Volume 8, Number 2     March/April 2000

Technology Opportunity Showcase

Strong Lightweight Tanks and Pipes for Chemically Aggressive Fluids

Marshall Space Flight Center is seeking qualified companies for testing and developing a process to make composite layered tanks and pipes capable of storing and carrying highly unstable fluids, such as 90 percent hydrogen peroxide, and cryogenic fluids (liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen). Tanks fabricated using this process offer better containment of fluids and weigh less than aluminum or fiberglass tanks. This process overcomes the problems associated with metallic and other composite tanks, including cracking, high weight and the inability to contain highly unstable (acidic or basic) fluids. The liner is chosen to be compatible with the fluid that it contains and to serve as a permeation barrier. The graphite/epoxy layers provide structural support and resist cracking. The insulating foam resists cryogenic temperatures and large temperature gradients, while the outer Aramid coating provides impact resistance and fireproofing. The tanks and pipes are 25 percent lighter than those made of aluminum and 20 percent lighter than those made of fiberglass. Containers can be custom designed to withstand a wide variety of temperatures and pressures. Potential commercial applications include alternative-fuel motor vehicles, off-shore drilling and oil production, liquid-oxygen tanks for scuba equipment, chemical manufacturing, fossil fuel transportation and storage and fuel tanks for reusable launch vehicles, upper-stage space vehicles and other spacecraft.

For more information, contact Amy Witsil of the NASA Technology Applications Team at Research Triangle Institute. 919/541-6923,) awitsil@rti.org Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

Durable Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation

Ames Research Center seeks qualified companies to license and manufacture a durable advanced flexible reusable surface insulation, a thermal protection system, for commercial applications. This material is a hybrid metallic/ceramic insulation that provides a thermal protection system of improved durability while still providing thermal protection to structures subjected to multiple cycles of aero-convective heating. This material has increased durability and impact resistance compared to Space Shuttle insulation blankets, making it particularly well-suited for use on the exterior of structures and for other applications that require rugged insulation. Previous ceramic blanket insulation materials were susceptible to impact damage. This sensitivity has been greatly reduced by the addition of a metallic surface layer, which gives the insulation a smooth, easy-to-maintain surface and aids in the material’s resistance to water absorption. Depending on the intended application and the extent of temperature protection required, the material’s architecture can be fabricated with various combinations of materials in varying thicknesses. The material offers excellent thermal protection against temperatures approaching 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The material is fabricated by sizing the insulation layer smaller than the hybrid ceramic/metallic fabric layer to form closeout extensions and securing the closeout extensions to the sides and back of the insulation layer. The interconnecting step includes stitching together one ceramic fabric layer, the insulation layer and the hybrid ceramic/metallic fabric layer. It can be made with a nickel-based alloy foil-top surface layer brazed to wires of a similar alloy woven into the hybrid fabric layer.

For more information, contact Phil Herlth at the Commercial Technology Office at Ames Research Center. & 650/604-0625, ) pherlth@mail.arc.nasa.gov Please mention you read about it in Innovation.