Fuel Cell Test Stand for Parabolic Flight

In summer of 2024, I was an intern at Giner Labs in Newton, MA. Working in the Aerospace and Defense group, I had the opportunity to contribute to several projects that I am deeply passionate about and gain valuable experience. The main project I worked on was under the NASA TechFlights program, where Giner Labs was tasked with testing the efficiency of a hydrogen fuel cell in a zero gravity environment via a parabolic flight test. My primary objective was to design and integrate a test stand capable of running the fuel cell, with an additional requirement to survive high gravity conditions as dictated by our flight provider, Zero-G. My role involved component procurement and testing, including leak tests and vacuum tests. As the test stand was built up, I ensured mission critical safety requirements were met in the form of structural analysis on the test stand components. This required a mix of pull tests, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and bolt calculations, including an extensive documentation of the build.

Requirement #1: Design and integrate H2 Fuel Cell test stand for parabolic flight.

Constructing the test stand involved:

•Building and modifying test stand along with its P&ID and CAD

•Determining where to mount camera to monitor fuel cell outlets

•Designing and manufacturing key structure and component mounts

•Procuring, testing and verifying flight hardware

•Building a frame from aluminum Minitec

•Connecting Swagelok and bending tubes

•Machining brackets and similar mounting hardware

•Testing hardware like valves and fluid housing containers - leak testing, vacuum testing, etc

Requirement #2: Ensure test stand meets flight provider safety guidelines.

One of the key safety priorities was that the tewst stand had to survive 9g's of force in every direction during the flight. With a factor of safety of 2, I had to ensure all the components in the test stand could survive 18g's in all directions.

To validate these requirements, I...

•Identified critical flight safety elements in high gravity conditions

•Performed FEA structural analysis on enclosure and components

•Calculated Tensile and Shear forces

•Directly tested on the components using a force gauge

•Documented qualification activities extensively at the component level

My analysis was thoroughly documented and used for the basis of the structural section of Payload Integration Package.

One of the challenges I faced was how to mount the heavy Pulse Dampener component. Below highlights my problem solving process, specifically for this particular component.

Assess Technical Parameters
- Heavy object that must survive 18g’s in each direction. Therefore it must be securely bound. Also it has to fit somewhere on the left side of the stand were the components it is connected to are housed
Draft Design Concepts
- Inspired by U-bolts I've used before for my rocketry program, I decided to use a set of two U-bolts to hold the pulse dampener snuggly between. For the location I chose a place where the panel mount could be bolted directly into the aluminum frame.
Create CAD Model
- Used to lay out the design and determine important dimensions, such as between mounting holes and the size of a slot required to account for the circular profile
Hardware Procurement
- Ordered components I needed for constructing the system mount (aluminum plate, u-bolts, additional bolts to hold to frame).
Manufacture Plate
- Using CNC, I cut out mounting holes and a center slot to account for the pulse dampener’s round profile.
Assemble & Integrate
- As I put together the assembly, I discovered there was a sliver of space between the pulse dampener component and my U-bolts mount. Not enough for the component to come loose, but enough to cause unwanted vibrations. To fix this I added rubber cushioning.
Bolt Analysis
- To assure that the component was secure, I opted for a bolt calculation, where I confirmed that the size of nuts and bolts that I had chosen were indeed sufficient in keeping the heavy pulse dampener from moving, with several factors of safety built-in.

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