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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
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

10.7-cm solar radio flux and the magnetic complexity of active regions

During sunspot cycles 20 and 21, the maximum in smoothed 10.7-cm solar radio flux occurred about 1.5 yr after the maximum smoothed sunspot number, whereas during cycles 18 and 19 no lag was observed. Thus, although 10.7-cm radio flux and Zurich sunspot number are highly correlated, they are not interchangeable, especially near solar maximum. The 10.7-cm flux more closely follows the number of sunspots visible on the solar disk, while the Zurich sunspot number more closely follows the number of sunspot groups. The number of sunspots in an active region is one measure of the complexity of the magnetic structure of the region, and the coincidence in the maxima of radio flux and number of sunspots apparently reflects higher radio emission from active regions of greater magnetic complexity. The presence of a lag between sunspot-number maximum and radio-flux maximum in some cycles but not in others argues that some aspect of the average magnetic complexity near solar maximum must vary from cycle to cycle. A speculative possibility is that the radio-flux lag discriminates between long-period and short-period cycles, being another indicator that the solar cycle switches between long-period and short-period modes.

Wilson, Robert M.↗
NASA NTRS2015

High-Efficiency Hall Thruster Discharge Power Converter

Busek Company, Inc., is designing, building, and testing a new printed circuit board converter. The new converter consists of two series or parallel boards (slices) intended to power a high-voltage Hall accelerator (HiVHAC) thruster or other similarly sized electric propulsion devices. The converter accepts 80- to 160-V input and generates 200- to 700-V isolated output while delivering continually adjustable 300-W to 3.5-kW power. Busek built and demonstrated one board that achieved nearly 94 percent efficiency the first time it was turned on, with projected efficiency exceeding 97 percent following timing software optimization. The board has a projected specific mass of 1.2 kg/kW, achieved through high-frequency switching. In Phase II, Busek optimized to exceed 97 percent efficiency and built a second prototype in a form factor more appropriate for flight. This converter then was integrated with a set of upgraded existing boards for powering magnets and the cathode. The program culminated with integrating the entire power processing unit and testing it on a Busek thruster and on NASA's HiVHAC thruster.

Jaquish, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS1989

An adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator for SIRTF

An adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) has been proposed to cool bolometric infrared detectors on the multiband imaging photometer of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF). One such refrigerator has been built which uses a ferric ammonium alum salt pill suspended by nylon threads in a 3-T solenoid. The resonant modes of this suspension are above 100 Hz. The heat leak to the salt pill is less than 0.5 microW. The system has a hold time at 0.1K of more than 12 h. The cold stage temperature is regulated with a feedback loop that controls the magnetic field. A second, similar refrigerator is being built at a SIRTF prototype to fly on a ballon-borne telescope. It will use a ferromagnetic shield. The possibility of using a high-Tc solenoid-actuated heat switch is also discussed.

Timbie, P. T.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Heterogeneous Integration Technologies for High-temperature, High-density, Low-profile Power Modules of Wide Bandgap Devices in Electric Drive Applications (Final Technical Report)

The goal of this project is to develop packaging technologies for making high-temperature, high-density, and low-profile wide-bandgap (WBG) power electronics modules for electric drives. These modules are aimed at enabling the DOE’s University Consortium to reach its 2025 inverter targets of ≥ 100 kW/L and ≤ 2.7 $/kW. The specific objectives are to: design and fabricate SiC half-bridge power modules with double-sided cooling and parasitic inductances < 5 nH, heat flux density > 400 W/cm 2 , and working junction temperature of 200 o C; design, fabricate, and deliver a gate driver with double-sided cooled modules for the construction of a 100 kW/L inverter at Oak Ridge National Lab; and design and prototype intelligent gate drivers with integrated current sensor and a low-profile DC-DC power supply with air-core transformer for testing power modules at 200 o C junction temperature. We followed an iterative technical approach of design, simulation, fabrication, and testing of various versions of modules, current sensors, and power supply. The state-of-the-art silicon carbide devices rated at 1.2 kV and 149 A were packaged by sintered-silver bonding on an aluminum nitride direct-bond-copper substrate for high thermal conductivity, high working temperature, and high joint reliability. Porous silver posts were used to interconnect the device’s source pads to the other direct-bond-copper substrate for low mechanical stresses, ease of manufacturing, and double-sided cooling. A current sensor based on package parasitic inductance was developed to measure switching current. A dynamic feedback scheme was developed to compensate the effect of parasitic resistance and temperature variation. A constant-current class-E dc-dc converter with air-core transformer was developed. Air-core transformer was used due to the unavailability of magnetic core at high temperatures. Gate driver and power supply were integrated with the double-side cooled, high temperature SiC power modules for testing the modules at 200 o C junction temperature. Double-pulse and continuous testing of the integrated technologies validated the design and fabrication of the three component technologies. Throughout the project, we overcame the challenge for design verification caused by low prototyping yield, which then helped train the graduate students, the future workforce, to learn the engineering know-how for low-cost manufacturing of reliable products. Below is a summary of the major accomplishments of this project: development of a prototyping process for fabricating double-side cooled (1200 V, 149 A) SiC phase-leg modules capable of working to 200 o C Tj; simulation and experimental verification of the improvement of thermo-mechanical reliability of the double-side cooled SiC phase-leg module by using rigid encapsulant; design and experimental validation of a current sensor based on package parasitic inductance and a compensation solution for eliminating the effect of parasitic resistance; design and experimental validation of a low-profile power supply with six-output air-core transformer for gate driver; functional demonstration of a SiC phase-leg module integrated with its gate driver, current sensor, and an air-core power supply at 200 o C Tj in a double-pulse switching test setup and Buck converter continuous test setup; successful completion of six PhD and two MS students who are or will work at Apple Inc., Tesla Inc., Wolfspeed Inc., Microchip Inc., Monolithic Power Systems Inc., and LG Magna Inc.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS2003

