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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 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Research and technology, 1987

Three broad goals were presented by NASA as a guide to meet the challenges of the future: to advance scientific knowledge of the planet Earth, the solar system, and the universe; to expand human presence beyond the Earth into the solar system; and to strengthen aeronautics research and technology. Near-term and new-generation space transportation and propulsion systems are being analyzed that will assure the nation access to and presence in space. Other key advanced studies include large astronomical observatories, space platforms, scientific and commercial payloads, and systems to enhance operations in Earth orbit. Longer-range studies include systems that would allow humans to explore the Moon and Mars during the next century. Research programs, both to support the many space missions studied or managed by the Center and to advance scientific knowledge in selected areas, involve work in the areas of atmospheric science, earth science, space science (including astrophysics and solar, magnetospheric, and atomic physics), and low-gravity science. Programs and experiment design for flights on the Space Station, free-flying satellites, and the Space Shuttle are being planned. To maintain a leadership position in technology, continued advances in liquid and solid propellant engines, materials and processes; electronic, structural, and thermal investigations; and environmental control are required. Progress during the fiscal year 1987 is discussed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2004

Cryogenic Fluid Management: 2000-2004

This custom bibliography from the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program lists a sampling of records found in the NASA Aeronautics and Space Database. The scope of this topic includes cooling technologies for precision astronomical sensors and advanced spacecraft, as well as propellant storage and transfer in space. This area of focus is one of the enabling technologies as defined by NASA's Report of the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, published in June 2004.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2010

A Heat Transfer Investigation of Liquid and Two-Phase Methane

A heat transfer investigation was conducted for liquid and two-phase methane. The tests were conducted at the NASA Glenn Research Center Heated Tube Facility (HTF) using resistively heated tube sections to simulate conditions encountered in regeneratively cooled rocket engines. This testing is part of NASA s Propulsion and Cryogenics Advanced Development (PCAD) project. Nontoxic propellants, such as liquid oxygen/liquid methane (LO2/LCH4), offer potential benefits in both performance and safety over equivalently sized hypergolic propulsion systems in spacecraft applications. Regeneratively cooled thrust chambers are one solution for high performance, robust LO2/LCH4 engines, but cooling data on methane is limited. Several test runs were conducted using three different diameter Inconel 600 tubes, with nominal inner diameters of 0.0225-, 0.054-, and 0.075-in. The mass flow rate was varied from 0.005 to 0.07 lbm/sec. As the current focus of the PCAD project is on pressure fed engines for LO2/LCH4, the average test section outlet pressures were targeted to be 200 psia or 500 psia. The heat flux was incrementally increased for each test condition while the test section wall temperatures were monitored. A maximum average heat flux of 6.2 Btu/in.2 sec was achieved and, at times, the temperatures of the test sections reached in excess of 1800 R. The primary objective of the tests was to produce heat transfer correlations for methane in the liquid and two-phase regime. For two-phase flow testing, the critical heat flux values were determined where the fluid transitions from nucleate boiling to film boiling. A secondary goal of the testing was to measure system pressure drops in the two-phase regime.

VanNoord, Jonathan↗
NASA NTRS2016

Rocket Propulsion (RP) 21 Steering Committee Meeting - NASA Spacecraft Propulsion Update

Lander Tech is three separate but synergistic efforts: Lunar CATALYST (Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown) Support U.S. industry led robotic lunar lander development via three public-private efforts. Support U.S. industry led robotic lunar lander development via three public-private partnerships. Infuse or transfer landing technologies into these public private partnerships. Advanced Exploration Systems-Automated Propellant Loading (APL) -Integrated Ground Operations. Demonstrate LH2 zero loss storage, loading and transfer operations via testing on a large scale in a relevant launch vehicle servicing environment. (KSC, GRC). Game Changing Technology-20 Kelvin -20 Watt Cryocooler Development of a Reverse Turbo-Brayton Cryocooler operating at 20 Kelvin with 20 Watts of refrigeration lift.

Propellant↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Addressing CFM Modeling Gaps for Application into NASA’S Future Cutting Edge Missions

