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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 1,495 records · Page 83
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1971

Effect of two types of helium circulators on the performance of a subsonic nuclear powered airplane

Two types of helium circulators are analytically compared on the bases of their influence on airplane payload and on propulsion system variables. One type of circulator is driven by the turbofan engines with power takeoff shafting while the other, a turbocirculator, is powered by a turbine placed in the helium loop between the nuclear reactor and the helium-to-air heat exchangers inside the engines. Typical results show that the turbocirculator yields more payload for circulator efficiencies greater than 0.82. Optimum engine and heat exchanger temperatures and pressures are significantly lower in the turbocirculator case compared to the engine-driven circulator scheme.

Strack, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Research requirements for development of regenerative engines for helicopters

The improved specific fuel consumption of the regenerative engine was compared to a simple-cycle turboshaft engine. The performance improvement and fuel saving are obtained at the expense of increased engine weight, development and production costs, and maintenance costs. Costs and schedules are estimated for the elements of the research and development program. Interaction of the regenerative engine with other technology goals for an advanced civil helicopter is examined, including its impact on engine noise, hover and cruise performance, helicopter empty weight, drive-system efficiency and weight, one-engine-inoperative hover capability, and maintenance and reliability.

Semple, R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Materials properties data base computerization

Material property data plays a key role in the design of jet engine components. Consistency, accuracy and efficient use of material property data is of prime importance to the engineering community. The system conception, development, implementation, and future plans for computer software that captures the Material Properties Handbook into a scientific data base are described. The engineering community is given access to raw data and property curves, display of multiple curves for material evaluation and selection, direct access by design analysis computer programs, display of the material specification, and a historical repository for the material evolution. The impact of this activity includes significant productivity gains and cost reductions; all users have access to the same information nd provides consistent, rapid response to the needs of the engineering community. Future plans include incorporating the materials properties data base into a network environment to access information from other data bases and download information to engineering work stations.

Baur, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Performance and combustion characteristics of direct-injection stratified-charge rotary engines

Computer simulations of the direct-injection stratified-charge (DISC) Wankel engine have been used to calculate heat release rates and performance and efficiency characteristics of the 1007R engine. Engine pressure data have been used in a heat release analysis to study the effects of heat transfer, leakage, and crevice flows. Predicted engine performance data are compared with experimental test data over a range of engine speeds and loads. An examination of methods to improve the performance of the Wankel engine with faster combustion, reduced leakage, higher compression ratio, and turbocharging is presented.

Nguyen, Hung Lee↗
DOE OSTI2017

An assessment of CFD-based wall heat transfer models in piston engines

The lack of accurate submodels for in-cylinder heat transfer has been identified as a key shortcoming in developing truly predictive, physics-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models that can be used to develop combustion systems for advanced high-efficiency, low-emissions engines. Only recently have experimental methods become available that enable accurate near-wall measurements to enhance simulation capability via advancing models. Initial results show crank-angle dependent discrepancies with respect to previously used boundary-layer models of up to 100%. However, available experimental data is quite sparse (only few data points on engine walls) and limited (available measurements are those of heat flux only). Predictive submodels are needed for medium-resolution ("engineering") LES and for unsteady Reynolds-averaged simulations (URANS). Recently, some research groups have performed DNS studies on engine-relevant conditions using simple geometries. These provide very useful data for benchmarking wall heat transfer models under such conditions. Further, a number of new and more sophisticated models have also become available in the literature which account for these engine-like conditions. Some of these have been incorporated while others of a more complex nature, which include solving additional partial differential equations (PDEs) within the thin boundary layer near the wall, are underway. These models will then be tested against the available DNS/experimental data in both SI (spark-ignition) and CI (compression-ignition) engines.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Accelerating the Adoption of the Solid Panel Structural System

This report, "Accelerating the Adoption of the Solid Panel Structural System", explores the structural properties, capabilities, and applications for an innovative “studless” building system that uses a plate-like approach and “Perfect Wall” principles for an efficient, durable, and robust wall system. A comprehensive testing regime was completed to fully characterize the structural behavior of the Solid Panel Structural system. These results were used to develop an engineering guide that can be used by architects and engineers for design and code approval.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2019

Using Ducted Fuel Injection to Attenuate Soot Formation in a Mixing-Controlled Compression Ignition Engine

Ducted fuel injection (DFI) has been introduced as a strategy to enhance the fuel/charge gas mixing within the combustion chamber of a direct-injection mixing-controlled compression ignition engine. The concept involves injecting each fuel spray through a small tube within the combustion chamber to facilitate the creation of a leaner mixture in the autoignition zone, relative to a conventional free-spray configuration (i.e., a fuel spray that is not surrounded by a duct). While previous experiments demonstrated that DFI lowers both soot incandescence and soot mass in a constant-volume combustion vessel with a single-component normal-alkane fuel (n-dodecane), here we provide the first evidence that the technology provides similar benefits in an engine application using a commercial diesel fuel containing ~30 wt% aromatics. The present study investigates the effects on engine-out emissions and efficiency with a two-orifice injector tip for charge gas mixtures containing 16 and 21 mol% oxygen. The result is that DFI is confirmed to be effective at curtailing engine-out soot emissions. It also breaks the tradeoff between emissions of soot and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by simultaneously attenuating soot and NO x with increasing dilution.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
NASA NTRS1981

First phase testing of solar thermal engine at United Stirling

The objective of the program is to demonstrate that the Stirling engine is a practical efficient and reliable energy converter when integrated with a parabolic dish concentrator, and that it has the potential of being cost competitive with fossil fueled electric generating systems of today. The engine, with its receiver (solar heat exchanger), alternator and control system, is described.

