Data from cryo-neutron phase change experiments with LH2 and LCH4

Cryogenic Propellant management is a critical roadblock to enable long term space missions. Commonly used propel-lants (liquid hydrogen and methane) undergo constant vapor-ization but there is limited knowledge on the phase change rate and its implications on long term storage stability. This is, in part, due to the inability to image the liquid-vapor mixture inside opaque metallic containers at cryogenic tem-peratures. Here, neutron imaging is used as a visualization technique to track the liquid-vapor interface inside Al 6061 and SS 316 test cells. The data contains first known im-ages of steady evaporation/condensation in cryogenic propel-lants. The experiments were conducted at the NIST Center for Neutron Research using the BT-2 Neutron Imaging facil-ity. The test cells were instrumented with temperature sen-sors and inserted into a 70-mm liquid helium cryostat be-fore being placed into the neutron beam. Temperatures and pressures were altered to achieve condensation/evaporation and Neutron images were captured during the entire phase change process. Phase change rates were obtained through image processing. The data contains raw images and pro-cessed phase change rates along with experimental temper-ature and pressure. The one-of-a-kind data could be used for model validation, correlation development or serve as a benchmark for future experiments.(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

Automated summary

Cryogenic propellant management is crucial for long-term space missions, but the understanding of phase change rates and storage stability is limited. This study utilized neutron imaging to visualize the steady evaporation/condensation of cryogenic propellants, providing unique data for model validation and future experiments.