Method of fuel tank design development for future long-term space flights

Abstract

The problem of developing propellant tanks for spacecrafts is discussed. Typical situations are analysed which require knowledge of hydrodynamic processes in propellant tanks. Complex approaches to developing propellant tanks based on joint experimental and theoretical methods (including computation) is proved. Two typical experimental plants are described. One of the plants is a construction providing side overloads for a propellant tank model by its moving in a horizontal plane allowing its turn about a horizontal axis. The other plant allows to investigate liquid drain out of the tank model while oscillating in two mutually perpendicular directions in a horizontal plane. Some results of experimental investigation of hydrodynamic processes in propellant tanks are given. It is shown that an investigator should have a wide set of mathematical models of different complexity, adequacy and efficiency (time and resources spent for computation). Two mathematical models are given with a description of their possibilities and applicability limits. Non-linear oscillator model is a non-linear mechanical analogue hydrodynamic processes with small filling of propellant tanks and spread damper construction. A model of depth-averaged equations of hydrodynamics is true for the case of small filling of tanks and allows to reduce computation of three-dimensional hydrodynamic processes to solving two-dimension problems. Comparative analysis of experimental results and theoretical design is carried out. Carrying out experiments for obtaining emperical parameters of mathematical models, adequacy and applicability limits for development is emphasized.