Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “mechanical coolers”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Active cooling requirements for propellant storage

Recent NASA and DOD mission models have indicated future needs for orbital cryogenic storage and supply systems. Two thermal control systems which show the greatest promise for improving propellant storage life were evaluated. One system was an open cycle thermodynamic vent type with a refrigeration system for partial hydrogen reliquefaction located at the LH2 tank and a vapor cooled shield for integrated and non-integrated tank designs to reduce boiloff. The other was a closed system with direct refrigeration at the LH2 tank. A reversed Brayton cycle unit was baselined for the propellant processor. It is concluded that: (1) reliquefaction systems are not attractive for minimizing propellant boiloff; (2) open cycle systems may not be economically attractive for long term storage; (3) a number of refrigeration systems are available to assist in the long term storage of cryogenic propellants; and (4) shields can significantly improve the performance of mechanical coolers.

Klein, G. A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

The X-ray Spectrometer - A cryogenic instrument on the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility

The X-ray Spectrometer (XRS) is an instrument on the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), the third of NASA's Great Observatories scheduled for launch in 1998. The XRS detectors have a resolution of approximately 10 eV over the range 0.3 - 10 keV. To achieve this resolution, the detectors are maintained at or below 0.1 Kelvin using an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator inside a superfluid helium dewar. In addition, split-Stirling-cycle mechanical coolers are used to extend the anticipated on-orbit helium lifetime to a minimum of 4 years. This paper describes the challenges of developing this hybrid cryogenic system and presents an overview of the current design of the system.

Breon, Susan R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

MOPITT - A gas correlation spectrometer for tropospheric Earth observations

MOPITT (Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere) is an instrument that will fly on the EOS AM-1 Polar Orbiting Platform, to be launched in mid-1998. The instrument accurately measures the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4) gas in the troposphere, using novel and conventional gas correlation spectroscopy techniques. These techniques are used to measure both the column amount and the vertical profile of the two gases in the troposphere. The instrument is nadir viewing and has cross-track scanning ability. It measures upwelling IR radiation through the atmosphere in the 4.6-micron and 2.3-micron bands for CO detection, and 2.2-micron for CH4. The instrument performance is enhanced using Stirling cycle mechanical coolers to maintain the IR detectors at less than 100 K. MOPITT has a total of eight detector channels to measure the total column of atmospheric CH4 gas to a precision of 1 percent, and to measure CO profiles to a precision of 10 percent. The instrument is self-calibrating to ensure data validity using internal targets and an external cold space view.

Drummond, James R.↗
NASA NTRS1995

An X-Band Mixer Engineered for 77 K Operation

An X-band Si-diode singly balanced mixer developed specifically for cryogenic operation is presented. In order to reduce thermal demands on a mechanical cooler, the mixer was designed to operate with a minimum of local oscillator (LO) power. That is, since the LO had to be cooled to reduce phase noise, it was desirable to minimize the LO drive. Novel embedding circuit strategy was responsible for nearly theoretical performance. The signal-matching circuit simultaneously provided a reactive termination to the image, sum, and first, second, and third LO harmonic frequencies. A conversion loss of 3.2 dB at 77 K with an LO drive of +1 dBm was measured. This loss included IF filter, dc block, and hybrid coupler losses. Mixer conversion loss is shown to be consistent with the theoretical performance limit expected from the intrinsic diode. The relationship among junction capacitance, flat-band potential, and conversion loss is examined.

Romanofsky, Robert R.↗
NASA NTRS2004

The Astro-E2 Mission

The Astro-E2 observatory is a rebuild of the original Astro-E observatory that was lost during launch in February 2000. It is scheduled for launch into low earth orbit on a Japanese M-V rocket in early 2005. The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is developing the observatory with major contributions from the US. The three instruments on the observatory are the high-resolution x-ray spectrometer (the XRS) featuring a 30-pixel x-ray microcalorimeter array, a set of four CCD cameras (the XIS) and a combination photo-diode/scintillator detector system (the HXD) that will extend the band pass up to nearly 700 keV. A significant feature of Astro-E2 is that all of the instruments are coaligned and operated simultaneously. With its high spectral resolution and collecting area for spectroscopy above 1 keV, Astro-E2 should enable major discovery space and pioneer new technology for use in space. Prime areas for investigation are supernova remnants, active galaxies and the measurement of black hole properties via relativistically-broadened Fe-K emission galaxies. A number of enhancements have been made for the Astro-E2/XRS, including a higher resolution microcalorimeter array, ii mechanical cooler for longer cryogen life, and an improved in-flight calibration system. The Astro-E2/XIS has also been improved to include two back-side-illuminated CCDs to enhance the low energy response. Improvements have also been made to the x-ray mirrors used for both the XRS and XIS to sharpen the point spread function and reduce the effects of stray light. In this talk we will present the essential features of Astro-E2, paying particular attention to the enhancements, and describe the major scientific strengths of the observatory.

