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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2004

High Reynolds Number Thermal Stability Experiments

This work represents preliminary thermal stability results for liquid hydrocarbon fuels. High Reynolds Number Thermal Stability experiments with Jet A and RP-1 resulted in a quantitative measurement of the thermal stability. Each fuel flowed through a heated capillary tube that held the outlet temperature at 290 C. An optical pyrometer measured the surface temperature of the tube at 12 locations as a function of time. The High Reynolds Number Thermal Stability number was then determined using standards published by the American Society for Testing and Materials. The results for Jet A showed lower thermal stability than similar tests conducted at another facility. The RP-1 results are the first reported using this technique. Because the temperature rise on the capillary tube during testing for the RP-1 fuels was not significant, a new standard for the testing conditions should be developed for these types of fuels.

Emens, Jessica M.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Systems Engineering Lessons Learned for Class D Missions

One of NASA's goals within human exploration is to determine how to get humans to Mars safely and to live and work on the Martian surface. To accomplish this goal, several smaller missions act as stepping-stones to the larger end goal. NASA uses these smaller missions to develop new technologies and learn about how to survive outside of Low Earth Orbit for long periods. Additionally, keeping a cadence of these missions allows the team to maintain proficiency in the complex art of bringing spacecraft to fruition. Many of these smaller missions are robotic in nature and have smaller timescales, whereas there are others that involve crew and have longer mission timelines. Given the timelines associated with these various missions, different levels of risk and rigor need to be implemented to be more in line with what is appropriate for the mission. Thus, NASA has four different classifications that range from Class A to Class D based on the mission details. One of these projects is the Resource Prospector (RP) Mission, which is a multi-center and multi-institution collaborative project to search for volatiles in the polar regions of the Moon. The RP mission is classified as a Class D mission and as such, has the opportunity to more tightly manage, and therefore accept, greater levels of risk. The requirements for Class D missions were at the forefront of the design and thus presented unique challenges in vehicle development and systems engineering processes. This paper will discuss the systems engineering process at NASA and how that process is tailored for Class D missions, specifically the RP mission.

Rojdev, Kristina↗
NASA NTRS2015

Mantle Water Contents Beneath the Rio Grande Rift (NM, USA): FTIR Analysis of Rio Puerco and Kilbourne Hole Peridotite Xenoliths

Peridotite xenoliths from the Rio Grande Rift (RGR) are being analyzed for H (sub 2) O contents by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) as well as for major and trace element compositions. Nine samples are from the Rio Puerco Volcanic Field (RP) which overlaps the central RGR and southeastern Colorado Plateau; seventeen samples are from Kilbourne Hole (KH) in the southern RGR. Spinel Cr# (Cr/(Cr+Al)) (0.08-0.46) and olivine Mg# (Mg/(Mg plus Fe)) (0.883-0.911) of all RGR samples fall within the olivine-spinel mantle array from [1], an indicator that peridotites are residues of partial melting. Pyroxene H (sub 2) O in KH correlate with bulk rock and pyroxene Al (sub 2) O (sub 3).The KH clinopyroxene rare earth element (REE) variations fit models of 0-13 percent fractional melting of a primitive upper mantle. Most KH peridotites have bulk-rock light REE depleted patterns, but five are enriched in light REEs consistent with metasomatism. Variation in H (sub 2) O content is unrelated to REE enrichment. Metasomatism is seen in RP pyroxenite xenoliths [2] and will be examined in the peridotites studied here. Olivine H (sub 2) O contents are low (less than or equal to 15 parts per million), and decrease from core to rim within grains. This is likely due to H loss during xenolith transport by the host magma [3]. Diffusion models of H suggest that mantle H (sub 2) O contents are still preserved in cores of KH olivine, but not RP olivine. The average H (sub 2) O content of Colorado Plateau clinopyroxene (670 parts per million) [4] is approximately 300 parts per million higher than RGR clinopyroxene (350 parts per million). This upholds the hypothesis that hydration-induced lithospheric melting occurred during flat-slab subduction of the Farallon plate [5]. Numerical models indicate hydration via slab fluids is possible beneath the plateau, approximately 600 kilometers from the paleo-trench, but less likely approximately 850 kilometers away beneath the rift [6].

