Vane type propellant tank is widely used in propellant system of satellite at present for that it can be refuelled in space. The performance of a vertical vane type tank is determined by propellant management device (PMD). The VOF model with commercial code (Fluent) was used to simulate the gas-liquid distribution with micro downward acceleration. Two kinds of volume fractions of liquid were chosen for the simulation. The flow rate of the liquid can reach 1300 ml/s. The potential energy caused by gravity for the initial conditions would be released in three seconds. The liquid in the tank would keep steady state in 28 seconds. These results could provide a reference for high acceleration maneuvers of a satellite.

This study numerically investigates the influence of different fluid temperatures on the cavitation characteristics of a space-use micropump under microgravity conditions. A homogeneous multiphase model coupled with a thermal modified Zwart–Gerber–Belamri cavitation model is employed, and the SST turbulence model is applied to resolve the cavitating flow under rated and off-design flow rates. Results indicate that cavitation behavior is strongly dependent on both temperature and flow rate. At low temperatures, cavitation intensity increases, leading to reductions in head and efficiency and a slight increase in shaft power. In contrast, elevated temperatures suppress cavitation development, resulting in milder performance degradation and, in some cases, slight improvements in head and shaft power. Internal flow analysis reveals that lower temperatures promote more extensive vapor fraction distributions and greater flow distortion, while entropy production analysis shows that cavitation contributes limited additional loss overall, though entropy generation rises markedly under combined low temperature and high flow rate conditions. The findings highlight that cavitation effects are more pronounced at low temperatures and are further amplified at higher flow rates, providing insights for the design and reliable operation of space micropumps in on-orbit thermal management systems.

Centrifugal pump is a key core component of spacecraft thermal control system, and its operational stability directly determines the life of the spacecraft. In microgravity environment, buoyancy effect disappears, and the influence of surface tension effect on cavitation flow cannot be ignored. The centrifugal pump used in the thermal control system of spacecraft is taken as the research object. The critical cavitation coefficient of a centrifugal pump under microgravity and ground gravity, as well as the cavitation flow field at different flow rates, were studied through numerical simulation. The existence of surface tension can to some extent increase the dimensionless head of centrifugal pumps during cavitation, and the degree of increase in head by surface tension is positively correlated with the inlet flow rate. The existence of surface tension will delay the development process of cavitation in the entire impeller basin. The effect of surface tension on the cavitation of micro pumps is specifically manifested as delaying the initiation and development of bubbles, while accelerating the contraction of bubbles. The research results can provide a basis for the design optimization of centrifugal pumps in microgravity environments.

The present work examines how variations in working fluid temperature govern the hydrodynamic behavior of a space-rated micropump. Using perfluorotriethylamine as the operating medium, three-dimensional CFD simulations employing the SST k-$\omega$ turbulence closure were carried out across a broad thermal spectrum, and the resulting flow physics were interpreted through entropy generation analysis. Based on the entropy production theory, the influence laws of different inlet temperatures on the external characteristics, internal characteristics, and flow loss characteristics of the micropump were quantitatively analyzed. The results show that temperature mainly affects the micropump performance by changing the viscosity and density of the working fluid. At low temperatures, the fluid viscosity increases significantly, leading to increased flow resistance, intensified internal friction, reduced head and efficiency, and increased shaft power. As the temperature increases to 0 °C and above, the viscosity change tends to moderate, and the external characteristic parameters tend to stabilize. The internal characteristic analysis shows that under low-temperature conditions, the high-pressure region in the impeller area expands and the turbulent kinetic energy decreases, but the flow separation is to a certain extent suppressed. The region near the volute tongue and the impeller outer edge are the main areas of entropy production loss, and their entropy production rates increase significantly with decreasing temperature. Moreover, at low temperatures, the high entropy production regions expand from locally isolated distributions to continuous large-scale distributions. The impeller outer edge dominates total entropy production, driven by peak fluid linear velocity and intense shear interaction with the volute wall. The findings elucidate how working fluid temperature governs both the hydrodynamic performance and the irreversible loss characteristics of the micropump. These insights can directly inform the engineering design of thermal management loops intended for orbital applications under severe temperature swings.

This paper investigates the internal propellant distribution within vane-type tanks under high lateral acceleration during satellite on-orbit station-keeping, attitude adjustment, and orbital transfer maneuvers. The gas-liquid two-phase distribution laws and propellant reorientation duration are compared and analyzed under varying liquid filling ratios and lateral acceleration magnitudes. The results indicate that the limiting lateral acceleration for gas-free propellant outflow is 0.003 g when residual propellant is below 5%; this threshold rises to 0.005 g at a residual propellant level of 25%. For residual propellant exceeding 50%, an uninterrupted gas-free propellant supply can be sustained under lateral acceleration. Additionally, the stabilization duration of the propellant during lateral maneuver increases with a rising propellant filling ratio, with the stabilization time at the filling ratio of 50% tripling that for filling ratios below 25%.