Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Reliable, Reusable Cryotank
Project Description
Microcracking issues have significantly limited the reusability of state-of-the-art (SOA) composite cryotanks. While developers have made some progress addressing this reusability issue, there are also significant reliability issues with the SOA cryotanks due to their inconsistent structural performance. GTL has identified the root cause of this reliability issue and proposes to confirm this diagnosis. This will be accomplished by testing two sets of laminate samples; one set fabricated with typical SOA cryotank techniques, and a second set fabricated with intentional laminate flaws. The results of this testing are expected to show a correlation between the identified flaws and the observed inconsistent performance. With this confirmation, GTL will examine several techniques that could be used to detect these flaws in production composite tanks. Additionally, GTL will show how the breakthrough BHLTM cryotank technology inhibits the introduction of these flaws and produced consistently high structural performance. This effort builds upon earlier research that confirmed the potential of the BHL technology to eliminate the microcracking issue. With BHL technology, it is possible to build high-performance, reusable and reliable cryotanks. At the conclusion of the Phase I effort, GTL will fabricate a subscale BHL cryotank and deliver it to NASA for independent evaluation.
More »
Anticipated Benefits
The cryotank technical barriers are essentially the same for NASA and Non-NASA applications. The proposed BHL cryotank technology directly addresses these issues and will provide the marketplace with access to high-performance, reusability and reliable cryotanks. These cryotanks can be used to enhance the capabilities of traditional DoD and commercial spacecraft, rockets and launch vehicles. This technology could be critical for commercial space tourism by providing affordable robust capabilities that are beyond the current state of the art.
The high strength to weight of modern composite materials offers the potential for substantial performance gains compared to traditional structural and pressure vessel approaches. These weight savings will be especially critical to meet the high performance requirements of future NASA exploration systems, including heavy lift launch vehicles, Earth departure stages, lunar or asteroid descent vehicles, and long-term propellant storage in space, on the Moon or on Mars. While the use of composite materials is fairly mature when it comes to non-wetted structures, there have been substantial technical barriers that have slowed the application of this technology to propellant storage. These barriers are most evident in attempts to apply composite technology in cryotanks for cryogenic propellant storage, which is a critical need for NASA exploration systems. The BHL technology addresses these issues and offers high-performance, reusability and reliable cryotanks for future NASA missions. More »
The high strength to weight of modern composite materials offers the potential for substantial performance gains compared to traditional structural and pressure vessel approaches. These weight savings will be especially critical to meet the high performance requirements of future NASA exploration systems, including heavy lift launch vehicles, Earth departure stages, lunar or asteroid descent vehicles, and long-term propellant storage in space, on the Moon or on Mars. While the use of composite materials is fairly mature when it comes to non-wetted structures, there have been substantial technical barriers that have slowed the application of this technology to propellant storage. These barriers are most evident in attempts to apply composite technology in cryotanks for cryogenic propellant storage, which is a critical need for NASA exploration systems. The BHL technology addresses these issues and offers high-performance, reusability and reliable cryotanks for future NASA missions. More »
Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gloyer-Taylor Laboratories, LLC | Lead Organization | Industry | Tullahoma, Tennessee |
Marshall Space Flight Center
(MSFC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Huntsville, Alabama |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Alabama
-
Tennessee
Suggest an Edit
Recommend changes and additions to this project record.
This is a historic project that was completed before the creation of TechPort on October 1, 2012. Available data has been included. This record may contain less data than currently active projects.