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MEETING TODAY'S REQUIREMENTS

FOR LARGE THERMAL VACUUM TEST FACILITIES

J. A. Rouse - CVI, Inc. -

R. L. Corinth - Pitt-Des Moines, Inc.
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ABSTRACT

The Lockheed Thermal Vacuum Facility at Sunnyvale, California,

completed late 1986, is one of the largest multi-program facilities
constructed to date. The horizontal 12.2 m (40 ft.) diameter by 24.4 m
(80 ft.) long chamber has removable heads at each end and houses a thermal
shroud providing a test volume 10.4 m (34 ft.) diameter by 24.4 m (80
ft.) long. The chamber and thermal shroud are configurated to permit the
insertion of a 6.1 m ( 2 0 ' ) wide x 24.4 m (80') long v i b r a t i o n i s o l a t e d
optical bench.

The pumping system incorporates an internal cryopumping array,

turbomolecular pumps and cryopumps to handle multi-program needs and
ranges of gas loads. The high vacuum system is ca able of achieving
clean, dry and empty pressures below 1 . 3 x Pa (lo-! torr).

The thermal shroud is a closed loop LN2 circulation system

incorporating a subcooled heat exchanger. A GN2 warm-up system is
utilized to return the thermal shroud to ambient temperature.

The facility also includes the following systems:

-- Chamber Air/GN2 Repressurization

Chamber Purge and Air Handling System
- Internal Heat Flux Simulator
- Communications System
- Closed Circuit TV System
- Ambient Thermal Control System

The facility is controlled from a remote control console. Sufficient

local control is provided for local checkout and maintenance.

INTRODUCTION

The most advanced state-of-the-art thermal vacuum chamber facility

for full scale satellite and systems integration testing by LMSC is in the
final stage of completion.

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 LMSC initiated the Delta Chamber project by soliciting proposals to a
performance specification with an early 1985 start and project completion
date in late 1986.
The Delta Chamber designed and built by PDM/CVI is a second
generation multi-purpose, quick turnaround, full space environment
facility capable of pumping large gas loads.

The test volume is 10.4 m (34') diameter x 24.4 m ( 8 0 ' ) long with a
flat floor section removable from either end of the chamber.

The chamber is unique because a full length thermally stable

vibration isolated optical bench may be installed through either end and
operated under vacuum at ambient or cryogenic temperatures.

The specifications required the facility to have:

(1) 30-day test period

(2) Four hour pumpdown to .7 Pa ( 5 microns)

(3) Six hour shroud cooldown

(4) Sustain a 700 KW heat load with shroud temperatures less than
IlOOK

(5) Pumping for .44 PaL/S (.0033 TL/S) helium, 110000 PaL/S (825
TL/S) nitrogen, and 856000 PaL/S (6420 TL/S) water gas loads.

(6) Plus or minus 10K shroud temperature control at ambient

temperature.

The Delta chamber is a multi-purpose chamber designed and constructed

as a turnkey fixed price facility.
CHAMBER

The chamber as shown in Figure 1 is 12.2 m (40') dia. x 24.4 m ( 8 0 ' )

long with side moving top supported heads at each end giving unobstructed
high bay access from sides and top of chamber opening. Chamber stiffening
will support a 22700 Kg (50 kip) monorail load inside the chamber while
under vacuum.

Both IR heating cage and test article are capable of being supported
from top or bottom. The monorail contains a swing in place section
outside the chamber at each end to interface with high bay handling
structures. Bottom support of test article and IR cage allows movement to
and away from chamber on air transporters. The upper three-fourths of the
IR cage may remain in the chamber.

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 Movement in and out of the chamber of the flat shroud platform is on
air transporters as is the insertion of an optical bench.
The chamber shell is Type 304 stainless steel polished to give an
I emissivity of less than .2. All external structures are carbon steel.

A distribution duct runs the length of the chamber along each side for
repressurization and ventilation distribution.

All inside surfaces are accessible for cleaning and will be washed and
given a black light inspection and NVR test followed by a bakeout and TCQM
analysis to demonstrate the residual internal cleanliness.

Instrumentation ports for program use are located along both sides of
the chamber at two elevations (See Figure 2) which are accessible from both
internal and external platforms.

