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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 685 records · Page 38
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2010

Operation of a Giant Magnetoresistive (GMR) Digital Isolator, Type IL510, Under Extreme Temperatures

A relatively new type of signal isolation based on Giant Magnetoresistive (GMR) technology was investigated for potential use in harsh temperature environments. Operational characteristics of the 2Mbps single channel, IL510-Series commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) digital isolator chip was obtained under extreme temperature exposure and thermal cycling in the range of -190 C to +120 C. The isolator was evaluated in terms of its output signal delivery and stability, output rise (t(sub r)) and fall times (t(sub f)), and propagation delays at 50% level between input and output during low to high (t(sub PLH)) and high to low (t(sub PHL)) transitions. The device performed very well throughout the entire test temperature range as no significant changes occurred either in its function or in its output signal timing characteristics. The limited thermal cycling, which comprised of 12 cycles between -190 C and +120 C, also had no influence on its performance. In addition, the device packaging underwent no structural damage due to the extreme temperature exposure. These preliminary results indicate that this semiconductor chip has the potential for use in a temperature range that extends beyond its specified regime. Additional and more comprehensive testing, however, is required to establish its operation and reliability and to determine its suitability for long-term use in space exploration missions.

Patterson, Richard↗
NASA NTRS2009

Long Cable Deployments During Martian Touchdown: Lessons Learned

The launch of NASA/JPL's next generation Mars rover is planned for the fall of 2011. The landing scheme chosen for this rover represents a step forward in unmanned payload delivery. The rover will be lowered from a rocket powered descent stage and then placed onto the surface while hanging from three bridles. During this touchdown event, the communication between the rover and descent stage is maintained by an electrical umbilical cable which is deployed in parallel with the structural bridles. During the development of the deployment device for the electrical umbilical, many obstacles were identified and overcome. Many of these challenges were due in large part to the helical nature of the packing geometry of the umbilical cable. And although none of these issues resulted in the failure of the design, they increased both development and assembly time. Many of the issues and some of the benefits of a helical deployment were not immediately apparent during the trade studies carried out during the deployment selection process. Tests were conducted upon completion of the device in order to characterize both the deployment and separation characteristics of the cable. Extraction loads were needed for inputs to touchdown models and separation dynamics were required to assess cable-rover recontact risk. Understanding the pros and cons surrounding the deployment of a helically packed cable would most certainly influence the outcome of future trade studies surrounding the selection of cable deployment options.

Mars Science Lab↗
DOE OSTI2019

LED array and method for fabricating same

A light emitting device or array comprising a submount having a top surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of edges, with input and output terminals disposed on the top surface. A plurality of attach pads and traces are also disposed on the top surface and electrically connected between the input and output terminals. A plurality of LEDs are also included, each of which is mounted to one of the attach pads. The attach pads cover more of the top surface than the LEDs and spread heat from the LEDs to the top surface of the submount. A plurality of lenses are also included each of which is molded over a respective one of the attach pads and covers the LED mounted to the particular attach pad. The arrays are shaped and arranged so that they can be easily attached to similar arrays in a tiling fashion, with the desired number of arrays included to meet the desired lighting requirements. Methods for fabricating the arrays from a single submount or submounts panel are also disclosed.

Yuan, Thomas Cheng-Hsin↗
DOE OSTI2018

MODAL FREQUENCY TRACKING: Performance Analysis on Noisy Experimental Ground Test Data

Mechanical devices operating in an environment contaminated by noise, uncertainties, and extraneous disturbances lead to low signal-to-noise-ratios creating an extremely challenging signal processing problem—especially for on-line, realtime, in-flight application. In this report, we discuss a model-based approach to incorporate physical device features into a dynamic structure that can be used to perform on-line tracking of modal frequencies. The approach we take, after pre-processing the raw measurement data, is to obtain a representation of the structural device under test that captures its underlying response to a suite of excitations and operating conditions. One approach is to apply modern system identification techniques based on stochastic subspace methods capable of both: (1) identifying the underlying black-box structure enabling the extraction of structural modes that can be used for analysis; and (2) modal tracking under continued vibrational excitation as in a real-time, in-flight like environment. The vibrational signature of the structural device is measured directly using a suite of tri-axial accelerometers characterizing a multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) dynamic system. In this analysis, we have 15 tri-axial accelerometer measurements or 45 total output channels along with a single excitation also measured with a tri-axial accelerometer providing a 3-input system for processing. We initially describe the experiment and then briefly develop the necessary background in stochastic subspace realization, discuss the algorithm and apply it to the isolated structural device, first, characterized by the set of noisy MIMO accelerometer measurements extracting the modal model from the data (subspace identification), extract the unique modal frequencies (modal coordinate transformation), track their evolution (real-time tracker) to evaluate the overall performance of the processor. Next we evaluate processor performance when the structural device is incorporated into a flight vehicle for further performance analysis. We summarize the results and predict performance.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2017

Biomechanical Modeling Analysis of Loads Configuration for Squat Exercise

INTRODUCTION: Long duration space travel will expose astronauts to extended periods of reduced gravity. Since gravity is not present to assist loading, astronauts will use resistive and aerobic exercise regimes for the duration of the space flight to minimize loss of bone density, muscle mass and aerobic capacity that occurs during exposure to a reduced gravity environment. Unlike the International Space Station (ISS), the area available for an exercise device in the next generation of spacecraft for travel to the Moon or to Mars is limited and therefore compact resistance exercise device prototypes are being developed. The Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) currently on the ISS is being used as a benchmark for the functional performance of these new devices. Biomechanical data collection and computational modeling aid the device design process by quantifying the joint torques and the musculoskeletal forces that occur during exercises performed on the prototype devices. METHODS The computational models currently under development utilize the OpenSim [1] software platform, consisting of open source code for musculoskeletal modeling, using biomechanical input data from test subjects for estimation of muscle and joint loads. The OpenSim Full Body Model [2] is used for all analyses. The model incorporates simplified wrap surfaces, a new knee model and updated lower body muscle parameters derived from cadaver measurements and magnetic resonance imaging of young adults. The upper body uses torque actuators at the lumbar and extremity joints. The test subjects who volunteer for this study are instrumented with reflective markers for motion capture data collection while performing squat exercising on the Hybrid Ultimate Lifting Kit (HULK) prototype device (ZIN Technologies, Middleburg Heights, OH). Ground reaction force data is collected with force plates under the feet, and device loading is recorded through load cells internal to the HULK. Test variables include the applied device load and the dual cable long bar or single cable T-bar interface between the test subject and the device. Data is also obtained using free weights with the identical loading for a comparison to the resistively loaded exercise device trials. The data drives the OpenSim biomechanical model, which has been scaled to match the anthropometrics of the test subject, to calculate the body loads. RESULTS Lower body kinematics, joint moments, joint forces and muscle forces are obtained from the OpenSim biomechanical analysis of the squat exercises under different loading conditions. Preliminary results from the model for the loading conditions will be presented as will hypotheses developed for follow on work.

Human Factors Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2015

Combined Impact of Heterogeneous Lifetime and Gettering on Solar Cell Performance

We couple numerical process and device simulations to provide a framework for understanding the combined effects of as-grown wafer impurity distribution, processing parameters, and solar cell architecture. For this study, we added the Impurity-to-Efficiency simulator to Synopsys’ Sentaurus Process software using the Alagator Scripting Language. Our results quantify how advanced processing can eliminate differences in efficiency due to different as-grown impurity concentrations and due to different area fractions of defective wafer regions. We identify combinations of as-grown impurity distributions and process parameters that produce solar cells limited by point defects and those that are limited by precipitated impurities. Gettering targeted at either point defect or precipitate reduction can then be designed and applied to increase cell efficiency. We also visualize the post-processing iron and total recombination distributions in 2D maps of the wafer cross-section. PV researchers and companies can input their initial iron distributions and processing parameters into our software and couple the resulting process simulation results with a solar cell device design of interest to conduct their own analyses. The Alagator scripts we developed are freely available online at http://pv.mit.edu/impurity-to-efficiency-i2e-simulator-for-sentaurus-tcad/.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1967

Digital-to-analog converter operates from low level inputs

Circuit controls a voltage controlled oscillator from computer output binary data representing a rate at which the oscillator is to change. It operates with low level output devices such as integrated circuit registers and devices with somewhat variable output levels.

Winkelstein, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Optical multiple sample vacuum integrating sphere

An integrating sphere comprised of a uniform difusely reflecting spherical cavity, having mutually transverse input and output ports, and a linear sample transport mechanism is described. The sample transport mechanism is secured so that the multiple samples can be brought into registration with the input port, one at a time, without having to open or disassemble the apparatus when a change of sample is desired. A vacuum tight seal is provided between the cavity and the transport mechanism. This maintains the integrity of a vacuum generated with the sphere when attached to the source of optical energy. The device is utilized to test emissive characteristics such as the relative fluorescence quantum efficiency of a dye sample placed in the path of a monochromatic optical energy source coupled to the input port while having a light detector coupled to the output port.

Butner, C. L.↗
NASA NTRS2014

HgCdTe e-APD Detector Arrays with Single Photon Sensitivity for Space Lidar Applications

A multi-element HgCdTe electron initiated avalanche photodiode (e-APD) array has been developed for space lidar applications. The detector array was fabricated with 4.3-μm cutoff HgCdTe which covered a spectral response from 0.4 to 4.3 μm. We have characterized a 4x4 detector array with 80 μm square elements and an integrated custom cryogenic silicon read-out integrated circuit (ROIC). The device operated at 77K inside a small closed-cycle Dewar. Measurements showed a unity gain quantum efficiency of about 90% at 1.55 μm. The bulk dark current of the HgCdTe e-APD at 77K was less than 50,000 input referred electrons/s at 12 V APD bias where the APD gain was 620 and the measured noise equivalent power (NEP) was 0.4 fW/Hz1/2. The electrical bandwidth of the ROIC was about 6 MHz, which was chosen to match the laser pulse width of our CO2 lidar. Even with the relatively low bandwidth, the high APD gain and low dark current enabled the device to detect single photon events. Because the APD was biased below the break-down voltage, the detector output was linear with the input optical signal and there was no dead-time and afterpulsing. A new series of HgCdTe e-APDs are being developed with a much wider bandwidth ROIC and higher gain HgCdTe e-APD array, which is expected to give a much better performance in linear mode photon counting applications.

HgCdTe↗
NASA NTRS1988

Test data acquisition system for the ESTEC large solar simulator at ESA/ESTEC

A prototype data acquisition system is described. The device characteristics, its performance and the system aspects connected to the integration of the data acquisition system into the space simulator instrumentation and environment are discussed. The data acquisition system has a modular architecture and manifold configuration capability. The input characteristics feature high resolution and accuracy/stability for the measurement of low level (thermocouple originated) analog signals, even in the presence of high common mode and S/N figures. The output is serial digital, compatible with ESA data handling standards. The device is designed to be installed in particularly hostile environments, such as that of a solar simulator.

