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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Jet mixing in low gravity - Results of the Tank Pressure Control Experiment

The Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) is discussed with attention given to the results for controlling storage-tank pressures by forced-convective mixing in microgravitational environments. The fluid dynamics of cryogenic fluids in space is simulated with freon-113 during axial-jet-induced mixing. The experimental flow-pattern data are found to confirm previous data as well as existing mixing correlations. Thermal nonuniformities and tank pressure can be reduced by employing low-energy mixing jets which are useful for enhancing heat/mass transfer between phases. It is found that space cryogenic systems based on the principle of active mixing can be more reliable and predictable than other methods, and continuous or periodic mixing can be accomplished with only minor energy addition to the fluid.

Bentz, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS2007

CFD Modeling of Helium Pressurant Effects on Cryogenic Tank Pressure Rise Rates in Normal Gravity

A recently developed computational fluid dynamics modeling capability for cryogenic tanks is used to simulate both self-pressurization from external heating and also depressurization from thermodynamic vent operation. Axisymmetric models using a modified version of the commercially available FLOW-3D software are used to simulate actual physical tests. The models assume an incompressible liquid phase with density that is a function of temperature only. A fully compressible formulation is used for the ullage gas mixture that contains both condensable vapor and a noncondensable gas component. The tests, conducted at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, include both liquid hydrogen and nitrogen in tanks with ullage gas mixtures of each liquid's vapor and helium. Pressure and temperature predictions from the model are compared to sensor measurements from the tests and a good agreement is achieved. This further establishes the accuracy of the developed FLOW-3D based modeling approach for cryogenic systems.

Grayson, Gary↗
NASA NTRS1992

Tank Pressure Control Experiment/thermal Phenomena (TPCE/TP)

The 'Tank Pressure Control Experiment/Thermal Phenomena (TPCE/TP)' is a reflight of the tank pressure control experiment (TPCE), flown on STS-43 in a standard Get-Away Special (GAS) container in August 1991. The TPCE obtained extensive video and digital data of the jet induced mixing process in a partially filled tank in low gravity environments. It also provided limited data on the thermal processes involved. The primary objective of the reflight of TPCE is to investigate experimentally the phenomena of liquid superheating and pool nucleate boiling at very low heat fluxes in a long duration low gravity environment. The findings of this experiment will be of direct relevance to space based subcritical cryogenic fluid system design and operation. Experiment hardware and results from the first TPCE are described in outline and graphic form.

Hasan, M. M.↗
NASA NTRS1969

Propellant tank pressurization analysis program

Propellant tank pressurization analysis program considers fluid densities related to pressures and temperatures acting on the components, heat transfer between the fluids, the components, the ambient, plus component volumes, materials, and configurations in the formation of a mathematical model. This program is written in FORTRAN H and MAP.

Epstein, M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Low-g fluid mixing - Further results from the Tank Pressure Control Experiment

The Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) made its first space flight on STS-43 in 1991. Its objective was to test the effectiveness of low-energy axial jet mixing at controlling pressures in low gravity. The experiment used refrigerant 113 at near-saturation conditions, at an 83 percent fill level, to simulate the fluid dynamics and thermodynamics of cryogenic fluids in future space applications. Results from this flight were reported previously. TPCE was again flown in space on STS-52 in 1992, this time primarily to study boiling and related thermal phenomena which will be reported elsewhere. However additional mixing and pressure control data were obtained from the reflight that supplement the data from the first flight.

Bentz, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Tank Pressure Control Experiment: Thermal Phenomena in Microgravity

The report presents the results of the flight experiment Tank Pressure Control Experiment/Thermal Phenomena (TPCE/TP) performed in the microgravity environment of the space shuttle. TPCE/TP, flown on the Space Transportation System STS-52, was a second flight of the Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE). The experiment used Freon 113 at near saturation conditions. The test tank was filled with liquid to about 83% by volume. The experiment consisted of 21 tests. Each test generally started with a heating phase to increase the tank pressure and to develop temperature stratification in the fluid, followed by a fluid mixing phase for the tank pressure reduction and fluid temperature equilibration. The heating phase provided pool boiling data from large (relative to bubble sizes) heating surfaces (0.1046 m by 0.0742 m) at low heat fluxes (0.23 to 1.16 kW/sq m). The system pressure and the bulk liquid subcooling varied from 39 to 78 kPa and 1 to 3 C, respectively. The boiling process during the entire heating period, as well as the jet-induced mixing process for the first 2 min of the mixing period, was also recorded on video. The unique features of the experimental results are the sustainability of high liquid superheats for long periods and the occurrence of explosive boiling at low heat fluxes (0.86 to 1.1 kW/sq m). For a heat flux of 0.97 kW/sq m, a wall superheat of 17.9 C was attained in 10 min of heating. This superheat was followed by an explosive boiling accompanied by a pressure spike of about 38% of the tank pressure at the inception of boiling. However, at this heat flux the vapor blanketing the heating surface could not be sustained. Steady nucleate boiling continued after the explosive boiling. The jet-induced fluid mixing results were obtained for jet Reynolds numbers of 1900 to 8000 and Weber numbers of 0.2 to 6.5. Analyses of data from the two flight experiments (TPCE and TPCE/TP) and their comparison with the results obtained in drop tower experiments suggest that as Bond number approaches zero the flow pattern produced by an axial jet and the mixing time can be predicted by the Weber number.

Hasan, Mohammad M.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The ZBOT-NC Experiment - Effects of Non-Condensable Gases on Propellant Tank Pressurization and Pressure Control

Introduction Integral to all phases of NASA’s projected planetary expeditions is affordable and reliable cryogenic fluid storage for use in propellant or life support systems. It is greatly advantageous to develop innovative vent-less pressure control designs based on cooling/mixing of the bulk tank fluid to allow storage of the cryogenic fluid with zero or reduced boil-off. The presence of noncondensable gases, can interfere with the condensation at the interface impacting tank pressure control during subcooled jet mixing especially in microgravity. The Zero-Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) Experiments are a series of small-scale experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that use a transparent volatile simulant fluid in a transparent sealed tank to delineate various fundamental fluid flow, heat and mass transport, and phase change phenomena associated with storage tank pressurization and pressure control in microgravity. The ZBOT-1 experiment was performed on the ISS 2017-2018 timeframe and collected data to validate a state-of-the-art CFD model for tank pressurization and pressure control for a pure system. The ZBOT-NC Experiment is the second experiment in the series to be performed on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2025. Its goal is to investigate the effects of noncondensable gases on interfacial evaporation and condensation during self -pressurization and jet-mixing pressure control in microgravity for a two-component system. Materials & Methods In this work, we will describe the detailed features of the ZBOT-NC experimental hardware and Diagnostics that includes nonintrusive Quantum Dot Thermometry (QDT) for whole field temperature measurement. All microgravity pressurization and pressure control tests will be performed for both the pure and the two-components systems with Xenon and Neon as the two noncondensable gases spanning small and large molecular weights and sizes. The two-phase CFD model that is developed as part of the project will be also presented and discussed. Results Ground-based pressurization and jet mixing experiments and CFD simulation results are compared to each other to validate both the fidelity of the CFD model predictions and the accuracy of the QDT measurement. Model simulations for noncondensable gas effects will also be compared against large Cryogenic LH2-GHe experiments to indicate the noncondensable gas effects on tank pressure control during jet mixing in 1G. Finally, CFD results will be presented to predict the effects of the noncondensable gas during subcooled jet mixing during the ZBOT-NC in advance of the microgravity experiment in 2015.

Evaporation Condensation↗
NASA NTRS2015

Numerical Investigation of Microgravity Tank Pressure Rise Due to Boiling

The ability to control self-pressurization in cryogenic storage tanks is essential for NASAs long-term space exploration missions. Predictions of the tank pressure rise in Space are needed in order to inform the microgravity design and optimization process. Due to the fact that natural convection is very weak in microgravity, heat leaks into the tank can create superheated regions in the liquid. The superheated regions can instigate microgravity boiling, giving rise to pressure spikes during self-pressurization. In this work, a CFD model is developed to predict the magnitude and duration of the microgravity pressure spikes. The model uses the Schrage equation to calculate the mass transfer, with a different accommodation coefficient for evaporation at the interface, condensation at the interface, and boiling in the bulk liquid. The implicit VOF model was used to account for the moving interface, with bounded second order time discretization. Validation of the models predictions was carried out using microgravity data from the Tank Pressure Control Experiment, which flew aboard the Space Shuttle Mission STS-52. Although this experiment was meant to study pressurization and pressure control, it underwent boiling during several tests. The pressure rise predicted by the CFD model compared well with the experimental data. The ZBOT microgravity experiment is scheduled to fly on February 2016 aboard the ISS. The CFD model was also used to perform simulations for setting parametric limits for the Zero-Boil-Off Tank (ZBOT) Experiments Test Matrix in an attempt to avoid boiling in the majority of the test runs that are aimed to study pressure increase rates during self-pressurization. *Supported in part by NASA ISS Physical Sciences Research Program, NASA HQ, USA

pressure rise↗
NASA NTRS2014

Pressure-Volume-Temperature (PVT) Gauging of an Isothermal Cryogenic Propellant Tank Pressurized with Gaseous Helium

