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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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NASA NTRS1975

Corona-vacuum failure mechanism test facilities

A nondestructive corona-vacuum test facility for testing high-voltage power system components has been developed using commercially available hardware. The facility simulates operating temperature and vacuum while monitoring coronal discharges with residual gases. Corona threshold voltages obtained from statorette tests with various gas-solid dielectric systems and comparison with calculated data support the following conclusions: (1) air gives the highest corona threshold voltage and helium the lowest, with argon and helium-xenon mixtures intermediate; (2) corona threshold voltage increases with gas pressure; (3) corona threshold voltage for an armature winding can be accurately calculated by using Paschen curves for a uniform field; and (4) Paschen curves for argon can be used to calculate the corona threshold voltage in He-Xe mixtures, for which Paschen curves are unavailable.-

Lalli, V. R.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Development of a data-driven neural network model for electron thermal transport in NSTX

A data-driven electron thermal transport neural network (ETT-NN) model, trained on TRANSP interpretative analysis results of National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), was developed to enable faster and more accurate ETT computation for spherical tokamaks (STs). The model incorporates both convolutional NNs and recurrent NNs, allowing it to simultaneously account for the spatial and temporal non-localities and multi-scale features of turbulent transport, which have been considered only in a limited manner in conventional models. The model was validated through interpretative analysis and predictive simulations using Tokamak Reactor Integrated Automated Suite for Simulation and Computation, demonstrating relatively high accuracy. Additionally, parameter scans were performed on test discharges known to exhibit specific turbulent modes, such as microtearing mode, trapped electron mode, kinetic ballooning mode, and electron temperature gradient mode. The scanning results revealed that the ETT-NN model exhibits the same trends as those observed in conventional gyrokinetic simulations or theories, while also capturing the global nature of turbulent transport, indicating that the data-driven model accurately reflects the underlying physical characteristics. Furthermore, due to the dimensionless nature of the model, we can feasibly expand its applicability by incorporating data from other devices and uncovering the characteristics of ETT in STs in the future.

NSTX↗

NASA NTRS1989

JPS heater and sensor lightning qualification

Simulated lightning strike testing of the Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) field joint protection system heater assembly was performed at Thiokol Corp., Wendover Lightning Facility. Testing consisted of subjecting the lightning evaluation test article to simulated lightning strikes and evaluating the effects of heater cable transients on cables within the systems tunnel. The maximum short circuit current coupled onto a United Space Boosters, Inc. operational flight cable within the systems tunnel, induced by transients from all cables external to the systems tunnel, was 92 amperes. The maximum open-circuit voltage coupled was 316 volts. The maximum short circuit current coupled onto a United Space Boosters, Inc. operational flight cable within the systems tunnel, induced by heater power cable transients only, was 2.7 amperes; the maximum open-circuit voltage coupled was 39 volts. All heater power cable induced coupling was due to simulated lightning discharges only, no heater operating power was applied during the test. The results showed that, for a worst-case lightning discharge, the heater power cable is responsible for a 3.9 decibel increase in voltage coupling to operational flight cables within the systems tunnel. Testing also showed that current and voltage levels coupled onto cables within the systems tunnel are partially dependant on the relative locations of the cables within the systems tunnel.

Cook, M.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

ROSA and Solar Cell Module Combined Environments Test Plan

Roll-out solar array (ROSA) technology is an emerging component of the future of spacecraft photovoltaic power subsystems. Qualification and risk reduction testing are necessary to demonstrate design worthiness for spaceflight implementation of the array and solar cell modules. Maxar Space LLC and NASA have undertaken a rigorous combined environment (CE) test campaign for a ROSA design expected to be a part of the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) for the NASA Gateway which will be an outpost orbiting the Moon. The CE tests consist of several simulated space environment exposures associated with the planned mission: UV radiation, electron/proton radiation, xenon ion plume exposures, and vacuum thermal cycling and electrostatic discharge (ESD). These tests are conducted on small coupons consisting of the planned ROSA flight elements, and all tests are performed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. This paper discusses the test plan, requirements for each environment, and the functional testing performed. Of note is a new approach for the induced primary arc used in the ESD testing, which better simulates the plasma expansion during the ESD event. Progress on executing the test plan is presented.

