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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

Influence of Alternative Engine Concepts on LCTR2 Sizing and Mission Profile

The Large Civil Tiltrotor (LCTR) was developed as part of the NASA Heavy Lift Rotorcraft Systems Investigation in order to establish a consistent basis for evaluating the benefits of advanced technology for large tiltrotors. The concept has since evolved into the second-generation LCTR2, designed to carry 90 passengers for 1,000 nm at 300 knots, with vertical takeoff and landing. This paper examines the impact of advanced propulsion system concepts on LCTR2 sizing. Two concepts were studied: an advanced, single-speed engine with a conventional power turbine layout (Advanced Conventional Engine, or ACE), and a variable-speed power turbine engine (VSPT). The ACE is the lighter engine, but requires a multi-speed (shifting) gearbox, whereas the VSPT uses a lighter, fixed-ratio gearbox. The NASA Design and Analysis of Rotorcraft (NDARC) design code was used to study the trades between rotor and engine efficiency and weight. Rotor performance was determined by Comprehensive Analytical Model of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics (CAMRAD II), and engine performance was estimated with the Numerical Propulsion System Simulation (NPSS). Design trades for the ACE vs. VSPT are presented in terms of vehicle weight empty for variations in mission altitude and range; the effect of different One Engine Inoperative (OEI) criteria are also examined. Because of its strong effect on gearbox weight and on both rotor and engine efficiency, rotor speed was chosen as the reference design variable for comparing design trades. The two propulsion concepts had nearly identical vehicle weights and mission fuel consumption, and their relative advantages varied little with cruise altitude, mission range, or OEI criteria; high cruise altitude and low cruise tip speed were beneficial for both concepts.

Acree, C. W., Jr.↗

Effects of cockpit lateral stick characteristics on handling qualities and pilot dynamics

This report presents the results of analysis of cockpit lateral control feel-system studies. Variations in feel-system natural frequency, damping, and command sensing reference (force and position) were investigated, in combination with variations in the aircraft response characteristics. The primary data for the report were obtained from a flight investigation conducted with a variable-stability airplane, with additional information taken from other flight experiments and ground-based simulations for both airplanes and helicopters . The study consisted of analysis of handling qualities ratings and extraction of open-loop, pilot-vehicle describing functions from sum-of-sines tracking data, including, for a limited subset of these data, the development of pilot models. The study confirms the findings of other investigators that the effects on pilot opinion of cockpit feel-system dynamics are not equivalent to a comparable level of added time delay, and until a more comprehensive set of criteria are developed, it is recommended that feel-system dynamics be considered a delay-inducing element in the aircraft response. The best correlation with time-delay requirements was found when the feel-system dynamics were included in the delay measurements, regardless of the command reference. This is a radical departure from past approaches.

Mitchell, David G.↗

Flight investigation of variations in rotorcraft control and display dynamics for hover

Results are presented from a flight test of experimental control/display systems for the U.S. Army/NASA CH-47B variable-stability research helicopter in hovering maneuvers, supplementing the preliminary report of Eshow et al. (1987). The display format was a simplified version of the pilot night-vision system for the Apache AH-64, and the tests measured pilot performance in hover-pad capture and hover-pad tracking tasks (under simulated zero visibility) using displays based on (1) gainlike and (2) integratorlike controlled-element responses to control inputs. The implementation of the vehicle-response dynamics through an explicit model-following control system and the derivation of the display laws are described, and the test results are presented in extensive tables and graphs. Display type (1) was found to be preferred by the pilots and to give generally better performance than type (2).

Eshow, Michelle M.↗

Simulation of Liquid Injection Thrust Vector Control for Mars Ascent Vehicle

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is currently in the initial design phase for a potential Mars Ascent Vehicle; which will be landed on Mars, stay on the surface for period of time, collect samples from the Mars 2020 rover, and then lift these samples into orbit around Mars. The engineers at JPL have down selected to a hybrid wax-based fuel rocket using a liquid oxidizer based on nitrogen tetroxide, or a Mixed Oxide of Nitrogen. To lower the gross lift-off mass of the vehicle the thrust vector control system will use liquid injection of the oxidizer to deflect the thrust of the main nozzle instead of using a gimbaled nozzle. The disadvantage of going with the liquid injection system is the low technology readiness level with a hybrid rocket. Presented in this paper is an effort to simulate the Mars Ascent Vehicle hybrid rocket nozzle and liquid injection thrust vector control system using the computational fluid dynamic flow solver Loci/Chem. This effort also includes determining the sensitivity of the thrust vector control system to a number of different design variables for the injection ports; including axial location, number of adjacent ports, injection angle, and distance between the ports.

