Table 4 Technology demonstrators for cryogenic tanks
From: Cryogenic propellant management in space: open challenges and perspectives
Reference | Investigation | Technol. | Gravity Conditions | Fluids | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liquid hydrogen behavior in compensated gravity | PMD | Suborbital flights | Hydrogen | First series of hydrogen tests on sounding rocket experiment, 4 flights. | |
Flachbart et al.38 | Effect of helium pressurant on TVS performance with liquid hydrogen | TVS HP | Ground | Liquid hydrogen, gaseous helium | Thermal energy removal from the ullage by spray. |
Mustafi et al.39 | Design of an isobaric subcooling system | PTCD | Ground | Hydrogen, oxygen | Subcool the liquid prior to launch. Conceptual design proposed. Not an official demonstrator yet. |
Wang et al.40 | Comparison of filling pressure and temperature in vented and non-vented cryogenic tanks | TVS FO | Ground | Nitrogen | Thermodynamic state of vented and no-vented fills is different, so correlation should be developed. |
Flachbart et al.41 | Liquid hydrogen tank rapid chill and fill testing | PTCD FO | Ground | Hydrogen | Tank structure chill-down process was slow. No-vent fill operation did not succeed. |
Behruzi et al.42 | PMDs usable for upper stages tested with liquid nitrogen | PMD | Suborbital flight | Nitrogen | Results are applicable to the real scale (size and fluids) PMDs based on the used scaling laws. |
Leudiere et al.43 | Liquid hydrogen behavior in compensated gravity | PMD | Suborbital flights | Hydrogen | First European hydrogen experiment in a sounding rocket, conducted by industry. |
Plachta et al.44 | Zero Boil-Off test for oxygen tank | ZBO | Ground | Oxygen | Active cooling system for oxygen eliminated boil-off and robust controlled tank pressure. |
Chill-down process in a complex channel | PTCD | Suborbital Flight | LN2 | The transition of flow regimes from gas-liquid two-phase flow to liquid mono-phase flow was visualized. | |
Kassemi et al.47 | Comparison of CFD and experimental data from 3 different datasets of self-pressurization | HP | Ground, ISS, Space Shuttle | Hydrogen, PnP, Freon-113 | Only experimental controlled and known boundary conditions allow a good agreement with experiments and CFD of two-phase systems. |
Breon et al.48 | Storage and transfer of a cryogenic fuel on orbit | ZBO TO HP/AP TVS | Ground, ISS | Nitrogen, Argon, Methane | 4 months Zero Boil-Off methane storage by a cryocooler. Problem during on-orbit venting expelled all methane prior to transfer demonstration. |
