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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1983

Stirling engine application study

A range of potential applications for Stirling engines in the power range from 0.5 to 5000 hp is surveyed. Over one hundred such engine applications are grouped into a small number of classes (10), with the application in each class having a high degree of commonality in technical performance and cost requirements. A review of conventional engines (usually spark ignition or Diesel) was then undertaken to determine the degree to which commercial engine practice now serves the needs of the application classes and to detemine the nature of the competition faced by a new engine system. In each application class the Stirling engine was compared to the conventional engines, assuming that objectives of ongoing Stirling engine development programs are met. This ranking process indicated that Stirling engines showed potential for use in all application classes except very light duty applications (lawn mowers, etc.). However, this potential is contingent on demonstrating much greater operating life and reliability than has been demonstrated to date by developmental Stirling engine systems. This implies that future program initiatives in developing Stirling engine systems should give more emphasis to life and reliability issues than has been the case in ongoing programs.

Teagan, W. P.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Printing Outside the Box: Additive Manufacturing Processes for Fabrication of Large Aerospace Structures

To achieve NASA's mission of space exploration, innovative manufacturing processes are being applied to the fabrication of propulsion elements. Liquid rocket engines (LREs) are comprised of a thrust chamber and nozzle extension as illustrated in figure 1 for the J2X upper stage engine. Development of the J2X engine, designed for the Ares I launch vehicle, is currently being incorporated on the Space Launch System. A nozzle extension is attached to the combustion chamber to obtain the expansion ratio needed to increase specific impulse. If the nozzle extension could be printed as one piece using free-form additive manufacturing (AM) processes, rather than the current method of forming welded parts, a considerable time savings could be realized. Not only would this provide a more homogenous microstructure than a welded structure, but could also greatly shorten the overall fabrication time. The main objective of this study is to fabricate test specimens using a pulsed arc source and solid wire as shown in figure 2. The mechanical properties of these specimens will be compared with those fabricated using the powder bed, selective laser melting technology at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. As printed components become larger, maintaining a constant temperature during the build process becomes critical. This predictive capability will require modeling of the moving heat source as illustrated in figure 3. Predictive understanding of the heat profile will allow a constant temperature to be maintained as a function of height from substrate while printing complex shapes. In addition, to avoid slumping, this will also allow better control of the microstructural development and hence the properties. Figure 4 shows a preliminary comparison of the mechanical properties obtained.

Babai, Majid↗
NASA NTRS1974

Engineering simulation development and evaluation of the two-segment noise abatement approach conducted in the B-727-222 flight simulator

Profile modification as a means of reducing ground level noise from jet aircraft in the landing approach is evaluated. A flight simulator was modified to incorporate the cockpit hardware which would be in the prototype airplane installation. The two-segment system operational and aircraft interface logic was accurately emulated in software. Programs were developed to permit data to be recorded in real time on the line printer, a 14-channel oscillograph, and an x-y plotter. The two-segment profile and procedures which were developed are described with emphasis on operational concepts and constraints. The two-segment system operational logic and the flight simulator capabilities are described. The findings influenced the ultimate system design and aircraft interface.

Nylen, W. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Booster engines derived from the Space Shuttle Main Engine

Current vehicle studies of post-Space Shuttle vehicles have identified the potential need for a high-pressure booster engine using liquid oxygen/hydrocarbon fuel (RP-1) as propellants. Recent studies of the possibility of using Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) components for a high pressure LOX/RP-1 engine have resulted in several engine configurations which are based largely on SSME components. The current SSME thrust chamber is regeneratively cooled with hydrogen using a relatively low percentage of the total hydrogen flow. For a LOX/RP-1 application the SSME thrust chamber can be run at high pressures and be cooled with a relatively low hydrogen flow. In addition, the SSME oxygen pump, valves, and main injector components may be utilized for the booster engine. By using a majority of the current SSME engine components for the LOX/RE-1 booster engine, engine development time and cost can be significantly reduced compared to the development of a new engine.

Sobin, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Energy efficient engine component development and integration program

The technology that will improve the energy efficiency of propulsion systems for subsonic commercial aircraft is investigated. A reduction of 14.4% in cruise installed sfc (0.572 versus 0.668 for the CF6-50C) and a direct operation cost reduction in excess of the 5% goal is projected. Noise and emissions projections are consistent with the established goals.

