NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
January 16 – May 4, 2018
WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED TO DATE IN YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT?
Due to the way that the mentor approaches these opportunities, many projects have been provided for me to partake in. He exposes the student to the four main processes taken to making a product. I assisted in the design of a Foreign Object Debris (FOD) dropper that will be implemented in one of our testing rigs for a state of the art valve to be used for ISS Carbon Dioxide (CO2) scrubber. It is in the process of being tested and two successful runs have been made. Using my aerodynamics course’s equations and theories, I’ve been able to analyze Hydrogen (H2) gas flow through a relief valve in order to calculate the mass flow rate through a poppet. Using structural and failure analysis, I found the maximum pressure that a Magnetically Damped Check Valve could handle which allowed for me to find the maximum shave diameter for the magnet housing. This has been completed by the machine shopping and the Mag Valve is ready for testing. A meeting with Pickens Innovations (PI) had us discussing the plans for making the 3-Way Cryo SOV valve. The drawings are currently under review and we’re waiting for any updates from PI about whether or not any design attributes are needed to be changed. The Eccentric Ball Valve project has a CAD model designed but is being reviewed. A redesign of the O-rings and shaft offset is being done to ensure the lowest possible friction experienced by the ball. The engineering report has been outlined and I will be typing it up as soon as my partner gathers the new data from the design changes.
WHAT GOALS REMAIN FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE INTERNSHIP?
The main focus is towards testing the FOD Valve. With the FOD dropper complete and nearly checked out from preliminary testing, the next plan is to cycle the FOD valve through three years’ worth of FOD in an attempt to fail the valve. This will help us decide whether or not the design is effective and should be implemented into the ISS CO2 scrubber. The report for the Eccentric Ball Valve will be written and submitted for review. Once complete, the Eccentric Ball Valve will be put through a water testing phase with a quick plastic model printed out. Once PI gets back to us with any design changes, those changes will be visited and evaluated with respect to the functionality of the valve. Once given the okay and everything is set, I will assist with the assembly process of the 3-Way Cryo SOV valve. The Magnetically Damped Check Valve will undergo a proof test to ensure it can function. I will then put it through a series of chatter tests to induce chattering and then place a copper piece on top of the magnet housing to see if the magnet can be damped to reduce the chatter. The test results will be recorded and a test evaluation report will be written and submitted. Some more analysis will be done on the relief valve in order to make sure we have our exact numbers correct and then present our findings with an engineering report. Once the engineering report has been accepted, I will go ahead and make the drawings for the valve itself and begin the fabrication process.