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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

757 Path Loss Measurements

Path Loss Measurements were obtained on three (3) GPS equipped 757 aircraft. Systems measured were Marker Beacon, LOC, VOR, VHF (3), Glide Slope, ATC (2), DME (2), TCAS, and GPS. This data will provide the basis for assessing the EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) safety margins of comm/nav (communication and navigation) systems to portable electronic device emissions. These Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) include all devices operated in or around the aircraft by crews, passengers, servicing personnel, as well as the general public in the airport terminals. EMI assessment capability is an important step in determining if one system-wide PED EMI policy is appropriate. This data may also be used comparatively with theoretical analysis and computer modeling data sponsored by NASA Langley Research Center and others.

Horton, Kent↗

Measured losses in superconductor magnets for 60-Hertz ac operation.

Results of an experimental study of electrical losses in superconductor magnets. Preliminary 60-Hz ac loss data are presented for coils constructed of Nb3Sn ribbon, Nb-Ti cable, and multifilament Nb-Ti. Losses have been measured for different size coils up to approximately 20 cm in diameter. Of the conductor types tested, Nb3Sn ribbon has the lowest losses for ac operation. In Nb3Sn-ribbon coils of different sizes, the loss per unit length of conductor is shown to decrease with a decrease in the rate of change of current and to increase, in general, with increase in coil size. An important aspect of the study is the high degree of repeatability of the data.

Hamlet, I. L.↗

Analysis of fast-ion losses measured in MAST-U via infrared thermography and a Fast Ion Loss Detector

Fast-ion losses need to be monitored to avoid damage to plasma facing components. In existing experimental devices, the scintillator-based fast-ion loss detector (FILD) is the most advanced diagnostic for measuring fast-ion losses. However, FILDs provide only local information about the losses. Infrared (IR) thermography can be used as a complementary tool for more global monitoring of the deposition of fast-ion losses on the wall, at the expense of no velocity-space resolution. IR cameras measure the temperature of the plasma facing components. This measurement, determined by a combined effect of the thermal plasma, radiation, neutrons and fast-ion losses, can be decomposed to infer the fast-ion load on the tokamak wall. In this manuscript, a workflow to estimate fast-ion losses via IR thermography is applied to the MAST-U spherical tokamak, using a 1D approximation to extract the experimental heat flux on the FILD front face from IR data. To numerically estimate the different contributions to this total heat flux, the field-line tracing environment SMITER is used to calculate the thermal plasma contribution, the orbit-following Monte-Carlo code ASCOT to estimate the fast-ion losses, and bolometry measurements for the radiation. To validate the workflow, two discharges, L-mode plasmas with low MHD activity, were executed using on and off-axis beams, respectively. The experimentally and numerically estimated heat flux are of the same order of magnitude for the on-axis heated scenario, with a strong dependence of the estimated fast-ion losses contribution on the fit to the kinetic profiles used as input. This is also true for the off-axis heated scenario, where the total numerically estimated heat flux is 2.1 or 1.3 times higher than the maximum experimentally estimated heat flux, depending on the ASCOT input used.

FILD↗

Antenna and radome loss measurements for MFMR and PMIS with appendix on MFMR/PMIS computer programs

The NMSU/PSL radiometer antenna calibration facility is described, and the antenna and radome loss measurements made on the passive microwave imaging system and the multifrequency microwave radiometer are summarized. Antenna/radome data reduction techniques, estimation of sky brightness temperatures, and bucket performance tests are presented along with radiometer computer programs.

Carver, K. R.↗

Precision bone and muscle loss measurements by advanced, multiple projection DEXA (AMPDXA) techniques for spaceflight applications

An advanced, multiple projection, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (AMPDXA) scanner system is under development. The AMPDXA is designed to make precision bone and muscle loss measurements necessary to determine the deleterious effects of microgravity on astronauts as well as develop countermeasures to stem their bone and muscle loss. To date, a full size test system has been developed to verify principles and the results of computer simulations. Results indicate that accurate predictions of bone mechanical properties can be determined from as few as three projections, while more projections are needed for a complete, three-dimensional reconstruction. c 2001. Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

NASA Discipline Life Sciences Technologies↗

Automated Transmission Loss Measurement in the Structural Acoustic Loads and Transmission Facility at NASA Langley Research Center

