Gas-liquid separation device available for microgravity and lunar surface

Abstract

The invention relates to a gas-liquid separation device available for microgravity and lunar surface. The gas-liquid separation device comprises a gas-liquid separation cavity, a spiral flow guide structure, a metal net and two layers of porous media. The gas-liquid separation device is applied to a manned spacecraft environment control and life support system and is used for separating urine of astronauts from mixed gas-liquid fluid. A plurality of gas-liquid mixture inlets, an exhaust port and a liquid discharge port are formed outside the gas-liquid separation cavity, a spiral flow guide structure is arranged inside the gas-liquid separation cavity, and a layer of metal net is clamped between two layers of porous media below a flow guide plate. Gas-liquid mixed fluid enters the gas-liquid separation cavity through a plurality of inlet pipelines above and sequentially passes through the spiral flow guide structure, the metal net and the porous medium, finally liquid is discharged through a liquid outlet below the porous medium, gas in the gas-liquid mixed fluid is discharged through an exhaust port above the device, and gas-liquid separation in the urine mixed gas-liquid fluid is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of fluid control and relates to a gas-liquid separation device that can be used in microgravity and on the lunar surface. Background Art

[0002] Astronauts need to urinate 4-6 times a day in the new spacecraft. The urine discharged by the astronauts is first blown into the urine tank by low-pressure gas. The gas-liquid mixture containing a large amount of gas is blown into the tank. Due to the limited volume of the tank, the internal space will soon be filled with low-pressure gas, and urine cannot be blown into it. Separating the gas in the gas-liquid mixture can effectively increase the utilization rate of the tank, and it has great prospects for promotion and application on manned spacecraft. The gas-liquid separator currently used only uses capillary water-absorbing materials to separate the liquid urine in the gas-liquid mixture. No fluid rotation is generated inside the separator, and the separation efficiency is low. Therefore, it is of great engineering application value to study an efficient gas-liquid separation device that can be used in microgravity and on the lunar surface. Summary of the invention

[0003] The technical problem solved by the present invention is: in view of the deficiencies of the prior art, a gas-liquid separation device that can be used in microgravity and on the lunar surface is proposed to solve the gas-liquid separation problem of the gas-liquid mixed fluid of astronauts' urine.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention is: a gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface, comprising a gas-liquid separation chamber, a spiral guide structure, a guide plate fixing column section, an upper porous medium, a metal mesh and a lower porous medium;

[0005] The middle part of the gas-liquid separation chamber is a cylindrical section, and the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical section are conical structures; the cylindrical section of the gas-liquid separation chamber is provided with a plurality of gas-liquid mixture inlets symmetrically distributed along the circumferential direction, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid forms a vortex in the gas-liquid separation chamber through the gas-liquid mixture inlet, and the top of the upper conical structure of the gas-liquid separation chamber is provided with an exhaust port, and the top of the lower conical structure is provided with a liquid discharge port;

[0006] The spiral guide structure is arranged inside the cylindrical section of the gas-liquid separation chamber, and there is a gap between the spiral guide structure and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber, which is used to guide the liquid; a guide plate fixing column section is provided at the edge of the spiral guide structure, and is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber through the guide plate fixing column section; the upper porous medium, the metal mesh, and the lower porous medium are all arranged in the lower conical structure of the gas-liquid separation chamber, and the metal mesh is between the upper porous medium and the lower porous medium, which is used to prevent the gas from flowing to the discharge port.

[0007] Furthermore, the angle between the gas-liquid mixture inlet and the axial direction of the gas-liquid separation chamber is 20° to 40°, and the angle between the gas-liquid mixture inlet and the tangent direction of the side wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber is 50° to 70°.

[0008] Furthermore, the gap between the spiral guide structure and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber is 1-3 mm.

[0009] Furthermore, the spiral guide structure is a spiral structure with multiple circles stacked, the angle between the plane of each circle and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber is 10°~15°, and the angle between each ring and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber gradually decreases from top to bottom.

[0010] Furthermore, the height of the upper end of the spiral guide structure is consistent with the height of the gas-liquid mixture inlet, and the lower end is in contact with the upper porous medium.

[0011] Furthermore, the bubble bursting point of the metal mesh is above 6000Pa.

[0012] Furthermore, the exhaust port, the gas-liquid mixture inlet, the gas-liquid separation chamber, and the liquid discharge port are all made of TC4 titanium alloy.

[0013] Furthermore, both the upper porous medium and the lower porous medium are sponges.

[0014] Furthermore, the mesh structure of the metal mesh adopts industrial pure titanium TA1, and the mesh number is (135-325)×(900-2300).

