Numerical modeling of Helium-II in forced flow conditions
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Ng, Y. S.↗
Engineering topics
Brooks, W. F.
Publications and source records attributed to Brooks, W. F..
Analytical study of He II flow characteristics in the SHOOT transfer line
Pressure and temperature profiles for He II flow in the transfer line for the Superfluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer (SHOOT) experiment are determined using a finite difference method to solve the one-dimensional two-fluid conservation equations. For practical purposes, forced flow of He II with Re greater than 10 to the 6th can be treated as a classical turbulent flow For a maximum SHOOT transfer rate of 800 cu dm/h, the temperature rise between the pump outlet and the receiver tank is about 80 mk with a 7-W heat load imposed on the 4-m-long transfer line. A pump outlet pressure of 160 torr is required to sustain the 800 cu dm/h flow without causing vapor formation within the transfer line.
Lee, J. H.↗
Cryogenic and thermal design for the Superfluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer (SHOOT) experiment
The analysis and trade-offs of the external thermal design of the two 200-liter dewars required in the SHOOT experiment to extend space mission life by superfluid helium replenishment are discussed. Also considered are the support electronics and the optimization and prediction of the performance of the dewar and cryostat assemblies. Particular attention is given to the ground-hold and standby performance of the dewars, along with the temperature of the helium bath during high-flow-rate helium transfers.
Lee, J. H.↗
System implications of aperture-shade design for the SIRTF Observatory
The 1-m-aperture Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) will operate with a sensitivity limited only by the zodiacal background. This sensitivity requirement places severe restrictions on the amount of stray light which can reach the focal plane from off-axis sources such as the sun or earth limb. In addition, radiation from these sources can degrade the lifetime of the telescope and instrument cryogenic system which is now planned for two years before the first servicing. Since the aperture of the telescope represents a break in the telescope insulation system and is effectively the first element in the optical train, the aperture shade is a key system component. The mass, length, and temperature of the shade should be minimized to reduce system cost while maximizing the telescope lifetime and stray light performance. The independent geometric parameters that characterize an asymmetrical shade for a 600 km, 28 deg orbit were identified, and the system sensitivity to the three most important shade parameters were explored. Despite the higher heat loads compared to previously studied polar orbit missions, the analysis determined that passive radiators of a reasonable size are sufficient to meet the system requirements. An optimized design for the SIRTF mission, based on the sensitivity analysis, is proposed.
Lee, J. H.↗
Thermal conductance of pressed brass contacts at liquid helium temperatures
An apparatus has been designed and fabricated which will measure the thermal conductance of pressed contacts at liquid helium temperatures as a function of applied force, with surface finish as a parameter. The apparatus is automated and was used to measure thermal conductance at temperatures from 1.5 to 6.5 K at applied forces up to 700 N for brass sample pairs having surface finishes from 0.1 to 1.6 micron rms. The experimental data were found to fit a simple power law where the thermal conductance is given by k = alpha T exp n, where k is the thermal conductance, T is the absolute temperature, and alpha and n are empirically determined constants.
Salerno, L. J.↗
Cryogenic and thermal design for the space infrared telescope facility (SIRTF)
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Lee, J. H.↗
Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) observatory design
The NASA Space IR Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is a 1-m aperture, cryogenically cooled IR observatory scheduled for launch into orbit in the mid-1990s. SIRTF will operate in the 2-700 micron range and yield a 1000-fold increase in sensitivity over NASA's IRAS observatory. A low inclination orbit compatible with Space Shuttle operations will be used. Results from comparisons of a system error budget allocation for the f/24 optical configuration with recent test data indicate that a figured fused silica mirror and a blade flexure mounting system can be cooled to cryogenic temperature while meeting required wavefront tolerances for substrate deformation. An all-He cooling system will be used in the low inclination orbit.
Brooks, W. F.↗
Cryogenic implications of orbit selection of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF)
An investigation has been conducted to determine how the choice of orbit for NASA's prospective Space IR Telescope Facility (SIRTF), between polar (99-deg) and low inclination (28.5-deg) alternatives, will affect the performance of the all-superfluid He-cooled IR optics employed. While the dewar design met both the service life and 200-micron background-limited performance criteria in the case of the polar orbit mission, the alternative orbit allowed the background-limited criteria to be met only 50 percent of the time. It is accordingly recommended that the 200-micron background-limited observations be made only for a limited portion of the mission, while meeting the 100-micron limit at all times.
Lee, J. H.↗
Temperature control of silica mirrors for cryogenically-cooled telescopes in space
The SIRTF (Space Infrared Telescope Facility) optical subsystem, including the primary mirror, has been modeled using lumped-parameter techniques and a thermal and cryogenic transient analysis program developed previously. Since silica mirrors have been shown to have significantly less distortion due to cryogenic cooldown, a silica primary mirror of approximately 1 m diameter is being considered. Thermal responses to variations in aperture heat load and heat sink temperature have been explored. Calculations have been made of system noise components from primary mirror spatial and temporal temperature variations. Background-limited infrared observations can be made at wavelengths out to 200 micrometers. Mirror thermal performance with and without copper wires for cooling is also considered.
