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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 505 records · Page 28

Development of biological and nonbiological explanations for the Viking label release data

The plausibility that hydrogen peroxide, widely distributed within the Mars surface material, was responsible for the evocative response obtained by the Viking Labeled Release (LR) experiment on Mars was investigated. Although a mixture of gamma Fe2O3 and silica sand stimulated the LR nutrient reaction with hydrogen peroxide and reduced the rate of hydrogen decomposition under various storage conditions, the Mars analog soil prepared by the Viking Inorganic Analysis Team to match the Mars analytical data does not cause such effects. Nor is adequate resistance to UV irradiation shown. On the basis of the results and consideration presented while the hydrogen peroxide theory remains the most, if not only, attractive chemical explanation of the LR data, it remains unconvincing on critical points. Until problems concerning the formation and stabilization of hydrogen peroxide on the surface of Mars can be overcome, adhere to the scientific evidence requires serious consideration of the biological theory.

Source record↗

An adaptive tracking observer for failure-detection systems

The design problem of adaptive observers applied to linear, constant and variable parameters, multi-input, multi-output systems, is considered. It is shown that, in order to keep the observer's (or Kalman filter) false-alarm rate (FAR) under a certain specified value, it is necessary to have an acceptable proper matching between the observer (or KF) model and the system parameters. An adaptive observer algorithm is introduced in order to maintain desired system-observer model matching, despite initial mismatching and/or system parameter variations. Only a properly designed adaptive observer is able to detect abrupt changes in the system (actuator, sensor failures, etc.) with adequate reliability and FAR. Conditions for convergence for the adaptive process were obtained, leading to a simple adaptive law (algorithm) with the possibility of an a priori choice of fixed adaptive gains. Simulation results show good tracking performance with small observer output errors and accurate and fast parameter identification, in both deterministic and stochastic cases.

Sidar, M.↗

Storage system architectures and their characteristics

Not all users storage requirements call for 20 MBS data transfer rates, multi-tier file or data migration schemes, or even automated retrieval of data. The number of available storage solutions reflects the broad range of user requirements. It is foolish to think that any one solution can address the complete range of requirements. For users with simple off-line storage requirements, the cost and complexity of high end solutions would provide no advantage over a more simple solution. The correct answer is to match the requirements of a particular storage need to the various attributes of the available solutions. The goal of this paper is to introduce basic concepts of archiving and storage management in combination with the most common architectures and to provide some insight into how these concepts and architectures address various storage problems. The intent is to provide potential consumers of storage technology with a framework within which to begin the hunt for a solution which meets their particular needs. This paper is not intended to be an exhaustive study or to address all possible solutions or new technologies, but is intended to be a more practical treatment of todays storage system alternatives. Since most commercial storage systems today are built on Open Systems concepts, the majority of these solutions are hosted on the UNIX operating system. For this reason, some of the architectural issues discussed focus around specific UNIX architectural concepts. However, most of the architectures are operating system independent and the conclusions are applicable to such architectures on any operating system.

Sarandrea, Bryan M.↗

A Multifunctional Isostructural Bilayer Oxygen Evolution Electrode for Durable Intermediate-Temperature Electrochemical Water Splitting

The overarching goal of the proposed research is to address SOEC’s degradation problem by advancing a new isostructural highly electrocatalytically active bilayer oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrode, consisting of a LSCF (La 1-x Sr x Co 1-y Fe y O 3-δ ) core and a SCT (SrCo 0.9 Ta 0.1 O 3-δ ) shell, to achieve high and sustainable rate of oxygen evolution matching operating current densities without encountering delamination. To realize this goal, the project has adopted a combined experimental and theoretical approach to conduct research in the following six areas closely associated with SOPO tasks: 1) Development of electrocatalytically active bilayer oxygen electrodes (SOPO task-1) 2) Development of new symmetric three electrode cell (STEC) methodology to extract electrokinetic data of oxygen electrodes (SOPO task-2) 3) Quantification of electrokinetics of bilayer oxygen electrodes and correlation with degradation and delamination (SOPO task-2) 4) Performances of bilayer oxygen electrodes under fuel cells and electrolyzers modes (SOPO task-3) 5) Microscale modeling of oxygen electrode/electrolyte interface in solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOPO task-4) 6) Prediction of crack growth rate at oxygen electrode/electrolyte interface in solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOPO task-4)

08 HYDROGEN↗

Interactive method for computation of viscous flow with recirculation

An interactive method is proposed for the solution of two-dimensional, laminar flow fields with identifiable regions of recirculation, such as the shear-layer-driven cavity flow. The method treats the flow field as composed of two regions, with an appropriate mathematical model adopted for each region. The shear layer is computed by the compressible boundary layer equations, and the slowly recirculating flow by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The flow field is solved iteratively by matching the local solutions in the two regions. For this purpose a new matching method utilizing an overlap between the two computational regions is developed, and shown to be most satisfactory. Matching of the two velocity components, as well as the change in velocity with respect to depth is amply accomplished using the present approach, and the stagnation points corresponding to separation and reattachment of the dividing streamline are computed as part of the interactive solution. The interactive method is applied to the test problem of a shear layer driven cavity. The computational results are used to show the validity and applicability of the present approach.

Brandeis, J.↗

A wave envelope finite element scheme for acoustical radiation

The aeroacoustic problem associated with the radiation of fan noise from the inlet of a turbofan aircraft engine, the dimensions of which are generally many times larger than the acoustical wavelengths of the major energy-carrying frequencies, is considered. In the present approach, a conventional finite element solution in the inner region is compatibly matched to a 'wave envelope' finite element solution in a large but finite outer region. The inclusion of a wavelike variation with the correct asymptotic decay in the shape functions for the outer region preserves the correct behavior of the solution at large distances. The method is initially presented for a simple one-dimensional model based on the solution of Webster's horn equation. Results are presented for the specific case of a uniform cylindrical section joined to a conical expansion, and also for a simple axisymmetric test case of the calculation of acoustical pressure generated by a vibrating circular piston located at the center of an infinite rigid baffle.

Astley, R. J.↗

Sonic-point capturing

A prototype scheme that produces perfectly smooth transonic solutions to nozzle-flow problems is derived and tested. The basic upwind scheme is described as well as satisfying the entropy condition, treatment of the source term, and numerical verification. The analysis yielded a numerical flux function for use near a sonic point, which is based on a full model of a transonic expansion wave, and a matched treatment for the source term.

Van Leer, Bram↗

Dynamically allocating sets of fine-grained processors to running computations

Researchers explore an approach to using general purpose parallel computers which involves mapping hardware resources onto computations instead of mapping computations onto hardware. Problems such as processor allocation, task scheduling and load balancing, which have traditionally proven to be challenging, change significantly under this approach and may become amenable to new attacks. Researchers describe the implementation of this approach used by the FFP Machine whose computation and communication resources are repeatedly partitioned into disjoint groups that match the needs of available tasks from moment to moment. Several consequences of this system are examined.

Middleton, David↗

A Tabletop Tool for Modeling Life Support Systems

This paper describes the development plan for a comprehensive research and diagnostic tool for aspects of advanced life support systems in space-based laboratories. Specifically it aims to build a high fidelity tabletop model that can be used for the purpose of risk mitigation, failure mode analysis, contamination tracking, and testing reliability. We envision a comprehensive approach involving experimental work coupled with numerical simulation to develop this diagnostic tool. It envisions a 10% scale transparent model of a space platform such as the International Space Station that operates with water or a specific matched index of refraction liquid as the working fluid. This allows the scaling of a 10 ft x 10 ft x 10 ft room with air flow to 1 ft x 1 ft x 1 ft tabletop model with water/liquid flow. Dynamic similitude for this length scale dictates model velocities to be 67% of full-scale and thereby the time scale of the model to represent 15% of the full- scale system; meaning identical processes in the model are completed in 15% of the full- scale time. The use of an index matching fluid (fluid that matches the refractive index of cast acrylic, the model material) allows making the entire model (with complex internal geometry) transparent and hence conducive to non-intrusive optical diagnostics. So using such a system one can test environment control parameters such as core flows (axial flows), cross flows (from registers and diffusers), potential problem areas such as flow short circuits, inadequate oxygen content, build up of other gases beyond desirable levels, test mixing processes within the system at local nodes or compartments and assess the overall system performance. The system allows quantitative measurements of contaminants introduced in the system and allows testing and optimizing the tracking process and removal of contaminants. The envisaged system will be modular and hence flexible for quick configuration change and subsequent testing. The data and inferences from the tests will allow for improvements in the development and design of next generation life support systems and configurations.

