Cryogenic fuels are fuels that require storage at extremely low temperatures in order to maintain them in a liquid state. Cryogenic fuels most often constitute liquefied gases such as liquid helium,liquid hydrogen, liquid nitrogen, and liquid oxygen. Quite often, liquid oxygen is mistakenly called "cryogenic fuel" as well, though it is actually an oxidizer and not a fuel.

Some rocket engines are cooled by circulating their cryogenic fuel around their nozzles before the fuel is pumped into the combustion chamber and ignited. This arrangement was first suggested by Eugen Sänger in the 1940s. The Saturn V rocket that sent the first manned missions to the moon used this design element, which is still in use today.

Russian aircraft manufacturer Tupolev is currently researching a version of its popular Tu-154 design but with a cryogenic fuel system, designated the Tu-155. Using a fuel referred to as liquefied natural gas or LNG, its first flight was in 1989.

India developed the technology in 2008 for use in their GSLV rockets.^[1]

[edit] References

1. ^ India successfully tests cryogenic rocket engine

This rocketry article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e