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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

Effects of aging on vasoconstrictor and mechanical properties of rat skeletal muscle arterioles

Exercise capacity and skeletal muscle blood flow during exercise are reduced with advancing age. This reduction in blood flow capacity may be related to increased reactivity of skeletal muscle resistance vessels to vasoconstrictor stimuli. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that aging results in increased vasoconstrictor responses of skeletal muscle resistance arterioles. First-order (1A) arterioles (90-220 microm) from the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of young (4 mo) and aged (24 mo) Fischer-344 rats were isolated, cannulated, and pressurized via hydrostatic reservoirs. Vasoconstriction in response to increases in norepinephrine (NE; 1 x 10(-9)-1 x 10(-4) M) and KCl (20-100 mM) concentrations and increases in intraluminal pressure (10-130 cmH(2)O) were evaluated in the absence of flow. Responses to NE and KCl were similar in both soleus and gastrocnemius muscle arterioles from young and aged rats. In contrast, active myogenic responses to changes in intraluminal pressure were diminished in soleus and gastrocnemius arterioles from aged rats. To assess whether alterations in the mechanical properties of resistance arterioles underlie altered myogenic responsiveness, passive diameter responses to pressure and mechanical stiffness were evaluated. There was no effect of age on the structural behavior (passive pressure-diameter relationship) or stiffness of arterioles from either the soleus or gastrocnemius muscles. These results suggest that aging does not result in a nonspecific decrease in vasoconstrictor responsiveness of skeletal muscle arterioles. Rather, aging-induced adaptations of vasoreactivity of resistance arterioles appear to be limited to mechanisms that are uniquely involved in the signaling of the myogenic response.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗
NASA NTRS2014

Iodine Hall Thruster Propellant Feed System for a CubeSat

There has been significant work recently in the development of iodine-fed Hall thrusters for in-space propulsion applications.1 The use of iodine as a propellant provides many advantages over present xenon-gas-fed Hall thruster systems. Iodine is a solid at ambient temperature (no pressurization required) and has no special handling requirements, making it safe for secondary flight opportunities. It has exceptionally high ρI sp (density times specific impulse), making it an enabling technology for small satellite near-term applications and providing system level advantages over mid-term high power electric propulsion options. Iodine provides thrust and efficiency that are comparable to xenonfed Hall thrusters while operating in the same discharge current and voltage regime, making it possible to leverage the development of flight-qualified xenon Hall thruster power processing units for the iodine application. Work at MSFC is presently aimed at designing, integrating, and demonstrating a flight-like iodine feed system suitable for the Hall thruster application. This effort represents a significant advancement in state-of-the-art. Though Iodine thrusters have demonstrated high performance with mission enabling potential, a flight-like feed system has never been demonstrated and iodine compatible components do not yet exist. Presented in this paper is the end-to-end integrated feed system demonstration. The system includes a propellant tank with active feedback-control heating, fill and drain interfaces, latching and proportional flow control valves (PFCV), flow resistors, and flight-like CubeSat power and control electronics. Hardware is integrated into a CubeSat-sized structure, calibrated and tested under vacuum conditions, and operated under under hot-fire conditions using a Busek BHT-200 thruster designed for iodine. Performance of the system is evaluated thorugh accurate measurement of thrust and a calibrated of mass flow rate measurement, which is a function of reservoir temperature/pressure, the flow resistors, and the setting of the PFCV. The calibration is performed using independent flow control monitoring techniques, providing an in situ measure of the flowrate as a function of controllable parameters. The reservoir temperature controls the iodine sublimation rate, providing propellant to ths thruster by pressurizing the propellant feed system to approx.1-2 psi. Control of the temperature and the PFCV are used to maintain reservoir pressure and keep the thruster discharge current constant.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗
NASA NTRS1966

Closed loop operation eliminates need for auxiliary gas in high pressure pumping station

Closed loop system for a liquid nitrogen high pressure pump feeds back gaseous nitrogen generated by heat leak into the reservoir to maintain the pressure in the storage tank. This safer, more efficient system eliminates the need for auxiliary gas to maintain the tank pressure and can be used on relatively high cryogenic pumping systems.

