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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

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NASA NTRS1990

An expansion plan for the 60 Hz power distribution system at KSC: LC-39 substations load allocation plan

The increasing load density in the LC-39 area of Kennedy Space Center (KSC) can be met by either modifying the existing substation and increasing its capacity or by planning an additional new substation. Evidence that the later approach is more economical, enhances the system reliability, and would produce more satisfactory performance indices is provided. Network theory is the basis for the optimal location determination of the proposed substation. A load reallocation plan which minimizes investment cost and power losses and meets other desirable system features is drafted. The report should be useful to the system designer and can be a useful guideline for future facility planners.

Kalu, Alex↗

NASA NTRS1992

An environmental testing facility for Space Station Freedom power management and distribution hardware

The plans for a new test facility, including new environmental test systems, which are presently under construction, and the major environmental Test Support Equipment (TSE) used therein are addressed. This all-new Rocketdyne facility will perform space simulation environmental tests on Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) hardware to Space Station Freedom (SSF) at the Engineering Model, Qualification Model, and Flight Model levels of fidelity. Testing will include Random Vibration in three axes - Thermal Vacuum, Thermal Cycling and Thermal Burn-in - as well as numerous electrical functional tests. The facility is designed to support a relatively high throughput of hardware under test, while maintaining the high standards required for a man-rated space program.

Jackola, Arthur S.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Artificial intelligence and space power systems automation

Various applications of artificial intelligence to space electrical power systems are discussed. An overview is given of completed, on-going, and planned knowledge-based system activities. These applications include the Nickel-Cadmium Battery Expert System (NICBES) (the expert system interfaced with the Hubble Space Telescope electrical power system test bed); the early work with the Space Station Experiment Scheduler (SSES); the three expert systems under development in the space station advanced development effort in the core module power management and distribution system test bed; planned cooperation of expert systems in the Core Module Power Management and Distribution (CM/PMAD) system breadboard with expert systems for the space station at other research centers; and the intelligent data reduction expert system under development.

Weeks, David J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Effectiveness of Power Distribution Systems for Deployment on the Lunar Surface

Lunar habitation missions are currently being planned to have astronauts return to the moon by the mid 2020’s with a sustained lunar presence by the end of the decade. The various landed modules needed to support the missions are expected to be distributed around Shackleton Crater at distances ranging from 1 to 15 km and with power needs ranging from 10 kW to 50kW. Current plans call for a solar array to be installed on the rim of the crater that receives near-constant sunlight year around with a power distribution system that transfers power from the source to consumers. This paper details several power distribution systems: DC transmission lines, radio frequency power beaming, and optical power beaming. Sizing algorithms for each of these distributions systems along with their necessary subsystems were developed from literature and subject matter expertise input. Several experiments were then conducted to determine the performance of the systems along with their sensitivities to changes in assumptions for various sub-components. The defined Figures of Merit enable mission designers to select the best power distribution system for each possible power consumer mission scenario. The experimental results were analyzed and compiled into a set of figures that highlight the conditions for which a certain system outperforms the other.

Bradford Robertson↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Effectiveness of Power Distribution Systems for Deployment on the Lunar Surface

Bradford Robertson↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Lunar Surface Operations & Power Grid

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Artemis Program is developing, testing, and demonstrating new capabilities and technologies required to support a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface and a longer-term vision of sending astronauts to Mars. Artemis lunar surface operations will begin with robotically exploring the lunar south polar regions for locations suitable for harvesting lunar surface resources. Over time activities on the lunar surface will expand beyond robotic operations to human lunar surface operations with the delivery of a lunar habitat and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) assets increasing the need for highly reliable and available electrical power. As operations move beyond the Artemis technology demonstrations and exploration activities towards full commercial lunar surface activities, the ability to expand the original envisioned Artemis power system and repurpose power system components to support commercial activities will be crucial. One technology that will be necessary to support commercial lunar operations is a power grid. A lunar surface power grid would offer the ability to integrate various power sources to maximize power availability, including fission surface power (nuclear), solar arrays, batteries, and regenerative fuel cells. Newly designed terrestrial microgrids are flexible and can be designed to allow for islanded operation, where power is utilized near the loads to minimize power distribution losses or in a power sharing mode where power is transmitted longer distances. This capability is crucial during failures where overall power availability is reduced, and load demand exceeds generation/storage capability. These terrestrial microgrids will also allow for the power system to grow and evolve over time, meeting the need to expand beyond initial lunar surface activities. This presentation will discuss the NASA Artemis plans, potential power system architectures, and power distribution options that will enable growth from initial technology demonstrations towards a lunar economy with a lunar surface power grid that offers many of the advantages of terrestrial microgrids.

Microgrids↗

NASA NTRS1992

Energy loss analysis of an integrated space power distribution system

The results of studies related to conceptual topologies of an integrated utility-like space power system are described. The system topologies are comparatively analyzed by considering their transmission energy losses as functions of mainly distribution voltage level and load composition. The analysis is expedited by use of a Distribution System Analysis and Simulation (DSAS) software. This recently developed computer program by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) uses improved load models to solve the power flow within the system. However, present shortcomings of the software with regard to space applications, and incompletely defined characteristics of a space power system make the results applicable to only the fundamental trends of energy losses of the topologies studied. Accountability, such as included, for the effects of the various parameters on the system performance can constitute part of a planning tool for a space power distribution system.

Kankam, M. David↗

NASA NTRS1992

Energy loss analysis of an integrated space power distribution system

Kankam, M. D.↗

NASA NTRS1994

Space Station Module Power Management and Distribution System (SSM/PMAD)

This report provides an overview of the Space Station Module Power Management and Distribution (SSM/PMAD) testbed system and describes recent enhancements to that system. Four tasks made up the original contract: (1) common module power management and distribution system automation plan definition; (2) definition of hardware and software elements of automation; (3) design, implementation and delivery of the hardware and software making up the SSM/PMAD system; and (4) definition and development of the host breadboard computer environment. Additions and/or enhancements to the SSM/PMAD test bed that have occurred since July 1990 are reported. These include: (1) rehosting the MAESTRO scheduler; (2) reorganization of the automation software internals; (3) a more robust communications package; (4) the activity editor to the MAESTRO scheduler; (5) rehosting the LPLMS to execute under KNOMAD; implementation of intermediate levels of autonomy; (6) completion of the KNOMAD knowledge management facility; (7) significant improvement of the user interface; (8) soft and incipient fault handling design; (9) intermediate levels of autonomy, and (10) switch maintenance.

Miller, William↗

NASA NTRS1994

Knowledge-based commodity distribution planning

This paper presents an overview of a Decision Support System (DSS) that incorporates Knowledge-Based (KB) and commercial off the shelf (COTS) technology components. The Knowledge-Based Logistics Planning Shell (KBLPS) is a state-of-the-art DSS with an interactive map-oriented graphics user interface and powerful underlying planning algorithms. KBLPS was designed and implemented to support skilled Army logisticians to prepare and evaluate logistics plans rapidly, in order to support corps-level battle scenarios. KBLPS represents a substantial advance in graphical interactive planning tools, with the inclusion of intelligent planning algorithms that provide a powerful adjunct to the planning skills of commodity distribution planners.

Saks, Victor↗

NASA NTRS1991

Priority scheme planning for the robust SSM/PMAD testbed

Whenever mixing priorities of manually controlled resources with those of autonomously controlled resources, the space station module power management and distribution (SSM/PMAD) environment requires cooperating expert system interaction between the planning function and the priority manager. The elements and interactions of the SSM/PMAD planning and priority management functions are presented. Their adherence to cooperating for common achievement are described. In the SSM/PMAD testbed these actions are guided by having a system planning function, KANT, which has insight to the executing system and its automated database. First, the user must be given access to all information which may have an effect on the desired outcome. Second, the fault manager element, FRAMES, must be informed as to the change so that correct diagnoses and operations take place if and when faults occur. Third, some element must engage as mediator for selection of resources and actions to be added or removed at the user's request. This is performed by the priority manager, LPLMS. Lastly, the scheduling mechanism, MAESTRO, must provide future schedules adhering to the user modified resource base.

Elges, Michael R.↗

NASA NTRS1978

OAST space power technology program

The current research and technology (R and T) base program is first described, then special attention is directed toward outlining a new system technology specifically oriented toward providing the utility power plant technology base for semi-permanent earth orbital facilities expected to be needed in the middle to late 1980's. The R and T program involves five areas of research: (1) photovoltaic energy conversion; (2) chemical energy conversion and storage; (3) thermal-to-electric conversion; (4) environment interactions; and (5) power systems management and distribution. The general objectives and planned direction of efforts in each of these areas is summarized.

Mullin, J. P.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Flight Performance Maneuver Planning for NASA’s X-57 “Maxwell” Flight Demonstrator – Part 1: Power-Off Glides

Distributed Electric Propulsion technology is expected to yield up to a fivefold increase in high-speed cruise efficiency for NASA’s X-57 “Maxwell” flight demonstrator when compared to a combustion-powered general aviation baseline. A portion of this increased efficiency is due to beneficial aero-propulsive interaction inherent to the distributed propulsion architecture. The measure of the relative increase in efficiency between a conventional and distributed propulsion wing will be extracted from comparisons between flight test data from the electrically powered X-57 Mod II configuration with a conventional wing, and from the electrically powered X-57 Mod III/IV configuration with a distributed propulsion wing. Flight test maneuvers that accommodate errors in instrumentation and the flight test environment are developed to establish the power-off drag characteristics for all X-57 configurations. Analysis of these maneuvers with typical errors, including pilot-in-the-loop simulation data that incorporates simulated atmospheric turbulence effects, shows that the proposed power-off flight maneuvers can generate accurate power-off drag predictions for the X-57. These predictions show that the power-off differences in aerodynamic performance between the conventional and distributed propulsion configurations can be accurately measured from flight test data in the presence of typical data error sources.

