• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.125-132
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• 2010

Estimation of pressurant mass flowrate and its total mass required to maintain propellant tank pressure during propellant outflow is very important for design of pressurization control system and pressurant storage tank. Especially, more pressurant mass is required to maintain pressure in cryogenic propellant tank, because of reduced specific volume of pressurant due to heat transfer between pressurant and tank wall. So, basic model for propellant tank ullage calculation was proposed to estimate ullage and tank wall temperature distribution, required pressurant mass, and energy distribution of pressurant in ullage. Both test and theoretical analysis have been conducted, but only theoretical modeling method was addressed in this paper.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2010

Propellant tank pressurizing gas injector is used in the pressurization system of liquid propellant rocket to reduce incoming gas velocity and distribute the gas in the tank. Temperature distribution in the propellant tank ullage is varied according to the gas injector shape, and it has influence on the required pressurant gas and thermal phenomena in the tank. In this paper, diffuser type gas injector was studied to make the ullage have stratified temperature distribution. Injected gas flow at the outlet of prototype diffuser was visulized using particle image velocimetry method and it was compared with the results of calculation. Calculation was well agreed with measurement and was used as an inlet condition of propellant tank ullage calculation.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 2011

The pressurant mass required for propellant tank pressurization with operating condition variation was estimated by using the numerical model already developed for this purpose. The model was applied to the concept design results of KSLV-II first stage oxygen tank. The supplied pressurant temperature, oxygen volumetric flow rate, and the ratio of length to diameter of the tank were selected as variables. The required pressurant mass and mass flow rate, collapse factor, ullage temperature distribution were predicted, and the results showed that the pressurant temperature had the largest effect on the amount of the required pressurant mass. The pressurizing efficiency of the propellant tank was calculated through analyzing energy distribution in the ullage. It was found that the gas-to-wall heat transfer in the ullage was dominant, and much of the pressurant energy was lost to tank wall heating.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.81-82
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• 2009

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.54-59
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• 2012

This study presents investigation on ullage effect in sloshing experiment. The experiment was done with two dimensional tank. Sloshing experiments were carried out in the tank with 6 different ullage pressures. The tested filling ratio was 30% of the tank height. The flow field was recorded with high speed camera. The sloshing impact pressure were measured at 18 locations. It was shown that the variation of ullage pressures influences the magnitude of pressure and flow field. This study demonstrated the importance of ullage pressure in sloshing test.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2013

In this paper, the energy flows related to cryogenic propellant tank ullage were understood and pressurization efficiency of the tank was calculated using propellant feeding test data with the help of calculation program. The related energy flow terms and calculation method of each terms were described. Three test data of different tank pressure and incoming pressurant temperature were used. Under the test conditions, the pressurization efficiency was low in the range of 13.9%~19.3%. The proportion of energy loss to the incoming pressurant energy was in the range of 55.2%~67.6%. The energy loss to the propellant tank wall was the biggest one. If the temperature of incoming pressurant was the same, the rates of each energy flows to the incoming energy were almost the same regardless of the propellant tank pressure. The collapse factor of propellant tank was calculated using test data, and the relation of it to the heat loss rate was observed.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.1202-1208
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• 2010

The prediction of the required pressurant mass for maintaining the pressure of propellant tanks during propellant feeding is an important issue in designing pressurization system. The temperature of pressurant fed into propellant tank is the critical factor in the required pressurant mass and is one of the most crucial design parameters in the development of pressurization system including designing the weight of pressurant tanks and the size of heat exchanger. Hence a series of propellant drainage tests by pressurizing propellant stored in a cryogenic propellant tank have been performed with measuring the temperature distribution inside ullage and the required pressurant mass according to the temperature condition of pressurant. Results shows that the required pressurant mass decreases as the temperature of pressurant increases. However, the rate of the actual pressurant mass to the ideal required pressurant mass increases.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.1048-1053
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• 2009

It proposes an simple and intuitive method that calculates the equilibrium pressures of a propellant tank by appling the mass conservation principle on the helium in the liquid propellant and in an ullage volume of the propellant tank. A propellant loading analysis program is developed and validated against the existing reference data. And it has applied to the present developing program, COMS Chemical Propulsion Subsystem and the results are compared, it may use to develop a technology of the next geostationary complex satellite's propulsion system.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• v.y2005m4
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• pp.168-175
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• 2005

The pressurization system in a liquid rocket propulsion system provides a controlled gas pressure in the ullage space of the vehicle propellant tanks. It is advantage to employ a hot gas heat exchanger in the pressurization system to increase the specific volume of the pressurant and thereby reduce over-all system weight. A significant improvement in pressurization-system performance can be achieved, particularly in a cryogenic system, where the gas supply is stored inside the cryogenic propellant tank. The temperature characteristic of cryogenic pressurant is very important to develop some components in pressurization system. Numerical modeling and Test data were studied using SINDA/FLUINT Program and PTF(Propellant-feeding Test Facility).

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.122-126
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• 2006

Two types of pressurization system and low weight feeding piping system are developed. With sub-system tests, ullage pressure control performance was verified for 1 step and 2 step pressurization system and the feeding performance of feeding piping system was also verified. The weight of the feeding piping system is low enough for the application of launch vehicle. In addition, LOX conditioning system is developed for avoiding geysering and LOX temperature rise. Integrated performance was verified through integrated on-board feeding system performance tests.