Cladding and Freeform Deposition for Coolant Channel Closeout

manufacturing
Cladding and Freeform Deposition for Coolant Channel Closeout (MFS-TOPS-81)
A better way to manufacture combustion chambers and nozzles
Overview
Low-cost, large-scale liquid rocket engines with regeneratively cooled nozzles will enable reliable and reduced-cost access to space. Coolant, contained under high pressure, circulates through a bank of channels within the nozzle to properly cool the nozzle walls to withstand high temperatures and prevent failure. It has been a challenge to affordably manufacture and close out the intricate nozzle channels. As such, NASA developed a robust and simplified additive manufacturing technology to build the nozzle liner outer jacket to close out the channels within and contain the high-pressure coolant. The new Laser Wire Direct Closeout (LWDC) capability reduces the time to fabricate the nozzle and allows for real-time inspection during the build. One variation enables a bimetallic part (copper/super-alloy, e.g.) to help optimize material where it is needed. The manufacturing process has been demonstrated on a series of different alloys. Hot-fire testing is complete&#8212the parts were exposed to extreme combustion chamber temperatures and pressure conditions for 1,000+ seconds. Micro-graph examination of the hot-fired test article has verified that the coolant channel closeout bonds are reliable and that there is very little deformation to the coolant channels. The picture above was taken during the hot-fire testing of a nozzle.

The Technology
LWDC technology enables an improved channel wall nozzle with an outer liner that is fused to the inner liner to contain the coolant. It is an additive manufacturing technology that builds upon large-scale cladding techniques that have been used for many years in the oil and gas industry and in the repair industry for aerospace components. LWDC leverages wire freeform laser deposition to create features in place and to seal the coolant channels. It enables bimetallic components such as an internal copper liner with a superalloy jacket. LWDC begins when a fabricated liner made from one material, Material #1, is cladded with an interim Material #2 that sets up the base structure for channel slotting. A robotic and wire-based fused additive welding system creates a freeform shell on the outside of the liner. Building up from the base, the rotating weld head spools a bead of wire, closing out the coolant channels as the laser traverses circumferentially around the slotted liner. This creates a joint at the interface of the two materials that is reliable and repeatable. The LWDC wire and laser process is continued for each layer until the slotted liner is fully closed out without the need for any filler internal to the coolant channels. The micrograph on the left shows the quality of the bond at the interface of the channel edge and the closeout layer; on the right is a copper channel closed out with stainless.
The micrograph on the left shows the quality of the bond at the interface of the channel edge and the closeout layer; on the right is a copper channel closed out with stainless.
Benefits
  • Proven (via hot-fire testing) to produce a reliable bond with little deformation to the channels
  • Enabling bimetallic parts such as copper-inconel and other alloy combinations
  • Applicable to many metals including: superalloys, stainless steel alloys, aluminum-alloys, and bimetallic (including copper-based) alloys
  • Real-time inspective with visible and infrared methods
  • Reduced build time from several months to several weeks
  • Filler-free: no filler is needed in the cooling channels during fabrication

Applications
  • Aerospace Propulsion: Rocket engine combustion chambers, nozzles
  • Oil and Gas: Heat exchangers
  • Nuclear Power: Heat exchangers
Technology Details

