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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 NTRS1991

Ammonia abundances in four comets

NH2 emission band strengths were measured in four comets and the NH2 column densities were determined in order to measure the ammonia content of the comets. The mean ammonia/water abundance ratio derived for the four comets is found to be 0.13 + or - 0.06 percent, with no significant variation among the comets. The uniformity of this abundance attests to a remarkable degree of chemical homogeneity over large scales in the comet-forming region of the primordial solar nebula, and contrasts with the CO abundance variations found previously in comets. The N2 and NH3 abundances indicate a condensation temperature in the range 20-160 K, consistent with virtually all comet formation hypotheses.

Wickoff, Susan↗
NASA NTRS1999

Quantitative Species Measurements in Microgravity Combustion Flames using Near-Infrared Diode Lasers

Understanding the physical phenomena controlling the ignition and spread of flames in microgravity has importance for space safety as well as for characterizing dynamical and chemical combustion processes which are normally masked by buoyancy and other gravity-related effects. Unfortunately, combustion is highly complicated by fluid mechanical and chemical kinetic processes, requiring the use of numerical modeling to compare with carefully designed experiments. More sophisticated diagnostic methods are needed to provide the kind of quantitative data necessary to characterize the properties of microgravity combustion as well as provide accurate feedback to improve the predictive capabilities of the models. Diode lasers are a natural choice for use under the severe conditions of low gravity experiments. Reliable, simple solid state operation at low power satisfies the operational restrictions imposed by drop towers, aircraft and space-based studies. Modulation wavelength absorption spectroscopy (WMS) provides a means to make highly sensitive and quantitative measurements of local gas concentration and, in certain cases, temperature. With near-infrared diode lasers, detection of virtually all major combustion species with extremely rapid response time is possible in an inexpensive package. Advancements in near-infrared diode laser fabrication technology and concurrent development of optical fibers for these lasers led to their use in drop towers. Since near-infrared absorption line strengths for overtone and combination vibrational transitions are weaker than the mid-infrared fundamental bands, WMS techniques are applied to increase detection sensitivity and allow measurement of the major combustion gases. In the first microgravity species measurement, Silver et al. mounted a fiber-coupled laser at the top of the NASA 2.2-sec drop tower and piped the light through a single-mode fiber to the drop rig. A fiber splitter divided the light into eight channels that directed the laser beam across a methane or propane diffusion jet flame. The light beams were recaptured by a set of gradient index lenses, coupled back into separate fiber optic lines, and transmitted back to detectors and electronics in the instrument package. In these experiments a 6-mm od fiber cable (containing the nine optical fibers) fell with the drop rig. Using separate detection and demodulation channels, spatial and temporal (up to 20 Hz) maps of water vapor and methane concentrations were obtained at differing heights in the flames. While this apparatus was useful from a demonstration standpoint, several drawbacks needed attention before useful scientific measurements could be obtained. First, eight lines of sight are somewhat insufficient for detailing the spatial profiles of the gas. Second, multiple detection channels operating in parallel are both expensive and present a challenge for accurate calibration. As a result, a newer scanning system was developed in our first contract under this program. The primary characteristic of this system is that it contains a single detection channel and achieves "continuous" spatial resolution by scanning the laser beam across the flame region, then directing this beam onto a single detector. Thus spatial measurements are converted to a temporal series of data. The true spatial resolution is limited only by the beam diameter and width of the sweep. In these experiments the beam is focused to about 1-mm diameter and scans across a region up to 4-cm wide.

Silver, Joel A.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Bridging Two Worlds: From the Archean to the Proterozoic

As now known, the Archean and Proterozoic appear to have been different worlds: the geology (tectonic style, basinal distribution, dominant rock types), atmospheric composition (O2, CO21, CH4), and surface environment (day-length, solar luminosity, ambient temperature) all appear to have changed over time. And virtually all paleobiologic indicators can be interpreted as suggesting there were significant biotic differences as well: (1) Stromatolites older than 2.5 Ga are rare relative to those of the Proterozoic; their biotic components are largely unknown; and the biogenicity of those older than approx. 3.2 Ga has been questioned. (2) Bona fide microfossils older than approx. 2.4 Ga are rare, poorly preserved, and of uncertain biological relations. Gaps of hundreds of millions of years in the known record make it impossible to show that Archean microorganisms are definitely part of the 2.4 Ga-to-present evolutionary continuum. and (3) In rocks older than approx. 2.2 Ga, the sulfur isotopic record is subject to controversy; phylogenetically distinctive bio-markers are unknown; and nearly a score of geologic units contain organic carbon anomalously light isotopically (relative to that of the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic) that may reflect the presence of Archaeans ("Archaebacteria of earlier classifications) but may not (since cellularly preserved Archean-age Archaeans have never been identified).

