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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 595 records · Page 33
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2002

Dose and dose rate effects of whole-body proton irradiation on leukocyte populations and lymphoid organs: part I

The goal of part I of this study was to evaluate the effects of whole-body proton irradiation on lymphoid organs and specific leukocyte populations. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to the entry region of the proton Bragg curve to total doses of 0.5 gray (Gy), 1.5 Gy, and 3.0 Gy, each delivered at a low dose rate (LDR) of 1 cGy/min and high dose rate (HDR) of 80 cGy/min. Non-irradiated and 3 Gy HDR gamma-irradiated groups were included as controls. At 4 days post-irradiation, highly significant radiation dose-dependent reductions were observed in the mass of both lymphoid organs and the numbers of leukocytes and T (CD3(+)), T helper (CD3(+)/CD4(+)), T cytotoxic (CD3(+)/CD8(+)), and B (CD19(+)) cells in both blood and spleen. A less pronounced dose effect was noted for natural killer (NK1.1(+) NK) cells in spleen. Monocyte, but not granulocyte, counts in blood were highly dose-dependent. The numbers for each population generally tended to be lower with HDR than with LDR radiation; a significant dose rate effect was found in the percentages of T and B cells, monocytes, and granulocytes and in CD4(+):CD8(+) ratios. These data indicate that mononuclear cell response to the entry region of the proton Bragg curve is highly dependent upon the total dose and that dose rate effects are evident with some cell types. Results from gamma- and proton-irradiated groups (both at 3 Gy HDR) were similar, although proton-irradiation gave consistently lower values in some measurements.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1992

Biochemical and hematologic changes after short-term space flight

Clinical laboratory data from blood samples obtained from astronauts before and after 28 flights (average duration = 6 days) of the Space Shuttle were analyzed by the paired t-test and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and compared with data from the Skylab flights (duration approximately 28, 59, and 84 days). Angiotensin I and aldosterone were elevated immediately after short-term space flights, but the response of angiotensin I was delayed after Skylab flights. Serum calcium was not elevated after Shuttle flights, but magnesium and uric acid decreased after both Shuttle and Skylab. Creatine phosphokinase in serum was reduced after Shuttle but not Skylab flights, probably because exercises to prevent deconditioning were not performed on the Shuttle. Total cholesterol was unchanged after Shuttle flights, but low density lipoprotein cholesterol increased and high density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased. The concentration of red blood cells was elevated after Shuttle flights and reduced after Skylab flights. Reticulocyte count was decreased after both short- and long-term flights, indicating that a reduction in red blood cell mass is probably more closely related to suppression of red cell production than to an increase in destruction of erythrocytes. Serum ferritin and number of platelets were also elevated after Shuttle flights. In determining the reasons for postflight differences between the shorter and longer flights, it is important to consider not only duration but also countermeasures, differences between spacecraft, and procedures for landing and egress.

NASA Program Flight↗
NASA NTRS2010

Dedicated Deployable Aerobraking Structure

A dedicated deployable aerobraking structure concept was developed that significantly increases the effective area of a spacecraft during aerobraking by up to a factor of 5 or more (depending on spacecraft size) without substantially increasing total spacecraft mass. Increasing the effective aerobraking area of a spacecraft (without significantly increasing spacecraft mass) results in a corresponding reduction in the time required for aerobraking. For example, if the effective area of a spacecraft is doubled, the time required for aerobraking is roughly reduced to half the previous value. The dedicated deployable aerobraking structure thus enables significantly shorter aerobraking phases, which results in reduced mission cost, risk, and allows science operations to begin earlier in the mission.

Giersch, Louis R.↗
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 NTRS2010

Report on Lithium Ion Battery Trade Studies to Support the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) Energy Storage Project

This report documents the results of two system related analyses to support the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) Energy Storage Project. The first study documents a trade study to determine the optimum Li-ion battery cell capacity for the ascent stage battery for the Altair lunar lander being developed under the Constellation Systems program. The battery cell capacity for the Ultra High Energy (UHE) Li-ion battery initially chosen as the target for development was 35 A-hr; this study concludes that a 19.4 A-hr cell capacity would be more optimum from a minimum battery mass perspective. The second study in this report is an assessment of available low temperature Li-ion battery cell performance data to determine whether lowering the operating temperature range of the Li-ion battery, in a rover application, could save overall system mass by eliminating thermal control system mass normally needed to maintain battery temperature within a tighter temperature limit than electronics or other less temperature sensitive components. The preliminary assessment for this second study indicates that the reduction in the thermal control system mass is negated by an increase in battery mass to compensate for the loss in battery capacity due to lower temperature operating conditions.

Green, Robert D.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Extreme Environment Capable, Modular and Scalable Power Processing Unit for Solar Electric Propulsion

This paper is to present a concept of a modular and scalable High Temperature Boost (HTB) Power Processing Unit (PPU) capable of operating at temperatures beyond the standard military temperature range. The various extreme environments technologies are also described as the fundamental technology path to this concept. The proposed HTB PPU is intended for power processing in the area of space solar electric propulsion, where reduction of in-space mass and volume are desired, and sometimes even critical, to achieve the goals of future space flight missions. The concept of the HTB PPU can also be applied to other extreme environment applications, such as geothermal and petroleum deep-well drilling, where higher temperature operation is required.

Carr, Gregory A.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Flow Field and Acoustic Predictions for Three-Stream Jets

Computational fluid dynamics was used to analyze a three-stream nozzle parametric design space. The study varied bypass-to-core area ratio, tertiary-to-core area ratio and jet operating conditions. The flowfield solutions from the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) code Overflow 2.2e were used to pre-screen experimental models for a future test in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL) at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). Flowfield solutions were considered in conjunction with the jet-noise-prediction code JeNo to screen the design concepts. A two-stream versus three-stream computation based on equal mass flow rates showed a reduction in peak turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) for the three-stream jet relative to that for the two-stream jet which resulted in reduced acoustic emission. Additional three-stream solutions were analyzed for salient flowfield features expected to impact farfield noise. As tertiary power settings were increased there was a corresponding near nozzle increase in shear rate that resulted in an increase in high frequency noise and a reduction in peak TKE. As tertiary-to-core area ratio was increased the tertiary potential core elongated and the peak TKE was reduced. The most noticeable change occurred as secondary-to-core area ratio was increased thickening the secondary potential core, elongating the primary potential core and reducing peak TKE. As forward flight Mach number was increased the jet plume region decreased and reduced peak TKE.

RANS CFD↗
NASA NTRS2013

Extreme Environment Capable, Modular and Scalable Power Processing Unit for Solar Electric Propulsion

This paper is to present a concept of a modular and scalable High Temperature Boost (HTB) Power Processing Unit (PPU) capable of operating at temperatures beyond the standard military temperature range. The various extreme environments technologies are also described as the fundamental technology path to this concept. The proposed HTB PPU is intended for power processing in the area of space solar electric propulsion, where the reduction of in-space mass and volume are desired, and sometimes even critical, to achieve the goals of future space flight missions. The concept of the HTB PPU can also be applied to other extreme environment applications, such as geothermal and petroleum deep-well drilling, where higher temperature operation is required.

Electronics↗
NASA NTRS2010

Controlling Precision Stepper Motors in Flight Using (Almost) No Parts

This concept allows control of high-performance stepper motors with minimal parts count and minimal flight software complexity. Although it uses a small number of common flight-qualified parts and simple control algorithms, it is capable enough to meet demanding system requirements. Its programmable nature makes it trivial to implement changes to control algorithms both during integration & test and in flight. Enhancements such as microstepping, half stepping, back-emf compensation, and jitter reduction can be tailored to the requirements of a large variety of stepper motor based applications including filter wheels, focus mechanisms, antenna tracking subsystems, pointing and mobility. The hardware design (using an H-bridge motor controller IC) was adapted from JPL's MER mission, still operating on Mars. This concept has been fully developed and incorporated into the MCS instrument on MRO, currently operating in Mars orbit. It has been incorporated into the filter wheel mechanism and linear stage (focus) mechanism for the AMT instrument. On MCS/MRO, two of these circuits control the elevation and azimuth of the MCS telescope/radiometer assembly, allowing the instrument to continuously monitor the limb of the Martian atmosphere. Implementation on MCS/MRO resulted in a 4:1 reduction in the volume and mass required for the motor driver electronics (100:25 square inches of PCB space), producing a very compact instrument. In fact, all of the electronics for the MCS instrument are packaged within the movable instrument structure. It also saved approximately 3 Watts of power. Most importantly, the design enabled MCS to meet very its stringent maximum allowable torque disturbance requirements.