Gudenkauf, Jared↗

Adaptive guidance for an aero-assisted boost vehicle

An adaptive guidance system incorporating dynamic pressure constraint is studied for a single stage to low earth orbit (LEO) aero-assist booster with thrust gimbal angle as the control variable. To derive an adaptive guidance law, cubic spline functions are used to represent the ascent profile. The booster flight to LEO is divided into initial and terminal phases. In the initial phase, the ascent profile is continuously updated to maximize the performance of the boost vehicle enroute. A linear feedback control is used in the terminal phase to guide the aero-assisted booster onto the desired LEO. The computer simulation of the vehicle dynamics considers a rotating spherical earth, inverse square (Newtonian) gravity field and an exponential model for the earth's atmospheric density. This adaptive guidance algorithm is capable of handling large deviations in both atmospheric conditions and modeling uncertainties, while ensuring maximum booster performance.

Pamadi, Bandu N.↗

Steady-state and dynamic evaluation of the electric propulsion system test bed vehicle on a road load simulator

The propulsion system of the Lewis Research Center's electric propulsion system test bed vehicle was tested on the road load simulator under the DOE Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Program. This propulsion system, consisting of a series-wound dc motor controlled by an infinitely variable SCR chopper and an 84-V battery pack, is typical of those used in electric vehicles made in 1976. Steady-state tests were conducted over a wide range of differential output torques and vehicle speeds. Efficiencies of all of the components were determined. Effects of temperature and voltage variations on the motor and the effect of voltage changes on the controller were examined. Energy consumption and energy efficiency for the system were determined over the B and C driving schedules of the SAE J227a test procedure.

Dustin, M. O.↗

An Overset Grid Motion Driver for Resolving Entry Vehicle CFD Simulations with Large Changes in Wake Orientation

Time-accurate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using overset meshes can enable reduced computational cost compared to a rigid, monolithic mesh for blunt-body atmospheric entry vehicles. If the vehicle has a significant change in attitude, the high-density region of the overset mesh designed for resolving the subsonic wake can be kept in position as the wake orientation changes relative to the body. Current simulations generally keep the wake mesh fixed in attitude while the body rotates, assuming the wake orientation remains relatively constant. However, changes in the relative velocity over a long-duration simulation or effects of the body geometry can invalidate this assumption. This work presents a method for calculating the desired mesh orientation to resolve a blunt body wake using the atmosphere-relative velocity of the vehicle. A motion driver using these calculations is implemented in a CFD-in-the-loop flight model bridging the FUN3D flow solver and POST2 trajectory propagator. Overset meshing is performed using the Yoga extension for FUN3D. Results are presented for simulations with both overset and monolithic meshes under large changes in relative velocity (and therefore wake orientation). The results demonstrate that the motion driver successfully orients an overset wake mesh to capture the subsonic wake with sufficient resolution despite variable body rotation and body-relative freestream velocity.

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗

An Overset Grid Motion Driver for Resolving Entry Vehicle CFD Simulations with Large Changes in Wake Orientation

Time-accurate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using overset meshes can enable reduced computational cost compared to a rigid, monolithic mesh for blunt-body atmospheric entry vehicles. If the vehicle has a significant change in attitude, the high-density region of the overset mesh designed for resolving the subsonic wake can be kept in position as the wake orientation changes relative to the body. Current simulations generally keep the wake mesh fixed in attitude while the body rotates, assuming the wake orientation remains relatively constant. However, changes in the relative velocity over a long-duration simulation or effects of the body geometry can invalidate this assumption. This work presents a method for calculating the desired mesh orientation to resolve a blunt body wake using the atmosphere-relative velocity of the vehicle. A motion driver using these calculations is implemented in a CFD-in-the-loop flight model bridging the FUN3D flow solver and POST2 trajectory propagator. Overset meshing is performed using the Yoga extension for FUN3D. Results are presented for simulations with both overset and monolithic meshes under large changes in relative velocity (and therefore wake orientation). The results demonstrate that the motion driver successfully orients an overset wake mesh to capture the subsonic wake with sufficient resolution despite variable body rotation and body-relative freestream velocity.