LN2 connections to the bottom removable shroud are flanged with

aluminum seals. Connections to the chamber head shroud sections employ
hairpin pipe sections with bayonnet connections on each end of the hairpin
for ease of assembly. ,
I
VACUUM SYSTEMS
The high vacuum pumping system in this chamber includes an internal
cryopumping array, external cryopumps, and turbomolecular pumps. While
these can be used simultaneously, the size and capacity of each of them are
not simultaneously determined by any single test condition. The LN2 shroud
acts as an infinite water vapor pump when at cryogenic temperature. Figure
2 shows the arrangement of the high vacuum pumping systems and the test
volume.

The shroud is required for thermal control and is the primary

contributor to water pumping speed at LN2 temperature. The internal
cryopumping array is required to handle a large nitrogen gas load. Testing
at high vacuum with the shrouds at room temperature requires the external
cryopumps, while extended testing with the large helium gas loads is
accommodated by the turbomolecular pumps.

ROUGHING PUMPS

The chamber roughing pumps are in two separate skids manifolded

together to provide 22700 m3/h (13368 cfm), designed to start at atmospheric
pressure and to reach .7 Pa (5 microns) in four hours with the passive
nitrogen gas load of 167 PaL/S (1.25 TL/S).

Both skids have valved connections to the roughing line which contains
an LN2 trap.

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 Each Leybold-Heraeus skid contains a 11360 m3h (6684 cfm) lead blower
followed by 4360 m3/h (2567 cfm) and 2350 m3/h (1383 cfm) blowers backed by
a 808 m3/h (475 cfm) mechanical pump.
The pumpdown time to .7 Pa (5 microns) is extendable to 24 hours by a
roughing line valve and a programmable controller.

CRYOPUMPS

The high vacuum pumping system utilizes five (5) CVI TM 1200, 1.22 m
(48 inch) cryopumps. The pumping capacity required from this source is
determined by the test pressure requirements associated with tests to be
conducted with the thermal shroud at ambient temperature. Determination of
the net pumping speed of these pumps, interior to the shroud, involves use
of a Monte Carlo analysis of the combination of an ambient baffle, LN2
baffle, and nozzle with 1.32 m (52 inch) GNB gate valve.

The following speeds have been determined:

Warm Shroud Cold Shroud

Nitrogen 200,800 116,000 liter/sec

Water 456,250 --- liter/sec
Hydrogen 142,500 82,500 literlsec
Helium 100,000 57,500 literlsec

TURBOMOLECULAR PUMPS

The high vacuum system also utilizes four (4) Balzer turbomolecular
pumps with .762 m (30 inch) GNB gate valves. The turbos provide the pumping
speed to handle the large long term helium gas loads. A Monte Carlo
analysis has also been used to determine the pumping speeds of the
baffle/nozzle/elbow/valve and two baffle combination of the turbomolecular
pump mountings. The following speeds have been determined:

Warm Shroud Cold Shroud

Nitrogen 20,000 11,600 liter/sec.

Water 20,560 --- liter/sec.
Hydrogen 22,240 12,840 liter/sec.
Helium 21,721 12,560 liter/sec.

115
INTERNAL CRYOPUMPING ARRAY

An internal, flat panel cryopumping array has been incorporated into

the chamber shroud system to maintain the specified chamber pressure during
periods of high active GN2 gas loads (825 TL/S). The nitrogen pumping
portions of this array are maintained at 200K with a 1,000 watt helium
refrigerator designed and supplied by CVI. Our experience with cryopumping
arrays of this type indicates the capture probability is limited to about
0.22. With a total cryopumping array surface area of 139 m2 (1500 sq.
ft.), the nitrogen speed will be 2,100,000 liter/sec.

LN2 SHROUD

The chamber shroud is maintained at LN2 temperatures with a subcooled

refrigeration system that will be described later. This shroud acts as an
infinite pump for water. The effective water speed will be:

2.85 x 108 liter/sec. based on 1022 m2 (11000 s q . ft.) of shroud surface

VACUUM GAUGING

Vacuum gauging instrumentation in the chamber consists of five

Granville Phillips 303 Vacuum Process Controllers, each reading both a
convectron and an ion gauge, at two chamber locations (a total of ten
locations, each with both gauge types). The convectron gauges are used for
chamber pressures down to .13 Pa (1 micron), and the ion gauges are used
below that point.