Randall, David↗
NASA NTRS2016

Torrefaction Processing for Human Solid Waste Management

This study involved a torrefaction (mild pyrolysis) processing approach that could be used to sterilize feces and produce a stable, odor-free solid product that can be stored or recycled, and also to simultaneously recover moisture. It was demonstrated that mild heating (200-250 C) in nitrogen or air was adequate for torrefaction of a fecal simulant and an analog of human solid waste (canine feces). The net result was a nearly undetectable odor (for the canine feces), complete recovery of moisture, some additional water production, a modest reduction of the dry solid mass, and the production of small amounts of gas and liquid. The liquid product is mainly water, with a small Total Organic Carbon content. The amount of solid vs gas plus liquid products can be controlled by adjusting the torrefaction conditions (final temperature, holding time), and the current work has shown that the benefits of torrefaction could be achieved in a low temperature range (< 250 C). These temperatures are compatible with the PTFE bag materials historically used by NASA for fecal waste containment and will reduce the energy consumption of the process. The solid product was a dry material that did not support bacterial growth and was hydrophobic relative to the starting material. In the case of canine feces, the solid product was a mechanically friable material that could be easily compacted to a significantly smaller volume (approx. 50%). The proposed Torrefaction Processing Unit (TPU) would be designed to be compatible with the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), now under development by NASA. A stand-alone TPU could be used to treat the canister from the UWMS, along with other types of wet solid wastes, with either conventional or microwave heating. Over time, a more complete integration of the TPU and the UWMS could be achieved, but will require design changes in both units.

Serio, Michael A.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Nano Icy Moons Propellant Harvester

As one of just a few bodies identified in the solar system with a liquid ocean, Europa has become a top priority in the search for life outside of Earth. However, cost estimates for exploring Europa have been prohibitively expensive, with estimates of a NASA Flagship class orbiter and lander approaching $5 billion. ExoTerra's NIMPH offers an affordable solution that can not only land, but return a sample from the surface to Earth. NIMPH combines solar electric propulsion (SEP) technologies being developed for the asteroid redirect mission and microsatellite electronics to reduce the cost of a full sample return mission below $500 million. A key to achieving this order-of-magnitude cost reduction is minimizing the initial mass of the system. The cost of any mission is directly proportional to its mass. By keeping the mission within the constraints of an Atlas V 551 launch vehicle versus an SLS, we can significantly reduce launch costs. To achieve this we reduce the landed mass of the sample return lander, which is the largest multiplier of mission mass, and shrink propellant mass through high efficiency SEP and gravity assists. The NIMPH projects first step in reducing landed mass focuses on development of a micro-In Situ Resource Utilization (micro-ISRU) system. ISRU allows us to minimize landed mass of a sample return mission by converting local ice into propellants. The project reduces the ISRU system to a CubeSat-scale package that weighs just 1.74 kg and consumes just 242 W of power. We estimate that use of this ISRU vs. an identical micro-lander without ISRU reduces fuel mass by 45 kg. As the dry mass of the lander grows for larger missions, these savings scale exponentially. Taking full advantage of the micro-ISRU system requires the development of a micro-liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen engine. The micro-liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen engine is tailored for the mission by scaling it to match the scale of the micro-lander and the low gravity of the target moon. We also tailor the engine for a near stoichiometric mixture ratio of 7.5. Most high-performance liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen engines inject extra liquid hydrogen to lower the average molecular weight of the exhaust, which improves specific impulse. However, this extra liquid hydroden requires additional power and processing time on the surface for the ISRU to create. This increases mission cost, and on missions within high radiation environments such as Europa, increases radiation shielding mass. The resulting engine weighs just 1.36 kg and produces 71.5 newton of thrust at 364 s specific impulse. Finally, the mission reduces landed mass by taking advantage of the SEP modules solar power to beam energy to the surface using a collimated laser. This allows us to replace an 45 kg MMRTG with a 2.5 kg resonant array. By using the combination of ISRU, a liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen engine, and beamed power, we reduce the initial mass of the lander to just 51.5 kg. When combined with an SEP module to ferry the lander to Europa the initial mission mass is just 6397 kg - low enough to be placed on an Earth escape trajectory using an Atlas V 551 launch vehicle. By comparison, we estimate a duplicate lander using an MMRTG and semi-storable propellants such as liquid oxygen-methane would result in an order of magnitude increase in initial lander mass to 445 kg. Attempting to perform the trajectory with a 450 s liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen engine would increase initial mass to approximately 135,000 kg. Using an Atlas V 1 U.S. Dollar per kg rate to Earth escape value of $27.7k per kg, just the launch savings are over $3.5 billion.

