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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

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NASA NTRS1985

The Mission Oriented Terminal Area Simulation (MOTAS)

A new simulation facility is described in which flight management and flight operations research studies can be conducted in a highly realistic terminal area environment. The historical evolution and justification of the facility is discussed, along with the design configuration of the system hardware and software. Details are provided on the traffic management features of the terminal area model as well as the human controller and multicockpit interface capabilities. The facility is currently operational with two cockpit simulators, two air traffic control (ATC) stations, four pseudo pilot stations (PPS), a metering and spacing system of traffic flow control management, and terminal area models providing two route structure environments: area navigation (RNAV) for advanced-equipped aircraft and vectoring for conventionally-equipped aircraft. Plans for future experiments utilizing the facility are discussed.

Naftel, P. B.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Activities at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, introduction

Facilities and capabilities for disseminating imagery and other information are described as well as the computer center and production services offered. The scientific staff, visitor program, projects, conferences, publications, and communications are also discussed. Support for the Ames Vertical gun facility and the responsibilities of the Lunar and Planetary Science Council are summarized.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1987

Atmospheric Science Field Laboratory - A feasibility study

Plans are underway to transfer the technology represented by the lightning and atmospheric science research facilities and capabilities at the Kennedy Space Center to outside users in other government agencies, private industry, and the academic community. Rocket triggered lightning is being used to demonstrate the feasibility of establishing an Atmospheric Science Field Laboratory as a permanent facility and long-term cost sharing. Results from previous programs and data from a lightning event which occurred during the STS-7 flight are presented to demonstrate the adequacy of the present lightning protection and measuring system to protect personnel, vehicle, and ground equipment, as well as to rapidly assess damage due to a lightning event.

Jafferis, William↗

NASA NTRS2016

Building Airport Surface HITL Simulation Capability

FutureFlight Central is a high fidelity, real-time simulator designed to study surface operations and automation. As an air traffic control tower simulator, FFC allows stakeholders such as the FAA, controllers, pilots, airports, and airlines to develop and test advanced surface and terminal area concepts and automation including NextGen and beyond automation concepts and tools. These technologies will improve the safety, capacity and environmental issues facing the National Airspace system. FFC also has extensive video streaming capabilities, which combined with the 3-D database capability makes the facility ideal for any research needing an immersive virtual and or video environment. FutureFlight Central allows human in the loop testing which accommodates human interactions and errors giving a more complete picture than fast time simulations. This presentation describes FFCs capabilities and the components necessary to build an airport surface human in the loop simulation capability.

facility capabilities↗

NASA NTRS2022

Aerothermodynamic Measurements of Hypersonic Non-Equilibrium Flows

High enthalpy arc-jets are unique facilities particularly suited for producing complex flows in the aerospace field, such as the aerothermodynamics of a re-entry vehicle. Arc-jets are often used to evaluate important design factors that include heat shield materials and vehicle design. Characterization of these facilities is important, as studies often aim to match specific in-flight environments during experiments. Due to the complex environment produced by an arc-jet, with effects such as thermodynamic and chemical non-equilibrium occurring in the flow, characterization experiments are significantly more difficult than in conventional blow-down wind tunnels. The current work aims to characterize an arc-jet facility through spatially-resolved measurements of flow unsteadiness, temperature, and velocity. To achieve this goal, a non-intrusive imaging technique called “planar laser-induced fluorescence” was performed in the NASA Langley Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System arc-jet facility. The experimental data was analysed to produce the quantitative measurements in multiple regions of the flow around a blunt body specimen. A three-temperature low fidelity numerical solver was created to simulate the flow in order to investigate thermal non-equilibrium effects occurring outside the imaging region in the arc-jet nozzle. Unsteadiness in the test section of the arc-jet was minimized by analyzing a subset of data assessing the gas injection configuration. Radial velocity, rotational temperature and translational temperature measurements are provided that can be used to validate future computational studies. The temperature measurements revealed rotational non-equilibrium occurring behind the bow-shock near the specimen surface. Computational results show the facility is capable of producing thermal non-equilibrium flow in the arc-jet nozzle. This work provides the first experimental and computational evidence of thermal trans-rotational non-equilibrium occurring in multiple regions of this arc-jet facility. Significant improvements to the methodology are also identified as recommendations for future arc-jet characterization studies.

