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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

Transparent electrically conducting thin films for spacecraft temperature control applications

Thin transparent films of In2O3 or In2O3 + SnO2 prepared by evaporation or sputtering have been tested for use as surface layers for spacecraft temperature control coatings. The films are intended to prevent nonuniform electric charge buildup on the spacecraft exterior. Film thicknesses of 300 to 500 A were found to be optimal in terms of durability and minimum impact on the solar absorptance and the thermal emissivity of the underlayers. As a verification of their suitability for long-duration space missions, the films were subjected to simulated solar UV plus proton irradiation in a vacuum.

Hass, G.↗

A facility for precise temperature control applications in microgravity

The general design, main components, and operation of the isothermal dendritic growth apparatus (IDGA) designed for microgravity experimentation are described. The four major subsystems of the IDGA are a temperature controlled thermostatic bath capable of milli-kelvin stability, a photographic data collection system, a crystal growth chamber, and a growth detection system to initiate data collection. Some of the specific experiments that could utilize the capabilities of the IDGA are dendritic growth in alloys, monotectic systems, life science experiments, and technological applications.

Glicksman, M. E.↗

Thermal compensator for helium refrigerators

Closed-cycle helium refrigerator sensor generates negative-feedback control signals that drive heating diode to maintain temperature stability. Temperature-sensing diode and heating diode are mounted on heat sink that provides conductive path between load and cold tip. Method is applicable to other temperature-control applications, such as laser equipment, electronic instruments, and computer systems.

Hillman, J. J.↗

Requirements and test results for the qualification of thermal control coatings

Paint type coatings are often used as engineering materials in critical satellite temperature control applications. The functional features of coatings used for temperature control purposes must remain stable throughout the satellite manufacturing process and the satellite mission. The selection of a particular coating depends on matching coating characteristics to mission requirements. The use of paint coatings on satellites, although having an extensive history, requires that the paint be qualified to each application on an individual basis. Thus, the qualification process through testing serves to ensure that paint coatings as engineering materials will fulfill design requirements.

Brzuskiewicz, J. E.↗

Temperature Control of Crystal Optics for Ultrahigh-Resolution Applications

The temperature control of crystal optics is critical for ultrahigh resolution applications such as those used in meV-resolved Inelastic Scattering. Due to the low count rate and long acquisition time of these experiments, for 1-meV energy resolution, the absolute temperature stability of the crystal optics must be maintained below 4 mK to ensure the required stability of lattice constant, thereby ensuring the energy stability of the optics. Furthermore, the temperature control with sub-mK precision enables setting the absolute temperature of individual crystal, making it possible to align the reflection energy of each crystal’s rocking curve in sub-meV resolution thereby maximizing the combined efficiency of the crystal optics. In this contribution, we report the details of an EPICS control system using PT1000 sensors, Keithley 3706A 7.5 digits sensor scanner, and Wiener MPOD LV power supply for the analyzer crystals of the Inelastic X-ray Scattering (IXS) beamline 10-ID at NSLS-II**. We were able to achieve absolute temperature stability below 1 mK and sub-meV energy alignment for several asymmetrically cut analyzer crystals. The EPICS ePID record was used for the control of the power supplies based on the PT1000 sensor input that was read with 7.5 digits accuracy from the Keithley 3706A scanner. The system enhances the performance of the meV-resolved IXS spectrometer with currently a 1.4 meV total energy resolution and unprecedented spectral sharpness for studies of atomic dynamics in a broad range of materials.

Gofron, Kaz↗

Experimental Investigation of Temperature Feedback Control Systems Applicable to Turbojet-engine Control

Temperature - fuel-flow and temperature-area feedback control systems were investigated as means of controlling tailpipe gas temperature of a turbojet engine during transient operation in the high-speed region. Proportional-plus-integral control was used in both systems, but in the temperature-area control system it was necessary to add nonlinear components to the basic proportional-plus-integral control to provide satisfactory transient response to a desired step increase in temperature. Time integral of temperature-error functions were used as criteria for determining optimum transient response. A description of engine dynamics was obtained from frequency-response data.

