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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

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NASA NTRS1984

Group-type hydrocarbon standards for high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of middistillate fuels

A new high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for group-type analysis of middistillate fuels is described. It uses a refractive index detector and standards that are prepared by reacting a portion of the fuel sample with sulfuric acid. A complete analysis of a middistillate fuel for saturates and aromatics (including the preparation of the standard) requires about 15 min if standards for several fuels are prepared simultaneously. From model fuel studies, the method was found to be accurate to within 0.4 vol% saturates or aromatics, and provides a precision of + or - 0.4 vol%. Olefin determinations require an additional 15 min of analysis time. However, this determination is needed only for those fuels displaying a significant olefin response at 200 nm (obtained routinely during the saturated/aromatics analysis procedure). The olefin determination uses the responses of the olefins and the corresponding saturates, as well as the average value of their refractive index sensitivity ratios (1.1). Studied indicated that, although the relative error in the olefins result could reach 10 percent by using this average sensitivity ratio, it was 5 percent for the fuels used in this study. Olefin concentrations as low as 0.1 vol% have been determined using this method.

Otterson, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1983

An orthogonal coordinate grid following the three-dimensional viscous flow over a concave surface

Swept wings designed for laminar flow control exhibit both centrifugal and crossflow instabilities which produce streamwise vortices that can lead to early transition from laminar to turbulent flow in the presence of Tollmien-Schlichting waves. This paper outlines an iterative algorithm for generation of an orthogonal, curvilinear, coordinate grid following the streamlines of the three-dimensional viscous flow over a swept, concave surface. The governing equations for the metric tensor are derived from the Riemann-Christoffel tensor for an Euclidian geometry. Unit vectors along streamline, normal and binormal directions are determined. The governing equations are not solved directly, but are employed only as compatibility equations. The scale factor for the streamline coordinate is obtained by an iterative integration scheme on a 200 x 100 x 5 grid, while the other two scale factors are determined from definitions. Sample results are obtained which indicate that the compatibility equation error decreases linearly with grid step size. Grids smaller than 200 x 100 x 5 are found to be inadequate to resolve the grid curvature.

Dagenhart, J. R↗

NASA NTRS1986

Inversion of limb radiance measurements - An operational algorithm

The limb radiance inversion radiometer (LRIR) and limb infrared monitor of the stratosphere (LIMS) experiments aboard the Nimbus 6 and 7 spacecraft have made observations of infrared emission by CO2, O3, H2O, HNO3, and NO2 at the earth's limb. This paper describes a method by which such measurements can be inverted to give vertical distributions of temperature and mixing ratios as functions of pressure. The simple and efficient approach was successfully applied to the LRIR data and subsequently in the initial assessment of the LIMS data. Inversion of synthetic data indicates the size of the errors to be expected as a result of the assumptions and instrumental errors. Retrievals of measured LIMS radiances are shown as examples and compared to in situ observations. The differences are comparable to those obtained with the more complex retrieval scheme used to process the LIMS archival products. Some problems are noted.

Bailey, P. L.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The design of a precision pointing contol system for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility

The design and performance simulation of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility pointing and control system are described. The system design is constrained by such considerations as image stability, maneuver capability, cryogen lifetime, and structural flexibility. The primary design driver is the requirement to rapidly execute small angle reorientations of the telescope's optical axis. The flexibility of the spacecraft was simulated using a simplified multibody model which provided an approximation of the primary bending modes. The rather conventional attitude control system design of PID type with a 0.5 Hz bandwidth was enhanced to meet the small angle maneuver requirements by the use of three techniques: (1) a feedforward loop to improve the time response; (2) torque shaping to minimize structural excitation; and (3) active image stabilization to remove residual pointing error and jitter. Simulation results indicate that the system has the desired performance and can be designed using techniques and hardware well within the state-of-the-art.

Sridhar, B.↗

NASA NTRS1987

A study of the effect of group delay distortion on an SMSK satellite communications channel

The effects of group delay distortion on an SMSK satellite communications channel have been investigated. Software and hardware simulations have been used to determine the effects of channel group delay variations with frequency on the bit error rate for a 220 Mbps SMSK channel. These simulations indicate that group delay distortions can significantly degrade the bit error rate performance. The severity of the degradation is dependent on the amount, type, and spectral location of the group delay distortion.

Kerczewski, Robert J.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Near-infrared stellar-occultation predictions for Uranus and Neptune - 1987-1990

Stellar-occultation predictions are presented for Uranus and Neptune covering the period 1987-1990, based on automated scans of R and I plates taken with the UK Schmidt Telescope in Australia. These scans have revealed many late-type or highly reddened stars suitable for stellar-occultation observations at 2.2 microns that were missed in previous searches of yellow-sensitive astrographic plates (Mink and Klemola, 1985). Comparisons involving several hundred stars measured by Mink and Klemola (1985) indicate that the internal random errors in the stellar positions estimated here are less than about 0.2 arcsec, comparable to the precision reached using conventional astrographic methods. In addition, JHK photometry was obtained for many of the Neptune stars, which is used to establish an empirical (I-K) vs (R-I) calibration for the remaining occultation candidates, and thus provide estimates of their K magnitudes.

