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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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52 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2013

Evaporative Cooling and Dehumidification Garment for Portable Life Support Systems

This paper describes the design and development of an innovative thermal and humidity control system for future space suits. The system comprises an evaporation cooling and dehumidification garment (ECDG) and a lithium chloride absorber radiator (LCAR). The ECDG absorbs heat and water vapor from inside the suit pressure garment, while the LCAR rejects heat to space without venting water vapor. The ECDG is built from thin, flexible patches with coversheets made of non-porous, water-permeable membranes that -enclose arrays of vapor flow passages. Water vapor from inside the spacesuit diffuses across the water permeable membranes, enters the vapor flow channels, and then flows to the LCAR, thus dehumidifying the internal volume of the space suit pressure garment. Additional water evaporation inside the ECDG provides cooling for sensible heat loads. -The heat released from condensation and absorption in the LCAR is rejected to the environment by thermal radiation. We have assembled lightweight and flexible ECDG pouches from prototypical materials and measured their performance in a series of separate effects tests under well-controlled, prototypical conditions. Sweating hot plate tests at typical space suit pressures show that ECDG pouches can absorb over 60 W/ft of latent heat and 20 W/ft of sensible heat from the pressure garment environment. These results are in good agreement with the predictions of our analysis models.

Izenson, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1983

Thermoneutral zone and scaling of metabolic rate on body mass in small mammals

A 4-species animal model suitable for experimental study of the effect of change in gravitational loading on the scale relationship between metabolic rate and total body mass is used to study the effect of temperature on metabolic rate in six male animals, 8-10 months of age, of each of the four species in the ambient temperature range 20-36 C. The measurements taken permitted partitioning of total body heat output into sensible heat loss by radiation, conduction and convection, and into latent heat loss by evaporation of water from the body surface. It is shown that the condition of thermoneutrality is important for metabolic scale effect studies, and that the thermoneutral zone for the species considered here is a narrow one.

Pace, N.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Design prediction for long term stress rupture service of composite pressure vessels

Extensive stress rupture studies on glass composites and Kevlar composites were conducted by the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory beginning in the late 1960's and extending to about 8 years in some cases. Some of the data from these studies published over the years were incomplete or were tainted by spurious failures, such as grip slippage. Updated data sets were defined for both fiberglass and Kevlar composite stand test specimens. These updated data are analyzed in this report by a convenient form of the bivariate Weibull distribution, to establish a consistent set of design prediction charts that may be used as a conservative basis for predicting the stress rupture life of composite pressure vessels. The updated glass composite data exhibit an invariant Weibull modulus with lifetime. The data are analyzed in terms of homologous service load (referenced to the observed median strength). The equations relating life, homologous load, and probability are given, and corresponding design prediction charts are presented. A similar approach is taken for Kevlar composites, where the updated stand data do show a turndown tendency at long life accompanied by a corresponding change (increase) of the Weibull modulus. The turndown characteristic is not present in stress rupture test data of Kevlar pressure vessels. A modification of the stress rupture equations is presented to incorporate a latent, but limited, strength drop, and design prediction charts are presented that incorporate such behavior. The methods presented utilize Cartesian plots of the probability distributions (which are a more natural display for the design engineer), based on median normalized data that are independent of statistical parameters and are readily defined for any set of test data.

Robinson, Ernest Y.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Water Based Phase Change Material Heat Exchanger Development

In a cyclical heat load environment such as low Lunar orbit, a spacecraft’s radiators are not sized to reject the full heat load requirement. Traditionally, a supplemental heat rejection device (SHReD) such as an evaporator or sublimator is used to act as a “topper” to meet the additional heat rejection demands. Utilizing a Phase Change Material (PCM) heat exchanger (HX) as a SHReD provides an attractive alternative to evaporators and sublimators as PCM HXs do not use a consumable, thereby leading to reduced launch mass and volume requirements. Studies conducted in this paper investigate utilizing water’s high latent heat of formation as a PCM, as opposed to traditional waxes, and corresponding complications surrounding freezing water in an enclosed volume. Work highlighted in this study is primarily visual and includes understanding ice formation, freeze front propagation, and the solidification process of water/ice. Various test coupons were constructed of copper to emulate the interstitial pin configuration (to aid in conduction) of the proposed water PCM HX design. Construction of a prototypic HX was also completed in which a flexible bladder material and interstitial pin configurations were tested. Additionally, a microgravity flight was conducted where three copper test articles were frozen continuously during microgravity and 2-g periods and individual water droplets were frozen during microgravity.

