Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “breakthrough tests”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA's Unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint Research and Operational Capability Developments

In the last three years, several advancements have been made to produce a new state-of-the-art capability in the field of Aerosciences. NASA’s Aerosciences Evaluations and Test Capabilities (AETC) Portfolio Office has funded a multi-year project to produce the unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint (uPSP) technology as an operational capability in key ground test facilities at NASA. The research and development has primarily been conducted at NASA Ames Research Center’s (ARC) Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) 11-by 11-ft Transonic Wind Tunnel (TWT). The NASA ARC UPWT is one of the ground test facilities under NASA AETC’s Portfolio Office. AETC’s goals are to provide the tools to deliver the technology innovations and breakthroughs necessary to address increasingly complex research and development challenges. AETC’s integrated approach will consider the complimentary high-end compute capabilities necessary to advance analysis in conjunction with ground experimental capabilities. The uPSP Capability Challenge Project is a demonstration of several different technologies: 1) the unsteady Pressure-Sensitive Paint (uPSP) technology, and 2) Project: Red Rover, establishing a secure, reliable, fast connection between experimental and computation facilities, leveraging NASA’s computational resources within the High-End Compute Capability (HECC) Project for processing, storing, and sharing data efficiently. This project demonstrates the technical diversity and technical inclusion need to advance the field of Aerosciences. The approach to combine subject matter experts in experimental methods, optical methods, production wind tunnel testing, network engineering, high-end computing, signal processing, grid generation, and visualization while establishing the required infrastructure for subject matter experts to have access to the data while the wind tunnel test is being conducted. The most recent advancements for the uPSP technology have focused on three key areas: development of data products, robust processing pipeline, operational efficiencies and uncertainty quantification.

buffet↗
DOE OSTI2023

Optimization of operational strategies for rich gas enhanced oil recovery based on a pilot test in the Bakken tight oil reservoir

Horizontal well drilling and multistage hydraulic fracturing have been demonstrated as effective approaches for stimulating oil production in the Bakken tight oil reservoir. However, after multiple years of production, primary oil recovery in the Bakken is generally less than 10% of the estimated original oil in place. Gas huff ‘n’ puff (HnP) has been tested in the Bakken Formation as an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method; however, most field pilot test results showed no significant incremental oil production. One of the factors affecting HnP EOR performance is premature gas breakthrough, which is one of the most critical issues observed in the field because of the presence of interwell fractures. Consequently, injected gas rapidly reaches adjacent production wells without contacting reservoir rock and increasing oil recovery. Proper conformance control is therefore needed to avoid early gas breakthrough and improve EOR performance. In this study, a rich gas EOR pilot in the Bakken was carefully analyzed to collect the essential reservoir and operational data. A simulation model with 16 wells was then developed to reproduce the production history and predict the EOR performance with and without conformance control. EOR operational strategies, including single- and multiple-well HnP, with different gas injection constraints were investigated. The simulation results of single-well HnP without conformance control showed that a rich gas injection rate of at least 10 MMscfd was needed to yield meaningful incremental oil production. The strategy of conformance control via water injection could significantly improve oil production in the HnP well, but injecting an excessive amount of water also leads to water breakthrough and loss of oil production in the offset wells. By analyzing the production performance of the wells individually, the arrangement of wells was optimized for multiple-well HnP EOR. The multiwell results showed that rich gas EOR could improve oil production up to 7.4% by employing conformance control strategies. Furthermore, replacing rich gas with propane as the injection gas could result in 14% of incremental oil production.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS1981

Endurance test and evaluation of alkaline water electrolysis cells

Utilization in the development of multi-kW low orbit power systems is discussed. The following technological developments of alkaline water electrolysis cells for space power application were demonstrated: (1) four 92.9 cm2 single water electrolysis cells, two using LST's advanced anodes and two using LST's super anodes; (2) four single cell endurance test stands for life testing of alkaline water electrolyte cells; (3) the solid performance of the advanced electrode and 355 K; (4) the breakthrough performance of the super electrode; (5) the four single cells for over 5,000 hours each significant cell deterioration or cell failure. It is concluded that the static feed water electrolysis concept is reliable and due to the inherent simplicity of the passive water feed mechanism coupled with the use of alkaline electrolyte has greater potential for regenerative fuel cell system applications than alternative electrolyzers. A rise in cell voltage occur after 2,000-3,000 hours which was attributed to deflection of the polysulfone end plates due to creepage of the thermoplastic. More end plate support was added, and the performance of the cells was restored to the initial performance level.