High-Energy Two-Stage Pulsed Plasma Thruster

A high-energy (28 kJ per pulse) two-stage pulsed plasma thruster (MSFC PPT-1) has been constructed and tested. The motivation of this project is to develop a high power (approximately 500 kW), high specific impulse (approximately 10000 s), highly efficient (greater than 50%) thruster for use as primary propulsion in a high power nuclear electric propulsion system. PPT-1 was designed to overcome four negative characteristics which have detracted from the utility of pulsed plasma thrusters: poor electrical efficiency, poor propellant utilization efficiency, electrode erosion, and reliability issues associated with the use of high speed gas valves and high current switches. Traditional PPTs have been plagued with poor efficiency because they have not been operated in a plasma regime that fully exploits the potential benefits of pulsed plasma acceleration by electromagnetic forces. PPTs have generally been used to accelerate low-density plasmas with long current pulses. Operation of thrusters in this plasma regime allows for the development of certain undesirable particle-kinetic effects, such as Hall effect-induced current sheet canting. PPT-1 was designed to propel a highly collisional, dense plasma that has more fluid-like properties and, hence, is more effectively pushed by a magnetic field. The high-density plasma loading into the second stage of the accelerator is achieved through the use of a dense plasma injector (first stage). The injector produces a thermal plasma, derived from a molten lithium propellant feed system, which is subsequently accelerated by the second stage using mega-amp level currents, which eject the plasma at a speed on the order of 100 kilometers per second. Traditional PPTs also suffer from dynamic efficiency losses associated with snowplow loading of distributed neutral propellant. The twostage scheme used in PPT-I allows the propellant to be loaded in a manner which more closely approximates the optimal slug loading. Lithium propellant was chosen to test whether or not the reduced electrode erosion found in the Lithium Lorentz Force Accelerator (LiLFA) could also be realized in a pulsed plasma thruster. The use of the molten lithium dense plasma injector also eliminates the need for a gas valve and electrical switch; the injector design fulfills both roles, and uses no moving parts to provide, in principle, a highly reliable propellant feed and electrical switching system. Experimental results reported in this paper include: second-stage current traces, high-speed photographic and holographic imaging of the thruster exit plume, and internal mapping of the discharge chamber magnetic field from B-dot probe data. The magnetic field data is used to create a two-dimensional description of the evolution of the current sheet inside the thruster.

Markusic, Tom↗
NASA NTRS2000

High frequency, small signal MH loops of ferromagnetic thin films

A method is presented for transforming the high frequency bias susceptibility measurements of ferromagnetic thin films into the form of a MH loop with, depending upon the measurement geometry, the y-axis zero crossing giving a measure of the coercive force or anisotropy field. The loops provide a measure of the quantitative and qualitative high frequency switching properties of ferromagnetic thin films. c2000 American Institute of Physics.

NASA Discipline Life Sciences Technologies↗
NASA NTRS1980

Ion beams from laser-generated plasmas

The paper describes the space-charge-limited beams produced by the plasma blowoffs generated by 20-MW bursts of 1.06-micron radiation from an active Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Laser power densities near 10 to the 11th/sq cm on solid targets generate thermalized plasma plumes which drift to a 15-kV gridded extraction gap where the ions are extracted, accelerated, and electrostatically focused; the spatially defined ion beams are then magnetically analyzed to determine the charge state content in the beams formed from carbon, aluminum, copper, and lead targets. This technique preserves time-of-flight (TOF) information in the plasma drift region, which permits plasma ion temperatures and mass flow velocities to be determined from the Maxwellian ion curve TOF shapes for the individual charge species.