Results are presented for pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) gauging of a liquid oxygen/liquid nitrogen tank pressurized with gaseous helium that was supplied by a high-pressure cryogenic tank simulating a cold helium supply bottle on a spacecraft. The fluid inside the test tank was kept isothermal by frequent operation of a liquid circulation pump and spray system, and the propellant tank was suspended from load cells to obtain a high-accuracy reference standard for the gauging measurements. Liquid quantity gauging errors of less than 2 percent of the tank volume were obtained when quasi-steady-state conditions existed in the propellant and helium supply tanks. Accurate gauging required careful attention to, and corrections for, second-order effects of helium solubility in the liquid propellant plus differences in the propellant/helium composition and temperature in the various plumbing lines attached to the tanks. On the basis of results from a helium solubility test, a model was developed to predict the amount of helium dissolved in the liquid as a function of cumulative pump operation time. Use of this model allowed correction of the basic PVT gauging calculations and attainment of the reported gauging accuracy. This helium solubility model is system specific, but it may be adaptable to other hardware systems.

VanDresar, Neil T.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Tank Pressure Control Experiment: Thermal Phenomena in Microgravity. Video 2 of 4

The report presents the results of the flight experiment Tank Pressure Control Experiment/Thermal Phenomena (TPCE/TP) performed in the microgravity environment of the space shuttle. TPCE/TP, flown on the Space Transportation System STS-52, was a second flight of the Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE). The experiment used Freon 113 at near saturation conditions. The test tank was filled with liquid to about 83 percent by volume. The experiment consisted of 21 tests. Each test generally started with a heating phase to increase the tank pressure and to develop temperature stratification in the fluid, followed by a fluid mixing phase for the tank pressure reduction and fluid temperature equilibration. The heating phase provided pool boiling data from large (relative to bubble sizes) heating surfaces (0.1046 m by 0.0742 m) at low heat fluxes (0.23 to 1.16 kW/m(exp 2)). The system pressure and the bulk liquid subcooling varied from 39 to 78 kPa and 1 to 3 deg C, respectively. The boiling process during the entire heating period, as well a jet-induced mixing process for the first 2 min. of the mixing period, was also recorded on video. Analyses of data from the two flight experiments (TPCE and TPCE/TP) and their comparison with the results obtained in drop tower experiments suggest that as Bond number approaches zero the flow pattern produced by an axial jet and the mixing time can be predicted by the Weber number. This is video 2 of 4.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1996

Tank Pressure Control Experiment: Thermal Phenomena in Microgravity. Video 4 of 4

The report presents the results of the flight experiment Tank Pressure Control Experiment/Thermal Phenomena (TPCE/TP) performed in the microgravity environment of the space shuttle. TPCE/TP, flown on the Space Transportation System STS-52, was a second flight of the Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE). The experiment used Freon 113 at near saturation conditions. The test tank was filled with liquid to about 83 percent by volume. The experiment consisted of 21 tests. Each test generally started with a heating phase to increase the tank pressure and to develop temperature stratification in the fluid, followed by a fluid mixing phase for the tank pressure reduction and fluid temperature equilibration. The heating phase provided pool boiling data from large (relative to bubble sizes) heating surfaces (0.1046 m by 0.0742 m) at low heat fluxes (0.23 to 1.16 kW/m(exp 2)). The system pressure and the bulk liquid subcooling varied from 39 to 78 kPa and 1 to 3 deg C, respectively. The boiling process during the entire heating period, as well a jet-induced mixing process for the first 2 min. of the mixing period, was also recorded on video. Analyses of data from the two flight experiments (TPCE and TPCE/TP) and their comparison with the results obtained in drop tower experiments suggest that as Bond number approaches zero the flow pattern produced by an axial jet and the mixing time can be predicted by the Weber number. This is video 4 of 4.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1996

Tank Pressure Control Experiment: Thermal Phenomena in Microgravity. Video 1 of 4

The report presents the results of the flight experiment Tank Pressure Control Experiment/Thermal Phenomena (TPCE/TP) performed in the microgravity environment of the space shuttle. TPCE/TP, flown on the Space Transportation System STS-52, was a second flight of the Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE). The experiment used Freon 113 at near saturation conditions. The test tank was filled with liquid to about 83 percent by volume. The experiment consisted of 21 tests. Each test generally started with a heating phase to increase the tank pressure and to develop temperature stratification in the fluid, followed by a fluid mixing phase for the tank pressure reduction and fluid temperature equilibration. The heating phase provided pool boiling data from large (relative to bubble sizes) heating surfaces (0.1046 m by 0.0742 m) at low heat fluxes (0.23 to 1.16 kW/m(exp 2)). The system pressure and the bulk liquid subcooling varied from 39 to 78 kPa and 1 to 3 deg C, respectively. The boiling process during the entire heating period, as well a jet-induced mixing process for the first 2 min. of the mixing period, was also recorded on video. Analyses of data from the two flight experiments (TPCE and TPCE/TP) and their comparison with the results obtained in drop tower experiments suggest that as Bond number approaches zero the flow pattern produced by an axial jet and the mixing time can be predicted by the Weber number. This is video 1 of 4.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1996

Tank Pressure Control Experiment: Thermal Phenomena in Microgravity. Video 3 of 4

The report presents the results of the flight experiment Tank Pressure Control Experiment/Thermal Phenomena (TPCE/TP) performed in the microgravity environment of the space shuttle. TPCE/TP, flown on the Space Transportation System STS-52, was a second flight of the Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE). The experiment used Freon 113 at near saturation conditions. The test tank was filled with liquid to about 83 percent by volume. The experiment consisted of 21 tests. Each test generally started with a heating phase to increase the tank pressure and to develop temperature stratification in the fluid, followed by a fluid mixing phase for the tank pressure reduction and fluid temperature equilibration. The heating phase provided pool boiling data from large (relative to bubble sizes) heating surfaces (0.1046 m by 0.0742 m) at low heat fluxes (0.23 to 1.16 kW/m(exp 2)). The system pressure and the bulk liquid subcooling varied from 39 to 78 kPa and 1 to 3 deg C, respectively. The boiling process during the entire heating period, as well a jet-induced mixing process for the first 2 min. of the mixing period, was also recorded on video. Analyses of data from the two flight experiments (TPCE and TPCE/TP) and their comparison with the results obtained in drop tower experiments suggest that as Bond number approaches zero the flow pattern produced by an axial jet and the mixing time can be predicted by the Weber number. This is video 3 of 4.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1989

Tank Pressure Control Experiment on the Space Shuttle

The tank pressure control experiment is a demonstration of NASA intent to develop new technology for low-gravity management of the cryogenic fluids that will be required for future space systems. The experiment will use freon as the test fluid to measure the effects of jet-induced fluid mixing on storage tank pressure and will produce data on low-gravity mixing processes critical to the design of on-orbit cryogenic storage and resupply systems. Basic data on fluid motion and thermodynamics in low gravity is limited, but such data is critical to the development of space transfer vehicles and spacecraft resupply facilities. An in-space experiment is needed to obtain reliable data on fluid mixing and pressure control because none of the available microgravity test facilities provide a low enough gravity level for a sufficient duration to duplicate in-space flow patterns and thermal processes. Normal gravity tests do not represent the fluid behavior properly; drop-tower tests are limited in length of time available; aircraft low-gravity tests cannot provide the steady near-zero gravity level and long duration needed to study the subtle processes expected in space.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE)

The Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) is a small self-contained STS payload designed to test a jet mixer for cryogenic fluid pressure control. Viewgraphs are presented that describe project organization, experiment objectives and approach, risk management, payload concept and mission plan, and initial test data.

Bentz, Mike↗
NASA NTRS1990

Tank Pressure Control Experiment - A low-g mixing investigation

The Tank Pressure Control Experiment (TPCE) was conceived to meet the need for an aspect of cryogenic fluid management technology that is critical to several future national space missions: control of cryogenic storage tank pressures by active mixing. In-space testing is the only means of obtaining the fluid dynamic data necessary to develop and test predictive models of mixing. These models, when validated, will allow future cryogenic systems to be designed with more efficient and reliable pressure control systems. The objectives of the TPCE project are to characterize the fluid dynamics of jet-induced mixing in low gravity, evaluate the validity of empirical models and correlations, and provide data for use in developing and validating computational fluid dynamic models. This paper discusses prior studies of low-g mixing, the objectives and benefits of TPCE, the design and status of the payload, and preliminary results obtained from low-g aircraft testing.

Bentz, M. D.↗