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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 127 records · Page 7

The effects of engine speed and injection characteristics on the flow field and fuel/air mixing in motored two-stroke diesel engines

A numerical analysis is presented on the effects of the engine speed, injection angle, droplet distribution function, and spray cone angle on the flow field, spray penetration and vaporization, and turbulence in a turbocharged motored two-stroke diesel engine. The results indicate that the spray penetration and vaporization, velocity, and turbulence kinetic energy increase with the intake swirl angle. Good spray penetration, vaporization, and mixing can be achieved by injecting droplets of diameters between 50 and 100 microns along a 120-deg cone at about 315 deg before top-dead-center for an intake swirl angle of 30 deg. The spray penetration and vaporization were found to be insensitive to the turbulence levels within the cylinder. The results have also indicated that squish is necessary in order to increase the fuel vaporization rate and mixing.

Nguyen, H. L.↗

User engineering: A new look at system engineering

User Engineering is a new System Engineering perspective responsible for defining and maintaining the user view of the system. Its elements are a process to guide the project and customer, a multidisciplinary team including hard and soft sciences, rapid prototyping tools to build user interfaces quickly and modify them frequently at low cost, and a prototyping center for involving users and designers in an iterative way. The main consideration is reducing the risk that the end user will not or cannot effectively use the system. The process begins with user analysis to produce cognitive and work style models, and task analysis to produce user work functions and scenarios. These become major drivers of the human computer interface design which is presented and reviewed as an interactive prototype by users. Feedback is rapid and productive, and user effectiveness can be measured and observed before the system is built and fielded. Requirements are derived via the prototype and baselined early to serve as an input to the architecture and software design.

Mclaughlin, Larry L.↗

Rocket plume spectrometry: A system permitting engine condition monitoring, as applied to the technology test bed engine

The appearance of visible objects in the exhaust plume of space shuttle main engines (SSME) during test firings is discussed. A program was undertaken to attempt to identify anomalous material resulting from wear, normal or excessive, of internal parts, allowing time monitoring of engine condition or detection of failure precursors. Measurements were taken during test firings at Stennis Space Center and at the Santa Suzanna facility in California. The results indicated that a system having high spectral resolution, a fast time response, and a wide spectral range was required to meet all requirements, thus two special systems have been designed and built. One is the Optical Plume Anomaly Detector (OPAD). The other instrument, which is described in this report, is the superspectrometer, an optical multichannel analyzer having 8,192 channels covering the spectral band 250 to 1,000 nm.

Powers, W. T.↗

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Paper 21: Technological innovation and technical communications: Their place in aerospace engineering curricula. A survey of European, Japanese, and US Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

Aerospace engineers and scientists from Western Europe, Japan, and the United States were surveyed as part of the NASA/DoD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Questionnaires were used to solicit their opinions regarding the following: (1) the importance of technical communications to their profession; (2) the use and production of technical communications; and (3) their views about the appropriate content of an undergraduate course in technical communications. The ability to communicate technical information effectively was very important to the aerospace engineers and scientists who participated in the study. A considerable portion of their working week is devoted to using and producing technical information. The types of technical communications used and produced varied within and among the three groups. The type of technical communication product used and produced appears to be related to respondents' professional duties. Respondents from the three groups made similar recommendations regarding the principles, mechanics, and on-the-job communications to be included in an undergraduate technical communications course for aerospace majors.

Pinelli, Thomas E.↗

Flight-determined engine exhaust characteristics of an F404 engine in an F-18 airplane

The exhaust characteristics of the F-18 aircraft with an F404 engine are examined with reference to the results of an acoustic flight testing program. The discussion covers an overview of the flight test planning, instrumentation, test procedures, data analysis, engine modeling codes, and results. In addition, the paper presents the exhaust velocity and Mach number data for the climb-to-cruise, Aircraft Noise Prediction Program validation, and ground tests.

Ennix, Kimberly A.↗

The Fundamental Principles of High-speed Semi-diesel Engines. Part I: a General Discussion of the Subject of Fuel Injection in Diesel Engines and Detailed Descriptions of Many Types of Injection Nozzles

Three questions relating to the technical progress in the utilization of heavy oils are discussed. The first question considers solid injection in high-speed automobile engines, the second concerns the development of the hot-bulb engine, and the third question relates to the need for a more thorough investigation of the processes on which the formatation of combustible, rapidly-burning mixtures depend.

NOZZLES, FUEL - PEUGEOT-TARTRAIS↗

System engineering toolbox for design-oriented engineers

This system engineering toolbox is designed to provide tools and methodologies to the design-oriented systems engineer. A tool is defined as a set of procedures to accomplish a specific function. A methodology is defined as a collection of tools, rules, and postulates to accomplish a purpose. For each concept addressed in the toolbox, the following information is provided: (1) description, (2) application, (3) procedures, (4) examples, if practical, (5) advantages, (6) limitations, and (7) bibliography and/or references. The scope of the document includes concept development tools, system safety and reliability tools, design-related analytical tools, graphical data interpretation tools, a brief description of common statistical tools and methodologies, so-called total quality management tools, and trend analysis tools. Both relationship to project phase and primary functional usage of the tools are also delineated. The toolbox also includes a case study for illustrative purposes. Fifty-five tools are delineated in the text.

Goldberg, B. E.↗

Prioritization of engineering support requests and advanced technology projects using decision support and industrial engineering models

The evaluation and prioritization of Engineering Support Requests (ESR's) is a particularly difficult task at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) -- Shuttle Project Engineering Office. This difficulty is due to the complexities inherent in the evaluation process and the lack of structured information. The evaluation process must consider a multitude of relevant pieces of information concerning Safety, Supportability, O&M Cost Savings, Process Enhancement, Reliability, and Implementation. Various analytical and normative models developed over the past have helped decision makers at KSC utilize large volumes of information in the evaluation of ESR's. The purpose of this project is to build on the existing methodologies and develop a multiple criteria decision support system that captures the decision maker's beliefs through a series of sequential, rational, and analytical processes. The model utilizes the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), subjective probabilities, the entropy concept, and Maximize Agreement Heuristic (MAH) to enhance the decision maker's intuition in evaluating a set of ESR's.

Tavana, Madjid↗

Large Engine Technology (LET) Task XXXVII Low-Bypass Ratio Mixed Turbofan Engine Subsonic Jet Noise Reduction Program Test Report

NASA Glenn Research Center supported a three year effort to develop the technology for reducing jet noise from low-bypass ratio engines. This effort concentrated on both analytical and experimental approaches using various mixer designs. CFD and MGB predictions are compared with LDV and noise data, respectively. While former predictions matched well with data, experiment shows a need for improving the latter predictions. Data also show that mixing noise can be sensitive to engine hardware upstream of the mixing exit plane.

Hauser, Joseph R.↗

On the Installation of Jet Engine Nacelles on a Wing Fourth Partial Report: Pressure-Distribution Measurements on a Sweptback Wing with Jet Engine Nacelle

The present report, which deals with pressure-distribution measurements made on a sweptback wing with a jet engine nacelle, is similar to a report on pressure-distribution measurements on a rectangular wing with a jet engine nacelle (second partial report). Here, in investigations preliminary to high-speed measurements, as in the second partial report, useful arrangements and fillet designs have been discovered.

Buschner, R.↗

NASA Engineering Excellence: A Case Study on Strengthening an Engineering Organization

NASA implemented a system of technical authority following the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAE) report calling for independent technical authority to be exercised on the Space Shuttle Program activities via a virtual organization of personnel exercising specific technical authority responsibilities. After the current NASA Administrator reported for duty, and following the first of two planned "Shuttle Return to Flight" missions, the NASA Chief Engineer and the Administrator redirected the Independent Technical Authority to a program of Technical Excellence and Technical Authority exercised within the existing engineering organizations. This paper discusses the original implementation of technical authority and the transition to the new implementation of technical excellence, including specific measures aimed at improving safety of future Shuttle and space exploration flights.

Shivers, C. Herbert↗

Aircraft engine with inter-turbine engine frame supported counter rotating low pressure turbine rotors

An aircraft gas turbine engine assembly includes an inter-turbine frame axially located between high and low pressure turbines. Low pressure turbine has counter rotating low pressure inner and outer rotors with low pressure inner and outer shafts which are at least in part rotatably disposed co-axially within a high pressure rotor. Inter-turbine frame includes radially spaced apart radially outer first and inner second structural rings disposed co-axially about a centerline and connected by a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart struts. Forward and aft sump members having forward and aft central bores are fixedly joined to axially spaced apart forward and aft portions of the inter-turbine frame. Low pressure inner and outer rotors are rotatably supported by a second turbine frame bearing mounted in aft central bore of aft sump member. A mount for connecting the engine to an aircraft is located on first structural ring.

Seda, Jorge F.↗

Cooling Characteristics of the V-1650-7 Engine. II - Effect of Coolant Conditions on Cylinder Temperatures and Heat Rejection at Several Engine Powers

An investigation has been conducted on a V-1650-7 engine to determine the cylinder temperatures and the coolant and oil heat rejections over a range of coolant flows (50 to 200 gal/min) and oil inlet temperatures (160 to 2150 F) for two values of coolant outlet temperature (250 deg and 275 F) at each of four power conditions ranging from approximately 1100 to 2000 brake horsepower. Data were obtained for several values of block-outlet pressure at each of the two coolant outlet temperatures. A mixture of 30 percent by volume of ethylene glycol and 70-percent water was used as the coolant. The effect of varying coolant flow, coolant outlet temperature, and coolant outlet pressure over the ranges investigated on cylinder-head temperatures was small (0 deg to 25 F) whereas the effect of increasing the engine power condition from ll00 to 2000 brake horsepower was large (maximum head-temperature increase, 110 F).

Povolny, John H.↗

How Engineers Really Think About Risk: A Study of JPL Engineers

The objectives of this work are: To improve risk assessment practices as used during the mission design process by JPL's concurrent engineering teams. (1) Developing effective ways to identify and assess mission risks (2) Providing a process for more effective dialog between stakeholders about the existence and severity of mission risks (3) Enabling the analysis of interactions of risks across concurrent engineering roles.

risk identification↗

System Engineering and Technical Challenges Overcome in the J-2X Rocket Engine Development Project

Beginning in 2006, NASA initiated the J-2X engine development effort to develop an upper stage propulsion system to enable the achievement of the primary objectives of the Constellation program (CxP): provide continued access to the International Space Station following the retirement of the Space Station and return humans to the moon. The J-2X system requirements identified to accomplish this were very challenging and the time expended over the five years following the beginning of the J- 2X effort have been noteworthy in the development of innovations in both the fields for liquid rocket propulsion and system engineering.

Ballard, Richard O.↗

Why Space Technology Needs More Non-Traditional Chemical Engineers – From the Perspective of a NASA Chemical Engineering Student

Final document is attached. With planetary missions and deep space gateway on the horizon, humankind is entering a new era of space exploration. Manned mission durations will be longer than any previous flight, resupply capabilities are limited, and system robustness is more imperative than ever. Traditional space systems, especially in the realm of carbon dioxide removal and water remediation, are large in size, mass, energy consumption, and number of mechanical moving parts prone to failure. Non-traditional space exploration needs non-traditional technology solutions. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant is well-known for his studies on originality and how non-conformists can move the world. In the words of Adam Grant, "to become original, you have to try something new, which means accepting some measure of risk." As chemical engineers, we shouldn't let that measure of risk stop us from considering ingenious technology. As a part of the new generation of engineers at NASA, I believe we need a paradigm shift in space technology for this new era of exploration.

Rogers, Tanya↗