manufacturing
MFS-TOPS-81
MFS-33232-2 MFS-33232-1
Gradl, P. Rapid Fabrication Techniques for Liquid Rocket Channel Wall Nozzles. AIAA-2016-4771 Gradl, P.R., Brandsmeier, et.al. Manufacturing Process Developments for Large Scale Regeneratively-cooled Channel Wall Rocket Nozzles. JANNAF 9th Liquid Propulsion Subcommittee, Dec. 5-9, 2016. Patent Pending Gradl, P., Greene, S., et.al. Hot-fire Testing and Large-scale Deposition Manufacturing Development Supporting Liquid Rocket Engine Channel Wall Nozzle Fabrication, JANNAF 10th Liquid Propulsion Subcommittee, May 21-24, 2018.
Similar Results
front
A One-piece Liquid Rocket Thrust Chamber Assembly
The one-piece multi-metallic composite overwrap thrust chamber assembly is centrally composed of an additively manufactured integral-channeled copper combustion chamber. The central chamber is being manufactured using a GRCop42 or GRCop84 copper-alloy additive manufacturing technology previously developed by NASA. A bimetallic joint (interface) is then built onto the nozzle end of the chamber using bimetallic additive manufacturing techniques. The result is a strong bond between the chamber and the interface with proper diffusion at the nozzle end of the copper-alloy. The bimetallic interface serves as the foundation of a freeform regen nozzle. A blown powder-based directed energy deposition process (DED) is used to build the regen nozzle with integral channels for coolant flow. The coolant circuits are closed with an integral manifold added using a radial cladding operation. To complete the TCA, the entire assembly including the combustion chamber and regen nozzle is wrapped with a composite overwrap capable of sustaining the required pressure and temperature loads.
Additively Manufactured Oscillating Heat Pipe for High Performance Cooling in High Temperature Applications
The advent of additive manufacturing makes available new and innovative integrated thermal management systems, including integrating an oscillating Heat Pipe (OHP) into the leading edge of a hypersonic vehicle for rapid dissipation of large quantities of heat. OHPs have interconnected capillary channels filled with a working fluid that forms a train of liquid plugs and vapor bubbles to facilitate rapid heat transfer. Multiple additive manufacturing techniques may be used, including powder bed fusion, binder jetting, metal material extrusion, directed energy deposit, sheet lamination, ultrasonic, and electrochemical techniques. These high performance OHPs can be made with materials such as Refractory High Entropy Alloys (RHEAs) that can withstand high temperature applications. The structure of the OHP can be integrated into the constructed leading edge. The benefits include a heat transport capacity of 10 to 100 times greater than before. Integrated OHPs avoid the bends or welds in traditional heat pipes, especially at the locations where the highest thermal stresses might cause thermal-structural failure of a leading edge. Alternating the diameters of the OHP channels alleviate start-up issues typically found in liquid metal oscillating heat pipe designs in high temperature applications by aiding in the instigation of a circulating flow due to multiple forces acting upon the working fluid.
Oil Rig Flame
High-Temperature Single Crystal Preloader
For extremely high-temperature sealing applications, Glenn researchers have devised novel methods for fabricating single-crystal preloaders. NASA's high-temperature preloaders consist of investment cast or machined parts that are fabricated in various configurations from single crystal superalloys. Machined preloaders include a variety of spring configurations, compressed axially or radially, fabricated from single crystal slabs. Before machining, the slabs are carefully oriented in a special goniometer using x-diffraction techniques. This helps to maintain proper crystal orientation relative to the machined part and the applied loads. For more complex geometry components which cannot be easily and economically machined, an investment casting approach would be used. Complex preloader geometries include wire coil springs of various configurations. These single crystal preloaders would be designed with the appropriate stiffness for the intended thermal barrier/seal application and placed underneath, or integrated within, the seal/barrier. At extrememly high temperature, the preload device keeps the seal/barrier mated against the opposing surface as the gap between the two surfaces changes, maintaining contact between surfaces and preventing convective heat transfer.
Selective laser melting at NASA
3D-Printed Composites for High Temperature Uses
NASA's technology is the first successful 3D-printing of high temperature carbon fiber filled thermoset polyimide composites. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) of carbon-filled RTM370 is followed by post-curing to achieve higher temperature capability, resulting in a composite part with a glass transition temperature of 370 °C. SLS typically uses thermoplastic polymeric powders and the resultant parts have a useful temperature range of 150-185 °C, while often being weaker compared to traditionally processed materials. Recently, higher temperature thermoplastics have been manufactured into 3D parts by high temperature SLS that requires a melting temperature of 380 °C, but the usable temperature range for these parts is still under 200 °C. NASA's thermoset polyimide composites are melt-processable between 150-240 °C, allowing the use of regular SLS machines. The resultant parts are subsequently post-cured using multi-step cycles that slowly heat the material to slightly below its glass transition temperature, while avoiding dimensional change during the process. This invention will greatly benefit aerospace companies in the production of parts with complex geometry for engine components requiring over 300 °C applications, while having a wealth of other potential applications including, but not limited to, printing legacy parts for military aircraft and producing components for high performance electric cars.
pic
Defect-Free Paraffin Fuel Manufacturing
A paraffin-based hybrid fuel formulation for low-temperature cycling has been developed. Cracked or flawed paraffin fuel grains can pose a safety risk during testing and are unuseable. Cracking of the fuel grain typically occurs during the cool-down process. The paraffin-based fuel grain contracts by as much as 15% while cooling from a liquid at 230°F to a solid state and eventually room temperature, not only causing visible cracking, but residual stresses that can damage the grain throughout processing. The new process is an improvement to others that were tried and found unworkable including spin casting and some additive manufacturing techniques. To remedy the issues with previous manufacturing efforts, the innovators at MSFC developed an oven program mimicking the intrinsic cooldown process of paraffin wax for use in monolithic casting. Innovators monitored paraffin wax cooling in a stainless steel vessel with four thermocouples to develop the program. Rather than cooling quickly, the oven program cools the grain incrementally, allowing the temperature to equilibrate along the entire grain before cooling further, resulting in greater temperature uniformity. This process produces intact full-scale paraffin fuel grains (11" diameter by 35" length) capable of surviving cold temperatures for use in propulsion systems with hybrid engines.
Stay up to date, follow NASA's Technology Transfer Program on:
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
Facebook Logo Twitter Logo Linkedin Logo Youtube Logo