Behavior of Ullage Bubbles during Blowdown in Low-g Experiment​ (BUBBLE)

This activity will design, build, and operate a drop tower test article to provide model validation data for cryogenic tank venting operations in reduced gravity. Objectives of this activity include:

• Develop a liquid nitrogen drop tower test rig to investigate cryogenic liquid level rise due to bubble displacement while venting a tank.
• Obtain high-fidelity visualization data of the vapor generation phenomena and measure liquid level rise and tank thermodynamics for robust model validation.
• Characterize differences in the fundamental physical phenomena between ground and drop tower testing.
• Characterize liquid level rise as it relates to fill level, vent mass flow rate, and gravity level.

This activity will address a gap by obtaining reduced gravity cryogenic tank venting data for model validation. Validated models can be used to reduce risk and increase efficiency of tank venting and settling operations for on-orbit cryogenic propellant depots in support of NASA’s future missions. 

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.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.