An experimental study was conducted to evaluate propellant behavior in spinning torroidal tanks that could be used in a retropropulsion system of an advanced outer-planet Pioneer orbiter. Information on propellant slosh and settling and on ullage orientation and stability was obtained. The effects of axial acceleration, spin rate, spin-rate change, and spacecraft wobble, both singly and in combination, were evaluated using a one-eighth scale transparent tank in one-g and low-g environments. Liquid loadings ranged from 5% to 96% full. The impact of a surface tension acquisition device was assessed by comparison with bare-tank results. The testing simulated the behavior of the fluorine/hydrazine and nitrogen textroxide/monomethylhydrazine propellants. Results are presented that indicate that no major fluid behavior problems would be encountered with any of the four propellants in the toroidal tanks of a spin-stabilized orbiter spacecraft.
Fluid interaction with spinning toroidal tanks
1977-12-01
Conference paper
No indication
English
Evaluation of Fluid Behavior in Spinning Toroidal Tanks
AIAA | 1977
|Evaluation of fluid behavior in spinning toroidal tanks
AIAA | 1976
|Evaluation of fluid behavior in spinning toroidal tanks
NTRS | 1976
|