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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 NTRS1974

Rock melting technology and geothermal drilling

National awareness of the potential future shortages in energy resources has heightened interest in exploration and utilization of a variety of geothermal energy (GTE) reservoirs. The status of conventional drilling of GTE wells is reviewed briefly and problem areas which lead to higher drilling costs are identified and R and D directions toward solution are suggested. In the immediate future, an expanded program of drilling in GTE formations can benefit from improvements in drilling equipment and technology normally associated with oil or gas wells. Over a longer time period, the new rock-melting drill bits being developed as a part of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory's Subterrene Program offer new solutions to a number of problems which frequently hamper GTE drilling, including the most basic problem - high temperature. Two of the most favorable characteristics of rock-melting penetrators are their ability to operate effectively in hot rock and produce glass linings around the hole as an integral part of the drilling process. The technical advantages to be gained by use of rock-melting penetrators are discussed in relation to the basic needs for GTE wells.

Rowley, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS2019

The Effect of Hole Quality on the Bearing Strength of Carbon Fiber Laminates

On programs involving flight hardware for launch vehicles that the author has been involved in over the years, the question always arises as to how to best machine and inspect holes drilled for fasteners. While common sense dictates that ‘well-drilled’ holes are desired over ‘poorly drilled’ holes for bolt bearing applications, the effect of hole quality on the bearing strength of carbon fiber laminates has not been extensively studied in the open literature. If this effect is not quantitatively known, the question of what hole quality needs to be required for the flight hardware cannot be answered. In addition, the function of the part with respect to the holes needs to be taken into account. There is no such thing as a defect-free hole since some chip-out of fibers within the hole will occur regardless of drill bit and backing plate pressure. For most holes machined in a carbon fiber laminate, some extent of delamination and fiber breakout on the entrance and exit of the hole is going to occur. Much time and money can be spent on trying to perfect the drilling technique and subsequent inspection of holes in carbon fiber laminates, including adding extra plies of cloth to the surfaces to help prevent fiber breakout; but is this effort really justified if little-to-no increase in bearing strength is realized by good-quality holes over those of lesser quality?

Nettles, A. T.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Voice Coil Percussive Mechanism Concept for Hammer Drill

A hammer drill design of a voice coil linear actuator, spring, linear bearings, and a hammer head was proposed. The voice coil actuator moves the hammer head to produce impact to the end of the drill bit. The spring is used to store energy on the retraction and to capture the rebound energy after each impact for use in the next impact. The maximum actuator stroke is 20 mm with the hammer mass being 200 grams. This unit can create impact energy of 0.4 J with 0.8 J being the maximum. This mechanism is less complex than previous devices meant for the same task, so it has less mass and less volume. Its impact rate and energy are easily tunable without changing major hardware components. The drill can be driven by two half-bridges. Heat is removed from the voice coil via CO2 conduction.

Okon, Avi↗
DOE OSTI2020

Sub-Degree-Per-Hour MEMS Gyroscope for Measurement While Drilling at 300°C

The orientation module of MWD tool offers the critical drill bit orientation information, including azimuth, inclination and toolface in order to control the path of wellbore. Although high end navigation grade gyroscope can meet the accuracy requirement for azimuth finding, the requirements of cost, size and reliability under harsh environment have largely limited the deployment of gyroscopes in MWD tools. To overcome these constraints, GE Research has developed a low cost, MEMS based Multi-Ring Gyroscope (MRG) capable of azimuth-seeking in MWD applications at 300°C. The MRG prototype has been demonstrated to achieve angular random walk (ARW) better than 0.003 deg/rt(hr) and bias instability of 0.01 deg/hr, capable of meeting azimuth finding accuracy better than 0.25 deg. It has further been tested to remain fully operational at 300 °C.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

ROP model for PDC bits in Geothermal drilling

Geothermal energy is a renewable source of energy, where heat extraction is preferentially balanced with the reservoir's natural heat recharge rate. The objective of this paper is to present and validate a novel rate of penetration (ROP) model for drilling hard and abrasive formations including granite formations for polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) bits. The ROP model was developed based on a derived relationship of a threshold weight on cutter (WOC) and its corresponding depth of cut (DOC) for a single cutter. Laboratory data was used to scale the derived single cutter relationship to a full-hole ROP model for PDC bits. The ROP model includes a non-linear correlation for Phase I (inefficient drilling due to low WOB values) and a linear Phase II (efficient drilling) ROP response to WOB. The ROP model was verified using measured drilling parameter data from Utah FORGE well# 58-32 and data from Chocolate Mountains well # 17-8 in Southern California. When compared to oil and gas well drilling, geothermal drilling in granitic formations can be more difficult and complicated due to rock hardness and high temperatures. PDC bits can increase ROP and optimize drilling for these types of hard formations. This paper provides novel insight into the ROP response of PDC bits to drilling operational parameters.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Metal Scrap Upcycling with Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE)

