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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 NTRS2011

Fluctuating Pressure Environments and Hydrodynamic Radial Force Mitigation for a Two Blade Unshrouded Inducer

Fluctuating pressure data from water flow testing of an unshrouded two blade inducer revealed a cavitation induced oscillation with the potential to induce a radial load on the turbopump shaft in addition to other more traditionally analyzed radial loads. Subsequent water flow testing of the inducer with a rotating force measurement system confirmed that the cavitation induced oscillation did impart a radial load to the inducer. After quantifying the load in a baseline configuration, two inducer shroud treatments were selected and tested to reduce the cavitation induced load. The first treatment was to increase the tip clearance, and the second was to introduce a circumferential groove near the inducer leading edge. Increasing the clearance resulted in a small load decrease along with some steady performance degradation. The groove greatly reduced the hydrodynamic load with little to no steady performance loss. The groove did however generate some new, relatively high frequency, spatially complex oscillations to the environment.

Mulder, Andrew↗
NASA NTRS2014

Transmission Loss and Absorption of Corrugated Core Sandwich Panels With Embedded Resonators

The effect of embedded resonators on the diffuse field sound transmission loss and absorption of composite corrugated core sandwich panels has been evaluated experimentally. Two 1.219 m × 2.438 m panels with embedded resonator arrangements targeting frequencies near 100 Hz were evaluated using non-standard processing of ASTM E90-09 acoustic transmission loss and ASTM C423-09a room absorption test measurements. Each panel is comprised of two composite face sheets sandwiching a corrugated core with a trapezoidal cross section. When inlet openings are introduced in one face sheet, the chambers within the core can be used as embedded acoustic resonators. Changes to the inlet and chamber partition locations allow this type of structure to be tuned for targeted spectrum passive noise control. Because the core chambers are aligned with the plane of the panel, the resonators can be tuned for low frequencies without compromising the sandwich panel construction, which is typically sized to meet static load requirements. Absorption and transmission loss performance improvements attributed to opening the inlets were apparent for some configurations and inconclusive for others.

Allen, Albert R.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Total Temperature Measurements Using a Rearward Facing Probe in Supercooled Liquid Droplet and Ice Crystal Clouds

Engine Icing Performance loss: rollback, surge, flameout, and even internal engine damagePartial melting and refreeze of ice inside engine core (Mason et al., 2006). Ingestion of ice crystals and aggregates, mixed-phase droplets, or supercooled liquid dropletsNeed to better understand the conditions and properties that lead to engine icing.Simulation and analysis (physical and computational, and modeling)Test facilities (PSL, NRC, ...). Thermal and computational models and analysisProbesMultiple probes (aerothermal probes and ice cloud characterization probes and techniques). Total temperatureTraditional total temperature probes (vented forward facing)Heated total temperature probes (Goodyear). Rearward facing (developmental). Total temperature relevance. Thermal interaction between the icing cloud and air flow impinging particles contribute to kinetic heating effect (Gent et al., 2000). Measurement considerations Temperature sensor accuracy. Incomplete recovery of total temperature. Thermal surfaces (sources and sinks). Flow effects (viscous losses). Debris contamination, including icing and ice ingestion.

Agui, Juan H.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Evaluating the Aerodynamic Impact of Circumferentially Grooved Fan Casing Treatments with Integrated Acoustic Liners on a Turbofan Rotor

NASA is investigating the potential of integrating acoustic liners into fan cases to reduce fan noise, while maintaining the fan's aerodynamic performance. An experiment was conducted to quantify the aerodynamic impact of circumferentially grooved fan cases with integrated acoustic liners on a 1.5 pressure ratio turbofan rotor. In order to improve the ability to measure small performance changes, fan performance calculations were updated to include real gas effects including the effect of humidity. For all fan cases tested, the measured difference in fan isentropic efficiency was found to be less than the measurement repeatability for a torque-based efficiency calculation (≈ 0.2%), however, an unintended tip clearance difference between configurations makes it difficult to determine if circumferentially grooved fan cases degraded fan performance. Fan exit turbulence measurements showed a 1.5% reduction in total turbulence intensity between hardwall and circumferentially grooved fan cases, which is attributed to the circumferential grooves modifying loading at the blade tips. The decrease in fan exit turbulence could potentially lead to a 1-2dB reduction in broadband rotor-stator interaction noise. Reduced aerodynamic performance losses associated with over-the-rotor liners could enable further fan noise reduction.

