Comparison of SINDA'85/FLUINT Predictions with Measurements from 1-G Capillary-Pumped Loop Reservoir Discharge Tests

Capillary-Pumped Heat Transport Systems (CPHTS) will be used on the Earth Observing System (EOS) spacecraft to provide temperature control for certain instruments. Components being considered for inclusion in the CPHTS will be tested in the Capillary-Pumped Loop (CAPL) Flight Experiment scheduled to fly on the Space Shuttle in 1993. The fluid reservoir component provides temperature control for a capillary-pumped thermal management system. A prototype fluid reservoir was designed at GE Astro Space for ground testing to establish its feasibility for use in the CAPL experiments. Numerical computations have been performed to investigate the applicability of the SINDA'85/FLUINT code in modelling this reservoir. Code predictions were compared to measurements from 1-G reservoir discharge tests conducted at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Results indicate that limited use can be made of the FLUINT code in predicting the discharge performance of the prototype reservoir.