Helmut H. Bamberger and R. Craig Robinson

Jacobs Technology, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio

John M. Jurns

ASRC Aerospace Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio

Steven J. Grasl

Sierra Lobo, Inc., Milan, Ohio 

Liquid Methane Conditioning Capabilities Developed 

at the NASA Glenn Research Center’s Small MultiPurpose Research Facility (SMiRF) for Accelerated 

Lunar Surface Storage Thermal Testing

NASA/CR—2011-216745

September 2011
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Helmut H. Bamberger and R. Craig Robinson

Jacobs Technology, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio

John M. Jurns

ASRC Aerospace Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio

Steven J. Grasl

Sierra Lobo, Inc., Milan, Ohio 

Liquid Methane Conditioning Capabilities Developed 

at the NASA Glenn Research Center’s Small MultiPurpose Research Facility (SMiRF) for Accelerated 

Lunar Surface Storage Thermal Testing

NASA/CR—2011-216745

September 2011

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Glenn Research Center

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Prepared under Contract NNC05CA95C

Prepared for the

57th Joint Army-Navy-NASA-Air Force (JANNAF) Propulsion Meeting 

sponsored by the JANNAF Interagency Propulsion Committee

Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 3–7, 2010
Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Cryogenic Fluid Management Project under the auspices of the Exploration Technology 

Development Program within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. To Mike Doherty and Joe Gaby for project 

management; Matt Moran for research support; Sierra Lobo, Inc., Tony Skaff and Chinh Nguyen for design and fabrication support, 

and in particular Chris DeTardo for facility and test support.

Available from

NASA Center for Aerospace Information

7115 Standard Drive

Hanover, MD 21076–1320

National Technical Information Service

5301 Shawnee Road

Alexandria, VA 22312

Available electronically at http://www.sti.nasa.gov

Trade names and trademarks are used in this report for identification 

only. Their usage does not constitute an official endorsement, 

either expressed or implied, by the National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration.

Level of Review: This material has been technically reviewed by expert reviewer(s).
NASA/CR—2011-216745 1

Liquid Methane Conditioning Capabilities Developed at the NASA 

Glenn Research Center’s Small Multi-Purpose Research Facility 

(SMiRF) for Accelerated Lunar Surface Storage Thermal Testing

Helmut H. Bamberger and R. Craig Robinson

Jacobs Technology, Inc.

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

John M. Jurns

ASRC Aerospace Corporation

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

Steven J. Grasl

Sierra Lobo, Inc.

Milan, Ohio 43420

Abstract

The NASA Glenn Research Center’s Creek Road Cryogenic Complex, Small Multi-Purpose Research 

Facility (SMiRF) recently completed validation/checkout testing of a new liquid methane delivery system 

and liquid methane (LCH4) conditioning system. Facility checkout validation was conducted in 

preparation for a series of passive thermal control technology tests planned at SMiRF in fiscal year 2010 

using a flight-like propellant tank at simulated thermal environments from 140 to 350K. These tests will 

validate models and provide high quality data to support consideration of LCH4/LO2 propellant 

combination option for a lunar or planetary ascent stage.

An infrastructure has been put in place which will support testing of large amounts of liquid methane 

at SMiRF. Extensive modifications were made to the test facility’s existing liquid hydrogen system for 

compatibility with liquid methane. Also, a new liquid methane fluid conditioning system will enable 

liquid methane to be quickly densified (sub-cooled below normal boiling point) and to be quickly 

reheated to saturation conditions between 92 and 140 K. Fluid temperatures can be quickly adjusted to 

compress the overall test duration. A detailed trade study was conducted to determine an appropriate 

technique to liquid conditioning with regard to the SMiRF facility’s existing infrastructure. In addition, a 

completely new roadable dewar has been procured for transportation and temporary storage of liquid 

methane. A new spherical, flight-representative tank has also been fabricated for integration into the 

vacuum chamber at SMiRF. The addition of this system to SMiRF marks the first time a large-scale 

liquid methane propellant test capability has been realized at Glenn.

This work supports the Cryogenic Fluid Management Project being conducted under the auspices of 

the Exploration Technology Development Program, providing focused cryogenic fluid management 

technology efforts to support NASA’s future robotic or human exploration missions.

