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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 NTRS1974

RSRA sixth scale wind tunnel test

The sixth scale model of the Sikorsky/NASA/Army rotor systems research aircraft was tested in an 18-foot section of a large subsonic wind tunnel for the purpose of obtaining basic data in the areas of performance, stability, and body surface loads. The model was mounted in the tunnel on the struts arranged in tandem. Basic testing was limited to forward flight with angles of yaw from -20 to +20 degrees and angles of attack from -20 to +25 degrees. Tunnel test speeds were varied up to 172 knots (q = 96 psf). Test data were monitored through a high speed static data acquisition system, linked to a PDP-6 computer. This system provided immediate records of angle of attack, angle of yaw, six component force and moment data, and static and total pressure information. The wind tunnel model was constructed of aluminum structural members with aluminum, fiberglass, and wood skins. Tabulated force and moment data, flow visualization photographs, tabulated surface pressure data are presented for the basic helicopter and compound configurations. Limited discussions of the results of the test are included.

Flemming, R.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Hazard Detection Methods for Lunar Landing

The methods and experiences from the Apollo Program are fundamental building blocks for the development of lunar landing strategies for the Constellation Program. Each of the six lunar landing Apollo missions landed under near ideal lighting conditions. The astronauts visually performed terrain relative navigation while looking out of windows, and were greatly aided by external communication and well lit scenes. As the LM approached the landing site, the astronauts performed visual hazard detection and avoidance, also under near-ideal lighting conditions. The astronauts were looking out of the windows trying to the best of their ability to avoid rocks, slopes, and craters and find a safe landing location. NASA has expressed a desire for global lunar access for both crewed and robotic sortie lunar exploration missions (Cook, 2007) (Dale, 2006). Early NASA architecture studies have identified the lunar poles as desirable locations for early lunar missions. These polar missions have less than ideal lighting conditions and will significantly affect the way a crewed vehicle plans to land at such locales. Consequently, a variety of hazard identification methods should be considered for use by the crew to ensure a high degree of safety. This paper discusses such identification methods applicable to the poorly lit polar lunar environment, better ensuring global access for the soon to be designed Lunar Lander Vehicle (LLV).

Brady, Tye↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Where is the Human in the Loop? Human Factors Analysis of Extended Visual Line of Sight Unmanned Aerial System Operations within a Remote Operations Environment

Many envisioned technological and conceptual innovations focus on allocating more functions to automation, relegating the human as an afterthought if not a nuisance. Yet, until complete autonomy is realized, the human will remain “in the loop”. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is supporting research for the development and maturation of automated technologies and architectures for the future of advanced air mobility. Standing up a remote operations center used to control, manage, and monitor multiple highly automated vehicles is an important step towards realizing the advanced air mobility vision. At the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Langley Research Center, a remote operation center exists and has been tested using humans piloting simulated vehicles. In this paper, we explore the human element within live flight operations that rely on increasingly automated technologies. Four ground control station operators performed multiple live flight operations. We employed a naturalistic approach and relied on qualitative data such as interviews and discussions with subject matter experts to help facilitate discovery. The present work evaluates the functions that the human and the automation had during the live operations, lists psychological constructs that may have promoted or reduced task performance, and provides recommendations on design of the remote operations environment and training of future ground control station operators.

Advanced Air Mobility↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Where is the Human in the Loop? Human Factors Analysis of Extended Visual Line of Sight Unmanned Aerial System Operations within a Remote Operations Environment

