SHACA: Super-Hydrophilic AF-M315E Capillary Action PMD

The use of AF-M315E as a monopropellant promises to greatly reduce the costs associated with the manufacturing, launching, and maintaining of satellites and other spacecraft. However, AF M315E has a higher surface tension than hydrazine and is harder to capture and move using existing propellant management devices (PMD) such as vanes or galleries. Lynntech proposes to develop an additively manufactured surface tension-based PMD for use in AF M315E storage tanks to move the monopropellant, thus eliminating the need for a bulky pressurization system and tank bladder which decreases satellite weight and cost. Lynntech will leverage its decade of experience with additive manufacturing to produce PMDs from prototype to flight-ready. Phase I will focus on design and determining the limits to feasibility. The new PMD will be scalable from nanosat applications up to large satellites.