Thermally optimized zero boil-off densified cryogen storage system for space Original Research Article

A thermally optimized in-space zero boil-off densified cryogen storage system model is developed. The Cryogenic System Design Tool is introduced and is used to model a spherical liquid hydrogen tank with active cooling and passive insulation systems. The model is used to investigate the effects of fluid storage temperature, multilayer insulation (MLI) thickness, and actively cooled shields on the overall storage system mass, cryocooler input power, and system volume. A validation of the Cryogenic System Design Tool is presented. The model predicts that a zero boil-off densified liquid hydrogen storage system minimizes the overall storage system mass and volume for nearly the same cooling input power as that of a normal boiling-point liquid hydrogen storage system.