Introduction

Background

NASA is currently developing propulsion system concepts for future robotic and human exploration 

missions. Studies have identified high performance, cryogenic methane (LCH4) and oxygen (LO2) as a

propellant combination for consideration on the main engines and reaction control system (RCS) for 

exploration propulsion systems. To support this, a number of tests will be conducted at the NASA Glenn 

Research Center’s (GRC) Creek Road Cryogenic Complex (CRCC) (Fig. 1) Small Multipurpose Research 
NASA/CR—2011-216745 2

Facility (SMiRF) (Ref. 1) from April to July 2010 to baseline the passive thermal control technology of a 

flight-representative, spherical LCH4 propellant tank at simulated thermal environments from 140 K to

350 K. The tank size (1.2 m, 4 ft diameter) selected is representative of the LCH4 tank required for a 

human lunar ascent propulsion system and can be accommodated in the SMiRF thermal-vacuum 

chamber. The selected thermal environments are representative of LCH4 propulsion system storage during 

lunar transit (TLI), for a lunar pole stay and for a lunar equatorial stay.

The test series, named the Methane Lunar Surface Thermal Control (MLSTC) test will document the 

as-built performance of a high performance, variable density multilayer insulation (MLI) system in the 

various lunar environments a human lunar ascent stage may be exposed to. (Ref. 2)

For a lunar outpost exploration mission at the lunar South Pole, a surface stay of up to 210 days for a 

crew module and ascent propulsion stage has been assumed. NASA system trade studies and contracted 

lunar ascent studies have shown that LCH4 ascent stage propellant tank venting can be eliminated for a 

240 day mission. Of the overall mission time frame, the first 30 days will include loiter in low Earth orbit 

(LEO) and transit time to the lunar surface. The remaining 210 days would actually be time on the lunar 

surface. Eliminating propellant venting of LCH4 during this time can be accomplished via:

• A passive MLI system consisting of at least 60 layers to protect the propellant tanks from the 

lunar surface and solar environmental heating;

• Loading the LCH4 propellant tanks with densified LCH4 at 92 K and starting with tank ullage of 

approximately 15 percent at the KSC launch pad.

• Using the higher thermal capacity of LO2 by thermally strapping the LCH4 propellant tank to the 

LO2 propellant tank.

To support this effort, a complete methane infrastructure has been put in place at SMiRF to support 

testing with large quantities of liquid methane. This new infrastructure is capable of supplying and 

quickly sub cooling or warming the bulk liquid methane stored in a test tank installed in the SMiRF 

vacuum chamber.

• A spherical, flight-representative tank has been fabricated for integration into the vacuum 

chamber at SMiRF.
NASA/CR—2011-216745 3

• A cryogenic fluid conditioning system has been integrated within the SMiRF test facility that can 

both densify (cool) or heat the bulk liquid methane to saturation temperatures lower or higher 

than normal boiling point (NBP) to support testing at various liquid condition test points.

• A 15,100 liter roadable Dewar has been procured for transportation and temporary storage of 

liquid methane.

An integrated system checkout of all components of the methane infrastructure occurred September 

through early October 2009.

Experimental Capabilities

The CRCC is located at the GRC in Cleveland, Ohio. Part of the Research Combustion Laboratory 

(RCL), the CRCC complex is comprised of three separate test cells of which the SMiRF shown in 

Figure 2 is the largest test cell. Among its many capabilities, SMiRF can evaluate the performance of 

thermal control systems required to provide long term storage of cryogenic propellants in space. Newly 

constructed in the fall of 2003, the CRCC is a $28 million state of the art facility using the latest in 

instrumentation, controls and data acquisition. SMiRF provides the ability to simulate space or high 

altitude thermal-vacuum environments and launch pressure ascent profiles. SMiRF can safely handle

purge and pressurant gases (H2, CH4, He, N2 and O2) and cryogenic fluids such as liquid hydrogen (LH2), 

LCH4, LO2 and liquid nitrogen (LN2). Located in a valley on the GRC campus, SMiRF was designed in 

accordance with appropriate quantity-distance requirements in the event of an explosive failure of a flight 

weight test tank.

