Liquid management apparatus for spacecraft
AssigneeLockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc.
InventorsR. K. Grove, Ronald W. King, Julie M. L'Heureux
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a liquid storage tank 10 for use on a spacecraft, a transfer apparatus 15 (comprising gathering vanes 33, an elongate array of fins 32, and a sponge structure formed from panels 31) functions to transfer liquid from the inner surface of the tank 10 to the vicinity of an outlet line 40. A screen 23 is disposed between the panels 31 and the outlet line 40. When wetted with liquid, the screen 23 prevents gas and/or vapor in the tank 10 from passing to the outlet line 40. A perforated plate 22 disposed between the screen 23 and the outlet line 40 causes liquid to pass from the tank 10 to the outlet line 40 in a regular and generally unbroken flow.
Claims6
An apparatus comprising:
- a) tank means defining a reservoir for a liquid, said tank means having an outlet conduit;
- b) a bowl structure secured to an inner surface of said tank means adjacent said outlet conduit, said bowl structure having an outlet duct dimensioned to extend into said outlet conduit of said tank means;
- c) liquid storage means disposed within said bowl structure, said liquid storage means being secured to an inner surface of said bowl structure, said liquid storage means comprising an array of panels, proximal edges on said panels being secured together along a common axis that is substantially aligned with said outlet duct of said bowl structure, said panels extending outward from said common axis to the inner surface of said bowl structure, distal edges on said panels being secured to the inner surface of said bowl structure;
- d) capillary pumping means secured to the inner surface of said tank means, said capillary pumping means functioning in a low-gravity environment to gather liquid from a region of said tank means remote from said outlet conduit and to move liquid so gathered to said liquid storage means within said bowl structure by capillary action;
- e) a screen secured to the inner surface of said bowl structure between said liquid storage means and said outlet duct of said bowl structure, said screen functioning as a gas barrier to prevent passage of gas into said outlet duct of said bowl structure when said screen is wetted by liquid in said bowl structure;
- and
- f) a flow control plate secured to the inner surface of said bowl structure between said gas barrier screen and said outlet duct of said bowl structure, said flow control plate having perforations that are dimensioned and positioned so that liquid from said bowl structure can pass therethrough into said outlet duct for passage to said outlet conduit of said tank means at a substantially uniform rate of flow.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.