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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 NTRS1978

Slicing of silicon into sheet material. Silicon sheet growth development for the large area silicon sheet task of the low cost silicon solar array project

Fabrication of a prototype large capacity multiple blade slurry saw is considered. Design of the bladehead which will tension up to 1000 blades, and cut a 45 cm long silicon ingot as large as 12 cm in diameter is given. The large blade tensioning force of 270,000 kg is applied through two bolts acting on a pair of scissor toggles, significantly reducing operator set-up time. Tests with an upside-down cutting technique resulted in 100% wafering yields and the highest wafer accuracy yet experienced with MS slicing. Variations in oil and abrasives resulted only in degraded slicing results. A technique of continuous abrasive slurry separation to remove silicon debris is described.

Holden, S. C.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Surfactant/Supercritical Fluid Cleaning of Contaminated Substrates

CFC's and halogenated hydrocarbon solvents have been the solvents of choice to degrease and otherwise clean precision metal parts to allow proper function. Recent regulations have, however, rendered most of these solvents unacceptable for these purposes. New processes which are being used or which have been proposed to replace these solvents usually either fail to remove water soluble contaminants or produce significant aqueous wastes which must then be disposed of. In this work, a new method for cleaning surfaces will be investigated. Solubility of typical contaminants such as lubricating greases and phosphatizing bath residues will be studied in several surfactant/supercritical fluid solutions. The effect of temperature, pressure, and the composition of the cleaning mixture on the solubility of oily, polar, and ionic contaminants will be investigated. A reverse micellar solution in a supercritical light hydrocarbon solvent will be used to clean samples of industrial wastes. A reverse micellar solution is one where water is dissolved into a non-polar solvent with the aid of a surfactant. The solution will be capable of dissolving both water-soluble contaminants and oil soluble contaminants. Once the contaminants have been dissolved into the solution they will be separated from the light hydrocarbon and precipitated by a relatively small pressure drop and the supercritical solvent will be available for recycle for reuse. The process will be compared to the efficacy of supercritical CO2 cleaning by attempting to clean the same types of substrates and machining wastes with the same contaminants using supercritical CO2. It is anticipated that the supercritical CO2 process will not be capable of removing ionic residues.

White, Gary L.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Wind Tunnel Testing of a 120th Scale Large Civil Tilt-Rotor Model in Airplane and Helicopter Modes

In April 2012 and October 2013, NASA and the U.S. Army jointly conducted a wind tunnel test program examining two notional large tilt rotor designs: NASA's Large Civil Tilt Rotor and the Army's High Efficiency Tilt Rotor. The approximately 6%-scale airframe models (unpowered) were tested without rotors in the U.S. Army 7- by 10-foot wind tunnel at NASA Ames Research Center. Measurements of all six forces and moments acting on the airframe were taken using the wind tunnel scale system. In addition to force and moment measurements, flow visualization using tufts, infrared thermography and oil flow were used to identify flow trajectories, boundary layer transition and areas of flow separation. The purpose of this test was to collect data for the validation of computational fluid dynamics tools, for the development of flight dynamics simulation models, and to validate performance predictions made during conceptual design. This paper focuses on the results for the Large Civil Tilt Rotor model in an airplane mode configuration up to 200 knots of wind tunnel speed. Results are presented with the full airframe model with various wing tip and nacelle configurations, and for a wing-only case also with various wing tip and nacelle configurations. Key results show that the addition of a wing extension outboard of the nacelles produces a significant increase in the lift-to-drag ratio, and interestingly decreases the drag compared to the case where the wing extension is not present. The drag decrease is likely due to complex aerodynamic interactions between the nacelle and wing extension that results in a significant drag benefit.

Wind Tunnel Testing of a 1/20th Scale↗
NASA NTRS1992

Aerodynamics of a finite wing with simulated ice

The effect of a simulated glaze ice accretion on the aerodynamic performance of a three-dimensional wing is studied experimentally. Results are reviewed from earlier two-dimensional tests which show the character of the large leading-edge separation bubbles caused by the simulated ice accretion. The 2-D bubbles are found to closely resemble well known airfoil laminar separation bubbles. For the 3-D experiments a semispan wing of effective aspect ratio five was mounted from the sidewall of the UIUC subsonic wind tunnel. The model uses a NACA 0012 airfoil section on a rectangular planform with interchangeable tip and root sections to allow for 0- and 30-degree sweep. A three-component sidewall balance was used to measure lift, drag and pitching moment on the clean and iced model. Fluorescent oil flow visualization has been performed on the iced model and reveals extensive spanwise and vortical flow in the separation bubble aft of the upper surface horn. Sidewall interaction and spanwise nonuniformity are also seen on the unswept model. Comparisons to the computed flow fields are shown. Results are also shown for roughness effects on the straight wing. Sand grain roughness on the ice shape is seen to have a different effect than isolated 3-D roughness elements.

