Implementation of Thermal Gauging Method for ABS 1A (LM 3000) satellite

Yendler, Boris; Myers, Mike; Chilelli, Nick; Chernikov, Sergey; Wang, Jeffry; Djamshidpour, Amin

doi:10.2514/6.2016-2458

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Like the other methods, it does not require previous firing history or pressurant temperature and pressure readings to estimate the life of the mission but is rather a characteristic of the material (a standalone/independent technique). The propellant tank's thermal inertia will be determined to derive the quantity of available propellant [14][15][16][17][18]. The temperature rise will be observed to determine the heat capacity of the tank by applying a known heat load; then, the recorded temperature rise values will be compared against the tank's thermal model given simulation results to estimate the precise mass of the propellant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The thermal gauging method can measure the individual tank loads in a multitank system and bipropellant systems. The TPG has been implemented for the ABS1A satellite and GEOStartm1 satellites to compare the estimations carried out by different schemes, and the thermal gauging technique was able to estimate accurately with an uncertainty of less than 1 kg [16,19]. However, the nonuniform heat distribution when heat is applied to the tanks and nonuniform distribution of propellant incorporates the temperature gradients that need to be considered as TPG assumes no temperature gradients during the quantification.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ABS-1A, Lockheed Martin's telecommunication satellite, used the BKP and PVT approach in conjunction with the thermal gauging method and attained an accurate estimate of available propellant. In addition, the incorporation of this hybrid technique resulted in a 6-month extension to the mission's life before de-orbiting [16]. The following are the main contributions of the paper.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Mathematical Modelling of a Propellent Gauging System: A Case Study on PRISMA

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Propellant gauging is crucial for a spacecraft approaching the end of its lifespan. Current gauging systems for satellites typically have an accuracy rate of a few months to a year at the end of their operational life. Therefore, it is essential to determine the appropriate gauging system for mission operations. This research focuses on modeling the propellant gauging system for PRISMA, an Earth Observation (EO) satellite of the Italian Space Agency. The analysis centers on implementing algorithms that calibrate the remaining propellant mass in the satellite tank using traditional methods such as bookkeeping (BKP) and pressure-volume-temperature (PVT). To enhance accuracy in quantification, an unconventional approach called thermal propellant gauging (TPG) has been considered. Preliminary computations were conducted using data obtained from the PRISMA thermal model to understand the calibration accuracy of the three methods. At the end of its operational life, the BKP and PVT methods exhibited error rates of 4.6% and 4.8%, respectively, in calculating the mass. In contrast, the TPG method demonstrated a significantly higher precision with an error rate of 1.86%. However, at the beginning of the satellite’s operational life, the PVT and TPG methods showed error rates of 1.0% and 1.3%, respectively, while the BKP technique reported an error rate of 0.1%. Based on these findings, it has been concluded that combining the BKP and TPG approaches yields superior results throughout the satellite’s lifespan. Furthermore, the researchers have determined the specific time duration for which each of these distinct approaches can be effectively utilized.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Mathematical Modelling of a Propellent Gauging System: A Case Study on PRISMA

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is an additional capability for propellant estimation. [4]. TPG method propellant error estimation is inversely proportional to the heating time [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Conjoint Analysis of Propellant Budget and Maneuver Life for a Communication Satellite

2021

Sakarya University Journal of Computer and Information Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Maneuvers require velocity augmentation to control a satellite at the defined orbit. The velocity augmentation provides achieving geostationary orbit, compensating orbital perturbation, orbit dispersion correction, and any other maneuver's operations for a communication satellite. All maneuvers and propellant consumption must be taken into account in the propellant budget for successful mission management. In this study, a straightforward method was proposed to calculate satellite maneuver life or associated propellant budget for general purposes. The method provides enough accuracy for general mission planning. However, communication satellite accurate end of life estimation, especially in the last three months is vitally important and depends on many factors. According to the performance requirement of procurement's standard, the propellant budget and associated satellite maneuver's life are calculated based on the worst-case or adverse three-sigma. The worst-case calculations include allocations for inefficiencies, velocity uncertainties, dispersions resulting from thruster firings, propellant residuals, the selected thrusting, and maneuver strategies' performance. High accuracy remaining propellant estimation is necessary for a successful end of life operation and decommissioning. The cost of early deorbit because of propellant misestimation is millions of dollars. Accurate remaining propellant and associated maneuver life analysis can be performed in different methods. The most common three methods are pressure, volume, temperature (PVT), bookkeeping (BK), and thermal propellant gauging (TPG). The propellant accuracy analysis shows that the propagation of uncertainties is related to system design, tank fill ratio, propellant load accuracy, orbital maneuver's inefficiency, pressure and temperature sensors, transducers, telemetry resolution, and error in equipment test data. Comparing the methods, PVT provides accuracy between ±27.81 kg to ±38.93 kg, depending on equipment size and accuracy. BK currently provides the best estimation and the highest gauging accuracy between ±9.83 kg to ±13.76 kg. TPG provides accuracy between ±10.52 to ±14.73 kg for some cases. However, the satellite operators request ±1 kg estimation of the remaining propellant to extend the lifetime and reduce costs. The satellite manufacturers should optimize propulsiıon and attitude control subsystem design and manufacturing, including propellant management device performance, applied sensors reliability and accuracy, and tank expansion performance over a mission life.

show abstract

Uncertainty Analysis and Improvement of Propellant Gauging System Applied in Space

Yang¹,

Wang²,

Huang³

et al. 2022

Applied Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Propellant Gauging is of vital importance to a spacecraft at the end of its life. Based on the Monte Carlo Method, uncertainty analysis and the improvement of propellant gauging using gas injection have been studied. As a result of the analysis, the gauging uncertainty has weak relation to the uncertainties of the volumes of the injection room and tank, the uncertainties of the pressure, and the temperature in the injection room. Relatively, the uncertainties of the temperature and pressure in the tank have a great effect on the gauging uncertainty. By improving the uncertainties of the tank pressure and temperature within 0.04% and 0.4%, the final gauging uncertainty can be obtained within 0.4%. Ground tests have been conducted and the results came out with approximately 0.4% error, well within the theoretical analysis.

show abstract

Implementation of Thermal Gauging Method for ABS 1A (LM 3000) satellite

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

Mathematical Modelling of a Propellent Gauging System: A Case Study on PRISMA

Mathematical Modelling of a Propellent Gauging System: A Case Study on PRISMA

A Conjoint Analysis of Propellant Budget and Maneuver Life for a Communication Satellite

Uncertainty Analysis and Improvement of Propellant Gauging System Applied in Space

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About