Liquid Acquisition Devices for Advanced In-Space Cryogenic Propulsion Systems

462 Pages·2016·113.241 MB·English

by  Hartwig, Jason William

Liquid Acquisition
Devices for Advanced
In-Space Cryogenic
Propulsion Systems
Liquid Acquisition
Devices for Advanced
In-Space Cryogenic
Propulsion Systems
Jason William Hartwig
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Dedication
I dedicate this book to my teacher. Sir, your unwavering compassion, dedication, and
guidanceprovidedthebackbonethatmadethisworkpossible.Thankyoufor yourcon-
stantdailysupport.Youinspiredmetoworkwithsingle-mindedfocusanddetermination
throughout the course of this work. Not a day passes without an overwhelming feeling
ofjoyand gratitude for your presenceinmy life.
v
Foreword
Thisbookisaboutscreenchannelliquidacquisitiondevices(LADs)andhowtheyworkin
cryogenicpropellants.LADsareusedtoprovidevapor-freeliquidtosensitiveequipment,
insituationswheregas/liquidseparationbygravitycannotbeguaranteed.Themostcom-
mon application is spacecraft. A screen channel LAD uses a tightly woven metal screen
backed by a liquid flow channel. When one side of the screen is covered with gas and
the other in liquid, the gas must overcome the surface tension forces in the small pores
ofthewovenscreenbeforeitisabletomoveintothechannel.Themuchlargerhydraulic
diameter channel behind the screen allows the liquid that comes through the screen to
flow much more freely to its point of use. Although there are other kinds of LADs, the
screenchannelLADistheonemostpromisingforcryogenicpropellants,asitsfinepore
size provides suitable resistance to gas flow even with the low surface tension of these
cryogenic liquids.
When Jason started working with me, several years ago, he probably knew very little
aboutLADs.AsweworkedtodesignLADsforlaunchvehicleupperstages,lunarlanders,
and propellant depots to support trips to Mars, he began to know more. As he worked
in the Creek Road Cryogenic Test facilities—starting with small screen samples; testing
theminisopropylalcohol,thenliquidmethane,thenliquidoxygen,thenliquidhydrogen;
then scaling the rig up to full screen channels tested in both liquid oxygen, and liquid
hydrogen—heknewevenmore.Oncehedecidedthathewasgoingtowritehisdisserta-
tion for Case Western Reserve University on the cryogenic behavior of screen channel
devices, he began to study the subject even more in depth. Successful completion of
hisdissertationresultedinacomprehensivestudyofthetopic,whichisthegenesisofthis
book.ThisbookcoverstheissuesofscreenchannelLADsfromthemodelingbehaviorof
the capillary surface in the individual pores, to the flow losses of full screen channel
assemblies large enough to be representative of a depot propellant tank. At this point,
Jason’s knowledge of screen channel LAD behavior in cryogenic liquids surpasses even
mine,whichissayingsomething,sinceIhavebeenconsideredoneoftheworld’sexperts
inthis field. Read on and thisknowledge can be yours aswell!
Dr. David J. Chato
NationalAeronauticsandSpaceAgency’sJohnH.GlennResearchCenteratLewisField
Cleveland, OH, U.S.A.
April30, 2015
xiii
Preface
Theenablingofallfuturein-spacecryogenicenginesandcryogenicfueldepotsforfuture
mannedandroboticspaceexplorationmissionsbeginswithtechnologydevelopmentof
advancedcryogenicfluidmanagementsystemsupstreaminthepropellanttank.Gravity
affects many fluidic processes, such as the separation of the liquid and vapor phases
within the propellant tank. By design, all in-space cryogenic engines and cryogenic fuel
depots require vapor freeliquid delivery. To meet these fluid transfer requirements over
awiderangeofmissionflowrates,andgravitationalandthermalenvironments,propel-
lant management devices will be requiredto position liquid and vapor favorably within
thetank.
The purpose of this work is to develop such robust and flexible liquid acquisition
devices (LADs), particularly for low surface tension cryogenic propellants operating in
microgravity environments, by presenting results of a battery of component-level and
full-scale ground cryogenic experiments, and subsequent development of analytical
design tools.Theemphasisofthebookisexperimentalinnature,however,with afocus
ongatheringallthehistoricalworkdonepreviouslyandpresentingnewcryogenicperfor-
mance data. The book is not intended to be a design reference handbook, but rather to
serve as a repository of new cryogenic performance data, to understand and explain
trends in the data, to reassess currently used design models and tools, and to explain
thebasic logic fordesigning and sizing LADs.
Modelsarefirstdevelopedfromfirstprinciplesfortheinfluentialfactorswhichgovern
LAD performance, which include bubble point pressure, flow-through-screen pressure
drop,wickingrate,andscreencompliance.Theliteratureisrigorouslyreviewedtogather
data tovalidate the models. Then a series of parametric component-level tests are con-
ducted in room-temperature liquids and cryogenic hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and
methane to determine the effect of varying screen type, liquid, liquid temperature and
pressure, and pressurant gas type and temperature on the bubble point pressure. LAD
channels are then constructed, and full-scale LAD outflow tests are conducted in liquid
hydrogentosimulatefluidtransferfromapropellanttankinavariablethermalenviron-
ment, to determine pressure drop contributions, and to assess reliability of the LADs at
cryogenic temperatures. One of the channels is thermally flight representative with a
custom-designed internal heat exchanger. Experimental results with this new cryogenic
dataareusedtoassessandupdateanalyticalandempiricalpredictivemodelsincryogenic
liquidsforflow-through-screenpressuredrop,bubblepoint,resealpressure,andpressure
dropthroughthechannel,andtheupdatedmodelsareusedtodeterminetheoptimalLAD
screenforaliquidhydrogenfueldepotoperatinginLowEarthOrbit.Additionally,perfor-
mance of vanes in cryogenic liquids is comparedagainstscreenchannels.
xv
Acknowledgments
I would first like to acknowledge all of the NASA colleagues with whom I have had the
privilege of working over the course of this work; in particular, I would like to thank
Dr. David Chato, Mike Doherty, Michael Meyer, and John Jurns for your years of service
and support. Each one of you was especially vital in making this work a reality. Dave
and Mike Meyer, thank you for allowing me to pursue this field in near single-minded
focus.MikeDoherty,Iwanttograciouslythankyouforyoursupportthroughouttheyears.
John,Ithankyoufor yoursupportandencouragementthroughoutthefirstfewyearsof
mytenureatNASA;Iwillneverforgetourtimetogetherorthesacrificesyoumadeforme.
JohnMcQuillen,thankyouforourendlessthoughtprovokingdiscussions,forhelpingme
topolishmyprofessionalwritingskills,andforyourhelpinconceivingandrunningexper-
iments.EnriqueRame,Iamgratefulandhappyforourmanytechnicaldiscussionsandfor
your support in data analysis.Ben Stiegemeier, Iappreciate all of ourdiscussions at the
board,in“hammeringout”problemslikethegreatscientistsofold.Thanksforbeingsuch
anamazingfriendbothprofessionallyandpersonally.IacknowledgemembersofmyPro-
pellants and Propulsion branch for their years of technical service and assistance in
reviewing chapters, especially Greg Zimmerli, Neil Van Dresar, and Dave Plachta. I am
gratefulto Jeff Moder and Steve Barsi for their many technicalsuggestions onmodeling
andanalyticalmethodsthroughoutthedurationofthiswork.JoeGaby,Ifeelsofortunate
forourassociationthroughouttheyears.Youhavereallytaughtmewellontheinnerwork-
ings oftestconception and on havingalong-term vision as aresearcher.
Iacknowledge the operations and technician staff at Cell-7 and SMiRF, including Joe
Puskas, Jack Kowalewski, Helmut Bamberger, Craig Robinson, Marivel Baez, and Lori
Arnett.Itisonlybecauseofyouallthatwewereabletorunsuchsuccessfulexperiments
andcollectsomuchmeaningfuldataforNASA.MaureenKudlac,thankyouforsettingthe
bar on engineering excellence, and for supporting and encouraging me to pursue this
work. Frank Quinn and Jerry Vera, I thank you for all the design support. I am grateful
to Wesley Johnson for his support, encouragement, and friendship since the beginning
of my tenure at Glenn. I thank Leo Bolshinskiy for his thoughtful comments on every
one of our data reviews. I am also grateful to Don Jaekle for all of our interactions. You
truly strive for excellence, and your rigor and determination always supercharges me to
pursue the highest-quality workinthat same manner ofexcellence.
Iwouldliketoacknowledgeallofmyinternsthroughoutthecourseofthiswork.Itisan
overwhelmingfeelingofjoytoworkonchallengingtechnicalproblemswhilehavingthe
chancetoengagesomanyothersinservice.Myheartliesinworkingwithsincerestudents.
IthankRobWebb,OliviaPeachley,RonZeszut,andMichaelSchubertfortheirassistance
xvii
xviii Acknowledgments
intheearlystages,andAnthonySavas,KeatonKeefer,JeremyStyborski,andAalokPatel
for their assistance in the later years.Ithank my high school students, Dan Weis, Karan
Lamba, and Ben Lew, for their hard work. I am especially grateful to Samuel Darr for
our association throughouttheyears.
I acknowledge my colleagues at Case Western Reserve University, including
Dr.Kamotani,Dr.Kadambi,andespeciallyDr.Mann.Thankyouforyouryearsofservice
asinstructors,consultants,andpersonalfriends.IwouldalsoliketorecognizeDr.Alexis
Abramson, Dr. Donald Feke, and Dr. Jackie Sung for their support.
IacknowledgemydearfriendsPadmanabhaandGaurav.Padmanabha, withoutyour
constantsupportbothprofessionallyandemotionally,thisworkwouldnothavebeenpos-
sible.Ihavebeenblessedtohaveyouasacolleague,asamentor,andmostimportantlyas
adearfriendforsomanyyears.Yourdeepconcern,compassion,andencouragementwere
felt every single day. Gaurav, Ithank you for your support throughout the course of this
work and for keeping me on the straight and narrow. Our time together as colleagues
and friends inside and out of Case are some of my fondest memories. Your maturity
andlevel-headednessalsoinspiredmetoworkinaregulatedmanner.Youtwoprovided
the emotional backbone for making this work a reality.
Finally,Iacknowledgemyfamily.MomandDad,thankyouforalwaysencouragingme
toreachforthestars.Thankyouforsupportingmetopursuemydreamsanddesires,and
for your well wishes throughout myentirelife.Iamextremely gratefulto mydearsister
Lindsayforalwaysgivingmelovingsupportbothasasisterandasafriendthroughoutmy
life.Judy,thankyouforpushingmetopursuemydreamsandforhelpingmetoremain
fearless intheface of uncertainty. Thank you all.
1
Introduction
CHAPTER OUTLINE
1.1 TheFlexiblePath .......................................................................................................................1
1.2 FundamentalCryogenicFluids .................................................................................................3
1.3 MotivationforCryogenicPropulsionTechnologyDevelopment...........................................5
1.4 ExistingChallengeswithCryogenicPropellants .....................................................................5
1.5 CryogenicFluidManagementSubsystems ..............................................................................6
1.6 FutureCryogenicFluidManagementApplications .................................................................7
1.6.1 In-SpaceCryogenicEngines .............................................................................................7
1.6.2 In-SpaceCryogenicFuelDepots .......................................................................................9
1.7 PurposeofWorkandOverviewbyChapter .........................................................................11
Thepurposeofthischapteristogive anoverviewoftheprimaryfield ofapplicationfor
thiswork,namelyin-spacecryogenicpropulsionsystems.First,thecurrentpathofcryo-
genic propulsion technology development is outlined. Next, the four primary cryogenic
fluids of interest are briefly examined in terms of physical properties to familiarize the
reader.Then,existingchallengeswhenworkingwithcryogenicfluidsarediscussedaswell
currentmitigationstrategies.Finally,cryogenicpropellantenginesandcryogenicpropel-
lant depots are briefly examined to show how cryogenic fluid management devices are
required insidethe propellanttank,particularly propellant managementdevices.
