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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 NTRS2015

NASA's Vision for Potential Energy Reduction from Future Generations of Propulsion Technology

Through a robust partnership with the aviation industry, over the past 50 years NASA programs have helped foster advances in propulsion technology that enabled substantial reductions in fuel consumption for commercial transports. Emerging global trends and continuing environmental concerns are creating challenges that will very likely transform the face of aviation over the next 20-40 years. In recognition of this development, NASA Aeronautics has established a set of Research Thrusts that will help define the future direction of the agency's research technology efforts. Two of these thrusts, Ultra-Efficient Commercial Vehicles and Transition to Low-Carbon Propulsion, serve as cornerstones for the Advanced Air Transport Technology (AATT) project. The AATT project is exploring and developing high-payoff technologies and concepts that are key to continued improvement in energy efficiency and environmental compatibility for future generations of fixed-wing, subsonic transports. The AATT project is primarily focused on the N+3 timeframe, or 3 generations from current technology levels. As should be expected, many of the propulsion system architectures technologies envisioned for N+3 vary significantly from todays engines. The use of batteries in a hybrid-electric configuration or deploying multiple fans distributed across the airframe to enable higher bypass ratios are just two examples of potential advances that could enable substantial energy reductions over current propulsion systems.

Airbreathing Propulsion↗
NASA NTRS1996

A Mixed Finite Volume Element Method for Flow Calculations in Porous Media

A key ingredient in the simulation of flow in porous media is the accurate determination of the velocities that drive the flow. The large scale irregularities of the geology, such as faults, fractures, and layers suggest the use of irregular grids in the simulation. Work has been done in applying the finite volume element (FVE) methodology as developed by McCormick in conjunction with mixed methods which were developed by Raviart and Thomas. The resulting mixed finite volume element discretization scheme has the potential to generate more accurate solutions than standard approaches. The focus of this paper is on a multilevel algorithm for solving the discrete mixed FVE equations. The algorithm uses a standard cell centered finite difference scheme as the 'coarse' level and the more accurate mixed FVE scheme as the 'fine' level. The algorithm appears to have potential as a fast solver for large size simulations of flow in porous media.

Jim E Jones↗
NASA NTRS1984

ERPS to Monitor Non-conscious Mentation

Event Related Brain Potentials (or ERPs) are extracted from the EEG that can be recorded between a pair of electrodes placed on a person's scalp. The EEG is recorded as a continual fluctuation in voltage. It is the results of the integration of the potential fields generated by a multitude of neuronal ensembles that are active as the brain goes about its business. Within this ongoing signal it is possible to distinguish voltage fluctuations that are triggered in neural structures by the occurrence of specific events. This activity, evoked as it is by an external event, is known as the Evoked, or Event Related, Potential. The ERPs provide a unique opportunity to monitor non-conscious mentation. The inferences that can be based on ERP data are described and the limits of these inferences are emphasized. This, however, will not be an exhaustive review of the use of ERPs in Engineering Psychology. The application, its scope, and its limitations will be illustrated by means of one example. This example is preceded by a brief technical introduction to the methodology used in the study of ERPs. The manner in which ERPs are used to study cognition is described.

Donchin, E.↗
NASA NTRS1997

New Thermoelectric Materials and Devices for Terrestrial Power Generators

The development of new, more efficient, materials and devices is the key to expand the range of appplications of thermoelectric generators. New potential terrestrial applications have been recently described in the literature. There exists a wide range of heat source temperatures for these applications. Recent results on novel materials have demonstrated that ZT values significantly larger that 1.0 could be obtained in the 475 to 975K temperature range. These materials are excellent candidates to be used in terrestrial thermoelectric power generators using waste heat or liquid fuels.

thermoelectric↗
NASA NTRS2012

How are Space Weather and Space Climate Connected to Solar Phenomena?

Many aspects of modern society are susceptible to space weather effects. Pertinent space weather effects include high-energy electromagnetic and particle radiation, changes of atmospheric drag, reduction of GPS accuracy or complete loss of GPS signals, communication outages, and the generation of potentially harmful DC currents in our electric power grid. Beginning in the early 1990s, researchers and government have been increasingly aware of the need to understand the causes of space weather, and to find ways to mitigate deleterious effects associated with it. New research and development programs have been created to address space weather primarily at NASA but also at other agencies. This investment has been very fruitful by generating a new class of entirely new space weather specification and forecast capabilities. This presentation provides an overview of space weather causes and effects, as well as of research and development to forecast and mitigate space weather effects. It will include a discussion of modern space weather analysis and forecasting, and conclude by pointing out paths into the future.

