Microgravity Gas-Liquid Separator for the Liquid Amine CO2 Removal System

Background & Relevance

The X-Hab 2020 Academic Innovation Challenge has tasked eleven senior design teams from colleges across the US to demonstrate working prototypes for exploration systems and habitation. The University of North Texas has been tasked with the creation of a gas-liquid separator for an air revitalization system. Air revitalization technology has been used to support spaceflight by removing CO₂ from enclosed systems in order to maintain breathable air. Solid sorbents such as zeolites or lithium hydroxide have been used in the past for these systems, but are difficult to handle in microgravity environments and require a large amount of energy. This challenge demonstrates vortex phase separator (VPS) technology for removing H₂O from a CO₂ stream.