<p> </p> <p>Over the last few years, there has been a concerted effort to develop and validate models<br> aiding the development of cryogenic refueling technologies. This effort is focused on the goal<br> of one day being able to refuel and store cryogenic propellants in the low gravity environ-<br> ment of space. The purpose of this research is to leverage the capabilities of some of these<br> recently developed models to create new ones and model more phenomena related to the<br> space applications of cryogenics.<br> The modelling work presented here is focused in the areas of cryogenic tank chilldown<br> and tank pressure control during storage/transfer. These tools are meant to help inform<br> future experiments being performed at the Glenn Research Center and elsewhere.<br> The model focusing on cryogenic tank chilldown provides a transient approach using<br> the charge-hold-vent (CHV) methodology to calculate the mass and time required to chill<br> a tank down to a desired temperature. Building on the 1-g Universal No-Vent Fill model<br> developed by NASA, the model captures the flashing of pooling liquid during the rapid<br> de-pressurization caused during the vent stage of the chilldown process. The model is com-<br> pared against two different datasets and successfully predicts pressure response throughout<br> the process to within 22%.<br> The thermodynamic vent system (TVS) model has been designed to be seamlessly inte-<br> grated into the 1-g Universal No-Vent Fill model to predict condensation and heat transfer<br> provided by the TVS during a no-vent fill. The TVS coil is spatially discretized and the<br> axial temperature distribution solved for. The model is capable of adapting to a rapidly<br> lowering or rising fill level that can lower the overall heat removal provided by the TVS.<br> While the heat removal is of primary importance, by capturing secondary phenomena such<br> as two-phase pressure drop, the TVS model is also capable of informing design decisions for<br> future systems. The model is compared against three test cases and predicts heat removal<br> to within 2%.<br> <br> </p> <p> </p>

The development, testing, and use of liquid propellant and hybrid rocket propulsion systems for spacecraft and their launch vehicles routinely involves the use of cryogenic propellants. These propellants provide high energy densities that enable high propulsive efficiency and high engine thrust to vehicle weight ratios. However, use of cryogenic propellants also introduces technical problems not associated with other types of propellants. One of the major technical problems is the phenomenon of propellant tank pressurant and ullage gas collapse. This collapse is mainly caused by heat transfer from most of the ullage gas to tank walls and interfacing propellant, which are both at temperatures well below those of this gas. Pressurant gas is supplied into cryogenic propellant tanks in order to initially pressurize these tanks and then to maintain required pressures as propellant is expelled from these tanks. The cryogenic propellants expelled from the tanks feed rocket engine assemblies, subassemblies, and components at required interface pressures and mass flow rates. The net effect of pressurant and ullage gas collapse is increased total mass and mass flow rate requirements of pressurant gases. For flight vehicles this leads to significant and undesirable weight penalties. For rocket engine component and subassembly ground test facilities this results in high construction and operational cost impacts. Accurate predictions of pressurant gas mass transfer and flow rate requirements are essential to the proper design of systems used to supply these gases to cryogenic propellant tanks. While much work has been done in the past for predicting these gas requirements at low subcritical tank pressures, very little has been done at supercritical tank pressure conditions and there are selected cases where errors of analytical predictions are high. The objectives of this study are to develop a new generalized and improved computer program to determine pressurant gas requirements at both subcritical and supercritical tank pressure conditions, and then evaluate and validate the consistent accuracy of this program over a wide range of conditions by comparison of program results to empirical data.

During World War II, it was discovered that when lead was added to double-base propellants, it produced beneficial burn rate phenomena. Specifically, the propellant burn rate first increased unexpectedly at low pressures, then the burn rate became independent of pressure, followed lastly by “mesa burning” where the burn rate actually decreased with increasing pressure. This results in a beneficial negative feedback mechanism. Over the past 75 years, researchers have explored different lead complexes to achieve better propellant performance. However, over the last decade, research has shifted to finding an alternative to using lead as an additive to reduce toxicity. Until the attempts detailed herein, researchers had not, to our knowledge attempted to combine double-base propellant stabilizers with various metals to achieve these desired results. In doing so, we prepared two lead complexes, Tetrakis (µ3-(4-methyl-3-nitrophenyl imido lead (II))) 1, and Bis(dinitrophenyl imido lead(II)) 2, that were synthesized by reacting lead bis(trimethylsilyl)amide with a common double-base propellant stabilizer 2-nitrodiphenylamine (NDPA) and 4-methyl-3-nitroaniline. Both complexes formed from protolysis of the trimethylsilylamide ligand by the acidic proton of the amine, and crystallized from tetrahydrofuran (THF). Bomb calorimetry coupled with crystal density structure determined that 1 has a very high energy density of 74.1 MJ/L, more than three times the energy density of conventional nitroamine explosives, whereas 2 was lower at 38.2 MJ/L. The structure, charge and characterization of 1 and 2 are discussed. However, each complex is air sensitive making burn rate experimentation infeasible, so any possible changes to the propellant as an additive remained undetermined. Attempts to use of tin, zinc, or bismuth bis(trimethyl)amides in place of lead, were unsuccessfully characterized, although reactions were likely observed. / Chemistry

