Civil Space Technology Initiative: a First Step

This is the first published overview of OAST's focused program, the Civil Space Technology Initiative, (CSTI) which started in FY88. This publication describes the goals, technical approach, current status, and plans for CSTI. Periodic updates are planned

Engine thermal management with model predictive control

The global greenhouse gas CO2 emission from the transportation sector is very significant.To reduce this gas emission, EU has set an average target of not more than 95 CO2/km for new passenger cars by the year 2020. A great reduction is still required to achieve the CO2 emission target in 2020, and many different approaches are being considered. This thesis focuses on the thermal management of the engine as an area that promise significant improvement of fuel efficiency with relatively small changes. The review of the literature shows that thermal management can improve engine efficiency through the friction reduction, improved air-fuel mixing, reduced heat loss, increased engine volumetric efficiency, suppressed knock, reduce radiator fan speed and reduction of other toxic emissions such as CO, HC and NOx. Like heat loss and friction, most emissions can be reduced in high temperature condition, but this may lead to poor volumetric efficiency and make the engine more prone to knock. The temperature trade-off study is conducted in simulation using a GT-SUITE engine model coupled with the FE in-cylinder wall structure and cooling system. The result is a map of the best operating temperature over engine speed and load. To quantify the benefit of this map, eight driving styles from the legislative and research test cycles are being compared using an immediate application of the optimal temperature, and significant improvements are found for urban style driving, while operation at higher load (motorway style driving) shows only small efficiency gains. The fuel consumption saving predicted in the urban style of driving is more than 4%. This assess the chance of following the temperature set point over a cycle, the temperature reference is analysed for all eight types of drive cycles using autocorrelation, lag plot and power spectral density. The analysis consistently shows that the highest volatility is recorded in the Artemis Urban Drive Cycle: the autocorrelation disappears after only 5.4 seconds, while the power spectral density shows a drop off around 0.09Hz. This means fast control action is required to implement the optimal temperature before it changes again. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is an optimal controller with a receding horizon, and it is well known for its ability to handle multivariable control problems for linear systems with input and state limits. The MPC controller can anticipate future events and can take control actions accordingly, especially if disturbances are known in advance. The main difficulty when applying MPC to thermal management is the non-linearity caused by changes in flow rate. Manipulating both the water pump and valve improves the control authority, but it also amplifies the nonlinearity of the system. Common linearization approaches like Jacobian Linearization around one or several operating points are tested, by found to be only moderately successful. Instead, a novel approach is pursued using feedback linearization of the plant model. This uses an algebraic transformation of the plant inputs to turn the nonlinear systems dynamics into a fully or predominantly linear system. The MPC controller can work with the linear model, while the actual control inputs are found using an inverse transformation. The Feedback Linearization MPC of the cooling system model is implemented and testing using MathWork Simulink®. The process includes the model transformation approach, model fitting, the transformation of the constraints and the tuning of the MPC controller. The simulation shows good temperature tracking performance, and this demonstrates that a MPC controller with feedback linearization is a suitable approach to thermal management. The controller strategy is then validated in a test rig replicating an actual engine cooling system. The new MPC controller is again evaluated over the eight driving cycles. The average water pump speed is reduced by 9.1% compared to the conventional cooling system, while maintaining good temperature tracking. The controller performance further improves with future disturbance anticipation by 20.5% for the temperature tracking (calculated by RMSE), 6.8% reduction of the average water pump speed, 47.3% reduction of the average valve movement and 34.0% reduction of the average radiator fan speed

Establishment of a novel predictive reliability assessment strategy for ship machinery

There is no doubt that recent years, maritime industry is moving forward to novel and sophisticated inspection and maintenance practices. Nowadays maintenance is encountered as an operational method, which can be employed both as a profit generating process and a cost reduction budget centre through an enhanced Operation and Maintenance (O&M) strategy. In the first place, a flexible framework to be applicable on complex system level of machinery can be introduced towards ship maintenance scheduling of systems, subsystems and components.;This holistic inspection and maintenance notion should be implemented by integrating different strategies, methodologies, technologies and tools, suitably selected by fulfilling the requirements of the selected ship systems. In this thesis, an innovative maintenance strategy for ship machinery is proposed, namely the Probabilistic Machinery Reliability Assessment (PMRA) strategy focusing towards the reliability and safety enhancement of main systems, subsystems and maintainable units and components.;In this respect, the combination of a data mining method (k-means), the manufacturer safety aspects, the dynamic state modelling (Markov Chains), the probabilistic predictive reliability assessment (Bayesian Belief Networks) and the qualitative decision making (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) is employed encompassing the benefits of qualitative and quantitative reliability assessment. PMRA has been clearly demonstrated in two case studies applied on offshore platform oil and gas and selected ship machinery.;The results are used to identify the most unreliability systems, subsystems and components, while advising suitable practical inspection and maintenance activities. The proposed PMRA strategy is also tested in a flexible sensitivity analysis scheme.There is no doubt that recent years, maritime industry is moving forward to novel and sophisticated inspection and maintenance practices. Nowadays maintenance is encountered as an operational method, which can be employed both as a profit generating process and a cost reduction budget centre through an enhanced Operation and Maintenance (O&M) strategy. In the first place, a flexible framework to be applicable on complex system level of machinery can be introduced towards ship maintenance scheduling of systems, subsystems and components.;This holistic inspection and maintenance notion should be implemented by integrating different strategies, methodologies, technologies and tools, suitably selected by fulfilling the requirements of the selected ship systems. In this thesis, an innovative maintenance strategy for ship machinery is proposed, namely the Probabilistic Machinery Reliability Assessment (PMRA) strategy focusing towards the reliability and safety enhancement of main systems, subsystems and maintainable units and components.;In this respect, the combination of a data mining method (k-means), the manufacturer safety aspects, the dynamic state modelling (Markov Chains), the probabilistic predictive reliability assessment (Bayesian Belief Networks) and the qualitative decision making (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) is employed encompassing the benefits of qualitative and quantitative reliability assessment. PMRA has been clearly demonstrated in two case studies applied on offshore platform oil and gas and selected ship machinery.;The results are used to identify the most unreliability systems, subsystems and components, while advising suitable practical inspection and maintenance activities. The proposed PMRA strategy is also tested in a flexible sensitivity analysis scheme

Small business innovation research. Abstracts of completed 1987 phase 1 projects

Non-proprietary summaries of Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects supported by NASA in the 1987 program year are given. Work in the areas of aeronautical propulsion, aerodynamics, acoustics, aircraft systems, materials and structures, teleoperators and robotics, computer sciences, information systems, spacecraft systems, spacecraft power supplies, spacecraft propulsion, bioastronautics, satellite communication, and space processing are covered

NASA SBIR abstracts of 1990 phase 1 projects

The research objectives of the 280 projects placed under contract in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 1990 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 program are described. The basic document consists of edited, non-proprietary abstracts of the winning proposals submitted by small businesses in response to NASA's 1990 SBIR Phase 1 Program Solicitation. The abstracts are presented under the 15 technical topics within which Phase 1 proposals were solicited. Each project was assigned a sequential identifying number from 001 to 280, in order of its appearance in the body of the report. The document also includes Appendixes to provide additional information about the SBIR program and permit cross-reference in the 1990 Phase 1 projects by company name, location by state, principal investigator, NASA field center responsible for management of each project, and NASA contract number

Integrated control and health management. Orbit transfer rocket engine technology program

To insure controllability of the baseline design for a 7500 pound thrust, 10:1 throttleable, dual expanded cycle, Hydrogen-Oxygen, orbit transfer rocket engine, an Integrated Controls and Health Monitoring concept was developed. This included: (1) Dynamic engine simulations using a TUTSIM derived computer code; (2) analysis of various control methods; (3) Failure Modes Analysis to identify critical sensors; (4) Survey of applicable sensors technology; and, (5) Study of Health Monitoring philosophies. The engine design was found to be controllable over the full throttling range by using 13 valves, including an oxygen turbine bypass valve to control mixture ratio, and a hydrogen turbine bypass valve, used in conjunction with the oxygen bypass to control thrust. Classic feedback control methods are proposed along with specific requirements for valves, sensors, and the controller. Expanding on the control system, a Health Monitoring system is proposed including suggested computing methods and the following recommended sensors: (1) Fiber optic and silicon bearing deflectometers; (2) Capacitive shaft displacement sensors; and (3) Hot spot thermocouple arrays. Further work is needed to refine and verify the dynamic simulations and control algorithms, to advance sensor capabilities, and to develop the Health Monitoring computational methods

