While astronauts have a beautiful view of our planet, they also perform numerous (scientific) experiments and studies that contribute to sustainable innovation. Under the banner \'Space for Science\', the European Space Agency (ESA) and Tata Steel Nederland (TSN) conduct joint experiments on the International Space Station (ISS) to gain knowledge of the thermo-physical properties of steel during casting. This knowledge contributes to more efficient energy use, more effective steel production, and the green energy transition.
Steel is being researched in the ISS. This concerns steel that can be used for electric motors. The quality of this steel largely determines the efficiency of motors in, for example, electric cars. This directly contributes to the energy transition. These types of steel have a complex structure that partly arises during casting. The knowledge gained from this experiment is used in the casting process to prevent errors and to achieve better steel for this application.
ESA and Tata Steel Nederland Collaboration
It is very imaginative; steel melted in space and then cooled and solidified again in a 'high tech' monitored process. In this co-production, Tata Steel Nederland provides specifically prepared steel samples and knowledge. ESA is responsible for the execution of the scientific experiment. The knowledge resulting from the various studies is available to everyone. Materials expert Wim Sillekens is involved in the space steel project from ESTEC/ESA and states: "For science, all the materials research within the 'Space for Science' program has already resulted in more than 1,600 publications, including a number of scientific articles together with Tata Steel."
Why steel research in space?
The Argentinian-Dutch scientist Dr. Begona Santillana works in the 'Research & Development' department of Tata Steel and researches the solidification of steel. Santillana is the initiator and manager of this steel research in space and explains its added value: "All the steel that surrounds you has once been liquid. And it is precisely in that process from liquid to solidified steel that much can go wrong. The solidification of liquid steel at very high temperatures, around 1500 degrees Celsius, is influenced by mechanical, thermodynamic, and thermo-physical properties. In the lab, we investigate all these properties, but the steel samples used for this purpose are also subject to gravity. In space, we don't have that problem, which leads to purer data.
How does it work?
Steel pellets of less than 10 grams, prepared by TSN, are placed on Earth in a batch with other samples in a kind of carousel and transported to the ISS by rocket. There, the carousel is placed in the double-walled 'Electro-Magnetic Levitator' (EML). In the EML, the steel pellets are then melted and solidified in a number of cycles. This happens while the astronauts are sleeping to prevent measurement errors due to movement. The process is monitored, and the data go 'real-time' to the 'Microgravity User Support Center', a support center of the ISS in Cologne, for data collection, among other things. Upon return to Earth, the steel samples go to Tata Steel Nederland and the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom for further research.
Energy saving and sustainability through steel research in space
For applications of steel, preventing errors in the process is crucial, and precise knowledge of solidification temperature and other thermo-physical properties is important. Dr. Santillana: "Through the knowledge obtained from this scientific research, we can realize the production of steel more efficiently. Moreover, thanks to the knowledge gained, we can produce different types of steel with fewer process problems. Indirectly, this leads to energy savings and a better product." Wim Sillekens (ESA) adds: "In our collaboration with Tata Steel Nederland, we have acquired a lot of knowledge about steel properties with an accuracy that cannot be measured in any other way. Many of the materials investigated in the EML are related to sustainability; in addition to steel, these are, for example, hard-magnetic materials and semiconductor materials, for applications in wind turbines and solar panels. These materials are critical for the green transition, and even small improvements in performance are of very great value on a global scale."
Source: Tata Steel Nederland
