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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 NTRS1995

Current loop signal conditioning: Practical applications

This paper describes a variety of practical application circuits based on the current loop signal conditioning paradigm. Equations defining the circuit response are also provided. The constant current loop is a fundamental signal conditioning circuit concept that can be implemented in a variety of configurations for resistance-based transducers, such as strain gages and resistance temperature detectors. The circuit features signal conditioning outputs which are unaffected by extremely large variations in lead wire resistance, direct current frequency response, and inherent linearity with respect to resistance change. Sensitivity of this circuit is double that of a Wheatstone bridge circuit. Electrical output is zero for resistance change equals zero. The same excitation and output sense wires can serve multiple transducers. More application arrangements are possible with constant current loop signal conditioning than with the Wheatstone bridge.

Anderson, Karl F.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Emission characteristics of a model gas turbine combustor at practical conditions

This paper reports on in situ and exit plane emissions measurements from a model gas turbine combustor at practical air preheat temperatures and pressures for a range of operating conditions. The model combustor chosen for the study features two rows of jets (primary and dilution) with four jets per row, and utilizes effusive air cooling holes on the liner wall. The combustor dome is equipped with a flat-vaned swirler with a vane angle of 60 deg. Data are obtained at combustor pressures ranging from 2 to 10 atmospheres, air preheat temperatures from 204 C to 427 C, and combustor reference velocities from 10.0 to 20.0 m/s. An overall equivalence ratio of 0.3 was constant for all conditions. Exit plane and in situ measurements are presented for HC, O2, CO2, CO, and NO(x). The results from exit plane NO(x) measurements illustrate that the model combustor is representative of current gas turbine combustors. The in situ data reveal effects of fuel/air and wall jet mixing on emission performance.

Drennan, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Thermodynamic processes induced by coherent radiation

It is shown by quantum statistics that under certain stated conditions the entropy of coherent radiation is zero and it is still negligible for multimode laser operation. This makes possible gas kinetic processes which, to a small extent, have already been observed or even utilized, but which can be greatly enhanced by an optimized choice of molecular structures and radiation conditions. Radiative cooling of gases is discussed in detail. The conditions for maximum heat withdrawal are derived, and it is proposed that the processes of cooling and relaxation heating can be sufficiently separated in time to achieve certain effects and thermodynamic cycles. One of these is the complete conversion, possible in principle, of coherent radiation into work. This concept is based on a heat pump process followed by heat-to-work conversion, the heat rejected being just equal to that withdrawn by radiation. The conditions for complete conversion turn out to be the same as for maximum heat withdrawal. The feasibility of these processes depends on the degree to which practical conditions can be met, and on the validity of certain assumptions which have to await experimental verification.

Garbuny, M.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Pollutant emissions from and within a model gas turbine combustor at elevated pressures and temperatures

Conventional and advanced gas turbine engines are coming under increased scrutiny regarding pollutant emissions. This, in turn, has created a need to obtain in-situ experimental data at practical conditions, as well as exhaust data, and to obtain the data in combustors that reflect modern designs. The in-situ data are needed to (1) assess the effects of design modifications on pollutant formation, and (2) develop a detailed data base on combustor performance for the development and verification of computer modeling. This paper reports on a novel high pressure, high temperature facility designed to acquire such data under controlled conditions and with access (optical and extractive) for in-situ measurements. To evaluate the utility of the facility, a model gas turbine combustor was selected which features practical hardware design, two rows of jets (primary and dilution) with four jets in each row, and advanced wall cooling techniques with laser drilled effusive holes. The dome is equipped with a flat-vaned swirler with vane angles of 60 degrees. Data are obtained at combustor pressures ranging from 2 to 10 atmospheres of pressure, levels of air preheat to 427 C, combustor reference velocities from 10.0 to 20.0 m/s, and an overall equivalence ratio of 0.3. Exit plane and in-situ measurements are presented for HC, O2, CO2, CO, and NO(x). The exit plane emissions of NO(x) correspond to levels reported from practical combustors and the in-situ data demonstrate the utility and potential for detailed flow field measurements.