Kelley, Richard L.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Thermal System Verification and Model Validation for NASA's Cryogenic Passively Cooled James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

A thorough and unique thermal verification and model validation plan has been developed for NASA s James Webb Space Telescope. The JWST observatory consists of a large deployed aperture optical telescope passively cooled to below 50 Kelvin along with a suite of several instruments passively and actively cooled to below 37 Kelvin and 7 Kelvin, respectively. Passive cooling to these extremely low temperatures is made feasible by the use of a large deployed high efficiency sunshield and an orbit location a! !he L2 Lagrange p~in!. Another enabling feature is the scale or size of the observatory that allows for large radiator sizes that are compatible with the expected power dissipation of the instruments and large format Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) detector arrays. This passive cooling concept is simple, reliable, and mission enabling when compared to the alternatives of mechanical coolers and stored cryogens. However, these same large scale observatory features, which make passive cooling viable, also prevent the typical flight configuration fully-deployed thermal balance test that is the keystone to most space missions thermal verification plan. JWST is simply too large in its deployed configuration to be properly thermal balance tested in the facilities that currently exist. This reality, when combined with a mission thermal concept with little to no flight heritage, has necessitated the need for a unique and alternative approach to thermal system verification and model validation. This paper describes the thermal verification and model validation plan that has been developed for JWST.

Parrish, Keith↗
NASA NTRS2005

Thermal System Verification and Model Validation for NASA's Cryogenic Passively Cooled James Webb Space Telescope

A thorough and unique thermal verification and model validation plan has been developed for NASA s James Webb Space Telescope. The JWST observatory consists of a large deployed aperture optical telescope passively cooled to below 50 Kelvin along with a suite of several instruments passively and actively cooled to below 37 Kelvin and 7 Kelvin, respectively. Passive cooling to these extremely low temperatures is made feasible by the use of a large deployed high efficiency sunshield and an orbit location at the L2 Lagrange point. Another enabling feature is the scale or size of the observatory that allows for large radiator sizes that are compatible with the expected power dissipation of the instruments and large format Mercury Cadmium Telluride (HgCdTe) detector arrays. This passive cooling concept is simple, reliable, and mission enabling when compared to the alternatives of mechanical coolers and stored cryogens. However, these same large scale observatory features, which make passive cooling viable, also prevent the typical flight configuration fully-deployed thermal balance test that is the keystone to most space missions thermal verification plan. JWST is simply too large in its deployed configuration to be properly thermal balance tested in the facilities that currently exist. This reality, when combined with a mission thermal concept with little to no flight heritage, has necessitated the need for a unique and alternative approach to thermal system verification and model validation. This paper describes the thermal verification and model validation plan that has been developed for JWST. The plan relies on judicious use of cryogenic and thermal design margin, a completely independent thermal modeling cross check utilizing different analysis teams and software packages, and finally, a comprehensive set of thermal tests that occur at different levels of JWST assembly. After a brief description of the JWST mission and thermal architecture, a detailed description of the three aspects of the thermal verification and model validation plan is presented.

Cleveland, Paul E.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Coastal Research Imaging Spectrometer

