Fluid System Technologies form the foundation of the modern spaceport and will continue to have a prominent place in spaceport operations for the foreseeable future. The fluid systems used on spacecraft include propellants, gases and other vehicle servicing fluids, heat transport and firex, and fluids for crew. The large amounts and wide variety of fluids required by modern spacecraft dictate flexibility and efficiency in fluids operation. Fluid System Technologies will seek to develop the means to reduce thermal losses associated with cryogenic fuels, minimize maintenance and process monitoring costs, and provide for safe operation of the spaceport. The ultimate goal of this technology thrust area is to create efficient technologies that can be quickly adapted to the changing fluid needs of future spacecrafts residing at the spaceport.

Technology focus areas include the following:

1. Storage, Distribution, and Servicing Systems
2. Production, Recovery, and Disposal Management Systems
3. Vehicle Interface Systems
4. Safety Systems
5. ELV/RLV Thermal/Fluids Environments and Management

For more information regarding Fluid System Technologies, please contact Robert Johnson, (321) 867-7373, Robert.Johnson-3@ksc.nasa.gov; Joseph Porta, (321) 867-3748, Joseph.Porta-1@ksc.nasa.gov; or Russel Rhodes, (321) 867-6298, Russel.Rhodes-1@ksc.nasa.gov.

• Thermal Performance of Cryogenic Piping Multilayer Insulation in Actual Field Installation
• Heat Transfer Study for HTS Power Transfer Cables
• Thermal Performance Testing of Insulation Panels for CBAT
• Aerogel Beads as Cryogenic Thermal Insulation System
• Performance Characterization of Perforated Multilayer Insulation (MLI) Blanket
• Improvements and Modeling of the RWGS Process
• High-Accuracy Heat-Flux Rate Measurements for Launch Vehicles
• An Application of Overset Grids to Payload Fairing Internal Flow CFD Analysis
• Space Habitat Carbon Dioxide Electrolysis to Oxygen
• Rayleigh Doppler Technique for Location of Hydrogen and Helium Leaks
• Cryogenic Piping Networks for Energy-Efficient Launch Sites
• Thermal Conductivity of High-Performance Polyimide Foams
• Buffer Gas Preparation From Cryogenic Collection
  

Goals Specific to Focus Areas

• Reduce human oversight of servicing systems by 20% near-, 60% mid-, and 85% far-term
• Reduce waste streams by 30% near-, 60% mid-, and 75% far-term
• Reduce hazardous operations for vehicle interfaces by 50% near-, 85% mid-, and 100% far-term