Initial Investigation of a Method Whereby a Cryogenic Propellant Liquid is Insulated From Heat Leak By the Propellant and Its Sacrificial Boiloff.

Abstract

A small-scale experiment is reported which demonstrated that a few closely spaced thin-film plastic 'bags,' hydraulically connected and mounted close to the propellant tank wall with liquid hydrogen in all volumes, could act as sufficient insulation to cause liquid in the volume nearest the tank wall to boil off sacrificially much of the incoming heat leak. Thus, much of this heat leak is prevented from reaching the liquid shielded by this insulator. As a consequence, the temperature of the liquid in a pressurized tank increases at a much slower rate than it would if there were no bags. This method could result in a weight saving for booster rocket vehicles designed for its application because it can reduce the pump cavitation problem by decreasing the liquid heating rate.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1966
Accession Number
ADA310398

Entities

People

  • William A. Olsen

Organizations

  • Glenn Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boiloff
  • Cryogenic Propellants
  • Energy
  • Equations
  • Experimental Data
  • Films
  • Heat Energy
  • Heat Transfer
  • Launch Vehicles
  • Liquid Hydrogen
  • Mass Transfer
  • Payload
  • Propellant Tanks
  • Propellants
  • Stratified Fluids
  • Thermal Conductivity
  • Thin Films

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Rocket Propulsion.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster