The research is concerned with investigating the storage and usage of liquid Hydrogen and Oxygen over a long duration. For this purpose a mission was defined where these two propellants are used to transport a six man crew to Mars and back. The mission duration is a total of 972 days in length with a stopover time at Mars of 454 days. A baseline spacecraft is designed. The two driving philosophies behind the design are reliability and reusability. This baseline spacecraft design was used a a basis for analysing the extreme thermal environment and its impact on the propellant storage temperatures. Also it allowed the calculation of mass and propellant budgets. It was found that the Hydrogen fuel undergoes a change of phase when the vehicle is orbiting Mars. Hence a escape manoeuvre trajectory simulation was performed which analysed the escape trajectory, acceleration and duration, and assessed the impact on the initial Earth launch propellant budget. I addition, a number of trade-offs were performed in order to increase the efficiency of the propulsion system from its nominal design in which the Hydrogen gas is allowed to expand directly from the storage tanks through the engine. The optimum arrangement that was found was to bleed the gas into a small high pressure tank and allow the fuel to be heated by waste heat from the onboard nuclear reactor. The results indicated that not only does this provide a performance increase over the nominal system but also the amount of propellant required for this bum is smaller than the storable options considered in the literature. Hence this analysis demonstrates that Hydrogen and Oxygen can be stored and used over long periods, and that they can still provide a better propellant performance than storable options, even with the increased mass penalty associated with using them on a mission such a this one.

Thesis (M.S. in Physics)--United States Naval Postgraduate School, California. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-66). 12

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 123-132).

Large Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) storage tanks are vital infrastructure for NASA. Eventually, air may leak into the evacuated and perlite filled annular region of these tanks. Although the vacuum level is monitored in this region, the extremely cold temperature causes all but the helium and neon constituents of air to freeze. A small, often unnoticeable pressure rise is the result. As the leak persists, the quantity of frozen air increases, as does the thermal conductivity of the insulation system. Consequently, a notable increase in commodity boiloff is often the first indicator of an air leak. Severe damage can then result from normal draining of the tank. The warming air will sublimate which will cause a pressure rise in the annulus. When the pressure increases above the triple point, the frozen air will begin to melt and migrate downward. Collection of liquid air on the carbon steel outer shell may chill it below its ductility range, resulting in fracture. In order to avoid a structural failure, as described above, a method for the safe removal of frozen air is needed. Two potential methods for air removal are evaluated here. The first method discussed is the connection of a vacuum pump to the annulus which provides pumping in parallel with drainage of LH2. The goal is to keep the annular pressure below the triple point so that the air continues to sublimate, thus eliminating the threat that liquefaction poses. The second method discussed is the application of heat to the bottom of the outer tank during tank drain. Though liquefaction in the annular space will occur, the goal of the heater design is to keep the outer shell above the embrittlement temperature, so that cracking will not occur. In order to evaluate these methods, it is first necessary to characterize some the physical properties and changes that take place in the system. A thermal model of the storage tank was created in SINDA/FLUINT (C&R Technologies, 2014) to identify locations where air can freeze. This model shows the volume that is capable of freezing air under varying conditions. It is also necessary to characterize the changes in thermal conductivity of perlite which has nitrogen frozen into its interstitial spaces. The details and results of an experiment designed for that purpose is outlined. All data, including operational data from existing LH2 tanks, is compiled and a physics-based evaluation of the two proposed air removal techniques is performed. Due to small pumping capacities at low pressure and the large quantity of air inside the annulus, the pumping option is not deemed feasible. It would take many years to remove a significant amount of air by pumping while maintaining the annular pressure below the necessary triple point. Application of heating devices is a feasible option. For a specific case, it is shown that approximately 105 kilowatts of power would be required to vaporize the air in the annulus and keep the temperature of the outer tank wall above the freezing point of water. Several engineering solutions to accomplish this are also discussed. There are many unknowns and complexities in addressing the problem of safely removing frozen air from the annulus of an LH2 storage sphere. The work that follows utilized: research, modeling, experimentation, analysis, and data from existing tanks to arrive at possible solutions to the problem. Heating solutions may be implemented immediately and could result in significant savings to the user.

Doctor Scientiae / Ti – based AB and AB₂ hydride forming materials have shown to be very promising hydrogen storage alloys due to their reasonable reversible hydrogen storage capacity at near ambient conditions, abundance and low cost. However, these materials are not used extensively due to their poor activation performances and poisoning tolerance, resulting insignificant impeding of hydrogen sorption. The overall goal of this project was to develop the knowledge base for solid-state hydrogen storage technology suitable for stationary and special vehicular applications focussing mainly on Ti – based metal hydrides. In order to accomplish this goal, the project had a dual focus which included the synthesis methodology of Ti – based AB and AB₂ materials and the development of new surface engineering solutions, based on electroless plating and chemical vapour deposition on the surface modification of Ti – based metal hydride forming materials using Pd-based catalytic layers. TiFe alloy was synthesised by sintering of the Ti and Fe powders and by arc-melting. Sintered samples revealed three phases: TiFe (major), Ti₄Fe₂O, and β-Ti. Hydrogen absorption showed that the sintered material was almost fully activated after the first vacuum heating (400 °C) when compared to the arc-melted sample requiring several activation cycles. The increase in the hydrogen absorption kinetics of the sintered sample was associated with the influence of the formed hydrogen transfer catalyst, viz. oxygen containing Ti₄Fe₂O₁₋ₓ and β-Ti, which was confirmed by the XRD data from the samples before and after hydrogenation. The introduction of oxygen impurity into TiFe alloy observed in the sintered sample significantly influenced on its PCT performances, due to formation of stable hydrides of the impurity phases, as well as destabilisation of both β-TiFeH and, especially, γ-TiFeH₂. This finally resulted in the decrease of the reversible hydrogen storage capacity of the oxygen-contaminated sample. TiFe alloy was also prepared via induction melting using graphite and alumo-silica crucibles. It was shown that the samples prepared via the graphite crucible produced TiFe alloy as the major phase, whereas the alumo-silica crucible produced Ti₄Fe₂O₁-x and TiFe₂ as the major phases, and TiFe alloy as the minor one. A new method for the production of TiFe – based materials by two-stage reduction of ilmenite (FeTiO₃) using H₂ and CaH₂ as reducing agents was developed. The reversible hydrogen absorption performance of the TiFe – based material prepared via reduction of ilmenite was 0.5 wt. % H, although hydrogen absorption capacity of TiFe reported in the literature should be about 1.8 wt. %. The main reason for this low hydrogen capacity is due to large amount of oxygen present in the as prepared TiFe alloy. Thus to improve the hydrogen absorption of the raw TiFe alloy, it was melted with Zr, Cr, Mn, Ni and Cu to yield an AB₂ alloy. For the as prepared AB₂ alloy, the reversible hydrogen sorption capacity was about 1.3 wt. % H at P=40 bar and >1.8 wt.% at P=150 bar, which is acceptable for stationary applications. Finally, the material was found to be superior as compared to known AB₂-type alloys, as regards to its poisoning tolerance: 10-minutes long exposure of the dehydrogenated material to air results in a slight decrease of the hydrogen absorption capacity, but almost does not reduce the rate of the hydrogenation. Hydrogen storage performance of the TiFe-based materials suffers from difficulties with hydrogenation and sensitivity towards impurities in hydrogen gas, reducing hydrogen uptake rates and decreasing the cycle stability. An efficient solution to this problem is in modification of the material surface by the deposition of metals (including Palladium) capable of catalysing the dissociative chemisorption of hydrogen molecules. In this work, the surface modification of TiFe alloy was performed using autocatalytic deposition using PdCl₂ as the Pd precursor and metal-organic chemical vapour deposition technique (MO CVD), by thermal decomposition of palladium (II) acetylacetonate (Pd[acac]₂) mixed with the powder of the parent alloy. After surface modification of TiFe – based metal hydride materials with Pd, the alloy activation performance improved resulting in the alloy absorbing hydrogen without any activation process. The material also showed to absorb hydrogen after exposure to air, which otherwise proved detrimental.

This work presents the use of numerical modeling and simulation for the analysis of transport phenomena in engineering systems including zero boil-off (ZBO) cryogenic storage tanks for liquid hydrogen, refrigerated warehouses, and human-occupied air-conditioned spaces. Seven problems of medium large spaces in these fields are presented. Numerical models were developed and used for the simulation of fluid flow and heat and mass transfer for these problems. Governing equations representing the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy were solved numerically resulting in the solution of velocity, pressure, temperature, and species concentration(s). Numerical solutions were presented as 2-D and 3-D plots that provide more insightful understanding of the relevant transport phenomena. Parametric studies on geometric dimensions and/or boundary conditions were carried out. Four designs of ZBO cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage tank were studied for their thermal performance under heat leak from the surroundings. Steady state analyses show that higher flow rate of forced fluid flow yields lower maximum fluid temperature. 3-D simulation provides the visualization of the complex structures of the 3-D distributions of the fluid velocity and temperature. Transient analysis results in the patterns of fluid velocity and temperature for various stages of a proposed cooling cycle and the prediction of its effective operating term. A typical refrigerated warehouse with a set of ceiling type cooling units were modeled and simulated with both 2-D and 3-D models. It was found that if the cooling units are closer to the stacks of stored packages, lower and more uniform temperature distribution can be achieved. The enhancement of thermal comfort in an air-conditioned residential room by using a ceiling fan was studied and quantified to show that thermal comfort at higher temperature can be improved with the use of ceiling fan. A 3-D model was used for an analysis of thermal comfort and contaminant removal in a hospital operating room. It was found that if the wall supply grilles are closer to the center, the system has better performance in both contaminant removal and thermal comfort. A practical guideline for using CFD modeling in indoor spaces with an effective meshing approach is also proposed.

No description available.

Das Ende der 90er Jahre neu entstandene Crystal Barrel-Experiment am Bonner Elektronenbeschleuniger ELSA, kurz CB-ELSA-Experiment, dient hauptsächlich dem Studium der Photoproduktion am Proton bei Strahlimpulsen zwischen 0.8 GeV/c und 3.2 GeV/c. Ziel dieses Experimentes ist es, neue Erkenntnisse über das Spektrum der leichten Baryonen zu gewinnen und auch einige wichtige Beiträge für ein besseres Verständnis des Spektrums der leichten Mesonen zu liefern. Die Besonderheit dieses Experimentes liegt in der Topologie der Detektoren. Das Herzstück bildet hierbei das Crystal Barrel-Kalorimeter, das unter Zuhilfenahme weiterer Detektoren die vollständige Erfassung von Ereignissen mit neutralen Mesonen über einen Raumwinkel von nahezu 4[pi] erlaubt. Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich zum einen mit dem Aufbau des Flüssig-Wasserstoff-Targets, für dessen Anpassung an die hohen Ansprüche des Experimentes eine umfangreiche Entwicklungsarbeit erforderlich war. Zum anderen bildet den Hauptteil der Arbeit die Untersuchung der photoinduzierten Reaktionen [gamma]proton nach proton[pi]0[pi]0 und [gamma]proton nach proton[pi]0[eta] bei einem Strahlimpuls unpolarisierter Elektronen von 2.6 GeV/c. Beim Studium dieser Reaktionen zeigen sich Hinweise auf missing resonances, die sequentiell über verschiedene Baryonenresonanzen zerfallen. Darüber hinaus gibt es deutliche Evidenzen für die f<sub>0</sub>(980)- und a<sub>0</sub>(980)-Photoproduktion, deren weitergehende Untersuchungen wichtige Beiträge zur Klärung des bis heute noch nicht verstandenen skalaren Mesonennonetts liefern könnten.

