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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 NTRS2002

Powering the Future

Stirling Technology Company (STC) developed the RG-350 convertor using components from separate Goddard Space Center and U.S. Army Natick SBIR contracts. Based on the RG-350, STC commercialized a product line of Stirling cycle generator sets, known as RemoteGen(TM), with power levels ranging from 10We to 3kWe. Under SBIR agreements with Glenn Research Center, the company refined and extended the capabilities of the RemoteGen convertors. They can provide power in remote locations by efficiently producing electricity from multiple-fuel sources, such as propane, alcohol, gasoline, diesel, coal, solar energy, or wood pellets. Utilizing any fuel source that can create heat, RemoteGen enables the choice of the most appropriate fuel source available. The engines operate without friction, wear, or maintenance. These abilities pave the way for self-powered appliances, such as refrigerators and furnaces. Numerous applications for RemoteGen include quiet, pollution-free generators for RVs and yachts, power for cell phone towers remote from the grid, and off-grid residential power variously using propane, ethanol, and solid biomass fuels. One utility and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are evaluating a solar dish concentrator version with excellent potential for powering remote irrigation pumps.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2002

Oxidizer Selection for the ISTAR Program (Liquid Oxygen versus Hydrogen Peroxide)

This paper discusses a study of two alternate oxidizers, liquid oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, for use in a rocket based combined cycle (RBCC) demonstrator vehicle. The flight vehicle is baselined as an airlaunched self-powered Mach 0.7 to 7 demonstration of an RBCC engine through all or its air breathing propulsion modes. Selection of an alternate oxidizer has the potential to lower overall vehicle size, system complexity/ cost and ultimately the total program risk. This trade study examined the oxidizer selection effects upon the overall vehicle performance, safety and operations. After consideration of all the technical and programmatic details available at this time, 90% hydrogen peroxide was selected over liquid oxygen for use in this program.

Quinn, Jason Eugene↗
NASA NTRS2003

Design Considerations of ISTAR Hydrocarbon Fueled Combustor Operating in Air Augmented Rocket, Ramjet and Scramjet Modes

The development and ground test of a rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) propulsion system is being conducted as part of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Integrated System Test of an Airbreathing Rocket (ISTAR) program. The eventual flight vehicle (X-43B) is designed to support an air-launched self-powered Mach 0.7 to 7.0 demonstration of an RBCC engine through all of its airbreathing propulsion modes - air augmented rocket (AAR), ramjet (RJ), and scramjet (SJ). Through the use of analytical tools, numerical simulations, and experimental tests the ISTAR program is developing and validating a hydrocarbon-fueled RBCC combustor design methodology. This methodology will then be used to design an integrated RBCC propulsion system that produces robust ignition and combustion stability characteristics while maximizing combustion efficiency and minimizing drag losses. First order analytical and numerical methods used to design hydrocarbon-fueled combustors are discussed with emphasis on the methods and determination of requirements necessary to establish engine operability and performance characteristics.

Andreadis, Dean↗
NASA NTRS2002

Design Considerations of Istar Hydrocarbon Fueled Combustor Operating in Air Augmented Rocket, Ramjet and Scramjet Modes

The development and ground test of a rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) propulsion system is being conducted as part of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Integrated System Test of an Airbreathing Rocket (ISTAR) program. The eventual flight vehicle (X-43B) is designed to support an air-launched self-powered Mach 0.7 to 7.0 demonstration of an RBCC engine through all of its airbreathing propulsion modes - air augmented rocket (AAR), ramjet (RJ), and scramjet (SJ). Through the use of analytical tools, numerical simulations, and experimental tests the ISTAR program is developing and validating a hydrocarbon-fueled RBCC combustor design methodology. This methodology will then be used to design an integrated RBCC propulsion system thai: produces robust ignition and combustion stability characteristics while maximizing combustion efficiency and minimizing drag losses. First order analytical and numerical methods used to design hydrocarbon-fueled combustors are discussed with emphasis on the methods and determination of requirements necessary to establish engine operability and performance characteristics.

