Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “TESTING FACILITY”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

VICS-120 - A tube-vehicle system test facility.

Description of a large test facility for carrying out research in support of the aerodynamic and ventilation section of a handbook on subway design. The facility described is vertically oriented and has a test section with a nominal inside diameter of 2 in. and a length of 109 ft. It is capable of operating at Reynolds numbers up to full-scale (60,000,000) under open-end tube conditions. The facility is distinguished by a high degree of flexibility in configuration and operational limits. Details are given concerning the plenum assembly, the test section tubes, the scaffold, the instrumentation, the model launcher, the model arrestor, and the models themselves. A step-by-step account is given of the operation of the facility, and a brief sample of the type of data obtained from the facility is presented.

Marte, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Heat transfer results and operational characteristics of the NASA Lewis Research Center Hot Section Cascade Test Facility

The NASA Lewis Research Center gas turbine hot section test facility has been developed to provide a real-engine environment with well known boundary conditions for the aerothermal performance evaluation/verification of computer design codes. The initial aerothermal research data obtained are presented and the operational characteristics of the facility are discussed. This facility is capable of testing at temperatures and pressures up to 1600 K and 18 atm which corresponds to a vane exit Reynolds number range of 0.5x10(6) to 2.5x10(6) based on vane chord. The component cooling air temperature can be independently modulated between 330 and 700 K providing gas-to-coolant temperature ratios similar to current engine application. Research instrumentation of the test components provide conventional pressure and temperature measurements as well as metal temperatures measured by IR-photography. The primary data acquisition mode is steady state through a 704 channel multiplexer/digitizer. The test facility was configured as an annular cascade of full coverage filmcooled vanes for the initial series of research tests.

Gladden, H. J.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Transient behavior of a scaled RCCS test facility under postulated fault and accident scenarios

Tests were performed on the Natural convection Shutdown heat removal Test Facility (NSTF) to simulate design basis accident and postulated fault scenarios. Residing at Argonne National Laboratory, the NSTF stands nearly 26-m in total height and reflects a ½ scale reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS) for high temperature gas cooled reactors. The following manuscript details three test conditions performed on the experimental test facility. The first simulated the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) boundary condition during depressurized conduction cool down accident with small primary leak, and was repeated during both winter and summer seasons. The second examined a short-circuit break between the inlet and outlet flow paths, and was performed in three incremental stages of nominal flow area break size. The third and final test case studied system behavior with varying amounts of cooling channel blockages, up to and including 50% flow areas. Nominal component temperatures, heat removal performance, and system stability will be presented to characterize the behavior at these conditions.

decay heat removal↗
NASA NTRS1985

Heat transfer results and operational characteristics of the NASA Lewis Research Center hot section cascade test facility

The NASA Lewis Research Center gas turbine hot section test facility has been developed to provide a real-engine environment with well known boundary conditions for the aerothermal performance evaluation/verification of computer design codes. The initial aerothermal research data obtained are presented and the operational characteristics of the facility are discussed. This facility is capable of testing at temperatures and pressures up to 1600 K and 18 atm which corresponds to a vane exit Reynolds number range of 0.5 x 1 million to 2.5 x 1 million based on vane chord. The component cooling air temperature can be independently modulated between 330 and 700 K providing gas-to-coolant temperature ratios similar to current engine application. Research instrumentation of the test components provide conventional pressure and temperature measurements as well as metal temperatures measured by IR-photography. The primary data acquisition mode is steady state through a 704 channel multiplexer/digitizer. The test facility was configured as an annular cascade of full coverage film cooled vanes for the initial series of research tests.

Gladden, H. J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Validation of Oregon State University High Temperature Test Facility Experiments Using Pronghorn

The OSU High Temperature Test Facility is a quarter-scale diameter, 1/64 scale volume test facility meant to replicate thermophysical phenomena in the prototypical General Atomics Modular High Temperature Gas Reactor. Tests pertaining to conduction cooldown events were performed from 2016-2019, providing a large database by which computational methods that are applicable to different length scales can be validated. One of these codes is Pronghorn, which is a coarse-meshed, porous-based subchannel thermal hydraulics code based on the MOOSE application, with the intention of better capturing the physics of both conduction and convection heat transfer within the OSU HTTF core. The goal of this summer project is to develop the framework by which Pronghorn can perform validation exercises of the HTTF core for benchmarking, by generating a mesh appropriate to the geometry of the HTTF core, developing input decks that accurately capture the initial and boundary conditions, materials, and relevant equations to the physics seen in the HTTF core, and using a postprocessor to compare simulation results to various experimental data. While validation of codes is a multi-year project, a mesh has been generated and tested in Pronghorn that meets mass conservation and basic heat transfer principles. The next step is to accurate depict the fluid inlet and outlet boundary conditions, which will be performed using computational fluid dynamics software.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Magnet Test Facilities

