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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

Preparation for the Proof of Concept Flight of the Veggie Plant Growth Chamber

Veggie is a small plant growth chamber designed and built by ORBITEC that will fly to the International Space Station on SpaceX-3, scheduled for the summer of 2013. Ultimately Veggie will be used for research, education and outreach, and crew recreation. We want to demonstrate the functionality of this hardware by testing a scenario that could allow the crew to grow and consume fresh vegetables. Veggie will be collapsed and transported flat in a cargo transfer bag, and deployed on orbit, where it will be installed in an EXPRESS rack. The chamber consists of three subsystems: an LED light cap, a transparent bellows, and a root mat reservoir assembly. The bellows and flexible support arms allow the distance between plants and light cap to be adjusted for different ages and types of plants. Researchers at Kennedy Space Center and ORBITEC have been working to develop the plant growth interfaces for the proof of concept flight. We have developed a rooting pillow, consisting of a small bag containing media, time release fertilizer, seeds, and a wicking surface to conduct water from the root mat reservoir. Prototype pillows have been tested and results have influenced the design of flight pillows, which will be modified for microgravity from flight-approved materials. Several studies have been conducted selecting species and comparing media types in analog systems. Water content seems to be the most important factor differentiating media types in these small growth volumes (100 mL). Media type also influenced microbial levels on plants. Since produce sanitizing agents are not currently approved for growing food crops on orbit, plants and media types having very low microbial levels are being selected. Lettuce, mizuna, and other salad greens typically have microbial counts less than 10(exp 4) colony forming units and thus are good candidates for spaceflight. As we approach flight verification testing, we will finalize species, media selection, harvesting, and microbial sampling procedures. Next steps include testing of Veggie flight and ground hardware and associated equipment. This research was funded by NASA.

Massa, Gioia↗
NASA NTRS2014

Veggie Hardware Validation Test Preliminary Results and Lessons Learned

The Veggie hardware validation test, VEG-01, was conducted on the International Space Station during Expeditions 39 and 40 from May through June of 2014. The Veggie hardware and the VEG-01 experiment payload were launched to station aboard the SpaceX-3 resupply mission in April, 2014. Veggie was installed in an Expedite-the-Processing-of-Experiments-to-Space-Station (ExPRESS) rack in the Columbus module, and the VEG-01 validation test was initiated. Veggie installation was successful, and power was supplied to the unit. The hardware was programmed and the root mat reservoir and plant pillows were installed without issue. As expected, a small amount of growth media was observed in the sealed bags which enclosed the plant pillows when they were destowed. Astronaut Steve Swanson used the wet/dry vacuum to clean up the escaped particles. Water insertion or priming the first plant pillow was unsuccessful as an issue prevented water movement through the quick disconnect. All subsequent pillows were successfully primed, and the initial pillow was replaced with a backup pillow and successfully primed. Six pillows were primed, but only five pillows had plants which germinated. After about a week and a half it was observed that plants were not growing well and that pillow wicks were dry. This indicated that the reservoir was not supplying sufficient water to the pillows via wicking, and so the team reverted to an operational fix which added water directly to the plant pillows. Direct watering of the pillows led to a recovery in several of the stressed plants; a couple of which did not recover. An important lesson learned involved Veggie's bellows. The bellows tended to float and interfere with operations when opened, so Steve secured them to the baseplate during plant tending operations. Due to the perceived intensity of the LED lights, the crew found it challenging to both work under the lights and read crew procedures on their computer. Although the lights are not a safety hazard, for visual comfort crewmembers were advised to wear sunglasses when working with the plants and then they can lift glasses to read procedures. Steve Swanson had already trail-blazed this procedure when he initiated VEG-01. The temperature and humidity data logger was relocated mid-experiment to provide measurements on both sides of the unit. Images of the plants were downlinked weekly, and videos of installation and harvest were recorded. This imaging frequency was not sufficient to monitor and respond to changes in plant growth. Plants, samples, and data loggers will be returned on SpaceX-4, scheduled to return the fall of 2014. Lessons learned will be translated into hardware and operational modifications for future Veggie payloads.

