Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Advanced Numerical Tools for Design and Analysis of In-Space, Valve and Feed Systems, Phase I
Project Description
In-space valves for the main fuel and oxidizer feed systems are required to provide precise control, wide throttling range and handle rapid on-off control. These design requirements result in significant unsteady, transient effects both on the fluid mass flow rate, as well as the torque required from the actuators controlling the valve. However, there currently are no fundamental analytical or numerical modeling tools that can predict the unsteady/transient performance of these valves; current design tools are limited to quasi-steady models and empirical correlations. The innovation proposed here is a high-fidelity, comprehensive numerical tool that can characterize the transient performance of these flight valves and provide design support. Geometry complexity and numerical accuracy problems associated with resolving valve configurations with moving surfaces are addressed via a grid adaption strategy within an unstructured framework. Unsteady effects due to both turbulence interactions as well as multi-phase cavitation are addressed with advanced numerical framework that incorporates both real-fluid thermodynamics for cryogens as well as advanced LES models for unsteady turbulence modeling. The tools and technology developed here would directly impact design support efforts for the J-2X upper-stage engine in the Ares 1 launcher envisioned under the Constellation program for the mission to the moon.
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Anticipated Benefits
The commercial market for our product is very large and includes the broad market of rapid response control valves in industries such as nuclear power generation, chemical process plants, and hazardous waste facilities among others where the transient performance characterization of valves play a vital safety role. In addition to these traditional markets, commercial space ventures ranging from space transportation systems (COTS) for the international space station (ISS), to low-cost satellite launch systems are getting an infusion of venture capital and would be receptive to accurate simulation tools. The primary market for this product will be in the design and analysis of high-performance, high-reliability valves used for inherently transient operations in the nuclear and chemical process industry. Here characterizing the transient performance is a critical safety issue and the availability of a well-validated, reliable computational tool can play a key role in the design process for these critical elements. The end-product will be a high-fidelity, numerical simulation software (CRUNCH CFDREG code) that would predict the transient performance of flight valve configurations, provide design support by supplementing current empirical rules, and diagnose system anomalies. Our product addresses core needs of NASA in the Constellation program, and the mission to the moon, for reliable and well-validated computational tools that can provide accurate simulations of performance in an accurate and efficient manner to be useful within a design cycle timeline. The technology developed here would directly impact analysis of the valves and the feed systems to be designed for the upper-stage J-2X feed system in the Ares 1 launcher by providing the transient mass flow through the valve, unsteady torque loads on the actuator controlling the valve, as well diagnosing the potential for damaging water-hammer as well as multi-phase cavitation effects that may result during rapid on-off control.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Marshall Space Flight Center
(MSFC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Huntsville, Alabama |
| Combustion Research and Flow Technology | Supporting Organization | Industry | Pipersville, Pennsylvania |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Alabama
-
Pennsylvania
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