Nicholson, Philip D.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Improved method of analyzing hot-wire measurements in supersonic turbulence

The present analysis method for hot-wire data in supersonic turbulence takes sound field effects into account and yields greater accuracy in its treatment of flow variable fluctuations than existing methods despite requiring only a moderately accurate estimate of static pressure fluctuations. The method demonstrates the way in which neglecting pressure fluctuations will affect hot-wire data analysis, as well as indicating the probable direction the errors will take.

Logan, Pamela↗

NASA NTRS1991

Correlation techniques to determine model form in robust nonlinear system realization/identification

The fundamental challenge in identification of nonlinear dynamic systems is determining the appropriate form of the model. A robust technique is presented which essentially eliminates this problem for many applications. The technique is based on the Minimum Model Error (MME) optimal estimation approach. A detailed literature review is included in which fundamental differences between the current approach and previous work is described. The most significant feature is the ability to identify nonlinear dynamic systems without prior assumption regarding the form of the nonlinearities, in contrast to existing nonlinear identification approaches which usually require detailed assumptions of the nonlinearities. Model form is determined via statistical correlation of the MME optimal state estimates with the MME optimal model error estimates. The example illustrations indicate that the method is robust with respect to prior ignorance of the model, and with respect to measurement noise, measurement frequency, and measurement record length.

Stry, Greselda I.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Interference susceptibility measurements for an MSK satellite communication link

The results are presented of measurements of the degradation of an MSK satellite link due to modulated and CW (unmodulated) interference. These measurements were made using a hardware based satellite communication link simulator at NASA-Lewis. The results indicate the amount of bit error rate degradation caused by CW interference as a function of frequency and power level, and the degradation caused by adjacent channel and cochannel modulated interference as a function of interference power level. Results were obtained for both the uplink case (including satellite nonlinearity) and the downlink case (linear channel).

Kerczewski, Robert J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Interference susceptibility measurements for an MSK satellite communication link

Kerczewski, Robert J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Application of new GPS aircraft control/display system to topographic mapping of the Greenland ice cap

A new PC-based GPS flight management display system (GFMS) was developed for Greenland ice cap mapping during the NASA Greenland Ice Sheet mapping experiment, when a total of nine flights were made over four different flight tracks, of which two coincided with ground tracks of the ERS altimeter satellite. In this system, the GFMS inputs the GPS position data to a PC, which generates aircraft automatic pilot steering commands and a cockpit display. The display includes (1) the course deviation indicators for cross-track error and altitude, (2) the flight plan and waypoint map overlay oriented to the aircraft, and (3) various other mission-pertinent numerical data.

Wright, C. W.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Improved Modeling in a Matlab-Based Navigation System

An innovative approach to autonomous navigation is available for low earth orbit satellites. The system is developed in Matlab and utilizes an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) to estimate the attitude and trajectory based on spacecraft magnetometer and gyro data. Preliminary tests of the system with real spacecraft data from the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Satellite (RXTE) indicate the existence of unmodeled errors in the magnetometer data. Incorporating into the EKF a statistical model that describes the colored component of the effective measurement of the magnetic field vector could improve the accuracy of the trajectory and attitude estimates and also improve the convergence time. This model is identified as a first order Markov process. With the addition of the model, the EKF attempts to identify the non-white components of the noise allowing for more accurate estimation of the original state vector, i.e. the orbital elements and the attitude. Working in Matlab allows for easy incorporation of new models into the EKF and the resulting navigation system is generic and can easily be applied to future missions resulting in an alternative in onboard or ground-based navigation.

Deutschmann, Julie↗

NASA NTRS1999

An Evaluation of Aircraft Emissions Inventory Methodology by Comparisons with Reported Airline Data

This report provides results of work done to evaluate the calculation methodology used in generating aircraft emissions inventories. Results from the inventory calculation methodology are compared to actual fuel consumption data. Results are also presented that show the sensitivity of calculated emissions to aircraft payload factors. Comparisons of departures made, ground track miles flown and total fuel consumed by selected air carriers were made between U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) Form 41 data reported for 1992 and results of simplified aircraft emissions inventory calculations. These comparisons provide an indication of the magnitude of error that may be present in aircraft emissions inventories. To determine some of the factors responsible for the errors quantified in the DOT Form 41 analysis, a comparative study of in-flight fuel flow data for a specific operator's 747-400 fleet was conducted. Fuel consumption differences between the studied aircraft and the inventory calculation results may be attributable to several factors. Among these are longer flight times, greater actual aircraft weight and performance deterioration effects for the in-service aircraft. Results of a parametric study on the variation in fuel use and NOx emissions as a function of aircraft payload for different aircraft types are also presented.

