Abstract
Laboratory tests of a thermomechanical (TM) pump utilizing a commercially available porous disk have been conducted. Various size disks, heater configurations and outlet flow impedances have been used to characterize scale models of the pump proposed for the Superfluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer (SHOOT) Flight Experiment. The results yield the scalability of the TM pump to larger diameters and hence larger pumping rates, the dependance of flow rate on back pressure and heater power, and the limits of pumping speed due to internal losses within the porous disk due to mutual and superfluid friction. Analysis indicates that for low back pressures the flow rate is limited by the superfluid friction rather than the mutual friction. For the porous plug used in the early tests this amounts to a practical limit of 4.4 liters per hour per square centimeter. For our baselined flight plug area of 180 cm2 this yields 790 liters per hour.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
S. R. Breon, Liquid helium servicing from the space station, 1987 Space Cryogenics Workshop, Madison, to be published in Cryogenics.
M. J. DiPirro and S. H. Castles, Superfluid helium flight demonstration using the thermomechanical effect, Cryogenics2fi: 84 (1986).
M. J. DiPirro and P. Kittel, The superfluid helium on orbit transfer flight demonstration, Paper No. DA-3, 1987 Cryogenic Engineering Conference.
P. Kittel, Losses in fountain effect pumps, Proc.11th International Cryogenic Engineering Conference, Butterworth, London, (1986) p. 317.
see for instance, J. Wilks, “The Properties of Liquid and Solid Helium”, Clarendon Press, Oxford, (1967).
J.T. Tough, Prog. Low Temp. Phys 8: 135 (1982).
W. E. Keller, “Helium-3 and Helium-4”, Plenum, NY, (1969) p. 321.
J. E. Anderson, D. A. Fester, and M. J. DiPirro, Acquisition system testing with superfluid helium, 1987 CEC, Paper FC-2.
M. J. DiPirro, The Superfluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer flight experiment: performance estimates, 1987 Space Cryogenics Workshop, Madison, to be published in Cryogenics.
W. E. Keller and E. F. Hammel, Physics2: 221 (1966).
U. Schotte and S. Kasthuriringan, Proc. Space Helium Dewar Conference. Huntsville (1983), p. 109; R. Srinivasan and A. Hofmann, Cryogenics 25: 641 (1985).
G. L. Mills, et al., Experiments on transferring helium II with a thermomechanical pump, 1987 CEC, Paper BC-3.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
DiPirro, M.J., Boyle, R.F. (1988). Lab Tests of a Thermomechanical Pump for SHOOT. In: Fast, R.W. (eds) Advances in Cryogenic Engineering. A Cryogenic Engineering Conference Publication, vol 33. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9874-5_60
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9874-5_60
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-9876-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-9874-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive