Description: Tech4Imaging (T4I) proposes to develop a Capacitance Based Combined Single and Two Phase Mass Flow Meter for Cryogenic fuel with an accuracy of ±2% full scale from 0 to 100% liquid volume fraction. This accuracy is within 1% of industry standard for single phase gas mass flow meters. This flow meter can be scaled to different pipe diameters to measure flow rates between 0.1 lbm/s to 500 lbm/s depending on the fluid density. This flow meter will be applicable to most cryogenic two phase flows including nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, methane, and natural gas. This proposal will focus on development and testing with nitrogen and hydrogen, but much of the development will also be applicable to oxygen, methane, and natural gas. This tool will be an inline spool piece with embedded capacitance sensors that can be installed on a cryogenic liquid transfer line. The capacitance plates embedded in the spool piece interrogate the sensing region by emitting a low power, low frequency electric field into the flow and sensing perturbations in the electric field caused by differences in the permittivity of the flow medium.

Benefits: NASA platforms are T4I’s key customer in the Phase II project, with a particular focus on Stennis Space Center (SSC) to support development of liquid propulsion systems and verification testing. Other NASA applications include the Space Operations Mission Directorate and the Exploration Systems Development Mission. This product will be useable anywhere NASA is transferring liquid cryogens. Implementation of this product will minimize program time, cost, and risk to NASA scientists.

Another important application where it is critical to know the mass flow rate of the fluid is in custody transfer of cryogenic fluids. Additional applications include determining the effectiveness of vacuum jacketing, piping designs, operational parameters, and thermal management schemes. Once proven to work, the technology could also be adapted for use on cryogenic tanks for fuel gauging.