Development of a centrifugal oil lubricator for long-term lubrication of spacecraft attitude control systems-design and theory

Spacecraft, irrespective of their mission's purpose, contain a number of moving mechanical assemblies such as momentum/reaction wheels, control moment gyros, solar array drives, etc. Most problems encountered with these moving systems are related to tribology and, specifically, lubrication. Lubrication problems result from the loss of lubricant from the working zone by evaporation, surface migration, etc. Therefore, to ensure long-term uninterrupted performance of these systems, an efficient lubricant replenishment system is essential. This article describes the development of a novel lubricant supply system that can supply lubricant for more than 30 years at a controlled rate of few micrograms/hour. A mathematical model of a such lubrication system is developed to predict its useful life and performance. In addition, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation study of the lubricator is carried out and the results are used to verify and refine the theoretical model. Finally, the refined model is used to predict the performance of the lubricator for a period of 30 years. © Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers.