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At least 109 records · Page 6

Flat plate collector performance determined experimentally with a solar simulator

The NASA is constructing a new office building at Langley Research Center that will utilize solar energy for heating and cooling. A collector technology program being conducted at Lewis will provide the basis for selecting collectors for use at Langley. The technology program includes testing collectors in an indoor facility under simulated solar radiation. Tests have been conducted on five collectors to date and performance data are presented herein.

Vernon, R. W.↗

Conducting Research on the International Space Station Using the EXPRESS Rack Facilities

Eight "Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station" (EXPRESS) Rack facilities are located within the International Space Station (ISS) laboratories to provide standard resources and interfaces for the simultaneous and independent operation of multiple experiments within each rack. Each EXPRESS Rack provides eight Middeck Locker Equivalent locations and two drawer locations for powered experiment equipment, also referred to as sub-rack payloads. Payload developers may provide their own structure to occupy the equivalent volume of one, two, or four lockers as a single unit. Resources provided for each location include power (28 Vdc, 0-500 W), command and data handling (Ethernet, RS-422, 5 Vdc discrete, +/- 5 Vdc analog), video (NTSC/RS 170A), and air cooling (0-200 W). Each rack also provides water cooling (500 W) for two locations, one vacuum exhaust interface, and one gaseous nitrogen interface. Standard interfacing cables and hoses are provided on-orbit. One laptop computer is provided with each rack to control the rack and to accommodate payload application software. Four of the racks are equipped with the Active Rack Isolation System to reduce vibration between the ISS and the rack. EXPRESS Racks are operated by the Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall Space Flight Center and the sub-rack experiments are operated remotely by the investigating organization. Payload Integration Managers serve as a focal to assist organizations developing payloads for an EXPRESS Rack. NASA provides EXPRESS Rack simulator software for payload developers to checkout payload command and data handling at the development site before integrating the payload with the EXPRESS Functional Checkout Unit for an end-to-end test before flight. EXPRESS Racks began supporting investigations onboard ISS on April 24, 2001 and will continue through the life of the ISS.

Thompson, Sean W.↗

Conducting Research on the International Space Station using the EXPRESS Rack Facilities

Eight "Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station" (EXPRESS) Rack facilities are located within the International Space Station (ISS) laboratories to provide standard resources and interfaces for the simultaneous and independent operation of multiple experiments within each rack. Each EXPRESS Rack provides eight Middeck Locker Equivalent locations and two drawer locations for powered experiment equipment, also referred to as sub-rack payloads. Payload developers may provide their own structure to occupy the equivalent volume of one, two, or four lockers as a single unit. Resources provided for each location include power (28 Vdc, 0-500 W), command and data handling (Ethernet, RS-422, 5 Vdc discrete, +/- 5 Vdc analog), video (NTSC/RS 170A), and air cooling (0-200 W). Each rack also provides water cooling for two locations (500W ea.), one vacuum exhaust interface, and one gaseous nitrogen interface. Standard interfacing cables and hoses are provided on-orbit. One laptop computer is provided with each rack to control the rack and to accommodate payload application software. Four of the racks are equipped with the Active Rack Isolation System to reduce vibration between the ISS and the rack. EXPRESS Racks are operated by the Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall Space Flight Center and the sub-rack experiments are operated remotely by the investigating organization. Payload Integration Managers serve as a focal to assist organizations developing payloads for an EXPRESS Rack. NASA provides EXPRESS Rack simulator software for payload developers to checkout payload command and data handling at the development site before integrating the payload with the EXPRESS Functional Checkout Unit for an end-to-end test before flight. EXPRESS Racks began supporting investigations onboard ISS on April 24, 2001 and will continue through the life of the ISS.

Thompson, Sean W.↗

Cryogenic optical tests of a lightweight HIP beryllium mirror

Five interferometric tests were conducted at cryogenic temperatures on a lightweight, 50 cm diameter, hot isostatic pressed (HIP) beryllium mirror in the Ames Research Center (ARC) Cryogenic Optics Test Facility. The purpose of the tests was to determine the stability of the mirror's figure when cooled to cryogenic temperatures. Test temperatures ranged from room ambient to 8 K. One cycle to 8 K and five cycles to 80 K were performed. Optical and thermal test methods are described. Data is presented to show the amount of cryogenic distortion and hysteresis present in the mirror when measured with an earlier, Shack interferometer, and with a newly-acquired, phase-measuring interferometer.