Daggett, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1996

Possible Detection of Pi(exp 0)-Decay Gamma-Ray Emission from Cyg OB2 by EGRET

We report possible detection of pi (exp 0) decay radiation from Cyg OB2, a nearby (1.7 kpc) massive OB star association. The EGRET flux (greater than 100 MeV) maps clearly indicate a point source whose error circle includes both Cyg OB2 and Cyg X-3. We show that Cyg X-3 is unlikely to be the counterpart for the EGRET source, because of the marginal spatial consistency and the lack of the 4.8 hour modulation seen in other high energy emissions from Cyg X-3. If confirmed, this will be the first detection by EGRET of massive stars.

Chen, W.↗

NASA NTRS2000

45 Km Horizontal Path Optical Link Experiment

Mountain-top to mountain-top optical link experiments have been initiated at JPL, in order to perform a systems level evaluation of optical communications. Progress made so far is reported. ne NASA, JPL developed optical communications demonstrator (OCD) is used to transmit a laser signal from Strawberry Peak (SP), located in the San Bernadino mountains of California. This laser beam is received by a 0.6 m aperture telescope at JPL's Table Mountain Facility (TMF), located in Wrightwood, California. The optical link is bi-directional with the TMF telescope transmitting a continuous 4-wave (cw) 780 run beacon and the OCD sending back a 840 nm, 100 - 500 Mbps pseudo noise (PN) modulated, laser beam. The optical link path is at an average altitude of 2 km above sea level, covers a range of 46.8 km and provides an atmospheric channel equivalent to approx. 4 air masses. Average received power measured at either end fall well within the uncertainties predicted by link analysis. The reduction in normalized intensity variance (sigma(sup 2, sub I)) for the 4-beam beacon, compared to each individual beam, at SP, was from approx. 0.68 to 0.22. With some allowance for intra-beam mis-alignment, this is consistent with incoherent averaging. The sigma(sup2, sub I) measured at TMF approx. 0.43 +/- 0.22 exceeded the expected aperture averaged value of less than 0.1, probably because of beam wander. The focused spot sizes of approx. 162 +/- 6 microns at the TMF Coude and approx. 64 +/- 3 microns on the OCD compare to the predicted size range of 52 - 172 microns and 57 - 93 microns, respectively. This is consistent with 4 - 5 arcsec of atmospheric "seeing". The preliminary evaluation of OCD's fine tracking indicates that the uncompensated tracking error is approx. 3.3 micro rad compared to approx. 1.7 micro rad observed in the laboratory. Fine tracking performance was intermittent, primarily due to beacon fades on the OCD tracking sensor. The best bit error rates observed while tracking worked were 1E-5 to 1E-6.

Biswas, A.↗

NASA NTRS2003

Modeling and Control of Airport Queueing Dynamics under Severe Flow Restrictions

Based on field observations and interviews with controllers at BOS and EWR, we identify the closure of local departure fixes as the most severe class of airport departure restrictions. A set of simple queueing dynamics and traffic rules are developed to model departure traffic under such restrictions. The validity of the proposed model is tested via Monte Carlo simulation against 10 hours of actual operations data collected during a case-study at EWR on June 29,2000. In general, the model successfully reproduces the aggregate departure congestion. An analysis of the average error over 40 simulation runs indicates that flow-rate restrictions also significantly impact departure traffic; work is underway to capture these effects. Several applications and what-if scenarios are discussed for future evaluation using the calibrated model.

Carr, Francis↗

NASA NTRS2005

Impact of Scaled Technology on Radiation Testing and Hardening

This presentation gives a brief overview of some of the radiation challenges facing emerging scaled digital technologies with implications on using consumer grade electronics and next generation hardening schemes. Commercial semiconductor manufacturers are recognizing some of these issues as issues for terrestrial performance. Looking at means of dealing with soft errors. The thinned oxide has indicated improved TID tolerance of commercial products hardened by "serendipity" which does not guarantee hardness or say if the trend will continue. This presentation also focuses one reliability implications of thinned oxides.

LaBel, Kenneth A.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Fault detection and bypass in a sequence information signal processor

The invention comprises a plurality of scan registers, each such register respectively associated with a processor element; an on-chip comparator, encoder and fault bypass register. Each scan register generates a unitary signal the logic state of which depends on the correctness of the input from the previous processor in the systolic array. These unitary signals are input to a common comparator which generates an output indicating whether or not an error has occurred. These unitary signals are also input to an encoder which identifies the location of any fault detected so that an appropriate multiplexer can be switched to bypass the faulty processor element. Input scan data can be readily programmed to fully exercise all of the processor elements so that no fault can remain undetected.

Peterson, John C.↗