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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 433 records · Page 24

Space Station Freedom Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) phase 3 simplified integrated test trace contaminant control subsystem performance

Space Station Freedom environmental control and life support system testing has been conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center since 1986. The phase 3 simplified integrated test (SIT) conducted from July 30, 1989, through August 11, 1989, tested an integrated air revitalization system. During this test, the trace contaminant control subsystem (TCCS) was directly integrated with the bleed stream from the carbon dioxide reduction subsystem. The TCCS performed as expected with minor anomalies. The test set the basis for further characterizing the TCCS performance as part of advance air revitalization system configurations.

Perry, J. L.↗

Antenna and Flight Control Software for Conformal Phased Array Antenna Design (CPAAD)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is developing lightweight conformal phased array antenna designs (CPAAD) for beyond line of sight communications [1]. The CPAAD system is developed to address reliable and affordable autonomous next generation aviation systems. The technology takes advantage of newly assigned provisional Ku-bands for UAVs. The antenna design is unique to avoid interference with the ground and the unconventional substrate reduces weight. The surface mounted conformal design allows for reduced drag during flight. The software developed for the CPAAD system operates the antenna hardware and provides a graphic user interface (GUI) for ground testing and flight operations.

phased array antenna control software↗

Four quadrant control circuit for a brushless three-phase dc motor

A control circuit is provided for a brushless three-phase dc motor which affords four quadrant control from a single command. The control circuit probes acceleration of the motor in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions and braking and generation in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions. In addition to turning on individual transistors of the transistor pairs connected to the phase windings of the motor for 120 deg periods while the other transistor of that pair is off, the control circuit also provides, in a future mode of operation, turning the two transistors of each pair on and off alternately at a phase modulation frequency during such a 120 deg period. A feedback signal is derived which is proportional to the motor current and which has a polarity consistent with the command signal, such that negative feedback results.

Nola, Frank J.↗

Phase Detector for Power-Factor Controller

Positive feedback assures reliable switching. Three Phase Power Factor Controller includes three phase detectors, each produces rectangular waves of duration approximately equal to lag time between line voltage and motor current.

Nola, F. J.↗

Phase change material for temperature control and material storage

A phase change material comprising a mixture of water and deuterium oxide is described, wherein the mole fraction of deuterium oxide is selected so that the mixture has a selected phase change temperature within a range between 0.degree. C. and 4.degree. C. The mixture is placed in a container and used for passive storage and transport of biomaterials and other temperature sensitive materials. Gels, nucleating agents, freezing point depression materials and colorants may be added to enhance the characteristics of the mixture.

Wessling, Jr., Francis C.↗

Optical pathlength control on the JPL Phase B interferometer testbed

Design and implementation of a controller for optical pathlength compensation on a flexible structure is presented. Nanometer level pathlength control is demonstrated in the laboratory. The experimental results are in close agreement with performance predictions.

Spanos, John T.↗

Optical Phased Array Using Guided Resonance with Backside Reflectors

Methods and systems for controlling the phase of electromagnetic waves are disclosed. A device can consist of a guided resonance grating layer, a spacer, and a reflector. A plurality of devices, arranged in a grid pattern, can control the phase of reflected electromagnetic phase, through refractive index control. Carrier injection, temperature control, and optical beams can be applied to control the refractive index.

Horie, Yu↗

Optical Phased Array Using Guided Resonance with Backside Reflectors

Methods and systems for controlling the phase of electromagnetic waves are disclosed. A device can consist of a guided resonance grating layer, a spacer, and a reflector. A plurality of devices, arranged in a grid pattern, can control the phase of reflected electromagnetic phase, through refractive index control. Carrier injection, temperature control, and optical beams can be applied to control the refractive index.

Horie, Yu↗

Spacelab Phase B study environmental control system component handbook

Descriptions are given of candidate components for the Phase B Study of the Spacelab environmental control system. Most of the hardware was defined for the baseline ECS design concept. A low cost design approach was followed, with most of the components being selected from the Apollo and Skylab Programs.

Burns, R. A.↗

Power control for hot gas engines

A hot gas engine in which the expander piston of the engine is connected to an expander crankshaft. A displacer piston of the engine is connected to a separate displacer crankshaft which may or may not be coaxial with the expander crankshaft. A phase angle control mechanism used as a power control for changing the phase angle between the expander and displacer crankshaft is located between the two crankshafts. The phase angle control mechanism comprises a differential type mechanism comprised of a pair of gears, as for example, bevel gears, one of which is connected to one end of the expander crankshaft and the other of which is connected to the opposite end of the displacer crankshaft. A mating bevel gear is disposed in meshing engagement with the first two level gears to provide a phase angle control between the two crankshafts. Other forms of differential mechanisms may be used including conventional spur gears connected in a differential type arrangement.

Macglashan, W. F.↗

Variable-Speed, Constant-Frequency Generation Of Power

Feedback of stator power and reactive volt-amperes determines rotor excitation. New method involves control circuit separating rotor excitation into generation of slip frequency and control of amplitude and phase. In control circuit, speed determines slip frequency, while stator power and reactive volt-amperes determine amplitude and phase of rotor current.

Brady, Frank J.↗

Control of small phased-array antennas

Series of reports, patent descriptions, calculator programs, and other literature describes antenna control and steering apparatus for seven-element phased array. Though series contains information specific to particular system, it illustrates methods that can be applied to antennas with greater or fewer numbers of elements. Included are programs for calculating beam parameters and design functions and information to interfacing digital controller to beam-steering apparatus.

Doland, G. D.↗

Ventless pressure control of two-phase propellant tanks in microgravity

This work studies pressurization and pressure control of a large liquid hydrogen storage tank. A finite element model is developed that couples a lumped thermodynamic formulation for the vapor region with a complete solution of the Navier-Stokes and energy equations for the flow and temperature fields in the liquid. Numerical results show that buoyancy effects are strong, even in microgravity, and can reposition a vapor bubble that is initially at the center of the tank to a region near the tank wall in a relatively short time. Long-term tank pressurization with the vapor bubble at the tank wall shows that after an initial transient lasting about a week, the final rate of pressure increase agrees with a purely thermodynamic analysis of the entire tank. However, the final pressure levels are quite different from thermodynamic predictions. Numerical results also show that there is significant thermal stratification in the liquid due to the effects of natural convection. A subcooled jet is used to provide simultaneous cooling and mixing in order to bring the tank pressure back down to its initial value. Three different jet speeds are examined. Although the lowest jet speed is ineffective at controlling the pressure because of insufficient penetration into the liquid region, the highest jet speed is shown to be quite effective at disrupting thermal stratification and reducing the tank pressure in reasonable time.

Weightlessness↗

Low-temperature access to active iron and iron/nickel nitrides as potential electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction

Low-temperature, scalable routes to transition metal nitride (TMN) nanoparticles are desirable for a wide range of applications, yet their synthesis typically requires high temperatures (>350 °C) and reactive gas environments (e.g., NH 3 or H 2 /N 2 ). Here, we report a colloidal synthesis of mono- and bimetallic TMN nanoparticles using preformed metal carbonyl clusters as precursors and urea or diethylenetriamine (DETA) as nitrogen sources. This strategy enables access to size-controlled, phase-pure ε-Fe 3 N x and Fe y Ni 3−y N nanoparticles at temperatures below 300 °C, without the need for flowing reactive gas atmospheres. By systematically varying nitrogen precursor, reaction temperature, and cluster identity, we achieve tunable nitrogen stoichiometry (x) and phase selectivity between N-rich and N-poor TMNs. Structural and magnetic characterization confirms clean decomposition of the precursors and phase formation consistent with controlled nitridation at the nanoscale. Preliminary electrochemical measurements in alkaline media demonstrate that these materials exhibit oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotentials comparable to RuO 2 , highlighting their viability for future electrocatalytic applications.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Accommodation of practical constraints by a linear programming jet select

An experimental spacecraft control system will be incorporated into the Space Shuttle flight software and exercised during a forthcoming mission to evaluate its performance and handling qualities. The control system incorporates a 'phase space' control law to generate rate change requests and a linear programming jet select to compute jet firings. Posed as a linear programming problem, jet selection must represent the rate change request as a linear combination of jet acceleration vectors where the coefficients are the jet firing times, while minimizing the fuel expended in satisfying that request. This problem is solved in real time using a revised Simplex algorithm. In order to implement the jet selection algorithm in the Shuttle flight control computer, it was modified to accommodate certain practical features of the Shuttle such as limited computer throughput, lengthy firing times, and a large number of control jets. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first such application of linear programming. It was made possible by careful consideration of the jet selection problem in terms of the properties of linear programming and the Simplex algorithm. These modifications to the jet select algorithm may by useful for the design of reaction controlled spacecraft.

Bergmann, E.↗