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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 37 records · Page 2

Quantifying early stage irradiation damage from nanoindentation pop-in tests

Early stage irradiation effects on incipient plasticity are quantitatively investigated in single-crystalline molybdenum using nanoindentation pop-in tests. Defects produced under low-dose ion irradiations, even when they are hardly detected by ion-channeling technique, can significantly reduce the critical stress for the elastic-plastic transition, through acting as heterogeneous dislocation nucleation sources. Here, the density and strength of defects are derived using a unified model convoluting homogeneous and heterogeneous mechanisms. In addition to the increased defect density, defect strength is found to decrease with increasing irradiation dose, suggesting a growth in defect size, which is further evidenced by combined analyses between pop-in and hardness tests.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Fission Surface Power Technology Development Testing at NASA's Early Flight Fission Test Facility

Fission surface power (FSP) systems could be used to provide power anytime, anywhere on the surface of the Moon or Mars. FSP systems could be used at polar locations, at locations away from the poles, or in permanently shaded regions, with excellent performance at all sites. A potential reference 40 kWe option has been devised that is cost-competitive with alternatives while providing more power for less mass anywhere on the lunar surface. The reference FSP system (FSPS) is also readily extensible for use on Mars. At Mars the system would be capable of operating through global dust storms and providing year-round power at any Martian latitude. Under the NASA Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP), NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE) have begun technology development on Fission Surface Power (FSP). The primary customer for this technology is the NASA Constellation Program which is responsible for the development of surface systems to support human exploration on the moon and Mars. The objectives of the FSP technology project are: 1) Develop FSP concepts that meet expected surface power requirements at reasonable cost with added benefits over other options. 2) Establish a hardware-based technical foundation for FSP design concepts and reduce overall development risk. 3) Reduce the cost uncertainties for FSP and establish greater credibility for flight system cost estimates. 4) Generate the key products to allow Agency decision-makers to consider FSP as a viable option for flight development. To be mass efficient, FSP systems must operate at higher coolant temperatures and use different types of power conversion than typical terrestrial systems. The primary reason is the difficulty in rejecting excess heat to space. Although many options exist, NASA s current reference FSP system uses a fast spectrum, pumped-NaK cooled reactor coupled to a Stirling power conversion subsystem. The reference system uses technology with significant terrestrial heritage while still providing excellent performance on the surface of the moon or Mars. Recent testing at NASA s Early Flight Fission Test Facility (EFF-TF) has helped assess the viability of the reference FSP system, and has helped evaluate methods for system integration. In June, 2009, a representative pumped NaK loop (provided by Marshall Space Flight Center) was coupled to a Stirling power converter (provided by Glenn Research Center) and tested at various conditions representative of those that would be seen during actual FSP system operation. In all areas, performance of the integrated system exceeded project goals. High-temperature NaK pump testing has also been performed at the EFF-TF, as has testing of methods for providing long-duration NaK purity.

Houts. Michael G.↗

Electric vehicle chassis dynamometer test methods at JPL and their correlation to track tests

Early in its electric vehicle (EV) test program, JPL recognized that EV test procedures were too vague and too loosely defined to permit much meaningful data to be obtained from the testing. Therefore, JPL adopted more stringent test procedures and chose the chassis dynamometer rather than the track as its principal test technique. Through the years, test procedures continued to evolve towards a methodology based on chassis dynamometers which would exhibit good correlation with track testing. Based on comparative dynamometer and track test results on the ETV-1 vehicle, the test methods discussed in this report demonstrate a means by which excellent track-to-dynamometer correlation can be obtained.

Marte, J.↗

Information Products & Communications Materials for COR and Contractors' Meetings [Slides]

Contents include the following: 1) Large Scale CO 2 Storage in the Lower Tuscaloosa Massive Sand Formation, December 12, 2007; 2) CoalFleet Program Update and Workshops, July 26-28, 2005; 3) Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Annual Review Meeting, November 18, 2009; 4) SECARB U. S. Regional Partnerships from Pilot to Demonstration, November 5, 2009; 5) The SECARB Anthropogenic Test–CO 2 Capture/Transportation/Storage, August 21-23, 2012; 6) Citronelle Project–Experiences With Permitting and Regulations on CCS, August 21, 2013; 7) Partnering With Industry for Large Scale CCS Projects, August 22, 2013; 8) Plant Barry-Citronelle Field Project, August 13, 2104; 9) SECARB's Early Test at Cranfield, Mississippi; 10) SECARB Partnership Early Test at Cranfield Status, August 18-20, 2015; 11) Citronelle Project, August 18, 2015; 12) Plant Barry 25 MW Demo; 13) SECARB Phase III Citronelle Project (Anthropogenic Test) in Alabama, August 18, 2015; 14) SECARB Early Test Retrospective; 15) SECARB Anthropogenic Test Lessons Learned, August 16-18, 2016; 16) SECARB Early Test at Cranfield, August 1-3, 2017; 17) Carbon Storage and Oil and Natural Gas Technologies Review Meeting, August 1-3, 2017; 18) SECARB Partnership Early Test at Cranfield, August 13-16, 2018; 19) SECARB Anthropogenic Test Update, August 13-16, 2018; 20) SECARB Partnership Early Test at Cranfield, August 26-30, 2019; 21) SECARB (Citronelle) Phase III, August 27, 2019.

