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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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NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Cryogenic Flow Boiling Parabolic Flight Experiment and Universal Correlations for Cryogens

Cryogenic fluids are employed in many industries and play crucial roles in space applications, including nuclear thermal propulsion systems, LOX/LCH4 ascent and descent stage feedlines, LOX/LH2 transfer lines for in-space fuel depots, and LHe transfer lines that cool space experiments. Due to the ultra-low boiling point of cryogens, phase change is inevitable in these systems, which leads to complex boiling behavior in reduced gravity. For cost-effective design and sizing of the aforementioned systems, accurate knowledge of two-phase parameters such as pressure drop, heat transfer coefficient (HTC), and critical heat flux (CHF) is desired. Since 2018, researchers from Purdue University and NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) have been collaborating to investigate the effects of reduced gravity on cryogenic pool boiling, flow boiling ins tubes, and spray cooling. Using a variety of both terrestrial and parabolic flight experimental rigs, extensive LN2 data have been amassed and combined with cryogenic data from World literature to develop both ‘universal’ empirical correlations and CFD models, which are expected to serve as foundation for design of future space systems involving cryogenic fluids. This presentation will provide an overview of both the experimental work and predictive tools that have resulted from the joined Purdue-Glenn studies.

Flow Boiling↗
NASA NTRS2015

Common Cause Failure Modeling in Space Launch Vehicles

Common Cause Failures (CCFs) are a known and documented phenomenon that defeats system redundancy. CCFs are a set of dependent type of failures that can be caused for example by system environments, manufacturing, transportation, storage, maintenance, and assembly. Since there are many factors that contribute to CCFs, they can be reduced, but are difficult to eliminate entirely. Furthermore, failure databases sometimes fail to differentiate between independent and dependent CCF. Because common cause failure data is limited in the aerospace industry, the Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) Team at Bastion Technology Inc. is estimating CCF risk using generic data collected by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Consequently, common cause risk estimates based on this database, when applied to other industry applications, are highly uncertain. Therefore, it is important to account for a range of values for independent and CCF risk and to communicate the uncertainty to decision makers. There is an existing methodology for reducing CCF risk during design, which includes a checklist of 40+ factors grouped into eight categories. Using this checklist, an approach to produce a beta factor estimate is being investigated that quantitatively relates these factors. In this example, the checklist will be tailored to space launch vehicles, a quantitative approach will be described, and an example of the method will be presented.

Hark, Frank↗
NASA NTRS2018

Space Technology Mission Directorate: Game Changing Development Program: Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology (RAMPT)

Technology Overview: The RAMPT (Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology) project will develop and advance large scale light-weight multi-metallic freeform manufacturing and composite overwrap techniques and analysis capabilities required to implement them to reduce design and fabrication cycles for regeneratively-cooled liquid rocket engine components; RAMPT will reduce design, fabrication, assembly schedules while allowing for reduced parts, increased reliability, significant weight reduction and a healthy American supply chain. Four technology areas developed: 1) Freeform Blown Powder Nozzle; 2) Composite overwrap structural jacket; 3) Bimetallic radial deposition for manifolds; 4) Modeling and analysis tools for Additive and Regen design. Exploration & Science Impact: Addresses longest lead, highest cost and heaviest component in engine; Applicable to Lunar Lander Engine, Booster Engines, Upper Stage Engines, and NTP (Nuclear Thermal Propulsion) Technology; Public-private partnerships with specialty industry vendors, government partners, Commercial Crew, and infusion into commercial space companies and manufacturers; SSTIP (NASA's Strategic Space Technology Investment Plan) Core Investment Area - Launch Propulsion Systems (TA01 (NASA Technology Area 01); Lightweight Space Structures and Materials (TA12); Manufacturing (TA12).

RAMPT↗
NASA NTRS1977

Transportation concepts for space industrialization

Space shuttle and heavy lift launch vehicle concepts are described with attention to transportation cost trends. Chemical (LOX/LH2), nuclear, and electric propulsion systems are considered. Suggested space shuttle projects include the support of manned geosynchronous missions and the transfer of bulk cargo and large-delicate space structures from fabrication/assembly orbits to their operational locations. It is thought that development of the space shuttle will stimulate interest in space industrialization.

Murphy, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Anhydrite EOS and Phase Diagram in Relation to Shock Decomposition

In the context of the Chicxulub impact, it became recently obvious that experimental and theoretical research on the shock behavior of sulfates is essential for an assessment of the role of shock-released gases in the K/T mass extinction. The Chicxulub crater is the most important large impact structure where the bolide penetrated a sedimentary layer with large amounts of interbedded anhydrite (Haughton has also significant anhydrite in the target). The sulfuric gas production by shock compression/decompression of anhydrite is an important issue, even if the size of Chicxulub crater is only half of the so far assumed size. The comparison of experimental data for anhydrite, shocked with different techniques at various laboratories, reveals large differences in the threshold pressures for melting and decomposition. To gain insight into this issue, we have made a theoretical investigation of the thermodynamic properties of anhydrite. The project includes the review of data published in the last 40 years - reasons to study anhydrite cover a wide field of interests: from industrial problems of cement and ceramic production to the analysis of nuclear underground explosions in salt domes, conducted in the USA and USSR in the 1970th.

