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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 1,657 records · Page 92
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Hawai‘i National Marine Renewable Energy Center (HINMREC)

The Hawaii National Marine Renewable Energy Center (HINMREC) was established to facilitate the commercialization of wave energy converter (WEC) devices, and to accelerate development and testing of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) technologies. Housed at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) of the University of Hawaii (UH), this program started with execution of the contract between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and UH in March 2009, and activities ran through the end of the project in September 2019. The DOE tasked HINMREC with facilitating and accelerating the build-out of the Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS), the nation’s first grid-connected open water wave energy conversion test facility, located off Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) in Kaneohe, on the island of Oahu. WETS was expanded from an existing test berth at 30m water depth to include test berths at 60m and 80m water depths. In recognition of the high costs associated with at-sea testing and evaluation of WEC devices, it was deemed imperative that HINMREC seek ways to reduce costs to developers by providing key research support to these early-stage technologies. WETS and HINMREC’s support allowed development of wave energy technology by providing a testing infrastructure that allows technology developers to test, demonstrate and evaluate their WEC devices, and generate data in order to advance WEC designs toward commercial readiness. HINMREC’s roles have included support in the establishment of the full site, including of wave resource characterization and site survey, followed by the essential roles of independent WEC device power performance assessment and environmental monitoring in support of deployed pre-commercial WECs. This DOE-funded work transitioned effectively to continue Navy-funded tasks for OTEC development, and activities at WETS, now under Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) funding. A secondary objective in the establishment of HINMREC was to assist the private sector in moving OTEC systems beyond proof-of-concept to pre-commercialization, primarily focused on system and component engineering, and local and global investigations into the potential environmental impacts of OTEC systems. HINMREC was tasked with maintaining high-resolution models of ocean thermal resources and the potential sustainable power output of OTEC systems. Ongoing tests begun previously under Navy funding at the OTEC Heat Exchangers (HXs) Test Facility at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA), in Kona on Hawaii Island, have been continued to identify cost-effective aluminum alloys for use in OTEC systems operating in the corrosive marine environment.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
NASA NTRS2011

Modifications to Marshall's Annular Seal Test (MAST) Rig and Facility for Improved Rotordynamic Coefficient Testing of Annular Seals and Fluid Film Bearings

The limits of rotordynamic stability continue to be pushed by the high power densities and rotational speeds of modern rocket engine turbomachinery. Destabilizing forces increase dramatically with rotor speed. Rotordynamic stability is lost when these destabilizing forces overwhelm the stabilizing forces. The vibration from the unstable rotor grows until it is limited by some nonlinearity. For example, a rolling element bearing with a stiffness characteristic that increases with deflection may limit the vibration amplitude. The loads and deflections resulting from this limit cycle vibration (LCV) can lead to bearing and seal damage which promotes ever increasing levels of subsynchronous vibration. Engineers combat LCV by introducing rotordynamic elements that generate increased stabilizing forces and reduced destabilizing forces. For example, replacing a labyrinth seal with a damping seal results in substantial increases in the damping and stiffness rotordynamic coefficients. Adding a swirl brake to the damping seal greatly reduces the destabilizing cross-coupled forces generated by the damping seal for even further increases in the stabilizing capacity. Marshall?s Annular Seal Test (MAST) rig is designed to experimentally measure the stabilizing capacity of new annular seal designs. The rig has been moved to a new facility and outfitted with a new slave bearing to allow increased test durations and to enable the testing of fluid film bearings. The purpose of this paper is to describe the new facility and the new bearing arrangement. Several novel seal and bearing designs will also be discussed.

Darden, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Using Facility Condition Assessments to Identify Actions Related to Infrastructure

To support cost effective, quality research it is essential that laboratory and testing facilities are maintained in a continuous and reliable state of availability at all times. NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) and its maintenance contractor, Jacobs Technology, Inc. Research Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering (ROME) group, are in the process of implementing a combined Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) and Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) program to improve asset management and overall reliability of testing equipment in facilities such as wind tunnels. Specific areas are being identified for improvement, the deferred maintenance cost is being estimated, and priority is being assigned against facilities where conditions have been allowed to deteriorate. This assessment serves to assist in determining where to commit available funds on the Center. RCM methodologies are being reviewed and enhanced to assure that appropriate preventive, predictive, and facilities/equipment acceptance techniques are incorporated to prolong lifecycle availability and assure reliability at minimum cost. The results from the program have been favorable, better enabling LaRC to manage assets prudently.

