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Facility 225 is a large, horizontal, cylindrical, thermal vacuum chamber used for thermal vacuum and thermal balance testing, and baking out large test items. Electrical feedthroughs and liquid and gas penetrations are provided at locations on the front, sides, and rear of the chamber.

Mode of Operation

Test items are loaded by crane onto a load cart, which is rolled into the chamber on a rail system. Payload weight can be as high as 5,000 lb. The chamber door remains open while thermocouples are installed on the test item inside the chamber. A temperature controlled baseplate may be provided for high thermal dissipation.

Chamber evacuation is provided by 2 cryopumps, while roughing is provided by a blower and rotary vane machanical pump. Shroud temperature condidtioning is accomplished by a recirculating GN2 thermal system, or it may be flooded with LN2.


Parameters

Test Pressure: 1 x 10-7 mmHg
Shroud Temperature:
GN2 mode -140°C to +100°C , LN2 mode -190°C
Chamber Pump: 2 cryopumps


Physical Characteristics

Test Volume: 9' x 14'
Payload Support: Wheeled cart - 5,000 lb. capacity
Std. electrical feedthroughs: 61-pin, 37-pin, 7-pin, 4-pin, RF

Integral Instrumentation

Pressure: Capacitance manometer - Atm to 10-3 mmHg
Ion Gauge: 10-3 mmHg to ultimate
Payload Temperature: 320 thermocouple channels
Contamination Monitor: TQCM, coldfinger, residual gas analyzer