Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Reservoir pressure”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2022

On the Stability and Phase Behavior of Titan's Subsurface Liquid Columns

On Titan, liquid hydrocarbon may stay in the subsurface porous permeable crust known as the alkanofer, analogous to water in Earth’s aquifer. In addition to pressure gradient, the subsurface liquid in alkanofers is subject to vertical compositional grading due to the gravity and temperature gradient. The common wisdom is that the liquid would normally stay underground in a stability established by the pressure that increases with depth as observed in aquifers on Earth. However, Titan’s liquids consist of nitrogen and hydrocarbons, mainly methane and ethane, the behavior of which is very sensitive to temperature and pressure. Consequently, the liquid density does not always increase with depth, thus may introduce a reverse density profile that leads to vertical convective instability of the liquid column. If reverse density profiles are present, capillary pressures arising from liquid trapped within small pores in the crust can help with the column stability. The liquid held in the capillaries can seal the space below it thus helping with the stability, unless the overpressure built from underneath becomes larger than the capillary pressure, which causes leakage to allow the liquids to seep upward from the deep. This situation is analogous to hydrocarbon seeps on Earth, where oil and natural gas escape the reservoir and flow slowly through network of cracks to the surface. An algorithm based on an extended Gibbs equation commonly used in petroleum reservoir engineering is employed in this work to produce pressure, density, and compositional profiles for evaluating the stability and phase behavior of Titan’s subsurface fluids.

Sugata Tan↗
NASA NTRS1980

Downhole pressure sensor

Sensor remains accurate in spite of varying temperatures. Very accurate, sensitive, and stable downhole pressure measurements are needed for vaiety of reservoir engineering applications, such as deep petroleum reservoirs, especially gas reservoirs, and in areas of high geothermal gradient.

Berdahl, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Convection effects in protein crystal growth

Protein crystals for X-ray diffraction study are usually grown resting on the bottom of a hanging drop of a saturated protein solution, with slow evaporation to the air in a small enclosed cell. The evaporation rate is controlled by hanging the drop above a reservoir of water, with its saturation vapor pressure decreased by a low concentration of a passive solute. The drop has a lower solute concentration, and its volume shrinks by evaporation until the molecular concentrations match. Protein crystals can also be grown from a seed crystal suspended or supported in the interior of a supersaturated solution. The main analysis of this report concerns this case because it is less complicated than hanging-drop growth. Convection effects have been suggested as the reason for the apparent cessation of growth at a certain rather small crystal size. It seeems that as the crystal grows, the number of dislocations increases to a point where further growth is hindered. Growth in the microgravity environment of an orbiting space vehicle has been proposed as a method for obtaining larger crystals. Experimental observations of convection effects during the growth of protein crystals have been reported.

Roberts, Glyn O.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Piston-Skirt Lubrication System For Compressor

Piston-skirt lubrication system provides steady supply of oil to piston rings of gas compressor. No need for oil-filled crankcase or external oil pump. Instead, part of each piston acts as its own oil pump circulating oil from reservoir. Annular space at bottom of piston and cylinder constitutes working volume of small oil pump. Depending on application, reservoir open to atmosphere, or sealed and pressurized in bellows to prevent contact between oil and atmosphere. Filter removes particles worn away from piston rings and cylinder wall during normal operation.

Schroeder, Edgar C.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Generation and delivery device for ozone gas and ozone dissolved in water

The present invention provides an ozone generation and delivery system that lends itself to small scale applications and requires very low maintenance. The system includes an anode reservoir and a cathode phase separator each having a hydrophobic membrane to allow phase separation of produced gases from water. The system may be configured to operate passively with no moving parts or in a self-pressurizing manner with the inclusion of a pressure controlling device or valve in the gas outlet of the anode reservoir. The hydrogen gas, ozone gas and water containing ozone may be delivered under pressure.

Andrews, Craig C.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Generation and delivery device for ozone gas and ozone dissolved in water

The present invention provides an ozone generation and delivery system that lends itself to small scale applications and requires very low maintenance. The system includes an anode reservoir and a cathode phase separator each having a hydrophobic membrane to allow phase separation of produced gases from water. The system may be configured to operate passively with no moving parts or in a self-pressurizing manner with the inclusion of a pressure controlling device or valve in the gas outlet of the anode reservoir. The hydrogen gas, ozone gas and water containing ozone may be delivered under pressure.

