Feasibility study for a Cryogenic On-Orbit Liquid Depot-Storage, Acquisition and Transfer (COLD-SAT) satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rybak, S. C.; Willen, G. S.; Follett, W. H.; Hanna, G. J.; Cady, E. C.; Distefano, E.; Meserole, J. S.

1990-01-01

This feasibility study presents the conceptual design of a spacecraft for performing a series of cryogenic fluid management flight experiments. This spacecraft, the Cryogenic On-Orbit Liquid Depot-Storage, Acquisition, and Transfer (COLD-SAT) satellite, will use liquid hydrogen as the test fluid, be launched on a Delta expendable launch vehicle, and conduct a series of experiments over a two to three month period. These experiments will investigate the physics of subcritical cryogens in the low gravity space environment to characterize their behavior and to correlate the data with analytical and numerical models of in-space cryogenic fluid management systems. Primary technologies addressed by COLD-SAT are: (1) pressure control; (2) chilldown; (3) no-vent fill; (4) liquid acquisition device fill; (5) pressurization; (6) low-g fill and drain; (7) liquid acquisition device expulsion; (8) line chilldown; (9) thermodynamic state control; and (10) fluid dumping.

[Application of in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy to analysis of fluid inclusions in reservoirs].

PubMed

Chen, Yong; Lin, Cheng-yan; Yu, Wen-quan; Zheng, Jie; Wang, Ai-guo

2010-01-01

Identification of salts is a principal problem for analysis of fluid inclusions in reservoirs. The fluid inclusions from deep natural gas reservoirs in Minfeng sub-sag were analyzed by in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy. The type of fluid inclusions was identified by Raman spectroscopy at room temperature. The Raman spectra show that the inclusions contain methane-bearing brine aqueous liquids. The fluid inclusions were analyzed at -180 degrees C by in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy. The spectra show that inclusions contain three salts, namely NaCl2, CaCl2 and MgCl2. Sodium chloride is most salt component, coexisting with small calcium chloride and little magnesium chloride. The origin of fluids in inclusions was explained by analysis of the process of sedimentation and diagenesis. The mechanism of diagenesis in reservoirs was also given in this paper. The results of this study indicate that in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy is an available method to get the composition of fluid inclusions in reservoirs. Based on the analysis of fluid inclusions in reservoirs by in situ cryogenic Raman spectroscopy with combination of the history of sedimentation and diagenesis, the authors can give important evidence for the type and mechanism of diagenesis in reservoirs.

GFSSP Training Course Lectures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Majumdar, Alok K.

2008-01-01

GFSSP has been extended to model conjugate heat transfer Fluid Solid Network Elements include: a) Fluid nodes and Flow Branches; b) Solid Nodes and Ambient Nodes; c) Conductors connecting Fluid-Solid, Solid-Solid and Solid-Ambient Nodes. Heat Conduction Equations are solved simultaneously with Fluid Conservation Equations for Mass, Momentum, Energy and Equation of State. The extended code was verified by comparing with analytical solution for simple conduction-convection problem The code was applied to model: a) Pressurization of Cryogenic Tank; b) Freezing and Thawing of Metal; c) Chilldown of Cryogenic Transfer Line; d) Boil-off from Cryogenic Tank.

Orbital storage and supply of subcritical liquid nitrogen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aydelott, John C.

1990-01-01

Subcritical cryogenic fluid management has long been recognized as an enabling technology for key propulsion applications, such as space transfer vehicles (STV) and the on-orbit cryogenic fuel depots which will provide STV servicing capability. The LeRC Cryogenic Fluids Technology Office (CFTO), under the sponsorship of OAST, has the responsibility of developing the required technology via a balanced program involving analytical modeling, ground based testing, and in-space experimentation. Topics covered in viewgraph form include: cryogenic management technologies; nitrogen storage and supply; cryogenic nitrogen cooling capability; and LN2 system demonstration technical objectives.

A highly reliable cryogenic mixing pump with no mechanical moving parts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, W.; Niblick, A. L.

2017-12-01

This paper presents the design and preliminary test results of a novel cryogenic mixing pump based on magnetocaloric effect. The mixing pump is developed to enable long-term cryogenic propellant storage in space by preventing thermal stratification of cryogens in storage tanks. The mixing pump uses an innovative thermodynamic process to generate fluid jets to promote fluid mixing, eliminating the need for mechanical pumps. Its innovative mechanism uses a solid magnetocaloric material to alternately vaporize and condense the cryogen in the pumping chamber, and thus control the volume of the fluid inside the pumping chamber to produce pumping action. The pump is capable of self-priming and can generate a high-pressure rise. This paper discusses operating mechanism and design consideration of the pump, introduces the configuration of a brassboard cryogenic pump, and presents the preliminary test results of the pump with liquid nitrogen.

Thermohydrodynamic Analysis of Cryogenic Liquid Turbulent Flow Fluid Film Bearings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

San Andres, Luis

1996-01-01

This report describes a thermohydrodynamic analysis and computer programs for the prediction of the static and dynamic force response of fluid film bearings for cryogenic applications. The research performed addressed effectively the most important theoretical and practical issues related to the operation and performance of cryogenic fluid film bearings. Five computer codes have been licensed by the Texas A&M University to NASA centers and contractors and a total of 14 technical papers have been published.

Cryogenic Technology Development for Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2007-01-01

This paper reports the status and findings of different cryogenic technology research projects in support of the President s Vision for Space Exploration. The exploration systems architecture study is reviewed for cryogenic fluid management needs. It is shown that the exploration architecture is reliant on the cryogenic propellants of liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and liquid methane. Needs identified include: the key technologies of liquid acquisition devices, passive thermal and pressure control, low gravity mass gauging, prototype pressure vessel demonstration, active thermal control; as well as feed system testing, and Cryogenic Fluid Management integrated system demonstration. Then five NASA technology projects are reviewed to show how these needs are being addressed by technology research. Projects reviewed include: In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Depot; Experimentation for the Maturation of Deep Space Cryogenic Refueling Technology; Cryogenic Propellant Operations Demonstrator; Zero Boil-Off Technology Experiment; and Propulsion and Cryogenic Advanced Development. Advances are found in the areas of liquid acquisition of liquid oxygen, mass gauging of liquid oxygen via radio frequency techniques, computational modeling of thermal and pressure control, broad area cooling thermal control strategies, flight experiments for resolving low gravity issues of cryogenic fluid management. Promising results are also seen for Joule-Thomson pressure control devices in liquid oxygen and liquid methane and liquid acquisition of methane, although these findings are still preliminary.

Numerical investigation on pulsating heat pipes with nitrogen or hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Y Han, D.; Sun, X.; Gan, Z. H.; Y Luo, R.; Pfotenhauer, J. M.; Jiao, B.

2017-12-01

With flexible structure and excellent performance, pulsating heat pipes (PHP) are regarded as a great solution to distribute cooling power for cryocoolers. The experiments on PHPs with cryogenic fluids have been carried out, indicating their efficient performances in cryogenics. There are large differences in physical properties between the fluids at room and cryogenic temperature, resulting in their different heat transfer and oscillation characteristics. Up to now, the numerical investigations on cryogenic fluids have rarely been carried out. In this paper, the model of the closed-loop PHP with multiple liquid slugs and vapor plugs is performed with nitrogen and hydrogen as working fluids, respectively. The effects of heating wall temperature on the performance of close-looped PHPs are investigated and compared with that of water PHP.

On-orbit cryogenic fluid transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aydelott, J. C.; Gille, J. P.; Eberhardt, R. N.

1984-01-01

A number of future NASA and DOD missions have been identified that will require, or could benefit from resupply of cryogenic liquids in orbit. The most promising approach for accomplishing cryogenic fluid transfer in the weightlessness environment of space is to use the thermodynamic filling technique. This approach involves initially reducing the receiver tank temperature by using several charge hold vent cycles followed by filling the tank without venting. Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace, under contract to the NASA Lewis Research Center, is currently developing analytical models to describe the on orbit cryogenic fluid transfer process. A detailed design of a shuttle attached experimental facility, which will provide the data necessary to verify the analytical models, is also being performed.

Cryogenic Feedthrough Test Rig

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skaff, Antony

2009-01-01

The cryogenic feedthrough test rig (CFTR) allows testing of instrumentation feedthroughs at liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen temperature and pressure extremes (dangerous process fluid) without actually exposing the feedthrough to a combustible or explosive process fluid. In addition, the helium used (inert gas), with cryogenic heat exchangers, exposes the feedthrough to that environment that allows definitive leak rates of feedthrough by typical industry-standard helium mass spectrometers.

Capacitive Sensors for Measuring Masses of Cryogenic Fluids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nurge, Mark; Youngquist, Robert

2003-01-01

An effort is under way to develop capacitive sensors for measuring the masses of cryogenic fluids in tanks. These sensors are intended to function in both microgravitational and normal gravitational settings, and should not be confused with level sensors, including capacitive ones. A sensor of this type is conceptually simple in the sense that (1) it includes only one capacitor and (2) if properly designed, its single capacitance reading should be readily convertible to a close approximation of the mass of the cryogenic fluid in the tank. Consider a pair of electrically insulated electrodes used as a simple capacitive sensor. In general, the capacitance is proportional to the permittivity of the dielectric medium (in this case, a cryogenic fluid) between the electrodes. The success of design and operation of a sensor of the present type depends on the accuracy of the assumption that to a close approximation, the permittivity of the cryogenic fluid varies linearly with the density of the fluid. Data on liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, and liquid hydrogen, reported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, indicate that the permittivities and densities of these fluids are, indeed, linearly related to within a few tenths of a percent over the pressure and temperature regions of interest. Hence, ignoring geometric effects for the moment, the capacitance between two electrodes immersed in the fluid should vary linearly with the density, and, hence, with the mass of the fluid. Of course, it is necessary to take account of the tank geometry. Because most cryogenic tanks do not have uniform cross sections, the readings of level sensors, including capacitive ones, are not linearly correlated with the masses of fluids in the tanks. In a sensor of the present type, the capacitor electrodes are shaped so that at a given height, the capacitance per unit height is approximately proportional to the cross-sectional area of the tank in the horizontal plane at that height (see figure).

The Zero Boil-Off Tank Experiment Contributions to the Development of Cryogenic Fluid Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.; Kassemi, Mohammad

2015-01-01

The Zero Boil-Off Technology (ZBOT) Experiment involves performing a small scale ISS experiment to study tank pressurization and pressure control in microgravity. The ZBOT experiment consists of a vacuum jacketed test tank filled with an inert fluorocarbon simulant liquid. Heaters and thermo-electric coolers are used in conjunction with an axial jet mixer flow loop to study a range of thermal conditions within the tank. The objective is to provide a high quality database of low gravity fluid motions and thermal transients which will be used to validate Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) modeling. This CFD can then be used in turn to predict behavior in larger systems with cryogens. This paper will discuss the current status of the ZBOT experiment as it approaches its flight to installation on the International Space Station, how its findings can be scaled to larger and more ambitious cryogenic fluid management experiments, as well as ideas for follow-on investigations using ZBOT like hardware to study other aspects of cryogenic fluid management.

The COLD-SAT Experiment for Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schuster, J. R.; Wachter, J. P.; Vento, D. M.

1990-01-01

Future national space transportation missions will depend on the use of cryogenic fluid management technology development needs for these missions. In-space testing will be conducted in order to show low gravity cryogenic fluid management concepts and to acquire a technical data base. Liquid H2 is the preferred test fluid due to its propellant use. The design of COLD-SAT (Cryogenic On-orbit Liquid Depot Storage, Acquisition, and Transfer Satellite), an Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) launched orbital spacecraft that will perform subcritical liquid H2 storage and transfer experiments under low gravity conditions is studied. An Atlas launch vehicle will place COLD-SAT into a circular orbit, and the 3-axis controlled spacecraft bus will provide electric power, experiment control, and data management, attitude control, and propulsive accelerations for the experiments. Low levels of acceleration will provide data on the effects that low gravity might have on the heat and mass transfer processes used. The experiment module will contain 3 liquid H2 tanks; fluid transfer, pressurization and venting equipment; and instrumentation.

Cryogenic fluid management in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antar, Basil N.

1988-01-01

Many future space based vehicles and satellites will require on orbit refuelling procedures. Cryogenic fluid management technology is being developed to assess the requirements of such procedures as well as to aid in the design and development of these vehicles. Cryogenic fluid management technology for this application could be divided into two areas of study, one is concerned with fluid transfer process and the other with cryogenic liquid storage. This division is based upon the needed technology for the development of each area. In the first, the interaction of fluid dynamics with thermodynamics is essential, while in the second only thermodynamic analyses are sufficient to define the problem. The following specific process related to the liquid transfer area are discussed: tank chilldown and fill; tank pressurization; liquid positioning; and slosh dynamics and control. These specific issues are discussed in relation with the required technology for their development in the low gravity application area. In each process the relevant physics controlling the technology is identified and methods for resolving some of the basic questions are discussed.

Large scale cryogenic fluid systems testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

NASA Lewis Research Center's Cryogenic Fluid Systems Branch (CFSB) within the Space Propulsion Technology Division (SPTD) has the ultimate goal of enabling the long term storage and in-space fueling/resupply operations for spacecraft and reusable vehicles in support of space exploration. Using analytical modeling, ground based testing, and on-orbit experimentation, the CFSB is studying three primary categories of fluid technology: storage, supply, and transfer. The CFSB is also investigating fluid handling, advanced instrumentation, and tank structures and materials. Ground based testing of large-scale systems is done using liquid hydrogen as a test fluid at the Cryogenic Propellant Tank Facility (K-site) at Lewis' Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. A general overview of tests involving liquid transfer, thermal control, pressure control, and pressurization is given.

Value for controlling flow of cryogenic fluid

DOEpatents

Knapp, Philip A.

1996-01-01

A valve is provided for accurately controlling the flow of cryogenic fluids such as liquid nitrogen. The valve comprises a combination of disc and needle valves affixed to a valve stem in such a manner that the disc and needle are free to rotate about the stem, but are constrained in lateral and vertical movements. This arrangement provides accurate and precise fluid flow control and positive fluid isolation.

CryoTran user's manual, version 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowgill, Glenn R.; Chato, David J.; Saad, Ehab

1989-01-01

The development of cryogenic fluid management systems for space operation is a major portion of the efforts of the Cryogenic Fluids Technology Office (CFTO) at the NASA Lewis Research Center. Analytical models are a necessary part of experimental programs which are used to verify the results of experiments and are also used as a predictor for parametric studies. The CryoTran computer program is a bridge to obtain analytical results. The object of CryoTran is to coordinate these separate analyses into an integrated framework with a user-friendly interface and a common cryogenic property database. CryoTran is an integrated software system designed to help solve a diverse set of problems involving cryogenic fluid storage and transfer in both ground and low-g environments.

NASA's Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tramel, Terri L.; Motil, Susan M.

2008-01-01

The Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) Project's primary objective is to develop storage, transfer, and handling technologies for cryogens that will support the enabling of high performance cryogenic propulsion systems, lunar surface systems and economical ground operations. Such technologies can significantly reduce propellant launch mass and required on-orbit margins, reduce or even eliminate propellant tank fluid boil-off losses for long term missions, and simplify vehicle operations. This paper will present the status of the specific technologies that the CFM Project is developing. The two main areas of concentration are analysis models development and CFM hardware development. The project develops analysis tools and models based on thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, and existing flight/test data. These tools assist in the development of pressure/thermal control devices (such as the Thermodynamic Vent System (TVS), and Multi-layer insulation); with the ultimate goal being to develop a mature set of tools and models that can characterize the performance of the pressure/thermal control devices incorporated in the design of an entire CFM system with minimal cryogen loss. The project does hardware development and testing to verify our understanding of the physical principles involved, and to validate the performance of CFM components, subsystems and systems. This database provides information to anchor our analytical models. This paper describes some of the current activities of the NASA's Cryogenic Fluid Management Project.

Advances in cryogenic engineering. Volume 27 - Proceedings of the Cryogenic Engineering Conference, San Diego, CA, August 11-14, 1981

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fast, R. W. (Editor)

1982-01-01

Applications of superconductivity are considered, taking into account MHD and fusion, generators, transformers, transmission lines, magnets for physics, cryogenic techniques, electrtronics, and aspects of magnet stability. Advances related to heat transfer in He I are discussed along with subjects related to theat transfer in He II, refrigeration of superconducting systems, refrigeration and liquefaction, dilution and magnetic refrigerators, refrigerators for space applications, mass transfer and flow phenomena, and the properties of fluids. Developments related to cryogenic applications are also explored, giving attention to bulk storage and transfer of cryogenic fluids, liquefied natural gas operations, space science and technology, and cryopumping. Topics related to cryogenic instrumentation and controls include the production and use of high grade silicon diode temperature sensors, the choice of strain gages for use in a large superconducting alternator, microprocessor control of cryogenic pressure, and instrumentation, data acquisition and reduction for a large spaceborne helium dewar.

Computing the Thermodynamic State of a Cryogenic Fluid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willen, G. Scott; Hanna, Gregory J.; Anderson, Kevin R.

2005-01-01

The Cryogenic Tank Analysis Program (CTAP) predicts the time-varying thermodynamic state of a cryogenic fluid in a tank or a Dewar flask. CTAP is designed to be compatible with EASY5x, which is a commercial software package that can be used to simulate a variety of processes and equipment systems. The mathematical model implemented in CTAP is a first-order differential equation for the pressure as a function of time.

Cryogenic fluid flow instabilities in heat exchangers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fleming, R. B.; Staub, F. W.

1969-01-01

Analytical and experimental investigation determines the nature of oscillations and instabilities that occur in the flow of two-phase cryogenic fluids at both subcritical and supercritical pressures in heat exchangers. Test results with varying system parameters suggest certain design approaches with regard to heat exchanger geometry.

The Future with Cryogenic Fluid Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scurlock, R. G.

The applications of cryogenic systems have expanded over the past 50 years into many areas of our lives. During this time, the impact of the common features of Cryogenic Fluid Dynamics, CryoFD, on the economic design of these cryogenic systems, has grown out of a long series of experimental studies carried out by teams of postgraduate students at Southampton University.These studies have sought to understand the heat transfer and convective behavior of cryogenic liquids and vapors, but they have only skimmed over the many findings made, on the strong convective motions of fluids at low temperatures. The convection takes place in temperature gradients up to 10,000 K per meter, and density gradients of 1000% per meter and more, with rapid temperature and spatially dependent changes in physical properties like viscosity and surface tension, making software development and empirical correlations almost impossible to achieve. These temperature and density gradients are far larger than those met in other convecting systems at ambient temperatures, and there is little similarity. The paper will discuss the likely impact of CryoFD on future cryogenic systems, and hopefully inspire further research to support and expand the use of existing findings, and to improve the economy of present-day systems even more effectively. Particular examples to be mentioned include the following. Doubling the cooling power of cryo-coolers by a simple use of CryoFD. Reducing the boil-off rate of liquid helium stored at the South Pole, such that liquid helium availability is now all-the-year-round. Helping to develop the 15 kA current leads for the LHC superconducting magnets at CERN, with much reduced refrigeration loads. Improving the heat transfer capability of boiling heat transfer surfaces by 10 to 100 fold. This paper is an edited text of an invited plenary presentation at ICEC25/ICMC2014 by Professor Scurlock on the occasion of his being presented with the ICEC Mendelssohn Award for his many contributions to Cryogenics. As long ago as 1992, he first proposed in his "History and Origins of Cryogenics" that the temperature range for Cryogenics should be extended up to the ice-point at 273K. This paper expands on this proposal with the implicit assumption that Cryogenic Fluid Dynamics can provide a universal basis for modelling heat transfer and convective fluid behaviour of all fluids, at all temperatures, below the ice-point at 273K; or below 250K if you wish to exclude refrigeration engineering."

Shuttle cryogenic supply system optimization study. Volume 3: Technical report, section 10, 11 and 12

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The evaluation of candidate cryogenic fuel systems for space shuttle vehicles is discussed. A set of guidelines was used to establish a matrix of possible combinations for the integration of potential cryogenic systems. The various concepts and combinations which resulted from the integration efforts are described. The parameters which were considered in developing the matrix are: (1) storage of cryogenic materials, (2) fuel lines, (3) tank pressure control, (4) thermal control, (5) fluid control, and (6) fluid conditioning. Block diagrams and drawings of the candidate systems are provided. Performance predictions for the systems are outlined in tables of data.

Experimentation for the Maturation of Deep Space Cryogenic Refueling Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2008-01-01

This report describes the results of the "Experimentation for the Maturation of Deep Space Cryogenic Refueling Technology" study. This study identifies cryogenic fluid management technologies that require low-gravity flight experiments bring technology readiness levels to 5 to 6; examines many possible flight experiment options; and develops near-term low-cost flight experiment concepts to mature the core technologies. A total of 25 white papers were prepared by members of the project team in the course of this study. The full text of each white paper is included and 89 relevant references are cited. The team reviewed the white papers that provided information on new or active concepts of experiments to pursue and assessed them on the basis of technical need, cost, return on investment, and flight platform. Based on on this assessment the "Centaur Test Bed for Cryogenic Fluid Management" was rated the highest. "Computational Opportunities for Cryogenics for Cryogenic and Low-g Fluid Systems" was ranked second, based on its high scores in state of the art and return on investment, even though scores in cost and time were second to last. "Flight Development Test Objective Approach for In-space Propulsion Elements" was ranked third.

Latest developments in cryogenic safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webster, T. J.

1983-03-01

The Cryogenic Safety Manual, sponsored by the British Cryogenics Council, was published over 10 years ago. A new updated version is now available. Some general aspects of cryogenic safety are highlighted, and attention is drawn to some of the more unusual hazardous situations. An awareness of the physical properties of the cryogenic fluids being dealt with is important in directing attention to hazardous situations which may arise. Because of this, the more important properties of the cryogenic fluids are given, such as molecular weight, boiling point and freezing point. From these properties, hazardous situations can be deduced. There are hidden dangers that are not always easy to spot. Some of the unexpected hazards, most of which have led to deaths, are: asphyxiation (anoxia), frost bites and hypothermia, explosions, and combustion. The aim of this publication is to help bring about increased safety in the production and use of cryogenic products through a deeper appreciation of the scientific, technological and administrative steps which must be made if accidents, some fatal, are to be voided in the future.

Latest developments in cryogenic safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webster, T. J.

1983-01-01

The Cryogenic Safety Manual, sponsored by the British Cryogenics Council, was published over 10 years ago. A new updated version is now available. Some general aspects of cryogenic safety are highlighted, and attention is drawn to some of the more unusual hazardous situations. An awareness of the physical properties of the cryogenic fluids being dealt with is important in directing attention to hazardous situations which may arise. Because of this, the more important properties of the cryogenic fluids are given, such as molecular weight, boiling point and freezing point. From these properties, hazardous situations can be deduced. There are hidden dangers that are not always easy to spot. Some of the unexpected hazards, most of which have led to deaths, are: asphyxiation (anoxia), frost bites and hypothermia, explosions, and combustion. The aim of this publication is to help bring about increased safety in the production and use of cryogenic products through a deeper appreciation of the scientific, technological and administrative steps which must be made if accidents, some fatal, are to be voided in the future.

Advances in cryogenic engineering. Volume 27 - Proceedings of the Cryogenic Engineering Conference, San Diego, CA, August 11-14, 1981

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fast, R. W.

Applications of superconductivity are considered, taking into account MHD and fusion, generators, transformers, transmission lines, magnets for physics, cryogenic techniques, electrtronics, and aspects of magnet stability. Advances related to heat transfer in He I are discussed along with subjects related to theat transfer in He II, refrigeration of superconducting systems, refrigeration and liquefaction, dilution and magnetic refrigerators, refrigerators for space applications, mass transfer and flow phenomena, and the properties of fluids. Developments related to cryogenic applications are also explored, giving attention to bulk storage and transfer of cryogenic fluids, liquefied natural gas operations, space science and technology, and cryopumping. Topics related to cryogenic instrumentation and controls include the production and use of high grade silicon diode temperature sensors, the choice of strain gages for use in a large superconducting alternator, microprocessor control of cryogenic pressure, and instrumentation, data acquisition and reduction for a large spaceborne helium dewar. For individual items see A83-43221 to A83-43250

Shuttle cryogenics supply system optimization study. Volume 5, B-3, part 2: Appendix to programmers manual for math model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

A computer programmer's manual for a digital computer which will permit rapid and accurate parametric analysis of current and advanced attitude control propulsion systems is presented. The concept is for a cold helium pressurized, subcritical cryogen fluid supplied, bipropellant gas-fed attitude control propulsion system. The cryogen fluids are stored as liquids under low pressure and temperature conditions. The mathematical model provides a generalized form for the procedural technique employed in setting up the analysis program.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Espinosa-Loza, Francisco; Ross, Timothy O.; Switzer, Vernon A.

An insert for a cryogenic capable pressure vessel for storage of hydrogen or other cryogenic gases at high pressure. The insert provides the interface between a tank and internal and external components of the tank system. The insert can be used with tanks with any or all combinations of cryogenic, high pressure, and highly diffusive fluids. The insert can be threaded into the neck of a tank with an inner liner. The threads withstand the majority of the stress when the fluid inside the tank that is under pressure.

Pumping and Depressurizing of Insulation Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, Amber

2010-01-01

The Fluids Testing and Technology Branch is a group that researches and tests efficient ways to use various Cryogenic Fluids, such as Liquid Nitrogen or Liquid Helium, in ground and space systems. Their main goal is to develop new technologies involving Cryogenic temperatures as well as making sure the existing technologies are understood. During my time here a lot of insulation testing has been done which is where insulation systems are tested for cryogenic systems that are in space for long durations.

Insulation Progress since the Mid-1950s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timmerhaus, K. D.

Storage vessel and cryostat design for modern cryogenic systems has become rather routine as the result of the wide use of and application of cryogenic fluids. Such vessels for these fluids range in size from 1 L flasks used in the laboratory for liquid nitrogen to the more than 200,000 m3 double-walled tanks used for temporary storage of liquefied natural gas before being transported overseas to their final destination. These storage vessels for cryogenic fluids range in type from low-performance containers insulated with rigid foam or fibrous insulation to high-performance containers insulated with evacuated multilayer insulations. The overriding factors in the type of container selected normally are of economics and safety. This paper will consider various insulation concepts used in such cryogenic storage systems and will review the progress that has been made over the past 50 years in these insulation systems.

An experiment to evaluate liquid hydrogen storage in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eberhardt, R. N.; Fester, D. A.; Johns, W. A.; Marino, J. S.

1981-01-01

The design and verification of a Cryogenic Fluid Management Experiment for orbital operation on the Shuttle is described. The experiment will furnish engineering data to establish design criteria for storage and supply of cryogenic fluids, mainly hydrogen, for use in low gravity environments. The apparatus comprises an LAD (liquid acquisition device) and a TVS (thermodynamic vent system). The hydrogen will be either vented or forced out by injected helium and the flow rates will be monitored. The data will be compared with ground-based simulations to determine optimal flow rates for the pressurizing gas and the release of the cryogenic fluid. It is noted that tests on a one-g, one-third size LAD system are under way.

Centaur Test Bed (CTB) for Cryogenic Fluid Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sakla, Steven; Kutter, Bernard; Wall, John

2006-01-01

Future missions such as NASA s space exploration vision and DOD satellite servicing will require significant increases in the understanding and knowledge of space based cryogenic fluid management (CFM), including the transfer and storage of cryogenic fluids. Existing CFM capabilities are based on flight of upper stage cryogenic vehicles, scientific dewars, a few dedicated flight demonstrations and ground testing. This current capability is inadequate to support development of the CEV cryogenic propulsion system, other aspects of robust space exploration or the refueling of satellite cryo propulsion systems with reasonable risk. In addition, these technologies can provide significant performance increases for missions beyond low-earth orbit to enable manned missions to the Moon and beyond. The Centaur upper-stage vehicle can provide a low cost test platform for performing numerous flight demonstrations of the full breadth of required CFM technologies to support CEV development. These flight demonstrations can be performed as secondary mission objectives using excess LH2 and/or LO2 from the main vehicle propellant tanks following primary spacecraft separation at minimal cost and risk.

Numerical Modeling of Thermofluid Transients During Chilldown of Cryogenic Transfer Lines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Majumdar, Alok; Steadman, Todd

2003-01-01

The chilldown of fluid transfer lines is an important part of using cryogenic systems such as those found in both ground and space based applications. The chilldown process is a complex combination of both thermal and fluid transient phenomena. A cryogenic liquid flows through a transfer line that is initially at a much higher temperature than the cryogen. Transient heat transfer processes between the liquid and transfer line cause vaporization of the liquid, and this phase change can cause transient pressure and flow surges in the liquid. As the transfer line is cooled, these effects diminish until the liquid reaches a steady flow condition in the chilled transfer line. If these transient phenomena are not properly accounted for in the design process of a cryogenic system, it can lead to damage or failure of system components during operation. For such cases, analytical modeling is desirable for ensuring that a cryogenic system transfer line design is adequate for handling the effects of a chilldown process. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a numerical model developed using Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP)'s new fluid transient capability in combination with its previously developed thermal transient capability to predict pressure and flow surge in cryogenic transfer lines during a chilldown process. An experiment performed by the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) in 1966 has been chosen as the baseline comparison case for this work. NBS s experimental set-up consisted of a 10.59 cubic foot supply dewar, an inlet valve, and a 200 foot long, in Outside Diameter (OD) vacuum jacketed copper transfer line that exhausted to atmosphere. Three different inlet valves, an in-port ball valve, a 1-in-port globe valve and a 1-in-port gate valve, were used in NBS's experiments. Experiments were performed using both liquid hydrogen and liquid nitrogen as the fluids. The proposed paper will include detailed comparisons of GFSSP's predictions with NBS's experimental results.

Spacelab cryogenic propellant management experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cady, E. C.

1976-01-01

The conceptual design of a Spacelab cryogen management experiment was performed to demonstrate toe desirability and feasibility of subcritical cryogenic fluid orbital storage and supply. A description of the experimental apparatus, definition of supporting requirements, procedures, data analysis, and a cost estimate are included.

Fundamentals of Cryogenics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Wesley; Tomsik, Thomas; Moder, Jeff

2014-01-01

Analysis of the extreme conditions that are encountered in cryogenic systems requires the most effort out of analysts and engineers. Due to the costs and complexity associated with the extremely cold temperatures involved, testing is sometimes minimized and extra analysis is often relied upon. This short course is designed as an introduction to cryogenic engineering and analysis, and it is intended to introduce the basic concepts related to cryogenic analysis and testing as well as help the analyst understand the impacts of various requests on a test facility. Discussion will revolve around operational functions often found in cryogenic systems, hardware for both tests and facilities, and what design or modelling tools are available for performing the analysis. Emphasis will be placed on what scenarios to use what hardware or the analysis tools to get the desired results. The class will provide a review of first principles, engineering practices, and those relations directly applicable to this subject including such topics as cryogenic fluids, thermodynamics and heat transfer, material properties at low temperature, insulation, cryogenic equipment, instrumentation, refrigeration, testing of cryogenic systems, cryogenics safety and typical thermal and fluid analysis used by the engineer. The class will provide references for further learning on various topics in cryogenics for those who want to dive deeper into the subject or have encountered specific problems.

Apparatus for supporting a cryogenic fluid containment system within an enclosure

DOEpatents

Zhang, Burt X.; Ganni, Venkatarao; Stifle, Kirk E.

1995-01-01

An apparatus for supporting at least one inner cryogenic fluid containment system within an outer isolating enclosure to retard heat transfer into the inner containment system comprising a plurality of supports serially interconnected and laterally spaced by lateral connections to extend the heat conduction path into the inner containment system.

Advances in cryogenic engineering. Volume 33 - Proceedings of the Cryogenic Engineering Conference, Saint Charles, IL, June 14-18, 1987

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fast, R. W. (Editor)

1988-01-01

Papers are presented on superconductivity applications including magnets, electronics, rectifiers, magnet stability, coil protection, and cryogenic techniques. Also considered are insulation, heat transfer to liquid helium and nitrogen, heat and mass transfer in He II, superfluid pumps, and refrigeration for superconducting systems. Other topics include cold compressors, refrigeration and liquefaction, magnetic refrigeration, and refrigeration for space applications. Papers are also presented on cryogenic applications, commercial cryogenic plants, the properties of cryogenic fluids, and cryogenic instrumentation and data acquisition.

System and method for cooling a super-conducting device

DOEpatents

Bray, James William [Niskayuna, NY; Steinbach, Albert Eugene [Schenectady, NY; Dawson, Richard Nils [Voorheesville, NY; Laskaris, Evangelos Trifon [Schenectady, NY; Huang, Xianrul [Clifton Park, NY

2008-01-08

A system and method for cooling a superconductive rotor coil. The system comprises a rotatable shaft coupled to the superconductive rotor coil. The rotatable shaft may comprise an axial passageway extending through the rotatable shaft and a first passageway extending through a wall of the rotatable shaft to the axial passageway. The axial passageway and the first passageway are operable to convey a cryogenic fluid to the superconductive rotor coil through the wall of the rotatable shaft. A cryogenic transfer coupling may be provided to supply cryogenic fluid to the first passageway.

Vapor cooled current lead for cryogenic electrical equipment

DOEpatents

Vansant, James H.

1983-01-01

Apparatus and method are provided for conducting electric current to cryogenic electrical equipment devices. A combination of inner and outer tubes together form a plurality of hollow composite tubes housed in a sheath. Top and bottom block mounting means are fitted to hold the composite tubes and are affixed to the ends of the sheath. This combination forms a current lead. The current lead is attached to a cryogenic device housing a fluid coolant which moves through the current lead, cooling the current lead as the fluid travels.

Inertance Tube Modeling and the Effects of Temperature

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

fluid dynamics. In one application in multistage cryocoolers , the performance of inertance tubes at the cryogenic temperatures is of interest. One... cryocoolers , the performance of inertance tubes at the cryogenic temperatures is of interest. One purpose of this paper is to understand how...acoustic power. KEYWORDS: Inertance tube, cryocoolers , pulse tube refrigerators, oscillating flow, computational fluid dynamics INTRODUCTION Pulse

NASA cryogenic fluid management space experiment efforts, 1960-1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, Daniel

1991-01-01

A history of technological development for subcritical cryogenic fluid management (CFM) through space experiments is given for the period 1960 to 1990. Space experiments with liquid hydrogen were conducted in the early 1960's. Efforts since then have consisted of studies and designs of potential space experiments. A chronology of CFM space experiments and design efforts is included.

NASA cryogenic fluid management space experiment efforts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover, Daniel

1991-01-01

A history of technological development for subcritical cryogenic fluid management (CFM) through space experiments is given for the period 1960 to 1990. Space experiments with liquid hydrogen were conducted in the early 1960s. Efforts since then have consisted of studies and designs of potential space experiments. A chronology of CFM space experiments and design efforts is included.

Apparatus for supporting a cryogenic fluid containment system within an enclosure

DOEpatents

Zhang, B.X.; Ganni, V.; Stifle, K.E.

1995-01-31

An apparatus is disclosed for supporting at least one inner cryogenic fluid containment system within an outer isolating enclosure to retard heat transfer into the inner containment system comprising a plurality of supports serially interconnected and laterally spaced by lateral connections to extend the heat conduction path into the inner containment system. 8 figs.

Cryogenic fluid management experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eberhardt, R. N.; Bailey, W. J.; Fester, D. A.

1981-01-01

The cryogenic fluid management experiment (CFME), designed to characterize subcritical liquid hydrogen storage and expulsion in the low-q space environment, is discussed. The experiment utilizes a fine mesh screen fluid management device to accomplish gas-free liquid expulsion and a thermodynamic vent system to intercept heat leak and control tank pressure. The experiment design evolved from a single flight prototype to provision for a multimission (up to 7) capability. A detailed design of the CFME, a dynamic test article, and dedicated ground support equipment were generated. All materials and parts were identified, and components were selected and specifications prepared. Long lead titanium pressurant spheres and the flight tape recorder and ground reproduce unit were procured. Experiment integration with the shuttle orbiter, Spacelab, and KSC ground operations was coordinated with the appropriate NASA centers, and experiment interfaces were defined. Phase 1 ground and flight safety reviews were conducted. Costs were estimated for fabrication and assembly of the CFME, which will become the storage and supply tank for a cryogenic fluid management facility to investigate fluid management in space.

The Role of Flight Experiments in the Development of Cryogenic Fluid Management Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2006-01-01

This paper reviews the history of cryogenic fluid management technology development and infusion into both the Saturn and Centaur vehicles. Ground testing and analysis proved inadequate to demonstrate full scale performance. As a consequence flight demonstration with a full scale vehicle was required by both the Saturn and Centaur programs to build confidence that problems were addressed. However; the flight vehicles were highly limited on flight instrumentation and the flight demonstration locked-in the design without challenging the function of design elements. Projects reviewed include: the Aerobee Sounding Rocket Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) tests which served as a valuable stepping stone to flight demonstration and built confidence in the ability to handle hydrogen in low gravity; the Saturn IVB Fluid Management Qualification flight test; the Atlas Centaur demonstration flights to develop two burn capability; and finally the Titan Centaur two post mission flight tests.

Advanced long term cryogenic storage systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Norman S.

1987-01-01

Long term, cryogenic fluid storage facilities will be required to support future space programs such as the space-based Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV), Telescopes, and Laser Systems. An orbital liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen storage system with an initial capacity of approximately 200,000 lb will be required. The storage facility tank design must have the capability of fluid acquisition in microgravity and limit cryogen boiloff due to environmental heating. Cryogenic boiloff management features, minimizing Earth-to-orbit transportation costs, will include advanced thick multilayer insulation/integrated vapor cooled shield concepts, low conductance support structures, and refrigeration/reliquefaction systems. Contracted study efforts are under way to develop storage system designs, technology plans, test article hardware designs, and develop plans for ground/flight testing.

Design and Testing of a Cryogenic Capillary Pumped Loop Flight Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bugby, David C.; Kroliczek, Edward J.; Ku, Jentung; Swanson, Ted; Tomlinson, B. J.; Davis, Thomas M.; Baumann, Jane; Cullimore, Brent

1998-01-01

This paper details the flight configuration and pre-flight performance test results of the fifth generation cryogenic capillary pumped loop (CCPL-5). This device will fly on STS-95 in October 1998 as part of the CRYOTSU Flight Experiment. This flight represents the first in-space demonstration of a CCPL, a miniaturized two-phase fluid circulator for thermally linking cryogenic cooling sources to remote cryogenic components. CCPL-5 utilizes N2 as the working fluid and has a practical operating range of 75-110 K. Test results indicate that CCPL-5, which weighs about 200 grams, can transport over 10 W of cooling a distance of 0.25 m (or more) with less than a 5 K temperature drop.

Cryogenic On-Orbit Liquid Depot Storage, Acquisition, and Transfer satellite (COLD-SAT) feasibility study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, William J.; Weiner, Stephen P.; Beekman, Douglas H.; Dennis, Mark F.; Martin, Timothy A.

1990-01-01

The Cryogenic On-Orbit Liquid Depot Storage, Acquisition, and Transfer Satellite (COLD-SAT) is an experimental spacecraft launched from an expendable launch vehicle which is designed to investigate the systems and technologies required for efficient, effective, and reliable management of cryogenic fluid in the reduced gravity space environment. The COLD-SAT program will provide the necessary data base and provide low-g proving of fluid and thermal models of cryogenic storage, transfer, and resupply concepts and processes. A conceptual approach was developed and an overview of the results of the 24 month COLD-SAT Phase A feasibility is described which includes: (1) a definition of the technology needs and the accompanying experimental 3 month baseline mission; (2) a description of the experiment subsystem, major features and rationale for satisfaction of primary and secondary experiment requirements using liquid hydrogen as the test fluid; and (3) a presentation of the conceptual design of the COLD-SAT spacecraft subsystems which support the on-orbit experiment with emphasis on areas of greatest challenge.

Czech cryogenic fluid dynamics inspired by Russ Donnelly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skrbek, Ladislav

2015-11-01

Following nearly five years of work along with Russ in Eugene on cryogenic turbulent convection and quantum grid turbulence, two laboratories in Prague and in Brno have been established to continue experimental research in cryogenic fluid dynamics using all three forms of cryogenic 4He - cold helium gas, normal liquid He I and superfluid He - as excellent multi-purpose working fluids. We review some of our investigations of very high Rayleigh number cryogenic thermal convection and classical and quantum turbulence in liquid helium. In particular, we discuss heat transfer efficiency of turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection and the role of non-Oberbeck-Boussinesq conditions on possible transition to its ultimate regime; our second sound attenuation experiments probing both steady state and decaying coflow, counterflow and pure superflow of He II through channels of square cross-section including the concept of effective kinematic viscosity. We then introduce visualization experiments of classical and quantum flows of liquid helium using micron-size hydogen/deuterium particles and our recent results on transition to quantum turbulence based on the revisited experiments with a torsionally oscillating disc. Supported by GACR P203/11/0442 and 203/14/02005S.

Zero Boil-OFF Tank Hardware Setup

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-09-19

iss053e027051 (Sept. 19, 2017) --- Flight Engineer Joe Acaba works in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module setting up hardware for the Zero Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) experiment. ZBOT uses an experimental fluid to test active heat removal and forced jet mixing as alternative means for controlling tank pressure for volatile fluids. Rocket fuel, spacecraft heating and cooling systems, and sensitive scientific instruments rely on very cold cryogenic fluids. Heat from the environment around cryogenic tanks can cause their pressures to rise, which requires dumping or "boiling off" fluid to release the excess pressure, or actively cooling the tanks in some way.

Airships for transporting highly volatile commodities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sonstegaard, M.

1975-01-01

Large airships may prove feasible as carriers of commodities that move as gases or cryogenic liquids; buoyant gaseous cargo could be ballasted with liquid cargo. Airships are compact in shape, operate in a rarified medium, and hence can be fast and perhaps economic carriers of costly cryogenic tanks. The high-pressure gas pipeline has excessive surface area when carrying hydrogen and excessive fluid density when carrying natural gas, while the cryogenic ocean tanker runs in a dense medium and makes gravity waves. But the airship, despite its fluid dynamic advantages, faces problems of safety, weather, and altitude control.

Flight Development for Cryogenic Fluid Management in Support of Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2006-01-01

This paper describes the results of the "Experimentation for the Maturation of Deep Space Cryogenic Refueling Technology" study. The purposes of this study were to identify cryogenic fluids management technologies requiring low gravity flight experiments to bring to technology readiness level (TRL) 5-6; to study many possible flight experiment options; and to develop near-term low-cost flight experiment concepts to mature core technologies of refueling. A total of twenty-five white papers were prepared in the course of this study. Each white paper is briefly summarized and relevant references cited. A total of 90 references are cited.

Heat transfer in a tank with a cryogenic fluid under conditions of external heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Notkin, V. L.

Heat transfer in the gas layer of a horizontal cylindrical tank with a fluctuating level of boiling liquid nitrogen is investigated experimentally. Criterial equations for heat transfer in the gas cavity of the tank are obtained. A procedure is proposed for calculating heat fluxes, temperature fields, and cryogenic fluid evaporation during the filling and draining of the tank.

Inferential Framework for Autonomous Cryogenic Loading Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luchinsky, Dmitry G.; Khasin, Michael; Timucin, Dogan; Sass, Jared; Perotti, Jose; Brown, Barbara

2017-01-01

We address problem of autonomous cryogenic management of loading operations on the ground and in space. As a step towards solution of this problem we develop a probabilistic framework for inferring correlations parameters of two-fluid cryogenic flow. The simulation of two-phase cryogenic flow is performed using nearly-implicit scheme. A concise set of cryogenic correlations is introduced. The proposed approach is applied to an analysis of the cryogenic flow in experimental Propellant Loading System built at NASA KSC. An efficient simultaneous optimization of a large number of model parameters is demonstrated and a good agreement with the experimental data is obtained.

Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology Development for Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Brian; Caffrey, Jarvis; Hedayat, Ali; Stephens, Jonathan; Polsgrove, Robert

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, facilitate a discussion and determine a path forward for technology development of cryogenic fluid management technology that is necessary for long duration deep space missions utilizing nuclear thermal propulsion systems. There are a number of challenges in managing cryogenic liquids that must be addressed before long durations missions into deep space, such as a trip to Mars can be successful. The leakage rate of hydrogen from pressure vessels, seals, lines and valves is a critical factor that must be controlled and minimized. For long duration missions, hydrogen leakage amounts to large increases in hydrogen and therefore vehicle mass. The size of a deep space vehicle, such as a mars transfer vehicle, must be kept small to control cost and the logistics of a multi launch, assembled in orbit vehicle. The boil off control of the cryogenic fluid is an additional obstacle to long duration missions. The boil off caused by heat absorption results in the growth of the propellant needs of the vehicle and therefore vehicle mass. This is a significant problem for a vehicle using nuclear (fission) propulsion systems. Radiation from the engines deposits large quantities of heat into the cryogenic fluid, greatly increasing boil off beyond that caused by environmental heat leakage. Addressing and resolving these challenges is critical to successful long duration space exploration. This paper discusses the state of the technology needed to address these challenges and discuss the path forward needed in technology development.

Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) Technology Maturation: Establishing a Foundation for a Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doherty, Michael P.; Meyer, Michael L.; Motil, Susan M.; Ginty, Carol A.

2014-01-01

As part of U.S. National Space Policy, NASA is seeking an innovative path for human space exploration, which strengthens the capability to extend human and robotic presence throughout the solar system. NASA is laying the groundwork to enable humans to safely reach multiple potential destinations, including asteroids, Lagrange points, the Moon and Mars. In support of this, NASA is embarking on the Technology Demonstration Mission Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (TDM CPST) Project to test and validate key cryogenic capabilities and technologies required for future exploration elements, opening up the architecture for large cryogenic propulsion stages (CPS) and propellant depots. The TDM CPST project will provide an on-orbit demonstration of the capability to store, transfer, and measure cryogenic propellants for a duration which is relevant to enable long term human space exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). Recognizing that key cryogenic fluid management technologies anticipated for on-orbit (flight) demonstration needed to be matured to a readiness level appropriate for infusion into the design of the flight demonstration, the NASA Headquarters Space Technology Mission Directorate authorized funding for a one-year (FY12) ground based technology maturation program. The strategy, proposed by the CPST Project Manager, focused on maturation through modeling, studies, and ground tests of the storage and fluid transfer Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) technology sub-elements and components that were not already at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5. A technology maturation plan (TMP) was subsequently approved which described: the CFM technologies selected for maturation, the ground testing approach to be used, quantified success criteria of the technologies, hardware and data deliverables, and a deliverable to provide an assessment of the technology readiness after completion of the test, study or modeling activity. This paper will present the testing, studies, and modeling that occurred in FY12 to mature cryogenic fluid management technologies for propellant storage, transfer, and supply, to examine extensibility to full scale, long duration missions, and to develop and validate analytical models. Finally, the paper will briefly describe an upcoming test to demonstrate Liquid Oxygen (LO2) Zero Boil-Off (ZBO).

Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) Technology Maturation: Establishing a Foundation for a Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doherty, Michael P.; Meyer, Michael L.; Motil, Susan M.; Ginty, Carol A.

2013-01-01

As part of U.S. National Space Policy, NASA is seeking an innovative path for human space exploration, which strengthens the capability to extend human and robotic presence throughout the solar system. NASA is laying the groundwork to enable humans to safely reach multiple potential destinations, including asteroids, Lagrange points, the Moon and Mars. In support of this, NASA is embarking on the Technology Demonstration Mission Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (TDM CPST) Project to test and validate key cryogenic capabilities and technologies required for future exploration elements, opening up the architecture for large cryogenic propulsion stages (CPS) and propellant depots. The TDM CPST project will provide an on-orbit demonstration of the capability to store, transfer, and measure cryogenic propellants for a duration which is relevant to enable long term human space exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). Recognizing that key cryogenic fluid management technologies anticipated for on-orbit (flight) demonstration needed to be matured to a readiness level appropriate for infusion into the design of the flight demonstration, the NASA Headquarters Space Technology Mission Directorate authorized funding for a one-year (FY12) ground based technology maturation program. The strategy, proposed by the CPST Project Manager, focused on maturation through modeling, studies, and ground tests of the storage and fluid transfer Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) technology sub-elements and components that were not already at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5. A technology maturation plan (TMP) was subsequently approved which described: the CFM technologies selected for maturation, the ground testing approach to be used, quantified success criteria of the technologies, hardware and data deliverables, and a deliverable to provide an assessment of the technology readiness after completion of the test, study or modeling activity. This paper will present the testing, studies, and modeling that occurred in FY12 to mature cryogenic fluid management technologies for propellant storage, transfer, and supply, to examine extensibility to full scale, long duration missions, and to develop and validate analytical models. Finally, the paper will briefly describe an upcoming test to demonstrate Liquid Oxygen (LO2) Zero Boil- Off (ZBO).

Space Propulsion Technology Program Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Escher, William J. D.

1991-01-01

The topics presented are covered in viewgraph form. Focused program elements are: (1) transportation systems, which include earth-to-orbit propulsion, commercial vehicle propulsion, auxiliary propulsion, advanced cryogenic engines, cryogenic fluid systems, nuclear thermal propulsion, and nuclear electric propulsion; (2) space platforms, which include spacecraft on-board propulsion, and station keeping propulsion; and (3) technology flight experiments, which include cryogenic orbital N2 experiment (CONE), SEPS flight experiment, and cryogenic orbital H2 experiment (COHE).

Electrical connection structure for a superconductor element

DOEpatents

Lallouet, Nicolas; Maguire, James

2010-05-04

The invention relates to an electrical connection structure for a superconductor element cooled by a cryogenic fluid and connected to an electrical bushing, which bushing passes successively through an enclosure at an intermediate temperature between ambient temperature and the temperature of the cryogenic fluid, and an enclosure at ambient temperature, said bushing projecting outside the ambient temperature enclosure. According to the invention, said intermediate enclosure is filled at least in part with a solid material of low thermal conductivity, such as a polyurethane foam or a cellular glass foam. The invention is applicable to connecting a superconductor cable at cryogenic temperature to a device for equipment at ambient temperature.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Based Extraction of Heat Transfer Coefficient in Cryogenic Propellant Tanks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, H. Q.; West, Jeff

2015-01-01

Current reduced-order thermal model for cryogenic propellant tanks is based on correlations built for flat plates collected in the 1950's. The use of these correlations suffers from: inaccurate geometry representation; inaccurate gravity orientation; ambiguous length scale; and lack of detailed validation. The work presented under this task uses the first-principles based Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique to compute heat transfer from tank wall to the cryogenic fluids, and extracts and correlates the equivalent heat transfer coefficient to support reduced-order thermal model. The CFD tool was first validated against available experimental data and commonly used correlations for natural convection along a vertically heated wall. Good agreements between the present prediction and experimental data have been found for flows in laminar as well turbulent regimes. The convective heat transfer between tank wall and cryogenic propellant, and that between tank wall and ullage gas were then simulated. The results showed that commonly used heat transfer correlations for either vertical or horizontal plate over predict heat transfer rate for the cryogenic tank, in some cases by as much as one order of magnitude. A characteristic length scale has been defined that can correlate all heat transfer coefficients for different fill levels into a single curve. This curve can be used for the reduced-order heat transfer model analysis.

Review on plasmas in extraordinary media: plasmas in cryogenic conditions and plasmas in supercritical fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stauss, Sven; Muneoka, Hitoshi; Terashima, Kazuo

2018-02-01

Plasma science and technology has enabled advances in very diverse fields: micro- and nanotechnology, chemical synthesis, materials fabrication and, more recently, biotechnology and medicine. While many of the currently employed plasma tools and technologies are very advanced, the types of plasmas used in micro- and nanofabrication pose certain limits, for example, in treating heat-sensitive materials in plasma biotechnology and plasma medicine. Moreover, many physical properties of plasmas encountered in nature, and especially outer space, i.e. very-low-temperature plasmas or plasmas that occur in high-density media, are not very well understood. The present review gives a short account of laboratory plasmas generated under ’extreme’ conditions: at cryogenic temperatures and in supercritical fluids. The fundamental characteristics of these cryogenic plasmas and cryoplasmas, and plasmas in supercritical fluids, especially supercritical fluid plasmas, are presented with their main applications. The research on such exotic plasmas is expected to lead to further understanding of plasma physics and, at the same time, enable new applications in various technological fields.

Gauging Systems Monitor Cryogenic Liquids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2009-01-01

Rocket fuel needs to stay cool - super cool, in fact. The ability to store gas propellants like liquid hydrogen and oxygen at cryogenic temperatures (below -243 F) is crucial for space missions in order to reduce their volumes and allow their storage in smaller (and therefore, less costly) tanks. The Agency has used these cryogenic fluids for vehicle propellants, reactants, and life support systems since 1962 with the Centaur upper stage rocket, which was powered with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. During proposed long-duration missions, super-cooled fluids will also be used in space power systems, spaceports, and lunar habitation systems. In the next generation of launch vehicles, gaseous propellants will be cooled to and stored for extended periods at even colder temperatures than currently employed via a process called densification. Densification sub-cools liquids to temperatures even closer to absolute zero (-459 F), increasing the fluid s density and shrinking its volume beyond common cryogenics. Sub-cooling cryogenic liquid hydrogen, for instance, from 20 K (-423 F) to 15 K (-432.4 F) reduces its mass by 10 percent. These densified liquid gases can provide more cost savings from reduced payload volume. In order to benefit from this cost savings, the Agency is working with private industry to prevent evaporation, leakage, and other inadvertent loss of liquids and gases in payloads - requiring new cryogenic systems to prevent 98 percent (or more) of boil-off loss. Boil-off occurs when cryogenic or densified liquids evaporate, and is a concern during launch pad holds. Accurate sensing of propellants aboard space vehicles is also critical for proper engine shutdown and re-ignition after launch, and zero boil-off fuel systems are also in development for the Altair lunar lander.

Real-Time Model-Based Leak-Through Detection within Cryogenic Flow Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, M.; Figueroa, F.

2015-01-01

The timely detection of leaks within cryogenic fuel replenishment systems is of significant importance to operators on account of the safety and economic impacts associated with material loss and operational inefficiencies. Associated loss in control of pressure also effects the stability and ability to control the phase of cryogenic fluids during replenishment operations. Current research dedicated to providing Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) coverage of such cryogenic replenishment systems has focused on the detection of leaks to atmosphere involving relatively simple model-based diagnostic approaches that, while effective, are unable to isolate the fault to specific piping system components. The authors have extended this research to focus on the detection of leaks through closed valves that are intended to isolate sections of the piping system from the flow and pressurization of cryogenic fluids. The described approach employs model-based detection of leak-through conditions based on correlations of pressure changes across isolation valves and attempts to isolate the faults to specific valves. Implementation of this capability is enabled by knowledge and information embedded in the domain model of the system. The approach has been used effectively to detect such leak-through faults during cryogenic operational testing at the Cryogenic Testbed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Numerical Prediction of Magnetic Cryogenic Propellant Storage in Reduced Gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchetta, J. G.; Hochstein, J. I.

2002-01-01

Numerical Prediction of Magnetic Cryogenic Propellant Storage in Reduced strong evidence that a magnetic positioning system may be a feasible alternative technology for use in the management of cryogenic propellants onboard spacecraft. The results of these preliminary studies have indicated that further investigation of the physical processes and potential reliability of such a system is required. The utility of magnetic fields as an alternative method in cryogenic propellant management is dependent on its reliability and flexibility. Simulations and experiments have previously yielded evidence in support of the magnetic positive positioning (MPP) process to predictably reorient LOX for a variety of initial conditions. Presently, though, insufficient evidence has been established to support the use of magnetic fields with respect to the long-term storage of cryogenic propellants. Current modes of propellant storage have met with a moderate level of success and are well suited for short duration missions using monopropellants. However, the storage of cryogenic propellants warrants additional consideration for long-term missions. For example, propellant loss during storage is due to vaporization by incident solar radiation and the vaporized ullage must be vented to prevent excessive pressurization of the tank. Ideally, positioning the fluid in the center of the tank away from the tank wall will reduce vaporization by minimizing heat transfer through the tank wall to the liquid. A second issue involves the capability of sustaining a stable fluid configuration at tank center under varying g-levels or perturbations propellant storage. Results presented herein include comparisons illustrating the influence of gravity, fluid volume, and the magnetic field on a paramagnetic fluid, LOX. The magnetic Bond number is utilized as predictive correlating parameter for investigating these processes. A dimensionless relationship between the Bom and Bo was sought with the goal of developing a correlation that was independent of fluid volume and tank geometry. Evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that the magnetic Bond number is an effective dimensionless parameter for modeling and understanding such systems. Further, this study supports the conclusion that magnetic storage appears to be a viable emerging technology for cryogenic propellant management systems that merits further computational investigation and space-based experimentation to establish the technology base required for future spacecraft design.

Cryogenic foam insulation: Abstracted publications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williamson, F. R.

1977-01-01

A group of documents were chosen and abstracted which contain information on the properties of foam materials and on the use of foams as thermal insulation at cryogenic temperatures. The properties include thermal properties, mechanical properties, and compatibility properties with oxygen and other cryogenic fluids. Uses of foams include applications as thermal insulation for spacecraft propellant tanks, and for liquefied natural gas storage tanks and pipelines.

No Vent Tank Fill and Transfer Line Chilldown Analysis by Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Majumdar, Alok

2013-01-01

The purpose of the paper is to present the analytical capability developed to model no vent chill and fill of cryogenic tank to support CPST (Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer) program. Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP) was adapted to simulate charge-holdvent method of Tank Chilldown. GFSSP models were developed to simulate chilldown of LH2 tank in K-site Test Facility and numerical predictions were compared with test data. The report also describes the modeling technique of simulating the chilldown of a cryogenic transfer line and GFSSP models were developed to simulate the chilldown of a long transfer line and compared with test data.

