Study of Morphology of Gas–Liquid Interfaces in Tank with Central Column in CSS under Different Gravity Conditions

Abstract

Most space shuttle fuel tanks use a center column to hold the Propellant Management Device (PMD). This paper analyzes the gas–liquid interface state in the tanks with a central column during microgravity experiments conducted in the Chinese Space Station. It launches an extended study to investigate the gas–liquid interface state under different gravity conditions. Using the perturbation method and boundary layer theory, we numerically calculated the morphology of the gas–liquid interface under varying gravity conditions based on the Young–Laplace equation. The results were then compared to those obtained from existing commercial software and were found to be consistent. Based on this, the study develops two types of calculation procedures. The first procedure generates the corresponding shape of the liquid surface by inputting the height of the liquid surface endpoints and the gravity level. The second procedure is based on the targeting method and generates the corresponding liquid surface by inputting the volume of the liquid in the storage tank and the gravity level. The procedures were used to analyze the variation of gas–liquid interface properties under different gravity conditions. This study offers theoretical support for liquid management in aerospace engineering fuel tanks.