The Coastal Research Imaging Spectrometer (CRIS) is an airborne remote sensing system designed specifically for research on the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of coastal waters. The CRIS includes a visible-light hyperspectral imaging subsystem for measuring the color of water, which contains information on the biota, sediment, and nutrient contents of the water. The CRIS also includes an infrared imaging subsystem, which provides information on the temperature of the water. The combination of measurements enables investigation of biological effects of both natural and artificial flows of water from land into the ocean, including diffuse and point-source flows that may contain biological and/or chemical pollutants. Temperature is an important element of such measurements because temperature contrasts can often be used to distinguish among flows from different sources: for example, a sewage outflow could manifest itself in spectral images as a local high-temperature anomaly. Both the visible and infrared subsystems scan in pushbroom mode: that is, an aircraft carrying the system moves along a ground track, the system is aimed downward, and image data are acquired in across-track linear arrays of pixels. Both subsystems operate at a frame rate of 30 Hz. The infrared and visible-light optics are adjusted so that both subsystems are aimed at the same moving swath, which has across-track angular width of 15 . Data from the infrared and visible imaging subsystems are stored in the same file along with aircraft- position data acquired by a Global Positioning System receiver. The combination of the three sets of data is used to construct infrared and hyperspectral maps of scanned areas (see figure). The visible subsystem is based on a grating spectrograph and a rapid-readout charge-coupled-device camera. Images of the swatch are acquired in 256 spectral bands at wavelengths from 400 to 800 nm. The infrared subsystem, which is sensitive in a single wavelength band of 8 to 10 m, is based on a focal-plane array of HgCdTe photodetectors that are cooled to an operating temperature of 77 K by use of a closed-Stirling-cycle mechanical cooler. The nonuniformities of the HgCdTe photodetector array are small enough that the raw pixel data from the infrared subsystem can be used to recognize temperature differences on the order of 1 C. By use of a built-in blackbody calibration source that can be switched into the field of view, one can obtain bias and gain offset terms for individual pixels, making it possible to offset the effects of nonuniformities sufficiently to enable the measurement of temperature differences as small as 0.1 C.

Lucey, Paul G.↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Astro-H High Resolution Soft X-Ray Spectrometer

We present the overall design and performance of the Astro-H (Hitomi) Soft X-Ray Spectrometer (SXS). The instrument uses a 36-pixel array of x-ray microcalorimeters at the focus of a grazing-incidence x-ray mirror Soft X-Ray Telescope (SXT) for high-resolution spectroscopy of celestial x-ray sources. The instrument was designed to achieve an energy resolution better than 7 eV over the 0.3-12 keV energy range and operate for more than 3 years in orbit. The actual energy resolution of the instrument is 4-5 eV as demonstrated during extensive ground testing prior to launch and in orbit. The measured mass flow rate of the liquid helium cryogen and initial fill level at launch predict a lifetime of more than 4 years assuming steady mechanical cooler performance. Cryogen-free operation was successfully demonstrated prior to launch. The successful operation of the SXS in orbit, including the first observations of the velocity structure of the Perseus cluster of galaxies, demonstrates the viability and power of this technology as a tool for astrophysics.

spectrometers↗
NASA NTRS2016

Dios: The Dark Baryon Exploring Mission

DIOS (Diffuse Intergalactic Oxygen Surveyor) is a small satellite aiming for a launch around 2022 with JAXA's Epsilon rocket. Its main aim is a search for warm-hot intergalactic medium with high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of redshifted emission lines from OVII and OVIII ions. The superior energy resolution of TES microcalorimeters combined with a wide field of view (30 diameter) will enable us to look into gas dynamics of cosmic plasmas in a wide range of spatial scales from Earths magnetosphere to unvirialized regions of clusters of galaxies. Mechanical and thermal design of the spacecraft and development of the TES calorimeter system are described. Employing an enlarged X-ray telescope with a focal length of 1.2 m and fast repointing capability, DIOS can observe absorption features from X-ray afterglows of distant gamma-ray bursts.

X-ray telescope↗
NASA NTRS1990

Cryogenic optical systems and instruments IV; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, July 10-12, 1990

Consideration is given to cryogenic system design and optical technology; cryogenic instruments, sensors, and detectors; space cryogenic dewars and coolers; and cryogenic mechanisms, testing, and structures. Particular attention is given to mission optimization of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), alternative aperture stop position designs for SIRTF, scaling laws for lightweight optics, evaluation of a far-infrared Ge:Ga multiplexed detector array, cryogenic limb array etalon spectrometer calibration, reliability growth of coolers for advanced optical systems and instruments, flight-qualified solid argon cooler for the BBXRT instrument, precision mechanisms for optical alignments at cryogenic temperatures, versatile cryogenic rotary-positioning systems, and optical alignments of the Cosmic Background Explorer observatory.

Melugin, Ramsey K.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The evolution of chromospheric activity of cool giant and subgiant stars

IUE spectra for a large sample of cool subgiant stars are examined, and evidence is found that subgiants in the mass range 1.2-1.6 solar masses undergo a sudden decline in UV transition region emission near B - V = 0.6, which corresponds to spectral type G0 IV. The decline in UV emission coincides with a sharp decrease in stellar rotation rates, and it is suggested that this decay in activity and rotation marks a transformation from acoustic heating in the early F stars to magnetic dynamo-driven activity in the cooler stars, resulting in a strong rotational braking action by stellar wind. For more massive giant stars, there is a similar transformation in the nature of chromospheric activity near B - V = 0.7, or spectral type G0 III, from acoustic heating in the F-type giants to a solarlike dynamo mechanism in the cooler giants. No sign of an abrupt drop in activity near spectral type G5 III at the location of Gray's proposed rotational boundary line is seen.

