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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 NTRS2008

Adaptation and Re-Use of Spacecraft Power System Models for the Constellation Program

NASA's Constellation Program is embarking on a new era of space exploration, returning to the Moon and beyond. The Constellation architecture will consist of a number of new spacecraft elements, including the Orion crew exploration vehicle, the Altair lunar lander, and the Ares family of launch vehicles. Each of these new spacecraft elements will need an electric power system, and those power systems will need to be designed to fulfill unique mission objectives and to survive the unique environments encountered on a lunar exploration mission. As with any new spacecraft power system development, preliminary design work will rely heavily on analysis to select the proper power technologies, size the power system components, and predict the system performance throughout the required mission profile. Constellation projects have the advantage of leveraging power system modeling developments from other recent programs such as the International Space Station (ISS) and the Mars Exploration Program. These programs have developed mature power system modeling tools, which can be quickly modified to meet the unique needs of Constellation, and thus provide a rapid capability for detailed power system modeling that otherwise would not exist.

Hojnicki, Jeffrey S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Development of a uninterrupted power system: ac and dc to dc converter

This program covered the design, fabrication and testing of an advanced development model uninterrupted power system. The input and output requirements imposed on the power processor were specified such that the unit is electrically interchangeable with existing power systems used by the Federal Aviation Administration in installations which have a history of failure due to electrical transient conditions. Input power is from either of two single-phase ac power sources or batteries with electronic selection and transfer between power sources. Battery reconditioning is automatic when either ac source is present. The output power is rated at 84OW; the nominal output is 24V at 35A. Within the 84OW limit, the regulated output voltage is adjustable from 22V to 30Vdc. Protection against continuous overloading or short circuit is provided. The unit is packaged in a standard 19-inch rack mount configuration with 7-inch panel height. Controls are on the front panel with power input and output through connectors on the rear surface. Cooling is by free convection from fin areas located on the side and rear panels. The packaged unit weighs 52.8 lbs., which can be reduced significantly if a three-phase ac power source is used.

Cronin, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Overview of Multi-kilowatt Free-Piston Stirling Power Conversion Research at GRC

As a step towards development of Stirling power conversion for potential use in Fission Surface Power (FSP) systems, a pair of commercially available 1 kW class free-piston Stirling convertors and a pair of commercially available pressure wave generators (which will be plumbed together to create a high power Stirling linear alternator test rig) have been procured for in-house testing at Glenn Research Center. Delivery of both the Stirling convertors and the linear alternator test rig is expected by October, 2007. The 1 kW class free-piston Stirling convertors will be tested at GRC to map and verify performance. The convertors will later be modified to operate with a NaK liquid metal pumped loop for thermal energy input. The high power linear alternator test rig will be used to map and verify high power Stirling linear alternator performance and to develop power management and distribution (PMAD) methods and techniques. This paper provides an overview of the multi-kilowatt free-piston Stirling power conversion work being performed at GRC.

Geng, Steven M.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Development of a solar-powered residential air conditioner: System optimization preliminary specification

Investigations aimed at the optimization of a baseline Rankine cycle solar powered air conditioner and the development of a preliminary system specification were conducted. Efforts encompassed the following: (1) investigations of the use of recuperators/regenerators to enhance the performance of the baseline system, (2) development of an off-design computer program for system performance prediction, (3) optimization of the turbocompressor design to cover a broad range of conditions and permit operation at low heat source water temperatures, (4) generation of parametric data describing system performance (COP and capacity), (5) development and evaluation of candidate system augmentation concepts and selection of the optimum approach, (6) generation of auxiliary power requirement data, (7) development of a complete solar collector-thermal storage-air conditioner computer program, (8) evaluation of the baseline Rankine air conditioner over a five day period simulating the NASA solar house operation, and (9) evaluation of the air conditioner as a heat pump.

Rousseau, J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Development of a high power microwave thruster, with a magnetic nozzle, for space applications

This paper describes the current development of a high-power microwave electrothermal thruster (MET) concept at the NASA Lewis Research Center. Such a thruster would be employed in space for applications such as orbit raining, orbit maneuvering, station change, and possibly trans-lunar or trans-planetary propulsion of spacecraft. The MET concept employs low frequency continuous wave (CW) microwave power to create and continuously pump energy into a flowing propellant gas at relative high pressure via a plasma discharge. The propellant is heated to very high bulk temperatures while passing through the plasma discharge region and then is expanded through a throat-nozzle assembly to produce thrust, as in a conventional rocket engine. Apparatus, which is described, is being assembled at NASA Lewis to test the MET concept to CW power levels of 30 kW at a frequency of 915 MHz. The microwave energy is applied in a resonant cavity applicator and is absorbed by a plasma discharge in the flowing propellant. The ignited plasma acts as a lossy load, and with optimal tuning, energy absorption efficiencies over 95 percent (based on the applied microwave power) are expected. Nitrogen, helium, and hydrogen will be tested as propellants in the MET, at discharge chamber pressures to 10 atm.

Power, John L.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Progress in High Power Density SOFC Material Development for Aerospace Applications

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems for aircraft applications require order of magnitude increase in specific power density and long life under aircraft operating conditions. Advanced SOFC materials and fabrication processes are being developed at NASA GRC to increase specific power density and durability of SOFC cell and stack. Initial research efforts for increasing specific power density are directed toward increasing the operating temperature for the SOFC system and reducing the weight of the stack. While significant research is underway to develop anode supported SOFC system operating at temperatures in the range of 650 - 850 C for ground power generation applications, such temperatures may not yield the power densities required for aircraft applications. For electrode-supported cells, SOFC stacks with power densities greater than 1.0 W/sq cm are favorable at temperatures in excess of 900 C. The performance of various commercial and developmental anode supported cells is currently being evaluated in the temperature range of 900 to 1000 C to assess the performance gains and materials reliability. The results from these studies will be presented. Since metal interconnects developed for lower temperature operation are not practical at these high temperatures, advanced perovskite based ceramic interconnects with high electronic conductivity and lower sintering temperatures are being developed. Another option for increasing specific power density of SOFC stacks is to decrease the stack weight. Since the interconnect contributes to a significant portion of the stack weight, considerable weight benefits can be derived by decreasing its thickness. Eliminating the gas channels in the interconnect by engineering the pore structure in both anode and cathode can offer significant reduction in thickness of the ceramic interconnect material. New solid oxide fuel cells are being developed with porous engineered electrode supported structures with a 10 - 20 micron thin electrolyte. The performance data for advanced SOFC cells with engineered porosity in both electrodes will be presented.

Cable, Thomas L.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Development of a novel power system for space applications

This paper will describe the power ASICs, module and slices, the key performance capabilities, and the power system architecture of a sample system. In addition the current development status of the X2000 Power System components will be presented.

power systems↗
NASA NTRS1978

Storage systems for solar thermal power

The development status is reviewed of some thermal energy storage technologies specifically oriented towards providing diurnal heat storage for solar central power systems and solar total energy systems. These technologies include sensible heat storage in caverns and latent heat storage using both active and passive heat exchange processes. In addition, selected thermal storage concepts which appear promising to a variety of advanced solar thermal system applications are discussed.

Calogeras, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Design Considerations and Development Status for Atmospheric Powered Descent of High-Mass Payloads at Mars

Retropropulsion, initiated at supersonic conditions, is the only presently viable approach to the descent and landing of human-scale payloads on Mars, providing both deceleration and control authority for precision landing. Atmospheric powered descent challenges traditional processes and dependencies in system design. Changes to a design by one discipline have a greater potential to affect overall vehicle performance than in the case of powered descent with no atmosphere. The interdependence is due to the sensitivity of propulsive-aerodynamic interference effects to small changes in configuration or operational environment. The fidelity of Mars exploration architectures has increased in recent years, and the conditions and designs with the lowest aerosciences uncertainties are no longer as flight-relevant. At this time, there is no human-rated vehicle relying on retropropulsion for descent and landing in an atmospheric environment. Continued development of powered descent for atmospheric environments is enabled by progressive balanced investments in ground testing, predictive computational capabilities, and flight testing and demonstration.

EDL↗
NASA NTRS1982

Development of management technology for large power systems

Autonomous power management has been proposed as a method to perform optimization of power subsystem performance in connection with the management of multikilowatt space platforms. A concept for a 250-kW utility-type power subsystem was developed. A Cassegrain concentrator solar array primary source is conditioned by a solar array switching unit which supplies seventeen 220 +20 Vdc power channels. A power management subsystem provides the monitoring and control of the overall electrical power subsystem. The discussed system concept for autonomous management of high power space platforms utilizes on-board microprocessors in a decentralized data management architecture. A data bus protocol and a data bus contention resolution scheme were selected in conjunction with the dencentralized management architecture.

Decker, D. K.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Status of the NASA Space Power Program

The NASA Space Power Research and Technology Program has the objective to provide the technological basis for satisfying the nation's future needs regarding electrical power in space. The development of power sources of low mass and increased environmental resistance is considered. Attention is given to advances in the area of photovoltaic energy conversion, improved Ni-Cd battery components, a nickel-hydrogen battery, remotely activated silver-zinc and lithium-water batteries, the technology of an advanced water electrolysis/regenerative fuel cell system, aspects of thermal-to-electric conversion, environmental interactions, multi-kW low cost systems, and high-performance systems.

Mullin, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Evaluation of high-voltage, high-power, solid-state remote power controllers for amps

The Electrical Power Branch at Marshall Space Flight Center has a Power System Development Facility where various power circuit breadboards are tested and evaluated. This project relates to the evaluation of a particular remote power controller (RPC) energizing high power loads. The Facility equipment permits the thorough testing and evaluation of high-voltage, high-power solid-state remote power controllers. The purpose is to evaluate a Type E, 30 Ampere, 200 V dc remote power controller. Three phases of the RPC evaluation are presented. The RPC is evaluated within a low-voltage, low-power circuit to check its operational capability. The RPC is then evaluated while performing switch/circuit breaker functions within a 200 V dc, 30 Ampere power circuit. The final effort of the project relates to the recommended procedures for installing these RPC's into the existing Autonomously Managed Power System (AMPS) breadboard/test facility at MSFC.

Callis, Charles P.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lightweight, Flexible, Thin, Integrated Solar-Power Packs

Lightweight, flexible, thin, one-piece, solar-power packs are undergoing development. Each power pack of this type is a complete, modular, integrated power-supply system comprising three power subsystems that, in conventional practice, have been constructed as separate units and connected to each other by wires. These power packs are amenable to a variety of uses: For example, they could be laminated to the tops of tents and other shelters to provide or augment power for portable electronic equipment in the field, and they could be used as power sources for such small portable electronic systems as radio transceivers (including data relays and cellular telephones), laptop computers, video camcorders, and Global Positioning System receivers.

Hanson, Robert R.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Overview of Multi-Kilowatt Free-Piston Stirling Power Conversion Research at Glenn Research Center

As a step towards development of Stirling power conversion for potential use in Fission Surface Power (FSP) systems, a pair of commercially available 1 kW class free-piston Stirling convertors and a pair of commercially available pressure wave generators (which will be plumbed together to create a high power Stirling linear alternator test rig) have been procured for in-house testing at Glenn Research Center (GRC). Delivery of both the Stirling convertors and the linear alternator test rig is expected by October 2007. The 1 kW class free-piston Stirling convertors will be tested at GRC to map and verify performance. The convertors will later be modified to operate with a NaK liquid metal pumped loop for thermal energy input. The high power linear alternator test rig will be used to map and verify high power Stirling linear alternator performance and to develop power management and distribution (PMAD) methods and techniques. This paper provides an overview of the multi-kilowatt free-piston Stirling power conversion work being performed at GRC.

Geng, Steven M.↗
NASA NTRS2018

High Power Advanced Solar Electric Propulsion Development Under NASA's NextSTEP Project

Human missions to Mars will require next generation solar electric propulsion (SEP) systems that can operate at power levels of 300 kW or higher to efficiently transport crew and cargo. In the mid-2020s, NASA is planning to launch the Deep Space Gateway (DSG), which is a crew-tended habitat that will be placed in orbit around the Moon. NASA is developing 12.5 kW Hall thrusters for the DSG. In the late 2020s, the DSG will be followed by a second vehicle, called the Deep Space Transport (DST), which will simulate a crewed Mars mission in cislunar space. In parallel with the 12.5 kW thrusters for the DSG, NASA is initiating development of 100 kW thrusters for potential demonstration on the DST. In 2016, NASA issued a Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) Broad Agency Announcement to solicit proposals for development of high-power electric thrusters. The partnerships require at least 50 percent cost sharing by the companies. Three companies were selected for development activities lasting up to three years: Ad Astra, Aerojet Rocketdyne, and MSNW. Ad Astra is developing a Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR), Aerojet Rocketdyne is developing a Nested Hall Thruster (NHT), and MSNW is developing an Electrodeless Lorentz Force (ELF) plasma thruster. The primary goal of these activities is to operate the thrusters at 100 kW for 100 continuous hours in a vacuum chamber. In addition to the thrusters, the companies are developing Power Processing Units (PPUs), propellant feed systems, and thermal management systems. This presentation will describe the three activities, the progress they have made in achieving the primary testing goal, the technical challenges they have encountered, and discuss the importance of extensibility.

Moore, Chris↗
NASA NTRS1983

Development of a rotary power transformer and inverter drive for spacecraft

Many future satellites and spacecraft with spun and despun configurations will require the transfer of power across rotating interfaces in lieu of slip-rings and/or flexures. This is particularly true of spacecraft that have to demonstrate a long life expectancy. The rotary transformer has the desirable characteristics of high reliability and low noise, which qualify it as a potential replacement for slip rings. Development of a rotary power transformer follows the successful completion of a task to develop rotary signal-level transformers for the Galileo Spacecraft Project. The physical configuration of a rotary power transformer has a significant effect on its magnetic and electrical characteristics and therefore impacts the design of the dc/ac inverter driver. Important characteristics addressed during this development effort include: operating frequency, efficiency, transformer gap size, leakage inductance, and leakage flux. A breadboard inverter and rotary transformer were designed, fabricated and tested.

Mclyman, W. T.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Advances in thin-film solar cells for lightweight space photovoltaic power

The development of photovoltaic arrays beyond the next generation is discussed with attention given to the potentials of thin-film polycrystalline and amorphous cells. Of particular importance is the efficiency (the fraction of incident solar energy converted to electricity) and specific power (power to weight ratio). It is found that the radiation tolerance of thin-film materials is far greater than that of single crystal materials. CuInSe2 shows no degradation when exposed to 1-MeV electrons.

Landis, Geoffrey A.↗