Hansen, Scott W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

A PCM/forced convection conjugate transient analysis of energy storage systems with annular and countercurrent flows

Latent heat energy storage systems with both annular and countercurrent flows are modeled numerically. The change of phase of the phase-change material (PCM) and the transient forced convective heat transfer for the transfer fluid are solved simultaneously as a conjugate problem. A parametric study and a system optimization are conducted. It is found that the energy storage system with the countercurrent flow is an efficient way to absorb heat energy in a short period for pulsed power load space applications.

Cao, Y.↗
NASA NTRS2023

Irrigation in the Earth System

Irrigation accounts for ~70% of global freshwater withdrawals and ~90% of consumptive water use, driving myriad Earth system impacts. In this Review, we summarize how irrigation currently impacts key components of the Earth system. Estimates suggest that more than 3.6 million km 2 of currently irrigated land, with hot spots in the intensively cultivated US High Plains, California Central Valley, Indo-Gangetic Basin and northern China. Process-based models estimate that ~2,700 ± 540 km 3 irrigation water is withdrawn globally each year, broadly consistent with country-reported values despite these estimates embedding substantial uncertainties. Expansive irrigation has modified surface energy balance and biogeochemical cycling. A shift from sensible to latent heat fluxes, and resulting land–atmosphere feedbacks, generally reduce regional growing season surface temperatures by ~1–3 °C. Irrigation can ameliorate temperature extremes in some regions, but conversely exacerbates moist heat stress. Modelled precipitation responses are more varied, with some intensive cropping regions exhibiting suppressed local precipitation but enhanced precipitation downstream owing to atmospheric circulation interactions. Additionally, irrigation could enhance cropland carbon uptake; however, it can also contribute to elevated methane fluxes in rice systems and mobilize nitrogen loading to groundwater. Cross-disciplinary, integrative research efforts can help advance understanding of these irrigation–Earth system interactions, and identify and reduce uncertainties, biases and limitations.

Climate sciences↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Latent Cure Epoxy Matrix Resins for Reliable Assembly of Thermoset Composite Structures

Polymer matrix composites are used in high performance structures because of their excellent specific strength, toughness, and stiffness. To realize their full potential, complex composite structures must be assembled with adhesive, but uncertainty in bond performance often requires manufacturers to install bolts or other crack-arrest features to ensure safety in critical applications.1 The inherent uncertainty in adhesive bonds stems from the material discontinuity at the composite-to-adhesive interfaces, which are susceptible to contamination and other causes of inter-facial weakness.2 In contrast, co-cured composites, although limited in size and complexity, result in predictable structures that may be certifiable for commercial aviation with reduced dependence on redundant load paths.1 The technology proposed here uses a stoichiometric offset of the hardener-to-epoxy ratio on the faying surfaces of epoxy compo-site laminates. Assembly of the components in a subsequent “secondary co-cure” process results in a joint with no material discontinuities (Figure 1)

Frank L. Palmieri↗
NASA NTRS2019

Incorporation of Functionalized Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Nanomaterials as Reinforcing Agents for Impact Ice Mitigating Coatings

In-flight, aircraft are exposed to a wide range of environments. One commonly exposed environment are clouds containing super-cooled water droplets. These water drop- lets exist in a metastable state below the freezing point of water, in the range of 0 to -20°C. As the vehicle impacts the droplets, latent heat is released and within milliseconds the droplets convert to ice. This process is referred to as impact icing or in-flight icing.1 Impact icing is a major concern for aircraft since it can lead to degraded aerodynamic performance and, if left un- treated, can lead to loss of the vehicle. Active approaches (i.e., pneumatic boots, heated air ducts) typically utilized in mitigating in-flight ice accretion significantly increases vehicle weight and cannot be applied to all aircraft.1-3 A passive approach based on coatings is desired, but durability issues are a concern, especially on the wing leading edge.3 Nanomaterials have been shown to afford significant improvement in coating and composite physical properties at low loading levels.4 In this study, Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) nanomaterials have been shown to increase coating durability. Also, with wide variety of functionalities present on the arm structure, POSS nanomaterials have been shown to readily alter coating surface chemistry to mitigate impact ice adhesion from -16 to -8°C in a simulated in-flight icing environment.

Beck, Devon M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Carbon Dioxide Clouds at High Altitude in the Tropics and in an Early Dense Martian Atmosphere

We use a time dependent, microphysical cloud model to study the formation of carbon dioxide clouds in the Martian atmosphere. Laboratory studies by Glandor et al. show that high critical supersaturations are required for cloud particle nucleation and that surface kinetic growth is not limited. These conditions, which are similar to those for cirrus clouds on Earth, lead to the formation of carbon dioxide ice particles with radii greater than 500 micrometers and concentrations of less than 0.1 cm(exp -3) for typical atmospheric conditions. Within the current Martian atmosphere, CO2 cloud formation is possible at the poles during winter and at high altitudes in the tropics during periods of increased atmospheric dust loading. In both cases, temperature perturbations of several degrees below the CO2 saturation temperature are required to nucleate new cloud particles suggesting that dynamical processes are the most common initiators of carbon dioxide clouds rather than diabatic cooling. The microphysical cloud model, coupled to a two-stream radiative transfer model, is used to reexamine the impact of CO2 clouds on the surface temperature within a dense CO2 atmosphere. The formation of carbon dioxide clouds leads to a warmer surface than what would be expected for clear sky conditions. The amount of warming is sensitive to the presence of dust and water vapor in the atmosphere, both of which act to dampen cloud effects. The radiative warming associated with cloud formation, as well as latent heating, work to dissipate the clouds when present. Thus, clouds never last for periods much longer than several days, limiting their overall effectiveness for warming the surface. The time average cloud optical depth is approximately unity leading to a 5-10 K warming, depending on the surface pressure. However, the surface temperature does not rise about the freezing point of liquid water even for pressures as high as 5 bars, at a solar luminosity of 75% the current value.

Colaprete, Anthony↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mini-Channel Flow Boiling in 1g and μg

Subcooled flow boiling combines complex processes governed by a strong coupling of heat and mass transfer, hydrodynamics, and liquid-vapor transitions. The gravitational body force plays an important role in these processes. By exploiting the latent heat of vaporization, subcooled flow boiling can transfer up to several orders-of-magnitude more heat compared to forced liquid flow. It is widely used in Earth-based thermal equipment to reduce the cost, size, and power required to move heat. Subcooled flow boiling is now considered a promising technology for space applications since it offers a means to control the motion of bubbles near the heated surface and thereby enhance nucleate boiling. However, a lack of data and predictive models on the role that gravity plays in these phenomena hinders the use of flow boiling in a microgravity environment. We will present results of experiments on transients in nucleate boiling that were carried out in the Flow Boiling Module (FBM) on the International Space Station (ISS). The unique ISS FBM ability is to couple large heat loads with flow visualization in testing flow boiling under strict control of experimental conditions in long-duration microgravity. Comparison of results of microgravity experiments with data obtained in a similar setup on the NASA GRC demonstrates the role of gravity in nucleate boiling. The work is supported by the NASA Flight Opportunities program (grant 80NSSC21K0501) and NSF/CASIS program (NSF CBET grants 1832260, 2126461, 2126462).

