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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 757 records · Page 42

A mission to Mercury and a mission to the moons of Mars

Two Advanced Design Projects were completed this academic year at Penn State - a mission to the planet Mercury and a mission to the moons of Mars (Phobos and Deimos). At the beginning of the fall semester the students were organized into six groups and given their choice of missions. Once a mission was chosen, the students developed conceptual designs. These designs were then evaluated at the end of the fall semester and combined into two separate mission scenarios. To facilitate the work required for each mission, the class was reorganized in the spring semester by combining groups to form two mission teams. An integration team consisting of two members from each group was formed for each mission team so that communication and exchange of information would be easier among the groups. The types of projects designed by the students evolved from numerous discussions with Penn State faculty and mission planners at the Lewis Research Center Advanced Projects Office. Robotic planetary missions throughout the solar system can be considered valuable precursors to human visits and test beds for innovative technology. For example, by studying the composition of the Martian moons, scientists may be able to determine if their resources may be used or synthesized for consumption during a first human visit.

Source record↗

Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) 22-Inch Low Noise Research Fan Rig Preliminary Design of ADP-Type Fan 3

This report presents results of the work completed on the preliminary design of Fan 3 of NASA s 22-inch Fan Low Noise Research project. Fan 3 was intended to build on the experience gained from Fans 1 and 2 by demonstrating noise reduction technology that surpasses 1992 levels by 6 dB. The work was performed as part of NASA s Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) program. Work on this task was conducted in the areas of CFD code validation, acoustic prediction and validation, rotor parametric studies, and fan exit guide vane (FEGV) studies up to the time when a NASA decision was made to cancel the design, fabrication and testing phases of the work. The scope of the program changed accordingly to concentrate on two subtasks: (1) Rig data analysis and CFD code validation and (2) Fan and FEGV optimization studies. The results of the CFD code validation work showed that this tool predicts 3D flowfield features well from the blade trailing edge to about a chord downstream. The CFD tool loses accuracy as the distance from the trailing edge increases beyond a blade chord. The comparisons of noise predictions to rig test data showed that both the tone noise tool and the broadband noise tool demonstrated reasonable agreement with the data to the degree that these tools can reliably be used for design work. The section on rig airflow and inlet separation analysis describes the method used to determine total fan airflow, shows the good agreement of predicted boundary layer profiles to measured profiles, and shows separation angles of attack ranging from 29.5 to 27deg for the range of airflows tested. The results of the rotor parametric studies were significant in leading to the decision not to pursue a new rotor design for Fan 3 and resulted in recommendations to concentrate efforts on FEGV stator designs. The ensuing parametric study on FEGV designs showed the potential for 8 to 10 EPNdB noise reduction relative to the baseline.

Jeracki, Robert J.↗

Preliminary design notes on a low F-number EMR

Conceptual design studies were completed on a new Electrostatic Membrane Reflector, EMR. This new model incorporates both a preformed, curved membrane reflector and membrane control surface. This improved model is the second step toward a high precision large space antenna that could eventually exhibit a performance in terms of aperture diameter to surface quality exceeding 1,000,000. Design trades indicate that the goal of a low ratio of focal length to aperture diameter (f sub n) can be achieved while operating in a humid sea-level environment. A nominal surface quality of 1.0 mm (RMS) is possible using available off-the-shelf commercial membranes. Both the membrane reflector and control electrode surface are fabricated from 12 gore segments and attached to the available 12 sided, 4.88 m diameter rim. The preferred conceptual design has a f sub n = 1.0. The 4.88 m aperture is performed with a centerline displacement of 0.306 m. The nominal spacing between the membrane reflector and the electrode control surface is 50.8 mm. The centerline membrane displacement from its performed to its tensioned, smooth shape is about 3 mm. The membrane tensioning is achieved by application of an electrostatic pressure of 2.6 N/sq cm and a voltage of about 38 kV.

Mihora, D. J.↗

Design and development of a fast ion mass spectrometer

Two Fast Ion Mass Spectrometers (FIMS A and FIMS B) were developed. The design, development, construction, calibration, integration, and flight of these instruments, along with early results from the data analysis efforts are summarized. A medium energy ion mass spectrometer that covers mass velocity space with significantly higher time resolution, improved mass resolution, (particularly for heavier ions), and wider energy range than existing instruments had achieved was completed. The initial design consisted of a dual channel cylindrical electrostatic analyzer followed by a dual channel cylindrical velocity filter. The gain versus count rate characteristics of the high current channel electron multipliers (CEM's), which were chosen for ion detection, revealed a systematic behavior that can be used as a criterion for selection of CEM's for long counting lifetimes.

Burch, J. L.↗

Flight Servicing of Robotic Refueling Mission 3

The Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3) payload launched aboard a SpaceX rocket en route to the International Space Station on December 5th, 2018. The Goddard Space Flight Center designed payload carried approximately 50 liters of liquid methane onboard, with a mission to demonstrate long term storage and transfer of the cryogenic fluid in microgravity. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) was tasked to design, fabricate, test, and operate a system equipped to fill an RRM3 dewar with liquid methane prior to launch. Though KSC has a rich history of fueling rockets and payloads, no such operations had previously been accomplished using liquid methane. As such, all of the hardware and processes had to be developed from scratch. The completed ground system design, along with the verification and validation testing will be outlined in this paper. Several challenges that were met and overcome during procurement of the high purity methane are described. In addition, budget restrictions prohibited fueling operations from occurring in traditional processing facilities. The unique and creative solutions which were required to maintain payload cleanliness during cryogenic servicing are also detailed.

Cryogenics↗

Flight Servicing of Robotic Refueling Mission 3

The Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3) payload launched aboard a SpaceX rocket en route to the International Space Station on December 5th, 2018. The Goddard Space Flight Center designed payload carried approximately 50 liters of liquid methane onboard, with a mission to demonstrate long term storage and transfer of the cryogenic fluid in microgravity. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) was tasked to design, fabricate, test, and operate a system equipped to fill an RRM3 dewar with liquid methane prior to launch. Though KSC has a rich history of fueling rockets and payloads, no such operations had previously been accomplished using liquid methane. As such, all of the hardware and processes had to be developed from scratch. The completed ground system design, along with the verification and validation testing will be outlined in this paper. Several challenges that were met and overcome during procurement of the high purity methane are described. In addition, budget restrictions prohibited fueling operations from occurring in traditional processing facilities. The unique and creative solutions which were required to maintain payload cleanliness during cryogenic servicing are also detailed.

Thermal Conductivity↗

Flight Servicing of Robotic Refueling Mission 3

The Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3) payload launched aboard a SpaceX rocket en route to the International Space Station on December 5th, 2018. The Goddard Space Flight Center designed payload carried approximately 50 liters of liquid methane onboard, with a mission to demonstrate long term storage and transfer of the cryogenic fluid in microgravity. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) was tasked to design, fabricate, test, and operate a system equipped to fill an RRM3 dewar with liquid methane prior to launch. Though KSC has a rich history of fueling rockets and payloads, no such operations had previously been accomplished using liquid methane. As such, all of the hardware and processes had to be developed from scratch. The completed ground system design, along with the verification and validation testing will be outlined in this paper. Several challenges that were met and overcome during procurement of the high purity methane are described. In addition, budget restrictions prohibited fueling operations from occurring in traditional processing facilities. The unique and creative solutions which were required to maintain payload cleanliness during cryogenic servicing are also detailed.

Cryogenics↗

Carbondale Community Geothermal Coalition – Replicable Models for Decarbonizing Mixed-Use Rural Communities

The Carbondale Community Geothermal Coalition (CCGC) set out to prove that a fifth-generation geothermal district heating & cooling (5G GDHC) network can be technically feasible, cost-effective, and socially equitable for a small, mixed-use rural community. During Budget Period 1 (Planning & Design) the team: ● Completed a 449 ft thermal-response test confirming excellent ground conductivity (k = 1.69 Btu ft -1 hr -1 °F -1 ) and a benign 56.3 °F undisturbed temperature. Page 1 Final Technical Report for Award Number: DE-EE0010663 ● Built a fully calibrated digital twin (URBANopt → Modelica) for 240 k ft 2 of existing + future buildings. ● Designed a 75-borehole ambient-temperature loop (ATL) augmented by 75 solar-thermal panels, supplying 44 % of district heating and 100 % cooling in Stage-1. ● Produced retrofit bid-ready drawings for the Third Street Center and Second Street Townhomes. ● Reached > 200 community stakeholders and exceeded equity targets (46 % Hispanic/Latinx participation). ● Drafted a multi-tiered workforce plan aligned with Colorado Mountain College (Hispanic Serving Institution) and IGSHPA certifications.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

