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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 NTRS2019

Urban Air Mobility Network and Vehicle Type - Modeling and Assessment

This paper describes exploratory modeling of an on-demand urban air mobility (UAM) network and sizing of vehicles to operate within that network. UAM seeks to improve the movement of goods and people around a metropolitan area by utilizing the airspace for transport. Aircraft sizing and overall network performance results are presented that include comparisons of battery-electric and various hybrid-electric vehicles that are fueled with diesel, jet fuel, compressed natural gas, and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Hybrid-electric propulsion systems consisting of internal combustion engine-generators, turbine-generators, and solid oxide fuel cells are explored. Ultimately, the "performance" of the UAM network over a day for each of the different vehicle types, propulsion systems, and stored energy sources is described in four parameters: 1) the average cost per seat-kilometer, which considers the costs of the energy/fuel, vehicle acquisition, insurance, maintenance, pilot, and battery replacement costs, 2) carbon dioxide emission rates associated with vehicle operations, 3) the average passenger wait time, and 4) the average load factor, i.e., the total number of seats filled with paying passengers divided by the total number of available seats. Results indicate that the "dispatch model," which determines when and where aircraft are flown around the UAM network, is critical in determining the overall network performance. This is due to the often-conflicting desires to allow passengers to depart with minimal wait time while still maintaining a high load factor to reduce operating costs. Additionally, regardless of the dispatch model, hybrid-electric aircraft powered by internal combustion engines fueled with diesel or LNG are consistently the lowest cost per seat-kilometer. Battery-electric and future technology LNG/solid oxide fuel cell aircraft produce the lowest emissions (assuming the California grid) with LNG-fueled internal combustion engine-powered hybrids producing only slightly more carbon dioxide.

Assessment↗
NASA NTRS2012

NASA Products to Enhance Energy Utility Load Forecasting

Existing energy load forecasting tools rely upon historical load and forecasted weather to predict load within energy company service areas. The shortcomings of load forecasts are often the result of weather forecasts that are not at a fine enough spatial or temporal resolution to capture local-scale weather events. This project aims to improve the performance of load forecasting tools through the integration of high-resolution, weather-related NASA Earth Science Data, such as temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed. Three companies are participating in operational testing one natural gas company, and two electric providers. Operational results comparing load forecasts with and without NASA weather forecasts have been generated since March 2010. We have worked with end users at the three companies to refine selection of weather forecast information and optimize load forecast model performance. The project will conclude in 2012 with transitioning documented improvements from the inclusion of NASA forecasts for sustained use by energy utilities nationwide in a variety of load forecasting tools. In addition, Battelle has consulted with energy companies nationwide to document their information needs for long-term planning, in light of climate change and regulatory impacts.

Lough, G.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Detection of Natural Oil Seeps in the Atlantic Ocean Using MODIS

Natural oil seepage is the release of crude oil into the ocean from fissures in the seabed. Oil seepage is a major contributor to the total amount of oil entering the world s oceans. According to a 2003 study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), 47 percent of oil entering the world s oceans is from natural seeps, and 53 percent is from human sources (extraction, transportation, and consumption). Oil seeps cause smooth oil slicks to form on the water s surface. Oil seeps can indicate the location of stores of fossil fuel beneath the ocean floor. Knowledge of the effect of oil seepage on marine life and marine ecosystems remains limited. In the past, remote sensing has been used to detect oil seeps in the Gulf of Mexico and off of the coast of southern California. This project utilized sun glint MODIS imagery to locate oil slicks off of the Atlantic coast, an area that had not previously been surveyed for natural oil seeps using remote sensing. Since 1982, the Atlantic Ocean has been closed to any oil and gas drilling. Recently, however, the U.S. Minerals Management Services (MMS) has proposed a lease for oil and gas drilling off the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina. Determining the location of seepage sites in the Atlantic Ocean will help MMS locate potential deposits of oil and natural gas, thereby reducing the risk of leasing areas for petroleum extraction that do not contain these natural resources.

