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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 NTRS2024

Additional Aviation Sustainability Strategies

Emissions from the aviation sector are expected to grow significantly in the next few decades due to growing demand for aviation. The U.S. fleet size has increased significantly in the past 20 years, growing from 2,132 aircraft to 5,485 aircraft. Similarly from 1990 to 2019, aviation emissions more than doubled, growing faster than any other transportation mode. These emissions include carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as non-CO2 sources including nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), water (H2O), and particulate matter (soot). However, this report focuses specifically on CO2 emissions because the impacts from CO2 are well-understood and long-lived. There are also many climate goals tied to CO2 emissions, including the US Aviation Climate Action Plan which is pushing for net-zero in 2050. CO2 is a greenhouse, or heat-trapping, gas that comes from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, from wildfires, and natural processes like volcanoes. Greenhouse gases absorb heat radiating from the Earth’s surface and release it in all directions, including back toward Earth’s surface. By adding more CO2 to the atmosphere, humans amplify the natural greenhouse effect, causing global temperature to rise. Since the onset of industrial times in 1750, human activities have raised atmospheric CO2 by 50%. Considering this challenge, the United States has set a climate goal to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions in the U.S. aviation sector by 2050 to reduce the environmental impact of aviation. Net-zero emissions refers to the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as CO2, methane or SO2, that are removed from the atmosphere being equal to those emitted by human activity. This contrasts with carbon-neutrality, which refers to no net release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, especially through offsetting emissions, that could be accomplished through a series of actions. As of 2022, the goal of net-zero has been adopted by much of the aviation industry including multiple airlines and countries. To reach net-zero by 2050, sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) are identified as the technology that could provide the greatest impact within this timeframe. However, certain challenges may limit the production and/or adoption of SAFs in the marketplace, such as competition for feedstocks, production capacity, and high cost. In this case, SAFs would be insufficient to meet the net-zero CO2 emission goals. Therefore, in addition to SAFs, other strategies will be needed to close the gap on emissions produced as a result of SAF shortfalls or to enhance the impact of SAFs on reducing emissions. NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) aims to examine these additional pathways to explore how its research may best contribute to the realization of net-zero emissions by 2050. Specifically, this effort considers strategies that can reduce emissions in the aviation sector in combination with the use of SAFs and carbon offsets while still meeting projected passenger demand. The strategies considered are not only feasible but also could be operationally scalable by 2050. The goal of this report is to investigate additional strategies such as alternative flight and ground operations, providing insight into the CO2 emission reduction potential and feasibility of strategy implementation by 2050.

Carbon Emissions↗
NASA NTRS1992

Sulfur gas exchange in Sphagnum-dominated wetlands

Sulfur gases are important components of the global cycle of S. They contribute to the acidity of precipitation and they influence global radiation balance and climate. The role of terrestrial sources of biogenic S and their effect on atmospheric chemistry remain as major unanswered questions in our understanding of the natural S cycle. The role of northern wetlands as sources and sinks of gaseous S was investigated by measuring rates of S gas exchange as a function of season, hydrologic conditions, and gradients in trophic status. The effects of inorganic S input on the production and emission of gaseous S were also investigated. Experiments were conducted in wetlands in New Hampshire, particularly a poor fen, fens within the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) in Ontario, Canada and in freshwater and marine tundra. Emissions were determined using Teflon enclosures, gas cryotrapping methods, and gas chromatography (GC) with flame photometric detection. Dynamic (sweep flow) and static enclosures were employed. Dissolved gases were determined by gas stripping followed by GC.

Hines, Mark E.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Isotopic Investigations of Nebular and Parent Body Processes with a High Sensitivity Ion Microprobe

NASA supported the development of the CAMECA ims 1270 ion microprobe at UCLA for applications in cosmochemistry. The primary investigations centered on measuring the microscopic distributions of key isotopic abundances in primitive meteoritic materials as a means of constraining the nature of important thermal and chemical processes in the solar nebula and the timescales associated with those processes. Our prior work on oxygen isotope anomalies in a wide variety of meteoritic materials had led us to a view of a spatially heterogeneous nebula, and in particular, a restricted region for CAI formation that is characterized by O-16-rich gas. Because of its production of CAIs in the energetic local environment near the protosun, the existence of a natural transport mechanism via bipolar outflows, and a general astrophysical plausibility, we were attracted to the fluctuating X-wind model which had been put forward by Frank Shu, Typhoon Lee, and colleagues. With our collaborators, we undertook a series of investigations to test the viability of this hypothesis; this work led directly to the discovery of live Be in CAIs and a clear demonstration of the existence of 160-rich condensates, which necessarily implies an O-16-rich gaseous reservoir in the nebula. Both of these observations fit well within the context of X-wind type models, i.e. formation of CAIs (or condensation of their precursors) in the reconnection ring sunward of the inner edge of the accretion disk, however much work remains to be done to test whether the physical parameters of the model can quantitatively predict not only the thermal histories of CAIs but also their radioactivity. The issue of spatial heterogeneity in the nebula, central to the X-wind model, is also at the heart of any chronology based on short-lived radioisotopes. In this work, we followed up on strong hints for presence of exireme:j: (53 day) short-lived Be-7, and have prepared a manuscript (in revision). We also measured A1-Mg systematics by a combined approach of high-precision multiple-collector SIMS analyses, traditional analyses on the UCLA ims 1270, and high-spatial resolution analyses using a NanoSIMS instrument. The data help to deconvolve effects due to partial resetting of the A1-Mg system by multiple thermal events. Finally, we initiated investigations related to nebular heterogeneity with a new initiative of in situ high-precision sulfur isotope analyses of sulfides from a wide variety of components of chondrites. The ultimate goal of all this work is to help develop a better understanding of the relationships between CAIs and chondrules, the astrophysical environments in which they formed, and the timescales of nebular processes. As detailed in Table 1, for the project period, 14 manuscripts were published and 17 abstracts were presented describing the work.

McKeegan, Kevin D.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Unlocking the Keys to Vortex/Flame Interactions in Turbulent Gas-Jet Diffusion Flames--Dynamic Behavior Explored on the Space Shuttle

Most combustion processes in industrial applications (e.g., furnaces and engines) and in nature (e.g., forest fires) are turbulent. A better understanding of turbulent combustion could lead to improved combustor design, with enhanced efficiency and reduced emissions. Despite its importance, turbulent combustion is poorly understood because of its complexity. The rapidly changing and random behavior of such flames currently prevents detailed analysis, whether experimentally or computationally. However, it is possible to learn about the fundamental behavior of turbulent flames by exploring the controlled interaction of steady laminar flames and artificially induced flow vortices. These interactions are an inherent part of turbulent flames, and understanding them is essential to the characterization of turbulent combustion. Well-controlled and defined experiments of vortex interaction with laminar flames are not possible in normal gravity because of the interference of buoyancy- (i.e., gravity) induced vortices. Therefore, a joint microgravity study was established by researchers from the Science and Technology Development Corp. and the NASA Lewis Research Center. The experimental study culminated in the conduct of the Turbulent Gas-Jet Diffusion Flames (TGDF) Experiment on the STS-87 space shuttle mission in November 1997. The fully automated hardware, shown in photo, was designed and built at Lewis. During the mission, the experiment was housed in a Get Away Special (GAS) canister in the cargo bay.

Stocker, Dennis P.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Laboratory simulations of the Viking Labeled Release experiment - Kinetics following second nutrient injection and the nature of the gaseous end product

Injection of (C-14)-labeled nutrient onto Mars soil produced an evolution of C-14 gas in the Viking Labeled Release (LR) experiment. However, a second injection of nutrient seven days later was followed by an abrupt diminution of the amount of radioactive gas in the test cell. Simulation experiments performed in the LR Test Standards Module (TSM) have yielded a plausible explanation for this diminution. Radioactive carbon gases were injected into the TSM test cell in the presence and absence of two Mars analog soils. After equilibration, water was injected and its effect observed. The results indicate that the flight data following second nutrient injection can be explained on a physico-chemical basis involving a carbon dioxide/water/soil equilibrium in the test cell. The results also suggest that the gaseous end product of the Labeled Release reaction on Mars is more likely carbon dioxide than carbon monoxide.

Levin, G. V.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Surface tension of natural silicate melts from 1,200-1,500 C and implications for melt structure

The surface tension between silicate liquid and gas is measured for four lava compositions (limburgite to andesite) from 1,200 to 1,500 C. It is noted that the magnitude of surface tension (gamma) is in the range 350-370 dynes/cm. Variations found in gamma as a function of liquid composition are small and have no obvious relation to liquid composition. Gamma is also found to vary little with furnace atmosphere - air, Ar, CO2, H2, CO and their mixtures. It is found that a relaxation time of hours to days, depending on temperature, is required before reproducible results can be obtained from originally crystalline starting material. The reproducible temperature dependence of gamma for complex silicate liquid solution is found to be small, positive, and a relatively simple function of liquid composition.

Walker, D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The nature of the central parsec of the Galaxy

Observations of infrared fine-structure line emission from compact clouds of ionized gas in the galactic center have been reported by Lacy et al (1979, 1980). These observations suggest the existence of a central black hole of nearly 3,000,000 solar masses and require mechanisms to generate, ionize, and dispose of the gas clouds. It is found that the best model to fulfill these requirements involves cloud generation through disruption of red giants by stellar collisions, ionization by a population of stars which is affected either by enhanced metal abundances or the death of the most massive stars, and gas disposal by star formation. Although the existence of a massive black hole cannot be ruled out, it would play no necessary role in this model and may cause the tidal disruption of stars at a rate such that their accretion into the black hole would produce more radiation than is observed.

Lacy, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Accurate boundary conditions for exterior problems in gas dynamics

The numerical solution of exterior problems is typically accomplished by introducing an artificial, far field boundary and solving the equations on a truncated domain. For hyperbolic systems, boundary conditions at this boundary are often derived by imposing a principle of no reflection. However, waves with spherical symmetry in gas dynamics satisfy equations where incoming and outgoing Riemann variables are coupled. This suggests that natural reflections may be important. A reflecting boundary condition is proposed based on an asymptotic solution of the far field equations. Nonlinear energy estimates are obtained for the truncated problem and numerical experiments presented to validate the theory.

Hagstrom, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS1988

Accurate boundary conditions for exterior problems in gas dynamics

The numerical solution of exterior problems is typically accomplished by introducing an artificial, far-field boundary and solving the equations on a truncated domain. For hyperbolic systems, boundary conditions at this boundary are often derived by imposing a principle of no reflection. However, waves with spherical symmetry in gas dynamics satisfy equations where incoming and outgoing Riemann variables are coupled. This suggests that natural reflections may be important. A reflecting boundary condition is proposed based on an asymptotic solution of the far-field equations. Nonlinear energy estimates are obtained for the truncated problem and numerical experiments presented to validate the theory.

Hagstrom, Thomas↗
NASA NTRS1991

Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer. Long look at the next window

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) will map the entire sky to determine the existence, direction, brightness, and temperature of thousands of objects that are sources of so-called extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. The EUV spectral region is located between the x-ray and ultraviolet regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. From the sky survey by EUVE, astronomers will determine the nature of sources of EUV light in our galaxy, and infer the distribution of interstellar gas for hundreds of light years around the solar system. It is from this gas and the accompanying dust in space that new stars and solar systems are born and to which evolving and dying stars return much of their material in an endless cosmic cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Besides surveying the sky, astronomers will make detailed studies of selected objects with EUVE to determine their physical properties and chemical compositions. Also, they will learn about the conditions that prevail and the processes at work in stars, planets, and other sources of EUV radiation, maybe even quasars. The EUVE mission and instruments are described. The objects that EUVE will likely find are described.

