Development Testing of the Gateway Integrated Bipropellant Refueling Subsystem
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Adela D Han↗
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An evaluation of metallized propellants based on vehicle performance
An analytical study was conducted to determine the improvements in vehicle performance possible by burning metals with conventional liquid bipropellants. These metallized propellants theoretically offer higher specific impulse, increased propellant density and improved vehicle performance compared with conventional liquid bipropellants. Metals considered were beryllium, lithium, aluminum and iron. Liquid bipropellants were H2/O2, N2H4/N2O4, RP-1/O2 and H2/F2. A mission with a delta V = 4267.2 m/sec (14,000 ft/sec) and vehicle with propellant volume fixed at 56.63 cu m (2000 cu ft) and dry mass fixed at 2761.6 kg (6000 lb) was used, roughly representing the transfer of a chemically propelled upper-stage vehicle from a low-Earth orbit to a geosynchronous orbit. The results of thermochemical calculations and mission analysis calculations for bipropellants metallized with beryllium, lithium, aluminum and iron are presented. Technology issues pertinent to metallized propellants are discussed.
Zurawski, Robert L.↗
An evaluation of metallized propellants based on vehicle performance
An analytical study was conducted to determine the improvements in vehicle performance possible by burning metals with conventional liquid bipropellants. These metallized propellants theoretically offer higher specific impulse, increased propellant density and improved vehicle performance compared with conventional liquid bipropellants. Metals considered were beryllium, lithium, aluminum and iron. Liquid bipropellants were H2/O2, N2H4/N2O4, RP-1/O2 and H2/F2. A mission with a delta V = 4267.2 m/sec (14,000 ft/sec) and vehicle with propellant volume fixed at 56.63 cu m (2000 cu ft) and dry mass fixed at 2761.6 kg (6000 lb) was used, roughly representing the transfer of a chemically propelled upper-stage vehicle from a low-Earth orbit to a geosynchronous orbit. The results of thermochemical calculations and mission analysis calculations for bipropellants metallized with beryllium, lithium, aluminum and iron are presented. Technology issues pertinent to metallized propellants are discussed.
Zurawski, Robert L.↗
Current evaluation of the tripropellant concept
An analytical study was conducted to determine the specific-impulse advantages of adding metals to conventional liquid-bipropellant systems. These tripropellant systems theoretically offer higher specific impulse and increased propellant density compared with bipropellant systems. Metals considered were Be, Li, and Al. Bipropellant systems were H2/O2, N2H4/N2O4, RP-1/O2, and H2/F2. Thermochemical calculations were performed for sea-level expansion from 6.895-MN/sq. m. (1000-psia) chamber pressure over a wide range of mixture ratios and propellant compositions. Three-dimensional plots characterize the specific impulse of each tripropellant system. Technology issues pertinent to metallized propellant systems are discussed.
Zurawski, R. L.↗
Current evaluation of the tripropellant concept
An analytical study was conducted to determine the specific-impulse advantages of adding metals to conventional liquid-bipropellant systems. These tripropellant systems theoretically offer higher specific impulse and increased propellant density compared with bipropellant systems. Metals considered were Be, Li, and Al. Bipropellant systems were H2/O2, N2H4/N2O4, RP-1/O2, and H2/F2. Thermochemical calculations were performed for sea-level expansion from 6.895-MN/sq. m. (1000-Psia) chamber pressure over a wide range of mixture ratios and propellant compositions. Three-dimensional plots characterize the specific impulse of each tripropellant system. Technology issues pertinent to metallized propellant systems are discussed.