Testing includes a wide variety of cryogenic fluid management (CFM) technology including: various 

storage techniques for Thermodynamic Vent System (TVS) (Ref. 3), low gravity Mass Gauging (Refs. 4

to 6), Zero Boil Off (Ref. 7) and calorimeter testing of prototype MLI insulation systems. Various liquid 

supply testing has also been conducted using Liquid Acquisition Devices (LADs) (Ref. 8) as well as the 

ability to perform rapid fill and chill of various storage tanks. The SMiRF test facility serves as a lowcost, highly configurable small-scale screening test bed for concept and component testing with a wide 

variety of existing support and test hardware.
NASA/CR—2011-216745 4

The center of the SMiRF test cell is a vertical cylindrical space simulation vacuum chamber. The 

7400 L vacuum chamber can accommodate test articles as large as 1.8 m in diameter and 2.3 m high. The 

SMiRF vacuum system includes a first stage mechanical pump, a second stage mechanical pump with 

Roots type blower, and a third pumping stage comprised of three diffusion vacuum pumps. The ultimate 

vacuum level can be maintained at 6.7×10–4 Pa in the chamber. The vacuum pumping system also allows 

the chamber to be evacuated to match a specific pressure pump down profile simulating a launch vehicle 

ascent pressure profile (from atmospheric pressure to 1.33 Pa in 2 min). Chamber pressure can be 

maintained at intermediate values as required by research programs. An optically dense programmable 

thermal shroud shown in Figure 3 is available for use in the vacuum chamber. The thermal shroud limits 

the dimensions of the test article to a maximum diameter of 1.12 m. The shroud can simulate lunar or 

Martian diurnal temperature profiles and operate over a temperature range of 110 to 360 K with a 

ramping capability of 3.3 K per minute during cooling and a ramping capability of 0.83 K per minute 

during warming over the entire range. Gas composition in the vacuum chamber is continuously monitored 

using a mass spectrometer based residual gas analyzer (RGA) that detects species in the 0 to 100 atomic 

mass units (amu) range. Outputs from the RGA controller can signal alarms or shutdowns as necessary 

during unattended operations.

Facility operations are typically performed in a remote control room located 150 m from the test cell. 

Operations are accomplished using programmable logic controller (PLC) providing hardwired signals for 

safety in operation. Wonderware (Invensys Systems, Inc.) HMI (human machine interface) software is 

used for facility control. Programmed alarms, shutdowns and component or signal interlocks protect the 

facility and research hardware. Data acquisition is through the use of LabView (National Instruments 

Corporation) software with input available from up to 456 channels at a nominal 1 Hz recording rate. 

Operator control of various systems via open loop processes provides greater testing flexibility. The
NASA/CR—2011-216745 5

control system is independent from the data system, but data is readily shared between the two through 

standard communication protocols.

Results and Discussion

Trade Study

To conduct the MLSTC test series at SMiRF within an acceptable resource allocation (test personnel 

cost and facility schedule time duration), a LCH4 test fluid conditioner system was required to provide a 

pre-determined, variable temperature supply of LCH4 to the test tank located in the SMiRF vacuum 

chamber using only NBP LCH4 supplied from a facility supply dewar. The LCH4 conditions desired in 

the test tank ranged from a highly densified 92 K state (liquid saturated at 13.8 KPa) to a 140 K state

(liquid saturated at 606.7 KPa.) To accomplish this level of liquid conditioning, one system would be 

needed to chill the LCH4 below its NBP temperature of (112 K), and a second system would be required 

to warm the LCH4 well above its NBP temperature. Controllability of liquid temperature was desired to 

be held within ± 1 K at any target temperature within the above described range.

These capabilities would allow SMiRF to simulate a 240 day lunar exploration storage mission in 

which liquid is well mixed during storage, conservation of mass (no venting) is maintained, and tank 

ullage volume decreases from an initial 15 percent to an approximate final 5 percent value. Other 

requirements included a 3028 liter per hour test tank load rate, a test tank maximum expected operating 

pressure (MEOP) of 1.72 MPa (250 psig), and an instrumentation and controls compatible with the 

facility. NFPA 70 National Electric Code (NEC) Class I, Division II, Group B; ASME B31.3 Process 

Piping and ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII Division I compliance was also required. 

Assumptions for the design include a test tank volume of 875 liter test tank, a heat leak of 300 to 800 W, 

and initial chill down of piping consuming 197 liter of liquid methane in 18 min.

A series of trade studies were performed at the start of this project to determine the optimal path for 

achieving the desired capabilities. These studies were conducted considering the available SMiRF facility 

resources, whether the system should be skid mounted or permanently located, as well as the performance of 

each system in achieving the desired liquid temperatures. It was determined that two new sub-systems would 

be required to generate the full range of specified LCH4 temperatures: One for sub-cooling or densification of 

the LCH4 below its NBP temperatures, and a second system to warm the LCH4 above its NBP.

For chilling the LCH4 below its NBP, the following two types of systems were analyzed:

1. Evaporative cooling using a vacuum pump

2. Inter-media liquid heat exchanger

The first option evaluated the evaporative cooling of propellant already loaded in the SMIRF test tank

and would require repurposing an existing facility vacuum pump and piping that was originally used for

vacuum purging. It also required the purchase of an in-line heater to warm the cold ullage gas prior to 

entering the vacuum pump inlet as well as the addition of an oxygen sensor on the vacuum pump exhaust. 

The concept is illustrated in the top section of Figure 4. Advantages included infinite temperature tuning, 

utilization of current SMiRF infrastructure, and in-situ test tank processing. The disadvantages included 

sub-atmospheric operation and loss of LCH4 that would require a makeup system.

The second option, illustrated in bottom section of Figure 4, involved prechilling the LCH4 before it 

entered the test tank. This option would require the installation of an inter-media inline heat exchanger

using a liquid argon (LAr) bath or Cryo-cooler to cool the liquid prior to tank loading. It had the 

advantage of operating at positive pressure without CH4 venting. In addition, a similar system had been 

designed and utilized in a nearby test facility with positive results. This type of heat exchanger could also 

be easily skid-mounted, making it both removable and transportable. However it is not an in-situ process, 

and there was no temperature tuning capability (fixed outlet temperature) without an additional warming 

heat exchanger. Finally a recirculation pump or drain might have been required to process the LCH4 if the 

test tank was filled from a warm condition.
NASA/CR—2011-216745 6

After careful evaluation with regards to cost, overall size, performance and available facility 

infrastructure, the evaporative cooling option was chosen and will be described in detail in following 

sections.

For heating the LHC4 above its NBP temperature, another analysis was performed comparing the 

benefits and draw-backs of two additional types of systems with concepts shown in Figure 5:

1. Warm GCH4 bubbling

2. Electric heater

Bubbling warm gaseous methane gas (GCH4) shown in the top section of Figure 5, through the LCH4

already in the test tank would require both a gaseous methane supply and a bubbler distribution system 

mounted inside the test tank. A vaporizer would need to be added to the LCH4 supply to provide the 

gaseous methane. Advantages for this option included in-situ conditioning, infinite temperature tuning, 

and a LCH4 supply already available for vaporization. The bubbler could also take advantage of an 

existing flow and back pressure control system. Negative impacts for this type of system includes the 

required cost and effort of purchasing and installing a vaporizer and control panel as well as the required 

dedication of additional test tank space to add a distribution manifold 

The in-line electrical heater option shown in the bottom section of Figure 5 would also provide 

infinite temperature tuning. The critical factor with this type of component would be the ability of the unit 

to warm the liquid without any localized boiling. Like the inter-media liquid heat exchanger mentioned 

previously, this type of electric heater was also in use at a nearby test facility and could again be remotely 

mounted on a separate skid for easy removal and transport. This in-line-heater method is not an in-situ 

process and would require additional electrical power and space. In addition, a re-circulating pump and 

associated piping and tank penetrations would be required. 

Again, after careful evaluation with regards to cost, overall size, performance and available facility 

infrastructure, the bubbling concept was chosen as discussed in the following sections.
NASA/CR—2011-216745 7

Facility Modifications

An overview of the completed methane conditioning system infrastructure upgrade including LCH4

supply, GHe pressurization and the closed loop cold wall is shown in Figure 6. The highlighted lines 

show the Bubbler lines and Evaporative Cooling lines. The Bubbler lines run from the bulk LCH4 storage 

tank through the vaporization heater and into the bottom of the tank with the bubbles being dispersed 

through the sparger. The Evaporative Cooling lines run from the ullage space inside the test tank, through 

a heater to warm the cold LCH4 gas and to the mechanical roughing pump.