Andreadis, Dean↗
NASA NTRS2003

Going Places No Infrared Temperature Devices Have Gone Before

Exergen's IRt/c is a self-powered sensor that matches a thermocouple within specified temperature ranges and provides a predictable and repeatable signal outside of this specified range. Possessing an extremely fast time constant, the infrared technology allows users to measure product temperature without touching the product. The IRt/c uses a device called a thermopile to measure temperature and generate current. Traditionally, these devices are not available in a size that would be compatible with the Exergen IRt/c, based on NASA s quarterinch specifications. After going through five circuit designs to find a thermopile that would suit the IRt/c design and match the signal needed for output, Exergen maintains that it developed a model that totaled just 20 percent of the volume of the previous smallest detector in the world. Following completion of the project with Glenn, Exergen continued development of the IRt/c for other customers, spinning off a new product line called the micro IRt/c. This latest development has broadened applications for industries that previously could not use infrared thermometers due to size constraints. The first commercial use of the micro IRt/c involved an original equipment manufacturer that makes laminating machinery consisting of heated rollers in very tight spots. Accurate temperature measurement for this application requires close proximity to the heated rollers. With the micro IRt/c s 50-millisecond time constant, the manufacturer is able to gain closer access to the intended temperature targets for exact readings, thereby increasing productivity and staying ahead of competition.In a separate application, the infrared temperature sensor is being utilized for avalanche warnings in Switzerland. The IRt/c is mounted about 5 meters above the ground to measure the snow cover throughout the mountainous regions of the country.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Dynamic cell culture system: a new cell cultivation instrument for biological experiments in space

The prototype of a miniaturized cell cultivation instrument for animal cell culture experiments aboard Spacelab is presented (Dynamic cell culture system: DCCS). The cell chamber is completely filled and has a working volume of 200 microliters. Medium exchange is achieved with a self-powered osmotic pump (flowrate 1 microliter h-1). The reservoir volume of culture medium is 230 microliters. The system is neither mechanically stirred nor equipped with sensors. Hamster kidney (Hak) cells growing on Cytodex 3 microcarriers were used to test the biological performance of the DCCS. Growth characteristics in the DCCS, as judged by maximal cell density, glucose consumption, lactic acid secretion and pH, were similar to those in cell culture tubes.

NASA Program Flight↗
NASA NTRS2009

Compilation of Trade Studies for the Constellation Program Extravehicular Activity Spacesuit Power System

This compilation of trade studies performed from 2005 to 2006 addressed a number of power system design issues for the Constellation Program Extravehicular Activity Spacesuit. Spacesuits were required for spacewalks and in-space activities as well as lunar and Mars surface operations. The trades documented here considered whether solar power was feasible for spacesuits, whether spacesuit power generation should be a distributed or a centralized function, whether self-powered in-space spacesuits were better than umbilically powered ones, and whether the suit power system should be recharged in place or replaced.

Fincannon, James↗
NASA NTRS2010

Ultra Low Temperature Ultra Low Power Instrument Packages for Planetary Surfaces

Achievement of solar system exploration roadmap goals will involve robotic or human deployment and longterm operation of surface science packages remote from human presence, thus requiring autonomous, self-powered operation. The major challenge such packages face will be operating during long periods of darkness in extreme cold potentially without the Pu238 based power and thermal systems available to Apollo era packages (ALSEP). Development of such science payloads will thus require considerable optimization of instrument and subsystem design, packaging and integration for a variety of planetary surface environments in order to support solar system exploration fully. Our work supports this process through the incorporation of low temperature operational components and design strategies which radically minimize power, mass, and cost while maximizing the performance under extreme surface conditions that are in many cases more demanding than those routinely experienced by spacecraft in deep space. Chief instruments/instrument package candidates include those which could provide long-term monitoring of the surface and subsurface environments for fundamental science and human crew safety. The initial attempt to design a 10 instrument environmental monitoring package with a solar/battery based power system led to a package with a unacceptably large mass (500 kg) of which over half was battery mass. In phase 1, a factor of 5 reduction in mass was achieved, first through the introduction of high performance electronics capable of operating at far lower temperature and then through the use of innovative thermal balance strategies involving the use of multi-layer thin materials and gravity-assisted heat pipes. In phase 2, reported here, involves strategies such as universal incorporation of ULT/ULP digital and analog electronics, and distributed or non-conventionally packaged power systems. These strategies will be required to meet the far more challenging thermal requirements of operating through a normal 28 day diurnal cycle. The limited temperature range of efficient battery operation remains the largest obstacle.

Clark, P. E.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Design for the Structure and the Mechanics of Moballs

The moball is envisioned to be a round, self-powered, and wind-driven multifunctioning sensor used in the Gone with the Wind ON-Mars (GOWON) [http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/ marsconcepts2012/pdf/4238.pdf]: A Wind-Driven Networked System of Mobile sensors on Mars. The moballs would have sensing, processing, and communication capabilities. The moballs would perform in situ detection of key environmental elements such as vaporized water, trace gases, wind, dust, clouds, light and UV exposure, temperature, as well as minerals of interest, possible biosignatures, surface magnetic and electric fields, etc. The embedded various low-power micro instruments could include a Multispectral Microscopic Imager (to detect various minerals), a compact curved focal plane array camera (UV/Vis/NIR) with a large field of view, a compact UV/Visible spectrometer, a micro-weather station, etc. The moballs could communicate with each other and an orbiter. Their wind- or gravity-driven rolling movement could be used to harvest and store electric energy. They could also generate and store energy using the sunlight, when available, and the diurnal temperature variations on Mars. The moballs would be self-aware of their (and their neighbors ) positions, energy storage, and memory availability; they would have processing power and could intelligently cooperate with neighboring moballs by distributing tasks, sharing data, and fusing information. The major advantages of using the wind-driven and spherical moball network over rovers or other fixed sensor webs to explore Mars would be: (1) moballs could explore a much larger expanse of Mars in a much faster fashion, (2) they could explore the difficult terrains such as steep slopes and sand dunes, and (3) they would be self-energy- generating and could work together and move around autonomously. The challenge in designing the structure and the mechanics of the moball would be that it should be sturdy enough to withstand the impact of its initial fall, as well as other impacts from obstacles in its way. A mechanism would be needed that could enable hundreds of moballs to be carried while they would be deflated and compact, then would inflate them just after deploying them to their drop site. Furthermore, the moballs should also be light enough to allow them to move easily over obstacles by force of the wind. They also should have some kind of maneuvering mechanism in place to help them avoid very hazardous sharp objects or events, and to enable them to get closer to the objects of interest. The structure of the moballs was designed so that they would have different layers. The outer layer should comprise a sturdy, yet light, polymer that could withstand both the impact of the initial drop, as well as the impact of the different obstacles it would encounter while traversing the surface of Mars. This polymer should not deteriorate with the 100 K daily temperature swings on Mars. The inner layer should consist of a very light gas such as nitrogen or helium. In terms of maneuvering, six very light weights placed at strategic locations would give moballs the ability to turn, or even hop, over hazardous (e.g., sharp) obstacles, or even initiate a movement (before getting more help from the wind to be carried around) when stuck. Maneuvering would be necessary in order to get closer to objects of interest. If the weights would be allowed to move freely, they could also be used to generate energy.

Davoodi, Faranak↗
NASA NTRS2013

Wind-Driven Wireless Networked System of Mobile Sensors for Mars Exploration

A revolutionary way is proposed of studying the surface of Mars using a wind-driven network of mobile sensors: GOWON. GOWON would be a scalable, self-powered and autonomous distributed system that could allow in situ mapping of a wide range of environmental phenomena in a much larger portion of the surface of Mars compared to earlier missions. It could improve the possibility of finding rare phenomena such as "blueberries' or bio-signatures and mapping their occurrence, through random wind-driven search. It would explore difficult terrains that were beyond the reach of previous missions, such as regions with very steep slopes and cluttered surfaces. GOWON has a potentially long life span, as individual elements can be added to the array periodically. It could potentially provide a cost-effective solution for mapping wide areas of Martian terrain, enabling leaving a long-lasting sensing and searching infrastructure on the surface of Mars. The system proposed here addresses this opportunity using technology advances in a distributed system of wind-driven sensors, referred to as Moballs.

Davoodi, Faranak↗
NASA NTRS2011

TPSAS-NF1676L-11812-DND

Reducing the weight of spacecraft will reduce the fabrication costs and the launch costs . The elimination of wiring and wiring harnesses reduces the total mass of the vehicle . Wireless sensor technology can reduce the weight and therefore the costs of spacecraft . The Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics survey identified that "self-powered, wireless microelectromechanical sensors" warrant attention over the next decade . Current wireless sensor systems have low data rates and require batteries. The environment of aerospace vehicles is often very harsh, with temperature extremes ranging from cryogenic to very high temperatures during re-entry. For example, X-37B mini unmanned shuttle will require high temperature sensors mounted on the structure, as well as cryogenic sensors for monitoring fuel tanks. Batteries do not work well in either temperature extremes. Also, sensors are typically located in internal structures with limited access, making the periodic changing of batteries costly and time consuming. Passive wireless sensors are needed that operate across an extremely large temperature range and do not require batteries. NASA recently instrumented an all Composite Crew Module for structural testing on the ground. Wireless sensors could have reduced the time to instrument the module and check out the sensor wiring.

W (Cy) Wilson↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

TPSAS-NF1676L-12156-DND

The IVHM project recommends nine priorities for future IVHM research. Strain measurement technology is one of the nine recommendations. The Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics: Foundation for the Future, identified IVHM as the top NASA and national priority within the area of materials and structures. The survey also identified IVHM systems that warrant attention over the next decade such as “locally self-powered, wireless microelectromechanical sensors of various types tiny enough that very large numbers of sensors become practical.” Standard strain gages have been used to detect cracks in aircraft, and have been used to monitor load conditions and fatigue in airframes. High temperature devices will be able to monitor structural health in areas that are inaccessible today.

Cy Wilson↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of Flexible Energy Storage Device for Wearable Electronics using All-organic Composites

As the demands and applications of wearable electronics increase, the need of power supply for wearable electronics becomes the critical issue. Both batteries and capacitors can be used as power supplier. In terms of energy storage device, capacitors have many advantages over the batteries, but have a lower energy storage density. To improve the energy density, composites, in which inorganic particles are embedded in a polymer matrix, have been identified as a promising approach to create the dielectrics with a higher energy storage density. The physics behind the composite approach is that the inorganics have a higher dielectric constant and polymers can stand with a higher electric field so that the composites can exhibit a relative dielectric constant and stand with a relative electric field. Therefore, the composites can exhibit a higher energy storage density. However, the embedment of inorganic particles into polymer severely reduces the flexibility of the polymer. To develop flexible energy storage ultracapacitors as an energy storage device for wearable electronics, an all-organic composite approach, in which a dielectric polymer is mixed with polar organic molecules, is introduced. It is experimentally found that by adding a small amount of polar organic molecules into dielectric polymers, the polymers exhibits a high dielectric constant and can stand with a higher electric field. More importantly, the flexibility of the all-organic composites is better than the polymer matrix. Therefore, the all-organic composites can be a strong and promising candidate for the development of flexible energy storage devices for the wearable electronics. In this study, three different dielectric polymers and three different polar molecules were studied. All the all-organic composite systems exhibit a significant improvement on the energy storage density. These new flexible energy storage devices are being developed to be fabricated with on-demandadditive electronics manufacturing processes, so that they can be fabricated when needed in space on the International Space Station and planned lunar habitat and other future missions. These flexible energy storage devices will provide the storage in concert with other printed power generation devices to allow crew health and structural health monitoring sensor devices and systems to be self-powered, not requiring any external power or batteries.

energy storage↗
NASA NTRS2021

AIAA Ascend 2021 Conference On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics Panel Abstract

1. Session Proposal o Session Title NASA’s In Space Manufacturing and the On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics o Session Topic Primary -- Space Logistics, Autonomy, and Robotics; Secondary – Transformative Research and Technologies o Session Format: Panel Discussion. o Requested Session Duration: 60 minutes o Short Session Description: The goal of NASA’s On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics project is to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a low-gravity, on-demand manufacturing system for flexible hybrid electronic devices on the International Space Station. This panel will feature several key collaborators and team members from the commercial sector, academia, and internal to NASA, each of which are contributing an unique and vital role to the design and implementation of this new technology system. o Extended Session Description (Please describe in detail the activity proposed, including how you intend to use the requested session duration. This session description will be provided to the reviewers for consideration and will not be displayed in the online agenda.): The session will be moderated by Curtis Hill, the Project Lead for the On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics (ODME), and he will start by giving a brief introduction to the ODME project which is working to produce a demo system for the manufacturing of electronic devices on the International Space Station. Panelists consisting of collaborators and team members to the ODME project will then give a brief (~5 min) introduction highlighting their contributions to the project, followed by time for Q&A from the audience. The panel will consist of: 1. Kenneth Church, nScrypt. nScrypt is a leader in multi-material printing with a modular system that incorporates a direct write thick film print head, a polymer fused filament fabrication print head, a laser sintering attachment, a drill head attachment for milling, and a pick and place. The system can print a layer and scan for accuracy of prints. The combination of multiple print heads and scanning allows for the on-demand production of intricate electronic components. 2. Andy Kurk, TechShot, Inc. Techshot, Inc. has collaborated extensively with NASA on the in space manufacturing of both printed electronics and fused metal materials. They are currently working to develop and integrate a test system for printed electronics, and a flight demonstration on the International Space Station is anticipated in 2024. 3. Ed Hendricks, NextFlex. NextFlex has the goal of advancing the manufacture of flexible hybrid electronics in the U.S. They are working with ODME on the development of AstroSense, an additively manufactured, wireless, flexible, and wearable health sensor. 4. Dr. Pradeep Lall, Auburn University. Professor Lall is the MacFarlane Endowed Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering with a Courtesy Joint Appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a Courtesy Joint Appointment in the Department of Finance. He is collaborating with NASA’s ODME project to develop multilayer printable devices and to develop techniques to test the quality of a printed electronic device. 5. Dr. Wei Gao, California Institute of Technology. Professor Gao is an Assistant Professor of Medical Engineering. His group is developing fully printed, flexible, and wearable biosensors for crew health monitoring in collaboration with NASA’s ODME project. In addition, they are working on using sweat to power biofuel cells for wearable, self-powered electronic devices. 6. Beth Paquette, NASA Goddard. The ODME branch at NASA Goddard is spearheading a sounding rocket flight demo to prove the capability of a printed electronic device with multiple sensors. In addition, they focus on thin film and flexible energy storage evaluations. o Session Goal(s)/Outcome(s): Please list the learning objectives and/or tangible outcomes (technical paper or other publication). The goal of this session is to highlight the internal and collaborative efforts of NASA’s On Demand Manufacturing of Electronics project to develop a system for printing electronics that will be tested on the International Space Station in 2024. In addition, the session with facilitate discussion with the community on the state of the art of printable electronics, current challenges, and new avenues for collaboration.

