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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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NASA NTRS1997

Identification of Rotorcraft Structural Dynamics from Flight and Wind Tunnel Data

Excessive vibration remains one one of the most difficult problems that faces the helicopter industry today, affecting all production helicopters at some phase of their development. Vibrations in rotating structures may arise from external periodic dynamic airloads whose frequencies are are close to the natural frequencies of the rotating system itself. The goal for the structures engineer would thus be to design a structure as free from resonance effects as possible. In the case of a helicopter rotor blade these dynamic loads are a consequence of asymmetric airload distribution on the rotor blade in forward flight, leading to a rich collection of higher harmonic airloads that force rotor and airframe response. Accurate prediction of the dynamic characteristics of a helicopter rotor blade will provide the opportunity to affect in a positive manner noise intensity, vibration level, durability, reliability and operating costs by reducing objectionable frequencies or moving them to a different frequency range and thus providing us with a lower vibration rotor. In fact, the dynamic characteristics tend to define the operating limits of a rotorcraft. As computing power has increased greatly over the last decade, researchers and engineers have turned to analyzing the vibrational characteristics of aerospace structures at the design and development stage of the production of an aircraft. Modern rotor blade construction methods lead to products with low mass and low inherent damping so careful design and analysis is required to avoid resonance and an undesirable dynamic performance. In addition, accurate modal analysis is necessary for several current approaches in elastic system identification and active control.

McKillip, Robert M., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Reconfigurable Model Execution in the OpenMDAO Framework

NASA's OpenMDAO framework facilitates constructing complex models and computing their derivatives for multidisciplinary design optimization. Decomposing a model into components that follow a prescribed interface enables OpenMDAO to assemble multidisciplinary derivatives from the component derivatives using what amounts to the adjoint method, direct method, chain rule, global sensitivity equations, or any combination thereof, using the MAUD architecture. OpenMDAO also handles the distribution of processors among the disciplines by hierarchically grouping the components, and it automates the data transfer between components that are on different processors. These features have made OpenMDAO useful for applications in aircraft design, satellite design, wind turbine design, and aircraft engine design, among others. This paper presents new algorithms for OpenMDAO that enable reconfigurable model execution. This concept refers to dynamically changing, during execution, one or more of: the variable sizes, solution algorithm, parallel load balancing, or set of variables-i.e., adding and removing components, perhaps to switch to a higher-fidelity sub-model. Any component can reconfigure at any point, even when running in parallel with other components, and the reconfiguration algorithm presented here performs the synchronized updates to all other components that are affected. A reconfigurable software framework for multidisciplinary design optimization enables new adaptive solvers, adaptive parallelization, and new applications such as gradient-based optimization with overset flow solvers and adaptive mesh refinement. Benchmarking results demonstrate the time savings for reconfiguration compared to setting up the model again from scratch, which can be significant in large-scale problems. Additionally, the new reconfigurability feature is applied to a mission profile optimization problem for commercial aircraft where both the parametrization of the mission profile and the time discretization are adaptively refined, resulting in computational savings of roughly 10% and the elimination of oscillations in the optimized altitude profile.

Hwang, John T.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Aspects of modelling the tectonics of large volcanoes on the terrestrial planets

Analytic solutions for the responses of planetary lithospheres to volcanic loads have been used to model faulting and infer elastic plate thicknesses. Predictions of the distribution of faulting around volcanic loads, based on the application of Anderson's criteria for faulting to the results of the models, do not agree well with observations. Such models do not give the stress state in the load itself, but only suggest a state of horizontal compressive stress there. Further, these models have considered only the effect of an instantaneously emplaced load. They do not address the time evolution of stresses, nor do they consider the effect of a load which grows. A finite element approach allows us to assign elements to the load itself, and thus permits calculation of the stress state and stress history within the edifice. The effects of episodic load growth can also be treated. When these effects are included, models give much better agreement with observations. We use the finite element code TECTON to construct axisymmetric models of volcanoes resting on an elastic lithospheric plate overlying a viscoelastic asthenosphere. We have implemented time-dependent material properties in order to simulate incremental volcano growth. The viscoelastic layer was taken to extend to a sufficient depth so that a rigid lower boundary has no significant influence on the results. The code first calculates elastic deformations and stresses and then determines the time-dependent viscous deformations and stresses. Time in the model scales as the Maxwell time tau(m) in the asthenosphere. We consider a volcano 25 km in height and 200 km in radius on an elastic lithosphere 40 km thick (parameters approximately appropriate to Ascraeus Mons). The volcano consists of three load increments applied at intervals of 1000 tau(m). Contours of maximum deviatoric stress in the fully-grown edifice at the conclusion of flexure (t = 3000 tau(m)) are shown.

Mcgovern, Patrick J.↗
NASA NTRS2007

NASA Tech Briefs, March 2007

Topics include: Advanced Systems for Monitoring Underwater Sounds; Wireless Data-Acquisition System for Testing Rocket Engines; Processing Raw HST Data With Up-to-Date Calibration Data; Mobile Collection and Automated Interpretation of EEG Data; System for Secure Integration of Aviation Data; Servomotor and Controller Having Large Dynamic Range; Digital Multicasting of Multiple Audio Streams; Translator for Optimizing Fluid-Handling Components; AIRSAR Web-Based Data Processing; Pattern Matcher for Trees Constructed From Lists; Reducing a Knowledge-Base Search Space When Data Are Missing; Ground-Based Correction of Remote-Sensing Spectral Imagery; State-Chart Autocoder; Pointing History Engine for the Spitzer Space Telescope; Low-Friction, High-Stiffness Joint for Uniaxial Load Cell; Magnet-Based System for Docking of Miniature Spacecraft; Electromechanically Actuated Valve for Controlling Flow Rate; Plumbing Fixture for a Microfluidic Cartridge; Camera Mount for a Head-Up Display; Core-Cutoff Tool; Recirculation of Laser Power in an Atomic Fountain; Simplified Generation of High-Angular-Momentum Light Beams; Imaging Spectrometer on a Chip; Interferometric Quantum-Nondemolition Single-Photon Detectors; Ring-Down Spectroscopy for Characterizing a CW Raman Laser; Complex Type-II Interband Cascade MQW Photodetectors; Single-Point Access to Data Distributed on Many Processors; Estimating Dust and Water Ice Content of the Martian Atmosphere From THEMIS Data; Computing a Stability Spectrum by Use of the HHT; Theoretical Studies of Routes to Synthesis of Tetrahedral N4; Estimation Filter for Alignment of the Spitzer Space Telescope; Antenna for Measuring Electric Fields Within the Inner Heliosphere; Improved High-Voltage Gas Isolator for Ion Thruster; and Hybrid Mobile Communication Networks for Planetary Exploration.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2005

Torsion of Noncircular Composite Cylinders

The paper presents a brief overview of the predicted deformation and failure characteristics of noncircular composite cylinders subjected to torsion. Using a numerical analysis, elliptical cylinders with a minor-to-major diameter ratio of 0.7 are considered. Counterpart circular cylinders with the same circumference as the elliptical cylinders are included for comparison. The cylinders are constructed of a medium-modulus graphite-epoxy material in a quasi-isotropic lay-up. Imperfections generated from the buckling mode shapes are included in the initial cross-sectional geometry of the cylinders. Deformations until first fiber failure, as predicted using the maximum stress failure criterion and a material degradation scheme, are presented. For increasing levels of torsion, the deformations of the elliptical cylinders, in the form of wrinkling of the cylinder wall, occur primarily in the flatter regions of the cross section. By comparison the wrinkling deformations of the circular cylinders are more uniformly distributed around the circumference. Differences in the initial failure and damage progression and the overall torque vs. twist relationship between the elliptical and circular cylinders are presented. Despite differences in the response as the cylinders are being loaded, at first fiber failure the torque and twist for the elliptical and circular cylinders nearly coincide.

Rouse, Marshall↗
NASA NTRS1979

Thickness of western mare basalts

An isopach map of the basalt thickness in the western mare basins is constructed from measurements of the exposed external rim height of partially buried craters. The data, although numerically sparse, is sufficiently distributed to yield gross thickness variations. The average basalt thickness in Oceanus Procellarum and adjacent regions is 400 m with local lenses in excess of 1500 m in the circular maria. The total volume of basalt in the western maria is estimated to be in the range of 1.5 x 10 to the 6th power cu km. The chief distinction between the eastern and western maria appears to be one of basalt volumes erupted to the surface. Maximum volumes of basalt are deposited west of the central highlands and flood subjacent terrain to a greater extent than on the east. The surface structures of the western maria reflect the probability of a greater degree of isostatic response to a larger surface loading by the greater accumulation of mare basalt.