Reahard, Ross↗
NASA NTRS1980

Solar space heating for the Visitors Center, Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri

The solar energy system located at the Visitors' Center on the Stephens College Campus, Columbia, Missouri is discussed. The system is installed in a four-story, 15,000 square foot building. The solar energy system is an integral design of the building and utilizes 176 hydronic flat plate collectors which use a 50 percent water ethylene blycol solution and water-to-water heat exchanger. Solar heated water is stored in a 5,000 gallon water storage tank located in the basement equipment room. A natural gas fired hot water boiler supplies hot water when the solar energy heat supply fails to meet the demand. The designed solar contribution is 71 percent of the heating load.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1982

A vectorized, finite-volume, adaptive grid algorithm applied to planetary entry problems

An adaptive grid, finite-volume method has been applied to problems in planetary entry for computing complete flowfields. The adaption algorithm is implicit in nature and is keyed to resolve user specified gradients. The finite-volume algorithm is explicit, utilizing a maximum time step advancement at each grid point to accelerate convergence to the steady state. The present version of the code is for the laminar flow of a perfect gas. The role of the adaption algorithm in resolving various features of blunt body/wake flow for planetary entry conditions is emphasized.

Gnoffo, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Analysis of supersonic plug nozzle flowfield and heat transfer

A number of problems pertaining to the flowfield in a plug nozzle, designed as a supersonic thruster nozzle, with provision for cooling the plug with a coolant stream admitted parallel to the plug wall surface, were studied. First, an analysis was performed of the inviscid, nonturbulent, gas dynamic interaction between the primary hot stream and the secondary coolant stream. A numerical prediction code for establishing the resulting flowfield with a dividing surface between the two streams, for various combinations of stagnation and static properties of the two streams, was utilized for illustrating the nature of interactions. Secondly, skin friction coefficient, heat transfer coefficient and heat flux to the plug wall were analyzed under smooth flow conditions (without shocks or separation) for various coolant flow conditions. A numerical code was suitably modified and utilized for the determination of heat transfer parameters in a number of cases for which data are available. Thirdly, an analysis was initiated for modeling turbulence processes in transonic shock-boundary layer interaction without the appearance of flow separation.

Murthy, S. N. B.↗
NASA NTRS2006

NASA Tech Briefs, March 2006

Topics covered include: Medical Signal-Conditioning and Data-Interface System; Instruments for Reading Direct-Marked Data-Matrix Symbols; Processing EOS MLS Level-2 Data; Ground Processing of Data From the Mars Exploration Rovers; Estimating Total Electron Content Using 1,000+ GPS Receivers; NASA Solar Array Demonstrates Commercial Potential; Improved Control of Charging Voltage for Li-Ion Battery; Programmable Pulse-Position-Modulation Encoder; Wavelength-Agile External-Cavity Diode Laser for DWDM; Pattern-Recognition Processor Using Holographic Photopolymer; Submicrosecond Power-Switching Test Circuit; Three-Function Logic Gate Controlled by Analog Voltage; Integrated System for Autonomous Science; Montage Version 3.0; Utilizing AI in Temporal, Spatial, and Resource Scheduling; Satellite Image Mosaic Engine; Architecture for Control of the K9 Rover; HFGMC Enhancement of MAC/GMC; Automated Activation and Deactivation of a System Under Test; Cleaning Carbon Nanotubes by Use of Mild Oxygen Plasmas; Generating Aromatics From CO2 on Mars or Natural Gas on Earth; Attaching Thermocouples by Peening or Crimping; Heat Treatment of Friction-Stir-Welded 7050 Aluminum Plates; Generating Breathable Air Through Dissociation of N2O; High-Performance Scanning Acousto-Ultrasonic System; Correction for Thermal EMFs in Thermocouple Feedthroughs; Using Quasiparticle Poisoning To Detect Photons; Estimating Resolution Lengths of Hybrid Turbulence Models; Education and Training Module in Alertness Management; Cargo-Positioning System for Next-Generation Spacecraft; Micro-Imagers for Spaceborne Cell-Growth Experiments; Holographic Solar Photon Thrusters; Plasma-Based Detector of Outer-Space Dust Particles; and Generation of Data-Rate Profiles of Ka-Band Deep-Space Links.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2013

Analyzing Carbon Dioxide and Methane Emissions in California Using Airborne Measurements and Model Simulations

Greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations have increased over the past decades and are linked to global temperature increases and climate change. These changes in climate have been suggested to have varying effects, and uncertain consequences, on agriculture, water supply, weather, sea-level rise, the economy, and energy. To counteract the trend of increasing atmospheric concentrations of GHGs, the state of California has passed the California Global Warming Act of 2006 (AB-32). This requires that by the year 2020, GHG (e.g., carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4)) emissions will be reduced to 1990 levels. To quantify GHG fluxes, emission inventories are routinely compiled for the State of California (e.g., CH4 emissions from the California Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measurement (CALGEM) Project). The major sources of CO2 and CH4 in the state of California are: transportation, electricity production, oil and gas extraction, cement plants, agriculture, landfills/waste, livestock, and wetlands. However, uncertainties remain in these emission inventories because many factors contributing to these processes are poorly quantified. To alleviate these uncertainties, a synergistic approach of applying air-borne measurements and chemical transport modeling (CTM) efforts to provide a method of quantifying local and regional GHG emissions will be performed during this study. Additionally, in order to further understand the temporal and spatial distributions of GHG fluxes in California and the impact these species have on regional climate, CTM simulations of daily variations and seasonality of total column CO2 and CH4 will be analyzed. To assess the magnitude and spatial variation of GHG emissions and to identify local “hot spots”, airborne measurements of CH4 and CO2 were made by the Alpha Jet Atmospheric eXperiment (AJAX) over the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA) and San Joaquin Valley (SJV) in January and February 2013 during the Discover-AQ-CA study. High mixing ratios of GHGs were observed in-flight with a high degree of spatial variability. To provide an additional method to quantify GHG emissions, and analyze AJAX measurement data, the GEOS-Chem CTM is used to simulate SFBA/SJV GHG measurements. A nested-grid version of GEOS-Chem will be applied and utilizes varying emission inventories and model parameterizations to simulate GHG fluxes/emissions. The model considers CO2 fluxes from fossil fuel use, biomass/biofuel burning, terrestrial and oceanic biosphere exchanges, shipping and aviation, and production from the oxidation of carbon monoxide, CH4, and non-methane volatile organic carbons. The major sources of CH4 simulated in GEOS-Chem are domesticated animals, rice fields, natural gas leakage, natural gas venting/flaring (oil production), coal mining, wetlands, and biomass burning. Preliminary results from the comparison between available observations (e.g., AJAX and CALGEM CH4 emission maps) and GEOS-Chem results will be presented, along with a discussion of CO2 and CH4 source apportionment and the use of the GEOS-Chem-adjoint to perform inverse GHG modeling.

Johnson, Matthew S.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Turbine Electrified Energy Management (TEEM) For Enabling More Efficient Engine Designs

NASA is investing in Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) research as part of an effort to assist industry in meeting the future needs of a global aviation market. The integration of electric machines into traditional turbine-based propulsion provides opportunities to change system architectures effecting radical improvements in propulsive efficiency. However, less consideration has been afforded to the utilization of these electrical machines to improve the thermal efficiency and performance of the gas turbine engine. Noting this deficit, a novel operability concept is proposed and is referred to as Turbine Electrified Energy Management (TEEM). The concept is a transient control technology that supplements the main fuel control for the suppression of the natural off-design dynamics associated with changes in engine operating state. Here the electric machines, used as engine actuators during the transient, add or extract torque from the engine shafts to maintain the speed-flow characteristics of steady-state design operation. This greatly reduces the need to maintain transient stall margin stack in the compressors, among other potential benefits. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of the concept in dynamic simulation using a Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS) engine model of a NASA hybrid electric propulsion concept known as the Parallel Hybrid Electric Turbofan (hFan).