A technique to measure the radiated acoustic intensity and transmission loss of panels is documented in this paper. This facility has been upgraded to include a test fixture that scans the acoustic intensity radiated from a panel on the anechoic receiving room side of the transmission loss window. The acoustic intensity incident on the panel from the reverberant side of the transmission loss window is estimated from measurements made using six stationary microphones in the reverberant source room. From the measured incident and radiated intensity, the sound power transmission loss is calculated. The setup of the facility and data acquisition system are documented. A transmission loss estimate of a typical panel is shown. The measurement-to-measurement and setup-to-setup repeatability of the transmission loss estimate are assessed. Conclusions are drawn about the ability to measure changes in transmission loss due to changes in panel construction.

Klos, J.↗

Alpha particle loss measurements and analysis in JET DT plasmas

Abstract Burning reactor plasmas will be self-heated by fusion born alpha particles from deuterium-tritium reactions. Consequently, a thorough understanding of the confinement and transport of DT-born alpha particles is necessary to maintain the plasma self-heating. Measurements of fast ion losses provide a direct means to monitor alpha particle confinement. JET’s 2021–2022 second experimental DT-campaign offers burning plasma scenarios with advanced fast ion loss diagnostics for the first time in nearly 25 years. Coherent and non-coherent alpha losses were observed due to a variety of low frequency MHD activity. This manuscript will present the loss mechanisms, spatial and pitch dependencies, scalings with plasma parameters, correlations with wall impurities, and magnitude of DT-alpha born losses.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Improvements to the Faraday cup fast ion loss detector and magnetohydrodynamic induced fast ion loss measurements in Joint European Torus plasmas

Upgrades to electronic hardware and detector design have been made to the JET thin-foil Faraday cup fast ion loss detector in anticipation of the upcoming deuterium–tritium (DT) campaign. An improved foil stack design has been implemented, which greatly reduces the number of foil-to-foil shorts, and triaxial cabling has mitigated ambient noise pickup. Initial tests of 200 kHz digitizers, as opposed to the original 5 kHz digitizers, have provided enhanced analysis techniques and direct coherence measurements of fast ion losses with magnetohydrodynamic activity. Here, we present recent loss measurements in JET deuterium plasmas correlated with kink modes, fishbone modes, edge-localized modes, and sawteeth. Sources of systematic noise are discussed with emphasis on capacitive plasma pickup. Overall, the system upgrades have established a diagnostic capable of recording alpha particle losses due to a wide variety of resonant fast ion transport mechanisms to be used in future DT-experiments and modeling efforts.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Measuring Loss Tangents of Substrates for Superconducting Qubits with Part-per-Billion Precision

We report precision measurements of dielectric loss tangents in substrates for superconducting qubits using an ultra-high quality factor niobium SRF cavity operating at millikelvin temperatures and low electric fields. Multiple substrate types and surface treatments are compared to assess how processing impacts microwave dissipation. The RF results are correlated with materials analysis, including ToF-SIMS and XPS, to identify dominant loss mechanisms. This combined study links microscopic surface chemistry to macroscopic performance and provides a framework for materials-driven improvements in qubit coherence and device design.

Bafia, Daniel [Fermilab]↗

Measuring Loss Tangents of Substrates for Superconducting Qubits with Part-per-Billion Precision

We report precision measurements of dielectric loss tangents in substrates for superconducting qubits using an ultra-high quality factor niobium SRF cavity operating at millikelvin temperatures and low electric fields. Multiple substrate types and surface treatments are compared to assess how processing impacts microwave dissipation. The RF results are correlated with materials analysis, including ToF-SIMS and XPS, to identify dominant loss mechanisms. This combined study links microscopic surface chemistry to macroscopic performance and provides a framework for materials-driven improvements in qubit coherence and device design.

