LAUNCH VEHICLE
FEEDING LINE
PIPING BELLOWS

Belman has designed and manufactured a total of six Expansion Joints for a European space tech company. The Piping Bellows, which have different designs and installation lengths, will be installed in a cryogenic environment. More specifically, they will be installed on the feeding and pressurization lines of both the main stage and the upper stage of a launcher, where they will need to handle either LOX (liquid oxygen) or LCH4 (liquid methane), LN2 (liquid nitrogen), GN2 (gaseous nitrogen) and GHe (gaseous helium).

Client Issue – Bellows for large movements, water hammer and cryogenic environment (-196°C)

For the feeding and pressurization lines of both the main stage and the upper stage of the launch vehicle the client needed Piping Bellows to effectively absorb axial, lateral and angular movements. As the environment is cryogenic, the Expansion Bellows needed to be designed for temperatures right down to -196°C. The client found the Piping Bellow types needed in the Belman Expansion Joint catalogue and contacted the company regarding customising the selected Expansion Joints. In this way they would match the exact need of the application. It was important for the client that the Piping Bellows were designed to be able to handle water hammer (15-27 barg), even though the operating pressure was just 7-8 barg, as the most critical load case for the client was water hammer in the event of an emergency shutdown on the lines. Of course, it is crucial to avoid failures and therefore the client needed assistance from a very experienced manufacturer.

Belman solution – customised Piping Bellows for a cryogenic environment in the launch vehicle
The benefit of the Belman Expansion Joint catalogue is that the client can easily find the Expansion Joint types they need. In the catalogue the clients can select from 3500+ Expansion Joint designs, allowing it to be used as a reference of Belman’s capabilities. In most cases Belman customises each design to match the exact application in question. This means that the client gets the optimum Piping Bellow solution for their application. Among other things, Belman can customise the length, material, design and hardware as well as adapting it to another design code. Last but not least, the Expansion Joint Catalogue gives the client a good and quick starting point.

For this space tech client, Belman customised six Expansion Joints to match their exact requirements, making them suitable for the installation point. The design included two untied Expansion Joints and four tied Expansion Joints. The Expansion Joints data in the catalogue is based on the design code EN 14917, so the client needed Belman to amend the design to the EJMA design code. There was no requirement for materials from the client, so the media and the cryogenic temperature at the installation point were the determinant factors. The Bellows are made from 1.4541, which is applicable down to -270°C, which is the same case for the pipe end material 1.4404 (AISI 316L).

The Piping Bellows were designed for axial, lateral and angular movement absorption, but not in combination. Tie rods were mounted to control the movement absorption. To help the client with the water hammer issue, Belman designed the Expansion Joints for 25 barg, even though the operating pressure was just 7-8 barg.

As per requirement, the client received documentation in the form of a Manufacturing Data Book (MDB) containing material certificates as well as inspection certificates for both visual inspection and leak tests.

What is a launcher?
A launch vehicle, also known as a launcher, is a smaller space rocket designed to place payloads, i.e. satellites, into low orbits, most often starting from the ground or an aerial platform. Many space tech companies, including the client, are very keen to ensure that as much of the launch vehicle as possible is reusable. The reusable launch vehicle has parts that can be recovered and reflown while carrying payloads from the Earth’s surface into outer space. The feeding lines can be used to feed the rocket engine during testing and also to fill the rocket before launching.

Belman – a legacy of expertise in Piping Bellows for advanced technologies, including space
Space transport vehicle or launch vehicle manufacturers need the optimal balance between performance, longevity and weight. For that reason, all components including the Expansion Joints need to be premium engineered and customised to meet the manufacturer’s exact needs. Since 1994 Belman has engineered more than 900,000 Expansion Joints. Throughout the years, Belman has supplied numerous Piping Bellows for many different space tech companies as well as other advanced technology applications, including particle accelerator and neutron scattering technologies. In addition to designing and manufacturing them, Belman is also often asked to consult on Expansion Joints by students and professors at prestigious technical universities for their pilot projects and research projects, both inside and outside European borders.