Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Richman, D. W..
Application of electrophoresis in space processing is described. Spaceborne experiments in areas such as biological products and FDA approved drugs are discussed. These experiments will be carried on shuttle payloads.
The effects of gravity on the free flow electrophoretic process was demonstrated. The free flow electrophoresis chamber used to demonstrate the effects of gravity on the process was of a proprietary design. This chamber was 120 cm long, 16 cm wide, and 0.15 cm thick. Flow in this chamber was in the upward direction and exited through 197 outlets at the top of the chamber. During electrophoresis a stream of sample was injected into the flow near the bottom of the chamber and an electrical field was applied across the width of the chamber. The field caused a lateral force on particles in the sample proportional to the inherent change of the particle and the electric field strength. Particle lateral velocity was then dependent on the force due to viscous drag which was proportional to particle size and particle shape dependent.
The effect of gravity on the free flow electrophoretic process was investigated. The demonstrated effects were then compared with predictions made by mathematical models. Results show that the carrier buffer flow was affected by gravity induced thermal convection and that the movement of the separating particle streams was affected by gravity induced buoyant forces. It was determined that if gravity induced buoyant forces were included in the mathematical models, then effective predictions of electrophoresis chamber separation performance were possible.
The effect of gravity on the free flow electrophoretic process was investigated. The demonstrated effects were then compared with predictions made by mathematical models. Results show that the carrier buffer flow was affected by gravity induced thermal convection and that the movement of the separating particle streams was affected by gravity induced buoyant forces. It was determined that if gravity induced buoyant forces were included in the mathematical models, then effective predictions of electrophoresis chamber separation performance were possible. The results of tests performed using various methods of electrophoresis using supportive media show that the mobility and the ability to separate were essentially independent of concentration, providing promise of being able to perform electrophoresis with higher inlet concentrations in space.