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Recurring Causes of Human Spaceflight Mishaps During Flight Tests and Early Operations

An analysis of recurring causes underlying human spaceflight mishaps that occurred during flight tests and early operations was performed. Eight mishaps from the Apollo, Soyuz, Skylab, Space Shuttle, and Constellation Programs (i.e., the Ares-1X test flight) and early commercial suborbital operations were included in the study. Detailed event analyses were performed for the historical mishaps and aggregate data analyses conducted to identify recurring issues. The nine most frequent issues were inadequate technical controls or risk management practices, incomplete procedures, system design and development issues, inadequate inspection or secondary verification requirements, failures of organizations to learn from previous incidents, inadequate schedule controls, inadequate task analyses or design processes, flaws in the design of organizations, and issues with organizational safety cultures.

Human Spaceflight↗

System development and early biological tests in NASA's biomass production chamber

The Biomass Production Chamber at Kennedy Space Center was constructed to conduct large scale plant growth studies for NASA's CELSS program. Over the past four years, physical systems and computer control software have been continually upgraded and the degree of atmospheric leakage from the chamber has decreased from about 40 to 5 percent of the total volume per day. Early tests conducted with a limited degree of closure showed that total crop (wheat) growth from the best trays was within 80 percent of reported optimal yields for similar light levels. Yields from subsequent tests under more tightly closed conditions have not been as good--up to only 65 percent of optimal yields. Yields appear to have decreased with increasing closure, yet potential problems exist in cultural techniques and further studies are warranted. With the ability to tightly seal the chamber, quantitative data were gathered on CO2 and water exchange rates. Results showed that stand photosynthesis and transpiration reached a peak near 25 days after planting, soon after full vegetative ground cover was established. In the final phase of testing when atmospheric closure was the highest, ethylene gas levels in the chamber rose from about 10 to nearly 120 ppb. Evidence suggests that the ethylene originated from the wheat plants themselves and may have caused an epinastic rolling of the leaves, but no apparent detrimental effects on whole plant function.

Wheeler, R. M.↗

ASC L2 Milestone Review CTS-2 Production Readiness [Slides]

Open and secure CTS-2 are ready for production capability to include accessibility for users and integration with existing storage and network environment. Hardware testing, early user testing is accomplished, and the systems are generally available for ASC production users.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Recurring Causes of Human Spaceflight Mishaps during Flight Tests and Early Operations

n analysis of recurring causes underlying human spaceflight mishaps that occurred during flight tests and early operations was performed. Eight mishaps from the Apollo, Soyuz, Skylab, Space Shuttle, and Constellation Programs (i.e., the Ares-1X test flight) and commercial suborbital systems were included in the study. Detailed event analyses were performed for the historical mishaps and aggregate data analyses conducted to identify recurring issues. The nine most frequent issues were inadequate technical controls or risk management practices, incomplete procedures, system design and development issues, inadequate inspection or secondary verification requirements, failures of organizations to learn from previous incidents, inadequate schedule controls, inadequate task analyses or design processes, flaws in the design of organizations, and issues with organizational safety cultures.

Timothy S Barth↗

U.S. Navy Wave Energy Test Site – Early Findings.

The U.S. Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS), with three test berths at 30, 60, and 80m water depths, located on the windward side of the island of Oahu, Hawaii, in now fully operational. The first such grid-connected test site in the U.S., WETS has hosted two wave energy conversion (WEC) devices since its June 2015 commissioning – the Fred. Olsen Lifesaver (Figure 1) and Northwest Energy Innovations Azura. Both are point absorber WECs, but with very different configurations and power take off (PTO) strategies. Several additional devices will be tested at WETS in the coming years, beginning with an oscillating water column device from Ocean Energy in late 2017.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

