Nucleation of Cryogenic Bubbles in Spacecraft Liquid Acquisition Devices .:. Knowledge Payload

Researchers at Purdue University are exploring Nucleation of Cryogenic Bubbles in Spacecraft Liquid Acquisition Devices in order to address questions raised during a precursor NASA project on the International Space Station. The previous project found the creation of vapor bubbles during a reduction in test tank pressure. Purdue will fly a liquid-vapor nitrogen system on parabolic flights to explore thermodynamic states and changes relevant to resolving questions raised by the station experiment, with the goal of helping to advance long-term cryogenic propellant storage in the weightlessness of space. 

Problem Statement The zero-boil-off tank (ZBOT) experiment on the International Space Station was a remarkable achievement in cryogenic propellant management technology in the weightlessness of spaceflight. However, despite providing many technological answers, ZBOT also produced new questions. Purdue researchers seek to advance the technology for long-term weightless cryogenic propellant storage by exploring one of the questions raised by ZBOT—specifically, the creation of vapor bubbles in or near the flat screen of the ZBOT during a reduction of pressure in the test tank.

Technology Maturation Researchers will fly a liquid-vapor nitrogen system on a parabolic aircraft with an overboard vent system in operation. The same refrigerant used in ZBOT will be implemented to demonstrate the similarity or difference in behavior of the ZBOT refrigerant and a more representative cryogenic system. Liquid nitrogen is expected to behave much more similarly to liquid oxygen than the much larger molecules in the ZBOT refrigerant did. 

Summary of Flight Test
2023-10-16, 2023-11-28, & 2024-04-15: Initial flights of the complex Purdue CryoBubbles experiment were productive. The team was able to identify several improvements in hardware, in-flight operations, and ground operations for the second set of flights dates in the next year. This experiment is a complex system operating at nearly minus 200 Celsius and thus it is important that safety of the design and its basic operations were both verified in this pair of flights.
2025-04-29: The Purdue team on the “CryoBubbles” experiment flew parabolas for two days. Initial indications are that the experiment functioned safely and created the necessary thermodynamic state in the liquid and vaporous nitrogen in the test vessels. Additional flights can produce a wealth of useful data on the phase transition process.

Researchers at Purdue University are exploring Nucleation of Cryogenic Bubbles in Spacecraft Liquid Acquisition Devices in order to address questions raised in precursor NASA experiments in cryogenic propellant management on the International Space Station—specifically, the creation of vapor bubbles during a reduction in test tank pressure. Purdue will fly a liquid-vapor nitrogen system on parabolic flights to explore thermodynamic states and changes relevant to resolving questions raised by the station experiment, with the goal of helping to advance long-term cryogenic propellant storage in the weightlessness of space. This would benefit NASA missions, the commercial space industry, other government agencies, and the nation.

Future Customers
•Long-duration lunar and cis-lunar missions utilizing cryogenic propellant
•Space-based cryogenic propellant storage and fuel depots

This is a mature technology (TRL 7) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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