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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1952

Effect of Various Blade Modifications on Performance of a 16-Stage High-pressure-ratio Axial-flow Compressor.Angles 3 deg: Effect on Over-all Performance Characteristics of Decreasing Twelfth Through Fifteenth State Stator-blade Angles 3 deg - 1

The stator-blade angles in the twelfth to fifteenth stages of a 16-stage high-pressure-ratio axial-flow compressor were decreased 3 deg The over-all performance of this compressor is compared with the performance of the same compressor with standard blade angles. The matching characteristics of the modified compressor and a two-stage turbine were also obtained and compared with those of the compressor with the original blade angles and the same turbine.

Medeiros, Arthur A.↗
NASA NTRS2016

Design of a Two-Stage Light Gas Gun for Muzzle Velocities of 10 - 11 kms

Space debris poses a major risk to spacecraft. In low earth orbit, impact velocities can be 10 11 kms and as high as 15 kms. For debris shield design, it would be desirable to be able to launch controlled shape projectiles to these velocities. The design of the proposed 10 11 kmsec gun uses, as a starting point, the Ames 1.280.22 two stage gun, which has achieved muzzle velocities of 10 11.3 kmsec. That gun is scaled up to a 0.3125 launch tube diameter. The gun is then optimized with respect to maximum pressures by varying the pump tube length to diameter ratio (LD), the piston mass and the hydrogen pressure. A pump tube LD of 36.4 is selected giving the best overall performance. Piezometric ratios for the optimized guns are found to be 2.3, much more favorable than for more traditional two stage light gas guns, which range from 4 to 6. The maximum powder chamber pressures are 20 to 30 ksi. To reduce maximum pressures, the desirable range of the included angle of the cone of the high pressure coupling is found to be 7.3 to 14.6 degrees. Lowering the break valve rupture pressure is found to lower the maximum projectile base pressure, but to raise the maximum gun pressure. For the optimized gun with a pump tube LD of 36.4, increasing the muzzle velocity by decreasing the projectile mass and increasing the powder loads is studied. It appears that saboted spheres could be launched to 10.25 and possibly as high as 10.7 10.8 kmsec, and that disc-like plastic models could be launched to 11.05 kms. The use of a tantalum liner to greatly reduce bore erosion and increase muzzle velocity is discussed. With a tantalum liner, CFD code calculations predict muzzle velocities as high as 12 to 13 kms.

Gun Design↗
NASA NTRS2016

Design of a Two-Stage Light Gas Gun for Muzzle Velocities of 10 - 11 km/s

Space debris poses a major risk to spacecraft. In low earth orbit, impact velocities can be 10 - 11 km/s and as high as 15 km/s. For debris shield design, it would be desirable to be able to launch projectiles of known shape and mass to these velocities. The design of the proposed 10 - 11 km/sec gun uses, as a starting point, the Ames 1.28”/0.22” two stage gun, which has achieved muzzle velocities of 10 - 11.3 km/sec. That gun is scaled up to a 0.3125” launch tube diameter. The gun is then optimized with respect to maximum pressures by varying the pump tube length to diameter ratio (L/D), the piston mass and the hydrogen pressure. A pump tube L/D of 36.4 is selected giving the best overall performance. Piezometric ratios for the optimized guns are found to be ~2.3, much more favorable than for more traditional two stage light gas guns, which range from 4 to 6. (The piezometric ratio for a gun is defined as the maximum projectile base pressure divided by the constant projectile base pressure which, acting over the entire barrel length, would produce the same muzzle velocity.) The maximum powder chamber pressures are 20 to 30 ksi. To reduce maximum pressures, the desirable range of the included angle of the cone of the high pressure coupling is found to be 7.3 to 14.6 degrees. Lowering the break valve rupture pressure is found to lower the maximum projectile base pressure, but to raise the maximum gun pressure. For the optimized gun with a pump tube L/D of 36.4, increasing the muzzle velocity by decreasing the projectile mass and increasing the powder loads is studied. It appears that saboted spheres could be launched to 10.25 and possibly as high as 10.8 km/sec, and that disc-like plastic models could be launched to 11.05 km/s. The use of a tantalum liner to greatly reduce bore erosion and increase muzzle velocity is discussed. With a tantalum liner, CFD code calculations predict muzzle velocities as high as 12 to 13 km/s.

