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Large-scale liquid hydrogen tank rapid chill and fill testing for the advanced shuttle upper stage concept
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Holt, K. A. Johnson, E. F. Hastings, L. J. Hedayat, A. Lak, T. Sims, J. Flachbart, R. H. |
| Copyright Year | 2013 |
| Description | Cryogenic upper stages in the Space Shuttle program were prohibited primarily due to a safety risk of a 'return to launch site' abort. An upper stage concept addressed this concern by proposing that the stage be launched empty and filled using shuttle external tank residuals after the atmospheric pressure could no longer sustain an explosion. However, only about 5 minutes was allowed for tank fill. Liquid hydrogen testing was conducted within a near-ambient environment using the multipurpose hydrogen test bed 638.5 ft3 (18m3) cylindrical tank with a spray bar mounted longitudinally inside. Although the tank was filled within 5 minutes, chilldown of the tank structure was incomplete, and excessive tank pressures occurred upon vent valve closure. Elevated tank wall temperatures below the liquid level were clearly characteristic of film boiling. The test results have substantial implications for on-orbit cryogen transfer since the formation of a vapor film would be much less inhibited due to the reduced gravity. However, the heavy tank walls could become an asset in normal gravity testing for on-orbit transfer, i.e., if film boiling in a nonflight weight tank can be inhibited in normal gravity, then analytical modeling anchored with the data could be applied to reduced gravity environments with increased confidence. |
| File Size | 1264767 |
| Page Count | 56 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_20130013526 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t13n75192 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2013-04-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Spacecraft Propulsion And Power Propellant Tests Fluid Management Cryogenic Cooling Cryogenic Fluids Propellant Tanks Fuel Tank Pressurization Fuel Tests Cryogenic Fluid Storage Upper Stage Rocket Engines Film Boiling Liquid Hydrogen Spacecraft Configurations Heat Transfer Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |
