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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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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2023

Hot Cracking Behavior and Beam-Induced Grain Refinement in Electron Beam Freeform Fabricated Al 7075

Electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF 3 ) is a high deposition rate, wire-based directed energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing (AM) process used to print metallic parts in a vacuum environment. While high specific strength 7xxx-series Al alloys are of interest in the aerospace and automotive industries, these alloys suffer from hot cracking issues during fusion welding and AM. In this work, linear deposits of Al 7075 were fabricated with EBF 3 to study the effects of baseplate thickness, preheat temperature, and beam focus on hot cracking behavior. Solidification cracks were observed in the first deposition layer, and by the third layer coalesced into large “macrocracks” running vertically through the build height. Fine, intergranular liquation “microcracks” appeared between macrocracks below the root of the final deposit layer fusion zone. Increasing the substrate preheat temperature from 165°C to 320°C deepened the partially melted zone and resulted in a more than twofold increase in the liquation microcrack density. Analysis of Scheil solidification diagrams revealed that fugitive losses of Zn and Mg during deposition increased the susceptibility to solidification cracking and promoted substrate liquation cracking. Focused electron beam (EB) conditions combined with a high aspect ratio elliptical raster pattern resulted in bands of refined, equiaxed grains. The refined microstructure suppressed solidification macrocracking and caused a nearly fivefold reduction in liquation crack density, demonstrating that beam-induced grain refinement may be a promising low-cost method for reducing hot cracking during AM.

aluminum↗
NASA NTRS1969

Mass culture of photobacteria to obtain luciferase

Inoculating preheated trays containing nutrient agar with photobacteria provides a means for mass culture of aerobic microorganisms in order to obtain large quantities of luciferase. To determine optimum harvest time, growth can be monitored by automated light-detection instrumentation.

Chappelle, E. W.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Bleed Cycle Propellant Pumping in a Gas-Core Nuclear Rocket Engine System

The performance of ideal and real staged primary propellant pumps and bleed-powered turbines was calculated for gas-core nuclear rocket engines over a range of operating pressures from 500 to 5000 atm. This study showed that for a required engine operating pressure of 1000 atm the pump work was about 0.8 hp/(lb/sec), the specific impulse penalty resulting from the turbine propellant bleed flow as about 10 percent; and the heat required to preheat the propellant was about 7.8 MW/(lb/sec). For a specific impulse above 2400 sec, there is an excess of energy available in the moderator due to the gamma and neutron heating that occurs there. Possible alternative pumping cycles are the Rankine or Brayton cycles.

Gas-core↗
NASA NTRS1970

Combustion anomalies in stop-restart firing of hybrid rocket engines

An experimental investigation of the restart process of an oxygen-Plexiglas hybrid rocket demonstrated that preheating the fuel (as a consequence of a previous ignition and a temporary extinguishment) significantly increases the rate of chamber pressurization and produces regression rate overshoots during reignition. Higher rates of chamber pressurization measured during the restart transient imply faster instantaneous regression rates of the fuel during restart. Transient periods following the initial ignition and the restart after a two-second shutdown were observed for four experimental tests. Thermocouples were embedded in the fuel to record subsurface temperature histories. A mathematical model of the thermal processes in the fuel and the events that occur during an experimental firing was developed to calculate the regression rate transients. Quantitative agreement with experimental results was obtained by making nominal corrections to the calculated convective and radiative heating rates.

Saraniero, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Status of power generation experiments in the NASA Lewis closed-cycle MHD facility.

In this paper the design and operation of the closed-cycle MHD facility is discussed and results obtained in recent experiments are presented. The main components of the facility are a compressor, recuperative heat exchanger (preheater), heater, nozzle, MHD channel with 28 pairs of thoriated tungsten electrodes, cesium condenser, and an argon cooler. The heater can supply 1.1 MW of thermal power to a 2.27 kg/sec gas stream. The facility has been operated at temperatures up to 2100 K with a cesium-seeded argon working fluid. At low magnetic field strengths (B = 0.2 T), the open circuit voltage, Hall voltage and short circuit current obtained are 90, 69, and 47 percent of the theoretical equilibrium values, respectively. The Hall voltage and short circuit current decrease sharply with increasing magnetic field strength, however. Comparison of these data with a wall and boundary layer leakage theory indicates that the generator has shorting paths in the Hall direction.

