Numerical Simulation of Liquid Slosh in Microgravity
Abstract
Hyperspectral imaging cameras require smooth motion in order to acquire uncorrupted images. Typically, a camera is mounted on a satellite that then rotates to allow the camera to scan the earth's surface. The rotation of the satellite causes propellant sloshing in its fuel tank, which can disrupt the motion of the satellite and therefore degrade the quality of the hyperspectral images. The severity of the liquid sloshing has been investigated with a numerical fluid dynamics model called Flow-3D (Flow Science, 1997). This model is well suited for such a problem and has been previously verified by comparing numerical predictions with experimental slosh data in reduced gravity environments (Sicilian and Tegart, 1989, Fisher et al., 1992). The experimental data were collected from drop tower tests, which produce a controlled acceleration environment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA365640
Entities
People
- Scott F. Bradford
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory