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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

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NASA NTRS1988

Process for making silicon from halosilanes and halosilicons

A reactor apparatus (10) adapted for continuously producing molten, solar grade purity elemental silicon by thermal reaction of a suitable precursor gas, such as silane (SiH.sub.4), is disclosed. The reactor apparatus (10) includes an elongated reactor body (32) having graphite or carbon walls which are heated to a temperature exceeding the melting temperature of silicon. The precursor gas enters the reactor body (32) through an efficiently cooled inlet tube assembly (22) and a relatively thin carbon or graphite septum (44). The septum (44), being in contact on one side with the cooled inlet (22) and the heated interior of the reactor (32) on the other side, provides a sharp temperature gradient for the precursor gas entering the reactor (32) and renders the operation of the inlet tube assembly (22) substantially free of clogging. The precursor gas flows in the reactor (32) in a substantially smooth, substantially axial manner. Liquid silicon formed in the initial stages of the thermal reaction reacts with the graphite or carbon walls to provide a silicon carbide coating on the walls. The silicon carbide coated reactor is highly adapted for prolonged use for production of highly pure solar grade silicon. Liquid silicon (20) produced in the reactor apparatus (10) may be used directly in a Czochralski or other crystal shaping equipment.

Levin, Harry↗

NASA NTRS1987

Process for making silicon

Levin, Harry↗

NASA NTRS1988

Apparatus for making molten silicon

Levin, Harry↗

NASA NTRS2020

Characterization of Cosmic Grain Analogs Formed at Low Temperature from Small Hydrocarbon Precursors in the NASA Ames COSmIC Facility

Here, we present the results of the first solid-phase ex situ analysis of cosmic grain analogs produced at low temperature (<200 K) in the NASA Ames COsmic SImulation Chamber (COSmIC) from small hydrocarbon precursors, methane (CH4) and acetylene (C2H2), seeded in an argon supersonic jet expansion and submitted to a plasma discharge. The plasma-induced chemical reactions, initiated between the precursor molecules and their atomic and molecular fragments, radicals and ions, produce larger molecules and eventually solid particles that are collected in situ under controlled conditions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging was used to provide insight on the morphology and growth structure of the grains produced in COSmIC, and to investigate how the precursors used to produce the grains affect these parameters. This SEM study has shown that under identical experimental conditions with fixed physical and chemical parameters (precursor density, temperature, energy, and reaction time), heavier precursors in the initial mixture produce larger grains and in larger quantity, most likely as a result of a more complex chemistry: most of the grains produced in the Ar/CH4 (95:5) gas mixture ranged from 15 to 385 nm in diameter with an average density of 2.1 grains per sq.μm, while the grains produced in the Ar/C2H2 (95:5) gas mixture ranged from 40 to 650 nm with a density of 3.5 grains per sq.μm. Changes in the morphology were also observed, with grains produced from acetylene (C2H2) precursors tending to be more spherical than grains produced from methane (CH4) precursors. This change in morphology could be associated with different stages of growth formation at low temperature from a more "planar" growth at first, followed by coagulation into more spherical particles. This study demonstrates that the COSmIC experimental setup can be used to investigate carbon grain formation from small gas-phase molecular precursors at low temperature (<200 K), i.e., under a temperature regime that is representative of the dust condensation zone and outer region of circumstellar envelopes.

