Cryogenic fluid supply from supercritical storage system

The present invention relates generally to the safe storage and transfer of cryogenic fluids inside the cargo bay of a reusable launch vehicle, and more particularly to cryogenic fluid transfer systems for transferring supercritical cryogenic fluids to subcritical storage tanks in zero gravity environments, thus eliminating potential ignition hazards associated with cryogenic oxygen and hydrogen storage and management through a unique fluid transfer process in a space environment. A system for providing cryogenic sub-critical liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen to storage tanks and payloads contained inside the payload bay of a space vehicle is described. The system provides for transferring cryogenic fluid from a supercritical storage tank to a subcritical storage tank or payload in a zero-g environment, wherein the Hand Oignition hazard has been eliminated due to the low vacuum pressure operating environment. The system includes an external heat exchanger, for example, a parallel flow concentric tube design, and a temperature control system for re-condensing the two-phase transfer fluid expelled from the supercritical storage system into a single phase, sub-cooled cryogenic fluid which is then introduced into and stored within the subcritical storage tank.