The overarching objective of this project is to convert metal scraps, such as aluminum, titanium, and other alloys provided by the industry, into extruded tubing, wires, and rods. Upcycling of scrap will be accomplished using Shear Assisted Processing and Extrusion (ShAPE). This approach is a new solution for recycling. The specific aims of this project are as follows: 1. Receive metal scrap under a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA), in the form of billets, from select industry partners that meet the following requirements: outer diameter of 1.245 inches (+/-0.003 inches), inner diameter drilled with a 0.404-inch drill bit, and a length of 4.0 inches (+/-0.01 inches). The billet must be cast or compacted to greater than 98% density. If the industry partner does not have the capabilities to prepare the billets, PNNL can make introductions to third-party entities as needed. Industry partners will also provide a composition analysis as weight percent. 2. Extrude metal scrap via the ShAPE process at PNNL. 3. Evaluate and benchmark the extrudate material properties per the ASTM B557-15 – Testing Tubulars Standard or similar wire and rod standards. 4. Characterize the extrudate microstructure for any of the following: grain size, second phase composition, and texture. Additional testing may include corrosion per the ASTM B117 standard and electro-potential. 5. Deliver specimens to industry partners under an MTA for additional third-party evaluations. Industry partners will, in return, provide a non-proprietary report on any testing, including testing per the ASTM B557-15, ASTM B117, and other industry standards. 6. PNNL will develop data and insights to support intellectual property capture, a published non-proprietary technical report, research collaborations, and commercialization opportunities.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS1976

Method of removing drilling chips

Special chuck directs mixture of pressurized air and water through drill bit, thus removing chips during boring of long, large diameter holes.

Ransom, F. E.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Experimental system for drilling simulated lunar rock in ultrahigh vacuum

An experimental apparatus designed for studying drillability of hard volcanic rock in a simulated lunar vacuum of 5 x 10 to the minus 10th power torr is described. The engineering techniques used to provide suitable drilling torque inside the ultrahigh vacuum chamber while excluding all hydrocarbon are detailed. Totally unlubricated bearings and gears were used to better approximate the true lunar surface conditions within the ultrahigh vacuum system. The drilling system has a starting torque of 30 in-lb with an unloaded running torque of 4 in-lb. Nominal torque increase during drilling is 4.5 in-lb or a total drilling torque of 8.5 in-lb with a 100-lb load on the drill bit at 210 rpm. The research shows conclusively that it is possible to design operational equipment for moderate loads operating under UHV conditions without the use of sealed bearings or any need of lubricants whatsoever.

Roepke, W. W.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Plug and drill template

Device installs plugs and then drills them after sandwich face sheets are in place. Template guides drill bit into center of each concealed plug thereby saving considerable time and fostering weight reduction with usage of smaller plugs.

Orella, S.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Quenching Alloys in Containerless Processing

Magnetic levitation and gas quenching combined in proposed method to melt and rapidly solidify alloys without contacting container walls. Method used to develop new carbides for drill bits, high-ductility structured steel and new high-strength superplastic alloys.

Oran, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Proof of principal for staircase auger chip removal theory

A proof of principal design of the staircase auger theory is provided for lunar drilling. The drill is designed to drill holes 30 meters deep and 0.1 meters in diameter. The action of the auger is 0.01 meter strokes at a varying number of strokes per second. A detailed analysis of the interaction of the auger and particle was done to optimize the parameters of the auger. This optimum design will allow for proper heat removal and reasonable drilling time. The drill bit is designed to scoop the particles into the auger while efficiently cutting through the moon's surface.

Barron, Jeffrey B.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Mars penetrator sample retrieval system

Three University of Wisconsin-Madison space studies are discussed briefly. The Mars Penetrator Retrieval System, used to acquire and analyze soil samples from a region approximately 15 to 30 feet below the Martian surface, uses a drill bit with three cutting tips arranged in a radially terraced formation. A prototype was built and tested. The Mars Egg is a small surface analyzer that would be dropped on the surface of Mars from an orbiter and would analyze the gases present in the surface soil over a period of one Martian year to determine the diffusivity of the soil. The egg contains a gas chromatograph, radio transmitter, and the necessary power supplies. Also discussed is the design of a GeoShack, a manned or unmanned mini-space station in geosynchronous orbit, designed for the repair, attitude correction, and general upkeep of satellites in geosynchnonous orbit.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Space Age Archaeology

In 1985, the Egyptian Antiques Organization (EAO) asked Dr. Farouk El-Baz whether it would be possible to examine and sample the second chamber of the subterranean chamber carved in the bedrock near the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Giza, Egypt, without admitting people, air or contaminants. He felt it could by applying space technology to the task. The initial contact led to a two year project which he organized and headed a team, co-sponsored by EAO and the National Geographic Society (NGS), to apply space technology in an effort to examine and photograph the Giza Chamber. The NGS photographic division modified and tested a remotely controlled video system and a 35-millimeter camera, and developed a lighting system that would not elevate the chamber temperature. Still needed was a drill to cut through the limestone cap without using lubricants or cooling fluids that might contaminate the chamber, and an airlock that would admit the drill shaft and photo equipment but not the air. Bob Moores from Black & Decker Corporation tailored a new drill to the Giza exploration. The drill bit broke through into the chamber at a depth of 63 inches, a stainless steel tube was lowered through the airlock to take samples of the chamber air at several levels. The video camera sent images from the chamber revealing that there was a disassembled royal boat that had been there.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2003