Design and Testing of a Cryogenic Capillary Pumped Loop Flight Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bugby, David C.; Kroliczek, Edward J.; Ku, Jentung; Swanson, Ted; Tomlinson, B. J.; Davis, Thomas M.; Baumann, Jane; Cullimore, Brent

1998-01-01

This paper details the flight configuration and pre-flight performance test results of the fifth generation cryogenic capillary pumped loop (CCPL-5). This device will fly on STS-95 in October 1998 as part of the CRYOTSU Flight Experiment. This flight represents the first in-space demonstration of a CCPL; a miniaturized two-phase fluid circulator for thermally linking cryogenic components. CCPL-5 utilizes N2 as the working fluid and has a practical operating range of 75-110 K. Test results indicate that CCPL-5, which weighs about 200 grams, can transport over 10 W of cooling a distance of 0.25 m (or more) with less than a 5 K temperature drop.

Chill Down Process of Hydrogen Transport Pipelines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mei, Renwei; Klausner, James

2006-01-01

A pseudo-steady model has been developed to predict the chilldown history of pipe wall temperature in the horizontal transport pipeline for cryogenic fluids. A new film boiling heat transfer model is developed by incorporating the stratified flow structure for cryogenic chilldown. A modified nucleate boiling heat transfer correlation for cryogenic chilldown process inside a horizontal pipe is proposed. The efficacy of the correlations is assessed by comparing the model predictions with measured values of wall temperature in several azimuthal positions in a well controlled experiment by Chung et al. (2004). The computed pipe wall temperature histories match well with the measured results. The present model captures important features of thermal interaction between the pipe wall and the cryogenic fluid, provides a simple and robust platform for predicting pipe wall chilldown history in long horizontal pipe at relatively low computational cost, and builds a foundation to incorporate the two-phase hydrodynamic interaction in the chilldown process.

A qualitative view of cryogenic fluid injection into high speed flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hendricks, R. C.; Schlumberger, J.; Proctor, M.

1991-01-01

The injection of supercritical pressure, subcritical temperature fluids, into a 2-D, ambient, static temperature and static pressure supersonic tunnel and free jet supersonic nitrogen flow field was observed. Observed patterns with fluid air were the same as those observed for fluid nitrogen injected into the tunnel at 90 deg to the supersonic flow. The nominal injection pressure was of 6.9 MPa and tunnel Mach number was 2.7. When injected directly into and opposing the tunnel exhaust flow, the observed patterns with fluid air were similar to those observed for fluid nitrogen but appeared more diffusive. Cryogenic injection creates a high density region within the bow shock wake but the standoff distance remains unchanged from the gaseous value. However, as the temperature reaches a critical value, the shock faded and advanced into the supersonic stream. For both fluids, nitrogen and air, the phenomena was completely reversible.

Seal For Precooling A Turbopump

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owen, Samuel S.; Mulready, R.C.

1988-01-01

Diaphragm reduces misalignment. Rotary seal retains precooling fluid in pump section of cryogenic turbopump, preventing fluid from entering turbine section. Precooling fluid held in pump section of turbopump by knife-edge labyrinth seal on diaphragm.

Thermal shaft effects on load-carrying capacity of a fully coupled, variable-properties cryogenic journal bearing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Braun, M. J.; Wheeler, R. L., III; Hendricks, R. C.

1986-01-01

The purpose of this work was to perform a rather complete analysis for a cryogenic (oxygen) journal bearing. The Reynolds equation required coupling and simultaneous solution with the fluid energy equation. To correctly account for the changes in the fluid viscosity, the fluid energy equation was coupled with the shaft and bearing heat conduction energy equations. The effects of pressure and temperature on the density, viscosity, and load-carrying capacity were further discussed as analysis parameters, with respect to relative eccentricity and the angular velocity. The isothermal fluid case and the adiabatic fluid case represented the limiting boundaries. The discussion was further extrapolated to study the Sommerfeld number dependency on the fluid Nusselt number and its consequence on possible total loss of load-carrying capacity and/or seizure (catastrophic failure).

Technology Maturation in Preparation for the Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Michael L.; Doherty, Michael P.; Moder, Jeffrey P.

2014-01-01

In support of its goal to find an innovative path for human space exploration, NASA embarked on the Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) Project, a Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM) to test and validate key cryogenic capabilities and technologies required for future exploration elements, opening up the architecture for large in-space cryogenic propulsion stages and propellant depots. Recognizing that key Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) technologies anticipated for on-orbit (flight) demonstration would benefit from additional maturation to a readiness level appropriate for infusion into the design of the flight demonstration, the NASA Headquarters Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) authorized funding for a one-year technology maturation phase of the CPST project. The strategy, proposed by the CPST Project Manager, focused on maturation through modeling, concept studies, and ground tests of the storage and fluid transfer of CFM technology sub-elements and components that were lower than a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5. A technology maturation plan (TMP) was subsequently approved which described: the CFM technologies selected for maturation, the ground testing approach to be used, quantified success criteria of the technologies, hardware and data deliverables, and a deliverable to provide an assessment of the technology readiness after completion of the test, study or modeling activity. The specific technologies selected were grouped into five major categories: thick multilayer insulation, tank applied active thermal control, cryogenic fluid transfer, propellant gauging, and analytical tool development. Based on the success of the technology maturation efforts, the CPST project was approved to proceed to flight system development.

Investigation of two and three parameter equations of state for cryogenic fluids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenkins, Susan L.; Majumdar, Alok K.; Hendricks, Robert C.

1990-01-01

Two-phase flows are a common occurrence in cryogenic engines and an accurate evaluation of the heat-transfer coefficient in two-phase flow is of significant importance in their analysis and design. The thermodynamic equation of state plays a key role in calculating the heat transfer coefficient which is a function of thermodynamic and thermophysical properties. An investigation has been performed to study the performance of two- and three-parameter equations of state to calculate the compressibility factor of cryogenic fluids along the saturation loci. The two-parameter equations considered here are van der Waals and Redlich-Kwong equations of state. The three-parameter equation represented here is the generalized Benedict-Webb-Rubin (BWR) equation of Lee and Kesler. Results have been compared with the modified BWR equation of Bender and the extended BWR equations of Stewart. Seven cryogenic fluids have been tested; oxygen, hydrogen, helium, nitrogen, argon, neon, and air. The performance of the generalized BWR equation is poor for hydrogen and helium. The van der Waals equation is found to be inaccurate for air near the critical point. For helium, all three equations of state become inaccurate near the critical point.

Advances in cryogenic engineering. Vols. 35A & 35B - Proceedings of the 1989 Cryogenic Engineering Conference, University of California, Los Angeles, July 24-28, 1989

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fast, R. W.

The book presents a review of literature on superfluid helium, together with papers under the topics on heat and mass transfer in He II; applications of He II for cooling superconducting devices in space; heat transfer to liquid helium and liquid nitrogen; multilayer insulation; applications of superconductivity, including topics on magnets and other devices, magnet stability and coil protection, and cryogenic techniques; and refrigeration for electronics. Other topics discussed include refrigeration of superconducting systems; the expanders, cold compressors, and pumps for liquid helium; dilution refrigerators; magnetic refrigerators; pulse tube refrigerators; cryocoolers for space applications; properties of cryogenic fluids; cryogenic instrumentation; hyperconducting devices (cryogenic magnets); cryogenic applications in space science and technology and in transportation; and miscellaneous cryogenic techniques and applications.

Gas-Surface Interactions in Cryogenic Whole Air Sampling.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-05-01

analysis using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) for the cryofrost in the solid phase, and gas chromatography for samples desorbed to the gas...e.g. cryogenic-fraction (used on occasion), and/or controlled vaporization, followed by analysis using NO xchemiluminescence, gas chromatography , and...CS202 closed cycle cryogenic refrigerator, which employs helium as the working fluid . This refrigerator is comprised of two basic sections - an

Overview of the Liquid Argon Cryogenics for the Short Baseline Neutrino Program (SBN) at Fermilab

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Norris, Barry; Bremer, Johan; Chalifour, Michel

2017-01-01

The Short-Baseline Neutrino (SBN) physics program will involve three LAr-TPC detectors located along the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at Fermilab. This new SBN Program will deliver a rich and compelling physics opportunity, including the ability to resolve a class of experimental anomalies in neutrino physics and to perform the most sensitive search to date for sterile neutrinos at the eV mass-scale through both appearance and disappearance oscillation channels. The Program will be composed of an existing and operational detector known as Micro Boone (170 ton LAr mass) plus two new experiments known as the SBN Near Detector (SBND, ~ 260more » ton) and the SBN Far Detector (SBN-FD, ~ 600 tons). Fermilab is now building two new facilities to house the experiments and incorporate all cryogenic and process systems to operate these detectors beginning in the 2018-2019 time frame. The SBN cryogenics are a collaborative effort between Fermilab and CERN. The SBN cryogenic systems for both detectors are composed of several sub-systems: External/Infrastructure (or LN2), Proximity (or LAr), and internal cryogenics. For each detector the External/Infrastructure cryogenics includes the equipment used to store and the cryogenic fluids needed for the operation of the Proximity cryogenics, including the LN2 and LAr storage facilities. The Proximity cryogenics consists of all the systems that take the cryogenic fluids from the external/infrastructure cryogenics and deliver them to the internal at the required pressure, temperature, purity and mass flow rate. It includes the condensers, the LAr and GAr purification systems, the LN2 and LAr phase separators, and the interconnecting piping. The Internal cryogenics is comprised of all the cryogenic equipment located within the cryostats themselves, including the GAr and LAr distribution piping and the piping required to cool down the cryostats and the detectors. These cryogenic systems will be engineered, manufactured, commissioned, and qualified by an international engineering team. This contribution presents the performance, the functional requirements and the modes of operation of the SBN cryogenics, and details the current status of the design, present and future needs.« less

RRM3 Fluid Management Device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barfknecht, P.; Benson, D.; Boyle, R.; DeLee, C.; DiPirro, M.; Francis, J.; Li, X.; McGuire, J.; Mustafi, S.; Tuttle, J.;

Thermohydrodynamic Analysis of Cryogenic Liquid Turbulent Flow Fluid Film Bearings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

SanAndres, Luis

1996-01-01

Computational programs developed for the thermal analysis of tilting and flexure-pad hybrid bearings, and the unsteady flow and transient response of a point mass rotor supported on fluid film bearings are described. The motion of a cryogenic liquid on the thin film annular region of a fluid film bearing is described by a set of mass and momentum conservation, and energy transport equations for the turbulent bulk-flow velocities and pressure, and accompanied by thermophysical state equations for evaluation of the fluid material properties. Zeroth-order equations describe the fluid flow field for a journal static equilibrium position, while first-order (linear) equations govern the fluid flow for small amplitude-journal center translational motions. Solution to the zeroth-order flow field equations provides the bearing flow rate, load capacity, drag torque and temperature rise. Solution to the first-order equations determines the rotordynamic force coefficients due to journal radial motions.

Thermodynamic analysis and subscale modeling of space-based orbit transfer vehicle cryogenic propellant resupply

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Defelice, David M.; Aydelott, John C.

1987-01-01

The resupply of the cryogenic propellants is an enabling technology for spacebased orbit transfer vehicles. As part of the NASA Lewis ongoing efforts in microgravity fluid management, thermodynamic analysis and subscale modeling techniques were developed to support an on-orbit test bed for cryogenic fluid management technologies. Analytical results have shown that subscale experimental modeling of liquid resupply can be used to validate analytical models when the appropriate target temperature is selected to relate the model to its prototype system. Further analyses were used to develop a thermodynamic model of the tank chilldown process which is required prior to the no-vent fill operation. These efforts were incorporated into two FORTRAN programs which were used to present preliminary analyticl results.

Active Thermal Architecture for Cryogenic Optical Instrumentation (ATACOI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swenson, Charles; Hunter, Roger C.; Baker, Christopher E.

2018-01-01

The Active Thermal Architecture for Cryogenic Optical Instrumentation (ATACOI) project will demonstrate an advanced thermal control system for CubeSats and enable the use of cryogenic electro-optical instrumentation on small satellite platforms. Specifically, the project focuses on the development of a deployable solar tracking radiator, a rotationally flexible rotary union fluid joint, and a thermal/vibrational isolation system for miniature cryogenic detectors. This technology will represent a significant improvement over the current state of the art for CubeSat thermal control, which generally relies on simple passive and conductive methods.

Numerical Modeling of Conjugate Heat Transfer in Fluid Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Majumdar, Alok

2004-01-01

Fluid network modeling with conjugate heat transfer has many applications in Aerospace engineering. In modeling unsteady flow with heat transfer, it is important to know the variation of wall temperature in time and space to calculate heat transfer between solid to fluid. Since wall temperature is a function of flow, a coupled analysis of temperature of solid and fluid is necessary. In cryogenic applications, modeling of conjugate heat transfer is of great importance to correctly predict boil-off rate in propellant tanks and chill down of transfer lines. In TFAWS 2003, the present author delivered a paper to describe a general-purpose computer program, GFSSP (Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program). GFSSP calculates flow distribution in complex flow circuit for compressible/incompressible, with or without heat transfer or phase change in all real fluids or mixtures. The flow circuit constitutes of fluid nodes and branches. The mass, energy and specie conservation equations are solved at the nodes where as momentum conservation equations are solved at the branches. The proposed paper describes the extension of GFSSP to model conjugate heat transfer. The network also includes solid nodes and conductors in addition to fluid nodes and branches. The energy conservation equations for solid nodes solves to determine the temperatures of the solid nodes simultaneously with all conservation equations governing fluid flow. The numerical scheme accounts for conduction, convection and radiation heat transfer. The paper will also describe the applications of the code to predict chill down of cryogenic transfer line and boil-off rate of cryogenic propellant storage tank.

Physical sciences: Thermodynamics, cryogenics, and vacuum technology: A compilation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Technological developments which have potential application outside the aerospace community are reported. A variety of thermodynamic devices including heat pipes and cooling systems are described along with methods of handling cryogenic fluids. Vacuum devices are also described. Pata et information is included.

Simulations of Cavitating Cryogenic Inducers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorney, Dan (Technical Monitor); Hosangadi, Ashvin; Ahuja, Vineet; Ungewitter, Ronald J.

2004-01-01

Simulations of cavitating turbopump inducers at their design flow rate are presented. Results over a broad range of Nss, numbers extending from single-phase flow conditions through the critical head break down point are discussed. The flow characteristics and performance of a subscale geometry designed for water testing are compared with the fullscale configuration that employs LOX. In particular, thermal depression effects arising from cavitation in cryogenic fluids are identified and their impact on the suction performance of the inducer quantified. The simulations have been performed using the CRUNCH CFD[R] code that has a generalized multi-element unstructured framework suitable for turbomachinery applications. An advanced multi-phase formulation for cryogenic fluids that models temperature depression and real fluid property variations is employed. The formulation has been extensively validated for both liquid nitrogen and liquid hydrogen by simulating the experiments of Hord on hydrofoils; excellent estimates of the leading edge temperature and pressure depression were obtained while the comparisons in the cavity closure region were reasonable.

Cryogenic Fluid Storage Technology Development: Recent and Planned Efforts at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moran, Matthew E.

2009-01-01

Recent technology development work conducted at NASA in the area of Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) storage is highlighted, including summary results, key impacts, and ongoing efforts. Thermodynamic vent system (TVS) ground test results are shown for hydrogen, methane, and oxygen. Joule-Thomson (J-T) device tests related to clogging in hydrogen are summarized, along with the absence of clogging in oxygen and methane tests. Confirmation of analytical relations and bonding techniques for broad area cooling (BAC) concepts based on tube-to-tank tests are presented. Results of two-phase lumped-parameter computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models are highlighted, including validation of the model with hydrogen self pressurization test data. These models were used to simulate Altair representative methane and oxygen tanks subjected to 210 days of lunar surface storage. Engineering analysis tools being developed to support system level trades and vehicle propulsion system designs are also cited. Finally, prioritized technology development risks identified for Constellation cryogenic propulsion systems are presented, and future efforts to address those risks are discussed.

Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology Development Roadmaps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephens, J. R.; Johnson, W. L.

2017-01-01

Advancement in Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) Technologies is essential for achieving NASA's future long duration missions. Propulsion systems utilizing cryogens are necessary to achieve mission success. Current State Of the Art (SOA) CFM technologies enable cryogenic propellants to be stored for several hours. However, some envisioned mission architectures require cryogens to be stored for two years or longer. The fundamental roles of CFM technologies are long term storage of cryogens, propellant tank pressure control and propellant delivery. In the presence of heat, the cryogens will "boil-off" over time resulting in excessive pressure buildup, off-nominal propellant conditions, and propellant loss. To achieve long term storage and tank pressure control, the CFM elements will intercept and/or remove any heat from the propulsion system. All functions are required to perform both with and without the presence of a gravitational field. Which CFM technologies are required is a function of the cryogens used, mission architecture, vehicle design and propellant tank size. To enable NASA's crewed mission to the Martian surface, a total of seventeen CFM technologies have been identified to support an In-Space Stage and a Lander/Ascent Vehicle. Recognizing that FY2020 includes a Decision Point regarding the In-Space Stage Architecture, a set of CFM Technology Development Roadmaps have been created identifying the current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of each element, current technology "gaps", and existing technology development efforts. The roadmaps include a methodical approach and schedule to achieve a flight demonstration in FY2023, hence maturing CFM technologies to TRL 7 for infusion into the In-Space Stage Preliminary Design.

Pressurization of cryogens - A review of current technology and its applicability to low-gravity conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van Dresar, N. T.

1992-01-01

A review of technology, history, and current status for pressurized expulsion of cryogenic tankage is presented. Use of tank pressurization to expel cryogenic fluid will continue to be studied for future spacecraft applications over a range of operating conditions in the low-gravity environment. The review examines experimental test results and analytical model development for quiescent and agitated conditions in normal-gravity followed by a discussion of pressurization and expulsion in low-gravity. Validated, 1-D, finite difference codes exist for the prediction of pressurant mass requirements within the range of quiescent normal-gravity test data. To date, the effects of liquid sloshing have been characterized by tests in normal-gravity, but analytical models capable of predicting pressurant gas requirements remain unavailable. Efforts to develop multidimensional modeling capabilities in both normal and low-gravity have recently occurred. Low-gravity cryogenic fluid transfer experiments are needed to obtain low-gravity pressurized expulsion data. This data is required to guide analytical model development and to verify code performance.

Pressurization of cryogens: A review of current technology and its applicability to low-gravity conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vandresar, N. T.

1992-01-01

A review of technology, history, and current status for pressurized expulsion of cryogenic tankage is presented. Use of tank pressurization to expel cryogenic fluids will continue to be studied for future spacecraft applications over a range of operating conditions in the low-gravity environment. The review examines experimental test results and analytical model development for quiescent and agitated conditions in normal-gravity, followed by a discussion of pressurization and expulsion in low-gravity. Validated, 1-D, finite difference codes exist for the prediction of pressurant mass requirements within the range of quiescent normal-gravity test data. To date, the effects of liquid sloshing have been characterized by tests in normal-gravity, but analytical models capable of predicting pressurant gas requirements remain unavailable. Efforts to develop multidimensional modeling capabilities in both normal and low-gravity have recently occurred. Low-gravity cryogenic fluid transfer experiments are needed to obtain low-gravity pressurized expulsion data. This data is required to guide analytical model development and to verify code performance.

Liquid Acquisition Strategies for Exploration Missions: Current Status 2010

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2010-01-01

NASA is currently developing the propulsion system concepts for human exploration missions to the lunar surface. The propulsion concepts being investigated are considering the use of cryogenic propellants for the low gravity portion of the mission, that is, the lunar transit, lunar orbit insertion, lunar descent and the rendezvous in lunar orbit with a service module after ascent from the lunar surface. These propulsion concepts will require the vapor free delivery of the cryogenic propellants stored in the propulsion tanks to the exploration vehicles main propulsion system (MPS) engines and reaction control system (RCS) engines. Propellant management devices (PMD s) such as screen channel capillary liquid acquisition devices (LAD s), vanes and sponges currently are used for earth storable propellants in the Space Shuttle Orbiter OMS and RCS applications and spacecraft propulsion applications but only very limited propellant management capability exists for cryogenic propellants. NASA has begun a technology program to develop LAD cryogenic fluid management (CFM) technology through a government in-house ground test program of accurately measuring the bubble point delta-pressure for typical screen samples using LO2, LN2, LH2 and LCH4 as test fluids at various fluid temperatures and pressures. This presentation will document the CFM project s progress to date in concept designs, as well ground testing results.

Cryogenic on-orbit liquid depot storage acquisition and transfer (COLD-SAT) experiment subsystem instrumentation and wire harness design report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, Lawrence G.

1994-01-01

Subcritical cryogens such as liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LO2) are required for space based transportation propellant, reactant, and life support systems. Future long-duration space missions will require on-orbit systems capable of long-term cryogen storage and efficient fluid transfer capabilities. COLD-SAT, which stands for cryogenic orbiting liquid depot-storage acquisition and transfer, is a free-flying liquid hydrogen management flight experiment. Experiments to determine optimum methods of fluid storage and transfer will be performed on the COLD-SAT mission. The success of the mission is directly related to the type and accuracy of measurements made. The instrumentation and measurement techniques used are therefore critical to the success of the mission. This paper presents the results of the COLD-SAT experiment subsystem instrumentation and wire harness design effort. Candidate transducers capable of fulfilling the COLD-SAT experiment measurement requirements are identified. Signal conditioning techniques, data acquisition requirements, and measurement uncertainty analysis are presented. Electrical harnessing materials and wiring techniques for the instrumentation designed to minimize heat conduction to the cryogenic tanks and provide optimum measurement accuracy are listed.

Solid-cryogen-stabilized, cable-in-conduit (CIC) superconducting cables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voccio, J. P.; Michael, P. C.; Bromberg, L.; Hahn, S.

2015-12-01

This paper considers the use of a solid cryogen as a means to stabilize, both mechanically and thermally, magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconducting strands within a dual-channel cable-in-conduit (CIC) cable for use in AC applications, such as a generator stator winding. The cable consists of two separate channels; the outer channel contains the superconducting strands and is filled with a fluid (liquid or gas) that becomes solid at the device operating temperature. Several options for fluid will be presented, such as liquid nitrogen, hydrocarbons and other chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that have a range of melting temperatures and volumetric expansions (from solid at operating temperature to fixed volume at room temperature). Implications for quench protection and conductor stability, enhanced through direct contact with the solid cryogen, which has high heat capacity and thermal conductivity (compared with helium gas), will be presented. Depending on the cryogen, the conductor will be filled initially either with liquid at atmospheric conditions or a gas at high pressure (∼100 atm). After cooldown, the cryogen in the stranded-channel will be solid, essentially locking the strands in place, preventing strand motion and degradation due to mechanical deformation while providing enhanced thermal capacity for stability and protection. The effect of cryogen porosity is also considered. The relatively high heat capacity of solid cryogens at these lower temperatures (compared to gaseous helium) enhances the thermal stability of the winding. During operation, coolant flow through the open inner channel will minimize pressure drop.

Tank System Integrated Model: A Cryogenic Tank Performance Prediction Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolshinskiy, L. G.; Hedayat, A.; Hastings, L. J.; Sutherlin, S. G.; Schnell, A. R.; Moder, J. P.

2017-01-01

Accurate predictions of the thermodynamic state of the cryogenic propellants, pressurization rate, and performance of pressure control techniques in cryogenic tanks are required for development of cryogenic fluid long-duration storage technology and planning for future space exploration missions. This Technical Memorandum (TM) presents the analytical tool, Tank System Integrated Model (TankSIM), which can be used for modeling pressure control and predicting the behavior of cryogenic propellant for long-term storage for future space missions. Utilizing TankSIM, the following processes can be modeled: tank self-pressurization, boiloff, ullage venting, mixing, and condensation on the tank wall. This TM also includes comparisons of TankSIM program predictions with the test data andexamples of multiphase mission calculations.

Cryogenic Fluid Film Bearing Tester Development Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scharrer, Joseph K. (Editor); Murphy, Brian T.; Hawkins, Lawrence A.

1993-01-01

Conceptual designs were developed for the determination of rotordynamic coefficients of cryogenic fluid film bearings. The designs encompassed the use of magnetic and conventional excitation sources as well as the use of magnetic bearings as support bearings. Test article configurations reviewed included overhung, floating housing, and fixed housing. Uncertainty and forced response analyses were performed to assess quality of data and suitability of each for testing a variety of fluid film bearing designs. Development cost and schedule estimates were developed for each design. Facility requirements were reviewed and compared with existing MSFC capability. The recommended configuration consisted of a fixed test article housing centrally located between two magnetic bearings. The magnetic bearings would also serve as the excitation source.

Three-stage sorption type cryogenic refrigeration systems and methods employing heat regeneration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bard, Steven (Inventor); Jones, Jack A. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A three-stage sorption type cryogenic refrigeration system, each stage containing a fluid having a respectively different boiling point, is presented. Each stage includes a compressor in which a respective fluid is heated to be placed in a high pressure gaseous state. The compressor for that fluid which is heated to the highest temperature is enclosed by the other two compressors to permit heat to be transferred from the inner compressor to the surrounding compressors. The system may include two sets of compressors, each having the structure described above, with the interior compressors of the two sets coupled together to permit selective heat transfer therebetween, resulting in more efficient utilization of input power.

Predicted thermal response of a cryogenic fuel tank exposed to simulated aerodynamic heating profiles with different cryogens and fill levels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanna, Gregory J.; Stephens, Craig A.

1991-01-01

A two dimensional finite difference thermal model was developed to predict the effects of heating profile, fill level, and cryogen type prior to experimental testing the Generic Research Cryogenic Tank (GRCT). These numerical predictions will assist in defining test scenarios, sensor locations, and venting requirements for the GRCT experimental tests. Boiloff rates, tank-wall and fluid temperatures, and wall heat fluxes were determined for 20 computational test cases. The test cases spanned three discrete fill levels and three heating profiles for hydrogen and nitrogen.

Cryogenic Fluid Transfer for Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2007-01-01

This paper discusses current plans and issues for exploration that involve the use of cryogenic transfer. The benefits of cryogenic transfer to exploration missions are examined. The current state of the art of transfer technology is reviewed. Mission concepts of operation for exploration are presented, and used to qualitatively discuss the performance benefits of transfer. The paper looks at the challenges faced to implement a cryogenic transfer system and suggest approaches to address them with advanced development research. Transfer rates required for exploration are shown to have already been achieved in ground test. Cost effective approaches to the required on-orbit demonstration are suggested.

Cryogenic Fluid Transfer for Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2008-01-01

This paper discusses current plans and issues for exploration that involve the use of cryogenic transfer. The benefits of cryogenic transfer to exploration missions are examined. The current state of the art of transfer technology is reviewed. Mission concepts of operation for exploration are presented, and used to qualitatively discuss the performance benefits of transfer. The paper looks at the challenges faced to implement a cryogenic transfer system and suggest approaches to address them with advanced development research. Transfer rates required for exploration are shown to have already been achieved in ground test. Cost-effective approaches to the required on-orbit demonstration are suggested.

A transient thermal model of a neutral buoyancy cryogenic fluid delivery system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bue, Grant C.; Conger, Bruce S.

A thermal-performance model is presently used to evaluate a preliminary Neutral Buoyancy Cryogenic fluid-delivery system for underwater EVA training. Attention is given to the modeling of positional transients generated from the moving of internal components, including the control of cycling artifacts, as well as to the convection and boiling characteristics of the cryofluid, 250-psi N2/O2 gas, and water contained in the tank. Two piston designs are considered according to performance criteria; temperature and heat-transfer rate profiles are presented.

Cryogenic fluid management for low-g transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frank, D. J.; Jaekle, D. E., Jr.

1986-01-01

An account is given of design and operations criteria pertaining to low-g environment systems for the collection and delivery of liquid cryogens to a supply tank drain inlet in orbit. Analyses must assess the draining efficiencies of such devices, because the minimization of supply tank residual contents is of the essence. Settling accelerations, passive expulsion, and positive expulsion methods of fluid control have all been successfully demonstrated in orbit. Attention is given to the unique advantages and disadvantages of each method in view of different sets of requirements.

Study of low gravity propellant transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The results are presented of a program to perform an analytical assessment of potential methods for replenishing the auxiliary propulsion, fuel cell and life support cryogens which may be aboard an orbiting space station. The fluids involved are cryogenic H2, O2, and N2. A complete transfer system was taken to consist of supply storage, transfer, and receiver tank fluid conditioning (pressure and temperature control). In terms of supply storage, the basic systems considered were high pressure (greater than critical), intermediate pressure (less than critical), and modular (transfer of the tanks). Significant findings are included.

Experimental, Numerical and Analytical Characterization of Slosh Dynamics Applied to In-Space Propellant Storage, Management and Transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Storey, Jedediah M.; Kirk, Daniel; Gutierrez, Hector; Marsell, Brandon; Schallhorn, Paul; Lapilli, Gabriel D.

2015-01-01

Experimental and numerical results are presented from a new cryogenic fluid slosh program at the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). Water and cryogenic liquid nitrogen are used in various ground-based tests with an approximately 30 cm diameter spherical tank to characterize damping, slosh mode frequencies, and slosh forces. The experimental results are compared to a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for validation. An analytical model is constructed from prior work for comparison. Good agreement is seen between experimental, numerical, and analytical results.

Analysis of Two-Phase Flow in Damper Seals for Cryogenic Turbopumps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arauz, Grigory L.; SanAndres, Luis

1996-01-01

Cryogenic damper seals operating close to the liquid-vapor region (near the critical point or slightly su-cooled) are likely to present two-phase flow conditions. Under single phase flow conditions the mechanical energy conveyed to the fluid increases its temperature and causes a phase change when the fluid temperature reaches the saturation value. A bulk-flow analysis for the prediction of the dynamic force response of damper seals operating under two-phase conditions is presented as: all-liquid, liquid-vapor, and all-vapor, i.e. a 'continuous vaporization' model. The two phase region is considered as a homogeneous saturated mixture in thermodynamic equilibrium. Th flow in each region is described by continuity, momentum and energy transport equations. The interdependency of fluid temperatures and pressure in the two-phase region (saturated mixture) does not allow the use of an energy equation in terms of fluid temperature. Instead, the energy transport is expressed in terms of fluid enthalpy. Temperature in the single phase regions, or mixture composition in the two phase region are determined based on the fluid enthalpy. The flow is also regarded as adiabatic since the large axial velocities typical of the seal application determine small levels of heat conduction to the walls as compared to the heat carried by fluid advection. Static and dynamic force characteristics for the seal are obtained from a perturbation analysis of the governing equations. The solution expressed in terms of zeroth and first order fields provide the static (leakage, torque, velocity, pressure, temperature, and mixture composition fields) and dynamic (rotordynamic force coefficients) seal parameters. Theoretical predictions show good agreement with experimental leakage pressure profiles, available from a Nitrogen at cryogenic temperatures. Force coefficient predictions for two phase flow conditions show significant fluid compressibility effects, particularly for mixtures with low mass content of vapor. Under these conditions, an increase on direct stiffness and reduction of whirl frequency ratio are shown to occur. Prediction of such important effects will motivate experimental studies as well as a more judicious selection of the operating conditions for seals used in cryogenic turbomachinery.

Ames Research Center cryogenics program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kittel, Peter

1987-01-01

Viewgraphs describe the Ames Research Center's cryogenics program. Diagrams are given of a fluid management system, a centrifugal pump, a flow meter, a liquid helium test facility, an extra-vehicular activity coupler concept, a dewar support with passive orbital disconnect, a pulse tube refrigerator, a dilution refrigerator, and an adiabatic demagnetization cooler.

Cryogenic Heat Exchanger with Turbulent Flows

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amrit, Jay; Douay, Christelle; Dubois, Francis; Defresne, Gerard

2012-01-01

An evaporator-type cryogenic heat exchanger is designed and built for introducing fluid-solid heat exchange phenomena to undergraduates in a practical and efficient way. The heat exchanger functions at liquid nitrogen temperature and enables cooling of N[subscript 2] and He gases from room temperatures. We present first the experimental results of…

TankSIM: A Cryogenic Tank Performance Prediction Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolshinskiy, L. G.; Hedayat, A.; Hastings, L. J.; Moder, J. P.; Schnell, A. R.; Sutherlin, S. G.

2015-01-01

Accurate prediction of the thermodynamic state of the cryogenic propellants in launch vehicle tanks is necessary for mission planning and successful execution. Cryogenic propellant storage and transfer in space environments requires that tank pressure be controlled. The pressure rise rate is determined by the complex interaction of external heat leak, fluid temperature stratification, and interfacial heat and mass transfer. If the required storage duration of a space mission is longer than the period in which the tank pressure reaches its allowable maximum, an appropriate pressure control method must be applied. Therefore, predictions of the pressurization rate and performance of pressure control techniques in cryogenic tanks are required for development of cryogenic fluid long-duration storage technology and planning of future space exploration missions. This paper describes an analytical tool, Tank System Integrated Model (TankSIM), which can be used for modeling pressure control and predicting the behavior of cryogenic propellant for long-term storage for future space missions. It is written in the FORTRAN 90 language and can be compiled with any Visual FORTRAN compiler. A thermodynamic vent system (TVS) is used to achieve tank pressure control. Utilizing TankSIM, the following processes can be modeled: tank self-pressurization, boiloff, ullage venting, and mixing. Details of the TankSIM program and comparisons of its predictions with test data for liquid hydrogen and liquid methane will be presented in the final paper.

Interactive FORTRAN IV computer programs for the thermodynamic and transport properties of selected cryogens (fluids pack)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccarty, R. D.

1980-01-01

The thermodynamic and transport properties of selected cryogens had programmed into a series of computer routines. Input variables are any two of P, rho or T in the single phase regions and either P or T for the saturated liquid or vapor state. The output is pressure, density, temperature, entropy, enthalpy for all of the fluids and in most cases specific heat capacity and speed of sound. Viscosity and thermal conductivity are also given for most of the fluids. The programs are designed for access by remote terminal; however, they have been written in a modular form to allow the user to select either specific fluids or specific properties for particular needs. The program includes properties for hydrogen, helium, neon, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and methane. The programs include properties for gaseous and liquid states usually from the triple point to some upper limit of pressure and temperature which varies from fluid to fluid.

Cryogenic Flow Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Justak, John

2010-01-01

An acousto-optic cryogenic flow sensor (CFS) determines mass flow of cryogens for spacecraft propellant management. The CFS operates unobtrusively in a high-pressure, high-flowrate cryogenic environment to provide measurements for fluid quality as well as mass flow rate. Experimental hardware uses an optical plane-of-light (POL) to detect the onset of two-phase flow, and the presence of particles in the flow of water. Acousto-optic devices are used in laser equipment for electronic control of the intensity and position of the laser beam. Acousto-optic interaction occurs in all optical media when an acoustic wave and a laser beam are present. When an acoustic wave is launched into the optical medium, it generates a refractive index wave that behaves like a sinusoidal grating. An incident laser beam passing through this grating will diffract the laser beam into several orders. Its angular position is linearly proportional to the acoustic frequency, so that the higher the frequency, the larger the diffracted angle. If the acoustic wave is traveling in a moving fluid, the fluid velocity will affect the frequency of the traveling wave, relative to a stationary sensor. This frequency shift changes the angle of diffraction, hence, fluid velocity can be determined from the diffraction angle. The CFS acoustic Bragg grating data test indicates that it is capable of accurately determining flow from 0 to 10 meters per second. The same sensor can be used in flow velocities exceeding 100 m/s. The POL module has successfully determined the onset of two-phase flow, and can distinguish vapor bubbles from debris.

A Lifting Ball Valve for cryogenic fluid applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardin, Joseph M.; Reinicke, Robert H.; Bruneau, Stephen D.

1993-11-01

Marotta Scientific Controls, Inc. has designed a Lifting Ball Valve (LBV) capable of both flow modulation and tight shutoff for cryogenic and other applications. The LBV features a thin-walled visor valving element that lifts off the seal with near axial motion before rotating completely out of the flow path. This is accomplished with a simple, robust mechanism that minimizes cost and weight. Conventional spherical rotating seats ar plagued by leakage due to 'scuffing' as the seal and seat slide against one another while opening. Cryogenic valves, which typically utilize plastic seals, are particularly susceptible to this type of damage. The seat in the LBV lifts off the seal without 'scuffing' making it immune to this failure mode. In addition, the LBV lifting mechanism is capable of applying the very high seating loads required to seal at cryogenic temperatures. These features make the LBV ideally suited for cryogenic valve applications. Another major feature of the LBV is the fact that the visor rotates completely out of the flow path. This allows for a smaller, lighter valve for a given flow capacity, especially for line sizes above one inch. The LBV is operated by a highly integrated 'wetted' DC brushless motor. The motor rotor is 'wetted' ion that it is immersed in the fluid. To ensure compatibility, the motor rotor is encased in a thin-walled CRES weldment. The motor stator is outside the fluid containment weldment and therefore is not in direct contact with the fluid. To preclude the potential for external leakage there are no static or dynamic seals or bellows across the pressure boundary. The power required to do the work of operating the valving mechanism is transmitted across the pressure boundary by electromagnetic interaction between the motor rotor and the stator. Commutation of the motor is accomplished using the output of a special 'wetted' resolver. This paper describes the design, operation, and element testing of the LBV.

Thermal acoustic oscillations, volume 2. [cryogenic fluid storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spradley, L. W.; Sims, W. H.; Fan, C.

1975-01-01

A number of thermal acoustic oscillation phenomena and their effects on cryogenic systems were studied. The conditions which cause or suppress oscillations, the frequency, amplitude and intensity of oscillations when they exist, and the heat loss they induce are discussed. Methods of numerical analysis utilizing the digital computer were developed for use in cryogenic systems design. In addition, an experimental verification program was conducted to study oscillation wave characteristics and boiloff rate. The data were then reduced and compared with the analytical predictions.

Project Themis Supercritical Cold Flow Facility, Experiment Design and Modeling for the Study of Fluid Mixing

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

AFRL facility was well suited for the Themis cold flow experiment. A test cell was selected that contained an insulated cryogenic oxygen tank that...could be used for the LN2 supply. Adjacent to the test cell is a cryogenic storage bunker that contained a helium supply tank with existing high...venturi to the fuel bunker tank was very low (less than 25 psi) while the helium pressure drop from the cryogenic storage bunker was almost 2000 psi

Cryogenic Fluid Management Experiment (CFME) trunnion verification testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, W. J.; Fester, D. A.

1983-01-01

The Cryogenic Fluid Management Experiment (CFME) was designed to characterize subcritical liquid hydrogen storage and expulsion in the low-g space environment. The CFME has now become the storage and supply tank for the Cryogenic Fluid Management Facility, which includes transfer line and receiver tanks, as well. The liquid hydrogen storage and supply vessel is supported within a vacuum jacket to two fiberglass/epoxy composite trunnions which were analyzed and designed. Analysis using the limited available data indicated the trunnion was the most fatigue critical component in the storage vessel. Before committing the complete storage tank assembly to environmental testing, an experimental assessment was performed to verify the capability of the trunnion design to withstand expected vibration and loading conditions. Three tasks were conducted to evaluate trunnion integrity. The first determined the fatigue properties of the trunnion composite laminate materials. Tests at both ambient and liquid hydrogen temperatures showed composite material fatigue properties far in excess of those expected. Next, an assessment of the adequacy of the trunnion designs was performed (based on the tested material properties).

Shadowgraphy of transcritical cryogenic fluids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodward, R. D.; Talley, D. G.; Anderson, T. J.; Winter, M.

1994-01-01

The future of liquid-rocket propulsion depends heavily on continued development of high pressure liquid oxygen/hydrogen systems that operate near or above the propellant critical states; however, current understanding of transcritical/supercritical injection and combustion is yet lacking. The Phillips Laboratory and the United Technologies Research Center are involved in a collaborative effort to develop diagnostics for and make detailed measurements of transcritical droplet vaporization and combustion. The present shadowgraph study of transcritical cryogenic fluids is aimed at providing insight into the behavior of liquid oxygen or cryogenic stimulants as they are injected into a supercritical environment of the same or other fluids. A detailed history of transcritical injection of liquid nitrogen into gaseous nitrogen at reduced pressures of 0.63 (subcritical) to 1.05 (supercritical) is provided. Also, critical point enhancement due to gas phase solubility and mixture effects is investigated by adding helium to the nitrogen system, which causes a distinct liquid phase to re-appear at supercritical nitrogen pressures. Liquid oxygen injection into supercritical argon or nitrogen, however, does not indicate an increase in the effective critical pressure of the system.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of a Heisenberg Vortex Tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunge, Carl; Sitaraman, Hariswaran; Leachman, Jake

2017-11-01

A 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation of a Heisenberg Vortex Tube (HVT) is performed to estimate cooling potential with cryogenic hydrogen. The main mechanism driving operation of the vortex tube is the use of fluid power for enthalpy streaming in a highly turbulent swirl in a dual-outlet tube. This enthalpy streaming creates a temperature separation between the outer and inner regions of the flow. Use of a catalyst on the peripheral wall of the centrifuge enables endothermic conversion of para-ortho hydrogen to aid primary cooling. A κ- ɛ turbulence model is used with a cryogenic, non-ideal equation of state, and para-orthohydrogen species evolution. The simulations are validated with experiments and strategies for parametric optimization of this device are presented.

Low-G fluid transfer technology study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stark, J. A.

1976-01-01

Technology gaps and system characteristics critical to cryogenic and noncryogenic in-orbit fluid transfer were identified. Four different supply systems were conceptually designed as space shuttle payloads. These were; (1) space tug supply - LH2, LO2, N2H4, He - linear acceleration for liquid acquisition with supply module and tug separated from shuttle, (2) tug supply using orbiter drag, (3) orbiter supply - N2O4,MMH,He, H2,O2 - surface tension screens, (4) multiple receivers supply 0 solar electric propulsion stage, Hg, diaphragm - HEAO B, HEe, paddle fluid rotation-satellite control section, N2H4, screens. It was found that screens had the best overall potential for low weight and simplicity, however, thermal problems with cryogenics still need final resolution.

A fully coupled variable properties thermohydraulic model for a cryogenic hydrostatic journal bearing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Braun, M. J.; Wheeler, R. L., III; Hendricks, R. C.

1986-01-01

The goal set forth here is to continue the work started by Braun et al. (1984-1985) and present an integrated analysis of the behavior of the two row, 20 staggered pockets, hydrostatic cryogenic bearing used by the turbopumps of the Space Shuttle main engine. The variable properties Reynolds equation is fully coupled with the two-dimensional fluid film energy equation. The three-dimensional equations of the shaft and bushing model the boundary conditions of the fluid film energy equation. The effects of shaft eccentricity, angular velocity, and inertia pressure drops at pocket edge are incorporated in the model. Their effects on the bearing fluid properties, load carrying capacity, mass flow, pressure, velocity, and temperature form the ultimate object of this paper.

NASA Lewis Research Center low-gravity fluid management technology program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aydelott, J. C.; Carney, M. J.; Hochstein, J. I.

1985-01-01

A history of the Lewis Research Center in space fluid management technology program is presented. Current programs which include numerical modeling of fluid systems, heat exchanger/radiator concept studies, and the design of the Cryogenic Fluid Management Facility are discussed. Recent analytical and experimental activities performed to support the Shuttle/Centaur development activity are highlighted.

Experimental Results of Integrated Refrigeration and Storage System Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Notardonato, W. U.; Johnson, W. L.; Jumper, K.

2009-01-01

Launch operations engineers at the Kennedy Space Center have identified an Integrated Refrigeration and Storage system as a promising technology to reduce launch costs and enable advanced cryogenic operations. This system uses a close cycle Brayton refrigerator to remove energy from the stored cryogenic propellant. This allows for the potential of a zero loss storage and transfer system, as well and control of the state of the propellant through densification or re-liquefaction. However, the behavior of the fluid in this type of system is different than typical cryogenic behavior, and there will be a learning curve associated with its use. A 400 liter research cryostat has been designed, fabricated and delivered to KSC to test the thermo fluid behavior of liquid oxygen as energy is removed from the cryogen by a simulated DC cycle cryocooler. Results of the initial testing phase focusing on heat exchanger characterization and zero loss storage operations using liquid oxygen are presented in this paper. Future plans for testing of oxygen densification tests and oxygen liquefaction tests will also be discussed. KEYWORDS: Liquid Oxygen, Refrigeration, Storage

Modeling and analysis of chill and fill processes for the cryogenic storage and transfer engineering development unit tank

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hedayat, A.; Cartagena, W.; Majumdar, A. K.; LeClair, A. C.

2016-03-01

NASA's future missions may require long-term storage and transfer of cryogenic propellants. The Engineering Development Unit (EDU), a NASA in-house effort supported by both Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Glenn Research Center, is a cryogenic fluid management (CFM) test article that primarily serves as a manufacturing pathfinder and a risk reduction task for a future CFM payload. The EDU test article comprises a flight-like tank, internal components, insulation, and attachment struts. The EDU is designed to perform integrated passive thermal control performance testing with liquid hydrogen (LH2) in a test-like vacuum environment. A series of tests, with LH2 as a testing fluid, was conducted at Test Stand 300 at MSFC during the summer of 2014. The objective of this effort was to develop a thermal/fluid model for evaluating the thermodynamic behavior of the EDU tank during the chill and fill processes. The Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program, an MSFC in-house general-purpose computer program for flow network analysis, was utilized to model and simulate the chill and fill portion of the testing. The model contained the LH2 supply source, feed system, EDU tank, and vent system. The test setup, modeling description, and comparison of model predictions with the test data are presented.

Testing and Analytical Modeling for Purging Process of a Cryogenic Line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hedayat, A.; Mazurkivich, P. V.; Nelson, M. A.; Majumdar, A. K.

2015-01-01

To gain confidence in developing analytical models of the purging process for the cryogenic main propulsion systems of upper stage, two test series were conducted. Test article, a 3.35m long with the diameter of 20 cm incline line, was filled with liquid (LH2)or gaseous hydrogen (GH2) and then purged with gaseous helium (GHe). Total of 10 tests were conducted. Influences of GHe flow rates and initial temperatures were evaluated. Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP), an in-house general-purpose fluid system analyzer, was utilized to model and simulate selective tests.

Transient Thermal Model and Analysis of the Lunar Surface and Regolith for Cryogenic Fluid Storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christie, Robert J.; Plachta, David W.; Yasan, Mohammad M.

2008-01-01

A transient thermal model of the lunar surface and regolith was developed along with analytical techniques which will be used to evaluate the storage of cryogenic fluids at equatorial and polar landing sites. The model can provide lunar surface and subsurface temperatures as a function of latitude and time throughout the lunar cycle and season. It also accounts for the presence of or lack of the undisturbed fluff layer on the lunar surface. The model was validated with Apollo 15 and Clementine data and shows good agreement with other analytical models.

On the characteristics of centrifugal-reciprocating machines. [cryogenic coolers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Higa, W. H.

1980-01-01

A method of compressing helium gas for cryogenic coolers is presented which uses centrifugal force to reduce the forces on the connecting rod and crankshaft in the usual reciprocating compressor. This is achieved by rotating the piston-cylinder assembly at a speed sufficient for the centrifugal force on the piston to overcome the compressional force due to the working fluid. The rotating assembly is dynamically braked in order to recharge the working space with fluid. The intake stroke consists of decelerating the rotating piston-cylinder assembly and the exhaust stroke consists of accelerating the assembly.

Slosh wave excitation due to cryogenic liquid reorientation in space-based propulsion system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Shyu, K. L.; Lee, C. C.

1991-01-01

The objective of the cryogenic fluid management of the spacecraft propulsion system is to develop the technology necessary for acquistion or positioning of liquid and vapor within a tank in reduced gravity to enable liquid outflow or vapor venting. In this study slosh wave excitation induced by the resettling flow field activated by 1.0 Hz medium frequency impulsive reverse gravity acceleration during the course of liquid fluid reorientation with the initiation of geyser for liquid filled levels of 30, 50, and 80 percent have been studied. Characteristics of slosh waves with various frequencies excited are discussed.

Commissioning the cryogenic system of the first LHC sector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Millet, F.; Claudet, S.; Ferlin, G.

2007-12-01

The LHC machine, composed of eight sectors with superconducting magnets and accelerating cavities, requires a complex cryogenic system providing high cooling capacities (18 kW equivalent at 4.5 K and 2.4 W at 1.8 K per sector produced in large cold boxes and distributed via 3.3-km cryogenic transfer lines). After individual reception tests of the cryogenic subsystems (cryogen storages, refrigerators, cryogenic transfer lines and distribution boxes) performed since 2000, the commissioning of the cryogenic system of the first LHC sector has been under way since November 2006. After a brief introduction to the LHC cryogenic system and its specificities, the commissioningmore » is reported detailing the preparation phase (pressure and leak tests, circuit conditioning and flushing), the cool-down sequences including the handling of cryogenic fluids, the magnet powering phase and finally the warm-up. Preliminary conclusions on the commissioning of the first LHC sector will be drawn with the review of the critical points already solved or still pending. The last part of the paper reports on the first operational experience of the LHC cryogenic system in the perspective of the commissioning of the remaining LHC sectors and the beam injection test.« less

Cryogenic Transport of High-Pressure-System Recharge Gas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ungar, Eugene K,; Ruemmele, Warren P.; Bohannon, Carl

2010-01-01

A method of relatively safe, compact, efficient recharging of a high-pressure room-temperature gas supply has been proposed. In this method, the gas would be liquefied at the source for transport as a cryogenic fluid at or slightly above atmospheric pressure. Upon reaching the destination, a simple heating/expansion process would be used to (1) convert the transported cryogenic fluid to the room-temperature, high-pressure gaseous form in which it is intended to be utilized and (2) transfer the resulting gas to the storage tank of the system to be recharged. In conventional practice for recharging high-pressure-gas systems, gases are transported at room temperature in high-pressure tanks. For recharging a given system to a specified pressure, a transport tank must contain the recharge gas at a much higher pressure. At the destination, the transport tank is connected to the system storage tank to be recharged, and the pressures in the transport tank and the system storage tank are allowed to equalize. One major disadvantage of the conventional approach is that the high transport pressure poses a hazard. Another disadvantage is the waste of a significant amount of recharge gas. Because the transport tank is disconnected from the system storage tank when it is at the specified system recharge pressure, the transport tank still contains a significant amount of recharge gas (typically on the order of half of the amount transported) that cannot be used. In the proposed method, the cryogenic fluid would be transported in a suitably thermally insulated tank that would be capable of withstanding the recharge pressure of the destination tank. The tank would be equipped with quick-disconnect fluid-transfer fittings and with a low-power electric heater (which would not be used during transport). In preparation for transport, a relief valve would be attached via one of the quick-disconnect fittings (see figure). During transport, the interior of the tank would be kept at a near-ambient pressure far below the recharge pressure. As leakage of heat into the tank caused vaporization of the cryogenic fluid, the resulting gas would be vented through the relief valve, which would be set to maintain the pressure in the tank at the transport value. Inasmuch as the density of a cryogenic fluid at atmospheric pressure greatly exceeds that of the corresponding gas in a practical high-pressure tank at room temperature, a tank for transporting a given mass of gas according to the proposed method could be smaller (and, hence, less massive) than is a tank needed for transporting the same mass of gas according to the conventional method.

Filling of orbital fluid management systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merino, F.; Blatt, M. H.; Thies, N. C.

1978-01-01

A study was performed with three objectives: (1) analyze fluid management system fill under orbital conditions; (2) determine what experimentation is needed; and (3) develop an experimental program. The fluid management system was a 1.06m (41.7 in) diameter pressure vessel with screen channel device. Analyses were conducted using liquid hydrogen and N2O4. The influence of helium and autogenous pressurization systems was considered. Analyses showed that fluid management system fill will be more difficult with a cryogen than with an earth storable. The key to a successful fill with cryogens is in devising techniques for filling without vent liquid, and removing trapped vapor from the screen device at tank fill completion. This will be accomplished with prechill, fill, and vapor condensation processes. Refill will require a vent and purge process, to dilute the residual helium, prior to introducing liquid. Neither prechill, chill, nor purge processes will be required for earth storables.

The 26th Space Cryogenic Workshop: Overview, Description of Presentations, and List of Abstracts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartwig, Jason; Plachta, David; Shirron, Peter; Huget, Laurie

2016-01-01

This is a summary of the 2015 Space Cryogenics Workshop that was held in Phoenix, Arizona, June 24 to 26, 2015. The workshop was organized by David Plachta and Jason Hartwig of the Cryogenics and Fluid Systems Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center, and continued the tradition of bringing together specialists in the field of space cryogenics to discuss upcoming and potential space missions, and the development of technologies that support or-more often-are enabling for the science and exploration goals of the world's space agencies. The workshop consisted of two days of talks and poster sessions, and provided ample opportunity for more informal discussions that foster collaborations and cooperation in the space cryogenics community. Selected papers from the workshop are published in a special issue of Cryogenics, which is expected to be published by the end of 2015.

Zero Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcquillen, John

2016-01-01

The Zero-Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) experiment has been developed as a small scale ISS experiment aimed at delineating important fluid flow, heat and mass transport, and phase change phenomena that affect cryogenic storage tank pressurization and pressure control in microgravity. The experiments use a simulant transparent low boiling point fluid (PnP) in a sealed transparent Dewar to study and quantify: (a) fluid flow and thermal stratification during pressurization; (b) mixing, thermal destratification, depressurization, and jet-ullage penetration during pressure control by jet mixing. The experiment will provide valuable microgravity empirical two-phase data associated with the above-mentioned physical phenomena through highly accurate local wall and fluid temperature and pressure measurements, full-field phase-distribution and flow visualization. Moreover, the experiments are performed under tightly controlled and definable heat transfer boundary conditions to provide reliable high-fidelity data and precise input as required for validation verification of state-of-the-art two-phase CFD models developed as part of this research and by other groups in the international scientific and cryogenic fluid management communities.

Cryogenic Flange and Seal Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramirez, Adrian

2014-01-01

The assembly of flanges, seals, and pipes are used to carry cryogenic fluid from a storage tank to the vehicle at launch sites. However, after a certain amount of cycles these raised face flanges with glass-filled Teflon gaskets have been found to have torque relaxation and are as a result susceptible to cryogenic fluid leakage if not re-torqued. The intent of this project is to identify alternate combinations of flanges and seals which may improve thermal cycle performance and decrease re-torque requirements. The general approach is to design a test fixture to evaluate leak characteristics between spiral and concentric serrations and to test alternate flange and seal combinations. Due to insufficient time, it was not possible to evaluate these different types of combinations for the combination that improved thermal cycle performance the most. However, the necessary drawings for the test fixture were designed and assembled along with the collection of the necessary parts.

Cryogenic Fluid Management Technology and Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Brian D.; Caffrey, Jarvis; Hedayat, Ali; Stephens, Jonathan; Polsgrove, Robert

2016-01-01

Cryogenic fluid management (CFM) is critical to the success of future nuclear thermal propulsion powered vehicles. While this is an issue for any propulsion system utilizing cryogenic propellants, this is made more challenging by the radiation flux produced by the reactor in a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR). Managing the cryogenic fuel to prevent propellant loss to boil off and leakage is needed to limit the required quantity of propellant to a reasonable level. Analysis shows deposition of energy into liquid hydrogen fuel tanks in the vicinity of the nuclear thermal engine. This is on top of ambient environment sources of heat. Investments in cryogenic/thermal management systems (some of which are ongoing at various organizations) are needed in parallel to nuclear thermal engine development in order to one day see the successful operation of an entire stage. High durability, low thermal conductivity insulation is one developmental need. Light weight cryocoolers capable of removing heat from large fluid volumes at temperatures as low as approx. 20 K are needed to remove heat leak from the propellant of an NTR. Valve leakage is an additional CFM issue of great importance. Leakage rates of state of the art, launch vehicle size valves (which is approximately the size valves needed for a Mars transfer vehicle) are quite high and would result in large quantities of lost propellant over a long duration mission. Additionally, the liquid acquisition system inside the propellant tank must deliver properly conditioned propellant to the feed line for successful engine operation and avoid intake of warm or gaseous propellant. Analysis of the thermal environment and the CFM technology development are discussed in the accompanying presentation.

Heater-mixer for stored fluids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Canning, T. N. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

A fluid storage vessel for containing cryogenic fluids is described. The storage vessel contains an auxiliary chamber which is connected to the main container by a jet nozzle. The wall of the auxiliary vessel is heat cycled to produce a corresponding expansion and contraction of the fluid within the auxiliary chamber. This action causes heating and mixing of the stored fluid by means of jetting the expanded fluid to and from relative to the stored fluid contents of the vessel.

Dust Tolerant Commodity Transfer Interface Mechanisms for Planetary Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, Ivan I.; Mueller, Robert P.; Tamasy, Gabor J.

2014-01-01

Regolith is present on most planetary surfaces such as Earth's moon, Mars, and Asteroids. If human crews and robotic machinery are to operate on these regolith covered surfaces, they must face the consequences of interacting with regolith fines which consist of particles below 100 microns in diameter down to as small as submicron scale particles. Such fine dust will intrude into mechanisms and interfaces causing a variety of problems such as contamination of clean fluid lines, jamming of mechanisms and damaging connector seals and couplings. Since multiple elements must be assembled in space for system level functionality, it will be inevitable that interfaces will be necessary for structural connections, and to pass commodities such as cryogenic liquid propellants, purge and buffer gases, water, breathing air, pressurizing gases, heat exchange fluids, power and data. When fine regolith dust is present in the environment it can be lofted into interfaces where it can compromise the utility of the interface by preventing the connections from being successfully mated, or by inducing fluid leaks or degradation of power and data transmission. A dust tolerant, hand held "quick-disconnect" cryogenic fluids connector housing has been developed at NASA KSC which can be used by astronaut crews to connect flex lines that will transfer propellants and other useful fluids to the end user. In addition, a dust tolerant, automated, cryogenic fluid, multiple connector, power and data interface mechanism prototype has been developed, fabricated and demonstrated by NASA at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The design and operation of these prototypes are explained and discussed.

Heat conduction errors and time lag in cryogenic thermometer installations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warshawsky, I.

1973-01-01

Installation practices are recommended that will increase rate of heat exchange between the thermometric sensing element and the cryogenic fluid and that will reduce the rate of undesired heat transfer to higher-temperature objects. Formulas and numerical data are given that help to estimate the magnitude of heat-conduction errors and of time lag in response.

Jet mixing in low gravity - Results of the Tank Pressure Control Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bentz, M. D.; Meserole, J. S.; Knoll, R. H.

