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NASA NTRS1999

Enhanced Boiling on Micro-Configured Composite Surfaces Under Microgravity Conditions

In order to accommodate the growing thermal management needs of future space platforms, several two-phase active thermal control systems (ATCSs) have evolved and were included in the designs of space stations. Compared to the pumped single-phase liquid loops used in the conventional Space Transportation System and Spacelab, ATCSs offer significant benefits that may be realized by adopting a two-phase fluid-loop system. Alternately, dynamic power systems (DPSs), based on the Rankine cycle, seem inevitably to be required to supply the electrical power requirements of expanding space activities. Boiling heat transfer is one of the key technologies for both ATCSs and DPSs. Nucleate boiling near critical heat flux (CHF) can transport very large thermal loads with much smaller device size and much lower pumping power. However, boiling performance deteriorates in a reduced gravity environment and operation in the CHF regime is precarious because any slight overload will cause the heat transfer to suddenly move to the film boiling regime, which in turn, will result in burnout of the heat transfer surfaces. New materials, such as micro-configured metal-graphite composites, can provide a solution for boiling enhancement. It has been shown experimentally that this type of material manifests outstanding boiling heat transfer performance and their CHF is also extended to higher values. Due to the high thermal conductivity of graphite fiber (up to 1,200 W/m-K in the fiber direction), the composite surfaces are non-isothermal during the boiling process. The composite surfaces are believed to have a much wider safe operating region (a more uniform boiling curve in the CHF regime) because non-isothermal surfaces have been found to be less sensitive to variations of wall superheat in the CHF regime. The thermocapillary forces formed by the temperature difference between the fiber tips and the metal matrix play a more important role than the buoyancy in the bubble detachment, for the bubble detachment manifests itself by a necking process which should not be weakened by reduced gravity. In addition, the composite surfaces introduce no extra pressure drop, no fouling and do not impose significant primary or maintenance costs. All of these suggest that this type of composite is an ideal material for the challenge of accounting for both reliability and economy of the relevant components applied in the ATCSs, the DPSs and other devices in future space missions. The aim of the proposed work is to experimentally investigate high nucleate pool boiling performance on a micro-configured metal-graphite composite surface and to determine the mechanisms of the nucleate boiling heat transfer both experimentally and theoretically. Freon-113 and water will be used as the test liquids to investigate wettability effects on boiling characteristics. The Cu-Gr and Al-Gr composites with various volume fractions of graphite fibers will be tested to obtain the heat transfer characteristic data in the nucleate boiling region and in the CHF regime. In the experiments, the bubble emission and coalescence processes will be recorded by a video camera with a magnifying borescope probe immersed in the working fluid. The temperature profile in the thermal boundary layer on the composite surfaces will be measured by a group of micro thermocouples consisting of four ultra fine micro thermocouples. This instrument was developed and successfully used to measure the temperature profile of evaporating liquid thin layers by the proposers in a study performed at the NASA/Lewis Research Center. A two tier model to explain the nucleate boiling process and the performance enhancement on the composite surfaces has been suggested by the authors. According to the model, the thicknesses of the microlayer and the macrolayer underneath the bubbles and mushrooms, can be estimated by the geometry of the composite surface. The experimental results will be compared to the predictions from the model, and in turn, to revise and improve it.