Burke, K. A.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Consideration of Alternate Working Fluid Properties in Gas Lubricated Foil Journal Bearings

The Oil-Free Turbomachinery Program at the NASA Glenn Research center is committed to, revolutionary improvements in performance, efficiency and reliability of turbomachinery propulsion systems. One of the key breakthroughs by which this goal is being achieved is the maturation of air lubricated foil bearing technology. Through experimental testing, foil bearings have demonstrated a variety of exceptional qualities that show them to have an important role in the future of rotordynamic lubrication. Most of the work done with foil bearings thus far has considered ambient air at atmospheric pressure as the working fluid or lubricating fluid in the bearing. However, special applications of oil-free technology require the use of air at non- standard ambient conditions or completely different working fluids altogether. The NASA Jupiter Icy Moon Orbiter program presents power generation needs far beyond that of any previous space exploration effort. The proposed spacecraft will require significant power generation to provide the propulsion necessary to reach the moons of Jupiter and navigate between them. Once there, extensive scientific research will be conducted that will also present significant power requirements. Such extreme needs require exploring a new method for power generation in space. A proposed solution involves a Brayton cycle nuclear fission reactor. The nature of this application requires reliable performance of all reactor components for many years of operation under demanding conditions. This includes the bearings which will be operating with an alternative working fluid that is a combination of Helium and Xenon gases commonly known as HeXe. This fluid has transport and thermal properties that vary significantly from that of air and the effect of these property differences on bearing performance must be considered. One of the most promising applications of oil-free technology is in aircraft turbine engines. Eliminating the oil supply systems from aircraft engines will lead to significant weight and maintenance reduction. In such applications, the lubricating fluid will be high altitude air. This air will be at much lower pressure than that at sea level. Again this property change will result in a change in bearing performance, and analysis is required to quantify this effect. The study of these alternate working fluid properties will be conducted in two ways: analytically and experimentally. Analytical research will include the use of a mathematical code that can predict film thickness profiles for various ambient conditions. Estimations of load capacity can be made based upon the film thickness trends. These values will then be compared to those obtained from classical rigid bearing analysis. Experimental Research will include testing a foil bearing at a variety of ambient air pressures. The analytical and experimental data will be compared to draw conclusions on bearing performance under alternate working fluid properties.

Smith, Matthew J.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Breakthrough Zn(II) Catalyst for Direct Air Capture Employing CO 2 Hydration

Direct air capture (DAC) represents a vital technology for atmospheric CO₂ remediation, but few studies have tested catalysts at dilute atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. Inspired by the carbonic anhydrase metalloenzyme, we report a catalytic DAC strategy employing robust zinc(II) enzyme mimics that enable efficient CO₂ sequestration pathways. A catalyst-mediated CO₂ hydration cycle in aqueous sorbents facilitates accelerated capture from dilute atmospheric air, thereby addressing the kinetic limitations observed in carbonate-based systems. Our developed complexes [ZnC1] and [ZnC2] enhance capture rates up to two-fold at millimolar concentrations and improve CO₂ mass transfer by 40-60% in 1 M K₂CO₃ sorbent under ambient conditions. These bench-stable, earth-abundant zinc catalysts operate effectively under dilute CO₂ concentrations, overcoming the kinetic limitations of conventional carbonate-based sorbents. As a result, mechanistic studies support a biomimetic catalytic cycle that facilitates rapid CO₂ conversion, demonstrating that catalyst-assisted DAC can enable energy-efficient, scalable carbon capture technologies.

