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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 1,315 records · Page 73
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1975

Differential elevon effectiveness lateral control optimization and elevon hinge moment investigation on a 0.015 scale space shuttle orbiter model 49-0 (140A/B/C modified) in the AECD VKF wind tunnel A (0A115)

Experimental aerodynamic investigations were conducted in the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) Von Karman Facility Tunnel A on a scale model of the space shuttle orbiter. The objectives of this test were: (1) determine supersonic differential elevon/aileron lateral control optimization, (2) determine supersonic elevon hinge moments, (3) determine the supersonic effects of the new baseline 6-inch elevon/elevon and elevon/fuselage gaps, and 4) determine the supersonic effects of the new short (VL70-008410) OMS pods. Six-component aerodynamic force, moment, and elevon hinge moment data were recorded.

Esparza, V.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Can We Practically Bring Physics-based Modeling Into Operational Analytics Tools?

We present that analytics software is increasingly used to improve and maintain operational efficiency in commercial buildings. Energy managers, owners, and operators are using a diversity of commercial offerings often referred to as Energy Information Systems, Fault Detection and Diagnostic (FDD) systems, or more broadly Energy Management and Information Systems, to cost-effectively enable savings on the order of ten to twenty percent. Most of these systems use data from meters and sensors, with rule-based and/or data-driven models to characterize system and building behavior. In contrast, physics-based modeling uses first-principles and engineering models (e.g., efficiency curves) to characterize system and building behavior. Historically, these physics-based approaches have been used in the design phase of the building life cycle or in retrofit analyses. Researchers have begun exploring the benefits of integrating physics-based models with operational data analytics tools, bridging the gap between design and operations. In this paper, we detail the development and operator use of a software tool that uses hybrid data-driven and physics-based approaches to cooling plant FDD and optimization. Specifically, we describe the system architecture, models, and FDD and optimization algorithms; advantages and disadvantages with respect to purely data-driven approaches; and practical implications for scaling and replicating these techniques. Finally, we conclude with an evaluation of the future potential for such tools and future research opportunities.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

A Review Towards the Design Optimization of High-Performance Additively Manufactured Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine Injectors

Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines (RDRE) have been marketed primarily for their higher specific impulse potential over constant pressure (CP) liquid rocket engines. However, several other performance advantages exist such as heat transfer advantages for gas expander cycle, increased completeness of combustion at low chamber L*, compact engine design, reduced coolant channel pressure drop potential, and improved injector C* performance. NASA has paved the way for liquid engine system performance enhancement since the Apollo program and continues to do so with metal additive manufacturing (AM), new advanced materials, and advanced propulsion concepts. A team of propulsion development engineers at NASA are in the process of developing high-performance 7K lbf class RDRE hardware for their potential use in lander, upper stage, and even launch vehicle applications. Clear advantages have been demonstrated with AM including program cost and schedule reductions of up to 50%. It is well known that injector performance is integrally linked to the global performance of a combustion device. This is especially the case for RDREs since detonation stability is heavily dependent on the mixedness of propellants. A major goal of this work is to identify what has been done in the open experimental literature and what injectors design features are conducive to high performance in the detonation cycle. This paper reviews the available literature and reports the primary gaps in the knowledge base needed by the pressure gain combustion (PGC) community. Major conclusions are documented, and suggestions given towards the design of high-performance liquid RDRE injectors. In addition, the integration of metal AM into the design of liquid RDRE injector schemes is included.

rotating detonation rocket engine↗
DOE OSTI2023

Experimental investigation of power transient flow boiling

To advance the mechanistic understanding of power transients in flow boiling, experimental investigations are performed to capture the thermal response of four different kinds of cladding materials, including FeCrAls, to Fuchs reactivity initiated accident transients and linear ramp power transients. The transition boiling regime is phenomenologically reflected in power-transient flow boiling, which is different from steady-state boiling. In light of this, the critical heat flux that is usually featured with temperature overshooting does not indicate thermal safety margin of cladding materials as conservatively as the maximum heat flux, which is greater than critical heat flux in the power transient boiling curve. This is physically attributed to the thermal energy deposition on the cladding wall. In addition, the thermal energy released from the cladding wall results in different boiling heat transfer coefficient for the decreasing and increasing power stages respectively during the Fuchs power transient. The maximum heat flux difference gap, which appears due to changes in cladding materials and transient time scales, is appreciable under an intermediate heat convection regime. However, this difference gap is gradually weakened by the progressive increasing of mass flux and/or inlet subcooling due to the enhanced dominance of heat convection over heat conduction. Finally, the small difference gap of maximum heat flux is found to be insignificant under the weak heat convection because of power transient induced annular flow instability.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Hydrodynamic interactions of two nearly touching Brownian spheres in a stiff potential: Effect of fluid inertia