SECARB Post Injection Assessment Report

The Southern States Energy Board (SSEB) managed the overall Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (SECARB) Phase III project and The Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG), at the University of Texas at Austin, managed all activities associated with the Early Test field site near Cranfield, Mississippi (the Early Test or Cranfield Project). The SECARB project at Cranfield was focused downdip of the oil rim and on demonstrating the stacked nature of the storage potential at this location: enhanced oil recovery (EOR) up-dip and saline downdip. Because the injection for EOR continued after the SECARB project ended, no actual post-injection period occurred. However, information collected during the SECARB-monitored injection period, including pressure and CO2 plume position, was utilized in an EOR carbon lifecycle assessment. The carbon lifecycle assessment provided insight on tracking injection fronts and production efficiencies across the field. To complete the post injection assessment, taking into account the continuing EOR period after closeout of SECARB field activities, this report provides data and analysis done under another DOE-funded project. The follow up project focused on the carbon lifecycle of EOR and included an assessment of EOR at as-operated and under possible future scenarios. This work was published by Hossieni et al. (2018) and Hosseininoosheri (2019).

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT↗

Non-nuclear Testing of Reactor Systems in the Early Flight Fission Test Facilities (EFF-TF)

The Early Flight Fission-Test Facility (EFF-TF) can assist in the &sign and development of systems through highly effective non-nuclear testing of nuclear systems when technical issues associated with near-term space fission systems are "non-nuclear" in nature (e.g. system s nuclear operations are understood). For many systems. thermal simulators can he used to closely mimic fission heat deposition. Axial power profile, radial power profile. and fuel pin thermal conductivity can be matched. In addition to component and subsystem testing, operational and lifetime issues associated with the steady state and transient performance of the integrated reactor module can be investigated. Instrumentation at the EFF-TF allows accurate measurement of temperature, pressure, strain, and bulk core deformation (useful for accurately simulating nuclear behavior). Ongoing research at the EFF-TF is geared towards facilitating research, development, system integration, and system utilization via cooperative efforts with DOE laboratories, industry, universities, and other NASA centers. This paper describes the current efforts for the latter portion of 2003 and beginning of 2004.

VanDyke, Melissa↗

VCE early acoustic test results of General Electric's high-radius ratio coannular plug nozzle

Results of variable cycle engine (VCE) early acoustic engine and model scale tests are presented. A summary of an extensive series of far field acoustic, advanced acoustic, and exhaust plume velocity measurements with a laser velocimeter of inverted velocity and temperature profile, high radius ratio coannular plug nozzles on a YJ101 VCE static engine test vehicle are reviewed. Select model scale simulated flight acoustic measurements for an unsuppressed and a mechanical suppressed coannular plug nozzle are also discussed. The engine acoustic nozzle tests verify previous model scale noise reduction measurements. The engine measurements show 4 to 6 PNdB aft quadrant jet noise reduction and up to 7 PNdB forward quadrant shock noise reduction relative to a fully mixed conical nozzle at the same specific thrust and mixed pressure ratio. The influences of outer nozzle radius ratio, inner stream velocity ratio, and area ratio are discussed. Also, laser velocimeter measurements of mean velocity and turbulent velocity of the YJ101 engine are illustrated. Select model scale static and simulated flight acoustic measurements are shown which corroborate that coannular suppression is maintained in forward speed.

Knott, P. R.↗

Early flight test experience with Cockpit Displayed Traffic Information (CDTI)

Coded symbology, based on the results of early human factors studies, was displayed on the electronic horizontal situation indicator and flight tested on an advanced research aircraft in order to subject the coded traffic symbology to a realistic flight environment and to assess its value by means of a direct comparison with simple, uncoded traffic symbology. The tests consisted of 28 curved, decelerating approaches, flown by research-pilot flight crews. The traffic scenarios involved both conflict-free and blunder situations. Subjective pilot commentary was obtained through the use of a questionnaire and extensive pilot debriefing sessions. The results of these debriefing sessions group conveniently under either of two categories: display factors or task performance. A major item under the display factor category was the problem of display clutter. The primary contributors to clutter were the use of large map-scale factors, the use of traffic data blocks, and the presentation of more than a few aircraft. In terms of task performance, the cockpit displayed traffic information was found to provide excellent overall situation awareness.

Abbott, T. S.↗

TIRS Cryocooler: Spacecraft Integration and Test and Early Flight Data

The Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) is an instrument on Landsat 8, launched in February 2013. The focal plane is cooled by a two-stage Ball Aerospace Stirling cycle cryocooler, with a coldfinger operating at 40K. This paper describes events during the spacecraft integration and test program, and results from early orbit operation of the cryocooler.

