The aim of the workshop is to discuss the scientific data obtained from the first Parabolic Flight Campaign (Nov. 2015) of the VIPGRAN experiment. We will also fix the parameters of the experiment for the next Parabolic Flight Campaign taking place in April 2016.
The meeting will be held at the Physics Building B5a, located on the Sart Tilman campus of the University of Liège (Belgium) from 9 AM to 17 PM, the 25th of february 2016.
The firs
t parabolic flight campaign of the Vip-Gran instrument were performed in Bordeaux (France) in November 2015. The main goal of this campaign was to demonstrate the compliance of the instrument (built by DTM Technologies) with the Scientific Requirements.
Top: Clustering regime in low gravity – 3D cell. Volume fraction of 13.3% (4052 bronze beads of 1 mm + 250 bronze beads of 2 mm)
Bottom: Gaseous regime in low gravity – 3D cell. Volume fraction of 3.1% (1052 bronze beads of 1 mm)
The Space Grains collaboration will use the Vip-Gran instrument for the first time in Parabolic Flight in November 2015 during the 63rd ESA PFC at Novespace, Bordeaux (France). The selected experiment is entitled: “PF-63/5 Vibration-Induced Phenomena in Granular Materials. Tests of the VIP-GRAN instrument“
First trainings with the VIP-GRAN instrument (developed for Parabolic Flights by DTM Technologies) were performed in Modena (Italy) from 7th to 9th july 2015. Review of tests performed by DTM were discussed, and training of the scientific team were realized. Table of parameters are now defined for the first PF campaign (63rd ESA Parabolic Flight campaign in Bordeaux – France).
Participants were S. Aumaître (CEA-Saclay), D. Maza (Univ. de Narvarra), E. Falcon (Univ. Paris Diderot/CNRS), Y. Garrabos (ICMCB Bordeaux/CNRS), C. Lecoutre (ICMCB Bordeaux/CNRS), O. Minster (ESA), M. Noirhomme (Univ. Liège), E. Opsomer (Univ. Liège), M. Pinelli (DTM), L. Recanatesi (DTM), D. Santachiara (DTM), M. Schröter (Max Plank), and V. Koehne (ESA).
The Experiment Scientific Requirements (ESR) of the Vip-gran instrument for International Space Station (ISS) is now available. The scheduled flight of the instrument to ISS is 2019. The date of issue of this new ESR is 24/01/2014. Download it: ESR-VIPGRAN _ISS_final
The Experiment Scientific Requirements (ESR) of the Vip-gran instrument prototype in Parabolic Flight Campaigns (PFC) is now available. First PFC are foreseen in 2016. The date of issue of this new ESR is 31/01/2014. Download it: ESR-VIPGRAN-PF_final
The Topical Team meeting has been held in ESTEC/ESA, Noordwijk, Holland on December 4 and 5, 2013. The scientific objectives and requirements of the instrument have been first recalled, then its status and breadboard test results have been presented. After the presentations of each experiment to be performed in the instrument within the four Working Packages, we have selected priorities for the upgrade of the Experiment Scientific Requirements (ESR) in order to test the instrument prototype in Parabolic Flight Campaigns (PFC) foreseen in 2016.
Participants are S. Aumaître (CEA-Saclay), M. Berhanu (Univ. Paris Diderot/CNRS), P. Evesque (Ecole Centrale Paris/CNRS), E. Falcon (Univ. Paris Diderot/CNRS), A. Garcimartín (Univ. de Narvarra), Y. Garrabos (ICMCB Bordeaux/CNRS), M. Hou (Chineese Acad. of Sc.), M. Martella (ESA), S. Merminod (Univ. Paris Diderot), O. Minster (ESA), E. Opsomer (Univ. Liège), T. Peignier (ESA), L. Recanatesi (DTM), D. Sachanchiara (DTM), S. Subatzus (DLR), M. Sperl (DRL), N. Vandewalle (Univ. Liège)
The phase B study of the VIP-GRAN instrument was recently successfully completed and industry working under ESA contract produced a design of the instrument foreseeing accommodation in the European Drawer Rack in Columbus that passed Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The phases C/D requires further breadboarding in the framework of ELIPS-4.
The next meeting aims to identify the type of cells that should be tested on parabolic flights, the observation means that should be implemented around these cells and how these could be implemented, and a preliminary plan of the activities with direct involvement of science team members.
The meeting will take place at ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands on the dates of 4 PM – 5 AM December 2013. The meeting room will be Nc220 in the Erasmus building.
What is the difference between dynamical clustering and cooling ? This question is often debated. Cooling is the mechanism in which successive inelastic collisions dissipate the energy of the granular gas, leading to large scale inhomogeneities called clusters. The latter being observed in different parts the experimental cell. In order to avoid cooling, continuous injection of energy through moving walls can be envisaged. Depending on the number of particles, the balance between dissipation and energy injection leads to a cluster in the middle of the cell. This is called dynamical clustering.
Both physical phenomena are related to energy dissipation but they are . In order to visualize that difference, the following video is proposed : at the beginning a dynamical clustering is shown before wall motion stops, leading to cooling.
UPDATE : New movies have been also added in WP sections : energy injection and dissipation (WP1), asymmetric driving (WP3) and Maxwell’s demon (WP4).
The development status of the instrument is in phase B (preliminary design phase) which started in june 2010. This phase is mainly focusing on the development of motors and the characterization of their performances. Phase B includes also testing at the breadboard level.
The next milestones are:
ESA Human Spaceflight
Space Grains 