| Summary: | For years, various models have been developed to describe crucial mixing effects, such as those occurring in chemical reactor flows. However, experimental validation has lagged due to the superimposition of gravity effects. A European research team, involving Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and partners from the University of Szeged (Hungary) and Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Belgium), has now addressed this challenge with experiments conducted under weightlessness. Their findings have been recently published in the journal npj Microgravity. Reaction-diffusion fronts occur when two chemicals react and simultaneously spread out. This effect is used to model and better understand various problems in chemistry, physics, and even areas like finance and linguistics, due to the similar characteristics of the underlying mathematical equations. The complexity increases when these reactions are combined with flows, which are important for technological applications in combustion, geology, material production, and CO2 storage. Despite numerous applications, essential parts of these systems remain not fully understood. "Previous experiments to verify models of such processes have been distorted by buoyancy effects caused by density differences between the reaction solutions. To isolate this problem, we conducted experiments using weightlessness on a sounding rocket. Our partners performed parallel numerical simulations to highlight the importance of two-dimensional effects, which are not accounted for in simple one-dimensional models," explained Dr. Karin Schwarzenberger of HZDR's Institute of Fluid Dynamics. Rocket Launch at the Arctic Circle The experiment took place on October 1, 2022, aboard the sounding rocket TEXUS-57, launched from the Esrange Space Center near Kiruna, Sweden. This collaborative project, involving Airbus Defense & Space, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), transported the experimental model developed by Schwarzenberger's team to the edge of ...
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