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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

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DOE OSTI2021

Stem CO2 Efflux measurements from Manaus, Brazil, 2017

This data was collected in order to test the effects of temperatures on the autotrophic respiratory process in the tropics. This data package contains raw real-time stem CO2 efflux files during the night and day from 3 different species near the K34 in Manaus during the day and the night. Raw and derived data files are included in the format of .csv and .xlsx and information about the canopy trees and temperatures recorded can be found in the field event log using microsoft excel. The data was collected from three canopy dominant trees in the central Amazon near the K34 tower. Real-time stem CO2 efflux was determined using a Li7000 gas analyzer configured in differential mode and connected to a dynamic stem chamber secured to the stem at breast height using straps to generate a reasonable seal. Ambient air was continuously pumped into the stem chamber and CO2 concentrations of the air entering and exiting the chamber were continuously monitored. CO2 efflux was calculated based on the CO2 concentration difference between ambient and stem chambers, the flow rate of air through the chamber, and the area of the enclosed stem. Additional auxiliary data, including sap flow and crown temperature were also measured. No data processing or QA/QC was done on the raw data packages.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Gradient Amine Sorbents for Low Vacuum Swing CO 2 Capture at Ambient Temperature

The growing concerns over CO 2 emissions have led to the development of various methods for CO 2 capture. CO 2 capture by amine-based sorbents has been achieved by temperature (thermal) swing adsorption (TSA) process, pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process, and temperature pressure or vacuuming swing adsorption (TPSA or TVSA) process for CO 2 capture. Amine sorbents for energy-efficient TSA, PSA, VSA, TPSA or TVSA CO 2 capture should possess a capability which allow adsorbed CO 2 to desorb and amine sorbent to be regenerated at low temperatures or low vacuums. Development of such amine sorbents would significantly decrease energy consumption and sorbent degradation during the regeneration step. The objective of this project is to develop a low vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) process for the capture of CO 2 from air. The focus is on the development of amine sorbent which allows CO 2 to adsorb in the form of weakly adsorbed CO 2 . The weakly adsorbed CO 2 species can be collected from the sorbent by applying a low vacuum at ambient temperature. Specifically, no heating (i.e., thermal energy) is needed for regeneration of amine sorbents. This novel sorbent allows VSA to be operated at ambient temperature without a significant energy demand. This process eliminates the energy-intensive heating and cooling process in temperature swing adsorption (TSA) process. Ambient temperature operation could prolong the lifetime of sorbent and minimize the maintenance cost. Extensive sorbent studies with in-situ infrared spectroscopy have revealed the modifications of conventional amine sorbents with additives can increase the fraction of weakly adsorbed CO 2 . The amine sorbents with loaded CO 2 can be regenerated in part by the following approaches: (i) mild heating to temperatures below 70 °C, (ii) flowing purging gas over modified amine sorbents at temperatures below 40 °C, (iii) vacuuming at pressure below 0.2 atm and temperatures below 40 °C. The performance of these modified amine sorbents has been tested in a 60 grams VSA unit at ambient temperatures. The results show that weakly adsorbed CO 2 which can be desorbed from modified amine sorbents with purging gas at 100 cc/min can also be evacuated at a vacuum of 1 psia at room temperature. A preliminary techno- economic analysis indicates the major cost of the VSA process with modified amine sorbents stems from the operation of vacuum pumps. Thus, developing an excellent sealing with minimum leakage for the VSA unit is the most critical task for further the development of this VSA technology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NASA NTRS1973

Noncontacting devices to indicate deflection and vibration of turbopump internal rotating parts

The research is reported which was conducted to develop devices for measuring vibrations and deflections of parts, such as impellers, shafts, turbine wheels, and inducers in operating turbopumps. Three devices were developed to the breadboard stage: ultrasonic Doppler transducer, flash X-rays, and light-pipe reflectance. It was found that the X-ray technique is applicable to the shaft assembly and the turbine seal of the J-2 pump, and the light-pipe-reflectance device appears to be ideal for cryogenic pump sections.

Hamilton, D. B.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Gas flow analysis during thermal vacuum test of a spacecraft.

The pressures indicated by two tubulated ionization gages, one pointing to a spinning spacecraft undergoing thermal vacuum test and the other the walls of the chamber, have been used in a computer program to calculate important parameters of flow kinetics in the vacuum chamber. These parameters calculated as a function of time are: the self-contamination of the spacecraft (defined as the return of outgassed molecules on its critical surfaces either in orbit or while undergoing vacuum test); the spacecraft outgassing including leaks from sealed compartments; and the gas pumping performance of the vacuum chamber. The test indicated the feasibility of this type of evaluation and the improvements in instrumentations and arrangements needed for future tests.

