VACCO’s Wintec metal mesh surface tension elements are used to separate free gas from liquids. The principle of operation involves the phenomenon that once a material containing fine pores or openings is wetted with a liquid, it will allow free flow of the liquid, but resist flow of a gas.
The liquid forms a film across the pore openings and the gas bubble must break this film in order to pass through. This resistance to gas flow is a function of the size of the opening and the surface tension of the wetting liquid. The smaller the opening and the higher the surface tension, the more pressure is required to force the gas bubble through the material.
Because the VACCO Wintec fine screen material used in filters provides hundreds of thousands very small openings, it is ideal for use in surface tension elements, providing a natural addition to the VACCO Filtration product line.
VACCO’s knowledge of the characteristics of liquid and gas flow through fine wire mesh provides the clear experience factor that makes us a leader in the field of surface tension elements. There are many possible applications for surface tension elements, which include:
- Controlling the flow of liquids from storage tanks of space vehicles operating under zero gravity where gas pressure is used to displace the liquid from the tank, often referred to as Propellant Management Devices (PMD) such as the one flying on Hayabusa 2.
- Preventing the formation of undesirable gas bubbles that may form in liquid systems due to the progressive breakdown of the liquid itself.