Investigation of Enceladus’ Plumes through Laboratory Experiments
F. Giordano (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
S.M. Cazaux – Mentor (TU Delft - Astrodynamics & Space Missions)
F.F.J. Schrijer – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Aerodynamics)
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Abstract
In this study, plume experiments were conducted to mimic the thermodynamic conditions on Saturn's moon, Enceladus. The icy moon subsurface ocean and cracks in the surface have been simulated by using a liquid water reservoir and a narrow channel, while the low-pressure environment at Enceladus’ surface was achieved with a vacuum chamber. We aimed to examine how channel temperature affected the plume's behavior, testing two models with differing wall temperatures: room temperature and near 0°C. The colder model better replicated Enceladus' plumes, producing a saturated flow in which icy particles due to nucleation were seen. A conservative 1.5-3% minimum solid fraction is estimated from measurements and modeling. Pitot-tube measurements indicated Mach numbers around 1, with velocities between 400-500 m/s. Flow temperature and velocity closely correlated with wall temperature, indicating effective heat transfer. The study suggests that supersonic plume velocities observed on Enceladus can be achieved through thermal effects within the icy crust's crevasse, without requiring extreme expansion ratios. Additionally, the research provides evidence of the relationship between the crevasse's expansion ratio and the flow and wall temperatures.