Composite Cryogenic Pressure Vessels

Composite materials offer the advantage of reduced weight as their thermal stability allows the tank to be part of the vehicles structure. They are also designed to delaminate and vent the fuel rather than potentially rupturing and exploding as may occur with metallic tanks. Composite cryogen tanks have lower density, lower coefficient of thermal expansion and higher strength that that of aluminium.

It has been proven by engineers at Northrop Grumman, in collaboration with NASA, that composite cryogenic fuel tanks have the potential of demonstrating the structural integrity to withstand the mechanical and thermal stresses associated with repeated fuelling and simulated launch cycles (Mc Kinney, 2012). The aim of these cryogenic propellant tanks is to reduce weight by 30% and cost by 25% compared to that of metallic tanks (Steitz, 2011).