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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 721 records · Page 40
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2013

Characterization of Aerodynamic Interactions with the Mars Science Laboratory Reaction Control System Using Computation and Experiment

On August 5 , 2012, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) entry capsule successfully entered Mars' atmosphere and landed the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater. The capsule used a reaction control system (RCS) consisting of four pairs of hydrazine thrusters to fly a guided entry. The RCS provided bank control to fly along a flight path commanded by an onboard computer and also damped unwanted rates due to atmospheric disturbances and any dynamic instabilities of the capsule. A preliminary assessment of the MSL's flight data from entry showed that the capsule flew much as predicted. This paper will describe how the MSL aerodynamics team used engineering analyses, computational codes and wind tunnel testing in concert to develop the RCS system and certify it for flight. Over the course of MSL's development, the RCS configuration underwent a number of design iterations to accommodate mechanical constraints, aeroheating concerns and excessive aero/RCS interactions. A brief overview of the MSL RCS configuration design evolution is provided. Then, a brief description is presented of how the computational predictions of RCS jet interactions were validated. The primary work to certify that the RCS interactions were acceptable for flight was centered on validating computational predictions at hypersonic speeds. A comparison of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions to wind tunnel force and moment data gathered in the NASA Langley 31-Inch Mach 10 Tunnel was the lynch pin to validating the CFD codes used to predict aero/RCS interactions. Using the CFD predictions and experimental data, an interaction model was developed for Monte Carlo analyses using 6-degree-of-freedom trajectory simulation. The interaction model used in the flight simulation is presented.

Schoenenberger, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2017

Reconfigurable Model Execution in the OpenMDAO Framework

NASA's OpenMDAO framework facilitates constructing complex models and computing their derivatives for multidisciplinary design optimization. Decomposing a model into components that follow a prescribed interface enables OpenMDAO to assemble multidisciplinary derivatives from the component derivatives using what amounts to the adjoint method, direct method, chain rule, global sensitivity equations, or any combination thereof, using the MAUD architecture. OpenMDAO also handles the distribution of processors among the disciplines by hierarchically grouping the components, and it automates the data transfer between components that are on different processors. These features have made OpenMDAO useful for applications in aircraft design, satellite design, wind turbine design, and aircraft engine design, among others. This paper presents new algorithms for OpenMDAO that enable reconfigurable model execution. This concept refers to dynamically changing, during execution, one or more of: the variable sizes, solution algorithm, parallel load balancing, or set of variables-i.e., adding and removing components, perhaps to switch to a higher-fidelity sub-model. Any component can reconfigure at any point, even when running in parallel with other components, and the reconfiguration algorithm presented here performs the synchronized updates to all other components that are affected. A reconfigurable software framework for multidisciplinary design optimization enables new adaptive solvers, adaptive parallelization, and new applications such as gradient-based optimization with overset flow solvers and adaptive mesh refinement. Benchmarking results demonstrate the time savings for reconfiguration compared to setting up the model again from scratch, which can be significant in large-scale problems. Additionally, the new reconfigurability feature is applied to a mission profile optimization problem for commercial aircraft where both the parametrization of the mission profile and the time discretization are adaptively refined, resulting in computational savings of roughly 10% and the elimination of oscillations in the optimized altitude profile.

Hwang, John T.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Innovative and Recyclable Thermoplastic Wind Turbine Blades

Currently, nearly all utility-scale wind turbine blades are manufactured using traditional thermoset resin systems such as epoxy, polyester, or vinyl ester. Decommissioned thermoset blades cannot easily or economically be recycled at the end of life, with the vast majority of them ending up in landfills. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are working to change that.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Early GRB afterglows from reverse shocks in ultra-relativistic, long-lasting winds

We develop a model of early Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) afterglows with dominant X-ray contribution from the reverse shock (RS) propagating in highly relativistic (Lorentz factor γ{sub w} ∼ 10{sup 6}) magnetized wind of a long-lasting central engine. The model reproduces, in a fairly natural way, the overall trends and yet allows for variations in the temporal and spectral evolution of early optical and X-ray afterglows. The high energy and the optical synchrotron emission from the RS particles occurs in the fast cooling regime; the resulting synchrotron power L{sub s} is a large fraction of the wind luminosity, L{sub s}≈L{sub w}/√(1+σ{sub w}) (L{sub w} and σ{sub w} are wind power and magnetization). Thus, plateaus—parts of afterglow light curves that show slowly decreasing spectral power—are a natural consequence of the RS emission. Contribution from the forward shock (FS) is negligible in the X-rays, but in the optical both FS and RS contribute similarly: FS optical emission is in the slow cooling regime, producing smooth components, while RS optical emission is in the fast cooling regime, and thus can both produce optical plateaus and account for fast optical variability correlated with the X-rays, e.g., due to changes in the wind properties. We discuss how the RS emission in the X-rays and combined FS and RS emission in the optical can explain many puzzling properties of early GRB afterglows.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Current State of Additive Manufacturing in Wind Energy Systems