Ella Sciamma-O'Brien↗

NASA NTRS2005

Experimentation and Modeling of Jet A Thermal Stability in a Heated Tube

High performance aircraft typically use hydrocarbon fuel to regeneratively cool the airframe and engine components. As the coolant temperatures increase, the fuel may react with dissolved oxygen forming deposits that limit the regenerative cooling system performance. This study investigates the deposition of Jet A using a thermal stability experiment and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling. The experimental portion of this study is performed with a high Reynolds number thermal stability (HiRets) tester in which fuel passes though an electrically heated tube and the fuel outlet temperature is held constant. If the thermal stability temperature of the fuel is exceeded, deposits form and adhere to the inside of the tube creating an insulating layer between the tube and the fuel. The HiRets tester measures the tube outer wall temperatures near the fuel outlet to report the effect of deposition occurring inside the tube. Final deposits are also estimated with a carbon burn off analysis. The CFD model was developed and used to simulate the fluid dynamics, heat transfer, chemistry, and transport of the deposit precursors. The model is calibrated to the experiment temperature results and carbon burn-off deposition results. The model results show that the dominant factor in deposition is the heated wall temperature and that most of the deposits are formed in the laminar sublayer. The models predicted a 7.0E-6 kilograms per square meter-sec deposition rate, which compared well to the carbon burn-off analysis deposition rate of 1.0E-6 kilograms per square meter-sec.

Khodabandeh, Julia W.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Converting a carbon preform object to a silicon carbide object

A process for converting in depth a carbon or graphite preform object to a silicon carbide object, silicon carbide/silicon object, silicon carbide/carbon-core object, or a silicon carbide/silicon/carbon-core object, by contacting it with silicon liquid and vapor over various lengths of contact time in a reaction chamber. In the process, a stream comprised of a silicon-containing precursor material in gaseous phase below the decomposition temperature of said gas and a coreactant, carrier or diluent gas such as hydrogen is passed through a hole within a high emissivity, thin, insulating septum into the reaction chamber above the melting point of silicon. The thin septum has one face below the decomposition temperature of the gas and an opposite face exposed to the reaction chamber. Thus, the precursor gas is decomposed directly to silicon in the reaction chamber. Any stream of decomposition gas and any unreacted precursor gas from the reaction chamber is removed. A carbon or graphite preform object placed in the reaction chamber is contacted with the silicon. The carbon or graphite preform object is recovered from the reactor chamber after it has been converted to a desired silicon carbide, silicon and carbon composition.

Levin, Harry↗

NASA NTRS2011

JPL Carbon Dioxide Laser Absorption Spectrometer Data Processing Results for the 2010 Flight Campaign

As a precursor to and validation of the core technology necessary for NASA's Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days,and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission, we flew JPL's Carbon Dioxide Laser Absorption Spectrometer (CO2LAS) in a campaign of five flights onboard NASA's DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in July 2010. This is the latest in a series of annual flight campaigns that began in 2006, and our first on the DC-8 aircraft.

Lidar↗

NASA NTRS2010

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Carbonaceous materials play an important role in space. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a ubiquitous component of the carbonaceous materials. PAHs are the best-known candidates to account for the IR emission bands. They are also thought to be among the carriers of the diffuse interstellar absorption bands (DIBs). PAH ionization states reflect the ionization balance of the medium while PAH size, composition, and structure reflect the energetic and chemical history of the medium. A major challenge is to reproduce in the laboratory the physical conditions that exist in the emission and absorption interstellar zones. The harsh physical conditions of the ISM -low temperature, collisionless, strong UV radiation fields- are simulated in the laboratory by associating a molecular beam with an ionizing discharge to generate a cold plasma expansion. PAH ions and radicals are formed from the neutral precursors in an isolated environment at low temperature and probed with high-sensitivity cavity ringdown spectroscopy in the NUV-NIR range. Carbon nanoparticles are also formed during the short residence time of the precursors in the plasma and are characterized with time-offlight mass spectrometry. These experiments provide unique information on the spectra of large carbonaceous molecules and ions in the gas phase that can now be directly compared to interstellar and circumstellar observations (IR emission bands, DIBs, extinction curve). These findings also hold great potential for understanding the formation process of interstellar carbonaceous grains. We will review recent progress in the experimental and theoretical studies of PAHs, compare the laboratory data with astronomical observations and discuss the global implications.

