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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 307 records · Page 17

Standardization of the carbon-phenolic materials and processes. Vol. 2: Test methods and specifications

Carbon-phenolic composite materials are used in the ablation process in the nozzles of the Space Shuttle Main Engine. The nozzle is lined with carbon cloth-phenolic resin composites. The extreme heat and erosion of the burning propellant are controlled by the carbon-phenolic composite by means of ablation, a heat and mass transfer process in which a large amount of heat is dissipated by sacrificailly removing material from a surface. Phenolic materials ablate with the initial formation of a char. The depth of the char is a function of the heat conduction coefficient of the composite. The char layer is a poor conductor so it protects the underlying phenolic composite from the high heat of the burning propellant. The nozzle component ablative liners (carbon cloth-phenolic resin composites) are tape wrapped, hydroclave and/or autoclave cured, machined and assembled. The tape consists of prepreg broadcloth. The materials flow sheet for the nozzle ablative liners is given. The prepreg is a three component system: phenolic resin, carbon cloth, and carbon filler. This is Volume 2 of the report, Test Methods and Specifications.

Hall, William B.↗

The effect of ballooning modes on thermal transport and magnetic field diffusion in the solar corona

Presently favored mechanisms of coronal heating (current sheet dissipation and Alfven wave resonant heating) deposit heat in thin layers. Classical thermal conduction cannot explain how heat is transported across the magnetic field. If heating occurs in thin layers, large pressure gradients can be created which can give rise to ballooning modes. These instabilities are caused by the pressure gradient and the curvature of the magnetic field, and are stabilized by magnetic tension. The modes are broad band in wavelength and should produce turbulence. A mixing length expression for the turbulent heat transport shows that it is more than adequate to rapidly convect heat into much broader layers. Furthermore, the turbulent resistivity implies that heating occurs over most of the width of these broadened layers. The broadening also implies that much shorter time scales are required for heating. The beta values in the corona suggest that 1-10 turbulent layers are formed in typical loop or arch structures.

Strauss, H. R.↗

Heat flux sensor design reduces extraneous source effects

Heat flux sensor isolates the sensor and its transmitting thermocouple from undesirable heat sources by incorporating a radiator section that forms a radiation shield between mounting cup and sensor. Bonding of the thermocouple cable to the underside of the radiator provides a conductive path to dissipate extraneous heat that might otherwise reach the sensor.

Crofts, E. D.↗

On the assumption of vanishing temperature fluctuations at the wall for heat transfer modeling

Boundary conditions for fluctuating wall temperature are required for near-wall heat transfer modeling. However, their correct specifications for arbitrary thermal boundary conditions are not clear. The conventional approach is to assume zero fluctuating wall temperature or zero gradient for the temperature variance at the wall. These are idealized specifications and the latter condition could lead to an ill posed problem for fully-developed pipe and channel flows. In this paper, the validity and extent of the zero fluctuating wall temperature condition for heat transfer calculations is examined. The approach taken is to assume a Taylor expansion in the wall normal coordinate for the fluctuating temperature that is general enough to account for both zero and non-zero value at the wall. Turbulent conductivity is calculated from the temperature variance and its dissipation rate. Heat transfer calculations assuming both zero and non-zero fluctuating wall temperature reveal that the zero fluctuating wall temperature assumption is in general valid. The effects of non-zero fluctuating wall temperature are limited only to a very small region near the wall.

Sommer, T. P.↗

Thermal issues at the SSC

A variety of heat transfer problems arise in the design of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). One class of problems is to minimize heat leak from the ambient to the SSC rings, since the rings contain superconducting magnets maintained at a temperature of 4 K. Another arises from the need to dump the beam of protrons (traveling around the SSC rings) on to absorbers during an abort of the collider. Yet another category of problems is the cooling of equipment to dissipate the heat generated during operation. An overview of these problems and sample heat transfer results are given in this paper.

Ranganathan, Raj P.↗

Observational Evidence of How Magnetofluid Turbulence in the Solar Wind Dissipates

The solar wind appears to be a fully developed turbulent magnetofluid. As this magnetofluid expands into the heliosphere, it cools significantly less rapidly than would be expected of an adiabatically expanding gas. The evolution of the temperature with distance is roughly what would be expected if the turbulence dissipated by heating the thermal plasma. Several physical mechanisms have been proposed, including resonance absorption of waves and Landau damping. Recently, high-time resolution magnetic field data from the four Cluster spacecraft have illustrated damping of the fluctuations out to the electron inertial scale. Use of the wave telescope/k-filtering technique during two intervals of busrt mode data suggests that dissipation of the fluctuations is due to Landau damping, first on protons, then on electrons.