Zurawski, R. L.↗
Reusable Reentry Satellite (RRS): Propulsion system trade study
The purpose of the Reusable Reentry Satellite (RRS) Propulsion System Trade Study described in this summary report was to investigate various propulsion options available for incorporation on the RRS and to select the option best suited for RRS application. The design requirements for the RRS propulsion system were driven by the total impulse requirements necessary to operate within the performance envelope specified in the RRS System Requirements Documents. These requirements were incorporated within the Design Reference Missions (DRM's) identified for use in this and other subsystem trade studies. This study investigated the following propulsion systems: solid rocket, monopropellant, bipropellant (monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide or MMH/NTO), dual-mode bipropellant (hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide or N2H4/NTO), liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen (LO2/LH2), and an advanced design propulsion system using SDI-developed components. A liquid monopropellant blowdown propulsion system was found to be best suited for meeting the RRS requirements and is recommended as the baseline system. This system was chosen because it is the simplest of all investigated, has the fewest components, and is the most cost effective. The monopropellant system meets all RRS performance requirements and has the capability to provide a very accurate deorbit burn which minimizes reentry dispersions. In addition, no new hardware qualification is required for a monopropellant system. Although the bipropellant systems offered some weight savings capability for missions requiring large deorbit velocities, the advantage of a lower mass system only applies if the total vehicle design can be reduced to allow a cheaper launch vehicle to be used. At the time of this trade study, the overall RRS weight budget and launch vehicle selection were not being driven by the propulsion system selection. Thus, the added cost and complexity of more advanced systems did not warrant application.
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Cargo transfer vehicle RCS propellant contamination issues
The purpose of this report is to address Cargo Transfer Vehicle (CTV) RCS contamination issues and contribute to the resources necessary to optimize the vehicle and propulsion systems required in the CTV of the National Launch System (NLS) Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLLV). This study reviews the thruster-induced contaminants; their transportation from the thrust chamber to the vehicle, payload, and SSF; and the mechanism by which damage is inflicted on their components. The effect of both monopropellant and bipropellant RCS rocket exhaust plumes on a spacecraft and related functional surfaces has been the subject of considerable study over the years. It is recognized that the RCS rocket produces contaminants which can significantly degrade the performance of optical windows, solar cells, thermal-protective coatings, and other external vehicle components. This is particularly true when the rocket is operating in the pulse mode. The exhaust plume impingement pressure and heat-transfer phenomena also complicate the environment to which the vehicle and its functional surfaces are exposed, but are not addressed in this study. Bipropellant contamination presented several modes of damage to incident surfaces, which can pose a long-term deleterious consequence to CTV payloads and the Space Station Freedom (SSF). Monopropellant contamination did not pose any significant long-term issues other than the possibility of aniline deposition. The use of either bipropellant and monopropellant propulsion systems can have a design impact on the CTV propulsion system with respect to maneuvering operations in the proximity of SSF.
Ballard, Richard O.↗
Combustion and flow modelling applied to the OMV VTE
A predictive tool for hypergolic bipropellant spray combustion and flow evolution in the OMV VTE (orbital maneuvering vehicle variable thrust engine) is described. It encompasses a computational technique for the gas phase governing equations, a discrete particle method for liquid bipropellant sprays, and constitutive models for combustion chemistry, interphase exchanges, and unlike impinging liquid hypergolic stream interactions. Emphasis is placed on the phenomenological modelling of the hypergolic liquid bipropellant gasification processes. An application to the OMV VTE combustion chamber is given in order to show some of the capabilities and inadequacies of this tool.
Larosiliere, Louis M.↗
Alternate Propulsion Subsystem Concepts Tripropellant Comparison Study
A study was conducted under MSFC contract NAS8-39210 to compare tripropellant and bipropellant engine configurations for the SSTO mission. The objective was to produce an 'apples-to-apples' comparison to isolate the effects of design implementation, designing company, year of design, or technologies included from the basic tripropellant/bipropellant comparison. Consequently, identical technologies were included (e.g., jet pumps) and the same design groundrules and practices were used. Engine power cycles were examined as were turbomachinery/preburner arrangements for each cycle. The bipropellant approach and two tripropellant approaches were separately optimized in terms of operating parameters: exit pressures, mixture ratios, thrust splits, etc. This briefing presents the results of the study including engine weights for both tripropellant and bipropellant engines; dry vehicle weight performance for a range of engine chamber pressures; discusses the basis for the results; examines vehicle performance due to engine cycles and the margin characteristics of various cycles; and identifies technologies with significant payoffs for this application.
