Abstract
Accurate propellant gauging is of prime importance insatellite industries. This paper explores the possibility of using a new propellant tank configuration, consisting of a truncated cone centrally mounted within a spherical propellant tank, to measure the amount of liquid propellant present within the tank. The liquid propellant present within the propellant tank orients itself in geometry by virtue of its dominant surface tension force in 0 g condition, which minimizes its total surface energy. This study reveals that the amount of liquid propellant present in the tank can thus be estimated by measuring the height of the propellant meniscus within the central cone. It is also observed that, for the proposed configuration, the precision of the estimated propellant fill-fraction increases towards the end of life of the spacecraft.
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