Advanced Air Mobility↗

DOE OSTI2020

Towards Interactive, Reproducible Analytics at Scale on HPC Systems

The growth in scientific data volumes has resulted in a need to scale up processing and analysis pipelines using High Performance Computing (HPC) systems. These workflows need interactive, reproducible analytics at scale. The Jupyter platform provides core capabilities for interactivity but was not designed for HPC systems. In this paper, we outline our efforts that bring together core technologies based on the Jupyter Platform to create interactive, reproducible analytics at scale on HPC systems. Our work is grounded in a real world science use case-applying geophysical simulations and inversions for imaging the subsurface. Our core platform addresses three key areas of the scientific analysis workflow-reproducibility, scalability, and interactivity. We describe our implemention of a system, using Binder, Science Capsule, and Dask software. We demonstrate the use of this software to run our use case and interactively visualize real-Time streams of HDF5 data.

containers↗

DOE OSTI2020

Pulsed Thermal Tomography Nondestructive Examination of Additively Manufactured Reactor Materials (Second Annual Progress Report)

Additive manufacturing (AM) is an emerging method for cost-efficient fabrication of nuclear reactor parts. AM of metallic structures for nuclear energy applications is currently based on laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process, which can introduce internal material flaws, such as pores and anisotropy. Integrity of AM structures needs to be evaluated nondestructively because material flaws could lead to premature failures due to exposure to high temperature, radiation and corrosive environment in a nuclear reactor. Thermal tomography (TT) provides a capability for non-destructive evaluation of sub-surface defects in arbitrary size structures. Thermal tomography is a computational method for heat diffusion-based imaging of solids, which provides 3D visualization of data from flash thermography measurements. We investigate thermal tomography imaging and nondestructive evaluation of stainless steel and nickel super alloy metallic structures produced with laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing (AM) process. Metallic structures produced with LPBF contain defects, and there are limited capabilities to evaluate these structures non-destructively. Thermal tomography reconstruction of 3D apparent spatial effusivity provides information about AM structure geometry and internal material flaws. We study performance of thermal tomography in imaging of metallic structures through COMSOL computer simulations of transient heat transfer, and through reconstruction of data obtained from experimental measurements. Reconstruction of internal defects is investigated using a stainless steel 316L specimen with flat bottom hole (FBH) indentations, and Inconel 718 plate produced with laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) method, which contains imprinted hemispherical shape low density regions containing non-sintered metallic powder. The FBH’s have the same sizes as the imprinted defects in the LPBF specimens, but offer better imaging contrast. Thermal tomography reconstructions provide visualizations of internal defects, and allow for estimation of their sizes and locations. Detection sensitivity of TT is limited by noises. We investigate separation of signal from noise in thermography images using several machine learning (ML) methods, including new spatio-temporal blind source separation (STBSS) and spatio-temporal sparse dictionary learning (STSDL) methods. Performance of the ML methods is benchmarked using thermography data obtained from imaging stainless steel 316L and Inconel 718 specimens produced LPBF method with imprinted calibrated porosity defects. The ML methods are ranked by F-score and execution runtime. Finally, we investigate TT of AM stainless steel 316L specimen with imprinted internal porosity defects using relatively low-cost, small form factor infrared (IR) camera based on uncooled micro bolometer detector. Sparse coding related K-means singular value decomposition (SVD) machine learning, image processing algorithms are developed to improve quality of TT images through removal of Additive white Gaussian noise without blurring the images. Following initial qualification of an AM component for deployment in a nuclear reactor, a compact TT can also be used for in-service nondestructive evaluation (NDE). With capability to perform in-service NDE of the AM component lifecycle, TT data can be used for development of a component digital twin.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

NASA NTRS1992

HUD Guidance for the ASKA Experimental STOL Aircraft using Radar Position Information

The paper describes a high performance HUD guidance system installed on the experimental powered-lift STOL aircraft Aska. Since the maiden flight in October 1985, the HUD system has been used in all the flight tests. The HUD has an accurate flight path symbol generated by inertial velocity from the IRS which is updated by up-linked precision radar position data. The flight path symbol is very useful for precise approach and flare control for Aska which has large ground effects. A synthetic runway is also presented, which is conformal with the real runway, using the position data from the ground tracking radar system. Under instrument meteorological conditions, the pilot can approach and land using the HUD synthetic runway as well as in visual meteorological conditions. The HUD system proved to be a valuable aid to the pilot for all the Aska flight tests. A NASA Ames Research Center test pilot demonstrated touch down accuracy of less than 8 meters (peak to peak) for a series of three landings.