Melugin, Ramsey K.↗

Location, location: deciphering the significance of in-situ hydrogen analyses of Martian meteorite phases

Understanding how inner planets acquired their volatiles such as hydrogen (H) is fundamental to constrain models of solar system formation [e.g. 1]. One avenue of estimating the H content and isotopic characteristics of differentiated planets is to analyze the samples we have from them as meteorites. Ideally, the H content and isotopic characteristic of the mantle sources of these igneous rocks should give insight into the volatile origin of each planetary body. The mantle H signatures can be estimated from that of the parent melt, which in turn may be derived from that of the first crystallized phases. However, we will illustrate the processes that can modify the H content and D/H ratios of pyroxene, olivine and feldspar in selected Martian meteorites relative to those of their mantle sources, with two key protocols for SIMS analysis. The first key is to put each analysis in textural context ("location, location"). In particular, of prime importance is whether an analysis is done at the center or the edge of a mineral grain, close or far from a shock disturbed area, and in a mineral crystallized at the beginning or late in the differentiation sequence. Accompanying the H analyses done by SIMS with major and trace element data at the same analysis locations allows to constrain the history of crystallization, cooling, alteration and shock of the meteorite. For example, volcanic degassing can be evidenced by decreasing water contents and increasing D/H ratios from core to edge of nakhlite pyroxenes [2]. Traverses of H analyses in pyroxene and maskelynite in shergottite LAR 06319 provide examples of H contents and D/H ratios modified during degassing following shock [3]. The second key is to assess if the area analyzed by SIMS has shock generated damage of the mineral structure, as will be shown in pyroxene and olivine from shergottite RBT 04262. Olivine in shergottites have too high water contents to be explained with an igneous origin and their D/H ratios are more consistent with terrestrial alteration, as observed before [4]. A review of all these processes shows how careful one has to be prior to using H measurements in meteorites to infer the origin and amount of water in differentiated planetary interiors.

A.H. Peslier↗

Description of a Pressure Measurement Technique for Obtaining Surface Static Pressures of a Radial Turbine

The aerodynamic performance of a solid uncooled version of a cooled radial turbine was evaluated in the Small Engine Components Test Facility Turbine rig at the NASA Lewis Research Center. Specifically, an experiment was conducted to rotor surface static pressures. This was the first time surface static pressures had been measured on a radial turbine at NASA Lewis. These pressures were measured by a modified Rotating Data Package (RDP), a standard product manufactured by Scanivalve, Inc. Described here are the RDP, and the modifications that were made, as well as the checkout, installation, and testing procedures. The data presented are compared to analytical results obtained from NASA's MERIDL TSONIC BLAYER (MTSB) code.

Dicicco, L. Danielle↗

Description of a pressure measurement technique for obtaining surface static pressures of a radial turbine

The aerodynamic performance of a solid uncooled version of a cooled radial turbine was evaluated in the Small Engine Components Test Facility Turbine rig at the NASA Lewis Research Center. Specifically, an experiment was conducted to rotor surface static pressures. This was the first time surface static pressures had been measured on a radial turbine at NASA Lewis. These pressures were measured by a modified Rotating Data Package (RDP), a standard product manufactured by Scanivalve, Inc. Described here are the RDP, and the modifications that were made, as well as the checkout, installation, and testing procedures. The data presented are compared to analytical results obtained from NASA's MERIDL TSONIC BLAYER (MTSB) code.

