Abstract: The vane type tank with big vanes is one of the most advanced new type propellant tanks now. The big vanes are the core components of propellant management in the tank. The numerical simulation and microgravity experiment verification of fluid behavior in the tank are given. By using a VOF twophase flow model, the fluid flow characteristics in the tank are numerically simulated, and the fluid distributing rule is obtained. A microgravity test system is established. Based on fluid behavior experiment on microgravity drop tower, some important conclusions are obtained. The results show that, the tank has good performance of propellant management in microgravity environment, and the big vanes provide a better approach for liquid (including cryogenic liquid) control in space environment. In this paper, the numerical simulation and microgravity test provide necessary foundational data for the design of vane type tank.

Key words: microgravity, vane type tank with big vanes, fluid behavior, numerical simulation, drop tower experiment