JPH0380041B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a gas separation device for separating gas mixed into a fluid under low gravity conditions such as a space base.

[Conventional technology]

When experiments are conducted in a closed space such as a spacecraft or space base, electronic equipment and experimental equipment often generate heat, and if left unattended, the performance of each equipment may deteriorate and the living environment may deteriorate. I'll be there.

For this reason, a cooling system using water, fluorocarbon, or the like as a cooling medium is provided to radiate heat to the outside.

If gas is mixed into the cooling medium used in such a cooling system, the heat transfer efficiency will decrease, making it impossible to maintain a constant temperature even if the circulation amount is kept the same.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Therefore, it is necessary to separate the gas in the cooling medium, but spacecraft and space bases are in low-gravity environments, so unlike on the ground, it is necessary to separate the gas in the cooling medium by statically separating it using the difference in specific gravity between gas and liquid. Gas-liquid separation cannot be performed by leaving it as it is.

In addition, in confined spaces such as spacecraft and space bases, if the cooling medium leaks when separating gases, there is the problem of environmental pollution, such as contaminating the living space or adversely affecting other equipment. .

This invention was made in view of the problems of the prior art, and aims to provide a gas separation device for low gravity that can perform gas-liquid separation even under low gravity and does not cause liquid leakage. It is.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above problems, a first means of the present invention is to attach a stator of an electric motor to the outer periphery of a cylindrical casing through which the liquid to be separated flows, and to rotatably provide a rotor of the electric motor in the center of the casing. , a perforated cylinder with many holes formed on the side is installed concentrically with the rotor, and a gas vent is provided in the center of the perforated cylinder to discharge the centrifuged gas to the outside of the casing. A second means of the present invention is to attach a stator of an electric motor to the outer periphery of a cylindrical casing through which the liquid to be separated flows, and to rotatably provide a rotor of the electric motor in the center of the casing. A perforated cylinder with many holes formed on the side surface is installed concentrically with this rotor, and a pump impeller for supplying and discharging the liquid to be separated into the casing is installed coaxially with this rotor. It is characterized by having a gas vent in the center for discharging the centrifuged gas to the outside of the casing.

[Effect]

In the gas separation device of the first invention, the liquid to be separated is caused to flow inside a cylindrical casing, a stator of an electric motor is arranged around the outer periphery of the casing, a rotor is arranged at the center of the casing, and the rotor is used for centrifugal separation. A perforated cylinder is attached to the casing, the sealed structure applies centrifugal force, and the mass difference between the gas and liquid is used to collect the gas in the center, which is then sucked out of the casing from the gas vent using a vacuum pump. .

In addition, in the gas separation device of the second invention, not only the porous cylinder but also the impeller of the pump are attached to the rotor provided at the center of the casing, and the rotor is provided with the function of supplying and discharging the liquid to be separated to the casing. This eliminates the need for a pump for supplying and discharging the liquid to be separated, thereby reducing the size of the device that performs gas separation by centrifugation and reducing the number of connections.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of a gas separation device for use under low gravity according to the present invention.

This gas separation device 10 includes a cylindrical casing 11 that can be inserted in the middle of a pipe through which a liquid to be separated flows, and is connected to the pipe by bolts, welding, or the like at a flange portion (not shown).

A coil 12 constituting the stator of the electric motor is attached to the outer periphery of the casing 11 via an insulating material, and a rotor 13 made of permanent magnets of the electric motor is arranged in the center of the casing 11, and rotates. The rotating shafts 14 at both ends of the child 13 are connected to the casing 11, respectively.
It is rotatably supported by a bearing 15 mounted at the center.

Therefore, by energizing the coil 12, the permanent magnet 13 inside the casing 11 can be rotated, and power can be extracted from the rotating shaft 14.

The rotor 13 and the integral rotating shaft 14 include
A porous cylinder 17 with one end closed and a large number of holes 16 formed on the side surface is installed concentrically so that the open end is on the upstream side of the liquid to be separated and the closed end is on the downstream side, and covers the rotor 13. It's becoming like that.

Therefore, as the rotor 13 rotates, the porous cylinder 17 also rotates, applying centrifugal force to the liquid to be separated flowing in from the open end, and directing the liquid with a large mass into the holes 16.
Gas with a small mass can be collected in the center of the porous cylinder 17.

In order to discharge the separated gas accumulated in the center of the porous cylinder 17 to the outside of the casing 11, the rotary shaft 14 on the closed end side of the porous cylinder 17 has a hollow structure, and the gas opens laterally into the porous cylinder 17. An extraction port 18 is formed. Then, the gas exhaust pipe 19 is arranged so as to face the end surface of the hollow rotating shaft 14,
While being supported by the bearing 15, the casing 11
It is introduced to the outside through the tube and connected to a vacuum pump (not shown).