Evaporative Cooling System

To chill down the available NBP liquid to reduced temperatures within the test tank, an evaporative 

cooling system was added using one of the three existing vacuum pumps currently being used to evacuate

the vacuum chamber. Piping already existed to vacuum purge the test tank, so flow to this pump was 

isolated from the vacuum chamber and left connected only to the test tank. This allows the LCH4 in the 

test tank to be chilled from its NBP of 112 K down to a saturation temperature of 92 K. This required the 

installation of a heater to warm the cold vented methane gas before it entered the vacuum pump and a 

new vacuum pump discharge line to safely vent the methane gas into the atmosphere. This chill-down 

process was designed to take 1 hr (assuming a 300 W heat leak and no make-up liquid) for a full tank 

(875 liter) of liquid methane.

The existing facility pump utilized for this process was an Edwards/Stokes model 212J Microvac 

rotary piston vacuum pump. This unit is powered by a 5.6 kW, 230/460 V electric motor and has a 

pumping capacity of 250m3

/hr at 500 rpm. Since this pump was initially intended to pump only air out of 

the vacuum chamber, the manufacturer was consulted for this pump’s use with cold methane gas. They 

provided two recommendations. The first was to ensure that the gas at the pump inlet was sufficiently 

warmed, and the second was to add an external oil purification reservoir to the pump. The oil purifier 

would provide added security in the unlikely event that a small oil leak occurred into the methane flow 

stream as well as providing additional oil cooling under elevated pumping loads. Under this scenario, the 

oil purifier would provide a 13.2 liter source of additional pressurized oil as an added back-up to prevent 
NASA/CR—2011-216745 8

any chance of drawing air/oxygen into the main flow stream. The Edwards purifier unit selected was a 

model 339-030 providing a flow rate of 11 lpm, and is driven by a 0.37 kW, 230/460 V electric motor 

rated for Class 1 Division 1 Groups C and D suitable for methane service.

An electric heater was then added to the vacuum system to address the pump manufacturer’s other 

concern of heating the cold methane gas before it entered the inlet of the vacuum pump. The electric 

heater was sized to warm the methane gas from its lowest saturation temperature of 92 K up to 300 K at 

the vacuum pump’s maximum flow rate of 250 m3

/hr. Heater power is controlled by a silicon-controlled 

rectifier (SCR) electrical panel using a 480V-3Ph-30 kW circuit. Remote control through the HMI/PLC 

programs automatically controls the power to the heater as necessary to maintain the methane gas at the 

desired set-point temperature at the heater outlet. The heater is constructed using a 2.19 cm, 316 stainless 

steel tube chamber that will encompass nine, 1.87 mm diameter Incoloy elements to provide a 23 w/in2

element watt density. It is insulated, has a stainless steel tube outer jacket, and is ASME certified to 

1.90 MPa (275 psig).

Lastly, a dedicated vent was added to exhaust the vacuum pump discharge safely. An O2 sensor 

system was installed in the discharge line to monitor the O2 levels in the main flow stream. This will 

detect any air that may leak into the vacuum system at any point and provide a warning if the mixture of 

gases in the system begins to approach the Limiting Oxidant Concentration (LOC) that can support 

deflagration. According to NFPA 69, the LOC for oxygen in methane is 12 percent by volume. While this 

O2 sensor will constantly display real-time measurements, it will also be set up with two limits. The first 

limit will be set at a four percent O2 concentration and will provide a signal to an alarm in the control 

room. The second limit will be set at ten percent O2 by volume and will send a signal to the facility PLC 

for an appropriate course of action.
NASA/CR—2011-216745 9

Bubbling System

To study the upper range of LCH4 temperatures desired, an ambient temperature methane gas bubbler 

system was chosen. This system was designed to inject the warm gas into the LCH4 at the bottom of the 

test tank warming the liquid to a saturation temperature of 140 K at 606.7 KPa (88 psia). The ambient

temperature GCH4 (300 K) was generated by flowing LCH4 from the storage Dewar, though an electric 

vaporizer. The predicted warm-up time for a full load of NBP liquid in the test tank, to the 140 K 

maximum LCH4 temperature, was approximately 1.5 hr using this bubbler heating system. The bubbling 

system was designed to handle flow rates of up to 3.8 lpm (2,124 slpm). Similar to the vacuum system 

heater described previously, the power for this vaporizer is controlled by an SCR electrical panel using a 

480V-3Ph-30 kW circuit. Remote control through the HMI/PLC programs automatically controls the 

power to the vaporizer as necessary to maintain the methane gas at the desired set-point temperature at the 

vaporizer outlet.

The vaporizer consists of a coiled tube encompassed in cast aluminum. The eighteen heater elements 

are also encompassed in the same aluminum casting, but do not physically contact the propellant tubing. 

Heat is conducted from the elements, through the casting, and into the tube wall. Both the methane tubing 

and outer housing are constructed of 304 stainless steel tube and are designed, built, and certified to 

ASME code. Gaseous Nitrogen (GN2) is used as the purge gas for the bubbler system and is provided by 

the existing facility. The gaseous methane is delivered to the bottom of the test tank through piping routed 

through the vacuum chamber. A control valve at the vacuum chamber boundary sets the flow and a 

sparger manifold mounted at the bottom of test tank distributes appropriately sized bubbles throughout 

the cross section of the tank to transfer heat to the liquid.

Methane Storage and Delivery

A new liquid methane transport trailer (Fig. 7) was purchased to supply bulk liquid methane to 

SMIRF. The new trailer, M-22, is a commercial liquefied natural gas (LNG) trailer, fabricated by Alloy 

Custom Products, Inc. The trailer has been designed, fabricated, and inspected to U.S. DOT MC-338 

specifications. The maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) of the 15,100 liter (4,000 gal) trailer 

is 827.4 MPa (120 psi) and a maximum unloading rate of 757 lpm (200 gpm). The transport trailer is 

connected directly to the SMiRF facility and self pressurized to deliver liquid methane to the test tank. A

second and much larger transport Dewar, M-26, has been converted from hydrogen to methane use for 
NASA/CR—2011-216745 10

greater storage capacity and longer term storage of methane at a nearby commercial industrial gas 

supplier. This larger 49,200 liter (13,000 gal) vessel will be limited to a capacity of 30,280 liter (8000 gal)

to account for methane’s greater density versus hydrogen. It is used to receive larger shipments and serve 

as the staging area and supply source for M-22.

Test Tank

A new test tank was designed to be representative of a pressure fed methane propulsion system 

propellant tank typical of a lunar ascent stage. The spherical tank is 1.22 m (4 ft) in diameter (outside) 

with a smooth outer mold line to accommodate installation of MLI (Fig. 8). The tank can be installed in 

the SMiRF facility vacuum chamber within the cryo-shroud. Side mounting brackets are recessed into the 

tank wall to maintain the smooth outer surface interface with the existing ground fixture for ease of 

access. Three 1.59 cm diameter support rod mounting bosses with threaded ends are positioned in the top 

hemisphere of the tank for facility integration. The tank lids are designed to allow interchangeable 

mounting at the top or bottom of the tank, and to provide human entry/access to the tank internal volume. 

The top lid has three 8.9 cm (3 in. sch 80 NPS) ports to accommodate a fill line, vent line (including 

instrumentation leads), and a gaseous helium line. The bottom lid has one 8.9 cm (3 in. sch 80 NPS) port 

for the bubbler bar line and a conduit line for a mixer pump cable.

The ASME code stamped tank was designed and fabricated in accordance with the current edition of 

the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Division 1 and other sections as applicable. 

The MAWP is 2.43 MPa for 77 K to 311 K. The tank, flanges, and bolting materials are made from type 

304 stainless steel with all components compatible with cryogenic fluids and cold gases. After fabrication, 

the tank and all lid assemblies were cold-shock tested using liquid nitrogen and hydrostatic pressure 

tested per the ASME code. Finally, the tank was helium gas leak tested per ASTM E-493 or ASTM E-498 

to insure a maximum allowable leak rate is 1×10–9 standard cubic centimeters per second. The MLI was 

provided by Ball Aerospace Technology Corporation under contract.
NASA/CR—2011-216745 11

Methane Conditioning System Performance Tests

Methane conditioning system performance tests were conducted to verify predicted performance for 

both the methane bubbler warming and evaporative cooling systems. These tests were performed using 

the 875 liter volume spherical test tank described in the previous section. The tank was suspended from 

the test facility vacuum chamber lid and had piping penetrations for liquid fill, vapor vent, warm methane 

vapor, and temperature instrumentation. The test tank was un-insulated. Tests were performed with the 

vacuum chamber at nominally ambient temperature (i.e., thermal shroud was not operating during tests).

