Improvements in electronic component testing
Inspection and quality control of NASA vehicle and space booster designs
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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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Inspection and quality control of NASA vehicle and space booster designs
Test stand for measurement of forces and moments from thrust vector controlled rocket, analyzing dynamic characteristics of hydrostatic supports
Capabilities of existing structural and gas dynamics test facilities for space shuttle structural development
The paper describes a helium heater to be used to conduct non-nuclear demonstration tests of the complete power conversion loop for a direct-cycle gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plant. Requirements for the heater include: heating the helium to a 1500 F temperature, operating at a 1000 psia helium pressure, providing a thermal response capability and helium volume similar to that of the nuclear reactor, and a total heater system helium pressure drop of not more than 15 psi. The unique compact heater system design proposed consists of 18 heater modules; air preheaters, compressors, and compressor drive systems; an integral control system; piping; and auxiliary equipment. The heater modules incorporate the dual-concentric-tube 'Variflux' heat exchanger design which provides a controlled heat flux along the entire length of the tube element. The heater design as proposed will meet all system requirements. The heater uses pressurized combustion (50 psia) to provide intensive heat transfer, and to minimize furnace volume and heat storage mass.
Construction details and operating characteristics are described for the thermopile (used in the solar and fixed-Earth channels) and the pyroelectric detector (used in the Earth-scanning channels) carried on the Nimbus 6 and the Nimbus 7 satellites for gathering Earth radiation budget data. Properties of the black coating for the detectors, and sensor testing and calibration are discussed.
The fringe type laser anemometer is analyzed using the Cramer-Rao bound for the variance of the estimate of the Doppler frequency as a figure of merit. Mie scattering theory is used to calculate the Doppler signal wherein both the amplitude and phase of the scattered light are taken into account. The noise from wall scatter is calculated using the wall bidirectional reflectivity and the irradiance of the incident beams. A procedure is described to determine the optimum aperture mask for the probe volume located a given distance from a wall. The expected performance of counter type processors is also discussed in relation to the Cramer-Rao bound. Numerical examples are presented for a coaxial backscatter anemometer.
The fringe type laser anemometer is analyzed using the Cramer-Rao bound for the variance of the estimate of the Doppler frequency as a figure of merit. Mie scattering theory is used to calculate the Doppler signal wherein both the amplitude and phase of the scattered light are taken into account. The noise from wall scatter is calculated using the wall bidirectional reflectivity and the irradiance of the incident beams. A procedure is described to determine the optimum aperture mask for the probe volume located a given distance from a wall. The expected performance of counter type processors is also discussed in relation to the Cramer-Rao bound. Numerical examples are presented for a coaxial backscatter anemometer. Previously announced in STAR as N84-25019
An integrated exhaust gas analysis system was designed and installed in the hot-section facility at the Lewis Research Center. The system is designed to operate either manually or automatically and also to be operated from a remote station. The system measures oxygen, water vapor, total hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxides of nitrogen. Two microprocessors control the system and the analyzers, collect data and process them into engineering units, and present the data to the facility computers and the system operator. Within the design of this system there are innovative concepts and procedures that are of general interest and application to other gas analysis tasks.
As part of the RL10 Rocket Engine Product Improvement Program, Oxidizer Heat Exchanger (OHE) stages 1, 2, and 3 were designed and fabricated during late 1983 and early 1984. The purpose of the OHE is to provide gaseous oxygen to the propellant injector for stable engine operation at tank head idle and pumped idle operating modes. This report summarizes the OHE stages 1 and 3 rig testing, and includes the separation of the stage 1-and-2 assembly and the remanifolding of stage 1. The OHE performance analysis and analytical model modifications for both stages are also presented. The flow tests were accomplished during the time period from 9 October 1984 to 12 November 1984.
This effort summarizes the work performed on a steam cooled, rich-burn primary zone, variable geometry combustor designed for combustion of nitrogeneous fuels such as heavy oils or synthetic crude oils. The steam cooling was employed to determine its feasibility and assess its usefulness as part of a ground based gas turbine bottoming cycle. Variable combustor geometry was employed to demonstrate its ability to control primary and secondary zone equivalence ratios and overall pressure drop. Both concepts proved to be highly successful in achieving their desired objectives. The steam cooling reduced peak liner temperatures to less than 800 K. This low temperature offers the potential of both long life and reduced use of strategic materials for liner fabrication. These degrees of variable geometry were successfully employed to control air flow distribution within the combustor. A variable blade angle axial flow air swirler was used to control primary zone air flow, while the secondary and tertiary zone air flows were controlled by rotating bands which regulated air flow to the secondary zone quench holes and the dilutions holes respectively.
