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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1985

A small helium liquifier which provides continuous cooling based on cycled isentropic expansion

This simple cryocooler provides a small reservoir of liquid helium at a stable temperature of 4.2K. It uses a novel adaptation of the Simon expansion cryocooler to provide continuous cooling. Operation is in a four stage cycle: (1) A closed vessel of helium under high pressure is cooled to 12K using a conventional Gifford-McMahon closed-cycle cryocooler. (2) The pressure is released adiabatically providing cooling to 4.2K. (3) Liquid helium is collected in a second, well insulated, vessel. (4) The first vessel is repressurized. The cycle time is 15-30 minutes. In this manner, a pool of liquid helium is continuously maintained in the second vessel, with a temperature stability of 0.03 degrees. The continuous cooling power available is 3mW. This design provides simplicity and reliability through the absence of any orifices or moving parts at cryogenic temperatures except for the conventional Gifford-McMahon cryocooler.

Winter, C.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Proposed mechanistic model to simulate transfer line cool-down process using liquid helium

This paper proposes a mathematical model to simulate the cool-down behavior of a warm transfer line using liquid helium (including He II) in a microgravity environment. The thermal-hydraulic characteristics of different possible flow regimes which may occur during the cool-down process are discussed. Correlations for predicting the heat and momentum transfer rates in each flow regime are presented.

Ng, Y. S.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Helium technology issues

A number of future space missions require liquid helium for cooling scientific payloads. These missions will require the long term storage and resupply of liquid helium at temperatures of 1.4 - 2.1 Kelvin. In addition, some of the proposed instruments will require refrigeration to temperatures as low as 50 mK. A variety of liquid helium based refrigerator systems could provide this subkelvin cooling. The status of helium storage and refrigeration technologies and of several alternative technologies is presented here along with areas where further research and development are needed. (Helium resupply technologies are the topic of another presentation at this symposium). The technologies covered include passive and dynamic liquid helium storage, alternatives to liquid helium storage, He -3 refrigerators, He -3/He -4 dilution refrigerators, and alternative sub-kelvin coolers.

Kittel, Peter↗
NASA NTRS1991

Measurement of the cooling capacity of an RMC-Cryosystems Model LTS 4.5-025 closed-cycle helium refrigerator

The cooling capacity of a recently purchased RMC-Cryosystems Model LTS 4.5-025 closed-cycle He refrigerator was measured over the range 4-35 K. It is found that the nominal cooling capacity of 250 mW is only met or exceeded over a narrow temperature range around 4.3 + or - 0.5 K, and that, above this range, there exists a considerable region of much lower cooling capacity, not exceeding about 100 mW. It is believed that this behavior results from use of a fixed-aperture Joule-Thompson expansion valve, and might be alleviated if the J-T valve could be adjusted to compensate for changing flow within the 5-20 K temperature range. Present performance may severely limit or prevent effective use in applications where an irreducible heat inflow exists which is greater than about 100 mW, yet substantially less than the quoted capacity at about 4 K.

De Zafra, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Calibrating the Helium Pressurization System for the Space Shuttle Liquid-Hydrogen Tank

Analysis of the results from the STS-114 tanking tests and subsequent launch called into question existing thermal and mass models of helium pressurization of the liquid hydrogen tank. This hydrogen tank, which makes up the bottom two-thirds of the External Tank, is pressurized prior to launch to avoid cavitation in the Shuttle Main Engine pumps. At about 2 minutes prior to launch, the main vent valve is closed, and pressurized helium flows into the tank ullage space to achieve set point pressure. As the helium gas cools, its pressure drops, calling for additional helium. Subsequent helium flows are provided in short, timed pulses. The number of pulses is taken as a rough leak indicator. An analysis of thermal models by Marshall Space Flight Center showed considerable uncertainty in the pressure-versus-time behavior of the helium ullage space and the ability to predict the number of pulses normally expected. Kennedy Space Center proposed to calibrate the dime-sized orifice, which together with valves, controls the helium flow quantity (Figure 1). Pressure and temperature sensors were installed to provide upstream and downstream measurements necessary to compute flow rate based on the orifice discharge coefficient. An assessment of flow testing with helium indicated an extremely costly use of this critical resource. In order to reduce costs, we proposed removing the orifices from each Mobile Launcher Platform (MLP) and asking Colorado Engineering Experiment Station Inc. (CEESI) to calibrate the flow. CEESI has a high-pressure air flow system with traceable flow meters capable of handling the large flow rates. However, literature research indicated that square-edged orifices of small diameters often exhibit significant hysteresis and nonrepeatability in the vicinity of choked or sonic flow. Fortunately, the MLP orifices behaved relatively well in testing (Figure 2). Using curve fitting of the air-flow data, in conjunction with ASME orifice modeling equations, a method of relating the helium mass flow to measured air flow data was obtained. This analysis showed that the highest uncertainty in flow occurred in the vicinity of the choking pressure ratio, as would be expected. In addition, analysis of typical flow pulses showed that most of the helium flow occurred either well below or well above this uncertain area. The final result is the ability to provide postlaunch estimates of helium mass flows that are within 1.5 percent of the actual value.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2016

