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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 451 records · Page 25

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NASA NTRS1980

Miniature motor-driven instrument valve

Valve consists of small geared reversible motor, operated by momentary contact closure, which drives shaft with O-rings placed to seal selected ports. Shaft rotates and also moves axially, causing ports to be alternately connected and disconnected. Electrical control of valve is provided by limit switches and relays. Design has advantage over other available valves: less precision machining of parts is required; machining operations are less expensive. Seals are made with O-rings, which are easily replaceable and inexpensive; valve uses less power. It can be used in any application requiring pilot valves for control devices.

Minkin, H. L.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Tube-shape verifier

Inexpensive apparatus checks accuracy of bent tubes. Assortment of slotted angles and clamps is bolted down to flat aluminum plate outlining shape of standard tube bent to desired configuration. Newly bent tubes are then checked against this outline. Because parts are bolted down, tubes can be checked very rapidly without disturbing outline. One verifier per tube-bending machine can really speed up production in tube-bending shop.

Anderson, A. N.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Protecting brazing furnaces from air leaks

Inexpensive inert-atmosphere shielding protects vacuum brazing-furnace components that are likely to spring leak. Pipefittings, gages, and valves are encased in transparent plastic shroud inflated with argon. If leak develops, harmless argon will enter vacuum chamber, making it possible to finish ongoing brazing or heat treatment before shutting down for repair.

Armenoff, C. T.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Environment parameters and basic functions for floating-point computation

A language-independent proposal for environment parameters and basic functions for floating-point computation is presented. Basic functions are proposed to analyze, synthesize, and scale floating-point numbers. The model provides a small set of parameters and a small set of axioms along with sharp measures of roundoff error. The parameters and functions can be used to write portable and robust codes that deal intimately with the floating-point representation. Subject to underflow and overflow constraints, a number can be scaled by a power of the floating-point radix inexpensively and without loss of precision. A specific representation for FORTRAN is included.

Brown, W. S.↗

NASA NTRS1979

New techniques in television to provide research in three-dimensional real-time or near real-time imagery and reduced cost systems for teleconferencing and educational uses, part 1

The results are presented of a continuing research and development program the objective of which is to develop a reduced bandwidth television system and a technique for television transmission of holograms. The result of the former is a variable frame rate television system, the operation of which was demonstrated for both black-and-white and color signals. This system employs a novel combination of the inexpensive mass storage capacity of a magnetic disc with the reliability of a digital system for time expansion and compression. Also reported are the results of a theoretical analysis and preliminary feasibility experiment of an innovative system for television transmission of holograms using relatively conventional TV equipment along with a phase modulated reference wave for production of the original interference pattern.

Pao, Y. H.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Results of thin-route satellite communication system analyses including estimated service costs

A variety of cost and performance tradeoffs are addressed and the preliminary design of a communications satellite system capable of meeting isolated rural users' needs is presented. Small inexpensive rural earth stations are linked via the satellite to a nation wide network of large earth stations which are, in turn, interconnected to the switching exchanges of the conventional telephone network. Optimum earth station EIRP and G/T and satellite transponder power are defined as a function of a wide variety of system options.

Wright, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1978

The gravity method and interpretive techniques for detecting vertical crustal movements

Observations of temporal variations of gravity can be used as an inexpensive and rapid means of detecting, monitoring, and studying crustal deformation associated with many active geological processes. Such observations can yield qualitative or semiquantitative information on elevation changes and, when combined with independent elevation data, can yield information about changes of the subsurface density field arising from both subsurface displacements and temporal variations of the density of materials in the subsurface. The effectiveness of gravity techniques in specific cases of crustal deformation depends on the configuration of the local gravity field, the physical processes involved in the deformation, and the accuracy with which temporal gravity variations can be measured.

