Validation of Thermodynamic Vent System Performance using Thermal Desktop

Erin M. Tesny; Daniel M. Hauser

NASA NTRS · 20220012863

Validation of Thermodynamic Vent System Performance using Thermal Desktop

Abstract

Cryogenic fluid management (CFM) for in-space propulsion systems is crucial to enabling future space missions. A means to control the pressure inside a propellant tank is necessary to prevent the venting of liquid propellant in microgravity environments. A thermodynamic vent system (TVS) is one way to regulate the pressure and temperature of the fluid inside a tank. A previous study created a simplified model of a TVS in a two-phase cryogenic heat exchanger. The TVS expands the working fluid across a Joule-Thomson (J-T) device and routes the cooled fluid through the heat exchanger to remove heat from the surrounding fluid. The model was able to predict the TVS heat extraction performance and was validated against experimental data using the same hardware. This study expands the model of the TVS into Thermal Desktop (TD) and recreates the results from both the original model and the experimental data. This new TD model has the potential to be used to predict TVS heat extraction performance in cryogenic propellant tanks for future space missions.

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Erin M. Tesny, Daniel M. Hauser. Validation of Thermodynamic Vent System Performance using Thermal Desktop. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20220012863

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