Schaffer, L. A.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Resource Prospector: A Lunar Volatiles Prospecting and ISRU Demonstration Mission

A variety of recent observations have indicated several possible reservoirs of water and other volatiles. These volatiles, and in particular water, have the potential to be a valuable or enabling resource for future exploration. NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) is supporting the development of Resource Prospector (RP) to explore the distribution and concentration of lunar volatiles prospecting and to demonstrate In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). The mission includes a NASA developed rover and payload, and a lander will most likely be a contributed element by an international partner or the Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (CATALYST) initiative. The RP payload is designed to: (1) locate near-subsurface volatiles, (2) excavate and analyze samples of the volatile-bearing regolith, and (3) demonstrate the form. extractability and usefulness of the materials. RP is being designed with thought given to its extensibility to resource prospecting and ISRU on other airless bodies and Mars. This presentation will describe the Resource Prospector mission, the payload and measurements, and concept of operations

In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)↗
NASA NTRS2016

Resource Prospector Instrumentation for Lunar Volatiles Prospecting, Sample Acquisition and Processing

Data gathered from lunar missions within the last two decades have significantly enhanced our understanding of the volatile resources available on the lunar surface, specifically focusing on the polar regions. Several orbiting missions such as Clementine and Lunar Prospector have suggested the presence of volatile ices and enhanced hydrogen concentrations in the permanently shadowed regions of the moon. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission was the first to provide direct measurement of water ice in a permanently shadowed region. These missions with other orbiting assets have laid the groundwork for the next step in the exploration of the lunar surface; providing ground truth data of the volatiles by mapping the distribution and processing lunar regolith for resource extraction. This next step is the robotic mission Resource Prospector (RP). Resource Prospector is a lunar mission to investigate 'strategic knowledge gaps' (SKGs) for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). The mission is proposed to land in the lunar south pole near a permanently shadowed crater. The landing site will be determined by the science team with input from broader international community as being near traversable landscape that has a high potential of containing elevated concentrations of volatiles such as water while maximizing mission duration. A rover will host the Regolith & Environment Science and Oxygen & Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) payload for resource mapping and processing. The science instruments on the payload include a 1-meter drill, neutron spectrometer, a near infrared spectrometer, an operations camera, and a reactor with a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer for volatile analysis. After the RP lander safely delivers the rover to the lunar surface, the science team will guide the rover team on the first traverse plan. The neutron spectrometer (NS) and near infrared (NIR) spectrometer instruments will be used as prospecting tools to guide the traverse path. The NS will map the water-equivalent hydrogen concentration as low as 0.5% by weight to an 80 centimeter depth as the rover traverses the lunar landscape. The NIR spectrometer will measure surficial H2O/OH as well as general mineralogy. When the prospecting instruments identify a potential volatile-rich area during the course of a traverse, the prospect is then mapped out and the most promising location identified. An augering drill capable of sampling to a depth of 100 centimeters will excavate regolith for analysis. A quick assay of the drill cuttings will be made using an operations camera and NIR spectrometer. With the water depth confirmed by this first auguring activity, a regolith sample may be extracted for processing. The drill will deliver the regolith sample to a crucible that will be sealed and heated. Evolved volatiles will be measured by a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer and the water will be captured and photographed. RP is a solar powered mission, which given the polar location translates to a relatively short mission duration on the order of 4-15 days. This short mission duration drives the concept of operations, instrumentation, and data analysis towards critical real time analysis and decision support. Previous payload field tests have increased the fidelity of the hardware, software, and mission operations. Current activities include a mission level field test to optimize interfaces between the payload and rover as well as better understand the interaction of the science and rover teams during the mission timeline. This paper will include the current status of the science instruments on the payload as well as the integrated field test occurring in fall of 2015. The concept of operations will be discussed, including the real time science and engineering decision-making process based on the critical data from the instrumentation. The path to flight will be discussed with the approach to this ambitious low cost mission.

ISRU↗
NASA NTRS2016

Considering Combined or Separated Roughness and Vegetation Effects in Soil Moisture Retrievals

