Circulating-ejector microgravity gas-liquid separation device and method of use thereof

Abstract

The application provides a circulating injection type micro-gravity gas-liquid separation device and a use method thereof. The device comprises a storage tank, a gas-liquid separation structure is arranged in the storage tank, the gas-liquid separation structure divides the internal space of the storage tank into a gas-liquid two-phase chamber and a liquid-phase chamber; an inlet communicating with the gas-liquid two-phase chamber and an outlet communicating with the liquid-phase chamber are arranged on the storage tank; a three-way pipeline comprising a main path channel and a bypass channel is connected to the outlet of the storage tank, a secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure is arranged at the inlet of the main path channel; an ejector is arranged outside the storage tank and is in sealed connection with the inlet of the storage tank, the mouth inlet of the ejector is used for introducing a gas-liquid two-phase flow, and the inlet of the contraction zone is connected to the outlet of the bypass channel through an injection pipeline; the gas-liquid separation structure and the secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure are used for gas-liquid two-phase separation. The ejector is introduced, the gas-liquid two-phase flow enriched with the gas phase in the secondary gas-liquid separation is introduced into the gas-liquid two-phase chamber again by using the injection characteristics of the ejector, circulation is realized, the gas is prevented from passing through the secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure, and high-efficiency gas-liquid separation is realized.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of gas-liquid separation in microgravity environment, and particularly relates to a circulating-ejection-type microgravity gas-liquid separation device and a use method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] In a microgravity environment, gas-liquid two phases cannot be automatically separated under the action of gravity, and present an amorphous state. Under the interference of external other forces, even mixing and dispersion phenomena can occur, which brings many challenges to the pressure control of the storage tank and the subsequent pure liquid phase acquisition. The gas-liquid separation technology in a microgravity environment is widely used in space station materialization regeneration and life support systems, engine / pump liquid phase acquisition systems, space thermal control systems, and future deep space exploration activities. Realizing efficient gas-liquid separation can effectively support the development of space technology, expand the scale and scope of space exploration tasks, solve the problem of pressure loss of control due to gas-liquid mixing, and ensure the stable control of temperature and humidity regulation, materialization regeneration and life support systems.

[0003] Currently, in order to realize gas-liquid separation in a microgravity environment, mainly rely on surface tension type, centrifugal type and other methods. For example, the gas-liquid separation structure composed of micron-level metal mesh curtain or capillary core, its principle is that liquid forms a liquid film under the action of capillary force of micron-level solid surface, when there is a pressure difference on both sides of the mesh curtain or capillary core, the liquid penetrates the mesh curtain or capillary core under the driving of the pressure difference, while the gas is blocked by the liquid film, in the case that the pressure difference on both sides is less than the bubble breaking pressure, the gas cannot penetrate the mesh curtain or capillary core, thereby realizing gas-liquid separation.

[0004] The existing surface tension type gas-liquid separation technology realizes gas-liquid separation through one or more levels of structure, but when the gas pressure in the storage tank rises to a certain extent, the gas is easy to penetrate the mesh curtain or capillary core, resulting in a decrease in separation effect, a short effective gas-liquid separation time, and an inability to adapt to high-frequency and large-amplitude pressure changes. SUMMARY

[0005] In order to solve the problems of poor gas-liquid separation effect and short effective use time of the prior art, the present application provides a circulating-ejection-type microgravity gas-liquid separation device and a use method thereof.

[0006] The present application realizes the following technical scheme:

[0007] A circulating-ejection-type microgravity gas-liquid separation device, comprising a storage tank, wherein a gas-liquid separation structure is arranged in the storage tank, and the gas-liquid separation structure divides the internal space of the storage tank into a gas-liquid two-phase chamber and a liquid phase chamber.

[0008] The storage tank is provided with an inlet communicated with the gas-liquid two-phase chamber and an outlet communicated with the liquid-phase chamber; the outlet of the storage tank is connected with a three-way pipeline, the three-way pipeline includes a main channel and a bypass channel, and a secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure is arranged at the inlet of the main channel; an ejector is arranged outside the storage tank and is in sealed connection with the inlet of the storage tank, the nozzle inlet of the ejector is in connection with the gas-liquid two-phase flow, and the inlet of the contraction zone of the ejector is connected with the outlet of the bypass channel through an injection pipeline.

[0009] The gas-liquid separation structure and the secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure are used for gas-liquid two-phase separation.

[0010] Preferably, the gas-liquid separation structure includes an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder sleeved together, one end of the inner cylinder is in sealed connection with the inlet of the storage tank, one end of the outer cylinder close to the inlet of the storage tank is provided with an outward flange structure, the outer cylinder is connected with the storage tank through the flange structure, and the other end of the inner cylinder and the other end of the outer cylinder are connected together.

[0011] Further, a heating rod is arranged in the gas-liquid two-phase chamber, and a cooling companion is wound on the outer surface of the storage tank cylinder.

[0012] Preferably, a heating rod is arranged in the gas-liquid two-phase chamber, and a cooling companion is wound on the outer surface of the storage tank cylinder.

[0013] Preferably, a pressure regulating gate valve is arranged at the outlet of the bypass channel, and the inlet of the contraction zone of the ejector is connected with the pressure regulating gate valve through an injection pipeline.

[0014] Preferably, one end of the storage tank is a perforated head, and the hole of the perforated head is the inlet of the storage tank.

[0015] Preferably, the gas-liquid separation structure is made of a micron-level metal mesh curtain or a capillary core.

[0016] Preferably, the secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure is made of a micron-level metal mesh curtain or a capillary core.

[0017] The use method of the circulating injection type microgravity gas-liquid separation device includes:

[0018] The gas-liquid two-phase flow is injected into the ejector from the nozzle inlet of the ejector, enters the gas-liquid two-phase chamber through the contraction zone of the ejector, the pressure difference between the gas-liquid two-phase chamber and the liquid-phase chamber is increased, the liquid is driven to seep from the gas-liquid separation structure to the liquid-phase chamber, and the first-stage gas-liquid separation is realized; the liquid in the liquid-phase chamber enters the three-way pipeline, is subjected to secondary gas-liquid separation through the secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure arranged in the main channel, the separated gas is enriched in the bypass channel and is injected into the ejector through the injection pipeline under the injection action of the low-pressure area of the contraction zone of the ejector, and then re-enters the gas-liquid two-phase chamber through the ejector, so that the circulating gas-liquid separation is formed.

[0019] The method for using the circulating-ejector micro-gravity gas-liquid separation device comprises the following steps:

[0020] The gas-liquid two-phase flow is injected into the ejector from the nozzle inlet of the ejector, enters the contraction zone of the ejector, and is heated or cooled by the heating rod or the accompanying cooling to adjust the temperature, the pressure difference between the gas-liquid two-phase chamber and the liquid phase chamber is increased, the liquid is driven to seep from the gas-liquid separation structure to the liquid phase chamber to realize primary gas-liquid separation, the liquid in the liquid phase chamber enters the three-way pipeline and is subjected to secondary gas-liquid separation through the secondary liquid acquisition structure located in the main channel, the separated gas is enriched in the bypass channel and reaches the ejector through the ejector pipeline under the action of the contraction zone of the ejector, and then re-enters the gas-liquid two-phase chamber through the ejector, thereby forming a circulating gas-liquid separation.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] The present application innovatively proposes the concept of "circulating-ejector gas-liquid separation", introduces the ejector into the gas-liquid separation system, re-introduces the enriched gas phase of the gas-liquid two-phase flow in the secondary gas-liquid separation into the gas-liquid two-phase chamber by using the ejecting characteristics of the ejector to realize circulation, avoids the gas passing through the secondary liquid acquisition structure, and realizes high-efficiency gas-liquid separation. In addition, the present application realizes primary gas-liquid separation by using the gas-liquid separation structure and realizes secondary gas-liquid separation by using the secondary liquid acquisition structure, which can achieve better separation effect than only using primary gas-liquid separation. The present application can effectively avoid the gas-liquid mixing in the pipeline in the micro-gravity environment and significantly improve the safety of space equipment.

[0023] Further, the structure design of the gas-liquid separation structure of the present application is simple and makes the overall device structure compact.

[0024] Further, the heating rod is inserted into the gas-liquid two-phase chamber, and the cooling companion is wound on the outer surface of the storage tank cylinder, which is used for realizing temperature adjustment and gas-liquid phase change control of the medium in the storage tank. The setting of the secondary liquid acquisition structure of the present application can separate the gas bubbles generated in the liquid phase chamber when heating, so that the device of the present application can realize medium temperature control and gas-liquid separation at the same time, can solve the problem that the gas bubbles in the liquid phase cannot be separated in time due to temperature changes caused by chemical reactions, heating and cooling and other operation processes. Compared with the existing gas-liquid separation technology which is mainly suitable for gas-liquid separation occasions with constant temperature, the present application is more in line with the actual application requirements and can solve the problem of gas bubbles in the liquid phase caused by temperature changes.