Wind power is an inexhaustible form of energy that is being captured throughout the U.S. to power the engine of our economy. A robust, domestic wind industry promises to increase U.S. industry growth and competitiveness, strengthen U.S. energy security independence, and promote domestic manufacturing nationwide. As of 2016, ~82GW of wind capacity had been installed, and wind power now provides more than 5.5% of the nation’s electricity and supports more than 100,000 domestic jobs, including 500 manufacturing facilities in 43 States. To reach the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) 2015 Wind Vision study scenario of wind power serving 35% of the nation's end-use demand by 2050, significant advances are necessary in all areas of wind technologies and market. An area that can greatly impact the cost and rate of innovation in wind technologies is the use of advanced manufacturing, with one of the most promising areas being additive manufacturing (AM). Considering the tremendous promise offered by advanced manufacturing, it is the purpose of this report to identify the use of AM in the production and operation of wind energy systems. The report has been produced as a collaborative effort for the DOE Wind Energy Technology Office (WETO), between Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2019

NREL's Balance-of-System Cost Model for Land-Based Wind

NREL's Land-based Balance of System Systems Engineering (LandBOSSE) model is a tool for modeling the balance of system (BOS) costs of land-based wind plants. BOS costs currently account for approximately 30% of the capital expenditures needed to install a land-based wind plant and include all costs associated with installing a wind plant, such as permitting, labor, material, and equipment costs associated with site preparation, foundation construction, electrical infrastructure, and tower installation. NREL developed LandBOSSE after identifying a need for a hybrid of process-based and empirically derived model that can provide flexibility for assessing wind plant BOS costs at a system level. NREL's prior BOS models have relied on empirical fits of legacy industry data, which limit their predictive ability. LandBOSSE, however, was designed to help users explore tradeoffs between innovative design scenarios while balancing the level of detail and speed required for model execution. The model was developed using a hybrid of process-based and empirically derived methods to create a modular model design that will allow for updates as wind energy technology evolves. The goal of LandBOSSE is to allow researchers, analysts, wind power developers, government agencies, and the public to explore how BOS may vary for different wind plant designs.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2006

IIP Update: A Packaged Coherent Doppler Wind Lidar Transceiver. Doppler Aerosol WiNd Lidar (DAWN)

The state-of-the-art 2-micron coherent Doppler wind lidar breadboard at NASA/LaRC will be engineered and compactly packaged consistent with future aircraft flights. The packaged transceiver will be integrated into a coherent Doppler wind lidar system test bed at LaRC. Atmospheric wind measurements will be made to validate the packaged technology. This will greatly advance the coherent part of the hybrid Doppler wind lidar solution to the need for global tropospheric wind measurements.

Kavaya, Michael J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

New England Aqua Ventus I: 100% Hull Design (Final Technical Report)

This report serves as the final technical report for the US Department of Energy (DOE) award DE-EE0006713 (Award 6713). The project is titled “New England Aqua Ventus I Offshore Wind Advanced Technology Demonstration Project 100% Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED)”. The New England Aqua Ventus I (NEAV) project demonstrates a unique prestressed concrete semi-submersible floating hull technology, called VolturnUS. The technology is applicable to harness nearly 60% of the US offshore wind resource within 50 miles of the coast. The hull will be demonstrated at full-scale with a commercial scale wind turbine connected to the grid in the Northeast US off Monhegan Island, Maine for 20 years.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

New Developments in Retropropulsion Testing for Mars Entry, Descent and Landing

NASA’s plans for landing human-scale payloads on Mars in the next decade require that retrorockets be used to decelerate the atmospheric entry vehicle continuously from supersonic conditions through soft touchdown. Conventional Mars entry vehicle architectures that include a single parachute for supersonic-to-subsonic descent are not scalable to the sizes needed to land humans on Mars (~20 metric tons). The major aerosciences risks are the uncertainties in predicting aerodynamic stability and performance during powered free-flight and landing. These risks are influenced partially by current limitations in relevant data and testing methods. Consequently, trajectory simulations currently depend on unvalidated powered descent and landing aerodynamics models. NASA engineers have identified gaps in testing methods that, if addressed, would improve the ability to validate these models. There are gaps in capabilities to test multi-engine hot-gas retropropulsion systems in US wind tunnels. This is partially due to the successful use of parachutes as decelerators for human spaceflight at Earth and for the entire Mars lander program to date. Retropulsion test data historically and to this day are limited to using high pressure air jets, at comparatively low temperatures,as engine plume simulants on subscale wind tunnel models. Additionally, the ability to directly measure aerodynamic interference force and moments is limited by existing flow-through balance capabilities. This paper briefly covers historical and recent test data, and identifies new ground test techniques as a means to provide more relevant test data for powered flight and landing aerodynamic model validation.These techniques include using heated inert gases as a substitute for combustion products, additively manufactured 6-component flow-through force and moment balances, and off-body quantitative diagnostic measurements.

Retropropulsion↗
DOE OSTI2012

Incipient Crack Detection in Composite Wind Turbine Blades

This paper presents some analysis results for incipient crack detection in a 9-meter CX-100 wind turbine blade that underwent fatigue loading to failure. The blade was manufactured to standard specifications, and it underwent harmonic excitation at its first resonance using a hydraulically-actuated excitation system until reaching catastrophic failure. This work investigates the ability of an ultrasonic guided wave approach to detect incipient damage prior to the surfacing of a visible, catastrophic crack. The blade was instrumented with piezoelectric transducers, which were used in an active, pitchcatch mode with guided waves over a range of excitation frequencies. The performance results in detecting incipient crack formation in the fiberglass skin of the blade is assessed over the range of frequencies in order to determine the point at which the incipient crack became detectable. Higher excitation frequencies provide consistent results for paths along the rotor blade's carbon fiber spar cap, but performance falls off with increasing excitation frequencies for paths off of the spar cap. Lower excitation frequencies provide more consistent performance across all sensor paths.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-Fidelity Modeling of a Type-5 Wind Turbine Gearbox (Intern Technical Presentation) (Poster)

Type-5 wind turbines are unique in their use of a permanent magnet synchronous generator, as well as their use of a hydraulic torque converter. This architecture presents an opportunity to provide steady and grid-ready energy without the need for a power converter. With infrastructure continuity and reliability being an important topic amongst renewable energies, researchers have been prompted to further investigate the benefits of type-5 turbines’ unique electromechanical configuration on stable electricity generation. Researchers involved in the WindSG project, SG standing for synchronous generator, are aiming to model a type-5 turbine using Real Time Digital Simulation (RTDS) to evaluate its efficacy in the grid. RSCAD, the software run on the RTDS, comes pre-loaded with electrical and electromechanical components to help simulate electrical generation and grid conditions. However, within this repertoire there is a lack of a component to represent a gearbox with high-fidelity. Within RSCAD’s case studies, the gearbox is often represented simply by a gear ratio value. This presented the task of developing a high-fidelity gearbox model in RSCAD for use in the larger RTDS type-5 wind turbine model. This presentation describes a method of developing a lumped parameter mathematical model to represent a planetary-parallel-parallel gearbox in RSCAD for use in RTDS.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Curled-Skewed Wakes behind Yawed Wind Turbines Subject to Veered Inflow

This work presents a new engineering analytical model that predicts the effect of both the turbine yaw misalignment and the inflow wind veer on the wake flow distribution downwind of a wind turbine. To consider the veered inflow, two methods were examined. In the first method, the curled shape of the wake due to the yaw offset is initially modelled. The wake shape is then laterally skewed at each height due to the wind veer based on the assumption that the turbine wake is transported downstream by the incoming flow. The second method is a more realistic approach that accounts for the effect of wind veer on the wind velocity direction and the yaw angle seen by the wind turbine. This models the wake region in a local coordinate system defined based on the wind direction at each height. A coordinate transformation is then performed to represent the wake flow distribution in the global coordinate system attached to the ground. The results show that while the two methods provide similar outputs for small variations in the wind direction across the rotor, the difference becomes more evident with an increase in wind veer. High-fidelity simulations for a turbine subject to a neutral atmospheric boundary layer were employed to validate model predictions for different operating conditions.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1983

Compiling the space shuttle wind tunnel data base: An exercise in technical and managerial innovators

Engineers evaluating Space Shuttle flight data and performance results are using a massive data base of wind tunnel test data. A wind tunnel test data base of the magnitude attained is a major accomplishment. The Apollo program spawned an automated wind tunnel data analysis system called SADSAC developed by the Chrysler Space Division. An improved version of this system renamed DATAMAN was used by Chrysler to document analyzed wind tunnel data and data bank the test data in standardized formats. These analysis documents, associated computer graphics and standard formatted data were disseminated nationwide to the Shuttle technical community. These outputs became the basis for substantiating and certifying the flight worthiness of the Space Shuttle and for improving future designs. As an aid to future programs this paper documents the lessons learned in compiling the massive wind tunnel test data base for developing the Space Shuttle. In particular, innovative managerial and technical concepts evolved in the course of conceiving and developing this successful DATAMAN system and the methods and organization for applying the system are presented.

Kemp, N. D.↗