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NASA NTRS · 20230009846

A Liquefaction Model for A Cryogenically Refrigerated Ellipsoidal Tank

A. Hedayat·A.R. Koch·A.C. Leclair·A. K. Majumdar·S. M. Ghiaasiaan
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Abstract

Over the past few decades NASA has been developing technology to produce cryogenic propellants on the surfaces of the Moon or Mars. In-situ propellant production reduces the amount of propellants needed to be taken to Moon/Mars and ultimately reduces mission cost. Utilizing Lunar/Martian resources, the produced gases are liquefied and stored prior to use on the ascent vehicle. This paper presents a model for the liquefaction process of gaseous propellants in a cryogenically refrigerated tank. The tank is cylindrical with elliptical top and bottom domes. A transient model is developed based on the mass and energy conservation principles and wall-gas and liquid-gas interfacial mass and heat transfer correlations. The model is incorporated into the Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program (GFSSP), an MSFC in-house general-purpose computer program for flow network analysis. Description of the model and comparison of predicted results with available test data is presented.

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A. Hedayat, A.R. Koch, A.C. Leclair, A. K. Majumdar, S. M. Ghiaasiaan. A Liquefaction Model for A Cryogenically Refrigerated Ellipsoidal Tank. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20230009846

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