Rubert, Kennedy F.↗
DOE OSTI2019

On-Sun Characterization of Microchannel Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Solar Thermal Receivers - Preliminary Findings

The design of, and preliminary on-sun tests on, an 8 cm x 8 cm microchannel supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) receiver is presented. The receiver has a laminated design, wherein sheets of Haynes 230 nickel superalloy are patterned and diffusion bonded to form microscale flow passages. The microscale pattern is in the form of square pins with width and height of 500 μm and 200 μm respectively. The pins are arranged in an in-line pattern with respect to the flow direction. The longitudinal and transverse pitch ratios of the micro pin fins are identical and equal to two times the side width of the pillar. A sCO2 test facility is developed with the ability to supply sCO2 at 200 bar pressure and at temperatures between 300-500°C to the receiver inlet. The sCO2 facility is coupled to a seven meter diameter parabolic dish with a 25 kW rating and a concentration ratio of about 800. On-sun tests are performed at a receiver inlet pressure of 150 bar and a receiver inlet temperature between 110-130°C. Receiver and thermal efficiencies in excess of 0.91 and 0.96 respectively for the incident heat flux ranging from 8 to 80 W/cm2, and average surface temperatures ranging from 150-550°C are obtained in these experiments.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Marshall 100-Meter X-ray Beamline

The Marshall 100-Meter X-ray Beamline is a user facility for x-ray and EUV optics and instrumentation calibration, located at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Also known as the Stray Light Test Facility, the Marshall-100 provides a range of focal plane detectors, x-ray sources, translation stages, cleanrooms, and high-vacuum level capability to the high-energy astrophysics community. Facility time is made available to Astronomy and Physics Research and Analysis (APRA) funded projects and is also available to the broader community upon request made to beamline management. The beamline has successfully been employed in the calibration of larger scope projects such as the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma Astronomical Roentgen Telescope X-ray Concentrator (ART-XC) telescope and the Small Explorer (SMEX) class Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) Space Telescope. Additionally, the Marshall-100 is instrumental in supporting testing related to MSFC’s high-angular resolution optics development program.

X-ray Beamline, Test Facility, X-ray Calibration↗
DOE OSTI2016

AREVA NP's industrial CFD single-phase methodology and applications for nuclear fuel

During the course of the last decade, AREVA NP has developed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods capable of accurately predicting flow fields and thermal mixing within fuel bundles, as well as pressure losses and hydrodynamic forces on fuel assembly components such as spacer grids, lower and upper nozzles. The present work summarizes the evolution of AREVA NP's single-phase CFD methodology and the extensive validation efforts, with focus on improving confidence level in CFD results. Currently, it is possible to produce models for large sections of a fuel assembly and produce CFD simulation results with an uncertainty proven to be similar to the corresponding measurement uncertainty. Extensive validation has been conducted against in-house data obtained for a wide range of geometries representative of actual hardware, in multiple test facilities, with various measurement techniques. In addition to in-house validation data, AREVA NP has also exercised its best-practices against international benchmarks; blind test results were in very good agreement with the data. The current high level of confidence in single-phase CFD predictions allows investigating a wide variety of physics in Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) as well as Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) fuel assemblies. CFD is used as a design and optimization tool as well as a supplement to regular testing to improve the quality of tests and optimize hardware design features for specific targets. CFD played a major role in the design of AREVA NP's latest fuel assembly designs (ATRIUM{sup TM1} 11 and GAIA). In this paper we first illustrate AREVA NP's comprehensive validation database for single-phase CFD (pressure drop, flow field), then provide several examples of applications: virtual testing for parts optimization and support of core operation. (authors)