International Space Station↗
NASA NTRS2017

Mechanical Design of a 4-Stage ADR for the PIPER mission

The four 1,280 bolometer detector arrays that will fly on the balloon borne PIPER mission will be cooled by a 4-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR). Two of the three mechanically independent ADR assemblies provide thermal isolation to their salt pills through Kevlar suspensions while the other provides thermal isolation to its salt pill through the use of bellows and Vespel material. The ADR integrates with the detector arrays and it sits in a large bucket Dewar containing superfluid liquid helium. This paper will describe the complex mechanical design of the PIPER ADR, and summarize the mechanical analysis done to validate the design.The four 1,280 bolometer detector arrays that will fly on the balloon borne PIPER mission will be cooled by a 4-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR). Two of the three mechanically independent ADR assemblies provide thermal isolation to their salt pills through Kevlar suspensions while the other provides thermal isolation to its salt pill through the use of bellows and Vespel material. The ADR integrates with the detector arrays and it sits in a large bucket Dewar containing superfluid liquid helium. This paper will describe the complex mechanical design of the PIPER ADR, and summarize the mechanical analysis done to validate the design.

Cryogenics↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Experimental Characterization of Additively Manufactured Nickel-Titanium Shape Memory Alloy Heat Pipes

Shape memory alloys (SMA) have been identified for use in spacecraft components as replacement for conventional deployment mechanisms. They may be used in thermal management components such as radiators to create self-deploying radiators. One SMA, NiTi, has also been developed for additive manufacturing processes. Heat pipes are a common way to create highly effective and lightweight spaceflight radiators, and heat pipes can also be made from NiTi and related alloys. The wick is the critical element of a functioning heat pipe, and recent progress over the past years has led to the development of additively manufactured heat pipe wicks in various materials. The combination of these efforts is the focus of this project: creating an additively manufactured, shape memory alloy self-deploying heat pipe radiator. This paper will focus on the experimental characterization of these additively manufactured NiTi heat pipes. The heat pipe coupons were additively manufactured by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), with an integral liquid cooled condenser. Heat is input to the heat pipe via a thin film heater. Thermocouples were spot welded to the heat pipes to measure temperature at several axial locations. The heat pipes were tested with two working fluids: water and ethanol. Ethanol is not an ideal working fluid for heat pipes but is useful in characterizing them because it wets well to a wide variety of surfaces. Water is in general a superior working fluid for heat pipes, but its contact angle and therefore wicking performance strongly depends on the surface chemistry of the surface it is in contact with. A particular measurement of interest in this test is the evaporator to condenser thermal conductance, which will be compared in the full paper to recently published correlations for additively manufactured heat pipes. Experimental results for two straight geometry and one bellows geometry heat pipe will be presented. The bellows geometry is of interest for condenser of the self-deploying radiator design.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2025

Undulating transducer for energy harnessing and propulsion apparatuses, methods and systems

Embodiments disclosed may serve the function of a pump, a generator, or a propulsion system. Two flexible fins are coupled via their longitudinal inner edges to fin coupling modules. An external fluid flow causes traveling fin undulations. The angle of the fins relative to each other changes as undulations travel along the fins which can be translated through the fin coupling modules into mechanical work, powered by the external fluid flow. The mechanical work of the fin coupling modules may be the cyclical extension and contraction of pistons or bellows incorporated into the fin coupling modules, which may draw ambient fluid during their extension cycles and compress fluid during their contraction cycles to create a pump. The pistons or bellows may also be sealed from ambient fluid but connected through conduits through which contained fluid is exchanged in a continuous circulation of fluid to power a pump or a turbine.

Filardo, Benjamin Pietro↗
DOE OSTI2025

Convergence study of wakefield simulations with GdfidL and ECHO3D

The interaction of charged particle beams with vacuum chamber components gives rise to electromagnetic wakefields, whose frequency-domain representation is known as beam coupling impedance. Geometric impedance arising from discontinuities and transitions in the vacuum chamber is the focus of this study. Minimizing this impedance is essential to mitigate adverse collective effects in modern storage rings operating with high-intensity particle beams. Accurate and reliable impedance simulations is a key factor of the vacuum chamber design. This paper presents the results of a convergence study of two widely used electromagnetic solvers, GdfidL and ECHO3D, applied to key vacuum-chamber components of the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) storage ring. Detailed comparisons are performed for several geometries, including flange absorbers, RF bellows, button-type beam position monitors, and an in-vacuum undulator (IVU). The results show notable differences in convergence and computational efficiency between the two codes. While GdfidL provides highly resolved results and serves as a common benchmark tool, ECHO3D yields consistent results with coarser meshes, significantly reducing simulation time and memory demands. Simulations with a full-geometry IVU model demonstrate that simplified taper-transition models can miss important impedance contributions. In conclusion, these findings provide practical guidelines for efficient and accurate impedance modeling to optimize design of vacuum chamber components for accelerators.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