All the convectron gauges are located in the annular space between the
thermal shrouds and the chamber walls, while all but one of the ion gauges
are located interior to the thermal shrouds. The other ion gauge is located
in the annular space. All interior ion gauges are mounted on flanges, off
removable shroud panels, facilitating gauge removal either from the annular
space or from the interior of the shroud without disturbing the chamber
penetration vacuum integrity.

TEST ENVIRONMENT AND CONTROL

TEST REGIMES

Table 1 presents the test regimes as divided between operation with a

cold shroud and warm shroud, and with and without an optical bench inside
the chamber. The chamber pressures shown at the bottom of Table 1 are
nominal and will vary with actual conditions and chamber history.

Each item of the high vacuum pumping system is an element in a

particular regime. For example, the most efficient means of pumping the
large nitrogen active gas load is with an internal helium array, whereas
cryopumps are the ideal choice under warm shroud conditions.

116
 Passive gas loads are present during all phases of vacuum, whereas the
active gas loads are intermittent and may have an accumulative total of 45.4
Kg (100 pounds) of water and 9.1 Kg (20 pounds) of nitrogen during a typical
test cycle.

With an optical bench in the chamber, several new sources of gas loads
are present - vibration isolator leakage, outgassing from a warm shroud,
outgassing from multi-layered insulation, and outgassing from the optical
bench and its internals.

Both roughing and chamber repressurization are extendable to eliminate

air current disturbances particularly with use of an optic bench. Vacuum
performance in the different regimes is shown by the nominal pressure listed
in Table 1.

LN2 SHROUD SYSTEM

The shroud is fabricated of flat llOOF aluminum extrusion incorporating

the LN2 tube. These extrusions are shop fabricated into flat panels 1.22 m
(4 ft.) wide by 7.62 m (25 ft.) long and painted with 3M's ECP-2200 solar
absorber coating. The cylinder and end closeouts of the shroud are
fabricated from the same basic 1.22 m (4 ft.) wide panel. See Fig. 3.

Thermal control is maintained with a pressurized recirculating

subcooled LN2 system. This approach was selected to maintain thermal
uniformity with the high design heat loads on the shrouds. The total shroud
is divided into ten thermal control zones. Flow rates can be modulated
through each of the zones.

In addition to the specified heat load from the test article, the
shroud will also see the radiation heat load from the chamber walls which
adds 25 kw to the total heat load.

With the specified 700 kw heat load, the total shroud heat load will be
725 kw, or 223 BTU/hr/sq. ft.

Under full design heat loads, the maximum allowable temperature at any
point on the shroud is 11O0K. The LN2 will be supplied to the shroud at
82.8OK (-311°F), or lower, and its temperature is allowed to increase by
13.90K (250F) as it passes through the shroud. Half way between two LN2
tubes, where the fluid is leaving the shroud, the temperature will be 102.2K
(-275.4OF).

A schematic of the LN2 circuit is presented on Figure 4. State points

are shown for the circuit operating at most critical conditions with full
design heat load applied to the shroud system.

117
 The minimum pressure point is critical because the fluid must remain in
the liquid state throughout the system. At the minimum pressure point, 755
kPa (109.5 psia), this state is maintained, since the maximum temperature
will be 96.70K and nitrogen will be in the liquid state at any pressure
above 614 kPa (89 psia).

The subcooling coil submerged in the LN2 of the LN2 Storage Tank is
designed to produce a ll.l°K (20° Rankin) temperature drop with an LN2 flow
of 111 m3/h (490 gpm).

The LN2 makeup venturi is designed to provide a mimimum LN2 pump

suction pressure of 418 kPa (60.6 psig) when the LN2 level in the storage
tank is at its minimum (just covering the subcooling coil). The tank static
head plus tank vapor pressure, coupled with the geometry of the venturi and
pressure losses betwen the venturi and the pump inlet, establish the minimum
suction pressure.