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1985

Outdoor performance testing of thin-film devices

The Advanced Systems Research Group supports the photovoltaic advanced R&D (PV AR&D) project by providing outdoor (global) testing of PV cells, submodules, modules, and arrays. The group also provides in house engineering and analysis to identify and determine how technical issues such as cell/module/system adaptations, long term stability, reliability, economics, materials availability, safety, and environmental impacts affect the development and ultimate use of advanced PV thin film, innovative cell, and material technologies. A major thrust of the research effort is to develop and utilize instrumentation and procedures for monitoring and analyzing PV cells and submodules including outdoor performance and stability testing and life cycle accelerated stress testing. To accomplish the above, the solar energy research institute (SERI) outdoor PV test facility was established in 1982. The group has designed testing systems and analysis procedures for, and has tested, numerous amorphous silicon thin film submodules provided by SERI subcontractors and has performed long term outdoor stability tests on CdS/CuIr Se sub 2 and hydrogen passivated silicon solar cells. A significant contribution from this facility over the past year was the testing of large area amorphous silicon submodules.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2016

Direct contact condensation experiments for clarification of S/C temperature evolution during long term steam discharge

Severe accident codes study the thermo-hydraulics of the suppression chamber with a limited numbers of nodes, generally solving mass and energy equations and assuming perfect mixing conditions. In a long station black out the effect of the quencher's design might create local phenomena (e.g. stratification, hot-spots) which are hardly predicted by the current practices, resulting in mispredictions of the containment pressure evolution. In order to understand the effect of the quencher geometry, steam mass flux, water sub-cooling and air concentration the SWAM facility (Steam Water Air Mixing) at the SIET laboratory was employed performing around twenty different experiments, in conditions close to what is expected during the Fukushima Daiichi accident. The test facility (pool and pipes) is built with polycarbonate (transparent material) to ease the acquisition of the conventional and high-speed cameras. Vertically distributed thermocouples and high-frequency pressure measurements are employed to obtain quantitative values for phenomena investigation and future CFD validations. It was shown that experiments with pure steam and relatively large diameter holes induce chugging that enhances mixing in the pool. Once chugging ceases, because of the reduced sub-cooling, a hot water layer is created in the upper part of the pool. The presence of air in the pipe induces large stratification from the condition of large subcooling because of the limited mixing introduced in the region below the pipe mouth. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Pre-Transient Characterization of Historic EBR-II Pins for Transient Testing

Current interest in sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) designs, such as TerraPower’s Natrium Reactor, has highlighted the need for advanced reactor fuel technology development. Modern U-Zr and U- Pu-Zr pin designs are primary candidates to fuel SFRs and boast high fuel utilization capacity, increased fuel-cladding compatibility, and improved safety through inherent feedback mechanisms. Despite over 60 years of metallic fuel irradiation, uncertainties exist in the performance of the fuel system, particularly under transient overpower (TOP) and loss of flow (LOF) scenarios. Throughout historical testing within the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) and the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), fuel behavior has demonstrated benign response to transient reactor conditions; however, accurate predictions of failure thresholds to inform operational limitations rely heavily on fuel composition, burnup, and irradiation history. In expanding TOP and LOF testing, the Transient Heat sink Overpower Response (THOR) Capsule will be used to test modern fuel technologies in a static sodium environment in the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility. The THOR capsule is highly instrumented and will provide time-dependent thermal behavior of SFR fuel pins subjected to accident conditions within TREAT. The THOR-Metallic (THOR- M) campaign aims to validate and expand historical TOP and LOF testing on high burnup U-Zr and U-Pu- Zr fuel alloys previously irradiated in EBR-II by running the rods to failure. This contribution focuses primarily on the pre-transient engineering-scale destructive and non- destructive characterization that has been conducted on both the test and sibling pins used for the TOP and LOF tests. All pins underwent visual examination, neutron radiography, element contact profilometry, and precise gamma scan. The sibling pins used for each test were further analyzed using gas assay, sampling, and recharge analysis (GASR), and optical microscopy. The results from each technique confirmed that the fuel pins were intact and devoid of any atypical developments when compared to historical data. Additionally, the analyzed measurements establish a baseline for comparison to post-transient analysis. Key fuel behaviors quanitifed include axial elongation of the fuel column, diametral strain of the pin, patterns in fluff structure geometry, changes in axial isotope distribution, evolution of constituent redistribution, porosity, and fission gas release. The pre-transient measurements and changes attributed to transient behavior from post-transient measurement will be compared to historical data to capture the behavioral dependence on composition, burnup, and irradiation history. Results from this work advance the initiatives of the THOR-M campaign, which aid in informing fuel performance models and establishing safety criteria for SFR operational limits. The novel combination of test environment, in-situ instrumentation, and comprehensive suite of characterization methods provides greater understanding of transient fuel behavior. Overall, information on the time and condition of pin failure for high burnup U-Pu-Zr will greatly expand the limited existing TOP and LOF test data.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Pre-Transient Characterization of Historic EBR-II Pins for Transient Testing