NASA, the US industry, and international partners are crafting frameworks to enable sustaining lunar missions. The ongoing programs, led by the agency, and prominent industry players, encompass plans for the sustained use of cryogenic propellants in lunar landers and in-space propellant refueling depots. NASA’s proactive funding initiatives have fueled the advancement of predictive computational models tailored to enhance the storage and transfer of cryogenic propellant. This paper aims to spotlight the latest advancements in this arena and delve into the collaborative efforts surrounding predictive model development within internal NASA programs as well as current and previous collaborations with industry and international partners. The paper presents an overview of recent advancements in cryogenic fluid management model development, along with their correlation with recent microgravity and large-scale cryogenic ground tests. The tests include key experiments such as the ISS Zero-Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) series of experiments and the (Robotic Refueling Mission 3) RRM3 test during which liquid methane was stored on-orbit for an extended period of five months. The paper also highlights the anchoring of propellant tank pressurized drain tests involving sloshing that were conducted with liquid methane propellant during the Apollo/Saturn Era. Additionally, the paper discusses model anchoring against more recent sloshing tests carried out with liquid hydrogen propellant. Notable large-scale tests, such as a liquid oxygen propellant transfer test conducted by SpaceX were also used to help correlate a two-phase propellant transfer model using the valuable data measured during the test. The paper further showcases model correlations against a substantial oxygen liquefaction test undertaken by NASA to validate In-Situ-Resource-Utilization (ISRU) technologies that will prove pivotal for a sustained lunar presence.

Low-gravity fluid modeling↗
NASA NTRS1981

Application of advanced technologies to derivatives of current small transport aircraft

Mission requirements of the derivative design were the same as the baseline to readily identify the advanced technology benefits achieved. Advanced technologies investigated were in the areas of propulsion, structures and aerodynamics and a direct operating cost benefit analysis conducted to identify the most promising. Engine improvements appear most promising and combined with propeller, airfoil, surface coating and composite advanced technologies give a 21-25 percent DOC savings. A 17 percent higher acquisition cost is offset by a 34 percent savings in fuel used.

Renze, P. P.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Preliminary Study of Alternative Propellant Performance for a CNTR

Centrifugal Nuclear Thermal Propulsion is an advanced propulsion concept engine which utilizes a bubble through nuclear reactor to directly heat the propellent, containing the liquid fuel in rotating cylinders using centrifugal force. Past studies have almost exclusively focused on hydrogen propellant configurations of the engine with a theoretical performance of 1800 seconds specific impulse. Recent interest in alternative propellants has created a use case for using storable propellants at the cost of lower performance. Most notably ammonia, methane, and propane. The object of this work is to down select viable alternative propellants for use in a CNTR.

Mitchell Schroll↗
NASA NTRS2011

High Power Flex-Propellant Arcjet Performance

A MW-class electrothermal arcjet based on a water-cooled, wall-stabilized, constricted arc discharge configuration was subjected to extensive performance testing using hydrogen and simulated ammonia propellants with the deliberate aim of advancing technology readiness level for potential space propulsion applications. The breadboard design incorporates alternating conductor/insulator wafers to form a discharge barrel enclosure with a 2.5-cm internal bore diameter and an overall length of approximately 1 meter. Swirling propellant flow is introduced into the barrel, and a DC arc discharge mode is established between a backplate tungsten cathode button and a downstream ringanode/ spin-coil assembly. The arc-heated propellant then enters a short mixing plenum and is accelerated through a converging-diverging graphite nozzle. This innovative design configuration differs substantially from conventional arcjet thrusters, in which the throat functions as constrictor and the expansion nozzle serves as the anode, and permits the attainment of an equilibrium sonic throat (EST) condition. During the test program, applied electrical input power was varied between 0.5-1 MW with hydrogen and simulated ammonia flow rates in the range of 4-12 g/s and 15-35 g/s, respectively. The ranges of investigated specific input energy therefore fell between 50-250 MJ/kg for hydrogen and 10-60 MJ/kg for ammonia. In both cases, observed arc efficiencies were between 40-60 percent as determined via a simple heat balance method based on electrical input power and coolant water calorimeter measurements. These experimental results were found to be in excellent agreement with theoretical chemical equilibrium predictions, thereby validating the EST assumption and enabling the utilization of standard TDK nozzle expansion analyses to reliably infer baseline thruster performance characteristics. Inferred specific impulse performance accounting for recombination kinetics during the expansion process implied nearly frozen flow in the nozzle and yielded performance ranges of 800-1100 sec for hydrogen and 400-600 sec for ammonia. Inferred thrust-to-power ratios were in the range of 30-10 lbf/MWe for hydrogen and 60-20 lbf/MWe for ammonia. Successful completion of this test series represents a fundamental milestone in the progression of high power arcjet technology, and it is hoped that the results may serve as a reliable touchstone for the future development of MW-class regeneratively-cooled flex-propellant plasma rockets.

