40,908 research outputs found
Space shuttle electrical power generation and reactant supply system
The design philosophy and development experience of fuel cell power generation and cryogenic reactant supply systems are reviewed, beginning with the state of technology at the conclusion of the Apollo Program. Technology advancements span a period of 10 years from initial definition phase to the most recent space transportation system (STS) flights. The development program encompassed prototype, verification, and qualification hardware, as well as post-STS-1 design improvements. Focus is on the problems encountered, the scientific and engineering approaches employed to meet the technological challenges, and the results obtained. Major technology barriers are discussed, and the evolving technology development paths are traced from their conceptual beginnings to the fully man-rated systems which are now an integral part of the shuttle vehicle
New technique for determination of cross-power spectral density with damped oscillators
New cross-power spectral density computation technique has been developed, as well as a technique for discrimination between periodic and random signals. This development is applicable to analysis of any stationary random process, and can be used in the aerospace and transportation fields
Improved diamond coring bits developed for dry and chip-flush drilling
Two rotary diamond bit designs, one operating with a chip-flushing fluid, the second including auger section to remove drilled chips, enhance usefulness of tool for exploratory and industrial core-drilling of hard, abrasive mineral deposits and structural masonry
Minimal data at a given point of space for solutions to certain geometric systems
We consider a geometrical system of equations for a three dimensional
Riemannian manifold. This system of equations has been constructed as to
include several physically interesting systems of equations, such as the
stationary Einstein vacuum field equations or harmonic maps coupled to gravity
in three dimensions. We give a characterization of its solutions in a
neighbourhood of a given point through sequences of symmetric trace free
tensors (referred to as `null data'). We show that the null data determine a
formal expansion of the solution and we obtain necessary and sufficient growth
estimates on the null data for the formal expansion to be absolutely convergent
in a neighbourhood of the given point. This provides a complete
characterization of all the solutions to the given system of equations around
that point.Comment: 26 pages, no figure
Heat transfer characteristics of an emergent strand
A mathematical model was developed to describe the heat transfer characteristics of a hot strand emerging into a surrounding coolant. A stable strand of constant efflux velocity is analyzed, with a constant (average) heat transfer coefficient on the sides and leading surface of the strand. After developing a suitable governing equation to provide an adequate description of the physical system, the dimensionless governing equation is solved with Laplace transform methods. The solution yields the temperature within the strand as a function of axial distance and time. Generalized results for a wide range of parameters are presented, and the relationship of the results and experimental observations is discussed
Pressure buildup during CO2 injection in brine aquifers using the Forchheimer equation
If geo-sequestration of CO2 is to be employed as a key emissions reduction method in the global effort to mitigate climate change, simple yet robust screening of the risks of disposal in brine aquifers will be needed. There has been significant development of simple analytical and semi-analytical techniques to support screening analysis and performance assessment for potential carbon sequestration sites. These techniques have generally been used to estimate the size of CO2 plumes for the purpose of leakage rate estimation. A common assumption has been that both the fluids and the geological formation are incompressible. Consequently, calculation of pressure distribution requires the specification of an arbitrary radius of influence. In this talk, a new similarity solution is derived using the method of matched asymptotic expansions. By allowing for slight compressibility in the fluids and formation, the solution improves on previous work by not requiring the specification of an arbitrary radius of influence. A large-time approximation of the solution is then extended to account for non-Darcy inertial effects using the Forchheimer equation. Both solutions are verified by comparison with finite difference solutions. The results show that inertial losses will often be comparable, and sometimes greater than, the viscous Darcy-like losses associated with the brine displacement, although this is strongly dependent on formation porosity and permeability
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