Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “hydrogen station design”

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 NTRS2015

Advancing the Oxygen Generation Assembly Design to Increase Reliability and Reduce Costs for a Future Long Duration Mission

The state-of-the-art Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) has been reliably producing breathing oxygen for the crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for over eight years. Lessons learned from operating the ISS OGA have led to proposing incremental improvements to advance the baseline design for use in a future long duration mission. These improvements are intended to reduce system weight, crew maintenance time and resupply mass from Earth while increasing reliability. The proposed improvements include replacing the cell stack membrane material, deleting the nitrogen purge equipment, replacing the hydrogen sensors, deleting the wastewater interface, replacing the hydrogen dome and redesigning the cell stack power supply. The development work to date will be discussed and forward work will be outlined. Additionally, a redesigned system architecture will be proposed.

Takada, Kevin C.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Portable Multigas Monitors for International Space Station

The Environmental Health System (EHS) on International Space Station (ISS) includes portable instruments to measure various cabin gases that acutely impact crew health. These hand-held devices measure oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride and hydrogen cyanide. The oxygen and carbon dioxide units also serve to back up key functions of the Major Constituent Analyzers. Wherever possible, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices are employed by EHS to save development and sustaining costs. COTS hardware designed for general terrestrial applications however has limitations such as no pressure compensation, limited life of the active sensor, calibration drift, battery issues, unpredictable vendor support and obsolescence. The EHS fleet (inflight and ground inventory) of instruments is both aging and dwindling in number. With the retirement of the US Space Shuttle, maintenance of on-orbit equipment becomes all the more difficult. A project is underway to search for gas monitoring technology that is highly reliable and stable for years. Tunable Diode Laser Spectroscopy (TDLS) seems to be the front-runner technology, but generally is not yet commercially available in portable form. NASA has fostered the development of TDLS through the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. A number of gases of interest to the aerospace and submarine communities can be addressed by TDLS including the list mentioned above plus hydrogen fluoride, ammonia and water (humidity). There are several different forms of TDLS including photoacoustic and direct absorption spectroscopy using various multipass cell geometries. This paper describes the history of portable gas monitoring on NASA spacecraft and provides a status of the development of TDLS based instruments. Planned TDLS flight experiments on ISS could lead both to operational use on ISS and important roles in future Exploration spacecraft and habitats.

Mudgett, Paul D.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Advanced Oxygen Generation Assembly for Exploration Missions

Future Exploration missions will require an Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) to electrolyze water to supply oxygen for crew metabolic consumption. The system design will be based on the International Space Station (ISS) OGA but with added improvements based on lessons learned during ISS operations and technological advances since the original OGA was designed and built. These improvements will reduce system weight, crew maintenance time and spares mass while increasing reliability. Currently, the design team is investigating the feasibility of the upgrades by performing ground tests and analyses. Upgrades being considered include: redesign of the electrolysis cell stack, deletion of the hydrogen dome, replacement of the hydrogen sensors, deletion of the wastewater interface, redesign of the recirculation loop deionizing bed and redesign of the cell stack Power Supply Module. The upgrades will be first demonstrated on the ISS OGA.

Takada, Kevin↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Status of the Advanced Oxygen Generation Assembly Design

Future Exploration missions will require an Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) to electrolyze water to supply oxygen for crew metabolic consumption. The system design will be based on the international Space Station (ISS) OGA but with added improvements based on lessons learned during ISS operations and technological advances since the original OGA was designed and built. The goal of these improvements will be to reduce system mass, crew maintenance time and spares mass while increasing reliability. The design team has performed trade studies, tests and analyses to inform the redesign. Upgrades being considered include: redesign of the electrolysis cell stack, redesign of the hydrogen dome, replacement of the hydrogen sensors, redesign of the recirculation loop deionizing bed and redesign of the cell stack Power Supply Module. The ISS OGA will be upgraded to an Advanced OGA (AOGA) configuration and its operation demonstrated in a flight environment.

ECLSS↗
NASA NTRS1985

Multikilowatt hydrogen-nickel oxide battery system

The potential of the H2-NiO battery for terrestrial applications was assessed. A multicell design approach that differs significantly from the aerospace individual pressure vessel was used. A number of experimental 100-Ah cells were built to evaluate the new design concepts and components. The experimental cells provided the input needed for a multicell battery design. It is found that new multicell H2-NiO battery has a number of potential advantages for aerospace applications such as the manned space station. The advantages are discussed, and a design concept is presented for a multikilowatt battery in a lightweight pressure vessel.

