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Completed TRL 4 (started at 2, targeting 4)
Cryogenic propellants (liquid hydrogen and methane) are critical to the long-term U.S. strategy for space exploration and utilization. Unfortunately, designing and simulating cryogenic propellant storage systems for space suffer from an absence of fundamental knowledge and data needed to model evaporation and condensation. Researchers from Michigan Technological University, University of Washington and NASA are developing a new experimental method to obtain this data using the BT-2 Neutron Imaging Facility at NIST. In addition, these researchers are developing a novel, computationally efficient and accurate tool for predicting local thermodynamic conditions and dynamics of cryogenic surfaces in space.
This project aims to provide fundamental knowledge and data needed to model evaporation and condensation for development of critical cryogenic propellant storage systems.
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