Reduced boiloff cryogen storage

Abstract

A long-term cryogen storage system comprising a storage tank shell substantially filled by a nanoporous material in which a stored cryogen is subject to a dramatically lower boil-off rate than when stored in its bulk state. The nanoporous material provides a storage medium in which the cryogen has a higher surface energy term due to extreme surface curvature provided by the nanopores of the storage medium. As a result, the cryogen exhibits an altered thermodynamic state relative to its bulk fluid state and has a substantially reduced vapor pressure, an effectively higher vaporization enthalpy (ΔHv), and a lower boiloff rate for a given rate of heat leakage through the storage tank shell.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.