Litchford, Ron J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

GATE Center of Excellence in Innovative Drivetrains in Electric Automotive Technology Education (IDEATE) (Final Report)

The IDEATE project recognized that this is a critical point in history where advanced engineering solutions are required to propel the U.S. automotive industry irrevocably to the next level: the electrified drivetrain. The existing workforce is not sufficient to this task. It is imperative that automotive engineers with traditional backgrounds focused on internal-combustion and mechanical-drivetrain technologies be retrained with the most current advanced solutions in battery controls and vehicle power electronics. For the long-term success of the U.S. automakers, it is even more important that a future workforce be developed that has both broad and deep comprehension of the issues involved and the most advanced solutions known to these problems. Two campuses of the University of Colorado system joined forces to establish the GATE Center of Excellence in Innovative Drivetrains in Electric Automotive Technology Education (IDEATE). The University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) is widely regarded as having one of the top graduate programs in power electronics in the country; the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) has unrivaled expertise in algorithms for automotive battery control. By collaborating, IDEATE built on our team’s proven strengths to develop innovative curricula and to initiate courses and programs that have provided (and continue to provide) students with a unique opportunity for holistic and specialty education in electric drivetrain technology (part-way through the project, we invited Utah State University to join the project, adding to our strength in power electronics for battery application).

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1989

An Approximate Model for the Performance and Acoustic Predictions of Counterrotating Propeller Configurations

An approximate method was developed to analyze and predict the acoustics of a counterrotating propeller configuration. The method employs the analytical techniques of Lock and Theodorsen as described by Davidson to predict the steady performance of a counterrotating configuration. Then, a modification of the method of Lesieutre is used to predict the unsteady forces on the blades. Finally, the steady and unsteady loads are used in the numerical method of Succi to predict the unsteady acoustics of the propeller. The numerical results are compared with experimental acoustic measurements of a counterrotating propeller configuration by Gazzaniga operating under several combinations of advance ratio, blade pitch, and number of blades. In addition, a constant-speed commuter-class propeller configuration was designed with the Davidson method and the acoustics analyzed at three advance ratios. Noise levels and frequency spectra were calculated at a number of locations around the configuration. The directivity patterns of the harmonics in both the horizontal and vertical planes were examined, with the conclusion that the noise levels of the even harmonics are relatively independent of direction whereas the noise levels of the odd harmonics are extremely dependent on azimuthal direction in the horizontal plane. The equations of Succi are examined to explain this behavior.

Denner, Brett William↗
NASA NTRS1977

Fluid interaction with spinning toroidal tanks

An experimental study was conducted to evaluate propellant behavior in spinning torroidal tanks that could be used in a retropropulsion system of an advanced outer-planet Pioneer orbiter. Information on propellant slosh and settling and on ullage orientation and stability was obtained. The effects of axial acceleration, spin rate, spin-rate change, and spacecraft wobble, both singly and in combination, were evaluated using a one-eighth scale transparent tank in one-g and low-g environments. Liquid loadings ranged from 5% to 96% full. The impact of a surface tension acquisition device was assessed by comparison with bare-tank results. The testing simulated the behavior of the fluorine/hydrazine and nitrogen textroxide/monomethylhydrazine propellants. Results are presented that indicate that no major fluid behavior problems would be encountered with any of the four propellants in the toroidal tanks of a spin-stabilized orbiter spacecraft.

Fester, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Propeller-induced structure-borne noise - Laboratory-based test apparatus

A potentially important source of structure-borne interior noise transmission in advanced turboprop aircraft is the impingement of the propeller wake/vortex on downstream aerodynamic surfaces. The expected levels of propeller wake/vortex-induced structure-borne noise transmission are not known nor can they be determined with present-day technology. A test apparatus has been designed, built and calibrated for the purposes of studying propeller-induced, structure-borne noise transmission in prototypical aircraft structures. The principal approach to the test apparatus design was to provide a physical means of separating the airborne and structure-borne noise components so that the structure-borne noise transmission response could be studied directly without airborne noise contamination. This was accomplished by housing the receiving fuselage structure in an acoustic shield fitted with a wing-to-fuselage acoustic seal. Initial evaluation of the wing-to-fuselage acoustic seal indicates adequate airborne noise isolation to allow direct study of structure-borne noise transmission.

Unruh, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Static tests of the propulsion system

Advanced, highly-loaded, high-speed propellers, called propfans, are promising to revolutionize the transport aircraft industry by offering a 15- to 30-percent fuel savings over the most advanced turbofans without sacrificing passenger comfort or violating community noise standards. NASA Lewis Research Center and industry have been working jointly to develop the needed propfan technology. The NASA-funded Propfan Test Assessment (PTA) Program represents a key element of this joint program. In PTA, Lockheed-Georgia, working in concert with Hamilton Standard, Rohr Industries, Gulfstream Aerospace, and Allison, is developing a propfan propulsion system which will be mounted on the left wing of a modified Gulfstream GII aircraft and flight tested to verify the in-flight characteristics of a 9-foot diameter, single-rotation propfan. The propfan, called SR-7L, was designed and fabricated by Hamilton Standard under a separate NASA contract. Prior to flight testing, the PTA propulsion system was static tested at the Rohr Brown Field facility. In this test, propulsion system operational capability was verified and data was obtained on propfan structural response, system acoustic characteristics, and system performance. This paper reports on the results of the static tests.

