Performance analysis of no-vent fill process for liquid hydrogen tank in terrestrial and on-orbit environments |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Technologies in Space Cryogenic Propellants, Beijing 100028, China;3. Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA;1. Cryogenic Engineering Laboratory, Division of Mechanical Engineering, School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Systems Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea;2. Space Test Division, Korea Aerospace Research Institute, 169-84, Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34133, Republic of Korea;1. Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Technologies in Space Cryogenic Propellants, Beijing 100028, China;1. School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Technologies in Space Cryogenic Propellants, Beijing 100028, China;1. Institute of Refrigerating and Cryogenic Engineering, Xi''an Jiaotong University, Xi''an 710049, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Technologies in Space Cryogenic Propellants, Beijing 100028, China;3. Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Ilinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA;1. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812, USA;2. NASA Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135, USA |
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| Abstract: | Two finite difference computer models, aiming at the process predictions of no-vent fill in normal gravity and microgravity environments respectively, are developed to investigate the filling performance in a liquid hydrogen (LH2) tank. In the normal gravity case model, the tank/fluid system is divided into five control volume including ullage, bulk liquid, gas–liquid interface, ullage-adjacent wall, and liquid-adjacent wall. In the microgravity case model, vapor–liquid thermal equilibrium state is maintained throughout the process, and only two nodes representing fluid and wall regions are applied. To capture the liquid–wall heat transfer accurately, a series of heat transfer mechanisms are considered and modeled successively, including film boiling, transition boiling, nucleate boiling and liquid natural convection. The two models are validated by comparing their prediction with experimental data, which shows good agreement. Then the two models are used to investigate the performance of no-vent fill in different conditions and several conclusions are obtained. It shows that in the normal gravity environment the no-vent fill experiences a continuous pressure rise during the whole process and the maximum pressure occurs at the end of the operation, while the maximum pressure of the microgravity case occurs at the beginning stage of the process. Moreover, it seems that increasing inlet mass flux has an apparent influence on the pressure evolution of no-vent fill process in normal gravity but a little influence in microgravity. The larger initial wall temperature brings about more significant liquid evaporation during the filling operation, and then causes higher pressure evolution, no matter the filling process occurs under normal gravity or microgravity conditions. Reducing inlet liquid temperature can improve the filling performance in normal gravity, but cannot significantly reduce the maximum pressure in microgravity. The presented work benefits the understanding of the no-vent fill performance and may guide the design of on-orbit no-vent fill system. |
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| Keywords: | No-vent fill Liquid hydrogen Launch vehicle Orbital depot Heat transfer |
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