Space Environments Effects Testing↗

NASA NTRS1982

Nozzle performance calibration and turbomachinery operational analysis of Turbo-Powered Simulators (TPS) for the NASA-Langley EET propulsion airframe integration investigation

The Boeing flight simulator chamber facility energy efficient transport (EET) propulsion/airframe integration investigation was tested. Two turbopowered simulators (TPS) were calibrated with four different nacelle configurations. Two nacelle configurations were calibrated on each TPS, each calibration simulating the full nozzle pressure ratio range encountered in a one atmosphere total pressure wind tunnel operating over a Mach number range from 0.70 to 0.90 Mach. The results of the calibration test are in the form of velocity and discharge coefficient which is used in determining the simulator thrust while the TPS is operating in the wind tunnel.

Rowe, R. K.↗

DOE OSTI2026

Fermilab PIP II machine protection system digitized data noise elimination scheme and its FPGA implementation

In Fermilab's PIP-II machine protection system, beam loss signals from various detectors are digitized at 125 MS/s. Noise from both high-frequency sources and low-frequency 60 Hz AC power equipment can contaminate the data. To suppress noise across these ranges especially 60 Hz and its harmonics, which overlap with beam loss signal frequencies advanced digital processing beyond standard filtering is required. Several real-time functional blocks were simulated and tested on an FPGA: (1) a dual time-constant discharging integrator filter, (2) a de-ripple baseline extraction and storage block, and (3) a fast-recovery discharging integrator. The nonlinear IIR integrator filter removes high-frequency noise and feeds into the baseline extractor. Upon detecting abrupt beam loss, it switches to a longer time constant to prevent baseline distortion. The de-ripple block calculates a valid baseline by averaging over multiple 60 Hz periods, storing results in a 4096-word FPGA RAM. This baseline is subtracted from raw data before integration by the fast-recovery block, which resets quickly after use. All blocks achieved expected performance.

Wu, J. [Fermilab] (ORCID:0000000344329521)↗

NASA NTRS1977

Air Force nickel-hydrogen test program

After using all the instrumentation that is available on a nickel hydrogen battery it will be subjected to the same low earth orbit cycles experienced by the sixty amphere hour nickel cadmium batteries now being flown on some low earth orbit missions. The objective of the test is to demonstrate real differences between the two batteries. In order to simulate flight conditions, the thermal environment and criteria for charge control will vary. The depth of discharge will be increased and testing will continue until some failures or some degradation or spread between cell performances are revealed. Different charge control modes are being considered in order to demonstrate a reasonable life for the nickel hydrogen battery.

Gandel, M. G.↗

NASA NTRS1992

High pressure hypervelocity electrothermal wind tunnel performance study and subscale tests

The feasibility of a Mach 10 to 20, high pressure electrothermal wind tunnel was assessed. A heater based on a continuous high power electric arc discharge capable of heating air to temperatures above 10,000 K and pressures of 15,000 atm is the key element of this wind tunnel. Results of analytical study indicate that the facility is capable of simulation conditions suitable for hypervelocity airbreathing propulsion testing up to Mach 16. In this case simulation was limited by pressure containment, high nozzle throat heat flux rates, and chemical freezing in the nozzle. The high total pressure capability improved the recombination chemistry in the facility nozzle as chemical equilibrium prevailed to the freezing point. Steady arc discharges were observed with liquid nitrogen flowing into the arc chamber during tests based on the two millisecond test facility. The measured steady pressure in the arc chamber was 4559 psi, which is two times greater than maximum total pressure obtainable in conventional arc heaters.

Rizkalla, Oussama F.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The effect of Low Earth Orbit space environment on polymeric spacecraft materials

The Advanced Composite Materials Exposure to Space Experiment flown on shuttle mission STS-41G was designed to investigate the effect of low Earth orbit space environment on polymeric spacecraft materials. The effect of the phenomenon attributed to atomic oxygen on Kapton and advanced composite materials of carbon-epoxy and kevlar epoxy is described. The results of true space exposure are compared to duplicate specimens subjected to a simulated environment in an Earth-based nozzle beam test facility utilizing microwave discharge to form atomic oxygen. Although the energy level for atomic oxygen in the beam facility did not achieve the orbital energy level of 5 eV, similar effects of surface erosion and degradation are observed after equivalent exposure times.

