Modal Propellant Gauging in Reduced Gravity Environments — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Modal Propellant Gauging in Reduced Gravity Environments

Name: Megan Janiak
Major: Physics and Chemistry
Hometown: Kenosha, WI
Faculty Sponsor: Kevin Crosby
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research
Funding: WSGC and NASA Flight Opportunities

Abstract

Low-gravity propellant gauging remains a “critical-path” technology challenge on NASA’s roadmap for deep space exploration. Current gauging inaccuracies represent a significant economic obstacle to continued expansion of the commercial satellite market, accounting for billions of dollars lost annually in revenue due to high propellant margins and end-of-life requirements on satellite disposal. The Modal Propellant Gauging (MPG) project is a computationally inexpensive, non-invasive method of gauging low-gravity propellant in both sloshing and settled propellant. This technology vibrates a tank using PZT actuators, creating surface waves on the tank walls. Sensors monitor the response frequency from the tank, which can be correlated to various fill fractions by computing a Frequency Response Function. MPG has been flight tested on both parabolic flight campaigns and suborbital rocket missions and achieves gauging resolutions that meet or exceed those of existing technologies. At a current TRL of 6, MPG is a candidate technology for gauging propellant on the Orion Service Module. The work on this project is ongoing and a suborbital rocket mission is set to launch this upcoming summer.

Poster file