Behavior of Fluid Flowing into Tank in Reduced Gravity - Experiment by Using Drop Tower and Computer Simulation

Abstract

To know behavior of fluid flowing into tank in reduced gravity is important from the viewpoint of future application to supplying fuel to space vehicle, for instance , OMV (Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle). An experiment on fluid flowing into a flask by using drop was made and the fluid adhesion on flask's wall due to wettability and the formation of fluid column due to the effect of surface tension were clearly observed. A new and powerful computer program to simulate fluid behavior including wall adhesion and surface tension was developed. The computer simulation results were compared to the experimental ones and reasonably good agreement was obtained.