Seismic isolation: A pathway to standardized advanced nuclear reactors

Standardizing advanced nuclear reactors is a pathway to substantially reducing their overnight capital cost and achieving parity with other power sources, including renewables and fossil fuels. The seismic load case has thwarted standardization of nuclear power plants because site-specific seismic hazard and local near-surface geology has triggered soil-structure-interaction analysis, design, equipment qualification, regulatory review, and licensing, ensuring that each build is different. To achieve standardized or site-independent certified advanced reactor designs, the impact of the seismic load case on the engineering and construction cost and time must be substantially mitigated. Seismic isolation is a mature technology that has been used for more than 30 years in non-nuclear sectors to substantially reduce earthquake demands in buildings and other infrastructure. In this paper, seismic isolation is used to enable standardization of advanced reactor designs, aimed at the complete re-use of a site-independent, certified design and repeated procurement of safety-class equipment. A pathway to standardized designs using seismic isolation is demonstrated for two fundamentally different advanced reactors: a molten salt reactor and a high temperature gas reactor. Each reactor building is equipped with three specialized pieces of safety-class equipment, namely, a reactor vessel, a steam generator, and a control rod drive mechanism housing that is attached to the reactor head. Analysis is performed per ASCE and ASME standards to design the buildings and the equipment for two base conditions: conventional (fixed base) and base isolated. The impact of the seismic load case is characterized for the reinforced concrete walls in the buildings and for the equipment, measured using vessel wall thickness and horizontal accelerations. Here the analysis results show that the fixed-base buildings, designed for a site of low seismic hazard (peak ground acceleration, PGA = 0.15 g) could be constructed at a site of much greater seismic hazard (PGA = 0.7 g) if seismic base isolation is employed. Importantly, the scope of the site-specific analysis, design, and qualification would be limited to the seismic isolators and the isolated substructure, drastically reducing plant-specific engineering, review, and licensing, and time to construction start. Regulatory challenges and opportunities with standardized reactor designs are identified.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Short Circuit Detection and Voltage Sense for High Voltage Ionization Tube Power Supplies

Fermilab's PIP-II upgrade requires new rack-mounted power supplies for Beam Loss Monitor (BLM) ionization tubes compatible with the microTCA 4.1 standard, supporting high-side current measurement for short circuit detection, voltage sense telemetry, and low-side current measurement for beam loss readout. This work presents the design and preliminary schematic of such a supply. A resistive current sensing approach was chosen over inductive, optical, and Hall-effect alternatives for its independence from cable length and component availability. A 500 mΩ inline shunt steps the 2 kV common mode voltage down to roughly 70 V, producing a ~27 μV pulse during a short, which is amplified 500x, compared against a 14-bit DAC threshold, and latched to drive a fault line. Voltage sense steps the 2 kV output down at a 1V/1000V ratio, buffers it with a low bias current amplifier, and digitizes it via a 24-bit ADC over SPI. Onboard power is regulated from 12 V down to isolated 5 V and 3.3 V rails, with capacitive isolation on FPGA communication lines. Lumped parameter models were developed for the ionization tube (0.327 nF, 20 to 200 GΩ dynamic resistance) and the RG-58 coaxial cable to support the design. Component selection is complete and a preliminary schematic has been drawn in Altium Designer, forming the foundation for future prototyping and validation.

Yu, Kellen [Cornell U.]↗

Development of a flat cable system

A flat conductor cabling system for electrical/electronic interwiring is described. Six major items comprise the system: the cables, splices - one for flat cable to round wires and one for flat cable to flat cable; a series of flat cable connectors; the distributor, which is used for interconnecting the circuits; and a repair technique for the falt cable. Polyarylene, a new high performance melt-processable insulation material, permits the design of a completely standardized, modular flat conductor flat cable. The development of an advanced heat-shrinkable plastics technology involving the use of selectively bonded plastic film has resulted in the multiple termination module, used for making high-reliability sealed solder terminations to either flat conductor cable or round wires. All necessary tools and application equipment are included in the system design.

Neel, R. M.↗

Parameter adaptive control of multivariable systems

Model reference adaptive controllers for multivariable plants are designed using only input and output signals rather than the complete state vector. The design is based on Liapunov's direct method, and the Meyer-Kalman-Yacubovich lemma. State variable filters are employed to avoid differentiating output signals. Augmented error signals are used in deriving stable adaptive control laws which assure that the normally used response error signals approach zero asymptotically.

Monopoli, R. V.↗

The E3 combustors - Status and challenges

The technology programs for the Energy Efficient Engine (E3) combustors are outlined, status and test results to date are summarized, and present and future challenges indicated. The NASA-sponsored programs, which are being conducted at the General Electric Company and Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, are making important technology advances. Both combustor designs utilize an annular configuration with two-zone combustion for low emissions, advanced liners for improved durability, and short, curved-wall, dump prediffusers for compactness. Advanced cooling techniques and segmented construction characterize the advanced liners in both programs. Liner segments are made from castable, turbine-type materials. At this time, analysis and design activities have been completed; experimental evaluations are progressing. Test results are verifying both design concepts for combustion, cooling, and mechanical integrity. All goals appear capable of being met, with the exception of NO(x).