1992-01-01

The Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) is discussed with attention given to the results for controlling storage-tank pressures by forced-convective mixing in microgravitational environments. The fluid dynamics of cryogenic fluids in space is simulated with freon-113 during axial-jet-induced mixing. The experimental flow-pattern data are found to confirm previous data as well as existing mixing correlations. Thermal nonuniformities and tank pressure can be reduced by employing low-energy mixing jets which are useful for enhancing heat/mass transfer between phases. It is found that space cryogenic systems based on the principle of active mixing can be more reliable and predictable than other methods, and continuous or periodic mixing can be accomplished with only minor energy addition to the fluid.

Space station experiment definition: Long-term cryogenic fluid storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jetley, R. L.; Scarlotti, R. D.

1987-01-01

The conceptual design of a space station Technology Development Mission (TDM) experiment to demonstrate and evaluate cryogenic fluid storage and transfer technologies is presented. The experiment will be deployed on the initial operational capability (IOC) space station for a four-year duration. It is modular in design, consisting of three phases to test the following technologies: passive thermal technologies (phase 1), fluid transfer (phase 2), and active refrigeration (phase 3). Use of existing hardware was a primary consideration throughout the design effort. A conceptual design of the experiment was completed, including configuration sketches, system schematics, equipment specifications, and space station resources and interface requirements. These requirements were entered into the NASA Space Station Mission Data Base. A program plan was developed defining a twelve-year development and flight plan. Program cost estimates are given.

Tank Pressure Control Experiment on the Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

The tank pressure control experiment is a demonstration of NASA intent to develop new technology for low-gravity management of the cryogenic fluids that will be required for future space systems. The experiment will use freon as the test fluid to measure the effects of jet-induced fluid mixing on storage tank pressure and will produce data on low-gravity mixing processes critical to the design of on-orbit cryogenic storage and resupply systems. Basic data on fluid motion and thermodynamics in low gravity is limited, but such data is critical to the development of space transfer vehicles and spacecraft resupply facilities. An in-space experiment is needed to obtain reliable data on fluid mixing and pressure control because none of the available microgravity test facilities provide a low enough gravity level for a sufficient duration to duplicate in-space flow patterns and thermal processes. Normal gravity tests do not represent the fluid behavior properly; drop-tower tests are limited in length of time available; aircraft low-gravity tests cannot provide the steady near-zero gravity level and long duration needed to study the subtle processes expected in space.

Pressurization and expulsion of cryogenic liquids: Generic requirements for a low gravity experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vandresar, Neil T.; Stochl, Robert J.

1991-01-01

Requirements are presented for an experiment designed to obtain data for the pressurization and expulsion of a cryogenic supply tank in a low gravity environment. These requirements are of a generic nature and applicable to any cryogenic fluid of interest, condensible or non-condensible pressurants, and various low gravity test platforms such as the Space Shuttle or a free-flyer. Background information, the thermophysical process, preliminary analytical modeling, and experimental requirements are discussed. Key parameters, measurements, hardware requirements, procedures, a test matrix, and data analysis are outlined.

Satellite Testbed for Evaluating Cryogenic-Liquid Behavior in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Putman, Philip Travis (Inventor)

2017-01-01

Provided is a testbed for conducting an experiment on a substance in a cryogenic liquid state in a microgravity environment. The testbed includes a frame with rectangular nominal dimensions, and a source section including a supply of the substance to be evaluated in the cryogenic liquid state. An experiment section includes an experiment vessel in fluid communication with the storage section to receive the substance from the storage section and condense the substance into the cryogenic liquid state. A sensor is adapted to sense a property of the substance in the cryogenic liquid state in the experiment vessel as part of the experiment. A bus section includes a controller configured to control delivery of the substance from the storage section to the experiment vessel, and receive property data indicative of the property sensed by the sensor for subsequent evaluation on Earth.

Modeling the Rapid Boil-Off of a Cryogenic Liquid When Injected into a Low Pressure Cavity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lira, Eric

2016-01-01

Many launch vehicle cryogenic applications require the modeling of injecting a cryogenic liquid into a low pressure cavity. The difficulty of such analyses lies in accurately predicting the heat transfer coefficient between the cold liquid and a warm wall in a low pressure environment. The heat transfer coefficient and the behavior of the liquid is highly dependent on the mass flow rate into the cavity, the cavity wall temperature and the cavity volume. Testing was performed to correlate the modeling performed using Thermal Desktop and Sinda Fluint Thermal and Fluids Analysis Software. This presentation shall describe a methodology to model the cryogenic process using Sinda Fluint, a description of the cryogenic test set up, a description of the test procedure and how the model was correlated to match the test results.

Cryogenically enhanced magneto-Archimedes levitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catherall, A. T.; López-Alcaraz, P.; Benedict, K. A.; King, P. J.; Eaves, L.

2005-05-01

The application of both a strong magnetic field and magnetic field gradient to a diamagnetic body can produce a vertical force which is sufficient to counteract its weight due to gravity. By immersing the body in a paramagnetic fluid, an additional adjustable magneto-buoyancy force is generated which enhances the levitation effect. Here we show that cryogenic oxygen and oxygen-nitrogen mixtures in both gaseous and liquid form provide sufficient buoyancy to permit the levitation and flotation of a wide range of materials. These fluids may provide an alternative to synthetic ferrofluids for the separation of minerals. We also report the dynamics of corrugation instabilities on the surface of magnetized liquid oxygen.

Wavelength-Agile Optical Sensor for Exhaust Plume and Cryogenic Fluid Interrogation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, Scott T.; Chiaverini, Martin J.; Gramer, Daniel J.

2004-01-01

Two optical sensors developed in UW-Madison labs were evaluated for their potential to characterize rocket engine exhaust plumes and liquid oxygen (LOX) fluid properties. The plume sensor is based on wavelength-agile absorption spectroscopy A device called a chirped white pulse emitter (CWPE) is used to generate the wavelength agile light, scanning, for example, 1340 - 1560 nm every microsecond. Properties of the gases in the rocket plume (for example temperature and water mole fraction) can be monitored using these wavelength scans. We have performed preliminary tests in static gas cells, a laboratory GOX/GH2 thrust chamber, and a solid-fuel hybrid thrust chamber, and these initial tests demonstrate the potential of the CWPE for monitoring rocket plumes. The LOX sensor uses an alternative to wavelength agile sensing: two independent, fixed-wavelength lasers are combined into a single fiber. One laser is absorbed by LOX and the other not: by monitoring the differential transmission the LOX concentration in cryogenic feed lines can be inferred. The sensor was successful in interrogating static LOX pools in laboratory tests. Even in ice- and bubble-laden cryogenic fluids, LOX concentrations were measured to better than 1% with a 3 microsec time constant.

Study and development of a cryogenic heat exchanger for life support systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Soliman, M. M.

1973-01-01

A prototype cryogenic heat exchanger for removal of waste heat from a spacecraft environmental control life support system was developed. The heat exchanger uses the heat sink capabilities of the cryogenic propellants and, hence, can operate over all mission phases from prelaunch to orbit, to post landing, with quiescent periods during orbit. A survey of candidate warm fluids resulted in the selection of E-2, a fluorocarbon compound, because of its low freezing point and high boiling point. The final design and testing of the heat exchanger was carried out, however, using Freon-21, which is similar to E-2 except for its low boiling point. This change was motivated by the desire for cost effectiveness of the experimental program. The transient performance of the heat exchanger was demonstrated by an analog simulation of the heat sink system. Under the realistic transient heat load conditions (20 sec ramp from minimum to maximum Freon-21 inlet temperature), the control system was able to maintain the warm fluid outlet temperature within + or - 3 F. For a 20-sec ramp from 0 F to -400 F in the hydrogen inlet temperature, at maximum heat load, the warm fluid outlet temperature was maintained within + or - 7 F.

Cryogenic Thermal Management Advances during the CRYOTOOL Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bugby, D.; Stouffer, C.; Garzon, J.; Beres, M.; Gilchrist, A.; Roberts, T.; Davis, T.

2006-04-01

This paper describes the cryogenic thermal management advances made during the AFRL-sponsored CRYOTOOL program. Advances occurred as a result of conducting four technology development tasks: (1) development of a differential thermal expansion cryogenic thermal switch (DTE-CTSW) made with high purity Al end-pieces and an Ultem support rod; (2) carrying out of a dual DTE-CTSW/dual cryocooler performance test to quantify CTSW benefits in a redundant cryocooler system; (3) development of a miniaturized cryogenic loop heat pipe (mini-CLHP) that combines flex link, conduction bar, and CTSW functionalities; and (4) development of an across-gimbal cryogenic thermal transport system (GCTTS) with large diameter transport line coils for optics cooling. The results are as follows. The DTE-CTSW achieved an ON conductance of 2-3.6 W/K (from 35-90 K) and an OFF resistance of 1100-2300 K/W (300-230 K warm end). The redundant cryocooler test showed modest parasitic heat leak savings when dual DTE-CTSWs were used versus when they were not used. The mini-CLHP, using neon as the working fluid, transported 2.5 W at 35 K, achieved an OFF resistance of 1555 K/W, and had cross/axial flexibilities of 100-450 N/m. Lastly, GCTTS, using nitrogen as the working fluid, transported 20 W at 100 K in a flat configuration. Additional work is needed to verify GCTTS operation in an elevated orientation.

Subcooling for Long Duration In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mustafi, Shuvo; Johnson, Wesley; Kashani, Ali; Jurns, John; Kutter, Bernard; Kirk, Daniel; Shull, Jeff

2010-01-01

Cryogenic propellants such as hydrogen and oxygen are crucial for exploration of the solar system because of their superior specific impulse capability. Future missions may require vehicles to remain in space for months, necessitating long-term storage of these cryogens. A Thermodynamic Cryogen Subcooler (TCS) can ease the challenge of cryogenic fluid storage by removing energy from the cryogenic propellant through isobaric subcooling of the cryogen below its normal boiling point prior to launch. The isobaric subcooling of the cryogenic propellant will be performed by using a cold pressurant to maintain the tank pressure while the cryogen's temperature is simultaneously reduced using the TCS. The TCS hardware will be integrated into the launch infrastructure and there will be no significant addition to the launched dry mass. Heat leaks into all cryogenic propellant tanks, despite the use of the best insulation systems. However, the large heat capacity available in the subcooled cryogenic propellants allows the energy that leaks into the tank to be absorbed until the cryogen reaches its operational thermodynamic condition. During this period of heating of the subcooled cryogen there will be minimal loss of the propellant due to venting for pressure control. This simple technique can extend the operational life of a spacecraft or an orbital cryogenic depot for months with minimal mass penalty. In fact isobaric subcooling can more than double the in-space hold time of liquid hydrogen compared to normal boiling point hydrogen. A TCS for cryogenic propellants would thus provide an enhanced level of mission flexibility. Advances in the important components of the TCS will be discussed in this paper.

SR&DB Cryogenic Research & Development for Space Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bondarenko, S. I.; Arkhipov, V. T.; Logvinenko, S. P.; Solodovnik, L. L.; Rusanov, K. V.; Shcherbakova, N. S.

The Special Research and Development Bureau (SR&DB) for Cryogenic Technology of the B. Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics & Engineering was founded in 1971 and is located in Kharkov, Ukraine. Its primary focus has been in the area of applied r&d in the field of cryogenic technology for space applications. Within this field SR&DB has had many successful accomplishments, especially in the development of satellite based cryogenic cooling systems, mass spectrometer measurement devices, resistence thermometers, and cryogenically cooled optical systems. We have developed very advanced technology in the fields of fluids, heat transfer and hydrodynamics under micro-gravity conditions. Many of the SR&DB cryogenic products have been successfully implemented for former Soviet space applications, both near-earth and deep space. The SR&DB unique experience in many R&D areas can be and are being used for a new generation of space applications which have a requirement for planetary and deep-space missions. Systems we have developed have been proven to have a 5-year life in orbit. Recently we have focused much of our attention, as well, to the requirement low-weight and low-power systems which are mandatory requirements for outerspace missions. The funtionality of the exterior surfaces of a spacecraft are mainly dependent on the composition of its internally generated local atmosphere. In order to continually assess the content and concentration of components of this atmosphere we have developed space based mass spectrometric measuring devices. Devices which require such continual measurement are optical devices, emission receivers, solar cells, etc. A significant technology advance in the field of cryogenics is the application of cryoagents in systems of life support and spacecraft engine operation. We have studied and have an in-depth comprehension of unique phase-transition for these cryoagents such as oxygen, hydrogen, et al. under microgravity conditions. Currently SR&DB under contract to the National Space Agency of Ukraine has been developing an experimental apparatus for studying the continuous boiling off of cryogenic fluids under micro-gravity conditions.

Heat conduction errors and time lag in cryogenic thermometer installations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warshawsky, I.

1973-01-01

Installation practices are recommended that will increase rate of heat exchange between the thermometric sensing element and the cryogenic fluid, in addition to bringing about a reduction in the rate of undesired heat transfer to higher temperature objects. Formulas and numerical data are given that help to estimate the magnitude of heat conduction errors and of time lag in response.

Physics Simulation Software for Autonomous Propellant Loading and Gas House Autonomous System Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regalado Reyes, Bjorn Constant

2015-01-01

1. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is developing a mobile launching system with autonomous propellant loading capabilities for liquid-fueled rockets. An autonomous system will be responsible for monitoring and controlling the storage, loading and transferring of cryogenic propellants. The Physics Simulation Software will reproduce the sensor data seen during the delivery of cryogenic fluids including valve positions, pressures, temperatures and flow rates. The simulator will provide insight into the functionality of the propellant systems and demonstrate the effects of potential faults. This will provide verification of the communications protocols and the autonomous system control. 2. The High Pressure Gas Facility (HPGF) stores and distributes hydrogen, nitrogen, helium and high pressure air. The hydrogen and nitrogen are stored in cryogenic liquid state. The cryogenic fluids pose several hazards to operators and the storage and transfer equipment. Constant monitoring of pressures, temperatures and flow rates are required in order to maintain the safety of personnel and equipment during the handling and storage of these commodities. The Gas House Autonomous System Monitoring software will be responsible for constantly observing and recording sensor data, identifying and predicting faults and relaying hazard and operational information to the operators.

Performance of journal bearings with semi-compressible fluids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpino, M.; Peng, J.-P.

1991-01-01

Cryogenic fluids in isothermal rigid surface and foil type journal bearings can sometimes be treated as semicompressible fluids. In these applications, the fluid density is a function of the pressure. At low pressures, the fluids can change from a liquid to a saturated liquid-vapor phase. The performance of a rigid surface journal bearing with an idealized semicompressible fluid is discussed. Pressure solutions are based upon a Reynolds equation which includes the effects of a compressibility via the bulk modulus of the fluid. Results are contrasted with the performance of isothermal constant property incompressible fluids.

Parametric performance of circumferentially grooved heat pipes with homogeneous and graded-porosity slab wicks at cryogenic temperatures. [methane and ethane working fluids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groll, M.; Pittman, R. B.; Eninger, J. E.

1976-01-01

A recently developed, potentially high-performance nonarterial wick was extensively tested. This slab wick has an axially varying porosity which can be tailored to match the local stress imposed on the wick. The purpose of the tests was to establish the usefulness of the graded-porosity slab wick at cryogenic temperatures between 110 and 260 K, with methane and ethane as working fluids. For comparison, a homogeneous (i.e., uniform porosity) slab wick was also tested. The tests included: maximum heat pipe performance as a function of fluid inventory, maximum performance as a function of operating temperature, maximum performance as a function of evaporator elevation, and influence of slab wick orientation on performance. The experimental data were compared with theoretical predictions obtained with the GRADE computer program.

Thermal and Fluid Modeling of the CRYogenic Orbital TEstbed (CRYOTE) Ground Test Article (GTA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piryk, David; Schallhorn, Paul; Walls, Laurie; Stopnitzky, Benny; Rhys, Noah; Wollen, Mark

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to anchor thermal and fluid system models to data acquired from a ground test article (GTA) for the CRYogenic Orbital TEstbed - CRYOTE. To accomplish this analysis, it was broken into four primary tasks. These included model development, pre-test predictions, testing support at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC} and post-test correlations. Information from MSFC facilitated the task of refining and correlating the initial models. The primary goal of the modeling/testing/correlating efforts was to characterize heat loads throughout the ground test article. Significant factors impacting the heat loads included radiative environments, multi-layer insulation (MLI) performance, tank fill levels, tank pressures, and even contact conductance coefficients. This paper demonstrates how analytical thermal/fluid networks were established, and it includes supporting rationale for specific thermal responses seen during testing.

Hydrogeochemistry of groundwaters in and below the base of thick permafrost at Lupin, Nunavut, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stotler, Randy L.; Frape, Shaun K.; Ruskeeniemi, Timo; Ahonen, Lasse; Onstott, Tullis C.; Hobbs, Monique Y.

2009-06-01

SummaryShield fluids are commonly understood to evolve through water-rock interaction. However, fluids may also concentrate during ice formation. Very little is currently known about groundwater conditions beneath thick permafrost in crystalline environments. This paper evaluates three possible Shield fluid evolution pathways at a crystalline Shield location currently under 500+ meters of permafrost, including surfical cryogenic concentration of seawater, in situ cryogenic concentration and water-rock interaction. A primary goal of this study was to further scientific understanding of permafrost and its role in influencing deep flow system evolution, fluid movement and chemical evolution of waters in crystalline rocks. Precipitation, surface, permafrost and subpermafrost water samples were collected, as well as dissolved and free gas samples, fracture fillings and matrix fluid samples to characterize the site. Investigations of groundwater conditions beneath thick permafrost provides valuable information which can be applied to safety assessment of deep, underground nuclear waste repositories, effects of long-term mining in permafrost areas and understanding analogues to potential life-bearing zones on Mars. The study was conducted in the Lupin gold mine in Nunavut, Canada, located within the zone of continuous permafrost. Through-taliks beneath large lakes in the area provided potential hydraulic connections through the permafrost. Na-Cl and Na-Cl-SO 4 type permafrost waters were contaminated by mining activities, affecting the chloride and nitrate concentrations. High nitrate concentrations (423-2630 mg L -1) were attributed to remnants of blasting. High sulfate concentrations in the permafrost (578-5000 mg L -1) were attributed to naturally occurring and mining enhanced sulfide oxidation. Mine dewatering created an artificial hydraulic gradient, resulting in methane hydrate dissociation at depth. Less contaminated basal waters had medium sulfate concentrations and were Ca-Na dominated, similar to deeper subpermafrost waters. Subpermafrost waters had a wide range of salinities (2.6-40 g L -1). It was unclear from this investigation what impact talik waters would have on deep groundwaters in undisturbed environments. In situ cryogenic concentration due to ice and methane hydrate formation may have concentrated the remaining fluids, however there was no evidence that infiltration of cryogenically concentrated seawater occurred since the last glacial maximum. Matrix waters were dilute and unable to affect groundwater salinity. Fracture infillings were scarce, but calcite fluid inclusion microthermometry indicated a large range in salinities, potentially an additional source of salinity to the system.

The cryogenics design of the SuperCDMS SNOLAB experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollister, M. I.; Bauer, D. A.; Dhuley, R. C.; Lukens, P.; Martin, L. D.; Ruschman, M. K.; Schmitt, R. L.; Tatkowski, G. L.

2017-12-01

The Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS) experiment is a direct detection dark matter experiment intended for deployment to the SNOLAB underground facility in Ontario, Canada. With a payload of up to 186 germanium and silicon crystal detectors operating below 15 mK, the cryogenic architecture of the experiment is complex. Further, the requirement that the cryostat presents a low radioactive background to the detectors limits the materials and techniques available for construction, and heavily influences the design of the cryogenics system. The resulting thermal architecture is a closed cycle (no liquid cryogen) system, with stages at 50 and 4 K cooled with gas and fluid circulation systems and stages at 1 K, 250 mK and 15 mK cooled by the lower temperature stages of a large, cryogen-free dilution refrigerator. This paper describes the thermal design of the experiment, including details of the cooling systems, mechanical designs and expected performance of the system under operational conditions.

Lessons learned: design, start-up, and operation of cryogenic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, W. M.; Bagley, R. E.; Motew, S.; Young, P.-W.

2014-11-01

Cryogenic systems involving a pumped cryogenic fluid, such as liquid nitrogen (LN2), require careful design since the cryogen is close to its boiling point and cold. At 1 atmosphere, LN2 boils at 77.4 K (-320.4 F). These systems, typically, are designed to transport the cryogen, use it for process heat removal, or for generation of gas (GN2) for process use. As the design progresses, it is important to consider all aspects of the design including, cryogen storage, pressure control and safety relief systems, thermodynamic conditions, equipment and instrument selection, materials, insulation, cooldown, pump start-up, maximum design and minimum flow rates, two phase flow conditions, heat flow, process control to meet and maintain operating conditions, piping integrity, piping loads on served equipment, warm-up, venting, and shut-down. "Cutting corners" in the design process can result in stalled start-ups, field rework, schedule hits, or operational restrictions. Some of these "lessoned learned" are described in this paper.

Cryogenic thermal diode heat pipes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alario, J.

1979-01-01

The development of spiral artery cryogenic thermal diode heat pipes was continued. Ethane was the working fluid and stainless steel the heat pipe material in all cases. The major tasks included: (1) building a liquid blockage (blocking orifice) thermal diode suitable for the HEPP space flight experiment; (2) building a liquid trap thermal diode engineering model; (3) retesting the original liquid blockage engineering model, and (4) investigating the startup dynamics of artery cryogenic thermal diodes. An experimental investigation was also conducted into the wetting characteristics of ethane/stainless steel systems using a specially constructed chamber that permitted in situ observations.

Adjustable expandable cryogenic piston and ring

DOEpatents

Mazur, Peter O.; Pallaver, Carl B.

1980-01-01

The operation of a reciprocating expansion engine for cryogenic refrigeration is improved by changing the pistons and rings so that the piston can be operated from outside the engine to vary the groove in which the piston ring is located. This causes the ring, which is of a flexible material, to be squeezed so that its contact with the wall is subject to external control. This control may be made manually or it may be made automatically in response to instruments that sense the amount of blow-by of the cryogenic fluid and adjust for an optimum blow-by.

Process of making cryogenically cooled high thermal performance crystal optics

DOEpatents

Kuzay, Tuncer M.

1992-01-01

A method for constructing a cooled optic wherein one or more cavities are milled, drilled or formed using casting or ultrasound laser machining techniques in a single crystal base and filled with porous material having high thermal conductivity at cryogenic temperatures. A non-machined strain-free single crystal can be bonded to the base to produce superior optics. During operation of the cooled optic, N.sub.2 is pumped through the porous material at a sub-cooled cryogenic inlet temperature and with sufficient system pressure to prevent the fluid bulk temperature from reaching saturation.

Process of making cryogenically cooled high thermal performance crystal optics

DOEpatents

Kuzay, T.M.

1992-06-23

A method is disclosed for constructing a cooled optic wherein one or more cavities are milled, drilled or formed using casting or ultrasound laser machining techniques in a single crystal base and filled with porous material having high thermal conductivity at cryogenic temperatures. A non-machined strain-free single crystal can be bonded to the base to produce superior optics. During operation of the cooled optic, N[sub 2] is pumped through the porous material at a sub-cooled cryogenic inlet temperature and with sufficient system pressure to prevent the fluid bulk temperature from reaching saturation. 7 figs.

Large-Scale Cryogen Systems and Test Facilities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, R. G.; Sass, J. P.; Hatfield, W. H.

2007-01-01

NASA has completed initial construction and verification testing of the Integrated Systems Test Facility (ISTF) Cryogenic Testbed. The ISTF is located at Complex 20 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The remote and secure location is ideally suited for the following functions: (1) development testing of advanced cryogenic component technologies, (2) development testing of concepts and processes for entire ground support systems designed for servicing large launch vehicles, and (3) commercial sector testing of cryogenic- and energy-related products and systems. The ISTF Cryogenic Testbed consists of modular fluid distribution piping and storage tanks for liquid oxygen/nitrogen (56,000 gal) and liquid hydrogen (66,000 gal). Storage tanks for liquid methane (41,000 gal) and Rocket Propellant 1 (37,000 gal) are also specified for the facility. A state-of-the-art blast proof test command and control center provides capability for remote operation, video surveillance, and data recording for all test areas.

A compact cryogenic pump

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Gang; Caldwell, Shane; Clark, Jason A.

2016-04-01

A centrifugal cryogenic pump has been designed at Argonne National Laboratory to circulate liquid nitrogen (LN2) in a closed circuit allowing the recovery of excess fluid. The pump can circulate LN2 at rates of 2-10 L/min, into a head of 0.5-3 m. Over four years of laboratory use the pump has proven capable of operating continuously for 50-100 days without maintenance.

Propulsion Technology Needs for Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Thomas

2007-01-01

The objectives of currently planned exploration efforts, as well as those further in the future, require significant advancements in propulsion technologies. The current Lunar exploration architecture has set goals and mission objectives that necessitate the use of new systems and the extension of existing technologies beyond present applications. In the near term, the majority of these technologies are the result of a need to apply high performing cryogenic propulsion systems to long duration in-space applications. Advancement of cryogenic propulsion to these applications is crucial to provide higher performing propulsion systems that reduce the vehicle masses; enhance the safety of vehicle systems and ground operations; and provide a path for In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU).Use of a LOX/LH2 main propulsion system for Lunar Lander Descent is a top priority because more conventional storable propellants are far from meeting the performance needs of the current architecture. While LOX/LH2 pump feed engines have been used in flight applications for many years, these engines have limited throttle capabilities. Engines that are capable of much greater throttling while still meeting high performance goals are a necessity to achieving exploration goals. Applications of LOX/CH4 propulsion to Lander ascent propulsion systems and reaction control systems are also if interest because of desirable performance and operations improvements over conventional storable systems while being more suitable for use of in-situ produced propellants. Within the current lunar architecture, use of cryogenic propulsion for the Earth Departure Stage and Lunar Lander elements also necessitate the need for advanced Cryogenic Fluid Management technologies. These technologies include long duration propellant storage/distribution, low-gravity propellant management, cryogenic couplings and disconnects, light weight composite tanks and support structure, and subsystem integration. In addition to the propulsive and fluid management system technologies described, many component level technologies are also required to enable to the success if the integrated systems. The components include, but are not limited to, variable/throttling valves, variable position actuators, leak detectors, light weight cryogenic fluid pumps, sensor technology and others. NASA, partnering with the Aerospace Industry must endeavor to develop these, and other promising propulsion technologies, to enable the implements of the country's goals in exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Removing Spilled Oil With Liquid Nitrogen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snow, Daniel B.

1991-01-01

Technique proposed to reduce more quickly, contain, clean up, and remove petroleum products and such other pollutants as raw sewage and chemicals without damage to humans, animals, plants, or the environment. Unique and primary aspect of new technique is use of cryogenic fluid to solidify spill so it can be carried away in solid chunks. Liquid nitrogen (LN2), with boiling point at -320 degrees F (-196 degrees C), offers probably best tradeoff among extreme cold, cost, availability, and lack of impact on environment among various cryogenic fluids available. Other applications include extinguishing fires at such locations as oil derricks or platforms and at tank farms containing such petroleum products as gasoline, diesel fuel, and kerosene.

Liquefied Natural Gas Transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

Chicago Bridge & Iron Company's tanks and associated piping are parts of system for transferring liquefied natural gas from ship to shore and storing it. LNG is a "cryogenic" fluid meaning that it must be contained and transferred at very low temperatures, about 260 degrees below Fahrenheit. Before the LNG can be pumped from the ship to the storage tanks, the two foot diameter transfer pipes must be cooled in order to avoid difficulties associated with sharp differences of temperature between the supercold fluid and relatively warm pipes. Cooldown is accomplished by sending small steady flow of the cryogenic substance through the pipeline; the rate of flow must be precisely controlled or the transfer line will be subjected to undesirable thermal stress.

Testing and Analytical Modeling for Purging Process of a Cryogenic Line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hedayat, A.; Mazurkivich, P. V.; Nelson, M. A.; Majumdar, A. K.

2015-01-01

To gain confidence in developing analytical models of the purging process for the cryogenic main propulsion systems of upper stage, two test series were conducted. The test article, a 3.35 m long with the diameter of 20 cm incline line, was filled with liquid or gaseous hydrogen and then purged with gaseous helium (GHe). Total of 10 tests were conducted. The influences of GHe flow rates and initial temperatures were evaluated. The Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP), an in-house general-purpose fluid system analyzer computer program, was utilized to model and simulate selective tests. The test procedures, modeling descriptions, and the results are presented in the following sections.

Testing and Analytical Modeling for Purging Process of a Cryogenic Line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hedayat, A.; Mazurkivich, P. V.; Nelson, M. A.; Majumdar, A. K.

2013-01-01

To gain confidence in developing analytical models of the purging process for the cryogenic main propulsion systems of upper stage, two test series were conducted. The test article, a 3.35 m long with the diameter of 20 cm incline line, was filled with liquid or gaseous hydrogen and then purged with gaseous helium (GHe). Total of 10 tests were conducted. The influences of GHe flow rates and initial temperatures were evaluated. The Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP), an in-house general-purpose fluid system analyzer computer program, was utilized to model and simulate selective tests. The test procedures, modeling descriptions, and the results are presented in the following sections.

Effects of the cryogenic cooling on the fatigue strength of the AISI 304 stainless steel ground components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ben Fredj, Nabil; Sidhom, Habib

2006-06-01

For environmental considerations, the substitution of the conventionally used oil-based grinding fluids has nowadays become strongly recommended. Although several alternatives have been proposed, cryogenic cooling by liquid nitrogen is the non-polluting coolant that has been given relatively more attention because of its very low temperature. In this investigation, in order to contribute to developing this promising cooling mode, its beneficial effects on the ground surface integrity of the AISI 304 stainless steel and their consequences on the fatigue lifetime are explored. Results of this investigation show that grinding under cryogenic cooling mode generates surfaces with lower roughness, less defects, higher work hardening and less tensile residual stresses than those obtained on surfaces ground under oil-based grinding fluid. These surface enhancements result into substantial improvements in the fatigue behaviour of components ground under this cooling mode. An increasing rate of almost 15% of the endurance limit at 2 × 10 6 cycles could be realized. SEM analyses of the fatigue fracture surfaces have shown that the fatigue cracks observed on the specimens ground under cryogenic cooling are shorter (i.e., 30-50 μm) than those generated under oil-based cooling mode (i.e., 150-200 μm). The realized improvements in the surface integrity and in the fatigue behaviour are thought to be related to the reduction of the grinding zone temperature observed under cryogenic cooling, as no significant differences between the grinding force components for both cooling modes have been observed.

Computational fluid dynamic modelling of cavitation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deshpande, Manish; Feng, Jinzhang; Merkle, Charles L.

1993-01-01

Models in sheet cavitation in cryogenic fluids are developed for use in Euler and Navier-Stokes codes. The models are based upon earlier potential-flow models but enable the cavity inception point, length, and shape to be determined as part of the computation. In the present paper, numerical solutions are compared with experimental measurements for both pressure distribution and cavity length. Comparisons between models are also presented. The CFD model provides a relatively simple modification to an existing code to enable cavitation performance predictions to be included. The analysis also has the added ability of incorporating thermodynamic effects of cryogenic fluids into the analysis. Extensions of the current two-dimensional steady state analysis to three-dimensions and/or time-dependent flows are, in principle, straightforward although geometrical issues become more complicated. Linearized models, however offer promise of providing effective cavitation modeling in three-dimensions. This analysis presents good potential for improved understanding of many phenomena associated with cavity flows.

Numerical Modeling of Pressurization of Cryogenic Propellant Tank for Integrated Vehicle Fluid System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Majumdar, Alok K.; LeClair, Andre C.; Hedayat, Ali

2016-01-01

This paper presents a numerical model of pressurization of a cryogenic propellant tank for the Integrated Vehicle Fluid (IVF) system using the Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP). The IVF propulsion system, being developed by United Launch Alliance, uses boiloff propellants to drive thrusters for the reaction control system as well as to run internal combustion engines to develop power and drive compressors to pressurize propellant tanks. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been running tests to verify the functioning of the IVF system using a flight tank. GFSSP, a finite volume based flow network analysis software developed at MSFC, has been used to develop an integrated model of the tank and the pressurization system. This paper presents an iterative algorithm for converging the interface boundary conditions between different component models of a large system model. The model results have been compared with test data.

Liquid Acquisition Device Testing with Sub-Cooled Liquid Oxygen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jurns, John M.; McQuillen, John B.

2008-01-01

When transferring propellant in space, it is most efficient to transfer single phase liquid from a propellant tank to an engine. In earth s gravity field or under acceleration, propellant transfer is fairly simple. However, in low gravity, withdrawing single-phase fluid becomes a challenge. A variety of propellant management devices (PMD) are used to ensure single-phase flow. One type of PMD, a liquid acquisition device (LAD) takes advantage of capillary flow and surface tension to acquire liquid. Previous experimental test programs conducted at NASA have collected LAD data for a number of cryogenic fluids, including: liquid nitrogen (LN2), liquid oxygen (LOX), liquid hydrogen (LH2), and liquid methane (LCH4). The present work reports on additional testing with sub-cooled LOX as part of NASA s continuing cryogenic LAD development program. Test results extend the range of LOX fluid conditions examined, and provide insight into factors affecting predicting LAD bubble point pressures.

Latest developments in cryogenic safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webster, T.

1982-05-01

The Cryogenic Safety Manual, published under the auspices of the British Cryogenics Council, is summarized. Since an awareness of the physical properties of the cryogenic fluids being dealt with is considered important in directing attention to hazardous situations which may arise, the manual lists the more important properties, such as molecular weight, boiling point, and freezing point. Since hydrogen and helium are very light, the possibility arises of explosive mixtures being formed at high points in buildings. Since argon is unexpectedly heavy, its removal requires suction rather than blowing. It is also pointed out that the use of inert liquid nitrogen can lead to the creation of a noninert atmosphere which supports combustion because it contains oxygen. Attention is also given to the danger of asphyxiation posed by the growing use of inert gases.

The SHOOT cryogenic components - Testing and applicability to other flight programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dipirro, Michael J.; Schein, Michael E.; Boyle, Robert F.; Figueroa, Orlando; Lindauer, David A.; Mchugh, Daniel C.; Shirron, P. J.

1990-01-01

Cryogenic components and techniques for the superfluid helium on-orbit transfer (SHOOT) flight demonstration are described. Instrumentation for measuring liquid quantity, position, flow rate, temperature, and pressure has been developed using the data obtained from the IRAS, Cosmic Background Explorer, and Spacelab 2 helium dewars. Topics discussed include valves and burst disks, fluid management devices, structural/thermal components, instrumentation, and ground support equipment and performance test apparatus.

Influence of thermophysical properties of working fluid on the design of cryogenic turboexpanders using nsds diagram

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sam, Ashish A.; Ghosh, Parthasarathi

2015-12-01

Cryogenic turboexpanders are an essential part of liquefaction and refrigeration plants. The thermodynamic efficiency of these plants depends upon the efficiency of the turboexpander, which is the main cold generating component of these plants, and therefore, they should be designed for high thermodynamic efficiencies. Balje's [1] nsdschart, which is a contour of isentropic efficiencies plotted against specific speed and specific diameter, is commonly used for the preliminary design of cryogenic turboexpanders. But, these charts were developed based on calculations for a specific heat ratio (γ) of 1.4, and studies show that care should be taken while implementing the same for gases which have a higher γ of 1.67. Hence there is a need to investigate the extent of applicability of nsds diagram in designing expansion turbines for higher specific heat ratios. In this paper, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of cryogenic turboexpanders was carried out using Ansys CFX®. The turboexpanders were designed based on the methodologies prescribed by Kun and Sentz [2] following the nsds diagram of Balje and Hasselgruber's technique for generating blade profile. The computational results of the two cases were analysed to investigate the applicability of Balje's nsds diagram for the design of turboexpanders for refrigeration and liquefaction cycles.

Magnetically Actuated Propellant Orientation, Controlling Fluids in a Low-Gravity Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, James J.; Holt, James B.

2000-01-01

Cryogenic fluid management (CFM) is a technology area common to virtually every space transportation propulsion concept envisioned. Storage, supply, transfer and handling of sub-critical cryogenic fluids are basic capabilities that have long been needed by multiple programs and the need is expected to continue in the future. The use of magnetic fields provides another method, which could replace or augment current/traditional approaches, potentially simplifying vehicle operational constraints. The magnetically actuated propellant orientation (MAPO) program effort focused on the use of magnetic fields to control fluid motion as it relates to positioning (i.e. orientation and acquisition) of a paramagnetic substance such as LO2. Current CFM state- of-the-art systems used to control and acquire propellant in low gravity environments rely on liquid surface tension devices which employ vanes, fine screen mesh channels and baskets. These devices trap and direct propellant to areas where it's needed and have been used routinely with storable (non-cryogenic) propellants. However, almost no data exists r,egarding their operation in cryogenics and the use of such devices confronts designers with a multitude of significant technology issues. Typical problems include a sensitivity to screen dry out (due to thermal loads and pressurant gas) and momentary adverse accelerations (generated from either internal or external sources). Any of these problems can potentially cause the acquisition systems to ingest or develop vapor and fail. The use of lightweight high field strength magnets may offer a valuable means of augmenting traditional systems potentially mitigating or at least easing operational requirements. Two potential uses of magnetic fields include: 1) strategically positioning magnets to keep vent ports clear of liquid (enabling low G vented fill operations), and 2) placing magnets in the center or around the walls of the tank to create an insulating vapor pocket (between the liquid and the tank wall) which could effectively lower heat transfer to the liquid (enabling increased storage time).

Adhesive Bonding Characterization of Composite Joints for Cryogenic Usage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graf, Neil A.; Schieleit, Gregory F.; Biggs, Robert

2000-01-01

The development of polymer composite cryogenic tanks is a critical step in creating the next generation of launch vehicles. Future reusable launch vehicles need to minimize the gross liftoff weight (GLOW). This weight reduction is possible due to the large reduction in weight that composite materials can provide over current aluminum technology. In addition to composite technology, adhesively bonded joints potentially have several benefits over mechanically fastened joints, such as weight savings and cryogenic fluid containment. Adhesively bonded joints may be used in several areas of these cryogenic tanks, such as in lobe-to-lobe joints (in a multi-lobe concept), skirt-to-tank joint, strut-to-tank joint, and for attaching stringers and ring frames. The bonds, and the tanks themselves, must be able to withstand liquid cryogenic fuel temperatures that they contain. However, the use of adhesively bonded composite joints at liquid oxygen and hydrogen temperatures is largely unknown and must be characterized. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Michoud Operations performed coupon-level tests to determine effects of material selection, cure process parameters, substrate surface preparation, and other factors on the strength of these composite joints at cryogenic temperatures. This led to the selection of a material and process that would be suitable for a cryogenic tank. KEY WORDS: Composites, Adhesive Bonding, Cryogenics

Fluid-film foil bearings control engine heat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Connor, Leo

1993-05-01

The state-of-the-art of fluid-film foil bearings and their current and prospective applications are briefly reviewed. In particular, attention is given to the general design of fluid-film foil bearings, the materials used, and bearing performance. The applications discussed include launch vehicle turbopumps, turbines used to cool aircraft cabins, and turbocompressors and turboexpanders used in the processing of cryogenic fluids. Future applications may include turbochargers, textile spindles, cryocoolers, motor blowers, heat pumps, and solar chillers.

Optical Cryogenic Tank Level Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duffell, Amanda

2005-01-01

Cryogenic fluids play an important role in space transportation. Liquid oxygen and hydrogen are vital fuel components for liquid rocket engines. It is also difficult to accurately measure the liquid level in the cryogenic tanks containing the liquids. The current methods use thermocouple rakes, floats, or sonic meters to measure tank level. Thermocouples have problems examining the boundary between the boiling liquid and the gas inside the tanks. They are also slow to respond to temperature changes. Sonic meters need to be mounted inside the tank, but still above the liquid level. This causes problems for full tanks, or tanks that are being rotated to lie on their side.

Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Technology Demonstration: Advancing Technologies for Future Mission Architectures Beyond Low Earth Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chojnacki, Kent T.; Crane, Deborah J.; Motil, Susan M.; Ginty, Carol A.; Tofil, Todd A.

2014-01-01

As part of U.S. National Space Policy, NASA is seeking an innovative path for human space exploration, which strengthens the capability to extend human and robotic presence throughout the solar system. NASA is laying the groundwork to enable humans to safely reach multiple potential destinations, including the Moon, asteroids, Lagrange points, and Mars and its environs. In support of this, NASA is embarking on the Technology Demonstration Mission Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (TDM CPST) Project to test and validate key cryogenic capabilities and technologies required for future exploration elements, opening up the architecture for large cryogenic propulsion stages and propellant depots. The TDM CPST will provide an on-orbit demonstration of the capability to store, transfer, and measure cryogenic propellants for a duration that enables long term human space exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit. This paper will present a summary of the cryogenic fluid management technology maturation effort, infusion of those technologies into flight hardware development, and a summary of the CPST preliminary design.

Computational Analyses of Pressurization in Cryogenic Tanks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahuja, Vineet; Hosangadi, Ashvin; Lee, Chun P.; Field, Robert E.; Ryan, Harry

2010-01-01

A comprehensive numerical framework utilizing multi-element unstructured CFD and rigorous real fluid property routines has been developed to carry out analyses of propellant tank and delivery systems at NASA SSC. Traditionally CFD modeling of pressurization and mixing in cryogenic tanks has been difficult primarily because the fluids in the tank co-exist in different sub-critical and supercritical states with largely varying properties that have to be accurately accounted for in order to predict the correct mixing and phase change between the ullage and the propellant. For example, during tank pressurization under some circumstances, rapid mixing of relatively warm pressurant gas with cryogenic propellant can lead to rapid densification of the gas and loss of pressure in the tank. This phenomenon can cause serious problems during testing because of the resulting decrease in propellant flow rate. With proper physical models implemented, CFD can model the coupling between the propellant and pressurant including heat transfer and phase change effects and accurately capture the complex physics in the evolving flowfields. This holds the promise of allowing the specification of operational conditions and procedures that could minimize the undesirable mixing and heat transfer inherent in propellant tank operation. In our modeling framework, we incorporated two different approaches to real fluids modeling: (a) the first approach is based on the HBMS model developed by Hirschfelder, Beuler, McGee and Sutton and (b) the second approach is based on a cubic equation of state developed by Soave, Redlich and Kwong (SRK). Both approaches cover fluid properties and property variation spanning sub-critical gas and liquid states as well as the supercritical states. Both models were rigorously tested and properties for common fluids such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen etc were compared against NIST data in both the sub-critical as well as supercritical regimes.

Cryogenic cooler apparatus

DOEpatents

Wheatley, J.C.; Paulson, D.N.; Allen, P.C.

1983-01-04

A Malone-type final stage for utilization in a Stirling cycle cryogenic cooler apparatus includes a displacer slidable within a vessel. [sup 4]He, [sup 3]He, or a mixture thereof is made to flow in a pulsating unidirectional manner through a regenerator in the displacer by utilization of check valves in separate fluid channels. Stacked copper screen members extend through the channels and through a second static thermodynamic medium within the displacer to provide efficient lateral heat exchange and enable cooling to temperatures in the range of 3--4 K. Another embodiment utilizes sintered copper particles in the regenerator. Also described is a final stage that has a non-thermally conducting displacer having passages with check valves for directing fluid past a regenerator formed in the surrounding vessel. 10 figs.

Cryogenic cooler apparatus

DOEpatents

Wheatley, John C.; Paulson, Douglas N.; Allen, Paul C.

1983-01-01

A Malone-type final stage for utilization in a Stirling cycle cryogenic cooler apparatus includes a displacer slidable within a vessel. .sup.4 He, .sup.3 He, or a mixture thereof is made to flow in a pulsating unidirectional manner through a regenerator in the displacer by utilization of check valves in separate fluid channels. Stacked copper screen members extend through the channels and through a second static thermodynamic medium within the displacer to provide efficient lateral heat exchange and enable cooling to temperatures in the range of 3-4 K. Another embodiment utilizes sintered copper particles in the regenerator. Also described is a final stage that has a non-thermally conducting displacer having passages with check valves for directing fluid past a regenerator formed in the surrounding vessel.

Analytical and numerical performance models of a Heisenberg Vortex Tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunge, C. D.; Cavender, K. A.; Matveev, K. I.; Leachman, J. W.

2017-12-01

Analytical and numerical investigations of a Heisenberg Vortex Tube (HVT) are performed to estimate the cooling potential with cryogenic hydrogen. The Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube (RHVT) is a device that tangentially injects a compressed fluid stream into a cylindrical geometry to promote enthalpy streaming and temperature separation between inner and outer flows. The HVT is the result of lining the inside of a RHVT with a hydrogen catalyst. This is the first concept to utilize the endothermic heat of para-orthohydrogen conversion to aid primary cooling. A review of 1st order vortex tube models available in the literature is presented and adapted to accommodate cryogenic hydrogen properties. These first order model predictions are compared with 2-D axisymmetric Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations.

The thermal conductance of solid-lubricated bearings at cryogenic temperatures in vacuum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, M. J.

1996-01-01

The thermal conductance of Hertzian contacts is of great importance to cryogenic spacecraft mechanisms such as the Infra-Red Space Observatory (ISO) and the Far Infra-Red Space Telescope (FIRST). At cryogenic temperatures, cooling of mechanism shafts and associated components occurs via conduction through the bearings. When fluid lubricants are cooled below their pour points, they no longer lubricate effectively, and it is necessary to use low shear strength solid lubricants. Currently, only very limited low temperature data exists on the thermal conductance of Hertzian contacts in both unlubricated and lubricated conditions. This paper reports on measurements of thermal conductance made on stationary ball bearings under cryo-vacuum conditions. Quantitative data is provided to support the development of computer models predicting the thermal conductance of Hertzian contacts and solid lubricants at cryogenic temperatures.

Cryogenics Testbed Laboratory Flange Baseline Configuration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acuna, Marie Lei Ysabel D.

2013-01-01

As an intern at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), I was involved in research for the Fluids and Propulsion Division of the NASA Engineering (NE) Directorate. I was immersed in the Integrated Ground Operations Demonstration Units (IGODU) project for the majority of my time at KSC, primarily with the Ground Operations Demonstration Unit Liquid Oxygen (GODU L02) branch of IGODU. This project was established to develop advancements in cryogenic systems as a part of KSC's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) program. The vision of AES is to develop new approaches for human exploration, and operations in and beyond low Earth orbit. Advanced cryogenic systems are crucial to minimize the consumable losses of cryogenic propellants, develop higher performance launch vehicles, and decrease operations cost for future launch programs. During my internship, I conducted a flange torque tracking study that established a baseline configuration for the flanges in the Simulated Propellant Loading System (SPLS) at the KSC Cryogenics Test Laboratory (CTL) - the testing environment for GODU L02.

Low cost cryostat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephens, J. B. (Inventor)

1980-01-01

A cryostat for use in a low or a substantially gravity-free environment adapted to cool an experiment through the use of helium 2, or helium in its super fluid state is characterized by a number of interchangeable daughter dewars and helium supply or mother dewar. A low pressure venting system is provided for converting helium contained in the mother dewar to a superfluid state for use as a primary cryogen. Each daughter dewar is adapted to be removably mounted in mated relation on the mother dewar and is characterized by support for an experiment package, a source of helium to be employed as a secondary cryogen. A heat pipe is suspended from each daughter dewar and adapted to be extended into the mother dewar for facilitating cooling of the secondary cryogen. A transfer of heat from the package to the primary cryogen, via the secondary cryogen, is accommodated as a film flow of helium 2 progresses from the heat pipe to the experiment dewar.

Robotic Refueling Mission-3 Arrival and Processing

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-05-08

NASA’s Robotic Refueling Mission 3 (RRM3) arrived at Kennedy Space Center’s Space Station Processing Facility on May 8. The fluid transfer module will demonstrate innovative methods to store, transfer and freeze standard cryogenic fluid in space. RRM3 is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station later this year.

Research and Technology 1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

A brief but comprehensive review is given of the technical accomplishments of the NASA Lewis Research Center during the past year. Topics covered include instrumentation and controls technology; internal fluid dynamics; aerospace materials, structures, propulsion, and electronics; space flight systems; cryogenic fluids; Space Station Freedom systems engineering, photovoltaic power module, electrical systems, and operations; and engineering and computational support.

Characterization and Analyses of Valves, Feed Lines and Tanks used in Propellant Delivery Systems at NASA SSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryan, Harry M.; Coote, David J.; Ahuja, Vineet; Hosangadi, Ashvin

2006-01-01

Accurate modeling of liquid rocket engine test processes involves assessing critical fluid mechanic and heat and mass transfer mechanisms within a cryogenic environment, and accurately modeling fluid properties such as vapor pressure and liquid and gas densities as a function of pressure and temperature. The Engineering and Science Directorate at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center has developed and implemented such analytic models and analysis processes that have been used over a broad range of thermodynamic systems and resulted in substantial improvements in rocket propulsion testing services. In this paper, we offer an overview of the analyses techniques used to simulate pressurization and propellant fluid systems associated with the test stands at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center. More specifically, examples of the global performance (one-dimensional) of a propellant system are provided as predicted using the Rocket Propulsion Test Analysis (RPTA) model. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analyses utilizing multi-element, unstructured, moving grid capability of complex cryogenic feed ducts, transient valve operation, and pressurization and mixing in propellant tanks are provided as well.

OTV Propulsion Issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The statistical technology needs of aero-assist maneuvering, propulsion, and usage of cryogenic fluids were presented. Industry panels discussed the servicing of reusable space based vehicles and propulsion-vehicle interation.

Martian Cryogenic Carbonate Formation: Stable Isotope Variations Observed in Laboratory Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Socki, Richard A.; Niles, Paul B.; Sun, Tao; Fu, Qi; Romanek, Christopher S.; Gibson, Everett K. Jr.

2014-01-01

The history of water on Mars is tied to the formation of carbonates through atmospheric CO2 and its control of the climate history of the planet. Carbonate mineral formation under modern martian atmospheric conditions could be a critical factor in controlling the martian climate in a means similar to the rock weathering cycle on Earth. The combination of evidence for liquid water on the martian surface and cold surface conditions suggest fluid freezing could be very common on the surface of Mars. Cryogenic calcite forms easily from freezing solutions when carbon dioxide degasses quickly from Ca-bicarbonate-rich water, a process that has been observed in some terrestrial settings such as arctic permafrost cave deposits, lake beds of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, and in aufeis (river icings) from rivers of N.E. Alaska. A series of laboratory experiments were conducted that simulated cryogenic carbonate formation on Mars in order to understand their isotopic systematics. The results indicate that carbonates grown under martian conditions show variable enrichments from starting bicarbonate fluids in both carbon and oxygen isotopes beyond equilibrium values.

Subcooling Cryogenic Propellants for Long Duration Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mustafi, Shuvo; Canavan, Edgar; Johnson, Wesley; Kutter, Bernard; Shull, Jeff

2009-01-01

The use of cryogenic propellants such as hydrogen and oxygen is crucial for exploration of the solar system because of their superior specific impulse capability. Future missions may require vehicles with the flexibility to remain in orbit or travel in space for months, necessitating long-term storage of these cryogens. One powerful technique for easing the challenge of cryogenic fluid storage is to remove energy from tlie cryogenic propellant by isobaricly subcooling them below their normal boiling point prior to launch. The isobaric subcooling of the cryogenic propellant will be performed by using a cold pressurant to maintain the tank pressure while the cryogen's temperature is simultaneously reduced. After launch, even with the use of the best insulation systems, heat will leak into the cold cryogenic propellant tank. However, the large heat capacity available in highly subcooled cryogenic propellants allows them to absorb the energy that leaks into the tank until the cryogen reaches its operational thermodynamic condition. During this period of heating of the subcooled cryogen there will be no loss of the propellant due to venting for pressure control. This simple technique can extend the operational life of a spacecraft or an orbital cryogenic depot many months with minimal mass penalty. Subcooling technologies for cryogenic propellants would thus provide the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate with an enhanced level of mission flexibility. However, there are a few challenges associated with subcooling cryogenic propellants since compact subcooling ground support equipment has not been demonstrated. This paper explores the beneficial impact of subcooling cryogenic propellants on the launch pad for long-term cryogenic propellant storage in space and proposes a novel method for implementing subcooling of cryogenic propellants for spacecraft such as the Ares V Earth Departure Stage (EDS). Analysis indicates that with a careful strategy to handle the subcooled cryogen it would be possible to store cryogenic propellants in space for many months without venting. A concept for subcooling the cryogenic propellant relatively quickly and inexpensively on the launch pad - the thermodynamic cryogen subcooler (TCS) - will be presented. Important components of the TCS and an associated subcooled cryogen tank (SCT) will be discussed in this paper. Results from a preliminary thermodynamic model of the performance of a TCS for an EDS sized hydrogen tank will also be presented.

Mars transit vehicle thermal protection system: Issues, options, and trades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Norman

1986-01-01

A Mars mission is characterized by different mission phases. The thermal control of cryogenic propellant in a propulsive vehicle must withstand the different mission environments. Long term cryogenic storage may be achieved by passive or active systems. Passive cryo boiloff management features will include multilayer insulation, vapor cooled shield, and low conductance structural supports and penetrations. Active boiloff management incorporates the use of a refrigeration system. Key system trade areas include active verses passive system boiloff management (with respect to safety, reliability, and cost) and propellant tank insulation optimizations. Technology requirements include refrigeration technology advancements, insulation performance during long exposure, and cryogenic fluid transfer system for mission vehicle propellant tanking during vehicle buildip in LEO.

Cryogenic On-Orbit Liquid Depot-Storage, Acquisition and Transfer (COLD-SAT) Experiment Conceptual Design and Feasibility Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kramer, Edward (Editor)

1998-01-01

The cryogenic fluid management technologies required for the exploration of the solar system can only be fully developed via space-based experiments. A dedicated spacecraft is the most efficient way to perform these experiments. This report documents the extended conceptual design of the COLD-SAT spacecraft, capable of meeting these experimental requirements. All elements, including the spacecraft, ground segment, launch site modifications and launch vehicle operations, and flight operations are included. Greatly expanded coverage is provided for those areas unique to this cryogenic spacecraft, such as the experiment system, attitude control system, and spacecraft operations. Supporting analyses are included as are testing requirements, facilities surveys, and proposed project timelines.

Cryogenic system with GM cryocooler for krypton, xenon separation from hydrogen-helium purge gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, X. X.; Zhang, M. M.; Zhang, D. X.; Xu, D.; Qian, Y.; Liu, W.

2014-01-01

In the thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR), fission products such as krypton, xenon and tritium will be produced continuously in the process of nuclear fission reaction. A cryogenic system with a two stage GM cryocooler was designed to separate Kr, Xe, and H2 from helium purge gas. The temperatures of two stage heat exchanger condensation tanks were maintained at about 38 K and 4.5 K, respectively. The main fluid parameters of heat transfer were confirmed, and the structural heat exchanger equipment and cold box were designed. Designed concentrations after cryogenic separation of Kr, Xe and H2 in helium recycle gas are less than 1 ppb.

Electromagnetic dampers for cryogenic applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Gerald V.; Dirusso, Eliseo

1988-01-01

Cryogenic turbomachinery of the type used to pump high-pressure liquid hydrogen at -423 F and liquid oxygen at -297 F to the main engines of the Space Shuttle are subjected to lateral rotor vibrations from unbalance forces and transient loads. Conventional dampers which utilize viscous fluids such as lubricating oil cannot be used in turbopumps because the bearing components are filled with either liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen, which have viscosity comparable to air and, therefore, are not effective in viscous dampers. Electromagentic dampers are currently being explored as a means of providing damping in cryogenic turbopumps because their damping effectiveness increases as temperature decreases and because they are compatible with the liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen in the turbopumps.

Development and testing of a passive check valve for cryogenic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, B. D.; Maddocks, J. R.; Miller, F. K.

2014-11-01

Several cryogenic technologies use check valves, such as the Cold Cycle Dilution Refrigerator (CCDR) and the Hybrid Pulse-Tube/Reverse-Brayton Cryocooler. This paper details the development of a reed-style passive check valve with a PTFE seat for cryogenic applications. The experimental results of tests on the valve using helium gas at temperatures from 293 K down to 5.2 K, verify a scaling argument based on fundamental fluid dynamics that allows results from 78 K to be used in predicting valve performance at much lower temperatures. The scaling argument is then applied to a test conducted at the normal boiling point of Nitrogen to examine the results of improved fabrication methods.

Small Multi-Purpose Research Facility (SMiRF)

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-15

NASA Glenn engineer Monica Guzik in the Small Multi-Purpose Research Facility (SMiRF). The facility provides the ability to simulate the environmental conditions encountered in space for a variety of cryogenic applications such as thermal protection systems, fluid transfer operations and propellant level gauging. SMiRF is a low-cost, small-scale screening facility for concept and component testing of a wide variety of hardware and is capable of testing cryogenic hydrogen, oxygen, methane and nitrogen.

In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Depot Stepping Stone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howell, Joe T.; Mankins, John C.; Fikes, John C.

2005-01-01

An In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Depot (ISCPD) is an important stepping stone to provide the capability to preposition, store, manufacture, and later use the propellants for Earth-Neighborhood campaigns and beyond. An in-space propellant depot will provide affordable propellants and other similar consumables to support the development of sustainable and affordable exploration strategies as well as commercial space activities. An in-space propellant depot not only requires technology development in key areas such as zero boil-off storage and fluid transfer, but in other areas such as lightweight structures, highly reliable connectors, and autonomous operations. These technologies can be applicable to a broad range of propellant depot concepts or specific to a certain design. In addition, these technologies are required for spacecraft and orbit transfer vehicle propulsion and power systems, and space life support. Generally, applications of this technology require long-term storage, on-orbit fluid transfer and supply, cryogenic propellant production from water, unique instrumentation and autonomous operations. This paper discusses the reasons why such advances are important to future affordable and sustainable operations in space. This paper also discusses briefly R&D objectives comprising a promising approach to the systems planning and evolution into a meaningful stepping stone design, development, and implementation of an In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Depot. The success of a well-planned and orchestrated approach holds great promise for achieving innovation and revolutionary technology development for supporting future exploration and development of space.