Withers, C. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Tethered orbital propellant depot

A planned function of the Space Station is to refurbish and refuel an advanced space-based LO2/LH2 orbit transfer vehicle. An alternative to propellant storage at the station is to use a remote facility tied to the station with a log tether. Preliminary design of such a facility is described with emphasis on fluid transfer and storage requirements. Using tether lengths of at least 300 ft, gravity gradient forces will dominate surface tension in such a system. Although gravity given transfer is difficult because of line pressure drops, fluid settling over the tank outlet greatly alleviates acquisition concerns and will facilitate vented tank fills. The major concern with a tethered orbital refueling facility is its considerable operational complexity including transport of the OTV to and from the facility.

Fester, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Mars transit vehicle thermal protection system: Issues, options, and trades

A Mars mission is characterized by different mission phases. The thermal control of cryogenic propellant in a propulsive vehicle must withstand the different mission environments. Long term cryogenic storage may be achieved by passive or active systems. Passive cryo boiloff management features will include multilayer insulation, vapor cooled shield, and low conductance structural supports and penetrations. Active boiloff management incorporates the use of a refrigeration system. Key system trade areas include active verses passive system boiloff management (with respect to safety, reliability, and cost) and propellant tank insulation optimizations. Technology requirements include refrigeration technology advancements, insulation performance during long exposure, and cryogenic fluid transfer system for mission vehicle propellant tanking during vehicle buildip in LEO.

Brown, Norman↗
NASA NTRS1946

Altitude-Wind-Tunnel Investigation of Performance of Several Propellers on YP-47M Airplane at High Blade Loadings: Hamilton Standard 6507A-2 Four- and Three-Blade Propellers - 6

An altitude-wind-tunnel investigation has been made to determine the performance of Hamilton Standard 6507A-2 four-blade and three-blade propellers on a YP-47M airplane at high blade loadings and high engine powers. Characteristics of the four-blase propeller were obtained for a range of power coefficients from 0.10 to 1.00 at free-stream Mach numbers of 0.20, 0.30, 0.40. Characteristics of the three-blade propeller were obtained for a range of power coefficients from 0.30 to 1.00 at a free-stream Mach number of 0.40. Results of the force measurements indicate primarily the trend of propeller efficiency for changes in power coefficient or advance-diameter ratio because no corrections for the effects of tunnel-wall constriction on the installation were applied. Slipstream surveys are presented to illustrate blade thrust load distribution for certain operating conditions. Within the range of advance-diameter ratios investigated at each free-stream Mach number, the efficiency of the four-blade propeller decreased as the power coefficient was increased from 0.10 to 1.00. For the three-blade propeller, nearly constant maximum efficiencies were obtained for power coefficients from 0.32 to 0.63 at advance-diameter ratios between 1.90 and 3.00. In general, for conditions below the stall and critical tip Mach number, the maximum thrust load shifted from the inboard sections toward the tip sections as the power coefficient was increased or as the advance-diameter ratio was decreased. For conditions beyond the stall or critical tip Mach number, losses in thrust occurred on the outboard blade sections owing to flow break-down; the thrust load increased slightly on the inboard sections.

Saari, Martin J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Evaluation of fluid behavior in spinning toroidal tanks

An experimental study was conducted to evaluate propellant behavior in spinning toroidal tanks that could be used in a retro-propulsion system of an advanced outer-planet Pioneer orbiter. Information on propellant slosh and settling and on ullage orientation and stability was obtained. The effects of axial acceleration, spin rate, spin rate change, and spacecraft wobble, both singly and in combination, were evaluated using a 1/8-scale transparent tank in one-g and low-g environments. Liquid loadings ranged from 5% to 96% full. The impact of a surface tension acquisition device was assessed. Testing simulated the behavior of F2/N2H4 and N2O4/MMH propellants. Results are presented which indicate no major fluid behavior problems would be encountered with any of the four propellants in the toroidal tanks of a spin-stabilized orbiter spacecraft.

Anderson, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Air breathing engine/rocket trajectory optimization

This research has focused on improving the mathematical models of the air-breathing propulsion systems, which can be mated with the rocket engine model and incorporated in trajectory optimization codes. Improved engine simulations provided accurate representation of the complex cycles proposed for advanced launch vehicles, thereby increasing the confidence in propellant use and payload calculations. The versatile QNEP (Quick Navy Engine Program) was modified to allow treatment of advanced turboaccelerator cycles using hydrogen or hydrocarbon fuels and operating in the vehicle flow field.

Smith, V. K., III↗