Ivanov, B. A.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Circuit and Method for Communication Over DC Power Line

A circuit and method for transmitting and receiving on-off-keyed (OOK) signals with fractional signal-to-noise ratios uses available high-temperature silicon- on-insulator (SOI) components to move computational, sensing, and actuation abilities closer to high-temperature or high-ionizing radiation environments such as vehicle engine compartments, deep-hole drilling environments, industrial control and monitoring of processes like smelting, and operations near nuclear reactors and in space. This device allows for the networking of multiple, like nodes to each other and to a central processor. It can do this with nothing more than the already in-situ power wiring of the system. The device s microprocessor allows it to make intelligent decisions within the vehicle operational loop and to effect control outputs to its associated actuators. The figure illustrates how each node converts digital serial data to OOK 18-kHz in transmit mode and vice-versa in receive mode; though operations at lower frequencies or up to a megahertz are within reason using this method and these parts. This innovation s technique modulates a DC power bus with millivolt-level signals through a MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) and resistor by OOK. It receives and demodulates this signal from the DC power bus through capacitive coupling at high temperature and in high ionizing radiation environments. The demodulation of the OOK signal is accomplished by using an asynchronous quadrature detection technique realized by a quasi-discrete Fourier transform through use of the quadrature components (0 and 90 phases) of the carrier frequency as generated by the microcontroller and as a function of the selected crystal frequency driving its oscillator. The detected signal is rectified using an absolute-value circuit containing no diodes (diodes being non-operational at high temperatures), and only operational amplifiers. The absolute values of the two phases of the received signal are then summed and hard limited (digitized) by comparing them to a reference level and are then input into a microprocessor as a serial bit stream. The quasi-discrete Fourier transform is performed in high-temperature components (operational amplifiers, analog switches, resistors, and capacitors). The demodulated signal is a serial data stream that is input to the UART (universal asynchronous receiver transmitter) receiver pin of the microprocessor. The OOK of the carrier frequency uses the output of the UART pin as an enabling signal that drives the gate of the MOSFET. Logic low bits enable the carrier frequency (realized by using the 0 phase signal from the microcontroller, though either phase may be used) to be DC-coupled to the power supply bus through a current-limiting resistor mounted between the MOSFET drain and the supply rail. The presence of logic lows on the power supply rail is realized by carrier bursts while logic highs are realized by the absence of bursts.

Krasowski, Michael J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Precision Joining Center

The establishment of a Precision Joining Center (PJC) is proposed. The PJC will be a cooperatively operated center with participation from U.S. private industry, the Colorado School of Mines, and various government agencies, including the Department of Energy's Nuclear Weapons Complex (NWC). The PJC's primary mission will be as a training center for advanced joining technologies. This will accomplish the following objectives: (1) it will provide an effective mechanism to transfer joining technology from the NWC to private industry; (2) it will provide a center for testing new joining processes for the NWC and private industry; and (3) it will provide highly trained personnel to support advance joining processes for the NWC and private industry.

Powell, John W.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Phase 1 Space Fission Propulsion System Testing and Development Progress

Successful development of space fission systems requires an extensive program of affordable and realistic testing. In addition to tests related to design/development of the fission system, realistic testing of the actual flight unit must also be performed. If the system is designed to operate within established radiation damage and fuel burn up limits while simultaneously being designed to allow close simulation of heat from fission using resistance heaters, high confidence in fission system performance and lifetime can be attained through a series of non-nuclear tests. The Safe Affordable Fission Engine (SAFE) test series, whose ultimate goal is the demonstration of a 300 kW flight configuration system, has demonstrated that realistic testing can be performed using non-nuclear methods. This test series, carried out in collaboration with other NASA centers, other government agencies, industry, and universities, successfully completed a testing program with a 30 kWt core, Stirling engine, and ion engine configuration. Additionally, a 100 kWt core is in fabrication and appropriate test facilities are being reconfigured. This paper describes the current SAFE non-nuclear tests, which includes test article descriptions, test results and conclusions, and future test plans.

VanDyke, Melissa↗
NASA NTRS1970

Three-dimensional pantograph for use in hazardous environments

Material measurement device is used with radioactive probes which can be approached only to distance of 3 feet. Tracer-following unit is capable of precisely controlled movement in X-Y-Z planes. Pantograph is usable in industrial processes involving chemical corrosives, poisons, and bacteriological hazards, as well as nuclear applications.

