Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Boyce, John.
The physics of phase partitioning in reduced gravity is reviewed, and the general methodology of phase partitioning experiments carried out aboard the Space Shuttle is described. The computer analysis of photograph images obtained in these experiments is discussed. The results of these studies as well as ground-based experiments are addressed.
The influence of gravity on the efficiency and quality of the impressive separations achievable by bioparticle partitioning is investigated by demixing polymer phase systems in microgravity. The study involves the neutral polymers dextran and polyethylene glycol, which form a two-phase system in aqueous solution at low concentrations. It is found that demixing in low-gravity occurs primarily by coalescence, whereas on earth the demixing occurs because of density differences between the phases.