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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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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2026

Thermal Cycle and Capacitance Testing of Mezzo Industries Phase Changer Material Heat Capacitor

Effective Thermal management is essential for the safety and performance of human spacecraft, especially during long-duration missions with fluctuating heat loads. Phase Change Material (PCM) heat exchangers offer a compact, efficient solution by storing and releasing thermal energy through latent heat during phase transitions. This allows PCM systems to buffer transient thermal loads without immediate heat rejection, reducing the need for oversized radiators – particularly critical during ascent and re-entry when radiators are stowed. By maintaining stable temperatures in crew cabins and equipment bays, PCM technology enhances crew comfort, protects sensitive systems, and supports long-term mission sustainability with minimal mass and volume impact. A phase change material heat capacitor prototype, designed and built under a NASA Small Business Innovation Research grant by Mezzo Technologies, utilizes a laser welding microtube manufacturing process that promises increased reliability and performance over current manufacturing methods like brazing. This heat exchanger was tested through coolant thermal cycling within the expected flow rates and temperature range of the Orion spacecraft, the crewed spacecraft taking NASA astronauts to the moon under the Artemis Program. The useful heat storage capacitance was measured and compared to Orion spacecraft requirements.

Active Thermal Control Systems↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Thermal Cycle and Capacitance Testing of Mezzo Industries Phase Change Material Heat Capacitor

A phase change material heat capacitor prototype, designed and built under a NASA Small Business Innovation Research grant by Mezzo Technologies, was tested through coolant thermal cycling within the expected flow rates and temperature range of the Orion spacecraft’s propylene glycol-water mixture coolant system. Testing was performed with the phase change material contained under sealed conditions after a degassing procedure and exposed to atmosphere without prior degassing. The useful heat storage capacitance was measured and compared to Orion spacecraft requirements and theoretical N-Pentadecane storage capacity.

Propylene Glycol Water↗
NASA NTRS2019

Rewet Temperature Correlations for Liquid-Nitrogen Boiling Pipe Flows Across Varying Flow Conditions and Orientations

In many convective liquid-vapor phase change heat transfer engineering applications, cryogenic fluids are widely used in industrial processes, spacecraft and cryosurgery systems, and so on. For example, cryogens are usually used as liquid fuels such as liquid hydrogen and oxygen in the rocket industry, liquid nitrogen (LN2) and helium are frequently used to cool superconducting magnetic device for medical applications. In these systems, proper transport, handling, and storage of cryogenic fluids are of extreme importance. Among all the cryogenic transport processes performed in room temperatures, quenching, also termed chilldown, is a unavoidable initial, transient phase-change heat transfer process that brings the system down to the cryogenic condition. The Leidenfrost temperature or rewet temperature that signals the end of film boiling is practically considered the completion point of a quenching process. Therefore, rewet temperature has been considered the most important parameter for the engineering design of cryogenic thermal management systems. As most of the previous correlations for predicting the Leidenfrost temperature and the rewet temperature have been basically developed for water, they are shown to disagree with recent liquid nitrogen pipe chilldown experiments in upward and downward flow directions over a wide range of flow rates, pressures, and degrees of inlet subcooling. In addition to a complete review of the literature, two new correlations are presented in this work, one based on bubble growth and another based on the theoretical maximum limit of superheat. Each correlation performs well over the entire data set.

liquid nitrogen↗
NASA NTRS2026

Computational Materials for Qualification and Certification (CM4QC) Strategy Document: Maturation of Computational Materials Methods for Aviation-Focused Qualification and Certification of Metal Additive Manufacturing (as an Example of Process-Intensive Materials)

Although considerable scientific and technological advances have been made in recent years in additive manufacturing (AM) processes, these advances have not translated into significant market penetration of AM parts within the aviation industry. It is broadly acknowledged that using traditional qualification and certification (Q&C) approaches for AM components is one of the most significant barriers to broader adoption of AM, resulting in high costs, long product development and certification timelines, and complex design iterations during the product development cycle. A new approach is urgently needed. This document lays out a vision for a new Q&C paradigm with increased use of computational materials (CM) methods aimed at decreasing the time and cost of Q&C of process-intensive material (PIM) approaches in the aviation industry, with AM as the immediate use case. This vision was developed with substantial input from industry, regulatory agencies, government research organizations, and academia.