Goldstein, Melvyn L.↗

Theory and simulation of collisionless parallel shocks

This paper presents a self-consistent theoretical model for collisionless parallel shock structure, based on the hypothesis that shock dissipation and heating can be provided by electromagnetic ion beam-driven instabilities. It is shown that shock formation and plasma heating can result from parallel propagating electromagnetic ion beam-driven instabilities for a wide range of Mach numbers and upstream plasma conditions. The theoretical predictions are compared with recently published observations of quasi-parallel interplanetary shocks. It was found that low Mach number interplanetary shock observations were consistent with the explanation that group-standing waves are providing the dissipation; two high Mach number observations confirmed the theoretically predicted rapid thermalization across the shock.

Quest, K. B.↗

Fire Protection Materials

Avco has drawn upon its heat shield experience to develop a number of widely-accepted commercial fire protection materials. Originating from NASA's space shuttle thermal protection system, one such material is Chartek 59 fireproofing, an intumescent epoxy coating specifically designed for outdoor use by industrial facilities dealing with highly flammable products such as oil refineries and chemical plants. The coating is applied usually by spray gun to exterior structural steel conduits, pipes and valves, offshore platforms and liquefied petroleum gas tanks. Fireproofing provides two types of protection: ablation or dissipation of heat by burn-off and "intumescence" or swelling; the coating swells to about five times its original size, forming a protective blanket of char which retards transfer of heat to the metal structure preventing loss of structural strength and possible collapse which would compound the fire fighting problem.

Source record↗

Revealing the Multiscale Nature of Turbulence in Space Plasmas with an Innovative Swarm of Spacecraft

Abstract: Turbulence is fundamentally a multiscale phenomena, with energy, mass, and momentum being transported across both spatial and temporal scales. In a magnetized collisionless plasma, there are unresolved questions about the structure of the turbulent transfer of energy, as well as how the energy is extracted from the cascade and dissipated as heat in the constituent charged particles. The plasma in the solar wind acts as an accessible natural laboratory to study these processes, and much progress has indeed been made since the dawn of the space age in understanding turbulence via in situ observations of turbulent plasmas near Earth. However, to date, these observations have been limited to a single, or at best, a tight cluster of points, leading to ambiguities in at what scales energy is contained, how it is transported, and by what mechanism it is dissipated. In this presentation, we describe a heliophysics mission concept aimed at understanding turbulence that is enabled by a swarm of small satellites. The proposed "HelioSwarm" mission will measure turbulent fields and flows and charged particles simultaneously at many points spanning size and time scales from the fluid to sub-ion regime. In doing so, we will be able to disentangle how the turbulence depends on time and space, directly observe the change in internal energy in the plasma, and definitively capture the dynamic relation between turbulence and structures. While the processes under examination are universal, arising throughout our solar system and universe, they are difficult to reproduce in either terrestrial laboratories or numerical simulations, meaning that the only a multipoint observatory in the near-Earth heliosphere will be able to study them in sufficient detail to discern the underlying physics. In this talk, we highlight the enabling role that small satellites play in providing closure on these long-standing but critically important science questions.

Spence, H. E.↗

Lightweight Damage Tolerant, High-Temperature Radiators for Nuclear Power and Propulsion

NASA is increasingly emphasizing exploration to bodies beyond near-Earth orbit. New propulsion systems and new spacecraft are being built for these missions. As the target bodies get further out from Earth, high energy density systems, e.g., nuclear fusion, for propulsion and power will be advantageous. The mass and size of these systems, including supporting systems such as the heat exchange system, including thermal radiators, will need to be as small as possible. Conventional heat exchange systems are a significant portion of the total thermal management mass and size. Nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) is a promising option for high-speed, in-space travel due to the high energy density of nuclear fission power sources and efficient electric thrusters. Heat from the reactor is converted to power for use in propulsion or for system power. The heat not used in the power conversion is then radiated to space as shown in figure 1. Advanced power conversion technologies will require high operating temperatures and would benefit from lightweight radiator materials. Radiator performance dictates power output for nuclear electric propulsion systems. Pitch-based carbon fiber materials have the potential to offer significant improvements in operating temperature, thermal conductivity, and mass. These properties combine to allow significant decreases in the total mass of the radiators and significant increases in the operating temperature of the fins. A Center-funded project at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has shown that high thermal conductivity, woven carbon fiber fins with no matrix material, can be used to dissipate waste heat from NEP systems and because of high specific power (kW/kg), will require less mass and possibly less total area than standard metal and composite radiator fins for radiating the same amount of heat. This project uses an innovative approach to reduce the mass and size required for the thermal radiators to the point that in-space NEP and power is enabled. High thermal conductivity carbon fibers are lightweight, damage tolerant, and can be heated to high temperature. Areal densities in the NASA set target range of 2 to 4 kg/m2 (for enabling NEP) are achieved and with specific powers (kW/kg) a factor of about 7 greater than conventional metal fins and about 1.5 greater than carbon composite fins. Figure 2 shows one fin under test. All tests were done under vacuum conditions.

Craven, Paul D.↗

Fusion Propulson System Requirements for an Interstellar Probe

An examination of the engine constraints for a fusion-propelled vehicle indicates that minimum flight times for a probe to a 5 light-year star will be approximately 50 years. The principal restraint on the vehicle is the radiator weight and size necessary to dissipate the heat which enters the chamber walls from the fusion plasma. However, it is interesting, at least theoretically, that the confining magnetic field strength is of reasonable magnitude, 2 to 3 x 10(exp5) gauss, and the confinement time is approximately 0.1 sec.

FUSION↗

Metal drilling with portable hand drills

Study of metal drilling solves problems of excessive burring, oversized holes, and out-of-round holes. Recommendations deal with using the proper chemical coolants, applying the coolants effectively, employing cutting oils, and dissipating the heat caused by drilling.

Edmiston, W. B.↗

Further aspects of weak shock theory applied to the solar chromosphere.

The low chromosphere now seems definitely to require mechanical heating, and dissipation of initially acoustic waves by shocking is one of the most promising possibilities. Results of recent calculations indicate that the weak shock theory may be applicable in this case, but discrepancies exist among various applications of this theory, and the explanations offered to date are not completely satisfactory. It is shown that the different approximations used by different authors to evaluate the mechanical flux integral play an important role in producing these discrepancies, in addition to the already well-known effects of the density scale heights and the wave periods. Arguments are presented favoring Ulmschneider's (1970, 1971) method for evaluation of this flux integral.

Jordan, S. D.↗

Magnetic fields and dense chromospheres in dMe stars

The hypothesis is investigated that dense chromospheres of dMe stars are heated by dissipation of hydromagnetic waves which may be generated in active regions where the nonspot magnetic field strength can be as large as 5 to 10 kG. It is proposed that dMe stars are a set of magnetic stars on the lower main sequence which have strong fields generated by dynamo action in deep convective envelopes, while dM stars are nonmagnetic or weakly magnetic stars having no starspots on their surfaces. The combination of magnetic fields and dense chromospheres in dMe stars is shown to provide consistent evidence for several conclusions, including: (1) the dMe stars which are most likely to be flare stars are those with hydrogen emission lines and (2) propagation of flare-initiated coronal waves can trigger sympathetic stellar flares. It is suggested that grain formation occurs in starspots of dMe stars and that such grains in a circumstellar shell are responsible for the systematic IR excesses of dMe stars relative to dM stars.

Mullan, D. J.↗

Microelectrophoretic apparatus and process

New gel tray and lid assemblies designed for use in conjunction with slotted electrophoretic membranes were developed to take advantage of recently improved microelectrophoretic accessories which include a multisample applicator capable of applying up to 10 samples consecutively or simultaneously, and a temperature control plate for dissipating the heat produced by electrophoresis in a gel. The trays and membranes can be marketed ready for use as electrophoretic media or impregnated with various specific substrates and dyes

Grunbaum, B. W.↗

Recycling isoelectric focusing with computer controlled data acquisition system

Isoelectric focusing is a high-resolution technique for separating and purifying large peptides, proteins, and other biomolecules. The apparatus described in the present paper constitutes a new approach to fluid stabilization and increased throughput. Stabilization is achieved by flowing the process fluid uniformly through an array of closely spaced filter elements oriented parallel both to the electrodes and the direction of the flow. This seems to overcome the major difficulties of parabolic flow and electroosmosis at the walls, while limiting the convection to chamber compartments defined by adjacent spacers. Increased throughput is achieved by recirculating the process fluid through external heat exchange reservoirs, where the Joule heat is dissipated.

Egen, N. B.↗