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At least 523 records · Page 29

An experimental data base for material selection and design of high-speed, high-pressure, oxygen turbomachinery

New technologies for space-based, reusable, throttleable, cryogenic, orbit transfer propulsion are being evaluated. A variable-thrust (200 to 3000 lbF), 2000 psi chamber pressure, LO2/LH2 engine has been selected to demonstrate the 20-hour, 500-restart life goal, and a specific impulse of 480 lbF-sec/lbM. The advanced design uses warm oxygen to power a fully integrated turbopump that delivers 4500 psi LO2. The selected engine cycle provides the following advantages over conventional expander cycle designs which use H2 to drive the LH2 and LO2 pumps; higher engine operating pressures and performance in a smaller envelope, lower turbine operating temperatures, elimination of interpropellant seals and purges, and an extended throttling range. The design approach and results of testing to characterize materials for use in high-pressure gaseous oxygen are discussed. Test methods include particle impact testing in a sonic-flow, hot GO2 streams and forced, high-speed friction rubbing testing. Materials are exposed to oxygen and nitrogen atmospheres at pressures of 100, 1000, and 3000 psi to identify separately the gas cooling effects from the metal oxidation effects at the rubbing surface. The selection of candidate design materials is based on an analytical parameter defined as the burn factor. Typical materials tested include carbon steel, stainless steel, nickel, copper, and monel alloys.

Schoenman, L.↗

Vacuum plasma spray applications on liquid fuel rocket engines

The vacuum plasma spray process (VPS) has been developed by NASA and Rocketdyne for a variety of applications on liquid fuel rocket engines, including the Space Shuttle Main Engine. These applications encompass thermal barrier coatings which are thermal shock resistant for turbopump blades and nozzles; bond coatings for cryogenic titanium components; wear resistant coatings and materials; high conductivity copper, NaRloy-Z, combustion chamber liners, and structural nickel base material, Inconel 718, for nozzle and combustion chamber support jackets.

Mckechnie, T. N.↗

Numerical Simulations of Instabilities in Single-Hole Office Elements

An orifice element is commonly used in liquid rocket engine test facilities either as a flow metering device, a damper for acoustic resonance or to provide a large reduction in pressure over a very small distance in the piping system. While the orifice as a device is largely effective in stepping down pressure, it is also susceptible to a wake-vortex type instability that generates pressure fluctuations that propagate downstream and interact with other elements of the test facility resulting in structural vibrations. Furthermore in piping systems an unstable feedback loop can exist between the vortex shedding and acoustic perturbations from upstream components resulting in an amplification of the modes convecting downstream. Such was the case in several tests conducted at NASA as well as in the Ariane 5 strap-on P230 engine in a static firing test where pressure oscillations of 0.5% resulted in 5% thrust oscillations. Exacerbating the situation in cryogenic test facilities, is the possibility of the formation of vapor clouds when the pressure in the wake falls below the vapor pressure leading to a cavitation instability that has a lower frequency than the primary wake-vortex instability. The cavitation instability has the potential for high amplitude fluctuations that can cause catastrophic damage in the facility. In this paper high-fidelity multi-phase numerical simulations of an orifice element are used to characterize the different instabilities, understand the dominant instability mechanisms and identify the tonal content of the instabilities.

Ahuja, Vineet↗

Nonlinear Modeling and Control of a Propellant Mixer

A mixing chamber used in rocket engine combustion testing at NASA Stennis Space Center is modeled by a second order nonlinear MIMO system. The mixer is used to condition the thermodynamic properties of cryogenic liquid propellant by controlled injection of the same substance in the gaseous phase. The three inputs of the mixer are the positions of the valves regulating the liquid and gas flows at the inlets, and the position of the exit valve regulating the flow of conditioned propellant. The outputs to be tracked and/or regulated are mixer internal pressure, exit mass flow, and exit temperature. The outputs must conform to test specifications dictated by the type of rocket engine or component being tested downstream of the mixer. Feedback linearization is used to achieve tracking and regulation of the outputs. It is shown that the system is minimum-phase provided certain conditions on the parameters are satisfied. The conditions are shown to have physical interpretation.

