Cryo-Tracker

Level, Temperature,
and Mass Gauging Fluid
Sensors

1
Behavior of Sub-cooled
Propellants in Room Temp.
 Fig: Liquid Nitrogen
unloaded from a
small a Dewar Flask
to a bucket in a
laboratory.
 Dewar Flask
 Fig: A 25 l liquid
nitrogen laboratory
Dewar flask.
 Inner wall linings
are silvered to
reduce heat
leakage.
Flexible Sensing Probe
 Probe is made of
series of polyimide
layers of thickness
0.0254 mm.
 Rakes made of
stainless steel
tubing, wire, and
phenolic insulators
weigh (6.70 g/cm).
Internal Structure of
Cryo-Tracker
 Silicon diode sensors
incorporated with
the probe.
 Conductor Traces
which constitute the
rake of the temp-
element
Installed Cryo-Tracker Probe
 Cryo-Tracker probe
60 ft. long.
 2.5 cm wide.
 containing 26 silicon
diode sensors.
 It’s weight is less
than 0.59 kg.
Stratification of Sub-cooled
Propellants
 The heat leak
causes the
propellant to warm
and stratify due to
natural buoyancy
forces.
 Cryo-Tracker
 Initially designed for
incorporating in the
propellant vessels of
reusable launch
vehicles.
Purpose of Cryo-Tracker
 For knowing the amount of propellant
loaded in.
 For knowing the liquid & ullage
temperature.
 For knowing liquid level.
Mass Gauging Method
 The entire liquid and ullage temperature
profile is first obtained.
 Tank pressure can then be used to
calculate a liquid density profile.
 Liquid density profile is integrated over
the known tank volume.
Dual-Purpose Probe.
 Temperature measured
using silicon diode
sensors.
 Liquid level detection
accuracy is a function of
the sensor spacing.
 For 12 inch sensor
spacing, the overall
liquid level accuracy is
± 6 inches.
Performance
 Consistent thermal
response can be
seen between the
sensing elements in
a dual-element
probe when it’s
thermal-cycled in
liquid nitrogen.
Hot-Fire Test
(anomaly condition)
 The probe is also
capable of measuring
transient fluid
temperature changes.
 Figure : Tracking the
rapid change in liquid
oxygen temperature
when warm gases
injected into the tank
mixed the contents.
Advantages of Cryo-Tracker
 Operating Costs
 Accuracy
 Reliability
 Safety
 Efficiency
 Scalability
 Flexibility
Commercial Applications
 Cryogenic storage and transport tanks
 Home oxygen vessels
 Medevac helicopter and military field
hospital oxygen-generating systems
 Automobiles running on liquid hydrogen
or liqufied natural gas