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At least 127 records · Page 7

Practical considerations for Abel inverting of photographic data with application to the analysis of a 15-kW wall-stabilized arc-light source

Temperature profiles were measured for agron atmospheric pressure by using absolute line and continuum intensity and were compared with stark width and shift measurements. A detailed analysis of the engineering aspects of setting up for Abel inverting deta photographically is presented. The merits of using photographic detection and of using continuum radiation for temperature profile analysis are discussed. The importance of empirically determining the optical depth is emphasized by discrepancies between measured (two-path) and calculated estimates.

Snow, W. L.↗

A microgravity boiling and convective condensation experiment

A boiling and condensing test article consisting of two straight tube boilers, one quartz and one stainless steel, and two 1.5 m long glass-in-glass heat exchangers, on 6 mm ID and one 10 mm ID, was flown on the NASA KC-135 0-G aircraft. Using water as the working fluid, the 5 kw boiler produces two phase mixtures of varying quality for mass flow rates between 0.005 and 0.1 kg/sec. The test section is instrumented at eight locations with absolute and differential pressure transducers and thermocouples. A gamma densitometer is used to measure void fraction, and high speed photography records the flow regimes. A three axis accelerometer provides aircraft acceleration data (+ or - 0.01G). Data are collected via an analog-to-digital conversion and data acquisition system. Bubbly, annular, and slug flow regimes were observed in the test section under microgravity conditions. Flow oscillations were observed for some operating conditions and the effect of the 2-G pullout prior to the 0-G period was observed by continuously recording data throughout the parabolas. A total fo 300 parabolas was flown.

Kachnik, Leo↗

A correlational analysis of the effects of changing environmental conditions on the NR atomic hydrogen maser

An extensive statistical analysis has been undertaken to determine if a correlation exists between changes in an NR atomic hydrogen muser's frequency offset and changes in environmental conditions. Data have been acquired over the past 20 months by recording the frequency offset of three NR atomic hydrogen masers along with the relative and absolute humidity, barometric pressure, and ambient temperature of the laboratory in which the masers are maintained. Correlational analyses have been performed comparing barometric pressure, humidity, and temperature with maser frequency offset as functions of time for periods ranging from 5.5 to 17 days. Semi partial correlation coefficients as large as -0.9 have been fond between barometric pressure and maser frequency offset for data covering periods as long as a week. Maser frequency offset and barometric pressure were consistently found to change simultaneously. The correlation between humidity and frequency offset is less predictable, and the resulting semi partial correlation coefficients were usually small when compared with those derived from the relationship between pressure and frequency offset. The time delay between changes in humidity and correlated changes in maser frequency offset was found to vary extensively with no predictable pattern. Analysis of temperature data indicates that, in the most current design, temperature does not significant(y affect maser frequency offset in the laboratory environment. Thus, the results of the analyses disclose a significant statistical correlation between changes in maser frequency offset and changes in barometric pressure. The statistics also reveal some correlation between humidity and frequency offset, bat for reasons to be discussed, the effects of humidity should be considered secondary to the effects of changing barometric pressure.

R. A. Dragonette↗

Flight Tests of the Effect of Several Modifications on the Maximum Speed of the P-63A Airplane

Presented herein are the results of flight tests conducted to obtain the effect on maximum speed of several modifications to the P-63A airplane. These modifications made to the P-63A airplane as a result of previous flight and full-scale-tunnel tests increased the maximum speed of the airplane by 6 miles per hour. About one-half the increase is attributed to a reduction in drag and the remainder to increased ram at the carburetor entrance. The increase in ram of approximately 0.24 qc was obtained through modifications to the carburetor-scoop entrance and duct. The auxiliary supercharger is hydraulically coupled to the engine in such a way that the speed of the supercharger is regulated by absolute carburetor total pressure. This regulation is set so that full coupling is not reached until the airplane is well above full-throttle altitude. The action of the increased ram in reducing the speed of the auxiliary supercharger in the altitude range just above full-throttle altitude prevented a further speed increase of approximately 2 miles per hour from accompanying the increase in ram. Also, if the· auxiliary supercharger control could be rearranged to permit the maximum supercharger pressure ratio to be obtained at the full-throttle altitude, the speed in either the original or the modified configuration would be increased 5 miles per hour above that actually measured. The pressure recovery on the face of the prestone and oil radiators in the high-speed flight conditions was increased by an average of 14 percent of free-stream impact pressure as a result of the modifications made to the wing duct inlets.