The hydrodynamic interaction of two closely spaced micron-scale spheres undergoing Brownian motion was measured as a function of their separation. Each sphere was attached to the distal end of a different atomic force microscopy cantilever, placing each sphere in a stiff one-dimensional potential (0.08 Nm{sup −1}) with a high frequency of thermal oscillations (resonance at 4 kHz). As a result, the sphere’s inertial and restoring forces were significant when compared to the force due to viscous drag. We explored interparticle gap regions where there was overlap between the two Stokes layers surrounding each sphere. Our experimental measurements are the first of their kind in this parameter regime. The high frequency of oscillation of the spheres means that an analysis of the fluid dynamics would include the effects of fluid inertia, as described by the unsteady Stokes equation. However, we find that, for interparticle separations less than twice the thickness of the wake of the unsteady viscous boundary layer (the Stokes layer), the hydrodynamic interaction between the Brownian particles is well-approximated by analytical expressions that neglect the inertia of the fluid. This is because elevated frictional forces at narrow gaps dominate fluid inertial effects. The significance is that interparticle collisions and concentrated suspensions at this condition can be modeled without the need to incorporate fluid inertia. We suggest a way to predict when fluid inertial effects can be ignored by including the gap-width dependence into the frequency number. We also show that low frequency number analysis can be used to determine the microrheology of mixtures at interfaces.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Three-dimensional super line-localization in low signal-to-noise microscope images via prior-apprised unsupervised learning (PAUL)

Biological processes such as processive enzyme turnover and intracellular cargo tracking involve the dynamic motion of a small "article" along a curvilinear biopolymer track. To understand these processes that occur across multiple length and time scales, one must acquire both the trajectory of the particle and the position of the track along which it moves, possibly by combining high-resolution single-particle tracking with conventional microscopy. Yet, usually there is a significant resolution mismatch between these modalities: while the tracked particle is localized with a precision of 10 nm, the image of the surroundings is limited by optical difraction, with 200 nm lateral and 500 nm axial resolutions. Compared to the particle's trajectory, the surrounding curvilinear structure appears as a blurred and noisy image. This disparity in the spatial resolutions of the particle trajectory and the surrounding curvilinear structure image makes data reconstruction, as well as interpretation, particularly challenging. Analysis is further complicated when the curvilinear structures are oriented arbitrarily in 3D space. Here, we present a prior-apprised unsupervised learning (PAUL) approach to extract information from 3D images where the underlying features resemble a curved line such as a filament or microtubule. This three-stage framework starts with a Hessian-based feature enhancement, which is followed by feature registration, where local line segments are detected on repetitively sampled subimage tiles. In the final stage, statistical learning, segments are clustered based on their geometric relationships. Principal curves are then approximated from each segment group via statistical tools including principal component analysis, bootstrap and kernel transformation. This procedure is characterized on simulated images, where sub-voxel medium deviations from true curves have been achieved. The 3D PAUL approach has also been implemented for successful line localization in experimental 3D images of gold nanowires obtained using a multifocal microscope. Lastly, this work not only bridges the resolution gap between two microscopy modalities, but also allows us to conduct 3D super line-localization imaging experiments, without using super-resolution techniques.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2013

Development of a Generalized Methodology for Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis Using Nonlinear Time-Domain TechniquesNEAMS Program, DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE-41)

A generalized time-domain method for Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis is developed, based upon an extension of the Bielak Method. The methodology is combined with the use of a simple hysteretic soil model based upon the Ramberg-Osgood formulation and applied to a notional Small Modular Reactor. These benchmark results compare well with those obtained by using the industry-standard frequency-domain code SASSI. The methodology provides a path forward for investigation of other sources of nonlinearity, including those associated with the use of more physically-realistic material models incorporating pore-pressure effects, gap opening/closing, the effect of nonlinear structural elements, and 3D seismic inputs.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Efficient Generalizable Deep Learning