Hesse, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1981

Numerical simulation of the generation of electrostatic turbulence in the magnetotail

A two-dimensional plasma model is used to investigate the development of electrostatic turbulence in a magnetized plasma from plasma instabilities. The simulation consists of following the motion of 100,000 ions in their self-consistent electrostatic field. The electrons are treated as a constant neutralizing background. The instabilities modeled are driven by a ring-type velocity distribution and by interpenetrating ion beams in a time-variable magnetic field. Instability growth times are of the order of an ion gyroperiod in the case of the ring distribution and of the order of an ion plasma period in the case of the beam simulation. Maximum potential differences generated are of the order of the ion kinetic energies. These simulations demonstrate the cascade of wave energy to long wavelengths, thus showing the E x B turbulence can be generated from plasma microinstabilities. After the free energy feeding, the instabilities are exhausted, and wave energy at wavelengths less than an ion gyrodiameter decays quickly to equilibrium levels, while longer wavelength modes persist for much longer times. In one model with a time dependent, but spatially uniform, magnetic field the electric field energy at long wavelengths appeared to increase as a result of the increase of the magnetic field.

Swift, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Trade-Space Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C)

Traditionally, space missions have relied on relatively large and monolithic satellites, but in the past few years, under a changing technological and economic environment, including instrument and spacecraft miniaturization, scalable launchers, secondary launches as well as hosted payloads, there is growing interest in implementing future NASA missions as Distributed Spacecraft Missions (DSM). The objective of our project is to provide a framework that facilitates DSM Pre-Phase A investigations and optimizes DSM designs with respect to a-priori Science goals. In this first version of our Trade-space Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C), we are investigating questions such as: How many spacecraft should be included in the constellation? Which design has the best costrisk value? The main goals of TAT-C are to: Handle multiple spacecraft sharing a mission objective, from SmallSats up through flagships, Explore the variables trade space for pre-defined science, cost and risk goals, and pre-defined metrics Optimize cost and performance across multiple instruments and platforms vs. one at a time.This paper describes the overall architecture of TAT-C including: a User Interface (UI) interacting with multiple users - scientists, missions designers or program managers; an Executive Driver gathering requirements from UI, then formulating Trade-space Search Requests for the Trade-space Search Iterator first with inputs from the Knowledge Base, then, in collaboration with the Orbit Coverage, Reduction Metrics, and Cost Risk modules, generating multiple potential architectures and their associated characteristics. TAT-C leverages the use of the Goddard Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) to compute coverage and ancillary data, streamlining the computations by modeling orbits in a way that balances accuracy and performance.TAT-C current version includes uniform Walker constellations as well as Ad-Hoc constellations, and its cost model represents an aggregate model consisting of Cost Estimating Relationships (CERs) from widely accepted models. The Knowledge Base supports both analysis and exploration, and the current GUI prototype automatically generates graphics representing metrics such as average revisit time or coverage as a function of cost.

Science Data Processing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Electrostatic Discharge Hazard in Spacesuits

Triboelectric charging with a resultant electrostatic discharge is a phenomenon with which most people are familiar, especially those living in dry climates. Spacesuits, which are elaborately designed anthropomorphic pressure vessels attempting to match the motions of the human body while providing protections from the harsh environment of space, also must contend with triboelectric charging. But for spacesuits, which operate with elevated oxygen concentrations (usually >95%) in order to enable the lowest reasonable working pressure for the human operator, additional challenges are present with potentially catastrophic results if those challenges are not met successfully. A painful spark discharge can offer as much as 15kV with an energy transfer as high as 15-20mJ. This is well above the level needed to ignite hydrocarbon vapors or fine dusts such as those in grain silos. There have been several test methods beyond the scope of this paper seeking to address the mechanistic ignition energies to ignite suit materials with a wide possible range of results due to the varied test configurations. What is not known is if the suit materials offer sufficient capability for triboelectric charge generation and discharge to generate the potential and the resultant discharge energies within the ranges needed to ignite the suit materials in this operating environment.

