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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1984

Effect of applied magnetic fields during directional solidification of eutectic Bi-Mn

Samples of rod eutectics Bi/MnBi were directionally solidified in a growth-up Bridgman-Stockbarger configuration in the presence of a transverse magnetic field up to 3 kg to determine whether gravity-driven convective effects could be reduced or eliminated. The experiments were carried out over a range of furnace velocities, V, of 0.2 to 50 cm per hour with a thermal gradient at the liquid-solid interface of 100 C/cm and 150 C/cm. Morphological, thermal and magnetic analyses were carried out on samples grown with and without an applied magnetic field. For samples grown at V greater than 3 cm per hour in a transverse magnetic field, reduced mean rod diameter and interrod spacing occurred as well as undercooling and increased coercive strength. The data agreed with that obtained for low-g growth at 50 cm per hour and 30 cm per hour.

Decarlo, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Tape Cassette Bacteria Detection System

The design, fabrication, and testing of an automatic bacteria detection system with a zero-g capability and based on the filter-capsule approach is described. This system is intended for monitoring the sterility of regenerated water in a spacecraft. The principle of detection is based on measuring the increase in chemiluminescence produced by the action of bacterial porphyrins (i.e., catalase, cytochromes, etc.) on a luminol-hydrogen peroxide mixture. Since viable as well as nonviable organisms initiate this luminescence, viable organisms are detected by comparing the signal of an incubated water sample with an unincubated control. Higher signals for the former indicate the presence of viable organisms. System features include disposable sealed sterile capsules, each containing a filter membrane, for processing discrete water samples and a tape transport for moving these capsules through a processing sequence which involves sample concentration, nutrient addition, incubation, a 4 Molar Urea wash and reaction with luminol-hydrogen peroxide in front of a photomultiplier tube. Liquids are introduced by means of a syringe needle which pierces a rubber septum contained in the wall of the capsule. Detection thresholds obtained with this unit towards E. coli and S. marcescens assuming a 400 ml water sample are indicated.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2021

Assessing Ceres’ Past and Current Habitability

Dwarf planet Ceres is a compelling target as an evolved ocean world with, at least, regional brine reservoirs and potentially ongoing geological activity. Situated in the Main Belt of asteroids, Ceres is the most water-rich body in the inner solar system (in relative abundance) and is accessible enough for a sample return with the resources of a typical medium-class (New Frontiers) NASA mission. NASA’s Dawn mission at Ceres revealed the presence of liquid, brine-driven activity, organic matter, and a rich salt chemistry. With this evidence, the overarching goals of the mission concept presented herein are to quantify Ceres’ current habitability potential and origin. A sample return from young evaporite deposits in Occator crater offers greater science return than an in situ exploration mission by enabling high-resolution analysis of (1) organic matter expected from terrestrial and chondritic analogs that are trapped in salt minerals and (2) isotopes of refractory elements for a similar cost and less science risk. The sample return concept would be executed with a single flight system due to Ceres’ relative proximity to Earth and low gravity. Solar electric propulsion was identified as the most cost-effective approach for getting to Ceres and back. De-orbiting, landing, and takeoff are performed with a throttleable monopropellant hydrazine system. The solar arrays are stowed prior to landing and takeoff. Sample acquisition builds on the pneumatic system designed by Honeybee Robotics. The sample return mission concept relies on the availability of key technologies: an enhanced landing vision system leveraging investments from Mars 2020; retractable/redeployable solar arrays, which have been demonstrated on the International Space Station but not at Ceres’ gravity; and an emerging design from upcoming missions for sample transfer from the pneumatic sampling system to the sample return capsule. Return of a sample of mass ~100 g from Ceres, maintained at ≤ -20°C, is without precedent for any currently advocated Ocean World mission, enabling a vast range of experimental techniques back on Earth with sensitivities and accuracies far beyond those feasible with in situ instruments. A sample of this size also enables analyses to benefit from techniques that will become available in the future.