Bozak, Richard F.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Evaluating the Aerodynamic Impact of Circumferentially Grooved Fan Casing Treatments with Integrated Acoustic Liners on a Turbofan Rotor

NASA is investigating the potential of integrating acoustic liners into fan cases to reduce fan noise, while maintaining the fans aerodynamic performance. An experiment was conducted to quantify the aerodynamic impact of circumferentially grooved fan cases with integrated acoustic liners on a 1.5 pressure ratio turbofan rotor. In order to improve the ability to measure small performance changes, fan performance calculations were updated to include real gas effects including the effect of humidity. For all fan cases tested, the measured difference in fan isentropic efficiency was found to be less than the measurement repeatability for a torque-based efficiency calculation (approx. = 0.2%), however, an unintended tip clearance difference between configurations makes it difficult to determine if circumferentially grooved fan cases degraded fan performance. Fan exit turbulence measurements showed a 1.5% reduction in total turbulence intensity between hardwall and circumferentially grooved fan cases in the tip vortex region, which is attributed to a disruption in the formation of the tip leakage vortex. This decrease in fan exit turbulence could potentially lead to a 1-2dB reduction in broadband rotor-stator interaction noise. Reduced aerodynamic performance losses associated with over-the-rotor liners could enable further fan noise reduction.

turbofan↗
NASA NTRS2019

Radiation Tolerance of Nanopore Sequencing Technology for Life Detection on Mars and Europa

The search for life beyond Earth is a key motivator in space exploration. Informational polymers, like DNA and RNA, are key biosignatures for life as we know it. The MinION is a miniature DNA sequencer based on versatile nanopore technology that could be implemented on future planetary missions. A critical unanswered question is whether the MinION and its protein-based nanopores can withstand increased radiation exposure outside Earth’s shielding magnetic field. We evaluated the effects of ionizing radiation on the MinION platform – including flow cells, reagents, and hardware – and discovered limited performance loss when exposed to ionizing doses comparable to a mission to Mars. Targets with harsher radiation environments, like Europa, would require improved radiation resistance via additional shielding or design refinements.

Mark A. Sutton↗
NASA NTRS1994

An Initial Study of Using the 34-m Antenna for Lunar Missions Support

As a part of the long-range planning of future Mars and lunar missions, a rudimentary study has been made of a 34-m antenna system with differentially pointed multiple beams. The performance loss mechanisms of the differentially pointed multiple-beam systems were identified and quantified. The goal is to determine the feasibility of using the 34-m antenna to support widely separated elements associated with lunar missions.

lunar↗
NASA NTRS2019

Statistical optical link budget analysis

In this paper, we describe work on extending statistical analysis methods to optical communications links, with a primary focus on intensity modulated, direct detected photon-counting channel utilizing pulse-position-modulation (PPM). We performed analysis on the relationship between bit error rate (BER) requirement, statistical characteristics of the received signal power and noise power, and the coded performance curves. We presented link analysis results with preliminary uncertainty quantifications of signal power and noise power. We used the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Serially Concatenated convolutionally coded Pulse Position Modulation (SCPPM) prototype software [1] to obtain coded performance curves under different operating conditions with varying signal power, background noise power, code rates,and PPM modulation orders. Comparison with traditional, deterministic analysis shows that extra margin needs to be reserved to compensate for the performance losses caused by uncertainties of the link parameters.

Cheung, Kar-Ming↗
NASA NTRS2022

Developing High Performance Space Networking Capabilities for the International Space Station and Beyond

A performance optimized implementation of Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) with the capacity of gigabit-per second rates is developed for the International Space Station (ISS) and missions demanding large amounts of communications bandwidth. An overview of the High-rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN) architecture and support for different convergence layers is provided. This paper then presents an overview of the testing and integration efforts to evaluate interoperability and capability in relevant environments. The first was interoperability testing with DTN Marshall Enterprise (DTNME) which resulted in near-gigabit per second data rates. This was followed by ISS emulation testing with the Software Development and Integration Laboratory (SDIL) at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) and local testing based on the ISS DTN network topology. The local tests resulted in the discovery of potential sources of performance loss in the network and demonstrated near-gigabit rates between HDTN and DTNME.

