Results for “Ramp” — Page 15

NASA NTRS2016

Comparison of Different Control Schemes for Strategic Departure Metering

Airports and their terminal airspaces are key choke points in the air transportation system causing major delays and adding to pollution. A solution aimed at mitigating these chokepoints integrates the scheduling of runway operations, flight release from the gates and ramp into the airport movement area, and merging with other traffic competing for downstream airspace points. Within this integrated concept, we present a simulation-based analysis of the departure metering process, which delays the release of flights into the airport movement area while balancing two competing objectives: (1) maintaining large enough queues at the airport resources to maximize throughput and (2) absorbing excess delays at the gates or in ramp areas to save on fuel consumption, emissions, noise, and passenger discomfort. Three metering strategies are compared which respectively attempt to control the number of flights that (1) left the gate but did not take off, (2) left the ramp but did not take off, and (3) spent their unimpeded transit time to the runway but did not take off. It was observed that under deterministic and demand uncertainty conditions, the first strategy performed better than the other two strategies in terms of maintaining the runway throughput while transferring a significant average delay of two minutes to the gate. On the other hand, under uncertainties of flight transit time and runway service rate, all the strategies struggled to delay flights at the gate without a significant impact on the runway throughput.

air traffic management↗

NASA NTRS2017

Assessing Tactical Scheduler Options for Time-Based Surface Metering

NASA is committed to demonstrating a concept of integrated arrival, departure, and surface operations by 2020 under the Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 (ATD2) sub-project. This will be accomplished starting with a demonstration of flight specific time-based departure metering at Charlotte Douglass International Airport (CLT). ATD2 tactical metering capability is based on NASAs Spot And Runway Departure Advisor (SARDA) which has been tested successfully in human-in-the-loop simulations of CLT. SARDA makes use of surface surveillance data and surface modeling to estimate the earliest takeoff time for each flight active on the airport surface or ready for pushback from the gate. The system then schedules each flight to its assigned runway in order of earliest takeoff time and assigns a target pushback time, displayed to ramp controllers as an advisory gate hold time. The objective of this method of departure metering is to move as much delay as possible to the gate to minimize surface congestion and engine on-time, while keeping sufficient pressure on the runway to maintain throughput. This flight specific approached enables greater flight efficiency and predictability, facilitating trajectory-based operations and surface-airspace integration, which ATD2 aims to achieve.Throughout ATD2 project formulation and system development, researchers have continuously engaged with stakeholders and future users, uncovering key system requirements for tactical metering that SARDA did not address. The SARDA scheduler is updated every 10 seconds using real-time surface surveillance data to ensure the most up-to-date information is used to predict runway usage. However, rapid updates also open the potential for fluctuating advisories, which Ramp controllers at a busy airport like CLT find unacceptable. Therefore, ATD2 tactical metering requires that all advisories freeze once flights are ready so that Ramp controllers may communicate a single hold time when responding to pilot ready calls.

Zelinski, Shannon↗

NASA NTRS2018

Kinetic Properties of an Interplanetary Shock Propagating Inside a Coronal Mass Ejection

We investigate the kinetic properties of a typical fast-mode shock inside an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) observed on 1998 August 6 at 1 au, including particle distributions and wave analysis with the in situ measurements from Wind. Key results are obtained concerning the shock and the shock-ICME interaction at kinetic scales: (1) gyrating ions, which may provide energy dissipation at the shock in addition to wave-particle interactions, are observed around the shock ramp; (2) despite the enhanced proton temperature anisotropy of the shocked plasma, the low plasma beta inside the ICME constrains the shocked plasma under the thresholds of the ion cyclotron and mirror-mode instabilities; (3) whistler heat flux instabilities, which can pitch-angle scatter halo electrons through a cyclotron resonance, are observed around the shock, and can explain the disappearance of bi-directional electrons (BDEs) inside the ICME together with normal betatron acceleration; (4) whistler waves near the shock are likely associated with the whistler heat flux instabilities excited at the shock ramp, which is consistent with the result that the waves may originate from the shock ramp; (5) the whistlers share a similar characteristic with the shocklet whistlers observed by Wilson et al., providing possible evidence that the shock is decaying because of the strong magnetic field inside the ICME.

