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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 379 records · Page 21

Photogrammetric Analysis of CPAS Main Parachutes

The Crew Exploration Vehicle Parachute Assembly System (CPAS) is being designed to land the Orion Crew Module (CM) at a safe rate of descent at splashdown with a cluster of two to three Main parachutes. The instantaneous rate of descent varies based on parachute fly-out angles and geometric inlet area. Parachutes in a cluster oscillate between significant fly-out angles and colliding into each other. The former presents a sub-optimal inlet area and the latter lowers the effective drag area as the parachutes interfere with each other. The fly-out angles are also important in meeting a twist torque requirement. Understanding cluster behavior necessitates measuring the Mains with photogrammetric analysis. Imagery from upward looking cameras is analyzed to determine parachute geometry. Fly-out angles are measured from each parachute vent to an axis determined from geometry. Determining the scale of the objects requires knowledge of camera and lens calibration as well as features of known size. Several points along the skirt are tracked to compute an effective circumference, diameter, and inlet area as a function of time. The effects of this geometry are clearly seen in the system drag coefficient time history. Photogrammetric analysis is key in evaluating the effects of design features such as an Over-Inflation Control Line (OICL), Main Line Length Ratio (MLLR), and geometric porosity, which are varied in an attempt to minimize cluster oscillations. The effects of these designs are evaluated through statistical analysis.

Ray, Eric↗

Results of test MA22 in the NASA/LaRC 31-inch CFHT on an 0.010-scale model (32-0) of the space shuttle configuration 3 to determine RCS jet flow field interaction, volume 1

A wind tunnel test was conducted in the Langley Research Center 31-inch Continuous Flow Hypersonic Wind Tunnel from May 6, 1975 through June 3, 1975. The primary objectives of this test were the following: (1) to study the ability of the wind tunnel to repeat, on a run-to-run basis, data taken for identical configurations to determine if errors in repeatability could have a significant effect on jet interaction data, (2) to determine the effect of aerodynamic heating of the scale model on jet interaction, (3) to investigate the effects of elevon and body flap deflections on jet interaction, (4) to determine if the effects from jets fired separately along different axes can be added to equal the effects of the jets fired simultaneously (super position effects), (5) to study multiple jet effects, and (6) to investigate area ratio effects, i.e., the effect on jet interaction measurements of using wind tunnel nozzles with different area ratios in the same location. The model used in the test was a .010-scale model of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Configuration 3. The test was conducted at Mach 10.3 and a dynamic pressure of 150 psf. RCS chamber pressure was varied to simulate free flight dynamic pressures of 5, 7.5, 10, and 20 psf.

Kanipe, D. B.↗

Report on the Integration of Experimental and Modeling Data for Initial Equivalence Study of Microstructural Evolution in Irradiated LPBF 316SS

Advanced materials and manufacturing technologies are poised to improve the safety and design characteristics of nuclear technologies and meet US energy, environmental, and economic needs. In particular, metal additive manufacturing (AM) provides an opportunity to produce novel materials and component geometries, but their use is not without hurdles arising from the inherent microstructure variability that can result from the layer-by-layer build approach. Given the greater possible microstructure variability in AM materials—and the dearth of materials test reactors—it is impractical to rely solely on neutron irradiation studies to produce data for materials qualification for every possibility. This work within the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies (AMMT) Environmental Effects technical area contributes to the rapid qualification framework by developing a science-driven framework for the accelerated qualification of materials for nuclear environments. A key product of the Environmental Effects technical area of the AMMT program is the Licensing Approach with Ions and Neutrons (LAIN). This approach recognizes that whether using existing materials in new environments, newly developed materials tailored for these environments, or new manufacturing methods, the traditional decades-long approach for materials qualification does not facilitate rapid deployment. In FY 2023, the AMMT program presented a conceptual framework of specific steps to fulfill several technical challenges associated with qualifying materials for performance in radiation environments on an accelerated time frame informed by the state of the art in materials science and a review of the current regulatory landscape. The objective of this section of the Environmental Effects technical area is to critically evaluate and refine the proposed qualification framework presented under AMMT by integrating the research results of the neutron irradiations, the ion irradiations, and modeling efforts. These ongoing efforts span across Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and are closely coordinated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Surface atmospheric extremes (Launch and transportation areas)