Atmospheric chemistry↗
NASA NTRS1990

Advanced Mach 3.5 Axisymmetric Quiet Nozzle

To advance boundary-layer stability and transition research and to ultimately provide reliable predictions of transition for supersonic flight vehicles, a wind tunnel is required with very low stream disturbance levels comparable to free flight conditions. Experimental and theoretical research to develop a low-disturbance supersonic wind tunnel has achieved a breakthrough. A new concept for nozzle design is presented which promises a large increase in the length of the quiet test core. The Advanced Mach 3.5 Axisymmetric Quiet Nozzle is the first prototype built to prove the new design concept. Experimental results from this new nozzle on the extent of laminar wall boundary layers are compared with data from other nozzles and with theoretical predictions based on linear stability theory. The Reynolds numbers based on the measured length of the quiet test core for this new nozzle are in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions. The effect of surface finish on the nozzle performance is also discussed.

Chen, Fang-Jenq↗
NASA NTRS1994

Advanced diesel engine component development program, tasks 4-14

This report summarizes the Advanced Diesel Engine Component Development (ADECD) Program to develop and demonstrate critical technology needed to advance the heavy-duty low heat rejection engine concept. Major development activities reported are the design, analysis, and fabrication of monolithic ceramic components; vapor phase and solid film lubrication; electrohydraulic valve actuation; and high pressure common rail injection. An advanced single cylinder test bed was fabricated as a laboratory tool in studying these advanced technologies. This test bed simulates the reciprocator for a system having no cooling system, turbo compounding, Rankine bottoming cycle, common rail injection, and variable valve actuation to achieve fuel consumption of 160 g/kW-hr (.26 lb/hp-hr). The advanced concepts were successfully integrated into the test engine. All ceramic components met their functional and reliability requirements. The firedeck, cast-in-place ports, valves, valve guides, piston cap, and piston ring were made from silicon nitride. Breakthroughs required to implement a 'ceramic' engine included the fabrication of air-gap cylinder heads, elimination of compression gaskets, machining of ceramic valve seats within the ceramic firedeck, fabrication of cast-in-place ceramic port liners, implementation of vapor phase lubrication, and elimination of the engine coolant system. Silicon nitride valves were successfully developed to meet several production abuse test requirements and incorporated into the test bed with a ceramic valve guide and solid film lubrication. The ADECD cylinder head features ceramic port shields to increase insulation and exhaust energy recovery. The combustion chamber includes a ceramic firedeck and piston cap. The tribological challenge posed by top ring reversal temperatures of 550 C was met through the development of vapor phase lubrication using tricresyl phosphate at the ring-liner interface. A solenoid-controlled, variable valve actuation system that eliminated the conventional camshaft was demonstrated on the test bed. High pressure fuel injection via a common rail system was also developed to reduce particulate emissions.

Kaushal, Tony S.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Cognitive Systems Modeling and Analysis of Command and Control Systems

Military operations, counter-terrorism operations and emergency response often oblige operators and commanders to operate within distributed organizations and systems for safe and effective mission accomplishment. Tactical commanders and operators frequently encounter violent threats and critical demands on cognitive capacity and reaction time. In the future they will make decisions in situations where operational and system characteristics are highly dynamic and non-linear, i.e. minor events, decisions or actions may have serious and irreversible consequences for the entire mission. Commanders and other decision makers must manage true real time properties at all levels; individual operators, stand-alone technical systems, higher-order integrated human-machine systems and joint operations forces alike. Coping with these conditions in performance assessment, system development and operational testing is a challenge for both practitioners and researchers. This paper reports on research from which the results led to a breakthrough: An integrated approach to information-centered systems analysis to support future command and control systems research development. This approach integrates several areas of research into a coherent framework, Action Control Theory (ACT). It comprises measurement techniques and methodological advances that facilitate a more accurate and deeper understanding of the operational environment, its agents, actors and effectors, generating new and updated models. This in turn generates theoretical advances. Some good examples of successful approaches are found in the research areas of cognitive systems engineering, systems theory, and psychophysiology, and in the fields of dynamic, distributed decision making and naturalistic decision making.

