Evolution of Liquid-Oxygen Interface Shape Based on Drop-Tower Experiments

Guo Songyuan; Xiao Mingkun; Yue Li; Luo Wei; Du Wangfang; Zhao Jianfu; Yang Guang; Wu Jingyi

doi:10.12465/issn.0253-4339.20251119003

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Evolution of Liquid-Oxygen Interface Shape Based on Drop-Tower Experiments

更新时间：2026-06-01

- Evolution of Liquid-Oxygen Interface Shape Based on Drop-Tower Experiments
- Journal of Refrigeration Vol. 47, Issue 3, Pages: 1-8(2026)
- 作者机构：
  
  1.上海交通大学制冷与低温工程研究所上海 200240
  2. 中国科学院力学研究所北京 100190
- 作者简介：
- 基金信息：
  
  the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52276013)
- DOI：10.12465/issn.0253-4339.20251119003
  CLC： V511⁺.6;O363.2
- Received：19 November 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-11-27，
  
  Accepted：15 December 2025，
  
  Published：16 June 2026
- 稿件说明：
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郭松源,肖明堃,岳莉等.基于落塔实验的液氧气液界面形状演化特性研究[J].制冷学报,2026,47(03):1-8.

Guo Songyuan,Xiao Mingkun,Yue Li,et al.Evolution of Liquid-Oxygen Interface Shape Based on Drop-Tower Experiments[J].Journal of Refrigeration,2026,47(03):1-8.
郭松源,肖明堃,岳莉等.基于落塔实验的液氧气液界面形状演化特性研究[J].制冷学报,2026,47(03):1-8. DOI： 10.12465/issn.0253-4339.20251119003.

Guo Songyuan,Xiao Mingkun,Yue Li,et al.Evolution of Liquid-Oxygen Interface Shape Based on Drop-Tower Experiments[J].Journal of Refrigeration,2026,47(03):1-8. DOI： 10.12465/issn.0253-4339.20251119003.

摘要

在航天器深空探测任务中，低温推进剂贮箱内的流体常经历复杂的变过载环境，该过程中气液界面剧烈变化，引发强烈的相变传热与热力状态改变响应。本文基于落塔实验，搭建了液氧重定位实验系统，观测并记录了微重力转变过程中气液界面形态、气相温度与压强的动态变化。结果表明：在由常重力转为微重力的下落阶段，液氧三相接触线沿贮箱壁面爬升，并在首次回退时在壁面形成残留液体层。由于接触线爬升增大了气液界面面积，界面附近液氧持续蒸发，再叠加残留液体层的作用，最终使得增压速率上升。距离界面15.2 mm处的温度变化不仅受到固壁传热的影响，还受到界面振荡所引起的低温气体流动的干扰，在整个2.5 s的重定位过程中，该测点的温度增加量低于另外2只温度传感器。本研究为低温推进剂在轨管理装置的设计和重定位仿真模型的校验提供了重要的实验依据。

Abstract

Objective

To support complex aerospace missions including manned spaceflight， Mars exploration and space station construction， it is critical to conduct deep-space exploration research for solar-system planets and even extrasolar space. High-specific-impulse cryogenic fluids such as liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen （LH

-LOX） and liquid oxygen-liquid methane （LOX-LCH

） are primary propellant for deep-space missions. During flight， cryogenic fluids in propellant tanks undergo gravity changes， leading to interface relocation. Owing to low surface tension and viscosity， their interfaces easily deform and break up， resulting in complicated flow behaviors. Meanwhile， increased interfacial and contact areas enhance heat transfer， triggering intense phase change due to low boiling points and latent heats， making thermal states unpredictable. This study aims to reveal the evolution of interface dynamics and thermal behavior during relocation， which is essential for the design of on-orbit propellant management devices.

Methods

In this study， a drop-tower experimental platform for LOX reorientation was constructed. The setup， housed in a stainless‑steel vacuum chamber with sapphire windows for optical access， uses multilayer insulation and combined LED l

ighting to enable high‑speed visualization. A liquid nitrogen cooling circuit connected via copper braids provides stable precooling and suppresses boiling. The test cell， made of sapphire with high pressure resistance， is instrumented with multiple temperature sensors. LOX is condensed and stabilized at a height of 18.5 mm until thermal drift is below 0.000 1 K/s. The system is then installed in the drop tower tube， adjusted for center‑of‑mass， and released from 83 m to generate nearly 3.5 s of microgravity at approximately 0.004 4

₀. High‑speed images are recorded and processed using a MATLAB edge‑detection algorithm to analyze interface evolution during the relocation process. Meanwhile， the vapor-phase temperature and pressure were measured. During the drop-tower process， the overload environment transitioned from normal gravity to microgravity.

Results and Discussions

The LOX propagated along the inner wall and formed a liquid layer. The motion of this liquid layer was decoupled from that of the bulk liquid， and the interface center oscillated continuously. Owing to the ascend of the contact line， the gas-liquid interface area increased， and LOX evaporated continuously at the contact line. The emergence of the liquid layer resulted in a pressurization rate of 3 227 Pa/s at the first oscillation of the contact line， which is approximately 1.8 times higher than the final stabilized pressurization rate. During the entire 2.5 s reorientation process， the pressure in the gas-phase region increased by 4 217 Pa. The temperature variation at 15.2 mm from the interface was affected by not only heat transfer from the solid wall but also disturbances from the low-temperature gas flow induced by interface oscillations. Additionally， the temperature at this measurement point increased by only 0.351 K during the entire reorientation process.

Conclusions

This study concludes that the evolution of the LOX interface， temperature and pressure in the ullage in the interface reorientation process. This experiment provides the cryogenic fluid data for simulation validation and guidance for the configuration and design of cryogenic-propellant management devices.

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Keywords

references

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