LCH4 Evaporative Cooling Testing

Two evaporative cooling tests were performed. The first test was performed by filling the test tank 

with approximately 335 Kg of LCH4 at nominally NBP conditions (1 atmosphere pressure, 112 K liquid 

temperature). The liquid was chilled by reducing the tank pressure as described above in the section: 

Facility Modifications—Evaporative Cooling System. The liquid temperature and pressure change is 

shown in Figure 9. Note that during the chill down test, the evaporative cooling system was shut down 

between T=120 min and T=145 min to troubleshoot a facility heat exchanger issue. Test tank pressure and 

LCH4 temperature remained essentially unchanged during this time, and once pumping resumed, the tank 

pressure and liquid temperature continued to drop to the final fluid condition of approximately 13.8 KPa 

and 92 K. Total elapsed time to chill down the liquid (not counting the 25 min shut down) was 67 min.

The second evaporative cooling test was similar with the exception that make-up LCH4 was added to 

the test tank during the test as the bulk liquid was being cooled by reducing tank pressure. The purpose of 

this test was to determine if the liquid mass could be maintained without significant increase in time to 

cool the bulk liquid. The liquid temperature and pressure is shown in Figure 10. The test began with 

approximately 263 Kg of LCH4 at 107.5 KPa pressure and 112 K. The liquid was chilled as previously 

described, and liquid added intermittently during the chill down. Final fluid conditions of approximately 

13.6 KPa and 92 K were obtained after 70 min.
NASA/CR—2011-216745 12

LCH4 Bubbler Warming Testing

One LCH4 fluid warming test was performed using the methane bubbler system. In this test, liquid 

methane was warmed by bubbling warm gaseous methane through a diffuser in the bottom of the test tank 

as described above in the section: “Facility Modifications—Bubbling System”. This test was performed 

after the first evaporative cooling test. Initial mass of the LCH4 was approximately 285 kg. Fluid initial 

conditions were 13.8 KPa and 92.7 K. Gaseous methane was bubbled into the liquid, warming it up to a 

final temperature of 131 K at 445 KPa. Fluid conditions are shown in Figure 11. Although the system is 

designed to warm the liquid to a maximum temperature of 139 K at 607 KPa, the test was terminated 

early since the maximum allowable liquid level in the test tank had been reached before the liquid had 

totally warmed. It is noted however that the system performed as designed.
NASA/CR—2011-216745 13

Table 1 shows actual test data compared to design for the evaporative cooling operations. Table 2

shows actual test data compared to design for liquid bubbler warming operations. For both the 

evaporative cooling and bubbler warming systems, data from these checkout tests compared favorably 

with the design.

TABLE 1.—LCH4 EVAPORATIVE COOLING—DESIGN AND ACTUAL PERFORMANCE COMPARISON

Subcooler

Design

(no liquid make-up)

Actual

(no liquid make-up)

Actual

(with liquid make-up)

Start End Delta Start End Delta Start End Delta

Pressure (KPa) 101.3 13.8 87.5 97 13.6 83.4 107.5 13.6 93.9

Temperature (K) 112 92 20 111.5 92.5 19 112 92 20

Mass (kg) 350 308 42 334.8 284.8 50 263 243 20

Time (min) ------ ------- 66 ------ ------ 67 ------ ------ 70

TABLE 2.—LCH4 BUBBLER WARMING—DESIGN AND ACTUAL PERFORMANCE COMPARISONa

Bubbler Design Actual

Start End Delta Start End Delta

Pressure (KPa) 101.4 607 505.6 101.4 445 343.6

Temperature (K) 112 139 27 111.4 131 19.6

Mass (kg) 295 323 28 312 345.8 33.8

Time (min) ------ ---- 90 ------ ------ 51 a

Initial actual fluid initial temperature and pressure were lower than shown in Table 2, as test began with subcooled liquid 

(reference Fig. 11). Actual data is shown for liquid between NBP and final condition for comparison with design.

Summary and Future Work

The SMiRF test facility within GRC’s CRCC complex is a unique, world class cryogenic test facility 

capable of testing multiple cryogenic fluids including liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, and liquid hydrogen. 

Recently, test capabilities have been enhanced to add liquid methane to the inventory of test fluids 

including a conditioning system to readily reduce the bulk liquid methane saturation temperature to 92 K 

or warm the liquid to 140 K from NBP initial conditions. With the added capability of the new Liquid 

Methane Conditioner System, the SMiRF facility has the ability to quickly and efficiently change bulk 

fluid saturation properties to support a wide variety of cryogen testing. These capabilities have been 

experimentally demonstrated and will be used in an extensive upcoming lunar storage mission simulation.

