The Collier Report of U.S. Government Contracting

Sampling of Federal Government Funding Actions/Set Asides

In order by amount of set aside monies.

• $74,000 - Friday the 10th of July 2015
  National Aeronautics And Space Administration
  JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
  IGF::OT::IGF NASA JSC S THERMAL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT INTENDS TO CONTINUE INVESTIGATING THE USE OF ICE/WATER AS THE PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL (PCM) FOR CONSTELLATION SPACE VEHICLE HEAT EXCHANGERS. THE AFOREMENTIONED TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ADVANCING TECHNOLOGIES TO A TECHNOLOGY READINESS LEVEL OF SIX PRIOR TO THE CONSTELLATION ELEMENT S PRELIMINARY DESIGN REVIEW. TRADITIONALLY, PARAFFINS ARE USED AS THE PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL FOR THESE TYPES OF SPACE APPLICATIONS. THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT HAS PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED AND TESTED SIX PARAFFIN (N-PENTADECANE) HEAT EXCHANGERS MANUFACTURED BY ENERGY SCIENCES LABORATORIES, INC. (ESLI). EACH OF THE SIX HEAT EXCHANGERS HAS A LATENT ENERGY THERMAL STORAGE CAPACITY OF 450 KJ AND WAS SIZED TO BE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HEAT EXCHANGERS REQUIRED FOR ORION. BECAUSE WATER HAS A LATENT HEAT OF FUSION APPROXIMATELY 70% HIGHER THAN THAT OF TRADITIONAL PARAFFIN PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS, THE USE OF WATER CAN POTENTIALLY RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT HEAT EXCHANGER MASS AND VOLUME SAVINGS. TWO SOLE SOURCE PROCUREMENTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE 2008, PROCURING ONE RIP S (REPLICATIVE ICE PCM S, UTILIZING WATER INSTEAD OF WAX) AND TWO SMALLER ADVANCED RIP S. AFTER THEIR TESTING AN ADDITIONAL FIVE ADVANCED RIP S WERE PURCHASED IN ORDER TO DIAGNOSE PREVIOUS TEST EXPERIENCES AND TO ASSESS ADVANCED ICE PCM HEAT EXCHANGER TECHNOLOGIES. ADDITIONALLY, IN SUPPORT OF TESTING BOTH RIP AND ADVANCED RIP TEST ARTICLES THE PROJECT DESIGNED, DEVELOPED, AND FABRICATED A UNIQUE TEST STAND TO ASSESS AND QUANTIFY THE PERFORMANCE OF ALL TEST ARTICLES. BECAUSE THE PROJECT WANTED TO MAINTAIN AS CLOSE TO AN APPLES-TO-APPLES COMPARISON WITH THE SIX BASELINE PARAFFIN HEAT EXCHANGERS (MANUFACTURED BY ESLI), IT WAS IMPERATIVE THAT BOTH RIP AND ADVANCED RIP BE PROVIDED BY ESLI. THIS DESIGN INCLUDED MAINTAINING THE SAME MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION, MANUFACTURING METHODS (WHICH ARE PROPRIETARY TO ESLI), LAYOUT OF THE INTERNAL FIN STRUCTURE, AND INTERNAL CORE BLOCK LAYOUT AS THE EXISTING PARAFFIN HEAT EXCHANGERS. FURTHERMORE, IT WAS PRUDENT TO PROCURE THROUGH ESLI BECAUSE NASA HAS ALREADY PAID FOR THE ENGINEERING ASSOCIATED WITH THE ORIGINAL PARAFFIN UNITS. THE USE OF WATER AS THE PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL CLEARLY PROVIDES MASS AND VOLUME BENEFITS, BUT ITS USE IS NOT WITHOUT CHALLENGES. UNLIKE MOST MATERIALS, WATER EXPANDS AS IT FREEZES AND HAS A TENDENCY TO RUPTURE ITS CONTAINER DURING THE PHASE CHANGE PROCESS (E.G. CAN OF SODA IN A FREEZER). TECHNICAL LITERATURE SOURCES HINT AT THIS POTENTIAL DRAWBACK TO THE USE OF WATER, BUT NO SOLID SOURCES HAVE BEEN FOUND THAT ADEQUATELY DOCUMENT THE EXACT FAILURE MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPANSION STRESS FAILURES. HYPOTHESIZED SOLUTIONS ARE DOCUMENTED IN THE LITERATURE, BUT FAILURES ARE NOT. AS WITH ANY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, THE SUPPOSED FAILURES ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE SUCCESSES. EXPERIENCING AND DOCUMENTING THESE FAILURES ARE CRITICAL STEPS IN ANY SUCCESSFUL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. THE HEAT EXCHANGERS PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED WERE SUBJECTED TO A RIGOROUS THERMAL PERFORMANCE TEST PROGRAM AT JSC. NOT SURPRISINGLY, ALL TEST ARTICLES ACHIEVED THEIR INTENDED PURPOSE. RIP ACHIEVED THE SAME LATENT ENERGY STORAGE WHILE REDUCING THE HEAT EXCHANGER MASS AND VOLUME. EVEN WITH THE INCLUDED VOID SPACE FOR EXPANSION, RIP FAILED DURING THE THERMAL CYCLING TESTS PERFORMED BY THE PROJECT. THE SMALLER HEAT EXCHANGERS, ON THE OTHER HAND, DEMONSTRATED IMPROVED VOID CONTROL AS COMPARED TO RIP, HOWEVER MANY OF THESE TEST ARTICLES INCURRED DAMAGE DUE TO FREEZING.

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