Bogdanoff, David W.↗
NASA NTRS1959

Experimental Altitude Performance of JP-4 Fuel and Liquid-Oxygen Rocket Engine with an Area Ratio of 48

The performance for four altitudes (sea-level, 51,000, 65,000, and 70,000 ft) of a rocket engine having a nozzle area ratio of 48.39 and using JP-4 fuel and liquid oxygen as a propellant was evaluated experimentally by use of a 1000-pound-thrust engine operating at a chamber pressure of 600 pounds per square inch absolute. The altitude environment was obtained by a rocket-ejector system which utilized the rocket exhaust gases as the pumping fluid of the ejector. Also, an engine having a nozzle area ratio of 5.49 designed for sea level was tested at sea-level conditions. The following table lists values from faired experimental curves at an oxidant-fuel ratio of 2.3 for various approximate altitudes.

Fortini, Anthony↗
NASA NTRS1950

Performance of High-pressure-ratio Axial-flow Compressor Using Highly Cambered NACA 65-series Blower Blades at High Mach Numbers

A complete stage of an axial-flow compressor was designed and built to investigate the possibility of obtaining a high pressure ratio with an acceptable efficiency through the use of the optimum combination of high blade loading and high relative inlet Mach number. Over-all stage performance was investigated over a range of flows at equivalent tip speeds of 418 to 836 feet per second. At design speed (836 ft/sec), a peak total-pressure ration of 1.445 was obtained with an adiabatic efficiency of 0.89. For design angle of attack at the mean radius, a total-pressure ratio of 1.392 was obtained.

COMPRESSORS - AXIAL FLOW↗
NASA NTRS1950

NACA research on combustors for aircraft gas turbines I : effects of operating variables on steady-state performance

Some of the systematic research conducted by the NACA on aircraft gas-turbine combustors is reviewed. Trends depicting the effect of inlet-air pressure, temperature, and velocity and fuel-air ratio on performance characteristics, such as combustion efficiency, maximum temperature rise attainable, pressure loss, and combustor-outlet temperature distribution are described for a variety of turbojet combustors of the liquid-fuel type. These trends are further discussed as effects significant to the turbojet engine, such as altitude operational limits, specific fuel consumption, thrust, acceleration, and turbine life.

Olson, Walter T↗
NASA NTRS2019

Mid-Lift-to-Drag Ratio Rigid Vehicle 6-DOF EDL Performance Using Tunable Apollo Powered Guidance

The Mid-Lift-to-Drag ratio Rigid Vehicle (MRV) is a candidate in the NASA multi-center effort to determine the most cost effective vehicle to deliver a large-mass payload to the surface of Mars for a human mission. Products of this effort include six-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) entry-to-descent trajectory performance studies for each candidate vehicle. These high fidelity analyses help determine the best guidance and control (G&C) strategies for a feasible, robust trajectory. This paper presents an analysis of the MRV's G&C design by applying common entry and descent associated uncertainties using a Fully Numerical Predictor-corrector Entry Guidance (FNPEG) and tunable Apollo powered descent guidance.

human↗
NASA NTRS2019

Mid-Lift-To-Drag Ratio Rigid Vehicle 6-DOF EDL Performance Using Tunable Apollo Powered Guidance

The Mid-Lift-to-Drag ratio Rigid Vehicle (MRV) is a candidate in the NASA multi-center effort to determine the most cost effective vehicle to deliver a large-mass payload to the surface of Mars for a human mission. Products of this effort include six-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) entry-to-landing trajectory performance studies for each candidate vehicle. These high fidelity analyses help determine the best guidance and control (G&C) strategies for a feasible, robust trajectory. This paper presents an analysis of the MRV's G&C design by applying common entry and descent associated uncertainties using a Fully Numerical Predictor-corrector Entry Guidance (FNPEG) and tunable Apollo powered descent guidance.

Johnson, Breanna J.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) Preliminary Error Budget and Performance Estimate

The Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) study phase has resulted in a preliminary error budget and an estimate of the instrument performance. This paper will present the line-of-sight (LOS) Velocity Measurement Error Budget, the instrument Boresight Error Budget, and the predicted signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance. The measurement requirements and a preliminary design for the LAWS instrument are presented in a companion paper.