The MuFusE large-volume diamond anvil cell for exploring muon-catalyzed fusion at higher pressures and temperatures

A new large-volume diamond anvil cell (DAC) has been developed for the Muon-catalyzed Fusion (μCF) Experiment (MuFusE), enabling the compression and heating of deuterium–tritium (d–t) mixtures to pressures and temperatures needed to advance μCF research. The MuFusE DAC achieves the large sample volumes necessary for high-precision fusion measurements while integrating cryogenic loading, all-metal sealing, and flexible bellows to maintain a secure environment during cell compression. Combined with remote pneumatic actuation and secondary containment, the DAC safely managed a 25 Ci tritium inventory while providing a clear optical path for in situ measurements of sample pressure and composition via laser spectroscopy. Utilizing 5 mm diameter diamond anvils oriented in the path of a high-intensity muon beam, the apparatus achieved a stable sample volume of 19.2 mm 3 at liquid density, pressures up to 933 MPa and temperatures up to 400 K—benchmarks that significantly exceed previously reported limits for static d–t targets.

Kalow, J. D. [Acceleron Fusion, Inc., Cambridge, M↗
DOE OSTI2025

Continued Testing and Modeling of the AirSquared All-Metal Tritium Scroll Pump

The implementation of fusion energy requires the processing of the deuterium-tritium mixture used to fuel the reaction. Many gas processing operations require either a gas-motive force or a pressure gradient across a system; both are achieved using vacuum pumps. However, because of the material challenges of working with tritium, specialized pumps are required that use only metal on wetted surfaces. This prevents tritium retention and degradation of materials such as oils and polymers and reduces the generation of tritiated waste. Typical gas handling systems for tritium operations involve metal bellows pumps, all-metal scroll pumps, and metal turbomolecular pumps, depending on the pressure requirements. With the industry standard Normetex Type 15 m 3 /h (typically referred to as the Normetex 15) pump no longer available, the fusion market requires viable alternatives. In this study, we test an American-made pump, the AirSquared V16H034A-C01, and compare its performance to the Normetex. A performance model of the AirSquared pump is also produced, which can be applied to general process models to generate an accurate description of pressures and flows through various unit operations.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2025

Standardization of ancillary installation tooling for SRF cavities at Fermilab

For assemblies of cavities in cleanrooms, single-use tooling systems are made for the alignment and installation of ancillary components such as couplers and bellows. To minimize the number of tooling sets created, a design has been created to standardize alignment features to allow for assembly of different components with one set of tooling. A prototype set of tooling has been developed to with the required degrees of freedom for multiple assemblies while minimizing deformation during the assembly process. Prototype designs have been created for PIP-II SSR2 and 650 Cavities and for AUP Crab Cavities. Using 3D printing, this tooling can be quickly adjusted to allow for different ancillary components. The development process and status of the design will be discussed.

Narug, C. [Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2024

High-Temperature Freeze & Leak-Resistant Advanced Molten Salt Valve (Final Project Report)

The overall goal of this investigation was to develop an innovative high-temperature chloride molten salt flow control valve capable of operation up to 750 °C. The team developed an integrated active and passive thermal management system to ensure robust design for freeze-thaw cycles, with either a bellows-sealed configuration, a high-temperature stuffing box, or combination of the two. The STM system is unique in the industry.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Standardization of Ancillary Installation Tooling for SRF Cavities at Fermilab

For assemblies of cavities in cleanrooms, single-use tooling systems are made for the alignment and installation of ancillary components such as couplers and bellows. To try and minimize the amount of tooling sets used, a design has been created to standardize alignment features to allow for assembly of different components with one set of tooling. A prototype set of tooling has been developed to with the required degrees of freedom for multiple assemblies while minimizing deformation during the assembly process. Prototype designs have been created for PIP-II SSR2 and 650 Cavities and for AUP Crab Cavities. Using 3D printing, this tooling can be quickly adjusted to allow for different ancillary components. The development process and status of the design will be discussed.

