Speaker
Dr
Dmitry Luchinsky
(Mission Critical Technologies)
Description
We report on the development of a hierarchy of models of two-phase flow in cryogenic transfer line. The work is motivated by NASA plans to develop and maturate technology of cryogenic propellant loading on the ground and in space. The solution of this problem requires two-phase cryogenic flow models that are fast and accurate enough to identify flow conditions, to detect deviations from the nominal regime, and to propose optimal recovery strategy online without human interaction. The hierarchy of models described in this presentation is ranging from incompressible isothermal single-phase flow to separated non-equilibrium two-phase cryogenic flow. It includes heat transfer and pressure loss correlations for boiling flows based on the flow pattern recognition.
We provide details of two models: (i) homogeneous, quasi-steady moving front model and (ii) the separated two-phase cryogenic flow model. Both models are based on the integration of energy and mass conservation equations on a one-dimensional grid of control volumes and solution of the momentum conservation equations on the staggered grid. The models are used to predict pressure, temperature, and liquid holdup during chilldown and loading of liquid nitrogen in a large scale cryogenic testbed at NASA-KSC.
The heat transfer and pressure loss correlations are validated by comparison of the model predictions with chilldown test data obtained at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The accuracy of the model predictions for cryogenic loading operation is validated by comparison with experimental data obtained from the cryogenic testbed at NASA-KSC. The speed and stability of the models is analyzed. The application of the models to the online fault detection and isolation during loading operation is discussed.
The models performance is compared with the baseline model developed using a commercial SINDA/FLUINT software.
Primary author
Dr
Dmitry Luchinsky
(Mission Critical Technologies)
Co-authors
Ali Kashani
(Millennium Engineering & Integration)
Dr
Barbara Brown
(NASA Kennedy Space Center)
Dr
Ekaterina Ponizovskaya Devine
(SGT, Inc.)
Jared Sass
(NASA Kennedy Space Center)
Dr
Jose Perotti
(NASA-KSC)
Dr
Michael Khasin
(SGT, Inc.)
