Progress of Experimental Study on Zero Boil-off Storage Technology for Cryogenic Propellant

Cryogenic propellants such as liquid hydrogen (LH₂) and liquid oxygen (LO₂) are the first choice for future space exploration plans due to their high specific impulse for rocket motors of upper stages.However,the low storage temperatures of LH₂ and LO₂ cause substantial boil-off losses and the pressure control of tank for long duration missions.The technology of zero boil off (ZBO) was developed to resolving the two main problems.This test series established that the active cooling system integrated with the propellant tank eliminated boil-off and robustly controlled tank pressure.The progress of experimental study on active cooling system for zero boil-off storage of cryogenic propellant are summarized,and some conclusion and suggestion on ZBO technologies for cryogenic propellant are proposed.