The immediate application for the 48? diameter spherical BHL cryotank is on NASA?s Morpheus Lander. Replacing the existing metal tanks on Morpheus with BHL cryotanks would reduce tank mass by 75%, which would translate into more than 15% additional ∆V. NASA?s Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer project (CPST) could benefit from the reduced mass of spherical BHL cryotanks and the long-term cryogenic propellant storage potential. The BHL cryotank technology could also be used to upgrade the NASA Space Launch System (SLS). If implemented for the entire vehicle, SLS could potentially deliver double the payload of the current design.
The BHL technology provides performance benefits to a wide spectrum of industries and applications by offering a light weight alternative for transporting cryogenic propellants. A leading application for BHL technology is liquid natural gas (LNG) storage and transportation. All LNG is currently transported using ships, train cars, or trucks over the road using massive double walled metal tanks to transport the LNG. Using a cryogenic-compatible BHL composite, the overall weights of these transportations methods could be reduced, greatly cutting shipping costs. One of the most significant sectors for BHL commercialization is in launch vehicles (commercial, military and NASA). Traditionally, metal propellant tanks are the most massive components in a launch vehicle and constrain vehicle performance. When BHL cryotanks are substituted for metal tanks in conventional launch vehicles, the mass savings would double the launch vehicle performance.
More »