The effects of extreme values of surface and low altitude atmospheric parameters on space vehicle design, tests, and operations are discussed. Atmospheric extremes from the surface to 150 meters for geographic locations of interest to NASA are given. Thermal parameters (temperature and solar radiation), humidity, pressure, and atmospheric electricity (lighting and static) are presented. Weather charts and tables are included.

Source record↗

Integration of the fundamental knowledge on solvent-packing interactions into the multiscale framework for column scale design and optimization

The interfacial area, also known as the effective mass transfer area, is a key factor for determining the mass transfer for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture via the chemical absorption process in a packed column, and thus the overall capture efficiency of the packed column. Most of the widely used empirical and semi-empirical models for interfacial area were derived indirectly through absorption mass transfer with simplifications based on fast chemical kinetics. This report presents the comprehensive unique multiscale approach to develop a surrogate model for effective mass transfer area in structured packed columns that accounts local hydrodynamics as well as variation in physical properties, and changes in solid surface characteristics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

High B-field, large area ratio MHD duct experiments

Studies of the effect of area ratio variation on the performance of a supersonic Hall MHD duct were extended up to area ratios of 6.25/1. It is shown that for a given area ratio there is a combustion pressure above which the power generating region of the duct is shock free and the power output increases linearly with the square of the magnetic field. Below this pressure a shock forms in the duct which moves upstream with increasing magnetic field strength and results in a less rapid rise in power output.

Smith, J. M.↗

Application of color Doppler flow mapping to calculate orifice area of St Jude mitral valve

BACKGROUND: The effective orifice area (EOA) of a prosthetic valve is superior to transvalvular gradients as a measure of valve function, but measurement of mitral prosthesis EOA has not been reliable. METHODS AND RESULTS: In vitro flow across St Jude valves was calculated by hemispheric proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) and segment-of-spheroid (SOS) methods. For steady and pulsatile conditions, PISA and SOS flows correlated with true flow, but SOS and not PISA underestimated flow. These principles were then used intraoperatively to calculate cardiac output and EOA of newly implanted St Jude mitral valves in 36 patients. Cardiac output by PISA agreed closely with thermodilution (r=0.91, Delta=-0.05+/-0.55 L/min), but SOS underestimated it (r=0.82, Delta=-1.33+/-0.73 L/min). Doppler EOAs correlated with Gorlin equation estimates (r=0.75 for PISA and r=0.68 for SOS, P<0.001) but were smaller than corresponding in vitro EOA estimates. CONCLUSIONS: Proximal flow convergence methods can calculate forward flow and estimate EOA of St Jude mitral valves, which may improve noninvasive assessment of prosthetic mitral valve obstruction.

NASA Discipline Cardiopulmonary↗

Aeroacoustic Characteristics of a Rectangular Multi-Element Supersonic Jet Mixer-Ejector Nozzle