Casillas, Raul Polit↗
NASA NTRS2023

Assessment of Gaseous Helium Cooling in a Superconducting Coil Test Rig

An experimental rig was designed and constructed at the NASA Glenn Research Center to measure the alternating current (AC) losses of round, multifilament, superconducting (SC), magnesium diboride (MgB2) wire in the temperature range from 20 to 30 K. The rig resembles a permanent magnet (PM) motor with the stator windings omitted. Experiment packs containing the superconductor samples will be placed in the annular space between the rotor and the stator back iron. The original plan was to measure the AC losses by calorimetry using nonboiling liquid hydrogen as the cooling fluid. The present plan is to use helium gas (GHe) under a few bar pressure instead. This report summarizes the calculations that indicate that reasonable results can be obtained, even though the mass density of the GHe will be only a fraction of that of liquid hydrogen. It is necessary to show that the heat transfer coefficient from SC wire to GHe can be high enough, that the temperature rise of the He between the experiment inlet and outlet can be small enough, and that sufficient He flow can be driven by a commercially available He fan. Both straight wire samples to validate loss models and coils to simulate motor stator coils can be tested in the rig. The lowest superconductor temperature that is feasible to reach in the rig is estimated. The temperature range available for samples will be wider with the gaseous He system than it would have been with liquid hydrogen.

supeconductors↗
NASA NTRS2015

Non-destructive Evaluation of Bonds Between Fiberglass Composite and Metal

To assess the integrity and reliability of an adhesive joint in an automotive composite component, several non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methodologies are correlated to lap shear bond strengths. A glass-fabric-reinforced composite structure was bonded to a metallic structure with a two-part epoxy adhesive. Samples were subsequently cut and tested in shear, and flaws were found in some areas. This study aims to develop a reliable and portable NDE system for service-level adhesive inspection in the automotive industry. The results of the experimental investigation using several NDE methods are presented and discussed. Fiberglass-to-metal bonding is the ideal configuration for NDE via thermography using excitation with induction heating, due to the conductive metal and non-conductive glass-fiber-reinforced composites. Excitation can be either by a research-grade induction heater of highly defined frequency and intensity, or by a service-level heater, such as would be used for sealing windshields in a body shop. The thermographs thus produced can be captured via a high-resolution infrared camera, with principal component analysis and 2D spatial Laplacian processing. Alternatively, the thermographs can be captured by low resolution thermochromic microencapsulated liquid crystal film imaging, which needs no post-processing and can be very inexpensive. These samples were also examined with phased-array ultrasound. The NDE methods are compared to the lap shear values and to each other for approximate cost, accuracy, and time and level of expertise needed.

Zhao, Selina↗
NASA NTRS1976

Crystallization history of lunar picritic basalt sample 12002 - Phase-equilibria and cooling-rate studies

Experimental crystallization of a lunar picrite composition (sample 12002) at controlled linear cooling rates produces systematic changes in the temperature at which crystalline phases appear, in the texture, and in crystal morphology as a function of cooling rate. Phases crystallize in the order olivine, chromium spinel, pyroxene, plagioclase, and ilmenite during equilibrium crystallization, but ilmenite and plagioclase reverse their order of appearance and silica crystallizes in the groundmass during controlled cooling experiments. The partition of iron and magnesium between olivine and liquid is independent of cooling rate, temperature, and pressure. Comparison of the olivine nucleation densities in the lunar sample and in the experiments indicates that the sample began cooling at about 1 deg C/hr. Pyroxene size, chemistry, and growth instability spacings, as well as groundmass coarseness, all suggest that the cooling rate subsequently decreased by as much as a factor of 10 or more. The porphyritic texture of this sample, then, is produced at a decreasing, rather than a discontinuously increasing, cooling rate.

Walker, D.↗
NASA NTRS1998

Computer Modeling of the Thermal Conductivity of Cometary Ice

The main objective of this research was to estimate the thermal conductivity of cometry ices from computer simulations of model amorphous ices. This was divided into four specific tasks: (1) Generating samples of amorphous water ices at different microporosities; (2) Comparing the resulting molecular structures of the ices with experimental results, for those densities where data was available; (3) Calculating the thermal conductivities of liquid water and bulk amorphous ices and comparing these results with experimentally determined thermal conductivities; and (4) Investigating how the thermal conductivity of amorphous ice depends upon the microscopic porosity of the samples. The thermal conductivity was found to be only weakly dependent on the microstructure of the amorphous ice. In general, the amorphous ices were found to have thermal conductivities of the same order of magnitude as liquid water. This is in contradiction to recent experimental estimates of the thermal conductivity of amorphous ice, and it is suggested that the extremely low value obtained experimentally is due to larger-scale defects in the ice, such as cracks, but it is not an intrinsic property of the bulk amorphous ice.

Bunch, Theodore E.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Rapid solidification of highly undercooled liquids

Melt undercooling is considered as a fundamental processing parameter for powders and for melt-spun and surface-melted samples. With reference to experimental results for Mn, Al, Al-Be, Al-Fe, and InSb-Sb powders, it is shown that the undercooling behavior in droplets is influenced by powder size, coating, melt superheat, and cooling rate. Droplet sample microstructures can be compared directly with those of rapidly quenched powders to establish the application of laboratory-scale studies to large-scale processing.

