On-orbit storage and resupply faculties for cryogenic liquids will likely require surface-tension liquid acquisition devices (LADs) in the storage tanks to provide reliable extraction and transfer of vapor-free liquid. The investigation reported in this paper comprised experiments with a screened-channel LAD in liquid hydrogen to measure the performance of the channel as a function of the type and temperature of the pressurant gas used to expel liquid from the test tank through the LAD. With cold pressurant (near the saturation temperature of hydrogen), vapor penetration of the LAD screen occurred at near the predicted pressure difference across the screen for both helium and hydrogen pressurant, although helium provided better results. With warm helium pressurant, there was no observable degradation in screen performance. With warm hydrogen there was a substantial degradation, and if the LAD outflow was interrupted, allowing the liquid in the LAD to stagnate, vapor penetrated the screen at very low differential pressures.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.