Barbieri, Enrique↗

Cryo Testing of tbe James Webb Space Telescope's Integrated Science Instrument Module

The Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) of the James Webb Space Telescope will be integrated and tested at the Environmental Test Facilities at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The cryogenic thermal vacuum testing of the ISIM will be the most difficult and problematic portion of the GSFC Integration and Test flow. The test is to validate the coupled interface of the science instruments and the ISIM structure and to sufficiently stress that interface while validating image quality of the science instruments. The instruments and the structure are not made from the same materials and have different CTE. Test objectives and verification rationale are currently being evaluated in Phase B of the project plan. The test program will encounter engineering challenges and limitations, which are derived by cost and technology many of which can be mitigated by facility upgrades, creative GSE, and thorough forethought. The cryogenic testing of the ISIM will involve a number of risks such as the implementation of unique metrology techniques, mechanical, electrical and optical simulators housed within the cryogenic vacuum environment. These potential risks are investigated and possible solutions are proposed.

VanCampen, Julie↗

CRYogenic Orbital TEstbed Ground Test Article Thermal Analysis

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.

Piryk, David↗

Liquid Oxygen Liquid Acquisition Device Bubble Point Tests with High Pressure LOX at Elevated Temperatures

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. The present work reports on testing with liquid oxygen (LOX) at elevated pressures (and thus temperatures) (maximum pressure 1724 kPa and maximum temperature 122K) as part of NASA s continuing cryogenic LAD development program. These tests evaluate LAD performance for LOX stored in higher pressure vessels that may be used in propellant systems using pressure fed engines. Test data shows a significant drop in LAD bubble point values at higher liquid temperatures, consistent with lower liquid surface tension at those temperatures. Test data also indicates that there are no first order effects of helium solubility in LOX on LAD bubble point prediction. Test results here extend the range of data for LOX fluid conditions, and provide insight into factors affecting predicting LAD bubble point pressures.

Jurns, John M.↗

Optimal Design of Passive Flow Control for a Boundary-Layer-Ingesting Offset Inlet Using Design-of-Experiments

This research will investigate the use of Design-of-Experiments (DOE) in the development of an optimal passive flow control vane design for a boundary-layer-ingesting (BLI) offset inlet in transonic flow. This inlet flow control is designed to minimize the engine fan face distortion levels and first five Fourier harmonic half amplitudes while maximizing the inlet pressure recovery. Numerical simulations of the BLI inlet are computed using the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) flow solver, OVERFLOW, developed at NASA. These simulations are used to generate the numerical experiments for the DOE response surface model. In this investigation, two DOE optimizations were performed using a D-Optimal Response Surface model. The first DOE optimization was performed using four design factors which were vane height and angles-of-attack for two groups of vanes. One group of vanes was placed at the bottom of the inlet and a second group symmetrically on the sides. The DOE design was performed for a BLI inlet with a free-stream Mach number of 0.85 and a Reynolds number of 2 million, based on the length of the fan face diameter, matching an experimental wind tunnel BLI inlet test. The first DOE optimization required a fifth order model having 173 numerical simulation experiments and was able to reduce the DC60 baseline distortion from 64% down to 4.4%, while holding the pressure recovery constant. A second DOE optimization was performed holding the vanes heights at a constant value from the first DOE optimization with the two vane angles-of-attack as design factors. This DOE only required a second order model fit with 15 numerical simulation experiments and reduced DC60 to 3.5% with small decreases in the fourth and fifth harmonic amplitudes. The second optimal vane design was tested at the NASA Langley 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel in a BLI inlet experiment. The experimental results showed a 80% reduction of DPCPavg, the circumferential distortion level at the engine fan face.

Allan, Brian G.↗

Design and Testing of Non-Toxic RCS Thrusters for Second Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle

The current NASA Space Shuttle auxiliary propulsion system utilizes nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) and monomethylhydrazine (MMH), hypergolic propellants. This use of these propellants has resulted in high levels of maintenance and precautions that contribute to costly launch operations. By employing alternate propellant combinations, those less toxic to humans, the hazards and time required between missions can be significantly reduced. Use of alternate propellants can thereby increase the efficiency and lower the cost in launch operations. In support of NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI), TRW proposed a three-phase project structured to significantly increase the technology readiness of a high-performance reaction control subsystem (RCS) thruster using non-toxic propellant for an operationally efficient and reusable auxiliary propulsion system (APS). The project enables the development of an integrated primary/vernier thruster capable of providing dual-thrust levels of both 1000-lbf class thrust and 25-lbf thrust. The intent of the project is to reduce the risk associated with the development of an improved RCS flight design that meets the primary NASA objectives of improved safety and reliability while reducing systems operations and maintenance costs. TRW proposed two non-toxic auxiliary propulsion engine designs, one using liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen and the other using liquid oxygen and liquid ethanol, as candidates to meet the goals of reliability and affordability at the RCS level. Both of these propellant combinations offer the advantage of a safe environment for maintenance, while at the same time providing adequate to excellent performance for a conventional liquid propulsion systems. The key enabling technology incorporated in both TRW thrusters is the coaxial liquid on liquid pintle injector. This paper will concentrate on only the design and testing of one of the thrusters, the liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) thruster. The LOX/LH2 thruster design includes a LOX-centered pintle injector, consisting of two rows of slots that create a radial spoke spray pattern in the combustion chamber. The main fuel injector creates a continuous sheet of LH2 originating upstream of the LOX pintle injector. The two propellants impinge at the pintle slots, where the resulting momentum ratio and spray pattern determines the combustion efficiency and thermal effects on the hardware. Another enabling technology used in the design of this thruster is fuel film cooling through a duct, lining the inner wall of the combustion chamber barrel section. The duct is also acts as a secondary fuel injection point. The variation in the amount of LH2 used for the duct allows for adjustments in the cooling capacity for the thruster. The Non-Toxic LOX-LH2 RCS Workhorse Thruster was tested at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Test Stand 500. Hot-fire tests were conducted between March 08, 2002 and April 05, 2002. All testing during the program base period were performed at sea-level conditions. During the test program, 7 configurations were tested, including 2 combustion chambers, 3 LOX injector pintle tips, and 4 LH2 injector stroke settings. The operating conditions that were surveyed varied thrust levels, mixture ratio and LH2 duct cooling flow. The copper heat sink chamber was used for 16 burns, each burn lasting from 0.4 to 10 seconds, totaling 51.4 seconds, followed by Haynes chamber testing ranging from 0.9 to 120 seconds, totaling 300.9 seconds. The total accumulated burn time for the test program is 352.3 seconds. C* efficiency was calculated and found to be within expectable limits for most operating conditions. The temperature on the Haynes combustion chamber remained below established material limits, with the exception of one localized hot spot. The test results demonstrate that both the coaxial liquid-on-liquid pintle injector design and fuel duct concepts are viable for the intended application. The thruster head-e design maintained cryogenic injection temperatures while firing, which validates the concept for minimal heat soak back. By injecting fuel into the duct, the throat temperatures were manageable, yet the split of fuel through the cooling duct does not compromise the overall combustion efficiency, which indicates that, provided proper design refinement, such a concept can be applied to a high-performance version of the thruster. These hot fire tests demonstrate the robustness of the duct design concept and good capability to withstand off-nominal operating conditions without adversely impacting the thermal response of the engine, a key design feature for a cryogenic thruster.

Calvignac, Jacky↗

Fast Track NTR Systems Assessment for NASA's First Lunar Outpost Scenario

Integrated systems and mission study results are presented which quantify the rationale and benefits for developing and using nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) technology for returning humans to the moon in the early 2000's. At present, the Exploration Program Office (ExPO) is considering chemical propulsion for its 'First Lunar Outpost' (FLO) mission, and NTR propulsion for the more demanding Mars missions to follow. The use of an NTR-based lunar transfer stage, capable of evolving to Mars mission applications, could result in an accelerated schedule, reduced cost approach to moon/Mars exploration. Lunar mission applications would also provide valuable operational experience and serve as a 'proving ground' for NTR engine and stage technologies. In terms of performance benefits, studies indicate that an expendable NTR stage powered by two 50 klbf engines can deliver approximately 96 metric tons (t) to trans-lunar injection (TLI) conditions for an initial mass in low earth orbit (IMLEO) of approximately 199 t compared to 250 t for a cryogenic chemical TLI stage. The NTR stage liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank has a 10 m diameter, 14.8 m length, and 68 t LH2 capacity. The NTR utilizes a 'graphite' fuel form consisting of coated UC2 particles in a graphite substrate, and has a specific impulse capability of approximately 870 s, and an engine thrust-to-weight ratio of approximately 4.8. The NTR stage and its piloted FLO lander has a total length of approximately 38 m and can be launched by a single Saturn V-derived heavy lift launch vehicle (HLLV) in the 200 to 250 t-class range. The paper summarizes NASA's First Lunar Outpost scenario, describes characteristics for representative engine/stage configurations, and examines the impact on engine selection and vehicle design resulting from a consideration of alternative NTR fuel forms and lunar mission profiles.

Borowski, Stanley K.↗

COLD-SAT: Cryogenic On-Orbit Liquid Depot-Storage, Acquisition and Transfer

NASA is entering an era of expanded space activity. Space-based transportation systems will carry cargo and humans from low earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit, to lunar bases, and to the Martian surface. Support of these future missions will require new, long lived, on-orbit systems using subcritical cryogens for propellants and life support systems. Such on-orbit systems present low gravity fluid management challenges of long term storage and efficient fluid transfer and supply techniques. Development of these cryogenic systems requires on-orbit experimentation to demonstrate the capability of performing these fluid management tasks and to obtain the engineering data base required to correlate analytical tools used for system design.

Source record↗

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

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.

Hung, R. J.↗

Integrated Ground Operations Demonstration for Responsive Space Access

Integrated Ground Operations Demonstration Units (IGODU) project developed to mature, integrate and demonstrate advancements in cryogenics, system health management and command and control technologies. Two Distinct Testing Environments: a) GODU Integrated Refrigeration and Storage - GODU LH2; b) GODU Autonomous Control - GODU LO2. Scope: I. GODU LH2: a) Investigate alternative storage and distribution architecture for future cryogenic propellant operations. b) Demonstrate advanced cryogenic propellant handling operations (liquefaction, storage and distribution) of normal boiling point and sub-cooled cryogenic propellants. II. GODU L02: a) Develop and demonstrate advanced control and health management technologies and techniques to autonomously control cryogenic propellant servicing operations. b) Investigate modern COTS hardware and control systems in an effort to reduce the "standing army" of engineers associated with maintaining and operating ground systems through the use of health management and autonomous control technologies. Goals: a) Raise Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and Integration Readiness Levels (IRL) of several key technology development areas. b) Reduce operations lifecycle costs of future test programs and launch complexes. c) Demonstrate technologies for future exploration beyond low earth orbit. d) Serve as test environments for extraterrestrial surface operations.

Johnson, Robert G.↗

Liquid Hydrogen Propellant Tank Sub-Surface Pressurization with Gaseous Helium

A series of tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of a propellant tank pressurization system with the pressurant diffuser intentionally submerged beneath the surface of the liquid. Propellant tanks and pressurization systems are typically designed with the diffuser positioned to apply pressurant gas directly into the tank ullage space when the liquid propellant is settled. Space vehicles, and potentially propellant depots, may need to conduct tank pressurization operations in micro‐gravity environments where the exact location of the liquid relative to the diffuser is not well understood. If the diffuser is positioned to supply pressurant gas directly to the tank ullage space when the propellant is settled, then it may become partially or completely submerged when the liquid becomes unsettled in a microgravity environment. In such case, the pressurization system performance will be adversely affected requiring additional pressurant mass and longer pressurization times. This series of tests compares and evaluates pressurization system performance using the conventional method of supplying pressurant gas directly to the propellant tank ullage, and then supplying pressurant gas beneath the liquid surface. The pressurization tests were conducted on the Engineering Development Unit (EDU) located at Test Stand 300 at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). EDU is a ground based Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) test article supported by Glenn Research Center (GRC) and MSFC. A 150 ft3 propellant tank was filled with liquid hydrogen (LH2). The pressurization system used regulated ambient helium (GHe) as a pressurant, a variable position valve to maintain flow rate, and two identical independent pressurant diffusers. The ullage diffuser was located in the forward end of the tank and was completely exposed to the tank ullage. The submerged diffuser was located in the aft end of the tank and was completely submerged when the tank liquid level was 10% or greater. The ullage diffuser tests were conducted as a baseline to evaluate the performance of the pressurization system, and the submerged diffuser tests showed how the performance of the pressurization system was compromised when the diffuser was submerged in LH2. The test results are evaluated and compared, and included in this report for various propellant tank fill levels.

