Foam stability in space: experiments in the International Space Station - Université de Rennes Accéder directement au contenu
Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2011

Foam stability in space: experiments in the International Space Station

Giles Delon
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 923552
Emmanuelle Rio
Olivier Pitois
Denis Weaire
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 829977
Stefan Hutzler
Dominique Langevin
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 858581

Résumé

Within the context of the ESA FOAM project, we have studied the stability of aqueous and non-aqueous foams both on Earth and in microgravity. Foams are dispersions of gas into liquid or solid newtorks. On Earth, the lifetime of a foam is limited by the gravitationnal drainage. By drainage, we are referring to the irreversible flow of liquid through the foam (leading to the accumulation of liquid at the foam bottom, and to a global liquid content decreases within the foam). When the liquid films become thinner, they eventually break, and the foam collapses. In microgravity, this process is no more present and foams containing large amounts of liquid can be studied for longer time. While the difference between foaming and not-foaming solutions is clear, the case of slightly-foaming solutions is more complicated. On Earth, such mixtures are observed to produce unstable froth for a couple of seconds. However, these latter solutions may produce foam in microgravity. We have studied both configurations for different solutions composed of common surfactant, proteins, anti-foaming agents or silicon oil. Surprising results have been obtained, emphasizing the role played by gravity on the foam stabilizaiton process.
Fichier non déposé

Dates et versions

hal-00986344 , version 1 (02-05-2014)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-00986344 , version 1

Citer

Nicolas Vandewalle, Hervé Caps, Giles Delon, Arnaud Saint-Jalmes, Emmanuelle Rio, et al.. Foam stability in space: experiments in the International Space Station. 4th International Symposium on Physical Sciences in Space, Jul 2011, Bonn, Germany. ⟨hal-00986344⟩
309 Consultations
0 Téléchargements

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More