liquid↗
NASA NTRS2016

High Temperature Boost (HTB) Anode Power Supply for a Modular and Scalable Power Processing Unit

A concept of a modular and scalable 10kW to 80kW High Temperature Boost (HTB) Power Processing Unit (PPU) capable of operating at temperatures beyond the standard military temperature range was proposed for solar electric in-space propulsion. Within the PPU, the Anode Power Supply (APS) module is a 10kW modular power stage and is the key to the HTB PPU. This paper is to present the design, development, fabrication, testing and thermal demonstration of the 10kW HTB APS. The system architecture and the paradigm shift of the HTB PPU is also to be described. In addition, the extreme environments electronic and packaging technologies are addressed as the fundamental technology path. The HTB PPU is intended for power processing in the area of space solar electric propulsion, where reduction of in-space mass and volume are desired, and sometimes even critical, to achieve the goals of future space flight missions. The concept of the HTB PPU can also be applied to other extreme environment applications, such as geothermal and petroleum deep-well drilling, where higher temperature operation is required.

Carr, Gregory A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Closing the Loop on Space Trash / Is a Circular Economy Possible?

A crew member will nominally consume 2.5 kg of water per crew-member per day, rejectapproximately 0.032 kg of dry fecal solid waste per crew member per day (dry basis)and generate approximately 2,122 kg of logistical waste per year on a long-durationcrewed mission. This topic seeks to push the conversation towards completing a closedloop system and circular economy for all materials and recoverable resources withregard to waste management, regenerative water use, and recycling. In all aspects,reduction of crew maintenance time, mass, power and volume are at the forefront oftechnology development. In addition, the longevity and hardware robustness is important(lasting >3 years). Overall water recovery of >98% is desired, as well as, condensingheat exchangers that remove water from air with collection rates up to 1.45 kg of waterper hour. There are many technologies on the ground being developed for recycling andtrash management or regenerative water use that have yet to introduce themselves forspace development and infusion. Here we look to open the conversation and cross cutthese platforms to bring out some innovation and exposure into the hidden crevasses ofthe waste that humans create and how to minimize it/repurpose it, for all of humanity.

ISRU↗
NASA NTRS2024

Effect of High-Speed Rotation on High-Temperature Superconducting Coils for High Efficiency Megawatt Motor

The use of a superconducting rotor in the High Efficiency Megawatt Motor (HEMM) comes with a number of challenges. The HEMM’s rotor must be designed so that the superconducting coil can tolerate the forces it will encounter during operation. These forces introduce considerable risk to the design of the HEMM. Because this risk cannot be adequately addressed through refined analysis, a set of experiments was deemed necessary to demonstrate that the HEMM’s superconducting coils can survive the stresses imparted by the centrifugal forces acting on the coil during full-speed operation of the machine. These experiments required spin testing a full-scale HEMM coil on a representative rotor structure at room temperature and sequentially higher rotation speeds and measuring the superconductivity response of the coil in liquid nitrogen (LN2) before and after each spin test. Tests were carried out to the full centripetal loading of a recent HEMM design. According to finite element analysis, this load produced stress components in the coil that exceed their design limit by a factor of 1 to 7.4. Although not yet confirmed, the current HEMM design is expected to produce even smaller stresses in the coil due to a 20 percent reduction in the coil’s mass and an increased volume of structural material. The only degradation of the coil that occurred during this testing resulted from a test rig failure and from the voltage taps, which are not part of the final coil design.

Electrified Aircraft Propulsion↗
NASA NTRS2015

Advanced Booster Composite Case/Polybenzimidazole Nitrile Butadiene Rubber Insulation Development

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) was requested to examine processing sensitivities (e.g., cure temperature control/variance, debonds, density variations) of polybenzimidazole nitrile butadiene rubber (PBI-NBR) insulation, case fiber, and resin systems and to evaluate nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and damage tolerance methods/models required to support human-rated composite motor cases. The proposed use of composite motor cases in Blocks IA and II was expected to increase performance capability through optimizing operating pressure and increasing propellant mass fraction. This assessment was to support the evaluation of risk reduction for large booster component development/fabrication, NDE of low mass-to-strength ratio material structures, and solid booster propellant formulation as requested in the Space Launch System NASA Research Announcement for Advanced Booster Engineering Demonstration and/or Risk Reduction. Composite case materials and high-energy propellants represent an enabling capability in the Agency's ability to provide affordable, high-performing advanced booster concepts. The NESC team was requested to provide an assessment of co- and multiple-cure processing of composite case and PBI-NBR insulation materials and evaluation of high-energy propellant formulations.

Gentz, Steve↗
DOE OSTI2026

Salt mass determination by 22 Na-based radioactive tracer dilution of a highly radioactive molten salt system for pyroprocessing spent oxide nuclear fuels

To demonstrate the feasibility of the 22 Na-based radioactive tracer dilution (RTD) for determining the total salt mass in a 60-kg oxide reduction (OR) system at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for pyroprocessing spent oxide nuclear fuels, a LiCl- 22 NaCl tracer salt was prepared and spiked to the OR vessel, and salt samples were analyzed by gamma spectroscopy. Due to the high radioactivity (around 10 mCi/g) of the OR salt, mainly from 137 Cs, traditional gamma spectroscopy methods, which typically involve diluted salt samples, was not effective for analyzing the RTD samples. Since the 22 Na tracer radioactivity was very low, undiluted samples were necessary to detect the small amount of 22 Na tracer. Here, despite the high gamma radioactivity of the OR salt, increasing the detector-sample distance from 20 cm to 40 cm during gamma spectroscopy allowed the detection of radioactivity as low as 0.12 µCi/g 22 Na. The preparation of the 22 NaCl-LiCl tracer salt suitable for spiking into the OR salt was successful, and the mass determined by RTD was consistent with that estimated by salt level measurement. Therefore, the 22 Na-based RTD technique for total mass determination of the 60-kg molten salt system for OR is feasible, though more development work, particularly in the improving the uncertainty, is needed .

11 - NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1987

Effects of El Chichon on stratospheric aerosols late 1982 to early 1984

Stratospheric aerosols collected over the western U.S. from late 1982 to early 1984 show the strong effects of El Chichon's eruption. Although mineral particles disappeared during this period, large acid droplets were still common. Because these have never been seen in prevolcanic, background-level collections, they apparently result from increased droplet growth made possible by the unusual abundance of sulfate. Aerosol size distributions show a wide variety of multimodal curves due to mixing of air masses containing aerosols of various ages or histories. Toward the end of the study time there are fewer large aerosols because of gravitational settling and poleward transport. The result is a steady reduction in sulfate, as most aerosol mass is concentrated in a small number of large droplets. Even the later sulfate levels are, however, five times typical prevolcanic background contents. Thus the influence of El Chichon on high-altitude was still considerable 22 months after eruption.

Snetsinger, K. G.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Carbon Dioxide Reduction Technology Trade Study

For long-term human missions, a closed-loop atmosphere revitalization system (ARS) is essential to minimize consumables. A carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction technology is used to reclaim oxygen (O2) from metabolic CO2 and is vital to reduce the delivery mass of metabolic O2. A key step in closing the loop for ARS will include a proper CO2 reduction subsystem that is reliable and with low equivalent system mass (ESM). Sabatier and Bosch CO2 reduction are two traditional CO2 reduction subsystems (CRS). Although a Sabatier CRS has been delivered to International Space Station (ISS) and is an important step toward closing the ISS ARS loop, it recovers only 50% of the available O2 in CO2. A Bosch CRS is able to reclaim all O2 in CO2. However, due to continuous carbon deposition on the catalyst surface, the penalties of replacing spent catalysts and reactors and crew time in a Bosch CRS are significant. Recently, technologies have been developed for recovering hydrogen (H2) from Sabatier-product methane (CH4). These include methane pyrolysis using a microwave plasma, catalytic thermal pyrolysis of CH4 and thermal pyrolysis of CH4. Further, development in Sabatier reactor designs based on microchannel and microlith technology could open up opportunities in reducing system mass and enhancing system control. Improvements in Bosch CRS conversion have also been reported. In addition, co-electrolysis of steam and CO2 is a new technology that integrates oxygen generation and CO2 reduction functions in a single system. A co-electrolysis unit followed by either a Sabatier or a carbon formation reactor based on Bosch chemistry could improve the overall competitiveness of an integrated O2 generation and CO2 reduction subsystem. This study evaluates all these CO2 reduction technologies, conducts water mass balances for required external supply of water for 1-, 5- and 10-yr missions, evaluates mass, volume, power, cooling and resupply requirements of various technologies. A system analysis and comparison among the technologies was made based on ESM, technology readiness level and reliability. Those technologies with potential were recommended for development.

Jeng, Frank F.↗