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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 19 records

A Hardware-in-the-Loop Experimental Testbed Using Air Conditioners for Grid Balancing

Driven by the need to offset the variability of renewable generation on the grid, development of load control is a highly active field of research. However, practical use of residential loads for grid balancing remains rare, in part due to the cost of communicating with large numbers of small loads and also the limited experimentation done so far to demonstrate reliable operation. To establish a basis for the safe and reliable use of fleets of compressor loads as distributed energy resources, we constructed an experimental testbed in a laboratory, so that load coordination schemes could be tested at extreme conditions. Here, this experimental testbed was used to tune a simulation testbed to which it was then linked, thereby augmenting the effective size of the fleet. Modeling of the system was done both to demonstrate the experimental testbed's behavior and also to understand how to tune the behavior of each load. Implementing this testbed has enabled rapid turnaround of experiments on various load control algorithms, and year-round testing without the constraints and limitations arising in seasonal field tests with real houses. Experimental results show the practical feasibility of an ensemble of small loads contributing to grid balancing.

Air Conditioners↗

Programming distributed memory architectures using Kali

Programming nonshared memory systems is more difficult than programming shared memory systems, in part because of the relatively low level of current programming environments for such machines. A new programming environment is presented, Kali, which provides a global name space and allows direct access to remote data values. In order to retain efficiency, Kali provides a system on annotations, allowing the user to control those aspects of the program critical to performance, such as data distribution and load balancing. The primitives and constructs provided by the language is described, and some of the issues raised in translating a Kali program for execution on distributed memory systems are also discussed.

Mehrotra, Piyush↗

Overview of the 6 Meter HIAD Inflatable Structure and Flexible TPS Static Load Test Series

To support NASAs long term goal of landing humans on Mars, technologies which enable the landing of heavy payloads are being developed. Current entry, decent, and landing technologies are not practical for this class of payloads due to geometric constraints dictated by current launch vehicle fairing limitations. Therefore, past and present technologies are now being explored to provide a mass and volume efficient solution to atmospheric entry, including Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (HIADs). At the beginning of 2014, a 6m HIAD inflatable structure with an integrated flexible thermal protection system (TPS) was subjected to a static load test series to verify the designs structural performance. The 6m HIAD structure was constructed in a stacked toroid configuration using nine inflatable torus segments composed of fiber reinforced thin films, which were joined together using adhesives and high strength textile woven structural straps to help distribute the loads throughout the inflatable structure. The 6m flexible TPS was constructed using multiple layers of high performance materials to protect the inflatable structure from heat loads that would be seen during atmospheric entry. To perform the static load test series, a custom test fixture was constructed. The fixture consisted of a structural tub rim with enough height to allow for displacement of the inflatable structure as loads were applied. The bottom of the tub rim had an airtight seal with the floor. The centerbody of the inflatable structure was attached to a pedestal mount as seen in Figure 1. Using an impermeable membrane seal draped over the test article, partial vacuum was pulled beneath the HIAD, resulting in a uniform static pressure load applied to the outer surface. During the test series an extensive amount of instrumentation was used to provide many data sets including: deformed shape, shoulder deflection, strap loads, cord loads, inflation pressures, and applied static load.In this overview, the 6m HIAD static load test series will be discussed in detail, including the 6m HIAD inflatable structure and flexible TPS design, test setup and execution, and finally initial results and conclusions from the test series.

inflatable aerodynamic decelerator↗

Overview of the 6m HIAD Inflatable Structure and Flexible TPS Static Load Test Series

