An Application of Reinforced Polyurethane Foam in Design of the Common Bulkhead for Cryogenic Tanks

Li, Ke Cheng; Wu, Zhanjun; Liu, Min Jing; Xu, Xin; Wang, Xu

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/msf.975.182

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 4 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…Their low thermal conductivity, dimensional stability, and low density have made them a really promising cryogenic insulation material for the transportation and storage of liquid gases (for example, nitrogen, hydrogen, or natural gas), where efficient insulation is paramount for maintaining the stability and integrity of systems operating at extremely low temperatures [1][2][3][4]. Due to the rising demand for better insulation solutions in sectors including energy (e.g., refrigerators and freezers), aerospace, construction, and several other applications, researchers and engineers have been working nonstop to improve the performance of PUR foams over the years [5][6][7]. For space launches that use liquefied oxygen (LOX) and liquefied hydrogen (LH 2 ) as propellants, cryogenic insulation is crucial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Long-Term Storage and UV Light Exposure on Characteristics of Polyurethane Foams for Cryogenic Insulation

Sture,

Yakushin,

Vevere

et al. 2023

Materials

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Rigid polyurethane (PUR) foams have been the most effective insulation material used in space launchers since the beginning of cryogenic fuel use, due to their outstanding thermal and mechanical properties. In this study, spray-applied PUR foams using different ratios of amine-based catalysts were produced. Due to climate change, several restrictions have been made regarding the usage of blowing agents used for PUR foam production. Lately, hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) have been suggested as an alternative for PUR foam production due to their low global warming potential (GWP) and ozone depletion potential (ODP), replacing the hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) so far used. This change in blowing agents naturally altered the usage of catalysts. Reactive amine-based catalysts are less hazardous because of their low volatility and ability to react successfully with isocyanate or polyols. Spray-applied PUR foams with a potential application for cryogenic insulation were produced and tested for long-term storage, analyzing parameters such as the pH value of polyol composition, foaming kinetics (trise, tcream), etc. Athermal analysis (TG, DSC) was also applied to developed materials, as well as artificial ageing by exposing samples to UV light. It was discovered that PUR foams obtained using reactive amine-based catalysts, such as Polycat 203 and 218, have a higher integral heat capacity, but polyol mixtures containing these catalysts cannot exceed a storage time of more than 4 months. It was also observed from artificial ageing tests of PUR cryogenic insulation by exposure to UV light that the thickness of the degraded layer reached 0.8 mm (after 1000 h), but no significant destruction of cellular structure deeper in the material was observed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Long-Term Storage and UV Light Exposure on Characteristics of Polyurethane Foams for Cryogenic Insulation

Sture,

Yakushin,

Vevere

et al. 2023

Materials

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show abstract

“…In launch vehicles, cryogenic stages are widely used because of their versatile advantages such as nontoxic and environment-friendly, high specific impulse. 1,2 The traditional design of cryogenic stages contains liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) in two separate tanks generally connected through tubular truss elements, 3 as shown in Figure 1(a) and (b). However, the load transfer from the LH2 tank to the LOX tank is very much localized, resulting in a non-optimum design.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermo-structural analysis of cryogenic tanks with common bulkhead configuration

Sumith

Kumar

2021

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G:

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In launch vehicles, cryogenic propulsion stages store liquid oxygen (LOX) at 76 K and liquid hydrogen (LH2) at 20 K, generally in two separate insulated tanks connected through tubular truss components. Consequently, load transfer from the LH2 tank to the LOX tank is very much localized, resulting in a nonoptimal design. This article presents an alternative single tankage design using a common bulkhead (CBH) to enhance the payload capability, which enables maintaining LH2 temperature within a specified temperature when exposed to a temperature gradient. A sandwich insulator using aramid honeycomb embedded with polyimide foam keeps the LH2 temperature within 20 ± 1 K is proposed, based on transient heat transfer analysis for 1000 s. The foam-filled honeycomb core is treated as equivalent foam in the analysis as the thermal conductivity of the core and the foam is quite close. The efficacy of the insulator is established by an experiment to measure the back wall temperature when liquid nitrogen is loaded on the top skin of the panel, and the insulator maintains a temperature gradient of 123 K for 1000 s. A good agreement is obtained between the transient finite element analysis results with experimental data. An externally insulated LOX tank configuration with an optimum length of the skirt–cylinder where the temperature reaches 80 K is arrived at based on slosh, buckling, and thermal analyses. No thermal gradient is found across the thickness of the skirt, while the thermal gradient is observed along the length of the skirt as anticipated. An integrated thermo-structural analysis of the cryo-system is carried out considering temperature-dependent material properties. A positive margin for the skirt is obtained. A payload gain of 366 kg is estimated based on the present study for the new design option with a CBH and skirt as compared to the traditional tubular truss arrangements.

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Derivation of Knockdown Factors for Common Bulkhead Structures Considering Geometric Initial Imperfection and Heat Transfer Effects

Lee,

Sim,

Kim

et al. 2023

Int. J. Aeronaut. Space Sci.

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An Application of Reinforced Polyurethane Foam in Design of the Common Bulkhead for Cryogenic Tanks

Cited by 8 publications

References 4 publications

Influence of Long-Term Storage and UV Light Exposure on Characteristics of Polyurethane Foams for Cryogenic Insulation

Influence of Long-Term Storage and UV Light Exposure on Characteristics of Polyurethane Foams for Cryogenic Insulation

Thermo-structural analysis of cryogenic tanks with common bulkhead configuration

Derivation of Knockdown Factors for Common Bulkhead Structures Considering Geometric Initial Imperfection and Heat Transfer Effects

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