Propellant Slosh Force and Mass Measurement

المؤلفون المشاركون

Hunt, Andrew
Foster-Turner, Richard
Drury, Ross

المصدر

International Journal of Aerospace Engineering

العدد

المجلد 2018، العدد 2018 (31 ديسمبر/كانون الأول 2018)، ص ص. 1-9، 9ص.

الناشر

Hindawi Publishing Corporation

تاريخ النشر

2018-05-31

دولة النشر

مصر

عدد الصفحات

9

الملخص EN

We have used electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) to instrument a demonstration tank containing kerosene and have successfully demonstrated that ECT can, in real time, (i) measure propellant mass to better than 1% of total in a range of gravity fields, (ii) image propellant distribution, and (iii) accurately track propellant centre of mass (CoM).

We have shown that the ability to track CoM enables the determination of slosh forces, and we argue that this will result in disruptive changes in a propellant tank design and use in a spacecraft.

Ground testing together with real-time slosh force data will allow an improved tank design to minimize and mitigate slosh forces, while at the same time keeping the tank mass to a minimum.

Fully instrumented Smart Tanks will be able to provide force vector inputs to a spacecraft inertial navigation system; this in turn will (i) eliminate or reduce navigational errors, (ii) reduce wait time for uncertain slosh settling, since actual slosh forces will be known, and (iii) simplify slosh control hardware, hence reducing overall mass.

ECT may be well suited to space borne liquid measurement applications.

Measurements are independent of and unaffected by orientation or levels of g.

The electronics and sensor arrays can be low in mass, and critically, the technique does not dissipate heat into the propellant, which makes it intrinsically safe and suitable for cryogenic liquids.

Because of the limitations of operating in earth-bound gravity, it has not been possible to check the exact numerical accuracy of the slosh force acting on the vessel.

We are therefore in the process of undertaking a further project to (i) build a prototype integrated “Smart Tank for Space”, (ii) undertake slosh tests in zero or microgravity, (iii) develop the system for commercial ground testing, and (iv) qualify ECT for use in space.

نمط استشهاد جمعية علماء النفس الأمريكية (APA)

Hunt, Andrew& Foster-Turner, Richard& Drury, Ross. 2018. Propellant Slosh Force and Mass Measurement. International Journal of Aerospace Engineering،Vol. 2018, no. 2018, pp.1-9.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1167008

نمط استشهاد الجمعية الأمريكية للغات الحديثة (MLA)

Hunt, Andrew…[et al.]. Propellant Slosh Force and Mass Measurement. International Journal of Aerospace Engineering No. 2018 (2018), pp.1-9.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1167008

نمط استشهاد الجمعية الطبية الأمريكية (AMA)

Hunt, Andrew& Foster-Turner, Richard& Drury, Ross. Propellant Slosh Force and Mass Measurement. International Journal of Aerospace Engineering. 2018. Vol. 2018, no. 2018, pp.1-9.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1167008

نوع البيانات

مقالات

لغة النص

الإنجليزية

الملاحظات

Includes bibliographical references

رقم السجل

BIM-1167008