Simon, Theodore↗
NASA NTRS1996

Investigation of Gas Effects on Cryocooler Resonance Characteristics

Cryocooler thermal and vibrational performance is determined, fundamentally, by the dynamic interactions between the mechanical system and the working fluid. This paper explores the effect of working-fluid characteristics on the mechanical response of the cooler. Experimental data collected from two coolers characterized under the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's extensive program of cryocooler testing and characterization show that a classical single-degree-of-freedom spring-mass-damper model does not capture the full frequency dependence of the mechanical response. The data from the two modes of cooler operation (slosh and head-to-head) are used to motivate the explanation that working-fluid characteristics dominate at high frequencies, and mechanical system characteristics dominate at lower frequencies. Operating temperature is shown to be a significant factor in determining resonance behavior. Finally, the discussion provides a framework within which resonate parameters and cooler characteristics can be extracted from the experimental data.

cryocooler vibration working-fluid characteristics↗
NASA NTRS1994

Three-Stage Regenerative Sorption Cooler Reaches 65 K

Three-stage regenerative sorption cooler produces no measurable vibration, highly reliable, and exhibits efficiency comparable to that of less-reliable mechanical Stirling-cycle cooler. Represents improvement over two-stage sorption cooler described in "Regenerative Sorption Refrigerator" (NPO-17630).

Bard, Steven↗
NASA NTRS1991

Thermal Strap And Cushion For Thermoelectric Cooler

Inexpensive cushioning strap proposed for use as thermal contact between thermoelectric cooler and device to be cooled, such as laser diode, infrared detector, or charge-coupled device for imaging. Provides high thermal conductance while minimizing thermal and mechanical stresses on thermoelectric cooler. Used as alternative to flexible thermal strap made of silver.

Jones, Jack A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Advanced Atmospheric Sounder and Imaging Radiometer (AASIR)

Design information for the Advanced Atmospheric Sounder and Imaging Radiometer is reported, which was developed to determine the configuration of a sensor for IR and visible imaging. The areas of technology reported include: systems design, optics, mechanics, electronics, detectors, radiative cooler, and radiometric calibration.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (CRYOHP)

The objective of the CRYOHP experiment is to conduct a shuttle experiment that demonstrates the reliable operation of two oxygen heat pipes in microgravity. The experiment will perform the following tasks: (1) demonstrate startup of the pipes from the supercritical state; (2) measure the heat transport capacity of the pipes; (3) measure evaporator and condenser film coefficients; and (4) work shuttle safety issues. The approach for the experiment is as follows: (1) fly two axially grooved oxygen heat pipes attached to mechanical stirling cycle tactical coolers; (2) integrate experiment in hitch-hiker canister; and (3) fly on shuttle and control from ground.

Mcintosh, Roy↗
NASA NTRS2002

Low Temperature Regenerators for Zero Boil-Off Liquid Hydrogen Pulse Tube Cryocoolers

Recently, a great deal of attention has been focused on zero boil-off (ZBO) propellant storage as a means of minimizing the launch mass required for long-term exploration missions. A key component of ZBO systems is the cooler. Pulse tube coolers offer the advantage of zero moving mass at the cold head, and recent advances in lightweight, high efficiency cooler technology have paved the way for reliable liquid oxygen (LOx) temperature coolers to be developed which are suitable for flight ZBO systems. Liquid hydrogen (LH2) systems, however, are another matter. For ZBO liquid hydrogen systems, cooling powers of 1-5 watts are required at 20 K. The final development from tier for these coolers is to achieve high efficiency and reliability at lower operating temperatures. Most of the life-limiting issues of flight Stirling and pulse tube coolers are associated with contamination, drive mechanisms, and drive electronics. These problems are well in hand in the present generation coolers. The remaining efficiency and reliability issues reside with the low temperature regenerators. This paper will discuss advances to be made in regenerators for pulse tube LH2 ZBO coolers, present some historical background, and discuss recent progress in regenerator technology development using alloys of erbium.

Salerno, Louis J.↗