Boyle, R.↗

Metallic Environmentally Resistant Coating Rapid Innovation Initiative

Lightweight alloys such as aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti) are often specified for space systems to minimize mass while maintaining structural integrity [1,2]. Such alloys however, have poor tribological response (high friction and wear), especially in extreme space environments, which becomes worse with the additional presence of lunar regolith. This leads to short lifetimes and premature failures that will ultimately limit long term operations on the lunar surface [2]. This project is addressing this technology gap by developing advanced wear- and radiation-resistant coatings for lightweight parts to extend the life-time and sustainability of both lunar and Martian assets. Ceramics were considered for their high wear resistance, but were rejected because of their low fracture toughness, which would be especially problematic for structural components. The novel and existing coating technologies and deposition methods are being tested in this project. The coating materials are Boron Nitride-Aluminum (BN-Al), Nickle Titanium (NiTi), Aluminum Oxide (AlO3), Ti64 with hBN at 2 and 10 vol percent (Ti-2vol%hBN and Ti-10vol%hBN), and the deposition techniques are high pressure cold-spray (CS) and ambient and vacuum plasma-spray (APS and VPS) [3,4,5]. BN-Al, NiTi, Ti-2vol%hBN, and Ti-10vol%hBN were applied with all three deposition techniques, and AlO3 was applied only using the APS deposition technique. A tungstenite (WS2) film was applied to the NiTi VPS coating. The coating and deposition technique configurations are being tested against several key end-use performance parameters. The parameters include the capabilities of the coatings under wear environments such as regolith simulant, thermal cycling from high (120°C) to cryogenic (-173°C), high vacuum (~10-7 torr), and pre- and post-exposure to ionizing particle radiation. Wear tests include pin on disk, three-body abrasion, and surface erosion by high velocity regolith impacts. The initial down selection is being performed using on virgin and environmental exposure samples using pin on disk and three body abrasion wear tests. From preliminary assessment of this testing, a few configurations were eliminated. Ti-10vol%hBN could not be applied using CS application and NiTi could not be applied using APS or CS application so these configurations did not get tested. Early pin on disk wear tests showed poor wear performance of BN-Al so this coating was eliminated early in the testing process. AlO3 on Al substrate did not survive thermal cycling, but wear testing is continuing for AlO3 on Ti substrate. A more detailed analysis is being con-ducted to further reduce the number of configuration for phase II and III. Phase II testing will include conventionally and additively manufactured substrates with surface erosion testing. In phase III, the coatings will be applied to three mechanism types: channel and slot, ball and socket, and a hinge joint. Each will demonstrate a different type of wear incidence. The mechanisms and their base materials are of direct interest to the end users and infusion points: the Human Landing System (HLS) and the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (sustained lunar surface operations). The technology development project is based out of Marshall Space Flight Center, has partnered with Florida International University (Miami, FL) and Plasma Processes (Huntsville, Al), and is supported by a group of NASA mentors from different centers.

dust mitigation↗

HPC Molecular Simulation Tries Out a New GPU: Experiences on Early AMD Test Systems for the Frontier Supercomputer

Molecular simulation is an important tool for nu- merous efforts in physics, chemistry, and the biological sciences. Simulating molecular dynamics requires extremely rapid cal- culations to enable sufficient sampling of simulated temporal molecular processes. The Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Cray EX Frontier supercomputer installed at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) will provide an exascale resource for open science, and will feature graphics processing units (GPUs) from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The future LUMI supercomputer in Finland will be based on an HPE Cray EX platform as well. Here we test the ports of several widely used molecular dynamics packages that have each made substantial use of acceleration with NVIDIA GPUs, on Spock, the early Cray pre-Frontier testbed system at the OLCF which employs AMD GPUs. These programs are used extensively in industry for pharmaceutical and materials research, as well as academia, and are also frequently deployed on high-performance computing (HPC) systems, including national leadership HPC resources. We find that in general, performance is competitive and installation is straightforward, even at these early stages in a new GPU ecosystem. Our experiences point to an expanding arena for GPU vendors in HPC for molecular simulation.

Sedova, Ada↗

Early-stage Testing of Thermal Power Dispatch Simulator for Subjective Mental Workload and Evolution Time

The excess thermal energy produced by nuclear power plants (NPPs) during low electricity demands can be utilized in industrial processes, such as hydrogen production, through a thermal power dispatch (TPD) system. Initial testing of the first iteration of a single-train TPD design with a manual control mode at the Idaho National Lab (INL) revealed a high operator workload and degraded control capability. The current study evaluated the impact of an enhanced dual-train TPD design on operators’ subjective mental workload and evolution task-time while completing two operating scenarios in manual and automatic control modes. The results showed no statistically significant difference between participants’ mental workload using both control modes. Evolution time in automatic control mode took a shorter time than in manual control, with participants completing all evolutions in less than the 10-min set as the design specification limit. The shorter evolution time is discussed within the context of plant safety and operational efficiency.

Gideon, Olugbenga↗