Development of Integrated Models for Thermal Management in Hybrid Vehicles

[ES] En los últimos años, la industria de la automoción ha hecho un gran esfuerzo para producir sistemas de propulsión más eficientes y menos contaminantes sin menguar su rendimiento. Las nuevas regulaciones impuestas por las autoridades han empujado a la industria hacia la electrificación de los sistemas de propulsión mientras que las tecnologías desarrolladas para el sistema de propulsión convencional, basado en motores de combustión interna alternativos (MCIA), ya no son suficientes. El modelado numérico ha demostrado ser una herramienta indispensable para el diseño, desarrollo y optimización de sistemas de gestión térmica en trenes motrices electrificados, ahorrando costes y reduciendo el tiempo de desarrollo. La gestión térmica en los MCIA siempre ha sido importante para mejorar el consumo, las emisiones y la seguridad. Sin embargo, es todavía más importante en los sistemas de propulsión híbridos, a causa de la complejidad del sistema y al funcionamiento intermitente del MCIA. Además, los trenes motrices electrificados tienen varias fuentes de calor (es decir, MCIA, batería, máquina eléctrica) con diferentes requisitos de funcionamiento térmico. El objetivo principal de este trabajo ha sido desarrollar modelos térmicos para estudiar la mejora de los sistemas de gestión térmica en sistemas de propulsión electrificados (es decir, vehículo híbrido), estudiando y cuantificando la influencia de diferentes estrategias en el rendimiento, la seguridad y la eficiencia de los vehículos. La metodología desarrollada en este trabajo consistió tanto en la realización de experimentos como en el desarrollo de modelos numéricos. De hecho, se llevó a cabo una extensa campaña experimental para validar los diferentes modelos del tren motriz electrificado. Los datos obtenidos de las campañas experimentales sirvieron para calibrar y validar los modelos así como para corroborar los resultados obtenidos por los estudios numéricos. En primer lugar, se estudiaron las diferentes estrategias de gestión térmica de manera independiente para cada componente del tren motriz. Para el MCIA se estudió el uso de nanofluidos, el aislamiento del colector y puertos de escape, así como el cambio de volumen de sus circuitos hidráulicos. De igual forma, se evaluó el impacto de diferentes estrategias para la mejora térmica de las baterías. Además, el modelo de máquina eléctrica se utilizó para desarrollar pruebas experimentales que emulaban el daño térmico producido en ciclos reales de conducción. En segundo lugar, los modelos de tren motriz se integraron utilizando un estándar de co-simulación para evaluar el impacto de un sistema de gestión térmica integrado. Finalmente, se implementó un nuevo control del sistema de gestión de energía para evaluar el impacto de considerar el estado térmico del MCIA al momento de decidir la distribución de potencia del vehículo híbrido. Los resultados han demostrado que el uso de nanofluidos tiene un impacto muy limitado tanto en el MCIA como en el comportamiento térmico de la batería. Además, también mostraron que al reducir el volumen de refrigerante en un 45 %, la reducción en el tiempo de calentamiento del MCIA y el consumo de combustible en comparación con el caso baso fue del 7 % y del 0.4 %, respectivamente. Además, para condiciones de frio (7ºC), el impacto fue todavía mayor, obteniendo una reducción del tiempo de calentamiento y del consumo de combustible del 13 % y del 0.5 % respectivamente. Por otro lado, los resultados concluyeron que durante el calentamiento del MCIA, el sistema integrado de gestión térmica mejoró el consumo de energía en un 1.74 % y un 3 % para condiciones de calor (20ºC) y frío (-20ºC), respectivamente. Esto se debe al hecho que el sistema de gestión térmica integrado permite evitar la caída de temperatura del MCIA cuando el sistema de propulsión está en manera eléctrica pura.[CA] En els últims anys, la indústria de l'automoció ha fet un gran esforç per a produir sistemes de propulsió més eficients i menys contaminants sense minvar el seu rendiment. Les noves regulacions imposades per les autoritats han espentat a la indústria cap a l'electrificació dels sistemes de propulsió mentre que les tecnologies desenvolupades per al sistema de propulsió convencional, basat en motors de combustió interna alternatius (MCIA), ja no són suficients. El modelatge numèric ha demostrat ser una eina indispensable per al disseny, desenvolupament i optimització de sistemes de gestió tèrmica en trens motrius electrificats, estalviant costos i reduint el temps de desenvolupament. La gestió tèrmica en els MCIA sempre ha sigut important per a millorar el consum, les emissions i la seguretat. No obstant això, és encara més important en els sistemes de propulsió híbrids, a causa de la complexitat del sistema i al funcionament intermitent del MCIA. A més, els trens motrius electrificats tenen diverses fonts de calor (és a dir, MCIA, bateria, màquina elèctrica) amb diferents requisits de funcionament tèrmic. L'objectiu principal d'aquest treball va ser desenvolupar models tèrmics per a estudiar la millora dels sistemes de gestió tèrmica en sistemes de propulsió electrificats (és a dir, vehicle híbrid), estudiant i quantificant la influència de diferents estratègies en el rendiment, la seguretat i l'eficiència dels vehicles. La metodologia desenvolupada en aquest treball va consistir tant en la realització d'experiments com en el desenvolupament de models numèrics. De fet, es va dur a terme una extensa campanya experimental per a validar els diferents models del tren motriu electrificat. Les dades obtingudes de les campanyes experimentals van servir per a calibrar i validar els models així com per a corroborar els resultats obtinguts pels estudis numèrics. En primer lloc, es van estudiar les diferents estratègies de gestió