Two-phase flow and phase transition↗
NASA NTRS2009

Development Status of the Carbon Dioxide and Moisture Removal Amine Swing-Bed System (CAMRAS)

Under a cooperative agreement with NASA, Hamilton Sundstrand has successfully designed, fabricated, tested and delivered three, state-of-the-art, solid amine prototype systems capable of continuous CO2 and humidity removal from a closed, habitable atmosphere. Two prototype systems (CAMRAS #1 and #2) incorporated a linear spool valve design for process flow control through the sorbent beds, with the third system (CAMRAS #3) employing a rotary valve assembly that improves system fluid interfaces and regeneration capabilities. The operational performance of CAMRAS #1 and #2 has been validated in a relevant environment, through both simulated human metabolic loads in a closed chamber and through human subject testing in a closed environment. Performance testing at Hamilton Sundstrand on CAMRAS #3, which incorporates a new valve and modified canister design, showed similar CO2 and humidity removal performance as CAMRAS #1 and #2, demonstrating that the system form can be modified within certain bounds with little to no effect in system function or performance. Demonstration of solid amine based CO2 and humidity control is an important milestone in developing this technology for human spaceflight. The systems have low power requirements; with power for air flow and periodic valve actuation and indication the sole requirements. Each system occupies the same space as roughly four shuttle non-regenerative LiOH canisters, but have essentially indefinite CO2 removal endurance provided a regeneration pathway is available. Using the solid amine based systems to control cabin humidity also eliminates the latent heat burden on cabin thermal control systems and the need for gas/liquid phase separation in a low gravity environment, resulting in additional simplification of vehicle environmental control and life support system process requirements.

Papale, William↗
NASA NTRS2011

Non-Venting Thermal and Humidity Control for EVA Suits

Future EVA suits need processes and systems to control internal temperature and humidity without venting water to the environment. This paper describes an absorption-based cooling and dehumidification system as well as laboratory demonstrations of the key processes. There are two main components in the system: an evaporation cooling and dehumidification garment (ECDG) that removes both sensible heat and latent heat from the pressure garment, and an absorber radiator that absorbs moisture and rejects heat to space by thermal radiation. This paper discusses the overall design of both components, and presents recent data demonstrating their operation. We developed a design and fabrication approach to produce prototypical heat/water absorbing elements for the ECDG, and demonstrated by test that these elements could absorb heat and moisture at a high flux. Proof-of-concept tests showed that an ECDG prototype absorbs heat and moisture at a rate of 85 W/ft under conditions that simulate operation in an EVA suit. The heat absorption was primarily due to direct absorption of water vapor. It is possible to construct large, flexible, durable cooling patches that can be incorporated into a cooling garment with this system. The proof-of-concept test data was scaled to calculate area needed for full metabolic loads, thus showing that it is feasible to use this technology in an EVA suit. Full-scale, lightweight absorber/radiator modules have also been built and tested. They can reject heat at a flux of 33 W/ft while maintaining ECDG operation at conditions that will provide a cool and dry environment inside the EVA suit.

Izenson, Mike↗
NASA NTRS1996

Quantifying energy and mass transfer in crop canopies: sensors for measurement of temperature and air velocity

Here we report on the in situ performance of inexpensive, miniature sensors that have increased our ability to measure mass and energy fluxes from plant canopies in controlled environments: 1. Surface temperature. Canopy temperature measurements indicate changes in stomatal aperture and thus latent and sensible heat fluxes. Infrared transducers from two manufacturers (Exergen Corporation, Newton, MA; and Everest Interscience, Tucson, AZ, USA) have recently become available. Transducer accuracy matched that of a more expensive hand-held infrared thermometer. 2. Air velocity varies above and within plant canopies and is an important component in mass and energy transfer models. We tested commercially-available needle, heat-transfer anemometers (1 x 50 mm cylinder) that consist of a fine-wire thermocouple and a heater inside a hypodermic needle. The needle is heated and wind speed determined from the temperature rise above ambient. These sensors are particularly useful in measuring the low wind speeds found within plant canopies. 3. Accurate measurements of air temperature adjacent to plant leaves facilitates transport phenomena modeling. We quantified the effect of radiation and air velocity on temperature rise in thermocouples from 10 to 500 micrometers. At high radiation loads and low wind speeds, temperature errors were as large as 7 degrees C above air temperature.