CFD↗

Comparison of closed loop model with flight test results

An analytic technique capable of predicting the landing characteristics of proposed aircraft configurations in the early stages of design was developed. In this analysis, a linear pilot-aircraft closed loop model was evaluated using experimental data generated with the NT-33 variable stability in-flight simulator. The pilot dynamics are modeled as inner and outer servo loop closures around aircraft pitch attitude, and altitude rate-of-change respectively. The landing flare maneuver is of particular interest as recent experience with military and other highly augmented vehicles shows this task to be relatively demanding, and potentially a critical design point. A unique feature of the pilot model is the incorporation of an internal model of the pilot's desired flight path for the flare maneuver.

George, F. L.↗

Aeroelastic analysis of launch vehicles in transonic flight

A numerical study of the aeroelastic stability of launch vehicles in transonic flight is performed. The unsteady aerodynanic flowfield about the vehicle is simulated using the three dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations with the account for turbulent mixing done by a two-layer algebraic eddy viscosity model. The structural-dynamic formulation considers free-free flexural vibration of an elongated beam with variable properties and the equations are cast in modal form. The two sets of equations are integrated simultaneously in time, after a initial perturbation, to ascertain the aeroelastic stability of a given configuration. The method propossed is described in detail, and results that illustrate its application are presented.

Azevedo, Joao Luiz F.↗

A Real-Time Vehicle-Specific Eco-Routing Model for On-Board Navigation Applications Capturing Transient Vehicle Behavior

The paper develops a real-time vehicle-specific eco-routing model for use in on-board navigation systems for both conventional fuel- and battery-powered electric vehicles. The model uses a novel link cost function that retains all microscopic transient behavior along a link by capturing within-link speed, acceleration, and road grade variations. Specifically, eight vehicle-agnostic link-specific variables are transmitted to the cloud and fused with information received from other connected vehicles. The fused data are then sent back to the connected vehicles and used to compute vehicle-specific eco-routes (edge computing). The solution produces an energy-efficient dynamic user-equilibrium traffic assignment that is solved incrementally. A numerical experiment is first designed to test the model, demonstrating the benefits associated with vehicle-specific eco-routes compared to those produced by traditional models. The model is then implemented in a micro-simulation framework to evaluate the network-wide impacts of the proposed energy-efficient user-optimum incremental traffic assignment for different traffic demand levels. Results demonstrate that the proposed model produces lower network-wide energy consumption levels compared to traditional energy-efficient and travel time user-optimum traffic assignment methods for both conventional fuel and electric vehicles. Conventional fuel savings relative to travel time routing decrease with increasing traffic demand levels, while electric power savings do not vary monotonically with congestion levels. Energy savings relative to traditional eco-routing are also demonstrated to not vary monotonically with demand levels. Results of the study also demonstrate that the transportation network layout significantly affects the eco-routing system performance. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed model in real-world applications is discussed and presented.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Global optimal energy management control strategies for connected four‐wheel‐drive hybrid electric vehicles

This study presents a novel decentralised hierarchical global energy management control strategy for a group of connected four‐wheel‐drive hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in urban road conditions. In the higher level controller, signal phase and timing information and the optimal cruising velocity are combined to generate the target velocities for the HEVs. A model predictive control framework that focuses on the tracking of the target velocity and the associated desired control variable for every individual vehicle is proposed for the prediction of the optimal velocity that compromises fuel economy, mobility and safety. In the lower level controller, a dynamic programming problem is formulated that utilises the predicted velocity for the global energy management optimisation of every individual HEV. Simulation results validate the advantages of the proposed higher and lower level controllers.

