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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 1,369 records · Page 76
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

Scientific management and implementation of the geophysical fluid flow cell for Spacelab missions

Scientific support for the spherical convection experiment to be flown on Spacelab 3 was developed. This experiment takes advantage of the zero gravity environment of the orbiting space laboratory to conduct fundamental fluid flow studies concerned with thermally driven motions inside a rotating spherical shell with radial gravity. Such a system is a laboratory analog of large scale atmospheric and solar circulations. The radial body force necessary to model gravity correctly is obtained by using dielectric polarization forces in a radially varying electric field to produce radial accelerations proportional to temperature. This experiment will answer fundamental questions concerned with establishing the preferred modes of large scale motion in planetary and stellar atmospheres.

Hart, J.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Cold-Flow Model Tests to Determine Static Performance of a NASA One-Sided Ejector Nozzle System

This report presents the results of cold-flow model tests to determine the static performance of multiple configurations of a NASA one-sided ejector nozzle system. The existing ejector nozzle system hardware was provided by NASA and was previously used for acoustic tests. A new facility adapter duct and ejector box support brackets were designed and fabricated by the FluiDyne Aerotest Laboratory of Aero Systems Engineering, Inc. The tests were performed in the Channel 8 static thrust stand at ASE’s FluiDyne Aerotest Laboratory in Plymouth, Minnesota. Facility checkout tests were made using a standard American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) long-radius metering nozzle. These tests demonstrated facility data accuracy at flow conditions similar to the model tests. Channel 8 static tests included 40 ASME nozzle facility checkout tests and 24 model tests (plus an additional 1 at no charge). The model nozzle pressure ratio varied from 1.4 to 3.0. Test results include: thrust coefficients, thrust vector angles and location, nozzle discharge coefficients, charging station total and static pressures, and model static pressure distributions (in the Data Appendix).

McDonald, Timothy J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

The Palomar Adaptive Optics System

Currently under construction at the Jet Propulsion laboratory, the Palomar Adaptive Optics System (PALAO) is a Cassegrain-mounted system for infrared astronomy incorporating active laser metrology to minimize the effects of mechanical flexure.

Palomar Adaptive Optics System palomar optics PALA↗
DOE OSTI2022

Irradiation Experiments and Thermal Analysis for Reactor System Design and Analysis at INL

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is the nation's lead nuclear laboratory working to enhance reactor systems' safety, security, economics, and efficiency. Research and development (R&D) programs at INL support the current fleet of nuclear reactors for safer operation and newer reactors technology design, development, demonstration, and deployment. A major focus of INL's mission is the reactor system design and analysis supported by the irradiation experiments and thermal analysis of advanced and current-generation nuclear fuels and materials. The irradiation experiments and thermal analysis provide a deeper understanding of basic radiation damage processes that can determine the basis for performance improvements and verification of modeling assumptions. These experiments and analyses include experiment management: design, fabrication, characterization, irradiation, and post-irradiation examination. This research involves thermal, neutronic, and material investigation using the INL's Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) and Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) facilities. The results from these experiments and analysis are required to develop the regulatory basis for deploying new or modified fuels and materials. This seminar talk will also provide a general overview of the INL's research facilities, ongoing research programs, core capabilities, and opportunities for students and faculties.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1976

Circulation system for flowing uranium hexafluoride cavity reactor experiments

Research related to determining the feasibility of producing continuous power from fissile fuel in the gaseous state is presented. The development of three laboratory-scale flow systems for handling gaseous UF6 at temperatures up to 500 K, pressure up to approximately 40 atm, and continuous flow rates up to approximately 50g/s is presented. A UF6 handling system fabricated for static critical tests currently being conducted is described. The system was designed to supply UF6 to a double-walled aluminum core canister assembly at temperatures between 300 K and 400 K and pressure up to 4 atm. A second UF6 handling system designed to provide a circulating flow of up to 50g/s of gaseous UF6 in a closed-loop through a double-walled aluminum core canister with controlled temperature and pressure is described. Data from flow tests using UF6 and UF6/He mixtures with this system at flow rates up to approximately 12g/s and pressure up to 4 atm are presented. A third UF6 handling system fabricated to provide a continuous flow of UF6 at flow rates up to 5g/s and at pressures up to 40 atm for use in rf-heated, uranium plasma confinement experiments is described.