The gas separation device 10 configured as described above is used in a low gravity environment such as a spacecraft or a space base, and is installed, for example, in a cooling medium circulation path of a cooling system.
It is installed in a bypass path that is separate from the cooling medium circulation path, and is used only when gas-liquid separation is required. In this case, since it is under low gravity unlike on the ground, the installation state may be arbitrary, such as horizontal or vertical.

For gas separation, the rotor 13 is rotated,
When the liquid to be separated, which is a mixture of gas and liquid, is supplied into the casing 11 by the pump of the cooling system while the porous cylinder 17 is rotating, centrifugal force is applied, the gas and liquid are separated due to the mass difference, and the liquid component is It is discharged from the perforated cylinder 17 through the hole 16 and returned to the circulation path etc. from the other end of the casing 11.

On the other hand, the separated gas accumulates inside the closed end of the porous cylinder 17, and is sucked and exhausted by a vacuum pump or the like through the gas exhaust pipe 19 via the gas vent 18 and the hollow rotating shaft 14.

According to such a gas separation device 10, gas separation can be performed even in a low gravity environment, and since rotating parts such as the porous cylinder 17 are completely covered with the casing 11, leakage of liquid to be separated, etc. is prevented. There is no
Contamination of living spaces such as space bases and adverse effects on other equipment are prevented.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on FIG. 2. Note that the same parts as in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same numbers and explanations are omitted.

This gas separation device 20 is constructed by incorporating a pump 21 for supplying and discharging the liquid to be separated into the casing 11 into the gas separation device 10 shown in FIG. 1 above.

For this reason, it is arranged in the center of the casing 11,
Of the rotating shafts 14 of the rotor 13 rotatably supported by bearings 15, the rotating shaft 14 on the inflow side of the liquid to be separated (the right side in FIG. 2) is extended, and the casing 11 is also extended.

A pump 2 is attached to the extension of this rotating shaft 14.
1 is attached to the impeller 22 constituting the rotating shaft 1.
It is adapted to be rotated integrally with 4. For this reason, the coil 12 and rotor 13 that constitute the electric motor are designed to ensure the performance necessary for driving the porous cylinder 17 and the impeller 22.

The gas separation device 20 configured as described above uses the mass difference between the liquid and the gas to centrifugally separate the gas by applying centrifugal force using the porous cylinder.
3, the impeller 22 of the pump 21 rotates, so that the liquid to be separated is supplied to the gas separation device 2.
You can do it with just 0.

Therefore, it is possible to separate the gas while the cooling system is not operating, and it can be used independently from the cooling system even when there is a limit on the amount of power supplied to a space base, etc. The device can be made more compact.

In the above embodiment, the casing has a cylindrical shape, but it may have another shape, and the motor may also have a configuration other than a coil and a permanent magnet.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above in detail with the embodiments, according to the present invention, a rotor is provided in the casing, and the rotor drives the porous cylinder in the casing to rotate the liquid to be separated by centrifugal force. This allows gas to be separated even under low gravity conditions, such as zero gravity, and prevents gas from getting mixed in during assembly on the ground or during maintenance on spacecraft or space bases. can be easily removed to ensure heat transfer performance.

Furthermore, since the rotating part is completely covered with a casing and has a sealed structure, there is no leakage of the liquid to be separated, which prevents contamination due to leakage at space bases, etc., and does not adversely affect other equipment.

Furthermore, by providing a pump impeller within the casing, the liquid to be separated can be supplied and discharged, the gas separation device can be operated independently of other equipment, and the device can be made more compact.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are longitudinal cross-sectional views of an embodiment of a gas separation device for use under low gravity according to the present invention. 10, 20... Gas separation device, 11... Casing, 12... Coil, 13... Rotor, 14...
... Rotating shaft, 15 ... Bearing, 16 ... Hole, 17 ...
Porous cylinder, 18... gas vent, 19... gas exhaust pipe, 21... pump, 22... impeller.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A stator of an electric motor is attached to the outer periphery of a cylindrical casing through which the liquid to be separated flows, a rotor of the electric motor is rotatably provided in the center of this casing, and a side wall is provided concentrically with the rotor. A gas separation system for use under low gravity, characterized in that a perforated cylinder with a large number of holes is attached to the casing, and a gas vent is provided in the center of the perforated cylinder to discharge centrifuged gas to the outside of the casing. Device. 2 The stator of the electric motor is attached to the outer periphery of the cylindrical casing through which the liquid to be separated flows, the rotor of the electric motor is rotatably provided in the center of this casing, and many holes are formed on the side surface concentrically with this rotor. At the same time, a pump impeller for supplying and discharging the liquid to be separated into the casing is installed coaxially with this rotor, while the centrifuged gas is discharged to the outside of the casing in the center of this perforated cylinder. A gas separation device for use under low gravity, characterized by the provision of a gas vent.