Thomas J Voglewede↗

Theoretical performance of liquid hydrogen and liquid fluorine as a rocket propellant

Theoretical values of performance parameters for liquid hydrogen and liquid fluorine as a rocket propellant were calculated on the assumption of equilibrium composition during the expansion process for a wide range of fuel-oxidant and expansion ratios. The parameters included were specific impulse, combustion-chamber temperature, nozzle-exit temperature, equilibrium composition, mean molecular weight, characteristic velocity, coefficient of thrust, ration of nozzle-exit area to throat area, specific heat at constant pressure, coefficient of viscosity, and coefficient of thermal conductivity. The maximum value of specific impulse was 364.6 pound-seconds per pound for a chamber pressure of 300 pounds per square inch absolute (20.41 atm) and an exit pressure of 1 atmosphere.

Gordon, Sanford↗

Theoretical performance of liquid ammonia and liquid fluorine as a rocket propellant

Theoretical values of performance parameters for liquid ammonia and liquid fluorine as a rocket propellant were calculated on the assumption of equilibrium composition during the expansion process for a wide range of fuel-oxidant and expansion ratios. The parameters included were specific impulse, combustion chamber temperature, nozzle-exit temperature, equilibrium composition, mean molecular weight, characteristic velocity, coefficient of thrust, ratio of nozzle-exit area to throat area, specific heat at constant pressure, coefficient of viscosity, and coefficient of thermal conductivity. The maximum value of specific impulse was 311.5 pound-seconds per pound for a chamber pressure of 300 pounds per square inch absolute (20.41 atm) and an exit pressure of 1 atmosphere.

COMBUSTION - ROCKET ENGINES↗

Theoretical Rocket Performance of Liquid Methane with Several Fluorine-Oxygen Mixtures Assuming Frozen Composition

Theoretical rocket performance for frozen composition during expansion was calculated for liquid methane with several fluorine-oxygen mixtures for a range of pressure ratios and oxidant-fuel ratios. The parameters included are specific impulse, combustion-chamber temperature, nozzle-exit temperature molecular weight, characteristic velocity, coefficient of thrust, ratio of nozzle-exit area to throat area, specific heat at constant pressure, isentropic exponent, viscosity, and thermal conductivity. The maximum calculated value of specific impulse for a chamber pressure of 600 pounds per square inch absolute (40.827atm) and an exit pressure of 1 atmosphere is 315.3 for 79.67 percent fluorine in the oxidant.

Gordon, Sanford↗

Theoretical Rocket Performance of JP-4 Fuel with Several Fluorine-Oxygen Mixtures Assuming Equilibrium Composition

Theoretical rocket performance for equilibrium composition during expansion was calculated for JP-4 fuel with several fluorine-oxygen mixtures for a range of pressure ratios and oxidant-fuel ratios. The parameters included are specific impulse, combustion-chamber temperature, nozzle-exit temperature, molecular weight, characteristic velocity, coefficient of thrust, ratio of nozzle-exit area to throat area, specific heat at constant pressure, isentropic exponent, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and equilibrium gas compositions. A correlation is given for the effect of chamber pressure on several of the parameters. The maximum value of specific impulse for a chamber pressure of 600 pounds per square inch absolute (40.827 atm) and an exit pressure of 1 atmosphere is 325.7 for 70.37 percent fluorine in the oxidant as compared with 284.9 and 305.1 for 100 percent oxygen and 100 percent fluorine, respectively.

