Design of a Large Oxygen Magnetic Levitation Facility

The present magnetic levitation facility offers an alternative to space means for studying fluids and especially liquid oxygen that exhibits important safety requirements. The station has great use flexibility. Thus it enables us to study hydrodynamic instabilities (acceleration and deceleration phase) and also to focus on thermal exchanges (nuclear and film boiling) and transition phase of fluids under reduced gravity such as Lunar, Martian or micro-gravity. The volume of liquid oxygen levitated is about two litres with a resulting acceleration less than 0.1 m/s2. Besides the aspect ratio of the working cell can be changed.