Abstract
A ground based facility (OLGA), providing magnetic compensation of gravity in oxygen, has been developed. A 2-T superconducting magnetic solenoid is used to create the required magnetic field. A novel electrical supply permits to quickly vary the magnetic field, leading to rapid variation of the acceleration forces applied to oxygen. These variations can be made from overcompensation of gravity (−0.5g) to zero gravity or from zero gravity to reduced gravity (0.4g) with a time constant of 340 ms. This time is typical of the cutoff or reignition of spacecraft engines. Preliminary results on the transient flows induced by these acceleration variations in a reservoir filled with liquid and gaseous oxygen are presented.
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Pichavant, G., Beysens, D., Chatain, D. et al. Using Superconducting Magnet to Reproduce Quick Variations of Gravity in Liquid Oxygen. Microgravity Sci. Technol. 23, 129–133 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-010-9232-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12217-010-9232-7