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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2007

Liquid Bismuth Propellant Flow Sensor

Quantifying the propellant mass flow rate in liquid bismuth-fed electric propulsion systems has two challenging facets. First, the flow sensors must be capable of providing a resolvable measurement at propellant mass flow rates on the order of 10 mg/see with and uncertainty of less that 5%. The second challenge has to do with the fact that the materials from which the flow sensors are fabricated must be capable of resisting any of the corrosive effects associated with the high-temperature propellant. The measurement itself is necessary in order to properly assess the performance (thrust efficiency, Isp) of thruster systems in the laboratory environment. The hotspot sensor[I] has been designed to provide the bismuth propellant mass flow rate measurement. In the hotspot sensor, a pulse of thermal energy (derived from a current pulse and associated joule heating) is applied near the inlet of the sensor. The flow is "tagged" with a thermal feature that is convected downstream by the flowing liquid metal. Downstream, a temperature measurement is performed to detect a "ripple" in the local temperature associated with the passing "hotspot" in the propellant. By measuring the time between the upstream generation and downstream detection of the thermal feature, the flow speed can be calculated using a "time of flight" analysis. In addition, the system can be calibrated by measuring the accumulated mass exiting the system as a-function of time and correlating this with the time it takes the hotspot to convect through the sensor. The primary advantage of this technique is that it doesn't depend on an absolute measurement of temperature but, instead, relies on the observation of thermal features. This makes the technique insensitive to other externally generated thermal fluctuations. In this paper, we describe experiments performed using the hotspot flow sensor aimed at quantifying the resolution of the sensor technology. Propellant is expelled onto an electronic scale to provide an independent measure of the propellant mass flow rate as a function of time. In addition, two separate detection schemes are employed. The first uses a thermocouple to directly measure temperature in the fluid. The second involves the ,use of a fiber optic coupled to a photodiode allowing for detection of an increase in light emission from the fluid as the hotspot passes. the detection location.

Polzin, Kurt A.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Microparticle Flow Sensor

The microparticle flow sensor (MFS) is a system for identifying and counting microscopic particles entrained in a flowing liquid. The MFS includes a transparent, optoelectronically instrumented laminar-flow chamber (see figure) and a computer for processing instrument-readout data. The MFS could be used to count microparticles (including micro-organisms) in diverse applications -- for example, production of microcapsules, treatment of wastewater, pumping of industrial chemicals, and identification of ownership of liquid products.

Morrison, Dennis R.↗
NASA NTRS2005

A Prototype Flux-Plate Heat-Flow Sensor for Venus Surface Heat-Flow Determinations

Venus is the most Earth-like planet in the Solar System in terms of size, and the densities of the two planets are almost identical when selfcompression of the two planets is taken into account. Venus is the closest planet to Earth, and the simplest interpretation of their similar densities is that their bulk compositions are almost identical. Models of the thermal evolution of Venus predict interior temperatures very similar to those indicated for the regions of Earth subject to solid-state convection, but even global analyses of the coarse Pioneer Venus elevation data suggest Venus does not lose heat by the same primary heat loss mechanism as Earth, i.e., seafloor spreading. The comparative paucity of impact craters on Venus has been interpreted as evidence for relatively recent resurfacing of the planet associated with widespread volcanic and tectonic activity. The difference in the gross tectonic styles of Venus and Earth, and the origins of some of the enigmatic volcano-tectonic features on Venus, such as the coronae, appear to be intrinsically related to Venus heat loss mechanism(s). An important parameter in understanding Venus geological evolution, therefore, is its present surface heat flow. Before the complications of survival in the hostile Venus surface environment were tackled, a prototype fluxplate heat-flow sensor was built and tested for use under synthetic stable terrestrial surface conditions. The design parameters for this prototype were that it should operate on a conforming (sand) surface, with a small, self-contained power and recording system, capable of operating without servicing for at least several days. The precision and accuracy of the system should be < 5 mW/sq m. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.