Kenyon, David L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

The Performance Capabillities and Limitations of Gain-Limitated Propulsion Systems

Omniplanetary space flight requires new high-performance propulsion systems based on nuclear energy. Over the last several decades, many propulsion concepts have been discussed which will allow one-month missions to Mars and one-year missions to the outer planets. Such missions entail large mission velocities and vehicle accelerations, which in turn require both high exhaust velocities (and therefore, and extremely low mass-power ratios. High performance electric propulsion appears capable of enabling multi-month transits to Mars and the near-earth asteroids; however, the mass-power ratio of these systems appears too high to achieve large accelerations for outer planet missions. This presentation analyzed the round-trip mission times and distances. This analysis has shown that even high-performance power-limited systems cannot achieve the higher accelerations needed to meet fast missions to the outer planets. Gain-limited missions are necessary for those extremely aggressive missions. An analysis of spacecraft power systems via a power balance and examination of gain vs mass-power ratio has shown: (1) A minimum gain is needed to have enough power for thrust production and driver operation; (2) Increases in gain result in decreases in mass-power ratio, which in turn leads to greater achievable accelerations. However, there is an absolute minimum mass-power ratio for a given set of subsystems, even in the limit of infinite gain.

Schmidt, G. R.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Performance and wake flow characterization of a 1:8.7-scale reference USDOE MHKF1 hydrokinetic turbine to establish a verification and validation test database

As hydrokinetic turbine technologies continue to advance towards commercialization, public datasets on the performance characteristics for these devices and their flow field effects are invaluable to advance our understanding of these technologies and to validate analytical and numerical models. The Applied Research Laboratory at The Pennsylvania State University (ARL Penn State) collaborated with Sandia National Laboratories and the University of California at Davis to design, fabricate (at a 1:8.7 scale), and experimentally test a novel hydrokinetic turbine rotor design to provide an open platform and dataset for further study and development. The water tunnel test of this three-bladed, horizontal-axis rotor recorded power production, blade loading, the near-wake flow, cavitation effects, and noise generation. These state-of-the-art measurements demonstrate much of the complex physics associated with the flow through an unducted, horizontal-axis turbine, and they elucidate the performance characteristics and flow field effects at an unprecedented fidelity, accuracy and resolution. Measurements of powering coefficients (power, torque and thrust) as a function of tip-speed-ratio were performed. The dataset also includes unsteady measurements of driveshaft loading, blade strain, tower pressures, and radiated noise. Detailed flow mapping using laser Doppler velocimetry, and planar and stereo particle image velocimetry includes measurements of mean velocity and Reynolds stresses. Although the wake measurements are limited to less than half a diameter, they reveal the complex flow patterns in the near-wake structure of the rotor. The full database, available at the United States Department of Energy’s marine and hydrokinetic data repository, includes tunnel and model Computer Aided Design geometry files and inflow data sufficient for a “Model-the-Test” computational Verification and Validation study.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS1981

Investigation of performance deterioration of the CF6/JT9D high bypass ratio turbofan engines

The extent and magnitude of performance deterioration of the Pratt and Whitney JT9D, and the General Electric CF6 engine models is presented. Overall engine and contributing module performance deterioration with respect to flight cycles and/or time are analyzed. The overall engine performance deterioration analyses are based on data obtained from historical records, special engine tests, and tests for specific effects. Hardware inspection data from overhaul shops and special module tests are the basis for the modular performance deterioration data used in the analyses. Various damage mechanisms such as seal rubs, erosion, surface roughness and thermal distortion, and how they contribute to performance deterioration are included in the modular analyses. Results indicate that early performance deterioration occurring within the first few flights of these engines is less than 1 percent in cruise specific fuel consumption (SFC), that it is event oriented, and that it is the result of increased blade tip clearances. This performance deterioration gradually increases to about 2.5 to 3.0 percent (including the initial short term deterioration) after 2500 to 3000 flights where increased blade tip clearances, airfoil quality degradation, and thermal distortion are the contributing causes.

Ziemianski, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1956

Effect of variable-position inlet guide vanes and interstage bleed on compressor performance of a high-pressure-ratio turbojet engine

Increased guide-vane turning resulted in poorer overall performance, the decrease being greatest at the highest rotor speed. Rotating stall originating at the tips of the first stage correlated with the knee in the stall-limit line. Increasing guide-vane turning shifted the first-stage stall-free performance and the knee in the stall-limit line to a lower engine speed. Opening the interstage bleed reduced the minimum rotor speed at which stall-free performance of the first stage was possible and tended to eliminate the knee in the stall-limit line.

Huntley, S C↗
NASA NTRS2006

Advances in Raman Lidar Measurements of Water Vapor, Cirrus Clouds and Carbon Dioxide

Narrow-band interference filters with improved transmission in the ultraviolet have been developed under NASA-funded research and used in the Raman Airborne Spectroscopic Lidar (RASL) in ground- based, upward-looking tests. RASL is an airborne Raman Lidar system designed to measure water vapor mixing ratio, and aerosol backscatter/extinction/depolarization. It also possesses the capability to make experimental measurements of cloud liquid water and carbon dioxide. It is being prepared for first flight tests during the summer of 2006. With the newly developed filters installed in RASL, measurements were made of atmospheric water vapor, cirrus cloud optical properties and carbon dioxide that improve upon any previously demonstrated using Raman lidar. Daytime boundary layer profiling of water vapor mixing ratio is performed with less than 5% random error using temporal and spatial resolution of 2-minutes and 60 - 210, respectively. Daytime cirrus cloud optical depth and extinction- to-backscatter ratio measurements are made using 1-minute average. Sufficient signal strength is demonstrated to permit the simultaneous profiling of carbon dioxide and water vapor mixing ratio into the free troposphere during the nighttime. Downward-looking from an airborne RASL should possess the same measurement statistics with approximately a factor of 5 - 10 decrease in averaging time. A description of the technology improvements are provided followed by examples of the improved Raman lidar measurements.

Whiteman, David N.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Revealing local order via high energy EELS

Short range order (SRO) is critical in determining the performance of many important engineering materials. However, accurate characterization of SRO with high spatial resolution – which is needed for the study of individual nanoparticles and at material defects and interfaces – is often experimentally inaccessible. Here, we locally quantify SRO via scanning transmission electron microscopy with extended energy loss fine structure analysis. Specifically, we use novel instrumentation to perform electron energy loss spectroscopy out to 12 keV, accessing energies which are conventionally only possible using a synchrotron. Our data is of sufficient energy resolution and signal-to-noise ratio to perform quantitative extended fine structure analysis, which allows determination of local coordination environments. To showcase this technique, we investigate a multicomponent metallic glass nanolaminate and locally quantify the SRO with <10 nm spatial resolution; this measurement would have been impossible with conventional synchrotron or electron microscopy methods. Finally, we discuss the nature of SRO within the metallic glass phase, as well as the wider applicability of our approach for determining processing–SRO–property relationships in complex materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2013

Semi-Empirical Validation of the Cross-Band Relative Absorption Technique for the Measurement of Molecular Mixing Ratios

Studies were performed to carry out semi-empirical validation of a new measurement approach we propose for molecular mixing ratios determination. The approach is based on relative measurements in bands of O2 and other molecules and as such may be best described as cross band relative absorption (CoBRA). . The current validation studies rely upon well verified and established theoretical and experimental databases, satellite data assimilations and modeling codes such as HITRAN, line-by-line radiative transfer model (LBLRTM), and the modern-era retrospective analysis for research and applications (MERRA). The approach holds promise for atmospheric mixing ratio measurements of CO2 and a variety of other molecules currently under investigation for several future satellite lidar missions. One of the advantages of the method is a significant reduction of the temperature sensitivity uncertainties which is illustrated with application to the ASCENDS mission for the measurement of CO2 mixing ratios (XCO2). Additional advantages of the method include the possibility to closely match cross-band weighting function combinations which is harder to achieve using conventional differential absorption techniques and the potential for additional corrections for water vapor and other interferences without using the data from numerical weather prediction (NWP) models.

Pliutau, Denis↗
NASA NTRS2007

Water Vapor Profiling From CoSSIR Radiometric Measurements

Previous millimeter-wave radiometry for water vapor profiling, by either airborne or satellite sensors, has been limited to frequencies less than or equal to 183 GHz. The retrievals are generally limited to an altitude range of 0-10 km. The additional measurements at the frequencies of 380.2 plus or minus 0.8, 380.2 plus or minus 1.8, 380.2 plus or minus 3.3, and 380.2 plus or minus 6.2 GHz provided by the new airborne Compact Scanning Submillimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer (CoSSIR) can extend this profiling capability up to an altitude of about 15 km. Furthermore, the retrievals can be performed over both land and water surfaces in the tropics without much difficulty. These properties are demonstrated by recent CoSSIR measurements on board the NASA WB-57 aircraft during CR-AVE in January 2006. Retrievals of water vapor mixing ratio were performed at eight altitude levels of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 km from CoSSIR data sets acquired at observational angles of 0 and 53.4 degrees, and the results were compared with other available measurements from the same aircraft and near-concurrent satellites. A comparison of the variations of mixing ratios retrieved from CoSSIR and those derived from the Meteorological Measurement System (MMS) in the aircraft vicinity, along the path of the transit flight on January 14, 2006, appears to show some connection, although the measurements were referring to different altitudes. A very good agreement was found between the collocated values of total precipitable water derived from the CoSSIR-retrieved water vapor profiles and those estimated from TMI (TRMM Microwave Imager)

Wang, J. R.↗