Stochastic optimization is a fundamental field of research for machine learning. Stochastic gradient descent (SGD) and related methods provide a feasible means to train complicated prediction models over large datasets. SGD, however, does not explicitly address the problem of overfitting, which can lead to predictions that perform poorly on new data. This difference between loss performance on unseen testing data verses that of training data defines the generalization gap of a model. We introduce a new computational kernel called Stochastic Hessian Projection (SHP) that uses a maximum likelihood framework to simultaneously estimate gradient noise covariance and local curvature of the loss function. Our analysis illustrates that these quantities affect the evolution of parameter uncertainty and therefore generalizability. We show how these computations allow us to predict the generalization gap without requiring holdout data. Explicitly assessing this metric for generalizability during training may improve machine learning predictions when data is scarce and understanding prediction variability is critical.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Recommendations for Trust and Encryption in DER Interoperability Standards

Recently developed Distributed Energy Resource (DER) interoperability standards include communication and cyber security requirements. In 2018, the US national interconnection standard, IEEE 1547, was revised to require DER to include a Sun Spec Modbus, IEEE 2030.5 (Smart Energy Profile, SEP 2.0), or IEEE 1815 (DNP3) communication interface but does not include any normative overarching cybersecurity requirements. IEEE 2030.5 and associated implementation requirements for California, known as the California Smart Inverter Profile (CSIP), prescribe the greatest security features - including encryption, authentication, and key management requirements. Sun Spec Modbus and IEEE 1815 security requirements are not as comprehensive, leading to implementation questions throughout the industry. Further, while the security features in IEEE 2030.5 are commonly used in computing platforms, there are still questions of how well the technologies will scale in highly-distributed, computationally-limited inverter environments. In this paper, (a) the elements of IEEE 2030.5 encryption, authentication, and key management guidelines are analyzed, (b) potential scalability gaps are identified, and (c) alternative technologies are explored for possible inclusion in DER interoperability or cyber security standards.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Photonic-crystal-fiber-delivered laser-triggered high-voltage gas switch

A photonic-crystal-fiber-delivered laser-triggered high-voltage gas switch can deliver a peak irradiance of greater than 5.1×1011 W/cm2 to the AK gap for a laser having a wavelength of 1064 nm. The switch is capable of operating at pressures up to 2200 psi; voltages across the gap of greater than 200 kV; operation at less than 70% self-break voltage; shot-to-shot jitter of less than 3 ns; AK gap distances of 3 mm or smaller; and triggering via a fiber-delivered laser pulse energy of as low as 500 μJ.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analysis on the Preliminary Gap Conductance Test with Single Primary Heat Extraction and Removal Emulator

Microreactor is a type of nuclear reactor that is intended to produce thermal energy from the micro and integrated design. Among various microreactor roadmaps, microreactor with heat pipes is one of the promising designs that under active development. At Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and supported by the Department of Energy (DOE) Microreactor Program (MRP), a Single Primary Heat Extraction and Removal Emulator (SPHERE) was developed. The main purpose of SPHRE is to understand thermal performance of heat pipe in the conjunction of heat source without using nuclear material. The heat pipe used in the SPHERE has sodium as a working fluid, with Argon gas in the vapor region, thus this heat pipe is variable conductance heat pipe (VCHP). The volume of non-condensable gas changes with power and elapsed time, so the area covered by non-condensable gas changes. This gives an effect that passively controls the cooling capability of condenser section. This preliminary experiment was intended to perform a gap conductance experiment that reveals heat transfer characteristics of gas at the gap around the heat pipe. However, there are not many experimental data that deals with heat transfer of the gas at the gap around heat pipe. In this research, the preliminary experimental result regarding to the heat pipe performance with different composition of gas at the gap, level of power is presented. The experimental data will be used for the validation study of SOCKEYE as a future plan.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

Developing Methods to Assess Changes in Mechanical Properties of Shale Modified by Engineered Mineral Precipitation