Daniel Raible↗
NASA NTRS2022

NASA Engineering and Safety Center Technical Bulletin No. 22-08; Contaminant Reduction in High Purity Hydrazine

Hydrazine and its derivatives are used ubiquitously in liquid propulsion systems. In smaller thruster systems, contaminant build up has historically caused flow decay and consequently performance losses. Many of these contaminants are not controlled by the current revision of MIL-PRF-26536 [1], the High Purity Hydrazine (HPH) procurement specification, yet have been observed to be present in HPH at variable concentration and, often exceed potentially problematic levels for small thrusters. This technical bulletin outlines recent work aimed at identifying appropriate separation processes to remove specific target elemental and carbonaceous contamination in HPH.

Technical Bulletin No. 22-08↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Refractory Carbides for Hydrogen Erosion Resistance in Carbon Tubes for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

As crewed travel becomes more common to the Moon and beyond, space nuclear propulsion-based craft offer reduced travel times and double the specific impulse compared to conventional chemical rockets. The nuclear core and its integral hydrogen propellant channels will require advanced refractory carbide coatings over a carbon/carbon substrate for hydrogen resistance. Using ab initio and other computational techniques, we studied select (Zr/Ta/Nb)C mixed carbide systems for erosion resistance and hydrogen diffusion using realistic levels of carbon vacancies and experimentally obtainable stoichiometries. Various contributions to the formation and hydrogen erosion free energies were calculated, including configurational, electronic, and vibrational terms. Our calculations indicate that ZrC is less likely to lose carbon than NbC or TaC, providing an explanation for heritage NERVA data on ZrC and NbC mass loss performance. Additionally, binary mixtures show compositions that are more stable than their end-member counterparts. Hydrogen diffusion in stoichiometric ZrC was found to be slightly higher than previously theorized, with the caveat that hydrogen saturation of carbon vacancies will hinder further hydrogen diffusion through the bulk, while hydrogen diffusion in ZrNbC is slightly enhanced over ZrC. And finally, we show that as carbon is depleted, the deformation mechanism of ZrC changes from brittle to ductile. Though many questions still remain as to the bulk performance of these materials, these trends and results are important in terms of materials selection efforts for hydrogen-resistant coatings on carbon/carbon substrates.

William C Tucker↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Refractory Carbides for Hydrogen Erosion Resistance in Carbon Tubes for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

As crewed travel becomes more common to the Moon and beyond, space nuclear propulsion-based craft offer reduced travel times and double the specific impulse compared to conventional chemical rockets. The nuclear core and its integral hydrogen propellant channels will require advanced refractory carbide coatings over a carbon/carbon substrate for hydrogen resistance. Using \textit{ab initio} and other computational techniques, we studied select (Zr/Ta/Nb)C mixed carbide systems for erosion resistance and hydrogen diffusion using realistic levels of carbon vacancies and experimentally obtainable stoichiometries. Various contributions to the formation and hydrogen erosion free energies were calculated, including configurational, electronic, and vibrational terms. Our calculations indicate that ZrC is less likely to lose carbon than NbC or TaC, providing an explanation for heritage NERVA data on ZrC and NbC mass loss performance. Additionally, binary mixtures show compositions that are more stable than their end-member counterparts. Hydrogen diffusion in stoichiometric ZrC was found to be slightly higher than previously theorized, with the caveat that hydrogen saturation of carbon vacancies will hinder further hydrogen diffusion through the bulk, while hydrogen diffusion in ZrNbC is slightly enhanced over ZrC. And finally, we show that as carbon is depleted, the deformation mechanism of ZrC changes from brittle to ductile. Though many questions still remain as to the bulk performance of these materials, these trends and results are important in terms of materials selection efforts for hydrogen-resistant coatings on carbon/carbon substrates.