Perepezko, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Analysis of Screen Channel LAD Bubble Point Tests in Liquid Methane at Elevated Temperature

This paper examines the effect of varying the liquid temperature and pressure on the bubble point pressure for screen channel Liquid Acquisition Devices in cryogenic liquid methane using gaseous helium across a wide range of elevated pressures and temperatures. Testing of a 325 x 2300 Dutch Twill screen sample was conducted in the Cryogenic Components Lab 7 facility at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Test conditions ranged from 105 to 160K and 0.0965 - 1.78 MPa. Bubble point is shown to be a strong function of the liquid temperature and a weak function of the amount of subcooling at the LAD screen. The model predicts well for saturated liquid but under predicts the subcooled data.

Hartwig, Jason↗
NASA NTRS1971

Remanent magnetization of lunar samples.

The remanent magnetization of samples returned from the moon by the Apollo 11 and 12 missions consists, in most cases, of two distinct components. An unstable component is readily removed upon alternating field (AF) demagnetization in fields less than 100 Oe and is considered to be an isothermal remanence acquired during or after return to earth. The second component is unaltered by demagnetization in fields up to 400 Oe. It is probably a thermoremanent magnetization due to cooling from above 800 C in the presence of a field of a few thousand gammas. Chips from individual rocks have the same direction of magnetization after demagnetization, while the directions of different samples are random. This again demonstrates the high stability. Our data imply that the moon experienced a magnetic field that lasted at least from about 3.0 to 3.8 b.y., which is the age of Apollo 11 and 12 samples. One explanation of the origin of this field is that the moon had a liquid core and a self-exciting dynamo early in its history.

Strangway, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Preparation and analysis of standardized waste samples for Controlled Ecological Life Support Systems (CELSS)

The preparation and analysis of standardized waste samples for controlled ecological life support systems (CELSS) are considered. Analysis of samples from wet oxidation experiments, the development of ion chromatographic techniques utilizing conventional high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipment, and an investigation of techniques for interfacing an ion chromatograph (IC) with an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICPOES) are discussed.

Carden, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Submillimeter and millimeter wave characterization of absorbing materials

Several microwave absorbers have been characterized in terms of transmittance and reflectance at frequencies between 35 GHz and 3 THz. The materials studied were a series of iron-loaded cast epoxy absorbers known as Eccosorb. Measurements show that reflectance and absorption coefficient increase with the iron density. A dramatic decrease, by as much as a factor of 2, in absorption coefficient was observed when the samples were cooled from ambient to cryogenic temperatures. A blackbody calibrator to be operated at liquid helium temperature was constructed using the measured optical constants for these absorbers. The measured absorption coefficient for cold Eccosorb CR-110 is within 20 percent of that reported recently by Peterson and Richards.

Hemmati, H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A liquidus phase diagram for the groundmass of EETA 79001A (Eg), a primitive Shergottite composition

Shergottites are members of the SNC meteorite suite, which may be samples of Mars. If so, the shergottite in our collection that most likely represents primitive liquid from the Martian mantle is EETA 79001. EETA 79001 has the Nd isotopic signature of a long-term depleted mantle, a relatively high Mg number, and a slightly olivine-normative composition. The authors have performed experiments on the composition of EETA 79001 for traces of Eg. Other topics discussed include: comparison of calculated phase equilibria; nature of the olivine-pyroxene boundary; and interstitial liquids.

Jones, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1997

A Laboratory Study on the Phase Transition for Polar Stratospheric Cloud Particles

The nucleation and growth of different phases of simulated polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) particles were investigated in the laboratory. Solutions and mixtures of solutions at concentrations 1 to 5 m (molality) of ammonium sulfate, ammonium bisulfate, sodium chloride, sulfuric acid, and nitric acid were supercooled to prescribed temperatures below their equilibrium melting point. These solutions were contained in small diameter glass tubing of volumes ranging from 2.6 to 0.04 ml. Samples were nucleated by insertion of an ice crystal, or in some cases by a liquid nitrogen cooled wire. Crystallization velocities were determined by timing the crystal growth front passages along the glass tubing. Solution mixtures containing aircraft exhaust (soot) were also examined. Crystallization rates increased as deltaT2, where deltaT is the supercooling for weak solutions (2 m or less). The higher concentrated solutions (greater than 3 m) showed rates significantly less than deltaT2. This reduced rate suggested an onset of a glass phase. Results were applied to the nucleation of highly concentrated solutions at various stages of polar stratospheric cloud development within the polar stratosphere.

