Near-critical fluids under microgravity: Status of the ESEME program and perspectives for the ISS

Started 16 years ago, the ESEME program has led to a number of important fi ndings. We note a simple and unified view of phase transitions, which has b een applied to the development of biological patterns, and a very fast ther malization mode that we coined the ''piston effect". This effect has been a pplied to control the cryogenic reservoirs of the Ariane 5 rocket. AH these findings have been obtained thanks to the good coordination of the ESA and CNES space facilities and the construction of high technology experimental modules. The future of the program is linked to the CNES DECLIC facility a nd the ESA Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL). DECLIC has been designed to incr ease the temperature regulation above the critical point of water (550 K) s o as to investigate chemical reactions under conditions of supercritical wa ter, and in relation to the promising applications of waste treatment by su percritical oxidation. Thanks to the construction of a special vibrational Experiment Contains for FSL, the thermal and mechanical behavior of fluids under forced vibration can be investigated The results of such studies will help to estimate the effect of g-jitter on fluids, and control gases and l iquids' in space. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.