Pressure-Driven Phase Separation Based on Modified Porous Mesh for Liquid Management in Microgravity.

Area of Science:

• Spacecraft engineering
• Fluid dynamics
• Materials science

Background:

• Microgravity environments amplify surface tension effects on gas-liquid interfaces.
• Instability in gas-liquid distribution poses significant risks to spacecraft missions.
• Porous materials offer a promising passive solution for microgravity liquid management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate pressure-driven phase separation using porous materials.
• To understand the combined effects of single-phase flow, breakthrough, and self-healing on liquid acquisition.
• To develop and validate a fabrication strategy for improved phase separation performance.

Main Methods:

• Experimental investigation of pressure-driven phase separation mechanisms.
• Characterization of separation efficiency via breakthrough threshold pressure and flow resistance.
• Fabrication of modified porous materials to enhance surface wettability while preserving morphology.
• Integration of modified mesh into a screen channel liquid acquisition device.
• Evaluation of performance in an antigravity delivery experiment (-g0).

Main Results:

• A novel fabrication strategy successfully increased critical breakthrough threshold pressure without adding flow resistance.
• The modified porous material demonstrated significant improvements in liquid acquisition capability.
• The integrated device showed an over 80% increase in achievable flow rate.
• Reseal flow rate for gas-free water delivery improved by over 200%.

Conclusions:

• The proposed fabrication strategy is effective for enhancing porous materials used in microgravity phase separation.
• This method provides a viable alternative for advanced liquid management in spacecraft.
• The findings contribute to a better understanding of phase separation phenomena in microgravity.