Spacex RP-1 Question...

In reading Spacex's on line documents/updates

I read that the RP-1 and LOX tanks share a common bulkhead.

How do you keep the RP1 from turning to wax at LOX temperatures?

Even if this bulkhead is insulated, how do you keep the common Al outer tank wall from

chilling the RP1 to the point of jelly?

Does anyone have any updates on their testing?


Paul

In article ,
wrote:
I read that the RP-1 and LOX tanks share a common bulkhead.
How do you keep the RP1 from turning to wax at LOX temperatures?

Remember, you typically won't have *liquids* on both sides of that common
bulkhead: you'll have liquid above it, and the ullage space of the lower
tank below it. So a cold liquid above will cool the pressurant gas, but
won't have much other effect. If the cold side is down below, there may
be no effect at all, given that you probably want to pressurize with warm
gas to reduce gas mass.

The classical Atlas had a common bulkhead -- a thin sheet of stainless
steel, which as usual on Atlas, was stiffened by pressure difference --
between LOX (above) and kerosene (below). Originally it had insulation on
it, but they eventually decided that the insulation wasn't doing anything
useful, and deleted it.
--
"Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend." | Henry Spencer
-- George Herbert |

"Henry Spencer" wrote in message
...
In article ,
wrote:
I read that the RP-1 and LOX tanks share a common bulkhead.
How do you keep the RP1 from turning to wax at LOX temperatures?

Remember, you typically won't have *liquids* on both sides of that common
bulkhead: you'll have liquid above it, and the ullage space of the lower
tank below it. So a cold liquid above will cool the pressurant gas, but
won't have much other effect. If the cold side is down below, there may
be no effect at all, given that you probably want to pressurize with warm
gas to reduce gas mass.

The classical Atlas had a common bulkhead -- a thin sheet of stainless
steel, which as usual on Atlas, was stiffened by pressure difference --
between LOX (above) and kerosene (below). Originally it had insulation on
it, but they eventually decided that the insulation wasn't doing anything
useful, and deleted it.
--

They had a few problems with it.

I think the deletion was because it was more of a problem than it
was worth.

Mike Walsh

On the Atlas booster through Atlas III there are areas where RP and
LO2 are adjacent. But there is another thing at work- convection.
Only a very minimal layer of RP will try to freeze - heat is being
pumped into it by rapid local density changes from cooling and
establishes plenty of circulation. The lousy conductivity of CRES
also helps
z