X-Message-Number: 2364
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 93 13:16:28 CDT
From: (Will Dye)
Subject: CRYONICS Recent NASA grants for keeping things cold
While preparing a post for the sci.nanotech newsgroup,
I came across some old NASA grants that might be of interest to
those looking for funding of their research in cryonics.
None of these grants directly address cryonics, but they do
involve keeping things cool.
Each of the topics below is scheduled for a $70,000 grant for
a six-month "proof of concept" study, to be followed by further
funding as needed. This program is intended to support research
that leads to commercial products by small businesses, so only
small businesses may participate. University professors are not
eligible to be the principal investigators, unless they are
working half-time or less (at the University) during the time
of the study.
If you are interested in more details, contact NASA via
a BBS system at (800) 547-1811, or (202) 488-2939 in the D.C.
area, at 2400 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit. These proposals
have already expired, but next year's solicitation may have
similar topics. You can also order information on which
companies were awarded money, and the technical abstracts of
the work.
Please let me know if I should continue to post information
such as this, or if this is not of interest to anyone.
--Will
---------------( begin attachment )--------------
09.07 Thermal Control for Unmanned
Spacecraft
Center: GSFC
Future unmanned spacecraft and space facilities will require
increasingly sophisticated thermal control technology. Heat load
centers will be more numerous and at widely dispersed locations,
transport distances will be longer, and very tight temperature
control will be required. In addition, sensors, instruments, and
other electronic equipment will require cooling at different
temperatures and available radiator area will be increasingly
limited. Areas of innovation include the following:
Fluid systems technology:
- Low-temperature (60-250 K) heat pipes.
- Sensor interfaces.
- Modular, self-contained heat pumps (500-1000 W range) to
allow equipment to operate at a temperature different from a
central thermal bus or in a hot, thermal-sink environment.
- Long-life, no-maintenance thermal components.
- Self-diagnostic repair and correction subsystems.
Special thermal system capabilities:
- Utilization of low-to-medium-temperature waste heat for
auxiliary cooling.
- Integration of thermal and power systems to minimize total
weight.
- Innovative and or improved thermal control devices such as
thermal switches, louvers, and variable temperature
isothermal targets.
- Variable absorptive and emissive thermal control coatings or
devices.
- Sprayable, white, electrically conductive, thermal control
coatings with low outgassing characteristics.
Thermal analysis programs:
These should be easy to use, and able to interface with such NASA
standard programs as TRASYS, SINDA85, and SSPTA. Areas of
interest include the following:
- Calculation of radiant heat interchange factors including
specular and diffuse reflections.
- Generation of geometric models.
- A user-friendly interface possibly making use of a graphic
user interface.
- More efficient computational algorithms.
- Graphical output representation.
References:
Krotiuk, W.J., "Thermal Hydraulics for Space Power, Propulsion,
and Thermal Management System Design," Vol. 122, Progress in
Astronautics and Aeronautics, AIAA. ISSN 0079-6050
Chi, S.W., "Heat Pipe Theory and Practice," McGraw-Hill, Series
in Thermal and Fluids Engineering. A77-14825
_________________________________________________________
09.11 Long-Life Cryogenic Coolers for
Unmanned Space Applications
Center: GSFC
NASA scientific goals require instruments with increased
sensitivity. To obtain the required sensitivity, payloads will
use sensors, instruments, and, in some cases, entire facilities
that operate at cryogenic temperatures ranging from 120 K to 0.1
K or less. Cryogenic coolers will be required to provide these
operating temperatures and those required for use of the new,
high-temperature superconductors.
Future unmanned facilities will have operational lifetimes of 10
to 15 years, requiring similar total lifetimes for cryogenic
coolers. This requirement can be eased if the cryogenic cooler
can be easily serviced. However, on-orbit servicing is extremely
expensive so both the lifetime and the reliability of the
cryogenic cooler are critical performance parameters. For closed-
cycle mechanical coolers, long life and reliable performance
favor technologies such as non-contacting bearings and seals. For
open-cycle, stored cryogen coolers, approaches are needed to
greatly extend the cryogen hold-time. Areas of interest include
the following:
Mechanical cooler technology:
- Flexure bearing technology.
- Magnetic bearing technology.
- Gas bearing technology.
- Regenerator technology, including magnetically enhanced
regenerators.
- Low vibration cooler systems.
- Vibration compensation systems.
- Vibration isolation systems.
- High reliability thermal switches.
- Magnetic cooler technology.
- Interfacing mechanical coolers with sensors.
Stored cryogen coolers:
- Low thermal conductance structural support systems.
- Support systems with on-orbit release.
- Concepts to enhance safety.
- Concepts for stored cryogen and mechanical cooler
combinations.
References:
Keung, C., et al., "Design and Fabrication of A Long-Life
Stirling Cycle Cooler for Space Applications," Philips
Laboratories, November 1990. N86-21714
Scott, Russell B., "Cryogenic Engineering. MET-CHEM Research
Inc., Boulder, CO 80307. AVAIL:ESL
Fast, R.W., "Advances in Cryogenic Engineering," Plenum Press,
Important Papers.
A87-50751, A8343220, A85-26501, A88-53176
_____________________________________________________
09.12 Cryogenic Fluid System Components
and Instrumentation
Center: LeRC
Cryogenic liquids are required for many current and future space
missions. Hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen (both liquid and cold
gas) are of primary interest; however enhancements for other
cryogenic fluids are also required. Innovative component and
instrumentation concepts to improve the performance, operating
efficiency, safety, and reliability of cryogenic fluid systems
are solicited for both the ground and low-gravity environments.
This subtopic solicits unique and innovative concepts in the
cryogenic components and instrumentation areas, with an emphasis
at this time for:
- Multilayer insulation concepts to improve thermal
performance in low gravity (including basic design, layup
techniques, and seam and penetration treatment).
- Low-gravity mass gages that do not depend upon liquid
position or fluid inventory and are independent of tank
geometry. Accuracy should be better than 2 percent and
response time on the order of 2 seconds.
- Cryogenic temperature sensors for both gas and liquid.
Sensor should be small, highly accurate and have a large
range.
- Systems for ground handling of cryogenic liquids (i.e light-
weight vacuum jackets, reliquifaction, etc.)
- Hardware or techniques for control of space simulation
vacuum chambers including rapid pumpdown to follow launch
ascent profiles and reducing backstreaming from oil
diffusion pumps.
- Valving and instrumentation for flow control of high
pressure (40 MPa) fluids such as H2, CH4, CO2, and 02 at flow
rates on the order of 40 standard cubic meters per minute.
References:
Arif, H., and Kroefer, E.W., "COLD-SAT: A Technology Satellite
for Cryogenic Experimentation, "NASA Technical Memorandum 102286,
July 1989. N89-26036
"Zero-Gravity Quantity Gaging System, Final Report," NASA CR
185602, Ball Aerospace Systems Group, December 1989.
N93-12699
Sovie, J.S., Vetrone, R.H., et al., "Test Facilities for High
Power Electric Propulsion," AIAA-91-34999. N92-11136
_____________________________________________________________
------------------ end attachment ---------------------------
Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=2364