Cowfer, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Tele/Autonomous Robot For Nuclear Facilities

Fail-safe tele/autonomous robotic system makes it unnecessary for human technicians to enter nuclear-fuel-reprocessing facilities and other high-radiation or otherwise hazardous industrial environments. Used to carry out experiments as exchanging equipment modules, turning bolts, cleaning surfaces, and grappling turning objects by use of mixture of autonomous actions and teleoperation with either single arm or two cooperating arms. System capable of fully autonomous operation, teleoperation or shared control.

Backes, Paul G.↗
NASA NTRS1976

OAST Space Theme Workshop. Volume 2: Theme summary. 2: Space industrialization (no. 8). A. Theme statement. B. 26 April 1976 presentation. C. Summary statement. D. Initiative action (form 5)

Enabling technology needs and other requirements to support space industrialization include: large space structures; fabrication and joining processes; single stage to orbit and heavy lift launch vehicles; nuclear and solar space power systems; robotics, manipulators, and teleoperators; biotechnology in space; artificial gravity; the utilization of lunar materials for construction; and the extraction of oxygen and metals from lunar resources. New initiatives (FY 1978) directly supportive or partly related to space industrialization are listed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1975

Geology, summary

Trends in geologic application of remote sensing are identified. These trends are as follows: (1) increased applications of orbital imagery in fields such as engineering and environmental geology - some specific applications include recognition of active earthquake faults, site location for nuclear powerplants, and recognition of landslide hazards; (2) utilization of remote sensing by industry, especially oil and gas companies, and (3) application of digital image processing to mineral exploration.

Sabins, F. F., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Vannevar Bush 2: Science for the 21st Century. Why Should Federal Dollars be Spent to Support Scientific Research?

On July 5, 1945, Dr. Vannevar Bush delivered a report to President Truman known as 'Science: The Endless Frontier'. In the report, Dr. Bush stated that 'scientific progress is one essential key to our security as a nation, to our better health, to more jobs, to a higher standard of living, and to our cultural progress'. Bush addressed job creation, the independence of basic research, the ties between research and application, and the nations's need for new talent. In 1995, there are strong similarities between the issues addressed in the Congress, Administration, and the public and those following World War 2. Federal funds and research funding are under severe pressure, including that from fiscal constraints in the federal budget due to the large and growing deficit and the escalating cost of health care. Defense conversion is addressed in the Congress and in industry, where many jobs are at stake. Conversion of the national laboratories, particularly nuclear weapons laboratories, has been a subject of a governmental commission and is the subject of draft legislation. Health care costs and the appropriate role of the federal government in funding basic and applied research has become a major topic of debate. Discussion on education in science has grown from the issue of how to produce more Ph.D.'s to how to improve the understanding of technology and science among the general public.

Miller, Kate↗
NASA NTRS1999

International Low-Earth-Orbit Spacecraft Materials Test Program Initiated for Better Prediction of Durability and Performance

Spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) are subjected to many components of the environment, which can cause them to degrade much more rapidly than intended and greatly shorten their functional life. The atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, and cross contamination present in LEO can affect sensitive surfaces such as thermal control paints, multilayer insulation, solar array surfaces, and optical surfaces. The LEO Spacecraft Materials Test (LEO-SMT) program is being conducted to assess the effects of simulated LEO exposure on current spacecraft materials to increase understanding of LEO degradation processes as well as to enable the prediction of in-space performance and durability. Using ground-based simulation facilities to test the durability of materials currently flying in LEO will allow researchers to compare the degradation evidenced in the ground-based facilities with that evidenced on orbit. This will allow refinement of ground laboratory test systems and the development of algorithms to predict the durability and performance of new materials in LEO from ground test results. Accurate predictions based on ground tests could reduce development costs and increase reliability. The wide variety of national and international materials being tested represent materials being functionally used on spacecraft in LEO. The more varied the types of materials tested, the greater the probability that researchers will develop and validate predictive models for spacecraft long-term performance and durability. Organizations that are currently participating in the program are ITT Research Institute (USA), Lockheed Martin (USA), MAP (France), SOREQ Nuclear Research Center (Israel), TNO Institute of Applied Physics (The Netherlands), and UBE Industries, Ltd. (Japan). These represent some of the major suppliers of thermal control and sensor materials currently flying in LEO. The participants provide materials that are exposed to selected levels of atomic oxygen, vacuum ultraviolet radiation, contamination, or synergistic combined environments at the NASA Lewis Research Center. Changes in characteristics that could affect mission performance or lifetime are then measured. These characteristics include changes in mass, solar absorptance, and thermal emittance. The durability of spacecraft materials from U.S. suppliers is then compared with those of materials from other participating countries. Lewis will develop and validate performance and durability prediction models using this ground data and available space data. NASA welcomes the opportunity to consider additional international participants in this program, which should greatly aid future spacecraft designers as they select materials for LEO missions.