tèrmica de manera independent per a cada component del tren motriu. Per al MCIA es va estudiar l'us de nanofluids, l'aïllament del col·lector i ports d'eixida així com el canvi de volum dels seus circuits hidràulics. D'igual forma, es va avaluar l'impacte de diferents estratègies per a la millora tèrmica de les bateries. A més, el model de màquina elèctrica es va utilitzar per a desenvolupar proves experimentals que emulaven el mal tèrmic produït en cicles reals de conducció. En segon lloc, els models de tren motriu es van integrar utilitzant un estàndard de co-simulació per a avaluar l'impacte d'un sistema de gestió tèrmica integrat. Finalment, es va implementar un nou control del sistema de gestió d'energia per a avaluar l'impacte de considerar l'estat tèrmic del MCIA al moment de decidir la distribució de potència del vehicle híbrid. Els resultats han demostrat que l'us de nanofluids té un impacte molt limitat tant en el MCIA com en el comportament tèrmic de la bateria. A més, també van mostrar que en reduir el volum de refrigerant en un 45 %, la reducció en el temps de calfament del MCIA i el consum de combustible en comparació amb el cas base va ser del 7 % i del 0.4 %, respectivament. A més, per a condicions de fred (-7ºC), l'impacte va ser encara major, obtenint una reducció del temps de calfament i del consum de combustible del 13 % i del 0.5 % respectivament. D'altra banda, els resultats van concloure que durant el calfament del MCIA, el sistema integrat de gestió tèrmica va millorar el consum d'energia en un 1.74 % i un 3 % per a condicions de calor (20ºC) i fred (-20ºC), respectivament. Això es deu al fet que el sistema de gestió tèrmica integrat permet evitar la caiguda de temperatura del MCIA quan el sistema de propulsió està en manera elèctrica pura.[EN] In recent years, the automotive industry has made a great effort to produce more efficient and less polluting propulsion systems without diminishing their performance. The new regulations imposed by the authorities have pushed the industry towards the electrification of powertrains while, technologies developed for the conventional propulsion system based on alternative internal combustion engines (ICEs), are no longer sufficient. Numerical modeling has proven to be an indispensable tool for the design, development and optimization of thermal management systems in electrified powertrains, saving costs and reducing development time. Thermal management in ICEs has always been important for improving consumption, emissions and safety. However, it is even more important in hybrid powertrains, due to the complexity of the system and the intermittent operation of the ICE. In addition, electrified powertrains have various heat sources (i.e., ICE, battery, Electric machine) with different thermal operating requirements. The main objective of this work was to develop thermal models to study the improvement of thermal management systems in electrified powertrains (i.e., hybrid electric vehicle), shedding light and quantifying the influence of different strategies on performance, safety and efficiency of the vehicles. The methodology developed in this paper consisted both in carrying out experiments and in developing numerical models. In fact, an extensive experimental campaign was carried out to validate the various models of the electrified powertrain. The data obtained from the experimental campaigns served to calibrate and validate the models as well as to corroborate the results obtained by the numerical studies. Firstly, the different thermal management strategies were studied independently for each component of the powertrain. For the ICE, the use of nanofluids, insulation of exhaust manifold and ports as well as the volume change of its hydraulic circuits were studied. Similarly, the impact of different strategies for the thermal improvement of batteries was evaluated. Furthermore, the electric machine model was used for developing experimental tests which emulated the thermal damage produced in real driving cycles. Secondly, the powertrain models were integrated using a co-simulation standard to assess the impact of an integrated thermal management system. Finally, a new control energy management system was implemented to assess the impact of considering the ICE thermal state when deciding the power split of the hybrid vehicle. The results have shown that the use of nanofluids has a very limited impact on both the ICE and the battery's thermal behaviour. In addition, they also showed that by reducing the volume of coolant by 45 %, the reduction in ICE warm up time and fuel consumption compared to the base case were 7 % and 0.4 %, respectively. In addition, for cold conditions (-7ºC), the impact was even greater, obtaining a reduction in warm up time and fuel consumption of 13 % and 0.5 % respectively. On the other hand, the results concluded that during the warming of ICE, the integrated thermal management system improved energy consumption by 1.74 % and 3 % for warm (20ºC) and cold (-20ºC) conditions, respectively. This is because the integrated TMS makes it possible to prevent the ICE temperature drop when the powertrain is in pure electric mode. Finally, significant gains during Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Cycles (WLTC) and Real Driving Emissions (RDE) cycles were observed when the ICE thermal state was chosen when deciding the power distribution.The author would like to sincerely acknowledge the founding support pro- vided by Conselleria de Innovación, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital in the framework of the Ayuda Predoctoral GVA. (ACIF/2020/234). Additionally the author would also acknowledge the support provided by Renault S.A.S.Dreif Bennany, A. (2023). Development of Integrated Models for Thermal Management in Hybrid Vehicles [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/19406