Ramachandran, N.↗

Space Laboratory on a Table Top: A Next Generative ECLSS design and diagnostic tool

This paper describes the development plan for a comprehensive research and diagnostic tool for aspects of advanced life support systems in space-based laboratories. Specifically it aims to build a high fidelity tabletop model that can be used for the purpose of risk mitigation, failure mode analysis, contamination tracking, and testing reliability. We envision a comprehensive approach involving experimental work coupled with numerical simulation to develop this diagnostic tool. It envisions a 10% scale transparent model of a space platform such as the International Space Station that operates with water or a specific matched index of refraction liquid as the working fluid. This allows the scaling of a 10 ft x 10 ft x 10 ft room with air flow to 1 ft x 1 ft x 1 ft tabletop model with water/liquid flow. Dynamic similitude for this length scale dictates model velocities to be 67% of full-scale and thereby the time scale of the model to represent 15% of the full- scale system; meaning identical processes in the model are completed in 15% of the full- scale-time. The use of an index matching fluid (fluid that matches the refractive index of cast acrylic, the model material) allows making the entire model (with complex internal geometry) transparent and hence conducive to non-intrusive optical diagnostics. So using such a system one can test environment control parameters such as core flows (axial flows), cross flows (from registers and diffusers), potential problem areas such as flow short circuits, inadequate oxygen content, build up of other gases beyond desirable levels, test mixing processes within the system at local nodes or compartments and assess the overall system performance. The system allows quantitative measurements of contaminants introduced in the system and allows testing and optimizing the tracking process and removal of contaminants. The envisaged system will be modular and hence flexible for quick configuration change and subsequent testing. The data and inferences from the tests will allow for improvements in the development and design of next generation life support systems and configurations. Preliminary experimental and modeling work in this area will be presented. This involves testing of a single inlet-exit model with detailed 3-D flow visualization and quantitative diagnostics and computational modeling of the system.

Ramachandran, N.↗

High conductance ohmic junction for monolithic semiconductor devices

In order to increase the efficiency of solar cells, a monolithic stacked device is constructed comprising a plurality of solar sub-cells adjusted for different bands of radiation. The interconnection between these sub-cells has been a significant technical problem. The invention provides an interconnection which is a thin layer of high ohmic conductance material formed between the sub-cells. Such a layer tends to form beads which serve as a shorting interconnect while passing a large fraction of the radiation to the lower sub-cells and permitting lattice-matching between the sub-cells to be preserved.

Lewis, Carol R.↗

Method of making a high conductance ohmic junction for monolithic semiconductor devices

In order to increase the efficiency of solar cells, a monolithic stacked device is constructed comprising a plurality of solar sub-cells adjusted for different bands of radiation. The interconnection between these sub-cells has been a significant technical problem. The invention provides an interconnection which is a thin layer of high ohmic conductance material formed between the sub-cells. Such a layer tends to form beads which serve as a shorting interconnect while passing a large fraction of the radiation to the lower sub-cells and permitting lattice-matching between the sub-cells to be preserved.

Lewis, Carol R.↗

Distributed Stochastic Optimization of a Neural Representation Network for Time-Space Tomography Reconstruction

4D time-space reconstruction of dynamic events or deforming objects using X-ray computed tomography (CT) is an important inverse problem in non-destructive evaluation. Conventional back-projection based reconstruction methods assume that the object remains static for the duration of several tens or hundreds of X-ray projection measurement images (reconstruction of consecutive limited-angle CT scans). However, this is an unrealistic assumption for many in-situ experiments that causes spurious artifacts and inaccurate morphological reconstructions of the object. To solve this problem, we propose to perform a 4D time-space reconstruction using a distributed implicit neural representation (DINR) network that is trained using a novel distributed stochastic training algorithm. Our DINR network learns to reconstruct the object at its output by iterative optimization of its network parameters such that the measured projection images best match the output of the CT forward measurement model. Here, we use a forward measurement model that is a function of the DINR outputs at a sparsely sampled set of continuous valued 4D object coordinates. Unlike previous neural representation architectures that forward and back propagate through dense voxel grids that sample the object's entire time-space coordinates, we only propagate through the DINR at a small subset of object coordinates in each iteration resulting in an order-of-magnitude reduction in memory and compute for training. DINR leverages distributed computation across several compute nodes and GPUs to produce high-fidelity 4D time-space reconstructions. We use both simulated parallel-beam and experimental cone-beam X-ray CT datasets to demonstrate the superior performance of our approach.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Computer vision

The field of computer vision is surveyed and assessed, key research issues are identified, and possibilities for a future vision system are discussed. The problems of descriptions of two and three dimensional worlds are discussed. The representation of such features as texture, edges, curves, and corners are detailed. Recognition methods are described in which cross correlation coefficients are maximized or numerical values for a set of features are measured. Object tracking is discussed in terms of the robust matching algorithms that must be devised. Stereo vision, camera control and calibration, and the hardware and systems architecture are discussed.

Gennery, D.↗

Waterhammer Transient Simulation and Model Anchoring for the Robotic Lunar Lander Propulsion System

Waterhammer transients have the potential to adversely impact propulsion system design if not properly addressed. Waterhammer can potentially lead to system plumbing, and component damage. Multi-thruster propulsion systems also develop constructive/destructive wave interference which becomes difficult to predict without detailed models. Therefore, it is important to sufficiently characterize propulsion system waterhammer in order to develop a robust design with minimal impact to other systems. A risk reduction activity was performed at Marshall Space Flight Center to develop a tool for estimating waterhammer through the use of anchored simulation for the Robotic Lunar Lander (RLL) propulsion system design. Testing was performed to simulate waterhammer surges due to rapid valve closure and consisted of twenty-two series of waterhammer tests, resulting in more than 300 valve actuations. These tests were performed using different valve actuation schemes and three system pressures. Data from the valve characterization tests were used to anchor the models that employed MSCSoftware.EASY5 v.2010 to model transient fluid phenomena by using transient forms of mass and energy conservation. The anchoring process was performed by comparing initial model results to experimental data and then iterating the model input to match the simulation results with the experimental data. The models provide good correlation with experimental results, supporting the use of EASY5 as a tool to model fluid transients and provide a baseline for future RLL system modeling. This paper addresses tasks performed during the waterhammer risk reduction activity for the RLL propulsion system. The problem of waterhammer simulation anchoring as applied to the RLL system is discussed with results from the corresponding experimental valve tests. Important factors for waterhammer mitigation are discussed along with potential design impacts to the RLL propulsion system.

Stein, William B.↗

New Treatment of Strongly Anisotropic Scattering Phase Functions: The Delta-M+ Method

The treatment of strongly anisotropic scattering phase functions is still a challenge for accurate radiance computations. The new delta-M+ method resolves this problem by introducing a reliable, fast, accurate, and easy-to-use Legendre expansion of the scattering phase function with modified moments. Delta-M+ is an upgrade of the widely used delta-M method that truncates the forward scattering peak with a Dirac delta function, where the ‘‘+’’ symbol indicates that it essentially matches moments beyond the first M terms. Compared with the original delta-M method, delta-M+ has the same computational efficiency, but for radiance computations, the accuracy and stability have been increased dramatically.

Lin, Zhenyi↗

Additional Results on the Radiating Properties of Ltsas and Cwsas

Results are presented on the theoretical experimental investigations of the radiating properties of Linearly Tapered Slot Antennas (LTSAs) and Constant Width Slot Antennas (CWSAs). The antenna is treated as a flared slot radiating in the presence of a conducting half plane. The aperture distribution in the flared slot is determined by approximating the tapered structure as a series of short sections of parallel slots. The slot field of a uniform slotline is determined by employing the spectral Galerkin's technique and a power conservation criterion is employed to match the fields at the step junction between two successive sections. Comparison is made between theory and experiment for several LTSAs and CWSAs etched on epsilon sub r = 2.22 and 2.55 substrates, and or flare angles 4 deg or = gamma or = 10 deg. It is shown that the theory adequately models the physics of the problem when the lateral dimension D of the antenna is large and when the propagation constant of a parallel slot line can be estimated very accurately. Newly observed effects of the lateral truncation on the radiation pattern of the antenna are discussed.

Source record↗

Output control using feedforward and cascade controllers

An open-loop solution to the output control problem in SISO (single-input, single-output) systems by means of feedforward and cascade controllers is investigated. A simple characterization of feedforward controllers, which achieve steady-state disturbance rejection, is given in a transfer-function setting. Cascade controllers which cause steady-state command tracking are characterized. Disturbance decoupling and command matching controllers are identified. Conditions for existence of feedforward and cascade controllers are given. For unstable systems, it is shown that a stabilizing feedback controller can be used without affecting the feedforward and cascade controllers used for output control; hence, the three controllers can be designed independently. Output control by a combination of feedforward and feedback is discussed.

Seraji, H.↗