Norlander, Arne↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hybrid Sorbents for 129 I Capture from Contaminated Groundwater

Radioiodine ( 129 I) poses a risk to the environment due to its long half-life, toxicity, and mobility. It is found at the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site due to legacy releases of nuclear wastes to the subsurface where 129 I is predominantly present as iodate (IO 3 – ). To date, a cost-effective and scalable cleanup technology for 129 I has not been identified, with hydraulic containment implemented as the remedial approach. Here, novel high-performing sorbents for 129 I remediation with the capacity to reduce 129 I concentrations to or below the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standard and procedures to deploy them in an ex-situ pump and treat (P&T) system are introduced. Furthermore, this includes implementation of hybridized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) beads for ex-situ remediation of IO 3 – -contaminated groundwater for the first time. Iron (Fe) oxyhydroxide and bismuth (Bi) oxyhydroxide sorbents were deployed on silica substrates or encapsulated in porous PAN beads. In addition, Fe–, cerium (Ce)–, and Bi–oxyhydroxides were encapsulated with anion-exchange resins. The PAN–bismuth oxyhydroxide and PAN–ferrihydrite composites along with Fe- and Ce-based hybrid anion-exchange resins performed well in batch sorption experiments with distribution coefficients for IO 3 – of >1000 mL/g and rapid removal kinetics. Of the tested materials, the Ce-based hybrid anion-exchange resin was the most efficient for removal of IO 3 – from Hanford groundwater in a column system, with 50% breakthrough occurring at 324 pore volumes. The functional amine groups on the parent resin and amount of active sorbent in the resin can be customized to improve the iodine loading capacity. These results highlight the potential for IO 3 – remediation by hybrid sorbents and represent a benchmark for the implementation of commercially available materials to meet EPA standards for cleanup of 129 I in a large-scale P&T system.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1993

NASA Space Engineering Research Center for VLSI System Design

This annual report outlines the activities of the past year at the NASA SERC on VLSI Design. Highlights for this year include the following: a significant breakthrough was achieved in utilizing commercial IC foundries for producing flight electronics; the first two flight qualified chips were designed, fabricated, and tested and are now being delivered into NASA flight systems; and a new technology transfer mechanism has been established to transfer VLSI advances into NASA and commercial systems.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2007

Challenges in 21st Century Physics

We are truly fortunate to live in one of the great epochs of human discovery, a time when science is providing new visions and understanding about ourselves and the world in which we live. At last, we are beginning to explore the Universe itself. One particularly exciting area of advancement is high-energy physics where several existing concepts will be put to the test. A brief survey will be given of accomplishments in 20th Century physics. These include relativity and quantum physics which have produced breakthroughs in cosmology, astrophysics, and high-energy particle physics. The current situation is then assessed, combining the last 100 years of progress with new 21st Century challenges about unification and where to go next. Finally, the future is upon us. The next frontier in experimental high-energy physics, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva, is scheduled to begin coming online this year (2007). The potential for the LHC to address several of the significant problems in physics today will be discussed, as this great accelerator examines the predictions of the Standard Model of particle physics and even cosmology. New physics and new science will surely emerge and a better vision of the world will unfold.

Wilson, Thomas L.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Requirements Document for a Replacement Data Acquisition System

A flight vehicle is in the developmental stages. While in development flight testing is required by both the manufacturer and customer to rate design performance. The performance of the vehicle must fulfill the agreed upon requirements. Testing of a flight vehicle during operation requires various sensors in order to record and monitor performance for evaluation. A Data Acquisition System (DAQ) is needed in order to control and capture data from various sensors placed throughout the vehicle during flight. This DAQ will receive the analog data from the suite of sensors and convert them to a digital signal that can be transmitted to a recording station where the data will later be analyzed by test experts. Some of the key features to be included in the DAQ will be a self-check operation to verify the health of all sensors including the DAQ. The DAQ will also have the capability to store sensor calibration data files loaded during assembly and transmit those files to the recording station during flight. Breakthroughs in new technologies has allowed for higher resolution recording systems and faster sampling rates. Improved sensor data using a new Data Acquisition System (DAQ) can provide important answers to questions discovered during the last few flight tests. These questions arose when the flight system expressed unexpected behaviors. Having the capability of the new DAQ in flight tests would allow for more high-fidelity data to be captured from the system during flight tests and ultimately reducing the number of required flight test. Reducing the number of flight tests also reduce developmental cost and schedule.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

