The NASA SBIR product catalog

The purpose of this catalog is to assist small business firms in making the community aware of products emerging from their efforts in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. It contains descriptions of some products that have advanced into Phase 3 and others that are identified as prospective products. Both lists of products in this catalog are based on information supplied by NASA SBIR contractors in responding to an invitation to be represented in this document. Generally, all products suggested by the small firms were included in order to meet the goals of information exchange for SBIR results. Of the 444 SBIR contractors NASA queried, 137 provided information on 219 products. The catalog presents the product information in the technology areas listed in the table of contents. Within each area, the products are listed in alphabetical order by product name and are given identifying numbers. Also included is an alphabetical listing of the companies that have products described. This listing cross-references the product list and provides information on the business activity of each firm. In addition, there are three indexes: one a list of firms by states, one that lists the products according to NASA Centers that managed the SBIR projects, and one that lists the products by the relevant Technical Topics utilized in NASA's annual program solicitation under which each SBIR project was selected

Aeronautical Engineering: A continuing bibliography, supplement 120

This bibliography contains abstracts for 297 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in February 1980

Master of Science

thesisA booster fan is an underground ventilation device installed in series with a main surface fan and is used to boost the pressure of air of the current passing through it. Currently, federal regulations in the U.S. do not permit the use of booster fans in underground bituminous and lignite coal mines. Considering that a booster fan is an active device with moving parts, it is imperative to install it with an efficient and reliable monitoring and control system. The important aspects of booster fans and monitoring systems that are discussed in this thesis are environmental monitoring, condition monitoring, design and installation principles, guidelines for safe operation of booster fans, fan interlocking, and risk assessment. The environmental status of underground mining operations with large booster fans is critical to the health and safety of the miners. Mining operations, especially in large deep coal mines, rely greatly upon the monitoring systems to create safe and healthy work conditions by monitoring carbon monoxide, methane, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen oxides, and smoke. Condition monitoring is the process of measuring the fan operating factors to evaluate and predict the health of mining machinery. In coal mine ventilation, condition monitoring includes the measurement and evaluation of the following factors: vibration, barometric pressure, noise, input power, motor and bearing temperatures, differential pressures, and air flow rate. The monitoring system network in a mine could become extremely complex if the monitors are not located at the right place. Recommendations are given for calculating the appropriate siting and spacing of monitors. Booster fans are assembled and installed to operate under harsh conditions; they are subject to wear and tear and malfunction. Installation principles are discussed in detail and recommendations are made for the safe operation of booster fans. Interlocking is one method of preventing the occurrence of unsafe conditions due to electrical or mechanical failures. It is described in detail, and the best practices used in other coal mining countries are summarized. To ensure the safe operation of booster fans and monitoring systems underground, a risk assessment was done, critical hazards were identified, and mitigation controls are outlined

Determination of the kinetics of ethene epoxidation

Several problems and pitfalls in the use of laboratory reactors for the determination of the kinetics of ethene epoxidation over industrial silver on α-alumina catalyst are discussed. Also, commonly used methodologies for kinetic studies are dealt with because of the general nature of some problems. Some advice is given in choosing and using the appropriate reactor type. Further, a method is discussed to determine kinetics in a cooled tubular reactor without having to use heat transport relations.\ud \ud The activation and deactivation of the silver catalyst have been studied in a Berty-type reactor, in a novel internal recycle reactor and in a cooled tubular reactor. It was found necessary to activate the silver catalyst for approximately 170 reaction hours under reaction conditions to obtain a stable and reproducible catalyst activity. Thermal sintering was probably of importance in experiments at the maximum temperature of 543 K. Deliberate addition of small amounts of 1,2-dichloroethane resulted in rapid deactivation of the catalyst. The activity could be restored by addition of small amounts of ethane to the feed. Also, fluorine and silica have been shown to poison the catalyst. Differences in the behaviour of the catalyst in the three reactors may be attributed to the sensitivity of the catalyst towards tiny amounts of poisons present in the reactors and feed mixtures used

Supporting the regeneration process of a diesel particulate filter with the addition of hydrogen and hydrogen/carbon monoxide mixtures: diesel engine aftertreatment system

