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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2003

Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation (AIR): Analysis, Results, and Lessons Learned From the June 1997 ER-2 Campaign

The United States initiated a program to assess the technology required for an environmentally safe and operationally efficient High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) for entrance on the world market after the turn of the century. Due to the changing regulations on radiation exposures and the growing concerns over uncertainty in our knowledge of atmospheric radiations, the NASA High Speed Research Project Office (HSRPO) commissioned a review of "Radiation Exposure and High-Altitude Flight" by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP). On the basis of the NCRP recommendations, the HSRPO funded a flight experiment to resolve the environmental uncertainty in the atmospheric ionizing radiation levels as a step in developing an approach to minimize the radiation impact on HSCT operations. To minimize costs in this project, an international investigator approach was taken to assure coverage with instrument sensitivity across the range of particle types and energies to allow unique characterization of the diverse radiation components. The present workshop is a result of the flight measurements made at the maximum intensity of the solar cycle modulated background radiation levels during the month of June 1997.

Wilson, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Overview of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation (AIR) Research: SST - Present

The Supersonic Transport (SST) program, proposed in 1961, first raised concern for the exposure of pregnant occupants by solar energetic particles (SEP), and neutrons were suspected to have a main role in particle propagation deep into the atmosphere. An eight-year flight program confirmed the role of SEP as a significant hazard and of the neutrons as contributing over half of the galactic cosmic ray (GCR) exposures, with the largest contribution from neutrons above 10 MeV. The FAA Advisory Committee on the Radiobiological Aspects of the SST provided operational requirements. The more recent (1990) lowering of recommended exposure limits by the International Commission on Radiological Protection with the classification of aircrew as "radiation workers" renewed interest in GCR background exposures at commercial flight altitudes and stimulated epidemiological studies in Europe, Japan, Canada and the USA. The proposed development of a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) required validation of the role of high-energy neutrons, and this resulted in ER-2 flights at solar minimum (June 1997) and studies on effects of aircraft materials on interior exposures. Recent evaluation of health outcomes of DOE nuclear workers resulted in legislation for health compensation in year 2000 and recent European aircrew epidemiological studies of health outcomes bring renewed interest in aircraft radiation exposures. As improved radiation models become available, it is imperative that a corresponding epidemiological program of US aircrew be implemented.

Wilson, J. W.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Overview of atmospheric ionizing radiation (AIR) research: SST-present

The Supersonic Transport (SST) program, proposed in 1961, first raised concern for the exposure of pregnant occupants by solar energetic particles (SEP), and neutrons were suspected to have a main role in particle propagation deep into the atmosphere. An eight-year flight program confirmed the role of SEP as a significant hazard and of the neutrons as contributing over half of the galactic cosmic ray exposures, with the largest contribution from neutrons above 10 MeV. The FAA Advisory Committee on the Radiobiological Aspects of the SST provided operational requirements. The more recent lowering of ICRP-recommended exposure limits (1990) with the classification of aircrew as "radiation workers" renewed interest in GCR background exposures at commercial flight altitudes and stimulated epidemiological studies in Europe, Japan, Canada and the USA. The proposed development of a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) required validation of the role of high-energy neutrons, and this resulted in ER-2 flights at solar minimum (June 1997) and studies on effects of aircraft materials on interior exposures. Recent evaluation of health outcomes of DOE nuclear workers resulted in legislation for health compensation in year 2000 and recent European aircrew epidemiological studies of health outcomes bring renewed interest in aircraft radiation exposures. As improved radiation models become available, it is imperative that a corresponding epidemiological program of US aircrew be implemented. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of COSPAR.

Review↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA’s Handheld Ionizer Tool for Astronauts

NASA’s next human lunar mission will require handheld tools to eliminate dust accumulation as well as electrostatic charge for the upcoming manned missions to the moon in the Artemis Program. The Moon’s lack of substantial atmosphere means the lunar surface is directly exposed to the solar wind, solar UV radiation, and cosmic rays which can cause dielectric charging of the lunar regolith via the photoelectric effect. The result is a layer of highly charged dust that is levitated and transported about a meter off the surface called the “horizon glow” as seen by the Apollo astronauts. The complex lunar electrostatic environment coupled with the surface dust behavior poses a concern for the longevity of surface infrastructures. The Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory at NASA’S Kennedy Space Center retrofitted a commercial ionizer and successfully demonstrated that air ionizers are effective at removing dust particles and the static charge in high vacuum. Additional work is planned to establish the optimal voltage and flow characteristic to develop a high-fidelity ground prototype for future flight certification.

Electrostatics↗
NASA NTRS1972

Experimental determination of cosmic ray charged particle intensity profiles in the atmosphere

Absolute cosmic-ray free air ionization and charged particle fluxes and dose rates throughout the atmosphere were measured on a series of balloon flights that commenced in 1968. Argon-filled ionization chambers equipped with solid-state electrometers, with different gas pressures and steel wall thicknesses, and a pair of aluminum-wall Gm counters have provided the basic data. These data are supplemented by measurements with air-filled and tissue equivalent ionization chambers and a scintillation spectrometer. Laboratory experiments together with analyses of the theoretical aspects of the detector responses to cosmic radiation indicate that these profiles can be determined to an overall accuracy of + or - 5 percent.

Lowder, W. M.↗
NASA NTRS1959

Approximations for the Thermodynamic and Transport Properties of High-Temperature Air

The thermodynamic and transport properties of high-temperature air are found in closed form starting from approximate partition functions for the major components in air and neglecting all minor components. The compressibility, enthalpy, entropy, the specific heats, the speed of sound, the coefficients of viscosity and of thermal conductivity, and the Prandtl numbers for air are tabulated from 500 degrees to 15,000 degrees Kelvin over a range of pressure from 0.0001 to 100 atmospheres. The energy of air and the mol. fractions of the major components of air can be found from the tabulated values for compressibility and enthalpy. It is predicted that the Prandtl number for fully ionized air, which is in complete equilibrium, will become small compared to unity, the order of 0.01, and this implies that boundary layers in such flow will be very transparent to heat flux.

Hansen, C. Frederick↗
NASA NTRS1994

Computation of nonequilibrium viscous flows in arc-jet wind tunnel nozzles

The axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations are numerically solved for air flows in converging-diverging conical nozzles. A nonequilibrium formulation with a two-temperature thermochemical model has been employed for vibrationally excited, partially dissociated and ionized air. Evaluations of the formulation is made through comparisons of the computed flow quantities with the experimental data obtained in expanding arc-jet nozzle flows. Two sets of experimental data obtained in conical nozzles with geometric exit-to-throat area ratios of 625 and 8100 cover reservoir pressures ranging from 5 to 95 atm and enthalpies from 5 to 10 MJ/kg. The computed results are in good agreement with local mass flux, Pitot pressure, and static wall pressure measurements at the nozzle exit. For low pressure reservoir conditions, comparisons of computations with the experimental data indicate that the wall catalycity is very important in predicting species mole fraction at the nozzle exit since gas phase chemistry is frozen. The current computations overpredict the atomic oxygen concentrations which in turn results in underprediction of the vibrational temperature.

Gokcen, Tahir↗
NASA NTRS1990

A review of reaction rates and thermodynamic and transport properties for an 11-species air model for chemical and thermal nonequilibrium calculations to 30000 K

Reaction rate coefficients and thermodynamic and transport properties are reviewed and supplemented for the 11-species air model which can be used for analyzing flows in chemical and thermal nonequilibrium up to temperatures of 3000 K. Such flows will likely occur around currently planned and future hypersonic vehicles. Guidelines for determining the state of the surrounding environment are provided. Curve fits are given for the various species properties for their efficient computation in flowfield codes. Approximate and more exact formulas are provided for computing the properties of partially ionized air mixtures in a high energy environment. Limitations of the approximate mixing laws are discussed for a mixture of ionized species. An electron number-density correction for the transport properties of the charged species is obtained. This correction has been generally ignored in the literature.

Gupta, Roop N.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A review of reaction rates and thermodynamic and transport properties for the 11-species air model for chemical and thermal nonequilibrium calculations to 30000 K

Reaction rate coefficients and thermodynamic and transport properties are provided for the 11-species air model which can be used for analyzing flows in chemical and thermal nonequilibrium. Such flows will likely occur around currently planned and future hypersonic vehicles. Guidelines for determining the state of the surrounding environment are provided. Approximate and more exact formulas are provided for computing the properties of partially ionized air mixtures in such environments.

Gupta, Roop N.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Navier-Stokes simulation of 3-D hypersonic equilibrium air flow

A computationally efficient three-dimensional conservative supracharacteristic Navier-Stokes method has been extended to simulate complex external chemically reacting flows of hypersonic reentry vehicles at angle-of-attack. Numerical simulation results of the flow around a sphere-cone-cone-flare reentry vehicle at 10 deg angle-of-attack are presented, in addition to the results of a well-validated two-dimensional code with which the 0-deg axisymmetric flow has been computed. A method for obtaining compositions of species in equilibrium ionized air is proposed.

