A Research Project Workspace
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This research project workspace is maintained by, aerospace student, Kevin Bonds of Middle Tennessee State University. The aim of the project is to redesign the hotspot mass-flow sensor1 — part of a liquid-Bismuth, fuel delivery system — for use in electromagnetic hall thrusters being developed at NASA. Kevin is currently working, as a student intern, in the Propulsion Research and Development Laboratory at Marshall Space Flight Center with funding from the Tennessee Space Grant Consortium. Currently, he is constructing and testing his latest design — an iteration of the Hotspot Flow Sensor — which includes advancements such as an optical method for peak detection, as well as an active heating arrangement.
Hotspot Flow Sensor: Design Considerations
The general design has been patented by Dr. Kurt Polzin of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. An invitation was extended, by Dr. Polzin, to continue development of the hotspot flow sensor with the following design considerations:
- Determine a suitable material and manufacturing method for precise placement of hardware components
- Considerable thought to possible material erosion in the presence of liquid bismuth
- Special attention to the thermal expansion rates of dissimilar materials to mitigate de-lamination and thermal shock
- Investigate the possibility of an alternate peak determination method as either primary or backup to a thermocouple—possibly some sort of photosensitive detector