Landy, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Analytical solution for heat transfer in three-dimensional porous media including variable fluid properties

An analytical solution is obtained for flow and heat transfer in a three-dimensional porous medium. Coolant from a reservoir at constant pressure and temperature enters one portion of the boundary of the medium and exits through another portion of the boundary which is at a specified uniform temperature and uniform pressure. The variation with temperature of coolant density and viscosity are both taken into account. A general solution is found that provides the temperature distribution in the medium and the mass and heat fluxes along the portion of the surface through which the coolant is exiting.

Siegel, R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Flutter of articulated pipes at finite amplitude

The plane motion of an articulated pipe made of two segments is examined and the flow velocity at which flutter manifests itself is sought. The pressure in the reservoir feeding the pipe is kept constant. In contrast to previous works, the flow velocity is not taken as a prescribed parameter of the system but is left to follow the laws of motion. This approach requires a nonlinear formulation of the problem and the equations of motion are solved using Krylov-Bogoliubov's method. A graph of the amplitude of the limit cycles, as a function of the fluid-system mass ratio, is presented and conclusions are drawn as to the necessity of considering nonlinearities in the analysis.

Rousselet, J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Steady state volcanism - Evidence from eruption histories of polygenetic volcanoes

Cumulative volcano volume curves are presented as evidence for steady-state behavior at certain volcanoes and to develop a model of steady-state volcanism. A minimum criteria of five eruptions over a year was chosen to characterize a steady-state volcano. The subsequent model features a constant head of magmatic pressure from a reservoir supplied from depth, a sawtooth curve produced by the magma arrivals or discharge from the subvolcanic reservoir, large volume eruptions with long repose periods, and conditions of nonsupply of magma. The behavior of Mts. Etna, Nyamuragira, and Kilauea are described and show continuous levels of plasma output resulting in cumulative volume increases. Further discussion is made of steady-state andesitic and dacitic volcanism, long term patterns of the steady state, and magma storage, and the lack of a sufficient number of steady-state volcanoes in the world is taken as evidence that further data is required for a comprehensive model.

Wadge, G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

History matching by spline approximation and regularization in single-phase areal reservoirs

An automatic history matching algorithm is developed based on bi-cubic spline approximations of permeability and porosity distributions and on the theory of regularization to estimate permeability or porosity in a single-phase, two-dimensional real reservoir from well pressure data. The regularization feature of the algorithm is used to convert the ill-posed history matching problem into a well-posed problem. The algorithm employs the conjugate gradient method as its core minimization method. A number of numerical experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance of the algorithm. Comparisons with conventional (non-regularized) automatic history matching algorithms indicate the superiority of the new algorithm with respect to the parameter estimates obtained. A quasioptimal regularization parameter is determined without requiring a priori information on the statistical properties of the observations.

Lee, T. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Tubular Membrane Plant-Growth Unit

Hydroponic system controls nutrient solution for growing crops in space. Pump draws nutrient solution along inside of tubular membrane in pipe from reservoir, maintaining negative pressure in pipe. Roots of plants in slot extract nutrient through membrane within pipe. Crop plants such as wheat, rice, lettuce, tomatoes, soybeans, and beans grown successfully with system.

Dreschel, Thomas W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Seasonal buffering of atmospheric pressure on Mars

An isothermal reservoir of carbon dioxide in gaseous contact with the Martian atmosphere would reduce the amplitude and advance the phase of global atmospheric pressure fluctuations caused by seasonal growth and decline of polar CO2 frost caps. Adsorbed carbon dioxide in the upper roughly 10 m of Martian regolith is sufficient to buffer the present atmosphere on a seasonal basis. Available observations and related polar cap models do not confirm or refute the operation of such a mechanism. Implications for the amplitude and phase of seasonal pressure fluctuations are subject to direct test by the upcoming Viking mission to Mars.