Yazawa, Kenji↗

NASA NTRS2011

Jump-Down Performance Alterations after Space Flight

INTRODUCTION: Successful jump performance requires functional coordination of visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems, which are affected by prolonged exposure to microgravity. Astronauts returning from space flight exhibit impaired ability to coordinate effective landing strategies when jumping from a platform to the ground. This study compares jump strategies used by astronauts before and after flight, changes to those strategies within a test session, and recoveries in jump-down performance parameters across several postflight test sessions. These data were obtained as part of an ongoing interdisciplinary study (Functional Task Test, FTT) designed to evaluate both astronaut postflight functional performance and related physiological changes. METHODS: Seven astronauts from short-duration (Shuttle) and three from long-duration (International Space Station) flights performed 3 two-footed jumps from a platform 30 cm high onto a force plate that measured the ground reaction forces and center-of-pressure displacement from the landings. Neuromuscular activation data were collected from the medial gastrocnemius and anterior tibialis of both legs using surface electromyography electrodes. Two load cells in the platform measured the load exerted by each foot during the takeoff phase of the jump. Data were collected in 2 preflight sessions, on landing day (Shuttle only), and 1, 6, and 30 days after flight. RESULTS: Postural settling time was significantly increased on the first postflight test session and many of the astronauts tested were unable to maintain balance on their first jump landing but recovered by the third jump, showing a learning progression in which performance improvements could be attributed to adjustments in takeoff or landing strategy. Jump strategy changes were evident in reduced air time (time between takeoff and landing) and also in increased asymmetry in foot latencies on takeoff. CONCLUSIONS: The test results revealed significant decrements in astronauts abilities to maintain balance and achieve a postural stability upon landing from a jump early after flight. However, the jump landing adaptation process often begins after the first jump with full recovery of most performance parameters within days after space flight. As expected, performance of ISS astronauts on the first day after flight was similar to that of Shuttle crewmembers on landing day.

Reschke, M. F.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Lessons for Future In-Space Telerobotic Servicing from Robotic Refueling Mission

The Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) was a multi-phased technology development effort by the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). The program leveraged the existing robotic systems and expertise of the International Space Station (ISS) program and the tool design and satellite servicing expertise of NASA’s Exploration & In-space Services (NExIS) Projects Division at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to evaluate new hardware and techniques for on-orbit telerobotic servicing. Between 2011 and 2021, two external ISS payloads housed over a dozen robotic tools and adapters designed to service a variety of existing and novel satellite interfaces. Robot operators at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) and CSA used the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) to retrieve and operate these tools for tasks such as cutting wires or multi-layer insulation blanketing, removing valve caps, mating electrical connectors, transferring fluids, and performing visual inspections inside a vehicle. Each phase of RRM involved years of preparation. Tool and interface designs were prototyped and evaluated using both NASA and Canadian ground robotic systems. Procedures were developed by GSFC engineers and vetted in partnership with JSC and CSA robot operators. GSFC engineers were trained to provide real-time support during on-orbit operations. These preparatory efforts and the successful on-orbit evaluations yielded an array of lessons for future in-space telerobotic missions. Designing robotic tools for the space environment requires special consideration of materials, indicators, and differences between ground and flight use cases and environments. When there is a limited window for on-orbit operations, devoting time and high-fidelity hardware to ground testing can be critical. Needs during potential troubleshooting are more essential to camera view quality, frame rate, and position requirements more than nominal operations. Detailed hardware manuals, nominal and contingency procedures, along with clearly defined operations team roles and protocols are vital for efficiency. RRM also demonstrated how the ISS can be utilized to increase the technology readiness levels required for future missions and led to additional technology partnerships between NExIS and the ISS program. The lessons from RRM are currently being applied to designs, operations concepts, and ground test methodology for missions such as On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing1(OSAM-1)and Mars Sample Return.

Zakiya Tomlinson↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Virtual Reality Planning Environment for High-Risk, High-Latency Teleoperation

In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing has the potential to enable larger-scale and longer-lived infrastructure projects in space. Servicing in particular has the potential to vastly increase the usable lifetimes of satellites, both newly launched and existing. However, some of these servicing tasks require delicate manipulation and, to apply to existing satellites, need to be able to operate on structures that were not designed for servicing and, in some cases, where the exact shape of the structure is not known in advance. For this reason, human-in-the-loop ground-based teleoperation is the only option for some missions. Ground-based teleoperation presents its own difficulties. In addition to the challenge of performing delicate operations in constrained spaces, communication with the servicing platform is subject to a variable time delay on the order of 2-7 seconds, and the only visual feedback comes from camera views with limited situational awareness and viewing angles.

Teleoperation↗

DOE OSTI2017

Direct atomic-level insight into the active sites of a high-performance PGM-free ORR catalyst

Platinum group metal–free (PGM-free) metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts have emerged as a promising alternative to their costly platinum (Pt)–based counterparts in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) but still face some major challenges, including (i) the identification of the most relevant catalytic site for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and (ii) demonstration of competitive PEFC performance under automotive-application conditions in the hydrogen (H 2 )–air fuel cell. We demonstrate H 2 -air performance gains achieved with an iron-nitrogen-carbon catalyst synthesized with two nitrogen precursors that developed hierarchical porosity. In current densities recorded in the kinetic region of cathode operation, at fuel cell voltages greater than ~0.75 V, were the same as those obtained with a Pt cathode at a loading of 0.1 milligram of Pt per centimeter squared. The catalytic active site we proposed, carbon-embedded nitrogen-coordinated iron (FeN 4 ), was directly visualized with aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, and the contributions of these active sites associated with specific lattice-level carbon structures were explored computationally.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2024

Precision Polishing of Ablator Capsules via in situ Process Monitoring and Machine Learning–Based Optimization

In inertial confinement fusion (ICF) experiments seeking output gains of unity and beyond, the quality of the ablator capsule is paramount for minimizing the hydrodynamic mix that quenches the central hot spot. Defects in the form of foreign particles or missing mass on the surface and within the wall of the capsule are primary offenders. High-density carbon capsules made for ICF experiments at the National Ignition Facility are precision polished to achieve surface smoothness on the order of a few nanometers as well as to minimize isolated defects in the form of pits. Given the critical role of this process, we are developing smart manufacturing techniques with the goal of elevating the efficiency of this process. Our approach is to use MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems)–based sensors to capture the fine vibration signals generated during the polishing process and combine them with synchronized visual feedback as needed. Beyond using these sensors for process monitoring, we use specific deep learning methods to analyze the data and extract correlations with both the process parameters and the final performance of the polishing run. Here, in this work, we describe the multiple fronts we have explored in this regard and the results we have gotten so far. This approach promises to have the potential to ultimately provide real-time feedback that can be used to ensure the progress of the run as well as a means for faster optimization.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Streamlining latent spaces in machine learning using moment pooling

Many machine learning applications involve learning a latent representation of data, which is often high-dimensional and difficult to directly interpret. In this work, we propose “moment pooling,” a natural extension of deep sets networks which drastically decreases the latent space dimensionality of these networks while maintaining or even improving performance. Moment pooling generalizes the summation in deep sets to arbitrary multivariate moments, which enables the model to achieve a much higher effective latent dimensionality for a fixed learned latent space dimension. We demonstrate moment pooling on the collider physics task of quark/gluon jet classification by extending energy flow networks (EFNs) to moment EFNs. We find that moment EFNs with latent dimensions as small as 1 perform similarly to ordinary EFNs with higher latent dimension. This small latent dimension allows for the internal representation to be directly visualized and interpreted, which in turn enables the learned internal jet representation to be extracted in closed form. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Gambhir, Rikab (ORCID:0000000251080448)↗

DOE OSTI2019

Preliminary Designs for Criticality Safety Benchmarks—Iron/Steel/Chromium Series

The nuclear criticality safety community uses critical benchmarks extensively when analyzing nuclear systems. Having benchmarks sensitive to important materials of interest helps to ensure safety and constrain results. Critical benchmarks are also invaluable to the nuclear data community, which uses these benchmarks as a check and measure of quality of nuclear data libraries. Additionally, integral benchmarks are often used to validate the performance of computational tools for simulating nuclear systems. Many integral benchmarks have been documented in the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) handbook, the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) handbook, and the Shielding Integral Benchmark Archive Database (SINBAD). The National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC), operated by Los Alamos National Laboratory, is the only general purpose critical experiments facility in the United States of America. NCERC regularly designs and executes critical experiments and other measurements useful to a wide variety of fields including nuclear criticality safety, commercial nuclear energy, nonproliferation, and nuclear data. NCERC has recently developed tools to visualize gaps and deficiencies in existing criticality benchmarks – this work is still ongoing. Through this work and other reviews, some high priority deficiencies have been identified. This paper aims to highlight three areas where additional critical benchmarks would be useful to the nuclear criticality safety community and various other groups. Additionally, NCERC is seeking feedback in regard to these proposed measurements to make sure they are as useful to as many communities as possible.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1989

High-temperature LDV seed particle development

The feasibility of developing a method for making monodisperse, unagglomerated spherical particles greater than 50 nm in diameter was demonstrated. Carbonaceous particles were made by pyrolyzing ethylene with a pulsed CO2 laser, thereby creating a non-equilibrium mixture of carbon, hydrogen, hydrocarbon vapors, and unpyrolyzed ethylene. Via a complex series of reactions, the carbon and hydrocarbon vapors quickly condensed into the spherical particles. By cooling and dispersing them in a supersonic expansion immediately after their creation, the hot newly-formed spheres were prevented from colliding and coalescing, thus preventing the problem of agglomeration which as plagued other investigators studying laser-simulated particle formation. The cold particles could be left suspended in the residual gases indefinitely without agglomerating. Their uniform sizes and unagglomerated nature were visualized by collecting the particles on filters that were subsequently examined using electron microscopy. It was found the mean particle size can be coarsely controlled by varying the initial ethylene pressure, and can be finely controlled by varying the fluence (energy/unit area) with which the laser irradiates the gas. The motivating application for this research was to manufacture particles that could be used as laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) seeds in high-temperature high-speed flows. Though the particles made in this program will not evaporate until heated to about 3000 K, and thus could serve as LDV seeds in some applications, they are not ideal when the hot atmosphere is also oxidizing. In that situation, ceramic materials would be preferable. Research performed elsewhere has demonstrated that selected ceramic materials can be manufactured by laser pyrolysis of appropriate supply gases. It is anticipated that, when the same gases are used in conjunction with the rapid cooling technique, unagglomerated spherical ceramic particles can be made with little difficulty. Such particles would also be valuable to manufacturers of ceramic or abrasive products, and this technique may find its greatest commercial potential in those areas.