Qiu, Lihong↗

NASA Tech Briefs, March 2014

Topics include: Data Fusion for Global Estimation of Forest Characteristics From Sparse Lidar Data; Debris and Ice Mapping Analysis Tool - Database; Data Acquisition and Processing Software - DAPS; Metal-Assisted Fabrication of Biodegradable Porous Silicon Nanostructures; Post-Growth, In Situ Adhesion of Carbon Nanotubes to a Substrate for Robust CNT Cathodes; Integrated PEMFC Flow Field Design for Gravity-Independent Passive Water Removal; Thermal Mechanical Preparation of Glass Spheres; Mechanistic-Based Multiaxial-Stochastic-Strength Model for Transversely-Isotropic Brittle Materials; Methods for Mitigating Space Radiation Effects, Fault Detection and Correction, and Processing Sensor Data; Compact Ka-Band Antenna Feed with Double Circularly Polarized Capability; Dual-Leadframe Transient Liquid Phase Bonded Power Semiconductor Module Assembly and Bonding Process; Quad First Stage Processor: A Four-Channel Digitizer and Digital Beam-Forming Processor; Protective Sleeve for a Pyrotechnic Reefing Line Cutter; Metabolic Heat Regenerated Temperature Swing Adsorption; CubeSat Deployable Log Periodic Dipole Array; Re-entry Vehicle Shape for Enhanced Performance; NanoRacks-Scale MEMS Gas Chromatograph System; Variable Camber Aerodynamic Control Surfaces and Active Wing Shaping Control; Spacecraft Line-of-Sight Stabilization Using LWIR Earth Signature; Technique for Finding Retro-Reflectors in Flash LIDAR Imagery; Novel Hemispherical Dynamic Camera for EVAs; 360 deg Visual Detection and Object Tracking on an Autonomous Surface Vehicle; Simulation of Charge Carrier Mobility in Conducting Polymers; Observational Data Formatter Using CMOR for CMIP5; Propellant Loading Physics Model for Fault Detection Isolation and Recovery; Probabilistic Guidance for Swarms of Autonomous Agents; Reducing Drift in Stereo Visual Odometry; Future Air-Traffic Management Concepts Evaluation Tool; Examination and A Priori Analysis of a Direct Numerical Simulation Database for High-Pressure Turbulent Flows; and Resource-Constrained Application of Support Vector Machines to Imagery.

Source record↗

On computing the evolution of temperature for materials under dynamic loading

Modeling and simulation of the dynamic response of materials is important to many applications including the development of armor systems, understanding the safety of explosives, and assessing the crashworthiness of vehicles. Within such applications it is often critical to accurately compute the evolution of the temperature because it is a state variable that affects the kinetics of competing active processes within the material (e.g., dislocation motion, phase transformation, decomposition). Depending on the selection of an independent state variable, e.g. temperature or entropy, the approach for computing temperature is well understood based on the thermodynamic framework attributed to Coleman and Noll. However, different computational codes used for modeling the dynamic response of materials adopt different independent state variables. In this work, two thermodynamically consistent strategies for computing the temperature of a coupled thermodynamic state are compared and implemented into two different Lagrangian computational codes. The equivalence of these two approaches is established through the numerical solutions of several test problems. Finally, the implication of various approximations made to each of these approaches within the literature are assessed in the context of uniaxial stress conditions (split Hopkinson pressure bar experiments) and uniaxial strain conditions (plate impact experiments). Here, it is shown that the temperature rate or energy partition approaches are equivalent when implemented in their complete forms, but that several common simplifying assumptions, that are warranted in the case of uniaxial stress, lead to significant errors in the resulting Hugoniot state for plate impact.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Operational Simulation of Multi-Functional Charging Station for Sustainable Transportation

As transportation systems move toward electrification and decarbonization, multifunctional charging stations (MFCS) are emerging as key infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs). This paper presents a simulation model of an MFCS that integrates solar photovoltaic (PV), wind power, battery storage, hydrogen (\mathrm{H}_{2}) production, dual-pressure \mathrm{H}_{2} storage, fuel cells, and dynamic grid interactions. The model simulates daily operations using 5 -minute resolution data to capture realtime variability in renewable energy (RE), demand, and electricity prices. A flexible dispatch algorithm dynamically allocates energy for EV charging, \mathrm{H}_{2} production, storage, and grid transactions while respecting system constraints. Results show that the MFCS effectively prioritizes RE usage, minimizes waste, meets diverse energy demands, and achieves net operational profit. The model serves as a valuable decision-support tool for designing and optimizing integrated clean energy hubs for zero-emission transportation.