Drennan, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Guidelines for the Selection of Near-Earth Thermal Environment Parameters for Spacecraft Design

Thermal analysis and design of Earth orbiting systems requires specification of three environmental thermal parameters: the direct solar irradiance, Earth's local albedo, and outgoing longwave radiance (OLR). In the early 1990s data sets from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment were analyzed on behalf of the Space Station Program to provide an accurate description of these parameters as a function of averaging time along the orbital path. This information, documented in SSP 30425 and, in more generic form in NASA/TM-4527, enabled the specification of the proper thermal parameters for systems of various thermal response time constants. However, working with the engineering community and SSP-30425 and TM-4527 products over a number of years revealed difficulties in interpretation and application of this material. For this reason it was decided to develop this guidelines document to help resolve these issues of practical application. In the process, the data were extensively reprocessed and a new computer code, the Simple Thermal Environment Model (STEM) was developed to simplify the process of selecting the parameters for input into extreme hot and cold thermal analyses and design specifications. In the process, greatly improved values for the cold case OLR values for high inclination orbits were derived. Thermal parameters for satellites in low, medium, and high inclination low-Earth orbit and with various system thermal time constraints are recommended for analysis of extreme hot and cold conditions. Practical information as to the interpretation and application of the information and an introduction to the STEM are included. Complete documentation for STEM is found in the user's manual, in preparation.

Anderson, B. J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

A demonstration of CMOS VLSI circuit prototyping in support of the site facility using the 1.2 micron standard cell library developed by National Security Agency

Two silicon CMOS application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), a data generation chip, and a data checker chip were designed. The conversion of the data generator circuitry into a pair of CMOS ASIC chips using the 1.2 micron standard cell library is documented. The logic design of the data checker is discussed. The functions of the control circuitry is described. An accurate estimate of timing relationships is essential to make sure that the logic design performs correctly under practical conditions. Timing and delay information are examined.

Smith, Edwyn D.↗

NASA NTRS1951

Behavior of fast moving flow of compressible gas in cylindrical pipe in presence of cooling

For compressible flow with friction in a cylindrical pipe the momentum, continuity, and heat-transfer equations are examined to determine whether an increase in Mach number ("thermal" Laval nozzle) is obtainable through heat conduction from the gas through the pipe walls. The analysis is based on the assumption that the wall temperature is negligibly small in comparison with the stagnation temperature of the gas. The analysis leads to a negative result. When the gas cooling is increased by also considering radiation to the wall, a limited region at high temperatures is obtained where Mach number increases were theoretically possible. Obtaining this condition practically is considered impossible.

FLOW, SUPERSONIC↗

NASA NTRS1999

Initial Observations on the Burning of an Ethanol Droplet in Microgravity

Combustion of liquid ethanol represents an important system both from fundamental and practical points of view, Ethanol is currently being used as an additive to gasoline in order to reduce carbon monoxide and particulate emissions as well as to improve the fuel octane rating. A detailed physical understanding of liquid ethanol combustion is therefore necessary to achieve an optimal performance of such fuel blends in practical conditions. Ethanol is also a relatively simple model compound suitable for investigation of important combustion characteristics typical of more complex fuels. In particular, ethanol has been proposed for studies of sooting behavior during droplet burning. The sooting nature of ethanol has pressure sensitivities similar to that of n-heptane, but shifted to a higher range of pressures (1-3 atm). Additionally, liquid ethanol is miscible with water produced during its combustion forming mixtures with azeotropic behavior, a phenomenon important for understanding multi-component, liquid fuel combustion. In this work, we present initial results obtained in a series of recent space-based experiments and develop a detailed model describing the burning of ethanol droplet in microgravity.

