Cited by 132Spacecraft and Cryogenic TechnologiesHeat transfer and supercritical fluidsHeat Transfer and Boiling Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 87 of the 87 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 10 of the 81 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Modelling of Liquid Hydrogen Boil-Off

Open access

Abstract

A model has been developed and implemented in the software package BoilFAST that allows for reliable calculations of the self-pressurization and boil-off losses for liquid hydrogen in different tank geometries and thermal insulation systems. The model accounts for the heat transfer from the vapor to the liquid phase, incorporates realistic heat transfer mechanisms, and uses reference equations of state to calculate thermodynamic properties. The model is validated by testing against a variety of scenarios using multiple sets of industrially relevant data for liquid hydrogen (LH2), including self-pressurization and densification data obtained from an LH2 storage tank at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre. The model exhibits excellent agreement with experimental and industrial data across a range of simulated conditions, including zero boil-off in microgravity environments, self-pressurization of a stored mass of LH2, and boil-off from a previously pressurized tank as it is being relieved of vapor.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper presents BoilFAST, an extended superheated-vapor (SHV) non-equilibrium model for liquid hydrogen boil-off and self-pressurization, validated against large-scale LH2 storage data. It shows good agreement with NASA Kennedy, NASA Glenn, and LLNL experiments across different tank geometries, fill levels, and heat fluxes.

Key findings

  • For NASA Kennedy’s 125 m³ horizontal IRAS tank, BoilFAST reproduced 33% and 67% fill duty-cycle pressurization/depressurization and a 46% fill densification to hydrogen’s triple point; average \(U_L\) and \(U_V\) were 0.0066 W·m⁻²·K⁻¹ and \(U_{VL}\) was 0.6 W·m⁻²·K⁻¹.
  • For NASA Glenn’s 4.89 m³ ellipsoidal tank at 83–84% fill, self-pressurization under heat fluxes of 0.35, 2, and 3.5 W/m² was in excellent agreement; \(U_{VL}\) = 1.04 W/m²/K, with stratification observed especially at 3.5 W/m².
  • For the LLNL 12.5 m³ Dewar with relief pressure 310 kPa and initial 10.2 m³ LH2, BoilFAST matched summer/winter liquid-volume changes and variable heat ingress; \(U_V\) and \(U_L\) = 0.0045 W·m⁻²·K⁻¹ and \(U_{VL}\) = 0.15 W/m²/K.
  • The model accounts for ortho–para hydrogen spin isomer composition; at 20.3 K the equilibrium para-hydrogen content is 99.8%, and a warmer vapor can drive endothermic para-to-ortho conversion.

Methods

  • Extended SHV non-equilibrium model implemented in BoilFAST: solves phase energy balances with heat ingress to liquid and vapor, vapor–liquid heat transfer, and boil-off/relief mass transfer; uses Leachman reference Helmholtz equations of state for parahydrogen, orthohydrogen, and normal hydrogen, plus equilibrium ortho–para ratio equations.
  • Validated against multiple LH2 datasets: NASA Kennedy 125 m³ IRAS tank (33%, 67% duty-cycle; 46% densification), NASA Glenn 4.89 m³ tank (83–84% full; heat fluxes 0.35–3.5 W/m²), and LLNL 12.5 m³ Dewar (relief 310 kPa; initial 10.2 m³).
  • Heat transfer coefficients \(U_L\) and \(U_V\) were estimated from correlations or adjusted to match data; \(U_{VL}\) was fitted to experimental vapor temperature data.

Limitations

  • Stated: \(U_{VL}\) was determined empirically from a fit to experimental vapor temperature data and “will be resolved in future work”; the model assumes the liquid phase is saturated and thermally homogeneous, so it cannot represent liquid thermal stratification.
  • Stated future improvements: calculate vapor–liquid heat transfer coefficients for different tank geometries and insulation systems, describe liquid thermal stratification, and simulate filling/draining operations.
  • Evident from the text: in some cases insufficient tank construction details required adjusting \(U_L\) and/or \(U_V\) to match BOG data; for NASA Glenn, insulation thickness was not stated and existing correlations could not be used, so coefficients were estimated from measured heat fluxes and ambient temperatures. Validation is limited to the specific tanks and conditions tested.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3390/en15031149

Cites

87 of 87 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

40 No full text of the sources · 17 No basis given · 11 Own result · 8 Own interpretation · 5 Not checked yet · 4 Partly supported · 3 Own method · 2 Supported · 1 Not supported · 1 Couldn’t confirm · accuracy not yet measured

Verify all 7 references — free account
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 30
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 35
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
55 of 55
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The liquid phase is saturated and thermally homogenous.

    “The SHV model currently implemented in BoilFAST assumes the liquid phase is saturated and thermally homogenous.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The initial liquid and vapor in the tank are a saturated liquid in equilibrium with the vapor phase.

    “The initial conditions of the liquid and vapor in the tank are defined based on the system pressure, assuming a saturated liquid in equilibrium with the vapor phase.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    The vapor temperature is the average temperature for the vapor phase.

    “The vapor temperature is taken to be the average temperature for the vapor phase.”
  • The authors state this as an assumption.

    During self-pressurization, no venting occurs (n_relief is zero) during the pressure build-up stage.

    “This ensures that n relief is zero (no venting) during the pressure build-up stage (i.e., n F,j-1 -n L -n V = 0 for all time steps).”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    At liquid hydrogen storage conditions, the equilibrium fraction of parahydrogen is around 99.8% (at the normal boiling point of 20.3 K).

    “In particular, at the cryogenic storage conditions where liquid hydrogen is stored, the equilibrium fraction of parahydrogen is around 99.8%.”
    “For liquid hydrogen at its normal boiling point (20.3K), the equilibrium para-hydrogen content is 99.8%.”
5 of 5

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

Show all 84 references

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Migliore, C. (2016). Modelling the Weathering Process of Stored Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Imperial College London. · DOI · Paper page

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Metadata

Authors
Al Ghafri, S. Z. S., Swanger, A., Jusko, V., Siahvashi, A., Perez, F., Johns, M. L., & May, E. F.
Affiliations
  • Fluid Sciences and Resources Division, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
  • Kennedy Space Center (US)
  • The University of Western Australia (AU)
Corresponding author
May, Eric F.
Venue
Energies
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2022-02-04
Volume
15
Issue
3
Pages
1149
ISSN
1996-1073 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4210351193
Cited by
131
References
84
Citations by year
2026: 35 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 4
FWCI
10.68
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Energies (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Computational Mechanics › Heat transfer and supercritical fluids
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Heat Transfer and Boiling Studies
Keywords
liquid hydrogen, boil-off, self-pressurization, cryogenic storage tanks, heat transfer, equation of state, thermal insulation, tank geometry

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