Zimcik, D. G.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Nickel-hydrogen Cell Test Program Summary

Three prototype 50 ampere-hour (Ah) nickel-hydrogen cells of the Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories (AWFAL) design were cycled to failure. A summary of the life cycling tests and failure analyses of the cells are presented. The cells were cycled in a simulated low earth orbit regime at depths of discharge ranging from 25 to 80 percent. Trend data, such as end of discharge voltage and cell capacity, was recorded during test. Cells 1, 2, and 3 completed 17167, 2473, and 10080 charge/discharge cycles, respectively, prior to failure. All failed due to internal shorts, and were disassembled to determine cause of failure.

Mueller, V. C.↗

NASA NTRS2015

High-Power, High-Thrust Ion Thruster (HPHTion)

Advances in high-power photovoltaic technology have enabled the possibility of reasonably sized, high-specific power solar arrays. At high specific powers, power levels ranging from 50 to several hundred kilowatts are feasible. Ion thrusters offer long life and overall high efficiency (typically greater than 70 percent efficiency). In Phase I, the team at ElectroDynamic Applications, Inc., built a 25-kW, 50-cm ion thruster discharge chamber and fabricated a laboratory model. This was in response to the need for a single, high-powered engine to fill the gulf between the 7-kW NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) system and a notional 25-kW engine. The Phase II project matured the laboratory model into a protoengineering model ion thruster. This involved the evolution of the discharge chamber to a high-performance thruster by performance testing and characterization via simulated and full beam extraction testing. Through such testing, the team optimized the design and built a protoengineering model thruster. Coupled with gridded ion thruster technology, this technology can enable a wide range of missions, including ambitious near-Earth NASA missions, Department of Defense missions, and commercial satellite activities.

Peterson, Peter Y.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Development of uniform and predictable battery materials for nickel-cadmium aerospace cells

The objective of this study was to analyze battery materials and manufacturing methods with the aim of developing uniform and predictable battery plates for nickel cadmium aerospace cells. The results are presented of an extensive factorially-designed experiment aimed at illuminating, in a comparative study, the effect of plaque preparation, plaque thickness, impregnation process, and loading level with active material. The following impregnation processes were investigated: (1) chemical conversion, (2) electrochemical conversion, and (3) high temperature electrochemical impregnation. The test parameter on which the conclusion regarding the manufacturing variables are based was the capacity change during a simulated near-earth orbit cycle regime. As operational variables, the effect of various charge and discharge rates was investigated. During the 100 test cycles, overall capacity changes of positive plates and the differences between the various plates were found to be small. Plates prepared by the high temperature electrochemical impregnation of slurry-coated plaque (at the conditions used) showed surface buildup of active material. They also retained slightly less of their capacity during cycling compared to other plate preparations.

Source record↗

DOE OSTI2024

Final Technical Report - Rapid Surface Microanalysis using a Low Temperature Plasma

This project focused on improving our current understanding and scientific knowledge in the area of plasma-surface interactions and plasma assisted material synthesis related to advanced microelectronics and nanotechnology. Current challenges include: controlling the interaction of Low Temperature Plasma (LTP) with a single layer of atoms to manufacture integrated circuits, continued miniaturization of integrated circuits, LTP processing of material surfaces and thin films to enable industrial scale fabrication of advanced microelectronics, synthesis of new materials, nanomaterials, nanotubes, and complex materials, Technology developed in this subtopic is of value to either (i) enable scans of surfaces (~1 sq. cm area) using various microscopies (electron, optical, other) at high resolution (micron or sub-micron resolution) rapidly (hours or days rather than years to complete a high-resolution scan of such a large surface area), or (ii) enable scans of surfaces (~1 sq. cm area) using various microscopies (electron, optical, other) at relatively low resolution rapidly, then apply algorithms to select spots for micron-scale imaging. Sputtering occurs when particles of a solid material are ejected from its surface by energetic particles from a plasma. While the degradation of the solid material and the subsequent deposition of the ejected material onto vulnerable surfaces are the usual subjects of sputtering studies, plasma science has yet to be combined with sputtering to create new diagnostics devices and systems. Small changes in the design of the plasma discharge device make it possible to create broad plasma beams for rapid scanning or small plasma beams to obtain the distribution of ejected elements with micron resolution. In the high-resolution use, the ion flux is extracted from the gas-discharge plasma and focused by a spherical emission surface to micron sizes onto the target specimen, providing very local sputtering and local elemental analysis. We call this “self-focusing”. The radiation from the excited and ionized sputtered atoms is recorded by a spectrometer through a window and fiberglass cable and analyzed with standard software packages used for optical glow discharge spectroscopy. Computer simulations of beam formation were used to verify and optimize the designs to be tested. A prototype was designed, constructed, and used to start experiments of beam formation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1981