Additional planned SMiRF facility upgrades will include a high outflow component to the LCH4

system and a cryogenically cooled gaseous helium (GHe) pressurant system. The high outflow piping 

sub-system will increase the LCH4 drain rate to a minimum 1.8 kg/sec simulating outflow requirements 

for typical main planetary lander and RCS engines. A cryogenically cooled GHe system will offer the 

ability to provide pressurant at temperatures as low as 83 K. This offers the benefit of simulating cold 

GHe storage temperatures.

References

1. Jurns, J., and Kudlac M., “NASA Glenn Research Center, Creek Road Complex—Cryogenic Testing 

Facilities, Cryogenics,” 46 (2006) pp. 98–104.

2. Michael P. Doherty, Gaby, Joseph D., Salerno, Louis J., and Sutherlin, Steven J., “Cryogenic Fluid 

Management Technology For Moon and Mars Missions,” NASA/TM—2010-216070, AIAA–2009–

6532.

3. Moran, Mathew E., “Cryogenic Fluid Storage Technology Development: Recent and Planned Efforts 

at NASA,” NASA/TM—2009-215514.

4. Van Dresar, Neil T., “PVT gauging with liquid nitrogen,” Cryogenics 46 (2006) pp. 118–125.

5. Dodge, Franklin, T.; Green, Steven, T.; Petullo, Steven, P.; and Van Dresar, Neil, T., “Development 

and Design of Zero-g Liquid Quantity Gauge for Solar Thermal Vehicle,” NASA/TP—2002-211595.
NASA/CR—2011-216745 14

6. Zimmerli, Gregory A., Vaden, Karl R., Herlacher, Michael D., Buchanan, David A., and VanDresar, 

Neil T., “Radio Frequency Mass Gauging of Propellants,” AIAA–2007–1198; NASA/TM—2007-

214907.

7. Plachta, David W., “Results of an Advanced Development Zero Boil-Off Cryogenic Propellant 

Storage Test,” NASA/TM—2004-213390, AIAA–2004–3837.

8. Jurns, John M., and McQuillen, John B., “Liquid Acquisition Device Testing with Sub-Cooled Liquid 

Oxygen,” AIAA–2008–4943.
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Liquid Methane Conditioning Capabilities Developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center’s 

Small Multi-Purpose Research Facility (SMiRF) for Accelerated Lunar Surface Storage 

Thermal Testing 

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NNC05CA95C 

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Bamberger, Helmut, H.; Robinson, R., Craig; Jurns, John, M.; Grasl, Steven, J. 

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WBS 095240.04.03.03.03.03 

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14. ABSTRACT

Glenn Research Center’s Creek Road Cryogenic Complex, Small Multi-Purpose Research Facility (SMiRF) recently completed validation / checkout testing of a new liquid 

methane delivery system and liquid methane (LCH4) conditioning system. Facility checkout validation was conducted in preparation for a series of passive thermal control 

technology tests planned at SMiRF in FY10 using a flight-like propellant tank at simulated thermal environments from 140 to 350K. These tests will validate models and 

provide high quality data to support consideration of LCH4/LO2 propellant combination option for a lunar or planetary ascent stage.An infrastructure has been put in place 

which will support testing of large amounts of liquid methane at SMiRF. Extensive modifications were made to the test facility’s existing liquid hydrogen system for 

compatibility with liquid methane. Also, a new liquid methane fluid conditioning system will enable liquid methane to be quickly densified (sub-cooled below normal boiling 

point) and to be quickly reheated to saturation conditions between 92 and 140 K. Fluid temperatures can be quickly adjusted to compress the overall test duration. A detailed 

trade study was conducted to determine an appropriate technique to liquid conditioning with regard to the SMiRF facility’s existing infrastructure. In addition, a completely 

new roadable dewar has been procured for transportation and temporary storage of liquid methane. A new spherical, flight-representative tank has also been fabricated for 

integration into the vacuum chamber at SMiRF. The addition of this system to SMiRF marks the first time a large-scale liquid methane propellant test capability has been 

realized at Glenn.This work supports the Cryogenic Fluid Management Project being conducted under the auspices of the Exploration Technology Development Program, 

providing focused cryogenic fluid management technology efforts to support NASA’s future robotic or human exploration missions.

15. SUBJECT TERMS

Ground support systems; Cryogenics; Propellants; Multilayer insulation; Methane 

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