Colin Campbell↗
NASA NTRS1990

Ultraviolet, visible, and gravity astrophysics: A plan for the 1990's

NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) receives advice on scientific strategy and priorities from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. Guidance to the OSSA Astrophysics Division, in particular, is provided by dedicated academy committees, ad hoc study groups, and, at ten-year intervals, by broadly mandated astronomy and astrophysics survey committees charged with making recommendations for the coming decade. Many of the academy's recommendations have important implications for the conduct of ultraviolet and visible-light astronomy from space. Moreover, these areas are now poised for an era of rapid growth. Through technological progress, ultraviolet astronomy has already risen from a novel observational technique four decades ago to the mainstream of astronomical research today. Recent developments in space technology and instrumentation have the potential to generate comparably dramatic strides in observational astronomy within the next ten years. In 1989, the Ultraviolet and Visible Astrophysics Branch of the OSSA Astrophysics Division recognized the need for a new, long-range plan that would implement the academy's recommendations in a way that yielded the most advantageous use of new technology. NASA's Ultraviolet, Visible, and Gravity Astrophysics Management Operations Working Group was asked to develop such a plan for the 1990's. Since the branch holds programmatic responsibility for space research in gravitational physics and relativity, as well as for ultraviolet and visible-light astrophysics, missions in those areas were also included. The working group met throughout 1989 and 1990 to survey current astrophysical problems, assess the potential of new technologies, examine prior academy recommendations, and develop the implementation plan. The present report is the product of those deliberations. Key astrophysical questions to be addressed cover topics such as the structure and evolution of the early universe, energetics of active galactic nuclei, stellar winds in massive stars, sources powered by accretion, composition and state of the interstellar medium, nature of the galactic halo, chromospheric activity in cool stars, and formation of stars and planetary systems. This document provides a review of these questions, program concerns, and the recommended implementation plan for the 1990's.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1976

Nationwide assessment of potential output from wind-powered generators

A method for computing the actual expected power for a wind-powered generator from a given observed speed distribution is described and applied to estimate the potential output for different locations in the continental U.S. A contour map of generator capacity factor values (fraction of the rated output realizable) is obtained for wind-powered generator systems with a cut-in speed of 3.6 m/sec and a rated speed of 8.0 m/sec, and for a unit with hypothetical values for the 1 MW class (cut-in speed, 6.7 m/sec; rated speed, 13.4 m/sec). Results indicate that in the central U.S. and in certain areas of the New England coast at a height of 61 m, over 60% of the rated output power could be obtained on an annual average. In these areas capacity factors of over 20% could be obtained with the 1MW system.

Justus, C. G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Perpendicular blade vortex interaction and its implications for helicopter noise prediction: Wave-number frequency spectra in a trailing vortex for BWI noise prediction

Perpendicular blade vortex interactions are a common occurrence in helicopter rotor flows. Under certain conditions they produce a substantial proportion of the acoustic noise. However, the mechanism of noise generation is not well understood. Specifically, turbulence associated with the trailing vortices shed from the blade tips appears insufficient to account for the noise generated. The hypothesis that the first perpendicular interaction experienced by a trailing vortex alters its turbulence structure in such a way as to increase the acoustic noise generated by subsequent interactions is examined. To investigate this hypothesis a two-part investigation was carried out. In the first part, experiments were performed to examine the behavior of a streamwise vortex as it passed over and downstream of a spanwise blade in incompressible flow. Blade vortex separations between +/- one eighth chord were studied for at a chord Reynolds number of 200,000. Three-component velocity and turbulence measurements were made in the flow from 4 chord lengths upstream to 15 chordlengths downstream of the blade using miniature 4-sensor hot wire probes. These measurements show that the interaction of the vortex with the blade and its wake causes the vortex core to loose circulation and diffuse much more rapidly than it otherwise would. Core radius increases and peak tangential velocity decreases with distance downstream of the blade. True turbulence levels within the core are much larger downstream than upstream of the blade. The net result is a much larger and more intense region of turbulent flow than that presented by the original vortex and thus, by implication, a greater potential for generating acoustic noise. In the second part, the turbulence measurements described above were used to derive the necessary inputs to a Blade Wake Interaction (BWI) noise prediction scheme. This resulted in significantly improved agreement between measurements and calculations of the BWI noise spectrum especially for the spectral peak at low frequencies, which previously was poorly predicted.

Devenport, William J.↗
NASA NTRS2021

A Robust Hybrid Deep Learning Model for Spatiotemporal Image Fusion

Dense time-series remote sensing data with detailed spatial information are highly desired for the monitoring of dynamic earth systems. Due to the sensor tradeoff, most remote sensing systems cannot provide images with both high spatial and temporal resolutions. Spatiotemporal image fusion models provide a feasible solution to generate such a type of satellite imagery, yet existing fusion methods are limited in predicting rapid and/or transient phenological changes. Additionally, a systematic approach to assessing and understanding how varying levels of temporal phenological changes affect fusion results is lacking in spatiotemporal fusion research. The objective of this study is to develop an innovative hybrid deep learning model that can effectively and robustly fuse the satellite imagery of various spatial and temporal resolutions. The proposed model integrates two types of network models: super-resolution convolutional neural network (SRCNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM). SRCNN can enhance the coarse images by restoring degraded spatial details, while LSTM can learn and extract the temporal changing patterns from the time-series images. To systematically assess the effects of varying levels of phenological changes, we identify image phenological transition dates and design three temporal phenological change scenarios representing rapid, moderate, and minimal phenological changes. The hybrid deep learning model, alongside three benchmark fusion models, is assessed in different scenarios of phenological changes. Results indicate the hybrid deep learning model yields significantly better results when rapid or moderate phenological changes are present. It holds great potential in generating high-quality time-series datasets of both high spatial and temporal resolutions, which can further benefit terrestrial system dynamic studies. The innovative approach to understanding phenological changes’ effect will help us better comprehend the strengths and weaknesses of current and future fusion models.

