Non-Intrusive Cryogenic Flowmeter for Existing Piping Infrastructure

Rocket propulsion test facilities and test articles are highly instrumented to enable a comprehensive analysis of performance and to ensure propulsion system risks are mitigated for spaceflight. NASA desires to advance propulsion ground test technologies to minimize test program time, cost, and risk while meeting safety requirements. To address this challenge, Luna Innovations, in collaboration with National Technical Systems, will develop a non-intrusive cryogenic fluid flow meter for existing piping infrastructure at rocket engine test facilities. The system uses a fiber optic cable attached to a pipe wall to measure the flow induced vibrations distributed along a section of piping. The implementation is non-intrusive and does not contain any electrical components making it inherently safe and robust for rocket engine fuel flows. The system will provide high fidelity flow rate measurements with low initial and operational costs.