Fractures in subsurface shale formations serve multiple purposes, for example, in the recovery of resources in hydraulic fracturing or as potential harmful leakage passages through caprocks that may contribute undesired fluids to the atmosphere or functional groundwater aquifers. A proposed method to seal or influence fracture properties is Ureolysis-Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation (UICP), a bio-mineralization technology driven by the enzymatic hydrolysis of urea, resulting in the formation of calcium carbonate. Sporosarcina pasteurii is a common microbe used as the source of the urease enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction. The resulting calcium carbonate can bridge the gaps in fractured shale and reduce fluid flow through fractures. However, there is little information on how this process affects the mechanical properties of the resulting biomineralized shale. This study represents the first step toward determining the influence of UICP treatment on shale material and its subsequent mechanical strength properties. This methods development study aims to determine the effect that temperature has on the tensile strength of intact, unfractured shale cores (2.54 cm (1 in) diameter, 5.08 cm (2 in) long). Tensile strength was determined indirectly using a modified Brazilian test where the splitting tensile strength is attained by applying a compressive load onto the core. Shale cores from Eagle Ford and Wolfcamp formations were tested at both room temperature and 60°C to determine if increased temperature influences the tensile strength of the rock. This data will help to assess the necessity of testing biomineralized cores at temperature. Though 60°C may not mimic subsurface temperatures of the shales used in this study, it was chosen due to limitations of the UICP process while still approaching temperatures of shale formations. This project aims to evaluate what effect temperature has on the mechanical properties of intact shale cores so that engineered or natural rock fractures that are sealed by biomineralization can be better understood.

Bedey, Kayla↗
DOE OSTI2024

The Overlooked Potential of Sulfated Zirconia: Reexamining Solid Superacidity Toward the Controlled Depolymerization of Polyolefins

Closed-loop recycling via an efficient chemical process can help alleviate the global plastic waste crisis. However, conventional depolymerization methods for polyolefins, which compose more than 50% of plastics, demand high temperatures and pressures, employ precious noble metals, and yield complex mixtures of products limited to single-use fuels or oils. Superacidic sulfated zirconia (SZrO) with Hammet Acidity Functions (H 0 ) = -12 (i.e., stronger than 100% H 2 SO 4 ) is an industrially deployed heterogeneous catalyst capable of activating hydrocarbons under mild conditions and is shown to decompose polyolefins at ambient pressure and temperatures near 200 °C. Additionally, confinement of active sites in porous supports is known to radically increase selectivity, coking and sintering resistance, and acid site activity, presenting a possible approach to low-energy polyolefin depolymerization. However, a critical examination of the literature on SZrO led us to a surprising conclusion: despite 40 years of catalytic study, engineering, and industrial use, the surface chemistry of SZrO is poorly understood. Ostensibly spurred by SZrO's impressive catalytic activity, the application-driven study of SZrO has resulted in deleterious ambiguity in requisite synthetic conditions and insufficient characterization of acidity, porosity, and active site structure. Here, this ambiguity has produced significant knowledge gaps surrounding the synthesis, structure, and mechanisms of hydrocarbon activation for optimized SZrO, stunting the potential of this catalyst in olefin cracking and other industrially relevant reactions, such as isomerization, esterification, and alkylation. Toward mitigating these long extant issues, we herein identify and highlight these current shortcomings and knowledge gaps, propose explicit guidelines for characterization of and reporting on characterization of solid acidity, and discuss the potential of pore-confined superacids in the efficient and selective depolymerization of polyolefins.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Signatures of Weyl Fermion Annihilation in a Correlated Kagome Magnet

The manipulation of topological states in quantum matter is an essential pursuit of fundamental physics and next-generation quantum technology. Here we report the magnetic manipulation of Weyl fermions in the kagome spin-orbit semimetal Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 , observed by high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy. We demonstrate the exchange collapse of spin-orbit-gapped ferromagnetic Weyl loops into paramagnetic Dirac loops under suppression of the magnetic order. We further observe that topological Fermi arcs disappear in the paramagnetic phase, suggesting the annihilation of exchange-split Weyl points. In conclusion, our findings indicate that magnetic exchange collapse naturally drives Weyl fermion annihilation, opening new opportunities for engineering topology under correlated order parameters.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Increasing Rubisco as a simple means to enhance photosynthesis and productivity now without lowering nitrogen use efficiency

