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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 1,081 records · Page 60

LTF/Fluid and Cryogenic Systems Branch

Functions of the Branch: Cross-Cutting Fluids Engineering; Research and Technology Development of Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) Systems; Component and System level; Design, Development Test and Evaluation (DDT&E) for Fluid, CFM, Propellant and Gaseous Systems; Fluid Component Specification and Selection; Code Compliance of Pressurized Systems; Fluid/Cryogenic System Performance Analysis and Trade Studies; Hazards Analysis and Risk Assessment of Fluidic Systems; Fluids Modeling and Simulation Capabilities

Fluid↗

IKOS: Sound Static Program Analysis

This is a tutorial on how to use the IKOS tool for static analysis of C/C++ code for flight critical system. The tutorial explains what static code analysis is, what kind of errors IKOS can find, and how to use the tool on single or multiple file projects. Simple examples are given to illustrate the use of the tool. This tutorial also describes the use of IKOS on real mission code, in this case, the flight software for the BioSentinel mission and the Troupe project in the Robust Software Engineering group.

Aviation↗

A tactile-output paging communication system for the deaf-blind

A radio frequency paging communication system that has coded vibrotactile outputs suitable for use by deaf-blind people was developed. In concept, the system consists of a base station transmitting and receiving unit and many on-body transmitting and receiving units. The completed system has seven operating modes: fire alarm; time signal; repeated single character Morse code; manual Morse code; emergency aid request; operational status test; and message acknowledge. The on-body units can be addressed in three ways: all units; a group of units; or an individual unit. All the functions developed were integrated into a single package that can be worn on the user's wrist. The control portion of the on-body unit is implemented by a microcomputer. The microcomputer is packaged in a custom-designed hybrid circuit to reduce its physical size.

Baer, J. A.↗

Alternative multiple-access techniques for mobile satellite systems

The use of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) to satisfy the diverse requirements of a generic (land, maritime, aeronautical) mobile satellite system (MSS) network design is discussed. Comparisons between CDMA and Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) show that a CDMA network design can support significantly more voice channel allocations than FDMA when relatively simple CDMA correlation receivers are employed, provided that there is sufficient space segment equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP). The use of more advanced CDMA receivers can improve the spectral and power efficiency. Although the use of CDMA may not gain immediate and widespread support in the international MSS community, provision for the use of CDMA for a domestic system in the U.S., and possibly for a regional system throughout North America, is likely.

Smith, Patrick O.↗

CAVE: A computer code for two-dimensional transient heating analysis of conceptual thermal protection systems for hypersonic vehicles

A digital computer code CAVE (Conduction Analysis Via Eigenvalues), which finds application in the analysis of two dimensional transient heating of hypersonic vehicles is described. The CAVE is written in FORTRAN 4 and is operational on both IBM 360-67 and CDC 6600 computers. The method of solution is a hybrid analytical numerical technique that is inherently stable permitting large time steps even with the best of conductors having the finest of mesh size. The aerodynamic heating boundary conditions are calculated by the code based on the input flight trajectory or can optionally be calculated external to the code and then entered as input data. The code computes the network conduction and convection links, as well as capacitance values, given basic geometrical and mesh sizes, for four generations (leading edges, cooled panels, X-24C structure and slabs). Input and output formats are presented and explained. Sample problems are included. A brief summary of the hybrid analytical-numerical technique, which utilizes eigenvalues (thermal frequencies) and eigenvectors (thermal mode vectors) is given along with aerodynamic heating equations that have been incorporated in the code and flow charts.

