Long-term space missions require minimized boil-off from liquid hydrogen and oxygen tanks to increase the payload mass fraction at launch. Vapor-cooled shielding technologies can use liquid hydrogen boil-off vapors to refrigerate and potentially eliminate boil-off from liquid oxygen tanks. Statistical thermodynamic calculations estimate that the amount of refrigeration provided by hydrogen for a liquid oxygen tank can be increased up to 50% through catalysis of parahydrogen–orthohydrogen conversion. Based on this prediction, a cryocatalysis hydrogen experiment facility was developed as a proof of concept. Hydrogen is liquefied in a noncatalytic condenser and vapor venting controlled via a proportional-integral-derivative controller. The effective heat capacity of the effluent is measured directly through a change in temperature of the known mass flow and applied heater power. The change in parahydrogen–orthohydrogen composition is validated independently with a thermal conductivity probe calibrated in situ. A maximum increase in the effective heat capacity of 35% was observed for hydrogen flow through activated ferric-oxide catalyst at a mass flow rate of 0.206 g / min . This result indicates that significant reductions to in-space venting of hydrogen and oxygen are possible through vapor-cooled shielding technologies that catalyze parahydrogen–orthohydrogen conversion.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Parahydrogen–Orthohydrogen Conversion for Enhanced Vapor-Cooled Shielding of Liquid Oxygen Tanks


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2014-10-01




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English