Diamagnetically Enhanced Electrolysis and Phase Separation in Low Gravity

Romero-Calvo, Álvaro; Schaub, Hanspeter; Cano-Gómez, Gabriel

doi:10.2514/1.a35021

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…This is an example of how all liquids are subject to magnetic polarization forces and can therefore be employed to induce phase separation in microgravity environments. The determination of such response, represented by the magnetic susceptibility, is relatively straightforward for simple solutions 35 , 55 . Complex mixtures, on the contrary, need to be characterized with magnetometers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the dynamic regime of interest, the movement of a spherical bubble in a liquid is described by the balance with being the virtual mass (that accounts for the surrounding fluid accelerated by the bubble 60 ), ρ g the gas density, x the position of the bubble, the magnetic polarization force, F d the viscous drag, and F h the history (or Basset) force 61 . The total magnetic polarization force acting on the bubble is 35 where is the differential magnetic susceptibility between the gas and the surrounding medium. This expression is valid for small bubbles and low-susceptibility gases and liquids, for which the external magnetic field module in the absence of magnetized samples, H 0 , is used as an approximation of H .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…( 4 ) and considering Eq. ( 6 ), resulting in 35 For the application of Eq. ( 7 ) results in the terminal velocity which can be useful for first-order bubble velocity estimations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Complementary to the aforementioned methods, the inherent dia- and paramagnetic properties of liquids can be employed for passive phase separation 35 . Inhomogeneous magnetic fields induce a weak volume force in continuous media 36 that, due to the differential magnetic properties between phases, results in a net buoyancy effect.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The magnetic polarization force on natural liquids is so weak that its effects on Earth are usually negligible. However, in a microgravity environment this weak interaction leads to a magnetic buoyancy effect that can be exploited to induce phase separation 35 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Magnetic phase separation in microgravity

et al. 2022

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The absence of strong buoyancy forces severely complicates the management of multiphase flows in microgravity. Different types of space systems, ranging from in-space propulsion to life support, are negatively impacted by this effect. Multiple approaches have been developed to achieve phase separation in microgravity, whereas they usually lack the robustness, efficiency, or stability that is desirable in most applications. Complementary to existing methods, the use of magnetic polarization has been recently proposed to passively induce phase separation in electrolytic cells and other two-phase flow devices. This article illustrates the dia- and paramagnetic phase separation mechanism on MilliQ water, an aqueous MnSO4 solution, lysogeny broth, and olive oil using air bubbles in a series of drop tower experiments. Expressions for the magnetic terminal bubble velocity are derived and validated and several wall–bubble and multi-bubble magnetic interactions are reported. Ultimately, the analysis demonstrates the feasibility of the dia- and paramagnetic phase separation approach, providing a key advancement for the development of future space systems.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…( 4 ) and considering Eq. ( 6 ), resulting in 35 For the application of Eq. ( 7 ) results in the terminal velocity which can be useful for first-order bubble velocity estimations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Magnetic phase separation in microgravity

et al. 2022

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Controlling a Free Surface With Thermocapillary Flows and Vibrations in Microgravity

Plaza,

Gligor,

Salgado Sánchez

et al. 2024

Microgravity Sci. Technol.

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Fluid manipulation and control is crucial for space exploration. Motivated by the “Thermocapillary-based control of a free surface in microgravity" (ThermoSlosh) experiment (Salgado Sánchez et al. in Acta Astronautica 205:57–67, 2023), we conduct here a detailed numerical analysis of interfacial dynamics in a two-dimensional cylindrical cell, half-filled with different silicone oils or a fluorinert, and subjected to thermal forcing and vibrations. The effect on the free surface dynamics of the applied temperature difference, vibrational amplitude, fluid viscosity, and contact angle is analyzed; both static and dynamic contact angle models are considered. Results strongly suggest that thermocapillary flows can be used to control the interface orientation within the cell, while supplemental vibrations can be added to increase the system responsiveness. This control can be further improved by using classical proportional-integral-derivative feedback to adjust the cell boundary temperatures in real-time. The proportional and derivative gains of the controller can be selected to optimize the stabilization time and/or energy cost, while the integral contribution is effective in reducing the steady-state error. Overall, the present analysis highlights the potential of using the thermocapillary effect for fluid management in reduced gravity, and evaluates different types of experimental tests that can be executed in the frame of the ThermoSlosh microgravity project.

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