Dehon, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Atmospheric and surface temperatures and airborne dust amounts during late southern summer from Mariner 9 IRIS data

The temperature structure and dust loading of the Martian atmosphere are investigated using thermal emission spectra recorded in 1972 by the Mariner 9 infrared interferometer spectrometer (IRIS). The analysis focuses on a subset of data consisting of approximately 2400 spectra obtained near the end of the southern summer season (L(sub s) equal to 343 deg to 348 deg), after the global dust storm had largely abated and airborne dust amounts were subsiding to background values. Simultaneous retrieval of the vertical distribution of both atmospheric temperature and dust optical depth is accomplished through an iterative procedure which is performed on each individual spectrum. The atmospheric transmittances are calculated using a Voigt quasi-random band model, which includes absorption by CO2 and dust, but neglects the effects of multiple scattering. Vertical profiles of temperature and dust optical depth are obtained using modified algorithms. These profiles are used to construct global maps of temperature and dust optical depth as functions of latitude (+/- 90 deg), altitude (approximately 0-50 km), and local time of day.

Santee, M.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Experimental investigation of a double-diffused MOS structure

Self-aligned polysilicon gate technology was applied to double-diffused MOS (DMOS) construction in a manner that retains processing simplicity and effectively eliminates parasitic overlap capacitance because of the self-aligning feature. Depletion mode load devices with the same dimensions as the DMOS transistors were integrated. The ratioless feature results in smaller dimension load devices, allowing for higher density integration with no increase in the processing complexity of standard MOS technology. A number of inverters connected as ring oscillators were used as a vehicle to test the performance and to verify the anticipated benefits. The propagation time-power dissipation product and process related parameters were measured and evaluated. This report includes (1) details of the process; (2) test data and design details for the DMOS transistor, the load device, the inverter, the ring oscillator, and a shift register with a novel tapered geometry for the output stages; and (3) an analytical treatment of the effect of the distributed silicon gate resistance and capacitance on the speed of DMOS transistors.

Lin, H. C.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Operability of an Ejector Enhanced Pulse Combustor in a Gas Turbine Environment

A pressure-gain combustor comprised of a mechanically valved, liquid fueled pulsejet, an ejector, and an enclosing shroud, was coupled to a small automotive turbocharger to form a self-aspirating, thrust producing gas turbine engine. The system was constructed in order to investigate issues associated with the interaction of pulsed combustion devices and turbomachinery. Installed instrumentation allowed for sensing of distributed low frequency pressure and temperature, high frequency pressure in the shroud, fuel flow rate, rotational speed, thrust, and laboratory noise. The engine ran successfully and reliably, achieving a sustained thrust of 5 to 6 lbf, and maintaining a rotor speed of approximately 90,000 rpm, with a combustor pressure gain of approximately 4 percent. Numerical simulations of the system without pressure-gain combustion indicated that the turbocharger would not operate. Thus, the new combustor represented a substantial improvement in system performance. Acoustic measurements in the shroud and laboratory indicated turbine stage sound pressure level attenuation of 20 dB. This is consistent with published results from detonative combustion experiments. As expected, the mechanical reed valves suffered considerable damage under the higher pressure and thermal loading characteristics of this system. This result underscores the need for development of more robust valve systems for this application. The efficiency of the turbomachinery components did not appear to be significantly affected by unsteadiness associated with pulsed combustion, though the steady component efficiencies were already low, and thus not expected to be particularly sensitive.

