Cryogenic hydrogen reorientation and geyser initiation at various liquid-filled levels in microgravity

Abstract

Resettlement or reorientation of liquid propellant can be accomplished by providing optimal acceleration to the spacecraft such that the propellant is reoriented over the tank outlet without any vapor entrainment, any excessive geysering, or any other undesirable fluid motion for the space fluid management under microgravity environment. Based on the computer simulation of flow fields during the course of fluid reorientation, six dimensionless parameters are resulted in this study.