This paper provides a unique, detailed evaluation of the acoustics and aerodynamics of a rectangular multi-element supersonic jet mixer-ejector noise suppressor. The performance of such mixer-ejectors is important in aircraft engine application for noise suppression and thrust augmentation. In contrast to most prior experimental studies on ejectors that reported either aerodynamic or acoustic data, our work documents both types of data. We present information on the mixing, pumping, ejector wall pressure distribution, thrust augmentation and noise suppression characteristics of four simple, multi-element, jet mixer-ejector configurations. The four configurations included the effect of ejector area ratio (AR = ejector area/primary jet area) and the effect of non-parallel ejector walls. We also studied in detail the configuration that produced the best noise suppression characteristics. Our results show that ejector configurations that produced the maximum maximum pumping (entrained flow per secondary inlet area) also exhibited the lowest wall pressures in the inlet region, and the maximum thrust augmentation. When cases having the same total mass flow were compared, we found that noise suppression trends corresponded with those for pumping. Surprisingly, the mixing (quantified by the peak Mach number, and flow uniformity) at the ejector exit exhibited no relationship to the noise suppression at moderate primary jet fully expanded Mach numbers (Mj is less than 1.4). However, the noise suppression dependence on the mixing was apparent at higher Mj. The above observations are justified by noting that the mixing at the ejector exit is ot a strong factor in determining the radiated noise when noise produced internal to the ejector dominates the noise field outside the ejector.

Raman, Ganesh↗

Beamwidth effects on Z-R relations and area-integrated rainfall

The effective radar reflectivity Ze measured by a radar is the convolution of the actual distribution of reflectivity with the beam radiation pattern. Because of the nonlinearity between Z and rain rate R, Ze gives a biased estimator of R whenever the reflectivity field is nonuniform. In the presence of sharp horizontal reflectivity gradients, the measured pattern of Ze extends beyond the actual precipitation boundaries to produce false precipitation echoes. When integrated across the radar image of the storm, the false echo areas contribute to the sum to produce overestimates of the areal rainfall. As the range or beamwidth increases, the ratio of measured to actual rainfall increases. Beyond some range, the normal decrease of reflectivity with height dominates and the measured rainfall underestimates the actual amount.

Rosenfeld, Daniel↗

Vertically Self-Oriented, Ultrafast 1D ZnO:Li Nanorods as Scintillators for Thermal Neutron Detection

Detection of special nuclear materials (SNMs) is of vital importance in the prevention of nuclear terrorism and to secure states’ national security. Neutron detection is a particularly useful tool to identify SNM, and neutron-sensitive scintillators have many promising properties, such as ease of use, good time resolution, and high detection efficiency. In this work, we develop highly stable, self-oriented, ultrafast 1D ZnO:Li (and codoped with Al, Ga, and In) nanorods (NRs) as thermal neutron-sensitive scintillators. Lithium-6 has high thermal neutron cross section for the (n, α) reaction in ZnO:Li scintillators which have a vertical nano array design greatly increasing the effective surface area and scintillation efficiency. Cost-effective low-temperature (95 °C) hydrothermal growth is used to obtain highly crystalline ZnO:Li nano scintillators by combining nuclear range data and electron transport mechanisms. Among the studies using low-temperature hydrothermal synthesis and a relatively low annealing temperature (≈350 °C) along with optimized NRs (length ≈ 5–8 μm, mean diameter ≈ 700 nm) for thermal neutron detection, this study reports the shortest scintillation decay time (≈ 470 ps) so far to the best of our knowledge. In conclusion, this nano array scintillator combines the advantages of a low-cost growth technique with environmentally friendly and widely available materials.

Ions↗

Coherency-Constrained Spectral Clustering for Power Network Reduction

This paper presents a methodology for reducing the complexity of large-scale power network models using spectral clustering, aggregation of electrical components, and cost function approximation. Two approaches are explored using unconstrained and constrained spectral clustering to determine areas for effective system reduction. Once the system areas are determined, both loads and generators by type are aggregated, and their new cost function is approximated through polynomial curve-fitting or statistical methods. The performance of reduced networks is evaluated in terms of their ability to follow the true daily cost of the original system over a 24-hour period considering a set of several days. Two test systems are taken as test beds. Application of the methodology to a modified version of the IEEE 39-bus system reduces it from 17 generators to a 4-bus system and 9 generators with about 93% of accuracy. Similarly, the IEEE 118-bus system is reduced from 19 generators to a 3-bus system with three aggregated units achieving over 99% of accuracy. These findings address scalability challenges and enhance accuracy for high and mid-loading level conditions, and by aggregating thermal units with similar cost functions.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Aerodynamic and acoustic performance of high Mach number inlets