Stephens, J. R.↗

The Quest for Engineering Innovation at NASA's Marshall Space Flight (MSFC)

A recent NASA team, chartered to examine innovation within the Agency, captured the meaning of the word innovation as the "application of creative ideas to improve and generate value for the organization". The former NASA Administrator Charles Bolden shared his own thoughts about innovation in a memo with all employees that stated, "At NASA, we are dedicated to innovation, bold ideas, and excellence." Innovation turns out to be one of the major driving forces behind the work produced at NASA. It seems failure is often what has driven NASA to be more innovative. Fifty years ago, the Apollo 1 tragedy killed three astronauts when fire erupted in their command module. NASA had to bear the responsibility of such loss and at the same time work smarter in order to obtain the dream to reach the moon by the end of the 1960s. Through this circumstance, NASA engineers developed a revolutionary replacement for the combustible nylon astronaut suits so the Apollo program could continue. A material called Beta Cloth was born. This material was used to produce noncombustible space suits for all Apollo astronauts, enabling the United States to ultimately land 12 Americans on the moon. Eventually this material was used as the roof system in the Denver International Airport, showing relevance and applications of NASA innovations to real-world need. Innovative ideas are also driven by the need to accomplish NASA missions and to improve the way we produce our products. MSFC engineers are advancing technologies in additive manufacturing of liquid rocket engines in order to reduce the number of parts, design time, and the cost of the engines. NASA is working with academia to eliminate the need for miles of sensor cables by investigating innovations in wireless sensors. In order to enable future exploration missions to Mars, MSFC engineers are pursuing innovative approaches in diverse areas such as the use of ionic liquids for life support systems and composite cryogenic tanks, very low leakage valves to contain propulsion fluids, and natural, non-toxic inhibitors to eliminate the buildup of biofilms in the water systems planned for future crewed Mars missions. Although results are encouraging, we cannot rest on our past accomplishments. In order to overcome breathtaking technical challenges in space exploration, we must continue to promote a culture supporting growth, breakthroughs and disruptive innovations.

Turner, James E.↗

JWST's Cryogenic Position Metrology System

The James Webb Space Telescope will undergo a full system test in the cryogenic vacuum chamber A at the Johnson Spaceflight Center in order to verify the overall performance of the combined telescope and instrument suite. This will be the largest and most extensive cryogenic test ever undertaken. Early in the test system development, it was determined that precise position measurements of the overall hardware would enhance the test results. Various concepts were considered before selecting photogrammetry for this metrology. Photogrammetry has been used in space systems for decades, however cryogenic use combined with the size and the optical/thermal sensitivity of JWST creates a unique set of implementation challenges. This paper provides an overview of the JWST photogrammetric system and mitigation strategies for three key engineering design challenges: 1) the thermal design of the viewing windows to prevent excessive heat leak and stray light to the test article 2) cost effective motors and mechanisms to provide the angle diversity required, and 3) camera-flash life and reliability sufficient for inaccessible use during the number and duration of the cryogenic tests.

Whitman, Tony L.↗

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

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.

Tiwari, Vidhu S.↗

CFD Modeling of Cryogenic Chilldown in a Complex Channel under Normal and Low Gravity Conditions

Future NASA architectures have baselined cryogenic propulsion systems as well as cryogenic fluid management to support lunar missions and ultimately to support future missions to Mars. These missions will require chilling hardware down prior to engine restart as well as chilling lines and tanks prior to transferring and refueling these propulsion elements in orbit. In lieu of expensive tests conducted on-orbit, accurate predictive computational models of these chilldown processes can be used to reduce system and propellant mass as well as mission risk. To gain confidence in these computational models, appropriate anchoring and validation to experimental data in a relevant environment needs to be performed. Recent ground and sub-orbital flight experiments conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) investigated chilldown of a complex channel resembling a turbopump bearing cavity at low flow rates. This work presents Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model development of the chilldown experiment employing two-phase flow boiling models available in commercial CFD software STAR-CCM+ using Volume of Fluid (VOF) and the traditional Euler-Euler multiphase flow solvers. Comparisons of the numerical and experimental results under normal and low-gravity conditions are presented. An assessment of solid wall temperatures and phase distribution yielded important insights into multiphase solver choice, dependence on gravity environment, and challenges associated with cryogenic flow boiling prediction and validation.

CFD↗