Development and testing of a space-flight dilatometer/reactor

A stainless-steel piston cylinder dilatometer (volume about 100 cu cm), designed for use in microgravity, was tested and modified for the purpose of obtaining the polymerization kinetics of monodisperse polystyrene latexes, as well as the latexes themselves. A low-speed, oscillatory agitation (10 rpm, 30 deg of arc/per cycle) and redesigned stir paddle were selected for the low shear requirements of the microgravity experiments. Conversion histories accurate to within 2 percent were obtained after apparatus modification and procedural changes were implemented.