Morgan, Paul↗
NASA NTRS2003

Thin-Film Air-Mass-Flow Sensor of Improved Design Developed

Researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center have developed a new air-mass-flow sensor to solve the problems of existing mass flow sensor designs. NASA's design consists of thin-film resistors in a Wheatstone bridge arrangement. The resistors are fabricated on a thin, constant-thickness airfoil to minimize disturbance to the airflow being measured. The following photograph shows one of NASA s prototype sensors. In comparison to other air-mass-flow sensor designs, NASA s thin-film sensor is much more robust than hot wires, causes less airflow disturbance than pitot tubes, is more accurate than vane anemometers, and is much simpler to operate than thermocouple rakes. NASA s thin-film air-mass-flow sensor works by converting the temperature difference seen at each leg of the thin-film Wheatstone bridge into a mass-flow rate. The following figure shows a schematic of this sensor with air flowing around it. The sensor operates as follows: current is applied to the bridge, which increases its temperature. If there is no flow, all the arms are heated equally, the bridge remains in balance, and there is no signal. If there is flow, the air passing over the upstream legs of the bridge reduces the temperature of the upstream legs and that leads to reduced electrical resistance for those legs. After the air has picked up heat from the upstream legs, it continues and passes over the downstream legs of the bridge. The heated air raises the temperature of these legs, increasing their electrical resistance. The resistance difference between the upstream and downstream legs unbalances the bridge, causing a voltage difference that can be amplified and calibrated to the airflow rate. Separate sensors mounted on the airfoil measure the temperature of the airflow, which is used to complete the calculation for the mass of air passing by the sensor. A current application for air-mass-flow sensors is as part of the intake system for an internal combustion engine. A mass-flow sensor is used to provide accurate information about the amount of air entering the engine so that the amount of fuel can be adjusted to give the most efficient combustion. The ideal mass-flow sensor would be a rugged design that minimizes the disturbance to the flow stream and provides an accurate reading of both smooth and turbulent flows; NASA's design satisfies these requirements better than any existing design. Most of the mass-flow sensors used today are the hot wire variety. Hot wires can be fragile and cannot accurately measure a turbulent or reversing flow, which is often encountered in an intake manifold. Other types of mass-flow sensors include pitot tubes, vane anemometers, and thermocouple rakes-all of which suffer from some type of performance problem. Because it solves these performance problems while maintaining a simple design that lends itself to low-cost manufacturing techniques, NASA s thin-film resistance temperature detector air-mass-flow sensor should lead to more widespread use of mass-flow sensors.

Fralick, Gustave C.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Cryogenic Flow Sensor

An acousto-optic cryogenic flow sensor (CFS) determines mass flow of cryogens for spacecraft propellant management. The CFS operates unobtrusively in a high-pressure, high-flowrate cryogenic environment to provide measurements for fluid quality as well as mass flow rate. Experimental hardware uses an optical plane-of-light (POL) to detect the onset of two-phase flow, and the presence of particles in the flow of water. Acousto-optic devices are used in laser equipment for electronic control of the intensity and position of the laser beam. Acousto-optic interaction occurs in all optical media when an acoustic wave and a laser beam are present. When an acoustic wave is launched into the optical medium, it generates a refractive index wave that behaves like a sinusoidal grating. An incident laser beam passing through this grating will diffract the laser beam into several orders. Its angular position is linearly proportional to the acoustic frequency, so that the higher the frequency, the larger the diffracted angle. If the acoustic wave is traveling in a moving fluid, the fluid velocity will affect the frequency of the traveling wave, relative to a stationary sensor. This frequency shift changes the angle of diffraction, hence, fluid velocity can be determined from the diffraction angle. The CFS acoustic Bragg grating data test indicates that it is capable of accurately determining flow from 0 to 10 meters per second. The same sensor can be used in flow velocities exceeding 100 m/s. The POL module has successfully determined the onset of two-phase flow, and can distinguish vapor bubbles from debris.

Justak, John↗
NASA NTRS1981

Bio-medical flow sensor

A bio-medical flow sensor including a packageable unit of a bottle, tubing and hypodermic needle which can be pre-sterilized and is disposable. The tubing has spaced apart tubular metal segments. The temperature of the metal segments and fluid flow therein is sensed by thermistors and at a downstream location heat is input by a resistor to the metal segment by a control electronics. The fluids flow and the electrical power required for the resisto to maintain a constant temperature differential between the tubular metal segments is a measurable function of fluid flow through the tubing. The differential temperature measurement is made in a control electronics and also can be used to control a flow control valve or pump on the tubing to maintain a constant flow in the tubing and to shut off the tubing when air is present in the tubing.

Winkler, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Mass flow sensor utilizing a resistance bridge

A mass flow sensor to be mounted within a duct and measures the mass flow of a fluid stream moving through the duct. The sensor is an elongated thin quartz substrate having a plurality of platinum strips extending in a parallel relationship on the strip, with certain of the strips being resistors connected to an excitation voltage. The resistors form the legs of a Wheatstone bridge. The resistors are spaced a sufficient distance inwardly from the leading and trailing edges of the substrate to lie within the velocity recovery region so that the measured flow is the same as the actual upstream flow. The resistor strips extend at least half-way through the fluid stream to include a substantial part of the velocity profile of the stream. Certain of the resistors detect a change in temperature as the fluid stream moves across the substrate to provide an output signal from the Wheatstone bridge which is representative of the fluid flow. A heater is located in the midst of the resistor array to heat the air as it passes over the array.

Fralick, Gustave C.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Redesigned Gas Mass Flow Sensors for Space Shuttle Pressure Control System and Fuel Cell System

A program was conducted to determine if a state of the art micro-machined silicon solid state flow sensor could be used to replace the existing space shuttle orbiter flow sensors. The rather aggressive goal was to obtain a new sensor which would also be a multi-gas sensor and operate over a much wider flow range and with a higher degree of accuracy than the existing sensors. Two types of sensors were tested. The first type was a venturi throat design and the second was a bypass design. The accuracy of venturi design was found to be marginally acceptable. The bypass sensor was much better although it still did not fully reach the accuracy goal. Two main problems were identified which would require further work.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1970

Very low velocity flow sensor uses fluidic techniques

Parallel-flow wind sensor provides differential pressure output which is nearly linear and relatively insensitive to supply pressure over a wide range of wind velocities. Cross-flow wind sensor outputs are input to a fluidic amplifier to obtain high pressure output for low wind velocities without changing output characteristics.

Turek, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Properties of thin films for high temperature flow sensors

Requirements of material parameters of high temperature flow sensors are identified. Refractory metal silicides offer high temperature sensitivity and high frequency response and are stable up to 1000 C. Intrinsic semiconductors of high band gap are also considered as sensor elements. SiC and diamond are identified. Combined with substrates of low thermal and electrical conductivity, such as quartz or Al2O3, these materials meet several requirements of high sensitivity and frequency response. Film deposition and patterning techniques suitable for these materials are identified.

Albin, Sacharia↗
NASA NTRS2003

In-Flight Capability for Evaluating Skin-Friction Gages and Other Near-Wall Flow Sensors

An 8-in.-square boundary-layer sensor panel has been developed for in-flight evaluation of skin-friction gages and other near-wall flow sensors on the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center F-15B/Flight Test Fixture (FTF). Instrumentation on the sensor panel includes a boundary-layer rake, temperature sensors, static pressure taps, and a Preston tube. Space is also available for skin-friction gages or other near-wall flow sensors. Pretest analysis of previous F-15B/FTF flight data has identified flight conditions suitable for evaluating skin-friction gages. At subsonic Mach numbers, the boundary layer over the sensor panel closely approximates the two-dimensional (2D), law-of-the-wall turbulent boundary layer, and skin-friction estimates from the Preston tube and the rake (using the Clauser plot method) can be used to evaluate skin-friction gages. At supersonic Mach numbers, the boundary layer over the sensor panel becomes complex, and other means of measuring skin friction are needed to evaluate the accuracy of new skin-friction gages. Results from the flight test of a new rubber-damped skin-friction gage confirm that at subsonic Mach numbers, nearly 2D, law-of-the-wall turbulent boundary layers exist over the sensor panel. Sensor panel data also show that this new skin-friction gage prototype does not work in flight.

Bui, Trong T.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Measurement of the thermal conductivity of composites using heat flow sensors

A thermal conductivity measuring apparatus that uses heat flow sensors to measure the heat flux through samples was constructed of inexpensive materials. This device was used to measure the thermal conductivity (k) of two composites used in the space program that consist of fibrous or granular components embedded in a resin matrix. The k-values that were determined ranged from 0.035 to 0.059 Btu/h sq ft-F/ft (-163 to 553 F) and 0.029 to 0.035 Btu/h-sq ft-F/ft (77 to 212 F). Thermal conductivity values of the composites conformed to the rule of mixture. The accuracy of the system was found to be comparable to the guarded hotplate and it requires neither a skilled operator nor extensive maintenance.