Rutledge, Sharon K.↗
NASA NTRS2009

Johnson Space Center's Risk and Reliability Analysis Group 2008 Annual Report

The Johnson Space Center (JSC) Safety & Mission Assurance (S&MA) Directorate s Risk and Reliability Analysis Group provides both mathematical and engineering analysis expertise in the areas of Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA), Reliability and Maintainability (R&M) analysis, and data collection and analysis. The fundamental goal of this group is to provide National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) decisionmakers with the necessary information to make informed decisions when evaluating personnel, flight hardware, and public safety concerns associated with current operating systems as well as with any future systems. The Analysis Group includes a staff of statistical and reliability experts with valuable backgrounds in the statistical, reliability, and engineering fields. This group includes JSC S&MA Analysis Branch personnel as well as S&MA support services contractors, such as Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and SoHaR. The Analysis Group s experience base includes nuclear power (both commercial and navy), manufacturing, Department of Defense, chemical, and shipping industries, as well as significant aerospace experience specifically in the Shuttle, International Space Station (ISS), and Constellation Programs. The Analysis Group partners with project and program offices, other NASA centers, NASA contractors, and universities to provide additional resources or information to the group when performing various analysis tasks. The JSC S&MA Analysis Group is recognized as a leader in risk and reliability analysis within the NASA community. Therefore, the Analysis Group is in high demand to help the Space Shuttle Program (SSP) continue to fly safely, assist in designing the next generation spacecraft for the Constellation Program (CxP), and promote advanced analytical techniques. The Analysis Section s tasks include teaching classes and instituting personnel qualification processes to enhance the professional abilities of our analysts as well as performing major probabilistic assessments used to support flight rationale and help establish program requirements. During 2008, the Analysis Group performed more than 70 assessments. Although all these assessments were important, some were instrumental in the decisionmaking processes for the Shuttle and Constellation Programs. Two of the more significant tasks were the Space Transportation System (STS)-122 Low Level Cutoff PRA for the SSP and the Orion Pad Abort One (PA-1) PRA for the CxP. These two activities, along with the numerous other tasks the Analysis Group performed in 2008, are summarized in this report. This report also highlights several ongoing and upcoming efforts to provide crucial statistical and probabilistic assessments, such as the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) PRA for the Hubble Space Telescope service mission and the first fully integrated PRAs for the CxP's Lunar Sortie and ISS missions.

Valentine, Mark↗
NASA NTRS2011

Risk Assessment Overview

Risk assessment is used in many industries to identify and manage risks. Initially developed for use on aeronautical and nuclear systems, risk assessment has been applied to transportation, chemical, computer, financial, and security systems among others. It is used to gain an understanding of the weaknesses or vulnerabilities in a system so modification can be made to increase operability, efficiency, and safety and to reduce failure and down-time. Risk assessment results are primary inputs to risk-informed decision making; where risk information including uncertainty is used along with other pertinent information to assist management in the decision-making process. Therefore, to be useful, a risk assessment must be directed at specific objectives. As the world embraces the globalization of trade and manufacturing, understanding the associated risk become important to decision making. Applying risk assessment techniques to a global system of development, manufacturing, and transportation can provide insight into how the system can fail, the likelihood of system failure and the consequences of system failure. The risk assessment can identify those elements that contribute most to risk and identify measures to prevent and mitigate failures, disruptions, and damaging outcomes. In addition, risk associated with public and environment impact can be identified. The risk insights gained can be applied to making decisions concerning suitable development and manufacturing locations, supply chains, and transportation strategies. While risk assessment has been mostly applied to mechanical and electrical systems, the concepts and techniques can be applied across other systems and activities. This paper provides a basic overview of the development of a risk assessment.

Prassinos, Peter G.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Space Exploration Initiative Fuels, Materials and Related Nuclear Propulsion Technologies Panel

This report was prepared by members of the Fuels, Materials and Related Technologies Panel, with assistance from a number of industry observers as well as laboratory colleagues of the panel members. It represents a consensus view of the panel members. This report was not subjected to a thorough review by DOE, NASA or DoD, and the opinions expressed should not be construed to represent the official position of these organizations, individually or jointly. Topics addressed include: requirement for fuels and materials development for nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) and nuclear electric propulsion (NEP); overview of proposed concepts; fuels technology development plan; materials technology development plan; other reactor technology development; and fuels and materials requirements for advanced propulsion concepts.

Bhattacharyya, S. K.↗