Cryogenic Insulation Design for Liquid Hydrogen Automobiles

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Engineering/Physics, 2010-11

Liaison(s): Gene Berry
Advisor(s): Joseph King
Students(s): Brandyn Carlson (TL), Bonnie Gordon, Mary Bush, Andrew Jennings (S), Kevin Tham (S), Nick Hill (F), Chris Abella (F)

Liquid hydrogen fuel enables a uniquely clean and compact fuel source for automobiles, yet it boils easily and can lead to substantial fuel evaporation due to heat transfer to the tank. HMC’s clinic team is responsible for characterizing the modes and paths of heat transfer to a subscale cryogenic tank of liquid nitrogen, and to use these results to design, build, and test an optimized insulation prototype and to make recommendations for LLNL’s next generation liquid hydrogen tank design.