A widely applicable suite of technologies with optimized capabilities for fluid metering, mixing, and conditioning

Innovators at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have developed a suite of prototype fluid plug technologies with an array of capabilities for fluid flow metering, mixing, and conditioning. Each innovation within this suite is based on a core technology that has no moving parts, is simple to manufacture, and provides high reliability and efficiency. The base fluid plug technology can be modified with very few or no hardware changes to achieve the desired effect or combination of mixing, metering, and conditioning capabilities, depending on the application.

The suite of innovations includes:

• Fluid-mixing plug with metering capabilities
• Unbalanced-flow, fluid-mixing plug with metering capabilities
• Flow meter plug with length-to-hole size uniformity
• Eddy current-minimized flow plug for use in flow conditioning and flow metering
• Flow-rate throttling and measurement valve with integrated turbulence control
• Pressure-equalized flow meter and conditioner

These technologies are appropriate for a wide range of fluid flow applications, from straight to bent pipe, in industries ranging from chemical processing and manufacturing to mining and liquid fuel engines.

Innovators at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center are seeking patent protection for a fastener system that is designed to simplify the placement, installation, and removal of avionics and electronics equipment within a variety of structures. This box rail mount system is lightweight, allows for self-alignment, minimizes the number of fasteners needed, does not require tools to operate, and can be handled by a single technician. The system consists of a “C” profile trail or track, a cartridge with a spring-loaded lockpin that slides in the track at spaced cut-outs, and a unique self-aligning cleat that allows the mounting of a flat or box-shaped component on a flat, curved, or irregular surface. This unique design is an improvement over prior designs that require two technicians to mount boxes on pallets and secure them with captive screws, using a tool specific to each fastening system. Developed for use in the aerospace industry, the system has broad applicability for fastener systems in the automotive, railway, and construction industries.

Scientists at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have patented an improved version of the Hotspot Conductive Fluid Flow Sensor to measure the flow rate of electrically conductive liquid. The original technology, developed for use in a solid fuel bismuth hall thruster, uses a heat pulse technique in which a thermal spike, or “hotspot,” is introduced into the liquid flow. The improved technology uses an optical sensor to detect the thermal spike and is less intrusive, less potentially contaminating, and less susceptible to electromagnetic interference than the previous approach. The invention is especially well suited for measuring very low flow rates of approximately 1 to 30 milligrams/second and provides a measurement accuracy of 1 percent.

Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have developed a new mechanical seal design that has pressure-energizing capability, a stable yet high preload, and is suitable for use in extremely cold temperatures. Designed for both radial and piston-type dynamic cryogenic applications, the seal consists of metallic inner and outer retaining rings that securely capture a Teflon® polymeric ring. This unique design allows the Teflon to expand and contract in changing temperatures at rates similar to the parent materials. The seal could be used in any commercial cryogenic fluid system and would work well in both dynamic and static applications. NASA’s new technology overcomes many shortcomings of conventional cryogenic seals, such as Teflon-jacketed o-ring seals and bellows, which often have short lifetimes due to mismatches in thermal expansion characteristics and dimensional instability of the Teflon due to repeated strain. NASA has applied for patent protection for this invention.

Researchers from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have patented a method and instrument for measuring the quantity of material within a container. The material may be in a multi-phase state comprised of liquid, solid, and/or gas. Marshall developed the system to determine the amount of fuel on board a spacecraft. The method uses dynamic temperature, pressure, and temperature measurements, independent of the shape of the container or tank, to determine material quantity. Based on testing results from prototypes, the accuracy of the system is within +/- 0.21 percent on a linear basis and +/- 0.08 percent on a polynomial basis.

Innovators at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have patented a design for an electrically driven motor and ball-screw mechanism to control the flow of storable rocket propellant to an engine. This unique valve offers a high degree of integration of the actuation mechanism with the flow-control components, resulting in a single, compact unit. In addition to being a major part of the actuation mechanism, the ball screw also is a flow-control component because it is hollow and contains part of the main flow passage. One end of the ball screw contains the main seating valve element. The most notable advantages of using electromechanically actuated valves over conventional pneumatically or hydraulically actuated valves are the elimination of associated reservoirs, tanks, lines, fittings, and solenoid valves, and the ability to drive multiple engine valves through a single electric engine controller.

Scientists at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have patented a desk-sized apparatus for testing single ball bearings and their lubricants in an oscillating rotary motion. The apparatus provides for a greater degree of automation and operation under a wider and a more realistic range of test conditions than previous testing mechanisms. The device tests loads from 100 to 50,000 pounds, resisting torques up to 30,000 pounds/inch, oscillating rotation to 280 degrees, and cyclic rates from 0 to 6 Hz. Various environmental conditions can be simulated with some additional components but without any major modifications. These include temperatures from -320°F to 1000°F, relative humidity levels from 0 to 100 percent, and various space-simulated environments. The apparatus measures the applied load, the resisting torque, and the angle of rotation, and calculates the coefficient of friction in real time. A microprocessor-based data acquisition and control system controls the test from start to finish and then calculates, displays, and stores test information.

Researchers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have patented conceptual designs for asymmetric bulkheads that are both volumetrically and structurally efficient. The bulkhead designs, proposed for the ends of vertically oriented cylindrical pressure vessels, feature both convex and concave contours and offer advantages over purely convex, concave, and flat bulkheads. Each bulkhead is configured so that a high region extends past the cylindrical portion of the vessel on one side of the bulkhead, with a contour of the bulkhead transitioning from the high region to a low region within the last cylindrical region. This design allows two vessels to be nested together end-to-end and occupy less total volume than similarly sized vessels with purely convex or concave ends. The asymmetric configuration also provides a low point for optimum location of a drain, and the convex shape at the drain location minimizes the amount of residual liquid that unavoidably remains in a tank during outflow.

Scientists at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center have patented a variable pressure washer (VPW) that provides relatively equal clamping force along a curved surface. The VPW has two interlocking channel rings, separated by a channel and retained by a set of captive fasteners. Compression springs are located within the channel between the rings, and each spring has a different stiffness, based on its radial location. Originally developed as part of a low-leakage, polar boss assembly used to seal penetrations in fiber-reinforced composite domes, the VPW’s unique design and spring assembly is the first of its kind to enable sealing a curved member to a planar member. This sealing is achieved by applying a specified but varying load along a radian for each cross-section of the washer circumference.