Microgravity Combustion

A spherical diffusion flame experiment performed at NASA's Glenn Microgravity Drop Facility.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• microgravity
• combustion
• Washington
• university
• NASA
• Glenn
• drop
• UMD
• Fire
• Protection
• Engineering

[ray666]

i heard the flame would go out by itself because since its in zero-g, co2 doesn't get away from the flame and it will choke it

[FPEatUMD]

Depends on how much airflow you have, but it is true that in zero-g, hotter gasses have no direction in which to be buoyant. However, they expand and diffuse, so it really does depend.

[dmix09]

lol intro&credits were lyke 85% of the video.. but still awesome~

[FPEatUMD]

I don't understand the question.

[21blue64]

Interersting isn't it?

[Mamba205]

Actually, the height of the NASA Glenn 5.2 second drop tower is 145 meters. Some of it, however, must be underground, because after 5 seconds of accelerating at 1g (neglecting air resistance), an object would have travelled 147.09 meters. Then, there's the extra .2 seconds-which would mean that the tower goes underground.

[95ellington]

So, gravity does play in role in determining the shape of the flame.

[Pimpmastahanhduece]

that doesnt disprove what i said.according to what you said,a nuclear bomb's energy ball is the actual ball of plutonium/hydrogen in the middle compressed to small orb because thats where the actual reaction is occurring.the only difference between the "flame" of a nuke compared to a fire is yield and spontaneity.obviously while the air beyond the visible flame is glowing,in the infrared spectrum,a nuke is the same cept the core is gamma rays,and the outside IS visible because of the intensity.

[FPEatUMD]

The atom bomb is an explosion, which means lots of simultaneous reactions inside the explosion barrier due to the rapid expansion. Flames have a 'flame barrier' where the oxygen/fuel ratio is such that the redox reaction takes place, and we see the visible flame.

[FPEatUMD]

This isn't entirely true. Wave of thermal energy is far from describing either of these phenomena. While it's true convection contributes more to the signature mushroom shape, it's because it hits the troposphere and flattens out due to the large ambient temperature spike, and that the center of the explosion is MUCH hotter than the rest of the base of the explosion.

[farnium]

That is amazing, I always wondered what a zero-G flame would look like.