Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “ELECTRIC PULSE”

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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

Development of Long-Lifetime Pulsed Gas Valves for Pulsed Electric Thrusters

It is advantageous for gas-fed pulsed electric thrusters to employ pulsed valves so propellant is only flowing to the device during operation. The propellant utilization of the thruster will be maximized when all the gas injected into the thruster is acted upon by the fields produced by the electrical pulse. Gas that is injected too early will diffuse away from the thruster before the electrical pulse can act to accelerate the propellant. Gas that is injected too late will miss being accelerated by the already-completed electrical pulse. As a consequence, the valve must open quickly and close equally quickly, only remaining open for a short duration. In addition, the valve must have only a small amount of volume between the sealing body and the thruster so the front and back ends of the pulse are as coincident as possible with the valve cycling, with very little latent propellant remaining in the feed lines after the valve is closed. For a real mission of interest, a pulsed thruster can be expected to pulse at least 10(exp 10) - 10(exp 11) times, setting the range for the number of times a valve must open and close. The valves described in this paper have been fabricated and tested for operation in an inductive pulsed plasma thruster (IPPT) for in-space propulsion. In general, an IPPT is an electrodeless space propulsion device where a capacitor is charged to an initial voltage and then discharged, producing a high-current pulse through a coil. The field produced by this pulse ionizes propellant, inductively driving current in a plasma located near the face of the coil. Once the plasma is formed, it can be accelerated and expelled at a high exhaust velocity by the electromagnetic Lorentz body force arising from the interaction of the induced plasma current and the magnetic field produced by the current in the coil. The valve characteristics needed for the IPPT application require a fast-acting valve capable of a minimum of 10(exp 10) valve actuation cycles. Since even 10(exp 9) cycles is well above anything demonstrated, this lower value was selected as the design point for the present work. The valve seal must remain leak-tight throughout operation, and the body must maintain a low internal leakage at relatively high operating temperatures. The full set of design requirements used for this program are summarized in Table 1. In this work, we describe two pulsed gas valves that have been fabricated to have long lifetime and demonstrate the characteristics listed above. The first is a miniaturized, conventional electromagnet-based valve while the second is a piezoelectric-based valve design. The conventional valve, shown in Fig. 1, is opened by use of a solenoid electromagnetic actuator. When current is applied to the solenoid coil, magnetic forces pull the plunger away from the valve seat, allowing fluid to flow through the valve. Removal of electrical current permits the spring and fluid pressure to seat the plunger, halting the flow of fluid. The valve body is fabricated from 304L corrosion resistant steel (CRES) and while the parts that form the magnetic circuit are fabricated from 430 CRES. This material does not have optimum magnetic properties, but its corrosion resistance permits incorporation into a design without requiring an additional plating process. A viton O-ring compound (Parker V0884-75), selected for its mechanical strength at elevated temperatures, was used for the valve seat seal. The design was based solely on the use of analytical sizing calculations, as opposed to a more rigorous finite element analysis. While this valve is small and relatively lightweight, it does not represent a design that is optimized for mass and/or a given volume envelope. The piezoelectric valve is a "puller" valve design. Applying a voltage to the piezo crystal causes it to elongate and pull a pintle off the seat, opening the valve. The valve seal consists of the pintle with an external, spherically-formed tip fabricated from Inconel 625 and the seat fabricated from Inconel 718 and possessing a spherical surface that permits the pintle to align with the valve body centerline after each cycle, maintaining the circumferential metal-on-metal seal. The contact stress on the valve pintle is expected in the worst case to be 96.5 MPa (14 ksi), which is well below the work hardening value of 413.7 MPa (60 ksi) for Inconel 615. Results presented in this work will compare the performance of each valve, both to each other and to the valve design requirements given in Table 1. In general, both valves meet all the performance envelope requirements, but the piezoelectric valve consumes considerably less power and has a faster response time over the conventional solenoid-driven valves.

