Development of a passive phase separator for space and earth applications

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Extended human space exploration necessitates efficient recycling of vital resources like liquids and gases.
• Gas-liquid mixtures are common in fluid recycling systems, posing separation challenges, especially in microgravity where buoyancy is absent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a passive phase separator for reliable and efficient separation of gas-liquid mixtures.
• To address the challenges of separating intermixed fluids in microgravity environments.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel passive phase separator design.
• Testing the separator's performance across a range of flow rates and void fractions.
• Validation of the separator's applicability in both space and terrestrial environments.

Main Results:

• The passive phase separator demonstrates efficient and reliable performance.
• Successful separation of gas-liquid mixtures with both high and low void fractions.
• The device operates effectively across a wide range of flow rates.

Conclusions:

• The developed passive phase separator is a viable solution for fluid management in space missions.
• The technology has potential applications in terrestrial fluid processing and recycling systems.