Speaker
Description
The METRO experiment, being developed for the International Space Station, uses a gas–liquid slug-flow loop to investigate mass transfer in microgravity. This contribution presents the thermal control concept and CFD analysis of the METRO fluid loop, focusing on the influence of thermal effects on multiphase flow behaviour.
Temperature gradients across the gas–liquid interface generate surface-tension gradients (Marangoni stresses) that can significantly affect interface shape, slug motion and flow stability. The simulations investigate these effects under representative operating conditions and assess their importance relative to other forces governing the flow.
Particular attention is given to the temperature dependence of surface tension as a potential means of controlling and scaling two-phase flow for ground-based drop-tower microgravity experiments. The study explores whether thermocapillary effects can be deliberately exploited to reproduce relevant microgravity flow behaviour at different geometrical scales.
The contribution provides insight into the coupling between thermal control and two-phase flow dynamics and supports the design, verification and ground testing of the METRO experiment.