Introduction of Level Sensor Assembly in Korea Space Launch Vehicles II

Abstract

Level sensors are widely used in the aerospace field to measure the quantity of propellant. Especially, measuring the quantity of the propellant is very important in launch vehicles because the performance of launch vehicles strongly depends on the weight of the propellant. Many launch vehicles use cryogenic propellants, such as oxygen, hydrogen, and methane, and level sensors for cryogenic propellants are needed in these applications. In this study, the development process for the newly designed level sensor assembly based on a magnetostrictive level transmitter is introduced. Based on the thermal analysis, a level sensor assembly using a magnetostrictive level transmitter for cryogenic propellants was proposed. Several experimental studies have been conducted for the assembly level and the complete integrated system level to confirm the performance of the level sensor assembly. Finally, this newly designed level sensor assembly is successfully validated by flight tests of Test Launch Vehicle and Korea Space Launch Vehicle II.