Edward H Glaessgen↗
NASA NTRS2019

Heat Transfer Enhancement in Cryogenic Quenching Process

This paper reports a heat transfer advancement in the cryogenic quenching process. An experiment was performed to evaluate the enhancement of quenching heat transfer by the use of metal tubes with low thermal conductivity coating layers. Four coating thicknesses with various coolant mass flow rates of liquid nitrogen were investigated. The results indicated that the tube inner surface coating greatly enhanced the quenching efficiency. The quenching efficiency was found to increase with increasing number of coating layers, and the efficiency also increased with decreasing mass flow rates. In general, the efficiencies cover a range between 40.6% and 80%. Comparing to the bare surface case, the percentage increase in the quenching efficiency was the minimum at 4.2% for a single coated layer at the highest flow rate and the maximum of 109.1% for four coated layers at the lowest flow rate. The coated tubes could save up to 53% in the amount of cryogen consumption.

two-phase flow↗
NASA NTRS1992

Tenth Workshop for Computational Fluid Dynamic Applications in Rocket Propulsion, Part 1

Experimental and computational fluid dynamic activities in rocket propulsion were discussed. The workshop was an open meeting of government, industry, and academia. A broad number of topics were discussed including computational fluid dynamic methodology, liquid and solid rocket propulsion, turbomachinery, combustion, heat transfer, and grid generation.

R.W. Williams↗
NASA NTRS1976

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project: Preliminary Science Report

This document summarizes the experimental concepts and preliminary analyses (as of December 1975) for each of the 28 scientific experiments conducted during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project from July 15 to 24, 1975. The scientific topics are X- ray and extreme ultraviolet astronomy, solar astronomy, gamma- ray detectors, Earth studies (including the upper atmosphere, meteorological phenomena, hydrology, oceanography, geology, desert studies, and gravity field studies), microbiology, heavy cosmic particle interaction with live cells, vestibular system studies, and materials processing (including high-temperature and ambient-temperature processing of industrial materials and electrophoretic processing of biological materials) .

Microbiology↗
NASA NTRS1977

Heat Flow and Thermal History of the Moon

An analysis was made of current heat flow data and thermal models of lunar evolution which satisfy the diverse information that has accumulated on internal processes.

Ye A Lyubimova↗
NASA NTRS2006

Effect of Thermomechanical Processing on the Microstructure, Properties, and Work Behavior of a Ti50.5 Ni29.5 Pt20 High-Temperature Shape Memory Alloy

TiNiPt shape memory alloys are particularly promising for use as solid state actuators in environments up to 300 °C, due to a reasonable balance of proper ties, including acceptable work output. However, one of the challenges to commercializing a viable high-temperature shape memory alloy (HTSMA) is to establish the appropriate primary and secondary processing techniques for fabrication of the material in a required product form such as rod and wire. Consequently, a Ti 50.5 Ni 29.5 Pt 20 alloy was processed using several techniques including single- pass high-temperature extrusion, multiple-pass high-temperature extrusion, and cold drawing to produce bar stock, thin rod, and fine wire, respectively. The effects of heat treatment on the hardness, grain size, room temperature tensile properties, and transformation temperatures of hot- and cold-worked material were examined. Basic tensile properties as a function of temperature and the strain-temperature response of the alloy under constant load, for the determination of work output, were also investigated for various forms of the Ti 50.5 Ni 29.5 Pt 20 alloy, including fine wire.