NASA Program CELSS↗
NASA NTRS2010

Possible Influences of Air Pollution, Dust and Sandstorms on the Indian Monsoon

In Asian monsoon countries, such as China and India, human health and safety problems caused by air pollution are becoming increasingly serious, due to the increased loading of atmospheric pollutants from waste gas emissions and from rising energy demand associated with the rapid pace of industrialization and modernization. Meanwhile, uneven distribution of monsoon rain associated with flash floods or prolonged drought, has caused major loss of human life and damage to crops and.property with devastating societal impacts. Historically, air-pollution and monsoons research are treated as separate problems. However recent studies have suggested that the two problems may be intrinsically linked and need to be studied jointly. Fundamentally, aerosols can affect precipitation through radiative effects cif suspended particles in the atmosphere (direct effect) and/or by interfering and changing: the cloud and precipitation formation processes (indirect effect). Based on their optical properties, aerosols can be classified into two types.: those that absorb solar radiation, and those that do not. Both types of aerosols scatter sunlight and reduce the amount of solar radiation from reaching the Earth's surface, causing it to cool. The surface cooling increases atmospheric stability and reduces convection potential, Absorbing aerosols, however, in addition to cooling the surface, can heat the atmosphere. The heating of the atmosphere may reduce the amount of low clouds by increased evaporation in cloud drops. The heating, however, may induce rising motion, enhance low-level moisture, convergence and, hence, increases rainfall, The latent heating from enhanced rainfall may excite feedback processes in the large-scale circulation, further amplify.the initial response to aerosol heating and producing more rain. Additionally, aerosols can increase the concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), increase cloud amount and decrease coalescence and collision rates, leading to reduced precipitation. However, in the presence of increasing moist and warm air, the reduced coalescence/collision may lead to supercooled drops at higher altitudes where ice precipitation falls and melts. The latent heat release from freezing aloft and melting below implies greater upward heat transport in polluted clouds and invigorate deep convection. In this way, aerosols may lead to increased local convection. Hence, depending on the ambient large-scale conditions and dynamical feedback processes, aerosols' effect on precipitation can be positive, negative or mixed. In the Asian monsoon and adjacent regions, the aerosol forcing and responses of the water cycle are even more complex, Both direct and indirect effects may take place locally and simultaneously, interacting with each other. in addition to local effects, monsoon rainfall may be affected by aerosols transported from other regions and intensified through large-scale circulation and moisture feedback. Thus, dust transported by the large-scale circulation from the adjacent deserts to northern India may affect rainfall over the Bay of Bengal; sulphate and black carbon front industrial pollution in central, southern China and northern India may affect the rainfall regime over the Korean peninsula and Japan; organic and black carbon front biomass burning from Indo-China may modulate the pre-monsoon rainfall regime over southern China and coastal regions, contributing to variability in differential heating and cooling of the atmosphere and to the land-sea thermal contrast. During the pre-monsoon season and monsoon breaks, it has been suggested that radiative forcing by absorbing aerosols have nearly the same order of magnitude as the forcing due to latent heating from convection and surface fluxes. The magnitude of the total aerosol radiative cooling due to sulphates and soot is of the order of 20-40 W/m2 over the Asian monsoon land region in the pre-monsoon season, compared to about 1-2 W/m2 for global warng. However, the combined forcing at the surface and in the atmosphere, including all species. if aerosols, and details of aerosol mixing, and impacts on the energy and water cycles in the monsoon land regions, are not well known.

Lau, William K. M.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Immune System Dysregulation and Herpesvirus Reactivation Persist During Long-Duration Spaceflight