Zhang, Nengli↗

NASA NTRS2023

Experimental Investigation of Flow Orientation Effects on Cryogenic Flow Boiling

Cryogenic flow boiling physics is of paramount importance for future cryogenic space applications employing Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM) technologies. This experimental study investigates the two-phase flow and heat transfer performance of LN 2 flow boiling across five distinct flow orientations: vertical upflow, vertical downflow, horizontal flow, 45° inclined upflow, and 45° inclined downflow. The study employed the steady- state heating method within a circular heated tube featuring an 8.5-mm inner diameter and a 680-mm heated length. High-speed video recordings were utilized to capture two-phase flow patterns and interfacial behaviors across various flow orientations. The experiments covered a wide range of operating conditions, including mass velocities ranging from 351.80 to 1572.77 kg/m 2 s and inlet pressures from 297.14 to 1032.97 kPa, primarily with near-saturated inlet subcooling. Distinct two-phase flow patterns and regime transitions were identified for each flow orientation. Symmetrical flow patterns were evident in vertical orientations, whereas non-vertical orientations exhibited asymmetric flow stratifications, primarily influenced by the buoyancy force in a terrestrial gravity environment. Bubble dynamic parameters were quantified, and bubble collision and dispersion phenomena were visualized. Analyzing heat transfer performance based on local flow boiling curves and variations in heat transfer coefficients (HTCs), it was observed that vertical upflow demonstrated the most enhanced heat transfer performance, while vertical downflow exhibited the lowest. As mass velocity exceeded 830 kg/ m 2 s, the differences in heat transfer among orientations became less distinct, emphasizing the role of flow inertia in mitigating the influence of flow orientation. A direct comparison of microgravity HTC data from a recent study by the authors against the 1-𝘨 e HTC data indicated enhanced heat transfer performance in microgravity for flow orientation configurations in terrestrial gravity. However, this enhancement progressively diminished as the heat flux increased. Distinct HTC trends were observed as mass velocity increased for different flow orientations and gravity levels.

Cryogens↗

NASA NTRS2022

Flow Visualization, Heat Transfer, and Critical Heat Flux of Flow Boiling in Earth Gravity with Saturated Liquid-Vapor Mixture Inlet Conditions – In Preparation for Experiments Onboard the International Space Station

This study investigates flow boiling of n-Perfluorohexane with saturated two-phase mixture inlet in a rectangular channel of dimensions 114.6-mm heated length, 2.5-mm width, and 5 mm-height. The experiments were performed as part of the Mission Sequence Testing of the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment’s (FBCE) Flow Boiling Module (FBM) in the vertical upflow configuration in Earth gravity using the same experimental system that was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in August 2021. The operating parameters varied are heating configuration (single- and double-sided), mass velocity (380 – 2400 kg/m2s), inlet quality (0.011 – 0.519), and inlet pressure (120 – 179 kPa). High-speed video photographs are presented to explain the two-phase flow patterns within the channel’s heated length. Flow patterns are constituted by low-density and high-density fronts moving along the channel, with the high-density fronts gradually reducing in length due to evaporation. Heat transfer results in terms of flow boiling curves, streamwise wall temperature profiles, streamwise heat transfer coefficient profiles, and average heat transfer coefficients are presented and trends discussed. CHF data from the present experiments are combined with prior databases to compile a consolidated FBCE-CHF database for saturated inlet to expand the ranges of operating conditions and include other flow orientations in Earth gravity. Experimental CHF trends are also discussed. The interfacial lift-off model shows a good CHF predictive accuracy evidenced by a mean absolute error of 11.97% for this consolidated database after constraining it to mass velocities greater than or equal to 500 kg/m2s. Finally, this study confirmed reliability of the upcoming ISS experiments for saturated inlet conditions and the collected Earth-gravity data will be compared to ISS microgravity data.

Flow boiling↗

NASA NTRS1972

Subcooled forced convection boiling of trichlorotrifluoroethane

Experimental heat-transfer data were obtained for the forced-convection boiling of trichlorotrifluoroethane (R-113 or Freon-113) in a vertical annular test annular test section. The 97 data points obtained covered heat transfer by forced convection, local boiling, and fully-developed boiling. Correlating methods were obtained which accurately predicted the heat flux as a function of wall superheat (boiling curve) over the range of parameters studied.

Dougall, R. S.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Boiling inception in trichlorotrifluoroethane during forced convection at high pressures

The inception of bubbles during forced convection was studied experimentally by using trichlorotrifluoroethane (R-113 or Freon-113). The experiments were performed in a rectangular channel, 12.7 x 9.5 mm in cross section. Heating was from a 3.2 mm wide strip embedded in the longer side of the channel. The pressures studied ranged from 3.6 to 20.7 bar, mass velocities from 700 to 600 kg/sq m/sec, and inlet subcoolings from 26 to 97 C. Photographs of the flow were used to determine when bubbles first appeared on the heated surface. These data were compared with wall temperature measurements and inception theories. A reasonable method for calculating the complete boiling curve was found to agree with these results.