Jennifer McInnis Jones↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

EXCAP-LR: Exploration Capabilities Logistics Reduction

All human space missions require substantial logistical mass and volume. As our exploration missions increase in distance and duration, reduction of these logistics requirements becomes more important. The movement and tracking of logistics between vehicle elements are increasingly recognized as critical to crew efficiency and on-orbit mission assurance. This project targets the best opportunities to demonstrate logistics reduction, repurposing, and efficient tracking and management of logistics. These technologies and innovations will make future exploration missions more affordable. - REALM-3 (RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Enabled Autonomous Logistics Management) – Hydra (HYper-Distributed RFID Antenna) Smart Stow: receives RFID signal from readers, use very small % of signal to self-power on-board microcontroller and RF switch, multiplex RFID signal to other nodes in a chain or to a multitude of antennas. ISS HYDRA Smart Stow is over-instrumented to allow evaluation of a branched network HYDRA chain. - UWMS (Universal Waste Management System) – provides a compact, lower mass/volume toilet for exploration missions - ACS (Advanced Clothing Systems) – investigates ways to reduce clothing mass and volume directly or through efficiently cleaning them for reuse.

Patrick Fink↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of Radioluminescent Tritium Polymeric Material for High Visibility Applications

The Development of Radioluminescent Tritium Polymeric Material for High Visibility Applications effort investigates the nature and properties of materials consisting of tritium lights combined with various silicone adhesives. Physical, mechanical, and optical properties will be observed/measured, including their durability in the low earth orbit environment. Tritium or hydrogen-three is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that emits beta particles as it undergoes a process called beta decay. A beta particle is a high-energy, high-speed electron (or positron) emitted from radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus. Because it is a gas, tritium must be bound to a material or encapsulated in a sealed glass container. The gaseous tritium can then be combined with a phosphor source which when struck with beta particles, fluoresces and emits light. Such a light source is referred to as a gaseous tritium light source (GTLS). A self-powered, radioluminescent tritium material capable of surviving multiple space environments has the potential to fulfill visibility requirements levied on space flight hardware and facilitate additional long term internal and external lighting needs such as for imaging, docking, tracking, and xEMU suits for lunar exploration on the moon.

Lauren Fisher↗
DOE OSTI2023

Triboelectric nanogenerator for harvesting energy from water

An apparatus including a first member including a first electrode, a second member coupled to the first member about an axis, including a second electrode, and a surface layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, the second member is rotatable with respect to the axis by an energy flow to change triboelectric charges on the electrodes, and to affect a flow of electrons between the electrodes. A self-powered sensor for detecting a chemical including a generator having an electrode, and a superhydrophobic surface layer for receiving an energy flow carrying triboelectric charges, the surface layer includes a TiO 2 layer with nanostructures, and a power indicator indicative of whether the chemical is present based on power output of the triboelectric generator, the energy flow is a solution flow, the solution comprising the chemical and water, and the chemical removes at least one triboelectric charge from the water.

Wang, Zhong Lin↗
DOE OSTI2023

Sensitive and robust thin film X-ray detector using 2D layered perovskite diodes

A radiation detector includes a p-i-n architecture including a p-type contact layer, an n-type contact layer, and an intrinsic layer between the p-type contact layer and the n-type contact layer. The intrinsic layer includes a thin film comprising a highly crystalline 2D layered perovskite material. The radiation detectors according to embodiments of the present disclosure generate high open circuit voltages, have good detecting photon density limits and high sensitivities, and can be self-powered.

Tsai, Hsinhan↗