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Experimental investigation of thermal stratification in cryogenic tank subjected to multi-species bubbling

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Abstract

Liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen are used as oxidizer and fuel, respectively, in cryogenic stage of a typical heavy lift launch vehicle. In order to ensure optimum propellant loading and suppress cavitation in the pump, the propellants have to be stored at subcooled condition and this is achieved by increasing the ullage pressure above the saturation pressure. Also, due to low temperature of cryogenic propellants, significant amount of heat penetrates into the system. These factors contribute to the development of thermal stratification, wherein low-density liquid propellant, driven by buoyancy effects, gets accumulated at the vapor–liquid interface. The thickness of this stratum of liquid increases with time and plays a vital role in mass budgeting of propellants. Multi-species bubbling is one of the destratification techniques used in flight missions. Quantification of stratified mass in cryogenic stage and the estimation of time for destratification at different flow rate of bubbling gas are essential for the optimum loading of bubbling gas. In the present work, experimental studies were conducted with water-GN2 and liquid nitrogen (LN2)-GHe combination to investigate the development and destruction of thermal stratification of liquid in a sub-scale cylindrical tank of 90 L capacity. Tests with water at 305 K were conducted in open tank and heated using an external source. Tests with LN2 at 77 K, 2.8 bar was carried out using enclosed tank. Development of stratified mass was quantified in both cases based on stratified temperature limit, 311 K and 83 K, for water and LN2, respectively, using closely spaced T type thermocouples. Subsequently, destratification was carried out using gaseous nitrogen (GN2) and gaseous helium (GHe) for water and LN2, respectively. Experiments were conducted for bubbling flow rates in the range of 0.1–0.4 g s−1. The time required for destratification was found to decrease significantly with increase in bubbling rate. 66.6% difference in destratification time is observed between bubbling gas flow rate of 0.1 and 0.4 g s−1. The results obtained in the study can be used in the design and payload estimation of actual propellant tanks.

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Abbreviations

GN2:

Gaseous nitrogen

GHe:

Gaseous helium

LN2:

Liquid nitrogen

DM:

De-mineralized

LOX:

Liquid oxygen

LH2:

Liquid hydrogen

LV:

Liquid–Vapor

PRV:

Pressure Relief Valve

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Acknowledgements

This experiment is conducted in PRS laboratory at LPSC/ISRO, Trivandrum.

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Author notes

  1. Alex Chollackal, Jophy Peter, and Deepak K. Agarwal have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, SJCET Palai, Kottayam, Kerala, 686579, India

    Sutheesh Puthettu Muraleedharan & Alex Chollackal

  2. Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, ISRO, Trivandrum, Kerala, 695547, India

    Jeswin Joseph, Jophy Peter & Deepak K. Agarwal

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  1. Sutheesh Puthettu Muraleedharan
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  2. Jeswin Joseph
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  3. Alex Chollackal
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  4. Jophy Peter
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  5. Deepak K. Agarwal
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Correspondence to Sutheesh Puthettu Muraleedharan or Jeswin Joseph.

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Puthettu Muraleedharan, S., Joseph, J., Chollackal, A. et al. Experimental investigation of thermal stratification in cryogenic tank subjected to multi-species bubbling. J Therm Anal Calorim 148, 2949–2959 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-022-11912-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-022-11912-5

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