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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

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NASA NTRS2020

Electric Aircraft Cooling with Bio-Inspired Exergy Management

Future air vehicles will increasingly incorporate electrical powertrains that require very tight system-level integration of power, propulsion, thermal, fault protection, and airframe technologies. This chapter provides an overview of a new category of thermal energy conversion technology and describes the development of the resulting Thermal Recovery Exergy Efficient System, TREES. TREES can be used to enable a fully solid-state integrated thermal and fault management electric aircraft protection system, while synergistically managing and recycling both the low-grade waste heat from electrical components and the high-grade waste heat from engine components. This is achieved with exergy amplification of the powertrain waste heat, a new class of fast flight-weight breakers, a new class of long variable-conductance heat pipes with multiple switchable condensers, a new class of turbofan-integrated heat exchangers, and a gradient-based powertrain system optimizer. This approach is like the human body’s thermal management system in which the heart, arteries, and veins are analogous to the turbofan, acoustic tubes, and heat pipes proposed herein.

Rodger W Dyson↗

NASA NTRS2004

Integration of Propulsion-Airframe-Aeroacoustic Technologies and Design Concepts for a Quiet Blended-Wing-Body Transport

This paper summarizes the results of studies undertaken to investigate revolutionary propulsion-airframe configurations that have the potential to achieve significant noise reductions over present-day commercial transport aircraft. Using a 300 passenger Blended-Wing-Body (BWB) as a baseline, several alternative low-noise propulsion-airframe-aeroacoustic (PAA) technologies and design concepts were investigated both for their potential to reduce the overall BWB noise levels, and for their impact on the weight, performance, and cost of the vehicle. Two evaluation frameworks were implemented for the assessments. The first was a Multi-Attribute Decision Making (MADM) process that used a Pugh Evaluation Matrix coupled with the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). This process provided a qualitative evaluation of the PAA technologies and design concepts and ranked them based on how well they satisfied chosen design requirements. From the results of the evaluation, it was observed that almost all of the PAA concepts gave the BWB a noise benefit, but degraded its performance. The second evaluation framework involved both deterministic and probabilistic systems analyses that were performed on a down-selected number of BWB propulsion configurations incorporating the PAA technologies and design concepts. These configurations included embedded engines with Boundary Layer Ingesting Inlets, Distributed Exhaust Nozzles installed on podded engines, a High Aspect Ratio Rectangular Nozzle, Distributed Propulsion, and a fixed and retractable aft airframe extension. The systems analyses focused on the BWB performance impacts of each concept using the mission range as a measure of merit. Noise effects were also investigated when enough information was available for a tractable analysis. Some tentative conclusions were drawn from the results. One was that the Boundary Layer Ingesting Inlets provided improvements to the BWB's mission range, by increasing the propulsive efficiency at cruise, and therefore offered a means to offset performance penalties imposed by some of the advanced PAA configurations. It was also found that the podded Distributed Exhaust Nozzle configuration imposed high penalties on the mission range and the need for substantial synergistic performance enhancements from an advanced integration scheme was identified. The High Aspect Ratio Nozzle showed inconclusive noise results and posed significant integration difficulties. Distributed Propulsion, in general, imposed performance penalties but may offer some promise for noise reduction from jet-to-jet shielding effects. Finally, a retractable aft airframe extension provided excellent noise reduction for a modest decrease in range.

Hill, G. A.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Design of a convective cooling system for a Mach 6 hypersonic transport airframe.

The design of a convective cooling system for an aluminum alloy airframe was established to verify preliminary weight estimates and to define future development requirements. A water glycol coolant was circulated through a closed loop network of supply and return lines to absorb incident aerodynamic heating from structural skin panels with integral passages and to transfer this heat input to a heat exchanger where it is rejected to the hydrogen fuel. Partial shielding of the aluminum alloy structure reduced heat loads to levels compatible with engine fuel flow requirements.