Dunlop, J. D.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Turboexpander for Direct Cooling in Hydrogen Vehicle Fueling Infrastructure

Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have been identified as one of a few options for zero carbon emissions transportation. A major advantage of FCEVs is that they can fuel quickly and follow a familiar fueling behavior to hydrocarbon-fueled vehicles. Whether light duty or heavy duty, the goal for a hydrogen dispenser is to fuel a vehicle in the same amount of time as the fossil fuel equivalent. When hydrogen is dispensed into the vehicle storage system, however, the temperature rises due to the Joule-Thomson effect and the heat of compression. Typically, vehicles store the compressed hydrogen in composite overwrapped pressure vessels that have a polymer liner with an operational temperature limit of 85°C. This temperature limit can be exceeded during fast fueling if hydrogen is not precooled. Precooling allows for a dispenser to fuel a vehicle at a faster flow rate by preventing the storage tank on the vehicle from overheating. Fueling protocols and requirements are presented in SAE J2601 Fueling Protocols for Light Duty Gaseous Hydrogen Surface Vehicles [1]. A heavy-duty equivalent is under development with similar requirements for precooling. Currently, conventional precooling for light-duty vehicle refueling uses a heat exchanger and chiller to cool the hydrogen gas to -40°C before entering the vehicle. The precooling system represents a significant part of the station capital and operating costs, so if the cost of the precooling system can be reduced by improving its efficiency, the overall station capital and operating cost can be reduced. In this project, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) researchers teamed up to investigate the turboexpander precooling application. A turboexpander is a device that places a turbine in a flow path where a pressure differential can be attained. This expansion device will extract work and lower the temperature of the fluid as the pressure reduces. While initial calculations based on established principles showed potential for a turboexpander to generate cooled gas, much work needs to be done to prove the concept. Turboexpanders typically work best under steady state conditions, while the dispenser is a very dynamic flow system. Dynamic turboexpander systems have been proven, such as a turbocharger on a gasoline vehicle. The inlet pressure at a dispenser is also much higher than any other known turboexpander system but should behave similarly to higher density fluids at lower pressures. Having both performed initial calculations, NREL and SNL researchers teamed up to investigate the turboexpander precooling application further. A project was soon built around the idea with SNL performing system modeling using previously proven capabilities and NREL performing hardware characterization with established station capabilities. Creare LLC was contracted as the turbomachinery expert to design and build the concept device. Part way through the project, however, contracting issues with the funding partner caused the project to terminate early before building and characterizing the concept device. While the project could not continue, many key findings were already learned. This paper is a summary of those findings.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS2007

Large-Scale Cryogen Systems and Test Facilities

NASA has completed initial construction and verification testing of the Integrated Systems Test Facility (ISTF) Cryogenic Testbed. The ISTF is located at Complex 20 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The remote and secure location is ideally suited for the following functions: (1) development testing of advanced cryogenic component technologies, (2) development testing of concepts and processes for entire ground support systems designed for servicing large launch vehicles, and (3) commercial sector testing of cryogenic- and energy-related products and systems. The ISTF Cryogenic Testbed consists of modular fluid distribution piping and storage tanks for liquid oxygen/nitrogen (56,000 gal) and liquid hydrogen (66,000 gal). Storage tanks for liquid methane (41,000 gal) and Rocket Propellant 1 (37,000 gal) are also specified for the facility. A state-of-the-art blast proof test command and control center provides capability for remote operation, video surveillance, and data recording for all test areas.

Johnson, R. G.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Renewable Hydrogen to Vehicle (RH2V) – Operation Verification and Risk Mitigation Studies: Original Agreement (Modification 0) (CRADA Final Report)

Toyota has announced plans for commercial fuel cell vehicle deployment in 2015. To fully realize the benefits of fuel cell vehicles (zero emission with no performance loss in terms of vehicle range and capability), hydrogen produced efficiently from renewable sources is necessary. Most of the hydrogen fueling stations today utilize hydrogen reformed from natural gas (produced onsite or delivered). This enables more stations to be deployed cost-effectively within a network. Producing and using cost-effective renewable hydrogen in fuel cell vehicles will enable realization of the full potential. A viable option of green hydrogen that reliably delivers on the full suite of benefits for Toyota fuel cell vehicle drivers is needed. NREL is in a unique position to analyze and optimize renewable hydrogen production scenarios using the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF), a facility that is specifically designed to evaluate renewable energy integration technologies. As the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development, NREL has extensive knowledge of photovoltaic systems as well as alternative renewable technologies for efficient and reliable production of green hydrogen.

