国外航天器推进剂在轨吹除技术跟踪研究

受大气阻力的影响,空间站长期在轨的轨道维持需要消耗大量的推进剂,因此有必要进行推进剂补给。而补给结束后的管路内残留推进剂在轨吹除,是保障空间站任务安全的必要条件。文章对国外航天器液体真空排放的研究现状进行了跟踪,重点就液体温度、压力、饱和蒸气压、液体中气体含量以及喷口尺寸外形等因素对液体排放特性的影响进行了分析和评价。在国外跟踪调研的基础上,对我国开展空间站推进剂在轨吹除的研究提出了启示。

Research progress abroad of spacecraft propellant purge on orbit

Due to the atmospheric drag, some amount of propellant is required for the orbit maintenance of a space station, and the propellant refueling is necessary. The propellant purge, as an important part of the propellant refueling technology, is an essential condition for the space station mission. The research progress abroad of spacecraft liquid venting on orbit is reviewed in this paper. The influences of the temperature, the stagnation pressure, the vapor pressure, the gas content in the liquid, and the jet shape and size on the flow pattern are evaluated for the liquid ejected into a vacuum. Based on the review and considering the characteristics of the propellant on-orbit venting, some suggestions are made for the scheme design of the propellant purge for the China's space station.