Narug, Colin↗
DOE OSTI2025

Determination of Scale Bar for AGHCF Metallography Data

The DOE Nuclear Energy Advanced Reactor Technologies (ART) Fast Reactor Program (FRP) has supported the development of several databases containing information on the safety performance of fast reactors, components, and fuels. This growing collection of legacy experimental data, operating data, and analysis is available online to registered users. Metallography data represents one of the most critical types of post-irradiation examination (PIE) data being collected, organized, and archived in several ART Fast Reactor Databases (https://frdb.ne.anl.gov), including the Metallic Fuels Irradiation & Physics Database (FIPD), Out-of-Pile Transient Database (OPTD), and TREAT (the Transient Reactor Test Facility) Experimental Relational Database (TREXR). These databases contain three principal sets of metallography data. The first set comprises metallography data from Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) and Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) irradiated fuel pins examined in the Hot Fuel Examination Facility (HFEF). The second set consists of metallography data from EBR-II irradiated fuel pins examined in the Alpha-Gamma Hot Cell Facility (AGHCF). The third set includes metallography data from transient-tested fuel pins (including both out-of-pile furnace tests and TREAT tests) examined in AGHCF. Since both the second and third sets were generated in AGHCF, they are governed by identical specifications. The metallography data in the databases consist of digital images scanned from either positive or negative photographic films. To analyze the microstructure of a fuel pin, a series of preparatory steps are required, including sectioning, epoxy mounting, mechanical grinding and polishing, and etching. Following sample preparation, specimens are transferred for metallographic examination. The AGHCF and HFEF metallography data were generated using optical microscopes manufactured by Leitz and Bausch and Lomb (B&L). Images were recorded on Polaroid film at preset magnifications. Magnification verification for the Leitz and B&L metallographs was conducted every two months prior to 1989 and at least every six months from 1989 through the conclusion of the IFR program. Magnifications determined from imaging of microslide standards were compared to the instrument settings for magnifications ranging from 50× to 500×. If the magnifications determined from standards deviated from the instrument settings, adjustments were made to the bellows extension until agreement was achieved. The specifications for AGHCF and HFEF legacy metallography data have been established based on available hard-copy and digital records, most of which have been incorporated into the data repositories associated with FIPD, OPTD, and TREXR. Detailed specifications including hard-copy records, digitized records, cutting diagrams and sectioning schemes, high-magnification photographs, photomosaics (composites), information tags, scale bars, and magnification verification procedures can be found in a separate report.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Postirradiation Examination of WIRE-21 Experiment Irradiated in the High Flux Isotope Reactor

Westinghouse Electric Company is developing wireless sensors to monitor the centerline temperature and internal pressure of commercial light-water reactor fuel rods during irradiation. Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Westinghouse Electric Company developed the Wireless Instrumented RB Experiment 2021 (WIRE-21) to test wireless temperature and pressure sensor technologies in a removable beryllium position in the High Flux Isotope Reactor. The experiment was irradiated for a total of 75 days, at temperatures ranging from approximately 150°C to 400°C, resulting in a peak fast (energy > 0.1 MeV) neutron fluence of about 3 × 10 21 n/cm 2 . The temperature was intentionally cycled multiple times to compare the response of the wireless temperature sensor to collocated thermocouples. Similarly, the pressure sensor was actuated in multiple steps to compare the response of the wireless measurement to excore pressure transducers (Petrie et al., 2023). After irradiation, the experiment was disassembled in the Irradiated Fuels Examination Laboratory (IFEL) hot cell at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the intent to recover sensor and dosimetry components, document the as-irradiated condition of the hardware, and investigate possible causes of the sensor behavior observed during irradiation. The postirradiation examination successfully recovered and preserved key WIRE-21 components. After the housing was removed using a milling machine, the internal experiment sections were examined. All eight fiber-optic sensors were recovered, cut, and stored. The silicon carbide thermometry, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, lower spacer, and selected pressure and temperature cable sections were also removed and stored. The metal bellows of the pressure sensor was found to be plastically deformed, indicating that it had been properly pressurized during irradiation and generally behaved as expected. X-ray diffraction analysis of a section of one of the irradiated inductor cores within the pressure sensor was performed and confirmed the presence of phase-pure alpha ferrite (i.e., no unexpected phase transformations). Inductance testing was performed on the irradiated pressure sensor cores using an unirradiated test coil, and DC resistance measurements of the transceiver coils were also performed. The measurements with irradiated inductor cores assembled inside unirradiated coils showed slightly reduced inductance compared to measurements made with unirradiated cores, but the difference was not sufficient to explain the more significant reductions in inductance that were observed in-pile. Therefore, it is suspected that degradation of the inductor coils (specifically the wire wrapping) is responsible for the reduced inductance observed in-pile.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Purpose, Design, and Analysis of the NSTX-U Centerstack Casing Lateral Support Shims

