Award Data

Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT), supported by Hamilton Sundstrand, proposes to develop a heat pipe heat exchanger that is low mass and provides two levels of isolation between fluid streams. It has potential applications in thermal control of manned spacecraft and a number of military and commercial equipment and processes. Phase I has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the hea ...

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop titanium Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs) that can be used in low-mass space nuclear radiators, such as the radiators currently being designed for Project Prometheus, as well as radiators for the lunar and Mars surfaces. LHPs are two phase heat transfer devices that can be embedded in radiator panels. Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. ...

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop heat pipe and loop heat pipe (LHP) working fluids for what is known as the intermediate temperature range, from roughly 500 K to 700 K. Currently, there are no working fluids in this range that can be used in NASA applications, due in part to unknown physical properties and insufficient life test data. The overall objective of ...

Large stroke and high precision electroactive single crystal and polymer actuators are desired for cryogenic passive optics such as Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) and Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) in NASA remote sensing missions. The results of the Phase I program have successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using electroactive single crystal and polymer actuator concepts for large ...

TRS Technologies proposes large stroke and high precision single crystal flextensional piezoelectric microactuators for cryogenic optic devices such as large aperture deformable mirrors, etc. for future NASA space telescope missions. Single crystal piezoelectrics are attractive because they exhibit 3 to 5 times the strain of conventional piezoelectric ceramics, have very low strain hysteresis, and ...

High temperature power electronics have become a vital aspect of future designs for power converters in spacecraft, battle zone electric power, satellite power conditioning, and well drilling. The performance of these applications would benefit significantly from materials designed for high temperatures and harsh environmental conditions. NASA's Venus mission has some of the most stringent require ...

CFD codes used to simulate upper stage expander cycle engines are not adequately mature to support design efforts. Rapid and accurate simulations require more versatile grid frameworks to handle complex geometries of multi-element injector configurations. Turbulence models require upgrades to better predict fuel/air mixing with swirl and to predict heat flux. The innovation proposed initiates wor ...

A hybrid continuum/noncontinuum computational model will be developed for analyzing the aerodynamics and heating on aeroassist vehicles. Unique features of this model include (1) the ability to model rarefied flows with localized continuum features at high altitudes, (2) the ability to model both ablative and non-ablative thermal protection systems, and (3) the ability to model multiple firings o ...

Reliable diagnostic tools to support system health monitoring are critical both for liquid rocket experimental ground test facilities and flight systems. Here, flow induced instabilities can generate flow anomalies such as large scale pressure fluctuations that may couple with other system components and generate deleterious structural vibrations or lead to system malfunction as was evidenced in ...

The program focuses on turbulence modeling enhancements for predicting high-speed rocket base flows. A key component of the effort is the collection of high-fidelity data for supporting turbulence model validation and calibration. Base flow configurations of interest to NASA Marshal will also be investigated using improved modeling tools. Experiments for supersonic rocket base flows will be perfor ...