2019 Project Peer Review Report

This document summarizes the evaluations provided by an independent external panel of experts at the 2019 U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office's Peer Review meeting on March 4–7, 2019 in Denver, CO. BETO manages a diverse portfolio of technologies covering the full spectrum of bioenergy production, from the feedstock source to end use. BETO systematically prioritizes research and development (R&D) into technology opportunities across a range of emerging scientific breakthroughs and technology-readiness levels. This approach supports a diverse R&D portfolio while developing the most promising and widely applicable technologies, testing technologies as integrated processes, and verifying integrated processes at the engineering scale. These technologies will use a broad variety of currently underused domestic biomass and waste resources to produce increasing volumes of biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. The biennial peer review process enables external stakeholders to provide feedback on the responsible use of taxpayer funding and develop recommendations for the most efficient and effective ways to accelerate the development of a bioenergy industry. BETO completed these reviews in 2019. This report includes the results of both the Project Peer Review meeting held in March 2019 and the Program Management Review meeting held in July 2019.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
NASA NTRS1974

Apogee motor rocketry reliability improvements

Since 1963, solid propellant apogee motors have been placing satellites into geosynchronous orbits. Major technological breakthroughs are not required to satisfy future mission requirements; however, there is a need to improve reliability to enhance cost effectiveness. Several management test options are discussed. A summary of results and conclusions derived from review of missions, where failure of a solid motor was inferred, and correlation of system factors with failures are reported. Highlights of a solid motor diagnostic instrumentation study are presented. Finally, recommendations are provided for areas of future apogee motor upgrade, which will increase project cost effectiveness by reducing the potential for future flight failures.

Behm, J.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Prepsolv (TM): The optimum alternative to 1,1,1-trichloroethane and methyl ethyl ketone for hand-wipe cleaning of aerospace materials

Engineers at Hercules Aerospace, a rocket motor manufacturer in Utah, have worked closely with chemists at Glidco Organics to study the feasibility of using terpenes for zero-residue wipe cleaning. The result of this work is a technological breakthrough, in which the barrier to ultra-low non-volatile residue formation has been broken. After 2 years of development and testing, SCM Glidco Organics has announced the availability of Glidsafe(registered trademark) Prepsolv(TM): a state-of-the-art ultra-low residue terpene wipe cleaning agent that does not require rinsing. Prepsolv(TM) can successfully be used in simple hand-wipe cleaning processes without fear of leaving surface residues. Industry testing has confirmed that Prepsolv(TM) is not only highly effective, but can even be less expensive to use than traditional cleaning solvents like methyl chloroform. This paper addresses the features and benefits of Prepsolv(TM), and presents performance and material compatibility data that characterizes this unique cleaning agent. Since its commercialization, Hercules Aerospace has chosen Prepsolv(TM) as the optimum cleaning agent to replace ozone-depleting solvents in their weapons factory in Magna, UT. Likewise, Boeing has approved Prepsolv(TM) for cleaning components in the manufacture of commercial aircraft at their facilities in Seattle, WA and Wichita, KS. Additional approvals are forthcoming for this uniquely safe and effective solvent.