Improved thermodynamic modeling of the no-vent fill process and correlation with experimental data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, William J.; Chato, David J.

1991-01-01

The United States' plans to establish a permanent manned presence in space and to explore the Solar System created the need to efficiently handle large quantities of subcritical cryogenic fluids, particularly propellants such as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, in low- to zero-gravity environments. One of the key technologies to be developed for fluid handling is the ability to transfer the cryogens between storage and spacecraft tanks. The no-vent fill method was identified as one way to perform this transfer. In order to understand how to apply this method, a model of the no-vent fill process is being developed and correlated with experimental data. The verified models then can be used to design and analyze configurations for tankage and subcritical fluid depots. The development of an improved macroscopic thermodynamic model is discussed of the no-vent fill process and the analytical results from the computer program implementation of the model are correlated with experimental results for two different test tanks.

Two-phase choked flow of cryogenic fluids in converging-diverging nozzles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simoneau, R. J.; Hendricks, R. C.

1979-01-01

Data are presented for the two phase choked flow of three cryogenic fluids - nitrogen, methane, and hydrogen - in four converging-diverging nozzles. The data cover a range of inlet stagnation conditions, all single phase, from well below to well above the thermodynamic critical conditions. In almost all cases the nozzle throat conditions were two phase. The results indicate that the choked flow rates were not very sensitive to nozzle geometry. However, the axial pressure profiles, especially the throat pressure and the point of vaporization, were very sensitive to both nozzle geometry and operating conditions. A modified Henry-Fauske model correlated all the choked flow rate data to within + or - 10 percent. Neither the equilibrium model nor the Henry-Fauske model predicted throat pressures well over the whole range of data. Above the thermodynamic critical temperature the homogeneous equilibrium model was preferred for both flow rate and pressure ratio. The data of the three fluids could be normalized by the principle of corresponding states.

Methodology for Assessing a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) Blast Potential

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keddy, Chris P.

2012-01-01

Composite Vessels are now used to store a variety of fluids or gases including cryogenic fluids under pressure. Sudden failure of these vessels under certain conditions can lead to a potentially catastrophic vapor expansion if thermal control is not maintained prior to failure. This can lead to a "Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion" or BLEVE.

Orbital transfer vehicle studies overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkinson, Don

1987-01-01

An overview is given in viewgraph form of orbital transfer vehicle concept definition and systems analysis studies. Project development flow charts are shown for key milestones from 1985 until 1997. Diagrams of vehicles are given. Information is presented in outline form on technology requirements, cooling of propellant tanks, cryogenic fluid management, quick connect/disconnect fluid interfaces and propellant mass transfer.

Cryogenic fluid management program at MSFC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, G. R.; Hastings, L. J.

1990-01-01

Cryogenic fluid management (CFM) is an important aspect in the design and operation of spacecraft propellant systems. Consequently, it represents a key technology in the development of future vehicles for orbital transfer, lunar transit and manned interplanetary (i.e., Mars) missions. Because of Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) leading role in the definition of such vehicles, the center is currently managing and conducting a variety of tests to support development of this technology. The purpose of this paper is to summarize these activities and present their status within the context of CFM technology requirements. The first section reviews MSFC's role, identifies the major emphases and thrusts of its program, and presents the overall schedule. The final part comprises the bulk of the report, and describes at length the objectives, approach and status of each project.

Cryogenics for high-energy particle accelerators: highlights from the first fifty years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lebrun, Ph

2017-02-01

Applied superconductivity has become a key technology for high-energy particle accelerators, allowing to reach higher beam energy while containing size, capital expenditure and operating costs. Large and powerful cryogenic systems are therefore ancillary to low-temperature superconducting accelerator devices - magnets and high-frequency cavities - distributed over multi-kilometre distances and operating generally close to the normal boiling point of helium, but also above 4.2 K in supercritical and down to below 2 K in superfluid. Additionally, low-temperature operation in accelerators may also be required by considerations of ultra-high vacuum, limited stored energy and beam stability. We discuss the rationale for cryogenics in high-energy particle accelerators, review its development over the past half-century and present its outlook in future large projects, with reference to the main engineering domains of cryostat design and heat loads, cooling schemes, efficient power refrigeration and cryogenic fluid management.

Performance evaluation of cryogenic counter-flow heat exchangers with longitudinal conduction, heat in-leak and property variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Q. F.; Zhuang, M.; Zhu, Z. G.; Y Zhang, Q.; Sheng, L. H.

2017-12-01

Counter-flow plate-fin heat exchangers are commonly utilized in cryogenic applications due to their high effectiveness and compact size. For cryogenic heat exchangers in helium liquefaction/refrigeration systems, conventional design theory is no longer applicable and they are usually sensitive to longitudinal heat conduction, heat in-leak from surroundings and variable fluid properties. Governing equations based on distributed parameter method are developed to evaluate performance deterioration caused by these effects. The numerical model could also be applied in many other recuperators with different structures and, hence, available experimental data are used to validate it. For a specific case of the multi-stream heat exchanger in the EAST helium refrigerator, quantitative effects of these heat losses are further discussed, in comparison with design results obtained by the common commercial software. The numerical model could be useful to evaluate and rate the heat exchanger performance under the actual cryogenic environment.

Wall mounted heat exchanger characterization. [cryogenic propellant tanks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bullard, B. R.

1975-01-01

Analytical models are presented for describing the heat and mass transfer and the energy distribution in the contents of a cryogenic propellant tank, under varying gravity levels. These models are used to analytically evaluate the effectiveness of a wall heat exchanger as a means of controlling the pressure in the tank during flight and during fill operations. Pressure and temperature histories are presented for tanks varying in size from 4 to 22.5 feet in diameter and gravity levels from 0-1. Results from the subscale test program, utilizing both non-cryogenic and cryogenic fluid, designed to evaluate a tank wall heat exchanger are described and compared with the analytical models. Both the model and test results indicate that a passive tank wall heat exchanger can effectively control tank pressure. However, the weight of such a system is considerably higher than that of an active mixer system.

Investigation of two-phase heat transfer coefficients of argon-freon cryogenic mixed refrigerants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baek, Seungwhan; Lee, Cheonkyu; Jeong, Sangkwon

2014-11-01

Mixed refrigerant Joule Thomson refrigerators are widely used in various kinds of cryogenic systems these days. Although heat transfer coefficient estimation for a multi-phase and multi-component fluid in the cryogenic temperature range is necessarily required in the heat exchanger design of mixed refrigerant Joule Thomson refrigerators, it has been rarely discussed so far. In this paper, condensation and evaporation heat transfer coefficients of argon-freon mixed refrigerant are measured in a microchannel heat exchanger. A Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger (PCHE) with 340 μm hydraulic diameter has been developed as a compact microchannel heat exchanger and utilized in the experiment. Several two-phase heat transfer coefficient correlations are examined to discuss the experimental measurement results. The result of this paper shows that cryogenic two-phase mixed refrigerant heat transfer coefficients can be estimated by conventional two-phase heat transfer coefficient correlations.

Cryogenic Orbital Nitrogen Experiment (CONE): Phase A/B design study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, William J.; Weiner, Stephen P.; Beekman, Douglas H.

1991-01-01

Subcritical cryogenic fluid management (CFM) has long been recognized as an enabling technology for future space missions. Subcritical liquid storage and supply are two of the five CFM technology areas that need to be studied in the low gravity on-orbit environment. The Cryogenic Orbital Nitrogen Experiment (CONE) is a LN2 cryogenic storage and supply system demonstration placed in orbit by the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) Orbiter and operated as an in-bay payload. In-space demonstration of CFM using LN2 with a few well defined areas of focus would provide the confidence level required to implement subcritical cryogen use and is the first step towards the more far reaching issue of cryogen transfer and tankage resupply. A conceptual approach for CONE was developed and an overview of the program is described including the following: (1) a description of the background and scope of the technology objectives; (2) a description of the payload design and operation; and (3) the justification for CONE relating to potential near term benefits and risk mitigation for future systems. Data and criteria is provided to correlate in-space performance with analytical and numerical modeling of CFM systems.

Do-It-Yourself Device for Recovery of Cryopreserved Samples Accidentally Dropped into Cryogenic Storage Tanks

PubMed Central

Mehta, Rohini; Baranova, Ancha; Birerdinc, Aybike

2012-01-01

Liquid nitrogen is colorless, odorless, extremely cold (-196 °C) liquid kept under pressure. It is commonly used as a cryogenic fluid for long term storage of biological materials such as blood, cells and tissues 1,2. The cryogenic nature of liquid nitrogen, while ideal for sample preservation, can cause rapid freezing of live tissues on contact - known as 'cryogenic burn'2, which may lead to severe frostbite in persons closely involved in storage and retrieval of samples from Dewars. Additionally, as liquid nitrogen evaporates it reduces the oxygen concentration in the air and might cause asphyxia, especially in confined spaces2. In laboratories, biological samples are often stored in cryovials or cryoboxes stacked in stainless steel racks within the Dewar tanks1. These storage racks are provided with a long shaft to prevent boxes from slipping out from the racks and into the bottom of Dewars during routine handling. All too often, however, boxes or vials with precious samples slip out and sink to the bottom of liquid nitrogen filled tank. In such cases, samples could be tediously retrieved after transferring the liquid nitrogen into a spare container or discarding it. The boxes and vials can then be relatively safely recovered from emptied Dewar. However, the cryogenic nature of liquid nitrogen and its expansion rate makes sunken sample retrieval hazardous. It is commonly recommended by Safety Offices that sample retrieval be never carried out by a single person. Another alternative is to use commercially available cool grabbers or tongs to pull out the vials3. However, limited visibility within the dark liquid filled Dewars poses a major limitation in their use. In this article, we describe the construction of a Cryotolerant DIY retrieval device, which makes sample retrieval from Dewar containing cryogenic fluids both safe and easy. PMID:22617806

Do-It-Yourself device for recovery of cryopreserved samples accidentally dropped into cryogenic storage tanks.

PubMed

Mehta, Rohini; Baranova, Ancha; Birerdinc, Aybike

2012-05-11

Liquid nitrogen is colorless, odorless, extremely cold (-196 °C) liquid kept under pressure. It is commonly used as a cryogenic fluid for long term storage of biological materials such as blood, cells and tissues (1,2). The cryogenic nature of liquid nitrogen, while ideal for sample preservation, can cause rapid freezing of live tissues on contact - known as 'cryogenic burn' (2), which may lead to severe frostbite in persons closely involved in storage and retrieval of samples from Dewars. Additionally, as liquid nitrogen evaporates it reduces the oxygen concentration in the air and might cause asphyxia, especially in confined spaces (2). In laboratories, biological samples are often stored in cryovials or cryoboxes stacked in stainless steel racks within the Dewar tanks (1). These storage racks are provided with a long shaft to prevent boxes from slipping out from the racks and into the bottom of Dewars during routine handling. All too often, however, boxes or vials with precious samples slip out and sink to the bottom of liquid nitrogen filled tank. In such cases, samples could be tediously retrieved after transferring the liquid nitrogen into a spare container or discarding it. The boxes and vials can then be relatively safely recovered from emptied Dewar. However, the cryogenic nature of liquid nitrogen and its expansion rate makes sunken sample retrieval hazardous. It is commonly recommended by Safety Offices that sample retrieval be never carried out by a single person. Another alternative is to use commercially available cool grabbers or tongs to pull out the vials (3). However, limited visibility within the dark liquid filled Dewars poses a major limitation in their use. In this article, we describe the construction of a Cryotolerant DIY retrieval device, which makes sample retrieval from Dewar containing cryogenic fluids both safe and easy.

Cryogenic brines as diagenetic fluids: Reconstructing the diagenetic history of the Victoria Land Basin using clumped isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staudigel, Philip T.; Murray, Sean; Dunham, Daniel P.; Frank, Tracy D.; Fielding, Christopher R.; Swart, Peter K.

2018-03-01

The isotopic analyses (δ13C, δ18O, and Δ47) of carbonate phases recovered from a core in McMurdo Sound by ANtarctic geologic DRILLing (ANDRILL-2A) indicate that the majority of secondary carbonate mineral formation occurred at cooler temperatures than the modern burial temperature, and in the presence of fluids with δ18Owater values ranging between -11 and -6‰ VSMOW. These fluids are interpreted as being derived from a cryogenic brine formed during the freezing of seawater. The Δ47 values were converted to temperature using an in-house calibration presented in this paper. Measurements of the Δ47 values in the cements indicate increasingly warmer crystallization temperatures with depth and, while roughly parallel to the observed geothermal gradient, consistently translate to temperatures that are cooler than the current burial temperature. The difference in temperature suggests that cements formed when they were ∼260 ± 100 m shallower than at the present day. This depth range corresponds to a period of minimal sediment accumulation from 3 to 11 Myr; it is therefore interpreted that the majority of cements formed during this time. This behavior is also predicted by time-integrated modeling of cementation at this site. If this cementation had occurred in the presence of these fluids, then the cryogenic brines have been a longstanding feature in the Victoria Land Basin. Brines such as those found at this site have been described in numerous modern high-latitude settings, and analogous fluids could have played a role in the diagenetic history of other ice-proximal sediments and basins during glacial intervals throughout geologic history. The agreement between the calculated δ18Owater value and the measured values in the pore fluids shows how the Δ47 proxy can be used to identify the origin of negative δ18O values in carbonate rocks and that extremely negative values do not necessarily need to be a result of the influence of meteoric fluids or reaction at high temperature.

Chemical Engineering in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lobmeyer, Dennis A.; Meneghelli, Barry J.

2001-01-01

The state of the art in launch systems uses chemical propulsion systems, primarily liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, to provide the energy necessary to achieve orbit and escape the bonds of Earth's gravity. In the future there may be other means available; however, currently few of these alternatives can compare to the speed or the ease of use provided by cryogenic chemical propulsion agents. Cryogenics, the science and art of producing cold operating conditions, has become increasingly important to our ability to travel within our solar system. The production and transport of cryogenic fuels as well as the long-term storage of these fluids are necessary for mankind to travel within our solar system. It is with great care and at a significant cost that gaseous compounds such as hydrogen and oxygen are liquified and become dense enough to use for rocket fuel. As our explorations move farther away from Earth, we need to address how to produce the necessary fuels to make a complete round-trip. The cost and the size of any expedition to another celestial body are extreme. If we are constrained by the need to take everything necessary (fuel, life support, etc.) for our survival and return, we greatly increase the risk of being able to go. As with the early explorers on Earth, we will need to harvest much of our energy and our life support from the celestial bodies. The in situ production of these energy sources is paramount to success. Due to the current propulsion system designs, the in-situ processes will require liquefaction and the application of cryogenics. The challenge we face for the near future is to increase our understanding of cryogenic long-term storage and off-world production of cryogenic fluids. We must do this all within the boundaries of very restricted size, weight, and robustness parameters so that we may launch these apparatus from Earth and utilize them elsewhere. Miniaturization, efficiency, and physically robust systems will all play a part in making space exploration possible; however, it is cryogenics that will enable all of this to occur.

Cryopolymers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

NASA's Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at Stennis Space Center worked with a small tire recycling company, Cryopolymers, Inc. in St. Francisville, La., to improve its process for recycling used tires. Stennis helped Cryopolymers make better use of the cryogens, or super-cold fluids, used in its recycling process. First, the tires are frozen, then broken down and made into a material called 'crumb,' which can be used in asphalt road beds, agricultural hoses, and truck bed liners. TTO based this assistance on NASA's experience using cryogens in the testing of Space Shuttle Main Engines.

Small, high-speed bearing technology for cryogenic turbo-pumps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winn, L. W.; Eusepi, M. W.; Smalley, A. J.

1974-01-01

The design of 20-mm bore ball bearings is described for cryogenic turbo-machinery applications, operating up to speeds of 120,000 rpm. A special section is included on the design of hybrid bearings. Each hybrid bearing is composed of a ball bearing in series with a conventional pressurized fluid-film journal bearing. Full details are presented on the design of a test vehicle which possesses the capability of testing the above named bearings within the given speed range under externally applied radial and axial loads.

NASA Cryogenic Propellant Systems Technology Development and Potential Opportunities for Discussion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Michael L.

2015-01-01

Members of the eCryo Team are traveling to France to meet with CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) on the benchmarking of CFM (Cryogenic Fluids Management) analytical models the week of January 26th, 2015. Mike Meyer is representing the Agency and eCryo Project and will conduct a conversation to explore future work. This slide package (28 charts and 3 movies) requires approval via a 1676. ISS data in this chart set has been copied from public websites.

RF Modal Quantity Gaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vanleuven, K.

1989-01-01

The primary objective is to provide a concept of a radio frequency (RF) modal resonance technique which is being investigated as a method for gaging the quantities of subcritical cryogenic propellants in metallic tanks. Of special interest are the potential applications of the technique to microgravity propellant gaging situations. The results of concept testing using cryogenic oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, as well as paraffin simulations of microgravity fluid orientations, are reported. These test results were positive and showed that the gaging concept was viable.

Fluid Film Bearing Code Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

The next generation of rocket engine turbopumps is being developed by industry through Government-directed contracts. These turbopumps will use fluid film bearings because they eliminate the life and shaft-speed limitations of rolling-element bearings, increase turbopump design flexibility, and reduce the need for turbopump overhauls and maintenance. The design of the fluid film bearings for these turbopumps, however, requires sophisticated analysis tools to model the complex physical behavior characteristic of fluid film bearings operating at high speeds with low viscosity fluids. State-of-the-art analysis and design tools are being developed at the Texas A&M University under a grant guided by the NASA Lewis Research Center. The latest version of the code, HYDROFLEXT, is a thermohydrodynamic bulk flow analysis with fluid compressibility, full inertia, and fully developed turbulence models. It can predict the static and dynamic force response of rigid and flexible pad hydrodynamic bearings and of rigid and tilting pad hydrostatic bearings. The Texas A&M code is a comprehensive analysis tool, incorporating key fluid phenomenon pertinent to bearings that operate at high speeds with low-viscosity fluids typical of those used in rocket engine turbopumps. Specifically, the energy equation was implemented into the code to enable fluid properties to vary with temperature and pressure. This is particularly important for cryogenic fluids because their properties are sensitive to temperature as well as pressure. As shown in the figure, predicted bearing mass flow rates vary significantly depending on the fluid model used. Because cryogens are semicompressible fluids and the bearing dynamic characteristics are highly sensitive to fluid compressibility, fluid compressibility effects are also modeled. The code contains fluid properties for liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, and liquid nitrogen as well as for water and air. Other fluids can be handled by the code provided that the user inputs information that relates the fluid transport properties to the temperature.

Magic angle spinning NMR below 6 K with a computational fluid dynamics analysis of fluid flow and temperature gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sesti, Erika L.; Alaniva, Nicholas; Rand, Peter W.; Choi, Eric J.; Albert, Brice J.; Saliba, Edward P.; Scott, Faith J.; Barnes, Alexander B.

2018-01-01

We report magic angle spinning (MAS) up to 8.5 kHz with a sample temperature below 6 K using liquid helium as a variable temperature fluid. Cross polarization 13C NMR spectra exhibit exquisite sensitivity with a single transient. Remarkably, 1H saturation recovery experiments show a 1H T1 of 21 s with MAS below 6 K in the presence of trityl radicals in a glassy matrix. Leveraging the thermal spin polarization available at 4.2 K versus 298 K should result in 71 times higher signal intensity. Taking the 1H longitudinal relaxation into account, signal averaging times are therefore predicted to be expedited by a factor of >500. Computer assisted design (CAD) and finite element analysis were employed in both the design and diagnostic stages of this cryogenic MAS technology development. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models describing temperature gradients and fluid flow are presented. The CFD models bearing and drive gas maintained at 100 K, while a colder helium variable temperature fluid stream cools the center of a zirconia rotor. Results from the CFD were used to optimize the helium exhaust path and determine the sample temperature. This novel cryogenic experimental platform will be integrated with pulsed dynamic nuclear polarization and electron decoupling to interrogate biomolecular structure within intact human cells.

Ground operations demonstration unit for liquid hydrogen initial test results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Notardonato, W. U.; Johnson, W. L.; Swanger, A. M.; Tomsik, T.

2015-12-01

NASA operations for handling cryogens in ground support equipment have not changed substantially in 50 years, despite major technology advances in the field of cryogenics. NASA loses approximately 50% of the hydrogen purchased because of a continuous heat leak into ground and flight vessels, transient chill down of warm cryogenic equipment, liquid bleeds, and vent losses. NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) needs to develop energy-efficient cryogenic ground systems to minimize propellant losses, simplify operations, and reduce cost associated with hydrogen usage. The GODU LH2 project has designed, assembled, and started testing of a prototype storage and distribution system for liquid hydrogen that represents an advanced end-to-end cryogenic propellant system for a ground launch complex. The project has multiple objectives including zero loss storage and transfer, liquefaction of gaseous hydrogen, and densification of liquid hydrogen. The system is unique because it uses an integrated refrigeration and storage system (IRAS) to control the state of the fluid. This paper will present and discuss the results of the initial phase of testing of the GODU LH2 system.

Cryogenic Two-Phase Flight Experiment: Results overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swanson, T.; Buchko, M.; Brennan, P.; Bello, M.; Stoyanof, M.

1995-01-01

This paper focuses on the flight results of the Cryogenic Two-Phase Flight Experiment (CRYOTP), which was a Hitchhiker based experiment that flew on the space shuttle Columbia in March of 1994 (STS-62). CRYOTP tested two new technologies for advanced cryogenic thermal control; the Space Heat Pipe (SHP), which was a constant conductance cryogenic heat pipe, and the Brilliant Eyes Thermal Storage Unit (BETSU), which was a cryogenic phase-change thermal storage device. These two devices were tested independently during the mission. Analysis of the flight data indicated that the SHP was unable to start in either of two attempts, for reasons related to the fluid charge, parasitic heat leaks, and cryocooler capacity. The BETSU test article was successfully operated with more than 250 hours of on-orbit testing including several cooldown cycles and 56 freeze/thaw cycles. Some degradation was observed with the five tactical cryocoolers used as thermal sinks, and one of the cryocoolers failed completely after 331 hours of operation. Post-flight analysis indicated that this problem was most likely due to failure of an electrical controller internal to the unit.

Composite aerogel insulation for cryogenic liquid storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kyeongho, Kim; Hyungmook, Kang; Soojin, Shin; In Hwan, Oh; Changhee, Son; Hyung, Cho Yun; Yongchan, Kim; Sarng Woo, Karng

2017-02-01

High porosity materials such as aerogel known as a good insulator in a vacuum range (10-3 ∼ 1 Torr) was widely used to storage and to transport cryogenic fluids. It is necessary to be investigated the performance of aerogel insulations for cryogenic liquid storage in soft vacuum range to atmospheric pressure. A one-dimensional insulating experimental apparatus was designed and fabricated to consist of a cold mass tank, a heat absorber and an annular vacuum space with 5-layer (each 10 mm thickness) of the aerogel insulation materials. Aerogel blanket for cryogenic (used maximum temperature is 400K), aerogel blanket for normal temperature (used maximum temperature is 923K), and combination of the two kinds of aerogel blankets were 5-layer laminated between the cryogenic liquid wall and the ambient wall in vacuum space. Also, 1-D effective thermal conductivities of the insulation materials were evaluated by measuring boil-off rate from liquid nitrogen and liquid argon. In this study, the effective thermal conductivities and the temperature-thickness profiles of the two kinds of insulators and the layered combination of the two different aerogel blankets were presented.

Spiral 2 Cryogenic System for The Superconducting LINAC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghribi, A.; Bernaudin, P.-E.; Bert, Y.; Commeaux, C.; Houeto, M.; Lescalié, G.

2017-02-01

SPIRAL 21 is a rare isotope accelerator dedicated to the production of high intensity beams (E = 40 MeV, I = 5 mA). The driver is a linear accelerator (LINAC) that uses bulk Niobium made quarter wave RF cavities. 19 cryomodules inclose one or two cavities respectively for the low and the high energy sections. To supply the 1300 W at 4.2 K required to cool down the LINAC, a cryogenic system has been set up. The heart of the latter is a 3 turbines geared HELIAL®LF (ALAT2) cold box that delivers both the liquid helium for the cavities and the 60 K Helium gaz for the thermal screens. 19 valve-boxes insure cryogenic fluid distribution and management. Key issues like cool down speed or cavity RF frequency stability are closely linked to the cryogenic system management. To overcome these issues, modelling and simulation efforts are being undertaken prior to the first cool down trials. In this paper, we present a status update of the Spiral 2 cryogenic system and the cool down strategy considered for its commissioning.

Ground Operations Demonstration Unit for Liquid Hydrogen Initial Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Notardonato, W. U.; Johnson, W. L.; Swanger, A. M.; Tomsik, T.

2015-01-01

NASA operations for handling cryogens in ground support equipment have not changed substantially in 50 years, despite major technology advances in the field of cryogenics. NASA loses approximately 50% of the hydrogen purchased because of a continuous heat leak into ground and flight vessels, transient chill down of warm cryogenic equipment, liquid bleeds, and vent losses. NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) needs to develop energy-efficient cryogenic ground systems to minimize propellant losses, simplify operations, and reduce cost associated with hydrogen usage. The GODU LH2 project has designed, assembled, and started testing of a prototype storage and distribution system for liquid hydrogen that represents an advanced end-to-end cryogenic propellant system for a ground launch complex. The project has multiple objectives including zero loss storage and transfer, liquefaction of gaseous hydrogen, and densification of liquid hydrogen. The system is unique because it uses an integrated refrigeration and storage system (IRAS) to control the state of the fluid. This paper will present and discuss the results of the initial phase of testing of the GODU LH2 system.

eCryo SHIIVER Customer/Stakeholder Checkpoint Briefing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zoeckler, Joseph G.; Guzik, Monica; Van Dresar, Neil

2015-01-01

Given the wide diversity of cryogenic fluid management technology that had been developed at the research level, there was a need for eCryo to prioritize and focus on a limited subset of the possibilities in order to set a practical scope. As part of the effort to determine that focus, a survey was conducted in May of 2014 to solicit opinions of members of the aerospace industry as to what they considered the most important and beneficial cryogenic technologies to be developed in the near term. The project was also directed to consider the SLS exploration upper stage (EUS) as a potential infusion target, and to focus on technology that would provide the most immediate benefit to a cryogenic system of that type.

Thermal modeling of a cryogenic turbopump for space shuttle applications.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knowles, P. J.

1971-01-01

Thermal modeling of a cryogenic pump and a hot-gas turbine in a turbopump assembly proposed for the Space Shuttle is described in this paper. A model, developed by identifying the heat-transfer regimes and incorporating their dependencies into a turbopump system model, included heat transfer for two-phase cryogen, hot-gas (200 R) impingement on turbine blades, gas impingement on rotating disks and parallel plate fluid flow. The ?thermal analyzer' program employed to develop this model was the TRW Systems Improved Numerical Differencing Analyzer (SINDA). This program uses finite differencing with lumped parameter representation for each node. Also discussed are model development, simulations of turbopump startup/shutdown operations, and the effects of varying turbopump parameters on the thermal performance.

Cryogenic system with GM cryocooler for krypton, xenon separation from hydrogen-helium purge gas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chu, X. X.; Zhang, D. X.; Qian, Y.

2014-01-29

In the thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR), fission products such as krypton, xenon and tritium will be produced continuously in the process of nuclear fission reaction. A cryogenic system with a two stage GM cryocooler was designed to separate Kr, Xe, and H{sub 2} from helium purge gas. The temperatures of two stage heat exchanger condensation tanks were maintained at about 38 K and 4.5 K, respectively. The main fluid parameters of heat transfer were confirmed, and the structural heat exchanger equipment and cold box were designed. Designed concentrations after cryogenic separation of Kr, Xe and H{sub 2} in heliummore » recycle gas are less than 1 ppb.« less

National Aerospace Plane Integrated Fuselage/Cryotank Risk Reduction program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dayton, K. E.

1993-06-01

The principal objectives and results of the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) Integrated Risk Reduction program are briefly reviewed. The program demonstrated the feasibility of manufacturing lightweight advanced composite materials for single-stage-to-orbit hypersonic flight vehicle applications. A series of combined load simulation tests (thermal, mechanical, and cryogenic) demonstrated proof of concept performance for an all unlined composite cryogenic fuel tank with flat end bulkheads and a high-temperature thin-shell advanced composite fuselage. Temperatures of the fuselage were as high as 1300 F, with 100 percent bending and shear loads applied to the tank while filled with 850 gallons of cryogenic fluid hydrogen (-425 F). Leak rates measured on and around the cryotank shell and bulkheads were well below acceptable levels.

Better Gas-Gap Thermal Switches For Sorption Compressors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhandari, Pradeep; Rodriguez, Jose

1995-01-01

Gas-gap thermal switches associated with sorption compressors of some heat pumps and cryogenic systems designed for higher performance, according to proposal, by introducing controlled turbulent flows into gas gaps. Utilizes convection in turbulent flow to transfer heat at greater rate. Design takes advantage of flow of working fluid. Working fluid also serve as heat transfer medium in gas gap.

Boiling of multicomponent working fluids used in refrigeration and cryogenic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mogorychny, V. I.; Dolzhikov, A. S.

2017-11-01

Working fluids based on mixtures are widely used in cryogenic and refrigeration engineering. One of the main elements of low-temperature units is a recuperative heat exchanger where the return flow cools the direct (cold regeneration is carrying out) resulting in continuous boiling and condensation of the multicomponent working fluid in the channels. The temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger can be more than 100K, which leads to a strong change in thermophysical properties along its length. In addition, the fraction of the liquid and vapor phases in the flow varies very much, which affects the observed flow regimes in the heat exchanger channels. At the moment there are not so many experimental data and analytical correlations that would allow to estimate the heat transfer coefficient during the flow of a two-phase mixture flow at low temperatures. The work is devoted to the study of the boiling process of multicomponent working fluids used in refrigeration and cryogenic engineering. The description of the method of determination of heat transfer coefficient during boiling of mixtures in horizontal heated channel is given as well as the design of the experimental stand allowing to make such measurements. This stand is designed on the basis of a refrigeration unit operating on the Joule-Thomson throttle cycle and makes it possible to measure the heat transfer coefficient with a good accuracy. Also, the calculated values of the heat transfer coefficient, obtained with the use of various correlations, are compared with the existing experimental data. Knowing of the heat transfer coefficient will be very useful in the design of heat exchangers for low-temperature units operating on a mixture refrigerant.

Cryogenic Capillary Screen Heat Entrapment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolshinskiy, L.G.; Hastings, L.J.; Stathman, G.

2007-01-01

Cryogenic liquid acquisition devices (LADs) for space-based propulsion interface directly with the feed system, which can be a significant heat leak source. Further, the accumulation of thermal energy within LAD channels can lead to the loss of sub-cooled propellant conditions and result in feed system cavitation during propellant outflow. Therefore, the fundamental question addressed by this program was: "To what degree is natural convection in a cryogenic liquid constrained by the capillary screen meshes envisioned for LADs.?"Testing was first conducted with water as the test fluid, followed by LN2 tests. In either case, the basic experimental approach was to heat the bottom of a cylindrical column of test fluid to establish stratification patterns measured by temperature sensors located above and below a horizontal screen barrier position. Experimentation was performed without barriers, with screens, and with a solid barrier. The two screen meshes tested were those typically used by LAD designers, "200x1400" and "325x2300", both with Twill Dutch Weave. Upon consideration of both the water and LN2 data it was concluded that heat transfer across the screen meshes was dependent upon barrier thermal conductivity and that the capillary screen meshes were impervious to natural convection currents.

Seals and Sealing Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Developments by the aerospace industry in seals and sealing techniques are announced for possible use in other areas. The announcements presented are grouped as: sealing techniques for cryogenic fluids, high pressure applications, and modification for improved performance.

Parametric performance of circumferentially grooved heat pipes with homogeneous and graded-porosity slab wicks at cryogenic temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groll, M.; Pittman, R. B.; Eninger, J. E.

1975-01-01

A recently developed, potentially high-performance nonarterial wick has been extensively tested. This slab wick has an axially varying porosity which can be tailored to match the local stress imposed on the wick. The purpose of the tests was to establish the usefulness of the graded-porosity slab wick at cryogenic temperatures between 110 K and 260 K, with methane and ethane as working fluids. For comparison, a homogeneous (i.e., uniform porosity) slab wick was also tested. The tests included: (1) maximum heat pipe performance as a function of fluid inventory, (2) maximum performance as a function of operating temperature, (3) maximum performance as a function of evaporator elevation, and (4) influence of slab wick orientation on performance. The experimental data was compared with theoretical predictions obtained with the computer program GRADE.

A Cryogenic Fluid System Simulation in Support of Integrated Systems Health Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barber, John P.; Johnston, Kyle B.; Daigle, Matthew

2013-01-01

Simulations serve as important tools throughout the design and operation of engineering systems. In the context of sys-tems health management, simulations serve many uses. For one, the underlying physical models can be used by model-based health management tools to develop diagnostic and prognostic models. These simulations should incorporate both nominal and faulty behavior with the ability to inject various faults into the system. Such simulations can there-fore be used for operator training, for both nominal and faulty situations, as well as for developing and prototyping health management algorithms. In this paper, we describe a methodology for building such simulations. We discuss the design decisions and tools used to build a simulation of a cryogenic fluid test bed, and how it serves as a core technology for systems health management development and maturation.

Autonomous Cryogenics Loading Operations Simulation Software: Knowledgebase Autonomous Test Engineer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wehner, Walter S., Jr.

2013-01-01

Working on the ACLO (Autonomous Cryogenics Loading Operations) project I have had the opportunity to add functionality to the physics simulation software known as KATE (Knowledgebase Autonomous Test Engineer), create a new application allowing WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) creation of KATE schematic files and begin a preliminary design and implementation of a new subsystem that will provide vision services on the IHM (Integrated Health Management) bus. The functionality I added to KATE over the past few months includes a dynamic visual representation of the fluid height in a pipe based on number of gallons of fluid in the pipe and implementing the IHM bus connection within KATE. I also fixed a broken feature in the system called the Browser Display, implemented many bug fixes and made changes to the GUI (Graphical User Interface).

Cryogenic thermal control technology summaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stark, J. A.; Leonhard, K. E.; Bennett, F. O., Jr.

1974-01-01

A summarization and categorization is presented of the pertinent literature associated with cryogenic thermal control technology having potential application to in-orbit fluid transfer systems and/or associated space storage. Initially, a literature search was conducted to obtain pertinent documents for review. Reports determined to be of primary significance were summarized in detail. Each summary, where applicable, consists of; (1) report identification, (2) objective(s) of the work, (3) description of pertinent work performed, (4)major results, and (5) comments of the reviewer (GD/C). Specific areas covered are; (1) multilayer insulation of storage tanks with and without vacuum jacketing, (2) other insulation such as foams, shadow shields, microspheres, honeycomb, vent cooling and composites, (3) vacuum jacketed and composite fluid lines, and (4) low conductive tank supports and insulation penetrations. Reports which were reviewed and not summarized, along with reasons for not summarizing, are also listed.

Determining solid-fluid interface temperature distribution during phase change of cryogenic propellants using transient thermal modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellur, K.; Médici, E. F.; Hermanson, J. C.; Choi, C. K.; Allen, J. S.

2018-04-01

Control of boil-off of cryogenic propellants is a continuing technical challenge for long duration space missions. Predicting phase change rates of cryogenic liquids requires an accurate estimation of solid-fluid interface temperature distributions in regions where a contact line or a thin liquid film exists. This paper described a methodology to predict inner wall temperature gradients with and without evaporation using discrete temperature measurements on the outer wall of a container. Phase change experiments with liquid hydrogen and methane in cylindrical test cells of various materials and sizes were conducted at the Neutron Imaging Facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Two types of tests were conducted. The first type of testing involved thermal cycling of an evacuated cell (dry) and the second involved controlled phase change with cryogenic liquids (wet). During both types of tests, temperatures were measured using Si-diode sensors mounted on the exterior surface of the test cells. Heat is transferred to the test cell by conduction through a helium exchange gas and through the cryostat sample holder. Thermal conduction through the sample holder is shown to be the dominant mode with the rate of heat transfer limited by six independent contact resistances. An iterative methodology is employed to determine contact resistances between the various components of the cryostat stick insert, test cell and lid using the dry test data. After the contact resistances are established, inner wall temperature distributions during wet tests are calculated.

Advanced Devices for Cryogenic Thermal Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bugby, D.; Stouffer, C.; Garzon, J.; Beres, M.; Gilchrist, A.

2006-04-01

This paper describes six advanced cryogenic thermal management devices/subsystems developed by Swales Aerospace for ground/space-based applications of interest to NASA, DoD, and the commercial sector. The devices/subsystems described herein include the following: (a) a differential thermal expansion cryogenic thermal switch (DTE-CTSW) constructed with high purity aluminum end-pieces and an Ultem support rod for the 6 K Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) (b) a quad-redundant DTE-CTSW assembly for the 35 K science instruments (NIRCam, NIRSpec, and FGS) mounted on the JWST Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) (c) a cryogenic diode heat pipe (CDHP) thermal switching system using methane as the working fluid for the 100 K CRISM hyperspectral mapping instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and (d) three additional devices/subsystems developed during the AFRL-sponsored CRYOTOOL program, which include a dual DTE-CTSW/dual cryocooler test bed, a miniaturized neon cryogenic loop heat pipe (mini-CLHP), and an across gimbal cryogenic thermal transport system (GCTTS). For the first three devices/subsystems mentioned above, this paper describes key aspects of the development efforts including concept definition, design, fabrication, and testing. For the latter three, this paper provides brief overview descriptions as key details are provided in a related paper.

Experimental investigation of passive thermodynamic vent system (TVS) with liquid nitrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Junhyuk; Yoo, Junghyun; Jin, Lingxue; Jeong, Sangkwon

2018-01-01

Thermodynamic vent system (TVS) is an attractive technology to maintain an allowable pressure level of a cryogenic propellant storage in a spacecraft under micro-gravity condition. There are two types of TVS; active or passive. In this paper, the passive TVS which does not utilize a cryogenic liquid circulation pump is experimentally investigated with liquid nitrogen and numerically analyzed by thermodynamic and heat transfer model. A cylindrical copper tank, which is 198 mm in inner diameter and 216 mm in height, is utilized to suppress a thermal-stratification effect of inside cryogenic fluid. A coil heat exchanger, which is 3 m in length and 6.35 mm in outer diameter, and a fixed size orifice of which diameter is 0.4 mm are fabricated to remove heat from the stored fluid to the vented flow. Each vent process is initiated at 140 kPa and ended at 120 kPa with liquid nitrogen fill levels which are 30%, 50% and 70%, respectively. In the numerical model, the fluid in the tank is assumed to be homogeneous saturated liquid-vapor. Mass and energy balance equations with heat transfer conditions suggested in this research are considered to calculate the transient pressure variation in the tank and the amount of heat transfer across the heat exchanger. We achieve the average heat rejection rate of more than 9 W by TVS and conclude that the passive TVS operates satisfactorily. In addition, the prediction model is verified by experimental results. Although the model has limitation in providing accurate results, it can surely predict the tendency of pressure and temperature changes in the tank. Furthermore, the model can suggest how we can improve the heat exchanger design to enhance an overall efficiency of passive TVS. Moreover, the performance of passive TVS is compared with other cryogenic vent systems (direct vent system and active TVS) by suggested performance indicator.

A sonic transducer to detect fluid leaks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cimerman, I.; Janus, J.

1972-01-01

Ultrasonic detector utilizes set of contact transducers and bandpass filters to detect and analyze sonic energy produced by flow or leakage. Detector covers wide frequency range and is operable at cryogenic temperatures and in vacuum.

Fluid dynamic and thermodynamic analysis of a model pertaining to cryogenic fluid management in low gravity environments for a system with dynamically induced settling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rios, J.

1982-01-01

The settling behavior of the liquid and gaseous phases of a fluid in a propellant and in a zero-g environment, when such settling is induced through the use of a dynamic device, in this particular case, a helical screw was studied. Particular emphasis was given to: (1) the description of a fluid mechanics model which seems applicable to the system under consideration, (2) a First Law of Thermodynamics analysis of the system, and (3) a discussion of applicable scaling rules.

Thermal Analysis of Magnetically-Coupled Pump for Cryogenic Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Senocak, Inanc; Udaykumar, H. S.; Ndri, Narcisse; Francois, Marianne; Shyy, Wei

1999-01-01

Magnetically-coupled pump is under evaluation at Kennedy Space Center for possible cryogenic applications. A major concern is the impact of low temperature fluid flows on the pump performance. As a first step toward addressing this and related issues, a computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer tool has been adopted in a pump geometry. The computational tool includes (i) a commercial grid generator to handle multiple grid blocks and complicated geometric definitions, and (ii) an in-house computational fluid dynamics and heat transfer software developed in the Principal Investigator's group at the University of Florida. Both pure-conduction and combined convection-conduction computations have been conducted. A pure-conduction analysis gives insufficient information about the overall thermal distribution. Combined convection-conduction analysis indicates the significant influence of the coolant over the entire flow path. Since 2-D simulation is of limited help, future work on full 3-D modeling of the pump using multi-materials is needed. A comprehensive and accurate model can be developed to take into account the effect of multi-phase flow in the cooling flow loop, and the magnetic interactions.

CRYogenic Orbital TEstbed Ground Test Article Thermal Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piryk, David; Schallhorn, Paul; Walls, Laurie; Stopnitzky, Benny; Rhys, Noah; Wollen, Mark

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to anchor thermal and fluid system models to CRYOTE ground test data. The CRYOTE ground test artide was jointly developed by Innovative Engineering Solutions, United Launch Alliance and NASA KSC. The test article was constructed out of a titanium alloy tank, Sapphire 77 composite skin (similar to G10), an external secondary payload adapter ring, thermal vent system, multi layer insulation and various data acquisition instrumentation. In efforts to understand heat loads throughout this system, the GTA (filled with liquid nitrogen for safety purposes) was subjected to a series of tests in a vacuum chamber at Marshall Space Flight Center. By anchoring analytical models against test data, higher fidelity thermal environment predictions can be made for future flight articles which would eventually demonstrate critical cryogenic fluid management technologies such as system chilldown, transfer, pressure control and long term storage. Significant factors that influenced heat loads included radiative environments, multi-layer insulation performance, tank fill levels and pressures and even contact conductance coefficients. This report demonstrates how analytical thermal/fluid networks were established and includes supporting rationale for specific thermal responses.

KSC-2012-3731

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-09

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Near the Hypergolic Maintenance Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the location of the Ground Operations Demonstration Unit Liquid Hydrogen, or GODU LH2, test site. From left, are Johnny Nguyen, Fluids Test and Technology Development branch chief Emily Watkins, engineering intern Jeff Walls, Engineering Services Contract, or ESC, Cryogenics Test Lab engineer Kelly Currin, systems engineer Stephen Huff and Rudy Werlink partially hidden, cryogenics engineers Angela Krenn, systems engineer Doug Hammond, command and control engineer in the electrical division William Notardonato, GODU LH2 project manager and Kevin Jumper, ESC Cryogenics Test Lab manager. The GODU LH2 test site is one of the projects in NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems Program. The site will be used to demonstrate advanced liquid hydrogen systems that are cost and energy efficient ways to store and transfer liquid hydrogen during process, loading, launch and spaceflight. The main components of the site will be a storage tank and a cryogenic refrigerator. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

KSC-2012-3732

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-07-09

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Near the Hypergolic Maintenance Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the location of the Ground Operations Demonstration Unit Liquid Hydrogen, or GODU LH2, test site. From left, are Johnny Nguyen, Fluids Test and Technology Development branch chief Emily Watkins, engineering intern Jeff Walls, Engineering Services Contract, or ESC, Cryogenics Test Lab engineer Kelly Currin, systems engineer Stephen Huff and Rudy Werlink partially hidden, cryogenics engineers Angela Krenn, systems engineer Doug Hammond, command and control engineer in the electrical division William Notardonato, GODU LH2 project manager and Kevin Jumper, ESC Cryogenics Test Lab manager. The GODU LH2 test site is one of the projects in NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems Program. The site will be used to demonstrate advanced liquid hydrogen systems that are cost and energy efficient ways to store and transfer liquid hydrogen during process, loading, launch and spaceflight. The main components of the site will be a storage tank and a cryogenic refrigerator. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis

Design and demonstrate the performance of cryogenic components representative of space vehicles: Start basket liquid acquisition device performance analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

The objective was to design, fabricate and test an integrated cryogenic test article incorporating both fluid and thermal propellant management subsystems. A 2.2 m (87 in) diameter aluminum test tank was outfitted with multilayer insulation, helium purge system, low-conductive tank supports, thermodynamic vent system, liquid acquisition device and immersed outflow pump. Tests and analysis performed on the start basket liquid acquisition device and studies of the liquid retention characteristics of fine mesh screens are discussed.

The analysis of the transient pressure response of the shuttle EPS-ECS cryogenic tanks with external pressurization systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barton, J. E.; Patterson, H. W.

1973-01-01

An analysis of transient pressures in externally pressurized cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen tanks was conducted and the effects of design variables on pressure response determined. The analysis was conducted with a computer program which solves the compressible viscous flow equations in two-dimensional regions representing the tank and external loop. The external loop volume, thermal mass, and heat leak were the dominant design variables affecting the system pressure response. No significant temperature stratification occurred in the fluid contained in the tank.

Fluid mass and thermal loading effects on the modal characteristics of space shuttle main engine liquid oxygen inlet splitter vanes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panossian, H. V.; Boehnlein, J. J.

1987-01-01

An analysis and evaluation of experimental modal survey test data on the variations of modal characteristics induced by pressure and thermal loading events are presented. Extensive modal survey tests were carried out on a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test article using liquid nitrogen under cryogenic temperatures and high pressures. The results suggest that an increase of pressure under constant cryogenic temperature or a decrease of temperature under high pressure induces an upward shift of frequencies of various modes of the structures.

Development of a quiet supersonic wind tunnel with a cryogenic adaptive nozzle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, Stephen D.

1991-01-01

The main objectives of this work is to demonstrate the potential of a cryogenic adaptive nozzle to generate quiet (low disturbance) supersonic flow. A drive system was researched for the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (FML) Laminar Flow Supersonic Wind Tunnel (LFSWT) using a pilot tunnel. A supportive effort for ongoing Proof of Concept (PoC) research leading to the design of critical components of the LFSWT was maintained. The state-of-the-art in quiet supersonic wind tunnel design was investigated. A supersonic research capability was developed within the FML.

Evaluation of supercritical cryogen storage and transfer systems for future NASA missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arif, Hugh; Aydelott, John C.; Chato, David J.

1990-01-01

Conceptual designs of Space Transportation Vehicles (STV), and their orbital servicing facilities, that utilize supercritical, single phase, cryogenic propellant were established and compared with conventional subcritical, two phases, STV concepts. The analytical study was motivated by the desire to avoid fluid management problems associated with the storage, acquisition and transfer of subcritical liquid oxygen and hydrogen propellants in the low gravity environment of space. Although feasible, the supercritical concepts suffer from STV weight penalties and propellant resupply system power requirements which make the concepts impractical.

Evaluation of supercritical cryogen storage and transfer systems for future NASA missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arif, Hugh; Aydelott, John C.; Chato, David J.

1989-01-01

Conceptual designs of Space Transportation Vehicles (STV), and their orbital servicing facilities, that utilize supercritical, single phase, cryogenic propellants were established and compared with conventional subcritical, two phase, STV concepts. The analytical study was motivated by the desire to avoid fluid management problems associated with the storage, acquisition and transfer of subcritical liquid oxygen and hydrogen propellants in the low gravity environment of space. Although feasible, the supercritical concepts suffer from STV weight penalties and propellant resupply system power requirements which make the concepts impractical.

Improvements in the efficiency of turboexpanders in cryogenic applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agahi, R.R.; Lin, M.C.; Ershaghi, B.

1996-12-31

Process designers have utilized turboexpanders in cryogenic processes because of their higher thermal efficiencies when compared with conventional refrigeration cycles. Process design and equipment performance have improved substantially through the utilization of modern technologies. Turboexpander manufacturers have also adopted Computational Fluid Dynamic Software, Computer Numerical Control Technology and Holography Techniques to further improve an already impressive turboexpander efficiency performance. In this paper, the authors explain the design process of the turboexpander utilizing modern technology. Two cases of turboexpanders processing helium (4.35{degrees}K) and hydrogen (56{degrees}K) will be presented.

Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Technology Demonstration For Long Duration In-Space Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Michael L.; Motil, Susan M.; Kortes, Trudy F.; Taylor, William J.; McRight, Patrick S.

2012-01-01

The high specific impulse of cryogenic propellants can provide a significant performance advantage for in-space transfer vehicles. The upper stages of the Saturn V and various commercial expendable launch vehicles have used liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants; however, the application of cryogenic propellants has been limited to relatively short duration missions due to the propensity of cryogens to absorb environmental heat resulting in fluid losses. Utilizing advanced cryogenic propellant technologies can enable the efficient use of high performance propellants for long duration missions. Crewed mission architectures for beyond low Earth orbit exploration can significantly benefit from this capability by developing realistic launch spacing for multiple launch missions, by prepositioning stages and by staging propellants at an in-space depot. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration through the Office of the Chief Technologist is formulating a Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Technology Demonstration Mission to mitigate the technical and programmatic risks of infusing these advanced technologies into the development of future cryogenic propellant stages or in-space propellant depots. NASA is seeking an innovative path for human space exploration, which strengthens the capability to extend human and robotic presence throughout the solar system. This mission will test and validate key cryogenic technological capabilities and has the objectives of demonstrating advanced thermal control technologies to minimize propellant loss during loiter, demonstrating robust operation in a microgravity environment, and demonstrating efficient propellant transfer on orbit. The status of the demonstration mission concept development, technology demonstration planning and technology maturation activities in preparation for flight system development are described.

Experimental research on rock fracture failure characteristics under liquid nitrogen cooling conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Feng; Cai, Chengzheng; Yang, Yugui

2018-06-01

As liquid nitrogen is injected into a wellbore as fracturing fluid, it can rapidly absorb heat from warmer rock and generate cryogenic condition in downhole region. This will alter the physical conditions of reservoir rocks and further affect rock failure characteristics. To investigate rock fracture failure characteristics under liquid nitrogen cooling conditions, the fracture features of four types of sandstones and one type of marble were tested on original samples (the sample without any treatment) and cryogenic samples (the samples just taken out from the liquid nitrogen), respectively. The differences between original samples and cryogenic samples in load-displacement curves, fracture toughness, energy evolution and the crack density of ruptured samples were compared and analyzed. The results showed that at elastic deformation stage, cryogenic samples presented less plastic deformation and more obvious brittle failure characteristics than original ones. The average fracture toughness of cryogenic samples was 10.47%-158.33% greater than that of original ones, indicating that the mechanical strength of rocks used were enhanced under cooling conditions. When the samples ruptured, the cryogenic ones were required to absorb more energy and reserve more elastic energy. In general, the fracture degree of cryogenic samples was higher than that of original ones. As the samples were entirely fractured, the crack density of cryogenic samples was about 536.67% at most larger than that of original ones. This indicated that under liquid nitrogen cooling conditions, the stimulation reservoir volume is expected to be improved during fracturing. This work could provide a reference to the research on the mechanical properties and fracture failure of rock during liquid nitrogen fracturing.

An Overview of Recent Cryogenic Fluid Management Developments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hedayat, A.; Johnson, W. L.; Stephens, J. R.

2017-01-01

Long-term storage, supply, and transfer of cryogenic fluids are critical capabilities needed to advance the human exploration of space. Technologies and advanced development programs have been pursued to address issues likely to confront the designers and developers of future cryogenic fluid management (CFM) subsystems and propulsion systems. NASA and aerospace industries have continued to conduct research and development for the propulsion applications of cryogenic fluids. From the well known in-space applications, to new applications involving superconducting motors within multiple different aircraft, and a renewed interest in production of oxygen on Mars, NASA continues to probe cryogenic applications within propulsion. This article presents brief reviews of several of the current CFM efforts to support future space missions. NASA GRC is currently focusing on understanding some of the finer points in the application of multilayer insulation. GRC recently finished the activation of a new calorimeter that operates at 20 K with a warm boundary that can operate either around 90 K or at 300 K. Current testing is focused on investigating multiple different seam concepts, initially between temperatures of 300 K and 20 K, and between 20 K and 90 K. One of the larger recent NASA investments has been on the Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation, and Vibration Experiment Rig (SHIIVER). SHIIVER is a 4 m diameter tank that is approximately 1/2 scale of the planned upper stage of the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. SHIIVER is focused on demonstrating the thermal benefits of multilayer insulation on the tank domes and boil-off vapor cooling on structural cylinders that hold the tank in-line on the rocket. It will also quantify any damage that may incur during the acoustic environment of over 160 decibels that SLS will experience on its trip to Earth orbit. In support of the possible production of oxygen out of the Mars' atmosphere, a team comprised of four NASA centers (GRC, MSFC, JSC, and KSC) collaborated to investigate multiple different hardware combinations, refrigeration cycles, and integration techniques to minimize power and mass of the storage and liquefaction system. Moreover, high efficiency, high capacity cryocoolers are an element of CFM which is essential for achieving NASA's future long duration missions. Currently in development is a 20W at 20K unit for use with liquid hydrogen. It is scheduled for delivery to NASA in the summer of 2017. Two Phase I SBIRS have recently concluded resulting in the preliminary design of two different 90K units, each having a refrigeration capacity of approximately 150W. Once the development efforts are complete, these high capacity 90K units will be integrated into the design of NASA's Liquid Oxygen (LOX)/Methane applications such as the Lander and Ascent Vehicles, or possibly an in-space stage. CFM technology is critical to the success of missions to Mars, Planetary Exploration, and In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) for cryogenic propellant production. NASA is focusing on the development of CFM technologies needed to provide necessary data and relevant experience to support informed decisions on implementation of design of cryogenic systems for long term space missions. Lessons learned from the described CFM developments would lead to enhanced safety and reliability and enabling technologies which could allow NASA to meet future space exploration goals.

Bearing tester data compilation, analysis, and reporting and bearing math modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

The Shaberth bearing analysis computer program was developed for the analysis of jet engine shaft/bearing systems operating above room temperature with normal hydrocarbon lubricants. It is also possible to use this tool to evaluate the shaft bearing systems operating in cryogenics. Effects such as fluid drag, radial temperature gradients, outer race misalignments and clearance changes were simulated and evaluated. In addition, the speed and preload effects on bearing radial stiffness was evaluated. The Shaberth program was also used to provide contact stresses from which contact geometry was calculated to support other analyses such as the determination of cryogenic fluid film thickness in the contacts and evaluation of surface and subsurface stresses necessary for bearing failure evaluation. This program was a vital tool for the thermal analysis of the bearing in that it provides the heat generation rates at the rolling element/race contacts for input into a thermal model of the bearing/shaft assembly.

Comparative thermal analysis of alternate Cryogenic Fluid Management Experiment (CFME) configurations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merino, F.; Oneill, R. F.

1980-01-01

The Cryogenic Fluid Management Experiment (CFME) was analyzed to assess the feasibility and advisability of deleting the vapor cooled shield (VCS) from the baseline CFME insulation and pressure control system. Two alternate concepts of CFME insulation and pressure control, neither of which incorporated the VCS, were investigated. The first concept employed a thermodynamic vent system (TVS) to throttle the flow through an internal wall mounted heat exchanger (HX) within the pressure vessel to decrease boiloff and pressure rise rate, while the second concept utilized a TVS without an internal heat exchanger. Only the first concept was viable. Its performance was assessed for a seven day mission and found to be satisfactory. It was also concluded that VCS development costs would be greater than for an internal HX installation. Based upon the above comparisons, the HX was recommended as a replacement for the VCS.

Modeling, simulation and control for a cryogenic fluid management facility, preliminary report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Max A.; Vanbuskirk, P. D.

1986-01-01

The synthesis of a control system for a cryogenic fluid management facility was studied. The severe demand for reliability as well as instrumentation and control unique to the Space Station environment are prime considerations. Realizing that the effective control system depends heavily on quantitative description of the facility dynamics, a methodology for process identification and parameter estimation is postulated. A block diagram of the associated control system is also produced. Finally, an on-line adaptive control strategy is developed utilizing optimization of the velocity form control parameters (proportional gains, integration and derivative time constants) in appropriate difference equations for direct digital control. Of special concern are the communications, software and hardware supporting interaction between the ground and orbital systems. It is visualized that specialist in the OSI/ISO utilizing the Ada programming language will influence further development, testing and validation of the simplistic models presented here for adaptation to the actual flight environment.

Conceptual design and analysis of orbital cryogenic liquid storage and supply systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eberhardt, R. N.; Cunnington, G. R.; Johns, W. A.

1981-01-01

A wide variety of orbital cryogenic liquid storage and supply systems are defined in NASA and DOD long-range plans. These systems include small cooling applications, large chemical and electrical orbit transfer vehicles and supply tankers. All have the common requirements of low-g fluid management to accomplish gas-free liquid expulsion and efficient thermal control to manage heat leak and tank pressure. A preliminary design study was performed to evaluate tanks ranging from 0.6 to 37.4 cu m (22 to 1320 cu ft). Liquids of interest were hydrogen, oxygen, methane, argon and helium. Conceptual designs were generated for each tank system and fluid dynamic, thermal and structural analyses were performed for Shuttle compatible operations. Design trades considered the paradox of conservative support structure and minimum thermal input. Orbital performance and weight data were developed, and a technology evaluation was completed.

Experimental, Numerical, and Analytical Slosh Dynamics of Water and Liquid Nitrogen in a Spherical Tank

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Storey, Jedediah Morse

2016-01-01

Understanding, predicting, and controlling fluid slosh dynamics is critical to safety and improving performance of space missions when a significant percentage of the spacecraft's mass is a liquid. Computational fluid dynamics simulations can be used to predict the dynamics of slosh, but these programs require extensive validation. Many experimental and numerical studies of water slosh have been conducted. However, slosh data for cryogenic liquids is lacking. Water and cryogenic liquid nitrogen are used in various ground-based tests with a spherical tank to characterize damping, slosh mode frequencies, and slosh forces. A single ring baffle is installed in the tank for some of the tests. Analytical models for slosh modes, slosh forces, and baffle damping are constructed based on prior work. Select experiments are simulated using a commercial CFD software, and the numerical results are compared to the analytical and experimental results for the purposes of validation and methodology-improvement.

