Liquid-vapor Interface Configuration of the Axis-symmetrical Tanks with Curved Walls

The propellant sloshing behavior in spacecraft liquid container plays a vital role in the dynamical analysis and overall design of spacecraft, while the liquid-vapor interface configuration of liquid fuel in microgravity environment is the premise and basis of the study of liquid sloshing behavior. The static liquid surface of axis-symmetric container was studied in this paper. The shape of liquid surface was characterized by using the polar coordinate system, and the nonlinear differential governing equation was derived. An appropriate algorithm was designed to numerically calculate the configuration of vapor-liquid interface configuration of the axis-symmetric containers, such as sphere, ellipsoid, and Cassini container. The rationality and effectiveness of the algorithm were verified by comparing the numerical results with the drop tower experimental data. Engineers and scholars could quickly and accurately acquire liquid-vapor interface configuration of the container by this technique.