Experimental results were obtained for two types of high Mach number inlets, one with a translating centerbody and one with a fixed geometry (collapsing cowl) without centerbody. The aerodynamic and acoustic performance of these inlets was examined. The effects of several parameters such as area ratio and length-diameter ratio were investigated. The translating centerbody inlet was found to be superior to the collapsing cowl inlet both acoustically and aerodynamically, particularly for area ratios greater than 1.5. Comparison of length-diameter ratio and area ratio effects on performance near choked flow showed the latter parameter to be more significant. Also, greater high frequency noise attenuation was achieved by increasing Mach number from low to high subsonic values.

Lumsdaine, E.↗

Investigation of the Static Longitudinal and Lateral Stability Characteristics of a 0.10-Scale Model of a Three-Stage Configuration of the Scout Research Vehicle at Mach Numbers of 2.29, 2.96, 3.96, and 4.65

An investigation w a s made i n the Langley Unitary Plan wind tunnel o determine the effects of fin area and the effects of antennas and w iring tunnels on the static longitudinal and lateral stability of a 0 .10- scale model of a three- stage configuration of the Scout vehicle. The tests were performed at Mach numbers of 2.29, 2.96, 3.96, and 4. 65 6 and at Reynolds numbers of about 3.5 X 10 per foot.

Jernell, Lloyd S.↗

Numerical study of the effect of propped surface area and fracture conductivity on shale gas production: Application for multi-size proppant pumping schedule design

Hydraulic fracturing is a technique extensively used in the oil and gas industry, where water, proppant (sand) and additives are injected into unconventional reservoirs to enhance the recovery of shale hydrocarbon. Although some previous studies have developed pumping schedules that maximize gas production for a single-size proppant, there are very few studies that consider the effect of varying proppant diameters across pumping stages on shale gas production. Motivated by this, we carried out an extensive sensitivity analysis to determine the effect of different proppant diameters on the average fracture conductivity (FC), average propped surface area (PSA) and cumulative shale gas production volume. We found out that the cumulative shale gas production volume depends on both the average PSA and average FC. We also found out that small-diameter proppant resulted in higher average PSA and lower average FC, whereas large-diameter proppant resulted in lower average PSA and higher average FC. Hence, we designed a multi-size proppant pumping schedule considering both of these parameters into account for simultaneously propagating multiple fractures to maximize shale gas production from unconventional reservoirs. Since the size of injected proppant particles determines the average PSA and average FC for the propped hydraulic fractures, we developed a novel framework called Sequentially Interlinked Modeling Structure (SIMS) to predict the average PSA, average FC and cumulative shale gas production volume at the end of 10 years for a given pumping schedule. Then, we used this SIMS framework to obtain a multi-size proppant pumping schedule that maximizes shale gas production. In closing, we demonstrated that the obtained pumping schedule gives a cumulative shale gas production volume greater than the values obtained from the existing pumping schedules.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

Numerical study of three-dimensional turbulent flow interactions between blockage models and wind tunnels including longitudinally slotted test sections

A spatial forward-marching approach is applied to compute three-dimensional turbulent flows for several blockage models in free flight, in a solid wall wind tunnel, and in a wind tunnel with longitudinal slots in the test section. The effects of area blockage in the tunnel, model growth and tunnel wall boundary layers, and of the slots are included. The large blockage models are found to have significant wall interference effects which can be reduced by the slots. The effects of the latter are confined to the region near the tunnel wall. Model/wall interference effects are not limited to the effects of area blockage; in particular, boundary layer profile shapes for a wind tunnel model in a tunnel are different from shapes for a model in free flight even when slots are used. This indicates that the flow responds differently in these two cases with the same pressure gradient.

Lin, S.-J.↗