Anthony, F. M.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Experimental Studies of Open Rotor Installation Effects

Open rotor propulsion technologies offer an opportunity for reducing fuel burn. At the same time, great challenges arise from this radically different engine architecture in terms of aircraft system integration. The aeroacoustic effects of integration are one of those key challenges and, furthermore, can offer the possibility for total aircraft system noise reduction. The inter-relationship of the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic system integration effects is particularly important to enable future application. An extensive model scale test campaign was conducted to investigate a broad range of these open rotor installation effects for both a conventional and an unconventional airframe. The experimental campaign was conducted in the Boeing Low Speed Aeroacoustic Facility with specially designed modifications for efficient positioning of the open rotor rig relative to the airframe. The airframe was traversed remotely relative to the fixed open rotor rig providing for the investigation of a large number of installation positions. Eight positions around the main wing of the conventional airframe and eleven positions above the hybrid wing body airframe were documented. Other parameters investigated in the test campaign included forward flight simulation Mach number, angle of attack, rotor speed, and airframe control surface deployment. In addition, both airframes were modified for alternate configurations. The conventional airframe was configured with both a T and a U tail while the unconventional hybrid wing body airframe was configured with different vertical control surfaces. An extensive instrumentation package was deployed. The acoustics were documented with a fixed array of far field microphones, a traversing array of in-flow microphones, an out-of-flow traversing phased array, and unsteady pressure transducers mounted flush on the surface of the airframes. In addition, mean flow surveys were measured with an articulating arm traversing system. The flow field surveys were particularly valuable in documenting flow distortion effects for the various installation positions and those created by angle of attack. This presentation will report the key results obtained for open rotor installation effects and discuss future prospects with the perspective of these results.

Michael J Czech↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advancement of the General Aviation Synthesis Program Using Python to Enable Optimization-Based Hybrid-Propulsion Aircraft Design

In support of the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstrator and Advanced Air Transport Technologies projects at NASA, a new tool has been developed at NASA’s Ames and Glenn Research Centers to enable coupled engine and airframe optimization and analysis. The new tool combines the engineering-level analysis methods and empirical models of the FORTRAN General Aviation Synthesis Program (GASP) with the Python-based OpenMDAO framework to provide a modular framework for efficient gradient-based optimization with the aim of incorporating new subsystem models for unconventional configurations. The tool has been verified against GASP analyses of several aircraft models and mission formulations. Preliminary efforts have been made to integrate pyCycle, a thermodynamic cycle analysis tool, to enable simultaneous optimization of hybrid propulsion system and vehicle parameters while taking full mission performance and constraints into account. This will improve current capabilities to assess impacts of electrified powertrain technologies on future aircraft designs.

Kenneth R. Lyons↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Advancement of the General Aviation Synthesis Program Using Python to Enable Optimization-Based Hybrid-Propulsion Aircraft Design

In support of the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstrator and Advanced Air Transport Technologies projects at NASA, a new tool has been developed at NASA's Ames and Glenn Research Centers to enable coupled engine and airframe optimization and analysis. The new tool combines the engineering-level analysis methods and empirical models of the FORTRAN General Aviation Synthesis Program (GASP) with the Python-based OpenMDAO framework to provide a modular framework for efficient gradient-based optimization with the aim of incorporating new subsystem models for unconventional configurations. The tool has been verified against GASP analyses of several aircraft models and mission formulations. Preliminary efforts have been made to integrate pyCycle, a thermodynamic cycle analysis tool, to enable simultaneous optimization of hybrid propulsion system and vehicle parameters while taking full mission performance and constraints into account. This will improve current capabilities to assess impacts of electrified powertrain technologies on future aircraft designs.

Kenneth R Lyons↗

NASA NTRS1974

Study of the single body yawed-wing aircraft concept

Areas relating to the development and improvement of the single-fuselage, yawed-wing transonic transport concept were investigated. These included: (1) developing an alternate configuration with a simplified engine installation;(2) determining a structural design speed placard that would allow the engine-airframe match for optimum airplane performance; and (3) conducting an aeroelastic stability and control analysis of the yawed-wing configuration with a flexible wing. A two-engine, single-fuselage, yawed-wing configuration was developed that achieved the Mach 1.2 design mission at 5560 km (3000 nmi) and payload of 18,140 kg (40,000 lb) with a gross weight of 217,700 kg (480,000 lb). This airplane was slightly heavier than the aft-integrated four-engine configuration that had been developed in a previous study. A modified structural design speed placard, which was determined, resulted in a 6% to 8% reduction in the gross weight of the yawed-wing configurations. The dynamic stability characteristics of the single-fuselage yawed-wing configuration were found to be very dependent on the magnitude of the pitch/roll coupling, the static longitudinal stability, and the dihedral effect.