Dzurisin, D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Modelling of transient two-phase heat transfer for spacecraft thermal management

A computational method for predicting the two-phase transient fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics within a reservoir of the capillary-pumped-loop, intended to be used for spacecraft thermal management, has been developed. The model is based on the enthalpy formulation in an axisymmetric configuration. The reservoir operates under a constant thermodynamic pressure by allowing mass exchange between the reservoir and the outside loop. Both 1 g and 0 g environments have been considered to assess the effects of gravity on the reservoir performance. Depending on the gravity level, the power input and the reservoir orientation, three different convection modes have been identified, namely, the thermocapillary mode, the buoyancy mode, and the rapid-expansion mode (caused by interface movement). The impact of these modes on the performance of the reservoir and the associated physical phenomena have been discussed.

Shyy, W.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Minimizing EVA Airlock Time and Depress Gas Losses

This paper describes the need and solution for minimizing EVA airlock time and depress gas losses using a new method that minimizes EVA out-the-door time for a suited astronaut and reclaims most of the airlock depress gas. This method consists of one or more related concepts that use an evacuated reservoir tank to store and reclaim the airlock depress gas. The evacuated tank can be an inflatable tank, a spent fuel tank from a lunar lander descent stage, or a backup airlock. During EVA airlock operations, the airlock and reservoir would be equalized at some low pressure, and through proper selection of reservoir size, most of the depress gas would be stored in the reservoir for later reclamation. The benefit of this method is directly applicable to long duration lunar and Mars missions that require multiple EVA missions (up to 100, two-person lunar EVAs) and conservation of consumables, including depress pump power and depress gas. The current ISS airlock gas reclamation method requires approximately 45 minutes of the astronaut s time in the airlock and 1 KW in electrical power. The proposed method would decrease the astronaut s time in the airlock because the depress gas is being temporarily stored in a reservoir tank for later recovery. Once the EVA crew is conducting the EVA, the volume in the reservoir would be pumped back to the cabin at a slow rate. Various trades were conducted to optimize this method, which include time to equalize the airlock with the evacuated reservoir versus reservoir size, pump power to reclaim depress gas versus time allotted, inflatable reservoir pros and cons (weight, volume, complexity), and feasibility of spent lunar nitrogen and oxygen tanks as reservoirs.

Trevino, Luis A.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Investigation of VEGGIE Root Mat

VEGGIE is a plant growth facility that utilizes the phenomenon of capillary action as its primary watering system. A cloth made of Meta Aramid fiber, known as Nomex is used to wick water up from a reservoir to the bottom of the plants roots. This root mat system is intended to be low maintenance with no moving parts and requires minimal crew interface time. Unfortunately, the water wicking rates are inconsistent throughout the plant life cycle, thus causing plants to die. Over-wicking of water occurs toward the beginning of the cycle, while under-wicking occurs toward the middle. This inconsistency of wicking has become a major issue, drastically inhibiting plant growth. The primary objective is to determine the root cause of the inconsistent wicking through experimental testing. Suspect causes for the capillary water column to break include: a vacuum effect due to a negative pressure gradient in the water reservoir, contamination of material due to minerals in water and back wash from plant fertilizer, induced air bubbles while using syringe refill method, and material limitations of Nomex's ability to absorb and retain water. Experimental testing will be conducted to systematically determine the cause of under and over-wicking. Pressure gages will be used to determine pressure drop during the course of the plant life cycle and during the water refill process. A debubbler device will be connected to a root mat in order to equalize pressure inside the reservoir. Moisture and evaporation tests will simultaneously be implemented to observe moisture content and wicking rates over the course of a plant cycle. Water retention tests will be performed using strips of Nomex to determine materials wicking rates, porosity, and absorptivity. Through these experimental tests, we will have a better understanding of material properties of Nomex, as well as determine the root cause of water column breakage. With consistent test results, a forward plan can be achieved to resolve the issue and give valuable insight for the next generation of VEGGIE.