Sovie, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Catalysts for initiating the hydrogen-oxygen reaction at 78 K.

Catalysts for initiating reaction of hydrogen with oxygen in gas mixtures at temperatures down to 78 K (-195 C) were sought. A rising-temperature reactor was used for detecting onset of reaction. The platinum metals, especially iridium, platinum, and ruthenium, were the most active. With high concentrations of iridium on an alumina support, reaction initiation was observed at -195 C for a helium stream containing 3% hydrogen and 1% oxygen. Best results were obtained when the catalyst had been preheated in hydrogen and cooled in a hydrogen environment before being contacted with oxygen-containing gas. The initiation is interpreted to be the result of transient phenomena which occur when a hydrogen-oxygen mixture contacts an active catalyst. Chemisorption of oxygen and formation of some water, along with water adsorption on the support, serve to raise the temperature to a point where true catalysis can proceed.

Jennings, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Dynamics of the inverse pinch.

Experiments are performed on the plasma produced in a large inverse pinch using argon with no applied magnetic fields or preheating. A direct observation is made of the precursor ionization which initially raises the electron temperature and electrical conductivity. Calculations show that most of the mass is entrained in the current sheet, but that less than complete sweeping occurs at the lower velocities. The shock which is embedded in the current sheet closely resembles an ordinary gasdynamic shock. Consideration of the shock jump condition derived from the induction equation is shown to determine the frequent inability of the shock to separate from the current sheet.

Weisbach, M. F.↗
NASA NTRS1964

Fuel Retention Improvement at High Temperatures in Tungsten-Uranium Dioxide Dispersion Fuel Elements by Plasma-Spray Cladding

An investigation was undertaken to determine the feasibility of depositing integrally bonded plasma-sprayed tungsten coatings onto 80-volume-percent tungsten - 20-volume-percent uranium dioxide composites. These composites were face clad with thin tungsten foil to inhibit uranium dioxide loss at elevated temperatures, but loss at the unclad edges was still significant. By preheating the composite substrates to approximately 3700 degrees F in a nitrogen environment, metallurgically bonded tungsten coatings could be obtained directly by plasma spraying. Furthermore, even though these coatings were thin and somewhat porous, they greatly inhibited the loss of uranium dioxide. For example, a specimen that was face clad but had no edge cladding lost 5.8 percent uranium dioxide after 2 hours at 4750 dgrees F in flowing hydrogen. A similar specimen with plasma-spray-coated edges, however, lost only 0.75 percent uranium dioxide under the same testing conditions.

Grisaffe, Salvatore J.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The design of components for an advanced Rankine cycle test facility.

The design of a facility for testing components of an advanced Rankine cycle power system is summarized. The facility is a three-loop system in which lithium, potassium and NaK-78 are the working fluids of the primary, secondary and heat-rejection loops, respectively. Design bases and performance predictions for the major loop components, including the lithium heater and the potassium boiler, condenser and preheater, are outlined.

Bond, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Viking orbiter 1975 articulation control actuators

The articulation subsystem actuators were rigorously tested in severe environments. They were operated through temperature ranges from -73 C to +121 C. In each case the temperature rate of change was at maximum. The actuator under test at room temperature was put into a pre-chilled or preheated chamber. Satisfactory performance was obtained throughout this full temperature range and under the temperature shock conditions above. However, at temperatures below -78 C some leakage was experienced through the O-ring seal around the shaft. The actuators were subjected to severe vibration and 500 g shock test with a time duration of 0.0007 seconds. The scan actuator was life tested by operating it from stop to stop through 2,000 cycles with 20,000 start-stop procedures randomly distributed through the 2,000 cycles.

