Orifice elements are ubiquitous in component test cells and test stands for liquid rocket engines. They are used in propellant lines, propellant conditioning systems, feed systems, water cooling systems in flame buckets and suppression systems to quench the flame. Instabilities that arise due to their operation compromise the safety of the test stands, increase loads on the test article, lead to premature shutdown of tests and cause costly delays. Such events have been observed at NASA SSC during J2-X testing, RS-25 testing, IPD LOX turbopump testing. The instability mitigation device developed in this program can suppress instabilities, substantially reduce risk and the likelihood of such events. The device can replace orifice elements in experimental/testing loops at NASA SSC/JSC/MSFC/KSC/GRC and Plumbrook. In doing so, this STTR program will directly aid NASA by supporting J2-X, RS-25, AJ-26 testing and the SLS and CCdev programs. The commercial market for our product is very large and includes the commercial launch services industry as well as plant installations and industrial facilities that use extensive piping systems such as nuclear power generation, chemical process plants etc. The technology proposed here can play a critical and imminent role in addressing an important safety concern in pressurized water reactors where orifices are used in the emergency core cooling systems (ECCS) in conjunction with throttle valves.
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