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At least 19 records

Equipment Management Manual

The NASA Equipment Management Manual (NHB 4200.1) is issued pursuant to Section 203(c)(1) of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as amended (42 USC 2473), and sets forth policy, uniform performance standards, and procedural guidance to NASA personnel for the acquisition, management, and use of NASA-owned equipment. This revision is effective upon receipt. This is a controlled manual, issued in loose-leaf form, and revised through page changes. Additional copies for internal use may be obtained through normal distribution.

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Equipment management user's handbook for property custodians

The NASA Equipment Management User's Handbook for Property Custodians is issued as an instructional guide for personnel designated as property custodians and technical personnel involved in the acquisition, management, and use of NASA-owned equipment. This handbook provides general information and basic operational procedures for processing equipment transactions through the agency-wide NASA Equipment Management System (NEMS). Each NASA installation must prepare supplementary instructions for local requirements beyond the scope of NASA-wide policies and procedures contained herein, or as specified for local implementation in NHB 4200.1, 'NASA Equipment Management Manual.' NHB 4200.1 sets forth policy, uniform performance standards, and procedural guidance to NASA personnel for the acquisition, management, and use of NASA-owned equipment. This handbook is a controlled document, issued in loose-leaf form and revised by page changes. Additional copies for internal use may be obtained through normal distribution.

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Is Equipment Management Really Necessary

This workshop is designed to foster an initiative for intelligent Equipment Management employing the advances in information systems and opportunities uncovered by the reengineering process. The guiding concept behind the initiative is that both contributions and benefits must be equitable and balanced for all participants.

reengineering equipment management acquisition↗

Twenty-Second Annual NASA Supply and Equipment Management Conference

The status of actions from the 1988 conference is reviewed. Environmental safety issues, definitions, and regulations; contract transition, payload logistics transition, and safety and support equipment; supply products and services, bar code technology, and inventory accuracy; equipment management workshop topics; and contract property workshop topics are outlined.

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Controller Requirements for Managing Community Microgrids

Microgrid control systems are central to the functioning of a microgrid. They are responsible for managing distributed energy resources (DER) in both grid-connected and islanded modes of operation. Although microgrids are being developed and deployed by many utilities, several questions are being raised about the control system that manages them. This document provides the detailed list of requirements for a feeder-level microgrid controller to manage various islanded and grid-connected use cases. Functionally, the use cases include control scenarios that require the controller to maintain energy balance, prevent constraint violations, manage switching equipment, manage grid-forming (GFM) and grid-following (GFL) DER, manage critical/non-critical loads, and coordinate with peer systems to operate joined island areas. In addition to detailed requirements, the document includes interface and performance metrics for functional evaluation. These requirements can be applied to utility-managed microgrid controllers that exclusively manage utility-owned equipment; requirements also apply to third-party managed microgrid controllers that coordinate with the utility- and customer-owned equipment. The document can also be used by technology developers and project developers in industry to specify desired control strategies and performance characteristics for community microgrid controllers.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

Engineering the Interface: Advanced Surface Technologies for Lunar Dust Management and Equipment Longevity