Dynamic model verification is the process whereby an analytical model of a dynamic system is compared with experimental data, adjusted if necessary to bring it into agreement with the data, and then qualified for future use in predicting system response in a different dynamic environment. These are various ways to conduct model verification. The approach taken here employs Bayesian statistical parameter estimation. Unlike curve fitting, whose objective is to minimize the difference between some analytical function and a given quantity of test data (or curve), Bayesian estimation attempts also to minimize the difference between the parameter values of that funciton (the model) and their initial estimates, in a least squares sense. The objectives of dynamic model verification, therefore, are to produce a model which: (1) is in agreement with test data; (2) will assist in the interpretation of test data; (3) can be used to help verify a design; (4) will reliably predict performance; and (5) in the case of space structures, will facilitate dynamic control.
The RL10-IIB engine, is capable of multimode thrust operation. The engine operates at two low-thrust levels: tank head idle (THI), approximately 1 to 2 percent of full thrust; and pumped idle, 10 percent of full thrust. Operation at THI provides vehicle propellant settling thrust and efficient thermal conditioning; PI operation provides vehicle tank prepressurization and maneuver thrust for low-g deployment. Stable combustion of the RL10-IIB engine during the low-thrust operating modes can be accomplished by using a heat exchanger to supply gaseous oxygen to the propellant injector. The oxidized heat exchanger (OHE) vaporizes the liquid oxygen using hydrogen as the energy source. This report summarizes the test activity and post-test data analysis for two possible heat exchangers, each of which employs a completely different design philosophy. One design makes use of a low-heat transfer (PHT) approach in combination with a volume to attenuate pressure and flow oscillations. The test data showed that the LHT unit satisfied the oxygen exit quality of 0.95 or greater in both the THI and PI modes while maintaining stability. The HHT unit fulfilled all PI requirements; data for THI satisfactory operation is implied from experimental data that straddle the exact THI operating point.
The evolution of one of the new generation of test sets developed for the Solid Rocket Booster of the U.S. Space Transportation System. Requirements leading to factory checkout of the test set are explained, including the evolution from manual to semiautomated toward fully automated status. Individual improvements in the built-in test equipment, self-calibration, and software flexibility are addressed, and the insertion of fault detection to improve reliability is discussed.
The development of a high-performance, lightweight space photovoltaic concentrator array is described. The array is the first space photovoltaic concentrator system to use a refractive optical concentrator in the form of a dome-shaped, point-focus, Fresnel lens. In addition, it is the first such concentrator system to utilize prismatic cell covers to eliminate gridline obscuration losses. By combining these array features with state-of-the-art gallium arsenide cell technology, array areal power values (in watts per square meter) well in excess of present space power system levels are anticipated. In addition, the array has the potential for extremely high specific power values (in watts per kilogram).
The anticipated high cost of the 8500 psi cryogenic and 15,000 psi gas piping systems used in the CTF at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center led to the consideration of high-strength materials for these piping systems. Based on years of satisfactory service using austenitic stainless steels in cryogenic applications, particularly for hydrogen service, consideration was limited to the austenitic stainless steels. Attention was focused on alternatives to the 304/304L grades of stainless steel traditionally used in these applications. This paper discusses the various considerations that resulted in the decision to continue using 304/304L for the cryogenic piping and the selection of the nitrogen-strengthened 21Cr-6Ni-9Mn alloy (UNS S21903) for the high-pressure gas systems at the CTF.
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Contents include the following: James Webb Space Telescope/Integrated Science Instrument Module (JWST/ISIM) Overview. ISIM Thermal Verification Requirements. Emittance Test Objectives. Cryochamber Design Requirements. Cryochamber Construction. Emittance Test Sample Selection and Configuration. Error Sources and Error Mitigation. Cryochamber Operation. Cryochamber and Emittance Sample Test Results.
This viewgraph presentation provides information on the design, construction, and operation of a cryogenic chamber, and its use in testing the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).