Leuteri C., D., Stober, K.J., Wood, D., and Colombo, C., "Modelling and Simulation of In-Orbit Centrifugal Casting of a Paraffin Wax Grain Inside a 3U CubeSat," AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum, August 2021

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to explore the possibility of using paraffin wax as fuel to deorbit small satellites, potential mean to tackle space debris mitigation. Experiments conducted by the Space Enabled Research Group have been characterised by the use of paraffin as working fluid, with rotation rates ranging from 50-1500 rpm, and initial temperature of 75- 100 °C. The work conducted by the authors investigates the possibility of performing centrifugal casting of paraffin into annular shapes while the spacecraft is in orbit. The adopted strategy considers using the wax as thermal insulator and, at the end-of-life, recast it as fuel to allow a controlled reentry of the satellite. The workflow is conceived such that the wax will be melted and conveyed into the combustion chamber, which - spun by a DC motor - allows the wax to be shaped into a hollow cylinder. This paper describes the results obtained from a parametric system-level simulation tool, developed in a Matlab/Simulink environment, for the simulation of the thermal behavior of a spacecraft in Earth orbit, as well as performing mission analysis and thermal control design.