Percival, W.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Design and Control of a Proof-of-Concept Active Jet Engine Intake Using Shape Memory Alloy Actuators

The design and control of a novel proof-of-concept active jet engine intake using Nickel-Titanium (Ni-Ti or Nitinol) shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuators is used to demonstrate the potential of an adaptive intake to improve the fuel efficiency of a jet engine. The Nitinol SMA material is selected for this research due to the material's ability to generate large strains of up to 5 percent for repeated operations, a high power-to-weight ratio, electrical resistive actuation, and easy fabrication into a variety of shapes. The proof-of-concept engine intake employs an overlapping leaf design arranged in a concentric configuration. Each leaf is mounted on a supporting bar that rotates upon actuation by SMA wires electrical resistive heating. Feedback control is enabled through the use of a laser range sensor to detect the movement of a leaf and determine the radius of the intake area. Due to the hysteresis behavior inherent in SMAs, a nonlinear robust controller is used to direct the SMA wire actuation. The controller design utilizes the sliding-mode approach to compensate for the nonlinearities associated with the SMA actuator. Feedback control experiments conducted on a fabricated proof-of-concept model have demonstrated the capability to precisely control the intake area and achieve up to a 25 percent reduction in intake area. The experiments demonstrate the feasibility of engine intake area control using the proposed design.

Song, Gangbing↗
DOE OSTI2017

Turbulence radiation coupling in boundary layers of heavy-duty diesel engines

The lack of accurate submodels for in-cylinder radiation and heat transfer has been identified as a key shortcoming in developing truly predictive, physics-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models that can be used to develop combustion systems for advanced high-efficiency, low-emissions engines. Recent measurements of wall layers in engines show discrepancies of up to 100% with respect to standard CFD boundary-layer models. And recent analysis of in-cylinder radiation based on the most recent spectral property databases and high-fidelity radiative transfer equation (RTE) solvers has shown that at operating pressures and exhaust-gas recirculation levels typical of modern heavy-duty compression-ignition engines, radiative emission can be as high as 40% of the wall heat losses, that molecular gas radiation (mainly CO2 and H2O) can be more important than soot radiation, and that a significant fraction of the emitted radiation can be reabsorbed before reaching the walls. That is, radiation not only contributes to heat losses, but also changes the in-cylinder temperature distribution, which in turn affects combustion and emissions. The goal of this research is to develop models that explicitly account for the potentially strong coupling between radiative and turbulent boundary layer heat transfer. For example, for optically thick conditions, a simple diffusion model might be formulated in terms of an absorption-coefficient-dependent turbulent Prandtl number.

Sircar, Arpan↗
DOE OSTI2023

High Efficiency Multijunction Devices: Solar Cells, Thermophotovoltaics, LEDs

High-efficiency III-V multijunction solar cells require multiple alloys with optimal bandgaps and excellent material quality. However, many useful alloys are lattice-mismatched to available substrates, and require strain-engineering tricks to enable efficient use. To this extent, we have developed low-dislocation density metamorphic material and optically-thick stress-balanced superlattices, enabling access to a wide variety of III-V alloys. Combined with transparent tunnel junctions, these components allow optimizing multijunction devices for a variety of applications. We have designed multijunction cells for the G173G-terrestrial and AM0-space spectra with record 39.5% and 34.2% efficiency, respectively, and also thermophotovoltaic cells for blackbody spectra that reach over 40% TPV-efficiency. Finally, using these PV components, we demonstrate a multijunction LED with high quantum efficiency.

high-efficiency↗
NASA NTRS1989

Stratified charge rotary engine combustion studies

Analytical and experimental studies of the combustion process in a stratified charge rotary engine (SCRE) continue to be the subject of active research in recent years. Specifically to meet the demand for more sophisticated products, a detailed understanding of the engine system of interest is warranted. With this in mind the objective of this work is to develop an understanding of the controlling factors that affect the SCRE combustion process so that an efficient power dense rotary engine can be designed. The influence of the induction-exhaust systems and the rotor geometry are believed to have a significant effect on combustion chamber flow characteristics. In this report, emphasis is centered on Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) measurements and on qualitative flow visualizations in the combustion chamber of the motored rotary engine assembly. This will provide a basic understanding of the flow process in the RCE and serve as a data base for verification of numerical simulations. Understanding fuel injection provisions is also important to the successful operation of the stratified charge rotary engine. Toward this end, flow visualizations depicting the development of high speed, high pressure fuel jets are described. Friction is an important consideration in an engine from the standpoint of lost work, durability and reliability. MSU Engine Research Laboratory efforts in accessing the frictional losses associated with the rotary engine are described. This includes work which describes losses in bearing, seal and auxillary components. Finally, a computer controlled mapping system under development is described. This system can be used to map shapes such as combustion chamber, intake manifolds or turbine blades accurately.