Paxson, Daniel E.↗
NASA NTRS1961

Exploratory Environmental Tests of Several Heat Shields

Exploratory tests have been conducted with several conceptual radiative heat shields of composite construction. Measured transient temperature distributions were obtained for a graphite heat shield without insulation and with three types of insulating materials, and for a metal multipost heat shield, at surface temperatures of approximately 2,000 F and 1,450 F, respectively, by use of a radiant-heat facility. The graphite configurations suffered loss of surface material under repeated irradiation. Temperature distribution calculated for the metal heat shield by a numerical procedure was in good agreement with measured data. Environmental survival tests of the graphite heat shield without insulation, an insulated multipost heat shield, and a stainless-steel-tile heat shield were made at temperatures of 2,000 F and dynamic pressures of approximately 6,000 lb/sq ft, provided by an ethylene-heated jet operating at a Mach number of 2.0 and sea-level conditions. The graphite heat shield survived the simulated aerodynamic heating and pressure loading. A problem area exists in the design and materials for heat-resistant fasteners between the graphite shield and the base structure. The insulated multipost heat shield was found to be superior to the stainless-steel-tile heat shield in retarding heat flow. Over-lapped face-plate joints and surface smoothness of the insulated multi- post heat shield were not adversely affected by the test environment. The graphite heat shield without insulation survived tests made in the acoustic environment of a large air jet. This acoustic environment is random in frequency and has an overall noise level of 160 decibels.

Goodman, George P.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Computer Aided Modeling to Determine the Effectiveness of Resistive Exercises as Countermeasures for Bone Mineral Density Loss

Due to the loss of gravitational loading, astronauts have a tendency to lose bone mineral density in their lumbar spine and lower extremities on orbit. NASA requires astronauts to perform exercises during space flight to help reduce the amount of demineralization. To test these exercises on earth, 17 week bed rest studies are conducted that consist of specific diet and exercise regimes. Developing a finite element model of these exercises will help to quantify the stress distribution imposed by of each of these exercises. To help develop this model, MRI images are acquired from individuals participating in the bed rest studies. The MRIs can be used to create a subject specific model of each individual for testing. The MRIs are processed in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data Transfer System program to develop a three-dimensional finite element model of the femur for evaluation. Modifications were made to the MRIDTS that simplified the model creation process. These modifications made it possible to construct two separate models of different portions of a bone simultaneously and then later connect them manually. This helped alleviate the warping problem associated with the drastic changes in geometry found in some body parts, such as the joints. The code was also modified to incorporate material properties of various bone components into the model. Interior meshing was also incorporated into the program to allow for both the cortical shell and the entire bone to be modeled. A prototype model of the right femur of an adult female is being constructed and tested to determine the feasibility of finite element analysis as a tool for evaluating exercise effectiveness. The model is being run through the ANSYS finite element program on the Alabama Super Computer Network. After the model is validated, models of bedrest subjects can be generated to investigate exercise countermeasures.

Murphy, Benjamin M.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Nonlinear Transient Thermal Analysis by the Force-Derivative Method

High-speed vehicles such as the Space Shuttle Orbiter must withstand severe aerodynamic heating during reentry through the atmosphere. The Shuttle skin and substructure are constructed primarily of aluminum, which must be protected during reentry with a thermal protection system (TPS) from being overheated beyond the allowable temperature limit, so that the structural integrity is maintained for subsequent flights. High-temperature reusable surface insulation (HRSI), a popular choice of passive insulation system, typically absorbs the incoming radiative or convective heat at its surface and then re-radiates most of it to the atmosphere while conducting the smallest amount possible to the structure by virtue of its low diffusivity. In order to ensure a successful thermal performance of the Shuttle under a prescribed reentry flight profile, a preflight reentry heating thermal analysis of the Shuttle must be done. The surface temperature profile, the transient response of the HRSI interior, and the structural temperatures are all required to evaluate the functioning of the HRSI. Transient temperature distributions which identify the regions of high temperature gradients, are also required to compute the thermal loads for a structural thermal stress analysis. Furthermore, a nonlinear analysis is necessary to account for the temperature-dependent thermal properties of the HRSI as well as to model radiation losses.

Balakrishnan, Narayani V.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Equivalent Plate Analysis of Aircraft Wing with Discrete Source Damage

An equivalent plate procedure is developed to provide a computationally efficient means of matching the stiffness and frequencies of flight vehicle wing structures for prescribed loading conditions. First, the equivalent plate is used to match the stiffness of a stiffened panel without damage and the stiffness of a stiffened panel with damage. For both stiffened panels, the equivalent plate models reproduce the deformation of a corresponding detailed model exactly for the given loading conditions. Once the stiffness was matched, the equivalent plate models were then used to predict the frequencies of the panels. Two analytical procedures using the lumped-mass matrix were used to match the first five frequencies of the corresponding detailed model. In both the procedures, the lumped-mass matrix for the equivalent plate is constructed by multiplying the diagonal terms of the consistent-mass matrix by a proportionality constant. In the first procedure, the proportionality constant is selected such that the total mass of the equivalent plate is equal to that of the detailed model. In the second method, the proportionality constant is selected to minimize the sum of the squares of the errors in a set of pre-selected frequencies between the equivalent plate model and the detailed model. The equivalent plate models reproduced the fundamental first frequency accurately in both the methods. It is observed that changing only the mass distribution in the equivalent plate model did not provide enough flexibility to match all of the frequencies.