Bragg, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS2026

Space Suit Material Compatibility with Space Vehicle Coolant PMS-1.5R

During a survey of 82P on February 11, 2023, a shiny substance was detected on the Progress vehicle. The suspected material was PMS-1.5R, a low volatility silicone oil coolant used in the vehicle. Crew exposure to the coolant was a concern as the low volatility would increase residence time, the time a material will stay on a surface after exposure to vacuum. A review of space suit materials revealed several materials with compatibility concerns that could impact Extravehicular Activity (EVA) operations and safety. To understand the risk, space suit materials were exposed to a simulant and tested. This testing provided the basis for rationale generated to continue with EVA operations for US EVA 86 on April 2, 2023. This testing also served as the basis to assess impacts to ISS EMU hardware due to potential contamination brought inside ISS on Russian space suits during RS EVA 61 on October 25, 2023, following an ISS Russian Multipurpose Lab Module (MLM) radiator leak of the same fluid on October 9, 2023. This paper will discuss the testing performed and analyze test results impacts to EVA operations. Additional work was conducted to determine coolant evaporation rates in space vacuum and demonstrate that no significant unreacted coolant from the MLM leak would remain on ISS surfaces long enough to contaminate the EMU or affect the ISS ECLSS water separator.

Space Suit Materials↗
NASA NTRS1981

Dynamics of solid dispersions in oil during the lubrication of point contacts. Part 1: Graphite

A Hertzian contact was lubricated with dispersed graphite in mineral oils under boundary lubrication conditions. The contact was optically observed under pure rolling, combined rolling and sliding, and pure sliding conditions. The contact was formed with a steel ball on the flat surface of a glass disk. Photomicrographs are presented which show the distribution of the graphite in and around the contact. Friction and surface damage are also shown for conditions when the base oils are used alone and when graphite is added to the base oils. Under pure rolling and combined rolling and sliding conditions, it is found that, for low speeds, a graphite film can form which will separate the contacting surfaces. Under pure sliding conditions, graphite accumulates at the inlet and sweeps around the contact, but very little of the graphite passes through the contact. The accumulated graphite appears to act as a barrier which reduces the supply of oil available to the contact for boundary lubrication. Friction data show no clear short term beneficial or detrimental effect caused by addition of graphite to the base oil. However, during pure sliding, more abrasion occurs on the polished balls lubricated with the dispersion than on those lubricated with the base oil alone. All observations were for the special case of a highly-polished ball on a glass surface and may not be applicable to other geometries and materials, or to rougher surfaces.

Cusano, C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The Kuwait oil fires as seen by Landsat

A mosaic of two Landsat thematic mapper images acquired May 30, 1991, reveals a dark smoke plume 30-60 km wide extending hundreds of kilometers south of Kuwait City along the Persian Gulf. Smoke coming from the Raudhatain and Sabriyah oil fields blew across the Gulf of Kuwait and over Kuwait City, joined with smoke from the Greater Burgan and Minagish fields, and continued southward over smaller villages and regions of desert agriculture consisting of hundreds of axially irrigated fields in both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. One agricultural region in Kuwait was completely obscured by the smoke. The light colored limestone gravel and sand surface was darkened by oil lakes near the wells, and by oil drizzling out of the plume downwind of the wells. Most fires produced either a light or dark plume, and the separate plumes mixed to form a combined plume much darker than the land surface, but slightly more reflective than the Gulf waters. A few of the hottest fires had no visible plume, and are presumably associated with methane combustion. The last of the Kuwait fires was reportedly extinguished in November of 1991. Continued monitoring is needed to assess the impact of emissions from both burning and nonburning oil wells on the region's climate, as well as on the agriculture, fishing, and other activities essential to life in the region.