Levack, Daniel↗
On-Board Chemical Propulsion Technology
On-board propulsion functions include orbit insertion, orbit maintenance, constellation maintenance, precision positioning, in-space maneuvering, de-orbiting, vehicle reaction control, planetary retro, and planetary descent/ascent. This paper discusses on-board chemical propulsion technology, including bipropellants, monopropellants, and micropropulsion. Bipropellant propulsion has focused on maximizing the performance of Earth storable propellants by using high-temperature, oxidation-resistant chamber materials. The performance of bipropellant systems can be increased further, by operating at elevated chamber pressures and/or using higher energy oxidizers. Both options present system level difficulties for spacecraft, however. Monopropellant research has focused on mixtures composed of an aqueous solution of hydroxl ammonium nitrate (HAN) and a fuel component. HAN-based monopropellants, unlike hydrazine, do not present a vapor hazard and do not require extraordinary procedures for storage, handling, and disposal. HAN-based monopropellants generically have higher densities and lower freezing points than the state-of-art hydrazine and can higher performance, depending on the formulation. High-performance HAN-based monopropellants, however, have aggressive, high-temperature combustion environments and require advances in catalyst materials or suitable non-catalytic ignition options. The objective of the micropropulsion technology area is to develop low-cost, high-utility propulsion systems for the range of miniature spacecraft and precision propulsion applications.
Reed, Brian D.↗
On-Board Chemical Propulsion
NASA Lewis Research Center's On-Board Propulsion program (OBP) is developing low-thrust chemical propulsion technologies for both satellite and vehicle reaction control applications. There is a vigorous international competition to develop new, highperformance bipropellant engines. High-leverage bipropellant systems are critical to both commercial competitiveness in the international communications market and to cost-effective mission design in government sectors. To significantly improve bipropellant engine performance, we must increase the thermal margin of the chamber materials. Iridium-coated rhenium (Ir/Re) engines, developed and demonstrated under OBP programs, can operate at temperatures well above the constraints of state-of-practice systems, providing a sufficient margin to maximize performance with the hypergolic propellants used in most satellite propulsion systems.
Schneider, Steven J.↗
Application of hybrid propulsion systems to planetary missions
The feasibility and application of hybrid rocket propulsion to outer-planet orbiter missions is assessed in this study and guidelines regarding future development are provided. A Jupiter Orbiter Mission was selected for evaluation because it is the earliest planetary mission which may require advanced chemical propulsion. Mission and spacecraft characteristics which affect the selection and design of propulsion subsystems are presented. Alternative propulsion subsystems, including space-storable bipropellant liquids, a solid/monopropellant vernier, and a hybrid, are compared on the basis of performance, reliability, and cost. Cost-effectiveness comparisons are made for a range of assumptions including variation in (1) the level of need for spacecraft performance (determined in part by launch vehicle injected mass capability), and (2) achievable reliability at corresponding costs. The results indicated that the hybrid and space-storable bipropellant mechanizations are competitive.
Don, J. P.↗
Liquid rocket performance computer model with distributed energy release
Development of a computer program for analyzing the effects of bipropellant spray combustion processes on liquid rocket performance is described and discussed. The distributed energy release (DER) computer program was designed to become part of the JANNAF liquid rocket performance evaluation methodology and to account for performance losses associated with the propellant combustion processes, e.g., incomplete spray gasification, imperfect mixing between sprays and their reacting vapors, residual mixture ratio striations in the flow, and two-phase flow effects. The DER computer program begins by initializing the combustion field at the injection end of a conventional liquid rocket engine, based on injector and chamber design detail, and on propellant and combustion gas properties. It analyzes bipropellant combustion, proceeding stepwise down the chamber from those initial conditions through the nozzle throat.
