Design of a modular low-cost experimental platform for studying gas transport in liquid environments
Description
Gas-liquid interaction is very important in different fields, which comprises environmental engineering, energy conversion, aquaculture, and chemical engineering. In reality, even though they have high levels of significance, conventional industrial systems tend to be prohibitively expensive and inflexible, while laboratory-scale operations are often task-specific and lack easy adaptability. To overcome these shortcomings, this work presents a low-cost modular Inline Gas-Liquid Interaction (IGLI) system intended for gas transportation and pressure control investigations in a liquid environment. Architecturally, the platform consists of three core functional modules. First, a Gas-Liquid Reaction Module is characterized by the use of a vertical transparent reaction vessel fitted with replaceable gas lines. Secondly, a Sensor and Measurement Module incorporates both industrial pressure and temperature sensors, together with servo valves. Lastly, the Power and Control Module runs on PLC and HMI technology. The prototype was developed through CNC machining, laser cutting, and FDM 3D printing processes. Significantly, the complete assembly can be replicated in about 156 hours for an expected hardware expense of $4,000. In order to test its performance, experimental testing was carried out through CO2 and water channels for pressure values of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 bar. The IGLI demonstrated robust tracking, ensuring that steady-state pressure errors were kept below 2%. Moreover, the pressure difference between the gas and liquid phases was maintained at less than 0.025 bar during the steady state and never exceeded 0.3 bar at transitions, all within the safe limit of 0.9 bar. As a result, it is a very accessible platform for two-phase flow studies.