Development of liquid flow metering assemblies for space

As it is impossible to directly use commercial liquid flow meters in space, a study was done for the European Space Agency to adapt commercial flow meter assemblies for spacecraft applications. The activities led to the selection of two commercial units, which were re-designed and adapted for use in spacecraft single-phase (water) and two-phase (ammonia) thermal control loops. These flow meter assemblies were tested according to an agreed test programme, that included performance and calibration tests in a test bench (developed during the study), vibration and EMC/EMI testing. The results are discussed to assess to what extent the study objectives were met. Recommendations for future work are given.