[0015] Furthermore, the diameter of the gas-liquid mixture inlet pipe is selected in the range of 35 mm to 45 mm.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention compared with the prior art are:

[0017] (1) The gas-liquid separation device provided by the present invention creatively adopts a method of combining a gradual spiral guide plate with a porous water-absorbing medium to achieve gas-liquid separation. The device utilizes the cyclone separation effect generated by the physical structure itself to centrifuge urine to the edge and form an air column in the center, thereby achieving efficient physical separation of the gas-liquid mixture blown into the tank, meeting the astronauts' urine storage needs;

[0018] (2) The gas-liquid separation device of the present invention can improve the volume utilization rate of the storage tank, increase the urine storage capacity of a single storage tank, and save the space and weight of the propulsion system;

[0019] (3) The gas-liquid separation device of the present invention adopts a full titanium alloy shell, which is small in size and light in weight, and is suitable for the microgravity environment of space; the gas-liquid separation device is a fully mechanical structure with a simple structure and high reliability;

[0020] (4) The gas-liquid separation device of the present invention injects the gas-liquid mixture into the separator device through a multi-channel equal flow resistance inlet pipeline, and forms a vortex in the separation chamber by setting the inlet angle. The internal spiral guide structure is used to realize the cyclonic centrifugal separation of urine to the porous medium below, and the double-layer porous medium below collects and discharges the urine; the porous medium is divided into an upper and a lower layer by a metal mesh, and the bubble bursting point of the metal mesh is above 6000Pa, which can effectively prevent the gas from flowing to the storage tank. A pressure less than the bubble bursting point can ensure that there is no gas penetration, and finally a gas-liquid separation function of 400-800ml / min under a driving gas pressure of 4-6kPa can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is an external view of a gas-liquid separation device that can be used in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the internal structure of a gas-liquid separation device that can be used in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 It is a top view of the spiral guide structure and the guide plate fixed column section;

[0024] In the figure: 1-exhaust port, 2-gas-liquid mixture inlet, 3-gas-liquid separation chamber, 4-liquid discharge port, 5-spiral guide structure, 6-guide plate fixed column section, 7-upper porous medium, 8-metal mesh, 9-lower porous medium. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0026] Example 1

[0027] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the present embodiment proposes a gas-liquid separation device that can be used in microgravity and on the lunar surface, including a gas-liquid separation chamber 3, a spiral guide structure 5, a guide plate fixing column section 6, an upper porous medium 7, a metal mesh 8, and a lower porous medium 9.

[0028] The middle part of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is a cylindrical section, and the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical section are conical structures; the cylindrical section of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is provided with four gas-liquid mixture inlets 2 symmetrically distributed along the circumferential direction, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid forms a vortex in the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 through the gas-liquid mixture inlet 2, and the top of the upper conical structure of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is provided with an exhaust port 1, and the top of the lower conical structure of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is provided with a liquid discharge port 4;

[0029] The spiral guide structure 5 is arranged inside the cylindrical section of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, and there is a gap of 1-3 mm between the spiral guide structure 5 and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, which is used to guide the liquid; the edge of the spiral guide structure 5 is provided with a guide plate fixing column section 6, which is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 through the guide plate fixing column section 6. The upper porous medium 7, the metal mesh 8, and the lower porous medium 9 are all arranged inside the lower conical structure of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, and the metal mesh 8 is arranged between the upper porous medium 7 and the lower porous medium 9 to prevent the gas from flowing to the discharge port 4.

[0030] The gas-liquid mixed fluid enters the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 through four gas-liquid mixture inlets 2 at the same time, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid passes through the spiral guide structure 5, the upper porous medium 7, the metal mesh 8, and the lower porous medium 9 inside the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 to achieve gas-liquid separation. The gas therein is discharged through the exhaust port 1, and the liquid is discharged through the liquid discharge port 4.

[0031] The angle between the gas-liquid mixture inlet 2 and the axial direction of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is 20° to 40°, and the angle between the gas-liquid mixture inlet 2 and the tangent direction of the side wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is 50° to 70°, so as to ensure that the gas-liquid mixed fluid can generate a vortex after flowing in from the gas-liquid mixture inlet 2. After entering the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, the gas-liquid mixed fluid moves along the spiral guide structure 5 to form a vortex, and the centrifugal force generated by the vortex is used to adsorb the liquid urine in the gas-liquid mixed fluid to the gap between the spiral guide structure 5 and the side wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, and is guided downward by the spiral guide structure 5 and collected into the two layers of porous media.

[0032] Preferably, the spiral guide structure 5 is a spiral structure with multiple circles stacked, and the angle between the plane where each circle is located and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 is 10° to 15°, and the angle between each ring and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 gradually decreases from top to bottom. The upper end height of the spiral guide structure 5 is consistent with the height of the gas-liquid mixture inlet 2, and the lower end is in contact with the upper porous medium 7.