Scialdone, J. J.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Orbit Transfer Vehicle (OTV) advanced expander cycle engine point design study. Task 7: Engine data summary

A performance optimized engine system design for a man-rated advanced LOX/hydrogen expander cycle engine was investigated. The data are presented in tables, figures, and drawings. The following categories of data for the advanced expander cycle engine are presented: engine operating specification and pressure schedule; engine system layout drawing; major component layout drawings, including thrust chamber and nozzle, extendible nozzle actuating mechanism and seal, LOX turbopump, LOX boost pump, hydrogen turbopump, hydrogen boost pump, and propellant control valves; engine performance and service life prediction; engine weight; and engine envelope. The data represent updates based upon current results from the design and analyses tasks performed under contract. Futher iterations in the designs and data can be expected as the advanced expander cycle engine design matures.

Christensen, K. L.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Orbit Transfer Vehicle (OTV) advanced expander cycle engine point design study. Volume 2: Study results

Detailed computer models of the engine were developed to predict both the steady state and transient operation of the engine system. Mechanical design layout drawings were prepared for the following components: thrust chamber and nozzle; extendible nozzle actuating mechanism and seal; LOX turbopump and boost pump; hydrogen turbopump and boost pump; and the propellant control valves. The necessary heat transfer, stress, fluid flow, dynamic, and performance analyses were performed to support the mechanical design.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1987

Weightlessness simulation system and process

A weightlessness simulator has a chamber and a suit in the chamber. O-rings and valves hermetically seal the chamber. A vacuum pump connected to the chamber establishes a pressure in the chamber less than atmospheric pressure. A water supply tank and water supply line supply a body of water to the chamber as a result of partial vacuum created in the chamber. In use, an astronaut enters the pressure suit through a port, which remains open to ambient atmosphere, thus supplying air to the astronaut during use. The pressure less than atmospheric pressure in the chamber is chosen so that the pressure differential from the inside to the outside of the suit corresponds to the pressure differential with the suit in outer space.

Vykukal, Hubert C.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Miniature X-Ray Tubes

Miniature x-ray tubes proposed for use in portable instruments used to analyze minerals. Electrons from field emitter (instead of thermionic emitter) accelerated to target to generate x-rays. Fabricated from silicon wafers, micromachined field emitters (MFEs) not subject to breakage or restrictions on lifetimes, and tolerate vacuums that filaments cannot. Miniature x-ray tubes very robust, immune to shock and vibration, and permanently sealed with getter for continued pumping. Combined with solid-state x-ray detectors for analysis of x-ray fluorescence.

Bearman, Gregory H.↗

NASA NTRS2014

NASA Tech Briefs, June 2014

Topics include: Real-Time Minimization of Tracking Error for Aircraft Systems; Detecting an Extreme Minority Class in Hyperspectral Data Using Machine Learning; KSC Spaceport Weather Data Archive; Visualizing Acquisition, Processing, and Network Statistics Through Database Queries; Simulating Data Flow via Multiple Secure Connections; Systems and Services for Near-Real-Time Web Access to NPP Data; CCSDS Telemetry Decoder VHDL Core; Thermal Response of a High-Power Switch to Short Pulses; Solar Panel and System Design to Reduce Heating and Optimize Corridors for Lower-Risk Planetary Aerobraking; Low-Cost, Very Large Diamond-Turned Metal Mirror; Very-High-Load-Capacity Air Bearing Spindle for Large Diamond Turning Machines; Elevated-Temperature, Highly Emissive Coating for Energy Dissipation of Large Surfaces; Catalyst for Treatment and Control of Post-Combustion Emissions; Thermally Activated Crack Healing Mechanism for Metallic Materials; Subsurface Imaging of Nanocomposites; Self-Healing Glass Sealants for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Electrolyzer Cells; Micromachined Thermopile Arrays with Novel Thermo - electric Materials; Low-Cost, High-Performance MMOD Shielding; Head-Mounted Display Latency Measurement Rig; Workspace-Safe Operation of a Force- or Impedance-Controlled Robot; Cryogenic Mixing Pump with No Moving Parts; Seal Design Feature for Redundancy Verification; Dexterous Humanoid Robot; Tethered Vehicle Control and Tracking System; Lunar Organic Waste Reformer; Digital Laser Frequency Stabilization via Cavity Locking Employing Low-Frequency Direct Modulation; Deep UV Discharge Lamps in Capillary Quartz Tubes with Light Output Coupled to an Optical Fiber; Speech Acquisition and Automatic Speech Recognition for Integrated Spacesuit Audio Systems, Version II; Advanced Sensor Technology for Algal Biotechnology; High-Speed Spectral Mapper; "Ascent - Commemorating Shuttle" - A NASA Film and Multimedia Project DVD; High-Pressure, Reduced-Kinetics Mechanism for N-Hexadecane Oxidation; Method of Error Floor Mitigation in Low-Density Parity-Check Codes; X-Ray Flaw Size Parameter for POD Studies; Large Eddy Simulation Composition Equations for Two-Phase Fully Multicomponent Turbulent Flows; Scheduling Targeted and Mapping Observations with State, Resource, and Timing Constraints;

