Dresden 2017 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 18: Poster: Colloids and Complex Fluids

CPP 18.2: Poster

Monday, March 20, 2017, 18:30–21:00, P1C

DCMIX3b: First results from microgravity experiments on the ISS — •Thomas Triller and Werner Köhler — Physikalisches Institut, Universität Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany

DCMIX3b is the most recent iteration of a measurement campaign, which aims to gather a reliable data basis for diffusive transport coefficients of different ternary liquid mixtures in the microgravity environment of the ISS. Special focus of these measurements is the Soret effect, a diffusive demixing driven by a temperature gradient. To get reliable reference data for ground measurements, several international research teams cooperate in the DCMIX project under the auspices of ESA and Roscosmos. DCMIX3 shall provide data for aqueous systems, containing mixtures of water / ethanol / triethylene-glycol. All samples are measured via digital optical interferometry (SODI) inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox. After the loss of the first DCMIX3 samples during the explosion of the Cygnus CRS Orb-3 transport in October 2014, measurements had to be deferred for almost two years. In July 2016, the new DCMIX3b samples were successfully delivered to the space station by SpaceX CRS-9. Starting in September 2016, a set of 30 experimental runs with 5 different compositions could be performed until the end of operations in November 2016. Full evaluation can only begin after the hard disks containing the data will be brought back to earth, probably in early 2017. Nevertheless, the available telemetry data gives a good impression of the quality of the data. On our poster, we show a first assessment, explaining the evaluation process, as well as some problems which occurred during operations.