Schopf, J. William↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Mystery of Io's Warm Polar Regions: Implications for Heat Flow

Unexpectedly warm polar temperatures further support the idea that Io is covered virtually everywhere by cooling lava flows. This implies a new heat flow component. Io's heat flow remains constrained between a lower bound of (approximately) 2.5 W m(exp -2) and an upper bound of (approximately) 13 W m(exp -2). Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Matson, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Reflecting on Space Benefits: A Shining Example

NASA has long been known for having developed the thin, shiny reflective material used to insulate everything from the Hubble Space Telescope to hikers, from the Mars rovers to marathon runners, from computers to campers, from satellites to sun shields, and from rockets to residences. It is one of the simplest, yet most versatile spinoffs to come out of the Agency. The insulating material, a strong, plastic, vacuum-metallized film with a highly-efficient, infrared-reflective, vapor-deposited coating of aluminum, was created to be very lightweight in order to minimize weight impact on vehicle payload while also protecting spacecraft, equipment, and personnel from the extreme temperature fluctuations of space. It has been employed on virtually all manned and unmanned NASA missions. The shiny insulation which coated the base of the Apollo lunar landing vehicles is perhaps one of the most memorable early displays of this technology, and the bright, reflective honeycomb on the James Webb Space Telescope prototype is a testament to its lasting usefulness.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2012

Surface Temperature Data Analysis

Small global mean temperature changes may have significant to disastrous consequences for the Earth's climate if they persist for an extended period. Obtaining global means from local weather reports is hampered by the uneven spatial distribution of the reliably reporting weather stations. Methods had to be developed that minimize as far as possible the impact of that situation. This software is a method of combining temperature data of individual stations to obtain a global mean trend, overcoming/estimating the uncertainty introduced by the spatial and temporal gaps in the available data. Useful estimates were obtained by the introduction of a special grid, subdividing the Earth's surface into 8,000 equal-area boxes, using the existing data to create virtual stations at the center of each of these boxes, and combining temperature anomalies (after assessing the radius of high correlation) rather than temperatures.

Hansen, James↗
DOE OSTI2024

Large-scale simulation-based parametric analysis of an optimal precooling strategy for demand flexibility in a commercial office building

Achieving success with grid-interactive efficient buildings (GEBs) is closely tied to the utilization of flexible loads. A valuable strategy involves the implementation of precooling techniques before high-demand events, such as peak hours, by adjusting zone air temperature setpoints. This leads to a reduction in thermal loads and peak electricity demand during these times, as the building’s thermal mass stores and subsequently releases thermal energy. However, the effectiveness of the pre-cooling optimization is highly contingent on specific conditions such as building thermal properties, weather conditions, utility rate structure, HVAC equipment sizing, etc. Therefore, investigating the impacts of these condition-specific factors is crucial, especially when considering precooling strategies that utilize thermal mass in commercial buildings. In this paper, we first devised a novel heuristic control approach that incorporates parameterized optimal precooling thermostat schedules to enhance demand flexibility in a commercial office building. Subsequently, we conducted a thorough performance evaluation of this control strategy. Here, the optimal thermostat schedule was parameterized using three optimization variables: the precooling start time, the precooling end time, and the precooling temperature setpoint. Utilizing the DOE medium-sized office building as the virtual testbed, we showed that the parameterized schedule effectively approximates model predictive control and requires drastically reduced computational overhead. In addition, we investigated the impact of different influencing factors on the optimal precooling strategy. These factors include building thermal mass, outdoor air conditions, and energy price profiles. Using high-performance computing, we simulated a total of 225 scenarios, consisting of three levels of thermal mass, five typical outdoor air temperature profiles, and fifteen time-of-use price plans. The results demonstrate that optimal thermostat scheduling could save substantial energy cost in medium-sized office buildings with heavy thermal mass but with some energy penalty. Although the potential for cost savings is lower in buildings with low and medium thermal mass, the energy penalty remains consistent in all three thermal mass scenarios. The study also highlights the need to account for zone diversity and recognize that a one-size-fits-all-zone setpoint schedule may not be suitable for all zones and can lead to unnecessary energy wastage. Furthermore, the results highlight that while outdoor air conditions play a role in cost and energy performance, the cooling load exerts a more immediate and substantial influence on cost savings in precooling strategies. Although cost savings are comparable under certain conditions with the same cooling load, observed deviations in energy penalty indicate potential disparities in the efficiency of the HVAC system during the load-shifting process. In addition, the duration of peak pricing and the ratio between peak and off-peak times exhibit clear correlations with cost savings and energy consumption, aligning with intuitive expectations. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing precooling strategies in office buildings.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS1988