08 HYDROGEN↗
NASA NTRS1989

Lunar construction utility vehicle

The lunar construction utility vehicle (LCUV) is an all-purpose construction vehicle which will aid in the robotic assembly of a lunar outpost. The LCUV will have the following capabilities: (1) must be self supporting including repairs; (2) must offload itself from a lunar lander; (3) must be telerobotic and semi-autonomous; (4) must be able to transport one space station common module; (5) must allow for man-rated operation; and (6) must be able to move lunar regolith for site preparation. This study recommends the use of an elastic tracked vehicle. Detailed material analyses of most of the LCUV components were accomplished. The body frame, made of pinned truss elements, was stress analyzed using NASTRAN. A track connection system was developed; however, kinematic and stress analyses are still required. This design recommends the use of hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells for power. Thermal control has proven to be a problem which may be the most challenging technically. A tentative solution has been proposed which utilizes an onboard and towable radiator. Detailed study of the heat dissipation requirements is needed to finalize radiator sizing. Preliminary work on a man-rated cabin has begun; however, this is not required during the first mission phase of the LCUV. Finally, still in the conceptual phases, are the communication, navigation and mechanical arm systems.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2001

Structures for the 3rd Generation Reusable Concept Vehicle

A major goal of NASA is to create an advance space transportation system that provides a safe, affordable highway through the air and into space. The long-term plans are to reduce the risk of crew loss to 1 in 1,000,000 missions and reduce the cost of Low-Earth Orbit by a factor of 100 from today's costs. A third generation reusable concept vehicle (RCV) was developed to assess technologies required to meet NASA's space access goals. The vehicle will launch from Cape Kennedy carrying a 25,000 lb. payload to the International Space Station (ISS). The system is an air breathing launch vehicle (ABLV) hypersonic lifting body with rockets and uses triple point hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant. The focus of this paper is on the structural concepts and analysis methods used in developing the third generation reusable launch vehicle (RLV). Member sizes, concepts and material selections will be discussed as well as analysis methods used in optimizing the structure. Analysis based on the HyperSizer structural sizing software will be discussed. Design trades required to optimize structural weight will be presented.

Hrinda, Glenn A.↗
NASA NTRS2003

An Overview of the NASA Aerospace Flight Battery Systems Program

The NASA Aerospace Flight Battery Systems Program is an agency-wide effort aimed at ensuring the quality, safety, reliability and performance of flight battery systems for NASA applications. The program provides for the validation of primary and secondary cell and battery level technology advances to ensure their availability and readiness for use in NASA missions. It serves to bridge the gap between the development of technology advances and the realization and incorporation of these advances into mission applications. The program is led by the Glenn Research Center and involves funded task activities at each of the NASA mission centers and JPL. The overall products are safe, reliable, high quality batteries for mission applications. The products are defined along three product lines: 1. Battery Systems Technology - Elements of this task area cover the systems aspects of battery operation and generally apply across chemistries. This includes the development of guidelines documents, the establishment and maintenance of a central battery database that serves a central repository for battery characterization and verification test data from tests performed under the support of this program, the NASA Battery Workshop, and general test facility support. 2. Secondary Battery Technology - l h s task area focuses on the validation of battery technology for nickel-cadmium, nickel-hydrogen, nickel-metal-hydride and lithium-ion secondary battery systems. Standardized test regimes are used to validate the quality of a cell lot or cell design for flight applications. In this area, efforts are now concentrated on the validation and verification of lithium-ion battery technology for aerospace applications. 3. Primary Battery Technology - The safety and reliability aspects for primary lithium battery systems that are used in manned operations on the Shuttle and International Space Station are addressed in the primary battery technology task area. An overview of the task areas supported under this program will be presented.

