Company
Lockheed Martin, Palo Alto, California
Industry
Aerospace Research
Application
High Tech Thermometer for Cryogenic Refrigerator
Product
Sierra’s Smart-Trak 100 Series Mass Flow Meter
Goals
To replicate the extremely cold temperatures in deep-space to test mission critical instrumentation.
Customized Mass Flow Solution
Provide Lockheed Scientists with extremely accurate mass flow measurement information so the correct temperatures (80 to 6 Kelvin) are maintained in their cryogenic testing chamber.
Business Impact
Sierra’s Thermal Mass Flow Technology
…plays a role in Lockheed’s advanced cryogenic research on mission critical instrumentation for deep-space satellites enables Lockheed scientists to accurately measure the extremely low temperatures of outer space here on earth.
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Sierra Provides Flow Measurement Data to Validate Mission Critical Instruments
Lockheed Martin researches, designs, manufactures, and integrates advanced technology systems for the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA.
Eric Roth, a Lockheed physicist, tests infrared sensors used for positioning systems in deep-space satellites and super-conducting electronics. These instruments will not function at normal temperatures. Roth uses a cryogenic refrigerator to test that these mission critical instruments will function properly in the cold of deep-space.
Accuracy is Mission Critical
The Smart-Trak Delivers
Measuring cryogenic temperatures is not simple, but critical. Roth uses Sierra’s Smart-Trak to measure the inlet gas mass flow rate of helium to their cryogenic refrigerator. He uses helium instead of FREON (commonly used in refrigerators) because the instruments he tests will only operate correctly at extremely low temperatures approaching absolute zero. Knowing the thermal properties of helium gas, Roth calculates the operating temperature—the more gas he uses, the more heat dumped into the helium gas stream, the lower the temperature.
For Roth, it’s mission critical that the cryogenic temperature is accurate--it must precisely
simulate the cold atmosphere of deep-space. The reliability and repeatability of Smart-Trak’s gas flow reading consistently maintains the correct temperature into the cryogenic refrigerator. After these experiments, Roth trusts that these instruments will perform well in the cold of deep-space.
The Sierra solution helps maintain the integrity of these mission critical experiments by offering precise and reliable mass flow readings. Companies that manufacture the infrared sensors and superconducting circuits destined for use in space craft depend on Lockheed’s experiments to quantify the performance of their products. Lockheed depends on Sierra’s Smart-Trak for accurate test results.
When it "Really" Matters . Research and Development Solutions Customized by Sierra.
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