Laser induced fluorescence↗

NASA NTRS1996

Analysis of Measurements for Solid State Lidar Development

A Detector Characterization Facility (DCF), capable of measuring 2-micron detection devices and evaluating heterodyne receivers, was developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The DCF is capable of providing all the necessary detection parameters for design, development, and calibration of coherent and incoherent solid state laser radar (lidar) systems. The coherent lidars in particular require an accurate knowledge of detector heterodyne quantum efficient, nonlinearity properties, and voltage-current relationship as a function of applied optical power. At present, no detector manufacturer provides these qualities or adequately characterizes their detectors for heterodyne detection operation. In addition, the detector characterization facility measures the detectors DC and AC quantum efficiencies noise equivalent power and frequency response up to several GHz. The DCF is also capable of evaluating various heterodyne detection schemes such as balanced detectors and fiber optic interferometers. The design and analyses of measurements for the DCF were preformed over the previous year and a detailed description of its design and capabilities was provided in the NASA report NAS8-38609/DO77. It should also be noted that the DCF design was further improved to allow for the characterization of diffractive andholographical optical elements and other critical components of coherent lidar systems.

Amzajerdian, Farzin↗

NASA NTRS1974

PERF - A new approach to the experimental study of radiative aerodynamic heating and radiative blockage by ablation products

The present work describes a facility designed to validate the various aspects of radiative flow field theory, including the absorption of shock layer radiation by ablation products. The facility is capable of producing radiation with a spectrum similar to that of an entry vehicle shock layer and is designed to allow measurements at vacuum ultraviolet wavelengths where the most significant absorption by ablation products is predicted to occur. The design concept of the facility is presented along with results of theoretical analyses carried out to assess its research potential. Experimental data obtained during tests that simulated earth and Venusian entry and in which simulated ablation products were injected into the stagnation region flow field are discussed.

Walberg, G.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Satellite remote sensing facility for oceanograhic applications

The project organization, design process, and construction of a Remote Sensing Facility at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at LaJolla, California are described. The facility is capable of receiving, processing, and displaying oceanographic data received from satellites. Data are primarily imaging data representing the multispectral ocean emissions and reflectances, and are accumulated during 8 to 10 minute satellite passes over the California coast. The most important feature of the facility is the reception and processing of satellite data in real time, allowing investigators to direct ships to areas of interest for on-site verifications and experiments.

Evans, R. H.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Spacecraft propulsion systems test capability at the NASA White Sands Test Facility

The NASA White Sands Facility (WSTF), a component insallation of the Johnson Space Center, is located on a 94-square-mile site in southwestern New Mexico. WSTF maintains many unique capabilities to support its mission to test and evaluate spacecraft materials, components, and propulsion systems to enable the safe human exploration and utilization of space. WSTF has tested over 340 rocket engines with more than 2.5 million firings to date. Included are propulsion system testing for Apollo, Shuttle, and now Space Station as well as unmanned spacecraft such as Viking, Pioneer, and Mars Observer. This paper describes the current WSTF propulsion test facilities and capabilities.

Baker, Pleddie↗

NASA NTRS1997

Evaluation of an Ejector Ramjet Based Propulsion System for Air-Breathing Hypersonic Flight

A Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) engine system is designed to combine the high thrust to weight ratio of a rocket along with the high specific impulse of a ramjet in a single, integrated propulsion system. This integrated, combined cycle propulsion system is designed to provide higher vehicle performance than that achievable with a separate rocket and ramjet. The RBCC engine system studied in the current program is the Aerojet strutjet engine concept, which is being developed jointly by a government-industry team as part of the Air Force HyTech program pre-PRDA activity. The strutjet is an ejector-ramjet engine in which small rocket chambers are embedded into the trailing edges of the inlet compression struts. The engine operates as an ejector-ramjet from take-off to slightly above Mach 3. Above Mach 3 the engine operates as a ramjet and transitions to a scramjet at high Mach numbers. For space launch applications the rockets would be re-ignited at a Mach number or altitude beyond which air-breathing propulsion alone becomes impractical. The focus of the present study is to develop and demonstrate a strutjet flowpath using hydrocarbon fuel at up to Mach 7 conditions. Freejet tests of a candidate flowpath for this RBCC engine were conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center's Hypersonic Tunnel Facility between July and September 1996. This paper describes the engine flowpath and installation, outlines the primary objectives of the program, and describes the overall results of this activity. Through this program 15 full duration tests, including 13 fueled tests were made. The first major achievement was the further demonstration of the HTF capability. The facility operated at conditions up to 1950 K and 7.34 MPa, simulating approximately Mach 6.6 flight. The initial tests were unfueled and focused on verifying both facility and engine starting. During these runs additional aerodynamic appliances were incorporated onto the facility diffuser to enhance starting. Both facility and engine starting were achieved. Further, the static pressure distributions compared well with the results previously obtained in a 40% subscale flowpath study conducted in the LERC 1X1 supersonic wind tunnel (SWT), as well as the results of CFD analysis. Fueled performance results were obtained for the engine at both simulated Mach 6 (1670 K) and Mach 6.6 (1950 K) conditions. For all these tests the primary fuel was liquid JP-10 with gaseous silane (a mixture of 20% SiH4 and 80% H2 by volume) as an ignitor/pilot. These tests verified performance of this engine flowpath in a freejet mode. High combustor pressures were reached and significant changes in axial force were achieved due to combustion. Future test plans include redistributing the fuel to improve mixing, and consequently performance, at higher equivalence ratios.