Manzo, Michelle A.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Second Target Station Project (CHESS Technical Report)

CHESS is a direct geometry neutron spectrometer designed to detect and analyze weak signals intrinsic to small cross-sections (e.g., small mass, small magnetic moments or neutron absorbing materials). This instrument is optimized to enable unprecedented characterization of quantum materials, spin liquids, thermoelectric and battery materials, liquids, and soft matter. The ability to simultaneously measure dynamic processes over a wide energy range for very small samples will make CHESS the spectrometer of choice for the initial exploration of new materials. The broad dynamic range will also be well matched to measurements of relaxation processes and excitations in soft and biological matter. The 15 Hz repetition rate of STS enables use of multiple incident energies within a single source pulse, greatly expanding the information gained in a single experiment. An essential feature of CHESS is the capability for polarization analysis to separate nuclear from magnetic scattering or coherent from incoherent scattering in hydrogenous materials, and better understanding spin-anisotropic correlations. This instrument will employ advanced sample environments such as high-pressure cells, dilution refrigerators, high field cryo-magnets and polarization devices, as well as combinations of these, to solve problems at the forefront of materials research. CHESS will be one of the flagship spectrometers of the Second Target Station (STS), providing world leading capabilities.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Ontario International Airport Fleet Electrification Blueprint: Zero-Emission Vehicle Technology Assessment for Energy Optimization [Slides]

Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA)'s Electric Vehicle (EV) Blueprint project presentation focuses on the possibilities for fleet electrification, including medium heavy duty charging and hydrogen refueling and their associated planning, infrastructure, operation, and maintenance options. This report includes detailed list of available electric ground support equipment (GSE), description of NREL tools for EV infrastructure design and optimization, and analyses of the current fleet and the potential grid impacts of electrification. Key recommendations are made in regard to simulation-based and in-depth system analyses to identify optimal charging infrastructure and long-term grid stability, and to ensure that the selected station architecture will provide enough space and capacity for future expansion and resiliency.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
NASA NTRS1999

Oxygen Generation Assembly Technology Development

Hamilton Standard Space Systems International (HSSI) is under contract to NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to develop an Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) for the International Space Station (ISS). The International Space Station Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) electrolyzes potable water from the Water Recovery System (WRS) to provide gaseous oxygen to the Space Station module atmosphere. The OGA produces oxygen for metabolic consumption by crew and biological specimens. The OGA also replenishes oxygen lost by experiment ingestion, airlock depressurization, CO2 venting, and leakage. As a byproduct, gaseous hydrogen is generated. The hydrogen will be supplied at a specified pressure range above ambient to support future utilization. Initially, the hydrogen will be vented overboard to space vacuum. This paper describes the OGA integration into the ISS Node 3. It details the development history supporting the design and describes the OGA System characteristics and its physical layout.

Bagdigian, Robert↗
DOE OSTI2024

Optimization of the Second Target Station cold source moderators using an automated workflow

The Second Target Station (STS) at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory is designed to become the world’s highest peak-brightness spallation source of cold neutrons. Successful completion of the STS, which is currently in the preliminary design phase, will provide transformative new capabilities to examine novel materials for future technologies. At STS, neutrons will be generated by spallation reactions in a solid tungsten target. They will be moderated and thermalized in two cold (20 K) para-hydrogen moderators. Careful optimization of these moderators is essential to the project’s success. To find optimal moderator designs, an advanced optimization workflow integrates high-fidelity neutronics calculations using the Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) transport code MCNP6.2 with state-of-the-art optimization algorithms in the Dakota optimization toolkit. For each design iteration, a parametrized solid CAD geometry is generated in Creo and automatically converted into an unstructured mesh geometry by Attila 4MC for the neutronics calculation with MCNP. Iterations repeat until optimal designs are found. Herein this paper presents the results of a sensitivity and optimization study for the cylindrical and tube moderators. Both moderators can be optimized for maximum peak brightness, maximum time-integrated brightness, or any combination between these extremes. Maximum peak brightness is achieved by using smaller optimal dimensions of the moderators, whereas maximum time-integrated brightness is achieved by using larger dimensions. A Pareto front details the designs that optimally balance both brightness metrics. The Pareto front can be found in only 40–110 iterations with 4–5 design parameters when using the efficient global and Pareto-set optimization algorithms in Dakota. Additionally, important engineering constraints can be taken into account, such as the coupling between the cylindrical moderator radius and aluminum vessel wall thicknesses required to ensure structural integrity of the vessels. This interaction has a significant impact on the resulting optimal designs. Our new, highly efficient, fully automated optimization workflow will be used to optimize additional STS components in the future and can be adopted for design and optimization studies at other experimental neutron and accelerator facilities.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1994