Borer, Nicholas K.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Flight Performance Maneuver Planning for NASA’s X-57 “Maxwell” Flight Demonstrator – Part 2: Power-On Effects

Distributed Electric Propulsion technology as envisioned for NASA’s X-57 “Maxwell” flight demonstrator concept was designed to increase high-speed cruise efficiency compared to a combustion-powered general aviation baseline. A portion of this increased efficiency was due to beneficial aero-propulsive interaction inherent to the distributed propulsion architecture. The measure of the increase in efficiency between a conventional and distributed propulsion wing was to be determined by comparing flight test data from the electrically powered, conventional wing X-57 Mod II configuration to data obtained from the electrically powered, distributed propulsion wing X-57 Mod III/IV configuration. Flight test maneuvers that accommodate errors in instrumentation and the flight test environment were previously developed to establish the power-off drag characteristics for all X-57 configurations. In this paper, test points and maneuvers are evaluated to establish the installed and gross thrust that build upon the power-off drag estimates. Analysis of the proposed power-on maneuvers shows that the selected test points and measurement techniques could generate installed thrust estimates within 3-7% (at the 50% confidence level) of the actual values if each maneuver is conducted over a time period of 40 seconds.

Nicholas K Borer↗

NASA NTRS1980

Solar thermal power systems point-focusing thermal and electric applications projects. Volume 1: Executive summary

The activities of the Point-Focusing Thermal and Electric Applications (PETEA) project for the fiscal year 1979 are summarized. The main thrust of the PFTEA Project, the small community solar thermal power experiment, was completed. Concept definition studies included a small central receiver approach, a point-focusing distributed receiver system with central power generation, and a point-focusing distributed receiver concept with distributed power generation. The first experiment in the Isolated Application Series was initiated. Planning for the third engineering experiment series, which addresses the industrial market sector, was also initiated. In addition to the experiment-related activities, several contracts to industry were let and studies were conducted to explore the market potential for point-focusing distributed receiver (PFDR) systems. System analysis studies were completed that looked at PFDR technology relative to other small power system technology candidates for the utility market sector.

Marriott, A.↗

NASA NTRS1980

A computer model of solar panel-plasma interactions

High power solar arrays for satellite power systems are presently being planned with dimensions of kilometers, and with tens of kilovolts distributed over their surface. Such systems face many plasma interaction problems, such as power leakage to the plasma, particle focusing, and anomalous arcing. These effects cannot be adequately modeled without detailed knowledge of the plasma sheath structure and space charge effects. Laboratory studies of 1 by 10 meter solar array in a simulated low Earth orbit plasma are discussed. The plasma screening process is discussed, program theory is outlined, and a series of calibration models is presented. These models are designed to demonstrate that PANEL is capable of accurate self consistant space charge calculations. Such models include PANEL predictions for the Child-Langmuir diode problem.

Cooke, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Site participation in the small community experiment

The Small Community Solar Thermal Experiment, planned to test a small, developmental solar thermal power plant in a small community application, is assessed. The baseline plan is to install a field of parabolic dishes with distributed generation to provide 1 MWe of experimental power. Participation by the site proposer is an integral element of the experiment; the proposer will provide a ten-acre site, a connection to the electrical distributional system serving the small community, and various services. In addition to the primary participant, site study efforts may be pursued at as many as five alternative sites.

Holbeck, H. J.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Overview of environmental test plans for Space Station Freedom work package 4

The generation and distribution of electric power for Space Station Freedom (SSF) is critical to the station's success. Work Package 4 (WP-04) has the responsibility for the design, development, test, and delivery of the Electric Power System (EPS) for the SSF. During launch, assembly, and operation, the EPS will be subjected to various environments. A test and verification approach has been developed to assure that the EPS will function in these environments. An overview of that test program is presented with emphasis on environmental testing of hardware. Two key areas of the test program are highlighted in the overview. One area is the verification of the Solar Power Module (SPM) and associated cargo element hardware. This area includes detailing the plans for development and qualification testing of the SPM hardware. One series of tests, including modal and acoustic, has been completed on a development cargo element. Another area highlighted is the acceptance testing of high-power Orbital Replacement Units (ORU). The environmental test equipment plans are presented and reviewed in light of an aggressive production rate, which delivers ORU's to the WP-04 and other Space Station Work Packages. Through implementing the test program as outlined, the EPS hardware will be certified for flight and operation on the Space Station Freedom.

Peterson, Tom J.↗