Kulfan, R. M.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Design and performance at a local Mach number of 6 of an inlet for an integrated Scramjet concept

The development of a concept for a modular supersonic combustion ramjet which is designed to integrate with the airframe of a hypersonic vehicle is presented. The design philosophy and results of experiments at Mach 6 to evaluate the performance of the scramjet inlet are given. The inlet was designed with modest contraction ratio, fixed geometry, and three fuel injection struts which contributed to the inlet flow compression and provided a short combustor design that resulted in low internal cooling requirements. Results indicate that the inlet performance is well within the acceptable range for high engine performance.

Trexler, C. A.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Shrouded fan propulsors for light aircraft.

Continued growth of general-aviation over the next 10-15 years is dependent upon continuing improvement in aircraft safety, utility, performance, and cost. An attractive, compact, low-noise propulsor concept, the Q-FAN, when matched to reciprocating or rotary combustion engines, opens up the exciting prospect of new, cleaner airframe designs for the next generation of general-aviation aircraft, which will provide these improvements and meet the expected noise and pollution restrictions of the 1980 time period. In this paper, Q-FAN propulsion system performance, weight, noise, and cost trends are discussed. The impact of this propulsion system on the complete aircraft is investigated for two representative aircraft size categories. Examples of conceptual designs for Q-FAN/engine integration and aircraft installations are presented.

Waters, M. H.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Propulsion System Modeling and Simulation

The Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory at the School of Aerospace Engineering in Georgia Institute of Technology has developed a core competency that enables propulsion technology managers to make technology investment decisions substantiated by propulsion and airframe technology system studies. This method assists the designer/manager in selecting appropriate technology concepts while accounting for the presence of risk and uncertainty as well as interactions between disciplines. This capability is incorporated into a single design simulation system that is described in this paper. This propulsion system design environment is created with a commercially available software called iSIGHT, which is a generic computational framework, and with analysis programs for engine cycle, engine flowpath, mission, and economic analyses. iSIGHT is used to integrate these analysis tools within a single computer platform and facilitate information transfer amongst the various codes. The resulting modeling and simulation (M&S) environment in conjunction with the response surface method provides the designer/decision-maker an analytical means to examine the entire design space from either a subsystem and/or system perspective. The results of this paper will enable managers to analytically play what-if games to gain insight in to the benefits (and/or degradation) of changing engine cycle design parameters. Furthermore, the propulsion design space will be explored probabilistically to show the feasibility and viability of the propulsion system integrated with a vehicle.

Tai, Jimmy C. M.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Computational Materials Research

High temperature thermoplastic polyimide polymers are incorporated in engineering structures in the form of matrix materials in advanced fiber composites and adhesives in bonded joints. Developing analytical tools to predict long term performance and screen for final materials selection for polymers is the impetus for intensive studies at NASA and major industry based airframe developers. These fiber-reinforced polymeric composites (FRPCs) combine high strength with lightweight. In addition, they offer corrosion and fatigue resistance, a reduction in parts count, and new possibilities for control through aeroelastic tailoring and "smart" structures containing fully-integrated sensors and actuators. However, large-scale acceptance and use of polymer composites has historically been extremely slow. Reasons for this include a lack of familiarity of designers with the materials; the need for new tooling and new inspection and repair infrastructures; and high raw materials and fabrication costs.

Veazie, David R.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Assessment of Integrated Nozzle Performance

This presentation highlights the activities that researchers at the NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC) have been and will be involved in to assess integrated nozzle performance. Three different test activities are discussed. First, the results of the Propulsion Airframe Integration for High Speed Research 1 (PAIHSR1) study are presented. The PAIHSR1 experiment was conducted in the LeRC 9 ft x l5 ft wind tunnel from December 1991 to January 1992. Second, an overview of the proposed Mixer/ejector Inlet Distortion Study (MIDIS-E) is presented. The objective of MIDIS-E is to assess the effects of applying discrete disturbances to the ejector inlet flow on the acoustic and aero-performance of a mixer/ejector nozzle. Finally, an overview of the High-Lift Engine Aero-acoustic Technology (HEAT) test is presented. The HEAT test is a cooperative effort between the propulsion system and high-lift device research communities to assess wing/nozzle integration effects. The experiment is scheduled for FY94 in the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) 40 ft x 80 ft Low Speed Wind Tunnel (LSWT).

