Microgravity Demonstration of a Hybrid Screen Channel Liquid Acquisition Device for Transfer of Cryogenic Fluids

Technologies to support refueling of cryogenic liquid propellants in microgravity are critical for advancing missions involving long‑distance spaceflight with large payloads. An important development need currently lacking is a reliable method to preferentially transfer cryogenic liquid from a two-phase tank volume with high expulsion efficiency. Screened-channel LADs offer many advantages for flight cryogenic systems with high demand flow rate: in comparison to vane‑type propellant management devices (PMDs), the presence of the microporous gas barrier in screened‑channel devices allows for higher flow rates under more adverse accelerations with higher resistance to gas ingestion. For this reason, Creare has developed a hybrid LAD incorporating both types of features. The work reported herein details ongoing efforts to demonstrate performance in a relevant prototypical environment, eg, microgravity conditions present in orbit. To facilitate this demonstration, a payload was developed to evaluate performance of the LAD technology in microgravity conditions aboard a series of parabolic flights. The microgravity flight campaign was carried out successfully, with testing conducted in over 100 parabolas. Stable LN2 transfer was achieved through the LAD test section at flowrates between 200 and 400 g/s, and expulsion efficiency up to 95% was demonstrated. This demonstration of microgravity cryogenic liquid transfer is crucial to the advancement of the LAD technology, bridging the development gap that is necessary for infusion into commercial cryogenic propellant transfer systems, including those being developed for NASA’s Artemis program and other future similar missions.