Center for Advanced Space Propulsion Second Annual Technical Symposium Proceedings

The proceedings for the Center for Advanced Space Propulsion Second Annual Technical Symposium are divided as follows: Chemical Propulsion, CFD; Space Propulsion; Electric Propulsion; Artificial Intelligence; Low-G Fluid Management; and Rocket Engine Materials

A Study on the Development and Implementation of a Retrofit Predictive Maintenance System Onboard a Container Vessel

Master's thesis in Offshore Technology; Industrial Asset ManagementAs industry 4.0 have gained momentum, a maintenance approach first introduced in the 1960’s has been reborn into the age of connectivity. Previously constrained from showing its true potential by limitations in technology, Condition Based Maintenance is finally ready to deliver long promised benefits and be adopted in large scale by industries worldwide. The philosophy behind the maintenance approach is to predict failure before it happens by monitoring the condition of an asset, and by this makes it possible to act in advance. Global technology trends such as Internet of Things, big data and machine learning are some of the main drivers supporting and realizing the vision of Condition Based Maintenance in the fourth industrial revolution that we have just entered. In combination with cheaper and better sensors, processing power and connectivity, Condition Based Maintenance sets out to be one of the corner stones in enabling intelligent and smart maintenance. While the onshore industry has realized the benefits and have been exploring how to reap the fruits of Condition Based Maintenance in relation to industry 4.0 for a longer period, the maritime industry has been slow to adopt it. If this is due to limitations present at sea, organizational resistance, lack of suitable technological solutions, or just being an industry traditionally known for being conservative enforcing the saying “why change a winning team”, can be up for debate. What is clear on the other hand is that shifting from a time-based preventive maintenance strategy to a strategy towards predictive Condition Based Maintenance has the potential to significantly improve reliability, safety and maintenance efficiency while reducing downtime and unpredicted failures in a cost-effective manner. In an industry that has a high cost pressure and have experienced decreasing profit margins lately, it seems like the time have come to address how Condition Based Maintenance can contribute to the maritime industry and its evolution into a new era. This have resulted in the following research question to answer in this thesis: - With a technological outlook in mind and considering limitations at sea, how can a retrofit predictive maintenance system be developed and implemented onboard a container vessel, and what potential impact will it have on OPEX? This thesis is part of a project initiated by Klaveness Ship Management with the purpose of exploring how changes in different areas of their organization can contribute to reach a goal of 30% reduction in OPEX. The thesis is meant to support the justification of moving from a not very well defined time-based preventive maintenance strategy to a Condition Based Maintenance strategy for their fleet. The thesis is considered a case study of the Main Sea Water Pumps which is a part of the cooling system onboard a series of 3 container vessels. Standards is used as the basis in the process of development and implementation of a predictive maintenance system for the pumps. The condition monitoring technique presented in the case is vibration monitoring. Historical data on maintenance activities is used to assess current maintenance regime to create a maintenance base-line and identify corrective maintenance, as well as doing an assessment of what potential impact it will have on OPEX. Limitations special for the maritime industry is addressed in the process, as well as considerations to be done in terms of technology outlook. The applied research method has the characteristics of being exploratory research. It has a practical orientation and the approach is highly qualitative. A main reason for this is lack of enough relevant data with good enough quality. Since a specific research question is to be answered, the research approach is inductive in nature. It was expected that implementing vibration monitoring on the pumps as a part of a predictive maintenance system would significantly contribute in supporting Condition Based Maintenance as a solution in reaching the project goal of 30% reduction in OPEX. The thesis confirms this expectation with a reduction in manhours used on maintenance of the pumps by an average of 31% across all three ships. In terms of development and implementation of a predictive maintenance system, it concludes that the lack of connectivity while at sea requires a different high-level system design than an onshore application, and that it is important to have a holistic approach that supports interoperability and use of standards. Key words: Condition based maintenance, Predictive Maintenance, Condition Monitoring, Diagnostics, Prognostics, Maritime Transport Sector, Standards, Industry 4.