Maran, Stephen P.↗
NASA NTRS1997

The Effect of Gravity on the Combustion Synthesis of Porous Ceramics and Metal Matrix Composites

Combustion synthesis (self propagating, high temperature synthesis-SHS) is a novel technique that is capable of producing many advanced materials. The ignition temperature (Tig) of such combustion synthesis reactions is often coincident with that of the lowest melting point reactant. The resultant liquid metal wets and spreads around the other solid reactant particles of higher melting points, thereby improving the reactant contact and kinetics, followed by formation of the required compounds. This ignition initiates a combustion propagating wave whose narrow reaction front rapidly travels through the reactants. Since this process is highly exothermic, the heat released by combustion often melts the reactant particles ahead of the combustion front and ignites the adjacent reactant layer, resulting in a self-sustaining reaction. Whenever a fluid phase (liquid or gas) is generated by the reaction system, gravity-driven phenomena can occur. Such phenomena include convective flows of fluid by conventional or unstable convection and settling of the higher density phases. A combustion process is often associated with various kinds of fluid flow. For instance, if the SHS reaction is carried out under inert or reactive gas atmospheres, or a volatile, e.g., B2O3, is deliberately introduced as a reactant, convective flows of the gas will occur due to a temperature gradient existing in the atmosphere when a combustion wave is initiated. The increased gas flow will produce a porous (or expanded) SHS product. Owing to the highly exothermic nature of many SHS reactions, liquid phase(s) can also form before, at, or after the combustion front. The huge temperature gradient at the combustion front can induce convective flows (conventional or unstable) of the liquid phase. Each of these types of convective fluid flow can change the combustion behavior of the synthesizing reaction, and, therefore, the resultant product microstructure. In addition, when two or more phases of different density are produced at or ahead of the propagating combustion front settling of the higher density phase will occur resulting in a non-uniform product microstructure and properties.

Moore, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Methanogenesis, Mesospheric Clouds, and Global Habitability

Hyperthermophilic methanogens can exist in a deep hot biosphere up to 110 C, or 10 km deep. Methane (CH4) itself is thermodynamically stable to depths of 300 km. Geologic (microbial plus abiogenic thermal) methane is transported upward, attested to by its association with helium, to form petroleum pools. Near or at the surface, geologic CH4 mixes with other natural and with anthropogenic CH4 yielding annual emissions into the atmosphere of 500 Tg, of which 200 Tg are natural and 300 Tg are man-made. The atmospheric lifetime of CH4, a greenhouse gas 20 times more effective than CO2 in raising global temperatures, is approximately 10 years. It is removed from the atmosphere mainly by reactions with hydroxyl radical (OH) to form CO2, but also by dry soil and by conversion to H2O in the stratosphere and middle atmosphere. A sudden rise in atmospheric temperatures by 9-12 C some 55 million years ago has been explained by the release in a few thousand years of three trillion tons of CH4 out of 15 trillion tons that had formed beneath the sea floor. What prevented this CH4-induced greenhouse effect from running away? An analog to the CH4-burp of 55 million years ago is the CH4-doubling over the past century which resulted in a increase in upper level H2O from 4.3 ppmv to 6 ppmv. This 30% increase in H2O vapor yielded a tenfold increase in brightness of polar mesospheric clouds because of a strong dependence of the ice particle nucleation rate on the water saturation ratios. Models show that at a given temperature the optical depth of mesospheric clouds scales as [H2O]beta with beta varying between 4 and 8. Radiative transfer tools applied to mesospheric particles suggest that an optical depth of approximately one, or 1000 times the current mesospheric cloud optical depth, would result in tropospheric cooling of about 10 K. Assuming beta=6, a thousandfold increase in optical thickness would require a three-fold increase of H2O, or a 20-fold increase of CH4. At the current rate of anthropogenic emissions this is expected to occur within the next 1000 years. This timescale is also commensurate with what has been assumed for the CH4- burp 55 million years ago.