Salama, Farid↗

NASA NTRS2000

Effects of Carbon Structure and Surface Oxygen on the Carbon's Performance as the Anode in Lithium-Ion Battery Determined

Four carbon materials (C1, C2, C3, and C4) were tested electrochemically at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field to determine their performance in lithium-ion batteries. They were formed as shown in the figure. This process caused very little carbon loss. Products C1 and C3 contained very little oxygen because of the final overnight heating at 540 C. Products C2 and C4, on the other hand, contained small amounts of basic oxide. The electrochemical test involved cycles of lithium intercalation and deintercalation using C/saturated LiI-50/50 (vol %) ethylene carbonate (EC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC)/Li half cell. The cycling test, which is summarized in the table, resulted in three major conclusions. The capacity of the carbon with a basic oxide surface converges to a constant 1. value quickly (within 4 cycles), possibly because the oxide prevents solvent from entering the carbon structure and, therefore, prolongs the carbon s cycle life. Under certain conditions, the disordered carbon can store more lithium than its 2. precursor. These samples and their precursor can intercalate at 200 mA/g and deintercalate at 3. a rate of 2000 mA/g without significant capacity loss.

Hung, Ching-Cheh↗

NASA NTRS2016

Tropospheric Ozone Change from 1980 to 2010 Dominated by Equatorward Redistribution of Emissions

Ozone is an important air pollutant at the surface, and the third most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas in the troposphere. Since 1980, anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors methane, non-methane volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides (NOx) have shifted from developed to developing regions. Emissions have thereby been redistributed equatorwards, where they are expected to have a stronger effect on the tropospheric ozone burden due to greater convection, reaction rates and NOx sensitivity. Here we use a global chemical transport model to simulate changes in tropospheric ozone concentrations from 1980 to 2010, and to separate the influences of changes in the spatial distribution of global anthropogenic emissions of short-lived pollutants, the magnitude of these emissions, and the global atmospheric methane concentration. We estimate that the increase in ozone burden due to the spatial distribution change slightly exceeds the combined influences of the increased emission magnitude and global methane. Emission increases in Southeast, East and South Asia may be most important for the ozone change, supported by an analysis of statistically significant increases in observed ozone above these regions. The spatial distribution of emissions dominates global tropospheric ozone, suggesting that the future ozone burden will be determined mainly by emissions from low latitudes.

Zhang, Yuqiang↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Hot Structure Concepts and Materials for Space Exploration Project

Hot structures are multifunctional material systems that integrate the functions of thermal protection systems (TPS) and primary structure to increase mass efficiency in aerospace vehicles. The goal of this project was to improve our capabilities for developing lightweight, reusable, and reliable hot structures concepts to enable advanced space exploration missions. Specifically, current hot structure carbon/carbon (C/C) composite material systems have low interlaminar strength, which can lead to material failures at low load levels, and large material property variability in as-fabricated parts. Two parallel paths were followed to address these shortcomings. First, analysis models were developed to identify the conditions under which excessive interlaminar stresses occur and to evaluate the potential of stitching the C/C laminae to improve the interlaminar thermal-structural response. This effort included the development of high-fidelity, fracture-based thermal-structural finite element analysis models to evaluate critical features needed to produce efficient hot structure concepts. The second path focused on developing atomistic and mesoscale simulation tools to model the fabrication process in an effort to reduce the time and cost of production while improving the quality of the resulting parts. Aspects of the process currently being investigated include the infusion of the matrix precursor into the fiber preform, the cure of the precursor molecules into their polymeric form, and the carbonization and graphitization of the polymer to form the carbon matrix material. Results of the 6-month study are presented herein.