William C. Tucker↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Refractory Carbides for Hydrogen Erosion Resistance in Carbon Tubes for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

As crewed travel becomes more common to the Moon and beyond, space nuclear propulsion-based craft offer reduced travel times and double the specific impulse compared to conventional chemical rockets. The nuclear core and its integral hydrogen propellant channels will require advanced refractory carbide coatings over a carbon/carbon substrate for hydrogen resistance. Using ab initio and other computational techniques, we studied select (Zr/Ta/Nb)C mixed carbide systems for erosion resistance and hydrogen diffusion using realistic levels of carbon vacancies and experimentally obtainable stoichiometries. Various contributions to the formation and hydrogen erosion free energies were calculated, including configurational, electronic, and vibrational terms. Our calculations indicate that ZrC is less likely to lose carbon than NbC or TaC, providing an explanation for heritage NERVA data on ZrC and NbC mass loss performance. Additionally, binary mixtures show compositions that are more stable than their end-member counterparts. Hydrogen diffusion in stoichiometric ZrC was found to be slightly higher than previously theorized, with the caveat that hydrogen saturation of carbon vacancies will hinder further hydrogen diffusion through the bulk, while hydrogen diffusion in ZrNbC is slightly enhanced over ZrC. And finally, we show that as carbon is depleted, the deformation mechanism of ZrC changes from brittle to ductile. Though many questions still remain as to the bulk performance of these materials, these trends and results are important in terms of materials selection efforts for hydrogen-resistant coatings on carbon/carbon substrates.

William C Tucker↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

On the Use of Resilience Models as Digital Twins for Operational Support and In time Decision Making

Human error is a major contributor to accidents and performance losses in complex engineered systems. If one examines these human error caused failures further, a specific cause, the lack of situation awareness, has dominated as a major cause of human errors that instigate latent or catastrophic failures in complex systems. Studies of aviation accidents involving major air carriers revealed that situation awareness was the root cause of around 90% of accidents involving pilot error. Another study explored offshore drilling accidents involving human error and found that 40% of accidents were directly attributed to the loss of situation awareness. Studies of human errors in other domains such as nuclear power, air traffic control, process industry, and advanced driving show that loss of SA was a root cause in a majority of the events. Situation awareness-related failures are not only common but also costly and fatal (e.g., Bhopal Gas Leak, Air France 447 Flight Crash). Thus, the concept of situation awareness has emerged as an important construct in human factors, resulting in numerous models and measurement methods to aid in promoting appropriate levels of situation awareness.

Lukman Irshad↗
NASA NTRS2025

Transit Habitat Government-Reference Conceptual Design Reaction Control System Propulsion Concept Design Data Book

The function of Transit Habitat (TH) Reaction Control System (RCS) propulsion is to provide free-flying spacecraft capabilities and to augment Gateway stack control when docked on Gateway. The requirements of multiple propellant replenishments and extensive life operation have significant impacts on selection of the propulsion system concept and components for the RCS. The intent of this document is to provide insight into the government-reference conceptual design of a propulsion system for TH element. A pressure-fed hypergolic bi-propellant system is the assumed propulsion approach for the RCS. Its architectural concept is being traded within the NASA Moon to Mars architecture. A pressure-regulated system is examined. The propellants under consideration are Monomethyl Hydrazine (MMH) and Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen with 3% Nitric Oxide (MON3). A peer review was conducted to assess the flow schematic design and propulsion component selection, compliant with a set of assumed requirements. Redundant components to satisfy one-fault tolerance for function and two-fault tolerance against catastrophic events are incorporated in the propulsion concept design. Instrumentation laid out on the schematic would be used to gather data to monitor the health of the propulsion system and to support quantity gauging of the propulsion system fluids. Venting propellant ullage gas overboard during the refilling operations poses a significant concern to the external surfaces of the TH. A liquid/gas separator would be required to eliminate, or at least reduce, the amount of liquid propellant expelled in the vent gas mixture. The technology readiness level of the phase separator for the TH must be advanced. Metal diaphragm and non-positive-expulsion PMD propellant tank systems were traded against each other, with the PMD architecture being selected. A blowdown concept is also considered for the TH RCS propulsion. Its fluid schematic is derived from the pressure-regulated schematic with removal of assemblies involving the helium pressurization and ullage venting. Its system wet mass is 10% heavier than the pressure-regulated due to thruster performance loss and larger propellant tanks. There is no firm constraint on the propulsion system mass at this phase of the design. The blowdown concept can offer reduction in component count and operation, that would lead to a more reliable propulsion system. The blowdown concept would also benefit avionics, thermal, power, and structures on the TH. Assessing these benefits will be carried as a future work. Drawbacks of thrust and minimum impulse bit (MIB) variations due to the blowdown operation would be acceptable to Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC). Although the blowdown concept has been selected as a current baseline, further evaluation of the concept will be the subject of future work to ensure that the blowdown propulsion operation is appropriate for the HT RCS propulsion. This document also highlights key trade studies and design decisions, including pros and cons of the selected concept. Other appropriate options for components are pointed out for future assessments. Additional background information and documents for further review are referenced in this report.

