Reducing boiloff losses in cryogenic storage systems to the minimum

This chapter presents the results of an analysis to minimize the boiloff due to insulation heat leak, with a non-isothermal vapor cooled shield (VCS), and with a more realistic multilayer insulation (MLI) model. The results of an internal tank heat exchanger optimization analysis are given. The results of a sensitivity study of off-nominal operation of a cryogenic storage thermal control system are presented. The calculations shown are for liquid hydrogen. Inclusion of the second law of thermodynamics in the thermal design process of a cryogenic storage system results in relationships for directly reducing the boiloff losses to the minimum possible. It is determined that the minimum possible boiloff, relative to no VCS, was 0.44, when the VCS was located at a distance from the cold boundary, normalized by the blanket thickness, of 0.44