Andrews, Craig C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Permanent Sequestration of Emitted Gases in the Form of Clathrate Hydrates

Underground sequestration has been proposed as a novel method of permanent disposal of harmful gases emitted into the atmosphere as a result of human activity. The method was conceived primarily for disposal of carbon dioxide (CO2, greenhouse gas causing global warming), but could also be applied to CO, H2S, NOx, and chorofluorocarbons (CFCs, which are super greenhouse gases). The method is based on the fact that clathrate hydrates (e.g., CO2 6H2O) form naturally from the substances in question (e.g., CO2) and liquid water in the pores of sub-permafrost rocks at stabilizing pressures and temperatures. The proposed method would be volumetrically efficient: In the case of CO2, each volume of hydrate can contain as much as 184 volumes of gas. Temperature and pressure conditions that favor the formation of stable clathrate hydrates exist in depleted oil reservoirs that lie under permafrost. For example, CO2-6H2O forms naturally at a temperature of 0 C and pressure of 1.22 MPa. Using this measurement, it has been calculated that the minimum thickness of continuous permafrost needed to stabilize CO2 clathrate hydrate is only about 100 m, and the base of the permafrost is known to be considerably deeper at certain locations (e.g., about 600 m at Prudhoe Bay in Alaska). In this disposal method, the permafrost layers over the reservoirs would act as impermeable lids that would prevent dissociation of the clathrates and diffusion of the evolved gases up through pores.

Duxbury, N.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Liquid cooled brassiere and method of diagnosing malignant tumors therewith

A device for enhancing the detection of malignant tissue in the breasts of a woman was described. A brassiere-like garment which is fitted with a pair of liquid-perfused cooling panels which completely and compliantly cover the breasts and upper torso was studied. The garment is connected by plastic tubing to a liquid cooling system comprising a fluid pump, a solenoid control valve for controlling the flow of fluid to either the cooling unit or the heating unit, a fluid reservoir, a temperature sensor in the reservoir, and a restrictor valve to control the pressure in the garment inlet cooling line.

Elkins, W.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Purging means and method for Xenon arc lamps

High pressure Xenon short-arc lamp with two reservoirs which are selectively connectable to the lamp's envelope is described. One reservoir contains an absorbent which will absorb both Xenon and contaminant gases such as CO2 and O2. The absorbent temperature is controlled to evacuate the envelope of both the Xenon and the contaminant gases. The temperature of the absorbent is then raised to desorb only clean Xenon while retaining the contaminant gases, thereby clearing the envelope of the contaminant gases. The second reservoir contains a gas whose specific purpose is, to remove the objectional metal film which deposits gradually on the interior surface of the lamp envelope during normal arc operation. The origin of the film is metal transferred from the cathode of the arc lamp by sputtering or other gas transfer processes.

Miller, C. G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Robot Hand Would Adapt To Contours

Conceptual device uses hydraulic pressure to activate fingers. Projections on opposing fingers of proposed robot hand automatically conform to contours of object on contact. Pistons connected to common reservoir provide gentle, firm grip. Fingers communicate with each other via hydraulic pressure, without elaborate control system. Pistons move in and out, and tips slope to match contour of object. Their action tends to center object on finger. Hand used to grasp objects of various shapes and sizes. Conforming process passive; pressure of object on one or several pad elements forces other pad elements to touch it. Would not use elaborate mechanisms involving motors, cams, and cables.

Collins, Earl R., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1995

A geochemical model for the formation of hydrothermal carbonates on Mars

It is often argued that substantially more carbon dioxide and water were degassed from the martian interior than can be found at present in the atmosphere, polar caps and regolith. Calculations have shown that atmospheric escape cannot account for all of the missing volatiles. Suggestions that carbon dioxide is stored as marine or lacustrine deposits, are challenged by Earth-based and spacecraft remote-sensing data. Moreover, recent modelling of the martian atmosphere suggests that rainfall or open bodies of water are in any case unlikely to have persisted for extended periods of time. Hydrothermal carbonates therefore provide a possible solution to this dilemma. Using an accessible terrestrial system (Iceland) as a guide to the underlying processes, and a host rock composition inferred from the least-altered martian meteorite, we present a geochemical model for the formation of carbonates in possible martian hydrothermal systems. Our results suggest that an extensive reservoir of carbonate minerals--equivalent to an atmospheric pressure of carbon dioxide of at least one bar--could have been sequestered beneath the surface by widespread hydrothermal activity in the martian past.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS2013

Preliminary Interpretations of Atmospheric Stable Isotopes and Argon from Mars Science Laboratory (SAM)

Given the broad agreement between C, H, and O isotopic ratios in the modern atmosphere and the ALH 84001 meteorite, it is possible that these reservoirs were established after early atmospheric loss prior to 4 Ga. The preservation of these signals over this long period of history can be explained in several slightly different ways: 1) C, O, and H have remained static in the atmosphere and have not exchanged with the surface over the past 4 Ga; 2) C, O, and H in the atmosphere have potentially varied widely over history but have been continually buffered by larger reservoirs in the crust which have remained unchanged over the past 4 Ga. This second possibility allows for potentially large variations in atmospheric pressure to occur as CO2 is recycled back into the atmosphere from crustal reservoirs or degassed from the mantle.