Teets, Edward H., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Convective Influence on Radial Segregation During Unidirectional Solidification of the Binary Alloy HgCdTe

In order to simulate the space environment for basic research into the crystal growth mechanism, Hg(0.8)Cd(0.2)Te crystals were grown by the vertical Bridgman-Stockbarger method in the presence of an applied axial magnetic field. The influence of convection, by magneto hydrodynamic damping, on mass transfer in the melt and segregation at the solid-liquid interface was investigated by measuring the axial and radial compositional variations in the grown samples. The reduction of convective mixing in the melt through the application of the magnetic field is found to have a large effect on radial segregation and interface morphology in the grown crystals. Direct comparisons are made with a Hg(0.8)Cd(0.2)Te crystal grown without field and also in the microgravity environment of space during the second United States Microgravity Payload Mission (USMP-2).

Watring, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Radiation Exposure Alters Expression of Metabolic Enzyme Genes In Mice

Most pharmaceuticals are metabolized by the liver. The health of the liver, especially the rate of its metabolic enzymes, determines the concentration of circulating drugs as well as the duration of their efficacy. Because of the importance of the liver in drug metabolism it is important to understand the effects of spaceflight on the enzymes of the liver. Exposure to cosmic radiation is one aspect of spaceflight that can be modeled in ground experiments. This study is an effort to examine the effects of adaptive mechanisms that may be triggered by early exposure to low radiation doses. Using procedures approved by the JSC Animal Care & Use Committee, C57 male mice were exposed to Cs-137 in groups: controls, low dose (50 mGy), high dose (6Gy) and a fourth group that received both radiation doses separated by 24 hours. Animals were anesthetized and sacrificed 4 hours after their last radiation exposure. Livers were removed immediately and flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Tissue was homogenized, RNA extracted and purified (Absolutely RNA, Agilent). Quality of RNA samples was evaluated (Agilent Bioanalyzer 2100). Complementary DNA was prepared from high-quality RNA samples, and used to run RT-qPCR screening arrays for DNA Repair and Drug Metabolism (SuperArray, SABiosciences/Qiagen; BioRad Cfx96 qPCR System). Of 91 drug metabolism genes examined, expression of 7 was altered by at least one treatment condition. Genes that had elevated expression include those that metabolize promethazine and steroids (4-8-fold), many that reduce oxidation products, and one that reduces heavy metal exposure (greater than 200-fold). Of the 91 DNA repair and general metabolism genes examined, expression of 14 was altered by at least one treatment condition. These gene expression changes are likely homeostatic and could lead to development of new radioprotective countermeasures.

Wotring, Virginia E.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Development of an Autonomous, Dual Chamber Bioreactor for the Growth of 3-Dimensional Epithelial-Stromal Tissues in Microgravity

We are developing a novel, autonomous bioreactor that can provide for the growth and maintenance in microgravity of 3‐D organotypic epithelial‐stromal cultures that require an air‐liquid interface. These complex 3‐D tissue models accurately represent the morphological features, differentiation markers, and growth characteristics observed in normal human epithelial tissues, including the skin, esophagus, lung, breast, pancreas, and colon. However, because of their precise and complex culture requirements, including that of an air‐liquid interface, these 3‐D models have yet to be utilized for life sciences research aboard the International Space Station. The development of a bioreactor for these cultures will provide the capability to perform biological research on the ISS using these realistic, tissue‐like human epithelial‐stromal cell models and will contribute significantly to advances in fundamental space biology research on questions regarding microgravity effects on normal tissue development, aging, cancer, and other disease processes. It will also allow for the study of how combined stressors, such as microgravity with radiation and nutritional deficiencies, affect multiple biological processes and will provide a platform for conducting countermeasure investigations on the ISS without the use of animal models. The technology will be autonomous and consist of a cell culture chamber that provides for air‐liquid, liquid‐liquid, and liquid‐air exchanges within the chambers while maintaining the growth and development of the biological samples. The bioreactor will support multiple tissue types and its modular design will provide for incorporation of add‐on capabilities such as microfluidics drug delivery, media sampling, and in situ biomarker analysis. Preliminary flight testing of the hardware will be conducted on a parabolic platform through NASA's Flight Opportunities Program.

Patel, Zarana S.↗