Transient behavior of the DYNASWIRL® phase separator during cryogenics tank-to-tank transfer operations

Abstract

In order to separate gas and liquid from a two-phase mixture in space or earth applications, one can generate a strong artificial acceleration field instead of relying on gravity. This can be achieved by generating a swirl flow in a separator. The DYNASWIRL® phase separator is such a passive device, which had been demonstrated in air/water mixtures in the laboratory and on five reduced gravity NASA parabolic flights. In this work, extensive laboratory testing and numerical simulations are conducted to demonstrate the validity of the DYNASWIRL for phase separation with cryogenics. Liquid nitrogen (LN₂) is used for extensive testing involving unsteady tank-to-tank transfer with quenching of separator and piping, liquid boil-off and vaporization, phase separation and recovery. This paper describes the separator and testing setups used. It examines the effects of the liquid (water and LN₂), geometric parameters, and their effects on the separation and on the pressure loss across the separator, and analyzes the flow dynamics of the gas removal process. Validated numerical simulations support the experimental results and help explain the effects of the design parameters on the results.