Through the Artemis program, NASA intends to develop a sustainable human foothold on the Moon, ultimately paving the way for crewed exploration of Mars. The Moon's hostile environment poses numerous obstacles, including exposure to radiation, temperature extremes, micrometeoroid threats, and particularly the persistent problem of lunar dust. Lunar dust impacts nearly every aspect of surface operations through adhesion and abrasion mechanisms, with contamination from anthropogenic activities (landing, rovers) far outweighing natural phenomena. Multiple adhesion pathways contribute to surface contamination in the lunar environment, including van der Waals forces, electrostatic forces, chemical reaction, and magnetic forces from elemental iron deposits. Sharp asperities from micrometeoroid bombardment and atmospheric absence increase interaction potential and enable mechanical interlocking. Low cohesion between dust particles exacerbates these challenges, as minimal interaction potential between dust and nearby surfaces overcomes particle cohesion, causing contamination. Lunar dust adhesion mitigation technologies can be categorized as either active, requiring external energy, or passive, relying on intrinsic material properties. Ultrasonic and electrodynamic technologies have been developed to the highest technology readiness level for active approaches. Passive strategies primarily focus on surface chemistry and topography modifications. At NASA Langley Research Center, approaches include surface migration agents to reduce surface energy, topographical modification using laser ablation patterning, and tailored surface conductivity to reduce intrinsic adhesion force. Performance has been evaluated using custom-built ultrasonic and centrifuge instruments. Plume-surface interactions from lunar landers can propel micrometer-sized particles at velocities up to 1000 m s-1.8 These particles pose risks to landers, habitats and infrastructure, leading to erosion, degradation, and reduced component lifespan. A panel recovered from Surveyor III was determined to have been severely abraded because of lunar dust displaced from the Apollo 12 lunar module that landed 160 m away. The performance of metallic surfaces has been evaluated via high velocity single particle impact using the laser-induced project impact test (LIPIT) facility at the University of Utah. Peridynamics modeling, a form of continuum mechanics that uses a nonlocal approach enabling greater simulation capabilities of crack initiation and fracture, has also been utilized to gain greater insight into material response during impact events. Lunar dust contamination challenges extend to power generation systems and moving equipment. Cables, rotation stages, and other mechanisms may experience limited range of motion and reduced lifetime due to dust infiltration. NASA Langley Research Center has evaluated traditional aerospace alloys, softgoods, wear resistant ceramics, and several polymer and polymer composite materials. Test methods have included traditional techniques like Taber abrasion testing, as well as designed test configurations developed in the DUSTE (dust, ultraviolet radiation, and space thermal environmental) chamber that reproduce mechanism functions in operational environment. Beyond laboratory experiments, several flight experiments have been conducted. Materials were exposed to the low Earth orbit environment on the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) and to the lunar surface environment through the Aegis Aerospace Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) payload and the Honeybee Robotics PlanetVac payload. Determining lunar dust's impact on surface exploration and habitation requires comprehensive experimental and computational capabilities combined with lessons learned from initial lunar activities. Identifying the greatest environmental challenges and developing mitigation technologies provides the clearest path toward successfully, expeditiously, and efficaciously completing NASA's mission. This presentation will discuss ongoing efforts at NASA Langley Research Center and collaborator contributions to these critical objectives.

Surface Engineering↗

Vulnerability Management for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment

Vulnerability management for EVSE is a challenging undertaking with all the necessary stakeholders and devices that are interconnected, this presentation reviews the challenges and opportunities for conducting CVD for EVSE.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Leveraging Radiofrequency Identification Success Beyond Hazardous Material Inventory Management at a National Laboratory

Effective inventory management can be overshadowed by conflicting priorities in organizational procedures, particularly in research-focused institutions such as national laboratories that handle expensive, delicate, and hazardous materials. Here, this study investigated the potential of radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology, currently used for hazardous chemical inventory, in applications with higher metal interference and absorption, specifically pressure release device (PRD) compliance and nuclear container management, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). This study was done to document best practices to enhance inventory identification speeds for inventory reconciliation and inventory recall and to explore optimal configurations for RFID implementation compared to traditional manual methods of equipment management. Tests were conducted to determine the ideal RFID tag orientation (read at angles of 0°, 90°, and 270°), various container layouts (linear, separated, curved, operational), and ID methods such as manual, barcode, and RFID performing three trials per method per orientation. Results indicated that 0° was the optimal read angle for minimizing metallic interference, and the operational and curved arrangements significantly outperformed the linear and separated configurations in read speed. 3D printed mounts were developed and tested, increasing the read range of the RFID reader by up to 235% in cases of high metallic interference. The RFID technology demonstrated an average speed increase of 65% over a simplified manual identification, which supports the conclusion that RFID is a more efficient method for large hazardous inventory management and equipment reconciliation. Additionally, capturing meta-data, such as location and date, can be used to query for inventory recall and automated updating of record information.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Apollo experience report: Crew provisions and equipment subsystem

A description of the construction and use of crew provisions and equipment subsystem items for the Apollo Program is presented. The subsystem is composed principally of survival equipment, bioinstrumentation devices, medical components and accessories, water- and waste-management equipment, personal-hygiene articles, docking aids, flight garments (excluding the pressure garment assembly), and various other crew-related accessories. Particular attention is given to items and assemblies that presented design, development, or performance problems: the crew optical alinement sight system, the metering water dispenser, and the waste-management system. Changes made in design and materials to improve the fire safety of the hardware are discussed.