Hughes, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Switching Circuit for Shop Vacuum System

No internal connections to machine tools required. Switching circuit controls vacuum system draws debris from grinders and sanders in machine shop. Circuit automatically turns on vacuum system whenever at least one sander or grinder operating. Debris safely removed, even when operator neglects to turn on vacuum system manually. Pickup coils sense alternating magnetic fields just outside operating machines. Signal from any coil or combination of coils causes vacuum system to be turned on.

Burley, R. K.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Filtering and Control of High Speed Motor Current in a Flywheel Energy Storage System

The NASA Glenn Research Center has been developing technology to enable the use of high speed flywheel energy storage units in future spacecraft for the last several years. An integral part of the flywheel unit is the three phase motor/generator that is used to accelerate and decelerate the flywheel. The motor/generator voltage is supplied from a pulse width modulated (PWM) inverter operating from a fixed DC voltage supply. The motor current is regulated through a closed loop current control that commands the necessary voltage from the inverter to achieve the desired current. The current regulation loop is the innermost control loop of the overall flywheel system and, as a result, must be fast and accurate over the entire operating speed range (20,000 to 60,000 rpm) of the flywheel. The voltage applied to the motor is a high frequency PWM version of the DC bus voltage that results in the commanded fundamental value plus higher order harmonics. Most of the harmonic content is at the switching frequency and above. The higher order harmonics cause a rapid change in voltage to be applied to the motor that can result in large voltage stresses across the motor windings. In addition, the high frequency content in the motor causes sensor noise in the magnetic bearings that leads to disturbances for the bearing control. To alleviate these problems, a filter is used to present a more sinusoidal voltage to the motor/generator. However, the filter adds additional dynamics and phase lag to the motor system that can interfere with the performance of the current regulator. This paper will discuss the tuning methodology and results for the motor/generator current regulator and the impact of the filter on the control. Results at speeds up to 50,000 rpm are presented.

Kenny, Barbara H.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Development of Cryogenic Filter Wheels for the HERSCHEL Photodetector Array Camera & Spectrometer (PACS)

This paper describes the two PACS Filter Wheels that are direct-drive rotational mechanisms operated at a temperature below 5K inside the PACS focal plane unit of the Herschel Satellite. The purpose of the mechanisms is to switch between filters. The rotation axis is pivoted to the support structure via a slightly preloaded pair of ball bearings and driven by a Cryotorquer. Position sensing is realized by a pair of Hall effect sensors. Powerless positioning at the filter positions is achieved by a magnetic ratchet system. The key technologies are the Cryotorquer design and the magnetic ratchet design in the low temperature range. Furthermore, we will report on lessons learned during the development and qualification of the mechanism and the paint.

Koerner, Christian↗
NASA NTRS1977

Potential damage to DC superconducting magnets due to the high frequency electromagnetic waves

Experimental data are presented in support of the hypothesis that a dc superconducting magnet coil does not behave strictly as an inductor, but as a complicated electrodynamic device capable of supporting electromagnetic waves. Travel times of nanosecond pulses and evidence of sinusoidal standing waves were observed on a prototype four-layer solenoidal coil at room temperature. Ringing observed during switching transients appears as a sequence of multiple reflected square pulses whose durations are related to the layer lengths. With sinusoidal excitation of the coil, the voltage amplitude between a pair of points on the coil exhibits maxima at those frequencies such that the distance between these points is an odd multiple of half wavelength in free space. Evidence indicates that any disturbance, such as that resulting from switching or sudden fault, initiates multiple reflections between layers, thus raising the possibility for sufficiently high voltages to cause breakdown.