Burkhardt, Wendel M.↗
DOE OSTI2026

Pulsed Electric Field Processing of Apples

Pulsed electric field (PEF) processing is a nonthermal technology that has the potential to improve the efficiency of apple processing, particularly for firm cultivars that are growing in popularity. This study evaluated the effects of PEF pretreatment on the processability and product quality of Cosmic Crisp apples, a modern cultivar known for its firmness. Apples were treated with PEF and assessed for tissue softening, mechanical energy requirements, particle size reduction, browning tendencies, and juice yield. PEF treatment significantly softened the apple tissue, as demonstrated by reduced compression forces in Instron testing, and this softening translated to decreased grinding energy during applesauce production. There were no changes to the particle size distribution of the resulting applesauce. PEF treatment also altered browning behavior and produced higher juice yields following mechanical disruption, suggesting enhanced membrane permeability and mass transfer. Together, these results show that PEF pretreatment can reduce mechanical energy demands and increase extractability without reducing product quality in firm apple varieties. These outcomes highlight the potential of PEF to increase the value recovered from processing-grade apples and to support more efficient and sustainable apple processing operations.

32 - ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZA↗
NASA NTRS2019

Performance Measurements of Electric Solid Propellant in an Ablative Pulsed Electric Thruster

Electric solid propellants are advanced solid chemical rocket propellants that can be controlled (ignited, throttled and extinguished) through the application and removal of an electric current. These propellants may also be used for electric in-space propulsion, specifically in the ablative pulsed plasma thruster. In this paper, we will investigate the performance of an electric solid propellant operating in an ablation-fed pulsed plasma device by use of an inverted pendulum micro-Newton thrust stand. Namely, the impulse-per-pulse and the specific impulse of the device using the electric solid propellant will be reported for test runs of 100 pulses and energy levels of 5, 10, 15 and 20 J. Further, the device will also be tested using the current state-of-the-art pulsed plasma thruster propellant, polytetrafluoroethylene. The performance of each propellant will be compared for each energy level using an identical setup and apparatus. This comparison of performance between propellants in a controlled setting will allow for better understanding of previous experimental observations.

Glascock, Matthew S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Production of pulsed electric fields using capacitively coupled electrodes

It is shown that pulsed electric fields can be produced over extended volumes by taking advantage of the internal capacitances in a stacked array of electrodes. The design, construction, and performance of practical arrays are discussed. The prototype arrays involved fields of 100-1000 V/cm extending over several centimeters. Scaling to larger physical dimensions is straightforward.

Kendall, B. R. F.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Development of Long-Lifetime Pulsed Gas Valves for Pulsed Electric Thrusters

The design and test results for two types of pulsed gas valves are presented. The valves, a piezo valve and a solenoid actuated valve, must have exceedingly long lifetime to support gas-fed pulsed electric thruster operation for missions of interest. The performance of both valves was tested, with both demonstrating the capability to throttle the gas flow rate while maintaining low leakage levels below 10(exp -3) sccs of He at the beginning of valve lifetime. The piezo valve varies the flow rate by changing the amount that the valve is open, which is a function of applied voltage. This valve demonstrated continuous throttlability from 0-10 mL/s, with opening and closing times of 100 microsecond or less. The solenoid actuated valve flow rate changes as a function of the inlet gas pressure, with demonstrated flow rates in these tests from 2.7-11 mL per second. The valve response time is slower than the piezo valve, opening in 1-2 ms and closing in several ms. The solenoid actuated valve was tested to one million cycles, with the valve performance remaining relatively unchanged throughout the test. Galling of the sliding plunger caused the valve to bind and fail just after one million cycles, but at this point in the test the valve sealing surface leak rate still appeared to be well below the maximum target leak rake of 1×10(exp -3) sccs of He.

Burkhardt, Wendel M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Non-Contact Thrust Stand Calibration Method for Repetitively-Pulsed Electric Thrusters

A thrust stand calibration technique for use in testing repetitively-pulsed electric thrusters for in-space propulsion has been developed and tested using a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand. In the implementation of this technique, current pulses are applied to a solenoidal coil to produce a pulsed magnetic field that acts against the magnetic field produced by a permanent magnet mounted to the thrust stand pendulum arm. The force on the magnet is applied in this non-contact manner, with the entire pulsed force transferred to the pendulum arm through a piezoelectric force transducer to provide a time-accurate force measurement. Modeling of the pendulum arm dynamics reveals that after an initial transient in thrust stand motion the quasisteady average deflection of the thrust stand arm away from the unforced or zero position can be related to the average applied force through a simple linear Hooke s law relationship. Modeling demonstrates that this technique is universally applicable except when the pulsing period is increased to the point where it approaches the period of natural thrust stand motion. Calibration data were obtained using a modified hanging pendulum thrust stand previously used for steady-state thrust measurements. Data were obtained for varying impulse bit at constant pulse frequency and for varying pulse frequency. The two data sets exhibit excellent quantitative agreement with each other as the constant relating average deflection and average thrust match within the errors on the linear regression curve fit of the data. Quantitatively, the error on the calibration coefficient is roughly 1% of the coefficient value.

Wong, Andrea R.↗
NASA NTRS2001

A New Concept for Non-Volatile Memory: The Electric-Pulse Induced Resistive Change Effect in Colossal Magnetoresistive Thin Films

A novel electric pulse-induced resistive change (EPIR) effect has been found in thin film colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) materials, and has shown promise for the development of resistive, nonvolatile memory. The EPIR effect is induced by the application of low voltage (< 4 V) and short duration (< 20 ns) electrical pulses across a thin film sample of a CMR material at room temperature and under no applied magnetic field. The pulse can directly either increase or decrease the resistance of the thin film sample depending on pulse polarity. The sample resistance change has been shown to be over two orders of magnitude, and is nonvolatile after pulsing. The sample resistance can also be changed through multiple levels - as many as 50 have been shown. Such a device can provide a way for the development of a new kind of nonvolatile multiple-valued memory with high density, fast write/read speed, low power-consumption, and potential high radiation-hardness.

Liu, S. Q.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantitative time-resolved diagnostics of electric field dynamics during individual plasma breakdown events using burst laser pulse electric field induced second harmonic generation

In plasma discharges, the acceleration of electrons by a fast varying electric field and the subsequent collisional electron energy transfer determines the plasma dynamics, chemical reactivity, and breakdown. Current in situ electric field measurements require reconstruction of the temporal profile over many observations. However, such methods are unsuitable for non-repetitive and unstable plasmas. Here, in this paper, we present a method for creating “movies” of dynamic electric fields in a single acquisition at sample rates of 500 × 10 6 fps. This ultrafast diagnostic was demonstrated in radio frequency electric fields between two parallel plates in air, as well as in Ar nanosecond-pulsed single-sided dielectric barrier discharges.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2011

Pulsed Electric Propulsion Thrust Stand Calibration Method

The evaluation of the performance of any propulsion device requires the accurate measurement of thrust. While chemical rocket thrust is typically measured using a load cell, the low thrust levels associated with electric propulsion (EP) systems necessitate the use of much more sensitive measurement techniques. The design and development of electric propulsion thrust stands that employ a conventional hanging pendulum arm connected to a balance mechanism consisting of a secondary arm and variable linkage have been reported in recent publications by Polzin et al. These works focused on performing steady-state thrust measurements and employed a static analysis of the thrust stand response. In the present work, we present a calibration method and data that will permit pulsed thrust measurements using the Variable Amplitude Hanging Pendulum with Extended Range (VAHPER) thrust stand. Pulsed thrust measurements are challenging in general because the pulsed thrust (impulse bit) occurs over a short timescale (typically 1 micros to 1 millisecond) and cannot be resolved directly. Consequently, the imparted impulse bit must be inferred through observation of the change in thrust stand motion effected by the pulse. Pulsed thrust measurements have typically only consisted of single-shot operation. In the present work, we discuss repetition-rate pulsed thruster operation and describe a method to perform these measurements. The thrust stand response can be modeled as a spring-mass-damper system with a repetitive delta forcing function to represent the impulsive action of the thruster.

Wong, Andrea R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Experimental and theoretical investigations concerning a frequency filter behavior of the human retina regarding electric pulse currents

Investigation involving patients with injuries in the visual nervous system are discussed. This led to the identification of the epithelial ganglion of the retina as a frequency filter. Threshold curves of the injured visual organs were compared with threshold curves obtained with a control group as a basis for identification. A model which considers the epithelial ganglion as a homogeneous cell layer in which adjacent neurons interact is discussed. It is shown the behavior of the cells against alternating exciting currents can be explained.

