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Completed TRL 4 (started at 3, targeting 4)
This technology development effort had the goal of advancing a gap technology for infusion into future on-orbit and Lunar/Martian surface fluid/pneumatic gas servicing systems. It included the development and hands-on ground functional testing of a high accuracy Coriolis mass flowmeter with flight-like electronics which could be further advanced to withstand the space environment. This technology is based on the lessons learned from Restore-L/On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing-1 (OSAM-1) and will be critical in future servicing systems.
The commercial partner, Emerson Micro Motion, Inc., was an integral part of the proposed work. This partnership was formally established via a firm fixed price contract through the Emerson distributor, Chase Defense Systems. Emerson Micro Motion, Inc. provided the detailed design of their Coriolis flow meter transmitter, also called the remote electronics unit (REU) transmitter, which was designed in the early 1980s, along with a modern sensor that can be electrically connected to the transmitter. NASA took the detailed REU electrical design and replaced each of the approximately 96 unique parts (439 total locations) with modern parts that have a flight equivalent (for the next phase of development after the IRTD). This design work took approximately one year. The printed circuit board (PCB) design was modernized using the electrical drafting program, Altium, and built by Genesis Engineering at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) once the design work was completed.
The first power up of the circuit board was completed following some minor fixes. The PCB was connected to a Coriolis flow meter sensor and ran in a low-pressure water setup. Both operations were nominal and verified the functional performance of the unit. Both Key Performance Parameter (KPP) threshold requirements were also verified.
A Coriolis mass flowmeter measures mass flow rate using motion mechanics and is highly reliable, accurate, and robust as proven with its extensive use in the pharmaceutical, petroleum, chemical, and aerospace industries. In addition, Coriolis flow meters offer the ability to directly measure fluid density and temperature even if the fluids are not in a single phase. Although Coriolis mass flowmeters are widely used on Earth, the technology is underdeveloped for the space environment. Coriolis flowmeters are known to be the most robust and accurate mass flow measurement system currently on the market for ground applications; therefore, they are the logical choice for off-Earth spacecraft liquid and gas flow measurements.
This technology is a current gap in the emerging field of in-space and Lunar/Martian surface spacecraft propellant resupply. This gap includes the lack of technology to transfer propellant safely, reliably, and efficiently to levels nearly equivalent to those loaded on earth prior to launch. Other centers including Johnson Space Center, MSFC, and GRC have all also noted this gap, reference multi-center paper from Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Glenn Research Center (GRC), KSC and GSFC (NASA/TM−2020-5007997, NESC-WP-17-01293, A Review of In-Space Propellant Transfer Capabilities and Challenges for Missions Involving Propellant Resupply for supporting evidence). The high accuracy Coriolis mass flow meter with space-rated electronics selected for this IRTD proposal is crucial for successful in-space and Lunar/Martian surface spacecraft propellant resupply systems. This gap technology will provide precise flowrate measurement and enable highly accurate transfer mass quantities, thus significantly decreasing margins and increasing propellant quantity certainty. NASA programs such as OSAM-1, Artemis, Gateway Power and Propulsion Element, Mars Transit Vehicle, and the Lunar/Mars Human Landing System are all planning to perform in-space propellant resupply.
The current state of the art (OSAM-1 turbine flow meter) provides approximately 1.0 to 1.5% accuracy. Lunar and deep space missions will require very large propellant transfers. If the required transfer was 1,000 kg, a +/- 1.5% accuracy would result in 30 kg of unknown propellant. If a Coriolis flow meter was developed with the ability to deliver propellant with an accuracy of +/- 0.3% (like it has during ground testing), the margin would be reduced to 6 kg. This margin may not appear to be worth the significant development effort, unless you consider the fact that every drop of propellant is a nonrenewable resource after the vehicle is serviced. The difference of 24 kg is enough for many months of station keeping for a large space vehicle (depending upon the mass and orbit). In addition to propellant resupply systems, the proposed technology would also support In-Situ Resource Utilization systems, Environmental Control and Life Support Systems, and Nuclear Systems.
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