Shock, H.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Pumped Thermal Electricity Storage with Supercritical CO2 Cycles and Solar Heat Input

Pumped Thermal Electricity Storage (PTES) is an energy storage device that uses grid electricity to drive a heat pump that generates hot and cold storage reservoirs. This thermal potential is later used to power a heat engine and return electricity to the grid. In this article, a PTES variant that uses supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) as the working fluid is introduced. sCO2-PTES cycles have higher work ratios and power densities than the systems based on ideal gases that have been investigated to date. Furthermore, sCO2- PTES cycles may achieve higher round-trip efficiencies for a given hot storage temperature (up to 78% at 560°C). The sensitivity of PTES cycles to loss factors such as isentropic efficiencies and temperature differences between the power cycle and storage fluid is investigated. A second concept whereby an sCO2- PTES cycle is integrated with concentrating solar power (CSP) is introduced. This concept ‘time-shifts’ the recompression of an sCO2 recompression cycle to a period of lower electricity prices and stores the heat. When solar heat is dispatched, the recompressor may be avoided as the required heat is obtained from storage, thereby leading to increased heat engine efficiencies. The net work output of this integrated system is 10-18% greater than the conventional recompression cycle. Combining PTES with a CSP power cycle is therefore shown to improve the dispatch of solar heat as well as providing electricity storage services.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗
NASA NTRS2011

Refined Exploration of Turbofan Design Options for an Advanced Single-Aisle Transport

A comprehensive exploration of the turbofan engine design space for an advanced technology single-aisle transport (737/A320 class aircraft) was conducted previously by the authors and is documented in a prior report. Through the course of that study and in a subsequent evaluation of the approach and results, a number of enhancements to the engine design ground rules and assumptions were identified. A follow-on effort was initiated to investigate the impacts of these changes on the original study results. The fundamental conclusions of the prior study were found to still be valid with the revised engine designs. The most significant impact of the design changes was a reduction in the aircraft weight and block fuel penalties incurred with low fan pressure ratio, ultra-high bypass ratio designs. This enables lower noise levels to be pursued (through lower fan pressure ratio) with minor negative impacts on aircraft weight and fuel efficiency. Regardless of the engine design selected, the results of this study indicate the potential for the advanced aircraft to realize substantial improvements in fuel efficiency, emissions, and noise compared to the current vehicles in this size class.

Guynn, Mark D.↗
DOE OSTI2019

Pumped Thermal Electricity Storage with Supercritical CO2 Cycles and Solar Heat Input: Preprint

Pumped Thermal Electricity Storage (PTES) is an energy storage device that uses grid electricity to drive a heat pump to generate hot and cold storage reservoirs. This thermal potential is later used to power a heat engine and return electricity to the grid. In this article, a PTES variant that uses supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) as the working fluid is introduced. sCO2-PTES cycles have higher work ratios and power densities than the systems based on ideal gases that have been investigated to date. Furthermore, sCO2-PTES cycles may achieve higher round-trip efficiencies for a given hot storage temperature (up to 78% at 560 degrees C). The sensitivity of PTES cycles to loss factors such as isentropic efficiencies and temperature differences between the power cycle and storage fluid is investigated. A second concept whereby an sCO2-PTES cycle is integrated with concentrating solar power (CSP) is introduced. This concept 'time-shifts' the recompression of an sCO2 recompression cycle to a period of lower electricity prices and stores the heat. When solar heat is dispatched, the recompressor may be avoided as the required heat is obtained from storage, thereby leading to increased heat engine efficiencies. The net work output of this integrated system is 10-18% greater than the conventional recompression cycle. Combining PTES with a CSP power cycle is therefore shown to improve the dispatch of solar heat as well as providing electricity storage services.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Transforming Energy Through Computational Excellence: High-Performance Computing for Energy Innovation

The challenges associated with energy efficiency of manufacturing and advanced materials often cannot be addressed through experimentation alone, whether because of scale, complexity, or practicality. High-performance computing (HPC) enables fast tackling of these challenges in the manufacturing sector - vital to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and industry partners leverage HPC to apply advanced modeling, simulation, and data analysis to improve manufacturing efficiency, explore new materials for energy applications, and develop technologies to manage carbon across the life cycle. From improving additive manufacturing processes to increasing the energy efficiency of jet-engine components, advanced computing can help manage emissions produced by manufacturing in a wide variety of ways.

advanced materials↗
NASA NTRS1974

Feasibility demonstration of a road vehicle fueled with hydrogen-enriched gasoline

Evaluation of the concept of using hydrogen-enriched gasoline in a modified internal combustion engine in order to make possible the burning of ultralean mixtures. The use of such an engine in a road vehicle demonstrated that the addition of small quantities of gaseous hydrogen to gasoline resulted in significant reductions in exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides as well as in thermal efficiency improvements of the engine performance.

Hoehn, F. W.↗