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Modeling of pulsed propellant reorientation

Article · August 1989

DOI: 10.2514/6.1989-2727 · Source: NTRS

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 NASA Technical Memorandum 1021 17
AIAA-89-2727

Modeling of Pulsed Propellant Reorientation

/NASA-Ttl-102117) MODELING OF PULSEU N83-26178
PROPELLANT R E O R I E N T A T I O N [NASA. Lewis
Research C e n t e r ) 19 p CSCL 2 0 D
Unclas
G3/34 02 19601

A.E. Patag and J.I. Hochstein

Washington University
St. Louis, Missouri

and

D.J. Chato
Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio

Prepared for the

25th Joint Propulsion Conference
cosponsored by the AIAA, ASME, SAE, and ASEE
Monterey, California, July 10-12, 1989

\
 MODELING OF PULSED PROPELLANT REORIENTATION

A.E. Patag and J . I . Hochstein

Washington U n i v e r s i t y
S t . Louis, M i s s o u r i

and

D.J. Chato
N a t i o n a l Aeronautics and Space A d m i n i s t r a t i o n
Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio 44135

ABSTRACT

O p t i m i z a t i o n o f t h e p r o p e l l a n t r e o r i e n t a t i o n process can p r o v i d e
increased payload c a p a b i l i t y and extend t h e s e r v i c e l i f e o f s p a c e c r a f t . T h i s
N paper proposes t h e use o f p u l s e d p r o p e l l a n t r e o r i e n t a t i o n t o o p t i m i z e t h e
cn
aJ r e o r i e n t a t i o n process. The ECLIPSE code has been v a l i d a t e d f o r modeling t h e
d
I r e o r i e n t a t i o n process and i s used t o s t u d y p u l s e d r e o r i e n t a t i o n i n small - s c a l e
W
and f u l l - s c a l e p r o p e l l a n t tanks. A dimensional a n a l y s i s o f t h e process i s
performed and t h e r e s u l t i n g dimensionless groups a r e used t o p r e s e n t and
c o r r e l a t e t h e computational p r e d i c t i o n s f o r r e o r i e n t a t i o n performance.

INTRODUCTION
D u r i n g c o a s t i n Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO), l i q u i d p r o p e l l a n t s can c o l l e c t i n
t h e f o r w a r d end o f a s p a c e c r a f t p r o p e l l a n t t a n k due t o atmospheric drag. To
p r e c l u d e vapor i n g e s t i o n by t h e engine, a p r o p e l l a n t a c q u i s i t i o n system i s
r e q u i r e d t o assure t h a t s u f f i c i e n t l i q u i d w i l l be p o s i t i o n e d over t h e t a n k
o u t l e t p r i o r t o main engine f i r i n g . Passive a c q u i s i t i o n systems t y p i c a l l y
p r o v i d e channels and baskets i n s i d e t h e t a n k and r e l y on s u r f a c e t e n s i o n t o
h o l d l i q u i d i n t h e d e s i r e d p o s i t i o n w i t h i n t h e s t r u c t u r e s . These s t r u c t u r e s
add c o m p l e x i t y t o t h e d e s i g n and i n c r e a s e t h e launch w e i g h t o f t h e s p a c e c r a f t .
Active a c q u i s i t i o n requires the f i r i n g o f a u x i l i a r y t h r u s t e r s t o accelerate
t h e v e h i c l e and i s u s u a l l y r e f e r r e d t o as i m p u l s i v e r e o r i e n t a t i o n o r s e t t l i n g .
The a c c e l e r a t i o n v e c t o r i s o r i e n t e d so t h a t t h e induced r e l a t i v e m o t i o n
between t h e p r o p e l l a n t and t h e t a n k p o s i t i o n s a pool o f l i q u i d o v e r t h e main
t a n k o u t l e t . Since each r e o r i e n t a t i o n maneuver r e q u i r e s t h e e x p e n d i t u r e o f
p r o p e l l a n t , o p t i m i z a t i o n o f t h e s e t t l i n g process can i n c r e a s e payload
c a p a b i l i t y and extend s p a c e c r a f t s e r v i c e l i f e .

E x i s t i n g s t u d i e s o f i m p u l s i v e r e o r i e n t a t i o n have focused on s e t t l i n g
performance under t h e i n f l u e n c e o f a c o n s t a n t imposed a c c e l e r a t i o n . For a
steady a c c e l e r a t i o n a p p l i e d t o t h e p r o p e l l a n t tank, t h e standard p r a c t i c e
(Reynolds and S a t t e r l e e , 1) f o r computing t h e t i m e r e q u i r e d t o s e t t l e
p r o p e l l a n t i s based on t h e f o l l o w i n g e q u a t i o n d e r i v e d from a r i g i d body
dynamics a n a l y s i s :

T, = ( 7 ) (ZL/a)'/*

where (7) = t h e number o f t mes t h e t a n k acce e r a t e s p a s t t h e l i q u i d

T, = s e t t l i n g time, s
L = t a n k l e n g t h , cm
a = imposed a c c e l e r a t on, cm/s2
 An e s t i m a t e o f t h e t i m e r e q u i r e d f o r s a f e engine f i r i n g i s o b t a i n e d by u s i n g
( t a u ) = 5. For complete p r o p e l l a n t s e t t l i n g , ( 7 ) = 10.

The r e t e n t i v e p r o p e r t y o f s u r f a c e t e n s i o n p r o v i d e s a r e g i o n o f s t a b i l i t y
i n which t h e l i q u i d - v a p o r i n t e r f a c e remains s t a t i c under t h e i n f l u e n c e o f
g r a v i t a t i o n a l o r a c c e l e r a t i o n - i n d u c e d f o r c e s . For c e r t a i n low v a l u e s o f Bond
number, t h e r e e x i s t s a curved i n t e r f a c e which i s a p o s i t i o n o f s t a b l e
e q u i l i b r i u m . For t h e case o f v e r t i c a l , c y l i n d r i c a l w a l l s and z e r o c o n t a c t
angle, numerical analyses performed by B r e t h e r t o n ( 2 ) * and Gluck and G i l l e (3)
computed t h e c r i t i c a l Bond number t o be l e s s t h a n 0.842 f o r h y d r o s t a t i c
stability.

The v e h i c l e v e l o c i t y increment o r d e l t a - V i n c u r r e d d u r i n g t h e
r e o r i e n t a t i o n maneuver i s a good measure o f performance s i n c e i t i s
p r o p o r t i o n a l t o t h e p r o p e l 1a n t e x p e n d i t u r e r e q u i r e d t o complete t h e maneuver
( 4 ) . Using v e h i c l e d e l t a - V as t h e c r i t e r i a , Sumner (4) concluded t h a t o p t i m a l
s e t t l i n g would o c c u r f o r l o w Bond numbers between 3 t o 5 f o r t h e
c o n f i g u r a t i o n s e v a l u a t e d i n t h e study. T h i s r e f e r e n c e a l s o presented an
e m p i r i c a l l y based method f o r computing s e t t l i n g performance.

Pulsed s e t t l i n g p r o v i d e s t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f s t a n d a r d t h r u s t e r s i z e s f o r
a v a r i e t y o f s p a c e c r a f t and o p t i m a l a c c e l e r a t i o n l e v e l s f o r t h e d u r a t i o n o f an
e n t i r e m i s s i o n . Even i f a u x i l i a r y t h r u s t e r s a r e customized f o r each hardware
c o n f i g u r a t i o n , t h e y cannot p r o v i d e t h e o p t i m a l c o n d i t i o n s f o r t h e e n t i r e
m i s s i o n . As p r o p e l l a n t i s d e p l e t e d , t h e t a n k f i l l i n g changes and so does t h e
o p t i m a l a c c e l e r a t i o n l e v e l . The key i d e a behind p u l s e d r e o r i e n t a t i o n i s t o
use t h e p r o p e l l a n t ' s i n e r t i a t o i n t e g r a t e t h e impulses p r o v i d e d by
i n t e r m i t t e n t thruster f i r i n g t o provide a desired "effective" acceleration
l e v e l . F o r p u l s e d s e t t l i n g , a r e l a t i o n s h i p analogous t o E q u a t i o n (1) i s
d e r i v e d i n Patag ( 5 ) :

T, = n/f,

where n = t h e number o f c y c l e s r e q u i r e d t o achieve r e o r i e n t a t i o n

f, = t h r u s t i n g frequency, Hz

A l i t e r a t u r e r e v i e w r e v e a l e d no p r e v i o u s i n v e s t i g a t i o n s o f p u l s e d
r e o r i e n t a t i o n . Experimental s t u d y o f t h i s proposal i s e x t r e m e l y d i f f i c u l t
s i n c e i t r e q u i r e s simultaneous modeling o f i n e r t i a , viscous, and s u r f a c e
t e n s i o n f o r c e s i n a t i m e dependent environment. By c o n t r a s t , t h e ECLIPSE Code
p r o v i d e s a s u i t a b l e t o o l f o r e v a l u a t i n g t h e performance o f p u l s e d
r e o r i e n t a t i o n . I t s accuracy i n modeling i m p u l s i v e r e o r i e n t a t i o n due t o t h e
steady f i r i n g o f t h r u s t e r s has been demonstrated by H o c h s t e i n e t a1 ( 6 ) . It
can be used t o model s m a l l - s c a l e d r o p tower experiments and s m a l l - s c a l e f l i g h t
experiments as w e l l as f u l l - s c a l e s p a c e c r a f t tanks.