Buroni, G.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Pattern-Recognition Processor Using Holographic Photopolymer

proposed joint-transform optical correlator (JTOC) would be capable of operating as a real-time pattern-recognition processor. The key correlation-filter reading/writing medium of this JTOC would be an updateable holographic photopolymer. The high-resolution, high-speed characteristics of this photopolymer would enable pattern-recognition processing to occur at a speed three orders of magnitude greater than that of state-of-the-art digital pattern-recognition processors. There are many potential applications in biometric personal identification (e.g., using images of fingerprints and faces) and nondestructive industrial inspection. In order to appreciate the advantages of the proposed JTOC, it is necessary to understand the principle of operation of a conventional JTOC. In a conventional JTOC (shown in the upper part of the figure), a collimated laser beam passes through two side-by-side spatial light modulators (SLMs). One SLM displays a real-time input image to be recognized. The other SLM displays a reference image from a digital memory. A Fourier-transform lens is placed at its focal distance from the SLM plane, and a charge-coupled device (CCD) image detector is placed at the back focal plane of the lens for use as a square-law recorder. Processing takes place in two stages. In the first stage, the CCD records the interference pattern between the Fourier transforms of the input and reference images, and the pattern is then digitized and saved in a buffer memory. In the second stage, the reference SLM is turned off and the interference pattern is fed back to the input SLM. The interference pattern thus becomes Fourier-transformed, yielding at the CCD an image representing the joint-transform correlation between the input and reference images. This image contains a sharp correlation peak when the input and reference images are matched. The drawbacks of a conventional JTOC are the following: The CCD has low spatial resolution and is not an ideal square-law detector for the purpose of holographic recording of interference fringes. A typical state-of-the-art CCD has a pixel-pitch limited resolution of about 100 lines/mm. In contrast, the holographic photopolymer to be used in the proposed JTOC offers a resolution > 2,000 lines/mm. In addition to being disadvantageous in itself, the low resolution of the CCD causes overlap of a DC term and the desired correlation term in the output image. This overlap severely limits the correlation signal-to-noise ratio. The two-stage nature of the process limits the achievable throughput rate. A further limit is imposed by the low frame rate (typical video rates) of low- and medium-cost commercial CCDs.

Chao, Tien-Hsin↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spectral Efficiency and Tandem Performance Calculators [SWR-24-92]

The Spectral Efficiency and Tandem Performance Calculators allow users to test material types for use in tandem photovoltaic devices to better understand if a given material could work well. The Spectral Efficiency (SE) calculator takes a set of current vs voltage (I-V) and quantum efficiency (QE) data along with a spectrum input and plots the spectral efficiency of the cells represented by the datasets for the spectrum provided. The Tandem Performance calculator uses the calculated spectral efficiency of top and bottom cells and the transmission data of the top cell to calculate performance metrics for a tandem device in either a two or four terminal architecture. The SE and Tandem Performance calculators are based on the following publication: Yu, Z., Leilaeioun, M. & Holman, Z. Selecting tandem partners for silicon solar cells. Nat Energy 1, 16137 (2016).

Warren, Emily↗
DOE OSTI2025

OPET Hardware (Open PV Electrical Tool Hardware) [SWR-25-42]

OPET (Open-source Photovoltaic Electrical Tool) is used for performance measurements of solar photovoltaic (PV) devices in the field under natural sunlight or in the lab under artificial light. Its primary use is in research and development of solar cells and modules, specifically in reliability and durability research of PV devices. Some features and functions include: -IV curve measurements with linear or cosine distributed measurement points -PV device active loading at open circuit voltage (Voc), short circuit current (Isc) and maximum power point (Pmp) -Bias power supply to overcome series resistance in contact wires for Isc measurements and loading -PV voltage input in five ranges from 1V to 100V -PV current input ranges -Low current version, six current ranges from 1.1mA to 340mA -High current version, six current ranges from 50mA to 15A -IO ports for I2C and SPI temperature sensor Arduino extension boards -Integrated fan control This repository contains everything relating to the hardware of the OPET device. If you are looking for the firmware or software repositories, links are below: https://github.com/NREL/opet-firmware https://github.com/NREL/opet-control

McDanold, Byron [National Renewable Energy Laborat↗
DOE OSTI2017

Off-resonant Raman quantum memory in impurity crystals: signal-to-noise ratio analysis

