SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL AEROSPACE REPORTS

A Biweekly Publication of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
VOLUME 44, ISSUE 7 - April 07, 2006

44 ENERGY PRODUCTION AND CONVERSION
Includes specific energy conversion systems, e.g., fuel cells; and solar, geothermal, windpower, and waterwave conversion systems; energy storage; and traditional power generators.

For technologies related to nuclear energy production see 73 Nuclear Physics.

For related information see also 07 Aircraft Propulsion and Power; 20 Spacecraft Propulsion and Power; and 28 Propellants and Fuels.

20060009086 National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO USA

Workplan and Annex: Solar Resource Knowledge Management

Renne, D.; Jan. 2005; 10 pp.; In English Report No.(s): DE2005-861214; NREL/CP-710-37607; No Copyright; Avail.: Department of Energy Information Bridge

Solar Resource Knowledge Management will be a new task under the International Energy Agency's Solar Heating and Cooling Programme. The task development has involved researchers from Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Canada, the U.S. that have been engaged in the use of satellite imagery to develop solar resource maps and datasets around the world. The task will address three major areas: (1) 'Benchmarking' of satellite-based solar resource methods so that resource information derived from approaches developed in one country or based on a specific satellite can be quantitatively intercompared with methods from other countries using different satellites, as well as with ground data; (2) Data archiving and dissemination procedures, especially focusing on access to the data by end users; and (3) basic R&D for improving the reliability and usability of the data, and for examining new types of products important to the solar industry, such as solar resource forecasts. NTIS

Industries; Resources Management; Solar Cooling; Solar Heating

20060009089 National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO USA

FY 2005 Final Report: Solar Radiometry and Metrology Task PVC57301

Myers, D. R.; Stoffel, T. L.; Andreas, A. M.; Wilcox, S. M.; Gotseff, P.; January 2005; 64 pp.; In English Report No.(s): DE2005-859910; NREL/TP-560-38917; No Copyright; Avail.: National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

This report documents technical detail for work performed in the Solar Radiometry and Metrology Task in the period from October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2005. NTIS

Metrology; Radiometers

20060009158 National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO USA

Improving Battery Design with Electro-Thermal Modeling

Pesaran, A.; Aug. 2005; 24 pp.; In English Report No.(s): DE2005-859323; NREL/PR-540-38164; No Copyright; Avail.: National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

Temperature greatly affects the performance and life of batteries in electric and hybrid vehicles under real driving conditions, so increased attention is being paid to battery thermal management. Sophisticated electrochemical models and finite element analysis tools are available for predicting the thermal performance of batteries, but each has limitations. In this study we describe an electro-thermal finite element approach that predicts the thermal performance of a cell or module with realistic geometry, material properties, loads, and boundary conditions. NTIS

Conferences; Electric Batteries; Temperature Effects; Temperature Control

20060009297 NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, USA

MEMS Closed Chamber Heat Engine and Electric Generator

Landis, Geoffrey A., Inventor; December 27, 2005; 18 pp.; In English Patent Info.: Filed 16 Sep. 2003; US-Patent-6,978,611; US-Patent-Appl-SN-453251; NASA-Case-LEW-17391-1; No Copyright; Avail.: CASI: A03, Hardcopy

A heat engine, preferably combined with an electric generator, and advantageously implemented using microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technologies as an array of one or more individual heat engine/generators. The heat engine is based on a closed chamber containing a motive medium, preferably a gas; means for alternately enabling and disabling transfer of thermal energy from a heat source to the motive medium; and at least one movable side of the chamber that moves in response to thermally-induced expansion and contraction of the motive medium, thereby converting thermal energy to oscillating movement. The electrical generator is combined with the heat engine to utilize movement of the movable side to convert mechanical work to electrical energy, preferably using electrostatic interaction in a generator capacitor. Preferably at least one heat transfer side of the chamber is placed alternately into and out of contact with the heat source by a motion capacitor, thereby alternately enabling and disabling conductive transfer of heat to the motive medium. Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Microelectromechanical Systems; Heat Engines; Heat Transfer; Electrostatic Generators; Thermal Energy; Temperature Effects

20060009493 National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO USA, Smith Coll., Northampton, MA, USA

Update on Reducing the Uncertainty in Solar Radiometric Measurements

Myers, D.; Reda, I.; Wilcox, S.; Lester, A.; May 2005; 30 pp.; In English Report No.(s): DE2005-861422; NREL/PR-560-38202; No Copyright; Avail.: National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

The report contains a presentation giving an update on reducing the uncertainty in solar radiometric measurements. NTIS

Radiometers; Solar Radiation

20060010048 NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA, Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA, USA

Carbon-Nanotube-Based Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitor Technologies for Spaceflight Applications

Arepalli, S.; Fireman, H.; Huffman, C.; Maloney, P.; Nikolaev, P.; Yowell, L.; Kim, K.; Kohl, P. A.; Higgins, C. D.; Turano, S. P.; JOM; December 2005, pp. 26-31; In English; Original contains color and black and white illustrations Contract(s)/Grant(s): NNJ05HA25G; DASG60-03-1-0004; Copyright; Avail.: Other Sources

Electrochemical double-layer capacitors, or supercapacitors, have tremendous potential as high-power energy sources for use in low-weight hybrid systems for space exploration. Electrodes based on single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) offer exceptional power and energy performance due to the high surface area, high conductivity, and the ability to functionalize the SWCNTs to optimize capacitor properties. This paper will report on the preparation of electrochemical capacitors incorporating SWCNT electrodes and their performance compared with existing commercial technology. Preliminary results indicate that substantial increases in power and energy density are possible. The effects of nanotube growth and processing methods on electrochemical capacitor performance is also presented. The compatibility of different SWCNTs and electrolytes was studied by varying the type of electrolyte ions that accumulate on the high-surface-area electrodes. Author

Electrochemical Capacitors; Carbon Nanotubes; Electrolytes; Nanostructure Growth; Electrodes; Flux Density

Source: NASA