Rathjen, K. A.↗

Distribution of a Generic Mission Planning and Scheduling Toolkit for Astronomical Spacecraft

Work is progressing as outlined in the proposal for this contract. A working planning and scheduling system has been documented and packaged and made available to the WIRE Small Explorer group at JPL, the FUSE group at JHU, the NASA/GSFC Laboratory for Astronomy and Solar Physics and the Advanced Planning and Scheduling Branch at STScI. The package is running successfully on the WIRE computer system. It is expected that the WIRE will reuse significant portions of the SWAS code in its system. This scheduling system itself was tested successfully against the spacecraft hardware in December 1995. A fully automatic scheduling module has been developed and is being added to the toolkit. In order to maximize reuse, the code is being reorganized during the current build into object-oriented class libraries. A paper describing the toolkit has been written and is included in the software distribution. We have experienced interference between the export and production versions of the toolkit. We will be requesting permission to reprogram funds in order to purchase a standalone PC onto which to offload the export version.

Kleiner, Steven C.↗

End-to-end imaging information rate advantages of various alternative communication systems

The efficiency of various deep space communication systems which are required to transmit both imaging and a typically error sensitive class of data called general science and engineering (gse) are compared. The approach jointly treats the imaging and gse transmission problems, allowing comparisons of systems which include various channel coding and data compression alternatives. Actual system comparisons include an advanced imaging communication system (AICS) which exhibits the rather significant advantages of sophisticated data compression coupled with powerful yet practical channel coding. For example, under certain conditions the improved AICS efficiency could provide as much as two orders of magnitude increase in imaging information rate compared to a single channel uncoded, uncompressed system while maintaining the same gse data rate in both systems. Additional details describing AICS compression and coding concepts as well as efforts to apply them are provided in support of the system analysis.

Rice, R. F.↗

Quantum Key Distribution with Temporal Coding of Time-Bin Qubits

In this study, we demonstrate the possibility of realizing the quantum key distribution system by temporal coding of time-bin qubits that are prepared and measured using unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometers. We also show that, to exclude a clear a priori identification of time-bin qubits with equal bases, their encoding with the symbols 0 and 1 can be accomplished by delaying one of them by half the clock interval. The uniqueness of measurements of qutrits in this algorithm is shown to be based on the ability of quantum particles in β-states to interfere with the probability amplitudes at the ports of the system interferometers, as well as the absence of collisions of signaling states of the qutrits in adjacent clock intervals. We describe a method for controlling such collisions, including those that are based on qubits prepared from quasi-one-photon coherent laser states.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Deep Space Network turbo decoder implementation

A new decoder is being developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Deep Space Network. This unit will decode the new turbo codes, which have recently been approved by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS). Turbo codes provide up to 0.8 dB improvement in Eb/No over the current best codes used by deep space missions.

turbo codes↗

TSPR: The Total System Performance Ratio as a Metric for HVAC System Efficiency

North American energy codes do not typically discriminate between high-performing and poorly-performing HVAC system types, thereby perpetuating the installation of systems with high energy consumption and carbon emissions. The problem is compounded in the US by federal preemption rules, prohibiting state and local energy codes from mandating more efficient equipment than is defined in federal standards. The lack of a total system efficiency metric for HVAC effectively blocks an eventual transition to a performance-based code structure. To surmount this problem, the City of Seattle and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed the Total System Performance Ratio (TSPR) as a proposed amendment to the 2018 Washington State Energy Code. The TSPR is a ratio that compares the annual space heating and cooling load of a building to the annual energy consumed by the building’s entire HVAC system. In the TSPR, target ratios for several building types are calculated in relation to those of the HVAC systems judged to be the most appropriate for each building type. Installation of the lowest-performing HVAC system types will be severely constrained, while exceptional design flexibility will still be provided. With financial support from an international nonprofit, a calculation software tool has been developed as a module of the US DOE Asset Score tool, using simplified building energy modeling. Taken together with whole-system evaluation options for lighting and building envelope systems, a whole-system HVAC performance evaluation would create a path for a transition away from prescriptive-based and towards performance-based codes.