Dicicco, L. D.↗

Spring 2014 Internship Diffuser Data Analysis

J-2X engine testing on the A-2 test stand at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) has recently concluded. As part of that test campaign, the engine was operated at lower power levels in support of expanding the use of J-2X to other missions. However, the A-2 diffuser was not designed for engine testing at the proposed low power levels. To evaluate the risk of damage to the diffuser, computer simulations were created of the rocket engine exhaust plume inside the 50ft long, water-cooled, altitude-simulating diffuser. The simulations predicted that low power level testing would cause the plume to oscillate in the lower sections of the diffuser. This can possibly cause excessive vibrations, stress, and heat transfer from the plume to the diffuser walls. To understand and assess the performance of the diffuser during low power level engine testing, nine accelerometers and four strain gages were installed around the outer surface of the diffuser. The added instrumentation also allowed for the verification of the rocket exhaust plume computational model. Prior to engine hot-fire testing, a diffuser water-flow test was conducted to verify the proper operation of the newly installed instrumentation. Subsequently, two J-2X engine hot-fire tests were completed. Hot-Fire Test 1 was 11.5 seconds in duration, and accelerometer and strain data verified that the rocket engine plume oscillated in the lower sections of the diffuser. The accelerometers showed very different results dependent upon location. The diffuser consists of four sections, with Section 1 being closest to the engine nozzle and Section 4 being farthest from the engine nozzle. Section 1 accelerometers showed increased amplitudes at startup and shutdown, but low amplitudes while the diffuser was started. Section 3 accelerometers showed the opposite results with near zero G amplitudes prior to and after diffuser start and peak amplitudes to +/- 100G while the diffuser was started. Hot-Fire Test 1 strain gages showed different data dependent on section. Section 1 strains were small, and were in the range of 50 to 150 microstrain, which would result in stresses from 1.45 to 4.35 ksi. The yield stress of the material, A-285 Grade C Steel, is 29.7 ksi. Section 4 strain gages showed much higher values with strains peaking at 1600 microstrain. This strain corresponds to a stress of 46.41 ksi, which is in excess of the yield stress, but below the ultimate stress of 55 to 75 ksi. The decreased accelerations and strain in Section 1, and the increased accelerations and strain in Sections 3 and 4 verified the computer simulation prediction of increased plume oscillations in the lower sections of the diffuser. Hot-Fire Test 2 ran for a duration of 125 seconds. The engine operated at a slightly higher power level than Hot-Fire Test 1 for the initial 35 seconds of the test. After 35 seconds the power level was lowered to Hot-Fire Test 1 levels. The acceleration and strain data for Hot-Fire Test 2 was similar during the initial part of the test. However, just prior to the engine being lowered to the Hot-Fire Test 1 power level, the strain gage data in Section 4 showed a large decrease to strains near zero microstrain from their peak at 1500 microstrain. Future work includes further strain and acceleration data analysis and evaluation.

Laigaie, Robert T.↗

Experimental Evaluation of a Cooled Radial-inflow Turbine

Two 14.4 inch tip diameter rotors were installed and tested in the Small Engines Component Turbine Facility (SECTF) at NASA Lewis Research Center. The rotors, a solid and a cooled version of a radial-inflow turbine, were tested with a 15 vane stat or over a set of rotational speeds ranging from 80 to 120 percent design speed (17,500 to 21,500 rpm). The total-to-total stage pressure ratios ranged from 2.5 to 5.5. The data obtained at the equivalent conditions using the solid version of the rotor are presented with the cooled rotor data. A Reynolds number of 381,000 was maintained for both rotors, whose stages had a design mass flow of 4.0 Ibm/sec, a design work level of 59.61 Btu/lbm, and a design efficiency of 87 percent. The results include mass flow data, turbine torque, turbine exit flow angles, stage efficiency, and rotor inlet and exit surveys.

Tirres, Lizet↗

Experimental evaluation of a cooled radial-inflow turbine

Two 14.4 inch tip diameter rotors were installed and tested in the Small Engines Component Turbine Facility (SECTF) at NASA Lewis Research Center. The rotors, a solid and a cooled version of a radial-inflow turbine, were tested with a 15 vane stat or over a set of rotational speeds ranging from 80 to 120 percent design speed (17,500 to 21,500 rpm). The total-to-total stage pressure ratios ranged from 2.5 to 5.5. The data obtained at the equivalent conditions using the solid version of the rotor are presented with the cooled rotor data. A Reynolds number of 381,000 was maintained for both rotors, whose stages had a design mass flow of 4.0 lbm/sec, a design work level of 59.61 Btu/lbm, and a design efficiency of 87 percent. The results include mass flow data, turbine torque, turbine exit flow angles, stage efficiency, and rotor inlet and exit surveys.

Tirres, Lizet↗

The Physics of Cooling Flow Clusters with Central Radio Sources

Central galaxies in rich clusters are the sites of cluster cooling flows, with large masses of gas cooling through part of the X-ray band. Many of these galaxies host powerful radio sources. These sources can displace and compress the X-ray gas leading to enhanced cooling and star formation. We observed the bright cooling flow Abell 2626 with a strangely distorted central radio source. We wished to understand the interaction of radio and X-ray thermal plasma, and to determine the dynamical nature of this cluster. One aim was to constrain the source of additional pressure in radio "holes" in the X-ray emission needed to support overlying shells of X-ray gas. We also aimed to study the problem of the lack of kT < 1-2 keV gas in cooling flows by searching for abundance inhomogeneities, heating from the radio source, and excess absorption. We also have a Chandra observation of this cluster. There were problems with the pipeline processing of this data due to a telemetry dropout. We are publishing the Chandra and XMM data together. Delays with the Chandra data have slowed up the publication. At the center of the cluster, there is a complex interaction of the odd, Z-shaped radio source, and the X-ray plasma. However, there are no clear radio bubbles. Also, the cluster SO galaxy IC 5337, which is projected 1.5 arcmin west of the cluster center, has unusual tail-like structures in both the radio and X-ray. It appears to be falling into the cluster center. There is a hot, probably shocked region of gas to the southwest, which is apparently due to the merger of a subcluster in this part of the system. There is also a merging subcluster to the northeast. The axes of these two mergers agrees with a supercluster filament structure.

Sarazin, Craig L.↗

Summary of LOX/CH4 Thruster Technology Development at NASA/MSFC

In recent years, a variety of injectors for liquid oxygen (LOX) and methane (CH4) propellant systems have been designed, fabricated, and demonstrated with hot-fire testing at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Successful designs for liquid methane (LCH4) and gaseous methane (GCH4) have been developed. A variety of chambers, including a transpiration cooled design, along with uncooled ablatives and refractory metals, have also been hot-fire tested by MSFC for use with LOX/LCH4 injectors. Hot-fire testing has also demonstrated multiple ignition source options. Heat flux data for selected injectors has been gathered by testing with a calorimeter chamber. High performance and stable combustion have been demonstrated, along with designs for thrust levels ranging from 500 to 7,000 lbf. The newest LOX/CH4 injector and chamber developed by MSFC have been fabricated with additive manufacturing techniques and include unique design features to investigate regenerative cooling with methane. This low cost and versatile hardware offers a design for 4,000 lbf thrust and will be hot-fire tested at MSFC in 2015. Its design and operation can easily be scaled for use in systems with thrust levels up to 25,000 lbf.

Greene, Sandra Elam↗

X-ray bursts from solar flares behind the limb

Data from the OSO-7 X-ray experiment were used in a search for behind-the-limb solar X-ray bursts. Seventeen active centers were found as likely seats of such bursts. The spectra of 37 over-the-limb X-ray bursts were analyzed. The distributions of maximum temperature, maximum emission measure, and characteristic cooling time do not differ in a statistically significant way from the distributions for center events. The observations support the view that the dominant cooling mechanism is conduction, for the cooling times derived from the temperature histories are too small to be explained by radiative cooling. The fraction of over-the-limb bursts which have an nonthermal component is 2/3, exactly the same as found for the 122 X-ray bursts studied in Datlowe et al. (1974b). Thick-target models of X-ray emission would suggest that hard X-ray sources would be rapidly occulted with increasing longitude of the burst location, yet just the contrary was observed.

Roy, J.-R.↗

ASCA observations of cooling flows in clusters of galaxies

ASCA spectra of the central regions of three cooling flows, in the Perseus, Centaurus, and A1795 clusters, together with the spectrum of the center of the Coma Cluster, are studied. Absorbed, cooler and/or cooling components are required for the cooling flow spectra but not for that of the Coma Cluster. Problems have been encountered with the basic plasma emission models in the energy range of the iron L complex, which preclude further detailed analysis at present. Our results show the potential of ASCA data for revealing the structure of cooling flows.

Fabian, A. C.↗

High Temperature Mechanical Characterization of Ceramic Matrix Composites

A high temperature mechanical characterization laboratory has been assembled at NASA Lewis Research Center. One contribution of this work is to test ceramic matrix composite specimens in tension in environmental extremes. Two high temperature tensile testing systems were assembled. The systems were assembled based on the performance and experience of other laboratories and meeting projected service conditions for the materials in question. The systems use frames with an electric actuator and a center screw. A PC based data acquisition and analysis system is used to collect and analyze the data. Mechanical extensometers are used to measure specimen strain. Thermocouples, placed near the specimen, are used to measure the specimen gage section temperature. The system for testing in air has a resistance element furnace with molybdenum disilicide elements and pneumatic grips with water cooling attached to hydraulic alignment devices. The system for testing in an inert gas has a graphite resistance element furnace in a chamber with rigidly mounted, water cooled, hydraulically actuated grips. Unidirectional SiC fiber reinforced reaction bonded Si3N4 and triaxially woven, two dimensional, SiC fiber reinforced enhanced SiC composites were tested in unidirectional tension. Theories for predicting the Young's modulus, modulus near the ultimate strength, first matrix cracking stress, and ultimate strength were applied and evaluated for suitability in predicting the mechanical behavior of SiC/RBSN and enhanced SiC/SiC composites. The SiC/RBSN composite exhibited pseudo tough behavior (increased area under the stress/strain curve) from 22 C to 1500 C. The rule of mixtures provides a good estimate of the Young's modulus of the SiC/RBSN composite using the constituent properties from room temperature to 1440 C for short term static tensile tests in air or nitrogen. The rule of mixtures significantly overestimates the secondary modulus near the ultimate strength. The ACK theory provides the best approximation of the first matrix cracking stress when residual stresses are ignored. The theory of Cao and Thouless, based on Weibull statistics, gave the best prediction for the composite ultimate strength. The enhanced SiC/SiC composite exhibited nonlinear stress/strain behavior from 24 C to 1370 C in air with increased ultimate strain when compared to monolithic SiC. The theory of Yang and Chou with the assumption of a frictional fiber/matrix interface provided the best estimate of the Young's modulus. The theory of Cao and Thouless gave the best estimate for the ultimate strength.