thermal↗

NASA NTRS2012

Electrochemical Ultracapacitors Using Graphitic Nanostacks

Electrochemical ultracapacitors (ECs) have been developed using graphitic nanostacks as the electrode material. The advantages of this technology will be the reduction of device size due to superior power densities and relative powers compared to traditional activated carbon electrodes. External testing showed that these materials display reduced discharge response times compared to state-of-the-art materials. Such applications are advantageous for pulsed power applications such as burst communications (satellites, cell phones), electromechanical actuators, and battery load leveling in electric vehicles. These carbon nanostructures are highly conductive and offer an ordered mesopore network. These attributes will provide more complete electrolyte wetting, and faster release of stored charge compared to activated carbon. Electrochemical capacitor (EC) electrode materials were developed using commercially available nanomaterials and modifying them to exploit their energy storage properties. These materials would be an improvement over current ECs that employ activated carbon as the electrode material. Commercially available graphite nanofibers (GNFs) are used as precursor materials for the synthesis of graphitic nanostacks (GNSs). These materials offer much greater surface area than graphite flakes. Additionally, these materials offer a superior electrical conductivity and a greater average pore size compared to activated carbon electrodes. The state of the art in EC development uses activated carbon (AC) as the electrode material. AC has a high surface area, but its small average pore size inhibits electrolyte ingress/egress. Additionally, AC has a higher resistivity, which generates parasitic heating in high-power applications. This work focuses on fabricating EC from carbon that has a very different structure by increasing the surface area of the GNF by intercalation or exfoliation of the graphitic basal planes. Additionally, various functionalities to the GNS surface will be added that can exhibit pseudocapacitance. This pseudocapacitance exhibits faradaic (charge transfer) properties that can further increase the overall relative and volumetric capacitance of the material. A process is also proposed to use GNF as a precursor material to fabricate GNS that will be used as EC electrodes. This results in much better electrical conductivity than activated carbon. This is advantageous for high-pulsed-power applications to reduce parasitic heating. Larger average pore size allows more complete electrolyte wetting (faster charge transfer kinetics). These properties contribute to a lowered equivalent series resistance (ESR), increased specific power, shorter charging times, and decreased parasitic heating. The high density of basal plane edges provides nucleation sites for activation (addition of hydrophilic functional groups) that facilitate electrolyte wetting, and will contribute to pseudocapacitance.

Marotta, Christopher↗

NASA NTRS2013

Fracture in Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator

This paper describes the development of a novel technique to understand the failure mechanisms inside thermal protection materials. The focus of this research is on the class of materials known as phenolic impregnated carbon ablators. It has successfully flown on the Stardust spacecraft and is the thermal protection system material chosen for the Mars Science Laboratory and SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Although it has good thermal properties, structurally, it is a weak material. To understand failure mechanisms in carbon ablators, fracture tests were performed on FiberForm(Registered TradeMark) (precursor), virgin, and charred ablator materials. Several samples of these materials were tested to investigate failure mechanisms at a microstructural scale. Stress-strain data were obtained simultaneously to estimate the tensile strength and toughness. It was observed that cracks initiated and grew in the FiberForm when a critical stress limit was reached such that the carbon fibers separated from the binder. However, both for virgin and charred carbon ablators, crack initiation and growth occurred in the matrix (phenolic) phase. Both virgin and charred carbon ablators showed greater strength values compared with FiberForm samples, confirming that the presence of the porous matrix helps in absorbing the fracture energy.

Agrawal, Parul↗

NASA NTRS2010

Titanium Hydroxide - a Volatile Species at High Temperature

An alternative method of low-temperature plasma functionalization of carbon nanotubes provides for the simultaneous attachment of molecular groups of multiple (typically two or three) different species or different mixtures of species to carbon nanotubes at different locations within the same apparatus. This method is based on similar principles, and involves the use of mostly the same basic apparatus, as those of the methods described in "Low-Temperature Plasma Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes" (ARC-14661-1), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 28, No. 5 (May 2004), page 45. The figure schematically depicts the basic apparatus used in the aforementioned method, with emphasis on features that distinguish the present alternative method from the other. In this method, one exploits the fact that the composition of the deposition plasma changes as the plasma flows from its source in the precursor chamber toward the nanotubes in the target chamber. As a result, carbon nanotubes mounted in the target chamber at different flow distances (d1, d2, d3 . . .) from the precursor chamber become functionalized with different species or different mixtures of species.

Nguyen, QuynhGiao N.↗

NASA NTRS1992

The combined application of organic sulphur and isotope geochemistry to assess multiple sources of palaeobiochemicals with identical carbon skeletons

Five immature sediments from a Messinian evaporitic basin, representing one evaporitic cycle, were studied using molecular organic sulphur and isotope geochemistry. It is shown that a specific carbon skeleton which is present in different "modes of occurrence" ("free" hydrocarbon, alkylthiophene, alkylthiolane, alkyldithiane, alkylthiane, and sulphur-bound in macromolecules) may have different biosynthetic precursors which are possibly derived from different biota. It is demonstrated that the mode of occurrence and the carbon isotopic composition of a sedimentary lipid can be used to "reconstruct" its biochemical precursor. This novel approach of recognition of the suite of palaeobiochemicals present during the time of deposition allows for identification of the biological sources with an unprecedented specificity.