Basic experimental studies of the injection of liquid fuel into a two dimensional flowfield designed to represent a sudden-expansion "dump" combustor were performed under cold-flow conditions. Test conditions were as follows: 0.6 entrance Mach number, 25 PSIA total pressure, and nominally 75°F stagnation temperature. Two step heights were investigated, 1.0 in. and 0.5 in., corresponding to area ratios of 1.33 and 1.17. The investigation included Pitot and static pressure distributions, spark and streak shadowgraphs, surface flow visualization, direct photographs and videotape recordings. The backlighted streak and spark shadowgraphs were used to obtain jet penetration and break-up information. Oil drop surface flow studies showed details of the flow in the recirculation region behind the step. The injectant for these cold flow studies was selected as water, which was injected transversely to the air flow 1.0 in. and 0.5 in. upstream of the step at various flow rates. It was found that both the location of the injection port relative to the step and the step height had no measurable effect on jet penetration and break-up. Injectant accumulation on the combustor wall in the base-flow region was found to be substantial under some conditions, and the amount of accumulation was shown to be a strong function of initial liquid jet penetration height. / M.S.

A microwave measurement system for obtaining continuous burning-rate information from a solid propellant slab-burning rocket motor is described. A previous derivative-based method for reducing the microwave data is reviewed and an improved data reduction technique is introduced. The improved microwave modeling technique is analyzed using simulated data to determine the accuracy of the burning-rate calculations and the sensitivity of the burning-rate calculations to errors in the model parameters. The microwave model is then used to calculate the burning rate of the propellant for a selected firing of the slab motor. / Master of Science

This project evaluates the characteristics of the open burning of NOSIH AA-2 sheet waste propellant at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant. The project considers the plume and burn characteristics, the removal of nitroglycerin from the waste, the emission of metals into the air, and the modeling of pollutant emissions from open burning. The plumes generated from open burning fall well below the mixing heights. By burning at 2:30 PM and under Army regulations, the risk of inversions is essentially eliminated. The meteorological conditions influence the duration of the burns, and a dimensionless parameter is developed in this study to correlate the conditions to the burn duration. Over 99 percent of the lead and copper in the propellant waste emits to the atmosphere. The removal efficiency of nitroglycerin in the propellant by open burning exceeds 99.9999 percent. A worst-case analysis is conducted using the Trinity INPUFF™ model. Based on this conservative estimate, the concentrations of lead, copper, and NO_x compounds do not exceed the Short-Term Exposure Limits. However, the analysis exposes limitations in the model in the plume height calculations and the sampling time method. / Master of Science

A dual-frequency microwave bum rate measurement system for solid rocket motors has been developed and is described. The system operates in the X-band (8.2-12.4 Ghz) and uses two independent frequencies operating simultaneously to measure the instantaneous bum rate in a solid rocket motor. Modeling of the two frequency system was performed to determine its effectiveness in limiting errors caused by secondary reflections and errors in the estimates of certain material properties, particularly the microwave wavelength in the propellant. Computer simulations based upon the modeling were performed and are presented. Limited laboratory testing of the system was also conducted to determine its ability perform as modeled. Simulations showed that the frequency ratio and the initial motor geometry (propellant thickness and combustion chamber diameter) determined the effectiveness of the system in reducing secondary reflections. Results presented show that higher frequency ratios provided better error reduction. Overall, the simulations showed that a dual frequency system can provide up to a 75% reduction in burn rate error over that returned by a single frequency system. The hardware and software for dual frequency measurements was developed and tested, however, further instrumentation work is required to increase the rate at which data is acquired using the methods presented here. The system presents some advantages over the single frequency method but further work needs to be done to realize its full potential. / Master of Science

