Convection and bulk transport

Abstract

Progress in the theoretical understanding of transport phenomena for materials processing systems in a microgravity environment is assessed. Fluid experiments and processing in space may be performed without containers. Processes that are secondary on the earth may become significant in space, e.g., the natural oscillation of a fluid. Results are summarized from experiments on oscillatory behavior, the effects of electrical charge, and nonaxisymmetric disturbances in suspended drops in a microgravity environment.