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel UniversityThis investigation aims to enhance the regeneration performance of a diesel particulate filter. This is achieved by introducing various chemical components to the regeneration process, which are representative of what can be generated ‘on board’ a vehicle using an exhaust gas fuel reformer. By researching the effects of introducing such components using a periodic injection cycle the aim is to reduce the volume of ‘reformates’ required to assist in proficient diesel particulate filter regeneration. As a result, this study also aims to support future work in the development of exhaust gas fuel reformer design for DPF aftertreatment applications. All experiments were performed using a Ford Puma 2.0 litre diesel engine. A test rig was constructed and installed that featured a mini diesel particulate filter housed within a tubular furnace. Exhaust gas could be sampled directly from the exhaust manifold and fed through the DPF. Exhaust gas measurements were taken both pre and post DPF using a FTIR spectrometer. It was shown that the regeneration process could be supported substantially by the introduction of hydrogen. Similar properties were also demonstrated when introducing a hydrogen-carbon monoxide mixture. The introduction of these species allowed for the regeneration process to be implemented at filter temperatures substantially lower than the passive regeneration temperature. Furthermore, by introducing these simulated reformates using a periodic injection strategy, it was evident that similar benefits to the regeneration process could be attained with significantly less volumes of simulated reformates. In an attempt to effectively utilise the carbon monoxide generated during hydrogen production by an exhaust gas fuel reformer, this study defined an optimised hydrogen/carbon monoxide mixture ratio of 60% (v/v) hydrogen balanced with carbon monoxide. At this optimised mixture ratio, the filter demonstrated the highest regeneration efficiency of all ratios tested. Such data could be utilised in future work in the development of fuel reformer design.Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (Grants EP/F025416/1 and EP/G038007/1)

Development of a mN level Meso-Scale Thruster

This dissertation focuses on the practical application of heat recirculating combustors as thrust chambers for micro-spacecraft systems, including: design, development, stability and operational characteristics of the thruster in both the steady state and pulsed configurations. Stable combustion was realized with partially premixed methanol/steam/oxygen, non-premixed methanol/steam/oxygen, and nonpremixed kerosene/steam/oxygen. The steam oxygen mixture is a surrogate for the decomposition products of hydrogen peroxide. The effect of channel geometry on the stability and thermal performance has also been conducted in addition to qualitative and quantitative comparisons of fuel/oxidizer injection configurations. In general it was found that non-premixed combustion is favorable in terms of both thermal performance and flame stability due to the predictable extinction characteristics at low flow rates and the absence of lean blow off at high flow rates. A quantitative extinction criterion was developed to predict extinction at the rich extinction limit. Additionally, nozzle discharge characteristics at low Reynolds number were studied and a correlation developed to predict the discharge coefficient from the Reynolds number for both cold and hot flow scenarios. It was found the discharge coefficient decays more rapidly for high temperature flows than low temperature flows due to the effects of temperature and viscosity on the boundary layer displacement thickness. Additionally, a milli-Newton level thrust stand was developed to indirectly measure the thrust level without allowing the thruster to translate, the thrust stand resolution was found to be <1mN. Using this device a study of the thrust characteristics was carried out in both the steady state and pulsed modes. Measurements of the specific impulse efficiency indicate that the conversion efficiency is high and any loss in thermal efficiency from the adiabatic scenario is due to wall heat losses and not incomplete combustion. Experiments conducted with hydrogen peroxide decomposed in the inlet channel of the combustor were used to validate the results taken with the steam/oxygen as the oxidizer and demonstrated that heat recirculation from the products to the exhaust is sufficient to promote efficient decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide

Design of a Gas Conditioning System for the Second Generation Union College Areogel Lab Catalytic Test Bed

The goal of this project was to design and fabricate a system which could deliver artificially created test gas to the heating section at a specified composition, flow rate, and humidity, while additionally simulating the transient conditions found in automobile exhaust. It will make up one subsystem of the Union College Aerogel Lab’s second generation catalytic test bed. The test bed will be used to test the viability of catalytic aerogels as three way catalysts for automotive exhaust. To date a system for mixing test based on partial pressure has been fabricated and is operational, a system for generating transient conditions using solenoid valves and two gas mixtures has been designed and the parts sourced, and several viable humidification designs have been evaluated

Light off temperature based approach to determine diesel oxidation catalyst effectiveness level and the corresponding outlet NO and NO2 characteristics

According to the latest EPA emission regulations, the NOx (Nitrogen oxide compounds) emissions from heavy duty compression ignition engines need to see a dramatic reduction. The current technology used for this purpose is the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, which achieves NOx reduction of around 90% [9]. This involves urea injection which is influenced by the NO: NO2 ratio at the inlet to the SCR. Thus, the role of the DOC (Diesel Oxidation Catalyst) where most of the oxidation of the NOx compounds takes place, comes to fore. The focus is also on the effectiveness of the catalyst as it thermally ages. Therefore, the aim of this research project is to correlate the aging in the DOC with the light off temperature of the catalyst and subsequent variation in the NO and NO2 concentration at the outlet of the DOC. This shall be achieved through means of a model developed after extensive experimental procedures. Also, further exhaustive experiments to validate the model over multiple aging cycles of the catalyst shall be undertaken. ^ The DOC was subjected to 2 rigorous kinds of experiments aimed at determining the light off temperature shift as the catalyst aged and to determine the NO and NO2 concentrations at the DOC outlet as it aged. Exhaust stream compounds were measured using exhaust analyzers and DOC temperatures were determined using thermocouples installed inside the DOC and at its inlet and outlet. ^ The data thus obtained was then analyzed and 2 separate models were developed, one for the light off experiments, and the other for the NOx experiments. Aging procedures were carried out at an oven according to prescribed techniques and the DOC was subjected to similar experiments again. Analysis was carried out on the data. From the light off experiments and the model analysis, a clear positive shift in light off temperatures was observed from one aging level to another across the range of set points. It was also observed that even after subjecting the DOC to three thermal aging exercises, its conversion efficiency went up to 90%. Also, as the DOC aged, the NO concentration at the DOC outlet showed a downward trend which was observed across the spectrum of engine set points and aging levels. These experiments were repeated for consistency so that the models could be rendered more useful

Controls and Measurements of KU Engine Test Cells for Biodiesel, SynGas, and Assisted Biodiesel Combustion

This thesis is comprised of three unique data acquisition and controls (CDAQ) projects. Each of these projects differs from each other; however, they all include the concept of testing renewable or future fuel sources. The projects were the following: University of Kansas's Feedstock-to-Tailpipe Initiative's Synthesis Gas Reforming rig, Feedstock-to-Tailpipe Initiative's Biodiesel Single Cylinder Test Stand, and a unique Reformate Assisted Biodiesel Combustion architecture. The main responsibility of the author was to implement, develop and test CDAQ systems for the projects. For the Synthesis Gas Reforming rig, this thesis includes a report that summarizes the analysis and solution of building a controls and data acquisition system for this setup. It describes the purpose of the sensors selected along with their placement throughout the system. Moreover, it includes an explanation of the planned data collection system, along with two models describing the reforming process useful for system control. For the Biodiesel Single Cylinder Test Stand, the responsibility was to implement the CDAQ system for data collection. This project comprised a variety of different sensors that are being used collect the combustion characteristics of different biodiesel formulations. This project is currently being used by other graduates in order to complete their projects for subsequent publication. For the Reformate Assisted Biodiesel Combustion architecture, the author developed a reformate injection system to test different hydrogen and carbon monoxide mixtures as combustion augmentation. Hydrogen combustion has certain limiting factors, such as pre-ignition in spark ignition engines and inability to work as a singular fuel in compression ignition engines. To offset these issues, a dual-fuel methodology is utilized by injecting a hydrogen/carbon monoxide mixture into the intake stream of a diesel engine operating on biodiesel. While carbon monoxide does degrade some of the desirable properties of hydrogen, it acts partially like a diluent in order to prevent pre-ignition from occurring. The result of this mixture addition allows the engine to maintain power while reducing biodiesel fuel consumption with a minimal NOx emissions increase