Questions tagged [cryogenics]
Questions regarding use, design, storage, consumption, or other considerations of materials, propellants, systems, or biological samples stored and/or used under very low temperatures, often under larger than ambient pressure.
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What propellant (coolant) mass is required for an actively cooled heat shield?
Stoke Space are using a regeneratively cooled heat shield to allow their second stage to survive re-entry. The basis of the design flows LH2 through the aeroplug, then using the heat captured to power ...
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What's the difference between cryogenic and Liquid propellant?
According to my understanding (which may be incorrect), the cryogenic form and liquid form of propellant both use a fluid as an oxidizer and fuel. Research tells me crygenic propellant is more ...
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Does Starship run on Slushies?
Cryogenic slush (a mixture of liquid and solid) can potentially store propellants at higher density than cryogenic liquid. For instance, hydrogen slush is 16-20% denser than liquid hydrogen. https://...
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Can surrounding methalox by hydrolox save it from boil off
In case of a (single) Starship (as a) fuel depot orbiting the Earth, how can we prevent boil off, may be so? Some fuels have lower temperatures such as hydrolox is colder than methalox. Could we may ...
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Prevent boil off in StarShip fuel depot by a JWST-like sunshield?
Can we use Webb’s telescope shield to prevent or significantly reduce boil off of propellant from StarsShip fuel depot, made from a single StarShip in Earth orbit?
For JWST, its sunshield covers its ...
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Semi-Cryogenic HTP/LH2 engine?
Also see HTP as oxidizer for main propulsion
(for more info on history of H2O2/HTP in rocketry)
Note: HTP and H2O2 will be used interchangeably
I know the Black Arrow LV (The first orbital lipstick) ...
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Why is the hot part of Webb's MIRI cryocooler in the 300K area?
Longer wavelengths require cooler temperatures to detect efficiently. The MIRI detects all the way out to 25 μm and so needs to be cooled to 7 K.
Webb can passively cool down to 40 K with its sun-...
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Does a cryogenic liquid propellant engine exist capable of using multiple fuels?
For example, a rocket engine which can use both liquid methane and liquid hydrogen.
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Why is an inflatable balloon inside a fuel tank not used to prevent fuel from "sloshing around"?
After seeing all the Starship failures, having something with a membrane keep things in place seems like an obvious solution. Has it been considered or tested - or do we simply lack a material that is ...
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Why are propellant tanks filled from the bottom?
It seems that the norm is to (fast-) fill fuel and oxidiser tanks from the bottom. For example, on this drawing of the Saturn S-IC stage you can see the LOX and RP-1 fill valves at the bottom of the ...
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Cryogenic storage in Starship header tanks
Since Starship uses cold liquid oxygen and methane fuel in its header tanks, how will these cryogenic tanks been kept full and cold on long missions in space?
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How does the open expander cycle separate the fuel for the pump and combustion chamber? [closed]
I'm designing a single open cycle expander rocket engine using propane. However, I've been unable to find out whether or not the fuel is split into the turbine and combustion chamber before or after ...
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ULA's ACES upper stage with IVF - Why are they using internal combustion engines?
I recently read out about ULA's ACES (Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage) upper stage with IVF (Integrated Vehicle Fluids), which crazy as it sounds, has two six-cylinder engines developed by Roush that ...
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Falcon-9's subcooled LOX is continuously refrigerated in-situ, what about its subcooled RP-1?
@Uwe's answer to Why would sub-cooled LOX tanks need to “topped-off” until the last minute or so? explains how subcooled LOX is kept cold and dense by "in situ refrigeration"; helium is bubbled ...
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How is Cryogenic fuel kept... Cryogenic in rockets [duplicate]
How is cryogenic fuel & oxidizer kept at cryogenic temperatures in rockets? I am mostly interested in the first stage of launch vehicles rather than something like a Centaur that keeps hydrolox ...
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What is the record for LOX staying liquid in space?
Liquid oxygen can be used for breathing, for fuel cells, and as an oxidizer for propulsion. However, it is cryogenic, and will slowly boil off in storage, even in a spacecraft. What is the longest ...
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Why did SpaceX swap the LOX and CH4 tanks between Mk1 and SN1?
According to most sources, the Starship Mk.1 had its LOX main tank (not talking about the header tanks here) on top and its main methane tank below. But it seems the SN1 revision, and all subsequent ...
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How difficult is it to convert a hypergolic based Moon human lander to a cryogenic one?
Recently a study performed by Aerojet Rocketdyne indicated that in order to achieve a 2024 landing using storable propellants will be required. Given that NASA is looking to reduce program risk in any ...
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In a rocket engine, do the propellants come out as liquid or gas if they’re cryogenic?
My cousin and I were talking about this and we could not come to a conclusion. Obviously it is very hard to keep cryogenic propellants at a liquid with the temperatures involved, but if they ...
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Cryogenic systems in kwajalein Island- Spacex- falcon 1
Is the LOX (liquid oxygen) required for the falcon-1 launch transported or produced?
If transported, how?
If produced, did they set up a cryogenic oxygen plant in Kwajalein?
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How cryogenic oxygen was heated up for CM cabin repressurization?
In related question How was temperature and humidity maintained inside the Apollo mission capsules?
the basic concept of conditioning Apollo mission capsules environment is described.
After ...
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How do Expander Cycle Engines Inject Liquid Fuel During Startup?
My understanding is that the H2 in an expander-cycle engine is vaporized by the heat from the combustion chamber and nozzle wall. This is used to power a turbine and then get injected, in gas phase, ...
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Can anyone suggest me some resources for studying about the different types of cryogenic valves and their design aspects [closed]
Book titles, videos, articles or any other resource that I could refer
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Could in situ (in-rocket) evaporative cooling/refrigeration be used for methane or hydrogen cryogenic propellants?
@Uwe's excellent answer to the question Why would sub-cooled LOX tanks need to “topped-off” until the last minute or so? explains that the LOX is sub-cooled in situ within the rocket's tank using ...
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Why can’t cryogenic propellants be storable, at least on the ground, via refrigeration?
Cryogenic fuels (liquid hydrogen, liquid methane)1 and oxidisers (liquid oxygen)2 are the rocket propellants of choice where raw performance is the overriding concern, due to the very high performance ...
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How would a body be stored in a dark hole in the moon?
How well would the human body stay preserved if it was frozen while pressurized and vacuum sealed before being placed in a crater on the Moon? Would the temperature be more reliably stable on the moon ...
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LOX as annular heat sink
I'm thinking of my time spent working with cryostats. Liquid helium pot on the inside, and surrounded by a liquid nitrogen jacket. And the whole thing insulated with vacuum and superinsulation. (...
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What methods are proposed for storing cryogenic fuels (esp. hydrogen) in space for months or years?
Current Launch vehicles and upper stages must only keep their fuels for minutes or hours, so they are only insulated to keep boiloff to a few % per day - I've seen 21% per day quoted for Centaur on ...
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Cryogenic liquid pressurization resulting in overpressurized tank
I want to pressurize a cryogenic liquid (LN2 in this test. Eventually LOX).
I have a setup similar to this and follow a similar procedure to what is described, but I don’t see the same tank pressure ...
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How will Robotic Refueling Mission-3's liquid methane tank remain full for six months without any boil off?
Space.com's Lasers, Crystals and 36,000 Worms Will Ride a SpaceX Dragon to Space Station says:
To fly on those journeys, astronauts might have to someday harvest fuel from the surface of the moon ...
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