The total LN2 flow will be supplied through any two of the three
cryogenic pumps provided on the circulation skid and connected in parallel.
Each of these is a 5.08 cm x 10.16 cm x 19.05 cm (2" x 4" x 7.5") CVI
centrifugal pump with 19-05 cm (7.5 inch) impeller and 14.9kW (20 HP) motor.

Two of these pumps will be supplying 55.7 m3/h (245 gpm) of LN2 each,
while operating at 13.3 kW (17.8 BHP). The third cryogenic pump is a
reliability backup.

AMBIENT BAFFLE TEMPERATURE CONTROL

During testing with the shroud at ambient temperature, all surfaces

forming the test volume must remain at a constant temperature. The shroud
baffle in front of the cryopumps must be shielded from the cold surfaces of
the cryopumps. This is accomplished by electrically heating a secondary
baffle located between the shroud baffle and the cryopumps. The shroud
baffle is to be maintained within 1°K of the temperature of the rest of the
shroud.

Following a radiation heat transfer analysis of the cryopumps and

baffle systems, the distributed electric heater power has been sized for
satisfaction of the temperature control requirements.

Control will be achieved by proportionally controlling the electric

heater power to minimize the temperature difference between the secondary
baffle and the nominal chamber wall.

SPECIMEN HEATING

Thermal balance testing is accomplished through use of the LN2 shroud

as a "heat sink" and infrared (IR) lamp as a heat source.

118
 The IR lamps are mounted on a cylindrical framework with end closeouts
providing a heat source from all view angles of the test specimen. The IR
cage with lamps and wiring is designed for minimum shadowing of the
cryogenic heat sink.

The IR lamps are divided into 100 zones, each zone controlled by a
motor operated transformer. The system is capable of being varied from zero
to 80 volts, 110 volts, or 220 volts by stepper motors. Under emergency
conditions, one of the two emergency generators is dedicated to supply IR
power, and an uninterruptable power supply will maintain program control
during power switchover. Manual control of each of the 100 autotransformers
is also provided should the need arise.

WARMUP WITHOUT CONDENSATION

An electrically heated recirculating GN2 warmup system is used to

return the shrouds to room temperature, following tests. The shrouds can be
warmed from LN2 temperature to room temperature in eight (8) hours. See
Fig. 5. Wamup of the helium cooled internal cryoarray is expedited with a
thaw heater, included as part of the helium refrigeration system.

An LN2 cooled scavenger panel is maintained in its cold state as all

the rest of the chamber equipment is warmed up. All condensible materials
will therefore be accumulated at this scavenger panel rather than dispersed
throughout the chamber area.

TEST FIXTURES

The monorail along the top centerline of the chamber has a double set
of trolley flanges. The top set supports an IR cage which can be rolled in
or out of the chamber independent of the test article supported from the
bottom flange. Test article support at the monorail is by two trucks 8 feet
apart. The close out disc and test article may be removed and inserted from
either end of the chamber. The monorail contains a "swing in place"
section outside the chamber, at each end, to interface with high bay
handling structures.

Both test article and IR heating cage may be supported from underneath.
Rails running the full length of the chamber will support the bottom 1/4 of
the cage. The upper 3 / 4 of the cylindrical IR cage is supported on separate
tracks from the lower quarter section and may remain in the chamber during
insertion and removal of the bottom 1/4 section.

Support of the test article cradle support is integral with the bottom
1/4 shroud section which, when outside the chamber, may be moved to and from
the chamber on air transporters. Use of an optical bench as a work platform
requires removal of the flat shroud platform.

119
 Horizontal surfaces flush with the outside high bay floor (see Fig. 2)
allow the bottom shroud platform and optic bench to be moved in and out of
the chamber on air transporters.

With an optic bench 4.57 m wide x 18.3 m (15 ft. wide x 60 ft.) long in
place, two 3.05 m (10 foot) long shroud platform sections may be installed
at each end. The pneumatic vibration isolators along each side are captive
to the optic bench when moved and provide isolation of the optic bench
outside the chamber in the high bay at either end. The table with a clear
height of 9.45 m (31 feet) above the table may be moved in and out of the
chamber fully loaded. Loads of 1816 kg (4000 pounds) may be supported on
each platform section at ambient and vacuum conditions.

WORK PLATFORM STABILITY

Initial requirements were to provide an optic bench capable of

functioning in both a controlled ambient temperature environment and a
cryogenic temperature environment.

An optic bench is not currently supplied due to changed program

requirements. However, design has been completed on an optic bench system
and all supporting equipment has been installed.

The optic bench system is designed to provide a work platform inside

the chamber capable of alignment stability of less than 20 nanoradians on
the work surface. Performance is based on finite element modeling of the
structure considering ground and machinery inputs, building attachments,
chamber attachments, uncorrelated inputs, plus thermal stability effects on
the optic bench.

The chamber support girders and supporting grade beam with piles act as
a composite structure providing an end to end slope error of .2 to .3
nanoradians at the isolator support surface.

Where the thermal environment at the optic bench top surface is at LN2
temperatures, a multilayered insulation blanket system designed to reduce
the temperature related end to end deformation to about 1/2 nanoradian for
short duration. For longer durations of 30 days, alignment deformations are
held to less than 25 microradians.

Work platform stability is provided by an optic bench in both a

controlled ambient temperature environment and cryogenic environment.

SPECIMEN OBSERVATION

Two TV cameras are mounted in the test volume with monitors and pan and
tilt controls located in the control console. The cameras are the type
successfuly used on space flights. They are sealed and require a continuous
flow of GN2 cooling gas. Lighting is provided by 12 - 150 watt lamps
containing debris shields.

120
REPRESSURIZATION

Normal repressurization is accomplished with dry nitrogen gas supplied

through a gas fired, LN2 vaporizer. Provisions are also included for
repressurization with air from the high bay room in front of the chamber.

PROCESS CONTROL & DATA ACQUISITION

CONSOLE

A high degree of flexiblity of operations is maintained in this

facility by utilizing manual remote controls for all systems in the central
control console. All subsystems can be started, controlled, and shut down
from the remote control console. Programmed logic controllers are used to
automatically maintain many of the process systems on test set points.

A photo of the console is shown in Figure 6 .

DATA ACQUISITON

The complete data acquisition system is provided by the customer. The

supplied equipment provides the necessary interfaces for that data system.

SAFETY

Personnel safety was of prime importance in developing an interlock

system for chamber pumpdown and the repressurization with nitrogen.

With the chamber heads in place, four access doors contain Kirk key
lock systems that require master keys to be inserted in the console before
chamber pumpdown may commence. The console has two alarms: (1) "Man in
chamber" alarm should an emergency stop button inside the chamber be pressed
after start of pumpdown, (2) "Chamber not safe to enter" alarm which is a
fault condition resulting from any one of 1 3 safety related items not being
satisfied. The reverse of the " F a u l t condition" is a "Chamber safe to
enter" light which includes a positive lock out on the nitrogen supply to
the chamber repressurization system.

EMERGENCY POWER AND WDUNDANCY

Emergency electrical power is provided by ( 2 ) 500 kW diesel generator

sets. They are connected to (2) main load busses, one for equipment and the
other primarily for IR power. Automatic transfer switches are on each line.
One generator can be committed to both busses should one generator fail to
start. The operator must monitor loads brought back on line to stay within
the one generator's capacity. The purpose is to maintain a safe thermal
balance for the test article.

121
 A secondary power feeder, to a locally mounted power transformer, can
be brought into use by manual transfer switches should a fault occur in the
principal feed line.

Key elements of the cooling water system are two units each containing
circulating pumps and water coolers. Both units are required for initial
pumpdown, whereas one unit will handle the steadystate heat load.

Multiple cryopumps and turbopumps provide redundancy. The 1.0 kW

helium refrigerator contains two expander turbines. The second turbine is
maintained cold and can be brought into service from the control console.

A third LN2 pump provides backup where two are required for normal flow
of 111 m3/h (490 gprn).

Identical backing pumps for the turbo and cry0 pumps provide redundant
flexibility once the cryopumps are at operating temperature.

Ten nude ion gauges penetrate the shroud into the test volume to
provide flexibility and redundancy.
SUMMARY

The Delta chamber is a turnkey thermal vacuum facility designed for

multiple program use with large operational gas loads.

The chamber is full sized, double ended, and capable of receiving a

full length vibration isolated and thermally stable optical bench.

Completion of the facility will be on schedule in late 1986.

122
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