Acoustic streaming for propellant management in orbit
This thesis investigates the influence of acoustic waves on heat transfer in microgravity from a numerical perspective. Experimental tests were carried out the UPC Space Exploration Lab under both terrestrial and microgravity conditions to assess the differences in heat transfer between the two envi...
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| Formato: | tesis de maestría |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/444896 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/444896 |
| Access Level: | acceso embargado |
| Palavra-chave: | Reduced gravity environments Heat--Transmission Space Acoustic Heat Microgravity Streaming Transfer Exploration Ambients de microgravetat Calor--Transmissió Espai Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Aeronàutica i espai |
| Resumo: | This thesis investigates the influence of acoustic waves on heat transfer in microgravity from a numerical perspective. Experimental tests were carried out the UPC Space Exploration Lab under both terrestrial and microgravity conditions to assess the differences in heat transfer between the two environments and the effectiveness of this forced convection method. These tests were conducted in a microgravity-simulated environment at the ZARM drop tower in Bremen. A numerical model in COMSOL has been developed and validated to study the wave prop- agation inside a fluid and the consequent formation of an acoustic stream. When properly tuned in both amplitude and frequency, the acoustic source generates a flow that displaces the hotter fluid away from the heater surface, thereby preventing the onset of boil-off. During this thesis work, different domain and boundary condition are tested to analyze some different scenarios. Finally, a comparison is made between the experimental and numerical results, followed by further analyses aimed at achieving a closer representation of the real space environment. These last tests are characterized by a heat flux of q = 1000 W /m2 , which better matches the heat flux encountered in space. It should be noted that, in general, space tanks are covered with insulating materials, so this heat flux would not reach the internal fluid. However, to remain conservative and consider a worst-case scenario, this value will be used. Under these final conditions, corresponding to a feasible heat load in space, a temperature reduction of 10% is achieved compared to the case without an acoustic source. |
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