Mcallister, F.↗

NASA Metrology and Calibration, 1980

The proceedings of the fourth annual NASA Metrology and Calibration Workshop are presented. This workshop covered (1) review and assessment of NASA metrology and calibration activities by NASA Headquarters, (2) results of audits by the Office of Inspector General, (3) review of a proposed NASA Equipment Management System, (4) current and planned field center activities, (5) National Bureau of Standards (NBS) calibration services for NASA, (6) review of NBS's Precision Measurement and Test Equipment Project activities, (7) NASA instrument loan pool operations at two centers, (8) mobile cart calibration systems at two centers, (9) calibration intervals and decals, (10) NASA Calibration Capabilities Catalog, and (11) development of plans and objectives for FY 1981. Several papers in this proceedings are slide presentations only.

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NASA metrology information system: A NEMS subsystem

the NASA Metrology Information Systems (NMIS) is being developed as a standardized tool in managing the NASA field Center's instrument calibration programs. This system, as defined by the NASA Metrology and Calibration Workshop, will function as a subsystem of the newly developed NASA Equipment Management System (NEMS). The Metrology Information System is designed to utilize and update applicable NEMS data fields for controlled property and to function as a stand alone system for noncontrolled property. The NMIS provides automatic instrument calibration recall control, instrument historical performance data storage and analysis, calibration and repair labor and parts cost data, and instrument user and location data. Nineteen standardized reports were developed to analyze calibration system operations.

German, E. S., Jr.↗

Langley's views on NEMS

The views of the Langley Research Center regarding the NASA Equipment Management System (EMS) are discussed. One of Langley's greatest concerns is with the reconciliation between NEMS and the General Ledger. Langley's accounting system tracks cost data to the penny level. NEMS deals in whole dollar amounts. Therefore, Langley has no way of reconciling the two. The only approach that is acceptable to Langley, unless requirements for reconciliation are changed, is for the NEMS files and the reports involved in the process be at the penny level. All other NEMS reports can remain whole dollars. Also to reconcile, Langley needs data to show the difference between the previous cost and the new cost for the month. On an input record, the adjustment amount is added to the cost and recorded as total amount. The adjusted cost is not captured. In order to establish a control between the prior months and the current month, a new field needs to be added to capture the adjusted cost (debits And credits). Langley has not reconciled the Equipment account with the General Ledger since February 1984. Problems with NEMS regular production runs cause concern. Production at Langley is run on the second and/or third shift. If a run(s) terminates and/or abends in a particular module, Langley must wait until the next day to resolve NEMS problems after consultation with Headquarters personnel. For a successful installation, Langley must have a good data base to convert to NEMS and users and the data processing staff must work together.

George, J. W.↗

Stress Testing California's Hydroclimatic Whiplash: Potential Challenges, Trade‐Offs and Adaptations in Water Management and Hydropower Generation

Abstract Inter‐annual precipitation in California is highly variable, and future projections indicate an increase in the intensity and frequency of hydroclimatic “whiplash.” Understanding the implications of these shocks on California's water system and its degree of resiliency is critical from a planning perspective. Therefore, we quantify the resilience of reservoir services provided by water and hydropower systems in four basins in the western Sierra Nevada. Using downscaled runoff from 10 climate model outputs, we generated 200 synthetic hydrologic whiplash sequences of alternating dry and wet years to represent a wide range of extremes and transitional conditions used as inputs to a water system simulation model. Sequences were derived from upper (wet) and lower (dry) quintiles of future streamflow projections (2030–2060). Results show that carryover storage was negatively affected in all basins, particularly in those with lower storage capacity. All basins experienced negative impacts on hydropower generation, with losses ranging from 5% to nearly 90%. Reservoir sizes and inflexible operating rules are a particular challenge for flood control, as in extremely wet years spillage averaged nearly the annual basins' total discharge. The reliability of environmental flows and agricultural deliveries varied depending on the basin, intensity, and duration of whiplash sequences. Overall, wet years temporarily rebound negative drought effects, and greater storage capacity results in higher reliability and resiliency, and lesser volatility in services. We highlight potential policy changes to improve flexibility, increase resilience, and better equip managers to face challenges posed by whiplash while meeting human and environmental needs.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗

Cross-domain digital twin architecture for predictive maintenance via machine learning and Large Language Models

This research introduces a comprehensive framework for creating and deploying a digital twin platform for continuous monitoring and predictive maintenance within industrial settings. Through utilizing advanced technologies, including Unreal Engine 5, Unity 3D, the Message Queue Telemetry Transport protocol, Random Forest machine learning algorithms, and Large Language Models (LLMs), we establish a platform that digitally reproduces physical equipment and translates digital controls into real-world actions. This facilitates preventive maintenance approaches and improves operational effectiveness. The digital twin platform gathers sensor data from operational equipment, analyzes it using machine learning, and delivers practical insights to prevent potential malfunctions and enhance equipment performance. Furthermore, the incorporation of a web portal enables efficient monitoring and access to historical data, educational materials, and equipment status information. Preliminary findings indicate that digital twins can transform industrial equipment management and maintenance methodologies.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A Circular Economy for Solar Photovoltaic System Materials: Drivers, Barriers, Enablers, and U.S. Policy Considerations

As PV capacity increases, owners are also decommissioning older system assets. Estimates based on a 30-year lifetime assumption found that cumulative U.S. end-of-life (EoL) PV modules could total one million metric tons (Mt) by 2030 and up to 10 million Mt by 2050 (Weckend, Wade, and Heath 2016). Beyond maintenance replacements, early retirements that are due to efficiency upgrades and extreme weather, as well as PV deployment beyond earlier expectations, would increase these projections. PV system owners must evaluate equipment management options for used modules and system components retired during maintenance activities, refurbishment, repowering and system decommissioning. PV manufacturers must also evaluate material management options from customer returns, defects, and scrap. Management options for early retired and EoL PV system material include reuse, repair for reuse, recycling-based resource recovery, storage, and disposal. Disposal of PV system material increases the burden on landfill capacity, while reuse, repair for reuse, and recycling-based resource recovery (reuse/repair/recovery) options salvage valuable materials and provide secondary market opportunities and ancillary benefits (Weckend, Wade, and Heath 2016; EPA 2019c; SWEEP 2019). PV system owners may also decide store used modules and components as spares, or in the interim before a reuse or EoL management decision is made. Despite potential secondary market opportunities and the potential benefits associated with the repair/reuse/recovery of PV system material, anecdotal evidence suggests that in the United States decommissioned PV modules are stored, landfilled or otherwise disposed of (Salim et al. 2019; CPUC 2019b; DTSC 2019b; NREL 2019a). Some modules are being disposed of in municipal nonhazardous landfills and federally regulated hazardous treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, and others are being stored in warehouses until economically viable repair/reuse/recycling becomes available (CPUC 2019b; DTSC 2019b; NREL 2019a; Libby and Shaw 2018). As awareness of current practices grows, and the demand for critical PV module material increases, U.S. industry stakeholders, regulators, and policymakers are starting to (1) consider solutions to drive and enable environmentally sustainable materials management decisions and behaviors and (2) identify barriers to a circular economy for PV system materials. Circular economy principles attempt to transition from a "take-make-consume-dispose" linear economic system to a circular system that allows for the long life, and the reuse/repair/recovery of products and materials (Ellen MacArthur Foundation 2020). We begin this report by summarizing the drivers, barriers, and enablers to a circular economy for PV system materials in the United States. We then report on our analysis of federal and state regulatory considerations that may impact the repair/reuse/recovery of PV materials, and potential civil and criminal liabilities associated with noncompliance. We then discuss state policies and initiatives in the United States that expressly address PV system decommissioning and repair/reuse/recovery of PV materials. We conclude by providing case studies of U.S. business models for the repair/reuse/recovery of PV system materials. Our results are based on legal and literature-based research and interviews with solar industry stakeholders, regulators, and policymakers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