Culley, Dennis E.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Combustion of Metals in Reduced-Gravity and Extraterrestrial Environment

As a result of the ongoing exploration of Mars and the several unmanned and manned missions planned for the future, increased attention has been given to the use of the natural resources of the planet for rocket propellant production and energy generation. Since the atmosphere of Mars consists of approximately 95% carbon dioxide (CO2), this gas is the resource of choice to be employed for these purposes. Unfortunately, CO2 is also a final product in most combustion reactions, requiring further processing to extract useful reactants such as carbon monoxide (CO), oxygen (O2), and hydrocarbons. An exception is the use Of CO2 as an oxidizer reacting directly with metal fuel. Since many metals burn vigorously with CO2, these may be used as an energy source and as propellants for an ascent/descent vehicle in sample-collection missions on Mars. In response to NASA's Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS) Enterprise to search for appropriate in-situ resource utilization techniques, this investigation will study the burning characteristics of promising metal/CO2 combinations. The use of reduced gravity is essential to eliminate the intrusive buoyant flows that plague the high-temperature metal reactions, to remove the destructive effect of gravity on the shape of molten metal samples, and to study the influence of radiative heat transfer from solid oxides undisturbed by natural convection. In studies with large metal specimens, the burning process is invariably influenced by strong convective currents that accelerate the reaction and shorten the burning times. Although these currents are nearly absent from small burning particles, the high emissivity of the flames, rapid reaction, small length scales, and intermittent explosions make the gathering of any useful information on burning rates and flame structure very difficult. This investigation has the ultimate goal of providing a careful probing of flame structure and dynamics by taking advantage of large, free-floating spherical metal samples and their corresponding long burning times available in reduced gravity. The first set of experiments has been conducted with magnesium (Mg) samples burning in the low-gravity environment generated by an aircraft flying parabolic trajectories. Owing to its high adiabatic flame temperature, oxidizer/fuel ratio, and heat per unit mass of fuel, as well as its low toxicity and low ignition temperature, Mg has been identified as a promising metal fuel with CO2 as oxidizer. The experimental effort is complemented by the development of a numerical model combining gas-phase chemical kinetics and transport mechanisms.

Abbud-Madrid, A.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Producing Hydrogen by Plasma Pyrolysis of Methane

Plasma pyrolysis of methane has been investigated for utility as a process for producing hydrogen. This process was conceived as a means of recovering hydrogen from methane produced as a byproduct of operation of a life-support system aboard a spacecraft. On Earth, this process, when fully developed, could be a means of producing hydrogen (for use as a fuel) from methane in natural gas. The most closely related prior competing process - catalytic pyrolysis of methane - has several disadvantages: a) The reactor used in the process is highly susceptible to fouling and deactivation of the catalyst by carbon deposits, necessitating frequent regeneration or replacement of the catalyst. b) The reactor is highly susceptible to plugging by deposition of carbon within fixed beds, with consequent channeling of flow, high pressure drops, and severe limitations on mass transfer, all contributing to reductions in reactor efficiency. c) Reaction rates are intrinsically low. d) The energy demand of the process is high.