Total System Performance Ratio, Performanced Based↗

SIM_EXPLORE: Software for Directed Exploration of Complex Systems

Physics-based numerical simulation codes are widely used in science and engineering to model complex systems that would be infeasible to study otherwise. While such codes may provide the highest- fidelity representation of system behavior, they are often so slow to run that insight into the system is limited. Trying to understand the effects of inputs on outputs by conducting an exhaustive grid-based sweep over the input parameter space is simply too time-consuming. An alternative approach called "directed exploration" has been developed to harvest information from numerical simulators more efficiently. The basic idea is to employ active learning and supervised machine learning to choose cleverly at each step which simulation trials to run next based on the results of previous trials. SIM_EXPLORE is a new computer program that uses directed exploration to explore efficiently complex systems represented by numerical simulations. The software sequentially identifies and runs simulation trials that it believes will be most informative given the results of previous trials. The results of new trials are incorporated into the software's model of the system behavior. The updated model is then used to pick the next round of new trials. This process, implemented as a closed-loop system wrapped around existing simulation code, provides a means to improve the speed and efficiency with which a set of simulations can yield scientifically useful results. The software focuses on the case in which the feedback from the simulation trials is binary-valued, i.e., the learner is only informed of the success or failure of the simulation trial to produce a desired output. The software offers a number of choices for the supervised learning algorithm (the method used to model the system behavior given the results so far) and a number of choices for the active learning strategy (the method used to choose which new simulation trials to run given the current behavior model). The software also makes use of the LEGION distributed computing framework to leverage the power of a set of compute nodes. The approach has been demonstrated on a planetary science application in which numerical simulations are used to study the formation of asteroid families.

Burl, Michael↗

Testing Models of Resonant Compton Scattering in X-Ray Pulsars

Over the performance period covered by the grant, the principal investigator modified a Monte Carlo Compton scattering code to model the propagation of x-rays through the magnetosphere of accreting neutron stars. These modifications were made to enable the author to compare the observations of x-ray pulsars to theoretical models of the system. The original code was designed to study relativistic plasmas with one of two geometries: a plane parallel plasma with a differential relativistic bulk velocity, and a static spherically symmetric plasma.- This code did not treat gravitational bending or bulk motion in the magnetosphere of a neutron star. Under the grant, the author incorporated code to trace light paths in a Schwarzschild metric. The code was modified to keep track of the photon polarization during propagati on. The investigator also modified the code so that bulk motion in an axisymmetric system is treated properly. An approximate treatment for resonant Compton scattering was added to the code. Finally, code was added that creates model observables that can be compared to observations, such as projected x-ray emission maps and energy-dependent light curves. Comparison to observations is now commencing.

Brainerd, Jerome J.↗

A FORTRAN code for the calculation of probe volume geometry changes in a laser anemometry system caused by window refraction

A computer code was written which utilizes ray tracing techniques to predict the changes in position and geometry of a laser Doppler velocimeter probe volume resulting from refraction effects. The code predicts the position change, changes in beam crossing angle, and the amount of uncrossing that occur when the beams traverse a region with a changed index of refraction, such as a glass window. The code calculates the changes for flat plate, cylinder, general axisymmetric and general surface windows and is currently operational on a VAX 8600 computer system.

Owen, Albert K.↗

Stepper motor instabilities in an aerospace application

Stepper motors are frequently used in positioning mechanisms because they have several advantages over ordinary DC motors. However, there is frequently no feedback loop and the motor may exhibit instabilities under some conditions. A stepper motor in an aerospace positioning mechanism was investigated. During testing, the motor exhibited unstable behavior, such as backrunning and forward running. The instability was dependent on voltage pulse characteristics, temperature, positioning angle, step rate, and interaction between the two motors in the system. Both testing and analysis results verified the instability. A special purpose FORTRAN code was written to simulate the system. This code was combined with another simpler code to show the performance of the system in the phase plane so that instability boundaries could be displayed along with the motor performance. The analysis was performed to verify that proposed modifications would produce stable performance before implementation in the hardware. Subsequent testing verified the analytic stability predictions.

Russell Kackley↗