plasmas, a shock moving into the sphere, and a blunting of the initial sphere's shape. Measurements show that the shock moved linearly around 64 μm/ns into the sphere, and the gold–carbon interface formed by 2 ns at the sphere edge remained stationary. The deformation of the sphere was driven by the incident radiation and not by mechanical pressures applied by gold plasma. The blunting of the sphere was likely due to the geometric reduction of flux near the sphere's poles. Higher x-ray flux near the sphere's equator caused high compression and a faster shock, which flattened the sphere. We will discuss the results and implications of our observations.

VanDervort, R. W. [University of Michigan 1 , Ann ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Impact of Porous Transport Layer In-Plane Conduction on Spatially Resolved Current and EIS Measurements in a Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer

An XY segmented cell was developed for low temperature PEM water electrolysis (PEMWE). The system can assess the local performance by enabling in situ measurements of spatial currents and impedances. In this work, we show through experiments, as well as through modelling work, that the porous transport layer (PTL) must be segmented to eliminate crosstalk. Accurate measurements are only possible when crosstalk is fully eliminated. The XY segmented cell is applied to a case study characterizing the impact of a PTL platinum coating void on spatial performance. The localized performance impact of the coating void is found to be orientation specific: coating voids facing the catalyst layer reduce performance significantly more than coating voids facing the flow field. The results suggest that the tolerances for PTL coating uniformity can be lower at the side facing the flow field. The work showcases the feasibility of the XY segmented cell for impact assessment studies. The presented XY segmented cell enables the characterization of spatial phenomena in PEMWE devices and is envisioned to support modeling efforts and the investigation of manufacturing related tolerances for mass produced PEMWE devices.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS1997

STS-87 Day 02 Highlights

On this second day of the STS-87 mission, the flight crew, Cmdr. Kevin R. Kregel, Pilot Steven W. Lindsey, Mission Specialists Winston E. Scott, Kalpana Chawla, and Takao Doi, and Payload Specialist Leonid K. Kadenyuk are seen conducting experiments involving the effect of weightlessness on materials and fluids. They also work with an experiment to study Earth's protective ozone layers.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1999

Lase Validation Experiment

This report discusses the work done in validation the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) data. This data was analyzed and compared to data from the RS-80 radiosonde. After an error was found and corrected in the programs used to analyze the LASE data, the results were closer to the results expected. The interpretation of the LASE measurements was based on the use of the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model. This work is further described in the report.

Garstang, Michael↗
NASA NTRS2008

Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) of Triboelectrically Charged Particles: Revised Experiments

In a previous work, the addition of basic screened Coulombic electrostatic forces to an existing commercial discrete element modeling (DEM) software was reported. Triboelectric experiments were performed to charge glass spheres rolling on inclined planes of various materials. Charge generation constants and the Q/m ratios for the test materials were calculated from the experimental data and compared to the simulation output of the DEM software. In this paper, we will discuss new values of the charge generation constants calculated from improved experimental procedures and data. Also, planned work to include dielectrophoretic, Van der Waals forces, and advanced mechanical forces into the software will be discussed.

Hogue, Michael D.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Low-gravity experiment sensitivity to residual acceleration - A review

Work related to the analysis of experiment sensitivity to residual acceleration experienced in LEO spacecraft is reviewed. Most of the work discussed concerns heat, mass, and momentum transfer in fluid physics and materials science experiments. On the basis of the current understanding of experiment sensitivity, it is concluded that, in general, experimenters should be concerned about the effect of residual acceleration, and that careful modeling included as part of an experiment program will enable optimal use of the limited experiment time available in space.

Alexander, J. Iwan D.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Condensation of water vapor in rarefaction waves. I - Homogeneous nucleation

A detailed theoretical investigation has been made of the condensation of water vapor/carrier gas mixtures in the nonstationary rarefaction wave generated in a shock tube. It is assumed that condensation takes place by homogeneous nucleation. The equations of motion together with the nucleation rate and the droplet growth equations were solved numerically by the method of characteristics and Lax's method of implicit artificial viscosity. It is found that, for the case considered, the condensation wave formed by the collapse of the metastable nonequilibrium state is followed by a shock wave generated by the intersection of characteristics of the same family. The expansion is practically isentropic up to the onset of condensation. The condensation front accelerates in the x,t plane. The results of the computations for a chosen case of water vapor/nitrogen mixture are presented by plotting variations of pressure, nucleation rate, number density of critical clusters, and condensate mass-fraction along three particle paths. Some consideration is given to homogeneous condensation experiments conducted in a shock tube. Although a direct comparison of the present theoretical work and these experiments is not possible, several worthwhile interpretative features have resulted nevertheless.

Sislian, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Circadian countermeasures for shiftworkers during USMP-2: A report to mission management

People who must work at night experience a number of physiological and psychological difficulties. These include sleepiness and fatigue at work, poor daytime sleep, gastrointestinal distress, impaired concentration and performance, disturbed mood, and increased health complaints and risk of disease. These difficulties arise because nocturnal work and daytime sleep take place at inappropriate phases of the body's circadian rhythms. Intense artificial light can shift the phase of human circadian rhythms, and can thus be used to promote adaptation to shifted work schedules. The first attempts to investigate the efficacy of light treatment for MSFC POCC shiftworkers took place during USML-1 and ATLAS-2. The findings from these studies led to the development of a Circadian Countermeasures Program that was implemented during USMP-2. Light treatment and other circadian countermeasures were employed to promote adjustment to mission shiftwork in POCC cadre volunteers. Treatment protocols were designed and customized for each volunteer's work hours and personal preferences. Treatment protocols included some or all of the following: scheduled self-administration of intense light, scheduled avoidance or attenuation of sunlight at other times, and sleep schedules. Data from post-mission questionnaires indicated that volunteers found the program to be effective, convenient, and beneficial.

Stewart, Karen T.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Crew activities in space

One of the mission requirements of the Space Shuttle is to serve as a working platform for experiments in space. Many of these experiments will be performed by crewmembers (mission specialists and payload specialists) in a general purpose laboratory called Spacelab. All nonexperiment-related activities or housekeeping activities will be done in the Orbiter, while most of the mission-related activities (experiments) will be done in Spacelab. In order for experimenters to design their experiments to best utilize the capabilities of the Orbiter, the Spacelab, and the crew, the working environment in the Orbiter and in Spacelab is described. In addition, the housekeeping activities required of the crew are summarized.

Bluford, G. S., Jr.↗