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NASA NTRS1991

JPL space station telerobotic engineering prototype development: Advanced telerobotics system technology

The objective of the Advanced Telerobotics System Technology Task is to develop/prototype advanced telerobotics supervisory and shared control to enhance Intra-Vehicular Activity (IVA) teleoperation in the Space Station. The technology provides enhanced telerobotics capabilities while operating within the expected constraints of computation limitations, time delay, and bus bandwidth. A local site operator interface has also been developed for specifying teleoperation and shared control modes as well as supervised autonomous macros for execution at the remote site. The primary objective of the task is to transfer the advanced technology to appropriate flight centers to enhance the baseline Station capabilities.

Backes, Paul G.↗
NASA NTRS1991

JPL space station telerobotic engineering prototype development FY 91 status/achievements

The topics covered are presented in view graph form and include: (1) streamlining intravehicular activity (IVA) teleoperation activities on the Space Station Freedom (SSF); (2) enhancing SSF utilization during the man-tended phase; (3) telerobotic ground remote operations (TGRO); and (4) advanced telerobotics system technology (shared control).

Zimmerman, Wayne↗
NASA NTRS1991

Advanced software development workstation. Engineering scripting language graphical editor: DRAFT design document

The Engineering Scripting Language (ESL) is a language designed to allow nonprogramming users to write Higher Order Language (HOL) programs by drawing directed graphs to represent the program and having the system generate the corresponding program in HOL. The ESL system supports user generation of HOL programs through the manipulation of directed graphs. The components of this graphs (nodes, ports, and connectors) are objects each of which has its own properties and property values. The purpose of the ESL graphical editor is to allow the user to create or edit graph objects which represent programs.

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NASA NTRS1993

US/CIS integrated NTRE

The paper describes the Nuclear Thermal Energy (NTRE) engine, developed by taking advantage of mature fuel technology developed in the former Soviet Union, thus shortening the development schedule of this engine for moon and Mars explorations. The near-term NTRE engine has a number of features that provide safety, mission performance, cost, and risk benefits. These include: (1) high-temperature long-life CIS fuel, (2) high-pressure recuperated expander cycle, (3) assured restart, (4) long-life cooled nozzle with thin inner wall, (5) long-life turbopumps, (6) heat radiation and electrical power generation, and (7) component integration synergy. Diagrams of the reactor core, the recuperated bottoming cycle flow schematic, and the recuperated bottoming cycle engine schematic are presented.

Bulman, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Research project for increasing pool of minority engineers

The Tennessee State University (TSU) Research Project for Increasing the Pool of Minority Engineers is designed to develop engineers who have academic and research experiences in technical areas of interest to NASA. These engineers will also have some degree of familiarity with NASA Lewis Research Center as a result of interaction with Lewis engineers, field trips and internships at Lewis. The Research Project has four components, which are: (1) Minority Introduction to Engineering (MITE), a high school precollege program, (2) engineering and technology previews, (3) the NASA LeRC Scholars program which includes scholarships and summer internships, and (4) undergraduate research experiences on NASA sponsored research. MITE is a two-week summer engineering camp designed to introduce minority high school students to engineering by exposing them to: (1) engineering role models (engineering students and NASA engineer), (2) field trips to engineering firms, (3) in addition to introducing youth to the language of the engineer (i.e., science, mathematics, technical writing, computers, and the engineering laboratory). Three MITE camps are held on the campus of TSU with an average of 40 participants. MITE has grown from 25 participants at its inception in 1990 to 118 participants in 1994 with participants from 17 states, including the District of Columbia, and 51 percent of the participants were female. Over the four-year period, 77 percent of the seniors who participated in MITE have gone to college, while 53 percent of those seniors in college are majoring in science, engineering or mathematics (SEM). This first Engineering and Technology Previews held in 1993 brought 23 youths from Cleveland, Ohio to TSU for a two-day preview of engineering and college life. Two previews are scheduled for 1994-1995. The NASA LeRC Scholars program provides scholarships and summer internships for minority engineering students majoring in electrical or mechanical engineering. Presently six (6) engineering students are in the Scholars program. The average GPA for the scholars is 3.239. Each scholar must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.000/4.000. NASA LeRC Fred Higgs has been awarded a GEM Fellowship. In addition, he will be presenting a paper entitled 'Design of Helical Spring Using Probabilistic Design Methodology' at the Middle Tennessee Section ASME Student Design Presentations in Nashville on March 23rd and at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research to be held at Union College, Schenectady, New York on April 20-22, 1995. Each of the scholars is working on one of the three NASA sponsored research projects in the college.