The possibility of implementing an off-resonant Raman scheme of optical quantum memory on the basis of an ensemble of three-level atoms is investigated under the condition of equal polarisations of resonant transitions forming the Λ-scheme. The developed model is used to analyse the signal-to-noise ratio at the output of an optical quantum memory device in {sup 143}Nd{sup 3+} : Y {sup 7}LiF{sub 4}. It is shown that this ratio can significantly exceed unity for single-photon input pulses. The required values of the parameters can be obtained by using an impurity crystal in the form of a whispering-gallery mode ring resonator. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Graph decomposition techniques for solving combinatorial optimization problems with variational quantum algorithms

The quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) has the potential to approximately solve complex combinatorial optimization problems in polynomial time. However, current noisy quantum devices cannot solve large problems due to hardware constraints. In this work, we develop an algorithm that decomposes the QAOA input problem graph into a smaller problem and solves MaxCut using QAOA on the reduced graph. The algorithm requires a subroutine that can be classical or quantum—in this work, we implement the algorithm twice on each graph. One implementation uses the classical solver Gurobi in the subroutine and the other uses QAOA. We solve these reduced problems with QAOA. On average, the reduced problems require only approximately 1/10 of the number of vertices than the original MaxCut instances. Furthermore, the average approximation ratio of the original MaxCut problems is 0.75, while the approximation ratios of the decomposed graphs are on average of 0.96 for both Gurobi and QAOA. With this decomposition, we are able to measure optimal solutions for ten 100-vertex graphs by running single-layer QAOA circuits on the Quantinuum trapped-ion quantum computer H1-1, sampling each circuit only 500 times. This approach is best suited for sparse, particularly k-regular graphs, as k-regular graphs on n vertices can be decomposed into a graph with at most $\frac{nk}{k+1}$ vertices in polynomial time. Further reductions can be obtained with a potential trade-off in computational time. In conclusion, while this paper applies the decomposition method to the MaxCut problem, it can be applied to more general classes of combinatorial optimization problems.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1972

Proximity effect between superconductivity and normal metals

The SNS junctions were limited to having gold (n) layers of less than 3000 A in order to avoid having the tin (S) films become normal under the influence of the signal current in the gold. The gold layer was alloyed with 10 wt% copper to shorten its electronic mean free path, increasing the tin layer critical current while decreasing the Josephson critical current. It was also found that a previously reported anomalous voltage shift in the presence of I2 is caused by the tin being driven normal. After deposition, the samples were transferred to a conventional cryostat to provide better thermal contact to the films. This reduction of heating in the films produced more linear I-V characteristics and a change in the constant voltage current gain. In order to achieve power gain the SNS device must be operated at lower temperatures were the effects of fluctuations are less and be constructed such that the input resistance is much reduced and the dynamic output resistance increased. A geometry is proposed using a more sophisticated evaporator.

Meissner, H.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Binary selectable detector holdoff circuit: Design, testing, and application

A very high speed switching circuit, part of a laser radar data acquisition system, has been designed and tested. The primary function of this circuit was to provide computer controlled switching of photodiode detector preamplifier power supply voltages, typically less than plus or minus 20 volts, in approximately 10 nanoseconds. Thus, in actual use, detector and/or detector preamplifier damage can be avoided as a result of sudden extremely large values of backscattered radiation being detected, such as might be due to short range, very thin atmospheric dust layers. Switching of the power supply voltages was chosen over direct switching the photodiode detector input to the preamplifier, based on system noise considerations. Also, the circuit provides a synchronized trigger pulse output for triggering devices such as the Biomation Model 8100 100 MHz analog to digital converter.

Kadrmas, K. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

A digital mixer, part 2

A study was made to determine the characteristic response of D flip-flop digital logic units used as mixing devices for telemetry applications. The D flip-flop is shown to perform the mixing operation under a variety of input frequency conditions. The output signal is a rectangular wave whose long term average frequency is the desired difference frequency. The output signal contains frequency jitter which is a function of the relationship between the two input frequencies. The seriousness of the jitter depends on the application.

Honnell, M. A.↗