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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 1,153 records · Page 64

Pilot testing of a heat integrated 0.7 MWe CO 2 capture system with two-stage air-stripping: Amine degradation and metal accumulation

An advanced 0.7 MWe small pilot coal-fired post-combustion CO 2 capture system with heat integration combined with two-stage stripping was tested here on a slipstream of flue gas by the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (UKy-CAER). Evaluation of solvent degradation products was performed to determine the impact of oxygen exposure due to incorporation of the secondary air stripper into the conventional amine absorber/stripper system. The overall degradation rates and products observed during the testing campaign were comparable to previously published reports using 30% monoethanolamine (MEA) as the baseline/commissioning solvent. The rates of heat stable salt accumulation and amine degradation were similar to those from conventional CO 2 capture systems using MEA. Metal accumulation as the result of material corrosion inside the system from an improperly constructed material was observed. Finally, the impact of the secondary air stripper appears negligible relative to other published MEA campaigns tested at similar flue gas conditions and system operating hours.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

ATF-2 Ramp Conceptual Design Report

The following report documents the conceptual design for the ATF-2 Ramp experiment. The experiment aims to fill the in-pile irradiation testing gap to conduct integral ramp testing, which was created by the closure of R2, Osiris, and Halden test reactors. The concept involves the simultaneous ramping of three fuel pins using a power axial locator mechanism in the Loop-2A testing facility in the center flux trap of the advanced test reactor (ATR). The three fuel pins are ramped in individual coolant channels containing a prototypic PWR environment. Rod failure will be detected using a fuel rod elongation sensor attached to the fuel pin upper end cap. An axial stack of concentric hafnium and zirconium shrouds will be used to shape the flux around the test pins to create different power levels in each pin and to ensure the peak power location of each pin remains in the center of the test rod. Monte Carlo simulations are used to demonstrate the viability of this design concept.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

The development and flight test of an electronic integrated propulsion control system

Advanced technical features of the electronic integrated propulsion control system (IPCS) and flight evaluation tests of IPCS (F-111E with TF30-P-9 engines as test vehicle) are described. Nine baseline flight tests and 15 IPCS flight tests were conducted. Instrumentation, data acquisition and data processing systems, software maintenance procedures, flight test procedures, flight safety criteria, flight test results, and ground and flight testing of the aircraft system are described. Advantages conferred by IPCS include: faster accelerations (both gas generator and afterburner performance), better thrust and flight control, reduced flight idle thrust, reduced engine ground trim, extended service ceiling, automatic stall detection, and stall recovery detection.

Johnson, H. J.↗

Dynamics and controls flight testing of the X-29A airplane

A brief description of the flight control system of the X-29A forward-swept-wing flight demonstrator is followed by a discussion of the flight test techniques and procedures in the area of flight dynamics and control. These techniques, which evolved during the initial few months of flight testing, are based on integrating flight testing with simulation and analysis on a flight-by-flight basis. A limited amount of flight test results in dynamic stability and handling qualities is also presented.

Gera, J.↗

Dynamics and controls flight testing of the X-29A airplane

A brief description of the flight control system of the X-29A forward-swept-wing flight demonstrator is followed by a discussion of the flight test techniques and procedures in the area of flight dynamics and control. These techniques, which evolved during the initial few months of flight testing, are based on integrating flight testing with simulation and analysis on a flight-by-flight basis. A limited amount of flight test results in dynamic stability and handling qualities is also presented.

Gera, J.↗

A Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) development overview - AI-based control of a Space Station prototype thermal bus

A knowledge-based control system for real-time control and fault detection, isolation and recovery (FDIR) of a prototype two-phase Space Station Freedom external thermal control system (TCS) is discussed in this paper. The Thermal Expert System (TEXSYS) has been demonstrated in recent tests to be capable of both fault anticipation and detection and real-time control of the thermal bus. Performance requirements were achieved by using a symbolic control approach, layering model-based expert system software on a conventional numerical data acquisition and control system. The model-based capabilities of TEXSYS were shown to be advantageous during software development and testing. One representative example is given from on-line TCS tests of TEXSYS. The integration and testing of TEXSYS with a live TCS testbed provides some insight on the use of formal software design, development and documentation methodologies to qualify knowledge-based systems for on-line or flight applications.

Glass, B. J.↗

ATLAS Flight Science Receiver Algorithms

This is the basis document for the ATLAS Receiver Algorithms. ATLAS is the single instrument on the ICESat-2 mission. The Receiver (Rx) Algorithms select the signal location in real-time and instruct the hardware to telemeter a vertical band of received time-tags about this signal location. The algorithms are implemented in the Flight Software (FSW) and in the hardware of the Photon Counting Electronics (PCE) cards. The sole purpose of the algorithms is to reduce the telemetry data volume to fit within the downlink constraint while maximizing the probability of downlinking surface signal. All versions of the Receiver Algorithms from version 2.8 onward incorporate our best knowledge of the ATLAS hardware at this time. It presents algorithms that, based on current Simulator testing, satisfy all of the requirements for the Rx Algorithms. Testing during ATLAS Instrument Integration and Testing with the hardware and software implementation of the Rx Algorithms revealed characteristics and responses that required changes to the Rx Algorithms and this document, which are captured in the change record below.All relevant documentation for the Receiver Algorithms can be found on the ICESat-2 Technical Data Management System (TDMS) under the ATLAS Algorithms subsystem.The launch version of the FSW (version 3.1.0) is based upon version 3.7c of this document.

Mcgarry, Jan L.↗

Status of the James Webb Space Telescope Mission

The James Webb Space Telescope ( Webb) is the largest space telescope realized to-date, with a 6.5 m segmented primary mirror that must be folded to fit within its Ariane 5 launcher fairing. This infrared telescope is passively cooled using a five-layer sunshield that will keep the optical telescope and its four science instruments in the shade throughout the lifetime of the mission in an L2 orbit. Webb's science instruments include near- and mid­ infrared imagers and spectrometers that cover the spectral range from 0.6-28.5 µm. The Webb mission has a long history with numerous first of its kind technology developments, ground support equipment innovations, and algorithmic characterization advances. This conference proceeding summarizes the technical progress over the past two years, from the Spacecraft Element environmental testing to the Observatory integration and testing, and the final Observatory test plans leading up to launch, on-orbit commissioning, and science operations.

Michael W McElwain↗

Improved Heat Transfer and Volume Scaling through Novel Heater Design

In 2014, the University of California, Berkeley, Nuclear Engineering Thermal Hydraulics Laboratory completed construction of the Compact Integral Effects Test (CIET) facility, a scaled thermal hydraulics scaled integral effects test facility designed to model the Mark-1 pebble-bed fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (Mk1 PB-FHR or simply Mk1). CIET uses an organic simulant fluid, Dowtherm A, to match the Prandtl, Reynolds, Froude, and Grashof numbers of important fluoride salt candidates for molten salt reactors, such as flibe. The FHR reactor core is simulated using a resistively heated tube, which heats the oil flowing through the annulus between the heated tube and a non-heated inner tube. However, the volume fraction of the coolant in the CIET heater was dramatically lower than the volume fraction of the primary coolant in the Mk1 PB-FHR design (3% in CIET vs. 17% in Mk1) because the CIET heater was initially scaled to match an earlier FHR design. Also, the maximum core heater power in CIET is limited by the melting point of Teflon components in CIET, approximately 330 deg. C. For conservatism, the CIET heater power is limited to keep the maximum surface temperature of the heater below 250 deg. C. At the nominal mass flow rate of 0.18 kg/s, this power was about 5 kW. A higher heat transfer coefficient from the heater wall to the oil was needed to increase the effective power delivered to the oil. In order to alleviate these two limitations, a new heater insert was designed and constructed for CIET. This new heater insert uses a twisted tape to augment heat transfer. The twisted tape is supported inside a perforated inner tube that has the same diameter as the original inner tube of the heater, in order to make it compatible with CIET's original heater design. The heat transfer and pressure drop properties of the new heater insert designs were tested in CIET and compared to the previous design in terms of pressure drop and convective heat transfer coefficient. The new heater inserts are intended to increase the range of power levels and mass flow rates that can be tested in CIET in order to augment understanding of FHR thermal hydraulic phenomena. Also, obtaining different data points for CIET response dynamics under different heater coolant residence times will be valuable in evaluating the Mk1 design.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Space Launch System Mobile Launcher Modal Pretest Analysis