Perkins, G. S.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Reinforced polyquinoxaline gasket and method of preparing the same

A gasket or seal resistant to ionizing radiation and liquid hydrogen temperatures is made up of a laminated polyquinoxaline resin-fiberglass cloth body portion and a molded polyquinoxaline encapsulating film. The laminated body is prepared by stacking thin sheets of the resin alternately with fiberglass cloth and heating the assembly under pressure with the temperature, pressure and resin film thickness being controlled so that only partial impregnation of the fiberglass cloth is produced. The encapsulating resin film is preheated at about 300 f and applied to the laminate body by molding at a temperature of about 625 F. The molded gasket is then deflashed and post-cured by heating at 675 to 700 F.

Vanauken, R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

2200 C oxidizing atmosphere furnace for space manufacturing

The design of a high temperature furnace is presented which uses electrically conducting ceramic oxide heating elements. The heating elements are made of either thoria or stabilized zirconia which become conductive when preheated to 700 to 1000 C. These heater elements can be operated to 2200 C in oxidizing or inert atmospheres. The furnace is being designed to have a temperature which can be controlled to within 11 C. By a replacement of the heater element, the working cavity can be changed from isothermal to a cavity with a selected specific axial temperature gradient of up to 200 C per centimeter. This furnace concept is appropriate for the growth of crystals which might be grown best in an oxidizing atmosphere such as sapphire (melting point 2040 C), yttrium aluminum garnet (1970 C) or yttrium orthoaluminate (1875 C).

Halbach, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Ground idle performance improvement of a double-annular combustor by using simulated variable combustor geometry

A test program was undertaken to determine if variable combustor geometry could be used to reduce exhaust emissions of a low-pressure-ratio jet engine operating at ground idle conditions. Three techniques for varying combustor geometry were simulated. Other techniques evaluated were radial fuel staging and the use of preheated fuel. When simulated variable combustor geometry was employed with radial fuel staging, combustion efficiency at a fuel-air ratio of 0.01 was increased from 77 to 95 percent, and exhaust emissions of unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide were significantly reduced.

Schultz, D. F.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Design of automatic startup and shutdown logic for a Brayton-cycle 2- to 15-kilowatt engine

The NASA Lewis Research Center is conducting a closed-Brayton-cycle power conversion system technology program in which a complete power system (engine) has been designed and demonstrated. This report discusses the design of automatic startup and shutdown logic circuits as a modification to the control system presently used in this demonstration engine. This modification was primarily intended to make starting the engine as simple and safe as possible and to allow the engine to be run unattended. In the modified configuration the engine is started by turning the control console power on and pushing the start button after preheating the gas loop. No other operator action is required to effect a complete startup. Shutdown, if one is required, is also effected by a simple stop button. The automatic startup and shutdown of the engine have been successfully and purposefully demonstrated more than 50 times at the Lewis Research Center during 10,000 hours of unattended operation. The net effect of this modification is an engine that can be safely started and stopped by relatively untrained personnel. The approach lends itself directly to remote unattended operation.

Vrancik, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Combustion intensity and distribution relation to noise generation

Experiments with several different flame holder geometries were conducted to investigate the degree to which combustion roughness can be altered by altering the flame intensity and flame distribution in a ducted combustion system. The effect of admitting primary air through a plane-slotted or a slotted-swirl vane flame holder was compared and the combustion roughness and noise was contrasted with that obtained with a closed front-end perforated can. The slotted front-end burners produced much smoother burning and less noise than the closed front-end can. No advantage was apparent with swirl vs nonswirl when approximately the same inlet flow distribution was maintained. Preheated inlet air provided somewhat smoother combustion as compared with ambient temperature air. The combustion roughness with methyl alcohol was briefly compared with that of isooctane; indications are that it burns more smoothly, but more detailed studies are needed to substantiate these indications.

Plett, E. G.↗