spatiotemporal fusion↗
NASA NTRS1969

Electrode for biological recording

Electrochemically reversible silver-silver chloride electrode for detecting bioelectric potential differences generated by human muscles and organs

Day, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Retarding potential analyzer for the Pioneer-Venus Orbiter Mission

The retarding potential analyzer on the Pioneer-Venus Orbiter Mission has been designed to measure most of the thermal plasma parameters within and near the Venusian ionosphere. Parameters include total ion concentration, concentrations of the more abundant ions, ion temperatures, ion drift velocity, electron temperature, and low-energy (0-50 eV) electron distribution function. To accomplish these measurements on a spinning vehicle with a small telemetry bit rate, several functions, including decision functions not previously used in RPA's, have been developed and incorporated into this instrument. The more significant functions include automatic electrometer ranging with background current compensation; digital, quadratic retarding potential step generation for the ion and low-energy electron scans; a current sampling interval of 2 ms throughout all scans; digital logic inflection point detection and data selection; and automatic ram direction detection. Extensive numerical simulation and plasma chamber tests have been conducted to verify adequacy of the design for the Pioneer Mission.

Knudsen, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Pioneer Venus Orbiter planar retarding potential analyzer plasma experiment

The retarding potential analyzer (RPA) on the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Mission measures most of the thermal plasma parameters within and near the Venusian ionosphere. Parameters include total ion concentration, concentrations of the more abundant ions, ion temperatures, ion drift velocity, electron temperature, and low-energy (0-50 eV) electron distribution function. Several functions not previously used in RPA's were developed and incorporated into this instrument to accomplish these measurements on a spinning spacecraft with a small bit rate. The more significant functions include automatic electrometer ranging with background current compensation; digital, quadratic retarding potential step generation for the ion and low-energy electron scans; a current sampling interval of 2 ms throughout all scans; digital logic inflection point detection and data selection; and automatic ram direction detection.

Knudsen, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Parabolic dish collectors - A solar option

A description is given of several parabolic-dish high temperature solar thermal systems currently undergoing performance trials. A single parabolic dish has the potential for generating 20 to 30 kW of electricity with fluid temperatures from 300 to 1650 C. Each dish is a complete power-producing unit, and may function either independently or as part of a group of linked modules. The two dish designs under consideration are of 11 and 12 meter diameters, yielding receiver operating temperatures of 925 and 815 C, respectively. The receiver designs described include (1) an organic working fluid (toluene) Rankine cycle engine; (2) a Brayton open cycle unit incorporating a hybrid combustion chamber and nozzle and a shaft-coupled permanent magnet alternator; and (3) a modified Stirling cycle device originally designed for automotive use. Also considered are thermal buffer energy storage and thermochemical transport and storage.

Truscello, V. C.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Fuel/oxidizer-rich high-pressure preburners

The analyses, designs, fabrication, and cold-flow acceptance testing of LOX/RP-1 preburner components required for a high-pressure staged-combustion rocket engine are discussed. Separate designs of injectors, combustion chambers, turbine simulators, and hot-gas mixing devices are provided for fuel-rich and oxidizer-rich operation. The fuel-rich design addresses the problem of non-equilibrium LOX/RP-1 combustion. The development and use of a pseudo-kinetic combustion model for predicting operating efficiency, physical properties of the combustion products, and the potential for generating solid carbon is presented. The oxygen-rich design addresses the design criteria for the prevention of metal ignition. This is accomplished by the selection of materials and the generation of well-mixed gases. The combining of unique propellant injector element designs with secondary mixing devices is predicted to be the best approach.

Schoenman, L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The NASA Lewis large wind turbine program

The program is directed toward development of the technology for safe, reliable, environmentally acceptable large wind turbines that have the potential to generate a significant amount of electricity at costs competitive with conventional electric generation systems. In addition, these large wind turbines must be fully compatible with electric utility operations and interface requirements. Advances are made by gaining a better understanding of the system design drivers, improvements in the analytical design tools, verification of design methods with operating field data, and the incorporation of new technology and innovative designs. An overview of the program activities is presented and includes results from the first and second generation field machines (Mod-OA, -1, and -2), the design phase of the third generation wind turbine (Mod-5) and the advanced technology projects. Also included is the status of the Department of Interior WTS-4 machine.

Thomas, R. L.↗