G2 Autonomous Control for Cryogenic Delivery Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dito, Scott J.

2014-01-01

The Independent System Health Management-Autonomous Control (ISHM-AC) application development for cryogenic delivery systems is intended to create an expert system that will require minimal operator involvement and ultimately allow for complete autonomy when fueling a space vehicle in the time prior to launch. The G2-Autonomous Control project is the development of a model, simulation, and ultimately a working application that will control and monitor the cryogenic fluid delivery to a rocket for testing purposes. To develop this application, the project is using the programming language/environment Gensym G2. The environment is an all-inclusive application that allows development, testing, modeling, and finally operation of the unique application through graphical and programmatic methods. We have learned G2 through training classes and subsequent application development, and are now in the process of building the application that will soon be used to test on cryogenic loading equipment here at the Kennedy Space Center Cryogenics Test Laboratory (CTL). The G2 ISHM-AC application will bring with it a safer and more efficient propellant loading system for the future launches at Kennedy Space Center and eventually mobile launches from all over the world.

Numerical simulation of cryogenic cavitating flow by an extended transport-based cavitation model with thermal effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shaofeng; Li, Xiaojun; Zhu, Zuchao

2018-06-01

Thermodynamic effects on cryogenic cavitating flow is important to the accuracy of numerical simulations mainly because cryogenic fluids are thermo-sensitive, and the vapour saturation pressure is strongly dependent on the local temperature. The present study analyses the thermal cavitating flows in liquid nitrogen around a 2D hydrofoil. Thermal effects were considered using the RNG k-ε turbulence model with a modified turbulent eddy viscosity and the mass transfer homogenous cavitation model coupled with energy equation. In the cavitation model process, the saturated vapour pressure is modified based on the Clausius-Clapron equation. The convection heat transfer approach is also considered to extend the Zwart-Gerber-Belamri model. The predicted pressure and temperature inside the cavity under cryogenic conditions show that the modified Zwart-Gerber-Belamri model is in agreement with the experimental data of Hord et al. in NASA, especially in the thermal field. The thermal effect significantly affects the cavitation dynamics during phase-change process, which could delay or suppress the occurrence and development of cavitation behaviour. Based on the modified Zwart-Gerber-Belamri model proposed in this paper, better prediction of the cryogenic cavitation is attainable.

Experimental investigation of the heat transfer characteristics of a helium cryogenic thermosyphon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Z. Q.; Zhang, P.

2013-10-01

The heat transfer performance of a cryogenic thermosyphon filled with helium as the working fluid is investigated experimentally with a G-M cryocooler as the heat sink in this study. The cryogenic thermosyphon acts as a thermal link between the cryocooler and the cooled target (the copper evaporator with a large mass). Helium is charged in different filling ratios, and the cooling down process and the heat transfer characteristics of the cryogenic thermosyphon are investigated. The cooling down process of the cooled target can be significantly accelerated by the presence of helium in the cryogenic thermosyphon and the cooling down period can be further shortened by the increase of filling ratio. The heat transfer mode changes from the liquid-vapor phase change to natural convection as the increase of the heating power applied on the evaporator. The heat transfer limit and thermal resistance are discussed for the liquid-vapor phase change heat transfer, and they can be estimated by empirical correlations. For the natural convection heat transfer, it can be enhanced by increasing the filling ratio, and the natural convection of supercritical helium is much stronger than that of gaseous helium.

Miniature Cryogenic Valves for a Titan Lake Sampling System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherrit, Stewart; Zimmerman, Wayne; Takano, Nobuyuki; Avellar, Louisa

2014-01-01

The Cassini mission has revealed Titan to be one of the most Earthlike worlds in the Solar System complete with many of the same surface features including lakes, river channels, basins, and dunes. But unlike Earth, the materials and fluids on Titan are composed of cryogenic organic compounds with lakes of liquid methane and ethane. One of the potential mission concepts to explore Titan is to land a floating platform on one of the Titan Lakes and determine the local lake chemistry. In order to accomplish this within the expected mass volume and power budgets there is a need to pursue the development for a low power lightweight cryogenic valves which can be used along with vacuum lines to sample lake liquid and to distribute to various instruments aboard the Lander. To meet this need we have initiated the development of low power cryogenic valves and actuators based on a single crystal piezoelectric flextensional stacks produced by TRS Ceramics Inc. Since the origin of such high electromechanical properties of Relaxor-PT single crystals is due to the polarization rotation effect, (i.e., intrinsic contributions), the strain per volt decrease at cryogenic temperatures is much lower than in standard Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) ceramics. This makes them promising candidates for cryogenic actuators with regards to the stroke for a given voltage. This paper will present our Titan Lake Sampling and Sample Handling system design and the development of small cryogenic piezoelectric valves developed to meet the system specifications.

Temperature and pressure effects on capacitance probe cryogenic liquid level measurement accuracy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, Lawrence G.; Haberbusch, Mark

1993-01-01

The inaccuracies of liquid nitrogen and liquid hydrogen level measurements by use of a coaxial capacitance probe were investigated as a function of fluid temperatures and pressures. Significant liquid level measurement errors were found to occur due to the changes in the fluids dielectric constants which develop over the operating temperature and pressure ranges of the cryogenic storage tanks. The level measurement inaccuracies can be reduced by using fluid dielectric correction factors based on measured fluid temperatures and pressures. The errors in the corrected liquid level measurements were estimated based on the reported calibration errors of the temperature and pressure measurement systems. Experimental liquid nitrogen (LN2) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) level measurements were obtained using the calibrated capacitance probe equations and also by the dielectric constant correction factor method. The liquid levels obtained by the capacitance probe for the two methods were compared with the liquid level estimated from the fluid temperature profiles. Results show that the dielectric constant corrected liquid levels agreed within 0.5 percent of the temperature profile estimated liquid level. The uncorrected dielectric constant capacitance liquid level measurements deviated from the temperature profile level by more than 5 percent. This paper identifies the magnitude of liquid level measurement error that can occur for LN2 and LH2 fluids due to temperature and pressure effects on the dielectric constants over the tank storage conditions from 5 to 40 psia. A method of reducing the level measurement errors by using dielectric constant correction factors based on fluid temperature and pressure measurements is derived. The improved accuracy by use of the correction factors is experimentally verified by comparing liquid levels derived from fluid temperature profiles.

Hermetically sealed superconducting magnet motor

DOEpatents

DeVault, Robert C.; McConnell, Benjamin W.; Phillips, Benjamin A.

1996-01-01

A hermetically sealed superconducting magnet motor includes a rotor separated from a stator by either a radial gap, an axial gap, or a combined axial and radial gap. Dual conically shaped stators are used in one embodiment to levitate a disc-shaped rotor made of superconducting material within a conduit for moving cryogenic fluid. As the rotor is caused to rotate when the field stator is energized, the fluid is pumped through the conduit.

Numerical studies of the surface tension effect of cryogenic liquid helium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.

1994-01-01

The generalized mathematical formulation of sloshing dynamics for partially filled liquid of cryogenic superfluid helium II in dewar containers driven by both the gravity gradient and jitter accelerations applicable to scientific spacecraft which is eligible to carry out spinning motion and/or slew motion for the purpose of performing scientific observation during the normal spacecraft operation is investigated. An example is given with Gravity Probe-B (GP-B) spacecraft which is responsible for the sloshing dynamics. The jitter accelerations include slew motion, spinning motion, atmospheric drag on the spacecraft, spacecraft attitude motions arising from machinery vibrations, thruster firing, pointing control of spacecraft, crew motion, etc. Explicit mathematical expressions to cover these forces acting on the spacecraft fluid systems are derived. The numerical computation of sloshing dynamics has been based on the non-inertia frame spacecraft bound coordinate, and solve time-dependent, three-dimensional formulations of partial differential equations subject to initial and boundary conditions. The explicit mathematical expressions of boundary conditions to cover capillary force effect on the liquid vapor interface in microgravity environments are also derived. The formulations of fluid moment and angular moment fluctuations in fluid profiles induced by the sloshing dynamics, together with fluid stress and moment fluctuations exerted on the spacecraft dewar containers, have been derived.

Mechanical design problems associated with turbopump fluid film bearings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Evces, Charles R.

1990-01-01

Most high speed cryogenic turbopumps for liquid propulsion rocket engines currently use ball or roller contact bearings for rotor support. The operating speeds, loads, clearances, and environments of these pumps combine to make bearing wear a limiting factor on turbopump life. An example is the high pressure oxygen turbopump (HPOTP) used in the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). Although the HPOTP design life is 27,000 seconds at 30,000 rpms, or approximately 50 missions, bearings must currently be replaced after 2 missions. One solution to the bearing wear problem in the HPOTP, as well as in future turbopump designs, is the utilization of fluid film bearings in lieu of continuous contact bearings. Hydrostatic, hydrodynamic, and damping seal bearings are all replacement candidates for contact bearings in rocket engine high speed turbomachinery. These three types of fluid film bearings have different operating characteristics, but they share a common set of mechanical design opportunities and difficulties. Results of research to define some of the mechanical design issues are given. Problems considered include transient strat/stop rub, non-operational rotor support, bearing wear inspection and measurement, and bearing fluid supply route. Emphasis is given to the HPOTP preburner pump (PBP) bearing, but the results are pertinent to high-speed cryogenic turbomachinery in general.

Modeling and Analysis of Chill and Fill Processes for the EDU Tank

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hedayat, A.; Cartagena, W.; Majumdar, A. K.; Leclair, A. C.

2015-01-01

NASA's future missions may require long-term storage and transfer of cryogenic propellants. The Engineering Development Unit (EDU), a NASA in-house effort supported by both Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and Glenn Research Center (GRC), is a Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) test article that primarily serves as a manufacturing pathfinder and a risk reduction task for a future CFM payload. The EDU test article, comprises a flight like tank, internal components, insulation, and attachment struts. The EDU is designed to perform integrated passive thermal control performance testing with liquid hydrogen in a space-like vacuum environment. A series of tests, with liquid hydrogen as a testing fluid, was conducted at Test Stand 300 at MSFC during summer of 2014. The objective of this effort was to develop a thermal/fluid model for evaluating the thermodynamic behavior of the EDU tank during the chill and fill processes. Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP), an MSFC in-house general-purpose computer program for flow network analysis, was utilized to model and simulate the chill and fill portion of the testing. The model contained the liquid hydrogen supply source, feed system, EDU tank, and vent system. The modeling description and comparison of model predictions with the test data will be presented in the final paper.

Autonomous Cryogenic Load Operations: Knowledge-Based Autonomous Test Engineer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrading, J. Nicolas

2013-01-01

The Knowledge-Based Autonomous Test Engineer (KATE) program has a long history at KSC. Now a part of the Autonomous Cryogenic Load Operations (ACLO) mission, this software system has been sporadically developed over the past 20 years. Originally designed to provide health and status monitoring for a simple water-based fluid system, it was proven to be a capable autonomous test engineer for determining sources of failure in the system. As part of a new goal to provide this same anomaly-detection capability for a complicated cryogenic fluid system, software engineers, physicists, interns and KATE experts are working to upgrade the software capabilities and graphical user interface. Much progress was made during this effort to improve KATE. A display of the entire cryogenic system's graph, with nodes for components and edges for their connections, was added to the KATE software. A searching functionality was added to the new graph display, so that users could easily center their screen on specific components. The GUI was also modified so that it displayed information relevant to the new project goals. In addition, work began on adding new pneumatic and electronic subsystems into the KATE knowledge base, so that it could provide health and status monitoring for those systems. Finally, many fixes for bugs, memory leaks, and memory errors were implemented and the system was moved into a state in which it could be presented to stakeholders. Overall, the KATE system was improved and necessary additional features were added so that a presentation of the program and its functionality in the next few months would be a success.

Autonomous Cryogenic Load Operations: KSC Autonomous Test Engineer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shrading, Nicholas J.

2012-01-01

The KSC Autonomous Test Engineer (KATE) program has a long history at KSC. Now a part of the Autonomous Cryogenic Load Operations (ACLO) mission, this software system has been sporadically developed over the past 20+ years. Originally designed to provide health and status monitoring for a simple water-based fluid system, it was proven to be a capable autonomous test engineer for determining sources of failure in. the system, As part.of a new goal to provide this same anomaly-detection capability for a complicated cryogenic fluid system, software engineers, physicists, interns and KATE experts are working to upgrade the software capabilities and graphical user interface. Much progress was made during this effort to improve KATE. A display ofthe entire cryogenic system's graph, with nodes for components and edges for their connections, was added to the KATE software. A searching functionality was added to the new graph display, so that users could easily center their screen on specific components. The GUI was also modified so that it displayed information relevant to the new project goals. In addition, work began on adding new pneumatic and electronic subsystems into the KATE knowledgebase, so that it could provide health and status monitoring for those systems. Finally, many fixes for bugs, memory leaks, and memory errors were implemented and the system was moved into a state in which it could be presented to stakeholders. Overall, the KATE system was improved and necessary additional features were added so that a presentation of the program and its functionality in the next few months would be a success.

Cryogenic Propellant Feed System Analytical Tool Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lusby, Brian S.; Miranda, Bruno M.; Collins, Jacob A.

2011-01-01

The Propulsion Systems Branch at NASA s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) has developed a parametric analytical tool to address the need to rapidly predict heat leak into propellant distribution lines based on insulation type, installation technique, line supports, penetrations, and instrumentation. The Propellant Feed System Analytical Tool (PFSAT) will also determine the optimum orifice diameter for an optional thermodynamic vent system (TVS) to counteract heat leak into the feed line and ensure temperature constraints at the end of the feed line are met. PFSAT was developed primarily using Fortran 90 code because of its number crunching power and the capability to directly access real fluid property subroutines in the Reference Fluid Thermodynamic and Transport Properties (REFPROP) Database developed by NIST. A Microsoft Excel front end user interface was implemented to provide convenient portability of PFSAT among a wide variety of potential users and its ability to utilize a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) developed in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). The focus of PFSAT is on-orbit reaction control systems and orbital maneuvering systems, but it may be used to predict heat leak into ground-based transfer lines as well. PFSAT is expected to be used for rapid initial design of cryogenic propellant distribution lines and thermodynamic vent systems. Once validated, PFSAT will support concept trades for a variety of cryogenic fluid transfer systems on spacecraft, including planetary landers, transfer vehicles, and propellant depots, as well as surface-based transfer systems. The details of the development of PFSAT, its user interface, and the program structure will be presented.

Computer program for computing the properties of seventeen fluids. [cryogenic liquids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brennan, J. A.; Friend, D. G.; Arp, V. D.; Mccarty, R. D.

1992-01-01

The present study describes modifications and additions to the MIPROPS computer program for calculating the thermophysical properties of 17 fluids. These changes include adding new fluids, new properties, and a new interface to the program. The new program allows the user to select the input and output parameters and the units to be displayed for each parameter. Fluids added to the MIPROPS program are carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, deuterium, helium, normal hydrogen, and xenon. The most recent modifications to the MIPROPS program are the addition of viscosity and thermal conductivity correlations for parahydrogen and the addition of the fluids normal hydrogen and xenon. The recently added interface considerably increases the program's utility.

Vent System Analysis for the Cryogenic Propellant Storage Transfer Ground Test Article

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hedayat, A

2013-01-01

To test and validate key capabilities and technologies required for future exploration elements such as large cryogenic propulsion stages and propellant depots, NASA is leading the efforts to develop and design the Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) payload. The primary objectives of CPST payload are to demonstrate: 1) in-space storage of cryogenic propellants for long duration applications; and 2) in-space transfer of cryogenic propellants. The Ground Test Article (GTA) is a technology development version of the CPST payload. The GTA consists of flight-sized and flight-like storage and transfer tanks, liquid acquisition devices, transfer, and pressurization systems with all of the CPST functionality. The GTA is designed to perform integrated passive and active thermal storage and transfer performance testing with liquid hydrogen (LH2) in a vacuum environment. The GTA storage tank is designed to store liquid hydrogen and the transfer tank is designed to be 5% of the storage tank volume. The LH2 transfer subsystem is designed to transfer propellant from one tank to the other utilizing pressure or a pump. The LH2 vent subsystem is designed to prevent over-pressurization of the storage and transfer tanks. An in-house general-purpose computer program was utilized to model and simulate the vent subsystem operation. The modeling, analysis, and the results will be presented in the final paper.

Integrated computational study of ultra-high heat flux cooling using cryogenic micro-solid nitrogen spray

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishimoto, Jun; Oh, U.; Tan, Daisuke

2012-10-01

A new type of ultra-high heat flux cooling system using the atomized spray of cryogenic micro-solid nitrogen (SN2) particles produced by a superadiabatic two-fluid nozzle was developed and numerically investigated for application to next generation super computer processor thermal management. The fundamental characteristics of heat transfer and cooling performance of micro-solid nitrogen particulate spray impinging on a heated substrate were numerically investigated and experimentally measured by a new type of integrated computational-experimental technique. The employed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis based on the Euler-Lagrange model is focused on the cryogenic spray behavior of atomized particulate micro-solid nitrogen and also on its ultra-high heat flux cooling characteristics. Based on the numerically predicted performance, a new type of cryogenic spray cooling technique for application to a ultra-high heat power density device was developed. In the present integrated computation, it is clarified that the cryogenic micro-solid spray cooling characteristics are affected by several factors of the heat transfer process of micro-solid spray which impinges on heated surface as well as by atomization behavior of micro-solid particles. When micro-SN2 spraying cooling was used, an ultra-high cooling heat flux level was achieved during operation, a better cooling performance than that with liquid nitrogen (LN2) spray cooling. As micro-SN2 cooling has the advantage of direct latent heat transport which avoids the film boiling state, the ultra-short time scale heat transfer in a thin boundary layer is more possible than in LN2 spray. The present numerical prediction of the micro-SN2 spray cooling heat flux profile can reasonably reproduce the measurement results of cooling wall heat flux profiles. The application of micro-solid spray as a refrigerant for next generation computer processors is anticipated, and its ultra-high heat flux technology is expected to result in an extensive improvement in the effective cooling performance of large scale supercomputer systems.

Physics Based Model for Cryogenic Chilldown and Loading. Part I: Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Luchinsky, Dmitry G.; Smelyanskiy, Vadim N.; Brown, Barbara

2014-01-01

We report the progress in the development of the physics based model for cryogenic chilldown and loading. The chilldown and loading is model as fully separated non-equilibrium two-phase flow of cryogenic fluid thermally coupled to the pipe walls. The solution follow closely nearly-implicit and semi-implicit algorithms developed for autonomous control of thermal-hydraulic systems developed by Idaho National Laboratory. A special attention is paid to the treatment of instabilities. The model is applied to the analysis of chilldown in rapid loading system developed at NASA-Kennedy Space Center. The nontrivial characteristic feature of the analyzed chilldown regime is its active control by dump valves. The numerical predictions are in reasonable agreement with the experimental time traces. The obtained results pave the way to the development of autonomous loading operation on the ground and space.

Cryogenic Temperature-Gradient Foam/Substrate Tensile Tester

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vailhe, Christophe

2003-01-01

The figure shows a fixture for measuring the tensile strength of the bond between an aluminum substrate and a thermally insulating polymeric foam. The specimen is meant to be representative of insulating foam on an aluminum tank that holds a cryogenic liquid. Prior to the development of this fixture, tensile tests of this type were performed on foam/substrate specimens immersed in cryogenic fluids. Because the specimens were cooled to cryogenic temperatures throughout their thicknesses, they tended to become brittle and to fracture at loads below true bond tensile strengths. The present fixture is equipped to provide a thermal gradient from cryogenic temperature at the foam/substrate interface to room temperature on the opposite foam surface. The fixture includes an upper aluminum block at room temperature and a lower aluminum block cooled to -423 F (approx. -253 C) by use of liquid helium. In preparation for a test, the metal outer surface (the lower surface) of a foam/substrate specimen is bonded to the lower block and the foam outer surface (the upper surface) of the specimen is bonded to the upper block. In comparison with the through-the-thickness cooling of immersion testing, the cryogenic-to-room-temperature thermal gradient that exists during testing on this fixture is a more realistic approximation of the operational thermal condition of sprayed insulating foam on a tank of cryogenic liquid. Hence, tensile tests performed on this fixture provide more accurate indications of operational bond tensile strengths. In addition, the introduction of the present fixture reduces the cost of testing by reducing the amount of cryogenic liquid consumed and the time needed to cool a specimen.

Vocabulary of aerospace safety terms pertaining to cryogenic safety, fires, explosions, and structure failure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pelouch, J. J., Jr.; Mandel, G.; Ordin, P. M.

1976-01-01

This vocabulary listing characterizes the contents of over 10,000 documents of the NASA Aerospace Safety Research and Data Institute's (ASRDI) safety engineering collection. The ASRDI collection is now one of the series accessible on the NASA RECON data base. There are approximately 6,300 postable terms that describe literature in the areas of cryogenic fluid safety, specifically hydrogen, oxygen, liquified natural gas; fire and explosion technology; and the mechanics of structural failure. To facilitate the proper selection of information nonpostable, related and array terms have been included in this listing.

Cryogenic Autogenous Pressurization Testing for Robotic Refueling Mission 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boyle, R.; DiPirro, M.; Tuttle, J.; Francis, J.; Mustafi, S.; Li, X.; Barfknecht, P.; DeLee, C. H.; McGuire, J.

2015-01-01

A wick-heater system has been selected for use to pressurize the Source Dewar of the Robotic Refueling Mission Phase 3 on-orbit cryogen transfer experiment payload for the International Space Station. Experimental results of autogenous pressurization of liquid argon and liquid nitrogen using a prototype wick-heater system are presented. The wick-heater generates gas to increase the pressure in the tank while maintaining a low bulk fluid temperature. Pressurization experiments were performed in 2013 to characterize the performance of the wick heater. This paper describes the experimental setup, pressurization results, and analytical model correlations.

Instrument for Measuring Thermal Conductivity of Materials at Low Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fesmire, James; Sass, Jared; Johnson, Wesley

2010-01-01

With the advance of polymer and other non-metallic material sciences, whole new series of polymeric materials and composites are being created. These materials are being optimized for many different applications including cryogenic and low-temperature industrial processes. Engineers need these data to perform detailed system designs and enable new design possibilities for improved control, reliability, and efficiency in specific applications. One main area of interest is cryogenic structural elements and fluid handling components and other parts, films, and coatings for low-temperature application. An important thermal property of these new materials is the apparent thermal conductivity (k-value).

The state of the art of conventional flow visualization techniques for wind tunnel testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Settles, G. S.

1982-01-01

Conventional wind tunnel flow visualization techniques which consist of surface flow methods, tracers, and optical methods are presented. Different surface flow methods are outlined: (1) liquid films (oil and fluorescent dye and UV lighting, renewable film via porous dispenser in model, volatile carrier fluid, cryogenic colored oil dots, oil film interferometry); (2) reactive surface treatment (reactive gas injection, reversible dye); (3) transition and heat transfer detectors (evaporation, sublimation, liquid crystals, phase change paints, IR thermography); and (4) tufts (fluorescent mini tufts, cryogenic suitability). Other methods are smoke wire techniques, vapor screens, and optical methods.

CFD Analysis of Turbo Expander for Cryogenic Refrigeration and Liquefaction Cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Rahul; Sam, Ashish Alex; Ghosh, Parthasarathi

Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis has emerged as a necessary tool for designing of turbomachinery. It helps to understand the various sources of inefficiency through investigation of flow physics of the turbine. In this paper, 3D turbulent flow analysis of a cryogenic turboexpander for small scale air separation was performed using Ansys CFX®. The turboexpander has been designed following assumptions based on meanlineblade generation procedure provided in open literature and good engineering judgement. Through analysis of flow field, modifications and further analysis required to evolve a more robust design procedure, have been suggested.

Rate correlation for condensation of pure vapor on turbulent, subcooled liquid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, J. Steven; Khoo, Boo Cheong; Sonin, Ain A.

1990-01-01

An empirical correlation is presented for the condensation of pure vapor on a subcooled, turbulent liquid with a shear-free interface. The correlation expresses the dependence of the condensation rate on fluid properties, on the liquid-side turbulence (which is imposed from below), and on the effects of buoyancy in the interfacial thermal layer. The correlation is derived from experiments with steam and water, but under conditions which simulate typical cryogenic fluids.

Technical accomplishments of the NASA Lewis Research Center, 1989

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

Topics addressed include: high-temperature composite materials; structural mechanics; fatigue life prediction for composite materials; internal computational fluid mechanics; instrumentation and controls; electronics; stirling engines; aeropropulsion and space propulsion programs, including a study of slush hydrogen; space power for use in the space station, in the Mars rover, and other applications; thermal management; plasma and radiation; cryogenic fluid management in space; microgravity physics; combustion in reduced gravity; test facilities and resources.

Hermetically sealed superconducting magnet motor

DOEpatents

DeVault, R.C.; McConnell, B.W.; Phillips, B.A.

1996-07-02

A hermetically sealed superconducting magnet motor includes a rotor separated from a stator by either a radial gap, an axial gap, or a combined axial and radial gap. Dual conically shaped stators are used in one embodiment to levitate a disc-shaped rotor made of superconducting material within a conduit for moving cryogenic fluid. As the rotor is caused to rotate when the field stator is energized, the fluid is pumped through the conduit. 6 figs.

Liquid Methane Conditioning Capabilities Developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center's Small Multi- Purpose Research Facility (SMiRF) for Accelerated Lunar Surface Storage Thermal Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bamberger, Helmut H.; Robinson, R. Craig; Jurns, John M.; Grasl, Steven J.

2011-01-01

Glenn Research Center s Creek Road Cryogenic Complex, Small Multi-Purpose Research Facility (SMiRF) recently completed validation / checkout testing of a new liquid methane delivery system and liquid methane (LCH4) conditioning system. Facility checkout validation was conducted in preparation for a series of passive thermal control technology tests planned at SMiRF in FY10 using a flight-like propellant tank at simulated thermal environments from 140 to 350K. These tests will validate models and provide high quality data to support consideration of LCH4/LO2 propellant combination option for a lunar or planetary ascent stage.An infrastructure has been put in place which will support testing of large amounts of liquid methane at SMiRF. Extensive modifications were made to the test facility s existing liquid hydrogen system for compatibility with liquid methane. Also, a new liquid methane fluid conditioning system will enable liquid methane to be quickly densified (sub-cooled below normal boiling point) and to be quickly reheated to saturation conditions between 92 and 140 K. Fluid temperatures can be quickly adjusted to compress the overall test duration. A detailed trade study was conducted to determine an appropriate technique to liquid conditioning with regard to the SMiRF facility s existing infrastructure. In addition, a completely new roadable dewar has been procured for transportation and temporary storage of liquid methane. A new spherical, flight-representative tank has also been fabricated for integration into the vacuum chamber at SMiRF. The addition of this system to SMiRF marks the first time a large-scale liquid methane propellant test capability has been realized at Glenn.This work supports the Cryogenic Fluid Management Project being conducted under the auspices of the Exploration Technology Development Program, providing focused cryogenic fluid management technology efforts to support NASA s future robotic or human exploration missions.

Zero-Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) Experiment: Ground-Based Validation of Self-Pressurization and Pressure Control Two-Phase CFD Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kassemi, Mohammad; Hylton, Sonya; Kartuzova, Olga

2017-01-01

Integral to all phases of NASA's projected space and planetary expeditions is affordable and reliable cryogenic fluid storage for use in propellant or life support systems. Cryogen vaporization due to heat leaks into the tank from its surroundings and support structure can cause self-pressurization relieved through venting. This has led to a desire to develop innovative pressure control designs based on mixing of the bulk tank fluid together with some form of active or passive cooling to allow storage of the cryogenic fluid with zero or reduced boil-off. The Zero-Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) Experiments are a series of small scale tank pressurization and pressure control experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that use a transparent volatile simulant fluid in a transparent sealed tank to delineate various fundamental fluid flow, heat and mass transport, and phase change phenomena that control storage tank pressurization and pressure control in microgravity. The hardware for ZBOT-1 flew to ISS on the OA-7 flight in April 2017 and operations are planned to begin in September 2017, encompassing more than 90 tests. This paper presents preliminary results from ZBOT's ground-based research delineating both pressurization and pressure reduction trends in the sealed test tank. Tank self-pressurization tests are conducted under three modes: VJ heating, strip heating and simultaneous VJ and strip heating in attempt to simulate heat leaks from the environment, the support structure and both. The jet mixing pressure control studies are performed either from an elevated uniform temperature condition or from thermally stratified conditions following a self-pressurization run. Jet flow rates are varied from 2-25 cm/s spanning a range of jet Re number in laminar, transitional, and turbulent regimes and a range of Weber numbers covering no ullage penetration, partial penetration and complete ullage penetration and break-up (only in microgravity). Numerical prediction of a two-phase CFD model are compared to experimental 1g results to both validate the model and also indicate the effect of the residual non-condensable gas on evolution of pressure and temperature distributions in the tank during pressurization and pressure control.

Online helium inventory monitoring of JLab cryogenic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, N.; Knudsen, P.; Wright, M.

2017-12-01

There are five cryogenic plants at Jefferson Lab which support the LINAC, experiment hall end-stations and test facility. The majority of JLab’s helium inventory, which is around 15 tons, is allocated in the LINAC cryo-modules, with the majority of the balance of helium distributed at the cryogenic-plant level mainly as stored gas and liquid for stable operation. Due to the organic evolution of the five plants and independent actions within the experiment halls, the traditional inventory management strategy suffers from rapid identification of potential leaks. This can easily result in losses many times higher than the normally accepted (average) loss rate. A real-time program to quickly identify potential excessive leakage was developed and tested. This program was written in MATLAB© for portability, easy diagnostics and modification. It interfaces directly with EPICS to access the cryogenic system state, and with and NIST REFPROP© for real fluid properties. This program was validated against the actual helium offloaded into the system. The present paper outlines the details of the inventory monitoring program, its validation and a sample of the achieved results.

A New Unsteady Model for Dense Cloud Cavitation in Cryogenic Fluids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hosangadi, A.; Ahuja, V.

2005-01-01

A new unsteady, cavitation model is presented wherein the phase change process (bubble growth/collapse) is coupled to the acoustic field in a cryogenic fluid. It predicts the number density and radius of bubbles in vapor clouds by tracking both the aggregate surface area and volume fraction of the cloud. Hence, formulations for the dynamics of individual bubbles (e.g. Rayleigh-Plesset equation) may be integrated within the macroscopic context of a dense vapor cloud i.e. a cloud that occupies a significant fraction of available volume and contains numerous bubbles. This formulation has been implemented within the CRUNCH CFD, which has a compressible real fluid formulation, a multi-element, unstructured grid framework, and has been validated extensively for liquid rocket turbopump inducers. Detailed unsteady simulations of a cavitating ogive in liquid nitrogen are presented where time-averaged mean cavity pressure and temperature depressions due to cavitation are compared with experimental data. The model also provides the spatial and temporal history of the bubble size distribution in the vapor clouds that are shed, an important physical parameter that is difficult to measure experimentally and is a significant advancement in the modeling of dense cloud cavitation.

System Administration Support/SWORDS G2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dito, Scott Joseph

2014-01-01

The Soldier-Warfighter Operationally Responsive Deployer for Space (SWORDS) rocket is a dedicated small satellite launcher that will minimize danger and complexity in order to allow soldiers in the field to put payloads of up to 25kg into orbit from the field. The SWORDSG2 project is the development of a model, simulation, and ultimately a working application that will control and monitor the cryogenic fluid delivery to the SWORDS rocket for testing purposes. To accomplish this, the project is using the programming language environment Gensym G2. The environment is an all-inclusive application that allows development, testing, modeling, and finally operation of the unique application through graphical and programmatic methods. In addition, observation of the current cryogenic fluid delivery system in the Kennedy Space Center Cry Lab has allowed me to gain valuable experience of fluid systems and propelant delivery that is valuable to our team when developing amd modeling our own system.The ultimate goal of having a test-ready application to show to the heads of the project, and demonstrating G2's capabilities, by late 2014 will require hard work and intense study and understanding of not only the programming aspect but also the physical phenomena we want to model, observe, and control.

Dynamic force response of spherical hydrostatic journal bearing for cryogenic applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanandres, Luis

1994-01-01

Hydrostatic Journal Bearings (HJB's) are reliable and resilient fluid film rotor support elements ideal to replace roller bearings in cryogenic turbomachinery. HJB' will be used for primary space-power applications due to their long lifetime, low friction and wear, large load capacity, large direct stiffness, and damping force coefficients. An analysis for the performance characteristics of turbulent flow, orifice compensated, spherical hydrostatic journal bearings (HJB's) is presented. Spherical bearings allow tolerance for shaft misalignment without force performance degradation and have also the ability to support axial loads. The spherical HJB combines these advantages to provide a bearing design which could be used efficiently on high performance turbomachinery. The motion of a barotropic liquid on the thin film bearing lands is described by bulk-flow mass and momentum equations. These equations are solved numerically using an efficient CFD method. Numerical predictions of load capacity and force coefficients for a 6 recess, spherical HJB in a LO2 environment are presented. Fluid film axial forces and force coefficients of a magnitude about 20% of the radial load capacity are predicted for the case analyzed. Fluid inertia effects, advective and centrifugal, are found to affect greatly the static and dynamic force performance of the bearing studied.

Development of a Ground Operations Demonstration Unit for Liquid Hydrogen at Kennedy Space Center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Notardonato, W. U.

NASA operations for handling cryogens in ground support equipment have not changed substantially in 50 years, despite major technology advances in the field of cryogenics. NASA loses approximately 50% of the hydrogen purchased because of a continuous heat leak into ground and flight vessels, transient chill down of warm cryogenic equipment, liquid bleeds, and vent losses. NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) needs to develop energy-efficient cryogenic ground systems to minimize propellant losses, simplify operations, and reduce cost associated with hydrogen usage. The GODU LH2 project will design, assemble, and test a prototype storage and distribution system for liquid hydrogen that represents an advanced end-to-end cryogenic propellant system for a ground launch complex. The project has multiple objectives and will culminate with an operational demonstration of the loading of a simulated flight tank with densified propellants. The system will be unique because it uses an integrated refrigeration and storage system (IRAS) to control the state of the fluid. The integrated refrigerator is the critical feature enabling the testing of the following three functions: zero-loss storage and transfer, propellant densification/conditioning, and on-site liquefaction. This paper will discuss the test objectives, the design of the system, and the current status of the installation.

Study on a neon cryogenic oscillating heat pipe with long heat transport distance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Qing; Li, Yi; Wang, Qiuliang

2018-06-01

An experimental study is carried out to study the heat transfer characteristics of a cryogenic oscillating heat pipe (OHP) with long heat transport distance. The OHP is made up of a capillary tube with an inner diameter of 1.0 mm and an outer diameter of 2.0 mm. The working fluid is neon, and the length of the adiabatic section is 480 mm. Tests are performed with the different heat inputs, liquid filling ratios and condenser temperature. For the cryogenic OHP with a liquid filling ratio of 30.7% at the condenser temperature of 28 K, the effective thermal conductivity is 3466-30,854 W/m K, and the maximum transfer power is 35.60 W. With the increment of the heat input, the effective thermal conductivity of the cryogenic OHP increases at the liquid filling ratios of 30.7% and 38.5%, while it first increases and then decreases at the liquid filling ratios of 15.2% and 23.3%. Moreover, the effective thermal conductivity increases with decreasing liquid filling ratio at the small heat input, and the maximum transfer power first increases and then decreases with increasing liquid filling ratio. Finally, it is found that the thermal performance of the cryogenic OHP can be improved by increasing the condenser temperature.

Resistance of Metallic Screens in a Cryogenic Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, Alexander; Stief, Malte

The propellant behaviour in cryogenic upper stages tanks imposes challenging requirements on the design, especially for future upper stages designed for multiple restarts and long ballistic flight phases. The main challenge is the supply of the propellants to the feed system prior to the engine reignition. During the entire mission the engine requires a gaseous and bubble free liquid supply of propellant at the required thermodynamic conditions. The current research focus is to prepare the initial steps for the maturation of the Propellant Management Device (PMD) technology for cryogenic tank systems. Main components of such a PMD are metallic screens. The metallic screens are used as barrier for any gas bubbles within the fluid stream approaching the space craft engines. The screen characteristics are of fundamental importance for the PMD and feed system design. The paper presents a summary on available experimental screen data with regard to the flow resistance and gives a comparison with theoretical and empirical predictions found in literature. The lack on comparable data with regard to space craft applications and the need on further research with cryogenic flows is demonstrated. The DLR Institute of Space Systems is preparing various cryogenic tests to collect the desired information about the flow properties of such metallic screens. The planned test setup and the foreseen experiments will be presented.

Impact of large beam-induced heat loads on the transient operation of the beam screens and the cryogenic plants of the Future Circular Collider (FCC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correia Rodrigues, H.; Tavian, L.

2017-12-01

The Future Circular Collider (FCC) under study at CERN will produce 50-TeV high-energy proton beams. The high-energy particle beams are bent by 16-T superconducting dipole magnets operating at 1.9 K and distributed over a circumference of 80 km. The circulating beams induce 5 MW of dynamic heat loads by several processes such as synchrotron radiation, resistive dissipation of beam image currents and electron clouds. These beam-induced heat loads will be intercepted by beam screens operating between 40 and 60 K and induce transients during beam injection. Energy ramp-up and beam dumping on the distributed beam-screen cooling loops, the sector cryogenic plants and the dedicated circulators. Based on the current baseline parameters, numerical simulations of the fluid flow in the cryogenic distribution system during a beam operation cycle were performed. The effects of the thermal inertia of the headers on the helium flow temperature at the cryogenic plant inlet as well as the temperature gradient experienced by the beam screen has been assessed. Additionally, this work enabled a thorough exergetic analysis of different cryogenic plant configurations and laid the building-block for establishing design specification of cold and warm circulators.

CFD Extraction of Heat Transfer Coefficient in Cryogenic Propellant Tanks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, H. Q.; West, Jeff

2015-01-01

Current reduced-order thermal model for cryogenic propellant tanks is based on correlations built for flat plates collected in the 1950's. The use of these correlations suffers from inaccurate geometry representation; inaccurate gravity orientation; ambiguous length scale; and lack of detailed validation. This study uses first-principles based CFD methodology to compute heat transfer from the tank wall to the cryogenic fluids and extracts and correlates the equivalent heat transfer coefficient to support reduced-order thermal model. The CFD tool was first validated against available experimental data and commonly used correlations for natural convection along a vertically heated wall. Good agreements between the present prediction and experimental data have been found for flows in laminar as well turbulent regimes. The convective heat transfer between the tank wall and cryogenic propellant, and that between the tank wall and ullage gas were then simulated. The results showed that the commonly used heat transfer correlations for either vertical or horizontal plate over-predict heat transfer rate for the cryogenic tank, in some cases by as much as one order of magnitude. A characteristic length scale has been defined that can correlate all heat transfer coefficients for different fill levels into a single curve. This curve can be used for the reduced-order heat transfer model analysis.

Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bentz, Mike

1992-01-01

The Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) is a small self-contained STS payload designed to test a jet mixer for cryogenic fluid pressure control. Viewgraphs are presented that describe project organization, experiment objectives and approach, risk management, payload concept and mission plan, and initial test data.

Human Support Technology Research, Development and Demonstration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Joshi, Jitendra; Trinh, Eugene

2004-01-01

The Human Support Technology research, development, and demonstration program address es the following areas at TRL: Advanced Power and Propulsion. Cryogenic fluid management. Closed-loop life support and Habitability. Extravehicular activity systems. Scientific data collection and analysis. and Planetary in-situ resource utilization.

Development of a quiet supersonic wind tunnel with a cryogenic adaptive nozzle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, Stephen W. D.

1992-01-01

Aspects of the design and construction of the Laminar Flow Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the NASA-Ames Fluid Mechanics Laboratory are discussed. The wind tunnel is to be used as part of the NASA High Speed Research Program (HSRP).

Gravity Probe-B Spacecraft attitude control based on the dynamics of slosh wave-induced fluid stress distribution on rotating dewar container of cryogenic propellant

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Lee, C. C.; Leslie, F. W.

1991-01-01

The dynamical behavior of fluids, in particular the effect of surface tension on partially-filled rotating fluids, in a full-scale Gravity Probe-B Spacecraft propellant dewar tank imposed by various frequencies of gravity jitters have been investigated. Results show that fluid stress distribution exerted on the outer and inner walls of rotating dewar are closely related to the characteristics of slosh waves excited on the liquid-vapor interface in the rotating dewar tank. This can provide a set of tool for the spacecraft dynamic control leading toward the control of spacecraft unbalance caused by the uneven fluid stress distribution due to slosh wave excitations.

Evolutionary space station fluids management strategies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

Results are summarized for an 11-month study to define fluid storage and handling strategies and requirements for various specific mission case studies and their associated design impacts on the Space Station. There are a variety of fluid users which require a variety of fluids and use rates. Also, the cryogenic propellants required for NASA's STV, Planetary, and Code Z missions are enormous. The storage methods must accommodate fluids ranging from a high pressure gas or supercritical state fluid to a sub-cooled liquid (and superfluid helium). These requirements begin in the year 1994, reach a maximum of nearly 1800 metric tons in the year 2004, and trail off to the year 2018, as currently planned. It is conceivable that the cryogenic propellant needs for the STV and/or Lunar mission models will be met by LTCSF LH2/LO2 tanksets attached to the SS truss structure. Concepts and corresponding transfer and delivery operations have been presented for STV propellant provisioning from the SS. A growth orbit maneuvering vehicle (OMV) and associated servicing capability will be required to move tanksets from delivery launch vehicles to the SS or co-orbiting platforms. Also, appropriate changes to the software used for OMV operation are necessary to allow for the combined operation of the growth OMV. To support fluid management activities at the Space Station for the experimental payloads and propellant provisioning, there must be truss structure space allocated for fluid carriers and propellant tanksets, and substantial beam strengthening may be required. The Station must have two Mobile Remote Manipulator Systems (MRMS) and the growth OMV propellant handling operations for the STV at the SS. Propellant needs for the Planetary Initiatives and Code Z mission models will most likely be provided by co-orbiting propellant platform(s). Space Station impacts for Code Z mission fluid management activities will be minimal.

Modeling Tools Predict Flow in Fluid Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2010-01-01

"Because rocket engines operate under extreme temperature and pressure, they present a unique challenge to designers who must test and simulate the technology. To this end, CRAFT Tech Inc., of Pipersville, Pennsylvania, won Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts from Marshall Space Flight Center to develop software to simulate cryogenic fluid flows and related phenomena. CRAFT Tech enhanced its CRUNCH CFD (computational fluid dynamics) software to simulate phenomena in various liquid propulsion components and systems. Today, both government and industry clients in the aerospace, utilities, and petrochemical industries use the software for analyzing existing systems as well as designing new ones."

Qualification and cryogenic performance of cryomodule components at CEBAF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heckman, J.; Macha, K.; Fischer, J.

1996-12-31

At CEBAF an electron beam is accelerated by superconducting resonant niobium cavities which are operated submerged in superfluid helium. The accelerator has 42 1/4 cryomodules, each containing eight cavities. The qualification and design of components for the cryomodules under went stringent testing and evaluation for acceptance. Indium wire seals are used between the cavity and helium vessel interface to make a superfluid helium leak tight seal. Each cavity is equipped with a mechanical tuner assembly designed to stretch and compress the cavities. Two rotary feedthroughs are used to operate each mechanical tuner assembly. Ceramic feedthroughs not designed for super-fluid weremore » qualified for tuner and cryogenic instrumentation. To ensure long term integrity of the machine special attention is required for material specifications and machine processes. The following is to share the qualification methods, design and performance of the cryogenic cryomodule components.« less

Experimental Studies of Liquefaction and Densification of Liquid Oxygen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Partridge, Jonathan Koert

2010-01-01

The propellant combination that offers optimum performance is very reactive with a low average molecular weight of the resulting combustion products. Propellant combinations such as oxygen and hydrogen meet the above criteria, however, the propellants in gaseous form require large propellant tanks due to the low density of gas. Thus, rocketry employs cryogenic refrigeration to provide a more dense propellant stored as a liquid. In addition to propellant liquefaction, cryogenic refrigeration can also conserve propellant and provide propellant subcooling and propellant densification. Previous studies analyzed vapor conditioning of a cryogenic propellant, with the vapor conditioning by either a heat exchanger position in the vapor or by using the vapor in a refrigeration cycle as the working fluid. This study analyzes the effects of refrigeration heat exchanger located in the liquid of the common propellant oxidizer, liquid oxygen. This study predicted and determined the mass condensation rate and heat transfer coefficient for liquid oxygen.

The influence of machining condition and cutting tool wear on surface roughness of AISI 4340 steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Natasha, A. R.; Ghani, J. A.; Che Haron, C. H.; Syarif, J.

2018-01-01

Sustainable machining by using cryogenic coolant as the cutting fluid has been proven to enhance some machining outputs. The main objective of the current work was to investigate the influence of machining conditions; dry and cryogenic, as well as the cutting tool wear on the machined surface roughness of AISI 4340 steel. The experimental tests were performed using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coated carbide inserts. The value of machined surface roughness were measured at 3 cutting intervals; beginning, middle, and end of the cutting based on the readings of the tool flank wear. The results revealed that cryogenic turning had the greatest influence on surface roughness when machined at lower cutting speed and higher feed rate. Meanwhile, the cutting tool wear was also found to influence the surface roughness, either improving it or deteriorating it, based on the severity and the mechanism of the flank wear.

CFD Modeling of Helium Pressurant Effects on Cryogenic Tank Pressure Rise Rates in Normal Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grayson, Gary; Lopez, Alfredo; Chandler, Frank; Hastings, Leon; Hedayat, Ali; Brethour, James

2007-01-01

A recently developed computational fluid dynamics modeling capability for cryogenic tanks is used to simulate both self-pressurization from external heating and also depressurization from thermodynamic vent operation. Axisymmetric models using a modified version of the commercially available FLOW-3D software are used to simulate actual physical tests. The models assume an incompressible liquid phase with density that is a function of temperature only. A fully compressible formulation is used for the ullage gas mixture that contains both condensable vapor and a noncondensable gas component. The tests, conducted at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, include both liquid hydrogen and nitrogen in tanks with ullage gas mixtures of each liquid's vapor and helium. Pressure and temperature predictions from the model are compared to sensor measurements from the tests and a good agreement is achieved. This further establishes the accuracy of the developed FLOW-3D based modeling approach for cryogenic systems.

Thermodynamic Vent System for an On-Orbit Cryogenic Reaction Control Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurlbert, Eric A.; Romig, Kris A.; Jimenez, Rafael; Flores, Sam

2012-01-01

A report discusses a cryogenic reaction control system (RCS) that integrates a Joule-Thompson (JT) device (expansion valve) and thermodynamic vent system (TVS) with a cryogenic distribution system to allow fine control of the propellant quality (subcooled liquid) during operation of the device. It enables zero-venting when coupled with an RCS engine. The proper attachment locations and sizing of the orifice are required with the propellant distribution line to facilitate line conditioning. During operations, system instrumentation was strategically installed along the distribution/TVS line assembly, and temperature control bands were identified. A sub-scale run tank, full-scale distribution line, open-loop TVS, and a combination of procured and custom-fabricated cryogenic components were used in the cryogenic RCS build-up. Simulated on-orbit activation and thruster firing profiles were performed to quantify system heat gain and evaluate the TVS s capability to maintain the required propellant conditions at the inlet to the engine valves. Test data determined that a small control valve, such as a piezoelectric, is optimal to provide continuously the required thermal control. The data obtained from testing has also assisted with the development of fluid and thermal models of an RCS to refine integrated cryogenic propulsion system designs. This system allows a liquid oxygenbased main propulsion and reaction control system for a spacecraft, which improves performance, safety, and cost over conventional hypergolic systems due to higher performance, use of nontoxic propellants, potential for integration with life support and power subsystems, and compatibility with in-situ produced propellants.

Pool Boiling Experiment Has Five Successful Flights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chiaramonte, Fran

1997-01-01

The Pool Boiling Experiment (PBE) is designed to improve understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that constitute nucleate pool boiling. Nucleate pool boiling is a process wherein a stagnant pool of liquid is in contact with a surface that can supply heat to the liquid. If the liquid absorbs enough heat, a vapor bubble can be formed. This process occurs when a pot of water boils. On Earth, gravity tends to remove the vapor bubble from the heating surface because it is dominated by buoyant convection. In the orbiting space shuttle, however, buoyant convection has much less of an effect because the forces of gravity are very small. The Pool Boiling Experiment was initiated to provide insight into this nucleate boiling process, which has many earthbound applications in steamgeneration power plants, petroleum plants, and other chemical plants. In addition, by using the test fluid R-113, the Pool Boiling Experiment can provide some basic understanding of the boiling behavior of cryogenic fluids without the large cost of an experiment using an actual cryogen.

Cryogenic and Simulated Fuel Jet Breakup in Argon, Helium and Nitrogen Gas Flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ingebo, Robert D.

1995-01-01

Two-phase flow atomization of liquid nitrogen jets was experimentally investigated. They were co-axially injected into high-velocity gas flows of helium, nitrogen and argon, respectively, and atomized internally inside a two-fluid fuel nozzle. Cryogenic sprays with relatively high specific surface areas were produced, i.e., ratios of surface area to volume were fairly high. This was indicated by values of reciprocal Sauter mean diameters, RSMD's, as measured with a scattered- light scanning instrument developed at NASA Lewis Research Center. Correlating expressions were derived for the three atomizing gases over a gas temperature range of 111 to 422 K. Also, the correlation was extended to include waterjet breakup data that had been previously obtained in simulating fuel jet breakup in sonic velocity gas flow. The final correlating expression included a new dimensionless molecular-scale acceleration group. It was needed to correlate RSMD data, for LN2 and H2O sprays, with the fluid properties of the liquid jets and atomizing gases used in this investigation.

Numerical investigation on cryogenic liquid jet under transcritical and supercritical conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Liang; Xie, Maozhao; Wei, Wu; Jia, Ming; Liu, Hongsheng

2018-01-01

Cryogenic fluid injection and mixing under transcritical and supercritical conditions is numerically investigated with emphasis on the difference of the mechanism and characteristics between the two injections. A new solver is developed which is capable of handling the nonideality of the equation of state and the anomalies in fluid transport properties and is incorporated into the CFD software OpenFOAM. The new solver has been validated against available experimental data and exhibits a good performance. Computational results indicates that the differences between transcritical and supercritical injections are mainly induced by the pseudo-boiling phenomenon, resulting in that the transcritical jet has a longer cold liquid core and an isothermal expansion occurs at the surface of the cold core. The thickness of the supercritical mixing layer and its increase value along the jet direction are greater than its transcritical counterpart. The high-temperature jet whose initial temperature is above the pseudo-boiling temperature has the ability of enhancing the mixing of the jet with the surrounding gas.

Potential Follow on Experiments for the Zero Boil Off Tank Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David; Kassemi, Mohammad

2014-01-01

Cryogenic Storage &Transfer are enabling propulsion technologies in the direct path of nearly all future human or robotic missions; It is identified by NASA as an area with greatest potential for cost saving; This proposal aims at resolving fundamental scientific issues behind the engineering development of the storage tanks; We propose to use the ISS lab to generate & collect archival scientific data:, raise our current state-of-the-art understanding of transport and phase change issues affecting the storage tank cryogenic fluid management (CFM), develop and validate state-of-the-art CFD models to innovate, optimize, and advance the future engineering designs

Preliminary thermal design of the COLD-SAT spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arif, Hugh

1991-01-01

The COLD-SAT free-flying spacecraft was to perform experiments with LH2 in the cryogenic fluid management technologies of storage, supply and transfer in reduced gravity. The Phase A preliminary design of the Thermal Control Subsystem (TCS) for the spacecraft exterior and interior surfaces and components of the bus subsystems is described. The TCS was composed of passive elements which were augmented with heaters. Trade studies to minimize the parasitic heat leakage into the cryogen storage tanks are described. Selection procedure for the thermally optimum on-orbit spacecraft attitude was defined. TRASYS-2 and SINDA'85 verification analysis was performed on the design and the results are presented.

Development of an adsorption compressor for use in cryogenic refrigeration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schember, Helen R.

1989-01-01

A new compressor with no moving parts has been developed which is able to supply a source of high-pressure gas to a Joule-Thompson based cryogenic refrigerator. The compressor relies on a newly implemented combination of high-surface-area Saran carbon (sorbent) and krypton gas (working fluid). In addition, an integral gas-gap heat switch is used to provide improved overall efficiency. A prototype compressor has been designed, built, and tested as a part of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory effort in sorption refrigeration. Performance data from the prototype unit described here demonstrate successful compressor performance and good agreement with theoretical predictions.

Effect of Interfacial Turbulence and Accommodation Coefficient on CFD Predictions of Pressurization and Pressure Control in Cryogenic Storage Tank

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kassemi, Mohammad; Kartuzova, Olga; Hylton, Sonya

2015-01-01

Laminar models agree closely with the pressure evolution and vapor phase temperature stratification but under-predict liquid temperatures. Turbulent SST k-w and k-e models under-predict the pressurization rate and extent of stratification in the vapor but represent liquid temperature distributions fairly well. These conclusions seem to equally apply to large cryogenic tank simulations as well as small scale simulant fluid pressurization cases. Appropriate turbulent models that represent both interfacial and bulk vapor phase turbulence with greater fidelity are needed. Application of LES models to the tank pressurization problem can serve as a starting point.

Noncontact Measurement Of Shaft Speed, Torque, And Power

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madzsar, George C.

1993-01-01

Noncontact fiber-optic sensor and associated electronic equipment measure twist and speed of rotation of shaft. Measurements determine torque and power. Response of sensor remains linear even at cryogenic temperatures. Reflective strips on rotating shaft reflect two series of light pulses back into optical system. Bidirectional coupler in each of two optical fiber paths separates reflected light from incident light, sending it to photodiode for output to analog-to-digital converter and computer. Sensor requires no slip rings or telemetry to transfer signals from shaft. Well suited for providing data on performances of turbopumps for such cryogenic fluids as liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

Cryogenic system for COMET experiment at J-PARC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ki, Taekyung; Yoshida, Makoto; Yang, Ye; Ogitsu, Toru; Iio, Masami; Makida, Yasuhiro; Okamura, Takahiro; Mihara, Satoshi; Nakamoto, Tatsushi; Sugano, Michinaka; Sasaki, Ken-ichi

2016-07-01

Superconducting conductors and cryogenic refrigeration are key factors in the accelerator science because they enable the production of magnets needed to control and detect the particles under study. In Japan, a system for COMET (Coherent Muon to Electron Transition), which will produce muon beam lines, is under the construction at J-PARC (Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex). The system consists of three superconducting magnets; the first is a pion-capture solenoid, the second is a muon-transport solenoid, and the third is a detector solenoid. It is necessary to cool down the magnets efficiently using two-phase helium and maintain them securely at 4.5 K. For stable cryogenic refrigeration of the magnets, a suitable cooling method, structures, and the irradiation effect on materials should be investigated. In this paper, we focus on the development of an overall cryogenic system for cooling the capture and transport solenoids. A conduction-cooling method is considered for cooling the capture and transport solenoids because of the advantages such as the reduction of total heat load, fewer components, and simplified structure. To supply cryogenic fluids (4.5 K liquid helium and 58 K gas helium) and currents to the conduction-cooled magnets subjected to high irradiation, cryogenic components (cooling paths in the magnets, transfer tubes, and a current lead box) are developed. Based on the environment of high irradiation, the conditions (temperature and pressure) of helium in cooling paths are estimated, as well as the temperature of the capture magnet. We develop a dynamic model for quench simulation and estimate the maximum pressure in the cooling pipe when the capture magnet quenches. We conclude with a discussion of the next steps and estimated challenges for the cryogenic system.

Fluid distribution in grain boundaries of natural fine-grained rock salt deformed at low differential stress (Qom Kuh salt fountain, central Iran): Implications for rheology and transport properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desbois, Guillaume; Urai, Janos L.; de Bresser, Johannes H. P.

2012-10-01

We used a combination of broad ion beam cross-sectioning and cryogenic SEM to image polished surfaces and corresponding pairs of fractured grain boundaries in an investigation of grain boundary microstructures and fluid distribution in naturally deformed halite from the Qom Kuh salt glacier (central Iran). At the scale of observations, four types of fluid-filled grain boundary can be distinguished by morphology (from straight to wavy), thickness (from 5000 to 50 nm) and the presence of fluid inclusions. The mobility of the brine is shown after cutting the inclusions by broad ion beam (BIB) in vacuum and fine-grained halite forms efflorescence and precipitates on internal walls of inclusions. At cryogenic temperature, grain boundary brine is shown either as continuous film or in isolated inclusions. The halite-halite grain boundary between isolated fluid inclusions is interpreted to have formed by fluid-assisted grain boundary healing. Preliminary experiments on the samples at shear stress conditions of natural salt glacier show very slow strain rates (7.4 × 10-10 s-1 and 1 × 10-9 s-1), which are less than expected for pressure solution creep. Both microstructures and deformation experiments suggest interfacial energy-driven grain boundary healing and therefore rendering inactive the pressure solution creep in our samples. This result disagrees with previous microstructural studies of the same sample, which showed microstructural evidence for pressure solution (and dislocation creep). Different explanations are discussed, which imply that both healing and reactivation of grain boundaries are important in salt glaciers, leading to heterogeneous distribution of deformation mechanisms and strain rates in both space and time.

Effect of fluid compressibility on journal bearing performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dimofte, Florin

1993-01-01

An analysis was undertaken to determine the effect of fluid film compressibility on the performance of fluid film bearings. A new version of the Reynolds equation was developed, using a polytropic expansion, for both steady-state and dynamic conditions. Polytropic exponents from 1 (isothermal) to 1000 (approaching an incompressible liquid) were evaluated for two bearing numbers, selected from a range of practical interest for cryogenic application, and without cavitation. Bearing loads were insensitive to fluid compressibility for low bearing numbers, as was expected. The effect of compressibility on attitude angle was significant, even when the bearing number was low. A small amount of fluid compressibility was enough to obtain stable running conditions. Incompressible liquid lacked stability at all conditions. Fluid compressibility can be used to control the bearing dynamic coefficients, thereby influencing the dynamic behavior of the rotor-bearing system.

Low-G fluid behavior technology summaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stark, J. A.; Bradshaw, R. D.; Blatt, M. H.

1974-01-01

This report presents a summarization and categorization of the pertinent literature associated with low-g fluid behavior technology. Initially a literature search was conducted to obtain pertinent documents for review. Reports determined to be of primary significance are summarized in detail. Each summary, where applicable, consists of; (1) report identification, (2) objective(s) of the work, (3) description of pertinent work performed, (4) major results, and (5) comments of the reviewer (GD/C). Pertinent figures are presented on a single facing page separate from the text. Specific areas covered are; interface configuration, interface stability, natural frequency and damping, liquid reorientation, bubbles and droplets, fluid inflow, fluid outflow, convection, boiling and condensation heat transfer, venting effects, and fluid properties. Reports which were reviewed and not summarized, along with reasons for not summarizing, are also listed. Cryogenic thermal control and fluid management systems technology are presented.

Conceptual design of an in-space cryogenic fluid management facility, executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willen, G. S.; Riemer, D. H.; Hustvedt, D. C.

1981-01-01

The conceptual design of a Spacelab experiment to develop the technology associated with low gravity propellant management is summarized. The preliminary facility definition, conceptual design and design analysis, and facility development plan, including schedule and cost estimates for the facility, are presented.

Fluid Distribution for In-space Cryogenic Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lear, William

2005-01-01

The ultimate goal of this task is to enable the use of a single supply of cryogenic propellants for three distinct spacecraft propulsion missions: main propulsion, orbital maneuvering, and attitude control. A fluid distribution system is sought which allows large propellant flows during the first two missions while still allowing control of small propellant flows during attitude control. Existing research has identified the probable benefits of a combined thermal management/power/fluid distribution system based on the Solar Integrated Thermal Management and Power (SITMAP) cycle. Both a numerical model and an experimental model are constructed in order to predict the performance of such an integrated thermal management/propulsion system. This research task provides a numerical model and an experimental apparatus which will simulate an integrated thermal/power/fluid management system based on the SITMAP cycle, and assess its feasibility for various space missions. Various modifications are done to the cycle, such as the addition of a regeneration process that allows heat to be transferred into the working fluid prior to the solar collector, thereby reducing the collector size and weight. Fabri choking analysis was also accounted for. Finally the cycle is to be optimized for various space missions based on a mass based figure of merit, namely the System Mass Ratio (SMR). -. 1 he theoretical and experimental results from these models are be used to develop a design code (JETSIT code) which is able to provide design parameters for such a system, over a range of cooling loads, power generation, and attitude control thrust levels. The performance gains and mass savings will be compared to those of existing spacecraft systems.

Facesheet Delamination of Composite Sandwich Materials at Cryogenic Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gates, Thomas S.; Odegard, Gregory M.; Herring, Helen M.

2003-01-01

The next generation of space transportation vehicles will require advances in lightweight structural materials and related design concepts to meet the increased demands on performance. One potential source for significant structural weight reduction is the replacement of traditional metallic cryogenic fuel tanks with new designs for polymeric matrix composite tanks. These new tank designs may take the form of thin-walled sandwich constructed with lightweight core and composite facesheets. Life-time durability requirements imply the materials must safely carry pressure loads, external structural loads, resist leakage and operate over an extremely wide temperature range. Aside from catastrophic events like tank wall penetration, one of the most likely scenarios for failure of a tank wall of sandwich construction is the permeation of cryogenic fluid into the sandwich core and the subsequent delamination of the sandwich facesheet due to the build-up of excessive internal pressure. The research presented in this paper was undertaken to help understand this specific problem of core to facesheet delamination in cryogenic environments and relate this data to basic mechanical properties. The experimental results presented herein provide data on the strain energy release rate (toughness) of the interface between the facesheet and the core of a composite sandwich subjected to simulated internal pressure. A unique test apparatus and associated test methods are described and the results are presented to highlight the effects of cryogenic temperature on the measured material properties.

In-Space Propellant Production Using Water

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Notardonato, William; Johnson, Wesley; Swanger, Adam; McQuade, William

2012-01-01

A new era of space exploration is being planned. Manned exploration architectures under consideration require the long term storage of cryogenic propellants in space, and larger science mission directorate payloads can be delivered using cryogenic propulsion stages. Several architecture studies have shown that in-space cryogenic propulsion depots offer benefits including lower launch costs, smaller launch vehicles, and enhanced mission flexibility. NASA is currently planning a Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) technology demonstration mission that will use existing technology to demonstrate long duration storage, acquisition, mass gauging, and transfer of liquid hydrogen in low Earth orbit. This mission will demonstrate key technologies, but the CPST architecture is not designed for optimal mission operations for a true propellant depot. This paper will consider cryogenic propellant depots that are designed for operability. The operability principles considered are reusability, commonality, designing for the unique environment of space, and use of active control systems, both thermal and fluid. After considering these operability principles, a proposed depot architecture will be presented that uses water launch and on orbit electrolysis and liquefaction. This could serve as the first true space factory. Critical technologies needed for this depot architecture, including on orbit electrolysis, zero-g liquefaction and storage, rendezvous and docking, and propellant transfer, will be discussed and a developmental path forward will be presented. Finally, use of the depot to support the NASA Science Mission Directorate exploration goals will be presented.

Mechanistic modeling of destratification in cryogenic storage tanks using ultrasonics.

PubMed

Jagannathan, T K; Mohanan, Srijith; Nagarajan, R

2014-01-01

Stratification is one of the main causes for vaporization of cryogens and increase of tank pressure during cryogenic storage. This leads subsequent problems such as cavitation in cryo-pumps, reduced length of storage time. Hence, it is vital to prevent stratification to improve the cost efficiency of storage systems. If stratified layers exist inside the tank, they have to be removed by suitable methods without venting the vapor. Sonication is one such method capable of keeping fluid layers mixed. In the present work, a mechanistic model for ultrasonic destratification is proposed and validated with destratification experiments done in water. Then, the same model is used to predict the destratification characteristics of cryogenic liquids such as liquid nitrogen (LN₂), liquid hydrogen (LH₂) and liquid ammonia (LNH₃). The destratification parameters are analysed for different frequencies of ultrasound and storage pressures by considering continuous and pulsed modes of ultrasonic operation. From the results, it is determined that use of high frequency ultrasound (low-power/continuous; high-power/pulsing) or low frequency ultrasound (continuous operation with moderate power) can both be effective in removing stratification. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Advanced Ground Systems Maintenance Physics Models For Diagnostics Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perotti, Jose M.

2015-01-01

The project will use high-fidelity physics models and simulations to simulate real-time operations of cryogenic and systems and calculate the status/health of the systems. The project enables the delivery of system health advisories to ground system operators. The capability will also be used to conduct planning and analysis of cryogenic system operations. This project will develop and implement high-fidelity physics-based modeling techniques tosimulate the real-time operation of cryogenics and other fluids systems and, when compared to thereal-time operation of the actual systems, provide assessment of their state. Physics-modelcalculated measurements (called “pseudo-sensors”) will be compared to the system real-timedata. Comparison results will be utilized to provide systems operators with enhanced monitoring ofsystems' health and status, identify off-nominal trends and diagnose system/component failures.This capability can also be used to conduct planning and analysis of cryogenics and other fluidsystems designs. This capability will be interfaced with the ground operations command andcontrol system as a part of the Advanced Ground Systems Maintenance (AGSM) project to helpassure system availability and mission success. The initial capability will be developed for theLiquid Oxygen (LO2) ground loading systems.

Expandable Purge Chambers Would Protect Cryogenic Fittings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, Ivan I., III

2004-01-01

Expandable ice-prevention and cleanliness-preservation (EIP-CP) chambers have been proposed to prevent the accumulation of ice or airborne particles on quick-disconnect (QD) fittings, or on ducts or tubes that contain cryogenic fluids. In the original application for which the EIP-CP chambers were conceived, there is a requirement to be able to disconnect and reconnect the QD fittings in rapid succession. If ice were to form on the fittings by condensation and freezing of airborne water vapor on the cold fitting surfaces, the ice could interfere with proper mating of the fittings, making it necessary to wait an unacceptably long time for the ice to thaw before attempting reconnection. By keeping water vapor away from the cold fitting surfaces, the EIP-CP chambers would prevent accumulation of ice, preserving the ability to reconnect as soon as required. Basically, the role of an EIP-CP chamber would be to serve as an enclosure for a flow of dry nitrogen gas that would keep ambient air away from QD cryogenic fittings. An EIP-CP chamber would be an inflatable device made of a fabriclike material. The chamber would be attached to an umbilical plate holding a cryogenic QD fitting.

Prediction of the Effective Thermal Conductivity of Powder Insulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Lingxue; Park, Jiho; Lee, Cheonkyu; Jeong, Sangkwon

The powder insulation method is widely used in structural and cryogenic systems such as transportation and storage tanks of cryogenic fluids. The powder insulation layer is constructed by small particle powder with light weight and some residual gas with high porosity. So far, many experiments have been carried out to test the thermal performance of various kinds of powder, including expanded perlite, glass microspheres, expanded polystyrene (EPS). However, it is still difficult to predict the thermal performance of powder insulation by calculation due to the complicated geometries, including various particle shapes, wide powder diameter distribution, and various pore sizes. In this paper, the effective thermal conductivity of powder insulation has been predicted based on an effective thermal conductivity calculationmodel of porous packed beds. The calculation methodology was applied to the insulation system with expanded perlite, glass microspheres and EPS beads at cryogenic temperature and various vacuum pressures. The calculation results were compared with previous experimental data. Moreover, additional tests were carried out at cryogenic temperature in this research. The fitting equations of the deformation factor of the area-contact model are presented for various powders. The calculation results show agood agreement with the experimental results.

Cryogenic Pressure Control Modeling for Ellipsoidal Space Tanks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lopez, Alfredo; Grayson, Gary D.; Chandler, Frank O.; Hastings, Leon J.; Heyadat, Ali

2007-01-01

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to simulate pressure control of an ellipsoidal-shaped liquid hydrogen tank under external heating in normal gravity. Pressure control is provided by an axial jet thermodynamic vent system (TVS) centered within the vessel that injects cooler liquid into the tank, mixing the contents and reducing tank pressure. The two-phase cryogenic tank model considers liquid hydrogen in its own vapor with liquid density varying with temperature only and a fully compressible ullage. The axisymmetric model is developed using a custom version of the commercially available FLOW-31) software. Quantitative model validation is ,provided by engineering checkout tests performed at Marshall Space Flight Center in 1999 in support of the Solar Thermal Upper Stage_ Technology Demonstrator (STUSTD) program. The engineering checkout tests provide cryogenic tank self-pressurization test data at various heat leaks and tank fill levels. The predicted self-pressurization rates, ullage and liquid temperatures at discrete locations within the STUSTD tank are in good agreement with test data. The work presented here advances current CFD modeling capabilities for cryogenic pressure control and helps develop a low cost CFD-based design process for space hardware.

Cryogenic wind tunnel technology. A way to measurement at higher Reynolds numbers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beck, J. W.

1984-01-01

The goals, design, problems, and value of cryogenic transonic wind tunnels being developed in Europe are discussed. The disadvantages inherent in low-Reynolds-number (Re) wind tunnel simulations of aircraft flight at high Re are reviewed, and the cryogenic tunnel is shown to be the most practical method to achieve high Re. The design proposed for the European Transonic Wind tunnel (ETW) is presented: parameters include cross section. DISPLAY 83A46484/2 = 4 sq m, operating pressure = 5 bar, temperature = 110-120 K, maximum Re = 40 x 10 to the 6th, liquid N2 consumption = 40,000 metric tons/year, and power = 39,5 MW. The smaller Cologne subsonic tunnel being adapted to cryogenic use for preliminary studies is described. Problems of configuration, materials, and liquid N2 evaporation and handling and the research underway to solve them are outlined. The benefits to be gained by the construction of these costly installations are seen more in applied aerodynamics than in basic research in fluid physics. The need for parallel development of both high Re tunnels and computers capable of performing high-Re numerical analysis is stressed.

Detecting Molecular Mobility in Cryopreserved Materials using Mechanical Properties: Seeds as a Case Study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The purpose of this presentation is to examine molecular mobility of materials stored under cryogenic conditions. It is generally assumed that molecular mobility of fluids decrease to almost nil once the temperature decreases to below the glass transition temperature, Tg. Glass transitions have b...

Soft metal plating enables hard metal seal to operate successfully in low temperature, high pressure environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamvermeyer, D. J.

1967-01-01

Soft metal plating of hard metal lip seal enables successful operation of seal in a cryogenic fluid line under high pressure. The seal is coated with a thin film of 24 carat gold on the lip area to provide antigall and seal properties.

Development of a cryogenic mixed fluid J-T cooling computer code, 'JTMIX'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Jack A.

1991-01-01

An initial study was performed for analyzing and predicting the temperatures and cooling capacities when mixtures of fluids are used in Joule-Thomson coolers and in heat pipes. A computer code, JTMIX, was developed for mixed gas J-T analysis for any fluid combination of neon, nitrogen, various hydrocarbons, argon, oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide. When used in conjunction with the NIST computer code, DDMIX, it has accurately predicted order-of-magnitude increases in J-T cooling capacities when various hydrocarbons are added to nitrogen, and it predicts nitrogen normal boiling point depressions to as low as 60 K when neon is added.

Experimental investigation of 20 K two-stage layered active magnetic regenerative refrigerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Inmyong; Jeong, Sangkwon

2015-12-01

The performance of a two-stage layered AMRR is experimentally investigated. The test apparatus includes two-stage layered AMRs, low temperature superconducting (LTS) magnet which generates maximum magnetic field of 4 T, and the helium gas flow system. The helium compressor with the tandem rotary valve is employed to generate the oscillating flow of the helium gas minimizing the pressure swing effect. The mass flow rate of working fluid is controlled separately at the first and second stages of the AMR by solenoid valves. The mass flow rate of the AMRs is measured by the mass flow meter and the cryogenic hot-film sensor which is calibrated at cryogenic temperature range from 20 K to 77 K. In order to reduce the heat leak by shuttle heat transfer of the working fluid, void volumes have been implemented and connected to the cold ends of the AMR1 and AMR2. The temperature span of the AMR is recorded as 52 K and the performance of the AMR with the variation of the mass flow rate is analysed. The results show that the mass flow rate and the heat leak due to the shuttle heat transfer by oscillating working fluid are crucial factors in the AMR performance.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Reduced Gravity Fluid Slosh Dynamics for the Characterization of Cryogenic Launch and Space Vehicle Propellants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walls, Laurie K.; Kirk, Daniel; deLuis, Kavier; Haberbusch, Mark S.

2011-01-01

As space programs increasingly investigate various options for long duration space missions the accurate prediction of propellant behavior over long periods of time in microgravity environment has become increasingly imperative. This has driven the development of a detailed, physics-based understanding of slosh behavior of cryogenic propellants over a range of conditions and environments that are relevant for rocket and space storage applications. Recent advancements in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models and hardware capabilities have enabled the modeling of complex fluid behavior in microgravity environment. Historically, launch vehicles with moderate duration upper stage coast periods have contained very limited instrumentation to quantify propellant stratification and boil-off in these environments, thus the ability to benchmark these complex computational models is of great consequence. To benchmark enhanced CFD models, recent work focuses on establishing an extensive experimental database of liquid slosh under a wide range of relevant conditions. In addition, a mass gauging system specifically designed to provide high fidelity measurements for both liquid stratification and liquid/ullage position in a micro-gravity environment has been developed. This pUblication will summarize the various experimental programs established to produce this comprehensive database and unique flight measurement techniques.

Design review of fluid film bearing testers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scharrer, Joseph K.

1993-01-01

The designs of three existing testers (Hybrid Bearing Tester, OTV Bearing Tester, and Long Life Bearing Tester) owned by NASA were reviewed for their capability to serve as a multi-purpose cryogenic fluid film bearing tester. The primary tester function is the validation of analytical predictions for fluid film bearing steady state and dynamic performance. Evaluation criteria were established for test bearing configurations, test fluids, instrumentation, and test objectives. Each tester was evaluated with respect to these criteria. A determination was made of design improvements which would allow the testers to meet the stated criteria. The cost and time required to make the design changes were estimated. A recommendation based on the results of this study was made to proceed with the Hybrid Bearing Tester.

Boiler and Pressure Balls Monopropellant Thermal Rocket Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greene, William D. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

The proposed technology is a rocket engine cycle utilizing as the propulsive fluid a low molecular weight, cryogenic fluid, typically liquid hydrogen, pressure driven, heated, and expelled through a nozzle to generate high velocity and high specific impulse discharge gas. The proposed technology feeds the propellant through the engine cycle without the use of a separate pressurization fluid and without the use of turbomachinery. Advantages of the proposed technology are found in those elements of state-of-the-art systems that it avoids. It does not require a separate pressurization fluid or a thick-walled primary propellant tank as is typically required for a classical pressure-fed system. Further, it does not require the acceptance of intrinsic reliability risks associated with the use of turbomachinery

Density and Cavitating Flow Results from a Full-Scale Optical Multiphase Cryogenic Flowmeter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Korman, Valentin

2007-01-01

Liquid propulsion systems are hampered by poor flow measurements. The measurement of flow directly impacts safe motor operations, performance parameters as well as providing feedback from ground testing and developmental work. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, in an effort to improve propulsion sensor technology, has developed an all optical flow meter that directly measures the density of the fluid. The full-scale sensor was tested in a transient, multiphase liquid nitrogen fluid environment. Comparison with traditional density models shows excellent agreement with fluid density with an error of approximately 0.8%. Further evaluation shows the sensor is able to detect cavitation or bubbles in the flow stream and separate out their resulting effects in fluid density.

TARGET/CRYOCHIL - THERMODYNAMIC ANALYSIS AND SUBSCALE MODELING OF SPACE-BASED ORBIT TRANSFER VEHICLE CRYOGENIC PROPELLANT RESUPPLY

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Defelice, D. M.

1994-01-01

The resupply of the cryogenic propellants is an enabling technology for space-based transfer vehicles. As part of NASA Lewis's ongoing efforts in micro-gravity fluid management, thermodynamic analysis and subscale modeling techniques have been developed to support an on-orbit test bed for cryogenic fluid management technologies. These efforts have been incorporated into two FORTRAN programs, TARGET and CRYOCHIL. The TARGET code is used to determine the maximum temperature at which the filling of a given tank can be initiated and subsequently filled to a specified pressure and fill level without venting. The main process is the transfer of the energy stored in the thermal mass of the tank walls into the inflowing liquid. This process is modeled by examining the end state of the no-vent fill process. This state is assumed to be at thermal equilibrium between the tank and the fluid which is well mixed and saturated at the tank pressure. No specific assumptions are made as to the processes or the intermediate thermodynamic states during the filling. It is only assumed that the maximum tank pressure occurs at the final state. This assumption implies that, during the initial phases of the filling, the injected liquid must pass through the bulk vapor in such a way that it absorbs a sufficient amount of its superheat so that moderate tank pressures can be maintained. It is believed that this is an achievable design goal for liquid injection systems. TARGET can be run with any fluid for which the user has a properties data base. Currently it will only run for hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen since pressure-enthalpy data sets have been included for these fluids only. CRYOCHIL's primary function is to predict the optimum liquid charge to be injected for each of a series of charge-hold-vent chilldown cycles. This information can then be used with specified mass flow rates and valve response times to control a liquid injection system for tank chilldown operations. This will insure that the operations proceed quickly and efficiently. These programs are written in FORTRAN for batch execution on IBM 370 class mainframe computers. It requires 360K of RAM for execution. The standard distribution medium for this program is a 1600 BPI 9track magnetic tape in EBCDIC format. TARGET/CRYOCHIL was developed in 1988.

Efficient Thermally Conductive Strap Design for Cryogenic Propellant Tank Supports and Plumbing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elchert, J. P.; Christie, R.; Kashani, A.; Opalach, C.

2012-01-01

After evaluating NASA space architecture goals, the Office of Chief Technologist identified the need for developing enabling technology for long term loiters in space with cryogenic fluids. One such technology is structural heat interception. In this prototype, heat interception at the tank support strut was accomplished using a thermally conductive link to the broad area cooled shield. The design methodology for both locating the heat intercept and predicting the reduction in boil-off heat leak is discussed in detail. Results from the chosen design are presented. It was found that contact resistance resulting from different mechanical attachment techniques played a significant role in the form and functionality of a successful design.

Development of a microwave-type densimeter for slush hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohira, K.; Nakamichi, K.; Kihara, Y.

2003-10-01

Slush hydrogen is a two-phase solid-liquid cryogenic fluid consisting of solid hydrogen particles in liquid hydrogen, various applications for which are anticipated, including fuel for reusable space shuttles. The authors of the current study have measured the density of slush hydrogen by using the phase shift that takes place when microwaves are propagated through slush hydrogen, i.e., using the change in the specific dielectric constant. This new technique, unlike the conventional method using a waveguide and horn antenna, features a coaxial cable and patch antenna that can be used at cryogenic temperatures, leading to the development of a slush hydrogen densimeter with a high accuracy of within ±0.5%.

TankSIM: A Cryogenic Tank Performance Prediction Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolshinskiy, L. G.; Hedayat, A.; Hastings, L. J.; Moder, J. P.; Schnell, A. R.; Sutherlin, S. G.

2015-01-01

Developed for predicting the behavior of cryogenic liquids inside propellant tanks under various environmental and operating conditions. Provides a multi-node analysis of pressurization, ullage venting and thermodynamic venting systems (TVS) pressure control using axial jet or spray bar TVS. Allows user to combine several different phases for predicting the liquid behavior for the entire flight mission timeline or part of it. Is a NASA in-house code, based on FORTRAN 90-95 and Intel Visual FORTRAN compiler, but can be used on any other platform (Unix-Linux, Compaq Visual FORTRAN, etc.). The last Version 7, released on December 2014, included detailed User's Manual. Includes the use of several RefPROP subroutines for calculating fluid properties.

Efficient Thermally Conductive Strap Design for Cryogenic Propellant Tank Supports and Plumbing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elchert, J. P.; Christie, R.; Gebby, P.; Kashani, A.

2012-01-01

After evalu1ating NASA space architecture goals, the Office of Chief Technologist identified the need for developing enabling technology for long term loiters in space with cryogenic fluids. One such technology is structural heat interception. In this prototype, heat interception at the tank support strut was accomplished using a thermally conductive link to the broad area cooled shield. The design methodology for both locating the heat intercept and predicting the reduction in boil-off heat leak is discussed in detail. Results from the chosen design are presented. It was found that contact resistance resulting from different mechanical attachment techniques played a significant role in the form and functionality of a successful design.

A magnetically suspended linearly driven cryogenic refrigerator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stolfi, F.; Goldowsky, M.; Ricciardelli, J.; Shapiro, P.

1983-01-01

This paper described a novel Stirling cycle cryogenic refrigerator which was designed, fabricated and successfully tested at Philips Laboratories. The prominent features of the machine are an electro-magnetic bearing system, a pair of moving magnet linear motors, and clearance seals with a 25 mu m radial gap. The all-metal and ceramic construction eliminates long-term organic contamination of the helium working fluid. The axial positions of the piston and displacer are electronically controlled, permitting independent adjustment of the amplitude of each and their relative phase relationship during operation. A simple passive counterbalance reduces axial vibrations. The design of the refrigerator system components is discussed and a comparison is made between performance estimates and measured results.

Cryogenic glass-filament-wound tank evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris, E. E.; Landes, R. E.

1971-01-01

High-pressure glass-filament-wound fluid storage vessels with thin aluminum liners were designed, fabricated, and tested at ambient and cryogenic temperatures which demonstrated the feasibility of producing such vessels as well as high performance and light weight. Significant developments and advancements were made in solving problems associated with the thin metal liners in the tanks, including liner bonding to the overwrap and high strain magnification at the vessel polar bosses. The vessels had very high burst strengths, and failed in cyclic fatigue tests by local liner fracture and leakage without structural failure of the composite tank wall. The weight of the tanks was only 40 to 55% of comparable 2219-T87 aluminum and Inconel 718 tanks.

Physics Based Model for Online Fault Detection in Autonomous Cryogenic Loading System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kashani, Ali; Devine, Ekaterina Viktorovna P; Luchinsky, Dmitry Georgievich; Smelyanskiy, Vadim; Sass, Jared P.; Brown, Barbara L.; Patterson-Hine, Ann

2013-01-01

We report the progress in the development of the chilldown model for rapid cryogenic loading system developed at KSC. The nontrivial characteristic feature of the analyzed chilldown regime is its active control by dump valves. The two-phase flow model of the chilldown is approximated as one-dimensional homogeneous fluid flow with no slip condition for the interphase velocity. The model is built using commercial SINDAFLUINT software. The results of numerical predictions are in good agreement with the experimental time traces. The obtained results pave the way to the application of the SINDAFLUINT model as a verification tool for the design and algorithm development required for autonomous loading operation.

Cavitation Modeling in Euler and Navier-Stokes Codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deshpande, Manish; Feng, Jinzhang; Merkle, Charles L.

1993-01-01

Many previous researchers have modeled sheet cavitation by means of a constant pressure solution in the cavity region coupled with a velocity potential formulation for the outer flow. The present paper discusses the issues involved in extending these cavitation models to Euler or Navier-Stokes codes. The approach taken is to start from a velocity potential model to ensure our results are compatible with those of previous researchers and available experimental data, and then to implement this model in both Euler and Navier-Stokes codes. The model is then augmented in the Navier-Stokes code by the inclusion of the energy equation which allows the effect of subcooling in the vicinity of the cavity interface to be modeled to take into account the experimentally observed reduction in cavity pressures that occurs in cryogenic fluids such as liquid hydrogen. Although our goal is to assess the practicality of implementing these cavitation models in existing three-dimensional, turbomachinery codes, the emphasis in the present paper will center on two-dimensional computations, most specifically isolated airfoils and cascades. Comparisons between velocity potential, Euler and Navier-Stokes implementations indicate they all produce consistent predictions. Comparisons with experimental results also indicate that the predictions are qualitatively correct and give a reasonable first estimate of sheet cavitation effects in both cryogenic and non-cryogenic fluids. The impact on CPU time and the code modifications required suggests that these models are appropriate for incorporation in current generation turbomachinery codes.

Effects of Acoustic and Fluid Dynamic Interactions in Resonators: Applications in Thermoacoustic Refrigeration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antao, Dion Savio

Thermoacoustic refrigeration systems have gained increased importance in cryogenic cooling technologies and improvements are needed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the current cryogenic refrigeration devices. These improvements in performance require a re-examination of the fundamental acoustic and fluid dynamic interactions in the acoustic resonators that comprise a thermoacoustic refrigerator. A comprehensive research program of the pulse tube thermoacoustic refrigerator (PTR) and arbitrarily shaped, circular cross-section acoustic resonators was undertaken to develop robust computational models to design and predict the transport processes in these systems. This effort was divided into three main focus areas: (a) studying the acoustic and fluid dynamic interactions in consonant and dissonant acoustic resonators, (b) experimentally investigating thermoacoustic refrigeration systems attaining cryogenic levels and (c) computationally studying the transport processes and energy conversion through fluid-solid interactions in thermoacoustic pulse tube refrigeration devices. To investigate acoustic-fluid dynamic interactions in resonators, a high fidelity computational fluid dynamic model was developed and used to simulate the flow, pressure and temperature fields generated in consonant cylindrical and dissonant conical resonators. Excitation of the acoustic resonators produced high-amplitude standing waves in the conical resonator. The generated peak acoustic overpressures exceeded the initial undisturbed pressure by two to three times. The harmonic response in the conical resonator system was observed to be dependent on the piston amplitude. The resultant strong acoustic streaming structures in the cone resonator highlighted its potential over a cylindrical resonator as an efficient mixer. Two pulse tube cryogenic refrigeration (PTR) devices driven by a linear motor (a pressure wave generator) were designed, fabricated and tested. The characterization of the systems over a wide range of operating conditions helped to better understand the factors that govern and affect the performance of the PTR. The operating frequency of the linear motor driving the PTR affected the systems' performance the most. Other parameters that resulted in performance variations were the mean operating pressure, the pressure amplitude output from the linear motor, and the geometry of the inertance tube. The effect of the inertance tube's geometry was controlled by a single parameter labeled the "inertance". External/ambient conditions affected the performance of the cryocoolers too. To prevent the influence of the ambient conditions on the performance, a vacuum chamber was fabricated to isolate the low temperature regions of the PTR from the variable ambient atmosphere. The experiments provided important information and guidelines for the simulation studies of the PTR that were carried out concurrently. A time-dependent high fidelity computational fluid dynamic model of the entire PTR system was developed to gain a better understanding of internal interactions between the refrigerant fluid and the porous heat-exchangers in its various components and to facilitate better design of PTR systems based on the knowledge gained. The compressible forms of the conservation of mass, momentum and energy equations are solved in the gas and porous media (appropriate estimation of fluid dynamics in heat-exchangers) regions. The heat transfer in the porous regions is governed by a thermal non-equilibrium heat transfer model that calculates a separate gas and solid temperature and accounts for heat transfer between the two. The numerical model was validated using both temporal and quasi-steady state results obtained from the experimental studies. The validated model was applied to study the effects of different operating parameters (frequency, pressure and geometry of the components) on the PTR's performance. The simulations revealed interesting steady-periodic flow patterns that develop in the pulse tube due to the fluctuations caused by the piston and the presence of the inertance tube. Similar to the experiments, the simulations provided important information that help guide the design of efficient PTR systems.

Bulk-Flow Analysis of Hybrid Thrust Bearings for Advanced Cryogenic Turbopumps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

SanAndres, Luis

1998-01-01

A bulk-flow analysis and computer program for prediction of the static load performance and dynamic force coefficients of angled injection, orifice-compensated hydrostatic/hydrodynamic thrust bearings have been completed. The product of the research is an efficient computational tool for the design of high-speed thrust bearings for cryogenic fluid turbopumps. The study addresses the needs of a growing technology that requires of reliable fluid film bearings to provide the maximum operating life with optimum controllable rotordynamic characteristics at the lowest cost. The motion of a cryogenic fluid on the thin film lands of a thrust bearing is governed by a set of bulk-flow mass and momentum conservation and energy transport equations. Mass flow conservation and a simple model for momentum transport within the hydrostatic bearing recesses are also accounted for. The bulk-flow model includes flow turbulence with fluid inertia advection, Coriolis and centrifugal acceleration effects on the bearing recesses and film lands. The cryogenic fluid properties are obtained from realistic thermophysical equations of state. Turbulent bulk-flow shear parameters are based on Hirs' model with Moody's friction factor equations allowing a simple simulation for machined bearing surface roughness. A perturbation analysis leads to zeroth-order nonlinear equations governing the fluid flow for the thrust bearing operating at a static equilibrium position, and first-order linear equations describing the perturbed fluid flow for small amplitude shaft motions in the axial direction. Numerical solution to the zeroth-order flow field equations renders the bearing flow rate, thrust load, drag torque and power dissipation. Solution to the first-order equations determines the axial stiffness, damping and inertia force coefficients. The computational method uses well established algorithms and generic subprograms available from prior developments. The Fortran9O computer program hydrothrust runs on a Windows 95/NT personal computer. The program, help files and examples are licensed by Texas A&M University Technology License Office. The study of the static and dynamic performance of two hydrostatic/hydrodynamic bearings demonstrates the importance of centrifugal and advection fluid inertia effects for operation at high rotational speeds. The first example considers a conceptual hydrostatic thrust bearing for an advanced liquid hydrogen turbopump operating at 170,000 rpm. The large axial stiffness and damping coefficients of the bearing should provide accurate control and axial positioning of the turbopump and also allow for unshrouded impellers, therefore increasing the overall pump efficiency. The second bearing uses a refrigerant R134a, and its application in oil-free air conditioning compressors is of great technological importance and commercial value. The computed predictions reveal that the LH2 bearing load capacity and flow rate increase with the recess pressure (i.e. increasing orifice diameters). The bearing axial stiffness has a maximum for a recess pressure rati of approx. 0.55. while the axial damping coefficient decreases as the recess pressure ratio increases. The computer results from three flow models are compared. These models are a) inertialess, b) fluid inertia at recess edges only, and c) full fluid inertia at both recess edges and film lands. The full inertia model shows the lowest flow rates, axial load capacity and stiffness coefficient but on the other hand renders the largest damping coefficients and inertia coefficients. The most important findings are related to the reduction of the outflow through the inner radius and the appearance of subambient pressures. The performance of the refrigerant hybrid thrust bearing is evaluated at two operating speeds and pressure drops. The computed results are presented in dimensionless form to evidence consistent trends in the bearing performance characteristics. As the applied axial load increases, the bearing film thickness and flow rate decrease while the recess pressure increases. The axial stiffness coefficient shows a maximum for a certain intermediate load while the damping coefficient steadily increases. The computed results evidence the paramount of centrifugal fluid inertia at low recess pressures (i.e. low loads), and where there is actually an inflow through the bearing inner diameter, accompanied by subambient pressures just downstream of the bearing recess edge. These results are solely due to centrifugal fluid inertia and advection transport effects. Recommendations include the extension of the computer program to handle flexure pivot tilting pad hybrid bearings and the ability to calculate moment coefficients for shaft angular misalignments.

Thermal Performance of a Cryogenic Fluid Management Cubesat Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, J. J.; Oliveira, J. M.; Congiardo, J. F.; Walls, L. K.; Putman, P. T.; Haberbusch, M. S.

2013-01-01

Development for an in-space demonstration of a CubeS at as a Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) test bed is currently underway. The favorable economics of CubeSats make them appealing for technology development activity. While their size limits testing to smaller scales, many of the regimes relevant to CFM can still be achieved. The first demo flight of this concept, CryoCube®-1, will focus on oxygen liquefaction and low-gravity level sensing using Reduced Gravity CryoTracker®. An extensive thermal modeling effort has been underway to both demonstrate concept feasibility and drive the prototype design. The satellite will utilize both a sun- and earth-shield to passively cool its experimental tank below 115 K. An on-board gas generator will create high pressure gaseous oxygen, which will be throttled into a bottle in the experimental node and condensed. The resulting liquid will be used to perform various experiments related to level sensing. Modeling efforts have focused on the spacecraft thermal performance and its effects on condensation in the experimental node. Parametric analyses for both optimal and suboptimal conditions have been considered and are presented herein.

Nucleate pool boiling: High gravity to reduced gravity; liquid metals to cryogens

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merte, Herman, Jr.

1988-01-01

Requirements for the proper functioning of equipment and personnel in reduced gravity associated with space platforms and future space station modules introduce unique problems in temperature control; power generation; energy dissipation; the storage, transfer, control and conditioning of fluids; and liquid-vapor separation. The phase change of boiling is significant in all of these. Although both pool and flow boiling would be involved, research results to date include only pool boiling because buoyancy effects are maximized for this case. The effective application of forced convection boiling heat transfer in the microgravity of space will require a well grounded and cogent understanding of the mechanisms involved. Experimental results are presented for pool boiling from a single geometrical configuration, a flat surface, covering a wide range of body forces from a/g = 20 to 1 to a/g = 0 to -1 for a cryogenic liquid, and from a/g = 20 to 1 for water and a liquid metal. Similarities in behavior are noted for these three fluids at the higher gravity levels, and may reasonably be expected to continue at reduced gravity levels.

CFM technologies for space transportation: Multipurpose hydrogen testbed system definition and tank procurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fox, E. C.; Kiefel, E. R.; Mcintosh, G. L.; Sharpe, J. B.; Sheahan, D. R.; Wakefield, M. E.

1993-01-01

The development of a test bed tank and system for evaluating cryogenic fluid management technologies in a simulated upper stage liquid hydrogen tank is covered. The tank is 10 ft long and is 10 ft in diameter, and is an ASME certified tank constructed of 5083 aluminum. The tank is insulated with a combination of sprayed on foam insulation, covered by 45 layers of double aluminized mylar separated by dacron net. The mylar is applied by a continuous wrap system adapted from commercial applications, and incorporates variable spacing between the mylar to provide more space between those layers having a high delta temperature, which minimizes heat leak. It also incorporates a unique venting system which uses fewer large holes in the mylar rather than the multitude of small holes used conventionally. This significantly reduces radiation heat transfer. The test bed consists of an existing vacuum chamber at MSFC, the test bed tank and its thermal control system, and a thermal shroud (which may be heated) surrounding the tank. Provisions are made in the tank and chamber for inclusion of a variety of cryogenic fluid management experiments.

An Overview of SBIR Phase 2 In-Space Propulsion and Cryogenic Fluids Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Hung D.; Steele, Gynelle C.

2015-01-01

Technological innovation is the overall focus of NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The program invests in the development of innovative concepts and technologies to help NASA's mission directorates address critical research and development needs for agency projects. This report highlights innovative SBIR Phase II projects from 2007-2012 specifically addressing Areas in In-Space Propulsion and Cryogenic Fluids Management which is one of six core competencies at NASA Glenn Research Center. There are nineteen technologies featured with emphasis on a wide spectrum of applications such as high-performance Hall thruster support system, thruster discharge power converter, high-performance combustion chamber, ion thruster design tool, green liquid monopropellant thruster, and much more. Each article in this booklet describes an innovation, technical objective, and highlights NASA commercial and industrial applications. This report serves as an opportunity for NASA personnel including engineers, researchers, and program managers to learn of NASA SBIR's capabilities that might be crosscutting into this technology area. As the result, it would cause collaborations and partnerships between the small companies and NASA Programs and Projects resulting in benefit to both SBIR companies and NASA.

An Overview of In-Space Propulsion and Cryogenics Fluids Management Efforts for 2014 SBIR Phases I and II

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Hung D.; Steele, Gynelle C.

2016-01-01

NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program focuses on technological innovation by investing in the development of innovative concepts and technologies to help NASA's mission directorates address critical research and development needs for Agency programs. This report highlights 11 of the innovative SBIR 2014 Phase I and II projects from 2010 to 2012 that focus on one of NASA Glenn Research Center's six core competencies-In-Space Propulsion and Cryogenic Fluids Management. The technologies cover a wide spectrum of applications such as divergent field annular ion engines, miniature nontoxic nitrous oxide-propane propulsion, noncatalytic ignition systems for high-performance advanced monopropellant thrusters, nontoxic storable liquid propulsion, and superconducting electric boost pumps for nuclear thermal propulsion. Each article describes an innovation and technical objective and highlights NASA commercial and industrial applications. This report provides an opportunity for NASA engineers, researchers, and program managers to learn how NASA SBIR technologies could help their programs and projects, and lead to collaborations and partnerships between the small SBIR companies and NASA that would benefit both.

Comparison of Computational Results with a Low-g, Nitrogen Slosh and Boiling Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, Mark; Moder, Jeff

2015-01-01

The proposed paper will compare a fluid/thermal simulation, in FLUENT, with a low-g, nitrogen slosh experiment. The French Space Agency, CNES, performed cryogenic nitrogen experiments in several zero gravity aircraft campaigns. The computational results have been compared with high-speed photographic data, pressure data, and temperature data from sensors on the axis of the cylindrically shaped tank. The comparison between these experimental and computational results is generally favorable: the initial temperature stratification is in good agreement, and the two-phase fluid motion is qualitatively captured.

Thin Aerogel as a Spacer in Multilayer Insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moroz, Nancy

2015-01-01

Cryogenic fluid management is a critical technical area that is needed for future space exploration. A key challenge is the storability of liquid hydrogen (LH2), liquid methane (LCH4), and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants for long-duration missions. The storage tanks must be well-insulated to prevent over-pressurization and venting, which can lead to unacceptable propellant losses for long-duration missions to Mars and beyond. Aspen Aerogels had validated the key process step to enable the fabrication of thin, low-density aerogel materials. The multilayer aerogel insulation (MLAI) system prototypes were prepared using sheets of aerogel materials with superior thermal performance exceeding current state-of-the-art insulation for space applications. The exceptional properties of this system include a new breakthrough in high-vacuum cryogenic thermal insulation, providing a durable material with excellent thermal performance at a reduced cost when compared to longstanding state-of-the-art multilayer insulation systems. During the Phase II project, further refinement and qualification/system-level testing of the MLAI system will be performed for use in cryogenic storage applications. Aspen has been in discussions with United Launch Alliance, LLC; NASA's Kennedy Space Center; and Yetispace, Inc., to test the MLAI system on real-world tanks such as Vibro-Acoustic Test Article (VATA) or the Cryogenic Orbital Testbed (CRYOTE).

Thin Aerogel as a Spacer in Multilayer Insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moroz, Nancy

2015-01-01

Cryogenic fluid management is a critical technical area that is needed for future space exploration. A key challenge is the storability of liquid hydrogen (LH2), liquid methane (LCH4), and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants for long-duration missions. The storage tanks must be well-insulated to prevent over-pressurization and venting, which can lead to unacceptable propellant losses for long-duration missions to Mars and beyond. Aspen Aerogels had validated the key process step to enable the fabrication of thin, low-density aerogel materials. The multilayer aerogel insulation (MLAI) system prototypes were prepared using sheets of aerogel materials with superior thermal performance exceeding current state-of-the-art insulation for space applications. The exceptional properties of this system include a new breakthrough in high-vacuum cryogenic thermal insulation, providing a durable material with excellent thermal performance at a reduced cost when compared to longstanding state-of-the-art multilayer insulation systems. During the Phase II project, further refinement and qualification/system-level testing of the MLAI system will be performed for use in cryogenic storage applications. Aspen has been in discussions with United Launch Alliance, LLC; NASA's Kennedy Space Center; and Yetispace, Inc., to test the MLAI system on rea-lworld tanks such as Vibro-Acoustic Test Article (VATA) or the Cryogenic Orbital Testbed (CRYOTE).

Composite Development and Applications for RLV Tankage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wright, Richard J.; Achary, David C.; McBain, Michael C.

2003-01-01

The development of polymer composite cryogenic tanks is a critical step in creating the next generation of launch vehicles. Future launch vehicles need to minimize the gross liftoff weight (GLOW), which is possible due to the 28%-41% reduction in weight that composite materials can provide over current aluminum technology. The development of composite cryogenic tanks, feedlines, and unpressurized structures are key enabling technologies for performance and cost enhancements for Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs). The technology development of composite tanks has provided direct and applicable data for feedlines, unpressurized structures, material compatibility, and cryogenic fluid containment for highly loaded complex structures and interfaces. All three types of structure have similar material systems, processing parameters, scaling issues, analysis methodologies, NDE development, damage tolerance, and repair scenarios. Composite cryogenic tankage is the most complex of the 3 areas and provides the largest breakthrough in technology. A building block approach has been employed to bring this family of difficult technologies to maturity. This approach has built up composite materials, processes, design, analysis and test methods technology through a series of composite test programs beginning with the NASP program to meet aggressive performance goals for reusable launch vehicles. In this paper, the development and application of advanced composites for RLV use is described.

Space station integrated propulsion and fluid systems study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bicknell, B.; Wilson, S.; Dennis, M.; Shepard, D.; Rossier, R.

1988-01-01

The program study was performed in two tasks: Task 1 addressed propulsion systems and Task 2 addressed all fluid systems associated with the Space Station elements, which also included propulsion and pressurant systems. Program results indicated a substantial reduction in life cycle costs through integrating the oxygen/hydrogen propulsion system with the environmental control and life support system, and through supplying nitrogen in a cryogenic gaseous supercritical or subcritical liquid state. A water sensitivity analysis showed that increasing the food water content would substantially increase the amount of water available for propulsion use and in all cases, the implementation of the BOSCH CO2 reduction process would reduce overall life cycle costs to the station and minimize risk. An investigation of fluid systems and associated requirements revealed a delicate balance between the individual propulsion and fluid systems across work packages and a strong interdependence between all other fluid systems.

Cryogenic refrigeration apparatus

DOEpatents

Crunkleton, James A.

1992-01-01

A technique for producing a cold environment in a refrigerant system in which input fluid from a compressor at a first temperature is introduced into an input channel of the system and is pre-cooled to a second temperature for supply to one of at least two stages of the system, and to a third temperature for supply to another stage thereof. The temperatures at such stages are reduced to fourth and fifth temperatures below the second and third temperatures, respectively. Fluid at the fourth temperature from the one stage is returned through the input channel to the compressor and fluid at the fifth temperature from the other stage is returned to the compressor through an output channel so that pre-cooling of the input fluid to the one stage occurs by regenerative cooling and counterflow cooling and pre-cooling of the input fluid to the other stage occurs primarily by counterflow cooling.

Cryogenic refrigeration apparatus

DOEpatents

Crunkleton, J.A.

1992-03-31

A technique for producing a cold environment in a refrigerant system in which input fluid from a compressor at a first temperature is introduced into an input channel of the system and is pre-cooled to a second temperature for supply to one of at least two stages of the system, and to a third temperature for supply to another stage thereof. The temperatures at such stages are reduced to fourth and fifth temperatures below the second and third temperatures, respectively. Fluid at the fourth temperature from the one stage is returned through the input channel to the compressor and fluid at the fifth temperature from the other stage is returned to the compressor through an output channel so that pre-cooling of the input fluid to the one stage occurs by regenerative cooling and counterflow cooling and pre-cooling of the input fluid to the other stage occurs primarily by counterflow cooling. 6 figs.

Use of Computational Fluid Dynamics for improvement of Balloon Borne Frost Point Hygrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorge, Teresa; Brunamonti, Simone; Wienhold, Frank G.; Peter, Thomas

2017-04-01

In the StratoClim 2016 Balloon Campaign in Nainital (India) during the Asian Summer Monsoon, balloon born payloads containing the EN-SCI CFH - Cryogenic Frost point Hygrometer - were flown to observe water vapor and cloud formation processes in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere. Some of the recorded atmospheric water vapor profiles showed unexpected values above the tropopause and were considered contaminated. To interpret these contaminated results and in the scope of the development of a new frost point hygrometer - the Peltier Cooled Frost point Hygrometer (PCFH) - computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations with ANSYS Fluent software have been carried out. These simulations incorporate the fluid and thermodynamic characteristics of stratospheric air to predict airflow in the inlet tube of the instrument. An ice wall boundary layer based on the Murphy and Koop 2005 ice-vapor parametrization was created as a cause of the unexpected water vapor. Sensitivity was tested in relation to the CFD mesh, ice wall surface, inlet flow, inlet tube dimension, sensor head location and variation of atmospheric conditions. The development of the PCFH uses the results of this study and other computational fluid dynamic studies concerning the whole instrument boundary layer and heat exchanger design to improve on previous realizations of frost point hygrometers. As a novelty in the field of frost point hygrometry, Optimal Control Theory will be used to optimize the cooling of the mirror by the Peltier element, which will be described in a physical "plant model", since the cooling capacity of a cryogenic liquid will no longer be available in the new instrument.

Physics based model for online fault detection in autonomous cryogenic loading system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kashani, Ali; Ponizhovskaya, Ekaterina; Luchinsky, Dmitry

2014-01-29

We report the progress in the development of the chilldown model for a rapid cryogenic loading system developed at NASA-Kennedy Space Center. The nontrivial characteristic feature of the analyzed chilldown regime is its active control by dump valves. The two-phase flow model of the chilldown is approximated as one-dimensional homogeneous fluid flow with no slip condition for the interphase velocity. The model is built using commercial SINDA/FLUINT software. The results of numerical predictions are in good agreement with the experimental time traces. The obtained results pave the way to the application of the SINDA/FLUINT model as a verification tool formore » the design and algorithm development required for autonomous loading operation.« less

Sorption compressor/mechanical expander hybrid refrigeration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, J. A.; Britcliffe, M.

1987-01-01

Experience with Deep Space Network (DSN) ground-based cryogenic refrigerators has proved the reliability of the basic two-stage Gifford-McMahon helium refrigerator. A very long life cryogenic refrigeration system appears possible by combining this expansion system or a turbo expansion system with a hydride sorption compressor in place of the usual motor driven piston compressor. To test the feasibility of this system, a commercial Gifford-McMahon refrigerator was tested using hydrogen gas as the working fluid. Although no attempt was made to optimize the system for hydrogen operation, the refrigerator developed 1.3 W at 30 K and 6.6 W at 60 K. The results of the test and of theoretical performances of the hybrid compressor coupled to these expansion systems are presented.

Active Co-Storage of Cryogenic Propellants for Lunar Explortation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mustafi, S.; Canavan, E. R.; Boyle, R. F.; Panek, J. S.; Riall, S. M.; Miller, F. K.

2008-01-01

Long-term storage of cryogenic propellants is a critical requirement for NASA's effort to return to the moon. Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen provide the highest specific impulse of any practical chemical propulsion system, and thus provides the greatest payload mass per unit of launch mass. Future manned missions will require vehicles with the flexibility to remain in orbit for months, necessitating long-term storage of these cryogenic liquids. For decades cryogenic scientific satellites have used dual cryogens with different temperatures to cool instruments. This technology utilizes a higher temperature cryogen to provide a stage that efficiently intercepts a large fraction of the heat that would otherwise be incident on the lower temperature cryogen. This interception reduces the boil-off of the lower temperature cryogen and increasing the overall life-time of the mission. The Active Co-Storage concept is implemented similarly; the 101 K liquid oxygen thermally shields the 24 K liquid hydrogen. A thermal radiation shield that is linked to the liquid oxygen tank shrouds the liquid hydrogen tank, thereby preventing the liquid hydrogen tank from being directly exposed to the 300 K external environment. Modern cryocooler technology can eliminate the liquid oxygen boil-off and also cool the thermal radiation shield thereby reducing the liquid hydrogen boil-off to a small fraction of the unshielded rate. The thermal radiation shield can be a simple conductive shroud or a more sophisticated but lighter Broad Area Cooling (BAC) shroud. The paper describes the design impact of an active co-storage system for the Altair Descent Vehicle. This paper also compares the spacecraft-level impacts of the conductive shroud and the BAC shroud active co-storage concepts with a passive storage option in the context of the different scales of spacecraft that will be used for the lunar exploration effort - the Altair Ascent and Descent Vehicles, the Orion, and the Ares V Earth Departure Stage. The paper also reports on a subscale test of this active co-storage configuration. The test tank is 0.7 m in diameter, approximately one-third the dimension of tanks that would be needed in a lunar ascent module. A thin-walled fiberglass skirt supports and isolates the tank from a 100 K stage. A similar thin-walled skirt supports the lOOK stage from the ambient temperature structure. An aluminum shield with a heavy MLI blanket surrounds the tank and is attached at the 100 K stage. In this initial phase of the project, there is no tank on the 100 K stage, but it is actively cooled by a single-stage cryocooler similar in design to the one used on the RHESSI mission. The test configuration includes a number of innovative elements, including a helical support heat exchanger and an external thermodynamic vent/heat interception system. To avoid the complexity of an explosive gas handling system, testing will be done with liquid helium and liquid neon as simulant fluids. The properties of these fluids bracket the properties of liquid hydrogen. Instrumentation allows tank temperature and shield temperature profiles, tank liquid levels, and pressure drops through the flow lines, to be measured.

Serpentine metal gasket

DOEpatents

Rothgeb, Timothy Moore [Norfolk, VA; Reece, Charles Edwin [Yorktown, VA

2009-06-02

A metallic seal or gasket for use in the joining of cryogenic fluid conduits, the seal or gasket having a generally planar and serpentine periphery defining a central aperture. According to a preferred embodiment, the periphery has at least two opposing elongated serpentine sides and two opposing arcuate ends joining the opposing elongated serpentine sides and is of a hexagonal cross-section.

SSC Test Operations Contract Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleim, Kerry D.

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the Test Operations Contract at the Stennis Space Center (SSC). There are views of the test stands layouts, and closer views of the test stands. There are descriptions of the test stand capabilities, some of the other test complexes, the Cryogenic propellant storage facility, the High Pressure Industrial Water (HPIW) facility, and Fluid Component Processing Facility (FCPF).

Defining and Applying Limits for Test and Flight Through the Project Lifecycle GSFC Standard. [Scope: Non-Cryogenic Systems Tested in Vacuum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mosier, Carol

2015-01-01

The presentation will be given at the Annual Thermal Fluids Analysis Workshop (TFAWS 2015, NCTS 21070-15) hosted by the Goddard SpaceFlight Center (GSFC) Thermal Engineering Branch (Code 545). The powerpoint presentation details the process of defining limits throughout the lifecycle of a flight project.

Cryogenic Calcite: A Morphologic and Isotopic Analog to the ALH84001 Carbonates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Niles, P. B.; Leshin, L. A.; Socki, R. A.; Guan, Y.; Ming, D. W.; Gibson, E. K.

2004-01-01

Martian meteorite ALH84001 carbonates preserve large and variable microscale isotopic compositions, which in some way reflect their formation environment. These measurements show large variations (>20%) in the carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of the carbonates on a 10-20 micron scale that are correlated with chemical composition. However, the utilization of these data sets for interpreting the formation conditions of the carbonates is complex due to lack of suitable terrestrial analogs and the difficulty of modeling under non-equilibrium conditions. Thus, the mechanisms and processes are largely unknown that create and preserve large microscale isotopic variations in carbonate minerals. Experimental tests of the possible environments and mechanisms that lead to large microscale isotopic variations can help address these concerns. One possible mechanism for creating large carbon isotopic variations in carbonates involves the freezing of water. Carbonates precipitate during extensive CO2 degassing that occurs during the freezing process as the fluid s decreasing volume drives CO2 out. This rapid CO2 degassing results in a kinetic isotopic fractionation where the CO2 gas has a much lighter isotopic composition causing an enrichment of 13C in the remaining dissolved bicarbonate. This study seeks to determine the suitability of cryogenically formed carbonates as analogs to ALH84001 carbonates. Specifically, our objective is to determine how accurately models using equilibrium fractionation factors approximate the isotopic compositions of cryogenically precipitated carbonates. This includes determining the accuracy of applying equilibrium fractionation factors during a kinetic process, and determining how isotopic variations in the fluid are preserved in microscale variations in the precipitated carbonates.

Cryogenic Tank Modeling for the Saturn AS-203 Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grayson, Gary D.; Lopez, Alfredo; Chandler, Frank O.; Hastings, Leon J.; Tucker, Stephen P.

2006-01-01

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed for the Saturn S-IVB liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank to simulate the 1966 AS-203 flight experiment. This significant experiment is the only known, adequately-instrumented, low-gravity, cryogenic self pressurization test that is well suited for CFD model validation. A 4000-cell, axisymmetric model predicts motion of the LH2 surface including boil-off and thermal stratification in the liquid and gas phases. The model is based on a modified version of the commercially available FLOW3D software. During the experiment, heat enters the LH2 tank through the tank forward dome, side wall, aft dome, and common bulkhead. In both model and test the liquid and gases thermally stratify in the low-gravity natural convection environment. LH2 boils at the free surface which in turn increases the pressure within the tank during the 5360 second experiment. The Saturn S-IVB tank model is shown to accurately simulate the self pressurization and thermal stratification in the 1966 AS-203 test. The average predicted pressurization rate is within 4% of the pressure rise rate suggested by test data. Ullage temperature results are also in good agreement with the test where the model predicts an ullage temperature rise rate within 6% of the measured data. The model is based on first principles only and includes no adjustments to bring the predictions closer to the test data. Although quantitative model validation is achieved or one specific case, a significant step is taken towards demonstrating general use of CFD for low-gravity cryogenic fluid modeling.

An Integrated Solution for Performing Thermo-fluid Conjugate Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kornberg, Oren

2009-01-01

A method has been developed which integrates a fluid flow analyzer and a thermal analyzer to produce both steady state and transient results of 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D analysis models. The Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP) is a one dimensional, general purpose fluid analysis code which computes pressures and flow distributions in complex fluid networks. The MSC Systems Improved Numerical Differencing Analyzer (MSC.SINDA) is a one dimensional general purpose thermal analyzer that solves network representations of thermal systems. Both GFSSP and MSC.SINDA have graphical user interfaces which are used to build the respective model and prepare it for analysis. The SINDA/GFSSP Conjugate Integrator (SGCI) is a formbase graphical integration program used to set input parameters for the conjugate analyses and run the models. The contents of this paper describes SGCI and its thermo-fluids conjugate analysis techniques and capabilities by presenting results from some example models including the cryogenic chill down of a copper pipe, a bar between two walls in a fluid stream, and a solid plate creating a phase change in a flowing fluid.

A Novel Device Addressing Design Challenges for Passive Fluid Phase Separations Aboard Spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weislogel, M. M.; Thomas, E. A.; Graf, J. C.

2009-07-01

Capillary solutions have long existed for the control of liquid inventories in spacecraft fluid systems such as liquid propellants, cryogens and thermal fluids for temperature control. Such large length scale, `low-gravity,' capillary systems exploit container geometry and fluid properties—primarily wetting—to passively locate or transport fluids to desired positions for a variety of purposes. Such methods have only been confidently established if the wetting conditions are known and favorable. In this paper, several of the significant challenges for `capillary solutions' to low-gravity multiphase fluids management aboard spacecraft are briefly reviewed in light of applications common to life support systems that emphasize the impact of the widely varying wetting properties typical of aqueous systems. A restrictive though no less typifying example of passive phase separation in a urine collection system is highlighted that identifies key design considerations potentially met by predominately capillary solutions. Sample results from novel scale model prototype testing aboard a NASA low-g aircraft are presented that support the various design considerations.

Low-g fluid mixing - Further results from the Tank Pressure Control Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bentz, M. D.; Knoll, R. H.; Hasan, M. M.; Lin, C. S.

1993-01-01

The Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) made its first space flight on STS-43 in 1991. Its objective was to test the effectiveness of low-energy axial jet mixing at controlling pressures in low gravity. The experiment used refrigerant 113 at near-saturation conditions, at an 83 percent fill level, to simulate the fluid dynamics and thermodynamics of cryogenic fluids in future space applications. Results from this flight were reported previously. TPCE was again flown in space on STS-52 in 1992, this time primarily to study boiling and related thermal phenomena which will be reported elsewhere. However additional mixing and pressure control data were obtained from the reflight that supplement the data from the first flight.

