[AR] Re: Falcon 9 flight today

  • From: Keith Henson <hkeithhenson@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2013 17:34:14 -0700

The vapor pressure of RP-1 at 50 deg F is given as 0.031 psia.

That's not high, but open to space, the stuff is going to evaporate
unless, as Henry says, it's awful cold.



On Tue, Oct 8, 2013 at 4:00 PM, Henry Spencer <henry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Tue, 8 Oct 2013 JMKrell@xxxxxxx wrote:
>> > The vapor pressure of RP-1 isn't large by Earth standards, but it's
>> > still substantial by vacuum standards.  The RP-1 won't stay in the
>> > tank, although it may leave a bit of residue behind.
>>
>> Henry, I agree with 99.9% of what you post, but on this I must go with
>> my empirical data. Some RP-1 is expelled during the venting of the RP-1
>> tank.  The rest quickly gels and solidifies within the tank.  Frozen
>> fluids under high vacuum transfer mainly between hot and cold
>> junctions... Most of the RP-1 remains a solid until the vehicle reenters
>> the atmosphere.
>
> Is that empirical data published?  If so, references please!  I have
> trouble believing that the solid would be stable in vacuum for any length
> of time, unless the thermal situation was very unusual.
>
>                                                            Henry Spencer
>                                                        henry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>                                                       (hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
>                                                         (regexpguy@xxxxxxxxx)
>
>

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