Grain Size↗
NASA NTRS2015

Numerical Modeling of the Transient Chilldown Process of a Cryogenic Propellant Transfer Line

Before cryogenic fuel depots can be fully realized, efficient methods with which to chill down the spacecraft transfer line and receiver tank are required. This paper presents numerical modeling of the chilldown of a liquid hydrogen tank-to-tank propellant transfer line using the Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP). To compare with data from recently concluded turbulent LH2 chill down experiments, seven different cases were run across a range of inlet liquid temperatures and mass flow rates. Both trickle and pulse chill down methods were simulated. The GFSSP model qualitatively matches external skin mounted temperature readings, but large differences are shown between measured and predicted internal stream temperatures. Discrepancies are attributed to the simplified model correlation used to compute two-phase flow boiling heat transfer. Flow visualization from testing shows that the initial bottoming out of skin mounted sensors corresponds to annular flow, but that considerable time is required for the stream sensor to achieve steady state as the system moves through annular, churn, and bubbly flow. The GFSSP model does adequately well in tracking trends in the data but further work is needed to refine the two-phase flow modeling to better match observed test data.

Temperature Sensors↗
NASA NTRS2026

Smart Process Planning for Automated Fiber Placement

Many industries, including aerospace, automotive, wind energy, maritime, and sporting goods, rely on strong, lightweight materials called composites. These materials are made by layering fibers, which can come in the form of narrow strips or wider sheets, and setting them in a polymer matrix. One of the most advanced ways to make these parts is through automated fiber placement, where a machine lays down the fibers in precise patterns. This method can create very efficient and strong designs, but it is complex, expensive, and often depends heavily on the experience of skilled engineers. Today, the design, manufacturing, and inspection stages of composite production are usually handled separately. This separation means that important information, such as how a part will be built or what defects might occur, is not always shared between stages. As a result, parts may not be as lightweight, strong, or defect-free as possible, and the process can take longer and cost more. This research develops a smart process planning system that connects design, manufacturing, and inspection into one continuous process. Built as software that works with existing tools, the system can automatically plan how the fibers are placed, predicting and reducing defects while improving both manufacturability and strength. The system optimizes not only individual layers but also how defects are distributed across all layers, preventing them from stacking up in ways that weaken the final part. It also uses inspection results from completed parts to improve future designs, creating a feedback loop where each stage informs the others. The system was tested by designing a composite panel using this new approach and comparing it to a panel made with state-of-the-art manual planning methods. The results showed that the system could intentionally control where defects appeared and increase the efficiency of the planning process. By unifying design, manufacturing, and inspection, this research shows a way to make advanced composite manufacturing more efficient, consistent, and cost-effective. This approach lowers the barrier to using automated fiber placement and opens the door for its wider adoption not only in aerospace but also in industries such as automotive, wind energy, maritime, and sporting goods, where strong and lightweight structures are essential.

Computer-Aided Process Planning↗
NASA NTRS1989

Overview of the Center for Advanced Space Propulsion

The mission of the Center for Advanced Space Propulsion (CASP), a Center for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS), is to strengthen U.S. competitiveness in space technology, foster cooperative research with industry and government, assist industry in developing commercial products and services, and perform research in advanced space propulsion. Current areas of focus are (1) advanced chemical propulsion, including high area ratio nozzle performance, variable thrust engine performance, and spray combustion stability; (2) artificial intelligence propulsion applications, including health monitoring of rocket engines, fault pattern detection and diagnosis, and intelligent hypertext applications; (3) microgravity fluid management, including liquid storage and transfer, a subscale orbital fluid transfer experiment, and helical, two-phase flow; (4) electric propulsion, including magnetic annular arc thruster, ion thrustor, and electrostatic plasma accelerator; and (5) laser materials processing.

George W Garrison↗
NASA NTRS1991

Parallel Processing and Expert Systems

Whether it be monitoring the thermal subsystem of Space Station Freedom, or controlling the navigation of the autonomous rover on Mars, NASA missions in the 90's cannot enjoy an increased level of autonomy without the efficient use of expert systems. Merely increasing the computational speed of uniprocessors may not be able to guarantee that real time demands are met for large expert systems. Speed-up via parallel processing must be pursued alongside the optimization of sequential implementations. Prototypes of parallel expert systems have been built at universities and industrial labs in the U.S. and Japan. The state-of-the-art research in progress related to parallel execution of expert systems was surveyed. The survey is divided into three major sections: (1) multiprocessors for parallel expert systems; (2) parallel languages for symbolic computations; and (3) measurements of parallelism of expert system. Results to date indicate that the parallelism achieved for these systems is small. In order to obtain greater speed-ups, data parallelism and application parallelism must be exploited.

