ROLE OF

CRYOGENICS IN
FUELS
Prepared by,
K.L.Hareesh,
B.E., Mechanical, II year.
CRYOGENICS :
Cryogenics is the study of the production and behaviour of materials
at very low temperatures.

A person who studies elements that have been subjected to extremely

cold temperatures is called a cryogenicist.

Liquefied gases, such as liquid nitrogen and liquid helium, are used in
many cryogenic applications.

Some applications of cryogenics are cryogenic fuels, Nuclear Magnetic

Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR), electric power transmission, frozen
food, blood banking and many manufacturing process.
 CRYOGENIC FUELS:
Cryogenic fuels are fuels that require storage at extremely low
temperatures in order to maintain them in a liquid state.

They are used in space machineries where ordinary fuels cannot be

used.

Cryogenic fuels most often constitute liquefied gases such as,

Liquid hydrogen
Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
Liquid oxygen (Oxidizer).
CATEGORIES OF CRYOGENIC FUELS
:
Cryogenic fuels are placed in two categories: (i) Inert, (ii) Flammable or
combustible.
INERT FUELS :
These fuels are used in regulation of gas production and flow to the
pistons of the engine.
Some of the inert cryogenic fuels are liquid nitrogen, liquid air, liquid
helium, liquid neon.
COMBUSTIBLE FUELS :
These fuels utilize the beneficial properties of the cryogenic fuels along
with their flammable nature.
They are well known for their use in rockets and missiles.
Some of the combustible cryogenic fuels are liquid hydrogen, liquefied
natural gas (LNG), liquid methane.
 COMBUSTION OF CRYOGENIC FUELS:
Cryogenic fuels are meant mainly for cryogenic rocket engines.

The cryogenic rocket engine stores

liquid nitrogen at extremely low temperature.

Pressurized gas moving around the engine is

used to heat liquid nitrogen to a boil.

The thrust comes from the rapid expansion

from liquid to gas.

The energy needed to heat the fuels comes

from burning them.

The fuel tanks tend to be bulky and require heavy insulation but their high
fuel efficiency outweighs this disadvantage.
BENFITS OF CRYOGENIC FUELS :
Cryogenic fuels are environmentally cleaner than gasoline or
fossil fuels.

The greenhouse gas rate could potentially be reduced.

They have the potential to significantly decrease

transportation costs of inland products because of their
abundance.

Cryogenic fuels have a higher mass flow rate than fossil fuels
and therefore produce more thrust and power.

Cryogenic fuels are non-pollutants.

POTENTIAL DRAWBACKS:

Cryogenic fuels like LNG, are naturally combustible. Ignition

of fuel spills could result in a large explosion.

Cryogenic storage tanks must be able to withstand high

pressure and so require thicker walls and stronger alloys which
make the vehicle tanks heavier.

Despite non-toxic tendencies, cryogenic fuels are denser than

air.

If leaked, the liquid will boil into a very dense, cold gas and if
inhaled, could be fatal.
REFERENCES :

Shimpi, Nikhil, How does cryogenic engine

work?.

Asogekar, Nikhil, What are the advantages

and Disadvantages of a Cryogenic Engine?.
THANK
YOU!