Current interest in sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) designs, such as TerraPower’s Natrium Reactor, has highlighted the need for advanced reactor fuel technology development. Modern U-Zr and U- Pu-Zr pin designs are primary candidates to fuel SFRs and boast high fuel utilization capacity, increased fuel-cladding compatibility, and improved safety through inherent feedback mechanisms. Despite over 60 years of metallic fuel irradiation, uncertainties exist in the performance of the fuel system, particularly under transient overpower (TOP) and loss of flow (LOF) scenarios. Throughout historical testing within the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II) and the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), fuel behavior has demonstrated benign response to transient reactor conditions; however, accurate predictions of failure thresholds to inform operational limitations rely heavily on fuel composition, burnup, and irradiation history. In expanding TOP and LOF testing, the Transient Heat sink Overpower Response (THOR) Capsule will be used to test modern fuel technologies in a static sodium environment in the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility. The THOR capsule is highly instrumented and will provide time-dependent thermal behavior of SFR fuel pins subjected to accident conditions within TREAT. The THOR-Metallic (THOR- M) campaign aims to validate and expand historical TOP and LOF testing on high burnup U-Zr and U-Pu- Zr fuel alloys previously irradiated in EBR-II by running the rods to failure. This contribution focuses primarily on the pre-transient engineering-scale destructive and non- destructive characterization that has been conducted on both the test and sibling pins used for the TOP and LOF tests. All pins underwent visual examination, neutron radiography, element contact profilometry, and precise gamma scan. The sibling pins used for each test were further analyzed using gas assay, sampling, and recharge analysis (GASR), and optical microscopy. The results from each technique confirmed that the fuel pins were intact and devoid of any atypical developments when compared to historical data. Additionally, the analyzed measurements establish a baseline for comparison to post-transient analysis. Key fuel behaviors quanitifed include axial elongation of the fuel column, diametral strain of the pin, patterns in fluff structure geometry, changes in axial isotope distribution, evolution of constituent redistribution, porosity, and fission gas release. The pre-transient measurements and changes attributed to transient behavior from post-transient measurement will be compared to historical data to capture the behavioral dependence on composition, burnup, and irradiation history. Results from this work advance the initiatives of the THOR-M campaign, which aid in informing fuel performance models and establishing safety criteria for SFR operational limits. The novel combination of test environment, in-situ instrumentation, and comprehensive suite of characterization methods provides greater understanding of transient fuel behavior. Overall, information on the time and condition of pin failure for high burnup U-Pu-Zr will greatly expand the limited existing TOP and LOF test data.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
NASA NTRS1981

Aircraft design using the National Transonic Facility

The utility of the cryogenic high Reynolds number test facility as a production tunnel is evaluated. Aerodynamic performance evaluation, numerical wing design verification, and high Reynolds number theoretical extensions are considered. A priority ranking of NTF uses from an airframe development viewpoint is presented.