Hydrometeor development in cold clouds in FIRE

The microphysical characteristics of cold clouds were examined using aircraft. The clouds investigated ranged in temperature from minus 20 to minus 46 C. Liquid water was detected in these clouds at minus 35 C and may exist at even colder temperatures. Aircraft patterns in the form of Lagrangian spirals were used to interpret particle growth processes. Significant broadening of the particle size spectra is observed with minor changes in the spectra at small sizes. Virtually all of the broadening observed is attributable to ice particle aggregation which occurs at all temperatures. The crystals comprising the aggregates are of comparable size, joined either at tips or edges, and are usually 2 in number at temperatures lower than minus 25 C, increasing to 3 or more at warmer temperatures. The data strongly suggest that sintering is the mechanism through which the crystals aggregate. Aggregation appears to be important in the transfer of water mass from upper to lower levels in clouds.

Heymsfield, Andrew J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Uncooled GeSn MWIR Photodetectors Using Fully Relaxed Thin Triple‐Step Buffer

GeSn photodetectors monolithically grown on Ge virtual substrates demonstrate mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detection at room temperature. The lattice mismatch between GeSn and Ge causes dislocations and compressive strain, creating leakage pathways and unwanted indirect band transitions. Designed thin Ge 0.91 Sn 0.09 triple-step buffer layers of ≈175 nm total thickness reduce dislocations and enable full relaxation, showing 100% lattice relaxation and smooth surface roughness of 0.83 nm with shorter auto-correlation length in surface morphology compared to single-step buffers. Ge 1-x Sn x photodetectors (x = 0.09, 0.12, and 0.15) on triple-step buffers with n-i-p configurations achieve lattice strain relaxations of 99%, 88%, and 80%, respectively. Ge 0.91 Sn 0.09 and Ge 0.88 Sn 0.12 show gradual variation in auto-correlation amplitude, while Ge 0.85 Sn 0.15 shows an increase due to lattice mismatch. Shockley–Read–Hall recombination current dominates at low reverse bias due to mismatch-induced dislocations, while band-to-band tunneling current dominates at higher reverse bias due to narrowing bandgap under strong electric fields. Here, the photodetectors show extended spectral response with increasing Sn composition of i-GeSn active layer sandwiched by barriers. Ge 0.88 Sn 0.12 and Ge 0.85 Sn 0.15 exhibit extended wavelength cut-offs of 3.12 and 3.27 µm at room temperature, demonstrating significant potential for silicon-based MWIR applications.

GeSn↗
NASA NTRS1992

Ions with low charges in the solar wind as measured by SWICS on board Ulysses

We present new data on rare ions in the solar wind. Using the Ulysses-SWICS instrument with its very low background we have searched for low-charge ions during a 6-d period of low-speed solar wind and established sensitive upper limits for many species. In the solar wind, we found He(1+)/He(2+) of less than 5 x 10 exp -4. This result and the charge state distributions of heavier elements indicate that all components of the investigated ion population went through a regular coronal expansion and experienced the typical electron temperatures of 1 to 2 million Kelvin. We argue that the virtual absence of low-charge ions demonstrates a very low level of nonsolar contamination in the source region of the solar wind sample we studied. Since this sample showed the FlP effect typical for low-speed solar wind, i.e., an enhancement in the abundances of elements with low first ionization potential, we conclude that this enhancement was caused by an ion-atom separation mechanism operating near the solar surface and not by foreign material in the corona.

Geiss, J.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Interplay Between Thin Film Ferroelectric Composition, Microstructure and Microwave Phase Shifter Performance

One of the keys to successfully incorporating ferroelectric films into Ku-band (12 to 18 GHz) phase shifters is to establish the composition, microstructure, and thickness required to meet the tuning needs, and tailor the film properties to meet these needs. Optimal performance is obtained when the film composition and device design are such that the device performance is limited by odd mode dielectric losses, and these losses are minimized as much as possible while still maintaining adequate tunability. The parameters required to maintain device performance will vary slightly depending on composition, but we can conclude that the best tuning-to-loss figures of merit (K-factor) are obtained when there is minimal variation between the in-plane and out-of-plane lattice parameters, and the full-width half maximum values of the BSTO (002) peaks are less than approximately 0.04 deg. We have observed that for phase shifters in which the ferroelectric crystalline quality and thickness are almost identical, higher losses are observed in films with higher BaISr ratios. The best performance was observed in phase shifters with Ba:Sr = 30:70. The superiority of this composition was attributed to several interacting factors: the B a: Sr ratio was such that the Curie temperature (180 K) was far removed from room temperature, the crystalline quality of the film was excellent, and there was virtually no difference between the inplane and out-of-plane lattice parameters of the film.

