Did you know that in microgravity you can better study the behaviour of fluids’ mixtures
when a thermal field is applied?
Here on ground, we have gravity,
which means sedimentation and convection effects
strongly influence the kinetics and dynamics of fluids’ mixtures.
For example,
by mixing oil and water
an emulsion is obtained.
Slowly,
gravity will separate the two liquids,
moving the less dense oil to the top
and the water to the bottom of the container.
In space,
sedimentation and convection are not present,
making it an ideal environment to study other phenomena
that cause the separation of fluids’ mixtures.
When a temperature gradient is applied to a liquid mixture
we observe that one mixture’s component
“likes” the hot temperature side of the container more than the another
this way the components separate
by means of a phenomenon called thermodiffusion.
Thermodiffusion is known for a long time,
however a theoretical explanation of this phenomenon has not yet been widely agreed.
Experiments on Earth suffer from the external influence of gravity,
but in weightlessness it becomes easier.
After a new oil or gas discovery,
we must establish the distribution of the light and heavy components
in order to decide where to locate the appraisal wells
and how to optimize the field development plan.
The mapping of the Gas/Oil ratio
and the forecast of the density of the crude
are key figures to determine the economical value of the fluid.
Gravity and geothermal gradients
can induce large compositional variations within the fluid column
buried for millions of years under high pressure conditions.
The huge time and length scale make it impossible
to reproduce such conditions in our laboratories on Earth.
In the experiments we conduct in space, instead,
we can obtain reliable data on the impact of thermal gradients alone
which counteract more or less the gravity force in reservoirs under natural geothermal conditions.
The objective of the Soret Coefficient in Crude Oil project
was to measure the impact of hydrocarbon molecules distribution in a fluid sample
submitted to a temperature gradient under high pressure conditions without gravity segregation.
The results we obtained from microgravity experiment
were implemented in our simulation software,
so we can now more efficiently estimate the well-stream composition
before production starts.
This is of great interest for geoscientists and to our industry,
helping all of us to take more conscious and responsible decisions
on planetary resources exploration and exploitation.
On Earth, processes such as thermal diffusion,
are greatly affected by the force of gravity.
Studying them in space allows us better understand the dynamics and morphological properties
of fluids and their mixtures.
This is now allowing us to produce and assemble, here on Earth,
better products containing emulsions
and more efficiently and cost-effectively
separate components of blends
such as in fossil fuels
as well as in cleaning and sanitising water
and air pollution and contaminations for the benefit of all of us.
Thermodiffusion in a mixture of fluids
gives rise to spontaneous fluctuations,
whose growth is strongly affected by the terrestrial gravity force.
In weightlessness these fluctuations become thousands of times larger than on Earth:
we observed on the FOTON platform the first evidence of such phenomena
and we plan new experiments on the International Space Station
to investigate thermodiffusion further.
Because without gravity,
we can use these fluctuations as a diagnostic tool
to investigate the transport properties of fluids and their stability.
For example fluctuations affect the fundamental processes behind the growth of protein crystals,
which are very important to both academia and industry.
Our international team of scientists
is interacting with the NanoTemper Technology company
to develop novel biophysical methods
based on these giant fluctuations
for the development of applications in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industrial sectors.
A number of industrial sectors can actually benefit
from a better knowledge of the behavious of fluids mixtures:
oil and gas, cosmetic, food and farmaceutical industries are just a few examples.
Increasing the stability and thus the shelf-life of antibody-based medicines,
such as in vaccines and other therapies to fight cancer
has the potential to help many people in the future.
Now you know that space can help further study fluids and their mixtures
to enhance production processes and products’ quality on Earth as well.
Do take advantage of the opportunities and capabilities that are available for your research
and development to further grow and extend your achievements.
Do take the next step…
the step to space.
We did it already.