Journey to the Center of a Neutron Star

A neutron star is not a place most would want to visit. This dense remnant of a collapsed star has a magnetic field billions of times stronger than Earth's, enough to shuffle your body's molecules long before you even land. The featureless surface is no fun either. Crushing gravity ensures that the star is a near perfect sphere, compressing all matter so that a sand-grain-sized scoop of neutron star material would weigh as much as a battleship on Earth. At least black holes offer the promise of funky singularity, time warps, and the Odyssean temptation to venture beyond a point of no return. What s a journey to a neutron star good for, one might ask? Well, for starters, it offers the possibility of confirming a theorized state of matter called quark-gluon plasma, which likely existed for a moment after the Big Bang and now might only exist in the superdense interiors of neutron stars. Beneath the neutron star crust, a kilometer-thick plate of crystalline matter, lies the great unknown. The popular theory is that the neutron star interior is made up of a neutron superfluid - a fluid without friction. With the help of two NASA satellites - the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory - scientists are journeying to the center of a neutron star. Matter might be so compressed there that it breaks down into quarks, the building blocks of protons and neutrons, and gluons, the carrier of the strong nuclear force. To dig inside a neutron star, no simple drill bit will do. Scientists gain insight into the interior through events called glitches, a sudden change in the neutron star s precise spin rate. 'Glitches are one of the few ways we have to study the neutron star interior,' says Frank Marshall of NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center, who has used the Rossi Explorer to follow the escapades of the glitchiest of all neutron stars, dubbed the Big Glitcher and known scientifically as PSR J0537-6910.

Wanjek, Christopher↗
NASA NTRS2009

Engagement of Metal Debris into a Gear Mesh

A series of bench top experiments was conducted to determine the effects of metallic debris being dragged through meshing gear teeth. A test rig that is typically used to conduct contact fatigue experiments was used for these tests. Several sizes of drill material, shim stock, and pieces of gear teeth were introduced and then driven through the meshing region. The level of torque required to drive the "chip" through the gear mesh was measured. From the data gathered, chip size sufficient to jam the mechanism can be determined. INTRODUCTION In some space mechanisms the loading can be so high that there is some possibility that a gear chip might be liberated while in operation of the mechanism [1-5]. Also, due to the closely packed nature of some space mechanisms and the fact that a space grease is used for lubrication, chips that are released can then be introduced to other gear meshes within this mechanism. In this instance, it is desirable to know the consequences of a gear chip entering in between meshing gear teeth. To help provide some understanding, a series of bench-top experiments was conducted to engage chips of simulated and gear material fragments into a meshing gear pair. One purpose of the experiments was to determine the relationship of chip size to the torque required to rotate the gear set through the mesh cycle. The second purpose was to determine the condition of the gear chip material after engagement by the meshing gears, primarily to determine if the chip would break into pieces and to observe the motion of the chip as the engagement was completed. This document also presents preliminary testing done with metal debris other than chips from gears, namely steel shim stock and drill bits of various sizes and diameters.

Handschuh, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Slopes To Prevent Trapping of Bubbles in Microfluidic Channels

The idea of designing a microfluidic channel to slope upward along the direction of flow of the liquid in the channel has been conceived to help prevent trapping of gas bubbles in the channel. In the original application that gave rise to this idea, the microfluidic channels are parts of micro-capillary electrophoresis (microCE) devices undergoing development for use on Mars in detecting compounds indicative of life. It is necessary to prevent trapping of gas bubbles in these devices because uninterrupted liquid pathways are essential for sustaining the electrical conduction and flows that are essential for CE. The idea is also applicable to microfluidic devices that may be developed for similar terrestrial microCE biotechnological applications or other terrestrial applications in which trapping of bubbles in microfluidic channels cannot be tolerated. A typical microCE device in the original application includes, among other things, multiple layers of borosilicate float glass wafers. Microfluidic channels are formed in the wafers, typically by use of wet chemical etching. The figure presents a simplified cross section of part of such a device in which the CE channel is formed in the lowermost wafer (denoted the channel wafer) and, according to the present innovation, slopes upward into a via hole in another wafer (denoted the manifold wafer) lying immediately above the channel wafer. Another feature of the present innovation is that the via hole in the manifold wafer is made to taper to a wider opening at the top to further reduce the tendency to trap bubbles. At the time of reporting the information for this article, an effort to identify an optimum technique for forming the slope and the taper was in progress. Of the techniques considered thus far, the one considered to be most promising is precision milling by use of femtosecond laser pulses. Other similar techniques that may work equally well are precision milling using a focused ion beam, or a small diamond-tipped drill bit.

Greer, Harold E.↗