Advanced nickel-hydrogen spacecraft battery development

Eagle-Picher currently has several advanced nickel-hydrogen (NiH2) cell component and battery designs under development including common pressure vessel (CPV), single pressure vessel (SPV), and dependent pressure vessel (DPV) designs. A CPV NiH2 battery, utilizing low-cost 64 mm (2.5 in.) cell diameter technology, has been designed and built for multiple smallsat programs, including the TUBSAT B spacecraft which is currently scheduled (24 Nov. 93) for launch aboard a Russian Proton rocket. An advanced 90 mm (3.5 in.) NiH2 cell design is currently being manufactured for the Space Station Freedom program. Prototype 254 mm (10 in.) diameter SPV batteries are currently under construction and initial boilerplate testing has shown excellent results. NiH2 cycle life testing is being continued at Eagle-Picher and IPV cells have currently completed more than 89,000 accelerated LEO cycles at 15% DOD, 49,000 real-time LEO cycles at 30 percent DOD, 37,800 cycles under a real-time LEO profile, 30 eclipse seasons in accelerated GEO, and 6 eclipse seasons in real-time GEO testing at 75 percent DOD maximum. Nickel-metal hydride battery development is continuing for both aerospace and electric vehicle applications. Eagle-Picher has also developed an extensive range of battery evaluation, test, and analysis (BETA) measurement and control equipment and software, based on Hewlett-Packard computerized data acquisition/control hardware.

Coates, Dwaine K.↗
NASA NTRS2015

The Structural Heat Intercept-Insulation-Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIVER)

NASA is currently investigating methods to reduce the boil-off rate on large cryogenic upper stages. Two such methods to reduce the total heat load on existing upper stages are vapor cooling of the cryogenic tank support structure and integration of thick multilayer insulation systems to the upper stage of a launch vehicle. Previous efforts have flown a 2-layer MLI blanket and shown an improved thermal performance, and other efforts have ground-tested blankets up to 70 layers thick on tanks with diameters between 2 3 meters. However, thick multilayer insulation installation and testing in both thermal and structural modes has not been completed on a large scale tank. Similarly, multiple vapor cooled shields are common place on science payload helium dewars; however, minimal effort has gone into intercepting heat on large structural surfaces associated with rocket stages. A majority of the vapor cooling effort focuses on metallic cylinders called skirts, which are the most common structural components for launch vehicles. In order to provide test data for comparison with analytical models, a representative test tank is currently being designed to include skirt structural systems with integral vapor cooling. The tank is 4 m in diameter and 6.8 m tall to contain 5000 kg of liquid hydrogen. A multilayer insulation system will be designed to insulate the tank and structure while being installed in a representative manner that can be extended to tanks up to 10 meters in diameter. In order to prove that the insulation system and vapor cooling attachment methods are structurally sound, acoustic testing will also be performed on the system. The test tank with insulation and vapor cooled shield installed will be tested thermally in the B2 test facility at NASAs Plumbrook Station both before and after being vibration tested at Plumbrooks Space Power Facility.

Cryogenic Fluid Management↗
DOE OSTI2024

The ORNL Moderator Test Station Science Case

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) hosts two world-leading slow neutron sources, the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), and is currently developing the technical design for a Second Target Station (STS) for the SNS. Upon completion of the STS project, ORNL will be uniquely positioned to optimize each of its three neutron sources, the SNS First Target Station (FTS), the STS, and HFIR, in a complementary way. Among the essential aspects of a re-imagined FTS and the current STS design are high-brightness parahydrogen moderators—moderators which are optimized for high per-unit-area neutron brightness rather than integrated-across-large-area neutron intensity. The high-brightness moderators proposed for the STS will, for the brightness metric, significantly outperform the coupled moderators currently on the FTS for appropriately optimized neutron beamlines, provided the moderating hydrogen is converted to near-equilibrium levels of parahydrogen (approximately 99.8% at 20 K). The original FTS moderators, by contrast, were conservatively designed to be relatively insensitive to the exact ortho:para ratio, with a consequent loss in performance. As a result, a redesign of the FTS moderators assuming fully converted parahydrogen could result in significant performance improvements on the FTS coupled moderators, and more consistent performance over time for all hydrogen moderators. This “parahydrogen problem” is a long-standing challenge for the effective implementation of hydrogen cold moderators at high-power neutron sources. In addition, the development of new moderator concepts, whether based on previously unused materials, structured heterogeneous arrays, or even simply on changes in overall shape and size is significantly restricted at a large-scale production facility intended to use the resulting neutron beams. Accordingly, moderators for production neutron sources are often designed in a very conservative, low-risk fashion, even though this compromises the absolute neutronic performance. Advanced moderator concepts worthy of study include features that could not be tested without redesigning and redeploying the entire existing reflector, shielding, and neutron beamline installation, making such development efforts far more expensive than building a stand-alone test facility.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