Slush hydrogen

Slush hydrogen is a combination of liquid hydrogen and solid hydrogen at the triple point with a lower temperature and a higher density than liquid hydrogen. It is formed by bringing liquid hydrogen down to nearly the melting point (14.01 K or –259.14 °C) that increases density by 16–20% as compared to liquid hydrogen.[1] It is proposed as a rocket fuel in place of liquid hydrogen in order to improve tankage and thus reduce the dry weight of the vehicle.[2]

Production

The continuous freeze technique used for slush hydrogen involves pulling a continuous vacuum over triple point liquid and using a solid hydrogen mechanical ice-breaker to disrupt the surface of the freezing hydrogen.[3][4][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ A summary of Slush hydrogen
  2. ^ Density
  3. ^ Comparison of the continuous freeze slush hydrogen production
  4. ^ Producing Liquid-Solid Mixtures of Hydrogen Using an Auger
  5. ^ 1966 - Preparation and characterization of slush hydrogen and nitrogen gels