SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “engine operability”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

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

At least 451 records · Page 25

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS2005

Low-Thermal-Conductivity Pyrochlore Oxide Materials Developed for Advanced Thermal Barrier Coatings

When turbine engines operate at higher temperatures, they consume less fuel, have higher efficiencies, and have lower emissions. The upper-use temperatures of the base materials (superalloys, silicon-based ceramics, etc.) used for the hot-section components of turbine engines are limited by the physical, mechanical, and corrosion characteristics of these materials. Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are applied as thin layers on the surfaces of these materials to further increase the operating temperatures. The current state-of-the-art TBC material in commercial use is partially yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), which is applied on engine components by plasma spraying or by electron-beam physical vapor deposition. At temperatures higher than 1000 C, YSZ layers are prone to sintering, which increases thermal conductivity and makes them less effective. The sintered and densified coatings can also reduce thermal stress and strain tolerance, which can reduce the coating s durability significantly. Alternate TBC materials with lower thermal conductivity and better sintering resistance are needed to further increase the operating temperature of turbine engines.

Bansal, Narottam P.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Light Duty Engine Performance Characteristics with Dimethyl Ether and Propane

Here, this paper explores the performance characteristics of a compression ignition HYUNDAI 2.2L engine operating with Dimethyl Ether (DME). Test are carried out at three operating conditions that weigh heavily in the FTP75 certification cycle (1000rpm-12Nm, 1500rpm-50Nm, 2000rpm-100Nm). The engine features a high-pressure common rail fuel injection system designed to operate with liquified gases. The main component of the fuel system is a high-pressure pump that incorporates an electronic inlet metering valve commanded on a crank-angle base to control the rail pressure. The pump, which requires no pressure regulator, provides the flow needed to the injectors without flow returning to the inlet. This novel fueling system is leveraged in tests that are conducted to examine the impact of EGR, combustion phasing, injection pressure on efficiency and emissions. In addition, the impact of introducing 15% Propane by mass is examined. During the tests, the engine ECU is aided by an Engine Controller High Speed Oversight unit (ECHO) to provide combustion phasing control, improved cylinder-to-cylinder uniformity, and an effective optimization over the testing effort. The use of DME and Propane allowed for peak thermal efficiency of nearly 43%. These fuels enable significant carbon index (CI) reductions over the baseline Diesel fuel, with indications that 50% reduction in CO 2 over the Diesel engine are possible.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

NASA NTRS1981

Advanced Gas Turbine (AGT) powertrain system development for automotive applications

Preliminary layouts were made for the exhaust system, air induction system, and battery installation. Points of interference were identified and resolved by altering either the vehicle or engine designs. An engine general arrangement evolved to meet the vehicle engine compartment constraints while minimizing the duct pressure losses and the heat rejection. A power transfer system (between gasifier and power turbines) was developed to maintain nearly constant temperatures throughout the entire range of engine operation. An advanced four speed automatic transmission was selected to be used with the engine. Performance calculations show improvements in component efficiencies and an increase in fuel economy. A single stage centrifugal compressor design was completed and released for procurement. Gasifier turbine, power turbine, combustor, generator, secondary systems, materials, controls, and transmission development are reported.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1991

Engine throat/nozzle optics for plume spectroscopy

The Task 2.0 Engine Throat/Nozzle Optics for Plume Spectroscopy, effort was performed under the NASA LeRC Development of Life Prediction Capabilities for Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines program. This Task produced the engineering design of an optical probe to enable spectroscopic measurements within the SSME main chamber. The probe mounts on the SSME nozzle aft manifold and collects light emitted from the throat plane and chamber. Light collected by the probe is transferred to a spectrometer through a fiber optic cable. The design analyses indicate that the probe will function throughout the engine operating cycle and is suitable for both test stand and flight operations. By detecting metallic emissions that are indicative of component degradation or incipient failure, engine shutdown can be initiated before catastrophic failure. This capability will protect valuable test stand hardware and provide enhanced mission safety.

Bickford, R. L.↗

NASA NTRS1921

Factors of airplane engine performance

This report is based upon an analysis of a large number of airplane-engine tests. It contains the results of a search for fundamental relations between many variables of engine operation. The data used came from over 100 groups of tests made upon several engines, primarily for military information. The types of engines were the Liberty 12 and three models of the Hispano-Suiza. The tests were made in the altitude chamber, where conditions simulated altitudes up to about 30,000 feet, with engine speeds ranging from 1,200 to 2,200 r.p.m. The compression ratios of the different engines ranged from under 5 to over 8 to 1. The data taken on the tests were exceptionally complete, including variations of pressure and temperature, besides the brake and friction torques, rates of fuel and air consumption, the jacket and exhaust heat losses.

Gage, Victor R↗

NASA NTRS1994

SCOSII OL: A dedicated language for mission operations

The Spacecraft Control and Operations System 2 (SCOSII) is the new generation of Mission Control Systems (MCS) to be used at ESOC. The system is generic because it offers a collection of standard functions configured through a database upon which a dedicated MCS is established for a given mission. An integral component of SCOSII is the support of a dedicated Operations Language (OL). The spacecraft operation engineers edit, test, validate, and install OL scripts as part of the configuration of the system with, e.g., expressions for computing derived parameters and procedures for performing flight operations, all without involvement of software support engineers. A layered approach has been adopted for the implementation centered around the explicit representation of a data model. The data model is object-oriented defining the structure of the objects in terms of attributes (data) and services (functions) which can be accessed by the OL. SCOSII supports the creation of a mission model. System elements as, e.g., a gyro are explicit, as are the attributes which described them and the services they provide. The data model driven approach makes it possible to take immediate advantage of this higher-level of abstraction, without requiring expansion of the language. This article describes the background and context leading to the OL, concepts, language facilities, implementation, status and conclusions found so far.

Baldi, Andrea↗

NASA NTRS2018

Towards Design Principles for Visual Analytics in Operations Contexts

Operations engineering teams interact with complex data systems to make technical decisions that ensure the operational efﬁcacy of their missions. To support these decision-making tasks, which may require elastic prioritization of goals dependent on changing conditions, custom analytics tools are often developed. We were asked to develop such a tool by a team at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where rover telecom operators make decisions based on models predicting how much data rovers can transfer from the surface of Mars. Through research, design, implementation, and informal evaluation of our new tool, we developed principles to inform the design of visual analytics systems in operations contexts. We offer these principles as a step towards understanding the complex task of designing these systems. The principles we present are applicable to designers and developers tasked with building analytics systems in domains that face complex operations challenges such as scheduling, routing, and logistics.

Lombeyda, Santiago↗

DOE OSTI2024

SHOCK TUBE IGNITION STUDIES OF RENEWABLE DIESEL FUELS FOR MEDIUM AND HEAVY-DUTY TRANSPORTATION

Currently extensive research on alternative fuels is being conducted due to their increasing demand to reduce greenhouse emissions. One renewable fuel studied in this work is dimethyl ether (DME) blended with propane(C3H8) as a potential mixture for heavy-duty engines used in semi-trucks. The blend has the potential to drastically reduce particulate and greenhouse gas emissions compared to a conventional diesel engine operating under similar conditions. To develop the use of mixture, one must conduct detailed conceptual and simulation studies before progressing to detail studies in CFD, engine modifications, and live testing. For simulations, accurate high-fidelity chemical kinetic models are necessary. However, the validity of the chemical kinetic mechanism for operating conditions of a heavy-duty mixing-controlled compression (MCCI) engine was widely unknown until recent work presented here and published. In this work, we studied the ignition of DME and propane blends in a shock tube under MCCI engine conditions. Ignition delay time (IDT) gathered behind the reflected shock for DME-propane mixtures for heavy-duty compression ignition (CI) engine parameters. Testing was conducted for undiluted varieties spanning from temperatures of 700 to 1100 K at pressures ranging from 55 to 84 bar for various blends (100% CH3OCH3, 100% C3H8, 60% CH3OCH3/ 40% C3H8) of DME and propane were combusted in synthetic air (21% O2/ 79% N2). Several experiments were conducted at higher pressures (90-120 bar) to improve the model performance and accuracy. The ignition delay times (IDTs) were compared to recent mechanisms, including Aramco3.0, NUIG, and Dames et al. A common trend among the mechanisms was overpredicted experimental IDTs. Further studies were conducted by a sensitivity analysis using the Dames et al. model, and critical reactions sensitive to IDTs of DME-propane mixture near 60 bar are outlined. Chemical analysis was conducted on the NTC region to explain chemical kinetics which is critical for developing MCCI heavy duty engines.