Dougall, R. S.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Conceptual design for spacelab pool boiling experiment

A pool boiling heat transfer experiment to be incorporated with a larger two-phase flow experiment on Spacelab was designed to confirm (or alter) the results of earth-normal gravity experiments which indicate that the hydrodynamic peak and minimum pool boiling heat fluxes vanish at very low gravity. Twelve small sealed test cells containing water, methanol or Freon 113 and cylindrical heaters of various sizes are to be built. Each cell will be subjected to one or more 45 sec tests in which the surface heat flux on the heaters is increased linearly until the surface temperature reaches a limiting value of 500 C. The entire boiling process will be photographed in slow-motion. Boiling curves will be constructed from thermocouple and electric input data, for comparison with the motion picture records. The conduct of the experiment will require no more than a few hours of operator time.

Lienhard, J. H.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Three-Dimensional CFD Simulations in the Film Boiling Regime During Liquid Nitrogen Chilldown Process

The paper presents a three-dimensional CFD simulation for predicting the liquid nitrogen chilldown process through a SS-304 tube. A dispersed mixture model has been employed to predict the two-phase flow behavior whereas the Lee phase change model has been used to predict the boiling process. Cryogenic chilldown process starts with a pure vapor region and proceeds to film, transition and nucleate boiling regimes before reaching the single phase liquid flow and complete chilldown of the transfer line. The present numerical model predicted the film boiling regime accurately and the slope of the chilldown curve deviates slightly from the experimental curve towards the transition and nucleate boiling regime, which needs further investigation. The contours of liquid volume fraction and temperature profiles has been presented to understand the inverted annular film flows in the film boiling regime in detail. In future, the present CFD model will be extended to a wide range of chilldown conditions and different cryogenic fluids to develop a robust methodology.

CFD↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Recent Ground-based Test Results for the Closed Loop Two-Phase Flow Chilldown Test Module for Future Integration with the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment onboard International Space Station

Effective cryogenic fluid management is important to the success of future manned and unmanned NASA missions, and the transfer line chilldown process is recognized as a key technological challenge. To address this challenge, the Two-phase Flow and Thermal Management Lab (TFTML) at Case Western Reserve University is collaborating with NASA Glenn Research Center to develop, test and deploy a closed loop two-phase flow chilldown test section onboard the International Space Station to be integrated with the current Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) module. The final results of this project will create the first chilldown process database under pure and sustained microgravity conditions and will significantly advance the understanding of the chilldown process for cryogenic fluid management. In the present work, the ground-based test results of the closed loop SS-316 chilldown test section in a horizontal configuration at varying inlet mass flow rates (3-40 g/s) and inlet liquid subcooling (5-35 0C) are presented. The working fluid is PF-5060 and the chilldown curves captured the entire quenching curve involving the different boiling regimes and temperature transition points viz., film boiling, Leidenfrost/re-wetting point, transition boiling, critical heat flux (CHF), nucleate boiling, onset of nucleate boiling (ONB) and single-phase liquid flow regions, when the test section is pre-heated to around 250 0C. The major findings of the present study are, (i) the bottom part of the test section sees a lower re-wetting temperature due to the horizontal flow configuration, (ii) the re-wetting temperatures are relatively unaffected by inlet liquid mass flow rates though the increase in mass flow rates reduce the chilldown time, and (iii) the re-wetting temperatures decrease with decrease in inlet liquid subcooling. Further, preliminary flow visualization studies in a transparent pyrex test section will also be presented to understand the intricate flow boiling regime transitions during the chilldown process.