Atwater, James↗
NASA NTRS1980

A New Image for the Water Hyacinth

Walt Disney Company activated a sewage treatment plan using NASA technology to create water hyacinths to clean wastewater by absorbing and metabolizing pollutants. Plants have exciting promise as a natural water purification system which can be established at a fraction of the cost of a conventional sewage treatment facility. Harvested plants can be used as fertilizer. They can also be heat-treated to produce consumer energy in the form of methane gas. If an economical method of drying plants can be developed they may find further utility as high protein animal feed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

X ray based displacement measurement for hostile environments

A new method on noncontacting, high temperature extensometry based on the focus and scanning of x rays is currently under development and shows great promise of overcoming limitations associated with available techniques. The chief advantage is the ability to make undisturbed measurements through stratified or flowing gases, smoke, and flame. The system is based on the ability to focus and scan low energy, hard x rays such as those emanating from copper or molybdenum sources. The x rays are focused into a narrow and intense line image which can be scanned onto targets that fluoresce secondary x ray radiation. The final goal of the system is the ability to conduct macroscopic strain measurements in hostile environments by utilizing two or more fluorescing targets. Current work is limited to displacement measurement of a single target with a resolution of 1.25 micro-m and a target temperature of 1200 C, directly through an open flame. The main advantage of the technique lies in the penetrating nature of x rays which are not affected by the presence of refracting gas layers, smoke, flame, or intense thermal radiation, all of which could render conventional extensometry methods inoperative or greatly compromise their performance.

Canistraro, Howard A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

X-ray-based displacement measurement for hostile environments

A new method on noncontacting, high temperature extensometry based on the focus and scanning of X-rays is currently under development and shows great promise of overcoming limitations associated with available techniques. The chief advantage is the ability to make undisturbed measurements through stratified or flowing gases, smoke, and flame. The system is based on the ability to focus and scan low energy, hard X-rays such as those emanating from copper or molybdenum sources. The X-rays are focused into a narrow and intense line image which can be scanned onto targets that fluoresce secondary X-ray radiation. The final goal of the system is the ability to conduct macroscopic strain measurements in hostile environments by utilizing two or more fluorescing targets. Current work is limited to displacement measurement of a single target with a resolution of 1.25 micro-m and a target temperature of 1200 C, directly through an open flame. The main advantage of the technique lies in the penetrating nature of X-rays which are not affected by the presence of refracting gas layers, smoke, flame, or intense thermal radiation, all of which could render conventional extensometry methods inoperative or greatly compromise their performance.

Canistraro, H. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Deduction of emissions of source gases using an objective inversion algorithm and a chemical transport model

An inversion algorithm, constructed to deduce the emissions of a source gas required to produce a specified surface concentration, is applied to the observed surface concentrations of CFC 11, methylchloroform, and methane, using a two-dimensional chemical transport model. The information utilized for this deduction process is limited to the measured atmospheric concentration of the source gas, including the associated standard deviations of these measurements. In this way the amount of objective information available in these measurements is assessed. The algorithm is shown to be capable of producing a latitudinal emissions distribution as well as the error bounds on the deduced emission distribution. The 'ill posed' nature of this inverse problem is discussed as well as the implications this has on the spatial and temporal resolution at which emissions can be resolved. Finally, a methane emission distribution is deduced which has the expected seasonal variations and consistent with results from other, more subjective, deduction studies.

Brown, Margaret↗
NASA NTRS1979

Hydrogen in the U.S. energy picture

A study of hydrogen in the U.S. program performed by the Hydrogen Energy Systems Technology (HEST) investigation is reported. Historic production and use of hydrogen, hydrogen use projections, hydrogen supply, economics of hydrogen production and supply, and future research and development needs are discussed. The study found current U.S. hydrogen utilization to be dominated by chemical and petroleum industries, and to represent 3% of total energy consumption. Hydrogen uses are projected to grow by a factor of 5 to 20 during the remainder of this century, and new applications in synthetic fuel from coal manufacture and directly as energy storage or fuel are expected to develop. The study concluded that development of new methods of supplying hydrogen replacing natural gas and petroleum feedstocks with alternate sources such as coal and heavy oils, and electrolysis techniques is imperative.

