Thermal convection in rotating spherical shells: An experimental and numerical approach within GeoFlow

We present numerical and experimental preliminary studies for a microgravity experiment on thermal convection in rotating spherical shells named GeoFlow, which will be integrated in Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL) at Columbus module of International Space Station (ISS). Numerical studies of this spherical Rayleigh–Bénard problem under a central dielectrophoretic force in microgravity environment are accomplished for a wide range of Rayleigh and Taylor number. For testing GeoFlow framework a laboratory experiment is designed, constructed, and tested including set-up of optical measurement technique (Wollaston shearing interferometry).