Highlights of the various Magnet Test Facilities in the Test & Instrumentation Department.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRS2001

Activation of the E1 Ultra High Pressure Propulsion Test Facility at Stennis Space Center

After a decade of construction and a year of activation the El Ultra High Pressure Propulsion Test Facility at NASA's Stennis Space Center is fully operational. The El UHP Propulsion Test Facility is a multi-cell, multi-purpose component and engine test facility . The facility is capable of delivering cryogenic propellants at low, high, and ultra high pressures with flow rates ranging from a few pounds per second up to two thousand pounds per second. Facility activation is defined as a series of tasks required to transition between completion of construction and facility operational readiness. Activating the El UHP Propulsion Test Facility involved independent system checkouts, propellant system leak checks, fluid and gas sampling, gaseous system blow downs, pressurization and vent system checkouts, valve stability testing, valve tuning cryogenic cold flows, and functional readiness tests.

Messer, Bradley↗
NASA NTRS1972

GE underwater test facility studies in zero G simulation

The underwater test facility (UTF) is described as an indoor controlled environment test facility designed specifically for zero G simulation, hydrospace manned and unmanned equipment development, and personnel training for both space and underwater exploration. Programs conducted in the UTF include: human engineering criteria for maintenance and repairs of space stations, astronaut performance, helmet distortion, underwater telemetry, and blood transfusion.

Fry, R. H.↗
DOE OSTI2016

Conceptual Phase Neutronic and Thermal Analyses for the LEU Conversion of the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT)

The Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) is an experimental reactor designed for transient testing of nuclear reactor fuels and other materials. TREAT is located at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). It was operated from 1959 until 1994, when it was placed on nonoperational standby. Preparations for the restart of TREAT are now underway. Simultaneously, work is being performed to support the conversion of TREAT from its current high enriched uranium (HEU) fuel to low enriched uranium (LEU, defined as uranium with less than 20% {sup 235}U) fuel, under the support of the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Material Management and Minimization (M{sup 3}) reactor conversion program. Following the pre-conceptual phase of the TREAT conversion project (which included assessments of conversion feasibility, including LEU fuel element fabrication feasibility), conceptual phase work was performed to evaluate potential LEU fuel element designs for TREAT. Simultaneously, activities including scale-up development work for fuel fabrication and mock-up element production were performed by the INL Fuel Engineering and Design (FED) team. Utilizing the lessons learned in the analysis and fabrication work, an LEU conceptual design description was collaboratively established and evaluated in detail. A summary of this work and corresponding example results are presented here. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS2002

Liquid Engine Test Facilities Assessment

The John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) requested The Aerospace Corporation to examine the current testing capability of all existing large liquid engine test facilities located in the United States. That information along with projected liquid rocket engine development was used to examine future liquid rocket engine testing facilities needs in the coming decade. Current domestic liquid engine test facilities capabilities, when examined against engine concepts for the coming decade, indicate there are ample facilities offering altitude simulation during test. In addition, it was observed that many contractor facilities have limited ambient test capability of larger thrust engines under current consideration. Finally, it was concluded that diminished contractor participation engine development testing will drive this activity to the government sector. Only three facilities are seen as key contributors to engine testing in the coming decade, namely John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC), Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Past rocket engine test experience was evaluated as a possible resource for projecting future engine test needs. A database comprised of various engine models and the level of testing performed to flight qualify those systems for their first flight was constructed. For comparison purposes in this study, development and qualification efforts were totaled and treated as one test program. Based on experience with past Air Force programs, the time on the test stand accounts for typically 50% or more of the total program time. Historical data show that the time to design and develop new engines has increased over the last 40 years, most likely due to scarcer resources in today's funding environment.

Adams, Michael J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Noble Liquid Test Facility at Fermilab

The Noble Liquid Test Facility (NLTF) at Fermilab is a liquid argon detector R\&D facility open to the national and international HEP community. The facility consists of 4 permanent cryostats, ranging from 250L up to 3000L, open space for small open dewar testing, and an optical test stand facility capable of measuring the optical properties of materials and characterizing photon detectors. NLTF’s strongest advantage is its capability to provide ultra-pure LAr in a reliable manner. Its inline filters are capable of filtering all of the three biggest contaminants for standard LAr detectors, O$_2$ and H$_2$O down to $< 1$ppb and N$_2$ $< 1$ppm. This is critical for the users of the test stands as small levels of impurities can dramatically change the efficiency of LArTPCs for the collection of charge and light. The smallest cryostat is mainly used for material testing, a service provided to the international HEP community interested in understanding how the introduction of a specific material might affect the electron lifetime in LAr. The test stands can be equipped with a purity monitor, which allows measuring the electron lifetime in real time, as well as gas sampling and analyzing, and in the near future, local recirculation and filtering. The facility has hosted many successful R\&D projects, which have published their results in well-known journals and talks. A few examples of such projects are: NIR light production in LAr and GAr, the characterization of VUV metalenses, the testing of new filter media capable of filtering N$_2$ from LAr, high voltage studies and direct charge amplification in LAr, and various doping studies.