Liu, Mingzhe↗

NASA NTRS2018

Impact of Data Exchange Provided by ATD2 Tools at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport

Data Exchange and Integration is necessary for progress towards an Integrated Arrival, Departure, and Surface (IADS) traffic management capability. In collaboration with the FAA, NASA has introduced new data exchange elements to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport air traffic facilities, including the American Airlines ramp, as part of the Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 (ATD2). This paper describes the new tools that deliver these elements, and the human factors impact of the tools as measured by post-bank surveys. Workload was unaffected by ATD2 tool use, and situational awareness was improved in the Tower and with Ramp controllers in the second round of surveys. Respondents described their tools as more helpful if they included ATD2 tools 1) in the Tower for insuring compliance for aircraft under a Traffic Management Initiative, 2) in the TRACON when actively used for many TRACON tasks, and 3) in the Ramp in the second round of surveys.

and surface traffic management; human factors asse↗

NASA NTRS2019

Alternatives for Scheduling Departures for Efficient Surface Metering in ATD-2: Exploration in a Human-in-the-Loop Simulation

Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) simulation was conducted to explore the impacts of various surface metering goals on operations and Ramp Controllers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). Three conditions were compared: Baseline, with no surface metering, instructions to meet advisory times at the gate only, and instructions to meet advisory times at the gate as well as the times at the scheduled taxiway spot, where aircraft are delivered to Air Traffic Control (ATC). Results showed increased compliance for taxiway spot times when compliance was first met for gate advisories. Instructing Ramp Controllers to meet advisory times at the gate improves spot time compliance and therefore surface scheduling predictability at CLT. Results also demonstrated there was increased compliance overall with gate and spot times in the second condition. This was likely due to higher Ramp Controller workload in the third condition.

Airport surface scheduling↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Methodology for Actuating RCS Jets in a Continuous, Time-Accurate CFD Simulation

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of Mars entry vehicle reaction control systems have been used to gain a better understanding of the wide range of flow phenomena encountered during various phases of flight. One aspect of this is simulating the system during controlled flight. Current practices model the system in a continuously actuated state, but this methodology is unable to accurately model the dynamic behavior of the system during EDL. One method to improve this is to create a coupled CFD-RBD-Control simulation. The first step to this is establishing a method of accurately actuating an RCS jet during a time accurate CFD simulation. This paper presents a method to achieve this actuation. There are three phases to the methodology: establishing the off state, creating a ramping function that will initialize the jet flow, and establishing the on state. A test case of a jet in a supersonic crossflow is implemented to establish the success of the methodology in being able to actuate a jet in the midst of an ongoing CFD simulation. It shows significant improvement in boundary condition responsiveness for linear and exponential ramping functions in comparison to the step function. A preliminary demonstration of the methodology is presented for the MSL vehicle which shows significant advantages for the implementation of a linear ramping function over a step function.

Alexandra Hickey↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Methodology for Actuating RCS Jets in a Continuous, Time-Accurate CFD Simulation

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of Mars entry vehicle reaction control systems have been used to gain a better understanding of the wide range of flow phenomena encountered during various phases of flight. One aspect of this is simulating the system during controlled flight. Current practices model the system in a continuously actuated state, but this methodology is unable to accurately model the dynamic behavior of the system during EDL. One method to improve this is to create a coupled CFD-RBD-Control simulation. The first step to this is establishing a method of accurately actuating an RCS jet during a time accurate CFD simulation. This paper presents a method to achieve this actuation. There are three phases to the methodology: establishing the off state, creating a ramping function that will initialize the jet flow, and establishing the on state. A test case of a jet in a supersonic crossflow is implemented to establish the success of the methodology in being able to actuate a jet in the midst of an ongoing CFD simulation. It shows significant improvement in boundary condition responsiveness for linear and exponential ramping functions in comparison to the step function. A preliminary demonstration of the methodology is presented for the MSL vehicle which shows significant advantages for the implementation of a linear ramping function over a step function.

Alexandra Hickey↗

NASA NTRS2021

A Study into Validating a Coupled Method of Characteristics and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Method Against Empirical Data

The following will outline the methodology and results of validating a coupled Method of Characteristics (MOC) and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. This research focused specifically on modeling plume impingement, induced by Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that flew on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) space shuttle Discovery. For each simulation, the continuum portion of the RCS thruster was simulated using MOC for solving hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) and computed with the NASA code, Reacting and Multi-phase Program (RAMP). The solution was then implemented as a starting condition into the NASA DSMC code, Direct Simulation and Monte Carlo Analysis Code (DAC). Typically, DSMC models rely on code-to-code validation for fidelity. The significance of this research is in its ability to validate its models against empirical data. Prior to computing solutions for these simulations, the mesh size and structure were optimized and many variants of DSMC input parameters were iterated on in order to acquire a reliable, mesh-independent, fully optimized numerical solution. This research will discuss the mathematical formulation of MOC for nozzle flow and DSMC for rarefied gases. Additionally, it will provide an explanation of how to implement these mathematical concepts into the two solvers: RAMP and DAC. Ultimately, this research will demonstrate that the overall process illustrated produces results in good agreement with empirical data. As a consequence, the methodology presented is granted an increased level of confidence and will greatly contribute to the aerospace industry and its effort in understanding and predicting rarefied flow fields.

Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Analysis Code↗

NASA NTRS2021

A Study into Validating A Coupled Method of Characteristics And Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Method Against Empirical Data

The following will outline the methodology and results of validating a coupled Method of Characteristics (MOC) and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. This research focused specifically on modeling plume impingement, induced by Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that flew on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) space shuttle Discovery. For each simulation, the continuum portion of the RCS thruster was simulated using MOC for solving hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) and computed with the NASA code, Reacting and Multi-phase Program (RAMP). The solution was then implemented as a starting condition into the NASA DSMC code, Direct Simulation and Monte Carlo Analysis Code (DAC). Typically, DSMC models rely on code-to-code validation for fidelity. The significance of this research is in its ability to validate its models against empirical data. Prior to computing solutions for these simulations, the mesh size and structure were optimized and many variants of DSMC input parameters were iterated on in order to acquire a reliable, mesh-independent, fully optimized numerical solution. This research will discuss the mathematical formulation of MOC for nozzle flow and DSMC for rarefied gases. Additionally, it will provide an explanation of how to implement these mathematical concepts into the two solvers: RAMP and DAC. Ultimately, this research will demonstrate that the overall process illustrated produces results in good agreement with empirical data. As a consequence, the methodology presented is granted an increased level of confidence and will greatly contribute to the aerospace industry and its effort in understanding and predicting rarefied flow fields.

DAC↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Alternative Setup for Long-Duration Low-Duty-Cycle 600°C Ambient Testing of SiC Integrated Circuits

A scalable, compact oven testbed system for simultaneously evaluating a multitude of high temperature integrated circuits (ICs) for prolonged operating times of up to 600 °C has been prototyped. The new testbed system enables long-duration high temperature testing in sufficient statistical quantities consistent with standard aerospace electronics engineering standards. This setup is comprised of multiple compact ovens housing chips or packages mounted to ceramic circuit boards. Each oven is a compact 15.2 cm length by 15.2 cm width by 12.7 cm depth with a maximum 400 Watts of heating power. The custom-made silicon oxide ceramic heating block inside each oven is based on a 3D printed design adapted for the easy insertion of the IC device under test (DUT). This innovative design provides the quick insertion of ICs with or without a ceramic package into a 600 °C environment by utilizing a movable 11.43 cm long ceramic substrate with electrical traces extending from the oven hot zone to external standard plastic-based board connectors. Another key oven design feature is the minimization of the DUT exposure to electromagnetic interference (EMI) by utilizing a filtered DC power source to reduce heating element noise. Additionally, the ovens can be configured in a parallel arrangement allowing global data monitoring over a single industrial RS422 serial port. This feature is important for scaling up to test multiple ICs semi-simultaneously. A USB serial port is provided to independently control the operating parameters of each oven such as the oven target temperature and oven ramp rate. The oven temperature can reach up to 600 °C with a confirmed +/- 4 °C maximum deviation across the test zone region. The ramp rate can be programmed from 1 °C/minute up to 10 °C/minute. Furthermore, a programmable switchboard is used to interface with the DUT. This switchboard comprises a National Instruments Peripheral Component Interconnect eXtension for Instrumentation (NI PXI) system and a breakout board to send and receive power, analog or digital test signals. By using this unique oven testbed system, a variety of ICs can now be tested in parallel using the same test components configured for a diverse set of requirements.

DC Powered Oven↗

NASA NTRS1972

Flight-test results from two total temperature probes for air-data measurements up to 2014 K (3625 R)

An experimental temperature probe package containing a fluidic oscillator temperature probe and a shielded thermocouple temperature probe was tested during several X-15 flights. The X-15 flights provided greatly varying test conditions, including a wide range of rapidly changing total temperatures and Mach numbers which extended from subsonic to hypersonic speeds. Within restricted ranges of free-stream Mach number, free-stream unit weight flow, and local stagnation pressure, both probes yielded ramp outputs of temperature parallel to ramp inputs of free-stream total temperature. Within these ranges both probes were used to determine total temperature in the Mach 6 temperature environment. Because ambient temperature was known, both probes were used to estimate velocity and Mach number.

