The paper discusses the problematic features of two-phase gas-liquid separation in microgravity environments. An event driven model is proposed in which the global phase separation process is viewed as a series of five systematic, definitive events. This framework is extended to form a model paradigm in which the migratory and morphological events of a single bubble are viewed as defining the basic separation process involving a large number of bubbles in a liquid field. Accordingly, a numerical simulation model of the phase separation processes within a cyclonic separation device (CSD) is developed. The paper discusses the general extension of a deterministic single-bubble dynamical model to the multi-bubble dispersion and the necessary simplifications. The model is capable of predicting the time-spaced evolution of the void fraction within a cyclonic separation device.
Schrage, D.S., Shoemaker, J.M., McQuillen, J., Passive Two-Phase Fluid Separation - A Dynamic Simulation Model, 36th Aerospace Sciences Meeting & Exhibit, AIAA, Reston, VA, AIAA-98-0731, pp.2-10, January 12, 1998.