Meier-Koll, A.↗
DOE OSTI2024

RePED 250: Manufacturing and Market Analysis of High-Temperature Alternators

The novel repetitive pulsed electric drill 250 (RePED 250) has the potential to greatly lower the costs and drilling times of geothermal projects. This tool discharges electric pulses through hard rock formations, shattering the rock in tension and allowing it to be quickly removed. One hurdle in bringing this technology to market is the RePED 250 downhole alternator. This component is essential for supplying power to the electronic drilling tool. There are currently no downhole tools on the market that meet the RePED 250 alternator's high temperature and power requirements. This report focuses on the path to commercialization for this novel alternator technology being developed as part of the RePED 250 project. One aim of this work is to identify the geothermal market size for the RePED 250 alternator, as well as other potential markets for this technology outside of geothermal. The geothermal market is very small, with only approximately 13 wells drilled in the United States each year. The worldwide market is several times this size and growing each year. The ability of the RePED 250 technology to drastically reduce the cost of geothermal projects may also lead to an increase in this market size. Technology developed for the high-temperature, high-power RePED 250 alternator can also be used to create high-temperature and high-power motors. These motors and alternators will have potential applications in oil and gas drilling, a $300 billion dollar industry in the United States alone, as well as in more distant industries such as aircraft, weapon systems, space exploration, and electric vehicles. Other aspects of the RePED 250 alternator's path to commercialization are also analyzed, including the supply chain for production materials and potential manufacturing methods. The supply chain and manufacturing practices for low-temperature motors and alternators are well established and require relatively minor changes for the high-temperature and high-power RePED 250 alternator. Sourcing for high-temperature materials has been identified, as well as potential supply chain risks. These most notably include electrical steel and high-temperature samarium cobalt (SmCo) magnets. Overall, these risks are not expected to be significant at the likely manufacturing scale required for the RePED 250.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
NASA NTRS2003

Preliminary Optical And Electric Field Pulse Statistics From Storm Overflights During The Altus Cumulus Electrification Study

The Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) was conducted during the month of August, 2002 in an area near Key West, Florida. One of the goals of this uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) study was to collect high resolution optical pulse and electric field data from thunderstorms. During the month long campaign, we acquired 5294 lightning generated optical pulses with associated electric field changes. Most of these observations were made while close to the top of the storms. We found filtered mean and median 10-10% optical pulse widths of 875 and 830 microns respectively while the 50-50% mean and median optical pulse widths are 422 and 365 microns respectively. These values are similar to previous results as are the 10-90% mean and median rise times of 327 and 265 microns. The peak electrical to optical pulse delay mean and median were 209 and 145 microns which is longer than one would expect from theoretical results. The results of the pulse analysis will contribute to further validation of the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) and the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) satellites. Pre-launch estimates of the flash detection efficiency were based on a small sample of optical pulse measurements associated with less than 350 lightning discharges collected by NASA U-2 aircraft in the early 1980s. Preliminary analyses of the ACES measurements show that we have greatly increased the number of optical pulses available for validation of the LIS and other orbital lightning optical sensors. Since the Altus was often close to the cloud tops, many of the optical pulses are from low-energy pulses. From these low-energy pulses, we can determine the fraction of optical lightning pulses below the thresholds of LIS, OTD, and any future satellite-based optical sensors such as the geostationary Lightning Mapping Sensor.

Mach, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Generating Submillimeter-Wave Frequencies From Laser Pulses

Semiconductor photoconductive switches generate electrical pulses containing submillimeter-wavelength carrier signals (frequency between 300 and 3,000 GHz) and harmonics thereof when illuminated with short-rise-time pulses from lasers. Device of this type used as local oscilator in heterodyne submillimeter-wave receiver. Electrical output of device coupled via transmission line, waveguide, or antenna to mixer circuitry of receiver. Phase delays between optically activated semiconductor switches determine output carrier frequencies. N electrical pulses generated by each laser pulse. Thus, fundamental output frequency is N times laser-pulse-repetition rate.

Spencer, Michael G.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Nonlinear optical response of metal-barrier-metal junctions

The optical response of metal-barrier-metal (MBM) junctions is discussed, with emphasis on the nonlinearity of response associated with reversal of polarity as optical intensity is increased. This nonlinear behavior can be used to measure correlation functions of optical pulses or to generate ultrashort electrical pulses. Expressions for the current flowing through the insulating barrier (junction), and for the rectification current, are given. Pulse signal and polarity of the electrical pulse evolves as the junction bias is varied about the null-signal bias. The apparatus used to obtain rectification pulse signals is described; the calculated evolution of the rectified pulse shape is found to correspond to that of pulse signals obtained experimentally. The generation of pulses six orders of magnitude smaller than a previously-obtained instrument-limited 1.6 nanosecond pulse has been observed.

Fan, B.↗