I The r e s u l t s r e p o r t e d i n t h i s paper a r e f o r a sequence o f " t y p i c a l " OTV

t a n k s . The development o f t h e ECLIPSE Code has been c l o s e l y coupled t o t h e
o t h e r p r o j e c t s b e i n g pursued under t h e reduced g r a v i t y f l u i d management
technology program sponsored by NASA LeRC. The sequence o f t a n k s r e f l e c t s t h e
I
2
 evolution of a flight experiment designed to study a variety of fluid
management technology issues.
ECLIPSE CODE
The ECLIPSE code is being developed to model the fluid dynamic, heat
transfer, and thermodynamic processes associated with cryogenic propel 1 ant
management in a reduced gravity environment. It is based on NASA-VOF2D (7), a
computer program designed for solving laminar two-dimensional, transient flows
with free surfaces. It models incompressible flows with free boundaries using
the Volume-Of-Fluid (VOF) method and can accommodate multiple free surfaces.
NASA-VOF2D includes models for surface tension and wall adhesion (7,8). It
a1 so includes a partial cell treatment for model ing curved boundaries and
internal obstacles.
Although ECLIPSE now contains heat transfer and thermodynamic models
(9,10),only minor modifications to the baseline code were required to study
impulsive reorientation. Variables have been added to permit the
investigator to specify a time-dependent acceleration environment and output
files are generated specifically to help track the reorientation process. The
accuracy of ECLIPSE in modeling the impulsive reorientation process has been
documented by comparison to the experimental data for small-scale tanks (5,6).
TERMINOLOGY
Pulsed settling refers to the process of liquid repositioning due to
intermittent firing of auxiliary thrusters. Upon thrust initiation, the
liquid leading edge travels smoothly along the tank walls. As it reaches the
bottom of the tank a pool of propellant forms. The criterion for
reorientation or settling time, T,, i s defined in this study as the time it
takes for the propellant leading edge to reach 20% of the tank height as
measured from the outlet end along the tank centerline. The velocity
increment, or delta-V is the proposed measure for propellant consumption. It
is the change in vehicle velocity between thrust initiation and satisfaction
of the settling criterion.

IMPULSIVE SETTLING: SPACE BASED OTV

One application of current interest t o NASA is the settling of liquid
propellant in an Orbit Transfer Vehicle (OTV). The conceptual OTV, as its
name implies, will be used as a space "tug," therefore requiring numerous
engine restarts. Two Boeing OTV propellant tank prototypes (11) were modeled
in this study. The first is the Boeing Space-Based (SB) OTV. The second tank
is the Boeing Short SB OTV with elliptical heads.
Hochstein et. al. (6) presented a series of analyses on the
reorientation of propellant in these tanks using the ECLIPSE code. A
representative case from their paper is reproduced here for comparison.
Figure 1 presents the mesh used by them t o represent a 0.25 scale model of the
SB OTV fuel tank with a liquid hydrogen fill level o f 50%. Figure 2 shows the
reorientation of prnpellant in this tank using thrust levels predicted to be

3
 optimum by the work of Sumner (4). Only a moderate geyser is formed and after
approximately 100 seconds the fluid is settled.
PULSED SETTLING: SPACE BASED OTV
The remaining question is how to achieve this optimal low-level thrust
given the minimum acceleration capability of most spacecraft thrusters. (The
space shuttle auxiliary RCS thrusters with thrusts of 7.85 cm/sec2 were used
as representative.) A viable solution is to operate the thrusters in an
intermittent mode. The parameter values used for this part of the study are
shown in Table 1. The 0.25 scale SB OTV tank was again modeled using a
propellant fill level of 50%. At this point in the analysis, NASA suggested
keeping the same fineness ratio of 1.4, but changing the hemispherical tank
heads to elliptical. An acceleration magnitude of 7.85 cm/sec was combined
with pulse durations of 0.1 and 0.2 seconds over a thrusting frequency range
o f 0 . 1 to 1.5 Hz.

Figur; 3 shows bulk liquid motion resulting from the application of a

7.85 cm/sec thrust for a duration of 0.1 seconds at a frequency of 0.1 Hz.
The liquid can be seen t o move smoothly down the tank wall, forming a small
geyser without any vapor entrainment. The settling criterion was satisfied
within 60 seconds o f thrust initiation. F o r this case delta-V = 4 . 0 cm/sec.
Figure 5 displays the code prediction when the thrusting frequency level i s
increased to 0.7 Hz. The reorientation criterion was met within 20 seconds.
However, the delta-V to accomplish settling is now 10.5 cm/sec, more than
double that of the previous case. Examining the propellant motion, it can be
seen that the leading edge progresses smoothly along the wall. A large geyser
is formed, indicating excessive energy imparted to the fluid. A similar
sequence of flow fields can be seen in Figure 5. For this case, frequency was
increased to 1.4 Hz. The liquid reoriented in less than 14 seconds, yielding
a delta-V value of 14.8 cm/sec. Severe geysering and violent surface foaming
can be observed, again indicating inefficient reorientation.
The question arose as to what would happen if, for the same acceleration
level, the thrust duration was doubled and the thrusting frequency was
correspondingly halved. In response to this query, Figure 6 presents liquid
motion due to a 0.2 second pulse duration and a 0.7 Hz thrust frequency.
Comparing this bulk propellant motion with the case illustrated in Figure 5,
it can be seen that the liquid motion is similar. This simulation resulted in
reorientation time of 13.2 seconds and delta-V of 14.5 cm/sec. These values
are almost identical to the results of the case illustrated in Figure 5.
The balance of the frequency range from 0.1 to 1.5 Hz was studied using
pulse durations of 0.1 and 0.2 seconds. Settling time and delta-V values were
recorded for each case. A plot of settling time versus thrusting frequency i s
shown in Figure 7. Two other curves were added t o the plot representing
calculations performed using the equations 1 and 2 ( 4 ) for settling time.
Figure 7 shows that the equations 1 and 2 over predicts the settling time. I t
also shows that the same reorientation time may be achieved by a combinations
.
of pulse duration and thrust frequency which satisfy the condition:

4
where a = imposed acceleration, cm/s2
t, = pulse duration, s
f, = thrusting frequency, Hz
This condition is satisfied by values derived from equation 2 as well. Figure
8 shows a graph of settling time versus delta-V. As the settling time
decreases, more energy is expended as represented by an increase in delta-V.
For low frequency values, changes in delta-V values are small relative to
changes in T, values. The converse is true for the higher frequency range.
PULSED SETTLING: SHORT SPACE BASED OTV
Redesign led to the Short SB OTV, the dimensions of which are shown in
Figure 9. Analyses were performed using full and 0.215 scale tank models in
order to gain insight into liquid behavior during pulsed settling. Areas of
particular interest were liquid behavior in both high and low frequency
ranges, and effects of acceleration magnitude, pulse duration, fill level, and
tank scaling on reorientation time. The paTameter values used are shown in
Table 1. Thrust levels between and 10-g were studied. Pulse durations
used were 0.1 and 0.2 seconds. Fill levels of 25%, 50%, and 70% were
examined .
Figure 10 is a plot of T versus frequency for the full scale Short SB
OTV propellant tank with a fill level of 50%. At the low frequency ranges,
surface tension forces are more predominant, thereby causing erratic behavior
of the propellant. Four distinct curves can be seen representing four
permutations of pulse duration and acceleration magnitude. Figure 11 shows a
plot of T, versus delta-V for full scale and 0.215 scale tanks. Similar to
Figure 8, the values of T are higher and are more sensitive to changes in
values of delta-V at the 'low frequency ranges, i.e., low values o f delta-V.
The curve appears to be flattening out as higher values of delta-V are
approached. Ultimately, combinations of thrust, frequency, and pulse duration
will approximate steady acceleration. Settling time will therefore approach a
minimum value corresponding to the application of a steady thrust. For the
same acceleration 1 eve1 , del ta-V values are equal for combinations of pulse
duration and thrusting frequency sati sfyi ng Equation 3 . An equi Val ent
accel erati on can be defined

where a, = effective acceleration, cm/s2

Equation 3 can be rewritten as

Equation (5) states that for equal values of effective acceleration,

propellant consumption required to accomplish reorientation is equivalent.
5
 I n F i g u r e 12, d e l t a - V i s p l o t t e d a g a i n s t a, f o r b o t h f u l l and 0.215 s c a l e t a n k
models w i t h f i l l l e v e l s o f 50%. As can be seen f r o m t h e p l o t , f o r a l l cases
a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e f u l l s c a l e tank, i f t h e same a, i s used, d e l t a - V v a l u e s
w i l l be i d e n t i c a l . The same r e s u l t h o l d s t r u e f o r a l l cases modeling t h e
0.215 s c a l e t a n k . Thus, t h e performance o f t h e f u l l - and s m a l l - s c a l e t a n k s
can be r e p r e s e n t e d by a s i n g l e c u r v e f o r each t a n k .

I DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS

Several numerical groupings were e v a l u a t e d i n a t t e m p t s t o non-

d i m e n s i o n a l i z e and t h e r e b y c o l l a p s e t h e d a t a f o r r e o r i e n t a t i o n t i m e . The most
s u c c e s s f u l g r o u p i n g which emerged from t h i s search i s presented i n E q u a t i o n 6.

T,* = (T,/R)*(a,*h)”*

T h i s group was d e r i v e d by analogy t o F r number where a c h a r a c t e r i s t i c

v e l o c i t y i s d i v i d e d by a r e p r e s e n t a t i v e a c c e l e r a t i o n . F i g u r e 13 shows a p l o t
o f d e l t a - V versus T * . The Tivalue i n c r e a s e s as d e l t a - V v a r i e s from
a p p r o x i m a t e l y 0 t o !? cm/sec. h e curves f o r a l l t h r e e f i l l l e v e l s t h e n
“ s p i k e ” upwards a t T,* = 1.4. As can be seen, v a l u e s appear a t t h e base on
b o t h s i d e s o f t h e peak. For l o w frequencies, small v a r i a t i o n s i n a, r e s u l t i n
l a r g e v a r i a t i o n s i n T,*. Although i n t u i t i o n l e a d s t o t h e h y p o t h e s i s t h a t
h i g h e r s e t t l i n g t i m e s may be expected f o r T,* > 1.4, t h i s i s n o t always t r u e .
For T,* v a l u e s g r e a t e r t h a n 1 . 4 , a c l o s e r r e v i e w o f t h e d a t a r e v e a l s t h a t T,
i s h i g h coupled w i t h r e l a t i v e l y h i g h values o f a,. For l o w e r v a l u e s o f T,*,
r e l a t i v e l y small a, a r e coupled w i t h a g a i n h i g h v a l u e s o f T,. What i s
presumed t o be happening i s t h a t t h e f l u i d o s c i l l a t e s due t o opposing s u r f a c e
t e n s i o n f o r c e s t h e r e b y r e s u l t i n g i n a l o n g e r r e o r i e n t a t i o n t i m e . Examination
o f Bond numbers f o r f l o w s w i t h d e l t a - V v a l u e s c l o s e t o z e r o r e v e a l t h a t
o p e r a t i o n i s near, and a t times, even below Bo c r i t i c a l based on steady
acceleration studies.

To g e t a b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f Ts*, two cases which o c c u r i n t h e

v i c i n i t y o f t h e s p i k e were examined. F o r values o f T,* 5 1.41, b u t i n t h e
v i c i n i t y o f t h e s p i k e , a l l t e s t s p r e d i c t e d t h e f o r m a t i o n o f a small t o
moderate g e y s e r w i t h o u t any vapor e n t r a i n m e n t o r any u n d e s i r a b l e f l u i d motion.
T h i s i n d i c a t e s e f f i c i e n t r e o r i e n t a t i o n . F i g u r e 14 shows p r e d i c t e d l i q u i d
m o t i o n f o r Case 1. The f u l l - s c a l e t a n k has a f i l l l e v e l o f 70% and i s
I a c c e l e r a t e d a t 10-3g f o r a 0.2 second d u r a t i o n a t f = 0.040 Hz. The f l u i d i s
seen t o f o r m a moderate geyser w i t h r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l l i q u i d v e l o c i t i e s . The
I v a l u e o f T,* i s 1 . 4 1 f o r t h i s s i m u l a t i o n . Keeping a l l o t h e r parameters
c o n s t a n t , i n c r e a s i n g t h e frequency r e s u l t s i n severe g e y s e r i n g as shown i n
F i g u r e 15 f o r Case 2. A l t h o u g h f l u i d v e l o c i t i e s a r e s i m i l a r t o Case 1, excess
energy has been i m p a r t e d t o t h e f l u i d causing t h e geyser t o rebound o f f t h e
t o p o f t h e t a n k . S e t t l i n g t i m e i s l o w e r b u t T,* = 1.45. Based on these
e v a l u a t i o n s , i t appears d e s i r a b l e t o o p e r a t e i n t h e area t o t h e l e f t o f t h e
spike.

For T,* l e s s than, b u t i n t h e v i c i n i t y o f 1 . 4 , l i q u i d f o r b o t h f u l l -

s c a l e and s m a l l - s c a l e t a n k s i s p r e d i c t e d t o f o r m a small geyser. Most o f t h e
p r e d i c t i o n s h a v i n g h i g h e r v a l u e s o f T,* a r e f o r a f i l l l e v e l o f 25%. F i g u r e
I 16 shows p r o p e l l a n t m o t i o n i n a s m a l l - s c a l e t a n k w i t h a 25% f i l l l e v e l . T h i s

6
 p a r t i c u l a r s i m u l a t i o n y i e l d e d T,* = 5.59. A t h i n f i l m o f l i q u i d moves down
along t h e t a n k w a l l . P r i o r t o s a t i s f y i n g t h e r e o r i e n t a t i o n c r i t e r i a (20% o f
t a n k l e n g t h ) , most o f t h e f l u i d had been c o l l e c t e d a t t h e t a n k bottom. I f t h e
r e o r i e n t a t i o n c r i t e r i a had been d e f i n e d a t 0.1L i n s t e a d o f 0.2L, s e t t l i n g
times f o r a l l f i l l l e v e l s , though n o t p r o p o r t i o n a l , would have been reduced
g r e a t l y . Reviewing t h e i n p u t parameters o f T,*, l o w e r s e t t l i n g times would
presumably reduce t h e d a t a s c a t t e r r e s u l t i n g i n a more d e f i n i t e s p i k e i n
F i g u r e 14.

SUMMARY

The p r o p e l l a n t r e o r i e n t a t i o n process a s s o c i a t e d w i t h p u l s e d f i r i n g o f
a u x i l i a r y t h r u s t e r s has been s t u d i e s u s i n g computational p r e d i c t i o n s p r o v i d e d
by t h e ECLIPSE code. The analyses i n c l u d e d b o t h s m a l l - s c a l e and f u l l - s c a l e
tanks and were performed f o r a range o f f i l l l e v e l s . A square-wave p u l s e was
assumed and t h e magnitude, d u r a t i o n , and frequency o f t h e p u l s e was v a r i e d t o
s t u d y t h e e f f e c t o f these parameters on r e o r i e n t a t i o n performance. The
p r e d i c t e d performance i s d i s p l a y e d as v e l o c i t y f i e l d sequences f o r s e l e c t e d
cases and summarized i n p l o t s o f v e h i c l e d e l t a - V vs. frequency and s e t t l i n g
t i m e vs. frequency. It i s concluded t h a t , except a t v e r y low e f f e c t i v e
a c c e l e r a t i o n l e v e l s , combination o f p u l s e d u r a t i o n , frequency, and magnitude
which r e s u l t i n equal values o f e f f e c t i v e a c c e l e r a t i o n produce t h e same
r e o r i e n t a t i o n performance.

The r e s u l t s o f t h e computational p r e d i c t i o n s were used t o t e s t t h e

v a l i d i t y o f u s i n g proposed dimensionless groups f o r modeling t h e p u l s e d
r e o r i e n t a t i o n process. One group, Ts*, appears t o c o l l a p s e a l l o f t h e d a t a
when p l o t t e d a g a i n s t v e h i c l e d e l t a - V . The v a l u e o f d e l t a - V s p i k e s upward as a
v a l u e f o r T,* o f 1.4 i s approached from below. Review o f p r e d i c t e d flow
f i e l d s i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h i s corresponds t o f o r m a t i o n o f geysers which i n d i c a t e s
i n e f f i c i e n t r e o r i e n t a t i o n . It i s t h e r e f o r e proposed t h a t c o n f i g u r a t i o n s which
produce v a l u e s o f T,* l e s s than, b u t c l o s e t o , 1 . 4 a r e h i g h l y d e s i r a b l e .
R e o r i e n t a t i o n i s accomplished r e l a t i v e l y q u i c k l y f o r a low e x p e n d i t u r e o f
auxiliary thruster propellant.

REFERENCES

1 . Reynolds, W.C. and S a t t e r l e e , H . M . , " L i q u i d P r o p e l l a n t Behavior a t Low and

Zero-G," Dynamic Behavior o f L i q u i d s i n Moving Containers, NASA SP-106,
1966, pp. 387-439.

2 . B r e t h e r t o n , F.P., "The Motion o f Long Bubbles i n Tubes," Journal o f F l u i d

Mechanics, Vol. 1 , Mar. 1961, pp. 166-188.

3. Gluck, O.F. and G i l l e , J.P., " F l u i d Mechanics o f Zero-G P r o p e l l a n t

T r a n s f e r i n S p a c e c r a f t P r o p u l s i o n Systems," SAE Paper 862A, Apr. 1964
(Also, Journal o f Engineering f o r I n d u s t r y , Vol. 87, 1965, pp. 1-8).

7
I 4. Sumner, I . E . , " L i q u i d P r o p e l l a n t R e o r i e n t a t i o n I n a Low G r a v i t y
I Environment," NASA TM-78969, 1978.
I 5. Patag, A . E . , "Pulsed S e t t l i n g For Low G r a v i t y L i q u i d P r o p e l l a n t
R e o r i e n t a t i o n , " Masters Thesis, Washington U n i v e r s i t y , S t . L o u i s , MO, 1988.
~

6. Hochstein, J . I . , Patag, A.E., and Chato, D.J., "Modeling of I m p u l s i v e

~ P r o p e l l a n t R e o r i e n t a t i o n , " A I A A Paper 89-0628, Jan. 1989 (NASA TM-101440).
I 7 . Torrey, M . D . , Cloutman, L.D., Mjolsness, R.C., and H i r t , C.W.,
"NASA-VOF2D: A Computer Program for Incompressible Flows w i t h Free
Surfaces," Los Alamos S c i e n t i f i c L a b o r a t o r y Report LA-10612-MS. Dec. 1985.

8. N i c h o l s , B.D., H i r t , C.W., and Hotchkiss, R.S., "SOLA-VOF: A Solution

A l g o r i t h m f o r T r a n s i e n t F l u i d Flow w i t h M u l t i p l e Free Boundaries," Los
Alamos S c i e n t i f i c L a b o r a t o r y Report LA-8355, Aug. 1980.

9. Hochstein, J . I . , J i , H.-C., and A y d e l o t t , J.C., " E f f e c t of Subcooling on

t h e On-Orbit P r e s s u r i z a t i o n Rate of Cryogenic P r o p e l l a n t Tankage," A I A A
Paper 86-1253, June 1986.

10. Hochstein, J . I . , J i , H.-C., and A y d e l o t t , J.C., "Temperature F i e l d s Due t o

J e t Induced M i x i n g i n a T y p i c a l OTV Tank," A I A A Paper 87-2017, June 1987.

1 1 . " O r b i t a l Transfer V e h i c l e Concept D e f i n i t i o n and Systems A n a l y s i s Study,

Vol. 1 , Executive Summary," NASA CR-178866, 1986.

Parameters Boeing SB OTV Boeing s h o r t SB OTV

F i l l level, % 50 25, 50, 70
Propellant L i q u i d hydrogen L i q u i d hydrogen
a , cm/sec2 7.85 9.81x10-1, 9.81xlo-2
0.1, 0.2 0.1. 0.2
:Pi c; 0.100 t o 1.500 0.001 t o 4.000
SEitling criteria, L 0.2 0.2
Tank s i z e 0.25 scale F u l l , 0.215 s c a l e

a
 FIGURE 1. - BOEING SB OW PROPELLANT TANK,
0.25 SCALE. FINENESS RATIO = 1.4: L =
146.69 CM: D = 106.68 CM.

1.5

1.1

E
v;
;
i 0.7
4:
*
0.4

0
u u ( a ) 0.001 SEC. ( a ) 60.0 SEC.

1.5

1.1

-
0.7
>

0.4

-.53 -.27 0 .27 .53

u
-.53 -.27 0 -27 .53
X-AXIS. m
(C) 100 SEC. (d) 190 SEC.

FIGURE 2 . - SETTLING I N 0.25 MODEL OF SB OTV DUE TO O P T I M L ACCELERATION

(a = 3.7x10-~1p.

9
 1.5

1.1

2
4
0.7
r

0.4

0
uu
( a ) 20.0 SEC. (b) 40.0 SEC.

1.5

1.1

--
;
> 0.7

0.4

-.53 -.27 0 .27 -53 -.53 -.27 0 .27 .53

X-AXIS. m
(C) 50.0 SEC. (d) 60.0 SEC.
FIGURE 3 . - SETTLING I N 0.25-SCALE SB OTV WITH a = 8 . 0 ~ 1 0 -Q,
~ tp = 0.1
SEC. f = 0 . 1 Hi!.
P

10
 1.5

1.1

E
2 0.7

0.4

E
1.5

1.1

q
-
2 0.7
7>
0.4
\\ \
I I \\\
, * ..---
I L \ \\-

...
0
u
-.53 -.27 0 .27 .53 -.53 -.27 0 .27 .53
X-AXIS, m
(C) 40.0 SEC. ( d ) 50.0 SEC.

FIGURE 4. - SETTLING I N 0.25-SCALE SB OTV WITH a = 8 . O x W 3 g, t p =

0.1 SEC. f = 0.7 HZ.
P

11
 1.5 *

1.1

-
5* 0.7

0.4 .

( a ) 0.001 SEC. (b) 20.0 SEC.

1.5

1.1

5
> 0.7

0.4

0
uu
-.53 -.27 0 .27 .53 -.53 -.27 0 .27 .53
X-AXIS, m
( c ) 30.0 SEC. ( d ) 60.0 SEC.
FIGURE 5 . - SETTLING I N 0.25-SCALE SB OTV WITH a = ~ tp
8 . 0 ~ 1 0 -g, =
0.1 SEC, f p 1.4 H I .

12
 I
( I
II
( a ) 0.001 SEC.

1.5

1.1

0.7
x
4
>

0.4

0
’
-.53
’ -.27 0 -27 .53 -.53
X-AXIS. rn
-.27 0 .27 .53

(C) 30.0 SEC. (d) 60.0 SEC

FIGURE 6 . -SETTLING I N 0.25-SCALE SB OTV WITH a = 8 . 0 ~ 1 0 -g,~ t p =

0.2 SEC, fp = 0.7 Hi!.

loo 7
U 0 tp= 0 . 1 SEC: CODE
80- 0 tp= 0 . 1 SEC: OLD

+Y) A t p = 0.2 SEC: CODE

60 - 0 :p = 0.2 SEC: OLD
ii
I

I-
w 40 -
L
I-
2
20 -
v)

I
0 .4 .8 1.2 1.6
FREQUENCY. fp, Hz
FIGURE 7. - SETTLING TIME VERSUS FREQUENCY. SB ON,
50 PERCENT FULL.

13
 FIGURE 9. - SHORT SB OW PROPELLANT TANK, FULL
SCALE. FINENESS RATIO = 0.87: L = 371.25 CM:
D = 426.72 cn.

4OXld
r
30
u
W
v)

+v)

g+ 20
W
L
2
L3 10

0
10-3 10-2 10-1 100 10-1
FREQUENCY, f p , HZ
FIGURE 10. - SETTLING T I E VERSUS FREQUENCY. SHORT SB OW. 50 PERCENT FULL.

0 FULL-SCALE TANK
0 SPIALL-SCALE TANK

VEHICLE VELOCITY INCREENT, DELTA-V. CWSEC

FIGURE 11. - SETTLING T I E VERSUS VEHICLE VELOCITY INCREENT, SHORT SB OW,

50 PERCENT FULL.

14
 u 25

z
Y

+5 20 0
0
FULL-SCALE TANK
SMALL-SCALE TANK
d
& 15
Y
!u
$
L
10
E
5
Y 5
Y
2
$ 0
10-4 10-3 10-2 10-1 100
EFFECTIVE ACCELERATION. ( 8 . CWSEc
FIGURE 12.- VEHICLE VELOCITY INCREENT VERSUS EFFECTIVE ACCELERATION, SHORT SB OW,
50 PERCENT FULL.

u 25

:
p 20
5
ii 0 50%-103 DATA POINTS
& 15 0 70%- 67 DATA POINTS
25%- 58 DATA POINTS
Y
LL

=
V

i=
10

A
9 5 A
Y
u
e 0 1 4 5 6
2 3.
Ts
FIGURE 13. - VEHICLE VELOCITY INCREENT VERSUS T, SHORT SB ON. ALL F I L L LEVELS.

15
 uu
(b) ( a ) 100.0 SEC. 200.0 SEC.

-2.1
u -1.1

(C) 250.0
0

SEC.
1.1 2.1
X-AXIS. m
-
-2.1 -1.1

FIGURE 14. - SHORT SB OTV, FULL-SCALE. CASE 1: FILL LEVEL = 70 PERCENT:

0

( d ) 350.0 SEC.

a, = 7 . 8 5 ~ 1 0 - C~M / S E C ~ ; DELTA-V = 1.77 CWSEC:T, = 1.41: RODERATE GEYSER.

1.1 2.1

4
>
:I
K? 1.9
X

0.90

I
III
I
( a ) 170.0 SEC
- (b) 200.0 SEC.

;
*
:;I
1'9
0 . 90

-2.1 -1.1 0 1.1 2.1 -2.1 -1.1 0 1.1 2.1

X-AXIS, m
(C) 250.0 SEC. (d) 300.0 SEC.

FIGURE 15. - SHORT SB OW, FULL SCALE. CASE 2: FULL LEVEL = 70 PERCENT;
a, = i.i8xio-? C W S E C ~ ; DELTA-v = 2.16 CWSEC: T, = 1.45: SEVERE GEYSER.

16
2
x
7
>
0.4

0.2

0
u
-0.46 -0.23

(C)
0

200.0
0.23

SEC.
0.46
X-AXIS, m
-
-0.46 -0.23 0

(d) 500.0
0.23

SEC.
FIGURE 16. - SHORT SB OTV. 0.215 SCALE. CASE 3: FLLL LEVEL = 25 PERCENT;
ae = 7.85~10-~Cn/SEC2: DELTA-V = 4.61 CWSEC: T, = 5.59; NO GEYSER.
0.46

17
 National Aeronautics and Report Documentation Page
Soace Administrdtion

1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

NASA TM-102117
AIAA-89-2727
4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date

Modeling of Pulsed Propellant Reorientation

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No.

A.E. Patag, J.I. Hochstein, and D.J. Chato E-4892

10. Work Unit No.

~ 1 591-23-21
9. Performing Organization Name and Address
11. Contract or Grant No.
' National Aeronautics and Space Administration
~ Lewis Research Center
Cleveland, Ohio 44135-3191 13. Type of Report and Period Covered

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Technical Memorandum

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
Washington, D.C. 20546-0001

15. Supplementary Notes

A.E. Patag and J.I. Hochstein, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri (work funded under Grant NAG3-578);
D.J. Chato, NASA Lewis Research Center. Prepared for the 25th Joint Propulsion Conference cosponsored by
the AIAA, ASME, SAE, and ASEE, Monterey, California, July 10-12, 1989.
j
I 16. Abstract
I
i
Optimization of the propellant reorientation process can provide increased payload capability and extend the service
life of spacecraft. This paper proposes the use of pulsed propellant reorientation to optimize the reorientation
process. The ECLIPSE code has been validated for modeling the reorientation process and is used to study pulsed
reorientation in small-scale and full-scale propellant tanks. A dimensional analysis of the process is performed
and the resulting dimensionless groups are used to present and correlate the computational predictions for
reorientation performance.

17. Key Words (Suggested by Author@)) 18. Distribution Statement

Cryogenics Unclassified - Unlimited
Low gravity fluid mechanics Subject Category 34
Propellant reorientation

19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No of pages 22. Price'
Unclassified Unclassified 18 A03
NASA FORM 1626 OCT 86
'For sale by the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161
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