Gordon, Sanford↗

Performance of Several Conical Convergent-Divergent Rocket-Type Exhaust Nozzles

An investigation was conducted to obtain nozzle performance data with relatively large-scale models at pressure ratios as high as 120. Conical convergent-divergent nozzles with divergence angles alpha of 15, 25, and 29 deg. were each tested at area ratios of approximately 10, 25, and 40. Heated air (1200 F) was supplied at the nozzle inlet at pressures up to 145 pounds per square inch absolute and was exhausted into quiescent air at pressures as low as 1.2 pounds per square inch absolute. Thrust ratios for all nozzle configurations are presented over the range of pressure ratios attainable and were extrapolated when possible to design pressure ratio and beyond. Design thrust ratios decreased with increasing nozzle divergence angle according to the trend predicted by the (1 + cos alpha)/2 parameter. Decreasing the nozzle divergence angle resulted in sizable increases in thrust ratio for a given surface-area ratio (nozzle weight), particularly at low nozzle pressure ratios. Correlations of the nozzle static pressure at separation and of the average static pressure downstream of separation with various nozzle parameters permitted the calculation of thrust in the separated-flow region from unseparated static-pressure distributions. Thrust ratios calculated by this method agreed with measured values within about 1 percent.

Campbell, C. E.↗

Space Suit Portable Life Support System Oxygen Regulator History, Development, & Testing Results

An oxygen regulator has been in development for the space suit Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) Portable Life Support System (PLSS). The regulator provides the necessary oxygen pressure for the crew member during pre-breathe, extra-vehicular activity (EVA), post EVA airlock operations, and decompression sickness treatment. The last time a spacesuit oxygen regulator was designed was for the Space Shuttle Program EMU. The regulator & EMU were then used on the International Space Station (ISS) with no significant changes to the regulator throughout its life. This xEMU PLSS spacesuit oxygen regulator implements many elements of the previous EMU Secondary Oxygen Pack (SOP) design while integrating numerous new improvements and changes. There are changes both to the high-level regulator architecture approach in the suit itself, in addition to modernizations with electrical motor control & sensing. For architecture, there are two oxygen regulators for each space suit, a primary and secondary that are nearly identical to each other and have the same maximum design pressure of 3750 Pounds per Square Inch Absolute (PSIA). The primary regulator provides nominal pressure during EVA, while the secondary provides a backup pressure only in case of primary regulator failure or if an emergency purge of the suit oxygen is required. The design was based originally off of the secondary oxygen regulator on the EMU which utilizes a two-stage regulator to improve safety and controllability. The xEMU PLSS Oxygen Regulator development started with a modification to add a linear actuator to the design to control the downstream pressure electronically instead of a manual control with a wire linkage system used with the EMU. The design was iterated to include a Monel body for oxygen fire safety, and sensors for pressure verification at each stage. Then the regulator design was packaged to fit into the xEMU PLSS envelope. Development included extensive testing which brought to light some issues with the design which were addressed at each stage of development. This paper will review the design history, development, testing results, and lessons learned designing the xEMU PLSS Oxygen Regulator.

Ryan Ogilvie↗

Inflatable structures for a lunar base

The first step in the human expansion into space consists of the construction of a human-tended base on the Moon. Establishment of a lunar base depends upon the development of a structure capable of accomodating human life and activities in a shirt sleeve environment. Design and construction of a structure on the Moon require addressing a host of issues and loads that are not encountered on Earth. A lunar structure is essentially a pressure vessel since the internal pressure is the dominating load. The external pressure is effectively an absolute vacuum and the dead loads from both the material mass and a protective regolith layer are quite small due to low lunar gravity. An inflatable structure made of a thin membrane integrated with an inflated supporting frame is highly efficient in resisting the internal pressure loading and the dead loads. Preliminary design computations for a generic lunar inflatable structure are presented.