<p dir="ltr">Additive manufacturing (AM) of gun propellants is an emerging and promising field which addresses the limitations of conventional manufacturing techniques. Overall, this thesis is a body of work which serves to bridge the gap between fundamental research and application of additively manufactured gun propellants.</p>

This thesis addresses the orbit transfer optimization problem of a spacecraft. The optimal orbit transfer is the process of altering the orbit of a spacecraft with minimum propellant consumption. The spacecrafts are needed to realize orbit transfer to reach, change or keep its orbit. The spacecraft may be a satellite or the last stage of a launch vehicle that is operated at the exo-atmospheric region. In this study, a genetic algorithm based orbit transfer method has been developed. The applicability of genetic algorithm based orbit transfer method has been verified using orbit transfers which are optimal at specific cases. The solution to orbit transfer problem is also searched using steepest descent algorithm.While genetic algorithm can reach the optimal solution, steepest descent algorithm can reach optimal solution when a good initial prediction is provided. The effects of the initial orbital values on the orbit transfer solutions are also studied.

The understanding and prediction of transient phenomena inside Liquid Rocket Engines (LREs) have been very difficult because of the many challenges posed by the conditions inside the combustion chamber. This is especially true for injectors involving liquid oxygen LOX and gaseous hydrogen GH₂. A wide range of length scales needs to be captured from high-pressure flame thicknesses of a few microns to the length of the chamber of the order of a meter. A wide range of time scales needs to be captured, again from the very small timescales involved in hydrogen chemistry to low-frequency longitudinal acoustics in the chamber. A wide range of densities needs to be captured, from the cryogenic liquid oxygen to the very hot and light combustion products. A wide range of flow speeds needs to be captured, from the incompressible liquid oxygen jet to the supersonic nozzle. Whether one desires to study these issues numerically or experimentally, they combine to make simulations and measurements very difficult whereas reliable and accurate data are required to understand the complex physics at stake. This thesis focuses on the numerical simulations of flows relevant to LRE applications using Large Eddy Simulations (LES). It identifies the required features to tackle such complex flows, implements and develops state-of-the-art solutions and apply them to a variety of increasingly difficult problems. More precisely, a multi-species real gas framework is developed inside a conservative, compressible solver that uses a state-of-the-art hybrid scheme to capture at the same time the large density gradients and the turbulent structures that can be found in a high-pressure liquid rocket engine. Particular care is applied to the implementation of the real gas framework with detailed derivations of thermodynamic properties, a modular implementation of select equations of state in the solver. and a new efficient iterative method. Several verification cases are performed to evaluate this implementation and the conservative properties of the solver. It is then validated against laboratory-scaled flows relevant to rocket engines, from a gas-gas reacting injector to a liquid-gas injector under non-reacting and reacting conditions. All the injectors considered contain a single shear coaxial element and the reacting cases only deal with H₂-O₂ systems. A gaseous oyxgen-gaseous hydrogen (GOX-GH₂) shear coaxial injector, typical of a staged combustion engine, is first investigated. Available experimental data is limited to the wall heat flux but extensive comparisons are conducted between three-dimensional and axisymmetric solutions generated by this solver as well as by other state-of-the-art solvers through a NASA validation campaign. It is found that the unsteady and three-dimensional character of LES is critical in capturing physical flow features, even on a relatively coarse grid and using a 7-step mechanism instead of a 21-step mechanism. The predictions of the wall heat flux, the only available data, are not very good and highlight the importance of grid resolution and near-wall models for LES. To perform more quantitative comparisons, a new experimental setup is investigated under both non-reacting and reacting conditions. The main difference with the previous setup, and in fact with most of the other laboratory rigs from the literature, is the presence of a strong co-flow to mimic the surrounding flow of other injecting elements. For the non-reacting case, agreement with the experimental high-speed visualization is very good, both qualitatively and quantitatively but for the reacting case, only poor agreement is obtained, with the numerical flame significantly shorter than the observed one. In both cases, the role of the co-flow and inlet conditions are investigated and highlighted. A validated LES solver should be able to go beyond some experimental constraints and help define the next direction of investigation. For the non-reacting case, a new scaling law is suggested after a review of the existing literature and a new numerical experiment agrees with the prediction of this scaling law. A slightly modified version of this non-reacting setup is also used to investigate and validate the Linear-Eddy Model (LEM), an advanced sub-grid closure model, in real gas flows for the first time. Finally, the structure of the trans-critical flame observed in the reacting case hints at the need for such more advanced turbulent combustion model for this class of flow.