Jones, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Experimental plasma studies

The rate coefficients for the reactions C(+) + e(-) + e(-) yields C + e(-) and CO(+) + e(-) yields C + O were measured over the electron temperature range of approximately 1500 deg K to 7000 deg K. The measurements were performed in CO that had expanded from equilibrium reservoir conditions of 7060 deg K at 17.3 atm pressure and from 6260 deg K at 10.0 atm pressure. Two RAM flight probes were used to measure electron density and electron temperature in the expanding flow of a shock tunnel. Experiments were performed in the inviscid flow with both probes and in the nozzle-wall boundary layer with the constant bias-voltage probe. The distributions of electron density and electron temperature were independently measured using voltage-swept thin-wire probes. Thin-wire Langmuir probes were also used to measure the electron-density and electron-temperature distributions in the boundary layer of a sharp flat plate located on the nozzle centerline. Admittance measurements were performed with the RAM C and RAM C-C S-band antennas in the presence of an ionized boundary layer.

Dunn, M. G.↗
NASA NTRS1978

A re-entrant groove hydrogen heat pipe

This paper extends the development of reentrant groove technology to hydrogen heat pipes. Parametric analyses are presented which optimize the theoretical design while considering the limitations of state-of-the-art extrusion technology. Acceptable production-type runs of extruded lengths (over 300 m) could only be achieved at the expense of a wider nominal groove opening than specified (0.33 mm vs. 0.20 mm). However, dimensional variations of other critical dimensions were within 0.05 mm, which exceeded expectations. The 6063-T6 aluminum extrusion is 14.6 mm OD with a wall thickness of 1.66 mm and contains 20 axial grooves which surround a central 9.3-mm-diam vapor core. Each axial groove is 0.775-mm-diam with a 0.33 mm opening. An excess vapor reservoir is provided at the evaporator to minimize the pressure containment hazard during ambient storage. Details of the instrumentation and helium-cooled test installation are also presented.

Alario, J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Design, fabrication and test of a hydrogen heat pipe

Re-entrant groove technology was extended to hydrogen heat pipes. Parametric analyses are presented which optimize the theoretical design while considering the limitations of state-of-the-art extrusion technology. The 6063-T6 aluminum extrusion is 14.6 mm OD with a wall thickness of 1.66 mm and contains 20 axial grooves which surround a central 9.3 mm diameter vapor core. Each axial groove is 0.775 mm diameter with a 0.33 mm opening. An excess vapor reservoir is provided at the evaporator to minimize the pressure containment hazard during ambient storage. Modifications to the basic re-entrant groove profile resulted in improved overall performance. While the maximum heat transport capacity decreased slightly to 103 w-m the static wicking height increased markedly to 4.5 cm. The heat pipe became operational between 20 and 30 K after a cooldown from 77 K without any difficulty. Steady state performance data taken over a 19 to 23 K temperature range indicated: (1) maximum heat transport capacity of 5.4 w-m; (2) static wicking height of 1.42 cm; and (3) overall heat pipe conductance of 1.7 watts/deg C.

Alario, J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Model calculations of minor ion populations in the plasmapause

Recent observations of the density of minor ions at high altitudes in the outer plasmasphere show relative enhancements of O(2+) in regions of simultaneous O(+) enhancements. These regions also exhibit high ion temperatures. Computer simulations of the temperature structure of the plasmasphere under conditions of electron heating in the equatorial region suggest that such heating produces large gradients in both the electron and ion temperature in the ionosphere. These gradients result in an increase in the pressure of the electrons, which increases the polarization field, and of the ions, which results in large plasma scale heights at low altitudes and increased ion densities at high altitudes. The subsequent enhanced flux of O(2+) from the ionosphere produced by collisional drag of O(2+) by O(+) and the increased polarization field results in a significant increase in the O(2+) density above the ionosphere. At higher altitudes the O(2+)-O(+) collisions inhibit the upward flow of O(2+) resulting in a high-altitude peak in the O(2+) density. Above this peak, where collisions with O(+) begin to become insignificant, the O(2+) pressure gradient pushes the O(2+) into the equatorial reservoir. Simulations of conditions of moderate flux tube depletion result in an increase in this effect. The N(+) is also affected by collisions with O(+), but the increase in its density at high altitudes is primarily due to the scale height effect.

Chandler, M. O.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Capturing an Evolving Nebular Environment: A Petrographic and Geochemical Study of a Type A, B & C CAI

Calcium, Aluminum-rich Inclusions (CAIs) were the first formed solids in our Solar System, with mineral assemblages reflecting the first phases predicted to condense out of a hot nebular gas of Solar composition. Geochemical, textural and crystallographic information in CAIs can be used to constrain the temperature, pressure, and composition (e.g., oxygen fugacity) of the gaseous reservoir(s) from which they formed, as well as any secondary (nebular and parent body) processes they underwent. Coordinated geochemical and textural analyses provide information on nebular conditions (i.e., astrophysical environments and dynamics of nebular gas reservoirs) in which these CAIs formed. In order to better understand the evolution of nebular reservoirs at the time of CAI formation, we analyzed a Type A, B and C CAI using Electron Probe Micro-Analyzer (EPMA) and Electron BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD) at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC).

Comins, M. B.↗