[0025] Further, the pressure regulating gate valve is used for adjusting the pressure before the secondary liquid acquisition structure and the pressure loss of the ejector pipeline. By adjusting the pressure regulating gate valve, the ejector and the secondary gas-liquid separation device can adapt to a wide range of back pressure working conditions, and high-efficiency gas-liquid separation can be realized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed in the embodiments or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and the other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort based on these drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a circulating injection type micro-gravity gas-liquid separation device of the present application;

[0028] The reference signs are: tank 1, open hole head 2, gas-liquid separation structure 3, gas-liquid condensation separation chamber 4, tank main chamber 5, three-way pipeline 6, main path channel 6a, bypass channel 6b, secondary liquid phase acquisition structure 7, pressure regulating gate valve 8, injection pipeline 9, injector 10, nozzle inlet 10a, contraction zone inlet 10b, heating rod 11, cooling carrier 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the following will combine the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, not all. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort are within the protection scope of the present application.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1 , the circulating injection type micro-gravity gas-liquid separation device comprises a tank 1 and an injector 10. One end of the tank 1 is an open hole head 2, and the outlet end of the injector 10 is sealingly inserted into the opening of the open hole head 2. The tank 1 is internally provided with a gas-liquid separation structure 3. The gas-liquid separation structure 3 comprises an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder which are sleeved together. One end of the inner cylinder is connected with the outlet end of the injector 10, and the end of the outer cylinder close to the open hole head 2 has an outward flange structure. The outer cylinder is connected and fixed with the tank 1 through the flange structure, and the other end of the inner cylinder and the other end of the outer cylinder are sealingly connected together. Thus, the gas-liquid separation structure 3 divides the internal space of the tank 1 into a gas-liquid two-phase chamber 4 and a liquid phase chamber 5.

[0031] In the specific embodiments of the present application, the inner cylinder, the outer cylinder of the gas-liquid separation structure 3 and the tank 1 are coaxially arranged.

[0032] The tank 1 is located in the part of the liquid phase chamber 5 provided with an outlet, and the outlet of the tank 1 is connected with a three-way pipe 6, which comprises a main path channel 6a and a bypass channel 6b. The secondary liquid phase acquisition structure 7 is arranged at the inlet of the main path channel 6a, and the pressure regulating gate valve 8 is arranged at the outlet of the bypass channel 6b. The nozzle inlet 10a of the ejector 10 is connected with the pressure regulating gate valve 8 through the injection pipe 9.

[0033] The pressure regulating gate valve 8 is used for adjusting the pressure before the secondary liquid phase acquisition structure 7 and the pressure loss of the injection pipe 9, so as to fully utilize the injection characteristics of the ejector 10 to realize the gas-liquid circulation.

[0034] The heating rod 11 is inserted into the tank 1, one end of the heating rod 11 extends into the inner cylinder from the other end of the inner cylinder of the gas-liquid separation structure 3, and the heating rod 1 is coaxially arranged with the inner cylinder. The heating rod 11 is coaxially arranged with the tank 1 and arranged at the inlet, the heating rod is subjected to forced convection heat exchange, the heat exchange effect is good, and the bubbles generated on the surface can be taken away in time. The outer surface of the tank 1 is wound with a cooling companion 12, and the large-area heat exchange condensation is fully utilized. The heating rod 11 and the cooling companion 12 are used for realizing the temperature adjustment and gas-liquid phase change control of the medium in the tank 1.

[0035] The gas-liquid separation structure 3 is made of a micron-level metal screen or a capillary core, and is used for gas-liquid two-phase separation.

[0036] The open hole head 2 is made of a double-layer head welded, and the bottom is provided with an opening hole, and has obvious gas-liquid two-phase uniform flow characteristics.

[0037] The secondary liquid phase acquisition structure 7 is made of a micron-level metal screen or a capillary core, and has obvious gas-blocking and liquid-transmitting characteristics.

[0038] Working principle and process:

[0039] With the gas-liquid separation process of liquid ammonia two-phase flow as an example, the single-layer metal mesh screen with the specification of DT-450×2750 is selected to make the gas-liquid separation structure 3, and the double-layer metal mesh screen with the specification of DT-450×2750 is selected to make the secondary liquid phase obtaining structure 7. During operation, the liquid ammonia two-phase flow with the volume flow rate of 1 L / min and the gas content of 20% is injected from the nozzle inlet 10a of the ejector 10, a low pressure area is formed in the contraction area 10b of the ejector, and then the liquid ammonia two-phase flow enters the gas-liquid two-phase chamber 4 through the opening head 2, the temperature of the medium can be adjusted and the phase change can be controlled in the space, due to the closed space, the pressure increases continuously with the injection, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the gas-liquid separation structure 3 increases, the liquid is driven to seep from the pores of the metal mesh screen to the liquid phase chamber 5, the residual gas phase is in full contact with the wall of the storage tank 1, and is condensed under the action of the cooling fin 12, at this time, the gas content of the liquid ammonia entering the liquid phase chamber 5 is reduced to below 1%, if the liquid ammonia needs to be heated, the heating rod 11 is opened, and the bubbles generated on the surface of the heating rod 11 are separated from the medium by forced convection. Then the liquid ammonia in the liquid phase chamber 5 enters the three-way pipeline 6, and the pure liquid phase passes through the secondary liquid phase obtaining structure 7 in the main channel 6a under the driving of the pressure difference, and the residual gas phase is further enriched in the bypass channel 6b, under the injection of the low pressure area in the contraction area 10b of the ejector, the liquid ammonia two-phase flow containing part of the gas phase reaches the ejector 10 through the injection pipeline 9, and then re-enters the gas-liquid two-phase chamber 4 through the opening head 2, thereby forming a circulating gas-liquid separation, and the pressure regulating gate valve 8 is used to adjust the pressure before the secondary liquid phase obtaining structure 7 and the pressure loss of the injection pipeline 9 to adapt to different working conditions.