Mueller, Carl H.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Uncertainty in Tropical Ocean Latent Heat Flux Variability During the Last 25 Years

When averaged over the tropical oceans (30deg N/S), latent heat flux anomalies derived from passive microwave satellite measurements as well as reanalyses and climate models driven with specified seal-surface temperatures show considerable disagreement in their decadal trends. These estimates range from virtually no trend to values over 8.4 W/sq m decade. Satellite estimates also tend to have a larger interannual signal related to El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events than do reanalyses or model simulations. An analysis of wind speed and humidity going into bulk aerodynamic calculations used to derive these fluxes reveals several error sources. Among these are apparent remaining intercalibration issues affecting passive microwave satellite 10 m wind speeds and systematic biases in retrieval of near-surface humidity. Likewise, reanalyses suffer from discontinuities in availability of assimilated data that affect near surface meteorological variables. The results strongly suggest that current latent heat flux trends are overestimated.

Robertson, F. R.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Closed-loop Dynamics of In-core Thermionic Reactor Systems

Using a point model of an in-core thermionic converter, alternative schemes for providing closed loop reactor control were investigated. It was found that schemes based on variable gain power regulation buffers which use the reactor current as the control variable provide complete protection from thermionic burnout and also provide a virtually constant voltage to the user. A side benefit is that the emitter temperature transients are small-even for a complete electric load drop the emitter temperature transient is less than 100 deg K. The current regulation scheme was selected for further study with a distributed parameter model which was developed to account for variations in thermionic and heat transfer properties along the length of a cylindrical converter. It was found that even though the emitter temperature distribution is about 200 deg K along the converter length, the dynamic properties are unchanged when using the current control scheme.

Sawyer, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Closed loop dynamics of in-core thermionic reactor systems.

Use of a point model of an in-core thermionic converter to investigate alternative schemes for providing closed-loop reactor control. It was found that schemes based on variable-gain power regulation buffers which use the reactor current as the control variable provide complete protection from thermionic burnout and also provide a virtually constant voltage to the user. A side benefit is that the emitter temperature transients are small; even for a complete electric load drop the emitter temperature transient is less than 100 K. The current regulation scheme was selected for further study with a distributed parameter model which was developed to account for variations in thermionic and heat transfer properties along the length of a cylindrical converter. It was found that, even though the emitter temperature distribution is about 200 K along the converter length, the dynamic properties are unchanged when using the current control scheme.

Sawyer, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Engineering prediction of turbulent skin friction and heat transfer in high-speed flow

A large collection of experimental turbulent-skin-friction and heat-transfer data for flat plates and cones was used to determine the most accurate of six of the most popular engineering-prediction methods; the data represent a Mach number range from 4 to 13 and ratio of wall to total temperature ranging from 0.1 to 0.7. The Spalding and Chi method incorporating virtual-origin concepts was found to be the best prediction method for Mach numbers less than 10; the limited experimental data for Mach numbers greater than 10 were not well predicted by any of the engineering methods except the Coles method.

Cary, A. M., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Studies of hot B subdwarfs. Part 2: Energy distributions of three bright sdB/sdOB stars in the 950-5500 angstrom range

Voyager ultraviolet spectrometer observations of the subdwarf B or OB stars HD 205805, UV 1758+36 and Feige 66 are presented. All three objects display the H I Layman series in absorption. These observations are combined with low dispersion IUE spectrophotometry and with Stroemgren photometry to construct virtually complete energy distributions, which extend over the range 950-5500 angstroms. Effective temperatures based on model atmosphere calculations for high gravity, hydrogen rich stars are determined. Our analyses yield T Sub e 28,200 + or - 1300 K for HD 205805, T sub e 31, 800 + or - 1100 K for UV 1758+36, and T sub e 35,700 + or - 1500 K for Feige 66. The importance of far ultraviolet observations below L sub alpha in reducing the uncertainties associated with the interstellar extinction and the degradation of the IUE sensitivity is emphasized.

Wesemael, F.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Studies of hot B subdwarfs. II - Energy distributions of three bright sdB/sdOB stars in the 950-5500 A range

Voyager ultraviolet spectrometer observations of the subdwarf B or OB stars HD 205805, UV 1758+36 and Feige 66 are presented. All three objects display the H I Layman series in absorption. These observations are combined with low dispersion IUE spectrophotometry and with Stromgren photometry to construct virtually complete energy distributions, which extend over the range 950-5500 angstroms. Effective temperatures based on model atmosphere calculations for high gravity, hygrogen rich stars are determined. Our analyses yield T sub e 28,200 + or - 1300 K for HD 205805, T sub e 31, 800 + or - 1100 K for UV 1758+36, and T sub e 35,700 + or 1500 K for Feige 66. The importance of far ultraviolet observations below L sub alpha in reducing the uncertainties associated with the interstellar extinction and the degradation of the IUE sensitivity is emphasized.

Wesemael, F.↗