Bonner, E.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Hydrogen Infrastructure Testing and Research Facility

Learn about the Hydrogen Infrastructure Testing and Research Facility (HITRF), where NREL researchers are working on vehicle and hydrogen infrastructure projects that aim to enable more rapid inclusion of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies in the market to meet consumer and national goals for emissions reduction, performance, and energy security. As part of NREL’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF), the HITRF is designed for collaboration with a wide range of hydrogen, fuel cell, and transportation stakeholders.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
NASA NTRS2012

Space Environmental Effects Testing Capability at the Marshall Space Flight Center

Understanding the effects of the space environment on materials and systems is fundamental and essential for mission success. If not properly understood and designed for, the effects of the environment can lead to degradation of materials, reduction of functional lifetime, and system failure. In response to this need, the Marshall Space Flight Center has developed world class Space Environmental Effects (SEE) expertise and test facilities to simulate the space environment. Capabilities include multiple unique test systems comprising the most complete SEE testing capability available. These test capabilities include charged particle radiation (electrons, protons, ions), ultraviolet radiation (UV), vacuum ultraviolet radiation (VUV), atomic oxygen, plasma effects, space craft charging, lunar surface and planetary effects, vacuum effects, and hypervelocity impacts as well as the combination of these capabilities. In addition to the uniqueness of the individual test capabilities, MSFC is the only NASA facility where the effects of the different space environments can be tested in one location. Combined with additional analytical capabilities for pre- and post-test evaluation, MSFC is a one-stop shop for materials testing and analysis. The SEE testing and analysis are performed by a team of award winning experts nationally recognized for their contributions in the study of the effects of the space environment on materials and systems. With this broad expertise in space environmental effects and the variety of test systems and equipment available, MSFC is able to customize tests with a demonstrated ability to rapidly adapt and reconfigure systems to meet customers needs. Extensive flight experiment experience bolsters this simulation and analysis capability with a comprehensive understanding of space environmental effects.

DeWittBurns, H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Future experimental needs to support applied aerodynamics - A transonic perspective

Advancements in facilities, test techniques, and instrumentation are needed to provide data required for the development of advanced aircraft and to verify computational methods. An industry survey of major users of wind tunnel facilities at Langley Research Center (LaRC) was recently carried out to determine future facility requirements, test techniques, and instrumentation requirements; results from this survey are reflected in this paper. In addition, areas related to transonic testing at LaRC which are either currently being developed or are recognized as needing improvements are discussed.

Gloss, Blair B.↗
DOE OSTI2018

SuperCDMS Underground Detector Fabrication Facility

The SuperCDMS SNOLAB dark matter experiment processes Ge and Si crystals into fully tested phonon and ionization detectors at surface fabrication and test facilities. If not mitigated, it is anticipated that trace-level production of radioisotopes in the crystals due to exposure to cosmic rays at (or above) sea level will result in the dominant source of background events in future dark matter searches using the current SuperCDMS detector technology. Fabrication and testing of detectors in underground facilities shielded from cosmic radiation is one way to directly reduce production of trace levels of radioisotopes, thereby improving experimental sensitivity for the discovery of dark matter beyond the level of the current experiment. In this report, we investigate the cost and feasibility to establish a complete detector fabrication processing chain in an underground location to mitigate cosmogenic activation of the Ge and Si detector substrates. For a specific and concrete evaluation, we explore options for such a facility located at SNOLAB, an underground laboratory in Sudbury, Canada hosting the current and future experimental phases of SuperCDMS.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS2000

Nonintrusive Diagnostic Strategies for Arcjet Stream Characterization

In the previous lecture, the issues related to arcjet flow modeling were introduced, and the limitations of conventional instrumentation in addressing these issues were discussed. The general level of understanding of the arcjet flows was seen to preclude the use of arcjets as aerothermodynamic test facilities beyond the current role in aerothermal material testing, despite their long test duration capability. In this section, the focus will be on new developments in spectroscopic instrumentation and techniques that can be brought to bear on the fundamental problem of arcjet stream characterization. Although a wide selection of arcjet facilities were introduced in the previous section, the discussion of nonintrusive diagnostic instrumentation will be restricted to the large-scale, segmented, constricted-arc heater facilities that are most widely used in thermal protection material testing for aerospace applications. After a brief review of the important features of arcjet flows, the topic of nonintrusive, optical diagnostics is introduced with a discussion of some of the basic aspects of radiative transitions. The lecture is then organized into two sections covering emission measurements and laser-induced fluorescence measurements. Emission measurements are presented next for different regions of arcjet flows, while the fluorescence measurements are presented for the free stream region only. Summaries are given for each of the two main sections, and observations on arcjet characterization by optical diagnostics in general are given at the end.

Fletcher, Douglas G.↗