Krishnamurthy, T.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Scale Effects in Strength-Dominated Collisions of Rocky Asteroids

The application of laboratory collision experimental results to the larger scales of asteroid impacts is complicated by the fact that the dynamic strength of rock typically decreases as the loading duration increases. Because loading times increase with the size scale of a collision, large bodies are effectively weaker than small ones. While this effect has been postulated for over a decade, it has never been verified in actual collision experiments. This paper summarizes collision tests performed under the conditions required to examine scale effects, i.e., increasing the size scale of the experiment while holding the impact velocity and impact kinetic energy per target mass constant. Granite targets are used, with a diameter variation of a factor of 18. The larger targets experienced significantly more collisional damage than small ones, confirming a decrease in dynamic strength with increasing size scale. The results are compared to a scaling model based on the concept that fragmentation is accomplished through the growth and coalescence of preexisting flaws. Measurements of the actual flaw-size distribution are used to validate the model. Field observations of flaw and fault sizes at scales to 10 km are used to construct a scaling model that is believed to apply to the shattering of a wide range of rock types. The results show that kilometer-sized rocky bodies may be significantly weaker than indicated by previous estimates.

Housen, Kevin R.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Frictionless Contact of Multilayered Composite Half Planes Containing Layers With Complex Eigenvalues

A previously developed local-global stiffness matrix methodology for the response of a composite half plane, arbitrarily layered with isotropic, orthotropic or monoclinic plies, to indentation by a rigid parabolic punch is further extended to accommodate the presence of layers with complex eigenvalues (e.g., honeycomb or piezoelectric layers). First, a generalized plane deformation solution for the displacement field in an orthotropic layer or half plane characterized by complex eigenvalues is obtained using Fourier transforms. A local stiffness matrix in the transform domain is subsequently constructed for this class of layers and half planes, which is then assembled into a global stiffness matrix for the entire multilayered half plane by enforcing continuity conditions along the interfaces. Application of the mixed boundary condition on the top surface of the half plane indented by a rigid punch results in an integral equation for the unknown pressure in the contact region. The integral possesses a divergent kernel which is decomposed into Cauchy-type and regular parts using the asymptotic properties of the local stiffness matrix and a relationship between Fourier and finite Hilbert transform of the contact pressure. The solution of the resulting singular integral equation is obtained using a collocation technique based on the properties of orthogonal polynomials developed by Erdogan and Gupta. Examples are presented that illustrate the important influence of low transverse properties of layers with complex eigenvalues, such as those exhibited by honeycomb, on the load versus contact length response and contact pressure distributions for half planes containing typical composite materials.

Zhang, Wang↗
NASA NTRS2006

Nonlinear Spring Finite Elements for Predicting Mode I-Dominated Delamination Growth in Laminated Structure with Through-Thickness reinforcement

