Numerical simulation of the vane type tank and system on-orbit refueling process

Abstract

The orbital propellant management achieved by the vane type propellant tank is presented in this paper. Focusing on the research of the vane type tank of on-orbit refueling, by using a VOF (volume of fluid) two-phase flow model, the fluid behavior in microgravity environment and the flow characteristic of the refueling process in tank is numerically simulated. The fluid distributing rule is obtained. By using the system simulation software AMESim, a simulation system for orbital refueling is designed, and the refueling process is simulated on the system. The results of numerical simulation of the vane type tank and system indicate that the orbital refueling is feasible.