Nugent, J.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Study and development of a cryogenic heat exchanger for life support systems

A prototype cryogenic heat exchanger for removal of waste heat from a spacecraft environmental control life support system was developed. The heat exchanger uses the heat sink capabilities of the cryogenic propellants and, hence, can operate over all mission phases from prelaunch to orbit, to post landing, with quiescent periods during orbit. A survey of candidate warm fluids resulted in the selection of E-2, a fluorocarbon compound, because of its low freezing point and high boiling point. The final design and testing of the heat exchanger was carried out, however, using Freon-21, which is similar to E-2 except for its low boiling point. This change was motivated by the desire for cost effectiveness of the experimental program. The transient performance of the heat exchanger was demonstrated by an analog simulation of the heat sink system. Under the realistic transient heat load conditions (20 sec ramp from minimum to maximum Freon-21 inlet temperature), the control system was able to maintain the warm fluid outlet temperature within + or - 3 F. For a 20-sec ramp from 0 F to -400 F in the hydrogen inlet temperature, at maximum heat load, the warm fluid outlet temperature was maintained within + or - 7 F.

Soliman, M. M.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Experimental investigation of a large-scale, two-dimensional, mixed-compression inlet system: Internal performance and drag at transonic conditions, free stream Mach equals 0.6 to 1.28

A large scale, variable-geometry inlet system with a design Mach number of 3.0 was tested at Mach numbers from 0.6 to 1.28. Variable features for off-design operation are an adjustable-height ramp system and a translating cowl. Experimental results are presented for transonic ramp and cowl positions showing the effect of throat boundary layer bleed and vortex generators on engine-face performance. Detailed pressure and force-balance data are used to evaluate transonic drag characteristics.

Wong, N. D.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Rotating raster generator

A rotating raster generator is provided which enables display of a television raster at any arbitrary roll angle. The generator includes four integrator circuits each of which receives a first voltage input corresponding to the sine or cosine of the desired roll angle and a second input comprising conventional horizontal or vertical sync pulses. The integrator circuits each comprise an operational amplifier and a capacitor connected for producing a ramp output having a rate of change proportional to the roll angle input, an electronic switch responsive to the sync input for resetting the integrator, and a summer that adds the ramp output of the integrator to the roll angle input so as to provide a zero-centered deflection control voltage.

Wagner, C. A.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Formation of ion-acoustic shocks

The formation of an ion-acoustic shock in a numerically modeled two-chamber double plasma device is investigated for a plasma of cold ions and isothermal Boltzmann electrons. An initial potential ramp applied to the driver chamber launches an ion-acoustic pulse into the target chamber which steepens into a shock. The quasi-steady shock structure agrees with observed double plasma shocks. An upper limit of Mach 1.6 is observed independent of the potential ramp magnitude, in agreement with theory.

White, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Preliminary estimates of range measurements to a spacecraft by means of ground digitally controlled oscillators

Range measurements to the Pioneer 10 and Mariner 10 spacecraft were made, without the use of a ranging system per se, by using the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Deep Space Network's new digitally controlled oscillator (DCO) device. These measurements were accomplished by controlling the linear ramps of the transmitted carrier frequency with a recently installed DCO instrument at the Goldstone facility and analyzing the received linearly ramped Doppler data with a computer program. The accuracy of these range measurements is on the order of 1.5 km.

Liu, A.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Motor-driven rack-positioning device

Ramped clutch plate prevents damage to gear traing and provides ample linear motion for actuation of microswitch. Operation of device is not affected by number of revolutions which pinion shaft must make to produce required translations. Since ramps in spur gear are conical, device will actuate identically at each mechanical stop.

Crissey, M. E.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Investigation of two bifurcated-duct inlet systems from Mach 0 to 2.0 over a wide range of angles of attack

A 15.354 percent/scale lightweight fighter type inlet/forebody was tested over a Mach number range of 0 to 2.0. Model configurations consisted of side mounted normal shock and fixed overhead ramp type inlets. Each configuration consisted of two inlets ducted (bifurcated) to supply a single engine face. The normal shock inlet variables included a boundary layer splitter bleed system, alternate boundary layer splitter plates, alternate upper and lower cowl lip shapes, and a blow-in-door (auxiliary inlet) in one lower lip. The only variable of the fixed overhead ramp inlet was the boundary layer bleed flow. Reynolds numbers ranged from 7.6 x 1 million to 19.5 x 1 million/m. Angle of attack ranged from -10 to 35 deg and angle of sideslip from -8 to 8 deg. Test measurements included engine face total pressure recovery, steady state distortion, dynamic distortion, and surface static pressures on the forebody and inlet surfaces.

Latham, E. A.↗