Thomas, Scott R.↗

NASA NTRS2013

Coordinating the Atlantis Grand Opening Event

While working as the marketing intern for Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) Center Planning and Development Directorate (CPD), I was given the opportunity not only to learn new skills and expand my work experience under the powerful influence of NASA, but I also was given the opportunity to prove that I am an individual capable of contributing to the KSC team. My main responsibility while working in CPD was to organize and run a booth that represented the entire directorate at the Grand Opening of the Shuttle Atlantis exhibit during the weekend of June 28-30. This event was important for CPD because as a Directorate that markets KSC's facilities, technical capabilities and technologies to potential partners, it is important to attend all events and use them to gain an understanding of our audience. Although we catered mostly to the general public during this event, it was still important to reach out to the larger space enthusiast community and let them know about KSC's future plans to become a multi-user spaceport and that teclmology is still being developed.

Smith, Abigail Allaine↗

NASA NTRS1981

Selecting an image analysis minicomputer system

Factors to be weighed when selecting a minicomputer system as the basis for an image analysis computer facility vary depending on whether the user organization procures a new computer or selects an existing facility to serve as an image analysis host. Some conditions not directly related to hardware or software should be considered such as the flexibility of the computer center staff, their encouragement of innovation, and the availability of the host processor to a broad spectrum of potential user organizations. Particular attention must be given to: image analysis software capability; the facilities of a potential host installation; the central processing unit; the operating system and languages; main memory; disk storage; tape drives; hardcopy output; and other peripherals. The operational environment, accessibility; resource limitations; and operational supports are important. Charges made for program execution and data storage must also be examined.

Danielson, R.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Sustainable Aviation Fuel State-of-Industry Report: Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids Pathway

Climate change is a pressing issue that requires immediate and decisive action to ensure a sustainable future. To reduce CO 2 emissions and speed up the transition to net-zero aviation, the Biden administration has launched the "Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Grand Challenge" to scale up production of SAF. The challenge aims to achieve 20% reduction in aviation emissions by producing 3 billion gallons per year (BGPY) of SAF by 2030 and to meet 100% of aviation fuel demand by producing 35 BGPY of SAF by 2050. In this report, we provide an overview of the current state of the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) SAF industry, guided by the perspectives of the interviewed experts. Currently, the HEFA pathway is the only commercially deployed method to produce significant amounts of SAF. As a result, SAF produced via the HEFA pathway is expected to make the largest contribution to achieving the 2030 production target and play a key role in boosting and establishing the SAF market. Announced SAF's total capacity, including alcohol-to-jet, FT, and power-to-liquid facilities, is expected to reach 2 BGPY by 2030 (1), with the expected from HEFA. Total HEFA capacity, including construction and planned projects, is expected to reach about 9 BGPY by 2030; if completely executed, this would contribute to renewable diesel (RD) and SAF. The production ratio of SAF and RD will depend on market conditions, incentives, and the capabilities of facilities. While some stakeholders believe that the 2030 goal may be achieved solely via HEFA, others believe that overly relying on HEFA may be detrimental to the development of other necessary pathways to meet 2050 goals. Our conclusion is that the HEFA pathway alone will not be sufficient to reach the 2030 target. It is crucial to implement additional pathways to reach the goal. This report conducts a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the HEFA SAF value chain. Our aim is to provide current status of the industry and to identify potential challenges that could hinder the commercial production and use of SAF produced through the HEFA pathway. We have had extensive discussions, consultations, and collaborative sessions with stakeholders in the HEFA SAF value chain, including HEFA feedstocks, potential volume of HEFA SAF, economic and sustainability metrics when compared to petroleum, and assessment of the HEFA SAF industry's ability to grow and contribute to achieving the "SAF Grand Challenge." Since the HEFA pathway produces both SAF and RD, this report compares both pathways: HEFA to SAF and HEFA to RD.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