NASA is developing an expendable heavy lift launch vehicle capability, the Space Launch System, to support lunar and deep space exploration. To support this capability, an updated ground infrastructure is required including modifying an existing Mobile Launcher system. The Mobile Launcher is a very large heavy beam/truss steel structure designed to support the Space Launch System during its buildup and integration in the Vehicle Assembly Building, transportation from the Vehicle Assembly Building out to the launch pad, and provides the launch platform at the launch pad. The previous Saturn/Apollo and Space Shuttle programs had integrated vehicle ground vibration tests of their integrated launch vehicles performed with simulated free-free boundary conditions to experimentally anchor and validate structural and flight controls analysis models. For the Space Launch System program, the Mobile Launcher will be used as the modal test fixture for the ground vibration test of the first Space Launch System flight vehicle, Artemis 1, programmatically referred to as the integrated vehicle modal test. The integrated vehicle modal test of the Artemis 1 integrated launch vehicle will have its core and second stages unfueled while mounted to the Mobile Launcher while inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, which is currently scheduled for the summer of 2020. The Space Launch System program has implemented a building block approach for dynamic model validation. The modal test of the Mobile Launcher is an important part of this building block approach in supporting the integrated vehicle modal test since the Mobile Launcher will serve as a structurally dynamic test fixture whose modes will couple with the modes of the Artemis 1 integrated vehicle. The Mobile Launcher modal test will further support understanding the structural dynamics of the Mobile Launcher and Space Launch System during rollout to the launch pad, which will play a key role in better understanding and prediction of the rollout forces acting on the launch vehicle. The Mobile Launcher modal test is currently scheduled for the summer of 2019. Due to a very tight modal testing schedule, this independent Mobile Launcher modal pretest analysis has been performed to ensure there is a high likelihood of successfully completing the modal test (i.e. identify the primary target modes) using the planned instrumentation, shakers, and excitation types. This paper will discuss this Mobile Launcher modal pretest analysis for its three test configurations and the unique challenges faced due to the Mobile Launcher’s size and weight, which are typically not faced when modal testing aerospace structures.

Akers, James C.↗

The "Very Cool" James Webb Space Telescope!

For over twenty years, scientists, engineers, technicians, and other personnel have been working on the next generation space telescope. As a partnership between NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and ESA (European Space Angency), the James Webb Space Telescope will complement the previous research performed by the Hubble by utilizing a larger primary mirror, which will also be optimized for infrared wavelengths. This combination will allow JWST to collect data and take images of light having traveled over 13.7 billion light years. This presentation will focus on the mission, as well as the contamination control challenges during the integration and testing in the NASA Goddard Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility (SSDIF), one of the largest cleanrooms in the world. Additional information will be presented regarding space simulation testing down to a cool 20 degrees Kelvin [-424 degrees Fahrenheit] that will occur at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, and more testing and integration to happen at Northrop Grumman Corp., in Redondo Beach, CA. Launch of the JWST is currently scheduled for the spring of 2019 at Ariane Spaceport in French Guiana, South America.

space sciences↗

xEMU Thermal Vacuum Testing Overview

The Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) project was the culimation of over a decade of spacesuit development that was performed in-house at the NASA Johnson Space Center. This project reached a level where almost fully completed development fidelity spacesuits had been designed, assembled and tested in an integrated configuration. The xEMU Development-Verification-Test (DVT) hardware was assembled into two different xEMU test articles and underwent a series of thermal-vacuum tests at the Johnson Space Center’s Chamber B. These tests not only gathered data on thermal performance, but also exercised the life support system, communication system, suit information systems, and suit avionics. This complex test has and will continue to produce many meaningful reports ranging from component level test results (for example on spacesuit boots), test design of heater cages to simulate thermal environments for a spacesuit test article, and higher level thermal performance of subsystems (such as the Portable Life Support System) or the entire assembly. This paper provides an overview of the test configuration and also top level results from this highly successful integrated test of the xEMU.