Kelley, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Internal Acoustics of a Pintle Valve with Supercritical Helium Flow

Large amplitude flow unsteadiness is a common phenomenon within the high flow rate ducts and valves associated with propulsion systems. Boundary layer noise, shear layers and vortex shedding are a few of the many sources of flow oscillations. The presence of lightly damped acoustic modes can organize and amplify these sources of flow perturbation, causing undesirable loading of internal parts. The present study investigates the self-induced acoustic environment within a pintle valve subject to high Reynolds Number flow of helium gas. Experiments were conducted to measure the internal pressure oscillations of the Ares I Launch Abort System (LAS) Attitude Control Motor (ACM) valve. The AGM consists of a solid propellant gas generator with eight pintle valves attached to the aft end. The pintle valve is designed to deliver variable upstream conditions to an attache( converging diverging nozzle. In order to investigate the full range of operating conditions 28 separate tests were conducted with varying pintle position and upstream pressure. Helium gas was utilized in order to closely mimic the speed of sound of the gas generator exhaust, minimizing required scaling during data analysis. The recordec pressure measurements were interrogated to multiple ends. The development of root mean square (RMS) value! versus Reynolds Number and Pintle position are important to creating bounding unsteady load curves for valve internal parts. Spectral analysis was also performed, helping to identify power spectral densities (PSD) of acoustic natural frequencies and boundary layer noise. An interesting and unexpected result was the identification of an acoustic mode within the valve which does not respond until the valve was over 60% open. Further, the response amplitude around this mode can be as large or larger than those associated with lower frequency modes.

Fishbach, Sean R.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Low-Pressure, Field-Ionizing Mass Spectrometer

A small mass spectrometer utilizing a miniature field ionization source is now undergoing development. It is designed for use in a variety of applications in which there are requirements for a lightweight, low-power-consumption instrument that can analyze the masses of a wide variety of molecules and ions. The device can operate without need for a high-vacuum, carrier-gas feed radioactive ionizing source, or thermal ionizer. This mass spectrometer can operate either in the natural vacuum of outer space or on Earth at any ambient pressure below 50 torr (below about 6.7 kPa) - a partial vacuum that can easily be reached by use of a small sampling pump. This mass spectrometer also has a large dynamic range - from singly charged small gas ions to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragments larger than 104 atomic mass units - with sensitivity adequate for detecting some molecules and ions at relative abundances of less than one part per billion. This instrument (see figure) includes a field ionizer integrated with a rotating-field mass spectrometer (RFMS). The field ionizer effects ionization of a type characterized as "soft" in the art because it does not fragment molecules or initiate avalanche arcing. What makes the "soft" ionization mode possible is that the distance between the ionizing electrodes is less than mean free path for ions at the maximum anticipated operating pressure, so that the ionizer always operates on the non-breakdown side of the applicable Paschen curve (a standard plot of breakdown potential on the ordinate and pressure electrode separation on the abscissa). The field ionizer in this instrument is fabricated by micromachining a submicron-thick membrane out of an electrically nonconductive substrate, coating the membrane on both sides to form electrodes, then micromachining small holes through the electrodes and membrane. Because of the submicron electrode separation, even a potential of only 1 V applied between the electrodes gives rise to an electric field with a strength of in excess of a megavolt per meter strong enough to ionize any gas molecules passing through the holes. An accelerator grid and an electrostatic deflector focus the ions from the field ionizer into the rotating-field cell of the RFMS. The potentials applied to the electrodes of the cell to generate the rotating electric field typically range from 1 to 13 V. The ions travel in well-defined helices within this cell, after which they are collected in a Faraday cup. The mass of most of the molecules reaching the Faraday cup decreases with increasing frequency of rotation of the electric field in the cell. Therefore, the frequency of rotation of the electric field is made to vary in order to scan through a desired range of ion masses: For example, lightweight gas molecules are scanned at frequencies in the megahertz range, while DNA and other large organic molecules are scanned at kilohertz frequencies.

Hartley, Frank↗