Mohammed, Zuhayr Pasha↗

NASA NTRS2010

Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) Systems Operation Overview and Evolution

The Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) is a large thrust class, reusable, staged combustion cycle rocket engine employing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants. A cluster of three SSMEs is used on every space shuttle mission to propel the space shuttle orbiter vehicle into low earth orbit. Development of the SSME began in the early 70's and the first flight of the space shuttle occurred in 1981. Today, the SSME has accrued over one million seconds of ground test and flight operational time, launching 129 space shuttle missions. The systems operation of the SSME was developed and evolved to support the specific requirements of the Space Shuttle Program (SSP). This paper provides a systems operation overview of the SSME, including: engine cycle, propellant flowpaths, and major components; control system; operations during pre-start, start, mainstage, and shutdown phases; launch commit criteria (LCCs) and operational redlines. Furthermore, this paper will discuss how changes to the SSME over its history have impacted systems operations.

Benefield, Philip A.↗

NASA NTRS1954

Preliminary Altitude Performance Data for the J65-B3 Turbojet Engine at Reynolds Number Indices from 0.2 to 0.8

Altitude performance characteristics of the J65-B3 turbojet engine and its components were obtained at engine-inlet conditions corresponding to Reynolds number indices from 0.2 to 0.8 over a range of corrected engine speeds from 70 to 110 percent of rated speed. Engine operational limits up to an altitude of 75,000 feet together with ignition and windmilling characteristics were also obtained. The engine and component data are presented both in graphical and in tabulated form. The operational characteristics are presented in graphical form.

Braithwaite, W.M.↗

NASA NTRS2000

System Being Developed to Measure the Rotordynamic Characteristics of Air Foil Bearings

Because of the many possible advantages of oil-free engine operation, interest in using air lubricated foil-bearing technology in advanced oil-free engine concepts has recently increased. The Oil-Free Turbomachinery Program at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field has partially driven this recent push for oil-free technology. The program's goal of developing an innovative, practical, oil-free gas turbine engine for aeropropulsion began with the development of NASA's high-temperature solid-lubricant coating, PS304. This coating virtually eliminates the life-limiting wear that occurs during the startup and shutdown of the bearings. With practically unlimited life, foil air bearings are now very attractive to rotating machinery designers for use in turbomachinery. Unfortunately, the current knowledge base of these types of bearings is limited. In particular, the understanding of how these types of bearings contribute to the rotordynamic stability of turbomachinery is insufficient for designers to design with confidence. Recent work in oil-free turbomachinery has concentrated on advancing the understanding of foil bearings. A high-temperature fiber-optic displacement probe system and measurement method were developed to study the effects of speed, load, temperature, and other environmental issues on the stiffness characteristics of air foil bearings. Since high temperature data are to be collected in future testing, the testing method was intentionally simplified to minimize the need for expensive test hardware. The method measures the displacement induced upon a bearing in response to an applied perturbation load. The early results of these studies, which are shown in the accompanying figure, indicate trends in steady state stiffness that suggest stiffness increases with load and decreases with speed. It can be seen, even from these data, that stiffness is not expected to change by orders of magnitude over the normal operating range of most turbomachinery; a promising sign for their eventual integration into oil-free turbomachines. Planned future testing will generate similar plots for stiffness changes with temperature and geometry, as well as damping data. The data collected by this method represent a critical step toward understanding how to successfully apply foil air bearings to future oil-free turbomachinery systems.

Howard, Samuel A.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Effect of exhaust nozzle configuration on aerodynamic and acoustic performance of an externally blown flap system with a quiet 6:1 bypass ratio engine

A highly suppressed TF-34 engine was used to investigate engine and flap interaction noise associated with an externally blown flap STOL powered lift system. Noise, efficiency, and velocity decay characteristics of mixed and separate flow exhaust systems including convergent, co-annular, and lobed designs were determined with the engine operating alone. Noise data were then obtained for several of the exhaust configurations with the engine blowing a wing-flap segment. Noise for both the engine alone and the engine with blown flaps showed substantial differences for the various exhaust configurations tested. The differences in observed noise are related primarily to nozzle effective exhaust velocity, flap impingement velocity, and noise spectral shape.