To support NASAs long term goal of landing humans on Mars, technologies which enable the landing of heavy payloads are being developed. Current entry, decent, and landing technologies are not practical for this class of payloads due to geometric constraints dictated by current launch vehicle fairing limitations. Therefore, past and present technologies are now being explored to provide a mass and volume efficient solution to atmospheric entry, including Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (HIADs). At the beginning of 2014, a 6m HIAD inflatable structure with an integrated flexible thermal protection system (TPS) was subjected to a static load test series to verify the designs structural performace. The 6m HIAD structure was constructed in a stacked toroid configuration using nine inflatable torus segments composed of fiber reinforced thin films, which were joined together using adhesives and high strength textile woven structural straps to help distribute the loads throughout the inflatable structure. The 6m flexible TPS was constructed using multiple layers of high performance materials to protect the inflatable structure from heat loads that would be seen during atmospheric entry. To perform the static load test series, a custom test fixture was constructed. The fixture consisted of a structural tub rim with enough height to allow for displacement of the inflatable structure as loads were applied. The bottom of the tub rim had an airtight seal with the floor. The centerbody of the inflatable structure was attached to a pedestal mount as seen in Figure 1. Using an impermeable membrane seal draped over the test article, partial vacuum was pulled beneath the HIAD, resulting in a uniform static pressure load applied to the outer surface. During the test series an extensive amount of instrumentation was used to provide many data sets including: deformed shape, shoulder deflection, strap loads, cord loads, inflation pressures, and applied static load.In this overview, the 6m HIAD static load test series will be discussed in detail, including the 6m HIAD inflatable structure and flexible TPS design, test setup and execution, and finally initial results and conclusions from the test series.

TPS↗

Structural Testing of a 6m Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator System

NASA is developing low ballistic coefficient technologies to support the Nations long-term goal of landing humans on Mars. Current entry, decent, and landing technologies are not practical for this class of payloads due to geometric constraints dictated by current and future launch vehicle fairing limitations. Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (HIADs) are being developed to circumvent this limitation and are now considered a leading technology to enable landing of heavy payloads on Mars. At the beginning of 2014, a 6m diameter HIAD inflatable structure with an integrated flexible thermal protection system (TPS) was subjected to a static load test series to verify its structural performance under flight-relevant loads. The inflatable structure was constructed into a 60 degree sphere-cone configuration using nine inflatable torus segments composed of fiber-reinforced thin films. The inflatable tori were joined together using adhesives and high-strength textile woven structural straps. These straps help distribute the load throughout the inflatable structure. The 6m flexible TPS was constructed using multiple layers of high performance materials that are designed to protect the inflatable structure from heat loads that would be seen in flight during atmospheric entry. A custom test fixture was constructed to perform the static load test series. The fixture consisted of a round structural tub with enough height and width to allow for displacement of the HIAD test article as loads were applied. The bottom of the tub rim had an airtight seal with the floor. The rigid centerbody of the HIAD was mounted to a pedestal in the center of the structural tub. Using an impermeable membrane draped over the HIAD test article, an airtight seal was created with the top rim of the static load tub. This seal allowed partial vacuum to be pulled beneath the HIAD resulting in a uniform static pressure load applied to the outer surface. Using this technique, the test article was subjected to loads of up to 50,000lbs. During the test series an extensive amount of instrumentation was used to provide a rich data set, including deflected shape, structural strap loads, torus cord loads, inflation pressures, and applied static load. In this paper the 2014 6m HIAD static load test series will be discussed in detail, including the design of the 6m HIAD test article, the test setup, and test execution. Analysis results will be described supporting the conclusions that were drawn from the test series..

Hypersonic↗

Tire footprint studies

This presentation covers the results of tire footprint studies conducted in the Landing Gear Development Facility of the USAF Wright Laboratory at the Wright Patterson Air force Base, OH. Tire footprint studies are essential in understanding tire wear mechanisms and computing tire tread wear rates. The power input into the tread is the driving force for tread wear. Variables needed for power input calculations include the footprint pressure and slip velocity distributions. Studies were performed on the effects of power input distributions due to vertical load, camber, yaw, inflation pressure, and tire construction. For the present study, two tire constructions, one radial and the other bias, were selected. These tires were for the F-16 Block 30 fighter aircraft, both of which were previously worn. The present study was limited to steady straight roll with a 14,000 lb vertical load, a 310 psi inflation pressure, and zero yaw and camber. All tests were conducted on the Tire Force Machine (TFM) with a specialized sensor plate with embedded pressure sensors (X, Y, and Z) and slip sensors (X and Y). All tests were conducted for a table speed of 1 in/s. Tests on the TFM show that the power intensity distributions and total power for both tire constructions are quite similar for straight roll. Later on, tests were also conducted on a modified dynamometer which was overlaid with a grit wear surface. The tire speed was maintained at 40 miles per hour and yaw was set to four degrees. Dynamometer tests showed that radial tires have more tread wear than the bias tire; however, in the field, radial tires have longer life.

Chawla, Mangal↗

Control of multiple resonant power processors in a multi-source system

Analysis and test results show that phasor-regulated, Mapham-derived resonant inverters can be paralleled to provide standardizing interfaces for multiple sources on a utility-type, aerospace power distribution bus. The basic sources do not require matching in any way, and may have grossly different characteristics. Fully stable system architectures with multiple sources, parallel/redundant distribution buses, and a wide variety of loads can be easily constructed and controlled. The commands and parameters available for system control allow for tight tolerance bus voltage control, and absolute power-sharing control from the various sources over the full range of possible source and load variations. That level of control enables simplified load power processing hardware and the distribution of losses to optimally load the source thermal control system. Positive control of all system performance and allocation of losses are not required by all missions or vehicles, and overall vehicle considerations do not always require the loads on vehicle energy sources and thermal control systems to be balanced. In those cases, power system control can be simplified, and a hierarchical set of defaults can be substituted for computer-generated or supervisory input commands to allow for stable, fully autonomous system operation.

Mildice, James↗

LDEXPT, an intelligent database system for the Composite Load Spectra project

The Composite Load Spectra project develops probabilistic models to simulate the probabilistic loads for selected components of a generic space propulsion system. Tremendous information such as engine load variables and their distributions is needed by the simulation program. An intelligent data base system was constructed and integrated with the probabilistic load simulation program to manage and maintain the knowledge base of the Composite Load Spectra project. The intelligent data base system takes care of the data retrieval and storage functions and has expert knowledge on engine load models and associated engine variables. The integration of the intelligent data base into the load simulation program achieves a smooth coupling between the numeric processing (load simulation calculation) and the symbolic processing (intelligent load information management).

Ho, H.↗

Comparing Interaction Graphs on Cascading Outages under Different Loading Conditions

Interaction graphs on cascading outages of power systems provide valuable insights into how cascading outages evolve and propagate, and which components and links are critical to the propagation of cascading outages, enabling further development of mitigation strategies to support decision-making. However, the sensitivity of the interaction graph’s topology to the system’s loading condition has not been studied sufficiently. This paper compared interaction graphs under various loading conditions on the Northeastern Power Coordinating Council 140-bus system, and discovers the strong relationships between the graph topology, the cascade size distribution, and the load condition. Accordingly, three representative interaction graphs are constructed and illustrated.

Guo, Zhenping↗

Stress studies in EFG

Experimental work in support of stress studies in high speed silicon sheet growth has been emphasized in this quarter. Creep experiments utilizing four-point bending have been made in the temperature range from 1000 C to 1360 C in CZ silicon as well as on EFG ribbon. A method to measure residual stress over large areas using laser interferometry to map strain distributions under load is under development. A fiber optics sensor to measure ribbon temperature profiles has been constructed and is being tested in a ribbon growth furnace environment. Stress and temperature field modeling work has been directed toward improving various aspects of the finite element computing schemes. Difficulties in computing stress distributions with a very high creep intensity and with non-zero interface stress have been encountered and additional development of the numerical schemes to cope with these problems is required. Temperature field modeling has been extended to include the study of heat transfer effects in the die and meniscus regions.

Source record↗

PR100: Estimated Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Adoption and Load Estimation in Puerto Rico through 2050

The 2-year Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transition to 100% Renewable Energy Study analyzed stakeholder-driven pathways to Puerto Rico’s clean energy future. Outputs relating to electricity demand modeling were partially informed by estimates of electric vehicle adoption across all classes of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs), and the ensuing charging loads. To create these estimates, the team developed a transportation model for MHDVs in Puerto Rico to estimate the amount and geospatial distribution of energy used. Charging schedules for the different end uses of MHDVs were then used to construct electric load shapes assuming a portion of those vehicles would be replaced by battery electric counterparts. Study results showed that, by 2050, electric vehicles may constitute roughly 50% of the MHDV population in Puerto Rico. The resulting electrical demand curve attributable to MHDV charging showed that, for solar energy-based electrical systems with limited energy storage, this demand may create challenges unless appropriately managed either on the demand or supply side.

