A simple device is proposed to prevent vortexing in the draining of liquids from cylindrical containers. It is shown that the shape of the dish-type device is not very critical as long as R/D1-≤1.5. The cost of the device is very small, and the device is very well suited for use in practical situations.

Seetharaman Swarnamani

Boundary layers

Cylinders (containers)

Flow control

Fuel tanks

Liquid propellants

Radial flow

Rockets

Rotational flow

Space flight

Spacecraft

Vortex flow

Cylindrical tanks

DISH TYPE DEVICE

GRAVITY FIELD REDUCTION

LIQUID DRAINING

SUPPRESSOR

Vortex formation

SPACECRAFT EQUIPMENT

IIT Madras is a public technical and research university located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Founded in 1959, it is recognised as an Institute of National Importance.

IIT Madras has been ranked as the top engineering institute in India for four years in a row by the National Institutional Ranking Framework of the MHRD

It currently offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees across 16 disciplines in Engineering, Sciences, Humanities and Management. About 596 faculty belonging to science and engineering departments and centres of the Institute are engaged in teaching, research and industrial consultancy.

IIT Madras

Device to suppress vortexing during draining from cylindrical tanks

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

Draining of liquid from tanks of square or rectangular cross sections

Shaped discharge ports for draining liquids

Journal of Fluid Mechanics

Axisymmetric draining of a cylindrical tank with a free surface

Propellant vortexing in a spinning spacecraft

Simulation of fluid flow phenomena in propellant tanks at high and low accelerations.

Journal	Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets
Publisher	AIAA, Washington
ISSN	00224650
Open Access	No