Influence of variations in the angular rotational velocity of a spacecraft on thermal convection under conditions of weightlessness

Unlike the conventional approach where it is assumed that liquid motion under conditions of weightlessness is caused by vibrations or residual quasisteady-state microaccelerations, the present paper examines convection caused by variations in the angular rotational velocity of a spacecraft. It is shown that although the level of microaccelerations caused by variations in the angular rotational velocity is extremely low for the Shuttle spacecraft, Mir space station, and unmanned spacecraft, of the order of 0.1–1 μg, the ensuing convection and nonuniformity in the impurity distribution during crystal growth may be very appreciable.

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