Kazakov, Andrei↗

NASA NTRS2006

Static and Switching Characteristics of a 4H-SiC Based BJT to 200 C

Static curves and resistive load switching characteristics of a 600 V, 4 A rated, SiC-based NPN bipolar power transistor (BJT) were observed at selected temperatures from 23 to 200 C. All testing was done in a pulse mode at low duty cycle (approx. 0.1 percent). Turn-on was driven by an adjustable base current pulse and turn-off was accelerated by a negative base voltage pulse of either 7 or 0.6 V. Switching observations were done at base drive currents (I(sub B)) up to 400 mA and collector currents (I(sub C)) up to 4 A, using a 100 OMEGA non-inductive load. At I(sub B) = 400 mA and I(sub C) = 4 A, turn-on times typically varied from 81 to 97 ns, over temperatures from 23 to 200 C. As expected, lowering the base drive greatly extended the turn-on time. Similarly, decreasing the load current to I(sub C) = 1 A with I(sub B) = 400 mA produced turn-on times as short as 30 ns. Over the 23 to 200 C range, with I(sub B) = 400 mA and I(sub C) = 4 A, turn-off times were in the range of 61 to 77 ns with the 7 V sweep-out and 130 to 150 ns with the 0.6 V sweep-out. At a fixed temperature and I(sub C), the turn-off time decreased slightly with decreasing I(sub B), for I(sub B) sufficient to still provide full turn-on. The ratio of conduction to switching losses is estimated, based on the observed I(sub C) transition times and static curves. An estimate at 200 kHz and a 50 percent duty cycle shows that under practicable conditions the two losses can be comparable. Hence the evidence obtained does not support the occasionally voiced concern of necessarily unacceptably high conduction losses in SiC-based BJTs.

Niedra, Janis M.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Proving Program Termination With Matrix Weighted Digraphs

Program termination analysis is an important task in logic and computer science. While determining if a program terminates is known to be undecidable in general, there has been a significant amount of attention given to finding sufficient and computationally practical conditions to prove termination. One such method takes a program and builds from it a matrix weighted digraph. These are directed graphs whose edges are labeled by square matrices with entries in {-1,0,1}, equipped with a nonstandard matrix multiplication. Certain properties of this digraph are known to imply the termination of the related program. In particular, termination of the program can be determined from the weights of the circuits in the digraph. In this talk, the motivation for addressing termination and how matrix weighted digraphs arise will be briefly discussed. The remainder of the talk will describe an efficient method for bounding the weights of a finite set of the circuits in a matrix weighted digraph, which allows termination of the related program to be deduced.

Dutle, Aaron↗

NASA NTRS1993

The constant current loop - A new paradigm for resistance signal conditioning

Anderson, Karl F.↗

NASA NTRS1994

The constant current loop: A new paradigm for resistance signal conditioning

A practical single constant current loop circuit for the signal conditioning of variable-resistance transducers has been synthesized, analyzed, and demonstrated. The strain gage and the resistance temperature detector are examples of variable-resistance sensors. Lead wires connect variable-resistance sensors to remotely located signal-conditioning hardware. The presence of lead wires in the conventional Wheatstone bridge signal-conditioning circuit introduces undesired effects that reduce the quality of the data from the remote sensors. A practical approach is presented for suppressing essentially all lead wire resistance effects while indicating only the change in resistance value. Theoretical predictions supported by laboratory testing confirm the following features of the approach: (1) dc response; (2) the electrical output is unaffected by extremely large variation in the resistance of any or all lead wires; (3) the electrical output remains zero for no change in gage resistance; (4) the electrical output is inherently linear with respect to gage resistance change; (5) the sensitivity is double that of a Wheatstone bridge circuit; and (6) the same excitation wires can serve multiple independent gages. An adaptation of current loop circuit is presented that simultaneously provides an output signal voltage directly proportional to transducer resistance change and provides temperature information that is unaffected by transducer and lead wire resistance variations. These innovations are the subject of NASA patent applications.

Anderson, Karl F.↗

NASA NTRS1993

The constant current loop: A new paradigm for resistance signal conditioning

A practical, single, constant-current loop circuit for the signal conditioning of variable-resistance transducers was synthesized, analyzed, and demonstrated. The strain gage and the resistance temperature device are examples of variable-resistance sensors. Lead wires connect variable-resistance sensors to remotely located signal-conditioning hardware. The presence of lead wires in the conventional Wheatstone bridge signal-conditioning circuit introduces undesired effects that reduce the quality of the data from the remote sensors. A practical approach is presented for suppressing essentially all lead wire resistance effects while indicating only the change in resistance value. Theoretical predictions supported by laboratory testing confirm the following features of the approach: (1) the dc response; (2) the electrical output is unaffected by extremely large variations in the resistance of any or all lead wires; (3) the electrical output remains zero for no change in gage resistance; (4) the electrical output is inherently linear with respect to gage resistance change; (5) the sensitivity is double that of a Wheatstone bridge circuit; and (6) the same excitation and sense wires can serve multiple independent gages. An adaptation of the current loop circuit is presented that simultaneously provides an output signal voltage directly proportional to transducer resistance change and provides temperature information that is unaffected by transducer and lead wire resistance variations. These innovations are the subject of NASA patent applications.

Anderson, Karl F.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Effect of airfoil (trailing-edge) thickness on the numerical solution of panel methods based on the Dirichlet boundary condition

The practical limit of airfoil thickness ratio for which acceptable engineering results are obtainable with the Dirichlet boundary-condition-based numerical methods is investigated. This is done by studying the effect of thickness on the calculated pressure distribution near the trailing edge and by comparing the aerodynamic coefficients with available exact solutions. The first objective of this study, owing to the wide use of such computational methods, is to demonstrate the numerical symptoms that occur when the body or wing thickness approaches zero and to increase the awareness of potential users of these methods. Additionally, an effort is made to obtain the practical limits of the trailing-edge thickness where such problems will appear in the flow solution, and to propose some possible cures for very thin airfoils or those with cusped trailing edges.

Yon, Steven↗

NASA NTRS1993

Soot formation and radiation in turbulent jet diffusion flames under normal and reduced gravity conditions

Most practical combustion processes, as well as fires and explosions, exhibit some characteristics of turbulent diffusion flames. For hydrocarbon fuels, the presence of soot particles significantly increases the level of radiative heat transfer from flames. In some cases, flame radiation can reach up to 75 percent of the heat release by combustion. Laminar diffusion flame results show that radiation becomes stronger under reduced gravity conditions. Therefore, detailed soot formation and radiation must be included in the flame structure analysis. A study of sooting turbulent diffusion flames under reduced-gravity conditions will not only provide necessary information for such practical issues as spacecraft fire safety, but also develop better understanding of fundamentals for diffusion combustion. In this paper, a summary of the work to date and of future plans is reported.

Ku, Jerry C.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Lava flows as kinematic waves

A recently proposed model for the emplacement of lava flows is reinterpreted as a kinematic wave theory for the depth of the flow. Explicit kinematic wave solutions and their properties are derived for three time-dependent boundary conditions of practical interest. These boundary conditions correspond to effusion rates that decrease, increase, and crest and broadly reflect types of eruption behavior documented in the geologic literature. Particular attention is given to the way source behavior propagates along the flow in relation to the advance of the flow itself.

Baloga, Stephen↗

NASA NTRS1987

Use of LEBU-devices for drag reduction at flight conditions

The practical aspects of drag reduction using LEBU (large-eddy break-up) devices, turbulence manipulators, etc. in flight are discussed with the help of experience from previous flight tests. These tests have shown that appreciable reductions in local skin friction exist under flight conditions, and that the turbulence-manipulating effects can be found for swept tandem devices in transonic as well as supersonic flows. The unsteady loads experienced with the devices are discussed in connection with the frequencies occurring in this type of real flight conditions.

Bertelrud, A.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Flight test and analyses of the B-1 structural mode control system at supersonic flight conditions

A practical structural mode control system (SMCS) that could be turned on at takeoff and be left on for the entire flight was demonstrated. The SMCS appears to be more effective in damping the key fuselage bending modes at supersonic speeds than at the design point of Mach 0.85 (for fixed gains). The SMCS has an adverse effect on high frequency symmetric modes; however, this adverse effect did not make the system unstable and does not appear to affect ride quality performance. The vertical ride quality analyses indicate that the basic configuration without active systems is satisfactory for long term exposure. If clear air turbulence were to be encountered, indications are that the SMCS would be very effective in reducing the adverse accelerations. On the other hand, lateral ride quality analyses indicate that the aircraft with the SMCS on does not quite meet the long term exposure criteria, but would be satisfactory for shot term exposure at altitude. Again, the lateral SMCS was shown to be very effective in reducing peak lateral accelerations.

Wykes, J. H.↗