Bafia, Daniel [Fermilab]↗

Radiative Heat Loss Measurements During Microgravity Droplet Combustion in a Slow Convective Flow

Radiative heat loss from burning droplets in a slow convective flow under microgravity conditions is measured using a broad-band (0.6 to 40 microns) radiometer. In addition, backlit images of the droplet as well as color images of the flame were obtained using CCD cameras to estimate the burning rates and the flame dimensions, respectively. Tests were carried out in air at atmospheric pressure using n-heptane and methanol fuels with imposed forced flow velocities varied from 0 to 10 centimeters per second and initial droplet diameters varied from 1 to 3 millimeters. Slow convective flows were generated using three different experimental configurations in three different facilities in preparation for the proposed International Space Station droplet experiments. In the 2.2 Second Drop-Tower Facility a droplet supported on the leading edge of a quartz fiber is placed within a flow tunnel supplied by compressed air. In the Zero-Gravity Facility (five-second drop tower) a tethered droplet is translated in a quiescent ambient atmosphere to establish a uniform flow field around the droplet. In the KC 135 aircraft an electric fan was used to draw a uniform flow past a tethered droplet. Experimental results show that the burn rate increases and the overall flame size decreases with increases in forced-flow velocities over the range of flow velocities and droplet sizes tested. The total radiative heat loss rate, Q(sub r), decreases as the imposed flow velocity increases with the spherically symmetric combustion having the highest values. These observations are in contrast to the trends observed for gas-jet flames in microgravity, but consistent with the observations during flame spread over solid fuels where the burning rate is coupled to the forced flow as here.

Hicks, Michael C.↗

Materials loss measurements using superconducting microwave resonators

The performance of superconducting circuits for quantum computing is limited by materials losses. In particular, coherence times are typically bounded by two-level system (TLS) losses at single photon powers and millikelvin temperatures. The identification of low loss fabrication techniques, materials, and thin film dielectrics is critical to achieving scalable architectures for superconducting quantum computing. Superconducting microwave resonators provide a convenient qubit proxy for assessing performance and studying TLS loss and other mechanisms relevant to superconducting circuits such as non-equilibrium quasiparticles and magnetic flux vortices. In this review article, we provide an overview of considerations for designing accurate resonator experiments to characterize loss, including applicable types of losses, cryogenic setup, device design, and methods for extracting material and interface losses, summarizing techniques that have been evolving for over two decades. Results from measurements of a wide variety of materials and processes are also summarized. Finally, we present recommendations for the reporting of loss data from superconducting microwave resonators to facilitate materials comparisons across the field.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Accurate Insertion Loss Measurements of the Juno Patch Array Antennas

This paper describes two independent methods for estimating the insertion loss of patch array antennas that were developed for the Juno Microwave Radiometer instrument. One method is based principally on pattern measurements while the other method is based solely on network analyzer measurements. The methods are accurate to within 0.1 dB for the measured antennas and show good agreement (to within 0.1dB) of separate radiometric measurements.

insertion loss↗

Harness Thermal Heat Loss Measurement for a Lunar Surface-Deployed LEMS Artemis III Payload

The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) is an autonomous, survive-the-lunar-night seismic suite to be deployed on the Lunar surface by the Artemis III crew and designed to operate continuously for two years. It will see the extremes of the Lunar south pole thermal environment where surface temperatures range from -200°C to +20°C and where nighttime duration is at least 354 hours. Given power and mass constraints, the thermal system is limited to 2.5 Watts of heat during the lunar night. The electrical harnessing named the Signal and Power Passthrough (SAPP) was designed to minimize heat loss while meeting power and signal integrity requirements. To mitigate risk due to uncertainty associated with the harnessing materials, routing, and tie-downs, a flight-like thermal conductance test was performed to measure the heat loss. The test methodology, results, and model correlation are presented.

TVAC↗

Harness Thermal Heat Loss Measurement for A Lunar Surface-Deployed LEMS Artemis III Payload

The Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) is an autonomous, survive-the-lunar-night seismic suite to be deployed on the Lunar surface by the Artemis III crew and designed to operate continuously for two years. It will see the extremes of the Lunar south pole thermal environment where surface temperatures range from -200°C to +20°C and where nighttime duration is at least 354 hours. Given power and mass constraints, the thermal system is limited to 2.5 Watts of heat during the lunar night. The electrical harnessing named the Signal and Power Passthrough (SAPP) was designed to minimize heat loss while meeting power and signal integrity requirements. To mitigate risk due to uncertainty associated with the harnessing materials, routing, and tie-downs, a flight-like thermal conductance test was performed to measure the heat loss. The test methodology, results, and model correlation are presented.

Thermal↗