Jerry C Yan↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Hot Water, Cold Reality: Experimental Analysis of Sorption Constraints in Iodine Filtration Media Under Heated-Water Conditions

Iodine has been widely employed as a residual biocide in potable water applications during crewed missions. Unlike other biocides, it is essential to remove iodine from drinking water prior to consumption, as its biocidal concentration raises health concerns. Consequently, effectively removing iodine species from water is a critical step in potable water processing. Although the non-biocided heated leg has not violated microbial specifications on the International Space Station, any wetted volume lacking biocide presents potential risks for long‑duration exploration missions and for systems that are sensitive to microbial growth/contamination. Recent assessments indicate, however, that iodine‑removal performance may degrade under elevated temperature conditions, such as those required for dispensing hot water for food preparation. This reduction in efficacy appears to stem from both the potential physical degradation of filtration media and the temperature‑dependent behavior of adsorption processes. To investigate the influence of water temperature on the efficacy of filtration media for iodine removal, a series of adsorption capacity tests were conducted at both room temperature and elevated temperatures (90 °C). These experiments aimed to benchmark the performance of the adsorbents that constitute the ACTEX filter in the ISS’s potable water dispenser. The findings of this study provide critical insights into the iodine filtration process, verify the potential performance shortfall under elevated temperature conditions, and establish the basis for defining new absorbent requirements to ensure reliable iodine removal in future mission architectures.

drinking water↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Hot Water, Cold Reality: Experimental Analysis of Sorption Constraints in Iodine Filtration Media Under Heated-Water Conditions

Iodine has been widely employed as a residual biocide in potable water applications during crewed missions. Unlike other biocides, it is essential to remove iodine from drinking water prior to consumption, as its biocidal concentration raises health concerns. Consequently, effectively removing iodine species from water is a critical step in potable water processing. Although the non-biocided heated leg has not violated microbial specifications on the International Space Station, any wetted volume lacking biocide presents potential risks for long‑duration exploration missions and for systems that are sensitive to microbial growth/contamination. Recent assessments indicate, however, that iodine‑removal performance may degrade under elevated temperature conditions, such as those required for dispensing hot water for food preparation. This reduction in efficacy appears to stem from both the potential physical degradation of filtration media and the temperature‑dependent behavior of adsorption processes. To investigate the influence of water temperature on the efficacy of filtration media for iodine removal, a series of adsorption capacity tests were conducted at both room temperature and elevated temperatures (90 °C). These experiments aimed to benchmark the performance of the adsorbents that constitute the ACTEX filter in the ISS’s potable water dispenser. The findings of this study provide critical insights into the iodine filtration process, verify the potential performance shortfall under elevated temperature conditions, and establish the basis for defining new absorbent requirements to ensure reliable iodine removal in future mission architectures.

iodine↗
NASA NTRS1987

Advances in nickel hydrogen technology at Yardney Battery Division

The current major activites in nickel hydrogen technology being addressed at Yardney Battery Division are outlined. Five basic topics are covered: an update on life cycle testing of ManTech 50 AH NiH2 cells in the LEO regime; an overview of the Air Force/industry briefing; nickel electrode process upgrading; 4.5 inch cell development; and bipolar NiH2 battery development.

Bentley, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1980

NASA 50 amp hour nickel cadmium battery waste heat determination

A process for determining the waste heat generated in a 50-ampere-hour, nickel cadmium battery as a function of the discharge rate is described and results are discussed. The technique involved is essentially calibration of the battery as a heat transfer rate calorimeter. The tests are run at three different levels of battery activity, one at 40-watts of waste heat generated, one at 60, and one at 100. Battery inefficiency ranges from 14 to 18 percent at discharge rates of 284 to 588 watts, respectively and top-of-cell temperatures of 20 C.

Mueller, V. C.↗