HYDROGEN COLLECTORS FOR SPACE FLIGHT APPLICATIONS

AS SPACECRAFT PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS BECOME MORE RIGOROUS,MATERIALS AND PARTS SPECIFICATIONS BECOME MORE DIFFICULT TO MEET. HIGH PERFORMANCE MUST BE COMBINED WITH LIGHT WEIGHT TO DERIVE THE MAXIMUM BENEFIT FROM SPACECRAFT COMPONENTS. SIMPLICITY IS ALSO ESSENTIAL IN AVOIDING MAJOR REDESIGN AND INCREASED COSTS FOR COMPLICATED SYSTEMS. CURRENT AND FUTURESPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS REQUIRE A METHOD TO COLLECT HYDROGEN FOR HYDROGEN COOLERS IN SHUTTLE-LAUNCHED INSTRUMENTS. PARAMETERS NECESSITATE THAT OVERBOARD VENTING OF HYDROGEN BE AVOIDED. IN THIS PHASE I PROGRAM ULTRAMET PROPOSES TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF INFILTRATING A CARBON FOAM WITH A HYDROGEN-ABSORBING INTERMETALLIC BY CHEMICAL VAPOR INFILTRATION (CVI), A VARIATION OF THE CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (CVD) PROCESS. THE RESULTANT COMPOSITE FOAM STRUCTURE WILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF BEINGLIGHTWEIGHT, HAVING A HIGH SURFACE AREA WITH WHICH TO CAPTURE HYDROGEN, AND BEING SIMPLE IN DESIGN AND USE.