CAPILLARY RISE OF LIQUID BETWEEN PLATES WITH A CERTAIN ANGLE UNDER MICROGRAVITY

In space, because the gravity basically disappears and the secondary forces such as surface tension force play a major role, fluid behavior is quite different from that of the ground. Therefore, it is necessary to deeply explore the laws and characteristics of fluid behavior in microgravity environment. The plate-type tank uses plate-type components to manage the fluid in microgravity environment, so as to provide the thruster with gas-free propellant, which is of great significance for the precise attitude control and orbit adjustment of the spacecraft. Plate-type components often include plates with a certain included angle, such as liquid storage blades. The capillary rise of liquid between plates with a certain angle under microgravity is explored in this paper. The influences of the dynamic contact angle between the liquid and the plates wall, the pressure loss caused by convection, the viscous resistance, and the curved liquid surface in the reservoir are all considered. A second order differential equation of the capillary-driven flow is derived, which can be solved with forth-order Runge−Kutta method. By considering two dominant forces at the same time, the flow can be divided into three regions, and approximate equations of climbing height in different regions are obtained. Six kinds of numerical models are created, three kinds of silicone oil is chonsen and Volume of Fluid(VOF) method is used to carry out numerical simulation. Numerical results are in good agreement with theoretical results, which verifies theoretical analysis. This research can be theoretical basis for plate tanks’ design and fluid management in space.