Jaminet, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Kinetic isolation tether experiment

Progress was made on the analysis of tether damping and on experimentation of the control system on the laboratory simulator. The damping analysis considers the dynamics of a long tether connecting two spacecraft in Earth orbit, one of the spacecraft having dominant mass. In particular, it considers the material damping of the tether. The results show that, with properly chosen tether material and braiding structure, longitudinal vibration of the tethered system is well damped. A particularly effective method of implementing attitude control for tethered satellites is to use the tether tension force to generate control torques by moving the tether attach point relative to the satellite center of mass. A scaled, one dimensional laboratory simulation of the KITE mission was built and preliminary experiments of the proposed attitude control system were performed. The simulator was built to verify theoretical predictions of attitude controllability, and to investigate the technological requirements in order to implement this concept. A detailed description of the laboratory apparatus is provided, and in addition, the results of the preliminary experiments are presented and discussed.

Powell, J. David↗
DOE OSTI2024

Initial Development of Fusion Magnet Simulation Capabilities for Performance and Safety Evaluation Using the MOOSE Framework

Fusion energy holds the promise of being a transformative technology as a carbon-neutral, sustainable source of energy. Whole device modeling and the development of fusion digital twins will be increasingly important for emerging fusion device concepts at both national laboratories and within the commercial fusion industry. However, meeting the challenge of whole device modeling of fusion energy devices requires robust, multiphysics, multiscale modeling and simulation technologies capable of running on large-scale supercomputers. Detailed analysis of individual systems at-scale is also required to ensure safe and efficient operation as well as provide the safety basis for future device designs and licensing activities. In a tokamak, toroidal and poloidal magnets confine and shape the fusion plasma to promote the fusion reaction. High plasma temperatures and high magnetic field requirements in modern design concepts (leading to high amounts of energy stored within each magnet) impose electrical, thermal, and mechanical loads on the magnet components, which in turn impacts the safety considerations of the magnet and their supporting systems. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has a history of working in this space, including development and benchmarking of the Magnetic System Circuitry Analysis Program (MSCAP) and Magnet Arcing (MAGARC) codes to study magnet quench events; notably, MAGARC was used to study quenching during the ITER Engineering Design Activity. However, these legacy codes and capabilities are not parallel and scalable, and new tools are required for future advances in this area, which leads to the INL-developed Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) framework. Developed originally for fission reactor systems under United States Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy modeling and simulation programs, the MOOSE framework has been well-suited to multiscale, multiphysics modeling and simulation needs for nuclear systems. The framework is open-source, well-tested, under continuous development and deployment, and developed to a Nuclear Quality Assurance, Level 1 software quality standard. MOOSE has also been used in the fusion space previously in several projects: INL’s Tritium Migration Analysis Program, Version 8 (TMAP8) for tritium migration, UK Atomic Energy Authority’s A Unified Resource for OpenMC (fusion) Reactor Applications (AURORA) code for fusion thermo-mechanical and neutronics analysis, and Argonne National Laboratory’s Cardinal for high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics and neutronics. However, to model superconducting magnets, several MOOSE enhancements are required: additions to the current MOOSE electromagnetic capabilities, new material libraries for superconductors of interest (such as YBCO), as well as fusion-specific models for thermo-mechanics. This talk will discuss initial development activities to build these capabilities in MOOSE, focusing on initial validation and benchmarking activities. Proposed coupling workflows and future work to support the simulation of fusion magnets and magnet structural assemblies for performance and safety evaluation in MOOSE will also be discussed.

70 - PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Development of a CubeSat-Scale Green Monopropellant Propulsion System for NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Mission

NASA’s Lunar Flashlight is a low-cost 6U CubeSat whose mission is to search for ice and mineral deposits inside of the scattered craters at Moon’s southern pole. To conduct its primary science mission, Lunar Flashlight must be placed in a stable lunar polar orbit which requires the utilization of an on-board propulsion system. However, to this date, most CubeSats have been propelled by cold-gas or electric propulsion systems that have proven to scale well but lack sufficient impulse to conduct large ΔV maneuvers such as orbit insertions. To this end, the Lunar Flashlight mission has chosen to utilize a custom-designed green monopropellant propulsion system developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology under the leadership ofNASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and support from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The developed system is capable of providing more than the required propulsive capability for full mission success while fitting inside of a 2.5U volume and weighing less than six kilograms. The system utilizes the Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non Toxic (ASCENT) green monopropellant that provides higher specific impulse compared to traditional hydrazine while also being safer to handle. If successful, the presented propulsion system will enable Lunar Flashlight to be the first CubeSat to reach the Moon, the first to conduct an orbit insertion, and will be the firstCubeSat demonstration of the ASCENT propellant.