Cahalan, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS1983

An experimental investigation of the subcritical and supercritical flow about a swept semispan wing

An experimental investigation of the turbulent, subcritical and supercritical flow over a swept, semispan wing in a solid wall wind tunnel is described. The program was conducted over a range of Mach numbers, Reynolds numbers, and angles of attack to provide a variety of test cases for assessment of wing computer codes and tunnel wall interference effects. Wing flows both without and with three dimensional flow separation are included. Data include mean surface pressures for both the wing and tunnel walls; surface oil flow patterns on the wing; and mean velocity, flow field surveys. The results are given in tabular form and presented graphically to illustrate some of the effects of the test parameters. Comparisons of the wing pressure data with the results from two inviscid wing codes are also shown to assess the importance of viscous flow and tunnel wall effects.

Lockman, W. K.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Theory of microemulsions in a gravitational field

A theory of microemulsions developed previously is extended to include the effect of a gravitational field. It predicts variation with position of drop size, drop volume fraction, and area per molecule in the surfactant films within a microemulsion phase. Variation in volume fraction is greatest and occurs in such a way that oil content increases with increasing elevation, as has been found experimentally. Large composition variations are predicted within a middle phase microemulsion near optimal conditions because inversion from the water-continuous to the oil-continuous arrangement occurs with increasing elevation. Generally speaking, gravity reduces solubilization within microemulsions and promotes separation of excess phases.

Jeng, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Performance measurements of an airfoil at low Reynolds numbers

Performance characteristics of an Eppler 387 airfoil using both direct (force) and indirect (pressure) measurement techniques have been obtained at Reynolds numbers from 60,000 to 460,000 in the Langley Low-Turbulence Pressure Tunnel. Lift, drag, and pitching-moment data were obtained from two internally-mounted strain-gage balances specifically designed for small aerodynamic loads. Comparisons of these results with data from a pressure model of an Eppler 387 airfoil are included. Drag data for both models using the wake traverse method are compared with the balance data. Oil flow visualization and surface mounted hot-film sensors were used to determine laminar-separation and turbulent-reattachment locations. Problems associated with obtaining accurate wind-tunnel data at low Reynolds numbers are discussed.

Mcghee, Robert J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Oil-pollution detection and monitoring from space using ERTS-1

The author has identified the following significant results. Three reported spills were investigated using four digital computer, compatible techniques on ERTS - 1 data. A spill on the Atlantic Ocean (off Virginia) was studied to develop spectral signatures. Another spill, in Oakland Bay, was studied by ratioing spectral channels (to try to eliminate turbidity effects) and by summing different spectral channels to look for anomolus values caused by oil. The final spill, off Southern California, was investigated by looking for anomolus values in each channel separately. Results indicate that any of these methods might be usable if the spill is large enough to be seen by satellite, if the spill occurs more than a few kilometers off shore, and if the sky and water are relatively clear. In the case of the Atlantic spill, identification of material was not possible; and in the other two cases, the spills could not be detected at all. ERTS-1 was not considered feasible for this type of work because of its 18 day overpass frequency, the few spectral channels, the extended bandwidths, and the long, information retrieval time.

Horvath, R.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Surfactant-assisted coal liquefaction

Improved process of coal liquefaction utilizing nonaqueous surfactant has increased oil yield from 50 to about 80%. Asphaltene molecule formation of colloid particles is prevented by surfactant. Separated molecules present more surface area for hydrogenation reaction. Lower requirements for temperature, pressure, and hydrogen lead to reduction in capital and operation costs.

Hsu, G. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Numerical and experimental determination of secondary separation on delta wings in subsonic flow

A quasi-three-dimensional boundary layer method for conical inviscid flows is presented. The model was developed to characterize the flow fields over slender delta wings, particularly the shed vortex sheet. A steady, incompressible, laminar boundary layer is assumed and a solution is obtained with the Smith (1966) finite difference code. Predictions are compared with oil flow patterns and surface pressure measurements for 74 and 80 deg delta wings at 0-20 deg angles of attack. The model is capable of accurately predicting the secondary separation lines. Inviscid velocities derived from panel methods lead, however, to inaccurate pressure distributions.