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗

Computational structures technology at Grumman: Current practice/future needs

The current practice for the design analysis of new airframe structural systems is to construct a master finite element model of the vehicle in order to develop internal load distributions. The inputs to this model include the geometry which is taken directly from CADAM and CATIA structural layout and aerodynamic loads and mass distribution computer models. This master model is sufficiently detailed to define major load paths and for the computation of dynamic mode shapes and structural frequencies, but not detailed enough to define local stress gradients and notch stresses. This master model is then used to perform structural optimization studies that will provide minimum weights for major structural members. The post-processed output from the master model, load, stress, and strain analysis is then used by structural analysts to perform detailed stress analysis of local regions in order to design local structure with all its required details. This local analysis consists of hand stress analysis and life prediction analysis with the assistance of manuals, design charts, computer stress and structural life analysis and sometimes finite element or boundary element analysis. The resulting design is verified by fatigue tests.

Pifko, Allan B.↗

Geoid anomalies in a dynamic earth

Potential and surface deformation Love numbers for internal loading have been calculated in order to obtain a dynamically consistent relationship between the geoid and the earth's response to internal buoyancy forces. These quantities depend on the depth and harmonic degree of loading, and can be integrated as Green functions to obtain the dynamic response due to an arbitrary distribution of internal density contrasts. Constructing a series of spherically symmetric, self-gravitating flow models for a variety of radial Newtonian viscosity variations and flow configurations, and calculating relaxation times for spherically symmetric viscous earth models, it is demonstrated that boundary deformation due to internal loading reaches its equilibrium value on the same time scale as postglacial rebound; this is much less time than the time scale for significant change in the convective flow pattern.

Richards, M. A.↗

Overview of the 2nd Gen 3.7m HIAD Static Load Test

To support NASAs long term goal of landing humans on Mars, technologies which enable the landing of heavy payloads are being developed. Current entry, decent, and landing technologies are not practical for human class payloads due to geometric constraints dictated by current launch vehicle fairing limitations. Therefore, past and present technologies are now being explored to provide a mass and volume efficient solution to atmospheric entry, including Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (HIADs). In October of 2014, a 3.7m HIAD inflatable structure with an integrated flexible thermal protection sys-tem (F-TPS) was subjected to a static load test series to verify the designs structural performance. The 3.7m HIAD structure was constructed in a 70 deg sphere-cone stacked-toroid configuration using eight inflatable tori, which were joined together using adhesives and high strength textile webbing to help distribute the loads throughout the inflatable structure. The inflatable structure was fabricated using 2nd generation structural materials that permit an increase in use temperature to 400 C+ as compared to the 250 C limitation of the 1st generation materials. In addition to the temperature benefit, these materials also offer a 40 reduction in structure mass. The 3.7m F-TPS was fabricated using high performance materials to protect the inflatable structure from heat loads that would be seen during atmospheric entry. The F-TPS was constructed of 2nd generation TPS materials increasing its heating capability from 35W sq cm to over 100W sq cm. This test article is the first stacked-torus HIAD to be fabricated and tested with a 70 deg sphere-cone. All previous stacked-torus HIADs have employed a 60o sphere-cone. To perform the static load test series, a custom test fixture was constructed. The fixture consisted of a structural tub rim with enough height to allow for dis-placement of the inflatable structure as loads were applied. The tub rim was attached to the floor to provide an airtight seal. The center body of the inflatable structure was attached to a pedestal mount as seen in Figure 1. Using an impermeable membrane seal draped over the test article, partial vacuum was pulled beneath the HIAD, resulting in a uniform static pressure load applied to the outer surface. During the test series an extensive amount of instrumentation was used to characterize deformed shape, shoulder deflection, strap loads, and cord loads as a function of structural configuration and applied static load. In this overview, the 3.7m HIAD static load test series will be discussed in detail, including the 3.7m HIAD inflatable structure and flexible TPS design, test setup and execution, and finally results and conclusions from the test series.