Pueschel, Rudolf F.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Numerical Model for Cosmic Rays Species Production and Propagation in the Galaxy

In recent years, considerable progress has been made in studying the propagation and origin of cosmic rays, as new and more accurate data have become available. Many models have been developed to study cosmic ray interactions and propagation showed flexibility in resembling various astrophysical conditions and good agreement with observational data. However, some astrophysical problems cannot be addressed using these models, such as the stochastic nature of the cosmic rays source, small-scale structures and inhomogeneities in the interstellar gas that can affect radioactive secondary abundance in cosmic rays. We have developed a new model and a corresponding computer code that can address some of these limitations. The model depends on the expansion of the backward stochastic solution of the general diffusion transport equation (Zhang 1999) starting from an observer position to solve a group of diffusion transport equations each of which represents a particular element or isotope of cosmic ray nuclei. In this paper we are focusing on key abundance ratios such as B/C, sub-Fe/Fe, (10)Be/(9)Be, (26)Al/(27)Al, (36)Cl/(37)Cl and (54)Mn/(55)Mn, which all have well established cross sections, to evaluate our model. The effect of inhomogeneity in the interstellar medium is investigated. The contribution of certain cosmic ray nuclei to the production of other nuclei is addressed. The contribution of various galactic locations to the production of cosmic ray nuclei observed at solar system is also investigated.

Farahat, Ashraf↗
NASA NTRS2010

QBO Influence on Polar Stratospheric Variability in the GEOS Chemistry-Climate Model

The quasi-biennial oscillation modulates the strength of both the Arctic and Antarctic stratospheric vortices. Model and observational studies have found that the phase and characteristics of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) contribute to the high degree of variability in the Arctic stratosphere in winter. While the Antarctic stratosphere is less variable, recent work has shown that Southern Hemisphere planetary wave driving increases in response to "warm pool" El Nino events that are coincident with the easterly phase of the QBO. These events hasten the breakup of the Antarctic polar vortex. The Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) chemistry-climate model (CCM) is now capable of generating a realistic QBO, due a new parameterization of gravity wave drag. In this presentation, we will use this new model capability to assess the influence of the QBO on polar stratospheric variability. Using simulations of the recent past, we will compare the modeled relationship between QBO phase and mid-winter vortex strength with the observed Holton-Tan relation, in both hemispheres. We will use simulations of the 21 St century to estimate future trends in the relationship between QBO phase and vortex strength. In addition, we will evaluate the combined influence of the QBO and El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the timing of the breakup of the polar stratospheric vortices in the GEOS CCM. We will compare the influence of these two natural phenomena with trends in the vortex breakup associated with ozone recovery and increasing greenhouse gas concentrations.

Hurwitz, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Dehydration kinetics and thermochemistry of selected hydrous phases, and simulated gas release pattern in carbonaceous chondrites

As part of our continued program of study on the volatile bearing phases and volatile resource potential of carbonaceous chondrite, results of our experimental studies on the dehydration kinetics of talc as a function of temperature and grain size (50 to 0.5 microns), equilibrium dehydration boundary of talc to 40 kbars, calorimetric study of enthalpy of formation of both natural and synthetic talc as a function of grain size, and preliminary results on the dehydration kinetics of epsomite are reported. In addition, theoretical calculations on the gas release pattern of Murchison meteorite, which is a C2(CM) carbonaceous chondrite, were performed. The kinetic study of talc leads to a dehydration rate constant for 40-50 microns size fraction of k = (3.23 x 10(exp 4))exp(-Q/RT)/min with the activation energy Q = 376 (plus or minus 20) kJ/mole. The dehydration rate was found to increase somewhat with decreasing grain size. The enthalpy of formation of talc from elements was measured to be -5896(10) kJ/mol. There was no measurable effect of grain size on the enthalpy beyond the limits of precision of the calorimetric studies. Also the calorimetric enthalpy of both synthetic and natural talc was found to be essentially the same, within the precision of measurements, although the natural talc had a slightly larger field of stability in our phase equilibrium studies. The high pressure experimental data the dehydration equilibrium of talc (talc = enstatite + coesite + H2O) is in strong disagreement with that calculated from the available thermochemical data, which were constrained to fit the low pressure experimental results. The calculated gas release pattern of Murchison meteorite were in reasonable agreement with that determined by stepwise heating in a gas chromatograph.