Issues of Long-Term Cryogenic Propellant Storage in Microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Muratov, C. B.; Osipov, Viatcheslav V.; Smelyanskiy, Vadim N.

2011-01-01

Modern multi-layer insulation (MLI) allows to sharply reduce the heat leak into cryogenic propellant storage tanks through the tank surface and, as a consequence, significantly extend the storage duration. In this situation the MLI penetrations, such as support struts, feed lines, etc., become one of the most significant challenges of the tanks heat management. This problem is especially acute for liquid hydrogen (LH2) storage, since currently no efficient cryocoolers exist that operate at very low LH2 temperatures (20K). Even small heat leaks under microgravity conditions and over the period of many months give rise to a complex slowly-developing, large-scale spatiotemporal physical phenomena in a multi-phase liquid-vapor mixture. These phenomena are not well-understood nor can be easily controlled. They can be of a potentially hazardous nature for long-term on-orbital cryogenic torage, propellant loading, tank chilldown, engine restart, and other in-space cryogenic fluid management operations. To support the engineering design solutions that would mitigate these effects a detailed physics-based analysis of heat transfer, vapor bubble formation, growth, motion, coalescence and collapse is required in the presence of stirring jets of different configurations and passive cooling devices such as MLI, thermodynamic vent system, and vapor-cooled shield. To develop physics-based models and correlations reliable for microgravity conditions and long-time scales there is a need for new fundamental data to be collected from on-orbit cryogenic storage experiments. Our report discusses some of these physical phenomena and the design requirements and future studies necessary for their mitigation. Special attention is payed to the phenomena occurring near MLI penetrations.

CRYOTE (Cryogenic Orbital Testbed) Concept

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gravlee, Mari; Kutter, Bernard; Wollen, Mark; Rhys, Noah; Walls, Laurie

2009-01-01

Demonstrating cryo-fluid management (CFM) technologies in space is critical for advances in long duration space missions. Current space-based cryogenic propulsion is viable for hours, not the weeks to years needed by space exploration and space science. CRYogenic Orbital TEstbed (CRYOTE) provides an affordable low-risk environment to demonstrate a broad array of critical CFM technologies that cannot be tested in Earth's gravity. These technologies include system chilldown, transfer, handling, health management, mixing, pressure control, active cooling, and long-term storage. United Launch Alliance is partnering with Innovative Engineering Solutions, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and others to develop CRYOTE to fly as an auxiliary payload between the primary payload and the Centaur upper stage on an Atlas V rocket. Because satellites are expensive, the space industry is largely risk averse to incorporating unproven systems or conducting experiments using flight hardware that is supporting a primary mission. To minimize launch risk, the CRYOTE system will only activate after the primary payload is separated from the rocket. Flying the testbed as an auxiliary payload utilizes Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle performance excess to cost-effectively demonstrate enhanced CFM.

Mixing-induced fluid destratification and ullage condensation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meserole, Jere S.; Jones, Ogden S.; Fortini, Anthony F.

1987-01-01

In many applications, on-orbit storage and transfer of cryogens will require forced mixing to control tank pressure without direct venting to space. During a no-vent transfer or during operation of a thermodynamic vent system in a cryogen storage tank, pressure control is achieved by circulating cool liquid to the liquid-vapor interface to condense some of the ullage vapor. To measure the pressure and temperature response rates in mixing-induced condensation, an experiment has been developed using Freon 11 to simulate the two-phase behavior of a cryogen. A thin layer at the liquid surface is heated to raise the tank pressure, and then a jet mixer is turned on to circulate the liquid, cool the surface, and reduce the pressure. Many nozzle configurations and flow rates are used. Tank pressure and the temperature profiles in the ullage and the liquid are measured. Initial data from this ground test are shown correlated with normal-gravity and drop-tower dye-mixing data. Pressure collapse times are comparable to the dye-mixing times, whereas the times needed for complete thermal mixing are much longer than the dye-mixing times.

Thermal Performance of Low Layer Density Multilayer Insu1ation Using Liquid Nitrogen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Wesley L.; Fesmire, James E.

2011-01-01

In order to support long duration cryogenic propellant storage, the Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) Project of the Exploration Technology Development Program (ETDP) is investigating the long duration storage propertie$ of liquid methane on the lunar surface. The Methane Lunar Surface Thermal Control (MLSTC) testing is using a tank of the approximate dimensions of the Altair ascent tanks inside of a vacuum chamber to simulate the environment in low earth orbit and on the lunar surface. The thermal performance testing of multilayer insulation (MLI) coupons that are fabricated identically to the tank applied insulation is necessary to understand the performance of the blankets and to be able to predict the performance of the insulation prior to testing. This coupon testing was completed in Cryostat-100 at the Cryogenics Test Laboratory. The results showed the properties of the insulation as a function of layer density, number of layers, and warm boundary temperature. These results aid in the understanding of the performance parameters o fMLI and help to complete the body of literature on the topic.

Numerical investigation of potential stratification caused by a cryogenic helium spill inside a tunnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinclair, Cameron; Malecha, Ziemowit; Jedrusyna, Artur

2018-04-01

The sudden release of cryogenic fluid into an accelerator tunnel can pose a significant health and safety risk. For this reason, it is important to evaluate the consequences of such a spill. Previous publications concentrated on either Oxygen Deficiency Hazard or the evaluation of mathematical models using experimental data. No studies to date have focussed on the influence of cryogen inlet conditions on flow development. In this paper, the stratification behaviour of low-temperature helium released into an air-filled accelerator tunnel is investigated for varying helium inlet diameters. A numerical model was constructed using the OpenFOAM Toolbox of a generalised 3D geometry, with similar hydraulic characteristics to the CERN and SLAC tunnels. This model has been validated against published experimental and numerical data. A dimensionless parameter, based on Bakke number, was then determined for the onset of stratification, taking into account the helium inlet diameter; a dimensionless parameter for the degree of stratification was also employed. The simulated flow behaviour is described in terms of these dimensionless parameters, as well as the temperature and oxygen concentration at various heights throughout the tunnel.

Numerical Modeling of Propellant Boiloff in Cryogenic Storage Tank

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Majumdar, A. K.; Steadman, T. E.; Maroney, J. L.

2007-01-01

This Technical Memorandum (TM) describes the thermal modeling effort undertaken at Marshall Space Flight Center to support the Cryogenic Test Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for a study of insulation materials for cryogenic tanks in order to reduce propellant boiloff during long-term storage. The Generalized Fluid System Simulation program has been used to model boiloff in 1,000-L demonstration tanks built for testing the thermal performance of glass bubbles and perlite insulation. Numerical predictions of boiloff rate and ullage temperature have been compared with the measured data from the testing of demonstration tanks. A satisfactory comparison between measured and predicted data has been observed for both liquid nitrogen and hydrogen tests. Based on the experience gained with the modeling of the demonstration tanks, a numerical model of the liquid hydrogen storage tank at launch complex 39 at KSC was built. The predicted boiloff rate of hydrogen has been found to be in good agreement with observed field data. This TM describes three different models that have been developed during this period of study (March 2005 to June 2006), comparisons with test data, and results of parametric studies.

Cryogenic Pressure Control Modeling for Ellipsoidal Space Tanks in Reduced Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hedayat, Ali; Lopez, Alfredo; Grayson, Gary D.; Chandler, Frank O.; Hastings, Leon J.

2008-01-01

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to simulate pressure control of an ellipsoidal-shaped liquid hydrogen tank under external heating in low gravity. Pressure control is provided by an axial jet thermodynamic vent system (TVS) centered within the vessel that injects cooler liquid into the tank, mixing the contents and reducing tank pressure. The two-phase cryogenic tank model considers liquid hydrogen in its own vapor with liquid density varying with temperature only and a fully compressible ullage. The axisymmetric model is developed using a custom version of the commercially available FLOW-3D software and simulates low gravity extrapolations of engineering checkout tests performed at Marshall Space Flight Center in 1999 in support of the Solar Thermal Upper Stage Technology Demonstrator (STUSTD) program. Model results illustrate that stable low gravity liquid-gas interfaces are maintained during all phases of the pressure control cycle. Steady and relatively smooth ullage pressurization rates are predicted. This work advances current low gravity CFD modeling capabilities for cryogenic pressure control and aids the development of a low cost CFD-based design process for space hardware.

A New Unsteady Model for Dense Cloud Cavitation in Cryogenic Fluids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hosangadi, Ashvin; Ahuja, Vineet

2005-01-01

Contents include the following: Background on thermal effects in cavitation. Physical properties of hydrogen. Multi-phase cavitation with thermal effect. Solution procedure. Cavitation model overview. Cavitation source terms. New cavitation model. Source term for bubble growth. One equation les model. Unsteady ogive simulations: liquid nitrogen. Unsteady incompressible flow in a pipe. Time averaged cavity length for NACA15 flowfield.

Explosive boiling of liquid nitrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakoryakov, V. E.; Tsoy, A. N.; Mezentsev, I. V.; Meleshkin, A. V.

2014-12-01

The present paper deals with experimental investigation of processes that occur when injecting a cryogenic fluid into water. The optical recording of the process of injection of a jet of liquid nitrogen into water has revealed the structure and the stages of this process. The results obtained can be used when studying a new method for producing gas hydrates based on the shock-wave method.

Milestone report TCTP application to the SSME hydrogen system analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richards, J. S.

1975-01-01

The Transient Cryogen Transfer Computer Program (TCTP) developed and verified for LOX systems by analyses of Skylab S-1B stage loading data from John F. Kennedy Space Center launches was extended to include hydrogen as the working fluid. The feasibility of incorporating TCTP into the space shuttle main engine dynamic model was studied. The program applications are documented.

Capillary Liquid Acquisition Device Heat Entrapment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolshinskiy, L. G.; Hastings, L. J.; Statham, G.; Turpin, J. B.

2007-01-01

Cryogenic liquid acquisition devices (LADs) for space-based propulsion interface directly with the feed system, which can be a significant heat leak source. Further, the accumulation of thermal energy within LAD channels can lead to the loss of subcooled propellant conditions and result in feed system cavitation during propellant outflow. Therefore, the fundamental question addressed by this program was: To what degree is natural convection in a cryogenic liquid constrained by the capillary screen meshes envisioned for LADs? Testing was first conducted with water as the test fluid, followed by LN2 tests. In either case, the basic experimental approach was to heat the bottom of a cylindrical column of test fluid to establish stratification patterns measured by temperature sensors located above and below a horizontal screen barrier position. Experimentation was performed without barriers, with screens, and with a solid barrier. The two screen meshes tested were those typically used by LAD designers, 200x1400 and 325x2300, both with Twill Dutch Weave. Upon consideration of both the water and LN2 data, it was concluded that heat transfer across the screen meshes was dependent upon barrier thermal conductivity and that the capillary screen meshes were impervious to natural convection currents.

Fiberglass epoxy laminate fatigue properties at 300 and 20 K

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toth, J. M., Jr.; Bailey, W. J.; Boyce, D. A.

1985-01-01

A subcritical liquid hydrogen orbital storage and supply experiment is being designed for flight in the Space Shuttle cargo bay. The Cryogenic Fluid Management Experiment (CFME) includes a liquid hydrogen tank supported in a vacuum jacket by two fiberglass epoxy composite trunnion mounts. The ability of the CFME to last for the required seven missions depends primarily on the fatigue life of the composite trunnions at cryogenic temperatures. To verify the trunnion design and test the performance of the composite material, fatigue property data at 300 and 20 K were obtained for the specific E-glass fabric/S-glass unidirectional laminate that will be used for the CFME trunnions. The fatigue life of this laminate was greater at 20 K than at 300 K, and was satisfactory for the intended application.

Numerical and Experimental Study of an Ambient Air Vaporizer Coupled with a Compact Heat Exchanger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, Randon

The University of Washington was tasked with designing a "21st century engine" that will make use of the thermal energy available in cryogenic gasses due to their coldness. There are currently large quantities of cryogenic gases stored throughout the U.S. at industrial facilities whereupon the regasification process, the potential for the fluid to do work is wasted. The engine proposed by the University of Washington will try to capture some of that wasted energy. One technical challenge that must be overcome during the regasification process is providing frost free operation. This thesis presents the numerical analysis and experimental testing of a passive heat exchange system that uses ambient vaporizers coupled with compact heat exchangers to provide frost free operation while minimizing pressure drop.

Summary of Activities for Nondestructive Evaluation of Insulation in Cryogenic Tanks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arens, Ellen

2012-01-01

This project was undertaken to investigate methods to non-intrusively determine the existence and density of perlite insulation in the annular region of the cryogenic storage vessels, specifically considering the Launch Complex 39 hydrogen tanks at Kennedy Space Center. Lack of insulation in the tanks (as existed in the pad B hydrogen tank at Kennedy Space Center) results in an excessive loss of commodity and can pose operational and safety risks if precautions are not taken to relieve the excessive gas build-up. Insulation with a density that is higher than normal (due to settling or compaction) may also pose an operational and safety risk if the insulation prevents the system from moving and responding to expansions and contractions as fluid is removed and added to the tank.

Inverted Outflow Ground Testing of Cryogenic Propellant Liquid Acquisition Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.; Hartwig, Jason W.; Rame, Enrique; McQuillen, John B.

2014-01-01

NASA is currently developing propulsion system concepts for human exploration. These propulsion concepts will require the vapor free acquisition and delivery of the cryogenic propellants stored in the propulsion tanks during periods of microgravity to the exploration vehicles engines. Propellant management devices (PMDs), such as screen channel capillary liquid acquisition devices (LADs), vanes and sponges have been used for earth storable propellants in the Space Shuttle Orbiter and other spacecraft propulsion systems, but only very limited propellant management capability currently exists for cryogenic propellants. NASA is developing PMD technology as a part of their cryogenic fluid management (CFM) project. System concept studies have looked at the key factors that dictate the size and shape of PMD devices and established screen channel LADs as an important component of PMD design. Modeling validated by normal gravity experiments is examining the behavior of the flow in the LAD channel assemblies (as opposed to only prior testing of screen samples) at the flow rates representative of actual engine service (similar in size to current launch vehicle upper stage engines). Recently testing of rectangular LAD channels has included inverted outflow in liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. This paper will report the results of liquid oxygen testing compare and contrast them with the recently published hydrogen results; and identify the sensitivity these results to flow rate and tank internal pressure.

Investigation of transient chill down phenomena in tubes using liquid nitrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, A. K.; Sridharan, Arunkumar; Atrey, M. D.

2017-12-01

Chill down of cryogenic transfer lines is a crucial part of cryogenic propulsion as chill down ensures transfer of single phase fluid to the storage tanks of cryogenic engines. It also ensures single phase liquid flow at the start of the engine. Chill down time depends on several parameters such as length of the pipe, pipe diameter, orientation, mass flux etc. To understand the effect of these parameters, experiments are carried out in a set up designed and fabricated at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay using tubes of two different diameters. Experiments are conducted at different inlet pressures and mass flow rate values to understand their effect. Two different pipe sizes are taken to study the effect of variation in diameter on chill down time and quantity of cryogen required. Different orientations are taken to understand their effect on the chill down time, heat transfer coefficient and critical heat flux for the same inlet pressure and mass flux. Pipe inner wall temperature, heat transfer coefficient for different boiling regimes and critical heat flux are calculated based on measured outer surface temperature history for each case. A one dimensional energy conservation equation is solved for transient chill down process considering constant mass flux and inlet pressure to predict the chill down time. Temperature variation during chill down obtained from the numerical simulations are compared with the measured temperature history.

Thermal Imaging for Inspection of Large Cryogenic Tanks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arens, Ellen

2012-01-01

The end of the Shuttle Program provides an opportunity to evaluate and possibly refurbish launch support infrastructure at the Kennedy Space Center in support of future launch vehicles. One major infrastructure element needing attention is the cryogenic fuel and oxidizer system and specifically the cryogenic fuel ground storage tanks located at Launch Complex 39. These tanks were constructed in 1965 and served both the Apollo and Shuttle Programs and will be used to support future launch programs. However, they have received only external inspection and minimal refurbishment over the years as there were no operational issues that warranted the significant time and schedule disruption required to drain and refurbish the tanks while the launch programs were ongoing. Now, during the break between programs, the health of the tanks is being evaluated and refurbishment is being performed as necessary to maintain their fitness for future launch programs. Thermography was used as one part of the inspection and analysis of the tanks. This paper will describe the conclusions derived from the thermal images to evaluate anomalous regions in the tanks, confirm structural integrity of components within the annular region, and evaluate the effectiveness of thermal imaging to detect large insulation voids in tanks prior to filling with cryogenic fluid. The use of thermal imaging as a tool to inspect unfilled tanks will be important if the construction of additional storage tanks is required to fuel new launch vehicles.

Comparative analysis on flexibility requirements of typical Cryogenic Transfer lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jadon, Mohit; Kumar, Uday; Choukekar, Ketan; Shah, Nitin; Sarkar, Biswanath

2017-04-01

The cryogenic systems and their applications; primarily in large Fusion devices, utilize multiple cryogen transfer lines of various sizes and complexities to transfer cryogenic fluids from plant to the various user/ applications. These transfer lines are composed of various critical sections i.e. tee section, elbows, flexible components etc. The mechanical sustainability (under failure circumstances) of these transfer lines are primary requirement for safe operation of the system and applications. The transfer lines need to be designed for multiple design constraints conditions like line layout, support locations and space restrictions. The transfer lines are subjected to single load and multiple load combinations, such as operational loads, seismic loads, leak in insulation vacuum loads etc. [1]. The analytical calculations and flexibility analysis using professional software are performed for the typical transfer lines without any flexible component, the results were analysed for functional and mechanical load conditions. The failure modes were identified along the critical sections. The same transfer line was then refurbished with the flexible components and analysed for failure modes. The flexible components provide additional flexibility to the transfer line system and make it safe. The results obtained from the analytical calculations were compared with those obtained from the flexibility analysis software calculations. The optimization of the flexible component’s size and selection was performed and components were selected to meet the design requirements as per code.

Inverted Outflow Ground Testing of Cryogenic Propellant Liquid Acquisition Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.; Hartwig, Jason W.; Rame, Enrique; McQuillen, John B.

2014-01-01

NASA is currently developing propulsion system concepts for human exploration. These propulsion concepts will require the vapor free acquisition and delivery of the cryogenic propellants stored in the propulsion tanks during periods of microgravity to the exploration vehicles engines. Propellant management devices (PMD's), such as screen channel capillary liquid acquisition devices (LAD's), vanes and sponges have been used for earth storable propellants in the Space Shuttle Orbiter and other spacecraft propulsion systems, but only very limited propellant management capability currently exists for cryogenic propellants. NASA is developing PMD technology as a part of their cryogenic fluid management (CFM) project. System concept studies have looked at the key factors that dictate the size and shape of PMD devices and established screen channel LADs as an important component of PMD design. Modeling validated by normal gravity experiments is examining the behavior of the flow in the LAD channel assemblies (as opposed to only prior testing of screen samples) at the flow rates representative of actual engine service (similar in size to current launch vehicle upper stage engines). Recently testing of rectangular LAD channels has included inverted outflow in liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. This paper will report the results of liquid oxygen testing compare and contrast them with the recently published hydrogen results; and identify the sensitivity of these results to flow rate and tank internal pressure.

Study of fluid behaviour under gravity compensated by a magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatain, D.; Beysens, D.; Madet, K.; Nikolayev, V.; Mailfert, A.

2006-09-01

Fluids, and especially cryogenic fluids like hydrogen and oxygen, are widely used in space technology for propulsion and cooling. The knowledge of fluid behaviour during the acceleration variation and under reduced gravity is necessary for an efficient management of fluids in space. Such a management also rises fundamental questions about thermo-hydrodynamics and phase change once buoyancy forces are cancelled. For security reasons, it is nearly impossible to use the classical microgravity means to experiment with such cryofluids. However, it is possible to counterbalance gravity by using the paramagnetic (O2) or diamagnetic (H2) properties of fluids. By applying a magnetic field gradient on these materials, a volume force is created that is able to impose to the fluid a varying effective gravity, including microgravity. We have set up a magnetic levitation facility for H2 in which numerous experiments have been performed. A new facility for O2 is under construction. It will enable fast change in the effective gravity by quenching down the magnetic field. The facilities and some particularly representative experimental results are presented.

Initiation of geyser during the resettlement of cryogenic liquid under impulsive reverse gravity acceleration in microgravity environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Shyu, K. L.

1991-01-01

The requirement to settle or to position liquid fluid over the outlet end of spacecraft propellant tank prior to main engine restart poses a microgravity fluid behavior problem. Resettlement or reorientation of liquid propellant can be accomplished by providing optimal acceleration to the spacecraft such that the propellant is reoriented over the tank outlet without any vapor entrainment, any excessive geysering, or any other undesirable fluid motion for the space fluid management under microgravity environment. The purpose of present study is to investigate most efficient technique for propellant resettling through the minimization of propellant usage and weight penalties. Comparison between the constant reverse gravity acceleration and impulsive reverse gravity acceleration to be used for the activation of propellant resettlement, it shows that impulsive reverse gravity thrust is superior to constant reverse gravity thrust for liquid reorientation in a reduced gravity environment.

Modeling of Non-Isothermal Cryogenic Fluid Sloshing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agui, Juan H.; Moder, Jeffrey P.

2015-01-01

A computational fluid dynamic model was used to simulate the thermal destratification in an upright self-pressurized cryostat approximately half-filled with liquid nitrogen and subjected to forced sinusoidal lateral shaking. A full three-dimensional computational grid was used to model the tank dynamics, fluid flow and thermodynamics using the ANSYS Fluent code. A non-inertial grid was used which required the addition of momentum and energy source terms to account for the inertial forces, energy transfer and wall reaction forces produced by the shaken tank. The kinetics-based Schrage mass transfer model provided the interfacial mass transfer due to evaporation and condensation at the sloshing interface. The dynamic behavior of the sloshing interface, its amplitude and transition to different wave modes, provided insight into the fluid process at the interface. The tank pressure evolution and temperature profiles compared relatively well with the shaken cryostat experimental test data provided by the Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales.

An Overview of NASA's In-Space Cryogenic Propellant Management Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, Stephen; Hastings, Leon; Haynes, Davy (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Future mission planning within NASA continues to include cryogenic propellants for in space transportation, with mission durations ranging from days to years. Between 1995 and the present, NASA has pursued a diversified program of ground-based testing to prepare the various technologies associated with in-space cryogenic fluid management (CFM) for implementation. CFM technology areas being addressed include passive insulation, zero gravity pressure control, zero gravity mass gauging, capillary liquid acquisition devices, and zero boiloff storage. NASA CFM technologies are planned, coordinated, and implemented through the Cryogenic Technology Working Group which is comprised of representatives from the various NASA Centers as well as the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) and, on selected occasions, the Air Force. An overview of the NASA program and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) roles, accomplishments, and near-term activities are presented herein. Basic CFM technology areas being addressed include passive insulation, zero gravity pressure control, zero gravity mass gauging, capillary liquid acquisition devices, and zero boiloff storage. Recent MSFC accomplishments include: the large scale demonstration of a high performance variable density multilayer insulation (MLI) that reduced the boiloff by about half that of standard MLI; utilization of a foam substrate under MLI to eliminate the need for a helium purge bag system; demonstrations of both spray-bar and axial-jet mixer concepts for zero gravity pressure control; and sub-scale testing that verified an optical sensor concept for measuring liquid hydrogen mass in zero gravity. In response to missions requiring cryogenic propellant storage durations on the order of years, a cooperative effort by NASA's Ames Research Center, Glenn Research Center, and MSFC has been implemented to develop and demonstrate zero boiloff concepts for in-space storage of cryogenic propellants. An MSFC contribution to this cooperative effort is a large-scale demonstration of the integrated operation of passive insulation, destratification/pressure control, and cryocooler (commercial unit) subsystems to achieve zero boiloff storage of liquid hydrogen. Testing is expected during the Summer of 2001.

Thermally-Conductive Metallic Coatings and Applications for Heat Removal on In-Space Cryogenic Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ameen, Lauren; Hervol, David; Waters, Deborah

2017-01-01

For large in-space cryogenic upper stages, substantial axial heat removal from a forward skirt by vapor-based heat interception may not be achieved by simple attachment methods unless sufficient thermal conductance from the skirt to the cooling fluid can be achieved. Preferable methods would allow for the addition of the cooling system to existing structure with minimal impact on the structure. Otherwise, significant modification to the basic structural design andor novel and complex attachment mechanisms with high effective thermal conductance are likely to be required. The approach being pursued by evolvable Cryogenics (eCryo) is to increase the thermal performance of a relatively simple attachment system by applying metallic or other thermally conductive material coatings to the mating surface area of the fluid channel where it is attached the skirt wall. The expectation of candidate materials is that the dramatic increase in conductivity of pure metals at temperatures close to liquid hydrogen vapor temperature will compensate for the reduced actual contact area typical of mechanical joints. Basic contact conductance data at low temperatures for candidate interface materials is required to enable the test approach. A test rig was designed at NASA Glenn Research Center to provide thermal contact resistance testing between small sample coupons coated with conductive material via electron beam evaporation, a low-temperature option that will not affect physical properties of base materials. Average coating thicknesses were 10 k. The test fixture was designed to mount directly to a cryocooler cold head within a vacuum test chamber. The purpose of this test was to determine qualitative contact conductance between various test samples. Results from this effort will be implemented in a sub-scale vapor-based heat interception test, where the applicability for increased heat removal on large structural skirts will be considered.

Start-Up Response of Fluid Film Lubricated Cryogenic Turbopumps (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-13

Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp. Space Technology One Space Park Redondo Beach CA 90278 AFRL-PR-ED-TP-2007-332 9. SPONSORING...Chuck Papesh and Mr. Gordon Dressler ( Northrop Grumman ) for their interest in the work. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 11...phn.tamu.edu/TRIBGroup http://phn.tamu.edu/me626 Thanks to AFRL & Northrop Grumman for interest & financial support

Liquefaction and Storage of In-Situ Oxygen on the Surface of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hauser, Daniel M.; Johnson, Wesley L.; Sutherlin, Steven G.

2016-01-01

ISRU is currently base-lined for the production of oxygen on the Martian surface in the Evolvable Mars Campaign Over 50 of return vehicle mass is oxygen for propulsion. There are two key cryogenic fluid-thermal technologies that need to be investigated to enable these architectures. High lift refrigeration systems. Thermal Insulation systems, either lightweight vacuum jackets of soft vacuum insulation systems.

Tech Transfer Office discusses the finer points of tire recycling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1995-01-01

NASA's Technology Transfer Office at Stennis worked with a tire recycling company in St. Francisville, La., to help the company make better use of the cryogenics, or supercold fluids, in its recycling process. The process separates the rubber from the steel belts and other particles. The rubber is broken down into a material called crumb. Other parts of the tire particle removed is called fluff.

Numerical Modeling of Unsteady Thermofluid Dynamics in Cryogenic Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Majumdar, Alok

2003-01-01

A finite volume based network analysis procedure has been applied to model unsteady flow without and with heat transfer. Liquid has been modeled as compressible fluid where the compressibility factor is computed from the equation of state for a real fluid. The modeling approach recognizes that the pressure oscillation is linked with the variation of the compressibility factor; therefore, the speed of sound does not explicitly appear in the governing equations. The numerical results of chilldown process also suggest that the flow and heat transfer are strongly coupled. This is evident by observing that the mass flow rate during 90-second chilldown process increases by factor of ten.

Fiber Optic Raman Sensor to Monitor Concentration Ratio of Nitrogen and Oxygen in a Cryogenic Mixture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tiwari, Vidhu S.; Kalluru, Rajamohan R.; Yueh, Fang-Yu; Singh, Jagdish P.; SaintCyr, William

2007-01-01

A spontaneous Raman scattering optical fiber sensor is developed for a specific need of NASA/SSC for long-term detection and monitoring of the quality of liquid oxygen (LOX) in the delivery line during ground testing of rocket engines. The sensor performance was tested in the laboratory and with different excitation light sources. To evaluate the sensor performance with different excitation light sources for the LOX quality application, we have used the various mixtures of liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen as samples. The study of the sensor performance shows that this sensor offers a great deal of flexibility and provides a cost effective solution for the application. However, an improved system response time is needed for the real-time, quantitative monitoring of the quality of cryogenic fluids in harsh environment.

Bibliography on contaminants and solubility of organic compounds in oxygen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ordin, P. M. (Compiler)

1975-01-01

A compilation of a number of document citations is presented which contains information on contaminants in oxygen. Topics covered include contaminants and solubility of organic compounds in oxygen, reaction characteristics of organic compounds with oxygen, and sampling and detection limits of impurities. Each citation in the data bank contains many items of information about the document. Some of the items are title, author, abstract, corporate source, description of figures pertinent to hazards or safety, key references, and descriptors (keywords) by which the document can be retrieved. Each citation includes an evaluation of the technical contents as to being good/excellent, acceptable, or poor. The descriptors used to define the contents of the documents and subsequently used in the computerized search operations were developed for the cryogenic fluid safety by experts in the cryogenics field.

Active CryoCubeSat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swenson, Charles

2016-01-01

The Active CryoCubeSat project will demonstrate an advanced thermal control system for a 6-Unit (6U) CubeSat platform. A miniature, active thermal control system, in which a fluid is circulated in a closed loop from thermal loads to radiators, will be developed. A miniature cryogenic cooler will be integrated with this system to form a two-stage thermal control system. Key components will be miniaturized by using advanced additive manufacturing techniques resulting in a thermal testbed for proving out these technologies. Previous CubeSat missions have not tackled the problem of active thermal control systems nor have any past or current CubeSat missions included cryogenic instrumentation. This Active CryoCubeSat development effort will provide completely new capacities for CubeSats and constitutes a major advancement over the state-of-the-art in CubeSat thermal control.

Activation of the E1 Ultra High Pressure Propulsion Test Facility at Stennis Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Messer, Bradley; Messer, Elisabeth; Sewell, Dale; Sass, Jared; Lott, Jeff; Dutreix, Lionel, III

2001-01-01

After a decade of construction and a year of activation the El Ultra High Pressure Propulsion Test Facility at NASA's Stennis Space Center is fully operational. The El UHP Propulsion Test Facility is a multi-cell, multi-purpose component and engine test facility . The facility is capable of delivering cryogenic propellants at low, high, and ultra high pressures with flow rates ranging from a few pounds per second up to two thousand pounds per second. Facility activation is defined as a series of tasks required to transition between completion of construction and facility operational readiness. Activating the El UHP Propulsion Test Facility involved independent system checkouts, propellant system leak checks, fluid and gas sampling, gaseous system blow downs, pressurization and vent system checkouts, valve stability testing, valve tuning cryogenic cold flows, and functional readiness tests.

Cryogenic Cam Butterfly Valve

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCormack, Kenneth J. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A cryogenic cam butterfly valve has a body that includes an axially extending fluid conduit formed there through. A disc lug is connected to a back side of a valve disc and has a circular bore that receives and is larger than a cam of a cam shaft. The valve disc is rotatable for a quarter turn within the body about a lug axis that is offset from the shaft axis. Actuating the cam shaft in the closing rotational direction first causes the camming side of the cam of the cam shaft to rotate the disc lug and the valve disc a quarter turn from the open position to the closed position. Further actuating causes the camming side of the cam shaft to translate the valve disc into sealed contact with the valve seat. Opening rotational direction of the cam shaft reverses these motions.

Velocity Vector Field Visualization of Flow in Liquid Acquisition Device Channel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McQuillen, John B.; Chao, David F.; Hall, Nancy R.; Zhang, Nengli

2012-01-01

A capillary flow liquid acquisition device (LAD) for cryogenic propellants has been developed and tested in NASA Glenn Research Center to meet the requirements of transferring cryogenic liquid propellants from storage tanks to an engine in reduced gravity environments. The prototypical mesh screen channel LAD was fabricated with a mesh screen, covering a rectangular flow channel with a cylindrical outlet tube, and was tested with liquid oxygen (LOX). In order to better understand the performance in various gravity environments and orientations at different liquid submersion depths of the screen channel LAD, a series of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of LOX flow through the LAD screen channel was undertaken. The resulting velocity vector field visualization for the flow in the channel has been used to reveal the gravity effects on the flow in the screen channel.

Computer program for analysis of split-Stirling-cycle cryogenic coolers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, M. T.; Russo, S. C.

1983-01-01

A computer program for predicting the detailed thermodynamic performance of split-Stirling-cycle refrigerators has been developed. The mathematical model includes the refrigerator cold head, free-displacer/regenerator, gas transfer line, and provision for modeling a mechanical or thermal compressor. To allow for dynamic processes (such as aerodynamic friction and heat transfer) temperature, pressure, and mass flow rate are varied by sub-dividing the refrigerator into an appropriate number of fluid and structural control volumes. Of special importance to modeling of cryogenic coolers is the inclusion of real gas properties, and allowance for variation of thermo-physical properties such as thermal conductivities, specific heats and viscosities, with temperature and/or pressure. The resulting model, therefore, comprehensively simulates the split-cycle cooler both spatially and temporally by reflecting the effects of dynamic processes and real material properties.

Operational characteristics of a liquid nitrogen powered automobile

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vitt, P.D.

1998-08-04

The University of Washington is studying a zero-emission vehicle concept, the cryogenic automobile. This propulsion concept uses a cryogenic liquid as its energy storage medium, and offers environmental and economic benefits over current alternative vehicles. The University of Washington is investigating the use of nitrogen, stored in liquid state, as the working fluid in an open Rankine cycle. The liquid nitrogen is first pressurized, then vaporized and superheated in an ambient air heat exchanger. The resulting high pressure gas is injected into an expander which produces the system`s motive work. The spent, low pressure gas is exhausted to the atmosphere.more » A test vehicle was assembled and is being used to learn about liquid nitrogen propulsion. The road performance of cryogenic automobiles was predicted using a mathematical model. The model can be modified for a variety of design choices and configurations. The performance of the test vehicle validates the heat exchanger concept and directs future efforts toward development of a better nitrogen expansion motor. This thesis describes the construction and operation of a liquid nitrogen powered automobile. Operational characteristics like road performance, maintenance, cost, and environmental impact are also explored.« less

Long term orbital storage of cryogenic propellants for advanced space transportation missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schuster, John R.; Brown, Norman S.

1987-01-01

A comprehensive study has developed the major features of a large capacity orbital propellant depot for the space-based, cryogenic OTV. The study has treated both the Dual-Keel Space Station and co-orbiting platforms as the accommodations base for the propellant storage facilities, and trades have examined both tethered and hard-docked options. Five tank set concepts were developed for storing the propellants, and along with layout options for the station and platform, were evaluated from the standpoints of servicing, propellant delivery, boiloff, micrometeoroid/debris shielding, development requirements, and cost. These trades led to the recommendation that an all-passive storage concept be considered for the platform and an actively refrigerated concept providing for reliquefaction of all boiloff be considered for the Space Station. The tank sets are modular, each storing up to 45,400 kg of LO2/LH2, and employ many advanced features to provide for microgravity fluid management and to limit boiloff. The features include such technologies as zero-gravity mass gauging, total communication capillary liquid acquisition devices, autogenous pressurization, thermodynamic vent systems, thick multilayer insulation, vapor-cooled shields, solar-selective coatings, advanced micrometeoroid/debris protection systems, and long-lived cryogenic refrigeration systems.

Orbital refill of propulsion vehicle tankage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merino, F.; Risberg, J. A.; Hill, M.

1980-01-01

Techniques for orbital refueling of space based vehicles were developed and experimental programs to verify these techniques were identified. Orbital refueling operations were developed for two cryogenic orbital transfer vehicles (OTV's) and an Earth storable low thrust liquid propellant vehicle. Refueling operations were performed assuming an orbiter tanker for near term missions and an orbital depot. Analyses were conducted using liquid hydrogen and N2O4. The influence of a pressurization system and acquisition device on operations was also considered. Analyses showed that vehicle refill operations will be more difficult with a cryogen than with an earth storable. The major elements of a successful refill with cryogens include tank prechill and fill. Propellant quantities expended for tank prechill appear to to insignificant. Techniques were identified to avoid loss of liquid or excessive tank pressures during refill. It was determined that refill operations will be similar whether or not an orbiter tanker or orbital depot is available. Modeling analyses were performed for prechill and fill tests to be conducted assuming the Spacelab as a test bed, and a 1/10 scale model OTV (with LN2 as a test fluid) as an experimental package.

Solid-Cryogen Cooling Technique for Superconducting Magnets of NMR and MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwasa, Yukikazu; Bascuñán, Juan; Hahn, Seungyong; Park, Dong Keun

This paper describes a solid-cryogen cooling technique currently being developed at the M.I.T. Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory for application to superconducting magnets of NMR and MRI. The technique is particularly appropriate for "dry" magnets that do not rely on liquid cryogen, e.g., liquid helium (LHe), as their primary cooling sources. In addition, the advantages of a cryocirculator (a combination of a cryocooler and a working fluid circulator) over a cryocooler as the primary cooling source for dry magnets are described. The four magnets described here, all incorporating this cooling technique described and currently being developed at the FBML, are: 1) a solid-nitrogen (SN2)-cooled Nb3Sn 500-MHz/200-mm MRI magnet with an operating temperature range between 4.2 K (nominal) and 6.0 K (maximum with its primary cooling source off); 2) an SN2-cooled MgB2 0.5-T/800-mm MRI magnet, 1015 K; 3) an SN2-cooled compact YBCO "annulus" 100-MHz/9-mm NMR magnet, 10-15 K; 4) an SN2-cooled 1.5T/75-mm NbTi magnet for slow magic-angle-spinning NMR/MRI, 4.5-5.5 K.

Low Capacity Reliquefier for Storage of Cryogenic Fluids.

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-11-01

comparably derated mechanically driven Stirling cryocooler could have low pressure ratio and forces without the high temperature problems. Pulse Tube ...than conventional Stirling refrigerators. Pulse tube cryocoolers have reached temperatures below 35 K with 1 or 2 stages and below 10 K with 3 stages...temperatures below 20 K with regenerative cycle cryocoolers (e.g. Stirling , Gifford- McMahan, pulse tube , etc.). Ideally, the regenerator should have high

Development of a Filament-Overwrapped Cryoformed Metal Pressure Vessel

DTIC Science & Technology

1971-01-01

ABSTRACT High performance ARDEFORM cryoformed 301 stainless steel glass fiber reinforced (GFR) vessels were demonstrated by room temperature tests of 13 1...Appendix 6 - Vessel Testing ........... . A-54 7.7 Appendix 7 - Increased Ductility Liner High Performance Spherical GFR Vessel A-62 7.8 Appendix 8...vessel consisting of a load-bearing cryogenically stretched ARDEFORM 301 stainless steel liner overwrapped with fiber- glass for high pressure fluid

Pressurization of a Flightweight, Liquid Hydrogen Tank: Evaporation and Condensation at a Liquid Vapor Interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, Mark

2017-01-01

Evaporation and condensation at a liquid-vapor interface is important for long-term, in-space cryogenic propellant storage. Yet the current understanding of inter-facial physics does not consistently predict behavior of evaporation or condensation rates. The proposed paper will present a physical model, based on the 1-D Heat equation and Schrage's equation, which demonstrates thin thermal layers at the fluid vapor interface.

Numerical investigations on unstable direct contact condensation of cryogenic fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jayachandran, K. N.; Arnab, Roy; Parthasarathi, Ghosh

2017-02-01

A typical problem of Direct Contact Condensation (DCC) occurs at the liquid oxygen (LOX) booster turbopump exit of oxidiser rich staged combustion cycle based semi-cryogenic rocket engines, where the hot gas mixture (predominantly oxygen and small amounts of combustion products) that runs the turbine mixes with LOX from the pump exit. This complex multiphase phenomena leads to the formation of solid CO2 & H2O, which is undesirable for the functioning of the main LOX turbopump. As a starting point for solving this complex problem, in this study, the hot gas mixture is taken as pure oxygen and hence, DCC of pure oxygen vapour jets in subcooled liquid oxygen is simulated using the commercial CFD package ANSYS CFX®. A two fluid model along with the thermal phase change model is employed for capturing the heat and mass transfer effects. The study mainly focuses on the subsonic DCC bubbling regime, which is reported as unstable with bubble formation, elongation, necking and collapsing effects. The heat transfer coefficients over a period of time have been computed and the various stages of bubbling have been analysed with the help of vapour volume fraction and pressure profiles. The results obtained for DCC of oxygen vapour-liquid mixtures is in qualitative agreement with the experimental results on DCC of steam-water mixtures.

Performance analysis of a miniature Joule-Thomson cryocooler with and without the distributed J-T effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damle, Rashmin; Atrey, Milind

2015-12-01

Cryogenic temperatures are obtained with Joule-Thomson (J-T) cryocoolers in an easier way as compared to other cooling techniques. Miniature J-T cryocoolers are often employed for cooling of infrared sensors, cryoprobes, biological samples, etc. A typical miniature J-T cryocooler consists of a storage reservoir/compressor providing the high pressure gas, a finned tube recuperative heat exchanger, an expansion valve/orifice, and the cold end. The recuperative heat exchanger is indispensable for attaining cryogenic temperatures. The geometrical parameters and the operating conditions of the heat exchanger drastically affect the cryocooler performance in terms of cool down time and cooling effect. In the literature, the numerical models for the finned recuperative heat exchanger have neglected the distributed J-T effect. The distributed J-T effect accounts for the changes in enthalpy of the fluid due to changes of pressure in addition to those due to changes of temperature. The objective of this work is to explore the distributed J-T effect and study the performance of a miniature J-T cryocooler with and without the distributed J-T effect. A one dimensional transient model is employed for the numerical analysis of the cryocooler. Cases with different operating conditions are worked out with argon and nitrogen as working fluids.

Thermal Integration of a Liquid Acquisition Device into a Cryogenic Feed System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hastings, L. J.; Bolshinskiy, L. G.; Schunk, R. G.; Martin, A. K.; Eskridge, R. H.; Frenkel, A.; Grayson, G.; Pendleton, M. L.

2011-01-01

Primary objectives of this effort were to define the following: (1) Approaches for quantification of the accumulation of thermal energy within a capillary screen liquid acquisition device (LAD) for a lunar lander upper stage during periods of up to 210 days on the lunar surface, (2) techniques for mitigating heat entrapment, and (3) perform initial testing, data evaluation. The technical effort was divided into the following categories: (1) Detailed thermal modeling of the LAD/feed system interactions using both COMSOL computational fluid device and standard codes, (2) FLOW-3D modeling of bulk liquid to provide interfacing conditions for the LAD thermal modeling, (3) condensation conditioning of capillary screens to stabilize surface tension retention capability, and (4) subscale testing of an integrated LAD/feed system. Substantial progress was achieved in the following technical areas: (1) Thermal modeling and experimental approaches for evaluating integrated cryogen LAD/feed systems, at both the system and component levels, (2) reduced gravity pressure control analyses, (3) analytical modeling and testing for capillary screen conditioning using condensation and wicking, and (4) development of rapid turnaround testing techniques for evaluating LAD/feed system thermal and fluid integration. A comprehensive effort, participants included a diverse cross section of representatives from academia, contractors, and multiple Marshall Space Flight Center organizations.

Numerical Modeling of Propellant Boil-Off in a Cryogenic Storage Tank

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Majumdar, A. K.; Steadman, T. E.; Maroney, J. L.; Sass, J. P.; Fesmire, J. E.

2007-01-01

A numerical model to predict boil-off of stored propellant in large spherical cryogenic tanks has been developed. Accurate prediction of tank boil-off rates for different thermal insulation systems was the goal of this collaboration effort. The Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program, integrating flow analysis and conjugate heat transfer for solving complex fluid system problems, was used to create the model. Calculation of tank boil-off rate requires simultaneous simulation of heat transfer processes among liquid propellant, vapor ullage space, and tank structure. The reference tank for the boil-off model was the 850,000 gallon liquid hydrogen tank at Launch Complex 39B (LC- 39B) at Kennedy Space Center, which is under study for future infrastructure improvements to support the Constellation program. The methodology employed in the numerical model was validated using a sub-scale model and tank. Experimental test data from a 1/15th scale version of the LC-39B tank using both liquid hydrogen and liquid nitrogen were used to anchor the analytical predictions of the sub-scale model. Favorable correlations between sub-scale model and experimental test data have provided confidence in full-scale tank boil-off predictions. These methods are now being used in the preliminary design for other cases including future launch vehicles

Numerical Simulation of Temperature Sensor Self-Heating Effects in Gaseous and Liquid Hydrogen Under Cryogenic Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langebach, R.; Haberstroh, Ch.

2010-04-01

In this paper a numerical investigation is presented that characterizes the free convective flow field and the resulting heat transfer mechanisms for a resistance temperature sensor in liquid and gaseous hydrogen at various cryogenic conditions. Motivation for this is the detection of stratification effects e.g. inside a liquid hydrogen storage vessel. In this case, the local temperature measurement in still resting fluid requires a very high standard of precision despite an extremely poor thermal anchoring of the sensor. Due to electrical power dissipation a certain amount of heat has to be transferred from sensor to fluid. This can cause relevant measurement errors due to a slightly elevated sensor temperature. A commercial CFD code was employed to calculate the heat and mass transfer around the typical sensor geometry. The results were compared with existing heat transfer correlations from the literature. As a result the magnitude of averaged heat transfer coefficients and sensor over-heating as a function of power dissipation are given in figures. From the gained numerical results a new correlation for the averaged Nusselt Number is presented that represents very low Rayleigh Number flows. The correlation can be used to estimate sensor self-heating effects in similar situations.

Application of computational fluid dynamics for the simulation of cryogenic molecular sieve bed absorber of hydrogen isotopes recovery system for Indian LLCB-TBM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gayathri Devi, V.; Sircar, A.; Sarkar, B.

One of the most challenging tasks in the design of the fuel cycle system lies in the effective design of Tritium Extraction System (TES) which involves proper extraction and purification of tritium in the fuel cycle of the fusion reactor. Indian Lead Lithium cooled Ceramic Breeder Test Blanket Module (LLCB-TBM) would extract hydrogen isotopes through Cryogenic Molecular Sieve Bed (CMSB) adsorber system. A prototype Hydrogen Isotopes Recovery System (HIRS) is being developed to validate the concepts for tritium extraction by adsorption mass transfer mechanism. In this study, a design model has been developed and analyzed to simulate the adsorption massmore » transfer kinetics in a fixed bed adsorption column. The simulation leads primarily to effective design of HIRS, which is a state-of-the-art technology. The paper describes the process simulation approach and the results of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis. The effects of different operating conditions are studied to investigate their influence on the hydrogen isotopes adsorption capacity. The results of the present simulation study would be used to understand the best optimized transport phenomenon before realizing the TES as a system for LLCB-TBM. (authors)« less

Development of a quiet supersonic wind tunnel with a cryogenic adaptive nozzle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, Stephen W. D.

1993-01-01

The main objective of this work is to develop an interim Quiet (low-disturbance) supersonic wind tunnel for the NASA-Ames Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (FML). The main emphasis is to bring on-line a full-scale Mach 1.6 tunnel as rapidly as possible to impact the NASA High Speed Research Program (HSRP). The development of a cryogenic adaptive nozzle and other sophisticated features of the tunnel will now happen later, after the full scale wind tunnel is in operation. The work under this contract for the period of this report can be summarized as follows: provide aerodynamic design requirements for the NASA-Ames Fluid Mechanics Laboratory (FML) Laminar Flow Supersonic Wind Tunnel (LFSWT); research design parameters for a unique Mach 1.6 drive system for the LFSWT using an 1/8th-scale Proof-of-Concept (PoC) supersonic wind tunnel; carry out boundary layer transition studies in PoC to aid the design of critical components of the LFSWT; appraise the State of the Art in quiet supersonic wind tunnel design; and help develop a supersonic research capability within the FML particularly in the areas of high speed transition measurements and schlieren techniques. The body of this annual report summarizes the work of the Principal Investigator.

Investigation of bypass fluid flow in an active magnetic regenerative liquefier

DOE PAGES

Holladay, Jamelyn; Teyber, Reed; Meinhardt, Kerry; ...

2018-05-19

Active magnetic regenerators (AMR) with second order magnetocaloric materials operating below the Curie temperature have a unique property where the magnetized specific heat is lower than the demagnetized specific heat. The associated thermal mass imbalance allows a fraction of heat transfer fluid in the cold heat exchanger to bypass the magnetized regenerator. This cold bypassed fluid can precool a process stream as it returns to the hot side, thereby increasing the efficiency of liquefaction and reducing the cost of liquid cryogens. In the present work, the net cooling power of an active magnetic regenerative liquefier is investigated as a functionmore » of the bypass flow fraction. In conclusion, experiments are performed at a fixed temperature span yielding a 30% improvement in net cooling power, affirming the potential of bypass flow in active magnetic regenerative liquefiers.« less

Investigation of bypass fluid flow in an active magnetic regenerative liquefier

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holladay, Jamelyn; Teyber, Reed; Meinhardt, Kerry

Active magnetic regenerators (AMR) with second order magnetocaloric materials operating below the Curie temperature have a unique property where the magnetized specific heat is lower than the demagnetized specific heat. The associated thermal mass imbalance allows a fraction of heat transfer fluid in the cold heat exchanger to bypass the magnetized regenerator. This cold bypassed fluid can precool a process stream as it returns to the hot side, thereby increasing the efficiency of liquefaction and reducing the cost of liquid cryogens. In the present work, the net cooling power of an active magnetic regenerative liquefier is investigated as a functionmore » of the bypass flow fraction. Experiments are performed at a fixed temperature span yielding a 30% improvement in net cooling power, affirming the potential of bypass flow in active magnetic regenerative liquefiers.« less

Investigation of bypass fluid flow in an active magnetic regenerative liquefier

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holladay, Jamelyn; Teyber, Reed; Meinhardt, Kerry

Active magnetic regenerators (AMR) with second order magnetocaloric materials operating below the Curie temperature have a unique property where the magnetized specific heat is lower than the demagnetized specific heat. The associated thermal mass imbalance allows a fraction of heat transfer fluid in the cold heat exchanger to bypass the magnetized regenerator. This cold bypassed fluid can precool a process stream as it returns to the hot side, thereby increasing the efficiency of liquefaction and reducing the cost of liquid cryogens. In the present work, the net cooling power of an active magnetic regenerative liquefier is investigated as a functionmore » of the bypass flow fraction. In conclusion, experiments are performed at a fixed temperature span yielding a 30% improvement in net cooling power, affirming the potential of bypass flow in active magnetic regenerative liquefiers.« less

Reusable Hybrid Propellant Modules for Outer-Space Transport

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazanek, Daniel D.; Mankins, John C.

2005-01-01

A report summarizes the concept of reusable hybrid propellant modules (HPMs), which would be used in outer space for long-term cryogenic storage of liquefied spacecraft-propellant gases, including for example, oxygen and hydrogen for combustion-based chemical rocket engines and xenon for electric thrusters. The HPM concept would provide the fundamental building block for an efficient, reusable in-space transportation system for both crewed and uncrewed missions. Each HPM would be equipped to implement an advanced zero-boil-off method of managing cryogenic fluids, and would include a fluid-transfer interface comprising standardized fittings that would be compatible with fittings on all supply facilities and on spacecraft to be supplied. The HPM, combined with a chemical or electric orbital transfer spacecraft, would provide an integrated propulsion system. HPMs would supply chemical propellant for time-critical transfers such as crewed missions, and utilize the more efficient electric-propulsion transfer vehicles to transport filled HPMs to the destinations and to return empty HPMs back to near-Earth orbits or other intermediate locations for replenishment and reuse. The HPM prepositioned using electric propulsion would provide the chemical propellant for the crew s return trip in a much more efficient manner than a chemical-only approach. The propellants to fill the HPMs would be delivered from the Earth or other initial supply locations to the intermediate locations by use of automated, compatible spacecraft designed specifically for that purpose. Additionally, multiple HPMs could be aggregated and positioned in orbits and on planets, moons, and asteroids to supply fluids to orbiting and interplanetary spacecraft.

Effect of ice contamination on liquid-nitrogen drops in film boiling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schoessow, G. J.; Chmielewski, C. E.; Baumeister, K. J.

1977-01-01

Previously reported vaporization time data of liquid nitrogen drops in film boiling on a flat plate are about 30 percent shorter than predicted from standard laminar film boiling theory. This theory, however, had been found to successfully correlate the data for conventional fluids such as water, ethanol, benzene, or carbon tetrachloride. This paper presents experimental evidence that some of the discrepancy for cryogenic fluids results from ice contamination due to condensation. The data indicate a fairly linear decrease in droplet evaporation time with the diameter of the ice crystal residue. After correcting the raw data for ice contamination along with convection, a comparison of theory with experiment shows good agreement.

Effect of ice contamination of liquid-nitrogen drops in film boiling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schoessow, G. J.; Chmielewski, C. E.; Baumeister, K. J.

1977-01-01

Previously reported vaporization time data of liquid nitrogen drops in film boiling on a flat plate are about 30 percent shorter than predicted from standard laminar film boiling theory. This theory, however, had been found to successfully correlate the data for conventional fluids such as water, ethanol, benzene, or carbon tetrachloride. Experimental evidence that some of the discrepancy for cryogenic fluids results from ice contamination due to condensation is presented. The data indicate a fairly linear decrease in droplet evaporation time with the diameter of the ice crystal residue. After correcting the raw data for ice contamination along with convection, a comparison of theory with experiment shows good agreement.

BOILING HEAT TRANSFER IN ZERO GRAVITY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zara, E.A.

1964-01-01

The preliminary results of a research program to determine the effects of zero and near zero gravity on boiling heat transfer are presented. Zero gravity conditions were obtained on the ASD KC-135 zero gravity test aircraft, capable of providing 30-seconds of zero gravity. Results of the program to date indicate that nucleate (bubble) boiling heat transfer rates are not greatly affected by the absence of gravity forces. However, radical pressure increases were observed that will dictate special design considerations to space vehicle systems utilizing pool boiling processes, such as cryogenic or other fluid storage vessels where thermal input to themore » fluid is used for vessel pressurization. (auth)« less

Capillary acquisition devices for high-performance vehicles: Executive summary. [evaluation of cryogenic propellant management techniques using the centaur launch vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blatt, M. H.; Bradshaw, R. D.; Risberg, J. A.

1980-01-01

Technology areas critical to the development of cryogenic capillary devices were studied. Passive cooling of capillary devices was investigated with an analytical and experimental study of wicking flow. Capillary device refilling with settled fluid was studied using an analytical and experimental program that resulted in successful correlation of a versatile computer program with test data. The program was used to predict Centaur D-1S LO2 and LH2 start basket refilling. Comparisons were made between the baseline Centaur D-1S propellant feed system and feed system alternatives including systems using capillary devices. The preferred concepts from the Centaur D-1S study were examined for APOTV and POTV vehicles for delivery and round trip transfer of payloads between LEO and GEO. Mission profiles were determined to provide propellant usage timelines and the payload partials were defined.

Eliminating LH2 in LOX-collect space launchers - Key to on-demand capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leingang, J. L.; Carreiro, L. R.; Maurice, L. Q.

1993-01-01

Two air-breathing reusable two-stage space launch vehicle concepts are proposed, in which the first stage employs turboramjet propulsion and the second stage uses rockets, which are expected to provide very rapid response launch of 10,000 lb polar-orbit payloads. In both concepts, liquid oxygen (LOX) for the second stage is collected during first stage ascent, thus eliminating the need for LOX ground servicing facilities. In the first concept, liquid hydrogen in the amount just sufficient to condense and collect second state LOX is the only cryogenic fluid that is loaded on the vehicle at takeoff. The second concept uses the heat sink of conventional jet propulsion fuel and water coolant to drive a lightweight adaptation of the commercial LOX production process, eliminating all cryogenics at takeoff. Both concepts should permit true launch-on-demand capability with aircraftlike ground operations.

Kinetic Fractionation of Stable Isotopes in Carbonates on Mars: Terrestrial Analogs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Socki, Richard A.; Gibson, Everett K., Jr.; Golden, D. C.; Ming, Douglas W.; McKay, Gordon A.

2003-01-01

An ancient Martian hydrosphere consisting of an alkali-rich ocean would likely produce solid carbonate minerals through the processes of evaporation and/or freezing. We postulate that both (or either) of these kinetically-driven processes would produce carbonate minerals whose stable isotopic compositions are highly fractionated (enriched) with respect to the source carbon. Various scenarios have been proposed for carbonate formation on Mars, including high temperature formation, hydrothermal alteration, precipitation from evaporating brines, and cryogenic formation. 13C and 18O -fractionated carbonates have previously been shown to form kinetically under some of these conditions, ie.: 1) alteration by hydrothermal processes, 2) low temperature precipitation (sedimentary) from evaporating bicarbonate (brine) solutions, and 3) precipitation during the process of cryogenic freezing of bicarbonate-rich fluids. Here we examine several terrestrial field settings within the context of kinetically controlled carbonate precipitation where stable isotope enrichments have been observed.

Trajectory and Breakup of Cryogenic Jets in Crossflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richards, William

This study investigated the breakup processes of subcritical cryogenic jets injected in to subsonic crossflows of heated air. The crossflow speed, temperature, and jet velocity were varied to demonstrate the effect of thermal differences on a jet in crossflow. High speed back-lit photography and Mie scattering were used to examine the primary breakup regimes, trajectory, and breakup points. The breakup regimes show little change from jets in crossflow near thermodynamic equilibrium. Penetration of the jet increased with an increase in crossflow temperature. The breakup points in the streamwise direction followed trends previously observed for conventional jets. While the height of column fracture did not increase with momentum flux ratio as much as would be expected, its dependence matched that of the trajectory correlation. It is hypothesized that the observed differences are due to the development of a sheath of evaporated fluid around the main liquid core of the jet.