Nagaraj, N.↗
NASA NTRS1967

Precision capacitor has improved temperature and operational stability

Vacuum dielectric capacitor is fabricated from materials with very low temperature coefficients of expansion. This precision capacitor in the 1000-2000 picofarad range has a near-zero temperature coefficient of capacitance, eliminates ion chamber action caused by air ionization in the dielectric, and minimizes electromagnetic field charging effects.

Brookshier, W. K.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Artificial meteor ablation studies: Olivine

Artificial meteor ablation was performed on a Mg-rich olivine sample using an arc-heated plasma of ionized air. Experimental conditions simulated a meteor traveling about 12 km/sec at an altitude of 70 km. The mineral content of the original olivine sample was 98% olivine (including traces of olivine alteration products) and 2% chromite. Forsterite content of the original olivine was Fo-89. After ablation, the forsterite content had increased to Fo-94 in the recrystallized olivine. In addition, lamella-like intergrowths of magnetite were prevalent constituents. Wherever magnetite occurred, there was an increase in Mg and a corresponding decrease in Fe for the recrystallized olivine. The Allende fusion crust consisted of a recrystallized olivine, which was more Mg-rich and Fe-deficient than the original meteorite's olivine, and abundant magnetite grains. Although troilite and pentlandite were the common opaque mineral constituents in this meteorite, magnetite was the principal opaque mineral found in the fusion crust.

Blanchard, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Artificial meteor ablation studies - Olivine

Artificial meteor ablation has been performed on a Mg-rich olivine sample by means of an arc-heated plasma of ionized air. Experimental conditions simulated a meteor traveling about 12 km/sec at an altitude of 70 km. The mineral content of the original olivine was 98% olivine (including traces of olivine alteration products) and 2% chromite. The forsterite content of the original olivine was Fo 89 and increased to Fo 94 in the recrystallized olivine after ablation. In addition, lamella-like intergrowths of magnetite were prevalent. Wherever magnetite occurred, Mg increased and Fe decreased in the recrystallized olivine. The Fe for the magnetite exsolved from the original olivine crystals. Individual particles (i.e., spherules) were also characterized by magnetite intergrowths. Fusion crusts on the Allende and Murchison meteorites were compared with the fusion crust on the olivine sample. The Allende fusion crust consisted of a recrystallized olivine, richer in Mg and deficient in Fe in comparison with the original meteorite's olivine, and abundant magnetite grains.

Blanchard, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Analysis of ablation debris from natural and artificial iron meteorites

Artificial ablation studies were performed on iron and nickel-iron samples using an arc-heated plasma of ionized air. Experiment conditions simulated a meteoroid traveling about 12 km/sec at an altitude of 70 km. The artificially produced fusion crusts and ablation debris show features very similar to natural fusion crusts of the iron meteorites Boguslavka, Norfork, and N'Kandhla and to magnetic spherules recovered from Mn nodules. X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe, optical, and scanning electron microscope analyses reveal that important mineralogical, elemental, and textural changes occur during ablation. Some metal is melted and ablated. The outer margin of the melted rind is oxidized and recrystallizes as a discontinuous crust of magnetite and wustite. Adjacent to the oxidized metallic ablation zone is an unoxidized metallic ablation zone in which structures such as Widmannstatten bands are obliterated as the metal is transformed to unequilibrated alpha 2 nickel-iron. Volatile elements are vaporized and less volatile elements undergo fractionation.

Blanchard, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Analysis of ablation debris from natural and artificial iron meteorites

Iron and nickel-iron samples subjected to treatment by an arc-heated plasma of ionized air were used to model meteor ablation. The artificial ablation debris and fusion crusts were compared to the fusion crusts of three natural iron meteorities and to magnetic spherules from deep-sea manganese nodules. An outer discontinuous crust of magnetite and wuestite, followed by an unoxidized metallic zone, was observed in the artificially produced samples. Fractionation of less volatile elements was also noted.

Blanchard, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Blowing Dust Away With Electrostatic Wind

Ionized air molecules drive away contaminants. Electrostatic wind prevents dust buildup and subsequent electrical breakdown in powerlines, transformers, switchgears, Van de Graaff generators, electrostatic precipitators, and other high-voltage equipment. Makes periodic cleaning or airblasting unnecessary.

Utter, M. G.↗