Dejarnette, F. R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Laser velocimetry applied to transonic and supersonic aerodynamics

As a further demonstration of the capabilities of laser velocity in compressible aerodynamics, measurements obtained in a Mach 2.9 separated turbulent boundary layer and in the transonic flow past a two-dimensional airfoil section are presented and compared to data realized by conventional techniques. In the separated-flow study, the comparisons were made against pitot-static pressure data. Agreement in mean velocities was realized where the pressure measurements could be considered reliable; however, in regions of instantaneous reverse velocities, the laser results were found to be consistent with the physics of the flow whereas the pressure data were not. The laser data obtained in regions of extremely high turbulence suggest that velocity biasing does not occur if the particle occurrence rate is low relative to the turbulent fluctuation rate. Streamwise turbulence intensities are also presented. In the transonic airfoil study, velocity measurements obtained immediately outside the upper surface boundary layer of a 6-inch chord MACA 64A010 airfoil are compared to edge velocities inferred from surface pressure measurements. For free-stream Mach numbers of 0.6 and 0.8, the agreement in results was very good. Dual scatter optical arrangements in conjunction with a single particle, counter-type signal processor were employed in these investigations. Half-micron-diameter polystyrene spheres and naturally occurring condensed oil vapor acted as light scatterers in the two respective flows. Bragg-cell frequency shifting was utilized in the separated flow study.

Johnson, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Direct measurements of wall shear stress by buried wire gages in a shock-wave boundary-layer interaction region

Detailed measurements of wall shear stress (skin friction) were made with specially developed buried wire gages in the interaction regions of a Mach 2.9 turbulent boundary layer with externally generated shocks. Separation and reattachment points inferred by these measurements support the findings of earlier experiments which used a surface oil flow technique and pitot profile measurements. The measurements further indicate that the boundary layer tends to attain significantly higher skin-friction values downstream of the interaction region as compared to upstream. Comparisons between measured wall shear stress and published results of some theoretical calculation schemes show that the general, but not detailed, behavior is predicted well by such schemes.

Murthy, V. S.↗
NASA NTRS1958

Investigation of Separated Flows in Supersonic and Subsonic Streams with Emphasis on the Effect of Transition

Report presents the results of experimental and theoretical research conducted on flow separation associated with steps, bases, compression corners, curved surfaces, shock-wave boundary-layer reflections, and configurations producing leading-edge separation. Results were obtained from pressure-distribution measurements, shadowgraph observations, high-speed motion pictures, and oil-film studies. The maximum scope of measurement encompassed Mach numbers between 0.4 and 3.6, and length Reynolds numbers between 4,000 and 5,000,000.

Chapman, Dean R↗
NASA NTRS1981

Application of a Laser Interferometer Skin-Friction Meter in Complex Flows

A nonintrusive skin-friction meter has been found useful for a variety of complex wind-tunnel flows. This meter measures skin friction with a remotely located laser interferometer that monitors the thickness change of a thin oil film. Its accuracy has been proven in a low-speed flat-plate flow. The wind-tunnel flows described here include sub-sonic separated and reattached flow over a rearward-facing step, supersonic flow over a flat plate at high Reynolds numbers, and supersonic three - dimensional vortical flow over the lee of a delta wing at angle of attack. The data-reduction analysis was extended to apply to three-dimensional flows with unknown flow direction, large pressure and shear gradients, and large oil viscosity changes with time. The skin friction measurements were verified, where possible, with results from more conventional techniques and also from theoretical computations.

Monson, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Results of investigations on the 0.004-scale model 74-0 of the configuration 4 (modified) space shuttle vehicle orbiter in the NASA/MSFC 14-by-14-inch trisonic wind tunnel (oa131)

The results of an oil flow boundary-layer visualization wind tunnel test of an 0.004-scale model of the Space Shuttle Vehicle Orbiter in the NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center 14-by-14-inch Trisonic Wind Tunnel are presented. The model was tested at Mach numbers from 0.60 through 2.75, at angles-of-attack from 0 through 25 degrees, and at unit Reynolds numbers from 5.0 to 7.0 million per foot. The test program involved still and motion picture photography of oil-paint flow patterns on the orbiter, during and immediately after tunnel flow, to determine areas of boundary layer separation and regions of potential auxiliary power unit exhaust recirculation during transonic and low supersonic re-entry flight.

Nichols, M. E.↗