HIAD↗

Piezocomposite Actuator Arrays for Correcting and Controlling Wavefront Error in Reflectors

Three reflectors have been developed and tested to assess the performance of a distributed network of piezocomposite actuators for correcting thermal deformations and total wave-front error. The primary testbed article is an active composite reflector, composed of a spherically curved panel with a graphite face sheet and aluminum honeycomb core composite, and then augmented with a network of 90 distributed piezoelectric composite actuators. The piezoelectric actuator system may be used for correcting as-built residual shape errors, and for controlling low-order, thermally-induced quasi-static distortions of the panel. In this study, thermally-induced surface deformations of 1 to 5 microns were deliberately introduced onto the reflector, then measured using a speckle holography interferometer system. The reflector surface figure was subsequently corrected to a tolerance of 50 nm using the actuators embedded in the reflector's back face sheet. Two additional test articles were constructed: a borosilicate at window at 150 mm diameter with 18 actuators bonded to the back surface; and a direct metal laser sintered reflector with spherical curvature, 230 mm diameter, and 12 actuators bonded to the back surface. In the case of the glass reflector, absolute measurements were performed with an interferometer and the absolute surface was corrected. These test articles were evaluated to determine their absolute surface control capabilities, as well as to assess a multiphysics modeling effort developed under this program for the prediction of active reflector response. This paper will describe the design, construction, and testing of active reflector systems under thermal loads, and subsequent correction of surface shape via distributed peizeoelctric actuation.

piezoelectric actuation↗

The Effect of Stochastic Perturbation of Fuel Distribution on the Criticality of a One Speed Reactor and the Development of Multi-Material Multinomial Line Statistics

The effect of random fuel redistribution on the eigenvalue of a one-speed reactor is investigated. An ensemble of such reactors that are identical to a homogeneous reference critical reactor except for the fissile isotope density distribution is constructed such that it meets a set of well-posed redistribution requirements. The average eigenvalue, , is evaluated when the total fissile loading per ensemble element, or realization, is conserved. The perturbation is proven to increase the reactor criticality on average when it is uniformly distributed. The various causes of the change in reactivity, and their relative effects are identified and ranked. From this, a path towards identifying the causes. and relative effects of reactivity fluctuations for the energy dependent problem is pointed to. The perturbation method of using multinomial distributions for representing the perturbed reactor is developed. This method has some advantages that can be of use in other stochastic problems. Finally, some of the features of this perturbation problem are related to other techniques that have been used for addressing similar problems.

Jahshan, S. N.↗

Theoretical study of lift-generated vortex wakes designed to avoid rollup

Two hypothetical vortex wakes are introduced and studied theoretically to explore whether the rollup of lift-generated vortex sheets can be suppressed. The circulation distribution across each wake is specified such that one rotates and the other translates as a unit due to their self-induced velocities. Several span loadings are constructed from these solutions and the resulting inviscid wake structure is computed for several span lengths behind the generating wing by use of the discrete vortex method wherein the vortex wake is represented by an array of vortices. The final distribution of vortices is then used to estimate the rolling moment on an encountering wing. It is found that, even though the initial specified motions are not sustained, substantial reductions in rolling moment are predicted for certain ranges of the ratio of the span of the generating wing to the following wing.

Rossow, V. J.↗

Stress analysis of circular semimonocoque cylinders with cutouts by a perturbation load technique

A method is presented for analyzing the stresses about a cutout in a circular cylinder of semimonocoque construction. The method involves the use of so-called perturbation solutions which are superposed on the stress distribution that would exist in the structure with no cutout in such a way as to give the effects of a cutout. The method can be used for any loading case for which the structure without the cutout can be analyzed and is sufficiently versatile to account for stringer and shear reinforcement about the cutout. (author)

Mccomb, Harvey G , Jr↗