Performance of a turboalternator gas-bearing system at steady-state conditions
Turboalternator gas-bearing system performance at steady state conditions
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Turboalternator gas-bearing system performance at steady state conditions
Multiple phase-controlled parasitic load effects on turboalternator output speed control
Turbine performance in gas-bearing Brayton cycle turboalternator
Steady state electrical performance of 400-Hz Brayton cycle turboalternator and controls
Potassium turboalternator design study - turbine, bearing, and seal parametric design
Potassium turboalternator design study - alternator parametric design
Potassium turboalternator design study - final design
Experimental operation of gas-bearing turboalternator for spacecraft power supplies
Dynamic electrical characteristics of 400 Hz Brayton cycle turboalternator and controls for space application
Design and application of tool-steel ball bearings to turboalternator and mercury pump of SNAP-8 electrical generator
Turboalternator for SNAP 8 power system subjected to expected vehicle launch vibration and shock loading
A power source and load-control concept was designed and tested for use with a Brayton cycle turboalternator. The concept provides power that adjusts to a range of loads while controlling alternator speed and isolating load-switching transients. The concept is also applicable to power-generating sources other than the Brayton cycle.
Foil bearings were designed and fabricated to replace pivoted-shoe journal bearings in a Brayton cycle turboalternator, within space limitations and constraints imposed by the existing machine. The foil bearings were integrated into a unified assembly with the rotor, housing, seals, and gimbal-mounted thrust bearing, without changes and modifications of machine components other than the journal bearings. The gas-lubricated foil bearings, which require no external pressure-source, furnished a stable support for a 21.9 pound rotor in the vertical attitude at speeds to 43,200 rpm. Excellent wipe-wear characteristics permitted well over 1000 start-stop cycles, without deterioration of performance in the entire speed range. The paper reviews salient aspects of design, fabrication, and performance. An account is given of rotor dynamics during starting, stopping, and traversing the region of resonances. The state of journal and foil surfaces is examined following intensive start-stop cycling and high-speed runs over extended periods of time.
A quasi-static analysis is presented for foil journal bearings designed for a NASA Brayton Cycle Turboalternator. Included in the analysis are effects of 'slack' (due to flexural rigidity of the foil), of frictionally restrained extension of the foil-length in contact with cylindrical guides, of fluid inertia and compressibility, and of thermal expansion of rotor, foil and supporting structure. Comparisons are made with results of early experiments performed by Licht (1968, 1969) and recent data of Licht and Branger (1973). Variatons of film thickness, foil tension and bearing stiffness are presented graphically as functions of pertinent parameters for the case of operation in zero-gravity environment.
The NASA-sponsored 2kW(e) Solar Dynamic Space Power System Ground Test Demonstration Program requires the physical and the thermodynamic integration of the Brayton Isotope Power System (BIPS) Turboalternator-Compressor (TAC) and recuperator with a heat receiver, solar concentrator, and radiator based on Space Station Freedom designs. The aim of the designs is to provide a cost-effective, minimal-risk, viable ground test system. This paper describes the BIPS TAC configuration and performance characteristics along with the cycle analysis of BIPS TAC.
Two-stage, axial flow turbine test rig for providing cold flow aerodynamic performance data on Brayton cycle alternator drive turbine
An analysis of foil journal bearings for a NASA Brayton Cycle Unit (BRU) is presented. The study represents an extension of previous work in that it includes the effects of thermal expansion of foil-bearing components, as well as an improved model of the influence of foil flexure. The results presented give the bearing film thickness, the bearing stiffness, and the foil tension as functions of the operating temperatures and the elasto-hydrodynamic and geometrical parameters pertinent to the design of BRU foil bearings. A computer program for the evaluation of design data and for parametric studies is included.
Two hydrogen oxygen rocket engine system concepts were analyzed parametrically over a thrust range from 100 to 1000 pounds and a chamber pressure range from 175 to 1000 psia. Both concepts were regeneratively cooled with hydrogen and were pump fed by electric motor driven positive displacement pumps. Electric power was provided by either a turboalternator (turboalternator concept) or some means external to the engine system (auxiliary power concept). The turboalternator concept is discussed. The computer program used to conduct the analyses along with the design characteristics of the major engine system components is described. The feasible design range of the systems over the parametric range of thrust is discussed in terms of allowable chamber pressure. Engine system estimated performance, mass, and dimensional envelope parametric data within the feasible design range are presented.