One particular concern of polymer matrix composite laminates is the relatively low resistance to delamination cracking, in particular when the dominant type of failure is mode I opening. One method proposed for alleviating this problem involves the insertion pultruded carbon pins through the laminate thickness. The pins, known as z-pins, are inserted into the prepreg laminate using an ultrasonic hammer prior to the curing process, resulting in a field of pins embedded normal to the laminate plane as illustrated in Figure. 1. Pin diameters range between 0.28-mm to 0.5-mm and standard areal densities range from 0.5% to 4%. The z-pins are provided by the manufacturer, Aztex(Registered TradeMark) , in a low-density foam preform, which acts to stabilize orientation of the pins during the insertion process [1-3]. Typical pin materials include boron and carbon fibers embedded in a polymer matrix. A number of methods have been developed for predicting delamination growth in laminates reinforced with z-pins. During a study on the effect of z-pin reinforcement on mode I delamination resistance, finite element analyses of z-pin reinforced double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens were performed by Cartie and Partridge [4]. The z-pin bridging stresses were modeled by applying equivalent forces at the pin locations. Single z-pin pull-out tests were performed to characterize the traction law of the pins under mode I loading conditions. Analytical solutions for delamination growth in z-pin reinforced DCB specimens were independently derived by Robinson and Das [5] and Ratcliffe and O'Brien [6]. In the former case, pin bridging stresses were modeled using a distributed load and in the latter example the bridging stresses were discretely modeled by way of grounded springs. Additionally, Robinson and Das developed a data reduction strategy for calculating mode I fracture toughness, G(sub Ic), from a z-pin reinforced DCB specimen test [5]. In both cases a traction law similar to that adopted by Cartie and Partridge was used to represent z-pin failure under mode I loading conditions. In the current work spring elements available in most commercial finite element codes were used to model z-pins. The traction law used in previous analyses [4-6] was employed to represent z-pin damage. This method is intended for and is limited to simulating z-pins in composite laminate structure containing mode I-dominated delamination cracking. The current technique differs from previous analyses in that spring finite elements (available in commercial codes) are employed for simulating zpins, reducing the complexity of the analysis construction process. Furthermore, the analysis method can be applied to general structure that experiences mode I-dominated delamination cracking, in contrast to existing analytical solutions that are only applicable to coupon DCB specimens.

Ratcliffe, James G.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Fluid Distribution for In-space Cryogenic Propulsion

The ultimate goal of this task is to enable the use of a single supply of cryogenic propellants for three distinct spacecraft propulsion missions: main propulsion, orbital maneuvering, and attitude control. A fluid distribution system is sought which allows large propellant flows during the first two missions while still allowing control of small propellant flows during attitude control. Existing research has identified the probable benefits of a combined thermal management/power/fluid distribution system based on the Solar Integrated Thermal Management and Power (SITMAP) cycle. Both a numerical model and an experimental model are constructed in order to predict the performance of such an integrated thermal management/propulsion system. This research task provides a numerical model and an experimental apparatus which will simulate an integrated thermal/power/fluid management system based on the SITMAP cycle, and assess its feasibility for various space missions. Various modifications are done to the cycle, such as the addition of a regeneration process that allows heat to be transferred into the working fluid prior to the solar collector, thereby reducing the collector size and weight. Fabri choking analysis was also accounted for. Finally the cycle is to be optimized for various space missions based on a mass based figure of merit, namely the System Mass Ratio (SMR). -. 1 he theoretical and experimental results from these models are be used to develop a design code (JETSIT code) which is able to provide design parameters for such a system, over a range of cooling loads, power generation, and attitude control thrust levels. The performance gains and mass savings will be compared to those of existing spacecraft systems.

Lear, William↗
NASA NTRS1993

An architecture for object-oriented intelligent control of power systems in space

A control system for autonomous distribution and control of electrical power during space missions is being developed. This system should free the astronauts from localizing faults and reconfiguring loads if problems with the power distribution and generation components occur. The control system uses an object-oriented simulation model of the power system and first principle knowledge to detect, identify, and isolate faults. Each power system component is represented as a separate object with knowledge of its normal behavior. The reasoning process takes place at three different levels of abstraction: the Physical Component Model (PCM) level, the Electrical Equivalent Model (EEM) level, and the Functional System Model (FSM) level, with the PCM the lowest level of abstraction and the FSM the highest. At the EEM level the power system components are reasoned about as their electrical equivalents, e.g, a resistive load is thought of as a resistor. However, at the PCM level detailed knowledge about the component's specific characteristics is taken into account. The FSM level models the system at the subsystem level, a level appropriate for reconfiguration and scheduling. The control system operates in two modes, a reactive and a proactive mode, simultaneously. In the reactive mode the control system receives measurement data from the power system and compares these values with values determined through simulation to detect the existence of a fault. The nature of the fault is then identified through a model-based reasoning process using mainly the EEM. Compound component models are constructed at the EEM level and used in the fault identification process. In the proactive mode the reasoning takes place at the PCM level. Individual components determine their future health status using a physical model and measured historical data. In case changes in the health status seem imminent the component warns the control system about its impending failure. The fault isolation process uses the FSM level for its reasoning base.

Holmquist, Sven G.↗