Gravitational Convection of a Liquid Mixture in a Horizontal Cylindrical Gap at Moderate Grashof Numbers

Weak concentration convection which arises in the process of diffusion of impurities into the solvent filling a gap between two coaxial cylinders is studied experimentally. It is found that convective motion in the range of Grashof numbers 10³–5 × 10⁴ has a clear boundary-layer character. Near the inner porous cylinder, which is a source of impurity, a diffusion boundary layer passing into a two-dimensional convective plume is formed. The data on the structure and thickness of this layer are presented depending on the integral flux of impurity. The prospects of making an experiment in order to discover concentration convection onboard an orbital station are discussed.     

Polymerization under Microgravity: Results and Prospects

Frontal photopolymerization of polyacrylamide gel is theoretically and experimentally investigated under conditions of microgravity. With the help of optical methods, the conversion field of monomer is visualized in the course of the experiment, and the pattern of a reaction front motion is determined. The comparison of the properties of flight and laboratory samples of gel allows us to conclude that carrying out polymerization onboard an orbital station in order to obtain homogeneous polymeric materials is promising.