Francisco Monteiro

Nationality: Portuguese
Funding entity and Program: Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics

PhD Thesis

Digital Twinning and Control for the Thermal Management of Cryogenic Tanks

Supervisors

Miguel Alfonso Mendez (UC3M) and Associate Professor at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics

Abstract

Liquid cryogenic propellants, such as liquid hydrogen (LH2), liquid oxygen (LOx), and liquid methane (LCH4), are at the forefront of space exploration and stand as critical prospects in the industrial transition toward sustainable solutions in the hard-to-abate sectors (e.g., aviation, maritime, and heavy-duty transportation), as they offer the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, the cryogenic nature of such fuels constitutes an engineering challenge in light of efficient storage. Their low saturation temperature results in a significant temperature difference from the environment, leading to irreversible heat leakage through the storage tanks.
Consequently, the heat leakage partially evaporates the cryogen, producing significant boil-off gas, leading to pressure buildup, thermal stratification, abnormal propellant conditions for engine usage, and fuel loss. Critically, considering how thermally sensitive these fuels are, it is unmistakable that the pathway toward the future passes through their efficient thermal management.
Our current research framework focuses on characterizing and optimizing the thermal management of cryogenic fuel through novel active control strategies. The overall objective is to maintain the system at peak performance (e.g., homogeneous liquid thermal field or nominal pressure level) under static and dynamic (sloshing) operating conditions. Throughout this project, we will develop distinct laboratory-scale prototypes that closely replicate real-world engineering scenarios in cryogenic fluid management for space and aviation applications, ensuring a thorough approach. To achieve this, we will employ surrogate cryogenic and non-cryogenic fluids and implement a digital twinning and control framework, leveraging an online learning environment to enhance controllability and responsiveness.
The long-term vision is to deploy the developed and validated reinforcement twinning framework on a large-scale engineering system, aiming for potential zero-boil-off opportunities.