Frish, Michael B.↗

DOE OSTI2018

Imaging of 3D morphological evolution of nanoporous silicon anode in lithium ion battery by X-ray nano-tomography

Nanostructured silicon with its high theoretical capacity and ability to accommodate volume expansion has attracted great attention as a promising anode material for Lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries. Liquid metal dealloying method, is a novel method to create nanoporous silicon (np-Si). The assembled Li-ion batteries based on such np- Si anode can be cycled beyond 1500 cycles, in 1000 mA h/g constant capacity cycling mode with consistent performance; however, it suffers from degradation after ~ 460 cycles, while being cycled under 2000 mA h/g. To reveal the failure mechanism and differences in the morphological evolution in different capacity cycling modes in the np-Si anode, we conducted synchrotron X-ray nano-tomography studies. The three dimensional (3D) morphological evolution was visualized and quantified as a function of the number of cycles and cycling capacities. By comparing the 3D morphology under each cycling condition and correlating these 3D morphological changes with cycling-life performance, we elucidate the failure mechanism of the np-Si electrodes resulting from a mesoscopic to macroscopic deformation, involving volume expansion and gradual delamination. In particular, the shorter cycling life in higher-capacity cycling mode stems from particle agglomeration. Overall, while the nanoporous structure can accommodate the volume expansion locally, these mesoscopic and macroscopic deformations ultimately result in heterogeneous stress distribution with faster delamination. As a result, the work thus sheds the light on the importance to consider the structural evolution at the mesoscopic and macroscopic scales, while designing nano-structured energy storage materials for enhanced performances, particularly for long cycling-life durability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

DOE OSTI2026

A fresh perspective on the role of band bending, and related contributors, in light-driven production of electricity and chemicals

It is widely known that semiconductor-based solar energy conversion could power our planet. This is in part because high-quality semiconductor structures are unrivalled in their ability to separate photogenerated electrons and holes. One effective approach to achieving this photoinduced charge separation relies on a phenomenon known as “band bending”. But details to justify why band bending results in photoinduced charge separation are more complex than often appreciated. This underappreciation is an impediment to the rational, hypothesis-driven design of next-generation approaches to solar energy conversion. Herein we show, by means of derivations rooted in physical chemistry, that several phenomena – not just band bending – can facilitate photoinduced charge separation, and that each is influenced by nonequilibrium species concentration and a parameter, such as diffusion coefficient or rate coefficient, that introduces dynamics. To help visualize the impact of each phenomenon, we introduce plots that depict their contributions as free energy, force, flux, force constant, and rate. We reveal that spatial dopant distributions that define band bending are predictors of initial photogenerated species transport rates. But charge separation alone does not guarantee high-efficiency operation. A photogenerated change in energy that is freely available to do useful work is also essential, and is strongly dependent on semiconductor optical properties and reaction kinetics. Notably, this information reveals that specificity of interfacial chemical reactions – even when they are not preceded by charge separation elsewhere – can result in efficient solar energy conversion. We expect that this tutorial will guide researchers in their pursuit to uncover new mechanisms for light to perform useful work.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2022

X-ray Computed Tomography as a Metrology Technique for the Analysis of Additively Manufactured Material

X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) is an analytical technique used in materials science to non-destructively characterize features in a variety materials like polymer, metals, composites, and explosives. It also has the capability of imaging additively manufacture, machine and assembled parts. The non-destructive imaging allows for the analysis of features (voids and cracks), which give a fundamental understanding of the material characteristics. Additionally, X-ray CT can obtain accurate measurements of dimensional and topographic variations due to different stimuli and assess the accuracy of material production. This study focuses on parts manufactured via metal additive manufacturing (AM). Although AM produces parts faster and easier, the printing process can produce defects (pores and surface roughness) that undermine the part’s mechanical properties and performance. The analysis of 3D printed objects has an asset in that the material has an STL file from which the item was printed, which is not available in many manufactured materials (i.e., foams) due to stochastic structures. For this study, the print accuracy of four additively manufactured cylinders will be assessed via X-ray CTto approximate the surface roughness and visualize any major morphological changes to assess the dimensional accuracy of complex additively manufactured parts. It was concluded that using X-ray CT to measure surface roughness was affective because reasonable surface roughness values were measured. Additionally, itwas determined that small-scale features can be produced via additive manufacturing with strong dimensional accuracy so long as the features are highly complex with sharp grooves.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