The National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) centerstack casing surrounds the central magnet core of NSTXU. It provides the inner vacuum boundary of the plasma chamber and supports the radially inboard plasma facing components lining the plasma chamber. The casing is supported like a cantilever, fixed at the lower flange by a connection to the TF Bundle through a G-10 ring. It is flexibly supported at the top by bellows, and insulated shims intended to react the largest part of the inventory of the disruption loads at the upper support, thereby protecting the upper and lower connections from excessive loads. A large part of the qualification of the casing and tiles requires addressing and quantifying disruption loads. These have been estimated based on extensions of the behavior of NSTX during its run period roughly 15 years ago. Structural qualification of the Upgrade used these estimates of the loading as input to calculations to demonstrate adequacy for a “most probable” disruption. The estimates are included in a requirements document to guide conservative design of all components loaded by disruptions. However, the changes made for the upgrade made the extrapolation of disruption behavior uncertain. Disruptions include axisymmetric loading from axisymmetric currents induced in the vessel shells. In addition, more complex currents called Halo currents are a result of plasma poloidal currents impinging on the casing. The halo currents add another layer of uncertain behavior and net lateral loading to the casing. As a result, NSTX-U is equipped with a number of instruments intended to assess the nature and severity of disruptions. The casing shims are required for lateral support of the casing, but these have also been converted to load cells to provide another measure of the magnitude of symmetric and asymmetric loading. Some of the logic in the development of the requirements document are presented. Electromagnetic analysis of axisymmetric and halo loading is described. Global simulations of the casing transient dynamic response, and local analysis and testing of the shim/load cell are included. The shim load cells and other instrumentation will be an important guide in planning NSTX-U experiments beyond its next run period expected in late 2026 or early 2027.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ultra-High Vacuum Outgassing Characterization of Thermally Processed Low-Carbon Steel for Advanced Particle Accelerator and Gravitational Wave Detector Applications

This dissertation investigated AISI 1020 low-carbon steel as an alternative vacuum chamber material to conventional stainless steel for ultra-high vacuum (UHV) and extreme-high vacuum (XHV) applications. After a 400 °C/48 h bake, AISI 1020 tube chambers achieved a hydrogen outgassing rate of 2.4 × 10¿¹6 Torr·L·s¿¹·cm¿², approximately 2,300 times lower than the prebaked 316L stainless-steel comparator, among the lowest hydrogen outgassing rates ever reported for an uncoated metallic vacuum chamber. Bare and magnetite-coated AISI 1020 chambers were then compared using throughput and rate-of-rise methods. The magnetite coating yielded 5× lower water outgassing at room temperature, but this advantage disappeared after 80 °C baking. After full thermal conditioning (400 °C/48 h prebake followed by 150 °C/96 h and 200 °C/110 h), bare steel achieved 25× lower hydrogen outgassing than the magnetite-coated chamber (9.6 × 10¿¹6 Torr·L·s¿¹·cm¿²) and >99% H2 purity with carbon species below RGA detection. Monte Carlo molecular flow simulations of a CEBAF photogun beamline (96 scenarios) showed that replacing 304L stainless steel with AISI 1020 reduces equilibrium H2 pressure by a factor of 833; a single 304L electrode contributes 98.8% of the gas load despite occupying only 9.1% of the internal surface area. A 500-m Einstein Telescope beampipe screening showed that corrugated bellows contribute 18% of the gas load from only 0.7% of the surface area. A five-model adsorption isotherm framework applied to 22 pumpdown datasets (164 fits with AR(1)-GLS correction) established that the experimental protocol, not the material, controls isotherm identifiability: Dubinin–Radushkevich wins isothermal pipe pumpdowns; Langmuir wins thermally dominated chamber bakes. Cross-dataset joint fitting of the AISI 1020 pipe pumpdowns yielded an H2 diffusion activation energy Ed = 7.24 ± 1.28 kcal·mol¿¹, consistent with trap dominated diffusion in commercial low-carbon steels. Two companion innovations were developed: a Variable Conductance Device (VCD, patent pending IDF-00723) for XHV outgassing measurement, and VacuumDesignerPro (VDP), a MATLAB-based design tool validated against LIGO benchmarks.

Al-Allaq, Aiman H [Old Dominion University]↗