Sokolowski, D. E.↗

Interactive modeling, design and analysis of large spacecraft

An efficient computer aided design and analysis capability applicable to large space structures was developed to relieve the engineer of much of the effort required in the past. The automated capabilities can be used to rapidly synthesize, evaluate, and determine performance characteristics and costs for future large spacecraft concepts. The interactive design and evaluation of advanced spacecraft program (IDEAS) is used to illustrate the power, efficiency, and versatility of the approach. The coupling of space environment modeling algorithms with simplified analysis and design modules in the IDEAS program permits rapid evaluation of completing spacecraft and mission designs. The approach is particularly useful in the conceptual design phase of advanced space missions when a multiplicity of concepts must be considered before a limited set can be selected or more detailed analysis. Integrated spacecraft systems level data and data files are generated or subsystems and mission reexamination and/or refinement and for more rigorous analyses.

Garrett, L. B.↗

Sage Simulation Model for Technology Demonstration Convertor by a Step-by-Step Approach

The development of a Stirling model using the 1-D Saga design code was completed using a step-by-step approach. This is a method of gradually increasing the complexity of the Saga model while observing the energy balance and energy losses at each step of the development. This step-by-step model development and energy-flow analysis can clarify where the losses occur, their impact, and suggest possible opportunities for design improvement.

Demko, Rikako↗

Dragonfly Mission Entry and Descent Modeling and Simulation Overview

Dragonfly is a New Frontiers Program mission, led by The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, that will deliver a rotorcraft lander to Saturn’s moon, Titan. The focus of this work is to analyze the trajectory of the entry vehicle from cruise stage separation until lander separation. This analysis is done by the NASA Langley Research Center Entry, Descent, and Landing team using the Program to Optimize Trajectories II. This paper provides an overview of the current design and the robustness of the overall entry sequence using a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis. The work presented in this study includes the updated design, models, and analysis completed since the Dragonfly Entry, Descent, and Landing Mission Preliminary Design Review.

Simulation↗

Dragonfly Mission Entry and Descent Modeling and Simulation Overview

Dragonfly is a New Frontiers Program mission, led by The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, that will deliver a rotorcraft lander to Saturn’s moon, Titan. The focus of this work is to analyze the trajectory of the entry vehicle from cruise stage separation until lander separation. This analysis is done by the NASA Langley Research Center Entry, Descent, and Landing team using the Program to Optimize Trajectories II. This paper provides an overview of the current design and the robustness of the overall entry sequence using a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis. The work presented in this study includes the updated design, models, and analysis completed since the Dragonfly Entry, Descent, and Landing Mission Preliminary Design Review.

Simulation↗

Human Mars Mission: SEP Architecture, Crew Taxi Propulsion Stage Study and Design and Technology for Reaction and Control System

The Mars exploration is a candidate pathway to expand human presence and useful activities in the solar system. There are several propulsion system options being considered to place the Mars payload on its interplanetary transfer trajectory. One propulsion option is the use of Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) to spiral out with the Mars payload from an initial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to an elliptical High Earth Orbit (HEO). This report, presented in annotated facing page format, describes the work completed on the design of a crew taxi propulsion stage used in conjunction with the SEP. Transportation system/mission analysis topics covered in this report include sub-system analysis, trajectory profile description, mass performance and crew taxi stage sizing, stage configuration, stage cost, and Trans-Mars Injection (TMI) launch window. The high efficiency of SEP is used to provide the major part of the TMI propulsion maneuver. Orbital energy is continuously added over a period of approximately twelve months. The SEP and Mars payload follow a spiral trajectory from an initial LEO to a final elliptical HEO. A small chemical stage is then used to provide the final part of the TMI. The now unloaded SEP returns to LEO to repeat another spiral trajectory with payload to HEO. The spiral phase of the SEP's trajectory takes several months to reach HEO, thus significantly increasing the exposure time of the crew to zero-gravity. In order to minimize the long zero-gravity effects, a high thrust chemical stage delivers the crew to the SEP's HEO. The crew rendezvous with the Mars payload in HEO. After a checkout period the Mars payload with the crew is injected onto a Trans-Mars Trajectory by a small chemical stage.

Young, Archie↗