Subbiah, Arun M.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Passive Water Assurance Delivery System

This report provides an analysis and evaluation of proposed design improvements to the internal water delivery system of NASA’s passive vegetable growing system. The VEGGIE system is designed to provide fresh vegetables and psychological benefits for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Preliminary testing conducted by NASA for the VEGGIE system revealed flaws in the water delivery system. In these tests, the interface between the plants and the water reservoir failed to provide passive water delivery through the system both in microgravity experiments and experiments conducted on Earth. Our team’s goal was to fix this interface such that water can be passively delivered from the water reservoir to the plant rooting pillows to grow vegetative crops from seed to harvest. The system requirements outlined by NASA include: minimal total mass, on-demand passive water delivery, same dimensions as existing fixtures, minimal pressure on system to prevent leaking, zero mold growth, minimal swelling or clogging for non-flammable capillary materials, pressure stabilization between the water reservoir and plant pillow bags, even dispersal of water during initial priming, minimal bubble obstruction of capillary interface, maximum gas availability to plant roots, growth in a mixed artificial media (50:50 Arcillite:Fafard #2), and to avoid overwatering and drought conditions for plants. The major proposed design improvements are to use a single-interface capillary cord design to directly connect the water reservoir to the plant-rooting pillows, and to alter the water reservoir to model a propellant management device (PMD) in order to ensure consistent and long term watering for the VEGGIE system. The plant rooting pillow required minimal changes outside of replacing the capillary mat on the bottom of the pillow with O-ring insertion points the single-interface capillary system. - Research was conducted to determine which materials are able to uptake water through capillary action to grow Outredgeous Lettuce plants from seed to harvest. The primary requirements to be met by the team's design and evaluation of the capillary interface were: continuous passive watering for 90 days using non-flammable capillary materials and a peak water delivery rate of 30 mL/hr./0.15 m 2 . The results of the team's experimentation showed that the capillary material Nomex displayed the highest capillary water delivery potential with a maximum flow rate of 3.6 mL/hr. The Nomex capillary systems were the only capillary material to consistently grow Outredgeous Lettuce plants from seed to harvest, and displayed the highest average flow rate for multiple experiment sets. The Nomex material was previously incorporated into the VEGGIE system using a matted version of the capillary material, though the team recommends using a cord configuration in the single-interface capillary system for greater system stability. Nomex has proven to be a promising material, as it has passed both health and fire standards for use aboard the International Space Station. PMDs are made of materials that utilize surface tension and adhesive forces to overcome adverse accelerations to improve stability and ensure fluid delivery. PMDs are typically used in fuel tanks to ensure fuel delivery. The team recommends using a sponge PMD in order to mitigate bubble obstruction, decrease system weight, and ensure reliable water delivery to the capillary interface. The PMD water reservoir requires a rigid water reservoir and a vent tube for pressure stabilization. Since PMD’s cannot be tested in 1-G (Earth conditions), further theoretical modeling and testing is required for the proposed water reservoir design. The intent of this proposed system is to passively water plants in microgravity, though the technology is not limited to microgravity applications. The testing at The Ohio State University has proven that the design is highly effective on Earth, demonstrating that it could serve as a simple water delivery system in home and office applications. This would make vegetative crops more accessible in all indoor applications, thereby improving indoor air quality and occupant comfort. Additionally, this technology has great potential to be utilized in greenhouse plant production, cutting back on more sophisticated watering system energy and time requirements.

Alexandria Jensen↗
NASA NTRS1949

Transient Behavior of Lumped-Constant Systems for Sensing Gas Pressures

The development of theoretical equations describing the behavior of a lumped-constant pressure-sensing system under transient operation Is presented with experimental data that show agreement with the equations. A pressure-sensing system 'consisting of a tube terminating in a reservoir is investigated for the transient relation between a presSure disturbance at the open end of the tube and the pressure response in the reservoir. Design parameters are presented that can be adjusted to achieve a desired performance fran such a system when the system is considered as a transfer member of a control loop.

INSTRUMENTS - PRESSURE↗
NASA NTRS2012

Cascade Storage and Delivery System for a Multi Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV)