Non-NASA Center↗

NASA NTRS2003

Aerosol Sources, Absorption, and Intercontinental Transport: Synergies among Models, Remote Sensing, and Atmospheric Measurements

Aerosol climate forcing is one of the largest uncertainties in assessing the anthropogenic impact on the global climate system. This uncertainty arises from the poorly quantified aerosol sources, especially black carbon emissions, our limited knowledge of aerosol mixing state and optical properties, and the consequences of intercontinental transport of aerosols and their precursors. Here we use a global model GOCART to simulate atmospheric aerosols, including sulfate, black carbon, organic carbon, dust, and sea salt, from anthropogenic, biomass burning, and natural sources. We compare the model calculated aerosol extinction and absorption with those quantities from the ground-based sun photometer measurements from AERONET at several different wavelengths and the field observations from ACE-Asia, and model calculated total aerosol optical depth and fine mode fractions with the MODIS satellite retrieval. We will also estimate the intercontinental transport of pollution and dust aerosols from their source regions to other areas in different seasons.

Chin, Mian↗

NASA NTRS2004

Aerosol Sources, Absorption, and Intercontinental Transport: Synergies Among Models, Remote Sensing, and Atmospheric Measurements

Aerosol climate forcing is one of the largest uncertainties in assessing the anthropogenic impact on the global climate system. This uncertainty arises from the poorly quantified aerosol sources, especially black carbon emissions, our limited knowledge of aerosol mixing state and optical properties, and the consequences of intercontinental transport of aerosols and their precursors. Here we use a global model GOCART to simulate atmospheric aerosols, including sulfate, black carbon, organic carbon, dust, and sea salt, from anthropogenic, .biomass burning, and natural sources. We compare the model calculated aerosol extinction and absorption with those quantities from the ground-based sun photometer measurements from AERON" at several different wavelengths and the field observations from ACE-Asia, and model calculated total aerosol optical depth and fine mode fractions with the MODIS satellite retrieval. We will also estimate the intercontinental transport of pollution and dust aerosols from their source regions to other areas in different seasons.

Chin, Mian↗

NASA NTRS1986

Improved silicon carbide for advanced heat engines

Work performed to develop silicon carbide materials of high strength and to form components of complex shape and high reliability is described. A beta-SiC powder and binder system was adapted to the injection molding process and procedures and process parameters developed capable of providing a sintered silicon carbide material with improved properties. The initial effort has been to characterize the baseline precursor materials (beta silicon carbide powder and boron and carbon sintering aids), develop mixing and injection molding procedures for fabricating test bars, and characterize the properties of the sintered materials. Parallel studies of various mixing, dewaxing, and sintering procedures have been carried out in order to distinguish process routes for improving material properties. A total of 276 MOR bars of the baseline material have been molded, and 122 bars have been fully processed to a sinter density of approximately 95 percent. The material has a mean MOR room temperature strength of 43.31 ksi (299 MPa), a Weibull characteristic strength of 45.8 ksi (315 MPa), and a Weibull modulus of 8.0. Mean values of the MOR strengths at 1000, 1200, and 14000 C are 41.4, 43.2, and 47.2 ksi, respectively. Strength controlling flaws in this material were found to consist of regions of high porosity and were attributed to agglomerates originating in the initial mixing procedures. The mean stress rupture lift at 1400 C of five samples tested at 172 MPa (25 ksi) stress was 62 hours and at 207 MPa (30 ksi) stress was 14 hours. New fluid mixing techniques have been developed which significantly reduce flaw size and improve the strength of the material. Initial MOR tests indicate the strength of the fluid-mixed material exceeds the baseline property by more than 33 percent.

Whalen, T. J.↗