PLSS↗

xEMU Thermal Vacuum Testing Overview

The Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) project was the culimation of over a decade of spacesuit development that was performed in-house at the NASA Johnson Space Center. This project reached a level where almost fully completed development fidelity spacesuits had been designed, assembled and tested in an integrated configuration. The xEMU Development-Verification-Test (DVT) hardware was assembled into two different xEMU test articles and underwent a series of thermal-vacuum tests at the Johnson Space Center’s Chamber B. These tests not only gathered data on thermal performance, but also exercised the life support system, communication system, suit information systems, and suit avionics. This complex test has and will continue to produce many meaningful reports ranging from component level test results (for example on spacesuit boots), test design of heater cages to simulate thermal environments for a spacesuit test article, and higher level thermal performance of subsystems (such as the Portable Life Support System) or the entire assembly. This paper provides an overview of the test configuration and also top level results from this highly successful integrated test of the xEMU.

PLSS↗

VLSI-Chip Tester

Compact test set integrated in computer-aided design system. Test set performs functional tests on very-large-scale integrated (VLSI) circuits. Makes tests from points within VLSI chip as well as at input and output pins. Used for quality control and design; in latter capacity, checks internal logic functions on chip and feed results directly to computer-aided design system for correction. Also simulates operation of chip design before chip is made. VLSI Tester contains three power supplies, control logic, and standard multibus circuit board in aluminum chassis. Chassis fits under platform of microprobe station. Multibus board links tester to interactive terminals and to host computer.

Deutsch, Leslie J.↗

Progress Letter Report on Bending Fatigue Test System Development for Spent Nuclear Fuel Vibration Integrity Study (Out-of-cell fatigue testing development - Task 2.4)

Vibration integrity of high burn-up spent nuclear fuel in transportation remains to be a critical component of US nuclear waste management system. The structural evaluation of package for spent fuel transportation eventually will need to see if the content or spent fuel is in a subcritical condition. However, a system for testing and characterizing such spent fuel is still lacking mainly due to the complication involved with dealing radioactive specimens in a hot cell environment. Apparently, the current state-of-the-art in spent fuel research and development is quite far away from the delivery of reliable mechanical property data for the assessment of spent fuels in the transport package evaluation.

Spent Nuclear Fuel Vibration Integrity↗

Capturing flight system test engineering expertise: Lessons learned

Within a few years, JPL will be challenged by the most active mission set in history. Concurrently, flight systems are increasingly more complex. Presently, the knowledge to conduct integration and test of spacecraft and large instruments is held by a few key people, each with many years of experience. JPL is in danger of losing a significant amount of this critical expertise, through retirement, during a period when demand for this expertise is rapidly increasing. The most critical issue at hand is to collect and retain this expertise and develop tools that would ensure the ability to successfully perform the integration and test of future spacecraft and large instruments. The proposed solution was to capture and codity a subset of existing knowledge, and to utilize this captured expertise in knowledge-based systems. First year results and activities planned for the second year of this on-going effort are described. Topics discussed include lessons learned in knowledge acquisition and elicitation techniques, life-cycle paradigms, and rapid prototyping of a knowledge-based advisor (Spacecraft Test Assistant) and a hypermedia browser (Test Engineering Browser). The prototype Spacecraft Test Assistant supports a subset of integration and test activities for flight systems. Browser is a hypermedia tool that allows users easy perusal of spacecraft test topics. A knowledge acquisition tool called ConceptFinder which was developed to search through large volumes of data for related concepts is also described and is modified to semi-automate the process of creating hypertext links.

Woerner, Irene Wong↗

Semantic integration of clinical laboratory tests from electronic health records for deep phenotyping and biomarker discovery

Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems typically define laboratory test results using the Laboratory Observation Identifier Names and Codes (LOINC) and can transmit them using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR) standards. LOINC has not yet been semantically integrated with computational resources for phenotype analysis. Here, we provide a method for mapping LOINC-encoded laboratory test results transmitted in FHIR standards to Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) terms. We annotated the medical implications of 2923 commonly used laboratory tests with HPO terms. Using these annotations, our software assesses laboratory test results and converts each result into an HPO term. We validated our approach with EHR data from 15,681 patients with respiratory complaints and identified known biomarkers for asthma. Finally, we provide a freely available SMART on FHIR application that can be used within EHR systems. Our approach allows readily available laboratory tests in EHR to be reused for deep phenotyping and exploits the hierarchical structure of HPO to integrate distinct tests that have comparable medical interpretations for association studies.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