Ammonia Tank

The ammonia (NH3) supply is carried in a triple-compartmented cylindrical tank, just aft of the No. 3 equipment compartment and ahead of the turbopump hydrogen peroxide tank.

The center section area is hollow and closed at both ends. The rear compartment center section is perforated to allow storage of ammonia within the center section area.

The compartments are check-valve-vented. This aids in the pressure feed of the fluid transfer from the rear tank compartment forward toward the airplane center of gravity. The rear compartment empties first; then the middle compartment empties into the front compartment, with the ammonia fed from the front compartment under 48 psi of helium pressure to the turbopump or jettison line through a series of control valves.

The total volume of the tank is approximately 1445 US gallons.

The tank is ground-serviced only. The filler receptacle for the tank is on the underside of the right wing root fairing tunnel

Note: The remaining quantity of ammonia can be monitored on the system monitor panel.

Ammonia tank filler.

In this section:

Hazards of Anhydrous Ammonia