[0033] The bubble bursting point of the metal mesh 8 is above 6000 Pa, which can effectively prevent the gas from flowing toward the lower drain port 4.

[0034] The exhaust port 1, the gas-liquid mixture inlet 2, the gas-liquid separation chamber 3, and the liquid discharge port 4 are all made of TC4 titanium alloy, which is light in weight and adaptable to the microgravity environment of space.

[0035] The upper porous medium 7 and the lower porous medium 9 are both made of sponge.

[0036] The gas-liquid mixture inlet 2, the exhaust port 1 and the liquid discharge port 4 are connected with the gas-liquid separation chamber 3 by welding, and have a simple structure and high reliability.

[0037] The metal mesh 8 needs to be cleaned and tested for cleanliness before assembly, and particles larger than 20 μm are not allowed; the mesh structure of the metal mesh 8 adopts industrial pure titanium TA1, and the mesh number is (135-325)×(900-2300).

[0038] The principle for selecting the diameter of the gas-liquid mixture inlet 2 is as follows: the diameter of the mixture pipe ranges from 35mm to 45mm. The measured diameter flowing through this range can achieve a gas-liquid separation function of 400-800ml / min under a driving gas pressure of 4-6kpa.

[0039] In summary, the gas-liquid separation device of this embodiment divides the collected mixed fluid containing urine and air into four paths, which are respectively connected to the four equal flow resistance inlet pipes of the gas-liquid separation device. The gas-liquid mixture is injected into the separation chamber along the tangential direction of the circumference of the gas-liquid separation chamber. The gas-liquid mixture entering the separation chamber will rotate: the liquid urine therein is adsorbed to the gap between the guide plate and the side wall of the separation chamber, and the liquid urine is transmitted downward; the gas forms an air column in the center and is discharged upward along the exhaust port. After being adsorbed by the porous medium, the liquid urine continues to be transmitted downward, passes through the metal mesh and enters the bottom layer of the porous medium. After the liquid urine is collected in the lower layer of the porous medium, it will be discharged along the bottom drain port of the device to achieve gas-liquid separation.

[0040] Although the present invention has been disclosed as above in the form of a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the present invention by using the methods and technical contents disclosed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

[0041] The contents not described in detail in the specification of the present invention belong to the common knowledge of those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface, characterized in that: It comprises a gas-liquid separation chamber (3), a spiral flow guide structure (5), a flow guide plate fixing column section (6), an upper porous medium (7), a metal mesh (8) and a lower porous medium (9); The middle part of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) is a cylindrical section, and the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical section are conical structures; the cylindrical section of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) is provided with a plurality of gas-liquid mixture inlets (2) symmetrically distributed along the circumferential direction, and the gas-liquid mixed fluid passes through the gas-liquid mixture inlets (2) to form a vortex in the gas-liquid separation chamber (3); the top of the upper conical structure of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) is provided with an exhaust port (1), and the top of the lower conical structure is provided with a liquid discharge port (4); The spiral guide structure (5) is arranged inside the cylindrical section of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3), and there is a gap between the spiral guide structure (5) and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3), and is used to guide the liquid; a guide plate fixing column section (6) is provided at the edge of the spiral guide structure (5), and the guide plate fixing column section (6) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3); the upper porous medium (7), the metal mesh (8), and the lower porous medium (9) are all arranged in the lower conical structure of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3); the metal mesh (8) is located between the upper porous medium (7) and the lower porous medium (9), and is used to prevent the gas from flowing toward the liquid discharge port (4).

2. A gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The included angle between the gas-liquid mixture inlet (2) and the axial direction of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) is 20° to 40°, and the included angle between the gas-liquid mixture inlet (2) and the tangent direction of the side wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) is 50° to 70°.

3. The gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gap between the spiral flow-guiding structure (5) and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) is 1-3 mm.

4. The gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spiral guide structure (5) is a spiral structure with multiple circles stacked, the angle between the plane where each circle is located and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) is 10° to 15°, and the angle between each circular ring and the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) gradually decreases from top to bottom.

5. The gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height of the upper end of the spiral flow-guiding structure (5) is consistent with the height of the gas-liquid mixture inlet (2), and the lower end is in contact with the upper porous medium (7).

6. The gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bubble bursting point of the metal mesh (8) is above 6000Pa.

7. The gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The exhaust port (1), the gas-liquid mixture inlet (2), the gas-liquid separation chamber (3) and the liquid discharge port (4) are all made of TC4 titanium alloy.

8. The gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper porous medium (7) and the lower porous medium (9) are both made of sponge.

9. The gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mesh structure of the metal mesh (8) is made of industrial pure titanium TA1, and the mesh number is (135-325)×(900-2300).

10. The gas-liquid separation device usable in microgravity and on the lunar surface according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the gas-liquid mixture inlet (2) is selected in the range of 35 mm to 45 mm.

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