Gallagher, R. Scott↗
DOE OSTI2023

Simultaneous removal of C 2 H 2 and C 2 H 6 for C 2 H 4 purification by robust MOFs featuring a high density of heteroatoms

Simultaneous removal of C 2 H 6 and C 2 H 2 from C 2 H 4 streams is of great importance in the petrochemical industry but remains a challenging task. To address this challenge, we have selected three isoreticular MOFs with high stability, low cost, and desirable scale-up ability, namely, MOF-303, MIL-160, and CAU-23 and assessed their potential in simultaneous removal of acetylene and ethane for ethylene purification. Each MOF exhibits desirable C 2 H 2 and C 2 H 6 uptake capacity (>5.5 mmol g –1 and >4 mmol g –1 , respectively), as well as good C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 selectivity (>2) and C 2 H 6 /C 2 H 4 selectivity (>1.5). Notably, MOF-303 takes up 4.96 mmol g –1 C 2 H 6 at 298 K and 1 bar, the highest value among the three MOFs, with C 2 H 6 /C 2 H 4 selectivity in the range of 1.55–2.47. MIL-160 possesses a very high C 2 H 2 uptake (9.1 mmol g –1 ) and C 2 H 2 /C 2 H 4 selectivity, 10.6 (1 : 1, v/v), at 298 K, much higher than those of all other MOFs tested to date for simultaneous removal of C 2 H 6 and C 2 H 2 from C 2 H 4 . The results from breakthrough experiments confirm that all three MOFs demonstrate excellent performance for C 2 H 4 purification in a ternary mixture of C 2 H 6 /C 2 H 4 /C 2 H 2 (1 : 1 : 1, v/v/v). Here, for MOF-303, MIL-160, and CAU-23, polymer-grade C 2 H 4 up to 0.164, 0.21, and 0.181 mmol g –1 can be obtained from the equimolar ternary mixture in a single separation step from the breakthrough experiment. Additionally, DFT calculations have been performed to further investigate the mechanism of adsorption/separation for C 2 H 6 , C 2 H 4 , and C 2 H 2 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS2000

Cool Software for Hot Materials

Deformation Control Technology, Inc. (DCT) used a NASA SBIR contract to develop a computer modeling system for evaluating thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) beforehand. Traditional tests of TBCs required Burner Rig tests, which involved the actual application of a coating to a surface. DCT's software reduces experimentation costs as well as led to a breakthrough in understanding the role of bond coat oxidization. DCT's method has been used in a variety of turbine applications.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2005

History of the Development of Liquid-Applied Coatings for Protection of Reinforced Concrete

Corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete is an insidious problem for structures at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). KSC is located on the coast of Florida in a highly corrosive atmosphere. Launch pads, highway bridge infrastructure, and buildings are strongly affected. To mitigate these problems, NASA initiated a development program for a Galvanic Liquid-Applied Coating System (GLACS). A breakthrough in this area would have great commercial value in transportation, marine and construction industry infrastructures. The patented NASA GLACS system has undergone considerable testing to meet the needs of commercialization. A moisture-cure coating gives excellent adhesion with ease of application compared to existing galvanic products on the market. The latest development, GalvaCori; can be sprayed or hand applied to almost any structure shape. A self-adhesive conductive tape system has been devised to simplify current collection within the coating areas. In testing programs, millivolt potential and milliamp output per square foot of anode have been closely studied at actual test sites. These two parameters are probably the most challenging items of a resin-based, room-temperature-applied, galvanic coating. Extensive re-formulation has resulted in a system that provides the needed polarization for catholic protection of reinforcing steel in concrete in a variety of structure environments. The rate of corrosion of rebar in concrete is greatly affected by the environment of the structure. In addition to this, for any given concrete structure; moisture level, carbonization, and chloride contamination influences the rate of rebar corrosion. Similarly, the cathodic protection level of galvanic systems is also dependent on the moisture level of the concrete. GalvaCorr is formulated to maintain galvanic activity as the moisture level of the structure declines. GalvaCorr is available as a three-part kit. The mixing step requires about ten minutes. The viscosity can be easily adjusted to meet the application needs. The pot or working life is four to six hours, depending on the temperature. GalvaCorr can be thought of as a spray-on coating, battery ready to provide up to -1.4 volts (relative to CSE) of cathodic protection (CP) potential.

Curran, Joseph J.↗