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1991

Dynamic Tester For Rotor Seals And Bearings

Simplified apparatus measures performance under vibration. Measures some of dynamic parameters of rotor seals and bearings. Tests damping seals, damping bearings, conventional seals, and conventional bearings. Used with variety of pumped liquids, from water to liquid oxygen or hydrogen. Designed to test bearings and seals of turbopumps, tester rotates shaft at high speed while liquid flows much as it would in real turbopump. Also measures deflections of components.

Von Pragenau, George L.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Continuous high pressure lump coal feeder design study

A continuous lump coal dry feeder was developed for a pressurized fluidized bed combustor. The approach was to adapt the commercially available Fuller-Kinyon pump to feed coal against a pressure differential of 100 psi or more. The pump was modified and tests performed at various pressure differentials, with differently pitched screws, various screw rotational speeds, and various seal lengths and configurations. Successful operation of the modified Fuller-Kinyon pump was generally limited to pressure differentials of 60 psi or less. Although the results are not conclusive, test data and observations were made that indicated that higher pressure differentials could be attained by further modifications of the test setup. In particular, it is recommended that further testing be performed after replacing the 40-horsepower pump motor presently in the test setup with a motor having a significantly high power rating (thereby allowing pump operation with longer seals and at higher pressure differentials than those tested so far).

Fields, S. F.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Performance of Oil Pumping Rings: An Analytical and Experimental Study

A steady-state design computer program was developed to predict the performance of pumping rings as functions of geometry, applied loading, speed, ring modulus, and fluid viscosity. Additional analyses were developed to predict transient behavior of the ring and the effects of temperature rises occurring in the hydrodynamic film between the ring and shaft. The analysis was initially compared with previous experimental data and then used to design additional rings for further testing. Tests were performed with Rulon, carbon-graphite, and babbit rings. The design analysis was used to size all of the rings and to select the ranges of clearances, thickness, and loading. Although full quantitative agreement was lacking, relative agreement existed in that rings that were predicted to perform well theoretically, generally performed well experimentally. Some causes for discrepanices between theory and experiment are believed to be due to starvation, leakage past the secondary seal at high pressures, and uncertainties in the small clearances and local inlet temperatures to the pumping ring. A separate preliminary analysis was performed for a pumping Leningrader seal. This anlaysis can be used to predict the film thickness and flow rate thr ough the seal as a function of pressure, speed, loading, and geometry.

Eusepi, M. W.↗

DOE OSTI2024

Size Up or Size Down? National Analysis of Heat Pump Sizing and Impacts

Electrification of on-site fossil fuel combustion in buildings is recognized as a key component of achieving global greenhouse gas emissions targets. Air-source heat pumps are an efficient approach for space heating electrification. However, a major barrier to heat pump adoption is the high installation cost relative to furnaces and air conditioners. Because the installation cost of heat pumps - especially cold climate models - is dependent on their size, it is important to understand the distribution of heat pump sizes using different sizing methods and factors that impact heat pump sizing. In this study, we use sub-hourly physics simulations of 550,000 statistically representative dwelling units to analyze the distribution of heat pump size in the U.S. for three different efficiency levels of heat pumps, with and without building insulation and air sealing upgrades. We will present results from the national analysis of different factors affecting heat pump sizing along with the impact of sizing decisions on upgrade costs and operating costs.

electrification↗

NASA NTRS1993

Actively controlled shaft seals for aerospace applications

An electronically controlled mechanical seal for use as the purge gas seal in a liquid oxygen turbo pump has been fabricated and tested under transient operating conditions. The thickness of the lubricating film is controlled by adjusting the coning of the carbon face. This is accomplished by applying a voltage to a piezoelectric actuator to which the carbon face is bonded. The seal has been operated with a closed-loop control system that utilizes either the leakage rate or the seal face temperature as the feedback. Both speed and pressure transients have been imposed on the seal. The transient tests have demonstrated that the seal is capable of maintaining low leakage rates while limiting the face temperatures.