Blaszczyk, Flor María [Fermilab]↗
NASA NTRS1997

Experimental Analysis of a Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) Engine in a Direct-Connect Test Facility

The object of this study is to investigate the operation of a RBCC at ramjet and scramjet flight conditions using a direct-connect test facility. The apparatus being tested is a single strut-rocket within a dual-mode ram/scramjet combustor. The gaseous hydrogen/oxygen, linear strut-rocket was supplied by Aerojet Propulsion Company. The hardware is being tested in the Direct Connect Supersonic Combustion Test Facility at NASA Langley Research Center. The test facilities hydrogen/oxygen vitiated heater is capable of flight total enthalpies to Mach 8. A Mach 2.5 facility nozzle mates the heater to the combustor duct. The rocket ejector will ordinarily operate in a fuel-rich mode. Additional fuel injection is provided by a pair of parallel injectors located at the base of the strut body. Instrumentation on the test apparatus includes a unique, direct thrust measurement system. Performance predictions for the anticipated test conditions have been made using a one-dimensional, thermodynamic analysis code. Results from the code show the dependence of overall thrust and specific impulse on rocket chamber pressure, rocket fuel equivalence ratio, and overall fuel equivalence ratio. Once the experimental test series begins, the inferred combustion efficiency as a function of axial location and the thermal choke region (where applicable) can also be determined using this code. Upon completion of the experimental test series, measurements will be used to calculate thrust, specific impulse, etc. Measured and calculated values will be compared to those found analytically. If appropriate, the code will be tailored to better predict hardware operation. Conclusions will be drawn as to the fuel-rich rocket's overall effect on ramjet and scramjet performance. Also, comparisons will be made between the integrated thrust calculated from the static pressure taps located along the duct and the thrust measured by the direct thrust measurement system.

K. Nelson↗
DOE OSTI2016

Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) Startup Status

Transient testing is critical for understanding how new fuels perform in accident conditions such as transient overpower and/or under cooling events. In February of 2014, The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) determined that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was appropriate for the resumption of transient testing of nuclear fuels and materials. At that point, work began on the restart of the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT), which was the DOE preferred alternative for reestablishing transient testing capability for nuclear fuels and materials in the U.S. Significant progress has been made in the restart of TREAT for transient testing since the FONSI in 2014. The progress made since 2014 towards restarting TREAT and the current status is documented in this summary. (author)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
NASA NTRS1985

Materials Test Laboratory activities at the NASA-Johnson Space Center White Sands Test Facility (WSTF)

The NASA Johnson Space Center White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) performs aerospace materials testing and evaluation. Established in 1963, the facility grew from a NASA site dedicated to the development of space engines for the Apollo project to a major test facility. In addition to propulsion tests, it tests materials and components, aerospace fluids, and metals and alloys in simulated space environments.

Stradling, J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Design and Construction of a High Field Cable Test Facility at Fermilab

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, together with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is building a new High Field Vertical Magnet Test Facility (HFVMTF) to be situated in the Magnet Test Facility at Fermilab. The HFVMTF is jointly funded by the US DOE Offices of Science, High Energy Physics, and Fusion Energy Sciences, and will serve as a superconducting cable test facility for both communities. The background magnetic field for test samples is 15 T and will be produced by a magnet provided by LBNL operating at 1.9 K in superfluid helium. The samples will be placed in the background magnetic field, cooled to between 4.5 K and a user-specified upper limit, and will be powered with a super-conducting transformer at up to 100 kA. Additionally, this facility will be used to test high-field superconducting magnet models and demonstrators, including hybrid magnets, produced by the US Magnet Development Program. Presently, the various tasks of the project are at different stages of execution, from conceptual to ready-for-construction designs. Here, this paper describes the parameters and design status of the pit construction, cryostat, heat exchanger, lambda plate, power system, and quench protection and monitoring systems of the facility.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Test Capabilities of the NASA Langley Direct Connect Supersonic Combustion Test Facility

In 1969 a combustion-heated direct-connect test facility was assembled at the NASA Langley Research Center and used to support NASA’s Hypersonic Research Engine program. Later, the facility was used to support NASA’s generic hypersonic program, assessing the mixing, ignition, flame holding, and combustion characteristics of ramjet and scramjet combustors. Over the years, the facility has been updated and modified to conduct increasingly complicated tests. Today, the facility is known as the Direct Connect Supersonic Combustion Test Facility (DCSCTF) and is part of the NASA Langley Scramjet Test Complex. Recently, the facility has been used by external customers to test fuel-cooled and uncooled, flight-like test articles. Tests have been conducted at nominal Mach 5 flight conditions for up to 15 minutes of continuous operation. The facility remains a viable and useful tool in the support of various Department of Defense projects.

Diego P Capriotti↗