Summary Global demand for food may rise by 60% mid‐century. A central challenge is to meet this need using less land in a changing climate. Nearly all crop carbon is assimilated through Rubisco, which is catalytically slow, reactive with oxygen, and a major component of leaf nitrogen. Developing more efficient forms of Rubisco, or engineering CO 2 concentrating mechanisms into C 3 crops to competitively repress oxygenation, are major endeavors, which could hugely increase photosynthetic productivity (≥ 60%). New technologies are bringing this closer, but improvements remain in the discovery phase and have not been reduced to practice. A simpler shorter‐term strategy that could fill this time gap, but with smaller productivity increases (c. 10%) is to increase leaf Rubisco content. This has been demonstrated in initial field trials, improving the productivity of C 3 and C 4 crops. Combining three‐dimensional leaf canopies with metabolic models infers that a 20% increase in Rubisco increases canopy photosynthesis by 14% in sugarcane (C 4 ) and 9% in soybean (C 3 ). This is consistent with observed productivity increases in rice, maize, sorghum and sugarcane. Upregulation of Rubisco is calculated not to require more nitrogen per unit yield and although achieved transgenically to date, might be achieved using gene editing to produce transgene‐free gain of function mutations or using breeding.

Plant Sciences↗
NASA NTRS1973

Measurements of the performance of multiwire proportional chambers

Data are presented that may be useful in formulating engineering specifications and test procedures for the proportional counter hodoscope to be flown as part of the High Energy Cosmic Ray Experiment on the High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO), Mission A. A collection of preliminary data taken in laboratory tests of multiwire counters with an anode wire spacing of 5 mm and cathode gap spacing of 1 cm is presented. The data are from laboratory development models or counters for balloon flights and were selected to illustrate several aspects of proper and improper counter performance. Most of the data were taken from a large proportional counter hodoscope which has an active area of 0.5 by 0.5 m and 104 wires per plane.

Austin, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Development of braided rope seals for hypersonic engine applications: Flow modeling

A new type of engine seal is being developed to meet the needs of advanced hypersonic engines. A seal braided of emerging high temperature ceramic fibers comprised of a sheath-core construction was selected for study based on its low leakage rates. Flexible, low-leakage, high temperature seals are required to seal the movable engine panels of advanced ramjet-scramjet engines either preventing potentially dangerous leakage into backside engine cavities or limiting the purge coolant flow rates through the seals. To predict the leakage through these flexible, porous seal structures new analytical flow models are required. Two such models based on the Kozeny-Carman equations are developed herein and are compared to experimental leakage measurements for simulated pressure and seal gap conditions. The models developed allow prediction of the gas leakage rate as a function of fiber diameter, fiber packing density, gas properties, and pressure drop across the seal. The first model treats the seal as a homogeneous fiber bed. The second model divides the seal into two homogeneous fiber beds identified as the core and the sheath of the seal. Flow resistances of each of the main seal elements are combined to determine the total flow resistance. Comparisons between measured leakage rates and model predictions for seal structures covering a wide range of braid architectures show good agreement. Within the experimental range, the second model provides a prediction within 6 to 13 percent of the flow for many of the cases examined. Areas where future model refinements are required are identified.

Mutharasan, Rajakkannu↗
NASA NTRS1993

Development of thin film thermocouples on ceramic materials for advanced propulsion system applications

Thin film thermocouples were developed for use on metal parts in jet engines to 1000 C. However, advanced propulsion systems are being developed that will use ceramic materials and reach higher temperatures. The purpose is to develop thin film thermocouples for use on ceramic materials. The new thin film thermocouples are Pt13Rh/Pt fabricated by the sputtering process. Lead wires are attached using the parallel-gap welding process. The ceramic materials tested are silicon nitride, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, and mullite. Both steady state and thermal cycling furnace tests were performed in the temperature range to 1500 C. High-heating-rate tests were performed in an arc lamp heat-flux-calibration facility. The fabrication of the thin film thermocouples is described. The thin film thermocouple output was compared to a reference wire thermocouple. Drift of the thin film thermocouples was determined, and causes of drift are discussed. The results of high heating rate tests up to 2500 C/sec are presented. The stability of the ceramic materials is examined. It is concluded that Pt13Rh/Pt thin film thermocouples are capable of meeting lifetime goals of 50 hr or more up to temperatures of 1500 C depending on the stability of the particular ceramic substrate.

Holanda, Raymond↗