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Combustion Integrated Rack - Fluids and Combustion Facility (CIR)
05.16.12
Scientists and payload developers can get more information on International Space Station research facilities by contacting the ISS Payloads Office or at 281-244-6187.

Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | Images

Facility/Payload Overview

Brief Facility Summary

The Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) includes an optics bench, combustion chamber, fuel and oxidizer control, and five different cameras for performing combustion experiments in microgravity.

Facility Manager(s)

  • Terrence O'Malley, , Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, United States

    • Co-Facility Manager(s)

    Information Pending

    Facility Developer Information Pending

    Sponsoring Agency

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

    Expeditions Assigned

    19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29/30, 31/32

    Previous ISS Missions

    Information Pending

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    Facility/Payload Description

    Facility Summary

    • The Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) provides sustained, systematic microgravity combustion research.


    • The CIR houses hardware capable of performing combustion experiments to further research of combustion in microgravity.

    Description

    The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) accommodates the unique challenges of working with fluids and combustion processes in microgravity and provides services and capabilities comparable to those found in traditional Earth-based laboratories. The FCF occupies two powered racks on the International Space Station (ISS): the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) and the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR). The FCF is a permanent modular, multiuser facility that accommodates microgravity science experiments onboard the ISS. The FCF supports sustained, systematic research in the disciplines of fluid physics and combustion science.

    The CIR is used to perform combustion experiments in microgravity. The CIR can be reconfigured easily on orbit to accommodate a variety of combustion experiments. It consists of an optics bench, a combustion chamber, a fuel and oxidizer management system, environmental management systems, and interfaces for science diagnostics and experiment specific equipment. For diagnostic purposes, five different cameras are available for use by the investigator. The CIR features a 100-liter combustion chamber surrounded by optical equipment and diagnostic packages, including a gas chromatograph. Experiments are conducted by remote control from the Glenn Research Center (GRC) Telescience Support Center (TSC).

    The CIR has been designed for use with the Passive Rack Isolation System (PaRIS), which connects the rack to the ISS structure using eight spring-damper isolators and a special set of umbilicals. Modeling and analysis show that the PaRIS can attenuate much of the U.S. Laboratory's vibration and provide a much quieter environment than a simple hard-mounted rack. The CIR is the only combustion research facility onboard the ISS.

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    Operations

    Facility Operations

    The Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) chamber can operate at low (0.02 atm) or high (up to 3 atm) atmospheric pressures. Tools are not required to open the chamber or change or service the eight windows on the chamber. Gases are delivered through the bottles on the front of the rack. The exhaust package features a filter that can recycle the gas used or convert it to an expellable gas. The CIR can be used to explore droplet, solid fuel, and gaseous fuel combustion.

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    Results/More Information

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    Availability

    Information Pending

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    Related Web Sites
  • NASA Technical Memorandum 2002
  • NASA Technical Memorandum 2005
  • ISS Research Project-CIR

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    Publications

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    Related Publications

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    Images

    imageThe training unit with the rack doors open in Payload Development Laboratory II at Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas.


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    imageThe Combustion Integrated Rack flight unit at Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio.


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    imageNASA image: ISS018E35752 Sandra Magnus as she works with the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) in the U.S. Laboratory, Destiny, during maintenance.


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    imageVideo screen shot of Multiuser Droplet Combustion Apparatus Flame Extinguishment Experiment (MDCA-FLEX) Ignition 1 on March 5, 2009, (GMT 64/17:21) inside the Combustion Integrated Rack. The methanol fuel droplet is being formed on the tip of a needle (droplet size approximately 2.5 mm). Image courtesy of NASA.


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    imageNASA Image: ISS020E029879 - European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works with the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.


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    imageNASA Image: ISS020E042207 - NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Expedition 20 flight engineer, works with the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.


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    imageNASA Image: ISS027E022529 - NASA astronaut Ron Garan, Expedition 27 flight engineer, services the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) Multi-user Drop Combustion Apparatus (MDCA) in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station.


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    Information provided by the investigation team to the ISS Program Scientist's Office.
    If updates are needed to the summary please contact JSC-ISS-Program-Science-Group. For other general questions regarding space station research and technology, please feel free to call our help line at 281-244-6187 or e-mail at JSC-ISS-Payloads-Helpline.
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