Gabriel, G. J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spectroscopic Signatures of Phonon Character in Molecular Electron Spin Relaxation

Spin–lattice relaxation constitutes a key challenge for the development of quantum technologies, as it destroys superpositions in molecular quantum bits (qubits) and magnetic memory in single molecule magnets (SMMs). Gaining mechanistic insight into the spin relaxation process has proven challenging owing to a lack of spectroscopic observables and contradictions among theoretical models. Here, we use pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to profile changes in spin relaxation rates (T 1 ) as a function of both temperature and magnetic field orientation, forming a two-dimensional data matrix. For randomly oriented powder samples, spin relaxation anisotropy changes dramatically with temperature, delineating multiple regimes of relaxation processes for each Cu(II) molecule studied. We show that traditional T 1 fitting approaches cannot reliably extract this information. Single-crystal T 1 anisotropy experiments reveal a surprising change in spin relaxation symmetry between these two regimes. We interpret this switch through the concept of a spin relaxation tensor, enabling discrimination between delocalized lattice phonons and localized molecular vibrations in the two relaxation regimes. Variable-temperature T 1 anisotropy thus provides a unique spectroscopic method to interrogate the character of nuclear motions causing spin relaxation and the loss of quantum information.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Hybrid Nonlinear Control Scheme for Active Magnetic Bearings

A nonlinear control scheme for active magnetic bearings is presented in this work. Magnet winding currents are chosen as control inputs for the electromechanical dynamics, which are linearized using feedback linearization. Then, the desired magnet currents are enforced by sliding mode control design of the electromagnetic dynamics. The overall control scheme is described by a multiple loop block diagram; the approach also falls in the class of nonlinear controls that are collectively known as the 'integrator backstepping' method. Control system hardware and new switching power electronics for implementing the controller are described. Various experiments and simulation results are presented to demonstrate the concepts' potentials.

Xia, F.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Metal vapor vacuum arc switching - Applications and results

The design of metal-vapor vacuum-arc switches (MVSs) for electromagnetic launchers is discussed, and preliminary results are presented for an experimental MVS. The general principles of triggered-vacuum-gap and vacuum-interrupter MVSs are reviewed, and the requirements of electromagnetic launchers are analyzed. High-current design problems such as electrode erosion, current sharing, magnetic effects, and thermal effects are examined. The experimental MVS employs stainless-steel flanges, a glass vacuum vessel, an adjustable electrode gap, autonomous internal magnetic-field coils, and a tungsten-pin trigger assembly. Some results from tests without magnetic augmentation are presented graphically.

Cope, D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Design of Low Inductance Busbar for 500 kVA Three-Level ANPC Converter

The adoption of SiC devices in high power applications enables higher switching speed, which requires lower circuit parasitic inductance to reduce the voltage overshoot. This paper presents the design of a busbar for a 500 kVA three-level active natural clamped converter. The layout of the busbar is discussed in detail based on the analysis of the multiple commutation loops, magnetic cancelling effect, and DC-link capacitor placement. The loop inductance of the designed busbar is verified with simulation, impedance measurements and converter experiment. The results can match with each other and the inductances of small and large loop are 6.5 nH and 17.5 nH respectively, which is significantly lower than the busbars of NPC type converters in other references.

SiC MOSFET↗
NASA NTRS1975

The Rome-GSFC magnetic field experiment for Helios A and B /E 3/

The Rome-GSFC magnetic field experiment utilizes a triaxial fluxgate (saturable inductor) magnetometer. The sensor unit is mounted on the end of a boom approximately four meters from the spacecraft spin axis. The three analog outputs of the magnetometer are converted into three 9 bit digital words. The experiment utilizes an automatic inflight range switch to select the optimum dynamic range out of 4 ranges. A nonmagnetic thermally oscillating actuator is used to reorient the sensor unit by 90 deg to determine all three axes zero levels. The accuracy should be approximately plus or minus 0.1 gamma. The vector measurements are made at equal intervals in time ranging from 16 per second down to 1 per second depending on the telemetry bit rate.

Scearce, C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Advanced electrical power system technology for the all electric aircraft

The application of advanced electric power system technology to an all electric airplane results in an estimated reduction of the total takeoff gross weight of over 23,000 pounds for a large airplane. This will result in a 5 to 10 percent reduction in direct operating costs (DOC). Critical to this savings is the basic electrical power system component technology. These advanced electrical power components will provide a solid foundation for the materials, devices, circuits, and subsystems needed to satisfy the unique requirements of advanced all electric aircraft power systems. The program for the development of advanced electrical power component technology is described. The program is divided into five generic areas: semiconductor devices (transistors, thyristors, and diodes); conductors (materials and transmission lines); dielectrics; magnetic devices; and load management devices. Examples of progress in each of the five areas are discussed. Bipolar power transistors up to 1000 V at 100 A with a gain of 10 and a 0.5 microsec rise and fall time are presented. A class of semiconductor devices with a possibility of switching up to 100 kV is described. Solid state power controllers for load management at 120 to 1000 V and power levels to 25 kW were developed along with a 25 kW, 20 kHz transformer weighing only 3.2 kg.

Finke, R. C.↗