Das Ende der 90er Jahre neu entstandene Crystal Barrel-Experiment am Bonner Elektronenbeschleuniger ELSA, kurz CB-ELSA-Experiment, dient hauptsächlich dem Studium der Photoproduktion am Proton bei Strahlimpulsen zwischen 0.8 GeV/c und 3.2 GeV/c. Ziel dieses Experimentes ist es, neue Erkenntnisse über das Spektrum der leichten Baryonen zu gewinnen und auch einige wichtige Beiträge für ein besseres Verständnis des Spektrums der leichten Mesonen zu liefern. Die Besonderheit dieses Experimentes liegt in der Topologie der Detektoren. Das Herzstück bildet hierbei das Crystal Barrel-Kalorimeter, das unter Zuhilfenahme weiterer Detektoren die vollständige Erfassung von Ereignissen mit neutralen Mesonen über einen Raumwinkel von nahezu 4[pi] erlaubt. Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich zum einen mit dem Aufbau des Flüssig-Wasserstoff-Targets, für dessen Anpassung an die hohen Ansprüche des Experimentes eine umfangreiche Entwicklungsarbeit erforderlich war. Zum anderen bildet den Hauptteil der Arbeit die Untersuchung der photoinduzierten Reaktionen [gamma]proton nach proton[pi]0[pi]0 und [gamma]proton nach proton[pi]0[eta] bei einem Strahlimpuls unpolarisierter Elektronen von 2.6 GeV/c. Beim Studium dieser Reaktionen zeigen sich Hinweise auf missing resonances, die sequentiell über verschiedene Baryonenresonanzen zerfallen. Darüber hinaus gibt es deutliche Evidenzen für die f<sub>0</sub>(980)- und a<sub>0</sub>(980)-Photoproduktion, deren weitergehende Untersuchungen wichtige Beiträge zur Klärung des bis heute noch nicht verstandenen skalaren Mesonennonetts liefern könnten.

The pace of development in aviation technology is increasing, and there is a constantneed for new concepts to keep up. An innovative concept is desired to reach the netzero emission and sustainability target visualized in Flight path 2050. Introducing digital models and virtualization into aviation fields reduces time consumption onmanual modelling and increases design accuracy. Digital mock-up models also helpin minimizing costs due to errors in the later stage of development or manufacturing. The Institute of Systems Architecture in Aeronautics at German AerospaceCenter (DLR) works in digitizing cabin design environments with extensive implementation of the Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) approach. The virtual cabindesign system tool also known as Fuselage Geometry Assembler (FUGA) providesa digital model of the cabin of both single and twin aisle configurations of commercial aircraft. The information of aircraft characteristics is provided to FUGA using Common Parametric Aircraft Configuration Schema (CPACS). CPACS coupled with FUGA provides the user with a consistent model of aircraft and cabindesign, when viewed through a virtual platform provides an immersive experienceto be inside an aircraft cabin before physical production. The multidisciplinary capability of FUGA provides experts from different disciplines to perform analysis such as vibration analysis on the cabin environment. For ease of usage and better visualization of information from FUGA, a web-based application through Flask is hosted for FUGA. This enables the user to access the FUGA tool without the needof installing the tool on their devices. With the world now moving towards a greener approach, an alternative propulsion system may require a different fuel tank configuration. Retro-fit of liquid hydrogen fuel tank into an existing aircraft’s fuselage is done using FUGA tool and aircraft performance analysis is conducted and the outcomes are studied. The enhanced and advanced model of twin-aisle configuration, now on par with single-aisle configuration is used for hydrogen tank sensitivity analysis. The comparative study of different aisle configurations retro-fitted with liquidhydrogen fuel tank is further conducted for arriving at an optimal design point fora balance in range and passenger capacity.