Sadeh, Willy Z.↗

Wall relaxation in growing stems: comparison of four species and assessment of measurement techniques

This study was carried out to develop improved methods for measuring in-vivo stress relaxation of growing tissues and to compare relaxation in the stems of four different species. When water uptake by growing tissue is prevented, in-vivo stress relaxation occurs because continued wall loosening reduces wall stress and cell turgor pressure. With this procedure one may measure the yield threshold for growth (Y), the turgor pressure in excess of the yield threshold (P-Y), and the physiological wall extensibility (phi). Three relaxation techniques proved useful: "turgor-relaxation", "balance-pressure" and "pressure-block". In the turgor-relaxation method, water is withheld from growing tissue and the reduction in turgor is measured directly with the pressure probe. This technique gives absolute values for P and Y, but requires tissue excision. In the balance-pressure technique, the excised growing region is sealed in a pressure chamber, and the subsequent reduction in water potential is measured as the applied pressure needed to return xylem sap to the cut surface. This method is simple, but only measures (P-Y), not the individual values of P and Y. In the pressure-block technique, the growing tissue is sealed into a pressure chamber, growth is monitored continuously, and just sufficient pressure is applied to the chamber to block growth. The method gives high-resolution kinetics of relaxation and does not require tissue excision, but only measures (P-Y). The three methods gave similar results when applied to the growing stems of pea (Pisum sativum L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) and zucchini (Curcubita pepo L.) seedlings. Values for (P-Y) averaged between 1.4 and 2.7 bar, depending on species. Yield thresholds averaged between 1.3 and 3.0 bar. Compared with the other methods, relaxation by pressure-block was faster and exhibited dynamic changes in wall-yielding properties. The two pressure-chamber methods were also used to measure the internal water-potential gradient (between the xylem and the epidermis) which drives water uptake for growth. For the four species it was small, between 0.3 and 0.6 bar, and so did not limit growth substantially.

NASA Program Space Biology↗

Performance of J33-A-23 Turbojet-Engine Compressor: Over-All Performance Characteristics of Compressor with 34-Blade Impeller at Equivalent Impeller Speeds from 6000 to 11.750 RPM - II

The J33-A-23 compressor with a 34-blade impeller was operated at ambient inlet temperature and an inlet pressure of 14 inches mercury absolute over a range of equivalent impeller speeds from 6000 to 11,750 rpm. Additional runs at equivalent speeds of 7,000, 10,000, and 11,750 rpm and ambient inlet temperature were made at inlet pressures of 5 and 10 inches mercury absolute. The results of this investigation are compared with those of the J33-A-23 compressor with a 17-blade impeller. At the design equivalent speed of 11,750 rpm the 533-A-23 compressor with a 34-blade impeller had a peak pressure ratio of 4.49 at an equivalent weight flow of 82.4 pounds per second and an adiabatic temperature-rise efficiency of 0.740. The maximum equivalent flow at design speed was 91.8 pounds per second. The peak efficiency at design speed (0.757) occurred at an equivalent weight flow of 85.5 pounds per second. The maximum adiabatic temperature- rise efficiency of 0.773 was obtained at an equivalent impeller speed of 10,000 rpm, an equivalent weight flow of 65.8 pounds per second, and a pressure ratio of 3.27. At equivalent impeller speeds of.l0,000 and 11,75O rpm a decrease in inlet pressure resulted in a decrease in maximum equivalent weight flow, peak pressure ratio, and peak adiabatic temperature- rise efficiency.

Beede, William L.↗

The Effect of Inlet Temperature and Pressure on the Efficiency of a Single-stage Impulse Turbine Having a 13.2-inch Pitch-line Diameter Wheel

Efficiency tests have been conducted on a single-stage impulse turbine having a 13.2-inch pitch-line diameter wheel and a cast nozzle diaphram over a range of turbine speeds from 3000 to 17,000 rpm, pressure ratios from 1.5 to 5.0, inlet total temperatures from 1200 deg to 2000 deg R, and inlet total pressures from 18 to 59 inches of mercury absolute. The effect of inlet temperature and pressure on turbine efficiency for constant pressure ration and blade-to-jet speed ration is correlated against a factor derived from the equation for Reynolds number. The degree of correlation indicates that the change in turbine efficiency with inlet temperature and [ressure for constant pressure ration and blade-to-jet speed ration is principally a Reynolds number effect.

