Numerical study of zero boil-off storage system with heat pipe and pump-nozzle unit

Abstract

To realize the long-term storage of liquid hydrogen for space application, different cooling enhancement components to control the pressure of the cryogenic tanks to a safety condition have been developed in the past decades. In this article, a microgravity, three-dimensional model of a liquid hydrogen storage system with heat pipe and pump-nozzle unit was built. Focusing on significant factors to the cooling performance, such as the heat transfer efficiency of the cool tip (evaporation section), the spraying direction of the nozzle, and the number of the pump-nozzle units, numerical simulations of six tanks with different components were carried out. Typical distributions of velocity and temperature of the fluid inside the tanks are illustrated and studied in detail. The maximum temperature and standard temperature deviation in the storage tank were chosen to evaluate cooling effect and mixing effect, respectively. By comparing the synthesized chilling performances of the six different configurations, an optimal structure has been obtained. This research is helpful to improve the performance of cryogenic liquid storage system for space application.