• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.81-89
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• 2015

In this paper, we describe the development of a bioreactor for a cell-culture experiment on the International Space Station (ISS). The bioreactor is an experimental device for culturing mouse muscle cells in a microgravity environment. The purpose of the experiment was to assess the impact of microgravity on the muscles to address the possibility of long-term human residence in space. After investigation of previously developed bioreactors, and analysis of the requirements for microgravity cell culture experiments, a bioreactor design is herein proposed that is able to automatically culture 32 samples simultaneously. This reactor design is capable of automatic control of temperature, humidity, and culture-medium injection rate; and satisfies the interface requirements of the ISS. Since bioreactors are vulnerable to cell contamination, the medium-circulation modules were designed to be a completely replaceable, in order to reuse the bioreactor after each experiment. The bioreactor control system is designed to circulate culture media to 32 culture chambers at a maximum speed of 1 ml/min, to maintain the temperature of the reactor at $36{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, and to keep the relative humidity of the reactor above 70%. Because bubbles in the culture media negatively affect cell culture, a de-bubbler unit was provided to eliminate such bubbles. A working model of the reactor was built according to the new design, to verify its performance, and was used to perform a cell culture experiment that confirmed the feasibility of this device.

• Journal of computational fluids engineering
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.100-107
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• 1998

A numerical analysis of thermal stress over temperature variations near the crystal-melt interface is carried out for a floating-zone growth of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe). Thermocapillary convection determines crystal-melt interfacial shape and signature of temperature in the crystal. Large temperature gradients near the crystal-melt interface yield excessive thermal stresses in a crystal, which affect the dislocations of the crystal. Based on the assumption that the crystal is elastic and isotropic, thermal stresses in a crystal are computed and the effects of operating conditions are investigated. The results show that the extreme thermal stresses are concentrated near the interface of a crystal and the radial and the tangential stresses are the dominant ones. Concentrated heating profile increases the stresses within the crystal, otherwise, the pulling rate decreases the stresses.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.29 no.9 s.240
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• pp.988-996
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• 2005

Flame structure and extinction mechanism of counterflow methane/air non-premixed flame diluted with nitrogen are studied by NASA 2.2 s drop tower experiments and two-dimensional numerical simulations with finite rate chemistry and transport properties. Extinction mechanism at low strain rate is examined through the comparison among results of microgravity experiment, 1D and 2D simulations with a finite burner diameter. A two-dimensional simulation in counterflow flame especially with a finite burner diameter is shown to be very important in explaining the importance of multidimensional effects and lateral heat loss in flame extinction, effects that cannot be understood using a one-dimensional flamelet model. Extinction mechanism at low strain rate is quite different from that at high strain rate. Low strain rate flame is extinguished initially at the outer flame edge, the flame shrinks inward, and finally is extinguished at the center. It is clarified from the overall fractional contribution by each term in energy equation to heat release rate that the contribution of radiation fraction with 1D and 2D simulations does not change so much and the overall fractional contribution is decisively attributed to radial conduction ('lateral heat loss'). The experiments by Maruta et at. can be only completely understood if multi-dimensional heat loss effects are considered. It is, as a result, verified that the turning point, which is caused only by pure radiation heat loss, has to be shifted towards much lower global strain rate in microgravity flame.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conference
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• 2016.10a
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• pp.151-151
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• 2016

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.216-219
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• 2005

In this study, we will explain the design, test results and analysis of system for measuring the small mass in the microgravity environment. It is so difficult to measure the mass by sensing the gravity as the ground in the microgravity environment. The suggested method is to measure the resonance frequency of a sample. The resonance frequency may be measured as a function of mass. If we know the resonance frequency of the mass, we can guess the mass by detecting the resonance frequency. Piezoelectric ceramics have the characteristics that resonance frequency is changed by total mass which are its mass and the attached mass. This system have some problems but we verified that we can measure the unknown mass using the resonance frequency as the mass.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.403-412
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• 2006

The effect of a wall temperature on the soot deposition process from a diffusion flame to a solid wall was investigated in a microgravity environment to attain in-situ observations of the process. The fuel for the flames was an ethylene ($C_2H_4$). The surrounding oxygen concentration was 35% with surrounding air temperatures of $T_a=600K$. In the study, three different wall temperatures. $T_w$=300, 600, 800K, were selected as major test conditions. Laser extinction was adopted to determine the soot volume fraction distribution between the flame and burner wall. The experimental results showed that the maximum soot volume fractions at $T_w$=300, 800 K were $8.8{\times}10^{-6},\;9.2{\times}10^{-6}$, respectively. However, amount of soot deposition on wall surface was decreased because of lower temperature gradient near the wall with increasing wall temperature. A numerical simulation was also performed to understand the motion of soot particles in the flame and the characteristics of the soot deposition to the wall. The results from the numerical simulation successfully predicted the differences in the motion of soot particles by different wall temperature near the burner surface and are in good agreement with observed soot behavior that is, the 'soot line', in microgravity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Marine Engineers Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.254-255
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• 2005

The effect of surrounding air velocity on the soot deposition process from a diffusion flame to a solid wall was investigated in a microgravity environment to attain in-situ observations of the process. An ethylene($C_2H_4$) diffusion flame was formed around a cylindrical rod burner in surrounding air velocity of $v_{air}$=2.5, 5, and 10 cm/s with oxygen concentration of 35 % and wall temperature of 300 K. Laser extinction was adopted to determine the soot volume fraction distribution between the flame and burner wall. The experimental results show that the soot particle distribution region moves closer to the surface of the wall with increasing surrounding air velocity. A numerical simulation was also performed to understand the motion of soot particles in the flame and the characteristics of the soot deposition to the wall. The results successfully predicted the differences in the motion of soot particles by different surrounding air velocity near the burner surface and are in good agreement with observed soot behavior in microgravity. A comparison of the calculations and experimental results led to the conclusion that a consideration of the thermophoretic effect is essential to understand the soot deposition on walls.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.456-466
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• 1994

Experimental investigation was made to study the mechanism of fluid and thermal oscillation phenomena of surface-tension driven flow in a cylindrical liquid column heated from above which is the low-gravity floating zone simulated on earth. Hexadecane, octadecane, silicon oil (10cs), FC-40 and water are used as the test liquids. The onset of the oscillatory thermocapillary convection appears when Marangoni number exceeds its criteria value and is found to be due to the coupling among velocity and temperature field with the free surface deformation. The frequency of temperature oscillation decreases with increasing aspect ratio for a given diameter and Marangoni number and the oscillation level increases with Marangoni number. The flow pattern in the liquid column appears either as symmetric or asymmetric 3-D flow due to the oscillatory flow in the azimuthal direction. The free surface deformation also occurs either as symmetric or asymmetric mode and its frequency is consistent with those of flow and temperature oscillations. The amplitude of surface deformation also increases with Marangoni number.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.426-432
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• 2001

Perstractive fermentation is a good way to increase the productivity of bioreactors. Us-ing Propionibacteria as the model system, the feasibility of using supported emulsion liquid mem-brane(SELM) fro perstractive fermentation is assessed in this study. Five industrial solvents were considered as the solvent for perparing the SELM. The more polar a solvent, is the higher the par-tition coefficeint However, toxicity of a solvent also increases with its polarity. CO-1055(indus-trial decanol/octanol blend)has the highest partition coefficient toward propionic acid among the solvents that has no molecular toxicity toward Propionibacteria, A preliminary extraction study was conducted using tetradecane as solvent in a hydrophobic hollow fiber contactor. The results confirmed that SELM eliminates the equilibrium limitation of conventional liquid-liquid extrac-tion and allows the use of a non-toxic solvent with low partition coefficient.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 1985

The U.S. Space Shuttle represents the beginning of a new era in transportation and is the critical element in the industrialization of the near-Earth-space. Most of its flights are dedicated to reducing costs launching commercial satellites. However, it provides a microgravity environment for processing unique and improved materials which is generating great interest in both civilian and military sectors. The space shuttle is also the necessary step in establishing a permanent space station which could host materials analysis laboratories and commercial processing facilities. This paper reviews the different elements of the space shuttle transportation system, a typical mission scenario, and discusses current activities in materials processing in space.