[0040] The application ingeniously combines the injection characteristics of the ejector with the gas resistance and liquid permeability characteristics of the metal mesh screen or the capillary core, utilizes the surface tension and the pressure difference driving to realize the gas-liquid separation, circulation and liquid phase obtaining in the microgravity environment, and can effectively avoid the gas-liquid mixing in the pipeline in the microgravity environment, and significantly improve the safety of the space equipment.

[0041] Finally, it should be noted that: the above examples are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the application, but not to limit them; although the application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing examples, those skilled in the art should understand that: the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing examples can still be modified, or some or all of the technical features can be replaced by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the application.

Claims

1. A circulating-ejector microgravity gas-liquid separation device, characterized by, The application relates to a gas-liquid separation device, which comprises a storage tank (1) provided with a gas-liquid separation structure (3) inside, the gas-liquid separation structure (3) separates the internal space of the storage tank (1) into a gas-liquid two-phase chamber (4) and a liquid-phase chamber (5); An inlet communicating with the gas-liquid two-phase chamber (4) and an outlet communicating with the liquid-phase chamber (5) are arranged on the storage tank (1); a three-way pipeline (6) is connected to the outlet of the storage tank (1), the three-way pipeline (6) comprises a main channel (6a) and a bypass channel (6b), a secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure (7) is arranged at the inlet of the main channel (6a); an ejector (10) is arranged outside the storage tank (1) and is in sealed connection with the inlet of the storage tank (1), the nozzle inlet (10a) of the ejector (10) is provided with a gas-liquid two-phase flow, and the inlet of the contraction zone (10b) of the ejector (10) is connected with the outlet of the bypass channel (6b) through an injection pipeline (9); The gas-liquid separation structure (3) and the secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure (7) are used for gas-liquid two-phase separation; the gas-liquid separation structure (3) is made of a micron-level metal screen or a capillary core; the secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure (7) is made of a micron-level metal screen or a capillary core; The gas-liquid separation structure (3) comprises an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder which are sleeved together, one end of the inner cylinder is in sealed connection with the inlet of the storage tank (1), one end of the outer cylinder close to the inlet of the storage tank (1) is provided with an outward flange structure, the outer cylinder is connected with the storage tank (1) through the flange structure, and the other end of the inner cylinder and the other end of the outer cylinder are connected together; a heating rod (11) is arranged in the gas-liquid two-phase chamber (4), and a cooling carrier (12) is wound on the outer surface of the cylinder body of the storage tank (1); one end of the heating rod (11) extends into the inner cylinder from the other end of the inner cylinder of the gas-liquid separation structure (3); A pressure regulating gate valve (8) is arranged at the outlet of the bypass channel (6b), and the inlet of the contraction zone (10b) of the ejector (10) is connected with the pressure regulating gate valve (8) through the injection pipeline (9).

2. The circulating-ejector microgravity gas-liquid separation device according to claim 1, wherein One end of the storage tank (1) is a perforated head (2), and the hole of the perforated head (2) is the inlet of the storage tank (1).

3. The method of using the circulating ejector microgravity gas-liquid separation device of claim 1, wherein, The gas-liquid two-phase flow is injected into the ejector (10) from the nozzle inlet (10a) of the ejector (10), enters the gas-liquid two-phase chamber (4) through the contraction zone (10b) of the ejector (10), is heated by the heating rod (11) or is cooled by the cooling carrier (12) to adjust the temperature, the pressure difference between the gas-liquid two-phase chamber (4) and the liquid-phase chamber (5) is increased, liquid is driven to seep from the gas-liquid separation structure (3) to the liquid-phase chamber (5), and primary gas-liquid separation is realized; the liquid in the liquid-phase chamber (5) enters the three-way pipeline (6), is subjected to secondary gas-liquid separation through the secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure (7) arranged in the main channel (6a), the pressure before the secondary liquid-phase acquisition structure (7) is adjusted through the pressure regulating gate valve (8), the separated gas is enriched in the bypass channel (6b) and is driven by the injection of the contraction zone (10b) of the ejector to pass through the injection pipeline (9) to the ejector (10), reenters the gas-liquid two-phase chamber (4) through the ejector (10), and thus a circulating gas-liquid separation is formed. ​

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