Final Summary of On-Orbit ADR Operation on Hitomis Soft X-Ray Spectrometer Instrument

The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) on the Astro-H observatory contains a 6x6 array of x-ray microcalorimeters that are cooled to 50 mK by an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR). The ADR consists of three stages in order to provide stable detector cooling using either a 1.2 K superfluid helium bath or a 4.5 K Joule-Thomson (JT) cryocooler as its heat sink. Astro-H was renamed Hitomi after it was successfully launched in February 2016. The SXS carried approximately 36 liters of helium into orbit, and by day 5 the helium had cooled sufficiently (1.4 K) to allow operation of the ADR. This paper summarizes the ADRs performance during the 38 days that the satellite was operational.

space astronomy↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal-Fluid and Thermal-Structural Response of the T-Tube Modular Divertor to Spatiotemporally Varying Heat Loads

Tungsten (W) is the leading candidate for divertor target plates because of its high melting point (>3000°C), thermal conductivity, and ultimate tensile stress. While W and its alloys are the only solid materials that can survive the high heat fluxes incident on the divertor, W’s low-ductility high ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of ~600°C and relatively low recrystallization temperature (RT) of ~1300°C pose structural (among other) challenges. The objective of this work is to estimate the thermal-fluid and thermal-structural performance of the helium (He)-cooled T-tube divertor, which was originally developed by the Advanced Reactor Innovation and Evaluation Study (ARIES) using numerical simulations. Here, predictions of temperature distributions across the plasma-facing structural component and surface pressures from computational fluid dynamics simulations are used to determine stress distributions using commercial structural finite element modeling software over a range of fusion-relevant conditions. The maximum allowable incident heat fluxes are determined based on the temperature limits imposed by the ITER elastic Structural Design Criteria for In-vessel Components (SDC-IC) and the maximum RT over a range of He mass flow rates and presented in the form of performance design charts. Our recent work found that thermal- structural criteria accounting for the low ductility of W in a finger-type modular divertor constrain the maximum incident heat fluxes to values well below the ITER specifications, and those based on considering only the RT demonstrate that integrated thermal-fluid and elastic structural performance evaluation are required for accurate assessment of divertor performance. This novel analysis of the T-tube considers how nonuniform and transient incident heat fluxes affect its thermal-fluid and thermal-structural performance, as well as the effect of volumetric heating, which can be as great as 27% of the power incident on the divertor surface. The W tile of the T-tube, with its relatively large plasma-facing area of ~15 cm 2 , will likely experience significant spatial variations in incident heat flux. This work therefore assesses whether steady-state incident heat flux profiles with a peak of 10 MW/m 2 and maximum heat flux gradients of 200 MW/m 2 per m exceed the structural limits imposed by the ITER elastic SDC-IC and the maximum RT over a range of fusion-relevant conditions. The effect of transient heat fluxes typical of plasma detachment and reattachment from the target plate due, for example, to gas injection are also evaluated

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
NASA NTRS1978

Radiative and gas cooling of falling molten drops

The supercooling rate and solidification time for molten drops of niobium, copper, and lead are calculated. Calculations for both radiation and helium gas cooling are presented in order to estimate the influence that the presence of helium gas would have upon the cooling rate of falling drops in the Marshall Space Flight Center space processing drop tube.