Bose, Kunal↗
NASA NTRS2004

Module for Oxygenating Water without Generating Bubbles

A module that dissolves oxygen in water at concentrations approaching saturation, without generating bubbles of oxygen gas, has been developed as a prototype of improved oxygenators for water-disinfection and water-purification systems that utilize photocatalyzed redox reactions. Depending on the specific nature of a water-treatment system, it is desirable to prevent the formation of bubbles for one or more reasons: (1) Bubbles can remove some organic contaminants from the liquid phase to the gas phase, thereby introducing a gas-treatment problem that complicates the overall water-treatment problem; and/or (2) in some systems (e.g., those that must function in microgravity or in any orientation in normal Earth gravity), bubbles can interfere with the flow of the liquid phase. The present oxygenation module (see Figure 1) is a modified version of a commercial module that contains >100 hollow polypropylene fibers with a nominal pore size of 0.05 m and a total surface area of 0.5 m2. The module was originally designed for oxygenation in a bioreactor, with no water flowing around or inside the tubes. The modification, made to enable the use of the module to oxygenate flowing water, consisted mainly in the encapsulation of the fibers in a tube of Tygon polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with an inside diameter of 1 in. (approx.=25 mm). In operation, water is pumped along the insides of the hollow fibers and oxygen gas is supplied to the space outside the hollow tubes inside the PVC tube. In tests, the pressure drops of water and oxygen in the module were found to be close to zero at water-flow rates ranging up to 320 mL/min and oxygen-flow rates up to 27 mL/min. Under all test conditions, no bubbles were observed at the water outlet. In some tests, flow rates were chosen to obtain dissolved-oxygen concentrations between 25 and 31 parts per million (ppm) . approaching the saturation level of approx.=35 ppm at a temperature of 20 C and pressure of 1 atm (approx.=0.1 MPa). As one would expect, it was observed that the time needed to bring a flow of water from an initial low dissolved-oxygen concentration (e.g., 5 ppm) to a steady high dissolved-oxygen concentration at or near the saturation level depends on the rates of flow of both oxygen and water, among other things. Figure 2 shows the results of an experiment in which a greater flow of oxygen was used during the first few tens of minutes to bring the concentration up to approx.=25 ppm, then a lesser flow was used to maintain the concentration.

Gonzalez-Martin, Anuncia↗
NASA NTRS1977

On the hydrodynamic expansion of a relativistic gas

An exact solution to the one-dimensional relativistic Euler equations is presented which is not of a self-similar nature and which satisfies certain initial conditions found to be appropriate in describing high-energy cosmic-ray collisions and models of radio galaxies. A full numerical analysis is performed to demonstrate the temporal behavior of all relevant thermodynamic quantities at any given point in the expansion. The results indicate that the motion is self-similar at the very beginning of free expansion, that this description ceases to be valid when the entire bulk of fluid is in motion, and that with the passage of time, the nonsimilar solution prevails over more and more of the fluid except for a small region near the leading edge where the fluid borders on the vacuum. The very bulk of the expansion is shown to become nonsimilar because the leading edge of the self-similar solution moves into the vacuum at the speed of light while that of the nonsimilar solution approaches c only asymptotically. The relativistic expansion of a gaseous disk is analyzed as an example.

Canuto, V.↗