Samanich, N. E.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Effect of exhaust nozzle configuration on aerodynamic and acoustic performance of an externally blown flap system with a quiet 6:1 bypass ratio engine

Samanich, N. E.↗

NASA NTRS1976

High performance N2O4/amine elements

An analytical and experimental investigation was conducted to develop an understanding of the mechanisms that cause reactive stream separation, commonly called blowapart, for hypergolic propellants. The investigation was limited to a N2O4/MMH propellant combination and to a range of engine-operating conditions applicable to the space tug and space shuttle attitude control and orbital maneuvering engines. Primary test variables were: chamber pressure (1 to 20 atm), fuel injection temperature (283 to 400 K)m and propellant injection velocity (9 to 50 m/s). The injector configuration studied was the unlike doublet. The reactive stream separation experiments were conducted using special combustors designed to permit photography of the near-injector spray combustion flow field. Analysis of color motion pictures provided the means of determining the occurrence of reactive stream separation.

Falk, A. Y.↗

NASA NTRS1976

High Performance N2O4/Amine Elements

An analytical and experimental investigation was conducted to develop an understanding of the mechanisms that cause reactive stream separation, commonly called blowapart, for hypergolic propellants. The investigation was limited to the N2O4/MMH propellant combination and to a range of engine-operating conditions applicable to the space tug and space shuttle attitude control and orbital maneuvering engines. Primary test variables were: chamber pressure (1 to 20 atm), fuel injection temperature (283 to 400 K)m and propellant injection velocity (9 to 50 m/s). The injector configuration studied was the unlike doublet. The reactive stream separation experiments were conducted using special combustors designed to permit photography of the near-injector spray combustion flow field. Analysis of color motion pictures provided the means of determining the occurrence of reactive stream separation.

Falk, A. Y.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Liquid sprays and flow studies in the direct-injection diesel engine under motored conditions

A two dimensional, implicit finite difference method of the control volume variety, a two equation model of turbulence, and a discrete droplet model were used to study the flow field, turbulence levels, fuel penetration, vaporization, and mixing in diesel engine environments. The model was also used to study the effects of engine speed, injection angle, spray cone angle, droplet distribution, and intake swirl angle on the flow field, spray penetration and vaporization, and turbulence in motored two-stroke diesel engines. It is shown that there are optimum conditions for injection, which depend on droplet distribution, swirl, spray cone angle, and injection angle. The optimum conditions result in good spray penetration and vaporization and in good fuel mixing. The calculation presented clearly indicates that internal combustion engine models can be used to assess, at least qualitatively, the effects of injection characteristics and engine operating conditions on the flow field and on the spray penetration and vaporization in diesel engines.

Nguyen, Hung Lee↗

NASA NTRS1949

An analysis of a highly compounded two-stroke-cycle compression-ignition engine

Presents an analysis of a compound engine operating with manifold pressures ranging from 60 to 110 lb/sq in. absolute. The effects of engine limits (peak cylinder pressure and turbine-inlet temperature) and component efficiency are discussed. A range analysis is used to evaluate the merit of the engine. The analysis indicates that specific-fuel-consumption values of 0.32 lb/bhp-hr and specific weights of 0.8 lb/bhp are obtainable at high manifold pressures.

COMPOUND ENGINES↗

NASA NTRS1997

Automotive Stirling Engine Development Project

The development and verification of automotive Stirling engine (ASE) component and system technology is described as it evolved through two experimental engine designs: the Mod 1 and the Mod 2. Engine operation and performance and endurance test results for the Mod 1 are summarized. Mod 2 engine and component development progress is traced from the original design through hardware development, laboratory test, and vehicle installation. More than 21,000 hr of testing were accomplished, including 4800 hr with vehicles that were driven more dm 59,000 miles. Mod 2 engine dynamometer tests demonstrated that the engine system configuration had accomplished its performance goals for power (60 kW) and efficiency (38.5%) to within a few percent. Tests with the Mod 2 engine installed in a delivery van demonstrated combined metro-highway fuel economy improvements consistent with engine performance goals and the potential for low emission levels. A modified version of the Mod 2 has been identified as a manufacturable design for an ASE. As part of the ASE project, the Industry Test and Evaluation Program (ITEP), NASA Technology Utilization (TU) project, and the industry-funded Stirling Natural Gas Engine program were undertaken to transfer ASE technology to end users. The results of these technology transfer efforts are also summarized.

Ernst, William D.↗