Life test of a nickel cadmium battery with a protection/reconditioning circuit

Results are discussed for a Ni-Cd battery test over a period of 8 years, 2 months and 44,213 simulated low Earth orbits. The battery cells were protected against overdischarge and reversal at discharge rates up to 25 amperes (1.25C) by a battery protection and reconditioning circuit. The circuit performed flawlessly during the test, and proved its value, both as a battery reconditioner and a cell protection device. Battery cell failures are also discussed. The test demonstrated the viability of using Ni-Cd batteries at depth-of-discharge up to 25 percent for over 5 years in a low Earth orbit.

Lanier, J. R., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1965

Space vacuum investigations

Inaccessible-Non Repairable- Costly: The meaning of these words is absolute in the event of a complete failure of an orbiting spacecraft. Adequate design, or rather, minimizing chance of failure, challenges all scientists and engineers. Where experience has not been developed, the risk involved in a new application must be weighed against the consequence of a design failure. In space work, the spectrum of consequence is extremely wide. It ranges from loss of scientific data on one hand, to loss of life on the other.. There is little question that knowledge of the space environment and its effects must be determined to produce reliable spacecraft. Tests to prove the design must be performed with equipment capable of simulating the effects of the environment in which the design is to operate. This does not necessarily mean that the natural environment must be duplicated. The degree of environmental simulation that should be achieved depends primarily upon the significance of the physical effects it causes. The purpose of space vacuum simulation in an environmental test program should be accurately conceived and the testing phased to obtain maximum information from the limited samples available for test. This discussion is confined to some of the factors involved in simulating the effects of space vacuum environment. This survey is by no means complete, but will touch on some of the highlights in this field: 1. A description of the environment 2. The level of simulation necessary to evaluate its effects 3. Test equipment capability 4. Experience in test 5. Experience in orbit 6. Observations & future emphasis

VACUUM EFFECT↗

NASA NTRS2016

An Evaluation of Flash Cells Used in Critical Applications

Due to the common use of Flash technology in many commercial and industrial Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs) such as FPGAs and mixed-signal microcontrollers, flash technology is being utilized in fuzed munition applications. This presents a long-term reliability issue for both DoD and NASA safety- and mission-critical applications. A thorough understanding of the data retention failure modes and statistics associated with Flash data retention is of vital concern to the fuze safety community. A key retention parameter for a flash cell is the threshold voltage (VTH), which is an indirect indicator of the amount of charge stored on the cells floating gate. Initial test results based on a study of charge loss in flash cells in an FPGA device is presented. Statistical data taken from a small sample set indicates quantifiable charge loss for devices stored at both room temperature and 150 C. Initial evaluation of the distribution of threshold voltage in a large sample set (800 devices) is presented. The magnitude of charge loss from exposure to electrostatic discharge and electromagnetic fields is measured and presented. Simulated data (and measured data as available) resultant from harsh-environment testing (neutron, heavy ion, EMP) is presented.

data retention↗

NASA NTRS2016

An Evaluation of Flash Cells Used in Critical Applications

Data Retention↗

NASA NTRS1975

The electrical performance of Ag Zn batteries for the Venus multi-probe mission

An evaluation of 5 Ah and 21 Ah Silver-Zinc batteries was made to determine their suitability to meet the energy storage requirements of the bus vehicle, 3 small probes and large probe for the Venus multi-probe mission. The evaluation included a 4 Ah battery for the small probe, a 21 Ah battery for the large probe, one battery of each size for the bus vehicle power, a periodic cycling test on each size battery and a wet stand test of charged and discharged cells of both cell designs. The study on the probe batteries and bus vehicle batteries included both electrical and thermal simulation for the entire mission. The effects on silver migration and zinc penetration of the cellophane separators caused by the various test parameters were determined by visual and X-ray fluorescence analysis. The 5 Ah batteries supported the power requirements for the bus vehicle and small probe. The 21 Ah large probe battery supplied the required mission power. Both probe batteries delivered in excess of 132 percent of rated capacity at the completion of the mission simulation.

Palandati, C.↗