1.1 The Flexible Path
Manned space exploration remains at the forefront of mankind’s relentless endeavor to
search, explore, and thus understand the physical universe. Despite the recent de-
emphasisonasinglemannedmissiontothesurfaceoftheMoon,theNationalAeronau-
ticsandSpaceAdministration(NASA),aswellascommercialspaceflightcommunitystill
maintains strong interest in human and robotic missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO)
environments. A new strategy for human exploration was recently outlined in the
Augustine Report, which shifts focus away from a single destination to that of several
(Augustine,2010).DeemedtheFlexiblePath,traveltoseverallocationsofinterestwillfol-
lowalogicalprogression;NASAwillcontinuetodevelopthetechnologynecessarytoorbit,
LiquidAcquisitionDevicesforAdvancedIn-SpaceCryogenicPropulsionSystems 1
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803989-2.00001-2
2016PublishedbyElsevierInc.
2 LIQUID ACQUISITION DEVICES FORCRYOGENICPROPULSIONSYSTEMS
probe,and eventually land on several celestial bodies of interest through an increase in
research and funding to relevant technologies in the coming years (Crawley and
Mindell,2010;Korsmeyeretal.,2010).Inherentinthisnewfocuswillbethedevelopment,
design, and optimization of the primary systems and subsystems of heavy launch lift
(HLL)vehicles,LEOvehicles(suchasin-spacefuelstorageandtransfervehicles,satellites,
etc.),roboticprobesandlanders,andeventually,vehicleswhichcouldpotentiallydeliver
robotsand humansto the surfacesof theMoon and Mars.
ThelogicalprogressionofspaceexplorationbeginswithdevelopingLEOsystems,fol-
lowedbytravelto Earth-Moon Lagrange points, then near Earth objects (NEOs)such as
asteroids,followedbyroboticsatellitestoprobetheMoon,Mars,andbeyond,roboticsur-
face missions, and finally manned surface missions. Necessary for the exploration and
studyoftheselocationsofinterestwillbethedevelopmentofnewandexistingpropulsion
capabilities required to send both human and robot afar. Therefore advanced in-space
propulsion systems, which are the backbone of any and all space flight programs, will
be required regardless ofthemission,destination, ordesire.
Theprimarythreein-spacepropulsionsystemsincludeelectric,chemical,andnuclear
systems.Theprimarymeasureoftheperformanceofaparticularpropulsionsystemisto
determine the non-dimensional specific impulse(ISP):
T
ISP¼ (1.1)
m_ g
prop
_
whereT isthrust,m isthetotalmassflowrateofpropellant,andgisgravity.ISPpro-
prop
vides a convenient method to compare efficiency of different propulsion systems. For
example,electricpropulsionsystemsgenerallyhaveveryhighISPandlowthrustrelative
tochemicalandnuclearsystems,whichmakesthembestsuitedforlongdurationrobotic
missionswherehumanlifesupportsystemsarenotrequired.However,forlongduration
mannedmissions,electricsystemsmaynotbeabletoprovideadequatethrusttopropel
humans to the final destination in a reasonable time. Comparatively, chemical and
nuclearsystemsaregenerallycharacterizedbylowerISP,butmuchhigherthrustrelative
to electric systems. Emphasis in the current work is on general cryogenic propulsion
technology development of cryogenic fluid management (CFM) components, which
has applications for both chemical and nuclear systems because long-term storage and
transfer ofcryogenicliquids is required for both systems.
AccordingtoNASA’slong-termspaceexplorationvision,thedevelopmentofcryogenic
propulsionsystemsremainsattheforefrontofitsresearchandtechnologydevelopment
program (NASA’s Space Technology Roadmaps, 2012). Cryogenic propellant technology
can be used to enable future high performance in-space engines, fuel storage depots
(defined in Section 1.6.2), life support systems, fuel cells, in-space resource utilization
(ISRU) systems, cooling, refrigeration, liquefaction, and will thus enable every one of
the aforementioned missions and destinations of interest. The challenge thus arises to
develop technology that is flexible, broad based, and applicable to multiple missions