For future manned and unmanned NASA exploratory space missions, storage and transport of cryogenic liquids under terrestrial and microgravity conditions will play a pivotal role. Transport of cryogenic liquids involves transferring the cold fluids through metallic tubes, typically stainless steel due to its low temperature resistance, leading to complex flow boiling and heat transfer phenomena termed as the transfer line chilldown process. We study cryogenic transfer line chilldown down process using a simulant fluid PF-5060 in a closed loop obtaining both heat transfer and flow visualization data to understand the fundamental mechanism behind the chilldown process while providing design solutions. We complement our experimental studies with two-phase CFD simulations which can predict cryogenic transfer line chilldown process with different cryogenic fluids such as LN2 and LH2, as well as under normal and reduced gravity environments.
Another common and crucial process for cryogenic fluid management is the need to fill the cryogenic fluids into warmer storage tanks efficiently while minimizing the evaporative and entrainment losses. However, no good predictive tool that can estimate the heat transfer behavior accurately during this fill process is available in the literature. To meet this need, we developed a suite of pool boiling correlations for common cryogenic fluids and propellants, including nitrogen, hydrogen and methane for obtaining the complete boiling curves of cryogenic fluids.
Related Publications
[1] Li, Jiayuan, Lucas E. O'Neill, Michael G. Izenson, and Chirag R. Kharangate. "Data consolidation, correlations assessment, and new correlation development for pool boiling critical heat flux specific to cryogenic fluids." International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 213 (2023): 124315.
[2]. Jayachandran K Narayanan, Jason W Hartwig, Jeffrey R Mackey, Mohammad Kassemi and Chirag R Kharangate. Experimental Investigations on the Flow Boiling and Heat Transfer Characteristics during Chilldown Process in a Closed-loop Chilldown Test Section. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 232, November, 125915, 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.
[3]. Ariadne Papamichou, Jayachandran K Narayanan, Chirag R Kharangate, Sonya Hylton, Mohammad Kassemi, Jason W Hartwig and Jeffrey R Mackey. CFD simulations of the Liquid Nitrogen Transfer Line Chilldown Process under Microgravity Conditions. AIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, Orlando, Florida, USA, Jan 6-10, 2025. DOI: 10.2514/6.2025-1740.
[4]. Jayachandran K Narayanan, Aimee Ghanem, Chirag R Kharangate, Jason W Hartwig, Jeffrey R Mackey and Mohammad Kassemi. Flow Visualization Studies on Transfer Line Chilldown Process through Pyrex Tubes. AIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, Orlando, Florida, USA, Jan 6-10, 2025. DOI: 10.2514/6.2025-1739.
[5]. Jayachandran K Narayanan, Chirag R Kharangate, Jason W Hartwig, Jeffrey R Mackey and Mohammad Kassemi. Experimental Studies on the Effect of Inlet Liquid Subcooling on the Chilldown Characteristics of Stainless Steel Tubes. AIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, Orlando, Florida, USA, Jan 8-12, 2024. DOI: 10.2514/6.2024-0354.
[6]. Jayachandran K Narayanan, Chirag R Kharangate, Sonya Hylton, Mohammad Kassemi, Jason W Hartwig and Jeffrey R Mackey. Three-dimensional CFD simulations in the Film Boiling Regime during Liquid Nitrogen Chilldown Process. AIAA SciTech Forum and Exposition, Orlando, Florida, USA, Jan 8-12, 2024. DOI: 10.2514/6.2024-0155.
[7]. Jayachandran K Narayanan, Chinmay Shingote, Yue Qiu, Jason W Hartwig, Jeffrey R Mackey, Mohammad Kassemi and Chirag R Kharangate. Line Chilldown and Flow Boiling Heat Transfer Characteristics of Stainless Steel and Pyrex Tubes. ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference (SHTC), Washington DC, USA, 2023. DOI: 10.1115/HT2023-106318.
[8]. Jayachandran K Narayanan, Sonya Hylton, Mohammad Kassemi, Jason W Hartwig, Jeffrey R Mackey and Chirag R Kharangate. Numerical Predictions of the Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics in the Film Boiling Regime during Tube Quenching. ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference (SHTC), Washington DC, USA, 2023. DOI: 10.1115/HT2023-107451.