For more than six years, the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission has provided multi angular and full-polarization brightness temperature (TB) measurements at L-band. Geophysical products such as soil moisture (SM) and vegetation optical depth at nadir (tau(sub nad)) are retrieved by an operational algorithm using TB observations at different angles of incidence and polarizations. However, the quality of the retrievals depends on several surface effects, such as vegetation, soil roughness and texture, etc. In the microwave forward emission model used in the retrievals (L-band Microwave Emission Model, L-MEB),soil roughness is modeled with a semi-empirical equation using four main parameters (Q(sub r), H(sub r), N(sub rp), with p = H or V polarizations). At present, these parameters are calibrated with data provided by airborne studies and in situ measurements made at a local scale that is not necessarily representative of the large SMOS footprints (43 km on average) at global scale. In this study, we evaluate the impact of the calibrated values of N(sub rp) and H(sub r) on the SM and tau(sub nad) retrievals based on SMOS TB measurements (SMOS Level 3 product) over the Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) network located in North America over five years (2011-2015). In this study, Qr was set equal to zero and we assumed that N(sub rH)= N(sub rV). The retrievals were performed by varying N(sub rp) from −1 to 2 by steps of 1 and H(sub r) from 0 to 0.6 by steps of 0.1. At satellite scale, the results show that combining vegetation and roughness effects in a single parameter provides the best results in terms of soil moisture retrievals, as evaluated against the in situ SM data. Even though our retrieval approach was very simplified, as we did not account for pixel heterogeneity, the accuracy we obtained in the SM retrievals was almost systematically better than those of the Level 3 product. Improved results were also obtained in terms of optical depth retrievals. These new results may have key consequences in terms of calibration of roughness effects within the algorithms of the SMOS (ESA) and the SMAP (NASA) space missions.

full-polarization↗
NASA NTRS2017

Beyond Control Centers

For NASA's Resource Prospector (RP) Lunar Rover Mission, we are moving away from a control center concept, to a fully distributed operation utilizing control nodes, with decision support from anywhere via mobile devices. This operations concept will utilize distributed information systems, notifications, mobile data access, and optimized mobile data display for off-console decision support. We see this concept of operations as a step in the evolution of mission operations from a central control center concept to a mission operations anywhere concept. The RP example is part of a trend, in which mission expertise for design, development and operations is distributed across countries and across the globe. Future spacecraft operations will be most cost efficient and flexible by following this distributed expertise, enabling operations from anywhere. For the RP mission we arrived at the decision to utilize a fully distributed operations team, where everyone operates from their home institution, based on evaluating the following factors: the requirement for physical proximity for near-real time command and control decisions; the cost of distributed control nodes vs. a centralized control center; the impact on training and mission preparation of flying the team to a central location. Physical proximity for operational decisions is seldom required, though certain categories of decisions, such as launch abort, or close coordination for mission or safety-critical near-real-time command and control decisions may benefit from co-location. The cost of facilities and operational infrastructure has not been found to be a driving factor for location in our studies. Mission training and preparation benefit from having all operators train and operate from home institutions.

Operations↗
NASA NTRS2016

Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis Integration and Testing

The Regolith and Environment Science Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE) payload is part of Resource Prospector (RP) along with a rover and a lander that are expected to launch in 2020. RP will identify volatile elements that may be combined and collected to be used for fuel, air, and water in order to enable deeper space exploration. The Resource Prospector mission is a key part of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). The demand for this method of utilizing resources at the site of exploration is increasing due to the cost of resupply missions and deep space exploration goals. The RESOLVE payload includes the Lunar Advanced Volatile Analysis (LAVA) subsystem. The main instrument used to identify the volatiles evolved from the lunar regolith is the Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). LAVA analyzes the volatiles emitted from the Oxygen and Volatile Extraction Node (OVEN) Subsystem. The objective of OVEN is to obtain, weigh, heat and transfer evolved gases to LAVA through the connection between the two subsystems called the LOVEN line. This paper highlights the work completed during a ten week internship that involved the integration, testing, data analysis, and procedure documentation of two candidate mass spectrometers for the LAVA subsystem in order to aid in determining which model to use for flight. Additionally, the examination of data from the integrated Resource Prospector '15 (RP' 15) field test will be presented in order to characterize the amount of water detected from water doped regolith samples.

In-Situ Resource Utilization↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Characterization of an Optically Accessible RP/GOx Rotating Detonation Engine

The accurate characterization of the dynamic response of liquid jets to transient detonation wave passage is crucial for optimizing and modeling liquid-fueled rotating detonation combustors. To address this need, we have developed an optically accessible rocket RDE (RP-RDE), which utilizes liquid RP-1 and gaseous oxygen as propellants and operates at elevated pressures. The experimental setup features optical access from the oxidizer injection plenum to the combustor exit, allowing for detailed characterization of injection, mixing, and combustion processes and their impact on the detonation wave structure. To design and develop the liquid injection scheme for the RP-RDE test article, we employed a combined experimental and numerical approach that included cold-flow simulations. Our aim was to optimize the liquid injection process and ensure that the resulting fuel-oxidizer mixture is homogeneous and stable. To this end, high-speed optical imaging will be employed to provide qualitative visualization of the liquid and gaseous phases of the propellant as well as the local heat release during detonation wave propagation through the non-premixed medium. This work will provide critical insights into the behavior of the transient detonation waves in more relevant rocket conditions, which is essential for the optimization and modeling of rotating detonation combustors.