NASA is developing a Multi Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV) for missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The MMSEV is a pressurized vehicle used to extend the human exploration envelope for Lunar, Near Earth Object (NEO), and Deep Space missions. The Johnson Space Center is developing the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) for the MMSEV. The MMSEV s intended use is to support longer sortie lengths with multiple Extra Vehicular Activities (EVAs) on a higher magnitude than any previous vehicle. This paper presents an analysis of a high pressure oxygen cascade storage and delivery system that will accommodate the crew during long duration Intra Vehicular Activity (IVA) and capable of multiple high pressure oxygen fills to the Portable Life Support System (PLSS) worn by the crew during EVAs. A cascade is a high pressure gas cylinder system used for the refilling of smaller compressed gas cylinders. Each of the large cylinders are filled by a compressor, but the cascade system allows small cylinders to be filled without the need of a compressor. In addition, the cascade system is useful as a "reservoir" to accommodate low pressure needs. A regression model was developed to provide the mechanism to size the cascade systems subject to constraints such as number of crew, extravehicular activity duration and frequency, and ullage gas requirements under contingency scenarios. The sizing routine employed a numerical integration scheme to determine gas compressibility changes during depressurization and compressibility effects were captured using the Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) equation of state. A multi-dimensional nonlinear optimization routine was used to find the minimum cascade tank system mass that meets the mission requirements. The sizing algorithms developed in this analysis provide a powerful framework to assess cascade filling, compressor, and hybrid systems to design long duration vehicle ECLSS architecture. 1

Yagoda, Evan↗
NASA NTRS1973

Zero gravity liquid mixer

An apparatus for mixing liquids under conditions of zero gravity is disclosed. The apparatus is comprised of a closed reservoir for the liquids, with a means for maintaining a positive pressure on the liquids in the reservoir. A valved liquid supply line is connected to the reservoir for supplying the reservoir with the liquids to be mixed in the reservoir. The portion of the reservoir containing the liquids to be mixed is in communication with a pump which alternately causes a portion of the liquids to flow out of the pump and into the reservoir to mix the liquids. The fluids in the reservoir are in communication through a conduit with the pump which alternately causes a portion of the fluids to flow out of the pump and into the sphere. The conduit connecting the pump and sphere may contain a nozzle or other jet-forming structure such as a venturi for further mixing the fluids.

Booth, F. W.↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Speed of Axial Propagation of a Cylindrical Bubble Through a Cylindrical Vortex

Inspired by the rapid elongation of air columns injected into vortices by dolphins, we present an exact inviscid solution for the axial speed (assumed steady) of propagation of the tip of a semi-infinite cylindrical bubble along the axis of a cylindrical vortex. The bubble is assumed to be held at constant pressure by being connected to a reservoir, the lungs of the dolphin, say. For a given bubble pressure, there is a modest critical rotation rate above which steadily propagating bubbles exist. For a bubble at ambient pressure, the propagation speed of the bubble (relative to axial velocity within the vortex) varies between 0.5 and 0.6 of the maximum rotational speed of the vortex. Surprisingly, the bubble tip can propagate (almost as rapidly) even when the pressure minimum in the vortex core is greater than the bubble pressure; in this case, solutions exhibit a dimple on the nose of the bubble. A situation important for incipient vortex cavitation, and one which dolphins also demonstrate, is elongation of a free bubble, i.e., one whose internal pressure may vary. Under the assumption that the acceleration term is small (checked a posteriori), the steady solution is applied at each instant during the elongation. Three types of behavior are then possible depending on physical parameters and initial conditions: (A) Unabated elongation with slowly increasing bubble pressure, and nearly constant volume. Volume begins to decrease in the late stages. (B1) Elongation with decreasing bubble pressure. A limit point of the steady solution is encountered at a finite bubble length. (B2) Unabated elongation with decreasing bubble pressure and indefinite creation of volume. This is made possible by the existence of propagating solutions at bubble pressures below the minimum vortex pressure. As the bubble stretches, its radius initially decreases but then becomes constant; this is also observed in experiments on incipient vortex cavitation.

Shariff, Karim↗
NASA NTRS1991

Water cooled static pressure probe

An improved static pressure probe containing a water cooling mechanism is disclosed. This probe has a hollow interior containing a central coolant tube and multiple individual pressure measurement tubes connected to holes placed on the exterior. Coolant from the central tube symmetrically immerses the interior of the probe, allowing it to sustain high temperature (in the region of 2500 F) supersonic jet flow indefinitely, while still recording accurate pressure data. The coolant exits the probe body by way of a reservoir attached to the aft of the probe. The pressure measurement tubes are joined to a single, larger manifold in the reservoir. This manifold is attached to a pressure transducer that records the average static pressure.

Lagen, Nicholas T.↗