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  Apollo CM fuel cell (Ryan Seper rendering)

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Author Topic:   Apollo CM fuel cell (Ryan Seper rendering)
Buel
Member

Posts: 891
From: UK
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 01-20-2024 12:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Buel   Click Here to Email Buel     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have just stumbled upon a quite incredible 3D rendering of the Apollo command module fuel cell.

Ryan Seper says on his website:

My goal for this project was to recreate a 3D model in Solidworks of the Apollo Fuel Cell. This model would help develop my understand of complex assemblies within Solidworks, as well as my ability to breakdown a design from a 2D image and recreate it in 3D.

This was done through research on technical documents as well as analysis of photographs. During this project I had no physical access to a fuel cell and as such it was particularly challenging solving the visual “puzzle” of the fuel cell.

It has many interlinked pipes routed throughout, to complicate things over the years many variations of parts were created as the design was improved so certain images I was looking at would have different parts.

The model I created was based on the most common configurations I found as well as the units that appeared to be in the best condition (not disassembled or broken). Having said that the overall dimensions match the official NASA documents, but I’d estimate individual components may be around 90% accurate to the real thing.

Regardless, I believe this to be a highly accurate representation of the Apollo-era fuel cell. I was continually amazed at the level of engineering and design possible in the 1960s to produce a device such as this all without the usage of the modern day CAD tools we use today.

SpaceAholic
Member

Posts: 5320
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 01-20-2024 04:14 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SpaceAholic   Click Here to Email SpaceAholic     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's possible to obtain more refined measurements for model calibration from an example retained here.

Does appear that his rendering is missing some components from the operational variant (a number of fuel cell simulators retained by institutions and within private collections, which are close in appearance to flight units but lack key internal and external elements).

Buel
Member

Posts: 891
From: UK
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 02-01-2024 05:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Buel   Click Here to Email Buel     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This isn't a fuel cell, as such, though, is it?

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