NASA NTRS2002

Using Temperature Sensitive Paint Technology

New facilities and test techniques afford research aerodynamicists many opportunities to investigate complex aerodynamic phenomena. For example, NASA Langley Research Center's National Transonic Facility (NTF) can hold Mach number, Reynolds number, dynamic pressure, stagnation temperature and stagnation pressure constant during testing. This is important because the wing twist associated with model construction may mask important Reynolds number effects associated with the flight vehicle. Beyond this, the NTF's ability to vary Reynolds number allows for important research into the study of boundary layer transition. The capabilities of facilities such as the NTF coupled with test techniques such as temperature sensitive paint yield data that can be applied not only to vehicle design but also to validation of computational methods. Development of Luminescent Paint Technology for acquiring pressure and temperature measurements began in the mid-1980s. While pressure sensitive luminescent paints (PSP) were being developed to acquire data for aerodynamic performance and loads, temperature sensitive luminescent paints (TSP) have been used for a much broader range of applications. For example, TSP has been used to acquire surface temperature data to determine the heating due to rotating parts in various types of mechanical systems. It has been used to determine the heating pattern(s) on circuit boards. And, it has been used in boundary layer analysis and applied to the validation of full-scale flight performance predictions. That is, data acquired on the same model can be used to develop trends from off design to full scale flight Reynolds number, e.g. to show the progression of boundary layer transition. A discussion of issues related to successfully setting-up TSP tests and using TSP systems for boundary layer studies is included in this paper, as well as results from a variety of TSP tests. TSP images included in this paper are all grey-scale so that similar to pictures from sublimating chemical tests areas of laminar flow appear "lighter," or white, and areas of turbulent flow appear "darker."

Hamner, M. P.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT): A unique facility for propulsion system and adverse weather testing

A need has arisen for a new wind tunnel facility with unique capabilities for testing propulsion systems and for conducting research in adverse weather conditions. New propulsion system concepts, new aircraft configurations with an unprecedented degree of propulsion system/aircraft integration, and requirements for aircraft operation in adverse weather dictate the need for a new test facility. Required capabilities include simulation of both altitude pressure and temperature, large size, full subsonic speed range, propulsion system operation, and weather simulation (i.e., icing, heavy rain). A cost effective rehabilitation of the NASA Lewis Research Center's Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT) will provide a facility with all these capabilities.

Chamberlin, R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT) - A unique facility for propulsion system and adverse weather testing

Chamberlin, R.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Mach Stability Improvements Using an Existing Second Throat Capability at the National Transonic Facility

Recent data quality improvements at the National Transonic Facility have an intended goal of reducing the Mach number variation in a data point to within plus or minus 0.0005, with the ultimate goal of reducing the data repeatability of the drag coefficient for full-span subsonic transport models at transonic speeds to within half a drag count. This paper will discuss the Mach stability improvements achieved through the use of an existing second throat capability at the NTF to create a minimum area at the end of the test section. These improvements were demonstrated using both the NASA Common Research Model and the NTF Pathfinder-I model in recent experiments. Sonic conditions at the throat were verified using sidewall static pressure data. The Mach variation levels from both experiments in the baseline tunnel configuration and the choked tunnel configuration will be presented and the correlation between Mach number and drag will also be examined. Finally, a brief discussion is given on the consequences of using the second throat in its location at the end of the test section.

Chan, David T.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Mach Stability Improvements Using an Existing Second Throat Capability at the National Transonic Facility

Recent data quality improvements at the National Transonic Facility (NTF) have an intended goal of reducing the Mach number variation in a data point to within unit vector A plus or minus 0.0005, with the ultimate goal of reducing the data repeatability of the drag coefficient for full-span subsonic transport models at transonic speeds to within half of a drag count. This paper will discuss the Mach stability improvements achieved through the use of an existing second throat capability at the NTF to create a minimum area at the end of the test section. These improvements were demonstrated using both the NASA Common Research Model and the NTF Pathfinder-I model in recent experiments. Sonic conditions at the throat were verified using sidewall static pressure data. The Mach variation levels from both experiments in the baseline tunnel configuration and the choked tunnel configuration will be presented. Finally, a brief discussion is given on the consequences of using the second throat in its location at the end of the test section.

Chan, David T.↗