Combs, L. P.↗
Development and in-flight performance of the Mariner 9 spacecraft propulsion system
On November 14, 1971, Mariner 9 was decelerated into orbit about Mars by a 1334-newton (300-lbf) liquid bipropellant propulsion system. The development and in-flight performance are described and summarized of this pressure-fed, nitrogen tetroxide/monomethyl hydrazine bipropellant system. The design of all Mariner propulsion subsystems has been predicated upon the premise that simplicity of approach, coupled with thorough qualification and margin-limits testing, is the key to cost-effective reliability. The qualification test program and analytical modeling of the Mariner 9 subsystem are discussed. Since the propulsion subsystem is modular in nature, it was completely checked, serviced, and tested independent of the spacecraft. Proper prediction of in-flight performance required the development of three significant modeling tools to predict and account for nitrogen saturation of the propellant during the six-month coast period and to predict and statistically analyze in-flight data. The flight performance of the subsystem was excellent, as were the performance prediction correlations. These correlations are presented.
Evans, D. D.↗
Space shuttle auxiliary propulsion system design study. Phase C and E report: Storable propellants, RCS/OMS/APU integration study
Auxiliary propulsion concepts for application to the space shuttle are compared. Both monopropellant and bipropellant earth storable reaction control systems were evaluated. The fundamental concepts evaluated were: (1) monopropellant and bipropellant systems installed integrally within the vehicle, (2) fuel systems installed modularly in nose and wing tip pods, and (3) fuel systems installed modularly in nose and fuselage pods. Numerous design variations within these three concepts were evaluated. The system design analysis and methods for implementing each of the concepts are reported.
Anglim, D. D.↗
Development and in-flight performance of the Mariner 9 spacecraft propulsion system
On November 14, 1971, Mariner 9 was decelerated into orbit about Mars by a 1334 N (300 lbf) liquid bipropellant propulsion system. This paper describes and summarizes the development and in-flight performance of this pressure-fed, nitrogen tetroxide/monomethyl hydrazine bipropellant system. The design of all Mariner propulsion subsystems has been predicted upon the premise that simplicity of approach, coupled with thorough qualification and margin-limits testing, is the key to cost-effective reliability. The qualification test program and analytical modeling are also discussed. Since the propulsion subsystem is modular in nature, it was completely checked, serviced, and tested independent of the spacecraft. Proper prediction of in-flight performance required the development of three significant modeling tools to predict and account for nitrogen saturation of the propellant during the six-month coast period and to predict and statistically analyze in-flight data.
Evans, D. D.↗
Small orbital transfer vehicle for shuttle operations
Small orbital transfer vehicles to place payloads in orbits with altitudes above those of the standard Shuttle operation are studied. Low energy earth orbits below those of the planned spinning solid upper stages are addressed. Tandem and clustered solids are considered along with controlled solids, monopropellant and bipropellant liquids, and staged solid/liquid combinations. The performance, airborne support equipment, and program costs for the selected candidate concepts are presented. The results show that the most economical way to deliver the low energy payloads is with a modular liquid bipropellant stage system for the large majority of the payloads. The remainder of the payloads would use the Shuttle with integral OMS and Scout from WTR for a few specialized payloads until the Shuttle is operational at WTR.
Sibila, A. I.↗
Orbital Maneuvering system design evolution
Preliminary design considerations and changes made in the baseline space shuttle orbital maneuvering system (OMS) to reduce cost and weight are detailed. The definition of initial subsystem requirements, trade studies, and design approaches are considered. Design features of the engine, its injector, combustion chamber, nozzle extension and bipropellant valve are illustrated and discussed. The current OMS consists of two identical pods that use nitrogen tetroxide (NTO) and monomethylhydrazine (MMH) propellants to provide 1000 ft/sec of delta velocity for a payload of 65,000 pounds. Major systems are pressurant gas storage and control, propellant storage supply and quantity measurement, and the rocket engine, which includes a bipropellant valve, an injector/thrust chamber, and a nozzle. The subsystem provides orbit insertion, circularization, and on orbit and deorbit capability for the shuttle orbiter.
Gibson, C.↗