Laboratory studies on the rheology of cryogenic slurries with implications for icy satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carey, Elizabeth; Mitchell, Karl; Choukroun, Mathieu; Zhong, Fang

2015-04-01

Interpretation of Cassini RADAR and VIMS data has suggested some landforms on Titan may be due to effusive cryovolcanic processes that created cones, craters and flows. High-resolution Voyager 2 images of Triton also show strong evidence of cryovolcanic features. Fundamental to modeling of cryovolcanic features is the understanding of the rheological properties of cryogenic icy slurries in a thermodynamic and fluid mechanical context, i.e., how they deform and flow or stall under an applied stress. A series of measurements were performed on methanol-water mixtures and ammonia-water mixtures. We measured the rheology of the slurries as a function of temperature and strain rate, which revealed development of yield stress-like behaviors, shear-rate dependence, and thixotropic behavior, even at relatively low crystal fractions. Visualization of icy slurries supports the current hypothesis that crystallization dominates rheological properties. We shall discuss these findings and their implications for cryovolcanism on icy satellites.

Flow Visualization at Cryogenic Conditions Using a Modified Pressure Sensitive Paint Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watkins, A. Neal; Goad, William K.; Obara, Clifford J.; Sprinkle, Danny R.; Campbell, Richard L.; Carter, Melissa B.; Pendergraft, Odis C., Jr.; Bell, James H.; Ingram, JoAnne L.; Oglesby, Donald M.

2005-01-01

A modification to the Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) method was used to visualize streamlines on a Blended Wing Body (BWB) model at full-scale flight Reynolds numbers. In order to achieve these conditions, the tests were carried out in the National Transonic Facility operating under cryogenic conditions in a nitrogen environment. Oxygen is required for conventional PSP measurements, and several tests have been successfully completed in nitrogen environments by injecting small amounts (typically < 3000 ppm) of oxygen into the flow. A similar technique was employed here, except that air was purged through pressure tap orifices already existent on the model surface, resulting in changes in the PSP wherever oxygen was present. The results agree quite well with predicted results obtained through computational fluid dynamics analysis (CFD), which show this to be a viable technique for visualizing flows without resorting to more invasive procedures such as oil flow or minitufts.

Fiber optic Raman sensor to monitor the concentration ratio of nitrogen and oxygen in a cryogenic mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, Vidhu S.; Kalluru, Rajamohan R.; Yueh, Fang Y.; Singh, Jagdish P.; St. Cyr, William; Khijwania, Sunil K.

2007-06-01

A spontaneous Raman scattering optical fiber sensor was developed for a specific need of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for long-term detection and monitoring of the purity of liquid oxygen (LO2) in the oxidizer feed line during ground testing of rocket engines. The Raman peak intensity ratios for liquid nitrogen (LN2) and LO2 with varied weight ratios (LN2/LO2) were analyzed for their applicability to impurity sensing. The study of the sensor performance with different excitation light sources has helped to design a miniaturized, cost-effective system for this application. The optimal system response time of this miniaturized sensor for LN2/LO2 measurement was found to be in the range of a few seconds. It will need to be further reduced to the millisecond range for real-time, quantitative monitoring of the quality of cryogenic fluids in a harsh envioronment.

NASA Common Research Model Test Envelope Extension With Active Sting Damping at NTF

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rivers, Melissa B.; Balakrishna, S.

2014-01-01

The NASA Common Research Model (CRM) high Reynolds number transonic wind tunnel testing program was established to generate an experimental database for applied Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) validation studies. During transonic wind tunnel tests, the CRM encounters large sting vibrations when the angle of attack approaches the second pitching moment break, which can sometimes become divergent. CRM transonic test data analysis suggests that sting divergent oscillations are related to negative net sting damping episodes associated with flow separation instability. The National Transonic Facility (NTF) has been addressing remedies to extend polar testing up to and beyond the second pitching moment break point of the test articles using an active piezoceramic damper system for both ambient and cryogenic temperatures. This paper reviews CRM test results to gain understanding of sting dynamics with a simple model describing the mechanics of a sting-model system and presents the performance of the damper under cryogenic conditions.

Fractional watt Vuillemier cryogenic refrigerator program engineering notebook. Volume 1: Thermal analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, W. S.

1974-01-01

The cryogenic refrigerator thermal design calculations establish design approach and basic sizing of the machine's elements. After the basic design is defined, effort concentrates on matching the thermodynamic design with that of the heat transfer devices (heat exchangers and regenerators). Typically, the heat transfer device configurations and volumes are adjusted to improve their heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics. These adjustments imply that changes be made to the active displaced volumes, compensating for the influence of the heat transfer devices on the thermodynamic processes of the working fluid. Then, once the active volumes are changed, the heat transfer devices require adjustment to account for the variations in flows, pressure levels, and heat loads. This iterative process is continued until the thermodynamic cycle parameters match the design of the heat transfer devices. By examing several matched designs, a near-optimum refrigerator is selected.

Instrumentation for cryogenic magic angle spinning dynamic nuclear polarization using 90 L of liquid nitrogen per day

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albert, Brice J.; Pahng, Seong Ho; Alaniva, Nicholas; Sesti, Erika L.; Rand, Peter W.; Saliba, Edward P.; Scott, Faith J.; Choi, Eric J.; Barnes, Alexander B.

2017-10-01

Cryogenic sample temperatures can enhance NMR sensitivity by extending spin relaxation times to improve dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) and by increasing Boltzmann spin polarization. We have developed an efficient heat exchanger with a liquid nitrogen consumption rate of only 90 L per day to perform magic-angle spinning (MAS) DNP experiments below 85 K. In this heat exchanger implementation, cold exhaust gas from the NMR probe is returned to the outer portion of a counterflow coil within an intermediate cooling stage to improve cooling efficiency of the spinning and variable temperature gases. The heat exchange within the counterflow coil is calculated with computational fluid dynamics to optimize the heat transfer. Experimental results using the novel counterflow heat exchanger demonstrate MAS DNP signal enhancements of 328 ± 3 at 81 ± 2 K, and 276 ± 4 at 105 ± 2 K.

High precision Hugoniot measurements on statically pre-compressed fluid helium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seagle, Christopher T.; Reinhart, William D.; Lopez, Andrew J.; Hickman, Randy J.; Thornhill, Tom F.

2016-09-01

The capability for statically pre-compressing fluid targets for Hugoniot measurements utilizing gas gun driven flyer plates has been developed. Pre-compression expands the capability for initial condition control, allowing access to thermodynamic states off the principal Hugoniot. Absolute Hugoniot measurements with an uncertainty less than 3% on density and pressure were obtained on statically pre-compressed fluid helium utilizing a two stage light gas gun. Helium is highly compressible; the locus of shock states resulting from dynamic loading of an initially compressed sample at room temperature is significantly denser than the cryogenic fluid Hugoniot even for relatively modest (0.27-0.38 GPa) initial pressures. The dynamic response of pre-compressed helium in the initial density range of 0.21-0.25 g/cm3 at ambient temperature may be described by a linear shock velocity (us) and particle velocity (up) relationship: us = C0 + sup, with C0 = 1.44 ± 0.14 km/s and s = 1.344 ± 0.025.

Flow Visualization of Liquid Hydrogen Line Chilldown Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rame, Enrique; Hartwig, Jason W.; McQuillen John B.

2014-01-01

We present experimental measurements of wall and fluid temperature during chill-down tests of a warm cryogenic line with liquid hydrogen. Synchronized video and fluid temperature measurements are used to interpret stream temperature profiles versus time. When cold liquid hydrogen starts to flow into the warm line, a sequence of flow regimes, spanning from all-vapor at the outset to bubbly with continuum liquid at the end can be observed at a location far downstream of the cold inlet. In this paper we propose interpretations to the observed flow regimes and fluid temperature histories for two chilldown methods, viz. trickle (i.e. continuous) flow and pulse flow. Calculations of heat flux from the wall to the fluid versus wall temperature indicate the presence of the transition/nucleate boiling regimes only. The present tests, run at typical Reynolds numbers of approx O(10 (exp 5)), are in sharp contrast to similar tests conducted at lower Reynolds numbers where a well-defined film boiling region is observed.

Oxygen isotope ratio measurements on carbon dioxide generated by reaction of microliter quantities of biological fluids with guanidine hydrochloride

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wong, W.W.; Lee, L.S.; Klein, P.D.

1987-03-01

Guanidine hydrochloride was used to convert water in biological fluids to carbon dioxide for oxygen isotope ratio measurements. Five 10-..mu..L aliquots each of five different saliva, urine, plasma, and human milk samples were allowed to react with 100 mg of guanidine hydrochloride at 260/sup 0/C to produce ammonia and carbon dioxide. Ammonia was removed with 100% phosphoric acid and carbon dioxide was cryogenically purified before isotope ratio measurement. At natural abundances, the delta/sup 18/O values of the biological fluids were reproducible to within 0.16% (standard deviation) and accurate to within 0.11 +/- 0.73% (x vector +/- SD) of the H/submore » 2/O-CO/sub 2/ equilibration values. At a 250% enrichment level of /sup 18/O, the delta/sup 18/O values of the biological fluids were reproducible to within 0.95% and accurate to -1.27 +/- 2.25%.« less

A post-Galileo view of Io's interior

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keszthelyi, L.; Jaeger, W.L.; Turtle, E.P.; Milazzo, M.; Radebaugh, J.

2004-01-01

We present a self-consistent model for the interior of Io, taking the recent Galileo data into account. In this model, Io has a completely molten core, substantially molten mantle, and a very cold lithosphere. Heat from magmatic activity can mobilize volatile compounds such as SO2 in the lithosphere, and the movement of such cryogenic fluids may be important in the formation of surface features including sapping scarps and paterae. ?? Published by Elsevier Inc.

Low Gravity Issues of Deep Space Refueling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2005-01-01

This paper discusses the technologies required to develop deep space refueling of cryogenic propellants and low cost flight experiments to develop them. Key technologies include long term storage, pressure control, mass gauging, liquid acquisition, and fluid transfer. Prior flight experiments used to mature technologies are discussed. A plan is presented to systematically study the deep space refueling problem and devise low-cost experiments to further mature technologies and prepare for full scale flight demonstrations.

Technologies for Refueling Spacecraft On-Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2000-01-01

This paper discusses the current technologies for on-orbit refueling of spacecraft. The findings of 55 references are reviewed and summarized. Highlights include: (1) the Russian Progress system used by the International Space Station; (2) a flight demonstration of superfluid helium transfer; and (3) ground tests of large cryogenic systems. Key technologies discussed include vapor free liquid outflow, control of fluid inflow to prevent liquid venting, and quick disconnects for on-orbit mating of transfer lines.

Vented Chill / No-Vent Fill of Cryogenic Propellant Tanks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhys, Noah O.; Foster, Lee W.; Martin, Adam K.; Stephens, Jonathan R.

2016-01-01

Architectures for extended duration missions often include an on-orbit replenishment of the space vehicle's cryogenic liquid propellants. Such a replenishment could be accomplished via a tank-to-tank transfer from a dedicated tanker or a more permanent propellant depot storage tank. Minimizing the propellant loss associated with transfer line and receiver propellant tank thermal conditioning is essential for mass savings. A new methodology for conducting tank-to-tank transfer while minimizing such losses has been demonstrated. Charge-Hold-Vent is the traditional methodology for conducting a tank-to-tank propellant transfer. A small amount of cryogenic liquid is introduced to chill the transfer line and propellant tank. As the propellant absorbs heat and undergoes a phase change, the tank internal pressure increases. The tank is then vented to relieve pressure prior to another charge of cryogenic liquid being introduced. This cycle is repeated until the transfer lines and tank are sufficiently chilled and the replenishment of the propellant tank is complete. This method suffers inefficiencies due to multiple chill and vent cycles within the transfer lines and associated feed system components. Additionally, this system requires precise measuring of cryogenic fluid delivery for each transfer, multiple valve cycling events, and other complexities associated with cycled operations. To minimize propellant loss and greatly simplify on-orbit operations, an alternate methodology has been designed and demonstrated. The Vented Chill / No Vent Fill method is a simpler, constant flow approach in which the propellant tank and transfer lines are only chilled once. The receiver tank is continuously vented as cryogenic liquid chills the transfer lines, tank mass and ullage space. Once chilled sufficiently, the receiver tank valve is closed and the tank is completely filled. Interestingly, the vent valve can be closed prior to receiver tank components reaching liquid saturation temperature. An incomplete fill results if insufficient energy is removed from the tank's thermal mass and ullage space. The key to successfully conducting the no vent fill is to assure that sufficient energy is removed from the system prior to closing the receiver tank vent valve. This paper will provide a description of the transfer methodology and test article, and will provide a discussion of test results.

Wireless Integrated Microelectronic Vacuum Sensor System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krug, Eric; Philpot, Brian; Trott, Aaron; Lawrence, Shaun

2013-01-01

NASA Stennis Space Center's (SSC's) large rocket engine test facility requires the use of liquid propellants, including the use of cryogenic fluids like liquid hydrogen as fuel, and liquid oxygen as an oxidizer (gases which have been liquefied at very low temperatures). These fluids require special handling, storage, and transfer technology. The biggest problem associated with transferring cryogenic liquids is product loss due to heat transfer. Vacuum jacketed piping is specifically designed to maintain high thermal efficiency so that cryogenic liquids can be transferred with minimal heat transfer. A vacuum jacketed pipe is essentially two pipes in one. There is an inner carrier pipe, in which the cryogenic liquid is actually transferred, and an outer jacket pipe that supports and seals the vacuum insulation, forming the "vacuum jacket." The integrity of the vacuum jacketed transmission lines that transfer the cryogenic fluid from delivery barges to the test stand must be maintained prior to and during engine testing. To monitor the vacuum in these vacuum jacketed transmission lines, vacuum gauge readings are used. At SSC, vacuum gauge measurements are done on a manual rotation basis with two technicians, each using a handheld instrument. Manual collection of vacuum data is labor intensive and uses valuable personnel time. Additionally, there are times when personnel cannot collect the data in a timely fashion (i.e., when a leak is detected, measurements must be taken more often). Additionally, distribution of this data to all interested parties can be cumbersome. To simplify the vacuum-gauge data collection process, automate the data collection, and decrease the labor costs associated with acquiring these measurements, an automated system that monitors the existing gauges was developed by Invocon, Inc. For this project, Invocon developed a Wireless Integrated Microelectronic Vacuum Sensor System (WIMVSS) that provides the ability to gather vacuum-gauge measurements automatically and wirelessly, in near-real time - using a low-maintenance, lowpower sensor mesh network. The WIMVSS operates by using a self-configuring mesh network of wireless sensor units. Mesh networking is a type of networking where each sensor or node can capture and disseminate its own data, but also serve as a relay to receive and transmit data from other sensors. Each sensor node can synchronize with adjacent sensors, and propagate data from one sensor to the next, until the destination is reached. In this case, the destination is a Network Interface Unit (NIU). The WIMVSS sensors are mounted on the existing vacuum gauges. Information gathered by the sensors is sent to the NIU. Because of the mesh networking, if a sensor cannot directly send the data to the NIU, it can be propagated through the network of sensors. The NIU requires antenna access to the sensor units, AC power, and an Ethernet connection. The NIU bridges the sensor network to a WIMVSS server via an Ethernet connection. The server is configured with a database, a Web server, and proprietary interface software that makes it possible for the vacuum measurements from vacuum jacketed fluid lines to be saved, retrieved, and then displayed from any Web-enabled PC that has access to the Internet. Authorized users can then simply access the data from any PC with Internet connection. Commands can also be sent directly from the Web interface for control and maintenance of the sensor network. The technology enabled by the WIMVSS decreases labor required for gathering vacuum measurements, increases access to vacuum data by making it available on any computer with access to the Internet, increases the frequency with which data points can be acquired for evaluating the system, and decreases the recurring cost of the sensors by using off-the-shelf components and integrating these with heritage vacuum gauges.

An Overview of NASA Efforts on Zero Boiloff Storage of Cryogenic Propellants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hastings, Leon J.; Plachta, D. W.; Salerno, L.; Kittel, P.; Haynes, Davy (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Future mission planning within NASA has increasingly motivated consideration of cryogenic propellant storage durations on the order of years as opposed to a few weeks or months. Furthermore, the advancement of cryocooler and passive insulation technologies in recent years has substantially improved the prospects for zero boiloff storage of cryogenics. Accordingly, a cooperative effort by NASA's Ames Research Center (ARC), Glenn Research Center (GRC), and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been implemented to develop and demonstrate "zero boiloff" concepts for in-space storage of cryogenic propellants, particularly liquid hydrogen and oxygen. ARC is leading the development of flight-type cryocoolers, GRC the subsystem development and small scale testing, and MSFC the large scale and integrated system level testing. Thermal and fluid modeling involves a combined effort by the three Centers. Recent accomplishments include: 1) development of "zero boiloff" analytical modeling techniques for sizing the storage tankage, passive insulation, cryocooler, power source mass, and radiators; 2) an early subscale demonstration with liquid hydrogen 3) procurement of a flight-type 10 watt, 95 K pulse tube cryocooler for liquid oxygen storage and 4) assembly of a large-scale test article for an early demonstration of the integrated operation of passive insulation, destratification/pressure control, and cryocooler (commercial unit) subsystems to achieve zero boiloff storage of liquid hydrogen. Near term plans include the large-scale integrated system demonstration testing this summer, subsystem testing of the flight-type pulse-tube cryocooler with liquid nitrogen (oxygen simulant), and continued development of a flight-type liquid hydrogen pulse tube cryocooler.

Characterizing Dissolved Gases in Cryogenic Liquid Fuels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richardson, Ian A.

Pressure-Density-Temperature-Composition (PrhoT-x) measurements of cryogenic fuel mixtures are a historical challenge due to the difficulties of maintaining cryogenic temperatures and precision isolation of a mixture sample. For decades NASA has used helium to pressurize liquid hydrogen propellant tanks to maintain tank pressure and reduce boil off. This process causes helium gas to dissolve into liquid hydrogen creating a cryogenic mixture with thermodynamic properties that vary from pure liquid hydrogen. This can lead to inefficiencies in fuel storage and instabilities in fluid flow. As NASA plans for longer missions to Mars and beyond, small inefficiencies such as dissolved helium in liquid propellant become significant. Traditional NASA models are unable to account for dissolved helium due to a lack of fundamental property measurements necessary for the development of a mixture Equation Of State (EOS). The first PrhoT-x measurements of helium-hydrogen mixtures using a retrofitted single-sinker densimeter, magnetic suspension microbalance, and calibrated gas chromatograph are presented in this research. These measurements were used to develop the first multi-phase EOS for helium-hydrogen mixtures which was implemented into NASA's Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP) to determine the significance of mixture non-idealities. It was revealed that having dissolved helium in the propellant does not have a significant effect on the tank pressurization rate but does affect the rate at which the propellant temperature rises. PrhoT-x measurements are conducted on methane-ethane mixtures with dissolved nitrogen gas to simulate the conditions of the hydrocarbon seas of Saturn's moon Titan. Titan is the only known celestial body in the solar system besides Earth with stable liquid seas accessible on the surface. The PrhoT-x measurements are used to develop solubility models to aid in the design of the Titan Submarine. NASA is currently designing the submarine to explore the depths of Titan's methane-ethane seas to study the evolution of hydrocarbons in the universe and provide a pathfinder for future submersible designs. In addition, effervescence and freezing liquid line measurements on various liquid methane-ethane compositions with dissolved gaseous nitrogen are presented from 1.5 bar to 4.5 bar and temperatures from 92 K to 96 K to improve simulations of the conditions of the seas. These measurements will be used to validate sea property and bubble incipience models for the Titan Submarine design.

Numerical analysis of the static performance of an annular aerostatic gas thrust bearing applied in the cryogenic turbo-expander of the EAST subsystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Tianwei; Fu, Bao; Chen, Shuangtao; Zhang, Qiyong; Hou, Yu

2017-02-01

The EAST superconducting tokamak, an advanced steady-state plasma physics experimental device, has been built at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. All the toroidal field magnets and poloidal field magnets, made of NbTi/Cu cable-in-conduit conductor, are cooled with forced flow supercritical helium at 3.8 K. The cryogenic system of EAST consists of a 2 kW/4 K helium refrigerator and a helium distribution system for the cooling of coils, structures, thermal shields, bus-lines, etc. The high-speed turbo-expander is an important refrigerating component of the EAST cryogenic system. In the turbo-expander, the axial supporting technology is critical for the smooth operation of the rotor bearing system. In this paper, hydrostatic thrust bearings are designed based on the axial load of the turbo-expander. Thereafter, a computational fluid dynamics-based numerical model of the aerostatic thrust bearing is set up to evaluate the bearing performance. Tilting effect on the pressure distribution and bearing load is analyzed for the thrust bearing. Bearing load and stiffness are compared with different static supply pressures. The net force from the thrust bearings can be calculated for different combinations of bearing clearance and supply pressure.

Effect of trailing edge thickness on the performance of a helium turboexpander used in cryogenic refrigeration and liquefaction cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sam, Ashish Alex; Ghosh, Parthasarathi

2017-02-01

Turboexpanders in cryogenic refrigeration and liquefaction cycles, which is of radial inflow configuration, constitute stationary and rotating components like nozzle, a rotating wheel and a diffuser. The relative motion between the stationary and rotating components and the interactions of secondary flows and vortices at different stages make the turboexpander flow unsteady. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of this flow is essential to identify the scope for improvement in efficiency. The trailing edge vortex formed due to the mixing of the pressure and suction side streams is an important phenomenon to analyse, as this leads to efficiency degradation of the machine. Additionally, there are mechanical vibrations and dynamic loading associated with. This flow non-uniformity at the exit should be suppressed as this may affect the pressure recovery process in the diffuser and thereby the turboexpander’s performance. The strength of this vortex depends upon the geometrical parameters like trailing edge shape, thickness etc. In this paper, transient CFD analyses of a cryogenic turboexpander designed for helium refrigeration and liquefaction cycles using Ansys CFX® were performed to investigate the effect of trailing edge thickness on the turboexpander performance and the performance characteristics and the flow patterns were compared to understand the flow characteristics in each case.

Insulation-Testing Cryostat With Lifting Mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fesmire, James; Dokos, Adam; Scholtens, Brekke; Nagy, Zoltan; Augustynowicz, Stanislaw

2010-01-01

The figure depicts selected aspects of an apparatus for testing thermal-insulation materials for cryogenic systems at temperatures and under vacuum or atmospheric conditions representative of those encountered in use. This apparatus, called "Cryostat-100," is based on the established cryogen-boil-off calorimeter method, according to which the amount of heat that passes through an insulation specimen to a cryogenic fluid in a container, and thus the effective thermal conductance of the specimen, is taken to be proportional to the amount of the cryogenic fluid that boils off from the container. The design of Cryostat-100 is based partly on, and incorporates improvements over, the design of a similar prior apparatus called "Cryostat-1" described in "Improved Methods of Testing Cryogenic Insulation Materials" (KSC-12107 & KSC- 12108), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 24, No. 12 (December 2000), page 46. The design of Cryostat-100 also incorporates the best features of two other similar prior apparatuses called "Cryostat-2" (also described in the cited prior article) and "Cryostat- 4." Notable among the improvements in Cryostat-100 is the addition of a lifting mechanism that enables safe, rapid, reliable insertion and removal of insulation specimens and facilitates maintenance operations that involve lifting. As in Cryostat-1, the cold mass is a vertical stainless-steel cylindrical vessel subdivided into a larger measurement vessel with smaller thermal-guard vessels at both ends. During operation, all three vessels are kept filled with liquid nitrogen near saturation at ambient pressure (temperature .77.4 K). The cold mass of Cryostat-100 has a length of 1 m and diameter of 168 mm. Each specimen has a corresponding nominal length and inner diameter and a nominal thickness of 25.4 mm. Specimens that are shorter and have thicknesses between 0 and 50 mm are also acceptable. Bulk-fill, foam, clam-shell, multilayer insulation, and layered materials can be tested over a very wide range of thermal transmission: apparent thermal conductivity from 0.01 to 60 mW/m-K and heat flux from 0.1 to 500 W/sq m. A test in Cryostat-100 can be conducted at any desired gas pressure between ambient atmospheric pressure at one extreme and a vacuum with residual pressure <10(exp -5) torr (<1.33 10(exp -3) Pa) at the other extreme. The residual gas (and purge gas) is typically nitrogen, but can be any suitable purge gas (e.g., helium, argon, or carbon dioxide). Usually, the temperature on the warm boundary of the insulation specimen is maintained near the ambient value (approximately 293 K), while the boiling of liquid nitrogen at atmospheric pressure in the cold mass maintains the temperature on the cold boundary of the specimen at approximately 77 K.

A Wireless Fluid-Level Measurement Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodard, Stanley E.; Taylor, Bryant D.

2006-01-01

This paper presents the application of a recently developed wireless measurement acquisition system to fluid-level measurement. This type of fluid-level measurement system alleviates many shortcomings of fluid-level measurement methods currently being used, including limited applicability of any one fluid-level sensor design. Measurement acquisition shortcomings include the necessity for power to be supplied to each sensor and for the measurement to be extracted from each sensor via a physical connection to the sensor. Another shortcoming is existing measurement systems require that a data channel and signal conditioning electronics be dedicated to each sensor. Use of wires results in other shortcomings such as logistics needed to add or replace sensors, weight, potential for electrical arcing and wire degradations. The fluid level sensor design is a simple passive inductor-capacitor circuit that is not subject to mechanical failure that is possible when float and lever-arm systems are used. Methods are presented for using the sensor in caustic, acidic or cryogenic fluids. Oscillating magnetic fields are used to power the sensor. Once electrically excited, the sensor produces a magnetic field response. The response frequency corresponds to the amount to fluid within the capacitor s electric field. The sensor design can be modified for measuring the level of any fluid or fluent substance that can be stored in a non-conductive reservoir. The interrogation method for discerning changes in the sensor response frequency is also presented.

Ignition and flame characteristics of cryogenic hydrogen releases

DOE PAGES

Panda, Pratikash P.; Hecht, Ethan S.

2017-01-01

In this work, under-expanded cryogenic hydrogen jets were investigated experimentally for their ignition and flame characteristics. The test facility described herein, was designed and constructed to release hydrogen at a constant temperature and pressure, to study the dispersion and thermo-physical properties of cryogenic hydrogen releases and flames. In this study, a non-intrusive laser spark focused on the jet axis was used to measure the maximum ignition distance. The radiative power emitted by the corresponding jet flames was also measured for a range of release scenarios from 37 K to 295 K, 2–6 bar abs through nozzles with diameters from 0.75more » to 1.25 mm. The maximum ignition distance scales linearly with the effective jet diameter (which scales as the square root of the stagnant fluid density). A 1-dimensional (stream-wise) cryogenic hydrogen release model developed previously at Sandia National Laboratories (although this model is not yet validated for cryogenic hydrogen) was exercised to predict that the mean mole fraction at the maximum ignition distance is approximately 0.14, and is not dependent on the release conditions. The flame length and width were extracted from visible and infra-red flame images for several test cases. The flame length and width both scale as the square root of jet exit Reynolds number, as reported in the literature for flames from atmospheric temperature hydrogen. As shown in previous studies for ignited atmospheric temperature hydrogen, the radiative power from the jet flames of cold hydrogen scales as a logarithmic function of the global flame residence time. The radiative heat flux from jet flames of cold hydrogen is higher than the jet flames of atmospheric temperature hydrogen, for a given mass flow rate, due to the lower choked flow velocity of low-temperature hydrogen. Lastly, this study provides critical information with regard to the development of models to inform the safety codes and standards of hydrogen infrastructure.« less

Investigation of Vapor Cooling Enhancements for Applications on Large Cryogenic Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ameen, Lauren; Zoeckler, Joseph

2017-01-01

The need to demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of heat interception methods for use on a relevant cryogenic propulsion stage at a system level has been identified. Evolvable Cryogenics (eCryo) Structural Heat Intercept, Insulation and Vibration Evaluation Rig (SHIIVER) will be designed with vehicle specific geometries (SLS Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) as guidance) and will be subjected to simulated space environments. One method of reducing structure-born heat leak being investigated utilizes vapor-based heat interception. Vapor-based heat interception could potentially reduce heat leak into liquid hydrogen propulsion tanks, increasing potential mission length or payload capability. Due to the high number of unknowns associated with the heat transfer mechanism and integration of vapor-based heat interception on a realistic large-scale skirt design, a sub-scale investigation was developed. The sub-project effort is known as the Small-scale Laboratory Investigation of Cooling Enhancements (SLICE). The SLICE aims to study, design, and test sub-scale multiple attachments and flow configuration concepts for vapor-based heat interception of structural skirts. SLICE will focus on understanding the efficiency of the heat transfer mechanism to the boil-off hydrogen vapor by varying the fluid network designs and configurations. Various analyses were completed in MATLAB, Excel VBA, and COMSOL Multiphysics to understand the optimum flow pattern for heat transfer and fluid dynamics. Results from these analyses were used to design and fabricate test article subsections of a large forward skirt with vapor cooling applied. The SLICE testing is currently being performed to collect thermal mechanical performance data on multiple skirt heat removal designs while varying inlet vapor conditions necessary to intercept a specified amount of heat for a given system. Initial results suggest that applying vapor-cooling provides a 50 heat reduction in conductive heat transmission along the skirt to the tank. The information obtained by SLICE will be used by the SHIIVER engineering team to design and implement vapor-based heat removal technology into the SHIIVER forward skirt hardware design.

Measurement of fission product gases in the atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schell, W. R.; Tobin, M. J.; Marsan, D. J.; Schell, C. W.; Vives-Batlle, J.; Yoon, S. R.

1997-01-01

The ability to quickly detect and assess the magnitude of releases of fission-produced radioactive material is of significant importance for ongoing operations of any conventional nuclear power plant or other activities with a potential for fission product release. In most instances, the control limits for the release of airborne radioactivity are low enough to preclude direct air sampling as a means of detection, especially for fission gases that decay by beta or electron emission. It is, therefore, customary to concentrate the major gaseous fission products (krypton, xenon and iodine) by cryogenic adsorption for subsequent separation and measurement. This study summarizes our initial efforts to develop an automated portable system for on-line separation and concentration with the potential for measuring environmental levels of radioactive gases, including 85Kr, 131,133,135Xe, 14C, 3H, 35S, 125,131I, etc., without using cryogenic fluids. Bench top and prototype models were constructed using the principle of heatless fractionation of the gases in a pressure swing system. This method removes the requirement for cryogenic fluids to concentrate gases and, with suitable electron and gamma ray detectors, provides for remote use under automatic computer control. Early results using 133Xe tracer show that kinetic chromatography, i.e., high pressure adsorption of xenon and low pressure desorption of air, using specific types of molecular sieves, permits the separation and quantification of xenon isotopes from large volume air samples. We are now developing the ability to measure the presence and amounts of fission-produced xenon isotopes that decay by internal conversion electrons and beta radiation with short half-lives, namely 131mXe, 11.8 d, 133mXe, 2.2 d, 133Xe, 5.2 d and 135Xe, 9.1 h. The ratio of the isotopic concentrations measured can be used to determine unequivocally the amount of fission gas and time of release of an air parcel many kilometers downwind from a nuclear activity where the fission products were discharged.

Cryogenic Carbonate Formation on Mars: Clues from Stable Isotope Variations Seen in Experimental Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Socki, Richard A.; Niles, Paul B.; Fu, Qi; Gibson, Everett K., Jr.

2010-01-01

Discoveries of large deposits of sedimentary materials on the planet Mars by landers and orbiters have confirmed the widely held hypothesis that water has played a crucial role in the development of the martian surface. Recent studies have indicated that both water ice and liquid water may have been present and in the case of water ice perhaps is still present on or near the surface of Mars. However, there remains much controversy about the prevailing atmospheric conditions and climate of Mars during its history and whether liquid water existed on the martian surface simply during discrete geological events or whether this water was present over relatively much longer geologic time periods. The recent identification of Ca-rich carbonate by the Phoenix lander as well as its measurement of the isotopic composition of atmospheric CO2 has shown the importance of understanding the carbonates on Mars as an important sink of atmospheric carbon. This work compliments that of our past experiments where we produced cryogenic calcite in open containers, as analogs for terrestrial aufeis formation, and as a means for evaluating the fractionation of C-13 in CO2 during bicarbonate freezing [13]. Unlike our previous experiments in which carbonates were grown in ambient laboratory condition in open containers (atmospheric pressure and composition), this work attempts to quantify the amount of delta C-13 enrichment possible in both fluids and secondary carbonates formed from freezing of bicarbonate fluids under martian-like atmospheric conditions. Morphologic textures of produced carbonates in these experiments are also examined under SEM in order to identify the effect that the cryogenic freezing process has on the mineral's mineralogy. Understanding the role of kinetic isotope fractionation during formation of carbonates under martian-like conditions will aid in our ability to quantify the isotopic composition of the carbonate sink furthering our ability to model the climate history of Mars.

Hydrogen Absorption in Fluids: An Unexplored Solution for Onboard Hydrogen Storage

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berry, G D

Adoption of hydrogen (H{sub 2}) vehicles has been advocated for decades as an ecological ideal, capable of eliminating petroleum consumption as well as tail-pipe air pollution and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) from automobiles. Storing sufficient hydrogen fuel onboard still remains a great technological challenge, despite recent advances in lightweight automotive materials, hybrid-electric drivetrains and fuel cells enabling 60-100 mpg equivalent H{sub 2}-fueled automobiles. Future onboard hydrogen storage choices will be pivotal, with lasting strategic consequences for the eventual scale, shape, security, investment requirements, and energy intensity of the H{sub 2} refueling infrastructure, in addition to impacts on automotive design, cost,more » range, performance, and safety. Multiple hydrogen storage approaches have been examined and deployed onboard prototype automobiles since the 1970's. These include storing H{sub 2} as a cryogenic liquid (LH{sub 2}) at temperatures of 20-25 Kelvin, compressing room temperature H{sub 2} gas to pressures as high as 10,000 psi, and reversible chemical absorption storage within powdered metal hydrides (e.g. LaNi{sub 5}H{sub 6}, TiFeH{sub 2}, MgH{sub 2}, NaAlH{sub 4}) which evolve H{sub 2} when warmed. Each of these approaches face well-known fundamental physical limits (thermal endurance, volume, and weight, respectively). This report details preliminary experiments investigating the potential of a new approach to H{sub 2} storage: absorption in fluids, specifically liquid nitrogen (LN{sub 2}). N{sub 2} was chosen for this study because it offers unique advantages as an inert but lightweight solvent with high hydrogen solubility and is an abundant atmospheric component. H{sub 2} absorbed in liquid nitrogen (LN{sub 2}) can be lighter than metal hydrides, with greater thermal endurance than cryogenic H{sub 2} or LH{sub 2}, while being more compact than ambient compressed H{sub 2}. Previous researchers have examined H{sub 2} mixed with a variety of simple molecular fluids (N{sub 2}, Ar, CH{sub 4}, CO). These studies were mainly aimed at the general problem of fluid phase equilibria of H{sub 2} mixtures, and focused on identification and prediction of fluid/liquid phase boundary pressures and temperatures. In contrast, the present experiments are aimed at measuring the PVT properties of H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} mixtures with a view toward evaluating the applicability of these mixtures for onboard automotive H{sub 2} storage. To our knowledge, the experiments conducted for this project are the first systematic density measurements of H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} mixtures at cryogenic temperatures. H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} mixtures containing 50, 60, and 70% mole fraction H{sub 2} were examined at temperatures of 77 K, 87 K, and 273 K, under pressures ranging from 500 to 30,000 psi (from 34 to 2000 atm), corresponding to molar densities of 15-30 moles per liter.« less

Flight projects overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levine, Jack

1988-01-01

Information is given in viewgraph form on the activities of the Flight Projects Division of NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology. Information is given on space research and technology strategy, current space flight experiments, the Long Duration Exposure Facility, the Orbiter Experiment Program, the Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment, the Ion Auxiliary Propulsion System, the Arcjet Flight Experiment, the Telerobotic Intelligent Interface Flight Experiment, the Cryogenic Fluid Management Flight Experiment, the Industry/University In-Space Flight Experiments, and the Aeroassist Flight Experiment.

NASA Space applications of high-temperature superconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinen, Vernon O.; Sokoloski, Martin M.; Aron, Paul R.; Bhasin, Kul B.; Wintucky, Edwin G.; Connolly, Denis J.

1992-01-01

The application of superconducting technology in space has been limited by the requirement of cooling to near liquid helium temperatures. The only means of obtaining these temperatures has been with cryogenic fluids which severely limit mission lifetime. The development of materials with superconducting transition temperatures above 77 K has made superconducting technology more attractive and feasible for employment in aerospace systems. Here, potential applications of high temperature superconducting technology in cryocoolers, remote sensing, communications, and power systems are discussed.

ASRDI oxygen technology survey. Volume 5: Density and liquid level measurement instrumentation for the cryogenic fluids oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roder, H. M.

1974-01-01

Information is presented on instrumentation for density measurement, liquid level measurement, quantity gauging, and phase measurement. Coverage of existing information directly concerned with oxygen was given primary emphasis. A description of the physical principle of measurement for each instrumentation type is included. The basic materials of construction are listed if available from the source document for each instrument discussed. Cleaning requirements, procedures, and verification techniques are included.

Cryogenic Fluid Management: 2000-2004

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This custom bibliography from the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program lists a sampling of records found in the NASA Aeronautics and Space Database. The scope of this topic includes cooling technologies for precision astronomical sensors and advanced spacecraft, as well as propellant storage and transfer in space. This area of focus is one of the enabling technologies as defined by NASA's Report of the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, published in June 2004.

Apparatus for measurement of thermal conductivity of insulation systems subjected to extreme temperature differences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dube, W. P.; Sparks, L. L.; Slifka, A. J.; Bitsy, R. M.

1990-01-01

Advanced aerospace designs require thermal insulation systems which are consistent with cryogenic fluids, high thermal loads, and design restrictions such as weight and volume. To evaluate the thermal performance of these insulating systems, an apparatus capable of measuring thermal conductivity using extreme temperature differences (27 to 1100 K) is being developed. This system is described along with estimates of precision and accuracy in selected operating conditions. Preliminary data are presented.

Apparatus for measurement of thermal conductivity of insulation systems subjected to extreme temperature differences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dube, W. P.; Sparks, L. L.; Slifka, A. J.; Bitsy, R. M.

Advanced aerospace designs require thermal insulation systems which are consistent with cryogenic fluids, high thermal loads, and design restrictions such as weight and volume. To evaluate the thermal performance of these insulating systems, an apparatus capable of measuring thermal conductivity using extreme temperature differences (27 to 1100 K) is being developed. This system is described along with estimates of precision and accuracy in selected operating conditions. Preliminary data are presented.

Fiber-Optic Strain-Gage Tank Level Measurement System for Cryogenic Propellants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Figueroa, Fernando; Mitchell, Mark; Langford, Lester

2004-01-01

Measurement of tank level, particularly for cryogenic propellants, has proven to be a difficult problem. Current methods based on differential pressure, capacitance sensors, temperature sensors, etc.; do not provide sufficiently accurate or robust measurements, especially at run time. These methods are designed to measure tank-level, but when the fluids are in supercritical state, the liquid-gas interface disappears. Furthermore, there is a need for a non-intrusive measurement system; that is, the sensors should not require tank modifications and/or disturb the fluids. This paper describes a simple, but effective method to determine propellant mass by measuring very small deformations of the structure supporting the tank. Results of a laboratory study to validate the method, and experimental data from a deployed system are presented. A comparison with an existing differential pressure sensor shows that the strain gage system provides a much better quality signal across all regimes during an engine test. Experimental results also show that the use of fiber optic strain gages (FOSG) over classic foil strain gages extends the operation time (before the system becomes uncalibrated), and increases accuracy. Finally, a procedure is defined whereby measurements from the FOSG mounted on the tank supporting structure are compensated using measurements of a FOSG mounted on a reference plate and temperature measurements of the structure. Results describing the performance of a deployed system that measures tank level during propulsion tests are included.

Microchannel heat sink assembly

DOEpatents

Bonde, Wayne L.; Contolini, Robert J.

1992-01-01

The present invention provides a microchannel heat sink with a thermal range from cryogenic temperatures to several hundred degrees centigrade. The heat sink can be used with a variety of fluids, such as cryogenic or corrosive fluids, and can be operated at a high pressure. The heat sink comprises a microchannel layer preferably formed of silicon, and a manifold layer preferably formed of glass. The manifold layer comprises an inlet groove and outlet groove which define an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold. The inlet manifold delivers coolant to the inlet section of the microchannels, and the outlet manifold receives coolant from the outlet section of the microchannels. In one embodiment, the manifold layer comprises an inlet hole extending through the manifold layer to the inlet manifold, and an outlet hole extending through the manifold layer to the outlet manifold. Coolant is supplied to the heat sink through a conduit assembly connected to the heat sink. A resilient seal, such as a gasket or an O-ring, is disposed between the conduit and the hole in the heat sink in order to provide a watetight seal. In other embodiments, the conduit assembly may comprise a metal tube which is connected to the heat sink by a soft solder. In still other embodiments, the heat sink may comprise inlet and outlet nipples. The present invention has application in supercomputers, integrated circuits and other electronic devices, and is suitable for cooling materials to superconducting temperatures.

Mars 2024/2026 Pathfinder Mission: Mars Architectures, Systems, and Technologies for Exploration and Resources Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zeitlin, Nancy; Mueller, Robert; Muscatello, Anthony

2015-01-01

Integrate In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) sub-systems and examine advanced capabilities and technologies to verify Mars 2024 Forward architecture precursor pathfinder options: Integrated spacecraft/surface infrastructure fluid architecture: propulsion, power, life support center dot Power system feed and propellant scavenging from propulsion system center dot High quality oxygen for life support and EVA Fluid/cryogenic zero-loss transfer and long-term storage center dot Rapid depot-to-rover/spacecraft center dot Slow ISRU plant-to-ascent vehicle Integration of ISRU consumable production center dot Oxygen only from Mars atmosphere carbon dioxide center dot Oxygen, fuel, water, from extraterrestrial soil/regolith Test bed to evaluate long duration life, operations, maintenance on hardware, sensors, and autonomy

KSC-2014-3645

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Several Lead Zirconate Titanate, or PZT, mass gaging sensors have been attached to a composite tank during a test inside a laboratory at the Cryogenics Testbed Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The PZT-based system was developed at Kennedy as a way to measure the mass of a fluid and the structural health of a tank using vibration signatures on Earth or in reduced/zero g gravity. The mass gaging technology has received approval to be on the first sub-orbital flight on the Virgin Galactic Space Plane in 2015. NASA experiments using the PZT technology will be used by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in conjunction with Carthage College on a fluid transfer experiment. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

KSC-2014-3646

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-08-25

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Several Lead Zirconate Titanate, or PZT, mass gaging sensors have been attached to a composite tank during a test inside a laboratory at the Cryogenics Testbed Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The PZT-based system was developed at Kennedy as a way to measure the mass of a fluid and the structural health of a tank using vibration signatures on Earth or in reduced/zero g gravity. The mass gaging technology has received approval to be on the first sub-orbital flight on the Virgin Galactic Space Plane in 2015. NASA experiments using the PZT technology will be used by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in conjunction with Carthage College on a fluid transfer experiment. Photo credit: NASA/Daniel Casper

Strategy for the reduction of total integrated fluid logistics to the Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gould, Marston J.; Shannon, David T., Jr.

1993-01-01

The use of an integrated environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) and secondary propulsion system (SRS) on the Space Station Freedom (SSF) has many potential advantages. Through the metabolism of food, the crew on-board the station will produce carbon dioxide as a waste gas and an excess of water in the form of urine and condensate. The processing of these waste fluids by the ECLSS could produce quantities of oxygen that would eliminate the need for cryogenic oxygen resupply and hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and/or methane that could be used with the addition of a resistojet system to provide a constant low thrust for station. This additional thrust would represent significant savings in required hydrazine resupply.

Liquid Hydrogen Sensor Considerations for Space Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moran, Matthew E.

2006-01-01

The on-orbit management of liquid hydrogen planned for the return to the moon will introduce new considerations not encountered in previous missions. This paper identifies critical liquid hydrogen sensing needs from the perspective of reliable on-orbit cryogenic fluid management, and contrasts the fundamental differences in fluid and thermodynamic behavior for ground-based versus on-orbit conditions. Opportunities for advanced sensor development and implementation are explored in the context of critical Exploration Architecture operations such as on-orbit storage, docking, and trans-lunar injection burn. Key sensing needs relative to these operations are also examined, including: liquid/vapor detection, thermodynamic condition monitoring, mass gauging, and leak detection. Finally, operational aspects of an integrated system health management approach are discussed to highlight the potential impact on mission success.

Fluid quantity gaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mord, Allan J.; Snyder, Howard A.; Kilpatrick, Kathleen A.; Hermanson, Lynn A.; Hopkins, Richard A.; Vangundy, Donald A.

1988-01-01

A system for measuring the mass of liquid in a tank on orbit with 1 percent accuracy was developed and demonstrated. An extensive tradeoff identified adiabatic compression as the only gaging technique that is independent of gravity or its orientation, and of the size and distribution of bubbles in the tank. This technique is applicable to all Earth-storable and cryogenic liquids of interest for Space Station use, except superfluid helium, and can be applied to tanks of any size, shape, or internal structure. Accuracy of 0.2 percent was demonstrated in the laboratory, and a detailed analytical model was developed and verified by testing. A flight system architecture is presented that allows meeting the needs of a broad range of space fluid systems without custom development for each user.

Dropwise Condensation of Low Surface Tension Fluids on Omniphobic Surfaces

PubMed Central

Rykaczewski, Konrad; Paxson, Adam T.; Staymates, Matthew; Walker, Marlon L.; Sun, Xiaoda; Anand, Sushant; Srinivasan, Siddarth; McKinley, Gareth H.; Chinn, Jeff; Scott, John Henry J.; Varanasi, Kripa K.

2014-01-01

Compared to the significant body of work devoted to surface engineering for promoting dropwise condensation heat transfer of steam, much less attention has been dedicated to fluids with lower interfacial tension. A vast array of low-surface tension fluids such as hydrocarbons, cryogens, and fluorinated refrigerants are used in a number of industrial applications, and the development of passive means for increasing their condensation heat transfer coefficients has potential for significant efficiency enhancements. Here we investigate condensation behavior of a variety of liquids with surface tensions in the range of 12 to 28 mN/m on three types of omniphobic surfaces: smooth oleophobic, re-entrant superomniphobic, and lubricant-impregnated surfaces. We demonstrate that although smooth oleophobic and lubricant-impregnated surfaces can promote dropwise condensation of the majority of these fluids, re-entrant omniphobic surfaces became flooded and reverted to filmwise condensation. We also demonstrate that on the lubricant-impregnated surfaces, the choice of lubricant and underlying surface texture play a crucial role in stabilizing the lubricant and reducing pinning of the condensate. With properly engineered surfaces to promote dropwise condensation of low-surface tension fluids, we demonstrate a four to eight-fold improvement in the heat transfer coefficient. PMID:24595171

Dropwise condensation of low surface tension fluids on omniphobic surfaces.

PubMed

Rykaczewski, Konrad; Paxson, Adam T; Staymates, Matthew; Walker, Marlon L; Sun, Xiaoda; Anand, Sushant; Srinivasan, Siddarth; McKinley, Gareth H; Chinn, Jeff; Scott, John Henry J; Varanasi, Kripa K

2014-03-05

Compared to the significant body of work devoted to surface engineering for promoting dropwise condensation heat transfer of steam, much less attention has been dedicated to fluids with lower interfacial tension. A vast array of low-surface tension fluids such as hydrocarbons, cryogens, and fluorinated refrigerants are used in a number of industrial applications, and the development of passive means for increasing their condensation heat transfer coefficients has potential for significant efficiency enhancements. Here we investigate condensation behavior of a variety of liquids with surface tensions in the range of 12 to 28 mN/m on three types of omniphobic surfaces: smooth oleophobic, re-entrant superomniphobic, and lubricant-impregnated surfaces. We demonstrate that although smooth oleophobic and lubricant-impregnated surfaces can promote dropwise condensation of the majority of these fluids, re-entrant omniphobic surfaces became flooded and reverted to filmwise condensation. We also demonstrate that on the lubricant-impregnated surfaces, the choice of lubricant and underlying surface texture play a crucial role in stabilizing the lubricant and reducing pinning of the condensate. With properly engineered surfaces to promote dropwise condensation of low-surface tension fluids, we demonstrate a four to eight-fold improvement in the heat transfer coefficient.

Using Composite Materials in a Cryogenic Pump

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Batton, William D.; Dillard, James E.; Rottmund, Matthew E.; Tupper, Michael L.; Mallick, Kaushik; Francis, William H.

2008-01-01

Several modifications have been made to the design and operation of an extended-shaft cryogenic pump to increase the efficiency of pumping. In general, the efficiency of pumping a cryogenic fluid is limited by thermal losses which is itself caused by pump inefficiency and leakage of heat through the pump structure. A typical cryogenic pump includes a drive shaft and two main concentric static components (an outer pressure containment tube and an intermediate static support tube) made from stainless steel. The modifications made include replacement of the stainless-steel drive shaft and the concentric static stainless-steel components with components made of a glass/epoxy composite. The leakage of heat is thus reduced because the thermal conductivity of the composite is an order of magnitude below that of stainless steel. Taking advantage of the margin afforded by the decrease in thermal conductivity, the drive shaft could be shortened to increase its effective stiffness, thereby increasing the rotordynamic critical speeds, thereby further making it possible to operate the pump at a higher speed to increase pumping efficiency. During the modification effort, an analysis revealed that substitution of the shorter glass/epoxy shaft for the longer stainless-steel shaft was not, by itself, sufficient to satisfy the rotordynamic requirements at the desired increased speed. Hence, it became necessary to increase the stiffness of the composite shaft. This stiffening was accomplished by means of a carbon-fiber-composite overwrap along most of the length of the shaft. Concomitantly with the modifications described thus far, it was necessary to provide for joining the composite-material components with metallic components required by different aspects of the pump design. An adhesive material formulated specially to bond the composite and metal components was chosen as a means to satisfy these requirements.

A numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for supercritical fluid thermodynamic analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinmiller, P. J.

1971-01-01

An explicit numerical solution of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations is applied to the thermodynamic analysis of supercritical oxygen in the Apollo cryogenic storage system. The wave character is retained in the conservation equations which are written in the basic fluid variables for a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. Control-volume cells are employed to simplify imposition of boundary conditions and to ensure strict observance of local and global conservation principles. Non-linear real-gas thermodynamic properties responsible for the pressure collapse phenomonon in supercritical fluids are represented by tabular and empirical functions relating pressure and temperature to density and internal energy. Wall boundary conditions are adjusted at one cell face to emit a prescribed mass flowrate. Scaling principles are invoked to achieve acceptable computer execution times for very low Mach number convection problems. Detailed simulations of thermal stratification and fluid mixing occurring under low acceleration in the Apollo 12 supercritical oxygen tank are presented which model the pressure decay associated with de-stratification induced by an ordinary vehicle maneuver and heater cycle operation.

High precision Hugoniot measurements on statically pre-compressed fluid helium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seagle, Christopher T.; Reinhart, William D.; Lopez, Andrew J.

Here we describe how the capability for statically pre-compressing fluid targets for Hugoniot measurements utilizing gas gun driven flyer plates has been developed. Pre-compression expands the capability for initial condition control, allowing access to thermodynamic states off the principal Hugoniot. Absolute Hugoniot measurements with an uncertainty less than 3% on density and pressure were obtained on statically pre-compressed fluid helium utilizing a two stage light gas gun. Helium is highly compressible; the locus of shock states resulting from dynamic loading of an initially compressed sample at room temperature is significantly denser than the cryogenic fluid Hugoniot even for relatively modestmore » (0.27–0.38 GPa) initial pressures. Lastly, the dynamic response of pre-compressed helium in the initial density range of 0.21–0.25 g/cm3 at ambient temperature may be described by a linear shock velocity (us) and particle velocity (u p) relationship: u s = C 0 + su p, with C 0 = 1.44 ± 0.14 km/s and s = 1.344 ± 0.025.« less

Fluid management in the optimization of space construction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, Howard

1990-01-01

Fluid management impacts strongly on the optimization of space construction. Large quantities of liquids are needed for propellants and life support. The mass of propellant liquids is comparable to that required for the structures. There may be a strong dynamic interaction between the stored liquids and the space structure unless the design minimizes the interaction. The constraints of cost and time required optimization of the supply/resupply strategy. The proper selection and design of the fluid management methods for: slosh control; stratification control; acquisition; transfer; gauging; venting; dumping; contamination control; selection of tank configuration and size; the storage state and the control system can improve the entire system performance substantially. Our effort consists of building mathematical/computer models of the various fluid management methods and testing them against the available experimental data. The results of the models are used as inputs to the system operations studies. During the past year, the emphasis has been on modeling: the transfer of cryogens; sloshing and the storage configuration. The work has been intermeshed with ongoing NASA design and development studies to leverage the funds provided by the Center.

High precision Hugoniot measurements on statically pre-compressed fluid helium

DOE PAGES

Seagle, Christopher T.; Reinhart, William D.; Lopez, Andrew J.; ...

2016-09-27

Here we describe how the capability for statically pre-compressing fluid targets for Hugoniot measurements utilizing gas gun driven flyer plates has been developed. Pre-compression expands the capability for initial condition control, allowing access to thermodynamic states off the principal Hugoniot. Absolute Hugoniot measurements with an uncertainty less than 3% on density and pressure were obtained on statically pre-compressed fluid helium utilizing a two stage light gas gun. Helium is highly compressible; the locus of shock states resulting from dynamic loading of an initially compressed sample at room temperature is significantly denser than the cryogenic fluid Hugoniot even for relatively modestmore » (0.27–0.38 GPa) initial pressures. Lastly, the dynamic response of pre-compressed helium in the initial density range of 0.21–0.25 g/cm3 at ambient temperature may be described by a linear shock velocity (us) and particle velocity (u p) relationship: u s = C 0 + su p, with C 0 = 1.44 ± 0.14 km/s and s = 1.344 ± 0.025.« less

Large Eddy Simulation of Flame-Turbulence Interactions in a LOX-CH4 Shear Coaxial Injector

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

heat transfer from dense to light fluids.A previous study on LOX/H2 flames39,40 have pointed the limitations of central scheme to predict such large...pp. 151–169. 39Masquelet, M., Simulations of a Sub-scale Liquid Rocket Engine: Transient Heat Transfer in a Real Gas Environment , Master’s thesis...Eddy Simulation of a cryogenic flame issued from a LOX-CH4 shear coaxial injector. The operating pressure is above the critical pressure for both

NASA space applications of high-temperature superconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinen, Vernon O.; Sokoloski, Martin M.; Aron, Paul R.; Bhasin, Kul B.

1992-01-01

The application of superconducting technology in space has been limited by the requirement of cooling to near liquid helium temperatures. The only means of attaining these temperatures has been with cryogenic fluids which severely limits mission lifetime. The development of materials with superconducting transition temperatures (T sub c) above 77 K has made superconducting technology more attractive and feasible for employment in aerospace systems. Potential applications of high-temperature superconducting technology in cryocoolers and remote sensing, communications, and power systems are discussed.

SSTAC/ARTS Review of the Draft Integrated Technology Plan (ITP). Volume 2: Propulsion Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The topics addressed are: (1) space propulsion technology program overview; (2) space propulsion technology program fact sheet; (3) low thrust propulsion; (4) advanced propulsion concepts; (5) high-thrust chemical propulsion; (6) cryogenic fluid management; (7) NASA CSTI earth-to-orbit propulsion; (8) advanced main combustion chamber program; (9) earth-to-orbit propulsion turbomachinery; (10) transportation technology; (11) space chemical engines technology; (12) nuclear propulsion; (13) spacecraft on-board propulsion; and (14) low-cost commercial transport.

Flexible collapse-resistant and length-stable vaccum hose

DOEpatents

Kashy, David H.

2003-08-19

A hose for containing a vacuum, which hose has an impermeable flexible tube capable of holding a vacuum and a braided or interwoven flexible interior wall, said wall providing support to said interior wall of said impermeable flexible tube. Optionally, an exterior braided or woven wall may be provided to the hose for protection or to allow the hose to be used as a pressure hose. The hose may delimit a vacuum space through which may travel a thermal transfer line containing, for example, cryogenic fluid.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC): The Energy Frontier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brianti, Giorgio; Jenni, Peter

The following sections are included: * Introduction * Superconducting Magnets: Powerful, Precise, Plentiful * LHC Cryogenics: Quantum Fluids at Work * Current Leads: High Temperature Superconductors to the Fore * A Pumping Vacuum Chamber: Ultimate Simplicity * Vertex Detectors at LHC: In Search of Beauty * Large Silicon Trackers: Fast, Precise, Efficient * Two Approaches to High Resolution Electromagnetic Calorimetry * Multigap Resistive Plate Chamber: Chronometry of Particles * The LHCb RICH: The Lord of the Cherenkov Rings * Signal Processing: Taming the LHC Data Avalanche * Giant Magnets for Giant Detectors

Active magnetic regenerator method and apparatus

DOEpatents

DeGregoria, Anthony J.; Zimm, Carl B.; Janda, Dennis J.; Lubasz, Richard A.; Jastrab, Alexander G.; Johnson, Joseph W.; Ludeman, Evan M.

1993-01-01

In an active magnetic regenerator apparatus having a regenerator bed of material exhibiting the magnetocaloric effect, flow of heat transfer fluid through the bed is unbalanced, so that more fluid flows through the bed from the hot side of the bed to the cold side than from the cold side to the hot side. The excess heat transfer fluid is diverted back to the hot side of the bed. The diverted fluid may be passed through a heat exchanger to draw heat from a fluid to be cooled. The apparatus may be operated at cryogenic temperatures, and the heat transfer fluid may be helium gas and the fluid to be cooled may be hydrogen gas, which is liquified by the device. The apparatus can be formed in multiple stages to allow a greater span of cooling temperatures than a single stage, and each stage may be comprised of two bed parts. Where two bed parts are employed in each stage, a portion of the fluid passing from the hot side to the cold side of a first bed part which does not have a magnetic field applied thereto is diverted back to the cold side of the other bed part in the stage, where it is passed through to the hot side. The remainder of the fluid from the cold side of the bed part of the first stage is passed to the hot side of the bed part of the second stage.