spacecraft propulsion↗
DOE OSTI2020

Impacts of Experimentally Obtained Harmonic Spectrums of Residential Appliances on Distribution Feeder: Preprint

This paper focuses on the harmonic load flow study for a set of residential loads and the impacts of the harmonic contents on the distribution feeder. Owing to the increased use of the power electronic based appliances and energy efficient home equipment like the lighting loads, the percentage of non-linear loads has increased in the distribution system which can impact the system performance, loss, and stability. Thus a comprehensive knowledge of their power quality and harmonic analysis is essential to improve the load models, voltage stability assessment, determining possible interactions at harmonic frequencies, protection planning, and the effect of the system impedance. For this study, the household appliances include the lighting, power electronics, resistive, and motor loads with a nominal supply voltage of 120 V single-phase or 240 V split-phase at a nominal frequency of 60 Hz. The harmonic spectrum as obtained from the experimental data is used to solve the harmonic load flow for a detailed secondary network including the distribution transformer extracted from a real distribution feeder's model. Additionally, the impact of the voltage harmonic on a three phase test load is presented through experimental results. The harmonic data of the transformer terminal voltage as obtained from the former load flow study is scaled to generate the source voltage for the three phase configuration of the grid simulator to make the test setup very similar to a real scenario.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2022

NUMERICAL PREDICTIONS OF MEAN PERFORMANCE AND DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF A 10 MWe SCO2 COMPRESSOR WITH TEST DATA VALIDATION

High-fidelity aerodynamic analysis has been demonstrated for mean performance and unsteady dynamics in a sCO2 compressor designed by Hanwha Power Systems Americas for a 10 MWe Concentrating Solar Power plant. Simulations were performed with CRUNCH CFD® software tool that was matured to accurately model near critical real fluid effects in sCO2. Pre-test predictions for mean performance were validated with test data collected later. Performance predictions were accurate and captured sensitivity of the efficiency to inlet temperature of CO2 as well as steep drop-off at high flow rates due to condensation in the inlet throat. Detailed analysis was performed to understand the source of these performance losses at near critical conditions. Unsteady dynamic effects in the compressor at off-design conditions were also identified and quantified. In particular a system wide “condensation surge” condition was detected at high flow coefficients that results in large amplitude pulsations with accompanying mass flow fluctuations at low frequencies and has potential to cause damage in closed loop systems.

hosangadi, ashvin↗
DOE OSTI2023

Systems and methods for managing energy storage operations

An energy storage device (ESD) manager determines charge conditions that result in charge-related aging of an energy storage device (ESD), such as a battery, cell, or the like. The ESD manager may determine charge-related costs for charge operations, which may quantify charge-related aging imposed by subjecting ESD to specified charge conditions. The ESD manager may evaluate and/or modify charge operations to reduce charge-related aging. The ESD manager may be further configured to model charge-related aging behavior over time and/or under variable charge conditions. The ESD manager may configure charge operations to ensure that charge-related performance loss remains below a threshold for a specified usage duration.

Gering, Kevin L.↗