液体推进剂在轨剩余量测量方法研究进展

Research Progress on Gauging Methods for RemainingLiquid Propellant in Orbit

关键词:  剩余推进剂  测量方法  误差分析  贮箱  航天器  微重力  综述

Key words:  Remaining propellant  Gauging methods  Error analysis  Tank  Spacecraft  Microgravity  Review

摘要:

介绍了在轨航天器液体推进剂剩余量测量技术国内外研究进展，并展望了未来的研究方向。首先简要介绍了造成微重力条件下液体推进剂剩余量测量困难的原因；接着回顾了液体推进剂剩余量测量技术的发展脉络，将其技术发展分为技术萌芽、技术成熟和新技术探索三个阶段；然后从基本原理、误差分析、研究进展等方面综述了常用的簿记法（Book-Keeping,BK）、压力体积温度法（Pressure-Volume-Temperature,PVT）和热量激励法（Thermal Gauging Method,TGM）等液体推进剂在轨剩余量测量技术，对比分析了各种方法的优缺点；最后，展望了液体推进剂在轨剩余量测量技术的发展方向：一是利用不同测量技术在不同卫星寿命期间具有不同测量精度的特点，将多种测量技术进行结合，以提高整体测量精度；二是开发适用于卫星全寿命周期高精度测量的新方法。

Abstract:

Various gauging methods for remaining liquid propellant in orbit were reviewed, and the research work that could be conducted in the future was prospected. Firstly, the reasons for the difficulty in measuring the amount of remaining propellant in microgravity were analyzed. Then, the development of the gauging methods for remaining propellant was reviewed, which was classified into the following three stages: technology germination, technology maturity and new technology exploration. Next, the commonly used gauging methods for remaining propellant including Book-Keeping (BK), Pressure-Volume-Temperature (PVT), and Thermal Gauging Method (TGM) were introduced and compared in detail from the following points of view: fundamental principle, error analysis and research progress; meanwhile, the advantages and disadvantages of various methods were comparatively analyzed. Finally, the research work that could be conducted in the future was prospected: the first was to combine various methods which had different measuring accuracy during the different lifetime of satellites, to improve the overall gauging accuracy; the second was to develop a new gauging method with high accuracy in all lifetime of satellites.