by University of Pittsburgh Microgravity Team
Welcome
You have reached the homepage of the 2007-2008 University of Pittsburgh Microgravity Team! Here you will find information about our upcoming experiment with NASA.
The Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program (RGSFOP) was created by NASA in 1990s in order to give undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct an experiment in a microgravity (~0 g) environment. Promoting life-long learning and continued interest in aerospace operations is another aim of this program; by giving students a chance to see the inner workings of NASA and by encouraging the same students to give back to their communities, a better world results.
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About Our Project
The intent of this project is to contribute experimental data about constant bend radii tubing used in fuel piping. To achieve this goal, tubes with different bend radii will be tested to observe the topology of bubbles created at specified contact angles. These results will then be compared to our numerical analysis performed using Surface Evolver, a liquid-surface modeling program created by Susquehanna University's Dr. K.A. Brakke. The results of a successful experiment will suggest whether implementing constant bend radii in fuel piping is a viable solution to prevent bubble formation from critically hindering fluid flow.
Current industry-leading satellite designs employ either long straight tubes or sharply bent tubes, but current numerical research shows that with increasing bend radii in the fuel piping, incidence of bubble plug formation is reduced. Introducing constant bend radii tubing as replacements for typical zero-gravity piping is therefore a logical next step.