Melugin, R. K.↗
Cryogenic and thermal design for the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF)
The 1-meter class cryogenically cooled Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) planned by NASA, is scheduled for a 1992 launch. SIRTF would be deployed from the Shuttle, and placed into a sun synchronous polar orbit of 700 km. The facility has been defined for a mission with a minimum initial lifetime of one year in orbit with mission extension that could be made possible through in-orbit servicing of the superfluid helium cryogenic system, and use of a thermal control system. The superfluid dewar would use an orbital disconnect system for the tank supports, and vapor cooling of the barrel baffle. The transient analysis of the design shows that the superfluid helium tank with no active feedback comes within temperature requirements for the nominal orbital aperture heat load, quiescent instrument, and chopper conditions.
Lee, J. H.↗
Single shot demountable self-contained He-3 refrigerator
The present investigation is concerned with the development of a self-contained demountable He-3 refrigerator which greatly increases the versatility of a cold-plate-style helium Dewar. The refrigerator is controlled by a single heater. The considered design makes it possible to achieve a temperature of 0.27 K without costly or time-consuming modifications to the Dewar. An example for an employment of a temperature of less than 1 K in space is related to the study of the critical behavior of He-3/He-4 mixtures in the absence of gravitational mixing. This requires a temperature of 0.87 K. Such low temperatures can also be utilized in the space operation of infrared telescopes. Attention is given to details of system design, the operating principles, and aspects of performance.
Kittel, P.↗
Progress report on the infrared astronomical satellite cryogenic system
The main cryogen tank is sized to hold 70 kg of superfluid helium with 12 percent ullage at a temperature of 1.8 K. The insulation system surrounds the main cryogen tank with four blankets of multilayer insulation spaced by means of three vapor-cooled shields. It is noted that the multilayer insulation is 6.4 micron double-aluminized Mylar separated by polyester net. The main shell provides the primary structural integrity of the system. In orbit the main shell is cooled to 170 K using insulation blankets on one side and second surface paint on the opposite side. The aperture cover subassembly is the vacuum seal for the main shell during operation on the ground. It is also a gas condensation trap before and during cooldown of the main cryogen tank during launch hold. It contains 6 kg of supercritical helium, which permits 14 days on orbit with a 48-hour launch pad hold.
Urbach, A. R.↗
Superfluid-supercritical helium tradeoff analysis for the Shuttle Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF)
A comparative study is made of three methods for obtaining the required cooling of the SIRTF. The first is a supercritical helium system in which the 2 K temperatures are obtained by a Joule-Thomson expander; the second is a superfluid (He II) helium system; and the third is a hybrid system in which supercritical helium provides the major cooling and small He II reservoirs supply specific detector cooling. The superfluid helium system is found to offer superior performance; it would be the system to use if funding were available. The comparative study gives equal weight to performance, operations, and cost. From this point of view, the hybrid system is selected as the best compromise to obtain an operational SIRTF.
Gier, H. L.↗
Orbital performance of a one-year lifetime superfluid helium dewar based on ground testing and computer modelling
The ground-test results of the 550-liter superfluid-He dewar built for IRAS are presented and discussed, and a computer projection of its orbital performance life is developed. The ground-testing program included flow-swap, cold-flow, power-off, hot/cold-viewport, and strap-thermal-efficiency tests. After one set of trials, some design changes were made, and the thermal-network computer model of the system was modified as well. The driving boundary conditions of dewar orbital operation used in this model are vacuum-shell temperature = 170 K, aperture heating = 8.0 mW, and focal-plane power dissipation = 16.2 mW. An operational lifetime of 319 days and an He loss rate of 2.54 mg/sec are predicted.
Hopkins, R. A.↗
Instrumentation, data acquisition and reduction for a large spaceborne helium dewar
The data acquisition system monitors five types of transducers: (1) platinum and germanium resistance thermometers; (2) superconducting liquid level indicators for both cryogen tanks; (3) pressure transducers for both tanks; (4) strain gauges at critical structural locations; and (5) flowmeters for monitoring cryogen tank boiloff which are linear voltage output transducers. All the transducers produce a voltage proportional to the parameter they measure; this is routed to a single six and one-half digit voltmeter by way of an 80-channel multiplexer. The data acquisition program has six main functions: (1) definition and modification of the channels to be stimulated; (2) sensor stimulation and measurement; (3) raw data storage; (4) raw data conversion; (5) real-time formatting and output of raw or converted data; and (6) editing. The heart of the program is a driver section that represents approximately 20 percent of the code. The driver mode sequences and controls the six main functions.
Brooks, W. F.↗