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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 847 records · Page 47

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1992

HSCT integrated propulsion control issues

The propulsion control system affects the economics of the HSCT through the mechanisms indicated. Weight reduction is paramount in an aircraft of this type. Significant reductions are possible relative to the SST or even current technology if improvements are made in areas such as high temperature electronics. Dependability is an increasingly important parameter in all aircraft, but the higher capital cost of the HSCT makes it doubly important. Conversely the more difficult HSCT design problem makes it more difficult to achieve. Integration of propulsion controls will make it possible to improve both the static and dynamic performance of the HSCT propulsion system. Noise and emissions requirements may introduce novel control system requirements such as automatically programmed takeoff thrust for noise abatement. Control system development technology is evolving. For HSCT, highly automated and thoroughly validated tools will be required to reliably achieve desired system performance at introduction, and to reduce development costs. A technology plan was developed to prepare for HSCT development. This presentation addresses the portion of the plan required to demonstrate technology readiness for the HSCT in the late 1990's rather than the technology development currently in progress.

Carlin, Christopher M.↗

NASA NTRS1994

The Astroculture (tm)-1 experiment on the USML-1 mission

Permanent human presence in space will require a life support system that minimizes athe need for resupply of consumables from Earth resources. Plants that convert radiant energy to chemical energy via photosynthesis are a key component of a bioregenerative life support system. Providing the proper root environment for plants in reduced gravity is an essential aspect of the development of facilities for growing plants in a space environment. The ASTROCULTURE(TM)-1 experiment, included in the USML-1 mission, successfully demonstrated the ability of the Wisconsin Center for Space Automation and Robotics porous tube water delivery system to control water movement through a rooting matrix in a microgravity environment.

Tibbitts, Theodore↗

NASA NTRS1990

Embedded CLIPS for SDI BM/C3 simulation and analysis

Nichols Research Corporation is developing the BM/C3 Requirements Analysis Tool (BRAT) for the U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command. BRAT uses embedded CLIPS/Ada to model the decision making processes used by the human commander of a defense system. Embedding CLlPS/Ada in BRAT allows the user to explore the role of the human in Command and Control (C2) and the use of expert systems for automated C2. BRAT models assert facts about the current state of the system, the simulated scenario, and threat information into CLIPS/Ada. A user-defined rule set describes the decision criteria for the commander. We have extended CLIPS/Ada with user-defined functions that allow the firing of a rule to invoke a system action such as weapons release or a change in strategy. The use of embedded CLIPS/Ada will provide a powerful modeling tool for our customer at minimal cost.

Gossage, Brett↗

NASA NTRS1997

Fourth NASA Langley Formal Methods Workshop

This publication consists of papers presented at NASA Langley Research Center's fourth workshop on the application of formal methods to the design and verification of life-critical systems. Topic considered include: Proving properties of accident; modeling and validating SAFER in VDM-SL; requirement analysis of real-time control systems using PVS; a tabular language for system design; automated deductive verification of parallel systems. Also included is a fundamental hardware design in PVS.

Holloway, C. Michael↗

NASA NTRS2005

An Initial Study of Airport Arrival Heinz Capacity Benefits Due to Improved Scheduling Accuracy

The long-term growth rate in air-traffic demand leads to future air-traffic densities that are unmanageable by today's air-traffic control system. I n order to accommodate such growth, new technology and operational methods will be needed in the next generation air-traffic control system. One proposal for such a system is the Automated Airspace Concept (AAC). One of the precepts of AAC is to direct aircraft using trajectories that are sent via an air-ground data link. This greatly improves the accuracy in directing aircraft to specific waypoints at specific times. Studies of the Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS) have shown that increased scheduling accuracy enables increased arrival capacity at CTAS equipped airports.

Meyn, Larry↗

NASA NTRS2007

Development of a Deployable Nonmetallic Boom for Reconfigurable Systems of Small Modular Spacecraft

Launch vehicle payload capacity and the launch environment represent two of the most operationally limiting constraints on space system mass, volume, and configuration. Large-scale space science and power platforms as well as transit vehicles have been proposed that greatly exceed single-launch capabilities. Reconfigurable systems launched as multiple small modular spacecraft with the ability to rendezvous, approach, mate, and conduct coordinated operations have the potential to make these designs feasible. A key characteristic of these proposed systems is their ability to assemble into desired geometric (spatial) configurations. While flexible and sparse formations may be realized by groups of spacecraft flying in close proximity, flyers physically connected by active structural elements could continuously exchange power, fluids, and heat (via fluids). Configurations of small modular spacecraft temporarily linked together could be sustained as long as needed with minimal propellant use and reconfigured as often as needed over extended missions with changing requirements. For example, these vehicles could operate in extremely compact configurations during boost phases of a mission and then redeploy to generate power or communicate while coasting and upon reaching orbit. In 2005, NASA funded Phase 1 of a program called Modular Reconfigurable High-Energy Technology Demonstrator Assembly Testbed (MRHE) to investigate reconfigurable systems of small spacecraft. The MRHE team was led by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and included Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Center (ATC) in Palo Alto and its subcontractor, ATK. One of the goals of Phase 1 was to develop an MRHE concept demonstration in a relevant 1-g environment to highlight a number of requisite technologies. In Phase 1 of the MRHE program, Lockheed Martin devised and conducted an automated space system assembly demonstration featuring multipurpose free-floating robots representing Spacecraft in the newly built Controls and Automation Laboratory (CAL) at the ATC. The CAL lab features a 12' x 24' granite air-bearing table and an overhead simulated starfield. Among the technologies needed for the concept demo were mating interfaces allowing the spacecraft to dock and deployable structures allowing for adjustable separation between spacecraft after a rigid connection had been established. The decision to use a nonmetallic deployable boom for this purpose was driven by the MRHE concept demo requirements reproduced in Table 1.

Rehnmark, Fredrik↗

NASA NTRS2009

Measurement of the Dielectric Constant of Seawater at L-Band: Techniques and Measurements

Satellite instruments, that will monitor salinity from space in the near future, require an accurate relationship between salinity/temperature and seawater dielectric constant. This paper will review measurements that were made of the dielectric constant of seawater during the past several years. The objective of the measurements is to determine the dependence of the dielectric constant of seawater on salinity and on temperature, more accurately than in the past. by taking advantage of modem instrumentation. The measurements of seawater permittivity have been performed as a function of salinity and temperature using a transmission resonant cavity technique. The measurements have been made in the salinity range of 10 to 38 psu and in the temperature range of IOU C to 35 C. These results will be useful in algorithm development for sensor systems such as SMOS and Aquarius. The measurement system consists of a brass microwave cavity that is resonant at 1.413 GHz. The seawater is introduced into the cavity through a capillary glass tube having an inner diameter of 0.1 mm. The diameter of the tube has been made very small so that the amount of seawater introduced in the cavity is small - thus maintaining the sensitivity of the measurements and allowing the use of perturbation theory predicting the seawater permittivity. The change in resonant frequency and the change in cavity Q can be used to determine the real and imaginary pare of the dielectric constant of seawater introduced into the slender tube. The microwave measurements are made by an HPS722D network analyzer. The cavity has been immersed in a u~ateriethylene-glycol bath which is connected to a Lauda circulator. The circulator keeps the brass cavity at a temperature constant to within 0.01 degrees. The system is automated using a Visual Basic program to control the analyzer and to collect the data. The results of the dielectric constant measurements of seawater will be presented. The measurement results will be compared with permittivity values generated from the Kline and Swift relationship. Two methods of calibration will be discussed, The errors that each technique introduces into the measurement resulls will be reviewed. Temperature stability, frequency drift and the effect of increasing cavity transmission loss on the unloaded cavity Q will also be discussed.

Lang, R.↗

NASA NTRS2024

High Density Vertiplex - Scalable Autonomous Operations - Flight Test Report

This Technical Memorandum describes the approach taken within the High Density Vertiplex Project to perform rapid prototyping and assessment of the UAM Ecosystem including representative: Onboard Autonomous Systems, Ground Control and Fleet Management Systems, Airspace Management Systems, and Vertiport Automation Systems (VAS). Small Uncrewed Aerial Systems (sUAS) were employed as effective low risk and inexpensive surrogates for larger proposed UAM aircraft to accelerate the prototyping effort, ensure safety, greatly mitigate costs, and accelerate progress. Flight testing performed included multivehicle operations where usability Human Factors (HF) data was collected on the operators.

Jacob Schaefer↗

DOE OSTI2021

Enhancing Responsiveness and Resilience with Distributed Applications in the Grid

A number of trends are increasing the variability in electric power systems resulting in a need for new approaches in control. The increased variability is originating from distributed energy resources and an increasing demand for personalized energy choice from customers grid-edge. Electricity distribution systems continue to incorporate increasing numbers of intelligent end devices, automated switchgear, and sensing and measurement devices which are providing more visibility and control at the grid-edge. Traditional distribution system planning and operations techniques must evolve to meet the new complexity while continuing to deliver safe, reliable, and cost-effective energy. New technologies are enabling new capabilities at the grid-edge to respond to these needs. Distributed applications can deploy intelligence across the distribution grid with peer-to-peer communications and a shared data context for their local environment. These applications can cooperate with each other to respond quickly to changing grid conditions. This enables a layered coordination framework spanning the centralized Advanced Distribution Management System functions with wide area visibility to these new distributed applications running at intelligent devices and meters throughout the distribution system. This paper describes an open-architecture, open-source system approach for commercial scale integration of devices and intelligence at the grid-edge.

Ogle, James P.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Effects of ATC automation on precision approaches to closely space parallel runways

Improved navigational technology (such as the Microwave Landing System and the Global Positioning System) installed in modern aircraft will enable air traffic controllers to better utilize available airspace. Consequently, arrival traffic can fly approaches to parallel runways separated by smaller distances than are currently allowed. Previous simulation studies of advanced navigation approaches have found that controller workload is increased when there is a combination of aircraft that are capable of following advanced navigation routes and aircraft that are not. Research into Air Traffic Control automation at Ames Research Center has led to the development of the Center-TRACON Automation System (CTAS). The Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST) is the component of the CTAS used in the TRACON area. The work in this paper examines, via simulation, the effects of FAST used for aircraft landing on closely spaced parallel runways. The simulation contained various combinations of aircraft, equipped and unequipped with advanced navigation systems. A set of simulations was run both manually and with an augmented set of FAST advisories to sequence aircraft, assign runways, and avoid conflicts. The results of the simulations are analyzed, measuring the airport throughput, aircraft delay, loss of separation, and controller workload.

Slattery, R.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Shared Situation Awareness in the Flight Deck-ATC System

New technologies and operational concept changes have been proposed for implementation in the National Airspace System (NAS). These changes include improved datalink (CPDLC) technologies for providing improved weather, traffic, Flight Object (FO) and navigation information to the pilot and controller, and new forms of automation for both the flight deck and air traffic management system. In addition, the way business is conducted in the NAS is under consideration. Increases in the discretion provided to pilots (and dispatchers in commercial airlines) are being contemplated in an effort to increase system capacity and flexibility. New concepts of operation (e.g., Collaborative Decision Making and Free Flight) allow for more control to be given to the cockpit or airline with correspondingly greater monitoring responsibilities on the ground. In addition, new technologies and displays make possible much greater information flow between the ground and the cockpit and also dramatic changes in the type of information provided. Designing to support these changes suggests two integrally linked questions: (1) What display technologies and information are needed to support desired changes responsibilities? (2) How will the changes in information availability influence the negotiation process between the cockpit and the ground? Each of these proposed changes (both in technology and operational concept) will have a marked impact on the performance, workload, and Situation Awareness (SA) of both pilots and controllers. Typically such changes are evaluated independently in terms of the effects of the proposed change on either pilot performance or ATC performance. It is proposed here, however, that in order to fully understand the effects of such changes, the joint pilot/controller system must be considered.

Endsley, Mica R.↗

DOE OSTI2022

Integrated Controls Package for High Performance Interior Retrofit [Slides]

For the last few years, networked lighting control (NLCs) have promised significant energy savings beyond what is achieved through a basic light-emitting diode (LED) lighting retrofit. At the same time, NLCs can substantially increase the cost and complexity of the lighting retrofit. And as lighting system wattage declines because of the increasing efficiency of LEDs, advanced controls have less lighting energy to save and the cost-effectiveness of the NLC investment decreases. But NLCs can be leveraged to achieve significant energy savings and value by enhancing control of other building systems.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

DOE OSTI2021

Dynamic Human-in-the-Loop Simulated Nuclear Power Plant Thermal Dispatch System Demonstration and Evaluation Study

An Idaho National Laboratory research team performed a human-in-the-loop study with two formerly licensed retired operators to evaluate thermal power dispatch operations supported by the modified GSE Systems GPWR plant simulator. Virtual representations of the analog control panels were presented on touch-screen bays configured to mimic the control room layout in the newly renovated Human Systems Simulation Laboratory. The operators performed 15 scenarios covering normal evolutions to transition the plant from full turbine operation to joint turbine and thermal power dispatch operations in addition to transient response scenarios induced with simulated faults to evaluate the impact of thermal power dispatch system on operator and plant responses. A prototype human-system interface (HSI) was developed and displayed in tandem with the virtual analog panels to support the operators executing the procedurally drive evolutions and transient responses. An interdisciplinary team of operations experts, nuclear engineers, and human factors experts observed the operators performing the scenarios to evaluate the operations. Only a preliminary analysis of the results has been performed. The full analysis will be shared in a milestone report scheduled for release at the end of September; however, some high-level conclusions were readily available. Two high level findings for the system design were captured in the study. The manual control supported by the HSI to transition from standard operations to thermal power dispatch operation imposed a considerable amount of workload on the operators due to tedious manual valve manipulations and system monitoring required to verify their intended effect. An additional operator would be required in the control room to support the daily evolution. Automatic control for the transition was deemed a requirement for plant adoption without imposing additional staffing costs. The second finding was the necessity for an automatic thermal power dispatch system trip isolation function linked to a turbine and reactor trip signal. The operators completed scenarios with automatic isolation functionality and manually required actuation of the thermal power dispatch system. The operator response was sufficiently slower in the manual trip condition, such that operators were unable to manually actuate key post trip safety functions an indicate a degraded control capability that should be avoided. With an automatic trip signal little to no impact of the thermal power dispatch system was identified on the primary plant response and therefore the system could be readily and safely adopted. Together these two findings represent the need to support the adoption of thermal power dispatch capability into existing operations by leveraging automation to augment any additional operator tasking required to control and monitor an additional system beyond existing operations.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

NASA NTRS1975

Sikorsky interactive graphics surface design/manufacturing system

An interactive graphics system conceived to be used in the design, analysis, and manufacturing of aircraft components with free form surfaces was described. In addition to the basic surface definition and viewing capabilities inherent in such a system, numerous other features are present: surface editing, automated smoothing of control curves, variable milling patch boundary definitions, surface intersection definition and viewing, automatic creation of true offset surfaces, digitizer and drafting machine interfaces, and cutter path optimization. Documented costs and time savings of better than six to one are being realized with this system. The system was written in FORTRAN and GSP for use on IBM 2250 CRT's in conjunction with an IBM 370/158 computer.

Robbins, R.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Concepts and algorithms for terminal-area traffic management

The nation's air-traffic-control system is the subject of an extensive modernization program, including the planned introduction of advanced automation techniques. This paper gives an overview of a concept for automating terminal-area traffic management. Four-dimensional (4D) guidance techniques, which play an essential role in the automated system, are reviewed. One technique, intended for on-board computer implementation, is based on application of optimal control theory. The second technique is a simplified approach to 4D guidance intended for ground computer implementation. It generates advisory messages to help the controller maintain scheduled landing times of aircraft not equipped with on-board 4D guidance systems. An operational system for the second technique, recently evaluated in a simulation, is also described.

Erzberger, H.↗

NASA NTRS2002

Automated fault-management in a simulated spaceflight micro-world

BACKGROUND: As human spaceflight missions extend in duration and distance from Earth, a self-sufficient crew will bear far greater onboard responsibility and authority for mission success. This will increase the need for automated fault management (FM). Human factors issues in the use of such systems include maintenance of cognitive skill, situational awareness (SA), trust in automation, and workload. This study examine the human performance consequences of operator use of intelligent FM support in interaction with an autonomous, space-related, atmospheric control system. METHODS: An expert system representing a model-base reasoning agent supported operators at a low level of automation (LOA) by a computerized fault finding guide, at a medium LOA by an automated diagnosis and recovery advisory, and at a high LOA by automate diagnosis and recovery implementation, subject to operator approval or veto. Ten percent of the experimental trials involved complete failure of FM support. RESULTS: Benefits of automation were reflected in more accurate diagnoses, shorter fault identification time, and reduced subjective operator workload. Unexpectedly, fault identification times deteriorated more at the medium than at the high LOA during automation failure. Analyses of information sampling behavior showed that offloading operators from recovery implementation during reliable automation enabled operators at high LOA to engage in fault assessment activities CONCLUSIONS: The potential threat to SA imposed by high-level automation, in which decision advisories are automatically generated, need not inevitably be counteracted by choosing a lower LOA. Instead, freeing operator cognitive resources by automatic implementation of recover plans at a higher LOA can promote better fault comprehension, so long as the automation interface is designed to support efficient information sampling.

NASA Discipline Space Human Factors↗

NASA NTRS2014

NextGen Technologies on the FAA's Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System

This paper describes the integration, evaluation, and results from a high-fidelity human-in-the-loop (HITL) simulation of key NASA Air Traffic Management Technology Demonstration - 1 (ATD- 1) technologies implemented in an enhanced version of the FAA's Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) platform. These ATD-1 technologies include: (1) a NASA enhanced version of the FAA's Time-Based Flow Management, (2) a NASA ground-based automation technology known as controller-managed spacing (CMS), and (3) a NASA advanced avionics airborne technology known as flight-deck interval management (FIM). These ATD-1 technologies have been extensively tested in large-scale HITL simulations using general-purpose workstations to study air transportation technologies. These general purpose workstations perform multiple functions and are collectively referred to as the Multi-Aircraft Control System (MACS). Researchers at NASA Ames Research Center and Raytheon collaborated to augment the STARS platform by including CMS and FIM advisory tools to validate the feasibility of integrating these automation enhancements into the current FAA automation infrastructure. NASA Ames acquired three STARS terminal controller workstations, and then integrated the ATD-1 technologies. HITL simulations were conducted to evaluate the ATD-1 technologies when using the STARS platform. These results were compared with the results obtained when the ATD-1 technologies were tested in the MACS environment. Results collected from the numerical data show acceptably minor differences, and, together with the subjective controller questionnaires showing a trend towards preferring STARS, validate the ATD-1/STARS integration.

air traffic management↗

DOE OSTI2024

Intelligent Hierarchical Resilient Operation of Distribution Systems: Implementation and Validation in a Power Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation Testbed

This paper reports on the structure of a power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) simulation testbed that implements, tests, and validates a novel AI-based hierarchical resilient operation model for distribution systems. The testbed implements the central and distributed controllers of the hierarchical resilient operation model and integrates a Digital Real-Time Simulator (DRTS), protective relays, a Real-Time Automation Controller (RTAC), a Software Defined Network (SDN) switch, and a battery energy storage (BES) system. The testbed provides comprehensive real-time visualization and monitoring capability as an advanced situational awareness and operator interface solution. The IEEE 33-node system is used as a test case to test and validate the operation of the model in normal operation and recovery operation after major outages in a fully automated fashion.

Ganjkhani, Mehdi↗