Rogers, Decatur B.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Iridium-Coated Rhenium Radiation-Cooled Rockets

Radiation-cooled rockets are used for a range of low-thrust propulsion functions, including apogee insertion, attitude control, and repositioning of satellites, reaction control of launch vehicles, and primary propulsion for planetary space- craft. The key to high performance and long lifetimes for radiation-cooled rockets is the chamber temperature capability. The material system that is currently used for radiation-cooled rockets, a niobium alloy (C103) with a fused silica coating, has a maximum operating temperature of 1370 C. Temperature limitations of C103 rockets force the use of fuel film cooling, which degrades rocket performance and, in some cases, imposes a plume contamination issue from unburned fuel. A material system composed of a rhenium (Re) substrate and an iridium (Ir) coating has demonstrated operation at high temperatures (2200 C) and for long lifetimes (hours). The added thermal margin afforded by iridium-coated rhenium (Ir/Re) allows reduction or elimination of fuel film cooling. This, in turn, leads to higher performance and cleaner spacecraft environments. There are ongoing government- and industry-sponsored efforts to develop flight Ir/ Re engines, with the primary focus on 440-N, apogee insertion engines. Complementing these Ir/Re engine development efforts is a program to address specific concerns and fundamental characterization of the Ir/Re material system, including (1) development of Ir/Re rocket fabrication methods, (2) establishment of critical Re mechanical properly data, (3) development of reliable joining methods, and (4) characterization of Ir/Re life-limiting mechanisms.

Reed, Brian D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

[Development of Engineering Systems for Space Station Freedom]

From January, 1990 through September, 1995, Cleveland State University (CSU) and Lewis Research Center (LeRC) participated in a research cooperative agreement. Extensive study and experimentation were done by CSU on research technologies, methods, and techniques employed by the Space Station Freedom (SSF) project and, later, the Space Experiments Division (SED). In spite of many problems occasioned by the virtual cancellation of Space Station Freedom at LeRC, and organizational and financial problem at LeRC, CSU was able to do valuable work in the study and improvement of research operating methods there.

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NASA NTRS1997

On-Board Chemical Propulsion

NASA Lewis Research Center's On-Board Propulsion program (OBP) is developing low-thrust chemical propulsion technologies for both satellite and vehicle reaction control applications. There is a vigorous international competition to develop new, highperformance bipropellant engines. High-leverage bipropellant systems are critical to both commercial competitiveness in the international communications market and to cost-effective mission design in government sectors. To significantly improve bipropellant engine performance, we must increase the thermal margin of the chamber materials. Iridium-coated rhenium (Ir/Re) engines, developed and demonstrated under OBP programs, can operate at temperatures well above the constraints of state-of-practice systems, providing a sufficient margin to maximize performance with the hypergolic propellants used in most satellite propulsion systems.

Schneider, Steven J.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Halbach Magnetic Rotor Development

The NASA John H. Glenn Research Center has a wealth of experience in Halbach array technology through the Fundamental Aeronautics Program. The goals of the program include improving aircraft efficiency, reliability, and safety. The concept of a Halbach magnetically levitated electric aircraft motor will help reduce harmful emissions, reduce the Nation s dependence on fossil fuels, increase efficiency and reliability, reduce maintenance and decrease operating noise levels. Experimental hardware systems were developed in the GRC Engineering Development Division to validate the basic principles described herein and the theoretical work that was performed. A number of Halbach Magnetic rotors have been developed and tested under this program. A separate test hardware setup was developed to characterize each of the rotors. A second hardware setup was developed to test the levitation characteristics of the rotors. Each system focused around a unique Halbach array rotor. Each rotor required original design and fabrication techniques. A 4 in. diameter rotor was developed to test the radial levitation effects for use as a magnetic bearing. To show scalability from the 4 in. rotor, a 1 in. rotor was developed to also test radial levitation effects. The next rotor to be developed was 20 in. in diameter again to show scalability from the 4 in. rotor. An axial rotor was developed to determine the force that could be generated to position the rotor axially while it is rotating. With both radial and axial magnetic bearings, the rotor would be completely suspended magnetically. The purpose of this report is to document the development of a series of Halbach magnetic rotors to be used in testing. The design, fabrication and assembly of the rotors will be discussed as well as the hardware developed to test the rotors.

Gallo, Christopher A.↗