Penn, B. G.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Miniature electrooptical air flow sensor

A sensor for measuring flow direction and airspeed that is suitable, because of its small size, for rapid instrumentation of research airplanes is described. A propeller driven sphere rotating at a speed proportional to airspeed presents a reflective target to an electro-optical system such that the duty cycle of the resulting electrical output is proportional to yaw angle and the frequency is proportional to airspeed.

Kershner, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Improvements to a Flow Sensor for Liquid Bismuth-Fed Hall Thrusters

Recently, there has been significant interest in using bismuth metal as a propellant in Hall Thrusters [1, 2]. Bismuth offers some considerable cost, weight, and space savings over the traditional propellant--xenon. Quantifying the performance of liquid metal-fed Hall thrusters requires a very precise measure of the low propellant flow rates [1, 2]. The low flow rates (~10 mg/sec) and the temperature at which free flowing liquid bismuth exists (above 300 C) preclude the use of off-the-shelf flow sensing equipment [3]. Therefore a new type of sensor is required. The hotspot bismuth flow sensor, described in Refs. [1-5] is designed to perform a flow rate measurement by measuring the velocity at which a thermal feature moves through a flow chamber. The mass flow rate can be determined from the time of flight of the thermal peak, [4, 5]. Previous research and testing has been concerned mainly with the generation of the thermal peak and it's subsequent detection. In this paper, we present design improvements to the sensor concept; and the results of testing conducted to verify the functionality of these improvements. A ceramic material is required for the sensor body (see Fig. 1), which must allow for active heating of the bismuth flow channel to keep the propellant in a liquid state. The material must be compatible with bismuth and must be bonded to conductive elements to allow for conduction of current into the liquid metal and measurement of the temperature in the flow. The new sensor requires fabrication techniques that will allow for a very small diameter flow chamber, which is required to produce useful measurements. Testing of various materials has revealed several that are potentially compatible with liquid bismuth. Of primary concern in the fabrication and testing of a robust, working prototype, is the compatibility of the selected materials with one another. Specifically, the thermal expansion rates of the materials relative to the ceramic body cannot expand so much as to cause cracks in the body or cause the bond between parts to delaminate. Those parts that will carry the current pulse must be electrically conductive while the sensor body must be an electrical insulator. Generally, the material choices as well as the sensor design must aid to preserve the integrity of the thermal feature to obtain accurate measurements. The present aim is to also incorporate, into the sensor body, an active heating arrangement based on ceramic heater technology similar to that used in semiconductor manufacturing.

Bonds, Kevin↗
NASA NTRS1981

Flow sensor for biomedical fluids

Electronic sensor accurately measures and controls flow of plasma, whole blood, or drugs in solution. Since sensor does not directly contact fluid, it does not have to be sterilized. It is compatible with disposable bottles, tubes, and hypodermic needles widely used in hospitals. Only modification necessary is in tube, which must contain two small metal inserts, spaced to fit in curved thermistor plates.

Winkler, H. E.↗
NASA NTRS1982

A miniature electro-optical air flow sensor

Miniature sensors are needed for rapid and uncomplicated installation on light aircraft engaged in stability research programs. One particularly difficult sensor to miniaturize to the required degree has been a flow angle and velocity sensor for measuring the local flow ahead of a wing. However, by using an electrooptical technique it was possible to overcome the encountered difficulties and to design a sensor satisfying the requirements. The developed sensor for measuring angle-of-attack, yaw, and airspeed was shown to be suitable for rapid instrumentation of research aircraft because of its small size. The size reduction was accomplished by a design feature which eliminates the need for slip rings and wiring within the movable components of the sensor.

Kershner, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Fiber-Optic/Photoelastic Flow Sensors

Simple, rugged, lightweight transducers detect periodic vortices. Fiber-optic-coupled transducers developed to measure flows over wide dynamic ranges and over wide temperature ranges in severe environments. Used to measure flows of fuel in advanced aircraft engines. Feasibility of sensors demonstrated in tests of prototype sensor in water flowing at various temperatures and speeds. Particularly attractive for aircraft applications because optical fibers compact and make possible transmission of sensor signals at high rates with immunity from electromagnetic interference at suboptical frequencies. Sensors utilize optical-to-optical conversion via photoelastic effect.

Wesson, Laurence N.↗