Propulsion↗
NASA NTRS1978

Advanced engine study for mixed-mode orbit-transfer vehicles

Engine design, performance, weight and envelope data were established for three mixed-mode orbit-transfer vehicle engine candidates. Engine concepts evaluated are the tripropellant, dual-expander and plug cluster. Oxygen, RP-1 and hydrogen are the propellants considered for use in these engines. Theoretical performance and propellant properties were established for bipropellant and tripropellant mixes of these propellants. RP-1, hydrogen and oxygen were evaluated as coolants and the maximum attainable chamber pressures were determined for each engine concept within the constraints of the propellant properties and the low cycle thermal fatigue (300 cycles) requirement. The baseline engine design and component operating characteristics are determined at a thrust level of 88,964N (20,000 lbs) and a thrust split of 0.5. The parametric data is generated over ranges of thrust and thrust split of 66.7 to 400kN (15 to 90 klb) and 0.4 to 0.8, respectively.

Mellish, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Advanced cooling techniques for high-pressure hydrocarbon-fueled engines

The regenerative cooling limits (maximum chamber pressure) for 02/hydrocarbon gas generator and staged combustion cycle rocket engines over a thrust range of 89,000 N (20,000lbf) to 2,669,000 N (600,000 lbf) for a reusable life of 250 missions were defined. Maximum chamber pressure limits were first determined for the three propellant combinations (O2/CH4, O2/C3H8, and O2/RP-1 without a carbon layer (unenhanced designs). Chamber pressure cooling enhancement limits were then established for seven thermal barriers. The thermal barriers evaluated for these designs were: carbon layer, ceramic coating, graphite liner, film cooling, transpiration cooling, zoned combustion, and a combination of two of the above. All fluid barriers were assessed a 3 percent performance loss. Sensitivity studies were then conducted to determine the influence of cycle life and RP-1 decomposition temperature on chamber pressure limits. Chamber and nozzle design parameters are presented for the unenahanced and enhanced designs. The maximum regenerative cooled chamber pressure limits were attained with the O2/CH4 propellant combination. The O2/RP-1 designs relied on a carbon layer and liquid gas injection chamber contours, short chamber, to be competitive with the other two propellant combinations. This was attributed to the low decomposition temperature of RP-1.

Cook, R. T.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Low-thrust chemical rocket engine study

Parametric data and preliminary designs on liquid rocket engines for low thrust cargo orbit-transfer-vehicles are described and those items where technology is required to enhance the designs are identified. The results of film cooling studies to establish the upper chamber pressure limit are given. The study showed that regen cooling with RP-1 was not feasible over the entire thrust and chamber pressure ranges. The thermal data showed that the RP-1 bulk temperature exceeded the study coking temperature limit of 1010 R. Based upon the results presented, O2/H2 and O2/CH4 regen engine systems and O2/H2 film cooled engines were selected for further study in the system analysis. Six engine design concepts are examined.

Mellish, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Advanced oxygen-hydrocarbon rocket engine study

This study identifies and evaluates promising LO2/HC rocket engine cycles, produces a consistent and reliable data base for vehicle optimization and design studies, demonstrates the significance of propulsion system improvements, and selects the critical technology areas necessary to realize an improved surface to orbit transportation system. Parametric LO2/HC engine data were generated over a range of thrust levels from 890 to 6672 kN (200K to 1.5M 1bF) and chamber pressures from 6890 to 34500 kN (1000 to 5000 psia). Engine coolants included RP-1, refined RP-1, LCH4, LC3H8, LO2, and LH2. LO2/RP-1 G.G. cycles were found to be not acceptable for advanced engines. The highest performing LO2/RP-1 staged combustion engine cycle utilizes LO2 as the coolant and incorporates an oxidizer rich preburner. The highest performing cycle for LO2/LCH4 and LO2/LC3H8 utilizes fuel cooling and incorporates both fuel and oxidizer rich preburners. LO2/HC engine cycles permitting the use of a third fluid LH2 coolant and an LH2 rich gas generator provide higher performance at significantly lower pump discharge pressures. The LO2/HC dual throat engine, because of its high altitude performance, delivers the highest payload for the vehicle configuration that was investigated.