Salant, Richard F.↗

DOE OSTI2026

PARTICULATE STUDY OF NEG PUMPS IRRADIATED IN THE CEBAF TUNNEL

Non-evaporable getter (NEG) pumps are being used to maintain ultra-high vacuum in the beamline of superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) accelerators, such as the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab. Because of the sensitivity of the performance of SRF cavities to particulate contamination, it is important to evaluate the integrity of the NEG material after exposure to high radiation during beam operation. The particulate from two NEG pumps based on ZAO® getter alloy was measured with a particle counter in a clean-room. The pumps were assembled onto a hermetically sealed setup which was placed in the CEBAF tunnel. The setup was exposed to 24 h beam operation for ~ 230 days. The total gamma-rays dose measured on the test setup was ~ 1.6 Mrad. The total neutron dose measured at ~ 75 cm of the test setup was ~ 11 krad. The particulate count from the two pumps was measured again in the clean-room after irradiation. Whereas an increase of particulate counts was measured, compared to before irradiation, subsequent measurements indicate the absence of systematically loose particulate. The pumping speed of one of the irradiated pumps was also measured to be consistent with that of a non-irradiated one, corroborating the absence of significant damage to the ZAO® NEG material due to irradiation.

Ciovati, G. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator↗

DOE OSTI2026

PARTICULATE STUDY OF NEG PUMPS IRRADIATED IN THE CEBAF TUNNEL

Ciovati, Gianluigi [Thomas Jefferson National Acce↗

DOE OSTI2022

Characterization of the Insoluble Solids of the 241-17F and 241-49H Pump house Water Sample

Six different water samples from 241-17F and 241-49H pump house were analyzed for chemical and physical characteristics as part of efforts to understand recent mechanical seal failures associated with four new cooling water pumps. A focus of this work was characterization of any “as found” insoluble solids. The insoluble material found in the FCRW (F-Area caustic water treated with sodium chromate at 241-17F) sample are mostly magnetite (Fe3O4 or possibly equipment rust) and silica. It was found that 26% of measured FCRW particles have at least one dimension larger than 15 microns. The insoluble particles found in the source water, domestic water (FDW), are mostly kaolin (aluminosilicate) and some iron oxide. All found FDW particles were larger than 15 microns. The insoluble particles of the other source water, FArea well water (FWW), were mostly iron oxide with some trapped cations like calcium. Only 8% of found FWW particles were bigger than 15 microns.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2026

Demonstration of an All-Refractory Corrosion-Resistant Molten Salt Pumping and Storage Infrastructure Up to 950 degrees C

Concentrating solar power (CSP) with thermal energy storage (TES) has an estimated cost similar to solar photovoltaics (PV) with lithium-ion batteries (LIB), but CSP + TES has the potential for significantly reduced cost by operating above 700 degrees C. However, this requires a TES medium and containment infrastructure which are chemically compatible and do not degrade above 700 degrees C. MgCl2-KCl-NaCl (MKN) salt is a promising medium, but when MKN salt has small amounts of water and oxygen dissolved in it, it excessively corrodes conventional commercial alloys. Here, we consider refractory materials including graphite, carbon-carbon composite (C/C), and molybdenum because they maintain high mechanical strength at elevated temperatures and are expected to resist corrosion by MKN salt. While selection of refractory materials is often constrained by the need to remain chemically stable in air, this work uses an enclosure filled with inert gas to allow the use of materials like graphite and molybdenum. Notably, graphite components can seal against liquids unlike many brittle refractory materials. We demonstrate a centrifugal pump and mechanical seals made of refractory materials in a laboratory-scale circulation loop, which successfully operated continuously for more than 49 h at temperatures ranging from 750 degrees C to 950 degrees C with no mechanical failures or chemical degradation of the refractory materials. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest temperature molten salt circulation loop that has been successfully developed, and this refractory infrastructure allows for operation at even much higher temperatures (<1600 degrees C) if a storage medium with a lower vapor pressure is used. The principles of this architecture are relevant to other applications with high temperature flowing metals and salts including Generation IV nuclear fission reactors for power production and molten salt electrolysis reactors for metallurgical processing.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