ISS↗

NASA NTRS1992

Space nuclear power systems 1989; Proceedings of the 6th Symposium, Albuquerque, NM, Jan. 8-12, 1989. Vols. 1 & 2

The present conference discusses such space nuclear power (SNP) issues as current design trends for SDI applications, ultrahigh heat-flux systems with curved surface subcooled nucleate boiling, design and manufacturing alternatives for low cost production of SNPs, a lightweight radioisotope heater for the Galileo mission, compatible materials for uranium fluoride-based gas core SNPs, Johnson noise thermometry for SNPs, and uranium nitride/rhenium compatibility studies for the SP-100 SNP. Also discussed are system issues in antimatter energy conversion, the thermal design of a heat source for a Brayton cycle radioisotope power system, structural and thermal analyses of an isotope heat source, a novel plant protection strategy for transient reactors, and beryllium toxicity.

El-Genk, Mohamed S.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Numerical Predictions of the Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics in the Film Boiling Regime During Tube Quenching

Cryogenic fluid management plays a major role in refueling of spacecrafts while in space for NASA’s future human space exploration missions. Due to the low boiling points of cryogens, storage, transport and handling of these fluids becomes difficult and may result in inefficient operation of the space propulsion systems. For refueling applications in space, the cryogenic fluids have to be transported across different locations and hence, the transfer of cryogenic fluids through pipes become critical. The cryogenic chill-down process is characterized by different regimes of flow boiling, viz., film boiling, transition boiling and nucleate boiling. The prediction of these regimes in a single CFD framework available in the literature is challenging and the present work attempts to address this challenge by initially modeling the film boiling regime accurately and to incorporate an user-defined function for transition and nucleate boiling at a later stage. Hence, the aim of the present work is to numerically model and validate the film boiling regime of the chilldown curve for liquid nitrogen experiments available in the literature. The validations are carried out at different inlet mass fluxes to have a robust simulation methodology. A dispersed mixture model is used to predict the vapor-liquid interface dynamics with the phase change phenomena modeled using the Lee model.

line chilldown↗

NASA NTRS1987

Centrifugal inertia effects in two-phase face seal films

A simplified, semianalytical model has been developed to analyze the effect of centrifugal inertia in two-phase face seals. The model is based on the assumption of isothermal flow through the seal, but at an elevated temperature, and takes into account heat transfer and boiling. Using this model, seal performance curves are obtained with water as the working fluid. It is shown that the centrifugal inertia of the fluid reduces the load-carrying capacity dramatically at high speeds and that operational instability exists under certain conditions. While an all-liquid seal may be starved at speeds higher than a 'critical' value, leakage always occurs under boiling conditions.

Basu, P.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Experimental Studies on the Effect of Inlet Liquid Subcooling on the Chilldown Characteristics of Stainless Steel Tubes

Understanding transfer line chilldown process under microgravity is important for the efficient transfer of cryogenic propellants in space fuel depots to facilitate future long duration space missions. The present work is part of the ongoing efforts to develop and test a two-phase flow chilldown test section to study the complete chilldown process under sustained microgravity conditions onboard the International Space Station. In this study, ground-based chilldown experiments are carried out on a 60 cm long SS-316 test section with PF-5060 as the working fluid. The complete chilldown curve was obtained including the film, transition and nucleate boiling regimes along with the temperature transition points. The effect of inlet liquid subcooling on the behavior of the chilldown curves are presented. Further, the chilldown and heat flux curves are analyzed to obtain re-wetting/Leidenfrost and onset of nucleate boiling temperature transition points as well as the critical heat flux values. The effect of inlet liquid subcooling on regime-specific heat flux and heat transfer coefficients are also examined.

CFD↗

NASA NTRS2011

New Technique for Cryogenically Cooling Small Test Articles

Convective heat removal techniques to rapidly cool small test articles to Earth-Moon L2 temperatures of 77 K were accomplished through the use of liquid nitrogen (LN2). By maintaining a selected pressure range on the saturation curve, test articles were cooled below the LN2 boiling point at ambient pressure in less than 30 min. Difficulties in achieving test pressures while maintaining the temperature tolerance necessitated a modification to the original system to include a closed loop conductive cold plate and cryogenic shroud

Rodriquez, Karen M.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Numerical Simulation of Liquid Nitrogen Chilldown of a Vertical Tube

This paper presents the results of a one-dimensional numerical simulation of the transient chilldown of a vertical stainless steel tube with liquid nitrogen. The direction of flow is downward (with gravity) through the tube. Heat transfer correlations for film, transition, and nucleate boiling, as well as critical heat flux, rewetting temperature, and the temperature at the onset of nucleate boiling were used to model the convection to the tube wall. Chilldown curves from the simulations were compared with data from 55 recent liquid nitrogen chilldown experiments. With these new correlations the simulation is able to predict the time to rewetting temperature and time to onset of nucleate boiling to within 25% for mass fluxes ranging from 61.2 to 1150 kg/(sq m s), inlet pressures from 175 to 817 kPa, and subcooled inlet temperatures from 0 to 14 K below the saturation temperature.

GFSSP↗

NASA NTRS1987

Review of nucleation and incipient boiling under pool and forced convection conditions

An overview of liquid-vapor nucleation is given. The result of thermodynamic equilibrium across curved liquid-vapor interfaces is presented. The extension of this to include the interaction with idealizations of surface cavities is made to demonstrate how superheat requirements for nucleation will be affected by surface roughness, flow velocity and buoyancy. Experimental measurements of high liquid superheats and nucleation delay times are presented as examples of homogeneous nucleation. Examples of nucleation and boiling on smooth glass substrates and on metal surfaces with various surface roughnesses are presented.

Merte, Herman, Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Flow boiling with enhancement devices for cold plate coolant channel design

Future space exploration and commercialization will require more efficient heat rejection systems. For the required heat transfer rates, such systems must use advanced heat transfer techniques. Forced two phase flow boiling heat transfer with enhancements falls in this category. However, moderate to high quality two phase systems tend to require higher pressure losses. This report is divided into two major parts: (1) Multidimensional wall temperature measurement and heat transfer enhancement for top heated horizontal channels with flow boiling; and (2) Improved analytical heat transfer data reduction for a single side heated coolant channel. Part 1 summarizes over forty experiments which involve both single phase convection and flow boiling in a horizontal channel heated externally from the top side. Part 2 contains parametric dimensionless curves with parameters such as the coolant channel radius ratio, the Biot number, and the circumferential coordinate.

Boyd, Ronald D.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Simulations of Cryogenic Line Chilldown with Advanced Sub-Grid Wall Boiling Models

A meso-scale model developed at MIT [2][11] for boiling processes in water was adapted for cryogens and demonstrated for chilldown of propellant transfer lines in both liquid nitrogen and hydrogen. The sub-grid boiling model accurately captures the contributions to heat transfer from the generation of bubble nuclei, growth, and interaction of the bubbles in the microlayer as well as quenching of the boiling surface following bubble departure. It was adapted for cryogenic fluids using thermodynamic scaling concepts taking into account non-dimensional pressures and temperatures that are scaled by the corresponding critical values for the fluid. The boiling model was demonstrated for line chilldown in liquid nitrogen (Darr et al. [6]). The predicted wall temperature at which quenching occurs was close to the test data while the slope of the temperature curve after quenching is initiated, showing a steeper variation than the test data. Simulations were also performed for liquid hydrogen by simulating experiments of Hartwig et al. [7]. Chilldown times in liquid hydrogen are much more rapid due to higher heat transfer in the film boiling regime and accounting for the higher turbulence levels were found to be important. Furthermore, at the much lower fluid temperatures in liquid hydrogen flows, accounting for the variable thermal properties of the solid material is critical and has a dramatic impact on the quench times. The need for additional studies to better understand the evolution of the quench front in liquid hydrogen was noted.

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Simulations of Cryogenic Line Chilldown with Advanced Sub-Grid Wall Boiling Models

Computational Fluid Dynamics↗