Gbadegoye, Jeremiah [University of Tennessee, Knox↗

NASA Tech Briefs, November 2011

The topics include: 1) Flight Test Results from the Rake Airflow Gage Experiment on the F-15B; 2) Telemetry and Science Data Software System; 3) CropEx Web-Based Agricultural Monitoring and Decision Support; 4) High-Performance Data Analysis Tools for Sun-Earth Connection Missions; 5) Experiment in Onboard Synthetic Aperture Radar Data Processing; 6) Microfabrication of a High-Throughput Nanochannel Delivery/Filtration System; 7) Improved Design and Fabrication of Hydrated-Salt Pills; 8) Monolithic Flexure Pre-Stressed Ultrasonic Horns; 9) Cryogenic Quenching Process for Electronic Part Screening; 10) Broadband Via-Less Microwave Crossover Using Microstrip-CPW Transitions; 11) Wheel-Based Ice Sensors for Road Vehicles; 12) G-DYN Multibody Dynamics Engine; 13) Multibody Simulation Software Testbed for Small-Body Exploration and Sampling; 14) Propulsive Reaction Control System Model; 15) Licklider Transmission Protocol Implementation; 16) Core Recursive Hierarchical Image Segmentation; 17) Two-Stage Centrifugal Fan; 18) Combined Structural and Trajectory Control of Variable-Geometry Planetary Entry Systems; 19) Pressure Regulator With Internal Ejector Circulation Pump, Flow and Pressure Measurement Porting, and Fuel Cell System Integration Options; 20) Temperature-Sensitive Coating Sensor Based on Hematite; 21) Standardization of a Volumetric Displacement Measurement for Two-Body Abrasion Scratch Test Data Analysis; 22) Detection of Carbon Monoxide Using Polymer-Carbon Composite Films; 23) Substituted Quaternary Ammonium Salts Improve Low-Temperature Performance of Double-Layer Capacitors; 24) Sustainably Sourced, Thermally Resistant, Radiation Hard Biopolymer; 25) Integrated Lens Antennas for Multi-Pixel Receivers; 26) 180-GHz Interferometric Imager; 27) Maturation of Structural Health Management Systems for Solid Rocket Motors; 28) Validating Phasing and Geometry of Large Focal Plane Arrays; 29) Transverse Pupil Shifts for Adaptive Optics Non-Common Path Calibration; 30) Qualification of Fiber Optic Cables for Martian Extreme Temperature Environments; 31) Solid-State Spectral Light Source System; 32) Multiple-Event, Single-Photon Counting Imaging Sensor; 33) Surface Modeling to Support Small-Body Spacecraft Exploration and Proximity Operations; and 34) Achieving Exact and Constant Turnaround Ratio in a DDS-Based Coherent Transponder.

Source record↗

Quasi 1D Modeling of Mixed Compression Supersonic Inlets

The AeroServoElasticity task under the NASA Supersonics Project is developing dynamic models of the propulsion system and the vehicle in order to conduct research for integrated vehicle dynamic performance. As part of this effort, a nonlinear quasi 1-dimensional model of the 2-dimensional bifurcated mixed compression supersonic inlet is being developed. The model utilizes computational fluid dynamics for both the supersonic and subsonic diffusers. The oblique shocks are modeled utilizing compressible flow equations. This model also implements variable geometry required to control the normal shock position. The model is flexible and can also be utilized to simulate other mixed compression supersonic inlet designs. The model was validated both in time and in the frequency domain against the legacy LArge Perturbation INlet code, which has been previously verified using test data. This legacy code written in FORTRAN is quite extensive and complex in terms of the amount of software and number of subroutines. Further, the legacy code is not suitable for closed loop feedback controls design, and the simulation environment is not amenable to systems integration. Therefore, a solution is to develop an innovative, more simplified, mixed compression inlet model with the same steady state and dynamic performance as the legacy code that also can be used for controls design. The new nonlinear dynamic model is implemented in MATLAB Simulink. This environment allows easier development of linear models for controls design for shock positioning. The new model is also well suited for integration with a propulsion system model to study inlet/propulsion system performance, and integration with an aero-servo-elastic system model to study integrated vehicle ride quality, vehicle stability, and efficiency.

Kopasakis, George↗

Path selection process utilizing rapid estimation scheme

The paper describes the use of a rapid estimation scheme for path selection by a roving vehicle. Essentially, the evaluation procedure simulates movement of the rover over each of several corridors lying radially outward from the scanning position. Two levels of corridors are used, and the path selection scheme selects the optimal primary corridor according to a dynamic programming algorithm. In the present version, the length of the corridors is variable. The rapid estimation scheme provides information to define corridor dimensions. This corridor structure, which varies as a function of the terrain, eliminates the need for backtracking, except in certain extreme cases. Computer results are promising in that obstacles were avoided while corridor lengths were kept to a maximum where safety permitted.

Ring, H.↗