Obrien, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

New technologies - How to assess environmental effects

A method is provided for assessing the environmental effects of a room-and-pillar mining system (RP) and a new hydraulic borehole mining system (HBM). Before environmental assessment can begin, each technology is defined in terms of its engineering characteristics at both the conceptual and preliminary design stages. The mining sites are also described in order to identify the significant advantages and constraints for each system. This can be a basic physical and biological survey of the region at the conceptual stage, but a more specific representation of site characteristics is required at the preliminary stage. Assessment of potential environmental effects of each system at the conceptual design is critical to its hardware development and application. A checklist can be used to compare and identify the negative impacts of each method, outlining the resource affected, the type of impact involved, and the exact activity causing that impact. At the preliminary design stage, these impacts should be evaluated as a result of either utilization or alteration. Underground coal mining systems have three major utilization impacts - the total area disturbed, the total water resources withdrawn from other uses, and the overall energy efficiency of the process - and one major alteration impact - the degradation of water quality by sedimentation and acid contamination. A comparison of the RP and HBM systems shows the HBM to be an environmentally less desirable system for the Central Appalachia region.

Sullivan, P. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Deposit formation and heat transfer in hydrocarbon rocket fuels

An experimental research program was undertaken to investigate the thermal stability and heat transfer characteristics of several hydrocarbon fuels under conditions that simulate high-pressure, rocket engine cooling systems. The rates of carbon deposition in heated copper and nickel-plated copper tubes were determined for RP-1, propane, and natural gas using a continuous flow test apparatus which permitted independent variation and evaluation of the effect on deposit formation of wall temperature, fuel pressure, and fuel velocity. In addition, the effects of fuel additives and contaminants, cryogenic fuel temperatures, and extended duration testing with intermittent operation were examined. Parametric tests to map the thermal stability characteristics of RP-1, commercial-grade propane, and natural gas were conducted at pressures of 6.9 to 13.8 MPa, bulk fuel velocities of 30 to 90 m/s, and tube wall temperatures in the range of 230 to 810 K. Also, tests were run in which propane and natural gas fuels were chilled to 230 and 160 K, respectively. Corrosion of the copper tube surface was detected for all fuels tested. Plating the inside of the copper tubes with nickel reduced deposit formation and eliminated tube corrosion in most cases. The lowest rates of carbon deposition were obtained for natural gas, and the highest rates were obtained for propane. For all fuels tested, the forced-convection heat transfer film coefficients were satisfactorily correlated using a Nusselt-Reynolds-Prandtl number equation.

Giovanetti, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Composite structural materials

Transverse properties of fiber constituents in composites, fatigue in composite materials, matrix dominated properties of high performance composites, numerical investigation of moisture effects, numerical investigation of the micromechanics of composite fracture, advanced analysis methods, compact lug design, and the RP-1 and RP-2 sailplanes projects are discussed.

Ansell, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Composite structural materials

Progress and plans are reported for investigations of: (1) the mechanical properties of high performance carbon fibers; (2) fatigue in composite materials; (3) moisture and temperature effects on the mechanical properties of graphite-epoxy laminates; (4) the theory of inhomogeneous swelling in epoxy resin; (5) numerical studies of the micromechanics of composite fracture; (6) free edge failures of composite laminates; (7) analysis of unbalanced laminates; (8) compact lug design; (9) quantification of Saint-Venant's principles for a general prismatic member; (10) variation of resin properties through the thickness of cured samples; and (11) the wing fuselage ensemble of the RP-1 and RP-2 sailplanes.

Ansell, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Oxygen/hydrocarbon combustion devices technology

A program was conducted to investigate ignition, combustion and heat transfer characteristics of liquid oxygen and RP-1 fuel applicable to large gas generator cycle booster engines. The program was part of a broad effort intended to generate a combustion devices technology base for both RP-1 and methane fuels and both gas generator and staged combustion engine cycles. Two gas generator injector designs were tested over a chamber pressure range of 1500 to 3100 psia and a gas temperature range of 1500 to 2300 R. Both configurations were evaluated for combustion efficiency, gas temperature profile and combustion stability. Thrust chamber firings were conducted using a platelet type main injector and a water cooled calorimeter combustion chamber. Test conditions ranged from 1700 to 2200 psia chamber pressure and from 2.0 to 2.8 mixture ratio. A program goal to reduce previously measured nozzle heating rates was achieved, but at the expense of combustion efficiency.

Bailey, C. R.↗