Jachens, R. C.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Control of volume resistivity in inorganic organic separators

Control of resistivity in NASA inorganic-organic separators is achieved by incorporating small percentages of high surface area, fine particle silica with other ingredients in the separator coating. The volume resistivity is predictable from the surface area of filler particles in the coating. The approach is applied to two polymer- plasticizer -filler coating systems, where the filler content of each is below the generally acknowledged critical pigment volume concentration of the coating. Application of these coating systems to 0.0254 cm thick (10-mil) fuel cell grade asbestos sheet produces inexpensive, flexible, microporous separators that perform as well as the original inorganic-organic concept, the Astropower separator.

Sheibley, D. W.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Redox flow cell energy storage systems

NASA-Redox systems are electrochemical storage devices that use two fully soluble Redox couples, anode and cathode fluids, as active electrode materials separated by a highly selective ion exchange membrane. The reactants are contained in large storage tanks and pumped through a stack of Redox flow cells where the electrochemical reactions (reduction and oxidation) take place at porous carbon felt electrodes. A string or stack of these power producing cells is connected in series in a bipolar manner. Redox energy storage systems promise to be inexpensive and possess many features that provide for flexible design, long life, high reliability and minimal operation and maintenance costs. These features include independent sizing of power and storage capacity requirements and inclusion within the cell stack of a cell that monitors the state of charge of the system as a whole, and a rebalance cell which permits continuous correction to be made for minor side reactions that would tend to result in the anode fluid and cathode fluids becoming electrochemically out of balance. These system features are described and discussed.

Thaller, L. H.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Thermal Storage Applications Workshop. Volume 1: Plenary Session Analysis

The importance of the development of inexpensive and efficient thermal and thermochemical energy storage technology to the solar power program is discussed in a summary of workship discussions held to exchange information and plan for future systems. Topics covered include storage in central power applications such as the 10 MW-e demonstration pilot receiver to be constructed in Barstow, California; storage for small dispersed systems, and problems associated with the development of storage systems for solar power plants interfacing with utility systems.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1975

Radio-controlled model design and testing techniques for stall/spin evaluation of general-aviation aircraft

A relatively inexpensive radio-controlled model stall/spin test technique was developed. Operational experiences using the technique are presented. A discussion of model construction techniques, spin-recovery parachute system, data recording system, and movie camera tracking system is included. Also discussed are a method of measuring moments of inertia, scaling of engine thrust, cost and time required to conduct a program, and examples of the results obtained from the flight tests.

Burk, S. M., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Alkali-metal silicate binders and methods of manufacture

A paint binder is described which uses a potassium or sodium silicate dispersion having a silicon dioxide to alkali-metal oxide mol ratio of from 4.8:1 to 6.0:1. The binder exhibits stability during both manufacture and storage. The process of making the binder is predictable and repeatable and the binder may be made with inexpensive components. The high mol ratio is achieved with the inclusion of a silicon dioxide hydrogel. The binder, which also employs a silicone, is in the final form of a hydrogel sol.

Schutt, J. B.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Rapid viscosity measurements of powdered thermosetting resins

A rapid and inexpensive method of obtaining processing-related data on powdered thermosetting resins has been investigated. The method involved viscosity measurements obtained with a small specimen (less than 100 mg) parallel plate plastometer. A data acquisition and reduction system was developed which provided a value of viscosity and strain rate about 12-13 second intervals during a test. The effects of specimen compaction pressure and reduction of adhesion between specimen and parallel plates were examined. The plastometer was used to measure some processing-related viscosity changes of an addition polyimide resin, including changes caused by pre-test heat treatment, test temperature, and strain rate.

Price, H. L.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Spacecraft subsystem checkout by minicomputer

The minicomputer, with its large capacity in a small and inexpensive package, can be an important component in special-purpose test equipment. The Voyager spacecraft flight data subsystem support equipment is an example of computer-based test gear. The subsystem to be tested is a major control and data acquisition element of the Voyager spacecraft, with a large number of interfaces to several other onboard subsystems. This equipment was designed to meet spacecraft subsystem testing requirements while making maximum use of off-the-shelf commercial components. Careful consideration was given to design tradeoffs in the areas of commercial versus specially built hardware and hardware versus software problem solutions. The resulting system is an integrated package of commercial and special-purpose hardware plus software.

Andersen, R. W.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Methods for the photochemical utilization of solar energy

The paper considers the 'ground rules' which govern the efficiency of photochemical solar energy conversion and then summarizes the most promising approaches in each of three categories: photochemically assisted thermal systems for the heating and/or cooling of structures; photogalvanic systems for the production of electrical power in applications, such as photorechargeable batteries or inexpensive 'solar cells'; and photochemical formation of fuels for combustion and for use as chemical feedstocks or foods. Three concepts for the photochemical utilization of solar energy in space are found to be particularly promising: (1) photochemical trans-cis isomerization of indigold dyes for photoassisted heating or cooling, (2) the redox stabilized photoelectrolysis cell for the production of hydrogen (and/or oxygen or other useful chemicals), and (3) the liquid-junction photovoltaic cell for the production of electrical power.

Schwerzel, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Analytic investigation of advancing blade drag reduction by tip modifications

Analytic techniques were applied to study the effect on the performance of the nonlifting advancing blade when the outboard 5% of the blade is modified to reduce drag. The tip modifications studied consisted of reducing airfoil thickness, sweepback, and planform taper. The reductions in instantaneous drag and torque were calculated for tip speed ratios from about 0.19 to 0.30, corresponding to advancing blade tip Mach numbers of 0.855 to 0.936, respectively. Approximations required in the analysis introduce uncertainties into the computed absolute values of drag and torque; however, the differences in the quantities should be a fairly reliable measure of the effect of changing tip geometry. For example, at the highest tip speed, instantaneous drag, and torque were reduced by 20% and 24%, respectively, for tip sweep of 40 deg on a blade using an NACA 0010 airfoil and by comparable amounts for 30-deg sweep on a blade having an NACA 0012 airfoil section. The present method should prove to be a useful, inexpensive technique for identifying promising configurations for additional study and testing.

Tauber, M. E.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Measurement in multiphase reacting flows

A survey is presented of diagnostic techniques and measurements made in multiphase reacting flows. The special problems encountered by the presence of liquid droplets, soot and solid particles in high temperature chemically reacting turbulent environments are outlined. The principal measurement techniques that have been tested in spray flames are spark photography, laser anemometry, thermocouples and suction probes. Spark photography provides measurement of drop size, drop size distribution, drop velocity, and angle of flight. Photographs are analysed automatically by image analysers. Photographic techniques are reliable, inexpensive and proved. Laser anemometers have been developed for simultaneous measurement of velocity and size of individual particles in sprays under conditions of vaporization and combustion. Particle/gas velocity differentials, particle Reynolds numbers, local drag coefficients and direct measurement of vaporization rates can be made by laser anemometry. Gas temperature in sprays is determined by direct in situ measurement of time constants immediately prior to measurement with compensation and signal analysis by micro-processors. Gas concentration is measured by suction probes and gas phase chromatography. Measurements of particle size, particle velocity, gas temperature, and gas concentration made in airblast and pressure atomised liquid spray flames are presented.

Chigier, N. A.↗

NASA NTRS1978

A multi-microprocessor system for finite element structural analysis

During the last few years, advances in microprocessor technology have spurred a renewed interest in special-purpose computers. The microprocessor has become small, inexpensive, and powerful enough to be considered as a building block for special-purpose hardware. A description is presented of the architecture of a prototype 'finite element machine' currently being built. Attention is given to details regarding the finite element analysis problem, the arrangement of the processors as finite element nodes in the structural model, the influence of the architecture on the solution algorithm, interprocessor communication primitives, and the performance of the finite element machine.

Jordan, H. F.↗