Lambert, H. H.↗

NASA NTRS1992

High speed rotorcraft propulsion concepts to control power/speed characteristics

Recent NASA sponsored rotorcraft airframer studies have demonstrated the desire for constant power over a wide range of output speed for turboshaft propulsion systems. This study interrogated several different concepts aimed at maintaining constant power over a speed variation from 100-50 percent with minimum increase in fuel consumption. The baseline engine was an advanced technology 8000 shp, fixed turbine geometry, turboshaft engine. The concepts investigated included variable geometry turbines, variable geometry compressors, power transfer from the HP to LP shafts, counterrotating power turbine with a combiner gearbox, and variable speed transmission integrated with the baseline turboshaft engine. The concept that best satisfies the program objectives with superior engine performance and with the least technical risk is the baseline (fixed geometry turbines) turboshaft engine integrated with the variable speed transmission.

Bettner, J. L.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Auralization of a Supersonic Business Jet Using Advanced Takeoff Procedures

Recent NASA studies of a supersonic business jet airplane indicated that advanced takeoff procedures could be used to reduce noise at the lateral sideline location to a level at which Chapter 4 noise certification requirements could be met. The studies were conducted with the NASA Aircraft Noise Prediction Program, using an analytical model of the airframe and its engines. The advanced procedure consists of a higher-speed climbout and a programmed thrust lapse in which the engine thrust is automatically and gradually reduced immediately after the runway obstacle is cleared. In this paper, the authors utilize the results of the most recent study as the basis of an auralization of the predicted noise. Modifications to the NASA Auralization Framework necessary for that process are described. The auralizations are used to demonstrate differences between standard and advanced takeoff pro ond those that may be observed through comparison of integrated noise metrics.

Rizzi, Stephen A.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Damage Detection Response Characteristics of Open Circuit Resonant (SansEC) Sensors

The capability to assess the current or future state of the health of an aircraft to improve safety, availability, and reliability while reducing maintenance costs has been a continuous goal for decades. Many companies, commercial entities, and academic institutions have become interested in Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM) and a growing effort of research into "smart" vehicle sensing systems has emerged. Methods to detect damage to aircraft materials and structures have historically relied on visual inspection during pre-flight or post-flight operations by flight and ground crews. More quantitative non-destructive investigations with various instruments and sensors have traditionally been performed when the aircraft is out of operational service during major scheduled maintenance. Through the use of reliable sensors coupled with data monitoring, data mining, and data analysis techniques, the health state of a vehicle can be detected in-situ. NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) is developing a composite aircraft skin damage detection method and system based on open circuit SansEC (Sans Electric Connection) sensor technology. Composite materials are increasingly used in modern aircraft for reducing weight, improving fuel efficiency, and enhancing the overall design, performance, and manufacturability of airborne vehicles. Materials such as fiberglass reinforced composites (FRC) and carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP) are being used to great advantage in airframes, wings, engine nacelles, turbine blades, fairings, fuselage structures, empennage structures, control surfaces and aircraft skins. SansEC sensor technology is a new technical framework for designing, powering, and interrogating sensors to detect various types of damage in composite materials. The source cause of the in-service damage (lightning strike, impact damage, material fatigue, etc.) to the aircraft composite is not relevant. The sensor will detect damage independent of the cause. Damage in composite material is generally associated with a localized change in material permittivity and/or conductivity. These changes are sensed using SansEC. The unique electrical signatures (amplitude, frequency, bandwidth, and phase) are used for damage detection and diagnosis. An operational system and method would incorporate a SansEC sensor array on select areas of the aircraft exterior surfaces to form a "Smart skin" sensing surface. In this paper a new method and system for aircraft in-situ damage detection and diagnosis is presented. Experimental test results on seeded fault damage coupons and computational modeling simulation results are presented. NASA LaRC has demonstrated with individual sensors that SansEC sensors can be effectively used for in-situ composite damage detection of delamination, voids, fractures, and rips. Keywords: Damage Detection, Composites, Integrated Vehicle Health Monitoring (IVHM), Aviation Safety, SansEC Sensors

Dudley, Kenneth L.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Hypersonic propulsion research

