Thermal Problems Peculiar to Cryogens in Space

Thermal problems peculiar to cryogens stored in a reduced gravity environment are discussed along with some techniques considered for their solution. Included are gravitational effects upon transient and steady-state nucleate boiling, heat transfer and temperature fluctuation, and meniscus displacement and distortion. To place these problems in proper perspective, a brief survey of the various heat transfer modes is presented. One device, which appears to warrant serious consideration, is the thermodynamic separator and its operation is briefly described.

To illustrate the importance of certain problems peculiar to reduced gravity, a number of numerical examples are presented.