Gyekenyesi, John Z.↗

Navier-Stokes Simulation of Airconditioning Facility of a Large Modem Computer Room

NASA recently assembled one of the world's fastest operational supercomputers to meet the agency's new high performance computing needs. This large-scale system, named Columbia, consists of 20 interconnected SGI Altix 512-processor systems, for a total of 10,240 Intel Itanium-2 processors. High-fidelity CFD simulations were performed for the NASA Advanced Supercomputing (NAS) computer room at Ames Research Center. The purpose of the simulations was to assess the adequacy of the existing air handling and conditioning system and make recommendations for changes in the design of the system if needed. The simulations were performed with NASA's OVERFLOW-2 CFD code which utilizes overset structured grids. A new set of boundary conditions were developed and added to the flow solver for modeling the roomls air-conditioning and proper cooling of the equipment. Boundary condition parameters for the flow solver are based on cooler CFM (flow rate) ratings and some reasonable assumptions of flow and heat transfer data for the floor and central processing units (CPU) . The geometry modeling from blue prints and grid generation were handled by the NASA Ames software package Chimera Grid Tools (CGT). This geometric model was developed as a CGT-scripted template, which can be easily modified to accommodate any changes in shape and size of the room, locations and dimensions of the CPU racks, disk racks, coolers, power distribution units, and mass-storage system. The compute nodes are grouped in pairs of racks with an aisle in the middle. High-speed connection cables connect the racks with overhead cable trays. The cool air from the cooling units is pumped into the computer room from a sub-floor through perforated floor tiles. The CPU cooling fans draw cool air from the floor tiles, which run along the outside length of each rack, and eject warm air into the center isle between the racks. This warm air is eventually drawn into the cooling units located near the walls of the room. One major concern is that the hot air ejected to the middle isle might recirculate back into the cool rack side and cause thermal short-cycling. The simulations analyzed and addressed the following important elements of the computer room: 1) High-temperature build-up in certain regions of the room; 2) Areas of low air circulation in the room; 3) Potential short-cycling of the computer rack cooling system; 4) Effectiveness of the perforated cooling floor tiles; 5) Effect of changes in various aspects of the cooling units. Detailed flow visualization is performed to show temperature distribution, air-flow streamlines and velocities in the computer room.

Source record↗

X-ray spectra of clusters of galaxies

Out of the many individual cases of clusters with spectral complexity reported in the literature, attention is given to the spectral complexity of the most recent data obtained by the Einstein Observatory and an attempt is made to explain at least a portion of the data in terms of models of radiatively-regulated accretion in the central parts of the clusters and/or onto massive galaxies. After a review of the range of models proposed, with emphasis on predicted temperature distribution, it is noted that all accretion models have temperatures which decrease toward the center, and that several authors have explored the consequences of radiative cooling of the gas in the dense central regions of a cluster or of a cluster plus a central galaxy.

Canizares, C. R.↗

Observations of the 2.2-micron emission from the halo of NGC 4244 at large galactocentric distances

Observations of 2.2-micron emission from the halo of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 4244 are reported. These observations were made at larger radii from the center of the galaxy and with a smaller beam than reported in previous studies. The emission detected is consistent with the de Vaucouleurs r exp 1/4 law, and the mass-to-light ratio given by the present measurements at 2.2 microns is in good agreement with previous results. The present data reveal no evidence for a massive halo of cool objects.

Bergstrom, J. W.↗