The development of technology for the modular airframe integrated scramjet has been the focus of hypersonic propulsion research for several years. An part of this research, a variety of inlet concepts have been explored and characterized. The emphasis of the inlet program has been the development of the short (light weight), fixed geometry, side wall compression inlets that operate efficiently over a wide Mach number range. As hypersonic combustion tunnels were developed, programs to study the parameters controlling fuel mixing and combustion with single and multiple strut models were conducted using direct connect test techniques. These various tests supported the design of subscale engine test hardware that integrated inlet and combustor technology and allowed the study of the effect of heat release on thrust and combustor/inlet interaction. A number of subscale engine tests have shown predicted performance levels at Mach 4 and 7 simulated flight conditions. A few of the highlights from this research program are summarized.

Northam, G. Burton↗

NASA NTRS2007

The Road to Mach 10: A History of the X-43A Hypersonic Flight Test Program at NASA Dryden...Toward the Future

In terms of technology, the X-43A/Hyper-X represented a singular milestone. After nearly a half century of high hopes, studies, wind tunnel tests, proposals, and canceled projects, a scramjet-powered vehicle had flown. The performance of the engine qualified the scramjet design tools and scaling laws. In turn, the theoretical calculations and ground testing could be used to design more advanced engine concepts. Just as important, both the scramjet and vehicle systems had successfully operated in the variable temperatures and densities of the atmosphere. The X-43A systems were able to maintain the exact flight conditions necessary for the scramjet to operate properly. Control deflections to correct the engine-induced moments were close to pre-flight predictions. When the unexpected occurred, such as when the vehicle pitched up during the cowl opening on the second flight, the control system was sufficiently designed to correct the situation. The airframe and wing structure, the thermal protection material, and the internal conditions of the X-43A performed largely as predicted. The HXLV thermal anomaly during the ascent on the third flight and "the Mach 8 unpleasantness" during the descent indicated that the HXLV and X-43A were not as resilient to aerodynamic heating as expected. The X-43A 's airframe drag and lift both were slightly higher than predicted, but still within preflight uncertainty predictions. The stability and control were as predicted, as was the boundary layer transition. The biggest aerodynamic worry before the flight was the separation of the HXLV and the X- 43A. After all was said and done, this went exactly as predicted, proving that non-symmetrical/high-dynamic pressure stage separations could be performed. This in turn meant that two-stage-to-orbit vehicles employing this technology were feasible. The Hyper-X program also served as a training ground for a new generation of scramjet and hypersonic researchers. This included both NASA and contractor personnel, providing them with experience in ground testing and component development; vehicle design, construction, integration, system checkout, and, ultimately, flight testing and data analysis. Additionally, researchers learned the practical details of running a project within finite budget and time limits, about the ambiguousness of risk assessment, and about the need to spend a significant amount of time and effort dealing with engineering problems, such as those with the FAS, that have nothing to do with the project's research goals. Finally, all those who worked on the X-43A project now know what it is like to spend years transforming an idea into a functional vehicle, only for it to be lost in a matter of seconds. And then to go through years of work to correct the problems, to face the possibility that still more might exist, and finally to savor the triumph of two successful flights. For those who will work on the hypersonic projects that emerge in coming years, these experiences may prove to be the most valuable of all.

Peebles, Curtis↗

NASA NTRS1992

An integrated analytical aeropropulsive/aeroelastic model for the dynamic analysis of hypersonic vehicles

The development of an approach to the determination of the dynamic characteristics of hypersonic vehicles which is intentionally generic and basic is given. The approach involves a 2D hypersonic aerodynamic analysis utilizing Newtonian theory, coupled with a 1D aero/thermoanalysis of the flow in a scramjet-type propulsion system. In addition, the airframe is considered to be elastic, and the structural dynamics are characterized in terms of a simple lumped-mass model of the invacuo vibration modes. The vibration modes are coupled to the rigid-body modes through the aero/propulsive forces acting on the structure. The control effectors considered on a generic study configuration include aerodynamic pitch-control surfaces, as well as engine fuel flow and diffuser area ratio. The study configuration is shown to be highly statically unstable in pitch, and to exhibit strong airframe/engine/elastic coupling in the aeroelastic and attitude dynamics, as well as the engine responses.

Chavez, Frank R.↗