Conveners
Wed-Or8: Cryogenics for Aerospace
- Etienne Lallemand (Centre spatial de Liège, Université de Liège)
Cryogenic fluids, boasting diverse industrial applications, play a pivotal role in cutting-edge technologies. Notably, liquid helium (LHe) serves the purpose of cooling Earth-orbiting telescopes and satellites, while liquid hydrogen (LH2) plays a crucial role in the cooling of superconducting magnets and propelling space engines. Prior to achieving the efficient flow of cryogenic fluids, the...
Storing cryogenic propellants in space from months to multiple years duration and transfer of these propellants from one tank to another (refueling) are significant challenges on the critical path for returning humans to the moon, future Mars missions, and commercialization of cis-lunar space. State-of-the-art (SOA) storage duration for operational cryogenic stages is currently less than a...
With the growing public awareness on the consequences of global warming, and increasingly facing competition from other modes of land transportation, aviation has no more choice but to rapidly achieve radical technological breakthroughs in the field of low carbon propulsion.
Several studies show that the largest share of aviation emissions is caused by short- and medium-range aircraft,...
Abstract: Liquid-oxygen-liquid-methane reusable rocket technology is currently a hot topic in the field of spaceflight. Storage of liquid methane and liquid oxygen in a single tank but with a common bulkhead partition is the most compact and favorable scheme. Reduced or even zero boil-off loss of the cryogenic bipropellants is one of the key endeavors for prolonging the storage duration...
For the next-generation of aircraft, cryogenic liquid hydrogen (LH2) is a front-running option for serving as propulsion fuel due to its high gravimetric energy density. However, significant advances in terms of LH2 storage and distribution need to be established to have LH2 as a viable option of aircraft propulsion fuel. Advanced thermal management of an LH2 tank is crucial, since boil-off...
To reduce the environmental impact of aviation, liquid hydrogen has been identified as promising future aircraft fuel. The liquid hydrogen can be used directly in the combustion turbine engine or in a fuel cell in combination with an electric motor. While the first option still produces nitrogen oxides, the second option has the potential of zero-emission.
Many initiatives are ongoing to...
Radio Blackout and extreme heat fluxes are critical problems occurring during spacecraft (re-)entry into planetary atmospheres. Both occur at the front surface of the spacecraft due to the compressed and partially ionized plasma. Both can be catastrophic for the mission with damages to the protection material due to heat or the complete loss of GPS data telemetry or communication with ground...