Robinson, M. B.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Analysis and Design of the NASA Langley Cryogenic Pressure Box

A cryogenic pressure box was designed and fabricated for use at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) to subject 72 in. x 60 in. curved panels to cryogenic temperatures and biaxial tensile loads. The cryogenic pressure box is capable of testing curved panels down to -423 F (20K) with 54 psig maximum pressure on the concave side, and elevated temperatures and atmospheric pressure on the convex surface. The internal surface of the panel is cooled by high pressure helium as that is cooled to -423 F by liquid helium heat exchangers. An array of twelve independently controlled fans circulate the high pressure gaseous helium to provide uniform cooling on the panel surface. The load introduction structure, consisting of four stainless steel load plates and numerous fingers attaching the load plates to the test panel, is designed to introduce loads into the test panel that represent stresses that will he observed in the actual tank structure. The load plates are trace cooled with liquid nitrogen to reduce thermal gradients that may result in bending the load plates, and thus additional stresses in the test panel. The design of the cryogenic systems, load introduction structure, and control system are discussed in this report.

Glass, David E.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Design of the cryogenic moderator system for the second target station

The Second Target Station (STS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be a 700 kW pulsed spallation neutron source designed to provide the world's highest brightness cold neutron beams. In order to produce the required neutron performance, two compact liquid hydrogen moderators are located adjacent to the tungsten spallation target and must be supplied with less than 20 K hydrogen and a para hydrogen fraction of 99.8% or greater. The Cryogenic Moderator System (CMS) will consist of a single hydrogen loop feeding the two moderators in series cooled by a helium refrigerator with a cooling capacity of 2.5 kW at 17 K. The hydrogen loop consists of a hydrogen circulator, hydrogen helium heat exchanger, ortho-para converter, accumulator, transfer lines and heater. The design of the hydrogen loop is based on the CMS design of the First Target Station at the Spallation Neutron Source and some of the component designs may be reused. General hydrogen temperature control is provided by controlling the flowrate of helium to the heat exchanger. The hydrogen loop will have a constant flowrate of 0.5 L/s and remove a nuclear heat load of about 850 W from the two moderators, which is deposited both directly in the hydrogen and the adjacent hydrogen containing structures. Because the nuclear heat load is accelerator driven, the hydrogen system must remain stable when the heat load is removed instantaneously during beam trips. System stability is maintained passively with the accumulator and actively with the heater. Ionizing radiation which interacts with the liquid hydrogen drives backconversion of the hydrogen from parahydrogen to orthohydrogen. The STS moderator performance is very sensitive to small fractions of orthohydrogen requiring an ortho-para converter to maintain the hydrogen supplied to the moderators at near equilibrium parahydrogen concentration. STS CMS is in the early stage of preliminary design and current focus is evaluating component sizing and system stability during beam transients.

Janney, Jim↗
DOE OSTI2026

Background-Oriented Schlieren Velocimetry of Helium Coolant Flow in Additively Manufactured Channels

High-pressure helium gas cooling is an attractive solution for thermal management of the fusion blanket first wall, as this coolant is chemically and neutronically inert and separable from hydrogenic species. However, due to the low thermal mass of helium, geometric optimization of these channels is required to provide sufficient cooling at manageable flow rates and pumping burdens. Increasingly, analysis and optimization of these coolant channels rely on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and these require relevant experimental data for turbulence model validation. Toward this end, a high-pressure helium gas flow visualization system has been employed to image the flow of helium in flow channels with one-sided heating, mimicking the blanket first wall environment. Flow of helium at 4 MPa pressure and flow rates up to 68 g/s (Reynolds number 57 000) is supplied to rectangular channel test sections, with uniform heating applied to the bottom wall of the channel at heat fluxes varied between roughly 50 and 130 kW/m2. A high-speed camera is used to image index of refraction (IOR) gradients in the fluid via background-oriented schlieren (BOS), and temperature and pressure instrumentation are used to characterize thermal-hydraulic performance of each channel. Cross correlation of time-resolved BOS images is then used to calculate time-averaged 2-D helium velocity fields. Flow in additively manufactured (AM) channels is examined in this manner, including both featureless channels and those containing baffling as a heat transfer enhancement. The flow distribution seen in the featureless case differs significantly from that seen in prior simulations, whereas the flow in the baffled case shows the predicted behavior of flow forced along the heated wall. This augmented flow distribution is seen to increase the heat transfer coefficient in the baffled test section. Here, strategies are discussed for ongoing and future validation of these simulations, with the aim of model deployment for blanket cooling design and optimization.

Additive manufacturing↗
NASA NTRS1991

Heat transfer in a compact heat exchanger containing rectangular channels and using helium gas

Development of a National Aerospace Plane (NASP), which will fly at hypersonic speeds, require novel cooling techniques to manage the anticipated high heat fluxes on various components. A compact heat exchanger was constructed consisting of 12 parallel, rectangular channels in a flat piece of commercially pure nickel. The channel specimen was radiatively heated on the top side at heat fluxes of up to 77 W/sq cm, insulated on the back side, and cooled with helium gas flowing in the channels at 3.5 to 7.0 MPa and Reynolds numbers of 1400 to 28,000. The measured friction factor was lower than that of the accepted correlation for fully developed turbulent flow, although the uncertainty was high due to uncertainty in the channel height and a high ratio of dynamic pressure to pressure drop. The measured Nusselt number, when modified to account for differences in fluid properties between the wall and the cooling fluid, agreed with past correlations for fully developed turbulent flow in channels. Flow nonuniformity from channel-to-channel was as high as 12 pct above and 19 pct below the mean flow.

Olson, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The dynamics and helium distribution in hydrogen-helium fluid planets

The simple case of a homogeneous planet without first-order phase transitions is considered and an investigation is conducted concerning a pure hydrogen planet in which a first-order phase transition takes place from fluid molecular hydrogen to fluid metallic hydrogen. Attention is also given to convection in the presence of a compositional gradient, the effects of helium insolubility in a cooling hydrogen-helium planet, a hydrogen-helium planet in its early evolution, and the case in which influence of phase transition occurs much later in the evolution of the planet.

Stevenson, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

ASTROMAG coil cooling study

ASTROMAG is a planned particle astrophysics magnetic facility. Basically it is a large magnetic spectrometer outside the Earth's atmosphere for an extended period of time in orbit on a space station. A definition team summarized its scientific objectives assumably related to fundamental questions of astrophysics, cosmology, and elementary particle physics. Since magnetic induction of about 7 Tesla is desired, it is planned to be a superconducting magnet cooled to liquid helium 2 temperatures. The general structure of ASTROMAG is based on: (1) two superconducting magnetic coils, (2) dewar of liquid helium 2 to provide cooling capability for the magnets; (3) instrumentation, matter-anti matter spectrometer (MAS) and cosmic ray isotope spectrometer (CRIS); and (4) interfaces to the shuttle and space station. Many configurations of the superconducting magnets and the dewar were proposed and evaluated, since those are the heart of the ASTROMAG. Baseline of the magnet configuration and cryostat as presented in the phase A study and the one kept in mind while doing the present study are presented. ASTROMAG's development schedule reflects the plan of launching to the space station in 1995.

Maytal, Ben-Zion↗
NASA NTRS2006

The Road to Launch and Operations of the Spitzer Space Telescope

Spitzer Space Telescope, the fourth and final of NASA's Great Observatories, and the cornerstone to NASA's Origins Program, launched on 25 August 2003 into an Earth-trailing solar orbit to acquire infrared observations from space. Spitzer has an 85cm diameter beryllium telescope, which operates near absolute zero utilizing a liquid helium cryostat for cooling the telescope. The helium cryostat, though designed for a 2.5 year lifetime, through creative planning now has an expected lifetime of 5.5 years. Spitzer has completed its in-orbit checkout/science verification phases and the first two years of nominal operations, becoming the first mission to execute astronomical observations from a solar orbit. Spitzer was designed to probe and explore the universe in the infrared utilizing three state of the art detector arrays providing imaging, photometry, and spectroscopy over the 3-160 micron wavelength range...

infrared↗
NASA NTRS1973

On convection and gravitational layering in Jupiter and in stars of low mass.

Neutral helium is probably insoluble in metallic hydrogen below some critical temperature. When Jupiter has cooled sufficiently, helium droplets can form, grow, and fall under gravity, leading to chemical separation and gravitational layering in spite of rapid convection. Applications to cool stars are discussed.

Salpeter, E. E.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Radiative cooling in shock-heated hydrogen-helium plasmas

Axial and off-axis radiative cooling of cylindrical shock-heated hydrogen-helium plasmas is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The coupled fluid dynamic-radiative transfer equations are solved by a combination of approximation techniques aimed at simplifying the computation of the flux divergence term, namely, the quasi-isothermal approximation and the exponential approximation developed for the solid angle integration. The accuracy of the approximation schemes has been assessed and found acceptable for applying the methods to the rapid computation of the radiatively coupled flow problem. Radiative cooling experiments were conducted in a 6-inch annular arc accelerator shock tube (ANAA) for an initial pressure of 1 torr and shock speeds from 35 to 45 Km/sec. The results indicate that the lateral cooling is small compared with the axial cooling, and that better agreement is achieved between the data and the theoretical results by inclusion of the lateral temperature gradient.

Poon, P. T. Y.↗