ENGINES, TURBOJET↗

Fuzzy Logic Controller for Low Temperature Application

The most common temperature controller used in low temperature experiments is the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller due to its simplicity and robustness. However, the performance of temperature regulation using the PID controller depends on initial parameter setup, which often requires operator's expert knowledge on the system. In this paper, we present a computer-assisted temperature controller based on the well known.

proportional-integral-derivative controller PID fu↗

Application of Temperature-Controlled Thermal Atomization for Printing Electronics in Space

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a technology that builds three dimensional objects by adding material layer-upon-layer throughout the fabrication process. The Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical (EEE) parts packaging group at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is investigating how various AM and 3D printing processes can be adapted to the microgravity environment of space to enable on demand manufacturing of electronics. The current state-of-the art processes for accomplishing the task of printing electronics through non-contact, direct-write means rely heavily on the process of atomization of liquid inks into fine aerosols to be delivered ultimately to a machine's print head and through its nozzle. As a result of cumulative International Space Station (ISS) research into the behaviors of fluids in zero-gravity, our experience leads us to conclude that the direct adaptation of conventional atomization processes will likely fall short and alternative approaches will need to be explored. In this report, we investigate the development of an alternative approach to atomizing electronic materials by way of thermal atomization, to be used in place of conventional aerosol generation and delivery processes for printing electronics in space.

Wu, Chih-Hao↗

Application of fuzzy logic to the control of wind tunnel settling chamber temperature

The application of Fuzzy Logic Controllers (FLC's) to the control of nonlinear processes, typically controlled by a human operator, is a topic of much study. Recent application of a microprocessor-based FLC to the control of temperature processes in several wind tunnels has proven to be very successful. The control of temperature processes in the wind tunnels requires the ability to monitor temperature feedback from several points and to accommodate varying operating conditions in the wind tunnels. The FLC has an intuitive and easily configurable structure which incorporates the flexibility required to have such an ability. The design and implementation of the FLC is presented along with process data from the wind tunnels under automatic control.

Gwaltney, David A.↗

Definition study for temperature control in advanced protein crystal growth

Some of the technical requirements for an expedient application of temperature control to advanced protein crystal growth activities are defined. Lysozome was used to study the effects of temperature ramping and temperature gradients for nucleation/dissolution and consecutive growth of sizable crystals and, to determine a prototype temperature program. The solubility study was conducted using equine serum albumin (ESA) which is an extremely stable, clinically important protein due to its capability to bind and transport many different small ions and molecules.

Nyce, Thomas A.↗

Laser-based strain measurements for high temperature applications

The Instrumentation and Control Technology Division at NASA Lewis Research Center has developed a high performance optical strain measurement system for high temperature applications using wires and fibers. The system is based on Yamaguchi's two-beam speckle-shift strain measurement technique. The system automatically calculates surface strains at a rate of 5 Hz using a digital signal processor in a high speed micro-computer. The system is fully automated, and can be operated remotely. This report describes the speckle-shift technique and the latest NASA system design. It also shows low temperature strain test results obtained from small diameter tungsten, silicon carbide, and sapphire specimens. These specimens are of interest due to their roles in composite materials research at NASA Lewis.

Lant, Christian T.↗

Application of sound and temperature to control boundary-layer transition

The growth and decay of a wave packet convecting in a boundary layer over a concave-convex surface and its active control by localized surface heating are studied numerically using direct computations of the Navier-Stokes equations. The resulting sound radiations are computed using linearized Euler equations with the pressure from the Navier-Stokes solution as a time-dependent boundary condition. It is shown that on the concave portion the amplitude of the wave packet increases and its bandwidth broadens while on the convex portion some of the components in the packet are stabilized. The pressure field decays exponentially away from the surface and then algebraically, exhibiting a decay characteristic of acoustic waves in two dimensions. The far-field acoustic behavior exhibits a super-directivity type of behavior with a beaming downstream. Active control by surface heating is shown to reduce the growth of the wave packet but have little effect on acoustic far field behavior for the cases considered. Active control by sound emanating from the surface of an airfoil in the vicinity of the leading edge is experimentally investigated. The purpose is to control the separated region at high angles of attack. The results show that injection of sound at shedding frequency of the flow is effective in an increase of lift and reduction of drag.

Maestrello, Lucio↗