TURBINES - WHEELS↗

Effect of aerobic capacity on Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP) tolerance in females

This investigation determined whether a relationship exists in females between: (1) aerobic capacity and Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP); and (2) aerobic capacity and change in LBNP tolerance induced by bed rest. Nine females, age 27-47 (34.6 plus or minus 6.0 (Mean plus or minus SD)), completed a treadmill-graded exercise test to establish aerobic capacity. A presyncopal-limited LBNP test was performed prior to and after 13 days of bed rest at a 6 deg head-down tilt. LBNP tolerance was quantified as: (1) the absolute level of negative pressure (NP) tolerated for greater than or equal to 60 sec; and (2) Luft's Cumulative Stress Index (CSI). Aerobic capacity was 33.3 plus or minus 5.0 mL/kg/min and ranged from 25.7 to 38.7. Bed rest was associated with a decrease in NP tolerance (-9.04 1.6 kPa(-67.8 plus or minus 12.0 mmHg) versus -7.7 1.1 kPa(-57.8 plus or minus 8.33 mmHg); p = 0.028) and in CSI (99.4 27.4 kPa min(745.7 plus or minus 205.4 mmHg min) versus 77.0 16.9 kPa min (577.3 plus or minus mmHg min); p = 0.008). The correlation between aerobic capacity and absolute NP or CSI pre-bed rest did not differ significantly from zero (r = -0.56, p = 0.11 for NP; and r = -0.52, p = 0.16 for CSI). Also, no significant correlation was observed between aerobic and pre- to post-rest change for absolute NP tolerance (r = -0.35, p = 0.35) or CSI (r = -0.32, p = 0.40). Therefore, a significant relationship does not exist between aerobic capacity and orthostatic function or change in orthostatic function induced by bed rest.

Moore, Alan D., Jr.↗

A two-satellite microwave occultation system for determining pressure altitude references.

A two-satellite microwave occultation system is described that will fix as an absolute function of altitude the pressure-temperature profile generated by a passive infrared sounder. This method would be successful in determining the altitude of the 300-mb pressure level to within 24 m rms, assuming the temperature errors produced by the IR sensor are not greater than 2K rms. Error caused by water vapor in the radio path can be corrected by climatological adjustments (by use of mean water vapor profiles) if accurate water vapor sensors are not available.

Ungar, S. G.↗

Flow boiling with enhancement devices for cold plate coolant channel design

The use of flow boiling for thermal energy transport is intended to provide an alternative for accommodating higher heat fluxes in commercial space systems. The objectives are to: (1) examine the variations in both the mean and local (axial and circumferential) heat transfer coefficients for a circular coolant channel with either smooth walls, spiral fins, or both spiral fins and a twisted tape; (2) examine the effects of channel diameter and subcooling; and (3) develop an improved reduction analysis and/or suggest possible heat transfer correlation of the present data. Freon-11 is the working fluid. Two-dimensional (circumferential and axial) wall temperature distributions were measured for coolant channels with the above noted internal geometries. The flow regimes which are being studied are: (1) single phase; (2) subcooled flow boiling; and (3) stratified flow boiling. The inside diameter of all test sections is near 1.0 cm. Cicumferentially averaged heat transfer coefficients at several axial locations were obtained for selected coolant channels for a mass velocity of 210 kg/sq m s, an exit pressure of 0.19 MPa (absolute), and an inlet subcooling of 20.8 C. Overall (averaged over the entire channel) heat transfer coefficients were compared for the above channel geometries. This comparison showed that the channel with large pitch spiral fins had higher heat transfer coefficients at all power levels.

Boyd, Ronald D., Sr.↗