Determination of the parameters of motion of the gas–liquid interface in the fuel tanks of launch vehicle space stages in passive portions of the flight
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: To execute program motions, the space stages of liquid-propellant launch vehicles are equipped with restartable propulsion engines. On the shutdown of the propulsion engine of a space stage, the liquid propellant in the tank in microgravity conditions moves by inertia upwards as far as possible away from the intake. This results in the potential possibility of the pressurizing gas penetrating into the engine inlet in quantities that make an engine restart impossible. Because of this, motion parameter determination for a liquid moving in propellant tanks in microgravity conditions is a topical problem to be solved in the designing of liquid-propellant rocket engines. This paper presents a technique for the calculation of the parameters of motion of the gas-liquid interface in the propellant tanks of modern liquid-propellant launch vehicle space stages in microgravity conditions (between a start and a shutdown of their propulsion engines) taking into account the design features of in-tank propellant management devices. The technique is based on the use of the finite-element method, the volume-of-fluid method, and modern finite-element CAE systems. It allows one to determine the parameters of motion and the shape of the free liquid surface in the tank, the parameters of free gas inclusions formed in the liquid, and the efficiency of the in-tank propellant management devices in the passive portion of the launch vehicle flight for the normal operation of the propulsion system.
Source: Technical mechanics
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2990799345