Background: Immunity, latent herpesvirus reactivation, physiological stress and circadian rhythms were assessed during six month spaceflight onboard ISS. Blood and saliva samples were collected early, mid and late in-flight and returned for immediate analysis. Mid-point study data (10 of 17 planned subjects) will be presented. Results: Some shifts in leukocyte distribution occurred during flight, including alterations in CD8+ T cell maturation. General T cell function was consistently reduced early in-flight. Levels CD8+/IFNg+ producing T cells were depressed early in-flight, and immediately upon landing. Persistent mitogen-dependant reductions were observed in IFNg, IL-17a, IL-10, TNFa and IL-6 production. Monocyte production of IL-10 was reduced, whereas IL-8 levels were increased. Levels of mRNA for the TNFa, IL-6 and IFNg were transiently elevated early in-flight, and the dynamics of TNF and IL-6 gene expression were somewhat antagonistic to their corresponding receptors during flight. The number of virus-specific CD8+ T-cells was measured using MHC tetramers, while their function was measured using intracellular cytokine analysis following peptide stimulation. Both the number and function of EBV-specific cells decreased during flight as compared to preflight levels. The number of CMV-specific T-cells generally increased as the mission progressed while their function was variable. Viral (EBV) load in blood was elevated postflight. Anti-EBV VCA antibodies were significantly elevated by R+0; anti-EA antibodies were not significantly elevated at landing; and anti-CMV antibodies were somewhat elevated during flight. Higher levels of salivary EBV DNA were found during flight. VZV DNA reactivation occurred in ~50 % of astronauts during flight, continuing for up to 30 days post-flight. CMV was shed in 35 % the in-flight and 30% of postflight urine samples of the crewmembers. There was generally a higher level of cortisol as measured in urine and saliva in the astronauts during flight, but plasma cortisol was relatively unchanged during flight. Circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol was altered during flight. Conclusion. Some alterations in immunity do not resolve during six month spaceflight, consequentially resulting in persistent herpesvirus reactivation. Ongoing immune dysregulation may represent specific clinical risks for exploration-class space missions.

Crucian, B. E.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Assessment of climate variability of the Greenland ice sheet: Integration of in situ and satellite data

The proposed research involves the application of multispectral satellite data in combination with ground truth measurements to monitor surface properties of the Greenland ice sheet which are essential for describing the energy and mass of the ice sheet. Several key components of the energy balance are parameterized using satellite data and in situ measurements. The analysis will be done for a ten year time period in order to get statistics on the seasonal and interannual variations of the surface processes and the climatology. Our goal is to investigate to what accuracy and over what geographic areas large scale snow properties and radiative fluxes can be derived based upon a combination of available remote sensing and meterological data sets. Data analysis showed the following results: (1)cloud classification based on longwave sky radiation revealed that overcast sky occurred for 25% of the time in winter, and for 15% in spring and summer respectively (winter and summer both show the same occurrence of clear sky of approximately 26%); (2) comparison of aerodynamic profile method with eddy correlation method to derive sensible and latent heat flux showed good agreement in the diurnal cycle and the turbulent fluxes were underestimated with the aerodynamic method by 10 - 30% as compared to the in situ eddy flux method; (3) the katabatic wind shows a distinct diurnal cycle with a maximum in the morning (7-9 h solar time) and a minimum in the later afternoon (18 h solar time); (4) snow grain size was modeled with a surface energy balance model (SNTHERM) and compared with in situ measurements. Sharp decreases in the modeled snow grain size, caused by accumulation events such as precipitation and deposition, could be verified with observational data; (4) radiative transfer modeling of firn supports our beliefs that the observed trends in 18 and 19 GHz passive microwave brightness temperatures are attributable to accumulation rate changes (modeling also indicates the above relationship is detectable because of the presence of depth hoar; (5) snow melt can be detected by a distinct signal in the passive microwave cross-polarized gradient ratio (19h-37v)/(19h+37v) and has been used for wet/dry snow classification; (6) top of the atmosphere (TOA) broadband albedos were derived from AVHRR visible and near infrared reflectances for the entire ice sheet from May 1990 - June 1991, and the highest albedo values are found along the southeast coast of the ice sheet which is consistent with the summer peak of precipitation due to onshore flow loaded with high water vapor content (TOA albedo values dropped to around 40% along the south-western coast during July and August due to bare ice surfaces); and (7) the net all-wave radiation balance at the top of the atmosphere is negative over the entire ice sheet except for the summer months - June-July-August (in June, the net radiation balance is slightly positive over the dry snow areas--15 W/m2).

Steffen, K.↗