What is it about?
This study improves computer models that simulate how extremely cold liquids (cryogenic fluids) like liquid nitrogen, cool down surfaces. It focuses on how tiny droplets interact with surfaces and the boiling and heat transfer processes involved during such interaction. The experiments included detailed observations and temperature measurements of liquid nitrogen sprayed onto a warm surface. By comparing the simulation results with actual test data, the study confirms that the new model can accurately predict how cryogenic sprays cool surfaces over time.
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Why is it important?
The uniqueness of this study lies in several key aspects: -Advanced Spray Boiling Model for Cryogenic Fluids – Unlike conventional models, this one accounts for the strong variations in thermodynamic properties specific to cryogenic fluids, which significantly affect heat transfer and boiling behavior. -Detailed Interaction Between Spray Droplets and Surfaces – The model specifically considers how liquid nitrogen droplets interact with solid surfaces, a critical factor in improving the accuracy of chilldown simulations. -Experimental Validation with High-Resolution Data – The study uses real-world test data from the cryogenic spray chill down experiments conducted at University of Connecticut, including visualizations and precise temperature measurements, to validate the model. - Transient Chill down Simulations – The research focuses on simulating how temperatures change over time as a surface is cooled by cryogenic spray, providing insights into dynamic heat transfer processes rather than just steady-state conditions. - Improved Accuracy for Cryogenic Spray Cooling in CFD – The methodology developed enhances computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, making them more reliable for predicting the cooling behavior of cryogenic sprays in real-world applications.
Perspectives
One of the fastest ways of cooling a hot object is by impinging it with many cold droplets produced from a spray. This is main driving principle of cooldown (chilldown) of rocket propellant tanks. Here rocket propellants are cryogenic fluids such as liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen. During the chilldown, complex boiling interactions occurs at the tank wall. The papers here provide a improved computational framework that emphasized a cryogenic fluid relevant physics-based modelling of chilldown and its validation with real world measurments.
Bhushan Patil
University of Connecticut
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Improved Models for Simulation of Cryogenic Spray Cooling for Propellant Tank Chilldown, January 2025, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2025-1152.
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