Grayson Huggins↗
DOE OSTI2023

Investigating Similarity Differences for Light-water-Moderated and Polyethylene-Moderated Systems

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has performed validation studies in support of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s analysis of the Sum-of-Fractions method. Work in a companion paper examines the validation methods and results for various mixtures of fissile isotopes in various concentrations moderated and reflected by water and polyethylene. Those results indicate a greater coverage of critical experiments for validating water moderated and reflected systems versus those moderated and reflected with polyethylene.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Investigation of Mercury Compound Partitioning Through the Solvent Extraction System

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has been requested by Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC)/ Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) personnel to investigate the potential routes for titanium and mercury accumulations within the SWPF Flowsheet. This report documents work performed to examine how various forms of mercury can migrate through the multiple flowsheets of a solvent extraction system. This entailed 29 single stage distribution tests, a multi-stage Extraction-Scrub-Strip (ESS) test, and a detailed speciation analysis of several salt batch feed samples.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2023

Investigating Similarity Differences for Light-Water-Moderated and Polyethylene-Moderated Systems

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has performed validation studies in support of Pacific Northwest Laboratory’s analysis of the Sum-of-Fractions method. Work in a companion paper examines the validation methods and results for various mixtures of fissile isotopes in various concentrations moderated and reflected by light-water and polyethylene. Those results indicate a greater coverage of critical experiments for validating light water moderated and reflected systems vs. those with polyethylene. The work presented here details the analysis of differences between light-water and polyethylene systems developed from the different concentration mixtures utilized in the Sum-of-Fractions validation study. Differences in actinide contributions are detailed, explaining the differences in ck for the various systems. The available tools and analysis techniques in TSUNAMI are described to illustrate how these types of differences can be understood by practitioners.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Understanding the Chemistry of PAHs in H2O Ice

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be incorporated into H O ice grains and mantles found in dense molecular clouds, comets, interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), and many Solar System objects. However, laboratory infrared (IR) spectroscopic studies of PAHs in ices is still a relatively young field. Early research efforts have shown the rich chemistry of PAHs in H O to be dependent on PAH concentration, with the concentration impacting everything from IR band shifts to the photoproducts produced [1-6]. Similarly, research suggests that a potential top-down synthesis route for complex organic molecules or COMs found within solar systems is possible from PAHs in water ice [7]. In order to fully exploit the observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) more IR studies of PAHs in H O ice under relevant astrophysical conditions and planetary systems are needed. The NASA ICEE (Institute for Carbon Evolution Experiments), formerly the NASA Ames PAH IR Laboratory, has been at the forefront of this field. Starting in 2019, just before the COVID-19 shutdown, the ICEE laboratory underwent a major renovation, gearing it towards in-depth PAHs in H O ice research under relevant solar systems and interstellar conditions. The ICEE facility enables us to study the processing of PAHs in H O ice using UV photons and charged particle (electron) irradiation either singly or in combination under ultra-high vacuum and low temperature (15K). We use in-situ measurements with IR, Raman, and mass spectra by which we monitor the chemistry of PAHs in H O ice before, during and after the irradiation. This presentation will summarize the past work regarding PAHs in ices and provide an update on the latest ICEE research results in this area, outlining a roadmap for future research efforts.

Andrew Mattioda↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development of a Power Electronics-based Testbed for a Flexible Combined Heat and Power System

A flexible combined heat and power (F-CHP) concept, enabled by a power electronics-based power conditioning system (PCS), has been recently proposed as a cost-effective way for supporting the grid with high penetration of renewable energy sources. To verify the design, control, and performance of the overall system, a laboratory-scale testbed is essential. This paper focuses on the development of a power electronics-based testbed for such a F-CHP system. The developed testbed can test the control, grid-connected mode operation, islanded mode operation, and mode transitions, including planned/unplanned islanding and reconnection, of the F-CHP system. In the grid-connected mode, both the steady state and transients of the ac grid can be emulated, and various grid support functions can be tested with the help of the developed PCS converter. In the islanded mode, the external ac loads can also be supported by the F-CHP system. Also, the central controller, which is implemented in a NI CompactRIO, can be tested. Experimental test results for the grid-connected mode, islanded mode, and mode transitions are provided to validate the testbed design.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2014

New Software Architecture Options for the TCL Data Acquisition System

The Turbulent Combustion Laboratory (TCL) conducts research on combustion in turbulent flow environments. To conduct this research, the TCL utilizes several pulse lasers, a traversable wind tunnel, flow controllers, scientific grade CCD cameras, and numerous other components. Responsible for managing these different data-acquiring instruments and data processing components is the Data Acquisition (DAQ) software. However, the current system is constrained to running through VXI hardware—an instrument-computer interface—that is several years old, requiring the use of an outdated version of the visual programming language, LabVIEW. A new Acquisition System is being programmed which will borrow heavily from either a programming model known as the Current Value Table (CVT) System or another model known as the Server-Client System. The CVT System model is in essence, a giant spread sheet from which data or commands may be retrieved or written to, and the Server-Client System is based on network connections between a server and a client, very much like the Server-Client model of the Internet. Currently, the bare elements of a CVT DAQ Software have been implemented, consisting of client programs in addition to a server program that the CVT will run on. This system is being rigorously tested to evaluate the merits of pursuing the CVT System model and to uncover any potential flaws which may result in further implementation. If the CVT System is chosen, which is likely, then future work will consist of build up the system until enough client programs have been created to run the individual components of the lab. The advantages of such a System will be flexibility, portability, and polymorphism. Additionally, the new DAQ software will allow the Lab to replace the VXI with a newer instrument interface—the PXI—and take advantage of the capabilities of current and future versions of LabVIEW.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

FY2022 Progress Report on Viscosity and Thermal Conductivity Measurements of Molten Salts

This report describes the development of and experimental measurements made with the thermal conductivity and viscosity measurement systems for molten salts at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The thermal conductivity system is based on a steady-state measurement technique in which a heat flux is driven across a variable gap, and the changes in temperature difference across the gap are measured as the gap size is varied. The system comprises an inner containment, which possesses the heating element, and an outer containment, which possesses the salt specimen and cooling channels. The gap is formed between the outer bottom of the inner containment and the inner bottom of the outer containment. The viscosity system is based on the falling-ball technique in which a salt-filled tubular crucible is fixed at an angle and a ball rolls through the salt. The terminal velocity of the ball can be converted into viscosity via a calibration factor calculated for crucible-ball combinations which account for thermal expansion and flow characteristics. Modifications were made to both systems this fiscal year. Modifications to the thermal conductivity system included adding guard heaters to prevent axial heating losses, and modifications to the viscosity system included changing the crucible design to prevent air pocket formation and providing the ability to conduct measurements with a glass or steel crucible.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2021

L 98-59: A Benchmark System of Small Planets for Future Atmospheric Characterization

The M3V dwarf star L 98-59 hosts three small (R < 1.6 R {sub ⊕}) planets. The host star is bright (K = 7.1) and nearby (10.6 pc), making the system a prime target for follow-up characterization with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Herein, we use simulated transmission spectroscopy to evaluate the detectability of spectral features with HST and JWST assuming diverse atmospheric scenarios (e.g., atmospheres dominated by H{sub 2}, H{sub 2}O, CO{sub 2}, or O{sub 2}). We find that H{sub 2}O and CH{sub 4} present in a low mean molecular weight atmosphere could be detected with HST in one transit for the two outermost planets, while H{sub 2}O in a clear steam atmosphere could be detected in six transits or fewer with HST for all three planets. We predict that observations using JWST/NIRISS would be capable of detecting a clear steam atmosphere in one transit for each planet and H{sub 2}O absorption in a hazy steam atmosphere in two transits or less. In a clear, desiccated atmosphere, O{sub 2} absorption may be detectable for all three planets with NIRISS. If the L 98-59 planets possess a clear, Venus-like atmosphere, NIRSpec could detect CO{sub 2} within 26 transits for each planet, but the presence of H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} clouds would significantly suppress CO{sub 2} absorption. The L 98-59 system is an excellent laboratory for comparative planetary studies of transiting multiplanet systems, and observations of the system via HST and JWST would present a unique opportunity to test the accuracy of the models presented in this study.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS1980

Laboratory evaluation of the pointing stability of the ASPS Vernier System

The annular suspension and pointing system (ASPS) is an end-mount experiment pointing system designed for use in the space shuttle. The results of the ASPS Vernier System (AVS) pointing stability tests conducted in a laboratory environment are documented. A simulated zero-G suspension was used to support the test payload in the laboratory. The AVS and the suspension were modelled and incorporated into a simulation of the laboratory test. Error sources were identified and pointing stability sensitivities were determined via simulation. Statistical predictions of laboratory test performance were derived and compared to actual laboratory test results. The predicted mean pointing stability during simulated shuttle disturbances was 1.22 arc seconds; the actual mean laboratory test pointing stability was 1.36 arc seconds. The successful prediction of laboratory test results provides increased confidence in the analytical understanding of the AVS magnetic bearing technology and allows confident prediction of in-flight performance. Computer simulations of ASPS, operating in the shuttle disturbance environment, predict in-flight pointing stability errors less than 0.01 arc seconds.

Source record↗